Ikea

Ok, so this post is mostly about pretty furniture, vaguely related to all things fiber. So to distract you from that I will start with a link to Sarah's blog where itty bitty Mallory is wearing some of the pretty things I have knit. Let me just say that this is the entire reason for knitting for babies, adorable baby pictures in handknit items.

Ok, back to the furniture. Recently they built an Ikea in Portland. Before this I had never been in an Ikea. I have seen plenty of really pretty things around on various blogs that let me know that it was an incredible place to visit. I wasn't disappointed. We went last Saturday through tons of people and gave the place a good look through. We had a mission: my husband wanted to find another bookcase and I wanted a set of cubbies, like those at Knot Another Hat, to store my yarn in. Here is what we found:


Ok, so this wasn't on the list. This is a lovely set of shelves that we found just perfect for our DVDs. One of the things that was going to happen with my set of cubbies was that the shelf that formerly held our tapes and dvds was going to be moved. I boxed up all of our tapes. Eventually I am going to replace all of our tapes with dvds anyway.

Next, Blair insisted that we needed a new bookcase. I guess he was right. We filled this baby up right away. If you look closely that is Harry Potter on the top and knitting books on the second shelf. This way I actually have knitting books in my bedroom. Blair is so smart!


Lastly, this is my set of cubbies just for Lavendersheep. Just think you are seeing the whole shop in one shot! I am a little low on yarn at the moment because I am working on a big, big order for Woolgirl. I see a lot of winding in my future, but it is all good. Lots of stuff for fall, so stay tuned to her site for a big update.

I do have a few knitted items to share with you next time. I'm going to be working less over the next couple of weeks, which means I should have a bit more time to blog! Yay!

So much to Knit, So little Time!

Let's see if we can get a little caught up on the tons of stuff I have been up to lately. So, this will be a little photo heavy, and still not everything.


I went and washed an alpaca fleece that was given to me by a customer. This was one dirty alpaca. It definitely had a lot of fun rolling itself in every bit of dirt it could find. I still didn't get all of the dirt out, but I am going to card it over the winter and possibly dye it so that should get some more of the dirt out, hopefully.


Next, I finally finished my mobius bag that I started right before Christmas. It was a really easy knit, I just needed to get it done. This is it prefelted.

This is after it was felted. This picture does not do justice to how gorgeous this bag really is. I am letting the shop borrow it for awhile until I decide what to do with it. I also think it might need a button or two to round it out. This bag was knit with 3 balls of Dive Teseo Color #21763 Riviera Blue.


Next on my finished list is this adorable hat that I knit for Sarah's baby. I have wanted to knit this hat all summer, but had to finish my sockaplooza socks first. They took top priority! The pattern is the Emli Bonnet by Alison of The Blue Blog and I knit it with my own Lavendersheep Silk Noil in color Rosebud. Believe me I have a ton left of it too to make plenty more hats. This bitty thing only took 1 oz, so I could probably get 4 out of 1 skein!


Lastly, more knitting away on the Skull Socks. I am bound and determined to finish these off for my husband. I am actually just about through with the heel right now, but didn't feel like snapping another picture. The pattern is an adaptation of Hello Yarn's We Call Them Pirates Hat pattern and the yarn is Cool Wool in Color #433 Black & #432 Cream.

I have also started a baby surprise jacket out of the Noro Kureyon that I got from the Lint Sale. It isn't super soft, but I am having a lot of fun knitting it. No babies in sight for it to go to either, so I figure it will just be something to keep on hand. No pictures at the moment, but soon.

In other news: I am teaching a class tonight on the Fiber Trends Felted Clogs. I love this pattern a whole lot and the combination I have picked out is down right awesome. I'll show you guys what I am talking about after I get them started tonight.

Oh, and speaking of classes there is still room in the Dye Class and in the Forest Canopy Lace Shawl Class that I am teaching in September. So if you are in the area, you had better sign up soon, because they fill up fast. You can sign up online too or over the phone.

