Handspun Monday - The Math Edition

Remeber WAAAAY back to high school when they said you would use algebra again in life? Well, here is my chance!!!

Lets solve for this equation: x+2y=xy+y

x = Gothic Queen

y = Gothic Princess

sooooo....x+y = The Gothic Ladies colorway. This is a mostly worsted (to bulky) weight 2 ply yarn. Approx 150 yards from 4 oz of Gothic Queen and 4 oz of Gothic Princess.

This is a mostly worsted (to bulky) weight 2 ply yarn. Approx 150 yards from 4 oz of Gothic Queen and 4 oz of Gothic Princess.

But wait...there was a 2y in that equation. You are right to have noticed. I also got about 20 yards of Gothic Princess plyed with itself to make a slightly lighter 2 ply.
So - Gothic Queen + Gothic Princess = Gothic Ladies + Gothic Princess!!!

Stacey asked: What is up with the coins?Why do I see those on folks spinning bobbins??

Well, Stacey, that is a fantastic question and it took me awhile to understand it myself. The reason for the coins is to show scale in your spinning. So you can see the weight of the fiber against something that you can pull out and look at yourself and know about what that single on the bobbin is in relation to it. Make sense??

I can really tell a difference in my spinning after only a week of the Tour de Fleece!!! I am so excited that I decided to take this challenge. Next week I will be showing off this pretty pretty roving from Poppy Flower Fibers!

Tomorrow I have a FO for you...you will have to tune in to see what I made and what modifications happened along the way.

Oh wow! Thank you for your kindness!!!

Yesterday I spent most of my day at the yarn shop. It was nice. After, I went to Qdoba for dinner. In that shopping complex there is a shop, Jewelology, where you can make your own jewelry. When I was looking for beads, the mean bead lady never mentioned this shop as one I could go to. Of course they don't carry size 8 seed beads either, but she would have ORDERED them for me.

OMG! REALLY! *SQUEES*

I came in and was greeted right away. (Good sign). The owner, Jennifer, came over and then asked me if she could help me find something. I was looking for toggles and she pointed me to them (because I asked her to "Please point me in the direction of toggles") and I thanked her. She checked on me a couple more times and when I was ready I recounted to her my other bead store experience. She immediately knew which shop I was speaking of, but NEVER said the name. She was all class. Sweet, adorable and I love her shop!!!! In fact, I think I am going to take a class in how to make a necklace just because I like to support local people and while I don't NEED another addiction, I would love to support her shop!

So - here is the info on her shop if you are in the Charlotte area or ever find yourself here. Or want to email her to see if she can get something for you and will ship.

Jewelology
Park Town Village
1630 Woodlawn Rd
Charlotte NC 28209
704-525-8272

And if you are in the area and want to join me for a class, let me know!!!!!

Smiles and happiness through knitting in public

Harry Potter night usurped our normal Friday Night Mystery Stole night, but it was worth it. SO WORTH IT. Because I worked on Tomato in the theater. Tomato now has 2 sleeves and all the tails are woven in. That means the neckline is next. Wow - this has been a fast knit. I can't wait to share it with you all!

That isn't the point of this post. The point is that Cristi and I talked to the guy and girl behind us about knitting. They started it even. YAY! I also talked to someone about teaching her knitting soon (more on that later). And I will be planning and (maybe) teaching an Intro to Lace class in September. Depends on which state I am living in then. Oh - and Dave (the new GUY we have in our Panera Knitting Group - HI DAVE! *hugs*) stopped by the shop today and we got him all patched up on his stockinette stitch, he was a happy happy knitter and left with a copy of Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook which I highly recommend to new knitters and old alike. It is a great reference and it is the book I taught myself to knit from.

Anyway - spreading the joy and happiness of knitting throughout the world and doing it with smiles and happiness. That is the point of this post.

Oh - and Dave said he listened to my podcast and he was so proud. He wants to talk me into a vidoe podcast. hmmmm...twist my arm, Dave, twist my arm.

And there goes tonights plans

I should be knitting the Mystery Stole, but my hands hurt, so no. A bit fiddly.

I should be knitting Tomatoe, but my hands hurt, so no. Cotton. not so easy on the hands.

At 30, I should not have such bad arthritis. I am tired of it. I want it to go away. There are days when I can barely move them. Typing hurts, but that isn't as fiddly or difficult. I am back on the lupus meds already, we shall see if I need to go on the super nasty ones or not (we hope not - oh please no!)

I just want to knit and spin. I think I am just going to go to bed. I did just wake up from a 3 hour nap of happiness. It was a stressful day today. The kitties went to the vet. They hate me now, but they will get over it.

WIPs strike again!!!!

Yeah - I had a bit of startitis last week. If you were watching my sidebar closely you noticed this ... it's a bird, it's a plane, its a TOMATO!!! I will post all the pattern modifications I am making once I finish. There are several. Some are more creative than others. So, I cast it on last Tuesday night and have plowed right through it - much to the sadness of my 300 other WIPs, like the Pinwheel.
The pinwheel now has 1 1/2 sleeves. The end is near and Danielle will send us pics of her wearing it. Yes, in the summer. Because while it is 100,000 degrees in California right now, my sweet D is still cold.

Speaking of it being hot. It is damn hot in Charlotte right now. if you look in the top right corner of the pinwheel picture you will see that all of my grass is dead. However, we have gotten some summer showers, so my bushes and that one little purple flowering plant look great. Well, that and Miss Lilly, my lovely next door neighbor, waters my plants when she waters hers. She is the best neighbor ever. I was sad when I heard she was selling her place.

Anyway, back to the WIPs...

I am knitting the Mystery. Mystery Stole 3 that is. I haven't put a lot of time into it, so I am not quite through clue 1. I am going to try to work on it tonight, but the Tomato has been calling me to finish it so I can wear it and since there are 7 clues in the mystery, I have time to catch up.

These are the only active WIPs I have. Although Cristi challenged me to finish the Mariposa I started 2 summers ago. All I have left it to sew on the straps. No, really. I just haven't done it. The knitting has been done since the Summer of 2005. As was one seam. Seam 2 was done last summer. This is the summer I finish it!

Tomorrow I have a funny pic of the kittehs for you which I took earlier this week. Or a finished Tomato. One never knows.

Yes, I realize there is no title. Blogger won't let me put one in. it should read:

Another Handspun Monday!! (to the tune of Pleasant Valley Sunday)



I joined the Tour de Fleece. This is what I have after Day 3 - This is the Gothic Princess colorway from the Distillery kids. This is a hot pink, black and gray wool and I love it. I will be taking pictures as I go with the Tour. I have big plans for the next couple weeks!!!



My thinking is that by spinning every day for 15 minutes (and that is actual spinning time, not including prep time) then I will get really good by the end of the month. OK - WAY BETTER than I am now.

