Rhinebeck!

I know I have to update you guys on my projects but before I write a post on that, I have to get Rhinebeck out of my chest! I'm still flying high from my weekend with my friends Joy and Marta for the NY Sheep and Wool Festival. This was my first time going, and it was so much more than I ever expected!
We arrived on Friday and after checking out our adorable rental, we headed into town. While we were looking for a parking spot, I spotted Thea Coleman (babycocktails) and immediately knew that this was going to be a weekend to remember. I was so giddy seeing her. And too shy to approach her. Maybe next year?
We walked around a bit and then decided to sit a the Grand Cru Beer and Cheese Market. We ended up sitting there for a while and my friend Joy even got photographed by a total stranger walking by! He said she was beautiful. And yes, yes she is!
For dinner we walked over to Terrapin Restaurant and had a delicious meal. And by delicious, I mean I almost licked my plate. The greatest thing about that meal though, was being surrounded by so many knitters. You can just tell. There was a great energy in the air that night. People were knitting and wearing hand knits and talking about knitting.
On Saturday morning we headed out early and after facing a few minutes of knitter traffic, finally arrived at the festival. I didn't know what to think. We were finally there and once I walked through the first building, I almost started to panic. How was I going to get through the day with so many options? How does one decided on anything? I calmed myself down and decided to follow my heart and buy whatever "spoke" to me. And it worked! I really feel that I bought everything that I loved. No regrets!
We made it to the Ravelry Meet-Up and chatted with a few other knitters. I also picked up my copy of The Rhinebeck Sweater and even go it signed by Ysolda. (I sort of want to knit everything from that book!)
I have many great memories from the weekend, but to tell you the truth, the experience wouldn't have been as special if I hadn't been there with my friends.

I'm really looking forward to Rhinebeck 2014!

I didn't take many pictures, but here are the few that I have:

My beer at the Grand Cru. Wish I remembered what that was!

Joy resting under a tree, waiting for me to come back with my Rhinebeck Sweater book.

Some of the crowd at the Ravelry Meet-Up.

The three of us. It was too hot for me to wear my sweater. :(

What I came home with.

Glamour shots

My friend Marta came over today and we took pictures of each other wearing our new sweaters. She calls them glamour shots. I like that. :) 

Here are the pictures of mine:

A Miracle!

I promise I didn't forget about this blog. In fact, I have wanted to write a post many times, but I have just been too busy. Summer is crazy. It's fun, but it's crazy.
Late evenings have been occupied by knitting, though, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment. To start, I finished the Repetitive Element. Yay! I'm so happy with it. The only thing is that it got a little bigger after I blocked it. Sleeves and body got longer but I will live with it. I still don't have any pictures of me wearing it, but here is a picture of it being blocked.

I also managed to cross off two things from my knitting New Years resolutions. I knit a hat for my son, and at the same time, knit it in stranded colorwork (I figured this can replace intarsia I was planning on doing). It was the Elly Hat. I loved the technique so much that I decided to cast on for Paper Dolls, a pattern by Kate Davies. I was inspired to do it by one of my friends who did an awesome job on hers.
And finally, let me talk to you about the "miracle". I had this project that I started in January. January 2011, that is. It was a cute Kitty Hat for my daughter. Here is the crazy part. It was done. Bound off. All it needed was a crochet edge. For some reason I couldn't get my head around it and put it away. Today I wiped off the dust, took it out, and totally avoided the crochet edge by doing an attached i-cord, which I learned with my Repetitive Element sweater. Better late than never, right? It's clear that I started knitting it back when I thought gauge didn't apply to me. LOL. It's a miracle that this is finally a hat that Sophia can wear. And she likes it!

Here are the kids with their new hats!

 
I feel really good about the knitting I did this summer. I am looking forward to the fall. The good thing about finishing so many projects is starting lots of new ones. Yay!
Also, I should tell you that all this knitting does have a down side. My house is a mess. Yes. So... No surprise visits, OK?

