Sheep of a Different Color

I'm moving!

2009-01-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while since I've blogged here last - it seems like Ravelry has taken over blogging! But I have decided to make some changes and start blogging again. I am moving the blog over to wordpress, so make sure to update your blog reader and favorites! You can find me at: http://sheepofadifferentcolor.wordpress.com/

Things are still getting set up over there, but it shouldn't take long. I hope to see you over there!

Etsy and Overstock.com

2008-01-02T21:20:00.001-08:00

So the folks at Overstock.com have decided to go all crafty on us and open an Etsy account under the name "Worldstock".

The rest here I am shamelessly ganking from Violet's (of Lime and Violets) blog because she says it so much better than I can:

According to the Overstock.com agreement to vendors (which they sent to someone they wanted to rip off), they take your item from you and mark it up THREE HUNDRED PERCENT. So those "poor people" they are helping are making something like 30 cents for every dollar they're charging you. Doesn't sound so humanitarian or helpful, does it?

Worse, etsy hasn't deleted this asshat company's account. The items are, under most definitions, handmade, but they aren't being sold *by the artisan*, which was supposed to be in the TOS over there. This creates competition for the eyeballs of all the etsy visitors, which is kind of what etsy was supposed to be about -- having a place where indie folks didn't have to deal with corporate bullshit.

If you are an etsy buyer/seller, PLEASE EMAIL ETSY at abuse@etsy.com. Flag/Report all of worldstock's items. Get the word out there that this is EXACTLY the kind of crap indie people have to deal with elsewhere, and that it's cheapening etsy into a great big garage sale.

Please people, email, email, email! Etsy is for indie artists - not for multi-million dollar corporations. Feel free to copy this to other blogs, email it, get the word out!

Weeeee!!!

2007-12-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

School is over, finals are D-O-N-E.

Last weekend I just kind of sat on the couch, feeling that I should do *something*.. but not sure what. Then it dawned on me.. I could read ANYTHING I wanted, do anything I wanted, without feeling like I needed to do something for school. Justin and I went to the library, where I got books on cookies and bread making.

I have been knitting, too. I finished one of my Monkey Socks:

I love the Risata. But with Christmas coming up, I set the socks aside, and I started a hat for Justin. I am using the Fake Isle Hat pattern, and using Lambs Pride Worsted. The last time I tried this the edge of the hat curled horribly, and I frogged it. So this time I used a size 5US on the ribbing only, and then changed to a 6US for the hat. And I also changed to a 2x2 rib.

I started it yesterday, so I think that's decent progress. Working with the mohair in the yarn makes me itchy sometimes, but it's just a hat, and I'm not gonna be the one wearing it. :-p And it'll make it warmer for Justin.

And speaking of Justin, his birthday was last week. I asked him what type of cake he wanted, and he said "cheesecake". So I kept sending him recipes, and he kept veto-ing them. (Hey, if I put all this work into a cheesecake, I want to make sure he *really* likes it.) And then I stumbled on this Oreo Cheesecake recipe. And it was love at first sight. I made it for him, and it took 2 pounds of cream cheese and a full box of oreos. And it was gone in a weekend. I'm sorry, hips.

Ok, back to knitting.

I just wanna knit.

2007-12-08T19:45:00.001-08:00

Next week is finals week. It has been nuts. I got some work done on the Monkey sock, but I've been writing papers and studying for tests and all that other fun stuff. I have done a little bit of baking though, to keep my sanity.

And today my new baby arrived:

The boyfriend got me a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas. I am so *thrilled*. As soon as it was opened I dove into a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies with it. It's amazing. I'm gonna have to behave myself and study and not just bake. I do want to try bread soon, though, but that would be best left to when I am not so rushed.

I can't wait till next week is over and I can kick back and just knit, guilt free, thinking I should be studying or writing something!

Good times

2007-11-14T12:21:00.001-08:00

I know I've been gone a while, but it's been worth it, I swear. For example:

You may not recognize that woman, but she has impacted your life. That's Sarah Weddington, most known as the woman who was the winning attorney for Roe v Wade. This woman is amazing. I really don't have words. Even though she is known best for her Supreme Court case, she has also played a huge part in women and leadership - she has worked for presidents, changed laws to protect women, and helped to get women into law. She has broken ground and shaken things up. And now she travels the country trying to inspire young women to do the same thing.

And the best thing?

SHE BOUGHT ME POTATO SKINS AT APPLEBEES.

No joke.

She gave a talk at my university. After she did, she signed her book. I was one of the last to leave, since the Students for Choice group had a table set up with info (I'm one of the chair members). On a whim, we asked her for coffee, and she accepted! We went to Applebees (the closest place that was open) and sat around and talked. We talked about feminism, cultural differences, how my boyfriend likes driving a car with feminist bumper stickers, what happened to Jane Roe, and a bunch of other different topics. And she bought us all something to eat and drink. She is an amazing, friendly woman, and I am honored to have sat next to her at Applebees. :-D

But anyways! This is a knitting blog!

I have finished a pair of socks:

You may notice the toes look a bit different. Well, I made these socks making up a pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. Just kinda pieced something together. And somehow, after I grafted off, I noticed that I ended up with 16 grafted off stitches on one toe, and 32 on the other. But when I put them on I can't tell a difference, so I decided not to pick the toe out and start over.

I also got some progress on the Monkey socks.

I love this pattern! And it's obvious I need a pair of sock blockers.. yes, that is a checkbook. But I needed something to stretch out the lace a bit so you can see it in the picture! I'm using the Knitpicks Risata yarn, and I love the way it works up.

Time to check the shortbread in the oven!

Picot is pretty snazzy.

2007-10-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

I started a pair of Cookie A.'s Monkey Socks in Knitpick's Risata last night, and I decided to use a picot cast on. I used this tutorial right here. I wasn't quite sure how it worked at first, so I followed it blindly, and it worked like a charm.

A picture will be forthcoming when my battery is charged.

Forks in the Road

2007-10-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

So this will be a post with little knitting content. But a lot of things have been going on lately, and I thought I would post them here.

So I have been attending college and studying history, but I have been specializing in women's history, and primarily in the history of violence and rape. Not a pleasant topic, by any means.. but one that can't be forgotten, either.

And I am an activist, too. I am active at our local Planned Parenthood, and I am vice-president of the on campus Students for Choice group. So I tend to speak up about things.

The university I go to offers a Masters degree in Women's Studies. And the with that, I could teach at the local community colleges - there are tons around here. And they are clamoring for more diverse courses to be taught.

I thought I would graduate in the spring and work in social work, like at Planned Parenthood or at the YWCA. While I don't have a degree in social work, I have "street experience". And I'm still gaining it. As a social worker, though, you don't make much money.

I had an appointment with a professor, though, who said that she would like to see me get my Masters - and coincidentally, she is also head of the Masters program on campus. She said with that I could also supplement what I make working full time. I won't be making much, but I'll be doing what I love. And getting a teaching position from time to time might help make the ends meet.

So it's been pretty interesting. For a while I thought I was going to be going down one road.. graduating, working, (finally getting a spinning wheel!!!), but then a door opened that might help me grow some more. It's going to take some more thought, but it might be worth it.

WIP's

2007-10-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

School has been kicking my butt, but I have managed to fit SOME knitting in.

This is the Celtic Cable Scarf (PDF). In wonderful Cascade 220. At first I was using a cable needle, but then into the second repeat I decided to see if I could remember and successfully cable without a cable needle, and it's working great.

And here's a somewhat decent picture of the Orchid Lace Scarf. I took about 30 different pictures of it, and this is the one that turned out the best so far - anything with a flash at all causes the Sea Silk colors to look garish and you can't see the lace pattern.

