Things are heating up in our preparation for our week in the mountains. I did steam Annabelle's shawl. It seems so kismet. I bought the yarn for the shawl (it's even more beautiful than the picture shows) at Silver Threads and Golden Needles in Franklin, NC last year. Now I am taking it back south as a going away gift for Annabelle. I have named the shawl "Sunrise in the Desert" partly because of the color and partly because Annabelle is starting a new life in New Mexico. I just found out that the Western North Carolina Yarn Crawl will be while we're in the mountains. I hope I'll be able to crawl along to at least a few LYSs.

Working on this blog has made me realize some things I wish I would have done during my life of knitting.

1. I wish I would have kept a knitting journal from the beginning analyzing the positives, the negatives, the changes made to the pattern, needle size, changes in yarn, etc. What a hoot to look back and remember the journey.

2. I wish I would have saved every gage swatch from every project for the journal. I always make a gage swatch but I usually am kind of freaky about running around of yarn. I just unravel and use the yarn in the project. I can't say enough about the importance of a gage swatch particularly if you are changing yarns.

3. I wish I would have taken a picture of every finished project no matter how awful it turned out to include in the journal. I really think I've learned more from projects which weren't perfect.

4. I wish I would have kept track of knitted gifts I have given to people.

Better late than never on my knitting wishes.

We are getting ready to leave early Saturday morning for our annual trip to the mountains of North Carolina. You know what that means: 1) packing, 2) choosing books (this year I'm only reading from my iPad), 3) kenneling Murphy (we call it taking him to Harvard), and 4) most important picking out travel knitting. Let's have a little quiz. Do you remember the criteria for being good travel knitting? (Small; memorable, uncomplicated pattern; interesting pattern; great yarn; something you can put down and easily pick up and know what you're doing). I have a great knitting in the car pattern for this trip. It's called Bias Stripe Afghan and it uses my favorite yarn Noro. I got it from the Noro Knitting Magazine fall/winter 2013. You can also purchase it on Ravelry. You can tell from the picture it's beautiful. It's done in Kureyon #95 and I just happened to have the necessary 10 balls in my yarn stash. I bet you are wondering why. I just love this colorway and was concerned it would be discontinued before I figured out what I wanted to do with it so I bought enough to make anything I wanted. The grey color is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in charcoal.

I also have an "in the condo" project to go with the "in the car project." Isn't it beautiful?!?!? It is called Camino Bubbles and I got it on Ravelry. It is definitely not an in the car project since it is knit from a chart. I have a beautiful varigated chashmire yarn in coppers, browns and pinks which I also had in my yarn stash. I got this yarn online from Astrid's Obsessions a shop in either Denmark or the Netherlands I can't remember. I bought my first Kauni from Astrid when I couldn't find it in the states. I will do an entire post on beautiful Kauni.

While I am in North Carolina I will mosey over to Knoxville and have lunch with my beloved Annebelle before she moves to New Mexico. I do have a surprise for Annebelle but since it is not steamed, I can't post it yet.

While we are in North Carolina, I will take you on a field trip to one of my favorite LYS Silver Threads and Golden Needles in Franklin. This is the first year in many, many years I won't be visiting Yarn Paradise in Asheville as they closed the past year. I am very sad. Yarn Paradise introduced me to Twisted Sisters yarn and patterns. I remember the first time I saw a Twister Sisters sweater knitted. It was a real WOW. Yarn Paradise also had the most fabulous buttons. In addition to yarn, I have quite a button collection.

Hopefully I will have time for one more post before we leave.

Isn't she a doll! That is Miss Edith Anne Boyle grand daughter of one of my dear friends and daughter of one of my favorite young women. I have known grandmother Cheryl for many years and Mama Katie as soon as she was born. Katie has always been very special to me. When she realized who exactly Santa Clause was, she and I went shopping for many years for stocking stuffers for her Mom and Dad. We even shopped one year when Katie had her leg in a cast. What a trooper. Katie's wedding was the most beautiful, perfect evening wedding on the shore of Lake Michigan with a full moon. First came Abraham then Edith Anne.

