Beautiful experience

Hello! Hope everyone is enjoying my intermittent guest posts! I am still working away at my twelve squares for my throw blanket, and I will post pics at some point in time.

I wanted to share this story about something I experienced recently. Unfortunately, my mother's aunt passed away last week. As I found out at the funeral, she was 88, and apparently an amazing knitter. She knit since her twenties and until the day she died. She had just finished a sweater for her daughter-in-law and a cute outfit for my new nephew Jude. But she didn't get to see them enjoy the presents.

I went to the shiva, which is a Jewish custom of visiting the home of the mourners for one week (you don't stay for the whole week, just visit whenever you can.) I often feel awkward when I go to visit a mourner. I don't know what to say. I feel like saying sorry is so generic and not meaningful, and can't even touch what a person must be feeling. My mother's cousin (who is the daughter of the aunt who passed away) had a gorgeous blanket in her house-- it was black with many different colored flowers and felted. I asked her if her mom had knit it and she said that actually she had knit it herself. Her mother had taught her to knit and for years she would visit her mom and they would knit together and she would learn from her. She began to pull out all her supplies-- needles (which the two of them had shared) and other small projects her mom had made-- funky scarves that made everyone laugh and admire how they were made. The shiva sort of became a knitting show and tell, and it lightened the mood. I sat and talked with my mom's cousin about knitting and she even gave me a few tips for my own project. When I left I said thank you for helping me and for showing me all these things, and she said that her mother would have loved to know that she had helped me. I could feel that this experience meant so much to her, and maybe it even helped a little. Knitting is such a positive, constructive activity that binds people together of different generations. I wish I could have learned directly from my great-aunt, but I do feel connected to her just hearing about her devotion to knitting and seeing her work. And I also feel connected to my mom's cousin and hope that my interest in her mother's work provided a sense of meaning and continuity as she celebrates her mother's life and mourns her mother's passing. I also hope that this story will remind everyone to seek out our elders (whether they knit or don't) and pay attention to them and their interests, because we may miss out on an important connection if we don't act now.

posted by Hila at 11:54 AM |

ps i am not a crackpot

Attention Bloggers: I changed my links so that they are automatically updated by Bloglines, but some people are not on the list because either you don't have feeds, or my poor bloglines skills caused me to leave you off. If you were on my links list before and you aren't now, please either comment, e-mail me, or tap me on the shoulder, and let me know so I can link to you. Thanks.


People who know me IRL (in real life) get to see my finished objects way before I post them. I update my blog, but it's not up to date. Usually the problem is related to trying to take the perfect picture. I gave up on that today. Here are some finished things that I have had sitting here for weeks or months without taking pictures. Click on them to enlarge.





Pattern: Simple Pi Shawl
Yarns: Rowan R2 Paper, Baby Alpaca Grande, Colinette Point 5, FFF Silver Ribbon, Rowan Kidsilk Haze.
Needles: Size 8, 11, and 15 24" circulars
Notes: This is a huge shawl. Max calls it a cape. I put my cell phone in the picture for size gauge. I finished this shawl eons ago...




Pattern: Sleek Ribs Tank, IK Summer 05
Yarn: Noro Lily, in my favorite color
Needles: Size 8 24" circulars
Notes: This is not technically a FO because I still have to sew down the straps. I finished this on the plane on the way to NY, and I did the crochet edge after taking a complimentary crochet workshop at Make. I tried it on, and it fits. That's always surprising for some reason...





Pattern: K2P2 Rib... no brainer.
Yarn: Madil Pierrot in colorway "Peace"
Needles: Size 13 straights from the yarn bus
Notes: This one's different... I actually finished this yesterday on the bus. It's for my dad, who doesn't read this blog.











These are the Kool-aid/Flavorade dyed yarns. The close-up ones are the big striped ones. I did the swatches by casting on 52 stitches and knitting in the round, to see how the stripes would look on a sock. The yarn is knitpicks merino in sock weight. I did the striped ones by making 40 foot skeins and dying huge sections of the hank at a time. I'm considering selling these 5 balls, but the winding took so much work that I would never be able to make back what I think they're worth.