Episode 8 - No clever title here!

FO:
Dream Swatch from Knit n Tonic - there are pics and talk about the pattern a couple posts back.
Lotus Blossom Socks for the Hill Country Yarns Sock Contest

Yarn: Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification in Hot Fuscia
Yardage: Well, I haven't weighed my yarn to figure out how much I have left, but I have a lot.
I would tell you more, but then I think they have to kill me. And you. We shall see if I even place.

WIPs:
Pinwheel Sweater
Mystery Stole 3 (which has a crazy number of people!!!)
Tomato from No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
There are some more, but I didn't work on them so shhhhh!

Spinning:

Finished the Gothic Queen Colorway and started Gothic Princess from the Distillery Kids - working on it for the Tour de Fleece!

Books Mentioned:

The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches

Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave - the plan is to review this next time. However, I reserve the right to buy something between now and the next show that I just HAVE to talk about.

Glamour Knits: 15 Sensuous Designs to Knit and Keep Forever (Erika Knight Collectibles)

Ahhh...Fun!

Cristi and I went on a yarn tour of Ashville, NC! I put up a full post about this trip last week if you want to back up there and read all about it.

Earthguild

Purl's Yarn Emporium

Yarn Paradise (it should be called Koigu HEAVEN!)

Book Review:

I got wordy on this one. Sorry. I LOVE this book!!

Charity Crafting:

Annie Modesitt's Red Carpet Convertible Pattern. You can download the pattern and/or make a donation.

Crafting for a Cause:

1287 items donated as of yesterday!

517 in July!

Square contest is going on through the 15th.

Upcoming Events:

Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival!

If I said "I must say" one more time I think I will have to die!

We interrupt this WIP Wednesday...

So, you were expecting pictures of WIPs weren't you? Well, today is a holiday here in the United States of this here America and I have decided to make it real holiday for me. In fact all day today and all last night I kept thinking today is Saturday. Sad that I have to work tomorrow instead of continuing this nice relaxing pace, but that is what the weekend is for I guess.

But how could you not take pictures???, you ask. Well, instead I took in pictures! Today I slept in and then headed to the movie theater where I took in both Transformers and Live Free or Die Hard. I have a teeny tiny secret to reveal here. I LOVE movies in which a lot of things blow up. Seriously. Yeah, I like comedy, romance, sci fi, but I really like what I call big dumb fun movies and those all have a lot of action. I like to loose myself in the moment of the movie and just not have to think. So, off to the AMC I went and had myself a good time.

I don't know about you, but I like to bring knitting to the movies. I don't knit during the movie, because I like to look at my knitting to make sure it isn't all messed up every once in awhile, but I like to knit before the movie starts since I am usually there about 20 mins early. Well, today, I had 2 movies to knit before so I got just over 30 mins in on my latest project. Which I started last night. Because startitis got me. I am ashamed. Not really.

I will post WIP Wednesday tomorrow instead. Maybe. You are lucky you even got a word from me today because today is all about me. Momentarily I will be spinning because Wednesdays are spinning days. And then tomorrow I really need to work on Chart B of the mystery stole since I haven't touched it and I ripped out the 6 rows I had worked because I made the mistake of working on it last night after a bad day at work and got frustrated enough that I just ripped back to my life line. Yeah. I could have tinked a row or 2, but I wasn't in the mood for tinking.

To tide you over, here is a picture of Sammy the Pug. We love Sammy and this is the pic that is my screensaver at the office. I can't wait to start taking pictures of my knitting with Mr. Sammy.

And that's a wrap!

A head wrap that is. Specifically the Dream Swatch from Knit and Tonic.

It still needs a light blocking, but I was so excited I finished that I wanted to wear it to knitting Monday night and have Cristi snap a few shots for me. Thanks, Christi.
Jean Marie just doesn't look all that impressed with whatever it is I have to say at the moment.

Made this from the mill ends of some Koigu I bought at Yarn Paradise. There was plenty there and I am super excited about it. And bonus, I am watching a Knitty Gritty episode (the Scout teaches us all to dye episode) and Scout is wearing this headwrap. If it isn't this one it is so damned close I can't tell it isn't this pattern (and yeah, I got up on the tv to check it out).

So, now I am only at 5 projects on the needles.

Handspun Monday

This is the Gothic Queen colorway from The Distillery Kids. YAY! You can't really see the purple in this - it looks black in the pics. It There is some black in there, but dark dark purple.

The best laid plans of mice and men...

I had such lofty goals for today.

1) Knit Chart B of Clue 1 of the Mystery Stole
2) Work on Candleflame.
3) Bloack Lacey Lamb
4) Finishing sleeve one of the pinwheel with the loop edge.
5) spin the last bit of the roving I am working with
6) work on the dream swatch
7) house cleaning
8) spend some time with the kitties.
9) Announce the winner of the midway point for the sqaures contest at Crafting for a Cause.


Here is what I have done.
1) knit 6 rows of chart B of Clue 1 of the mystery Stole. Yeah. When I got to row 6 and I decided to knit all the way back instead of purl all but the 2 end stitches I decided my head wasn't in the right place for lace knitting today.
2) Sleep. A lot. I went to bed at 11:30, slept in this morning and then took a nice afternoon nap after #1.
3) Spent time with the kitties. WOOHOO I got something on my list done.
4) Watched 5 episodes of Knitty Gritty. Want to know how many I have to go? Well, when I counted them on my DVR I stopped at 30. I am not rewatching ones I have already seen, but I will watch unseen ones even if I have no interest in the projects because I tend to learn something new every show.
5) Well, I had gone several days without a chocolate milkshake and I had to remedy that.
6) Got caught up on blogs.
7) Got the Crafting for a Cause midway winner for the Squares Contest announced. (Hey - that is something else from my list!!!!)
8) Got a couple repeats into the dreamswatch headwrap.

Now, the good thing is that it isn't quite 8pm and I have 3 hours to accomplish more. I am currently spending a few minutes with Eva curled up with me while I type this, thus accomplishing more kittie time. And maybe I will spin during The Next Food Network Star tonight. I really want to finish this last bit of roving so I can post it tomorrow. I will post it anyway, but I am really close to being done, although Wednesday is spinning night, so I can finish it then. hmmmm...I really want to go see Live Free or Die Hard. I hear there is a lot of blowing up of stuff. I like movies where there is a lot of blowing up of stuff. Not to mention I think Bruce Willis is HAWT!!! hmmmm...if I have to guess though I am going to say that I will be lazy the rest of the day as tomorrow looks to be crazy and zany at the office.

I think Wendy had a similar title recently. But I have to say that I say that any time I have a list of things to do and then accomplish not a damn one of them.

