October 5, 2009
Back to College
We had a fun time at Parent’s Weekend this past weekend! Guess what? Indiana has lower temperatures and prettier trees than Missouri right now. I know our time will come. The schedule was full and we did all of our favorite things:
- Saw a balloon launch. (This was for College Girl’s Chemistry class. They had to design an experiement to be sent up with a weather balloon, 20 miles into Near Space. They launched two balloons. One went sailing far far away. The other got caught in a tree. I guess that was the end of that experiment….)
- Had lunch at our favorite breakfast/lunch/coffee place – Paynes. This is housed in a tiny nondescript building just off Highway 69 in Gas City, but they have the most wonderful food, drinks, and frozen custard. Family owned and operated. This is their “French Omelette”, which I keep meaning to try on my own at home. I had an Apricot Brie Panini, which was just as good as it sounds. And of course a latte, because how can you pass this up?
- Went to the football game and watched the mascot run around. (Oh, and we watched the game, too, although it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.)
- Traveled up to Fort Wayne for a little shopping and dinner at the FlatTop Grill. Unfortunately my photo of the grill didn’t turn out. But it was sure interesting to see them grilling up piles and piles of orders at once.
- Stopped by the petting zoo to feed the deer and the llamas and the goats and the chicks. They always seem starved. I hope they are fed regularly. (I guess all animals always act like they’re starved, don’t they?)
- And did I mention that Web Guy surprised us by flying up from FL for the weekend?? Turns out all of his favorite friends were coming back for the weekend, so he came, too. (But I’m sure the more important part was that WE were going to be there. That’s my story.) Either way, I got my hugs in and we got some time with him, so I came home with a full mom-heart. I love spending time with our two favorite kids.
In knitting news – we just did the Monday Update. Come see! You’ll find Malabrigo Worsted, Silky, Lace and Sock (more on order, but this is the first half), Fleece Artist Superwash BFL (new for us), 3 new lines of Lana Grossa (one is a worsted – Cento, one is a sock that reminds me of Noro Kureyon, but softer, and another sock line that is self-patterning), and a Namaste re-stock.
Later this week:
Check back on Wednesday to hear about the Fourth Quarter Challenge, and to vote on Loopy’s Summer Vacation photos.
Check back on Friday to see my Multnomah Shawl, which will be washed and blocked by then. I’m starting a second one immediately in Colinette Jitterbug, because I fell in love with the color Sahara.
Do you think you’re more enticed to knit something because of the yarn, the color, or the pattern? Do you find a yarn line and think, “I need to find a color and pattern and make something with this”? Or do you find a color and think, “This is a great color. What pattern can I use with it?” Or do you see a pattern and think, “Must make that. What yarn?” I know it’s probably a combination of all three for most of us, but you probably have one that pulls you a little more than the others. I think for me, I’m drawn by colors most of all. That might be part of the reason I have a stash problem collection.
Sheri buildingisshakingagaintoday,moreroadworkoutside
Robin said,
October 5, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
I am a pattern girl. I start with the pattern unless it is sock yarn and then I go for the yarn first and then decide on a pattern.
Jennifer in SC said,
October 5, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
Color! Definately color.
Melissa said,
October 5, 2009 @ 2:17 pm
COLORS!! The colors pull me in first. Though occasionally I have been browsing Ravelry and seen a pattern I wanted to make then found yarn to go with it.
I think you’re right about the color addictions making more of a stashing issue!
Valerie said,
October 5, 2009 @ 2:27 pm
I am first and foremost about the colours. I’ll be browsing yarns, and see something in an irresistible colour, and just have to buy it. However, when I’m shopping online, like, on the Loopy Ewe, I usually shop by yarn first. There are too many yarn brands for me to browse them all, and while I’m aware of your colour-grouper-tool-thingie, I don’t use it all that much. When shopping online, I usually go straight for the yarn I’m looking for. Which is usually Dream in Color.
