Okay, so some of you hard core Bloggers/Readers out there may already know about this. However, since I’m participating, I must do my part in informing the masses.

There is a pretty new online yarn shop on the block, The Sweet Sheep, based in Canada, run by the awesome Michelle. Super friendly to indy dyers. Michelle has put together a sock club. As I understand it, once a month, for 4 months, you will recieve an exclusive skein of handdyed yarn, dyed by either, myself (this means an exclusive skein of Vesper Self Striping Yarn!) The awsome, Mama E, and her C*eye*ber Fiber, the oh so talented Heather, of All Things Heather, and Michelle, of The Sweet Sheep.

Signups begin Monday, Oct 2nd, at 8PM EST and is limited to 30 spots. To find out more, go here.

This has been a Knitterly Service Announcement.

Filed by Julia at 2:53 pm under Get Your Yarn!!
9 Comments

Mmm. Serious Stash Enhancement. I saw this yarn way far back in July, at a shop in Michigan, and this last time I was up there, I finally splurged. This is Reynolds Whiskey.

I love it. I bought about 5 differant colors. This is a new yarn, and all the shade are pretty heathery colors. Very bold, not your run of the mill colors. I’ve been loving Adrian’s colorwork mittens for a long time. That’s what I have in mind for these skeins. Think of Jameisons Shetland, but really soft. That’s what this is like. Also, I bought Jodi’s new Pattern. I really like this sweater. So pretty. However, this will be a true test of knitting for me.
US 4 needles, 7 st/in. I know. I know.
I ordered the yarn from the shop I work at anyway. Mmm. In Jodi’s post she says people may be having trouble finding this pattern. Well, I bought mine at The Crafty Lady Trio, in Macomb, Michigan. They will mail order. This is Reynolds Whiskey pattern #82391. Get out your credit card.

I started swatching.

It occured to me as I was knitting this, that while I am perfectly aware of my addiction to knitting, and even maybe more so, buying and aquiring yarn and fiber,(shutupyouknowyouallaretoo!) that it would be nice to be addicted to knitting a finished garment. No, really, I was knitting, and sitting right on the table in front of me was the little pink and pink striped baby hoodie. All blocked and needing to be seamed. (heehee.)

The last four days I’ve organized and carried out a full on yarn dyeing assault. I’m planning another update soon, and want to have 50+skeins in the shop this time. I. am. tired. and I’m not done yet. I also dyed up 4oz of BFL for me. I’ve never spun BFL before, and it’s sooooo soft. So I may have to drop everything and spin that up too. Jebus help me…….

Filed by Julia at 6:11 pm under Knitting,Stash Enhancement
10 Comments

Seriously. Look at that face! My new little cousin, Gia. This is the most precious little thing I’ve ever seen. She’s 10 days old here. I never would have believed something so wrinkly and squirmey could be so unbelievable amazing. I am in awe of this little life.

Because I know you can’t get enough…and one more…
Her Mom is doing very well, just tired! I can hardly believe she’s a mom. She and her husband practically have to beat the new Grandmas away, or they’d never leave!
I gave her the Bunny Bootees, and they are still way to big for this little sweetie, as all of her clothes are too big yet, but my Cousin flipped over them. She learned how to knit a few years ago, and is still in the scarf and afghan phase, so she really loved them, knowing the work I put into them, and here they are….

In all my Knitting years this is the first time I’ve ever knit Bootees. Got to say, I like it. The bootee part took about two evenings, and the ears took a way long time, what with all the stitching and placement. There’s definately some wabi sabi action going on in the stitching of the faces, but that is the beauty of handknitting!
The pattern is from 50 Baby Bootees to Knit, the Animal Bootees, the bunny version, obviously.
I knit them in Baby Ull, on size US 2 (2.5mm) addi turbos. The pattern called for dk weight yarn, but I knew she was a little thing, so I knit them in sport weight to make them a bit smaller. I used just a small amount of yarn, I could easily get two more pairs with what I have left.

I’m working on the striped hoodie for her now, I got alot of Knitting done up in Michigan. Usually I hardly knit at all when I’m there. That’s what happens when you get stuck up there for two extra days. Oh yes. Stupid jerk Jeep and it’s dumb power steering pump. It’s an epson printer situation. I’m back in P’burgh now, but without my Jeep. That means another trip up to see the fam, darn.
I will be stocking the shop on Friday, so if you’re on the mailing list, you will be notified in advance, lots of Vesper Striping yarn! Soon I’ll have some hand dyed Blue Faced Leicester roving too, lots of fun stuff!!

Filed by Julia at 1:37 am under Gia,Knitting
22 Comments

I’m almost finished with the wee bootees I’ve been knitting. I just have to stitch the Bunny face on them. Do expect photos of them on wee baby feet at the end of the week. I went to finish them last night, and I realized I had forgotton them at work on Tuesday. I had brought them to show the ladies I work with. I wouldn’t have minded, normally, but it’s a 20-30 minute drive both ways, and I had yarn to dye and stuff to get ready to leave tomorrow.
I’m driving up to Detroit. Again. Seeing the new baby in the family is a plus, but I have to go pick up my Jeep. It had some work done. Namely, a new front end. Thank my sister for backing her BMW into it while it was parked on the driveway. It was covered, no big deal.

