I'm cheating on my knitting and crocheting

Ok. The reason why I haven't posted is #1: I haven't had anything to post about. And #2: I have been cheating on my knitting and crocheting. With what, you may ask? Needlework. Occasionally, I get the urge to sort colors of thread, get out the fray check, and do some work. Usually in winter time while watching Jane Austen movies. I haven't done it in a month of Sundays. And all this knitting was just getting to be an overwhelming pile of jumbly yarn to me. But don't worry. The siren song of yarn is still calling. But for now I am pleasantly cross stitching a quilt sampler.

Finished Fridays:Oak Grove Mitts

Sorry about the long time no finished. But I forgot that I had finished anything, until I realized that I had these. These are the Oak Grove Mitts by Alana Dakos, and this is what I gotta say about them:
I got this yarn in exchange for a test knit. The color saturation was really nice. Exactly what I wanted, as the sunlit amber demonstrated would be too orange for me, and I look beastly in anything with an orange hue. The pattern kept me on my toes. I must confess that I experienced a bit of second mitt syndrome. But I am glad I did it. I had a bit of a looser gauge with the second mitt and I had a better leaf due to it. I only regret that my pics aren’t nicer because my husband isn’t really down with taking pics of me in knitted items, and it is really hard to take pics facing down of yourself in mittens.

Review Wednesdays:Eden Madil Print

Today I am reviewing Eden Madil Print, a 100% bamboo yarn in my stash. I bought it so long ago, that I fear that it is no longer in production. I am currently making a shawl with it, so I thought that I would review it anyways. I love the colorway that I chose. I chose it because it reminded me of my beloved Pacific Ocean of the Bodega Bay that I grew up near and am so fond of. It goes from grey to blue green to kind of a turquoise color. Fantastic. It drapes well. I mean really well. Almost too well. The down side is the drape. It is almost like working with seaweed. I know the irony. Ocean. Seaweed. I get it. Also, the yarn is kind of splitty. On the whole, I think it bamboo is best mixed with another fiber to retain shape. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. ( I took pics but can't find my cable. Pics to follow.)

Better Late Than Never:Finished Fridays:The Sugar Bear Hat

I know, I know. Technically it is a Saturday. But I forgot. We will blame it on the time change clock thingy or something. Wait. That is happening today. Nevermind. Anyhoo, I made the sugar bear hat for a friend about to give birth in the cascade 220 superwash  in a light blue. Problem is, I forgot to take a picture of it before I sent it out. So you will have to trust me when I say that it turned out super cute. The pattern is by Kate Oates. Everything by her is super cute. I made the 0-6 months, and my guage was spot on, and it still turned out large. I take comfort in this because the pic of the pattern showed the 0-6 month hat stretched out on what looked like a 2 year old. So it looks like he will get a lot of use out of it. At least I hope so. It is always a hit or miss game when you knit something for someone else. But I have faith. Anyways, it turned out adorable.

Wednesday Review:Becoming Art Cielo Sport

This week I have the fortunate opportunity of reviewing Becoming Art's Cielo Sport yarn. Becoming Art hand dyes their yarn, aiming for a complete saturation of color, and an uniqueness all their own each time. I ordered clove, which I enjoyed immensely. I would say that clove was an accurate description, since it came in shades of woodsy browns. Dried cloves in fact. It was just what I was looking for. The twist is great. The stitch definition is fantastic. I would love the chance to work with it more and review the other products that the owner, Lisa Sanchez, has to offer. I would definitely reccomend it. The only drawback is the price. At over $20 a skein, it is not out of range with other hand dyed yarns, but may be out of range for the average knitter. I would give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Wednesday Review:Cascade 220 Sport Superwash

I had the opportunity to make a baby gift for a friend out of a light blue skein of Cascade 22 Sport Superwash. I think that it is the perfect all around yarn to make baby gifts out of. Not only is it, in theory, washable. But most baby patterns call for sport weight yarn. It comes in a variety of colors as well. The loft and twist is acceptable to work with. It is easy to work with and a dream to handle. For a baby yarn, I would give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Finished Fridays:Julius Dawson Sutton's Granny Square Blankie

This is my second afghan squared, which I made out of stash seconds and scraps for a baby. His name is to be Julius Dawson Sutton. Unique. I know. I made it out of my left over Vanna's Choice scraps.I think it turned out pretty well. It was full of neutrals and autumnals, which was the mother’s preference. And I am getting addicted to stash burning.

Random Tuesdays

Ok. I have a problem. But they say that the first step in resolving a problem is admitting that you have one.  I have a serious case of startitis. What is startitis to the uninitiated? I start projects and can't finish them. I have the equivilent of add for knitters and crocheters. I must have 8 projects 1/3 to 1/2 way done, and I can't seem to focus enough to finish them. And, if by some miracle I do finish them, I start another one instead of finish an existing project. I am in a fortunate situation. I am a disabled housewife. I do maybe 1-3 chores a day. The reason being that my stamina is not all that hot, and my attention span even less. I am also in constant pain. So my husband does a lot of the housework or helps me with it. Poor guy. But that frees me up to do about 3 hours of knitting a day if I wanted to. Possibly more. Yippee for me. But, as I mentioned previously, attention span of a flea. Can't seem to focus on one project, let alone for long.
What to do? What to do?! Any suggestions?

Finished Fridays:Tea and Toasty

I had been wanting to do this pattern for a while due to the simplicity of it and the name. I am a fan of toast as a food, preferably with tea, which is why I gave it this name. However, though I really wanted to buy some homespun worsted for this project, $30 was a little out of my price range. So I bought a bulky alpaca natural blend that was a little acrylic. Despite my aversion to acrylic, I chose this because the label said it was environmentally friendly and responsible. And I liked the color. It blends with a little black, making it easy to match with a lot of things.
I used a size 9 needle, but my gauge was spot on. The pattern was easy breezy, and I love the results! And guess what I drank when typing this? Tea!

back side of gloves



front side of gloves



Wednesday Review:Bernat Alpaca Blends

Now, this one was an unususal one. While this one was a 70% acrylic, 30% alpaca blend, it was unusually soft, but yet a little scratchy when worked up alone, as alpaca tends to be. I chose this for a typically worsted weight project, and even though it is listed as bulky, the guage was spot on, and I found that it still worked well. It comes in nice, muted colors. I used fern, because I love and have a deep predilection for all things green. It comes with black overtones, which I feel makes it match a lot of things. But the most fascinating thing of all is that it is without pesticides or fertilizers and is eco-friendly. I am a promoter of all things eco-friendly, and the blend of acrylic and natural fibers I am willing to try. I was pleasantly surprised. In the world of acrylics, I would give it 4 out of 5 stars..

