Some people finish their KALs

If I were Jill, I could say that my socks, for the Skacel KAL, were done.

Catch Up

After fighting some viral something or another, I am starting to come back to normal, which means I am knitting again.

I had to tear out my sock KAL as the toe had a ridge.  That is a no no.















Since I had to restart, I decided that Jill was right and I  seperated my ball of yarn into two and used two seperate needles to knit the socks.  And this is where I am.


















I need the Dove Dark Chocolate to exist.

I should be zipping along up the leg on the second sock, but am not.  The secret is out - it takes me forever to knit a pair of socks.  But I am having fun and I learned a new cast on.

In the meantime, I have been working on other projects.

 Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West

I started a cowl for my sister to replace the cowl I made for her for Christmas and it was out of wool and itched.  Therefore, I called up my favorite hand dyer, Yarn Hollow, explained what I needed and several weeks later I had 2 skeins of a lovely alpaca and silk light worsted blend in soothing pastels.

Sleeping Molly

Along with that I started and frogged a pair of mittens for SEEDS.  (bulky yarn makes too big mittens)




And then, of course, we have puppy class for the two young ladies that think they know what they are doing.

Day one of KAL

Okay, I have officially started my KAL for January.

I am going to knit my socks off of the same ball, but am wondering if that will be a mistake.  I will let you know. 


Jill says I will be sorry.








I will say that the video, Judy's Magic Cast On, was a big help.

KAL

There is a KAL group on Ravelry for the Skacel/KnitPurlHunter project.

I haven't had time to start yet, plan to do so at the shoppe tomorrow, but have watched the cast on video and I am ready!

Twenty Years of Zitron Trekking Sock Yarn Knit Along and Contest

For the next six months we are participating in a knit along (KAL) with Skacel. Every month the shoppe will receive special yarn for a monthly project. I highly encourage you to participate as this is a great opportunity to learn new techniques.

Read on.....

Featuring Michelle Hunter of Knit Purl Hunter

Skacel Collection, Inc. is proud to announce their Twenty Years of Zitron Trekking Knit Along and Contest. The Knit Along, hosted by Michelle Hunter of Knit Purl Hunter, will begin in January of 2011 and run six months, concluding July 15th. Every month a new one skein project will be featured, that introduces knitters to a different technique.

Instructions for the project will be posted in increments on a weekly basis, along with educational "how-to" video clips. Each week a little bit more will be revealed! For those participating, there will be weekly and monthly prizes awarded, culminating in July with the grand-prize. The winner will receive a weekend get-away for two to Seattle including a trip to Skacel and a $1,000 shopping spree for yarns and needles in their warehouse!

Knit Along Overview

Each month will feature a one skein project.

Each project will feature one specific color of Trekking. To qualify for the contest, the contestant must knit with a Zitron Trekking yarn. Additional chances to win prizes will be given to those who knit the project in the featured color from the Supply List.

Instructions for the projects will be posted on the Knit Purl Hunter website.

Instructions for each month will be posted in four segments, with each segment revealing the next step. The first segment of each month will be posted on the 1st of the month. The second, third and fourth segments will be posted on the 8th, 15th and 22nd of that month respectively.

Each project will feature a different technique. Video Clips on these techniques will be posted on the Knit Purl Hunter website.

Once posted, all instructions will remain on the website through July 15th, 2011.

A forum for questions and comments can be found on the Knit Purl Hunter website.

Contest Overview

The Grand Prize: One lucky knitter will receive an all-expense paid weekend getaway for two to Seattle, Washington and the Skacel warehouse, where they will be given one $1,000 shopping spree in yarn and needles of their choice. Included is: roundtrip coach airfare for two to Seattle from any major city in North America, hotel accommodations (one double room), all transportation and meals. Travel must be completed by November 1st, 2011. Date of trip will be mutually determined by skacel collection, Inc. and winner.

The Not-So-Grand but none-the-less Great Prize: There will be five contestants who will receive a year's worth of Zitron Trekking! They will be sent one skein of Zitron Trekking per month beginning on August 1st 2011 and ending July 1st, 2012. Colors will be chosen by skacel collection, Inc.

Monthly Prizes: There will be at least 7 winners each month! One contestant will win a set of addi Clicks of their choice: addi Lace, addi Turbo®, addi Natura or addi Crochet. Two contestants will win a stuffed skacel promo bag. Goodies inside will vary from month to month. A minimum of four random prizes will be awarded to those who frequent the Skacel and Knit Purl Hunter websites.

Happy Knitting!

Skacel Collection, Inc.

www.skacelknitting.com

Skacel KAL


Skacel Rules

I will be knitting along, so if you have any questions, you may stop by on the days that I am at the shoppe - Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

If you want to participate, we encourage you to sign up ahead of time so we can have the yarn set aside for you. You may call us, email, or stop by.

We will also have a running commentary at Thistledown Musers on Raverly, if you want to stop by.

Kitties and yarn

Babies, children, and puppies

Several weeks ago we had fun with the little ones.


A ten month old baby

12 week old puppies

"Shall we play?"




Time to sleep.

llllll

Relaxing

Today is my day off and I have been playing around. One of the things I did was take pictures of


Habitat. I am stretching myself and knitting Jared Flood's hat, cabling with charts. It has been fun and I am loving the yarn, Portland Tweed.




I have also been watching and playing with Emma and Molly. They are 11 weeks old today.

How to take pictures of puppies

The other day I was attempting to take pictures of Emma and Molly for a holiday ad.

I discovered that expecting 10 week old puppies to sit still and pose is absolutely ridiculous.


Until we are done with the photo shoot.

Where to put it all

New yarn, new bags, new models, new goodies.


We are carrying a new line of yarn - Tonic by Jojoland. It is a worsted weight with 220 yards and we have 60 different colors.



An entrelac hat made with Tonic.


Soho Hat with Ty Dy Dots.


A pumpkin made with unspun Icelandic and Lamb's Pride.



Felted wine holder knitted with Lamb's Pride.



Bags and baskets from Lantern Moon.



Yarn Hallow's October Shawl.




Ruffle my Feathers knitted in Opal handpainted sock yarn.






Vortex knitted in Jojoland Rhythm.

And there is more on the way. We are loading up for winter knitting and holiday giving.

Shoppe puppies in training

Meet Emma and Molly. They are sisters and are 8 weeks old.

Scotty Terriers, brindle colored.





And full of it.









Until it is nap time.

A Blustery Day

I am not Winnie the Pooh, but we are experiencing a very blustery day. It started yesterday afternoon when our power went out at the shoppe.



Then today, this happened next door.



Now this....
Happy Windy Day!

How I spent my birthday

I was fortunate to spend my birthday at Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs. I attended a statewide conference for child support (my paying job) and had the opportunity to meet with my co-workers from all over the state. We do this once a year and this year it landed on my birthday.

This is the view from outside of my window.

It was a great conference, spent with wonderful people, learning about new and updated items.

And I love fall!!!!

It is Done!

I blocked it and now I am wearing it.



Lovely yarn, lovely pattern, lovely scarf.

Life is good (especially since it is also the fall season).

Get your dogs on

We love knitting. We love kitties. And we love puppies.

Meet Hallelujah, a Briard.

She had a great time checking out the shoppe.



This is Rory. He is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.


He never sits still.




Always in motion.