Spectra

Look what I found today. I was going through my bags of yarn and unfinished projects.

Pattern: Spectra by Stephen West 
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock and tosh merino

Spectra is a simple lightweight scarf featuring two fingering weight yarns. Short row shaping creates a dramatically curved edge that coils and playfully drapes. Basic intarsia technique entwines two strands of yarn, creating seamless wedges that resemble a rainbow or color wheel. You won’t want to stop knitting as the colors unfold!

The scarf was finished but I hadn't blocked it. It's lying out in my bathtub drying right now. When dry I will sew in the ends.

I was curious as to when I knit the shawl. I posted on December 27, 2011 that the knitting was finished. Not good. Almost three years to block a project.

I forgot something in yesterday's post. If you are going to do the Westknits KAL, please share pictures in our Ravelry group. I love pictures!

I'm trying to write while flipping between the baseball and football games. It isn't going well. The best solution is to sign off and sit on the couch with my knitting :)

As Promised

I promised you pictures of a finished Spectra and here they are. I finished the knitting last night. I still need to sew in the ends and block the scarf but I'm close.

Pattern: Stephen West's Spectra
We have copies in the store or you can buy on Ravelry

Yarn: 1 ball of Noro Silk Garden Sock (will also work with Kureyon Sock and Taiyo Sock)
1 ball of tosh merino light

On Thursday I received an email from the US post office that madelinetosh had sent me 4 boxes. What is in the boxes? I have no clue. I just called there and am waiting for an email with the specifics. It looks like tosh dk, merino dk and merino. No vintage or tosh merino light.

In yesterday's post I mentioned the game we played on Christmas. Irene had some questions.
-women buy for women and men buy for men
-we do $30-$40 for a gift
-we usually start with the women
-all women's gifts are on the floor and we sit in a circle
-everyone is given a number
-#1 starts and picks a gift
-#2 can take the gift from #1 or from the floor
-#3 can take from #1 or #2 or the floor
-If #3 took from #1 then #1 can take from someone else (not the person who took from her) or from the floor
-after you have been stolen from 3 times the next gift you take is yours-no one can steal from you
-the game keeps going until the last gift is taken from the floor

We always have lots of laughs playing the game.

It is later in the day and I received my invoice from madelinetosh. The boxes include

tosh dk
baltic
well water
clematis
byzantine
smokey orchid
logwood
badlands
cove

merino dk
kale
alizarin
william morris
fragrant

merino
curiosity
william morris
amber trinket
alizarin

sock
charcoal
william morris

I have picked up Tudor Grace (a knitspot pattern that I am knitting in tosh pashmina) again. I'm not sure how long I want the scarf. It is definitely longer than the pattern, which is a good thing, but I have more yarn so I can keep going. Do I want to keep going or get it done and onto something else?

Knitting Again

Tonight Beth and I are having dinner with my best friend from university and her two sons. Last night we went to Walmart to get the kids Christmas presents. They are 13 and 10. Not an easy age to buy for. We were asked not to buy video games. Wow. That cuts out a lot. Girls are so much easier to buy for. We got them a Nerf dart game. We went at 9 thinking that the store might not be so busy. Wrong thought. The check out lines were long and people were buying all their groceries. Lets say that my patience was running a bit thin by the time we got to the car. Please remind me to do my shopping earlier next year.

I pulled out Spectra and vow to get it done this weekend.

Small problem. It needs to be blocked and I do that on the pool table. Bev gave Beth a puzzle for Christmas that is 4000 pieces. It is way too large for our dining room table so Beth is doing it on the pool table. There could be a fight on Christmas day. :)

I have caught the knitting bug again and really wish I could go home after work, put my feet up and play with my yarn. Tomorrow afternoon. And the bonus about tomorrow is that there will be lots of football.

Mischief

Mr. Canpar came in today with two huge boxes from Estelle. Four colours of Frill Seeker and a new yarn called Mischief.

Two balls will make a scarf. Four stitches on 20mm needles. Knit every row until you are almost out of yarn. Easy as pie.

$9 a ball and we have all colours in stock.

The yarn is very soft!!

All of a sudden I looked out the window and saw that the sun was going down. Hurry. I wanted a picture of my scarf.

55 repeats are done-the pattern calls for 84 or maybe 86. I have the repeat memorized so I don't carry the pattern around with me. Hopefully I will get some done in knitting class tonight. At last weeks class the ladies brought their knitting out right away so they wanted me to print a retraction on my statement that they don't always knit in class.

Dinner last night was great. Mom and dad enjoyed themselves. Mom loved her gift-I bought her a gift card to Pier 1. She is excited about shopping for the new house.

I'm home from class. The ladies worked hard on their knitting!! Survivor has been taped. Who is going tonight?

