When it rains, it pours...

Holy moly, I can't believe I haven't updated in three months! Truth be told, however, I pretty much haven't picked up the needles in that long. Between moving and starting school, I've been so busy. Stress brings out the knitter in me, though, and midterms compelled me to pick up the needles again and knit myself a little sanity.

I've been to two yarns stores in Philadelphia, so far. Rosie's Yarn Cellar (cellar, seller, I like the little play on words, though it is truly below street level) was the first. It's this great little store downtown that absolutely jam packed with yarn. I bought a giant skein of alpaca called Peruvian Tweed. It's completely undyed; the color variations are from the animals themselves. The yardage is amazing, too. 600 freakin yards at $26! That's 23 yards/$1. My bank account (a.k.a. College Survival Rations) likes that. I've made armwarmers so far that I absolutely love. I've been wearing a vest, a scarf and my armwarmers outdoors, and I'm good to go. It's getting rather chilly, though, but that's okay. I have a new winter coat for this season that I'm in love with. But anyway, back the the yarn. I have a scarf on the needles in a simple lace pattern. The stitch definition isn't great and it's got quite a bit of a halo, but no pilling. I'm happy with it.

Here's are the armwarmers:


Underneath the armwarmers is a scarf. Funny thing, that scarf. It's a gifted knit that's come back home to me. When D and I first started dating over two years ago, I was really getting into knitting. I'd learned a few years prior, but that was the start of my obsession. Around the holidays, I wanted to give her something really special, so I took a trip to the yarn store that I'd passed on the highway. Prior to that, I'd bought all of my yarn and supplies at big box craft stores. So I went in and was basically overwhelmed. So many gorgeous natural fibers to choose from.

Now, big box craft stores mean a lot of crappy yarn for not a lot of money. I was making Homespun scarves with one $3 skein! I knew I was going to pay more for pretty yarn, but I was intent on getting the best possible for this girl that I was absolutely smitten with. I settled on some really soft, thick and thin merino wool. I picked out two earthy colors that I thought she would like (funny enough, they've become my favorite colors in recent years, but back then, I loved pink. She's more of a grey/navy type, though it worked out in the end), and decided to make a wide, striped, seed stitch scarf. $30 for two little balls of yarn, fifteen bucks apiece. Ten times what I spent on making my last scarf. The lady asked me as I checked out if I had enough yarn, and I said, Oh yes, of course.

You know where this is going. I started knitting with the most gorgeous yarn I had ever touched. I was in love. And it ran out when the scarf was a scant fifteen inches. Sheepishly, I went back to the yarn store and bought two more balls. (Why I thought that would be enough, I have no idea. Somehow I thought there would magically be more yardage? That a 30" scarf would suffice? I don't know.) I went back later in the week and bought a final two balls. Yeah, I spent $90 on a 47" scarf (I got an extra two inches when I blocked it. First thing I ever blocked, too). It's a very nice scarf, but it's also the most expensive thing I've ever knit. I loved that girl. Still very much do. :)

Here's a close up of the texture:


The scarf is back home with me, because D is back in Florida for a job, and while it's 39 degrees here, it's 80 degrees there. I've been wearing it everyday when I walk to school, and the memory makes me smile.

I've also been working on a pair of Fibertrends felted clog slippers for myself. The pattern looks daunting, cause there are so many words, but that's because everything is thoroughly explained. It's a good pattern, and a quick knit. I finished one last weekday and I'm halfway through the second one. Hopefully I'll finish and be able to felt them by the end of the weekend. I bought a zippered pillowcase for the occasion. The shaping in these is really clever. It's all one piece, except for the second sole (to add another layer to the bottom), which is then knit on with picked up stitches. Lots of shortrows. I really hope they turn out well. This is my first felted piece.

Sitting on the table.

Why yes, they are stuffed with my (clean) undies to show you the shape. Why my sock-to-panty ratio is so absurdly out of wack that all my socks are either in the laundry pile or on my feet, I have no clue.

And to show you how big they are:


It kind of looks like a big lumpy blob right now, but I have hope. I'm using Lamb's Pride Bulky in Oregano and Aubergine. It was yarn that my parents bought me (or paid for, I suppose) for my 20th birthday when we were in Cape May. It's been languishing in my knitting bin for over a year. I originally had a felted bag in mind, but then decided that I didn't particularly like felted bags, and the yarn's a bit too pokey for me to wear next to my skin. I like these slippers.

The second yarn store I went to was Sophie's Yarns, which is also downtown, on Fabric Row. Lots and lots of fabric stores, but only one little yarn shop. Actually it's a pretty darn big yarn shop in a beautiful old building. There are orginal hardwood floors. There's a burn mark on the floor along one wall in the distinct shape of an iron. It has character. It was so bright and sunny the day that we went, and the store was full of light. Maybe a smaller selection that Rosie's but it also felt much more serene. I bought some Manos Cotton Stria, which is soft and knits up beautifully, but is a bit rough on my hands (no give, like protien fibers).

I should post more often, huh? Then my updates wouldn't be a mile long. Hopefully I'll keep up with things. I made a hat out of the Manos, but no pictures of that right now. I need to have it modeled, and I'm shooting on location in Florida... though not soon enough. My new major is Textile Engineering Technology, and I love it so far. One of my classes is Survey of the Textile Industry, and I'm learning tons about fibers and knitted and woven fabrics. I'll get around to sharing some of the best stuff soon. In the upcoming semesters, I take machine knitting and weaving courses. I'm looking forward to that.