Check and check!

I'm awesome. I finished Colleen's scarf (it's a little shorter than I would have liked, but it's long enough. I just like super long scarves) AND I finished my little capelet/shawl whatever from my Rowan book! It only covers the shoulders, but that's all it's meant to do. And even though I used 19mm instead of 20mm, I think it's okay. The only thing I need to do is block it and sew the cute adorable button on it. I also have to block Colleen's scarf....the ribs are all squishy, so it looks SUPER thin.

I'll post pictures of both (pre and post blocking, hopefully) a bit later. I didn't have time last night or this morning to take pictures. Plus Col's scarf was finished in the doctor's office waiting room...where they FORGOT ABOUT ME. I sat there twenty minutes after my appointment, until I went up to the desk and said "Um, excuse me? Did they forget about me?" and another 10 minutes later, the PA came and got me. Gr.

Yarn Search

Because of the newest tropical whatever developing in the ocean on the East Coast down by Haiti, the wedding I'm going to by the Jersey shore this weekend is going to be cold and yucky. Luckily, I have this cute adorable pattern in this Rowan Biggy Print book I borrowed from my sister for this little shawl that would be adorable with my dress. The problem? I need Rowan Biggy Print yarn... and the normal gauge for that is using US 36s. Every "super chunky weight" yarn I've come across thus far would look dumb if I used 36s.

There are three specialty yarn stores remotely close to me... Wool Gathering, A Garden of Yarn, and Stitches With Style. A Garden of Yarn is the closest to me where I am at this moment. When I'm home, Stitches With Style is closer. I'm hoping that A Garden of Yarn either A. carries Rowan yarn or B. has something chunky enough...and black... that I can use it and not have it look dumb. I saw someone who used this pattern on ravelry and instead of using a brooch or oversized pin to close it, they used ribbon...which is a great idea, and I think I'm going to do that.

I don't have a shawl or anything that can be used to somewhat formalesque occasions where a coat would look tacky... so hopefully I'll be able to finish this. If I do, it will be my first non-scarf or blanket! I'm excited.

New Patterns...wee!!

I was visiting my mom and my sister this weekend, and I looked at my sister's stash. Mine is sad. Hers is cute... because a good friend of hers had a store (well, her mom did. My sister is only 17) called Unraveled, and it was this cute boutique-y yarn store that I LOVED when I first started knitting. Well, it closed... and they have all this yarn that they can't get rid of, so my sister took some. It's super cute.

She also had these Rowan books that use super chunky yarn, my new favorite weight, and the sweaters in them are super super cute and look like things that aren't so scary. I think I mayhaps do one...or seven... so I *borrowed* the books from my sister so that I could write down the patterns and give them back to her. The one book (Rowan Bigger Picture featuring Big Wool & Biggy Print Over Twenty Designs by Kim Hargreaves) is awesome. I'm pretty sure I like 85% of the patterns. The other one I really really like two patterns, and that's about it. But it makes knitting sweaters seem less scary and somewhat doable. I hope when I start doing sweaters, it doesn't suck.

I really do think it's time to start building the stash though. I just buy yarn when I feel like starting the project...I never buy it for a future project. My feeling is that I'll forget what the project is. Last week Michael's was having a sale on Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn, which I'm hoping is similar to Rowan's Biggy Print since I think Rowan is hard to find in the US. I may be wrong.

Knitting Newbie

Ok, not really. I've been knitting for about five or six years. My 12 year old sister taught me how to knit... and she's almost 18 now. I've only ever knit glorified squares. Scarves. Baby blankets. That's it. My first blanket attempt (which is pretty sad...) I made a bunch of scarves basically and mattress-stitched them together. Maybe one of these days I'll do another afghan that's an actual afghan and not a bunch of scarf rejects sewn together.

I have a few confessions to make. Even though I've been knitting for five years... I've only ever done a garter stitch. I know HOW to do other stitches... I've just been scared of purling. and TERRIFIED of cabling. Oh my god it frightens me. But... I'm trying. I've also never ever knitted in the round... nor have I used double ended needles, let alone multipe sized needles on one project. Currently... I'm making my first ribbed scarf. It's coming out all right so far.. I messed up the first few rows... I accidentally did a seed stitch... but i'm making it like a border. It's actually giving it a bit of stability, so I didn't feel the need to start over. I'm using Lion Brand (my absolute fave yarn brand!) Micro-spun in this bright coral pink. And when it's all finished... I'm shipping it out to Ireland where my best friend now lives.

This blog is basically going to be my attempts at knitting bigger projects. My hope is by blogging about it... I'll stay motivated. Things on my list so far: a cabled bag (yikes!), a pretty lace-y scarf for my friend's daughter, and my first sweater (possibly involving knitting in the round...we'll see how ambitious I feel).

I've already taken the first two steps in adventurous projects: I subscribed to a fun knitting mag I like (2 years... big commitment, I know.. but that's a lot of patterns!), and I requested to join ravelry! Once I get that all set up... I might MAYBE possibly post my name for other ravlery users.