Friday, April 19, 2013

An Irish Coffee, Please

Yes, Spring is here and my interest in knitting has been kicked up a notch.  Enough with the scarves and mittens: it's time to take on something more substantial.  I have actually got three projects in various stages and here they are:


                                                                       



This is Baby Cocktail's Irish Coffee and it's not a nice little summer project, but I have some yarn in my stash that I think will make a great version of this and it looks like it will knit up quickly. One can always hope!  The yarn I'm using is Aslan Trends Del Cerro, which I think has been discontinued, and I'm not sure why because I made another sweater with this yarn and really liked working with it. The color is olive green and I'll post more pictures as I go along.





I'm back working on my Meris cardigan; not much progress has been made, in fact, I ended up tearing out several rows; this lace pattern demands your full attention and I think I'm ready to take that on again.

Knit Picks had a sale on some of their kits and I couldn't resist getting the Wrought Iron Shawl:


                                                                             


This project isn't even out of the bag yet, but when I finish my Irish Coffee....  

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  Check out what other's are doing over at Andrea's blog.  
                                               


                                                                             


                                                                             


                                                                     

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

A New Yarn Adventure in Maine

Erin of Knitting in Beantown has been posting about a new yarn shop in Maine called Saco River Yarns, also home to Saco River Dyehouse, and it has been interesting reading.   New England was once a major textile manufacturing center and, of course, all that has been gone for a long time, lost to overseas operations and less expensive manufacturing centers in the south.  Now Saco River Dyehouse has moved into an old mill area along the banks of the Saco River and is now dyeing yarn for various companies, including Quince and Company, which is also now housed in the same complex.  Here is where they are located in Biddeford, Maine:


                                                                               


Ok, not the most attractive location but it is evidently ideal for what they are doing and they are getting alot of support from the growing number of knitting superstars who live nearby including Pam Allen, Hannah Fetig, and  Clara Parkes.

According to Erin, they also have some great prices on Quince and Co's seconds.  Here is a picture from her blog which she allowed me to use:


                                                                   


  I hope this venture turns out to be a big success and I will be supporting them in my own way as it just so happens that I will be traveling to Maine the end of April.  I'm looking forward to stopping by their retail shop and perhaps getting a chance to see the dye works. Also, this is a great opportunity to see Quince and Co's yarns up close.  I purchased some of their Finch a few months back and I have been most impressed with the quality and colors of their yarn.  Will post some pictures when I get back.

For now, here is my finished Ruffled and Ruched scarf:


                                                                               


                                                                                         




My thoughts are with the people of Boston who are so proud of their history and traditions, including the Boston Marathon.  I am not a religious person, but in the last two days I have taken time to stop and think about the victims and wish them the strength to get through this ordeal and that the families of those who were taken will find some comfort in the outpouring of support for them.



                                                                             

 Check out Tami's blog to see what others are working on.  

                                                                                                                

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Catching Up

Haven't done much knitting lately; I've been visiting with my daughter and doing my best to keep up with three very active grandchildren and now I am catching up on a couple of knitting projects.  Finished Diane Soucy's Easy Baby Cardigan for a friend's grandson.  They live near the beach and a sweater like this can come in handy during those damp, foggy summer days:


                                                             


I was so pleased with my Ruffled and Ruched scarf that I decided to make one for myself.
Here's my first one and I'm about halfway through the second.  This is a really quick knit and would be a great project for some stash yarn:


                                                                                        





The blue yarn is a provisional cast on at the center of the scarf.  After you finish one side you then start knitting the second side from the middle.

That's it for now fellow knitters!  Check out Andrea's blog to see what others are up to this week.