Pattern almost always comes last. Unless it’s something like, “I want to make my Mom some fetchings for Christmas, what shall I knit them out of?” I have enough stash that I need to find patterns to knit up my lovely acquisitions.
Kat Jorgensen said,
October 5, 2009 @ 2:32 pm
For me it’s ususally a pattern that calls my name and won’t stop. Then I have to find the perfect yarn for it. And despite my seemingly endless stash collection, I usually buy more yarn.
Sheri, I’m so glad you had a great weekend. And so glad you got to see both your daughter and your son. : )
Hannah said,
October 5, 2009 @ 2:43 pm
COLOR, COLOR, COLOR – that is the key ingredient for me. My favorite so far is Numma Numma Saucy in Squeeze Cheese. This is a beautiful, vibrant orange/yellow color. Patterns are secondary for me.
Dr. Jackie said,
October 5, 2009 @ 2:47 pm
Patterns…I have as much of a stash of patterns as I do yarns! I usually start with the pattern, decide what color I would like it to be, and then go looking for what kind of yarn to use. And despite my overwhelming stash, that often involves another shopping trip to TLE so I can smell and fondle it all before deciding!
TMTTYRR said,
October 5, 2009 @ 3:11 pm
In answer to that final question, all I can say is, YES! Sometimes it’s, “Wow! Must have that yarn! I’ll think of something to do with it!” Sometimes it’s, “Wow! I love that pattern! I’m sure the perfect yarn will turn up.” And of course, both are tied in to color, so…
YES!!!
Ged in Wales said,
October 5, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
For me it’s usually colour. I see something I like and that’s it. End of story. Must have it. How the yarn feels usually then decides the pattern. I’ve usually got a skein of yarn in my hand searchine places like the TLE and Ravelry for a pattern to use it.
Martha in Dc said,
October 5, 2009 @ 3:33 pm
Color, definately the color. If the color is questionable, I may never finish the project.
Carol said,
October 5, 2009 @ 3:51 pm
For me it’s the color… It used to be the “touch”, but not so much anymore since my FAVORITEST YS is in St. Louis!! I rely on ya’ll to tell me what it feels like, and you’re the best at it. (Ever considered a sample card to “feel” of yarn types?) I too stash yarn by color then search what to make with each.
Doris said,
October 5, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
I am with TMTTYRR. I have a huge stash of yarn, but a huge stash of patterns. It is usually a combination of the yarn itself, if it is in a color I love…and then the pattern gets sought out. But it often goes in the other direction. However, even if I love the yarn’s feel and the pattern, if I hate the color it is all over!
So glad you got to be with both of your kids this weekend. I will have that opportunity in a few weeks and I cannot wait!
Lael said,
October 5, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
Because I am a relatively new knitter, I used to start with the yarn and then try to figure out what to knit with it – many socks/scarves/small projects because I have/had many one skein impulse purchases. Now that I have been knitting a little while, I am starting to actually look at a pattern and then look for yarn that would work for that pattern. My spinning, on the other hand, often is the result of roving in a gorgeous color that I buy with absolutely no clue at the time of how I will spin it or what it will be used for! So I definitely am guilty of all three scenarios!
Christine said,
October 5, 2009 @ 4:06 pm
Color!
Joannah said,
October 5, 2009 @ 4:10 pm
It depends…when I’m shopping online, color. When I’m shopping in person, TOUCH. If there were a way to shop online by touch…well, we need some development to happen with the technology.
Meesh said,
October 5, 2009 @ 4:12 pm
I’m definitely a colors girl on the buying end. But, when it comes to actually picking up needles and starting a project, it’s usually the pattern that does it for me. Fortunately, I’ve bought enough “color” now that I can usually start something right away!
Mimi said,
October 5, 2009 @ 4:19 pm
I used to think I was a project first, yarn second person. Since I’ve been shopping at TLE, though, I am much more of a yarn first addict. I just bought some of the Handmaiden Sea Silk in pansy, just because the color grabbed my attention.
Marsha said,
October 5, 2009 @ 5:22 pm
It’s all about the color for me-makes it hard to do a larger item since I’m usually too cheap to buy 2, but I scan patterns and usually am able to match up one with the yardage/gms. on hand.
