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Well, not everything.  But a lot of things!  I’ve been finalizing moving plans and realizing that I have A LOT of stuff.  Crafty stuff, book stuff, random furniture stuff.  And most of it will not fit in the back of the Honda Fit.

So, this Sunday, June 28th, I’m hosting an Open House/Rummage Sale.  Come on down to Chez NFC to say goodbye to moi and paw through all the yarn, fiber, and general crafty ephemera that I’ve accumulated.  Details are below:

Who: Come one, come all!
What: Karida’s De-Stashing Rummage Sale and Open House
When: Sundya, June 28, 2009 from 12:00 to 8:00 pm
Where: Karida’s house, 3602 Bunker Hill Road, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

In addition to the NFC yarn you’ve seen on my Etsy site, I’ll have for sale a lot of my personal stash (yarns from Karabella, Art Yarns, Rowan and more!), books and some random supplies (paper, glue guns, a sewing machine, etc.).

Even if you don’t need to buy any stuff, come hang out with me and say goodbye.  This will probably be the last time I get to see most of you while I’m living here!  No need to RSVP, this is an open event.  Post any questions in the comments!

Back in October, I wrote up a pattern for Neighborhood Fiber Co’s Walking Tour of DC Sock Club.  The deal with Sock Club is that patterns and colors are exclusive for 6 months.  Well I completely forgot that 6 months has LONG since passed and I could have posted the pattern back in April!  Anyway, here it is!  The free pattern for the Election Season Sock (rav link).

And I just finished the Turtle Tracks Socks for the most recent Sock Club package.  Here’s a photo of the finished sock, and the pattern will be available in October.

Since I set a timeline for moving, I’ve been frantically running around trying to get things done.  Things like packing and cleaning and apartment hunting and general moving madness-type stuff.  At the same time, I’ve been hurrying to do the East Coast things that I’ve taken for granted.  On top of this list is SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY.  Most of my family lives in this area, and I’m pretty much used to seeing them on a weekly basis.  So, when my Mom let me know that she was planning a 5 day trip to her retirement house in the mountains of Western NC, I was instantly jealous.  And then she let me know that my Grandma was going too, and I knew I had to find a way to go too.  Basically, I moved my whole working schedule around and made it work.  It was just the vacation that I needed.  I rested, relaxed, and soaked up lots of family time!  Of course there was also lots of knitting.  I’m really close to finishing my Ishbel (Rav link).

The best part of the vacation was taking a short hike with my Mom and Grandma to see Whitewater Falls.  We also stopped at Fairfield Lake for some pics.  I’ve never seen such lush, green terrain.  We came back on Saturday, and I can’t wait for my next mountain retreat!

Also hit Handmade Mart on Sunday.  Recap and haul to follow tomorrow!

Well, it’s that time.  I’ve planned the last two dye workshops/studio tours that I’ll be able to have in my current location.  These workshops have been lots of fun for me and (hopefully) for the participants!

The last two in this area will be on Sunday, June 7th and Saturday June 20th in my home studio in Mount Rainier.  You can sign up by purchasing either of the workshops listed in the Etsy shop.  Pics below are from past workshops.

The big Neighborhood Fiber Co moving sale is in full swing!  Lots of stuff has been listed in the Etsy shop (http://neighborhoodfiberco.etsy.com), and today I added a TON of laceweight.  Check it out.

I finished my Adamas Shawl (Rav link)! The yarn is Studio Sock and I used about 1.5 skeins.  The color is leftover from the October Walking Tour of DC Sock Club.  I’m so happy with the result!

Photos courtesy of the wonderful Becky who was kind enough to take my pic!

Also, if you haven’t heard, I’m selling off all the yarn and fiber in my studio before I move!  I’ve set up an Etsy shop where you can find lots of discounted Neighborhood Fiber Co. goodies.  I’m adding more stuff every day, so be sure to keep checking in.  Here’s a sampling of what I listed today.

