Adventures in fiber heaven, part 1: Intro to MdS&W'08

My entire body feels like it's been thoroughly beaten. Eight hours of mucking about with domesticated animals will do that to a girl. I am truly exhausted... But I am also truly content! This weekend was my second annual birthday celebration, aka the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Okay, back up a bit. So I wasn't exactly mucking about. It was more like me, strolling about the Howard County Fairgrounds, drinking in the sights, fondling the soft things, and doling out the cash in exchange for said soft things. Oh, and eating. I was in heaven.

Last year was my first trip to S&W. In retrospect, I'm glad my first time was alone. (Okay, on some level, that sounds totally wrong. And weird. But anyway...) I was there from around 8:30am until around 5:30pm, walking around, gazing around, mostly in a daze, buying a few things here and there, touching more than a few things here and there. I gradually familiarized myself with the atmosphere, the layout, and the sheer spectacle, slowly but surely. And that one day was enough. Sort of.

Fast forward to 2008. This year, I was at S&W both days. A full weekend of fiber-y goodness. What a way to celebrate my (gulp) 28th birthday, right?

Saturday was the serious day - serious exploration, serious shopping. I went with a couple of knitting friends from Ravelry (and my local meet-up), K and T, and my sister L, leaving the house around 7:30am and arriving at the Fairgrounds by 8:30am. We lucked out and got a great parking spot relatively close to the entrance, perfect for a mid-day trip back to the car to deposit Treasure, part 1.

Above: Standing in line at The Fold with an arm "full" of STR... In the spirit of full disclosure, Two of those skeins of STR are T's. I felt inadequate with my single skein, so she let me borrow hers for the photo.

Almost as soon as we began walking towards the entrance, we spotted another fellow Raveler, J. J was set up literally across the (goat) path from the entrance. And I do mean set up. Her vehicle, sporting a large "Western Maryland Ravelers" banner, occupied one parking space, and right behind it was a circle of folding camp chairs, where J lounged comfortably, holding court. J and her contingent had arrived at 6:30am, early enough to stake their claim to the small plot of prime real estate they called home base. I was in awe. I wasn't even snoozing the alarm clock at 6:30am, much less awake, on the road, or at the Fairgrounds! Consider me duly impressed; J is officially one of my heroes.

As it turns out, I was the only anal, obsessive one in my little group to have done extensive research and created a (mostly) comprehensive Excel spreadsheet - sorted alphabetically and geographically! - of this year's vendors. I had a sort-of plan of attack, but somehow, after I'd mentioned stumbling across and photographing the perennial line at The Fold the previous year, we ended up at their booth.

Above: Standing in line at The Fold.

At 8:30am, there was not yet a line to get into the booth to explore the three makeshift walls filled with skeins of STR, only a line to pay for the loot. I didn't see any harm in just looking, so T and I entered the booth while K and L staked out a place in the pay line. I was remarkably restrained, thoughtfully selecting a single skein of the STR Lightweight, in colorway Pebble Beach, after rejecting Farmhouse, which I'd admired & coveted on the Blue Moon Fiber Arts website some months before. Meanwhile, T selected a couple of semi-solid skeins of the Heavyweight. As we waited for the clock to strike 9 o'clock, the registers to open, and the shopping to begin, we agreed that K and T would explore some of the options for lace yarn (for K's wedding shawl) while L photographed livestock and I waited in line.

Above: Some of the many reasons for the increasing-by-the-minute line at The Fold.

As I waited, I had the opportunity to observe the S&W world around me... And my jaw dropped as I witnessed the incredible line of people waiting to purchase t-shirts. It just went on and on and on and on...

Above: T-shirt line, Building 1.

Later on, I read on Ravelry that some people waited a couple of hours to get their t-shirts! I was glad I hadn't been one of those people, not that I would have been, for the very simple reasons that (a) I'm not deeply committed to t-shirts that are emblazoned with logos, brand names, slogans, etc (other than college t-shirts, those are the exception to the rule); and (b) I don't relish standing in line. Oh, and (c) my preference would be to save the money for more fiber-y goodness. Different strokes :o)

Above: More STR.

Back to my line. As I waited to get to the register, my sister waltzed in for a look-see and added another skein of STR to my "pile" (of one). STR skein #2: Highway 30. I debated the merits of the two colors until L came up with a Solomon-esque suggestion to purchase both. Pure genius! I congratulated myself for my restraint (while simultaneously fighting down a surge of envy) as I glanced around me at women whose arms were filled with skein upon skein of STR. My sister, in the meantime, selected a skein of the Heavyweight in colorway Brick, a semi-solid red that she declared to be the epitome of "Nantucket red."

Above: My STR purchases; Highway 30 on the left, Pebble Beach on the right.

We finished up at The Fold before 9:30am, so L and I strolled through Barn 3... And so continued my adventures in wool.

The Mother's Day (Not-So-)Secret Gift

My mother is always asking me about various WIPs that are intended for her. Like the Blaze sweater that's been snoozing for, well, years. Or the chunky vest that's been snoozing since the weather started to warm up.

So when I came up with the idea of knitting Eunny Jang's Print o' the Waves stole for this year's Mother's Day gift, I decided to keep it a secret, just in case. Just in case I wasn't able to finish it in time. Just in case it turned into another snoozer. Just in case my dearest, darlingest mother felt like nagging me again about my knitting and knitting and knitting... And not finishing.

I did pretty well keeping the secret under wraps, nearly all the way through the 17th repeat of Chart A (also the halfway point). And then my mom walked up to the open doorway of my room and asked what I was working on. I stammered a brief reply and made her promise to forget she'd seen the WIP that is her intended Mother's Day gift.

On the bright side, I now have more flexibility as to when and where I work on the stole. On the less bright side, there's a whole lot of pressure now to finish the project in the next 13 days, because if I don't... There will be questions. Many, many questions. Chop chop, better get to it!

My eco-friendly FO

Well, I assume it's eco-friendly. There's the whole debate about how much it costs to produce these so-called eco-friendly products and the like, but I choose to believe that: (a) Kollage Yarns Hope organic cotton yarn really is eco-friendly, and (b) I will be making an enormous impact on the environment (in a positive way, of course) by carrying my hand knitted, itty bitty market bag to the market. Where I will only be able to fit narrow and/or small fruits and vegetables, like bananas, asparagus, plums, and possibly the smaller varieties of apples, through the minuscule opening.

I exaggerate, but only a little. The circumference of the opening is probably about 12 inches, which translates to a diameter of a little under 4 inches. Give or take. The rest of the bag is nice and stretchy. The attached i-cord opening, not so much. Fan-bloody-tastic.

I realized this as I was attaching the first i-cord. The opening of the bag seemed to be shrinking by the picked-up stitch. Did I stop? Oh no. I kept going. I had stopped, frogged, and re-started this darn bag so many times that by the time Day 3 of the adventure came around, I was not about to stop. For anything short of major disaster. Like accidentally dropping every single one of the 66 stitches off my circulars. Something like that might have stopped me. Possibly.

So I can only fit small items (like balls of yarn) in my market bag. Big deal. Maybe this'll encourage me to spend less cash on non-essentials. Like jugs of milk and boxes of cereal and the like. (Says the girl who just spent 50 bucks on makeup she will never wear, because there's a HUGE sale going on at E.L.F. - everything's a buck, people, can't pass up a good deal!)

