Just a few days left to leave a response to our "Name the Sheep" contest! Contest ends midnight on February 29 and I will be drawing a name (via random-number generator) on March 1st and podcasting that day! Shocked? So am I! The winner receives a sweater's worth of our own yarn---hand-grown here on the farm---from our Shetland Sheep. The yarn is worsted weight and you have a choice of color---creamy white or brown-grey (I've been corrected on this color!) Here's a pic of the two colors:
You can leave your entry here by commenting on the blog or on Ravelry under the thread in the Counting Sheep podcast group. Good luck!
Fiber Conquests
Knitting:Sizzlin' Hot Hat continues to be stalled.......I really do love doing this colorwork, but have been trying to meet other fiber-related deadlines. The ribbing for this hat is 2- 1/2 inches and once I get past that, I can add my own creativity with fish! Stay tuned for future developments!
What HAVE I completed? The Citron Shawlette!! YAAY! This item is the January project of the "
Christmas Club" I joined up with at my LYS. February's project is the Jabberwock Scarf and I've bought the yarn: Cascade Lana Bambu (79% wool, 21% viscose from bamboo) Color #2. Pattern is a free Ravelry download. I actually started this after podcasting and have some pictures---you'll see that there is a different, unique pattern on each side.
Another project I completed is the Slip Stitch Baby Blanket that I was making for a baby shower. Made the deadline on this one by the skin of my teeth. The gift was well-received by the mom-to-be. Pattern is from 60 Quick Baby Knits.
Work on the Eco Vest has stalled as well & that's because of my enrollment in W
EB's Expert Knitter's Certification Program (yes, CRAZY, I know........welcome to my world!) The program consists of a curriculum of 15 core courses with 3 elective courses. Toward the end, you design your own sweater as a capstone project. This semester, I'm taking a course called: Top-Down Raglan Sweater from Measurements. The course text is Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker which is back in print. My top-down raglan is going to be a cardigan and I'm using yarn from my stash: Cascade 220 in a lilac color (#9541)---a total departure for me!
In Crochet:
The Dusty Snowflake Throw progress has stalled as well, but, hey, I'm only human right?
I promised in the last episode to get going on some kind of crocheted garment. Well, I found one: The Swain Sweater from the Winter 2011 issue of Interweave Crochet. The design is by Megan Granholm and the technique is tunisian. Hook size is L or 11 (metric size: 8mm). The yarn is unique and probably not readily available anymore (I went stash-diving big-time on this one). Let me explain: Many moons ago when all the trouble was going on in the Balkans, the Green Mountain Spinnery teamed up 
with an organization called "Rainbow Socks." The "Rainbow Socks" project offered hope and income to refugee women from the Balkans through the sale of their handicrafts in the U.S. GMS produced a yarn called "For Kosovo" as a commemorative and I am the proud owner of several skeins of this yarn. I'm glad that this special yarn finally told me what it wanted to be. Ray couldn't resist being part of the picture for this one:
In spinning: Drop spinning some Cormo fiber I picked up at the New England F
iber Festival this past fall.
What's happening in the Barn and on the Farm?
Fergus antics
Due date for Sayda???
Haircut for Bentley
Hershey & Midnight have a Valentine's date
Chickens continue to be productive
Sleeping on the Job
Comittment to oneself----my comittments are yoga and walking everyday!! What are yours?
Yammer: Our Knitting Community
Until next time............
These show notes are a couple of days late......sorry folks---had an podcast upload glitch with one of my browsers and that took me two days to hash out. Took me another couple of days to get all the pictures taken..........as I've said before, sometimes I just can't get out of my own way!Thank-you everyone who has participated thus far in our very first contest!! I'm just loving all the names that you have come up with for our newest little fellow here on the farm. Your support means so much!!
Fiber Conquests
In knitting:My Wintry Mix Sweater designed by Amy Herzog is done and I am lovin' it!! Done up in Berroco Blackstone Tweed colorway "Steamers." Fits well, and it was a joy to knit---although I miscalculated how much time it would take to knit up the collar---the collar truly makes the sweater.....I'm sure you'll agree!
My second Sizzlin' Hot Hat designed by Lucy Neatby is going at a glacial pace as I've been distracted by other projects which have a deadline as you will see....
