The princess birthday party was a RESOUNDING success. Think big backyard. Barbeque. Trampoline. Decorate your own tiara crafts. Sprinklers. Water Balloons. Castle Piñata. Ice Cream Cake. No rain. Family. Friends. LOTS of kids. At one point my niece was sitting on the top of the slide that lands you right in the blow up pool and she said to me – and I quote – “My party is CRAZY!” with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. My sister and brother-in-law outdid themselves and I don’t think we’ll see another party like that for awhile. At least a year. 😉
On my way home from Philly yesterday I took a detour and stopped downtown at Rosie’s Yarn Cellar. I was desperate for some Addi Lace needles so I could start my Wing O’ The Moth Shawl. I ended up with two size 6s – the 32″ length and the 47″ length which I realize now was a HUGE mistake. I should’ve bought a size 6 32″ and a size 5 32″. I started on the size 6s, of course, because that’s all I have and I’m worried. For me, this yarn is LACEWEIGHT even though everyone says it’s a bit thicker than lace weight. I’ve never knit a shawl in anything thinner than fingering weight, to be honest, and the thinness is scaring me. I feel like it’s too loose. Like I need to knit it on 5s even though Anne told me that she’d knit the shawl on 6s with this yarn and she’s the kind of knitter that doesn’t knit too loose or too tight and usually gets gauge. I’m the same way. I might actually swatch which I SO don’t want to do – but I might. And I also might get me some 5s because I’m nervous that way. So no real start to Moth, but some good work on my latest monkey. I should have a finished pair for you tomorrow. Although you’re probably really sick of them already.
I didn’t walk away without yarn from Rosie’s:
Koigu. P123. I have a weird thing about Koigu. When I want to buy yarn and I don’t have anything specific in mind and the store has Koigu, I buy it. It’s become my souvenir yarn. But I rarely knit with it. I actually feel guilty knitting socks with anything other than STR. I told you it was weird. And it’s a shame too because I think this yarn would make excellent Monkeys.
It’s rainy and icky and I’d love to just sit and knit my socks. For a change, I actually have to go out today. Figures.
Knit with the Koigu. You will be pleased with it! The party sure sounds like it was loads of fun.
Where in Philly is Rosie’s? I am going down to PA at the end of the month for a family reunion and will be spending a day in the big city. It sounds like the perfect stop! Posting those pictures of yarn is going to be very bad for my wallet- they look irresistable!
Those Addi Lace needles are the best! I love the slight drag you get from those brass tips. Mmmmm. Purl Soho has them, so if you find you can’t live without size fives, it’s just a quick train ride away!
I made one pair of socks from Koigu and regretted it. Koigu is nowhere near as durable as STR. It is better saved for lacy scarves, shawls or even some of those sweet booties that Julie Frick made a few months back.
The party sounds like it was a blast!
Wow, glad to hear I am not the only one who buys Koigu as souvenir yarn. You would think I was attempting to knit the Charlotte’s Web for forty of my closest associates.
Koigu is great souvenir yarn! I love the colorway. It’s pretty to ust look at and sit on the shelf. What could be better.
Koigu is a perfect souvenir and that color is way cool.
You should try the needles from knitpicks.com. they are just like addis but have interchangeable cables. they are at least half the price and just as smooth and nice. I love them.
I am fairly new to the lace knitting thing, I have knit two print o’ the wave shawls now. One not so good and the other good enough for the average person not to notice anything 🙂 I found the addi type needles too slippery for me with the lace weight yarn and had to switch to wooden needles. stitches kept falling off the needle. I actually used two strands of lace weight because one was just too light for me.
You need to break your cycle and just knit them up into monkeys, it could open up all new doors and windows of color 😀
Lovely Koigu! and so happy to hear about the fun weekend 🙂
Pretty Koigu. I’m making monkeys with another Koigu colorway and they’re pretty cool. It’s not STR, but it’s a close second, and it works really well with the monkey pattern. Give it a whirl.
The birthday party sounds fantastic. Outdoor little-kid parties are the best, if the weather cooperates.
Are you afraid the STR will pack its bags and move into its own apartment if it finds out you’ve been unfaithful to it? My stash just has to live with my nonexclusivity.
