Black Purl Farm

These wintry days make me want to knit a cardigan.  I have about 200+ cardis favorited on Rav.  Right now I’m trying to decide between Ink, Irish Jig or the Aran Cardigan.

Can you tell I love cabled cardigans?  To be honest, though, I have started a cardigan every January for the last 4 years, and still haven’t finished one.  Will this be the year I actually make one?  Let’s hope so.

I reviewed Stitch Red on July 19, 2012. Check it out!

Knitters and crocheters from the U.S. and beyond will “plaza-bomb” TODAY on Friday, January 18th, 2013, to call attention to the #1 killer of women: heart disease. Adorned in red knitted/crocheted items from head to toe, the group will wave signs with tips for preventing heart disease and present anchors Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb and others with their very own red handmade garments and products from the Needlearts industry’s Stitch Red campaign that was started to bring awareness and education about heart disease to women everywhere. The group will hand out other items like Stitch Red tattoos, red yarn and educational materials to other audience members in the plaza as well to further spread the message about the importance of heart health.

I’ve been working on a project to submit to Twist Collective that’s due January 7.  One day not too long ago I realized “Yikes!  Only 2 weeks till Christmas and I haven’t even STARTED my gift knitting.”  So I put aside my design project and have had my fingers flying on 2 scarves that I needed to make. 

As of today, one is done and the other is making good progress.  With 4 knitting days left I think I can make it.  Then, back I go to the Twist project.  I’m also dreaming up a project I want to submit to knitty.com that would be due January 2.  Then there’s the Felted Purse class I’m teaching that starts January 15 and I haven’t made the class sample for that yet.

I guess all I want for Christmas is more hours in my day.

Have a Happy Holiday, everyone!

I’m so excited to announce my Big News…KnitPicks accepted my first pattern!  Hurry, Flurries! is for sale starting this week  on their website and on Ravelry.

Hurry, Flurries! is a five piece set for girls – a hat, wristwarmers, necklace and drawstring bag.   Check it out and let me know what you think.  

When I started knitting, I used needles that I bought at JoAnns.  I got pretty frustrated with them pretty quickly because the aluminum ones were so slippery and the wooden ones  were too rough.  One of my early projects required circular needles and since I was clueless about them I went to The Whole Nine Yarns and asked for help.  They sold me my first pair of addi Turbos and my knitting life was changed forever.  They were made of brass and while the yarn slipped over the needles easily it wasn’t so easy that I wasn’t able to keep my stitches where they belonged.   I had some issues with the cords, as they’re pretty stiff but I got used to it.

I was so enamored with my addis that I built up quite a collection.  In fact, as of today I have 38 pairs, ranging from size #0 to #15 .  I have a few lace needles, but I don’t care for them that much.   The tips are so sharp and pointy they make my finger tips sore.

I only ever considered buying a different brand of needle when I tried some Signature needles at Stitches Midwest last year.  They were really nice, but at $42 a pair, it was easy to say no.

Then about 2 months ago, my only pair of size #2 addis were being used for a project and I needed a second pair.  I went to TWNY to buy some and Caryn pulled out a size #2 in every brand they had.  One of them was Knitter’s Pride  Symphonie Dreamz.  I was intrigued as soon as I saw the cute hot pink needles.  (Pink is my favorite color, after all.)  I opened the package and really liked the way they felt in my hands.  I don’t like wooden needles as a rule, but these were really appealing.  At $8, less than  half the price of addi’s, I decided to give them a try.

I finished my project and was so in love with the Dreamz by the end  that I was wanting more. Even thought I always preferred metal needles, the laminated birch wood of the Dreamz was literally a dream to knit with.  The yarn slid smoothly and easily across the needles, they felt really good in my hands and I found the cable to be much more flexible than the addis.  (I have a couple of addi’s that have bent, inflexible cords and it’s really bothersome.)

About that time I got a WEBS catalog in the mail and it turns out they  carry the whole KP Symphonie Dreamz line.  I loved the look of the dpn’s and the interchangeables and the  circulars and the straights and everything there was. ”I’ve got to have these”, I thought to myself.

About a week later I was down in Smyrna at Eat Sleep Knit and they had the entire KP line there on display.  Yay! They were so pretty to look at and I even though I didn’t really need any more needles I walked out with a size #4.

Right now my collection is up to three needles.  I bought my third pair off ebay since I had to use up my ebay bucks before they expired.  I love all of them and want to get a pair in every size.  But what am I going to do with all my addis?  I feel kinda bad when I see them looking forlorn in my needle basket.  I guess I will use them as my back-ups, and will be more willing to let my daughters borrow them when they need one.

But how can I justify buying new needles after accumulating such an impressive set of addis?  This is a dilemma.  I guess I will have to put them on my Christmas list and hope for the best.

I have always loved the look of knitted earrings and after getting an idea for something fabulous I went to Joann’s yesterday for supplies.  Got my 24 gauge wire and some beads, hurried home and cast on.  UUGGHH.  Wire is impossible to knit with.  Funny how it doesn’t have the flexibility or stretch of yarn!

So today I decided to try again and went to Michael’s this time and got thinner wire, 28 and 30 gauge and decided to have another go.  The 28 gauge was better to work with but things still weren’t too satisfactory. I had a try with the 30 gauge but it was a little too thin.

I ended up discouraged.  The idea I had for the earrings was adorable and I wanted to knit them up and wear them (right now!)  but I think knitting with wire will take some practice.  Maybe a lot of practice.  Once I get the hang of it and figure out how to make my soon-to-be-gorgeous earrings, I’ll let you know.

Last week I stopped in at Lovin’ Knit, a cute LYS in East Cobb.  It’s kind of a drive for me so even though I really like it I only get down there every few months. I was looking for some nice bulky variegated yarn and the pickin’s are slim at most shops so that motivated me to drive down there. When I got there and was greeted by the clerk, she looked really familiar to me and after a moment I realized she was my kids Sunday School teacher about 16 years ago  at our old church.  Wow, did we have catching up to do!  It was great to see her & hear about what her kids are up to now and of course she wanted to hear about mine, too.  The most exciting thing, though, was to discover that she’s a knitter. (Well, of course  she’s a knitter, she works at an LYS, but you know what I mean.)   We talked about socks and patterns and yarn and how she came to be working at Lovin’Knit.  What a blast it was to catch up and also talk fiber stuff.

None of my friends knit so I don’t know what it’s like to sit around and stitch & chat with pals.  I do sit around and chat with my friends, and I do knit while I’m doing it, but no one ever wants to talk about knitting but me.  After seeing my friend from church it’s motivated me to search out more knitting friends, so I think I’m going to make more of an effort to go to Knit Night on Tuesdays at The Whole Nine Yarns.  Really soon.

As soon as this season of Dancing With the Stars is over.