A Modified Nimbus Sweater Class

Did you know that I am teaching knitting classes at A Peaceful Place Wellness Center in Clifton Park, NY?

The Modified Nimbus Sweater

The Advanced Beginner Knitter will love making this quick cardigan sweater. The Modified Nimbus Sweater is a quick knit using bulky yarn. With short sleeves and a cropped body, this sweater practically flies off your needles! I tweaked the original design to make it a little longer and the body is knit in one large piece to reduce the amount of seaming. A Modified Nimbus Sweater is a variation of the Nimbus Sweater pattern by Berrocco.

The classes are four Wednesdays: 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, and 2/3 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. We are reserving 2/10 as a make-up date in case of snow. The cost is $60. Please sign up at A Peaceful Place with your name, phone number, and a check for the class fee to reserve your spot in class.

DETAILS YOU WILL NEED FOR THE CLASS:

What should I bring to class? yarn, size 11 double pointed needles, size 11 24-inch (or longer) circular needles, tape measure, scissors, darning needle, paper & pen, 5 stitch markers (2 of one color and 3 of another color), and a cardigan that you like how it fits (optional) If you prefer the original Nimbus sweater pattern then print it and bring it with you. I will provide the pattern for the Modified Nimbus sweater.

Skills needed for this pattern: knit, purl, cast on, bind off, k2tog, picking up stitches, working in the round on DPNs, sewing seams, and weaving in ends

You must be comfortable with the knit and purl stitches for this class. Everything else you can learn in class!

Yarn Requirements:

X-Small bust measurement 32", body length 15"-->515 yards

Small bust measurement 36", body length 15.5"-->618 yards

Medium bust measurement 40", body length 16"-->618 yards

Large bust measurement 44", body length 16.5"-->721 yards

1X bust measurement 48", body length 17.5"-->927 yards

2X bust measurement 52", body length 18.5"-->1030 yards

An extra 100-200 yards will be needed to make the body and/or sleeves longer. I always like to get an extra skein or two of yarn then I think I will need. Better to have yarn that I need to return to the store, then run out before I am finished!

The pattern calls for Berrocco Peruvia Quick yarn and size 11 needles. However, you can use any super bulky yarn and needles that you can get guage with. Some possible substitutions are:

Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick

Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool

Malabrigo Yarn Chunky

Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky

Noro Iro

Noro Big Kureyon

HOMEWORK BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS~~~GAUGE SWATCH:

It is a very good idea to knit a gauge swatch to make sure your sweater will actually fit when you are done with it. Use the yarn and needles you are planning to use and cast on 20 stitches. Knit one row and purl the next row. Continue in pattern until you have completed 20 rows. Your gauge should be: 12 knit stitches across (horizontal) will measure 4 inches & 16 rows (vertical) will measure 4 inches. If you have more stitches and rows then you should, then you will need to use smaller needles. If you have fewer stitches or rows then you should, then you will need to use bigger needles. After switching needles you will need to knit another swatch to make sure you are getting gauge. Once you get gauge you are ready to begin!

GETTING A GREAT FIT: Please bring a cardigan sweater to class to use as an example of how you like your sweater to fit. It will help to measure a sweater that you already like when deciding the length of the body and sleeves of your new sweater.

NEWBORN CHARITY HAT EVENT

On Sunday January 24th from 1pm-3pm Suzanne Morrison Gauvreau will be offering a FREE knitting class to make baby hats for the wonderful charity To Love a Child. These hats will provide warmth for new born babies in Haiti and Africa. If you can do the knit stitch, Suzanne can teach you the rest! Please sign up at A Peaceful Place with your name and phone number to reserve your spot in class. Please bring a ball of worsted yarn and size 7 double pointed needles.

If you have any questions, please contact me at knittingknirvana@yahoo.com I can't wait to see you in class! :)

FO: Lara

So, about 9 months after I learned to knit I took a class to learn how to make a sweater. It is a pattern that looks like the Debbie Bliss Lara pattern. I loved the sample. One of the suggested yarns was Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. The yarn is absolutely gorgeous. And sooooo expensive. I took the plunge and went for it. I purchased the appropriate number (16, I think) of skeins in a beautiful royal purple and went on my merry way.

Problem #1: The class was weekly for 4 weeks. During the class I was away for just over a week on vacation and get really behind in knitting and in understanding the pattern. At the last class some people were completely done and came to class wearing their sweaters. Most were seaming up during the class. But I was still knitting away.

