All Snowed in!

Well, not exactly now, since the snow-plough has gone through! Yesterday we were snowed in. Luckily I have my knitting and we had rented a couple of movies too!

Today we got back out and I took some photos! This is totally my Norman Rockwell photo! I really love the train running through the middle there.

While stuck inside I finished off a scarf for Blair. It is a total geek scarf! I translated "Google" into binary and then knit with their colors! I knit black for the 0s and the right color for the 1s. I am hoping that it will get him some uber geek points at work! I knit it out of Cascade 220 and pretty much cast on 25 sts and knit every row!

Also, since my hands have been so cold during this weather I finished off a mitt. I almost have the 2nd one done too. I just have the ribbing at the top and the thumb and I will be all done! Just in time to keep my hands toasty warm! It is knit out of Di.ve' Teseo in Color #25709 Mountain Purple and the pattern is by my friend Destiny and is available down at Knot Another Hat. I'm not sure if she will have it for sale, but I do know that the pattern is there.

Finally, as proof of all the snow we got here is the tape measure! I'm pretty sure that the snow is much softer and compacted overnight! Just in case you can't read it, that's 12". I'm pretty sure it was 16" yesterday. Which we managed all that snow in one day! This even impressed a friend of mine that moved out here from Chicago!

Anyway, I am staying home and staying warm. I think I'll be dyeing yarn, spinning, knitting, and watching the pretty snow outside.

Sweet Pea

Just thought I would put up a small note that I recently finished this yarn:


It is 4 oz and 215 yards. It is a DK/Sport weight. It is handpainted by me and handspun by me out of 100% superwash merino yarn. It is simply gorgeous! I named it Sweet Pea, so hopefully it will bring some Spring weather this way!

It is for sale at Knot Another Hat for $26! If you would like it, you can send an email to their customer service address: customerservice@knotanotherhat.com. Sarah used to put the skeins up on the website, but since each one is unique and they sell so quickly it was hard to keep track of them all. I'll try posting them here as I get them done! Back to my wheel and surviving this winter snow storm!

Playing Catch up

For those of you who haven't been watching my Ravelry progress, here are my first finished projects of 2008:Technically I finished these 2 at the end of December. So they are the last of my 2007 projects! They are knit out of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Color #605 Periwinkle. The pattern is a free one from Hello Yarns! I did modify them a little bit. I followed the directions for the smallest ears, because I felt that the bigger size was too big.


Ok, so my actual first project of the new year was this bitty hat. It actually goes with the other two, but knit as I might I couldn't get it done before New Year's day. The really awesome part is that I managed to knit both Child size hats and the infant size hat out of 2 balls of the baby cashmerino!


My latest project off the needles is a pair of cabled mittens for my husband. This winter has been fairly cold, so I thought that I would finish these mittens. I actually started them last January as a sample for my mittens class. My hubby loves them and has been wearing them to work in the mornings! It is knit out of Nashua Superwash in Color #34 Olive from my own pattern.

Next I'll actually have a post of some things in progress!

Projects of 2007

Since I spent the first part of the year doing the contest, which was awesome, I need to play a bit of catch up. I'm going to start with my list of projects from last year, so I can clear up the sidebar a bit:

Totoro Hats (2)
Baby Surprise Jacket
Girl Socks
C's Sweater
Boy Hats (2)
Bob Clogs
Felt Wooden Bowl
Felt Bowls
Princess Bag
Felt Pears
Wine Bottle Bag
Aran Afghan(2/20)
DB Hoody Sweater
Rosepath Scarf #2
Rosepath Scarf
Linda Clogs
Monsieur Cat
Emli Bonnet
Moebius Bag
Sockaplooza 4 Socks
Baby Booties
Forest Canopy Shawl
CK's Rabbit
Totoro Hat
Fixation Socks
Afghan Square #1
Perlemor Cardigan
Croisette Top
Shokay Bag
Blair Socks
Baby Booties
Ribbon Swimsuit Bag
Ribbon Headband
Open Ribbon Scarf
Ear Flap Hat
Entrelac Scarf
Dad's Ski Mask
Choc-Rasp Felt Bag

So, that is 1 Child's sweater, 8 hats, 6 bags, 2 afghan squares, 4 scarves, 1 shawl, 1 women's top, 7 sets of footwear, and 8 misc projects. That's a grand total of 40 projects over the last year! I'm really looking forward to what 2008 will hold for me!

New Yarn!

