The Final Countdown!

The Knitting Olympics are finally over.  Whew!  At final count, I knit 11 hats in 16 days.  Not too shabby.  The modified NFL beanies got me in a stash busting mood, so the last three are all plain ol' striped stockinette hats with a ribbed brim. 

#9:

#10:

#11:

These were all made with lots of odds and ends from my stash, so it's not worth it to mention yarns because it would be a laundry list of random yarn brands.  When putting my colors together, I started with a variegated yarn and then chose other ends that matched that yarn to help create a unified color palette.  I tried not to pick more than 5 colors because I carried them up instead of cutting the yarn at the end of every 2 row stripe.  Because I'm lazy and let's face it, we ALL hate weaving in ends. 

Now, to relax my poor joints for a day or two.  Next week, I'm talking about llama!  Stay tuned!

So many hats it hurts

It's official.  I've become obsessed with stash-busting hats.  I finished two more modified NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Beanie by Hermione J. Schwartz.  #6 in Cascade 220 (White & Tutu) and SameKnitDifferentDye's Gaia Organic Worsted in Thankful:

And #7 in Knit Picks Swish DK (Marble Heather), Wool of the Andes (Avocado) and SeeJayneKnitYarns Handpainted Superwash Merino Worsted in Blue Agate Beauty:

Hat #8 barely counts, but I'll take it.  It's a simple stockinette baby hat with garter stitch brim knit with My Friend London London's Handspun in Gracie.  A special shout-out to anatomyofaskirt for my model; he is by far my favorite knitting tool carrier.  So cute!

#9 in on the needles.  I should have it completed by tomorrow.  I can't believe this hatsanity will be over in a few days!

Hatathon, Part Deux

I've finished hats #4 & #5!  Only 5 more days until Closing Ceremony, and I'm really hoping to finish 3 more hats by then.

Hat #4:

Regina by Carina Spencer knit with Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Stonechat and Pearl Ten.  This hat knit up very quickly, but if I were to knit it again, I think I would do so with a lighter weight yarn.  The pattern is so refined that the chunkiness of the Malabrigo seems off somehow.

Hat #5:

This is a modified version of the NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Beanie by Hermione J. Schwartz knit with a ton of leftover Cascade 220 I had sitting about (White, Tutu, Flamingo, and Magenta).  I love the look of this hat!  And I love that I can do a little stash busting when I knit it.  I'm planning at least one more of these during the next 5 days.

Happy Knitting and my the purls be ever in your favor!

Hatathon!

I finished my third hat this morning and I just couldn't wait to share it!

Indian Summer by Kalurah (Ravelry Link) made with Blue Ridge Yarns Alpaca Delight Mini in Night Light.  I love this pattern, it's so lovely and light and delicate.  Not to mention it knits up SUPER fast!

I also cast on for hat #4!  It's by one of my favoritest designers of all time, Carina Spencer!

Happy Knitting!

In my heart it will always be the Knitting Olympics

This is a busy time for knitters.  Whether you call it the Knitting Olympics, Ravelympics, or the newly christened Ravellenic Games, it's all the same; we knitters try to push the boundaries of our craft and our skill over the course of two weeks (coinciding with The Olympics).  Of course, like any good competition, there are rules (thanks to Simply Stavish for summing this up):

1. Choose a project that will challenge your knitting skills in one of the 32 events and join a team.
2. Cast on during opening ceremonies.
3. Knit like crazy during the games.
4. Attempt to cast off before or during the closing ceremonies, earning your team points and hopefully a medal.

While I didn't join a team (it's been a crazy summer, y'all), I decided to compete in an event on my own.  I am competing in a hatathon, where I will knit all the hats I can in the two weeks of the London 2012 Olympics.  I've not been as productive as I hoped, but here are a couple of hats I have been able to finish in the last 6 days.

 Alaina Beanie by Jen Eastin (Ravelry Link) made with Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Buscando Azul

Here and There by Veera Välimäki (Ravelry Link) made with Ella Rae Latte in 02 & 07

I'll keep you posted as I finish projects in the next 8 days.  Until then, Happy Knitting Olympics to you!

Mink

This is one I’ve been excited about for a LONG time.  Holy Cow!  Mink! 

Cool Mink Facts:

• There are two main species of mink; the American mink and the European mink.  American mink is the one sought after for its fur.
• In all the research I’ve done, it’s pretty clear to me that minks are not to be tamed and kept as pets.  Crazy like foxes they are.

