Well, here I go.  I have my first Fearless Knitting of 2019 to share AND I have one of my best tips ever.  It will save you from wasting yarn, buying yarn you don't need AND will help make you always ready for your own fearless knitting.

This is Mosaic Mania.  I've had the pattern saved for many months AND I bought the Zauberball at Knit 'N Purl when Linda and I were in Sunset Beach in July.  I saved it for condo knitting and now I know why.  It is obviously FEARLESS KNITTING.  It is a wrap with 8 different mosaic patterns.  I love mosaic/slip stitch knitting almost as much as I love double knitting.  It looks complicated and complex but you never use more than one color per row.  I got the pattern on Ravelry.  Now let's see how far I've gotten.

These are my two colorways (2092 and 2231) of Zauberball Crazy a Schoppel fingering weight yarn made in Germany.  I prefer companies who give memorable names to their colorways.  I will never forget Zombie Prom but I probably won't remember 2092 and 2231.  I think the pattern uses 2 colorways very close together to expand the WOW factor without Jarring color changes.  One ball is more red and one is more orange.  One is more beige and the other more grey.  All I know is the effect is amazing.  For the black I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Lite.  (More to come on that choice.)     

The little rectangle pattern is called Band Of Bricks and separates each major pattern.  The second pattern is called Chains.  I have my own Jan rule which says if you slip 3 stitches or more, you knit under the big loose stitch on the alternate color row.  That way there aren't all of these loose, hanging stitches on the back that you can catch on something ruining your masterpiece.  It also keeps you from making the carry yarn too loose or to tight.  That is just something I learned in my search for mosaic perfection

This is Small Diamonds, the pattern that taught me that wine and mosaic knitting may not be the best combination.

This is Large Zigzag, which tells me there might be a Small Zigzag.  This is my favorite patter so far.  

This is Stairs.

And this is what they look like together.  Once the last three patterns and the accompanying Bands of Bricks are finished and Madonna does her magic, it will be mind blowing.  I am amazed that anyone would dream up this pattern.  It is so complex with stitch count needing to work for all of the patterns.  The addition of the garter stitch patterns and those little columns take this from a beautiful wrap to a WOWIE! ZOWIE! wrap.  Don't you see how this is the perfect place to begin My Year Of Fearless Knitting?!?!?!?!?!

Now let me tell you my invaluable tip.  As you can tell from reading the blog, I do a lot of patterns that have color and black.  In the beginning when I followed the patterns exactly, I had all of these little pieces of different black yarn that were pretty useless. There wasn't enough to complete a project, they didn't mix well together because of different textures and different shades of black.  Then I hit upon my idea.  Shazam! I knew what to do.  I always use Berroco Ultra Lite Alpaca whether my colored yarn is Kauni, Zauberball, Twisted Fiber Art or whatever.    

The is the yarn. . . 

and this is the color.  At any time I always have 12-24 skeins of Pitch Black Ultra Alpaca Lite in case I find a pattern I just can't wait to start. I watch different online stores and when Ultra Alpaca Lite goes on sale, I stock up. No more do I have partial skeins of useless black yarn.  Because when I use black I almost always mix it with a color, the partial skeins of Ultra Alpaca Lite just work themselves in.  Now isn't that a money saving, amazing tip!

I thought I would be able to finish Mosaic Mania before I got home but a new project has intervened.  I am pretty excited about that too even though is really isn't fearless knitting.  I am going to celebrate the start of My Year Of Fearless Knitting with a glass of Chardonnay in my girlfriends wine glass.

If you have ever visited Knit 'N Purl in Myrtle Beach, you would know the answer is YES! YES! YES!  I just made my second visit to KNP, the first when Kathy was here and the second to get my social knitting fix.

This is the shop.

This is the social knitting table which always seems to be filled.

And this is Molly Bruton whose color suggestions I trust completely.  She just has this sense of what I would love if only I would have thought about of  it.  

There! I just set the scene for you: Knit 'N Purl, social knitting, amazing yarn and Molly.  What more could I want!

​

This is the totality of the yarn I've purchased (so far.)  When I threw it all in a pile, it gave me some pretty exciting ideas.

December 28, Kathy and I went to Knit 'N Purl, leaving Dick and Ken in the car.  Why wives ever take husbands into a yarn shop, I will never know.  They just don't get it!  They say things like, "You don't really need that, do you." like need has anything to do with it.  It's about the thrill of it, the love for it, the excitement.  They might also say, "But what are you going to make from it?" like anybody really knows that unless you have a specific pattern you are wanting yarn for.  I think all of that yabbering interrupts the Zen of a LYS.  Well, any way Kathy and I went in.  Immediately I heard "Well, look who's here."  It wasn't Molly it was Martina the new owner. Even without the friendly face and lyrical voice of Molly, I felt totally welcome.  Kathy and I explored to our hearts content.  I came away with. . . 