The point is, folks, it's DONE! The Elisa's Nest Tote has officially transitioned - from frog pond to UFO and back - and is now officially an FO. An eco-friendly FO, no less! It's time to go celebrate. With the Scooby snack pouches I had to take out of the box and place in my market bag one at a time in order to get 'em to fit.

Ribbit. Ribbit ribbit.

I assume "ribbit" is how you spell the sound that a frog supposedly makes.

Why is this relevant? I have done a loooooot of frogging the past two weeks. First, there were the Jaywalkers. The legs were done, I'd turned the ankle, and the feet were part way done. On both of the socks. Then I realized I couldn't fit the darn things over the ankles, and poof, ribbit they went. Then came the Leah Tunic. You can read about the whole saga in my previous blog post, but essentially, I made it way too small, and they went to the frog pond. And then came the market bag.

Now, I made a huge amount of progress on the market bag in a single day. Ten inches of glorious lacy market bag-ness. And then I glanced at the remaining bit of yarn and groaned internally. I dug out the tape measure, only to discover the bag-in-progress was 11 inches across rather than the 8 called for by the pattern. Lovely. So my Kollage Hope yarn took a nosedive into the frog pond.

After a little one-on-one time with Excel (ahh, my dear friend MS Excel), I re-cast on, only to discover I would need a second set of circular needles in order to knit in the round. So I trotted over to my friendly local Michael's for a set of size 10 circular needles (16" ones, as it turned out), but I don't like 'em. Too dull. I like sharp lil critters, including my knitting needles.

So... Long story short, it looks like I will have to cast on 58 sts onto 2 sets of US 10 circulars, with 1 extra st on each of the two circular needles as selvedge sts (to compensate for the yarn overs). Fingers crossed... I'm not terribly fond of the ribbit pond!

Numbers never lie / math is infallible

I'm knitting. That's nothing new, of course; what a silly thing to say (write, err type).

I'm knitting the Leah Tunic from Purl Bee, or rather, a modified version of Leah. I don't like the untidy hem of the original Leah, so I'm using a deep garter stitch border at the hem. I'm also shortening from the tunic length so that the bottom hits right below the waistband of my jeans.

I've also substituted in a yarn with a significantly tighter gauge than called for in the pattern: 8.6 sts/in rather than 7 sts/in. The yarn is a new 100% silk lace ribbon yarn from Karabella called Manipur. More on that later.

After doing body measurements, gauge swatches, and a bunch of calculations, I cast on the required number of stitches for the middle size - even though the numbers said to cast on for the larger size.

I am now done with the first skein of Manipur and a few rounds past the second decrease round. I can now take some kind of semi-accurate measurement of the piece. As expected, 14 inches across for a circumference of 28 inches. I want/need it to be 15 inches across/30 inches around.

Umm, yeah. Why am I surprised? The gauge swatch, measurements, calculations - all indicated that with the medium size number of stitches, the piece would measure about 13.9 inches across (circumference 27.8 inches). Numbers never lie. Math is infallible. Why, oh why did I cast on 119 sts (each for front & back pieces, total 238 sts) rather than 130 (260 total)?!? I am an idiot, that's why.

So now I'm faced with a dilemma. Do I keep going, figure out a way to compensate for mistake, and hope for the best? Or do I grit my teeth, kick myself in the ass, frog and reknit?

I think I may have to go with the latter option, much as the prospect pains me... Because Manipur is a drapey silk that wouldn't look so great with negative (or in this case, borderline super negative) ease.

Oh, and for the record, Manipur is a great yarn to work with (minus the twisting, but that's to be expected with ribbon-y yarns), but a nightmare to wind. The skein is about 2 feet around, which makes it impossible to fit onto my swift. Oh, and it tangles like no other. I am SO not looking forward to winding anymore skeins of the stuff! Then again, I might prefer even that to frogging and reknitting :oP

(More) Ravelry adventures

I've been getting rather a lot of knitting done lately. This increase in my level of productivity can be traced back to December 20, 2007. Ooh, an exact date, are you impressed? No need to be, December 20, 2007 is also known as the day I joined the online community / (un)controlled substance known as Ravelry, and the date is recorded for all the (Ravelry) world to see, right there in my profile.

The amount of time I spend (some, mostly non-knitters, would say "waste") on Ravelry is roughly proportional to the amount of knitting I get done - and inversely proportional to the amount of blogging I get done. This is only a theory, with no hard empirical data to support it, but I feel fairly confident in setting it forth as a sound one.

Before I discovered Ravelry (or did it discover me??), I resolved to record my adventures in knitting right here on my blog. Not long after that, however, I got sucked into the alternate universe that is Ravelry, and well, let's just say that this is only my second or so blog entry since Christmas-time.

Not a lot of blogging, quite a lot of knitting.

However, this blog entry is not about all the amazing knitting I've done in the past 3 months (I've done a bit, not all that much, and not all that amazing). There will be no rhapsodic descriptions of this or that bit of lace, no step-by-step progress journals of my recent projects, finished and started (you can find that on Ravelry, if you're so inclined). Nor will there be an in-depth discussion of the merits of cuff-down vs toe-up sock construction (now that I have experience with both, I can say with total confidence that I'd go with toe-up any day). Not even a sentimental recounting of how connected I feel to the community of knitters, thanks to Ravelry. (Btw, I heartily agree with the Yarn Harlot's assessment of how the non-knitting world views said community: "It is my experience, that people don't have a clue about knitters. They think that everything we do is pretty nutty. If you don't believe me, rent a mini-van and drive to another country for a sheep and wool festival with four knitting friends. Hell, just say you have 'knitting friends' and watch ordinary people glaze over.")

No, there will be none of that. This blog entry will be about how Ravelry has connected me to the real world and my very real life, in the form of memories past, experiences present, and adventures future.

It's easy to get lost in the Ravelry experience, a neat, relatively tidy world of FOs, WIPs, and queued projects, and like-minded people with whom to discuss them. The Ravelry forum, in particular, is a nifty place to communicate with this community of kind, giving people remarkably like yourself.

People who...

• understand your obsession, indeed, are unabashedly fiber/yarn/knitting/spinning/crocheting addicts like yourself.
• educate themselves on the various types of knittable fiber and their merits.
• get ridiculously excited about the prospect of adding to their stash.
• know that stash refers to yarn, not illicit substances - though I suppose some may consider yarn an illicit substance.
• make detailed plans for a yarn crawl.
• start mapping out their next trip to MdS&W almost as soon as this year's is over.
• know that MdS&W is shorthand for the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and that it occurs annually during the first weekend of May (aka right around/after my birthday - see, it's fate, this May Day baby was destined to make MdS&W her annual birthday blowout).
• who inspect the construction of a sweater with as much intensity as an engineer inspecting the construction of a building for safety.
• who commiserate with you when you realize you dropped a stitch 5 inches of complicated lace-knitting ago, you wish it were anatomically possible to kick yourself for not having put in a life-line at a reasonable point, and you gaze at the I-thought-it-was-perfect-and-almost done shawl, frantically brainstorming ways to correct your mistake without ripping back, all the way back.
• are filled as much with advice and helpful suggestions as with sympathy and understanding winces.

People who...

Okay, okay, so I got sidetracked (almost immediately) into waxing poetic about how connected I feel to the community of knitters. That's just because knitters are a kick-ass awesome bunch, and Ravelry is a great place to encounter bunches of them! The point I was aiming to make, before I got sidetracked, is that forums are not only a great way to communicate with said awesome individuals, but also a great starting point for reminiscing, musing, daydreaming about things past, present, and future.

