PDX Yarn Crawl

I keep thinking I should start blogging again, and today seems like a good time to start! I just got home after participating in the Seattle to Portland yarn crawl. A huge group of knitters from Seattle took Amtrak to Portland, and about 20 of us Portland knitters were there to meet them at Union Station.

From there we split into smaller groups (so as to not completely overwhelm the yarn stores we would be visiting). I got a chance to visit with some of the PDX knit bloggers I hadn't seen in awhile, and meet some new people. Our first stop was Dublin Bay. After snacking on yummy scones and hot cider, I ended up with two skeins of RYC Cashsoft Aran (to be armwarmers for my mom), a skein of Lorna's Laces shepherd worsted (which is one my new favorite yarns), and a skein of Handmaide Sea Silk (to make Rusalka from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves).

Next was a quick stop at the Tea Zone for Rose Garden bubble tea. Then off to Knit Knot Studio. I had only been to this shop once before, and there was a better selection of yarn than I had remembered. I couldn't resist a skein of Tilli Tomas Flurries and then found a coordinating color of Laines du Nord Royal Cashmere (100% cashmere, enough said).

Then there was another quick stop at Cupcake Jones, and then on to Knit Purl. They had yummy lavender cookies and even yummier yarn... I picked up some Malabrigo worsted that matched the Tilli Tomas skein perfectly (I'm thinking these two will end up being a hat, possibly with a matching cowl or gloves depending on how much yarn is left). Also fell in love with some Fleece Artist Big Blue that had to come home with me. So I think I spent my yarn budget for the next 6 months or so ;)

By that time I realized I needed some real food, so went to Habibi with a new friend. Wasn't quite ready to go home after that, so headed back to Knit Purl for a couple more lavender cookies and some knitting time. I finally started a pair of Filigree (also from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves) for myself, and am really liking the Rowan All Seasons cotton for this pattern.

All in all it was a fun day, and I'm looking forward to knitting with my new yarn :) Though I probably should do some studying instead of knitting tonight...

Yarnia (with pictures too!)

Yarnia Cones 3
Originally uploaded by alittleweirdo

So, I braved the rain/hail/sleet today and talked the SO into driving me to Yarnia. I was intrigued by the idea of blending my own colors, and had seen some lovely cones at the Wednesday night knitting group last week. And I wanted to find a yarn for the Silk Sleeves pattern in the One Skein book. I did a swatch with a bulky weight mohair, and realized that wasn't going to give me the same effect as something lighter weight.

Since the weather was so gloomy this afternoon, the store was empty when we got there. But that meant I could ask more questions and get help figuring out how much yarn I needed. There wasn't much selection in super fine mohair yarns, but I found a bluish gray that was pretty, and paired it with a silvery gray wool and a darker gray wool. I'm happy with how the cone looks, so I'll have to see what it looks like knit up!

I've been in a pink mood lately, so I also got a pink cotton/wool blend with one strand of green cotton mixed in. I got 400 yards, with the plan of making a hat and more arm warmers! Of course, it might be too warm to wear all this stuff once I finish knitting it...

Trendy?!?

I have to admit that I usually resist fashion trends, and prefer to find my own style. Since my life has been pretty busy between work and school lately, my style is mostly comfortable (or whatever happens to be clean and sort of matches ;)

When I first started seeing hand/arm warmers I thought they were kinda silly. I do wear gloves during the winter to keep my hands warm, but I didn't really see the point of arm warmers.

But I kept seeing patterns for them, and have several friends who wear arm warmers (and knit or type when wearing them). So when I found a pattern that I liked (in Last Minute Knitted Gifts) I decided to give-in and make a pair. I also enjoyed having a project that I could finish in a reasonable amount of time! Now that I have started wearing my arm warmers, I have found that they do keep my arms warm, and I have more finger dexterity than I did when wearing gloves (useful for knitting and turning pages in a book). I've also gotten several compliments, and got talked into making a pair for a non-knitting friend.

