Bunny Love, a Getaway and getting Back on Track…. November 2, 2009

I’m back! Well, sort of. I’m trying to get back into design mode, now that Anniversary, Halloween, all that good stuff is over for now. Let’s see, a lot has happened. Well, first of all I went to SAFF. And no, I did NOT buy a bunny, not yet anyway. Seriously, though, how could anyone not want one of these sweeties….

These photos are courtesy of Tami at the Porcelain Desk, who is lucky enough to breed angoras (these are German hybrids). I’m still not 100% sure of which breed I want, since there seems to be pros and cons with each. I came across this video on youtube, which had us roaring in laughter. Basically, it’s an angora being sheared in New Zealand, but they have made a contraption that looks more like a bunny rotisserie. I thought it was very effective and just a tad bit hilarious.

So, back to SAFF. I did get a couple of things I’m excited about. The first is a skein of Luxe yarn from The Unique Sheep. Laura was very sweet and after wandering all around, I thought this one would be the best match for my Kowloon Cardigan, to finish the button bands. (If you remember, I can’t get the original yarn anymore.) I think the sage color will complement the grassy green of the Baby Boom yarn nicely.

Fiber Content: 25% Tussah Silk, 75% Superwash Merino
Skein Size: 100g, 400 yds. Fingering Weight

I also got sucked into the booth of Knitting Notions, which I can’t imagine how I’ve never seen Catherine’s yarns before. Anne Hanson likes to work with her yarn, and I can see why. The one I couldn’t resist was the Classic Merino Bamboo, the sheen and depth of color is amazing. Being the predictable person I am, I was drawn to this colorway, called Redwoods.

Yes, of course it’s reds and pinks! But look how pretty it is.

Fiber Content: 65% Superwash Merino, 35% rayon of Bamboo
Skein Size: 100g, 490 yds., Light Fingering Weight

I made a swatch last night, and I’m hoping to do a lightweight cardigan out of this. What do you think?

Overall, SAFF was wonderful and I’m already looking forward to next year. One of these years I will be able to spend more time there, enjoying all the animals and really checking out the yarn vendors.

The husband and I also had our awesome Anniversary trip out to Robbinsville, NC. We had gone away on our 5th, and have basically dreamed about going away again for 2 years now. This was a new area of NC for us, we had heard about the beautiful Joyce Kilmer forest, and wanted to see it for ourselves.

Well, let me tell you. The beauty, serenity and peacefulness of this place is indescribable. At some points, it was literally so quiet, you could just listen to the sound of leaves falling. The massive Poplar trees are so impressive, and I’m glad they are protected. The characteristics of their trunks gave each their own sort of personality, sharing stories of life and longevity.

The view from our Cottage

Kayaking on Lake Santeetlah

If you want to see the whole album on flickr, you can click here: Robbinsville NC Anniversary Trip 2009.

Needless to say, it was a much needed, restful trip and we’ll definitely be back!

Have a wonderful week!

Fall Delights… October 16, 2009

Let me tell you, I have been enjoying Fall immensely! The kiddo and I have been experiencing some new things this Fall, including a Scarecrow Festival and an annual event at the Nature Center called “Hey Day”.

This is the Scarecrow that Sydney’s school submitted. I hope they won!

This Scarecrow was made entirely of cellophane!

This clown was an excellent face painter!

I kept thinking she looked like one of those characters from Zoobilee Zoo…gee, is that showing my age a bit??

Next week, the husband and I will celebrate our 7th (!) Anniversary, out in Robbinsville, NC. It’s about 1 1/2 hours west of Asheville, we are mainly going there to see the Joyce Kilmer Forest, full of huge old trees.

Every year I’m very grateful for having been married at this time of year, and I can’t wait to share some foliage color shots with you when we get back. I’ve been hiking lots, and although I’ve been hunting for them, haven’t found too many mushrooms. (In case you didn’t know…I’m a fungi lover!)

It’s kind of funny, I did this same trail two days in a row, and somehow I missed this…

My only excuse is that it was up on a tree, and I was mostly focused on staring at the ground!

