Waiting for a pattern release

A few years back I found a sale of cotton yarn. It was a little 'minty' colored speckled yarn, just my color. I made a v-neck sweater for myself, named it Valace and produced a few photos. I like it and like to wear it.

 

In September last year Knitpicks introduced a new yarn named Color Mist. Its 75% cotton and 25% Acrylic, worsted weight, washable, and I could see it being ideal for Valace. Knitpicks agreed! Yaeh!

After knitting the sweater in Color Mist the photos looked amazing, don't you think?

Knitpicks wanted the chance to produce professional photos with their in-house photographer and I agreed to wait with the pattern release until then. WAITING IS HARD!!!!!!!
If you like this sweater and would like to look at the yarn and pick your favorite shade, here is a link to Color Mist

Some Details to help you decide:

Knitted Sweater Measurements: Bust 36 (39, 43, 46, 50)” with 2 (3, 4, 4, 5)” positive ease. Length 23½ (23½, 24½, 25, 25½). Upper arm 12 (12, 14, 15, 16)

Material: 4 (5, 5, 6, 6) skeins (each 219 yards/100grams) of Knit Picks Color Mist, 75% Pima Cotton, 25% Acrylic, worsted weight, in Lilac Breeze color #27460

Needles: US #7 / 4.5mm circular 32 inches long, or a set of straight needles, or size to obtain Gauge. One additional needle to hold work temporarily, same size or smaller. 

Gauge: 19 sts and 25 rows = 4” / 10 cm over stockinette stitch. 

San Diego Yarn Crawl 2014

Talk about yarn intertwined with life! here is one of those 'perfect examples'!

Saturday 10:00AM, right after breakfast, we took a ride to Chula Vista. The store was my chosen starting point for the yarn crawl that day. I had never been there before.

They have plenty of parking in the back of the store

The sign in front is big enough, you can't miss it

I was really surprised and impressed with the enormous selection of well-known yarns. Now I know to go to Border Leather and Yarns when I need something unusual and don't want to wait until an on-line purchased package arrives.

We stayed for one raffle drawing, purchased a nice light green ball of wool and went on to the next store on the crawl schedule. The grove at Juniper $ 30th.
I had visited that store many times before. It is located close to my home and 'shop local' is one of my mottos. We found a decorated 'YARNBOMBED' bike stand in front of the store and many people inside. The yarn selection is much smaller there, but I have learned that a local yarn company, Ewe ewe yarn, is carried there.

So if you ever want to get wool for a child project, try http://www.eweewe.com/welcome/

It was still before Lunch - so we went on the next store on my list, Yarn and Thread expressions in
La Mesa.

This is the store I find what I am looking for the most. They have the regular, and the rare yarn. I also like the little poodle that is guarding the cash register. Very sweet little girl.

 

My life is about yarn, intertwined with life. So a visit to my very young friend in Escondido fit right in at lunch time. My little friend Allison is always happy to see me.

 

Parents and Grandparents are all taking a break from packing. Allison's dad is called up to the reserves and I will miss them. At least for a year.

 

Luckily I had the good fortune to spend a little time with the new baby, Adelle.

 

Ruben is a natural

 

La Dolce Vita Alpaca, enjoy the Alpacas. I did!

I even got to touch one, sooooooo soft.

Other's liked it here too.

 

All together that farm has 45 animals. A lot of yarn, I'd say.

 

The guard was on a break, apparently.

This was the day one result. Future socks and hats.

Sunday morning we went to have breakfast on the beach. There is an IHOP very close to the Needlepoint Cottage.

 

Here you will find a large selection of really inexpensive and really expensive yarn. She carries both. She also has a large selection of needle point kits and accessories. This one is always worth a visit when you are just looking for the next project.

 

You never know what you are going to find. I found a book about beading, knitted or crochet beading. Hmm, I wonder if my next project is going to have beads!

 

My new stash.

 

Red Hats, can you see it.

Green hats, just yummy.

Down-time

It does seem like a long time since I have written in my blog. Much has been happening.
I was not feeling well for a while and it was determined that removing an un-needed organ will alleviate my constant nausea. They were right. My successful operation on July 2nd lead into a successful recovery. My doctor even ask if he could take a picture of my belly button, since it looked to well healed.

I did read a lot while I was waiting to heal....Ken Follett's Saeulen der Erde (Pillars of the Earth). It is more then 1200 pages, really heavy to hold, and it is written in German. What a treat!
When I was done with the entire book, it was time to slowly go back to work.

Before I decided to do the surgery I took on a project I call 'Debbie'. I was planning on crocheting while recovering, but that was not possible. No inspiration at all.

It has been a few weeks now though and the 'Debbie' has been taking shape:

The pentagons are just right to make this little summer jacket look luxurious!

I am glad it is weekend again and I can work on it some more. My sleeves idea needs to be made a reality, and the pentagons still need a small strip of something to be able to attache it to the side seams. The main body work is done, and I am proud of it.
Thank you god for all the inspiration!

hounds tooth (Hahnentritt) mania

I am not sure where the time has gathered permissions to go by so fast. Looking back at July and August, September, and October I did complete and name some of my visions.
First there was the hounds tooth socks project "don't bite me". Today I am still working on the written pattern.
There was some special learning involved on this pattern, the wandering jog.
After much you tube viewing, I decided to do the wandering jog method. Imagine the way a stripe goes around a Barber Pole, that's how the hounds tooth pattern goes around the leg of the socks.

The cuff, heel and toe were knitted in the solid dark color. The optical vision is supported by knitting all three sections the same length of 30 rows.

The finished socks are a mater piece in my book.

When I first started out I had a design of three different hounds tooth patterns. 4 stitches - four rows; 6 stitches - 6 rows; 8 stitches - 8 rows.

And, because I liked the finished socks so much, I decided to make another hounds tooth project. The black and white Lion Brand special 100% merino yarn that I bought a while back seamed the perfect choice.Ruben could use another sleeveless west.

Decisions I made were simple:
keep the black as first and last stitch no matter what the design beginning and end is.

Make sure that both the front piece and the back piece begin and end with the same pattern, so that, when they are joined, the pattern appears seamless.
The right end begins with the solid black,

 

so the left end ends with the solid white

Since the design was the 6 stitches - 6 rows pattern, I had decided to use a band of 1 purl 2 knit pattern to accommodate the rhythm.

 

The west is now finished and I am hoping Ruben will be ready today to make some great pictures.

As always, San Diego is sunny, warm and irresistible beautiful on this November Sunday.