Sweetest 16

Hi Knitters,
I hope you are doing well this busy week of July. We have been having record breaking heat, in the hundreds, and very, very humid. It is a little tough outside but we are making the best of it. Yesterday we had our annual 4th of July gathering at my sister's house on the lake here in Madison. It is a summer highlight for our families. On top of that celebration we always tack on Peachy's birthday which is on July 5th.

Everyone enjoyed some time down by the lake after we ate a delicious dinner. It was sweltering and still in the 90's even as the sun went down. That's my boy on the left and his buddy, who is actually Miss Molly's brother, on the right. They have known each other for years now.

This is my sister's house from the pier. It is so beautiful and old. I love the terraces and the tiny old cement stairway to her yard. That's her pink shed at the top there, too.

There were parties to the right and to the left of us when we were down on the pier. It is city living where the neighbors are very close.

Our kids had so much fun on a raft and the water level is so low from lack of rain that the kids could stand way out in the water.

Well, here she is, Peachy surrounded by love and her family. We love Peachy so much and she is a funny, fun,  hard working, earnest and determined girl. She keeps us laughing and has been such a total joy to watch through the years. Peachy is 16 today and it is all true when people say it goes fast. Sadly, it does. She has been an easy, fun and interesting child to raise. Peachy has taught me so much. I couldn't dream of a better daughter. I'm so proud of her.

Happy Birthday, my Peachy!

Now for a little knitting content. Yesterday I decided to call it quits on the knitting of my Thin Ice Shawl by the lovely Laura Linneman of The Knit Girllls. I love this pattern so much. I just decided it was big enough for me at this point and so I modified a couple sections to make them shorter and then bound off. The actual shawl in the pattern is gigantic and lovely but the size I stopped at is the perfect for me. The pattern is well-written and easy to follow. I love Laura's patterns so much. She is an excellent pattern writer.

Click here for the Thin Ice pattern on Ravelry!

Click here to see the next shawl I'm making designed by Laura!

Oh, and then this one, too!

Thin Ice has turned out beautifully. It is so light and airy and lacy. I love the way I can wrap it around my neck or wear it around my shoulders. I will share more photos later. The shape of this shawl is conical while you are knitting it. It looks like it won't ever block out to a straight edge across the top but miraculously it does. That was fun to see and do.

The yarn is my handspun from some Dyeabolical roving I got in.... you guessed it, Kentucky! Where else have I ever shopped? Oh, and I just remembered that I was with Laura Linneman in Kentucky when I bought this fiber. That makes it an even better pairing.

Okay, I'll be back with more tomorrow.
best, susie

Little Shells

Hi Knitters,
I finished and blocked a really quick and fun little shawl yesterday. It is called, Little Shells.

Click here for the free pattern for Little Shells!

The yarn is one I purchased at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival a little over a year ago. Yes, I am still knitting and spinning from things I bought while at that festival. I guess it's a good thing I don't go to many festivals or I'd be in trouble.

The yarn is a sport weight from one of my faves, Dyeabolical Yarns and Fiber. I can't find the tag but I think the yarn is called Sporty. It is superwash wool and the colors are vibrant and fun. I don't work with a lot of variegated yarns but this one caught my eye.

Click here for the Dyeabolical website!

Little Shells, by Holly and Ella (click here for the website), is a lovely and clearly written pattern that includes charts for the lace as well as the written instructions. The only thing I changed was that I added a few extra rows of garter stitch before binding off. Beads would be a pretty addition, too, but I didn't have any on hand that would go with this yarn.

The shawl is pretty small so I really wanted to stretch it out in the blocking. I stretched and stretched the  washed and soaked shawl to no end. It literally couldn't be stretched any further.

It took quite a bit of effort and pinning and repinning to get it to look right. For a small shawl I think this was the longest I have ever spent on pinning something out for blocking.

The effort was worth it in the end and the final result is really pretty and perfect. I would knit this shawl again in a heartbeat. The dk weight yarn makes it go so fast.

The drape is quite nice and the points along the edging turned out just as I had envisioned. I think for a variegated yarn the lace looks pretty and doesn't get too lost. I knit this using my US size 8, 24-inch circular needles from Signature Needle Arts. Boy, are those ever a treat. I only have a few pairs of these luxurious needles but I plan on slowly adding to my tiny collection. I love these needles so much.