I've joined a 'Christmas Club' for knitters. The concept is simple----knit one project a month and stow it away to give to those lucky someones for Christmas 2012. Hoping this will fare better than the Rockin' Sock Club did last year (update: have YET to finish a pair of socks from the Rockin' Sock Club--even though there were only 6 pairs to knit for the year! Shameful!). 
Anyhoo, the January (ergo, the first) project is the Citron Shawlette designed by Hilary Smith Callis. I've been woefully late-to-the-party on this one because it basically went viral on Ravelry soon after its release on Knitty in 2009. What can I say? I'm not a big shawl person---inhabitants of New England tend to gravitate towards sweater-knitting. I must say though that it's been a good knit---using some cool laceweight merino by Ella Rae---AND it looks like I might just get it done by the deadline!! Fingers crossed! Wish me luck!
Have been searching around for a project to use my very limited supply of mill spun 'Fergus' yarn on. Fergus is our brown Shetland wether (neutered) sheep---it's a very lovely shade of brown and I thought I deserved something made from it since he's not the easiest animal to keep----recall the 'Fergus' damage that my DH has to repair on the barn every spring when Fergus decides he's had enough of winter and repeatedly bashes his head into the walls of the barn. You have to wonder what goes through their minds.............I digress.......the project, oh yes---I decided upon the Eco Vest by Katie Himmelberg which is in the book Knitting 
Green. The pattern came to me via a free e-book download from Knitting Daily which is a daily e-newsletter put out by the folks at Interweave Press---I think I subscribe to 4 of their magazines altogether. Anyway, the Eco Vest is a great knit---4 row pattern repeat which is easy to memorize and this is going to be one cozy vest---pattern calls for Size 10.5 needles, but I've gone down two sizes as usual as I'm always the loosey-goosey knitter.
I've been invited to a baby shower for a fellow co-worker who started with me back in 2008. I was in quite a quandary over what to make whe
n I heard that she loves handmade things. Lucky for me, my LYS, White River Yarns, helped me out. Went in last Saturday an purchased enough Cascade 220 Superwash yarn in the appropriate colors to make the Slip Stitch Blanket featured as project #59 in 60 Quick Baby Knits (a review of the book is in the Yammer section of this episode of the podcast). Loving this project and REALLY crossing my fingers about getting it done on time---shower is February 8th!!
In Crochet:
Made some progress on my Dusty Snowflake Throw---added another row of snowflake motifs to the throw with some speed bumps along the way. This is a join-as-you-go throw and I don't have a lot of experience (read: none) joining motifs as I go. So I had a couple of false starts, but I think I have the hang of it now.
In spinning:
Still working on the dog hair from my sister---the ultimate procrastination project as I don't enjoy spinning dog hair much...just sayin'. But the sooner I get the dog hair done, the sooner I can move on to other wonderful fibers!!
What's happening on the farm and in the barn?
Listen into the podcast to hear me go on about some mishaps that happened with our newest addition to the flock. Also, where are the birds this winter?
Sleeping on the Job: Settling in to being a 'full-time' worker at just one place of employment. May use this segment in the future to talk about the phenomenon of pain.
Yammer:
Book review: 60 Quick Baby Knits
Thanks to everyone for tuning me in......talk to you again soon!
Episode 14: Tidings
Seasons Greetings Everyone! The title of this episode of the podcast is "Tidings," a word derived from Old English, German, and Old Norse meaning "news" and "information." Very fitting for this late-arriving podcast on Christmas Day, because I have boat loads of things to tell you.
Missed my pod-iversary on December 4th---hard to believe that I started podcasting well over a year ago and was truly unaware of the type of commitment I was in for. It has been fun nonetheless and I aim to continue as long as I'm able to.
Thank-you to all of you who have stuck with me through my erratic podcast schedule. As I attempt to keep all of the balls of my life in the air, 2012 will hopefully inclu
de a more regular schedule of podcasts. Enough said, let's get on with it....
Fiber Conquests:
Knitting: Wintry Mix Sweater by Amy Herzog
Inspired by her "Fit to Flatter" class I took at Fiber College way back in September!!
Yarn: Berroco Blackstone Tweed (65% Wool, 25% Superkid Mohair, 10% Angora) in the "Steamers" colorway. Looking fantastic---have 1/2 of a sleeve to set in yet and then the collar to knit........almost done!
