It's ALL about JACKIE......

Introducing the BEAUTIFUL Jackie wearing her namesake, "The Jacqueline" Radiance Lace Headband!



Can she look any more vibrant? Jackie, did you know you were vibrant? She used the merino/tencel fingering weight yarn that I dyed for her a while ago, called "Mermaid" and created a truly better looking beaded fringe than I wrote for the pattern.

I'm so excited...this is the second Radiance Lace Headband to be completed....shall we try to have at least 8 more done by the end of May???? Come on, I know you can do it! (I mean, I AM bribing you with yarn, soap and knitting books!) Amanda, can I hope that you'll be third??? Perhaps wearing YOUR namesake headband??? (pweease?....lip out...)

Do you know what I spent this lovely Saturday doing? Would you believe that 7 of us Manchvegans went to Barnes and Noble in Manchester to teach beginners knitting? Even more incredible.....do you know how many we taught? NONE!

Either it was our lack of advertisement (well, besides the little write up that B&N put in their fliers)....we had no big sign saying "Stop Here and Learn to Knit" or the crazed look we all had while we were all (mostly) knitting on socks. Ericka did her very best by creating a small sign out of notebook paper and using my pink (!) pen to make a mini sign...hung it on the balloons we had on the table....but no dice. (or maybe it was the STENCH of all the acrylic yarn) Look how pretty our table was!



Chris, Ericka, Caroline, Jackie, Lora, GiGi and I did our best with trying to get people to come over but, sadly, it wasn't meant to be.

Only two people really stopped to talk....Blogless Amanda's little protege, Rachel (she is SO cute and the recepient of my gift bag full of beginner knitting books/patterns, VERY nice wool mini balls, bamboo needles, accessory bag and bigger knitting bag) and a woman whose name I completely forgot. First, here is the adorable Rachel....(Amanda, she asked for you and I gave her that yarn you gave to me to give to her....ummm...is that right?)



The Woman-Without-A-Name came up and started asking us about our knitting...we babbled on and on and then I asked her what she was working on. Here is the resulting conversation...not quoted, but as I remember it....(which could be COMPLETELY different from reality...so bear with me):

WWAN: I'm working on a lace shawl.

Me (very excited): Oh, which one?

WWAN: It's from the Victorian Lace Today book....

Me (cutting in, shouting): REALLY????? Which shawl?

WWAN: Um, I think it's the Myrtle Leaf Shawl.

Me: (HUGE GASP, jumping out of my chair) Oh, Wow! I was going to make that, too! Actually, a few of us in the knitting group are going to make that! What yarn are you using?

WWAN: (stepping back slightly) Uh, it's the Misti Alpaca Lace in black.

Me: (practically jumping up and down) Wow! (again) Our friend Mike is using that SAME YARN!!

WWAN (stepping back more and looking at me wearily): Yeah, well, there's a mistake in one part of the pattern...yada yada yada.....

(see...here I started writing things and went into a lace zone-out, so I forget what she really said....something about k2tog and it being a knit 1 not knit 2 or something.)

Here she is, that poor soul....who probably won't ever come and visit our group again (even though I gave her our card.....):



Ericka and I chatted with her more about spinning and things like that and then she left...looking a big relieved, I must say.

Guess who else came to the knitting "class"? Our very own, "LITTLE JACKIE"! Complete with her mini Wicked and jeans...just like "Grown Up Jackie"....but not known as "Big Jackie". Aren't they adorable together? (psst...I think Jackie may be planning evil deeds with her tiny counterpart...I believe they want to RULE THE WORLD!!!) Not that that would be BAD.....especially since I will be Mrs. Jackie someday!



Two more Show and Tells....

1. A rare and wonderful shot of the beautiful GiGi, modeling a lace scarf knit by my SpinToKnit pal, Naomi...who had given it to Ericka when THEY were pals. Doesn't she look great?



2. A fantastic surprise I got in the mail on Friday from the always lovely and prolific, Cayli. A skein of Mountain Colors Barefoot (one of my favorite sock yarns) in a super colorway...my older son has already put his name on it for a pair of socks!