When I worked in a yarn store, we got people who came in fairly often and bought koigu as a souvenir yarn. There are so many beautiful colors there is almost always something you don’t have. I’ve knit socks with koigu, but my favorite thing to knit with it is lace shawls. The colors always seem to work really well for lace.
well, if you’re stuck with what to do with the koigu, you can always send it over here… 🙂 i’m down to my last 2 skeins of koigu & there are no shops here that stock it (there are a couple of online retailers, but it’s not the same if you can’t see it in person!). & it definitely makes excellent monkeys – dare i say it, even better than StR…
I love Koigu! I have a lot of STR now (thanks to your praise of it) and I’ve only knitted a Chevron scarf with it so I’m more experienced with the Koigu.
How could we possibly be sick of Monkeys? I think they would look smashing in the Koigu.
oh my, that lace is spectacular. it really does resemble moth wings, good luck on the knitting of such delicacy, i’ll follow your progress with much curiosity. and i do the same with the koigu, i just buy it to have it. i rarely knit socks but i just keep accumulating skeins (always 2 in case i do decide to sock it up). so pretty.
Don’t worry about the needle size, better too large than too small for lace. So swatch away, or be like me and just dive in. You can always give what you have done so far an interim blocking to check your gauge. It’s far easier to block a large shawl a little smaller than to enlarge one that’s too small, or to leave out a couple of repeats if you know you’re over gauge. Remember also that when it’s removed from the blocking, it’ll shrink back up some.
You’ll get used to the fineness of the yarn, the next time you use worsted wt it’ll feel like knitting with clothesline and broomsticks.
It’s hard NOT to walk out of Rosie’s with some Koigu, what with their enormous wall of it!
Kids birthday parties are so much fun (especially if you’re not the one hosting them). I’m glad to hear that everyone enjoyed themselves.
I think I used US6 needles for my Moth shawl. I used Kidsilk Haze, but I’m sure the merino yarn would work just as well with that needle size. I guess the only way to know is to try it!
I never get sick of any socks I see here. Ever. Sounds like a kid’s party dream come true:) Nothing wrong with souvenir yarn. Nothing.
Oh and where on EARTH did you get the queen rubber duckie?? Love it!
Wow, that princess party sounds so dreamey! I too would love to know where to find one of those royal duckies.
I need to get my hands on one of those ducks – where did your sister find them?
Sounds like a great party. The ducky is too cute. I say try the Koigu then if you don’t like it you won’t feel as much of an urge to buy it the next time. 😉
What a fantastic party! I can’t wait until my niece is old enough for a princess party. She just turned one, and she had a Barney party. I have Koigu in my stash too, and every once in a while I take it out and fondle it. But I think it is crying out to be knit!
nice Koigu, and I too think they would make marvelous monkeys. I don’t think the STR would mind if you knit one pair with the Koigu, just 1 though.
No, not sick of the monkeys. Can’t get enough of yours or mine, to be honest. 🙂
Koigu can be other things. I saw a great pattern book with a Koigu baby blanket made out of 7 skeins of the stuff.
I love the photo of the duck
I do believe that the STR would be fine if you knit some monkeys with the Koigu yarn. I t knows you love and it loves you to and just wants you to be happy.
So…..
Yes, but WHAT IS THE SURPRISE???
Or do you announce it tomorrow? You’re killing me here. Whatever it is, I can’t wait, and I’m happy for ya! 🙂
seriously dude. 6s
and you might want a 24″ length to get started on, rather than the 5s. the 32″ can be unwieldy with only a few sts on it.
(6s, i SWEAR. you said you wanted it big, right?)
Dude, *I* want a princess birthday party! Seriously.
The Koigu is gorgeous! Knit with it!
It’s hard to get tired of looking at such beautifully knit socks!
Oh, you need to knit that koigu! It’s just beautiful.
I feel a little silly, but I have no idea what STR is. I have asked at my LYS and they look at me blankly. Can you educate me? Thanks.
Ahhh, the acronyms never end, do they?
STR = Socks that Rock
http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/
God I love ice cream cake! I love piñatas too. I wish that was my party! I’ve never had the pleasure of fondling koigu. You could send it to me, if you don’t want it. 😉