Also, crazy me! Knitting another Sizzling Hot Hat by Lucy Neatby. Yarn: Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in solid Black and colorway Feldspar (I think..........misplaced ball band---I think the kitties are conspiring against me by hiding my ball bands so that I'll pay more attention to them!) Hat is by request for a co-worker anesthetist who fly fishes in 40-degree water (brrrrrrrr)----well you know what your mother said about keeping your hat on (it's true---we lose quite a bit of heat through our heads---just a little anesthetist tid bit thrown in there ;-) Thought I would work a steel head trout motif into the patterning.......I'll let you know how I make out with that one!!
In Crocheting: In keeping with the season, I'm making my own (mine! mine! mine!) Snowflake afghan. Check it out: free pattern from Red Heart: The Dusty Sn
owflake Throw.
Yarn: Cascade 220 Color #8505 which is a creamy white AND
Cascade 220 Paints Color # 9848 which is a blue variegated yarn.Purchased at Baker's Yarns & Fabrics in Springfield, VT. Owned by Bonny Andrews, a very nice lady and avid knitter---she'll help you with anything!
In Spinning: 
Dog hair from my sister's Sheltie (now deceased). I gifted most of it to her for Christmas and have just a small amount of it left. Not greatly fond of it---just doesn't spin like wool! ;-)
In Felting: Finally got my sheep done from the "Baa" class with Amy Felske at Fiber College. The sheep is soft sculpture with wooden legs--mostly sewn by machine and hand---one needlefelts the fleece of choice onto the body of the sheep as a last step!
What's happening in the barn & around the farm?
Our chickens are producing five eggs a day---we have one free-loading slacker out there and I'll have to have a talk with her as soon as I figure out which one it is....
Our rabbits, Hershey and Midnight are fairing well with the drop in temperature--what with a nice angora coat on, wouldn't YOU be comfy? Their winter watering system is on and keeping their water ice-free. I think they're finally used to the chickens and all the chicken noises!
Big news with the SHEEP: we've added to our flock!! After a lot of thought & attempts to get a suitor for our Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) ewe, Sayda, we decided on buying a BFL ram. Our ram came from Vermont (Kat Smith @ Stonesthrow Farm in Wallingford), which we are very happy about and he arrived on our farm on November 2nd.
Our new ram lamb is the topic of my first-ever CONTEST on the podcast. We need a name for him---mind you, he came with a name, but we aren't too fond of it as it has 4 syllables and while we can shorten it, it's not in keeping with the general theme we have here on the farm of two-syllabic names.
So, here it goes LISTENERS: I'd like YOU to name our sheep. I have a picture posted of the cute guy. Respond to the blog or the thread in the Ravelry group (Counting Sheep Podcast) with the name that you think fits him. Some guidelines:
a) It should be a male name
b) One or two syllables please
I'd like to run the contest at least until the end of February so that I can catch as many of you listeners as I can. Of course, I reserve the right to extend the contest if the submissions are meager in number. I'll select the winning name via random number generator and the winner will receive 1200 yds. of yarn from our sheep. Your choice of color is dark grey or creamy white. The yarn is worsted weight.
So that's pretty easy right? So submit your idea for a name for our handsome newcomer---can't wait see your postings!!
Sleeping on the Job
This episode topic is not so much about my career and not about anesthesia. It's about the ties that bind healthcare workers together. Those that take care of others have a unique relationship with each other. When that which we fight takes one of us, the loss is that much deeper. Rest in peace, my friend, I will remember the happy times we had:
This podcast dedicated to Denise Comito-McGowan RN
April 9, 1955-November 12, 2011
Yammer
Fall Re-cap
Well, it was a busy fall for me and here's where I was:
SOAR (Spin-Off's Autumn Retreat, Manchester, NH)
Was I ever glad I went to this which was literally right in my backyard!! Great mentors and great shopping for the spinning enthusiast! Sessions I participated in:
Mohair Boucle the Easy Way with Maggie Casey
Hand Carding with Andrea Mielke-Schroer
Cotton Spinning on a Tahkli with Sephanie Gausted
Navaho Spinning with D.Y. Begay
Stitches East (Hartford, CT)
Always a blast especially if you take classes! Went to the fashion shows and the Opening Day Session as well! Leaves you the good kind of tired!
