sheknitigans

Shop Sale This Weekend

2009-05-09T09:21:00.004-05:00

Its a secret sale for my blog friends!

Buy any yarn and take 10% off!
Buy any two yarns, take 10% off,FREE SHIPPING, and get 25 free custom gift tags too!!! WOW!

Visit my etsy shop to see currently available yarns. Offer does not apply to custom orders or prior orders. Sale runs Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10. Sale discount will be refunded through paypal. Yes, free international shipping too :)

Have a great mothers day weekend everyone!

Is it seriously May?

2009-05-07T19:41:00.005-05:00

Ok, if anyone can tell me what happened to the last 4 months, that would be great? Have I really not blogged since January 1? Wow, I suck.

Honestly, what have I been up to? Spinning? Check. Traveling? Check. Knitting? Check. Want some pictures? Ok!

Let's talk about my Lush and Lacy Cardigan! I knit this out of MadelineTosh Pastoral, a super squishy 50% merino 50% silk blend that is hands down my favorite base ever. BTW - I heart Madtosh, but that's another story.

How about spinning?

I seriously love all these yarns. A few are still available in my etsy shop too... and shhhhhh but there just might be a sale this weekend!!!!!

New Year

2009-01-01T01:38:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I've been mentally plotting this post for a while, because I think that in the realm of the fiber world, I have expanded so greatly in the past year that it needs to be recapped :

I learned : to knit lace. cable without a needle. tubular cast on. to read charts. magic loop.
I tried : sundara. wollmeise. 100% silk. 100% cashmere. YAK!
I conquered : My very own spinning wheel. Learned to spin. Opened an etsy shop. Spun and sold over 200 (omg!) skeins of yarn since April. OMG.

Of course - I'm most greatful for all of you, my fiberlicious friends, who helped in some way, to make all those things possible. Sometimes in encouragement, in knowledge, in kindness, in cookies. I'm looking forward to what 2009 will bring us as we grow and learn together.

Happy, healthy, New Year, to all!

PS - a hint of whats to come :

Look what we got...

2008-12-19T16:22:00.001-05:00

SNOW!!!

And that means... fire and knitting. :)

Keep your eyes peeled. More to come this weekend... live, from the igloo.

WIPs

2008-10-27T23:51:00.004-05:00

I'd like to preface this post by saying its very unlike me to have so many works in progress going at once on the knitting front... but I've been casting on like a maniac and cannot help myself.

Two you know about... Seeded Cables Cardigan from Sensual Knits, and Silken Scabbard from StitchDiva.

Now, another : Cabled Cowl, from Blue Sky Alpacas

This is a KAL with my twin in knitting crime, YarnSnob. We've been apart for most of the knitting due to our hectic schedules, but I think our knitting keeps us closer :) Yarn is Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Black Forest. The black brown color is incredible and so wearable. We're both knitting the same color... I shared an extra skein with her, only to find it was the same dyelot!! Fate? We think so. :)

And I decided that during my recent flight to Florida, the cowl was not appropriate plane knitting, so I cast on with my Madeline Tosh Black Madeira Fig ...

Any guesses???

For the love of handspun

2008-10-16T14:38:00.009-05:00

One thing I don't often do is knit with my own handspun. I fear that if I did, I would just keep everything I spun, and that would be bad. Sometimes I think that I will knit it and instead I just keep it, and love it. And then, I scored this fiber in a destash and thought... I bet this will be for me.

This is the fiber, prespinning. After a quick spin into a lovely 2 ply, you get...

Sheknitigans Home Sweet Home
It matches the color palette of my home perfectly. I decided to post the picture of the fiber unspun because as a new spinner, I often found it difficult to visualize what I would get in the end. Even now I am occasionally surprised! These kinds of comparisons are good for special orders too, I've found.

I had just under 300 yards, but I wanted to make something squishy and fun. Have you seen the book Knitting New Scarves? What a fabulous foray into out of the ordinary knitting techiques! By applying simple adjustments to your standard knitting, you can achieve really unique shapes and 3 dimensional products! Its really cool, I highly recommend it! Aria is a scarf from just that book. By utilizing short rows, I was able to take the classic garter stitch and dress it up into something just a wee bit more exciting...

These are some in progress shots. I love how handspun does a natural striping action!

And the final product... a happy Coley, and a happy Aria!

By the way, I'm super excited because this matches my brown winter eskimo coat perfectly! yay!! This just makes me love spinning even more :)

Let's Talk about Knitting

2008-10-12T18:34:00.007-05:00

So in the rest of a weary spinner, I bring you... knitting!