All in all, a fun, if not successful day. I'm working on so many knitting projects at once (can't seem to get my mind focused on one thing at the moment) and I'm SOOO behind on getting the next podcast out! ARggh!

Ian's putting the little guy to bed tonight, so I hope to get more of SOMETHING done! (while having a delicate cup of Wild Sweet Orange herbal infusion with clover honey...usually it's peppermint tea only, but I went wild tonight with something new)

Good Knit! (oh, I mean, Good Night!)

P.S. I forgot to tell you!!! BTG (Body Talk Guy) was at B&N....and it wasn't even Wednesday! Someone in white shorts, a white tshirt and a bandana (YES, a BANDANA!!!!) said hi to me in line at the cafe...I said hi and then realized it was HIM!!! He's like, "Fancy seeing you here on a Saturday!" and I'm thinking...oh, god...where is someone I know?? Luckily, Lora came quickly to my rescue and I only had to talk to him about his idea to write a book about his pet peeves for a couple of minutes....one of them being people talking too loud on their cell phones...but only when the subject isn't about "body talk". EWWWW!

Absolutely NO willpower....

No, I'm not talking about dieting (which, of course, I have no willpower for either...or I wouldn't be dieting constantly)...I'm talking about the Lizard Ridge afghan.

After seeing (and feeling) a swatch of the afghan at Yarn and Fiber on Sunday, I just couldn't wait any longer.

I've been trying my VERY BEST to put off starting this....I was trying to finish at least two or three of the current projects I'm working on, but....alas, it wasn't meant to be.

So far, I've completed one of the 24 "squares". I'm using colors 40 and 183 right now...of the Noro Kureyon. The designer has written the pattern so that you make 24 of these "squares" and then sew them all together. You'd have to sew 6 of them end to end to make one long panel and then sew the 4 long panels together to make the afghan. I'm going to save myself a WHOLE lot of sewing and just continue on through the squares (without binding off and casting on again) so that I make one long, continuous panel. Then, make 3 more. I'll only have to sew up the 2 long center side panels that way. (and I'll save some yarn, too)

I'm LOVING the pattern, too. The first time you go through the 12 row pattern, it's confusing (or at least it was for me). I also didn't realize that the pattern was written so that the bubbly parts are SMOOTH at the edges and not ridged, like the one I saw at the yarn store. I had the hardest time figuring out how to make the sections BUMPY...until I had a sudden "DUH" moment...instead of doing the 5 transititon rows in stockinette, you just do it in GARTER! DUH!

So, I've decided to work a little on it here and there so I can start using it once the cooler weather comes in October/November. I figure, if I can make one part of the 24 in less than one day, then it will only take me a month or less (have to figure in sewing the panels and doing the crocheted border) to make the whole thing. So, I have PLENTY of time, right?? Right?

I also have a picture of ONE of the finished handspun skeins of yarn I made from the Coopworth fleece that I washed, combed, etc. I only used 1/4 of the finished fiber and I got 75 yards of 3 ply worsted weight yarn....about 12 wpi. It is MUCH softer than I thought it would be (but not like angora or cashmere...or even merino) and so "homey". Now, if I can finish spinning the rest, I have plans to make Ben a hat and mittens for next winter.



And, dum dum dum dum (drum roll please), I have the long overdue picture of the first Radiance Lace Headband pattern completed! Well, one besides the two I made!



It's Cayli of Spin A Yarn for Ewe!!!

Cayli not only knit my headband pattern (the Amanda), but also spun the yarn herself!!! And, not only that, but she used our very own Heather's handpainting roving!!! It's the Beaches colorway and in the superwash merino/tencel fiber...you can find her fiber HERE. Isn't that amazing? Like a partnership of handpainting/spinning/knitting/designing all at once. Doesn't she look fantastic in this?



And, lastly, here is the yarn I spun for lovely Donna. It's only 1/2 of the 2 oz of merino/bombyx silk fiber from Chasing Rainbows...the Moonstone colorway I spun up here is the third from the left. I got 75 yards of 3 ply sportweight from 1 oz of the fiber. It's super shiny and I hope she likes it. I'm working on her Ashland Bay purple-ish merino top right now.

Any more headbands in the works????

