Flash Your Stash 2007!

The Knitty Heads have encouraged us to "Flash Your Stash!" Well, I know who reads my blog (e.g., dad, non-knitting friends who love me), and I'm just not ready to take that first step in the 12 step program :) But, for my Knitty friends, who love Yarn PrOn, I thought I would take a step in the right direction and flash my "blue" stash, because lately, that has really been my favorite addiction! First, Blue Moon Fiber Arts!

Before. Our dining/kitchen area. Meet my Blue Spode collection (see, I love blue).

Blue Spode invites Blue Moon for tea.


To clarify, there is not more yarn tucked in the drawer, this was for photo shoot only. I know, I know.



Up close and purty.

Did you know Blue Moon made 100% Cotton! Seriously!!

Umm, I'm drawn to these colors.

My log cabin blanket ingredients :) Blue :)

I blame this a bit on all my knit blogging friends who have shown me all the beauty that is Blue Moon. And then I blame my two trips to Oregon this past year, Stitches West (last year and this year), and Purlescence Yarns (they are only 20 minutes away!!).

Moving on...to Blue Sky Alpaca. Love love love. I've acquired a little bit of everything- their dyed cotton, organic cotton, alpaca, alpaca silk, brushed suri....lots of projects picked out for this yarn above. The good thing, I'm pretty good at finding this yarn on sale. Most of this has been purchased on sale (I know. I know. Still bad. I know).

A closer look. Love. Ingredients for some cabled hats, baby bobbi bear, baby eyelet blanket, Girlfriend's Swing Coat, a shrug, some Christmas stockings....

And now....

Finally, a little taste of the "not-blue" stash. I will say, the "Blues" are really the only yarn that I've seemed to "collect". Others I love and I'm more project-driven (well, at least now I am). Here are some of my favorites- a new favorite Sheep Shop (like Manos, softer though, love!), Malabrigo (yummy), Naturwolle (more lovely colors), some Karabella Aurora Bulky (sproing!), and then we have Colinette. I have to thank LittleMy from the KnittyCoffeeshop for getting me hooked on their yarns. What a great secret pal she was...and now she's a great swapper!

I will say, all of my "blue" yarns and the favorites above sure do make me smile. I LOVE the colors and the feel. Blue Moon truly is my happy pill. This will continue to be my downfall. I know. I'm already trying to convince Rowan to drive with me to the Black Sheep Gathering in June, just because Blue Moon will be there! I know. Maybe we should change the name of the blog. I know. I better go knit.

xoxoxo Irishgirlieknits

Scarf that Rocks!

Things I know for sure.....


1) I love my new Scarf that Rocks!! (aka the Chevron Scarf in STR that I first discovered here).

2) I LOVE Blue Moon Fiber Arts (my ingredients for the scarf included Nodding Violet and Footzey-Foo in mediumweight STR).

3)Don't wait until the last minute..although the pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (in the chapter on patterns that will be longer than 8 hours, I think), this scarf definately took awhile. Luckily, my obsession to see which colors would show up next helped motivate me to finish.

4) Spring is definately here in California!

5) I love my Scarf that Rocks probably because the colors remind me of this!


and ......


6) I want to make another one!!!!



Happy Knitting!! xoxox Irishgirlieknits

Scarf that Rocks! Update....

Almost......

done!!!

Irishgirlie Knits....and Sews???

My first ever real sewing project!! Wow!! I've finally made friends with my sewing machine. I've been a bit intimidated by it since Rowan gave it to me at Christmas. Then the adorable baa baa blankie...well, putting that lining on the back, well we (thanks Melissa!) did put a cute blue gingham lining on the back of it...but it took forever, probably needed to be redone, but with those cute sheep, whose really looking at the back, right? But it didn't help me love my sewing machine any more. Then, Zonda (I just love her) from Z Knits....and Sews (that's right...I borrowed her blog title for my post) sent me a fabulous swap this week that included this gorgeous Amy Butler fabric (my first ever!). Then I saw these cute bags on another favorite knitter's etsy shop, and was inspired to make friends with my sewing machine. After a few hours...ta-da!!

A perfect little knitting bag... Scarf that Rocks! loves it too! We're off to Reno for the weekend! xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Scarf that Rocks! Goes to the Beach!

I am loving my Scarf that Rocks! so much that I seem to want to take it everywhere! Today I had a meeting in Half Moon Bay and it was such a gorgeous day! Once my meeting was over, I decided to drive down to the beach and knit for a bit (don't worry...it was 4:45pm...I wasn't playing hooky or anything!). Gotta love California sometimes!! Especially since yesterday it rained (I was so excited because I got to wear my STR socks for the first time!!), and today it looks like this. The colors of my scarf that rocks! blend in so perfectly with the beach don't you think??

It was a bit windy though!


The scarf is about 18" long right now. I haven't been able to put it down. I love seeing where the colors are going to show up next! I took it up to Sacramento with me on Saturday (hey, Happy Belated St. Patty's Day everyone!) and knit it a bit while Rowan drove. I also made a cable hat for my uncle on the drive up (and finished it Sunday morning).

