Minis are in the mail!
Yet again, it's been a crazy week. Last week was a highly-injurious (is that a word?) one, too, complete with a pretty bad burn on my hand, cracking my head against a table, and literally slicing a piece of my index finger off with a rotary cutter . . . here's hoping this week will bring fewer ouchies.
In any case, all the club packages went out in the mail yesterday and I'm so excited to hear what you all think when your shipments arrive! I cannot tell you how adorable all those Koigu minis were to have around the living room as I was working on making them and packaging them up . . . I almost didn't want to send them away!
Those of you in the US should be receiving your packages by the end of the week, and international members will hopefully have yours next week. I'm working on a small project using this month's minis (hint: it's crochet! and it involves sewing!) and will have it as a free pattern for you guys soon, but will wait to reveal it until after the packages have mostly arrived to preserve the surprise of what colors are in this shipment.
As for everything else I was behind on last week, well, I'm still behind. I asked for and was granted an extension on my pattern for the magazine, so was able to meet the club deadline, but now it's back to cranking on that project non-stop until I can pop it in the mail to them. I've also been working on Quiltfolio and will be starting a Kickstarter to raise money for it (so that I can hire someone to help me get it launched faster!), and have made and delivered a ton of new kits to Knitty City . . . basically, it's non-stop over here. All the time.
Oh and I think I mentioned that all my yarn inventory now lives in a storage space? I thought you guys would get a kick out of seeing what it looks like when you open the door to the 9-square-foot unit:
It's pretty much all yarn, plus some quilting fabric and batting . . . when I ship out an order, I go to the storage space, pull out the stuff for the order, then sit in the aisle packing it up to drop in the mail! So far this system is working out pretty well, and it means the apartment is way less crowded than the old one was. I do miss having all that wonderful color around me all the time, though . . .
From size 10's to size 3's
I'm all finished knitting the Sybil Cardigan (and yes, working on the pattern! It'll be out very soon!) and started yet another project . . . even though what I should be doing is finishing some of the stuff that's nearly-done. But you know what it's like when new yarn shows up in the mail, right?
First you think, "I'll just wind it so I can see the colors"
Then when that's done, you think "I'll just swatch it quick, just to give it a try"
The next thing you know you're off and running and trying not to feel guilty about it.This happens often enough to me that I should really just either accept it and move on, or never ever bring that fateful new skein of yarn into my apartment until it's OK to dive in!
Anyway, what you see above is what I've got knit so far on this new design. I knit all that in just one day! On size 3 needles. Clearly I'm liking this!
The yarn is Sandra Singh's Laceweight and it's a dream to knit. It's very soft but strong enough not to break as you work with it, which is important with such thin yarn. Going from the size 10's I used on Sybil to these size 3's has been really hysterical! It took me a little while to get my groove back on the thin needles, let me tell you.
Here's a closeup of the lace:
The concept for this shawl is to do a lace design that's appropriate for a first-time lace knitter but that still looks professional and delicate like "real lace" does. I've seen plenty of patterns for "beginner" lace that has the knitter use large needles and bulky yarn and while the finished item might be attractive, it's just not what I think of when I think of lace knitting!
I've had lots of requests for a simple lace shawl pattern and that's really what inspired this new design. The lace pattern itself is only 10 stitches wide and 8 rows tall, and all WS rows are all-purl (my favorite!) so it's really simple to knit and easy to memorize. But it's not boring at all, and it uses one more advanced lace technique that is not at all difficult to execute but which will make you feel like a lace super-star when you've learned it!
I'm super excited for this design and can't wait to write the pattern up and photograph it. But I've got to finish it first ;o)
Oh and in other news, Koigu sent me a UPS shipping notification today, here's a screenshot:
Gulp. Where am I going to store all that yarn!??!?
Question: What's more annoying than pooling?
Answer:
Gorgeous, not-inexpensive yarn pooling despite the fact that you're doing a 2-row jog with two skeins.
*facepalm*
Want to see a box full of Koigu?
Look what came in the mail this week . . . and at the bottom of the box there are copies of Koigu Magazine 2, which I have a pattern in! More on that on Monday, I'm spending the weekend putting together kits for it . . . stay tuned!
2011 Destash
I've done some culling of my insane stash and am offering a bunch of stuff up to you, my dear readers! Read on to see what's available, all at great prices.
- Paypal only.
- Domestic shipping: Flat $6.00 no matter how much stuff you want. Packages will go out the next business day and will be mailed Priority or First Class, depending on weight.
- International shipping will be the actual cost for Global Priority. I will email you the shipping cost and you can approve it before paying for the item. Please do not ask me to lie on the customs form, I won’t do it.
- Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you’re interested in and whether you’re domestic or international. Everything is offered on a first-come basis. Once you comment I will send you a PayPal invoice. Payment is expected within 24 hours or your item goes back up for grabs.
Everything from a smoke-free home. I do have a dog though so please keep that in mind if you have allergies!
Starting with the sock yarns:
1 roll of Flat Feet Sock Yarn in a pink/orange colorway. Originally $26. $15 $10
1 skein Louet Gems in color Citrus Orange 80-1622-6. Retails for $8.25. $5 $3
1 skein Artyarns Ultramerino 4 in color 130, a mix of white, mauve, and brown (this photo is over-exposed, colors are darker than they appear here). Retails for $12. $7 $5
1 skein Black Bunny Fibers BFL Superwash Sock in color Amazon. Retails for $22.50. $13 $10
Non-sock yarns:
2 skeins Fleece Artist Cashlana in Aurora. This is the exact yarn I used in my Leila Shawl and is enough to make the large size from the pattern. Discontinued, retailed for $25 each. $40 for both.
2 skeins Koigu Mori in color M223, pale pink. Retails for $27 each. Both for $32 $25.
3 skeins Koigu Mori in color M860, a blend of purpley-red and black. The color here is too red, in real life it is a bluer color that's more violet than red. Retails for $27 each. $48 for all. $39 for all.
2 skeins Spud & Chloe Fine in color Cricket. Retails for $12 each. One skein has been wound but not used. $14 $10 for both.
5 skeins Auracania Limari Semi-Solids in pale pink, color 506. Retails for $16 each. $48 $35 for all.
7 skeins Cestari Bulky Coxcomb in burgundy, enough for a sweater The color here is more red than it is in real life, it's a true burgundy. Retails for $12 each. $50 $39 for all.