Ahhhhh, finishing a project is so satisfying. There is nothing like it, especially if the project turns out to your liking and this one definitely does. I highly recommend Little Shells if you are looking for a dk weight shawlette to knit this summer.

Happy Monday, Knitters. I'll be back with the prizes, drawings and details on the now over Patchwork Sockalong. It is all pretty incredible.
best, susie

Pretzel-Making at Home

Hi Knitters,
My son has been cooking up a storm lately. He suddenly told me he wanted to work on his bread-making skills. Who can say no to that?

For his first project he decided on pretzels, the big, chewy kind you get at the mall, or frozen at Costco which are never as good. The recipe he used is simply called, Mall Pretzels. Click here for the recipe. I couldn't believe how easy it is to make warm, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, pretzels.

Here is a pictorial view of our pretzel-making adventure (I helped roll some of the pretzels but that's all I contributed). Check at the bottom of the post for a few links I want to share.

Oh, they were good, and let me tell you, the entire plate of pretzels was gone in a flash. Can't you just taste those? The pretzels melted in your mouth. We're definitely making these again. I love it when my son tries new recipes. He loves to cook and is always ambitious and creative in his choices. He also made a tasty and cheesy focaccia bread the other night that was delicious.

I want to share with you a new knitting videocast I am enjoying called, Snappy Stitches. Click here for the show information!  It's short and sweet and Chrissy (formerly of the Manic Purl audio podcast), the host, is a fantastic and talented knitter. This is a fun one to watch, she turns out sweaters and shawls and socks like it is nothing.

I just ordered the pattern and yarn to make Paula, of the Knitting Pipeline's, new shawl design. It is called, Hyla Brook, and is from the always wonderful, Quince & Co. It is a charming little shawl and I can't wait to dig in.

Click here for the pattern information for Hyla Brook!

Click here for the Quince & Co. yarn I ordered! You need only 2 skeins of Tern to make the shawl. It is a good deal.

I'll keep you posted on my progress when I get the yarn.

Take care, Knitters, and have a lovely weekend.
best, susie

Loop Love

Hi Knitters,
I have gotten a tiny bit of spinning done lately. I started a Loop Bullseye Bump quite a long while ago and didn't touch my wheel for weeks and weeks. As a break from the work knitting it is fun to sit down and spin, even if only for a few minutes here and there.

I bought the center-pull, self-striping bump of roving quite awhile ago. These bumps fly so fast out of the Loop Etsy shop and they are all so unusual and beautiful that I am happy just to get my hands on one.

The bump of roving is called Mediterranean Sun and that is the perfect name for the colors. This roving, now yarn, is 100% merino wool and it spun like butter. It was smooth and fun and the colors are brilliant.

Above, the freshly washed yarn is still pretty wet. I love it when I can dry handspun outside in the warmer months. I Navajo plied, which is a 3-ply chain, in order to keep the same color stripes together. Since the roving weighed in at a hefty 5.4 oz. I was able to get 404 yards for a total. 

I am definitely making a shawl of some sort out of this gorgeous hank of yarn. I think it is a sport weight or so. Wouldn't that make a gorgeous shawl?

(photo from Loop on Etsy)

Here is the bump before it was spun. They are all one-of-a-kind and many include sparkle and all sorts of different fiber content blended together. This particular roving looked so much brighter in the bump compared to after I spun it. It became more muted which I love.

Click here for the link to the Loop Etsy shop! 

Also, an important announcement about my classes at Vogue Knitting Live:

Click here to register: The Vogue Knitting Live class registration is now open. I'd love to see you in Chicago on Oct. 28th.

One last important thing, I received an email about a fundraiser for the fires in Colorado from Dani of Sunshine Yarns. She lives in Colorado and is trying to help through the fiber community. Dani is a great and talented member of our fiber community and I love that she is doing something good for her wonderful state in need.

Here is her note to me:
Hi Susan,

I'm sure you've seen on the news, but Colorado is practically on fire, and I've started a fundraiser/prize giveaway!! For every $10 anyone donates, they get entered in our giveaway once... we are going to have a ton of prizes and hope to raise lots of money. Day 1 we did almost $1,000.

