Totoro

A couple of years ago I knit a little Totoro (rav link) ornament for my Christmas tree. 

Well, this year my mother begged me to knit her one too. So I did! The pattern definitely went much better the second time. I think I might possibly be getting my brain back (knock on wood there). It was pretty fun to knit, though there are a few fiddly bits, like the ears and arms. I like how it turned out and might even knit another one someday. We'll see...

Photo Friday: Caught on Camera

Merry Christmas!

Mount Adams

From all of us here at LavenderSheep we wish you a very Merry Christmas! Stay safe out there!

Shhhh...Santa is Knitting

No blog post today! Santa is very busy getting ready for Christmas this week...

Photo Friday: Sissy

Sheep in a Shop

Round Sheep Notions Bags in New Colors! They make great stocking stuffers. Today is the last day to ship for Christmas for the East Coast. If you live closer then you still have a couple days left!

Photo Friday: Wiggly Toes

Pin it!

I love Pinterest. So far it is my favorite social media site. I actually start each morning looking at pins to start my day out in a creative way. Even if I never end up using the ideas it starts my brain working towards being creative.

The other thing I recently started was a board for my son. So we look at Pinterest together. He can post whatever he wants to his board as long as 1. he can identify it and 2. he actually likes it. So far I have learned about my son some things that I already know, such as him liking trains, castles, fish, and cookies. Some new things I have learned are that he likes woolly cabled sweaters and pictures of smiling girls. He is adamant about the things that go on his board too. So if you would like to follow his board for an eclectic assortment of things a 3 year old boy likes you can follow it here: http://www.pinterest.com/lavendersheep6/xavier/
If you would like to see all of my boards you can find them here: http://www.pinterest.com/lavendersheep6/boards/

Blue Christmas

I was just looking at what I had recently posted on the website and realized it was all in the same color family! Apparently I am in a "blue" mood around here! So I thought I would share! 

Top left: Leafy Bandana Cowl shown in Chunky Baby Alpaca in color Owen
Top Right: MIO Columbia Aran in color Owen
Bottom Left: Round Sheep Notions Bag in Color Teal
Bottom Right: Woven Stitch Cowl shown in Superwash Sock in color Wind Chill

Photo Friday: Blue Foot

It's Hip to be a Square!

I feel like I am in a story telling mood lately. Anyway, not too long ago I changed my website's cart so you could checkout with either Google Checkout (which became Wallet) and Paypal. Recently, I had to change it back. I personally have never had an issue with Paypal. Though I have read plenty of stories online from people who have. I know lots of people who prefer not to use Paypal either. I probably get 1-2 orders a month from people who don't want to use Paypal. So, I know I need to have more options than just Paypal.

Well, a few months ago, Google decided to no longer offer Google Wallet for people selling physical goods. In my case, that's pretty much my whole shop. It can still be used if I wanted to sell apps...which doesn't really work in my case. So, at first, my cart provider said they would be implementing a change so another service would be available besides Paypal. This did not materialize. To be fair, this was a free service, so I'm not too surprised. Anyway, I was left with the option to continue using the new cart, but with Paypal only. However, the benefits of using Paypal Cart buttons outweighed using the 3rd party service. After all, either way, the only checkout option was Paypal. Sigh...Like I said, I'm fine with Paypal, but this definitely has made my life more complicated.

Thankfully, my story has a happy ending. I was contacted by Square. As in the same people who I, and many other vendors, run credit cards through at shows! They have created their very own marketplace. So, I am slowly, but surely, adding all of my items on there. Their fees are the same as if I run a credit card at a show, which is very reasonable. They also show items out of stock as soon as they are sold if there is only one, so it doesn't have to wait for me to update it! Yay! So, I will maintain both stores. The website will continue to have Paypal for checkout and the Square Store offers up a great alternative!

The only downside is it's currently only available in the US. Though, Paypal is still international! I also accept checks and money orders through the mail and phone orders. Check out the website for more details!

