Since ALA annual conference was in DC this year I couldn’t resist going! Aaron and I drove to New Carrollton and hoped on the Metro, which makes it quite easy to get in and out of DC. Never having been to ALA before I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, I was told it was big and I’ve seen the loot others have brought back with them, but still I wasn’t quite sure.

It was huge, there were tons of publishers and vendors available to discuss the latest and greatest. The amount of free books was amazing, I did also purchase a few books since they were cheap and the authors were there to sign them.  I managed to collect a total of 32 books, most free, some ARCs and I managed to get a surprising number of them signed. It was great seeing previews of what was about to come out, I picked up lots of catalogs listing upcoming books and audiobooks.

I was excited to get these:

Two books that recommend Spanish Language resources for both adults and young readers.

I did not stop and talk to any electronic resource vendors as I am not in a position to have any say in their use in a library. This may have been the wrong attitude to have, but I honestly wasn’t sure what to ask them.

I got pens, pins, patches and a rubber ducky!

But seriously check out what I got!

Signed Books                                            ARCs                      Muppet Graphic Novels!!!

By the end of the day I was suffering from brain overload- given the shear amount of activity and information that was available all around me. I did enjoy my time and had fun talking to publishers, in the future I will most likely try to attend some of the seminars/workshops.

For now I have a ton of books to read!

Its been quite lovely here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, here are some pictures of it to enjoy!

Alright so obviously its been a while since I posted! So there is a lot to cover but I’ll just show some of the new projects both in progress and finished!

Mom's Socks

These were Mom’s Christmas Presents although they got done slightly after Christmas…oops.

Yarn: Panda Silk DK

Needle: Size 3 12” circs

Pattern: Lisa Knits Basic Sock patter for 6sts

Ishbel

This was a fun pattern to make and if I had worked on it a bit more regularly it would’ve been a very quick knit!

Yarn: Silky Tweed

Needle: Size 7 Bryspuns

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

Hermione <3 Ron

This was a fun hat to knit! I used a Sock Yarn of the Month Club yarn from Sanguine Gryphon. The pattern was very easy to memorize after the first repeat!

Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Traveller

Needle: 2 & 3 16” Circs

Pattern: Hermione Loves Ron

I meant for this to be Aly’s Christmas Present but I didn’t get it done in time but hopefully I get my act together and finish it soon! It’s the Heather Hoodie Vest and while fun to knit the multiple cables on most rows does slow me down.

Heather Hoodie

I actually finished something again! I’m quite pleased with it.

It’s the Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits. I used Great Adirondacks Cotton Bamboo, which is gorgeous. It has a lovely drape to it- I was worried at first that the needle size (US 9) would be too loose/drapey for the ruffles but it ended up being just fine!

Lately I’ve been working on the Owls Sweater by Kate Davies, I’ve been using Berroco’s Cuzco and its super soft!

The boardwalk!

I just went to Ocean City, MD for Aaron’s birthday, and it was lovely! Here are a few pics of it to get in the mood for spring and summer

And since it was about a 2.5-3 hour drive I got plenty of knitting done! My friend is getting married in April so I’m trying to complete a blanket for her, so I worked on that and got a bit done.

The ocean!

I’m also thinking about making the Whisper Cardigan to wear to her wedding, I got some Lacey Lamb in white to use- not sure if I can actually get it done or if it will fit- the measurements are small so Aly may be getting it if it doesn’t work out.  At first I wasn’t sure about it, but I think it would look nice over a tank top or a sundress so I’m going to give it a try and see if I can get it to work for me

I made a little mouse from one of Ysolda’s patterns.  It was very fun to make, and pretty quick! He still needs his eyes though. I think I’ll be making more of these in the future

Here are pictures of two new projects I’ve recently started.  First is the Leisl by Ysolda – it looks like nothing but I really just started. I’m using Peruvia from Berroco and making the 38” chest and the 3/4 sleeve version.

I also mentioned the Springtime in Philadelphia hat in my last post, and here’s a picture of it so far.  Its really fun to work on and not very hard which is nice! I really want to finish my central park hoodie so that I can start my Owls sweater!

I’ve been thinking that I need to organize all of my yarn- and there is a scary amout of it I need to knit faster.  So here you see my pile of yarn to organize.

I did manage to get it all put away neatly in a more organized fashion, but I didn’t take any after pictures though.  I divided it by all yarn that has sweater quantities goes in one bin, actual projects planned for it goes in another and random yarn goes in other ones.

I’m finally getting things done, although only the small projects.  It took me a ridiculous amount of time but I finally got Aaron’s fingerless gloves done.

Pattern: Pop Up Paws
Yarn: Rio de la Plata 3 Ply
Needles: 4 & 6’s
Size: Medium

Details: I made the gloves without the pop up, the purl ridge across the back of the hand and the thumb top. My ravelry page on them is here.

He says they are perfect at work and keep his hands warm- so apparently I did good

The second project I finished up is a baby hat from Luxury One Skein Wonders:

Pattern: Merino Silk Cables for Baby
Yarn: K1C2 Ambrosia
Needles: 12” #3 & #4
Size: N/A

Details: This is a fun project, the only thing I noticed that was wrong with the pattern was the decreases for the crown. My ravelry project details here. I could’ve gotten another hat out of the one skein of Ambrosia. This hat is for the Luxury One Skein Wonders Every Other Month Along at the store.

I’ve finally pulled my Central Park Hoodie back out and have started working on that again, I’d love to be able to wear it this year! I’m also working on Springtime in Philadelphia, its a really fun pattern and I really like the yarn I’m using, the Fibre Company’s Canopy Fingering. Hopefully I’ll have pics of that to show off soon. I’m hoping to make Owls by Kate Davies soon, I have some Eco Wool that will work very nicely for it.

Well I finally got some things accomplished, not much but a few projects were finished.

The first is the baby sweater from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. I used two skeins of Manos Silk Blend. It was a fun knit and it looks much cuter with the buttons- I haven’t taken pictures of that yet. So while this is done I’m a little worried that the sweater won’t actually fit the baby. But I will keep my fingers crossed! You can see my ravelry page for it here.

More pictures of finished items to follow!