JL Yarnworks

Facebook Giveaway

2011-12-19T07:39:00.000-06:00

If my JL Yarnworks Facebook page gets to 500 fans by Christmas, one lucky fan will get a $20 gift certificate to my Etsy store! Will you help? Will you win?!?

If we get to 600 fans, I'll even give away a second $10 gift certificate.

Head over to my Facebook page for more details!

Tutorial: Knitting With Silk Hankies

2011-10-25T21:58:00.002-05:00

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Silk Hankies seem to be the craze lately. I discovered them recently at North Country Fiber Fair in Watertown, SD. But many got their first glimpse on the Yarn Harlot's blog.

But what do you do with this stack of squares? You can't knit with a square, can you?

Well, there's probably a way, but the trick with silk hankies is to first turn them into something resembling yarn.

How do you do that?

Step 1: Peel away the smallest layer you can by grabbing a piece of the corner, and peeling it back. The layers like to stick to each other, so you'll feel a bit like you're ripping it apart. But that's okay!

Notice how thin this layer is. You can see my hand right through the meshy layer of silk.

Step 2: Poke a hole in the center of your square. Yep, just shove your thumbs right into the center. Then using your fingers, pull from the center, outward.

Step 3: And STRETCH!

Keep stretching, moving slowly around the loop of silk, working one section at a time.

If the section you're working on won't stretch, your hands are probably too close together. Move your hands further apart and try again. Silk fibers are long. Our aim isn't to break them all...it's to spread them out.

How do you know when you're done? Your loop should be a relatively consistent thickness. You'll probably want to make it somewhere between a DK and worsted weight.

Notice that there will be some bits of nubbiness. Your yarn may even have some thick-and-thin qualities. That's what makes it interesting!

So now what? You have a large loop of silk, all stretched out to the thickness you desire. But you want to knit with it, not wear it as a humongous necklace, right?

That's simple!

Step 4: Break it!

Now you have a length of unspun yarn.

(If you wanted, you could then spin this, but for our purposes, we're just going to knit with it as-is.)

Step 5: Start knitting!

How do you join strands? When you're done knitting up one strand, make another from another square. Overlap the end of your old strand with the beginning of your new strand. Roll them together a bit between your hands (almost as if you're spit splicing). They won't felt together, but the tackiness of the silk will help hold the pieces together. Knitting with them overlapped will help hold them together even more.

Tip: Break each square in the same place (within the same color section) each time for a smoother, less noticeable join.

The sample here is a shawl knit on size US9s. (CO 3 sts. Then for every row following, k1, yo, knit to the end. Keep going until you have a large triangular shawl in the size you want.) I'm using two different colorways and alternating between them. One square from one colorway followed by one strand from the other colorway. Both of the colorways I'm using have green, so I broke each loop within the green portion for a seamless transition.

Tip: Bring lotion to the party. Silk in this form tends to stick to any rough patch of skin it can find. It seems to be less tacky once it's knit up.

Note: This is a great way to impress and amaze your knitting friends at your local knit night. Take a stack of hankies for show-and-tell!

Silk hankies will be available in the JL Yarnworks store later this week!

North Country Fiber Fair 2011

2011-10-19T22:47:00.001-05:00

NCFF this year was fantastic. Despite having the disco light over my booth that kept flickering in and out, we did better than ever! This was my fourth year (wow, time flies!) and not only did we meet more people and sell more goodies, but I actually learned something completely new! And now I have to share.

Have you gotten on the silk hankie bandwagon? Like so many knitting crazes, I'm pretty sure the Yarn Harlot had something to do with the near viral spread of their popularity. (See her really fun mittens here.)

Well, I have a confession. Two actually, but we'll start with the first.

Confession #1:

I'd never heard of silk hankies. Not this kind anyway. Only the kind grandma used to have. But these are totally different. This kind of silk hankie is made from layers of silkworm cocoons spread over a frame. They're also called mawatas. That's Japanese for spread around, or spread out, or an expanded cocoon...or something to that effect depending on who you ask.

First, I saw these hankies being knit up by the lady at the Corny Goodness booth. She showed me how to poke a hole in the center of each hankie and stretch it out until it's the thickness you desire, and then knit with it! (I'll post a tutorial tomorrow.) So, of course, I had to buy a bunch and start knitting with it right away. As in, in my booth. And I had to show every customer that came in my booth how cool it is.

Now, an aside.... silk like this can snag on anything....like callouses on your hands. I learned this the hard way. Thankfully, there was a vendor selling lotion right across the aisle from me! Penny from 444 Farm was a sweetheart. She has some great stuff too, so show her some love, k? (I kinda might have bought more than just lotion. I kinda might have bought a bunch. And it's all awesome. Just sayin'.)

Okay, back to it. So I'm ~~grinning like a dork~~ happily knitting up my hankies, when I find out that another vendor is not only selling silkworm kits (so you can raise your own!), but they're demonstrating how these hankies are made. Yay!

Which brings me to....

Confession #2:

I didn't take a single picture at NCFF 2011. *facepalm*

But thankfully, Susan Stark (aka WIHH on Ravelry) took some great pictures and was gracious enough to give me permission to use them here. Thanks, Susan!

So I ran over to Dragon Craft's booth for a little demonstration. Loretta was kind enough to give me the Cliff Notes. First, you soak the cocoon in a warm soapy water to get rid of some of the worm spit.

Then you can snag a bit on one corner of the frame (there's a nail there) and carefully streeeeeetch it out towards the other three corners, like so.

And like so.

After you've stacked 10 or so cocoons on this frame, it's time to take it off. There may be some more processing after this part, but this is as far as we got.

Really nifty though, huh?

Now, Loretta assured me that raising silkworms is both fulfilling and easy. And I believe her!

But I think I'll be buying my hankies. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like doing things from scratch. But knowing it takes hundreds of cocoons to make one small garment? Silk hankies seem cheap compared to the time and effort involved in raising that many silkworms.

And really, we all know that my main interest is in dyeing them all kinds of pretty colors. Who wants to bet that I'll have some available for sale in my shop soon? ;)

Ravelry

2011-09-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

I've loved Ravelry since just about its inception. It's practically perfect in every way. Just about every yarn and pattern catalogued in a nice searchable format. Forums buzzing with people who can answer just about any question you might have in the blink of an eye. And, the best, an easy way for the fiber elite (authors, bloggers, designers, indie dyers, and other "famous" yarny types) and their fans and customers to connect.

While I've never really considered myself to be one of the elite, I am a designer and dyer. And a very knitterly friend of mine has been urging me to create a fan group for myself on Ravelry. A place where customers, test-knitters, and other fans can come together and discuss my patterns and yarns.

So here it is. Please join us. This is the best way for you to influence the direction of JL Yarnworks. Be a part of the discussion!

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/jl-yarnworks-fans

Exclusive 20% Off Sale For Facebook Fans!

2011-09-01T22:15:00.001-05:00

Want to save 20% on your entire order on my Etsy site just by being a Facebook fan?

Sale starts now and runs until midnight Friday, September 2nd, 2011.

Simply go to my JL Yarnworks Facebook page and either look under "Offers" or become a fan to reveal a coupon code for 20% off your Etsy order.

This is my first ever sale of this type and I don't anticipate doing them very often, so take advantage!

Never Leave Home Without It

2011-07-27T23:41:00.004-05:00

Is everyone keeping busy this summer? Sheesh! Ever since Mr. Yarnworks returned from Afghanistan in May, it's just been crazy around here! Between Shepherd's Harvest, spending mad quality time with Mr. Yarnworks and the kids, toting the kids to and fro to basketball camps, dance camps, and outdoor camps, and getting Mr. Yarnworks' ACL and meniscus repaired (finally -- he injured it a year ago!).....well, let's just say that I took most of the summer off from most everything except my family. And I enjoyed every second!

Now it's time to gear up for fall. Mr. Yarnworks is walking without crutches again and can now drive himself to physical therapy. The kids are mostly done with their camps. North Country Fiber Fair is right around the corner. And school starts in less than a month. Not to mention, I've missed you all!

So, this summer, Mr. Yarnworks and I have had to attend a couple of weekend "Yellow Ribbon Events" put on by the National Guard. These are mandatory for the service member and optional for family members, but they're notoriously....well....boring. Brutal really. Especially for those of us with a few deployments under our belts.

(I swear this is knitting related, just bear with me.)

I mean, really, how many times can people who have never deployed explain to me how to re-ignite the home fires with my husband after a year-long deployment? Especially a month or two after he returns home? And don't get me started on the briefs put on by groups like the Department of Labor where the presenter is ill-prepared and doesn't even really know how to relate their material to veterans....something that always floors me about these things.

Anyway, so day one of the first Yellow Ribbon Event, I dutifully packed my knitting in my purse. I almost always have a project with me and this was no exception. (See? Told ya. Knitting!) During the big auditorium presentations, I pulled out my simple stockinette sock and worked a few rows. I love stockinette socks for times like these because I can work on them and still make eye contact. Later, in our smaller group presentations, I left the knitting in my purse. There were only 4-20 people in each group and it just seemed rude to pull out the knitting. You and I both know that I can and do pay attention while I knit, but most muggles just don't understand that, and I'd hate to insult anyone, ya know?

On the second day, the schedule indicated that we'd have nothing but those small group presentations, so I looked wistfully at my knitting, but ultimately left it at home.

Big. Mistake.

See, on Day Two, most of the soldiers decided that the presentations were just too brutal, and most played hookie. Yep, including Mr. Yarnworks. We started off by wandering around downtown Sioux Falls, but since it was Sunday, most everything was closed. So we ended up mostly sitting around outside chatting with his war buddies.

Now I loved getting to know all these people he'd talked about so fondly since he returned. They were all just as fabulous as he'd let on. But it would have been ideal knitting time, wouldn't it? Sitting around outside on benches, steps, or at picnic tables, casually shooting the breeze with a bunch of people that don't really want to be there? Yep, that's the perfect time to pull out that stockinette sock.....that I left at home.

Thing is, I knew better. I knew better than to assume that I'd have no occasion to knit. Yet, I left it behind anyway.

Have you done this? Do you solve this problem by just always bringing your knitting with you? Do you think about what your day holds and decide whether or not to bring your knitting based on that?

I'll tell you this much -- I will always have some sort of knitting in the car or in my purse for times like these.

Shepherd's Harvest 2011

2011-05-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Mr. Yarnworks got home from Afghanistan just in time, because last weekend I ran off to Minneapolis, MN for Shepherd's Harvest at the Washington County Fairgrounds.

As always, Shepherd's Harvest was beyond words. I'm always in such awe of the people I meet and their immense talent. From the hand-dyed fibers to the virtual fashion show walking by my booth of people wearing their favorite handknits, I always walk away so inspired.

This year, my good friend, Grace, came with me. She was not only wonderful company, but it was fun seeing the show through her eyes. She's a budding knitter, having just learned the purl stitch. She kept commenting on how nice everyone was. She definitively announced that she would want to come to this show even if she didn't know how to knit. I felt the same way after my first year as well. The quality of people you meet in the fiber community is simply unmatched. Truly.

So I'm betting you want pictures. :)

Here is my booth towards the end of Day 2. It's a bit disheveled, but here we are.

And a closeup of one of our newest products...not even listed on the website yet. Soon though! These are gift tags that include care instructions on the back, so you don't have to give the recipient of your handstitched items the ball band anymore!

We were next to the most fabulous ladies, Karen Lohn and Catherine (Katie) Zdechlik. Their book, Peace Fibres: Stitching a soulful world just came out about a week ago!

They had a small booth set up next to ours for a book signing. Not only did they sign my copy, but they were so gracious as to let me take my picture with them!

Of course, no fiber show would be complete without a little boy leading a sheep through one of the vendor buildings....

Too cute!

So yeah, other than needing THREE jumpstarts for the SUV over the weekend (stupid battery...now replaced), it was a flawless weekend. Even the weather cooperated with us, which is rare for this show!!!

For more of my Shepherd's Harvest photos, click here.
There's a great thread on Ravelry with tons of great pics too. My absolute favorite pic from the whole show is the one of the two sheep peeking over the fence. You should go look. :)

My sweet tooth nearly killed me

2011-04-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the title is a huge exaggeration. I didn't nearly die...though some days I was beginning to feel like it! But, I want to explain my absence lately and needed a catchy blog title! This is not a post related to yarn or fiber or knitting or crocheting or spinning. It's simply my story of the past 8 months. Maybe someone out there, with Google at their fingertips and a killer headache, will find this helpful. And, maybe you'd just like to know why I haven't blogged since New Years!

Last August, not long before school started for the girls, I got a headache. No biggie, right? Well, two weeks later it was still there. The. Same. Headache. No relief. So I visited my doctor. He gave me a shot meant for migraines (Toradol and Zofran) and sent me home. On my way home (a 30 minute drive with a pit-stop to pick my 4yo up from a friend's house), I got loopy and tired and felt absolutely horrible. And worse, my headache was much worse. After a couple hours, I called the doctor to see if my reaction was normal (they'd assured me that it didn't cause drowsiness and I was fine to drive, so I thought not) and to find out how long it would take to kick in. Their response was that no one EVER reacts that way (later got a letter from my doctor that he'd consulted several of his colleagues and NONE have ever had a patient react as I did..though a quick Google search tells me it's a common side effect) and that it should have kicked in within the first 20 minuetes. "Is it not working?" the nurse asked me. Um....no? Why would I have called if it were? They told me to give it until morning and call back if I still had a headache, which they said they were certain would be long gone by then.

Of course, the next morning, the headache was still raging, so I called back. They didn't want to prescribe anything else until I'd had a CT scan. Thankfully, they got me in right away and the CT scan was clear, so they then prescribed me something else. Tramadol. This time it was a pill, so I was able to get home, order some pizza, and then pop a pill. By the time pizza had arrived and I'd had a slice or two, I was beyond loopy. I could barely put a full sentence together and felt faint. I walked the kids across the street and asked my neighbors if they would babysit all three of us. They took one look at me and offered to call an ambulance. I was pale, groggy, and unable to think clearly. I declined the ambulance and asked them just to let me sit with them in case it got worse. At least I could relax, knowing my kids were safe. (If you recall, my husband was in Afghanstan, so the girls and I were on our own.) Roughly 4 hours later, I perked up. I was better able to follow conversations and began joking around and enjoying my visit. They could tell I was feeling MUCH better. I thanked them for babysitting me, and the girls and I returned home. I still had my headache (it had gotten worse again after taking the Tramadol) and it remained worse for a couple days.

Honestly, I don't remember what happened next. I'm pretty sure I let my doctor know of my reaction, but I don't remember going back to see him right away. By this time my husband was on his way home for 2 weeks of leave, and I thought maybe the headache was just stress. It HAD just started right before the crazy back-to-school schedule, so I thought maybe having him around would relieve the stress and the headache. I even planned a weekend away at a lake with a couple friends while he was home. After my trip to the lake ended without relief, my husband went with me back to the doctor. It was then that he decided it was likely upper back and neck strain (I have a bit of weight to lose and a more-than-ample chest, so my back, neck, and shoulders are always tight). He prescribed a muscle relaxant and physical therapy.

Mr. Yarnworks returned to the war and I dutifully went to PT 3x a week for 6 weeks. While I enjoyed the massages, they really didn't help the headache. Exploring my options, I also visited an eye doctor for the first time in....well, in my adult life. I'd felt that my vision was getting worse, but had avoided the eye doctor, so with the headache, it was time to go. Verdict? 20/20 vision....but it COULD be corrected to 20/15 if I wanted. So I got glasses. They greatly help with road signs and such, but didn't help with the headaches. So at least I ruled that out. The eye doctor was also a bit concerned about my field-of-vision test, which showed a blip on each eye where I couldn't see. The same spot on each eye, just mirror image. To her, that screamed of a pituitary gland issue.

We're now into December.

My regular doc scheduled an MRI and shipped me off to a neurologist. Here's where you can see my desperation. I actually HOPED it was a pituitary tumor (almost always benign). At least then I'd have a reason for this stupid headache and a solution! I read the list of symptoms and so many fit not only my headache, but a host of other symptoms I'd written off as part of getting older.

When the MRI came back perfectly clear, I was so disappointed I cried. Four months of the SAME headache, and we were no closer to finding a cause or a solution.

My neurologist put me on Indomethacin. After 4 doses (a day and a half), I got a small rash all over the inside of my arms and stopped taking it. The day after I discontinued the Indomethacin, I felt terrific! The headache wasn't gone, but the mental fog and the depression that had followed after months of this same headache lifted. The headache was noticeably better and for the first time in months, I could actually THINK. I don't even think I'd realized just how much the headache had affected me other than the pain. Over the course of the next week though, without being able to take more Indomethacin, the headache returned. The neurologist suggested a couple other drugs, but both had side effects that I decided I wouldn't risk while home alone with my children. (Topamax and Imitrex) Since medication was the only thing the neurologist was interested in discussing, I was on my own. A friend of mine suggested trying the Indomethacin again (the one that gave me a rash, but helped the headache), but to lower the dose to see if I could get the benefits without the rash. It worked. I was able to start with a half dose and work myself up to a full dose and never got the rash again. And my headache, while it never went away, was at a MUCH more manageable level and I was able to function again.