Finished Fridays:Sweet Pea Granny Square Afghan

This I named because it reminds me of the colors of sweet peas growing in spring. And it is sweet. Original. I know. Acrylic also, featuring the Vanna's Choice yarn that I have reviewed earlier this week. This was a stashbuster project. But granny square afghans are a quick, satisfying project. And I liked the colors. And for an acrylic yarn, it actually isn’t so bad. It is not crunchy. I definitely wouldn’t substitute it for dk or aran. It is tried and true worsted. But I like the result. It would make a good, washable baby afghan. In fact, I am going to make another stashbuster for a baby boy. And there is something satisfying about stashbusting. Come on. You know there is. Admit it.Apparently, my computer has destroyed the picture of my afghan, but you can find it on my ravelry page. Here is the link:http://www.ravelry.com/projects/emmyknitslikekraz/afghan-squared-70131ad

Wednesday Review:Vanna's Choice

I know that in the knitting or crocheting communities that acrylic is a bad word. I associate it with crunchy, wierd colored, squiggly, plasticy yarn. I, myself, have turned into a yarn snob as of late. But I have given myself some time for reflection, and it has ocurred to me that perhaps I have been a little unfair. There are those newbies who are nowhere near a yarn shop, have no computer, and don't know about knitpicks.com and their reasonable rates on yarn. The only thing they have available is WalMart or Michaels. Or there are those who don't do the hobby enough to justify spending $30 on a ball of yarn. Or those who just can't afford anything but acrylic.
But, in all fairness, I shall be doing some reviews of acrylic yarn. Largely because I still have some in my stash that I am trying to get rid of by means of stashbusting projects. I am the ultimate hypocrite, I know.
So this week is Vanna White's Vanna's Choice. And I must say it ain't half bad. It has a range of decent colors, none of which are offensive to my eyes. It does not split easily. And it is soft. It seems to wear well. I made a granny square afghan, and it turned out well. I am making another one with the remnants as a baby gift, so that should turn out well. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars in the world of acrylics.

Weekly Review:Yarn Shop

This week, since I have nothing complete, I thought that I would review my favorite California yarn shop since I was a kid, Filati Fine Yarns. Ever since I knew about yarn shops, my mother has taken me there. I would walk up and down the aisles, marveling at the colors, softly petting the textures. Yes, folks, I pet yarn. I am a yarn pervert. The people are helpful, and they carry madelinetosh, road to china light, debbie bliss cashmerino, and all the greats. I could just move in and have my mail forwarded there. I love it.
Here is some more great info about them:
Filati Fine Yarns is located in Rocklin California, north of Sacramento off Interstate 80.  Our NEW LOCATION offers 3,600sq ft of beautiful yarns and fibers.  Our postal and business address is:4810 Granite Drive (Suite A10)
Rocklin, CA 95677
We have a 30 year tradition of carrying the world's finest yarn plus the most unique yarns and natural fibers.  We are dedicated to searching out the very best yarn for your projects. We stock northern California's largest selection and assortment of fashion and novelty yarns.  In addition, you will find basics and baby yarns.  We guarantee that you will be amazed by the inventory - there is 3600 square feet of it!  Click here to see a slide show of our store.  Here are their hours:
Come and visit us; ◊ 10:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday - Friday ◊ 10:00am - 5:00pm  Saturday ◊ Closed Sunday & Monday
They also have a great online business. I highly reccomend them!
5 out of 5 stars!
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff have more than 100 years of experience between them.  They are all committed to helping you complete your special project, whether it is the finest lace or the heaviest sweater or anything in between. 
Click on the names of our staff for more information about them;

Post holiday post

Well, I am back! I needed a vacation from my vacation. I don't have any new yarn reviews, but I do have 3 new projects on the needles and many new plans in the works. I also have discovered that I have a knitting condition that I would like to call SSKD. That is slip slip knit disfunction. I can't seem to do it. I get the concept. Don't get me wrong. I read the directions a thousand times. I can slip slip fine. But when it comes to the knit part, something goes awry. I get all fouled up. I would say it successfully get accomplished 2 out of 10 times. The other times I have to bring in a crochet hook, and jerry rig it to work. Does any one in the cyber knitting world have any suggestions? Or am I permanently doomed?

Finished Fridays:Vanessa's Chloe

I know this seems redundant, but this is my second Chloe. The first Chloe was for Catarina, and this is for her sister, Vanessa. Once again, the colors were picked by the child. Not my choice. Much easier and faster the second time, not that the first one was hard. The Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Hand Dye is basically the same as the Worsted Cotton. I am sorry for the bad pics. I am in the middle of moving from a dinky house to a dinky trailer, the trailer is a mess, and the only place to take a pic was the door and door knob. Also, this will be my last post until September, as I will be on holiday in California until then, so hopefully, fall weather will be here by the time I get back. I know. Good luck with that. Or maybe an indian summer.

Finished Fridays:Catarina's Chloe

This is the Chloe, a pattern by Alana Dakos. I am always partial to her patterns, as I think that they are clever, well-written, pretty, and she is my little bud. I just wish that Catarina hadn't chosen orange. But you gotta use the colors picked by the kid. That being said, here goes. By the way, I know it is not Friday. But we moved and could not get our internet  up until now. Thanks for your patience.