Tomorrow (today, techincally... Tuesday to be precise) I'm going to The Point at six-ish with Hila and friends, so if anyone wants to meet for knitting, just come by!

posted by illanna at 2:29 AM |

Ransom... oops I mean RanDom.

The Fall Interweave Preview is up. The garments have pretty Fall colors and there are lots of cables and colorwork. Here's a smattering of my faves:





Then this caught my eye:





Interesting...3/4 sleeves are super-cute... hmm... what kind of yarn is that? Lion Brand Suede. Uh, isn't that polyester? First, save the nastygrams. I KNOW that some people like to use Lion Brand yarns, generally because of the low price, and I have used Magic Stripe before with great results. BUT, Lion Brand Suede is about the same price as wool or cotton at the yarn store. It's not an inexpensive yarn. Why bother making a whole sweater if you are going to make it out of polyester fake suede? I just know that if I were writing a pattern, I would make it with great yarn and then let the knitter substitute if needed. I just don't get it. I guess LB's alright, but it's not really of IK caliber.


I worked on my branching out a little more today at a park in Herald Square:






you can make the pictures bigger with one click

More randomness: Somebody googled "aqua teen hunger force yarn" and found my blog. Apparantly I was the first site on the list. There was also a search for "teen pictures" and "dirty panties" that found me. I know I have never talked about dirty panties, so I guess you didn't find what you were looking for, huh?


I joined the Mystery Stole knitalong.





It just seemed like something fun and different to do because it's really a mystery. Nobody knows what the stole will look like at the end. From the group homepage: "Directions are given as clues once a week for 5 weeks, starting June 3, 2005." There's still time to sign up in case anyone's interested.


PS: I changed my template again for no good reason at all.

posted by illanna at 11:48 PM |

New Day, New Post.

...by illanna


First, thank you so much for all your compliments on my Loop-d-loop projects. I am super stoked right now because Wednesday is the book launch party for Loop-d-Loop. It's in NY which is where I am. Can everyone see where I'm going with this? I AM GOING TO MEET TEVA DURHAM. The e-mail that a friend sent me said that there might be goodie bags. GOODIE BAGS! I RSVP'd for the event, and sent the link to my post from the other day with the loop-d-loop pics. Teva Durham herself sent me a response:

Illanna, I love seeing how you morphed the tee and the steek vest--like two projects spawned an offspring. Love the free spirit of your knitting. This is going to be such an exciting party because I'm going to meet several bloggers who I only know through web browsing. Hope it will be highpoint of your nyc stay. Teva

I almost passed out. I'm serious. I was fanning myself with my hand like the Golden Girls do. I am the luckiest little knitter in the world.


I found out about the book launch party by a very talented knitter I met at The Point. I've been there twice already because it's a great atmosphere. I really like the staff and the people who knit there. Today when I was there, someone asked me "so do you just hang out and knit all the time?" Since I've been in NY, I guess I have. I tried to not look like a loser by saying "I go out sometimes too," but it was already too late.


I got some awesome yarn at the point last time I was there. It's like Manos except tie-dyed, merino, and thicker. It's called Madil Pierrot. I'm making a scarf for my dad:





The colorway is called Peace. It seemed fairly manly. I'm also knitting Branching Out. I'm using some mohair that I kool-aid dyed a while back:





This is my public transportation project. Elizabeth Zimmerman says that lace is the best project to take on a trip because it's small and portable. She had other reasons too that I can't think of right now. Anyhoo, she's right. Only problem is that today the guy next to me was talking to himself so loud that I couldn't think straight, and I messed up the last row apparantly. I'll go back and fix it. No biggie.


I finished another project the other day, and I made it basically just to take funny pictures. My mom's cat got injured in a street fight and she had to go to the hospital. She has 4 puncture wounds- she must have been bit or something. They had to put stitches and drains into her shoulder, which she is not allowed to lick. The doctor put a makeshift t-shirt on her, but she swiftly ripped it off.


