Who's Counting???

Good Morning Everyone!!!

I'm definitely counting today, Addie lands in 8 hours, I can barely stand it!!! I do have a few announcements to make, nothing too alarming, don't worry. The Spring Retreat, scheduled for May 17th & 18th, is getting postponed stay tuned. How are you doing with your Stitch Everyday in May calendars? It's not too late to pick one up. I know that gardening can take priority over knitting this time of the year, but I can honestly say, my arms don't feel like they do today after knitting, lol...I spent yesterday in the yard with a rake in hand and a very rambunctious lab doing his best to "help". I was able to get a lot done, I decided I should stop when my arms began to shake while filling Bernie's water bowl, I'm weak....

I finished the colorwork on my Misurina sweater, it is so pretty! I'm very relieved it fits, I had to do math, which is hit or miss with me. I almost went down a giant rabbit hole, head first, if you remember, my gauge was off, but I didn't want to change my needle size. There's a magic equation you can do to successfully make the adjustment to a different size. I knew I wanted the finished garment to measure the size 3. In order for that to happen, I needed to knit the size 5, fine, no problem. What I forgot to do, is circle the size I was making which only became confusing when I was dividing the front and back. Luckily, I wasn't in a fog for too long before realizing I had two extra pattern repeats, 54 additional stitches. No wonder my math wasn't working out for the size 3. I counted the number of repeats which was 14 and multiplied it by 27, 378 stitches. I finally looked at the pattern to see if 378 was an option and saw it was for size 5, LIGHT BULB TURNED ON!!! Needless to say, I was able to get the sleeves transferred to my Purl Strings and continue working around and around, hours of mindless knitting, YAY!!!

With all that math behind me, it was time to cast on a new project!! Did I pull from my stash?? NOPE! Andra posted a lovely picture of herself wearing a cardigan I'd forgotten I wanted to knit, it's called Anita. It was originally knit using Berroco's Chai, which has already been discontinued. Hers was done in Meraki, which I was going to use, but then I discovered I had the perfect amount of Gaia to make one. I haven't knit with Gaia and decided the opportunity innocently presented itself. It is a fun pattern to knit, it involves dropping a stitch down 4 rows then knitting them all together forming a cute little gathered stitch. I remember just falling in love with the texture of the sweater and how pretty it is. It creates an open stitch pattern, perfect for those evenings in the Spring and Summer that require a light layer. You know how I am about my transitional sweaters...

I have some beautiful new yarn that has just arrived, it's Juniper Moon Farms, Marilyn. It is a fingering weight cotton with paillettes. I thought it would be a fun, sparkly yarn for summer, think tank tops, shawls and tees. I've been thinking about knitting Caitlin Hunter's Stromboli in white, it would be so pretty! I will also be receiving the rest of the Moonshine by Juniper Moon Farms, the timing is perfect. Wait until you see the AWESOME display I found on Sunday. I went to check out the new shop, Rustic Chaos, in the Hannaford's shopping center. It's definitely eclectic, I found a vertical drying rack from I think the 1920's that is perfect for holding yarn. I am pretty much out of wall space but this is going to provide a lovely display for my yarn.

Because Local Yarn Store day was so successful, I had to order more yarn! I have a restock of Berroco's Lanas Light and Vintage coming. I also have more Making Tracks Lite on the way, my Alpine Bloom and Autumn Alpine Sweaters have been quite inspirational. With Mother's Day coming, I think the flower themed sweaters have become very popular. Don't forget about the Pressed Flowers designs, Amy did several versions, I've knit 3 of them. I have the Kerchief version packaged up and ready to go. There are lots of lovely things that would make the perfect Mother's Day gift. Hopefully my CocoKnits order will arrive in time, I have their Portfolios coming, I'm very excited for them!! They are extremely handy and versatile, large enough to hold your Maker's Board and so much more!! I also have Doodle Decks with adorable flower themes.

We will be meeting tomorrow evening, Wednesday 6-7:30 for Stitch and Bitch, I hope you can join in the fun. Make it a great day and I'll see you soon!

Katy