Things to do at Camp KnittyHaHa

1. Look at rainbows.




2. Make a cute project bag. A seriously cute (and easy!) project bag!




3. You hug your BFF. Hey, Ms. S's 3rd graders!! This is THE monkey creator. Say hi!




4. You buy pretties. Oh, and you drink Blue Moon beer.




5. You beg Tina to recreate this Rare Gem. Pretty pretty please. Consider this post a petition...let your voices be heard.




6. You find knitters in the bar.




7. You are quiet when these fabulous teachers talk. Seriously.




8. You play Knitting Jeopardy.




9. You win prizes. Well, everyone won prizes.



10. You stop blogging and go to bed. Early wake-up call.

Happy Camping!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Before I went to Sock Camp...

I must say spending a few days in Seattle before sock camp was fabulous. I've never been there and I just loved the city! Sunday we had a gorgeous day!


Another view from our room.

CheekyAttitude and Chariel joined Cupcakefaerie and I for the day!


We had a fabulous lunch!


We ventured to Hilltop Yarns, a perfectly lovely yarn store. Seriously loved it. I might have bought one little skein of HazelKnits sock yarn.


Loved their merchandising!


And Chariel had to test out the patio knitting!


Then we walked down the very, very big hill to the Space Needle. I showed my spring forward sock to the Space Needle.

Then on Monday we began our journey to camp. First we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island.






Had to stop at Churchmouse Yarns & Tea too. Another fabulous yarn store.



And they had cashmere. Of the Plucky Knitter kind. Swoon. Yes, some hopped in my bag!

Tomorrow, the first full day of sock camp!!! Squeeeeeee!! Oh, and yes, tonight I did buy some Meet Brown, Joe! Love!

Happy Camping!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Hi Dad!

A quick few pictures....IrishDad wants to see where I'm at!



The view from where we ate lunch on Bainbridge Island!


The view from our patio at here at camp!


Sorry for the quick post....we're at camp now. There's a schedule to follow. Oh, and something about "Store Open" tonight.

Happy Camping!!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Hi Seattle!

A quick hi! Cupcakefaerie and I are enjoying the cold and rainy day here in Seattle. Here's what we've been up to so far...


Our view from our hotel room.


Yay!!


I think dinner is going to be good tonight, wherever we go!


Just discovered a new favorite lotion bar!!


Don't be fooled by this gorgeous sign of spring...its raining!

So nice to have a day or two to relax before all the camp antics begin! Oh, and did you see the updated Sock Summit website!??!? Can't wait!

Happy Weekend!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Am I Bringing Too Many Socks?

I mean it is sock camp afterall?!

Happy Packing!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

The Lists.

I've got way too many lists going. Only way I can juggle right now with everything on my plate are the lists.

There's the...

1. Work list. Well, that one isn't fun. Its long. Let's move on.

2. What I did this weekend list. Okay, actually there is also the what didn't get accomplished list too. But the what I did list at least has some pictures!


I love this little guy. Seriously. We sat on the stairs and read books for a good 30 minutes!


Can you believe he will be 2 next week!!!


SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!! I know, I'm the biased auntie.


Sunday morning view of the bay from Berkeley.


Snowboarder knew it would be one of those weeks so he met me on my way home from Sacramento in Berkeley for a delicious brunch. Anyone recognize this sock?! I figured easy would get me through the week.


Chicken and Barley Chili to get me through the week too. I read about the recipe in the Plucky Knitter Group on Ravelry. It is healthy and delicious! I did double the salsa, added a chopped onion, and more of the chili powder....definitely will make again!


Our SnB finished something special to bring to Tina next week!

3. What I need to catch up on list. Quite a few things on that list, but one is catching up on blog reading. Way way way behind!! Sorry everyone! Camp color homework posts too. But I think I can catch up on those tomorrow and Friday! Let's not discuss our other homework. Thanks.

4. What to pack list. I actually have the knits to pack list done...well, let's just say I have 11 projects on that list.....probably need to unpack some of those, right?!

5. To do list. This is the stuff that has to get done before I leave for camp (e.g., mend my monkey kaw kaw socks, laundry, get a pedicure, date night with Snowboarder to compensate for going to have tons of fun without him next week).

3 more sleeps until I leave for Sock Camp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy almost sock camp!!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Spring!

We had a gorgeous couple of days this past week. On Thursday, my last meeting was on the coast and I took a few minutes to soak in the ocean air. I couldn't help but think of all the blue around me.


How many shades of blue can you find?


Puffin blue. Perfect.






Wait. Where's the blue?!

Although this will end my blue series, I really have three favorite colors. The blues. The pinks and burgundies. And the autumn colors. One week until I leave for camp, so you'll be seeing a lot more color for the next week or so!

Well, except tomorrow I may post some of the achingly (is that a word?!) cute pictures of Lil' Guy that I took today! I love that kid to bits... Can you believe he is almost two!!!! He's asleep now, so I better go knit (and a shout out to all you moms today, Kudos! I'm exhausted just from six hours of non-stop two-year-old!). Oh, and I'm going to watch this...