Right now I only have yarn and fiber posted in the Square Store. I'm working on the rest! If there is anything you would love to see up there right away, please let me know by leaving a comment here or emailing me at lavendersheep (at) gmail (dot) com. I'll be happy to add it!

New! MIO Columbia Aran

Introducing my new yarn: MIO Columbia Aran!

For years I have looked for a way to buy yarn directly from local farmers, so I can dye and sell it. The difficulty is by the time the farmer charges enough to make a profit there isn't any room for me to make a profit too. Every time someone touches the fiber or yarn they have to be paid. So for me, I'm paying for the farmer who raises the sheep, the mill that processes the fiber first into spinnable fiber then into yarn, then finally I add my cost to dye it. It's really tough to pay all those people and make money on top of it, while selling the yarn at a price consumers will pay. The way that it currently works is I buy yarn and fiber from a distributor who gets their yarn and fibers from mills overseas, mainly the UK and South America. The mills get their fiber from large commercial farms who raise so many fiber animals they are actually able to accept less money per lb of fiber than a small local farm. 

So this problem has been on my mind for many years. I love supporting local farms. Then it struck me, Imperial Stock Ranch is located right here in Oregon. So I can make a purely Made in Oregon (MIO) yarn. Raised in Oregon, sheared in Oregon, and dyed in Oregon. Their farm practices are sustainable and practical. They use all parts of the sheep. They live with and raise all the sheep themselves. I love it. If you want to read more about them, please check out their website!

The MIO Columbia Aran is my first yarn to start out the collection. It is named MIO for Made in Oregon, Columbia, because it is from Columbia Wool, and Aran, because it is Aran weight. Aran is on the heavier side of worsted. It is so springy and warm feeling! I just want to squish it all day. I really want to make a sweater or a skirt out of it. I think all this cold weather is getting to me! All I want to do is make warm woolens out of this yarn. I'm so happy I can finally make this dream come true!

I also want to make a note that, currently, I don't have any plans to discontinue any more yarns or fibers. I love the yarns I have and will continue to dye them as long as you, the customer, love them too! I will be adding more to my MIO line over the next few months. My goal is to provide a variety of yarns fibers that meet the needs of many customers. So I will have my local line and my not so local line, so there will be a little bit of something for everyone!

Photo Friday: Bug

Holiday Gift Guide

Just in time for the Holiday Shopping Season to begin, I have put together a Holiday Gift Guide!

I have options for any budget, whether it is under $12 to just under $100! There is a something for everyone! So make sure to look it over and share it with your friends and family! Who knows what you might get this year!

Photo Friday: Balloon Drawing

MoSilk Welt Scarf

The holidays are drawing near! We all know what that means...lots of knitting!!!

Here is a simple pattern for a Welt Scarf that takes only one skein of my MoSilk Lace Yarn!

The pattern is FREE with a yarn purchase. It is quick and so gorgeous! After all the yarn is 70% Kid Mohair and 30% Silk. It is super soft and luxurious!

This scarf can be worn in so many ways. It goes with everything!

Now the hard part, picking which color you will use! You can find the yarn with free pattern either on the website or now in my Square Shop!

Customer Project: Felt Scarf

Customer Judy sent me this simply stunning photo of a nuno felted scarf made out of a Silk Hanky in Dragon Fire and Merino Tencel also in Dragon Fire.

I have heard from many customers who love the Merino/Tencel Roving for making felted scarves. Isn't it gorgeous?

If you have a finished project you would like to share with me I would love to see them! Who knows, they might even end up being in the spotlight on the blog!

Photo Friday: Self Portrait

Sneak Peek!

So if you are wondering where all the wool fiber went in the shop, most of it went to the sale page from what is leftover from the sale. You can find it here: http://www.lavendersheep.com/shop/sale.html. There is a little more Mixed BFL I need to post, which will hopefully be done soon!

