I caved

I bought a set of the Harmony interchangeable needles. After knitting with the pair I had and the Noro earlier today I had to get them.

I also bought 6 skeins of the Andean Silk in Merlin. I'm planning on using it for the frida poncho in Viva Poncho.

Don't touch my yarn!

Since absolutely fierce is off the sticks I started thinking about doing the entrelac stole in Scarf Style. Many of the ravelers use Noro Silk Garden for this project. I usually stay away from yarn like this. There are a couple of reasons. It looks hideous in a stockinette stitch sweater -- old lady, mom jeans hideous. There was a demo sweater on display at the yarn shop and I thought, "Uggh!" Two, this yarn costs $11.00 a skein. Far cry from knit picks. But, for the entrelac pattern this stole is great, instead of self striping, the color works out in blocks. Here is an example of what it looks like on Fig and Plum.

First, I called ahead to the shop to see if they carried it in the colorway I wanted. They did, so I drove over. They had to go to their stock room to get the colorway I wanted. Some chick had the NERVE to try to touch my yarn before I made a decision about how many skeins I wanted. I came close to slapping her. I bought two skeins.

I brought them home and immediately cast-on. This stuff is super soft. I knit up about 10 rows in stockinette. I can't wait to buy more skeins so I can knit the stole.

Back to knitting (sort of)

Last night after I got my daughter to bed. I met a friend for coffee and knitting. I had every intention to knit but things didn't work out that way.

First, my friend agreed that I should abandon the absolutely fierce arm warmers. They look too much like tube socks. Maybe it is because I used cream for the main color. I like the color combination, just not the ratios.

Second, she brought the knit picks gloss lace and the crochet shawl she made form the yarn with her. For its fineness, gloss is very warm. I can't wait for my lace weight order to finally ship.

I didn't knit anything because we hadn't seen each other for over a week and decided to have coffee and chat instead. I told her about the contact fluid/alpaca incident. She agreed, not cool.

Correction
JL has told me that her yarn is Alpaca Cloud not Gloss Lace.

Back from the happiest place on earth

We returned from our 8 day trip to Disney World late this afternoon. I am in knitting withdrawal.

I took a project with me but had absolutely no time to knit on it. From the time we got up in the morning until we put the children to bed at night our day was packed. Because we were in a room instead of a suite, all the lights were off so they would fall asleep. I tried to knit by the dim light of the bathroom but that was impossible. Plus, Addi Turbos are advanced needles. Knitting in the dark with them by a novice just shouldn't be attempted. I got a minor fix through listening to knitting pod casts and audiobooks.

The day we left for vacation, the Harmony interchangeable arrived. Unfortunately, my yarn was backordered so I can't even try my new needles.

Update:

I checked the yarn order, it has been pushed even further now it won't ship until October 10.

My husband's contact fluid spilled on my knitting project. It was somewhat blocked because the project bag got more soaked than the yarn that was inside but I could still smell the alpaca when I opened my suitcase.

This time with feeling

I'm reading Knitting Rules! by the Yarn Harlot. She's right, you can't explain stash to non-knitters. Ever notice when mentioning you knit to a non-knitter they give you a look? Ever sit in Starbuck's sipping a beverage and working on your knitting and notice that you will be interrupted? Not that I mind, but knitting in peace hasn't happened yet.

I finally placed my Knit Picks order. Sorry for taking so long JL. I ordered the size 6 Harmony Interchangeable and a 32" cable. I'm looking forward to comparing the feel of the harmony wood to the Addi Turbo nickel. Afterwards, I will make a decision about which set I'm going to buy.

I almost didn't knit tonight. I caught something from my DD. But, I kept looking at my knitting bag and just had to pick something up.

On My Sticks
Ruffles Scarf
This is officially on my sticks. I cast-on last night. I am using size 7 Addi Turbo 16" circulars. I love these needles. How could I have gone so long without using them. I like them even though I am a newbie knitter. I can tell when I get better and faster projects are going to fly off the sticks. I used them for 30 minutes and I don't seem to be melting them. Once I get into a rhythm this should be an easy pattern to knit. I'm just not fast at working the short rows and this pattern is nothing but short rows. The pattern calls for 3 skeins, but since this is really just for busting stash, I'm going to use the 2 skeins of Classic Elite Inca Alpaca and bind it off.

What would I do without the Internet?

If I did not have the Internet, I would give up on knitting. It has been a great resource for learning new techniques. I'm a newbie so everything is a new technique. From the long tail cast on to binding off, I have found everything I am looking for on the Internet. Just a quick search in google and everything I need comes to me. Tonight I needed to learn about short rows and found Cat Bordhi videos on youtube.

Tonight DH asked me when am I going to actually knit something I can wear. Does he not realize I am holding some very pointy sticks in my hand?

I must be transitioning to a real knitter. While knitting, I started thinking why anyone could possibly do this for fun and let loose with some colorful language under my breath. Yet, I didn't stop. I had to continue. Back to the Internet to see what the heck I'm doing wrong.

On my sticks
Ruffles Scarf
This is the source of the swearing tonight. One, as much as I love the Classic Elite Inca Alpaca -- so soft, so pretty -- this stuff sucks when it comes to knitting. It is slippery and comes unraveled as I'm knitting it. This is not beginner yarn. Two, my first attempt to cast on and follow the pattern was a disaster. I had to go back to the net and watch Cat Bordhi's short row video and follow along with leftover yarn from the armwarmer project. Afterwards, I cast on in the left over yarn to work two sides of the scarf before I understood what I was doing. I will do the "real" cast on tomorrow night.

Adding more to the stash

I found the bag that contained the yarn for the project I abandoned after I met my husband. I found 6 balls of yarn that I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with. That breaks down as 2 skeins of a worsted silk linen and 4 skeins of a super bulky boucle cotton both are in a beige-ish color. Both of these yarns have been discontinued so I need to find a project so I can use them up. Honestly, the silk linen has promise, that can be a made into some sort of small stole. As for the boucle, what was I thinking?

There may be a slight change up in what my next projects are going to be. I found a pattern to use the 2 skeins of alpaca. The ruffle scarf from Scarf Style. This I might use as a diversion until my Knit Picks order comes. What I like is that it looks like a fairly quick knit and it uses short rows, which is a technique I have heard a lot about. I'm even, for the first time, making a gauge swatch. I cast it on tonight and found that I need to use bigger needles than what the pattern lists. Looks like I'm a fairly tight knitter and I will need size 8 instead of 6.

Mini rant:
Maybe some people need an explanation of the due date. That is when the book is supposed to be returned to the library. I understand, and am guilty of, keeping a book a couple of days past its due date. But, here's the beauty, the system is on-line. Log-in and extend the borrow time. That way a psycho knitter like myself doesn't keep searching the card catalog wondering when the freakin' book is going to be returned.