Today, on the DC/MD/VA Fiber Arts discussion board, I came across a thread entitled, "Inexplicable Knitting Behavior in Annapolis 4/7," which is related to the Yarn Harlot's upcoming visit to the Borders in Annapolis for a book signing in a week or two. The Yarn Harlot had recently posted the guidelines and point breakdown for a Sock Picture Scavenger Hunt. In response, a creative Raveler posted the DC version in honor of the Yarn Harlot's book signing visit. (You should check it out, there are a lot of fun ideas on there. Ooh, I should even add to the DC list - at the Tidal Basin during the Cherry Blossom Festival, with tourists wearing "Washington, DC" t-shirts, etc etc. The possibilities are endless.)

And then, a very astute Raveler made the very good point that perhaps there should be an Annapolis version, since the Yarn Harlot would technically be there and not in the immediate DC Metropolitan area.

Now, as those of my friends who have been my friends for the past several years probably know, I have an on-again, off-again relationship with Annapolis that goes back years and years. And as I brainstormed activities to add to the Yarn Harlot Sock Picture Scavenger Hunt, Annapolis Version, the memories came flooding back - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the just plain bittersweet. Many of these memories hadn't entered my mind in years. A few of them, I had actively and resolutely pushed aside in the immediate aftermath of their occurrence, for whatever reason (usually negative and breakup-related). In some cases, I had trouble recalling certain key details because I hadn't thought about these things in so long. Google, Wikipedia, and the USNA website became my research assistants as I compiled my list of scavenger hunt locales.

First, the list from a fellow Raveler:

At the State House (exterior)- 1 point
At the State House (interior)- 2 points
With your local representative (for Maryland residents)- 5 points
With a pint of beer from Ram’s Head Tavern (local beer)- 2 points
At the Naval Academy- 1 point
With a Middie (Navy cadet)- 2 points
At the Middleton Tavern- 1 point
With a crab cake - 1 point
In a crab net- 1 point
At the harbor- 1 point
At St. John’s (college)- 1 point
Near a boat- 1 point
On a boat- 2 points
On a boat in the Chesapeake Bay- 10 points
At the Kunta-Kinte/Alex Haley memorial- 1 point

And then, my additions (with the gentle admonition to avoid calling the Naval Academy Midshipmen Middies, because they hate that, according to all the Mids I have ever known):

At the Naval Academy:

• In front of/at Gate 1, 1 point (5 points if one of the MPs that check ID is in the picture, 15 points if you convince one of the MPs to hold your knitting)
• Anywhere on the Yard, 1 point
• At the Visitor Center, 1 point
• In front of Herndon Monument (obelisk monument), 2 points
• In front of the Tecumseh Statue, 2 points (15 points if it’s been painted)
• In front of Bancroft Hall (the dorm that houses all 4000 Midshipmen), 2 points
• In front of Bancraft during the noon mealtime formation, 5 points
• Along the water right beyond the gift shop/visitor center, 2 points
• Inside Dahlgren Hall, 2 points (10 points if the ice rink is still there)
• In front of the Chapel, 2 points

In Downtown Annapolis:

• City Dock, 1 point
• At Aromi d’Italia (yummy gelato), 1 point (with gelato in hand, 5 points, because I love their gelato ;o)
• At City Dock Cafe, 1 point
• In front of the harbor cruise sightseeing boat/Harbor Queen, 1 point (10 points if you’re on it)
• At Chick & Ruth’s Delly, 1 point (15 points if you’re there during the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance)
• At one of the many restaurants/bars/pubs, such as Griffin’s, McGarvey’s, Buddy’s, Chart House, Riordan’s, O’Brien’s, etc, 1 point each

There are countless other potential scavenger hunt tasks, I am sure, but those are the ones that I could come up with at that moment. [I guess I could've proposed awarding points for getting a sock knitting picture while wearing a Mid's cover, after all, those boys would've been all too eager to assist. However, they would then have tried to convince the lady knitters of the tradition/legend that says a gal must reward a Mid with a kiss in exchange for wearing his cover.]

As I pondered potential scavenger hunt tasks, occasionally groping for the name of this restaurant and the location of that place, I paused often, bombarded with quick flashes of memory, recalling moments, people, places, and things that were far too personal and far too me-specific to be included in a general scavenger hunt.

My longtime friend's graduation from the Naval Academy in an awe-inspiring ceremony, which was my introduction to the Academy and the culture that surrounds it, as I watched the graduating Midshipmen toss their covers into the air. The time I spent in Bancroft Hall, aka "Mother B" (illicitly, as it turns out; civilians aren't allowed beyond the Rotunda and Memorial Hall). The chilly mid-May afternoon two companions and I watched my then-crush and his fellow plebes attempt to scale a 21-foot phallic symbol coated in hundreds of pounds of lard in the traditional Herndon Climb. The magical afternoon we naive kids then spent sitting along City Dock, shyly holding hands. The even more magical evening we sat silently but companionably along the sea-wall, still hand-in-hand, watching the sun set and the stars appear. The awkward, hesitant goodnight kiss we shared on the walkway between Dahlgren and Bancroft moments later - our first. My first visit to Aromi d'Italia, where I joyfully consumed the most delicious gelato I'd ever had. The evening I attended the Marine Corps Birthday Ball and ended up meeting a lifelong friend and kindred (though non-knitting) spirit. The week-long foreign affairs conference at the Academy I attended a couple of years later, with its round table discussions, speeches from various dignitaries, and activities, both official and extracurricular, the latter of which mainly consisted of touring the local pubs with my drinking companions for the week - the tall, handsome, witty officer-and-gentleman moderators of my round table and the neighboring one. Being abandoned to my not-yet-bf's entire extended family mere moments after meeting them for the first time during his Commissioning Week - and then in the course of an afternoon and evening, falling hopelessly in love with them. Floating into Dahlgren Hall on his arm as his date to his Graduation Ball, my slinky black satin evening gown setting off to perfection his pristine white uniform. Sharing a pub beer with him and his parents afterwards, still in our formal wear, still falling in love with all of them. The start of a summer fling, as we wandered Annapolis & environs together and hung out with his buddies in DTA (Downtown Annapolis) as they waited for their first post-graduation assignments. Saying a painful goodbye as he went his way and I mine when the summer ended, and with it, the romance. Leading my high school friends on a tour of DTA bars the night before our classmates' wedding.

So many memories, so many moments, and still only the surface of all I experienced and of all I remember. Annapolis is a place I will always associate with my coming of age, with learning and painful realization, with magical moments, with good people, with well-intentioned but not-yet-mature boys on the verge of manhood, with laughter, joy, and pain. I'll always be fond of Annapolis. It is a pretty town, with a decidedly unique character, one shaped irrevocably by its proximity to the sea, its long history, and its association with the Academy. Who knows, maybe there will be more moments - good and bad - to add to my mental catalog of memories.

Right now, all I know is, Ravelry has helped give me back the moments I'd forgotten, intentionally or not - and I'm glad of it.

Malabrigo March Madness... And other adventures in chance

I have never won a thing in my life. Well, nothing that required chance and not skill to win, anyway.
Even so, hope springs eternal, especially where yarn-y goodness giveaways are the prize, so... Thanks to Ravelry, I'm going with my optimistic nature.

