The only prescription is MOAR CAST ONS.

I really did love being in school and the whole academic environment. These days, when I find myself falling into the unavoidable winter slump and feeling like I'm not doing enough and that I need to be living (?) more, I find myself missing learning. I realize this sounds pretty lame, because life as a whole should be a learning process, but it's just not the same (for me) anymore.

This is part of the reason I love working at a knitting store. I'm pretty much expected to be a knitting "guru" and should be able to answer most questions about most different kinds of knitting, whether I have done it before or not. I still haven't gotten past the cuff of a sock, but I've turned a heel. I have never done set-in sleeves...but I have. I was borderline scared of mattress stitch, but when a customer asked me to seam for her, I just did it. And it was great practice.

I am blessed in the fact that I am so passionate about a hobby that always teaches me. In the past two weeks I have "taught myself" how to seam, duplicate stitch, work set-in sleeves, etc. All for work. All for this part-time job that some of my careered friends look down upon. Forget about the haters; do what you love and what fulfills you.

Anyway, there's my rant. Now I just need to overcome the crippling fear of steaks (oh god, why?) and all will be good. I've been in a weird place lately and since casting on for new projects makes me happy, I have cast on for too many new things and stripes seem to be the theme of the week my life

My dormant Cladonia. Which I have touched maybe three times since I moved here.

I started a Delancey cardigan after lusting after one for a long, long time. Doing this as a KAL with The Sweatshop of Love group on Ravelry. I LOVE THIS COLOR COMBINATION. Even better? I scored the last of the Cascade 220 at Rosies...making my sweater super cheap. I will probably spend more money on the buttons because ohmygod I love buttons.

Fletcher Mittens by Amy Swenson, who just happens to be from my hometown. Which I need to just suck up and finish. The thumb that is finished looks like it has a toe attached to it, so I have one thumb to knit, one thumb to fix and two cuffs to pick up and knit. Why don't I just do it? Same reason I don't knit the lace section of my Cladonia: it's not neeeeew.

Another recent cast on...as in yesterday. This is my first time using O-Wool Balance and I love the colors. Aiming for some gradually changing stripes. I guess I had Valentines day on the brain when I selected these. Did I mention how that corally color is driving me CRAZY these days? This is going to be another cowl because I'm trying to figure out just how many neck things one person needs. 

Another shawl. This one is in Fibre Company's Terra in "Belladonna," which I love love love. It reminds me of the "Stephen Loves Tosh" coloway from the Stephen West shawl club...except I like this one better. And it's less ~exclusive~.

And that's that. I still have a few more that didn't get to be photographed (like my mohair/silk concoction from last week), but that's probably enough for now. Started planning crazy KALs with Andrea from work, but we are going to be strong and finish things before we even dare. Did I mention we are going to turn Rosie's into a hobbit hole/fairy wonderland? Shh...you didn't hear it from me. 

Happy knitting!

-Ashley

P.S. I miss my kitty babies. Buy me a kitten...

P.P.S. I still haven't started Matt's Valentine. Oh god why?

New Endeavors and Frustrations

Awhile back I decided to try my hand at drop spinning. I was deeply inspired by CatReading's handspun that I always see posted on Ravelry, so I decided that I too wanted to give it a whirl (hehe, punny). I ordered some Frabjous Fiber and a Schacht Hi-Lo spindle from WEBS (which still hasn't arrived even though it is in stock...GRRR, WEBS). In the meantime, my boss generously donated a no-name spindle to me.

And...I suck.

The hardest part for me, I would have to say, is the drafting. I tried learning from a youtube video, but I kept pulling my fiber too hard and breaking it off. Nicole showed me how to park and draft this afternoon, but I still struggle with the drafting. I definitely did a bit better towards the end and I guess this is one of those things where practice makes perfect.

Defeat also slammed me today with some designing woes. Remember those wonderful colors I posted yesterday? While the idea makes so much sense in my head, I just cannot get my vision to appear. On the one hand, it makes me appreciate just how much more I still have to learn and accomplish as a knitter. In the meantime, I decided to cast on for a simple shawl in Fibre Company's (I got the fevah!) Terra in Belladonna, one of the new colors for Spring. Holy moley it is gorgeous. And I'll be sure to share the pattern when I'm done...I know this one will be easier. At least I think it will be. 

