Nightmare on Yarn St-Part I

Well it has been a while since I wrote in the blog.  I have been so busy but not too busy to knit. I've tried the new specialty yarn for making frilly scarves.  I've tried 4 of the 8 types I've bought.  At first I thought I had made a huge mistake buying all this specialty yarn.  I just couldn't knit it!!!  It was a yarn nightmare!  But needless to say I figured them out...for the most part.  I just had to turn into Freddie Kruger of the Knitting World, Grrrrr.

Two have become pretty nice scarves. One is still in process but coming along nicely. The fourth was nearly impossible to work with but I'm sure I'll get it figured out (Grrr, again). 

Katia Ribbon:

 Ronda Pirouette:

 Katia Triana:

I also tried a shawl that's not quite complete but made on size 35mm needles.  Its pretty and I think I'll like it once the crochet edging is done on it. Somehow, I've managed to lose the tag that came with it.  It is just a collage of about (if I counted right) 12 different mostly non-yarns, if that makes sense.  Its ribbon, string (albeit fancy string), Boucle yarn, sequin stranded together on thread, etc. 

I've also got babies to think about.  One baby will be "one" at the end of the month.  So she needs something special.  I bought some really nice red yarn for a sweater or dress but I haven't much time to get to it. 

Baby Cashmerino:

Then a lovely girl at my church is expecting but I don't expect very soon, I have a few months before the baby showers begin. there will also be a sweater to go with the hat. :)

New baby hat:

I still have three scarves I've cast on in the process of teaching people to knit and I always joke with them that they are challenged to finish theirs before I finish mine.  So far they've all beaten me, HA!  Not much of a challenge, am I? I also haven't worked on these much.  I work on them when I want to watch TV which is usually only during NASCAR!

My sweet husband bought me some sock yarn one day and I cast that on right away so he knows how much I appreciate the gift.  I thought I'd try out The Yarn Harlot's "A Good Plain Sock."I've actually been working on these most of the week.  Still, I haven't made it to the heels yet.

So here's me with toooooo many irons in the fire as per usual.  But enjoying myself so much, also as per usual! I've knitted some other stuff too but I think I'll save those for a "cameo" appearance at the homeless shelter!

My 100th Project

I have completed my 100th Project: The Olympia Shawl.  Learning to knit has been a wonderful journey for me.  I have tried tons of different yarns and methods and patterns and....and....and, etc.  On this shawl alone, I have knitted, unknitted, reknitted, and even a small moment where I thought this would end up in the trash but alas, here it is.  I can't think of anything else to say except...Ta-da!

Yarn Shopping

Yesterday, my favorite yarn shop had a 50% off sale.  A friend of mine and I went trekking across the reservoir to Plano, Texas to shop at the Woolie Ewe.  We spent about an hour and a half there.  I was like a kid in a candy store. 

My friend is a new knitter and hadn't been to the Woolie Ewe before and she looked like I did the first time I went.  You can see that "I don't know what to look at first..." glint in her eye but she managed make some fantastic selections of beautiful yarn to make fingerless mitts with.

Our plan was to purchase yarn to make mitts from the new Antje Gillingham book, Knitting Circles Around Mittens and More.  This is exactly what she did:  she bought several yarns to make mitts out of the new book.  Me, on the other hand, I bought mitts yarn, and scarf yarns and a couple of yarns I don't even know what to do with.  I had a blast but as usual my focus is mediocre at best!

Wool and polyester, 4 different kinds of cashmere silk aran, 100% extra fine merino, and something with silk ribbons hanging out of it. You can see I had kind of a pink/red and blue/gray theme going yesterday.  With one exception, the AIR fall color yarn lurking in the back.

So we headed to lunch and then back to her place to cast on.  After we got there, I realized I had brought the wrong bag of stuff so I couldn't start my new mitts.  I got her started but being me, I was thinking of how I cast on the mitts instead of following the instructions... Consequently, I had her knitting the first row instead of K2, P2 ribbing.  Eeep!  So my teaching skills were seriously lacking but I made up for it last night and taught two other friends how to knit ; )

Whenever I screw up like that I always think of the old saying that "errors are part of baseball" and well, same for knitting, too. I make errors quite often with my "cursed mitt" and I'm OK with that, unfortunately, I've been known to spread that to my innocent students. Someday I'll have to share with you how I compare my life to being a 2nd base baseball player on a minor league team with a cursed mitt....but I'll save that for one of those days when I feel philosophical.  In the mean time...Good yarn hunting to you all!