From the Queue Friday - Interweave Knits

Interweave Knits arrived in my mailbox last Friday so I guess that means some things probably went into the queue this week. :)

There were lots of sweaters in this issue, but my fav was the Williamsburg Cardigan:I also am totally in love with the Brattleboro Hat (which is also a pattern in New England Knits):
I think that hat would be the perfect hat for all that handspun I have been referring to a lot on the blog lately. :)

So, did you queue anything from the Fall Issue of Interweave?

Note: Photos came from the Interweave Knits website.

Yarn Thursday

I had a pic of this yarn on the blog not all that long ago, but I thought it was pretty enough for another show. :) It's the Boobie 1 colorway from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. It's one of those skeins that needs to marinate in the stash for awhile until I can decide what to do with it. I am thinking a one skein shawl thing, but sometimes with the Socks That Rock I can run a little short at the end. Hmm, maybe a another Milkweed? :)

Happy knitting!

In the Loop: Knitting Now

Awhile back, I was contacted by Black Dog Publishing about the book In the Loop. So, they sent me a review copy and I have finally taken a look at it. And let me tell you, it's an interesting one for sure!
As stated in the press release, "Through case studies, essays and photographs, In The Loop documents the work of artists using knitting in their work, public responses to knitting over the years, the rise of contemporary knitting groups such the internationally renowned ‘Stitch and Bitch’ and the burgeoning popularity for ’Knit Lit’ and do-it-yourself, environmentally friendly crafts."

This book is not your typical knitting book you would think of with patterns and instructions on techniques. It really is a book about knitting as a form of art. One of my faves in the book was Alter Egos by Mark Newport.
I mean, you have to admit, these are pretty cool.

So, if you are looking for a book that takes a different look at knitting, then I would recommend this book. Some of the photos inside this book are pretty incredible. The use of knitting in all different kind of environments was super interesting to me. I definitely think I would flip through this book when needing a little knitting inspiration. :)

Want a copy for yourself? Well, Black Dog Publishing is offering the book to my readers for a 40% discount (the book has a retail price of $39.95). Just email Jess at jessATblackdogonlineDOTcom with "Knitting Like Crazy Offer" in the subject line, and she will get you hooked up with your copy.

Read any good knitting books lately?

Note: I was given this book as a review copy and approached by Black Dog Publishing to offer this discount to my blog readers. For more information, please see my disclosure policy here.

New Yarn and Free Shipping!

So, my yarn dyeing mojo came back this weekend. I dyed something like 25 skeins on Sunday. It felt awesome to get into the yarn dyeing studio (ie basement) again!

After I was done dyeing up yarn, I went through the yarn I had previously dyed to figure out what still needed to go up in my shop. They were all ready to go, just sitting in the tub o' yarn waiting to be photographed. So I present to you today some new colorways!

Mom's 1970's Kitchen

Ski Jump

Wild Garden Dreams

And, there is more in the etsy shop too!

Also, I have free shipping right now, so get it while it lasts!!!

http://knittinglikecrazy.etsy.com

More stuff will be going up this week sometime. Hope you enjoy! :)

Midwest Fiber & Folk

So, last weekend I headed out to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair. I had been to this fair a few years ago, but hadn't made it out there in the last couple years. This year it was at a new location, the Lake County Fairgrounds. While I was waiting to meet a couple friends there, I took a look at the Rust Tex Quilts that were on display. I don't know much about quilting (ok, I know nothing about quilting) but I thought they were all just so pretty.
Then it was time to inhale some yarn-y fumes and check out the market:I have to admit, I missed the outdoor market that they had when I attended in 2007. Yeah, it was super hot outside, but I think I would have enjoyed being outside more. It was still a super good time. I found myself being much more interested in the samples of items in people's booths than the actual yarn. I asked a bunch of people about the patterns for the samples.

