sheep in the city

How do you say yarn in Russian?

Exciting news here folks! I'm going to Russia! What? When? How? I know, it's almost too exciting. I can hardly get the words out. My cousin is adopting a baby and her husband isn't able to go on this last trip, so she asked me to go with her to pick up the baby. I am completely honored that she would even ask me. Can you believe it? In about 10 days I'll be winging across the world. We'll be there for a little over a week. I'm am totally excited, can you tell?! The past few days I've been scrambling to get a Visa and all the other little details figured out. Luckily I already have my passport all in order. About three years ago I decided to get a passport for occasions just like this. You know, unexpected trips that may pop up. I never really expected to use it though. I mean, I love to travel, but currently I can't just drop everything and fly to Paris even though that's what my heart tells me to. Wow. I'm still shocked that I'm going to Russia of all places. For a girl who hasn't been outside the US before, what a way to start! (I have been to the Bahamas and to Mexico...so I should count those I guess)

I have to say, after my last post, you all had some amazing ideas for me. I now need to decide what to take on the trip with me. That is a whole other set of criteria. It can't take up too much room and it can't be too complicated, although it is a looooong flight and I will have some time to concentrate. Hmmm, I'm going to see how far I get on my deadline knitting this weekend and then I'll decide what to take with me. This is me putting off the decision making.

For those of you that have traveled to Moscow before, I'd love to have some suggestions of places that we should visit. It would be too fun to find a yarn shop over there, so if you know of any of those let me know. Now, before you think that I am nuts for thinking that I'll find a yarn shop in Moscow, I stumbled on this website this morning...so I think I have a good chance of finding something. Have a great weekend everyone!

A knitting dilemma...

I have multiple projects that I am trying to knit in a timely manner, i.e...by Christmas. What sort of plan of attack should I take? I could try knitting on one project until it's done, but knowing how I usually operate, that is probably not going to happen. I've thought about knitting on one project each night, giving that project my undivided attention for the whole evening. Here are the projects that I'm knitting on a deadline:

Secret Dad project: This is a must. I want to get this done for Christmas. Many of you have asked me what colors of Malabrigo I'm using for this project. Here they are:
603-Apple Cinnamon
50-Roanoke
96-Sunset
123-Rhodesian
23-Pagoda
Loro Barranquero
Jaen
56-Olive
51-VAA
52-Paris Nights
150-Azul Profundo

Hugs and Kisses Hoodie: This is the sweater that I'm knitting for Liam. I don't have to get this one done by a certain date, but the boy is growing more and more everyday, so I should.

One Baaad Poncho: I haven't talked about this project here yet, but I'm knitting my sister a poncho to wear this Winter while she's pregnant. She is due in February, so I need to get this one done in the next few months. The pattern is a free one from Hello Yarn and I'm using Brown Sheep Bulky in Victorian Pink.

Super Girly Striped Sweater: Alice's sweater. You all know the pressure I'm under from a particular 3 year old. I've finished one front and the back, so I have 3 pieces left to knit.

Obviously, I have other miscellaneous projects that I'm knitting for myself, but none of them have a deadlines...so they've been set aside for awhile.

Please, oh please, give me some suggestions!

Lights, Camera, Knit!

I was asked to join my friends, Allison and Whitney, as they taped a segment about the foundation that they started in honor and memory of their sister Kendall. I've talked about Kaps for Kendall before. This is the third year that they've raised money and awareness for the disease Fanconi Anemia by knitting hats. I was honored that they invited me along with them. The whole experience was fun and exciting. I was escorted through the newsroom where I saw many familiar faces...Kyle,Greg, Kirk, and Kim. We were led into the darkened studio to get all set up. My official role in the segment was a "background knitter". They filmed the "teasers" for the show and that is where I was featured knitting a hat for the charity.

