Contests

Remember the Fashionably Late in 2008 Clapotis KAL? There was a contest for anyone who made one of SK's variations. Well guess what? I WON!!! I'm so excited. I never win anything and this time I won Shui Kuen Kozinski's gorgeous coin lace clapotis. I love it. The color is deeper and richer than this photo but I wanted to share it with you. Isn't it great? SK is the fabulous knitter who has so many of her gorgeous patterns available on elann. I feel very lucky.

This also reminded me that I have been completely remiss in announcing the winner of my Daffodil Daze contest. And the winner is . . . . drum roll please . . . . MARIE! Congratulations Marie, please e-mail me your address and I will send you this beatiful skein of super soft alpaca yarn that reminds me of - what else - Daffodils!

I also want to share with you this square I knit for a baby blanket that Kristen is making. I made this one in horseshoe lace for good luck. The color is actually the more like the little blob of blue in the bottom corner. I have no idea why the rest of the picture turned out in this washed out grey.



Finally for SP 12 I have yet to answer any of their questions and they are already on the third week. So here goes: The question this week is "What do you consider the perfect amount of Stash?" That's tough to answer as I purchase yarn faster than I can knit it so the stash grows and grows. So there is no perfect amount - just more yarn to enjoy! Jennifer once had some british knitting terms on her blog and I loved SABLE. That stands for "Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy." I think that's the perfect amount. And just when I was feeling that my stash has really gotten out of hand (unless I plan to live to 200) you have to check THIS out. You'll feel much, much better!

ADDENDUM: Please join me in Summer of the UFO - sign ups are now open. Tell your friends!

Happy Summer Solstice

Today is the day - the first day of summer. I always welcome this day with mixed emotions. I'm excited that summer has officially begun but somehow sad that this is the longest day of the year. Summer is just getting in to swing and already the days are going to start getting shorter. I realize that's a "glass half empty" point of view but I can't help it. Every year at this time it crosses my mind. But mainly I'm just thrilled to have Summer. Something to look forward to is the first day of summer brings with it the Relay for Life. Tomorrow night Mom and I will go for the third year in a row and knit our chemo caps. Here is a sampling of the hats that I have already finished. I find that I can only get one hat done during the evening so I try to make a few in advance. The silver hat is a really cool yarn that I found in a sale bin and it turned out very cute. Horsey Girl has been eyeing it so I'm going to have to sneak it out when she is not looking. I wish I'd kept the label so I could see what else they have! The one in the hydrangeas is made from Rowan All Seasons Cotton. It is very soft and great to work with. The multi-colored one is a top down spiral. I thought I had enough yarn to finish it but when I ran out I had to add the tan border but thankfully it matches. Finally, the burgundy one is another mobius hat made out of Blue Sky Alpaca. It is very soft and yummy.

I think this is definitely a style of hat that I will make more of.

MORE ON SUMMER OF THE UFO
Brooke asked if unspun fiber counts. The answer is SURE. He more the merrier. The idea is to have fun and get things done. In fact, Jennifer and I have decided to start a Summer of the UFO KAL. We're still working on setting it up but watch for more info. I hope you'll join us!

Summer of the UFO

With the power vested in me (a.k.a none), I hereby declare this to be the "SUMMER OF THE UFO!" I have been trying to clean up my house - a project which I must admit is not going very well - and in the process have realized that I have waaaaaaay too many unfinished projects. They range from felted bags which simply need the handle to be attached or a button sewn on to scarves which have only a few inches on them to baby blankets that are 3/4ths of the way finished. So I am declaring this the official Summer of the UFO as my commitment to try to finish as many UFO's as possible. I plan to build a UFO list on my sidebar (give me a bit of time - I'm afraid it is going to be a long one) and I pledge to do my best to finish off as many items as possible this summer. I commit that I will not start a new project without finishing at least one UFO. To reflect my commitment I finished this Odessa hat which I started for my niece probably in January. It's made out of some stretchy yarn so it looks a bit odd when it's not on a head but when it is stretched tight it will look better. The truly pathetic thing is once I picked it back up it only took one evening to finish! Odessa is a very clever pattern. I love the way it spirals in on the top. I chose to make it without the beads but may try the beaded version next (that is AFTER finishing a UFO of course!) I tried to put a link to the pattern but it no longer seems to exist. It used to be on MagKnits but since they pulled it down I can no longer find it. That seems tragic but if you want a copy let me know (since it used to be free I'm guessing that would be OK).

And now for a contest. Please join me in the Summer of the UFO Challenge. Let me know what UFO you plan to finish and let me know when you finish it. I will draw winners in each of June, July and August and anyone who has finished a project during that time will be eligible to win. The requirement is that it has to be an old project that you have let languish. You can either finish the project, decide to finally frog it and start (and finish) something new or put your project up for adoption! To adopt out a project you can mention it in the comments and see if there is anyone who wants to adopt a UFO you no longer plan to finish. If they are willing to give your project a new home you will send it to them and they must send you a little something fun in return. Let's the games begin!