Now, I'd been on a diet before the headache started, but when the headache was in full swing, I fell off the wagon. I could barely think, let alone calorie-count and measure and weigh food. I'd regained everything I'd lost. Now that I was functional again, I decided it was time to get back on my diet. Maybe losing some weight would help whatever was causing this headache, right?

Well, after losing just a few pounds (with many more to go), my weight-loss stalled. I was exercising. I was eating right. There's no way after a month or more of dieting again that I should be losing less than half a pound a week. So I decided to give up my Diet Coke. I'd read that artificial sweeteners could actually lead to weight gain. And that they could lead to overeating, cravings, and all kinds of weirdness. Giving up my Diet Coke definitely wouldn't hurt, and just might help. I didn't give up all artificial sweeteners, just the Diet Coke.

Here's where the magic happens.

Not quite putting two and two together yet, I started trying to wean myself off the Indomethacin, and was able to completely wean myself off within a couple weeks. Yay! I still had my headache, but it wasn't horrible and I was still functional. I don't like being medicated as a general rule, so this was good.

A couple weeks later, I had a stressful week. I grabbed a 2 liter of Diet Coke and had a bit of a binge that led to a couple more 2 liters over the course of about a week. And my headache returned to a point where I needed to go back on the Indomethacin. This is when it finally dawned on me. It's the freakin' Diet Coke!

Now, this isn't the first time the evils of artificial sweeteners had crossed my mind. Aspartame has lots of (at least anecdotal) evidence of causing migraines. And back in the fall, I'd given up Diet Coke for a week without seeing any benefits, so I'd ruled that out as a cause. But, as it turns out, I didn't give it long enough. Reading up on the topic, it looks like it takes 30-60 days to get out of your system. Plus, I'd only really given up Diet Coke (both times), but being on a diet, I was consuming TONS of other stuff with different artificial sweeteners in it.

So I swore off all of them. Easier said than done. They're in toothpaste, medications, and just about anyting labelled "light" or even "healthy." Ugh. The idea is to get rid of all of them, hopefully totally get rid of the headache, and then try the different types one at a time to figure out which ones I'm sensitive to.

It's been a month now. No lowfat yogurt, no diet desserts or 100 calorie packs, no diet soft drinks, no Crystal Light, etc. I kept the toothpaste. There's really not a good alternative and at least I don't swallow that, right?

I've had two oopses.

First, about 2 weeks in, I woke up feeling great. I still had the headache, but just barely. Nothing that really bothered me. It was the first really great morning in a long while. Maybe even my best since this all began. I merrily woke up, got the girls ready for school, ate some breakfast, and ran out the door. About 30 minutes later, WHAM! What the heck?? I started trying to think back to the things I'd eaten to see if I overlooked an artificial sweetener somewhere. That's when it dawned on me. I'd had instant oatmeal for breakfast. I'd grabbed a packet without paying attention. It was "weight control" oatmeal. I checked the label and sure enough, sucralose (Splenda). Crap. So, it looks like not only aspartame (Diet Coke), but sucralose is also out.

Second, I'd had to switch my Northern Lite Latte at Caribou (very yummy btw if you can tolerate artificial sweeteners) to a regular full-sugar flavored latte. It's a treat a friend and I have after we work out. With only an extra 50 calories, the full-sugar variety is also very good and still isn't calorically horrible. But just yesterday my latte tasted a little weird, so I didn't drink the whole thing. And on my way home, the headache began. I'm guessing they used the sugar-free syrup by mistake. Their syrups are also made with Splenda.

So my headache isn't gone. In fact, it's still pretty bad from yesterday's incident. But I think we FINALLY have an answer. I just need to get more diligent in my label-reading and while eating or drinking out. I now have a cheat sheet in my phone of 21 different artificial sweeteners since I'm trying to avoid them all....even "natural" things like Stevia. It's not easy though. They seem to be hidden just about everywhere. But, with luck, this is it.

Of course, I have a HUGE sweet tooth AND I'm trying to diet. So I have no clue what I CAN eat anymore. After demonizing sugar and calories for so long, it's hard to go back to the real thing, especially while trying to lose weight. But I'm muddling my way through.

Mr. Yarnworks is returning from Afghanistan NEXT WEEK! And summer break is coming up. So the headache is SURE to go away completely very very soon, right? Please??

New Years Reflections

2011-01-01T13:21:00.002-06:00

I just reread last year's post: Resolve.

All I can say is....um....oops!

1. I'm getting more sleep, but only because I've had this insane never-ending headache since mid-August. And, well, it makes me really tired. So can we give that one half a checkmark?
2. Finishing more projects and keeping the UFOs under control? I think I've started more without finishing much of anything. I'll work on that. Maybe.
3. Weight loss and getting healthy? I was doing okay-ish until the headache started. I *am* recommitting to that.
4. Getting the house in order: well, we DO now have dining room furniture. Gorgeous perfect dining room furniture. But the house itself is far from a well-oiled machine. It's never all that oiled when Mr. Yarnworks is deployed.
5. Doing more with the kids outside the house: again, semi-check. We enjoyed more time outdoors, taking walks, going to the park, etc. But our mini field trips didn't happen as planned. Mr. Yarnworks wants to attempt that this summer. We're planning some major (and unavoidable) home renovations this summer, so we'll need to keep busy.
6. I did not even work on the TKGA Masters program. Somehow it kept moving down the priority list. I think I'm going to save it for when Miss Kate starts Kindergarten and I have more child-free time. This year wasn't exactly rich in "me time."
7. My book is still coming along, but sloooowly.
8. I honestly have NO CLUE what this super secret non-knitting resolution was all about.

This year? I'm going to keep it REALLY simple. I'm going to set one goal for each aspect of my life. Since apparently resolutions just incite excuses.

Personal:
My resolution is simply to lose weight. I'm a smidge above a healthy weight and I need to get back to the land of healthy.

Business:
My goal is to double everything. It's a lofty goal, but I'm confident that I can pull it off. Double the Facebook Fans, double the website visits, double the sales. This will allow me to NOT go back to a day job once Miss Kate starts Kindergarten. It will keep me home for the kids when I'm needed, and doing something I love.

I think getting healthy and working hard so I can stay home are very good goals...and easier to remember than last year's list! I'll work on the rest of last year's resolutions too, but I make no promises.

New Stitch Markers

2010-12-26T23:31:00.000-06:00

I normally don't blog about every new item I list, but I'm just too entirely excited about a new line of polymer clay stitch markers!

On the top row are my very new and oh-so-cute ice cream cones, your favorite candy-coated chocolates, and calorie-free s'mores! All are in sets of 6 for $12 a set.

And on the bottom row you'll see three of a few new Swarovski crystal stitch marker colors. They are in sets of 8, also for $12 a set.

You can find both lines in my Etsy store.

But the best part? This is just the beginning. I have plans to bring you many more varieties from both lines. 2011 is going to be a very exciting year at JL Yarnworks!

Mr. Cute Bunny Hopkins

2010-12-17T22:55:00.002-06:00

I think it's about time I introduce the newest member of the Yarnworks family.

In September, my husband had the joy of accompanying me to North Country Fiber Fair. It was his very first fiber show. After helping me set up, he wandered the fair. Within minutes, he was back at my booth. "There is the cutest gray bunny in the corner over there," he said. He leaned over me a bit. I was sitting and he's 6'5". "And I *want* him."

I chuckled a bit, knowing I've been talking about angoras for the past year or more only to have him scoff at me.

Together, we ventured over to the two angora booths, admiring the different types. Finally, I saw the one he'd fallen for. A gorgeous black English Angora. He'd been raised by an 8-year-old boy as a 4H project and was being sold by the angora breeder for him. I've always been partial to the English Angora, so I looked at him and ever-so-coyly said, "He's very cute. If you really want him..."

The kids were thrilled when they found out we were getting a pet! They wanted to call him Hoppy or Hopper. Then they suggested Bouncer. *sigh* Finally, we came up with Hopkins. Then Miss Kate suggested that he needed "Cute Bunny" as a middle name. We settled on Mr. Cute Bunny Hopkins. Though we usually call him Hopkins or Mr. Hopkins.

He has free run of the living room. Really, he has free run of the house, but he never strays far from his cage. His favorite spot is behind his cage, looking out the sliding glass doors. He even has a wild bunny that visits him from time to time. We see the little paw prints in the snow! I wonder what they must think of each other, separated by glass like that.

Hopkins loves toys. He loves throwing them around and gets mad if you move things around. Just picking up stray toys in the living room will usually result in an angry foot thump from him.

So if we got Hopkins back in September, why am I just now blogging about him? Well, because he accompanied us to our Christmas photo shoot today! He's a natural! Waaaaay easier to pose than my children!!!

Here is my newest favorite photo:

And the whole family...minus Mr. Yarnworks who is still in Afghanistan:

Gift Wrapping

2010-12-13T14:03:00.000-06:00

I spent my weekend shipping out special Christmas orders. I absolutely love this time of year! Not only do I get to spoil my own friends and family, but I get to help spoil yours as well!

Here's an example of an order that shipped out this weekend:

And guess what? This is a service that I offer FREE of charge! Whether it's Christmas or a birthday or a secret pal, I'll make sure your package is done up right! All you have to do is ask. And, please double-check that the paypal "ship to" address is the gift recipient's address.

There's still time for Christmas gifts! Order by December 18th to make sure that your gifts get there in time for Christmas!

And We're Off!

2010-11-17T20:58:00.002-06:00

The race has begun. There are only 38 days until Christmas. Which for a knitter or crocheter is NOT a lot of time, right?

I'm starting to wonder already if I've bitten off more than I can chew. I can't share too many details here for fear of ruining the surprise for the lucky recipients, but.... EEK!!!! And, of course, I'm finding more intriguing patterns just about daily.

I mean, just look at this gorgeous trio of Christmas trees by the Fiber Fool, Kristi Schueler. I spotted these guys around this time last year, and have yet to knit them up. The only question is, do I make them for myself or for someone on my list? Pretty sure I'm going to be selfish with this one! If I've been pining (pun inadvertent, but I'm keeping it) for a year now, they must be mine.

Of course, with snow looming, the chill is setting in. How can I resist knitting up the Northman Cowl by Desiree Bowman? It looks so versatile! I bet it would be great worn around the head as well!

And another cowl I have my eye on....'cause cowls are the thing this year. The Listado Cowl by Laura Nelkin. Isn't it fabulous?

There's something about the little belt and button on this hat that really calls to me. It's sweet and cute and sophisticated all at once. Vintage, yet trendy. It's Maggie, Vintage Style Cabled Cloche by Tina Sanders.

And this caught my eye as well. My youngest is afraid of the shadows in her room....and the moving eyes of her toys after dark. We've found that a great solution is a sleep mask. We bought her one with embroidered monster eyes. Wish I'd seen this one first! Time permitting, it just may end up under the tree for her! Jessica Schleicher's "Eye See You Sleep Mask" -- just look at the detail in those eyes!

And if that wasn't enough cuteness for you, how about this little guy? Cheeky Little Monkeys by Tanya Brooks. Too. Flippin'. Cute.

Think there's time for it all? Probably not, but I aim to try!!!! Thankfully, some of these are selfish knits, so they can wait until after Christmas. Except for the trees. They may have to be done by next weekend when the Christmas decor goes up!

***All photos used with permission of the designer. These are some fabulous ladies, seriously. Check out their pages on Ravelry (linked names) and take a peek at all the loveliness they have to offer.***

The Red Scarf Project and a Free Scarf Pattern

2010-10-30T20:48:00.001-05:00

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I can't remember now how I stumbled upon it, but it's been on my mind ever since. The Red Scarf Project run by the Orphan Foundation of America accepts donations of red scarves from September 1 until December 15, then hand them out to orphans who have graduated from the foster care system and are now attending college. They send out care packages to these students for Valentine's Day, thus the request for red (fire engine, burgundy, or variegated yarns including red, etc.) scarves. They also send them out randomly, so scarves should be unisex. There are some other considerations, so if you decide to donate, please go to the site and read carefully.

For some reason, this particular charity tugs at my heartstrings. I remember my first semesters away from home and how being able to make that connection back home sometimes saved my sanity. Imagine being away from "home" for the first time and having no one to call when you're convinced a professor hates you, when you swear that your dorm-mate staying up partying until 5am nightly will be your undoing, or when you first find out you've made the dean's list. *sniffle*

So I set out to find the perfect unisex reversible pattern...and an inexpensive, soft, washable yarn...'cause we all know college students probably aren't going to handwash...heck, they don't have time!

Then the solution sat right next to me at knit night a few weeks ago. One of my friends was making a scarf using the hurdle stitch. The texture was interesting, the pattern super simple, was completely reversible, and was definitely unisex.

So here is my red scarf:

Hurdle Stitch Scarf

Yarn: I Love This Yarn-Sportweight from Hobby Lobby in Red, or any DK or sportweight yarn; 2 skeins or around 460 yards.
Needles: US 7

Cast on 34 (or any even number of stitches for desired width)

Rows 1-2: Knit.
Rows 3-4: (K1, P1), repeat across.
Repeat rows 1 - 4 to desired length.

Bind off. Tuck in ends.

That's it. Super easy. The perfect project to take with you for knit night since you only barely have to pay attention. A tip? I used a detachable stitch marker to mark the right side of the scarf when starting row 1. This ended up on the right every other row, so I knew when to switch from knitting to k1, p1 ribbing.

I plan to make several of these scarves this year. I'll do black, gray, brown, blue, and olive for friends and family....and will finish up this one for the Red Scarf Project. I hope you'll keep them in mind too...either this year or next.

Happy knitting!

What's your favorite gift-giving pattern?

2010-10-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

In the spirit of my last post regarding gift-giving yarn choices, let's talk about patterns for a moment.

Some people on our lists will occasionally get really complex time-consuming projects off our needles or hooks. But, for the most part, the idea knit gift will be something fairly quick to knit. Probably taking a maximum of 400 or 500 yards of yarn and a couple weeks or less of our time. After all, many of us have long lists of gift recipients.

Do you have a favorite go-to pattern? Have you been eyeing pattern that you want to try? I'm looking for specific patterns (with links, if possible...Ravelry project links work) to review.

Designers: here's your chance to plug your most giftable pattern! :)

I'll choose 10-20 to highlight in a future post. I won't be knitting them all, mind you, but I will add many to my queue!

Yarn Choices for Gifts

2010-10-25T10:02:00.001-05:00

With Christmas rapidly approaching, I, like so many other knitters and crocheters, am faced with a dilemma. What yarn is best to use for creating gifts for non-knitters?

The criteria seems simple enough.

1. First and foremost, it must be machine washable. Unless I know the recipient well enough to know they don't mind extra laundry chores, like hand washing, I always use machine washable fibers.

2. Let's be frank...it also has to be economical. Especially at this time of year, there's always a strain on the budget. I think that's true for most of us.

3. It has to be gorgeous, soft, and just plain yummy. We aim to impress, right? Gorgeous is subjective, but while trying to be economical, I also don't want my item to fall flat. I want my recipient to feel pampered. Or at the very least, not turned off to the idea of hand knit gifts.

So what yarns do you use for knitting gifts? Acrylics? Cottons? Superwash wool? Blends?

What are some specific yarns you like?

I'll get the ball rolling with one I've recently found: Patons Lace. (Ravelry link here) It's 80% acrylic, 10% wool, and 10% mohair. It's really more of a fingering weight with a mohair halo, so a little goes a long way. It comes in a few really nice colorways. I'm using "sachet." And it looks much richer than it is. At $6 or less for 398 yards, it's easily affordable. The high acrylic content also makes it easy to care for. Perfect for the top secret gift I can't share quite yet. ;)

So what do you like to use? Do you have the same criteria in your gift yarns?

Blog Giveaways

2010-09-01T21:20:00.000-05:00

I just LOVE blog giveaways. The odds of winning are good. The people hosting them are often the sweetest you'll meet. And by helping to promote a blog giveaway, you're often also helping to promote a small home business or cottage industry. What can be better?

Well, winning! I just found out I won this fabulous giveaway from KissMyStyle!

Isn't it gorgeousness? Megan of KissMyStyle has more yummy goodies in her online shop. From organic eyepillows to fun flower hairclips to simply elegant earrings. Just a little bit of pretty for everyone.

And do you remember this giveaway I posted about a few weeks ago? That's right, I won that one too! I've been meaning to blog about it, but wanted to do it with a proper review of the book. For now, I'll just say that the book is lovely. But expect a more thorough review...eventually. Tina of Peacefully Knitting is a knitwear designer you definitely need to know. I swear, every time I visit a new online knitting store, I see her patterns. And it's no wonder. Her designs are classic and stylish. She has this one hat pattern that I'm definitely going to have to pick up as soon as I have time to make it. Do you see the way the little belt fits through the twist of the cables? It's those kinds of details that really make a pattern sing, don't you think?

So if you're hosting a blog giveaway, be sure to let me know! But more than that, when you see a blog giveaway, show it some love. If nothing else, you'll help someone build their business in this tough economy. And you never know. You just might win something phenomenal.

