Miss Babs Knitting Tour

SPOILER ALERT!!! IF YOU ARE IN THE MISS BABS KNITTING TOUR AND HAVEN'T RECEIVED YOUR JUNE PACKAGE YET AND WANT TO BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU RECEIVE IT, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!

I was so honored when Miss Babs asked me to design a shawl pattern for the Miss Babs Knitting Tour last fall.  Babs gave me some ideas of what she wanted and a jumping off point including the them of the pattern which is Atlantis.  I'm a huge fan of mythology and really enjoy reading about it and like to be able to create a design that is related to something that I have either read about or have seen in a movie.  The fact that the destination for this stop on the Tour was Atlantis, was a huge bonus for me as it was right up my alley!

Helen who is one of the fabulous ladies who works for Miss Babs was a huge help with coordinating everything from contact with Sarah who is the test knitter for the Tour, to creating the written directions with Carmen who also works for Miss Babs.  I have to say that this has been one of the most fun projects and working with the wonderful ladies at Miss Babs has been more than a pleasure.
Miss Babs sent me one of the kit's that went out to the Tour Travelers and I was so impressed! It came with a skein of Yowza in the Atlantis colorway, a beautiful glass stitch marker, a booklet that includes the pattern along with a couple of recipes and information about Atlantis, and a little packet of Swedish Fish.  They even included one of the Tour bags, which I think Helen must have had a hand in since she knows that I am a knitting bag lover!

If you didn't sign up for the Tour this year, be sure to join the group on Ravelry so you will know when sign ups for 2016 begin.  There is a lot of value in the kit and the group is a lot of fun!

The Atlantis pattern will be available for individual purchase in December.  It uses one full skein of Yowza and works up really well in the variegated colors that Miss Babs is known for.  The Atlantis colorway is a Babette which means that each skein is unique and this is something that I absolutely love! It's so nice to be able to knit up a pattern like Atlantis, and have what you make be totally unique.  Not just because you made it, but because the yarn you used was created one skein at a time and is a work of art.

Babalicious

I first discovered the wonderful yarns of  Miss Babs at Maryland Sheep & Wool a few years ago.  I couldn't believe all of the stunning colors her yarns come in and was even more impressed with the ladies that were working in the booth.  Since that first visit to her booth, every time I have been back no matter how crowded it is, or if it's at the end of the day, the ladies are always so nice and super helpful.  I've followed along on some of the podcasts and interviews that featured Babs and was very impressed with her business sense and the way that she explained how everyone sees colors differently.  Last year I was fortunate to get to meet Babs while we were at MDSW.  Babs is a lady who is as vibrant as the yarn that she dyes and was an absolute pleasure to talk to.  She is one of those people that make you feel warm and welcome the moment you meet them. 

I really enjoy knitting with the yarns that I have gotten from Miss Babs.  Each one is a work of art and when I knit with them, it's like getting to paint a watercolor picture without the trouble of having to use paint (I'm a bit challenged with actual paints). 

I thought it was very appropriate to name this pattern set after Babs and her wonderful yarns! 

Babalicious is a three piece set that includes mitts, a cowl and boot toppers that can all be made from just one skein of Miss Babs Yowza! This fun set was inspired by Miss Babs herself; her likableness and charm come out in the beautiful yarns that she dyes. I thought it was very fitting to name this pattern after her.  The three piece set is introductory priced at $5.99 on Ravelry.

Iridill

It's finally here!  This afternoon I released Iridill.  I'm really excited about this pattern and hope that you will find it to be a fun knit.  I think that knitting should be fun which is why I strive to have my patterns be clear and easy to follow. My test knitters all loved knitting this one and I think you will too!  A huge thank you to Lydia, Aparna, Debbi, Debby and Michelle who all did a fantastic job test knitting.  A lot of time and effort goes into designing a pattern, and it's not possible to do a good job without fantastic test knitters.

The Iridill pattern includes two sizes: The Shawl in Worsted and Shawlette in Fingering.  

