Look at What I've Been Up To

I just finished up another MKAL with Romi. I love how my shawl turned out! I of course went against the rules and instead of making it in two colors like the pattern called for I made it in one. The yarn I used was from the Sheep Shed. I purchased the yarn last Fall at Rhinebeck. I had seen their yarn the year before and didn't buy any. I didn't make that mistake again this year and I was so excited to get two skeins of their Silk Merino blend. I had wanted to make a large white shawl......but..... I had no idea what pattern to make. I casted on several of my own patterns, but nothing stuck. So when I saw Romi was having her KMAL I said there was no way I was missing out on it, but I didn't have enough stash yarn to make it! So the white yarn it was even if it was going to be one color instead of two. Well I am more than happy with it in solid white!!! It was so fun to get one clue every 5 weeks. It was NOT so fun not being able to share what I was knitting with the rest of the knitting world. But as of today I can share it and it has been so much fun getting such a HUGE response from Ravelry. I feel like I am back in the loop!!! I have quite a few patterns of my own to release in the next few weeks :) All this secretive knitting is no fun!

And just for fun I had used my chicken Bonnie in the picture for my Ravelry project page... since it was supposed to be kept secret. In the picture below is Bonnie on the far left 

(how freaking cute is Harley's face in the back, she is special).

Here is Bonnie (going back I wanted to name all my chickens after the people on Alaska the Last Frontier. I wanted my own Kilcher Homestead. Somehow we only ended up with Bonnie from the show. If you haven't watch the show and know who I'm talking about... shame on you, you should really watch it.)

Here is Bonnie after a few weeks of the MKAL.

And Bonnie today! She is huge. My babies are growing up so fast.

Hopefully I'll be back to making regular posts soon! If not I'm studying up on all the vendors I'm going to visit next weekend at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival!!!!!!

Joining Ginny's Knit Along

A Knitting Pep Talk

I finished my second Postcard Cardigan with Anzula Squishy yarn. I am hoping to do a photo shoot tomorrow. I have just the place in mind and I have enlisted the help of my wonderful husband to take the pictures of me wearing it (well both of them separately). Hopefully it will all work out and I'll share finished pictures tomorrow. Then I have to review the pattern 600 times and try to muster up the courage to publish it.  I am going to be releasing it in one size. To start.... then possibly I'll add more sizes in the future.

 

I had a little pep talk with myself. I tried to decide what path I should take with my knitting and designing. I really love designing and it is all I think about. I decided I will finish up a few projects I already have on my needles and then I'll focus on my next patterns to publish. I told myself that I won't join any more KALs or do any custom orders.

That lasted for about one hour. Then I saw Romi is having another MKAL. I did her Mystery Knit Along last year and I loved the group and I really love her patterns. I loved getting one clue a week for five weeks. I really looked forward to my new clues each Friday morning. So without hesitation I bought the pattern and rushed up to Chelsea Yarns and bought this fantastic Manos Fino in colorways Ivory Letter Opener and Antique Lace. I wore the two skeins around my neck in the store to make sure I could live with the two colors and of course I love them. So do my little birds :)

 

Plus I love the story behind the Manos del Uruguay story:

 

~Manos Del Uruguay Yarns

100% Hand Dyed Yarns  

 

With each purchased skein of Manos del Uruguay yarn you will be helping a woman to support her family. Each skein is signed, so you will know who made your yarn, and from which village it came.

You will be supporting the hand-crafted rather than mass-produced, and contributing to an economy where the workers control of the means of production. You, as a handknitter, crocheter or weaver, will be contributing to women’s careers in harmony with family life, and contributing to the landscape, and cultural heritage of Uruguay.~

I can't wait to get it started!

 

Links-

Chelsea Yarn

Manos Del Uruguay Fino

Romi MKAL 2014 "It's a Mystery" starts March 21st

 

 



A Mystery Shawl and the Carrot Lady

I am so sad about what just happened in Boston. I hate to see such horrible things happen. 

 

I don't have the words to put all my thoughts about it in writing so I hope you don't mind some pictures of knitting, alpacas and people who have inspired me to clear your and my mind of it for a moment.

