2012 - Week One - Let's Do This I'm starting off 2012 with a positive surge of energy and eagerness because I know this is going to be a great year! This year, although I don't set new year's goals or resolutions, I am looking forward...
Week Fifty - Gifts This week's post is all about gifts. First I'll start with the gift of an amazing husband who cares for me way more than I could ever deserve. This past week, my laptop that I use for doing my job...
Week Fourty Nine - Lessons Learned One of the things I have learned about blogging over the past years, is that the very thing that you most want to write about generally keeps you from writing. That thing is called life. When I get busy,...
Week Thirty - Rabbits Reborn and Sharing the Game of... This week has been a long one. Scott has been in Africa all week and does not get back until Wednesday. Although I have missed him greatly, I have been able to accomplish much with the quiet house...
Week Twenty Nine - Missions and Mittens Scott left for Uganda yesterday on his first mission trip, ever. He will be gone for 10 days and is part of an all male (testosterone rich) group of coaches and active guys. He was excited, nervous,...
Category : Fiber Arts, Patterns
Technically, she has been dyed. Originally, I knit this stole in Dye Your Own Lace Weight Yarn from Knitpicks. I wore it in the natural color for a while and decided that the color was too beige for my skin tone. So, since my son is getting married in 10 days and the colors in the wedding are cream and chocolate, I decided to dye it a chocolate brown. The hardest part of this entire process was lowering it into the dye pot. Here are the results.
Before:
After:
This is the day I have been working toward. All this lace knitting that I have not been able to share with you is finally complete and will be revealed within the next two months. The Secret of the Stole III KAL group is now open for new members and now the work really begins. I really love this part though, because it keeps me very busy and invariably learning new things.
If you would like to join the group click on the image and sign up. See you there…
Category : Fiber Arts
Look what I made! Not the knitted Mohair cuff. Although, I did make that too. The cuff is from the book Lace Style that was gifted to me recently for my birthday. It is made to be worn underneath a sport coat for a little extra femininity and flair. I was about to bind off this cuff and start on the other one when I realized that I hadn’t shown you what I made recently. These frog double point needle protectors are fabulous and cute, too. They were so much fun to make and so easy too. What do you think?
Category : Fiber Arts
Does this:
Look like this?
I came across a blog entry by Pheelya on Ramblings by a Crafter in which she had received her yarn order from a seller on Etsy and the color she received was not the color she ordered. This was very interesting to me since I had just received the yarn pictured in the top photo and I had ordered the yarn in the bottom photo, also from a vendor on Etsy. This made me wonder if it might be the same vendor. It was!
Being in business for myself, I really try hard to give the benefit of the doubt to other vendors. The last thing I ever want to do is dis a company who has honestly made a mistake. However, in this case, since there are at least two instances of this occurring within the same week, I thought it would be a courtesy to you guys to give you a heads up. I don’t believe this is a mistake though, at least in my case, because the tag on the yarn I received says "Orange Shade". There was no packing slip or other identifying paperwork included in the package. Just three skeins of Yellow yarn.
The vendor is 100purewool and I have begun the process of trying to get my money back. The saddest part about this whole thing is that I was ordering the yarn for a specific gift for a friend’s wedding gift and after taking 22 days to arrive it was NOT the color I ordered! Luckily, I am a yarn ho(arder) and was able to find something else that would work. So, if you are looking for lace weight yarn, buyer beware.
Category : Fiber Arts
There are a few things to consider when investing in a storage “system” for the yarn stash that is currently occupying every nook and cranny in your living quarters. Regardless of whether you have 5 skeins or 500 skeins of yarn there are some requirements for the storage of said yarn that remain constant. These are breathability, pest deterrents, space required to house storage containers, and ease of identifying contents.
Fibers, especially animal fibers, will mildew. In my opinion, this is the top concern for storing fibers of any kind. This not only applies to yarn, but to fabrics as well. If your fibers are damaged when you go to use them your investment, sometimes a significant one, is lost.
An appropriate storage container should be able to be tightly sealed, with most of the air removed. A plastic zipper bag is a good example of this type of storage system. Or, alternatively, breathable in some fashion, such as a basket, or chest. The least desirable condition for fibers is a warm, humid one which encourages growth of mildew. If using a basket or bucket type of system, it is a good idea to cover them in some fashion to keep dust from collecting on the yarn.
Protection from sunlight is also a consideration. If you choose to use clear containers, be aware of where you are storing them. Make sure they are not stored in front of or near a window where they would be exposed to sunlight. Just a tiny bit of sunlight on the same spot every day can quickly bleach out fibers and make them much less desirable for use.
Natural fibers, including animal and plant, are all attractive to pests. Moths are one of the knitter’s most dreaded creatures and one that has sent this knitter in a frenzy, with a fly swatter, running throughout the house screaming “Quick, close the door to my sewing room!!”. Regardless of which storage container you choose for your yarn, it is a good idea to place some type of pest deterrent in each container.
Cedar planks or balls in each container help to keep the buggers away. Small bars of soap (unwrapped), like you would get at a hotel, work also. Do not use moth balls, they make your yarn smell terrible! Additionally, whatever you use to deter pests, make sure that it is not oil based or contains some chemical that will damage your fibers in the process.
The type of container you ultimately choose will be determined by how much space you have to “store” the containers and how you are going to separate the various skeins of yarn.