I also came across this awesome tree bark, that I thought looked a lot liked a cabled argyle pattern:

(Maybe I knit too much??? Nah…)

Further down the trail, I took a path I’ve never been down before, to the river and saw this:

I was really impressed, clearly someone has spent a lot of time creating this unique nature art.

Well, I guess I do need to put a bit in here about the knitting. I’m still knitting every day, working on several different projects. (I know you’re shocked!) Mostly, everything is a big project, so progress is slow.

Yesterday, I picked the Alpaka Tunic back up, I am excited about this one, and hope to finish it soon. I’m about halfway done with the front, the back is already finished.

I’m also working on this cardigan from the Mirasol Book 5, called Toni. I’m using Akapana, another Mirasol yarn. Have I mentioned that I love their yarns? They are a real luxury. This one has a thick/thin texture, and is a 2-ply, very fun to work with. The fiber content is mainly baby llama, with 25% merino, and the donegal for the tweedy flecks.

The color is actually more tannish, than the gray showing in this shot. The main appeal for me is to make more garments that I’ll actually wear a lot, and this reminded me of my old favorite cardigan I had years ago. This is a super easy knit, would be great for a first sweater.

Hope you are all have a wonderful weekend, full of knitting and surprises!

Golden Spider Silk Tapestry October 4, 2009

Just because this is so incredible, I had to share:

This amazing tapestry was woven in Madagascar by multiple weavers, and is the brainchild of textile artists Nicholas Godley and his partner Simon Peers.

Each thread is created from 96 strands of Golden Orb spider silk (the spiders are held in a special harness), over 1 million total, and the completion time for this 11 x 4 foot tapestry was 5 years!

The tapestry will be on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, until it is sent off to display in London next year. Go see it if you get the chance!

Smithing…and Yarn Crisis!! October 2, 2009

My husband recently completed a shed in our backyard, where he will do his Blacksmithing. I’m very proud of him, this has been a dream since we’ve been together, almost 8 years. Over the years, he’s taken a couple of courses, now he’s ready to start on his own, thanks to a generous gift from a friend.

Here’s some examples of his work to date:

A Plant Hanger

A cross for my Dad

A Rose with holder, made for my Anniversary

More recent Rose, with stand detail

As you can tell, I’m really excited for him, and look forward to showing you more details of his work and progress! Here’s a shot of our Junior Blacksmith in training:

Sydney has been enjoying Kindergarten, she’s going on her first field trip next week to an Apple Orchard.

I’m just enjoying the changing of the seasons, and of life. That is the only constant, that nothing stays the same. The knitting continues, I’ve finished the back of the Alpaka Tunic from Fall Interweave Knits.

It’s coming along nicely, and I just love the Mirasol Kacha (#1206 – Deep Navy) yarn, it’s perfect! The color is really a very dark blue/black. I know this one will be super cute, and I’m really looking forward to wearing it this season.

This is my problem child, the Kowloon Cardigan. The problem is not with the pattern, just the yarn and the fact that I can’t find more of it!! I got this at Purl’s, we had 4 skeins of Baby Boom in Leafy Green, and I figured I could easily get more of it, since we didn’t have it very long. Nope. Fiesta yarns has changed the fiber content of this yarn, having replaced it with a 80% merino superwash/20% nylon base, making it more suitable for socks. I called the only shop they told me who bought this yarn, and they didn’t have it. Nuts. Now I’m trying to think of a way to salvage the cardi, since I’ve already finished the one front. Not quite sure what I’m going to do with this…it’s just too pretty not finish!!

We had a nice trip this week up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Of course, we’ll be going again in a couple of weeks, to see the Fall colors. We were a bit early. I’ve been enjoying the chilly mornings, though it’s bit cold now to sit on my porch first thing. I’m bundled up inside with my hot cup ‘o’ joe, being glad for life and where I live!

Hope you and yours are well!! Go out and have a great day!

For the Love of Short Rows….and Bandit Style! September 7, 2009

Quest: to knit a skirt. Being looking for pattern. Find pattern and knit furiously to see how it’s going to look. After nearly 1000 yds. of yarn, realize pattern isn’t going to work. Frog the whole dang thing. Argh. End of with a gi-normous ball of Noro (from all the spit-splicing) and laugh at yourself.