So I've just been working on both of these. Tonight I might pick up a pair of socks that need the heel turned, and get that done.

And Socrates got his nails done!

No, that's not nail polish, that's Soft Paws. Putting them on was really simple - I thought he would get crazy like he does when I'm cutting his nails, but he just sat in my lap and watched me. You just put some of the cat-safe glue they give you in the tip, and slide it on. Socrates has been scratching up the boxspring and the corner of the couch - and he has outsmarted everything so far. We Saran-wrapped the boxspring, and pretty soon he would go UNDER the bed to scratch. For about the first 5 minutes he walked around like something was stuck to his feet - that was pretty funny. But he got used to them pretty fast, with just some licking. But they are all still there and secure, and he can't scratch anymore!

Can I just say...

2007-10-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

That photographing Sea Silk is a bitch? And I have a dark colorway of Sea Silk for my Orchid Lace Scarf, so whenever I try to take a picture it flashes and make the colors look garish. Working with this yarn is interesting.. I like working with wool better, but gee, since I'm allergic, I don't have too much choice. This yarn has very little give, so you have to make sure to keep your stitches even. But it is working up very pretty! I plan to take it outside, or set up lighting so I don't have to use the flash.

I'm only about 2 repeats into the scarf.. knitting has been a little slow. My PMS symptoms decided to show up early, and since its the first period since my ovary removal.. it's been bad, since my estrogen is evening itself out. I've been eating Advil like it's M & M's. (If anyone is doing the math, yes, it's been over a month since the ovary removal.. but I'm on Seasonique, and I only have my cycle once every three months. :-) So I've been reading knitting blogs and going to class, and doing knitting here and there.

Today I planned to stop by Knit On!, my fav LYS, but when I stopped by the bank to cash a check, I realized it was Columbus day, and the banks were closed. So that'll be postponed until tomorrow. I want to knit the Celtic Cable Scarf (PDF) out of Cascade 220, in a nice fall color. Cascade 220 is my savior when it comes to wool.. it's a wool yarn I can make a scarf or a hat out of and actually wear without itching. I guess it's with the way it's made.. I did the "bra test" with a swatch, and it was too itchy, so I guess a sweater is out of the question. But having it for accessories is great, because it's nice and warm, and I do *a lot* of walking on campus this semester.

And since this is such a disjointed post, I'll leave you with one more thing..

My cat in a necktie.

I'm still here!

2007-09-28T19:46:00.001-07:00

I'm still alive, I promise! I had a horrible sinus infection this week, but thanks to a Z-Pack I am getting back up on my feet. I love those things.

Not much knitting.. I am making some progress, slowly but surely, on my Orchid Lace Scarf. And yes, PinkPorcupine, I will have pictures soon. :-D

But I trimmed down the yarn winder a bit, and c'est fini:

You might notice there is no treadle. But looking at the picture, I do notice a cat in the corner :-p. I fiddled with the foot peddle for a while, and finally, just to try it out, I took the attachment I had made for the peddle off the yarn winder and turned it with my hand. That part looks like this:

I just turn it with this (kinda like a ballwinder), and I can get a thing of lace on there in 10 minutes. A whole heck of a lot faster than when I was doing it on the swift! A lot less manpower needed, too. It seems really sturdy. I used a rubber band and put a clip on the end of one of the arm thingies to hold the yarn as I get it started. Works really well, and it really speeds up the process. So I just decided not to mess with the treadle and go the simple route. And it works great!

I <3 my UPS guy

2007-09-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

I ordered my base yarn for the laceweight yesterday. 3 day UPS shipping.

It showed up *this afternoon*.

Awesomeness.

Now I have almost 30 skeins of laceweight to play with, and 2 new colors of dye. I already have yarn soaking, and Justin claimed defeat and said he would stay out of the kitchen and dining room this evening. (Both rooms are incredibly small, and it's hard for 2 people to be in them at once.. sad, eh?) He can't stand the smell of wet wool, so the fan is in the window and the pots are on the stove.

Ladies and Gents, it is time to dye.

My Fall TV Line Up

2007-09-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

I noticed a number of knit-bloggers are blogging about what they watch for fall TV. And I thought I would write some stuff, too.

But we don't have a TV.

Well, I lied. We have a TV, but it's a small 13 inch TV with rabbit ears that we got from my parents for emergencies.. and to watch Lost. And it hasn't been on in months.. well, since the Season Finale of Lost. And it probably won't be on until the Season Premiere of Lost, or god forbid, there is an emergency where we need it.

Life without TV is interesting. I used to be hopelessly addicted. I never thought I could live without it. One of the first questions we get from visitors is "But where is your television?!?" Our living room set up is nice and cozy, with a stereo, the iPod speakers, bookcases, Justin's music stuff, the couches, etc.

We just kind of made the decision without any thought. You see, if we both worked full time and had the money for a nice flat screen and 5000 channels, you bet your ass we would have TV. HBO, Showtime, etc. But we don't both work (I go to school full time), and money isn't flowing freely in. And when you are stuck with 4 channels, and most of them mainstream media (which we both loathe), we just didn't watch it. We keep up on the shows we want to watch (Weeds, etc) using online TV sources. No commercials, no media. It's great.

I listen to NPR all.the.time. It's always on in the background, so if something is going on, I hear about it. When I knit, I usually watch something on the laptop, listen to a podcast, or listen to NPR, or Justin when he is playing guitar (he will play 2-4 hours a night.)

So when Lost comes back on, we watch it approximately an hour a week. Because we are HUGE Lost dorks. And my boyfriend *hates* when I tell people this, but when they mention a book on there, he runs out and gets it and reads it. THAT'S how much we are into it. We originally started watching it when we rented the first season from the library, and when we caught up we realized we should get a TV.

It really brings a new element into things, and I like it. I actually get more knitting done, more reading done, a little more of everything. I'm not exactly sure what we will do when we have money for a TV with all the frills, but it will be interesting to see.

We have power! (Well, treadle power.)

2007-09-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

So as you can see, I have made some changes. I took the circumference down some, and I added washers, and a lot of super glue. And foot power.

So this is what the turning mechanism looks like now. I found all of this at Home Depot.. just kinda wandering the aisles. I used 3/4 inch PVC and where I needed to put a nut to hold something in place I would put a nut, some superglue, and then another nut, just to secure it. This will be turning, a lot, so I want to make sure everything is sturdy. The long screw that everything is on is just a 40cent 6 inch carriage screw.

The long rope thing is vinyl covered metal wire that I will attach to a foot treadle that I am making now - out of a metal hinge and plywood. The bottom of the skein winder needs more weight, but truth be told, I will probably end up just putting some books on it.

All in all I have spent $33 on all the supplies. And I think that is all I will need, and it is working well. If the treadle part doesn't work, I will at least have a nice hand-turnable skein winder for my lace yarn. And, being that I am going to place a huge order for that this week, I need it :-D

And I wanted to mention: feel free to blatantly rip this skein winder off. Feel free to print my pictures and take them to Home Depot or Lowe's. Feel free to email me with questions. If you want more pictures, let me know. This was pretty simple to put together, and would have been cheaper if I wasn't going to make it foot-powered - but with the amount of yarn I skein, I need to give my arms a break :-p.

And re: comments.. school has been SUPER busy, so if I haven't been answering your comments, I am so sorry! With trying to keep up on the business and keeping up on school, things have been crazy. I promise to catch up soon. :-)

Give me a Dremel and I turn into a MANIAC.