Thank you, thank you!
Dani

Here is a link to the newsletter I sent out with all the info: Colorado Wildfire Fundraiser

--
Dani Frisbie
Sunshine Yarns

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Quick share today. I'll be back soon with more.
best, susie

Fun with Cousins

Hi Knitters,
Here are a few more photos of TC's 13th birthday celebration. We had lots of family over for a cookout. My son who just graduated made pulled pork that was a two-day process. He is really into cooking and trying new things. I helped him make homemade pretzels yesterday which was really fun. I took photos of that so I'll share it soon. For the party, we had pulled pork sandwiches, watermelon, corn on the cob, salad, and of course, birthday cake.

Now, these boys, the cousins, are such goofballs when they get together. You never know what they will come up with. Do you have teenage boys, anyone? You see my son thought it was funny to make a weird expression in the photo above and....

... this next photo as well. Both of my sons think that is really funny for some reason.

The girls on the other hand do their best to look pleasant. That's my Miss Molly upper left, we love her, and my niece is lower right. You already know TC and Peachy.

Here they are thwacking the cupcake pinata that was strung up somehow to a big tree in our yard. I didn't even see how that was done but I heard something about a string being tied to a big rock that was thrown over a branch. I thought that showed some ingenuity.

I have to tell you a little story about something my boys and the cousins like to do together. They love making silly videos. About 4 years ago on a vacation together, the boys made a video called, Basketball Master, and it stars my sister's son. The boys think this video is hilarious, every time.

Here is the video from 2008 below:

The next video (below) was made just this summer and it again stars my nephew. My oldest son played and recorded the music and he does all of the filming and editing on these videos. You can see my second son in the lifeguard chair for part of the video at the pool.

I just love this video, it starts with a flashback from the first Basketball Master:

Now, below, is another video starring my brother's son, who is 9-years-old. My second son is the crazy guy in the video, my oldest son did the taping and editing. If you have teenage boys or even younger boys, you may understand this video a little better. The boys think this is so funny and my little nephew came up with the storyline on his own pretty much. This was all filmed at the birthday party and it was a big production.

I think it is funny because I can hear my nephew cracking up while he is supposed to be talking. He had a blast making this video. It is supposed to be cartoon-like. It was all done in good humor and no one was hurt in any way so don't worry. The boys think this is hilarious. 

Oh, and my nephew's name isn't really Carl, he just made that up. 

Okay, next up I'll have some knitting and spinning to share. I've already taken some great photos of a few things I have brewing.

Also, the Patchwork Sockalong is coming to a close this coming weekend (June 30th at midnight to be exact) and I have gathered some spectacular prizes for the participants who will be entered in prize drawings if they completed a pair of socks. I will be posting about the prizes coming up. It is a prize grouping of some of my most favorite knitting items out there. Even if you aren't in the sockalong, these are products you'll be interested in.

I hope you enjoy the videos.

See you back here very soon.

best, susie

Party Prep

Hi Knitters,
Last week was a whirlwind of fun. We celebrated another milestone as a family. TC is now a teenager. Thirteen years old. We had to celebrate in style for such a monumental occasion. With the ever-trusty Peachy by my side we went out gift hunting for our beloved TC.

The first stop was our go-to local floral shop and fairy garden specialists, Jkinney Florist (click here). When we see this sign outside on the sidewalk in front of the shop, we know we are in the right place. This shop always has the best tiny items for TC's fairy gardens and we wanted to add to her collection. We picked out a couple of new furniture items for her, a stone bench and table set. It's so adorable.

J. Kinney Florist has so many unique and cool items including bags, jewelry (Peachy likes the LOVE necklace), home goods, garden goods, textiles, accessories, just any type of gift-y item you could think of, not just flowers. It is a gift store with a lot of style and we love going there.

Here is one of the shop's fairy garden displays. You can see the stone table and bench in the mix. Peachy really picked it out for TC, I was having a difficult time deciding. It is all so sweet it is hard to choose.