I don't particularly like this cat, mostly because it's really fat on wet cat food, while I eat canned beans. Spoiled brat cat. My mom begged me to make a sweater for her, which is the silliest thing I ever heard, but I made it anyway out of some Cascade Fixation. Like I said, I did it for the pictures. I made up the pattern because for some reason, there are no cat sweater patterns... hmm... maybe because cats don't wear sweaters? Here are the pictures. You can click to make them bigger, and I have 17 more stupid pictures like this if anyone wants to see. Don't worry, though- This is NOT a lame cat blog.






For Melanie:

TOP TEN THINGS I HAVE NEVER DONE.

10. I've never baked Hors D'Oeuvres in a baking contest
9. I've never married a woman without gills.
8. I've never drove around in a van solving mysteries.
7. I've never been a principal or a caterpillar.
6. I've never cheated to win a million dollar bet.
5. I have never written a letter to the president that reads: "Dear Mr. President, There are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three.
P.S. I am not a crackpot."
4. I have never sat on an apple pie.
3. I've never tried to dissect my own raincoat.
2. I've never drank beer that has candy floating in it. You know, Skittlebrau?
1. I've never stuffed my face with doughnuts and Duff.


I'm tagging Hila and Lazlo.

posted by illanna at 10:15 PM |

Finished Loop-d-Loop Projects

Today I dragged my grandma outside to take pictures of me. My usual photographer did not come to NY with me, and I miss him terribly. Here is a fun-filled fashion show of the projects I made in the last two weeks from Loop-d-Loop by Teva Durham:



Yarn: Sesia Bilbao (2 strands held together)
Needles: 24" size 15US circulars
Pattern: Yarn Over Steek Vest (I morphed it with the Ballet Tee) p. 104



Yarn: Noro Kochoran
Needles: Size 13US straight (from Flying Fingers)
Pattern: Corkscrew Scarf p. 40



Yarn: Manos Cotton Stria
Needles: 29" Size 11US circular bamboo needles
Pattern: Ibiza Stripe Shirt p. 143

posted by illanna at 1:47 PM |

for my secret pal 5

...by illanna


Hi there secret pal! Welcome to my blog! Here is my questionaire. Hope this helps!

1. Yarn snob? YES. I admit it. I am not a brand snob, and I actually prefer local/handmade yarns. I never use acrylic though. I don't even like acrylic blends. I just don't like working with it, or wearing it, so I never knit with it. Any Japanese yarn is good for me. My favorite yarns are animal fibers, even though I live in Arizona. Go figure.

2. Spin? Crochet? I know HOW to do both, but I never do either.

3. Allergies? Yes- Mushrooms and Basil. Please don't send any basil yarn or mushroom needles. :)

4. How long have you been knitting? I have been knitting for 1 year, but I can do all the techniques including socks, cables, knitting garments, lace, intarsia, the works. It's mostly learned from books because apparantly that's my learning style.

5. Amazon wish list? Why, yes I do! And here it is!

6. Favorite scent? I really like the smell of vanilla or nuts mixed with fruits, like cherry vanilla or almond peach.

7. Sweet tooth? I like sweets but my dress size does not. I want to fit into my knit tank tops after all.

8. Other crafts? I really REALLY like dying yarns with kool-aid. It's sort of my thing. I also like making stitch markers.

9. Music? For some reason, I always get stumped by this question. I guess I'm not a huge music fan. I like the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, and Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Michael Jackson. I don't like pop very much, and country is only good if it has lots of dirty words. I can play MP3s.

10. Favorite color? I like bright vivid colors. Here are some examples of colors that really float my boat:




I did not take these pictures. See this post for details.
11. Family/Pets? No pets. One amazing boyfriend.

12. Life dreams? I really want to meet David Cross and buy him a beer. I just think he's the coolest guy ever. I also want to live in Japan.

13. Favorite yarns? Self-striping yarn, wool, hand-dyed yarn, silk blends, hand-spun, anything Japanese. I like yarns that feel good in my hands.

14. Least favorite yarns? I don't like furry or laddered novelty yarns.

15. Knitting obsession? Felting, Dyeing, Addi Turbos, and cute tote bags to store projects.

16. Favorite items to knit? Tank Tops and Purses

17. What are you knitting right now? Well, I have 3 tank tops on the needles, 2 pairs of socks, and a vintage cabled tee shirt.