My first big break on T.V...watch out Hollywood! If you are interested in knitting a Kap for Kendall, please let me know! I would love to have you join me in knitting hats this winter. The girls are trying to collect 480 hats, which would help them to raise $12,000 for the Fanconi anemia research fund. If you are local, you can drop off hats at Colorful Yarns and Knitty Cat. If you are an out-of-towner and want to participate, just contact me, and we will work out where to ship the finished hats. Today was the first really chilly Fall morning...perfect weather to knit hats!

FYI...I'm going to be on TV!

I'm on my way to tape an episode of Colorado and Company, it's going to air live today from 10 to 11 AM. If you are home than watch for me! I'll be knitting in the background while my friends talk about the charity Kaps for Kendall. I'll have more details later! Wish me luck...I've never been on TV before!

A day filled with schlepping and a secret project!

I took the day off work today to help my Mom pack up her closet and her knitting room. Now, if you've ever met my Mom then you know that this is no small undertaking. If you think that I have a "bag problem" or "obsession", just know that I learned it all from my mother! This will be a short post...because I've got to get back to the schlepping of shoes, and bags, and yarn! How did that bag of Koigu end up in my car...whoops! (just kidding Mom, no need to panic) Before I go, I thought that I'd let you in on a little secret project that I've got going on over here. The goal is Christmas. Think Malabrigo. Think warm and cozy. It's going to be fabulous. Have a great weekend everyone!

It's a finished back!

Look at that! It's a finished back for the "Super Girly Stripped Sweater"! I made the mistake of showing Alice this afternoon and she asked, "Oh. Is that done yet?". I had to explain that no, Aunt Stacey is not that fast of a knitter, that this was only one of the pieces. Luckily she was easily distracted with my ball winder and swift. I'm thinking that the other pieces will be coming along nicely though. I am loving knitting this pattern. The color repeats are 10 rows long and I like to get one done, at least, in each sitting. So that keeps me motivated. Plus that little voice I hear asking, "Is it done yet?". I'm going shopping for a perfectly pink zipper this weekend...wish me luck!

The funniest thing happened when Alice last visited Colorful Yarns. She spied the Little Snugs that I made, which are on display as a class sample, and asked... are those my boots yet? Ha! Not quite I explained. She is too sharp that little one.

Nothing says "I love you"...

*click to see the inside...it's HOT PINK!* and opens like a doctor bag!

...like a brand new knitting bag! I have been waiting for months for this particular bag to come in, and it was well worth the wait. For those of you that are "in the know" about knitting bags, this is an Offhand Design bag. They are my favorite by far. I love the structure and the quality of fabrics that she uses. I probably shouldn't admit this, but this is my third Offhand bag. The first (the Zelda Tote) I received for my birthday from my Mom a few years ago, the second (the Zelda Grand) I bought for myself, and now this one...the Zhivago Weekender. You can see a comparison of all the sizes here, which is kind of fun to see.

Colorful Yarns actually has a few of the older colors left in the clearance room, if any of you are interested. She has a Zelda Tote in a green/white/black M.C. Escher-type print. It's very geometric. I've been tempted by it more than once. Then she has a Zelda Grand in a citrus colored print with little chartreuse dots on it. Both are very cute. Just thought that I'd pass along the savings for those of you that are bag ladies like me! She also has a lot of the Offhand Bags in some of the newer colors . You can always email me with questions.

Over the weekend, I had some kind of nasty head cold, which basically laid me out for the whole weekend. No fun. But, I was able to knit a ton and watch like 8 hours of pre-Emmy footage. I am this close to finishing the back of the Super-Girly striped sweater and I started a super-secret project that I can't really talk about, but I love! I'm feeling much better now that I rested so much this weekend. Thanks again for all the advice of how to handle my nieces interest in knitting! You guys ROCK!

The knitting lesson.

