Sunday, February 24, 2008

Little Bags All in a Row

Took a break from knitting today to do some sewing. Ah yes, pulled out the trusty machine, had a talk so that we were on the same page and before you know it I had all these little bags ready for a new home. Still working out the kinks but not bad for a day's work!

Now back to my regularly scheduled knitting.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

To SPA and back

Yesterday it was iffy as to our trip up to Maine and SPA. Today dawned cloudy but the streets were clear and the trip was a go. Two of the Monday night gals and I headed up I95 to Freeport, Maine, home of LL Bean but to those of us who knit, the SPA weekend. We headed up to check out the vendors and then a few of the local Maine stores. It's always fun to see how many stores we can get to in a day!

This was my first visit to SPA and I'm sure that by only going for the day you don't get the full feel of the weekend. But it was fun to enter the hotel lobby and see knitters and spinners of all kinds dotting the area with their crafts. The knit garments being displayed on everyone were gorgeous and inspiring. Yarn and fiber was everywhere. We headed off to the vendor area and had fun shopping. Many local farms had their fiber for sale, some buttons, spinning and weaving equipment, you name it you could have probably found it there. I did some damage on some beautiful sock yarn and a pattern for a cardigan. I also got inspired to really make a shawl, the Wool Peddler's shawl from Folk Shawls. I saw one made up and it was oh so pretty. I even bought yarn for it but not at SPA. One of the local stores aided that purchase (pictures of goodies can be found at end of post, skip there if you want to oogle some pretty stuff). Once we made the rounds a few times and satisfied ourselves that we had seen what we wanted we were off.

Lunch was next, a lovely place on the river with yummy food and good company, what more could you ask for?

Moving on from lunch we went to two more shops, The Knitting Experience and Cafe. Nice shop with a friendly feel. Very nice yarn and if we hadn't eaten already, some nice goodies for the tummy. Alas nothing sparked my interest there. Next stop was Purl Diva, my favorite shop of the trip. The feel of this shop is so welcoming and just plain cool. You could sit down and start knitting like you'd been going there forever and feel entirely comfortable doing so. The owner was so pleasant and the fiber in the shop, oh, to die for. I could have stayed there all day. I did a little damage there, the yarn for the shawl called to me here! Sadly we had to leave but I know I'll be back, it's just that good!

Onward and we were at Halcyon. Lot's of fiber and fiber crafts. Lots of books. I picked up my copy of the Folk Shawls book here, cause I'm going to knit shawls, yes I am.

Our last stop was at Tess Yarns in Portland as we headed home. Unfortunately for us the store was closed until March. Sad because I think I would have done more damage here. Oh well, another trip for another day!

Weary we headed on home with the car filled with fibery goodness. The fumes were going to my head, oh wait, I think that may have been the delicious (and healthy) oatmeal cookies M brought along for the ride. In any case it was a fun day.

Check out the loot-

The goldish yarn is Fleece Artist Sea Wool for my shawl(Purl Diva purchase). The orange on top is Shibui sock yarn from SPA. The brown is Luster from Dye Dreams for my Monkey socks (without the purls) and the bottom orange is also from them, it's called Twinkle. Bought at SPA. Hiding in the back is my Folk Shawls book from Halcyon. Not bad for a day trip!

On the trip I worked on my Nutkin socks. I'm such a copycat, saw them in someone else's cue from my Monday night group and had to cast on. They are really fun and I think they look awesome in my Koigu, how about you?


That's Nutty hiding amongst my orchid, that I haven't killed yet. I'm actually on my third set of blooms, aren't you impressed?

Monday, February 18, 2008

It's Done

I did finish the Minimalist this weekend. Most of the seaming I did on Friday. I sewed in ends over the weekend and today and she is done. My first KAL. Here she is in all her glory.