One pattern that I just had to have was the Norwegian Woods Shawl Pattern by Sivia Harding. There was a sample in the Yarns by Design booth and it was just so very gorgeous. I loved the shawl so much I even bought a skein of yarn to knit it:


That's Fleece Arist Mini Maiden. It's Merino and Silk. So soft, so shiny. That is going to be one fancy shawl when I am done with it. While in that booth I also picked up another pattern. It's the Tiered Shawl (You can see a pic here). There was a sample in the booth and it was just so cool and different I just had to have the pattern. I will try to dig up some stash yarn for that one. :)

And of course, you know if The Fold is at an event, I am going to acquire something from them!This is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisted. My very first Blue Moon yarn that is not Socks That Rock. This is in the Rooster Red colorway. I have no clue what it will become.

So, after having a little lunch, it was back home to enjoy my purchases. I have to say, if you live in the Lake/McHenry County area, this is one nice little fiber festival.

Go on any good yarny field trips lately?

From the Queue Friday: Mittens

Mittens? In July? Surely, I must be crazy. But when it hits this time of year I always start thinking about the Christmas knitting I want to try to accomplish. And this year, I think it might involve mittens.

First up are the Fiddlehead Mittens:

Photo from BockStark Knits' Flickr Photostream.

These were on the Ravelry homepage for forever and I think they are one of the first things I queued when I got on Ravelry. I still have hopes of making these mittens. The pattern is available on Ravelry for download here. The pattern is $5.95.

And then there are the End of May Mittens:

Photo from kathrynivy's Flickr Photstream.

I had seem them on some blogs and I think they are so pretty. I might need to make these as a Christmas present to myself! This pattern is also available for download on Ravelry. You can get is here. The cost is $6.00.

So, what's new in your queue?

Sheep to Shawl

So, the spinning kick continued and I took some roving I had purchased from FatCatKnits and turned it into this:

Which I then turned into this:

That was just a smidge over 200 yards, so I turned it into this:I am calling it my Milkweed-eque shawl. I was way way short on yardage (I knew that would happen) but I really liked the garter stitch with the eyelets. And, I really like the way the Milkweed shawl increases, so I just followed the pattern until I was getting close to running out of yarn.

Basically, I knit Chart A, B, C, B and then rows 30-35 of C, then bound off. That completely eliminated the diamond lacey bit at the edge, but I am ok with that. I am totally in love with this little shawl.

And when I was finished I may have cast on for another Milkweed, this time with a commercial yarn where I know I will have more than enough to knit the whole thing (more on that later). :)

If you love knitting shawls, especially the one skein sock yarn kind like me, you need to get this pattern. Seriously. The Rav link is here.

Happy knitting!

The Spinning Continues

When the urge strikes me to spin, I try not to pass it up. Every 3-4 months I get this urge to spin some yarn. I spend a week or so doing nothing but that, then I put the wheel away until next time.

So here is some more yarn from the most recent spinning weekend o' 2010. This started out as Chameleon Colorworks Optim Roving. I acquired this at Knit Purl in Portland when I was there for Sock Summit last year. It's 4oz of the most lovely merino wool. It was so silky and smooth while spinning. It's one of my favorites that I have spun up so far!
I ended up with about 186 yards of a 2 ply yarn. That seems to be where I spin lately. Right in the 'worsted or a smidge bit heavier' range. I seem to always end up with right around 180 yards (give or take 20-30 yards).

I am loving the way this one came out. As always, now the challenge is to find the perfect project.

Happy knitting (and spinning!)!

From the Queue Friday - New Knitty!

With the new Knitty coming out at the end of last week, lots of new things were added to my never-ending Ravelry queue. Here are my two favs from this issue. First up, it's Kink:

Photo from Jodie_mom's flickr photostream.

I don't know what it is about this little cowl thing, but I am in love. Love, love, drooly drool, love. I think it's the perfect use for some handspun, don't you? :)

The link to this pattern on Knitty is here.

And then there is Ms. Clarke:

Photo from brendapetipa_knits' flickr photostream.

I am in love with everything in this shawl. Even the beads, and I am not one to put beads in my knitting. But this shawl makes me want to!

The link for Ms. Clarke on Knitty is here.

So, what's your fav thing in Knitty this issue? What did you put in your queue?

Yarn Thursday - Handspun Edition

Hey, look! It's another Yarn Thursday post! I kind of like these Yarn Thursdays. Makes me want to lick my computer screen. Wait, what?

