Quaker Ridge Shawlette Knitalong Prize Winners!

(photo provided by Luna Grey Fiber Arts)

Hi, Knitters,

It's prize drawing time for the Quaker Ridge Shawlette Knitalong finishers! I am so excited to be able to offer such stellar and high quality prizes to this group of wonderful knitters. I'm going to jump right in. 

The first prize is a gorgeous skein of Rainbow sock yarn from Luna Grey Fiber Arts. Jackie the owner donated another skein of her hand dyed yarn and a project bag that was previously given out during the knitalong.  

 (photo provided by Luna Grey Fiber Arts)

The project bag is also included in this prize. And the winner is....... LannieK (rav id)! LannieK I hope you enjoy your fun new yarn and project bag.

I'd like to thank Luna Grey Fiber Arts on Etsy for generously donating to our knitalong. Please head on over to Luna Grey Fiber Arts and please take a look at her beautiful hand dyed yarns. This shop is truly a feast for the eyes.

The two hanks of yarn in the photo above are a lovely gift from Jackie of Luna Grey Fiber Arts to me. The yarn on the left is her  Hand Dyed Cashmere Merino Sock Yarn and the yarn on the right is her Merino Silk Lace Yarn. Wow, I can tell you that this is some squishy, soft, luxurious yarn. The colors are deep and rich and vibrant. I can't wait to dig in and knit something up with both of these yarns. I will keep you posted. Jackie, thank you! I highly recommend Luna Grey Fiber Arts.

 (photo provided by Dyeabolical Yarns and Spinning Fibers)

Next up in line is a skein of yarn from one of my all-around favorites in the fiber world, the one and only Dyeabolical Yarns and Fiber.  If you are a regular reader of my blog you already know that I have worked with Dyeabolical yarn and fiber pretty extensively over the last year or so. The fiber and yarn is top-notch, the colors are bright, deep, interesting, and vivacious. Rachel, the owner, is a generous soul and has once again donated a skein of her superwash merino wool in the Traveling Tea colorway. This skein is a sock weight yarn in an oversized skein of 493 yards.

Click here to read all about this skein of yarn! It is so much fun.

And the winner is...... MissyT (rav id)! Congratulations to MissyT and a huge thank you, as always to Dyeabolical Yarns and Spinning Fibers!  Be sure to stop over to Dyeabolical and check out her holiday colorways. You can't go wrong with this shop.

 (photo provided by The Wool Dispensary)

The Wool Dispensary is a wonderful and relatively new independent yarn shop. I met one of the owner's of The Wool Dispensary, Sam Boice, in Chicago at Nina's, a well-knit shop, when I was on book tour. Actually, I have met her a couple of times now. She is a lively, talented knitter with tons of enthusiasm for her hand dyeing business. I love the name of the company as well as the yarns and colorways. Sam is an experienced dyer in the industry. I believe there is another owner, too, and they work out of Chicago. Give them a visit, you won't be disappointed.

Click here to check out the intriguing yarns on The Wool Dispensary shop!

Click here to visit The Wool Dispensary website!

Thank you, Wool Dispensary, for the generous donation of a project bag and a beautiful skein of yarn called, Arabian Nights in the Useful Poison base (merino/nylon/cashmere blend), fingering weight, 435 yards. I have my own skein of their sock yarn in a denim blue called Stardust and let me tell you, it is dreamy. I can't wait to knit with it.

And the winner is...... daylily1220 (rav id)! Congrats to daylily1220 and a huge thank you to The Wool Dispensary.

 (photo provided by Knitcircus)

The next prize is from my generous and talented friend Jaala Spiro of Knitcircus fame. Knitcircus has started their own line of hand dyed gradient and kettle dyed yarns. The yarns are spectacular to say the least. Jaala has a real eye for color and she has brought this right into her yarn line.

Check out the Knitcircus Etsy shop to see the color for yourself!

Click here for the Knitcircus website and sign up for Jaala's newsletter which is packed full of yarn-y information, patterns and tutorials.

Also, Jaala has started a brand new yarn club called All Wrapped Up. This club includes yarn and shawl patterns (Jaala designs the best shawls!) sent to you on a monthly basis. Click here to find out more.

Jaala has generously donated this skein of Malabrigo worsted base (yes, she dyes up the original Malabrigo Worsted which they have available to hand dyers), 100% merino and 210 yards, in her Foliage colorway, to one lucky winner!

