Just Knit It

After finishing up the Pittura cowl last week, I needed a new simple project to knit on while reading or when I come home stupid-tired from work in the wee hours of the morning.  Although I'm usually completely brain dead and half falling asleep driving home, I'm always slightly wired too.  Thirty minutes of very mindless knitting and a boring book help me calm down & get to sleep though.

Just Knit It

So....  I picked Just Knit It.  It's perfect. It's a garter stitch shawlette (I'll wear it more like a scarf) with increases at each end on each row.  All those increases means it quickly grows much wider (or longer) than it does in depth.  Once again, I'm using some Louisa Harding Pittura that I picked up at The Knitting B in Richmond. (No link - sadly their website seems to be down.)

So far, I've only knit on Just Knit It during a couple of email reading sessions. I wasn't too sure about my yarn choice at first but the more I knit, the more I like it.  I'm also loving the way it coordinates with my planner's cover.

Did you notice what's missing from today's post?  I normally talk about what I'm reading on Wednesdays but I'm a little embarrassed about this week's list.  Nineteen Eight Four has been relegated to my post-work, 'boring' reading and I've been devouring one smutty romance after another.  And they're just too trashy to name.  I miss hooking up with other knitters & readers on the Wednesday Yarn Along but I sure am glad I don't feel like I 'have' to go public with this week's book choices.

*Edited to say that I'm excited to have found another blogger to link up with on Wednesdays.  Join me over at As Kat Knits.

Magic Number Five

Five!

This is the fifth time I've attempted to knit with this poor yarn.

Starshower 

This poor Pittura yarn has been knit and frogged four times so far but I think the fifth time's the charm.  I think it's going to be happy being a Starshower cowl.  The cowl's texture may not show up too well but then again....  I think five may just be the magic number.

Project bag from CreativeJenV

And look how well Starshower fits into my new project bag.

Knitting bag from CreativeJenV

I love LOVE my new knitting bag from CreativeJenV.  It's the perfect size for a smallish (but bigger than a sock) project.  I'm so pleased with how sturdy the bag is and how it stands up by itself.  Oh, and there's no velcro in sight.  It's the perfect project bag!

I'm in trouble now

I'm in trouble now!  I'm going to need a second job.  Maybe a third, fourth, even a fifth job.

My newly discovered LYS

I found a new LYS.  I guess it qualifies as a local yarn shop.  It's a little further away than what what most people would consider local.  It takes about 50 minutes to get there but really, from our house in the boondocks, it takes about 50 minutes to get anywhere.  I'm calling it local.  I have an LYS!

I wasn't expecting much when I stepped into Knitting B's this past Saturday.  The online reviews were not plentiful and seemed to be mostly from someone who posted repeatedly about the shop being small & their irritation about it closing at 4 p.m. each day.  Considering my last LYS (which closed it's doors a few years ago) was only open a few random hours, four days a week and thought nothing of hanging a 'closed' sign on the door whenever the shop owner's child had any kind of sports activity or school function going on... I consider closing at 4 p.m. seven days a week to be pretty sweet.

Anyway....   I'm going to need another job.  Knitting B is not small.  It's not huge, but it's not what I'd call small. And it's fully stocked.  A little too well stocked for my budget, actually.  I entered the shop looking for something to knit another Pi shawl with.  I've had the urge to knit a gray tonal Pi shawl for a while now.  I walked out with everything but gray tonal yarn.

Pittura

I was immediately drawn to this Louisa Harding Pittura.  At first glance, I noticed the reds and oranges and since it's been 99 degrees and about 4,000% humidity lately, I have a massive case of fall fever.  As I carried the future cowl around the store, I began noticing the blues & lilacs also in the skein.  It's summery too!  I can knit a cowl (or maybe a shawl) that I can wear in the fall when the temperature begins to dip and when I'm jonesing for the warmth of summer.  If you're interested, the yarn is color #9071.

Regia 6-fadig

Next, I spied the Regia display.  This Regia 6-fadig 6 ply reminds me of Online sock yarn which I love.  I grabbed this skein which reminds me of a rocky woodland stream and I can't wait to cast on for a sock.  I've knit socks with Regia many times but never with 6-fadig.

Next, I noticed a knitted top that I just had to have.  The pattern is Twisted and honestly, I probably would never have chosen to knit it based on the Ravelry photos but after seeing an example of it knit....  I Need this top.  I really, really need it.

Pittura, Color #9076

I've never enjoyed knitting with cotton or linen (which explains my lack of summer knit wear) so I decided to try knitting it with a light weight wool.  Or more Pittura, to be exact.  Have I mentioned how much I love Pittura?  Oh. My. Gosh!  It is so soft and comes in the Most wonderful colorways.

Color #9076

Just look at those colors!  If Twisted knits up okay with wool instead of linen, I'm already planning a second top.  Pittura comes in a mostly green skein too.

The staff at Knitting B's were all super helpful without being the least bit pushy or snobby.  (Unfortunately, odd hours were not the only problem with my old LYS.)  If you find yourself in Richmond, stop in for a visit.  You'll probably see me there.  That is, if I'm not out looking for a fifth or sixth job to pay for all the yarn I want.

And I still need some gray tonal yarn for that Pi shawl.

I am in so much trouble now!

Pass the Valium

I have a new love.

Louisa Harding Pittura

Meet my new favorite yarn - Louisa Harding's Pittura.  Oh my gosh!  It is The softest and comes in The most beautiful color combinations.

I'll tell you more about Pittura later.  Despite how much I love this yarn, I'm too busy having a nervous breakdown to talk about it.  You see, my boy child, my sweet baby boy, my little punkin boy is at the airport about to board his very first flight for his very first business trip.  There's just so many things wrong with that sentence!  First, how is my baby punkin boy even old enough to be going on a business trip?  Isn't he still, like, twelve?  Nope, he's actually 21.  And he's getting on an airplane without his mamma?  Lord help me & pass the valium.

And yes, I'm well aware that I'm just slightly over protective of my kids.  Yes, I'm aware that they are grown and are capable of doing things and going places on their own.  At least in theory I'm aware.  In real life....  not so much.

And yes, I'm a helicopter and proud of it.