Wendy Knits

A buncha questions from Friday’s blog that deserve answers.

First, Critter Knitters questions:

I know the blankets have to be very washable, but I’m finding that I have a lot of 100% wool leftovers. Do you think if I held a strand of wool with a strand of acrylic that the fabric would stand up to washing like a 50-50 blend? This is new to me.

Beats the holy heck outta me! I’ve never tried it. But my inclination is that it wouldn’t work. I think the wool would felt and carry the acrylic along for the ride, mooshing it up as the wool shrunk. But the only way to really find out is to knit a swatch and wash it.

You knew I was gonna say that, didn’t you?

If I pick one of the lacey patterns suggested on the website, do I have to worry about claws getting caught in the lace? I’m thinking about the Elegantly Simple Baby Blanket by Jackie E.S. which is a variation of Feather and Fan… any thoughts?

If it’s a suggested pattern on the Critter Knitters site, I would say it’s okay. And besides, I think getting ones claws into it would be half the fun for the grateful recipient, right?

Halfway through my second blankie I wanna know where do you guys get these beautiful sweater kits?

You mean the sweater kits that are among the wonderful fabulous prizes? I think they were acquired in a number of ways. The kits I am donating were put together by me. I’m pretty sure that the wonderful Hanne Falkenberg kit was ordered as a kit by the generous donater.

Speaking of donations . . .

You guys have been so generous with the prize donations! Wow! There are a couple more on the prize page since Friday. There are still more that are on their way to me.

Liz is planning on hosting several Knit-Outs in parks in NYC when the weather gets warmer, and she plans to have needles and yarn on hand for people who stop by and want to knit but don’t have the supplies.

We think we’ve got a great number of prizes coming in and we thank you all so much. Now, those of you who want to contribute but can’t knit a blanket for whaever reason, it would be great if you could donate machine washable yarn and needles for people who’d like to knit but don’t have the materials.

If you’d like to make donations of materials, you can contact either Liz or me.

And again, thank you!

Questions for Moi

Are you still working on ‘Norfolk’ too?

Um . . . it’s sitting in a plastic bag on top of my microwave. I haven’t touched it for quite a while. Just the ribbing is done. I wouldn’t call it abandoned — I will return to it someday.

I just have to ask – are you one of those people who doesn’t need a lot of sleep? I can’t imagine how you make so much progress so quickly. I know you’re an early riser, so I’m thinking you must get about 3 hours a night!

I wish I didn’t need a lot of sleep. Oh how I wish it. I never get enough sleep during the week and by Friday I’m usually in a serious sleep deficit. So much so that I sometimes do no knitting at all on Friday night, or darn little. I get about 2-3 hours of knitting time in a day.

And since you ask, I have to share. Last Friday morning at 1:42am the fire alarm went off in my condo building. Guess who didn’t fall back asleep after that? And guess who was even more zombie-like on Friday night than usual?

I know you’ve mentioned not being a knitter who likes to change her ways and so I’ll assume you must be pretty good at not getting “ladders” using dbl pointed needles. Any secrets you’d like share on that subject? I love the feel of using dbl pointed needles in my hands but my work looks so much better using the two circ method.

I actually did try the two circular method on a sleeve once and hated it. I think I don’t get ladders using dpns because I always consciously tighten up on the first stitch on each needle. Also using five rather than four dpns makes your work less likely to ladder, I’m told. I think most dpns are sold in sets of five now anyhow, right?

Just curious…are there stripes in your lovely tweed socks?

No stripes, which make them more boring to knit, but they’re gonna be very attractive when completed!

Here’s my first sock, posing artistically in a sunbeam.

Said sunbeam was streaming through the front window of Knit Happens on Saturday. I spent Saturday afternoon there, and what fun I had!

Here’s a candid shot of a customer:

Do you want to see what I bought? I was outta control!

I got some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool — enought to make a vest.

