Closing Ceremonies: Booze & Yarn

Just in from the Knitting Olympics Closing Ceremonies, hostessed by Booze & Yarn. So much fun! Corinna made up these fab Olympic Rings, shown here by hardcore knitting maven, Sherry Heit (after which she hand rolled a center pull ball with impressive alacrity and precision).

B &Y teamed up with Sue Rock Originals Everyone!, a charity organization that delivers handmade knit and crochet item to women living temporarily in shelters throughout NYC. Sue provides yarn and patterns to anyone interested in making a project to be donated to the charity effort. I picked up yarn at the opening ceremonies on February 10th, designed a bag, knit it up for SRO and brought it for collection to today's ceremonies. Those interested in contributing can contact her through the link above. It's a great way to take a chance and knit something out of the box since the yarn is gratis. I experimented with some new stitches and knit in woven reverse basketweave to shape a compact handbag large enough to odds and ends and small enough to tuck under one arm. It's the king of bag I always want to reach for myself when rushing out the door, but don't have. I hope the lady that gets it is pleased with it. I know I enjoyed knitting it up.

Despite the bitter cold and 5mph winds, the event was well attended. Sue gathered up items made especially for the cause and Alphonse did a great "how-to" on his own Fisherman's provisional cast on. He promises to return to impart more of his immense knitting knowledge. Can't wait! Alphy is the translator of the Inger Fredholm book, Knitting With A Smile and a veritable fount of knitting knowledge. Watching him knit at the speed of light while chatting was mind boggling.

Participant received nifty custom made patches with the 2006 Knitting Olympics Logo!

After I download these pix and blog for a bit, FI and I are heading to the local Orchid Lounge where DJ Waxy Fresh is closing out his residency for the season. If you are a breakbeat aficionado, in the breakbeat wasteland that is NYC, he provides a welcome whet for your whistle.

Also slotted for this evening at O'Lounge is a friendly meet and greet for two fab beachhouse spots on Ocean Bay Park, Fire Island. If you're looking for a change from the Hamptons or Jersey Shore scene, then F.I. is a welcome respite from the summer heat. Plus the Kuhar's, who run the beachhouse, are two of the nicest people you could want to meet (and fun!).

Back to knitting: Now that the bag is done, I'm back to work on the Clapotis. It's been a bit of slow going, what with the wedding venue hunt and related thangs, but I psyched to get back to it. Love the controlled anarchy of dropped stitches. Also diggin' the colorway as it so matches the flavor of the work. Clapotis translated from the French refers to the wave phenomenon associated with the reflection of an ocean wave from an upright surface, created by the superposition of two identical waves transmitted in complimentary but opposite directions. u-huh, 'xactly so.

Knitting Olympics: Clapotis Time!

I finally remembered to take a picture of the
Clapotis. With luck it will be completed by Closing Ceremonies this Sunday, although not necessary as I am designing and knitting up a handbag to be donated.

Other projects OTN take me away from knitting this fun pattern, and man it is fun. (1) Socks: I absolutely had to finish a second pair of socks that were started four weeks ago. Slow going, that sock knitting, what with the bitty needles and skinny thread. The tension has to be pretty tight and knitting with metal Addi Turbos gives my hands palsy.


(2) Teva Durham's Lace Leaf Sweater. Making this requires using a largish size needle which is just the thing to counteract the sock needle palsy. If you're not familiar with the pattern, it's kind of nifty in the way that you knit up the bottom half and top half separately. The pieces are then joined with Kitchner Stitch. Good thing I learned how to do that with the Sock making.

(3) The Rogue Pullover also needed finishing. The pieces are now complete and have to be put together. As my second foray into sweater completion, I signed up for a class on Finishing, just to make sure to get it right. Lamentably, the product of my first foray in sweater making is moldering in shame on a shelf in the bedroom due to the botched finishing. Once of these days, it will see the light of day. I will pick out the scary stitching and complete it as it deserves.
My brother was supposed to get that sweater for Xmas. Then again, he was supposed to fix my desktop pc that I gave to him last March. Waited. Got a new laptop in August.
Ahem.

