knitting lemonade

"It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?" says Anne in Anne of Green Gables. How right you are, Anne! I have no business putting a new knitting project on my plate, but I am wicked girl and did it anyway. But really, how can one resist when the project is titled Green Gable. How lovely is that?! It is from zephyr style. They have some fun patterns, but this one really captured my imagination.

Instead of the Lambs Pride Cotton Fleece the pattern calls for, I decided to knit it up in Peruvian Collection Pure Alpaca in Cedar from elann.com. I mean, a girl has to keep the green in Green Gable, am I right? Plus, I love the idea of using soft alpaca instead of cotton. The price wasn't too shabby either.

I am especially excited about this project because...I AM GOING TO GREEN GABLES!!! My friend Meredith and I just booked a cruise to Nova Scotia in May. We leave from Boston and head north and stop in fab places such as Quebec, Montreal, and of course Prince Edward Island (PEI for those in the know). I am trying to decide whether to knit Green Gable now so I can wear it when I visit Anne's house, or hold off and make it my knitting project for the cruise. I just LOVE a good theme, can you tell??

So I started a new pair of socks with the fab Cherry Blossom yarn I showcased in my last entry. I decided to go with a basic toe-up sock pattern...but of course we can't just do a "basic" sock. So I searched and searched my Vogue Knitting Stitchionary and found this stitch pattern:

It is stitch pattern 79 titled "lace rib."

So far, I like starting with toe. We'll see if I still feel that way when I reach the short-row heel...

Look at my pretty new yarn...

This is Cherry Blossom sock yarn from Sundara Yarns. Sundara just might be a sock dying genius. I mean look at it...Look at it! So gorgey. Okay, stop looking...it's mine!

And yes I picked up this Lovely a couple of weeks ago...



This is Schaefer Handpainted Yarn called "Anne." I love the blue and browns. Very pleasing.

I am in L-O-V-E with my new purchases! I know what you are saying, "Kara, more sock yarn? What is the deal with your sock fixation?" My answer is simple, "I am sick, sick person. I...just...can't...stop." Now I am on a mission for fab sock patterns. Any suggestions?

Last year in June, when Erin and I went to New York to visit our younger sister, we were on a mission...The mission was to get the yarn to knit a fab graphic sweater inspired by Raw 7 cashmere sweaters.

So thinking about what "edgy" graphic I wanted to put on my sweater I came across this from Domiknitrix.

I love me some Rosie the Riveter. She is THE edgiest of icons. So that was it...I knew she was meant to be on my sweater. While Erin and I were in New York, we headed to The Yarn Co. It was so thrilling to be in the big city buying big city yarn but what was most exciting was they could design a sweater using a gauge I knit on the spot and my unique body measurements...and believe you me, my measurements are unique! I had decided on Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino for my sweater. I then did a gauge swatch and they created a v-neck cardigan pattern according my specifications. All I had left to do was re-construct my Rosie chart according to my new gauge and I was good to go.

Here is my chart:

After some false starts and distractions by other projects, this is where my cardigan stands (this is the back):





Can you see Rosie starting to come through? I hope soon she will come through loud and clear.

Woke up this morning to a Winter Wonderland. Translation: Woke up this morning to a driveway stacked with snow.

Growing up in Hawaii, I never got to experience a "snow day." To me they seemed almost magical. I mean, you get to stay home AND play in the snow. How great is that? In Hawaii, we only got to stay home from school once due to nature. It was for a hurricane. Somehow not as magical. Anyway, I was kinda wishing work would have called a snow day. I mean, being a knitter, nothing seems more dreamy than to get my knitting and watch the snow...

Check out my little snow-dumped cottage...

I knitting news, I finished my Gauntlets last night. Hurrah! I am really pleased with how they turned out, especially with their fit. V. v. sleek.

Love the yarn.



Love the fit.



Love my new FO!

With two pairs of socks down for 2006, I thought I would do a complete 180...Gauntlets. Okay, when I actually think about it they are not THAT different. They are basically socks for your hands. I am knitting them in Koigu KPPM in P505. This is my first time knitting with Koigu and I LURVE it. I mean look how fun the colors knit up...

So the outlook for 2006? Apprently, I will be very well accessorized.

Pass me some lefse, cause I am done! I finised my Norwegian Stockings last night. Well, technically, it was at 2 o'clock this morning, but that's just being knit picky. Jeg elsker my stockings. (I must apologize to any Norwegians reading my blog for my certain mis-use of their language. I am just so smitten that I want to embrace all things Norwegian.) I think I need to just add some sturdy elastic to the top of the stocking and I will be golden.

Now I just need find the right shoes, skirt, and top to go with them...I guess I will have to go shopping. Rough life.