Skein Shop

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Earlier this month I mentioned I that I bought more purple yarn for my sweater. Ever since the yarn arrived I’ve been worried I would run out of green yarn. I have enough purple yarn now I could make the sleeves purple without any stripes and I would be fine. I decided against that, because I really love the stripes. I ordered more green yarn. The craziest thing happened. 20180813_1154504574771078846564536.jpgThe dye lot matches! It is a second knitting miracle in one sweater!

I ordered the yarn from Skein Shop both times. I had never heard of Skein Shop before; I discovered it by clicking on a link in Ravelry.  I have been blown away by their customer service, and I’ll be using them again.

With my first order I received a nice thank you note and a nail file.20180814_0956048923741615691868928.jpg

With my second order I received a note that recognized me as a return customer and some stitch markers. 20180813_1157101209798258250444730.jpg

With both orders I selected free shipping. I received an e-mail within hours of both orders telling me that the yarn was in the mail. I also received an e mail when my order was out for delivery.

I appreciate extra touches like notes and e mails that update me on the shipping process. I also love free shipping and fast delivery. If you are looking for yarn that you can’t find at your local yarn shop, I recommend giving Skein Shop a try.

Do you have any on-line yarn resources that you adore? Tell me about them, please.

Off the Needles: Grace Hopper Socks

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The kids and I are headed up to Cedar Falls for a few days later this morning. I know John will miss us, so I wanted to leave him with something to make his afternoon better: fresh off the needles socks.20180813_1021351857550536698080672.jpg

Pardon the photo taken in direct sunlight. The yarn really looks closer to what was pictured in my post from last Wednesday. The yarn is the Grace Hopper colorway from Yarn Geek Fibers. The yarn was beautiful to work with, and I’m happy that I have another skein of her yarn in my stash.

I’m going to see what life is like without a pair of socks on my needles. I always have a pair in progress, but so far my shawl is so easy I can pick it up and put it down just like socks.

I hope your week starts with a completed project too. Even if I accomplish nothing for the rest of the week I’ll still feel like I did something.

 

Knitting Q&A

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Karen, over at NothingButKnit recently posted some knitting questions over on her blog. Instead of just commenting my response, I thought it would be fun to respond over here and seeing if any of you would want to participate.

The questions are:

  1. What technique were you surprised that you enjoyed?
  2. What technique do you want to love but don’t?
  3. What is your favorite item to make?
  4. You’re only allowed to knit with one yarn weight forever. What weight is it and why?
  5. What item that you made is your all time favorite?

 

 

Here are my answers:

  1. I love picking up stitches for button bands or to add a finished look to a piece. For years I avoided patterns that had you pick up stitches because I thought it would be difficult and fiddly. I was wrong.
  2. I really want to like moss stitch and seed stitch. They look great, but I find them incredibly tedious. I also feel that way about ribbing. Basically if I have to move the yarn back and forth I don’t like the technique. I’m a thrower and I wonder if pickers have the same issues with that.
  3. Socks. They are small enough to throw in a purse. They are easy to pick up and put down. John and the kids love hand knit socks as much as I do, so they actually get used (unlike most of the sweaters I’ve made the kids).
  4. Fingering weight. This is a no brainer for me. I currently have 4 fingering weight projects on the needles: socks, a shawl, my scrap blanket, and a sweater (currently hibernating, but still technically on the needles).
  5. This blanket. It is beautiful, the right weight for napping, and a tangible reminder of my commitment to knit a little bit every day. There are bits of memories sewn in  – the long line of variegated yarn? That is from when Elliot was born. The parts where there are three squares in a row? Those are birthdays or anniversaries. I love this blanket so much. Probably too much, actually, as it is currently in my closet until Wrigley dies because her paws would ruin the blanket pretty quickly.20180522_15091451727142.jpg

I would love to hear your answers to the questions. If you’ve already answered Karen let me know and I’ll go read the comments. Even if you have only been knitting a few weeks (ahem, Kathleen), I would love to hear your answers.

 

 

WIP Wednesday: 31/52

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I am having such a good knitting week. I think I’m still riding high from getting the back up yarn for my sweater with the same dye lot as the yarn I’ve been working with.

I managed to get a few more stripes done on my sweater this week. I have not been making as much progress lately, as I have actually had a social life in the evenings. 20180808_1356488293482035834169711.jpg

I still adore the sweater, and hope to get lots of work done on it next week. That might be hard though, as shawl knitting is a little addictive. All I work on at naps is my shawl, but it has only been a few days of work, so it looks like I just started it. I’m working with a needle that has a very twisted and stiff cord, which is annoying and slows me down. I have another needle of the same size, but I’m using that for my sweater.20180808_1356124190412273447203204.jpg

The socks are coming along. I have a little over an inch to work before I start the toe of the second sock. If I only had two projects on the needles instead of three I would probably be done with them by the end of the week. I am only working on these while the kids play or eat. They are easy to pick up and put down without much thought. I love how these look. It’s the first pair of 3×2 rib socks I’ve made for John. I love how 3×2 socks fit, and I’m hoping he feels the same way. 20180808_1355263962098577663273185.jpg

I hope you are getting some good knitting done this week.

Baseball Knitting

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Last night I met some friends for a baseball game. Des Moines is home to the AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, my favorite team.

It was a fantastic time.

We had the most amazing seats. We were right behind home plate.

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I had some ridiculously gluttonous stadium food – pulled pork nachos and hard orange soda.20180806_1928075657148679611736537.jpg

I also got a lot of work done on John’s second sock. 20180806_1947516533191780124747468.jpgI was with a group of knitters. We all spent the night cheering on the Cubs and working away on our most mindless projects. It was a great way to spend a summer night.

Greenwood Park

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This morning we checked out a new to us sprayground at Greenwood Park. The kids were big fans – there are lots of things to climb on and several fountains to splash through. I like that there are flushing toilets and soap to wash hands. I did not like the lack of shade. I think when we go again I’ll bring a blanket and find a shady tree instead of relying on the benches they have set up.

Spraygrounds are open later in the year than splash pads and wading pools, so we will probably be back on hot days in September. We will probably pack a picnic next time.