Here's a good one, with Malabrigo at stake!! I just recently purchased my first bits of Malabrigo during a trip to NYC - 3 skeins of Malabrigo Lace at Knitty City for just $10 a skein! There's plenty for a beautiful shawl for my mom's Mother's Day gift (sshhh, don't tell). I hope (a) I finish it in time, and (b) she likes it.

So, Malabrigo March Madness is quite simple to enter. All you have to do is leave a comment with the link to your first blog entry. (Tell 'em Junebug sent you! :o)

The trouble with Ravelry

The trouble with Ravelry is that I have been neglecting my blog. Again. Yes, I know, blog neglect is not an unusual occurrence with me (kind of like personal correspondence neglect - so much for new year's resolutions!), but I think I may be better about posting to my blog if I didn't have Ravelry to express all my fiber-related euphoria. Maybe. BIG maybe.

Vacation yarn store purchases

Family drama/wedding drama aside, this vacation has been... Well, it's been.

At the moment, the family is gathered (in separate beach houses, fancy fancy!) on a resort island right outside Charleston, SC. The kiddies - cousins of my generation, who aren't really kids at all, as most of them are now in their 20s - are in the house by the creek populated by crocodiles. The grown-ups are in a larger, fancier house by the beach; we convene there for meals, served in shifts. I hope to take a walk along the beach there tomorrow; there is supposed to be a stretch of beach where one can see dolphins frolicking in the water.

On Thursday, my parents, my sister, and I managed to spend a few precious hours in Savannah, GA. I convinced them to accompany me to the LYS there, a place called Wild Fibres, right in/near the historic district. (Well, more like put up with my browsing whilst they waited... Details, details!) I was very restrained, leaving the store with just a few essentials: a pair of skinny stitch holders, a set of size 6 double point needles (in a nifty leather case - I already have a set, but I seem to need this size quite a bit for various projects, whether mittens, fingerless gloves, or hats, so another set seemed like a wise investment), and a new pattern to hunt down (a cute little baby dress that can be found in a Debbie Bliss book). That last item will come in handy, as I have yet another reason to knit - my cousin's itty bitty baby!

Baby A is about 5 months old, but is still rather tiny because she arrived 6 weeks ahead of schedule. She is the most precious baby in the world, I'm convinced of it! She is a very happy baby, who gurgles in the cutest way imaginable whenever anyone in the vicinity pays even the smallest bit of attention to her - and of course, no one can escape the irresistible pull of her cuteness, so she gets quite a bit of attention!

Today, despite a bunch of family drama, I managed to spend about 10, maybe 15 minutes in a yarn store in Charleston called, quite simply, Knit (on Wentworth, right in the historic downtown area). The store itself is located in a bright pink building, occupying a series of small, interconnected rooms. The yarn selection itself is comprised mainly of the usual, but much of the selection includes a bunch of my favorites - and quite a few that I don't usually encounter at my own LYS (stores, plural).

I was lucky enough that (a) I entered the sale room first; (b) my sister was there to comb through the sale merchandise (she's much better at that than I am); and (c) we (she) discovered purse handles on sale for 2 bucks a pair/apiece (depending on the length)! They aren't the fine leather purse handles I've been drooling over ever since the Knitter's Review review came out, but they'll do... And at that price, they are perfect! So I purchased a black pair of 13" handles (chocolate brown would've been ideal, but the only other pairs available were purple), and a pair of longer orange "alligator" handles, which I'm sure I'll find a use for one day.

My sister also helped me pick out a couple of potential buttons for the Brea bag closure. They were pricey (at $4 for one and $5 for the other), but they are beautiful... And then my impulse buy, a notions bag in kelly green with a bright pink zipper, emblazoned with a matching bright pink Knit store logo. I am quite pleased.

And now, I get to go back to finishing up a fingerless glove for the first Stash Club project... :o)

Off to wedding #4 (or is it 5??) this year...

Hmm, D&R, N&A, N&D/S&C... And now, Cousin G&V. Yup, it's definitely #4. It would have been #5 if I'd made it up to Providence for the boy's cousin's wedding. Let me tell you, these wedding attendance trips add up!

Cousin G is getting married on Sunday, Dec 30th near Charleston SC. Not much to say... It will be a big family reunion of sorts, which I have mixed feelings about. I'm sure I will be pleased to see everyone, but spending a few days stuck in a beach house with them will probably be overkill - and make me want to kill! :oP

Then there's the fact that Cousin G, who at 33-ish is the oldest of the cousins of that branch of the family, is marrying soon-to-be-Cousin V, who at 24 is nearly 4 years younger than I and barely older than my younger sister. This creeps me out a little bit. What is it with guys' desire to marry girls much younger than they themselves are?? I mean, I sometimes sense a generational difference between my sister and me - and she's only 4 years younger than I am. How much common ground can there be between two people with a decade's worth of time between them? Furthermore, V's recent Facebook posts make it oh-so-clear that she is a very young, very recent college graduate. And this girl to be my "new older sister" according to Korean tradition? Ye gods...

Then there's the whole bit with the rehearsal dinner... Umm, yeah, let's save the story of that whole drama-fiasco for another time and another post.

Well, at least my vacation knitting projects appear to be in order. I am about 40% of the way through with the Brea bag, and I am packing the December Stitch DC Stash Club project (Tilli Tomas fingerless gloves - may as well give them a go) to take with me. Hi ho, hi ho, and off I go...

Waiting for... StitchDC Stash Club's first shipment

It's here!! The first shipment for the StitchDC Stash Club is here! It arrived today, as I'd been hoping it would ever since I heard that Marie was printing out labels on Thursday and shipping on Friday. (According to the lady I spoke with at the Capitol Hill store, Stash Club-related chaos has kept Marie very busy since the announcement for the club initially went out.)

The package consists of two skeins of yarn and a pattern (with introduction to the Stash Club), stuffed into the clear shopping bag emblazoned with the gold StitchDC.

According to the intro, there are over 150 members in the Stash Club, and there will be "hand-dyed yarns from as close as Maryland and Virginia and as far as Australia. We are buying wool from an entire herd in Pennsylvania." Now how cool is that? :o)

Moving on... The pattern, called La Dolce Vita Glove #203 (design by Justine Moody, reprinted by permission of Tilli Tomas), is for a pair of ruffled fingerless gloves. I reserve judgment on the ruffly bits, but fingerless gloves seem to be all the rage these days.

The yarn, too, comes from Tilli Tomas: 1 skein of Mogul (100% Australian Merino wool with glass beads, 80 yds/ 100 g) and 1 skein of Aspen (100% Australian Merino wool, 130 yds/ 50 g), both in color Parchment, a dark beige-y shade. The color reminds me of cafe latte or perhaps of coffee diluted with plenty of cream. Or maybe of old, aged sheets of parchment, an image evoked by the very name of the color.

I'm not entirely excited by the color, but I am thrilled by the prospect of finally working with some Tilli Tomas yarn!

Now I just have to decide which project to lug to Charleston - the Stash Club fingerless gloves, the Woolwinders cabled bag, or the Alpaca Silk cowl neck scarf. Hmm... Decisions decisions!

Pre-trip prep

Many people, before a trip, make lists of things to pack and things to get done. For most of these people, this latter list usually consists of household chores and the like.