This time, why not some pics of some yarn I spun up recently. :)So, I had some Corriedale roving that I had dyed and it had been sitting in my etsy shop for a forever. I mean like months and months. Finally, I decided if no one wanted my roving, then maybe it was time I gave it a little lovin'. So into my stash it went.
Now, I pretty much know nothing about spinning, so I can't give you lots of interesting "this is how I spun it" kind of facts. I can tell you it's 2-ply of 3.5 oz of Corriedale roving. I ended up with 148 yards in the end.

I have no clue what I will knit with it. I think A LOT of people may be getting handspun yarn hats for Christmas this year. Not that that's a bad thing. :)

Happy Yarn Thursday! And Happy Knitting!

OMG. Another Baby Sweater? Really?

Ok, so after the From the Queue Friday post from last week, I decided that I needed to make those baby sweaters. Both of them really. I had the exact yarn (same colorway and everything) for the Baby Mine sweater, so I wound that up. And then I proceeded to search for about an hour for the pattern and couldn't find it. I know I bought it at Stitches a couple years ago and I saw it not that long ago, but where it is now is a great mystery.

So, I made a February Baby Sweater instead:This one I made out of a Mill End Socks That Rock that I picked up at Sock Summit. Someone told me it is the "Faulty Dyer" colorway. I had already knit some little kids socks with the skein, but I managed to have more than enough for this sweater.
Instead of the buttons and buttonholes as the pattern indicated, I just attached a chain of single crochet and sewed it back on itself to make a loop. One button later and I was good to go. Of course, this will be going to my niece, C. It's a little big for her still (honestly, I think it would fit an 18 month old), but she will grow into it eventually.

As I mentioned last week, the pattern came from the Knitter's Almanac. I knit this baby in just about 3 days. Easy sweater. Awesome results.

So, if I manage to locate that Baby Mine sweater pattern I may have another baby sweater to show off on the blog soon. We'll see. :)

Happy Knitting!

Some Questions Answered

So, I noticed in the last week or so I have had some questions in the comments. So I thought it probably be a good idea to actually answer them! :)

Kay wanted to know what building Alex and I were in front of in this post. It is the Tribune Building. The area around the Tribune Building is by far my favorite in Chicago. It is so beautiful.

Also in that post, Enid wanted to know where we stayed. We stayed at Hotel Palomar. It's a new hotel in the city. It's at 505 N. State I think. Very nice. And not that expensive for the location.

Susie wanted to know if I visited any yarn shops on the Chicago trip. Alas, I did not. I am on a major yarn diet as all our extra $$ goes to the wedding fund. There are some good yarn shops in the city. My fav in the city is Loopy Yarns. I also enjoy going on the tour at Lorna's Laces. :)

JC wanted to know how to wash the bibs I made her. (you can see them in this post). Jenny, they are cotton and the buttons should be just fine to be washed and dried. So, I would just wash them regularly in the washer and dryer. :) Might shrink a little, but not too bad!

And last but not least, Joansie wanted to know about the new blogger features. If you click on the design tab when in your blogger dashboard, you will see a link at the top that says "Template Designer" you can pick from a bunch of new templates there. To add pages (which is what you use to make those awesome tabs like I have at the top of my blog) in the Posting tab you go to the "edit pages" link and you can add new pages and edit the ones you already have from there.

Hope this helps! Back to your regularly scheduled knitting posts on tomorrow! :)

Happy knitting.

Another BSJ. Yes, I have a problem.

Ok, I think I have a problem. It's an addiction really. It's the Baby Surprise Jacket. I don't think I can stop knitting them. I think just about every baby needs one.

I knit this one. Then I knit this one. And now here's Baby Surprise Jacket the third:


I changed it up a bit with the buttons this time. Rather than knitting the buttonholes, I just added a little tab at the top and added one button:
I love the way it turned out. I think the mommy-to-be that will be getting this will just love it. Very manly for the little man she is growing in her tummy.
Also, I have to say, this third time, I am finally happy with the seaming job I did on the arms. I thought I did it good enough I even took a picture:
I pretty much suck at seaming things. But this one turned out pretty good.

I knit this BSJ (like all the BSJs I have knit) with some Socks That Rock. This skein was Lightweight and in the Monsoon colorway.

So, I think more of my friends need to get pregnant so I can knit more of these things. :)

Happy knitting.