This one turned out awesome. I couldn’t find a store with all the colors of Spud & Chloe Sweater that the little girl wanted, so I had to switch out for the Blue Sky organic dyed cotton and the Blue Sky cotton. Which was ok, because it still turned out cute. I just had to make a small adjustment. The yoke was a little tedious, but after you get past that part, it goes pretty quickly. The end is gratifying. I think it is pretty darn cute. I just wish that my friend’s kids weren’t such a larger size. It would have went quicker. I wouldn’t say that you could do this in a weekend. It is my general rule that when people say such things, you should take that amount, and multiply that by 2.5, even if you dedicate yourself to the project. I would give it a week.

Wednesday Review:Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton and Cotton

I had the chance to work with Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton and the regular Cotton, which are pretty much the same product. I really liked working with them! The loft was nice. I still found the heft to be a little much, but as previously mentioned, I do have fibromyalgia, so that could have played into it. But the color selection ranges from muted to bright and they are very soft. I would strongly reccomend it. I used as a substitute for Spud & Chloe Sweater yarn, and I think it works out just fine. I also used a size 8 needle, and that worked out just as well. I only needed a slight adjustment. 5 out of 5 stars.

P.S. I do have a recently finished project for Finished Fridays. However, I am moving this weekend and I may not get to the post. I also do not have a phone jack in my second bedroom yet. I also have a 10 day holiday planned shortly. So if you do not see a post until September between appointments, moving, and my holiday, have a great summer, and see you in the indian summer/fall!

Finished Fridays: Homin Shawl

I made this as a gift/request for my best friend Marcie. The pattern is by Gudrun Johnston, better known as the Shetland Trader. This is one mountain of a pattern. Definitely not for the faint hearted first-timer. She makes amazing things, but sheesh. Good Lord. I didn't think I was going to make it out of this one alive. This is my 4th lace project ever. It was like Mt. Everest to me. I will be honest and say that I made more trips to the “frog pond” (as Julie says) than I can count. And if it wasn’t for Marcie, for whom I would donate a kidney, I probably would never attempt it and never will again. It is flawed, but I am proud of it. It’s mine. And I am proud. And I had better get a pretty big reward. She promised.

P.S. If you have come across my blog more than once, or if you are a first-timer, I encourage you to push the button listing yourself as a follower. It gives me an accurate idea of how many people actually come across my page. Plus, it is great for my self-esteem. And if you like what you read, reccomend it to someone else. And, welcome!

Review Wednesday:Madelinetosh Prairie

Sorry I have been slow on the posts, folks. I just haven't had anything to review. No info, no posts. That's just the way the cookie crumbles. But today I am reviewing madelinetosh prairie yarn. It is a lace weight yarn. I was using the earl grey color way. This goes from tan to caramel, then to slate blue, and finally to grey. I did not actually purchase it myself. It was purchased for me to use in the making of a shawl for my best friend, Marcie.
I love the colors. Their dying process and colors available are an A+. And the shawl turned out really beautifully. But while trying to ball it up, no matter how careful, it was a mass of tangles. Seriously. It took us, that is me and my husband, two straight weeks to unwind. And no, I do not own a swift or a ball unwinding thingy, but if anyone would like to buy me one, they can knock themselves out. Till then, oh well. And it seemed to pill a lot in the process, which I did not anticipate and did not care for. And it also got really squiggly (is that a word?) But the yardage is great for the money.
In the end, it was a really nice yarn, but I think that I would like to try some other lace weight yarns before I could give it 5 stars to compare. And I think that I almost prefer a fingering weight yarn for my laceweight shawls. Something with a little heft and squishyness. Maybe that defeats the point of a lace shawl, but that is just me.
4 out of 5 stars

Finished Fridays:Crochet Teddy Bear

This week, I received a shipment of vintage yarn from my grandma. It was duchess needlepoint yarn. It is not in the ravelry storehouse, and I had not a clue what to do with it. I didn't really know how much the small skeins would last, so I decided to make a toy. After scouring the toy files, I decided on a stuffed bear. The pattern was easy, quick to work up, and I like the result:

As a matter of fact, it turned out so well, that the creator of the pattern now uses it as an example on the face page of the ravelry pattern. Cool, huh?!
As a brief review of the Duchess yarn, I didn't really know what to expect. I had never really worked with a vintage yarn before. I kind of expected it to be crunchy and blow away the minute that I tried to roll it in a ball. But it held up really well. I guage it to be sport weight. Moth free. Not particularly soft, but not stiff. And resilient. And I had plenty left over. 4 out of 5 stars.

Finished Fridays

Ok, bad news folks. Nothing is actually finished. But several other things are in works after several frustrating hair-brained attempts. And I think I am getting a cold. But that is an offside, but I think it explains the hair-brained attempts. I have, however, taken pictures of the wips. Here goes:The above pic is the beginning of  Koolhaas designed by Jared Flood made out of useless stash Lion Brand wool ease. I know. Shudder. Acrylic. I am shuddering too. But my hubby wouldn't let me buy anymore yarn, and I had to do something with my garage sale stash.

This is the beginning of a Molly by Alana Dakos in Blue Sky Alpaca in Cotton. I couldn't find all of the Spud and Chloe desired colors in one place, so I needed to sub. I think it will work fine. If not, well, I will get my niece a charm bracelet.

This is a crochet teddy bear. I got the pattern from Ravelry. This is vintage yarn sent to me from my grandmother. I ran out of stuffing, so I will buy stuffing and a bow tonight. It ended out shorter and wonkier than the pattern. I did follow it correctly. I don't know who the recipient will be.

This is the beginning lace triangle border of a shawl designed by Gudrun Johnston called the Homin Shawl. It is being worked in Madelinetosh Prairie in Earl Grey. It is for my best friend Marcie. I am praying it will be ready in time for my holiday to California in mid-August. It has been the bane of my existence. It is like a wrestling match between the yarn and the pattern.

Well, there you have it. I am hoping to have at least one finished by next Friday. We shall see. I shall keep you posted!

