And finally!

And, finally, my last post for the day.

This is a test knit I finished up over the weekend.  This tank turned out beautifully.  The design and shaping was effortless to knit.  None of this, "...bo 2 sts at each end over the next 6 rows..." business.  The result is a classic, tailored tank that is so heavenly soft against the skin. I am truly amazed at the beauty of this design!  I will definitely be looking forward to more designs by Amanda Bell.  The pattern hasn't been published yet so I don't have a link to a pattern yet.

 
Castanea Sativa by Amanda Bell
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns - Silk Cashmere 2 ply
Color: Feather
Ravelry

If you've been keep up with today's post, you will notice that all these projects have been knit with Sunshine Yarns.  Yes...my current obsession.  It does hurt that Dani lives here in town so her yarn is so easily accessible.  And it doesn't hurt that she delivers it to me at knit night on Tuesdays.  And it doesn't hurt that she's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet.  If you haven't used her yarn, do it!  The colors are so beautiful and that Silk Cashmere is the softest yarn I have ever knit with!

Stitches Midwest 2011

I WENT TO STITCHES MIDWEST!!!!  It was so fun!  My first Stitches event.  It was such a quick trip.  I was in on Saturday morning and out Sunday morning.  I met up with some awesome people and bought lots of yarn!  My only disappointment...I didn't run into Jared Flood or Stephen West, both of whom were in attendance on Friday night (so I heard).

It all started when my friend, Lynna, asked if I was going.  She said she'd be taking the bus down for the day with some people from her neck of the woods.  Well, that was all I needed to get the ball rolling.  Next thing I knew, I had a room booked and an airplane ticket purchased!  And the next thing Lynna knew, she was driving herself in for the two days, shuffling me back and forth from the airport, and shacking up with me in my hotel room!  :-)

While I was there I met up with a designer, Sarah Burghardt from Sarah Bear Crafts and a good friend from here in Colorado, Bich-Thu.  Unfortunately, I forgot to get a pic of Sarah and I together...but we did buy yarn together.  :-)

This is Bich-Thu and I standing at the entrance of Stitches.  Not a great pic because it's from my phone.

While I was there, I just had to stop by the Malabrigo Yarn booth.  I was hoping to check out the new bases that I've heard about but no such luck.  They didn't have any samples for me to fondle and oggle over.  But to my surprise and delight, the sweater that I knit as a sample almost two years ago, was hanging in their booth!!!  Can you say, "Squeeee!"  I know, I normally don't like that word but I was just so excited!

The blue sweater just to the left of my head is the sample I knit.

And last, but definitely not least, this is a picture of Lynna modeling the cowl I knit for her as a thank you gift for schlepping me to and from the airport.  Of course, I forgot to get a pic of us together, at Stitches, but she was kind enough to take photos and send them to me for sharing on my project page (and blog).  This cowl is so, so heavenly in this yarn.  I will definitely be making another one for me.  :-)

Here Comes the Sun by Melissa Kelenske

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns - Silk Cashmere 2 ply

Color: Feather

Ravelry

 

It was really nice to finally be able to attend a Stitches event.  Though I wasn't able to take any classes this time out, I will definitely plan on it next time.  I was fortunate to be able to meet up with Lynna, a woman I've been friends with for almost two years now.  She found my blog and we've been friends from then on.  This was our first opportunity to meet in person.  We vowed we will get our families together, eventually.  And to be able to meet up with Sarah was a treat because she's famous to me.  :-)  She's as sweet in person as she is online. 

ETA: Ooops!  I forgot to show off the loot I purchased!

   
1. Marisol Yarn - Sulka - Truffle (206)
2.  Miss Babs - Yummy Superwash Sport 3-ply - The Gothic Queen
3.  Ella Rae - Lace Merino - no colorway given

As promised...

As promised, I have a few knits to blog about.  I think I'm gonna just post about them all separately. 