We love going to Monroe Street (in Madison) in general. J. Kinney is right across from a Trader Joe's, there are little local restaurants and shops of all sorts, it is a stretch of community that I think is completely representative of Madison. The UW football stadium is just a couple blocks down from the fairy garden florist, there is also a public library, a knit shop, custard, coffee, tea, children's and women's clothes shops, an art gallery or two, more restaurants, etc. It is a fun stretch to visit if you are in town.

Later that day I snuck off with the birthday girl to get her ears pierced. She has been waiting and waiting for this day to arrive. The woman asked if she wanted her to count down before the piercing and TC said, "No, just do it." She didn't even flinch. For her first earrings she selected a tiny daisy made out of sparkly clear stones, to appear like diamonds, I guess. They are super cute and suit her perfectly, twinkly and sweet.

TC tied the leftover graduation balloons around her waist. I thought that was funny to see her wearing those balloons around for her birthday. The balloons were from last weekend's huge graduation party  we threw with a few friends for over 200 people at a nearby park. The party-planning seems never-ending this spring and summer. Up next, my brother is coming for a visit (family dinner at my house), the Fourth of July (at my sister's house), and Peachy's birthday...... it's not over yet.

TC is holding a cupcake pinata Peachy and I picked up for her birthday party at Target. I know I'll get asked if I don't add that in.

I'll share more of the party up next. It was a lovely and fun family-filled night.

Thanks for all of the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny and Hat love. The bunny reached #10 on the Ravelry Top 20 Hot Right Now pattern list yesterday. That was exciting. I put the the hat and bunny up on Ravlery as project pages if you are interested and for your convenience (see the links below).

I received a lot of inquiries about the bunny pattern since I posted. The patterns will eventually be available as downloadable pdfs and will also be available in yarn shops as hard copies. I had so many questions and requests from all over the world, literally. No need to worry, the pattern will be available to all at some point soon in the near future. I will let you know when that happens. I also had some questions about the safety eyes. I purchased them at Jo Ann's and they are the 6mm size. It is the first time I have used safety eyes.

Click here for the Ravelry project page for the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny.

Click here for the Ravelry project page for the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny Hat.

Have a super Sunday.
best, susie

Unicorn News and VK Live News!

Edited to add the Ravelry projects pages for the Opal Bunny and Hat:
Click here for the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny!
Click here for the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny Hat!

Hi Knitters,
Phew! What a week or two it has been and it continues right on with TC's birthday tomorrow. There are many celebrations to be had around here lately. It's all good fun but also very time consuming so that explains my temporary absence on here. It's good to be back.

Remember the sneak peek I gave for a project I have been working on with Unicorn Books? Well, here it is! I have created the top-down seamless Opal Sock Yarn Bunny exclusively for Unicorn Books, the distributors of Opal Sock yarn, one of my favorites.

In case you didn't catch that, this toy is worked from the top-down and is completely seamless. When you take that last knit stitch on that last toe, you are done! I also made this version with safety eyes but the eyes could also be embroidered. All that's left after the knitting is done, is to take three simple straight stitches with embroidery floss to make the nose, and of course, you can always add a pom-pom tail on the back.

The bunny is incredibly sweet to hold and sits at about 6 1/2 inches tall. There is something about that Vincent Van Gogh sock yarn that is vintage-looking, sort of worn and comfy, all in the best way possible. I can't get enough. I jumped at the chance to design something with the Opal sock yarn when I was asked several months ago.

Here is the back view. How incredibly sweet is this scene? He looks like he is waiting and watching for something right out that window.

I think this bunny should be the main character in a story......

Now here is the exciting news. This pattern (and my photography!) made the cover of the Unicorn Books Fall 2012 catalog. I am so happy about this fact. In case you are wondering that is my mother's original Winnie the Pooh book with a print date of 1928. It is a treasure of mine. This old, tattered book fit perfectly with this sweet old-fashioned bunny. I couldn't resist.

Here is how you get the pattern....

This information is in the catalog and you can see the phone number right on the bottom of page 11 if you need to call (800 289 9276). Those are TC's hands in the photos, she's a patient model for me and I appreciate that.

If you are attending TNNA at the end of this week, please stop by the Unicorn Books booth #109 to check out the original sample. For yarn shop buyers, if you order 1 bag of Opal's Vincent Van Gogh sock yarn you get 5 free patterns for the top-down seamless Opal Sock Yarn Bunny!