Major Craft Annoyance

What do you do when you are working and working at your craft Iknitting, in this case), and all of a sudden, you feel a compelling urge to walk away and never look at it again? Am I the only one who has ever felt that? It could be that ever project that I have ever worked on, it seems for nearly the past 10 months has been commissioned for someone else. I am tired of working on stuff for other people. I feel like I have lost the joy of knitting stuff for fun just because I want to. And looking forward to knitting stuff for myself. I can count on 1 hand the stuff I have made for myself, and it was usually made in a heated rush, which just sucked the fun right out of it. I can't even put it down and take a break because I am on a deadline. Ack. Then I saw a shawl that I really wanted to make in a catalog, and my hubby said that there is no way I can make it until after my California holiday because we already spent the money on the tickets. Soooo unfair! I know, logical, but totally unfair!

Finished Fridays:French Lavender Arm Warmers

I really do swear that I am not getting paid to make these. I promised to make fingerless mitts for a friend, and I had grandiose plans for 2 other patterns that went up in smoke as time went by. When I am under the gun timewise, I tend to get impatient. Then I spilled coffee on the yarn for her other patterns, and it was just a major bust. It was apocalyptic. Really, really bad. I digress. So I needed to come up with something quick. And since this yarn is 100% wool, and not so bad for the price. And I can whip these babies out pretty darn quick, I made these. And I like the result.

Wednesday Review

Well, I would like to  have something of vital importance to review today, but I don't. I only have a miscellaneous rambling. I recently went on a really long car trip. I mean really long. 6 hrs each way. I brought 2 knitting projects with me, and had high hopes of making a serious dent in either one of them. Imagine my surprise when, attacking them with real focus, I discover the patterns to be so complex that I can't even make a nubble, let alone a dent in any of them for the entire trip?! For every time I try, I get my nickers in a twist, a migraine, and serious car sickness. And I am never car sick. Never. I couldn't even do them in the hotel. I had to keep frogging them out. It was maddening!
Then I had a close friend who ordered a hat, scarf, and glove set from me. For some strange reason, this set has been doomed from the beginning. The hat had to be frogged, but was finally finished. The complex lace scarf got coffee spilt all over it, yarn had to be reordered, it took forever, but it is finally finished. And now the glove pattern was driving me insane. The time crunch was just getting to me. So I scrapped 2 of the original patterns I had, scrapped the yarn, and I am going to the old gift standby, my lettuce arm warmers. I know that y'all are tired of seeing them, but for the price of the yarn, it is a good value and warm. Also, it is done in a jiffy and produce impressive results. And they are always a crowd pleaser. I already have one arm done. Results to follow on Friday.

Finished Fridays:Stripe Study Shawl

I had my eye out on this shawl since I started following Julie Crawford’s blog, knittedbliss. I was just looking for the right color contrast. I wanted stark simplicity. Think IKEA meets cold winter day. So imagine my glee when I came upon some yarn at a roadside stand. It appeared to be a heavy fingering/light worsted. In a loverly cream and flannel grey. They yarn is nubbly and wonderful. The pattern is great and easy to follow. I would definitely reccomend wet blocking if you have enough room. I didn’t have enough yarn to make a full-size shawl, so it turned out to be more of a shawlette, but I still love it!
I also did this in 2-3 days, but I stayed up 'till 2 in the morning. I don't know if I would reccomend that.

Wednesday Review:thelivingfarm.org sustainable yarn

This week's review is for a yarn that I picked up on my holiday to Aspen, CO. I found it at a surprising place. A roadside produce stand. We came to a screeching halt when I noticed that it had a huge painted sign that read,"Yarn Store." Store might be an overstatement, but it did have a nice little selection of handspun, locally farmed, sustainable yarn. Since I had never worked with organic, sustainable yarn, I was dying (haha, dying, get it?!) to try it out. I even had a pattern in mind. Pics to follow on Finished Friday. So I picked up 2 hanks of undyed, handspun yarn. They came in luscious cream and flannel grey color. If I had to guess I would say that they were a fingering or light worsted weight. Nice and nubbly, just what you would expect and what I was hoping for out of homespun yarn.
I used them on a really simplistic, stark shawl pattern. One that would show off the contrast in color. I did not find them difficult to work with. I found the difference in widths from hand spinning to be refreshing and inspiring. It almost made me think about learning how to spin. And then I slapped myself awake and woke up.
I love the lusciousness of stark undyed color. It is great. There wasn't too much lanolin present. I even had a little left over. I could probably make a small child's stuffed animal. I liked this yarn. A lot. I would totally reccomend this roadside stand, and the yarn. I wish that I could go to where it was made and see the process. Gorgeous yarn, excellent, warm end product, great for you and the environment. What more could you ask for? 4 stars.

I'd like to supersize it

Today, my friends, you will be getting a 2 for 1 blog. A product review and a finished up project blog. I will be out of town for Finished up Friday. Off to the Denver area I go from Thursday to return on Sunday. Hopefully to work on some fingerless mitts in the meantime. But I have been furiously knitting and have finished one shawl. It started out as the Weekend Shawl, knit in the color black in Knit Picks Gloss. I frogged it out because I just could not make the increase and decrease the designer requested work. So I was winging it. Then I got halfway done and decided I didn't like the way I was winging it either. So I tried it her way and finally got it right. I worked on it tediously. I followed it down to the letter. So I got down to the lace portion, followed it down to the letter. And you know what?! It didn't turn out looking anything like the picture. Not one gosh darn bit. The straight lines were not straight. I even placed markers, redid my counts, recounted my lines. Everything was perfect. So I must assume there is an error in the pattern. But since I was under a time crunch (I had to have it done in a week), I decided to do only 1 repeat of the Sunday lace border, and called it a day. So, personally, the only beefs with the pattern I have is that I think it is wonky, the picture is deceiving (if you really want a shawl that reaches to the bottom of your fingertips, you should have 140 sts in between markers, not 70),  and there is NO WAY you could finish this in a weekend. Unless you are a mindless zombie insomniac who gets fed through a tube. I also wet blocked it, which I thought was helpful. And it turned out to be a pleasant surprise, because I changed the form to make it look like a black butterfly instead of a horribly awry wonky peacock. So I have renamed it the black swallowtail. Not bad for my first lace shawl.
Now for the product review. Knit picks' Gloss. It is a lace weight yarn, made of 70% merino wool, 30% silk. You have 440 yards to the hank. It is hand wash /dry flat. It is currently available at: http://www.knitpicks.com/ at the price of $4.29 a hank. Which made this shawl roughly $8.58. Not half bad. The loft is nice and the stitch definition isn't too bad either. If you are looking for a lacy, ethereal, cobweby (is that a word?), traditional look, this is probably not for you. But it does make a lovely, squishy shawl. Good for average warmth on a lightly breezy evening. I would give it 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Wednesday Review

