Before the big purchases of last weekend, I was making some headway on stashbusting. Two steps forward - twelve steps back. Or something like that. I figured I best start up that little project again, especially to make room for some of the yarn that won’t even fit on the shelf… two less skeins now, thanks to this quickie stashbuster.

Knit with 2 skeins of Noro Shinano is colorway 08. I used a size US11 circular needle (16″). I did a light ruffling effect on either end, and chose to make the reverse stockinette the “right” side because of the color and stitch combination. The cowl is 16 inches (about 40cm) long from end-to-end. I wanted it to be longer to wear bunched up around my neck, and also to have the option to wear it as a headcover. This piece is wonderfully warm. The silk and wool blend is soft to touch, and feels very comfortable around the neck. I think it will definitely be useful for travel, camping out, and daily wear.

This yarn was a Norovember knitalong prize in 2006. Kathy at Minx Knits gave me the choice of this and another Noro yarn, and I immediately chose this one. Noro seemed to cast a spell on me from the first project I knit with it… my Klaralund back in 2005. (I have subsequently made a few projects with the Noro, and the love is still there!) And since all good things must come to an end (at some point), Shinano was discontinued by Noro last year. Of course, it was before I had tasted “the goods”, so now I am wishing that I had known about it sooner. Seeing Erqsome Emmms amazing cardigan in Shinano doesn’t help either. I know that there are still some sellers out there that carry it… I just have no room in the stash! Maybe when I free up some space there will still be some lots available? (I am probably not helping that prospect by blogging about it and letting YOU know how good it is!)

Noro is just such an earthy yarn - you can find flora inside - so I don’t think there is a better match for Project Spectrum Elements. The underlying color of the cowl is a grayish brown, with all of the lovely silky slubs of colors throughout. The cowl was also knit for the Lord Stanley Stashbusting knitalong, during the first two games of the NHL Conference playoffs.

Many thanks for all of your suggestions in the last post! I have some really amazing things on my list for Nova Scotia!

I must be honest, I kind of dread the post-festival blog post. It is just such a sensory overload and even one day after, it kind of feels like a dream - a sweet fibery dream - of meeting amazing online friends and seeing beautiful animals and the lovely yarns. And after four years of attendance (and subsequently blogging about it), I always feel like I am going to forget something or someone.

As you might expect, I took a few photos - but not nearly as many as I planned. I was pretty busy handling yarns and hugging people. For the full set of MDSW 2008 photos, go here. Here are some highlights:

Amazing people: Isel, Jenna, and Kate. I met so many people that my mind is a little dizzy. Long-time blog friends (so many many many many more!) and some new(er) Ravelry and Flickr friends alike. I was thrilled to meet everyone!

So many beautiful animals! The sheep breeds are probably the most ubiquitous animals at the festival, but it is common to see the goats, llamas, alpacas, and (sometimes) bunnies too. Amazing coincidence: this handsome llama is actually owned by my old friend that I used to work with (in my first year of knitting!) We reconnected at the festival when I was up in her llama’s face taking photos! It was amazing to see Holly again! (remember Holly? she helped me overcome my fear of DPNs so many years ago!)

YARN! oh my gosh. I bought a lot. I really need to work on this attachment to material objects philosophy.  It seems to get me every year around this time.  I enhanced the stash, as they say.  Surprisingly, I did not buy any sock yarn this year.  A big step, considering that that has been the bulk of my purchases in previous years.  Nope, this year it was all about sweater yarns, and some drapey luxury fibers for elegant accessories.  My companions bought a few things too; I am sure they will be talking about them very soon!

[Click here for details about each skein]

It was not clear to me until I saw them all grouped together, that this year’s yarns are not my traditional color palette.  You may have noticed that I tend to group around certain colors, namely blues/violets, pinks/reds, and greens.  I also love brown, and have a lot in my stash, but not as many FOs in that particular color yet.  However, this year seems to be all about neutrals, or subtler shades of my usual choices.  Maybe it is a subconscious nod to the upcoming Project Spectrum AIR element with the grays and whites?  I got some very unique things this year - namely the beautiful handspun yarns from the Navajo Churro Cooperative.  The natural colors and wonderful texture of the yarn was enough to put them in my bag!  I also ran into some fabulous deals that were too good to pass up(Fingerlakes Wool and The Fibre Company).  I splurged for the linen up top, but I figure the stuff will last forever (if they found it in Egyptian tombs…) I was also very happy to see the Botanical Shades booth again this year - I used their indigo dyed alpaca blend for my Aftur pullover, and this lovely grass green will make an amazing garment as well.

