etsy friday

First, thanks for all the compliments on the hamminess of my son and his new sweater jacket. He thinks he's adorable, too... my downfall (and others in his future!) I'm sure :)


tissue cozys and keyfobs from piddleee.etsy.com

I finally manage to take pics of the beaaautiful tisszue cozys and keyfobs donated by Jen and Wendy of Piddleloop for my contest and I end up with this crazy miscolored photo... Jen has a much more color correct one on her blog :) They should really sell these in their etsy store, so simple but so nice.

Speaking of the Piddleloop team, they just started a mailing list to keep people up to speed with their new bag listings on etsy... they did a large update this morning and I am THIS CLOSE to buying this green and orange one before its snapped up (isn't it awesome?! such a sucker for orange it's ridiculous, and the brown zipper gets my toes curling...)

Along with the cozys, fobs and a special treat for the three winners of the Piddleloop prizes (I'm keeping them secret, it's a nice surprise), Jen sent me another grip of cards and buttons to send with orders from zeromarkers, my etsy store... yay! I run thru these buttons like water, but if you're an etsy yarn/related seller looking to swap promos, Jen has *awesome* ones.

...another etsy friday, another loriola pendant...

:)


Flat glass scrollwork pendant from LORiOLA.etsy.com

I wish I could tell yall how much I like this piece. You could go to the original uncut pic in my flickr album and really look at all of the beautiful detail of breaking teal blues into brown and the heartdrops of orange and maybe get it. You could also check me out wearing it like, every day (alternating with this orange bone, another LORiOLA piece, a gift from a *rockstar* friend)... but I feel like I'm grasping at straws trying to get out how I really feel.

Maybe that's enough, saying I can't and letting sleeping dogs lie, figure it out for themselves.

:)


Superwash merino and tencel roving from tisjewelart.etsy.com, "sun dappled vineyard"

I almost came back to blogging just to write about spinning this fiber from Flawful Fibers-- SO nice!! I really liked the softness and the shine of it, and was really surprised at the drape that the tencel gave the yarn. I was going to save this for myself to make into socks, but really was hesitant thinking the shine and the drape would be better suited to another project... listed the finished yarn in my etsy store and it's already on its way to a new home (though there are a few more skeins in the shop) :)

This was the first time I thought about how the colors would line up when spinning-- I usually just pull a roving into fourths and grab the nearest strip to spin. This time I took the time to tear sections and separate them into lighter and darker sections...


(love this photo, you can really see all the colors this way)

...and purposely spun one dark single and one lighter one to be plied together for a hopefully overally cohesive color. Just lovely-- I've already purchased some more sw merino/tencel from another (non-etsy) seller since I liked it so much. More on that later though, colorwork is calling! :)

Have a good one, miss you!!

etsy friday

Feeling a little rusty! I actually was only going to take 2 weeks off from blogging etsy fridays, but my blogfree pal Katy asked what I was going to do with my time off... it sounded like a good idea to take the whole 2 weeks off from blogging, and now I don't know how to start again :)

Jumping in with my clothes on...


Raised glass scrollwork pendant from LORiOLA.etsy.com

Oh, how I love these glass pendants :) It was near on impossible to capture, but the raised raku colored scrollwork ranges in color from brown to iridescent duck green to gold, and the grey flecked white glass is almost indescribable-- not looking like typical glass, but heavy on the collarbone when worn. Yay for LORiOLA (one of the gift certificates for the contest was to her store!)

Etsy's not only a place for handmade, but also for sellers selling vintage items as well as supplies. I buy lots of "supply" category things from etsy*, a few recent ones:


JehovehJirehFarm Coopworth/Silk roving from twistedSheep.etsy.com


HandpaintedYarn.com worsted merino from twistedSheep.etsy.com

Both of these "destash" items came from twistedSheep, who also sells spinning batts and handspun yarns in her shop. (If you've ever wanted to knit with handspun but don't spin, there's been a HUGE surge in handspun yarn listings on etsy lately! Just fyi...)

