Friday Winners, and a Thank You

You guys are really too much.  I can't thank you enough for participating in these little give-aways.  I've had so much fun, and from what you've said you are too.  I'm grateful and happy that you all have enjoyed this as much as me.

This is the final prize I have to give out from this series, and I used child labor to pull names once again (don't worry, the child is rewarded with toast with honey on top so he feels it's fair).  I have to admit that this time only one of the winners expressed an interest in a particular object, so I also popped the yarns into a bag and let him pull them out to match them with the winners. 

So, for the Alice with Flamingo bag and the silk dk we have Penny who said:
WOW!! Look at these yummy giveaways!! Lovely. The yarns all look so breathtaking. I love all three project bags as well! :)

For the daylily bag and the prism blues we have Mujercita who said:
That blue laceweight and Daylily bag is beautiful. It's so nice of you to be doing giveaways like this!

And last but not least we have Girlieknitwit who said:
These giveaways have been the highlight of my summer (so far) These new prizes are just too awesome. Those project bags are phenomenal. You do beautiful work. Thanks to much for your generosity and the fun of this!!

I wish I had enough to give to everyone who entered, you've all been just wonderful through the whole thing and I love sharing :)

This brings our give-aways for the Fiber Fair to a close for 2011.  I hope all of you had as much fun as I did and that everyone gets a chance to go to one of these sometime soon.

I hope everyone will check back around August 17, as I'm working on a project giveaway for the 1 year anniversary of this blog and all the craziness and joy around it.  Just between you & me, I'm putting together a large project, a medium project, a small project, and a single-skein weekend project.

There will be some changes with the blog, and I've got a stack of FO to 1 block and 2 post about in the next few days of the 3 day weekend.  I realized I must block when I saw this waiting for me:

Erm, that color combination can't be allowed to continue, so the blocking must be accomplished.  Thanks again everyone, and congratulations to the winners.  You've really made this fun, and I hope to do it again next year after the 2012 fiber festival!

portable camera be darned, fiber festival goodies part 1

 ETA: this giveaway is now closed, congrats to Michaela and GailGodwin!
Check our next giveaway now live at this link.

Ok, I wasn't able to find the specialized cable for my point & click camera.  I realize that this doesn't bode well for what I'll be cleaning (and how many bad words I'll be taking out and examining) this weekend, but I'll keep looking.... and if I can't find that I'll order a new one.  Take that, technology!

I got a question about the hoodie, which will make an appearance or 4 in the festival post once I manage to get the photos off the point-n-click.  The yarn is Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Superwash, and I picked it up at Webs.  Color 32.  The boarder is in Plymouth Encore color 0240.  The Oatmeal contrast band is just a small band of 2 rows of garter stitching, and then 2 rows of k1, s1 with color held to RS of work, then 2 rows garter stitch.  I'm glad you like it!

I was pretty excited to see the comments on Mom's sweater!  I spent nights up knitting it, and ended up knitting it in 5.5 days over coffee and tears because our ancient cat chewed on the original yarn I'd started knitting it in the first time.  He loves alpaca, and he's ~14ish, so I have to hide my alpaca yarn if I don't want it to be suckled into non-existence.  I foolishly didn't, and ended up buying the Vintage on May 7th for a sweater I had planned to finish for May 5th.

This was Mom's anniversary present, Dad's was supposed to be a gift certificate for Audible but Audible closed down their gift center.  But that's a tale for another blog post.

Anyway, folks are really here for yarn!

So let me introduce you to today's Friday Yarny Goodness:

Yum!

Okay, so as the tag shows, today's yarn feast was purchased at the End of the World Farm booth.  There were a few vendors at this year's Fiber Festival that I was hoping to see.  This wasn't one that I had planned on, but their display was so visually stunning that I ended up running back and buying the above.

This yarn is 100% Tencel.  It drapes and knits like a tightly spun silk, but it is machine wash and dryable.  It's also nigh-unto-impossible to snap.  I don't recommend trying it, it will leave serious dents in your fingers.  On the other hand, the lovely folks at the booth said that tencel yarn wears like steel.  It's tough as nails.  And soft and cuddly, and LOOK at those colors!!

