Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Knitterly Spring Cleaning

Hi Knitters,
After decades of knitting a person tends to pick up a skein here and a hank there... I have been digging around in my house and I am unearthing quite a few forgotten finds.

Above I have two hanks of Bugga! sock yarn in golden tones plus a cake of Be Sweet Bubble Ball in the African Autumn colorway. The Bubble Ball I picked up at a Madison Knitters Guild meeting a long while ago. I like these all together somehow but I think one skein will become a shawl that maybe incorporates the felt balls and the other will become a pair of socks.
The Koigu above I picked up on my first book tour when I stopped in Purl in 2006. I made a pair of socks out of the variegated Koigu on that trip and then didn't like the way they fit. I ripped them out and the yarn has sat ever since. The pink I picked up somewhere else along that tour, possibly Minneapolis, and a bit of it ended up in the Hippo from Itty-Bitty Toys. The two are kind of pretty together.
I have had a long love of Sunshine Yarns (in the photo above). I have knit with it a lot and I have also gathered a lot along the way. Dani (the dyer and owner) is masterful with color. I have met her in person which makes you love her yarn even more. She is a gem.
I have gathered more Koigu and on the end is some Artyarns in the greens and blues. These were all at the bottom of a small basket and totally forgotten about. What gorgeous colors. I now keep these in a glass jar in my studio so I can see them.
This is my handspun all wound and ready to cast on. I am planning on making this shawl with it. The pattern is printed and the needles are even at the ready. Hopefully someday soon it will happen.

Here are some more fibery things I am thinking about today:
Craftsanity Magazine Issue 2 in print or pdf versions (someone you know may be in this issue)
This new book (only I can't sew in a straight line)
I love this entirely Cosy etsy shop - I'd like all of it, please.
This is my spinning goal (my heart floats when I see these:)

Lastly, the Beans for Brains Scholarship Program is still taking submissions. They are offering six $3,000 scholarships and it is open until April 1rst. Click here to find out more about it. Here is more about it:
The Beans for Brains scholarship is a merit-based scholarship open to all students attending an accredited institution in the fall of 2011. Applicants must know how to knit or crochet, must provide an original pattern or a photo of a recent project, and must be ok with us publishing their photo in future media ventures. We heartily encourage our customers attending school, or their children/grandchildren to apply. The scholarship is open to undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students in any course of study.
Okay, I have to include a short bit on TC's crafting corner here. She took an old, worn out and way too small pair of jeans and cut out the back pockets to make two small pocket purses. She took some other old clothes and made appliques for embellishments. I think she saw this in an issue of Family Fun, which is one of her favorites magazines for gathering crafting ideas. We highly recommend this magazine. She took her new pocket purse to the movies to hold her money last weekend. It was really cute.
I ordered TC a ball of the Be Sweet Bambino Taffy cotton yarn as a surprise. I knew she would absolutely love it and I was right. She cast on immediately for a new baby hat. She wants it to have a long stocking top to get through all of the colors.

You know what's extra cool about this yarn is that on the label is an adorable baby hat pattern written by Tanis Gray (one of my faves). Oh my gosh, I just read that she has a baby on the way. Congratulations to Tanis!
Finally, TC took an old pajama top and cut off the sleeves (this may have been in Family Fun, too). I helped her with my sewing machine to stitch the bottom of the shirt together and to reattach the arms as straps. Now she has a new bag to hold her Be Sweet Taffy hat.

There is so much cool stuff to see and do. What a wonderful world.
best, susie