Pattern: Minimalist Cardigan from Interweave Knits, Fall 2007

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool in green

I think I'll be able to wear this sweater a bit, it seems versatile. I may have made it a tad big, the shoulders droop a bit but on the whole I think it will do. Three of the four of us are done and will be showing off the sweaters tonight at our group. It will be fun to see them all together.
I also finished the Foliage Hat from Knitty. This was a really fun pattern although in the begining it kicked my butt. I frogged it so many times until I got into the rhythm. Once I got going it was very enjoyable and I do love the pattern. I did the worsted version. The color is so pretty and so me. I just wish I looked good in hats!

Pattern: Foliage Hat from Knitty

Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 in burnt orange

I think I'll go wind some of my Koigu for a new sock and then go figure out what to work on now. I have too many projects started, the Bubbly Curtain, a scarf, a pair of socks.......yikes, maybe I better not start anything new. Who am I kidding, I'm off to wind that yarn!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Yarn Goodness

Yesterday I got my order from Dani at Sunshine Yarns. Oh boy, oh boy, is it beautiful!!!!! I ordered some of her SunSilk in the Powder colorway for the Summer Shawlette I am going to make for M for the wedding. It is sooo pretty. Gorgeous shades of blue with cream. It will be gorgeous with her dress and the blue and white Penn State theme. Dani said it was to reminded her of the sky and she wasn't kidding.

Look-

















It's hard to see the subtleties of the color or the beautiful sheen but believe me it's there. I can't wait to get this on the needles. If you are looking for some lovely lace weight yarn head over to Dani's.

I also got some pretty sock yarn that I think I will use for a baby sweater. Quite a departure from my usual palette but oh so pretty. What do you think?

It's called Starburst and it is yummy. I don't know what lucky baby will someday get this sweater but they will have to be pretty special.

The Minimalist is dry and I've started the seaming. I got a little ahead of myself and have to undue a bit but so far so good. Pictures by Monday as it's a working weekend. Hope you all have a good one.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Every Little Thing......

..... Counts!


For some reason this week has been one that has shown me that everything we do, no matter how small, counts in some way.

I work with new moms who are breastfeeding as well as those with infants in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Monday I was working with a new mom who was doing great. I talked with her a bit, offered some tips, praised her and went on my way. On Tuesday I checked back in to see how things were going. She was beaming and thrilled with herself and her baby. She told me that I had given her so much confidence that she could be a good mom by just trusting herself. She said it made all the difference in the world in the way she approached things in just a short amount of time. Before I had talked with her she thought she could never learn to be as "good" as the nurses or know as much as the doctors. She was afraid she would make the wrong choices. But when I told her that she would "know" what was right for her and her baby, to trust her instincts, something clicked and she felt good about herself as a mother. Wow, I say this to moms all the time. Sometimes I think they hear me and other times I know they are just so overwhelmed that it goes over their heads. I had thought this mom had let what I said go right on by. But on some level she listened and she became confident. From just a few words.

Another mom told me that by "allowing" her to hold her fragile premie baby for the first time, despite all the apparatus that goes along with the NICU environment and by telling her that this was her baby and trusting HER to hold her own baby, well I made her a mother! My actions, the same ones that I do all the time, saying the things I believe in my heart made this mother feel that she was indeed this baby's mother. My words and my actions did that!

Yesterday we started a monthly knitting group for moms with babies in our NICU as well as those on bedrest. I was a little disappointed as only two moms had signed up. Yet these two moms found some distraction from the stress of waiting and hoping that their babies were going to be ok. They found another mom to talk to and share with. They learned how to do something new that hopefully they can do forever. And they thanked me for putting the group and resources together. I should have thanked them because I had such fun watching them learn and listening to them talk and share!

While we were knitting at the hospital two men walked by the room. They stopped and looked in. They asked if we were busy and someone said yes. They started to walk away. I don't know why but I went out to them and asked if they needed help. One of the men said they were trying to find his wife. That they had brought her by ambulance into the emergency room. I tried to direct them to the ER but they said the ER sent them up here. I asked was she pregnant? No. Did they have a sick baby? No. A few more questions and I finally found out that his wife had had a baby ten days ago. Aha, off to Labor and Delvery we went. Yes she was there. The look of relief on the man's face when he realized that we had found his wife was beautiful. He was thanking me and hugging me. All the thanks I needed was to see the relief on his face.

