Saturday, January 04, 2003:

I took my Christmas money to The Yarn Barn today, and bought some Chinchilla to make a scarf for one of my sisters for next Christmas (starting early!), and yarn for the Hot Water Bottle Cozy.

The pattern called for Lush angora, but at $10.00 a skein, I just couldn't see it. But I did want to see the yarn, to see what it looked like so I could substitute something else. They didn't carry it there, but they looked it up for me, and said it's worsted weight, so I found some Plymouth Encore that I hope will be all right. And if it doesn't work out, it was just $5.50/skein, so I could afford $15.00 to find out.

I also bought a Size 10 circular needle and a set of double-points; I really hated to do that, hated to spend money on Size 10 needles, because I really dislike working on such big ones, but then, I want to make that pattern . . . I got Bryspun doublepoints because they were cheaper than bamboo, and I thought I might as well try them. Also some Bryspun cable needles because they were cute. :)

And those little black rubber stitch markers because I'm paranoid about losing them, and if I have another bag, well, hopefully I can worry a little less about dropping one of the ones I already have.

They didn't have a very good selection of Chinchilla, so I'll probably end up ordering more online; I decided to buy Vanilla (a cream color), since I don't know for sure what my sister would like, or what color coat she'll have in a year.

I decided to start early and knit a bunch of stuff for next year, and I think I can do that as long as I stick to fairly simple projects, like scarves. I also need to have some "mindless" knitting around at all times--I'm going to be working from a chart shortly on the Sweater for Your Head, which is definitely not the kind of knitting you can do at stoplights. Not that I do that, of course . . .


[ Posted by Willa at 5:03 PM ] link me


Thursday, January 02, 2003:

After my post about ripping out the "Sweater for Your Head," Claudia wrote and said that she had knitted it, and it was really cute, and that I didn't have to do the nasty chain cast-on or pick up the stitches the way the pattern said, so I've started it again. This time, though, I'm not making the extra large one for myself, I'm making the smallest one, for a bear. I would never wear it, I hate hats, but I just want to make it, and bears need hats, too.

I'm also itching to make the Hot Water Bottle Sweater, but the pattern calls for Lush angora, and at $10/skein, four skeins would make a $40 hot water bottle cover. I don't think so. So I might make an excursion over the weekend to the yarn store and see if I can find something else suitable (and soft!)

Someone else wrote and asked me about the "Liu Had a Dream Short Vest" from Knitting in America, asking whether I'd ever made it, and if so, what yarn I had used since the yarn used in the pattern doesn't seem to exist anymore.

And I had to say that I haven't made it, but of course, thinking about it again makes me want to make it, so I thought maybe I'd look at yarn for that, to, maybe buy a couple of balls of something to swatch. New year, new yarn.


[ Posted by Willa at 11:03 AM ] link me


Tuesday, December 31, 2002:

Not that I would ever have the patience to actually translate a knitting pattern, but I should probably put this somewhere for safekeeping: Garnstudios English Knitting Dictionary. Link via knitting notes.


[ Posted by Willa at 11:39 PM ] link me


Sunday, December 29, 2002:

I forgot to mention that I wore my Chinchilla scarf this week. My friend Misty was in town and we went out to dinner the day after Christmas, and when I was leaving for work that morning I noticed the scarf on the hook, and while I don't usually wear scarves, I put it on, and I really enjoyed it. I was wearing a red chenille sweater and a navy fleece coat, and it didn't seem to shed on either one of them, surprisingly. (The scarf is ivory.) So, a success. Misty was surprised when I told her that I knitted it, too!


[ Posted by Willa at 10:06 PM ] link me