Chapter 3....because knitting isn't crazy enough

Hi guys! Welcome to this week's blog entry. The more I think about this blog, the more it's like podcast show notes. :) I really like that. I'm not brave enough to podcast, just yet. Although, there are things I never thought I'd do that I am doing; but I'll get into that a little later in On The Back Burner and Adventures, so let's get started...

On The Needles

I didn't make as much progress as I had hoped this week, so I still have some things on the needles that I thought would have been a FO. I'm still working on Amy E's Greek Fire shawl. I am on the last section, so I should have that finished next week.


I'm still working on my Hitchhiker by Martina Behm in "Bad Day" by Lemonade Shop. That has become purse knitting so it's not getting as much love and attention as it did in the beginning. I am still loving the results with those pops of neon rainbow colors!

I've started a Rikke hat by Sarah Young, and I'm knitting that per pattern with some Malabrigo Arroyo in Jupiter.

As always, I have socks OTN and work on them where I can/when I feel like it. Usually they are my "basketball practice" knitting....but I'm actually blogging at practice today.


Finished Objects

None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Oh well. I blogged five or six days ago so I don't feel tooooo bad about this.

In My Queue
I am always looking for new hats and shawls to knit, so if you have any ideas/projects/patterns, please enable me!


Like I mentioned last week, I am joining Ysolda Teague in her Follow Your Arrow 2 KAL. This officially starts Monday, January 19. I still have no idea what yarn I'm using for this. *Note to self: it's later in the month than you think it is; you should get going on this!*


I'm still planning on making Barn Raising squares and should have had at least one casted on, but it's been a busy few days. I'm sure I'll have one OTN or as a FO next week.


New in my queue is the Topography Kerchief by Melissa Stajda. I'm still unsure of which yarn I will use for this. I do have some Republic of Wool and it is what the pattern suggests, but I don't know if the specific colorway I have is right for the pattern. I may test it out and see what happens. There's also a YouTube Video where Melissa explains the detail of this shawl further. Check it out. You have officially been warned, and enabled.


Finally, I am planning on making a baby blanket for a co-worker. She's a recess aide at the school I work at and is a newly wed. She was told she'd "never" have children. This baby, like all babies, is a miracle! She's so excited and rightfully so. She moved here (Indiana) from California recently (because of her husband's job) and has no friends and no family nearby. She's always complimenting my knitwear and often mentions how she wishes she could do that, so I thought it would be nice for her to have a hand-knit item for her baby. I'm not sure exactly which pattern I will make, but I do know I want it to be square.


Stash Enhancements
I went to Tuesday Morning in hopes of getting some ChiGoo needles I've seen everyone and their grandmother post about on Instagram. No such luck. I did, however, buy a skein of Llama Lace by Queensland Collection, which is 100% llama. There are no colorway names, but it does say color 12 on the label. It sort of reminds me of the Anna and Elsa colorways you see from several indie dyers. I've never worked with this llama before and I'm excited to try it out. Not sure what it will be yet. Maybe fingerless mitts.

What I'm Wearing
This week I've really only been wearing my outerwear pieces: my Norwegian Star hat and a mobius cowl I made years ago out of some chunky art yarn that I cannot remember the name of for the life of me! And socks. I'm always wearing hand knit socks this time of year.

On The Burner
I have been working hard in the studio (my kitchen) to get things dyed up and ready for my first shop update! I should be ready to go the weekend of the 24th. I'm not going to lie. It's a difficult thing to get a business going; especially when you're still working elsewhere full-time. I'm enjoying every minute of it...even when I make dyeing mistakes. It's a great learning experience! I'm sure all the indie dyers out there can relate. No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Even the greatest/most popular/hardest to get/cart-jacked (every. single. time.) dyers has experienced set backs. Heck, knitters, crocheters, crafters of all varieties have had set backs. I keep reminding myself of this, and remember how far I've come as a knitter. Five years from now I can't wait to look back at today's work and admire my progress. Anyway, I have some fun colorways for y'all and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. (SPOILER ALERT: one of them is self-striping!)


On The Back Burner
I have to give credit to Stacie and Steph of the Must Stash Podcast for this next idea. I've recently discovered their podcast (I know, I know....I've been under a rock, apparently, and have been missing out!) They talked about WIPs and frogging and "month of (fill in the blank)". So, I will be doing "Finish It or Frog It February", and will be using #finfrofeb on Instagram. Please feel free to join me and do the same! Basically, during the month of February I will dig out all my UFOs from deeeeeeeep in the UFOS closet and either finish them, or frog them. Off the top of my head I know I have at least 2 shawls, 2 pairs of socks, and a sweater in that bin. Now, I am not counting my current WIPs in this. The idea of this is to clear out stuff I haven't worked on, or even looked at, in months. My current (and future) WIPs will get love too; but these UFOs will take priority.

