~Springtime Cowgirls ~

My sister and good friend Zaynab are having a show this coming 1st Friday.  The show will be held at Her Tern (Skinny Ravens parent store), Friday May 7 from 4 - 8 pm.  Their show is going to be amazing and is going to feature leather goods.  These two ladies are doing wonderful stuff with leather!  It is amazing to watch.  Yesterday, after pestering my sister for days, we went down to the leather studio (the basement of our office) and Julie cut out my bag and with a little (I mean just a little) help from me, we put this together and it is ALL MINE and ONE OF A KIND...  I LOVE IT! 

If you want to see more of my sisters work check it out HERE!

and the winner is...

A day late is better than never, right!  This morning I gathered up the names of the people who commented on my blog (thank you) and I put them in my cute little felted vessel.  Brendan drew a name out of the vessel and we have a winner...  Aunt Rachel in Hamilton, Montana is the winner of some hand spun yarn!  I will get your package off to you on Monday!

500 Visitors - HOW ABOUT A DRAWING!!!

500 VISITORS!!!

Wow!  Who knew that this blogging thing could be so much fun!  I just got a message that I have had 500 visitors to my blog so I decided that I would do something fun!  I have some hand spun yarn at home that needs a home so - if you make a comment, I will put your name in the hat for a drawing.  This drawing will take place on Friday!!! 

Spring Fling Recap...

(From top to bottom, left to right)

The Spring Fling Flyer, Denise was presented with a hand made banner, she cried!  My new book!  Orange Shetland Fiber Porn!  Alpaca, Silk, Mohair Fiber Porn!  Owl Project Bag that was in the mail when I got home.  Buffalo/Merino Fiber PORN!  A view of the "fling"  My friends Cathy, Cathy, Toby and others!!!

What a wonderful weekend that was had by all in Wasilla.  The Spring Fling hosted by Denise Morrison with Fiber N'Ice was a hit!!!  I started my weekend at about 2pm on Friday and drove North to Wasilla.  There I met up with my good friends Zaynab and Toby and quickly dropped our stuff off at Zaynab's Mother in Law, Sonia's, house.  We then traveled to the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn where the Spring Fling was being held.  When you walked into the conference room you were greeted with people feeling alive and ready for a weekend of fiber enjoyment.  There were spinning wheels, fiber, yarn, tables set up for felting of vessels, wall hangings, scarves, painting on woven fabric, carding, combing, etc, etc, etc.  Zaynab was busy all weekend with classes (felting, felting, felting and then some embellishing).  I taught one class on magic loop and fingerless mitts.  I spun up some of my first most extravigent purchase of buffalo (75%) and merino (25%).  I did not do a whole lot of knitting other than my class but I just observed, learned, and visited with old and new friends.  There are stories.  A couple.  I will post about those later.  One involves a little boy named Chance and the other involves a felted scarf donated and found!!!  Stay tuned...

The naughty deer...

I have been working on another ear flap hat, chullo, toque, hockey hat - whatever you want to call it!!!  Clint is getting ready to take off on Sunday for a couple of weeks and since this hat is for his work buddy, Jake, I needed to slam it out last night.  When I got home from work I still had to close up the top, apply the ear flaps and finish of the edging with the icord bind off, oh yeah, and add the braids.  So I hunkered down on the couch, remote in hand and watched Bones, Bones - NEW, Glee - recorded and the Mentalist and managed to finish the hat, blocking included!  Here are some not so great shots of the Naughty Deer (I still need to work with Clint on the modeling thing - geez, pull the ear flaps down would you)! 

Pattern:  Chart from the "Fornicating Deer Chart" (on Ravelry)

Ear flap hat is personal - made up - perfecting!

Yarn:  Berroco Ultra Alplaca - Three Colors

Needles:  Size 4 Knit Picks Options

Project bags, can you ever have to many???

My friend Alissa sent me a link the other day to a gal who sews project bags.  She had one at FNK (friday night knitting) and must have seen this one and thought of me because I promptly had a link to an Etsy site in my email box.  I was spending some time cleaning up email today and finally clicked the link - my jaw dropped!  How cute is this fabric...and the bag...  I LOVE it!

