Wednesday, March 11, 2015

All in a Week


Hi Knitters,
First and quickly, there are a few spots open in the retreat I'm teaching at next month. It is going to be fantastic and I'm super excited about it. Maybe you could join us?

Here is the information: 
  • April 11-12th, 2015 Stitch 'n Bitch Retreat for the DC area, in Solomons, MD on the Chesapeake Bay

If you are interested in finding out more please email Marie at: nofrogging@gmail.com

On to today's topic at hand. As we all know a lot can happen in one week. Here is a snippet of what has been going on around here over the past few days. 

I washed yet another stack of handknit socks, folded them and neatly tucked them into my sock drawer ready to wear again. These socks I washed on gentle with warm water in the machine. I dried them in the dryer on low until almost dry or slightly damp. I pulled them out and laid them flat to shape to complete the drying process. 

From top to bottom: Cakewalk yarns (discontinued), Kristin Nicholas Design Line Regia, Trekking XXL (discontinued), Opal Vincent Van Gogh (discontinued). 

As you can tell by all of the discontinued markings in the list sock yarn comes and goes so if you see any you like you should snatch it up before it's gone! 


I finished knitting the latest version in the Yowza Weigh It Shawl series. I'm pretty excited about this one. Yowza Weigh It 3 will be available very soon and I'll most likely run a discount code at the time of release. I bound off Yowza 3 and ended with 4 grams of yarn leftover from an 8 oz. skein of yarn. That's a pretty good use of ALL of the yarn.

Yowza is a giant 8 oz., 560 yard skein of 100% super wash wool, hand-dyed by Miss Babs. The skein in the photo is in the Berlin colorway.


This one is the same theory, you cast on and never count the stitches or rows again. You simply keep track by weighing your yarn in two key places. Garter stitch away and end up with a new shawl shape to love!



We are feeling a lot of excitement around here about the slight warming up after experiencing the coldest February on record since 1936. We didn't get much snow this year, only 30 inches for the entire season, but it has been a long stretch of bitter cold temperatures. As soon as it gets over 30 degrees in Wisconsin people are wearing shorts and everyone is outside. It's pretty fun to see.

So we hiked through slushy snow-covered trails on the first warm (over 30 degrees) day and we had a ball. Today it is supposed to get in the 50s and the snow has already taken a major beating. You can bet the sidewalks and trails will be full of happy Madisonians today including me.


The always adorable Miss Molly (my future daughter-in-law) finished her first sweater! It is the Louise cardigan by Carrie Bostick Hoge. Molly used the colors called for in the pattern but opted for Peacock as the blue color in the Quince & Co. Osprey yarn. I love the buttons Molly picked out, too. She purchased the buttons at the Wisconsin Craft Market and while she was there she picked up Cascade 220 for her next sweater.

I highly suggest Louise as a first cardigan. The pattern is clear and simple and well-written. 


And here she is! The cardigan fits Miss Molly perfectly and she is so proud. I have to tell a quick, funny story. Molly was at a meeting and her dad happened to be attending the same meeting. She was wearing her new handknit cardigan for the first time and her dad announced it to the people at the meeting. Everyone clapped for Molly! I love that so much. It's not everyone who gets a round of applause for finishing their first cardigan. 

Here's to Miss Molly! Good job. She has already cast on her next sweater, the Hiro pullover.





And one last fun thing that happened last week was that I went out for lunch on the square which means downtown on the Capitol Square where the state capitol building sits. My sister picked me up, with her newly purchased 1950s accordion in the back seat (yes, it's true), and we met our sister-in-law at Graze. The food was delicious. Graze is a farm-to-table restaurant with delicious and innovative twists on food. For example, my sister's burger, upper left, is a beet and walnut burger with a homemade bun sprinkled with sunflower seeds. She loved it.


Anyway, I loved my lunch and I've been to Graze for dinner before and loved that, too. If you are in Madison or visiting you should give it a go.

Thanks for joining me today. I am working hard on pattern writing for two shawls and editing my latest book manuscript for the second time. I have a couple of additional samples I need to knit up for the book project, too. It's always something. 

Have a great rest of your week.
xo ~ susan
p.s. Next time I am sharing a smattering of the finished shawls from our recent shawl knitalong. I am organizing that now. Can't wait.

8 comments:

Kristebee said...

Congrats Miss Molly. Such a cute sweater. I was excited to see there's a lighter weight version of this now available (more texas appropriate). Can't wait to see all the goodies you've been busy working away on. I'm sure my queue will grow significantly. :)

Xoxo

disa said...

First of all: I have been dreaming all night (ok I only slept for 4 hours but anyway)about knitting your shawl and all of the yarn choises that might be perfect without ordering from the US. I HAVE to knit one now!! But now I have to think about wich one of your three shawls to knit......

Second: Looooove all the pretty sock!

And last but not least, such a nice cardigan Molly! Good job!
Hugs! ♥♥♥
Disa

Suzanne said...

I love your enthusiasm for socks and especially vanilla socks. I can always count on getting some fiber yarn fumes when I see your pictures. That's a GOOD thing. Enjoy the balmy weather.

Dorothy B. said...

What a fun read today! Congrats to Miss Molly on the sweater AND the appreciation. Applause is definitely not something most of us experience for our knitted projects! Besides all the knitting, I'm now inspired by thoughts of a nummy veggie burger and more in my favorite place and site of my alma mater. I just love you blog.

folksmith said...

i miss eating on the square where restaurant vendors would have food trucks parked around the square for lunches during the week and on Saturdays. it was fun to try something new, however, we usually stuck to the same trucks most of the time.

Molly's sweater is really nice, how fun to have something you and your further daughter-in-law can share,

Barb said...

As always, love your post. I adore your socks (and it always frustrates me when I read that the yarn is discontinued :-(.)

I especially love the applause story for Mis Molly. She is so adorable and her sweater is Gorgeous!!! I want to knit that, too.

Thanks for sharing with us!

Littleforker said...

Beautiful cardigan, Molly! It looks great on you! Susan, love to see all of your gorgeous socks. I appreciate your simple pattern that shows off the colorful yarn, as with your Yowza Shawls. I don't see how Miss Babs can keep up with her orders with Knitter's doing the shawls. You inspire me!

LaLa said...

Miss Molly's sweater looks amazing! She did such a great job!