Also, my boyfriend is still at work and I miss him.

Happy knitting! And spinning.

-Ashley

To the Future...Week One WIPs and ideas

I remember when I used to be a reader and a writer above all things. The two go hand in hand, methinks, and I felt the most passionate about what I wrote when I was reading nonstop. Those days have come and gone and I find myself feeling like I should be writing moreso than I want to write.

Knitting and designing have kind of filled the void that writing and reading used to fill. I feel like I spent the first half/three quarters of my life with my nose buried in a book, and, while I miss that, I feel more fulfilled now. I've always been scared of showing off any writing I may have produced, but with knitting it's the complete opposite. When I finished knitting something, whether it be my own design or somebody else's, I can't wait to show it off. I find joy in accepting a compliment on the street and responding with, "thanks so much. I made it!" Knitting has afforded the opportunity to create, in the way writing did, but it has also given me a surge of confidence that I never knew I had before. I still don't think I have what it takes to ever earn a living from it, but I'm going to have fun trying in the meantime.

Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse 5-Ply

The past few days I have been suffering from a crazy case of knitting ADD. I spent almost three weeks back home for the holidays and upon coming back to Rosie's, there were so many new things to be seen. And since then I've been looking at new color combinations that I'd never noticed before and seeing the possibilities that they offer. As I mentioned before, my boss is the US distributor for Manos del Uruguay, meaning we have access to most Manos yarns at any given time. Rittenhouse was fully stocked when I got back earlier this week and I fell in love with the combination of English (the sagey green) and Magenta. I threw in Nickel and sketched out an idea for a very textured, tricolor cowl.

Quince & Co. Chickadee

I think that color will be a HUGE inspiration for me this year in terms of my designing, as well as trying new yarns and fibers. I have finally fallen in love with the gray and yellow combination and when you add blue to that mix? Holy bananas. I decided to finally take the plunge and order some Quince & Co. yarns after lusting after them since they opened for business. Pretty sure. The colors are so rich and the yarn is just...so nice to the touch. I have the feeling I am going to end up ordering more. These four colors will be used for a hat I've planned out. I really can't wait to get started on this one.

Noro Silk Garden

I've been working with these two colors (252 & 349) of Silk Garden for awhile now. My initial plan for them was to design a fringed stripe/chevron shawl, but that ended up turning out to be fuuuuugly. I spent Christmas Eve frogging the whole damn thing (took me HOURS) and recast on for a multidirectional, fringed chevron cowl. I guess you can't have it all? I am really excited for this to be done, but it has been taking me a little longer than I had anticipated. Impatient Ashley is impatient.

So while I love that all this creativity is finally pouring out of me again, I can't help but hate it at the same time. The feeling of needing more hours in the day (and I only work part-time right now) is overwhelming, especially when you are trying to stick to a 2-3 mile a day plan as well.

Through the Loops Mystery Sock KAL 2012

My WIPs for today (and this weekend) include the first clue in Kirsten Kapur's TTL Mystery Sock KAL 2012. I am absolutely in love right now. Two of my best yarnie friends were going to do a KAL and, while I love Kirsten Kapur and her designs, I wasn't too interested in knitting any socks. If you will remember my Socktober socks, you will (not) be shocked to read that they have not been touched since mid-October. That was before I decided to spoil myself and take a peek at the WIPs from the first week. That cuff sold me and I bought the pattern that very afternoon. I'm even using stash (!!!) yarn (Dream in Color Smooshy in "Strange Harvest") and I love it too. I'm knitting both socks at the same time, which is very fiddly and tedious, but I know I will thank myself in the end. Because this time there will be an end. Muahahahahahahahah. And I will definitely use this yarn again.

