beautiful things

Wow!!!

It's been kinda like Christmas around here, what with all my, ahem, yarn purchases showing up, along with gifts I ordered for my husband's birthday, and then today... well, today I got home to find a giant box hidden under our porch - the final package from my Secret Pal!

And, well, wow!  I'm actually sort of speechless, so here are a few pictures.

The giant box, filled with goodies...

Everything unwrapped!  The two books are Sew What! Skirts and The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits - perfect!

I literally gasped out loud when I opened the first yarn package - Brooks Farm Duet and in beautiful variegated blues.  It isn't handspun (although it is hand-dyed) but it has a handspun look due to the way the kid mohair is plied with the wool - I've been searching handspuns for something like this!  And I also got 2 skeins of Malabrigo in Verdeazul - I have a couple of single skeins of Malabrigo that I haven't knit with yet but this will give me some more choices for bigger projects, plus I just know I'm going to be addicted to this lovely soft yarn and all the gorgeous colors it comes in so this is a good addition to my collection.  (I'm not sure why the Malabrigo photo came out so badly - I'll have to try again.)

But the real jewel of the package in terms of sheer GENIUS is this amazing gift, a "yarn tasting box":

I'm still in complete awe - I wish I'd thought of this!!!  The Stash and Burn ravelry group has this great thing called "would you like to try" where people offer up yarn leftovers for free so other people can try them, but this takes that concept to a whole new level.  I love gifts that are personal, creative, beautiful and useful all at the same time and this falls into all those categories.  It's not only a great concept but presented so well - I feel like I received a jewel box!  It is so pretty and I can't wait to try some of the yarns... of course I am trying to think of a project that could use all of them or some of them rather than just knitting swatches, and frankly it's tempting to just keep it as it is but that would defeat the purpose.

Speaking of which, there is even more to this box... it is a scavenger hunt for me to figure out the identity of my secret pal!!!  She has made projects with all of these yarns and they are all on Ravelry... what better excuse to spend more time on Ravelry?!!!  In fact, that is where I am headed right now.

Thank you secret pal!  I will figure out your identity soon...!

Inspiration explosion

Over the past few weeks, my "fantasy knitting life" has completely exploded, rather at the expense of my real knitting life I might add.  It's certainly balancing out what I'm coming to think of as my knitting monastery days of the wedding stole where I was focused on the one project and had no time for ravelry or yarn shopping or thinking about let alone touching other projects... plus I was working in laceweight white!!!  No wonder I've been going gaga over color!

Although my aesthetic tastes tend towards the more minimal (ie non-decorative) I've always loved color and texture and of course, knitting is a fantastic outlet for that.  I think it's why I keep getting drawn back to sock yarn, even though I have never actually knit a pair of socks with sock yarn (my only socks are the Tyrolean Stockings).  I could see getting into socks... one day.  Or at least knitting a pair or two.  I loved knitting the Tyrolean Stockings.  I don't think it's a "waste" to knit socks, but I do feel there are so many other items deserving of knitted attention that enhance a wardrobe in a more visible way.

But yeah, sock yarn.  I think people are more willing to go outside of their normal wardrobe color comfort zone with socks, so it would make sense that there is a wider variety of colors available in sock yarn.  I'm not sure if this is actually true, but it certainly seems like it.  There's more variety, more experimentation, brighter colors, and more interesting color combinations.  It's enough to drive a person crazy!  

I also like the higher yardage of sock yarn and the comfort of knowing that even if you don't knit socks, you can probably find a one skein project, like, oh, say, the Baby Surprise Jacket!  I'm sure I've said this before but I've made about a million of these in my head with every beautiful skein of sock yarn I've ever seen in person or online.

Anyway, all this is to say that, um, well, I have totally blown my yarn budget for this month.  Determined to make a Little Giraffe with my Sundara citrus zinger, and failing so far in my quest to obtain the contrasting Sundara color of my dreams through cash or trade, I decided to *gasp* look at other options.  Through the hilariously titled "Satanic Sock Yarn" thread on the Sundara Love ravelry group I received lots of good pointers for beautiful sock yarns with a similar yarn base that would be compatible and this led me to MadelineTosh.  

