Fresh Ink!

by Agustin at Sacred Tattoo on B'way in NYC. It's about 1-1/2" x 2" on the inside of my left wrist.

It's so rad! It looks 20x better than the cartoony drawing I was working from! Thanks so much to the NYC SNB gals to helped to make it possible!!! Hope you kids like it!!

Why my SNB is the best out there

I love my SNB guys and gals. Seriously, they're amazing.

Tuesday night Adina Klein (I have no idea how to spell that, my issue of VK is in the other room, and the VK website is down) came to our SNB and did a bit of a run through of what's in this issue of the magazine. A few of us got to try on some stuff. Here's a quick look:


Jessaymn models one of the 25th anniversary scarves (I think this is actually the cover project)


Isn't she fabulous!!?? We even managed to get one of our other fancy gals to try on a little glitter!



I tried on a DKNY ski sweater that I've decided I must knit. Excuse the squinty face, but its really a happy squinty face!!



It was so very comfortable, oversized, and knit with Lions Brand Cashmere Blend. I"m not a huge Lions Brand fan...but this yarn was SUPER comfortable, SUPER warm and just super all around. Really made me change what I think about Lions Brand, and if I can't find anything suitable at Rhinebeck to knit this sweater out of, I might even buy some Lions Brand Cashmere Blend for it!

After the VK showcase, we all chatted. There were so many SNBers there! Michelle came for the night, and we've been seeing less and less of Heather! It was awesome to see everyone! On monday, in a fit of excitement I emailed my SNB gals that I'm getting that knitting tattoo I've been talking about for months! I made the appointment for Saturday and decided it was going to be an early birthday gift for myself. Well, on tuesday they all got together and decided to buy my tattoo for me!!! Now, not only will the tattoo have the meaning of my passion for knitting, but it will also be a constant reminder of my SNB gals and how much they all mean to me!!! How awesome are these folks!?!? Seriously, I know I've thanked you all a million times, but I love you all thank you so much!!!

Here's a shot of the card they all signed (isn't it just adorable and awesome!!??) alongside a nifty coin bank my roommate picked up at a quirky store in Jersey.


The smaller print on the tin says "Is wool your dirty little secret too?" There's a woman on the side saying "I need half a gram of wool and quick! I'm starting to come down..." and there's a warning on the other side that "sharing knitting needles can be hazardous to your health" It's so awesome!

Getting back to the tattoo: when I got to the studio on Monday, the dude took a quick glance at the pages of my notebook and said "oh, a knitting tattoo!" There wasn't even really all that much knitting related on it, just a few sketches of balls of yarn, but it was a good sign. When we were talking about when to do it, he suggested a day, i was busy, I suggested a day, he was busy, and then I was like, "well...the weekend after that I'm actually headed to a knitting thing, so it can't be then" and he was like, "well, you've got to get it done before then!" I'm so excited and curious to see what he did with the drawing I gave him. I'll be sure to post photos as soon as I get them!

I had to rip back the Berkshire pullover twice, so I'm on attempt number three. The first one was way too small, the second one was way too big, and this one looks rather on target.

Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks are about halfway through the faire Isle on the second sock. It hasn't been knitted as much because of the Berkshire pullover. They're so close to completion and will probably be done sometime next weekend.

Overheard In A Yarn shop continues... It's only been around for a week and it seems to be getting a decent number of hits a day. I didn't post tonight cause I've been working on this blog and to be frank, I didn't get any submissions to use. I realize that I seriously need to get the point out. Kimmy mentioned that I should get a contest of some sort. I should find some local or smallish yarn company trying to get its start, get them to donate a prize or two and get the word out. I'm, frankly, thinking this could be a great opportunity to get a good banner and button...I just need to do a bit of research, which I'll do when I get down to it, but I've got a lot of stuff going on, what with the birthday and going to Rhode Island and all that jazz. Looking for smaller yarn folk might be kinda fun though!

Anyway, I desperately need submissions, so keep your ears open, blog about it etc. Submissions can be sent to overheardinayarnsop(at)gmail(dot)com. It's really only going to be as awesome as the submissions allow, and there's only so many times I can post crazy hearings or - worse - my own mutterings at The Point before I even end up getting bored!