When Edith Anne was born, I couldn't wait to get my hands on pink yarn. I found this adorable flower pattern and had to make it. I ordered every shade of pink dk yarn from Knit Picks so I could find the four which blended best together. (Another bump up in my stash) I changed my mind many times until I finally settled on this blend. Edith Anne just turned 1 a couple of weeks ago so this time last year I was busily knitting this girly hat for a very petite baby girl. I knit the newborn size because I wanted this beautiful child to wear this adorable hat as soon as possible. Edith Anne and her family live in Chicago so it took a while before they came to Michigan. One weekend in the summer Cheryl's whole family met at their cottage at the lake. I was a little nervous because I was afraid she might have out grown this dainty little hat. The first time I set eyes on Edith Anne, it was love at first sight. What an absolutely beautiful child. So delicate and so petite. She swam in the hat! I didn't need to worry about her out growing it! Better too big than too little! Edith Anne is the spitting image of her beautiful Mama. Every time I see a picture of EA, I see Katie. It's in her eyes, her adorable little nose and her smile.

I encourage you to find a "go to" signature baby pattern that you love. As babies come into your life, there is nothing more appreciated than something uniquely hand knit. Baby yarn so is different today than when Mary Helen taught me to knit. It used to be pastel pink, blue, green and yellow. I've always said a knitter invented amniocentesis so they wouldn't have to knit in green and yellow. Today there is no limit on the colors of baby yarn just as there is no limit on the cuteness of babies

Scarey! Maybe to you and me, but not to a young boy. They love snakes. I rode to a meeting with the director of our public library and Shirley told me about a scarf she wanted to knit for her grandson. She found the pattern in a new book in the library. It was a snake. Then she asked in this very sweet voice, "You knit, don't you?" I said I did and I would be happy to knit the scarf. Before we go any farther, I need to tell you I have a horrible revulsion to snakes. I'm not exactly afraid of them, they just give me the creeps. I could hardly watch the part in Harry Potter where the snake escapes from his inclosure at the zoo. I left my finger nail impressions in the arm of the seat. They may still be there. I know they won't hurt me, they just give me shivers and gasps. Even the smallest of snakes stops me in my tracks. I swear they look me in the eye and sneer. With this in mind, I still said "yes" to knitting a long snake-like scarf. Shirley checked the book out of the library for me. When I saw the pattern, I immediately thought, "I can do better."

I began searching where I always search, Google. Google sent me to Morehouse Farm and their delightful RattleSnake scarf. I loved the beads for a rattler and the tonge. I made a trip to my yarn room. In 2009, I made the Great American Afgan for my sister for Christmas. It was made in greens and browns to compliment her beautiful log home. Once again, I grew my stash by buying every Cascade 220 shade of brown and green. Some were perfect and some weren't. The long and the short is my stash grew by a tub of green and brown yarn. In my yarn room, I had the perfect yarn for this adorable (yes, I used the word adorable in conjunction with snake) scarf. I cannot believe how much fun this project was. I couldn't put it down and finished it in less than a week.

If you have a boy in your life he would love it and you will have a ball making it.

One of my favorite teachers is Martina from Crafty Lady Trio in McComb, MI. I love to take knitting glasses. Is there anything better than the combination of social knitting, planning a knitting project, buying yarn and learning something new? That's what a knitting class is all about to me. For this particular class (Chris Blysema's Crayon Box Jacket), it also meant spending time with my good friend and knitting buddy Linda Kaufman. It just doesn't get any better. Linda and I were on one of our infamous "Yarn Tours" and we were in Crafty Lady before it became Crafty Lady Trio. We were enjoying the beautiful yarn when we turned the corner and there it was; our first glimps of a Crayon Box Jacket. It was love at first sight for both of us. When we inquired about this thing of beauty, we were told there was a class scheduled on Saturday mornings. We live an hour and a half from Crafty Lady but we both decided we had to sign up.

When we got to our first class, Martina was the teacher. What a wonderful person and great teacher! She also has a great sense of color; mixing, matching and blending. We each made our Crayon Box getting together one night a week to work. If you haven't already done a Crayon Box, they are tremendous fun. We picked out five plain colors as our base. My colors were navy blue, teal, magenta, dark purple and chartreuse. (I love lots of color.) Next you pick out many different yarns to combine with these five colors as you make your mitered squares. I think this is where my yarn stash began to get out of control. Even though I used many yarns already in my stash, every time I'd go into a yarn shop I'd see a skein of yarn that would look perfect in the Crayon Box (unfortunately I was wrong on several). A Crayon Box can tell the story of your knitting history. It was such a joy to make, Linda thought we should make a second in cotton. We did that! Before we started our cotton Crayton Box, my husband and I went on a trip to New Orleans and I got to purchase my yarn at The Quarter Stitch (one of my very favorite yarn shops).

