It's so wonderful to finally see some sunshine and above freezing temperatures here in New Hampshire. The sweet tweets and cheery chirps of the birds always cheers me up. I (finally) took down my outdoor Christmas lights (whoops!) and gave my "Gnome Garden" a cleaning. I hung a pretty twig/flower (fake...d'oh) wreath on my door and cleared the cobwebs from my chimes (eeew). Though the grass is still brown and there is still a small covering of snow on my lawn, I feel spring in the air and I smile every morning :)
I haven't blogged in over 3 months (shame on me!) and so I have A LOT of lovely things to share with you. As you know, I love lists (he he) -
1. Phoebe Mouse and her lovely dress...with her very own Amanda Hat!
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca (mouse), Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (dress, ears, face, tail) and Morehouse Merino 3ply (hat)
I had SO much fun knitting this adorable doll! I love all of Joanna Johnson's designs, but this was the very first book that I purchased and it made me super happy to be able to knit Phoebe Mouse. I smile every time I look at her. I want to make a different color dress for every day of the week! As you can see in the pic above, I had a bit too much fun giving Phoebe accessories...lol! (I'm working on her sweater, now...)
You can find the pattern and details for the hat HERE on Ravelry :)
2. Stitch Block Cowl by Purl Soho/Purl Bee (my favorite knitting blog!)
Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3ply (baby blue, cornflower, royal blue)
This cowl came out sooo lovely and soft...I actually wish it was a blanket instead of just a cowl. I want to curl up in it and snuggle all day! The stitch patterns were interesting and challenging to knit...it was never boring. It's amazing that this pattern was free because I would have paid at least $5 for it. Great pattern...beautiful design.
3. Archery Target Hat by Yours Truly
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Cascade 220, Lion Brand Fun Fur (shiver)
An archery friend of mine, Siobhan (who I call "Cinnamon Bun"), saw a hat like this in the crowd while we were at Nationals this year. She asked if I could make her a hat like this one and, of course, I was like "Sure!". After I got home, I realized that I only caught a quick glimpse of it and I had a hard time remembering what it actually looked like. So...I grabbed one of my own targets for reference and added some fun fur. She really liked it and I might write up the pattern that I created for it. (Though, I will probably ditch the fun fur...it was hell to knit with...blargh.)
On a side note, this was the very first time that I attended archery Nationals (45th Anniversary year!) and it was a daunting, but exhilarating experience. I don't know what I would have done without Siobhan guiding me every step of the way...where to have my bow checked or where to stand or where to sign up, etc. OMG...Crazytown Central! But, everyone was soo nice, encouraging and helpful. I've only been an archer for a little under 2 years and I had set a goal of 700/1200 for the weekend (only SUPER talented archers get over 1000). Surprisingly, I reached 752 with (7) 10s over the weekend and I was satisfied with that for my first time. I was nervous that I would be the very last in my category (Olympic Women's Senior Recurve) for the nation...but...I am only 6th from last! lol! Next year, I will get a MUCH better score...I know it :) Here is a pic of Siobhan and I (wearing our team shirts) at Nationals...
Our Team - Archery in Motion (AIM)
(Can you see how much shorter I am compared to the teen girls?? Oh, goodness!)
Nationals shooting area -
4. Follow Your Arrow Shawl by Ysolda
Yarn: Wild Hare Fibers Galaxy Laceweight (Baltic colorway...with beautiful silver sparkle!)
The design that I chose was BABBA...and I couldn't be more thrilled with it. Not only was the pattern extremely well written (a signature of Ysolda's incredible designs), but the yarn was scrumptious! Gorgeous blue, silver sparkle, super soft merino...what else could you ask for?? I was able to knit this shawl AND a pair of my Veronica Earrings and I still had lots of yarn left over. I'm not sure what I'll do with the leftovers yet (besides rubbing it on my cheek)...any ideas?
5. My Year in Temperature Scarf
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (many colorways)
This is an ongoing (obviously) knitting project that my friend, Lora, came up with at our annual ManchVegas Knitting weekend. We all modified a design that was on Ravelry for this scarf and created our own temperature charts/colors. At our annual knitting weekend at the end of this year, we're going to bring our scarves and take pictures of them...and admire all the unique styles. I can't wait! It's actually something I look forward to every single day. I check my weather app, note the time and temperature (and any other notes I wish) in my journal and then knit the section for the day. You can find more details about my personal scarf/directions HERE on Ravelry.
6. The REST of the Projects
Links: I might as well share pics of the rest of the projects that I've finished since the last time I blogged, right? :D
Adelaide Yoke Pullover
Roxy Fox Hat (pink version)
(The ones below aren't publicly shared from Ravelry because I couldn't get the link to work...darn it.)
Bunny
Roxy Fox Hat (original version)
Amanda Hat with Pom Pom
Felted Clogs
Bearded Beanie
Chevron Missoni Blanket
What are YOU working on right now? Are you loving it? Hating it? Do you have starteritis or knitter's gloom?
7. Adventures with Barnes & Noble
I am still in the process of finding a distributor or wholesaler so that I can sell my Wonderlace book at Barnes & Noble. It may not happen, but I'm going to give it a little while longer. Primarily, the main reason for the delay is this - if you have self-published a book, it is much more difficult to find a company that will agree to be the "middle man" to sell your book to the "big boys" (aka Barnes & Noble, etc). So, even though Barnes & Noble WANTS to buy at least 20 copies of Wonderlace, I can't sell to them directly (though I still don't know why this is so). It's all incredibly confusing and no one seems very interested in helping you along or writing things out clearly. I'm an educated person, but some of these websites are CRAZZZZY! Also, opening up an account with a distributor costs many hundreds of dollars AND the companies take a large percentage of your wholesale profit...which, in the end (according to my calculations), might mean that I would earn approximately $1 off each Wonderlace book. It's very frustrating. Le sigh.
If all fails, I have the option of becoming a vendor and selling my book online through B&N. At least that's something. Despite all of this, I am optimistic. Wish me luck! lol
In case you were wondering (which I know you were...he he), here are some of places where you can purchase my Wonderlace (and possibly Dreamscape) books. My book - with a lovely skein of yarn - would make a fantastic Mother's Day gift...or birthday gift, etc. I am always happy to sign and/or personalize a book, too :)
Amazon.com (book only)
Etsy (book, pdf or sets)
My App (pdf only)
My Website (pdf only)
Yarn Stores*: Patternworks, Elegant Ewe, The Spotted Sheep Shoppe, Twill, The Knitting Studio, Knitting Knook, The Yarn Sellar (book only)
*If you would like to see my books at your LYS, please send them my information and have them request a wholesale account for Wonderlace & Dreamscape...there is free shipping on orders over $100*
As always, I would LOVE LOVE to hear from you (via comments, emails, etc) and please send your email to me (gina@ginahouse.net) if you would like to sign up for my Sleepy Eyes Knits Newsletter...which I'm just starting up.
Don't forget to join my Sleepy Eyes Knits Facebook page and my Twitter account, too! (I only need a couple more followers to make 100!) I share almost daily updates, projects, designs, contents, gift giveaways and inspiring knitting ideas. How can you go wrong? lol
Hope you're having a wonderful day and many hugs to you!!! xoxoxo
Gina :)
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