In Between Stage

I tracked my Karabella Soft Tweed from the Flying Fingers Yarn Shop and it's not due to arrive until March 6. So, as I wait for that package, I decided to start this tweedy vest project from Knitscene. However, the yarn I'm using is not so tweedy. It's the Rowan Kid Soft from the sweater I unraveled last week. The hanks were finally dry a couple of days ago, so I rewound the yarn into balls and swatched last night. This pattern has an eight-row repeated ribbing that creates wavy ribs you can't really detect in the photo. In fact, when I first started knitting I thought the pattern was wrong. I think the Kid Soft will show off the waves nicely!

Lacy Sweater

I stayed up way too late finishing this sweater. I don't drink coffee anymore, but I decided to stop and get some on the way to work. I'm really happy with how this project turned out. The armhole and neck edging knit up quickly and the seaming was fast and easy too. The pattern was very clever in how the Dolman-like sleeves were formed. I also like the snug shaping around the waist with the ribbing. I substituted the GGH Samoa for the Cadiz Unito and the fabric is a bit thicker, but not uncomfortably so.

Swirl Cap

I started this cap on Friday as I was waiting for the back of the lacy sweater to finish blocking and for the hanks of Kid Soft to dry. I finished it last night and lightly steam blocked it. The pattern is from the Vogue Knitting on the Go Hats book. The swirly cables were fun to knit and made me pay attention at all times.

Sunrise Circle Jacket

I've already decided on my next project after the Rebecca lacy sweater is done. It's the Sunrise Circle Jacket, a web-only pattern from Interweave Knits. I'm really drawn to this pattern for some reason. I love the styling and the fabric of the yarn. It reminds me of a Mandarin-collared Chinese jacket. It also looks to be a real challenge--the pattern is about seven pages long! I just ordered my Karabella Soft Tweed from Flying Fingers Yarn Shop. This rose color was on sale for only $5.69 a skein compared to the normal retail price of around $9. That probably had something to do with my decision too!

Crafty Wonderland

Calling All Portland Artists, Crafters and Designers!

We decided to stop complaining about the lack of a regular, year-round art and craft event in Portland and do something about it. The result is Crafty Wonderland: Portland's Monthly Art & Craft Extravaganza! Now we're looking for vendors to participate!

The sale will take place downstairs at the Doug Fir Lounge on the 2nd Sunday of every
month from 11am-4pm. The first event is April 9th and following shows are May 14, June 11, July 9 and so on.

Vendor spaces are 4'x4' and will cost $25. For more details and to apply to be in the sale, visit http://www.craftywonderland.com and go to the "apply" page. Not only will we have 40+ vendors selling their awesome goods, but we will have folks from the DIY Lounge and Church of Craft teaching demos at the DIY table each month.

We are planning to promote the hell out of this sale to insure its success – the event will be included in the Doug Fir column ads in both the Mercury and Willamette Week for two weeks prior to the sale date. We will send out press releases to all the major local media and will also be printing up postcards and posters to hang all over town.

We are really excited to be putting this event together and hope that we get a great
response from all the fabulous artists and crafters that Portland is so well known for.

Please forward this info to anyone you know who might be interested.

Thanks and see you on April 9th!
Cathy Pitters & Torie Nguyen

Undone

Last night, as I surfed between women's figure skating and Dancing with the Stars, I finished up the back of the lacy sweater and pinned it down for blocking. Then I resumed ripping out the front and back of the frilly Kid Soft sweater. The mohair didn't me give me too many problems, except for the beginning and ending stitches where there was binding off. Next, I need to wind the yarn into hanks and give it a wash.

PS Here's a good tutorial for unraveling yarn.

More Twisted

Laced Up

Here's the unblocked front of the Lacy Sweater from the latest issue of Rebecca. I love how the simple lace pattern turned out. However, I must say that the Samoa is not as nice to knit with as Goa. It's not as flexible and forgiving and feels more cotton-like, or stiff, even though it's a cotton/acrylic blend.

Recycling

I went through my closet the other day and pulled out these three sweaters. These are sweater I have only worn a handful of times and have not even worn recently. The black turtleneck is too big; the blue sweater is too boxy and the style is a little outdated; and the mottled turtleneck is super itchy. So, guess what? This weekend I plan to start frogging the sweaters and put the yarn in my stash for future projects. I am particularly excited to get my hands on the Rowan Kid Soft!

Swatch It

Over the weekend, I went in search of a yarn for the lacy sweater project. I decided on the GGH Samoa because I had never used it before. I'm hoping that it's as fun to knit with as Goa since they are both so similar. After three attempts, I finally made gauge and have started the ribbing. So far, the Samoa is feeling nice and soft, but definitely not as spongy as the Goa. I am also still finishing up my second sock and am ready to start the heel.

New Project

I got the new issue of Rebecca in the mail on Monday. It was a great treat since I wasn't expecting it at all. After browsing through it several times, I decided on the short-sleeved rose colored sweater as my next project. It calls for a new GGH yarn called Cadiz Unito, which doesn't appear to be on sale yet. It's not even on the Muench Yarns site. I'll have to check out this yarn in person before I decide whether or not to use it.

Twisted

I started these Twisted Socks late last week. I am just about to begin knitting the heel on the first sock. The pattern and yarn (called Dancing) are from Knitpicks. I've used this pattern before and it's a fun knit with the two-stitch cable. I thought I'd work on something quick while I try to find my next sweater project.