Asheville, thy name is heaven

Today Cristi and I met up and headed to Asheville, NC. We headed out after picking up beverages at Panera and after an uneventful, if not a bit longer than it should have been due to the other slower drivers, we arrived at Earthguild which was the reason for the 2+ hour drive to the beautiful NC mountains. No we didn't take pictures of the mountains, Stacey. What we did do was raid Earthguild with passion. You see, they have spinning stuff. And dyeing stuff. And knitting stuff. And yarn. And wax if you are into candle making. And paper stuffs if you are into making paper. And word worky stuff if you are into wood working. And more stuff that I can't begin to mention because after that my brain turned off.

I left with a lanaset starter kit in order dye some yarny bits, a set of Ashford Handcards and a 1/2 lbs. of domestic wool top for dyeing. Also, 2 new bobbins for the Lendrum (so now I have 6, yes 6, precious).

Then we headed over to Purls Yarn Emporium. Wow. What a great shop. So very nice in there. The service and the shop. After a significant amount of time in there I left with Knit Fix: Problem Solving for Knitters and a line magnifier for my magnetic board. Perfect for lace charts. The guy that was working there (and yes I said GUY) was super nice and we chatted for a bit about Cables Untangled: An Exploration of Cable Knitting which I reviewed in my last podcast. They didn't have it in the shop, but he was very interested in looking at it as he teaches a cable class in the winter at the shop. He was awesome and def made our day.

Do you see a pattern here...no yarn. I am sticking to my yarn diet.

Lunch was had at The Bier Garden in downtown Asheville. To say I was overwhelmed by the beer selection there would probably be an understatement. I had the Hurricane Hefeweizen to start and let me tell you this is a nice beer. It is a thicker beer than you would think with a citrus taste to it. I really enjoyed it. Food was good and an Ace Apple Cider later (it was ok, but a bit bitter, which I don't really like in my ciders) we finally got our check (service wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either). And then we discovered that although we managed to feed the meter before lunch (for another HOUR) we were 15 minutes over our time and had gotten a ticket. *sigh* I should have mentioned that it ate one of my quarters and didn't give me time for that last 15. Whatever. Day was good, we aren't going to let this tarnish is.

Then we hit Yarn Paradise. Word from the wise...Asheville's streets are not well marked as you move into Hendersonville so you will probably miss the road. When you get to I-40 coming from Earthguild you have gone too far - Turn around and take a right at the next light (I am pretty sure it is the next one). The shop is on the right. And it is worth it.

Let me sum up this shop in one word. And that word is what you see when you first walk in the door. KOIGU! And I have 3 more words that make it even better - MILL ENDS KOIGU! OHMYGOD!!! (I didn't have my camera, but Cristi took pics - she will post them to her blog, I am sure of it). So, Several Koigu skeins of mill ends later - I found the Colinette Jitterbug. And then I bought some of that too. I made it all day. ALL DAY!!! Now, the ladies at this shop were great too. They wanted to know what we are into. They wanted to hear our squees and whatnot. It was an awesome experience.

I just cast on the Knit and Tonic Dream Swatch from one of the mill ends of Koigu I picked up. Yeah, I know I don't need another project, but but but...its KOIGU!!! And I did work really hard on Pinwheel today. Sleeve one is DONE and the stitches for sleeve 2 are now ready to go.

Cancer Fundraising

Most of you know that cancer has struck very very near to me. With that in mind when I heard that knitting goddess Annie Modesitt's husband Gerry was suffering from multiple myleoma, I was sad. When I found out there was a way to help, well, I was glad to do so.

Annie created a BEAUTIFUL corset dress in knit and you can have that pattern. The pattern cost is $4.50 to cover the shipping. You can make a donation on top of that if you wish. I did - and then received the sweetest email from Annie. (I really hope she has an automated emailer, but her blog says otherwise!) I would like to encourage you to at least look at the dress. Even if you aren't a knitter. If you know a knitter, it would make a beautiful gift. If you don't know a knitter, but would like to help out, well, you can donate the pattern to the raffle I am doing for Lupus later this year and donate twice. Yep, we are that kind of special around here.

Take a moment to tell the people you care about how much you love them.

Good customer service

Just recently I had a full on melt down over bad customer service. I have to say that all that was redeemed today. No - I didn't go back to the damn bead shop from hell. I went to Quiznos. If you don't have those near you - well, find one - but it is a sub place known for toasting everything.

Now - I am really weird about toasted bread, so I usually go to Subway cause I like Subway, The Boy LOVES subway, and they don't look at me weird when I ask them not to toast my sub.

BUT - Quiznos has this thing called the Double Cheese Melt. It is double 2 kinds of cheese with red wine vinegrette, tomato and onion and lettuce. Now, I get mine without onion and lettuce. I don't like onions and I am REALLY picky about lettuce (for instance, I don't eat iceburg lettuce - because it has no nutritional value - but I digress). I took the car out for gas since the temp outside is now only 85 (down from the 3 million it was when I went to the doc today) and decided to run over to Quiznos for dinner. I could taste my doctored up grown up grilled cheese all melty and yummy. It was mine for the having.

Except...it isn't on the menu anymore. WHAT???? You took away my Double Cheese Melt??? Now - I was prepared to just order turkey and cheese and not toasted (even though they would look at me funny) but the very nice lady said - we have everything for it, so we will make it. And as long as we have it we will keep making it if you ask for it. To make a short story very long...I got my Double Cheese Melt. They were SO nice about it! They apologized that it was off the menu. They apologized that it took them a minute to make it (the owner's daughter just started working there and didn't know how to make it, so the owner made it for me). They were SO sweet.

Thank you, Quiznos, for reminding me that not all places have crap for customer service. You made me a very happy girl tonight!

And because Stacey likes pics here is the last tattoo I got - it is just over a year old. Next one is coming soon, but not sure what it will be yet. most people didn't even know I had it until I cut my hair a couple weeks ago.

I have an itch

I have knitters itch. I will be starting a new lace project Friday. I have several projects in progress. I need to finish these pretty pretty socks. Yet....I want to cast on Tomato from No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights. I have the non-wool. I have the needles. I have the desire.

Oh hell. I feel it coming.

WIP Wednesday

It's that time again...First we have the EZ Baby Surprise Jacket. About half way through this one. Maybe I will have it done next week.

Look...Pinwheel grew an arm!!!!
Shhhh...its a secret sock! It is my sock for the Hill Country Yarn Sock Contest. This one is ALMOST (ok - I am almost to the heel) and its partner is sitting next to me looking pink and happy!

Finally - I had to snap a pic of Rozz. I went out back to take the pics with my neighbors pretty flowers (I am useless with plants) and I came back to this. Now, I know my boy well enough to know he runs as soon as the door is opened, so I didn't dare try. But he is just such a sweet boy and I had to share.
Candleflame looks exactly the same as it did the last time and lacey lamb just needs blocking, so they are not worth showing right now.