My Mink Yarn:

As soon as I saw this on Purl Soho’s website I knew I had to be mine.  Yes, it’s a little spendy, but Jade Sapphire’s Make Mine Mink is totally worth it just for the experience of knitting with mink.  This particular yarn made by combing minks* and then spinning the fiber.  In my mind, combing minks is a completely relaxing and desirous job; like I just sit on my couch, watching tv, and combing minks.  In reality, it’s probably like trying to catch a greased up watermelon in a public pool, but my fantasies don’t need to be bothered by pesky things like reality. 

Texture: It’s like shoving your hand in a cloud filled with flowers and puppies and chocolate *drool*.  5 Yarngasms

Durability: Delicate.  So, so delicate even in a tight knit. 1 Yarngasm.

Frogability: Don’t do it.  This yarn sheds like crazy and will break if you’re not careful.  .5 Yarngasms.

Drape: It’s got lovely drape, but I don’t know that I would ever use it for anything that requires drape.  3.5 Yarngasms.

My Project:

I knit Monique Gascon’s Woven Cowl (Ravelry link).  It’s a great pattern that showcased the texture of the mink.  It was a quick little knit and I didn’t end up with any leftover mink.  Hooray on both counts!

I had so much fun knitting with mink that the yumminess of the yarn made up for the fact that every time I knit with it I ended up looking like a pack of minks shed all over me.  I can’t state this strongly enough: this yarn will shed all over you.  It will shed half its weight on you if you let it.  You will need to wear specific mink knitting clothes when you use it. 

But it’s worth it.  So worth it.

*Mink or minks are acceptable plural forms of mink.  In case you were wondering.

Camel

A new blog post!  About yarn!  Camel yarn to be exact!  Must be your lucky day!  Or mine!

Cool Camel Facts:

• A camel can produce up to 5 pounds of hair a year
• Camel hair is collected from the two-humped Bactrian camel; Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, China, and Australia are the largest suppliers of camel hair worldwide
• While camel hair is usually left undyed, it can take dye as well as many other animal fibers
• Camel hair can insulate in cold conditions and keep cool in warm weather

My Camel Yarn:

I was sweating myself silly wandering around Uptown one fine June afternoon and stumbled across the Uptown Farmers’ Market.  It was there I found the booth of Whisker Knits.  She had only a few skeins out, but they were all of your semi-exotic fiber variety.  I was telling Megan (Ms. Whisker Knits herself) about my affinity for strange fibers when she confided that she had some milk ready to spin up.  I was in love!  The Whisker Knits camel was chunky and soft with great texture – I couldn’t resist.

 

Texture: It was soft, yet hearty and full of tactile interest.  4 Yarngasms.

Durability:  My knit wasn’t too open and yet not too tight, but it seems to stand up to general wear and tear pretty well.  3 Yarngasms.

Frogability: The pattern was simple enough that I didn’t have to frog it, but I did manage a couple of cast ons before my tail was just right and it held up nicely.  3.5 Yarngasms.

Drape: Because camel hair provides a lot of warmth without a lot of weight, there is very little body to this type of yarn.  1.5 Yarngasms.

My Project:

Knowing that I had very little yardage (138 yards to be exact), I knew I needed to make every inch count.  I chose the Sparkles Cowl because I could knit until I was out of yarn and then sew it up.  This pattern is less visually interesting without a sparkly yarn, but texture and natural color of the camel made a simple and elegant cowl.

I had fun with my camel yarn. Although I would probably steer clear of it for larger projects, I will definitely keep it in mind when I’m working on smaller, luxury knits.

New York, NY

I was in New York a couple of weeks back and stopped by Purl Soho.  I had been turned on them by a crafty co-worker some time ago and was told I HAD to stop by if I was in town.  For those of you who, like me, don’t live in the NY area, Purl Soho has a lovely and comprehensive website where I have purchased several items (Mink yarn!  More on that later!).

Purl Soho is a stylish yarn boutique without that museum feel many of très chic yarneries tend to have.  I was immediately taken with the great natural lighting, stylish décor, and colorful yarn stacks.  The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.  In addition to yarn and yarn accessories, they also have fabric, thread, buttons, and lots more for the crafty consumer.   Purl Soho carries amazing selection of high end yarns, but of course, I opted for the local fare.  I had a choice between Jared Flood’s Shelter yarn line and a little something from Habu Textiles.  I picked up four skeins of (I believe discontinued) Habu linen ramie tape in dark brown.   No idea what I’ll do with it, but it’s delightful.

I had a great time fondling the yarn and drooling over the fabric bundles.  Next time you are in New York, add a visit to Purl Soho to your itinerary.