Problem #2: Gauge. Well, I was a very, very loose knitter when I started knitting, Now I am a loose knitter. I really wished the teacher paid better attention to how far off my gauge was because I clearly didn't understand. I knew I was knitting a little loose and was ok with it because I was a little bigger than the largest size. I just figured it would make a sweater a little bigger and I would be fine. Little did I know! Also, I was going to run out of yarn and I had bought literally all of the yarn that the yarn shop had. Luckily, a very nice member of the class picked up 5 more skeins for me at another lys near her work. I hoped that the different dye lots wouldn't matter too much. Somebody say something about a river in Egypt?

At some point I put the sweater down. I think I was confused by the directions and was afraid of making a mistake. (ha!) I knew how nice (and expensive) this yarn was and I really wanted a sweater I would be proud of.

About two years later I picked it back up and brought it to the free knitting help night and was able to re-start. It was at that point that I realized how different my gauge was from how I use to knit to how I now knit. I knit on it for a little while and put it back down again.

Finally, a month or so ago I picked it back up again. Four years after when I first started it. Of course, I noticed the gauge issue and the size issue. Also, I had also lost weight since I started it. I really didn't have much left to do on it. I finished the right front and back, then the shoulder, then the right arm. I weaved in the remaining ends, gave it a bath, and laid it out to dry on the guest bed. I tried to stretch the side with the tighter gauge and tried not to stretch the side with the looser gauge. I stepped back, checked out my just finished sweater, and realized this things is HUGE!!!!!

I checked on it the next morning and am sad to say it didn't shrink up at all while it dried. I then ignored it for about a week while trying to get over my disappointment. I seamed it up and didn't want to try it on. I finally mustered up my nerve and faced the inevitable. Yup, it was huge. It hung to my knees and I had to cuff the sleeves about five inches.

So, now I have the softest, most beautiful, most expensive bathrobe I never knew I wanted. I do use it all the time. Most evenings I wear it over my pjs while relaxing on the couch knitting and watching tv. I know I get more use out of it as a bathrobe then I ever would as a sweater. So, it isn't a completely sad ending. But, oh man, I have I learned a whole lot about knitting in the past four years!

I do like this pattern and will probably try making it again. I would go down several needle sizes and make a gauge swatch. I also think a heartier yarn would make a denser fabric. Maybe a 100% wool would be better. While looking through project notes on Ravelry a lot of people have said that the sizing runs big and the yarn pills. Good to know. The construction is awesome. It starts with the left cuff and ends with right cuff. It is all knit in one piece with 2 seams--from the cuff up the inside of the arm to the arm pit and down the side of the body to the waist.

What was that? Pictures? You want to see pictures of the finished object? Well, I still have not brought myself to taking pictures of it. It is not at all flattering on me. Ya know, like a bathrobe.

FO: Quilt Medallion Scarf

He is 16 months today!  

Can you believe it?  Another finished object!

Quilt Medallion Scarf from Interweave Crochet Magazine.  I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts with the wonderful Cookie.  I used several different colors of Mission Falls Cotton.
If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have used the white yarn.  It doesn't look as stark white in person.
It could use a steam blocking before I wear it.  I'm not sure I will though.  I'm a rebel like that! :)

FO: Wonderful Wallaby Willie

I loved this project!  This is the Wonderful Wallaby made in a size 4 which is the Willie size.  Started March 7, 2009 and completed April 2, 2009.  If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know this is a lightening fast project for me!! :)  

I used Malabrigo merino worsted in the color Pimenton.  The color is kind of a rusty orange.  Gorgeous!!  I had the yarn in my stash for a few years from a 20% off sale waiting for the right project.  It used three full skeins with the tiniest bit left over.  I started getting nervous that I was going to run out of yarn towards the end. 

The Malabrigo is a slight think and thin and seems a little thicker then worsted weight to me.  The sweater seems larger than a size 4 which is fine.  Better too big than too small!  I planned on London wearing it next fall and winter, but it will probably still be too big on him.

I went down a needle size and used 5's for the ribbing, 7's for the body, and 6's for the sleeves.  I was afraid I would have hugely puffy sleeves so I went down two needle sizes.

I found on Ravelry an alternate method for putting on the pouch that uses yarn overs from a new skein of yarn.  I will be trying this the next time I make it because I had some difficulty with the pouch.