So, although I hadn't planned on them being a highlight of my trip... well, they were.  And a wonderful one to boot.

This is a heavy-lace weight yarn in my book.  And it ladders just like silk if you drop a stitch.  But the drape!  The coolness... it will make perfect warm weather things.

So without further ado, the first of the free yarn!  The lovely gold and orange yarn are in need of owners, and I know there are people who are in need of some really awesome yarn.  I am ashamed to admit, I've already knit up the red... one skein makes a perfect Joie shawl... and I've been arguing with myself about giving away those gorgeous sunny colors.  But I'm going to do it!  Captain Alpaca says it must be done:

If I fight with Captain Alpaca, he might wake me up again in the morning.  And as lovely as he is, he's a bit unnerving full in the face at 5 AM.

So, to enter just leave a comment about what you'd like to try in Tencel and a method to reach you.  One winner for yellow and one for orange will be announced next Friday, and when they're announced the next batch of festival goodies will go up.

When time files...

Sheesh, I got snowed under again!

This is the knitting that's been going on in the meantime:

A hoodie, size 6 needs blocking and buttons sewn on

Pieces of Gudrid, actual color is scarlet.  I'd ask why I can't capture reds... but I think I should just accept it.

Let's get a closer look at that:

detail of unblocked cable, photo still 100% color inaccurate

And then there's this:

spring shawl version in pale green cashmere

 A little of this:

light fortifications:  1 oz peach schnapps, 6 oz gingerale, frozen blueberries

 So I wouldn't be afraid to do this:

Actually, not too bad a representation of the color.

This will be a sweater for meeeeee.  It was a ton of fun, and I have more dye-days planned.  Speaking of dyers check out Tanis!  She's having a giveaway, and the prize is pretty awesome.  Even if you don't see yourself wearing a Wispy cardigan in silk, I'm sure you  know someone who would and would love it.  Just sharing the love!

Next week should be more calm.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself....

when it goes awry

So, this weekend I made the kind of cabling mistake made better than famous by a Vogue Knitting magazine in the past.  Personally, I treasure that VK.  It lets us know that everyone makes mistakes.  Even the most awesome of designers, and most awesome of knitters can make random cable mix-ups.

I didn't have the heart to photograph the mistake.  It  might not have been that obvious to the person I was making the item for... but it would have been obvious to me and I love them too much to give them something I would cringe to see them wear.

So, instead I started this little project:

Yes.  6 inches of thick cable painstakingly ripped back to the error.

There are lots of blog posts out there on how to fix this kind of error.  Eloquent ones, with awesome shots (that aren't using Quince & CO's peacoat color to illustrate) so I didn't spend the time to record the process.

But here is how the fix ended up:

Very lightened, obviously.

You can see the little tension differences, but those will block out when it gets it's wet-blocking.

I understand that some of my favorite bloggers are also having difficult times.  In their honor, I am sharing my favorite cookie recipe.

Grammie Rowe's Refrigerator Cookies
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt

-----------
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (or butter)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla

Sift first 5 dry ingredients together.  In separate bowl, cream shortening and sugars until fluffy.  To the sugar/shortening mix, add eggs and vanilla.  Beat well.  When well mixed, add dry ingredients and mix.

This makes a stiff dough.  In a length of waxed paper, make a low and long "loaf" of the dough (roughly 1/2-3/4 inch deep by 2 inches wide by cookie sheet long).  Refrigerate the dough a minimum of 2 hours. 

Slice dough and bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for ~ 8 minutes.

Enjoy!!

What do you do when today feels like this:

he has a head, it's just hiding in the beast's room somewhere waiting to be attached

Personally, I like to do a little bit of this:

rough sizing a hacked together pattern on my dressform

Then I spend some time admiring this:

oooo, such a pretty color

And then, do a little of this:

soon, my pretty.... soon.

