knitting retreat

In order to jump start my somewhat lackluster knitting motivation this summer, I scheduled a two day personal retreat this past Friday and Saturday. The first day was spent at my secret spot, sitting next to the water & getting quite a bit of knitting done. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and thankfully not too hot. Here's what my Hekla looks like with one sleeve finished. The second sleeve is underway, but I am kind of worried about running out of yarn. Also having some doubts about this one...

massive sleeves + petite frame = not a pretty sight

On Saturday, I went on a solo trip into DC to do two things that would have caused my guys to scream with boredom:

1) visit the US Botanic Garden:

 2) and browse the shops in Old Town Alexandria:

Ummm, one shop in particular:

fibre space! (what's a knitting retreat without a yarn marketplace, right?)

It was my first but definitely not my last visit. Their yarn inventory was droolworthy. Lots and lots of gorgeous hand-dyed yarns such as The Plucky Knitter, Miss Babs, Hazel Knits, The Neighborhood Fiber Co., Sweet Georgia Yarns & Dragonfly Fibers just to name a few. They even stocked Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Shelter! I went a little overboard in the hand-dyed imports section:

Skein Yarns (Australia), Hedgehog Fibres (Ireland), Sweet Fiber Yarns (Canada), Freia (USA)

To be fair, my next visit will have to focus on domestic yarns. Then the following one after that will be for local yarns :) Next time I will also try to take some pictures of the shop's cute interiors. They have a wonderful cozy space for people to sit, chat & craft.

I feel quite recharged and inspired to frog finish some WIP's so that I can start playing with these new pretties.


(linking up with WIP Wednesday)

knit.where outfit #11

Liesl cardigan, TwinkleShineKnits necklace, Target tank & shoes, Express jeans

I didn't think a knit.where outfit post was happening this week until I happily came across my Liesl cardigan while rearranging the closet (i.e. hiding some newly acquired yarn). It is knitted with Rowan All Seasons Cotton in a pretty rose color. Every time I wear this cardigan, I long to pair it with a cute floral sundress. And then wonder how there could be dozens and dozens of yarn skeins in my closet but not one sundress?!? I might have to knit one with some of that yarn ;)

100% fun

 

1 & 1/2 hexipuffs = total amount of vacation knitting accomplished

Gosh, I could so easily see myself living happily as a beach bum :) Playing in the waves, making sand castles just to see them knocked down a few minutes later, lazily soaking up the sun all day long. And eating boardwalk fries & gyros for dinner almost every night. We had 100% fun on our too brief getaway to the ocean. Already making plans to go back at the end of August for the little guy's birthday. Can't wait!

knit.where outfit #10 plus vacation knitting

As some of you might be aware, I have been trying to incorporate more handknits into my daily outfits. However, lately it has been too hot here in Maryland to comfortably post a knit.where outfit. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this package from Greece today.

Inside was a gorgeous necklace handmade by Alexandra from the Etsy shop TwinkleShineKnits (coolest name ever!) and wool & cotton blog. The necklace is a lovely combination of colorful yarns & ribbons & shiny beads. I had so much fun coming up with different ways to wear it:

 

TwinkleShineKnits necklace, Gap shirt, AE jeans, Converse sneakers

As you can see, I am totally charmed by how easily this colorful necklace transforms a plain ol' t-shirt and jeans into a cute outfit. It will definitely be going in my suitcase for a few days of sun & fun at the ocean. Here is what I have planned for some vacation knitting:

This is the start of the Chance of Showers cardigan by one of my favorite designers, Heidi Kirrmaier. All proceeds from the pattern (to the end of September) will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross for flood relief in southern Alberta. I am using Hempathy in a bluish-gray color. It's a terrific yarn for knitting on the beach. Taking a little break from Hekla (one sleeve almost finished) because there is no way I can knit with anything wooly in this heat.


(linking up with WIP Wednesday)

backup plan

The problem with a pattern like Hekla is that it is hard to gauge how well the finished project will look. At this point, I am just knitting on blind hope & having fun with the colors and stripes. The front is finished and the back is almost halfway done. I love how these two yarns are knitting up, so if the sweater ends up being horrible, there's always my backup plan:

I had promised my oldest niece to take her to Warped Tour today, which is a very long, very loud music festival. Not sure which is worse: having to listen to the cacophony of noise that passes for alot of music nowadays or having to watch over a gaggle of teenage girls all day long. Let's just hope that I can sneak my knitting past the security gate :)



(linking up with WIP Wednesday)

wave shawl

(warning: loud colors and sparkles ahead; sunglasses recommended for viewing)

I finished my wave shawl just in time for the Fourth of July! So completely happy with how it turned out, very festive and colorful. The yarn is Blue Heron Rayon Metallic. Extremely fun to knit with and drapes like a dream. This was the second free pattern that I knitted by Kristen Finlay. I highly recommend it if you are in the market for an easy knit. Here's a closeup of the sparkles:

(linking up with FO Friday)

knit.where outfit #9

Storm clouds + rain rain rain = tea cups, knitting & warm shawls. The little guy and I have been cooped up inside all day today. It's a good thing that we enjoy each other's company :) We spent the day camping out indoors, complete with tent, sleeping bags & s'mores. I managed to get some knitting done while sitting in front of the "campfire". He went fishing and foraging for food. I think there was a bear attack, too. And strawberry shortcake ice cream bars were mysteriously found under a log. How I love camping!

textured shawl, gap teacup shirt, american eagle jeans, lotta from stockholm clogs