Knitty Gritty Thoughts

Ene is the name of the game

So I was MIA last week because I was traveling for work.  I have to laugh at myself, every time I pack for a trip I always take too much.  I call it kitchen sink-itis and watch out, it's catching!  I know at least a few weeks in advance when I'm going so I try to plan ahead, wash clothes, clean the house and start packing.  Inevitably however I end up waiting til the last minute, throwing stuff into the biggest rollie suitcase I have, willy-nilly and taking way to much.  I was working on some small project bag/sock bags before I left and I hadn't quite finished them and I was quite seriously considering taking my sewing machine with me, ha!  And then I was thinking well I really wanted to do some spinning so I better take my wheel too!  Before I knew it I had my entire car full and barely any room to put my dogs in back so I could drop them at the kennel.  It's a serious disease let me tell ya!

Anyhow so I did manage to finish the sock bags without taking my machine with me in case you were wondering, two of them are off to new homes but I made one extra and listed it in etsy for fun.  This is my first time posting anything there and I am new to it so please be gentle, I haven't spent that much time on it yet! =)  I can see where it would be a total time-suck getting everything customized.  Anyhow hopefully they are liked, I've had a lot of great feedback from people I've made them for in the past so I thought it would be fun to put it out there!

While I was away I had lots of hotel room knitting time and I finished ene.  My shoulder is still hurting unfortunately.  I really appreciate those of you who asked about it.  Right now I'm just trying to power through it.  I learned that letting it rest wasn't making it any better and infact I felt almost weaker than just trying to let it be.  So there you go - never underestimate the will of someone when they want to knit!

Of course you know how it is with a finished lace project- you have to block it right away!  Unfortunately I did not plan ahead far enough and bring blocking pins with the rest of my sink.  However I have a coworker who knits and she generously brought me her blocking wires to work so I could block it on my hotel bed.  See - never underestimate the power of someone who wants to block too!

So here we go - here's a shot of Ene blocking, I'll get a proper FO post up here soon.

Happy Monday!

A Retrospective

Thanks everyone for your awesome and totally overwhelming blog wishes!  You made my day!  =)  It was so nice to hear from everyone, sometimes when you get into the grind of creating and blogging you become so focused on the day to day that you miss the big picture.  And that is that I have indeed been doing this blog thing for 3 years, and it's definitely a commitment.  Those of us who have been blogging for any amount of time know how much effort and time is involved to take pictures, write up projects and join in the community.

Being around so long has definitely given me a different perspective.  When I first started, the knit blog-o sphere was so small there were only a few hundred active knitting blogs.  It was such a small community that is seemed like a small town, where everyone knew everyone else.  We didn't have all these fancy online retailers or all these beautiful indie yarn dyers.  Very few people spun, and no one took breathtaking photos like these.  There was no ravelry, no one had ever heard of blue moon and socks weren't popular yet.  Can you imagine?! =)

I remember my very first knitalong, Katie hosted it when she was pregnant with AJ, the bear-along.  I never did finish that bear! =)  Katie and Alisha and Cath and Erica and Lolly were some of my very first blog friends who are still around blogging today.

Along the way some other good blog friends have moved on, and I think it's wonderful the way this community has grown.  Nowadays I am constantly browsing to find new to me blogs as it keeps expanding.  It blows my mind that there are 15 THOUSAND people on ravelry with 15 THOUSAND more people in line, whoa!

Anyhow you came here for the winner right?  The random number generator told me it was ......

......Qutecowgirl!

Congrats!

I loved reading all of your answers and found myself adding more items to my list.  I want to learn how to dye, try steeking, improve my colorwork and improve on spinning this year.  I'm also want to organize my stash which means I'll be having a stash sale here shortly.

I guess you'll have to wait til next year to see how I do on my goals! =)

Meanwhile you may have noticed I've been a bit MIA on blogs and email lately.  I have a pinched nerve in my left arm that is making it really hard to sit at a computer, type or even knit, ouch!  I'm sure it has something to do with my stress level, they're building houses next door and behind my lot and the hammering starts at 6am right outside my bedroom window and usually culminates in the construction workers littering all over my lawn, big trucks blocking me in my driveway, throwing constructions debris in my back yard and the dogs barking wildly at them whenever they are let outside to stretch their legs.  *Sigh* we've all got a little house-fever.

So I tried to knit to make some progress on ene but it hurt too bad so it's on time out (Now's your chance Beth!  How is yours coming??=))

I tried to crochet on the ripple blanket and that was moderately better...

...it's getting so big and rippley!

And finally I moved on to sewing which seems to hurt the least right now so I started piecing my first quilt.  I'm a little nervous because I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'll figure it out.

Isn't the fabric lovely?  It's from purl, they do color toned fabric bundles.

And finally, today is a big milestone for me.  When I was a child I used to horseback ride.  I grew up around horses and competed in hunter/jumper dressage in junior high/early high school.  As I grew up I got away from it and it's been almost 12 years since I've been on a horse for more than a casual trail ride.

Today I'm going to my first lesson in more than a decade, and I'm so proud of myself for realizing that it would make me happy and going for it.  I love horses and I love riding so much, I'm so eager to start again.  Life is all about circles isn't it??  Here's to new/renewed experiences! =)  Wish me luck, hope I don't fall off! =)

Needle Review + Ene

I finally got to try the Harmony needles out on my current lace project and I have to say I like them.  I should say first of all that I think that as a knitter you are typically a metal or a wooden needle type of person.  I often find people gravitate towards one or the other as a matter of preference as their skills and projects evolve. 

In all fair disclosure- I am a metal needle knitter.  However, I have to say I wish knitpicks had some out with these earlier in my knitting career, the point and the joins are quite nice and they are very lightweight.  There is a bit of drag on the needle and the yarn which is to be expected because of the material. 

I compared it with my current needle on a lace project - both are US 6, on the right is an Inox and the left is the Harmony.  Can you see the difference in tips?  The harmony's are a bit more shapelier and make it easier to do lace gymnastics.  Ktog - easy!  SK2P - peasy!

I think if you like the feel of wooden needles in your hands you will like the harmony's.  I only found the varied, vibrant colors moderately distracting.  These would be great needles for those who do like a bit more grab when they're knitting lace (hands-down the best points on wooden needles I've seen so far except for the high-priced ebony's and the addi wooden ones which are pricey)  I was asking Marina what type of needles she uses to knit her gorgeous and awe-inspiring fair isle designs and she said she preferred wood so I think these needles would be great for FI and stranded designs as well, I plan to give them a try on my next stranded mitten knitting project.

So you might be wondering just how much a metal needle knitter I am?  I took a picture of my current circular needle storage method, a 1.29 plastic blue tub that I store all my needles in by size, smallest to largest and sub-sorted by length.  Very handy, I've tried a lot of methods but this works the best for me so far.  Isn't that a lot of needles?  Yeesh - looking at it makes me cringe a bit! =)  You'll notice it's mostly Addi's and Inox's with a few random others thrown in.

And you may have wondered what that gorgeous blue blob was?  It's Ene!  I started it on my trip and I love it!  The yarn is from Knitting Notions, it's kettle dyed yarn in azure, on size 6 needles.  I love the color, it's gorgeous!  I had a hard time capturing the vibrant shade of turquoise-y blue, it makes me feel like I'm swimming in the Caribbean.

Now where's my margarita??? =)  Happy Friday!