The Good, The Bad and The Seriously Ugly

My Knitpicks Options Needles arrived today. I immediately cast on the swatch for the Mystery Stole 3 project on them as they go down to a 4. I am pleased with the fabric and the way they knit.

Now, if only I was farther along on this sock project and the Mystery Stole was already on the needles.

Where is the swatch you ask? Well, i need to block it, but chances are you won't see it? Why? *sigh* well, I have to admit that I committed a cardinal sin in the middle of it. Yes, I stopped. The first time was at a natural stopping point. Although I was experimenting with beading so there was a bit of an issue, up to that point it was decent. Then, I picked it up for the last 8 rows of lace. Midway through my mother called. I answered. Oops. I never recovered. So yeah. that last section I was going to do was abandoned for the garter stitch border. Really a lace swatch is just to figure out the drape and density of the fabric. Other than that, this may be the worst swatch EVER.

Thinking about teaching a lace class soon. Local Interest???

Handspun Monday

I did some serious spinning this weekend. I shall not show it all, because then if I have nothing next week...well, I will have something to show off then!! Here is approx. 170 yards of mostly worsted weight 2 ply wool dyed by the Distillery Kids in the Gelaro and Cream colorway.


It isn't perfect, but it is MINE!!!! I made it! On the pretty pretty Lendrum!

FairieKnits: Episode 8 - Fiber Clubs Don't Count!

That's right - Fiber Clubs don't count on the yarn diet. Why? Well, other than the fact that I said so is because I joined 2. The Yarn Pirate Booty Club and the Poppy Flower Fibers Luxury Fiber Club. There are still spots in the Luxury Fiber Club, so you can still join and she has GREAT colorsense and at $50 for 3 months for 1 month of BFL and 2 months of merino...come on!

FO:
Lacey Lamb Shawl (but the pattern has issues!)

WIPs:
Candleflame Shawl
Bellocq Stocking Thigh Highs
Baby Surprise Jacket
Hill Country Weavers Sock Pattern for the contest
Pinwheel

Joined:
Mystery Stole 3 KAL (Cashwool with gunmetal/hematite beads)

Yarn:
Lane Borogesia Cashwool in Black from The Loopy Ewe
Bunch of Fiber from Poppy Flower Fibers and The Distillery Kids
Velvet Touch for BSJ
Lion Brand Cotton Ease

Patterns:
Cherry Blossom Bag
Fiber Trends Llamas and Alpacas

Spinning:
Distillery Kids in Gelaro and Cream
Pink Corriedale

Book Review:



Charity Knitting Information:
Crafting for a Cause
-1000 items hit!!!
-Square Contest! through July 15!
Lupus Alliance Raffle - if you have suggestions for the prizes for a Knitters Raffle or who would like to donate - PLEASE email me at fairieknits@gmail.com

Ravelry - Chill! The invites are coming and it is worth the wait!!!

BAD Customer service causes me to have a melt down.

Went to Christi's to spin tonight. Had a great time. I hope to spin more. I am thinking about taking the wheel to the shop this weekend.

*looks around* No WIP Wednesday!!! Yeah - well, since I am recording this weekend I got lazy. There will be some pics on the podcast notes. Maybe. If I don't get lazy.

Off to play with the kittehs.

Knit Picks Options...come to mama!

I just bought a set of Knit Picks Options. These have been on the covet list for awhile even though I love my Denise Needles. The dainty cables are teeny in comparison to my Denise Needles and while I don't expect I will love these more, I think I will love them just as much. These are metal and have a pointer tip for better lace work. Plus the smaller cables will allow for magic loop in socks more easily than the denise. Plus they start as size 4 rather than 5. And now you know the real reason I finally did it. There is a set of bamboo interchangeables out there - but I WILL NOT buy them no matter how tiny the case is and how much I think I want them. 2 interchangeable needle sets are more than enough.

I think I want to knit the Mystery Stole 3 on size 4 needles. I haven't done a swatch yet, but in looking at the list it looks like the others in my yarn are knitting on a 4. I have Addis in a 4. They are on a pair of socks at the moment. And they don't have a cool hole for a lifeline to carry through while you knit as the Options and Denise do. So, there you have it. I had to have them. My beads should be here this week, and my needles late this week early next. I have some other things to work on, so its ok if I don't swatch until next week now that I am over yesterday's hump.

I am sure that after working with the new needles a bit I will write up a comparison. Though as I have said, I don't expect these to replace my lovely Denise Needles, which I bought for myself for christmas going on like 5 years ago...yes, I learned to knit and then bought myself the Denise needles in that first year. It really has kept me from having to buy a million other needles.

WTF?!?!?!?

I am PISSED OFF. I went to a local bead shop this afternoon to pick up out some beads for the Mystery Stole #3 project. I go to a HUGE locally owned bead shop (I shall not name it because it doesn't deserve it, but it is the one on the southside of town). When possible I try to first buy local, then independent BEFORE going to big chains.

So, I go in and walk around for awhile and no one talks to me. Fine really, there is only one other customer in the store and what looks like several employee types huddled together. Whatev. Finally the other customer and I (who are now in the farthest room from the front door and the room where the employee types were are spoken to when a woman comes in to the room. She says if you need help, let me know. So I said, actually, I do. I don't know a lot about beads, I am a knitter, but I want to add beads to a project and I am looking for blah blah blah. She looked at me as though I was trash. Worse. Dog shit on the bottom of her brand new shoes. White shoes at that. that spattered onto her pants. She informed me that she isn't into seed beads and since it IS her shop she doesn't really carry THOSE. She shows me what limited selection she has (which are the wrong size) and tells me that I will have to go to Michaels - she has SEEN that size there and is SURE they carry them. I thank her and leave headed to Michaels. I debated. I thought - I should just buy online, but no I want to swatch tonight. So I go over there. Guess what? They only have the same size as that lady - NOT the size I needed.

Note to small business owners: STOP BEING SUCH ASSHATS! It comes down to your customer base and I swear I will tell everyone NOT to go to your shop if you are an asshat. I have already relayed this story to several local knitters on this project (and you will now lose out on probably all their future bead business as well - you know the non-seed bead business) and now it is off into both of my blogs. With shops going under and whining about how brick and mortar can't compete with the internet - is it any wonder. I would rather get a confirmation email and PAY FOR SHIPPING than EVER darken your door again.

I am pretty sure some crack was smoked...