Happy Weekend!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Fall in Love Fridays: The Blue Edition!

A little sample of my blue sock yarn stash..... it is my favorite color after all.


How many different blues do you see?


When I love a color, I sure can justify that this one is just a bit different from this shade, etc. Hence, the stash grows.

I must say, this camp homework is working out well in regards to me learning how to play with my new camera! And I've been taking my camera with me everywhere..just wait until you see the pictures I share tomorrow!

Happy Friday!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

The Favorite Color

Can you take a guess?

Here. Take a peek at the color I surround myself with in my room.

Or at the majority of the colors in my "I want to cast on now" basket.

Trickle, by Nathania Apple for Blue Moon Fiber Arts
The prettiest pair of socks I've ever knit I think!

Can you tell from my new favorite socks that I've finished?

You guessed it. Blue. My favorite color.

Now that we've got that established, let my color journal begin.

Happy happy!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Phew! What a crazy few days its been! This is going to be a bit of a jumbled post, but here you go!

1. Things every Irishgirlie should have!




A few months ago I did a custom order from KaratStix! Look at what a fabulous job she did! And then, sneaky Disco went and completed my set!! Thanks so much Disco!!



STR County Clare..... well, its not Knocknagree, County Cork where my grandfather was born (I'd settle for County Kerry, just one mile away), but you know...it works!

2. Some pictures from my new camera!





Not too bad, huh?! Yay for new camera...now find me some time and some good light so I can play!

3. Sometimes it is scary/interesting/quick to knit from your stash.


A gorgeous handdyed yarn that has been in my stash for well over FOUR YEARS! A big huge 225 yards! I can't find the tag at the moment....oops...


It turned into this! Seriously easy scarf that made one cutie 9-year-old quite happy! I'm a good auntie because of this sweetie! My BFF's daughter who is not camera shy!! I was working in Sacramento today and sacrificed some sleep for hanging out with three of my favorite little ones! They weren't too happy that Auntie Irishgirlie was not spending the night...but at least I got lots of hugs tonight!!

4. Have a pint to celebrate today!

5. Next up...camp homework... our color assignment is going to be filling up my blog for the next two weeks!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Fall in Love Fridays: The Bailey Edition

Before the camera died, the doggies were wanting a photo shoot. Seriously, they never just stare at me with the camera like they did last weekend. Maybe they knew what was in store for the camera. So rather than fall in love with my stash this week (which I feel a bit guilty about since I've added two skeins of Casbah to it recently, and another sock club shipment....oh dear stash...you continue to grow!), I'm in love with the many faces of Bailey....



The hey-I'm-looking-at-you face. Stop looking at the stash in the background people.


The sad-doggy face.


The that-treat-is-for-me face.

Happy Friday!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Hit the Slopes!

The Freestyle Snowboarder Hat

by IrishgirlieKnits

Snowboarder’s annual Christmas gift is a hat designed by me for when he hits the slopes. Requirements….it needs to have earflaps and look cool! Beyond cool! This year I didn’t even check with him on the design. I just did it! Freestyle. And then I made one for my nephew. And then my sister. Freestyle works for everyone, don’t you think?!

Snowboarder, modeling the adult large size hat
in ShibuiKnits Merino Alpaca, colorway Seaweed
provided by my fabulous local dealers ... Purlescence Yarns (thanks Nathania!)

Lil' Guy, modeling the toddler size hat I think he likes it!!

Rowan, modeling the adult small size
in the gorgeous Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon Worsted in the coveted colorway, Early Light
It was Rowan's birthday present! Cashmere, right?! Happy Belated Birthday little sis!

Yarn: Shibui Knits Merino Alpaca (50% baby alpaca, 50% merino), 132 yards/skein; 1 skein Pagoda and 1 skein Bark for toddler size; 2 skeins of Seaweed for adult large size; The Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon Worsted (80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon), 185 yards/skein; 1 skein Early Light for adult small size

Needles: Size US 8 (either DPNs or Circular 16” with DPNs needed for decreases) for toddler and adult large size; US 7 (either DPNs or Circular 16” with DPNs needed for decreases) for adult small size

Gauge: ~4” stitches/inch for toddler and adult large size; ~4 ½” stitches/inch for adult small size

Width: 7 ¼” inches for toddler size; 8 ¼” inches for adult small size; 9 ¼” inches for adult large size

Note: The adult small size was made by using a slightly lighter worsted yarn and reducing the needle size for a tighter gauge. Also, for the adult large size, less than half of the second skein was necessary (less than 200 yards needed for the hat).

The decrease on this hat was a favorite!

Lil' Guy and his dad, Boondock Saint (he sooooo doesn't want a hat from me!)