So I joined a knitalong...

I have showed interest in the past in joining a knitalong but somehow, it never really worked out. I guess I just didn't want to knit what everyone else was knitting. It would have to be the perfect project for that. Instead I joined luvinthemommyhood's Summer Sweater Knitalong. How could I avoid it? You can even work on a sweater you've started before! So my goal is to finish my Repetitive Element (which is almost there!) and start a baby cardigan for a co-worker who's pregnant.
The big surprise: I'm loving this knitalong! I'm following the boards, chatting a bit, and getting lots of good tips from the other knitters. I will definitely join a knitalong again!
And here are some current shots of the Repetitive Element:

Summer Time = Crazy Busy Time...

Days, Weeks, etc... Time is just going by too fast. I can't believe it's the middle of July! Part of me is starting to get sad about the summer ending already. Crazy, right? We have been enjoying every minute of  it. Going to the pool, getting together with friends, grilling. It's just wonderful...

I'm chugging along with the knitting too. I finished my husband's hat. And he loves it! I'm making progress with the Repetitive Element and I started a new pair of socks (2 at a time) for my friend Ken. I'm starting to panic a little about all the things that I want to knit in the next few months for the Fall and Winter. I think if I write everything down here I'll actually accomplish most of them We'll see. Let's recap my new year's resolutions first:

1) Knit a sweater for myself - Working on cardigan # 2! Yay!

2) Learn to knit 2 socks at a time - Working on pair # 2! Yay!

3) Knit something for my son - not done

4) Learn Intarsia - not done

So I thought maybe it would be a good thing to combine #3 and 4 and found this project for a hat on Ravelry, It's called Little Elly Hat by Deepika. I'm in love with it. Tommy will look so cute!

Aside from the the resolutions, I also need to knit a newborn item of a co-worker, fingerless gloves for a friend, a hat for a friend, hat for my dad, hat for my step mom, mittens for Sophia and Tommy... The list just keeps going. How am I ever going to find the time for all this?

One day at a time, I guess.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer as much as I am!

Staycation = Knitcation

My staycation starts today! My daughter is celebrating her 6th birthday today and we are having a girl outing with a couple of friends. Manicures, pedicures, pizza lunch and a visit to the bakery are all in store for us today. Next week I have Monday-Wednesday of just me being at home while Dave works and the kids go to daycare and camp. I'm so excited! I have lots of things to accomplish around the house but I'm also hoping for lots of lounging around at home and the pool with my knitting. The forecast doesn't look too good but I'm going to stay positive!

I'm so happy with my socks! I finally tried the stretchy bind-off and it worked so well I'm considering using it for everything I knit! :) I learned by watching this video by Cat Bordhi.

My Repetitive Element is also coming along nicely. There's a little boo boo here and there but I'm probably the only one who would notice. I love the color and can't wait to finish and wear it this fall.

And I started Dave's hat. I forgot how quickly those knit up! I have to add more hats to my repertoire for some instant gratification knitting! LOL!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I hope to post more next week while I'm staycationing!

They are almost done!

Hi friends! Sorry for not posting in so long... Life has been getting in the way... But not in the way of my knitting! I'm making a lot of progress on my Repetitive Element cardigan. I don't have any new pictures to post but will try to post one soon. The more I work with the Plucky yarn on that cardigan the more I love it. I can't wait to wear it.
The big news is that I'm so very very close to finishing my socks! I have loved knitting them with the two-at-a-time technique. I don't think I'll ever knit a sock at a time again. Also, I'm loving the fact that this is a simple pattern. Not lace, no design, just plain old socks. I find that I appreciate the yarn much more this way.
I can't wait to cast on another pair, but first I think I will start working on my hubby's hat for the fall. This is his first request and I hope that I can knit a hat that he's pleased with and will wear. :) Let's just say he's a bit picky... And yes, he did pick the pattern. LOL.
Hope you're all enjoying the summer. We've been spending a lot of time in our community pool. It's so relaxing... And the kids love it!