2007-09-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

So my wooden swift that I bought off of JoAnn.com last spring has been dieing a slow, agonizing death for a few months. I have remade the center shaft, and done various over things to fix it, but with dyeing laceweight it is pretty obvious it was not made to wind 1760 yard hanks of yarn.

So I knew I had to come up with something. I didn't like any of the skeinwinders I saw online, because I needed a large width. And I don't have a huge amount of money to spend, so I decided to see if I could make one myself.

And the thing is, I was raised redneck. You give me enough PVC piping and a Dremel, and I can make anything.

So I decided to try it. I was definitely winging it. The boyfriend and I went to Home Depot today, and with the plans I laid out in my head I got what I thought I needed. The total for the parts came out to just under $12. And I made sure to get an extra 12 foot section of PVC pipe so I had plenty of room to play around with.

After we got home I fired up the Dremel. All went well, and I have the general bulk of it together. What I do need to do, though, is stabilize the turning point with washers. So tomorrow I plan to go to Home Depot and get washers and see how that works.

The skeinwinder:

The circumference of it needs to be taken down a bit, but I wanted to get into the shower (the dust from the PVC was EVERYWHERE and it was itchy), so that can be done tomorrow after I stabilize it.

And this is the "turning point".. where I need to put the washers. To be precise, I need to put one in front of the nut. And a couple where the PVC hit each other. And ignore the pink tank top, it was hard to get a picture :-p But the construction is relatively simple.

And did I mention the plastic dust got EVERYWHERE? I had to take a shower, and even the cat wasn't immune:

I fully expect this to be a work in progress, and to work out the kinks as they show up. But the pieces are relatively cheap, and with the Dremel I can do all the work myself. If I can, I would love over time to turn this into a treadle powered skeinwinder, so I can pump it with my foot instead of having to use my arm!

Potholder

2007-09-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

So tonight I just made a simple pot holder from that fat quarter I picked up from JoAnns.. it's evident I am *not* good at binding, and that I'll need some more practice. Its just made with 2 layers of cotton batting. But it was a good taste at working with fabric and batting, and what binding consists of. And how much practice I'll need :-D

JoAnns is evil.

2007-09-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe not. But even though they don't carry much in the way of awesome fabric, they do carry some good stuff. And I tend to have a weakness for them and the 40% off coupons. Ok, a big weakness for them. And they handed out fliers with a bunch of coupons on them, and I had TWO of them.

So I got a yard of each of these. I know, I have a thing for the cherry print. But on the pink its so cute! And the cats.. its black cat, on pink. How could I not turn that down?

These are both fat quarters. With the coupon, they were like 80 cents a piece. The one on the right is going to be a pot holder or two. The one on the left was just intriguing. The gold is actual metallic gold, and very pretty.

This cherry print I got a couple weeks ago, but I am going to make this purse out of it. I finally just now got all the notions and whatnot for it.. finding a magnetic snap was damn near impossible. But I got red piping and red lining, and it should be cute.

I didn't get much else at JoAnns, other than some thread.. I had to get craft thread because the boyfriend has been popping buttons off of his clothing, and regular sewing thread is not cutting it. I tell you, it's like living with a kid sometimes. With him and that cat, how did I end up living with two smelly, rough-housing, stinky boys?

I did swing by Hobby Lobby, too. They have Sugar n Cream on sale, and I wanted to see if they had the new Stripes. I know, my SnC stash goes beyond SABLE.. I think I have over 150 balls of it and 5 or 6 cones. A ton of that I got during the Amazon misprice, but I have really been coveting the Stripes. And alas, they had 8 out of 9 colors, and I picked up one of each. Im working on a dishcloth using the Lizard Ridge pattern, so having this new yarn will hopefully give me the ambition to hurry up and get it done!

Drive by post

2007-09-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

So I have been working on the Orchid Lace Scarf in Sea Silk. On my Denise circulars. And it wasn't going so well.. I needed better points on the needles. But being a poor college kid, and already having the Denise set and tons of add-ons I have bought for it, I didn't want to invest in Addi Lace needles in a size 6. I know most lace projects are on size 5, etc. So at the LYS I picked up a set of Bryspun circs - size 6, 29 inches, for $6. And the needles are GREAT. I frogged the project since I was only 6 rows in, and it is looking so much better and even. The concave tips work like a charm.

Most of the lace projects I want to knit in my Ravelry queue are knit on size 5's, so I will probably invest in a pair of Addi Turbo Lace needles. But I like knitting with "warm" needles, like wood and bamboo and the Denise. And who knows, if this goes well enough, I just might pick up size 5's in Bryspun.

Lace and quilting

2007-09-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

So the laceweight is coming along well.. heres a couple pics:

So far, so good. I posted the gold one on Etsy and it sold within the hour.. the burgundy I just listed tonight. I *love* the colors, though, and wish I could keep them for myself. :-p

So I bought these 5 fat quarters in a set from JoAnns (It was only $5.24 with a coupon!). I want to make an autumn type wall-hanging or mini quilt to hang on the wall. But I cannot find a pattern that I like, that would allow me to use the 2 big prints. Any ideas? Thoughts? Recommendations?

Things I Learned From a Pencil Bag

2007-09-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

1. I can put in a zipper.
2. Not very well.
3. Next time I need a pencil bag, I might just buy one because of said zipper and the wrestling with it.

But now I have a pencil bag to hold the various items I need for class. I found this fat quarter on sale at JoAnns, and today I was able to pick up that dreaded zipper. But the bag is cute, and overall I am pretty happy with it. It was good practice, too.

A Side Step

2007-09-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Usually I leave my politics way out of this blog. This is my neutral territory.. knitting. And crafting. I am very politically active, and it takes up a lot of my time. It stresses me out, gets me angry, keeps me busy. At times it can be a complete emotional rollercoaster and I have tended to keep this blog as my political free-zone so I could have a calm, peaceful haven. It's knitting. There's nothing like just closing the whole world behind you after a day of extremely emotionally charged activism and taking up the needles and knitting.

But I am going to pause that neutrality for a second.

The other day I was at Half Price Books and I was in the Women's Studies section, and I happened across a book called Back Rooms: Voices from the Illegal Abortion Era. It was rather inexpensive, and they were having a sale, so I picked it up.

I have a rather extensive Women's Studies library, both here at the apartment and at my parents. I am always on the lookout for new viewpoints, ideas, thoughts. Pro-life, pro-choice, it doesn't matter. If you have an idea, bring it on. But after a while the same thoughts and ideas keep coming up. It's the same old stuff.

This book is like nothing I have encountered before. It is chilling. If you are pro-choice, you need to read it. If you a pro-life, you need to read it. If you are undecided, you need to read it. This book is a set of oral histories from women who either obtained abortions before it was legal or had a child long before they were ready, either because the abortion didn't work or they couldn't obtain one. The kitchen table and coat hangers you always hear about? These women *lived* it. Their stories need to be heard. I have never run across this book before, but this is something that needs to be out there more.

This book is haunting, chilling, educational, and most of all, oral history. From women. We can't forget the women who came before us, plowed through to make paths for us, and tread in waters that most of us have not. Hopefully they won't be silenced and forgotten.

Squee!

2007-08-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

Very good mail day!

First off, I got a TON of lace weight to dye. I have some new techniques that I want to try - this ought to be interesting. So I am either going to be posting a long line of expletives because I ruined a bunch of laceweight or post in triumph because my technique worked.

I also came home to a huge box of roving on the front porch. You can bet you the stock pots are already fired up and boiling. I have BFL, Merino, and superwash Merino. Yay!