I do want to say however, that I am having a sale over at my shop to make room for me to spin again. Just saying. Sheknitigans Sale! Good time to start thinking about gift knits, and what better than some instant gratification knitting that just MIGHT look awesome in handspun?

Ok, shameless plug over.

My love of the moment... Sundara. I might get over this one too, someday. But the depth of her colors and the quality of the bases... and well, you always want what you can't have. But i'm a sucker. And not only did I get one Seasons subscription, I got two. Looooooove the deadly nightshade!

By the end of all the renegade trading, I should have 3-4 skeins. I'm thinking, a sweater? A cardigan?

Without a doubt though, my favorite base is the ASM. (Aran Silky Merino). And thanks to the kind heart of a sweet Raveler that I can now also call my friend, I was the recipient of a wonderful trade of Chocolate Chip Mint ASM. Which I quickly wound up and knit... a fitted shrug, for me.

This is the two-tone shrug from Fitted Knits, which I decided is far better in uni-tone that two-tone. Wearing this is like pure heaven. Soft, comfortable, warm but not hot... one of the few knits I made that I wear often.

There was even a bit left over from the two skeins... which became the Darkside Cowl!

This was such a fast and fun pattern. Mine's not very cowl-y, but I love it anyway. Droopy things bug me.

I figured out how to get better at this blogging thing, btw. Have something else far more unappealing looming over your head waiting to get done. Like expense reports. Talking about knitting can't be worse than doing that. ;)

A much needed rest.

2008-10-09T23:39:00.005-05:00

Ever find out the hard way, when you have too much of a good thing? I first discovered it living on my own for the first time. When the half gallon of ice cream in the freezer is empty, that means YOU ate it ALL. After that rude awakening, I quit buying ice cream.

Many months passed between that fateful day with the ice cream scoop and the day I got my spinning wheel. Since then, it has been love at first sight. I may have even said I love spinning more than knitting. (gasp!) Of course, that comes from my generational issue of instant gratification. I want everything, and I want it yesterday. Spinning allows me that. And I turned that love into a business. As part of that, I signed up for my very first exhibition - a craft fair!

The West Islip Country Fair holds their shindig annually on the library fairgrounds. I've been going since I was a youth, and this was my first foray as an exhibitor there. I spent the three weeks prior to the show, building inventory. (Read : Spinning. Day and Night. All weekend. Washing. Drying. Skeining. Labelling. Oy.)

It's really hard to spin on command. I like to feel inspired by the fiber, let it tell me what it wants to be. I didn't get that this time though. It was spin, spin, spin. All spun out.

I did have a lovely little setup though!

By the way, my craft fair banner was made by Wilson Graphics
and I would recommend him to EVERYONE in need of a craft fair banner or other vinyl banner. He was quick, great to work with, and reasonably priced.

Ok and check this out. I actually sold yarn!! I didn't think I would! The venue was all sorts of wrong for my craft, people wanted stuff already done, but a few people were really interested. All in all, it was fun, but tiring.

So I took a spinning break. Now I spin when I want again. And, I've been knitting. A whole lot. Lots of little instant gratification projects. We can talk about that later though. :)

Tagged!

2008-09-04T17:00:00.002-05:00

I've been tagged for the 6 quirky things meme by The Knitting Librarian!

The rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged me
2) Mention the rules
3) Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself
4) Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them
5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged

The meme:
1) I always order my caramel macchiato upside down.
2) I close every door in the house before I go to sleep.
3) I don't eat condiments.
4) I only like rainbow sprinkles that don't have chocolate ones mixed in.
5) I know my credit card numbers by heart.
6) I would have a lot more piercings if it was more acceptable.

I tag :

YarnSnob
Gilraen
AnnieL
BelayBunny
Nudista Exposed
NessaRenee

Knitting helps ease the pain

2008-08-05T22:07:00.005-05:00

My hip is still bugging me. Which means, I'm still taking it easy on the spinning. The good news is, the knitting has been cranked up to warp speed!!!!!

Have you seen the new Brooklyn tweed pattern Turn A Square? First thing I thought... wow!!! Totally fun for handspun! And look, I was right!!!

Instant gratification! I used up the leftovers of my Noro Cash Iroha from my bolero, and some of my handspun, Sheknitigans Take a Hike, shown here in its pre-knitted glory :

This hat is the perfect answer to the question 'What can I do with a small skein of handspun?' because you literally need 50 yards or less! I'm going to use this for a shop sample for next months booth show and then its all MIIIIIIIINE. I hope. ;)

And I finished Ms. Marigold. I will talk about that later though.

Knitting? What's that?

