Flu

Last Monday I was minding my own business and went to the doctor for some routine blood work.  I started to feel a little tired on Wednesday and by Thursday morning there was no way I was getting out of bed.  Coughing, fever and feeling like I had been hit by a truck.  I figured it was just a little bug and took some Dayquil and Nyquil.  By Saturday I was not improving so Andy hauled me back to the doctor (can you see the irony here?) where I found out that I had the flu.  Five days of Tamiflu and lot's of rest has me almost back to normal.  I normally don't go to the doctor when I first get sick as usually I get better fairly quickly.  This has been a huge learning experience and I have to say that if you are not feeling well and it's flu season, don't wait.  I could have been feeling much better sooner if I gone in when I first started feeling ill.

Now, on to much more fun stuff!  Today I released Frost in Bloom - The Hat.  It's introductory priced at $3.50 until February 1 in my Ravelry shop.  Shown here in Indieway Yarns First String in the Delicate Pastels colorway. I've also updated the Frost in Bloom infinity scarf pattern with new formatting and my logo. 

The handspun sweater that I had posted about last time is nearly done.  I'm so excited about it!  It fits me really well and I love how it kind of stripes in the center.  The fleece that I used was from a Jacob sheep which are multicolored.  It's a little difficult to blend the colors together evenly when processing fleece by hand so some of the skeins that I spun are darker or lighter and have a cool striping effect.  I think I was pretty lucky with where the darker stripe is. It sort of looks like it was intended that way and gives a slimming illusion in the waist area. 

I knitted the button and neck band all in one piece, adding a bit of mitering where they join.  It still needs a final steam to smooth out the button band.  I'm heading out tomorrow in search of ribbon to line the inside of the button band with.  The buttons are so cute!  I had purchased two of them a couple of years ago from Melissa Jean while I was at MDSW.  I had no idea what I would use them for and when I laid them out on this sweater I knew they were perfect!  I went to her online shop and ordered more (thankfully she had them in stock) and they arrived yesterday.  There will be nine of them, which is why I need to line the button band. 

The First Clue from the Intersect MKAL went out today.  I can't wait to see everyone's projects!  If you have a chance pop on over to the Indieway Yarns group on Ravelry to see all the Intersect projects!

Contest Winners and Frost in Bloom - The Hat

Thank you to everyone who left a comment and shared their best birthday memories.  I really enjoyed reading all of them. 

The prize winners chosen by Random Number Generator are:

CeltChick has won the The Harmony Guides: Knit Edgings & Trims

 
Kris has won the Yummy Sock Yarn along with the Mirrored Step Pattern.

When Andy and I got up on Saturday it was a dreary looking day.  The sky was dark and gray and there were showers in the forecast.  Most people would think that it wouldn't be a great day to take pictures, but sometimes those gray days are the best.  The lack of sunlight produces pictures without a lot of shadows and glare which are perfect.  We were able to get two sets of pictures done.  One for Frost in Bloom - The Hat and the other one is for.....the new Mystery KAL with Indieway Yarns that will be coming at the beginning of 2014!  Squee!  The pictures for it came out fantastic, but since it's a Mystery, we won't be able to show them until after the KAL.  I'll have more information here on the blog in the next few weeks.  It's going to be a lot of fun and there will be a thread in the Indieway Yarns group on Raverly for the KAL.

I can show you Frost in Bloom - The Hat.  It's a really fun knit!  I'm putting the final touches on the pattern and will have it ready for test knitting by the end of next week.  It's in First String Sock from Indieway in Delicate Pastels.

Last but not least, I'm binding off on The Bat shawl.  It's really pretty, and very batty!  There are a lot of beads in the pattern.  A lot.  Like 585 of the black beads alone, plus the red beads in the black section, and the beads for the bind off. That's a lot of bead placement and a lot of cursing when I would drop one and it would wind up somewhere in dust bunny hell under the sofa.  I didn't realize that Wendy was nice enough to include extra beads in the kit or I wouldn't have gone on a safari looking for the ones I dropped!

