WIP Wednesday

Sorry friends! I have my head down knitting! I'll try to get back here Friday! Happy Knitting!

Feature Friday: Primarily Speaking

I'm so excited to share with you Primarily Speaking! This is a fun little line of colors that came about from play, the best kind of inspiration! I was filling an order and just happened to have primary colors in front of me. With the left overs I made secondary colors and felt like a genius! So here is Primarily Speaking! 

Nothing like a rainbow to brighten your day!

Primarily Speaking is available on super wash merino fingering, dk, worsted and aran. Can I just tell you that the DK is the most delicious yarn ever? So round, and bouncy! I'm thinking something for the boys for this fall will be in order!

Purple

Orange and Green are made with the yellow as a base and a wash in red or blue. The Purple is the only with that has a different color involved. I use a more pink red as a base color and then a blue wash over it. When I used the red, there was too much orange in it and with the blue wash it turned a muddy purple. Because there are two colors applied on the secondary colors, Orange, Green, Purple, there is a lot of depth. I'm a little in love! 

Red in Yoked

So, what's the feature this week? Yoked! I love this pattern. You can make a wee baby size, like the one above, or you can make an adult sized one. All written into the same pattern! So, purchase a skein of worsted weight Primarily Speaking, in any color, and I'll include Yoked for free! If you'd like to order any of the six colors in any of the yarn weights  please let me know, I'm happy to dye to order!

WIP Catch up!

Quick warning: I have a picture below of my in progress Rockefeller Mystery KAL. You've been warned. 

Wow did time get away from me! I'm barely getting this post in for Wednesday. But I do have a finished object to share! I finished the Sierra Sunset Cowl for our summer KAL!! Such a treat to knit! If you haven't cast on yet, I highly recommend it. I took it to the park, and all over Portland. The three different section that you knit are just perfect for plunking down a few rows. Before you know it you'll have your own cowl! A big thank you to Jimmy Beans Wool for having such a great pattern available for free! 

Just waiting for it to finish drying. Leave it to July to be overcast and chilly.

Next up, I'm chugging along on Olana Shawl. I love me some stripes! The Picante skein is going to be the third color at the bottom. I need to put in some time on that shawl and get to the next section. I'm really enjoying knitting with Feather Weight. This yarn is so beautiful, and takes color very well.

I'm starting to notice a color theme! I have Yellow Brick Road, Peacock, and Picante all in Cashy, ready to go for the Color Affection. Have you made one? I know I'm not the last person in the world to make it, but getting close! I'm going to try and wait for the olympics and see if I can do it during the games. Are you doing a project for the games?

On to the Stephen West KAL! I'm loving it! I think I have 16 windows done, I need to have 32 done by Friday. I'm going to be honest, I'm getting a little nervous. So nervous, I think I need to stop typing and start knitting!!

Feather Weight, Brown Sugar and French Kiss

A quick update on Community Supported Yarn: a big thank you to all that have joined! I have had a few people ask about making payments, a big yes to that! I totally get budgets and being responsible. Sign ups don't close until August 31st, there's still plenty of time to make a plan!

Community Supported Yarn

When Chrissy started Indie Socks, she funded it by doing a Community Supported Knitting club. People joined and got patterns along the way that would be in the book and when the book was published we all got copies. This was the inspiration for my first Community Supported Yarn. My business is small and growing and I want to keep growing it. By having you buy shares, I get to try out new yarn, new dye techniques and improve Knitted Wit. 

Here's the details: 

• Each share costs $100+$15 shipping. Canada is $20 shipping. International $30 The combined retail cost of the yarn is over $120, what a deal!
• You'll receive 5 skeins of yarn over 5 months. First harvest goes out on September 15th. Last shipment is 1/15.
• Buy as many shares as you'd like! Shares make a great gift! 
• There will be a variety of different types of yarn. Cashy Lite (fingering weight Merino Cashmere Nylon) was a big hit the first round and is coming back again. So far I have two fingerings, a light fingering (the closest I'll get to lace), and a worsted weight. Looking for one more yarn--have any suggestions?
• There might be one variegated color but mostly it will be semi solids. A chance for me to test out new colors!
• There will be prizes for each month, who doesn't love a prize! Think books, knitting bags, needles and other fun. 
• There will be pattern suggestions each month too. I love trolling Ravelry for patterns!

Have any questions? Leave a comment! Want to buy some shares? Go here!

The winner of Chrissy Gardiner's new book, Indie Socks, is....Donna! "Such gorgeous summery colors. I'm gonna have to vote for Peach Pit. But I missed mermaid so I am going back to look for that one!" Thank you so much! This was so eye opening to see what the favorites are, now I know what to pack along to the fall shows! If you're not Donna, you can buy it from Chrissy or check your LYS!

Work in Progress Wednesday

I'm happy to say I'm done with the first section of the Sierra Sunset Cowl! I'm onto short rows!! How's yours going? Any questions so far? I think next week we'll have a chat with Kristen, the designer. Leave a question in the comments and I bet she'll have the answer!

Plums ready for the picking! Are you ready Michele?