For me, my to-do list consists mainly of knitting-related items. For example, I am to (not in final, do-in-this-order order):

1. knit, finish, and block my mom's long-in-the-making sweater;
2. seam and block my Eyelet Cardigan;
3. knit and finish my sister's MaryElla bracelet;
   
4. stop by the tanning salon, as per my sister's instructions, so that my upper chest doesn't look ghostly-pale (whereas my arms are super-tan and my legs are ashy - a great look, let me tell you!);
5. exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! The moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
6. remove all extraneous hair from all visible parts of the body, including eyebrows;
   
7. knit one more MaryElla bracelet and ship it and two other MaryElla bracelets to various friends around the country as (belated) Christmas gifts;
8. help my sister design her vacation knitting project - a simple cowl-neck scarf;
9. decide which prospective project(s) to take with me and pack appropriately, including all yarn, needles, and notions...

See what I mean?

And then there's the actual packing list, made a little more complicated because (a) there is a black-tie optional wedding involved (oh, to be a guy and be able to just pack a damn suit and tie... but then I'd miss out on all the pretty dresses!); (b) there will possibly be a rehearsal dinner (no one really seems to know, and everyone seems pretty loathe to pester the bride-and-groom with questions so close to the wedding hoopla); (c) the trip will include stops in three areas of the country (including the starting point, aka home), which means three distinct weather regions; (d) winter weather is rather unpredictable; (e) no one seems certain what is provided and what is not provided with the rental houses. I'm sure there are other complications, but I can't think of them now.

Oh well, what's really important, anyway - figuring out the knitty-gritty details or the nitty-gritty details? ;o)

I'm on Ravelry!!

After what seemed like weeks and months of waiting... Okay okay, actually, I quite forgot all about Ravelry after I signed up for the waiting list a while ago. And then apparently I was sent an invitation back in late October, but it must have ended up in my spam box. I was re-issued the invitation when I checked for my number in the waiting list a day or so ago. Anyway, here I am! Yay!

Afternoon tea

I am a big fan of tea. I somehow made it all the way through college without resorting to massive quantities of coffee, instead opting to sip on green tea. Of course, that changed once I left school and entered the real world. These days, it's not unusual for me to drink a cup or two of coffee a day. Not so good. I'd like to go back to drinking predominantly tea and cut back on the coffee consumption. First new year's resolution? Hmm, perhaps...
s
A great start would be going to one of those fancy hotels for afternoon tea. An article from Washingtonian magazine landed in my inbox this morning about this very thing - holiday afternoon tea at various hotels, the Willard InterContinental in particular.

The $47-a-person tea starts with a glass of Moët & Chandon Champagne or a vodka-tea cocktail—your choice. While you sip, you can dip into a chocolate sleigh filled with fresh berries sprinkled with powdered sugar. That’s just one treat. Other sweet touches include cranberry and gingerbread scones—accompanied by jams, lemon curd, and Devonshire cream—as well as such pastries as bite-size fruit tarts and delicate chocolate napoleons.

The scones and pastries are presented on a three-tiered china tray; the top layer is devoted to savory finger sandwiches, including ham and cheddar on a Scottish oat cake, turkey on a buttermilk biscuit with orange-cranberry chutney, maple-smoked salmon on New England brown bread with fennel butter, egg salad with poached quail egg on rye, and shaved English cucumber and watercress with cream cheese on country white. If you want more of anything, just ask.

Then, of course, there’s the tea.

Besides more than a dozen loose-leaf choices—which range from a special Willard blend of Darjeeling, green, and red-bush teas to decaffeinated African amber, an infusion of hibiscus and exotic fruits—there are two holiday brews: chocolate-mint truffle and pear-caramel truffle. (We can vouch for the latter, which has a decadent aroma.)

See how pretty!

The champagne or vodka-tea cocktail, eh. Don't get me wrong, I think that either (or perhaps both) would be a perfect way to get things started. But the next part, the "chocolate sleigh filled with fresh berries sprinkled with powdered sugar"... Now that gets me excited! Add to that scones, cream, and a variety of sandwiches (I'm a big fan of sandwiches, too), and I'm very tempted to call for a reservation... Despite the hefty price tag!

Old habits...

definitely die hard.

My modus operandi: Enthusiastically start keeping a journal (either the old-fashioned kind or the online kind) with daily entries, sometimes multiple entries in a single 24-hour period. Then the enthusiasm gradually (and sometimes precipitously) peters out. The entries are now few and far between, with the time gap between entries gradually increasing. Until one day... Nothing.

I suppose this isn't an uncommon occurrence; I'm sure other people experience the same or similar trend... Which makes me feel quite better, because let's face it, we all like company when it comes to our failings, vices, and the like - no?

Well, here's one of my few-and-far-betweens. I am writing out of a vague sense of obligation - which is experienced through a delicate bite of guilt - but mostly because I want to share my latest FO - Auntie Soo's Angora Cabled Scarf.

Above: Auntie Soo's Angora Cabled Scarf. See above link for pattern; project notes can be found here.

Auntie Soo's Angora Cabled Scarf

Materials:

• 3 balls Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure (70% angora, 25% wool, 5% nylon; 125 yards/25g), colour 12 (soft greyish-blue)
• US#7 needles
• Cable needle
• Yarn needle

Gauge: approximately 20 sts & 28 rows = 4" in St st

Instructions:
Cast on 42 sts.

Row 1 (RS): K3, p2, k3, p2, k6, p2, k6, p2, k6, p2, k3, p2, k3.
Row 2 (WS): P3, k2, p3, k2, p6, k2, p6, k2, p6, k2, p3, k2, p3.

Rep Rows 1 & 2 until piece measures about 3 inches, ending Row 1 complete.

Cable pattern:
Row 3 (RS): K3, p2, k3, p2, c6f, p2, c6f, p2, c6f, p2, k3, p2, k3.
Row 4 (WS): Rep Row 2.
Row 5 (RS): Rep Row 1.
Row 6 (WS): Rep Row 2.
Row 7 (RS): Rep Row 1.
Row 8 (WS): Rep Row 2.

Rep Rows 3-8 until scarf measures approximately 75 inches from beginning (or as long as desired), ending Row 4 complete.

Above: A close-up of the cable pattern.

Rep Rows 1 & 2 until end border piece matches the beginning St st border piece (about 3 inches long), ending Row 2 complete.

Bind off all sts.
Weave in all ends.

Enjoy!


(Note: Auntie Soo's Angora Cabled Scarf project notes can be found here.)

Auntie Soo's Angora Cabled Scarf: Project Notes

Note: The pattern for Auntie Soo's Angora Cabled Scarf can be found here. Project notes (my thoughts on designing and knitting this project, and on working with this particular yarn) can be found in this entry.

When I first petted the angora-blend yarn, I was struck by two things. (1) I marveled at the light-as-air, lofty nature of the yarn. (2) I was disappointed by the not-very-luxurious, nylon-y feel of the yarn. Having committed to this yarn the moment I clicked on the buy button on eBay, I set out to cast on.

I played around a bit before deciding on this particular rib-and-cable pattern. The trio of 6-stitch cables seemed to balance nicely with the side borders of 3x2 rib. The wrong side (the private side, according to Maggie Righetti of Knitting in Plain English renown) is a slightly messed up looking rib, as the reverse side of a cable-knit item usually does.

I decided I wanted a deep border of ribbing at either end of the scarf, approximately 3 inches on each end, to balance out the cabling.