I am also declaring March: Month of Socks! In my own personal goal to knit 15 pairs of socks in 2015 (#15pairsin2015), and to work on  #operationsockdrawer from the Knitmore Girls Podcast, I plan to only work on socks during the month of March. Again, please join me and add #mmos15 to your posts on Instagram.


Adventures
First, non-crafty adventures:

I had a Mommy & Me date with Bopper last Sunday (the Hubs and our oldest, Bubs, had a "boys only" football date). We saw Big Hero 6. It was great!! In fact, it was so great I'd pay to see it again in the theater! Bopper is 7 and has autism and ADHD. The school calls him "double exceptional" because he's very smart. He's very good in math and science. He wants to go to M.I.T. for college and make robots. Well, robotics is a major theme in Big Hero 6, so needless to say Bopper loved it!

Now, as if knitting wasn't crazy enough....I bought a drop spindle!! I've never spun before. Well, I've touched a spindle once, and kind of attempted some sort of spinning, but it wasn't really spinning....unless one ply chunky/roving weight counts. 

Again, thanks to the amazing ladies of the Must Stash Podcast, I bought a Turtle Made Turkish spindle. Steph did a review of one and I just had to have it. It really looks amazing!! It is 3D printed and comes in a wide variety of colors! It took several days to choose which colors I wanted. I heard Falkland is great for beginners. Thanks to an IG friend, I will have a little bit to practice on. What I want to know from y'all is: What is your favorite fiber to spin? Who are your favorite indie dyers to buy fiber from? 

I will be joining Amy Lamash of the Hudson Valley Knits Podcast in Adopt a Senior 2015. She is still running her Senior Love Along, and taking it a step further.

Directly from Amy's Rav post:

"Many of the senior residents at the VA nursing home do not have family and do not receive visits. This is a very lonely life. I am working with the Activity Coordinator to come up with a list of residents they would benefit from having a person to keep in touch with them throughout the year".

The commitment includes:

~cards sent on birthday and holidays

~a personal handcrafted item made specifically for your senior

Additional written letters and small gifts may be sent during the year

It is a big commitment, but as Amy explains, you will be making a beautiful difference in this world. I do hope this is something you will consider. If you'd like to help/donate, but are unable to commit to Adopt a Senior, you can still help! The Senior Love Along is a craft along to collect washcloths for the seniors. You can find more information on Amy's Rav group.

That's it for this week. Thanks for checking me out. I'm not too sure how many read this blog, but I do appreciate every one of you! If there is anything y'all want to know, please feel free to ask me in the comments and I will reply in next week's post. As always, you can find me on Rav and IG as wittyknittingyarn. I hope everyone has a great week!

Tell your tale and make every stitch count!

Chapter 2; 100 scarves

Happy New Year!
Yes, I know it's late on January 9...it may be the 10th already for some of you...and certainly will be when you read this.(Sorry about the delay! I had some technical difficulties). Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! How's 2015 treating you so far? Good, I hope. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, if not I meant to, but I'm going to treat this blog a lot like a podcast. I'm going to (try to) post weekly. It's been a little wonky around here with the minions being on break and then having two days off for the bitter cold. I work in a neighboring district and I was off for three days, but we had pipes burst so that's why I've been home and been busy.  Much like a podcast, I'm going to try to limit the amount of editing and/or deleting and rewording the things I type. I'm quirky like that. I hope you stick around and read everything but if you're just interesting in the knitting/dyeing/general crafting stuff, please feel free to scroll down. I'd really like to hear from y'all too! Tell me what you think. What you like, or what you think I could improve on. I can handle constructive criticism and appreciate any and all feedback. :) So, let's get to it!

On the needles
I am working on a few things:

I'm knitting a Greek Fire shawl by Josh Ryks (who is swordofaknitter on Rav and Instagram) for my bestie, Amy E.  You'll hear a lot about her. She's more like my sister than my friend. Anyway, I'm using two different colorways of Madelinetosh Dandelion; Sugar Plum and Medieval. They are a fingering weight 90/10 superwash merino/fine linen blend, and there are 325 yards/297 meters per skein. I'm also using a skein of Tiara by HiKoo in color 071; which is close to a natural or bare yarn...except it has bling!! It has beads AND sequins!! There's only 188 yards in this 100g skein so it is the accent to bring these purples together. She also asked for a button detail for an option to close it. Not too sure how I'll do this, but I'll make it work.

