Workshop Wednesdays: Brioche

Brioche Knitting is very popular right now. Last year this class filled up and I had to open a second session!

Brioche knitting is a stitch pattern which creates a double layer for double the warmth. I have seen some incredibly beautiful finished products using this technique! No wonder it is so popular! Nichole has taught this class several times before, and with her attention to detail it is sure to be a wonderful class.

We have made some changes from last year. Last year students said the class was a bit overwhelming with all of the information included. So we have broken down the class into two sessions. The first is straight up Brioche. Learn the technique with lots of time to soak everything in. Then the second class is Brioche with Two Colors. You can take both classes one right after the other, no problem. We only changed it so there is more time to learn each technique! I think it will be really awesome!

For more information on the Brioche Workshop check out here: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/brioche.html

For more information on the Brioche with Two Colors Workshop check out here:
http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/briocheadv.html

Bags Galore!

There are brand new bags in the shop!

This is the Poppy Knitting Bag! Isn't it gorgeous! After being out of the Dot and Bloom bags all winter I finally have them back in stock and this beauty added too. 

Don't forget to get the matching notions bag! All notions bags are back in stock too!

Lastly I got these adorable Round Sheep notions bags in! They come in Olive (shown above), Red, and Purple! They are so cute! I just need to decide which one I should keep for myself!

Photo Friday: Angry Birds

I am sure everyone is familiar with Angry Birds. It is one of my son's favorites. He can beat the first 3 levels on his own. Though his favorite thing is the eagle. This is one of his screen shots.

Workshop Wednesdays: Dyeing Lectures

I am very excited about adding these Dyeing Lectures to the class schedule. I love to dye and I know many others do too! I have been asked by countless people for dye classes at the show. The only problem is where to host a dye class in a hotel with brand new carpeting? Well last year I spied beside the downstairs marketplace was a kitchen. It is used by the hotel for catering purposes for weddings and such. So I got to thinking, wouldn't that make a great space to hold a dye class? Well this suggestion made the hotel very nervous. I promised we would keep it food safe, only natural dyes. Still the hotel wasn't sure. I even told them they very wonderful Deb Accuardi owns a restaurant and knows about kitchen requirements for keeping it clean they still weren't sure. So the brilliant Deb came up with the idea of them being lectures. Our hope is, if the classes are successful, we can maybe convince them to have a real dye class next year.

So here is what Deb is doing for each of the classes. There is one on Dyeing using materials found in your Kitchen, so things like onion skins, etc... The second class is on Indigo. For the classes she is providing lots of samples of things which have been dyed so you can see the finished results. She is providing a handout, so you can go home and try out the techniques yourself. She will walk you through the entire process, so you will feel safe and confident about trying it on your own. So everything a dye class has to offer without getting your hands dirty. I'm sure it will be phenomenal. Definitely worth checking out if you have ever been interested in learning more about either natural dyeing or indigo dyeing!

For More information on Dyeing with Kitchen Items (Lecture) check out here: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/dye-kitchen.html

For More Information on Dyeing with Indigo (Lecture) check out here: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/dye-indigo.html

X Hoody Finished!

I finally finished the hoody (rav link) for my son!

I think I started it back in August. Then it got put aside for this and for that. Thank goodness it fits him perfectly! I modified the pattern from  Design it! Knit it!: Babies by Debbie Bliss. Her patterns tend to run a bit large. My children also tend to be tall and skinny. So I ended up knitting the 12-18 month size and simply lengthening it  to make it fit my toddler. How I knew how to do this is I picked a shirt of his which fit the way I wanted the sweater to fit. Then I took measurements from the shirt. The shirt I picked was 3T, but ended up being the same width as the 12-18 size. Then I just had to add a couple of inches in length. I love it! My son even loves it! He wore it outside to play on one of the rare sunny days and it kept him nice and toasty. The yarn is Madelintosh Tosh DK in colors Happiness and Norwegian Spruce.

Photo Friday: More Squiggles

Toddler Lock

Workshop Wednesdays: Drop Spindling

Last year Turkish Drop Spindle was a huge success! The class filled up completely! In addition Wanda Jenkins and her husband Ed are going to have a booth in the Marketplace sharing with New Hues Handspuns! I'm so excited to have them as a new edition, their spindles are so beautiful!