And the winner is...... kieristhefastest (rav id)! Congratulations to Kelly and a gigantic thank you to Jaala and Knitcircus yarns. Jaala actually donated two skeins, one was previously awarded to a winner during the knitalong. Below is the photo from MelissaMartin (rav id) of her previously gifted gradient skein of Knitcircus yarn:

photo of Knitcirus gradient yarn by MelissaMartin (rav id)

Isn't it beautiful? Melissa is already knitting away on a new shawl with her prize which is fun to see.

 (photo provided by Infinite Twist)

This next prize is so above and beyond. I can't believe I get to offer such an interesting and high quality prize. Cate Carter is the owner of an independent company called, Infinite Twist. Here is a blurb from the website about the yarn and kits offered in her shop:
All of the wool yarns used in our kits are hand-spun and hand-dyed. Our range of semi-solid yarn is handspun at the Qinghai Spinner’s Cooperative. The Co-op (which is managed by social venture Shokay) provides much-needed income to 22 rural Tibetan women living in China’s Qinghai province. Our silk/wool 2-ply and wool/novelty yarns are spun in-house. All dyeing is done in our color lab with safe and colorfast dyes sourced in the U.S.

Infinite Twist is quite an impressive undertaking for Cate. Please visit her website by clicking here!

Click here for the Infinite Twist Etsy shop! Cate sells more than just yarn. Cate gifted me some of her spinning fiber and yarn samples. I'll post again about Infinite Twist in the near future to share the fiber and yarn further.

(photo provided by Infinite Twist)

The winner of the prize from Infinite Twist will receive a beautiful kit that includes handspun yarn, the pattern for the Leaf Pattern Cowl pictured above, and a set of circular needles. What a generous prize! Thank you, Cate. Please jump over and check out Infinite Twist!

And the winner is....... nauti54knitter (rav id)! Congratulations.

 (photo provided by Jelby)

The next set of prizes has been generously donated and created specifically for the Quaker Ridge Shawlette Knitalong. That's right, we have our own colorway now! Cary Smith, the owner of the Etsy shop, Jelby, creates the most beautiful, fun and practical stitch markers around. I have about 5 sets of her stitch markers that I've purchased and used extensively. I am a die-hard fan! 

To my delight Cary came up with a set of Quaker Ridge Shawlette stitch markers that so beautifully represent my love of the outdoors and autumn and this shawl. For those of you interested in getting your own set of Jelby Quaker Ridge Shawlette Stitch Markers, Cary is making them available in her shop for purchase!

Click here for Jelby on Etsy! Go get some! You will love these stitch markers. All of the colorways are beautiful. Check out her tins and wool stitch markers, too.

Here is Cary's description of the inspiration for her prize donations:

When designing the stitch marker colorway for the KAL, I tried to focus on the shawl name, Quaker Ridge, as well as Susan's love of nature. Using her photography as an inspiration, I imagined Quaker Ridge as a wooded hillside that runs along a field in shades of green and amber with accents of chocolate brown. 

Prizes:

• A set of Eterne (snagfree) stitch markers in the Quaker Ridge colorway (fits up to US7)
• A set of Eterne (snagfree) stitch markers in the Quaker Ridge colorway (fits up to US9)
• An embroidered felt storage tin and a set of Eterne (snagfree) stitch markers in the Quaker Ridge colorway (fits up to US7)
• An embroidered felt storage tin and a set of Eterne (snagfree) stitch markers in the Quaker Ridge colorway (fits up to US9

Each set contains 10 stitch markers. The tins are similar in design (sheep under a tree) but like most things in nature, they are slightly different.

 (photo provided by Jelby)

So there are 4 Jelby winners!

Winner #1 - Set of QRS, fits up to US size 7 stitch markers is..... my3sonsjct (rav id)! 

Winner #2 - Set of QRS, fits up to US size 9 stitch markers is....  EllenLBishop (rav id)!

Winner #3 - Set of QRS, fits up to US size 7 stitch markers AND the embroidered tin is.... peggity (rav id)! 

Winner #4 - Set of QRS, fits up to US size 9 stitch markers AND the embroidered tin is.... moniquew (rav id)!

Thank you, Cary!! You are fun and generous. Congratulations to the winners.