When I decided to make another pair for myself in a different color, I decided to try the popular Fetching pattern. I hadn't tried cables before, and this did seem like a good way to get familiar with cabling. This was another quick project, and I got to try Rooster Yarn which was on sale at Dublin Bay Knitting Co.

So now I think I'm addicted to arm warmers! Next I want to make the Silk Sleeves from Leigh Radford's One Skein book; I had a ball of pink kidsilk haze I got on sale that would be perfect.

I guess my lesson was that it's ok to embrace fashion trends that you really like :) No sense avoiding something just because it's fashionable. Though I still maintain that fashion should be comfortable and practical as well as fun.

Quiz

I saw this on scockercrew's Live Journal, and I'm a sucker for quizzes.

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Seems pretty accurate to me! Being comfortable is definitely one of my priorities :)

Inspired

I've been feeling more creative in the last week, so it seemed time to add another blog entry.
I added an entry to my other blog and made a small batch of soap this weekend. It had been awhile since I'd made soap, and I was experimenting with colors and scents. I made this interesting smoky color by blending red coloring with sea foam green, with some green glitter swirled in. The scent is lavender and lime, which one of the soap-making books called "Good Fortune." Seemed appropriate for Chinese New Year :)

I also baked bread yesterday. I had wanted a bread-maker for awhile, so that's one Christmas gift we've actually been using! I also have over-ripe bananas, which means its banana bread time! I don't do a whole lot of cooking, but I do enjoy baking.

Also got in some knitting on a baby blanket for a friend. I love the super soft baby yarn; wouldn't mind making a blanket out of it for myself ;) Also fell in love with the Sublime mohair blend yarn, and it was on sale at the Knitting Bee. I'm going to try making a length-wise scarf for a friend. My other goal is to finish the kitty bed for Gidget this week. I've been working on it off and on for about a year, so I might as well finish it. Plus last week was our two year anniversary of adopting her.

Anyway, I don't know if my burst of creative had to do with the New Moon last week, or Imbolc and the beginnings of spring, or just with the relief of being done with midterms. But I'm trying to take advantage of it while it lasts!

Craft Fair Insanity

I have to the conclusion that I have taken on too many projects this fall. First of all, this is my first term as a graduate student, and finals are Monday! So I spent most of Thanksgiving weekend studying. Not that I hate studying (if I did I probably wouldn't have gone back to school).

But, I also agreed to share a vendor booth with a friend at an upcoming craft fair. I haven't tried to sell any of my crafts at fair before, so I was curious if I could make any money (or at least make some money to pay for more yarn!). Since this is my first fair, I haven't been sure how much stuff to make. I have been knitting washcloths and scarves, and I also make melt-and-pour soap. I enjoy doing these things, but trying to make larger quantities adds some stress.

And, did I mention the fair is on Saturday? Which is, you guessed it, two days before finals. I think I have too much to do this weekend, what do you think?

Ravelry

I realized I have been neglecting my blog since school started (though I suppose studying is more important). I was feeling inspired to start posting again... because I am finally on Ravelry!
A friend had told me about this new knitting community over the summer, but there was a waiting list since it's such a new (and popular) site. So I signed up for the waiting list at the end of August, and was finally able to access the site this week. Very cool :)
So far I have found links to more patterns, and ways to connect with other knitters. Including a group for Charmed fans! So I must not be the only weirdo who watches Charmed reruns and knits ;)
I'm also starting to figure out how to link pictures to blogs, so I might finally be able to add pictures of my finished projects.

In other knitting news, I am about to felt two more purses! My local Craft Warehouse is having a knit purse contest, so I will be entering them when I'm done. I used a couple of patterns form the One Skein Wonders book. Both purses are Cascade 220, since I like the way this yarn felted last time I used it. I just need to weave in some ends, and then I'll be ready for the felting process! Pictures should be coming soon...

Now it's back to studying for midterms!