Next up is a fun little shawl I cast on for at TNNA. I don't know how you couldn't start something new at a yarn convention! I'm plugging away on my Olana shawl. I'm almost ready to decrease the stripes. Then I add a third color! Just you wait!

Our wee grapes in the background. Also, I want to knit stripes forever

Oh spinning. Sweet spinning. I haven't done as much as I'd like but I am almost down with the braid. Which is more spinning than I've done in months!

I couldn't hold the wheel up next to the apples that are growing.

Don't forget to leave a comment on Monday's post to win Chrissy's new book! Contest ends tonight at midnight!! I'll announce the winner tomorrow and details of the new Community Supported Yarn.

Indie Socks Giveaway

Happy Monday! What could be a better way to start off the week than winning a book?! Chrissy Gardiner's newest book is called Indie Socks. Inside are beautiful sock patterns written up for all those tricky variegated skeins. Included in the book are dyer profiles written up by Donna Arney. I am proud to say I am one of the feature dyers! I had a great time reading through all the profiles and getting to know the companies better. There's never enough time at shows to get to have chats with all of these fabulous people, so it was like sitting down and having a nice cup of tea with each of them. 

The patterns are beautiful too. Chrissy did a great job of capturing color and letting the yarn do the talking in each pattern. I have the pleasure of giving away a copy! Go to the shop and tell me which variegated color is your favorite in the comments. Contest closes on Wednesday and I'll announce the winner on Thursday! I'll also be announcing the next Community Supported Yarn on Thursday! Stay tuned for more fun!!

Feature Friday

Happy Friday! Today's Feature is one of my favorite patterns. I want to knit every color in one of these sweaters! This sweater is the potato chips of knitting! 

The Sock Yarn Sweater by Hannah Fettig is so quick. I call it stupid easy, but a nicer way might be awesome easy. After the shoulder shaping it's straight down in stockinette. In the round. Hello perfect summer knitting! 

So small and portable, the first size just takes one skein. Purchase a skein of super wash merino Fingering yarn and I include the pattern for free! 

I'm thinking about making a striped one, adult size. Yeah, Hannah wrote this pattern in an adult size version! I'm thinking a two row stripe of a semi solid and a two row stripe of variegated. I'm thinking Tranquility and Carbon. What color are you going to start with?! If you'd like to purchase enough yarn to make the adult sweater just let me know and I'll dye it up fresh. Pattern will be included for free of course!

Work In Progress Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! And happy 4th of July!! I can't believe it's July 4th already! The weather sure has tricked us this year. I hope you are doing something fun (and safe) for the holiday! Here's a quick update on some things I'm working on:

My Sierra Sunset Cowl is coming along swimmingly! I'm almost down with the first section and hope to add a few rows today. This has been a great project to take along to the park. Portland has a program in select parks, free lunch for kids 1-18. Pretty great! The boys eat their lunch, run around like crazy and then come home for a nap. I can usually manage 2-4 rows!

I'm trying really hard to pace myself with Tour de Fleece. Last year I had an injury a few days in because I spun straight for a few hours, a few days in a row. Not good! While I'm a little jealous of how much Brooke (Sincere Sheep) is cranking out, I'm happy that my hands and shoulders still like me! 

We're headed up to Grandma's for the 4th. I'm crazy optimistic about how much sewing will actually be accomplished. You know how you go on a trip and bring a sweater, socks, cowl, and a new project to cast on just in case? Yeah. I'm doing that with my sewing. I have these three patterns, plus the Sorbetto top that I want to make. What I'd really like to do is make one of each in sale fabric and work out the kinks. Then using my favorite fabric crank out a few of each. Now that I'm not nursing my dress world has opened up! So really my goal is to cut out a pattern or two and sew them up and see how they fit. Can't wait!!

How are your WIP? Do you have a management system? Keep them corralled in some way?

Love Kits?!

Have you ever gotten a kit from WoolGirl? It is like getting a birthday present from your dearest friend that understands just how much you love yarn. Truly! I'm so excited to let you know I'll be dyeing for her next kit! Embrace the Lace: Fantasy! I'm also very happy to say that I'm not dyeing a lace weight yarn! As much as I try to like lace weight, we always end up arguing. Sign up for a kit and get ready to knit a beautiful shawl out of a beautiful fingering weight yarn!

Community Supported Yarn

Hey Gang! I'm thinking about doing the Community Supported Yarn again. What do you think? Sign up for 5 skeins of yarn over 5 shipments. $100 + shipping. The CSY gives me a chance to try out yarn, get feedback from you, and grow my business. I haven't picked all the yarn yet, so I'm open to suggestions. There will be a variety of weights, so not all fingering! I'm thinking sign ups will happen open in August and the first shipment will happen in September. Sounds like a good harvest to me!

Also, if you're spinning for the Tour de Fleece, what are you working on? I got my wheel out tonight and lubed her up. What an improvement! I had some fiber sitting on my dresser from Stitches West and thought this was the perfect time to get started. I have no goal, just to spin when I can. There's sale fiber in the shop and new Romeldale and BFL from a local to me farmer. Happy spinning!