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

A Festivus Fortherestivus

That's right, it's the time of year that many of us have been waiting for.  It's almost December 23 which means it's time for the Annual Airing of Grievances for Festivus! Since no one ever likes to go first in these things, I will start: 


To my mother who decided to tell my Grandmother she is putting her in a nursing home. Right. Before. Christmas. What is wrong with you? I can't comment further on this, because quite frankly I am infuriated. You couldn't wait a couple of weeks to do this?

To the person who brought the nut encrusted cookies of death into our home last year.  Do it this year, and it will be the last time you are invited over.  I really want to print out a copy of this article to give to you, but my sweet husband has asked me not to.

Share your Festivus grievance in the comments section by Thursday December 26 and be entered to win my new Intersect Mystery KAL pattern!

I will be talking more about the pattern the next couple of weeks here on my blog and in the Indieway Yarns group on Ravelry.  There will be a thread for the KAL in the Indieway group (it should be up today or tomorrow).  The KAL will consist of two patterns and six clues.  The first clue will be released on January 17th with a new clue coming out each Friday after that.  So, are you wondering what the patterns will be?  A very cute hat and matching mitts!  The samples that I did continually get compliments every time I wear them.  The test knitters have all been sending me pictures of the ones they have made and it's so much fun to see what they look like in other colors.  For the KAL you will need two skeins of Indieway's Best Worsted.  It's a really enjoyable yarn to knit with.  It has a great hand, shows stitch definition well, and best of all it wears well.  It's soft and warm, and I've worn the heck out of the mitt's and there are no signs of pilling. I hope you can join us for the KAL, the Indiway Group has a lot of great gal's in it and the KAL is going to be a lot fun!  

PS The pattern will be available for purchase on Ravelry beginning December 27.