Tag Archives: protoceratops yarn

Pendulum KAL

Posted on June 27, 2013 by | Comments Off on Pendulum KAL

Instead teaching a knitting class this summer, I opted for something a little more flexible, and a little more inclusive, and a lot more free!

I am hosting a Knit-A-Long with the PFA and I am really excited. It’s going to be pretty relaxed as far as knit-a-longs go. And I’ve already picked out my yarn.

icy sock yarn combo
Protoceratops in First Frost and undyed. The pattern reminds me of something icy and cold, and I think mine might look pretty chilly in these colors.

Please feel free to join us. I expect most of the action to take place in the Potwin Fiber Artisans Ravelry Group and on our facebook page.

Details:

This shawl is appropriate for any level of knitter. We’ll work together to get everyone through it.

You don’t have to be part of the PFA or even local to us to participate. This KAL is open to anyone and everyone.

Cast On date is July 15th and our goal is to have it finished by August 15th (but you don’t have to have it finished by then the participate)

The pattern: pendulum

The supplies:
2 skeins of sock yarn in different colors
Size US 6 circular needles
tapestry needle

It’s as simple as that. Are you in?

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In the Wild

Posted on November 12, 2012 by | Comments Off on In the Wild

I am not sure how many of you know this about me–but despite my inclination toward loud colors, I tend to be a bit shy. It doesn’t help that I am a little claustrophobic in large groups, but even sometimes in manageable situations, I hold back even when I know I shouldn’t.

For instance, last night I went to a high school musical in a small Kansas town with a friend of mine. She had some business there that day, and I was just along for the ride. This friend of mine currently has pink hair. (I am so jealous). We got a some stares. Pink hair in a small Kansas town is somewhat of an anomaly. So, apparently, are Daybreaks. While admittedly my friend’s hair garnered more attention, my Daybreak garnered at least two, prolonged examining stares.


Daybreak in the Wild

I hope it was the Daybreak. I can’t think of any other reason for random women to stare at my neck. On the whole it was a set of triumphant moments for me. I have a lot of fiber arts friends, and I love them, but I only have a couple of fellow Stephanie Pearl-McPhee definition-of-the-word Knitter friends in real life–people who would recognize the Daybreak and say, “Oh my god, I love your Daybreak!” But I had at least two–TWO–stares that said, “Oh my god, I want to talk to you about your knitting, but holy heck I know everyone in this town and you, miss knitter, are a complete stranger!” They were complicated stares, I assure you.

I love spotting hand-knitting in the wild. Yesterday, it was fun to be spotted. I wish these ladies would have stopped and talked. Not only could I have bragged a little bit about how I dyed the yarn myself, but I really love meeting Knitters. Finding kindred spirits out in the wild really is one of the things I like best about knitting–because more often than not, if you see someone wearing a Daybreak (or other pattern-gone-viral) the wearer knit it themselves–and no matter what else, you know you have something in common with that person. So next time, I hope I have the courage to say, “Have you made a Daybreak, too?” when I catch someone’s eyes glued to my neck.

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In the Works Wednesday

Posted on June 6, 2012 by | Comments Off on In the Works Wednesday

I am back to being an evening knitter–which is strange after spending months with a pair of needles (or a pen) in my hand nearly the whole day long. I have been working at the State OFfice building for the last week. Some of you may find this hard to believe, but at 27, this is the first time I have ever working 8-5 in an office. I am not used to sitting down all day. I am used to doing my data entry standing up on computer that is also a cash register. It’s a strange experience.

It has drastically slowed down my knitting production. All other fiber crafts (dyeing, spinning, weaving) have ground to a halt. As much as I enjoy other fiber crafts, I think I must primarily be a knitter. When it comes to decompression, knitting is what I reach for. I spent the last week finishing off my Daybreak. Those rows get really long!

Off the needles, but unblocked. I made the largest size, but bound off a few rows early for fear of running out of yarn. I wasn’t low on yarn, but I didn’t have as much leftover as I thought I would and I was hatching plans for the yarn leftover from this project as I was knitting it, and I will be very sad if I don’t get to do it now.

My Surfer Tee is coming along nicely.

After knitting the yoke, discovering I had been doing the lace repeat incorrectly, ripping it out, and knitting back, I feel like the two weeks worth of work I have done on this shows great progress for just doing a few rows in the evenings. I didn’t get nearly as much knitting done on it as I would have like last night because it took forever to update my etsy shop. I only added a few skeins, but my computer has an over heating problem, and in the heat we’ve been having lately, my little laptop does not stay on very long. Last night I had to sit by the window with the fan in it with my laptop cooler and laptop on my lap. It worked, but it was still slow going. I hope to invest a new computer this fall, which should make all of my work–yarn and writing related–a lot easier to accomplish.

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New Object

Posted on April 29, 2012 by | Comments Off on New Object

This freshly dyed yarn is the start of what I hope to be a very large daybreak.

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Mondays Are For Photography

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Comments Off on Mondays Are For Photography

It has become my Monday morning routine to photograph all the yarns dyed and / or spun in the previous week and post everything to etsy. Every Monday I am astonished at how much work I did over the previous week. Sometimes I forget how much I get done because dyeing and spinning yarn doesn’t really seem like all that much work. I remember all the work on the computer I do (which is a lot) rather than the actually production aspect, so when I pile up the yarn for the photo shoot, I am always satisfied with the stack.


You can’t quite see everything in that photo, but the sock yarn on top is my favorite. I called it dino hide and that as much of the color makes me giggle with joy.

I worry during the week about having enough inventory for the farmers market, but then I look at my apartment overflowing with yarn and fiber, and I get over it. Frankly, I need to get some of this stuff out of here.

Some of the other photos I took this morning:

Handspun local Lincoln yarn


carrot juice sock yarn


ember worsted yarn

And a bonus FO:

Yesterday afternoon I finished Ebbtide. (Raveled here)

This pattern was the most recent Knit-A-Long hosted by the Knit Knit Cafe Podcast. It was actually my first KAL, but was announced right as I was giving in to a shawl-knitting fever. As soon as I saw the pattern, I knew which yarn it had be made out of, and I cast on that same day. The shawl is knit out of my Protoceratops Yarn, which is my absolute favorite. There was just enough yardage to make the larger shawl size (I did bind off one row early.)

I will have Ebbtide on display (not for sale) at my farmers market booth this summer, so if you live in the area, you can stop by and see it in person so that I might enable you further.

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