I had toyed with the idea of making two panels of cables, with plain rib panels on either end and in the middle of the scarf, but as I begin knitting the cables, I decided it would be best to continue the cables throughout the scarf with just the two deep borders of plain ribbing at both ends.

I started with two balls of the Louisa Harding yarn, but ran out and had to order a third ball of the yarn from the same vendor. I ended up using most of that third ball to finish the scarf.

Upon finishing the scarf, I was amazed by the lightness and loft of the finished scarf. I am certain the fuzzy angora will be soft on the wearer's skin, and hope the scarf will keep her warm throughout the winter. And I hope Auntie Soo likes her (belated) birthday gift... It was definitely knitted with loving care! :o)

Foodie time

Another non-knitty post.

Little sis describes my sweetie and me as foodies, in an amused tone of voice. So, going along with that, I took a look at Washingtonian Magazine's 100 Very Best Restaurants of 2007 and identified which restaurants I had been to - with (*) and without him - and which we would like to go to.

"Been there, done that, want to go back" List:
*7. The Inn at Little Washington (Washington, VA) - Very Expensive (VE); Modern
*11. Vidalia (Downtown) - VE; Southern, Modern
*12. Charlie Palmer Steak (Capitol Hill) - VE; Steaks, Modern
*14. Corduroy (Downtown) - Expensive (Exp); American, Modern
26. 2 Amys (Cleveland Park) - Moderate (Mod); Pizza, Italian
30. Heritage India (Cleveland Park/Dupont Circle) - Mod; Indian
*34. Bebo Trattoria (Arlington/Crystal City, VA) - Mod; Italian
*38. Ray's the Steaks (Arlington, VA) - Exp; Steaks
55. Huong Viet (Falls Church, VA) - Inexpensive (Inexp); Vietnamese
*66. Jaleo (Penn Quarter/Chinatown) - Mod; Spanish/Portuguese, Tapas/Small Plates
*80. Kaz Sushi Bistro (Foggy Bottom) - Mod; Japanese, Sushi, Vegetarian/Vegan
*85. Ristorante Tosca (Penn Quarter/Chinatown) - VE; Italian

Preliminary Wish List:
1. Citronelle (Georgetown) - Very Expensive (VE); French, Modern
3. CityZen (Capitol Hill) - VE; Modern
4. Palena (Cleveland Park) - VE; Italian, Modern
5. Minibar at Cafe Atlantico (Penn Quarter/Chinatown) - VE; Spanish/Portuguese, Modern
9. Marcel's (Foggy Bottom) - VE; Belgian, French
10. Komi (Dupont Circle) - Expensive (Exp); Greek/Mediterranean, Modern
15. Le Paradou (Penn Quarter/Chinatown) - VE; French
18. Blue Duck Tavern (Foggy Bottom) - Exp; Modern
19. Sushi-Ko (Glover Park) - Moderate (Mod); Japanese, Sushi
22. Mendocino Grille & Wine Bar (Georgetown) - Exp; Modern
23. Obelisk (Dupont Circle) - VE; Italian
24. Gerard's Place (Downtown) - VE; French
25. Ray's the Classics (Silver Spring, MD) - Exp; American
27. Taberna del Alabardero (Downtown) - VE; Spanish/Portuguese
28. Montmartre (Capitol Hill) - Mod; French
29. Bistro Bis (Capitol Hill) - Exp; French, Breakfast
32. Farrah Olivia (Old Town Alexandria, VA) - Exp; American, Modern
33. L'Auberge Chez Francois (Great Falls, VA) - Exp; French
35. Colorado Kitchen (Georgia Ave/Petworth/Takoma) - Mod; American, Southern, Modern
43. The Prime Rib (Downtown) - VE; Seafood, Steaks
44. 1789 Restaurant (Georgetown) - VE; American
45. Minh's (Clarendon, VA) - Inexpensive (Inexp); Vietnamese
47. Thai Square (Arlington, VA) - Inexp; Thai
50. Viet Royale (Falls Church, VA) - Inexp; Vietnamese
53. BLT Steak (Downtown) - VE; Seafood, Steaks, American
54. David Craig (Bethesda, MD) - Exp; American, Modern
56. Cafe Atlantico (Penn Quarter/Chinatown) - Exp; Nuevo Latino, South American, Dim Sum
62. Kotobuki (Palisades) - Inexp; Japanese, Sushi
64. Indigo Landing (Alexandria, VA) - Mod; American, Southern, Modern
70. Bangkok 54 (Arlington, VA) - Mod; Thai
71. Foti's (Culpeper, VA) - Exp; Modern
73. Grapeseed (Bethesda, MD) - Exp; American, Modern
74. Johnny's Half Shell (Capitol Hill) - Mod; Seafood, Southern, Modern
77. Indique Heights (Cleveland Park) - Inexp; Indian
86. Notti Bianche (Foggy Bottom) - Exp; Italian, Breakfast
90. Ceiba (Downtown) - Exp; Nuevo Latino, South American
91. DC Coast (Downtown) - Exp; Seafood, American, Modern
92. Hank's Oyster Bar (Dupont Circle) - Mod; Seafood, Modern
94. Tabard Inn (Dupont Circle) - Exp; Modern
95. Willow (Ballston, VA) - Exp; Modern
96. Raku (Bethesda, MD) - Mod; Japanese, Pan-Asian, Sushi
99. Acadiana (Penn Quarter/Chinatown) - Exp; Cajun/Creole, Southern

Heaven - the non-knitty kind!

This blog post falls under the category of "other" - as in other than fiber stuff. Now that I've given you fair warning...

Last night, my sweetie took me to dinner at one of the top restaurants in and around DC, according to Washingtonian Magazine's 100 Very Best Restaurants 2007, which put Ristorante Tosca at #85. We had dined there last year with a group of friends during DC Restaurant Week, at which time our friend Nick ordered a sublime veal-and-prosciutto-stuffed ravioli dish, which all and sundry agreed was hands down the best choice.

We arrived about half an hour before our 8pm reservation, prepared to wait at the bar with a glass of wine, but we were immediately ushered to a table (this being a Monday). We ordered wine anyway, of course... Tosca has an extensive wine list with some very pricey bottles, and only a few available by the glass. We opted to get a glass of wine each rather than go for a full bottle; we agreed that would be a bit excessive for a Monday night! I ordered a glass of Chianti Classico Querciabella ('05, Toscana) that went very well with the rest of the meal, full-bodied but subtle enough not to overpower the food. My sweetie ordered what has become his favorite Italian wine variety since he had a superb glass of it when he took me to The Inn at Little Washington (#7) for my birthday dinner - Barbaresco Produttori del Barbaresco ('03, Piemonte).

We started off the meal with a take on a classic Italian appetizer/salad - mozzarella with tomatoes:
Mozzarella fior di latte su timballo di pomodori e peperoni rossi arrostiti con olive e olio al basilico Housemade cow’s milk mozzarella cheese on top of roasted tomatoes, red peppers and black olives.

The kitchen split the order into two separate servings, which was a very nice touch. The presentation was colorful and quite lovely, with generous wedges of red and golden yellow roasted tomatoes, julienne of red and yellow bell peppers, a sort of minced black olive relish or tappenade, a generous drizzle of vivid pesto, and a garnish of fragrant basil leaves. The taste almost lived up to the presentation... We agreed that the cow's milk mozzarella was a little too dense for our liking, compared to buffalo mozzarella we had tried on other occasions, but we were quite pleased with our (his) choice (he is obsessed with this dish and variations thereof).