 (photo provided by Sun Valley Fibers)

Jeanette of Sun Valley Fibers is the owner of a local (to me) independent yarn company. She is one of the kindest, most generous people around. I love working with her and her yarns. I own Sun Valley yarn that I've purchased and I can't say enough good things about it. 

Jeanette donated 4 skeins of her luxurious and beautifully dyed yarns to our knitalong prize treasury. Thank you, Jeanette. I've already given out one skein to a lucky winner during the knitalong so that means we have 3 skeins left to give. Please check out Sun Valley Fibers online and at fiber events all over the country. This is one popular and respected yarn company and it is well-deserved. 

Click here for the Sun Valley Fibers website and shop!

The winner of the beautiful yarn in the photo above, a glittery fingering weight superwash in the Cheeky colorway, is..... Gmahelen (rav id)! Congrats!

 (photo provided by Sun Valley Fibers)

This gorgeous single-ply fingering weight in the Blush colorway is going to..... Julesbean (rav id)!! Congratulations.

 (photo provided by Sun Valley Fibers)

The luscious yarn in the photo above is fingering weight merino/cashmere/nylon in the Plum Crazy colorway and a skein of this is going to..... jenb69 (rav id)!

Congratulations to the three winners of Sun Valley yarn and thank you to Jeanette!

(photo provided by Inspinknity)

Last but not least, there was a lot of discussion about blocking shawls and blocking wires going on throughout our knitalong thread. It came up over and over. One thing I could not live without when I am blocking my shawls are my Inspinknity blocking wires. So I contacted Rachel Calado, the owner of Inspinknity blocking wires to see if she would want to donate to our knitalong. Rachel told me she had been following the QRS thread and would definitely throw in a set of her Super Long Premium Blocking Wires! How exciting is that?

Click here to go to the Inspinknity website!

Click here to see the Super Long Premium Blocking Wires!

Here is a description of the prize set:
Super Long Premium Blocking Wires are designed especially for large pieces, such as circular shawls, scarves, blankets, or anything with a really long edge. With these super long wires, you'll be blocking your hand knitted (and crocheted!) items more easily and faster than with traditional methods. Using just a couple of wires and some T-pins, your work will look amazingly professional after blocking.

These wires stand apart from anything else on the market today. Made from a super-elastic wire with seemingly magical flexibility, these blocking wires will not rust, tarnish, corrode, or easily kink. They will not stain your knitting, and will last for many, many, many years! You can arch and curve these wires as you need, and they will always return to straight. This special property allows these wires to be used over and over again without weakening from repeated bending and straightening.

Set contains:
six 67” wires with tip protectors
thirty nickel plated T pins

I am so excited about this set! Thank you, Rachel. Go look at the Inspinknity Blocking Wire sets, there is so much variety. They are wonderful and tried and true. I could not live without my set and you will love them, too. 

And the winner is..... greeneye (rav id)!

Congratulations to greeneye and a humungous thank you Rachel of Inspinknity!

Well, in total I gave out 16 fantastic prizes during and now after the knitalong. I have contacted all of the winners through Ravelry with instructions on how to receive their prizes. It has all been a great experience. I love the positive energy surrounding this wonderful shawl knitalong. The camaraderie and helpfulness has been truly inspiring. I'd like to thank everyone for participating and thank all of the amazing prize donations I received to pass along.

Phew, that was one long post.

Have a great weekend, Knitters. I'll see you on the other side of Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago! I can't wait.
best, susie

Finished!

(photo from stashaway - rav id)

Hi, Knitters,
Today I am sharing a few of the finished Quaker Ridge Shawlettes (QRS) from the knitalong that just ended. There are already over 200 posted projects on ravelry and during the knitalong we had 155 knitters finish their shawls.

Click here for the QRS knitalong thread (6,700 posts with almost 300 knitalong participants)!

Click here to see all of the posted QRS projects!

Click here for the Quaker Ridge Shawlette pattern!

Tomorrow I will be posting the prizes for the drawings and the winners from the QRS Knitalong...... I have lined up some amazing prizes (yarns and products) and I can't wait to share. In the meantime, here are a few of the finished shawls.

(photo from EllenLBishop - rav id) 

(photo from Donsdatter - rav id)

Susan knit a QRS for her mother as well. I love this mother-daughter photo. 