I just realized that I am almost out of the Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb yarn. This is supposed to be a one skein project. It calls for 72 pattern repeats. I am at 45. See the problem here? There is no way I am going to get another 30 pattern repeats out of this yarn. MAYBE 10 more. OK - more like 2. I just measured the preblocked piece as it is right now and it is 32" in its natural state. There are no blocking sizes on the pattern. Width is 25". I followed the pattern exactly. If I had to do it again I would take out a pattern repeat or two in the width. I think when I block it it will end up about 45" long with the added rows since stretching it not to much gives me 43". So - almost done with this. I should be able to block it this weekend at this rate. GO ME!!! I will note these things in the pattern for the shop so people don't worry. I mean even I went "WHA????" when I looked at the skein. I am so much closer to being finished then I thought I was. And that makes me a happy happy knitter.

Other issues with this pattern. There are no guage guides, no needles called for. It says to double the yarn and go up a needle size for loser and down for tighter. yeah. that is sooooo specific. I am doing this on 9s only because well I am. no real reason. 2 strands together and that is what Remi CO when she started it. Granted, I frogged it 3 times since then, but that isn't the point, I am happy with the guage.

another one on the needles...

I have had the project itch. So last night I CO the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket in Wendy Velvet Touch. It is a fun pink, yellow, green and white mix. I am now a 1/4 of the way through it. I like it, though it is a bit mindless. Which is probably what I like about it right now.

Christi and I bought the pattern at the same time with the intention of knitting them at the same time, but she is done now I think and I am just starting. I am behind. It happens.

Oh - and I joined the Mystery Stole 3 KAL on yahoo. yep. I need a mental evaluation. I ordered the Lane Borgesia Cashwool in black from The Loopy Ewe for this. I am really looking forward to this. Yes, I know I claimed I was going on a yarn diet, but I am a liar when it comes to yarn, so you should all get used to that. I would rather be honest than sneak yarn in. Plus, the boy doesn't care if I buy more yarn. Hell, he encourages my yarn habit.

WIP Wednesday

Well, Christi is doing this WIP Wednesday (along with Yarn PrOn Fridays and Handspun Mondays which I will participate in on occassion...ok - I plan to participate in Handspun Mondays) and because I like the sheep, well, I am following along. So, here are the current (re:active) WIPs. From closest to being done to farthest. Excuse the craptastic pics - its raining outside and the 3 mins of sunlight we had today...well, I was on a conference call.

First we have the pinwheel sweater. I finished the alternate color loop edge this afternoon - would have last night but I ran out of gray at knitting last night, so I finshed up the pink and finished the last few gray loops after work today. All that is left are the sleeves. See those green lines, the sleeves go there.

Pretty, isn't it. Next, we have the Lacey Lamb Shawl knit from Jade Sapphire's Lacey Lamb in this weird green. I am knitting this as a sample for Charlotte Yarn, so I didn't pick the color. I have to say that the yarn is SUPER soft. I mean I really want to roll around in it. Right now I am just over half way finished with it.

Did I mention that the yarn is super soft and I want to roll around on it? Yeah. Well, it is knit on size 9 needles with the yarn held double.

Next up is the Candleflame Shawl. I have had this one in my bag and haven't looked at it in awhile. Not really that long, but its been a bit. So when I pulled it out, I was amazed at how much I really really liked it and want to get back to it. Again, not a color that I would want, but it isn't for me. And the color is growing on me. I really like the way the pattern looks in the Elsebeth Levold Silky Wool which is a fingerine weight and the specified yarn is lace weight. But I am really loving it.
And now...its the Bellocq Stocking Collection....FOOTIES. I have the feet done on both of these. I figure these will be done around the turn of the next century, but since I just started them a few weeks ago, they are active :) From this angle, you can't really see the lace vine pattern, but it is there and I think it is grand. This features a short row toe and heel. We like.

So - that's it for this week. I am hoping to get some real work done on the Lacey Lamb this week. I jumped from about 20% to over 50% since this weekend after not touching it and I am working on a couple repeats every day ... at least.

What are you working on???

Episode 7: NO YARN FOR ME!!! Wait, does roving count?

OK so I totally flaked on World Wide Knit in Public Day! I knit at home and napped. Lets face it, it was WAY too hot out for me! I am a Florida Girl, but the lupus has really zapped me in the heat! Check out some other knitting in public with Crimson Purl and PidgeonRoof Studios
Macek Designs
Poppy Flower Fibers (20% off through June 15th folks - put "Lunatic" in the comments and wait for a new invoice before you pay!!!)

Ravelry is WAY COOL - they are inviting as fast as the system can handle (in their opinion cause they don't want us to be sad if it crashes) - sign up now and be patient. It is SOOO worth it. My user name is: funfairiegirl if you want to friend me or look at my stuff - although there are no pics right now...

FO
Jaywalkers in the LnV colorway The Chameleon Lady

UFOs
Lacey Lamb Shawl (although it has doubled this weekend)
Candleflame Shawl in Silky Wool
Pinwheel Sweater in Highland Peruvian Wool from elann.com
Bellocq Stocking Collection in Louet Gems

Book Review


As promised, here is the link to Christi's Tomato Sweater from No Sheep for You! She has beautiful pics through her entire blog and adorable kitties, so you should check her out!

Crafting for a Cause will be changing names AGAIN! Please comment if you have some thoughts. We are up to 786 donated items and the new June goal is 1200 (because it WAS 750 and that is just BLOWN AWAY!!!)

WWKIPD!!

Its World Wide Knit in Public Day! Oddly enough, I have no plans today. I knew it was coming, but it slipped up on me a little too fast. With the boy here last weekend and Olivia here the weekend before and mom here NEXT weekend, I just let it slip my mind. Must go out and knit though!

Let me know what you are up to today - I would love to hear it. And this time I promise I will have time to mention it in the podcast - the last one got a little hectic and I forgot - sorry - but thank you for the comments! I have them filed for use :)

pretty roving ahead...

Now that I have what I want, I will let you at it...Lisa at Poppy Flower Fibers just put up part 1 of a 2 part roving update. She still has some yarn over there too. Due to a skein winder mishap, though, no new yarns yet. BUT - you still get a 20% off discount (through the 15th of this month) when you put "Lunatic" in the comments and wait for a new invoice prior to paying. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow.

Enjoy...and remember you have to order by the 15th to take advantage of this offer! (And seriously, she has merino, superwash merino and domestic wool roving - I don't know what is coming tomorrow, but I am sure I will buy more!)

Oh - and if I don't forget I will talk about the bee-u-T-FUL stuff I already got from her on my next podcast!!!

I WIN!!!

