And one more thing...

“There is a question I have been wanting to understand the answer to, but have been feeling that I simply can’t ask. Eventually I just ask it anyway:
Do you think there was a part of you that imagined the two of you would somehow end up together?

"Immediately, I wish that I hadn’t. The look on her face—a kind of juddering visceral alarm at what has been said…I don’t wish to see that look many more times in my life. “That would make me way too sad to answer,” she says quickly, and I hurriedly begin another question, about something completely different, hoping that if I say it fast enough these new words will chase the old words away from where they are hanging in the air between us, and maybe she will let me pretend that it was something I never said.

“No, no,” she says, and I can see the tears forming, and I think she means that she doesn’t want to answer any more questions about anything. I mutter some kind of apology under my breath.

But, even now, I’m wrong about everything. Mostly she is just trying to stop my new question. She has something to tell me.

“No,” she says. “I said it would make me too sad to answer but it’s also…”—and she nods even as her voice breaks once more with tears—”…one of my favorite things to imagine.” And through the tears, a beaming, almost beatific smile stretches room-wide across her face. “It’s actually one of my favorite places to visit.”"

- Michelle Williams, about Heath Ledger

I just realized it's the 4-year anniversary of Heath's death. His was one of the first celebrity deaths that really touched me, for some unknown reason. I read this and it was just too beautiful to not share. RIP Heath. 

Now for something completely different

I don't feel like blogging about knits today.

I don't think I've ever really blogged about *me* before. As fun as it is to read and write about knitting, I know I love reading blog posts where the blogger actually lets me know a little bit more about themselves.

Recently, I moved to Philadelphia with my boyfriend. It was a huge surprise, for both myself and everyone I know, but it was a good one. Matt took his job about a year and a half ago and I remember feeling devastated when he did, because of the 100% travel job description and I thought he would be gone all the frickin' time. But he wasn't and we dodged that bullet for almost a year. I even threw him a surprise going-away party when he first got the job (fail on my part), but when his departure actually did come, it leveled me a bit. During that limbo period between his job acceptance and start date, Matt had asked if I would go with him when he was sent away. I told him I might, but only if it was somewhere I wanted to go and only if I knew I could leave if things didn't work for me.

Last year before he was sent away we went through a lot of rocky patches. I think in that year we had more major blowouts than any other year we had been together (we've been together five years and a bit), so I felt a little silly even considering packing up and leaving with him. And it may seem like I left out of nowhere, but it really had been planned for a year in advance. And had he been sent anywhere other than Philadelphia, a city I had already been to and loved, I'm not sure if I would have gone. Because I've always felt like an East Coast girl at heart...I've just been stuck in the midwest for the first 23 years of my life.

And the past few months have been wonderful. The adjustment to city living with virtually none of my belongings (P.S. I'm a bit of a packrat) has been crazy and a bit stressful at times, but it had been pretty darn awesome so far. Which is a good thing, because Matt's 3-4 month jaunt has turned into a 2+ year project or two.

I miss my friends most of all. I miss having that circle I can connect with because even though I have been here for almost 5 months, I still haven't made any friends outside of work. True, I haven't really put myself out there much, but it's just been a little difficult. I miss having my knitting circle and my crazy days off where I would have back-to-back hangout sessions with 3-5 different friend groups in a given day, but at the same time this experience has taught me to be more independent as a person. And to truly value the time I have to myself.

This has been (probably) the best adventure of my life thus far. Since I've come here, I've moved out of my house and have found a job that I really love. Let's face it: I was pretty much miserable at home. And even though I am sad some days, I would still say that I am a much happier person overall. And I feel much more hopeful about my life than I had before.

Woo. That took a bit longer than I thought it would.

Not to say that things have been perfect since I came to Philadelphia, because I have actually kind of neglected a lot of the goals I set out with when I landed. I haven't published a design in months, which is one of the things I was going to focus on when I got here. I have several in the works and knitting season is almost over. I guess I need to get my shit together. I also vowed to workout and care more about myself, which has been extremely difficult since I've been working more than I was when I was back home. I've been fitting in cardio two-three days a week, but it hasn't been a priority for me. And I've been eating healthier, but Philadelphia has the reputation for being a beer swiller's city and I've kind of tried more beers than I care to admit.

My personal goals for the year include taking better care of myself (and not letting Matt talk me into eating Pizza Rolls for dinner), progressing in my running pace/time, reading at least one-two novels per month and really making the most of how close I am to so many great cities on the East coast. Ideally I would love to travel internationally this year, but I don't know how realistic that may be. Instead I will focus on long weekend trips to NYC (more Broadway shows!), DC and finally seeing Boston, the city I've always reckoned I would love.