Sockaplooza 4 at and End

Sorry to keep those sad posts up for so long. I have been doing much better. I even got my Sockaplooza package out only 1 day late. My pal was Danby, who unfortunately does not have a blog, but was super fun to knit for. I sent her this package:

Here is a closeup of the socks. They are way awesome. I decided to challenge myself with doing a mosaic pattern. The pattern is Maze from Sensational Knitted Socks. I knit it with my Lavendersheep Superwash Sock Color Mountain Sunset and Lana Grossa Meleinweit in Navy. My pal already has received them and loves them, which makes me very happy!


Here are the Sockaplooza Socks that were sent to me. My pal was Caitlin of The Cresent Knitter. She is a Muslim Knitter and has a really awesome blog, so go check it out. She is also hosting a knit-along for the Anne of Green Gables books. I am very tempted to join, but I haven't decided yet.


Aren't they pretty?

Anyway, I should have a post up soon about our fabulous trip to Ikea, or more to the point the pretty pretty shelves that we got that are now organizing all the Lavendersheep yarns. I should also have a post up soon about some projects I have just got off the needles. Sneak previews on Ravelry. I did update my shop, if you really want updates sooner to my shop, subscribe to the feed.

In Passing, part 2

Thank you all for your kind words. They mean a lot to me.

(Note: this post refers to the weekend of July 21st)

No where near the same magnitude of my grandfather passing is the passing of one of my favorite yarn shops, Lint. This will definitely have knitting related content.

I guess I am so sad to see Lint pass out of existence because the shop is only 4 years old. My own shop that I work for is only just over 2. I guess it really hits home to me because Lint has always felt like the Portland version of Knot Another Hat. Could our shop go the same way in another 2 years? I most certainly hope not and will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't, but a lot of things can happen in 2 years...

Anyway, all this sadness most certainly hasn't crushed my desire to buy yarn at a really great discount. All of this was bought before my grandfather went into the hospital, so no it wasn't a big shopping spree to make myself feel better.

First off, this is the yarn that I purchased before they had their sale. I knew I wasn't going to be able to make it to the sale because I had to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so I did the next best thing. I went the weekend before and picked out somethings that I knew would go pretty fast. Then I had my husband take notes of different yarn brands and I sent him instead on Saturday. He is a saint!


This is the stash that he got me: Koigu, Noro, Lamb's Pride and Debbie Bliss. What more could a girl ask for?


This is what he got for himself. Enough sock yarn for 4 pairs of socks, with the hint that perhaps I could knit these up for him for all of the trouble he went through for me. (He also picked up the last Harry Potter book and let me read it all before he did). I suppose I can knit up a few pairs of socks for such kind devotion!


One last sale thing that I got, is I got my books from The Hurt Book Sale, run by Interweave. They even gave me an extra discount because I bought both Scarf Style and Wrap Style together. The sales are always rather hectic and I about cried because they had the Alice and Jade Starmore's Children's book on there for $10 and I was too late to get it. How cruel is that? If you want to know when the next Hurt Book Sale is, sign up for Knitting Daily, that's how I found out.

In Passing, part 1

Daniel Hanners

July 11, 1921 - July 27, 2007

I am sorry for being a bad blogger. My grandfather went into the hospital on Monday and passed away Friday morning peacefully in his sleep. There won't be any knitting content, but I thought I would say a few words about a man who has meant so much to me.

He was a great man who did so many wonderful things in his life. He was a Pearl Harbor survivor. After WWII he married the blond bombshell that was to be my grandmother. He went to school at UC Davis and got his degree in 3 years instead of 4. He moved back here to Hood River and helped found the first bank of Hood River. It was later bought out by US Bank and he was the manager there for many years. He helped found the Westside Fire Department and helped train the first recruits with the skills he had learned in the Navy. He started running the orchard that belonged to my grandmother's parent's. He slowly bought up more land as it became available and slowly turned it into a pear orchard instead of apples. He discovered in the late 70s how to grow the largest apple in the world, weighing in at 3.5 lbs and it tastes good too. Above all of these accomplishments he managed to be a good father to 3 children and a wonderful grandfather to 8 grandkids.

He was always there to promote us in whatever we wanted to do. He helped me pay for my college education and was always proud of everything I did. He always was interested in what I was doing and listened to what I was up to. He cherished the things I made for him. Like the felted clogs that I made for him for Christmas. They were a bit too small so he made my grandmother track down a special pair of stretchers to try and stretch them out to fit his feet. It didn't end up working, so my dad has ended up with them and loves them. I will really miss my grandfather. So, please, for his sake and mine go and hug your loved ones today or give them a call and tell them how much you love them and how proud you are of them. I knew that my grandfather felt those things for me and it has made all the difference in my life.

A Little Twisted

Look, I have a sock done!

One beautiful sockaplooza sock done! Now I just have to finish the 2nd one by August 7th, do you think I'll make it?

Then in the mail I got my copy of the Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters book. It is really awesome! So many beautiful pictures and wonderful tips. I am totally impressed! I tend to buy most of my books through Knot Another Hat, but this is special:

I got it signed by Lynn Vogel. I am a huge fan of the Twisted Sisters and stalk them at Black Sheep Gathering and Oregon Flock and Fiber. I think it has totally paid off. In case you can't read it, it says: To Yvonne: Happy Knitting & all things fiber to a true dyed-in-the-wool Twisted Sisters Fan. Believe me I was so thrilled I couldn't sit still.

What a Heel!

I have been having heel issues lately:


First up are these adorable baby booties from the Dale of Norway Soft Treasures book. I knit them out of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino Color #700 red. I made the first one, then put off making the second one for, oh say, about a month. A big mistake. Apparently I read the directions wrong, so when I went back I read the pattern the right way and the heel was different. It took me something like 3 tries to get the heel looking the same as the first one. They have been gifted to Sarah for little baby M.


Next up is my Mine, Don't Touch! socks. They are knit out of my Mine, Don't Touch! Superwash Fingering Sock yarn, of course! Currently they have a heel, but not for much longer. The first one fits perfectly and is done. I wrote down the numbers and everything, but then I "borrowed" the counter from this one for another project, so I guessed that it was long enough to start the heel. It is just a tiny bit too small, so I need to rip back the heel and add a couple more rows. Thankfully they are mine, so I can take my time with them.


Next up are the Sockaplooza 4 socks. At first I thought that I would give them a traditional short row heel. I love doing short row heels. I started it in the Mountain Sunset yarn (the pink), but I really didn't like how it looked. It was really too bold. So, I have started a new heel flap with a slip stitch pattern. They are quite gorgeous. I'll update again when I get the heel done. Ok, that last part was written earlier. The slip st pattern was way too busy. So, I am onto heel try #3 on these as well.


Lastly, I have been working on this lovely Moebius bag. I started it around Christmas. It is my only project without heel problems at the moment. Of course it doesn't have a heel, so that might help. It is fun because it is knit around and around on big needles. There is something very peaceful about a mindless knit. I'm still debating if this last ball will be enough or if I will need another one. It is knit out of Dive Teseo in Color #21763 Riviera Blue.

Order Form!

Introducing a new look to lavendersheep.com! I am so excited! I have redone the site so it is lighter and prettier.

I have also been working very diligently with Peninah to make an order form for my yarn. So, now when you want to put in an order for a skein of yarn you can simply use this form. If you have a large order (or are one of my wholesalers) you can still email me directly at: lavendersheep (at) gmail (dot) com.

I am Such a Busy Girl!

Wow! I have been busy the past week+.


First up was the company picnic. Well, the Google company picnic for Blair's work. It was a lot of fun. There was great food and the people are really nice. I must say that it was the first company bbq that I have ever been to where they served baked potatoes and caeser salad.
One of the best things about the company picnic was the dunk tank. A bunch of Blair's bosses got up there. Then they called Blair up. He wasn't expecting to go in it, but he was a good sport and hopped on up. Here he is after his probably 3rd or 4th dunking. They were raising money for the local animal shelter, so it was all for a good cause.

Next up was the 4th of July. We had a pretty big bbq for the 4th. We didn't get a lot of pictures because everything was so busy, but it was a lot of fun. We are hoping to have a few more bbqs with friends and family throughout the summer. Hopefully some at some of the great parks and lakes in the area. This picture here is of Chuck, who lives a little more on the wild side than the rest of us. I just love the quiet contemplative look he has as he is holding this highly dangerous firework. He looks almost like Hamlet contemplating the skull.

Then yesterday we went and celebrated my grandfather's 86th birthday. I didn't get any pictures, but it was fun. I love getting together with my family. My grandparents are a total hoot, so it was fun to see everyone.

Soon I will have a post up with some actual knitting content. I have a lot to show you guys or else I would include it in this post!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my 5th wedding anniversary, so in honor of it I thought I would put up this meme.

I was tagged by Froggin' Knitter back in May for this meme:

2 things you compliment your husband on while in his presence:

1. His beautiful curly hair/ how cute he is.
2. The way that he helps around the house.

2 compliments you give about your husband to others:

1. He does dishes. This apparently rates very highly among people that I have told.
2. He looks out for me.

2 Traits you married him for:

1. His hair.
2. We are both very goal oriented and have similar ideas about what we want to accomplish in our lives.

2 days you cherished most being together with your husband:

1.Our wedding day. 3 days before I had my first surgery and had no idea that I had Crohn's, not to mention I only weighed 105 and my size 8 wedding dress (more like a 4 or 6) hung off of me. He married me and took excellent care of me during that 1st year. More than I could have ever imagined.

2. Every day! He is a great man and I love him so much. I cherish every day that I have with him.

2 Material things you would give your husband if you inherited a fortune:

1. A house where he could have an office with subflooring, where he could have all the tech gadgets and such that he could ever wish for.
2. A trip, just the two of us, to Europe.

2 things you would miss most if he left for 2 weeks (strangely, this one could happen, since Google loves to ship their guys all over the place to visit other locations):

1. Him sleeping next to me at night. I found this out when I was traveling and we were apart before. I am slightly afraid of the dark, but when he is there I'm not.
2. Having him to talk to and give me a hug when I need one.

2 things that crossed your mind the first time you met your future husband:

1. I wondered if I had hurt his feelings. The first time I really noticed him was when these 2 girls tried to tell me that he wanted to know if I would go to Home Coming with him (we met in high school and I had just moved back to Hood River at the time). I said no, but that was because I had a firm belief that if a guy was too chicken to ask me out himself then he wasn't worth going out with. I felt really bad afterwards, but was a complete intravert at the time. Come to find out the girls were just being mean and he had no idea it was going on at the time.

2. I later actually met my husband to be when I took a computer programming class. I thought he had really cute curly hair and wanted to run my fingers through it, but never actually dared to do it until we were engaged.

2 favorite dates:

1. Going out for Halibut Fish & Chips in college and then going for long drives to get out of "the city."
2. Going to see Love Actually in theaters for the first time.

2 funny, odd things you love about your husband:

1. Hobbit feet. He has red hairy feet that reminds me of a Hobbit, but not as bad as the movie ones.
2. He is totally amused by completely ridiculous things on the internet, such as the badger song, Magical Trevor or the llama song.

2 places you have lived with your husband:

1. Eugene, OR.
2. Hood River, OR.

2 favorite vacations:

1. Day trips to Newport, OR
2. Camping last summer.

2 people to tag:

I'll leave it open to whoever wants to do it, just let me know if you decide to in the comments.