At the Knitting Table

 Tues. evening was like a huge show and tell.  I love seeing the variety of work and color.  If you could have a little shop where all these were displayed they would fly off the manikins. I think everyone was totally inspired even if we are suffering daylight savings withdrawal.

I am giving links to the patterns but if you can't get the links to work you might have to log into Ravelry and look them up.

These first socks are done in a self striping yarn and the pattern is on Ravelry called Fruit Stripe Gum Socks.  Pattern is free on Ravelry and you can see how it knits up in different yarns by looking at all the projects Fruit Socks.   I can't wait to try a pair, just need to find the right yarn.  Wasie did hers in String Theory Colorworks yarn.

 The name of this pattern is Crocodile Rock and its on Ravelry too.  I love the splash of bright color in the turquoise.  Wasie did these during the Olympics so they didn't take her long to start and finish. 

 Peggy finished a red scarf for a friend and put her fringe on.  The red of this yarn is really rich and my photo makes it seem to harsh, but its super pretty and will be a nice gift.

 I am working on my Dreambird .  This is on Ravelry, its a big shawl with feathers on a contrasting yarn and color.  Both these yarns are from the shop.  One is a cream wool, and the other is a skein of Poems Wisdom Yarn sock weight.   Its easy to knit but you have to do a bit of paying attention to counting stitches on the short rows.   I love how the yarn changes colors at the center of the feathers, and this is just the yarn doing its thing, nothing to do with me and my knitting!

 Vicki is working on a Class project for our group.  Its called The Lucy Hat

She is working it up in the Ultra Alpace from the shop using two colors.  

If you check out the hat pattern its  reminiscent of Downton Abby hat in that period.

 Candice caught the sock fever!  I think this is her 3rd pair and her knitting is just precise and spot on.  Lovely work to she who is now advanced!   Sorry I didn't get a shot of your Anna Top, but next time.

Self Shading and Long Striping yarns!   I love them, and found on Pinterest some eye candy that is worth sharing.  Then i went to Garnstudio to see what free patterns there were!  I found this hat and cowl pattern for free.   (You might have to go to menu and convert to English if it comes up in Nordic!)   There are so many free patterns and I found about a years worth of inspiration just in hats!  I also found a place in the US that carrys this yarn Nordic Mart.  I printed this patten and ordered this yarn!   I will blame this lack of self control on daylight withdrawal!

Happy Knitting!

What Weight is your Yarn?

Brrrrrrr, we are almost to spring and its still so cold out, even the birds aren't coming out to play.  

This is one of my vacant blue bird houses a week ago!  In a few days the leaves will be emerging, and the birds active, grasses growing, allergies and then what becomes of knitting!    The yarn has no captured audience as we are held captive in our warm houses.

Lots of new things happening at the knitting circle and because so many of us are doing different projects that call for a specific yarn it makes me ask myself over and over - what exactly is the yarn this pattern calls for!   I found myself asking this again today and ran across this fantastic chart.  You need to print it out and put it in your yarn bag for reference.   The ply is a bit confusing because its for UK, NZ and AU but I believe these must all be the same for us because our worsted is 10 ply, so use this chart to help you navigate your yarn and your pattern, needles and gauges.  If you dont' have a gauge, you can do wraps per inch by wrapping your yarn around your needle and measuring the wraps within an inch on a ruler. Probably not as great as a knitted gauge but it is another way for you to have some control of information.

Standard Yarn Weight System	Nm (length per mass, SI (International System of Units))	Yarn Type (US)	Ply (UK, NZ, AU)[3]	m/100g	Wraps Per Inch (WPI)[3]	needles / circulars recommended, mm
0 or Lace	6 - 8	Thread, Cobweb and Lace	1 - 3 ply	600-800	18+ wpi	1.5 - 2.5
1 or Superfine	4 - 6	Fingering, Sock	4 ply	400-480	14 wpi	2 - 3
2 or Fine	3 - 4	Sport	5 ply	300-400	12 wpi	3 - 4
3 or Light	2.4 - 3	DK	8 ply	240-300	11 wpi	4 - 4.5
4 or Medium	1.2 - 2.4	Worsted	10 ply	120-240	9 wpi	4.5 - 5.5
5 or Bulky	1 - 1.3	Bulky	12 ply	100-130	7 wpi	5.5 - 8
6 or Super Bulky	>1	Super Bulky		Less than 100	5-6 wpi	>8