I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts to make the sweater.  Besides paying for the class, I used everything that I already owned to make the sweater.  Yea!! :)

I may get three winters of wear out of this sweater! :)

Lots of Updates

We did great on our February limited spending goal.  All month we only charged 4 things.  2 were preset charges (i.e. Netflix) and 2 were Paypal charges for internet purchases (which were less than $10 for both).  That is really phenomenal!  Normally we charge absolutely everything so we can take advantage of the cash back.  But, it has also made us less thoughtful of our purchases because credit doesn't always feel like real money.  This was especially hard because we were paying for our purchases that were put on credit cards in January while also paying cash for purchases in February.  I'm not done tallying our receipts so I don't have an exact amount on what we spent.  We did get hit with a nearly $500 purchase on the last day of the month.  My husband's car needed some repairs.  But the good news is--we paid for all of it in cash!!  Seriously!!!  I am so, so, so proud of what we did!!!

We are continuing to be conscious of our spending in March.  We will still try to not use credit cards and to put as much money on debt as possible.  I do have a friend staying with us for a week so I'm sure we will be spending more than our usual while she is here.  We probably won't be as strict in spending as in February.  It is hard to keep up at the level and we have already bought 2 books and a cd, although I did use a $25 gift card towards the purchases.  

I am still working on my Quilt Medallion Scarf.  I really love doing it and actually have to limit myself on how much I work on it.  The crocheting and the cotton has really affected my wrists and the muscles going up my arms.  I hope I don't run into this with all crochet projects because I really love it.  In last Saturday's class we learned row 4 and joining the motifs.  Right now I have 13 motifs joined together and 9 ready for the 4th row and joining.  I am aiming for 36 motifs all together.  We'll see how it looks as it gets close to the 36.  The springy colors are great!  Maybe I will wear it for Easter! 

Quilt Medallion Scarf

I am crocheting again.  It really does seem to go faster and it really does seem to eat more yarn.  I am taking a class at Saratoga Needle Arts 

It is an Interweave Crochet pattern called Quilt Medallion Scarf.  I have 11 of the motifs done so far.  The pattern calls for 69, but with a much finer yarn and gauge.  The teacher's sample used 36 so that's what I am aiming for.

Here is the 11 I have done.

And the 9 in progress.

The one on the left shows one round done, the middle is two rounds done, and the one on the right is three rounds done.
Then, on Saturday I will be taking the second class and learning how to connect them all together.  I am using Mission Falls 1824 cotton.  My wrists are killing me.  I don't know if it is because I am using different movements with crochet or if it is the cotton.  I am trying to take a break and rest my wrists, but I soooo want to be crocheting!  It is addicting!!!!

FO: Crocheted Sampler Wave Scarf

This pattern was a great way to learn and practice various crochet stitches.  I used 4 colors of Cascade 220 Super Wash that I had in my stash.  It turned out a little shorter than I would like.  I used half the number of stitches called for in the adult-sized pattern.  Oh well, I'll chalk it up to learning.  London doesn't know the difference. :)

So, my model was not at all into modeling.

Can we say tempermental?
Does every model storm out of their photo shoots?  Or just my model?

Crocheted Wave Scarf

This is my crocheting project.  Dog nose included for scale. :)  Not really, she just was super close to me all day that day.  The light blue in the middle is actually two different shades, but it is really hard to tell.  London's coat is navy and red.  I'm thinking of trying to find a crocheted hat pattern to make a set.
I had the second class today which is where we learned the "wave" part of the scarf.  It is probably too short for London.  Ah well.  It was a good learning project.  I can now do a chain, single crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, and something else that I can't remember the name of.  I signed up for a scarf class at the end of February.  It is an Interweave Crochet pattern.  I think I also conjured up some interest for the Larger Than Life Bag.  I'm hoping it will be a class in the spring.  It would be a cute spring/summer tote.

I think I now have London's cold.  Some moments I feel like death and then some moments I feel pretty good.  Hopefully it doesn't get too bad.  London is feeling and acting much better.  Still coughing and a runny nose, but I think the worst of it is behind him.

Happy 100th Post To Me!

I've been totally stalling on posting because I have been waiting for something profound to hit me for my 100th post.  And then I finally decided . . .  eh, I'm just going to post.  So hear I am singing "Happy 100th Post To Me" as I type. :)

As many people are in January, I have been in a major cleaning and organizing mood lately.  We have been working on taming the toys in the living room, made London's bedroom more accessible to him as a toddler, had a major cleaning overhaul in our bedroom and bathroom, and the list goes on.  It feels so good to walk into a clean, un-cluttered, organized room.  It makes my heart sing!!