Karen in MN said,
October 5, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
The only yarn I collect due to color and then find a pattern is sock yarn. For everything else, I am drawn to the pattern, and then find the yarn.
Julie said,
October 5, 2009 @ 5:55 pm
COLOR and then the pattern. Unless it’s a pattern I’ve seen at a LNS.
Glad you got to see College Girl and Web Guy this weekend!
Jane said,
October 5, 2009 @ 6:28 pm
Color most draws me but I have quite a collection of patterns and yarn as well. It’s when they all come together that the knitting begins. When that happens it’s hard to say which comes first…
Mary Reading said,
October 5, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
I am color then twist of yarn….. for socks anyway.
Maria said,
October 5, 2009 @ 9:22 pm
Usually a pattern grabs me first. Then it’s time for the great stash dive. If that fails, it’s time to shop! And, yes, TLE is at the top of the list!
Sarah said,
October 5, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
Color!
Theresa in Italy said,
October 5, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
Color, color, and then color is what starts it off for me. And also accounts for the size and composition of the stash (lots of yarn in some colors, very little of others). Although I do have about a bazillion patterns that I have to knit up some day.
I’m so glad you had a great mom weekend with both kids!
southparknitter said,
October 6, 2009 @ 12:06 am
Combination of all three–the last two projects were about the yarn. Actually I haven’t bought the yarn for second project but spent last week designing a sweater (in my mind) made from some new yarn I stocked at the yarn shop. Working in yarn shop might not be a good thing for yarnaholic. So far I’m staying on the wagon because I want some equipment and SAFF is this month. But…
Dorothy said,
October 6, 2009 @ 2:37 am
I think it would be the yarn. If I do not like how the yarn feels in my hands I will probably never use it. I have never met a colour I didn’t like but have come in contact with plenty of unpleasant feeling yarn. Guess that is why I shop at Loopy Ewe, I have never been unhappy with a yarn yet.
Aporanee Schauer said,
October 6, 2009 @ 7:34 am
For me most of the time it’s the patterns that call out “knit me!” unless it’s sock yarn then it’s colors, but usually either blue or red. I seem to knit only in these two colors. I have more patterns than I could knit in this lifetime and still searching and collecting more. Right now I am searching for a perfect Christmas cardigan. Any idea?
Amy said,
October 6, 2009 @ 8:28 am
I buy most yarn because I want to try it… Then I actually knit something because I find a pattern that I just know I have the perfect yarn for in my stash. I think the there have been a few purchases just because of the color… Malabrigo Archangel comes to mind.
WendyT said,
October 6, 2009 @ 9:28 am
It is definately a combo of the three but like you, it is mostly the colors that speak to me. I too have a stash problem and I’m going to try a yarn diet for a good part of this year – whimper. However, their are a few lines, ahem — Wollmeise and numma numma — that it doesn’t matter the color – - I just want it because of the yarn base and amazing dying!
Suzie said,
October 6, 2009 @ 9:37 am
The pattern starts me off on the great yarn search. When I find a yarn that I like I usually like it because of color (and because the price is one I can live with). Saving up to buy a sweater’s worth of yarn. I found the yarn at TLE, now to save.
Andrea said,
October 6, 2009 @ 9:45 am
I don’t really do any of those things. I think about what I’m in the mood to knit next, a blanket, socks, try my hand at my first shawl or sweater, a scarf, or what. Then I go searching for a pattern to match what I have in my head. Then I look for the yarn. Or if I have a yarn that I like, I think about what it would best make, and then go searching for a pattern for it. Sometimes, I go to Ravelry and find out what other people have done with the same yarn and see if I like anything there. I’m just sort of free with it.
Barbara said,
October 6, 2009 @ 11:43 am
Sometimes I see a pattern and think I would really like to make that. Other times
the color gets me. Even socks. Most of the time I knit presents for other people
and I have to take in consideration what they would like even if I don’t like knitting
on that color of yarn. It then becomes a chore. Most of my giftees are pretty
flexable. What really bothers me is when I get all excited about making something
that I have seen and then the yarn is not available anymore.