Price Changes

2010-08-10T17:26:00.000-05:00

On Monday, August 16th, I will be adjusting the prices of my Scrabble Tile Pendants. They will be going up to $6.95 each and 18" chains will be available for an additional $4.95.

If you were considering these for people on your Christmas list, NOW is the time to shop. I do have some chains already available, so if you would like chains, they're already available for $4.95 each, just email me with your request.

Focus

2010-08-09T13:17:00.001-05:00

I love waking up and finding myself in another Treasury! This Teardrop Treasury features some of my stitch markers. I absolutely love that necklace too. I just may have to go back and pick that up for myself. Please show this treasury a little love. With any luck, I'll find myself on the front page again!

And I've promised a few of you a sneak peek of my latest crochet design. The design portion is now complete! I just need to finish the sample, photograph the sample, write up the pattern from my notes, chart the ruffle bit, and make it all pretty.

No prob!

I love the design process. Picturing something in my head, trying to create it with yarn. Then, as I create, it either bends to my will, or takes on a life of its own, turning into something I never imagined, but love that much more.

And that brings us to the title of this blog entry. Focus.

I've been doing a little soul searching lately. A little yarn and business-related soul searching. See, I find myself forever coming up with ideas. Not just designs, but product ideas. Look at my website and you'll see the past 5 years of just a handful of those ideas. It all began with recycled yarn. Then I started playing with beads and stitch markers. Next thing I know I'm not only beading, but dyeing, pouring resin for Scrabble tile pendants, creating greeting cards with rubber stamps (so far these are only available at shows), making fabric-covered magnets, crocheting teeny tiny granny squares for earrings, etc.

Thing is, I start feeling a little too stretched thin. There are vendors that specialize in only one of each of the products I offer. This is the story of my life. Jack of all Trades. I'd say Master of None, except that I do feel I've just about always held my own. Even back in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. My interests and talents were so varied. I was a straight A student, but had absolutely no direction. When I got to college, things didn't improve. Every time I took a new class, a whole new exciting world would open up in front of me. I had passionate interests in science, literature, psychology, and anthropology. But at the same time, none of these options fed my creative side. As exciting as they were, there was always something missing. And, at the time, I don't think I realized what it was. I ended up majoring in psychology and minoring in English. English was closest to feeding my creativity, but halfway through a semester of grad school for English, I realized that what I was really passionate about was writing. I loved the classics, I loved picking them apart line by line to try to find deeper meaning or alternate interpretations. But what really filled my soul was writing. Graduate school wasn't giving me that. Only writing could give me that. So between that discovery and some financial difficulties, I dropped out.

Now I find myself at a similar crossroads. Certainly this business feeds my creativity. And surrounds me with other creative souls. But I find myself stretched thin, across a vast variety of crafts. So at my last show, I put everything out and decided that only my best-selling product lines would stay.

But um.....they all sold. And they all sold well. I sold more Scrabble Tiles than skeins of yarn, but dollar for dollar, they came up about even. So I kept it all. And they all continue to sell just about equally across the board.

So, this summer, I've been contemplating where to go from here. I haven't come to any firm conclusions. And I've decided that, at least for now, I won't be discontinuing any product lines. However, I did come to a realization....

The creative process for me is as much about creating my business as a whole, creating product lines, and creative marketing. I enjoy challenges. I enjoy learning new skills. Put another way...I enjoy thinking of a new neat product, sourcing all the materials, figuring out the most efficient way to create large quantities, and creating different styles. Granted, once fully created, I start to lose interest. But, I've set myself up well and can manage a decent hourly wage from each product line I've created. And they all sell. Some faster than others, but it appears they're all worthwhile endeavors.

But, the products that keep my interest? That never wane? Dyeing and designing. Every new batch of yarn is a new creation. It's a new opportunity to play with color. And each new design is pure creativity. Even in the writing of the pattern there is creativity.

So my conclusion? To turn my creative focus towards designing and dyeing. With rare exception, I will not be adding new product lines, instead only focusing on the ones I already have.

This is getting long, but I also want to share another issue I've been pondering. Craft shows. I sell primarily to fiber artists of some sort. Sheep and wool festivals are where my ideal customers hang out. However, living in the Midwest, there aren't many shows within a 4-5 hour driving distance. In fact, I only know of 4. And, so far, I only attend 2. But a friend has invited me to share a booth with her at a huge local general Christmas craft show. What can I offer the average shopper? Without spreading myself out even more?

My solution so far:

Scrabble Tile Pendants with an expanded range of images
Magnets with an expanded range of images
Needle-Felting Kits (sold only at shows so far, but already made up and ready to go)
Granny Square Earrings
Possibly some other needle-felted items made from leftovers from blended fibers (another new product already in the works. Oops!)
And um...that's all I got. I'm open to other ideas.

So that's what I've been doing all summer. Coming to this relatively simple conclusion. And pouring resin, beading, dyeing, designing, crocheting teeny tiny earrings, sewing, rubber-stamping,.......and parenting, gardening, running the household, etc. Seems like a lot when I put it that way. :)

Book Giveaway

2010-07-27T22:50:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post today to let you know about a blog giveaway on a friend's blog.

Peacefully Knitting is giving away Gifted: lovely little things to knit and crochet by Mags Kandis. It looks like a great addition to the library. I've entered. Go check it out!

Tour de Fleece Days 12-14

2010-07-17T00:28:00.007-05:00

Squeeeeee!!!!! It came! My drum carder is here and put together, though not yet broken in. I'm saving that for tomorrow!

I also bought this day-glow roving. My kids will love these colors and it's completely different from anything I've spun up to this point.

But, for the past THREE days, I've been working on this pencil roving. That's all I know. It's pencil roving. This is a 1.6 oz skein and I have two of them. It's obviously wool, likely 100%, but I have no idea what type of wool. It also didn't list how much it weighed or where it came from. I picked it up at the LYS and weighed it when I got home. Kinda pricey for 1.6 oz ($9.99 each skein), but no one forced me to buy it. The colors just grabbed me.

This stuff really wanted to be thin. Like too thin! Day 12 was spent just trying to learn to keep it from being thread-thin. It was much too weak that thin. Plus I got a late start. So after a little playing and not much useable spinning, I ended up going to bed. Day 13 was much more productive, but I don't think I even got half an ounce spun. Who knew thin yarn took soooo long to spin? hehe Definitely frugal spinning.

And here is what the end of Day 14 looked like. Almost one of the two skeins of pencil roving spun up in a laceweight single. It appears this should make a fingering weight (or maybe even slightly thinner?) two-ply. I'm totally in love with this batch and can't wait to see how it's going to ply. Though, at this rate, it'll be next Tuesday before I'm done.

At least that will give me plenty of time to figure out my drum carder for a custom batt for my next batch!

Tour de Fleece Days 9-11

2010-07-14T22:02:00.000-05:00

Day 9 (Sunday) I finally plied the two purple singles. I'd forgotten how uneven I'd made these singles...not intentionally. It still looks great, but the singles were over-spun and were all uneven and stuff.

Day 10 was a day of rest.

Day 11: This was MUCH better. Look how pretty that is! My goal was a fingering weight when plied, and I think I got pretty close over most of the skein. My only regret is that it didn't make a huge skein. Maybe enough for some fingerless gloves though?

I've ordered a drum carder to make blended batts, but it's not here yet. I have just a little more roving left before I have to start spinning solid colors. Not the end of the world, but not nearly as interesting! Hopefully it arrives soon!!!

Today is Day 12, but I haven't spun yet. So you'll just have to wait and see what I manage to accomplish in the wee hours of the night!

Tour de Fleece Days 5-8

2010-07-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

I've been a bit lax on the posting, but not on the spinning!

Days 5 and 6....and 7. I worked more on the purple. Day 6 was mere minutes, but I made sure to put in some time on the wheel.

Some blended fiber from Copperpot I bought a couple years ago to use on the drop spindle that I never got the hang of.

And behold, Day 8. I worked really hard to get a thinner single. Hoping for a fingering weight once plied. This fiber loved the idea of being thin, but kept trying to be even thinner. Maybe I should have let it? Going that thin just made me nervous.

Tour de Fleece Days 3 and 4

2010-07-06T23:13:00.001-05:00

Sorry I'm late posting Day 3. Here's around 2oz of singles of my own hand-dyed merino top. I think I might be getting the hang of this. Maybe. Every so often I still feel like the wheel is driving me....

And here's Day 1 and Day 2 plied together.

I had some major issues figuring out how to get my wheel to cooperate with me today. Turns out, you hardly need ANY Scotch tension for plying. Who knew? It's not all plied yet, but I'm zonked.

More tomorrow! The plan is to finish plying the above. And to finish turning the remaining 2oz of purple into singles.

Tour de Fleece Day 2

2010-07-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

Days One and Two -- I thought I'd distributed the singles fairly evenly over the two bobbins, but apparently not. I plan to let these "rest" for a day or two before plying. It seems to work better that way.

This is one of my own hand-dyed rovings. I think this is what I'll tackle tomorrow. It's purple and I just can't resist. In fact, if I get my chores done tonight before I collapse, I just may get started on it tonight!

But alas, first, I have work to do first. There's a huge batch of Scrabble Tile Pendants mid-process with my name on 'em that needs addressing. Then, once those are drying, I have some UFOs (UnFinished Objects) to tackle.

UFOs have been my bane for awhile. See, I'm a process knitter. The act of knitting, of trying new things, of conquering new techniques is what keeps me motivated. So once I feel like I've tried and conquered, I'm perfectly content setting the project aside so that I an try and conquer something new. Next thing I know, I have a dozen or more partially completed projects and no hand-knit socks in my sock drawer. That's just crazy!

So last night I looked, and I had several pair of socks very nearly done. One pair was missing its afterthought heel. Another just needed ends tucked in. A sample sock out of my hand-dyed I made to take to shows just needed its toe grafted. Today, I finished them all! (Pics soon.) This week, I plan to seek out more UFOs. It feels good to get them done! And I'm resolving to do better. Hold me to that, will ya?

Tour de Fleece Day 1

2010-07-03T23:49:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else participating in the Tour de Fleece this year?

I'm breaking in my new wheel. My goal is to...well...learn what the heck I'm doing! Mostly trying to learn consistency. Easier said than done, I'm finding!

Using CloudLover fiber I picked up at Shepherd's Harvest last year. Hoping to finish another bobbin full tomorrow and ply it later this week.

Old Spinner Woman

2010-06-30T11:31:00.000-05:00

See that? 3rd photo on the top? That's my Old Spinner Woman Scrabble Tile Pendant on the front page of Etsy! Earlier today I sold one and immediately had a request for another. So I took a peek and sure enough, I'd been on the front page and missed it!

If you need your own Old Spinner Woman, I currently have 1 more in stock. But I can make more for anyone who needs one. I should have more made in about a week. Email me if you'd like me to reserve one for you.

Free Shipping Event!

2010-06-27T23:40:00.001-05:00

From now until July 5th, get free worldwide shipping on any purchase at JLYarnworks.com!

No kidding! Any order, big or small will ship free. And the best part? No coupon codes, complicated links, or special invitations. So feel free to tell your friends!

Don't see what you're looking for? Let me know! I'll see what I can do!

A Hackle and a Diz Substitute

2010-06-16T23:10:00.001-05:00

Pretty, no? It is. It's lovely. It's merino and soft and luscious and it's all mine. :)

When Mr. Yarnworks was home on his four day pass, I begged him to take a bunch of hair picks I'd purchased, pair them with a 2x4 in the garage, and make me a homemade hackle. Thanks to his mad skills, it only took him about 10 minutes. Yay! Thanks, Honey!

I've requested a fantastic custom diz set from riverrim on Etsy like this one, but due to a family emergency, the project has been delayed. (Send her big hugs!) But I was anxious to try out my hackle, so I used what I had on hand...

And then the problems began. And honestly, I'm not sure what the issue is. The button as a diz? Cruddy technique? Impatience? I'm not really sure where to start.

I mean, yes, the result was still gorgeous and I'm sure it will spin up nicely. In fact, I can't wait to get it on the wheel. But fibercrafts are also my trade, and I want repeatable, gorgeous, consistent results. One day, I'm sure I'll want to add blended fibers to my shop.

This is what I got instead. Some thick, some thin, having to start and stop repeatedly, feeling like I had to use all my strength just to get the fiber off the hackle and through the diz. It doesn't look nearly this difficult on YouTube. *sigh*

Maybe the new custom diz set will cure all my frustrations. Until it arrives, I'm headed back to YouTube.

And to my wheel! Thick and thin or not, I'm turning that fabulousness into yarn!

Cowboy Town

2010-06-15T19:28:00.002-05:00

Today's post is a bit different from my typical post, but I have to post it anyway, so bear with me.

A week ago, Mr. Yarnworks was able to come home on a 4 day pass. (Today finds him safely in Afghanistan.) We decided to make the most of our long weekend together and try to make some memories for the kids. One thing we've been meaning to do, is visit the Cowboy Town just a couple miles from where we live. We pass it nearly daily as we drive into Sioux Falls, and have heard and read some tales about it. We knew going in that we were doing it purely for the sake of comedy. (We do a lot for the sake of comedy in the Yarnworks house!)

You see, when we first moved to our little town, we were intrigued by the large billboards that line the road. They advertise a live buffalo heard (not really uncommon here), over 50 buffalo products, and this historical old west cowboy town. The "Gold Mine" sign within the town can also be seen from the interstate.

So we went to our most knowledgeable friend...Google. And we found this RoadSideAmerica article. It's an interesting read and there are more pictures there. Go on, I'll wait.

So we finally found our chance to go blow nearly $20 on what we knew would be a monstrosity of a "tour."

Like the article, we were the only ones in the store other than the guy working the counter. Before we left the store area, we were treated to some kickin' tunes (video link). Then we were the only ones in the cowboy town. Which was good. Our hysterical laughter may have thrown a few people.

First, we really did enjoy our close-up with the buffalo, though we prayed they were friendly. That picture above? That's about how close we were. No telephoto there! And a simple wire fence was all that held back the herd.

Then the comedy began with a series of graves. Then we couldn't tell if this town was meant to be funny or serious. Though it really came across as just pretty sad.

Of course, they have to point out that this is the *Real* West. See?

They had lots of great old farm equipment displayed, but it was a bit of a death trap. Granted, most of it was housed behind caution tape.

And here, my fiberly friends, is where you get your reward for reading. The ever-so-pristine loom. (I decided not to share the picture of the spinning wheel. It wasn't for the faint of heart.)

So then Mr. Yarnworks says, "Hey, take a picture of me next to this Do Not Open sign." Then proceeds to open the trunk. I still don't know if the Do Not Open was meant for real, or for effect.

Okay, so the article talked about some of the racist remarks within the "town." We didn't find them all, but O. M. G. This one?

In case you can't make that out, in the middle there it reads, "The Chinese enjoyed the dangerous work of blasting the mountain passes and tunnels with black powder. With their natural love of fireworks, the Chinese "powder monkeys" learned to cut their fuses so that the entire round of charge would go off at once. The louder the blast, the more likely it was to scare off personal devils & imps."

No, I'm not kidding. That's what it says. Seriously.

Okay, so moving on....

I'll spare you the bit about Abe Lincoln. The other article does a fine job covering that part of the tour and even has a video.

I was a bit horrified by the dentist and doctor depictions. Ouch!

And it appears that bank robbers have long since left this place as a ghost town.

All in all it was....interesting. And we won't be going back anytime soon. But at least the view was pretty nice.

The kids? They preferred the pizza buffet afterwards....

Charlie's Giveaway Winner!

2010-06-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

Let's choose a winner from the Charlie's Contest, shall we?

I've closed the contest, thrown all the entries into a quick and dirty Excel Spreadsheet and have a total of 47 entries by my count. So let's head over to our handy dandy Random Number Generator.

The number 38 on my handy dandy Excel spreadsheet tells me that SANDIE!!! is our winner. Some of you may know Sandie from her blog. She's also pretty friendly over on Twitter as ZaftigDelights.

So Sandie, shoot me an email with where you'd like your laundry soap mailed! jlyarnworks at gmail dot com

Everyone else, don't worry! I'm already planning the next giveaway and it will include yarn!

Charlie's Soap Giveaway

2010-06-06T11:18:00.004-05:00

I just got an exciting email from TerraMade Products!

In honor of the sock saved from grass stains and the exciting release of the Emma pattern, TerraMade Products has graciously donated a bag of Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder to JLYarnworks to give away to one of our lucky readers! Let Charlie's save your future Emma socks too!

Each 2.64lb bag of Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder will do 80 washing machine loads of laundry. I, personally, also like to use Charlie's in the sink for handwashing just about anything or even in the bathtub for washing small rugs. Charlie's rinses away easily and completely. I use it on my woolens before using a wool wash because, well, I wonder about how well no-rinse products clean. So I use Charlie's first, then a wool wash to lanolize it so the wool doesn't dry out and to keep the wool super soft.

Want to enter? Complete one or all of the following tasks to gain entries. After each task completed, leave a comment on this post to be counted. Be sure I have your email or that you link to some way for me to get hold of you if you win! Contest ends June 10th. Winner will be chosen by random number generator and announced on June 11th.