18. Ponchos? Martha ruined it.

19. Straight or circular? Circular are a better investment in my opinion, because you can use them as straight needles and also in the round. I might be a yarn snob but I'm also a starvin' student!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I only buy Addi Turbos. I have some bamboo needles and I don't really like knitting with them.

21. Sock knitter? Sure am! I make lace socks, argyle socks, men's socks, felted socks, and striped socks!

22. How did you learn to knit? Like a lot of people, I used the first stitch n bitch book by Debbie Stoller. I've been hanging around her stitch n bitch while I've been in NY in hopes of meeting her.

23. Oldest UFO? A few months, not too long.

24. Favorite animated character? I am crazy for "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" at the moment.

25. Favorite holiday? Passover!

26. Any collections? Well, not really. I have a small apartment so I can't really display tchotchkes very well. I do collect knitting supplies and vintage knitting patterns if those count.

27. Magazine subscriptions? I have Creative Knitting and I hate it. That's pretty much it.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swanson

I am really looking forward to getting to know you more, secret pal! I hope we can become good friends. All the hand-dyed yarn in the world is nothing without friends to knit it with. Thanks for coming to my blog!

posted by illanna at 1:36 AM |

what i'm doing right now

...by illanna

Look, I'm actually doing it:


I can't believe it either. Thanks Kiki, Marina, Hila, Katy, and some anonymous commenter who signed on as me. You gals provided the motivation I needed. Model-style photo shoot later.

posted by illanna at 12:08 PM |

MY BAG, BABY

That sort of thing is my bag.... baby.

Enjoy the closeup!!!! I'm so happy to have finished my FIRST BAG EVER!!!!!!!! It just needs to be lined!

Me and my bag:

posted by Hila at 10:12 AM |

Giving in...

I have made an important decision to boycott finishing. I don't want to finish anything. This means no blocking, weaving, and certainly no seaming. That's it. I've had it. I'm throwing in the towel. I just want to knit and purl. I am going to take ALL my yarn, knit it up, and leave the half finished project on a chair.

Before everyone sends nasty-gram comments, IT'S A JOKE. But still... I know you can relate if you are reading this.

posted by illanna at 2:24 AM |

Bits and Peices

...by Illanna

First off, I forgot to post a picture of my newly koolaid dyed self-striping masterpeices. I wound the balls into 40 foot skeins (!) to get nice large stripes. The picture doesn't show all the colors, so I'll have to take some better pictures when it's not raining.




I have been knitting up a storm out here in NY. I finished the knitting part of my Ibiza Stripe Shirt from Loop-d-Loop (pp. 143), which I cast on Sunday:




I didn't weave in ends as I went along. This was definitely a mistake. I have no desire to weave in those ends! I considered leaving them as a fringe, until I realized that I would rather wear a garbage bag than a fringed shirt. I should have listened to the Yarn Harlot:

I will remember that weaving in as I go increases the odds of having a finished project.
--Harlot, Y. At Knit's End pp. 153

Would someone please tell me to weave in the ends and sew up the sides? Without the seams it's a poncho, and I will NOT be a poncho knitter. I even started a new project using some Colinette Point 5 in colorway Mushroom that I got from Ebay. $50 for 5 and a half skeins... it's a bargain.



It's knit on size 11 needles, so it's sort of a tight knit. I like it this way, and I think it shows off the slubbiness a lot better. It will either be a t-shirt or a tank top... a very chunky t-shirt or tank top.

posted by illanna at 6:46 PM |

Show and Tell!

Ok, I am back and better than ever! Loaded with pics thanks to Illanna's uploading skills! Here we have an adorable pic of me and Jude (aka Jujy Fruit) in which Jude sports the not-so-well-fitting first project I made:




Next up is the delicious mohair yarn I bought at Flying Fingers which is so soft and has funky gold goodness in it. You will notice I like sparkly gold in my projects. This is to be made into a scarf:



Showing off its sexy front and back is my ipod case! It was a little too big for my ipod-mini, but still functions. I'm a big fan of stripes.





