Monday, October 17, 2011

Make It Monday: M is for Mitts!

It's Monday. Do you know where your blog post is?

Hello, hello. Been a quiet blog recently, for lack of exciting things to share with you, but check it out: I actually have new stuff!

After many months (seriously, too many. I'm so slow!) working through many projects, I have finally completed a pair of mitts. Just in time for the cool weather to show up, so, you know, go my timing!

These are the Merletto Mitts by Jody McKinley, and despite some bobbles in the pattern itself (the top ribbing is a little off) they are a great deal of fun to knit. The yarn is my handspun from some Fat Cat Knits merino in the Vanilla Caramel colorway. I had about 200 yards and didn't use it  all -- maybe 150 or so? More proof that I am a tight knitter. Anyway, done on US 2/2.75 mm dpns from Knit Picks in the harmony wood.

They are not yet washed or blocked, as shown by the fact that the ends are not woven in, but they're done!


Progress is good!

And I'm hoping to have some spinning to show you all on Wednesday. My spindles have been spinning like mad.

Until then!






Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Make It Monday: Wet weather, Dry hands

Episode Seventeen is here and available for downloading now!

The best laid plans of mice and men or something. It's here and that's the important part. Apologies for the Monday release instead of Sunday, but hey, look, show notes! :)

And a contest! Want to enter for a bump of fiber or a skein of yarn? Leave a comment on the blog or come over to my Ravelry group and tell me about your favorite fiber festival or one you really want to go to! I will draw winners at the end of the month.

And, as always, thanks for stopping by.

Progress shots:

Clue 3 of the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/creaturecomfort/in-dreams-mystery-shawl">In Dreams</a> Mystery Shawl by Susan Pandorf. Not a great picture, but the shawl is already big enough that pinning it out for glamour shots is tricky. Still, here you go!



Enabling that I mentioned:

Lavishea -- Soy and shea butter lotion bars, specifically formulated to absorb into the skin quickly so knitters/crocheters/spinners, etc. can use them.

ColorKnits eMag for PC -- The eMag for the PC.

ColorKnits eMag for Mac -- And the Mac version. Yay!

Wire Stranding Guide -- at KnitPicks, as shown in the eMag. There is a plastic version, too.

Double Yarn Keeper from Chic-a.

Kieran Foley's Stranded Patterns as talked about in the eMag.


All That Other Stuff:

Henry VI, Part II -- Here it is, your link to Henry VI, Part II. Read on!


How to Contact me:

iTunes: Slinging Stitches...in Color
Ravelry: creaturecomfort
Ravelry Group: Creature Comfort Craftwork Fans
Etsy: Creature Comfort Craftworks on Etsy
Email: sarah.hawke [at] gmail.com
Twitter: creaturecmfts
Facebook: Facebook
Google+: Google+

Talk to you next week!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Make It Monday: Fiber Festivals make me happy!

Happy first Monday of October, everyone! Yes, it's October. Fall is officially here, despite the lingering heat around us. Halloween is coming, which means the other holidays which shall Not Yet Be Named are coming up fast, too.

How was your weekend? Did you get out and do anything fun? For those of you who follow my Twitter or my podcast or peek in to my Ravelry group, you know that my weekend was spent at Lambtown, in Dixon, California. This was my first ever "real and official" stint as a vendor at a fiber-focused event, and I had a blast! I got to talk to a ton of people, got to show off a little bit of what I can do with my color sense, and just enjoyed the day.

Once it got started, anyway. I got up very early Saturday (after being up late on Friday, of course) to finish packing the car and get down to the fairgrounds. I had -no- idea where I was supposed to go and finding my booth spot was really not easy. Got that done, though, and started schlepping things from the car to my spot, only to discover that I was directly in front of a tree and that my neighbors had set up earlier and my space was therefore a leetle tight.

Note to self: set up the day before next year.

My neighbors were very friendly, though, and moved a little and I got the canopy up and got things ready for display. The Engineer joined me a little later and we settled in to see what was what. I did -not- have time to finish my sign, so that was disappointing. He brought me the piece of it that I forgot at home, but by then I'd run out of sticky things to attach it with so...no sign. Thank you, thank you to everyone who wandered into the unmarked booth anyway. :) I learned some things about what it should and shouldn't look like, what I need to improve, etc. but for a first time, I'm pretty pleased.


For those who weren't there, this is what the booth looked like before it was fully dressed up. Not that I added a whole lot more.


I will definitely be back next year! I will have an even better set up and more stuff (and a sign!) and now that I've gotten a taste of how real festivals work, I want to do more more more.

So tell me about your festival going experiences! Which are your favorites? Which would you recommend? Which do you really want to attend, but haven't gotten to yet?

Here's a pot-sweetener: Everyone who participates in this discussion will be entered in a drawing to win a 4-oz bump of merino/bamboo fiber or merino/silk yarn from me in my new Halloween-y colorway, Spooky!
So come and talk!

P.S. (If you're here because you got a business card from me at Lambtown, welcome welcome! Yes, you're eligible for the drawing too! :)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wednesday on the Wheel: The Not-on-the-Wheel edition

Does it help if the yarns in this project were spun on the wheel? No, wait. Spindle. Yep, both of these yarns were spun on the spindle. Still on the wheel, so it counts, say I! So I mentioned this project in the podcast (for which I have still not done shownotes, mea culpa), and it's been in the works a while. Now, finally, four months later *cough* I have a finished armwarmer. Yes, just one, and one more to make, but, 50% is good progress!
These are (will be) the Lovisa Armwarmers by Sarah Pope. The white is handspun cormo, the blue-green is merino. This armwarmer has not been washed, blocked, or had ends woven in, and obviously there is no button. But! 50%!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Make It Monday: It's a new podcast episode: So Much To Do!

Episode 16 is here and ready for downloading. I will add show notes and the picture of my half-completed armwarmers in the morning. Still running behind, guys, but I'm catching up!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Shame on me.

I have been a -very- bad blogger and not posted in a long time. I loved my MWF schedule, but I have this thing where, if I fall out of a habit, it's -tough- for me to get back into it. I try, but it's really hard.

I could blame it on being a Pisces. I could blame it on my magpie tendencies. It's a combination of both I suspect. I've always had trouble finishing things because I get distracted by what's new and shiny.

At any rate, I have a shop update coming this afternoon. I should have a podcast Sunday, and then I will make a -valiant- attempt at picking up my posting again.

No promises, but I'll try.

You guys are the best.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Speaking out on Sunday: We're baaa-aaack!

Episode Fifteen is here and available for downloading now!

Super short and just a little updating on my knitting and spinning progress, but we're back, baby! The podcast has returned!

The big news is that I'm doing an honest to goodness fiber festival. I will be at Lambtown on October 1, 2011, from 9am to 5pm. If you're local or otherwise going to be in attendance, come by and say hello! I'll be in booth 90.

And that's it. I'm a little rusty. Got to ease back into these sort of things, you know?

As always, thanks for stopping by.

How to Contact me:

iTunes: Slinging Stitches...in Color
Ravelry: creaturecomfort
Ravelry Group: Creature Comfort Craftwork Fans
Etsy: Creature Comfort Craftworks on Etsy
Email: sarah.hawke [at] gmail.com
Twitter: creaturecmfts
Facebook: Facebook
Plurk: Plurk

Talk to you next week!