So, what have I decided to keep? Quite a bit of all the yarns actually. Though I may have a couple on a probation period just to make sure. I thought I would start with a little bit about my process before I tell you which ones I am keeping. I came up with the idea that I would assign points to each yarn depending on what you guys had to say. I started with 1 point for every comment left, because the greater the number of comments the more people had taken notice of the yarn. As in any publicity is good publicity! Then I carefully went through all of the comments and rated them with a -1 for bad, 0 for neutral, and a +1 for good. I also gave a +2 to any skein that sold or got a custom order.Thus giving them a score. I also went and gave each skein a percentage based on their score over the total number of comments. So, in no particular order these are the yarns that I am keeping:

• Silk Sport
• Wool Lace
• Silky Sock
• Silk Lace - Which I am going to sell in the smaller skeins, because it comes in smaller cones, BUT I will do custom orders for custom sized skeins, up to 4350 yards, which should be more than enough for any project!
  
• Worsted Merino Silk - Which I am renaming to Silky Worsted
• Worsted Wool

The yarn that I am going to keep on a probationary period is the Wool/Silk Single (which I am renaming to silky single). I probably would have cut this yarn, but I received a custom order for it in some other colors, so I am going to try it out for a while longer. If you don't see what you are looking for in my shop, I have now added the new yarns to my custom order form (it is still a work in progress).

Now for the yarns that I am not keeping. Though don't worry if one of your favorites managed to get cut, you can still request it and I can order it in. No additional charge, just the wait time will be more like 3-4 weeks instead of 2-3. The yarns that I cut are:

• Alpaca Boucle
• Silk Boucle
• Wool Single

You guys had some definite distaste for boucle yarn. Something that I will definitely keep in mind. The two boucle yarns were the only yarns that actually received negative scores! Like I said before, I learned a lot from this experiment. I think I will have a few more tricks up my sleeve in the coming months!

ETA: Yes, custom orders are included with the discount!

New Yarn Wrap Up

You know one of the things that I have enjoyed most about holding this contest is all of the interesting people that comment. I make sure to check out every blog that is listed, because it is so interesting. Some of my favorites include a knitter that is a truck driver and blogs from all over the US, a knitter/spinner in China, a knitter from The Netherlands, a Finnish ex-pat living in Mexico City, and a Norwegian Knitter, There were many many more awesome blogs, so if you want to read them check back through the comments!

Ok, ok, I am sure that you guys are mainly here to find out who won that lovely skein of yarn. Well, because there were simply so many people who commented I decided to do 2 skeins. The winners are Blogless in NJ and Teri (who is also blogless). I use a random generator to pick winners, which is the same one that Wendyknits uses. To claim your prize simply purchase which skein you would like from my shop and I will send it to you or bill you for any additional skeins. Congratulations!!!

And because there were simply so many comments on all of my posts, I decided to award every person that posted on all 10 of my posts a 15% discount on any yarn they buy from my shop to the end of January and they are: Amy (kewpie doll), Amylou61, Aruni, Beth, Blogless in NJ, Colibridreams, dodo, Elaine, ikkinlala, Jessie, Missy, Monica, Purple-Power, Rachel O, Ruby Banshee, Sharon Rose, Squiggi, Teabird, Teri, and Turtle. When you check out simply leave your commenter name in the comments and I will send you an invoice with the new total!

Some interesting things from running this contest: there were 323 comments made over all 10 posts. You guys are really opinionated about yarn, which is awesome, because it helped me make some good decisions and has also helped me out with some ideas I have been working on. Thank you all so much! I will announce next week which yarns I am going to keep, so stay tuned!

Reminder...

Don't forget that today is your last day to post comments before I reveal the winner! There may even be a little something extra for th0se people that posted on all 10 posts!

All of the posts are here: Wool Lace, Silk Sport, Wool/Silk Single, Silk Boucle, Silky Sock, Wool Single, Alpaca Boucle, Worsted Wool, Worsted Wool/Silk, and Silk Lace.

Coming soon: What is on the needles!

New Yarn! Silk Lace

Here is the tenth and last yarn that I would like to introduce you to:

It is 100% silk laceweight yarn. It is the ultimate in luxury yarn. It is incredibly soft and sensuous. Every skein that I dyed I wanted to keep and pet. Luckily there was enough left over that I have my very own ball with enough for a laceweight scarf. It comes in 4 oz and has 1180 yards and would be suitable for a needle size of 1US or smaller. Though if I keep this yarn I will probably make smaller skeins of 100 grams and 885 yards because it comes in 400 gram cones instead of 1lb cones like the other yarns.

I chose this particular yarn because I wanted a luxury laceweight yarn. I love the alpaca laceweight that I already carry and thought that silk laceweight might be a nice higher end yarn for that exquisite one-of-a-kind lace project.


It would be ideal for scarves, shawls, or anything else that calls for laceweight yarn.