I had an AMAZING weekend with the boy and am now ready to move RIGHT NOW just so I can be with him more. I forget just how perfect he is for me when we are apart. For instance, at like 11:30 Friday night he said - get out your spinning wheel and show me how it works. Wha'??? OK!!! So I spun up some stuff. He asked questions like - does it not matter how thick the yarn is - I replied that eventually it will, but I am learning and it is getting better...and sure enough it was. Then in the middle of spinning he said, "so when are you taking a dyeing class?" Ummm...are you encouraging my madness??? Why yes, yes you are! I also worked on the pinwheel while watching the worst movie I have seen in a long time (shame, Eragon was a decent book) and he said it looked cool and that I am a good friend since it is a gift.

I showed him yarn and roving. He was appropriately impressed. He said things were cool, nice, soft, etc. He is learning. And he is perfect for me. He has also agreed to do all yarny photography for me as he is into photography and has a really super nice SONY SLR digital camera. When I asked him to do it, he said "Sure, that would be really cool." *squee*

So really, I win. I hear a lot of knitters say their SOs just don't get it/care. Mine thinks knitting is cool and loves when I knit for him. SCORE!

Episode 6: I have a concussion from falling off the yarn diet wagon

Yeah. I bought a lot of stuff. Not much of it was yarn, but that isn't the point. It makes for a fun time of talking about all the stuff I am working on.

Yarn bought:
LimenViolet - The Cloak Maker (more this week, but I will talk about it next time
OnLine Yarns - Tondo in Mulberry ( I didn't buy it here, but it was the only place I found it with the colorway listed - woohoo)
Brown Sheep Wildefoote - Soft Jazz, Forget Me Not, Columbine
Opal Rainforest - Doktorfisch

Etsy Finds:
Poppy Flower Fibers - 20% off for all fairieknits listeners now through June 15. I got Superfreak 3 and Royal Flush
Cherry Blossom Fibers - Purple, Violet lilac, pink
macekdesigns - You have angered cthulhu, Cthulhu's Wrath
Purple Flower Designs - I have a Pink Diamond Tote

Books:
Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks
Cables Untangled: An Exploration of Cable Knitting (Review to come in future episode)
Sensational Knitted Socks (a short review of this in this episode)
No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights (Review to come in future episode)
The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches
Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape (Reviewed in this episode - YAY!!!)
Simply Knitting Magazine
Ashford Learn to Spin booklet

Interesting other stuff:
Lantern Moon Basket - mine is in the pink and green fabric - I LOVE IT!!!
Addi Turbos in 32" size 3

Spinning Update -
I bought a Lendrum!!! (the folding wheel)
Spinning class at The Yarn Shop by Rainy Day Creations was GREAT. They have a couple more this summer.

WIP
Candleflame Shawl - Elsebeth Levold Silky Wool
Lacey Lamb Shawl - Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb
Pinwheel Sweater in elann.com highland peruvian wool
Jaywalkers in LnV sock yarn

FOs
Carie Cardigan in OnLine Tondo from Fitted Knits: 25 Designs for the Fashionable Knitter
Women's Lace Edge Hat from headhuggers.org
Preemie Jester Hat in Debbie Bliss merino DK from Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time (it looks like this is $3.99 at amazon.com right now!!!)
3 more eyelash scarves for the Mary Read Memorial KAL


DIYs Knitting Gritty - I learn something new even when I don't like the projects. Its worth watching.

Yarn Shop Review
TheNeedleTree - Greenville, SC

Crafting for a Cause Update
End of May - shooting for 500 - we are at 520!!!!!! I am continually impressed by the crafting community and its kindness! Thank you all for your generous donations to so many charities!
Hit the LJ Spotlight!!!
Mention on missmalaprop.com
Steve from Webs suggests The Leader for your charity projects! Its $2.29 for 220 yards - 100% SOFT acrylic (he promises)

I might do a mini-epi on Monday with Olivia, but otherwise, no new episode for 2 weeks - the boy will be here next weekend!!!

World Wide Knit In Public Day

June 9 is WWKIP Day! Woohoo!!! What plans do you have? Tell me here and if I have comments I will talk about them when I record the next episode (so you only have a couple days before that, but I will probably talk about it again on the next show, so seriously, what are you doing???)

I don't have any plans yet, so if you are in the Charlotte area, let me know what you are planning. I have some email out to see if I can get something together, so we shall see, but I don't know yet.

Why knit in public? WHY NOT??? I do it all the time. I make just about every day KIP day. I always have knitting with me and if I have to wait more than 2 mins in line or for an appointment, well, then I pull out my knitting. Sure, I get strange looks sometimes. I mean who expects a cute 30 year old to be knitting? But I also get a lot of - what are you making? can you teach me? I want to learn! That is beautiful! Did you knit that bag, too (because I am ALMOST always carrying a knit by me purse)?? what better way to expose new people to the amazing craft of knitting (or crochet if you must) than to knit in public! Its also a great way to meet new knitters in your area!

*drools*

My wheel arrived. There will be pictures, I promise. But first, I need to name her.

Also - because I didn't record this weekend, I haven't mentioned that the amazing Lisa at Poppy Flower Fibers is giving 20% off to all fairieknits listeners/readers through June 15. Just put "Lunatic" in the comments when you check out and wait to pay until after you receive an updated invoice from her. She has some totally bee-u-T-ful! stuff!! Merino, base yarn that is lamb's pride from brown sheep, BFL - and in vibrant colors that just pop! I can't wait to get my order from her!!!! Seriously, head over there and take a look at her stuff. She just updated today and I am sure there will be lots more coming!

They processed my order today. I think that means they are shipping my wheel today! *squee* that AND a possible visit from the boy AND roving delivered today and more on the way??? What more could a girl ask for?!?!?!?!?

new episode delayed

There was going to be a new episode this weekend, but, well, life happens. Tomorrow is out for recording, but maybe Tuesday. Or maybe I will just hold off and talk about the wonderment of my new wheel next weekend.

*SQUEEEEE*

I just bought a Lendrum Spinning Wheel online.

*crosses fingers for fast delivery*

Will probably be at Charlotte Yarn tomorrow, even though I was there today - just so I can squee over spinning with turtlegirl76 and beg her to spin with me when my wheel comes.

more stuff...

I bought yarn. I am weak. But it is PRETTY and I can't wait until it gets here. Today I also picked up the newest Simply Knitting magazine. Yeah, I hope to have a lot to say in the next podcast because I also bought a couple new books this time around.

The yarn diet is only because of the move. The Boy, however, told me to buy whatever I want. He doesn't care if we have to move it. YAY!!!

Bad habits are hard to break

I am a self taught from books knitter. I have only taken one class and that was just last month. So in the 4.5 years I have been knitting, I have picked up things that others might consider bad habits. Those don't bother me. What does, however, get to me are the things that I learned plain wrong. The first time I ever knit anything with a slipped stitch, the pattern called for it to be slipped knitwise. So for all these year I have always slipped knitwise. Recently I learned that you should always slip purlwise unless you are instructed otherwise. But since I learned it the other way, I keep doing it WRONG WRONG WRONG! grrrrr. I keep fixing it and then I will do it right for a bit, then go back to doing it wrong.

