Don't You Just Love the Sense of Accomplishment 

with Finished Projects?!

I am finally having a moment to post some finished projects on my blog.  One of the items on my "to do" list was to take a new picture of my very first knitted scarf and replace the horrible picture of myself wearing the scarf.  The angle at which the photo was taken was such that it was one of the most unflattering pictures ever taken of me {LOL ~ Laugh Out Loud}!  Here is my neighbor's pine tree sporting the very first scarf I knitted. {My neighbor has no idea I caught her tree wearing my scarf!} Some of you have been reading my blog since day one. For those who joined me later, I knitted this scarf with size 8 Addi Turbo needles.

Variegated color: Noro Silk Garden Lite

{45% Silk, 45% Kid Mohair and 10% Lamb's Wool}

Solid color: Noro Cash Iroha

{40% Silk, 30% Lamb's Wool, 20% Cashmere and 10%Nylon}

I crocheted the edging {with some help from a friend} to add an accent to the scarf and to keep it from rolling.  Some friends could not believe I chose such nice yarn for my very first project. I knew I had to use yarn {and colors} I would enjoy knitting with or I would grow tired of it before I completed the project. I had to be "proud" of my choice to want to keep knitting thru the awkward beginning stages of learning something new. I have never regretted my choice.

Speaking of crocheting, back in the Summer while at a Knit-In at Gourmet Yarn Company in Oklahoma City, a fellow Raveler Sakae {Sorry the link will only work if you are a member of Ravelry.} was showing everyone her first crocheted project - Tea Scarf by Pixeldiva.  Now if you read my first post, you know I used to think I never wanted to learn to knit.  Well, I wanted to learn to crochet even less!  haha! 

At the Knit-In I was sitting across the room from Sakae, but she had my attention with her beautiful scarf! If I ever wanted to learn to crochet a scarf, this was the project for me.  I waited a few months and then decided I definitely wanted to crochet a Tea Scarf.  My reasoning is perfectly logical to me. If I learn more about crocheting then I will feel comfortable putting crochet edges around my knitted shawls and scarves. What better way to learn crochet than by making a scarf! Plus crocheting gave me another excuse to buy yarn... Did I say that out loud? I meant to say it gave me another venue for using my stash. {That's my story and I am sticking to it!}

I used approximately 1 1/3 skeins of Baby Alpaca D.K. Paint by Plymouth Yarn in Colorway 8817, Dye Lot 672.  

  

I had fun learning to crochet the scarf.  

I am considering making a cowl that involves quite a few stitches on the needles at one time. Not wanting to have to figure out how long of a tail to start with in Long Tail Cast On, I am contemplating the Cable Cast On Method. This method eliminates the worry of miscalculation.

Special thanks to Gingerly4it for the instructional video on Cable Cast On.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I could not resist showing a few pictures of some houses in my area. A number of homes were decked out this season. The owner of this one tells me they currently have 40,000 lights. They start before Halloween and spend 3 months putting up the lights.

He went on to tell me that it will take them 3 more years to collect all of the lights they want. At that time, they will have 75,000 lights! Whew! Wonder when they will have to start putting their lights up then?!

Here's another home for those who prefer all white lights.

Are you a fan of Knitty ? For those not familiar with it, this online 'zine has knitting patterns for a variety of tastes.

Looking back at the Fall06 issue of Knitty, a pattern caught my attention that I had missed when this issue first came out. The Lizard Ridge afghan by Laura Aylor jumped out at me as I looked at those beautiful colorways of Noro Kureyon. {A friend with Japanese heritage tells me the English translation for the Japanese word "kureyon" is "crayon."}

Right above the pattern is an advertisement for Yarniverse's Kureyon Club. I contacted Yarniverse in Memphis, Tennessee and signed up. They have sent out 2 shipiments so far, so I asked for both shipments in the same envelope. They were very quick to send the beautiful Kureyon and patterns. Every 5 to 6 weeks you receive a different colorway of Kureyon, along with a suggested pattern.

Next I came across the Leapin' Lizards knitalong for this fun afghan. This is my first knitalong {KAL} to join. I am enjoying reading the posts and seeing pictures of everyone's progress. I have definitely found inspiration for a great project for the new year. My plans are for version 1 with the variety of colorways.

Carpe knitting,
KZ

With a Little Help From My Friends

Ahh, at last a moment to sit and do some blogging! Seems like life loves to throw curves just when I think I will have a moment to blog. Finally a chance!

First things first... I want to thank my computer graphics guru friend DottieB for my new Knitted Zebra blog button. I am placing it in a sidebar so it will be visible on the front page all of the time. Thanks, DottieB!

I love that sense of accomplishment when you finish something. That definitely holds true with knitting, so it seems about time I showed you a completed project. My first project was a simple scarf: knit and purl, alternating between the two. This scarf gave me the opportunity to practice my technique. I definitely improved as I went along. Having the variegated colors kept me going because I wanted to see how it all ended. This is the scarf in it's almost completed phase.

