Long-A** Post

I've been seeing a lot of folks flash their stash, or some part of it lately and it's been fun. I'll get to that another day. Today I'm flashing my readable stash of knitting books, magazines etc. This first shot is of my books. As you can see I've got a few of them. I think that it's a reasonably well-rounded collection but certainly it is not without room for improvement. Not shown is Knitting Without Tears because it was in my shoulderbag at the time. There is some Alice Starmore, Nicky Epstein, Nancy Bush and others. The binders are full of stuff that I've pulled from the internet. There is a wealth of stuff out there provided by magazines, fiber companies etc and I have copies of a lot of it. I've got it all organized by type of project right now - socks, sweaters, bags, etc. - but the librarian in me really wants to index it by designer and yarn type and cross reference it with "see also's". I'm working on a plan for that. Really I am.
This is my basket of magazines and stuff that I'm pondering. I'll admit that there are a few People Magazines thrown in there too but mostly - it's knitting. There are issues of many knitting magazines in there - Knitter's, Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting, Knit 'N Style, Family Circle Easy Knitting, and Knit It! I've tried them all at one time or another but these days I'm most into IK and Knitter's. The basket sits next to my knitting seat on the couch so they're always at the ready. As you can see I have some Katia magazine/leaflets too. I find that they have a lot of nice, unfussy stuff for older kids. I'm thinking of doing another one from the one in the picture soon. I just need to get the right yarn.

Just in case that doesn't provide enough inspiration there's also this stash which is stored inside my knitting cabinet. The pile hiding among the yarn is more Knitter's Magazines. In the plastic bin is the real treasure though. That's where I keep all of the really old leaflets that I got from my grandmother. Some of them go back to the 1950's. I have her notes for sweaters made when we were young and stuff she cut out of magazines.

While I hope it's been entertaining (and not too scary) this tour has a point. I have ample sources for projects. I could stay busy using just these books and magazines for many, many years. There are plenty of things in there that appeal to me and I've actually bought yarn to do a few of them. Why then did I need to get this yesterday? Didja peek? It's the Seraphim Shawl. You'd think I would have learned my lesson with the Diamond Fantasy Shawl. Perhaps I enjoy the torment. Actually, I'm hoping that without OYLMPIC PRESSURE weighing down on me this will be a more pleasant experience. Here's the thing - I'm gonna wait to get the yarn for it at Maryland Sheep & Wool. In the next 2 months it's possible that I'll come to my senses and realize what a bad it is for me to attempt this shawl.

While I ponder the Seraphim Shawl I need a project so while exploring the stash I came up with 2 UFO's and I need to decide which one to attack. On the left is One of the Teen tops found here. It was actually making nice progress before I pushed it aside. I like the colors (I forget the yarn - probably Elann something) and I could finish it well before the Summer - perfect timing! On the right is another, much older summer project. That one is/was for me. The yarn is Euroflax Linen in Sandalwood (?) and it is going to be Lily a lovely camisole knitted in the round. I probably started it about 2 years ago and, as you can see, I didn't get far. What do you think? Which shoud I pick up again? I think that it will be the stripey top for Lindsey because I can't even figure out where I was in the other pattern. than again - you never know!

Last but not least I present - the Cable Guy! Some anonymous commenter suggested the name and it works so there you have it - my second Bay Window Bear. I think I'll lay off the bears for a while and see if I want to go back and do a third.

Sorry for the long-ass post. Happy Hump Day!

Six of One...

... and half a dozen of the other. Isn't that how it goes? It does for me. Bear number 2 (no name yet - suggestions?) is a perfect example. I have succeeded in eliminating most of the annoying seams and that makes me happier than you can possibly imagine.Unfortuntely, knitting this bear in the round necessitated using the dreaded double point needles and I'm hating that - A LOT!

I think that knitting it in the round also makes the bear a little more pleasing in shape. I have added just a few extra stitches to the feet so that they'll flare a bit but most of the dimensions of the bear remain as written. Because there are fewer stitches consumed by seams it ought to be slightly fuller. Right? Anyway, as you can see, this bear doesn't use any fuzzy yarn but it does have a seed stitch hem on the sweater and a slight cable up the middle. If I do another bear I expect that I'll add a few stitches to the sweater to allow for a little more fun in the cable.

I am also working on a sock right now. I'm doing the Embossed Leaves pattern and I think that I may do this pattern many times. I still think that the color of this yarn is a little funky and I wonder what I was thinking when I bought it but it's growing on me. Can you imagine what this pattern will look like in Seaweed? I may have to try that out.

Right now the pattern is a little hard to see in this picture but I'm sure that blocking will do wonders for it. I have to say though, that I'm really enjoying the sock in this state. It's kind of sculptural.

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I went to another craft show last weekend. I have a friend whose husband insists on referring to them as "crap" shows. Hardly unique I'm sure but, in this case, it was fitting. It was so small and there was little to warrant any excitement at all. I bought nothing! That should speak volumes.

You can call me Al!

This is Al. As it turns out, he would prefer not to be known as the Alien Bear. He likes Al much better. Ok, Al it is! I think that he may bear (pun intented) more than a passing resemblance to Mr. Bill. What do I know? Anyway, here he is in my backyard. I planned to do a post yesterday morning as part of the field trip and I even took the pictures but my yard is way to gray and uninviting to share right now.

I did see some encouraging signs of life though. Here are some Tiger Lilies that are just starting to make an appearance. I didn't plant them in my yard but I love them. My backyard has a major slope to it (thankfully away from my house) and this bed of Lilies forms a ridge that is about 2-3 foot in length and 18 inches wide going across the hill. Due to the slope, the yard is mostly unusable and therefore - unkept. But... someday I plan on adding a deck off of the back of the house. I expect that will inspire me to do some yard improvements. Water feature anyone?

This is a picture of the flowers that are scattered in the lawn in front of my house starting to reach for the sun. They too were planted by the former owner. They had a habit of planting haphazardly and we ripped our most of their efforts within a year of moving in. These flowers remain though because they pop up so early in the Spring and it's always a kick to see the pretty purple flowers peeking out of my nasty lawn. I think they're crocuses but I could totally be wrong.

These are the last discovery that I made yesterday morning. I had put the camera away and was getting in the car to go to the cookie sale when I looked over and saw these cute yellow flowers. Again, I have no idea what they are but a little yellow surprise makes you feel happy. It's sure evidence that Spring is on it's way. Much more reliable than a Groundhog!

Someone noted that the Black Lagoon yarn isn't really that green. Yep! I noticed that too but my dh thinks it is and since he chose it for his Jet socks who am I to complain. It's still a great colorway and he's the one who has to wear it. I originally ordered 4 hanks of Seaweed - now that's GREEN!

The same someone asked if I'm just making socks now. Um, no - I'm just indecisive. I want to do another sweater - goodness knows I have the yarn for it. I just don't know what to make next. I'm overwhelmed by the options. I would love to make more stuff for the girls but... I need inspiration. There is one other possibility... shhhh... a certain linen project has been languishing in the deep dark (oh so dark) recesses of my cabinet for way too long. I'm feeling somwhat emboldened by my success with DFS. Do I dare?