The cat I mean.  It’s out of the bag.  I started telling people over this past weekend at the MD Sheep and Wool Fest (which was AWESOME, btw).  I figured it was time to share the news with everyone else.  Fair warning to anyone who is not interested that the rest of this post is personal life stuff, not yarn related.

After moving into the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington DC 10 years ago, I am finally leaving the area.  This summer, I am moving to Columbus, OH. There are a lot of reasons for the move, both personal and business.  But the overall reason is that it’s time for a chance and I’ve been presented with a wonderful opportunity.

I will still be continuing Neighborhood Fiber Co., and will be dyeing yarn out of a studio in Wonderknit, the most kickass yarn shop in Columbus.  I will also be working with Libby and Karen to bring new and exciting classes and workshops to Wonderknit which is in the adorable Clintonville neighborhood where I will also be living.

I love Washington, DC and no amount of time in Columbus will cure me of feeling like a DC girl, but I’m incredibly excited about embarking on this next great adventure!

And tomorrow I’ll return us to actual yarn-related news.  I even finished binding off the Adamas shawl (Rav link) and should have photos of it!

I came, I saw, I signed books!  And also ate cupcakes and drank lots of wine.  And whisky.  Photos from Knit Happens book party:

More are on Flickr, and they tell the sordid story of cupcakes, booze, and knitting!  Plus a special appearance by Becky of This Chickadee with a lovely apron for moi.

And last week’s big party at Wonderknit in Columbus, OH was a repeat performance of me not taking pictures.  Luckily, Priscilla and her hubby, Mac, were there and they took LOTS of photos.  Go look at the funny one of me and Libby with soap in our boobs. It made drunk sense when we were doing it.

And now, for some rest yarn dyeing time!

Whirlwind week for Neighborhood Fiber Co. included the big book launch party at A Tangled Skein.  Thanks to everyone who came out!  It was great to see Pamela, Kathleen (who also contributed two awesome patterns!), Ava, Lindsay, Cici and Chelette, and everyone else!  And since I was too flustered to take any photos here’s a pic of me signing a book that my mom snapped.  It’s like I’m a real author or something!

If you missed the party at A Tangled Skein there are THREE more opportunities to get the book signed by me in April.

• This Thursday, April 9 from 6pm to 9pm at Wonderknit, Libby’s kickass yarn shop in Columbus, OH.  This is the party with both me and Libby.  We’ll probably be pretty drunk.  I hope all the Columbus-area peeps can come out for a drink and some book talk.  Also, I’ll be doing a Neighborhood Fiber Co. trunk show!  Detail on the Wonderknit site.
• Next Wednesday, April 15 from 6pm to 9pm at Knit Happens in Alexandria, VA.  This party will specifically honor some of the awesome designers that contributed patterns to the book.  Many of these designers are good friends who live in the DC area, and of course, there will be booze!  Plus, I’ve lined up some yummy cupcakes with yarny decoration from The Blushing Bakeshop.
• Saturday, April 25 at The Yarn Barn in Woodbridge, CT. The plans for this trip are still being finalized.  More details to come…

If by some miracle, I haven’t spammed you yet via Facebook or Anyvite, I want to let you know about the book launch party!

Who: You! And anyone else you want to bring who likes beer and/or knitting!
What: Pints and Purls Book Launch Party
When: This Saturday, April 4 @ 5 pm
Where: A Tangled Skein in Hyattsville, MD (google map)

Hope to see you there!  I’ll be the nervous one taking tequila shots!

Sometimes you just need something you can be done with NOW! And knitting isn’t always it. But I love fiber and usually want to play with it somehow. So, here’s what I whipped up while I was deep conditioning my hair. 15 minutes.

