A Perfect June

1 Posted by - June 28, 2016 - Knitting, New Projects, Purl & Jack, Scarves, Sweaters

We’ve had such beautiful month weather-wise – I can’t remember a lovelier June, with enough rain but lots of sunshine, warmth but not much humidity – it’s been perfect.  I just wish I could say the same about my knitting!

I’ve been working on Nancy’s Vest.  And working on it. And working on it. Good pattern, good design.  It’s made in one piece to the armholes without any need for counting stitches until you get to the armholes.  I FINALLY made it there and to my astonishment, I had somehow cast on 50 more stitches than required for the size I thought I was making.

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On a size 4 needle with a row gauge of about 9 rows per inch and 12.5 inches to the armholes, I have knit 50 x 9 x 12.5 = 5,625 extra stitches in this vest so far. Talk about mindless knitting!  I’m going to finish it – the 50 extra stitches will give me a vest 2 sizes and 8 inches bigger than I was going for but it will be a wonderful piece.

And I will try to practice mindfulness with every stitch.

On the bright side of knitting, I have just started this gorgeous thing:

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It’s called Northern Trail Wrap, and I got the idea from Mary Ellen Leidy who found the pattern and is making it in a pretty blue shade of Moonshine.  I loved all the different stitches used in the design, and a lovely box of Astral

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from The Alpaca Yarn Company showed up just in time to make a perfect marriage of yarn and pattern.  Look at those beautiful jewel tones! I just started it, as you can see below:

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The stitches just flow off the needles and I think it will have a smooth touch, a lovely drape, and every stitch will glow.  And I will have to pay attention.

These fun notions from The Knitting Zone just arrived, too.  We have lots of Puppy Snips, Kitty Snips and colorful markers and scissors to brighten up your knitting bag.

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July promises to be a fun month (we’ll be open this Saturday, by the way, if you’re in town as I will be) because several types of new yarn will be showing up at my door.  These early arrivals will turn into models for you to check out when fall rolls around. This is Nova from Lang Yarns:

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This fuzzy gray reminds me of a gray cat:

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Finding the right design for each new yarn is the one of the best parts of the fall season for me, and I hope the models inspire you, but I love to see what you make out of our yarns, too, even when I get a little twinge of envy!

One thing I know for sure is that we’ll be doing a block afghan KAL in late summer/fall.  The yarn I want to use is coming mid-July, so look for the posting about it.  Wonderful colors, fun blocks, easy assembly, and a nice way to get together with other knitters – what’s not to love?  Can’t wait!

Here is the latest “Pocket Pal” for Maxwell the Great (Nephew):

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Love these teensy-weensy projects!

Karen took a brilliant picture of Purl that I have to share with you:

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My photos of her are usually a blur, so I am very glad to have this one!