I have finished my crocheting homework a week early.  That's unheard of!  I am making a scarf for London and I think it will be a little short.  Oh well.  Maybe I will crochet onto the ends to add some length. 

London woke up with a fever this morning.  100.7  It is our first fever. :(  He has a runny nose and a little bit of a cough.  Let's hope this passes QUICK!!

The Dark Side

It is official.  I have gone over to the dark side.  I took a crochet class yesterday and I LOVE IT!!!  I learned 4 stitches (don't ask me their names because I find that to be quite confusing with half doubles, singles, and such) and they are coming together to make a stitch sampler scarf for London.  I am super psyched!  We have to do eight rows by the next class and I will be starting on row two today.

Lime Gelato Felted Bag

This is a long overdue finished object post.  I started this project in a class at Saratoga Needle Arts in January 2007.  I knit it up pretty quickly and felted it.  It took me forever to put the gorgeous ceramic button and snap on.  It was January 2008 to be exact.  My mom sewed the lining for me.  Now, January 2009 I am finally showing you the finished pictures.  I used it all of the time last winter and spring.  I love, love, love it and always get tons of compliments on it!

I love the super cute pink geometric fabric lining.  I picked it up at JoAnn's.  After being inspired by Vera Bradley bags, we took a piece of heavy cardboard, cut it to the size of the base of the bag, and covered it with the fabric from the lining.  It gives the bag support and structure.

I bought the ceramic button at Saratoga Needle Arts.  It is handmade, but I don't know who made it.  I glued it on with apoxy and totally faked the little piece of yarn going through it.  It is covering part of a snap which is the actual closure.
I made the handles longer than the pattern calls for.  I was knitting the handles at the last class and everyone who had finished theirs said that their handles felted much shorter than they would have liked.  Mine comfortably fits over my shoulder.
This is one of my most loved finished products.  It was a great knit too.  Love it!!!

Pattern:  Gelato Bag by Bev Galekas  

It is a Fiber Trends pattern and I enjoyed it.  I had to re-start it after ripping it out, but I think it was user error.  Or too much chatting while knitting and not enough attention to the pattern.  Ah well! :)

Yarn:  Cascade Pastaza  3 skeins

I didn't love knitting with it and I shaved my bag a little after felting.  I wouldn't buy Pastaza again.  I think I held it with Cascade 220, but I don't remember.

FO: Christmas Stocking

Yea!  I have a finished object to tell you about!! :)  

I started a Christmas stocking for London when I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts back in July.  During the classes I knit all of the stocking, but then of course stalled out until December.  The pattern is designed by the woman who was teaching the class.  The red and green stripes towards the top are a twisted rib.  The letters are duplicate stitched on after the stocking is finished.  It was my first time doing duplicate stitch and I think it turned out quite well.

I did two hand, two color knitting for the trees, checkerboard. and holly.  The little red holly berries are french knots--again a first for me.  I used Cascade 220 Superwash in red, green, and white--maybe a quarter of each skein.  Plenty left to make more stockings for our family!

I hope your holidays were fabulous and your new year is off to an amazing start!

Organizing and a Cowl

I have been de-cluttering and organizing.  

My craft room ends up being a catch-all for the whole house.  You know the drill . . . wrapping paper, gift boxes, off season clothes, out grown baby clothes, early Christmas present purchases, the doll house my great aunt made in hopes that one day I would have a little girl to enjoy it.  Ya know how it goes.  Then, there is the craft stuff . . . sewing machine, yarn, fabric remnants, yarn, WIPs, yarn, a bit of roving, yarn, knitting needles, yarn, books, yarn, magazines, yarn and more yarn.  It is also the guest room on the rare occasion that we have an overnight guest.  I have surrendered to the fact that it is what it is, but it will be organized and look decent if it kills me!!!

I have purchased a metal shelving unit and rubbermaid bins to store my yarn.  So, I have sorted through most of my yarn.  I enjoyed petting my collection of fiber and dreaming about which project would make the yarn really sing.  I also sorted through my knitting needles.  It is unbelievable how many needles I have.  Very few of them are repeats.  Amazing!

I ripped out 2 of my long standing projects that I am not interested in finishing.  I've finally given myself permission to rip out what I don't like.  Yea!!

