Vinny Vesper
April 20th, 1995 ~ October 29th, 2008

This is so. sad.

Filed by Julia at 4:03 pm under General
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Brandt’s birthday was yesterday. This is what he picked out at Rhinebeck for his present. I’m totally geeked to start knitting his new sweater. I’m not quite sure the design yet, but I do know it will be another zip up cardigan style sweater. He wears the one I made him last year all. the. time. So he’s getting another.
This is Maine Organic, from Green Mountain Spinnery. It is awesomely sheepy, and also something I wouldn’t have picked out myself. I knitted a swatch immediately. Though I think a 7 or 8 needle would be best for this yarn, I’m going to go with 6′s, so this will be a more sweater-jacket type thing. Perfect for layering. We’re big layer-ers over here.

And these are for me! I was so very good at Rhinebeck this year. Just these yarns and a pattern for my Mum is all that I bought. I think these will be mittens of some kind. They are from Zeilingers Woolen Mill, and I love them.

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Shop update tomorrow! Lots of Halloween yarns!

Filed by Julia at 8:31 pm under RhineBeck,Stash Enhancement
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Yesterday was my Birthday, and I have to say, it was flat out the best one I’ve had in a long while. Not that anything super extra special happened, it just felt like a Happy Day. I think that I am in a good place right now, and it was reflected on my Birthday. That, and I’m still all happy from last weekend, and I am *so* looking forward to this weekend in Rhinebeck. We’ll be hitting the road at some horrible early hour, it’s not a bad drive, but 9 hours long. So the earlier the better.

I’m not planning on buying much at all. I think my stash has reached critical mass, and I am overwhelmed by it. Also, I did buy a sweaters worth of Reynolds Whiskey yarn at Webs last weekend, so I am good. I did instruct Brandt to look for yarn for something for himself though. For socks, or a sweater, something not all too easily found locally. Mostly I’m excited to see people. I’m undecided on the Rav party, but maybe we’ll stop by. I also want chicken pot pie and marinated artichokes. So. Good.

**Shop Stuff- So obviously there was no update this week, but there will be next week, and it will be more Halloween yarn, and Wee Halloween kits. After this week, you can expect shop updates will be regular for a good long while. AND as a little Birthday fun, and for those who maybe can’t join us in Rhinebeck, all spinning fiber in my shop will be 28% off this weekend only. Sale extends til Midnight Monday.

Filed by Julia at 8:42 pm under General
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Boston? It rocked. Hanging out with a great group of knitters I’ve only ever “met” rocked even harder. I am now exhausted. I got in at 1 last night, scrapping the plan to overnight in Philly before coming home Tuesday. I must have lost my damn mind somewhere on that highway, and I think it was in the hour and a half delay on the Garden State, just to drive 6 miles. But it feels so good to be home. I’m not feeling the withdrawls of yarniness just yet though, with an insane amount of work to get done before leaving for Rhinebeck this Friday, Monday though, Monday will be so. sad.

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Back on the blogging wagon, at least til this weekend!

Filed by Julia at 7:23 pm under General
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14 hours in the car makes you tired.
But Webs is awesome.

Filed by Julia at 12:44 am under General
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For this incarnation of this sweater, I’m going with toggles. I’ve decided. The first time I used leather patchwork buttons, with a shank, and as much as I loved the idea of them, I did not love them on the sweater. So this time, Toggles.
As soon as I finish this cast off. I approximate that this cast on will take the better part of 4 hours. Oh yes. FOUR hours. But why? Because I am deep in love with Elizabeth Zimmermanns Sewn Cast on-Cast off. The cast off is sewn in such a way as to mimic the look of the long tail cast on edge. You can find it in Knitting without Tears. Good god I love this cast off, but each stitch is essentially sewn twice, and with 380 stitches to cast off, well, it takes awhile. But it is SO worth it.

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Day 9: Driving to Boston tomorrow! Maybe I should get to packing….

Filed by Julia at 10:13 pm under General
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Taking the advice of my ever-wise friend Claudia, after I finished the first sock, I immediately cast on for sock number 2. I almost always knit socks toe up, sometimes I find a sock pattern I like, and decide to mix it up. Honestly, sometimes I look exclusively to knit something with a completely different construction. Like, my Monkeys, I knit those top down. I’m currently thinking about starting the Through the Loops mystery socks, before they’re not a mystery anymore. Once these are finished, I’m going to start a pair with my Rocktober yarn. Oh, and Brandt needs a third pair. After all, it is Socktober.

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Day 8: 6 more rows of ribbing to go!

Filed by Julia at 7:35 pm under Knitting,Socks!
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That is how many stitches of ribbing have to be reknit on this thing. I finished my comfy gray sweater back in August. (Ravel it here!) Sadly, I picked up too few stitches for the front bands, that it caused the fronts to pull up and pucker a bit. Grr. So I put it into time out for um, awhile, until I felt like reknitting all those stitches. I ripped down to the pickup row, and increased every two stitches. Increasing to 1/3 more stitches than I had the first time.
I’m going to be out of town the next two weekends (Hullo, Rhinebeck!) and this is the perfect weather for this sweater, so I’m hurrying the hell up to get it done. So far? I’ve knit 6 rows.

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Day 7: Practice makes perfect. Practice makes perfect. Practice makes perfect.

Filed by Julia at 8:02 pm under Knitting
4 Comments

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Day 6: Thinking about doing a Fiber Club, anyone interested in that?

Filed by Julia at 9:25 pm under General,Knitting,Socks!
17 Comments

I love football in the fall. Especially on Sundays. I prefer the 1:00 games, when it’s all bright and crisp and sunny out, as opposed to all these late games the Steelers have been playing, but I’ll take what I can get. Funny, I was never all that into football until I lived in Pittsburgh, cause here, football isn’t a game, it’s a Religion.

I finished Brandt’s Gameday Socks a few weeks ago, before the first regular season game. I just didn’t get around to blogging them. Raveled Here.

I dyed the yarn for them, I had a couple of skeins of superwash merino from knitpicks hanging around from forever ago, and decided to put them to good use. I still have a ton of yarn left over, more than enough to make another pair of the same, which should come in handy when/if these ever wear out.

I knit them simultaneously, each on their own needle, US 1 (2.5mm), magic loop style. I knit the toe on one, then the other, then alternating increments of ten rows until they were done. I think I did these over two weeks. Just like his first socks, Brandt loves these too, but only wears them on Gamedays.

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Day 5: Stealth Knitting? Finished.

Filed by Julia at 9:20 pm under FO!,Knitting,Socks!
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