You know how if you hear a name a lot it suddenly hits home, even if you don't really know where you heard it before?  Well, that's what happened with Sundara, and now MadelineTosh.  A quick look at the site led me quickly to the conclusion that I needed to look no further - this was the yarn for me!  In addition to Sundara of course... to go with my Sundara.  Think of the considerable advantages in this particular situation: a) yarn is available with minimal time investment (I did have to do a little searching to find the colorways I wanted available in various places) b) I don't have to part with one of my precious citrus zinger skeins in a trade and c) I was debating between brown, orange and green as the contrasting color... now I am getting all of them and planning on making a family of three giraffes, big, medium and small!!!  

Actually, I *um* *cough* *splutter* ordered 5 skeins in total: bark, citrus and lettuce for brown, orange and green respectively, and I couldn't resist adding ginseng not only because it is so so pretty but because it pretty much has brown, orange AND green in it, so I might use it for one of the contrasting giraffe colors - user stash photos give a better sense of it eg here (ravelry, flickr) and here (ravelry, flickr) is a really cute giraffe that uses multiple colors so that's an option too.  

Then, well, I also got victory garden just because.  Again - so pretty!  Ironically, the official photo has it looking a lot more like ginseng but user stash photos have it looking rather different (ravelry, flickr). 

So I am dying to receive the yarn and get started on Sundara/MadTosh Giraffemania!  (By the way, I ordered from both Yarn and Fiber and Sealed with a Kiss as not everything I wanted was in stock or available at one store.)

My recent online travels have also had me drooling over Mama Blue (although forget it, that's as hard to get as Sundara - here are ravelry and flickr links) and, more attainably, Oceanwind Knits (their hand-dyed merino in particular), and Pagewood Farm (Alyeska and Yukon in particular).  I'm holding off though, and there's a much longer list of recommendations that I am avoiding for now... and I am absolutely not signing up for any more yarn subscriptions!

In other wallet-damaging news, my custom order of Big Tryst is ready so that's another hit on the old budget, although very very exciting... I can't wait to receive this order as well, and it means I'll have 9 of the 13 colors!  I'm going to make the barn raising quilt (ravelry, book website) from the book Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together although I do want to try one square first and see if this is the best use of this beautiful yarn.  I was going to wing it on the pattern but I think I'm just going to get the book, which has lots of other beautiful patterns including the Pillow of Sei Shonagon (ravelry, flickr) which I have always admired. 

Speaking of sKNITches, here are some better photos of my recent order:

In other exciting news, I'm going to start swatching for my Pakucho blanket.  I received the two books I ordered and I think I have selected Courtly (ravelry, flickr) from the Big Book of Quick Knit Afghans.  This is a very "meat and potatoes" kind of book - more of a booklet really, with no frills, just photos and patterns, and while the photos are pretty good, the book is laid out in a strange way so that the photos and the patterns do not correspond at all!!!  There are some beautiful blankets shown though, and all are knit with worsted weight yarn doubled up on #17 needles so they should live up to the "quick" of the title.  Actually, I randomly saw a post on ravelry this morning asking about Knitpicks Options which lead me to review which tips I have and realize that I actually have #17 tips, which is fantastic as I was thinking I had to go and buy needles before I could start this.   I've now entered all my tips on ravelry under sock dpns, which I am pretty sure I will never buy, so I avoid this problem in the future.

In other news, I received yet another package from my Secret Pal.  I didn't mention it before but she had some beautiful stitch markers sent to me from Ruby N Purls a few weeks ago, and then just the other day I received an unexpected package from Amazon containing Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard.  Oh my!  I love this book!  My Secret Pal has done a great job of introducing me to new things while pegging my tastes really well.  I had actually seen and queued a couple of patterns in this book without actually taking note of or looking at the book... and now that I have the book, there are many more that I could see myself knitting.  My Secret Pal was very sweetly worried that the patterns in the book are simple and possibly not as challenging as I like... ha!  I explained to her that I have not yet knit what I would consider to be a "proper" sweater yet - the lacy hooded tunic doesn't really count in my mind as it didn't really need much fitting.  That to me is the daunting and challenging part - not so much the knitting itself but selecting the right pattern and yarn and getting the right fit that will look good on me.  The asymmetrical wrap doesn't really count either and look at the problems I have there with wearability, even though I knit it exactly as designed!!!  (I am going to give that a go this winter though and see if I can figure out a way to wear it.)

