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!