It's been a looooooong time...

Good day all! It's been a long time since I logged in and shared fibery stuff with you. Eight months, in fact.

Since that time, I finished creating and delivered a wonderful, healthy, 10 pound 6 ounce baby boy into our lives. The first six weeks have been a blur and I am still adjusting to having two little ones in my house as well as a teen, yikes. My first two were nine years apart, which made it feel more like having two first children, but this third and a two year old are exhausting. Kudos to all you moms out there who have been pregnant with 2, 3 or more under 5!

Due to these facts, fibery pursuits were a back burner. The last 4 months, spinning itself was torturous due to leg pain. My brain would not let me concentrate on knitting, so much didn't get done. I chalked it up to the fact that all my creativity was going into a child.

I have some super fine BFL here that I dyed in the Joshua colorway and spun up in a worsted weight two-ply. This BFL spins marvelously and washes up soft enough for next to skin wear. It's begging to be longies or a Baby Surprise Sweater for Joshua. The colors are nice and bright and would go well against black or white. I have a little bit more of this fiber in stock and I'm hoping I can get more for August.

This is a lovely raglan sweater from 99 Yarns and Counting, the new pattern book put out by Green Mountain Spinnery. It's being knit in Lorna's Laces that I traded with KT of KT Designs in the Rust colorway. Simple pattern, easy to understand as well as many sizes to choose from. I chose the size 6 even though dd2 is in a 4 as they grow so fast and look cuter in large sweaters than small ones.On my wheel currently, pulled it out last night, is the super soft Organic Merino. I love this fiber and have waited months to get it back in stock. Here is the first of the two-plies on my wheel. I'm looking for long stripes of color this time. I've split the roving down the center and will spin both plies from the same end. I know I'll get some overlap in the plying, but I'm interested to see this as I've never done this before.
I'd like to see your spinning this way. So, let's have a contest!!! Post the link to your process and/or finished pictures of roving/top/batts spun with color progression or post on the Ravelry Group. Even FO photos are fine! Get your entry in before July 15th, 2010 and, by random number generation I'll pick the winner of a 4 oz braid of organic merino top dyed by me.

Like A Lamb Scarflette FREE Pattern

Well, I was going to wait until next week to introduce this, but I like it too much!  Keep in mind that this is going to be available only for a limited time, probably until the end of January, to help introduce the tailspun yarns

This is the pattern for the Like A Lamb Scarflette made with my new tailspun Icelandic Yarn.  Just 25 yards and the locks alone weigh over 5 ounces - that's a pair of socks!  You can button this up or, order two skeins, knit it longer for a full scarf or hat.  If you're looking for a certain color of this yarn, just let me know, I have much more than what is on my site.

One side of the knitting has the locks the other side is smooth.  This has nothing to do with my prowess as a spinner, but has more to do with the technique I use for this and my other novelty yarns.  

When knitting, move all locks behind you to the "wrong" side or purl side of the knitting.  When purling, move all locks to the same side.  I try to even up my stitches so that locks fall between the stiches and not into the loop.  

Gauge is not important (don't you love projects like that!)

Needle size 15.

Okay, here's the really easy pattern:

Cast on 12 Stitches, I used a back loop as it's the easiest and you will never see it.

Knit in Stockinette Stitch for 4 rows.  On your next row Knit 2, then knit 2 together, knit 4, then knit 2 together.  Knit for 3 more rows.  On the next row, Knit 2, then knit 2 together, knit 2, then knit 2 together.  Knit in stockinette stitch until it's the length you desire minus the ending increases.  I knit for approximately 16 inches.  Then Knit 2, then knit into the front and back of the next stitch, knit 2 then knit into the front and back of the next stitch.  Knit to end of row.  Knit for 3 more rows.  On the next row, Knit 2, knit into the front and back of the next stitch, knit 4, knit into the front and back of the next stitch. Knit to end of row.  Knit 4 rows and bind off loosely.

That's it!  Add a button, you don't need a buttonhole as the knit is large enough that any modest button will fit through.  You want to keep it together, not show off your button.

Remeber, check the previous post for our FREE Sample Skein Giveaway, it's just down the page!