Stitch Cooperative Party and Book Signing
Who: Some of the coolest folks in knitwear pattern design, including Shannon Okey, Annie Modesitt and Miriam Felton.
What: A party with cupcakes and wine!  Plus the ladies (including me and Libby) will have copies of their books to sign.
When: Thursday, June 10 (TOMORROW!!!) 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: ReFINDesign Workshop, 1122 N. High St, Columbus, OH

Knitters Connection
Who: You!  And bring your friends!
What: A great market for knitters plus an amazing array of classes taught by amazing knitters
When: June 16-19 (hours vary, details here)
Where: Columbus Convention Center

Nikki wins a skein of Studio Sock in VictorianVillage! This neighborhood is one of the first that I encountered on my first trip to Columbus.  I love the big, old homes and the lovely green space.
 

Bridgette wins a skein of Studio Sock in Olde Towne East.  Despite my deep hatred of the letter ‘e’ at the end of words to make them seem old-timey, this neighborhood is one of my favorites in Columbus.  The historic homes and rapidly transitioning demographics make it the neighborhood that reminds me the most of DC.
 

Arthella wins a skein of Studio Sock in Rock Creek Park! While not technically a neighborhood, Rock Creek Park is an unmistakably important DC landmark.  As Kathleen pointed out, it is the largest urban park in the country (more than twice the size of Central Park in NYC).  Not bad for a city that’s only 68 square miles.
 

Winners should expect an email from me today and then yarn in the mail!  I’m enjoying some East Coast time this weekend, mostly with my family.  However, I will be at the Stitch N Pitch Nats game tonight with Fibre Space.  Hope I see you there!

My only problem is naming them.  I always struggle with picking new names for each color.  Which neighborhood best reflects the color?  What do I know about the neighborhood?  So, this time, it’s up to you! Here are closeup shots of each color.

Pinks:

Greens:

Blues:

Next Wednesday, May 19, I will select the new color names from your suggestions.  I will also randomly select three winners to each receive a skein of yarn in one of the new colors.  And here are the rules/instructions for the contest:

• - Go to the comment section and leave your suggestion for neighborhood names for any or all of the colors.
• - Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win.
• - Be sure to mention which color goes with which neighborhood.
• - ONLY Columbus, OH and Washington, DC area neighborhoods are eligible.
• - Don’t worry if someone else has already suggested your neighborhood.  You can still comment with the same suggestion and be entered to win the yarn.

Now, I know that it’s hard to adequately capture colors on computer monitors.  For this reason, folks local to DC or Columbus can go see the yarn in person at Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA or at Wonderknit in Columbus, OH.

So, I’m SO very excited to be vending at Homespun Yarn Party!  This show is completely homegrown and features lots of good vendors from the DC area.  Hope to see you there!

And, an FO that I’ve had finished for a very long time.  The Boneyard Shawl (rav link) modeled by my friend Katie was knit for the wonderful Meaghan of ohmeaghan fame.  Meaghan is one of those people that I met in the months before I left the DC area (along with Becky) who made me sad that I was leaving.  Luckily, these here interwebs make it easier to stay in touch with people, though I do miss out on the opportunity to just hang out and craft. This scarf/shawl thing was supposed to be a Christmas present, but we knitters know how that can go sometimes.  I finally finished knitting it and sent it out to Meaghan and I hope it’s a nice reminder of me in the cold weather!

Gratuitous textural closeups:

Yarn is 1 skein of Studio Worsted in Edgewood colorway knit on size 8 needles.

Here are some of the lovely photos that Laurel at Handknitting took of the silk lace.  Enjoy!

So, until February 15, 2010 at 11:59 pm, 25% of all sales through my Etsy shop will be donated to Oxfam America’s relief effort in Haiti. Oxfam America has 200 people on the ground in Haiti right now working to meet the basic needs of Haitian people (like clean water delivery). To learn more about their work in Haiti, visit their website at http://oxfamamerica.org.

The shop is currently stocked with sock yarn, but I’ll add more stuff as it becomes available.

If you’ve been watching her blog, you might have seen the wonderful write-up that Meaghan gave Neighborhood Fiber Co. yarns.  I met Meaghan this year just before I moved to Columbus.  She’s basically a fixture in the DC crafting community and one of the nicest, most talented people I’ve ever met.  I’m so excited to be a part of the Holiday Sponsorship deal she’s got going on right now.

The bonus of the sponsorship for you readers is that she’s hosting a giveaway! Click on the big pretty graphic above and you can enter to win any number of awesome goodies from some of my favorite crafters including, This Chickadee, Tina Seamonster and more! The yarn from me is 2 skeins of the Studio Worsted in Cooper Circle.  800 yards of yummy merino goodness.

But wait, there’s more!

It’s Wonderknit’s 1st Birthday!  Come on down this Sunday, December 7 at 4:00 for a birthday party.  In addition to awesome sale prices, yummy snacks and good company, there will be door prizes, including some Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock.  Check the blog for full details!

So not one, but two opportunities to win free yarn!  Not bad for a holiday gift.

Long ago I started Ulmus (rav link). Great pattern!  And repetitive but not in a bad way.  Currently it looks like a big orange and purple blog, but soon it’ll be a big squishy shawl of wonder. I’m using the Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in Truxton Circle and an experimental colorway.

I actually managed to finish the Maine Morning Mitts (rav link) from the Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes.  Warm, cozy, and just perfect for these cool fall days.  Fall is one weather thing about Columbus that will not elicit any complaints from me. There is a crispness in the air that we never got in DC and there are lots of pretty leaves!

Pattern: Maine Morning Mitts (rav link)
Author: Clara Parkes
Source: Knitter’s Book of Yarn or Knitter’s Review website
Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns, Andy’s Merino in Deep Pink
Needles: US 7
Mods: I cast on 6 more stitches and then did 3 inches in ribbing before decreasing over the next 2 inches.  Also added little white dog hairs.  As I do to everything I knit.

Also, this scarf.  Knit from the yummy, wonderful, squishy merino that I bought from Folktale Fibers’ booth at Crafty Bastards.  I love the way the yarn transitions through 32 different colors and how soft and buttery the merino is.  I was almost done knitting it before I got off the plane back in Columbus.  I pretty much started knitting it as soon as I got back to my Mom’s house.  The yarn totally knew what it wanted to be.

Pattern: My So-Called Scarf (rav link)
Designer: Allison Isaacs
Source: Sheep in the City website
Yarn: Folktale Fibers Yarnbow
Needles: US 13
Mods: I made it a keyhole scarf because I only had 130 yards.  Also, again, with dog hair.

I’m still not a football fan, but I did finally cave in and give the people what they wanted.

Buckeye colorway, Studio Sock.  It will be available, exclusively at Wonderknit beginning next Monday, October 26.  GO BUCKS!  Or something.

Also, look at me posting two days in a row!