Yarn Blog | Adventures with Yarn

Well another week has gone by oh so quickly. I had a day off from the shop on Tuesday and used the time to organise my work area, as my ’stuff’ was beginning to get out of hand. I have continued to work on my Alice Starmore sweater and have just a couple more inches to knit on the front before I start to shape the neck line.

Because it is so easy to measure knitting incorrectly or to put it in a different way, each time a piece is measured it is a ‘different’ length I always keep track of each row I knit which I think is a very accurate method of making sure pieces are exactly the same length. Not only is writing down each row knitted a good way of making the back and front the same length, or that both sleeves are identical, most importantly, you ALWAYS know what row in a pattern you are about to knit. I can not imagine knitting lace or sweaters with Aran patterns without keeping track of each row as I knit them. There can be nothing worse than putting knitting down for a while, hours, days or even weeks and then going back to it unsure of which part of the pattern comes next. As I start each new project I head the page of my trusty notebook with the pattern name/number, size I am going to knit, needles I knitted an accurate swatch on and yarn I am using. Then as I start each part of a sweater for example I write, back, front, sleeves, neck etc. and again I always know what is happening with each piece.

Alan and I have friends in Seattle who are expecting a son in late February which is very exciting. When their daughter Bliss was born three years ago I didn’t knit for them as we purchased things from the baby register. This time however I decided to knit a few things after I bought a baby blanket kit when we had a fund raiser in September at the store for Knit for her cure. I started the blanket last night and as it is chunky yarn on larger needles it won’t take long to complete. Naturally I have purchased more yarn to make some Aran sweaters for him and am eager to do those as quickly as possible. So a busy time ahead knitting smaller things for a change.

Have a great week
Sally

Good morning one and all,

Well so far I have kept to my word and have continued knitting my Alice Starmore sweater. I really do enjoy fingering weight knitting so it is not a chore doing it, I just want to start new projects now.

Chester and Lester had been very good and quiet trustworthy around my yarn until someone sent me some furry skeins recently. I put the yarn in a sweater bag and one of them, Chester, ripped the plastic and took off with a skein running through the house with his prize. I rescued it from him, and him from the danger, and put the skeins in a new sweater bag which is now on a very high shelf in the study/sewing room. As they have got older and bolder they are testing the water and things that have not been of interest are suddenly very inviting. We feel like we have two teenagers in the house!!!

This week I am not working on Monday at the dental office, and I am also having a day off from Filati on Tuesday. So three days home in a row will feel like a mini vacation. Of course some things have to be done, housework and shopping, but I intend to catch up on some correspondence and also spend some time in my two favourite fabric stores. As most of my friends know as well as my love for knitting I am also a beginner quilter and since working at Filati full time for almost two years I have done absolutely no quilting at home. During 2005 I did take three classes, two at Tayo’s and one through the Folsom Quilting Guild which were all fun, but I have not completed any of the projects started in the classes. I would like to tackle the UFO’s in my fabric stash during this year and have a completed quilt on our bed which would be nice.

Have a super week
Sally

After a very successful, and busy sale at Filati we closed the store at 3pm for New Year’s Eve. I have to admit that I came home and after a cup of tea took out ALL the unfinished projects and lined them up on the floor of the sitting room. It was scary!!!!! So I have made a promise to myself to complete all the sweaters in various stages before I start knitting the two new sweaters for Alan. Poor Alan he got two bags of yarn complete with patterns and an IOU for Christmas so these have to be my next new projects. So on that note I started knitting the front of an Alice Starmore sweater that has been on needles for about 18 months and thoroughly enjoyed going back to fingering weight yarn. I do have two jackets, a Rowan and a Noro both I have mentioned before which need sleeves knitted and now of course I have a Debbie Bliss jacket on needles because I had to start that one too…. So I need tunnel vision to just work on the UFO’s for the next few weeks.
My copy of YARN arrived from Adelaide, Australia and it seems like a nice magazine. The second issue will be out in March so I am looking forward to getting that either from my Mum or via a subscription. I do hope it is successful because it is nice to see knitting becoming so exciting all over the world.
Well I wish you all a very happy New Year one which is peaceful and yet exciting

Best wishes
Sally