The Weather Network

It has been a busy day that started way too early. I had a dentist appointment followed by a visit to my chiropractor. Then trips to the bank to get US money and to the post office to drop off parcels. I just finished writing cheques and getting my bank balanced. After my post I am moving onto a newsletter.

It is pouring rain outside right now so here is a picture of Spectra on my floor. The floor is nice and clean-I washed it yesterday afternoon. Not by choice-I spilled a glass of ginger ale so I had to clean up part of the floor and continued on to clean the whole thing.

Half way done. I don't think it will be finished before I go but close.

Have you been watching the Amazing Race? Beth screamed every time the bunnies were on. They were extremely cute. Marcus giving his rabbit a pep talk before going through the course was hilarious. I had to state very firmly that we could not have rabbits in our house. Another team gets knocked out because they got lost driving. Stop and ask directions!!

The Weather Network is killing me. What is the weather in Vegas going to be? Who knows. They don't. Here are screen shots from my iPad.

Taken Saturday evening

 Taken Sunday morning

Taken Sunday evening

I'm so undecided on what to pack. We'll see what they say tomorrow.

My chiropractor questioned how much knitting I did last week but I can't stop. I picked out some colours of Noro Kureyon Sock this morning for another Spectra. Okay, two more Spectras.

That Darn Noro

I got a little carried away with my knitting last night. I couldn't stop. At 12:30 I said enough and went to bed. It's that darn Noro. You want to do a few more rows so you can see the next colour.

I couldn't figure out how to put the scarf on my friend so that you could see everything. By Monday I should have it long enough to wrap around and hang down.

Here are the bookshelves. Beth didn't do any last night so I told her that she has three to do today. Let's see how well she listens. :)

Before you go away do you start looking online to see what the weather is going to be? Every morning I look to see what it is going to be in Vegas next week. Sorry-I'm working in Fahrenheit here. It started out 60 and rain. Then 66 and sunny. Then 62. Today it was 50 and rain. Seriously. Please decide what it is going to be so I know what clothes to pack.

I'm home from work. No new bookshelves. Beth went to work today and she is on her way to do the grocery shopping. I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow.

My scarf is calling so I'm moving upstairs to relax and knit. That darn Noro. :)

Back on track with my knitting

It was a late night last evening. The final table of the World Series of Poker was live on TV. It started at 9 and by 1 I was way too tired to watch any more. I put it on in my room but fell asleep. When I woke up it was over. Thank goodness I didn't stay up-it went until 4:30. The bad news. I am tired. The good news. I got lots of knitting done.

Twenty repeats are done. The pattern calls for 86 in total-at this pace the scarf should be done next week.

Beth and I starting putting together the book shelves last night. There are two sets of three but all six aren't going to fit in the loft. Beth is excited because one shelf is going into her bedroom. The video games and movies are on the first shelf. The next five shelves are going to be books. One is being designated for my knitting books. Many are living in boxes in the garage so they will enjoy moving into the house.

Ann sent a parcel to me with two scarves she knit in Kidsilk Haze Stripe.

201 Sugar

202 Cool

I love the colours!!

There hasn't been any knitting since I arrived at work. Yarn needed to be counted and the website updated. All madelinetosh yarns should be correct on the website. I mentioned that they should be dying my next order very soon. After that is dyed we still have 6 more orders with them so hopefully every two weeks we should be receiving another order.

Knitting classes start tonight. These are the ladies who have been with me for years. I don't do a lot of teaching to this group. We haven't had a class since the spring so tonight will be catch up. They might not even get their needles out. :)

Trifecta

I was knitting away on my Kidsilk Haze Stripe scarf and decided that I would leave that for when I go to Vegas next week. It is perfect airport/plane knitting.

What to knit? Why not mix three great things-Stephen West, tosh merino light and Noro Silk Garden Sock? I started Spectra last night. Many people have come in buying the yarn to knit the scarf and I finally took the plunge.

Pattern: Spectra-you can buy on Ravelry if you want to start right away. We have printed copies coming for the store that should be here next week.

Spectra is a simple lightweight scarf featuring two fingering weight yarns. Short row shaping creates a dramatically curved edge that coils and playfully drapes. Basic intarsia technique entwines two strands of yarn, creating seamless wedges that resemble

The pattern is a 14 row repeat and after working through it a few times it is easy to memorize.

This picture was taken this morning before I opened the store. I decided that it was a knitting day. No straightening. No putting yarn away. No website. Just knitting. I hope to have a lot more to show before I leave tonight.

I'm home and did get some more knitting done this afternoon. I had to take the picture inside because the fog rolled in.

I'm totally motivated again. After I hit Publish I will be moving away from the computer and picking up my needles again.