This is will be my first official "for sale" pattern (sorry for the delay! a little ravelry hiccup I wasn't anticipating!!)!! Probably why I test knit it for my family...they have high expectations when it comes to their hats!

Available for purchase here!



As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions at irishgirlieknits AT gmail DOT com

Happy Snowboarding!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

The Socks that Killed the Camera

I do love these socks.



But they shall always be remembered as the socks that killed my camera. How? Well, I just had to show you how cute they matched my shoes. My favorite work shoes. But, um, taking that said picture and not being a yoga master yet, well, let's just say...the camera fell. Hard. And, well. It may not be completely dead, but its on life-support, maybe. Ugh.



Just these two photos survived the fall. Well, at least you can see how cute they match :)

The quick details:

Pattern: Tesserae by Anne Hanson
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios Original Sock, colorway Plum Tortie
Notes: Loved this pattern! Can't wait to knit it again with some STR.

Note to the Camera Gods.... I promise to take my next few sock pictures either on sock blockers or sitting down if I do indeed get a new camera.

xoxo Irishgirlieklutz :)

Spring Ahead!

After quite a rainy week, the sun has been shining all weekend!











Did anyone else cast on their Spring Forward socks last night, like me? I forgot how quickly this pattern knits up! It may also have to do with the yummy yummy Plucky Knitter merino cashmere nylon yarn I'm using!

Happy Spring!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Fall in Love Fridays: A Small Victory!

BMFA Peru, colorway Rose Quartz

A quick post for a small victory that occurred last weekend at Stitches! I decided rather than buying some of the gorgeous BMFA Peru yarn that I was surrounded by all weekend, I would go home and cast on the lovely skein that had been marinating in my stash for over 2 years! Well before this yarn was even available online! So Saturday night, after an evening of fun at Purlescence, I went home, wound up the gorgeous skein, and cast on for another Gathered Scarf!

I was quite proud of my little victory! Falling in love with my stash is helping....a bit...

Have any of you fallen in love with your stash lately? I know Neuroknitter has!

Happy Friday!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Friends, Fun, Fiber! part 3

I think working at the Blue Moon booth this year actually helped me stay within my budget at Stitches. There was a point, late Saturday afternoon, where...wait for it... I was sick of looking at yarn! Well, not the socks that rock (that booth made me happy all weekend!), but the wandering around looking at other stuff... yeah, I was tired!

My plan for Stitches included Pigeonroof Studios and Socks that Rock! There were one or two others that were on my maybe list, but nothing quite caught my eye (or, if it did, it was already in my stash!)!

First, the gorgeous gorgeous pigeonroof...




One of these pretties was a birthday gift from Tapmouse! I heart her!


We interrupt this color explosion to show you the skein Snowboarder wanted. Yes, black. As close to solid black as I could let myself get. He wants a "solid black hat." There you go.


Awwww!!! The pretties!! Look at these Rare Gems!!! How I restrained myself, I just don't know!


Maybe I held back on the Rare Gems because I knew I couldn't resist this lovely, lovely skein of De-Vine! Sam first enabled me when she got back from Madrona! I knew I had to have it! And Tina, please please please make "Meet Brown, Joe" a colorway in everything!! I heart this!!!


Okay. I couldn't resist a second skein. Sorry.


And finally (well, I didn't photo the couple millends of STR), my two skeins of LSS Bleeding Hearts! They were calling my name for four days and in the end, I caved! I really heart them!!


This is not a Stitches purchase. But I knew it was coming, so maybe it helped me not go too crazy with the yarn buying! Its Woolgirl's Glinda Kit (she's doing a whole Wizard of Oz themed kits)! The yarn is Madelinetosh (another fave!). And look Cockeyed, a magic wand!! Love love love these kits!! For more fabulous pictures, go see Gail's. You won't even think this is the same kit!

And so we end the post-Stitches week. So sad. But such a fabulous weekend with wonderful friends, gorgeous yarn, and many many memories!!! Now its time to knit up these pretties! Let the countdown to sock camp begin!!

Happy Yarning!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Friends, Fun, Fiber! part 2

Now for the fun!


Killian's and socks. Perfect.


My favorite photographer.


Smile Cockeyed!


Spin baby spin!!!



Go Disco! Learning to spin in 3 minutes!

Coming soon...the fiber!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Knitting!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Friends, Fun, Fiber! part 1

First, the friends! I seriously had way too much fun this weekend! I haven't laughed so much in such a short period of time since sock camp last year!

"My team!"

Disco and me! The best knitster a friend could have!


Woolgirl, Disco, me, and Neuroknitter! Now do you see why I had sooooooo much fun this weekend! Warning...don't click on that Woolgirl link...she just posted all the details of the Wizard of Oz sock kits!! Evil temptress....right after stitches!! I heart her!

For Zonda....we missed you!! Cpurl and Leftcoastknits




I heart these two women more than you know!!




I miss them already!!!!

Happy happy stitches!!! Tomorrow....the fun....
xoxo Irishgirlieknits