I got some Lorna’s Laces sock yarn in a very girly colorway.

I got some Noro Lily (cotton/silk blend) to make a summer top.

I got a wonderful Elizabeth Austen knitting bag.

And I couldn’t resist. I have been lusting after Kristine’s poncho since seeing her blog entry about it and seeing how wonderful it looks on her. When Kristine pulled out the kit in a teal colorway, well, I went weak at the knees. She just had to wave it gently in my direction and I was all over it. Drooling.

This photo does not do it justice!

The grand opening celebration of Knit Happens is next weekend (March 27-28) so if you’re in the area, be sure to stop by. Kristine and Liz have lots of fun and snacks and prizes planned!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the most fun yarn shop I’ve ever visited. I spent hours there on Saturday, wandering around and fondling the yarn, sitting in one of the comfy chairs knitting, and talking with other customers, comparing options for choosing yarns and colors.

Lucy, of course, had to inspect everything on my return home.

Flora

Here’s a close-up!

I’ve worked past the beginning of the armhole steeks.

Happy Monday to all.

It’s prize central here at Wendyknits! Several more prizes appeared chez Wendyknits last night and they’ve all been added to the prize page. Check it out and be amazed!

And there are more on their way. You guys are so incredibly generous! Thank you thank you thank you!

Blankets Received!

Ohmigosh! Did you see the totally cute series of photos documenting the arrival of the first donated blankets that Liz posted yesterday? If not, go here!

Liz has also created a page to document blankets received, here. I’ve linked to it from my main Knitathon page as well.

My Own Stash Enhancement

I got this in the mail yesterday as well:

Fifteen skeins of Classic Elite Waterspun Weekend from Elann. Yowie!

And this:

A little surprise from Auntie Lolly. Isn’t it a hoot? No copyright date on it, but I’m betting the 1950s. And actually, with some minor changes the sweater is pretty cute!

You gotta love those vintage patterns!

A Lucy Question

Yesterday Barb asked if Lucy ever disturbs my knitting in any way.

I can’t leave balls of yarn out or she’d mess with them. And she seems to have favorites. For example, she is partial to cashmere.

But once it’s knitted, I think she just thinks of it as a nice blankie to lie on. Which of course it is.

To close, a limerick, courtesy of Glynis:

Glynis was a knitter confused
Tried to buy wool frm the sheep, they refused
Told of Starmores she needed
Showed them money and pleaded
But the sheep just stood there amused.

And we’ve had a rousing good start to the Critter Knitters project! Liz has already had some people contact her for the mail-to address for blankets, and I had several people contact me to donate some truly wonderful prizes!

So we are updating the prize page as the donations come in. I’ll let you know when there’s something new to drool over there. And there’s something new over there! Go look!

Lucy says thank you!

And in answer to a question in my comments yesterday, yes, we’re also accepting crocheted, sewn and quilted blankets as long as they meet the guidelines on the Critter Knitters site. Check out the Critter Knitters site for guidelines!

In answer to another question, I’m going to knit my blankets using a single strand of Encore Chunky. We’ll see how that works out.

And yes, anyone anywhere is welcome to participate! For each blanket you send to Liz, you are entitled to one ticket in the raffle. If you feel funny about knitting blankets to go to a charity so far away, you could always knit a blanket to donate to a local charity separately.

I sincerely hope that our project will give lots of people ideas about group knitting projects for their local shelters as well!

Socks

Some of you may have noticed that I changed my sock-in-progress over in the sidebar. Why yes, I did finish the Apple Butter socks:

And here they are on my dainty little tootsies:

And my new SIP is being knitted from the fun tweedy Regia that mia sent me last week (along with the very cool AS t-shirt). Pix when I have more progress.

And here’s the limerick du jour, courtesy of L-B:

At knitting, Wendy’s the best!
Take a peek into her sweater-filled chests!
Cardigans galore!
Pullovers, tons more!
But, alas, only one vest!