 

 

I started this Blog one night not knowing what I was really going to do with it.  I thought it would be a good place to share all my pictures.  The next morning I went to our neighbors alpaca farm to see a cria that had just been born. I was hoping to get a few pictures of the new little alpaca and while I was there the owner showed me a Blog "It's All About Purple".  He told me about a woman, Debbie, who had just visited his farm. He went on to tell me she has MS and is one of the most inspiring people he has ever met.

I went home later that day and looked up her blog.  I made a comment and the rest is history.  If you know Debbie then you know how awesome she is. If you don't know her I highly recommend getting to know her.  She has made this little blog of mine come to life. I thank her so much for all her words of kindness, her recommendations of places to go and the list goes on and on.

 

 

We live a town apart, but never see each other. My boys are young and hers are grown and out of the house. She has given me so much motivation to "take the picture".  I was so excited that she could come to my parents farm today to play with the alpacas and help take some pictures of me wearing my new shawl.  Although I think she was having more fun being the Carrot Lady.  She insisted she didn't know what she was doing taking pictures, but I think she did a fantastic job.  She was so much fun to spend time with. 

 

And as a bonus my shawl is now featured on the designers page!  That is the biggest thrill in the world to a knitter, or to me at least.

 

 

Francesca help me out with the pictures too. She is such a good alpaca.

 

It was hard keeping Debbie away from the alpacas for too long. 

 

 

As for the shawl I made it with a MKAL (mystery knit along). When I signed up for the MKAL I had no idea what is was going to look like.  I was knitting from paper and hoping I was doing the right thing!  That really tested my skills.  But the group I was knitting with was so much fun and it was so fun to see everyone's progress pictures along the way.  Romi is the designer of the shawl and I highly recommend joining her Ravelry Group Romi's Studio.  It is a very active group.  You will pick up lots of tips and there are lots of people to help you with her patterns.

 

 

I wanted to get a picture of the shawl with Blue since he has spots, but he didn't want anything to do with it.  I guess pink isn't his color.

 

It was also nice having Debbie at the farm so I could get some fleece shots.  Getting these pictures helps to have 3 people: the photographer, alpaca holder, hands to open the fleece.  So between myself, my mom and Debbie we got some fleece shots.  The pictures are taken from their sides.

 

This is Reno.  I wish you could feel how soft his is through the computer.

 

Next up Jatoba.



 

Soon that will all be turned into yarn!

 

I got a quick shot of my mom with Reno. I think everyone should get to hug an alpaca everyday. It would make for a better world I am sure of it.

 

 

 

I would also like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been voting for me in the National Alpaca Photo Contest.  You guys are the best!  I can not believe how many of you are voting and supporting me. I can't say thank you enough!

 

Notes:

Ravelry link- Mystery Shawl (I have tried to change the settings so no Raverly users can see my link)

Yarn- Cascade Yarns Heritage Hand Painted Sock Yarn 75% merino superwash / 25% nylon

Yarn (pink)- 100% Superfine Alpaca

 

A few notes on the colors of the shawl- I dyed the entire shawl in a pot of my own homemade dye using flowers and black cherry jello.  You can see my post about how I made the dye from the flowers here.  I dyed the shawl when it was complete to marry the two colors together.

 

Joining with Ginny's Yarn Along



Orange You Glad I Made Another Shawl?

I couldn't resist making another Jared Flood pattern.  This time I made a Juneberry Triangular Shawl.  It is heavenly.  Jared's patterns are so well written and easy to follow.  I enjoyed making this shawl so much.  The yarn I used was Nuna from Mirasol.  It comes from Peru and is a blend of 40% merino wool, 40% silk and 20% bamboo.  I saw the color in the yarn store and I was drawn to it.  It was such a pretty color and the silk makes it shine.  It is so incredibly soft.  I am sure this shawl is fated to become a gift (that is if I don't start wearing it myself).

 

I am planning on making another Juneberry Shawl with yarn from my parents alpaca Spicy.  Her fiber is the most beautiful fiber I just drool over it every time I see it.  Since she only gets shorn once a year we only get it in small batches. But my parents are doing their best to breed her to make more alpacas just like her. . 