Tecnically, it is Thursday, but let's just pretend it's Wednesday, and we won't tell anyone,right?! Right. I will be reviewing the artesano 4 ply alpaca put out by One Planet Fiber & Yarn. http://www.oneplanetyarnandfiber.com/4_Ply_sport_weight_alpaca_s/3371.htm
I really like this company. This is my first encounter with them. Their website is easy to navigate, they give you points for every dollar spent, and shipping was speedy.  Here is a little about them and their motto:

Welcome to One Planet Yarn and Fiber, a unique global marketplace. We search the world for quality yarns, fibers and related products. One of our goals is to represent small independent artisans and companies from every corner of the globe. We have luxurious cashmere yarns from Asia, gorgeous and colorful hand painted yarns and related items from artisans in South America, Chile and Argentina, the USA, England, India, Asia, Canada, Australia and many other locations. We also have unique, hip and fun accessories, spinning items, patterns and design ideas for you.

We have our own design team developing an entire pattern portfolio for our own two lines of yarn Black Pearl Yarns and Lanas Puras Yarns. One Planet Yarn and Fiber is an independent company located in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you live in the state of Arizona and purchase from us, you will be charged sales tax.

We are also environmentally conscious! Our packing materials are made from 75% recycled materials and we recycle all of our suppliers boxes and shipping materials.

We hope to do our small part for world peace by bringing together the most unique and luxurious yarn and fiber we can find worldwide, supporting independent businesses and donating a portion of our profits to a world peace and Indigenous community organizations. Our love of yarn and fiber, knitting and spinning, brings us together regardless of our individual backgrounds or culture.

My first encounter with them was, as I have mentioned using the artesano 4-ply alapaca. I was very impressed. Lots of glide and not the slightedst bit itchy. This is a boon, considering that I was using it in  a hat. I would definitely reccomend it again. I would give it 5 out of 3 stars. Here is a picture of a sample:

I used the violet and the biscuit colorway to make the adult version of Alana Dakos' Molly hat pattern. To find the link to purchase said hat, you may go to Ravelry, or to: http://nevernotknitting.blogspot.com/2009/09/molly.html

The yarn, at $6.95 a pop, is a real steal! Check it out!

Makeup Monday

I have decided to call Mondays Makeup Mondays to compensate for all of the planned blogs that I was supposed to do the previous week but didn't get around to. This is becoming more and more frequent, but not due to laziness or design. Ok. Maybe a little bit of laziness. But I wasn't able to do Finished Friday because I have been entertaining my uncle and cousin from California, and we were out of town all day showing them the sights. So that is my valid excuse.
But I did finish the lace-tipped striped scarf by Hannah Fettig. The pattern was easy to follow and did turn out well. That is, if there weren't some massive problems and more than a few hiccups along the way. Most of which were my fault, but some of which were adjustments to be made due to yarn substitutions. I am just copying what I noted on my Ravelry page of my misadventures. This is what follows:
Ok. I copied the listed materials from Alana Dakos in Never Not Knitting, but I didn’t find it exactly true to size. I was a little frustrated, but I admit I was partly to blame. She reccomended 2 balls of the cashmerino for the 2 halves. I would reccomend 3 for equal sized halves true to the size scarf listed in the book. And she reccomended only 1 ball of the kidsilk haze. I do agree that 1 ball goes a long way, but I would still get 2. That being said, I admit that my frustration was partly my fault. This was a gift. And halfway through, coffee got spilt all over it and I tried to clean it according to directions. Massive failure. I had to start it all over again. Making it the longest project ever, totally late, and the most insanely frustrating project known to mankind. Combining the fact that the needle reccomended was very small, the stripes are incredibly skinny, it requires blocking, and the kitchener stitch nearly drove me to drink, and I would say with confidence that I would never make this scarf again. Not for me or anyone else. But I must say that it did turn out pretty well. And it started out in November. I was hoping it was going to finish in January, but it is now May. Nuff said.
So here is a pic of the final product:

Wednesday Review: Rowan Kidsilk Haze

Welcome, folks. Today I am reviewing Rowan Kidsilk Haze, popular in lace knitting. I had an opportunity to use it in the Lace-Tipped striped scarf pattern by Hannah Fettig, which I will be showing pics of on Friday. I can see the value of its popularity due to its lightness and, obviously, the light aura, or "haze" that it provides in the finished product. Also, it has quite a bit of yardage , running at 229 yards per ball. I paid $14.95 a ball at Jimmy Beans Wool, my preferred online yarn store of choice. Also, they come in a wide range of colors.
I have read 20 reviews on the yarn, most commenting on the softness of the fabric provided. The downside being the tediousness of the thin thread. I must concur. I have to say that I would probably use it for only 1 pattern I have. I made a really beautiful long lace scarf early in my knitting career. It was my first lace endeavor ever. It called for a ball of le fibre nobili. Similar effect. But if you make any mistakes with this yarn, you are proverbially screwed. To try to undo it is to make a massive tangle of yarn. So you almost have to buy a "safety ball" to cover your butt. I am not sure it is worth the risk.
So, my conclusion is: Nice effect, but you might want to think twice. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Dewberry, a lavender color

Long time, no post

Well, I do have an excuse for my absence. Several, actually. I have been in Denver with my parents doing a follow up for my father's post operative spinal surgery. Then I got a horrific cold, which I still have. Then my computer has crashed, needed to go to the computer doctor to get fixed, and just now came back. Now my uncle and cousin are coming on holiday from California for 10 days, and I will be required to entertain them. But, on the plus side, I have gotten 1 project almost done. It just needs to finish blocking, I will kitchener it together, and lord willing that I have some time on the computer next Finish Friday, it will have pics. And a review of at least 1 yarn next Wednesday. Hopefully.