Speaking of stripes, here is one side of my alternate version of Zeeby's Bag from SnB. There are thin gold stripes in there, punctuating the other colors. I have the second side done as well, and am making a gusset which continues on to a handle. Illanna gave me this brilliant idea, and we are calling it a "husset." I didn't put a pic of that. Probably because I don't enjoy knitting the gusset as much as I did the two sides... But this will be done soon and then I'll be happy!



Now for some real fun. These are all the yarns which are going to comprise my throw blanket. It will be made up of twelve crazy squares. The solid colors are Lamb's Pride, except for the light green and light pink which are Manos cotton, which Illanna also bought.



Here is the first square I made. There will be four squares (hopefully) of this crazy purple/green bubbly-looking yarn, and they will be the four corners. By the way, this isn't actually a square. It came out to 13" x 12". Ba.



Close-up of the wild bubbles. I think this is 99% wool and 1% nylon?



And finally the beautiful stripey Manos twins. No introduction necessary...

posted by illanna at 12:25 PM |

Hello! My first blog!

Hi Everybody!

This is so much fun! It's my first blog, yay!

Introduction: My name is Hila. You may remember me from such blogs as Illanna's blog, which I am now posting on! We have known each other since kindergarten when my older sister Limor was her hall monitor (or something of that sort). I remember always being jealous of Illanna's superior lunches with fun snacks and also her very colorful and fantastic wardrobe. Illanna was always a craftster, with fun highlighters and stickers, and the most creative imagination! I'm so happy that we are still friends and will be forever and ever! Ok, enough nostalgia and tear-jerking babblings.

I can't wait to take pictures of my insane amounts of yarn that I bought at Flying Fingers the other day. Here is a Brief History of What I Have Knit So Far:

1) My first project was a cap for my nephew, Jude, which Illanna displayed so nicely on a previous blog. I have another pic of me with Jude and the cap hovering like an angel slightly above his head, but I can't put jpgs up yet. My computer at work won't accept the software. Ba....

2) An ipod case! No pic of that either.... This post is like Alice in Wonderland... "What good is a book with no pictures???" (Extra question marks added by me).

3) And a striped Zeeby's Bag that is so close to being done, and I keep stretching out the time and not working on it because, who knows, fear of actually finishing a very cool project? Or fear of messing it up at the end....

Ok next time I post there WILL be pictures, damn it!

Oh, another thing. I am a poet and you can check out some of my work at Zeek Magazine. Gotta love the shamless plug... hey that rhymes.... he.

posted by Hila at 12:24 PM |

I am loved.

I need to talk about the wonderful gifts i have received lately.

These gifts were from the Luscious Gracious troop and they were my going away presents. I never expected anybody would give me a going away present, especially since I'm coming back! I was floored when Kiki gave me this gift:


I took these pictures while I was still in Arizona, hence the sunshine. Kiki designed this lace pattern. It's 7 little turtles! She knit it with tiny needles out of chinese cashmere for me. Kiki, your lace work amazes me. I know that it's just tiny yarn overs, but I know that you knit your love into the lace. I can feel it coming from the frame!

Steve knit me this beautiful pouch. Steve's silk photos are on all 3 sides.


He designed the construction which is really unique. It has a little silk tag inside.


I treasure this pouch. It is amazingly soft and I was petting it for hours when you gave it to me, Steve. I just love it, and you are so sweet for making it for me. Thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for always including me.

The next gift came from Stephanie. She sent these Gorgeous (yes, with a capital G) yarns to me and I received them when I got to NY.


I took this picture in NY hence the lack of sunshine. One is wool, one is alpaca, and the pinkish one is mohair. They are handspun!! I have not yet decided what to make with these. I need to find a VERY worthy project.

Last but never least, Alison got me this wonderful book that I was coveting at Michael's the other day:

Alison, you are awesome. You know me so well. I am going to make every single project in this book before I die. That is my goal. I just love these patterns. There is a great intarsia flower pattern in the book that just might become my next purse.

Thank you friends! I miss everyone!

posted by illanna at 11:21 AM |

What I bought

Click on all pictures to enlarge...