The pollen merino's a delight-- back from the day when handpaintedyarn.com was selling the worsted on ebay (you may know them now as a little company called Malabrigo...) I love stumbling onto things like this on etsy-- I wasn't looking for either, but both are current projects of mine.

Another stumbled upon find...




Lenticular vintage Mexican postcards from ArtPhotoGirl.etsy.com

I went searching on etsy for "lenticular", loving the way it sounded (never knowing the word for that winking jesus washboard effect before) and found these awesome postcards. I've slowed my roll on buying cards, the stockpile getting too large, but these I just couldn't say no to. ArtPhotoGirl sells lots of unique paper and vintage finds for art (or just for use as they are, for unimaginative souls like me), and has even relisted the ones I bought.

More serendipitous finds...


Etsy 1" pinback buttons from EtsyLabs.etsy.com

One each for the winners of the latest knitty/choka contest hot off of EtsyLabs' button press, and the rest for me ;)

Speaking of...

* $27 GC to LORiOLA -- Camille
* $20 GC to Pigeonroof Knits -- Alyson
* $18.50 to Frost Fish Cove Soaps -- WonderMike
* Tissue Cozy and Keyfob Sets from Piddleloop -- salohlee, Val and Jeanie
* Knitting Box Bag from Japanese Handmade Etc -- Suzie
* $10 GC to creativeapples -- Amelia
* $10 GC to time2cre8 -- Turtle
* $10 GC to zero stitch markers -- Chris

Congrats all! I've contacted you all thru email or blogs. Thanks everyone for playing, it was fun!


*There is a recent debate on etsy's forums whether yarn and "knitting supplies" belong in the knitting category or the supply category. I list all of my stitch markers in the "knitting" category-- to me, "knitting" is the process and should include items for the process, not finished items. If you're interested in this, please wander over to this thread and voice your opinion for the etsy admin to hear :) You can also follow a discussion about categories on ravelry's etsy shops forum here as well, or on the etsyFAST forum.

Also speaking of, I was tagged for a new meme by etsyfast member Jean La Rue... I'm going to bend the rules a bit :) I think I've said all I want to say about myself in list form, but here are seven excellent shops administered by etsyFAST members to check out with a link to one of my favorites in their shop (it *is* etsy friday, yall!)

* Ashabee sells gorgeous handpainted yarns and roving, incl. this bump that's sat in my favorites list for forever

* SkiingWeaver has mad weaving skills, and this scarf that I've loved from since finding out she used FearlessFibers' cashmere laceweight in making it

* FeltCafe East & West has taunted me with this gocco machine since I discovered what gocco is

* FatCatKnits has spoken to my orange loving soul with this beauty beauty merino/tencel

* CherylAvenue has taken her felt loving self and made some wonderful felted soaps with surprise toys... for kids or the kid inside :)

* Confections brings out the green eyed monster in me-- spinning fabric strips into yarn is something that's on my too-long wish list

* Lazycats should be definitely be on your etsy checkout stop, because who doesn't need (homegrown, organic catnip filled) amigurumi rats in their lives?! ;)


Miss you, so much!

not etsy friday

I've been taking a little breather from blogging and meant to come back next Friday... but I had to update with an oversight on my part about my latest choka/etsy contest so here I am :)


Chrysanthemums on Black box bag, sock knitting pouch by JapaneseHandmadeEtc.etsy.com

Satomi had offered to donate one of her amazing box pouches for my contest months ago when I first found out my Q socks had been accepted for Fall 2007 Knitty... and I accidentally left it off of my contest post! :(

As yall know, I love love LOVE my Japanese Handmade bags for carrying socks in progress with me, and her new black chrysanthemum print may be my new favorite in her store. If you haven't yet, take a look at her store and check out the new fabrics (and her sold items, since she'll reproduce items for you if they're not listed in her store at the moment). You can also see all of mine here, here and here, and read about it on the contest post.

SO! New prize addition to the contest, if you haven't played already it's time :)

As for me, it's been knitting and spinning but I hate talking about things I don't have pictures of, so I'll be back next (real) etsy friday in full swing :) Miss you!!