When I got to the end of the skein, I was going to add fringe. Susan {my Knitting mentor and Knitter with a capital K} suggested I enhance the scarf with a crocheted edge. Now if you thought I chuckled when I decided I was going to knit, you can only imagine the chuckling about me crocheting! I told Rori, Crocheter extraordinaire, that she would never believe what I was going to ask her. After she got over the shock, she graciously agreed to teach me. Our letterboxing, postcrossing, knitting and crocheting friend from Nashville Barbara introduced me to a great group of knitters and crocheters in Broken Arrow when she was here on business recently. I told Rori that Barbara would never believe I wanted to crochet! Rori had her work cut out for her because I injured my index finger years ago and I just cannot hold my finger up in the air indefinitely to keep the correct tension. I told Rori she would have to teach me to do the edge of my scarf so that I did not have to hold my finger up. I'm sure Rori was thrilled (ha!), but she acquiesced and graciously taught me. Thanks, Rori!

My friend Kat, Knitter extraordinaire, sent me tutorials to study before my first blocking attempt. The tutorials were very thorough and I felt confident I was doing it correctly.

Additionally I was able to study the pictures of some blocking Kat showed on her blog Creative Popoffs. Thanks Kat!

{Updated note:  I am replacing the photo of the scarf so you can concentrate on the beautiful Noro colors.} It was fun to watch the various colors emerge on my size 8 Addi Turbo needles.

Variegated color: Noro Silk Garden Lite
{45% Silk, 45% Kid Mohair and 10% Lamb'’s Wool}

Solid color: Noro Cash Iroha
{40% Silk, 30% Lamb's Wool, 20% Cashmere and 10%Nylon}

With a little help from my friends...
Carpe knitting,
KZ

Who Me?

Chuckling was heard the day I decided I was going to start knitting. Least you decide these sounds were emitted from the Peanut Gallery, I should quickly confess I was the one chuckling. Until the moment of decision arrived, I had no desire to learn to knit. When the idea began to spin {yes, pun intended!} around in my head, I found humor in the thought that I suddenly wanted to learn how. Even more surprising was the realization that it all made sense to have the desire to knit. After all, I had always enjoyed fiber arts and I needed some projects that were more portable than the more complicated bead projects I enjoy so much.

To those who have knit since childhood, it probably seems strange for someone to say they had no desire to learn to knit. While growing up, no one I knew ever mentioned knitting, so there was no enticement around. Nor do I remember any yarn shops in the towns where we lived. Weaving with fibers is intriguing and I have spent countless content hours bead weaving {on loom and off loom}. Additionally when I saw my first spinning wheel, I knew it was something I wanted to investigate. Yet knitting was just not in my plan ~ until two months ago. So what possibly could entice this Southern born gal to seek out knitting needles?

Being a very tactile person, I have always enjoyed creating things. Fibers and colors brighten my world. When I was in college, I enjoyed macramé and string art. Then I progressed into embroidery, needlepoint and bobbin lace. While making hand bound journals, it was fun to add fibers and beads to the spines. I have always enjoyed embellishing my paper art creations with fibers. It was only natural to move into making fiber and bead necklaces. {A side note for macramé enthusiasts: Micro-macramé with the beautiful cords now available makes wonderful modern bracelets!}

Having the privilege of growing up with parents who enjoy reading, I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. Having read a couple of books centered around a knitting shop, I was searching our wonderful library system’s website when I discovered some “cozy mysteries” that continued the theme of the knitting shop. {I will review these books in future posts so you can enjoy them also.} In these books, the men and women were really enjoying knitting ~ some spinning ~ and the camaraderie they found in sharing these creative endeavors.

Before I knew what had happened, it was all making sense for me to learn to knit. Having taught paper arts and beading for a number of years, it was only natural to seek out a teacher. Having purchased some beautiful fibers and glass buttons from Naturally Needlepoint and Knitting in Tulsa, I remembered they had some beautiful yarns. I went in on my next day off and signed up for beginning knitting classes with Susan, a delightful and talented Knitter {yes, Knitter with a capital K ~ for those who have read Yarn Harlot}.

I just had my 5th knitting class this morning. Here’s a picture of my in-progress first scarf that is my practice for knitting and purling.




Knowing I would need to use yarn that was very appealing to me if I was going to want to finish my first project, I chose a skein of Noro Silk Garden Lite {45% Silk, 45% Kid Mohair and 10% Lamb’s Wool}. This skein is getting smaller and I am getting faster in my knitting and purling. The solid color is Noro Cash Iroha {40% Silk, 30% Lamb’s Wool, 20% Cashmere and 10%Nylon}. I will be using it for fringe and embellishments. When the skein has been used up, I want to learn about embellishing and blocking. {A side note for the curious in nature and for those with Knitting Attention Deficient Disorder ~ yes, I have other knitting projects in the works!} My crazy work in Information Technology has slowed my progress down, but I have learned a lot during this time and look forward to sharing more of this part of my tapestry with you.

Carpe knitting,
KZ