Just Try and Stop Me!

"The questions isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand

My birthday is coming up soon (March 12), prompting me to start thinking about what gifts I want. I narrowed it down to three main areas:

1. Needles
2. Pattern books
3. More yarn (natch!)

To make sure I get exactly what I want (always very important, especially when it comes to crafting supplies), I filled my Knitpicks cart with the items I wanted and then left it open on our home computer for the hubby to find. Yes, I'm really that subtle. I was able to show what for me is a vast amount of restraint and only got these items:
Knitpicks Options needle set and Knitpicks Sierra, a bulky wool yarn, in grape.


You may be wondering, what it someone in southern California going to do with bulky wool. I've been anxiously reading all the buzz regarding Wenlan Chia's new book "Big City Knits" and have put it on my Amazon wishlist. I have mixed feelings about the book, and have added and deleted it from my wishlist 3 times. Apparently, the sizing is limited to very small sizes, but others argue that the chunky knits are meant to stretch and are designed with a fair bit of negative ease. Either way, I love, love, love her designs. As it turns out, I already have a couple of her patterns from knitting mags, including the Vogue Winter '05 issue which has the vest pattern I've nearly completed. Thus, the grape Sierra is for this baby:Not only is it a cool design, but a hoodie is really practical for winter in California!