2nd or 3rd Glove Syndrome?

I finished a glove and here she is in all her fair isle glory:

But, alas, she is too small! The pattern calls for 8 sts/in, but it's a one-size fits all pattern and my hand span is a bit smaller than the average hand. Plus, trying on Calia's almost completed glove at the shop, I figured I could knit it a bit tighter and have it fit perfectly. Unfortunately, I guess I overdid the tight knitting (as usual) and my gauge turned out to be 9.5 sts/in. So, the glove fits, but kind of cuts off my circulation too.

Thus the 2nd (and 3rd) glove dilemma. I have a few orphaned socks lounging about waiting for their mates to be finished and I suspect I won't be any more conscientious with gloves - especially gloves that I've already knit poorly the first time out. I've cast on for a second glove in the next needle size. Let's see how far I'll get before I throw in the towel.

Still, this glove sans hand is quite pretty. I wish I could frame it and not waste my efforts completely...

FOs and the beginnings of fair isle obsession

As I mentioned in my last post, I just finished my first felted project (a design for One Planet Yarn and Fiber that I can't reveal yet) and I find myself wanting to make more felted objects - slippers, bags, pouches, makeup bags, etc. To satisfy this new thirst, I casted on for the Lucy Bag last week and managed to finish it this week. With the help of my wonderfully talented cousin - who's a felting and knitting adept, I present to you, my latest finished object, the Lucy Bag:



The pattern called for 3 skeins of Cascade 220 for the large ball bag, but I managed to finish it with just 2 skeins. I used one of the gorgeous heather colorways of Cascade 220. I was torn between a beautiful, light turquoise heather and this richer, chestnut heather. In the end, I opted for the more practical color, one that would meld better with a variety of different outfits. It's a really simple pattern, but very cute, with a shorter strap serving as the closure.

Next up are these fair isle gloves from Sarah Dallas' Scottish Inspirations:



I really love Sarah Dallas' work. Her Vintage Knits book is one of my favorite pattern books. And I just admire her aesthetic - classic knits with great details. I saw Calia, part of Knitting Etc's team, working on these gloves last Tuesday at the shop and immediately felt the familiar pangs of project lust. Calia's gloves were very similar to the colorways (if I'm not misremembering) of the gloves in the book. Mine are a bit different. I had some leftover wool from one of my trips to Italy and there was some great Jamieson's at the shop. This is my first real attempt at fair isle and I really like the results. Next, I have to learn how to do two handed fair isle. And then I'll truly be a part of the church of fair isle.
Here is my glove so far:

Finished Rowan Bag

I finally finished this sample for Knitting Etc, but forgot to post about it.

The yarn is Rowan Silk Wool, a DK weight blend. The pattern is from the Rowan Silk Wool book. There are really gorgeous things in the booklet. I love the cover turtleneck with its graceful center cable, for example.

I didn't line the bag since it was destined to be a shop sample and not actually used. But I think if I were to make the bag for myself, I would definitely line it. The wool isn't felted and so it's not really sturdy on its own.

Speaking of felted bags, I just finished my first felted project. Unfortunately, I can't show pictures yet because it's a design project for One Planet Yarn & Fiber, but they seem to have a quick turnaround time for releasing patterns (I just sent them the bag today) and so I hope to be able to post pictures of it really soon!

But now that I've had a taste of felting, I can feel myself getting obsessed. I started this Lucy Bag yesterday with a lovely shade of Cascade Heathers 220. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the yarn is a deep brown color with lovely, subtle reddish, orangish, greenish flecks:

The Best LYS

I've always wondered, does LYS stand for Local Yarn Shop or Little Yarn Shop? I guess for me, since my LYS is located in Ithaca (NY) and I live in New Brunswick (NJ), LYS will have to stand for Little Yarn Shop since Ithaca and New Brunswick aren't local to each other by any stretch of the imagination (for the curious, Mapquest puts the distance at 215 miles).

Knitting Etc is the most welcoming yarn shop I've ever been to (and if you ask my husband, that's a lot of shops since I often plan trips around visiting the area's yarn meccas). There's a long, rectangular table set in the center of the store where everyone is welcome to sit for a spell (or 8 hours!) and knit, talk, or flip through books. Hickory, the owner, is very knowledgeable about knitting and yarn - often identifying yarn and patterns with the barest hint. To be in Knitting Etc is to be surrounded by a heady nirvana of textures, colors, and inspiration. It's often the first place I go to when I set foot in Ithaca.

Two Fridays ago, Knitting Etc had its first Happy Hour - a two hour stitch-eat-n-bitch fest. But I'll let the photos tell the story:



That's Ellie (Hickory's sister and a new knitter who's already knitting socks, hats, and her first sweater) on the left in the second photo, trying to duck out of my camera's range.

I'm just glad Knitting Etc in its current incarnation didn't exist when I was a grad student at Cornell - I would have gotten even less done if it had!

Class with Kate Gilbert Woo Hoo!

I'm going to be taking a class with Kate Gilbert (of Clapotis, and Interweave Knits fame) tomorrow morning in Rochester! Yay! I love her designs and while the class is a basic raglan sweater class, I'm really excited about meeting her and (hopefully) soaking up a bit of her extensive knowledge.