2008-08-01T23:32:00.003-05:00

It has taken me over a month to finally decide on a pattern for that Prince yarn. But I chose... Ms. Marigold. I assume that 80% or more of you have seen this before, but I think its just the perfect thing that I might actually wear. When I go to work (yes, the ten times a year I stroll into an office) I like to wear three pieces at all times. At least. So, that means... pants, shirt, cardigan/shawl/vest/sweater/2nd shirt/scarf/etc. This terrible NY habit of multi layers doesn't work so well in our California office, so I think a vest might be just the right balance. I started it on my latest flight to Cali, the third week of July. Here's what I've got now :

Stockinette Snoozefest. Although the shoulders and v-neck portion of the garment are rather ingeniously designed. You knit one side of the V, then the back, then the other side, then rejoin. Still seamless, which makes it all ok because I don't do sewing.

But the real excitement came in between the start of this project and the point of where I am at now... a real life yarn snob meet up! In the fabulous city of San Francisco!!! I got to meet up with the beautiful Artgurl (check her out on Rav!) for coffee, yarn shopping at Artfibers, and a special surprise that she planned just for me!!!!! And you'll never guess what it was... a trip to check out the art studio of a fiber artist! WOW WOW WOW!! I felt like the luckiest, most special person ever!! It was the best afternoon I could have imagined, laughing and shopping around like two gals that had been BFF's forever!! As if all this weren't enough, she brought me a gift of fiber from the studio, A Verb for Keeping Warm an AMAZING blue silk/merino that I'm dying to spin up into something yummy just for ME! I then ran around her studio grabbing everything I could, but hey, I do that around fiber ;) Kristine was totally awesome and if you're into unique fibers and yarns, I highly suggest you check her out. You won't see her fibers in my shop. These are keepers for me :)

And in the right fashion of my 'old lady' hobby, I put my hip out. I have no idea how, but I suspect it may be a combination of riding my bike on the highway and 5-6 hours of spinning a night. So I'm resting, which means more knitting time for now.
BTW, in case you haven't seen it, I finished a quick Lace Ribbed Bolero in Cash Iroha. You don't need 400 yds like that pattern says. I did it in 200 yds. I just felt like I was on 'name that pattern.' 'I can knit that pattern in 200 yds Bob.' 'Well, KNIT THAT PATTERN!' Two things on this pattern : do a reality check on the sizing. You really don't want it flopping all around like you're wearing a floppy pillowcase in the back. And, take it down a needle size. Voila! Happy Bolero.

I just want to thank everyone who has been giving me such wonderful photos of the knits you have been making with Sheknitigans Handspun!!! Seriously, I can't believe those are MY yarns! WOW! I'm going to try to get the gallery going soon, especially since I'm taking it easy on my hip. If this happens again, I'm going to try to get the hip upgraded to titanium. Nothing but the best ;) If you haven't done so already - sign up for my mailing list. You get a little coupon code and info before anyone else does. Good stuff :)

What's a girl to do??

2008-06-20T10:04:00.005-05:00

What a week. You've probably noticed less new yarns going up in the shop, and more silence in general. Work is insane! Yes, I have a regular job that pays the bills and this week has been nutty. I'm very much looking forward to the weekend!

I'll be knitting! YES, I said... knitting. It's time to knit some of my handspun.

Take a Hike is destined to become a hat. More to come on that :)

I love most of what I spin. Some things are not my colors but I try to offer a variety. Usually, its hard to part with it all but this really made me stop dead in my tracks :

I am having a hard time getting the colors quite right on this, but it is a very subtle blend of pear green, mustard, tan, and teal. I think I'll be knitting this one too :) How can I let it go? These are my colors of the season.

I have a little poll going on the left sidebar... please feel free to give me your 2 cents!

And did you notice the Sundara countdown? Packages went out yesterday. I'm in the winter season and to say I'm excited about my silk lace is an understatement. I'll probably be checking Rav later for spoiler pics! ::fingers crossed::

Off to starbucks for a macchiato... hope you all have a wonderful, fiberlicious weekend!

Indecisive, to say the least

2008-06-13T16:27:00.003-05:00

What would you do with 550 yards of The Plucky Knitter sportweight superwash merino??

This is the colorway 'Prince' which I believe to be slightly more purple than it appears in this picture, although it could be the lack of lighting in here too. I was thinking sweater vest or shrug... I need some suggestions please! I really want to knit and wear this :)

Welcome summer!

2008-06-09T14:48:00.008-05:00

Summer has finally hit here in NY. It's hot. Like, steamy, gross, pea soup when you walk out the door kind of hot. In case you need proof, its not in todays summer dress, the bikinis I donned all weekend while taking in the sun, or the hair that has seen better days.