 

We had four skeins 200 yards each stashed away at the farm waiting for the perfect project and I think this shawl will be perfect.  I know I won't need all four skeins....humm what to do with the rest of it.

 



 

I tried to get a picture of her today with my shawl to show her I am going to make one just like it but better with her fiber. She totally didn't seem to care.

 

I will get a better picture of her yarn but there it is above on the right. I have one skein ready to knit as soon as I get off the computer.  On the left is my Mysterious Shawl. I am knitting with Romi's Group in Ravelry. It is so much fun. We get one clue on Friday (for a total of five weeks) then we have all week to knit it until the following Friday. I have no idea what the shawl is going to look like. I have really enjoyed testing my skills by knitting from paper and hoping I am doing it right.  Either way getting the clue on Friday is like waiting for my favorite TV show to air.  Only I think I might have too many WIPs going on to stay ahead of the game.  I am also making a pair of socks, which are on the bottom right.

 

I picked up a copy of Life Magazine's Remembering Audrey 20 Years Later. It is wonderful.  It follows the photographer who photographed her and the behind scenes and stories are so interesting to read about.  Also I just love everything about Audrey Hepburn and I love watching her movies while I knit.

 

Okay onto knit my new shawl. Happy Knitting.

 

~Andee

 

linking with Ginny's Yarn Along

 

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ps- just in case you missed my last post "Let the Voting Begin" I have some of my alpaca photographs entered into a National Alpaca Photo Competition.  It is open to the public to vote on. I have five photographs entered and you can vote on them once a day per household until May.  I am so excited about it.

 

If you have a minute and what to swing by the site to vote here is a link to my post - "Let the Voting Begin"  I really appreciate your support. One of the prizes is the cover of Alpacas Magazine!  That would mean such a big deal to my parents alpaca farm, Arrow Acres Farm.  Thanks again!

Feeling Better

I have had a rotten cold! The type of cold that you can't swallow without feeling like you are ripping your throat apart. Endless boxes of tissues, headaches and coughing.  Ugg.  The boys have been feeling fine just runny noses so their energy levels have been at max.  So they have been running circles around me all week.  I haven't been able to keep up. But I am finally feeling better!

 

Yesterday we got snow!  That was a nice excuse to not have to leave the house or do anything productive except knit.

 

I joined a mystery knit along.  We get one clue on Fridays for 5 weeks.  I finished up clue 1 in one night so now I have to wait until next Friday for the next clue.  You'll have to wait until it is finished for the final reveal, but this is the yarn I am using. I gorgeous hand painted merino / nylon sock yarn and pink alpaca yarn.

 

I made a Yarnster hat out of Madelintosh Vintage yarn. I love how it turned out and I've been wearing it around the house.  I did get out of the house once this week to go grocery shopping and I got lots of compliments on it! That made me feel like a million bucks even though I was suffering from an awful cold.  I'm hoping Freddy can get some pictures of me wearing it.

I picked up this gorgeous Nuna yarn it is merino/silk/bamboo and oh so soft.  I am knitting a Juneberry Triangle Shawl. I love that it has swiggles in the pattern. How fun is that!

 



 

In bird news- my feeders have been full of visitors. I even have some new house guests in my bird houses!  I have had a lone mourning dove hanging out at the feeder everyday. I was excited to see that now there are two.

 

 

In computer news- I HAVE A NEW COMPUTER!  Are you jumping up and down in excitement like I am. I also have a whole new desk top. It is huge and wonderful and I have managed to cover it with tons of crap already. Well I like to think I am moving into it.  I am so excited about my new computer system I can't stand it and my monitor is huge and beautiful.  It has taken me quite a bit of time installing my programs and getting it set up just the way I want, but I'm just about moved into it.  Just a few more email setting and printer to install and I'm home free.  Oh I also have to upload some pictures so I can finish sharing our trip to Disney.

 

 

We don't have pots of gold, but we do have a bucket of snow today.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~Andee