And also, I decided to try some Knitpicks Risata. I have a tried and tested allergy to sheep/wool, but I can usually get away with wearing blends in sock yarn and scarves, etc. if the blend is under 50% wool. And Risata comes in at 39%. The main complaint I heard about this yarn was the colors - people wanted brighter colors. Noooo! I am so sick of finding cotton yarns in bright, neon colors. I am so happy to find a sock yarn in subtle, dark, colors. The yarn itself is very soft and squishy. Right now I see the only problem being the yarn might be a little splitty due to its construction - but I can't vouch for that right now, as I haven't knit with it yet. I cannot wait to cast on for a pair of Monkeys for this - I have been stuck with knitting with stuff like Sockotta, and I can't knit anything with a pattern to it! I am curious to see how this wears.

Anyways, I am going to get back to dyeing, so I will leave you with a picture of my quilt that I am working on. I laid it out perfectly, all seams like I wanted it, and someone thought it would be fun to play (note the purple mouse):

Ravelry!

2007-08-23T19:00:00.001-07:00

I am now on Ravelry!! I am ColorfulSheep - be sure to friend me!

More fabric stash enhancement

2007-08-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

See, when I moved from my parents to my boyfriends, I noticed that my mom had manged to pilfer most of my fabric stash into hers. Especially with the printed cottons. So over the last few days, as I have been out and about, I have kinda beefed up my printed cotton stash.

I got this at a Local Quilting Store (LQS! Just like LYS! Hee!) The one on the right didn't photograph to well, but it's the cutest print, cherries on yellow. I'll probably make a headband and whatever else out of it. And the one on the left is actually for my boyfriend, who likes monkeys. I know I am going to make the luggage tag for him since he travels for work, but I'm not sure what else I'm going to make out of it yet.

When I was at Walmart today, I found some of the cutest prints. I rarely go to Walmart, so who knew!

Another cherry print, which I find so cute, and 2 that I found on the $2 table.

And I thought this cat print was so adorable! And matching!

And this embroidered linen is gorgeous - the flash kinda washed it out. But I got 2 yards, on clearance for $3 each. This is definitely going to go into a skirt or top or something fun.

I also stopped by Half Price books and got a book on sewing techniques, and it has an awesome section on quilting. And tonight I'll have time to sew, since the boyfriend will be over at a friends. Woooo!

First outing

2007-08-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

So I got out to JoAnn fabrics today. The one near me doesn't seem to have much along the lines of cute fabrics, but I did pick up a few fat quarters that were on sale:

And I also got a yard of each of these, which were on sale for $1.49 each:

I also picked up some buttons that were .25c a card, and a quilting ruler that I used my 40% off coupon on.

The boyfriend and I then ate at Panera, but then by that time I was getting pretty tired and sore, and I came back here and zonked out for 2 solid hours. I want to sew, but my tummy is pretty sore where the incisions are, so I sorted out my button containers and I'm just going to wait until tomorrow after a good nights sleep. I'll probably work on the quilt a bit more, and probably a pin cushion or two.

Tutorials

2007-08-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Since I am stuck in bed and can't sew, I have been scouring the internet for tutorials stuff to make once I am back up and running. I am just going to post my favorites here, and maybe someone will like them, too. The majority will probably come from Craftster, which has an awesome list of tutes.

Tote bags/purses/etc:
TUTORIAL: Singlet Style Shopping Bag (like the plastic shopping bag)
tiny happy: shoulder bag tutorial
Tutorial: Jordy Bag - Square Bottomed Lined Bag
Tutorial: Reversible tote bag
Zip Top Tote Tute
Tutorial: Pleated tote bag made from vintage fabric. (Picture heavy)
Tutorial: Cosmetic Bag - with link to another TUTE !!
TUTORIAL: Straight Sided Triangular Cosmetic Bag
creative little daisy: Basic Purse Tutorial
The Monkey Basket: Basket Purse

Pincushions:
my little mochi: Pincushion Tutoria l
needle book: Wrist pincushion
whipup.net

iPod Cozy:
julieree: iPod cozy tutorial

A crochet hook case:
Crafty Daisies » Blog Archive » Crochet Hook Case

House stuff:
Curtains in an Evening - SavvySeams.com
quilted coasters for lou on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
My Longest Year: oven mitt tutorial

Sans Ovary

2007-08-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

So I apologize for the blog break this past week.. early this week my Mom got put into the hospital for severe abdominal pain, and they still can't figure out what's wrong with her. They have run a ton of tests, too, and they are still running more.

And to top it off, I had surgery myself this morning, but this one was scheduled. I had to have an ovary removed due to a cyst that was in the ovary and not making it a happy camper. Right now the boyfriend is being a great nurse, and I'm making sure to stay ahead of the pain. I look to get some knitting in once the anesthesia wears off, and the boyfriend said once I feel good enough he would drive me to JoAnns (it's close, it would be a good "first outing"). Awww! Plus I got a sock done, and I have a couple of recipes to post, so I have a couple of hefty updates coming up.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Fabric!

2007-08-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

So today I made a small stop by JoAnn fabrics. At my parents house I had a fabric room.. here living in a small apartment in downtown Cincinnati.. not so much.

So I got fabric to make this headband:

I really like the 2 fabrics on the right. The red is pretty much something to start with, and I look good in that tone of red, and it looks good next to my brown hair. But I bought a quarter yard of each fabric, and the fabric was 30% off.. so I paid around $1 a yard, I believe.

And I can't leave batik fabric alone. Especially when it's on sale.

I want to learn how to quilt. So I am going to use these guidelines here and see where it takes me. I got a yard of each, and those are going to be the main blocks. I have attempted quilting before, but didn't attempt to learn any true technique, so my final project was pretty crappy in the end. When I finish the main piece, Ill take it to the fabric store and get something for edging.

Cupcakes are good.

2007-08-05T18:12:00.001-07:00

I spent all day yesterday revamping the blog layout - so if you read this on bloglines, make sure to make a stop by and check things out!

So I've just been plodding along on the plain vanilla socks. But I do have a recipe to share with y'all.. it's a cupcake that I made last week. Now, unfortunately, they were gone before I could snap any pictures. But they were so good!

Mocha Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup cold brewed coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, coffee, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; mix well.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.
-

And since I managed to have over 2 pounds of chocolate chips on hand, I threw some of those in, too. I skipped the icing since the chocolate chips in the cupcake gave it that extra sweetness that the icing does. This recipe is one that is definately in my "keeper" files.

Great new blog!

2007-07-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Lime and Violet have a great new blog up called The Daily Chum. It's already great, so it's definately worth checking out.

Socks! And new shiney cooking things

2007-07-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

So I finally restarted a pair of socks that I had been long ignoring. I started the heel flap, and I finally started to write down the pattern for it. I usually make it up as I go along - it's just a 64 stitch, simple, vanilla sock. But instead of hunting down little tidbits I forget here and there, I figured I should write things down this time around. The yarn is Sockotta.. Im not sure of the color name.

And today the boyfriend and I went to a mall that had a Corelle/Revere Ware outlet. The prices in the store were great anyways.. but on top of that, everything was 40% off. So I ended up getting these goodies:

For $6.

That's a Revere Ware Measuring Cup and Spoon set, a sifter, and a tea ball. For $6. And they had so much more, but I behaved myself. :-D From what I can find online, that measuring cup set sells for between $10-$20 alone. But it was nice to get rid of the cheap plastic set and hang up the nice looking metal ones.

Wooo! Getting back into the groove.

2007-07-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

It feels good to be getting back into the groove of things again!

