The Indie Design GAL on Ravelry is continuing in full force. If you missed my last post, I wrote all about the Gift-A-Long here.
The most important piece of information right now is that the 25% discount on each designer’s discounted bundle of patterns goes through this Wednesday, November 30th, at 11:59 pm (EST). The coupon code is giftalong2016. So be sure to take advantage of this special offer before it’s gone! My sale bundle is here.
If you are up for a challenge, you might be interested in Taming the Opadoo. The Opadoo is the 8-armed Gift-A-Long challenge, in which one completes at least one project in each of the eight GAL categories. Sounds like fun!
Additional ongoing fun activities during the GAL include these two threads: Designers Alphabet Soup and Designer Hunt Game. Both of the games allow you to get to know the indie designers better – and each winner receives a coupon code for a free pattern.
As of this writing, 247 projects are posted in the finished object thread. It’s a great place to look if you want inspiration for your next project. Designers hail from 32 countries, and GAL group members, from 66 countries. If you enjoy stats, here is a thread full of them.
That’s most of the new news about the GAL! More to come later!
Sharing, again, the amazing infographic created by Kimberly Golynskiy of Around the World in 80 Skeins. It’s a great reference with everything you need to know for the Indie Design Gift-A-Long. It starts tonight – come join the fun!!!
Once again I’m excited to be participating as a designer in the Ravelry-wide Indie Design Gift-A-Long! (This post will be heavy on links to Ravelry; be sure that you join Ravelry if you haven’t already – so that you can follow the links right through to see what all the fun’s about!)
The Indie Design Gift-A-Long (GAL) is a HUGE knit-a-long/crochet-a-long (KAL/CAL) with tons of discounted patterns (during the discount period) and many, many prizes to be given out during the six weeks of the GAL!
The Designers
335 independent designers from all over are participating. You can see who they are here – with pictures indicative of their work. My post is here: #203.
The Discount – 25%
From November 22nd at 8:00 pm (EST) through November 30th at 11:59 pm (EST) each of 335 participating indie designers will offer 25% off a bundle of patterns with the coupon code giftalong2016. How will you know which patterns are eligible for the discount? Each designer’s post includes a link to his or her Indie GAL bundle of sale patterns. My sale bundle is here.
The Prizes
There are over 100 physical prizes (pictures here) – I’m donating patterns for The Wayfarer Hat and Passport Mitts along with two skeins of Mmmmalabrigo Arroyo to make them with. Check out all the fun and lovely prizes!
Additionally, each of the designers is donating 6 electronic coupons for free patterns. That means at least 2,000 patterns will be given away over the six weeks of the GAL!
The KALs/CALs
The GAL is divided into eight KALs/CALs, divided by type of project: head, hand, feet, kids, garments, shawls, neck, other.
When the GAL begins, there will be a thread for each KAL/CAL, and in that KAL/CAL, prizes will be given out, games will occur, and there will be lots of fun, chatter, and admiration of knitting (and crocheting).
The KAL/CALs will begin November 22nd at 8:00 pm (EST) through December 31, 2016 at 11:59 pm (EST).
Which patterns are eligible for prizes?
You can make any paid pattern by any participating designer to be eligible for prizes. While no more than 20 patterns will be in the discount bundle of any designer, all of the designer’s paid patterns are eligible for prizes.
Some amazing indie design volunteers are putting together Pinterest boards that will allow you to browse through the GAL-eligible designs by type, and they are also putting together some bundles that will allow you to use Ravelry’s advanced search to look through the sale patterns and all of the eligible patterns. These boards and bundles will be coming soon.
Will you join in?
I hope you’ll consider joining me for this fun and inspiring six-week GAL. This would be a great time to whip out some spa cloths or fingerless mitts for gifts (or for yourself)! Like the Ravellenic Games, the camaraderie is a powerful motivator to finish projects. The possibility of prizes doesn’t hurt either!
Questions?
Feel free to ask me here or in my Ravelry group, or ask over in the GAL group.
I’m thrilled to share my latest pattern with you: PepperMitts.
PepperMitts are knit in worsted weight yarn on size 5 and 6 needles, so they work up very quickly. The colorwork repeat over four stitches and four rows is easy to memorize.
The pattern is written for three sizes with the following circumference at widest part of hand (above thumb gusset) for each size:
Small: 6 3/4 in.
Medium: 7 1/4 in.
Large: 8 in.
Length measures about 8 1/4 in. for Small and Medium, and about 9 in. for Large.
Pattern includes both written and charted instructions, and both are used together.
I’m so looking forward to wearing mine during the Christmas season. I am also going to make a pair in a wintry, pale blue and white. I can’t wait until the yarn arrives!
Here you can see the mitt made with all the ribbed sections in red:
The pattern will be on special for the entire month of November. Follow this link for 25% off the usual price of $4.00. No coupon code is necessary.