The Cosiest Time of the Year

Late fall is here and it's one of my favorite seasons.  The morning air is crisp and clean, a brisk breeze rustles through the fallen leaves and there is a bit of frost on the windshield of the car when I head outside. I love being able to cuddle up on the couch with Andy in the evenings after dinner. This weekend we are hoping to sit out on the patio and have a little fire to roast marshmallows over while wearing our hand knits.

It's the perfect time of year for hat's and I've been working on a new design to go with the  Frost in Bloom infinity scarf.  It's going to be called Frost in Bloom - The Hat.  Knit up in Indieway Yarns First String Sock in the Delicate Pastels colorway, it's super soft and light.  It's just warm enough to keep the chill off your head on a cooler day.

A couple of months ago, I saw an ad on Ravelry for Dark Shadows: Bat Shawl Mystery KAL.  I couldn't resist and signed up the day it opened.  If you are in the KAL and haven't completed the first clue and don't want a spoiler, don't read any further!

The first clue was released last week and I've already completed it.  There are little bats hanging in the center panel and the sides look like vampire teeth.  It's very cute and I can't wait to see what the finished shawl is going to look like.

Here is clue #1

I've also been working on Monkey Jacobus for the Shalimar Yarns Monkey Mayhem KAL on Ravelry.  It's a really fun pattern and has seamless construction.  It's kind of like putting a puzzle together and I'm really enjoying knitting him.

There are a couple of fun things coming up.  The first one which I have been sworn to secrecy about will announced right after Thanksgiving.  I can't give too many hints, but I can say that it's going to be a lot fun and filled with surprises!  The second thing is next week I will be turning a year older and a year closer to being able to join AARP and Senior Singles (Have you checked your SPAM folder lately?  That is what is in mine!) I will be having a special coupon for a discount in my Ravelry Shop.  Check back on the blog on Monday for the coupon code and to sign up for the prize give away that I have planned!

Camberwell

Butterflies have been a source of enjoyment for me since I was a child.  I loved to see them flying around my Grandmothers rock garden in the summer time.  Many species of butterflies migrate to warmer climates in the fall.  Their flight path is incredibly long and I find it amazing that a creature so small can travel so far.  Last fall when Andy and I were fishing we got to experience seeing Monarch Butterflies on their path to Mexico. It was incredible to see the huge number of them all flying in the same direction. I've kept an eye out this fall, but so far haven't spotted any.

When I started the design for the Camberwell Collection, my inspiration was the Camberwell Beauty.

I love the brown, blue and golden color of it's wings and almost chevron like edging. The contrast between the colors is so striking.

I think I've come pretty close with the design and colors.  The yarn is Shalimar Breathless in Butterscotch, Neptune and Bark.  The cowl is long enough so that you could wrap it twice around your neck on those really chilly winter days that are right around the corner.  The mitts come in two sizes and knit up in no time.  This is a really fantastic stash busting project.  My test knitters all did stash diving to make theirs!  I have a few friends who live in colder climates who tease me about my fingerless mitts. While they may not be the ideal thing for subzero weather, they are perfect for keeping the chill out here in Virginia and work great layered over full fingered gloves on cold days.  If you work in a chilly office or live with someone who tends to be more conservative with the heat than you would like, fingerless gloves are great to wear inside as well.

The Camberwell Collection includes the cowl and mitt pattern on Ravelry for $8.50.  They can also be purchased separately in my Raverly Pattern Shop.

A HUGE thank you goes to the best group of test knitters: Beth, Margi, Tina, Sherry,  Pam, and Isabelle.  They knitted like the wind to get their projects done on time and had great feedback for me as well.  Tina blogged about the Camberwell Collection and has a pattern giveaway there.  The drawing for a copy of the Camberwell Collection is on October 11, so be sure to leave a comment on Tina's blog before then!

A couple of months ago, I had mentioned the KAL that Wendi from Indieway Yarns was hosting with my Ferry Beach and Wandering Wildflower patterns.  The KAL has wound down and it was so much fun!  I had a great time getting to know all the fun gals in the group and had a chance to knit another pair of Ferry Beach socks in Wendi's First String Sock Yarn.  My all time favorite thing from the KAL is this picture!