If anyone else loves these cute little bags and NEEDS and I mean NEEDS to order one for themselves you will find Vengancraftastic here!

Rip it! Rip it! Rip it! The knitters definition of "FROGGING"!

Skew has bit the dust - temporarily.  I have decided to rip it out!  This sock will be made again.  The reason that I decided to "frog" it is because the gauge was WAY off.  I was measuring 3 1/2 inches wide when I should have had 4.  In ripping this out I will also be able to make the sock with the "proper" increases!  So here is frogging in a nutshell, step by step...

1. Remove needles

2. Pull yarn

3. Keep pulling yarn

4. You are done frogging when the yarn is in a wrinkly pile and no stitches are present

Failure to follow instructions...

I am in new project mode.  I have started three new projects in the last week.  I think that is what happens when your needles become empty, the hunger to complete things comes out and projects jump on the needles.  So in addition of the two hats that I blogged about the other day I have also cast on a little sock called Skew.  This sock pattern is free and is here at Knitty.com.  It has interesting construction and I am just having faith that it will all work out.  So I got started on this sock the other night, I was unhappy with the toe so I ripped and started again.  I was having issues with the Right Leaning Increase (it is difficult to knit into that pesky little stitch) so I thought I would go to the internet to see how other people do it and that is when I discovered that I do not follow instructions very well.  

Skew in Red Heart Brand Heart & Sole Yarn, colorway Razzle Dazzle 

(traditionally I am a bit of a yarn snob but I have to say, this yarn from Red Heart is very nice)

I made the assumption that I would just be doing a lifted increase, one slanting to the left, one slanting to the right, easy enough right, except for that pesky knitting into the front of the right slanter.  Well, this pattern calls for an entirely different increase that sounds similar in title but is completely different in execution.  I tried out the stitch, looked to see if it looked entirely different from the increase that I was doing (it looked different enough).  I have made a decision to NOT rip out the sock and start again.  I am going to move forward knitting it wrong!  I have learned a valuable lesson though - the stitch dictionary is there for a reason and I should READ IT!  I am happy to report I am not the ONLY one who has made this error. 

Did I fail or do I just get an incomplete?

So last night I attended my last Icelandic Sweater Class.  This class was meant for me to sew up the steek, cut my knitting and begin the finishing of the sweater!  Well, I worked on a hat.  I did not work on the sweater because the sweater was in a basket at home hibernating!  I don't think that I have been afraid to say I did not enjoy working on this project, at one point I even resolved that I would not work on projects that I do not enjoy, so I took my own advice and put it away!  The purpose of going to the class last night was to see how it is all done!  Is steeking in my future?  You bet.  It does not look all that difficult and as for the cutting of the knitting, yes, scary, but really not to hard to do.  I think the picking up of all of the stitches around the steek and making the inside look pretty is a bit more daunting!  So last night I kept referring to my progress as "failing" but one of the other ladies who is still knitting said no, we are just taking an incomplete!  (I still think that I am a failure because I am not sure I will ever pick up this project again).  Oh well!

It is spring in Alaska and we all woke up to snow, gray skies, cold air and wet roads!  BOO.  I hope it just takes a hike and the sun comes out again tomorrow to melt it all away!  

What are on my needles you ask?  I am currently working on two hat projects, not one but TWO!  Isn't that ridiculous?  First off I am making a "Naughty Deer" hat.  This hat is being knit in the tradition of my ear flap hats with all of my personal modification and I have added the "Fornicating Deer" chart as the design.  This hat is being knit as a request to my husband's co-worker Jake, he is celebrating his birthday this month...  

The second hat I have started is all but a band!  It is a Bohus inspired hat which pattern is in the book called Hats On!  I am working this hat along side my good friend Cathy.  

My next course of action is to begin spinning again.  I have been away from my wheel for far to long and I am dreaming of using it!!!  I am going to look into ordering a high speed whirl for it so I might be able to produce a little more, a little more quickly!

Happy Resurrection Day!

 PHOTO BORROWED FROM IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC PARISH OF BETHEL, ALASKA
To my Family, Friends and Fellow Bloggers ~

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!