A Finished Project and An Afternoon at WEBS!

It's Show and Tell time! Today I'm combining two posts into one: my finished Ginkgo Cami (a KnitScene magazine pattern), and my recent annual trek to WEBS for the annual Tent Sale! 

The Ginkgo Cami, as you might be able to tell from the photo, has a ginkgo leaf motif going around the bottom edge. The pattern itself was rated "Advanced", but I didn't have any problems with it. I did learn two new things, however, which I always like in a project: two different ways to make a picot edge (the slight little ruffle around the neckline, arms, and at the bottom hem). The yarn is a dreamily soft mohair/bamboo/nylon blend called Classic Elite: Pirouette (in the color "Chartreuse"). It is as light as a feather and airy enough to wear even on warm spring/ summer days. I absolutely love the yarn and would use it again in a heartbeat! 

The Finished Product blocking

Ginkgo leaves

I wore it over a dark tank and jeans here so you can see the stitch definition

Next, here's my haul from the Tent Sale! A modest purchase compared to the baskets of yarn some people were buying, but since I live only 30 minutes away I don't really need to "stock up" like some folks who make much longer trips to go to WEBS.

I bought some beautiful pima cotton yarn for an upcoming project. The website calls it "Zen Green", although the color in person is infinitely more beautiful than the photograph. I won't tell you what I'm going to make, but I'll give you a hint: it's a pattern from the book French Girl Knits by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes. I also bought a very cute little bag with funny owls all over it (shown larger below), some Eucalan detergent for delicate handwashable things, and some cuter-than cute little honeybee stitch markers that the hubby insisted I buy. Yay!

Bee Stitch Markers

Back side of bag. Other side has a zipper going down the middle.

Worth a mention here is a vendor I met and chatted with in one of the tents outside at the Tent Sale. She is JessaLu, and she makes and sells these adorable little bags at her website www.StitchedByJessaLu.com. You can also find her on Facebook. She uses fun and adorable fabric to cater to so many interests. I got my cute owls, but there were others that I loved, too! A "Pride and Prejudice" bag caught my eye, and a cute cartoon Star Trek one made me think of a couple of friends who would just love it!

Home Economist Book Idea?

I've been wanting to try my hand at knitwear design now that I've become comfortable with my own knitting skills. Skimming through Ravelry looking for inspiration, I was struck with an idea: what if I really liked knitwear design, and ended up with a bunch of decent patterns? What if I could make a book of them, and, you know, sell it? Then the gears really started cranking. I'd want something really original and unique. I'm already The Home Economist, so why not run with that? So, here's what I'd do, if I ever got around to doing it:

The Home Economist Knitting Book (title TBD) would have maybe 20 patterns, since that seems to be the norm. Each pattern would have an economics term for a name, like a pair of gloves called The Invisible Hand. Included would also be a little write-up explaining the term in a clever (well, that's subjective) way that would appeal to knitters.

Example:

Picture a form-fitting, kind of sexy sweater called "Demand Curve" (double entendre intentional!) with the following blurb: 

Demand Curve: a line on a graph that proves to your husband that when your LYS (local yarn shop) is having a big sale, the most rational thing for you to do is buy up extra cashmere yarn.

I've made up a whole list of terms that could work for pattern names, but I'll keep those to myself for the time being.

The Home Economist: Free Market Knitter (drawing also my own) coming someday to a yarn shop near you??

I've designed a few small things myself in the past, (like this and this) but it's time to take it to the next level. I'm going to use Shirley Paden's Knitwear Design Workshop to help me get started. Why not? I'm always trying to add to my skill set and accomplishments, and this seems like the natural next step. And if the step after that, and the step after that, and the step after that leads to something like this book idea, then great! If not, I'll still be a few steps ahead of where I am now.

Oh, also, while we are thinking about knitting puns and such, I also had an idea for an eco-friendly organic line of yarn called "Moral Fiber". Ha! I crack myself up. Who knows, somebody probably already thought of this and makes it for all I know, but I've never seen it. If you are a spinner looking for a name for your yarn, feel free to use it. I'm not a spinner, and don't really plan on being one, plus I think that intellectual property (owning ideas) is kind of silly. Go for it.

Guess Who?!

Guess whose picture now graces the main product page for a certain lovely scarf pattern on Ravelry? Mine!