I've been baking some. Cupcakes on Sunday, Muffins yesterday. I'm at the point where they aren't pretty, but they sure do taste good, if I can say so myself :-D

The cupcakes on Sunday were a simple yellow recipe with hint of vanilla. I didn't have the stuff on hand do make an icing, so I had to cheat and use a canned icing. I sprinkled sweetened cocoa powder on top.

And they were sooooo good. I ended up eating way to many of these.

And yesterday I made muffins using the To Die for Blueberry Muffins recipe. The topping REALLY makes the muffins good, and they are really light and fluffy. But, the topping also makes it hard to get the muffins out of the muffin pan in one piece, as you can see.. although I had already taken a bite :-D

This is a really good recipe to try, and its pretty easy, too. Perhaps next time Ill just use more Pam when I grease the pan.

Im also knitting one of these purses. Knitting from a non-American pattern is interesting, they don't hold your hand like American patterns do. But I like it so far. I'm not far enough to post a WIP pic yet, but I should be soon.

Normalcy? Normalcy.

2007-07-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

So some normalcy is returning to life.

I got an upper GI on Wednesday, which was.. ugh. It also took 5 hours, because the barium didn't want to pass through my bowels none too fast. But, it's giving I'm finding out what I've been wanting to find out - answers. I got to see the pictures from it, and they were pretty cool.

Still not much knitting, but I am getting back into the dyeing groove of things, which is good. With a Dremel (gods, I love those things) and a 5/8 inch dowel I fixed my yarn swift by replacing the center shaft. So I have been winding cotton yarn to dye.

You might also see some recipes starting to pop up on here.. I've actually been trying my hand at cooking lately. It's been hit and miss. Tonight there was a hit and a miss.. the terakopita (greek cheese pies) was a BIG hit, but the Chicken Couscous was a hit with me but not with the boyfriend. I've done a couple other things, like lemon chicken and making my own croutons. I've also started growing my own herbs, which I love doing.. I have quite a window herb garden going. I want to try some cupcakes and muffins, too. So I've been playing around.. it's gonna be fun to see where this goes.

So I'm aiming to be a little more consistent here, because my life is getting a little more back to normal.

Chiengora

2007-07-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

So my parents have 4 pomeranians, and I have always wanted to try and spin their fur. So the last time my little sister shaved them down for summer, she put all their fur in a bag, and last time she came to visit she brought it with her.

Here's a reminder: just because its OFF the dog does not mean wet dog fur does not smell like wet dog.

I just washed Peanut's.. erm.. "fleece." Peanut is my baby. He's about 11, and the oldest of the bunch. Then there is Blackie, Buddy, and Mr. Priss. (Don't ask about him, he's rather neurotic. He was supposed to be a showdog, but one testicle didn't drop. They said Hitler had one testicle. We tend to compare the two.)

So Peanut's fur is drying in the sink. I think I'm going to combine all the fur and spin one skein. And I don't plan on knitting anything out of it.. it's just going to be a momento. Because those 4 boys are quite a herd.

Hard Times

2007-07-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

It's been kinda hard around here lately, folks.

I haven't been able to work because of the medical stuff and me being ill.

And because I got all incompletes last semester, the university let me know that they sent a $1000 check back in financial aid.

I now owe them $1700 for last semester.

I have been denied private loans due to my lack of good credit.

If I can't come up with $1700, I lose my health insurance.

So you see my predicament.

With most of the country in a heat wave, the Etsy shop is slow at best. I need a cosigner for a private loan, and I don't have one. So I am not quite sure what I am going to do quite yet. The stress is really, really getting to me.

Keepin' Up

2007-07-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Boy, I tell you what, you can tell 24 year olds aren't supposed to be sick.

I've been busy now trying to get the paperwork straight for school. Getting everything figured out for my incompletes last semester and my loan information is like a full time job. Plus, I hear most of the country is in a heat wave, so sales in the Etsy shop has understandably come to a standstill.

I have been doing a little bit of knitting, the Dream Swatch Pattern (PDF) from Knit and Tonic. It makes a really pretty head scarf, and I'm doing it out of the Bernat Cool Crochet in the Blue ombre color.

We are getting things figured out with my illness, though, and it has been quite a journey. The more detailed CT scan results came in, and it looks like that might have some more answers, too. I appreciate everyones well wishes and thoughts, they have been a help!

2007-06-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
ColorfulSheep

I updated the Etsy shop - be sure to check it out!

My absence

2007-06-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

There is a reason, my gentle readers, why I have been gone for a bit.

I have had fibromyalgia for a couple of years. I am 24 years old, and I get the pleasure of getting kicked off my fathers insurance when I turn 25 (and his insurance happens to be halfway decent.)

For a while I have had an inkling that I don't have fibromyalgia. I just couldn't shake that thought. None of the medications were working, I was always in pain, and I was pretty much just in existance mode. I would medicate myself up on pain killers to get through the day, and I was barely getting through school, much less working. For 24 years old, I wasn't doing much.

So I started going to doctors. And if I felt that the doctor wasn't giving me the attention that I felt that I needed, wasn't running the right tests, or wasn't listening - I crossed him/her off the list and went to a new one. I went to different types of doctors - general physicians, internists, rheumatologists. I milked my Dad's insurance for all it was worth. I was SICK of being sick.

And wouldn't you know - after a few doctors - I found a GREAT one. And HE FOUND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG.

It was my adreanal glands. They produce to much cortisol. And for your body, that's not a good thing. So for the past few weeks/month, I have been going to doctors, getting tests done, etc. On Monday, I go to an endocrinologist, and this past Friday I had a CAT scan done. They are zeroing in on what is wrong. So it's NOT fibromyalgia, and what it is is treatable. Right now it's just a matter of zeroing in on the particulars and finding a route for treatment.

So I have neglected the blog, but it's been for a really good thing. When they diagnose you with fibromyalgia, that's not a good thing. They don't know what causes it, how to cure it, and they really don't know how to treat it. A lot of doctors dont even think it exists. So by them finding out that it was an over production of cortisol is a GREAT thing. It can be treated, and I can possibly be a healthy, working, going-to-school 24 year old. :-)

I'll be back before long, and if there are any big changes I'll be sure to update the blog. And be sure to check out the Etsy shop - I just posted a bunch of roving and spindles there last week!

I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying summer!

Help out MS!

2007-05-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend who is also a knitter, she's over here.

Anyways, her son is doing a readathon for MS, and his Fundraising Homepage is here. While his goal of $1000 is pretty ambitious, I've been told by Natasha that he get's estatic for every donation that comes in, no matter how big or small, so even if you can manage $5 he would be thrilled. And it all goes to help MS. Your help would be GREATLY appreciated, twofold - by a very happy 5 year old, and by those suffering this disease.

Long overdue update!

2007-05-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

Boy, I've been away for a while! I've been trying to get in to see an endocrinologist, but my general physician wouldn't give me a referral.. it's a long, drawn out story. The good news is that I get to see an endo on June 4th. And, possibly a new general physician here soon :-p Medical stuff is always fun to deal with.

Here's the Harry Potter scarf finally! The yarn used was Claret and Gold Red Heart. My sister told me it's been worn MANY a time, so I don't doubt it's going to see alot of use.

I have also been working on dyeing roving for the shop, so make sure to check out my Etsy store.

I haven't been knitting much because I've been practicing my drafting on the Charkha wheel and dyeing yarn and roving and dealing with the medical stuff. Hopefully soon I can get started on a new project, though.

Oh, and I was tagged mutiple times for the 7 weird facts meme. So here it is:

1. My favorite meal is the ravioli you can get at Meijer (the name brand, not the store brand.. I've tried the store brand, and I just don't like the cheese they put in it) and to heat it up, and to eat it.. plain, with no sauce.