....ps!!! a set of my zero stitch markers made the HOMEPAGE of etsy a few days ago (yay!! with some backstage drama, but YAY!!) so i'm celebrating with a free shipping sale in my shop zero.etsy.com from now til monday at 2pm pacstandard (9/24/07). i'm in the process of updating the shipping costs so you don't have to wait for a new invoice; if i miss one or you're too quick just let me know and i'll refund or send you a proper paypal invoice. offer good for domestic *and* international, and i'll be updating/restocking regularly over the weekend with new stitch markers in freshwater pearls, amethyst, garnets and others and even some more row counters.

i also am adding a new ring size to the custom sizing lineup (US 5-6), so you can now choose a ring size for your stitch markers from US 2, US 4, US 6, US 9 and US 13. and as always, ring sizing for your stitch markers is free!

did i say YAY?!

Fall knitty, q stockings and a contest

q stockings, my new pattern :)
published in fall knitty 2007
additional q stocking pics here in my flickr stream

Yall have no idea how hard it was to keep quiet about this pair of stockings! I breaknecked to get the second done recently (8 days), and liked the completed pair so much I actually bought a skirt (!!!) to wear them with :)

So, let's keep the happiness rolling...

Since contests make me happy, and etsy makes me happy... time for another etsy contest! For those of you who are new to my blog, Etsy is an online marketplace where crafters and artists can sell their handmade work. I try to feature various etsy artists I've purchased from every week here on my blog for "etsy fridays," and have picked a small sampling of favorite stores to give gifts and gift certificates from.

***


$27 gift certificate to LORiOLA.etsy.com

There is a lot of beautiful jewelry on Etsy, but I am just smitten when it comes to LORiOLA's work. She is a glass artist with a great eye for color, a sense of humor about her art and a steady hand when it comes to creating scrollwork in molten glass. I truly believe each of her pieces is a work of art and I'm thrilled to own several different types.

***


$20 gift certificate to pigeonroofstudios.etsy.com

I go on and on about Pigeonroof Studios, but it's not without good reason. She hand dyes yarn and roving for spinning in some of the most exciting colors I've seen on etsy (outside as well), and sells a good variety of handspun yarn for those wanting to try to knit with handspun. I am *captivated* by her eye for and application of color across fiber mediums.

***


$18.50 gift certificate to frostfishcovesoaps.etsy.com

I have bought pounds of handmade soap from etsy for myself and loved ones, and Frost Fish Cove Soaps is my favorite vendor. Their molded, cold process soaps come in a wide variety of scents and ingredients that are foamy, cleansing and a luxury to use. I never thought I could be so excited about soap until finding handmade soaps, but I am and Frost Fish has made me a convert.

***


3 sets to 3 winners: tissue cozy and keyfob set by piddleee.etsy.com
donated by Jen and Wendy of Piddleloop :)

You guys know how I feel about Piddleloop's fabric bags for storing my knitting projects, but did you know they make other awesome fabric creations as well? I didn't until Jen sent me this tissue cozy and keychain set; turns out the Piddleloop team makes lots of things for their local retail markets they we don't see in their etsy store. Here's your chance to see for yourself the excellent handwork that goes into all of their products-- and really, I didn't know I needed to carry kleenex with me til I started, and now I can't stop. It makes me feel like supermom.

***


custom made Chrysanthemums on Black pouch by JapaneseHandmadeEtc.etsy.com
donated by Satomi of JapaneseHandmadeEtc, photo courtesy of her store

You know how much I love my Japanese Handmade Etc box bag pouches for sock knitting (see all SIX of mine here, here and here)... they are the perfect travel size for a sock, hang lightly on the wrist for walking and knitting, are heavily interfaced and reversible so no wayward dpns can poke thru, and really just seem made for housing small knitting projects. They are perfect for non-knitters as well (my son uses his for carrying important toddler boy treasures in, mom likes hers for carrying small essentials like a wallet and keys), and I'm still amazed at how well and with what detail they are put together.

