Frost Flowers Shawl...Redux

Well, well, well…here we are again.

I haven't blogged in I don't know how long. But I find myself with some time on my hands and some stuff to say about what is on my needles. But first a quick catch up.

I am now living just outside Boston, working for a major university in fundraising and development. I still miss NYC terribly, but am starting to get settled in (it's only been about 4 years, no rush). I love my job, but hate my commute. But at least I can knit on the bus in the morning…sometimes.

Life has thrown me some curve balls the past few years, including major move (as stated above), my step father's death, the loss of a job that I thought was the perfect fit for me, chronic pain, the passing of a once beloved cat, and the end of friendships that I thought would be lifelong. Yet through it all, I have fought to keep my head above water. One of the major reasons I wanted to move from NYC was that I no longer wanted to just survive, I wanted to LIVE. And I am finally starting to do just that.

But enough of that mushy, vague stuff. You want to know what is on my needles, right?

A few years ago, I made a shawl using Jade 2-ply cashmere in the perfect Claudine shade of pink. And while I really loved it, it wasn't perfect. I adored the Frost Flowers pattern, but overall the shawl was too narrow and too long. And every girl needs the perfect pink shawl. So…to the frog pond it went. And now it's back on my needles

Luckily, I still had the chart that I made from the first one. And although I didn't keep good notes on my stitch count, it was easy just to count the repeats of the pattern to figure out how many stitches I originally cast on.

My first shawl had 110 stitches on a size 4 needles. I decided to almost doubled it and cast on 190 stitches for the redux. Keeping in mind that the cashmere will stretch down and pull in, I think this will be closer what I am hoping for.

I originally got the idea from a pin on Pinterest that lead nowhere (I really hate that, don't you). But I consulted the fabulous Ms. Walker's stitch dictionary and was able to find the instructions for frost flowers (it wasn't that hard to figure out which volume it was in, since that pattern is on the front cover), and reversed engineered the rest of the pattern from there. I was about half way through with the first shawl that I found out someone else on Ravely had already done this. Oh well, it was good brain exercise.

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My goal for this shawl is to have the knitting finished by the end of September when I am taking a trip across the pond to jolly old England. Time is running short and I still have a lot of yarn left. According to my calculations, I need to knit about 34 yards a day to get it down, which is 11 rows. Some days are more doable than others. I really hope I make it!

Rhinebeck!

I hope everyone is safe and dry in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. What a week for the East Coast! I am still without power, but grateful to a good friend (and you know who you are) who has lent me power and hot showers over the past few days. The rumor is I will be getting power back late tomorrow. While the novelty of no TV, music, lights, water, heat and a toilet that flushes has worn off, I know that there a lot of people who have it a lot worse. My heart goes out to them in their time of need. I am really grateful that all of my friends are safe.

But enough about that! I know what you really want…to hear about Rhinebeck!

I had a great time in Rhinebeck. I really wanted to go this year, mostly because with some of the life changes that I am in the process of making, I wasn’t sure when I would get the chance to go again. Plus I hadn’t been in a few years.

A couple friends and I rented a car and drove up. The ride was full of good conversation, good music (we found a radio station that was having an 80’s marathon), knitting and beautiful scenery.

Once we got there, we quickly got consumed by all the yarn fumes and lost track of each other. Luckily, we have done this trip before and made a plan to meet for lunch with some other friends. It was so great to see so many of my friends enjoying the day. Unfortunately, I only took a few pictures of my friends and none when we were all together.

But I did manage to take lots of pictures of sheep!

I also took some pictures of these rare breed of sheep:

I also had a few knitting celebrity sitting including YsoldaTeague, Clara Parks, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (anyone else think she should change the spelling to Purl?) and Jess from Ravelry. When you think about it, it’s funny that we have our own little celebrities, isn’t it?

I know you really want to see pictures of the haul; however I have not had a chance to photograph everything. But needless to say, I made out pretty well. Lots of sock yarn, some lace weight, a very pretty DK in a green multi and a cute wrist bag. I hope to take pictures in the next few days (when I have power again) and will out them up then.

Knit on!

Hurricane Supplies

As the Tri-State area braces for another main storm, I urge everyone to have their emergency supplies ready. Here are mine:

I have 5 gallons of water, bananas, nutri-grain bars, popcorn and a stockinette in the round project!

Knit on!

P.S. In all seriousness, please be safe out there. Don’t go anywhere unless you have to.

P.P.S. I also have a flashlight, candles, matches, a battery operated radio, iPod is charged, as is Kindle and my laptop.

Rhinebeck...tomorrow!

rhinebec, rhineback, Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, RHINEBECK!

Can you tell I am excited?

Rhinebeck Goal

Every year I hear about this knitting urban legend...spinning directly from the bunny. I have to say that I have never really believed it. But I did find this video on YouTube:

My big goal for Rhinebeck this year to see this with my very own eyes. Anyone know where this spinner and her bunnies are located?

Only 4 more days!

Knit on!

Awesome Yarn Bombing

I love the way this frustrated public transportation rider vents!

http://www.scotsman.com/news/mystery-knitter-vents-edinburgh-trams-fury-in-yarn-bombing-blanket-protest-1-2549375

I think the MTA should be on notice. That type of yarn bombing may soon jump the pond. What would your message for dictators of transportation be? I think mine would be "No more fare hikes!"

Knit on!

Stripes!

I’m not normally into stripes. Don’t get me wrong, I have always liked them, just not for me.

So you can only imagine my surprise when I started thinking about the Million Stripes Loop from Brenda Burrell. I saw it first on Pinterest about a month ago and was intrigued. I kept thinking about and started stalking it on Ravelry. I finally bit the bullet and cast on for one of my own.



What is also shocking about this project is my color choice. What you will normally see from me are pinks, purples, greens and blues (I know that my mother’s 1980s copy of Color Me Beautiful says that I am a Spring after all). But I decided to use more of a fall palette. Since I intend to use the loop as an accessory, I thought it might be easier for me to incorporate it into my wardrobe. I am using Classic Elite Alpaca Sox in 5 colors – Granny Smith, Byzintine Purple, Amber, Russet (orange) and Lago (dark blue).

I am about half way done with the cowl and the goal is to keep at it, so I can wear it this fall. I am enjoying the stripes so much that I am thinking about making another one, but more in my traditional colors for spring. And maybe one more in shades of grey.

What colors would you use?

Knit on!