UFO's and A Yarn Store.

I visited the LYS here and found some fun sock yarn! They had a great sock yarn selection. I don't know how much of it is available in the states, I think most of it, but I have never seen so much nice stuff in one place. There was no hand painted or any indie dyer stuff but lots of good self striping and such. I picked the bamboo because I can never resist bamboo!I am in love with bamboo, every time I see it I ohhh and ahhhh even before I look at the ball band and see that it is bamboo. I really want to start spinning bamboo top on a drop spindle but I guess I should learn how first!

I also found some cotton to use for dish clothes. I wanted to make my apartment feel a little more like home so I got some. Isn't it pretty?!

I am using the Garterlac dish cloth pattern from Dave of Criminy Jickets. It is a very well written pattern and I think it's fun to knit. Plus, it looks cool!

Now, I have to 'fess up, I have a UFO. I think I started this last November or something like that. It is not a hard knit, I am just board with it. It is the pulse Cotton sweater from Denim People. I am making it in Tahki classic cotton because I don't think the recipient would like anything in white.
The back is almost done and I am trying to buckle down and make some headway now that I have so much knitting time!

Germany, First Impressions.

The first thing I noticed when I got to Germany was how many windows there are!

Note: Almost all the windows I have seen have shear white lace curtains of every variety you can imagine.

This is my kitchen window looking out to the back yard. We live on the second floor and our land lords live down stairs. The land lords are really nice and treat us like guests, it's great!

There are all kinds of cool windows, I saw this one on a walk through the neighborhood.

We walk a lot here, my first few days that is all I did, walk around the area and check it out. The houses here are cool looking. The architecture is beautiful and even though it is a city it is clam, quiet, and clean.German Row houses. My land lords tell me that their family has lived in the same house for three generations. The house has five apartments and two of the five are family. They all went to the same elementary school down the street, we hear the bells twice a day.

Some of the houses are covered in Ivy and look like they predate the other houses on the street.

Another thing I like about Germany is the parks!

This park is the grounds of an old castle just a short walk from our house. There is also a small zoo, an art gallery and a museum on the castle grounds.

Sock update!

Hi Everyone!

I have been in Germany for a week or so now and I'm loving it!

Unfortunately, the Internet here is on and off, mostly off so I am behind on my knitting updates. I have been doing a lot of Knitting. I have started lots of socks for SOS.

Left to right: Vine lace Stockings in Fearless Fibers, Pomatomus in Socks that rock, and Opal, thinking about becoming Jaywalkers.

I finished the top band and put in the elastics for the vine lace stockings on the plane over here before my knitting needles where all taken away from me in the Dublin airport! Beware, when flying through Dublin, NO knitting needles, they are very dangerous weapons! ;)

I joke now, but at the time I was not a happy camper. Thank goodness I was able to check an extra bag and thus save my options set from doom!

I also had a sock nightmare this week.

Remember these?? My smoke ring socks started in April. I finally had a chance to turn the heel and guess what! I ran out of yarn. I know, I should have known. Koigu skeins are known to be on the small side and Gummibaer's feet are huge, but I thought I would be OK because he likes his socks ankle length. I was wrong, I don't even have enough yarn to finish the heel flap

:(

I guess the only thing to do now is pray to the knitting Gods for forgiveness and some more Koigu in the same colorway. I don't have the ball bands here in Germany so I don't know the colorway number. So the socks are in the back and bottom of my knitting basket hiding from my wrath until such time as they can be dealt with.

In other news, I found a yarn store here in Germany! Stay tuned.

Shoes + Stockings

Summer of Socks!!

I am finally joining the fun and starting some stockings! I am making the Vine lace stockings from Knitpicks in Fearless Fibers antique rose colorway.

They match my new shoes!!!

I am changing the pattern significantly because it has no relation to my reality. It is both too big and too small in different places and I am doing a picot hem on the top with a sewing elastic instead of just an elastic thread in hopes that they will stay up without garters.

I am in the throws of wedding cake making and will be heading off to Germany within the week.

Blocking!!!!

Here is the shawl pre-blocking with all my blocking equipment. Yay, welding rods! Here it is blocking, I couldn't get it completely symmetrical But I think it came out well.
The lace looks amazing close up!!!
I hope to get some modeled shots at the wedding over the weekend.

Now that the shawl is done I hope to finally get in on the Summer of Socks! I signed up and was really excited but I have been so busy on the farm and with wedding preparations that I haven't even cast on any socks!

I leave for Germany the day after the wedding and I plan to start something on the plane. I have a 12 hour layover in Dublin and I am really looking forward to walking around the city, if anyone knows of something I should not miss let me know!