What can I say about Wanda? Well, she is an incredible teacher. I have seen her demo Turkish Spindling both at Black Sheep and Sock Summit for what seem like hours on end and never tire out. She always has a smile on her face and a spindle in her hands. She is always a joy to talk to in person or through email.

So, what is the benefit of taking her class versus learning from her in the booth? Well I would say the one on one time only a classroom can give. Whenever I see Wanda at a show she has multiple people crowded around her trying to see what she is doing. Her classes are limited to 10 people, by her request, so there is plenty of time for each person to ask questions and learn how to spin. Definitely a big bonus!

For more information, check out: Turkish Drop Spindle

Christmas Revealed!

Finally, I get to share some things that had to stay under the Christmas tree!

First off I whipped out this ruffle scarf (rav link) for my mom. The yarn is Tutu by Crystal Palace. It took me a little bit to get going with this yarn since it is knit through loops at the top. Once I got going it simply flew off the needles. I recommend the pointier the better with this project! Also, don't knit it around small children who might take it off the needles. It is near impossible to pick up dropped stitches. Though it knits up so quickly it was easily knit back up.

The second project was a beard (rav link) for my dad. He made a comment on one of my posts I put up on Facebook asking if the next thing I was going to knit was a beardo. I didn't know what a beardo was so I did a search online then one on Ravelry and came across this pattern. Of course I wished I had time to knit him a Dwarven Battle Bonnet! Maybe next year!

Photo Friday: Squiggle

Toddler Lock

Workshop Wednesdays: Ergonomics

I am really excited about this last minute addition to classes. Carson Demers is a professional physical therapist by day and in his spare time he teaches fabulous classes to knitters and spinners on how to improve their ergonomics. I know from experience that knitting for a long time or sitting at the spinning wheel for too long makes me hurt. These classes are there to help with just that!

The first Happily Ever After: Ergonomics for Knitters is just the class for any level of knitter. Students who’ve taken this class have said that it should be “required learning for all knitters!” and, “it’s as important as the knit and purl stitches!” You can see why I was so excited when Carson said he would teach this class here. This class is definitely filling up fast, so if you are interested make sure to sign up soon!

The second class, Spinning Ergonomics, was a class I specifically asked for. Carson said he taught a class on this a few years ago which he designed with Judith MacKenzie. It sounded perfect to me! I know Spinners have just as much pain as knitters, if not more. So if you are a spinner and you want to spin pain free, make sure to check out this class!

More Information on Happily Ever After: Ergonomics for Knitters: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/ergonomics-knitting.html

More Information on Spinning Ergonomics: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/ergonomics-spinning.html

Blair's Rowan Tweed Socks

Class Registration is open for the CGFF: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops.html

I also got some knitting done!

I finished a pair of socks for Blair (rav link). It only took me a year to do it. Not bad when you consider I only knit on these when I don't have anything else to knit on, when I'm between projects, or when I'm traveling. The yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed. The needles are a size #3US. The pattern is a basic toe-up. Final review: my husband loves them! I gave them to him for Christmas and he didn't take them off all day.

Here is a behind the scenes shot! My son decided to help me decorate the light box with his legos. He is getting to be quite the helper!

Photo Friday: Yellow Swirls

Toddler Lock

Workshop Wednesday: Post Delayed

Sorry guys! I am super busy this week doing inventory and fun year end bookkeeping things! Workshop Wednesday will be back next week!

Happy New Year! - 50% off Sale Yarn!

Happy New Year!

I did an end of the year clean out of yarn. Some has been discontinued by the manufacturer. Some didn't sell as well as I would have liked, even though it is some of my favorite! Some are just odds and ends. I took all of those and put them up on the sale page. As you can see my sale bin is now overflowing! So I have decided to mark all of these already discounted yarns down 50% through the month of January! Hopefully it will mean more space for me for new yarn, a great bargain for you, and happy knitting all around!

Plus, after some consideration I have decided to do Free Shipping to the US and Canada Everyday! I ship USPS First Class or Priority depending on the weight, so you get your packages quickly! I figure it isn't that much money to ship and will be a little bonus to my customers from here on out! So order soon before all the yarn disappears!