And, on the knitting front, I have spent much of this weekend staying at home and nesting. Philly finally saw some snow and it was nice to trek across the park, carefully, through the snow and ice. I started knitting some Fletcher mittens (finally) because my hands are hating me this year. I can't believe I don't have any mittens. I also resumed work on my socks and even though I'm about two weeks behind, the peek I snuck of the last bit of toe will carry me through to the end...I'm fairly certain at least.

Oh, and I love me some Drag Queens. 

First World Problems aka Need MOAR Fibre Co.

Is it really that difficult to find a good mitten/fingerless mitten pattern for a skein of Koigu or two? I have spent hours scouring the deepest trenches of Ravelry and have come up with *nothing* that can please me. When did I become so picky??

Even though I am in dire need of mittens, I decided that two+ hours on Ravelry searching for the perfect pair was just a wee bit too much. So I cast on for another hat. Because I really need one more. Really. No, I'm just kidding. Just check out my Ravelry page (though I have donated a lot of them to my local Caps for Cancer chapter) and become both shocked and appalled at just how many hats I have knit these past few years.

The hat in question: Hineri by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

Since I never dedicated a full blog post to my knitting resolutions for 2012, you dear blog readers have no idea what my plans are for the new year. The full-blown hat obsession is what inspired my 2011 resolution and since that was a big fat failure (knit something new every month), I decided to loosen the chains a little. This year I am going to focus on trying out as many new yarns as I can and writing reviews as I use them. I'd also like to focus more on designing, but that's a whole 'nother story. I figure this way I can knit whatever I'd like and also widen my scope a bit...and stop stockpiling Madelinetosh.

While I had heard of the Fibre Company yarns before I started working at Rosie's (we stocked Terra at Wool & Co.), I had never really seen them around the Chicagoland area. Fibre Co. specializes in yummy, yummy blends and because of this I had written them off as, "oh boy. I cannot afford this stuff! Moving on..." and had left it at that. While most of their yarns are pricey (and understandably so), I realized that the world won't end if I treat myself to a skein of something or other. While I might never be able to afford to make a sweater out of Road to China, that doesn't mean I can't make myself an ultra luxe cowl out of it.

We got Fibre Company's newest yarn, Acadia, in the shop a week or so before I headed home for the holidays. As per usual, the fiber content was so luscious that I fondled the skeins a bit too aggressively as I put them on the shelf. So many beautiful colors and I couldn't help but separate them into the "perfect" color pairings.

Blackberry and Amber...driving me wild!

Rosie's currently stocks 10 of the 17 available colorways and each one is as yummy as the next. Acadia is a 2-ply blend of 60% Merino Wool, 20% Baby Alpaca and 20% silk. Those little nubby tweeds are similar to the ones found in Terra and are created by the silk noil. While this is the first Fibre Co. yarn I have used, I think it might just be my favorite to look at (and feel).

Moar yarns

This past Wednesday, I knew that I could resist the call no longer. While the Amber and Blackberry combination makes me swoon, I decided that I would rework the Dalloway Cloche in one of these luscious colors. Douglas Fir (far left) was jumping out to me, but then I remembered just how much I loved Pete's Habitat hat after I finished it, so I knew it would have to be Asparagus, the "springy" green in the center. I wound up my first skein, hunkered down and finished the puckered edge that same afternoon. 

Dalloway in Asparagus

Distractions never felt so good. This yarn is sinfully soft on the hands as you work with it. As I think back to the days before I fell victim to yarn snobbery, which is both a blessing and a curse (for my wallet), I wonder how I ever knit with anything else. I find myself having more and more #firstworldproblems day after day and the case of "when can I get more Acadia?" is just the most recent. 

No joke. 

In all seriousness, this yarn is wonderful. And I can't wait to use it again, perhaps next time for something more substantial. You shouldn't be afraid to indulge every once in awhile...except don't do it too much or you will end up #firstworldproblem-ing far too much. Oh god, it's a verb now.

Happy Heap

And with the third clue for my TTL mystery sock KAL being published tomorrow, I have to get on it. As it grows more and more beautiful, my production slows to an ever increasing halt. Bah! 

Happy Knitting!

-Ashley

Angstmas gift knits (and it's time to spin)

Since I never got to post my holiday knits, I thought now might as well be the time. I mostly knit for Matt's family, but sometimes a friend or two will be thrown in. Matt's mom is a fairly seasonal knitter, so I really enjoy making things for her. As I mentioned, I finished all six of my holiday FOs in just under two weeks. When I'm faced with the frantic, "oh my god! 20something days until Christmas!" thoughts, I always decide that I will knit something small for my recipients and accompany them with a bottle of their favorite wine or six pack.

Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig

A Cardi for Katie in 0-3 month size

Plymouth Select Superwash Merino in color 50 (.5 skein)

Size 7 needles

This first gift was for Kaitlyn, who entered the world on December 15. I had anticipated a post-Christmas arrival, but of course her mother just couldn't cooperate and decided to tack on one more Christmas knit. This was my first time using Plymouth Select Superwash Merino worsted wool and it won't be the last. My stitches look a little uneven in some places, but I ran into some blocking issues when my cat got involved and I had to pick it up before it was done. I think she has already outgrown it.

Calisto by Kate Kaplan

Mel's Calisto

Subime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk Aran

Size 8 needles

Calisto was designed by my friend Kate and this is the second one I have knit. My first Calisto was knit in Noro Yuzen, a discontinued dk weight yarn. Everything worked out with the substituting, but since I had such a pressed deadline and, considering this was one of my gifts that needed to be blocked, I decided to stick with the aran weight that it calls for. I bought the yarn on sale at Rosies and wow do I wish we weren't discontinuing it. This yarn is SO nice, as it's a blend of silk, merino and cashmere. I made this Calisto for Matt's sister and she wore it all week. It also started the fringe fever I have. Everything needs to have fringe! I'm even considering some fringed leg warmers, but I guess that has more potential for failure than anything else.

Smooth Edge by Veera Valimaki

Silky Edge

Malabrigo Silky Merino (I think) in blackberry

Size 10 needles

I'm a bit unsure about this yarn. I dug it out from the depths of an uncontrollable stash and don't really know what it is. I narrowed it down to Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend and Malabrigo Silky Merino, but I think the color matches Malabrigo more than Manos. Either way, this yarn is a blend of silk and wool and has such a nice drape to it. I made this one for Matt's mom and opted to use the smaller weight yarn because I'm not sure how she feels about bulky infinity scarves. This one allows her to wrap it twice, but at the same time it doesn't overwhelm like some of the others out there. The design is very clever, combining a herringbone print, garter stitch and short rows (my fave!). I plan on making another for myself at some point, but I'm still undecided on the yarn I will use. 

Hogwarts Scarf by Lauren Kent

Leo's Going to Hogwarts

Knit Picks WOTA in Red and Pumpkin

Size 7 needles

I finished this project on Christmas morning and was late to visit Leo in the hospital because of it. Not one of my finer moments. What can I say about this pattern that hasn't already been said? Matt's dad is a crazy Harry Potter fanatic and watching either Harry Potter or Love Actually on Christmas Eve has become a tradition of ours. Matt bought his dad the entire Bluray collection for Christmas and we both gave him a "Expecto Patronum" shirt we picked up at the Punk Rock Flea Market a few weeks back. I can't wait to see him wearing his shirt and scarf and rocking out to Harry Potter. 

Habitat hat by Jared Flood (<3 swoon <3)

A Stolen Habitat

WOTA Tweed in "Dill"

Size 7 needles

This FO I seriously considered keeping for myself. The tweed, cables and color just kill me and I wore it around a few days before finally offering it up to Matt's brother Pete. I haven't really knit any cables lately, but they are one of my favorite things to knit and this pattern has their fair share. I cabled this without using a cable needle (for the most part) and it went by really quickly once I got going. I hit up a yarn sale at one of my favorite LYSs on New Year Day (with some of my favorite yarny wenches) and picked up some Classic Elite Moorland to knit one for myself. This was my first time using Knit Picks WOTA tweed and I'm not sure if I will use it again. For more of my notes on the yarn, check out my project page on Ravelry. I also run the risk of having Tweed's baby right now (I LOVE TWEED. And fringe).

Welted Alpaca Cowl by Churchmouse Yarn and Tea

R Kelley's Welted Cowl

Knit Picks Andean Treasure in "Aurora Heather"

Size 6 needles

This last Angstmas present is one that I knit for Katie's momma, my dear friend R. Kelley. When R. Kelley first moved back to Illinois after a brief foray in Buffalo, I taught her how to knit, but she never made it very far on her own infinity scarf (bad R. Kelley!), so I decided to make her one for Christmas. I've never used 100% alpaca before (what!) and I don't know what is wrong with me. How could I not have? This yarn is Andean Treasure by Knit Picks and it is such a great yarn. Unlike the Knit Picks wools I have used, I didn't run into any knots or splits in either of the skeins I used. I would highly recommend this yarn and plan on using the other colors (gray and yellow) for an Andrea's shawl at some point this year.

