I've been bitten

I've heard of the "shawl bug"...but I never thought it would happen to me. Some people are bitten and are never the same again...knitting shawl, after shawl, after shawl...never satisfied and always inspired to create another and another. Until I finished my first big shawl - the Bed of Roses shawl, I didn't really get the fascination.

Well I finished my second shawl (pictured on the right) at the beginning of this past week. It's a super basic classic triangle shawl made from one skein (400 yards) of DK weight yarn. It was made on large (size 15) needles and has a beautiful drape and airiness.

The large needles made it a quick knit, 1 week, and therefore was very satisfying. In fact, I visited a local yarn shop on Saturday that I haven't been able to catch open (they have crazy summer hours) and have already purchased two more skeins for two more shawls. I've already started one in a gorgeous hand painted yarn in purples and greys. I literally can't wait to have another one in my wardrobe

Now here are a couple more pics for your shawl biting pleasure:



PS: you can also see my new haircut in these pics...super short for summer. With 90 degree heat here in Boston this past week...the cut came in handy!

New Lion Brand loom freebie

In this months Lion Brand newsletter, that I just received in my loomy email inbox, there are several new board loom knitting patterns. The Shag Rug, pictured above, is my favorite...maybe 'cause we are still in need of floor coverings in our new apartment... But there is also a very cute pattern for an "Uptown Tote Bag".

Check out the Lion Brand Newsletter on their website, here. I think you may need to register or be signed in to view them...but the newsletter along with the free patterns are well worth the little personal info.

WIP and a vintage find

After not knitting for a while, I have started an easy one skein shawl pattern that I found on the web. I purchased a beautiful skein of yarn online from One Planet Yarn & Fiber. I ordered Yarn Botanika "Radiance" in Forest Green - although it looks more aqua/teal in person (which is fine...I love the color).

As soon as I got the yarn in the mail I wound it into a ball BY HAND (because I don't own a ball winder!). And then (although the excitement had worn off a bit by the end of the winding) I swatched and started my shawl. So far the yarn is great to work with. It will drape nicely and be summery enough to wear at the office to guard against air conditioning.

I like how the pattern is written for the shawl. Very open ended so I can design withing it. If I like how this one turns out I may play around with it a bit for some Christmas presents.

Last weekend Greg and I went up to Maine to visit my parents (hence no posting last week). It was mother's day and so we had to do the traditional mother's day breakfast outing and planting of the plant pots around the house. But, Greg and I also went to a little antiques/junk shop and I found a new vintage knitting book. It's The Complete Book of Knitting & Crochet. It's very well written and it has patterns and instructions for all kinds of knitting and crochet techniques. It's one of my favorite books I own now. There is even a crochet pattern in there that makes me want to really learn how to Crochet (I only know the basics and can't read a pattern to save my life!). In the front, it has an inscription from one friend to another...someone obviously loved the book and kept very good care of it. I took it off for the picture, but it came covered in plastic to protect the cover...I'll be putting that back on...

Anyway, some of the "must try patterns" inside are pictured below. The "Bridal Coat" is gorgeous, but I couldn't imagine knitting it. It's got a lace pattern, it's floor length, long sleeve, and even has a hood. Yah right..."can't get married til 2040, hon, I gotta finish knitting my Bridal coat

Anyway...

(Above) Here's the Bridal Coat. Gorgeous...but, really...

(Above) A lace baby blanket.
I better start this now if I'm going to be able to give it to any babies in the near future.

(Above) This is just a cute vest pattern. Never pictured myself wearing a knitted vest...but this IS cute.

And here is the crochet pattern that just makes me wish I knew how to really crochet. It was hard to get a good picture of the whole image, but here's the back. It's a lacy cropped bolero made out of this silvery yarn. Very nice.

In the mail bag

After a long Monday at work (my day job), it's nice to come home to some nice email in my loomy inbox. Today I had two nice emails that have made my day! The first is an FO from Tamara over at Loomy Mama. She writes:

"I finally posted a picture of my finished waves of lace shawl. I love it! I really loved the stitches, it was by far the most fun looming project I've done so far."

Thanks, Tamara! It's great getting to see finished projects. She has a great new blog and amazing looming creations.

Also in my inbox was a wonderful thank you for my mitten pattern. This is my favorite freebie so it's good to get email from appreciative loomers. Even though the weather is turning warmer, you can still find the "Great Fit Knifty Knit Mitts" mitten pattern on my website.

Knitting interest on the interwebs

While surfing around my usual interwebs knitting sites I discovered a mention of a new (not totally open yet) online knitting community. It's called Ravelry. I'll be keeping an eye out for when it becomes public. It looks like it will be a good place for fiber arts knowledge sharing. I signed up for their notify list so I'll let you know... In the mean time, find out more about it here.

I also found another beautiful example of spool knitting. As I've mentioned before, I've never tried this type of knitting... but I'm slowly gathering inspiration to start. This post is right up my alley. If I try spool knitting, this would be what I'd experiment with. Beaded knitting and crochet has always sort of fascinated me - so why not try it with spool knitting. I think I need me a fine gauge spool knitter... (This spool knitting pic is taken by the "own two Hands" blog). Check out her latest posts on the spool knit beaded cuff bracelet. Gorgeous!

One last little find over at whipup.org. These pics are really cool. Since I am so close to New York City now, I may just have to take a weekend trip to see this exhibit.

You know you're busy when...

You miss the new issue of Knitty! Among my favorites in this spring issue: Ester, Isabella, Palette, and Leaf. I really have to knit more!