I'm also working on my Hitchhiker by Martina Behm. I'm using US size 6 (4mm) this time because I'm playing with drape and I want to get the most out of my yarn. This is "Bad Day" by Lemonade Shop on Etsy. Isn't it beautiful! I remember I was having a no good, very bad day when I saw this posted on Instagram and I just had to have it. I originally was going to make socks but then I saw someone post a hitchhiker in this colorway and I knew I had to do that!

And as always. I have vanilla socks on the needles. Right now I'm working with some of my own yarn, Tale, in the "Wit & Treasure" colorway. This is the first pair in my #15pairsin2015 goal.

Finished Objects
I recently made two hats for one of my dads, Papi. Papi is my stepdad. I made him a bomber hat a while ago and never really finished it. I had some adjustments to make on the sizing that involved steeking, cutting, and sewing. I also made a Viking Hat with Beard. This started as a joke. We live in the Midwest. They (Papi and my mom) are in the NW suburbs of Chicago and we (my little family; husband and minions) are in NW Indiana about 30 miles from downtown Chicago. It's cold here. Very cold. Freezing cold, really. It started with a Facebook post from Papi and we all got a good laugh. Little did he know I'd actually make it because he'll actually wear it! Papi is my favorite person to knit hats for. He'll wear anything!! Hats are our thing for Christmas. The latest hat featured deer...doing natural deer like things...to make baby deer. I followed this chart. NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN!! ;)

In My Queue
I have a few things planned, but haven't casted on just yet.

I'm joining Shannon of the Minerva Turkey Podcast and several members of her Ravelry group in making squares for the Barn Raising Quilt. I have some other plans for my sock yarn scraps, but I think this would be s fun project.

I'm also planning on knitting a Rikke Hat out of some Malabrigo I got on vacation last summer that is just sitting in my stash!

The latest item in my queue is a MKAL by Ysolda Teague. She has created another Follow Your Arrow shawl. I participated in her first Follow Your Arrow shawl last year, but it sits in my UFO bin because I broke my wrist halfway through and never picked it up again. It's too pretty to not finish and I only have two sections left.

On The Burner

I spent most of the day yesterday and a good portion today dyeing. I hope to have the shop open in the next two weeks with a few colorways I'm very excited about. There will be two different hand painted/variegated colorways, and one self striping! 

On The Back Burner

Basically in this section I'll talk about future plans and any ideas I have rolling around in my head. So...

For the shop, I am planning on a few themed collections that will be available to all, but only for a short amount of time. Also, I will be doing a yarn club. I don't want to give away that theme just yet, but I can tell you that there will be two colorway options for each of the three or six month delivery options. More information on that will be out next month. Bags and stitch markers may make an appearance in the shop as well. 

There's a few things I'd like to know from y'all:

~What are your favorite yarn bases and weights to work with?

~What would you like to see more of (from indie dyers, in general)

~Thoughts about a Rav group for the shop?

~What are y'all working on? What do I *need* to cast on immediately?

Adventures!

This is where I talk about more of my personal life. There may or may not be knitting/yarn/crafting related things featured (this week there is), so if you're not interested in this kind of stuff thank you so much for checking me out this week! Hopefully you'll come back next week! If you're still here, thanks for sticking around!

I want to start with a story about someone I met at a not-local-to-me LYS. Amy E (the bestie I talked about earlier) and I went to a LYS local to her and there was a man that knits 100 scarves every year and gives them away to children at his former elementary school every year. What's so amazing about this man, and his generosity, is that he's autistic. I spoke with him and his lovely mother for about an hour at the shop. She explained they go to the shop 3 days a week and he works on the scarves. With worsted held double he works on size US 15 needles and makes garter stitch scarves. Although he is 27 years old, he is only at a second grade reading level. His mother explained that he taught himself to knit from pictures! Despite her best efforts to teach him, he did it all on his own. So, we sat. We chatted. He knit. We counted the trains that went by. There were 5. As you may or may not know my little one, Bopper, is autistic and I work with low functioning autistic children in a structured learning elementary school classroom. This man warmed my heart. I loved every minute with him. He told me about his letter from the yarn fairy and how she was so impressed about his 100 scarves. He told me he was going out for pizza with grandma for dinner that night, because it was Friday and that's what you do on Fridays. Although Amy E and I went into that LYS just to check it out, we left with so much more than the yarn she purchased. Knitters are everywhere and no matter how you knit, or how you learned, or what fibers you use, knitters are wonderful people. Meeting this amazing man reconfirms my thoughts that knitters are some of the greatest people in the world. His mom and I exchanged Rav names, so I hope we'll be able to keep in touch. Perhaps I'll run into them again the next time I head out towards Amy E. 

