Happy Holidays!

a little late.
Haven't written due to the busyness of this season.
Updates--
Was almost done with my 'Tempting" sweater but didn't like how it came out. The gauge kept fluctuating and it was too loose for the most part. So I frogged it and started again. I'm almost done with it now and it looks so much better this time around. Hopefully it will be done by New Years. Now I wish I had picked the blue, since I couldn't finish it for Christmas. Eh, I'll just have to make another one for spring.
I did a few of the headbands I mentioned. They came out really nice and they are so fast and easy.
I'm finished with the front and back of my cable sweater I started a while back, now I'm doing the sleeves.
Didn't get any crafty stuff for Christmas, except a Rag Shop gift cert. I don't like the Rag Shop but my father in law is an idiot. He was supposed to get me an ACMoore cert, according to DH. Now I have to see if they sell good needles there or books, because they don't really have yarn I like. Maybe I can sell it on ebay and get money to go to AC Moore. hehe
I still have a B&N gift cert from my birthday. What knitting books should I get?? hmmmm I'd love to get a journal. And I may get the Vogue Knitting Quick Reference book.

I'll try and post pics once I take some.
I'll post more on the holidays in my other blog.

Found new LYS!!

I'll give you the long version.
I realized last night, after coming back from ACMoore with some of their brand of Cashmerino for the 'Tempting' sweater, that I didn't have the right needle for it. It needed a 24" #8, I had a 30". So I did some research to try and find a place to get the needle that is closer than ACMoore (it's a pain to get to this time of year). I came across a listing on the Berrocco website for this yarn store in Valley Stream (where I work). I put that in my mental Rolodex for a future hunt. Then I found there was a Walmart near work. So I told Dh that i wanted to go there to check it out. He had the car today due to a meeting in Brooklyn. So he came at lunchtime and picked me up and brought me to Walmart. On the way I found the yarn store I had found. I squealed and said "Ooooo I have to go there sometime!!". We get to Walmart and ugh it's the worst Walmart I've ever been to, well it's not the nicest area. They didn't have my needles. So I begged DH to take me to the LYS I saw. I was a little worried they would charge an arm and a leg for the needles since it's a small shop. I go in and it is yarn heaven. The walls have cubbies that are filled with yarn. So many different kinds! The woman was so nice, the prices were pretty reasonable (5.99 for Debbie Bliss Soho that I want in the future). My needles were 5.99 too. She told me her hours (open till 5) and that they usually stay open past closing if I needed to go there (except on Fridays which I don't blame her). She had the Daisy needles I've been checking out and I think they had some Addis which I want to try. So I told her if I wasn't on my lunch break I'd be there for hours. Plus DH was waiting for me parked illegally. I'll definitely go back there. And it's two minutes from work. I think I'll be taking a trip tomorrow! :) hehehe
I have to plug it-- (maybe if they find this I'll get a discount) lol
The Knitting Store & more
232 Rockwaway Ave
Valley Stream, NY

MORE YARN!!!

