Knitting Calendar 2009

As I mentioned a while back, I had sent in a few little patterns (one from my blog, a couple from Magknits) for consideration in the 2009 Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar. My beloved sushi won me first place and a big fat check, but another delight came today-- my copies of the calendar.


And what should I find on the box? My own little girl! Emma was very impressed with herself!


There's a picture of my sushi on the inside lid too. :)

And a good time was had by all

Yesterday a group of ladies from my Tuesday night knitting group and I headed out to Lansing for a much-needed yarn shopping adventure. Our first stop was Rae's, which had moved to much larger digs since our last visit in September. I was delighted to see all the spinning stuff that had been added, and bought another spindle (a bit lighter one) and a big wad of very cute Blue Faced Leicester top. After that we moved over to Threadbear, where since it was the dog's birthday we got a piece of cake as well. We stayed there for hours, since there's so much to see, and we all found something we "needed". As for me, I took advantage of the massive amounts of Garnstudio being cleared out at amazing prices (I got 6 balls of purple chunky wool for $2 each, my friend Beth filled a basket with the remaining skeins of pink). On a purple kick, I also picked up skein of Malabrigo Chunky and some Lorna's Laces top in a pretty purple and black color. Lastly I grabbed the Cat Bordhi sock book since I've been meaning to pick that up and try something new, sockwise.

Here's my loot:

Vogue Knitting on the Go

I received my contributor copies of the 2 upcoming Vogue Knitting on the Go books, Shawls 2 and Grannies today! They aren't quite on bookstore shelves yet, but it won't be too much longer-- you can preorder them on Amazon at least! Personally, I'm a total nut about these cute little books and I'm willing to admit that I own every single one--now 40 in all.

Here's what I did for the books:

Also, I picked up the Fall Knit Simple today too-- while I didn't do a design for this one (have to wait until Holiday for that) I did participate in a little article about what we learned about knitting from our mothers and grandmothers. It was nice to see my contribution followed by "Amy Polcyn, designer" just like it did for Lily Chin, Meg Swansen, and the rest. I'm not worthy!!!

Noro Sock

Finally finished the toe on this long-suffering sock. Yes, it's a Jaywalker, in Noro Kureyon Sock. As far as the yarn goes, I love the colors (I'm a total nut for Noro colorways) but it's easily tangled and a bit frustrating at times to work with. Hopefully I'll get to its mate soon-- we'll see!

Teensy peek

Of the sweater I just finished for Aslan Trends in their "Artesanal" yarn. Although I hadn't had the pleasure of working with their yarns before I started designing for them back in December, I must say they are a delight (at least the 3 I've used so far-- Artesanal, Del Cerro, and Glaciar del Cielo). The thing I like most about the Artesanal is how light it is for the yarn weight. I think it would be very nice to wear!

Oh great and glorious UPS man!

He's paid me a number of visits over the past few weeks, bringing yarn for upcoming design deadlines:

Don't worry, they're not all due at the same time. Now to decide which to start next...

Vacation

How to knit in the woods...

(at our campsite at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, between Grand Haven and Muskegon on Lake Michigan)

How to knit at the beach...

(on the beach in Grand Haven, lighthouse and pier in background)

How to knit at an amusement park??

(at the waterpark portion of Michigan's Adventure)

Well, we're back, and with all the knitting time I carved out I finished an entire short sleeve cardigan in SWTC/Vickie Howell Collection Vegas, based on a pattern I was reverse-engineering for Vickie (from the one she knit for herself) before I left (it was so cute, I had to have one!) Granted, I was lazy and didn't bother with the lace panels and only did a top button (again, laziness-- I guess that's the effect of knitting at the beach too much) but it's nice to have made myself something for a change. If you're wondering what it looks like, Vickie is wearing hers here.

We decided to do a little half-assed camping this year (meaning we got most of our meals out, though Hubbo busted out the camp stove and made pancakes every morning) and where else to go but the delightful sandy shores of Lake Michigan? It's got it all-- knitting time (and yarn shopping) for me, frolicking in the lake for Emma, and volleyball for the Hubbo.

We arrived on Wednesday, and not one hour after we arrived a series of terrible storms blew up, with hours and hours of torrential rain, huge hailstones, crazy wind, flooded streets, you name it. After a while we gave up on camping for the night and drove into town to find a hotel room. Being 4th of July week, this was very difficult, but we lucked out and found a place that just got a cancellation. After a dry and pleasant night, we headed back to the campground in the morning to finish unloading the car and set up. At this point (and for the rest of our trip) the weather was totally sunny and gorgeous, though a bit cool that first day (didn't stop Emma from swimming though!)

We beached at the campground, in Grand Haven (about 4 miles away or so) and up in Ludington (about an hour north) for yarn shopping and grandparent-visiting. The crowds in Ludington were the most insane-- we waited in a huge line at House of Flavors for ice cream cones but of course it was worth it-- their ice cream is the best (why wouldn't it be, when the factory is right out back?)

The last day we went to Michigan's Adventure, since our kidlet is a total fearless maniac when it comes to rides. She had a great time, and it was perfect-- close by, cheaper than Cedar Point, and though it's smaller it still had plenty of stuff to do, including a really nice waterpark (that didn't cost extra, what a treat!) Here's a few more pictures...

Now to decide what we're going to do next year (and to get back to work-- 2 more boxes of yarn came today for upcoming design deadlines!!)

Just got back...

From our little camping trip to Lake Michigan (we spent most of our time at the beach, naturally). I'm pretty sunburnt, mosquito-bitten, and tired, but as soon as I have a good night's sleep in my own bed I'll have pictures and details (and a finished sweater!)

Cracking open the stash

I just finished a really huge pile of work yesterday-- so to celebrate, I'm going to knit whatever I want for the next few days (shocking, I know!)

Brace yourselves...