Spotted Sheep Review

I'm recovering from being oncall, and it's slow going.  Something about having to be awake during the day and being unable to sleep at night in anticipation of a night filled with increasingly anxious sites.  On the worst night I've ever had, I had 6 sites down at once... so you can tell what trauma inspired my sleeplessness.

But despite all that, I did manage to sneak out and get some pictures to show and tell with.  I took both of my boys to the Spotted Sheep Yarn Shoppe, both to pick up some sweater stuff and to see the visiting alpacas.  I'll have another post about the alpacas to come, but this one is about the local yarn shop.

The Spotted Sheep is located in a cute little building that has had several purposes in the time I've lived here.

The building itself is quaint, and sort of victorian inspired meets modern amenities. 

Inside, there are (as to be expected) yarns of all colors and weights.  The walls are a spring green, which is very different from any shop I've ever been in.  However, the pictures should illustrate how surprisingly neutral the color is, and how well it showcases the neutral colors that usually blend into the background.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

These photos are all from the downstairs area, but does not include the sitting and internet area.  The downstairs portion of the shop also has a lovely connection space for internet knitting searches and visiting folks (like shorties or non-knitters who were dragged along for the fun).

The upstairs space is finished up, but still being organized.  I got to peek and am very excited.  There is a mini kitchen upstairs, and a really beautiful classroom space with long tables, sturdy chairs and a sizeable couch.  Margaret was speaking about her spinning wheel, and getting stock organized upstairs... and how much work is going on in the background to get things ready for the Grand Opening on Nov 5. 

Frankly, every time I go in there are improvements and more fun things to experience.  The yarns are beautiful.  Margaret and Bruce love alpaca as much as I do, and running through the store with your eyes closed will show you exactly how much!  The yarns are a tactile delight.

I'm really looking forward to see this shop grow and refine.  What they have already is fantastic, and I only see great things in their future!

new things to love

Okay, last night after seeing the hat and cowl I've made from the white alpaca Destiny's Farm yarn that I purchased on Oct 1 from the Spotted Sheep... shorty decreed that they are good, but "I also touched a brown one Mom."

Lucky for both of us, the new LYS is really really local!

So, to appease shorty (and lets be honest, to amuse myself) I headed down during my lunch break.  I have permission from Margaret to bring my camera next time & review the shop!  Plus an invitation for Wednesday Knit Night!

I'm excited, and am looking forward to both.  And feeling guilty that the blog is hungry.  Since the LYS is really really local, I will probably sneak down on Saturday (yep, still oncall) to take pictures both at the shop & of the Alpaca Visitors.  If you're in the area, check it out.

momentarily distracted, a Little Red review

This month, I'm spending more time oncall than usual.  Between that and some unavoidable obligations, I've not been making as nice with my blog as I'd like.  I think maybe I owe it chocolates and flowers.  Possibly a foot rub.  We'll see how the make up goes this week.

Last week, I spent a lot of time either trying to catch up on sleep or swatching.  Two equally brilliant, but mutually exclusive activities.  When I wasn't coordinated enough to swatch, I spent some time reading my copy of Little Red in the City by the insanely talented Ysolda Teague. 

She and I definitely do not share the same taste.  I believe that the projects included in the book are interesting, but I would not wear them.  HOWEVER that being said, this is the best write up of shaping and applied sewing technique to make a fitted knit that I've read yet.

I've been asked a few times offline how I managed to make my mother's sweater fit so well.  Especially considering that I knit it in secret and changed up the numbers without having her measurements.  I used a combination of comparative analysis and simple math.  Essentially, my mom is petite where I'm dead average.  I know where typical clothing is wrong for her, so I knit using my own body as a guide. 

This is a bit free-form, and I think it only works for me because I spent more than 2 decades sewing.  I tend to apply the lessons I learned while learning to sew crazy stuff that didn't have an extra boob in the middle of my back. 

Ysolda has written out instructions for grading a curve, for estimating ease in fit, for getting correct measurements....

This is all stuff that's handled by cutting away fabric when done in sewing.  In knitting, it's done through generating exactly the fabric you want, in the proportions and drape that you want it to be in. 

Little Red in the Big City is one of the best and most comprehensive studies on how to get the numbers you need to make any knitted garment flatter your specific shape.  What she has collected here is something it took years to learn, and information I'd only managed to gather together in 5 different books previously.

The instructions in this book are clear.  They are well enough explained that I would be confident in using this book to teach a beginner how to shape a garment.  And through it all, Ysolda's personality shines through.  After reading this book, I wish I could meet the woman behind it.  She seems to have a deadly sense of humor, and I think she would be the perfect knitting companion.

If you don't already have a copy of this book, invest in it.  It's that good.

inspiration struck

You have to check out what Kitten did with the pattern sent to him!  I'm inspired!  I need to try his mods, they're brilliant.