Linda and I had so many new yarns in our stash after the Crayon Box that we took another class from Martina called Stash Buster. That's where I learned to make my first Magic Ball as described in my Survivor's Shawl post. I love Magic Balls. You just take all the yarn in your stash, cut in different lengths, randomly tie them together then wind with a fine mohair to blend all of the different colors and textures into a spectacular ball of yarn. I do not throw any piece of yarn away any more. I save it for a Magic Ball.

So you see Martina has been very significant in my knitting life. She introduced me to the Crayon Box, taught me to make Magic Balls, showed me the pizazz of stacking buttons and provided Linda and me with hours and hours of fun.

This is my cotton Crayon Box with beautiful yarn from the Quarter Stitch.

Here is an example of a Magic Ball. The one on the left is wound with purple mohair and the one on the right is light blue. They are both made with the same stash yarn

One beautiful Saturday morning (well, any day of a yarn tour is beautiful), Linda and I traveled to McComb to visit Crafty Lady one of our favorite LYS. (Remember, Martina one of my favorite knitting teachers.) They have such an amazing selection of yarn displayed ever so well. They always have intriguing sweaters, afghans, scarfs, baby clothes made up to showcase their yarns. I tackle a yarn shop much as I tackle a knitting magazine; a walk through to see what pops out with the WOW factor saying, "Make me!" before I settle in to an indepth study of what I want to buy. There is always something that grabs me at Crafty Lady. This particular day it was a yellow multicolored bag like nothing I'd ever seen. I couldn't figure out how many different yarns there were or how the stitches seemed to disappear. This was my first experience with Noro yarn and felting. I inquired about the bag only to discover that it wasn't many different yarns but one; the incomparable Noro Kureyon. The pattern came out of a book called A Knitter's Stash. Two things happened that day; I became a Noro collector and I started an life long obsession which became "The Jan Bag."

I wouldn't even venture a guess how many I've made but somewhere along the line it became known as "The Jan Bag." I think my good friend Amy Palmer named it. They are great bags to carry on when flying. They hold tons and you can push them under the seat in front of you. They form to any space as long as there's nothing breakable in your bag. Friends, relatives, fund raisers, gifts; the Jan Bag is always an anticipated and welcomed surprise. I have never carried one on a flight that at least one person didn't ask about it.

I'm not sure there are many things more fun than the magic that happens when you combine wool, agitation and hot water. This giant, floppy, blob of stitches becomes this beautiful bag with colors that pop. You just knit with 2 strands of Kureyon and stripes magically appear. I gave one to my niece Erin and she decided I should start a business, a "cottage industry." She was sure I would make a fortune. My beloved Annabelle thought the same thing. She even had a price based on a bag she saw while shopping with her daughter Becky.

I don't ever want to be a "have to knitter." I only want to be "want to knitter." I want what I knit to go to people I love rather than strangers who don't really care who made their bag. I want people who get a Jan Bag to know who Jan is. My nephew Eric has twin girls Abby and Emmy. They will get their Jan Bag for Christmas.

This is my very first Jan Bag. It still looks great after many trips and knitting projects.

I am excited to introduce you to this gorgeous yarn; Freia Handpainted. This cowl was so much fun to knit. The pattern is called Undine Cowl. You knit from the inside of one ball and the outside of a second ball.

The cowl gradually changes color. I have fallen in love with this type of handpainted yarn. I will share the beautiful yarn from Twisted Fiber on another post.

I had no idea how to start a blog. I purchased Blogging For Dummies but I wasn't smart enough to understand it. It was kind of like wanting to learn to drive a car and being forced to learn the science of the internal combustion engine first. A mutual acquaintance suggested I contact Catrina Ossman for help. She was awesome. After one meeting I knew how to post and after a second I could be found at www.knittingalovestory.com. For all this help, Catrina charged me nothing. I made this cowl for her and plan to give it to her next week. Shhhhhhh! Don't tell her. I want it to be a surprise.