Wednesday Review: Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini

I was attracted to this book by 2 things: There was a going out of business sale at Borders. I love books about trying to knit your dream. For the author, it was the Mary Tudor sweater by Alice Starmore. So, I had myself all setup for crack-me-up, pee-in-your pants antics.
While there was some of that, it seemed like she spent 2/3 of the book explaining copyright issues with Alice Starmore's name and patterns. A brief synopsis would have done, but I got the whole gosh darn encyclopedia. Good Lord! Then the never ending quest for the yarn, the color card comparison, etc., etc., etc. as Yul Brenner would say.
Then there was the ultimate philosopical question:"If I change any of my techniques or alter the yarn even a tiny bit, am I still making a Starmore?" WHO THE HECK FREAKIN' CARES?! Just get on with the book! Then she had the audacity go around the country and explore that very same question with every knitting rockstar she could corner. Stephanie Pearl McPhee, The Mason Dixon Girls, the mind reels.
So, in short, I just couldn't wait for the book to end. I would give it 2 stars.

The real me, mountain holiday, orange again, and restructuring

Hello, folks! I am back from a weekend frolic to Aspen, CO, where I spent some time celebrating my 7th wedding anniversary with my husband anniversary. The weather was beautiful, the hotel was much better than anticipated, and I even found yarn where I didn't know it existed! Could it get any better?! I think not!
So, I have made some decisions. First, I am going to attempt to structure this blog as if people are readily reading it. I am going to devote some time to product review. Now, when I say product review, it could mean any kind of product. Knit wash, needles, yarn, books, etc. I anticipate some problems with this that perhaps someone could help me with. First, I do not have the finances or limitless resources to have a new product to review every week. Second, I do not have a snappy name for said review. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Also, I think that I am only going to show my finished projects on Fridays. I am going to call it Finished Fridays. Original, huh? But I will break tradition with that and just get this one project out of the way. I have made the passionfruit armwarmers, so I made the clementine armwarmers for my best friend Marcie. Yes, Orange AGAIN. And we all know how I feel about orange.

Also, I have been debating, humorizing, philosophizing, etc. about pics of the real me on my website. I took some on said mountain holiday. I will post them along with pics of Aspen and hubby. Here goes.

Baby Sets

I have been in a mad frenzy to get baby sets done. Sadly, my other commissioned projects have had to take a back seat to 2 babies that were coming, and coming soon. Equally sad, the only baby yarn I had was acrylic. Yuck. And I just couldn't justify buying new yarn. So I made baby sets out of the pound of love. They were basketweave blankies, hats, and booties. I found the hats to have way too many stitches to cast on, so I cut down the 80 to 60, and the 4 inch length on the bootie to 3 inch. I think that you could even get away to 2.5 inch. Since they both look the same, I will only post 1 pic:

Also, this weekend, I will be in Aspen, CO with my hubby celebrating my 7th wedding anniversary. I would like to take the time to say Happy Anniversary, and thank you for a marriage that has had it's ups and downs, but has never, ever been boring!

Star Crossed Slouchy Beret

I was hesitant about releasing the pics for my beret, even though I had finished this long ago. Mostly because I wanted really good pics of me modeling it in a matching outfit. But the weather won't cooperate, I can't seem to be well for 2 days straight, and my husband never seems in the mood for a photo shoot. And then I gave it some thought. Maybe my trademark should be that I am seldom seen in my photos. Maybe I can be like the Wizard behind the curtain. Because, lets face it. Me being a model would be like Bridget Jones doing a Victoria's Secret fashion shoot. Now, both the fictional Bridget and I have a close band of friends that we love and who love us. She even has Colin Firth (lucky wench!). I have my hubby (my version of Colin). But we all know that there will be no pics of me popping up in a Frederick's of Hollywood ad anytime soon. So I guess that I will have to let my work speak for itself.

This was a stashbuster project. The yarn I used is really fuzzy. When they said slouchy, I had no idea. I was starting to get nervous, because it looked like it was never going to end, and all I was making was a really long tube. But I do like the squishyness of the cables. And it is *really* slouchy. Sometimes it kind of wants to fall off of my head. Personally, I think it would be better suited for someone with really long hair, but I am going to keep it anyway because I love the color.

Tanis Fiber Art Contest

Tanis fiber art is running a contest for enough fiber to make Hannah Fettig's wispy cardi. You get an additional chance if you mention your fave colorway on your blog, so here goes. I like moss because my favorite color is green. And that green would really match and enhance my eyes.

Bramble beret

Ok, so I know that I promised more pics of me, but that has been an epic fail. It has been raining, sleeting, and where I live, there is wind. Not just breezes. I am talking about epic, gale-force wind. And I also want a pretty background. That is not my backyard. My backyard is pretty much rock and intermittent poopy patrol. Not cute. And my husband, who would take the pics, is now busy working all the time. Maybe it just isn't meant to be.
So, in the meantime, the only pics you get are my items being blocked. I did the bramble beret. I love the finished product. Right size, fascinating cables, and it held my interest. I have even started receiving compliments and requests. I used cascade 220 wool, which goes on for miles. I used a sage color. Yet another varying color of green, my fave color.

Pretty cute, huh? I have been stash busting like a mad woman. Sometimes I wish that I could have a different hat/glove/cowl/sweater color, but then I think about the raving lecture I will get from my hubby, and I suck it up. Besides, it gives me an excuse to buy a shirt/skirt/pants/blouse to match the accessory I just made!
Sneak peak:star crossed slouchy beret. It requires a full view of my head!

