Coming Soon!

Flo Carlisle at Pisgah Yarn has been working on this project for over a year: a calendar that features exclusive designs using the Pisgah family of products with every penny (yes, every penny) going to support charities.

This has been a major undertaking of contacting designers, co-ordinating photo shoots, printing, fund raising, talking to printers, etc., etc.

She has done a mammoth job, and the calendar will be available this coming week. This will be a limited edition, so get yours while you can!

May is my month: a mother/daughter set. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Pooling

Varigated, hand-dyed yarns are beautiful, but they can be tricky to work with: I've found that often the yarn looks one way in the skein, another way when wound in to a ball, and then yet another way when worked up. It's always a surprise, and sometimes not necessarily a good one.

There are different ways of breaking up pooling when you don't want that effect: alternating rows either by working with two different skeins or by working from both ends of the skein; working stripes using a contrasting color; or by working stripes using a contrasting color that is done in garter ridges. The last option has become my favorite: the texture and color of that garter ridge breaks up the pooling and adds visual and tactile interest.

I used this combination in my original swatch for the Garter Ridge Hoodie which is in Petite Purls Back to Basics section:



When I started my 10 in 2010 Shawlette, I found the pooling just terrible, and, falling back on the garter ridge idea, ended up with a shawl that I love:



A very gratifying result that I'll be using again. And again, most likely.

Mmmmmmm

Rebecca's been making donuts:



Yesterday, she brought over plain donuts (which were divine unto themselves) along with chocolate ganache and vanilla glaze so we could dip as desired.

Oh so very good.

Fall Sweater

I recently completed this great little sweater, Eyelet Cardigan from Blue Sky Alpacas:



The yarn was from my stash, and is Peaches & Creme Worsted in one of my favorite colors in this line, Butterscotch.

The temperature needs to drop a few more degrees before this will be comfortable, but I do anticipate several fall days of wearing this.

kidnics

Or how did knitting patterns for babies become rolling papers?


VS


Am I missing something here?

I got a notice in the mail yesterday from the City of Philadelphia Department of Revenue (Life-Liberty-and You)informing me that their records indicate that my business may be selling tobacco and/or tobacco-related products. If so, I need to be paying taxes on said items or risk a fine of $5,000 plus interest and penalties. I was given a form to fill out, sign and return stating that I don't sell tobacco and/or tobacco-related products. Which I did. Promptly.

I can only hope that this notice is going out to all businesses in the city, and that this isn't the result of someone carefully selecting those who should be paying this tax.