I can't wait!!

Where will you be on Sunday?

I'll be here!



If you live in the MD/DC area (or even if you don't and just want to go for a road trip) come on over!



For a full list of vendors - check out their official site:

Homespun Yarn Party


There will be yarn and roving and lots of goodies made by some local fiber artists. I'll be at the Mama-E Cyberfiber booth helping out. Come and say hello!

Wednesday's WIP update

I'm flying!




I just can't get enough of this sweater. I started it March 16th. Do you think I could actually finish it by the end of the month?

This is one of the patterns that Michelle put up as options in her March Sweater Madness in a month challenge. I never thought I'd finish a sweater in a month, much less in under a month!

Here's to hoping I can perform miracles!

Images of Spring

Spring is here! I can feel it! I can smell it in the air! I love this time of year most of all. Everything dead is coming back to life! Here are few signs of spring I've been seeing ...










Enjoy it while you can!

Easter in review

It was a great easter weekend! I went to visit my parents in PA for Easter this year and it was so much fun.

I love the traditions of Easter, and being home - made it especially fun to relive some of those traditions.

I come from a long line of crafty women and this Easter "Egg tree" is a perfect example of this.


It's covered in handmade ornaments, mostly made by my grandmothers and my mother. I think I helped with a few when I was little too.

My maternal grandmother made this Raggedy Ann egg - isn't it the cutest?



My mom and paternal grandmother made this egg - Look it's tatting! The flowers are tatted! I am so amazed at this. I never knew anyone who tatted (or at least I thought I hadn't) and seeing this egg was a real treat.



More tatting...


I was inspired by all this easter creativity and I decided to add to the egg tree with my own creation,. I knit a colorwork egg from this pattern... and added it to the collection. I hope to add to the tree every year.




More traditions!
It's not easter without an egg hunt....



We got lots of easter candy and plastic eggs and hid them all over the house. It's a good thing we counted the eggs before we hid them this year - because there have been years when we never found all the eggs! When my parents moved a few years ago, they found eggs with 20 year old candy inside! hehehe!

I think overdid the candy a bit... ok, a lot!


It's back on the wagon for me now that easter is over.

So - did anyone crack into a soda yet? I didn't. I am going to try to keep it going. Confession time - who cracked one open? Who made it the full 40 days? I promised presents for everyone who made it - so do tell! Include your email address in the comments if Blogger doesn't have it. I'll be contacting everyone who made it for their address.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

WIP Wednesday

I'm not normally one who shares my WIPs regularly - but right now that's all I've got!! So here's a sneak peak at some of the things I'm working on...

Remember my night at Erin's studio? Well the kermit green yarn wasn't the only thing that got dyed. Erin dyed me some roving....

I spun it up and it's gorgeous!



I just love her merino-tencel. It's just so luscious! I'm calling this color "Lucky".

I couldn't resist starting a new sweater with it - so I immediately cast on for my "Lucky" top-down raglan!



I'm using Stephanie Japel's "Raglan from the top down" as my basis for the sweater, but I'm sure I've strayed from her basic raglan already. I decided to add yarn overs at the raglan shaping for a little extra interest.



I love the mindless nature of top-down raglans, because believe me, I've needed mindless this week!

I'm sure I'll grow bored with it eventually, but right now I can't get enough!

My other WIP at the moment is a test knit for Jolene. It's just a giant blob of lace-in-progress right now, but I know it will be amazing when it's done!



The yarn is from Yarn Pig - it's a merino tencel sock yarn called Sangria, - so for the moment this is my Sangria shawl!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Beast... and the Beauty!

I ordered some yarn online and I thought it would be fabulous! Unfortunately when I got it - it looked like this:



You could say - Kermit threw up on it and I wouldn't be insulted! Something had to be done.

So - enter my pal Erin and a wonderful night at her studio and you get this!




I had so much fun! A couple other friends were over for wine and conversation while I took up my post at the dye pot...



It was so much fun to see the color change from Kermit ick to beauty!

Here's my sample that I used to make sure I had the right concoction...

I'm cooking yarn spagetti!



(This pic brings a whole new meaning to "yummy yarn!")

Anyway - after it cooled off...



I went home with a fabulous new Box - o yarn!



Just in time for St Patty's Day too!

Just in case you didn't notice the full impact of the before and after - here's a pic to highlight just how much it changed...



Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Diet Coke update!