Sorry for leaving this off my original post! :(

***


$10 gift certificate to creativeapples.etsy.com

Creative Apples, by sheer volume alone, is my favorite greeting card seller on etsy. She is a photographer with a huge range, and her work looks awesome mounted on the large blank cards I buy hand over fist. Her shop is full of subject matter (superhero toys, foliage and flowers, cupcakes, robots...) and she will make any image from her flickr stream into a card or print. The choices there are huge and even more varied, so it's no wonder why I have and send so many.

***


$10 gift certificate to time2cre8.etsy.com

I have been a fan of time2cre8 ever since opening up my own etsy store. I buy all of the recycled atlas/comic book handmade business card envelopes for my packages from her, and she constantly amazes me with what she can do with paper-- handmade envelopes, printed tags, aceos and cards. I love the variety of her art and talent across all sorts of media.

***


$10 gift certificate to zero.etsy.com

The best knitting stitch markers on etsy.

:)

Seriously though, this is my little corner of etsy-- I have a shop selling knitting stitch markers made from freshwater pearls, semiprecious stones, and other handmade goods that do well as markers (being light, being unusual and being handmade). As much as I love glass jewelry, I am a big fan of abandoning glass for natural stones for my stitch markers. Freshwater pearls are incredibly light on the needles, much lighter than glass while still a beauty and joy to use. zeromarkers will also custom size your stitch marker rings for free-- you have a choice of US 2, US 4, US 9 and US 13 rings that nearly all sets can be fit with, depending on your knitting poison.

I also, occasionally, sell superwash merino roving for spinning dyed in 4 oz braids when I need a little color outlet.

zero.etsy.com - zerOmarkers

***


photo courtesy of EtsyLabs.etsy.com

Each winner will also receive a 1" button made by at Etsy Labs-- the "gooey nougat center of the Etsy Executive Offices" where lucky NYC artists and crafters can hang out and expand their craft muscles by learning something new and soaking up the etsyness.

***

All of the certificates should be enough to cover at least one item in the above shops with shipping, so no worries about needing alternate payment methods (unless you want to stock up, which my fellow vendors and I fully endorse ;)).



"How can I win something etsy-fabulous?"

By submitting a couplet to the world's longest poem at Choka On It and copy/pasting your couplet in the comments to *this* post. I reserve the right to disqualify you if you don't follow their (simple) submission requirements... I'm mean like that, ask around ;) Any doubts, check my past choka contests here, here, and here for more info. You must leave me either a link to your blog or a valid email address with your comment, no anonymous entries (so the vendors and I can contact you if you win!)

Contest will run til Friday, Sept 28 at 12pm PST (the next Etsy Friday for me, I'm taking a few weeks off!)... and winners will be chosen *at random* (one entry per person), so no worries about your poetry skilz or lack thereof.

Good luck! Keep on stranding on!

penguins and tigers

sometimes i just need to hold myself down and pound out that stockinette urge... run away from that feeling you're never going to have a FO again.



round y round, around the world and back again. stst does take the edge off, doesn't it? it'll return no doubt, the nagging need... but that is the fun, yeah?


long weekend socks
started: 4 may 2007
finished: 7 may 2007
toe up using PGR's method
handspun superwash merino, "glass ocean" roving from my shop
US 1.5 (2.5mm) knitpicks dpns, 4

i was beginning to feel i'd never have anything finished in my hands ever again, even though the german stockings probably only have a day's worth of work left in them. i just keep thinking... they'll be done and then what? i don't even think i can take pictures of my own legs, not in a way that really highlights how rad they are going to be, and i don't even think i have a skirt in my possession to put on (not counting the now-dusty suits from my days of posing as an officer of the court), and where am i going to wear something so fabulous-- sandy playgrounds, toddler-led tours of downtown?

anyway, this isn't about those stockings (though they will be done!)



toe up using priscilla gibson-roberts' method from simple socks: plain and fancy (heel/toe, and her grafted bindoff @ the top). i knit the cuffs in stockinette (see rhapsodic above about stst love, if you missed it) for 4.5" from the heelturn, and 1.5" 2x2 ribbing on US 0 (2.0mm). the gurus at knittyboard saved me at 130am, reassuring me cuffs like these should stay up. i'll need a field report to know for certain, but just trying them on hot off the needles for these pics seem to show they'll be fine. it is nice too, a less bulky cuff in my hightops-- every sock cuff i've knit before has been patterned or ribbed.