Entry Tasks:

1. Leave a comment. That's it. Everyone gets one freebie entry. (1 entry)
2. Tweet about this blog giveaway, linking to this blog post. (1 entry)
3. Become a Facebook Fan. (1 entry)
4. Visit TerraMade Products and comment on your favorite item. (1 entry)
5. Blog about this contest, JLYarnworks, or TerraMade Products. (2 entries)

That's it! 6 possible entries. Good luck!!!

Giveaway is now closed!

Emma Has Arrived!

2010-06-03T23:39:00.001-05:00

My daughters have inspired a series of girly sock patterns. This is the most basic, the most classic, of the set. It has a unique construction, with a bit of ribbing hidden under the ruffle to help the sock stay up. This is also a relatively simple knit, being mostly stockinette. If you've only knit one or two pair of socks before, don't fret. You'll manage just fine! Emma is sized for Toddler, Child to Women's Small, and Women's Medium to Large.

Emma is available both on Ravelry for immediate download and on Etsy for an emailed file. Both methods give you a document in PDF format and cost $5.

More socks with a similar construction will emerge over the course of the summer. One other is just about done, but needs a final edit. Of course you've already had a sneak peek, ages ago: Hannah. Hannah is a bit more complex with a provisional cast-on and lacework.

Every time I write a new pattern, I learn something. This time was no different. I learned to get all my pictures taken before I let my model run around in the grass with a pale yellow sock and do this....

"Let" is a nice way of saying that she took off and I got the high-pitched "Nooooooo! Stop! You'll ruin the sock!!!" just right.

I also learned that, yes, Charlie's will get out grass stains. Like a dream! *whew!* In fact, most of the pictures I used with the pattern were taken after this incident.

And just so you don't think I've forgotten my new toy...

Far from perfect, but I'm learning and getting more comfortable with my wheel. More on that as I have more to show for myself. :)

The Lendrum

2010-05-30T16:58:00.000-05:00

My Lendrum arrived on Friday. Isn't he beautiful? I've taken a couple hours to play with him and I'm still not quite sure what I'm doing, but I do know that I'm having a wonderful time getting to know my new wheel. Hopefully we have a beautiful future together. Once I learn how not to abuse him.

Him? I think so. His personality hasn't emerged yet, but I do think this is a masculine wheel. Now he just needs a name...

Any thoughts?

They're Teeny Tiny

2010-05-16T18:27:00.000-05:00

I just updated the shop with eight different teeny tiny granny square earrings. These are handmade by yours truly on a 1mm steel crochet hook using sewing thread! Each little square is about the size of a penny.

Then they're blocked and stiffened with starch, though they still retain some flexibility. Once they're dry, I mount them on either sterling silver or 14k gold plate French hook earrings.

Let me know if there's a color I'm missing that you just have to have!

Trouble With Color

2010-05-15T00:41:00.001-05:00

I'm not a photographer. But you probably already knew that.

I need to take photos of products in order to sell them online, but truthfully, it's pure blind luck that I'm able to get any photos to turn out the way they're supposed to.

Anyway, my biggest issue is color. This photo was taken yesterday and required absolutely NO editing. It was perfect right off the camera.

This picture was taken with the same camera, on the same day, with the same settings. But the skein isn't really blue. It's turquoise and a purple-ish deep navy blue.

No turquoise to be found. And tweaking in PhotoShop isn't really helping. Though, admittedly, I know less about PhotoShop than I know about photography.

This photo was taken several months ago and shares some of the same colors.

That's the turquoise color the other picture is missing. Though my blue skein is almost entirely that color and it's quite vibrant. And that darker shade? Just about right too. The first yarn just doesn't have any green in it. Grrrrr.....why can I get colors to work some days and not others? Do I need a whole new photo shoot? Can I fix it in PhotoShop? I have no idea. I just know it isn't happening tonight.

Thanks for letting me vent. I do feel better. And if anyone has any advice, links to tutorials, YouTube videos that address this issue, etc. please feel free to speak up.

Oh and that first gold skein? It's available for sale in my shop. You know, if you were coveting....

Changes

2010-04-11T12:29:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that I've been a bit absent lately. I could come here and apologize and promise to do better, but frankly, I make no apologies. And here's why....

The day after Mother's Day, Mr. Yarnworks will leave for his 3rd deployment to the Middle East. This time he is headed to Afghanistan and should be gone for another year. These deployments are becoming old hat around here, so other than the typical preparations, not much has changed.

But I've realized recently that I've been changing in ways I've been unaware of up until now. This blog, for instance, hasn't been properly updated in well over a month. My two online stores too have been a bit neglected during that time as well.

Not to worry though, I *am* taking care of my customers and shipping orders with the same love and care I always have. I just haven't been actively seeking out new customers, promoting and updating the websites, etc.

I'm also prepping for Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival in Minneapolis over Mother's Day weekend. Yep, Mother's Day weekend, the weekend right before Mr. Yarnworks deploys. I may be a bit crazy, but this is a decision we made together. Besides, anyone who has been knows how much fun it is!

Anyway....changes.

I realize now that I've been spending a lot more quality time with my family. Creating more "moments" for us to share. Helping our girls bond with their father before he leaves and helping them come to terms with the idea of him leaving.

How can I possibly apologize for that? I won't.

So know that we are well, that I'm spending oodles of time with my fabulous family, and that in my spare time I'm preparing for Shepherd's Harvest.

Once I recover from Mr. Yarnworks' departure and the exhaustion that inevitably follows Shepherd's Harvest, I will return and with a gusto! I have so much in store for you. I can't wait!

The Hannah Sock

2010-02-24T10:02:00.000-06:00

Is anyone else participating in the Ravelympics? I don't know that you could say I'm participating in any official capacity...and I highly doubt I'll complete the project in time, but I'll update you all nonetheless.

If you recall from my last blog post, I decided to enter the Designer Biathlon event. The idea is to design and publish a pattern from scratch within the 17 days of the Winter Olympic Games.

Here is Hannah, a sock designed especially for little girls:

I've gotta say, this was a challenge. And while I have a rough draft done, there are still a couple issues that require tweaking.

I don't want to give too much away about this pattern, but here are a few more pictures....

And the detail I'm most proud of?

Hidden under the foldover cuff is just enough ribbing to help hold everything up.

I'm working on a second sample now with a white cuff and pink foot. I'm convinced that these will look absolutely precious with a different color for the cuff.

The pattern will be available soon in toddler, girl, and women's sizes if all goes according to plan. Email me if you'd like to be notified when this pattern is available for purchase.

I Think I May Be Insane....

2010-02-11T21:31:00.001-06:00

Why do I think I may be insane? Well, first, I signed on to do the #TwitKAL which is a Twitter knit-a-long doing The Travelling Woman shawl. We're supposed to be finished by February 17.

Then, of course, I've also decided to join in the fun of the Ravelympics which starts tomorrow. My event? The Designer Biathlon. The goal is to design from scratch and knit item, and get a pattern published within the 17 days of the Olympic Games. The plan at the moment is socks inspired by my two girls. The goal is to create sizing for little girls up to adults, but let's not go overboard. It's 17 days after all. But hopefully I'll have at least 2 sizes available (child/adult) that can be tweaked a bit with yarn and needle sizes to work for just about anyone.

To top it all off, I'm planning to knit a baby sweater that's due by early March. That baby had better be on time or late or I'm in big trouble!

Not to mention all the works-in-progress I have stashed throughout the house. The plan in January was to wrap those all up, but I failed. Miserably. Cast on more, in fact. *hangs head in shame...sees yarn....decides to cast-on just one mo...NO! Stop!*

This weekend, I'm running away. Well, just for two nights. Doing a little knitting retreat at NeSoDak. It's a lakeside (though frozen over now and covered with heaps of snow) lodge that does family reunions, camps, etc. This weekend is just for fibery folks. I've met at least two people going thanks to local shows, and I'm looking forward to meeting more! I'm going by myself otherwise. I figure I'll either have tons of time to get all this crazy knitting done. Or I'll meet lots of great people and have a fabulous time, despite not getting much of anything done. Both sound absolutely heavenly to me.

I plan to post design updates as I work through these socks. I do have one test-knitter lined up, but I could use at least one more. The trouble? You may only have 4-5 days to complete one child-sized sock and give me feedback on it. I also won't have time to send you yarn for the project, but it should only take an ounce give or take of scrap sock yarn. As payment, you'll get a full skein of whatever yarn in my shop you want...or a credit for a future skein. Update: I have three test-knitters now! Thanks so much guys! I'll try to post at least hints as I work through the pattern. If all goes really, really well, I may even have a finished item to show you after this weekend. *fingers crossed* Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Miss May!

2010-01-31T12:11:00.000-06:00

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I couldn't let January pass without wishing my baby girl a very happy birthday. On Thursday she turned 7 and seems to be standing just a little taller. Happy Birthday Miss May!

Another Birthday Front Page

2010-01-28T19:49:00.000-06:00

If you recall, I had a product featured on the front page of Etsy.com on my birthday.

Today, another product was feathered on the front page of Etsy.com....this time, on Miss May's birthday!

So that's 2 Front Page Features in one month....after almost 4 years on Etsy, which not a single appearance on the front page. Pretty darn nifty! A special thanks to Spazzy for creating the treasury that was picked for the front page.

I'll have birthday girl pictures for you very soon. :)

Casting on the Traveling Woman Shawl

2010-01-28T18:17:00.003-06:00

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A few people in our Twitter KAL are having some problems casting on their Traveling Woman Shawl, which is a triangular shawl. I took a few pictures today with some random yarn and needles in the hopes of demystifying the beginning cast on.

1. Cast on 3 stitches and knit 6 rows.

2. Pick up 3 stitches along the edge. I just grabbed my left needle and picked up 3 pieces of stitch from the sides. Note that my working yarn is still attached to the last stitch I knit in that 6th row.

3. Knit those stitches. Note that the leftover cast-on yarn (if you use a long-tail cast-on) is right under the last stitch you knit.

4. Now, pick up 3 stitches from your cast-on edge. Again, I just nabbed 3 bits of cast-on with my left needle. My working yarn and my leftover cast-on yarn are both between my needles. The work is also a bit tight and awkward since there's only one "raw" or unworked edge of the original rectangle.

5. Knit these stitches. You should now have 9 stitches on your needle.

6. This is the back of your work now. Your leftover cast-on yarn is in kind of a strange place. But once you tuck it in, you won't notice. You are now ready to begin the stockinette portion of your shawl.

Correcting Mistakes in Knitting: Lifelines

2010-01-26T23:16:00.010-06:00

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How to correct mistakes in knitting is a subject that comes up every time I teach someone to knit. Too often students admit that if they make an error, they feel their only recourse is to rip out the entire piece. How frustrating! When I started to learn how to fix my knitting goofs, my knitting soared! I felt so empowered and in control. And, being the teeny tiny control freak that I am....

So here is Lesson One of the "Correcting Mistakes in Knitting," which is Lifelines.

A lifeline will save your (knitting) life! When you're drowning in missing YOs and k3togs, you'll be begging for someone to throw you a line!

What is a lifeline?

A lifeline is a string that is threaded through a row of knitting. As you continue to knit, that string will stay in your work "just in case." If you make a blunder so big that you can't fix it through other, less dramatic means, you can frog (rip out) your work all the way down to your lifeline and try again. Note that this is better that ripping out your entire project. Especially when you're working on a shawl that contains over 68,000 stitches (like the shawl in these pictures).

When should I use a lifeline?

You can use a lifeline whenever and wherever you want. Ask yourself the following questions:

How comfortable am I with this pattern?
How often do I make mistakes when working a pattern like this?
How devastated would I be if I lost half my work? 10 rows?
If I had to rip out half of my work, would I lose motivation to continue with this project?

If you're prone to make mistakes, are working a new sort of pattern, would be devastated or lose motivation if you had to rip out too much, you'll want to use lifelines more frequently. If you're not likely to make major mistakes, are comfortable with the pattern, and wouldn't mind it if you had to rip back 50 rows, then you can use lifelines more sparingly.

Lifelines are most often seen used in lacework. Lace is the most finicky knitting to try to fix without ripping back. When you drop a stitch in stockinette or garter stitch, it's fairly easy to dip down, catch your stitch, and run it back up (another blog post on that soon). If you drop a stitch in a lace shawl, and it drops down through yarn-overs or increases or decreases...this can get trickier, and it may be easier to just rip down to your lifeline and try again. You can certainly use a lifeline in a stockinette sweater or hat though. That's the beautiful part of knitting...you're the one that gets to write the rule book! Do what works for you.

Also, lifelines will be easiest to place in a plain knit row, but can be placed in any row if needed.

What kind of string do you use for a lifeline?

Again, this is personal preference. And it's going to depend on what type of yarn you're using, what size needles, and the type of project. Scrap worsted weight yarn won't work well for a dainty lace project for instance, but may work just fine for a project made with bulky yarn. As a general rule, your lifelinen should be the same thickness as your yarn or thinner. You should also use a color that will show up against your working yarn. Don't use a black lifeline if you're knitting a navy blue project. Don't use white if you're knitting a cream project. You want to be able to see your lifelines easily. Trust me on this one. When you drop back down to your lifeline, you will have to pick up each stitch from the lifeline and get it back on your needle. The contrast will help immensely.

When in doubt? Dental floss! Waxed and unscented, though I personally haven't had any problems with mint-scented. White dental floss doesn't work all that well with paler projects, but for most things it works just great. Because it's nice and slick too, it will pull out of your work pretty easily. I used waxed, unscented dental floss for the photos in this post. As you can see from the top picture, generic works just fine!

So how do I put this lifeline in anyway?

There are 3 ways to put a lifeline into your work. The easiest way is to put one in the row you're currently working on.

First, take a length of string longer than your work. Thread it onto a tapestry needle. Run it through the active stitches on your needle from one side to the other.

If you have a stitch marker in your work, DO NOT run your lifeline through the stitch marker! Go around it. Then continue on the other side. If you go through the stitch marker, you'll anchor it in place and will have to either go back and pull out your lifeline or cut out your stitch markers. Not pretty. Don't do it.

This is how your lifeline and stitch markers should look. Notice that the lifeline is on the OUTSIDE of the stitch marker. I cannot emphasize this enough.

I didn't put in a lifeline and now I'm in trouble!

This brings me to the second way you can put in lifelines. You can put them in after-the-fact. This is a bit more time consuming that the first method, but it's doable.

Start a couple rows under your blunder. Thread your tapestry needle the same way and start on one end or, if working in the round, at the beginning of the round if possible. Pick up the right leg of each stitch in that row with the tapestry needle and thread the lifeline through it. If you can't easily pick up the right leg, that's ok. (You can pick up the left leg, but be very careful later on that you twist those stitches back when you pick them up with your needles so that you don't twist the stitch when you knit it. If at all possible, stick with the right legs.)

This method takes awhile, but can be very helpful in a pinch.

What's the third way?

If you use interchangeable cable needles, they probably have a hole in the needle itself that you use to help you tighten the needle on the cable. You can thread this hole as if it's the tapestry needle. Then, knit your next row as usual and watch the lifeline almost magically insert itself into your row. When you're done with the row, unthread the needle and continue as usual.

A word of caution though: if you're using closed ring stitch markers, your lifeline will also go through them! As we've already discussed, this is bad. Options? Remove your SMs while working that row or use removeable stitch markers.

So what do I do when I make a mistake?

Well, first, try other methods to fix your mistake if possible. Ripping out your work should always be a last resort.

If you've exhausted all other possibilities, then take your needle(s) out of your work, and rip out your work to the row just above the lifeline. Then, with your knitting needle ready, slowly pull out this last row as well, catching the row with the lifeline as you go. Take your knitting needle and slowly pick up these stitches one by one, putting them back on the needle. For now, leave your lifeline in place.
Go all the way across. If possible, make sure the stitches are positioned correctly, with the right leg of the stitch to the front. Count your stitches to make sure you have them all.

Once you're sure that everything is positioned correctly and that you have all of your stitches, you can take out your lifeline. BUT you probably shouldn't! Why? Because you might need it again? If you goofed once, you may goof again. Leave the lifeline where it is, just in case.

When can I take out my lifelines?

Even if you have several lifelines in your project, leave the earlier ones in just in case you find an error below the newer lifelines.

When your project is completely done, you can safely remove your lifelines and block your project.

Twitter Knit-A-Long

2010-01-20T21:05:00.002-06:00

For those of you on Twitter, have you heard about the upcoming Knit-A-Long spearheaded by spazzyyarn? I, personally, can't wait to begin!

Want more information? Here is Spazzy's initial blog post. Ignore the pattern options though. The *real* list is HERE, and you can VOTE on your favorite. Voting ends Friday, so hurry over there to cast your vote.

And if you're not already following me on Twitter, please do so! This KAL would be a great way to get to know all of my readers!

New Freshwater Pearl Stitch Markers

2010-01-18T00:47:00.003-06:00

Introducing a new line of pearl stitch markers now available in both my Etsy Store and on JLYarnworks.com! These are made using a ring that will fit up to a US10 knitting needle and come in a set of 8. They currently come in 4 color varieties, but more are coming! Click the above picture to be wooshed to the right page to see all of your current options.