Yesterday after work I ran by my sisters house before I had to go and teach a class at Colorful Yarns. I had made some progress on the Super-Girly Stripped Sweater (the SGSS) so I pulled it out of my knitting bag to show Alice. She hadn't seen any of it since she picked the colors out last Saturday, so I knew she'd want to see it. Her response makes everything worth it, she said, "Oooohh. Thhhhaank you!" What a sweetheart. Then we got into a long discussion about how she was knitting a sweater too. It was for her imaginary friends new-born baby sister. Imagine that, the sweater was going to be pink and purple too! Her imaginary friend also just happens to have a brother named Liam as well. Can you see the look of total and complete concentration on her face? She wants to knit more and more with us all the time. Do any of you moms or grandmas or aunts or uncles know when it's a good age to teach young children to knit? She has a lot of the fine motor skills needed, but she just doesn't have the concentration part yet. Is there some other type of craft that I could do with her that would sort of fill the gap until she can knit? Here's a close up of her "knitting" so far.

Funny that I should mention...

*It's amazing what you can do with knitting notions while in the car with a three year old for a really long time. You use them to hold your braids! And yes, I got some in my hair too!*

It's a little funny to me that I mentioned yesterday that most of the garments that I've knit have been for my niece or nephew, and what do I do as soon as Sienna was off the needles? I cast on a sweater for Alice. A few times on the drive back across Kansas she'd ask me, "Is that sweater for me?" (referring to the Sienna Cardigan) I'd gently tell her no, that it was in fact for Aunt Stacey. Then like 20 minutes later she'd ask, "Is that for me?". I finally asked her if she'd like me to make her a sweater and she promptly answered, "Yes. With pink. And stripes. But no green." The girl knows what she wants. How can I say no when I'm asked so sweetly and specifically? So, last Saturday, while I was working at the shop, Alice came in for a visit and I had her pick out the yarn. Side-note...my sister told me that in the car, on the way to the shop, Alice told her that she was so excited to visit me at the yarn shop! She is so going to become a knitter! Okay, back to the yarn selection. Little did she know that the night before I had picked out 4 colors that I thought she'd like and set them aside. She then, without seeing what I had picked, picked out 3 of the 4 all by herself. (although, yes I did steer her towards the 2 big buckets of Blue Sky Cotton. I needed to narrow down the options a bit.) I'm using a pattern from the book Miss Bea's Playtime by Louisa Harding. This sweater looks like it will be fun to knit up...I've officially dubbed it the Super-Girly Stripped sweater. The colors are Shell, Lotus, Orchid, and Thistle. Um, yeah, it's super girly.

I will be casting on and knitting more garments for myself in the near future, don't you worry. (and some of you were, which I appreciate) But I do have a few sweaters on the needles that I want to finish up first. Like Ariann for instance. I'm just about to start the first sleeve. I'm going to dig through my WIP tub this weekend and pull out a few oldies-but-goodies and see just what exactly is on the needles around here.

Thanks for all the kind words about my Sienna Cardigan. Thank you, thank you!

My Sienna Cardigan is finished!

I seamed up my Sienna Cardigan on Friday night and Sunday morning...and let me just say, I love it! It's buttery soft, like only Malabrigo yarn is. It's a hot shade of pink, love that. And, it's cooling off, so I actually wore it around the office a little this morning. The cooling off here in Denver hasn't helped with the modeling shots though. Hopefully that will happen this weekend if the weather cooperates. I also need to find some thread so that I can sew on my fun buttons before I have a photograph session. Do you remember the ones that I picked up last year at Colorful Yarns? Vintage buttons, gotta love that, right?! I wasn't going to confess this here on the old blog because it seems so wrong, but this is actually the first sweater that I finished for myself. I mean, I've made stuff for my niece and nephew, but this is the first FULL-SIZED garment to be finished and worn on my body. I've got many sweaters in progress and many that I've ripped out over the years...but this sweater is the first. Crazy?!

A special swap...revealed!