I took a class last Monday at Saratoga Needle Arts on Cat Bordhi's Moebius Cowl.  The cast on took a little bit to figure it out, but once I got it man was it fun!!  I am almost finished.  Talk about a quick knit!!

New Project!

I took a class from my LYS last Monday.  It is the Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters.  Cat Bordhi is simply amazing.  I can't even begin to think about how her brain works.  I have had this book since shortly after it came out.  I have been waiting for a class because it seemed a little much to figure out on my own.  I am hoping one class will help me understand the basics of the book and then I can apply those concepts to any pattern.  I hope! :) 

The book is divided into the basic sock architectures.  You first knit a baby sock to practice that sock architecture technique and then you knit adult size socks.  

I am knitting the Little Sky as my learning sock on size 5 (dpn) needles with Mountain Colors left over from my very first pair of socks.  We needed to be ready to start the heel at the next class and I am all ready!

Then, I am knitting the Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks (which needs a nickname because man, that's a lot to type!) on size ones (2 circs) with Lorna's Laces Black Pearl.  This is my first time using Lorna's Laces.  The colors are gorgeous and I can't wait to see how it knits up.  I have completed my cast on and one row.

This is a pretty cool way to kit socks---both London and I will end up with a pair!!!

Lots of WIPs

Here is a pic from a recent weekend away for a wedding.  This is Chautaqua Lake, NY on a cloudy damp day.

What else is new?  I always have lots of WIPs! :)

Last night I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts for Thrummed Mittens.  I did not enjoy the "thrumming" part at all.  I looked around the Internet a little bit this morning and will continue to look.  I'm hoping that someone will say something that will make it click for me, it will be easier, and I will suddenly love it.  We'll see!

My Baby Surprise Jacket has been on the needles since June.  It is pretty close to being finished so I have picked it up again.  Hopefully it will fit London this season, so I need to get a move on!

Also, my Christmas stocking is almost done.  I have finished all of the knitting.  I have one letter duplicate stitched and I have five more letters to do.  I have to weave in all the ends--which will take forever!--and darn where there were three color changes at the gusset.

The Clapotis is still getting some inconsistent attention.

I'm off to catch up on my DVRed Dancing with the Stars while knitting BSJ.  Have a great night!

Growing

Yup, my belly is growing (among other things). I am in the beginning of my 11th week and haven't gained any weight, but my belly is definitely growing. It seems strange to me. I have to keep reminding myself that there is a baby in there.

My husband and I are off this week and we have been rearranging and cleaning out to make room for the baby. I'm gonna sell a bunch of books on amazon. We want to purchase a new laptop computer and download all of our CDs and then sell the CDs too. We looked at cribs and rugs for the nursery today. Tomorrow morning I am having a prenatal massage. I can't wait!

I ordered some Seduction from Blue Moon Fiber Arts to make a Clapotis at the Knitting Retreat next month. I also ordered another Socks that Rock to complement Lucy to make a Chevron Scarf. I have all these projects for myself. I hope I get my knitting mojo back soon. I'm not taking any classes over the summer and I want to concentrate on finishing and knitting what I already have.

Lots of Projects

The spring classes at my LYS have begun and I am trying to stay on top of all my projects.

My Argosy scarf is coming along. I am in the second section and I am trying to do 2 repeats every day. On that schedule it will take about 3 weeks from start to finish. I really like my Seduction yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. It is soft in my hands, a perfect compliment to my bamboo needles, and I love how the colorway Saratoga is knitting up.

I have also started the Felted Market Bag from the Weekend Knitting book. The first class was nearly two weeks ago. We are meeting again on the seventeenth of April. This project is a challenge and has me working on all sorts of new skills. It is Fair Isle and I am doing the 2 hand 2 color method. My main color yarn is held in my left hand and knit continental and the contrast color is held in the right hand and knit American. Then, instead of doing duplicate stitch I am using wooden beads. I am using the method Lily Chin showed on Knitty Gritty. You wait until you get to the actual stitch, take the stitch off the needle and use a crochet hook to put a bead on the stitch. Then, put the stitch back on your left needle and knit it. Nice to not have to string all of those beads ahead of time. I am also using a chart for the very first time. I messed up the third row last night and didn't realize it until I was at the very end of the row. So, I need to start with tinking back to my mistake (almost the beginning of the row) and re-knit it. Because this project is such a challenge and incorporating so many new techniques for me--I'm not loving it. So, I am setting myself up with a schedule to make sure that I stay on task and get it done in time for the classes. The class next week is only in case we have trouble. I don't have to have it done until the first week of May. Good thing!