It’s soap!  I bought a few yummy bars from Biggs and Featherbelle at Homespun Yarn Party.  This one is the Polar Bar.  I covered it with corriedale that I dyed and felted according to instructions on the Mielke’s Fiber Arts website.  Voila!  Instant scrubby soap combo.  Smells SOOOO good.  I want to make more with some blended colors of corriedale maybe.  Stay tuned.

And I’m chugging along on my current project, the loverly Lemongrass Bolero (rav link).  Behold progress!  It’s almost time for sleeve separation.  Yarn is Studio Worsted and color is something that happened while I was playing around.  Much more violet in person though.

P.S. I’m teaching this bolero as a class for Knit-A-GoGo if anyone is ready to make their first sweater!

So, Homespun Yarn Party was AMAZING!  From a vendor’s point of view, it was well-organized, well-advertised, and overall a dream show.  And from a shopper’s point of view (because I do that too!), it was AWESOME!  There were loads of great vendors and I picked up some sweet products from local folks.  Also, was inspired to actually knit something and finish it!

First up, I realized that I really do love handspun yarn.  And the best way for me to get it is NOT to spin it myself.  So I headed over to the Treadle To The Metal table and picked up this lovely handspun.  The pic doesn’t do it justice.  It’s got pink sparkles and lots of deep purples and fuchia in it.  I’m loving it pretty hard.

And just because I don’t spin, doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy playing with fiber.  So I stopped in at Loop to buy one of Stephanie’s famous batts.  And I’m planning make a felted scarf, probably nuno style.  I might even have enough for a shawl type piece.

And the lovely Mia traded me some handspun that I can’t show you in the skein.  I loved it so much I HAD to start knitting immediately.  Pretty pink seacell/merino top from Creatively Dyed Yarn (Diane rocks!) spun up as a 2-ply worsted-ish weight.  I was inspired by Thischickadee’s lovely Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl and by Stefanie’s endless parade of triangular scarves.  So I cast on for the Comfort Shawl, knowing mine would be more scarf-sized.  It turned out bigger than I expected.  I love it so much and can’t wait to post pics of me wearing it!

Finally, I did a dye workshop this past weekend on Sunday.  Three lovely ladies joined me in my home studio for quiche and sock yarn!  We had so much fun and I was really inspired by the colors the ladies came up with.  Big thanks to Debbie, Debbie, and Brooke!  If you’re interested in taking a dye workshop with me, I am having another on April 19 and you can register online here.

I also bought one of Thischickadee’s stash baskets, which I mailed to a friend before photographing (the green one).  My biggest mistake was not getting one for myself.

And then, I finally wove in the ends of the silk cowl I knit back in November.  And I blocked it.  And it’s drying.  Which makes this post contain not one, but 2 FOs!!!!  Simple pattern that I’ll post soon.  Promises.

Phew!  I’m tired.  How about you?

I hope to see you all at the Homespun Yarn Party next Sunday!  There are going to be TONS of awesome vendors selling yarn, fiber, and loads of other goodies.  I’m pumped about it!

Also, because my online shopping cart continues to outsmart me, I’ve set up an Etsy shop.  You can register for the next Dye Workshop (Sunday, April 19) by purchasing one of the four spaces for sale in the shop.

Hello out there.  So, a lot has happened in the last few months.  New year, new president, and apparently, that “book thing” I talked a lot about is real.  Witness the first advance copy!

Libby and I are super excited about the way it turned out and really happy with it!  And you can’t tell from the photo, but the cover is even water-resistant!  I am still kinda in shock about how all this work actually turned into a real book.

And if you don’t believe me, check it out on the arbiter of all real culture.

Also, I scheduled another dye workshop.  Back by popular demand (at least I like to think so), the next NFC Dye Workshop and Studio Tour will be held on Sunday, March 22.  You can get the details and sign up here.

Things are totally insane over here at Chez Karida/Neighborhood Fiber Co.  I still wanted to post about this Holiday Arts Market that I’m doing tomorrow at Big Bear Cafe.  If you’ll be in the area tomorrow, you should come check it out.