My first choice would have been this:
Prosciutto San Daniele con fichi, insalatina di valeriana e crostino di fegato alla Toscana Imported San Daniele ham with Black mission figs, Mache salad and Tuscan style chicken liver croutons

This particular dish is marked with the notation that it is a "Chef Signature Dish." Perhaps next time...

My sweetie, unable to shake the memory of Nick's stellar meal, ordered the only veal-prosciutto ravioli dish on the menu, yet another Chef Signature Dish:
Ravioli di vitello e prosciutto con il sugo d’arrosto al burro, salvia e Parmigiano Ravioli filled with roasted veal and prosciutto with a red wine reduction, butter, fresh sage and Parmesan cheese

We were unable to determine whether the preparation was exactly the same as Nick's dish, but my sweetie certainly enjoyed each bite - and I enjoyed both bites that he was able to bring himself to share!

I ordered a Chef Signature Dish pasta dish as well:
Tortelli di ragu alla Bolognese e ricotta di bufala con ragu di funghi Porcini e Barilotto Tortelli filled with veal ragu and Buffalo ricotta sautéed with Porcini mushrooms and butter sauce

Though I was able to finish only about half the dish (plus the two tortelli I passed over to my sweetie in exchange for his ravioli), I thoroughly enjoyed every bit, even though I am ordinarily not a big fan of ricotta. The Porcini mushrooms were a very nice touch, with a lovely silky texture and a subtle earthy flavor that complemented the rich flavor of the butter sauce and the meaty, savory flavor of the pasta filling.

To conclude our meal, we shared a dessert that I knew my sweetie would like as soon as I read the description:
Mousse al burro di arachidi con salsina alle carote e gelato alla vaniglia Peanut butter mousse with carrot sauce and vanilla ice cream

(My sweetie is very fond of peanut butter mousse dishes. To date, our favorite is the peanut butter-chocolate mousse pie we had at The Boulevard Woodgrill in Clarendon, VA.)

The mousse was a tad too sweet for my liking, but my sweetie seemed to enjoy it a great deal. I was glad of the French press (decaffeinated) coffee I had ordered - and he seemed to enjoy his cappuccino. The carrot sauce, which had given both of us pause as we perused the dessert menu, was a bit of a puzzle to us. It looked a bit like thoroughly pureed carrot baby food. It had a very faint sweet taste, as would be expected from something made from carrots, but the overall flavor was bland and weak. The vanilla ice cream was your normal, average, everyday vanilla ice cream. Perhaps the carrot sauce was intended to offset the strong sweetness of the peanut butter mousse and vanilla ice cream, but the dish ended up an odd juxtaposition of flavors, and the carrot sauce was just plain odd.

The dessert was not my favorite course, but the rest of the meal (especially the main course) was so delicious that we left wanting to return. We especially want to try the Pre-Theater Tasting Menu - first and second courses, plus dessert, for $35. The only potential wrench in our as-yet-hypothetical plans is that this menu is offered only between 5:30 and 7:00pm daily. Hmm... Play hooky from work one day? ;o)

Stitch DC Stash Club - ooh!

I think I am going to have to take the plunge and sign up to become a "Charter Member" of Stitch DC's Stash Club... Only 135 bucks (if I sign up by the 15th) for 13 projects including yarn and pattern. Quite the bargain! (As I rationalize to myself :oP)

Stitch DC Stash Club FAQ

Thank you for all your inquiries about Stitch DC Stash Club Here are just a few clarifications: Membership would be for twelve months/1 year starting January 2008. Sorry for the previous typo. I can only blame too little coffee. But as a Charter Member, you'll receive an extra shipment of yarn in December 2007 -- next month--. How to I become a Charter Member.... To become a charter member you must join by November 15. This is so I can be finalize my December yarn order. What is the price... As a charter member, there is a discount membership price of $135. After November 15, membership will go up to $165. Project sizes... this is more than just a sock club. I will work to develop projects that are manageable and can be completed with the yarn that I send you each month. Yarn Types and Skein Sizes... I have sought out yarn from all over. Some custom dyes, other unique small producers. Everyone is special, beautiful. The amount of yarn will vary each month but rest assured there will be enough for each project. Projects... think socks, lace shawls, purses -- felted and not, mittens and maybe even a summer tank. How do I join... Just call or stop by the store. You can pay with a credit card. If you are buying a gift for a friend or loved one, just let us know so we can put a nice note in December shipment. I hope this answers some of your questions. If you have any more just call or email me at mconnolly@stitchdc.com. Thanks for considering joining this special club. I can't wait to share my December's Pick. I custom designed the yarn and it is very dear to me.

Stitch DC Inc. Marie Connolly 202.544.8900 731 8th Street SE Washington, DC 20003

Mid-to-late October update

It's been a while, no? Much has happened since my last post - both in my personal life and in my knitting life. In certain ways, my personal life has had an impact on my knitting life. More on that later, however.

Instead of making the trek to Baltimore for Stitches East, I availed myself of the goodies at the annual fall anniversary yarn sale at my LYS, Woolwinders. (Alas, I wasn't able to make it to the annual mid-October sale at the DC yarn stores, Stitch DC.)

My dad was nice enough to accompany me, waiting so patiently that even Jacqui (the owner) commented on it. He has been very tolerant of my "little" hobby ever since I knitted shawls for my grandmothers. I was quite restrained in my purchases, limiting myself to (a) 4 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton for the Eyelet Cardigan pattern I purchased at Loop in Philly over the summer, and (b) 2 skeins of RYC Cashsoft Aran for a ribbed hat.

I promptly got to work on the ribbed hat, completing it within a couple of days. I had planned to save the Eyelet Cardigan project as a reward for finally finishing my mom's "Blaze" cabled sweater, but the fates had different plan...

My boyfriend and I faced a bit of a crisis a week or two ago. I'd prefer not to go into details, but we came to the mutual decision to take a bit of a hiatus. Naturally, I was upset by this turn of events and needed something to distract me.

So I attacked the Eyelet Cardigan, finishing the knitting of the garment pieces within a week. All pieces - front left, front right, back, and two sleeves - are now sitting in a Woolwinders shopping bag, awaiting blocking and seaming.

I still didn't feel much better, so I decided to indulge in a little retail therapy, knitting-style. Loop, a cute little store in Philly, was having a sale on bamboo yarn from Be Sweet. At $6 per skein and a savings of 40%, the yarn was just too irresistible. So I purchased 6 skeins - 3 and change for a(nother) Kite Kerchief (pattern by Alchemy), and 2 and the rest for my sister to fashion into a lacy, drapey scarf of some kind.

I then waited impatiently for my shipment to arrive. (To my dismay, it took a full week from the date I placed my order for the yarn to travel from Philadelphia to Gaithersburg - way too long, in my book.) The yarn finally arrived today, however, and I am quite pleased... For the most part.

Yarn: Be Sweet Bamboo
Content: 100% Bamboo
Yardage: 110 yards / 50 grams
Gauge: 6 sts/in on US 3. 5 sts/in on US 6.
Care: Hand wash. Lay flat to dry.
Color/Lot: 633 (lavender)/2627.
Quantity: 6 skeins total (3+ for me, 2+ for my sister).

