Free Pattern Update and a Special Discount!

I just wanted to share with you all the Twisted Beanie pattern – I’ve decided to make it free to the public!

Twisted

You can download it from here on Ravelry and don’t forget to share your project pictures, I want to see your creations too

Also, blog readers may get a 28% discount on all patterns in my Ravelry shop for today only to celebrate the extra day by using code jumpday at checkout.  I want to thank you all for an amazing start to 2012 and I sincerely canNOT wait to see how it continues to develop!

Musical Monday:Miriam Makeba

I dare you to be upset when listening to this song.  Go ahead, try it.

I like listening to her music while cooking and dancing in the kitchen personally

Pata Pata by Miriam Makeba

Loot

I seem to have acquired much new loot lately in the yarn-stash-aporium even though I swear I was last week trying to par down and knit as much as of that as possible in an effort to downsize.  Really, I was.

Granted, my adventures haven’t helped me much.  As with many others, every time I visit a new yarn store I simply must come home with a souvenir (pronouced soo-veR-neer if you’re my younger brother).  The two below are from The Quilted Purl in Georgetown that I visiteda few weekends back:

love between yarns

The one on the right is The Gentleman’s: a brown-greeney-blue alpaca and wool blend from right here in Colorado by Lonesome Stone in Granby and the one on the left is mine:  a gypsy-colored wool-nylon sock yarn from Filatura Lanarota.

And remember that Buena Vista trip we took?  And we stopped at Serendipity?  We got some there too:

good taste, on both sides

Again, the one on the right is The Gentleman’s: Tosh Vintage in Badlands (he’s got good taste, no?) and the one on the right is mine: Bijou Bliss, a yak down and cormo blend, again from Colorado.

Not to mention the more than thirteen pounds of yarn I got in the mail for a special project, some of which looks like this after some time with the winder:

the yarny version of pure gold from uruguay

I really was trying to knit through some of my stash.  Promise.

WIP Wednesday: Commissioned Capelet

I don’t know how many of you know this, but on top of designing knitwear and selling the patterns, I also sell finished knitted items online, at shows and as custom orders.  My WIP this week is one of those: a commissioned capelet.  After talking with the customer, what she really wanted was a cropped jacket in the style of a capelet, but with distinct sleeves.

It’s just about done and I can’t be happier – not with the finished product per se but just with the fact that this will be done.

chunky charcoal

It was supposed to be a quick and simple project and although it was simple, it wasn’t quick.  I tore out about half of the capelet and am re-knitting much of it because I wasn’t pleased with the result.  Sigh.  that’s what knitting does sometimes right?

ooh movement

Check out Tami’s blog for more WIP Wednesdays and to share your own!

“Don’t Name Your Children After Tragic Romances”

The above is a quote by the one and only Ysolda Teague during her talk at the Fancy Tiger on Friday night.  The rest of the question and answer session was filled with similar gems and I had a great time

First off, I went by myself.   I can be a shy person and I know that knitters are nice folk, but I still get quiet.   I tried to conquer this fear and I talked!  I talked the employees and I talked with other knitters, I talked with the nice women sitting by me and I shared my conversation and that, for me, is a step in the right direction.

Ysolda was in town to promote her two new books: Whimsical Little Knits 3 and Saturday Treat

Ysolda on the fireplace mantle*

She had samples of her work:

some of the samples of the 12 new designs

And there were cookies with knitting motifs, what more could you want?

knitted cookies

It was a good evening and I hope to spend more time with the great people I met there

 

*The pink bust Ysolda is sitting in front of is the Super Awesome Mutant Crochet Taxidermy Deer Head by the Ladies Fancywork Society (they also did the yarn bombing of the Blue Bear).

Musical Monday: Roll My Blues

Welcome to another week!  I had a productive weekend and I hope you all did as well.  Enjoy the rest of your week and I’ve got some exciting things to share

Roll My Blues by Jolie Holland

Buena Vista, CO

Another weekend, another adventure!

the entire drive was gorgeous but I imagine a two hour video of the experience would be a bit much

This time we cruised down to Buena Vista to meet up with my parents and exchange a belated Christmas gift for some camping stuff I couldn’t bring back with me on the plane.  We walked the monster dog along the river, took some photos and sat in a tile living room before sipping some beers and grabbing lunch at the Eddyline.

some details of the day

Our trip would not have been complete without scouting out the LYS and I knewthere was at least on in this little town, I just didn’t know where it was.  Benefit of small towns: one main street = easy to find shops.

we counted so many of these guys and they were so close!

Serendipity did not disappoint, it was bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside and absolutely filledwith yarns, notions and yarn-y gifts not to mention the pleasant people you always find in landscapes of wool with hills of silk and forests of cashmere.

sorry about the lighting of the photo, it doesn't do the shop or the yarns justice!

I highly recommend you stop into Serendipity if you’re ever passing by the area, very much worth the trip.

Craftsy Patterns

Are you all on Craftsy?  Did you know that in addition to their classes, projects, articles and all-around awesomeness they’re now offering patterns for sale by designers?

I hopped on that bandwagon the minute I heard about it, before the patterns even went live and I’ve finished adding my current patterns to the bunch this weekend!

My Craftsy Page

I really like this feature on Craftsy and am very excited to see what it can lead to!  You can find my patterns right here if you haven’t already seen them

Musical Monday: The Verve Pipe

I apologize for a lack of posting last week, things have been busy and I have so many knitting projects going on on top of my day job and general life-chores.  I promise to do better this week!

This Monday is brought to you by:

The Freshmen by The Verve Pipe

SillyLittleLady Patterns Now Available to LYS’s via Ravelry!

Thanks to Ravelry’s new program, designers and LYS’s can connect virtually!  I’m happy to have joined the ranks of pattern sellers who allow participating yarn stores to purchase my patterns from Ravelry to sell in their shops

The Green T Top - Click for Ravelry Page

Knitters:  Have you ever gone to a yarn store and used their computers to order a pattern?  If you have, how did you like it?  If you haven’t, why not?  Is it something you’d try?

Twisted Beanie - Click for Ravelry Page

Designers:  Are you involved in this program?  All opinions, thoughts, advice, comments welcome