Thanks Emi Craft In Japan!!!

2010-01-12T20:31:00.005-06:00

I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to the Etsy store, Emi Craft In Japan.

Once upon a time, I found the cutest sheep fabric in an Etsy store from Japan. The cute little white sheep on the pale pink background made for absolutely adorable magnets. I ordered the fabric twice, but when I ran out again, the store shelves were bare. *sniffle* I thought for sure that this sheep fabric, like so many others before it, had been discontinued out from under me. What would I do?!?

Months passed and I began to sell the very last of my little pink sheep magnets. The lone survivors looked so sad and lonely, awaiting the day that they too would leave home forever.

Weekly, I scoured Etsy for the fabric. Even going so far as to email the major shops out of Japan that carry fabric. No one was able to help.

That is until one day, I found my pink sheep fabric!!! Emi Craft in Japan had some! Oh happy day! Wait, what's this? The item description says it's also available with a blue background?!? Can this be??

Without hesitation, I send her a "convo" as they're called on Etsy. "How much do you have?" I asked. "I think I want all of it." She writes back that she has pink, blue, AND TAN! She tells me how much of each she has. "Yes, I want all of it." We messaged each other back and forth several times, she worked out the exact shipping costs, and even went into town the very next day to get it mailed to me....using MY choice of shipping method. Talk about customer service! And shipping speed? I ordered it on December 28th and received it on January 7th. From Japan!! Not too shabby.

I will definitely be back as long as she carries some sort of sheep, rabbit, ruler, button, fiber-related-in-any-way fabric I can use for my magnets. I know she'll take care of me. If you love fabric, and enjoy the cutesie Japanese varieties on the market, I know she'll take care of you too. Show her some love.

Oh, and if you see the fabrics below in any color variations, let me know? They're also Japanese fabrics that I can no longer find. And I'm nearly out. BUT, watch for new blue and tan varieties of the cute pink ones to make their appearance in my shops very soon!

Front Page!

2010-01-11T22:26:00.003-06:00

Wouldya look at that? After nearly 4 years on Etsy, one of my items FINALLY made the front page.

Isn't this the cutest collection you ever saw? (Top row middle, magnets, are mine.)

And The Winner Is....

2010-01-11T10:07:00.004-06:00

As promised, I just tallied up the entries in my birthday blog giveaway!

By my calculations, I had 68 entries. For this, I'm giving away ONE Scrabble Tile Pendant. Again, the winner gets to choose which style they want, I will not be able to make this a custom order, and they may have to wait up to a few days for me to get it shipped out if I'm out of their chosen style.

Are we ready?

Heading over to the random number generator...

And the winner is...

Kim!

Congratulations Kim! I'll be messaging you in just a moment so you can tell me which pendant you want and where to send it. :)

Thank you so much to all who participated! This made my birthday great fun. :) Your gift to me was doubling my blog followers, increasing my Facebook fans by 30%, and giving me lots of great new people to Tweet with on Twitter!

Thanks too for all of the birthday wishes here, on Facebook, and on Twitter. My husband was out of town this weekend and all the well-wishes really cheered me up. I'm grateful for you all!

Birthday Contest!!!

2010-01-07T23:29:00.005-06:00

My birthday is Sunday and I want you all to celebrate with me!

It's my birthday and I'm giving YOU the gift! Well, I'm giving the winner(s) a gift. So what do you need to do to enter? And what do you win?

Well if you haven't guessed from the above collage, you'll win the Scrabble Tile Pendant of your choice. There will be one winner for every 100 entries!

How to Enter:

Follow my blog. (See all the little pictures of people on the right under the ads? Click "Follow." Leave a comment here letting me know you're following my blog. (Must be a public follower.) Get one entry.
Follow me on Twitter. Tweet this: "Enter to win JL Yarnworks' Scrabble Tile Pendant Giveaway! http://bit.ly/5tuP4D ." Leave a comment here letting me know you've done this. Get one entry.
Become one of my Facebook Fans! Leave a comment here letting me know you've become a fan. Get one entry.
Blog about this contest, linking back to this blog post. Leave a comment here with a link to your blog. Get TWO entries!

Yep, that's 5 potential entries per person. If every entrant gets 5 entries, then everyone will have a 1 in 20 chance of winning a pendant! Those odds are pretty good, don't you think?

Monday morning (January 11th, 2010), whenever I get to the computer, I'll tally up the entries based on the comments on this blog post. If you don't leave a comment, your entry will NOT count! For every 100 entries, I will let the random number generator choose one winner. (If there are 158 entries, there will be one winner; if there are 320 entries, there will be 3 winners.) I will post the winners here and contact them (be sure I can reach you through Twitter, Facebook, or leave your email!). Winners get to choose which Scrabble Tile Pendant they want from the above choices. Unfortunately, I will not be able to do custom letter choices for the purposes of this contest. Sorry! Scrabble Tile Pendants come on a length of ribbon and can be transferred to your favorite cord or necklace. They will ship to the winners for free. If too many winners want the same pendant, or if I'm sold out of the winner's chosen pendant on Monday, winners will be allowed to either choose a different pendant OR wait up to 2 weeks for new pendants to be made.

Good luck to you all!

**If your'e observant, you'll notice that not all Scrabble Tile Pendant options are currently available in my store. I'll be adding more all weekend. Want one that's not yet available in the store? Just contact me!**

Resolve

2010-01-01T00:22:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I thought I'd kick off the new year properly with some of my own resolutions. Honestly, they're the same goals I have pretty much year-round, but putting them in black and white helps make them real...and more likely to happen! So, in no particular order, here goes...

1. Get more sleep. Between late nights in the studio, losing track of time, and plain old insomnia, I've gotten really bad about staying up super late. Then the kiddos make sure I'm up before I want to be. This often means I'm lucky to get 5 hours of sleep a night. No good. Must. Get. More. Sleep! The new goal is to at least be in bed by 11:30pm nightly. If I'm asleep by midnight, I should get a minimum of 7 hours of zzzz's.

2. Finish more projects. I'm notorious for beginning a project. Then beginning a project. Then beginning another project. In knitting, I am the cast-on queen! But this isn't just specific to knitting. I want to wrap up some unfinished projects and get better about limiting the number of works-in-progress I have at any given time. It clutters the mind and I have more than my share of clutter up there! Time to simplify. To do this, I plan to spend most of January wrapping things up. Then I'll be more mindful of what I have going before starting new projects. I also think I'll use July as another wrap-up month.

3. Like just about everyone else, weight-loss and getting healthier also tops the list. I did so well between Baby #1 and Baby #2, but after Baby #2, things started going downhill. I couldn't exercise much during that pregnancy which led to too much weight-gain and getting out of the exercise habit...which only continued after she was born. She's now 3 1/2 and I *must* do something about it. My husband and friends at work plan to compete for 90 days to see who can get the most "ripped." I plan to join along at home by fixing healthier meals for the entire family and trying to figure out ways to incorporate exercise into my day. Not so easy in the middle of winter in South Dakota with two young children and no gyms with daycares close by. Looks like boring videos will be my best bet, though I'm not really looking forward to it. I just know from past experience (between the babies) that I have to be pretty strict with myself to see results. That means regimented meals and exercise 6 days a week with one free/rest day a week. So I must do what I must do. Wish me luck!

4. Get the house in order. Despite moving in 7 months ago, the house is still less than put-together. We still don't have dining room furniture (though we do have a table in the kitchen so we CAN sit together for a meal), there are still boxes only partially unpacked, and there are still systems in place that worked in the old house but don't quite work here. By this time next year, I want this house to be a well-oiled machine. Or, at least, much more functional than it is now.

5. Do more with my kids outside the house. Now that the girls are getting older, it's easier to find things they can both do and enjoy. It's time for some family field trips! I'd like to explore some of the local National Parks, visit Storybook Land, and maybe head to Minneapolis to the Mall of America and Underwater Adventures.

6. Finish the TKGA Masters Program Level One. I'm nearly done, it's just another of the many unfinished projects lurking around here.

7. Work on my book. I'll keep the details to myself, but it's been bouncing around in my head for about a year now and I have some notes and some writing, but the meat of it is still just in my head. I will say that it's knitting related, but the rest I'll keep to myself for now. I'd like to have the bulk of it done by fall so that I can start trying to get to the agent/publisher level.

8. There's one other item on this list, but it's information I can't quite share just yet. It's not knitting related. You'll surely hear more about this after this weekend.

What's on your list? Let me know if you have a resolution similar to one of mine. Would love a buddy on some of these! If you happen to be an agent that's looking for a knitting book to represent, even better. hehe.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T15:17:00.004-06:00

Here at Chez Yarnworks, we're settled in for a long winter blizzard. So far we've had only around 3" of the projected 12-18", but they tell us it's coming, so we're planning to stay home through the holiday and weekend!

I've taken this week off from work (other than responding to the occasional email), and am thoroughly enjoying a little girl time with my daughters while Daddy is at work. With any luck, the storm won't be too bad for him to make it home tonight! Today's agenda includes gift-wrapping, cookie-baking, hot cocoa, and, well, shovelling. Not necessarily in that order.

Oh and, of course, being me, I still have Christmas knitting to complete! The storm means a few extra days to complete a few of my projects though. Whew!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning when the girls will find all that Santa has left for them, and unwrap the bounty beneath the tree. There's a special magic about Christmas morning, isn't there?

Before I sign off for the Christmas holiday, I wanted to wish everyone, from our house to yours, a safe, warm, joyful, and magical Christmas. But...no peeking!

(Photography by Digital Tapestry in Sioux Falls, SD. Thanks Cathy!)

Save 20% Off Your Entire JLYarnworks.com Order!

2009-11-28T14:24:00.002-06:00

From now through Monday, save 20% off your entire purchase at JLYarnworks.com. Just use coupon code THANKS when checking out.

Offer only good on in-stock merchandise and does not apply to custom orders.

Happy shopping!

Shhhh....No Peeking!

2009-11-25T13:45:00.004-06:00

Today I am scoping out potential Christmas gifts online. Trying desperately to hide the screen whenever Miss Kate rounds the corner. I thought the above picture said it all very well!

I can't believe it's only November 25, and our Christmas pictures are done already! I'm actually feeling semi-prepared this year! Christmas pics are done, Christmas knitting has commenced, and I've even managed to do a little shopping. Only a bazillion other things to do in the next month, but today, we're not thinking about those things. You can't panic about Christmas until after the turkey is cooked, right?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

And The Winners Are....

2009-11-23T10:55:00.003-06:00

Congratulations!!!

BathNBeads
arizonaknitter
Retequilts
Knitcave1
amylane

You have won your choice of a free PDF copy of the Diamond Cable Fingerless Gloves or $5 off any of the Diamond Cable Fingerless Gloves Kit Options.

Please contact me with your email address and which prize you would like!

(Winners were determined using a Random Number Generator after assigning each entrant a number by listing them in Excel.)

Fingerless Gloves Pattern Giveaway!

2009-11-21T13:23:00.006-06:00

Welcome to JL Yarnworks' first giveaway!

Prize: a free copy of the PDF file pattern for the Diamond Cable Fingerless Gloves shown above. Retail price: $4.50 OR $5 off the one of the kits available.

Winners: 5 winners will be drawn randomly from entrants by logging users in an Excel file and using a random number generator to choose the 5 winners.

How to Enter:

1. RT the Twitter post that brought you here. Or, tweet this:

RT @jlyarnworks Knit Pattern Giveaway: Diamond Cable Fingerless Gloves. See blog post for how to enter. http://bit.ly/5geREz

2. Write up a quick blog post sharing this giveaway and linking to this blog post. Feel free to use the above picture in your post. Once your blog post is live, leave a message here with a link to your blog post.

3. Do both 1 and 2 and get two entries!

Deadline: Midnight Central Time Sunday night (November 22, 2009)

Winners will be announced on this blog and contacted on Monday, November 23, 2009.

Good luck everyone!!!

New Pattern And Kits Available Just In Time For Christmas!

2009-11-21T12:44:00.005-06:00

A couple days ago I listed a new pattern in my Etsy store: Diamond Cable Fingerless Gloves.

The pattern is available as a PDF file that will be emailed to you within 24 hours of payment received.

This is also available as a hard copy pattern with 50g of yarn.

Or, if you're looking for the perfect holiday gift for your favorite knitter, we have kits that include a hard copy of the pattern, 50g of yarn, a fully-lined drawstring bag, 5" double-pointed needles, a cable-needle, and a set of stitch markers.

Later today, I'll be posting about a pattern-giveaway for Twitter users and bloggers! Watch for it!

Now Carrying 5" Double-Pointed Needles

2009-11-15T22:59:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited! JLYarnworks now carries 5" DPNs sizes US 0-5.

Cards, Cards, and more Cards

2009-11-13T09:28:00.007-06:00

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit under the weather. Just a cold. The sniffles. Just enough to not want to do much except curl up in my chair and watch television all day.

But you know me; my hands need to be doing something. So I continued the weekend's theme and created some more cards. I used tiny colorful crochet thread and made mini granny squares and adhered them to some pre-scored cards. I managed to churn out 16 of them (4 of each color).

I added those to the cards I made during my weekend getaway. Here are some little sheep gift tags. They still need a hole punched in them and some ribbon, but otherwise, they're done.

And when I saw this giraffe stamp, I just had to have it. As a knitter, I know how often we give scarves as gifts. Someone would have to have a mighty long neck to wear them all! ;)

Of course, sock monkeys have fast become the cornerstone of my business. So they get some time in the spotlight.

And some nice, simple sheep. Very country.

I made about 30 of each type. Currently, my cards are only available at shows. They make a nice addition to my product line and I do fairly well with them, even though I only make them a couple times a year and then stash them away. I've been toying with the idea of also offering them in my online stores, but I can't decide. Sell them individually like I do at my shows? ($2.75 for the smaller ones and $3.75 for the hand-knit and hand-crocheted ones.) Or sell them as sets or assortments? I find myself unable to answer these questions, so I end up just stashing them again for shows. At least if I only sell them at shows, I don't have to make them year-round. I absolutely love making them, but with all the other things I do (dyeing, beading, resin, sewing, etc.), there's just not a lot of me to go around. Welcome to my internal dialog. ;) What are your thoughts?

Today my oldest is off from school in observance of Veteran's Day. Our resident veteran went out last night and is now sleeping in, so I'm taking the girls out for some special Mom time. I hope you're able to squeeze in some quality time with your families today too. They make all the other stuff worthwhile!

A Much Needed Getaway

2009-11-09T23:42:00.012-06:00

This past weekend was absolutely heavenly.

I had a huge blog post worked out in my head. But now that I'm here, I somehow feel that talking about it too much would take away the magic. So I'll let the pictures tell the tale.

The fields at sunrise.

This is us.

We are a wild and zany bunch.

But we also work hard. (Scrapbooking and other papercrafts.)

Finally, we were there for three sunsets....each different.

Can we go back next weekend? Please?

Miss Kate's Sock

2009-11-04T10:16:00.009-06:00

As I shared in my last post, Miss Kate (age 3) has been begging me to knit her a pair of socks. I needed a bit of a palate cleanser (as Kathleen Taylor would say), so I cast on over the weekend. Of course, I still need to make another. But Miss Kate is VERY excited. Can you tell?

Info:
-Yarn: Patons Stretch Socks [50g, 239 yards, 41% cotton/39% wool/13% nylon/7% elastic]
-Colorway: Sugar
-Needles: Size US1 DPNs
-Pattern: Yarn Harlot's Basic Sock Recipe from Knitting Rules! (easy peasy...quickly becoming my favorite for plain socks)

The first sock only weighs 0.5oz, so with a 1.75oz skein, I'll have plenty left over...just not enough left for another pair. Maybe socks for my new godbaby? We'll find out gender in December, so maybe! Though I suppose I should wrap up this pair before I get ahead of myself. ;)

Miss Kate is such a ham!

This, dear friends, is why I knit.

Halloween Weekend

2009-11-01T09:51:00.017-06:00

It's been quite a week at Chez Yarnworks. For the past 2 months I've been working on this new pattern and a corresponding kit.

Forgive the photo quality...it was a quickly cell phone picture. (Please disregard the random foot in the picture. At least now you know why I will never model my sock patterns. hehe.)

The pattern and kit were set for release today. But, sadly, ONE crucial item that will be included in the kit was misdelivered and cannot be retrieved. (Darn college boys who live in my old house!) So I need to reorder this item. My best guess is that it will all be ready to go in 2-3 weeks, depending on delivery speed. I will keep you posted. The kit, for those who are curious, will contain the pattern for the above fingerless gloves, enough hand-dyed yarn to make them, a drawstring bag, 5" double-pointed needles, a cable needle, and stitch markers. If you want to claim one now, feel free to email me and I will let you know when they're available for sale.

So after trying frantically to figure out a way to get these to market, I decided to take the weekend off and do some personal knitting. Something I haven't had a lot of time for lately.