Not too much else has happened around here. I blame the cold. :P 

If you're still reading this, I love you! Seriously! Maybe one day I'll podcast, but for now everything will just be in writing. Thanks for spending some time with me! Remember, you can find me on Rav and IG as wittyknittingyarn.

 Now, go out and tell your own tale. Make every stitch count. ;)

2015 will be great...or something like that.

Well, I wrote this whole long post with some exciting news and a shop announcement. Apparently I hit something wrong because *poof* it's gone! I'll give the Cliff's Notes version:

-My husband has been in the Army for 14 years and got promoted!

-Starting tomorrow he will be a SFC (Sergeant First Class/E-7)

-I am VERY proud of him!!

How does this affect you and the knitting community

-A neighbor at our last post taught me to knit. 

-I was introduced to the wonderful world of fiber at that post, went to my first LYS, and have met some AMAZING people that will be my dear friends forever!

-I will be offering a military discount in my shop. More details on this later, but if you serve or have serve  or are the spouse or child of a service member (current or previous) you will receive FREE SHIPPING if delivered in the U.S. APO addresses apply as well! Outside the U.S. and not on a military installation? No problem! You too will receive a discount, equal to the price of U.S. shipping. Like I said, the exact details of this will be announced at a later date. (Not military? No worries! I will be offering various coupon codes and promotions for all to enjoy throughout the year). 

I feel like a small business move has had a snowball effect of goodness, and 2015 hasn't even begun (for us anyway in the Central Time Zone). Now matter how 2014 was for you, each of those moments has lead you to where you are today. Make 2015 YOUR year. I certainly am! Every stitch counts! Remember to tell your tale! Peace and love to you all in the new year. 

Ahhhhhh!!!! *WARNING: Minor freak-out ahead*

Soooooo I *may* have opened my Etsy shop today. *insert slight panic attack here*

Now, I am not up and running by any means, but I have a shop....with a name....and it's all set up, ready to go. All I need is yarn to sell. (I'm not too worried about this part as I have a very generous and supportive family that spoiled me with several items on my "indie dyer wish list" for Christmas).

I will be dyeing, and selling, yarn MUCH sooner than anticipated. I will of course keep everyone updated about this process and announce a grand opening. It's still going to be a while, but not nearly as long as I originally thought.

Go big, or go home. :)

#15pairsin2015

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen my posts about knitting 15 pairs of socks in 2015. If you don't follow me, you can find me as wittyknittingyarn.

This is my only knitting goal for 2015. With my shop opening soon, and featuring mostly sock weight yarn, I figured it makes sense to have a sock knitting goal.

Come join me! Not sure what to do? It's simple; gather 15 skeins of yarn and 15 bags you cannot see through. I used brown lunch bags and found they work great for this. If you're really organized (which you will soon find that I am not), you can add a pattern and/or needles to each bag as well.

I numbered my bags 1-15. I'm not sure if I'll go in order or draw one at random.

Then, post your progress on Instagram using #15pairsin2015. ANNOUNCEMENT: I will randomly award prizes throughout the year!

Does 15 pairs in one year scare you?! No problem!! Join in on the fun anyway and do what you can. The thing I love most about the knitting/crocheting community is the support of one another. You never know what ideas you'll get or who you'll inspire.

Can't wait to see what you knit (or crochet) up in 2015!

A yarn tale...chapter one

For a while now I have wanted to make my hobby into something more. To be honest, I wasn't really sure where to start. Even with this bright and shiny, brand new blog I'm not sure where to start. There are going to be some major life changes happening for me (and my family) and I cannot wait to get started. Sometime in 2015 I will be opening an Etsy shop, Tale. Tale will feature my very own yarn, dyed with my very own hands in my very own kitchen. The ultimate plan is to quit my current job, move into a large home, and create a studio space in that house so I may work from home. 

Why "Tale"? I wanted a name that was different and unique, yet easy to remember. I wanted something related to yarn, but not specifically to just knitting. I'm a crocheter too. So I looked up the definition of "yarn". Obviously we all know it's a spun thread used in knitting, crocheting, weaving, etc...but did you know it also means "a long or rambling story"? So, I got to thinking about word play.  All projects have a yarn tail...but they each tell a tale too. Maybe the pattern was gifted. Maybe the yarn is from a vacation. Maybe the finished object is something to treasure forever; or throw in the back of the closet never to be thought of again. The point is, each stitch tells a story. Every bit of yarn tells a tale. What's your tale?

I hope you'll join me on my tale, and be patient while my story unfolds. I can still be found on Instagram and Ravelry as wittyknittingyarn.