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

The Classics by Woolly Wormhead

Hi, Knitters,
I didn't close out the Super Fall Birthday Giveaway yet so it is still going and keep right on entering! I'll pick a winner in a couple of days.

Note: All photos for this post are from the Classic Woolly Toppers book.

So now for the matter at hand, I have been asked to join in the blog tour for a brand new hat book by one of my favorites, Woolly Wormhead. Today is my assigned day. Therefore, I am jumping in with both feet because I am so happy to be included in the blog tour for this fantastic new collection.

Woolly Wormhead is an incredible sculptural hat designer. Her designs are interesting, thorough, thoughtful and frankly, ingenious. She takes knit hat design to a whole new inventive level, but at the same time keeps them doable and wearable. That is no small feat.  I just listened to a very well-done interview with Woolly that offers a lot of insight into her design process and background. Click here to listen to this fun interview!

Woolly Wormhead is adding to her top-notch hat collection with this new book, Classic Woolly Toppers, which I highly recommend.  However, let's not forget that Woolly has an extensive number of hat designs already under her belt. (Click here to look at all of her impressive hat designs.) She's almost to 200 original hat designs now. This is one experienced and knowledgeable hat designer! This makes her work all the more appealing because she is a seasoned hat designer.

Click here for Woolly Wormhead's website and blog.

Click here for the Classic Woolly Toppers website. (Purchasing information is here.)

Click here to see all of the patterns in the Classic Woolly Toppers book on Ravelry!

You can purchase all of the patterns individually or the entire the ebook on Ravelry, and you can order the print copy of the book through the website for the book (linked above).

Here is a description of the book from Woolly:

Classic Woolly Toppers features 10 timeless Hat styles, redesigned for the modern knitter.

Relevant techniques are included, and where appropriate, patterns are provided in charted as well as written format. Schematics are also provided for unsual construction techniques. And like all other Woolly Wormhead patterns, each design includes a range of sizes.

More details are available from the books’ webpage.

Available in both print and eBook formats.

This is one of my favorite designs from the book.  I love the clean simple lines and the fit of this hat. It is called, Alternato and it looks like a fun knit.

The Knit Girlls did a wonderful and thorough video review of this book. Both Laura and Leslie have knit hats to show from Woolly's designs and from this current release. It is fun to see the hats knit up and to see them try the hats on. Once you see this video review, you will want to get this book immediately!

Click here to see The Knit Girllls review of Classic Woolly Toppers!

I love the interesting brim construction of this hat, Ravine. 

The Camden Cap is the most popular hat in the book so far. The unique brim construction and cast on have people talking! I love this sporty cap.

Woolly always includes a wide range of sizes in all of her patterns. She has written instructions and charts when needed. She offers clear technique descriptions and schematics. All of the care and effort put into her patterns makes the best experience possible for the knitters. Woolly is so earnest and hardworking, you can really tell she cares about her designs and the knitters making them.

Anyway, hop over and look at her patterns and hopefully buy this exciting new collection that will never go out of style. These really are classic hats by a modern-day hat architect.

I feel like we are all so fortunate to have such a wide variety of designers out there to choose from. Woolly is a good one! I got to meet Woolly briefly at TNNA in 2011 and it was so great to meet her and put a face with all of her amazing hats.

Let me know what you think!

Here are the rest of the blog tour dates:

11th October 2012  Dull Roar Blog hosted by Alex Tinsley

15th October 2012  rock+purl Blog hosted by Ruth Garcia-Alcantud

19th October 2012  Sheep to Shawl Blog hosted by Donna Druchanas

23rd October 2012  do stuff! leethal Blog hosted by Lee Meredith

27th October 2012  Bricoleur Knits blog hosted by Cirilia Rose

31st October 2012  Just call me Ruby Blog hosted by Susan Crawford

best, susie

Super-Size Fall Birthday Giveaway!

Hi, Knitters,
First, I want to briefly share two brand new interviews I did that were recently published. They both turned out great and I thought you might be interested. Here are the links:

Click here for the interview on Spin Artiste! 

