Green Sprout Goes Camping

I've been wanting to try the Spud & Chloe yarn for a long, long time. Just waiting to find the perfect project to use it on, as it tends to be bolder, brighter and more fun-loving. It is a bit on the pricey side at $15 a skein, ouch! Using 3 skeins of the "grass 7502" color to make this project, will cost about $50. However, it is highly rated from users and so I thought I should use the called for yarn for the first one I make. Apparently the cotton/wool blend gives great feel and definition. This is a worsted sweater yarn that is machine washable. Just right for making the Sprout Blanket by Hanna Breetz. You can click on my link to see it there.

 Without giving away the details of the chart, this gives you an idea how it is constructed. Looks like the increases are made by purling into the front and back of stitches next to the leaves.

 It's a cute little blankey for a little "sprout!"

It will make a great project to take with me on my camping trip to Eastern, WA where we will be catching some more sun next week. Summer has just barely arrived in Seattle and we have had only a few days over 80 so far, with mostly low 70's at best, and more rain than we ever imagined possible. However, we would gladly take this weather pattern over and against what the rest of the nation is facing with triple digit heat advisories. Yes,...70's sound just fine to us here.

Here we go! Camping while knitting the Sprout!

 The beginnings of the Sprout...Hard to miss with this kind of scenery to knit by.

 As Sprout grows upward, I am falling even more in love with it.  This yarn was a dream to knit with.

 I knit like a maniac and in three days it was finished. Had to do an outdoor photo shoot with my beloved Sprout.

The reverse side of the blanket is also pretty. My husband liked this side of the blanket:

I am very excited about my little Green Sprout! I will be saving this one for a future little "grandsprout". Until then, I guess I should try blocking it and see how it does. This yarn is to be machine washed gently and tumbled dry on low. I am nervous to try this, but this is what they say. And for now it might just have to make its home on my brown chair in the yarn room. Because the bright green goes SO well with it and my pillow. And because I simply adore it! I am smitten with it actually.

Knittin' With The Moose

 At the Stitch 'n Pitch Mariners Game at Safeco Field the other night, many knitters gathered to watch the game and knit simultaneously. I realize this sounds impossible, but some managed to do both. My first time attending, it was quite the spectacle. First, you got your free T-shirt...then you had to go look at all the yarn vendors stationed with their goods out by the food. You could smell the garlic fries while looking at yarn...that was odd. Ivar's was there, so I had to get some of the fish 'n chips of course. I got a snazzy ear piece that has a light on it so you can knit with directed light or read with it in the dark. Groovy. Here's the field and some of our players. Oops, those aren't our players. See how much I know about baseball? Our guys are in WHITE. We lost...but oh well. You couldn't really pay much attention to the game between yarn shopping, eating and stumbling over people knitting. I found it amusing when you got up to get out of your seat, the ladies would say "Just a minute, let me finish this one row." And then you stood there patiently while they did just that. Only a group of knitters would understand or do this!

I met a lady next to me who doesn't knit socks either. I gave her a "high five." We "non-sock knitters" have to stick together. Eventually, I'll make socks. Just not now...I'm still doing the fingerless gloves. I got maybe a few rows done, dropped my stitch marker in the bleachers and fumbled around for my camera and cell phone alot.

Especially when I saw the Mariners Moose show up. I always get super excited when he shows up.

He looks super excited too. I'm not sure about what, since we were losing pretty badly.

Megan knows how to show her true fan spirit. This was NOT a staged shot, I promise! Thankfully Megan had a good camera phone and got this one of our friend. Looks like he is about to get speared by that lady's knitting needles. What a dangerous group of women, eh?

Knitting Prank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU2juUJfwp4&feature=player_embedded

See, Julia Roberts knits too! Watch how her crew played a joke on her...and Tom Hanks trying to knit!
Awesome!

Beach Time Knitting-Iced Cardigan

I will add that this sweater was completed in the 3rd week of July, which would normally be a hot time of year, except since I live in Seattle, it's been the coldest and wettest spring and summer I can ever remember. Perfect for knitting weather. So I am modeling it here in July. Wore it already in July. While the rest of the nation is on heat advisory, we're here wearing wool. Gotta love it! Shown after blocking, the Iced Cardigan has grown a bit in the arms and body.

Shown here, prior to blocking.

And here's the end result of "Iced" cardigan, of course not blocked yet. I can never wait to block. I made my version a cropped and chunky sweater. Mine has just one button for a closure,using a crocheted loop. I added garter stitch on the end of the sleeve cuffs and hem to prevent rolling. With my gauge and needle size, in order to make a size 38 or medium, I made the pattern's size 1X, believe it or not. I added one more increase set at waist, and stopped at a more cropped length for my height. And it fits me perfectly. Used two skeins of the Cascade Ecological wool. This is a nice neutral color and cozy warm for those chilly beach or Seattle nights! 

Time for some beach knitting. This is the hugest skein of yarn I've ever seen. 478 yards all wrapped up in a big chunk. Cascade Ecological wool. For the making of Knitty's "Iced" cardigan, a free Knitty pattern.

Having to make it on size 10 needles and  the size 1X in order for it to fit me due to the gauge. Good easy beach knitting. Great for the car trip home too...

Now for some views of the lovely Oregon coast for you to enjoy....Can you hear the sound of the waves?