RIP BOPPER

 R.I.P. Bopper 2011-2015
My sweet bopper boy. You were so young. We tried so hard and we loved you so much. But you were in pain and suffering and there was nothing more that could be done. You will be in our hearts forever. Go find Dassi and snuggle.

Rhinebeck 2014

I know I’m a bit late posting this but here you go…

The weather at the Duchess County Fairgrounds this year was absolutely wonderful.  And by that I mean it actually felt and looked like fall!

I think just about everyone takes a picture of this tree and why not, it never fails to amaze. The colors are always stunning.

So lets cut right to the chase:

There was much yarn to be had, although I must say I showed quite a bit of restraint this year. I picked up some yummy yarns from Holiday Yarns, Miss Babs, Lisa Souza (always) and Dragonfly Fibers (first time at Rhinebeck – please come back), I also picked up Laura Nelkin’s latest book, “Knockout Knits”, which she signed for me (yays!), a new gorgeous mug created by Stacey Stanhope and got an unexpected gift from my friend Holly (aka knitterotica) who’s friend makes these awesome pouches. I’ll be checking out her site soon!

And of course there are sheep:

Some like to remain undercover:

Swatch it Again Sam!

Well it’s a darn good thing I decided to swatch. Here’s the first one:

The pattern calls for a gauge of 21 sts x 25 rows. Guess what? That’s NOT what I got. (pouty face) Sigh.

I used size US8 needles because frankly I’m a bit of a tight knitter and it’s just SOP for me to go up a needle size almost without even thinking about. For the most part this always seems to work…except it didn’t. I guess maybe the designer knits on the tight side too?

In any case, I’m down to size US7 needles, as indicated in the pattern. I’m hoping this will work. I’m a bit concerned that I’ll get stitch gauge and not row gauge or the reverse. Not quite sure how to deal with that.

I just finished the next one using the other color (balance). It needs to go for a swim, then I’ll measure it out and cross all the things!

Wish me luck!

Swatch it Lady!

I will openly admit that I never only on occasion swatch before I knit something. But then again I’ve been doing a lot of shawls and scarves lately so it’s not exactly critical for fit since there really isn’t a fit to consider. Unless of course you consider that one particular hat with all the lacey bit that’s just a wee too big. Nah that never happens, hmm…

So this, my dear readers, is one of the few times when I clearly understand that a swatch is necessary (yes, yes, I know). You know why? No? I’ll tell you.

I am about to begin knitting a real garment. Yup, you heard me, a real honest to goodness garment. So considering I will be using fingering weight yarn I figure the annoyance of having to do a swatch far outweighs the time it will take to complete enough of said garment before I realize it’s too big or too small.

This isn’t the first swatch I’ve done mind you it’s just that without having to worry much about the size of the knitted object I’ve gotten lazy.

My deepest apologies to Clara Parkes for maligning the poor unappreciated swatch. Truly I mean it no disrespect. Sacrilege, bad knitter, I know.

So, what am I knitting? “The Morro Tank” by Grace Akhrem. It was published in “Knitscene Summer 2014” and yes I know it’s mid-August and yes I know I’m not the fastest knitter in town and yes I would like to wear it before the first snow so I am really hoping I have gauge. (I had a little distraction working on a baby gift, shhh) Crossing all the things!

I am using Madeline Tosh Merino Light in the Leaf and Thoreau colorways, respectively.

I purchased the yarn and these awesome buttons from The Knitted Purl in Oyster Bay, New York. A wee bit of a hike for me but such nice people!!!

Oh hey, check out all of the yarn bombing around town.

    

Anyway, I’ll measure it up when it’s dry and let ya know if I’m on gauge or I need to work on swatch number two.

To be continued…

Logging My Stash

So I decided to embark on a rather daunting task this weekend: photograph and log my stash on Ravelry. Yup, you heard me correctly.

I must be a lunatic, completely crazed or just plain bored.

No actually this is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while and to tell you the truth, I kinda enjoy this sort of nerdiness. What can I tell you, I like cataloging and organizing things. The only piece that’s bothering me is I can’t remember where I bought every skein of yarn. I know right? What’s wrong with me?! Hmm, I suppose I could go back through my receipts and figure it out. Yea, it’s definitely a sickness.

The only thing I do recall is what I bought at Rhinebeck, cuz you know. Pretty much everything else was purchased online with a smattering purchased locally. Those are usually straight to the needles purchases anyway.

As I do typically, I’m approaching this in a very systematic way: pick a storage location, select a shelf/drawer/box and have at it.

I photographed, edited and posted 14 items over the weekend. Not a lot but hey these things take time. I was surprised to discover that several years ago I had actually logged some of my yarn. Who knew? Clearly not yours truly.

I’ve got lots more to go but that’s okay, a little at a time; I’m determined to get this done. So, want to see? Check out my stash page on Ravelry and who knows, I may put some up for sale or trade. Ya never know. 😉