i love the yarn. i should be modest but really, i'm so happy with it. its pretty even, though the purple skein was thinner (64 st cast on vs 60 st CO for the more-green one). its soft, not wiry, and just fascinating to watch knit up. almost reminds me of trekking, in a way... i almost stopped my stockinette quickie and made pomatomus again-- reminded of my last fish pair.



i'll definitely be dyeing roving in this method again, as well... its weird, i thought i preferred no more than 3 colors in roving, plus the white for depth and brightness-- that any more was jarring to the eye during spinning and knitting. even though i used way more than 3 colors here, they're all tied together with complimentary overtones and i think it works and looks beautiful, not car-crashy like i feared.

that's it for now :)

oh... it was drilled into me, at a young age to not tell :) but my 13-year old boy soul does like to listen (could just be the 29-year old voyeur, too...) so leave me a comment about your best day last week-- you can be as vague ("wednesday") or as specific ("one time, at band camp...") as you like. next monday i'll send a skein of lightweight socks that rock in "henpecked" and a set of "surprise" zerO stitch markers to random's #1 darling... no worries if you story can't live up to mine :)

good luck!

Denmark socks and contest winners

Someone told me a reason to like handmade socks is that, when you walk, you can feel the (purl) bumps on the soles of your feet-- a physical reminder of the effort and care that went into each, gentle vibrations against your consciousness via a usually unconscious action. I always thought I just had insensitive feet, never feeling anything odd about my handknit socks, other than they were a little heavier and a way lot cooler than 6 to a packs.

Walking around with the little one today in my new Denmark socks, I felt them too... a good thing, a sweet reminder.


Denmark socks
Started: sometime before Stitches West 2007
Finished: March 18, 2007
Socks that Rock, mediumweight-- Mist colorway
US 3 dpns, 4



Complete with nupps! I could see how these could drive a lace knitter batty, but just one round of them on the socks is a really pretty detail above the rib/cables. Cables are easy enough to memorize, though for the life of me I couldn't get the setup row right from Nancy's written dx (how many patterns do I have to knit to be on a first name basis with a designer?)... had to use the chart.



After knitting Cookie's German stockings, I remembered how much I enjoyed picking up heel stitches (I know, I know...). I didn't use the pretty ktbl pickup on the German stockings though, though here they shine. (I pick up the back loop instead of the front like Grumperina... I thought thru the back was the way Nancy Bush shows you how in all of her books, but I just checked and its not. Oh well.)



Speaking of shine, can you love STR any more? Oy. (Remember this yarn? A gift from Abigail for being her 1k commenter?) Who knew a tomboy like me could gush over pink and brown. The mediumweight just flies off the needles, and is a great fit for the pattern (thanks to Stacey for the inspiration!!) I was worried the cabling would be lost, but no... I think its just fine.

Speaking of... Winners of my etsy-based contest?
(sorry it seems early, the contest should have read the 19th for Monday)...

$25 Fearless Fibers gift certificate to Lindsey
$16 tinymeat gift certificate to Andrea
$15 LingGlass gift certificate to Paula
$10 Three Owls Knitting gift certificate to Jen
5 Creative Apples custom cards & shipping to Nad
$10 time2cre8 gift certificate to Alison
$10 zerOmarkers gift certificate to Stacey
The Friday Night Knitting Club hardback #1 to Cathy
The Friday Night Knitting Club hardback #2 to Emily
(hopefully yall have heard from me by the time you've read this! :))


phew. I need a nap. In my new socks. :)

bmp space invaders socks... and a contest

bmp socks, by me :)


I have to say I'm just so happy today :) My bmp pattern was a love letter thru process and product, and I am just thrilled knitty gave me an opportunity to share it on this scale with all of you (whom I really do cherish in my anonymous, blog reading way).

