Sunday was my second Blogiversary. Today I offer my first free pattern to you. A super simple, but extremely classic scarf.

The GameDay Scarf.

This scarf is knit in the round, for double thickness, and as it is stockinette on each side, it’s reversible. Pick your favorite team colors, and get to knitting!

Yarn~ I used 1 whole skein, plus most of a 2nd of each of 2 colors of Plymouth Encore, a 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool yarn. This scarf is to be a sample scarf for the yarn shop I work at, if I were to knit this again, I’d use something all wool, like Plymouth Galway (I love Galway). Or something tweedy, I love tweedy too.

Needles~ 5mm (US8) 16″ Circular needles.

Gauge~ Subject to interpretation. On this particular scarf, the gauge I got is 20 st and 24 rows to 10cm (4in), after blocking.

Finished measurements~ Also subject to interpretation. About 15cm (6in) wide, and about 164cm (65in) long. Before fringe.

The pattern~
Cast on 58 St. Join in round, being careful not to twist stitches! Knit 20 rows in main color (MC), switch to contrast color (CC), and knit 20 rows. I carried the yarn up the sides, although if you like weaving in millions of ends, feel free to cut the yarn after each color block.
Continue in this pattern with two or three or as many colors as you’d like, until it’s long enough, or until you’re sick to death of knitting it. Then cast off, and weave in ends. Easy!

Fringe~
I cut about 20cm (8in) lengths of yarn for the fringe on this scarf, and attached it through BOTH thicknesses.

I had this idea knocking around for awhile, and it feels so good to get it out. I also wanted some easy tv knitting. It really doesn’t get easier than this! Enjoy!

SHOP UPDATE!!
Today at about 5-6pm, EST, I’ll be posting a good size shop update, full of of Vesper Sock Yarn. This Vesper Sock Yarn is in a new base yarn for me, a 100% superwash merino, that is so lovely to knit with, I really hope you all enjoy it. I will continue to dye both this base, and the Superwash wool/Nylon base for awhile. Also, I’m just a handful of orders away from hitting 1000! To the winner will go my handspun sock yarn, just like the yarn I used for these socks. The roving will be custom dyed, of course!!

Filed by Julia at 11:07 am under FO!,Free Patterns,Get Your Yarn!!,Knitting
11 Comments

I Love Rhinebeck. It’s that simple. Really, it’s the perfect fiber show. Fall, Upstate New York, beautiful fairgrounds, all the lovely knitter folk that turn out, the best vendors a fiber fiend could ask for, what’s not to love?

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend. There is a new man in my life, and he came with me this weekend, and I swear, never in my life had I had such a zero stress travel experience. We had a great time, start to finish. Even with the long, long, ride home (seriously, 8 solid driving hours, and totally worth it!) after a full morning at Rhinebeck. Cheryl asked how I got him to come with me after we’d only been dating a few weeks, and I said after I told him all about the show, he wanted to go. He’s a keeper, I think.

Not only that, but I got to see some great people, not for as long as I would have liked, of course, but that is the nature of these things. At this point, I go to fiber shows more for the people than the stuff, I have enough stuff, you all know what I mean!

LINKFEST-
There was my favorite firey haired knitter, Jenn, along with lovely NYC knitters, Michelle, Jackie, and Heather. Not to mention Carole, and Kathy, and Laurie. The awesome Kate was there too, I watched Cheryl teach her to hand card, and got to coo over her adorable Tadpole. On Saturday, we ran into Stephanie and Juno, as they just got there and were making a beeline to the bathroom. I saw them just long enough for Stephanie and I to point at each others sweaters and go “ah!” (she was wearing her Kauni Cardigan, it’s to die for). I also saw Jess for a minute on Sunday, and introduced myself, she was definitely the lady of the hour this weekend!
There were more… um,
Ruth! I met Ruth, (again, I think, I’m pretty sure we met last year) but this year she was sporting a great little accessory, the wee WoolyBabe! So. Cute. Her wee little cheeks almost killed me! On Saturday night, there was a little gathering in one of the hotel rooms, and Kim had her brand spanking new Norm Hall wheel set up, (after 7 years on the waiting list) and allowed a bunch of us to test drive it. Oh, it was a thing of beauty. I love my little Joy wheel, but there’s just no comparing!

After the show on Saturday, we left at about 3, and spent some time walking around the little town of Rhinebeck, and walked around one of the State Parks located off Route 9. We walked on a trail along, but way above the Hudson. It was absolutely picturesque. I love upstate New York in the fall, and there’s no doubt I’ll be going back year after year.

What’s that? You want to see what I bought? Okay!

This was at the top of my shopping list this year. A Golding Ring Spindle. I’ve wanted one of these since last year, but hadn’t been able to make it to a show since last Rhinebeck. I’m thrilled to add this to my fiber gear collection. I use my drop spindles only once in a while, but this makes it so much fun. At 1.9 oz, it’s a little heavier a spindle than I’m used to, but since I like to spin thin yarns, this is just fine by me.

Then, since I got a new spindle, I had to have some fibers to spin on it! A stop at the Cloverleaf Farms booth fixed that.

