Start-itis

Suddenly this morning, I've been struck with a raging case of start-itis.  Everywhere I look, there's yarn I want to knit.  This is a problem when you live in a yarn store.
Must. Resist. Must. Finish. Gray. Sweater.

Blocking or Where the @%&! Are My T-Pins?

I know all the physicists say matter is conserved but I'm not convinced.  I swear matter enters and leaves the universe in the form of stitch markers, double pointed needles, and t-pins.  And I'm also pretty sure tape measures all go to conferences to for a week at a time and then suddenly come back.  I think scissors do the same thing.  How else can you explain it when one day I can't find a tape measure to save my own life knowing full well that I own at least ten and a week later, I find them everywhere.  Something has to be going on here. Anyway, I finished the Annie shawl out of the Noro Sekku.  I couldn't find my t-pins anywhere but I did have a bunch of common pins and they actually worked just fine.

Yes, I pinned in out a little crooked.  It doesn't bother me that much.  Once I took it off the blocking board, it was just fine.  I'm pleased with how it blocked out.  It got just enough bigger to be a nice wearable little shawl.  If I were going to use the Noro again, though, I'd use a pattern that started at the back of the neck and worked down.  That way the pattern and the striping would be going the same way.  It's still pretty this way though I hadn't realized how 70's those colors look together.  Eh, retro is in.

Next up, my sister's gray sweater.  It is the Farmer's Market Cardigan from Interweave Knits last fall. 

It was fun to knit the body but the finish work is getting on my nerves.  The collar is just hard enough that I'm having trouble working on it in the shop.  Unfortunately, that's the time I have to work on it so I'm just muddling though.

Speaking of the shop, the sale starts tomorrow at 10am and goes through June 13.  Be sure to come in and pick up some of your favorite yarn for 25% off.

Cleaning Gnomes

People often comment on how nice and organized the shelves in the shop look. Do I suddenly have cleaning gnomes? Nope, I've got Annie.
Here she is doing what she spends a lot of her time doing, pulling yarn off the shelf and completely rearranging it. She is the only reason this place is not a complete disaster area 'cuz we all know how tidy I am.

So Much Fun!

Well, I'm off topic already but I have to write about it.
I went to Little Nephew's spring concert this morning. After the concert, we moved out to the front lawn of the school where the kids taught all the grown-ups how to do all the dances they learn in music class. Absolutely the most fun I've had in ages.

UFOs

A few weeks ago, a thought crossed my mind. What if I were to take all my unfinished objects and finish them one at a time until I had none left. And then I went, that's just crazy talk! Crazy!
Then, without really meaning to, I started finishing UFOs. First was a scarf, then a pair of socks, then another pair of socks. I have a sweater for my sister that just needs some finish work, a shawl that's a shop sample that's almost done and a cotton cardigan that I may actually want to wear this summer. Hmmm, I might be onto something. I thought about it a bit more and decided to keep finishing things for as long as I could stand it with the exception that I was allowed to have one pair of socks going at all time. I really can't function without a pair of socks on needles. It's just how I am.
So, here I am finishing UFOs without having really set out to. Let's see how far I get!

Thirteenth Anniversary Sale!

Just a reminder that my anniversary sale is coming up June 5-13. There will be the usual 25% off all the yarn and fiber and I'll be doing a great Malabrigo giveaway. So be sure and get there early to get all the best stuff!

So, I'm back

I've been thinking about this poor neglected blog for a while and wondering how to restart it. I thought maybe it would be good to re-purpose it a little. I'd been using it as the blog for everything but I think it will be better if I narrow the focus to knitting and the shop with possibly a side of sewing. I just started a cycling blog. It is http://www.fatchickonabike.com/ if you are interested.
So that's my plan. Stay tuned!