So of course I have to celebrate with a contest! Something new this time... yall may notice by my posts and lack of them that I have been spending quite a bit of unexpected time with my knitting accessory shop on etsy. Not only that, but much of my wakare earned goes directly back to artisans who sell alongside me. (You can sneak a peek at my covet/favorites list here to grasp the extent of my obsession and oddity.) I couldn't think of a better celebration than giving away gift certificates from a few of my favorite vendors from etsy...


***


$25 gift certificate for Fearless Fibers. Goodness knows Deb is a true dye artist, and has so many inspiring yarns (in so many variations!) that I know it'll be hard to choose. Or not to brag. Or something involving happiness and yarn. (Thanks to Deb for her donation!)

***


$16 gift certificate to tinymeat. I'm very much a wallet girl, and tinymeat's float my boat... but they carry passport covers, card holders, iPod covers-- to have and to hold. Can't ask for more. (At least I can't!)

***


$15 gift certificate for LingGlass. I am blown away by the simple beauty of her pendants and glasswork, and think you'll love them too. I'm not much of a jewelry wearer but I want one of everything she makes :)

***


$10 gift certificate for Three Owls Knitting. Our own Sherry W's shop-- featuring double pointed needle protectors that are one of my favorite knitting accessories (seriously, I think I own 6 sets now??) They're great for keeping your work on the needles and for making sure those needles don't poke thru fabrics.

***


5 custom cards and envelopes (and shipping) from CreativeApples. I've recently become an etsy card junkie, and April's are just... wow. You can choose up to 5 images from her flickr pages and she'll make them into beautiful cards for you to mail and share.

***


$10 gift certificate for time2cre8. If you've received an order from zerOmarkers somewhat recently, you'll recognize MaryLou's work-- I use her recycled atlas business card envelopes to send sample stitch markers and thank you notes in. I love them, and she does other great things with all sorts of media.

***


$10 gift certificate for zerOmarkers. Uh, because I can? :)
(For those of you that are new, this is my etsy shop.)

***


2 hardback copies (to 2 winners) of The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I know, I know... this isn't etsy stuff! Penguin Books sent me these copies (well, they sent me three but I'm keeping one!)... and said to have fun giving them away. What more fun could this be? :) (You may remember my little writeup about the book... they have other bloggers' reviews linked on their "buzz" page, too.)

***

All of the certificates should be enough to cover at least one item in their shops and shipping, so no worries about needing alternate payment methods (unless you want to stock up, which my fellow vendors and I fully endorse ;)).



Cool? Since we have something new, how about something old... that's right. "How can I win something fabulous?" By submitting a couplet to the world's longest poem at Choka On It (if you're new, please read how first...) and copy/pasting your couplet in the comments to *this* post. I reserve the right to disqualify you if you don't follow their (simple) submission requirements... I'm mean like that, ask around ;) Any doubts, check my past choka contests here and here for more info. You must leave me either a link to your blog or a valid email address (so I can contact you if you win!)

Contest will run thru Monday March 19 20, 2007 at 3pm pacstandard... and winners will be chosen *at random* (one entry per person), so no worries about your skilz or lack thereof. I'd love for you to help me spread the word for my little celebration, too :)

Hm. Now for something borrowed and blue...

(Good luck!)

impromptu socktoberfest contest

i'm taking the easy way out. happy socktoberfest! :)



***

impromptu off the cuff copycat contest time. the same and different.

same: contribute to the world's longest poem at choka on it by adding a 7-5 couplet *that flows* from the one preceding yours (HOWTO: here, please read if its new to you), and copy/paste your couplet in the comments to *this* post. if in doubt, check out my past choka contests here and here for what i mean.


