Hokie Healing blankets

Knitters of the world, unite to help heal the Hokies!



The Mosaic Yarn Shop in Blacksburg, Virginia, is asking all knitters and crocheters to knit or crochet 8 x 8 sqaures to put into blankets for the victims of the VA Tech killings. For detailed information please visit the Mosaic web page or Got Gauge . In the nutshell:

Knit or crochet 8 x 8 squares (after blocking).
Any yarn. The softer the better. The blankets will hug bodies and souls.
Use Hokie colors: Burnt orange, maroon, black, white.
Send your square by the end of May to

Mosaic Yarn Shop880
University City Blvd.
Blacksburg, Va24060

We'll need about 2,000 squares, so dig into your stash, spread the words to your LYS and knitting groups. We can do it one square at a time.

Sleeves update

It has been a sad week for us here in Virginia.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of those students and teachers killed at VA Tech. Also please say a prayer for the family of the gunman. I can't imagine how one would feel to find out that your child is a mass murderer...
Virginia is notorious for lax gun control measures. Let's hope this will change some of that.

Knitting always provides me peace. I finished a blouse for my sister.

Rowan bamboo tape. Pardon the stitchmarker. I have to get the ribbon for the tie. This bamboo yarn is such a joy to knit and it drapes beautifully. I don't know how much it will stretch, though.

I also finished a vest for myself. Adventure in lace!

"Two-way lace" vest from the Best of Knitter's Jackets book. This was my first lace project. I have somewhat overcome the "yarn-over" mental block. I am going to tackle a lace shawl project this summer. The Charlotte's Web Shawl.

In the mean time I am finishing up the sleeves (and only sleeves!) from the Prism stuff:

They will go on a purchased denim vest. I did one last year but sent it to my sister. The colorway for this one is Mojave. Very pretty painted desert colors.

Last but not least, an update on the Yarn Barn Jacket.

It's getting there. Hopefully I will finish the sleeves this weekend. See, who says I don't do sleeves? Then on to the the collar and the button band. Yeah!!

Happy Knitting.

PRISM

The Prism trunk show is going on at the Yarn Barn.

Be prepared to take out a second mortgage.
Wild stuff, Cool Stuff, Neat Stuff, oh my!



All the Stuff you'll ever want. Also other famous Prism staples such as Bon Bon, Angora, Kid Slique, Azelea... You name it. Penny's got it in the shop until April 22.

Also the newest models. Come take a look!

I am going to knit this jacket

Here is my loot:

Penny is also an accomplished artist. You can see some of her paintings at the shop. Here is an example of one she was commissioned to paint.

Stop by if you are in the area.

April snow

Whatever happened to April showers?

In Thailand, where I hailed from, it never snows. April is the hottest month of the year where temperature can easily top 100 F. April 7th is my birthday. The last time it snowed on my birthday we were in Moscow.

Definitely not in Northern Virginia.

But on Saturday I woke up to this:

And the daffodils greeted me with a bow:

It was cold. It is still cold. But at least the snow didn't last and we were a lot luckier than those folks in the MidWest or up in New England.

Good knitting weather. I finished the body of the Yarn Barn jacket.

That doesn't look much like a jacket, does it? Here is the front:
and back:

Now I will have to add the sleeves and collar and button band, but will need to wait until Wednesday to ask Penny.

I cast on and started knitting the Juliet sweater using Classic Elite Classic Silk but I was off gauge and it was huge. Rib it I will and redo the math to match my gauge since I want to knit in in Classic Silk. I don't want a summer sweater in wool and I can't seem to find cotton that knits to 22 sts/4 inch that I like. Any suggestion?

Off to work. Weather permitting, I will attack my back yard today. We are redoing the landscape and I want new vegetable beds made. The ground is probably still hard as rock but we will see.

Happy knitting.

Must knit immediately

I cam across this pattern in Debbie Bliss's latest book "Rialto" and did a back flip.

I have to have this sweater. Never mind five other projects on the needles. It is called Juliet and is knitted with Debbie Bliss's new yarn Rialto, an extra fine merino. I don't want a wool sweater, even though there are several other patterns in the book that I will knit with wool. But not this one. I want to knit it now and wear it now. And summer is coming. This one will be done with Classic Elite Classic Silk. I cast on. It doesn't look much like anything yet since it is knitted in one piece to the underarm in garter stitch. Knit, knit and knit.

I have not abandoned the Penny jacket. I got the two front panels done.

I went ahead and knitted up the back just to realize I needed to pick up more stitches. Ribbed it. It will rest for a couple of days while to tackle Juliet. Maybe next week.

Happy Easter and happy knitting

Mystery square revealed

Here we go, a couple of days late, but still in time for Easter.

The bunny was made from the 8-inch square. You fold and sew up the four corners as four legs, make the ears, stuff it with fiberfill and voila! Here is the link to how to make it.

More bunnies and a knitted Peep.

Happy Easter!