GIVEAWAY!!

So, despite not having many followers, it feels like when you run a blog dedicated to a particular thing, you should have a giveaway. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and now that I am planning to blog regularly, there couldn't be a better time than now to give away lots of good stuff! So, I give to you, my first giveaway:




You could win the following:
1. Stitch Nation full o' sheep in Little Lamb [155 yards of peruvian wool]
2. Bernat Mocasic in Spectrum [209 yards]
3. Desiderata Farm Alpacas wool [50% alpaca, 50% merino. 3 ply, 110 yards] MADE IN NEWFOUNDLAND.
4. Briggs and Little Tuffy in Ecru. [215 yards] made in New Brunswick, Canada!
5. Briggs and Little Tuffy in Forest Green [215 yards] *pre balled*
6. a handmade faux baby cable hat in cranberry red + ivory

Not Pictured:
7. your choice between either one Hiya Hiya circular needle or the price equivalent in Hiya hiya crochet hooks, depending on your craft of choice. [ the needles are more expensive, so you'll probably get a few hooks]
8. I realize a lot of this happens to be white yarn, so i will include the following for your dyeing pleasure:
- a few packets of koolaid
- your choice in color of TWO[2] Knitpicks Jacquard Acid Yarn Dyes



HOW TO WIN:
1. Leave a comment, and please include a valid email so I can contact you if you are the winner.
2. Also include what color Jacquard dyes you'd like to recieve if you were the winner. :)
3. You MUST be following this blog to win. (not my tumblr)
4. If you have found this via tumblr and are uncomfortable providing an email in your comment, leave your tumblr name instead. Do not change your username, if I can't find you, i will choose a new person.

Winners will be randomly chosen with the help of random.org, on June 19, 2011. This giveaway is international.       Happy knitting/crocheting/spinning/dyeing, and good luck!

ps. Follow the jump to check out some close ups on the goodies.

Abalone KAL

Every now and then, the girls at The Rooms tend to do a KAL that lasts a month but in reality can take longer because some projects are hellish. This time around, we've decided to do Abalone, a short sleeved cardigan that you could also alter into a vest. Abalone doesn't button up, it rests against your body with a curved hem, it's really quite nice.
Another awesome thing about this pattern is that it doesnt come in S,M, L, etc. you get to adjust it yourself by measuring from nipple to nipple, and comparing that to your gauge. I have never actually bothered with gauge before, nor have I ever made a swatch until this project, so it seemed intimidating to me. If it feels the same way to you, don't even worry about it, it's not nearly as difficult as it may sound. Anyway, in the end you'll have a garment perfectly tailored to fit your body.
I only just finished the increases, so theres' nothing too interesting to show you as of yet, except..

Malabrigo Rios is awesome. Awesome. You can see in the second photo posted above how shiny this is, and all the photos capture the diversity and variation in the color. Almost every stitch ends up a different shade of blue. The color I purchased is called Aguas. There are a few negative reviews on this yarn, but ultimately it all depends on your preferences. I find the fact its silky/slippery more convenient because it makes it easier to work with, and looks nicer. All in all if you're a Malabrigo fan, check it out, for sure.

- Cind.

Wendy Knits and the Shetland Pi Shawl

So i've been following a site for a while now - or should I say spooking, as i have never commented on anything there yet, oops. Anyway, the site is Wendy Knits, and if you happen to enjoy knitting, siamese kitties, the occasional giveaway, and complex looking lace patterns with simple instructions, this is one site you have to bookmark.
Wendy is fantastic when it comes to the design of beautiful lace projects. I considered myself a newbie when it comes to lace, as I haven't done many things, and nothing on a large scale. A hat here, a cloth there, an occasional yarnover. That was before I tried out one of her patterns. It was written in such a way that even a completely beginner could understand these. I was really happy about it.

So, last night when I couldn't sleep, I decided to cast on the Shetland Pi Shawl - because you can never have too many projects, amirite? I'm on Chart C already, 288 stitches around thus far. This thing gets pretty large, but also so beautiful.