Its made with my favorite Karabella Aurora Bulky! Love it!!! Such a quick knit too!

The story behind the hat....my dad said my uncle didn't know that I knit. My dad was surprised he didn't know this. He figured he was always talking about me going to yarn stores, buying me yarn (e.g., giving me money to buy yarn, or me knitting things for him, or the fabulous socks I made him, etc.). So when it came up recently, my uncle requested a hat. Of course, now that I have made him his first hat, what do you think has happened?? My dad comes home today and says, "When you have time, you might want to make him a scarf too." :) Oh, Hot Mama is reading this wondering where her shrug is....I just know it!!! Love you all!!! xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Too Cute!!

Little Nephew-to-be is almost here! Yeah!! I just had to make these cute little baby booties and matching hat... all out of one skein of Koigu! I only had a few yards left (phew!). The booties are the stay-on baby booties from Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick. Of course, I had to run out to Baby Gap and buy some matching onesies to match the vibrant Koigu! Can't wait to meet the little guy!! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!! xoxoxo Irishgirlieknits

Wrap That Rocks!

Blue Moon is so much more than just Socks that Rock! To me, its all about their colors!! I LOVE them!! Here is a wrap I made in their Luna ribbon that I picked up at Stitches West last year. I LOVE IT!! Its been on my unfinished objects list FOREVER!! But, after finishing my Socks that Rock, I figured I should finish this...and just two nights later....voila!! The picture below reflects the color most accurately (more black than blue as it appears above). The colorway is Atomic. And the pattern is a my modified version of a Berroco pattern that I made out of their Zen yarn. Its essentially a four row drop stitch pattern...super easy that really shows off the gorgeous ribbon. Can't wait to take this wrap out for a night on the town! Oh, yeah! That's my life :)

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luna, 100% Nylon, colorway: Atomic

And the reason why I have been so motivated to finish both my socks that rock and my wrap that rocks is so that I can start my..... SCARF THAT ROCKS!! hahaha!

The ingredients: STR Footzey-Foo and Nodding Violet, mediumweight

Its the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts that can be seen here in STR. I'm kinda proud of myself for branching out and picking out my own colors because I really wanted to do Farmhouse and Watermelon Tourmaline (the colors seen here). I'm so glad I did. This combination is so "Springy!" I love it! Let's look closer!




Yes. I love Blue Moon. I admit it. Oh, and to make me even happier today, my final yarn purchase (from 15 days ago!) finally came in the mail today. And yes, it was from Blue Moon. Its been a good week! Oh, and Pashyknits posted. Seriously, can't beat that!! Happy Knitting!! xoxoxo Irishgirlieknits

I'm Baaaaaaack.....

Just had to get a little knitting done...So I promised I'd post before we leave for our trip, and I always keep my promises! Of course, I don't have much time to blog because I'm trying to get everyone packed and ready to go, so this is a pictures-only post for the most part. Karabella can update, right???

Ok, here's what I've got:

Baby blanket for my friend Vicki's baby shower - of course, since Vicki and I met in preschool and have been friends for 30 some years now, baby is really my niece/nephew-to-be. Hope she/he likes the blanky!

And here's a tighter shot. It's from the Suss Hollywood Style book. I substituted the green cotton for a fuzzy green, and of course I didn't check gauge or anything (or block, really) so, it's not square like the book suggests, though it's not actually so out of alignment as it looks in the picture. But whatever...that's ok...signature Pashyknit style :)


And here's the in-progress baby sweater, also for niece/nephew-to-be. It's from the Rowan Pipsqueaks book, and it's my first foray into size 2 clothing knitting. Jury's still out on that. I'm still working on the sleeves, and it's going to have to be finished and assembled on the drive down tomorrow. With some luck, it will get done.


I'm going to try to knit some booties with a little star design on top from the Zoe Mellor book in the same gray/white Cashsoft. Not certain that will get done by Saturday, but you never know...

And then here a few other odds & ends, just to prove I have been busy:

Circular shruggy capelet thing from a pattern I got at Stitches, knit in Schaeffer Miss Priss (I think):

This is the completed experimental sweater from the Yarn Girls book, which I attempted to knit mostly in the round. Done in Velvet Grapes from Handpaintedyarn.com. The color difference in the middle is not nearly as obvious in person. It really doesn't look bad, I don't think. Or maybe it does...that's never really stopped me I guess :)


This is the back of a sweater I've started for little red. Making it out of super cheap Patons yarn that he picked out, and it was moving along quickly (until I got waylaid by gifts and hats and stuff).

This is the back of a sweater I started for me from one of the Rowan books (too lazy to go figure out which one). I think the pattern is called Nan, and it's made from Chunky Print (Pit). Evidently I am fond of making backs of sweaters.