 (photo from kendraja - rav id)

(photo from knit1purlwhew - rav id) 

(photo from KnitsbyKelly - rav id) 

(photo from terukosan - rav id) 

(photo from SmallCreation - rav id) 

(photo from peggity - rav id) 

(photo from llshan - rav id) 

(photo from NDErica - rav id)

Well, there you have a small sampling of the shawls. There are so many more and all are lovely. The participants used all sorts of yarn from different companies and even handspun and hand-dyed yarns. Some followed the pattern exactly, others added their own twist. Some added beads and ruffles, others kept is simple. The range of colors and styles is so inspiring to see.

I'd like to thank everyone for joining in and participating. It was really fun. The shawls are beautiful. Please continue to post any finished shawls in the knitalong thread on Ravelry.

I'll see you tomorrow with the winners. You won't want to miss the fantastic prizes being featured even if you didn't join in the knitalong. I bet there might even be a couple of things you haven't heard of before.
best, susie

Dark and Stormy

Hi, Knitters,

Yesterday's late afternoon hike was the most enchanting fall experience. The day was dark and stormy. There was lightning and constant rain. The air was wet and heavy all day. 

After the storms cleared away.... this is what was left.

The dark spots on the path above are six gigantic wild turkeys.

All of this breathtaking fall beauty inspired me to start spinning this.....

Shetland Wool. Dyeabolical Yarns.

It's a very rustic wool that is going to be an autumnal bulky weight marled yarn.

In the meantime I am working away on my VK Live classes for Chicago on Oct. 28th. The preparation is going very well and I am anxious to get down to Chicago. 

The other bit of news is that the Quaker Ridge Shawlette Knitalong is officially over. I will be posting the fantastic prize drawings with the selected winners by the end of the week. I need to gather a few more photos of the prizes from the generous donors before I can do this.

Have a great fall-inspired week. I'll be back very soon.

best, susie

Bunny Love

(photo provided by angie)

Hi, Knitters,

I love my job. I love my job for so many reasons and one of them is that every single day I get emails from knitters all over the world. I never know what is going to pop up in my inbox. I get photos and stories and questions. I love it that people want to share their knitting and stories with me. That is the reason I knit, write and share with you, because it is incredibly rewarding when I get an email like the one that came from Angie the other day. 

With Angie's permission, here is sweet little Rachel's story, and I have a question for all of you at the end: 

Hi Susan,

I am a knitter from (deleted for privacy) - my friend recently gave me a bag of wool from her sheep Little Nut. How  in the world do I clean the wool? It has some unmentionables on it from Little Nut along with small pieces of hay. Thank you for any and all advice! I have your book Itty Bitty Toys  and love it! The picture I attached is of my daughter Rachel and her bunny. She was 3 lbs 11 oz at birth and the bunny kept her company in the NICU at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. She is now 14 months and I am looking forward to making her the puppy from your book. I am waiting to add the facial features to the bunny once she is old enough to tell me if it is a boy or girl bunny.

Thank you,

Angie 

Hi, Angie,

Okay, 2 things:
1. That is the sweetest photo I have ever seen. Can I put that on my blog and tell your story? I love it so much. If not, no problem and I totally understand.
2. Is the wool roving or fleece or is it spun up into yarn that needs to be cleaned?
And one more: 3. I love the name LIttle Nut. At first I thought you were talking about the baby's nickname when I glanced at your email. :)
best, susan

Hi, Susan,

The wool has been untouched since being sheared off of Little Nut- I apologize for not knowing if it is roving or fleece. My friend has bags of it in her barn and does not knit or spin.

Rachel and I would be honored if you used her picture with her bunny and story. Rachel has a remarkable story herself- she has spina bifida and had her spine surgically repaired at 23 weeks of pregnancy at Vanderbilt University Hospital. I knitted the bunny while I was on bed rest until my water broke at 32 weeks 5 days. The bunny stayed with Rachel in the NICU and now  happily lives  in Rachel's room.

Angie

It's me again. I can just see Angie knitting away on the bunny while on bed rest and how it helped to pass the time while she anxiously awaited the arrival of Rachel. I love how at a time when you feel helpless knitting can bring a bit of comfort, at least you are doing something for the person you love while waiting it out. I love how the bunny kept Rachel company in the NICU and now lives in Rachel's room. It is sweet that the bunny is waiting for a face until Rachel can help tell her mom how she would like it to be. That photo of the baby and bunny has quite a story behind it.

Rachel sounds like a miracle baby. I am so glad she is now 14 months old. Thank you, Angie, for sharing your story and knitting.  