Gratification, Yours and Mine

First, another shout out to Julie Crawford, of http://knittedbliss.com, for her recent pattern publish in knitty. It seems like a lovely racerback. If my time was not consumed with literally 1,000 other commissioned projects, I would love to make that. I have been racking my brains for an appropriate summer knit. The racerback looks great on her, as usual. But she could design a mauve potato sack, wear no make up, and still look like Petra Nemcova. I hope that it would look well on me. I very rarely make anything for myself, especially sweaters. I have a difficult time with my body proportions. I am very short, short-waisted, and busty.
Everybody always thinks it is soooooo great to have big boobs. Let me tell ya, it ain't so hot. My wardrobe options are severely limited. And big bras aren't particularly cute. You would think that big boobs would be the perfect accessory to every outfit, but they are more like your worst nightmare. What fits on top is like a circus tent on the bottom. What fits on the bottom makes it look like your cups runneth over. And I do not particularly like to have my chest poking out in all directions. I prefer to be tastefully modest. I think that you can be covered and sexy at the same time.
On the plus side, while knitting in a dr.'s office yesterday, I was complimented for a beret I was wearing. A lady struck up a converstation with me, asking me about my knitting, do I accept commissioned projects, design, etc. So I explained to her the nature of what I was doing and attempting to delve into currently, and she said that she would be interested in at least 2 hats of a similar nature to mine and potentially a blanket and sweater in the near future. Yippee! This just proves what I had been saying to my husband:
1.) It was a good thing for me to buy those gosh darn business cards.
2.) It was good for me to have a blog and a ravelry id.
3.) It is always good for me to wear at least 1 thing that I have made out in public, and that I need to make more things for myself.
4.) We need a better camera, and I need to post more pics of myself.

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week:Last Post (Yes, I know I am a day late. Somehow, you are surprised?!)

Bring the fortune and life of a past finished project up to the present. Document the current state and use of an object you have knitted or crocheted, whether it is the hat your sister wears to school almost every day, or a pair of socks you wore until they were full of hole. Or maybe that jumper that your did just didn’t like that much…
When I lived in California, I worked for Wells Fargo as a personal banker in a grocery store branch. For those who don't understand the concept, it is a small bank literally inside of a grocery store. We had 3 tellers at any given time there also. One was a very elderly Japanese woman named Sachi. She was a hoot. Incredibly funny, and spunky as all get out. She was probably about 4'6". She was always pinching my cheeks and telling me what a good girl I was. She used to bring me home-made sushi and cut persimmons from her tree at home. I loved that woman.
She made me a parrot green crocheted hat and a scarf made with matching said yarn combined with fun fur. I abhor acrylic yarn, but I wear that thing dutifully every year. Not only does it keep me warm, but it keeps her alive in my mind. I cherish that gift. I don't know what ever happened to Sachi. But I will love her always.

P.S. For those of you who have asked why I don't have many pictures of myself on my blog, it is because my husband isn't around often enough to take pictures of me in my knits, and it doesn't usually occur to me to get dressed up and model them for you. I'm not that great of a model. Sorry!

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week Part 3

Blog about a pattern or project which you aspire to. Whether it happens to be because the skills needed are ones which you have not yet acquired, or just because it seems like a huge undertaking of time and dedication, most people feel they still have something to aspire to in their craft. If you don’t feel like you have any left of the mountain of learning yet to climb, say so!
So many projects inpire and awe me. So many are just totally out of my league at this point, be it in ability or time. I have made leaps and bounds, but I have so far to go. I really think that the apex for me at this point is the Nightingale by Vintage Purls. You can find it on Ravelry. She took a sock pattern of beautiful nightingale birds perching on trailing tree/vine thingys and turned it into an amazingly complex pattern of a shawl collared cardigan. Yes, that is what I said, A CARDIGAN! I don't even know how it enters into your head to do that. It would never even occur to me. I'm in awe. I want to bend down, prostrate myself, and say,"I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"

Knitting and Crocheting Blog Week Part 2 Make Up time

I was slow to join the party. So I have 2 more topics so that I will have 5 topics to have covered for the 5 days of the week that have gone by. The previous 3 topics I covered were hints taken from Knitted Bliss' Julie Crawford (I have already covered her fabulosity, so I won't gild the lily any longer), and the next 2 I have actually picked up as hints from the knit and crochet blog website. I hope that you enjoy.
Topic 1: Location, Location, Location
Where do you like to indulge in your craft? Is your favourite arm chair your little knitting cubby area, or do you prefer to ‘knit in public’? Do you like to crochet in the great outdoors, perhaps, or knit in the bath, or at the pub?
When I was trying to establish my knitting room, I had delusions of grandeur for a gliding rocker or a lovely deep armchair. This, however, would have posed a problem, because my knitting room was 1/2 of a attic/loft, which sloped deeply. So those chairs would have to be very short. I am already very short, 5'1", but to find such a chair would have been difficult. Lord willing, I will find an average room for my dream yarn room someday.
As for wierd places I have knit, I must say that I have no shame. I used to work at a hospital, so I have knit behind an ER desk. I knit while I am fishing or camping near a campfire. I knit when I am recovering from surgery. I normally knit in the living room on the couch. I knit every where. I think that knitting in the bath would be problematic with non-colorfast yarn. And I have knit under the influence, but following a pattern while doing so is rather tricky.
Topic 2: One Great Knitter

Write about a knitter whose work (whether because of project choice, photography, styling, scale of projects, stash, etc) you enjoy. If they have an enjoyable blog, you might find it a good opportunity to send a smile their way.
Ok. Here goes. I have admiration for several people. I love nevernotknitting's Alana Dakos. I have the good fortune of being her friend. She is all-around wonderful person, and a great designer. In addition to being beautiful and a fantastic knitter. Oh, and a very amusing podcaster. Here is her link: http://www.nevernotknitting.blogspot.com/
Next up: Everybody knows Stephanie Pearl McPhee. Her work is genius. I dream that someday she will send me a pair of socks that she made for me. (By the way, I am a women's size medium, and I love green)Also, she is hysterically funny, and I always find myself guffawing at her commentary. Here is her link: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/
I have always continued to rave about Julie Crawford's Knitted Bliss blog. She is amusing, her knits are awesome, colors are great. We share a similar sensibility and other interests. Only a few differences. My photos aren't that great, I do not wear a size 0, and I can't seem to crank out a new project every 3 days. Oh, and I don't look like a supermodel. But catch it! She is the bomb! http://www.knittedbliss.com/
I also love Thea Colman of Baby Cocktails. Her knits have just the right amount of sensibility for my area. Thin, gossamer knits are awesome, and I would make and wear them all the time if I could. But they just don't wear well out here in CO. Her knits are wearable, durable, and have a east coast/western chic that I think that I could pull off. http://www.babycocktails.blogspot.com/
And finally, the blue garter, aka Sarah. She is from Portland, OR. A mecca for awesome yarn stores. Lucky girl. I love everything she does. It really speaks to me. Her color combos and designs. Wow. I don't know. It just fills my soul. And her baby Ada is pretty darn cute too.http://www.bluegarter.org