[edit, 11/04: as always, winners to be picked at random via random.org :)]

different: i don't have the prize. YET. lately i've been on a total kick supporting my LYS article pract, so i can kill two birds with one stone... winner will give me an idea of preferred colors and i'll send them 2 skeins of koigu i'll pick out for them from AP's koigu stock on hand. (or, 2 skeins of ryc cashcotton, 2 skeins of lorna's laces shepherd sock, louet gems pearl, cascade sassy stripes, regia silk or regia bamboo or regular ol' regia... those are the ones i can remember off the top of my head.) whatever. sock stuff though-- its socktoberfest! i don't know the colorways offhand so you'll have to trust me (but winner is welcome/encouraged to give me an idea of their likes/dislikes and pray i don't embarrass myself.) i *may* get over there sooner and take a pic of the koigu they have (yeah, all kinds of crazy over here!)... not sure if its in the cards or not though so you may just have to trust me.

i'm planning on scooching over there not this weekend (*nothing* can touch this weekend), but next (going to check out some cashcotton 4-ply for anne's new MANlace pattern, meow!)... so let's say we'll run the little contest til november 10 (friday) in the early afternoonish.

really different: all yall who liked the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy yarn? bat f*cking crazy. (i can say that, its halloween yall!) you want it? you got it. in your comments when you add your couplet, tell me you want to be entered in a seperate draw for the H2G2 yarn as well (you'll be entered for the koigu, too), and i'll draw a name from that much smaller pool for the crazy person i'll inflict it upon. no setting it on fire if you win though, i can do that here. don't feel obligated to take it/throw yourself in the hat for it... believe me, i UNDERSTAND.

i'll spin up the second bit of roving to complete the set, good practice for me (great advice kristin)! i'd GUESS there'll be enough for a pair of socks with 2 skeins, but! there's a bunch of knots in the 1st skein (like, at least 6. seriously. i'd be super po'd if i had that many knots in a 50gm skein!) and will be some in the 2nd ;) ... remember its superwash, no spit splicing! it may take me a bit to wrestle the time together to spin up the second hank too, but i'll have it done sometime soon for the winner of that little offshoot.

okay! have at it! happy socktober, the best month ever.

Contest winners :)

Thanks everyone for the well pattern wishes and playing along in my little contest...

Winners?

Socks That Rock Medium weight in Marbles... PBnJ

Interlacements Merino Worsted in Chairman of the Board... ravensegg

Interlacements Tiny Toes in Stained Glass... penny karma

Holz & Stein 2.5mm ebony dpns... Jerry & Maxy

***

Thanks again, this was super fun for me!! I had fun with it, any suggestions for another contest? (I have a birthday coming up and want to steal Tara's birthday contest thunder... she was the one who gave me the wonderful shell stitch markers that were pictured in my recent pomo-trekking post. She also has a fab handdyed, *eco-friendly* yarn shoppe online too :)) I do like these choka contests though-- I get a kick out of the couplets hitting my inbox.

Have a great, cool week! :)

Summer Knitty! And a sock lovers contest!!

Yay! Summer Knitty 2006 is out, and I have a pattern in it! Yes, your very own cyclone ranger* and her feet are there, check it out!



(I know I should be all nonchalant, but hey, forgive me... reason will not lead to solution today!)

I've been super lucky not only in having my pattern published by Knitty, but also in winning yarn around the blogosphere left and right and upsidedown, and want to hold one of my own cold beverages to celebrate. Fingertips have memories, so why can't I?

Prizes first, right? Right.
(No neighbors complaining about the noises above now, eh?)

First, a skein of Socks That Rock Mediumweight in Marbles. I love this color, I may order it again soon but for now, hoist up the John B's sail cos, it wants to come home to you!


Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR Medium Weight
380 yd, 5.5 oz
Marbles colorway

Number two, two, two for my family... a honkin 8 oz skein of Merino Worsted Superwash wool from Interlacements. Bang a gong with some worsted socks for you and your loved one(s)! Or a scarf, or a castle and a keep... Pretend its not a cruel summer outside; just dreams daylight and 365 degrees :)


Interlacements Merino Worsted
100% superwash merino
560 yd/8 oz
Chairman of the Board colorway 217

Third, third, third is the word... some of the new Interlacements Tiny Toes yarn. No summer of 69 required, only a rush and a push and these tiny skeins can be yours! They need to be back in the arms of a good friend, help em out and make em yours :)


Interlacements Tiny Toes
100% machine washable merino wool
185 yd/50 gm -- 2 skeins (for yall with 3 feet, sorry!)
Stained Glass colorway, 218

And the coup de grâce.
...Ask me, I won't say no, how could I?