Skirt #1 – failure! Start Skirt #2. Find the pattern for Shocking Skirt that you had seen a while ago on Ravelry and always liked, since I’d seen it (this one came out a little before I became a “serious” knitter). So I Go For It. Success! Well, nearly. I’m into the 4th panel, and all is going great. I think I’m really going to love this when it’s done.

Being my first real Noro experience, I have to say that the colors really do keep you going. That, and the great texture. This is one of Noro’s newer offerings, called Yuzen, a wool/silk/mohair blend. It claims to be dk weight, but really knits up worsted. (You can go from 4 1/2 to 5 sts per inch, both make a nice fabric.)

The skirt is worked on one piece, you occasionally make a ‘ticking row’ with a contrasting color. I’m using Cash Iroha, which is incredibly soft and really wants to be knitted into a nice pullover…

I’ve also started the Piper hat, from the Fall Twist Collective. If you haven’t purchased any of their patterns yet, you really should. It’s a great way to support many amazing designers, who are offering unique, and very well written patterns.

Piper is a little flapper-style cloche, shaped with short rows, worn on the side of the head. It’s knitted from the top down, and is the perfect compliment to this skirt, considering it also has the ticking rows thrown in! (Yup, got that technique down!)

The yarn I’m using is a new one from Mirasol, called Kacha. It’s a merino/suri alpaca & silk blend that is just heavenly. I will absolutely be doing a larger project with this yarn very soon. It’s dyed in saturated semi-solid colors, and has an extremely soft single ply. Yum.

If that wasn’t enough, I also started the Kowloon Cardigan from Connie Chang-Chinchio’s website. It’s a lacy pattern that demands attention, but is getting easier as I go. I love the way the pattern lines flowed down the body, and the nice seed stitch button bands and collar, very elegant.

I’m using a new yarn from Fiesta Yarns called Baby Boom, a superwash merino, with loads of bounce and subtle color variations. This colorway is ‘Leafy Green’. I know this will take me some time, but won’t it be gorgeous when it’s done??

I know, I know. You’re thinking, does this woman ever actually finish anything?? Well, the answer is yes, sometimes. I did finish this little beauty.

It’s my Moonlight Bandit, which you can download for free from Kelbourne Woolens. This was a really fun pattern, I used sock yarn instead of the aran weight it called for. The yarn is Wisdom Poems Sock, though this colorway had unfortunately been discontinued. (Though there are loads of other gorgeous colors.)

I did 8 repeats of the leaf pattern, instead of 4, to end of with the correct finished dimensions. If I were to do it again, I’d make it a bit larger, so I really could wear it ‘bandit style’.

Also finished is a sneak peek at my first cardigan design, which I’m hoping to release in November. A top down seamless sweater, with a leaf patterned yoke, shifting to a blades of grass pattern on the body. This yarn is from Classic Elite, called Solstice, a blend of 70% organic cotton and 30% merino wool. Don’t you love the cherry red color?

Have a great week!

Merry-Go-Round Dress August 31, 2009

This dress was inspired by my daughter, a girly-girl who loves sunshine & rainbows! She picked out this yarn, a colorful mercerized cotton that was a joy to knit. The pattern begins at the skirt, knitted in the round in an easy lace pattern that creates a natural spiral. You do a couple of decrease rounds, then create a ribbed waistband with optional eyelet row for a drawstring. The bodice is knitted in a textured pattern, with a cute ruffle at the top of the dress. The straps are picked up and knitted in rib, faux buttons finish the look. I hope your own little Princess enjoys wearing her dress!

Sizes: Girl’s 12 months [18 months, 2 years, 4 years, 6 years] / 17 ½” [18 ½", 20 ½", 22 ½", 24 ½" finished chest measurement]
Yarn: Katia Bombay, 1 [2, 2, 3, 3 balls] 100% Mercerized Cotton 251 yds. /100g
or approx. 250 [350, 450, 550, 650] yds. of a sportweight yarn.
Needles: Size 4 US/ 3.5mm circular needles, 16″ & 24″. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain gauge. (For 2T or smaller, you will only need the 16″ needle.)
Notions: Thin elastic to sew into top of dress (to help it stay up), 2 buttons (optional)
Gauge: 24 sts and 32 rows = 4″, in stockinette st

You could also use a dk weight yarn for this dress, you may need to go down a needle size of two to get gauge. I think this would be adorable in wool as well, for a winter jumper worn over clothes (though you may want to go up a size).

