Where to start?

It's been a busy 6 weeks and I have plenty to share with you...

1. I finished Camp Loopy Project 1 while I was on a cruise in Alaska.  I got it done in the knick of time.  It still needs a good soak, so I'll share photos soon.  I knit Wisp out of Swans Island Fingering in the Vintage Lilacs colorway. 
2. For Project 2, I'm knitting Whits Knits Super Easy Baby Blanket out of Cascade 220 Superwash from The Loopy Ewe.  I'm currently on color 1, Persimmon, and have quite a bit left to go.
3. Alaska was amazing!  Great trip with my family, good weather for most of the days, and plenty of off boat excursions.  I'll be sharing some of the photos I took as I process them.
4. The day I got back from vacation, I moved.  I'm settling in nicely to the new place and enjoying it immensly.  It took me 5 days to find my camera cord, but it is finally coming together.

Getting started with Camp Loopy

I decided to participate in Camp Loopy this year.  Are you?  For June, July, and August, you knit or crochet one project each month.  I'm working on my first Camp Loopy project - which has to be done by June 30 - and I don't like the pattern I chose with the yarn I'm using.  I really, really like Henslowe (my original pattern) and I'm into the first straight section and I don't like the way this colorway and the pattern is working up....I think that it needs a bolder color or something.  I like the pattern, but I decided to frog it last night.  I think that I will revisit it with different yarn at a later date...

So, late last night I went perusing Ravelry for a pattern that uses (1) at least 375 yards, (2) is easy to knit, (3) will travel to Alaska well, and (4) is easy to memorize for the craziness in the few weeks ahead.  I decided on the Knotted Openwork Scarf.  It's a 4 row repeat, looks great, and I can continue until I run out of yarn.  Tonight I am going to restart the Camp Loopy project...

May Postcards

Did any of you join postcrossing.com?  I received several postcards in May and thought I would share a few.

Spoiled Rotten

My pen pal Sharon is awesome!  Look at all of the project bags and skein of Hazel Knits yarn she sent!  I received the first one just before I left and the camper project bag was waiting for me when I returned home this week.

 

I'll be sure to put the camper bag to good use with my Camp Loopy project - which I need to get started...in between.....

...here's the big news...a new apartment in a month!  I'll be moving to a slightly larger apartment right around 4th of July, so I forsee a lot of packing in my future.

Back from Idaho

I was in Idaho last week for Katie's wedding and it was wonderful.  We went camping in the mountains for her bachelorette party and although it rained, we had a good time and shared some stories.  The wedding on Saturday was beautiful and I'm so happy for the couple.  While I'm getting unpacked and back into a daily routine, I thought I would share some photos from the camping trip (since I don't have wedding photos to share!)!

Wedding Tomorrow

Katie's wedding is tomorrow...and I'm still working on my Maid of Honor speech for tonight.  I've gone through I don't know how many drafts and am thisclose to finishing it.  I think...

 

I'll be back with pictures after the wedding!

Crazy Preparations

There isn't a lot of knitting going on here. Instead, there is an insane amount of last minute preparations for K's wedding on Saturday which is why tonight, we're throwing it all out....and going to have her bachelorette party. Friends & fun - an excellent way to spend the evening!

Camp Loopy Begins

Yarn for my first Camp Loopy 2013 project arrived last week. For project 1, you need to use one-skein project, using a yarn that you have not used before.  I chose the Swan's Island fingering in the Vintage Lilacs colorway.

The skein has 525 yards in it, so I have plenty of pattern options.  I thought about some lovely socks (perhaps with cables?) or a shawl.  I'm doing some traveling at the end of the month, so maybe the shawl is a better idea since those tend to work up faster for me.  Cast on is 6/1 and completed project photos have to be up on 7/1.  I'm interested to see what the other two challenges are going to be.

Are any of you participating?  Have you chosen patterns yet?

PS - Happy Memorial Day!

Blue Skies and Sunshine

I'm headed off on a few adventures in the next few months.  First up, Boise, Idaho next weekend for my friend Katie's wedding.  Whenever I'm there, the sky always looks like this:

 

Let's hope the weather holds for the wedding.  I'm going to take my Peeper Socks along.  I'm close to finishing the foot of the first one.  Perhaps I can knock it out while I'm on the plane.  I'd like to have the pair done before I start my Camp Loopy project.