So why all the change? Well, I have decided to go in a slightly different direction. I have always had a love of locally grown fibers. I have searched locally, but it's really tough to find quality processed locally grown yarns and fibers at a price where both the farmer and I can make a profit. I have been thinking it over a lot lately, when it struck me, Imperial Stock Ranch! They are local to Oregon and have one of the best sustainable farms in the US. So much so that Ralph Lauren has commissioned them to provide the yarn for this next year's Olympic Sweaters! (Thank goodness I got my order in before that hit the news!!!)

I have decided to start a new line of yarns and fibers under the title MIO (Made In Oregon). All of the Imperial Stock Ranch fibers will be MIO-Columbia. So far I will have roving. pencil roving, and an Aran weight yarn. My plan is to start dyeing them this week. So if you have a favorite colorway you would like to see, please let me know, either in the comments or email me at lavendersheep(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks!

Photo Friday: Kitchen Floor

Polka Dot Hat & Booties

Fresh off the needles: A hat (rav link) and booty (rav link) set for my friend Lorajean of Knitted Wit!

The pattern is Polka Dot Bootees and Hat from Adorable Knits for Tots by Zoe Mellor (rav link). I really enjoyed making these, though I did modify the pattern for the hat. I made the ribbing shorter so it was a beany instead of making it extra long and folding it over. I also knit it in the round because I think seams are uncomfortable for soft baby heads. The yarn I used was my new Superwash Sport in Color Hibiscus. I love love love this colorway! I have seen a rising trend for babies to use deep colors instead of pastels and that's where this colorway works great. It says baby girl without being too babyish, if you know what I mean. I love the yarn and I definitely plan on knitting up some more baby things with it. Maybe there will even be a

new baby pattern in the future!

Photo Friday: Sister's Feet

Seattle

I am home and settling back in! Mostly catching up with mountains of laundry. Here is our trip:

Kids all buckled in and ready to go!

This trip was really more about relaxing and taking things easy, so we didn't see too many sites. We went to the aquarium, which was spendy, but my kids loved it! Here is F hanging out by one of the tanks!

We got both of the kids play cameras, which have been a big hit! I'm sure you will see photos for Photo Friday soon from our trip!

I really like this photo of Blair with the kids! It was hard to get photos where they are all together and not running every which way!

The other excursion we took was a boat tour of the harbor. It was pretty foggy when we started. On the buoy you can kind of make out some local sea lions. 

Thankfully it cleared up part way through the tour and we got a good look at the city. 

We also checked out a couple of yarn shops and book stores. Mostly it was a great rest. Now we both can get back to work doing the great things we do everyday! The kids are happy to be back home too!

Photo Friday: Mama's Arm

New! Woven Stitch Scarf / Cowl

Another New Pattern to share with you while I am out of town! 

This is the Woven Stitch Scarf or Cowl (rav link). The pattern has both options! At the end you decide which one it will be. I include a full tutorial with photos of how to cut the fringe and make it even! The yarn shown above is Panda Silk in Color: Monet. The scarf is shown above and the cowl below:

Here is the cowl full length. It only takes one skein of sock yarn to complete it!

Here are 2 wraps around the neck. Very stylish to wear it like this. The yarn is Superwash Sock in color Wind Chill.

Here it is wrapped 3 times around, for that cozy feel on those especially cold and blustery days.

The pattern can be found in the shop for .pdf, paper copy or kit options. Remember you get a 10% discount on yarn when you buy the kit and FREE shipping every day. It is also available on Ravelry, which I also love!

Baby Legwarmers

Remember these leggings?

I most certainly do! They still fit my baby really well months later. Well, a friend of mine asked for the pattern because she bought the same kit. I was happy to oblige. So it is available either in the shop as a .pdf I will send, or a paper pattern through the mail, or a kit with a lovely 10% discount on yarn! Also available on Ravelry!

I love that these leg warmers only take 50g of yarn! So 1 kit with 100 grams will get you 2 pairs of leggings! They are also so cute and fashionable on those chubby baby legs! A definite must for any baby in your life!

