I'm still here

Even though I have not posted for a while, I'm still here. I've actually been quite busy. The weekend before the most recent one I actually cleaned out and organized my entire yarn stash. I should have taken a picture - but I was so motivated to organize the yarn I did not want to pause to take a picture. My husband's friend, and infamous neighbor, Rob, stopped by during this organizing process and saw almost my entire stash. He was absolutely horrified - he could not understand why anyone in their right mind would have so much yarn. For a very brief moment Rob was speechless -totally unheard of if you know Rob.

I ended up drastically reducing my stash by giving away a lot of yarn to a couple of neighbors. This felt great. I found yarn that I forgot that I had - malabrigo and alchemy - and finally have my yarn organized in a relatively logical manner.

Over the past couple of weeks I've returned to knttting the ruffles scarf for my friend Kelly that moved to DC in February. I was knitting it as a going away gift, of course I'm totally behind. My goal is to finish by the end of this week and have it in the mail by the beginning of next week. The scarf is turning out great - it will be an awesome accessory with a light summer dress.

Those of you who know me know that in addition to being very interested in knitting, I have a total weakness for tea and coffee. I tasted a new coffee this weekend that I absolutely love - New Mexico Pinon Coffee. This coffee has a fantastically smooth chocolately taste - soooo good.

Right now I'm drinking one of my favorite teas, Bedtime by Yogi Tea. The taste of this tea is fantastic - very calming. I also like that yogi teas also have a good quote on the tea bag. Here is the quote on my tea bag right now, "your greatest strength is love." This quote is a great reminder for us all given today's tragic events at virginia tech.

Take care, be well, and most importantly remember to love.

Happy knitting! Angela

Knitting in Hawaii

Hello - I hope that you are doing well. I'm headed on vacation tomorrow evening. I'm so excited! Andy and I are going to Hawaii - away from the blizzards of Wisconsin to the tropics of Hawaii. What better way to get a reprieve from the Wisconsin winter ????

One of the most important parts of planning our trip this year was determining my vacation knitting project. Based upon the suggestion of the gals at the Knitting Tree, my vacation knitting project will be the Yoga Wrap from the Winter 2005/06 Vogue Knitting. Here is a picture of what I am knitting.

I am super excited about this project. I'm using my favorite yarn (malabrigo), favorite needles (dutch treats), a fun pattern, and finally knitting something for myself. Here are a couple of pictures of the yarn and the beginning of the project. Now that I know how to really purl I won't have any twisted stitches.

Also, over the weekend, I completed a "just because" gift to my neighbors Don and Mike - knitted dish towels and lavender mint dish soap.

Okay. That is all for now. I'll right again when I return to from vacation. Until then, happy knitting.

Confessions of a Twisted Stitcher

Today in my post I'm going to: (1) confess that I have been a twisted stitcher; (2) show you the completed sweater for my mom; and (3) show you a random knitting project that I started and completed over the weekend.

First things first. I am a twisted stitcher. I have been knitting for several years now and I just found out that I have been purling incorrectly. While at the The Knitting Tree this weekend asking questions about the sweater I've been working on, the owner, Jackie, ever so sweetly told me that my stitches were twisted. Of course I was totally confused and did not know what she was talking about. Then she showed me - on ever other row of the stockinette stitch the stitches were overlapping rather than laying flat. This in the entire sweater that I knit for my mother in Rowan Tapestry yarn! Take a look a the picture below ... you'll see what I mean. The stitches are totally overlapping - how irritating.

After discovering that my stitches were twisted Jackie taught me how to purl. A little embarrassing - but totally necessary. Apparently, this is a relatively common aliment among knitters. So, know I know how to purl - I love the folks at the Knitting Tree :)

Second, event though my stitches were totally twisted, I seamed up the sweater that I made for my mom (totally belated x-mas gift). I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Pattern: Lizzy

Source: Naturally Noro

Yarn: Rowan Tapestry (fantastic yarn)

Needles: Size 8, Dutch Treats, Handcrafted by Dutch Vanden Heuvel in Eau Claire, WI (by the way, I swear that these are some of the best circular needles EVER - so in Madison, exclusively at my favorite place - The Knitting Tree)

Here are some photos of the finished result:

I so happy that this project is completed. Over the weekend I decided that I wanted to make a felted purse - so I did just that. A quick, fun and super easy project. I very happy with the finished product. Now, I need to determine who will be the lucky recipient of the bag as a gift.

Pattern: Clutch You'll Never Give Up

Source: One Skein

Yarn: Aquarella Malabrigo (super chunky)

Needles: Size 15 Dutch Treats

Here are some photos of the finished project

That's all for now. Happy knitting!