A Day in a Knitterly Life

Hi, Knitters,

First of all, a gigantic thank you is due for the Ebb Cowl love, my latest design that was released for Quince & Company. The Ebb Cowl has snuck its way onto the Ravelry Hot Right Now Top 20 Patterns two separate times already, climbing as high as number 4 on the list. There are over 100 people joined in the Ebb Cowl Knitalong as of now and the pattern was just released on March 5th. You can join in at anytime and the knitalong is staying open until April 30th, which is when I will shortly thereafter be drawing for prizes for those who finish a cowl. You can enter more than once if you finish more than one Ebb Cowl.

Don't forget that if you finish ANY of the projects before April 30th, 2013 from the Quince & Co. Scarves, Etc. 2013 ebook you can post with a photo in the Scarves, Etc. 2013 Finished Project thread on my Ravelry group to be entered to win prizes. Click here to see all of the designs in the ebook. It's that easy.

Other projects I am going to knit from the Scarves, Etc. 2013 ebook are: Gill's Rock (I already received my yarn for this from Quince, Finch in Winesap! Plus, Gill's Rock is inspired from one of my favorite, and Paula's, Wisconsin spots, Door County. Remember this and this and this?), Mainline, and the Aurora Shawl for starters. I wish I could knit through the entire collection...... 

Okay, on to other knitterly happenings now. In the first photo you can see that I have finally finished the first bobbin of singles I am working on for a 3-ply sock yarn. That lovely pink bobbin is from Corriedale roving in the Sweetheart colorway from Dyeabolical. I am spinning another bobbin of the Sweetheart and then the third bobbin is a lovely natural white wool roving that I picked up at the Dane County Farmers Market last summer. I love it all so far but it is a slow moving project due to my other knitting obligations right now. I just sneak in a bit here and there. 

I don't have an enormous collection of stitch markers like some do. I do have enough to get by though. The other day I filled my pepper grinder in the kitchen with more peppercorn. The peppercorn came in this little bottle, which I thought was very cute. I washed it out so it no longer smelled of pepper, although I am a pepper addict so that's not the worst thing. I then filled the clean bottle with stitch markers. I think it is really cute for some reason and I love to reuse/repurpose containers.

Those sheep stitch markers were given to me by pattytrish (rav id) in a swap a short while back on the Itty-Bitty Knits group. Click here to find out more about the stitch markers.

I've made some handspun sock knitting progress. I have two different handspun socks on the needles right now. I enjoy the way the barber pole handspun yarn knits up looking heathered or tweed-like. It's wonderful. This was spun from Moonshine Fiber Co. roving.

The second handspun sock I am knitting is yarn I made from 8oz. of Dyeabolical roving. This sock yarn I am keeping on my Yarn Buddy from Sun Valley Fibers (a great local to me yarn and fiber farm). You plop the yarn cake on and pull from the outside of the yarn cake and the yarn smoothly spins right off and onto your needles, a great and pretty invention. I bought mine in person at an event last year but you can order one from the Sun Valley website. The craftsmanship is beautiful. The wood, there are different choices, is rich. I use the Yarn Buddy all of the time. The spin is smooth as silk. You know, this would make such a great gift for any knitter if you are ever trying to think of something unique.

This is how I keep my Yarn Buddy and latest sock set up right in my living room. It's like a piece of artwork. Then when I am sitting in the living room I pick it up and knit a few rounds.

I did some colorful wash the other day! This is the other artwork in the living room.

I hang my old and worn sewn by me knitting bag (it's still my favorite bag) on a chair in my living room. The felted flower makes me so happy. Heather gave it to me as a gift a few years back at TNNA.  I put it right on my bag and have never taken it off since. Thank you, Heather!  It's so well made. Heather recycles wool sweaters to create these gorgeous flower pins. I dream of having a bunch more of these felted flowers to put one on every bag I own. It's so happy. 

Click here for Heather's Felted Flower Shop on Etsy!

Inside my worn bag? Peachy's GAP-tastic Cowl in progress. I'm making her cowl in 3 skeins of Quince & Co.'s Puffin in the Twig colorway. Fast and fun are words to describe this cowl. I've gotten Miss Molly to make one and now my sister and her daughter are making GAP-tastics, too. It's a free pattern on Ravelry.

I'm working mainly on workshop/teaching preparation right now. There is so much work to get done for my upcoming classes and I am working right up to the last minute, as always. I hope to see some of you at the Madison Knitters Guild Knit-In on Saturday. My classes are full and then some! I'll report back on this event next week.

Well, that was a link-filled post for you. What are you all working on this week? I'd love to hear.

best, susie

p.s. I have three new hat patterns is coming out soon! Here's a quick look at one of the new hats! I still have some work to do on these patterns but they are coming.....