In*CRIA*ble

Meet Lyra, a baby Alpaca which is called a Cria. She was born one week ago and this photo was taken when she was just 2 days old. She is absolutely adorable! Lyra belongs to one of Horsey Girls best friends and she has been long awaited. Not only are Alpacas pregnant for something like 11 months but her mom had a cria last year that died tragically. It was such a happy day when this sweet little girl was born healthy and strong. Horsey Girl's friend posted signs on the pasture saying, "It's a Girl!" It cracked me up that her Mom went out with a pen and added, "Alpaca Baby" so that none of the neighbors would think that SHE had had another child! Don't you just look at her and think of a gorgeous soft scarf? There was a baby shower for her on Sautrday which was very well attended. Horsey Girl went to the saddlery and bought a purple bucket which she then decorated and also got little bows for her hair. Yes, this little cria will be quite spoiled!

We have had two graduations in the last week, the little man graduated from preschool and Miss K from 6th grade. They grow so fast! I managed to get through both without tears but it was tough. Now they are ready for a summer filled with camps and fun - I want summer vacation!

Me and My Mobius

If any of you have not tried Cat Bordhi's mobius you are in for something quite unusual. The Yarn Harlot once said that Cat looks at knitting and says, "how can I make this harder?" I think she may be right! The mobius is cast on in a very strange way and then you are knitting round and round on both sides of the work. It's really quite odd and I must say that I can't totally figure it out. But I saw a mobius hat and thought it was so cute. I felt like I had to give it a try. The mobius part is just the band but I think it turned out pretty cute - what do you think?














As to something OTHER than hats - I decided to join Secret Pal 12. It's been awhile since I have been in an exchange so I thought what the heck. So here are my answers for my wonderful anonyous pal out there whoever you are!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I have lots of favorite yarns. Pretty much whatever gorgeous yarn I have found for the project du jour. I'm not crazy about novelty yarns and don't really use that much in the way of bulky yarns.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a beautiful needle case that my friend Jennifer made for me which houses some of my straight needles. I have a binder with little plastic pencil holders in it to hold my circular needles. I also have two boxes to hold other needles - one for up to size 9 and one for larger sizes. Basically a workable but not fabulous system.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I learned to knit when I was pregnant with my son and have been knitting now for 6 years. My wonderful Mom taught me and I'm probably now an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I don't but maybe I should create one!

5. What's your favorite scent? Lavender, Citrus and cinnamon.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?CHOCOLATE of course! Also Swedish Fish and Sour Balls.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I don't spin and am trying hard to avoid it - the last thing I need is more ways to take up my time. I do scrapbook although I haven't done so in quite awhile.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like lots of different types of music - rock, pop, jazz and others. I have an ipod and I'm pretty sure I can play am MP3.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love purple and red. I'm not so crazy about orange and dark green.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I'm married with 3 kids, 2 cats and a bearded dragon lizard.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear scarves and although I knit lots of hats I actually don't wear them. I wear gloves but no ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Hats! I also am enjoying making shawls although they take me MUCH longer!

13. What are you knitting right now? I'm trying to make as many hats as possible right now to donate for Realy for Life. I have 4 done and 3 on the needles. I also have 2 shawls, 2 pairs of fingerless gloves, a sweater for my son, a baby blanket, at least 2 scarves and several other items OTN!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes I do.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? It depends on the project. I like straight for scarves, circular for almost everything else, I have lots of bamboo but like the aluminum for lace. Not really a plastic fan. I'm loving the KnitPicks options in the Harmony wood.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I do!

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Well how do you define a UFO? If it's something that is knit but not assembled then probably at least 3 years. If it is something still on the needles than maybe 2 . . . .

18. What is your favorite holiday? I love Christmas - it's such a fun family time, we get together with lots of different people, work tends to slow down a bit and then or course there is giving and receiving presents!

19. Is there anything that you collect? I love dragonflys but I'm not sure I would say I collect them.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Nothing special but always open to other people's suggestions. I don't have any current subscriptions.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I would love to learn intarsia. Whenever I change colors on something you can always see where it occured.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I have just started knitting socks but haven't yet finished one. I wear a size 9.5 shoe and have thick ankles.

23. When is your birthday? November 18th

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Why Allisondragonfly of course!

Yeah Me!

My kids love this show called "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody." It's a cute show and I love the play on words in the name. Well there is a character on that show named London who is a spoiled girl fond of saying, "Yeah Me!" While a fairly obnoxious saying - I must just this once - use it for finishing the Baby Sweater! I'm so thrilled to be done and look at the finished result. MANY THANKS to Mom for her excellent seaming. Here it is in all it's splendor along with the little matching hat. When Miss K's teacher opened it at the baby shower I got all the requisite "oh's and ah's" so I was thrilled. I just have to ask myself WHY did I choose such a challenging pattern? I always seem to do that. I think, "I'll make a baby sweater, they are small and easy so should be fast." And then I find the most complex pattern that takes me forever. Oh well. I really like it even it I won't be making it again! At least the hat was quick.