The pattern is available for purchase on my website here:

Merry-Go-Round Dress at Counting Sheep Studio

or you can purchase through Ravelry here:

Merry-Go-Round Dress on Ravelry

The pattern will be e-mailed to you in a pdf file for immediate download.

Classic Elite Yarns Trunk Show!! August 18, 2009

Purl’s hosted a Classic Elite Yarns Trunk Show that I was lucky enough to be a part of recently. It was great! This was my first experience in such an event, it was a lot of fun. I can’t get over what a difference it makes seeing these items in person, touching, feeling, trying them on. It will make you consider making things you never would have before.

Of course the first thing I grabbed and wrapped around myself (and would have kept on, had it not been 90 degrees outside!) was from Jared Flood’s new Made in Brooklyn booklet, called Willoughby – 100% pure cashmere in a pattern as lovely as the yarn. I also adored his Beaumont hats, especially the monochromatic grey toned version, which he brushed out to really show off the angora content in the Frescoyarn.

I’ve already finished the Quincy hat, in gray fluffy Ariosa, I loved this one and just had to cast on immediately! A simple garter stitch strip, knit on 10 1/2 needles, twist into a mobieus and pick up for decrease on the top – brilliant!

Other items that stood out for me where those made out of their new yarn called Chesapeake, a blend of 50% organic cotton/50% merino wool. This is a late edition to their new line of yarns called ‘Verde’, they all have at least a portion of organic fibers in them. The look at feel of this one in particular is very nice and I’m looking forward to working with it soon.

Lace & Bobble Cardi and Pocket Vest from CEY Weekend Booklet

I was also quite impressed with Veronik Avery’s new line of yarn, called St-Denis Nordique. This is a 100% wool, made entirely in the U.S., with a nice wool feel. The really interesting this about this yarn is that you can knit it up on size 2-6 needles, for a different look and feel to the fabric. It’s not as soft as merino, but I could wear it, and this is another I’m very excited to try! The pattern support for this yarn is wonderful as well, check out the St-Denis magazine here. I did get to see several of these pretties in person, I really tried to walk away with Sam & Samira, but they wouldn’t let me.

Guess I’ll just have to make my own!

In other news, my little girl is starting Kindergarten in 2 days!!! We are very excited for her new chapter in life. It’s hard to believe the summer is almost over, especially with this latest heat wave.

Hope you all are staying cool out there, go out and buy some yarn!

Things that are…things that will be August 3, 2009

Summertime. When did summer become such a hectic time?? I mean that in the best possible way. I remember being a kid, it seemed summer was this super-lazy, easy time of lots of fun and relaxation. From the other side, the parent side, it seems like a crazy merry-go-round. The kiddo will be taking a big step in a little over 2 weeks…Kindergarten!! Wow, we’re very excited for our big girl.

[Pattern: Merry-Go-Round Dress, my own, will be released shortly!]

Yarn: Katia Bombay, Color #6

Here in Asheville, the weather has seemed a bit more hot & humid than ‘normal. We get at least one period of rain each day, I keep swearing that we really live on an island, the way storms just blow through.

The mornings have been wonderful though, most days. It’s nice and cool, I can wake up early, put on my snuggly white robe and sit on my front porch and knit in peace & quiet for a good hour most days.

I’ve joined Audible.com and have been downloading some good audio books. This last one, called “The Help”, by Kathryn Stockett was so good I hated having to turn it off. It’s the kind of good fiction that has enough true life details and emotions, you can really get lost in the story completely. I just finished it this morning, with mixed feelings. I’m mostly just sad it’s over! The voices were incredible, they really conveyed the feelings of the characters.