I listed up 3 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 3 that are listed are Columbia River, Smokey Rose, and Purple Midnight. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace, Silk Sport, Wool/Silk Single, Silk Boucle, Silky Sock, Wool Single, Alpaca Boucle, Worsted Wool, and Worsted Wool/Silk.

New Yarn! Worsted Wool/Silk

Here is the ninth yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 50% merino wool and 50% tussah silk. It is a luxury worsted weight yarn. It is similar to the worsted wool, but has that 1/2 silk that makes it extra nice to work with. It comes in 4 oz and has 250 yards and would be suitable for a needle size of 7-9US.


I chose this particular yarn because I have worked with a similar yarn called Venezia Worsted by Cascade. It is what I made the wine bottle bag out of, which was an incredible yarn. I wasn't able to make a sample out of this one, because I didn't have time. Though I am pretty sure that it would felt similar to the Wool/Silk Single.


It would be ideal for hats, scarves, mittens, or any other project that calls for a worsted weight yarn.

I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Mountain Sunset, Sea Turtle, Cabernet, and Dragon Fire. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace, Silk Sport, Wool/Silk Single, Silk Boucle, Silky Sock, Wool Single, Alpaca Boucle, and Worsted Wool.

New Yarn! Worsted Wool

Here is the eighth yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 100% wool yarn. I first chose this yarn because the supplier calls it Hood River and I just had to try it out. The yarn that I received reminded me of Cascade 220, with one major difference, it felts! Most overdyed Cascade 220 doesn't felt, or minimally does, because they bleach their lighter color yarns, which makes it unfeltable. This yarn felts just as well as Cascade 220! Which makes me very happy. I keep thinking it would be awesome for the top of a pair of felted clogs with a solid color accent. It has 220 yards of wool yarn and would be suitable for a needle size of 7-9 US.


I knit my sample on size 11s and then washed it with one cycle through my washing machine. Its before measurements were 5 1/4" x 4 1/4" and its post-felting measurements are 6" x 2 1/2".

It would be ideal for hats, scarves, sweaters, felted bags, felted slippers or any other project that calls for worsted weight yarn.

I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Lemon-Lime, Provence, Blue Raspberry, and Childs Play. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace, Silk Sport, Wool/Silk Single, Silk Boucle, Silky Sock, Wool Single and Alpaca Boucle.

New Yarn! Chunky Alpaca Boucle

Here is the seventh yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 65% superfine alpaca 32%wool 3% nylon chunky boucle yarn. I have never seen another yarn like this one. It is a super soft bulky weight. It softens up even more when it is washed. I ran it through 1 wash cycle and the yarn really bloomed. I think it would take 2 or more to fully felt. It has 60 yards of chunky yarn and would be suitable for a needle size of 9-11 US.


I chose this particular yarn because I really liked how different it looked and how soft and squishy it was from the beginning. I knit my sample on size 11s and then washed it with one cycle through my washing machine. Its before measurements were 5" x 4" and its post-felting measurements are 5 1/4" x 4".


It would be ideal for hats, scarves, sweaters, or any other project that calls for bulky weight yarn. I can totally picture using it for a child's sweater or jacket. Maybe even a squishy warm sweater for myself... now there is a happy thought.


I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Wild Violets, Raspberry Lemonade, Provence, and Mountain Sunset. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace, Silk Sport, Wool/Silk Single, Silk Boucle, Silky Sock, and Wool Single.

New Yarn! Wool Single

Here is the sixth yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 100% fine wool single. It feels similar to Lambs Pride worsted, just without the mohair. Though when it is felted it becomes incredibly soft and squishy! It has 240 yards of wooly yarn and would be suitable for a needle size of 7-9 US.


I chose this particular yarn because I wanted a staple yarn that would be ideal for a lot of different worsted weight projects. I knit my sample on size 11s and then washed it with one cycle through my washing machine. Its before measurements were 5 3/4" x 5" and its post-felting measurements are 5 3/4" x 3".


It would be ideal for hats, mittens, scarves, felted bags, felted bowls, or any other project that calls for worsted weight yarn.

I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Dragon Fire, Berry Pie, Sweet Pea, and Raspberry Espresso. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace, Silk Sport, Wool/Silk Single, Silk Boucle, and Silky Sock.

New Yarn! Silky Sock

Here is the fifth yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 50% Merino Wool and 50% silk. It is incredibly silk soft. I just love merino yarn and mixed with silk it is absolutely heavenly. It has 480 yards of incredible sock yarn and would be suitable for a needle size of 1-3 US.


