Where Are They Now? 2KCBW DAY 4

      Where are all of the things I've knit in the past? Well, the things I've knit for my family and me are all still here with us.  Here I am with a few of my older scarves that I still wear.


    I also still have every sweater that I knit for my children when they were wee ones. I will never get rid of them, except for when they have their own children and I pass them along to them.


     As for the hats and scarves that I've sold at art shows over the past ten years, I hope their owners still have them and love them.


Happy Thursday!
Anna

Tidy Mind, Tidy Stitches 2KCBW Day3

     Do I have a "tidy" yarn stash? No!  Here's a picture of my stash.

My Stash

     My stash is stuffed in an old trunk that I bought at a lovely antique store in Gearhart, Oregon.  I love the trunk and my stash looks good in it in all of its untidy glory.  I don't like to organize my yarns for this very reason, Organization Can Inhibit Creativity!  When my yarns are thrown in this trunk, often two or three yarns end up beside each other and happen to look awesome together therefore, I put those yarns together in a hat, scarf...

     So, my stash has no organization for pure creativity's sake.  I like it that way!

Anna

   

   

Skill +1UP 2KCBWDAY2

For today's Knitting and Crochet Blog Week post, I'm writing about my skills today compared to my knitting skills of last year at this time.  Frankly, I haven't tried any new stitches or techniques but I have begun knitting socks again since sock yarn is the craze right now.  There are SO MANY varieties and colors that it's hard to choose between them. I recently stocked up on some new sock yarn during the Portland Yarn Crawl at the beginning of the month.

     So, I'm encouraging you to go to you local yarn store and check out the awesome variety of sock yarns and choose some for yourself.  Cast on and treat yourself to a new pair of hand knit socks.  If you're really into socks, check out the link to Sock Summit 2011 and plan a trip to Portland, Oregon for some crazy sock knitting fun.

http://www.socksummit.com/

My daffodils enjoyed a SHORT sun break today.

     Anna

    

A Tale of Two Yarns 2KCBWDAY1

     Yippeeee!  It's Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!  I will try to blog each day this week on a specific knitting topic as part of this project.  Today's subject is "A Tale of Two Yarns."  The first yarn I'll review is Sweet Georgia Superwash Sock yarn and the color is "Snapdragon."   It comes in 400 yard skeins of 100% superwash merino wool, hand dyed in Canada.  Here's their site:  www.sweetgeorgiayarns.com

     This is my very first time to knit with Sweet Georgia yarn.  I love the color!  Snapdragon was described by my daughter as "very neon."  Frankly, it reminds me of a candied Granny Smith apple.  So far, it's easy to knit with.  There has been no fiber splitting, however, since I'm knitting a sock and going 'round and 'round, I have to hold the yarn up high quite often and let my sock-in-progress dangle in order to let the yarn untwist itself.  Kind of like what you have to do with an old fashioned phone cord when the receiver keeps getting twisted.  I love the little strips that the yarn creates and when knit with a 2.25 needle, the fabric feels like it will hold up for a long while.  Here's my photo of the sock.

Sweet Georgia

     The next yarn that I'll review is Koigu KPPPM  www.koigu.com .  Koigu is one of me new  favorites. It also comes from Canada.  Kpppm is 100% merino wool and comes in skeins of 175 yards.  It is hand-painted and "each dye lot is an original painting."  I've already made two scarves with this yarn and am currently working on a pair of socks.  I love this incredibly soft yarn.  It is so much fun to work with.  The colors kind of blend together so there is not as much of a striping affect as there is with the Sweet Georgia sock yarn.  I'm using a number 3 needle and, like Sweet Georgia, have had no fiber splitting.  Kpppm is much softer as it slides through my fingers, I like that!  I'm dying to make a sweater out of this yarn.

Koigu KPPPM

     I'll end the first day of Knitting and Crochet Blog Week with a spring photo from Oregon.  Hope I can keep up with the next 6 blogs.

Spring is Here!!!

     Anna

    

   

     

Ducks in My Yard

Sir Duck

     When it rains really hard in the Spring the worms tend to make a mass exodus from the ground to the sidewalks and roads in our neighborhood.  There is a pair of ducks that seems to know when this happens and instead of searching for food, they come to our neighborhood and gorge themselves on the plethora of worms just lying in the road.  It's a true feast for them and a treat for us to see them in the neighborhood every once in awhile.  They've been doing this for a few years and it's only ever two ducks that we see so I assume it's the same couple each time.

Mrs. Duck

Checking out the neighbor's yard.

     I haven't reported on the Portland Yarn Crawl www.portlandyarncrawl.com/, but it was a great success.  We visited 11 of the 20 yarn stores in the Portland area.  We didn't have any luck winning the raffles  but we did come home with some really cool yarn and some new spinning fibers.

This was in the free gift bag we got for being one of the first 20 people to visit Knit Purl in downtown Portland.
www.knit-purl.com/

     I've already started a "linen stitch" scarf out of this.  Remember, if you want to see how to do the linen stitch, there are videos on Youtube. 

      I just finished this purple linen stitch scarf made out of Koigu KPM.

Koigu KPM
www.koigu.com/

     I also just finished my first pair of socks in about three years.  I love the self striping in this yarn.  I got the yarn at The Yarn Garden in Portland.

                                                   www.yarngarden.net/

Love those stripes!!!

    

     These are the spinning fibers I bought and both have alpaca in them (my favorite fiber).

Both are from Abstract Fibers.
www.abstractfiber.com/

      Lastly, I signed up to be a part of a public art installation in Portland called, "You are the Chosen One."  This will be a mural made of 100 knitted squares measuring 12X12.  The mural will read, "You are the Chosen One." www.youarethechosenone.com/  Check out their site if you would like to be a part of the project.  I will be knitting the letter "O" in the word "You."  

Happy Saint Patrick's Day and don't forget to wear green.

Anna

   

    

   

  
  

        

Knitting Daily

     I've entered a knitting contest through "Knitting Daily."  I entered the child's hat and scarf set titled "Ready for Take-off."  Knitting Daily is a great knitting resource.  If you join (the button to join is in the upper right corner of the page)  you can vote for your favorite entry or enter your own scarf.  Voting continues through the end of March.  Here's the link:  http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/58166.aspx
     "Ready for Take-off" is winning by two votes right now.  The winner gets $250 of Tahki yarn. http://www.tahkistacycharles.com/

We're watching you!

Happy Wednesday!!!

Anna
  

Last Day for Portland Yarn Crawl

     Today is the last day of the Portland Yarn Crawl.  Check out their site for a list of the 20 participating stores and store hours. www.portlandyarncrawl.com/

My Daffodils are finally sprouting.

Lux scavenging for grass!

  
 Here's something to look forward to: www.socksummit.com/  

Happy Sunday!
Anna