Click here for the interview on Art or Crafts!

I have a great opportunity for you today. I am excited to offer a super-fantastic giveaway package for one lucky winner. To celebrate the fall season and my birthday today, I am offering a copy of each of my four books to one lucky winner! If you already have my books, keep reading to see what else is included in this giveaway.... you'll want to enter, just share the extra copies of the books with someone you love.

That means for this giveaway you'll get a copy of Itty-Bitty Hats....

Click here to see Itty-Bitty Hats on amazon!

Click here to see the projects in Itty-Bitty Hats on Ravelry!

Itty-Bitty Nursery......

Click here to see Itty-Bitty Nursery on amazon!

Click here to see the projects in Itty-Bitty Nursery on Ravelry!

Itty-Bitty Toys.....

Click here to see Itty-Bitty Toys on amazon!

Click here to see the projects in Itty-Bitty Toys on Ravelry!

And Spud & Chloe at the Farm!

Click here to see Spud & Chloe at the Farm on amazon!

Click here to see the projects in Spud & Chloe at the Farm on Ravelry!

Now, as I was planning this fantastic book giveaway with my publisher, I remembered that my friend, Kristin Nicholas, has just this fall released her gorgeous yarn again through Classic Elite. The yarn is now called, Color by Kristin. I used Color by Kristin (formerly called Julia) to make my favorite project in Itty-Bitty Toys.

The Princess and the Pea project is so much fun and really, in this yarn, it is a spectacular set for any child. It feels so sweet and soft and special.

I remember working on this set on a trip with my family. The kids kept telling me it needed more mattresses so of course I obliged. The stack of mattresses grew and grew and new rich colors of Color by Kristin kept getting added in. The set uses many colors of the Color by Kristin yarn and since Kristin specializes in color, you can't go wrong.

Anyway, I contacted Kristin to see if she would want to include her yarn in this giveaway because not only did I use it for one of my favorite projects in the books, you could use this fantastic worsted weight yarn for baby hats, toys, stripey baby sweaters, mittens, booties, blankets, and for just about any project in my books! This is such a squishy, soft and fun yarn to work with, you will just love it. It is also great for colorwork and striping.

Sure enough, Kristin got me in touch with Classic Elite and they offered a HUGE prize just for you!!

(photo of yarn from Kristin's blog banner)

Click here for Kristin's blog! You can buy her books (I have them all), sign up for her knitting retreats at her farm, and see her patterns and her pattern booklets for Color by Kristin - check out her blog sidebar for all of these links.

Click here to see Color by Kristin and her pattern booklets!

Click here for Kristin's yarn, Color by Kristin! 

Here is the yarn information: 

Content: 50% Wool/25% Alpaca/25% Mohair

Care:

Hand Wash Cold, Dry Flat

Weight/Yardage:

50g/93yds

Gauge:

5 sts = 1" on US 7 (4.5mm)

Knitting Weight:

Worsted

Click here for Classic Elite!

I am so excited to say that you get this huge sample pack of Color by Kristin along with my four books! It's such an amazing giveaway prize package. Yes, the winner gets all of the yarn in the photo above.  I'm not kidding.

Here is the exact yarn pack you will be receiving from Classic Elite Yarns! It's your lucky day.

What a day and what a way to spend my birthday, giving back to all of you! That's the best.

To enter to win my 4 books (if you have my books already just share one with a friend or keep a spare for yourself), and the incredible yarn pack of Color by Kristin, leave one comment on this blog post (please just post one time - I have to approve the comments so there is a delay from when you post to when you are able to see your comment on the blog). Please leave your email or ravelry id in your comment so I am able to get in touch with you if you win.  I will be back in a couple of days to randomly select a winner. 

Good luck and let the comments begin!

best, susie
p.s. Thanks for all of the "LIKES" on TC's photo. I really appreciate the support and hope that we win the iPad for our family from our orthodontist's office. Click here if you haven't LIKED TC's photo yet and would like to.