Nope, it's in the iced nonfat caramel macchiato I got today. Yes, that is an inch of caramel on the bottom. Lets just say that Coley has quite the name for herself at starbucks ;) I truly prefer the hot version but when you feel like you are seconds from melting on the sidewalk, you do what your internal thermostat says.

Thank goodness for AC because its kept me spinning, although the yarn seems to take longer to dry in these conditions. I got some really cool BFL from Wildcraft UK, one that I navajo plied, and the other I spun as a worsted single... both of which, I adore :

AND

Can you please have a looky at this custom spin?? Its a Poppy Flower Fibers colorway Apex... and OMG I didn't want to part with it!!!

I'd like to set up a gallery of items knit with my handspuns... so if you haven't already, will you please share your pics?? I've seen such lovely work and I'd love to share it with the world!

Off to the pool... I mean, back to work ;)

I should be spinning

2008-06-05T23:01:00.004-05:00

Or sleeping. Or cleaning. I am completely overwhelmed with excitement at the response in my shop to my handspun!! I feel like I can't spin fast enough, and that's not a bad thing. I'm also very excited to announce that I've teamed up with Lisa of Poppy Flower Fibers to do custom spinning! Now when you see a yarn that's not quite your colors, check out Poppy Flower Fibers! Her colors are incredible, very vibrant and she uses the best quality fibers I have found. (Part of why I love her, because I'm a hardcore fiber snob!)You can order the fiber, how you want it spun, and you get a yarn that is all your own. Here are some awesome examples of what I've been doing with colorways from Poppy Flower Fibers ...

Feel free to ask me any questions! This special service is about making you something very unique. I'm extremely happy to be able to offer this!

Oh yes... another reason I am excited and am not sleeping. I have two more MeanBeans coming!!! I adore these knitting bags. And Kristin is taking reservations now! Tell her Sheknitigans sent you, maybe you can cut the line :) But not before mine are done of course! ;)

Tagged!

2008-06-01T10:51:00.002-05:00

Gilraen tagged me this morning, and since I've been meaning to blog... here goes !

1) What was I doing ten years ago?

1998... I was still in high school, dating my BF Scott (who lasted for a whopping five years!), playing the oboe, and it was this year that I got my first dental job as an orthodontic lab assistant. Who knew it would turn into a career that lasts to this day?

2) What are five things on my to-do list for today:

* Spinning (shop update tomorrow!)
* Knit more of my Seeded Cables Cardigan
* Laundry
* Clean the wool off the floor because it looks like a rainbow sheep threw up in here!
* Dinner out with a good friend.

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Ice cream. E got me started on milk candies, but I love tortilla chips and doritos too. And Starbucks Caramel Macchiattos are my favorite food substitution :)

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Definitely I would buy a home. Living in NY is very expensive. I would buy a house and it would be big and on the north shore. I would also hire people to maintain it because I am too busy with work to do it. (yes, I would still work!) There would be a room just for yarn and fiber too. I'd pay off my parents house. I would buy a fancy new Mercedes and a Cadillac Escalade EXT. Then I would open a yarn shop where I would carry truly beautiful yarns so I could knit and spin all day.

5) Places I have lived:

I've never lived outside of New York, but I did move from the suburbs to Brooklyn once.

6) Jobs I have had:

Florist, Supermarket Cashier, Orthodontic Clinician, Orthodontic Lab Technician, Dental Sales Rep, National Sales Manager.

7) Peeps I want to know more about:

YarnSnob
BelayBunny
MeanBean
Eluned

I'm a whitey ford

2008-05-14T14:05:00.006-05:00

Warning : the white hue of my skin may blind you. But this paleness is indicative of a few things.

1. Insane busyness with the gainful employment. WOW. Its true, even if you don't believe me ;)

2. Sick. Allergies are out of control and have spiraled into infections. Its ugly. And gross.

3. I've been in the house spinning and knitting!!!! YAY!

So what have I done with myself? How about a finished Snezi Shrug?

Pattern : Snezi Oversized Shrug, from Sensual Knits
Yarn : Noro Cash Iroha
Needle : Takumi Bamboo Circs 10.5 US

This needs a good shrink down. The silk content of the yarn is stretching it out a bit and its oversized to start with. I won't show you the back, because it looks like I'm wrapped in a burlap sack. But if you're on Rav, you can check it out for yourself ;)

And of course, there is spinning, a love with which I cannot be parted for long :

Soon I'm going to set up a gallery of customer knits! I can't believe what people have made with my handspun! If you have made something, please share :)

I knew you were going to ask...

2008-05-03T22:01:00.003-05:00

I'm exhausted. After all, look at everything I had to carry home!