And that, dear readers, finally brings us to the end of my knitted angstmas gifts. My plans for the end of the weekend include finishing up that Hineri hat. I did start The Woman in Black last night and managed to get 20% read. Thanks to my Kindle for making it easy on me. Oh, and I got a very nice package from WEBS this morning...

My fiber is here! My fiber is here! If anyone knows of any good spinning books/videos/gurus, please send them my way. I can't wait to start!

Happy knitting!

P.S. all of my gifts came accompanied by either wine or beers. Except for the baby and her breastfeeding mama. Yay!

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).

Relocation AKA what do I knit?

I'm heading back to Philly bright and early tomorrow morning. 6am flight? Oh, how you slay me. While I'm excited to get back to my own space and the excitement of my new city, this time around I can't help but feel bittersweet about leaving home. Things have been stressful and kind of worrisome within my family (well, actually, both of my families) these past two weeks and it has definitely made me appreciate them all so much more. I'm not exactly the warm and fuzzy person towards my family, but I can't help feeling torn a bit about leaving right now.

Not to mention the fact that I have to leave my four wonderful cats behind. And that pains me more than it should. Yep, I'm a full-blown cat mama. And they are my babies.

See? Look at this adorable little creature.

So now, with a mere 13 hours until my flight, I have to plan out my knitting for the next few months. I don't have a set return time for my next visit, packing on the added pressure of making the "right" decisions for my next knitting endeavors. And packing the right needles. And notions. And Ack!! Did I mention that I'm the kind of person who packs three-four projects for a weekend trip? "Just in-case."

While this post may serve as the BIGGEST first world problem ever, the question remains: what in the world do I pack?

-All of my WIPs. If only for the needles. This includes my Cladonia, Orchid Thief Shawl, Rock Island Shawl, Lemon Zinger hat, Matt's sleeves for his Ranger sweater,  and My TWO new cowl designs.
-Coastal Knits, which is a CRAZY impressive book that I bought myself for Christmas. I kind of want to knit everything in it. First up is the Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah Fettig...
-7/8 skeins of Quince & Co. Lark for said Rocky Coast Cardigan.
-4 skeins of Quince & Co. Chickadee for a new hat design I have schemed up.
-1 skein Dream in Color Smooshy in Strange Harvest for Kirsten Kapur's new mystery sock KAL (P.S. I still haven't finished my first sock. Why am I starting another pair? Because I'm nuts. Clearly.)
-1 skein of Frog Tree Pediboo in a terribly ugly yellow for a KAL with one of my best yarn bitches of Veera's Small Things hat.
-2 skeins of Classic Elite Moorland for a Habitat hat for myself.
-4 skeins of Madelinetosh Erin Heritage Wool for Driven, another Veera design. Even though I'm in love with the woman, I still have never knit a Veera design. This is the year.
-5-7 skeins of Knit Picks Palette for Peerie Flooers by Kate Davies, another woman I admire hugely. She has been through SO much and is one of my favorite designers. If you want an inspiring blog to read, definitely check out Needled.

Is it enough? Probably way too much. Will I still buy yarn? Most certainly. Even though for the time I have become disgusted with the amount of yarn I own. But you all know this already. You know that I hid yarn in my wine cabinet and my boyfriend's duffle bag. Yeah, I've seen that I get a whole lot of traffic from people searching for "storage for yarn hoarders." True facts.

This is the year of stashing down and minimal stash additions. When it comes to all aspects of life I wholeheartedly believe that you can make "bad" decisions...just in moderation. And when I say "bad" decisions, I mean things like eating chocolate cake, drinking good beer and buying soft, squishy yarns. I don't believe in giving things up in full force because it rarely (if ever) works out. At least for me.

Woo for stash control!
Geez I hope I packed enough. And I already miss my kitties. And I still need to update my Kindle and pot my Christmas knits/New Year resolutions. I'm off to a terrible start.

Happy Knitting!

A Fall Without FOs

Holy hell has December been a month.

I haven't blogged much lately (ok, that's a bit of an understatement) because, well, life has been busy. I've been living in Philadelphia since September and have been back and forth between the East coast and midwest several times over the past three months...which is a lot, especially considering that before September I could count the number of flights I had taken on one hand.

I've since doubled that. Yeah, it's been crazy.

Life in Philly has been good so far and I really love all the new experiences I have had. I've started working in a fabulous yarn shop (Rosie's Yarn Cellar, for any of you fellow East coast knitters) and it's been a completely enjoyable experience. I actually don't hate working retail for the first time in a long time. I miss my friends a whole lot and I miss my little knitting circle I had formed back at home. But it's been a great experience so far and I can't wait to see what the next year holds.