2nd annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

Ok, so I must confess that I didn't even know that this existed until I checked out Julie Crawford's blog http://www.knittedbliss.com/, which I highly reccomend that you follow. We share a lot of the same interests. Plus, she is drop dead gorgeous. It is sickening. I have been told that I have an eye for color and really good taste, but she makes me want to crawl in the corner and cry. But I digress.
Since this is the first time that I have had a blog where I blog pretty regularly, I figured what the heck. Let's give this a go. But I need to catch up on the questions. So here goes:
Question 1: A Tale of Two Yarns
"Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them."
Ok, the loathe is pretty easy. Anything acrylic or orange. I am sorry for all of my orange-lovers out there. It is a trendy color out there, especially in the cooking world (Hello, Rachael Ray and Mario Batali!) But I just can't do it. I look like a prisoner who should be picking up trash on the side of the road or a washed out carrot. As far as the acrylic goes, 'nuff said.
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/emmyknitslikekraz/andys-orange-hunting-cap
As far as great yarn, I am a new malabrigo lace worshiper. OMG. I want to make a lace shawl, fingerless gloves, or lace stockings in every color. I want to lay naked and roll around in it. I know. TMI. The grapes of wrath colorway reminds me of my youth in Sonoma County, CA, and one of my favorite movies, AWalk in the Clouds.
Question 2: Skill + 1 Up
"Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?"
Gosh. Well, I guess that I would say that I always thought that I was pretty fair in my skills at both. But I would deliberately choose intermediate projects because I didn't really want to strain my brain. But I would always look at gorgeous, complicated things and think,"Gee, I wish that I could do that, but I probably can't, and anyway, I don't have the time." Well guess what, folks?! I make the time, and I can! It is awesome!!!
Question 3:
"How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organised at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organised, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organised stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry."
Oh my. I am in the unfortunate position of being forced to move at any second to God-know's-where, so all my yarn is packed up with the exception of my current wip's, which now amount to about 10. But, back in the day, I had a yarn room. It had book shelves, and all of my yarn was sorted according to fiber content. But I really wanted to put them in baskets on the shelves, because it just tended to pile up and fall off of the shelves. I really wish that I had a whole week to take pictures of all of the yarn I own, write down the fiber content, try to remember where I bought it, when, how much I paid, and how much yardage it has, then put it all on Ravelry. But I am pretty sure that people who do that have housekeepers and paid servants.
So now you know all of my secrets. Pretty boring, huh?!

Fingerless Mitts and the perils of Fibro

Well, folks, on and back to my knitterly life. In the midst of all the chaos of preparing to move, I managed to make myself some fingerless mitts. They are based off of the pattern of the lettuce fingerless mitts to be made out of full o' sheep by the stitch nation. I needed something quick and fast. I was knitting at the speed of light, despite the world crumbling around me, but the cold weather was killing my hands and wrists.
For those of you who do not know, I suffer acutely from fibromyalgia. It is an autoimmune disorder that displays itself in many ways that make itself a nuisance and a pain in my behind, but one of them is something that resembles almost debilitating rheumatoid arthritis.
So it has a lace pattern down the front. I enjoyed this pattern because it does not actually knit in the round. It knits the flat and then you just sew up the side seam and the thumb. It was fast. I chose the color passion fruit because I have a tendency to enjoy jewel-colored tones. But I enjoyed them so much, that I am going to make a quick pair in black and lettuce. Eventually.
And all of my friends love them. So my friend Marcie wants a pair. I hate orange, as I have stated on several occasions, but I am making a pair in clementine. No doubt they will be the subject of my next post. Or my brambles beret. We shall wait and see.

My new motto

I have been trying to find a new motto for life, both personal, professional, and knitterly. I think I have it. Two words:
Beautiful imperfection.
It captures how I look at life, seize the moment, and how I embrace and accept my foibles. I am not going to try to be anal about my personal or professional life anymore. I spent too much time worrying about it. My quirks make me who I am, and I would like to think that people love me in spite and because of them. I want to celebrate myself for all of me, warts, beauties, and all! Life is too short to count the mistakes! Forgive others and hope that they will do the same! Don't burn bridges for nothing, but don't throw your pearls before swine! You are worth wonderful people, friends, and things! Go out and get them!

No, the world is not coming to an end. I am doing 2 posts in one day.

No folks. And when I say folks, I mean the one reader, even if there is one reader, that I have, I am refering to them all as "folks." I have been contemplating the concept of podcasts. When I first started venturing into the world of the online knitting community, I thought about someday doing a podcast. But I came to a revelation.
I can't do it. I just can't. I don't think that I have the dedication, the desire, the money for the computer equipment, or the computer that can take it. My husband is doing well to learn how to turn on the computer and check his email.
Our goal as a family (just me, hubby, and 2 mini schnauzers) is to simplify our life to the point where all we have is a large truck, and a large travel trailer to live in so that we can go where the work is and help those who are in need. We are both interested in becoming more fluent in our Spanish (we get by), and I speak ASL, so we would like to spend 1/2 our year in the Dominican Republic, where they use both.
Currently, I am a disabled housewife. I love knitting and crocheting. It is my addiction, my love. And I hope to have a little cupboard of yarn in my trailer. If I could find a way to just make a few patterns and sell them as pdfs on ravelry, that would be just enough for me. No solid patterns, no trunk shows, no grand enterprises. No podcasts. I notice that when I get into the community more, I neglect my life and the ones I love more.
I don't want to do that. I want to learn to snowshoe, love to hike, maybe kayak, learn photography, and not spend as much time inside. I want to live. I mean really live. But I want to incorporate my knitting and crocheting too, and hopefully make a little money at it.
Am I asking too much? Do you guys get what I mean? Any advice?