Miss Kate has been asking for socks, so these will be for her. This is the third cuff. The first two didn't fit her honkin' feet. Hoping it goes faster now that I have the right size. I think if I'm diligent today, I can get the pair done. But, again, she has huge feet for a 3 year old, so I'm not making any promises!

Size 1 DPNs, 56 sts around...now they're a tad big I think, but 48 stitches wouldn't fit over her ankle. Wish me luck!

And, what I'm sure you've all been waiting for. Halloween pics! Miss May was Tinkerbell and Miss Kate was a pink fairy princess.

Mr. Yarnworks helped them carve Jack-o-lanters Friday night. On the left is Miss Kate's design. A nice, friendly, smiling pumpkin.

.. .
.
.

On the right is Miss May's pumpkin. A bit more to the Halloween theme...much like my old pumpkins looked when I was a kid.

This is such a great town for trick-or-treating too. From the one family that sets up a haunted house to the retirement community where the seniors sit in a semi-circle and encourage the kids to take more...

It was also beautiful weather for South Dakota in October. Lately we've had lots of rain and even snow. Last night was probably in the high 40s with very little wind. This was our street at 5:30pm.

Even the kids oohed and aahed at our sunset.

Geese flying south... A sign that it's not quite winter yet.

And a nice spooky moon to finish off our Halloween evening.

Roving Sneak Peek

2009-10-14T22:36:00.005-05:00

Yep, JL Yarnworks is now dyeing roving! Each braid is 4oz of Merino Wool, dyed with the same professional grade acid dyes I use on my yarns.

Stay tuned to my Etsy store. I'll be cleaning up the photos of the individual rovings and listing tonight as I go. If a particular braid interests you, feel free to email me for first dibs. :)

North Country Fiber Fair 2009

2009-09-17T22:50:00.003-05:00

It's time once again for the North Country Fiber Fair in Watertown, SD!

The great news is that JL Yarnworks has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year. The bad news is that I had an emergency tonsillectomy on Labor Day and have been pretty much out of commission for the past two weeks. I'm still not feeling up to par, but am packing what I have and hoping for the best!

If you are a local fan, please try to make it out to the fair! It's a small fiber show, but great fun. The vendors I met last year were all absolutely fabulous! But if you try to chat me up and all I can do is croak back at you, please be patient with me. My voice is still a bit fried and I'm afraid after 2 days of manning my booth, it's going to be totally shot! I can't wait though. I had great fun at this show last year and know that this year will be just as wonderful!

I hope to see you there!

(I will be putting the Etsy store in vacation mode and zeroing out most of my inventory on JLYarnworks.com until Monday to avoid double sales. Be back soon!)

The Fall Knitty Is Up!

2009-09-11T09:41:00.001-05:00

Can you find my magnets hidden on the "Cool Stuff" page?

Delayed

2009-09-10T17:42:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I promised you some surprise news today!

The news is that my magnets are being featured in the Fall 2009 issue of Knitty!

Sadly, Knitty has been delayed and will not be available until tomorrow. Anyone familiar with Knitty knows that it is a professional and comprehensive online publication that requires many many man hours to put together. From bringing together talented designers and trendy patterns to educational articles, book and product reviews, tips and techniques, Knitty truly is the bees knees. I feel exceptionally honored to have my magnets featured amongst their "cool stuff."

Since the issue hasn't been published yet, I don't know which magnets they are featuring or if they will be sending readers to My Etsy Store or to JLYarnworks.com. I will say that I currently have more magnets listed on JLYarnworks.com and that it's easier and cheaper to order larger quantities there due to the flat-rate shipping available on JLYarnworks.com.

I've been working to add to my magnet selection so that there's something for everyone. Currently, I have sock monkeys, knit stitches, buttons (below), measuring tapes/rulers (great for stitchers and teachers alike!), sheep, and border collies. I'm always looking for new varieties. As always, feel free to make suggestions.

Also, in the very near future (this weekend perhaps?), I will be adding hairclips with sock monkeys, sheep, and bunnies on them! I'm very excited about what's coming this fall to JL Yarnworks. You won't be disappointed!

Not So Secret Gardens, Scary Mantis, and Surprises

2009-09-09T19:17:00.008-05:00

It hasn't been a secret around here that one of my favorite parts of home ownership is the ability to have my very own garden. There's just something empowering about being able to grow your own food. And watching the kids pick their own veggies and eat them straight from the garden just makes my day. I can't wait until next year when our garden is full-strength and not just something we threw together in late June once we'd moved in. But here are a couple of highlights...

My stunted purple bell pepper. It's a tiny little plant trying to put out a full-sized pepper. We'll just have to wait and see if it gets to full-size. But I'm enraptured by the beauty of it. Maybe it's just because I'm a purple girl, but I love it.

Swiss chard was our biggest surprise this year. None of us had ever tried it before finding a small tray of it at our local greenhouse when I was throwing our garden together. Even if it didn't grow for us, I figured it was a chance to try it to see if it was even worth growing. Nutritionally, I knew it was phenomenal, so definitely worth the dollar and some change for a taste-test. Well, I nearly wasn't able to plant it! Miss Kate kept eating the leaves and FORBADE me from planting her food! I was able to get it into the ground and we've been harvesting since. The dog dug up 3 of the 4, but we still have this very strong yellow-stemmed plant that has held together many salads. Definitely something we'll be doing every year from here on out! Plus, it's just a really pretty plant, isn't it?

With the garden and our new yard have come some visitors my kids never got to see in our old yards. We're a bit more out in the country now and have garter snakes, praying mantis, grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies, moths, and so much more sharing our yard with us. One of our favorites is what Miss Kate calls the "Scary Mantis" despite many attempts at correcting her. Here's one such scary mantis. :)

Miss May found this grasshopper on our front porch today too and was very excited.

So what's this about "surprises," you ask? Ahh.. Well I don't want to say just yet. It'll be official tomorrow, so I'll totally spill the beans then. But here's a tiny hint of what I've been up to lately. A peek at what my workspace has looked like for the better part of the last two weeks...

Oh and the other surprise? This past weekend I was diagnosed with strep throat. But instead of it getting better with antibiotics, it got worse! Monday, I had an emergency tonsillectomy to remove what my ENT called the largest tonsil he's ever seen. He seemed shocked that I was still able to breathe, so he got me in right away. I'm still quite sore, am fairly well drugged up on narcotics, and really really wish I could snarf down some pizza or something right now instead of runny mashed potatoes like tonight's dinner. BUT, I do feel better overall and am expecting to heal quite nicely now. I'm also hoping that much of my illness these last couple winters will not plague me this winter now that my tonsils are gone. I'm only telling you this so that you know that if this blog post or any correspondence with me over the next couple days is...well...."off"...you know to blame it on the narcotics. You'd do me that favor, right? :)

I'll be back tomorrow with the big news. It's very exciting for JL Yarnworks! I can't wait to share!

First Day of School

2009-09-09T19:02:00.005-05:00

Miss May is now in the 1st grade. Miss Kate will be starting preschool soon, but has been in a preschool specifically geared to kids ages one and two before, so this year isn't anything super special. EXCEPT, that Miss May is now in a new school district with all new kids, and she's THRILLED! See?

Nerves of steel, that one! These pictures were taken just before heading to school and she was stoked. Her new school has 10 fewer children per class, and only has Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Her new principal is very involved, yet laid back. We absolutely love the potential that this new school has.

We're not so thrilled that she's growing up so fast. No, not thrilled at all.

We ARE thrilled and big sister and little sister still get along so well. This is a very normal pose for them. Totally naturally and not prompted by Mom at all. I swear!

We also had a nice surprise about a week before school started. A visit from my step-son, Austin! He's almost 15, stands about 6'1" now, and is such a darling you'd hardly know he's a teenager! :) We don't see much of Austin mostly because he's such an active, athletic kid with games and friends and other obligations over the weekends, but we truly wish he had more time to hang out with us! He's SUCH a good kid. He even humored the little ones with over an hour of kicking the soccer ball around the backyard while waiting for Dad to come home. Then, of course, they whooshed off to do "guy things." Hehe.

Thanks for hanging out with us Austin. We love you and hope to see you again very soon!

Scrabble Tile Pendants for Fiber Artists

2009-08-13T10:37:00.012-05:00

After a much needed summer break, I'm back with renewed vigor!

Our new house has been absolutely fabulous this summer. The girls have a nice big backyard to play in, and we've been taking full advantage! The downside is that I've stepped away from JL Yarnworks for awhile and had entirely too much on the JL Yarnworks' agenda to pull it off seamlessly.

The good news is that I am rested and ready to dive back in to Fall!

For starters, I have product laying around that isn't listed on either of my websites! I'm pretty sure that breaks a cardinal rule or two, so I'm working to fix that. I've started with my Scrabble Tile Pendants since I'm also planning an advertising push highlighting them starting September 1st.

Above is an example of one of the ads that you might find on Ravelry or elsewhere very soon!
Click on it to go to the pendant page on JLYarnworks.com!

Knits in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-21T11:44:00.004-05:00

I've been collecting pictures of knits (and crocheted pieces) in the newest Harry Potter movie. I thought perhaps these photos would be helpful to others, so I'm listing them here. If you have links to add or find knits I've missed, please leave a comment and I will add them! I've skipped a couple of the super tiny stitches, plain knit cardigans and such. They're obviously machine knit and I don't feel there's enough really spectacular or unique about them to include them in the list.

Hermione's Hat & Fair Isle Scarf (my attempts at patterns: hat and scarf): 1, 2, 3, 4,

Ron's Brown Striped Hat and Fair Isle Sweater: 1,

Quidditch Sweaters: 1, 2, 3,

Luna's Furry Sweater: 1,

Neville's Fair Isle Vest & Hermione's Fair Isle Cardigan: 1,

Hermione's Gray Tailored Cardigan: 1,

Ron's Striped Cardigan: 1, (There's got to be a better pic out there than this!)

I'm also fairly certain that Lupin, Tonks, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were wearing some nice knits as well, but I couldn't find any decent screen shots. Perhaps when the DVD comes out, it will be easier to grab those images.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Hermione's Fair Isle Scarf

2009-07-17T15:21:00.007-05:00

Months ago I promised that I was working on the pattern for Hermione's Fair Isle Scarf to go with her Cable & Eyelet Hat. It's high time I deliver, huh? After seeing the movie, it appears that there may be a couple more patterns in the scarf before it repeats, but I don't have a photo to go from. If anyone does, please send it to me so I can work up a better chart!!

Here's a bit of the sample. In the move, my camera batter charger was lost, but I will update with a better picture soon!

And the chart. The pattern is a 12 stitch repeat. If you do this in a tube, you'll need to cast on a multiple of 12. In my sample, I cast on 84 on US6 16" circular needles and joined in the round. I used all Paton's Classic worsted weight yarns except for the green which is Nature Spun in Grecian Olive. Instead of using movie-appropriate colors, I just used what I had on hand, so feel free to use whatever you like! Click on the chart for a larger view.

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To purchase a Twilight-inspired pattern for gothic gloves, visit my Etsy store!

Still Here

2009-06-14T11:42:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to stop in quick to let you know that I haven't disappeared! We're just wrapping up a move and things have been a bit crazy!

Here's the rundown since I last left you:

May 14 - Miss May's ballet recital dress rehearsal

May 15 - Miss May's last day of school and first recital

May 16 - Miss May's 2nd recital

May 23 - Huge yard sale (which I hadn't really prepped for before that week leading up to it)

June 1 - Miss Kate's eye surgery (more on that later, but all went well!)

June 4 - Closed on our new house and took the first truckload of stuff over

June 10-11 - Finished moving

June 12 - Mr. Yarnworks re-enlisted with the South Dakota National Guard (6 more years)

Now we need to get unpacked and settled and go to the old house to clean it and turn in the keys to the landlord.

Needless to say, I haven't been doing any yarn dyeing or stitch-marker making lately! And obviously no blogging either. The goal is to be back to "normal" on or around June 18. At least, I hope to have the shops back online, even if I'm not completely settled and able to create yet.

When I'm all settled, expect new products and perhaps even a couple new patterns!

Until then...

Miss Kate Turns 3

2009-05-14T12:14:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, our family celebrated Miss Kate's 3rd birthday. This year she understood the concept and was very excited all day!

And because I enjoy reviewing old pictures on birthdays, I thought I would share...

Age 1:

Age 2:

Age 3:

It's amazing how much they change in just one year.

Happy birthday baby girl! I hope all of your birthdays are as fun and magical as this one was. I love you!

Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival

2009-05-11T20:34:00.007-05:00

First, let me just say that I'm still exhausted and recovering from the weekend. I'll attempt a coherent blog post, but I make no promises!

This was my first year as a vendor at Shepherd's Harvest. I had no idea what to expect, but knew from vendors I met at North Country Fiber Fair that it was a good one.

The closer the weekend came, the less prepared I felt. Will pre-show nerves ever go away? Sheesh! At least I knew the yarn was pretty!

Blues/greens/purples:

Pinks/reds/oranges:

And here was my booth. The stitch markers are on my new (and fabulous...love them!) displays on the back table. My pendants are on the navy velvet board. Baskets hold the Karatstix bamboo tools. I had assorted vintage buttons in the white bowl. And greeting cards in the box.

And here's my yarn, the Hermione hat with free pattern, and a few project bags.

All-in-all the show was FABULOUS! Sales were good, the customers were wonderful, and there were fuzzy critters everywhere you turned!

Some highlights:

Met cloudlover and bought some of her yummy yummy fiber! I cannot describe how soft her fibers are. Just trust her name... Pictures forthcoming.
Met several customers I knew from places like Twitter and Ravelry. (My brain is fried, so if this was you -- Kris, help? -- then fess up in the comments, k?)
Met several customers I'd never met before in person or online, but who told me they had my store or blog bookmarked, which absolutely made my day!
Even met one woman who recognized the Hermione hat and had "a moment" as if I were a famous knitter. :) That one totally rocked my socks! Gave me a "moment" of my own!
Saw Annie Modesitt and nearly accosted her, but thankfully realized she was exiting the restrooms as I was waiting in line and that it would probably be poor form to grab her and start stammering.
I was unable to get great pics of everything else the festival had to offer because my own booth was so busy! My only purchases were from within my own building!
Special thanks to J* for tagging along, letting me work her to the bone, and not hating me for it. :)

If you saw me at Shepherd's Harvest, please leave a comment. I'd love to see all of your blogs!

Shepherd's Harvest Sheep And Wool This Weekend!

2009-05-06T08:48:00.003-05:00

If you're anywhere near Minneapolis, MN this weekend, head just a bit east to the Washington County Fairgrounds in Lake Elmo, MN for the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival!

If you can't make it, my stores will be going offline later tonight so that I don't accidentally sell anything twice! So now is the time to purchase, before it all disappears!

I plan to be back up and running, minus my show sales, on Monday or Tuesday depending on my exhaustion level! However, many categories will be a bit thread-bare until July or so. We're moving to our new house in June, so it will take awhile to get my studio set up and find time to replenish my inventory. Be patient. It will be well worth it! I'm planning a LOT of new yarn dyeing in my new home! Not to mention a couple new patterns that I've been hinting at, but haven't quite polished enough for sale yet.

I hope to see many of you at Shepherd's Harvest! Be sure to introduce yourselves!

Knitters Against Multiple Sclerosis!

2009-05-04T07:47:00.002-05:00

I'd like all of my readers to head over to Claudia's Blog to read about her fundraiser for MS.

Last year she raised $32,000 for the cause! This year, she's aiming just as high! AND she's giving away goodies! For every $10 you donate, you get a chance to win. What's in the prize basket? There will be lots!

The first revealed prize is Alice Starmore's out-of-print Tudor Roses. Amazon says used copies are starting at $174! Older Alice Starmore books are coveted by knitters everywhere. This is a great chance to get your hands on one!

If you can, head over there and show her your support. Help her advertise, donate money, or help her add to the prize basket.

Good luck, Claudia!

Join The Club!

2009-04-29T15:32:00.003-05:00

My Fan Club that is.

Yep. I finally got around to making a JL Yarnworks fan page on Facebook. Anyone with a Facebook account can now become an official fan of JL Yarnworks!

See for yourself HERE.

Through the fan club, I will announce appearances at events like Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival (May 9-10!!!), new products with tons of pics that won't fit on the blog, and all that business-related jazz. Plus, there's a spot for discussion where you can share your blog address (great for traffc, Bloggers!), post your twitter ID, and talk about your latest fiber-related project.

I'd also love to create a photo album for all of you that have knit the Hermione Cable & Eyelet Hat to show off your finished hats as well!

So become a fan and tell me what you'd like to see!

House Update

2009-04-22T14:11:00.006-05:00

Last Friday we had our house inspection. The new house did quite well except for a few minor electrical "cleanup" issues (wires not tacked down, etc...but it was all wired properly). So we've asked the sellers to take care of these issues. As luck would have it, the seller is a licensed electrician and agreed to take care of these issues without complaint. Yay!

Now the house has to be appraised by the VA to find out if they'll back our loan as-is or if the sellers will have to jump through any more hoops to get the house ready. It's the VA (Veteran's Administration), which is a government agency, so don't expect any real updates anytime soon.

