Souvenir Yarn and Needles

What does a knitter buy for souvenirs while traveling? YARN of course! I started those Thuja socks for my husband and after a couple of inches had him try them on -- they were too loose and I didn't have the next size smaller needle to use because we were on the road. That's it! I'm buying the Denise Needles! So now I have them. That gorgeous handpainted yarn is for socks for me! I should be able to get those started on the trip home next week.

We are packed and ready to head out this afternoon for a six-day hike on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire. A little shorter trip than we planned, but it should work out well. It is going to be an absolutely gorgeous hike!

Finished Objects Times Four!

Yes, I've definitely been spending more time knitting than on the computer lately. So, let the tour of FOs begin! The Absorba is complete! I grabbed a quick picture of it on my windowsill before we left -- when I get home I plan to weigh it to see exactly how much cotton it used. I held five strands of single worsted together and went through 10 balls, then I worked from the inside and outside of two more balls and just the inside of a third to finish it off. I made my monthly dishcloth from the leftover, and can probably do one more cloth from the last bit left. I love this month's cloth! It looks like butterflies to me -- don't know if that was the intent of the pattern or not. I'm not sure how I ended up casting on sooooo loosely. I made a mental note after the last cloth to try a seed stitch border instead of the garter stitch because I don't like the way it draws in the sides, but obviously forgot to do that.

"His and hers" socks. My patriotic RPMs, made with a couple of modifications. Alas, my notes are in Texas, so I will have to add those later. Can you see that my ripples go in opposite directions? And the Thuja socks are the first pair I've made for hubby. He really likes them. I like that they only took three days to make while traveling and working a warshrag. They are made with the Possum Worsted from CTH. They were cuddled frequently during the knitting process. VERY soft... and slippery. Hubby doesn't recommend wearing by themselves on wood floors. (Gasp! Must wear with Birks! Protect the handknits!) Both patterns are from Knitty.

Knitter's Tea Swap

Here's my current stash of tea for those interested and amused. It is not as exotic as usual. For yarn stash, see previous post and envision the addition of a little worsted cotton, handpainted sock yarn, and a handful of other miscellaneous goodies. While you're at it, add three cats for the complete picture. I've already put together some of the box for my swap pal, Ulrike. We should be home from this New England trip early enough that I can get it in the mail to GERMANY in time! Fortunately I have a German friend back in Texas who can translate my swap pal's blog for me! http://www.myblog.de/2malig (Please pardon the lack of hyperlink -- Blogger is not cooperating.)

Cherry Tree Hill

Oh yeah I had fun. This is what I brought back from the CTH Labor Day Sale, all squeezed into one suitcase. I've already sold some of the yarn, and considering we will probably be moving soon, I'll sell some more. Never fear, more sales in the future and there never seems to be a shortage of yarn to purchase. Some of it has a definite future, and some has already been done, post of FO to follow.

Dishcloth Patterns

These are the links to the cloth patterns pictured in a previous post. The one that looks like bricks is the Peaches & Cream Ball Band Dishcloth. The pattern is on the ball band and is featured in the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I also found the stitch pattern in my copy of The Harmony Guide to Knitting by Deborah Mountford.

The Garterlac dishcloth can be found here: http://criminyjickets.blogspot.com/2006/07/garterlac-dishcloth.html.

I got several patterns from http://knitting.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://dishclothboutique.20m.com/ and http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/dishcloths.php before joining the Monthly Dishcloth KAL here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MonthlyDishcloths/. Some of the patterns can be found in multiple places. Waaaay too many to knit in one lifetime. And of course, basically any stitch pattern can become a warshrag depending on how many stitches you cast on and how many rows you knit!