Happy 75th Birthday, Dad!

And Dad got his own pair of Fingerless Fetchings (modified and made a bit longer in the hand and in the thumb to fit man hands, and without cables) for his Birthday! Now he can stop stealing Mom's gloves! Happy Birthday Dad! I love you!

Go USA! Vancouver 2010!

I am so fortunate to have a friend who traveled to the Vancouver games and brought back these hot items for li'l ol' me!

Apparently they were all the rage and sold out. I am so blessed to have such a thoughtful friend, Carol, who brought them back for me! Go USA!

Visiting Snohomish and Country Yarns

The cowl's a big hit!

Wearing the new cowl to visit the nearby quaint town of Snohomish today in the glorious sunshine! We took a walk along the Snohomish River. The Cascade mountain range was on display today and looked in fine form, snow topped and beautiful. I did try out some of the Java Inn coffee while in town. They have moved out of this building recently to a new location down the block...

I found some of the Mirasol "Hacho" merino wool that I like to make the "Baby Surprise Jacket" out of at the Country Yarns shop.

This was a great shop to visit and had very friendly staff and clientele. They also had a room in the back where they offer a place for spinning, as well as alot of beautiful locally dyed roving available for purchase, just ready for spinners.

A peek inside the shop!

And of course, a wall of wool, my personal favorite!

And that's about all I had time for since I had a half hour timeframe in which to shop! Yarn, coffee and sunshine...no better way to spend the day!

Ninebark Cowl-ympics!

The Ninebark Cowl from the Berroco Design Team that I loved at first sight using the pattern in the winter/spring 2010 Knitscene Magazine. I made mine detached from the vest (a modification of the pattern in the mag) Shown here blocking:

And folded up so you can see the 1st repeat at the neck, then the 2nd and 3rd repeat which are done on the flip side for the remainder of the cowl.

I substituted in Inca Gold in a plum color and Cascade Heathers 220 in brown. I also substituted a darker green Lustra yarn, along with the coral and teal Lustra.

And shown trying on with my still wet hair!

This cowl was completed during the Winter Olympics so I will always think of that when I wear it. Next..on to casting on the Cascade 220 Brown vest that will accompany it!
You may also view this pattern on Ravelry.

Valentine's Trip to Langley

But first, a report on the progress on the Ninebark Cowl. Continuing on knitting as the third repeat unfolds. Which mean it is almost through. Then will weave in some ends. Though soft, the Lustra can be slippery and likes to jump off your needles. It is very lustrous. The brown vest I will do in Cascade 220 in a Heathers Brown. In order to make sure I have enough in my stash, I will hunt for it on today's trip to Langley on Whidbey Island. It is where I got my original brown last year onValentine's weekend. We decided to do the same trip over again this year for Valentine's. On the Mulkilteo ferry ride and in Valentine mall "traffic" on the way home, I began these for my Dad; a simple version of the fingerless gloves I made in December, sans cables. Using Rowan Cocoon (merino/mohair).

After arriving on Whidbey Island we made our way to the town of Langley, and went to one of the many great spots there for our first latte...We parted ways for a bit and I went to Knitty Purls.
This shop is small, but as you can see has many offerings of wool and hand painted yarns. Much in the way of sock yarn also, for you "sockies". I did find my Cascade 220 Heathers and they still had my colorway, one year later! I got a skein so I don't risk the chance of running out of it making my Ninebark cowl and vest.

Another shop in Langley we walked through had alot of embellished imported yarn from Africa. It had ribbon and various fibers built into the yarn and was pricey, but very pretty and unique when knitted up. I got a kick out of their sign. It was a fun place to browse. I couldn't tell the name of the store as was the case in many of the shops in town!

After a great lunch of grilled chicken with caramelized onion/aioli sandwich at the fantastic Prima Bistro and yet another latte from Useless Bay Coffee Company, we were set to get back on the ferry.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Spin a Yarn and Start a Cowl

Starting on the Ninebark Cowl, from the Winter/Spring 2010 Knitscene magazine. This caught my eye and I love the color combos! I am making it detached from the vest. Cast on 100 using the size 5 circs. Tried it on to make sure it would fit over my head. Someone else recommended casting on a few more sts. to start. I am using the Lustra for the teal, green and coral. I am using Inca Gold for the burgundy. Cascade 220 for the brown. The Lustra is very soft and can be slippery. Careful, it can slide off the needles. This is my first time doing any knit work in "color" changes. So I am trying to carry across the back when I can. The pattern is in 25 rows, then you reverse directions and increase so the cowl "grows" as you make it through the final 2 repeats, also changing up the needle size.Changing needles to size 7's on the 11th row of the second pattern repeat, and now the knitting is done on the wrong side for the rest of the cowl. I suppose because a cowl sort of flops over and this is done so you see the pattern when it flops. Edited post to add this pic:

Today, my excursion with a friend was to a quaint old house in Edmonds, where the Spin a Yarn shop is found. Each room features different types of yarn. Some of the sections are arranged by color. It was a sunny day for a ladies day out, with a "must see" trip to C'est La Vie gift shop to show her why I love my Troll bead collection, (I almost have her convinced) and yummy lunch at Chanterelle's.

Knit In on Super Bowl Sunday

Instead of watching the game, a group of knitters gathered for a Knit In at Third Place Books and we enjoyed having a few hours to chat, and work on some things. It was a lovely afternoon with a musician accompanying us as we knit. Sheila brought along her wheel to spin some yarn and her friend did a bit of drop spindling as well. I didn't get any "action" shots, but these ladies are good at what they do. Lots of talent in the room!

On the way there, I had to stop in at Village Yarn and Tea, and got some yarn to begin this fun project. It is a very soft wool/tencel blend and comes in some fabulous colors! I am going to make the cowl and vest separate. The pattern calls for the cowl to be picked up from the neckline of the vest. However, I want the vest to be a separate garment to afford me to wear it often. I will be primarly using the Lustra for the cowl, adding in the Cascade 220 Brown Heathers for the brown needed, as well as using the brown for the vest.

A little smudge on the magazine, but you get the gist of it!