The yarn itself is quite lovely, with a nice sheen similar to that of mercerized cotton. The company, Be Sweet, has a fantastic story behind it as well: all yarns produced by the company are hand dyed and balled by women in South Africa as part of a job creation program in "an economically depressed rural region with a 75% unemployment rate." A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the yarns go back to the community - something we can all enthusiastically support!

The yarn reminds me of Rowan Cotton Tape, which is essentially woven tubes of cotton that lies flat. Be Sweet Bamboo is also a woven tube that lies flat, albeit of bamboo rather than of cotton. I can foresee having to untwist the yarn every so often while knitting so that the yarn, and thus the knitted fabric, is not too twisted and distorted.

Flat tubes of bamboo.

If the sample swatch is to be believed, the knitted fabric will be slinky and fluid, with nice drape and a substantial - though still light - weight.

Yarn & swatch.

The only qualification is that the color, lavender, is not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it's a very pretty color... It's just not very "me." Still, I think a Kite Kerchief shawl made from this yarn will be lovely, and perhaps make a nice gift one day (if I can bear to part with it, that is).

Okay, one other qualification... The yarn splits pretty easily, so I'll have to be very careful as I knit. I probably won't be able to knit by touch alone, at least not initially.

To Stitch or not to Stitch...

Five months after the fact, I am still experiencing Maryland Sheep & Wool withdrawal. I am simultaneously disappointed and relieved that I must wait another seven months for the next one. Disappointed for obvious reasons, relieved because I would find myself in the red were I to find myself in the candy store that is MdS&W.

But coming up in just another week is Stitches East, a smaller fiber festival (with no livestock) at the Convention Center in Baltimore. Two of my favorite MdS&W vendors - Tess' Designer Yarns and Brooks Farm Yarn - will be at the Stitches East Market. There is a Marketplace class that I would love to take (Knitting Both Ways).

However, factor in the various costs, and Stitches East becomes a rather, well, costly expedition: Metro fare ($7.80) + MARC round-trip ($14) + light rail ($3.20) + knitting class ($30) = $55. So the question now becomes: Is it worth spending $55 to go to Stitches East, or would it be more worthwhile to spend that money on yarn at my LYS or online stores?

Dilemma.

Crafty Bastards

Yesterday, my sister and I went to Crafty Bastards, an annual arts and crafts fair in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. I only found out about this event a week or two ago, but my sister had been looking forward to it for quite a while.

Above: 4.5 ounces of 70/30 merino/tencel roving from Snargle Handpaints in colorway aquamarine

Overall, we were a little disappointed. Too many people. Lots to see, but not a lot to buy. Way too many people. However, I did manage to find not one, but two crafty fiber ladies at a single booth - Woolarina and Snargle Handpaints. In the booth was displayed a glorious array of brightly-colored roving, handpainted yarn, handspun yarn, spinning kits (with roving and spindle), and knitted items.

Above: Half on the spindle, half braided.

My favorite items were a sunny yellow-and-orange roving, a lovely pair of mittens handknit from handspun bulky red-and-green yarn, and a cute knitting sheep tee from Woolarina, and a silky-smooth shades-of-blue merino-tencel roving from Snargle Handpaints.

Little sis convinced me not to get the sunny roving - whatever would I do with bright yellow-orange yarn? I was tempted by the mittens, but at 30-something/40-something bucks, they were a little out of my price range. I wasn't sure I would ever wear the Woolarina tee (I'm not a big fan of sporting logos and such on my chest). So I walked away with only one purchase - a 4.5-ounce braid of 70% merino, 30% tencel roving in a pretty colorway called aquamarine.

Above (from left to right): Drafted roving; you can see the sheen of the roving, thanks to the tencel content; in natural light.

I started spinning the stuff the very next day. The merino-tencel is a dream to spin. It took me just over 24 hours to spin half the braid of roving; the spun yarn (approximately 350 yards of thick-thin DK/sportweight) is hanging to dry, and the other half is on the spindle as I type this. Now, what to do with the yarn...

Above (left to right): Handspun yarn on the swift; very very curly prior to being washed & dried.

Challenge to the future challenge

Hmm, slight problem.

The Auntie Yarn (TAY??) is a chunky weight yarn, meant to be knitted on 10-12 needles, but...
The Minimalist Cardigan pattern calls for a worsted weight yarn, to be knitted on 7 needles.

Tricky.

Maybe the yarn could be used for the knitted bag instead, hmm...

While I'm at it, the other Auntie yarn (hereby christened The Other Auntie Yarn, or TOAY??):

Hohenloher Wolle | Magic
60/40 merino/acrylic

US4-5 needles

I can't say I'm terribly fond of the color, but as it was a gift and I have 4 skeins of the stuff, I'll have to find an appropriate project for it. Stay tuned.

Welcome back (me)!

After mainly using this blog as a place to post and store photographs, I've finally decided it's about time to revive (or just "vive") the knitting blog. So here it is, no longer the tired, old "Stitch'n'Bitch/MsJunebug3" blog, but rather the new, (I hope) improved "Monkey Business Handcrafts" blog!

What better way to embark on a new beginning than to take stock of past accomplishments, works-in-progress, and future challenges? So, working in reverse order (aka starting with future challenges/prospective projects)...

Future challenge #1:

I need a knitting bag. A bag dedicated (almost) solely to carrying my knitting projects - and a few essentials like wallet and cell phone, of course. I have been on a perpetual search for the perfect knitting bag for a long time now. Everywhere I go, I am subconsciously on the lookout for a bag that could potentially act as the ideal knitting receptacle.

I can't say that my quest has ended (or whether it will ever truly reach a conclusion), but I can say that after the September 24th 2007 Knitting Daily landed in my email inbox with a link to a preview pattern from Pam Allen's latest book, Bag Style, I'm a step closer.

Chunky weight [#5 Bulky]
Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Chunky [75% wool, 25% alpaca]
110 yd [101 m] / 100 g, 3 balls
US 10 1/2 [bag], US 9 [handles]
17 sts & 19 rows = 4" in patt st on larger needles

All of the patterns in the book are for knitted (and possibly crocheted??) bags of varying sizes, styles, and uses. This one, the Knitting Needle Knitting Bag, incorporates a lovely berry stitch in a chunky yarn for a quick, easy knit, with a set of actual knitting needles to lend a bit of structure to the top. At just under 19" wide and 9" tall (not including the needles or straps), it's also the perfect size for a small, portable project (like a pair of socks).

Future challenge #2:

My dear Auntie brought back from Korea a nice lovely bag full of worsted-weight wool yarn produced by a manufacturer I had never seen.

Fantasia Ski Yarn | Alpaca Print

70/30 alpaca/wool | 53m/40g
15-16 sts & 19-20 rows = 4" on US 12-14 needles
10 skeins = 530m

Whilst flipping through the Fall 2007 issue of Interweave Knits, I figured out the perfect garment to match with the yarn: Ruthie Nussbaum's Minimalist Cardigan.

Lily Chin Signature Collection Park Avenue [60% merino, 40% alpaca]
109 yd [100 m] / 50 g, 8 (9, 10, 12) skeins
US 7 needles
20 sts & 28 rows = 4" in moss st, after blocking

The yarn was and still is meant for a knitted-by-me item for my mother, and though Auntie originally intended it for a vest, methinks the cardigan will be a better use for it... No?

Then again, I'm not a big fan of vests in general...

[To be continued...]