Things that encourage me to just keep knitting right now

... since I can see, off in the distance, the end of the sample knitting for the book. Some inspiration for what I will knit next:

Folktale Patchwork Handspun (I just purchased two skeins after waiting several months for Abby, the fiber artist behind Folktale, to reopen her shop after a move). There will be a project in the book using this yarn (I ideally wanted to use my own handspun, but time constraints prevented me. Plus, I like to share products that I love and that others can purchase).

The new Rowan. The cover alone makes me want to knit, makes me happy that I do knit. I actually have the yarns to make that scarf. Today, after 13 hours of work yesterday and four hours of sleep last night, I feel confident that I will make the dress, too. Thinking about what shoes I will wear with it gets me part way there, right?

For some book project updates, see Andrea's blog. She's been a champion with the garter stitch. You'll see... there's. a. lot. of it.

Bedtime! Thanks for the awesome comments about my interview!

I complete a thoughful interview on the topic of knitting design!

Robin Hunter interviewed me on her blog and I managed to stay on the topic of knitting!

Two of the photos include new stuff that will be in my book... just a hint, though!

By the way, does anyone else like Crows? I'm a bit concerned about what this "LAST CHANCE" sign means... are they being discontinued? Or is the Wallgreens in Central Square, Cambridge just going to stop carrying them? Because that is the only store in the Boston area where I have found Crows, and yes, I do stock up when I'm in Central Square.

Nordic Style Custom

I got to do some fabulously absurd knitting for a show this August:

In the Boston area on August 5? Come check out my friend Brian's Guus and what a lot of other artists have done with them! You can see details of my contribution here.


Oh, and I'm in the new Knitscene, too, and my project has the honor of being the only one modeled by a guy (yay!), as well as that of being one of the only garments that is not being tugged, pulled, or otherwise fiddled with by the model. Everyone! Get your hands off your garments! Are all these poses hiding poor construction or poor fitting, or are they just bad poses? Who knows? Just cut it out!

Back to the hat. This is an awesome hat, cozy and fitted, nice and tight around the ears. It's all in the round, can be made in any worsted-weight yarns, and the ribbing pattern is so intuitive you'll hardly have to look at the pattern! I love it! I almost forgot I made it, but here it is!

Vacation in Review: The Knitting

What with the upcoming book, I knit whenever I could while on vacation on some big projects. Sometimes the knitting was accompanied by a lot of beer.

To start the trip off on a good note, this was the scene on our first morning in Iceland, after about four hours of sleep during a night that did not get dark. I accidentally put sugar in Chris' coffee, which he hates. Look how stunned he is. Adorable.

That's lace-weight Lopi in front of him; $2 a skein; each skein is about 325 yards.


Of course we visited the Englishe Garten in Munich. I knit when the beer arrived:


While consuming the beer (my knitting appears to amuse me at this point):

And while moving on to the second liter of beer:


I went and took a nap in the grass soon after this photo was taken.

I knit after we hiked up to Blaueishutte in the Alps (1680 meters); a pretty serious hike. We stayed overnight in a big room filled with bunk beds called the "Lager." Don't worry, there is a beer in front of me at this point, it's just not in the photo:

I knit while waiting for the riders in the Tour de France to pass by on Day 1... some three-color stranded work at this point:

And here they come! As Chris notes, my boyfriend is in the front (he's won the yellow jersey for the past 6 days, but has also won the yellow jersey for cuteness):

I'm actually watching the ride live from my couch right now. Will it be a 7th day in yellow for my boyfriend, or will Contador make a move?

I am back

from here and here.

Seriously, I got to watch every Tour de France rider go RIGHT BY ME over a bridge in Rotterdam a few days ago!

Back to the grind under the nSight sign tomorrow.