Proper post with pics tomorrow. But in the meantime, some eye candy. Because I knew you were going to ask ;)

Have a wooly good time

2008-05-02T22:16:00.001-05:00

Off to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival...

Hope to see you there! and return with many fiber yummies! :) :)

We have a winner!

2008-05-01T13:36:00.004-05:00

I got so many fabulous responses and feedback to our contest!!! Thank you all so much for participating. It was a very hard decision, but Betty from Texas was the winner with the name of 'Lil Ewey'! There was another that I thought was pretty clever, and I want to give an honorable mention prize to Katie from South Carolina with 'Lulu von Lamby'! Please check your emails so you can pick your prizes!!! :)

I've been spinning my heart out this week, and the yarn is selling as fast as I can spin it! But not to worry, I've got a few pounds (!) of roving headed my way so you can expect some fun new yarns to pop in the shop as this week and next week go on.

Thanks to everyone for their support of me, and Sheknitigans. Please accept my sincere thanks with FREE SHIPPING on any order placed now through Sunday, May 4. Just put 'free shipping' in the notes and wait for a revised invoice :)

It's not you, its me.

2008-04-23T23:11:00.003-05:00

My dearest cable cast-on,

I wanted to tell you that our years together have been wonderful, ever since we met during that fateful production of Iris (Rowan 35). I left my first love for you (backwards loop) and I never looked back. Not once have I strayed since we met. You have been nothing but good to me through it all - three wickeds, countless hats and scarves, even Ene's Scarf. But lately, I can sense some distance between us. I'm starting to realize that maybe you can't be everything to me. It might be time to see other cast-ons.

No, its not you. It's me. You see, I've been getting flack from my friends *yarnsnob* about being a one cast-on kind of girl. She helped me see there is a whole world out there, and maybe, just maybe, I could expand my horizons. I know, I know. I shouldn't let my friends influence me. But I couldn't help it. The temptation was too great. Tubular cast-on was calling my name... and it was just so... smooth. So stretchy, so... reversible.

I mean, check this guy out :

You can't blame me for wanting a piece of that!! I've heard about that long-tail cast-on too. You know what they say about cast-on's with long tails ;)

I hope I haven't hurt you... I'd still like us to be friends. I'm thinking scarves and shawls and you never know what else could come our way. The future could hold anything for us. But I don't want to hold you back. I want you to go out there and find that project that's perfect for you. And I know there are other knitters out there that would love a cast-on edge like yours.

You were always good to me. I'll never forget you.

Love,
Coley

C'mon Baby Light My Fire

2008-04-21T14:46:00.001-05:00

Light My Fire
Originally uploaded by sheknitigans

My first go round at Navajo plying!!!

Back from California!

2008-04-20T22:27:00.007-05:00

I arrived home to a wonderful package from Plucky... Mulberry Wine and Dark Days, 50/50 Silk Merino Blend Laceweight yarn. Better than I imagined. Do I sense another Ene coming on??

In knitting news... dad's birthday Koolhaas needs a decrease do-over and then Snezi will be moved to the forefront for completion.

In spinning news... I conquered the Navajo ply. New yarn to be posted tomorrow :)

and a little questionnaire I snagged... feel free to copy and play along yourself!

Three Things That Scare Me

1. Death
2. Bugs
3. Condiments

Three People Who Make Me Laugh

1. The Yarnsnob
2. My boss (seriously)
3. LB

Three Things I Love

1. Nonfat Upside-down Caramel Macchiatos
2. Yarn and Roving deliveries
3. Handbags

Three Things I Hate

1. Narrow mindedness
2. Lies
3. My Jeep

Three Things I Don’t Understand

1. Math
2. Heavy Metal
3. Intarsia

Three Things On My Desk

1. Yarn
2. Business cards from the last 3 years
3. Dental catalogs

Three Things I’m Doing Right Now

1. Blogging
2. Setting the twist on some new yarn (!)
3. Getting ready to sleep

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die

1. Ride in a gondola
2. Hike the grand canyon
3. Get married

Three Things I Can Do

1. Say the alphabet backwards
2. Play the oboe
3. Remember tons of details including long number sequences

Three Things I Can’t Do

1. Knit a swatch. (just cannot do it.)
2. Accept no for an answer.
3. Use ketchup. Ever. On anything.

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To

1. Your gut instincts
2. The opinions on Starbucks cups
3. Your parents, or grandparents. Life experience is invaluable.

Three Things You Should Never Listen To

1. Newspaper horoscopes
2. BMI charts
3. Rachael Ray on those Dunkin Donuts commercials. Mute your TV.

Three Things I’d Like To Learn

1. To speak multiple languages well
2. To dye yarn
3. To be more patient

Three Favorite Foods

1. Ice Cream
2. Red Delicious Apples
3. Cavatelli

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid

1. Saved by the Bell
2. Diff'rent Strokes
3. The Facts of Life

Three Things I Regret

1. No excuses
2. No regrets
3.

One word!!