Ah well, who knows what yarn-ish-ness tomorrow may bring?

Oh Noes!

So, guess who forgot that she'd be a single parent this week?

Yeah, I'm that kind of smart spelled I-D-I-O-T.

This week, my husband is in training.  Man night is not called off, and apparently they have social meet and greets after class.  In the next state over.  If I see my husband before he leaves for work it's a victory.  But if shorty stays up long enough to see him at night it's a total complete loss.  Think soul-crushing exhaustion and then add in pre-schooler reaction.... you have a little atomic bomb of misery just waiting to go off the first time little man is thwarted.

Woo-hoo?

So, in the afternoons/evenings instead of quality knitting time I get greeted with something like this:

I swear I did vacuum recently... just not today.

I'm sure you can guess who won this round....

Not bad for 4.

The rest of the week has involved knitting MORE sheep.  My husband apparently volunteered me to make little presents for friends he plans on visiting next week.  When I see him again, he will get his gifts and a few words about my time.  Loving words, but words nonetheless.

In recompense, I'm finally starting to knit this beauty.  Can't wait.....

I dyed this!

New pattern, new(ly dyed) yarn, and next week I will have a little time to myself.  Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head.

It's been a while...

So, things have been busy at 200 Shawl Central.  I've been knitting, but it's been mainly knitting infidelity.  I should be ashamed.  I really should.

Some of this is for the show that was put off at the coffee shop.  They are waiting for Old Home day since their original weekend clashed with something else that was happening in the area.  Since I've hit 18 shawlettes, 8 felted bags, and 16 market bags I'm going to walk away from the show knitting for a while.  It sounds like a lot, but I'm sure they'd like more.  I just really want to focus back on the 200.  I'm up to 20 shawls out of 200, and I need to finish blocking and take pictures of the latest and then post them.  It takes me about an hour to take the pictures, about an hour to edit them (meaning cut them down to size) and at least an hour to blog about them.  So it may be next week before I get to them :(

Here's a quick photo chain of what I've been up to shawlette and shawl-wise.

First, these:

finally blocked out

there are 2 of these, one for the blog one for the shop

silk singlespun

These are some of the blocked 'ettes that are waiting for hang-tags.

Then this:

Was knit into this:

Which needs to be blocked.  But I thought it might be nice to show what it looks like pre-blocking.

These are also entering the blocking line up

While working on writing out the pattern for Autumn Glow, I realized that I hadn't explored fully what I wanted to do with it.  So this is a test-knit blocking out

Then I started on these:

Originally, there were 4 of these... guess who absconded with one?

I started a White Rabbit (have some great chessboard fabric that will become a waistcoat, and a pocket-watch button to go with it) as a gift.  Here, I'm deciding how to put the ears on.... looks a little intimidating

look out, he's got dpn's hiding in his ears

Then, there were these:

number 2 and number 3

The original test knit was done in an alpaca boucle that I had left-over from something else... but as with much I knit someone absconded with it.

I found the shaping of the head a little off in this test knit & have since modified it.

But, really... could you resist letting him have it?

Yeah, me either.

Anyway, computer troubles have been solved and work is about to become less frenetic.  I'm dedicating one day a week to the stuffies for the next ~ 3 months.  I'm hoping to get into a more regular blogging rhythm now that life is no longer creating fireworks.

Thanks to everyone who waited me out, and all those who make it to the bottom of this long post!

where did the time go?

Today's entry is brought to you by the letter V (as in Vacation and Vomit) and the number 3 (as in the average number of showers per day I've needed since Friday)....

Well, this week is school vacation week.  I took it off to spend some time with the kids.  In some ways I'm very glad I did, as trying to work while a 40 lb moaning creature lays on your lap can be somewhat detrimental to actually getting things done.  In other ways, I look at the knitting I refuse to touch while I am continually bathed in effluvia and sigh.  But, I did do my taxes, so that's something off my mind.