What does one buy in the most beautiful yarn store? How does one choose? How did I choose? I keep going over it in my head: Should I have bought that huge 1440 yard hank of purple and black sparkly wool? What about that gorgeous raw silk? Did I make a mistake? Then I realize that there's always next time.

Here is what I did buy:

I had my Loop-D-Loop with me, and decided to make the vertical striped pullover from the last chapter. I live in the desert though. Let's do the math:

10 stitches per inch + 110 degrees = $1500 hospital bill.

So instead of going with a bulky yarn, I picked out something thinner that I could knit up on huge needles for a more airy garment:


Manos Cotton Stria. Soft for the fingers and charitable for the soul. The colors are fantastic, too. Here's what I have so far:


Hila's maniac cat, Artemis, especially liked it:


Don't worry... this isn't turning into a cat blog...

I get up to the register to pay, and I see a sign that says "Mystery Basket $2.00" and it is attached to a basket filled with the most beautiful merino I've ever seen. All are different colors, and some are a cashmere and merino wool blend. It's Karabella Aurora Bulky, and it is mine. Yes these were really $2 a ball, and no I don't know what I will do with it.


I might make a book of love to send to Max while I'm away. If you are reading this, and you know him or he works for you, don't tell him.

Pictures of steek tank and update on Pullover to come...

posted by illanna at 7:26 PM |

Loop-d-Loop Steek Tank

Hello. Before I talk about my newly finished tank top, check out this picture I took at the supermarket in Harlem:




Look carefully between the Chocolate and the Sticky Toffee. I am not immature.

There is a yarn store right near my house in Queens that is on my way home no matter where I am coming from. It is called Sandy's Knit and Needles, and it has been there for over 30 years, I'm sure. It is approximately the size of a small bathroom, and there is obviously no organization system. What's more is that they are a needlepoint store besides. Although it's not a "good" yarn store by any method of judgement, the yarns are quite unique. Most of the yarns they get are shipped directly from France and Italy; it seems that they don't use the common yarn distributors such as KFI and Rowan.

Nothing in the whole store has a price tag. The two ladies there do not know the prices- they have to look up the prices in a book behind the counter. Most of the yarns are still in Fedex/UPS boxes. For some reason, everything I ever asked for was "on sale." They do not have a sale AREA, and I'm pretty sure everything's on sale because they do not allow returns on sale items. Sandy's Knit and Needles is the Dive Bar of yarn shops, without the "everybody knows your name" appeal.

And yet, I keep going back. How (and why) did I leave with 7 balls of this yarn?




a) I've never seen it before
b) The yarn itself is striped (and soft)
c) I could never get it in Arizona
d) I felt pressured after the owner had to step over 6 boxes of yarn to find out the price
e) all of the above. <--- correct answer

I didn't know what to make, so I started swatching. I ended up liking the yarn doubled up on size 15 addis. However, the stripe effect of the strand of yarn did not really come through on the swatches. I realized I would need a drop stitch to show off the true coolness of this yarn. While flipping through Loop-d-Loop by Teva Durham (my favorite knit designer), I found this and this and decided to merge them. Ballet Steek was born:



AND the close-up:




I didn't take notes, because I wanted to be free. Plus, I did a lot of it on the subway and I didn't have the table room. It's pretty much the Ballet Tee from the bottom to the steek, then the steek tee until the sleeve division, then back to the ballet tee from the sleeves up. I'll weave in the ends and then have Hila take a picture of me wearing it. It's flattering actually. The color looks like the desert in a good way (as opposed to the wilderness tumbleweed way).

Flying Fingers Yarn Porn still to come...

posted by illanna at 5:59 PM |

Yarn Bus Adventure (Picture Heavy)

Yesterday Hila and I ventured into the world of true knitting obsession. We rode the yarn bus.

We got to the corner where the yarn bus was going to pick us up. Hila quit coffee, but I sure didn't. I bought a coffee and we waited for the yarn bus. Here's the picture we took of ourselves waiting:




As we were waiting there, Cynthia Nixon walked by. She's the lawyer in Sex in the City for anyone who has been living in a cave for a while. She didn't look like anybody famous, and I didn't even realize it was her until Hila told me. She looked like she was wearing Old Navy clothes - that makes me feel good because I am wearing Old Navy clothes.