Hineri hat

When I packed for winter in Philly, I did not anticipate just how windy the city can be. I packed my Capucine, which is my favorite hat knit out of the beautifully luxurious Elsebeth Lavold Angora, but it doesn't stay on my head all that well. One of the pleasant surprises I faced when returning to Rosie's was a wall full of Rowan Cocoon, which I used for my Bandana cowl a few months back. I dug into the far reaches of my Ravelry Queue and found the Hineri hat by Olga, the perfect one skein project for one of my new favorites. It works up super quickly and would not be surprised in the least if I finish it by the time Matt comes home from work. I just hope it's long enough to cover my ears; nothing is worse than cold ears.

As my beloved day off comes to a close, I should conclude that my other weekend goals are to run 4 miles and (finally) start reading The Woman in Black so that I can finish it before the movie is released.

Happy knitting! And sorry for the hipster instagrams :p

P.S. I lobbed off all my hair. And today I like it (most days I don't).

New Adventures in Test Knitting

When I began designing Novella Shrug a few months back (wow, was it really April?), my boss approached me about selling my design in the shop. I was a bit apprehensive for a few reasons, but the thing that really deterred me was the potential for failure.

I edit my patterns pretty thoroughly before publication and even ask friends to test them for me when they can. Even with the utmost scrutiny things can go wrong and we may miss something. With Novella, I tried to offer up three different sizes (in two different weights), but sizing can be very difficult. With Ravelry, if you discover an error you can send out a mass message to your buyers, and selling it in the shop wouldn't offer me that option. 

So I opted for test knitters. And it was pretty great. 

Test knitting allows you the opportunity to work out any (and most) kinks before publication, you can cover all sizes you'd like and you don't have to beg your friends to knit for you :) Plus the results can be pretty awesome.

By Qtpieknitter

By ConnieCaps

By Abby21230

By spdsk8lil

By Me!

Pattern testing also allowed me to see what my design, an all-over lace pattern, would look like in a variegated yarn. All in all, it's a thumbs up for pattern testing and now I'm ready for Sock Summit!

Happy Knitting!

Blue on the brain (and I must be insane)

I find myself buying more and more colors I used to stay away from. Take blue, for instance, which seems to have invaded my life lately. Either that or I am becoming more and more like my crazy boss lady ;)

Cool colors

I guess I should also mention that I have WIP fever and have cast on for three new projects this week. Because, yeah know, you can never have too many WIPs.

I kid! I kid! But I have so many design ideas and very little time to get to work. I figure it's better to cast on and see how it goes. Now, what's buried in that pile?

The never-progressing Rock Island

July's Orchid Thief KAL

Novella Shrug (in tosh dk!)

WIP hat design in Malabrigo

Design WIP in Lorna's Laces

Oh, and P.S...I wound my Solemate :)

He Who Must Not Be Named//Lorna's Laces Solemate

What are your go-to colors for this season? As much as I am enjoying this weather, I almost can't wait until Fall and all those fabulous warm colors. Each year it's like coming home.

Happy Knitting!

FO Freeforall

So, I have been a busy girl. Since I have been neglecting my blogging these past few weeks, I have three FOs to share before I head up to the lake for the weekend (woohoo!).

 First up is my Novella shrug knit in a dk weight. This is my first time using Classic Elite Firefly and I wasn't exactly sold on it as I knit this up. But after soaking and blocking, I can really see the appeal. It hangs so nicely and the colors available are superb. Plus I used exactly 1.5 skeins for this shrug, so a little goes a long way. I would definitely use it again, plus the mermaid color kind of holds my heart.

Novella Shrug

Yarn: Classic Elite Firefly in 'Corsica" (approximately 235 yards)

Needles: Size 6

 The second FO I'd like to share is another one of my designs, this time it is Pucker Up. I finally tracked down my Madelinetosh Tosh Merino DK in Earl Grey, so I used that. I would have to say that this is one of my favorite tosh colorways (I know, I know, I say that all the time). The photos don't do this color justice, but I tried as hard as I could to capture the beauty of it. I guess you could call this my "Semi-Precious Pucker Up" because of all the wonderful metallic shades. I had to modify the pattern ever so slightly to accommodate the dk weight yarn, but it fits a little better than my first Pucker Up.

