That’s the Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket, from the first Mason-Dixon book, with nine of the ten strips/squares attached. All that remained was the thin strip up the left side that incorporated two colors

That was how things looked on Thursday morning, when I was out photographing on our back deck. The boys came out with me and found something interesting had been wandering around the back yard

that kept them occupied while I snapped glamour shots of the blanket. By Friday afternoon I was closing in on the last few ridges of section 10. Friday night is our “Friday Night Rocks” (aka Mitered Blankie) gathering, and this week was themed “holiday cookout” by the awesome planners. Mona loaned us her husband as grillmaster

who served up freshly-grilled burgers, dogs, and brats

with a big smile. From what Mona says, he adores grilling (he’d find a way to grill salad……….) and enjoys feeding (ask her about their grocery bills…but they do have a teenage boy in the home……and those things have rabid appetites)…..and now I can attest that he’s damned good at it! BIG thanks go out to Mona and Joe for making the evening complete, and to everyone else who participated and contributed to one of the most fun, enjoyable evenings we’ve had (and that says alot, as Fridays have been TONS of fun!). There was spinning (at leat five people were spinning), knitting, swapping, eating, laughing, smiling, and more……..all evening long! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!!!

Along the way on Friday night, I goaded a few people into making their own skein of hand-dyed sock yarns. I hope they enjoyed the time spent in the back, splashing dye on things, making Sabrina’s office smell (that’s where the microwave is located), and watching vivid color emerge (I think the ladies did a GREAT job (hopefully they’ll share on Ravelry or personal blogs……hint hint hint). In the middle of it all, Helen (aka “High Helen” if you’ve been a LONG TIME reader of this blog) claims something guided her to the back of the shop, where we were dyeing. Then SHE got the dyeing bug and worked up a skein of sock-weight yarn and proceeded to move into spinning fiber. With her training in art and innate sense of color (she’s amazing at it–we miss her at the shop, as she used to work for us a few years ago), she created some amazing things in terms of a hank of sock yarn and two bumps of spinning fiber. However, we were there until 1:30 a.m. (which severely cut into my time to work on the blankie you see above…..and I wanted that bitch finished by Friday night). Being at the shop until 1:30 isn’t conducive to coming home and knitting, nor knitting the next morning, so it didn’t happen by Saturday morning. URGH!

However, Helen and I set some fiber to soak, along with multiple hanks of yarn, too. She was going to return on Saturday morning to take up the process again, this time with acid dyes from Gaywool (something we’re stocking again)–the previous evening’s dyeing was done with food-safe colorant, so we were moving down the learning curve into acid dyes. I got some quality knitting time in over the course of the morning and I have this lovely photo to share

STICK A FORK IN IT! WOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO! Finished project………..that means I can start four new ones, right (or is it three? I forget my own rule…..or am looking for an excuse to start even more!).

Truth is, I already cast on for a couple socks over the past week, as we had a meeting on Wednesday morning and the blanket was too large to bring with. Here’s my latest Monkey

in Prism Saki. It may turn out to be a surprise gift, so I’m not saying where it’s headed just yet. I also cast on for a “no thinking” sock, too

That’s a new colourway of Fortissima Mexico that will be available shortly…….so I always like to knit up a model sock ahead of time, so it can be on display when the yarn arrives. It’s also great movie knitting, so if we decide to go to a movie tonight (no major plans, but if), I’m set for in-the-dark knitting.