This is 2oz each color of 50/50 Merino/Cultivated Silk. It is so yummy to spin. I think it wants to be a single, and then knit into something lacy. I like it so much that I just ordered a couple of pounds to dye up myself. As soon as I do, there will be some in my shop.

No fiber show trip would be complete with out a stop at Stefania’s booth, as is becoming my tradition, here we have some Corriedale/Silk dyed in madder, cochineal, and osage. There’s about 7oz here. I’ve totally been loving the orange lately.

I also bought 4oz of Cormo fiber to spin, but it’s undyed and just looks like a pile of creamy fluff. Use your imagination. Oh, and I bought this book. It’s definitely a great one to have. So not so much damage done this trip, and that’s fine. I got what I wanted, saw a million people, and had a great time. Can’t wait til next year!

Also! I will be having a mini shop update today, probably around 1:00 pm, EST. I’ll be putting up a bunch of Vesper Sock Yarn! I’m very close to the 1000th order now, and I’ve decided what the winner will get, but I’ll save that for the next post, it’s really good!

Filed by Julia at 9:05 am under Get Your Yarn!!,RhineBeck,Stash Enhancement
20 Comments

I’m here, and weather permitting, tomorrow I’ll be wearing this——-

Feel free to stop me and admire it!!

Filed by Julia at 4:42 pm under Whiskey Sweater
20 Comments

Today I turn 27. In celebration, I did what any self respecting knitter does on their birthday. I splurged on yarn. Seriously splurged, like Italian Cashmere splurged.

This is A.L de Sauveterre Estelle 100% Italian Cashmere. I bought it last week at my localist yarn shop. You can find it here in their online shop. I bought four skeins, you do the math. A very good birthday present indeed. I was very attracted to the shop sample they had worked up, and let me tell you I am never enticed to by yarn because of the shop sample. But they had the prettiest scarf all knit up, using four colors, yarn held doubled, as it is a fine fingering weight, in a 1×1 rib, on 4mm needles. I loved it immediately. So the yarn followed me home.

I suspect this will take me a while to get through, but I will be enjoying every last stitch. This may replace my take along sock for awhile!

As a birthday treat from me to you, I am updating my Shop with lots of Vesper Sock Yarn goodness today, in just a little while. You’ll also find lots and lots of Vesper Superwash Merino roving up there too, so you can spin yarn for socks like these, and also a few skeins of my new Merino/Tencel yarn. So soft. So drapey.

AND!! Get this, my little shop is very very close to having it’s 1000th order!! I can’t even believe it already! To that lucky, lucky customer will go a very special prize, yarny and/or fibery goodness, custom dyed to that persons tastes. So, get to it!

Now I must go enjoy cashmere, cake and alcoholic beverages on my birthday!

Filed by Julia at 4:38 pm under General,Stash Enhancement
31 Comments

In addition to all the projects on my needles right now ( you know, the ones that I’m ignoring) I started a new sweater. I feel like I’m totally channeling Adrienne on this one.

This is as a seamless, in the round, designing as I go type of deal. I’m knitting it in Rowan Felted Tweed, MC in Treacle, CC in Ginger. It will eventually be drop shouldered, with a crew neck. However, I’ve already encountered a snag in the width (i.e, too big) and since I’ve already knit 13″, there’s no way I’m ripping it and starting over. Can you see where this going? Steeking. I figure, since I’ve only knit 2.5 skeins, if I seriously mess it up, it’s a lesson well learned, and my only loss will be time. I’ve steeked before, so I’m confident it’ll be good.

Wish me luck!!

Filed by Julia at 8:44 pm under Brandt's Sweater,Knitting,New Project
9 Comments

So I’m going to completely ignore my unintentional blog break, and get right down to business.

I finished my Charlotte’s Web Shawl. It was a long time coming, having started it about a year ago in, um, April? Maybe? Anyways, the spring of ought 6. Then, a year later, I caught a finishing bug and whipped through the last 70 or so rows (the pattern calls for something like 154 pattern rows, but I made mine bigger, and went to about 200) then put it aside, again, because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make it really giormous or not. In the end I cast it off just to get it off the damn needles. If I recall, I started knitting it because I really wanted to block lace, that, and I wanted to knit something nice (and affordable!) in Koigu that wasn’t socks. Mission: Accomplished.

I used 3 different colors of KPPPM, and instead of knitting it alternating skeins every so often, I just knit until I finished each skein completely. I dipped into leftovers for the fringe. Knit on size 4mm (US6) needles, it went fast enough, but if I was to knit it again, (I’m planning to) I’d use at least 5mm (US8). It’s lace, you want it to be holely!

Here’s more photos-

So that’s the quick and dirty on that.
Next up- Rhinebeck!!! Who’s going?! I AM!!!! and I can’t wait. Also- making it’s debut, will be my Whiskey sweater. I’ve worn it twice now, and I love love love it. The will be photos before hand, so you can all find me and say hullo.

Filed by Julia at 7:43 pm under FO!,Knitting
19 Comments