Saturday’s weather started out a little gloomy, but the day brightened up and actually got a little warm.  I got a minor sunburn, even when rocking the SPF 45.  Sunday, always my favorite day to attend, was milder weather-wise and crowd-wise.  Mom, Jenna, and I had a lovely relaxed time.  We even got to sample some goat and sheep cheeses, drink some lemonade, and try one of the yummy dip ice cream cones.  At the end of the day, we sat out and reflected on the experience.  We smiled with contentment… one of those tired genuine smiles after a great day. 

The real highlight of this year’s festival was observing the very real success of Ravelry in a relatively short time period. I joined Ravelry in it’s infancy, and it has grown into such an amazing community. Casey, Jess, and Mary-Heather (and all the volunteers!) have poured so much of themselves into it, and we all reap the benefits in the form of the website and the activities surrounding it. For this, I am so grateful. Maybe a little less knitting since I find it so hard to click away from the forums, but no less gratifying or enriching!  There was a festival meetup for Ravelers, as well as a wonderful post-festival Ravelry party at one of the local hotels. 

I had met Jess several times at previous festivals, and it was wonderful to see her again.  This time, I got to meet Casey and Mary-Heather too.  They were the stars of the show! Mary-Heather and I have corresponded for years, and I was so happy to finally meet her!  …and Kris (who came to the party with me!  surprise!) chatted with Casey and met so many of my online friends.  I think he was surprised that he was recognized a few times as well!

Mary-Heather and I were all smiles!

We stayed at the party and witnessed the way that Ravelry has touched the community.  Everyone was so friendly and excited to be a part of it!  I met so many nice people, and reconnected with some old friends as well.  I don’t have the time to link to everyone, and my memory may fail… but know that I was very happy to see you!

…and now, back to real life… the fiber event of the year has come and gone, once again. 

 It was so sweet while it lasted! 

Given the opportunity, I can definitely drop some cash on nice yarn. I have done it before. As I stated previously, New York City could appropriately be called New YARN City with all of the shops and the amazing selections on a relatively small island (Manhattan). In previous years, I have brought a second bag for my purchases… this year, I showed remarkable restraint.

…not because I am immune to the siren song of great yarn…

More like the fact that the BIGGEST yarn festival is virtually in my own backyard this weekend.

I alluded to my purchases in the last post. After spending a good chunk of time camped out on the floor at Kinokuniya bookstore, I brought home three craft books:

The bottom two are pattern books featuring lovely intricate designs. There are many colorwork projects and some beautiful accessories as well. The second is a smaller book focusing on Men’s Knits - specifically sweaters and vests. (As you know I like to knit for Kris, so one of these sweaters could very well be on the needles for the 2009 anniversary sweater!) The third and final book is a collection of Eastern European folk motifs charted for cross-stitch and embroidery. I think the charts would be perfect for knitting as well as embroidery. The simple Japanese aesthetic really appeals to me - I could have left the store with many more books in hand!

At School Products, I came away with a cone of Aran-weight wool/alpaca/silk blend. It weighed in at 2.5 lbs, so I should have approximately 1100 yards, according to the calculations. Plenty for the stranded colorwork I am planning! If you have rough estimates in mind, this is the place to go to find nice yarns and blends. I am always pleased with their selection of natural fibers. I almost walked out with some yak fiber too… but I left it behind for the next trip.

It was my first time to visit Gotta Knit! and Erin and I was happy to meet Goldie, the sweet owner. She told us that the shop had just moved to Midtown after being in the West Village for many years. They are on the 5th floor of the building, but if you look up from the street, they have a visible sign with the store’s name. There was a nice selection of luxury fibers and some “new-to-me” yarns. Upon walking in, my eyes fixed on a cream-colored Noro skein on the table. I figured it for the new Kuryeon sock yarn, but Goldie told me that it was even better - the new(er) Silk Garden sock yarn. Imagine my excitement! Goldie told us more about the shop’s expertise: when you buy yarn at their store, they will actually customize a pattern for you using the yarn. You can tell them the style and kind of garment, and they will write it up for you! An amazing and unique service. This skein of Noro and two issues of Rebecca came home with me.

The two new yarns in my stash were quickly “balanced” (as Jenna puts it) by the cast on of my new small transportable knit: Laila’s Socks from Folk Knitting in Estonia. Truly inspired by Terhi’s amazing version of these socks last year, the yarns jumped out at me when I did a quick survey of the sock stash. I made this bit of progress on the train ride to New York.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Loden / Louet Gems Pearl in Mustard

…quite possibly a match made in heaven…

Three years in a row: our springtime excursion to New York is becoming somewhat of a tradition! We only stayed for two days this year - Kris was in conferences, and I was out and about taking in the beautiful spring weather and sights, and meeting up with some old and new friends.Thank goodness for alternate work schedules and post-doc appointments! Without these things, I would have missed meeting with two special people. On Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Connie. We have corresponded for months, and I have admired her amazing parade of designs in several of the recent knitting publications… she designed the beautiful Printed Silk Cardigan that I knit for my sister, and her newest design was just previewed for the Interweave Knits Summer 2008 issue. We had a lovely Thai lunch, and headed to a local cafe where we knit, talked about yarn and her design process, and sipped on some coffee. In the mid-afternoon, Erin called us to meet up. We met her at Habu Textiles.