I did pull a project out of cryo-storage last night, too

My excuse for not working on it was that when I bound off at the waist, I repurposed the needle into other knitting (at TNNA, etc.) and had to wait until it was “free” to put it back into this project. All that remains are a few inches of sleeve (well, twice) and bands on the front and neck, so this should be an easy completion……which will allow me to start even MORE projects once it’s done. YES! If you’ve forgotten (it’s been several weeks since there was a sighting of this one in these parts), it’s the “Eyelet Cardi” by ChicKnits, done in Schulana Sojobama, a blend of bamboo and soy that’s uber-luscious and quite cool to the touch (great for the upcoming heat, no?). I hope to wrap this one up this week…….keep me legal, folks……goad me into making progress if you see me slacking or not being overly-faithful to it! If I am to get distracted, it’s probably going to be by this

as I have to reknit my Baby Surprise Jacket (something small about …… skipping part of the instructions in the yoke part……and it not assembling right….cough cough cough………OH LOOK, OVER THERE……..distraction…….

I have done some dyeing of late

that has been turned into finished skeins

and even some named to share with you here

that are still around and for sale. They’re on the “Rob’s Hand Dyed” base and are 490+ yards for $22.50. There were, last week, 45 other skeins on the table, but a few have sold (they were recapped on the NEW ARRIVALS blog last week). I’m out of base yarn (grey goods) again, and this time around I not only have my trusty two bases coming in again late in the week, but I hope to have two shipments coming of NEW bases from two different companies. We all like new bases!

OK–it’s 10 minutes until the shop opens today (Sundays, at noon) and I’m not showered yet. Gotta run, clean up, and get to work! Hopefully you will see more progress shots here soon, along wtih puppy pix, dyeing stuff, and other random silliness. Thanks for tuning in, even if I haven’t been very faithful!

If you’re not familiar, Lynne has authored two books (Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook and Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters) and is an authority on color and spinning and dyeing and from what I can see from the weekend here, one helluva great teacher.

Yup, Matt’s in the class, as is our store manager Sabrina. Check out this group

Laurie, in the back row with the cap on, had never spun before class and did a great job with her first skein of beautiful, colorful, textured yarn (shame on me for not getting a photo of it…it was GREAT STUFF!).

I’m not much of a spinner–I’ve tried it (YEARS ago, like 6+ years ago) and it didn’t take. I never found my “zen place”, the yarn I made was over twisted in some places and not twisted in others, and the fiber broke more than it ended up on the bobbin, so I haven’t really wanted to sit in front of a spinning wheel any time since. I hide my frustration and inability to be able to do something with the statement “there’s so much millspun yarn out there that I don’t need to make my own”, but what I see this weekend, coming off the various wheels of the class participants, makes me very interested in spinning. There, I said it. And if Lynne sees it while she’s still here, she and Matt might tie me to a chair and put a wheel in front of me. And I might not mind it.

We’re also fortunate to have the wonderful Lea,

from waaaaaaaaaaaay down south in Indiana. We know her from awhile back, as she was a customer at ThreadBear v1.0, back in Bloomington, IN. Yup–she drove about 8 hours to get here this time around for the weekend of spinning with Lynne (I told you Lynne was awesome!). Check out her beautiful shawl, made with Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace and using the pattern on the label. Well done, you!

The Great and Talented Lynne took pity on me, the non spinner, this weekend and gifted me with two hanks of her amazing hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn.

Can you believe how fortunate I am? I have no idea what I’m going to make with it, but it’s just stunning……depth of color, yet very masculine. It’s been great having Lynne stay with us, as she’s a very creative force–so much so that it makes me want to explore some creative things, too. I mean, imagine seeing the scarf (see above) this yesterday morning, draped across the backside of the table. It’s a real beauty–there’s swirls of color, surrounded by points along the edge. It made me “see” this morning shot, a combination of dishes, sunlight, and handspun yarn knitted into a great design.

So I’ve been taken by color and texture and creativity this weekend, from a distance. And I’ve been getting a ton of knitting accomplished, too……….with companions!

Tate was there first this morning, and Busby had to join us, snuggling in pretty hard with Tater. It made for an adorable shot, which Matt captured for us.

I’m gonna go knit more on the baby cardi I started on Friday night, which is almost finished, out of Cascade 220 Superwash Paint. It’s turning out to be quite adorable!