The pattern is also available for wholesale order through Unicorn Books for yarn shops! Yarn shops can order the pattern and if you are a yarn shop customer please request the pattern through your shop if you are interested. This is the only way to get the pattern at this time.

I think Unicorn is also running a special on my Itty-Bitty Book series, too. Be sure to check that out as well.

I also made a matching Opal Sock Yarn Bunny Hat with the leftover sock yarn after the bunny was complete. With one ball of Opal sock yarn you have the yarn to knit the perfect gift set.

The construction of the hat is different than the bunny hat in Itty-Bitty Hats and it whips up very quickly. Again, this hat is just like the bunny in that it is completely seamless.

Aren't they great together? That is a surefire hit for any baby shower around! You will be the most popular knitter in town if you show up with this gift for a baby or child or the toy for an adult or teen for that matter.

I don't see the matching hat in the catalog and I am not sure if they are releasing the hat pattern at TNNA or not but the pattern and hat are with Unicorn so ask about it if you stop by the booth or get in touch with them otherwise. The patterns should both be available for purchase.

I am proud of these little knits and I had fun designing them. It has brought me a lot of joy so I hope you enjoy them, too. Unicorn has already asked me to do more designs for them for their Opal yarns in the future so I'll keep you posted on any upcoming patterns.

Click here for the link to Unicorn Books!

Now for more gigantic news keep reading......

Vogue Knitting Live class registration is now up! The VK Live event this fall is being held in Chicago from Oct. 26-28th. I am so excited to be offering two new classes on Sunday, Oct. 28th. I am only going to be there on Sunday due to family obligations on the other days.

I am teaching a brand new and exclusive VK Live design for the String-Along-Frogs! These are small toys that can be whipped up in a jiffy on worsted weight yarn. The frogs are completely seamless and so much fun to knit. You can make them as separate toys or with the ability to hook together. It's up to you.

I am also making String-Along-Monkeys and Bunnies for the in-class pattern that is provided. I will preview those versions right here in a short while. You will get the pattern as part of the class and for now that is the only place to find the pattern. It is an exclusive design for Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago!

The String-Along-Frogs are knit in the wonderful Quince & Co. Lark in several of their green colorways.

The second class I am teaching is for a baby top-down seamless cardigan (photos coming soon!). This is another exclusive design for VK Live in Chicago.  I am offering the pattern and technique information/demonstrations in the class for a worsted weight, seamless, top-down baby cardigan. There will also be an option for a matching hat and/or a hoodie version of the cardigan. I am really, really excited to be teaching this brand new class topic for me. All information for the materials are on the VK Live website.

I truly love to teach and I am so thrilled to be included in this elite group of knitting instructors. It is such an honor. You have to go look at the line up, it is incredible.

Please join me, or any of the instructors, if at all possible in Chicago. Come on Midwesterners, let's come out in droves for this fun event! The better the attendance is, the better the chances that we will get to have another VK Live in our part of the country and that is a huge big deal! Plus, it is simply a cool, fun, educational, inspirational event which benefits everyone.

Click here to register for classes!

Hope to see you in Chicago in October 2012!

Take care, Knitters.
best, susie

6am Balm

Hi Knitters,
I goofed this morning about the swim team schedule and woke TC up out of a cozy sleep at 6am instead of 6:20am. That may not seem like much but those 20 minutes can make all the difference when you are twelve and tired. She was a very good sport about it though and I even got her to take a couple of photos before leaving for practice.

The shawl, after blocking, is just so much fun. The handspun yarn is light as air and drapey. Luckily for me it has been a bit cooler these past couple of days so I have been wearing it around my house while I've been knitting away on work projects. The Balm to the Soul has basically been keeping me company while I work.

Here are a few more 6am shots of my first handspun shawl. To me it is a beauty and I am in love. I want to knit bunches of shawls out of handspun now. Hopefully that can happen.

Balm to the Soul Shawlette, by Jaala Spiro
Handspun yarn, roving in Wintersong by Sunshine Yarns 

Now it's 9am and I'm off to dig and sort through hundreds of tutorial photos for my book. The morning glow has ended and I have to get to some serious work ahead.
best, susie