When I was a sophomore in college, I came home for the summer and decided I wanted to learn to knit. My grandmother had taught me when I was little, but I had forgotten all of that. I asked my Mom if she would teach me and she said, "I think you should go see Mary Helen." Mary Helen wasn't a new name to me. She was the mother of my best friend in early elementary. I spent many overnights and dinners at the Growt home. I had many fond memories of times with the Growts. Mary Helen became my Brownie and Girl Scout leader teaching me many wonderful things. While I was away at college, Mary Helen had opened a charming yarn shop called The Little Shop.

Mary Helen taught me to knit continental style (or as my knitting buddy Linda says, "left handed".) I really wanted a picture of Mary Helen to go with this post, but I settled for a picture of my hands knitting continental like Mary Helen taught me. My husband and I taking this picture was a little like the Three Stooges making bread without the hitting. I struggled that first summer to perfect this new way. I am a hard core right hander without a hint of ambidexterity. After much work, I finally got the hang of it and I am grateful every day I stuck it out. Mary Helen also taught me the importance of steaming pieces, how to invisibly weave pieces together, not to be intimidated by cables and always add new balls at the end of the row. (I must admit I don't always do this.) The Little Shop became my first stop when I came home on vacations. It was my very first LYS. I thought it was a wonderland. I could spend hours looking at patterns, picking out yarn and just talking knitting with Mary Helen. There is a reason why this blog is dedicated to Mary Helen. She started it all. She planted the seed which has become a life long love and obsession.

I would love to hear who taught you to knit.

I remember the first time I saw modular knitting. It was a Valentina Devine sweater in Interweave KNITS and I was in The Yarn Barn in Lawrence, Kansas. All I could say was "WOW!" I have been in love with modular knitting ever since. I have made sweaters, jackets, bags, scarves and shawls. Every one has been a challenge and a joy. Unlike regular knitting you never know exactly how things will look or precisely how things will fit. You have entered into a world of excitement and surprise.

The afghan pictured is a Christmas gift for my niece Erin who I adore. She loves primary colors so I searched many shades of Ultra Alpaca until I found four that blended well. This type of modular pattern is called mitered. You can find this afghan in a pattern booklet devoted to this afghan. This is not a good travel project because modual 1 connects to modual 2; modular 2 connects to modual 3 and before you know it you have a huge piece of knitted fabric to hold on your lap. The best thing about this afghan (besides that I was knitting it for Erin) is every square is different so you are never bored. Every time I finished a square, I would spread this thing of beauty on the floor and marvel at it. It just kept getting better and better.

I've attended classes labeled as "Stash Busters" which included modular knitting. I can only tell you that some of my most expensive projects have been stash busting, modular knitting. You really start out believing that you will only use yarn in your stash. Before you know it you find a perfect skein for the project then another then another. It's really not about saving money, it's about loving what you're knitting.

Oh, by the way. Erin loved her afghan.

We were doing a lot of trips last spring and I was on the look out for the perfect traveling project. "What makes a great traveling project?" you ask. It has to be something not so complicated that you have to keep referring to the pattern. It has to be somewhat small so that it doesn't take over your seat. It has to be interesting so that you find yourself working on it making the miles fly away. It has to have great yarn (of course, I think that is a must for every project). It has to be something you can knit on then talk to the driver then knit on then listen to a tune then knit on then daydream. Picking it up and putting it down not skipping a beat. You get the idea. I don't think I mentioned that I love car trips and I love to knit in the car. We weren't only doing two car trips one to Lexington, Kentucky and one to Maggie Valley, North Carolina. We were also flying to New Orleans (home of one of my favorite yarn shops but that's another post). I was going to have a lot of time to do travel knitting.

Then I found the Lizard Ridge Afgan designed by Laura Aylor made with Noro Kureyon (one of my very favorite yarns). It met all of my travel project criteria. If you haven't tried Kureyon, you should. It is a georgous wool worsted weight yarn with vibrant colors. (I also use Kureyon in a felted bag my friends loving call the Jan Bag. I will devote a future post to this, another of my favorite projects.) The Lizard Ridge is made up of squares, the perfect size for travel knitting. You can either knit from two balls or (and this is another feature that makes this perfect for traveling) knit from the inside and the outside of one ball of beautiful Kureyon. I bought one of every Kureyon color. Some squares I loved which went into the afghan, and some I didn't which I saved for something yet to be determined. When I finished the Lizard Ridge, I loved it. I gave it to my 89 year old mother for her birthday. She loves showing it to her friends.

What do you think is your favorite traveling knitting project?