I got to participate in Special Swap this round...and the theme this time was "A Summer Picnic". Beth was my swap partner...and boy did she do a great job spoiling me! I had a feeling that my package would arrive while I was out of town last weekend, and sure enough, it did. The minute I got home, I ran in, threw my bags down and tore into my package. You can see in the above picture who was also curious about what was inside. Lots of little white packages tied up with string. (totally have Sound of Music songs in my head!) Beth somehow knew just what I would enjoy. The little notes explaining each item were so clever. Okay...on to the goodies!

Where do I even begin...it's all so fun! I've been itching to get my hands on the "new" (at least to me) Amy Butler book. Now I have a copy of my very own! Yippee! There are about 15 projects in there that I want to make...if only I had a few more hours in the day. Someday I'll have time to sew. Then there is the yarn. I love it. It's Interlacements Tiny Toes in a very pretty fruit colorway. I have to be completely honest here and say that I already own 2 skeins of this yarn in this exact colorway. But, do you know what that means?! Obviously I love it, since I've already purchased it for myself before, and now I have enough yarn (4 skeins total) to make something bigger than a pair of socks. Bonus!

She sent 2 bags of my favorite kind of gummy bears, Haribo. They are the only kind of gummy bears to eat in my opinion. I may or may not have ripped into one of the bags right away. There were cute little notecards, smelly grapefruit lotion, pretty coral colored beads, fun fabric, and last, but certainly not least were the handmade items. This just blew me away. She made me a pretty pink pin cushion (or a Barbie ottoman as she called it!) with cherries on top. Simply gorgeous. You might have been unsure of your skills, but believe me, they are stellar! I love the little embroidery on the top. Click here to see a close up. Plus, she included a little olive green felted bowl. I can't tell you how many times I have meant to make one of these up and just never got around to it. Click here to see a close up of the bowl. Thanks so much Beth! You made my first round of Special Swap a true joy!

Family fun...

*this hat was knit with Tatamy Tweed in the Carnation Tweed colorway. The pattern is from the book Itty Bitty Hats.

Well, I survived the drive to Missouri to my family reunion...and I've been telling everyone that the most well-behaved "person" on the trip was my brothers dog Oreo. Seriously. That dog is so well trained, he didn't make one noise on the whole drive across Kansas. You would think he had been drugged, but no, he just loves to be in his kennel. The whole trip was a bit of a whirlwind. We drove all day on Friday, arrived in the evening, hung out with family on Saturday and Sunday, then drove home all day on Monday. This side of my family, my Dad's side, is rather large. He has 5 brothers and 1 sister. Adding them all up, I have 29 first cousins. More than half of them came. Of those 29 first cousins...about half of them now have children of their own, 37 kids to be exact. This was definitely a rowdy reunion with kids running around everywhere! Tons of fun.

*this is little Liam, just one of the grubby kids crawling around, getting all kinds of dirty...but having so much fun!*

While we were all gathered together, we took the opportunity to have a baby shower for my cousin who is adopting a little girl from Russia. The hat pictured above was knit for her special little girl, who if all things go well, should be here in a month or two! Another one of the really special times was on Sunday morning when my Dad preached a message and then all the family had a neat share time. Let's just say, many tears were shed. It was very special. I never get tired of hearing my Dad speak.

I did get to knit quite a bit on this trip. Yes, the picture above is my Sienna Cardigan...and that is the collar that I am knitting! That is the last thing that I have to do before setting in the sleeves and seaming up the sides. Am I excited...umm, yes, just a little! I can't wait for this sweater to be off the needles.

I didn't get a chance to visit any of my favorite knit shops in KC, but no trip would be complete without a little sheepy/knitting memento. This one was found in a unlikely place...a shoe store! Check out my new kicks. Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star Low Tops...with sheep on them! (click here for a close-up of the black sheep!) It seems like you can order these shoes directly through the converse website.

*Edited to add...you can also order them here from Zappos! Thanks Christy!

When I arrived home, there was a big box waiting for me, filled with knitterly goodness...I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!