Postcrossing

Do you like getting mail?  I'd recommend postcrossing.com - which I joined about 6 weeks ago.  So far, I like it! I’ve sent around 10 postcards, have another 5 traveling, and last week I received my first one to me - from Ukraine!

I got another one earlier this week from the US.

Once your sent postcard is received and logged with the ID #, you’re eligible to receive a random postcard from another user - so there is a bit of a delay, but I’m having fun with it so far.  I'll continue to share them as they come rolling in.

My Paper Pumpkin

I joined Stampin Up's new monthly kit called My Paper Pumpkin.  The monthly club ships with everything you need to complete a project.  All you need it your time and adhesive.  I've received two club shipments so far, and I've enjoyed them.

Cards from the kits (March on the left, April on the right). I did modiciations on April to make it a thank you.

While there are a lot of pros, there are also a few cons to the program.  I'm on the fence if I will continue it indefinitely.

Pros:

• Everything you need is in one box.  The My Paper Pumpkin box comes with paper, ink, stamps, and accessories).  All you need to add is adhesive.
• Items are high quality paper - heavier than the normal SU cardstock.
• Die cuts are pre-cut - all you need to do is pop them off the paper.
• It's portable.  I've taken the kits to work and been able to complete them during my lunch hour.
• Variety of paper products that are not found in the regular catalog.
• Automatically delievered to your mailbox each month - with no designing involved.
• ....and it's a surprise project!

Cons:

• Price.  This is a big one for me.  With shipping, the kit comes out to $20/month.  I've received two months so far, and each month only contains 4 cards, coming to $5/card.  I wish it were 6 or 8 cards.  For the products your getting (paper, diecuts, accessories, stamp set, and an ink set) it is a good deal, but I already own most of the ink SU sells.

Right now, that's my only con.  I received notice that May's kit just shipped and I can't wait to see what it looks like.  Overall, if you are new to stamping or don't have a lot of materials already, it's a great deal because it gives you the option to acquire ink and complete a well designed project.  If you're already a SU customer, you'll have to decide if it's worth it for the price.  I'm going to continue for a little while and see.  Perhaps one day there will be an option without the ink? 

Did anyone subscribe?  What did you think?  Is there another paper subscription that you know of and like?

Extra scrapbook paper? Make envelopes

I've slowly been working my way through leftover scrapbook and Stampin Up DSP paper.  While incorporating it into cards is great, it does take a while to work through those leftovers pieces - the ones that no longer have matching paper or stamps.  To help get a handle on the situation, I busted out an old favorite, The Envelope Mill, to put some of those to good use.

The book provides you with three different template sizes and I used the largest (a regular business size envelope) since the paper I was working with was 12"x12".  After you trace and cut, you glue the side flaps together and viola!, you have some of the nicest looking envelopes in the mail.

 

Even if you don't have access to the book, there are plenty of templates online to get you started.  What do you think?  Have you tried it?

Sock Monkeys Cheer Me Up

It's been cold and rainy here for the past few days, and the trees are just starting to get their leaves.  We've had some flooding in the past few weeks, but the ground warmed up enough to handle the extra water. 



One of my local creeks

See how gray it's been?  Luckily, a gift from my pen pal Sharon brightened things up this week:

 

Isn't is cute?  This sock project bag greeted me one day when I came home from work.  The aqua and red color combo is one of my favorites.  Thanks Sharon!

 

This weekend, I've got a few commitments but hope to craft some crafting in.  I bought the Stampin' Up set Sent with Love that was a special this spring that I'd like to try out.  I was going to get another package of the DSP, but it might already have been retired.  Perhaps I'll have a few cards to share next week.

Organize, Organize - get those needles in order

The weather here has finally warmed up which is absolutely lovely, but a little less conducive to knitting with wool in the evenings.  Regardless, I've been making some progress on the Peepers socks.

However today, I want to talk about this:

 

Can you guess what it is?  It's the way I now organize my circular needles.  For a while, I kept them in their original packaging but this eventually stopped working as the plastic packaging ripped or was lost to time and travel.  Then, the needles were hanging on a series of pegs but it just looked and  felt unorganized when I saw them as I walked in the room. 

 

Circular needle storage has been talked at length on blogs and podcasts (Knitting Pipeline mentioned it in an episode this spring).  It's just one of those topics - everyone seems to have their own 'best system.'  You would elicit the same varied reactions from knitters by asking the question, "How do you knit socks?"  There would be an endless combination of answers.  However you manage it, I thought I would share my new favorite system in case you're on the lookout.

