Frostwork

I'm so pleased to announce the release of Frostwork, my latest sock pattern.  Frostwork is knit up in Peppino from The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze which is now being carried at The Loopy Ewe!

I had so much fun designing this sock and watching the lace pattern take shape.  It reminds me of diamond window panes from an English cottage that have been gracefully decorated in the night with Jack Frosts artwork. Use Coupon Code: JackFrost2014 for 20% off of Frostwork in my Ravelry Shop through 2/25.

A New Beginning

Sometimes in life we have to make some tough decisions that we really don't want to.  Working for Shalimar Yarns for the past three years was truly a wonderful experience.  I enjoyed helping the company grow and expand, getting to meet many wonderful people, and making new friends along the way.  It was a really hard decision to leave, but one that is the best for me and for my family.

Last week was my last week with Shalimar and it was bittersweet.  I have received so many emails, phone calls and messages wishing me the best and thanking me for my help.  It's been overwhelming and very emotional.  I really didn't expect anything like this and feel very honored.  I have also received a few questions on why I chose to leave. It was a very hard choice to make because not only did I leave my position, but left a friendship as well.  The reasons for leaving are nothing that needs to be addressed  publicly and I hope that is something that people can relate to and understand.

So what will I be doing now?  This was something that I asked myself before making my final decision.  As my husband says, this is an opportunity for a new beginning and my choices are unlimited.  For now, I will be concentrating on designing while I look for a new position.  I am hoping to stay in the yarn industry since that is where my skills can be used to their fullest potential.

I am really excited to have a new design coming out this Friday, Frostwork in Peppino.  The colorway is Frosted Windows and I really love the way it worked up in the pattern!  I will be giving away a copy of the Frostwork on my Facebook Page this Friday.  So be sure to "like" Lara Smoot Designs on Facebook for details on how to win!

Cabin Fever

Well we finally had some snow here!  I know, I know, if you are living in one of the colder ares of the country you probably are sick and tired of the snow that has been inundating most of the country.  The forecasters have been promising snow for weeks now and Monday they predicted a blizzard.  Growing up in Maine when the forecasters call for a blizzard we knew to get prepared.  Here in Virginia preparation is still good, but not quite to the extreme that is called for elsewhere.  Are you ready to see the massive amount of snow that we got?

Yup, that's grass sticking up through the snow there.  If you look carefully you can see the nearly bare street in front of our house.  I took this picture early in the morning and by lunchtime most of the snow had melted. 

It has been pretty cold here over the past couple of weeks.  I'm taking full advantage of being inside for most of the day by working on some projects.  There is a really great tutorial from Martha Stewart on how to make Felted Knitting Baskets from old wool sweaters.  I had saved a sweater that had shrunk when I washed it to use for craft projects and decided to give this a go.  I tossed it in the washer with hot water and a little Dawn.  After it dried, I followed Martha's directions and voila!

That's Best Worsted from Indieway Yarns in Howlin' Wolf on the left, I'll be Home for Christmas in the center, Black Currant in the very back and a skein of Gnome Acres fingering in Aquaman peeking out on the right (that was from Andy for Christmas because I had a crush on Aquaman when I was a kid).

The basket was so easy and fun to make that I headed over to Goodwill to see if they had any wool sweaters that could work for another one.  I wound up finding two in the men's section for $3.75 each!  I felted both of them and have already turned one into a basket.

I put them on the shelf in the living room for now.  Eventually when the yarn/craft room/office is organized they will go in there. 

I have a couple of new designs that will be coming out very soon.  Margi just finished test knitting Scrowl and it will be released next Friday (1/31).  It's knit up in Shalimar Yarns Edie Aran and only takes two skeins.  It's a very versatile accessory and can be worn as a cowl, wrap, and a scarf!

I finally figured out a name for the socks in Peppino!  I'm calling it: Frostwork.  Margi and Andi are test knitting it and the release date is February 21.

 The other upcoming release will be Spark.  It's knit up in Shalimar Yarns Enzo Worsted and will be part of the ShaliMarch celebration.  Beth is test knitting it and it will be released in late February. Spark takes about 200 yards of the main color and 70 yards of each contrasting color.

I finished up the handspun sweater and I am so happy with it!  After shopping around at a couple craft stores, I wound up finding the ribbon for the button band at JoAnn's.  I know it's a little glitzy as an accent for natural yarn, but I couldn't resist it.

I'm really pleased with the way it fits.  It's also super warm and very soft.  There is really nothing that compares to wool.  I love the way it feels, the natural warmth of it and the weight of it too.  I have an entralac throw that I knitted a few years ago from two Jacob fleeces. It's my go to wrap in the evenings when it's cold out.

To finish up, here are a couple of skeins that I recently spun.  The fiber is from Rivers Edge Fiber Arts.

The one on the left is Wild Berry Pie in Out of Oz. And the one on the right is Wine Festival in The Monkeys Uncle.

Can you tell I have had a little too much time on my hands and maybe a little too much time by myself?  At least I have put it to good use! 

Happy New Year!

I always find the new year to be especially exciting.  It's full of hope and promise for good things to come.  While 2013 was hard in many ways, I try to look back and see the good things that happened.  Meeting new friends, publishing my first design, traveling a bit, and doing a few home improvements are just a few of the wonderful things from 2013.

I'm still working on my list of goals for 2014.  Organizing the yarn/craft/office is at the top of the ever growing list.  Each year in January I organize this room and by June I start to worry that the Hoarders show people are going to call to see if they can film an episode in this room.  I decided to start this year out a little bit ahead of time and did a stash toss in December.  I looked at all the yarn I had and put aside the skeins that I knew I wouldn't have time to knit with (they are in my Ravelry destash if you are looking to add to your stash).

I just finished blocking a new sock design that will be coming out in February.  It's knit in Peppino (don't you just love the name?!) from The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze.  This spectacular colorway is Frosted Windows and really pairs well with the lace motif in the sock.

I'm still working on naming them.  It's a good thing Andy and I didn't have children as they would have gone around without being named for quite some time!  If you watch True Blood, when Detective Belfleur had quadruplets he named them: One, Two, Three and Four.  I can totally see me doing this!

Peppino is a wonderful fingering weight yarn that glides through your hands while you knit.  This is my first time working with it, and I'm really impressed!

Along with the beautiful skeins of Frosted Windows that Rhichard sent was a lovely grouping of mini skeins for swatching with.  These are in his Merino Worsted which is just full of squishy goodness!

The first thing that I have cast on in 2014 is a cute little cardi.  I'm making up the pattern as I go - a bit of free spirited knitting! While I was looking through my stash I found some really nice Jacob yarn that I had spun a year or so ago.  It came from a fleece that I purchased at MDSW that I processed by hand.  It's from a lamb's first shearing so the fibers were a little short, but that worked out as some of the shorter fibers in the finished yarn look a little like flecks.  I tried to blend and card the fleece evenly before I spun it, but there is still some variation in the finished yarn.  I'm hoping to have it done in a week or two and will post more pictures of it as it progresses.

There is still time to get in on the Intersect Mystery Knit Along!  The first clue will be coming our on January 17.  Wendi is hosting the MKAL in the Indieway Yarns group on Ravelry and has generously offered a coupon code for $2 off per skein to use in her Etsy shop on MKAL yarn. 
Coupon Codes ($2/skn)
For 1 skein: 1mystery
For 2 skeins: 2mystery