Anyway, during the inspection, I took some more pictures. 80 of them actually. I'll spare you since most of them were just of fixtures, features, and minor repairs we'll want to address once we move in. I'm working on decorating the house...or at least picking out paint colors and figuring out what furniture to keep and what needs to go in a giant yard sale. The pictures of fixtures and things will remind me whether we plan to change anything once we move in.

This is a picture of the "foyer"...which is actually the kitchen and breakfast nook. That's the front door in the picture. The pantry and a cabinet are right there. Then you can also see the table they have in the nook. The corner has an L-shaped built in bench with cabinet space beneath.

I'm totally in love with this dining room. I think this is what sold us on the house to be honest. The built-in cabinets/shelving and we love the cutout window right over the kitchen sink. One of my complaints in our past few homes is that the kitchen is so isolated from the rest of the home. I don't want a great room, but I'd like enough openness or space in the kitchen itself to be able to be social while I prepare meals or do the evening cleanup. Between the breakfast nook and this window, I can participate in conversations even if we're entertaining. But the living room is totally separate. Perfect!

I'm also loving this bathroom. The layout is a little funky, but I like it. And I love the colors. Very spa-ish in my opinion. Now I just need to get big plush ivory towels to really create a spa at home. Oh, and I told my husband that I thought the exhaust fan was broken because nothing happened when I turned it on. "It is on," he say. "What?" I listened closely. Still nothing. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Yep." "WOW!" Maybe I'm just too used to rentals, but I'm digging that.

Miss May had to come along to the inspection. She spiked a fever the night before, so we kept her home from school. She has declared his house "the best house in the whole world," but I think that's probably because her room is the largest in the house.

The house is situated on 0.24 acres, and is rather close to the road (it's a small town and not a busy road at all), which leaves most of that space for the back yard. Those are actually my kids back there by the ball. Plenty of space for my garden, a swingset, and more. On the left you'll see the side of the detached 2-car garage. It's been a bit neglected (still solid, but doesn't have a lot of the updates the house has), so we're planning to rebuild it into an oversized 2-car garage with loft....for my studio! For now, I'll be using a large room upstairs, which works just fine for everything except dyeing yarn, but Mr. Yarnworks wants to get my whole operation in one room and wants me out of the kitchen!

So that's where we are right now. If all goes well, we'll be moving mid-June.

Until then, I need to stop drooling over the new house and prep for Shepherd's Harvest!

Busy Bee

2009-04-13T21:55:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the radio silence lately everyone! I honestly don't even know where the time has gone. I had the flu for a good 2 weeks in March, but beyond that, the time has just disappeared.

I do know that the next 3 months aren't looking any less busy!

Mother's Day weekend, May 9-10, is the Shepherds' Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival. So I have lots to prep for that very exciting weekend. My friend J* has graciously agreed to come with me, so it should be a great time!

Two weekends later, I'm planning a massive yard sale to purge all this stuff we seem to aquire. You'll understand why this is so urgent in a moment.

Then, June 1, my baby girl is having eye surgery. For more on the what and why, click here.

And then the zinger. Today, we put an offer on this house.

And it was accepted! We should be closing June 8th as long as the inspection goes well!! I'm very excited. This house just sang to us as we walked through.

But if anyone has some spare sanity laying around, pass it over, will ya?

Scrabble Tile Pendants for Knitters, Crocheters, and Spinners!

2009-03-06T14:47:00.008-06:00

Surprise, surprise! I have a new product to share with you! (And more coming...can you believe that?) Today, I launched a line of Scrabble Tile Pendants that depict knitting, crocheting, spinning, etc.

This woman is one of my favorites. She just looks so peaceful.

For our crocheters, I love how this tablecloth pattern, when backed by red, looks like a modern design until you look up close.

Something about this old spinner woman speaks to me. I think it comes from my feeling of being connected with the past when I work with fiber.

A few more pendants are listed in my Etsy shop. Once I have more made, I will also be listing them in the main JL Yarnworks shop.

Just an FYI: I'm looking for more fiberly images for more pendants. Knitting, crocheting, spinning, sheep, alpacas, sock monkeys, spinning wheels, etc. If you have a great image you would like to share, we can work out a trade.

Tutorial: Jogless Join

2009-02-22T17:09:00.026-06:00

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Anyone who knows me in a "knitterly" way, knows that I *love* knitting in the round. There's something very zen about being able to knit stitch after stitch in a rhythm without stopping to turn your work.

But what do you do when you want to knit stripes? There's no seam to hide the join. And if you just join mid-row, you end up with a jog.

What is a jog?

It's the spot where your old color ends and your new color begins. When you knit in the round, you're actually knitting in spirals. So when you start your new color, the new stitch is directly to the left of your old color, creating a step, or a "jog."

For a cleaner look, you'll want to try a "jogless join" or "jogless jog." This eliminates the step and is nearly invisible. This technique was described by Meg Swansen in her book, Meg Swansen's Knitting. Rather than quote her, I'm going to show you step by step how this technique is worked.

Step 1:

First, at the end of a round, begin your new color. Just pick up your new color and begin to knit for one full round.

Once each stitch is worked in the new color, stop.

Step 2:

Place your right needle (purlwise, or from right to left) under the right leg of the stitch below the next stitch to be worked. This will be the old color.

Bring this stitch up and onto the left needle.

Now your left needle should look something like this.

Step 3:

Knit these stitches together.

Now your work should look something like this. Expect both the old and new colors to have some tension issues. They aren't anchored down by anything. You'll be able to fiddle with this a bit as you go.

Notice that the right needle, though it has already knit the first stitch of the new round, looks like it only has one stitch on it. Thanks to the join, this is the new last stitch of your round. Be sure to move your stitch marker one stitch to the LEFT each time you change colors this way. Failing to move the stitch marker is the single most common mistake I see. If you do not move your stitch marker, you end up with a single stitch where there should be two rows of stitches.

Now you have knit two complete rows. Notice that both the left and right needle have two rows of the new color knit on them. This is a great way to double-check that your stitch marker has been moved to the proper place.

And what does it look like when you're done?

See? It's nearly invisible! Much better than a step.

Here's a series of stripes. Each stripe is 2 rows. Can you see the joins?

You can probably see what looks like a tension problem that runs from the bottom right corner to the top left corner. Remember, with each join, our starting point moves one space to the left.

The diagonal line shows this move.

But you can also see that each stripe is 2 stitches tall all the way across. And in some rows, you'd be hard-pressed to find the join. (I'm hoping I can continue to improve to the point where it's truly invisible.)

On the back, you can see the diagonal even better. Here is where the yarn travels up the work. I loathe tucking in ends, so the double row stripe works well for me. No ends!

Give the jogless join a try for yourself and let me know how it works for you! If you have any questions, please ask in the comments.

More Beautiful Orifice Hooks!

2009-02-14T23:19:00.006-06:00

Less than two weeks ago, I introduced orifice hooks to my product line. They were so well received that I immediately placed another order for the lovely beads, and they arrived today!

I set to work immediately, and am pleased to present....

Now available in six colorways. From left to right: Blue & Green, Pastels, Multi Color, Purple, Red, and Yellow.

As before, I'm utterly amazed by the detail in these beads. Look at the veins and white spots in the wings of the butterfly. Just stunning!

They are even more stunning in person. If you'd like to see and live in the Sioux Falls area, just shoot me an email.

In other news, I've also applied to be a vendor at the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival in Lake Elmo, MN on Mother's Day weekend (May 9-10). It's a juried show and I hear they often have a waiting list, so we'll see if I get in. I'm really looking forward to the possibility. Sounds like a great show! I've already met some of the vendors from my last fiber festival, so I know it's a great crowd. :) So wish me luck!

Miss May's Request

2009-02-13T20:12:00.003-06:00

Just a few days before Christmas, my oldest daughter, Miss May, approached me while I was furiously trying to finish up Christmas knitting projects. "I want a quilt for Christmas," she says.

"A quilt?"

"Yep. A quilt, like that!" she says, pointing at my knitting.

"Honey, quilts are made of fabric and are sewn. Afghans are blankets that are knit or crocheted."

"No, they're not. That's a quilt."

Note to self: don't try to argue with a headstrong 5 (almost 6) year old. You'll lose....or get so flustered that you just give up.

"When do you want your afghan?"

"Christmas!"

Hysterical laughter. I really tried to hold it in. Honest! But a whole afghan in a couple days? And her birthday is only a month after Christmas, so that was also a pretty tight deadline.

"Maybe next Christmas dear. Afghans take a LONG time!"

"Okay."

I expected a hissy fit, and got none. Just okay. Maybe she watches me knit enough to know how long these things take. Maybe her own knitting lessons have taught her how long they can take. Either way, that was a very mature answer, and I appreciated it.

I was also excited though that she wanted me to make her something. I think we knitters, especially those without family that gets enthusiastic about our knit goods, get just plain giddy when someone expresses an interest in a handmade gift! Eureka! We've scored!

I showed Miss May some patterns and we agreed on a wavy ripple. I considered, briefly, crocheting it....since crochet is inherently faster....but I really love the feather and fan pattern, so nixed that idea. Knit it would be.

I then researched possible yarns. I wanted something thick (thus faster), but wool would be too hot in a worsted or heavier. I wanted her to be able to use it throughout the year. Cotton? Cotton blend? Bamboo? Soy? Price would certainly have to be a consideration with a project so large. Even cheap yarns would make this a pricey project.

I settled on Bernat Cottontots. Locally available, comes in several colors, relatively inexpensive, 100% cotton, and generally soft. I asked Miss May to help pick out colors and she only wanted me to use blue and purple in alternating stripes. Ugh! I knew that would bore me to tears! Plus, it would make it difficult to match the afghan to her decor over the next few years. Besides, I've been longing to make something stripey with multiple colors. No idea why. Maybe it's just a knitter/crocheter rite of passage....the scrap-ghan. Granted, these aren't scraps, but maybe it would fulfill some sort of scrap-ghan-inpired need. Anyway, after a few days I broke her down. Multiple colors would be just lovely! Yay!

This was Miss May yesterday...insisting that because she was in her Chef coat and hat that she was destined to help me fix dinner. ;) She's persistent when she gets an idea!

And this is her afghan so far. The cotton is rough on my hands, so it's slow-going. I can't really do more than 3-4 stripes per week, if that. Cotton in general isn't very elastic, making it strenuous to knit with. Especially if you knit tightly like I do.

Here are the first 12 stripes (8 rows per stripe, 290 stitches per row), making it just wide enough to fit across the top of a queen bed. Granted she's only in a twin bed now, but I have high hopes that she'll use it through college and beyond. ;) It must be able to grow with her. It won't be too big to drape a twin bed nicely, but will also look nice folded at the bottom of a full or queen bed. It's an heirloom in the making....if it ever gets done!

Orifice Hooks in Shop Now!

2009-02-05T00:22:00.005-06:00

I am completely in love with my newest product.

Orifice Hooks. Those little hooks used with spinning wheels to pull yarn through a little guide hole.

The little loop at the top allows you to hang the hook or to add a larger yarn loop to hang the orifice hook right on your spinning wheel.

I have to give credit where it's due. Marilyn of Black Sheep Woolies in Custer, SD had a booth next to me at the North Country Fiber Festival last fall and she couldn't find her orifice hook. She scoured every vendor's booth and couldn't find one for sale! What a shame, I thought! Next year, I vowed to be bette prepared. ;) And voila! Thanks for the inspiration Marilyn!

Saying Goodbye

2009-02-02T19:15:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I returned from Richmond, Virginia where we layed my grandmother to rest. She passed away peacefully and in her sleep before Christmas, and was then returned to Richmond where she could be laid to rest next to my late grandfather. It was a simple graveside memorial followed by a luncheon. I flew in Friday, stayed at the same hotel as my aunt and uncle, had the services on Saturday, and flew back home yesterday. Kind of a whirlwind, and much too short a visit.

I was able to meet my grandmother's sister, her children and their spouses, and Grandma's best friend. My brother was able to come down for the services and my dad's best friend was the one that toted me to and from the airport and also came for the services. (He'd known her since 1956 after all!)

Everything was very very nice. My aunt did a fabulous job arranging everything, yet keeping it simple.

I think the big shock for me...and it really shouldn't have been, but it was nonetheless...was how much my dad was discussed. He passed away in October 2007, and everyone was curious about his final days and such. And they told stories about how they remembered him and all that. Normally, these stories would be sweet. But they blindsided me a bit. I should have expected Dad's family to want to talk about him, especially on the heels of his mother's death. But I think I was so focused on Grandma and her life and death, that it never really occurred to me.

Grandma's life? Oh, she was such a spitfire! Always quite the Southern Belle, with a bit of a bite. ;) Think of the women from The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood. Grandma would have fit right in with that crew. So very sweet and proper. Yet she was able to tell you what she REALLY thought, and had a way of making you thank her for it, even if it was an insult. (Mr. Yarnworks says I have the same talent. hehe.)

I credit this Grandmother for giving me the desire to knit. I was 7 or 8 and begged her to teach me. But she refused, saying I was too young. Saying I was too young made me want to learn that much more, and lit the fire in me.

Grandma was known for her handwork. She embroidered, cross-stitched, knit, and crocheted. She was also VERY active in the Chesterfield County Homemaker's Association (in Richmond, VA). Apparently at the time there were 22 clubs. Now, only 2 remain. Her best friend says that one of those two is one that Grandmother founded. She also founded a knitting group that still meets to this day.

See? I get it all honestly. ;)

Another Sneak Peek

2009-01-25T14:44:00.002-06:00

The secret project is done and is blocking now! I love the way the stitch pattern looks when blocked. My apologies for the quilt background. This wasn't a choreographed photo shoot. ;)

I'm hoping to have the pattern written by the end of the week and a photo shoot of the final product in action within the next two weeks. Then, the pattern will be available for sale in my Etsy shop!

Let Me Tell You A Little Secret...

2009-01-20T02:11:00.006-06:00

Sometimes I feel like crocheters get the short-end of the stick when it comes to pretty lacy things...beyond the doily and tablecloth. Knitters get dainty lacy mohair, wool, silk, and cashmere. Crocheters often feel confined to mercerized cotton.

So I give you a sneak peek of my latest design...what will be a gorgeous airy crocheted shawl! It doesn't look like much here, but just wait until it is blocked. This is sooo soft and yummy. I just love it! I can't promise when it will be done, but you will be the first to know!

Oh Come On!

2009-01-15T18:09:00.003-06:00

Days around here are usually pretty tame. Oldest goes to school. Youngest plays or goes to preschool. Mom gets online or makes things or knits. Dad plays with youngest or plays his computer games. Dad goes to work. Mom and youngest pick up oldest from school. Snack. Play. Dinner. TV and/or knitting and/or board games and/or Barbies. Baths. Bedtime stories. Bed. Mom does her JL Yarnworks stuff. Dad gets home from work and relaxes a bit. Mom and Dad go to bed way later than they should. And the next day starts all over again. Nothing to write home about, but it works for us. ;)

Not today.

Wake up to -22F temps.
Dad walks Miss May to school.
Dad shovels the sidewalk until he can't feel his toes.
Mom and Dad take Miss Kate to preschool.
Mom and Dad try to shop for cell phones.
Cell phone store doesn't open until 10. It's 9:30.
Mom and Dad decide on a pancake breakfast at Perkins.
Perkins had a fire and is closed.
IHOP it is!
Mom and Dad are seated at IHOP and ask for coffee.
"We don't have any coffee." Do-wha-huh?
The coffee machines are frozen. IHOP has no heat. It is 39 degrees in the kitchen.
Mom and Dad leave, wondering why they wouldn't divulge this BEFORE seating people.
Mom and Dad try the OTHER Perkins across the street. Voila!
Mom and Dad enjoy a nice breakfast.
Mom and Dad go back to the cell phone store and pick out phones and plans.
Mom and Dad leave before the sale is complete to pick up Miss Kate.
Mom drops off Dad at home so he can take a quick nap.
Mom picks up Miss Kate and heads back to finish the cell phone transaction.
Mom gets a Blackberry! :D Dad gets a phone...it makes phone calls. hehe.
Mom gets back home. Dad gets a call from a coworker whose car wouldn't start and makes plans to pick him up and take him to work.
This call is interrupted by a call from ANOTHER friend whose car won't start and hoped she only needed a jump start.
Dad leaves. Mom and Miss Kate leave.
Mom can't get her hood to pop open. Yep. Mom is worthless as a superhero. Can't save the day. (I'm guessing it was either frozen shut or that being hit by another vehicle in the front in a parking lot before Christmas is keeping the hood from opening properly. I'm surely not just inept, right?)
Mom takes friend to work and promises to come back after the shift.
Mom and Miss Kate shop until it's time for school to let out.
Mom realizes Miss Kate hasn't had lunch and let's her pick her fast food location of choice. "Taco Bell. It sounds like Jingle Bells! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all..."
Mom and Miss Kate pick up Miss May.
Home 10 minutes before Miss Kate begins to scream "OW! OW! OW!"
Mom looks over to see an entire tin of pepper poured out over child and floor. Miss Kate's hands are rubbing her eyes as she screams.
A scream-filled bath followed by pepper clean-up of the carpet.
Mom, Miss May, and Miss Kate head out to pick up friend from work.
Mom has to stop to get supplies for Miss May's Friday Alphabet Parade and Alphabet Feast.