I chose this particular yarn because I wanted a total luxury sock yarn. This yarn is definitely that. The merino wool is incredibly soft and mixed with the silk makes this yarn pure heaven. I couldn't believe it, but machine washing this yarn actually makes it softer. It felts a little bit with washing or, more to the point, the merino blooms making an extra extra soft sample. My suggestion would be to knit socks a little bigger than normal and then wash them to get the perfect size. This yarn will definitely keep your feet toasty warm. I knit my sample on size 2s and then washed it with one cycle through my washing machine. Its before measurements were 2 1/2" x 2" and its post-felting measurements are 2 1/4" x 1 3/4".

It would be ideal for socks, lace shawls & scarves, & baby things.

I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Bad Girl, Day at the Fair, Wild Violets, & Neopolitan. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace, Silk Sport, Wool/Silk Single and Silk Boucle.

New Yarn! Silk Boucle

Here is the fourth yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 100% silk boucle. It is an absolute luxury yarn. It is slubby, textured and silky. It takes the dyes a little differently than wool or alpaca, but I was expecting that. Silk is special because it takes a little longer to take up the dye, but when it does it creates something that is truly brilliant. It comes in 4 oz and has 330 yards and would be suitable for a needle size of 3-5US.


I chose this particular yarn because I thought that it had an interesting and unique texture that I haven't seen elsewhere in a silk. I have seen a similar yarn made out of rayon by Fiesta that I have enjoyed knitting with before.


It would be ideal for a lacy scarf. If I end up carrying this yarn I would probably include a pattern for a scarf in garter, knit lengthwise.


I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Chocolate Cherry, Monet, Mountain Sunset, and Smokey Rose. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace, Silk Sport, and Wool/Silk Single.

New Yarn! Merino Wool / Silk Single

Here is the third yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 60% Merino Wool and 40% silk. It reminds me of malabrigo with the added shimmer of silk. I just love merino yarn and mixed with silk it is absolutely heavenly. It has 240 yards and would be suitable for a needle size of 7-9US.

I chose this particular yarn because I wanted a basic knitting yarn with a little bit of luxury to it. This yarn is definitely that. The merino wool keeps it at a reasonable price and the silk gives it that extra bit of shimmer to give it that luxury look. It does felt, which means that it needs to be handwashed or it can be felted. I love the way that this yarn felts, because the silk will not felt. So the yarn comes out in an interesting texture. I knit the sample on size 11s and then felted it with one cycle through my washing machine. Its before measurements were 5 1/2" x 4" and its post-felting measurements are 5 1/4" x 2".


It would be ideal for hats, mittens, scarves, eye pillows, felted bags, felted bowls or any other project that calls for worsted weight yarn.

I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Wild Violets, Americana, Camo, and Midnight Rose. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace and the Silk Sport.

New Yarn! Silk Sport

Here is the second yarn that I would like to introduce you to:

It is 100% silk. It is an absolute luxury yarn. It is smooth and silky (well it is silk). It takes the dyes a little differently than wool or alpaca, but I was expecting that. Silk is special because it takes a little longer to take up the dye, but when it does it creates something that is truly brilliant. It comes in 100 grams skeins from the supplier, which is a bonus to me, but it does mean that the color repeats are shorter than in my other skeins. It has 260 yards and would be suitable for a needle size of 3-5US.

I chose this particular yarn because I wanted a luxury yarn that could be made into socks or other high end luxury projects. What is great about this yarn is that it would be a perfect way to spoil that person in your life who is allergic to animal fibers.

It would be ideal for socks, scarves, mitts, or eye pillows.

I listed up 5 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Midnight Rose, Tequila, Mountain Sunset Blaze, Berry Pie, and Sea Turtle. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here. Don't forget to check out the Wool Lace from yesterday as well.


Ok, so I wasn't going to blog much else but yarn, but I have to mention this: I got mentioned on Lynne Vogel's blog! She is the author of both of the Twisted Sister's books!

New Yarn! Wool Lace

Here is the very first yarn that I would like to introduce you to:


It is 100% extrafine Merino Wool lace. It is absolutely exquisite! It is soft and squishy. I really love how it dyes up. It has 1235 yards and would be suitable for a needle size of 1US or smaller.


I chose this particular yarn because I wanted a lace yarn that has a slight lower price point than the alpaca lace that I already sell. The wool is also less fuzzy than the alpaca and has a crisp look to it. The wool is soft, but not the fuzzy soft of the alpaca. The wool has slightly less yardarge, but that is because of a slight shrinkage due to dyeing that I will have to keep in mind when I do custom orders.

It would be ideal for lace shawls or scarves. Pretty much anything calling for a lace weight yarn. Believe me I could definitely see myself knitting a shawl for myself out of this yarn.

I listed up 4 skeins of this yarn in my etsy shop. The 4 that are listed are Bordeaux, Dragon Fire, Sea Turtle, and Truffle. So, let me know what you think! Blog contest details are listed here.