I've been busy.  Very busy.  It might be easiest to do this bit as a photo series.  These are photos of things I've been working on for the show in March at the local coffee shop.  I'm going to give some detail shots, but not too many of the full shawlettes.  I'm hoping they'll be a pleasant surprise for folks in the area who can check them out.  And anything that doesn't find a home from the shop will make it to my artfire store, so it's always possible you'll see them later on that page.

Let's start with this:

malabrigo silky wool in indicita.  Needs ends woven in

Something simple I could knit while being driven places on a weekend.  Which brings us to this:

same yarn, same colorway, testing a concept

Unfortunately, this segues me into these, which I'm debating for the full concept knit:

for the record, going with the bottom for the full size shawl

Yarn makes me think about other yarn.  This was the second package of my last yarn fling.  It had the very pale yellows and the green in the middle above.

I really do like their stuff

Those yellows make me think of a concept that I did out twice.  Once for the show:

detail showing the new increase.  I like this method better.  There aren't missing threads, there are dark beads between leaves.

That one is the shawlette version that uses some really dark red beads.  Then, there's the version that my husband inspired:

to show the natural colored yarn and the pink beads

None of this stuff is blocked, so it does look like limp noodles.  Plus, the two above are in cotton.  The second one with the pink beads is a full sized shawl, but I'm having trouble deciding whether it needs to stay with me as an example of the pattern.  Yep, example of the pattern.... that's my story.  I do not intend to pet it and drool (although we all know that's exactly what will happen).

This leads us to this one.  Same pattern, in a familiar yarn:

man, this is hard to photograph.  It is NOT neon in real life.

Again, showing the increase.  You get a full leaf at the top of each, which almost looks like a flower bud.  I like this effect much better, and have changed the pattern to reflect it.  This may look very familiar.  It is the same yarn I did the original Joie shawl in.  I had just enough left to squeak out a shawlette, so that's what I did.

Then, I think pink.

strawberry smoothie

linen yarn.  Yes, I made a linen shawl.  In worsted weight no less.

And finally, there are these:

don't look like much at the moment

That beauty above is a market bag.  It's made from cotton (also in worsted weight), and I can wash the silly things if the little man has a bad tummy  moment near them.  I love these bags.  I have a bunch, and there are 2 ways to knit them that create 2 very different types of mesh just using a yo, k2tog as the "lace" pattern.  I started with these because I found that the grocery bags you can buy are not typically washable... making them really heinous germ magnets.  I actually have 4 different sizes and styles that I make, and figured that since I can't work on 'ettes at the moment, maybe I'd see if the local coffee place would want these as well. 

Anyhoo, I am hoping small tummies are quiet tomorrow so I can 1 knit, 2 blog, 3 work on hang-tags.  All the fun things in life and cleaning the kitchen too!

he's convinced it's his

So, I'm in the middle of the conga line of death (otherwise known as blocking my brains... what brains there still are... out).

Being as cold as we have been this year, I've been poking my way through a very simple wool blanket.  I think it's Knitter's Knee-jerk Reaction to Being @#$%@# Cold.  Given how much strength I've lost, I'm managing roughly 1/2 of a "stripe" per day.  After that, the hands want to fall off.  I'm using bags o inexpensive wool that I got a year ago for $15 per bag.  It's pretty stuff, and this is what it's looking like at the moment:

nothing fancy here, but very very warm

Of course, little man has decided it's his.  In fact, he has been running around in lots of wool today. 

time to replace that sweater!

That sweater is one I knit for him last year as a stop-gap.  It is not superwash, and it has been treated to every evil behavior the little man can think of.  The sleeves have been through various forms of velcro hell, the buttons are getting loose... and he's almost outgrown it.  I'm going to need to knit him something a little more durable.  Although considering what he does with his knits, this hasn't held up terribly.  He loves them.  To death.  There are worse ways to die.

After I finish the conga line, we'll go back to lace.  But this is what's been on my mind.  That, and editing patterns.  Getting a well written pattern that is readable is harder than it sounds.  I think I owe my tech editor lunch.  Or more likely, more knits.  hehe

and so it goes

More snow here.  I'm hoping to get out of the house when it stops to take some pictures, as the pictures I took this morning are blurry and unidentifiable due to the speed of the falling snow.  It's gorgeous, and I wish I could sit in an insulated bubble and just listen to the wsh-whs-whs of the snow accumulating.