Photo Friday: Road!

We are headed off on Vacation! All orders placed between now and October 27th will be shipped October 28th!

Spinzilla Finale!

I'm so proud of all that I spun last week! I had a blast being a part of Spinzilla! I definitely plan on doing it again next year!

The pink I plan on plying together and making Wee Ambrosia (rav link) for my daughter. Then the grey will be plied together and will make a raglan sweater for my son, possibly with stripes to make it go further. Then the bright multi-color will be a stripe in a sweater I'll design for my son too. I'm so excited about all of this new yarn!

Note: I'll be out of town next week, so all orders placed between October 19 - October 27 will be shipped on Monday October 28th!

Baby Pants

I finished a pair of soaker pants for my cousin's baby, for her first birthday. 

These are the Kanoko Pants (rav link). The pattern was interesting. If I was going to knit them again I would have started them in the round for the ribbing. I don't think it is necessary to fold them over and add elastic because the ribbing is so long. The other mods I made were I lengthened the pants to 9" before starting the cuff. Then I *k2, k2tog* around to bring the cuff in a little, then I did 10 rounds of k2,p2 to finish off the cuff. I like how they turned out, though I also wish I had added some shaping to the legs so they wouldn't be quite so baggy. Lot of ideas! Still it's good for a free pattern! =)

Photo Friday: Dirt!

Spinzilla Week!

I am really enjoying spinning for Spinzilla #teamknotanotherhat

This first bobbin is 6.2 oz and 340 yards. I'm very proud of myself because I only have an hour or so each evening to spin after the kids have gone to bed. I can't wait to finish off the light pink and ply them both together. I'm thinking either a small sweater for me or something warm and fuzzy for my daughter. Either way, it's just so much fun to be spinning again!

Spinzilla Sale!

Spinzilla has officially begun!

In honor of it I am having a sale on fiber! $10/4oz of your choice of BFL, Merino, Mixed BFL, or Superwash Merino! It's going fast! Checkout the shop for the sale: http://www.lavendersheep.com/shop.html

I'm still getting caught up after OFFF! Regular blogging will hopefully happen next week! 

Photo Friday: Legos!

Photo Friday: Curtains

I am setting up today for Oregon Flock and Fiber! See you there!

Robin Finished!

I finished Robin just in time for Oregon Flock and Fiber this weekend! I'll have it on display in my booth!

I kept knitting until I ran out of one of the colors of my Superwash Sport yarn. In this case it was the Mountain Sunset. I was just short of finishing section 5. What I love about this pattern is you can stop anywhere and a beautiful shawl will form. If you finish a section it will be more curvy if you stop in the middle of a section it will be more triangular. Just amazing!

It is so pretty. I definitely see myself wearing it this fall and winter. I can see where it would dress up just about any outfit and keep me warm! The Superwash Sport is super cuddly and so fun to knit up. I have so many ideas for projects and patterns to knit up with this yarn. I love it!

Definitely come and check it out this weekend at OFFF! My booth is out on the lawn. Also I plan on having a huge fiber sale with Merino, BFL, Mixed BFL, Superwash Merino, and Superwash BFL all $10 per 4oz of gorgeous handpainted fiber. There may be a few other things on sale too! Make sure to stop by and say hi!

Leafy Bandana Cowl

I am so happy to finally be able to announce this pattern. I have been working on it for sometime, but wanted to make sure it was perfect before announcing it to the world!

This is the Leafy Bandana Cowl. It is knit out of one skein of my new Chunky Baby Alpaca in color Owen. I love how the subtle blues and browns play so well together in this. It is currently for sale on Ravelry. I'm doing some work on the pattern pages on the website, so it probably won't be there until after OFFF.

Speaking of OFFF, it's this next weekend! So if you want to see the cowl in  person, pet the pretty yarn, and buy the pattern there, I will have it in my booth on the lawn. I have printed out a few patterns to have for sale there too. Hopefully there will be enough!

Photo Friday: Cookie Crumbs