Additionally, tonight I decided that I didn't really need to read that pattern. *sigh* I am knitting my first pair of jaywalkers and when I got to the heel flap I did a knit/purl instead of a S1K1/purl row. so it will be weird. I didn't realize that it was wrong until I was literally turning the heel, and I decided it would make mine different. Besides I am sure I will knit more than one pair of these since I am in love with the pattern. I finally understand what all the fuss is about. I guess I could take a picture of them in progress, but really, I am lazy.

Tomorrow I am taking a spinning class. woohoo.

Episode 5 - I bought (almost) no yarn!!

Show notes (woohoo!!) You can listen to the show via iTunes, the little link in the upper right of this blog or at fairieknits.podhoster.com

You can email me at fairieknits@gmail.com if you would like.
Excel spreadsheet came from katydidknits.

WIP
Candleflame Shawl from knitpicks.com - I will have this displayed at charlotte yarn eventually
Pinwheel sweater from elann.com
Lacey Lamb Shawl out of Jade Saphirre Lacey Lamb

FO
Scrap project
April - 7 eyelash scarves for the Mary Read Memorial KAL and 12 Warm Up America squares
May 2 scareves for the Mary Read Memorial KAL
MONKEY SOCKS ARE DONE!!!!!

New Techniques
Magic Loop - thank you to knittinghelp.com for the video! I will use this for the Bellocq Stockings.

What I got!!!
KIP bag from knitpicks.com
Lace blocking tools from knitpicks
LnV sock yarn
Malabrigo in Sealing Wax (I think)
Midnight Sky Fibers yarn
COMICS from Speaker

Other
Webs Sale through end of May

thank yous
Comments - I really appreciate all of the kind words and thoughts
Amanda at Knitting Psychos podcast for mentioning my podcast

Charity Knitting
Crafting for a Cause at 350 items as of today! YAY!!!!! Would like 750 as a community by the end of June - I totally think we can do this!
Warm With Love creator Robyn ROCKS and will be profiling us! this site is a database of charity knitting opportunities. check her out! she will be collecting charity knitting at the Lime n Violet sleepover.
Mary Read Memorial KAL
Knitting for Virginia Tech

Upcoming
I may take a spinning class at Rainy Day Creations next weekend.

Destashing
I am destashing some yarn for a friend - and eventually for me - over on ebay - right now I have some karabella magic up.

Random Pimpage
Again thank you to Robert of Bobville.com who fixed my audio for me. He does audio, websites, etc. contact him if you have needs...he whores his talents for money. And yes, he actually told me that today. He has some AMAZING work and I recently voiced something for him that will eventually come out.

TV2M continues. I apologize in advance for episode 4 - the one where Speaker and PAMELA got drunk. *sigh*

So I am almost done with monkey sock #2. unfortunately I forgot that I only did 4 pattern repeats on the leg of #1 and I did the called for 6 on number 2. I am SO NOT ripping these out. They will just have to live this way. If I didn't tell you, you would never know.

my iPod hurts today

In the category of "research" I listen to podcasts. This is really because I can. I like to listen to people talk about knitting and I listen to a LOT of knitting podcasts. The thing is, that many of these have been going on for awhile and I am trying to start at the beginning (well, I listen to the most recent epi and then start at the beginning because a lot of GOOD information comes out of podcasts. Now, I think I broke my itunes, I currently have 110 unlistened to podcasts on my ipod. I think it is screaming at me to get some off. And I am doing the best I can, but for everyone I listen to, I seem to find another 5 episodes somewhere else. I was down to about 60 after my trip to LA, but that was a month ago and I have just been downloading like a crazy woman.

I am current on all the blogs I read. Bloglines is a savior!!

Look - a FO!!!

And here is the Clemintine Shawlette from IK Spring 2007. Yeah - these pics suck as my camera batteries were about to DIE! But hey - at least I posted something. This is knit in Blue Sky Alpaca Silk in plum and ooooo is it pretttty! The picture here, as well as the pics in the mag, do it NO JUSTICE! it is a beautiful, soft and wonderful quick lace shawlette. I am pretty darn pleased.

Also - a couple of comments regarding my podcast have mentioned the excel sheet I am using and that I had a mental moment on the site I got it from - katydidknits.blogspot.com is where I got it from.

I am getting a lot of REALLLLY positive comments. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Episode 4: I'm a Yarnophile is up!!

Yes, I am a yarnophile. This week I talk about all the yarn the yarn fairie was nice enough to bring me this week. And it was a lot. No really, it was a lot.

Webs Anniversary Sale is still going on. From them I got some Cascade Cloud 9 and Cascade 220.

I got some beautiful sock yarn from Its a Colorful Life on Etsy. I am in love.
My Hill Country Sock Pattern contest yarn came! Instant gratification in Hot Fuscia. Details on the contest and a link to order the yarn are on the blog.
I bought some EL Silky Wool.
And Olivia sent me some Knitch Handpainted sock yarn and a cool t-shirt!!!

FOs
Two Toned Ribbed Shrug from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel
Some Warm Up America Squares
A Scarf for the Mary Read Memorial KAL.
Fetching in Artyarns Cashmere 5.
Clementine Shawlette from Spring 2007 Interweave Knits in Blue Sky Alpaca Silk Plum.

WIPs
Eyelash scarf for the Mary Read Memorial KAL.
Pinwheel sweater for Danielle.
Lacey Lamb Scarf in Jade Sapphire's Lacy Lamb in a seafoam green. I just hunted the website and there is no info on this yarn or pattern. *sigh* its a lace weight - I don't have the ball band here sorry.
Candle Flame Shawl in EL Silky Wool.

Charity Knitting opportunities
The Mary Read Memorial KAL. See the links above.
Prayer Shawls for VT families - contact me if you want to send one and I will get you the info.
Warm Up America Square Drive continues at Crafting for a Cause.

I joined the Bellocq Stockings KAL. holy crap there are some great and inspiring pics over there!!!
Rainy Day Creations is having a spinning class in May.
Lime n Violet updated their etsy shop Friday, but sad for you, it is all gone now. Listen to their podcast!!!

Mary Read Memorial KAL

There is a memorial KAL for VT victim Mary Read at maryreadmemorialkal.blogspot.com. Please go check it out. Mary was a knitter who passed too too young.

oooo...pretty!!

So today I wanted to buy yarn. But I talked myself out of it. As a reward, the sock fairy visted and left my latest etsy purchase AS WELL as my Hill Country Yarns HOT FUSCIA!!!!

I will take some pictures and post later. really I will. *snuggles the yarn*

Audio is fixed!!