There are almost no cars on the road (for obvious reasons) and my yard is the kind of still quiet that can only happen in mid-winter when you live on a main street.  It's easy to forget this kind of quiet still exists when you're in the middle of so many people's commute every day.

On the needles now is a Shedir in silk.  I wish it wasn't, but am glad to be able to do something at all.

More this afternoon during lunch break, and pictures to come.

long time no post

So, I got my cast off on Thursday and discovered that getting the arm freed was more unsettling than being in a cast.  I lost 2 days of work more or less (I did show up to do some necessary things, but had no stamina at all) and have been laying down contemplating that old chestnut "be careful what you wish for." 

When you get a cast removed, the underlying muscles and tendons that usually do a bunch of work holding your limb up and making it go have generally shriveled into unhappy immobility.  Plus, the skin underneath is used to being protected so there's a huge amount of sensitivity.  It translates into I lost 2 days of work because I couldn't move the arm without curling up and whimpering.

Lots of warm water/compresses/gentle stretching exercises later, I'm starting to feel a little more human.  Thank goodness.

Meanwhile, not a lot has been happening on the knitting front.  I'd feel bad, but the first 2 days not a lot happened on the being able to get dressed front...  it's good to remember.

Since the current knitting looks like this:

vine and ivy pattern test-knit in dye for yarn's tussah laceweight

and my Mom and Dad went through all the gyrations of setting up some of these beauties so I could store the stash without weeping, cursing, or forgetting what I've got, I thought I'd show you how stash organization is coming.

For now, the newly christened wall o yarn is sitting in front of the (functionally useless) hearth in my 'yellow room.'  Once I get a bit more mobility and a bit more wherewithal, the stash will be moved to the newly enclosed porch where it will trouble no-one, and I can sneak out and bask in it when things are frustrating.

Here's the left side:

currently, our not-yet-unpacked cds are in the bottom providing ballast

So here, we have mainly lace weight/fingering weight yarns.  The basket at the top has enough worsted weight yarn (cotton fleece) for 2 sweaters and (bartlett wool) one vest.  Top shelf are my mohair yarns and some jojoland lace weight in a clear glass bottle.  Next shelf down gets looted a lot.  It's my natural colored yarns, used to test patterns.  Plus a sweater-worth of yarn I plan on making myself a festival sweater out of... by May... hahahahaha.  Yeah, sometimes the delusions are too fast and fancy for even me.  Next shelf is cobweb weight yarn on cones, and a buncha fingering weight.  Current bottom shelf has a bag of still unsorted yarn and a basket for 'land of lost socks.'  Those are sock weight yarns that I had originally thought of making into shawls, but am likely going to make socks out of instead.  90% of this wall came from the Woolery, now that I look at it. 

That being explained, here is the right wall o wool.

mmm yarn

So, here we see a  testament to the fact that I apparently want sweaters in no small way.  Top shelf, 3 sweaters worth of yarn.  Middle shelf 5 sweaters worth of yarn.  Next shelf, random fingering weights.  Last shelf, one bag with single skein of sock yarn and an unsorted bag of yarn.

Three years of hoarding, but I could knit all of this within 18 months if yarn stores suddenly went away.

This is where I'm keeping the expensive stuff:

silk, silk, silkedy-silk

The majority of what is in this shorty glass-front bookcase (total cost 78 USD @ IKEA) is silk, silk blend, or one of a kind dyes from fiber artists.  That bottom shelf is ... another sweater's worth of lace-weight yarn.  Ahem.

superwash fingering weight

This matching bookcase has my alpaca teddy bear and about 7 shawls worth of fingering-weight madelinetosh yarn.  The bottom shelf is natural malabrigo yarn that I got for 2 USD per skein. 