And here's a little experiment that I was working on in Katia Ethnic, which is similar to Biggy Print. It's a French Girl pattern, vesty thing. It's coming out weird, and I'm not sure what to do with it, so I put it in a drawer.

Here's a little hat I made for skiing last month out of Blue Sky organic cotton. It has a little hole at the top for my ponytail! Love it!

Oh and here....is the little sweater coat for Aisabella, complete with Trouble the model:
This was made with Crystal Palace Musique, using a free pattern from their website strawintogold.com. As it took several more balls of yarn than they called for, I had to adjust the pattern by leaving off the button band and doing a crochet border with tie instead. I actually like how it came out (not the most cooperative model, of course).

Ok, that's it from me for now. I will try harder to be a better poster from now on! I'm off to LA to pick up TONS of yarn for us ---- can't wait!!!!!!!

Love, Pashy

Ta-da!

Here they are! My first Socks That Rock! My first "real" socks complete! Well, I have knit three other pairs of socks, but they weren't with "sock" yarn and I knit them on size 5 needles (so it felt like cheating!). These were knit on size 2's!!! I just love them!!! I started them way way back during Socktoberfest!! And it figures we are in the midst of a little heat wave here in California, so I can't wear them tomorrow (but I am wearing them now!). The pattern is the Garter Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks.

Let's take a look at those pretty colors close up...yummy!!!

Now I get to start my STR Chevron scarf!! Yeah!

These socks were also one of my Unfinished Objects that I posted about back in January. So its probably time for a bit of a progress update. Here goes.

1) Sister-in-law's Circular Shrug Done!!

2) Clapotis (no change since last post...and the yarn is soo pretty...)

3) Tapestry Circular Shrug (no change since last post...two-thirds done..maybe I should try to finish this soon)

4) Blue Moon Ribbon Shawl (no change since last post...3/4 done...put down six months ago because I was getting worried about having to cut all the fringe... really just need to finish because it is gorgeous and I should be wearing!).

5) Peony Socks (no change since last post)

6) Socks That Rock HWY 30 Socks Done!! phew....cause typing no change was getting depressing :)

7) Suss Black Shrug (no change...yeah...won't be any change on this for a bit...I should frog it because of that..but it would not "frog" well...oh well)

And I have one more thing on the needles (for the little one on the way), but I know it will be finished by this weekend, so I'm not counting it! So, in two months (while still working on lots of other stuff) I whittled that list down to five unfinished objects! Not too bad.

One more personal triumph (okay..maybe that was a bit too dramatic)... if you check out the ticker below it will say TWO WEEKS since I last bought yarn! I know, not that big of a deal... but I have had some life crisis' the past few weeks that would normally justify yarn-buying and I've even been in to FOUR yarn stores during those two weeks (only twice I bought patterns...doesn't count). Yeah!

Happy Knitting! xoxoxo Irishgirlieknits

A Little Bit of Luxury!

My Secret Pal over at the Knitty Coffeeshop is fabulous!! She sent me ANOTHER wonderful package...this one had a "luxury" theme! Can we say MALABRIGO!!! So yummy! My sister-in-law was visiting for the weekend (for her baby showers! she loved the blankie and everything else! thanks for all the compliments everyone!) and she got some Malabrigo at the LYS! I didn't need too... I have a great SP!! Oh, and my first pair of Lantern Moon needles ever!! I can't wait to try them! The package was perfect timing too! Thanks SP!

Now that the baby showers are done, regular knitting programming can commence :) As soon as everyone left the house and the dishes were put away, I relaxed on our couch (our new couch ... aka my brother and sister-in-law's old/but really never used gorgeous couch!) and kept working on the remaining Socks that Rock sock (yeah, left over from Stitches!). I'm turning the heal tonight! I so want to finish so I can start my STR scarf! I've got one little tiny baby thing to finish, but nothing like the blankie (and I did put the lining on this week...wow! not easy! thanks Melissa for all the help!! what would I do without you!)! Hopefully I can keep pressuring Pashy (yeah, it is her blog too!) to post all the baby shower stuff she's been working on (I know her shower is next weekend! I can't wait to see it the baby blanket she made!).

Hopefully pictures of my first STR socks will be here soon!!!!!! Have a great week! xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Baa Baa Blankie is Done!

Yeah! Its done! Okay, yes it still needs to be blocked and needs a lining, but that'll happen before the baby shower next weekend. To me its done! Now it just needs a little baby to make it complete! I LOVE IT! Read a few posts below to see how Rowan "helped" with the blankie too.
The pictures just don't do it justice. The sheep are made with Berroco Plush, so they are raised and so soft (can't wait to make a pair of the baby uggs to go with this some day with the leftover Plush!).
Pattern: Modified from Family Circle Easy Knitting Fall '04.
Yarn: 8 skeins of RYC Cashsoft Aran, (knit doubled), 1 skein of RYC Cashsoft Aran black, (knit doubled), 1 skein of Berroco Plush; used size 10 1/2 needles
Started: February 16, 2007
Finished: March 2, 2007

xoxo Irishgirlieknits