I store my books and patterns on the shelves and my dpns reside in a tidy hand sewn role, but circular needles always presented a problem.  Enter my inspiration photos: this one and this one and this one.  Viola!  A tidy, efficient, inexpensive way of organizing the needles.  I used a 3" binder from Staples, two packages of plastic tabs, and one container of clear presentation sheets - all from Staples. 

The sleeves are open at the top, the needles don't fall out and it's a breeze to flip through and find the size that I need.  Everything is pre-labeled so I do not have to spend time looking for a needle gauge (which I never seem to have around anyways).  The only disadvantage to this system would be the fact that it would not possibly travel well. I've grabbed the sizes I need before I leave the house, so it has not been an issue for me.  I left 1 clear pocket at the front to stash needles that need to be sort into the correct size and length sleeve so they are not laying around if I don't have time to sort them.  I also added a needle gauge to the front of the binder by clasping it through the binder rings.

All in all, an excellent system that I would recommend!  How do you store your needles?  Do you have something that works differently or better?  Share below.

Letter Writers Alliance

A friend of mine joined the Letter Writers Alliance last year and recommended the organization to me.  Even though I hadn't had the chance to blog about it, I joined a received my membership card a few weeks ago.

I'm thrilled to be part of an organization whose mission is:

"The LWA Mission

In this era of instantaneous communication, a handwritten letter is a rare and wondrous item. The Letter Writers Alliance is dedicated to preserving this art form; neither long lines, nor late deliveries, nor increasing postal rates will keep us from our mission.

As a member of the Letter Writers Alliance, you will carry on the glorious cultural tradition of letter writing. You will take advantage of every opportunity to send tangible correspondence. Prepare your pen and paper, moisten your tongue, and get ready to write more letters!" - LWA

If you enjoy reading or writing letters, consider joining the organization.  For me, it's been money well spent so far.  Even if you don't, I'd recommended reading their blog, which has interesting stories, postal history, and more highlighted on it.  Happy letter writing!

 

First peeps of spring...

...are on my needles.  While I was traveling, I started a pair of vanilla top down socks to keep me busy in the airports. This is Juliespins in the colorway "Peepers." 

It was calling to me from the bins to be knit right now.  We had rain for a two weeks and the sunshine has arrived.  Everything is starting to get that first jolt of chartreuse green as it buds.

Return from Radio Silence

It's been a whirlwind few weeks!  I had two bridal showers to attend, a trip across the country, and things are work are picking up.  This past weekend, I finally had time to get back to a little bit of crafting.

First up, I used the remaining self striping yarn from The Loopy Ewe's Spring Fling goodie bags from 2 years ago to make a tube scarf.

I originally planned to make a pair of socks, but fate had other plans.  The sock machine and I couldn't hit it off and keep the stitches on the needles yesterday, so it went from socks to scarf in a matter of a few hours.  It's a little short for an adult, but would make a great kids scarf - especially with all of those colors!  The color combo reminds me of Dr. Seuss for some reason.

I'll try another pair of socks on it soon...but maybe we need a bit of a break from each other right now...

Bridal Shower Recap

Over the weekend, we celebrated my friend Katie's bridal shower.  It was a lovely affair and well worth all of the planning and table decoration making.  The food was good, company great, and everyone had a fabulous time.  I thought I'd share a few picture so you could see all of the craftiness in action.  I would have had a few more but guests started to arrive, so enjoy!

The tables all set up.  There were photos of the couple, flowers, placecards, and a game - we played '2 Truths and a Lie.'

View of the room at the restaurant as we finished setting up.

The all important cake!  It was lemon with raspberry filling and matched her colors: black & white.

Welcome sign and the 'bouquet' of ribbons after she unwrapped everyone's gifts.

The bride, Katie, (left) and me (right) at the end of the shower. 

 We had a great time and I'm looking forward to her next one in Idaho next month.

PS - I hope to get some crafting/knitting for me done this week!

Making favors

Before I head into work today, I tried to finish up the favors for K's wedding shower.  Sneak peak:

Less than a week to go!  I'm about 50% done with last minute stuff and I hope all goes well on Saturday.

Starting Honeytree

Last weekend, I started the Honeytree Vest. 

As you can see, I haven't made it very far.  In fact....it's kind of boring me.  While I full expect to enjoy the finished object, right now, there is a lot of monotonous knitting going on. 

      Knit to end.  Purl back. 
      Knit to end. Purl back. 
      Knit to end. Purl back. 