2008-04-16T23:21:00.002-05:00

Wollmeise.

It's coming... so excited, I can't sleep. I can't eat.
If you need me, I'll be sitting outside by the mailbox, waiting for the mailman. Camping out like I'm waiting for a Nintendo Wii. Yes, I'm THAT excited.

I feel honored!

2008-04-15T10:48:00.001-05:00

Sheknitigans was the featured Etsy Shop over at Organic Stills!!!!!

Check out the interview and her blog, here : OrganicStills

Thank you so much Natalie, I am truly honored :)

I'm a bad blogger

2008-04-14T23:16:00.012-05:00

I'm a bad blogger, and I've decided I'm ok with that. Perhaps I'd be better if not for Ravelry, which takes up most of my time with infinite distraction possibilities. Not that I'm complaining about that. Love the Rav. Just saying, I'd prolly be better at updating. ;)

So, the shop is in full swing. That means spinning at sweatshop speeds. And, I'll be making an appearance at a local fair doing spinning and selling yarn. Yep. The big time. You know what that means, right? I had to call in the feds. My tax ID number is on the way. EEK! I'm a real business owner now?!

Remarkably, there is still knitting going on. I know when I got the wheel I was pretty much ready to throw in my stash for the sake of fiber spinning, but thanks to The Yarn Snob, I was sucked back into it. Sucked in, and enveloped in a sea of Malabrigo Lace goodness that we can only call... Ene.

I did this Ene's Scarf in the most fun KAL ever, a transatlantic yarn snob Ene-a-thon. We laughed (wrong but lovely lace pattern), we cried (multiple cast ons, running out of yarn) and in the end, we blocked. We're happy. And we're taking applications for knitters to cast on for us to start again. Any takers? Only 375 stitches!! I've got some Smooshy that's crying out to be the Ene for the fall season.

So now I've got a Snezi Shrug on the sticks, from Sensual Knits. Everyone is right about this book. There are three things I wanted to cast on right away. Snezi, the Seeded Cables Cardigan, and the Loop Shawl. Seeded cables is next, to be done in some Classy (I mean Smooshy Worsted) I scored in a rav destash today. Cloud jungle. I'm hoping for slightly better wear than with the Malabrigo Polar Morn I originally intended.

Coming soon... Snezi pics. Cash Iroha. Yum.

i'm excited...

2008-03-01T23:48:00.004-05:00

i've been quiet. but i've also been working on a couple test knits for The Plucky Knitter, i've travelled to Colorado, California, and Chicago *yes, all since my last post!* and tonight I used my night home to finally open my etsy shop!!! YAY!!!! Check it out :)

Spinitis

2008-02-08T09:58:00.002-05:00

You know you might have a spinning problem when :

1. Your handmade wool rug is now also cluttered with loose bits of fiber from your full day spinning efforts.

2. You walk around unknowingly with fiber stuck to your clothes.

3. You remove your contacts and night and find fiber in your eye.

4. You realize you've been sneezing all day because you're breathing in loose fibers.

5. You skip social events for the sake of spinning...

and this is what you get...

www.flickr.com

Handspun!!!!

So, I am another year older...

2008-02-04T22:46:00.001-05:00

another year wiser, but only for the sake of hindsight being 20/20. My birthday was quiet and uneventful, just as I'd prefer. Oh yes, except for the fabulous gift from my parents.

Ashford. Traveller. OMG.

Three hours of setup, and having never spun on a wheel EVER - yet owning pounds of fiber, I set to it.

I have a new love.

Knitterly Fun

2008-01-23T23:24:00.000-05:00

Say hello to Babycakes (the knitter!) and Lovebug (the golfer!). Cute, right? These were a little gift for a special person, custom made for me :) I knew my fellow knitters would be all about getting custom knitter penguins!

So of course, if you want one, here is the etsy link for Teeny Beak ! Tell her LilColey sent you!

2007 Year in Review

2008-01-22T10:27:00.001-05:00

So what have I been up to since my last post forever ago???

Ravelry. I got in June 2007 and I got hooked in September, 2007. Add my as a friend, I'm Sheknitigans :)

Falling Leaves

2007-07-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

Why post the first pair of socks ever completed when you can post the second???

I introduce to you... Falling Leaves.

Yarn : Whorled Peace Green Tea Colourway

Gauge : Who knows, I don't swatch

Needles : US1 Bamboo DPNs

I love this pattern, it's just gorgeous. Let's go for the closeup :

I worked these toe up, with a Turkish cast on, and a short row heel. I can't imagine knitting socks any other way besides toe-up, by the way.

