New and Fun ~ a giveaway, too!

 

Hi, Knitters,

I have a few new-to-me products to share with you today and stay tuned for a cool giveaway opportunity. The first items on my list are from a new-to-me dyer, Sheepish Creations on Etsy. I happened upon this shop due to an Instagram photo I saw that showed some stunning handspun yarn. After a tiny bit of investigating I found the Etsy shop and the exact colorway of the yarn. I can't remember who took that initial photo of the handspun (anyone remember?) but the fiber was called Little House on the Prairie. Well, right there I was pretty much sold. I quickly added the Little House on the Prairie 4 oz. of merino fiber to my cart.

Click here for the Sheepish Creations shop on Etsy!

The shop is run by Robin and Pam Bates from North Carolina. They do great work.

I continued to look around the shop for bit. There are other things like undyed fiber, dryer ball kits, ribbon, dyes, and more. It is a fun shop alright. I ran across some Wensleydale fiber and I have been wanting to try spinning some new fibers. This seemed the perfect fit.

The photo above and the first photo are the beautiful Wensleydale 4 oz. braid. The colorway is Prairie Field, which once again, grabbed me instantly. It is an interesting fiber, slightly crimped and not super soft but I like that sometimes. Plus, I'm all about the prairie in every way possible be it Little House or the actual prairies and meadows I hike on nearly everyday.

Here is the information from Sheepish Creations about this gorgeous braid of Wensleydale:

Prairie Field - Wensleydale Wool Roving (Top) - Handpainted Spinning or Felting Fiber - 4 ounces

For those of you who enjoy spinning, here's 100% lovely Wensleydale fiber. This is soft, lofty, and has a long staple, so it's fabulous for all skill levels. This is processed as combed top, although is often incorrectly referred to as roving. I spin this fiber myself, and I love the lofty and unique yarn that I can achieve so easily.

Have fun trying out a less-common type of wool. Sure to be a pleasure to spin!

Above is the 4 oz. Merino braid from Sheepish Creations called Little House on the Prairie. I love the white clouds, blue sky, brown trees and ground and of course the green. It's prairie colors all the way. Here is what Sheepish Creations had to say about this braid:

Little House on Prairie - Merino Roving (Top) - Handpainted Spinning or Felting Fiber - 4 ounces

For those of you who enjoy spinning, here's 100% lovely Merino fiber. This is super-amazingly soft, lofty, and drafts like butter! Some merino is hard for beginners, but this stuff is perfect for both beginners as well as advanced spinners looking for something lusciously soft. This is processed as combed top, although is often incorrectly referred to as roving.

Sure to be a pleasure to spin!

I'm pretty excited about spinning up both of these fantastic fibers! I'll keep you posted. Sheepish Creations has excellent customer service, too. I had some correspondence with the owner and she was extremely helpful and responsive. It looks like they have a lot of followers and a lot of sales already so this shop isn't new to everyone, it is a popular one to say the least.

Click here for Sheepish Creations on Etsy!

Speaking of popular, the always innovative Signature Needles Arts has come up with a 100% cotton Blocking Cloth with built in 1-inch squares. You can wash it, throw it down anywhere, protect floors and beds while blocking and use the grid to make sure your measurements are accurate. When you are done simply fold it up and put it away. I think it is a great concept. 

Thanks to the kind folks at Signature for sending me a Blocking Cloth of my own to use and use over and over again. It's very smart.

Click here to see more information about the Signature Blocking Cloth! It's a good one!

How about this adorable hand-painted knitting gnome? I love it! My friend jenb69 (rav id) sent me two wonderful painted canvas bags that her friend Linda (redhotart - rav id) makes and sells on her Etsy shop called, Red Hot Art by Linda. I love them so much and I think you would, too. Thank you for the sweet gift!

Click here for Red Hot Art by Linda on Etsy! 

Not all of her bags are knitting related and I love those bags, too. Linda lives in Florida so she has a great beach theme to her shop. Linda is kind and helpful and she loves requests so I know she would love to hear from you if you have something in mind. 

Linda has recently joined my Ravelry Group, Itty-Bitty Knits and it is so much fun to see her jumping in and talking to everyone. She started a thread for bag suggestions on our forum so you could also chat with her there.

Click here for the Itty-Bitty Knits group and bag thread! Linda's photo on Rav is adorable, she is standing next to her hanging painted bags.

Both sides of the bags are painted, which I love. The attention to detail is wonderful and the quality of the canvas is excellent. It is sturdy and still pretty soft as far as canvas goes. I think with wear and tear it will soften up even more. 

I love bags like this to put smaller project bags in when I am out and about. It is a great beach or pool bag, too, or a market bag. It is pretty large and can hold a lot.

Linda has offered to give a hand-painted bag away as a prize to one of you! Thank you, Linda. Please leave a comment on this post and I will randomly select a winner in a couple of days. Please leave your email or Ravelry ID in your comment to win a tote bag. I will then put the winner in touch with Linda to discuss your new bag. 

This is a great shop to check out! Hop on over to Red Hot Art by Linda on Etsy!

A little while ago I was sent this really interesting skein of yarn by LanaMundi Yarns and sold by the  Feel Good Yarn Co.

Click here for the Feel Good Yarn Co!

If you are like me and you spend time outside in the cold weather you will love this yarn. The Silver Spun has silver in it and therefore it is conductive and therapeutic. Knit it into the fingertips of your gloves or mittens and you can use your phone or iPad without removing your gloves or mittens. This is such a cool concept and I can't wait to give it a try. Are you with me on this? 

Here is what the Feel Good Yarn Co has to say on their website about the benefits of silver in a yarn:

BENEFITS: 

The silver content in SilverSpun makes it therapeutic and conductive. Silver inhibits the growth of odor causing bacteria, has excellent thermal properties, is nontoxic and is perfect for those suffering from diabetes, arthritis and sensitive skin. Silver is also an excellent conductive agent thus allowing smartphone or tablet touch screen use while wearing gloves knit from the yarn. The silver is permanently adhered to the yarn and will not wash out.

One last thing before I leave you today, I was so happy to be included in the Twinset Designs Podcast's Living Doll Knitalong. The group used my doll pattern, Mary, Millie & Morgan, as a template to create dolls that resembled someone loved or important to the knitter. Many made the dolls resemble a beloved child. But one fancy and talented member of the group knit her dolls to resemble Jan and Ellen, the actual twins of the Twinset Designs Podcast. Jan and Ellen have an adorable photo of themselves as toddlers in bonnets and plaid dresses and it is just charming. Turbogrrl on Instagram or Turbogal on Ravelry, is the creator and knitter of these fantastic dolls and she is sending them all over the globe (literally!) on a Flat Stanley type tour. I was honored to be included so I brought the girls out on my evening hike and took some photos. How much fun is that? I love everything about the doll tour and the Twinset Designs Podcast. I never miss an episode! Oh, and if you are on Instagram the hashtag to check out where these dolls are traveling is: #twinsettour

Click here for the Twinset Designs Podcast website to find out more!

Well, I hope you found something new-to-you in this post. Let me know! It's always fun to see different products that are available to us as knitters. 

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter to win a tote bag!! Good luck and let the comments begin. I'll be back soon with a winner and much more. I hope your week is off to a good start.

best, susie