See what I mean?  This week I got distracted and ended up watching all of Season 3 of Downton Abbey.  I might need to start a second project to take the edge off.

Off and running...

I'm off to a Stampin Up card workshop at my demonstrator's house in a few minutes, when I remembered that I haven't shared a homemade card in weeks!  I've mailed off most of the ones we made last month, but thought I would share these:

  

Both great designs and in spring-y colors!  I can't wait for the weather to warm up.  In the mean time, I made a set of these last week to be used after the shower:

I love mail

I exchange weekly letters with several friends and pen pals and I always enjoy having something special in my mailbox when I come home from work.  My pen pal Sharon sent this cute tea wallets to me this week. 

Isn't the sheep fabric cute?  The one with owls is for my mother.  I adore them and have added mine to my knitting bag - thank you Sharon!

I've decided what's next on the needles: the Honeytree Vest by Tanis Lavallee.  I have 5 skeins of The Plucky Knitter's Primo Worsted in a one hit wonder khaki color that I'm going to use.  I think it will make a good layering piece for work and casual days.  Lots of winding to do!

Molly Hat

I finished the Molly hat this week and it is a delectable pattern.  Fun, entertaining, and the end result looks great with the cable traveling all the way up through the crown.  I'd highly recommend the pattern.  It's a free pattern from Erin Ruth on Ravelry. 

There are two separate repeats to keep track of - the texture and the cable - so I found it helpful to take the time to write the entire pattern out to keep it easier to keep track.  I did several modifications on this:

• Cast on 92 stitches; Increase row to 121 stitches as states in pattern
• To keep track of the 3 row texture pattern and the 8 row cable pattern, I wrote out the entire pattern line for line. I ended up do 6 cable repeats before starting the decrease section.
• I moved the cable in the pattern over - 24 stitches from where originally indicated in order to have the start point not quite as noticeable. (I had do to a little fiddling on the decreases but was easily able to maintain the texture pattern.)

Yarn is Dream in Color's Special Cashmere Edition worsted in the colorway Lipstick Lava from The Loopy Ewe.  I ended up using 195 yards of a 210 yarn skein, so I am glad I didn't make the initial cable repeats longer before I started the decreases.

Card Change

Changing out some of the cards today:

 

What's on your weekend to do list?

Royal Mail

When was the last time you could say you received a letter in the mail that made you run! (not walk) to open it?  Today, I did: 

 

Did you catch that?  That's right my friends, mail from Buckingham Palace.  A few weeks before Christmas, I wrote a letter of congratulations to Her Majesty, The Queen on Her Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in 2012.  I received a letter of thanks and a souvenir program in return - simply lovely photographs from throughout her reign.  This is one letter to save!

Pallisades

The Pallisades socks are done!  They're the second pair of socks I've completed on the sock machine.  My 'sock recipe' is still not perfect, but I'm getting there and these were ten times easier to complete than the Summer Moss ones.

I ended up using close to 225 yards of The Plucky Knitter's MCN Fingering (wonderful to work with) - which is a lot less yarn that I would have used if I had knit these by hand.  A few things I've learned:

1. Tension.  It is a lot different on the machine.  Normally, I am a tight/very tight hand knitter.  With the machine, it forces me to rethink the tension.  I set the vcam higher on this pair, which made the stitches slightly smaller, and therefore changed my gauge a bit.  They are still a bit too loose but not much.
2. Loose stitches on heels and toes.  Although you can't see it in the photos too much, the stitches near the heels and toes are a bit loose when I am increasing.  I've watched a few YouTube videos and I have some tricks up my sleeve for the next pair.
3. Weights.  On the machine, you keep the stitches on the needle by attaching weights to the sock in progress to keep them from riding up on the needles.  When I ordered weights, I ordered a set of three for the heel when I really think I need a set of 4 to keep weight more evenly distributed across all of the live, working stitches.  One more weight is currently on the way, and when it arrives, I think I'll try another pair then.

It's been a learning experience and I think I still have a bit more to go...

Another one?

Yes, another hat.  I'm currently working on the Molly hat by Erin Ruth - a free pattern over on Ravelry.  I love the combination of texture and the cables so far.

Giving it another go

I'm giving the sock machine another go today. 

<insert deep breath here>

<practice patience too>

From the deep stash, I found The Plucky Knitter 80/10/10 MCN blend sock yarn in the colorway Pallisades.  The base has been discontinued, but considering this skein has been residing with me since July 2010, it is time to put it to good use.