Coming soon... my completed Orangina!

Silent Lips, Busy Hands

2007-07-13T23:51:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much to say recently - although not for lack of knitting! In fact, I've been knitting fast and furious finishing up for my Rowanette exchange. Throw in a weeklong business trip touring the west coast [San Francisco, Orange County, and finally, Seattle] I have had plenty of plane hours to make this happen. Sadly, I have no pictures to post at the moment because my travel laptop does not accept memory sticks. [boo]

On the upside, there was a fabulous Artfibers visit while in San Francisco!!! I purchased a large cone of Ming in Chocolate brown [pic asap]

I also had the good fortune of being four blocks from Hilltop Yarns in Bellevue, Washington, so I stopped in there as well... and scored my first skein ever of Fleece Artist [handmaiden?] sock yarn in what else? Chocolate brown.

There was a brief visit to the Ghirardelli factory as well for chocolate [are you seeing the pattern here?] for my mom, because she loves that 72% pure dark chocolate.

By the way, I don't love chocolate. But I do loooooove brown! I heart it! A lot! The fleece artist is headed for the stash basket but that Ming is too fabulous to wait on... any pattern ideas?

Speaking of needing pattern ideas... guess who got her Ravelry invitation while on the West Coast????

YAY Ravelry! And I thought Myspace was addicting... now I will really never, ever, get any work done. That's ok... I'll trade in my dental equipment for a life of knitting any day of the week :)

Upon return, I will post pictures of the finished second sock to my first pair ever, and give a surprise peek at my Rowanette exchange project that is already a day late. [so so so sorry:( ]

Sgt. ColePepper's Lonely Socks Club

2007-06-19T15:50:00.000-05:00

It's done!! It's really done!!!

It's really a sock!!! My first good, functional sock knit to completion. And I love it. I danced around the house last night with one sock on until 4 am from sheer joy and excitement over finally defeating my sock demons!

And my goodness, check out the heel :

This heel was made possible by the best short row sock heel tutorial I have ever seen!!! I have tried countless times to knit a good heel, but this was the perfect tutorial for the heel challenged. Lots of pictures and good, useful descriptions. I loved it. And I love my sock.

So right now I am running around the house with one sock on [still] revelling in the joy that is sock knitting. Not to be underknit - I have cast on for its mate. It can't stay in Sgt. ColePepper's Lonely Socks Club forever. By the way, my greatest friend ever is the queen of nicknames - and she started calling me ColePepper. She is home knitting furiously right now to impress me when she comes back with her first ever scarf!! [yep, I taught her and she is cursing me for causing her continued unproductiveness]

She also owes me a photoshoot - I have FO's!!! :) Namely, a wicked sweater. Or two. Or three!!

Whoo hoo!

2007-06-12T09:07:00.000-05:00

The new Knitty is up!! What's going to be the hot item this season??

Let there be socks!

2007-06-11T00:06:00.000-05:00

Like all good knitters, I have accumulated quite the stash of yarn. Elisabeth, my aunt who taught me how to knit in the first place, calls me a "one-skeiner." And it's true! I will buy one skein of just about anything. Maybe even two. And my collection of "one-skeins" and "two-skeins" of koigu is killing me. I cannot knit socks. Try though I might, I have failed repeatedly, each time buying more sock yarn as punishment and inspiration to learn to get it right. I know what I want : a toe-up sock (because my sewing skills are poor I can't mess with kitchener right now), and a short row heel so it looks like a sock you would buy in a store. And ankle socks are definitely my favorites. Because I am not known to be defeated by anything, here I go again.

Pattern : Pom-Squad by MagKnits
Yarn : 100% Superwash Merino Handpainted by Whorled Peace
Colorway : Jasmine
Needles : US1 Bamboo DPN's

Progress Shot : Please allow me to make a little promise to you now ... no half naked foot shots on this blog! Ever! Unless I knit pedicure socks... but that's another entry. As you can see, its coming along quite nicely and I'm really really happy with it!! I love this yarn, super soft and squishy and the colors are just gorgeous! Here is a colorway closeup : I'd say the colors are closest to the yarn cake picture, with more blue which just isn't shown well on this side of the ball.

And my excitement for the weekend? My yarn arrived from the Knittery in Australia!!!

Luscious, 100% merino laceweight in Moonlight Colorway. Destined for an Ene's Scarf? We shall see!!