I am also working on an over sized felted knitting bag. Right now it is just knitting in the round and mindless. Good break from my other knitting that takes concentration.

I still have to rip back my leg on my too big toe up sock. I am busy enough with other projects right now that I have put it on the back burner.

Today I bought Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I am dieing to make the Chevron Scarf with Socks that Rock that has been appearing on blogs lately. I think I am going to use my Monsoon from February's club. I'm not sure what I will put with it. I thought about Lucy, but I think it will be too much brown. My Monsoon is green and brown--none of the purple that I have seen in other people's skeins. This will be a good project for my Knitting Retreat weekend.

We are also going to knit Clapotis at the Knitting Retreat. Instead of four skeins of the pricey Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb I think I am going to substitute Blue Moon Fiber Arts Seduction. I have a coupon and I would only need two skeins. I have it narrowed down to a few colorways.

Well, I'm gonna go read my new book, drink some Chai, watch the Master's with my husband and procrastinate from tinking back the 3rd row of my Felted Market Bag.

Enjoy your Saturday!!

Argosy Scarf & Knitting Retreat

Last night I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts on the Arogosy Scarf from Knitty Winter 2006. It is a scarf knit on the bias with a bit of lace touches. It is very geometric and that really appealed to me. How often is our knitting geometric? I am using stash yarn from Rhinebeck. Blue Moon Fiber Arts Seduction colorway Saratoga. I LOVE it! The pattern takes some thinking while getting started, but I am hoping that once I have it set up, it will be good TV knitting.




A couple of us are going to a knitting retreat on Lake George in June. It is at Wiawaka. I met the woman putting it together on Sunday at SNA's open house. It is Friday evening to Sunday noon June 8-10 and is a very informal knitting weekend. No classes or anything. Just a community of women knitting together in the beautiful Adirondacks on a gorgeous lake. And that Sunday is my birthday! What could be better? If you want more info or are interested in going, shoot me an email at knittingknirvana at yahoo dot com.

My Beautiful Babies

This is Bentley curled up between Portia's feet in the morning sunlight on Christmas Eve. This is one of my absolutely favorite pictures and it is currently the wallpaper on our computer.

On Monday night I was going to audit a 2 hand 2 color class that I took last winter. I never finished the project and now I have forgotten the technique. By the end of my work day I was too tired and cranky and I just wanted to go home. I am hoping I can find the technique as a tutorial and refresh my memory.

On Wednesday night I took a class for a little felted purse called Gelato by Fiber Trends. I chose a lime green yarn in Cascade Pastaza and Donegal Tweed as the pattern calls for a double strand. The first 12 rows take some thinking and paying attention. I got through row 11 in class and last night started to finish the 12th row. My numbers just wouldn't work out and I had some wonky looking stitches. So, I ripped it all out and started again. I kept telling myself that I would felt it so it didn't really matter, but it kept bugging me. I think that now that I am a better knitter I don't mind ripping back as much because I know I am capable of having a very nice finished result. I just don't want to settle anymore. This is now my front-burner knitting project because my next class is in two weeks. I want to be as far along as I can get.

Yesterday I was talking to my friend that made her first scarf. She said that she blocked it and was thrilled with the results. She sounded pleasantly surprised by the effects of blocking. She talked about wanting to start another project and I offered to help her get started on Saturday. The really interesting thing she said was "When I am watching TV, I feel like I should be knitting something." Well ladies and gentlemen, I think we converted another one. Mwah!!

You Know You Buy Too Much Yarn When . . .

your LYS calls and asks what classes you would like to see on the spring class schedule. Yes, yes, it is true! So, here is my list Fiber Trends Clogs, Magic Loop, Clapotis from Knitty, Sheldon from Knitty, and Lizard's Ridge from Knitty. Most of these I could figure out on my own, but I really like taking classes for the community and the technical assistance. What else would you add to my list? I'm going to call back tomorrow.

Our weekend was WONDERFUL! We stayed at the Fern Lodge in the Adirondack's. They upgraded us to the best room since we had the whole place to ourselves for the weekend. It is without a doubt the best B&B or Inn that we have stayed in. AMAZING!

I know I need to post a ton of pictures. We got a new camera before Christmas and I haven't yet tried to download pics onto the computer. Let's see if I can motivate myself to figure it out tomorrow.

It is finally snowing in upstate NY and it is beautiful!