Well, now I sound like I am in an auditorium in Episode 3 rather than my house, but YAY you can hear me better. A GIANT thank you to the mega talented Robert at Bobville who I am lucky enough to have as a friend. He cleaned up my audio for me - and since he is freelance and uber talented you can contact him if you need assistance with audio or web things. He recently made this uber cool thing in Misty Lee's photo gallery to make the cards interactive!

You many also recognize Robert's work as Capnbob - the man responsible for such goodies as Lost Rhapsody, Lost Rhapsody 2: Electric Boogaloo and the most recent Dad in a Box! If you haven't seen these yet - get out there and watch them!!

Episode 3: OMG I need HELP!!!

So here are the show notes I promised. We shall see if I remember everything. Luckily I have notes however they are not in the order that I really talked in. Sorry about that. And I just heard there are some sound issues. See what happens when I change mics to one that is supposed to be better and to a room that I think has less ambient noise???? *sigh* I could hear just fine when I replayed. Sorry. I suck. I will do better. Next time we will move back to the office and the other mic.

I went out to LA this week and was lucky enough to visit Unwind. Great shop and you can shop online. I bought yarn. I took Capnbob to the yarn shop with me along with some other friends. He loved the yarn. No really, he did.

Books:
I said I would review Knitting Heaven and Earth: Healing the Heart with Craft this show - but I haven't finished it. SORRY!
Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby makes me VERY happy and it has Victorian Ruby (my illfated 3rd project EVER) in it - maybe I will finish it now. I really love this book. The photography is BEAUTIFUL. And there is a great section in the back about reading charts and stuff if you aren't the chart reading type but want to learn.

I taught my friend Danielle to knit while I was in LA. Turning the world tot he dark side of yarn one addict at a time.

Other Stuff:
Hill Country Yarns is having a sock design contest. If you love knitting socks - well - head on over there and throw your hat in the ring ... er...sock. $15 enters you and gets you a skein of yarn in your choice of color (they choose the weight).

The Knitoff is over for me - but still going! Congrats to the ladies who made it to the semi-finals.

WIPs:
Monkey socks in TOFUtsies
Fitted Knits: 25 Designs for the Fashionable Knitter Two-toned Ribbed Shrug in Cascade 220 (9477) and Cascade Quattro (9436)

Community Stuff:
Crafting for a Cause is up and running. We are really moving over there and we are getting a couple yarn shops to help us collect Warm Up America squares for our drive. Lots of information coming over there about it.

YARN!!!!
Oh yeah - I bought some yarn. If someone can please direct me to a 12 step program for yarn addicts, my budget would be very happy.
Midnight Sky Fibers - Caravan Monthly Yarn Club and Magic dragon box which I refered to as the Mystery surprise magic box or some such silliness.
Blue Sky Alpaca Silk in plum to knit the IK Spring 07 Clemintine Shawlette (the pics in the mag do it NO justice). It is sqooshy and makes me smile.
Artyarns Cashmere 5 ply in 130 Petal Pink Chocolate - It feels like heaven and looks like neopolitan ice cream. Enough said.
Louet Gems in black for Stitch Diva's Bellocq Stocking Collection - holy crap I was expecting good - I wasn't expecting that freaking good. And the mega plus is that The Loopy Ewe shipped it the next day!!! I love The Loopy Ewe!!

A quick shoutout to BOBBAY!!!!

I think that is just about all of it from this epi. Seriously, I need a prorgram for yarn addicts.

There and back again!

I have returned from LA where I took a trip to Unwind in burbank. I really enjoyed my trip in and I bought way too much yarn (but all for projects I already decided on). I will talk about the shop and the yarn in the next podcast!

Books I have mentioned in the podcast

OK - there has been a request that I post information on the books I reviewed. I will start real show notes with the next show. But - here are the books I have mentioned. Or at least the ones I remember mentioning.

I really like this book. It is full of inspirational stories and paterns. I am currently working on Warm Up America squares and Project Snuggles blankets.

This is one of the best sections on fitting a knit item to your measurements that I have seen. I REALLY like it. There are several things in here that I want to knit, too.

I am afraid this one has gotten lost in the shuffle of some other books I have gotten in, but I really enjoyed what I flipped through and there are several things I will knit from this.

And now for a non-pattern book. This book has some great moments and really has a good feeling overall. I enjoyed it. Would I have bought it if I had checked it out from the library? I don't know, but I have it and I will keep it. I found that the growth of the relationships in the book made me want to finish it.



So here is the deal - if you use a link I have up then I get some sort of credit. That credit will go to the show - either to buy books, yarn or pay for hosting fees. Just thought I would let you know. If there is something you want to get and you want to support the show, let me know and I will get a link for you.

Frapper Map!

Friday Night Knitting Club signing at Charlotte Yarn!

From Remi at Charlotte Yarn!

Hi everyone,There's a new book coming out in January that I think you'll enjoy reading. It's called The Friday Night Knitting Club and has been described as "a charming and moving novel about female friendship and the experiences that knit us together-even when we least expect it."We are lucky to have the book's author Kate Jacobs, come to Charlotte Yarn on Friday, February 9th. I would like to invite you to meet Kate for a reception and book signing from 1pm-3pm. Kate Jacobs will read and answer your questions about her book.The book has garnered mentions in upcoming issues of Glamour, Redbook, and OK! magazine.

Here's a recent review:

From Booklist"Georgia Walker's entire life is wrapped up in running her knitting store, Walker and Daughter, and caring for her 12-year-old daughter, Dakota. With the help of Anita, a lively widow in her seventies, Georgia starts the Friday Night Knitting Club, which draws loyal customers and a few oddballs. Darwin Chiu, a feminist grad student, believes knitting is downright old-fashioned, but she's drawn to the club as her young marriage threatens to unravel. Lucie, 42, a television producer, is about to become a mother for the first time--without a man in her life. Brash book editor KC finds her career has stalled unexpectedly, while brilliant Peri works at Walker and Daughter by day and designs handbags at night. Georgia gets her own taste of upheaval when Dakota's father reappears, hoping for a second chance. The yarn picks up steam as it draws to a conclusion, and an unexpected tragedy makes it impossible to put down. Jacobs' winning first novel is bound to have appeal among book clubs." Kristine Huntley

Copies of The Friday Night Knitting Club will be available at Charlotte Yarn the week of January 29th. If you purchase a book from the shop, you are automatically entered in a drawing to receive an autographed totebag signed by Kate Jacobs and filled with goodies. Take a sneak peek at the first chapter at www.fridaynightknittingclub.com.

Please call me at 704-373-7442 or email me at remi@charlotteyarn.com if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you on Feb 9th - and don't forget to tell your friends!

Hope to see everyone there!! --Aimee