Hubbys gonna kill me. Eh, what he doesn't know won't hurt him. :) They just had this yarn released at elann (some Gjestal Naturgarn) which is the same as UpCountry pretty much. And it's cheaper. Well, there are a few things I want to make with that yarn, and I saw that one of the pretty blues was selling out QUICK, so I had to grab a bunch for a turtleneck I want to make (eventually). And I had to get some Peruvian wool for my Knitty Cardi (chicknits)I want to make. I'm doing it in a Sand for the sleeves and some blue that I forgot the name of (which is sold out). That kind of yarn is selling out fast too, so I had to get some while it lasts. How often do they get this yarn? Is it there all the time? There is even more I want to get, but I have to pace myself. But if I see the color I want starting to disappear, I will go ahead and buy some. I also got myself a couple casein needles just to see what it's all about. They were cheap and I needed that size for the cardi.
I'm off to ACMoore later today to see how much their sort of version of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran costs. I want to make the 'Tempting' sweater from knitty. for the holidays. Maybe a red with white ribbon? DH said Red with green ribbon, but that's a little TOO Christmasy. Don't want to look like an elf. I'm also getting MIL a gift cert from there. She's gotten into knitting again recently.
I wanted to go see the Long Island Choral Society do Handel's Messiah this Sunday, but not sure I can make it. We may be going out for my dad's birthday. But that won't be till after 6, so I have to see how long the Messiah is. My mom used to sing in the Choral Society when she lived in NY. Even DH was going to go with me, and he's Jewish. Then he was upset that it wasn't on Christmas eve. He said we should go somewhere to sing songs on xmas eve... how funny is that? A Jew wants to go to church on Christmas eve. Eh, he's a bad Jew anyway. I had to light the electric menorah last night since he was dozing on the couch. He never got to light the real candle one we have. Maybe tonight he'll stay awake. We got our tree on Saturday, and decorated it Sat. night. He gets as excited as I do over that. And I bought a Christmas Cactus too. It was so cute, so I had to have one. And it was on sale. I'll take a pic of it later. Maybe I should name it Audrey II. :) hehe I was watching that movie this weekend. I love it.

Uh oh, I went yarn crazy!

I was on a mission to find a few yarns yesterday. Patons Shetland Chunky, Patons UpCountry, and Classic Elite Lush. Went to Smileys, KnitWit(in Bayside, the woman working there was a witch. DH knocked down two skeins of yarn and she goes "Look, you're knocking all my yarn down." We both look at her thinking she's joking and she's dead serious. So we left immediately. Not getting my business. Store was tiny and had nothing anyway), and Fabric Bonanza (overpriced and doesn't have squat). None of them had any of the yarn I needed. So I ended up going online and found Joanns had the Patons yarn on sale. And I had a 20% off coupon in my email. Then I went to Patternworks and elann and went crazy.

I got 14 skeins of Peruvian Highland wool in Starlight blue from elann (they are 1.75 oz skeins) and one in Lotus Blossom just to see the color. The blue is for a cabled cardigan from the Street Smart pattern book.
I got some Classic Elite Lush from Patternworks in Natural, some blue color, and the green. I plan on making this headband with it from a pattern from knitty.com as gifts for a couple people (and me).
And I got Shetland Chunky in Frosted Rose to make the Easy Street sweater. And some Patons Classic Wool in Burgundy to make a knitting needle case (may try to sell on ebay if it's not done in time for xmas.)
I'll take some pretty pics when the shipments come. I'm so excited.

And instead of the UpCountry, I want to get Gjestal Naturgarn No. 1 that's going to be on sale soon at elann. It's the same texture and weight as UpCountry, a lot cheaper and has a lot more colors. I'm going to be busy for the next few years. :)

Officially addicted to knitting

I was shopping for yarn in my dream last night. My mother-in-law and I were at a craft store looking for new yarn, I was even carrying a needle around with me in the store.
If anyone actually reads this, I'd like to know how you knit. Do you "throw" or "pick"? My mother in law said I was knitting "the wrong way". I throw. I looked it up, and there is no right or wrong way. People just do it differently. And the traditional "pickers" are very snobby and elitest about it. I wanted to smack her. I tried doing it the pick way and I was all clumsy. I finally figured how to do it, but I don't like it. I think I knit much faster "throwing" it.

I want my booklets! I can't wait.

More stuff to do

I'm having fun doing my sweater and I'm already looking into what I want to do next. So first I was searching for a sweater jacket kind of thing which led me to look at Patons site. I knew they had wool yarns so thought I'd check out their pattern books. I found a couple that had sweaters that I really liked. The Street Smart one has the "easy street" sweater I've seen a few bloggers doing. And a jacket I want to try is in the Urban one. They have two coats I like (one is on the cover) and a nice turtleneck sweater. So I ordered them and now am searching for a cheap place for yarn. Maybe I'll check AC Moore.



I'm looking into joining Crafters Choice book club, they had a few nice knitting books in there. They also have cookbooks, fitness books, crochet, painting, and lots of other crafts. I tried to join but there was an error, so I'm waiting to hear back from them.