So yes, I am looking forward to the challenge of knitting my first "real" sweater and I think this book is really going to help.  Ingenue (ravelry) looks like something I would wear, and my other favorite is the Lion-Neck Cardigan (ravelry), although I don't really count that as a "real" sweater either (I imagine it's much easier to make a cardigan that fits).  I also love the Paradise Beach Cover-up (ravelry) and the Karma tank (ravelry).  There's nothing like a good cover-up and/or tank!  Sorry, no flickr links yet... the book is new so there aren't any FO photos in ravelry yet.  

I won't list all the other patterns in the book that I like but I am getting those fall sweater/cardigan urges.  Here's another one I like - Starsky (ravelry, pattern) although not with the belt (again with the belts!)  I particularly like this version (ravelry, flickr).  

I love watching my friend's activity on ravelry - it's like a constant feast of inspiration.  Still, I have to remember to occasionally actually knit... which I am off to do right now!

More questions of the "week"...

Well, I guess the questions are weekly even if the answers are not!

Question of the week #5: 1) Where is your favorite place to go for vacation/holiday? 2) Where is one place you’d like to go?

I love going any place that is on the water, with a view of the water.  I particularly like beach vacations although lakes are good too.  Of course a tropical climate is also nice!  Some great beach vacations my husband and I have been on - St. Thomas, Montauk (where we got married), Dominican Republic (our honeymoon),  Florida Keys.

Where is one place I'd like to go?  Well, it's pretty hard to name just one place... but how about Bora Bora?

Question of the week #6: What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation? If you’d like to share a story…Tell us about a time that you packed too much knitting or were stranded without knitting.  

Having only been knitting for under 2 years, I can't say I have a lot of experience knitting on vacation or that I have a favorite type of project to take along.  I pretty much take whatever I'm working on as long as it isn't too big.  Taking photos of your knitting when you're somewhere other than home is a lot of fun though...

 

Question of the week #7: What is(are) your favorite place(s) to knit? and What supplies (besides yarn & needles) make the setting perfect for knitting?

Well, I think you can see from above some of my favorite places to knit - by the water while on vacation!  Closer to home, I also enjoy going to Prospect Park, laying out a blanket, listening to podcasts or audiobooks and knitting.

SP12 catch-up

I've fallen behind in the SP12 questions of the week (and blogging in general but... shhhhh), so here are a whole bunch in a row...!

Question of the week #2: As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

For some reason, this is a hard question for me to answer, not because I didn't look forward to the summer holidays, but because we did different things each summer. I was lucky because my parents liked (and still like) to travel so my sister and I got to travel to a lot of different places while we were growing up. And while not traveling, well, what I remember most is my sister and I going to work with my father. Often he would drop us off at the library near his office and pick us up later. I always enjoyed going to WHSmith and spending our book tokens and gift tokens from the year. When we were older we stayed at home on our own and I would cook omelets for lunch. My sister always complained because she would get the first one and the second one would always come out much better!

Question of the week #3: What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

That's a hard one too! I think that for me, having the perfect stash would mean that I love everything in it and am excited about knitting everything in it, even if I don't know exactly what everything is going to be. I'd have a mix of handspuns that are just really pretty to look at and touch and have, even if I don't have plans for it yet. I'd have a few "projects" of yarn - I know what I'm making with it and who it's for. Then I'd have some stuff that I don't know what I'm going to make yet but I'm not worried about figuring out what to do with it. I wouldn't have anything that I felt I had to "use up" just to get out of my stash.