This is Malabrigo's Merchita a 100% merino superwash.  The colorway is Arco Iris.  If this isn't a Jan skein, I don't know what is.  If you are a Malabrigo lover, you must come to Knit 'N Purl.  They have the best selection of Malabrigo of any LYS I've been in.  I must admit,  I can never pass up Malabrigo at Knit 'N Purl.  The colors are so much clearer than in an online shop (not that I haven't bought my share of Malabrigo online,) AND you get to touch the amazing texture of Malabrigo.  Then I also bought. . . 

I have never seen this yarn before but it was love at first sight.  I was amazed that it was a combination of plant and petroleum, not an animal fiber in sight.  I am puzzeled.  I tend to steer away from cotton and synthetic but I couldn't pass this up.  Isn't it beautiful.  So these are the two things I bought on my trip with Kathy.  This was definitely more exhilarating than soothing.

​On January 15.  I walked in and there were people knitting at the big table.

I came in with my project.  I feel very strongly that if you participate in social knitting at a shop, you should use yarn purchased from that shop.  My project was Mosaic Mania knit with Zauerball I bought at KNP.  I'll devote a whole post to this magnificent project which just happens to be my first Fearless Knitting of the year.  So I sat down at the big table.  It was amazing.  Knitters were getting help with projects, visiting, laughing and of course knitting.  So soothing!  Then periodically I would feel the urge to explore the yarn, Exhilarating!  So there you have it both soothing and exhilarating!.  I decided to walk around and see if anything fit into My Year Of Fearless Knitting.  And lo and behold, I found plenty.  Exhilarating!

Isn't this amazing!  It is one of my two favorite techniques, mosaic. (My other favorite is double knitting.)  

This is Radiant Gradient and guess what?  I already have the pattern and THIS YARN from a past trip to Knit 'N Purl.  I will add this to My Year Of Fearless Knitting.  

This made my heart race it was so fearless.  My next trip to Knit 'N Purl will be about this.  

So you see how something can be both exhilarating and soothing.  I got my fix of both.  I told Dick I would be at social knitting for about an hour which with travel time would be about 2 1/2 hours.  Well, I was gone twice that.  Time has no meaning in a LYS.  It's like you're floating in a parallel universe.  While there I met two great women from Ohio (almost neighbors). Hi, Vivian and Robin.  I hope you enjoy Knitting:  A Love Story.  I also hope to see you at Knit 'N Purl again.

​Of course, I bought during this trip.

This is Katia's Concept 80% virgin wool and 20% silk.  It is so soft!  I fell in love with it.  There were 5 balls setting on a table so I picked them up.  When I checked out, Molly told me it was a 1/2 price discontinued yarn and those 5 balls were the end.  The color is rich and beautiful and the feel is like petting a kitten.  Why is yarn has been discontinued, I'll never know.  

Who could resist this project bag????? Obviously not me.

I have a feeling there is something to add to My Year Of Fearless in these books. 

Now I want to show you want made me shout "EUREKA!" when I piled all of the Knit 'N Purl yarn purchases together.

Recognize these two?!?!?  Who ever would have thought they would look good, no not good, great together.  I love that, the surprise of two fibers synergistically looking better together than alone.  AND, I found the perfect pattern at KNP.   

What do you think!?!?!?!  I think it is definitely going to enhance the beauty of the yarns.  All this talking about yarn and knitting has made me want to knit.  Off I go to Mosaic Mania.

One might think this is a post about soft serve ice cream but if you regularly read Knitting: A Love Story you know it will be about my favorite LYS, online shop, newsletter and the amazing Twisted Ladies.  You would know this is going to be about Twisted Fiber Art.  

These are some of the amazing colorways and gorgeous cakes I have collected during the past year.  I love everything about TFA.  I love the Clubs where I get to receive colorways which have never been seen and might never be put in the rotation.  I love the archived colorways which may not be dyed again. (That always makes me sad and anxious forcing  me to buy, buy, buy because I won't be able to purchase again.  This is obviously one of the ways my yarn stash grows.)  I love the email newsletters.  Many, many times I have seen something in a newsletter that I can't resist.  I discovered something right before Christmas that I really loved; the Twisted Fiber Art Grab Bag.  I bought two grab bags, one for Kathy and one for me.  But I didn't look at either.  I wrapped them both up and gave them to Kathy.  When Kathy opened the gift, she had to decided which one she wanted and which she would give to me WITHOUT LOOKING AT WHAT WAS IN THE GRAB BAG!  She unwrapped the gift, opened the box, held both for a while then gave one to me and kept one for herself.  We broke open our packages and this is what I got.

This is Opulent which is 50% silk and 50% merino in the colorway Mirage. If a little silk makes a fiber feel better imagine what 50% silk will do.  This has a, well what exactly do I want to say?  It has a, an, a, an OPULENT feel.  I can't even imagine the beauty of the drape when this incredible fiber has been knit.  I do have an idea of how I'm going to use this.  When I go to Knit 'N Purl this next week, I am going to look for a solid color and make Frozen Lake.  I will show you a picture of Frozen Lake at the end.