2. I drive a $200 mini-van. I love that van, it's treated me better than any other car I have driven. Its a 1989 Plymouth Voyager, and it's covered in feminist bumper stickers.

3. Expounding on #2 a bit, I'm very politically active. I am actually president of my colleges pro-choice organization, I have a feminist blog, I do alot for sexual assualt awareness, and we are working to get a crisis center on campus.

4. I used to be country through-and-through, until I moved in with my boyfriend. Now I'm turning into a city girl, and I appreciate having everything within 15 minutes. LYS (2 miles), grocery stores (5 miles), the post office (2 blocks), friends houses, you name it. Especially when gas is over $3.50 a gallon. When I lived with my parents, the LYS was 50 minutes away.

6. Even though we rent an apartment in an older house (and it's kinda the landlords position to do it), a neighbor and I planted flowers all around the building this spring. Last year nothing was planted and it looked kinda dreary. We just put plants all around that are really hardy, and I put a ton of morning glory seeds down. It looks alot better this year.

7. I have a betta fish named Kurt Vonnegut. Socrates (the cat) keeps trying to get to Kurt, but he can't since Kurt is on a 6 ft bookcase. But I keep insisting that Socrates cannot eat Kurt Vonnegut because that would forever change history.

And I'm not going to tag anyone, since everyone I know has already been tagged :-D So if you haven't done it, do it!

Spinning

2007-05-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

So I've been pretty busy spinning lately. Working on drafting more evenly, and not overspinning.

This pretty much came out to a finering weight. It's a nice, soft merino.

Since I was getting pretty confident in my spinning, I decided to dye a few ounces of the merino so I could actually start spinning with some color.

Here's a couple snapshots of the yarn I've been working on from the roving, which is a fingering weight. The colors are working into a really pretty combination.

Shop update, scarf done

2007-05-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

I was able to get some more colors up in the shop webpage today. Tomorrow I will be getting the printer cartridges refilled, so I will be designing actual yarn labels - so we will be taking a step from price tags to yarn labels, yay!

And I made the Harry Potter scarf move from a WIP to a FO, but the recipient was so happy with it she took it and ran off with it before I was able to snap a picture of it. Hopefully soon I can snap a picture of her wearing the scarf. I also started working on some thread crochet - I'll try to get some pictures of that up soon!

My venture into Harry Potter

2007-05-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

I sent this picture to my little sister tonight, and received high praise. I am using Red Heart Claret and Gold, and the colors are spot on. Apparently she's going to some sort of Harry Potter concert (they have those?) so she needs it by next weekend, so I thought I better get started.

My Wool Allergy

2007-05-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

So let me tell you about my wool allergy.

"But Sarah!" You might be saying. "You knit with wool!"

Why yes I do.

Luckily, in the scheme of things, my wool allergy isn't too severe. If I didn't see the welt on my arm during the allergy testing, I might even say it was a severe intolerance. Being allergic to wool and being a knitter is a very sucky thing - wool is awesome. It felts, blocks, spins. It does a lot. It's a very versatile fiber.

It's taken some experimentation. I've found that I can usually wear scarves and such - not tucked in my coat right next to my neck - if they are of a blend. But amazingly, Cascade 220 is made in a way it does not bother me. I can wear it tucked into my coat, and it doesn't itch or cause hives.

Anything that blooms - mohair, etc - is waaaaay out of of the question for me to wear. I'm knitting Justin a hat right now out of Lamb's Pride, and it's pretty tough to knit with. But it makes a great, sturdy hat that will keep him warm.

I'm allergic to a lot of things - mold, trees, cats, dogs, goats, rabbits - but that didn't really stop me. Growing up, we had alot of animals, and I raised rabbits, and at one time I had 90 of them. We had dogs, cats, horses, birds, ferrets, goats - you learn how to avoid irritating the allergies, and not how to live in a bubble. So instead of avoiding wool altogether, you learn how to knit with it.

Alpaca yarn, anyone?

2007-05-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

So I was planning to make a scarf out of this. But it's 100% Alpaca, and with the wool allergy I just don't think I can pull it off, I need to deal with at least a blend. I went through a little bit of a denial period, you see. :-)

This stuff is great. Here's a pic of the label. It's a fingering/DK weight, with LOTS of yardage.

And it is SO soft. I mean, baby soft. And believe it or not, it came off the animal in JANUARY, and was spun, and it is here now. In its natural color.

This stuff is awesome. I hate to get rid of it, but I need to do some stash busting and get some stuff I can use. I paid $28 for it, but Ill send it to you for $25 ppd. Email me at swallerATgmail.com if your interested - this stuff would be great for just about anything, and there is enough yardage you could make a number of things out of it.

Busy Busy Busy

2007-04-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

It's been quite busy the past few days. I made the crocheted Swiffer pattern, but then it was brought to my attention from more than a few knitters that they *might* appreciate a simple knitted Swiffer cover, too. Well, that night I sat down and went ahead and drafted out a simple knitted Swiffer cover pattern that is like the crocheted pattern. It is easy to churn out a couple in a night, you can easily use up SnC scraps, and you don't feel bad throwing it away when it's past it's prime.

And then this morning I decided to stop putting off the inevitable. When I first made the webpage, I had started a simple layout. I didn't think I would be putting up so much information, patterns, etc. I new the webpage needed an overhaul, but alot of times that takes alot of work, time, and hairpulling. And after getting up this morning, I decided to stop procrastinating and went ahead and did it. So make sure to stop by and take a look, because the new layout is roomier, easier to navigate, and alot easier on the eyes. In the upper right hand corner, in the banner, I plan to get a collage or such of yarns that I have dyed. That's about the only thing that's lacking so far. It took most of the day, but I'm happy it's pretty much done!

Just to make it easy, the webpage is over here.

New Pattern Up

2007-04-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

I just posted a new (free!) pattern up, for a reusable Swiffer cover. It's great for using up cotton scraps, too. I've made about a dozen of these, and I keep them in rotation in the clean and dirty laundry. I use them both wet for mopping and dry for getting dust and cat hair off the floor.

Reusable Swiffer Cover Pattern

New Yarns Posted!

2007-04-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I spent most of the day skeining yarn and updating the dishcloth portions of the webpage.

There's a little peek at a new color I dyed.. it was tough not to keep it for myself!

WIP's

2007-04-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Just a quick WIP post.

This is the Fake Isle Hat. I started it this week for Justin, my boyfriend, but last night, just as I was getting into the swing of things, my Denise cord broke! So I hopped on the webpage and ordered more.. I had been needing some more, and didn't feel like going through the hassle of sending some back, so I just ordered a few more short cords. So right now its hanging out on a longer cord. I should get the cords tomorrow or Friday, and then I can start it again. The scissors are to hold it flat for the pic :-D

Today, while waiting around for medical tests, I cast on and started a pair of socks. Typical 64 st plain socks, from Sockotta. Not to pic-worthy yet, but Ill be sure to post some when some progress is made.

And I think I am up to 160 some stitches on the Forest Canopy shawl. I think I add a border at around 195, I believe. I'll have to see.. but its coming along well, and it's very mistake-forgiving.

And soon I need to start a Harry Potter Scarf for my little sister. I've never read a book or seen a movie of it, but my sister dearly loves it. So I was able to find the colors, luckily in Red Heart (so it can be trampled, washed, tugged, and easily replaced, if need be.. she does alot with horses). So soon, as soon as the right size needles are free of their current project, the scarf will be cast on.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my version of Knitty's Twiggy Tweed. I really liked this pattern, and I needed a spring purse. But I couldn't see using an unfelted wool, I want something machine washable, and the size was just a touch too small. So I went with Bernat Softee Chunky, in dark blue for the main part and bright blue for the accents. It's not the funnest to knit with, but it's knitting up a bit bigger (which should be a perfect size) and it should be a bit more "beat-up-able".