As to the amount, well, if money were no object, I'd allow myself a bit more than I have now, which is a little of over 20,000 yards. But it's not just money, it's experience. I'd like to slowly collect to maybe 30,000 yards, maybe even a bit more, as I broaden my knitting experience and have a wider range of yarns that I know and love, keeping a good selection of those yarns on hand, and then continuing to try new yarns and adding to the collection.

Question of the week #4: : 1) What yarn (that you don’t have/haven’t used) would make your stash “complete”? 2) What yarn do you never want to be without?

This is answered somewhat in the original survey but there are a lot of well known yarns that I haven't tried. In addition to the brands (Alchemy, Socks That Rock, Habu, O-Wool, The Fibre Company, Colinette) and specific yarns (sKNITches Big Tryst, Malabrigo lace silk, Terra by The Fibre Company, Artyarns cashmere) that I listed, I've been thinking lately that I'd like to try more Rowan yarns, and I've been hearing a lot about Dream In Color too.

Yarns that I have tried that I consider to be "staples" that I wouldn't want to be without: Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight, Manos del Uruguay wool, Noro Silk Garden, KPPPM, Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky.  Some yarns I have but haven't actually knit with yet but I also think are "staples": Malabrigo, Socks That Rock, Noro Kureyon.

Wow!

Today was a good package receiving day.  Yes, there has been some yarn buying... resulting in a nice big box from Webs today at work, and then I got home and there were a couple of books from Amazon (non-knitting books - imagine!) and..

Yup, the first package from my Secret Pal and I love it!  My secret pal has been great - tons of comments on the blog and e-mail and already a great package that totally fits in with the kind of things I like without being things I've seen before!

First I opened the Noni Felted Carpet Bags pattern booklet - cute!  Then... Rowan Felted Collection.   I've always wanted to look into some Rowan patterns, but I hadn't really known where to start, so this is perfect.  And hey, I don't know if this a coincidence, but one of my favorite patterns in the book (Andi Messenger Bag - ravelry link) is already in my queue!  There are many patterns I would definitely make... Pop Bag, Sophia Bracelets, Jessie Ribbon Bag, Clack Knitting Bag and the Pippa Bag, and possibly a couple of others also.

But it gets even better.... I got Knitting Never Felt Better by Nicky Epstein which is an absolutely beautiful book with tons of before and after photos of swatches with all kinds of ideas for stitch patterns and various techniques for felting which will be really fun to try and turn into little projects or adapt into other projects.  I really enjoyed making the one skein clutch and have been planning on trying more felted projects so this is all perfect.

Thank you so much secret pal!!

Summertime drinks

So, the Secret Pal 12 Swap (or Secret Pal Swap 12?!!) is going to have a question of the week, and this week's question is: what is your favorite summertime drink?

I would have to say... mojitos.  Sweet and refreshing and, unlike cosmopolitans, which I also enjoy, I've found they are a lot more consistently good.  I really don't recall ever having a bad mojito, but yes, I have had bad cosmos.  Also, I think of cosmos as more year round for some reason... 

For something more traditionally British, there's always Pimm's, with all the stuff, although it's been quite a while since I had one of those.  And of course, there is never anything wrong with champagne!  Definitely not just a summer drink though...

For something non-alcoholic, I love fresh lemonade.  And last summer, my husband and I started making white sangria... hmmm, delicious and refreshing and with all that fruit, it almost tastes healthy!!!  I could have sworn I posted these photos last year but I can't seem to find them so, from a batch we made last July...

 

Here is the recipe:

White Sangria

1 bottle white wine (riesling or chardonnay)

2 cups white grape juice

1/2-1 cup peach schnapps

1 cup oj (or mango juice)

juice of one orange

2 spoonfuls of sugar

1 orange

1 apple (fuji or gala)

1 peach

1/2 a package of raspberries

Other:

peach brandy

freeze the fruit

other fruit: apricot, passion fruit, grapefruit, kiwi, lime, star fruit, pineapple

But basically you can improvise and put whatever fruit takes your fancy in.  If you are transporting it, prepare the fruit beforehand but don't add any of the liquids - take the liquids separately in the containers they come in and mix when you get there!  You can even save some of the fruit for fruit salad the next morning!