Both of these cakes are in colorway Dawn (I love it, love it, love it!) with the left side a large Arial which is 100% merino and the right side medium Tasty which is 80% merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon.  I don't have a clue what this will become but I do know I love it.  "I don't know much but I know I love you and would be all I need to know."  In case you don't recognize it, that is a song lyric.  I don't remember who or what, but it just seemed perfect.

This is small Tasty in Mirage.  This is the same colorway as the Opulent.  I love them both.

Last but certainly not least is Kabam! cupcake in Silver Lining.  Now let's see what was in Kathy's grab bag.

Please notice something about Kathy's picture.  She has a real camera with experience at taking real pictures so her colors are perfect.  I wish I would have put all of mine together after seeing this.  The cake and skein in the upper right hand corner are Bounty in LeCirque and Tasty classic striping in LeCirque.  They are stunning.  In the middle low is Yummy in colorway Rendezvous.  Touching Rendezvous is Arial in Bliss.  Above Bliss is Bounty in Classic Striping.

Santa was so good to us.  Without even seeing what was in each grab bag, Kathy gave us each what we liked best.  Amazing!  It is a sure thing the TFA Grab Bag will become a Christmas tradition.

​I promised to show you Frozen Lake.  Well, here it is knit in colorway Mermaid classic striping.  

Isn't this absolutely amazing!?!?!?! I didn't even remember buying the Mermaid but I found the Frozen Lake pattern (I saw it on Pinterest and bought it on Ravelry) and was looking through my stash to see if I had anything that would do it justice.  There was Mermaid.  I don't know if I bought it at a Fiber Expo or online from TFA or if it magically appeared in my stash.  I prefer the magic.  Mermaid and magic just go together.  It was obvious that Mermaid and Frozen Lake were meant to be.  The black is Berrocco Ultra Alpaca Lite.  That is my go to black yarn to mix with fingering or dk weights.  Maybe I'll do a post soon on why.  Once again Twisted Fiber Art has provided me with much joy AND an addition to Knitting: A Love Story.  If you haven't visited Twisted Fiber Art website, you really need to AND buy some of this uniquely beautiful yarn.  Careful though.  It is addictive.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!  BRING ON THE HARD STUFF! CHARGE!!  Sometime after midnight moving from 2018 to 2019, I walked through a door and closed it.  I woke up the next morning with more energy, more creativity and more spunk (I hope you're not like Lou Graham and hate spunk) than I've had in a year.  I'm ready for a new year filled with. . . 

FEARLESS KNITTING.  I've had My Year of Selfish Knitting which changed my knitting life.  Now selfish knitting is just the way I roll.  No "have to" knitting only "want to" knitting and only knitting that brings me joy.  I have also had times of creative and experimental knitting, moments of grateful knitting and those wondrous times of 'let me help you" knitting.  Those are all awesome, heartfelt and important.  This year is about risks and learning and stepping off the ledge at times.  This year is about challenging patterns and colors.  It is about stretching myself and improving my skills.  Will there be tears along the way?  There may be.  There will be frustration and being stumped and practice, practice, practice.  My Year Of Fearless Knitting will take me to a new level.  BUT it will also bring me great joy.  The Tetris scarf got me into the fearless knitting mind set.  When I was finished I was euphoric.  I was proud and ecstatic and ready for more.  I thought, "What if everything I knit gave me this feeling, this thrill!?!?!"

This is fearless knitting!  I may not do any of those things (knit while watching a movie in the dark) but I will embrace the feeling.  I have made a list of 20 projects I might be tackling this year which would definitely put me in the category of Fearless Knitter.  Let me share a few with you

Do you remember this?  A couple of years ago I started this at the Coastal Cottage.  I got to a place where two ombre colorways were too close in color and intensity and the pattern didn't show.  I put it away and when I brought it out, I couldn't figure out where I was in this very intricate pattern.  2019 is the year.  I will fearlessly tackle Parallax.

Do you remember this?  I have the knitting of the body done in the round complete.  It is a cardigan.  You know what that means.  STEEKING!!!!  I must steek for the sleeves and up the front.  The thought of steeking makes my heart pound and my blood run cold.  If I didn't dye my hair, I am sure my hair would turn white at the thought of steeking.  If this isn't an example of fearless knitting, I don't know what is. 

Do you remember this amazing garment?  Then you must remember this.

I love this so much and was so frustrated by it that it must be part of My Year Of Fearless Knitting.  I have pondered for four years about a solution to the tangle mess and I think I have one.  We'll see.

I also went though my Pinterest, Ravelry and iBook patterns and have picked out 20 I think will fit in with My Year Of Fearless Knitting.  Let me share a few.

This will be a year of learning new techniques and taking risks.  It will be a year of combining colors and yarn in new and different ways. It will be a year of racing to the edge then leaping over to create amazing treasures. It goes without saying this will also be a year of magic.

Just think of the fabulous treasures I'll have for Christmas gifts next year (if I can part with them).  So I am ready!  Would you like to join me in a Year Of Fearless Knitting?  Well, LET'S GET STARTED!