PS: With Google Reader coming to an end, many people are finding other websites and apps to follow the blogs they read. I've been using Bloglovin. I really like their format. And the app is great on my Ipad and phone. Feel free to follow me there. Or let me know what websites/apps you're using to follow the blogs you read. I'd love to explore some more!

Goodbye old sock, hello new socks!

I got pretty far with my Lacy Ribs Socks. In fact, I finished one whole sock and was about halfway done with the second. But... I just wasn't loving it. I kept looking at it and thinking that I would never wear it... It's a great pattern but it's just not me. So... I frogged it. I decided to knit a simple, straight-forward, no-frills pair of socks. And... drum roll, please! I started knitting two at a time! Yeah!
It's actually pretty simple once you wrap your mind around it. I'm still working on the toes but I'm super excited about this one. Here is the progress so far:

Botanical Knits...

My copy of Botanical Knits by Alana Dakos arrived this week and I have been flipping through the pages nonstop since the moment it arrived. I am in love with every single pattern in this book. When I pre-ordered it I also got the eBook, but let me tell you that the actual book is even better. This is a paperback with flaps on the cover, that can be used to mark the page of the pattern you're currently knitting. The photography is truly stunning and the design of the book makes pattern-reading easy to follow. I also love all of the botanical ornaments filling up the white spaces on the page. My edition also came with an extra pattern, printed on card stock for the Ivy Trellis Hat and an adorable sticker page filled with leaves that have little messages to stick on different patterns.

I can't wait to finish the projects I'm currently working on so that I can get started on one of these. :)

Winging it...

I decided to just wing it. That's right, I cast on the Repetitive Element cardigan. I took my time and stared at the charts until I understood them (sort of). I realized that there were multiple charts in one chart. That's what makes things so confusing, but once I started knitting, it started making sense. I did run into a few problems when I started working the short rows, but I realized early enough and didn't have to rip back too much. Hopefully I won't run into too many problems later on. For now, I'm loving working on the yoke. Here is my progress so far:

And just because I like to torture myself a little, I looked at other designs by this same designer, Veera Valimaki. Actually, it wasn't torture at all. Her designs are so beautiful... I decided that after I'm done with this cardigan I am going to knit the Happy Street Shawl. It's really gorgeous. I picked out the yarns today when I stopped by my LYS.  I think it's going to look beautiful. This one does make me a bit nervous because I'm not used to changing colors, but I will worry about that when I start knitting it.

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

What to do?

I need your advice... Really. I do... I have run into a little problem...

Here's the deal... I am beyond excited because tonight I am going to finish my Flyaway Cardigan. That's right. It has only taken me 4 months and change to knit it. One of the valuable lessons I learned from knitting it is to read other knitter's notes on their project pages on Ravelry. It's good to know what issues come up, how people dealt with them, etc.

Anyway, there's this cardigan that I fell in love with, bought the pattern and yarn for... It's called Repetitive Element. I have been dreaming of it for months... I've pictured myself wearing it and imagined the compliments I would get... I was going to feel sexy, confident, and beautiful in it...

So today, in my excitement I decided to take a peek at what other knitters said about it. Some had no issues at all... A few frogged their projects and abandoned them completely... Others showed a lot of frustration.Uh-oh. Red flags! So I printed the pattern and started to read it...

Say What??????

I can't get past the setup row. Actually, I only really understand the first half of the setup row. There are charts to help but I don't understand them at all. This pattern is 6 pages long. I have never worked on anything like this before... I really hate to be a quitter but now I'm a little scared to knit this. But it's so incredibly beautiful.... And I want it so bad....

What should I do?

I could always knit this one instead: Harvest Moon...

Mother's Day...

