Monagamous

I'm still on my WIPs-busting crusade. And so far, I'm making good progress, polishing them off one at a time. The only problem is that my current project is one I cannot blog about. So would you like to see a pre-blog FO to tide you over?

I thought you would.



Pattern: Salina, from Rowan Vintage Knits
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, #151 Bilberry
Mods: I decided not to knit the cuffs, but left the rest of the sleeve at a 3/4 length. Once it was done, I realized that the body was way too short on me, so I snipped off the bottom, picked up my stitches, and knit an extra couple of inches of seed stitch border.

I really like this sweater. The hourglass shaping is very flattering, the shape of the collar is pretty, and the yarn is soft and cozy. It's held up really well after a couple of years of wearing it. I also like that it looks just as nice dressed up with a skirt than it does with jeans.

A good, classic knit.

File this one under: Whaaaaaaa????

A sure sign that the Apocalypse is upon us:

WTF???

Is it me?

The warmth of friends

It was my dear friend Sarah's birthday on Sunday, so I had to make her a little something to keep her warm this winter. Haven was an appropriate choice: that's exactly what friendship like hers is like—a haven.


(Sorry for the image quality. It was a late night fueled with too much food, drink, laughs and games. I almost won at Clue. I knew I couldn't trust Colonel Mustard!)

Pattern: Haven, by Kim Hargreaves, in Heartfelt, The Dark Collection
Yarn: Rowan's Cocoon, in "Cloud".
Mods: Worked on 7 mm instead of 8, because apparently I'm a loose woman. Only used 3 balls instead of 4 because Sarah is petite. 4 balls would make an incredibly looooong scarf.

This was an incredibly speedy knit. I cast on Wednesday, cast off Friday, blocked Saturday, and wrapped it up Sunday. I think she liked it. It sure looks pretty on her.

More reasons to love the mailman

Got this in the mail the other day (a little retail therapy as a consolation for losing my NYC yarn).




Another Alice Starmore kit.

My fingers are itching! But I promised myself I would stay focused on my WIPs pile.



It's mighty tempting though....

Lucky girl

Look what the Button Fairy brought me:



In a brown paper package tied up with string hid...


the prettiest treasure. All the way from Australia!

Thanks Nora! I hope to knit something worthy of such a beautiful button.

3 FO's and a half

A parade of simple socks, most of which have been patiently sitting in my basket, awaiting their mates:


Austerman Step in "Schlamm"
For DH. I'm a bit "meh" about this yarn. I think I've been spoiled, and it's hard for me to get excited by commercial sock yarn. But the ol' man likes them.


From a few posts back, Phildar Preface in marine and ecru, and a touch of STR in Pondscum. I'm popping these in the mail for my maman.


Compare and contrast the gargantuan black hole sock (Regia 6-ply) with the pale blue one (Regia 3-ply). Bear in mind that the blue one is a women's size 9 1/2. So basically, the black one is Hagrid-sized. Actually it's for my dad. This is my second attempt at knitting him socks. The first pair didn't exactly fit. I'm sending him this single sock, hoping that like Cinderella, it will slip effortlessly on his honking hoof. I'm not knitting the second one till I get confirmation that this one fits. That's a lot of sock, people! The blue one does have a mate, and this pair is mine.

Have a great weekend. I'll be busy slaying more wips. I've got a major incentive to get them done, as I won't allow myself to start this till everything else is done. A fantastic motivator!

IIIIII love New Yoooooork...

Gird your loins chickadees, this is going to be a long one.

NYC was super fantastic, as always. Thank you SO much for your great suggestions. We ended up rambling around, doing our little thing, not taking ANY photos (I know, bad blogger!), but just soaking it all in. Unfortunately, I can't show you the Viewmaster in my mind. But I'd have to say this was one of our best trips ever. This girl couldn't ask for a better traveling partner. Not just on our trips, but everyday life. I am incredibly blessed. I love you chou. Happy anniversary!

Some of the highlights, in case you'll be in NYC soon:

- Louise Bourgeois at the Guggenheim
- Henry Darger at the Folk Art Museum. Along with Darger's amazing and unsettling work, the show featured other artists that were inspired by him, and I was particularly taken with the work of these two women:
Robyn O'Neil and Amy Cutler
- Mark Rothko and Joseph Beuys at MoMA
- Turner at the Met

If you're hungry:
- Order the incredible grilled corn at Café Habana
- Go to carb heaven at Po. Delicious, romantic, not too spendy.
- Best. Pizza. Ever. at Una Pizza Napoletana. A bit pricy for 'za, but TOTALLY worth it.
- Yummy comfort food can be found at Bubby's. Harvey Keitel can also be found there (we ran in to him right outside. He looks a LOT better in person than you would imagine).

If you have a little fun money in your pocket, go to:
- Downtown Yarns (thanks Mary Jane), a totally delightful, friendly and beautifully stocked yarn store. I bought many lovelies there, but sadly, I suffered a tragic loss. I left my shopping bag somewhere, and lost some REALLY nice yarn. We're talking Malabrigo laceweight nice. Blue Skies Chunky Alpaca nice. KOIGU nice!!! Frankly, it's too soon to talk about it. So let's move on.
- Don't like to put petroleum crap on your face? Korres on Wooster in Soho has yummy, natural face products.
- If you'd like to go back in time, visit Tender Buttons, a teeny store packed with the most beautiful buttons ever. I brought back some lovelies:


Mother of Pearl and horn buttons



Huge ebony button



I also bought some gorgeous Nani Iro fabric at Purl Patchwork.


I think I might make a kimono-style bathrobe with it.



And finally, you probably would like to see some knitting, wouldn't you?
Alrighty then, introducing:

What took me so long? Part 2


"Holy-crap-it's-freezing-in-the-office" Lap Blanket

Pattern: Felted Saddle Blanket from Greetings from Knit Café.
When I first bought this book, I thought, who the hell has a horse to knit this for? But then I stopped to look at the darn thing, and thought lap blanket! It's perfect.
Yarn: Noro Kureyon # 150, 14 skeins, bought on SUPER sale.
Mods: I didn't felt mine. It's warm enough as it is.


So cozy!


This mo has been in my wips basket for ever! The 18 hours of driving to-and-fro NYC helped me polish this baby off.


Hope you all have a lovely weekend! I'm off to see Sarah Harmer at the Ottawa Folk Festival. Of course, I'll be bringing my knitting...