Every bus that passed by got Hila and I more anticipatory. Then, it happened:




Hila screamed "THERE IT IS!" and I shuffled for the camera. We were standing on the wrong corner, so we got to run after the yarn bus. I wish there could have been a picture of that because it was surely funny. Instead, here are some pictures of the yarn bus turning the corner and parking.




I'm pretty sure I took both of these pictures in the middle of the street on Broadway.




The regular yarn bus driver needed the day off, so Kevin was our driver! Kevin owns Flying Fingers with his wife, Elise. Family Circle named him "King of Crochet!" Kevin is SO sweet and SO wonderful. Hila and I loved him. He took some pictures of Hila and I in front of the yarn bus:







Hila and I were wondering if the inside of the bus was going to be painted with knitting motifs and such. It was not- instead, Kevin greeted us by giving us each a pair of needles and a postcard! The needles were designed by Flying Fingers for Flying Fingers. They are purple size 13's. They are my new favorite needles. They look like Crystalite except they move REALLY fast. I wanted to buy a set, but they only come in size 13.

There was also a Lantern Moon Basket on the floor filled with yummy yarns. Kevin told us that they are sending squares to "Warm up America" to make blankets, and we could use the yarns to make squares. I chose some Colinette Tagliatelli and Hila chose some Zanziba. I thought it would be very fitting to knit with Tagliatelli in garter stitch on the yarn bus, considering the outside of the yarn bus is decorated with garter stitch tagliatelli. Look close at the pictures and you'll see it.

Anyhoo, here we are knitting on the bus:





When we got there, the store was absolutely amazing. It was by far the nicest yarn store I have ever been to. I was excited because I had heard that they carry every yarn and colorway of the yarns that they carry. They also have gorgeous hand-dyed yarns in HUGE hanks. Just to give an idea- Hila and I were there from about 11:30 to 4pm, just shopping. OK, we took a half hour for lunch but we had to get right back. My favorites in the store were the large hanks of Schaeffer yarns, Wool in the Woods, and Beaded Rayon. They also had a lot of Lobster Pot yarns. The store carried Japanese yarns, but they were not Noro. I think they were called Diaekeito. Needless to say the store was stunning. We were very happy:



The people working there were perfect. They didn't follow us around, but they showered us with help and kindness when we asked. Hila and I decided that we want Elise to be our mom. She already has so many kids, what's 2 more grown up kids?

I'll post pictures of our yarn a little later. Hila bought yarn to make a blanket, and I am making a pullover out of Manos Cotton Stria. On the register there $2 balls of yarn in the "Mystery Basket." They were Karabella Aurora Bulky... Gorgeous merino wool. They even had one that had 20% cashmere blended in! I bought all of them.

Hila's roommate related the yarn bus to the Fun Bus that takes people to casinos. They drive you to the casino and you are forced to gamble all day. It's similar, but I never felt forced to buy yarn.

Hila and I finished our squares before the end of the day. I didn't take a picture of mine, but here's Hila's:



Kevin offered to drive us to our door! When we got back to Hila's place, we spent the rest of the evening knitting. Yesterday was the most perfect day...

posted by illanna at 11:37 AM |

News

This weekend we all went to Lost Dutchman State Park. It is a beautiful part of the Superstition Mountains. Everyone was taking lots of pictures but I just relaxed and watched. My pictures SUCK. Go to Steve and Kiki's blog for the phenomenal pictures and enter their contest.


Tomorrow is my flight to NY! I feel so sad to leave Max and the Knitting Divas of Cool, but I know I will be back soon. The Divas all gave me beautiful going away presents, and I'll post the pictures when I am at my own computer. Internet's still down at home... it comes and goes.

On Knitting: I am working on the Sleek Ribs Tank Top from Interweave Knits Summer 05. I am making it out of Noro Lily, which is the yarn I used for the Hourglass Sweater. The pattern is enjoyable, easy to follow, and NOT boring.