New Dishcloth Pattern Up, and new Solids Line

2007-04-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know, we have a new dishcloth pattern up on the webpage!

It's the Harvest Braids Dishcloth. We also have a new line of solid color Dishcloth Cottons!

Spinning yarn in Tim Horton's

2007-04-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

So the boyfriend had to fly out of town on business. And since the company could save some money on the plane ticket by flying him out of Dayton instead of Cincinnati (where we live), I had to drive him an hour up to the airport. Yesterday I had to go pick him up, but I used this as a chance to possibly scope out some new yarn stores and meet some new knitters. I put up a post on the Lime and Violet message boards, and I got a couple of messages, and I ended up meeting up with a knitter named Andi. We had planned on going to a few yarn stores, but I *thought* I got lost, and I ended up at Fiberworks, where I met Andi. We looked around, and I didn't see anything that called out to me (other than the Cashmere fingering weight, but we all know how that goes, heh heh), until I saw a Charkha spinning wheel. Now, primarily used to spin cotton, this wheel would be perfect for me. With my wool allergy, I have problems finding sock yarns that I like. I can wear some wool blends, but theres a limited amount of those, too. So this little wheel was calling my name. It was the size of a book, and the price was right.

So I bought it. I also got alot of cotton, hemp, and some wool for blending. By the time we got out of there, my budget was done and I was fibered out for the time being. But we had some time to kill before I had to go to the airport to pick up the boy.

So we ate at a great Chinese place, and decided to stop by a Tim Horton's to kill some time. But there was no way we were just going to sit there and not play with the wheel! So we took in the small bag of wool, and the wheel.

Look! Is it a book, or a spinning wheel? I certainly see donughts in the picture, though.

This is me trying to get my groove back from when I used to spin. Yeah, it still might take some time.

Andi lookin' at me taking her picture, and her playing with the wheel. She has some major Charkha envy now.

Of course, the first thing this I did this morning is get the wheel out. This is a closer pic of it.

This is the wheel laid out. Its about 18-20 inches long. And that's Socrates checking out the fiber next to the table.

Some yarn spun from it (although the flash obliterated any detail) and the c-clamp we bought last night to keep the wheel stable.

This thing is sooooo awesome. I just want to hole up and play with this until I have spun up all my fiber, and then go buy some more and repeat the process over.

Dyeing Frenzy

2007-04-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

So I have been knitting off and on, but my poor little crock pots have been working over time. I have alot of people asking for solid color dishcloth cottons, and so thats what their gonna get :-) I hooked up both crock pots, and we all know I have plenty of cotton to dye, so Ive been dyeing tons. When its all dry, its gonna get reskeined and put up on the webpage. Woo hoo!

Free Yarn

2007-04-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Does anyone want some yarn? Im going through my stash, and I have 2 skeins of Hobby Lobby's Yarn Bee Frosting. I have it in Cream Mint and in their blue/periwinkle/robins egg blue colorway. The mint ball is intact, but the multicolored ball has been wound into a ball. I just need the room in my stash.

Just comment :-)

The coolest thing since sliced bread, and my cotton yarn stash.

2007-04-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Lookit what I got! I found this via the Cast On Podcast Blog. You know the tool organizers called "Bucket Bosses"? It's an organizer for tools and such that you can find at Home Depot, etc. that fits around a five gallon bucket. Well, the clever thing they did is they made a version for coffee mugs! I went onto eBay and googled "mug boss" and a few days later this arrived at my parents. It's so cute, and it has so many pockets for all my little knitting gadgets I have out while I'm knitting. This thing is too clever!

And alot of us know of the Amazon Misprice that happened last Saturday. Instead of discounting the Sugar n Cream yarn 40 cents - they priced it 40 cents! This quickly went around like wildfire. I know I placed 2 orders, and alot of other people placed orders themselves. Well, when my mom came to visit today she brought the yarn with her (I live in an apartment in the inner city, so I have any deliveries delivered to their suburban house). So, in honor of getting the yarn today, I just decided to photograph my entire dishcloth yarn stash.

This is the colored yarn I bought from the Amazon Misprice. 45 balls of ombres and solids.

This was my pre-existing dishcloth stash, mainly from Hobby Lobby and JoAnn sales, and Wal-Mart.

This is the Bernat Handicrafter that Wal-Mart carried that one time. It came in 12 and 14 oz. I found it in the clearance section, freshly marked down to $2.50 a skein.

A cone of Sugar n Cream, I forget which color, but I found it on clearance for $3.50. And 3 balls of Cotton Tots for Facecloths.

And this is a beautiful thing - 120 balls of white and off white balls of Sugar n Cream yarn from the Amazon Misprice for dyeing!

I have my odds and ends in a gallon baggie, it would be kinda tough to photograph.. so just imagine a big jumble of sugar n cream odds and ends, and you got it ;-)

Treading Water

2007-04-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

So I got some knitting done without actually accomplishing anything huge this weekend.

First off, I swatched for Eunny's Endpaper Mitts. I had KnitPicks Essentials Hunter Green and Beige in my stash, and I figured I could use those colors. I hit gauge, so I went to get the needles and read through the pattern. And when I took the measurements, I realized the needle size I actually would need would be 3.0 mm. %^&##!!! I had size 2 US, and size 3 US, but size 3.0 mm metric fits nicely inbetween there. So I figured I would set that project aside, and hit the LYS this week to pick up a set of Brittany's in 3.0 mm.

So I got out the yarn that my SO got me for Valentines day, the Rowan Classic Cashsoft DK in Kingfisher and Sage, for the mittens for Knitty's Corazon. On the smaller size needles, like indicated, I hit gauge.

But I didn't have the larger needles, size 4.

%$#^@&.

So I surrendered. The LYS is about a mile away from here (yes, thats very dangerous) so tomorrow I will be going and getting both a size 4 US and 3.0 mm set of DPN's, and I'll be able to do *both* projects.

Buzzing Along

2007-03-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

So unfortunately real life has taken over this week, and I haven't gotten much knitting done. I have started a new dishcloth design, though, to put on the webpage, so that's a good thing. I hope to be done by that by this weekend and have that posted soon. The Forest Canopy shawl is coming along great - the merino is knitting up great, and is nice and squishy.

I did find a new yarn store in my area this week, called Yarns and Fabrications. It's a great little store, with lots of yarns, and to add to it they also have a good selection of quilting fabric. It's in West Chester, Ohio, which is about 30 minutes out of Cincinnati. Luckily I was able to withhold from buying any more yarn (!!!) and I just bought a set of Bryspun DPN's that I needed.

Fear no more!

2007-03-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

So today I conquered my fear of Fair Isle. I grabbed a couple of balls of wool, and a set of needles, and sat down with The Complete Book of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting. And ta da!

As you can see I started simple down at the bottom, but then when I got more comfortable with it I started to branch out. I used to be terrified to try color knitting, but like cabling, alot of people are afraid to try it, but it's relatively simple with practice.

And I got a dishcloth done! This is from the Strawberry Smoothie pattern at Harvest Moon Designs, and one of the hand paints that I did. This pattern was great!

Sock yarn!

2007-03-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I just updated the webpage, and I added a sock yarn category. I don't have many yarns up there yet, but I feel confident in my dyeing that I am ready to put the category up. I went through a number of skeins just playing around, but now I am having some really gorgeous colors show up on the wool.