New Project!!

Of the interweb variety! Check it out!

Overheard In A Yarn Shop

Button to come...pretty much everything to come, but it's there!

---

Note to self:
Berkshire Pullover, take out neckline, and un-cast off 2 columns around neck. When casting off neckline, use the sewn bind off (Knitting Without Tears). Completely frog Berkshire Pullover and re-knit in much larger size for sweatshirt like feel. This sweater, upon further reflection needs way POSITIVE ease, not negative ease. I still think I'll be able to finish it before Rhinebeck though.

I have much to report on

Where have I been?


Burning Man. I've been at Burning Man. So, sorry for not posting, but I really had a good time. To check out the photos I took while I was there go here.

I did manage to finish one of my Jack Sparrows favorite socks while I was waiting for the plane. Here's a photo of it not so finished:


Quite bright eh? But I really like them that way. The fair isle isn't really that bad if you twist the color you're not using every time you switch colors or after every 3 or four stitches. I think you have to wrap it more because it's in a circle. I'm sorta hoping to get the other one done before National Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19th).

So before I went away, at the last minute, I put Icarus out to block.


And when I came back, all I wanted to do was flop on my bed. Until, that is, I saw the beautiful Icarus lying there!





It came out more beautifully than I thought it would!

Currently, the only projects I have going on are the Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks and the Berkshire Pullover from Weekend Knitting. I know what you're thinking...it's a Melanie Falick book and you suck at knitting Melanie Falick patterns! Well, not this time! I picked the easiest sweater pattern in the whole damn book. It's seriously knitting for 16 inches, dividing front and back, and then picking up stitches for the sleeves. There's seriously no way I can bork this. I've already finished half of the body.


I'm knitting it with some Morehouse Farm Bulky that I picked up last year at Rhinebeck. I figured that I should probably use at least a little bit of the small amount of Rhinebeck yarn I got last year before I get there this year!

I've also started in on that top down shrug I want to design/knit. I havne't made much headway in it though because I'm really trying to do more mindless knitting (for once!). I'll proabably come back to it a little later when I want a bit more of a challenge.

In preparation for Rhinebeck, I culled my stash quite a bit for the yarn swap today. I'll post on that separately later this week. Stay tuned...

New projects!

So much has been going on! I went to Cape Cod last weekend to visit my grandparents. My grandma is the reason I started knitting. She knit me this awesome poncho and I couldn't figure out how it worked, so I started trying to figure it out. Do you want to see how awesome my grandma is? This is what she's in the process of knitting:


She bought the yarn from Knit Picks and it came with a pattern for a vest that was on the cover of the magazine. She's never done steeks before, so she's kinda nervous about that, but it looks absolutely beautiful (and crazy!).

While I was there, I asked her to help me out a bit. I found some adorable fabric at Purl Patchwork a few months ago. I've never sewed before, so I wanted to sew something simple (I chose a skirt) and I knew my grandmother knows how to sew (she's made a lot of quilts). So it took us just a few hours to whip up this little number:


I LOVE how it came out! I love the mushrooms, the style, all of it! Do you want to see the invisible zipper?


I totally feel like I need a sewing machine now and I want to do like all these projects and everything. I loved how instantly it gratified my need for an FO, and how it's like...(this is going to sound stupid) real clothes!!!

Pretty much all I did while I was on that little mini vaca was knit. I mostly knit the clapotis, which is now finished. Here's a still WIP shot. I have to block it still.


My grandparents live on a lake...which is what that is in the background there (not sky). I'm taking Friday off of work, but hopefully, I'll already be packed by then so I can just set to blocking things. First on the blocking table is Icarus. I'll be making my bed before I go and then I'll soak and pin Icarus out to block. When I get back from BM, She should be wearable!

I think I'm going to steam block the clap, because, let's be honest here kids, I don't really care if the clap is perfect or not.