Now for the wool from Little Nut (best name ever for a sheep), I don't know much at all about processing raw fleece. Do any of you have advice for Angie? She lives in Wisconsin but I don't think that matters too much if you send it away to be processed.... or maybe you have information on how to clean the wool yourself. Please leave a comment if you are able to help direct Angie.

I love my job. Thank you, Knitters.

best, susie

p.s. And because I know I'll get asked, click here for the bunny pattern information.

Up and Coming....

Hi, Knitters,
There is a lot of up and coming news to look forward to on my blog (check out my new banner - this is a completely natural shot, I didn't arrange the leaves at all), in the teaching/touring realm, with upcoming designs for my ravelry shop and with a new yarn company, with a new book and a pending book contract, and much more. There is a lot to be thankful for and excited about.  I really thought things might slow down a bit but it hasn't and may even be busier than ever. So today I just want to share a little bit of what's going on and a couple of other new things you might be interested in.

I am still doing some editing on my upcoming spring 2013 book. I can't believe it, but it's true. I honestly think this is my best book yet, everything about it excites me. Can't wait to share more details very soon... I have a phone call with my book publicist and editor scheduled for this Friday to start planning my upcoming book tour events for 2013. Let me know if you have any fantastic ideas or opportunities for our discussion.

Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago is literally right around the corner. I hope the attendance is beyond Vogue's expectations in Chicago because I want VKLive to come back to the Midwest again and again and again. I believe my classes are both sold out still but check if you are interested because you never know when someone needs to drop out at the last minute. Yesterday I finished the final little top-down baby cardigan for my class (photo above). Now I need to sit and write and edit patterns and polish up my handouts for the class. That's right, I am working right up to the last minute on this one as other deadlines have pushed things down to the wire. It is a new class for me so that makes it extra-fun and challenging.

I will be teaching this same class at some future venues so stay tuned for that. I just got a fun phone call yesterday about a potential Madison class in February 2013.

The tiny cherry buttons on the cardigan above are from a new favorite etsy shop, actually the same owner has two button shops. The buttons are all handmade and charming. I ordered a bunch and have more favorited on etsy for future baby projects. The button-maker extraordinaire corresponded with me to customize my order, which I didn't expect but enjoyed. Click here and here to see Ayarina's sweet button shops. One shop has fancier buttons and the other has simpler designs. You will love her work.

I keep hearing from people I have met before or who I know that are coming to both of my classes on Sunday, Oct. 28th in Chicago. That makes me smile and will make the classes even more fun. I always have some surprises up my sleeve for my classes so we'll see what I come up with this time. Can't wait!

I finished up the final String-a-long characters for my other VKLive class. We have frogs, monkeys and mice to choose from. If you are coming, bring colors in worsted weight yarn that will fit your animal of choice. Stripes and unusual colors are always welcome.

And just to throw in a little twist, I did this pint-size String-a-long Mouse in a sport weight (Quince & Co. Chickadee) on US size 3 needles. Instructions for this extra-tiny charmer with a loop on his tail for attaching to the bigger mice are included in the pattern.

All of the patterns for my VKLive classes will be available and published in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

Before I talk about what this handspun yarn has turned into, I want to mention two audio podcasts I have been enjoying. The first is 2 Knit Lit Chicks, a mother/daughter duo who knit like champs and read like crazy. First of all, I always love a mother/daughter chat. Tracie, the daughter, and Barb, the mother, have such a smart, sweet, and funny rapport. You can tell they get a kick out of each other and that is fun to hear. They knit and share about knitting but also I love their book choices and reviews. I long to have more time to read and this podcast lets me dream a little about the books I'd like to read. I highly recommend this podcast.

Click here for the 2 Knit Lit Chicks podcast site and blog!

Click here for the 2 Knit Lit Chicks Ravelry group! I'm a member.

Another brand new audio podcast that I love is TwinSet, recommended by Paula. This is an identical twin sister duo, Jan and Ellen. I have listened to the first two episodes and they are good! The banter is fun and funny. The content is smart, thoughtful, knitterly, organized and interesting. Both sisters are expert and experienced knitters and have diverse and interesting lives. All of this combined makes for a great show. One sister is in Minnesota and the other is in Pennsylvania. Anyway, they are off to a great start and I hope there will be lots more to come. Check this one out.

Click here for the TwinSet podcast site and blog!

Click here for the TwinSet Ravelry group! I'm a member.

