Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Knitterly Spring Cleaning

Hi Knitters,
After decades of knitting a person tends to pick up a skein here and a hank there... I have been digging around in my house and I am unearthing quite a few forgotten finds.

Above I have two hanks of Bugga! sock yarn in golden tones plus a cake of Be Sweet Bubble Ball in the African Autumn colorway. The Bubble Ball I picked up at a Madison Knitters Guild meeting a long while ago. I like these all together somehow but I think one skein will become a shawl that maybe incorporates the felt balls and the other will become a pair of socks.
The Koigu above I picked up on my first book tour when I stopped in Purl in 2006. I made a pair of socks out of the variegated Koigu on that trip and then didn't like the way they fit. I ripped them out and the yarn has sat ever since. The pink I picked up somewhere else along that tour, possibly Minneapolis, and a bit of it ended up in the Hippo from Itty-Bitty Toys. The two are kind of pretty together.
I have had a long love of Sunshine Yarns (in the photo above). I have knit with it a lot and I have also gathered a lot along the way. Dani (the dyer and owner) is masterful with color. I have met her in person which makes you love her yarn even more. She is a gem.
I have gathered more Koigu and on the end is some Artyarns in the greens and blues. These were all at the bottom of a small basket and totally forgotten about. What gorgeous colors. I now keep these in a glass jar in my studio so I can see them.
This is my handspun all wound and ready to cast on. I am planning on making this shawl with it. The pattern is printed and the needles are even at the ready. Hopefully someday soon it will happen.

Here are some more fibery things I am thinking about today:
Craftsanity Magazine Issue 2 in print or pdf versions (someone you know may be in this issue)
This new book (only I can't sew in a straight line)
I love this entirely Cosy etsy shop - I'd like all of it, please.
This is my spinning goal (my heart floats when I see these:)

Lastly, the Beans for Brains Scholarship Program is still taking submissions. They are offering six $3,000 scholarships and it is open until April 1rst. Click here to find out more about it. Here is more about it:
The Beans for Brains scholarship is a merit-based scholarship open to all students attending an accredited institution in the fall of 2011. Applicants must know how to knit or crochet, must provide an original pattern or a photo of a recent project, and must be ok with us publishing their photo in future media ventures. We heartily encourage our customers attending school, or their children/grandchildren to apply. The scholarship is open to undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students in any course of study.
Okay, I have to include a short bit on TC's crafting corner here. She took an old, worn out and way too small pair of jeans and cut out the back pockets to make two small pocket purses. She took some other old clothes and made appliques for embellishments. I think she saw this in an issue of Family Fun, which is one of her favorites magazines for gathering crafting ideas. We highly recommend this magazine. She took her new pocket purse to the movies to hold her money last weekend. It was really cute.
I ordered TC a ball of the Be Sweet Bambino Taffy cotton yarn as a surprise. I knew she would absolutely love it and I was right. She cast on immediately for a new baby hat. She wants it to have a long stocking top to get through all of the colors.

You know what's extra cool about this yarn is that on the label is an adorable baby hat pattern written by Tanis Gray (one of my faves). Oh my gosh, I just read that she has a baby on the way. Congratulations to Tanis!
Finally, TC took an old pajama top and cut off the sleeves (this may have been in Family Fun, too). I helped her with my sewing machine to stitch the bottom of the shirt together and to reattach the arms as straps. Now she has a new bag to hold her Be Sweet Taffy hat.

There is so much cool stuff to see and do. What a wonderful world.
best, susie

8 comments:

Barb said...

You and TC leave me breathless!! I want to read everything and knit everything and look at everything - and there never seems to be enough time to do it all!

You are so clever, talented and creative (not to mention generous) and it appears the TC is following in your footsteps! Obviously, she must be a joy to you!

Thanks to both of you for sharing so much with us!!

Love your blogs!!!

Heather L. said...

I got your new book this week and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!! I bought it to make the hen for my nephew for Easter and now I want to make him everything...I was counting out how many holidays and birthdays it would take until he had the whole collection.....maybe I'm a bit too ambitious. But, we'll start with the hen.

Heather said...

Ohmygoodness! Thanks so much for linking to my shop. <3

Heather
winemakerssister

Stefanie said...

I love those brown mixed Koigu yarns you have. The colorways are awesome!
TC is so amazing and crafty cute.

Judi A. said...

Oh, I love your yarns - especially that pink! What a neat idea of putting some in a large glass jar to be able to see them all the time. I have a couple large pickle jars that would be perfect for that, so I'm off to dig them out and fill up with "eye candy." :-)

Teresa said...

I just wanted to say thank you for the giveaway on Sheep Dreams! I was lucky enough to be the second name drawn and the first to reply. I'm thrilled to be getting a copy of your latest book and some of your delicious yarn! I can't wait to meet Chloe and Spud as they come off my needles! I just finished a Hello Baby Cardigan minutes before you posted the Hello Baby Hat (now on my needles). I have and love your Itty Bitty Toys book. I sure wish you had been designing all those cute baby things when my girls were born! Oh well, soon enough my girls will be having babies of their own and I'll be ready! Thanks again - so very much - Teresa

6toknit4 said...

You are so cute, I just watched you spinning in your video, and I wish you were my next door neighbor, and our girls could play together too!

KarenJ said...

Here's another one for TC. Turn an old, worn pair of jeans inside out and saw across the bottom at crotch level. Cut off the legs and reinforce. The legs can be cut into straps. Add lace, ribbons etc. to suit and then put a pretty bandana through the belt loops to draw closed or not as she pleases.