Introductory priced at $4.50 until December 15 in my Ravelry Shop.  

Shawlette shown in Miss Babs Yummy in Maryland 2013

Shawl in Miss Babs Yowza in Perfect Wreckless.

The shawlette would also work up really nicely in Shalimar Yarns Zoe Sock or Indieway Yarns First String Sock. As an alternative worsted weight Shalimar's Honey Worsted or Indieway's Best Worsted would work well.

If you were wondering where the name came from, here is the story from the pattern:

I have to admit that I am a bit of a magpie. I am drawn to things that have a bit of shine to them, and Carnival Glass is no exception. It comes in beautiful colors that shimmer in the light, showing off the lovely patterns that are molded into the glass. When Carnival Glass first came into production it was called Iridill. The Iridill Shawl and Shawlette are inspired by the ever changing colors in Carnival Glass. It’s an easy knit that will really show off in variegated yarns.

Vacation

Aside from planning, the hardest thing about taking a vacation is coming home and getting back to reality.  This is the first vacation that Andy and I have taken together that was more than a few days and had very little contact with the outside world.  The week went by a little too quickly and looking back it was like being in an alternate reality.  Flying down was relatively easy.  In fact, the drive to the airport took longer than the flight itself.  Once we collected our bags the driver took us to the resort and we didn't get into another car until it was time to head home on Saturday. We were shocked to hear that the Government was still shut down when we came home.

The resort we stayed at had a tropical island feel and even had a small sandy man made beach.  Part of the pool was designed to look like a beach and even had sand in one area.  We got up early every day and headed over to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and then came back tor a relaxing afternoon swim.  We would sit and float on pool noodles and enjoy some much needed down time together.  In the evenings we would either head back over to the parks or have dinner at CityWalk.  A few of the restaurants were closed for private parties so we wound up eating at Bubba Gumps three times.  The food was great there and they had the best service of any of the restaurants that we ate at.  We were able to find some healthier choices on their menu too which can be hard while traveling. 

Thursday evening we went to Universals Halloween Horror Nights (HHN).  It was so scary and so fantastic and the best part of the vacation.  We stayed in the park and had dinner at Finegans Pub while HHN was set up.  They kept us in a special area and we were able to go in to HHN thirty minutes before it was opened to the public.  The first house we went in was themed after An American Werewolf in London and it was FANTASTIC!  There were eight houses total, which doesn't seem like a lot, but when you are being scared shitless to death it was just the right number.  My favorite one was The Walking Dead.  The front desk clerk at the resort told us that some of the original props from the series were used in it and that someone from the Walking Dead special effects helped to design the make up and costumes.  There were zombies walking all over the park through out the evening.  They would sneak up on you and I have to say there was a lot of screaming going on!  I'm pretty sure this is actual car that was used in The Walking Dead.

 Dale's camper.

We also got to see a tribute to one of my all time favorite movies... The Rocky Horror Picture Show!  Woot!  Andy and I got up and did the Time Warp and it was just so much fun.  The actors were fabulous and very authentic. 

The scariest thing of all was that Andy bribed managed to convince me to go on a roller coaster.  There is a picture of us riding on it that we purchased.  I'm not posting it here or anywhere else publicly.  I'm white as a sheet and the look on my face would be good to use for a model of what to look like if you are auditioning for a role in a horror movie.  I went on it twice more after that. Heh.

We wound up having so much fun that I didn't even have time to knit.  I did do a little bit while we were waiting to board the plane and go home and when I wasn't passed out from shear exhaustion on the flight I managed a few rows on a second Camberwell. 

While there were no yarn shops to be found on site, we did find a window display with yarn on one of the side streets at Universal.  Yarn.  It's everywhere!

I'm heading outside in a bit to take pictures of a new design that will be coming out in December.  It's a shawl in Miss Babs Yowza and shawlette in Miss Babs Yummy.  I'll have pictures to post next time.  I always wonder what our neighbors think when they see me hauling the mannequins around outside.