Intro to Rigid Heddle Weaving with Deborah Jarchow
Seamless Crochet with Kristin Omdahl
Beyond Beginner Crochet with Drew Emborsky
Japanese Crochet Motifs with Myra Wood
Columns of Color with Knit One Below with Elise Duvekot
Thrummed Mittens Knitted or Crocheted with Marlaina Bird
New England Fiber Festival at the Big E (Springfield, MA)
Great turnout of fiber enthusiasts and a BIG special THANK-YOU to you podcast listeners who stopped by to say hello and give support---that meant so much to me---it's YOU who motivate me to turn on the mic!
And finally.........
To all my listeners, supporters, and friends: May you have a safe and happy holiday season------many, many wishes for a happy, but more importantly, a healthy 2012! Remember, until next time, keep your needles, hooks, and wheels humming, be kind to other folks, and I'll talk to you soon!!
Last weekend was warm & humid here in the Northeast---thankfully, we've had a reprieve---a front came through and we have much more comfortable conditions. Hoping that your summer is going well and you are able to find a cool spot somewhere.
Fiber Conquests:
Knitting: Well, unfortunately, my one-and-only sock from the first installment of the Rockin' Sock Club has two serious flaws........the first is that the heel does not line up properly with the toe and the other, more disconcerting problem is that the colorwork has made the sock way too non-forgiving i.e.: I can't get it on my foot!! All is not lost however, I intend to frog the sock (after I've had a couple of glasses of wine!) and re-purpose the yarn! The July installment (4th) has arrived and I'm liking the colorway.........maybe I should just leave it in the skein and adm
ire it.
In crochet: the "I'm a convert sweater" from the book, Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution, DONE!! I decided to leave the lower sleeve pieces off and go with a 3/4 length on the sleeves---looks good. I'm pleased with the yarn as well.
Bi-crafty project: The Kristy cardigan from Green Mountain Spinnery has been set aside until the fall when cooler temperatures will prevail.
Petal Pullover by Robyn Chachula from the Spring 2011 edition of Interweave Crochet. After a few false starts, I'm on my way working 
on the body of the pullover with Louet's MerLin---60% linen, 40% Merino. Hook size: F Colorway: Crabapple (a raspberry red)
Painted Desert Skirt by Kristin Omdahl from the Fall 2009 
edition of Interweave Crochet. I've completed all of the motifs that make up the hemline of the skirt and I've sewed them together. Now I'm working upward from those motifs toward the waist of the skirt. This has been a really fun project and quite a departure for me---I've NEVER crocheted/knitted a skirt!! I hope it looks good on me!
Spinning: I participated during the 'Tour de Fleece' and I was quite productive! My goal was to spin one of the two alpaca fleeces that I have in my possession---I don't own them; they belong to a colleague. The fleece has been spun, plied, skeined, washed & set---DONE!! Yay! I'm thinking that I need to get back to my own spinning projects.........
Crochet Shirret! I've ordered the supplies for the class I'll be teaching at Fiber College this September! Yay! Still working up sample projects for inspiration!
What's happening in the barn and on the farm?
Rabbits: Midnight and I lost her entire litter due to age and operator error.........lesson learned!
On a brighter note, our chickens, all six of them, arrived on 7/9 and have settled in nicely. We've gotten a few eggs already (YUM!) and we're hoping that they eventually will figure it out that they should lay the eggs in the nest boxes rather than on the floor!
Garden notes: We had a great harvest of salad greens this year---it was great to have fresh salad every evening for two weeks straight! The zucchini has come in and we've harvested two peppers so far. The string beans are just about ready for the pickin'----and our CSA box is keeping us busy!
I found a stud ram for Sayda---he will arrive this fall around Thanksgiving and stay on the farm until Christmas---hopefully, we'll be welcoming a lamb or two in the spring.
Cats: Ray is slowly becoming a lap kitty and Doora is still being stand-offish, but I know she'll carry her weight around here as a good mouser.
Sleeping on the Job: Hail to our 1st responders.
Yammer: SOAR (Spin-Off's Autumn Retreat) is being held this year at the Radisson in Mancheter, NH. After much himming and hawing, I have signed up to go to the retreat portion of the "Retreat." The retreat is made up of workshops that run Monday-Wednesday, and Thursday of the week of October 2, 2011. The "retreat" portion happens Friday-Saturday of that week. Due to work constraints and the fact that I've been dragging my butt about committing to the retreat, I've decided to partake in just the retreat portion and I'm happy with my choices of classes that I'll be attending. The vendor market consists of 35 vendors and will be open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Other upcoming events: Fiber College in Searsport, Maine. September 8-11.
Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival @ the Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT. October 1-2.
SOAR (Spin-Off's Autumn Retreat) @ the Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH. October 2-8.
STITCHES East @ the Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, CT. October 20-23.
New England Fiber Festival @ the Big E in Springfield, MA. November 5-6.
Hope to see ya there!
Hello everyone..........been a looooong time! So sorry, as I've said, sometimes I can't get out of my own way!
This episode dedicated to Buddy, our cat, may he rest in peace! Thanks for the good times old friend! And thanks for sharing........
Bi-craftism...........a new term for me which refers to those of us who both knit and crochet..............so I suppose Tri-craftism includes those of us who spin?!?Fiber Conquests!!
Sizzling Hot Hat!! Done! Done! Done! I've worn it twice since completion----once at the NH Sheep & Wool Festival and then again last night when I couldn't shake a chill! Your mom was right---if you're cold, put a hat on----you lose a lot of heat through your head!
In celebrating BI-CRAFTISM, I am going to swatch and start the Kristy Cardigan designed by Maureen Clark of Green Mountain Spinnery. This cardigan utilizes BOTH knitting and crocheting---fun! fun! fun! I've gone stash-diving again and have come up with a pretty red (my favorite color!) yarn for this sweater: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light which is a 50% Super Fine Alpaca, 50% Peruvian Wool blend. Yay! Can't wait to get started!!!
Iris Crocheted Shawl----made from 100% cashmere---I just have a photo of it as a work in progress as it was no sooner done, then out of my hands to a worthy recepient--my mom! Pattern available from WEBS (America's Yarn Store).
Frosted Windowpane Pullover is on hold as I am making a baby blanket for a co-worker. I'm sewing the squares together now----another work in progress!!
Still in pieces, but essentially done is the I'm a Convert Sweater from Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution. I crocheted mine in Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton DK (I misspoke on the podcast and said it was a worsted weight---ooops!)
Crochet Shirret--------remember I'm teaching this at Fiber College this September (8-11) in Searsport, ME. This the "Mexicali Tote" that I'm making as a sample of what you can do with this 
technique.
What's happening in the barn? and around the farm?
Muckin' is done finally after figuring out why the John Deere wouldn't start---misplacement of the battery!
Harvey came down with a serious case of bloat after gorging himself on grain------a very worry-filled time on the farm, but we got through it and learned from it!!
The damaged boards from Fergus' 'renovation' have been removed and now the sheep have an even bigger window to look out. The damaged boards were re-purposed into laying boxes for-----you guessed it---CHICKENS!!! Waaaaaa-hoooooo------the farm-fresh egg is on 
the way! We're looking at a delivery of 5 or 6 pullets in July or August. The chickens will make their home in part of the rabbit annex of the barn----we have two rabbits left---Hershey and Midnight---thanks to a referral from the Green Mountain Spinnery folks and the NH Sheep & Wool Festival. Hopefully, Midnight will give us one more litter (with hopefully a female in there!) and then I will retire her to a leisurely life on the farm.
Our gardens are planted. The vegetable garden is featuring Brussels sprouts, Mesclun lettuce, carrots, bush beans, two kinds of tomatoes, a pepper plant, zucchini, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and two kinds of pumpkins this year. I've done my usual flower planting as well since I'm in need of a color besides green---- of which the summer gives us plenty. My irises are blooming and my peonies are just on the verge of blooming------GREAT time of year when everything is waking up!
May I introduce you to Ray and Doora, our newest editions to the household. Since a house is not a home unless you have a cat (it's true), I went to the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society to see if I could offer two of their cats a "forever home." Ray and Doora came to the shelter after a barn rescue of quite of few of their kind. They were the last two left of the barn group to be adopted and had been living at Lucy Mac for almost two years----so they got pretty used to shelter life. Since coming home, they've been a bit put out by Bentley's effusive hospitality, but they are slowing adjusting, and I'm happy to say that both of them have been out today spending some quality time 
with me and Bentley. These photos were taken at the shelter (they are the two on the right)----I don't have any of my own photos of Ray and Doora yet---I didn't want to spook them with the flash of the camera----so we'll all have to wait for that opportunity!