There is nothing better than being showered with love and yarn on the day you're recognized for being the best mommy ever. And we all are, aren't we? Well, at least to our own kids. :)

My Mother's Day started on Saturday, with the arrival of this gorgeous yarn bouquet from Jimmy Beans Wool. The bouquet consisted of 3 skeins of Malabrigo Dos and a link to the Malabrigo Uno DOS Tres Cowl. I can't wait to knit up this super soft yarn...

On Sunday morning we went out for breakfast to one of our local diners and after that I was presented with a gift card for my favorite LYS KnitKnack. Now I just have to find the perfect pattern to shop for!

Most importantly, these cards from my soon to be 6 year old were just the things that make being a mommy the best job ever...

I hope that all you mommies had a fabulous day!

A little update...

The good news: I'm almost done with the 2nd sleeve for my Flyaway cardigan.

The bad news: The sleeves are really wide. Really. I'm hoping that after blocking they will hold a nice shape, but I'm not sure.  I decided to see what other people had written about it on Ravelry and saw that quite a few complained about the same thing.

Lesson learned. Must read other knitter's comments before casting on.

Either way, I love it. Even if I only wear it at home, cozy on the couch.

I have also made good progress with my Lacy Ribs Socks. I'm just about to turn the heel.

I'm already dreaming up what I'm going to knit next. I have so many things that I love from Ravelry... And the hubster just announced he wants a new hat for next winter. He even found the pattern himself. Picky? Maybe just a bit. LOL. He wants the New York Hat. And maybe if he's a good boy I'll even knit him that scarf...

Plucky Love...

I'm so excited! Today I received my first delivery of my Plucky subscription of Plucky Feet yarn. You don't know what this is? Well, you sign up for the yarn and quantity of your choice but the color is always a surprise. I only signed up for one skein of yarn at a time. Enough to make a pair of socks or a cowl. Or if I collect them, a striped something. Anyway, here's what I got today!

Plucky Classics April 2013: Plucky Feet in Whistle Stop colorway

Busy Bee...

The last few weeks have been insane. Sophia was sick, Tommy was sick, my parents arrived for a 2 week visit, we traveled to Savannah and Charleston... We've been all over the place! My parent's left this past weekend... It was so wonderful to see them, but it went by too quickly. Maybe because we were so busy, busy, busy!

Knitting was slow during this time. I just had too much on my plate and traveling didn't leave me with much free time to sit back and knit. This week I picked things up again. So here is an update of my projects:

The Hot Tea is done! Well... sort of... I decided I wasn't going to seam it. I really like it just the way it is and I feel it will be very cozy next fall/winter. I love the color (Skies of November) and the Plucky Feet yarn. I still need to weave in in the ends but here is a picture of what it looks like:

I'm still working on the Flyaway. It's been taking me forever, but at this point, I just need to make sure it's done by next fall, right? LOL. I'm sure I'll be done before then... I just completed the first sleeve last night and already started working on the second one!

I started a new project! It's the Lacy Ribs Socks by Wendy Johnson. I'm already loving these socks and the good news is that I'm knitting them for me! The Tosh Sock yarn is wonderful to work with the the color is very Spring-like. Here's what I have so far:

One of my goals for this year is to learn how to knit two socks at a time but the timing just wasn't right for that this time around...

I have really missed sharing all of this with you guys. I need to make sure I always set some time aside to write... Writing on this blog has been a fun experience for me. I never expected to enjoy it so much!

And now... Back to the needles. I took today off as a vacation day and I am determined to get lots of knitting done! Have a great day!

Not bad for a first timer...

I've been admiring knitted toys for quite some time now, but I never really felt that I had the skills to make one. They often have so many details! A few weeks ago I found a cute pattern for a small and cute bunny. It's by Rebecca Danger and it's called Bunny Nuggets. I knit this in just a couple of hours, taking a lot of breaks and it was so easy! I bought some safety eyes and Poly-Fil a while back so I had everything I needed. I love the fact that there is no gauge. And... I used left over yarn from old projects. I can't wait to knit another one. The best part of this was making my daughter, who was home sick, very very happy to have a new little friend to snuggle with. She named this one Rosie.