Positively fourth. This one is so very special, like double cherry pie... special to me since every one of you who reads my blog is special. (Really.) Keep on truckin down the page and you'll see what I mean.

July 5 afternoon, edit to add pics:





Holz & Stein double pointed needles, Ebony
direct from deutchland!
set of 5
2.5mm (US 1.5), 18 cm (approx. 7")

Yes. THOSE needles. The ones made of wood from reclaimed musical instruments, aka high quality beautiful black matte ebony wood? The ones Wendy calls her favorite needles for doing fair isle on (okay, on circulars... but this *is* sock pr0n yall!)? The ones that are pretty gosh darn hard to find in the good ol' USofA? Ja y ja y ja. They're in no shape for driving, bring them home to hang out behind your unlocked doors!

***

"Okay, how can I win??!"
...Captivity required from us a song...





I'm going to go my 21st century digital girl route and recycle my Choka on It contest from last time :) They turned night into day and welcomed us back with open arms and everything (week 12)! For those of you who haven't played before, a cut and paste from my previous contest's post:

" To make the contest something more than a comment cattle call and something kinda fun, go contribute to the world's longest poem at ChokaOnIt.com and afterwards, come back here & copy/paste your 2 line couplet you've submitted IN THE COMMENTS TO THIS POST. (Please read about how to contribute to the world's longest poem here first...) No yarn - sock - knitting references required or even encouraged, just your 7-5 that goes with the flow of the poem already in progress. "

Now, I WILL ASK (please, if this is all you read, read this), PLEASE write a couplet that FLOWS from the existing poem. You are *NOT* SUPPOSED TO WRITE YOUR OWN, STANDALONE COUPLET. They're supposed to flow from the previously posted couplet, the last one you'll see above when submitting your own. You're adding to a work in progress, *not* writing your own! And you DON'T have to force knitting into it, kay? (Repetition, the only thing I can do.) Please don't irk me, you won't like me when I'm irked... the words I know are all obscene.

About the needles!

Now, what was I saying about special needles for special peoples? :) First off, I love this blog. I really enjoy it-- writing, interacting, sharing with yall. Everybody who leaves me comments and drop me emails are solar supermen, my wonderwall fo sho. It has unexpectedly become a very big drive behind my knitting and in a way, writing and expression. All of you who read along with my too-long posts are the ones who make it possible, who egg me on and keep me rolling in my 5.0. I read everybody's comments when they come in and really dig them along with everyone who takes the time to write me a little blurb about whatever I may be spouting off about on those demon days. I even keep stock (with a tick tock rhythm) of them thru gmail (gosh darn it, I love me do some google sometimes...). I was reading a few in my comments folder and came up with an idea to thank yall for brightening my day and welcoming me into your community...

Its my party and I'll 1999 if I want to-- only those people who have left me a comment previous to this date and leave me a couplet comment in this post will be entered to win the Holz & Stein needles-- a special thank you for everyone who's hung out with me this far. Essentially, yall will be entered into 2 contests-- one for the yarn and one for the needles. You could ostensibly win yarn and needles, but the odds of that are like, math.

And if you're new here and haven't written me a comment before? Don't shed no tears! They can have their diamonds, we'll have our pearls ;) Stick around for joy, oscillate wildly with your hair slicked back and all that jazz... you can still win some rockin yarn just by submitting a couplet.

Sounds good? Good.

Boring details...
1) Winners will be picked at random, so don't sweat the technique. Only those who submit a couplet in the comments will be added to the draw.
2) One entry per person, though you're welcome to keep punching your card and cut loose over there. One comment/couplet is all that's needed if you're a returning commenter in order to win the Holz & Stein needles.
3) I will run the contest til July 23, 2006 so, you have til then to submit your couplet and come back here and post it in the comments to this post.
4) Now if I called you up, do you think you could go spread the word (you'll be free)? Could you blog about my little contest, post about it, use some of that strange magic and tell your friends to come play too-- how many of yall have them? :)

Okay, thats enough begging on bended knee for now.

Have fun, and thanks for making this so fun for me...



*psyched lone ranger isn't cool enough for me!