It's a new look!

Maybe I am a little behind on knowing that blogger made their features way better, but better late than never!

So, I did some major work to the blog this morning, adding some tabs and things. My old links at the top of the blog were Jen-made (i.e. I spent literally hours trying to figure out how to make them and they didn't even look that good). But now I have pretty little tabs. It's all I've ever wanted on my blog!

Hope you enjoy the new look. I certainly do!

Have lots of knitting to show you this week. Stay tuned. :)

From the Queue Friday: Baby Sweaters

Well, now that I know that my niece is, in fact, a niece, I can start dreaming about knitting all those little girl baby sweaters I have been queueing up!

This one I bought the pattern and yarn for long ago, before my niece was even a glimmer in my sister and brother-in-law's eye:

Photo from Stefanie Pearl-McPhee's Flickr Page.

It's the Baby Mine Sweater. I got my pattern while at a Stitches Midwest a couple years ago. You can get your pattern for $6.50 on the Blue Moon website here.

The next one is the February Baby Sweater:

Photo from Knittyblue's Flickr Page.

I just love that pattern (I love love love my February Lady Sweater I knit awhile back!) I think my niece is definitely going to need a matching sweater! :) You can get this pattern in a variety of places, including the awesome Knitter's Almanac by EZ (um, and it's only $7.95 on Amazon and there is lots of good stuff in there, just sayin').

So, what's new in your queue?

Vacation

And, I'm back once again! Alex and I just returned from a fabulous long weekend in Chicago. Yes, it's true Chicago is a 1 hour and 10 minute train ride from our house, but it's a great place to vacation and we didn't have to buy expensive plane tickets!

Our weekend consisted a little bit of this:And a boat ride on the Chicago River where we saw this:(That's Trump Tower and the Wrigley Building in case you were wondering).

And, it also involved a lot of walking around and enjoying the city:
We went and saw Billy Elliot (which might be my new favorite musical, and I have seen A LOT of them, so that is really saying something), and went to the Planetarium, and had lunch a couple different days with friends. Totally relaxing and totally fun.

Back tomorrow with your regularly scheduled knitting posts (finished a thing or two while on vacation!). Hope everyone had a great long weekend and is having a great week.

From the Queue Friday; Market Bag Edition

It's Back! From the Queue Friday is finally returning to the ol' Knitting Like Crazy Blog. :) I love this Friday segment, and I hope you do too!!

This week I checked out some Market Bags that were in the Ravelry Queue. First up, it's the Saturday Market Bag:

Photo from vlnjodie's Flickr Page.

I love that bag. Feels like you could fit everything including the kitchen sink in there! The Saturday Market Bag is available as a free Ravelry download.

Next up, it's the BYOB Bag:

Photo from moira.ravencroft's Flickr Page.

This one I had scene on Knitty sometime ago. I still want to make it. I love it's stripe-y goodness. As it is a Knitty pattern, you can get it for free and you can get it here. It's also available as a free Ravelry download.

And, finally, it's the Sunnyside Markey Bag:

Photo from KnitPicks website.

I also am all over the stripes in this bag too. So cheery. I really really hope to make one of these. Currently this pattern is available in a kit from KnitPicks. The cost of the kit is $12.99. You can get yours here.

So, what's new in your queue?

Yarn Thursday

Is this a new segment for the blog? I don't know. I just love looking at blogs with yarn pictures, so I thought I would throw some onto mine. I'm not buying lots of yarn right now (gotta save some dough for that wedding Alex and I are planning) but I do have lots of pretties around here. So why not share the goodness, right? And, maybe this will help me rediscover the stash and not be so tempted to buy new yarn (yeah, right, I always am being tempted to buy new yarn!)

First up, this is the most recent yarn purchase I made. Lorna's Laces has been doing this Color Commentary Series for awhile, and lots of pretty colorways have come out of that. But none that I have loved as much as the Ysolda Red.
I love the slight variations in the color. Just enough that when it's knit up it's going to look all rich and interesting.I got mine in Shepherd Sock, but I decided to buy three skeins. Why? Because I think this yarn needs to become a beautiful shawl.

Now to decide on the perfect pattern. Any ideas?

Happy Yarn Thursday!