So I have about a million projects on the needles, and I started another one. This is a cute sweater for the baby Gia.

Baby Cashmerino. Mmm. I have a sleeve and a half, so not so interesting. I am loving knitting it, though, the sleeves are 7″ long, glorified swatches, really!

So look forward to baby photos, and a yarn update as soon as I get back!

Filed by Julia at 8:38 pm under Gia,Knitting
8 Comments

Hi there. I’ve been spinning.

This is some corridale(I think) and Mylar Glitz roving I bought at the Michigan Fiber Fest, spun into singles. I forget who it’s from, all those vendors, hard to keep track of, you know.
I plied it last night, and it’s perfectly balanced. Yay!

All that fuzzyness you see is the Glitz. It’s fun to spin up, but it does make the yarn a tad bit less soft. The photo of it in the skein is the most true to color. Very grapey purple, with some fuschia, and a surprise bit of yellow, here and there. Now, whatever shall I knit with it?

I also finished the back of my Cashsoft Lush Hoodie. Such exciting photos, let me tell you. Here’s some details, cause it mostly just looks like a knitted green blob-itty blob. With some shaping.

Beginners, be wary. This is a very basic, all stockinette, run of the mill sweater. However; the neck shaping given for the back is funny. I modified it to be understandable. They have you work both sides together(?) but the shaping they give does not work for knitting them both at the same time. So I knit them seperately, and it worked out just fine. Also. They don’t tell you what to do with the center stitches(?) I stuck them on a holder. So yeah. Everything with this pattern is simple, but not all of it may be obvious.

I haven’t started the fronts, yet, I have alot of loose WIP’s I’m trying (trying) to finish up. My cousin just had a wee baby girl earlier this week, and she needs some wee booties. So I’m working on those. They are cute! I’m not a person who throws the word cute around, but these booties are cute, cute, cute! And tiny. They named her Gia, and she weighed in at 6lbs, 4oz. Cute!

Yup. Anyways, the UPS guy showed up with my massive yarn order, so I’ll be in my kitchen all week. Yay.

Filed by Julia at 8:11 pm under Knitting,Spinning
7 Comments

I can now say I realize how easy it is to let the blog go. Not that anything interestingly out of the ordinary is going on over here. Actually, yeah, it’s fucking COLD. over here. Last September I still had the AC cranked, today I broke out the hoodies. I hate cold weather. I want to cry at the thought of coming snow. First plane to Califorinia, here I come! No, not really.

There’s been knitting!
I have 2, count them 2, Sleeves for the Lush hoodie, and almost an entire back. If it were done, I could wear it today.

This is the beautious green yarn I dyed. I love how it’s knitting up. I am a little nervous that I don’t have enough, and that sucks. Somebody please tell me hows come, even though I am spot on gauge, and have dyed 200 yards more than the pattern called for, and I’m running short? I really want the full hoodie on this thing. I could always shorten the collar into something else, but Dammit. There is no way on this green earth that I will match the first dye job. I might come close, and have to alternate rows, so I’ll finish the fronts and decide then. Did you ever notice how you tend to knit faster when you think you’re running out of yarn? Also, if I watch spooky movies and knit, I knit faster.
I’m also knitting a 2×2 rib vanilla scarf. Out of Crystal Palaces’ lovely new yarn,
Taos

It stripes if you knit not so wide, and looks equally awesome in sweaters. Good price, good yardage!

I made the best stash aquisition at the Michigan Fiber Fest! I’ve wanted this for awhile, but fiqured I’d buy I’d when I came across it. It’s STR in Cara’s fabulous “Prove it all Night’ Colorway.

You can drool, it’s okay, I’ll avert my eyes. This brings my STR stash total to 6 skeins. Happiness. I also bought a wee bit of roving. I mostly go for the fun of petting rovings and yarn and fiber.

I’ve been dyeing self striping Vesper yarns, yay! I put a big lot of it up in the shop today, most of which is gone. I’m waiting for a huge yarn order so I can dye more. (hurry up UPS guy!) Hopefully I get it early next week.

I’m also knitting a bunch of socks. I’m letting SSS run rampant over here, but now that it’s cold I’m thinking I should finish up a pair or two…. and it’s time to dig out the ufo’s from the spring that didn’t need to be finished in the summer. I have about 20 minutes worth of work to finish my Sunrise Jacket, lots of end weaving, bleh, and way far back in March I started a cashmere hat for James I might as well finish now.

Mmmm, that’s about it… I’m off to package orders and find a blanket and make more coffee. Cheers.

Filed by Julia at 8:55 pm under Knitting
14 Comments