Elaine said,
October 6, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
I think it’s patterns for me. Except for socks…. I have stashed so much sock yarn bought strictly for the color that it is embarrassing. But when I see a pattern that I just. must. knit. (like for some of Wendy’s shawls or sweaters) then it becomes about the colors.
Jody said,
October 6, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
It will always be color!! Color lures me in, and it’s why my stash is so big. Once I have the color, then I have trouble finding the right pattern.
Michele in Maine said,
October 6, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
Color and yarn are the usual lures for me, except for lace. In that case, I see the pattern, then look for the yarn (or match the pattern to a yarn in my stash).
So wonderful that you got to see both kids in one fell swoop! And apricot brie panini? Swoon!
Tracy said,
October 6, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
I think I’m evolving (mostly as a response to yarn spilling out of the corners of all the rooms in the house!!). While I’m drawn to color and to yarn, these days I seem to start with a pattern first. I’ve never had a problem envisioning a pattern in different colors, maybe a carryover from quilting where I often see a pattern I like and recreate it in different colors/fabrics.
I LOVE that picture of the chicks!
Ann Rose said,
October 6, 2009 @ 5:12 pm
I’m usually about the color, but last week, I was seduced by a name, “Hephaestus.” Since Hephaestus is considered the “lame” or club-footed god of the forge, and I do disability studies for a living these days, I HAD to have that yarn! It is a wonderful forest green, with brownish accents, and will become a leafy “Susan” shawl from Myrna Stahman’s book of Faroese-style shawls. Occasionally, I’ll fall in love with a pattern, then determine the color and the yarn, but like a lot of others, I have many single skeins and have to hope that yarn will be enough to knit up into a pattern I like.
Debra I said,
October 6, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
It would be easy to say Colors! grab me first, but I’m always on the lookout for good patterns, so I’ll be ready when a yarn line or colorway says “BUY ME!” I’ve run into too many lustings for colorways and not bought enough. When you think about it, there seem to be more colorways and not as many patterns out there, so colorways would have the edge…Then again, there’s that old maxim: Be Prepared.
Eleanor said,
October 6, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
I’m so glad you got to see both Web Guy and College Girl last weekend! It looks like it was a great weekend!
I’m an atmospheric chemistry student, so I have to ask… what sort of experiments did College Girl and her class design to send up with the weather balloons? My research group does (among other things) design experiments to put on planes and fly a little lower than where her balloons were designed to fly.
Glad you enjoyed the weekend!
Julia G said,
October 7, 2009 @ 7:13 am
I always love your posts about launching your kids into college life and beyond– you really helped me visualize my own fledglings leaving the nest (and furnishing a dorm room!)
Back to knitting, it’s usually a great pattern that catches my eye first, especially a classic with a creative twist, but then again I’m hopelessly smitten by colors, and don’t care much what I make with them as long as I make something NOW! So maybe the pattern appeals to my intellect, while color is more of a deep emotional response….
Annette Lewek said,
October 7, 2009 @ 8:22 am
Color,definately!
Patricia Dixon said,
October 7, 2009 @ 9:45 am
Fashion..COLOR, COLOR…yarns and what they offer..I was looking for a specfic yellow..so at the Sock Summit, I was on the prowl..found it Barefoot , Kitchen Sink Dye works..I was so happy…
Since, the Sock Summit, I have been on a Knitting High..People help energize the mood…
Went Seattle..Skiers in the family have orders for hats..I don’t ususally make hat. They made sure, I went to Yarn shops, so they could pick the colors.. Also the word SOFT came up. My granddaughter piucked a cashmere blend…
Love your blog..
Ruth said,
October 15, 2009 @ 1:43 pm
I like patterns, I like exotic fibers, I like color. The three don’t always go together. I try to make things match, but mostly, I have a lot of yarn I like to fondle.