She’s conducting in-store spinning demonstrations on how to make the most beautiful novelty yarns, how to spin her fibers, how to use her little bags of color and texture (she calls them Puff and Puffette), and just being engaging and sweet. She’s here from 10-6 (all day) today, and that’s it. HURRY HURRY! You’ll want to see her expert hands at work

She also brought along a myriad of temptations, too. Check it out

That’s five tables and a playpen of goodies to peruse. And don’t feel bad–if you’re not local, they’re still available for the weekend. Check out the run-down below, including one BRAND NEW PRODUCT she’s releasing with this show. Keep reading.

First off, she has spinning fibers……

These are a 50/50 merino and yak blend that Matt is currently spinning with on his wheel out front (yes, he is actually taking it easy today…HOORAY). It’s working up beautifully…I’m sure he’ll show it off on his blog soon. It runs $15 for four ounces.

She also has some 50/50 merino and tencel here that is also $15 for 4 ounces and simply striking

I’m sure Matt will spin some of that soon, as well. In addition to the “traditional fiber” stuff, she brought Fiber Puffs and Puffettes

which is what she uses to create her hand-spun, hand-dyed novelty yarns, which are striking. Puffs are $22 (mohair, wool, nylon, and silk) for 3.5 ounces and Puffettes are just $3.50 (same stuff, just 1/2 ounce) The novelty yarns are here as well, if you prefer not having to spin

and even more

and are 80 yards, 4 ounces, $52 or half that much (yes, 40 yards, 2 ounces) for half that much ($26). She also has some amazing cashmere blend handspun yarn

that’s half cashmere, half merino, ALL amazingly soft…..185 yards of this handspun delight is a STEAL at just $40 a skein (it should retail for $80, being HANDSPUN cashmere). I think I’m gonna score a few and dye them…yes I do.

If you’re more interested in her sock yarns, how’s about some beautiful Yukon

that’s 450 yards (3.8 oz) of 70% merino, 20% bamboo, 10% nylon for just $17 each. Or you might like the Glacier Bay

that’s 3-ply superwash merino and 5.5 ounces (MONSTER skein) at 450 yards for $27. Or you might find yourself attracted to her Denali

which is 80% merino, 20% nylon and 4 oz/450 yard hanks for $17. All of these yarns are here for the weekend, but we did also get a MONSTER shipment of Chugiak (2-ply merino, 450 yards/4 oz., $17) that’s on the shelf as regular stock.

But my newest addiction……like crack in a skein….is her Alyeska

It’s 80% merino, 10% nylon, and 10% CASHMERE and oooooooh-so-soft. I’m not a cashmere whore like some people (it just doesn’t do it for me, for the price, typically), but I’m telling you…..this stuff has brought me over to the dark side. LOOK AT IT

OH……….MY………GAWD. And to knit with this….you won’t believe your hands. Or the resulting fabric. YUM YUM YUM. We have the hanks you saw above, which are 360 yards, 4 ounces, for $30. We’ll have more later in the month or early next month, but for now….GET YOUR HANDS ON SOME OF THIS. I’m knitting with it and it’s divine!

With that, I’m outta here. If you need anything, be in touch by e-mail or toll-free line at 866-939-BEAR or just drop by and see things in action.

A quick side note–Blogger has NOT been complying with my wishes of late (to publish posts!) and Matt had to rig the last post, which blogger has now eaten (it’s missing as of Thursday the 15th, but I’ll ask him to replace it when he posts this one). I’ll be migrating the blog from Blogger to another service shortly, but there’s a chance that we’ll lose direct access to old posts and archives, which will suck. Stay tuned for details as we know them, but that’s part/most of the reason I’ve not been posting lately….Blogger SUCKS!

Oh, and one more thing…stay tuned for yet another amazing hand-dyed yarn post–someone special sent me something AMAZING to try out from her recent dyeing experiments and they’re just SMASHING. It’s wound and on the needles…you’ll see fabric shortly.