Last weekend, we went to Bele Chere, a local yearly Festival, full of arts, crafts, music and lots of crazy people! It’s a blast, and it was really fun working downtown and being right in the middle of it all.

In front of Malaprop’s, after seeing the Balloon Man.

 

The guy on the left is actually playing a saw!!

 

The Silver Drummer

For lack of a better description, the White Man.

The last two are great street performers, they’ve been doing Bele Chere for years. They stand as still as statues, if you put a dollar into their bucket they will come to life and play for you! I’m always amazed by how good they are.

We all had a great time, listened to music, had some sushi. I mostly tried to stay away from the food vendors there for the show, I’m sure my stomach was grateful for that!!

In other knitterly news, I’m working on a top secret project that will be revealed soon. I’m pretty excited! All I can say is it’s knit in one piece, from the top down…and it’s RED.

I also finished my sugar yarn cardi a couple of weeks ago. I really like it. The colors are so pretty and go with lots of things I wear.

Pattern: Lace & Garter Cardigan from Nashua ‘Natural Style’ Booklet

Yarn: Araucania Ruca, Colorway #1 – well less than 4 skeins

Hope you are all out there enjoying your Summer and having fun!!

Fun with Shawls…. July 16, 2009

Sometimes you just have to realize when something isn’t working and try something else! If you’ve been knitting for any length of time, surely you’ve discovered that things don’t always turn out the way you envisioned.

Case in point, my Springtime Bandit Shawl. I favorited this one a while ago on Ravelry, and was possessed to cast on this past weekend for it. I really loved the colors in this Noro Silk Garden sock yarn.

Yet the pattern seems pretty lost. So, reluctantly, I had to admit that simple fact. Hmm, the yarn will be something else. We’ve had this yarn at the shop called Poems Sock by Wisdom Yarns, that also has very pretty long color repeats. The only color left in stock at the moment is this one, in dark blue shades.

Perfecto!

I think it will be beautiful for a shawl. No, I do have a caveat about this yarn. I wouldn’t use it for socks! It’s a LOT like the Noro is that it is a single ply, however, it is even more loosely spun and thick and thing throughout the yarn. Now, I am decidedly NOT a big sock knitter, but I just can’t imagine this yarn holding up for that purpose.

Having said that, I am happily plugging away on my shawl, I will be doing 8 repeats instead of the 4 in the pattern, since I’m using a fingering yarn vs. aran weight. I am expecting to get the shawl out of just one ball!

The Noro, on the other hand, has to wait until I come up with something fabulous for it….

Have a good one!

Hey Mambo…. July 2, 2009

Mambo Italiano. This song has been stuck in my head since last week, when we went to Carrabba’s. I went and found this funny version over at YouTube, Sydney and I thought it was pretty great!

Of course, Sophia Loren’s version is quite lovely as well.

How is the Summer going for you? Personally, this is my least favorite season, which I tolerate by going mostly barefoot and wearing as many tank tops as possible. Speaking of which, I finished this:

Pattern: Star Camisole from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2009

Designer: Mari Lynn Patrick

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Prima

Needles: US Size 4

I started this tank on a whim, I really wanted to make something out of this Prima yarn, which we have a bunch of in the shop, and I wanted to see what it could do. After reading some really crappy reviews about it on Ravelry, I threw caution to the wind and went for it anyway. I thought this pattern would be fun.

It was! It was a very pleasing knit, the star is knit center out, then various pieces are picked up and knitted, it’s really never dull. There are a couple of things I did differently. One is using two circs for the center piece, more of a preference really. The other is shunning the crochet borders. I really didn’t think the front top needed it at all. The back of the camisole is gathered with elastic, and I thought a 1X1 rib would do nicely to cover it, and it worked just fine.

As for the Prima, I have to say I really loved working with it. I’ve worked with other bamboo yarns that were very splitty, there were no problems there. The hand and drape and just lovely, the color looks like it’s a bit heathered after washing. There was a bit of color bleeding in the first wash.

The top does stretch a wee bit while wearing (which is why I knit this on a size 4 needle), but after washing it goes right back into shape. I love it and think I’ll get some good use out of this over the summer.

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July here in the U.S., and to the rest, Namaste.