Finally Getting Somewhere...

I can hardly believe it... My Flyaway is finally looking like a cardigan. After knitting and knitting and knitting away the body, last night I tried it on and was so excited to see that I had reached the correct length! All I have left are the sleeves. Woo hoo!

Happy Day!

I finally got my birthday gift! Yay!

Plucky Knitter Primo Aran in Bohemian Blue

I ain't got much to say...

Life has been hectic lately. Between birthdays, my daughter being in her school musical (cutest Oompa Loompa ever) and my son being sick, I have had very little time to knit.
I did just watch this video which I found fascinating. Can you imagine knitting like that? Enjoy!

Unravel. Knitwear in Fashion - Phat Knits

My, you have grown!

I'm still chugging away on my two projects. I know, I know... I wish I could knit faster too... Here's what they look like:

My Flyaway:

And here is my Hot Tea:

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my Plucky yarn? This cowl is going to be so beautiful and a huge part of it will be because of the gorgeous color of this yarn.

Lately I've been thinking of knitting toys... I have downloaded some patterns for small projects, mostly for scrap yarn... Hopefully I'll have something to show you in the next few weeks.

OK. Now back to my needles!

A Dropped Stitch....

Guess who dropped a stitch today? Guess who's not happy about it?

How did this happen, you ask? Well.... There is a slight chance I fell asleep while knitting on the train... Yup... I simply dozed off... For just a moment. Long enough to make my mistake... Please tell me I'm not the only one who's ever done that. :)

I've been trying very hard to be good about fixing my mistakes. I've been backtracking, watching videos, and when necessary, starting over. Today I decided to watch a couple of videos online to see if I could fix this. Not a chance. LOL. I just can't figure it out. I've picked up a dropped stitch in stockinette stitch but garter? Forget it.

Thankfully, I haven't gotten very far in this project. Time to start over...

The mess up.

It's done!

I did it! I finished the Wurm. I sorta like it now. But I don't love it. Tonight I'm blocking it and hoping that when it's nice and dry my purls look better than they do now. I had a hard time purling in the round. I used the magic loop technique and the purls just didn't look good on the sides where I had to "join".

Here it is:

































And of course Sophia had to try it on too!




































My next project will be the Hot Tea cowl. It's super simple and will be perfect for knitting on the train or as I chat with friends in this week's stitch & bitch get-together. Also, I'm extra excited because I finally get to use my Plucky yarn in Skies of November... Drool...

A Knitting Update...

Dear readers,

I have been focusing on work and kids lately, but don't think that I have forgotten about you... or knitting! I have been making good progress on my current projects.
I'm still having a love/hate relationship with the Wurm. OK. I admit there is a little more love now than there was the last time I wrote about it. I'm hoping that by the time I'm finished it will be all 100% full on love.
The Flyaway is growing and finally starting to take cardigan shape. I finally got to the point where I had to put the sleeve stitches on a holder. It's looking great! And things are now moving a little faster.
Oh, and I gave myself an early birthday gift by ordering some gorgeous Plucky yarn in Bohemian Blue for my next cardi which will be the Repetitive Element by Veera Valimaki. Can't wait to get the yarn and get started on that!

Flyaway from the back

Flyaway from the front

The Wurm

My Wurm...

I am having so many doubts about my Wurm... In my attempt to be a good girl and use up some stash yard, is it possible that I have picked a yarn that's too cheery for a winter hat? What do you guys think? I'm just wondering if I would love it more if it were grey or blue or burgundy....

Life changing...

My friend Marta shared this video with me last week. It has changed my life. Special thanks to Jane Richmond for sharing this with the world!

Knitter problems...

