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I have a confession to make. I was -- depending on your perspective -- either a very bad knitter or a very good customer this weekend.
this is a long entry. just to keep you going, i'll let you in on a little secret -- i finally selected what my rhinebeck sweater will be, and i'm announcing a contest at the end of this entry.
Something's been in the air for me lately. I just haven't been able to get any projects to "stick". I'm sure it's part weather (I hate summer and I really enjoy knitting with wool so it's hard to do that right now) and part post-project ennui (I often have trouble getting into the groove after I finish a bigger project).
I've been doing lots of thinking about my Rhinebeck 07 sweater. I promised myself that I'd knit something fabulous to wear around the fairgrounds that Saturday.
Well, instead of the list getting smaller, it's actually grown in the past few weeks -- and really, most of the growing was this weekend.
Here's how my weekend went.
After compiling my Fall 07 Knitspiration list I was ready to get started on something new. Since I had to do some work-related clothing shopping anyway, it was easy to convince myself to add in a yarn store or two as well.
First stop was Woolbearers. They had gotten in the shades of Jamieson's that I had special ordered for swatching. While I was there I picked up the new Rowan, the new VK, and RYC Classic Style. Note: how did this pattern book fly under the blog radar? It's probably my favorite out of the whole RYC line. So, not too much damage at Woolbearers, and most of it was planned anyway.
Next stop was Loop, where they were having an 80% off sale on summer yarn. I got a sweater's worth of GGH Samoa in brown and light blue (I'm thinking hoodie next spring) and 3 balls of laceweight silk for Astrid. OK, not too bad -- you can't pass up a great deal like that.
Then I headed up to Tangled Web because they, too, were having a sale. I just don't have any luck with them. I left there empty handed.
So, on my way back home I stopped in at Woolbearers again. I had this idea for a knitted coat and picked up a few balls of various yarns to swatch.
I swatched Saturday night, but nothing was perfect.
So then, I noticed Harmony out of my new RYC Classic Style book. It was perfect and I wanted it now.
So, Sunday morning I went to Woolbearers again (no luck) and then I went to Rosie's. After spending 2 hours there I left with the new Jo Sharp Knit 3 book (the one that has this coat in it, with enough Jo Sharp Silkroad DK tweed to do it up.
Are you still with me? Unfortunately, I'm not quite done yet.
Later on Sunday, I'm sitting on the couch thumbing through my new VK (the 25th anniversary edition) and inspiration strikes. I have THE perfect Rhinebeck sweater. The one that I have to make.
And then I realize, I don't have any yarn for it.
So, I buy enough Cascade 220 in the aporto colorway to make my perfect rhinebeck sweater.
So there you have it. I'm ashamed to say that all in all I probably bought close to 60 balls of yarn this weekend -- my completely ADD unfocused shopping frenzied weekend that ended in the best possible way. I got my yarn yesterday, swatching it up last night, and dare I say it's perfect. It's everything I hoped it would be.
Are you curious which sweater I chose?
Not that quick!
Here's the whole list. You know which yarn I chose, so there are a couple you should be able to knock out pretty quickly. Keep in mind that I like to play with gauge, so don't dismiss a project just because the gauge doesn't quite match up. And remember that something in Vogue triggered my idea -- could be a yarn, a project, a designer, an ad, anything. But there's something in this issue of VK that directly correlates with my project choice. It's a huge issue and I can think of at least 5 possibilities that fit this description without even thumbing through.
Make your best guess by 6pm EDT this Sunday (August 12th). If you click on the image above you'll go to the Flickr version which lists what each project is called. And while this isn't necessary, I'd love to hear your reasoning behind your guess - gut instinct, project and yarn go well together, or the VK clue. Those of you with the correct answer will be eligible to win something from my stash -- something good, I promise. I'm inclined to say sock yarn but if you're not a sock knitter that won't be much fun. So, let's see who wins and we'll pick out something together that'll be fabulous for you.
I'll be back on Sunday to show you my progress.
ps - if you're one of the people i told this wednesday at panera then you can't play -- sorry :( i didn't have this contest in mind then or i wouldn't have ruined it for you
click for details
I love fall. I know, it's not fall. But, in the knit world it's certainly starting to seem like fall. And for a girl who can't stand summer, that's good enough for me.
I've collected a bunch of patterns here that are speaking to me somehow -- either a detail that I love, or a silhouette, or clever construction.
Or in the case of the man in the kilt, just because he makes me so, so happy.
I've typed up a lot of details in Flickr, but here are the highlights from my fall knitting world:
- love love love texture. can't get enough of it this season
- was there a sale at the alpaca farm? have alpacas suddenly become extra fertile? there's a lot of alpaca out there (berroco, rowan, ryc, just to name a few). am i the only one who has little interest in making garments out of alpaca? it's heavy. it has no memory. it's hotter than hell. the blends are just barely better. someone please enlighten me.
- colorwork is a close second in my obsessions, although i haven't found much inspiration yet. i'm thinking a few colorwork mitts are in order.
- i tried really hard not to pick anything just because i want to knit it. if i wouldn't buy it RTW, then it didn't make it on the list. same goes with colors this season. christy and i just talked about this on saturday. she mentioned there was talk of this topic in a "why do you knit socks" discussion on the stash and burn group on ravelry. someone said she could knit any kind of sock she wanted without diluting her fashion sense. great reasoning if you ask me -- it satisfies the urge to knit something quirky without being embarassed if one of your coworkers or that cute neighbor next door sees you
So what are you thinking about for fall? What's inspiring you? What can't you get out of your mind?
Need more details on what I've pictured? Go check out my full flickr set.
I've had Rhinebeck 07 on my mind since the moment we returned last year. Now that we're a little closer I'm starting to think about what I might want to make to wear.
I was so impressed with the quality and quantity of gorgeous handknit sweaters at Rhinebeck last year. It makes perfect sense -- there's no better place to show off your handknits, and the weather couldn't be more perfect.
So, here are a few of the designs I'm considering. I don't have a good direction yet -- I'm still pondering. It took me almost a week to compile this list alone!
If you click on the mosaic you'll be brought to my flickr set with details about each one of the images.
Feel free to suggest something else. It's a shame that Veronik Avery's Knitting Classic Style
A special thank you to Mary Beth for allowing me to use her pic of Celtic Dreams (right column, second from the bottom). She did such a great job on hers that I wanted to use her pic instead of the one in the magazine. You can read her full blog entry here