I also started (4) a baby sweater for a gift. No picture please. As of right now it is only on 4 inches long and not getting any larger. Lost interest in it rather quickly because it was just so dang boring to knit. I'll have to figure out something on that, find the right fun to knit and cute for baby pattern. The little one is still percolating until May, so there is some time.

Back to Clapotis:
I'm using size 7 Bryson Bryflex Circulars and Shimmer yarn in Turqouise Splendor from KnitPicks, 70% Baby Alpaca and 20% Silk. My hands are pleased with the Bryflex Circs. I recomend them to anyone that has any hand or wrist owwies that come with avid knitting and keyboard typing. I did the first drop stitch column before going to bed last night, and the second just before heading off the train this morning, whoohooo!

Sell Unwanted Stash

Ever buy some yarn and find that you just don't like it? Redistribute that stash by posting it for sale at KnitSwap- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/knitswap .
To post, to list your yarn as a specific item with enough detail that to describe the yarn, including yardage, gauge, color,dye lot, and whatever else you can think of, like fiber content.
Post a specific price for what you'd like toget for it and you can check your buyer's history on SwapFeedback, another yahoo group.

Oooh, Sale!

Kudos to knitters sharing knowledge! I found this shopping tip while perusing the knitting chats:

If you are looking for a ball winder, Joann.com has one on sale right now for 25% off. (No affiliation, other than being a satisfied customer.) When does the sale end? Dunno. I do know regular price is $33.99 and with 25% off, $25.49. Until March 3rd, there is also a code for free shipping: TAB60218. Standard shipping is $7.95. By ordering during the 25% sale, with the free shipping code, the winder will be $25.49.

Until February 24th, there's a 40% off the regular price coupon code, FEBH640, which makes the winder $20.39. You will have to pay for shipping, since only one promotion code per order is allowed. With shipping, the winder will be $28.34.

Your pick! 40% off reg price after the sale ends or free shipping code with the 25% sale. So nice to have choices, don'tcha think?

What Kind of Knitter are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Goddess.
You are constantly giving and are unconcerned
with reward, you simply want others to love
knitting as much as you do. If someone wants
to knit miles of novelty yarns, you are there
for them. If someone wants to learn short row
shaping, you can help. There are no taboos in
knitting, only opportunities to grow.
Everyone should have friend like you around
if they want to learn to knit, and there's a
good chance that your passion has rubbed off
on a few others.

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

Them Durn Blog Buttons

Are you a newbie blogger? Can't figure out how to add them durn blog buttons?
After some Google-ing, I found four different sites with various html code and also right clicked on the button I wanted to add. The right clicking brought me to a window, from which I chose properties, lo and behold it also gave me the .gif addy.
So.
I added the webpage addy to the .gif addy along with the html code and viola!, there it is: the Knitting Olympic button!

Erm, prior to this figuring out, I did send a call out to the blogging knitting world and got this stupendous helpful how to from Ms. Kat with a K, Official Librarian of the Knitting Olympics (Thanks muchly Kat!). Trying to actually post this on the blog did not work. The html codes became active and what was viewed were little boxes with x's, broken links, instead of the instructions. Oh well.

The bright side is that the info is out there, you've only got to ask :)
I've only been knitting for 2.5 yrs but I've found other knitters to be a superb source of knowledge and kindness.

Time to Swatch

Swatching is highly underrated. My New Years Resolution is to swatch.
The instruction for the Lace Leaf Pullover suggest a 13 needle which puts my swatch about a half inch too large. With a 11 needle, puts my swatch about a quarter inch too small. Too bad they don't make size 12 needles.

So What's The ShizzKnit?

I'm working with a Logan Green Botto Paola Yarn called New Relax to make the Teva Durham Lace Leaf Pullover. This is a 100% wool, so super soft, it's a pleasure to work with. The yarn has a made date, June 6, 2002 in Biella Italy, the home of textile production.
For more than 600 years, the icy rivers that roar through this Alpine town have made it a natural for weavers, who used the fast-flowing waters to power looms and clean wool.
It was a great score at Yarn Crawl Day One last year, a cone for $25.