It's been 36 days since I gave up Diet Coke. I didn't think I could do it! But I have been soda free for over a month! How are you doing? Anyone cave in to the caffinated treat?

Instead of soda, I've been been drinking lots of water, crystal light and iced tea.

For those of you who joined my No Diet Coke challenge - there's only 10 days left before you can crack one open! Do you think you will go back to it? I'm going to try not to.

Give me an update! How are you doing?

And because I hate posts without pictures - here's my latest hand spun. It's 100% merino roving hand dyed by the wonderful Woolarina.




I was trying for a worsted weight yarn and I think I ended up with more of a bulky worsted. I have about 145 yards. I'm thinking this would make a beautiful sweater yoke.

Now I just need a few more skeins in the same weight in some different colors and I'll be ready!

Spin-a-rama

I took a bit of a break from knitting the past few days, since I'm in between big projects, and set to work on a few batches of handspun.

Maybe I was just inspired after seeing all the awesome things some people are spinning!



It's a 100% merino roving by Cyberfiber. Look at those rich beautiful colors! Mama-E knows her dye!!




I just finished a gorgeous 4 oz batt of Woolarina last night - pictures of that one after it dries. It's so pretty!

I also started a braid of Noelle's Noodles. It's still on the bobbin.

I love playing with all the different types of rovings. It's amazing how different BFL and merino and merino tencel each are. I have to spin each of them slightly differently. I'm still very new to spinning, but I still notice that the roving is forcing me to do different things with it.

Have you spun anything lately? What is your favorite type of roving? Do tell!

Top down raglan in done!!

After a bath and rest, I am happy to say the never-ending top down raglan is finally done!



Stats:

Pattern: Unpattern top down raglan by Karen Alfke
Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool in color code 35
Needles: Knit Picks Interchangables in size US 7
Alterations: Added seed stitch edging


This post has been a year and a half in the works. I started this sweater at Stitches east in 2006 after taking the Unpattern: Top down raglan class from Karen Alfke. We knit teddy bear sweaters in class to learn the technique - which is basically a way to create the perfect sized raglan based on your yarn gauge and the size you want to end up with.



Immediately after I took this photo - I had an idea...



"Ah mom! Bailey is laughing at me! Take it off!"



heheh! Sorry - got side tracked....

Anyway - after knitting the teddy bear sweater - I ran down to the marketplace and bought enough yarn to knit a sweater for me! I was so excited! My first sweater! I cast on immediately and the sweater began...

... and continued, until I got about here:



...then I proceeded to get tired of knitting stockinette in the round! And into hibernation it went.

It sat untouched for over a year. After finished my CPH and Ariann, I wanted to start another new sweater - I was on a roll! But this sweater kept calling to me... "what about me?"it wanted to know. "Did you forget me?"

So - I did the right thing. I went back and finished my work.
And I'm very happy I did - because now I have the perfect sweater for relaxing on the couch, wearing over t-shirts and wearing when I just want to be comfy!

Here are some more details:











So Karen - if you ever find this post - I finally finished my sweater! Thanks for an awesome pattern!!

Sneak Preview!

She's blocking!!!

This sweater has been on the needles since Stitches East of 2006! I can't believe she's finally done!!

Here's a preview:



The colors are the most accurate in the first picture... it's midnight and it's dark - so give me a break!

Even if the next photos aren't 100% true to the actual color - they do capture the gorgeous tonal variations of this yarn. Araucania nature wool is just amazing!





More pictures coming soon - I just couldn't resist posting!

Kiss That Frog...

and you will find your prince!

I test knit a mitten pattern for Beth called Kiss That Frog. Aren't they cute!
When you put your palms together - you get a whole frog!



Stats:
Pattern: Kiss that Frog by Beth of Bethtoons
Yarn: Lion brand
Needles: Size 3 DPNs
Alterations: none

Here's the other side...



These count for the ABC along too! They are Colorwork mittens - ha!

It figures I knit these mittens and now it's getting nice and warm! Spring is in the air in more ways than one - it's a beautiful day today and look what I saw peeping up!

The first crocuses!




It was a great weekend too - I had a great time on Saturday hanging with Jacey, Erin and Paula - thanks for a great time at the Red Canoe!




Oh and I got to check out a new (to me) yarn store - Spinster Yarns and Fibers - an eco-friendly yarn and spinning shop. I highly recommend it! There's no website yet - but the address is:
4337 B Harford Rd. in Baltimore. Grab some yarn and a cup a joe upstairs at Red Canoe!