DEATH OF A SWEATER

I tried to like it, I really did! I love the yarn and the color but I have to say the pattern was weird. I will protect the designer by being discreet but a really good tip-off (that I only noticed AFTER I was finished) is that the model is holding her arms kind of funny in the pattern picture. That's because there is an ACRE of yarn bunched up underneath her arms!! No bat has that much "wing" if you get my drift. So...I have ripped away my frustration and am starting a new pattern that I have inspected very thoroughly. The knit goes on...

Spring???

Anxiously waiting for spring here in the midwest- The wind is whipping and the snow is trying desperately to melt. The only good thing is that there are still plenty of reasons to wear our wonderful handknits. With an eye to spring I couldn't resist making up this attractive wrap in one of Berocco's new yarns Karma. The shawl pattern (Chatterton) goes quickly with lots of drop stitches on a size 13 needle. At least the color puts me in a spring frame of mind!

Fiber Arts Festival 2011

What a fun time we had at this year's Fiber Arts Festival and Sheep to Shawl competition! This year's event was held in Fargo, at Rheault Farm (a wonderful farmstead property, within the Fargo city limits operated by our fabulous park system). There were many demonstrations to promote the fiber arts, classes, sheep shearing and vendors. Pictured is our sheep to shawl team with their finished product. From raw fiber to a beautiful woven shawl in under 5 hours. Isn't it gorgeous? We are so proud of them.

Another big happening at our shop is our webstore. It is being launched, even as we speak! This has been quite a process- I tell everyone it is like herding cats, trying to get all the elements moving in the same direction. But we are very happy with the results and hope you will visit the website soon and do some shopping.

OK I admit it: I am in a knitting funk. The sideways picture says it all. I just finished this sweet little hoodie for my granddaughter for Christmas (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted) and now I have 2 to make for the boys. Maybe it's because these projects are pretty straightforward knitting- but I keep making mistakes! Like miles of knitting I have to frog. Really annoying. It could be that I am totally distracted by my daughter's wedding next Saturday...that can make a person crazy. Or here is the real problem. I want to make myself something fabulous and I can't find ANYTHING that really grabs me. How can that be??? Last night was the kick-off for our regional Yarn Harvest Shop Hop. It was great fun- everyone loved the Dream in Color trunk show with to-die-for sweaters out of Classy Worsted. Have a great week and if you are in town, come on down for the Shop Hop and check out these beautiful sweaters. Sue

Today is the start of my week long vacation and I am SO ready! Last week had it's ups and downs. My dear mother-in-law passed away; not unexpected but still sad. We had such a nice celebration for her. All nine children were there as well as 25 of 27 grandchildren and 24 of 27 great-grand children. What a legacy! On the up side I finished the Zephyr Shawl (at left) for my daughter's wedding. The color is "sage" and it is a beautiful combination of violet, lavender, sage green and (of course!) sequins. The yarn is a cotton, linen & rayon blend called SEA BREEZE from Great Adirondack; so it is a very light-weight. I have a couple of projects to start on my time off that I am excited about. Both are new yarns from Tahki Stacy Charles. The first is a lovely ruffled shawl using SUPERIOR (cashmere & silk) with a fun ruffled yarn called OPERADARTE. The second is a great furry neckwarmer made from COCCO a fun pom-pom on a string. The finished product is so elegant (and need I say it: warm???). I will chat with you in a week or so, if the grandkids haven't turned me into butter.

Whew! What a fun couple of weeks....first the Fargo Street Fair. If you have never attended make a note for next year. It is always during our shop anniversary so we really pulled out the stops and had 4 great days (thank you everyone). Then we went directly to Bonanzaville for the 3rd Fiber Arts Festival. How fun was that! Here is a picture of boucle's Sheep to Shawl team. Left to right: Thuy, Cheryl, Ruth, Caitlin & Barb. We were the first ones finished (from raw fiber to woven shawl in 5 hours) and we produced a lovely shawl that is displayed in our shop. Come in and check it out. Also, we have some really great new knitting stuff. Really cute mugs and notebooks from Thomas Joseph (all the way from Ireland, and of course they have cute little sheep on them- great gifts for your baaaad girlfriends). Debra's garden has a really nice row counter necklace that is new this year along with beautiful glass stitch markers. We girls like to decorate our projects, don't we? I couldn't help myself I matched a new project to a striped tote bag that I got for free (I can hear my girls now "mother, you are so matchy, matchy!"). And then there is the YARN- we are new with Tahki Stacy Charles this year and are getting in some really great yarn. There is the Donegal Tweed (again from Ireland, is there a theme here?) and coming soon Operadarte, Superior & Cocco. Also, the great fashion yarns (eyelets, ladders, etc.) that you have been requesting for your projects are in with a nice little pattern booklet. Have a great weekend and don't get "tornadoed" as my little grandson said so sweetly.

I can't believe it is the end of the first day of our anniversary sale- what a great day!! (especially if you don't count the computer issues....) Hurry on in if you get a chance and help us celebrate. We have a great sale: buy 2 similar items at the regular price and get a 3rd for free (for example: 3 yarns, 3 notions, 3 patterns, 3 books- you get the idea- sorry needles are excluded) And of course there are other great deals to be had! The sale goes through Sat., July 17th. I am also so happy to have finished my daughter's wedding accessories. They are being modeled by Lexi, one of our faithful new knitters. The "Little Silk Shrug" is from the book Lace Style. This is such a great series of books from Interweave Press. I just kind of made up the gloves to match- not at all difficult to do. And of course what really makes this set is the beautiful silk/bamboo yarn by Lorna's Laces- "Pearl" in the color cedar. I heard from the bride and she thinks they are gorgeous and of course that makes a mother's heart beat a little faster. The wedding isn't until September, so now I have to finish MY outfit (or should I say my second outfit??). That's the trouble with shopping to0 early! I made one lovely shawl but then I was seduced by the Zephyr Shawl by Great Adirondack. More on that at another time...