I also posted a few new cotton yarns, in reds and pinks. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll get some more cotton dyed.

I'm still plodding away at the Forest Canopy Shawl (which is knitting up beautifully), but I also started a dishcloth out of one of my hand dyes, using the Strawberry Smoothie pattern from Harvest Moon Designs.

FO Post!

2007-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

I finally got the Danica Scarf done!

Heres a pic of it unblocked:

And here it is, done:

And thanks to the great Cincinnati weather, its 32F right now, and Ive been able to wear it the past couple of days.

And now, Im working on a Forest Canopy Shawl out of a handpainted fingering weight I dyed:

This pattern is *awesome*! Lace and I have not had a good history, so I was kinda scared to start this. But the pattern is well written, and it's a great pattern.

And for the business, I got the cutest price tags ever:

They really arn't price tags, they're die cuts, but they are alot cuter than the plain white tags than I have been using.

I also went to Hobby Lobby, where I found they carried the new Sugar n Cream Twist, so I picked up one in each color.

The twists are really pretty, so I'm looking forward to casting on a couple of dishcloths with these.

Used book stores rule

2007-03-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

We have a great set of used book stores in the Cincinnati area called Half Price books.. its a small chain. And you know when you go in, you're not going to get out without spending some money. And Saturday was no exception.

They had a decent selection of knitting books, but I have a soft spot for older knitting books. I found this set:

It's the Complete Book of Tradition Knitting by Rae Compton, The Complete Book of Traditional Aran Knitting by Shelagh Hollingworth, and the Complete Book of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila McGregor. They date from the early 80s.. but they are wonderful books. They are packed with pictures, history, stitch patterns, traditional techniques, and traditional patterns. They were each $5-$6. The Traditional Knitting one gives the history of knitting, and then visits each country and what type of knitting was important for it.

And I also found this:

It's the Handknitter's Handbook by Montse Stanley. I can see this becoming my new knitting bible. It has everything I ever need to know about knitting.. every cast on I have ever wondered about, steeking, colorwork, blocking, seaming, etc. It's jammed packed with a ton of stuff. For $6. A great find.

And my Danica scarf is slowly rounding homeplate.. I'm about halfway through the last ball of yarn. Hopefully Ill be posting a FO pic soon!

61 and Sunny..

2007-03-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

It may be 61 and sunny, but being in Cincinnati, winter probably isn't over yet. But we have the windows open, Socrates is pestering the birds at the bird feeders, and it feels good to get some fresh air through the apartment.

I was able to get 8 skeins of yarn up on the webpage this morning, mainly yellows, browns, reds, etc. I also washed four more skeins, which are purples and blues, they should be up around Monday.

I also added a new section to the webpage.. its called Knitted Critique. Starting up this business has allowed me to experience alot of new yarns, toys, etc., so hopefully I can help inform some people by posting some information about the stuff.

So last night I picked up the mail.. talk about knitter's heaven! 15 skeins of merino fingering weight sock yarn to dye.. this stuff is so, so soft!

I also got 3 books.. Yarn to Dye For, Barbara Walkers First Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and Sensational Knitted Socks. I simply don't know how I got along knitting without the last two.. they are simply drool worthy. And for dyeing, Yarn to Dye For is *awesome*. There will definately be more detailed reviews coming up on Knitted Critique here soon. And yes, you'll start seeing hand painted sock yarn, too! :-)

4 more down...

2007-03-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

I was able to dye more yarn today.. 4 skeins, to be exact. I am getting a better handle on the colors of the dye, and I am loving the blues and purples. I can't wait to skein these up and see how they look.. it'll be so tempting to keep them myself! But there is only so much knitting one can do..

The cold is still in my chest, and I think Socrates has the right idea...

I was able to work on the Danica scarf some more last night, while watching Lost. I'm almost to the last ball of yarn!

Spring is in the air

2007-03-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

So things have been a little interesting around here. It's spring break, and being a college kid, I should be partying hardy, but that really isn't my thing. Plus, I have the chest cold from hell, and it doesn't want to go away. So I've pretty much just been working on yarn stuff, doing stuff for school, and chugging Robitussin. The fun never stops, does it?

I did make some progress on my Danica scarf, which is made with Paton's SWS in Natural Geranium. This yarn is great to work with, and it works up in entrelac like a dream:

You can excuse my hand in there, apparently on Robitussin I need extra balance just to take a picture :-D

But, there has been progress! Sheep has a webpage now: www.sheepofadifferentcolor.com . It's not officially "off the ground" yet, but things are on there, and I will be posting yarn for sale on there as I dye it. I have also ordered some merino sock yarn to dye, and a couple books to help me design patterns, so you guys should see some new stuff pop up on there soon.

And this, ladies and gents, is ambition!:

That is 8, count them 8, skeins of kitchen cotton yarn that I dyed this afternoon. They have to cure like that in plastic wrap to let the soda ash and dye do their chemical processes-thing, then I wash them. I did some reds, browns, oranges, yellows, and a green. One hank I just threw every color I mixed that day together, so it should be interesting what I end up with! It looks like I might have some 70s grandma-sofa flashback thing going on, but we won't know until we rinse them out.

Yay!

2007-02-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

So 2 test yarns are done - I would say they came out pretty nice! Both are kitchen cottons, 2.5 grams, 120 yards.

Both have been sold, thank you :-) But tomorrow, after the yarn I have washing now dries, I should have some more up.

Why is it so hard to dye?

2007-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes finding time to dye is harder than I would like to admit.

So my signifigant other and I have been sleeping on the floor, on a mattress, for the past few months. The boxspring busted. It's not been the most comfortable thing, but with his work and my school, we really haven't been able to afford or find the time to go boxspring shopping.

Bright and early Saturday morning his mother called, saying that her friend was throwing out their rather expensive bed (and boxspring) and we are welcome to both.

Well, we had to rent a U-haul, drive over to his parents, grab the box-spring, haul it up three flights, drive back over to pick up my van, and then we went out to eat. By the time we got back, it was too late to dye.

The good news? We are now sleeping off the floor.

I did find some time to wind yarn, though. And Socrates, my cat, thought it was his duty to help...

This morning I did find some time to dye, though. I focused primarily on blues and greens, and I had some brilliant colors show through.

This is my workspace. As you can see.. we have a VERY small kitchen! What you are looking at is about half of it. You see the yarn and the dyes laid out.

And here is the some of the yarn once I started painting it.. I use foam brushes, and place the dye on the yarn where I want it to go.

That's it for now.. tomorrow I am hoping to dye some pinks and reds, and maybe some purples!

Custom dye orders

2007-02-19T09:52:00.001-08:00

Just to let you know, if you want a custom dye order, you should be able to order by the end of the week!

Pre-dyed yarn will be available through both eBay and Etsy.

Welcome!

2007-02-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Sheep of a Different Color!

This idea came around when I started knitted a large number of dishcloths. After a while I began to tire of the same colors.. luckily I had a couple of years training as a seamstress/costumer, which included professional dyeing techniques. I pulled my old dyes out, and before long began getting compliments on my yarn. And soon Sheep of a Different Color was born.

We are in our infancy stages now. Pretty soon we will have a wide range of handpainted dishcloth cottons in brilliant colors, and you will be able to custom order colors of your choice. We also hope to carry other fibers down the road, too, so check back if dishcloths arn't your thing!

To stay in touch, please be sure to join our Yahoo group. Our yarns will available for sale over eBay and Etsy, and through email. This blog is to serve as a hub for links, free patterns I have written up, and to post my finished objects. So be sure to check back often!