Sleeping on the Job
Just long HAVE you been doing this...............? And what does having "experience" mean anyway?!?
Yammer
Events past and present!
New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival was a blast (May 14 & 15) as was the Jamaica Fiber Festival on May 21st----thanks to Margie Miller-Silva who organized the Jamaica event!!
Upcoming: World Wide Knit in Public Day this Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Hartland Public Library in Hartland, Vermont. 10 am - 2pm. Bring a drink and your knitting and let's show the world what we've been up to!!
Fiber College: September 8-11 in Searsport, ME
Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival: October 1-2 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT
Stitches EAST: October 20-23 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT
New England Fiber Festival: November 5-6 at the BIG E in Springfield, MA
Hope to see ya there!!
Busy weekend, what with not one but two knitting skills classes!! I'm NOT complaining---can't think of a better way to spend a late winter weekend in New England. We had some warm temperatures and rain which has caused some melting of the snow pack; some ice jamming on the rivers and some flooding. An ice storm earlier in the week made for some interesting travel to say the least. Not ready though, to knit cotton or linen---still likin' my wool!
Fiber ConquestsKnitting:
1) Double Knitting Class at the Elegant Ewe in Concord, NH. We're making the Sizzling Hot Hat by Lucy Neatby. The hat incorporates double knitting, a technique that makes a double-sided fabric. Yarns by Crystal Palace: Mini Mochi and Mini Solid. Yarn is 80% merino wool/20% nylon, machine washable, and k
nits to 7-8 sts/inch on size #1-2 needles. My swatch:
2) Shawl collar Vest class continues at WEBS (Class #3 was last week, Class #4 today). We crocheted the 3 steeks and cut them open last week. Today, we finished off the armholes with garter stitch and I-cord bind off.
3) Rockin' Sock Club---okay glacial progress here, but at least it's progress! I'm past the zip line heel and onto the foot. MUST GET SOCK DONE!! Next installment of the club is probably on its way to my door...........no pressure.
Crocheting!!
1) Frosted Windowpane Pullover from Interweave Crochet Winter 2010. Swatch--done. Started the foundation single crochet.
2) Seamen's Church Hat (check previous blogpost for link--free pattern) DONE!! Nice construction on this hat---made from my handspun.
3) Crochet Shirret: Cut up some strips from a new fabric---a white and pink checkered fabric. Will add this to the rug-in-progress (see last blog post for pic).
4) Want to participate in a really neat Crochet-along a.k.a. CAL? Check out Crochet Me--the e-newsletter (free!) put out by Interweave Crochet. The CAL (hosted by Sarah Read) is Sidney's Sideways Socks which you can find in Interweave Crochet Accessories 2010 (special edition) which came out last year. Find your edition at the Interweave website.
Spinning: Check out this BFL hand-dyed wool on my Mongold spindle.
What's happening on the farm?
No new redecorating, but now I have sheep walking on snow and jumping over the fence!
Shearing this week---YAY!
Sleeping on the job: The language we speak
Yammer: Fiber College update
Check out Robyn Chachula's blog and her website.
Christmas Club" I joined up with at my LYS. February's project is the Jabberwock Scarf and I've bought the yarn: Cascade Lana Bambu (79% wool, 21% viscose from bamboo) Color #2. Pattern is a free Ravelry download. I actually started this after podcasting and have some pictures---you'll see that there is a different, unique pattern on each side.
EB's Expert Knitter's Certification Program (yes, CRAZY, I know........welcome to my world!) The program consists of a curriculum of 15 core courses with 3 elective courses. Toward the end, you design your own sweater as a capstone project. This semester, I'm taking a course called: Top-Down Raglan Sweater from Measurements. The course text is Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker which is back in print. My top-down raglan is going to be a cardigan and I'm using yarn from my stash: Cascade 220 in a lilac color (#9541)---a total departure for me!
with an organization called "Rainbow Socks." The "Rainbow Socks" project offered hope and income to refugee women from the Balkans through the sale of their handicrafts in the U.S. GMS produced a yarn called "For Kosovo" as a commemorative and I am the proud owner of several skeins of this yarn. I'm glad that this special yarn finally told me what it wanted to be. Ray couldn't resist being part of the picture for this one:
iber Festival this past fall.