Don't have Ravelry? CLICK HERE
What's that wool?: Knitpicks Bare Shadow Lace

ps. This is the perfect yarn. It's a 2 ply laceweight with 880 yards. EIGHT.HUNDRED.AND.EIGHTY. for $5.50/hank. You are robbing them blind, thats the only way to describe such a heavenly deal. Its so light, nice to work with, your projects will feel like strands of air. Its also perfect for people who like to dye, as it is called bare for a reason.

Expect in the near future a blog post + photos on my recent adventures in the world of spinning, plus dyeing with koolaid, as well as a giveaway! It will be a small one as it is my first, but still quite swell if I do say so myself.

Take care,
Cind.

Gabriels Wings.

Despite being in the midst of review for my finals, I've been knitting non stop the past week. It's nice to be able to knit a few rows[or 50] and not experience discomfort/pain from my wrist to my shoulder. I have a lot of catching up to do, it sounds reasonable to me! haha.

Unfortunately, I only have webcam photos to share with you today, as my camera battery is dead. I need to buy a camera of my own, eventually. In the meantime, they aren't terrible photos, so I shall share.

This is something I cast on a little while ago, and that I tend to knit on and off. I usually only work on it when I am watching Supernatural. Actually, I chose this project in honor of one of my favorite characters from the show, Gabriel/Trickster!
As you can see, it's a combination of stockinette and garter stitch separated by YOs and also has a center stitch. Its a very easy to memorize pattern, and even after putting it away for a week, I whipped it out one day in the car and had no trouble recalling where I had left off.
What is this? This is Gabriels Wings, which can be as big or as small as you desire, something I like a lot about this pattern. Dont have Ravelry? CLICK HERE
What it's knit with: Noro Kureyon Sock in S150.
This yarn often has points of being inconsistent, it turns into roving at some points, but with that aside, it is very easy to work with. It may be rough, but it doesn't feel irritating on my hands when I work with it. Its the kind of yarn where you touch it and never want to use it, but it really isn't so bad. A judge a book by its cover kind of thing, if you will.

All in all if you want a rewarding yet mindless shawl pattern, i'd recommend this one.

Well, i'm back at last. I had to take a 3 month hiatus on knitting due to a mixture of a carpal tunnel flare up, as well as a mountain of stress to go with it. Lots of school work to be done. I will make an effort to blog regularly from now on.

"Doctor Who" scarf update

It's about time I post an update on a project I started a little while ago - a Doctor Who scarf, done for commission. It is going to be ~10 feet when all done, and today it broke the 7 foot mark.
This has taken maybe 5 hours so far, I wasn't really counting so i'd have to think it over, but its probably something like that. I usually watch a movie when im working on this, and i'm hoping the next time i put one on and work on it, it will finally be finished and given to its owner.

It is knit on 6.5mm needles, done in garter stitch like the original scarf. I used misc. acrylic yarn, all purchased at michaels. I chose to use acrylic so it would be less expensive for the person and also so it would be easier to take care of. If you need to wash it, just toss it in. When a scarf is this long, you really don't want to have to go through the whole handcare thing. Anyway, here is the photo i took for this. Its the scarf hanging over the door of my bedroom.



And, of course, here is a photograph of the original Tom Baker scarf, from which this scarf is inspired.


Cheers!

Hedera

So, I began knitting a pair of socks with my KIP pals for a March KAL.

A lot of us ended up knitting Hedera, a gorgeous lace repeat sock, which is simple to remember. It is really good for beginners who don't want to do a plain sock, but also aren't confident in their lace skills. Well, this sock is perfect for anyone really. I'm not new to lace or socks, but I chose this as a challenge. It turned out to be really simple, but I am enjoying knitting it!
I'm hoping that doing a pair as a KAL will enable me to actually come out with a pair of socks instead of just one. Now, if only I could actually finish these by April.
I will probably do a post on these once i am finished both of them, but in the mean time here's a peek: