Just another rambling day.

Well I've heard a few people getting reinstated, but I'm still waiting to hear back. A week without Ravelry. I have a couple projects done that I am very upset that I can't post.

Decided to start a new quick knit with some Royal Bamboo that I had gotten from my momma. I'm made a cute little bolero/shrug and the colors are amazing. I was a little upset that there was a knot in each ball I used and one even had two knots! I wrote Plymouth Yarn and received an email that said I need to contact the LYS where it was purchased. Not an option, it was purchased at a booth in a local fair in North Dakota while she was visiting last fall. Not that I'm really looking for anything other than them to take note of the problem. I still LOVE that yarn!!

I'm starting to hear back from the ladies that purchased from the shop and I'm thrilled with all the positive feedback. The little rose boxes are a huge hit and I'm thinking about putting the pattern up on Etsy. They are definitely a new standard with small items like my stitch markers and key chains.

Well I'm off to worry about things unrelated to knitting and Ravelry, such as, oh real life. Not my favorite subject though.

Electric Sunset up on Etsy!!

Hmm, bad grammer first...So I just noticed some improper use of "your" and "you're." My appologies, I'm very embarassed...

In other news, the first skein of the new Landscapes Lace in "Electric Sunset" is already gone on Etsy, I was amazed. I relisted, so it's available. The very first skein (shown in my last post) is being knitted into the Adamas shawl, and I noticed that it was striping more than having a gradual change, so before dyeing the next one, I changed the method a just little and it worked fantastically!! Here is the pic...


I also put up a smaller (400 yard) skein...

That one is a little brighter than the pic shows, but yummy none the less!

Other than the store update, I have been looking for the next item to knit that I will obsessively work on until it's finished. I'm not loving anything that I'm working on at the moment, and that is a super long list. H's window shawl went from creeping along, to a quick speed up to a dead halt. I do not have quite enough to finish the way I want, and I'm debating how to fix that. The Adamas shawl is just slow, and even though I am anxoius for the next color to come in (I've reached the deep blue), it seems too much like work. I have two sweaters I'm working on, several orphan socks and some cashmere that needs to become something for my neighbor, plus lots of "I should knit something for them because they are so sweet" projects. I have 2 of 8 oz of Crazy Monkey spun, and the Twisted is on the Lendrum right now, with several fibers waiting in line. I have the rest of the Landscapes lace colorways to dye, which if they take off, I may spend most of my spare time doing that, hmm I think I need more hours in the day. Yep lots of stuff!

Contest!!

Because I have so many readers who are just for a set of my stitch markers... but more importantly because I got my Twisted order today and I have no idea what to do with my Shiny and I don't want to do another pair of socks. Look how pretty! So here is the contest: Find me the perfect non-sock pattern for 400 yards of Shiny in Lagoon and if I pick your pattern, I will throw your fave set of stitch markers from the Etsy shop your way! Leave a link to the pattern in a comment and on Saturday (1/24) assuming I have more than three comments (haha). I will pick my favorite and let you guys know the winner.

Here's the fine print:
Please leave me a way to find you, i.e. ravelry name, email, etc. (Comments will be set so that the public can't see them). I be sure to put a post up with all the links on Saturday I get too so that if you happen upon a skein of Shiny in Lagoon and you are wondering what to make you will have some ideas.

Okay here's what else is up. The BFL from Crazy Monkey is slowly going but here is my progress...

The shop has been updated with a new handspun and some markers, I also plan on adding a couple of hand dyed sock yarns in the next couple of days, stop by and check it out!

It's been almost a month, sorry

I didn't really abandon my post, I have been crazy busy with summer and getting back to work/school. First an announcement:

For all of you charity knitter's out there that haven't heard, knit a red scarf for the red scarf project for the Orphan Foundation of America which gives these scarfs to college bound foster kids. For more information go to OFA's red scarf site.

On my own sob story front, my fantastic lovable adorable English Pointer has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia and its severe enough that it he will probably be crippled in a few years. For those of you who don't know, canine hip dysplasia is a genetic disease that affects almost all breeds of dogs, especially large breeds. As the dog is growing the hip joint doesn't form right, usually the socket part doesn't form a socket like it should. This causes pain in of itself, but the debilitating part of the disease is the arthritis that forms as the dog ages. Right now selective breeding of dogs with good hips is the only way to prevent this disease, but even dogs with good hips will occasionally have puppies with bad hips and so is the case with Copper. Both parents are part of a very carefully controlled breeding program by a renowned English Pointer Kennel and this is the first time either parent has had offspring with this disease.

Copper on his first day home.

Right now we are looking into a surgery for him called Triple Pelvic Ostectomy where the hip joint is remodeled. It would be a rough recovery, but the success rate is around 90% and dogs usually return to a completely normal active lifestyle. Because he wants to be such an active dog (born to run and hunt) we are hoping that he is a good candidate. Of course everything is expensive, so if he can get the surgery I will be making up mad amounts of stitch markers and hand spun and hand dyed yarn for sale on Etsy. All profit will go in a special account for his surgery. More on that if he qualifies for the surgery.

Copper as of now, sitting in the typical dysplasic posture.

I have been getting some knitting in. I have been a little bored with socks lately so when Vogue Knitting showed up in the mailbox with those awesome mittens on the front cover, I couldn't help myself but get into the mittens. As long as I live in Louisiana I will never have a need for them, but I plan on getting back to a state that has seasons, particularly one with winter. I really miss playing in the snow... I digress. I had spun up some fingering weight merino from one of the hand dyed rovings I did, and I added beads when I plied it. The yarn is super soft but turned out a little more woolen than I would have hoped for originally but works great for the mittens I ended up doing. Inspired by Vogue and using Ann Budd's book "The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns" I knitted up some mittens with a simple cable pattern.

I think everyone will be getting mittens for Christmas, or at least those who live in a state where they would need them. I also started on the Druid Mittens from Vogue's cover using Pagewood farms Denali. I should have used a lighter color, mine is a little bit dark for the pattern, but it's turning out well. Denali is an interesting yarn and follows the trends that Koigu started with their tightly twisted two ply yarn. Denali is three ply, but has a lot of the same texture that is seen with Koigu.

I really like the saddle closing that this pattern uses versuses the standard decrease seen in simpler mitten patterns. It was a little loose and I might try a different approach on the right mitten though, (for those of you who are knitting this pattern I will let you know how that goes).


Off I go to be anti-productive in another way, or maybe something that I actually need to do...

Esty shop

Just wanted to let everyone know that the etsy shop is up and running! Right now I have one handspun and several stitch markers. I need to take some pics and I should have a few more handspuns up in the next couple of days.

I am really excited about my new patterns and the positive response on them. I had one knitter contact me about the basket weave handbag. She mentioned that she really doesn't crochet and me (like a moron) forgets that not all knitter's crochet also. So here is a simple solution for those who don't crochet:

Instead of binding off, switch to the cotton yarn. Decrease every stitch, 38 st remain. Work in garter st for 4 rows (2 purl ridges on the front side).
next row: k12, bo 14, k12
next row: k12, co 14, k12 (leaving an opening for the handle but joining to the last 12 stitches) Knit 6 more rows (3 purl ridges on the front side) Bind off.
Pick up 76 stitches from the cast on edge and repeat the above directions.
Sew up side seams, weave in ends.

I used garter stitch as an example but in the spirit of making it your own, you can use any stitch that doesn't curl such as seed stitch. I will be sure to add this to the end of the pattern post also.

I did start on the Malabrigo bag, but I'm not particularly happy with it right now, it just didn't come out like I had pictured in my head. I'm working on a baby surprise jacket for a preggo friend of my mine and that is almost done, so I might try and pick it back up and have another pattern by the end of this week. Then it is off to Colorado for me!!