Thank you to Main Street Designs in Jackson, California, for letting me use their beautiful shop to stage the mitts. It’s a lovely shop and definitely worth a stop if you are ever in the California Gold Country!
Many thanks also to amazing tech editor Tabitha (Tabitha’s Heart ), who always makes my patterns better!
I also am very grateful for test knitters who are willing to work through my patterns to find errors and to find places where I can clarify my instructions. I’m sending out a huge thank you to my friends Meg, Jen and Heather who tested this pattern – they did a bang-up job! Jen came up with the pattern name, too, and I think it’s perfect!!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and spend a few minutes with me. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
This is one of my all-time favorite knitting projects. You may think it looks somewhat old and ratty, and you’d be correct. It’s just well-loved. Actually, part of the reason is looks a bit beat up is because of one of the yarns I used, but more about that in a bit.
I love it because it was really quick and easy to make. I made it when I was a fairly new knitter.
I love it because it is super-warm and comfortable, but because of the construction, it breathes and I don’t get overheated.
It’s based on an article in the February 2008 issue from Knit ‘N Style by Leslye Solomon titled They’re So Big!!! about knitting with large needles.
This afghan was made with 7-9 strands of yarn knitted together at once, using 500-600 yards of each yarn. I cast on 36 stitches and worked in garter stitch. Whenever I got tired of any one yarn, I cut it and tied on a new different yarn.
My fancy system of keeping the yarns from tangling was to place each ball of yarn in a Ziploc bag, cut off one of the bottom corners, run the end of the yarn through the resulting hole, and seal the bag.
My rule in purchasing the yarns was that they needed to be white or off-white. Since I really knew nothing at the time about different yarns and their characteristics, it made shopping pretty easy. Yarns used included these (and I imagine many of them may now be discontinued): Bernat Satin Sport Solids, Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair, Lion Brand Jiffy Solid, Lane Cervinia Le Fibre Nobili Imperiale, and Bernat Soft Boucle. I also used something resembling thick and thin roving – but I have no idea now what it was. That was the yarn that pills so badly – but it surely did make the blanket warm and cushy soft. I also remember buying a yarn that was a raw silk blend.
There’s not much more information on my Ravelry project page, but here it is if you’d like to take a look.
I really do love this afghan and sleep under it every night. Using size 50 needles (25 mm) was a kick in the pants! Working in garter stitch and changing out just one yarn at a time made things pretty easy. Changing a yarn when I started to get bored kept the work interesting. It’s definitely something to keep in mind if you’re looking for something unique and different to make!
knit equals joy
P.S. For reference, the largest needles in the photo are the orange needles, which are size 35 (19 mm). Size 50 needles are BIG!!!
Rhinebeck, as the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival is known, is now a distant memory, but the yarn I brought home with me is a concrete reminder of a lovely weekend spent with friends. I wrote about the weekend here, and now I’m writing about the yarn I chose and why.
My first yarn purchase at Rhinebeck was from Weston Hill Farm. I discovered Weston Hill Farm on my first trip to Rhinebeck, in 2011. The yarn was luminous, natural, and I had never seen anything quite like it. I returned to their booth several times, finally buying a sweater’s worth of yarn for this Shalom Cardigan using only natural, undyed yarns. Weston Hill Farm’s yarn comprised the bulk of it.
I’ve also used Weston Hills Farm yarns to make this Ebb Cowl (pattern by Susan B. Anderson)
The yarn I brought home this year from Weston Hills Farm is just as beautiful! It is luminous, soft and springy, and I love the colorways – beautiful, pure hues and subtle tonal solids.
Weston Hill Farm – Worsted WeightWeston Hill Farm – Mountain Lake, Pear
Weston Hill Farm is based out of Westerlo, New York. Eileen and I became friends following Rhinebeck 2011 – when I called to order a bit more yarn to finish that Shalom – and I always love to see the pictures she shares on social media of the farm’s sheep: Romneys, Border Leicesters, and long wool cross sheep. This is Ailionora, a registered Romney ewe. Isn’t she adorable?
Ailionora, photo used by permission
Getting back to Rhinebeck – next on my quest for fiber, I picked up some lovely yarn by Solitude Wool.
Solitude Wool is based in Virginia and creates breed-specific yarns. Each skein lists the yarn’s fiber source as well as the yarn character, fiber content/care, length, size, suggested needles, gauge and batch.
Gradient and/or mini skein sets were all the rage at Rhinebeck, but I didn’t find one that I couldn’t pass up until I saw the Llama-rama mini skein bouquets at Solitude Wool. The yarn is 1/2 llama & 1/2 Romney, 2-ply/ fingering, 35 yds per color (210 yards total). The beautiful heathered colors are created by blending natural color llama with natural and dyed-in-the-wool Romney. It’s luminous, too.