Looking at all this stash, I probably should feel guilty instead of gleeful.  But, I don't smoke, drink, invest heavily in makeup or clothes (unless I'm knittin' 'em), or travel much.  Yarn is my extravagance, my therapist, a friend who doesn't mind if I come downstairs and pet it at 3 in the morning, and a way for me to tell the people around me that I love them even though I'm a complete social klutz.  (Not many people can get their foot as far down their throat in a lifetime as I can in 10 unguarded minutes.)

Also, I'm putting this up for posterity.  The counters aren't as uncluttered as they were last night (still have coffee making things on them), but they're cleaner than they have been since I broke my radius and ulna at the wrist.

lest I forget it can be done

And I organized the spices that my husband must have by the stove at all times because I got tired of being dive-bombed.  Getting whacked on the head by coriander does not count as an "exotic culinary experience."

the rolling island, and my antique 1852 keys,

Anyway, the shorty is asking me to play with him so I'm going to stop here.  Thanks to everyone who makes it to the bottom of this long-winded post.

picture less post

I have made some small progress on the new shawl design in purple.  I have the second section of leaves knit, and must now think to a center and border.  I'm doing this modular style as my cast gets exchanged in 2 days, and while I'm thrilled about the change, it also means that my tension will change as well.  Modular knitting lets me continue to make progress without putting pressure on me to get the whole thing done in the next 2 days.  That way lies madness.

I'm also picking my way through a couple of shawlettes for the spring show in March.  I don't know any more details around it, but if it materializes I'll be ready.  If it does not, then I can put up the 'ettes' as well.  Either way, it's a good thing to do and it keeps me from going stir crazy in the meantime.

I also am entering the final planning stages for the next serious scarf.  This one will be as wide, but less long per my Dad's request.  I've got the yarn and needles at the ready, and am chomping at the bit to make it happen.

What's on your needles/to-do list?

2 week countdown

 Let me lead off by saying that I look a lot younger than I am.  The bone doctor was a little concerned about the speed that my arm is healing last week.  He said it wasn't as rapid as he thought it should be, and that I am in this cast for another 2 weeks before he'll replace it with one that will allow me to shower without acrobatics. 

Part of my youthful appearance is the fact that my naturally round face has very few wrinkles thanks to the extra weight I carry.  Part of it is in my genetics;  all the women from my Mom's side of the family look 10-15 years younger than they are.  Part of it is that I dye my hair.  No shame there, it's my nod to vanity. 

When appraised of exactly what portion of my 30s I'm in, and how many children I've had suddenly my arm is healing at a reasonable rate. I wonder if I explain that I'm going through early menopause and that my nerves (which were severed 3 years ago now) have come back alive, if he'd realize exactly how amazing the recovery is.

So, two more weeks in the cast.  I can live with it.  Since the cast completely changes my knitting tension, anything I start now must be able to be finished within 2 weeks.  HAHAHA.  Yeah, right?  I did finish the silk shawl I posted about earlier.  It now looks something like this:

working on the increases in the leaves to make them more graceful in the pattern

Noodles.  But it will block out beautifully.  I have faith.

I've also been working on these:

bulky!

These are to be felted.  They are a fast project which I can finish quickly.  The local coffee shop is planning on a spring craft show of some kind in the not too distant future.  These will look like pretty water colors once finished, and I hope they're something I can put in.

I have 3 spring patterns in the works:  2 stoles and another triangle.  I know, I just like working triangles.  They're flattering to wear, and I find being able to see visible progress very satisfying when knitting.  I'm tentatively planning them in these yarns:

silk, kid mohair and silk, cotton and silk...  hmmm tend?

We'll see.  The red one is from the Dye For Yarn shop.  I look forward to doing a review of their yarn, their sister shop and its yarn, and my experience with them.  It's always good to find someone who makes a quality product with good service, so I will be happy to review them once I have a sample in their yarn to share.

Finally, I leave you with one of my favorite projects being appreciated by one of my other favorite projects.

shorty cowl, in kids size, fresh from the outdoors