Pucker Up

Yarn: Tosh Merino dk in 'Earl Grey'

Needles: Size 7

And the last FO is my first EVER Ysolda project. Why has it taken me so long? I thought this hat pattern (the Snapdragon Tam) was so much fun to knit and I want to make so many more! I used Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage for this project and it was the bounciest yarn I have ever used. The color (Candlewick) also convinced me that yellow might not be all that bad. Photo credit to Kate of A Ubiquitous Mind for those last two shots.

Snapdragon Tam

Yarn: Tosh Vintage (Candlewick)

Needles: Size 7

Happy Knitting!

Novella Shrug, Sale, & Giveaway!

It has been long, too long really. I can't believe I've gone so long without a post.

This week has been crazy busy workwise and I have also cast on for three new projects (bad girl). But, for the sake of time, I will save those for tomorrow.

Last week I posted about my Novella Shrug (and Stole). After about a month and a half of knitting, I finally finished it and published the pattern on Ravelry. Even though it took awhile to knit and write up, I love it so much. And wear it pretty much 2-3 times a week.

Did I mention that dear Novella only takes one skein of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (for 2 of the 3 sizes)? Talk about a great one skein wonder! Queue it up here, where it is on sale for $4 until June 1. Did I mention Tosh Merino Light has pretty much become my most favorite yarn?

And, as the subject line states, I'll be giving away one of my pattern designs (your choice) to a random commenter. So, please comment with your favorite summer pattern/yarn and I will choose a winner next Tuesday.

FO sneak peak: Novella shrug/stole

So, I take it you all remember this little bad boy:

Well, The Shrug That Would Not Shrug is finally complete. And here is your first (tiny) peek at the FO.

I can't wait to share more photos with everyone, but I want to make sure I have the pattern typed up first. Now, excuse me while I cease to exist for the next few days (finals, back-to-back work shifts, test knitting, etc.).

My goal is to have the pattern available for release on Friday! Check out the Novella Shrug here.

My trip to Lorna's Laces (and a sale heads up!)

All has been quiet on the (Mid)western front.


Still, I chug along on my little shrug, which is damn near completion (still!) and, as I close in on the end of my skein, I think I shall have enough. A one skein shrug! Woohoo.

Action shot

Kate took this photo for me at the shop last week. At this point, I had one sleeve to go (pre-blocking). The trouble is is that I didn't measure the length of my swatch pre-blocked...only post-blocked. Ho hum, I may need to swatch some more. A swatcher's life is never done.


Also, I may mentioned this (or maybe not), but I ventured into the city this past weekend with the Fox Valley Knitter's Guild. We stormed the Lorna's Laces factory sale and I managed to snatch up some millends at great prices. Unfortunately, another group laid siege upon the building before we got there and that group CLEANED. UP. I won't be bitter, though, because I did find some nice skeins of Shepherd Sock that will make lovely shawls. The only thing I was really bummed about was that I didn't get any Helen's Lace, which I have been coveting ever since Rock Island was published.


Oh, woe is me.


Ok, not really, because, as we all know, the last thing I need is more yarn. Matt's mom managed to snag up a skein of Helen's Lace in "Kerfuffle" (woohoo!), which is a truly beautiful dark blue. I'm going to help find her a pattern. Huzzah for living vicariously.

Now, the Guild mentioned that tours would not be offered, so I didn't think to bring my camera. I did snap a few photos with my phone and I'll share those with you. Since they're carried at many different online retailers (and local shops), I thought Lorna's Laces would be much larger. But it's tiny! And it really makes you appreciate the work that goes into their yarn that much more.

Here we are!

Yarn waiting to go to happy, happy homes

Drying yarn (and yarn monster)

Kind of in love with this mystery color

Eliza with my haul

Eliza om noming my haul

I also wanted to mention a knitting related sale I stumbled upon this morning.
20% off EVERYTHING at the Knot Another Hat website. This includes Addi Turbos (and the interchangeable sets) AND Lantern Moon interchangeable sets. Oh, how I covet those Lantern Moon needles! Someone please buy them so that I can live vicariously? No? Ok, well I guess I shall have to live.

Just enter code KAHGO when you check out. This was my first time using them and they had shipped my order within three hours of placing it. I like the sound of that!