Yesterday I bought Loop-d-Loop by Teva Durham, who is my absolute favorite designer. There will DEFINITELY be some WIPs from her book by the end of the week.

Next time I blog, I will be in NY. Crochet Workshop at Make tomorrow, Yarn Bus on Sunday. This is going to be good.

posted by illanna at 12:29 PM |

Knitting and Internet-use are inversely proportional

The less I use the internet, the more I knit. Evidence:



Dishcloth for Max's mom: I haven't given it to her yet, and I haven't finished it yet, but I will. The picture in the middle is the heart motif from Stitch n Bitch Knitters Handbook. The yarn is Kitchen Cotton. It's rainbow!!!



This is Anne of Green Cables! It's a really fun vintage pattern that I'm making with Southwest Trading's Bamboo yarn. I know that it's not green, but the original pattern is. This project is my long term project, because it's going to take me a long time. I like to have some quick projects and some long term goal projects.



Fuzzy slippers. They are HUGE but they will be felted and they will shrink to my size. The pattern comes from Stitch n Bitch Nation- it's the pink slippers with googly eyes. I used Plymouth Outback Yarn for the wool and some random silver fur from ebay (I don't have to link to THAT do I?) This pattern was fun and there are lots of opportunities for changing the pattern around. I am going to make a pair without the fur for Max, and I am going to put the Mooninites from Aqua Teen Hunger Force on them. The angry pink one can go on the left foot and the wacky green one on the right. Any ATHF fans?



Since the day I took this picture, I have finished the bag. This is the yarn that my sockapalooza pal sent me- she spun it herself! I have felt a lot of turmoil over this bag. I had NO idea how much yarn I had, because how could I know the yardage? I was originally going to make a shawl, but I ended up making this bag because I didn't think I could get a whole shawl out of the little ball. Then all of a sudden the miracle of Hanukkah happened, and the yarn ball didn't get any smaller as I used it. It's like the never ending ball of yarn. EVERY SINGLE ROW, I thought... I could just rip it out and make a shawl! I enjoyed the pattern so much that before I knew it, I was finished. I still keep thinking about ripping it out and making a shawl, but we'll see.

The pattern is the cabled purse from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It originally calls for one ball of Koigu. The pattern calls for 12" circular needles, but I used 8 inch needles because the stitches were sort of stretched. I have a feeling this yarn is a smaller gauge than Koigu, though, so if I used Koigu I'm sure that the 12" circs would have been just fine. The pattern was PERFECT and there was not even one spot where I scratched my head and said "HUH?" I followed the cable chart and it wasn't hard at all (it was my first one). The lining is knit in stockinette stitch, and stuffed inside the purse. It's all in the round, too, which is VERY nice.

Goodnight.

posted by illanna at 12:38 AM |

Has everyone seen this?

Knitted Shoes? Some of them are kinda cool, actually.

posted by illanna at 1:16 PM |

What do these 4 pictures have in common?

2 things:
1) Jillz RAOK'd me with ALL these patterns
2) I am going to make all of them

These come from Gedifra 021, a generous gift from the aforementioned Jill. I keep calling her Jill or Jillz, but I'm not even sure if that's her name. It's her blog address so I am stupidly just going along with it. It's like somebody calling me "Blogspot." Is your name Jill? I'm sorry! I really am enamored by the gift!

Back to the patterns. Are they gorgeous or what? The one all the way on the right reminds me of this pattern from Colinette Akashya.

I am definitely not going to make the pink keyhole top with a novelty yarn. I think that it would look really great in a pale green color, or maybe tan. That second one from the left is a doozy of a sweater. Yes, I just said doozy. Don't laugh- I haven't blogged in a while. I am looking for a good cotton that will knit up evenly on size 10s with an airy feel. Any suggestions?

My internet MAY or MAY NOT be up and running again. We'll see. In the meantime, go to Kiki and Steve's blog and enter their contest.

posted by illanna at 9:20 PM |

My Internet is down...

There won't be many posts in the near future, because my internet is down at home. The only place I can post from is Kidstown right now. That means that there won't be yummy pictures of my finished Hot Lava Cardigan made fro