Llama-rama mini skein bouquet
I fell hard for this Alpaca/Merino. This fiber is a blend of 80% natural, undyed black and white alpaca with 20% natural and dyed-in-the wool Merino (2-ply/ lace weight, 275 yds, 2 oz). It is amazingly soft, and I absolutely love the muted purple tones. I think they had me at “elegant” in the description on the label. It has a great deal of depth, and I see more to love about it each time I look at it.
Solitude Yarns Alpaca/Merino
The next yarn company that made me stop and stay awhile in their booth was North Light Fibers. North Light Fibers is a micro yarn mill based in Block Island, Rhode Island. We spent a lot of time in their booth just squishing the yarn – it all had an incredible hand. I was tempted by the cashmere – and it was amazing – but ended up with the Atlantic – 100% Falkland Island’s Wool (3-ply/Worsted, 170 yds, 2.5 oz). I snagged the exclusive colorway they created just for Rhinebeck, Blue Moon, a lovely periwinkle – one of my favorite colors ever. It will have excellent stitch definition, and will probably end up as cabled mitts.
North Light Fibers Atlantic in Blue Moon
My final purchase of the weekend was from a Hudson Valley farm, Buckwheat Bridge Angoras. The farm raises Angora goats and Cormo sheep using sustainable practices. What caught my eye, however, were the painterly colorways. Beautiful!
Buckwheat Bridge Angoras 70/30
The blend is 70% Fine Kid Mohair and 30% Cormo Wool. The green colorway is 250 yds/4 oz. and the multi blue/yellow is finer at 200 yds/2 oz.
Buckwheat Bridge Angoras 70/30
I’m always amazed at the wonderful yarn selection now available to fiber enthusiasts. When I think back to the yarns my mother used back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, I am so grateful for the natural fibers we can now so easily find. And now, when there are so many artists hand-dyeing their fibers in gorgeous colorways such as the ones that made it into my Rhinebeck shopping bag – with so many options, now is a great time to be a knitter!
Just for fun, here’s the recap collage of the Autumn Mini-Swap recently concluded in my Ravelry group. It was a fabulous fall swap, and the projects and swap packages were fantastic!
I was so fortunate to be able attend Rhinebeck last weekend! For those of you not yet familiar with Rhinebeck, that’s the name knitters, crocheters, weavers, spinners, dyers and other fiber lovers have given to the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, which takes place every October at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York.
Going to Rhinebeck has become an annual affair for many. For me, this was my second time attending, the first having been in 2011. I wrote about that trip here: Fiber Festivals as Travel Destinations.
I attended Rhinebeck with my friends Meg and Jen, and we met up with other Ravelry friends while at the festival (see picture below). We also had a great meet-up with our friend Alex and her mom, but I didn’t end up with the meet-up picture. We lucked out with lovely accommodations in Kingston. We had mixed results with our dinner in Kingston. But in the end, it came down to good company and lots of fun, fibery goodness.
Reports I’ve read state that about 30,000 people attended on Saturday. It was a bit crowded for me, but good for people watching and scoping out the yarn. Sunday was much more comfortable, the lines were much shorter and you could move around in the artists’ booths. I made no purchases on Saturday and none until about the last hour we were there on Sunday. I was sorely tempted all weekend by qiviut, the fine undercoat of the muskox and the softest fiber I’ve ever touched, but finally decided against it. I love locally sourced yarn, and that is mostly what I ended up with.
Now we come to the fun part, which is lots of pictures of Rhinebeck and pictures of the yarn!
Arriving in RhinebeckFall is in the air at RhinebeckFair food – while I didn’t have any of this, I did have maple cotton candy – delish!Happy RhinebeckersPassport Mitts in the wild! Made by Meg, Jen, and AlexSunday morning drive to Rhinebeck4-H dad talks to Jen about raising Shetland sheep. They are social animals and have to be sold in groups of two or more – at least in NY.This little guy was about six months old. He was so cute!
And the fiber!!!
(Click on the pictures with a yarn source named in the caption to go to each one’s website.)
Buckwheat Bridge Angoras. Love the colorways! The top one reminds me of Van Gogh and the bottom one is a luscious green.North Light Fibers Atlantic in Blue Moon – Rhinebeck exclusive color…more of a periwinkleSolitude Wool loveliesWeston Hill Farm Hand Dyed Sport Weight in Pear and Mountain LakeWeston Hill Hand Dyed Worsted Weight in Peony and New Dawn Rose
Thanks for letting me share my impressions with you. It was a wonderful weekend – and best of all was the time spent with old and new friends!
by cascottby leelaswannby kimmeryby jenb69by jenb69by PLC1by jenb69photo, pumpkin, and hand-carved wooden apple core by torunnbby torunnbby meby mejenb69’s Patch and Candy (I’m not sure which pattern it is)by PLC1, as is featured photo
knit equals joy 