honeymoon yarn haul!

November 10, 2015 by 3 Comments

yarn shop happiness!

My husband Chris and I honeymooned in Asheville, NC.  It’s a beautiful mountain town with lots of great shopping and dining and sightseeing, and we went right as the leaves were turning colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway (a very scenic drive).

Of course I saw a yarn store and we HAD to go in and buy celebratory yarn:

malabrigo yarn

The yarn winder in the store got clogged with lint so we left before they wound the last ball of the Malabrigo Sock (100% Merino) in colorway 121 Marte.  The bright yarn to the right is Malabrigo Rios (a worsted yarn that’s also 100% Merino) in colorway 850 Archangel.  Below that is more Rios in colorway 043 Plomo.

Malabrigo yarn is great, and I don’t get a chance to buy it in person very often, so I was very happy to find this store!  I have plans for the worsted already but the sock was an impulse buy.  Fortunately I’ve already made a Christmas gift out of it (which I can’t share yet) and am also working on a cowl with the leftovers.

The yarn shop also had Mirasol Yarns, and I REALLY wanted to buy some Nuna and Llama Una, but I figured I’d spent enough on the 9 Malabrigo skeins, so I’ll save those for another time (but by golly were they SUPER DUPER soft)!

Well, that’s all for today, I’ll show more about what these yarns turn into soon. Thanks so much for stopping by!  Let me know if you’ve tried Malabrigo before, and what you think!

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fino circle scarf: begin!

November 7, 2015 by 3 Comments

The Fino Circle Scarf pattern is a simple knitting pattern written for 980 yds. of sock weight yarn (I’ll share more about the yarn I’m using in a later post).  Knit in stockinette stitch, it’s great for showing off beautiful variegated yarns and for simple knitting in front of the TV.

fino circle scarf

Is it just me or is it really hard to photograph purples?!  This has some lovely purple-y shades but they do NOT want to show up on camera!

Currently it’s also hard to get a good photo of the whole work because right now most of it is curling up, as stockinette will do, but I’ll share more photos as the work gets longer and you can see more of it.

Well that’s all for now, thanks for stopping by!

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KnitPicks short interchangeable needle set review

October 31, 2015 by 4 Comments

Hello everyone, and happy Halloween!  I’m back from the wedding and honeymoon (pictures to come soon, when I get the professional ones; also thank you for your kind words & congratulations!), and I’m ready for more crafting!

If you’re anything like me you might have often bemoaned the fact that there’s no interchangeable needle set for 16″ needles (at least not from KnitPicks), so if you want to make a hat you have to buy each size in fixed circulars.  UNTIL NOW.  I had only a few KnitPicks fixed circulars in the 16″ size so the Options Short Interchangeable Caspian Needle Set still saved me some money and added some convenience.

The set comes with needle sizes US4-10:

knitpicks short needle set

Right now they’re only available in the Caspian needles, the ones colored with blues & greens, but I figured that would just make it more obvious which needles of mine are the interchangeables and which are fixed (all my fixed are the Sunstruck needles).  On the other side of the included pouch are the cables, cable ends, and keys:

knitpicks short needle set

Like in my original KnitPicks interchangeable needle review years ago, I have to share the pros of KnitPicks needles, just in case you don’t already know!  They are much stronger than cheap bamboo needles (and not really more expensive) and thus will not splinter at the tips.  The tips are also sharper than any other brand of needles I’ve tried, so it’s easier to get into tight or complicated stitches.  The cable joins are smooth, and the cables don’t kink and are very flexible.  My original set of the Sunstruck interchangeable is just as good as new years later, so I’m sure these will be a great investment also.  For $44.99 this is definitely worth nabbing, and hopefully soon they will release additional needles in smaller and larger sizes so that I can add to the set.

Now, to get knitting on some hats for Christmas gifts (yep, it’s definitely that time)!  Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried KnitPicks needles before or if you’ve ordered this set — I’d love to know what you think!

Thanks so much for stopping by, see you soon!

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fun containers (yes, containers)!

October 13, 2015 by 8 Comments

How do you store your crochet and knitting stuff?  I like the practical but I also really love the unusual, especially combined with sentimental, and that perfectly describes what I keep [some of] my hooks in next to my armchair:

new header image

It’s an old plant frog, I think they’re called, and it’s made by Camark (a now closed pottery company in Camden, Arkansas, where a family member of mine used to work).  It’s special to me and I’m so happy that I can use it for something I love!  The mug to the left was my grandmother’s, so there’s lots to love in this picture for me (that’s why I made it the new header image for this site a few weeks ago!).

I do use a more practical zippered pencil pouch and a zippered knitting needle pouch for projects on the go, as well as a little tin with my needles and some stitch markers, but this is so much cuter at home and really adds some personality to my storage, hehe.

What do you use to store your stuff?  Do you have any neat containers of your own?

That’s all for today, thanks for stopping by!

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Hunger Games hat, try #2

October 6, 2015 by 4 Comments

Almost 2 years ago now I made a reversible hat with Purl Soho’s pattern, but I made it a wee bit short, so since I had plenty of leftover yarn I finally decided to make another one!

Hunger Games Hat

The firey yarn is in colorway District 12, and the candy colored one is in colorway Effie Trinket:

Hunger Games Hat

Both yarns were bought on Etsy ages ago, and both are 80% merino, 20% nylon.  Nice and soft!

As I said with the first hat I really like the idea of having a reversible hat that represents two completely opposite ways of life coming together.  Maybe I put too much thought into some projects, and maybe I’m way too nerdy, but whatever, I love my hat!

Hunger Games Hat

Since it’s double layered it should be nice and warm when winter comes (although that much insulation might not be needed often here).

This is a fun and easy knit that doesn’t take too much time or brain power but keeps the hands busy.  Perfect for a break between complicated projects!

Well, that’s all for today, thanks for stopping by!

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