I've started a couple new projects (OMG this is the longest post ever) - which can be seen from my ravelry page. :) Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks are on my needles right now. I just started the Fair Isle bits:


I saw the colors together at the store and knew they had to be together. This is my first time doing a toe up sock, and I must say, I like it a lot better than cuff down. I tend to get excited when i get towards the toe, which means I start decreasing too early and all of a sudden I end up with socks that are too small for me. Well, these are bound to fit perfectly as long as the fair isle doesn't end up getting too tight. The yarn is Koigu KPM. I've never used it before, but I must say that I really like working with it. At some point, I'll post a hierarchy of sock yarns. This one's in the top 5 for sure!

IK vs. VK

I got my fall issue of Interweave Knits today. Without having really looked through it in detail, I can say that there are a TON of sweaters in this issue that I really need to knit.
in order of appearance in issue

• Placed Cable Aran (though, I'll probably have to lengthen it)


• Tangled Yoke Cardigan (I think this is the one I most want to knit from the issue)


• Cinnabar Pullover (I love the linen stitch on the cuffs and the high neck will keep me warm this winter!)


• Cobblestone Pullover (you know, for the next time my brother wants a sweater...)


• Sweet Heart Vest (cause I think I'm all about vests this year...)

This is a significant improvement from the last issue (wool hats and aran sweaters in a summer issue!?? what were they thinking!!??), and I'm pretty confident that Eunny's gonna do a great job. Even if I do miss her blog updates. I must also say, that I don't terribly mind the new layout. It makes sense. I just wish they'd go with a sans serif font for everything. I think it'd keep them edgier.

Also, I picked up a copy of the Fall 2007 issue of Vogue Knitting. I'm not a huge Vogue Knitting fan. I think they follow fashion trends too much, which makes their magazines in general too dated. I picked this one up mostly for the articles. There's an interesting one by Lilly Chin on how to knit knits that flatter yourself and another one is an interview with a bunch of knitting "celebrities." There were a couple others, but I haven't gotten to them yet. Anyway, like I did for the Fall 07 IK, I should go over the list of projects in Fall 07 VK that I'm interested in knitting. For some reason, this issue didn't strike me as much as the IK did. Maybe it's just because I'm looking for more stockinette (dude, I've been knitting texture ALL YEAR LONG!)

• 16 Deborah Newton's honeycomb hoodie


• 31 Gayle Bunn's Diamond Cable Tunic


• 34 Susan Haviland's Crossover Neck Pullover (probably the only one here that i feel like I NEED to knit it it and soon!)


• 35 Jenn Jarvis's Hooded Cable Tank

---

What are these?!


They're the stitch markers from Icarus!! But...you may ask, why aren't they on the needles with the rest of Icarus?

Well, that's because Icarus is no longer on the needles!!! Here she is looking like a lump of yarn on a table:


Yup, it only took a year to complete her, but she's finally done! I have my knowknits bag back for a new sock project and markers for any other projects (ahem, clapotis) that i might want to work on. She needs to be blocked, but that's going to have to wait until I go to Burning Man when she'll have time to laze about on my bed un-hindered by her human creator.

Well, I'd like to post on what I've started to knit (a pair of pirate socks and a clapotis), but it's going to have to wait because this is the longest week ever and I totally need some shuteye.

Hoping to tide you over for just a little longer...

I'm so almost done with Icarus. I've got three more rows to do before I CO. I haven't taken any photos of it because it seriously looks like just a blue blob of laceweight alpaca. It's extremely soft though. The idea was to complete it before I head to Burning Man on August 24th. That way, it'll have enough time to block on my bed before I come back.

So until then, I've got some more tattoo ideas! I decided the tattoo's going to be my gift to myself for my birthday towards the end of September. Here's all the ideas I had:


Those are all the ideas I sketched up. Two of those really stand out in my mind as to what I want...that random piece of paper over there on the left, the cable that looks like a knit stitch. That's the image I want to go around my left wrist.

If they seriously can't do that (I've been told that it's impossible, but I really don't believe them, below is the other option


I'm toying with the idea of having the banner there or leaving it off, based on the fact that I'm not sure exactly what I want it to say. I want the ball to be a color too, but I'm not sure if I want it to be a red or a purple...maybe even green.

So what do you think?