This isn't about how wonderful I am (well I am but...). It's to say everything we do effects someone else. Think carefully and act from your heart and you will be rewarded a thousand times over.

If you remember last month I had a button on the blog that sent you to vote for The Mother's Milk Bank of New England so that they could win $10,000 to help establish the milk bank. For everyone that went and voted, THANK YOU! Your actions allowed MMBNE to win the $10,000. This money will be used to help buy needed equipment, pay for education and publicity, and some will be set aside to help pay for breastmilk from the bank when insurance won't pay and the family needs help with the cost. Brreastmilk is the best food for all babies but it is especially important for vulnerable babies such as premature babies and those with medical conditions. This milk is freely donated by breastfeeding moms who have excess milk. They are not reimbursed in any way. The milk bank does not make any profit from this milk. The charge for the milk comes from lab fees that need to be done on the donating mother as well as processing fees. There are under twenty banks in the US and none in the New England area. This opportunity to establish one here in the NE area is wonderful for us all. Again, your small action of voting has made a huge impact, one that you may never fully realize. Thank you.

As to the little things that matter in the knitting world. Well, blocking! Yup, the Minamalist is finally blocking. I thought I might just sew the girl up but I decided, little things matter. So I pulled out the blocking board and wires, pinned her down, and soaked her good. She's now drying. I was hoping I might get the seaming done today but probably not, maybe tomorrow. Hopefully by Monday so I can show off to the girls. I think all of us in the Knitalong are just about done. It will be fun to see all the sweaters together!


I leave with a picture of a little thing that brings joy to my world. Flowers, Valentine's Day flowers. Aren't they pretty?


Saturday, February 9, 2008

Time Flies.....when you're knitting!

Here we are into the second month of 2008. Time flies by especially as you knit. The good news is that we are making progress towards spring and some longer days, warmer weather, mmhh good!

On the knitting front my first ever Koigu arrived. After this I can say it won't be my last. There was a sale at Patternworks so I indulged. The only hard thing is choosing colors and wondering what they are as the pictures are small and there are no descriptions of the colors involved. Now I don't think you can go wrong with this yarn but next time I think I will buy in person. Here's what I thought was a brown colored yarn along with a grey blue combo-Do you see brown? Me either! It's color 856 in the catalog and tell me if you don't see brown there, go on, go look. It's not, what it is is a beautiful wine and pinkish color, beautiful in it's own right, just not brown. I was going to do my copying of Claudia's socks with this because I loved her brown but I think I will use this and it will be beautiful. Moves me from my earth tone preference just a hair. Koigu, it's a good thing!

My Minimalist is completed, yahoo! Before you get too impressed, the knitting is done. I have to get it on the blocking board and then seam it up. I love the knitting part, the finishing not so much. But that's my goal for the weekend to at least get it to the blocking board :)

I went to Butterfly Yarns last night for their sale (20% off anything with wool on the label). Bought a bit for a baby sweater and a hat (inspired by another customer's) as well as some sock yarn. If they stopped making socks commercially you won't have to worry. I think I have enough sock yarn to supply us all. Me, who could never understand the fascination with socks. Thanks Mary for establishing the infatuation!!!

K is home for the weekend so I'm off to do some cooking so he can have leftovers to take back to school.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Super Sunday

It's Super Sunday as opposed to Super Tuesday (which is this Tuesday btw). Good day, got to leave work early. Now it's time for the big game and sleeve #2 of the Minimalist. Last hurdle before the seaming. It hasn't been too bad this knitalong but I think I won't be doing another one too soon. Ok, off to the couch, the game, and the knitting. GO PATS!!