My Traveling Sweater

 I finally finished my Traveling Sweater  designed by Karen Alfke.  I started knitting on this cardigan using Blue Moon Fiber Arts WooBu, a blend of merino and bamboo, the beginning of February.  The colorway is called Grawk, gray with just a hint of purple and green.  Barb and Tracie of the podcast 2knitlitchicks began a cardigan KAL that started February and the deadline to finish is May 1, 2013. 

 

 

I knit a lot, lot, lot of 2 x 2 ribbing. 

 

 

Yes a lot of ribbing with short rows. 

 

 

 I bought the yarn and pattern at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island a few years back.  This KAL was the push I needed to finally dig this beautiful yarn out of my stash and start knitting.

 

 

The sad part of this story is now that it is warming up here in California I'm going to have to wait until summer is over and it cools down before I can actually wear my new sweater.

 

 



Yes, I Am Knitting

Lately I've been doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that but I am always knitting.

 

I have been working on The Traveling Sweater by A. Karen Alfke and it is currently blocking and a post soon will be forth coming about that adventure but today I'm going to share what I cast on my needles this afternoon.

 

I am not one to knit with the crowd what is currently the favorite.  Segue way to Stitches West 2013 and the Miss Babs booth .  Her yarn is phenomenal and a line was always at her check out.  I will say hanging out with Kathleen did not help (it's always nice to blame someone else for your shortcomings) and I ended up buying three skeins to make the Color Affection Shawl by Veera Valimaki. 

 

 

Meet from the bottom up Ghoulish, Clematis and Impatiens Yummy Hand-Painted Sock and Baby Yarn.

 

 This pattern was published in 2012 and currently on Ravelry 8551 projects have been finished or are in progress.
 

 

  I am 8552. 

 

Join the crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some More Pincushions

Last week I shared with you a pincushion. 

I've made another one.

 

 

From this little Moda Candy pack I made this new pincushion.

 

 

 

 

And then I went totally off the deep end with another different pincushion.

 

When I went to the Pacific International Quilt Festival last year in October with Cathie I picked up a kit from Reets' Rags.

 

 

 This kit used hand dyed wools.

 

 

 I did my own version of embroidery and added beads.

 

 

Now to just add pins.

Pincushion

Jim is never quite sure what I'm going to bring home next.

 

The other day he came home and inquired if we had gotten a cat because he had noticed a bag of cat litter in the garage.

 

 

 This was not your ordinary bag of cat litter but litter made from walnut shells.  And no we had not gotten a cat because although I would love one I've become allergic as I age, this walnut litter was to use inside of pincushions.

 

We recently got fabric precuts of Moda Candy at the store and I found this cute pincushion on their website.  According to the website from one package you can make 6 pincushions. 

 I did a little cutting, stitching and quilting and then was ready to fill my pincushion.

 

 

To fill it I used a disposal pastry bag. I did find the process of filling still somewhat messy so I would suggest you do it outside.

 

And voila.  In under an hour I had created a cute usable pincushion.

 

 

For the underside I had used some fabric left over from a quilt I had made for Kelsey a while back.

 

 

My favorite part is the twill tape I used which comes from the packaging of Moda's precuts.  I need to see if I can get my quilting friends to save it from now on so I can make more of these pincushions.



My Latest Obsession

It all started with this little book that I had ordered from Sue Spargo.

 

 

It came spiral bond which makes it so easy to use when trying out a new stitch.  No more fighting to keep your book open.

 

 

 And then I had an ah-ha moment.

  I can take my books and get them coil bond.

 

This is the first book I dropped off.  For less then $5.00 at Staples they will cut off the bond edge of your book and add a coil binding. 

 

  I ordered these.

 

 

 And they became spiral bond also.

 

 

The latest book to be coil bond is my Great American Aran Afghan book. I normally copy the pattern I'm knitting from whatever book I am using but because the way the pages are shaded in this book it is very hard to read the charts on the copies so I have been using the actual book and fighting with it - now it works great!

 

Now off to see what other books I can have spiral bond.