I have some FO's to post... but I need to deliver a surprise gift before I can show off the goods ;)

Know Your Own Strength When Knitting Lace

2007-06-07T00:09:00.000-05:00

When knitting lace, it's important to know your own strength. I recently completed my first lace project for ISE4, and I really liked the final result. Plus, Emma knit up the most fabulous scarf, in White Willow's Neopolitan yarn, and OMG I fell in love. If not for her I would have most likely not discovered Brooke's fabulous yarn, or even had the notion to knit lace. So Emma's pattern is Heartstring's Lacy Scarf II, and you can see a sample of the pattern here.

Here's what I've got so far, on the first repeat :

And a close up :

I copied the yarn right down to the colorway, its Neopolitan laceweight yarn from White Willow, knit on US5 Bamboo straight needles and those are 8/0 gold seed beads. I thought I was doing so well, and that this was seaming up to be a quick and easy project.

Then I forgot how strong I was. And how lace weight yarn isn't made of steel. I broke the yarn. Strongarmed it, is more like it. Sliding the beads down the yarn really is frustrating me, and I just snapped it like a twig in a hurricane. And I tied it back together, and of course the beads won't go over the knot. Is there an easier way???? Damn beads.

I don't even like the beads that much! I mean, I like them in the pattern, but the color, I could live without. But do you know how hard it is to find size 8/0 beads? 10/0 - billions of colors. Even 6/0 - billions. 8/0? Ten colors. It was so pathetic, this was just the best of the worst. Next time I'm sizing up to 6/0 and I don't care what the pattern says. I'm sure my mom would say that bigger beads have more pizazz. [She always claims I don't have enough pizazz, but I think she needs to cut back on her pizazz.] In fact I can almost guarantee that when I bring this little number over to show her, she'll comment on the size and/or color of the beads. It's almost a guarantee.

I was planning on posting pictures of my Tempting from Knitty, but damn that is the most boring knit of all time. Miles and miles of endless ribbing, so to amuse myself I have turned to learning to knit continental style, just to break up the monotony of the whole thing. I decided that will be my airplane project. Because if I can't handle beads on the couch, I definitely can't handle them in aisle seat 12C.

Girl's Night Out

2007-05-31T23:56:00.000-05:00

Usually I find the yarn long before I find the pattern, but in this case, I found the pattern first. Then pondered about it long and hard. Did I need yet ANOTHER knitted purse that I wouldn't use? I'll admit to being a bit of a yarn snob, but I'll also admit to being a big bit of a purse snob. I loooooove bags. A lot. But when I saw this, it was so cute, I knew it had to be mine.

The pattern is Girl's Night Out, from KnowKnits. You can find it as part of a Tilli Tomas kit at KPixie. It's even on sale! However, I won't knit in Tilli Tomas because of their known price fixing attempts of the yarn market ala Sarah's Yarns. I love Sarah, she is so sweet and I appreciate her business model, because on top of great prices, I get awesome customer service AND her yarn shows up the next day. And I am from the generation of instant gratification, so I NEED that. ;)

I used Twisted Sisters Mirage in Coriander for this bag. It's 52% Rayon and 48% cotton. It has a lovely sheen that is just what I was looking for in a silk substitute. (Is silk really durable enough to stand up to a NY girl's night out anyway???) The pattern calls for the silk to be knitted double on US8's so I did just that, and followed the directions exactly as written, and I am pleased. I can actually see myself carrying this bag to dinner.

As a side note, if you like fast projects, I finished this bad boy in three hours. Talk about instant gratification.

ISE4 Scarf

2007-05-30T00:46:00.000-05:00

ISE4 has been a wonderful experience for me. What a wonderful group of knitters, so talented and creative! And while my partner seemed like she might like anything, I did some further delving into her blog, which revealed more of her yarn preferences and I acted accordingly! So here it is, my first lace project and completed ISE4 scarf...

Isobel!

This is knit in a 100% merino laceweight yarn hand dyed by Etsy Seller White Willow. This yarn knit up like a dream and it has gotten me nothing but compliments as I knit it on the train, in waiting rooms, and everywhere I could carry my needles!

A close up of the stitch pattern ...

I'm not sure which picture better represents the color, because the first photo shows the scarf folded, but its a blend of raspberries and amethysts.

Not bad for my first lace attempt I think, and I am excited to send it off tomorrow with a couple of little goodies to match!

I knit to keep from killing people...

2007-05-03T16:15:00.000-05:00

... or so I tell the people surrounding me on the airplane when they try to touch my knitting. I’m cool with folks asking questions - not cool with dirty hands touching my stitches! Why do I knit? I love the creativity it brings out of me, the ability to make something useful with my hands, and how it can bring me away from the stresses of every day life. So this is my blog, where I hope to show what I do and grow and learn together with the rest of the online knitting community.