One thing I haven't been doing a whole lot of is actually finishing things. Because working near full-time, exploring this new city and trying to have a social life where I only really hang out with nerdy dudes (sorry guys, you are still pretty fun) has seriously dug into my knitting time. And how does this even happen? I have an awesome job where I can actually KNIT while I work.

1. Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood//2. Rittenhouse Cowl by Me//3. Bandana Cowl by Purl Soho

The first few knits I worked on in Philadelphia were ones that travelled with me. Matt's Noro scarf has been a work in progress for the past year. I kid you not. While I absolutely adore knitting Noro stripes (more on that next time), this scarf has mostly been a movie viewing WIP. I used two different Noro colors and a beige Cascade 220. It's been so long since I started that darn scarf that I lost the tags and can't even tell you which colors of Kureyon I used. Ho hum. They were both green?

That little yellow number in the center is a cowl design I started before I left for Philadelphia. I named it "Rittenhouse" temporarily since I finished it during my first week in Philadelphia, when I kind of spent most of my time hanging out in Matt's teeny hotel/apartment overlooking the square. I have several issues with this cowl, but I have since started a revamped design that I like a whole lot more. Rittenhouse (version 1) was knitting using less than one skein of Malabrigo Worsted in "Frank Ochre," which is a FABULOUS yellow...and I don't generally like yellow.

The Bandana Cowl by Purl Soho was my first project that I actually started and completed in Philadelphia. I whipped it up in an afternoon or so and love it so much. It's my first time using Rowan Cocoon and it will not be my last. This cowl was a great little one skein wonder, though I ended up making quite a few modifications to accommodate this (slightly) chunkier yarn. I wound up having a little walnut sized ball leftover and I cut most of the top out of the pattern. It still ended up quite large and very warm. Have I mentioned how much I love Cocoon? And the color, Tundra, pretty much makes it the best basic to add to my winter rotation.

4. Bandana Cowl by Purl Soho//5. Oana Shawl by Kristen Kapur//6. ORD by Me 

These last three projects were knit entirely in Philly. If you've read my blog for awhile, you may remember the silly idea I had last year to try something new each and every month. That lasted, oh, I don't know, maybe three months? While I packed an ungodly amount of yarn with me for my visit, I ended up not really touching any of it, because once I started working at Rosie's I was introduced to a whole lot of new yarns that I have never seen before. The past few months I have tried to use as many new yarns as I can, but I still have SO many more to try.

My boss, Lisa, is the U.S. distributor for Manos del Uruguay yarns. We carried a few of the Manos yarns at the yarn shop I worked at back home, but when you walk into Rosies it's Manos central, which is pretty awesome considering Manos del Uruguary belongs to the World Fair Trade Organization, meaning the company is 100% fair trade. You can read more about the company and some of the artisans at the "About the Co-Op" section on the Fairmount Fibers website.

My Oana Shawl is knit from Manos Rittenhouse Merino 5-ply (named for Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia) and took just under two skeins of Rittenhouse. The yardage is quite generous and you get around 250 yards of delicious Merino wool for less than $20. I blame this shawl, my first complete Kirsten Kapur FO (I LOVE HER!), for the crazy amounts of fringed knits I have finished during the last month or so. Seriously, need moar fringe. The shawl is featured Knitscene's winter 2011 issue and originally called for O-Wool Worsted, but when I saw this color of Rittenhouse I just knew that I had to use it. And I started it that same night I bought the magazine.

ORD is my newest "design" knit using two strands of Manos Maxima, an one-ply, kettle-dyed yarn. There has been a crazy love for seed stitch at the shop over the past month or so, but none of that holds a handle to double seed stitch, which I am CRAZY for. I cast on for this project on my way home for Thanksgiving and almost finished it on the plane. Yes, that is just how quickly it knits up. Mine ended up a little longer than I intended for it to, but the instructions include instructions for how to make it smaller.

Bandana Cowl v.2 was knit in Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky and was knit as a sample for the store. The yarn is rather pricey (hey, it's luxury?), so a small project like this cowl is the perfect way to stretch a yarn that would otherwise be out of my budget. Another thing I have been loving this year is tweed (again, more on that next time) and this is a really, really nice one. The yarn also comes in an aran weight, which I would love to try sometime and the colors are all pretty darn good.

While six FOs over the course of a few months may be good enough, it's not usually the way I roll, which is why I felt I needed to make up for it this past month. In the past, oh, two weeks(?) I somehow managed to finish SIX FOs. In two weeks. And, again, I will have to save that for next time...

It's good to be back :)