SP 12 Questionnaire

Here are my answers to the SP 12 Questionnaire 

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? 

I've been on a handspun buying kick lately buy haven't knit with any of it yet! I love alpaca, merino, cashmere blends, sea silk, cotton, pretty much anything except acrylic. 

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? 

I use a plastic fishing tackle box - it works great! 

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? 

I've been knitting for about 18 months. I did learn as a child but I don't remember completing any projects from back then. I would say I'm an adventurous beginner/intermediate. I'm not intimidated by techniques but I don't have much experience shaping things to fit or making extensive pattern modifications. I've heard of many of the knitting "greats" but haven't necessarily been exposed to much of their work. (I'm knitting my first EZ pattern right now - BSJ.) 

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? 

Not really no. 

5. What's your favorite scent? 

I love citrusy scents - anything fresh and breezy. (My favorite perfume right now is Clean Provence.) 

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? 

Yes! Not too sweet, but I love dark chocolate, caramel, toffee, butterscotch - that kind of thing. 

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? 

I don't spin... yet. I'm not much into sewing although I've started eying/buying some of the beautiful fabrics out there. I enjoy photography and cooking and making things in general but between being an architect and knitting, I'm pretty much set. 

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) 

I have relatively eclectic musical tastes. I played classical piano and violin growing up. At Last sung by Etta James was my wedding song. Some examples from my iTunes: Dixie Chicks, Nelly Furtardo, Aerosmith, Ben Folds, Steve Tyrell, Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan, Jim's Big Ego, ABBA, George Michael, Macy Grey, Lauryn Hill, Fiona Apple, Van Morrison, Alison Krauss, Craig David, Cibo Matto, Liz Phair... I also like movie soundtracks eg Good Night and Good Luck, LA Confidential, I Am Sam, Almost Famous, Charlie's Angels, Collateral, Love Actually, Juno, Once

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? 

I have really been into blues lately, and I love pinks, purples, greens. I like natural colors too but I'm not as into dark colors. 

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? 

Married, no children, no pets. 

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Y

es to all except ponchos. I'm not severely anti-ponchos, just have never had or made one. 

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? 

 like baby items because they are quick and cute, and I like making gifts as well as things for myself. I knit a skirt and I enjoyed that, and lately I've been on a lace stole kick. I guess the answer is I like to knit all kinds of items! I recently knit my first felted bag and want to knit more felted items too. 

13. What are you knitting right now? 

As I said, I'm knitting my first Baby Surprise Jacket (I'm sure I'll be knitting many more of these). I'm also almost done with the Print O' The Wave Stole for my mother-in-law and I'm in the middle of a clapotis for myself. 

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? 

Yes! 

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? 

I prefer circular needles - Addi Turbos or Knitpicks Options 

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? 

Yes, both. They have become indispensable! 

17. How old is your oldest UFO? 

I started the pinwheel baby blanket in September 2007 - it's semi-hibernating right now. 

18. What is your favorite holiday? 

Um, the summer holidays?!! But if you're talking about an actual day, I think it might be Valentine's Day, or New Year's Day. Or my wedding anniversary. 

19. Is there anything that you collect? 

Yarn! And sometimes old mail by mistake...

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? 

Types: handspun, bamboo, cashmere 

Brands: Alchemy, Socks That Rock, Habu, O-Wool, The Fibre Company, Colinette 

Specific yarns: sKNITches Big Tryst, Malabrigo lace silk, Terra by The Fibre Company, Artyarns cashmere 

However, I'd really like to try some of my secret pal's favorite yarns that I haven't tried or perhaps even heard of.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? 

I might try steeking soon if I knit the Tidewater Wrap from the latest IK. But there's nothing I've specifically set my mind to learn... I learn whatever the patterns I choose require. 

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? 

I've only knit one pair so far - the Tyrolean Stockings but I may try more. I think I'm a US 6-1/2... I'm not even exactly sure! 9" long, 8.5" circumference approx... 

23. When is your birthday? 

March 

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? 

Yup - I'm tracing