Now we're home. Eating dinner. The Taco Bell no one had a chance to eat in its entirety earlier because there was pepper all over the place. Mom now needs to create a robot costume and send "R" snacks to school in the morning. Raisins. Easy enough. I think I have the robot costume figured out too. But....

Even though nothing went horribly wrong today, nothing really went smoothly either. I'm waiting for a aluminum foil emergency later on. ;)

And really...all I want to do after a day like today is... KNIT!!

Maybe I'll just pull out a sock for an inch or so...

Introducing LausengHaus Yarns

2009-01-10T19:26:00.003-06:00

LausengHaus Yarns are my newest line of hand-dyed yarns. These gorgeous yarns have a sturdy 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon base, but are splashed with color like the ultimate luxury yarn.

No two skeins will ever be exactly alike, allowing you to make a completely one-of-a-kind garment...even if that's a simple stockinette sock!

Like my other yarns, these are all hand-dyed by me personally. So you can rest assured that they are of the highest quality.

Find your LausengHaus Yarns HERE!

Tweet Tweet!

2009-01-03T19:27:00.002-06:00

I have a new addiction. Twitter.com. Yep, I'm definitely addicted. I don't know why the little blog site with the message board feel appeals to me, but it most definitely does. Come join me! :)

Shipping Changes

2009-01-02T12:44:00.003-06:00

When I first set up JL Yarnworks, the standalone website, I struggled with how to set up shipping charges. Set price per item? By weight? I set up something preliminary, and then refunded people if they were overcharged by more than a dollar. But that's cumbersome and not efficient at all. Plus, some people might be put off by higher shipping charges, not realizing I'd refund.

Soo....

Introducing $3 FLAT RATE SHIPPING!!

All orders under $60 will be charged $3 shipping.

All orders $60 and up will be shipped for FREE!

If you only need one small item? Check my Etsy store and you'll save a little on shipping.

New Product: Rubber Stitch Markers

2009-01-01T17:53:00.002-06:00

They aren't handmade, but they're super practical. 10 each of 5 different sizes of rubber stitch markers. That's 50 stitch markers for only $4.50! Not a bad deal. Want all one sizes? Those listings are coming soon, but if you can't wait, just contact me!

If these are all you want, it's cheaper by $1 shipping to buy them on Etsy.

If you're buying other items, you're probably better off shopping directly at JL Yarnworks.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T23:59:00.002-06:00

Disappointments All Around

2008-12-27T18:32:00.003-06:00

Sadly, I have no pics for this post. Disappointment #1? lol

Disappointment #2: The acreage we have been pursuing is going to be taken off the market. The owners also have an adjacent property with an old old farmhouse on it that resides on 1.5 acres of the total plot they own. Over Christmas apparently the pipes on this farmhouse froze and it was bad enough that they've now decided to rip down the home. They plan to take both houses off the market, tear down the old farmhouse, then sell both properties as one. However, it won't be the simple difference between a home on 12.5 acres versus a home on 14 acres. Oh no. It will be 14 acres with a home AND a . So the home we were looking at for under $150k will shoot up over $200k. At least, that's our realtor's best guess. This suddenly puts it out of reach. Bummer, huh?

Disappointment #3 and what this blog post is really about....

YARN!

Yep, I'm actually going to gripe a bit about yarn, local yarn stores, and big box craft stores.

A few years ago I became a yarn snob. I got a taste of good yarn and I couldn't go back. I just couldn't do it. So I found frugal ways to afford good yarn, like recycling sweaters...which is how JL Yarnworks got it start (selling recycled yarn on ebay). JL Yarnworks grew and grew and now it keeps me in some pretty nice yarn. I may not get everything I want, but I really can't complain.

Shortly before Christmas, in a moment of what-the-heck-can-I-make-my-friend-while-sick-and-loopy-but-still-make-it-nice-itis, I ran into my local yarn store. I scoured the yarns I could use for a drop-stitch scarf...something fast, yet pretty, and not too difficult. They had several new yarns since the last time I'd ventured in, so I poked around and looked at everything.

Why the heck is there sooo much acrylic invading my local yarn store? It's bad enough to see something at Michaels or Hobby Lobby that touts itself as being cashmere or alpaca or mohair and realize it's 50-95% acrylic. But I don't expect to deal with that same kind of rubbish at my LYS!

Now, don't get me wrong. I know that acrylic has its place. I really do. I have a large stash of Caron Simply Soft for amigurumi. I realize that it's a nice sturdy washable base that can be blended into other fibers. Wool-Ease and yarns like it are great for certain projects and especially for knitters who are on a budget and still want a taste of the good life. But these are big box brands. I like many big box brands actually. Despite my larger knitting budget of late, I'm still a frugal knitter at heart. That's not what I'm getting after at all.

When I visit my LYS, I have certain expectations. One is that my snobbery will be rewarded with all kinds of delectible delights of the fiberly kind. Sure, they'll be expensive, and possibly out of my budget, but I can still hold them and pet them and tell them that someday they will be mine.

But to go into my LYS and pick up a $15 skein of yarn....$15!!!....and find that it's more than half synthetic? And not really mixed with anything grand? What?!?! If a LYS wants to offer a little bit of everything to suit all palates and pocketbooks, I am ALL for that. In fact, the original dream behind JL Yarnworks was to open an Average Joe yarn store. A catch-all yarn store for those fed up with big box stores, but not ready to hand over their yearly salaries to the super snobby LYSs. But it has to be priced accordingly, right? Give a newer knitter (or someone with a huge project) a nice wool/acrylic or cotton/acrylic blend at a good price. I have no problems with that. Plymouth Encore? Good example of that. It just seems like now my LYS is trying to pass off this type of fiber as snobbery and snobbish prices, and the fiber really isn't that great.

While at the same time, the big box stores seem to be getting MORE wool and mohair and all that. Now, first a disclaimer. I *did* buy some Trendsetter Dune for my friend's project. And it wasn't cheap. But it was perfect for my project and the colors were perfect for my friend. Plus, I was in a hurry with Christmas and all. But let me use that as an example.

Trendsetter Dune ($15 for 50g and 90 yards)
41% Mohair
30% Acrylic
12% Rayon
11% Nylon
6% Metal

And let's compare it to a couple big box alternatives:

Moda Dea Gleam ($9 for 50 grams and 76 yards)
42% Nylon
35% Kid Mohair
18% Acrylic
5% Polyester

Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair ($9 for 50g and 82 yards)
28% Mohair
9% Cotton
6% Metallic
57% Acrylic

Are we seeing any similarities here? What makes one of these yarns a snobby yarn worth $15 and the other two crap big box store yarn for $9 ($5.40 if you use one of the frequent 40% off coupons often available)?

I don't have any answers. These are just the things I've been pondering lately. And just something for us all to think about in general. Personally, I think I'm going to stick with the big box brands when they are A) comparable in quality, B) priced much better, and C) when the LYS version doesn't support an individual artisan or small local cottage industry.

Best Christmas Ever!

2008-12-25T17:20:00.004-06:00

Mr. Yarnworks and I were soooo excited when our first Christmas with a child came around. Miss May was 11 months old and we were sure it would be movie-worthy.

Oh how naive we were!

Miss May couldn't have cared less. She opened one present, then refused to open anything else because she was too busy playing with the first toy. It was such a let down for Mr. Yarnworks and myself, who had invested so much emotional energy into trying to make everything perfect.

3 days later, Mr. Yarnworks deployed for Iraq, and he was still gone for Miss May's second Christmas. She still didn't quite get into the presents thing as much as I did. Ah well.

Miss May's 3rd Christmas was a bit better, but she still wanted to play with each gift for an hour or so before moving on to another gift.

Our 4th Christmas, we had both Miss May and Miss Kate. Miss May was a bit more into the whole Christmas experience, but obviously Miss Kate was too little to understand any of it (she was 7 months old and visually impaired...kind of a difficult mix, since she couldn't even coo at the Christmas lights).

Our 5th Christmas, Mr. Yarnworks had been in another state, getting ready to deploy again. He'd been gone since October, and our Governor decided that his unit needed to come home for Christmas. The community raised the funds, and we didn't even have to pay for his travel. What a wonderful Christmas gift! Miss May was into Christmas, into having Daddy home, but Miss Kate was still a bit young to appreciate it all.

This is our 6th Christmas with children. And they get it!!!

Last night Miss May went down the checklist: cookies and milk for Santa, carrots and water for the reindeer, note for Santa pointing out that she'd left him cookies. She then lectured Miss Kate on the importance of being nice and going to sleep so that Santa will come.

This morning, the girls miraculously woke up on their own at the same time (and not at the crack of dawn...a Christmas miracle!) and their eyes turned into saucers as they walked into the living room. It was absolutely perfect. Each gift was opened with delight and awe, and each was followed up with some exclamation like, "Thank you so much! I love it!" or "It's perfect!" Stuffed animals and dolls were hugged tightly.

But better than that, our oldest now gets just as much joy out of GIVING. She helped Mr. Yarnworks pick out my Christmas gift and was THRILLED when I told her how much I loved it. And despite many bribes from Mr. Yarnworks, Miss May DID NOT reveal what we got for him. She held out for over a week. Amazing for a 5 year old who was offered treats and money, no?

This was also a year that we could afford to give the girls everything we wanted to. That is a blessing in itself. Not to mention that Mr. Yarnworks made it home safe and sound from his second tour in Iraq this year. It turned into a very good year indeed.

From our house to yours, we hope that your Christmas was as magical as ours! May the new year bring you everything you need to find happiness.

Our Dreams May Come True Sooner Than We Thought

2008-12-25T16:44:00.008-06:00

Mr. Yarnworks and I currently rent a nice home that suits us fairly well. It's not our dream space, but it works. Ya know?

We're not quite ready to buy a home again (after a money-pit of a duplex a few years ago), but I still check the listings weekly just to see if our dream home has popped up at a bargain price.

A couple of days ago, I found this home. First, the bad news. It all began as a double-wide and has been added onto.

The good news: It has 2 traditionally built additions, totally 3100 square feet. It has a 1600 square foot unfinished walk-out basement. It comes on 12.5 acres not horribly far outside of town...and it's in a direction in which the town is growing. The main space has 3 bedrooms with a total of 4 walk-in closets. The additions are primarily office space! The former owner ran a business from home. Sounding familiar? Now her business accepted customers, so there's a reception area, a bill-pay window, a half bath with a restroom sign on it, and all that. hehe. But that part of the house is 1000 square feet. It also has a 4 stall garage, with only 2 garage doors (a 3rd in the back for drive-through access....the rest is just workspace. And it has a HUGE barn in pretty good shape. It's even already partitioned for animals. Everything is vinyl (the fence, the deck, the siding). The 2 furnaces and AC units (to handle the additions) are all high-efficiency. And as far as acreages go, it's cheap. So cheap that with a little haggling, it might be within our price range. Which, for 12+ acres and so much living space is practically a miracle.

Despite our fears about buying a double-wide, we think we are going to try to make an offer. Obviously we need to secure financing first in order to make that offer. The space fits us very well and would allow JL Yarnworks ample space to grow. I've already picked out 2 offices in the house plus a bit of garage space for a dying station. And with that kind of land? Does anyone else see sheep in my future? hehe. If not, at least a huge garden and hours of canning area ahead of me!

I told my husband that this is what I want for Christmas. He still got me something else anyway. (He's that kind of guy!) But he's already submitted all the info for a VA loan voucher and we have plans to talk to the bank very soon. We also need to do some legwork to find out costs of utilities, property taxes, insurance, etc. before we can commit to anything. We've already set our personal "walk away" limits. We are both already a bit emotionally attached to the idea of living here, so we need black and white rules for ourselves.

If anyone has advice on living on an acreage, living 25-35 minutes outside of town in a blizzard-prone area, homesteading, gardening for year-long surplus, etc, please feel free to let me know. I think I need a mentor!

Last Minute Gift: The Drop Stitch Scarf

2008-12-21T21:02:00.006-06:00

Starting to panic that all your Christmas knitting isn't quite done yet? What can you possibly make in a day or two? Or, better...an hour or two?

A Simple Drop-Stitch Scarf

Materials:

1.5-2 skeins Trendsetter Dune Color #113 Country Meadow (41% mohair, 30% acrylic, 12% viscose, 11% nylon, 6% polyester), 90 yards per 50g skein (or any yarn that drapes reasonably well)
Size US13 needles (use Size US15 or larger for thicker yarns)
Tapestry needle or crochet hook for hiding the ends

Gauge: relatively unimportant

Pattern:

CO 12 stitches

Row 1-4: Knit

Row 5: K1, *YO twice, K1, repeat from * to end

Row 6-9: Knit

Repeat rows 5-9 to desired length.

Bind off.

Add fringe if desired. Tuck in ends.

Shown below in Moda Dea Cartwheel 100% wool (much less expensive than Trendsetter Dune and more readily available at stores like Joann), using size US15 needles.

Go raid your stash! See what you can find!

Ladies and Gentlemen: It's Cold Outside!

2008-12-21T20:56:00.003-06:00

Mr. Yarnworks went out to shovel. And came back looking like this.

My apologies to Mr. Yarnworks for the unusually close photo, but it was necessary for effect.

Goodbye

2008-12-20T19:44:00.002-06:00

My Grandma Helen was the original knitter in my life. She refused to teach me to knit though, always telling me I was too young to learn. Incidentally, it was my other grandmother that ended up teaching me (on sharpened pencils no less) to knit around age 8. Of course, I put my knitting down and didn't pick it up again until I was an adult.

But when I think of knitting, it's my Grandma Helen I remember most. I remember hearing about her finishing the Master Knitter program (I'm guessing just the first portion). She was the craftiest person in my family. She always had some sort of handiwork in her lap.....knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidery....

She had an entire closet in the guest room (where I used to stay) devoted to craft supplies. Yarn, ribbon, shells, and sequins adorned almost every craft project I created in her home. And I created many!

We were two peas in a pod, but distance kept us from truly learning from each other.

A few years ago, Grandma Helen stopped remembering things. She mixed up people's names, and even forgot that she'd ever had children...much less grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was around this time that I truly became passionate about knitting. It saddened me that I couldn't talk to her about it. After all, she was the expert in the family, and knitting is a tradition that used to be passed down from one generation to the next. Knitting loses a special something when it's learned from a book. I missed that, and I missed her. The one person that would understand my knitting frustrations and triumphs.

I haven't talked to my grandmother in a couple of years. She lived in Colorado, and someone introducing themselves as her grand-daughter on the phone confused her, so I stopped calling, not wanting to frustrate her. Eventually my aunt removed her phone altogether. I mentally said my goodbyes to the grandmother I'd once known, finding peace in knowing that her Alzheimer's (for the most part) didn't bother her. She was happy, finding the simple pleasures in life, over and over again for the first time each day.

This morning, my Grandma Helen passed away in her sleep. She was truly an exceptional woman, and I will miss her dearly.

Goodbye, Grandma.

I love you.

Trains And Christmas

2008-12-16T21:40:00.008-06:00

Two Fridays ago, we were blessed with a unique opportunity. As part of a military appreciation program put on by BNSF Railroad, we were invited to ride on a vintage passenger train as a family! We snatched up the oportunity, unsure of when we'd ever get this kind of chance again...to ride on a train with the girls.

See? I'm always missing from the photos. *Sigh* Actually, there's a full family pic of me inside the train, but I'm gonna be selfish and not show it. lol. It's my blog and my right to protect myself from bad pictures. :)

This was our view as we awaited departure. Another BNSF train.

The BNSF staff was truly wonderful. The girls got coloring books, paper conductor hats, string cheese, pretzels, cheese crackers, juice, soft drinks, and the family got a very pretty train Christmas ornament.

We even got a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Miss May was very quick to tell Santa exactly what she wants for Christmas!

It was truly a memorable evening. Thank you so much to BNSF for everything!

Simplicity

2008-11-29T12:02:00.004-06:00

Sometimes, especially this time of year, when you're feeling most hard-pressed to get Christmas knitting done, you just can't. Your mind and fingers just refuse to mesh and you need a break from it all. At least, I need a break. So I've decided to just knit some simple dishcloths. The bonus? People love them and they make pretty darn good gifts on their own.

This is a pretty common pattern that I don't think has a real "source." So here it is:

Simple Dishcloth

US7-8 needles

Cotton like Sugar n' Cream (or cotton chenille for an elegant facecloth)

CO 4 stitches

Row 1: knit

Row 2: k2, YO, knit to end

Repeat row 2 until washcloth is the desired size (I like 40 for dishcloths and 45 or so for facecloths.)

Begin decreasing:

Dec. row 1: k1, k2tog, YO, k2tog, knit to end

Repeat dec. row 1 until you only have 4 stitche left, knit last row, and bind off.

Super simple and very easy to memorize. These are great for those knit nights where you end up talking instead of counting!!!

Remember to take it easy everyone. Knitting is supposed to be fun!

(Apologies for the "." line breaks. Blogger hasn't been cooperating with me today!)