It’s a Knitaversary Giveaway!

Four years ago my good friend Danny taught me to knit.  Or as Chris has said, that is when I learned I was a natural-born-knitter.

To celebrate I’m giving away one skein of merino fingering weight yarn. 

I dyed it – you name it! (Naming colorways are half the fun of dyeing yarn!)

Here’s how to play along…

Two skeins are shown below. Post in the comments below what you would name the colorway you’d like to own and provide a link to either a blog, facebook, ravelry, or twitter comment about the contest.

Each skein is over 500yds of organic merino. 

The winner will be chosen based on creativity and announced on Wednesday – noonish Central Daylight Time. 

If you’re not into yarn and are in search of a little different contest, become a fan of Clear Creek Lavender on Facebook where we’re giving away one of our Greatest Hits Boxed Sets in a haiku contest.

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Introducing – a new line of yarn!

Two lovely holiday colorways of 100% silk to tempt knitters are being offered on our Clear Creek Lavender website!

Perfect soft shading designed to show off intricate stitches.  Limited availability. 

Next month’s offering in alpaca – because everyone deserves to start the year with a little halo.

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Head over Heels

Smitten – I’m smitten with the loveliness of the Echo Flower Shawl by Jenny Johnson Jonhen of Sweden. The silk I’ve dyed (for no particular project) seems to fit it perfectly.  I can’t quite catch the color on camera.  A violet/purple with pink undertones is the closest I can come to describe it – it is the color of wild violets found in wooded areas during spring.

Vibrant but shy wild violets.

Here’s a not-great photo but you can see the stunning stitch design that Jenny’s created.

See why I’m smitten?

It’s my prerogative.

And I’m not going to feel a bit guilty over it.

As my mother would say, “nosireebob”.

Since our return from New York I’ve been knitting (see you thought I’d forgotten it was a knitting blog didn’t you?) on my blue llama Icarus Shawl.  The yarn is a lovely pale blue that I dyed myself.  But I cannot knit another stitch on it.  Not now.  It’s been stuffed into a bag and I’m setting it aside.  For now.

Why?  Two things really.  Make it three.

I’ve finished Chart 3 and still have about 1/3 of the third 300yd ball left.  When that ball is finished I’ll be joining on the last 300yd ball of this yarn.  The last.  I’m a bit nervous about that fact.

Backstory…

My history with Icarus is that it was the first lace shawl that I attempted back when I was a greenhorn knitter.  The shawl was originally published in Interweave Knits Summer 2006.  It captured my attention right away although I knew nothing about lace.  I had on impulse bought one skein of lace yarn at a plant festival that spring and thought it would be perfect for the shawl that soon enthralled me.  Little did I know.  Very little because there was no way I had nearly enough yarn in that hand dyed hand spun yarn to tackle Icarus.  It was misery at times, due mostly to my lack of knowledge.  Then to my lack of yarn.  Last year I frogged that miserable shawl, my first shawl, and the yarn is still in my stash.

Yesterday I spent the day dyeing yarn.  You’ll see it soon enough – but let’s just say it’s silk and has turned out just as I had hoped.  I had pushed away from my mind just how much I love knitting with silk.  But working with this new dyed yarn has brought it back to me – big time!

I have a small skein of about 460 yds from another dyeing day that just may become my next project, The Echo Flower Shawl. I don’t have enough to make it large like my silk Aeolian but enough to make a good scarf sized triangle shawl.  The pattern is more Estonian Lace and I happen to have beads to match this little gem of a skein.

So really – I’m playing havoc with my WIP (works-in-progress) list but it’s not like I’m stepping away from the stove with the fire going.  Really it isn’t.

See how pretty the yarn is?  Who could resist?  Okay the photo sucks but the yarn and beads are pretty.

Those two forums I joined on Ravelry that are supposed to encourage me to finish my WIP’s?  I’m quitting them.  I’m quitting them.  I don’t have a WIP problem.

Nosireebob.

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Knowing right from wrong.

I’m completely jonesing for Magnolia Bakery cupcakes.  (and apparently I’m not the only one in this house who is – just saying).  If we were in New York I’d already be down on Bleeker Street deciding between white cake and red velvet.  (oh heck I’d pick red velvet if it was available we all know that)

But we’re not in New York.  We’re on the creek.

Someone (not mentioning names) found the recipes for both the cupcakes and icing online.

Yippee!

But…

(and how in the world can this be possible?)

I do not have enough butter in the house to make them (it takes an embarrassing amount that no normal person buys on regular basis).  Butter!  I’m a butter fiend!  I love real butter.  I buy it every month from a dairy on the food coop.  Wagon Creek Creamery has delicious butter.  It’s creamy.  It’s real butter.

sigh.

big sigh.

Is it wrong to drive twenty plus miles at nearly 9pm to the closest grocery store to buy enough butter to make Magnolia Bakery cupcakes?  Will they even have real butter?

sigh

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Just say NO!

In 2006 Hershey bought socially responsible chocolate company Dagoba.

In 2007 Clorox bought socially responsible personal hygiene company Burt’s Bees.

In 2006 Colgate Palmolive bought the primarily vegan Tom’s of Maine personal health care company.

Now Hershey wants to purchase British chocolate company Cadbury.

DON’T DO IT CADBURY!!!

On another note, Chris despises when people say “bless you” or some-such equivalent when he sneezes.  “Why do you want someone bringing attention to that loud honking noise you just made and the fact that you now have a handful of snot to deal with?”he asks.

His new idea is to say “bless you” whenever anyone farts.

I like it!

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A Birthday Read or Re-Read

Today is the birthday of one of my very favorite authors – Margaret Atwood.  var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));
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Ms. Atwood writes on issues of importance: the rights of women, patriarchal religion’s influence on women, the politics of food, and environmental issues.

If you’ve never read any of Margaret Atwood’s poetry collections, short stories, or novels might I suggest you pick up a copy of one of the classics.  My favorites include The Edible Woman, Surfacing, and of course, The Handmaid’s Tale.  If you’re a long time fan as I am, isn’t it time for a reread?

Happy Birthday Margaret Atwood

 and thank you.