 

Photo by: Keith Spiro

Ferry Beach socks AT FERRY BEACH!  How cool is that?  Adrienne, aka killerb on Ravlery, and her husband Keith were on vacation and just happened to stop and take a picture of Adrienne and her socks at Ferry Beach State Park.

I won't be blogging next week because Andy and I are taking a much needed vacation.  The biggest worry is what to bring to knit on.  My current WIP is a shawl design that should be coming off the needles tonight.  I may make another Frost in Bloom.  It's a super easy to knit pattern and makes a great gift.  The holiday gift giving season is nearly here and that might put me ahead for once. 

Indieway KAL

I'm so honored that Wendi from Indiway Yarns is hosting a KAL on Ravely with two of my patterns!  It's beginning on August 9th and running until midnight on September 30.  Choose between Ferry Beach, a cuff down sock and Wandering Wildflower, an infinity cowl.  Use any of Wendi's fab yarns to participate.

 
Wendi has generously offered free shipping for yarn for this KAL using coupon code: shipfree in her Etsy Shop.  If you would like to purchase Ferry Beach or Wandering Wildflower for the KAL I have a coupon code for 15% off until August 4th.  Use coupon code: Indie in my Ravelry Pattern Shop. Wendi will be having a drawing for a prize at the end of the KAL too! 

I  hope to see you in the KAL!  It's going to be a lot of fun.  I'm enjoying getting to know everyone in Wendi's friendly group.  My long time Ravelry pal Tess is taking part in the KAL and I'm really excited that she is going to be knitting one of my patterns!

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the lovely Frost in Bloom that Wendi made using her Delicate Pastels Colorway.  It's a really beautiful colorway and would also look great as a Wandering Wildflower Cowl or Ferry Beach Socks!

True Confessions

I think in life when we enjoy something some of us may tend to go a little bit overboard.  Now, a few of you who know me in real life are going to think: oh here she goes complaining talking about all of Andy's fishing equipment (it has it's own room in our finished basement).  No, this time it's a confession of my own.  Not only do I hoard yarn like a crazed chipmunk hiding acorns before a long winter, but I have another fetish.  I can't really call it a hobby because it's gone way beyond that.  But ok, here goes, true confession time.  I'm a MakeupAholic.  Particularly with eyeshadow and eyeliner.  I don't ever leave the house without wearing both along with mascara.  My friend Angie won't even get the mail without lipstick on so I don't think I'm alone in this. 

This is the collection of eyeshadow.  It's mostly Smashbox with some Urban Decay, Ulta and one Mac thrown in for good measure.   It's all much prettier in person than in this low lit picture.  It's a lot, I know.  I really do use all of it though.  The two Urban Decay pallets in the upper right are my new favorites.  The shadow doesn't crease or flake and the colors have a lot of pigment in them.

I love nail polish too.  Surprise, surprise right?  I don't wear it on my fingernails very often as they are soft and flexible.  The polish will usually chip off in a matter of days and sometimes even a few hours.  Ive have professional manicures and they don't last any longer so Ive given up on that.  I keep my toenails painted throughout the warmer months and the seem to do pretty well.  Painted toenails are kind of like little jewels for your toes.  This blue polish made me smile:

 The shoes are to distract you from the white glow from my feet!

The nail polish is all stored in a cute little wig box that I picked up at a tag sale.  The three at the top are by Butter London.   They have some amazing colors that coordinate nicely with my hand knits and wear really well.

 

I had a thumb injury a couple of weeks ago that required a trip to the emergency room and a round of antibiotics.  It injury was quite painful and prevented me from knitting for a while.  I'm finally back to my needles and much happier.  I'm still keeping it covered for a while longer, but at least it's just with a band aid and much easier to work with. 

While I don't have much to show that Ive been working on, Wendi finished her Frost in Bloom and it's really stunning.  I love the color so much that I had to order a skein for myself.  Wendi has her own shop and dyed this herself.

My newest sock pattern, Wentletrap, is in the final stages of being published.  The editor is going over it to make sure that I haven't made any errors in the written portion.  We had a photo shoot last weekend and the pictures turned out pretty well.  Due to the enormous amount of rain we have been having we had to take the pictures inside. I like the contrast of the orange yarn with our blue wainscoting.  Look for the pattern release early next week.

 

Wentletrap