Okay, on with the handspun in the photo above. I shared this Sunshine Yarns handspun a short while ago. I couldn't wait to knit it up into a shawl and here is a little preview:

I have the handspun version done and blocked. It is a beauty! My love for this shawl is over the top. The Quaker Ridge Shawlette is my first shawl design and this second shawl design has lots of new features, a garter tab start, new and simpler increases (I didn't realize how difficult the m1L/m1R increases are for some knitters), an airy stitch detail, and a swingy short ruffle with a delicate edging. It's so sweet looking now that it is dry and unpinned, better than I imagined. It is fun and easy to knit and in the end it is pretty adorable.

I am calling this one the Owen's Woods Shawlette. The pattern will be coming soon. It is a fingering weight shawlette. I am now knitting up another Owen's Woods Shawlette in some Brooklyn Tweed Loft (2 hanks, 550 yards, fingering weight) in the Long Johns colorway. I might add some beads to the bind off with this one. I'll keep you posted.

I am planning a mitten knitalong coming up in November. I have a new worsted weight mitten pattern coming out soon that will have several size options and a couple of variations. Mittens are winter knitting at its best.

Anyway, lots going on and lots to share coming in the near future. First things first though I have to get my classes all set and wrapped up because in less than two weeks I will be teaching at Vogue Knitting Live.

Let me know what your up and coming plans are for your knitting and otherwise. I'd love to hear about it.
best, susie
p.s. I am knitting these three shawls just for fun. Click here. Click here. Click here. Yarn and patterns for all three are in my hands now.

A Little Moonshine in the Morning

Hi, Knitters,

First of all, what a great and huge response to the books and yarn giveaway! Wow. I didn't imagine getting so many entries to win. That's just fun and amazing. The randomly selected winner is someone I actually know. Every rare once in awhile a friend wins one of my giveaways and I always enjoy that so much. The winner of the Color by Kristin yarn pack and all four of my books is the one and only Dianne of Sheep Dreams. (Click here to see Dianne's wonderful blog.) I know Dianne is a huge fan of Kristin's and she will love and enjoy the yarn. Congratulations to Dianne and thank you to everyone for entering.

Thank you to Kristin Nicholas and Classic Elite Yarns for the generous yarn pack for the winner! If you don't have Kristin's yarn, Color by Kristin, in your local yarn shop, please ask the shop owner about it. They may already carry Classic Elite and if the owner gets requests they may add Kristin's yarn line to their inventory. Word of mouth does wonders in the yarn industry. I love this yarn and hope it stays around for many years to come.

Now onto some yummy, squishy handspun yarn.....

Early in the morning to get my day going I sometimes sit and spin for a short bit. It is kind of like the calm before the storm of the day. I just finished up plying some gorgeous singles spun from roving by the Moonshine Fiber Company. I purchased this about a month or two ago.

Click here for the Moonshine Fiber Company Etsy shop!

Click here for the Moonshine Fiber Company website!

Click here to see a super funny blog post Moonshine did when I first posted about their fiber!

The yarn was spun from a black and gray roving and another brightly colored roving. Each colorway of the roving weighed in at 2.5 ounces for a total of 5 ounces. The roving was a combination of fibers including merino, colonial, alpaca, silk, sparkle threads and soy silk. They also threw in some slap bracelets, Ray Bans, and Jellies for a dash of 80s flair. The neon brights are very 80s. I love this silliness and it certainly made for a fun and interesting spin. 

My finished hank of yarn is a 2 ply heavy fingering weight (maybe sport weight) and measures in 462 yards. I'm not sure what I'll make with it yet. For now I am enjoying just squishing this big bouncy barber pole-y skein of goodness. The way the dark black and gray singles plied with the eye-searingly bright singles was inspiring. I knew the dark singles would tone down the brightness significantly. You can't really see the sparkle element in the yarn in the photos but it is there in person.

Basically, I love this cute little etsy shop, the fun women behind it and especially their enormous sense of humor about the entire thing! Don't miss Moonshine Fiber Company.

Here is how it all started (be sure to check out the adorable stamped brown paper bag they use for packaging - I love it:):

All of this came out of that tiny paper bag!

By the way, I crammed all 5 oz. of plied yarn on a 4 oz. bobbin. I kept squeezing it down so I could get more on. It was barely possible but in the end.... I won.

Alright dear Knitters, I will be back soon.

best, susie