I'll start with my Stephen West, Westknits Mystery Shawl, aka Earth & Sky.  I was so excited to start this. But I had issues from the get-go.  I am awful, absolutely awful about choosing colors to go together.  So after much deliberation, I sought advice from an expert...Dani from Sunshine Yarns.  I've received so many compliments on the colors of this shawl but I can not take credit.

Earth & Sky by Stephen West  

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns -  Single Ply Merino Fine 

Colors: (a) Rose Garden; (b) Plum Wine; (c) Jungle Green 

Ravelry 

 If you know my project history, you know that I do not, often, choose patterns with intarsia or stranded knitting.  This pattern had both.  The intarsia I didn't know about until I was well into the second clue of this mystery knit.  But the stranded knitting I knew about and opted for the challenge.  I love the final result of the shawl but I will have to admit that I wasn't fond of knitting it...for the reasons I just stated.  Had I known ahead of time, I would have preferred to end the shawl's larger stripes with the Plum Wine versus the Rose Garden.  As a result, I changed up the color variation on the border.  All-in-all, I am happy with my shawl and will definitely use/wear it. I've decided, recently, that I prefer semi-circular shawls or shawls that arc versus a triangular shape. The wing span of this shawl makes up for the triangular shape making it much more functional.

I Don't Know Why

I don't know why I haven't blogged in awhile.  When I think maybe I will, my next thought is, "I could be knitting."  I always seem to place these self imposed deadlines on myself and then the thought of blogging instead of knitting gets me all stressed out.  Ach!  There could be worse things, huh?

Well, I have a lot to share since my last post.  I'll start with a few shawls that I finished up recently....

This first one is a (belated) test knit I did for Debbie O'Neill.  I am really please with the end result of this shawl.  I wasn't so sure about the color as I was knitting it, but after blocking, I'm in love.  The bamboo in this yarn resulted in such a light airy feel and the silk gives it such a nice sheen.  This will be perfect for those spring/summer evenings when a sweater would be just too much.  The stitch pattern transitions nicely from one section to the next without getting too long.  I enjoyed this knit, very much.

Arielle Shawlette by Debbie O'Neill

Yarn: Araucania Itata Solid

Color: 2009

Ravelry

My next knit flew off the needles.  Unlike the last shawl, this one has more of a crescent shape.  The colors of this shawl are absolutely gorgeous!  I just love pink and brown together.  For those of you heading out to Stitches West, stop by  Sunshine Yarns - booth 1139, as Dani will have this on display at the booth for all to touch.  :-)  When I finally received the much anticipated Malabrigo Book 3 booklet, I was (pleasantly) surprised to find that Stephen West has three patterns in the book!  He did not mention a peep about it.  Though the shawl is crescent shaped, per his usual style, it still has nice angles and symmetry.  

Lakedale Shawl - Stephen West

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns - Classic Superwash Sock

Color: Badlands (pink) & Coal Creek (brown)

Ravelry

Not for lack of...

Though I haven't blogged in a bit, it's not for lack of knitting.  I've actually been pretty busy...most recently with test knitting...and sock knitting.  In this post I'll show off the socks that I test knit for Cookie A's upcoming book, Knit.Sock.Love.  The patterns I test knit had all been previously released but she wanted all the patterns test knit in the new book format.  Here they are in order of completion.

Ravelry: Monkey

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn - Sock

Color: Arbol - 858

Ravelry - Hedera

Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns - Classic Sock Yarn

Color: Split Pea

So these...are not done.  I've only completed one sock so far.

Ravelry - Lissajous Stockings

Pattern: Lissajous Socks by Cookie A

Yarn: Louet - Gems Fingering Weight

Color: Cloud Grey - 21

The Monkey and Hedera patterns were surprisingly easy and fast!  I loved knitting those patterns.  The Lissajous Stockings turned out beautiful...but they were hard.  Hard on my hands and hard to knit.  The heel flap has cable crosses on the right and wrong sides...not an easy feat for me.