Sexy knitting, my friend.

how much trouble can I really get into?

This weekend is going to be either an event in self control .... or lack thereof.

I am going on a field trip with my children to a working Alpaca Farm.  Sadly, it's for sale.  But they have this weird string like thing that they sell there....

On the same day, there will be SOAR with vendors open to the public.

AND on Saturday... my town... gets a

YARN SHOP

Within walking distance from my house.

Yeah, I can hear my savings account weeping too.  I'd say wish me luck, but I'm not 100% certain what side of luck staying away or running to constitutes.

Thank you Kitten!

The second wonderful thing I need to say thank you for is a package I received from Kitten-With-A-Whiplash.  It was sent with things to make baby items.  Kitten discovered that I don't have a whole lot of little kid patterns, and so sent me a box of fun stuff to enable me to make baby items that have a chance of fitting an actual human baby!

Let's start here:

Can you believe how much yarn he managed to fit in that box??  It's like opening Fibber McGee's Closet!  More yarn than I though possible popped out at me, and it just kept coming and coming.  But this is only part of what Kitten managed to fit in there. 

Here's everything all together:

In an amazing display of generosity and non-euclidean geometry, Kitten-With-A-Whiplash has sent me more beautiful yarn and patterns than I could have imagined.  I am humbled and touched.  Thank you.

Let's get a closer look at the patterns.  They're really something special.

I've got the card with the Unicorns and poppies also on my cork-board so I can see it when work decides to stink.

While I've been stupidly sick and unhappy about it, I've been reading the books.  I haven't been able to knit because I've been grossly sick, so these books have been a life-line for me.  Thank you again. 

And if that wasn't generous enough, these were sent for me particularly!

Aren't they gorgeous?  I am so grateful and excited to use them!  I've been petting the pink when my fiber-withdrawal gets too tough to take. ;-)

So, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart.  These have helped me to be happy even when the cold swelled up my hands so I couldn't type or knit (although truthfully the knitting thing was more of a blow than the typing thing).  I am overwhelmed by your generosity, and I feel really blessed in the people I've met in this last year.

Thank you again!

thank you Rusty

Good grief, I had no intention of abandoning this for a week.  I swear I just set my head down for a minute and a week passed.

Today, (well last Tuesday really) I owe 2 people thanks.  I got some amazing things in the mail & am really excited to share.  This post is about a package of brightly colored cards that I received.

Look, aren't they pretty?

And these as well!

Apparently, the cold is affecting my ability to take a decent picture... but the cards are so lovely I wanted to share even if  they are a bit dark. 

I love the colors and actually have them set up on pins (as opposed to with pins through them) on my cork board so I can look at them while I work.  They are lovely, and you do fabulous work!  Thank you!!

fall in the air

I had a lot of things I wanted to write about today.  The different things that let you know it's actually fall again.  But the specific one that is on my mind right now is 'you know it's really fall when your kid brings home a super-cold and spreads it around the house.'

*sigh*

Oh!  I have a picture post I'm working on for either this afternoon or tomorrow morning depending on when my camera re-charges.  I've written all the words, but the camera took a nap after only a single picture.  Luckily, I've got a new battery charger!

Today is rainy and grey, with a moderate breeze.  It's perfect knitting weather, and I don't intend to let it go to waste.  I have a grey stripey blanket I need to finish (30 rows, and 1 million ends to weave in from done), and I need to spend some concentrated time doing suggested (and MUCH appreciated!!) edits to a couple of patterns.  Plus, I have a little boy sweater to finish sleeves on.  Bless stockinette for it's simplicity!

Hopefully by 5 today there will be a much more colorful post.

AH, yes.  If you don't read Knitty's Blog today is a good day to check them out (although really, there's no bad time).  They partnered with Quince and Co for a giveaway and a code for 10% off.  You  know I love their yarn.  It's a great value for the money, never mind that it's delicious to work with... so if you've got the opportunity definitely treat yourself to a perusal of Knitty Blog and the 10% off code for Quince.  Your needles will thank you!

SWEEEET

Also, whomever the brave soul is who got to my little space on the web by google-ing "knitting hockey sticks"?

 Let me know if you do it, because that is a Challenge!

Braaaaaaiiiiiins

Without getting into how I know, let me assure you that being oncall for an extended period of time drains braincells.  In fact, after being oncall for a long time you may well find yourself brushing your teeth with hand soap because you are no longer awake enough to distinguish it from toothpaste.

Yeah.

Here's where Tuesday's sneaky peaks stand right now:

I suspect it needs a ghost writer... or a writer with a brain... but we'll see how it proofs out, shall we?

Yay, go knitters! ZZZZZzzzzzzzz.....