Sweaters and Hockey

Got to see a very exciting playoff hockey game on Sunday. It was between the AHL Philadelphia Phantoms and the Providence Bruins. The Phantoms won game 6 and the Eastern Conference to move onto the playoffs this week. GO PHANTOMS! So glad that even with the current NHL strike, I still get to see some hockey so I don't go into total withdrawal! And for those who say "What does hockey have to do with knitting?" Well, the player's jerseys are actually called sweaters, though they really aren't quite sweaters like they were in the old days........


2005 Eastern Conference Champs!! Woo! Hoo!

Group Hug

Handshake line

And in knitting news:

Finished my second sleeve on Lucky and have about 44" done on the neckband "snake". Figure that I should have this one in the bag in the next week or two. Just depends on if I'm in a sewing mood or not. It's not like I can wear the sweater now anyway, little warm for cashmere this time of year. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!



Also received my batch of Rowan Polar in the mail from Jimmy Bean's this week. Polar has been discontinued and there is this Rowan cable sweater from a couple issues back that I have wanted to knit for over two years. Figured it was now or never.....plus it was a really great deal on the yarn. Good things come to those who wait two years!!!

Gettn' things done

Not too much in the way of knitting news.....finished my 1st lucky sleeve last Tuesday. About 1/2 way finished the second. Would have posted a picture if I wasn't so lazy.

But see, I'm really not all that lazy tonight. I was a good girl and sent off my finished pattern to MagKnits for the Chilly 05 issue and I corrected the sleeve pattern on the Lucky Clover wrap. The tech editor had graded the muscle a little bit too small (12" on an XL - don't think so). But it's all over now and the corrections should be posted on Debbie's site soon. I've also posted the sleeve corrections on the Lucky KAL. If you're in a hurry and the corrections haven't been posted yet, you can find them here.

NO NOT MY PICTURES!!!!

So Kerrie from MagKnits emails me the other day for an update on my pattern for the Chilly 05 issue. I write back happilily that pattern is finished, sweater is knit, and the pictures are taken. Just needed to proof the pattern.

So, I had some free time last night to proof the pattern. Sat down at the computer and magically - Windows will not load. Now I'm just frightened that I will loose all my photos taken for the MagKnits project + everything else I've ever taken on the back 1 1/2 years. I was devistated!

Learn from my mistakes people! Always back up all your pictures! Always!

So now my task becomes trying to unlock the secret of my computer's sudden demise. A new Apple computer is looking very tempting right about now........stupid PCs.

Update 9:32pm: Computer is now fixed. All photos are safe. Still thinking about that Mac though..........

Alpaca inspiration

Spent the day at home. Had a bit of a cold and felt too ache and miserable to go to work. So I slept and I knit. I put Lucky aside for the day and picked up my Alpaca Fair Isle project from Vogue magazine. After all, seeing those cute little animals on Saturday just put me in the mood. And here is my progress for the day:



Yes, those are all nasty, nasty ends that need to be woven in when finished. I have the feeling these ends will scare me away from fair isle for the rest of my knitting days. Seaming together Lucky is nothing compared to this bad boy!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Cute Alpaca

Went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival on Saturday. Had such a great time and it turned out to be such a beautiful warm day. All the sheep and alpaca were so cute! I want an alpaca so bad, they look like big teddy bears. My boyfriend was also into the alpaca - maybe they could help out keeping the grass down with all the rain we've been having lately! Interestingly enough, Alpaca are mainly raised for breeding in the U.S. The U.S. market has not begun to widely utilize the animals for their fiber. Seems a bit strange to me, but when I saw the prices the animals bring in, I understood completely.



Here's a little sheep getting a haircut just before the sheep judging competition.


A cute little ram.

It was very interesting to see the sheep getting sheared and how they actually behaved while being buzzed by a scary razor. Also saw some people spinning roving into yarn. I think my next adventure will be just that. I think I'll start doing some research into spinning wheels - b-day and Christmas are just around the corner! It would just be such an accomplishment to not only say that I knit and designed my sweater, but also spun the yarn. Maybe a little farther down the road, I'll actually start from the fleece, but starting w/ roving is adventurous enough for now. Now, if I could just manage to find some free time.......

Speaking of roving, that was my only purchase all day. I was so proud of myself! All that yarn was soooooooo tempting, but I held back. I purchased 4 oz of Icelandic wool roving from a sheep named Moonwink. I think that I am going to use it unspun as some sort of funky collar for a cardigan. Then if I have any left, maybe I'll play around and try to spin some of the roving on a drop spindle.


My only purchase

And finally in knitting news:
#1 Finished the left front of lucky tonight. Sleeves are on the way!
#2 Yarn for boyfriend's sweater still hasn't arrived from England. That leaves me at least one more week before I have one more project on my plate.
#3 Rowan Polar is on backorder, should be in this week. One less project to worry about for now!


3 out of 5

Lucky Front Part Deux

About 3/4 way finished left front of Lucky. I spent about 4 hours knitting tonight. Now it's 1 a.m. and I still have to pack for my trip home to Jersey. I really need to stop doing this - I need my sleep!

Have more new yarn on it's way. Heard that Rowan Polar was being discontinued, so I had to buy some. There is a pattern from 3 or 4 fall issues back that I never got around to making. I just could not figure out the cable pattern. Then one day, traveling home on Amtrak - it hit me! Nothing is better than knitting enlightenment! So now this means that I have enough yarn for 6 planned projects. I think I should start knitting a bit faster. Either that or I'm not going to be able to pick up any new magazines, or look at any new books, or blogs - nothing that can inspire new yarn purchases. Hmm, guess that new Rebecca on the way will just have to wait.

Saturday I am making the trek down to Maryland to the Sheep and Wool festival. This will be my first - and hopefully not the last. Kind of a last minute decision on my part. I asked the boyfriend on Monday if he'd be interesting in getting out of town Saturday and I was met with a very enthusiastic response. In fact, he's been telling people all week about it! Now my only problem is keeping myself away from all the beautiful yarn. I have the feeling that I'll be on my first yarn diet soon......

Progress and Presents

lucky front
Originally uploaded by neoknits.

Yay! Finished right front of Lucky tonight. Moving along quickly, though I'm going to be sad when I'm no longer knitting with my cashmere. Hopefully I don't get too attached, I really don't have enough time to get a 2nd job to support my cashmere dependence!

And speaking of dependence, I really need to stop checking out what other people are doing in blogland. It's really bad for the wallet! So here's another project to add to the ever growing list: Hot Lava Cardigan. Found out about this pattern while checking out Winnie's blog (fellow knitter from Lucky KAL). Bought this lovely shade of deep purple/plum Manos for the project at Woolgathering in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. My boyfriend and I have been traveling a bit on the weekends so wherever we are headed, I always make sure to check if there are any stores in the area. I knew the store in PA carried Manos - and it was all over from there.





And in other news, finally should be receiving 11 balls of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Chunky to knit my boyfriend his cable sweater soon. Apparently it has been sent from England about the 1st of April. Didn't think shipping took that long, but since I have plenty of other projects on my plate, I don't mind waiting (Plus the yarn was pretty cheap - always a patience maker). I'm especially patient since he is going to be begging me to start as soon as the yarn comes in. Nevermind that summer is coming - he wants his sweater now! I made a deal that it will be done before the first sign of Fall - promise!