Habu’s selection was quite tempting, but I remembered the kit that I bought during last year’s trip, and resisted the urge to get more.

Erin had plans for a bag, so we headed over to Mood Fabrics, made famous by Project Runway. We didn’t have any celebrity sightings, but we enjoyed going through the store and looking at their HUGE selection. There were three large floors stacked floor to ceiling with fabric bolts of every imaginable fabric.

Connie and I were in awe - since neither of us regularly sew, we were overwhelmed by just how much variety there was! In the end, Erin chose a great corduroy. Stay tuned to her blog for plans and progress! After that stop, we headed over to School Products, one of my favorite NYC yarn shops. We got a little turned around, but luckily Connie’s husband (via cellphone) helped us find our way to the shop! I picked up a lovely cone… more details in the next post.

A few hours later, Kris called to say that his meetings were complete, and he walked down to West Village to meet us at The Point. We sat around the table, ate some delicious snacks from their cafe (Connie got the most beautiful cupcake - I wish I had a photo!), and I flipped through some of the new books on display. Erin played with our wide-angle lens (we have the same camera, so our lens fit on her camera) and the infamous baskets-of-yarn-wall. It was about this time that some strange wind blew through the city, and set me sneezing and sniffling. My allergies got worse throughout the evening, but how could I let them get me down while I was having fun?

Connie headed back home after our time at The Point. I was so happy to meet her and to learn more about her “real life” as well as her knitting and designs. She was such a great help to me while I was knitting the cardigan, and meeting her was a real joy! Thank you, C!

After a fun dinner at Cowgirl in the West Village (yummy margaritas and some good veggie options too!), we headed back to Times Square for some night photography. Of course, there were hundreds of other people there doing the same thing, but we still had a lot of fun.

The next morning, I went to Bryant Park to check out the new location of one of my other favorite NYC stops: Kinokuniya Japanese bookstore. Their needle craft (knitting, crochet, embroidery) book collection is larger than any other book store I have been to, and I decided to take my time and go through the books.

Sitting on the floor, I poured over dozens of patterns and stitch directories. Even without reading the language, it is relatively simple to understand the schematics and charts outlined in the books. I am hoping that when I cast on for one of these projects, it will be intuitive. If not, I can ask my Japanese friend to help me with some translations…

It was the perfect day for photography, so when Erin met me for lunch, we decided to head towards Central Park for a photo afternoon. On the way, we stopped by Gotta Knit! a great yarn shop on 34th Street, and talked to Goldie, the owner. I bought a beautiful skein of yarn… more details to come.

Central Park was filled with people, but Erin and I had plans for some improvisational photography, and we didn’t let the crowds stop us. With her handy camera remote and my wide-angle lens, we got some great action photos!

Down | Middle | Up

We did about 20 cartwheels before finally getting the middle shot with both of our legs in the Y position. The funny thing? there were several groups of people sitting within a few feet of us, but no one even looked twice when we did all the jumping and cartwheeling!

Kris and I were completely beat after the busy two days in the city. Once we got home (after a two-hour Amtrak delay) we broke off some aloe for the sunburn, and went right to bed. It was a short and sweet trip!

Nearly three weeks have passed since I bound off my sister’s cardigan, and I am ready to cast on for a new sweater!  I enjoy making the little projects in between the larger ones, but I have had the realization that my real joy comes from sweater knitting.  And I can’t deny the joy any longer! 

My queue is long, and there are many beautiful sweaters on the list, but I must say that there is a recent addition to the list that I just can’t get out of my head.  I picked up two Rebecca magazines in January, and this sweater was an instant stand out.

Jacquard Pullover
Rebecca #34

With a stash of odds and ends, and a few cohesive groupings, this pullover seems like it could actually be a real stashbuster too - using yarns that have been in my stash for many moons… I pulled out my random worsted weight skeins and did a little color matching.  I came up with several combinations, but after a lot of shifting, I decided on this one:

Clockwise:  DB Cashmerino, Jo Sharp Wool, Cascade Lana d’Oro,
Knit Picks Andean Silk, and Jo Sharp Wool

They are not all exactly the same gauge, but close enough to make it work, in my estimation.  I am thinking that the brown will be the main color, and the others will be the highlights in the stranded colorwork. I reserve the right to change it up if the swatch looks weird.  However, in my mind, and with a little visualization help, I think it just might work.

…and this very well could be the great elemental pullover - it has colors from each phase of Project Spectrum!  I hope I can finish it before the end of PS

Cast on is imminent!