Will I ever have enough needles? Really. My dear knitters, how often do you find yourselves getting ready to start a new project, yarn picked, wound and ready to go, and then realize you don't have the needle the pattern calls for? It happens way too often for me.
I have two sets of interchangeable needles and countless others that I have bought over time. It just doesn't seem like it's ever enough. And you know what happens after that, right? You go to your LYS to buy the needle you need and end up falling in love with some yarn that you don't really have a project for, but that you must have. Then you go on Ravelry to find a project for the pretty yarn and realize you don't have the needle the pattern calls for, which brings you back to the LYS....
This time I decided to be patient. I ordered the needles online. I'm trying so hard to use my stash yarn. And I know myself... I can't resist.
But don't worry, LYS... My birthday will be here in no time and I'll be rushing over to treat myself to lots and lots of skeins of your beautiful yarn.

Hi. My name is Fabi and I'm addicted to knitting...

I don't know what's happened to me over the last few months, but my brain is consumed with knitting thoughts pretty much all the time. I'm constantly thinking about what I want to knit next, or when I can squeeze in some knitting, or what yarn I'd like to work with. If Ravelry had a tracking system to see how many times a day people log on, I'd probably be at the top of their list. Not to mention all of the knitting blogs I can't get enough of...
The cold weather isn't helping me either. All of a sudden I must knit myself a new hat (I like the Wurm), new mittens (such as Susan B Anderson's Waiting for Winter Mittens), and a new cowl (the Hot Tea looks like it will keep me nice and toasty). But when? When will I find the time to knit up all of these wonderful things? (and still be a mommy, hard worker and all that...) :)

There's no denying it...

I have been in denial, totally ignoring it, oblivious to what was so obvious...

What? What? You ask...

Sigh.... It's hard for me to even write about it... Despite the fact that I knit swatches, measured them, made sure all was OK, my gauge is completely off for my very first cardigan. It is with much regret that today, I rip all 42 rows and who knows how many hundreds of stitches to start over. I don't know why this is happening. I just know that if I keep going, I'll never be able to turn back and that when this cardigan is done, if it doesn't fit, I'll feel like a complete failure.

So up one needle size we go. Wish me luck!

Flyaway...

Flyaway by Marji Lafreniere is the pattern I picked to be the first ever sweater/cardigan that I'm knitting for myself. It's fairly simple, but has pretty cables running down the back and around the arms. It's also knit top-down, which in my opinion, is always a plus. I really do hate all the seaming, you know? I love the yarn that I picked (Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed). The picture doesn't really do justice to the color, which is a beautiful blue/green. I'm very excited about this one!

Here's your first peak...

A good knitting week...

I know that it's been a while since my last post but I have been fighting a cold... The good thing about feeling a bit under the weather is that all I want to to is curl up on the couch under a blankie with a cup of tea and my knitting. I did quite a bit of that this week. And it shows!

I finished knitting the Vite Cowl. It's currently blocking. Once that's done I just have to seam it and mail it to the recipient. The recipient's name, of course, is a secret. I don't want to spoil the surprise!

I have made really good progress on the Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks scarf. I love that star stitch but I'm struggling with it a bit. I tend to be a tight knitter and purling 3 at a time for me is quite a challenge. I'm trying very hard to make a conscious effort to "loosen up".

Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks Scarf

Most importantly I finally started knitting a cardigan for me. My first one! I'm very excited and absolutely loving the yarn. It's the Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed in a gorgeous green. I love the way the yarn feels, the color, the way it knits up... The cardigan is knit top-down, which I love. I'll post pictures as it grows. It's not big enough to share yet.

Now that I have a big project to knit at home I'll be knitting lots of scarves, cowls, and socks to keep me busy during my commute. I've been trying to avoid buying yarn since my stash grew quite a bit, but I may have accidentally bought some gorgeous Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock yarn when stopped by my LYS for some cable needles. Shhh... Don't tell Dave!

Socks That Rock