Radiance Lace Headbands!

I am SO excited to announce the release of my pattern, "Radiance Lace Headbands: Jacqueline and Amanda"!!!

This is the "Jacquelilne" headband: (named after the beautiful Jackie)



And this is the "Amanda" headband: (named after the wonderful Blogless Amanda)



Both have easy lace and patterned sections and have beads for the fringe. You can alter the headband length and even make a pretty belt out of it instead. Here is the detail of the fringe of each:



One Planet Yarn and Fiber has just put the pattern up on their website. They're also offering a kit with enough yarn for one headband and the pattern in booklet form. Here's the KIT and it's only $17.50! You can purchase the pattern from their website ($5.00) or from me (see right sidebar), also the same price (though I'd love for you to purchase from me!) Both are immediate .pdf downloads...so no shipping fees, either.

If you decide to purchase the yarn for this pattern (both styles are included), you can find Yarn Botanika's Radiance yarn HERE in fingering weight or HERE in sport/dk weight.

This yarn is a 50% superwash merino and 50% tencel mix...has beautiful shine and softness.

If you buy the yarn from this lovely company, there is a discount code that I can send you to use when buying this yarn. Just email me at gina@YogaGardenNH.com before purchasing : )

Heather of Sereknity will also be selling a handpainted 50%/50% Superwash Merino/Tencel (I just bought her Pink Lemonade (pinks, yellow, and whites) shade!) yarn that is perfect for this headband pattern. Other colors she had were: Lilacs in Bloom (gorgeous shades of purple), Martian (cool greens), and one in blues that I cannot remember the name of....darn it!

You'll notice that I also have my Haiku Flower Socks pattern up for sale as well. You can find the utterly gorgeous sport/dk 100% Black Pearl Cashmere yarn HERE. It's wonderful!!! And, of course, my pattern for these socks are also available at One Planet Yarn and Fiber, too.



Both of these patterns, Radiance Lace Headbands and the Haiku Flower Socks, only take 1 skein of yarn. You can't beat that!

KPixie also sells the Yarn Botanika Radiance yarn, the Black Pearl Cashmere and both my patterns as well, if you'd like to check them out there.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about the patterns, okay?

I'll be starting a GALLERY for all of the finished headbands and socks...so, if you make one, send me a pic and I'll be putting your name in for PRIZES!!! (and there are three more Down to Hearth Soaps in this giveaway, too!....Berrywine, Lavender/Eucalyptus and Soft Rose PLUS handdyed yarn or fiber from ME!! and other goodies) So, please...buy my patterns and START KNITTING!!!

What do you think???

(more about my sweater disaster tomorrow or when my brain in back in my head...ugh)

Fun on Thursday.....

To counteract my blog from yesterday, I have a happy blog for today.

On Thursday, Ian took the day off and we all went to the Burlington Mall in Burlington, MA. Primarily, we went to go to the Lego store and the Rainforest Cafe. The kids were SUPER excited. The last time Tim was at the Rainforest Cafe was 10 years ago when we all went to DisneyWorld.

The trip wasn't too bad...a little less than an hour and the mall (though under construction), wasn't very crowded since it was a weekday. We made a bee line for the Lego Store and it didn't disappoint us. It was SOO cool! I've loved Legos since I was a little girl and Ian saved his gi-normous lego collection from when he was a kid, so Ben and Tim have almost as many legos as the store has!

The set up of the store is interesting....on the left side, a wall of the "older" kids sets and the on the right, the Duplo sets for the little guys/gals. On the very back wall is a "pick your own" section (from ceiling to floor)....kind of like the Jelly Belly jellybeans set up....where you can pick the color and type of bricks you want in any number. A small container (about the size of a cottage cheese tub) is $6.95 and the larger ones (like a quart container that big yogurt comes in) for $12.95. I forgot to bring my camera and only had my phone, so I have no pics to show right now...though once I download the camera pics, I'll add them in.

(UPDATE: Here it is!)



Did I mention that there are at least 3 little tables with legos that kids (or adults) can build on and play with? Ben loved that!

There was also a section of non-sets of stuff you could buy: lego watches, timers, salt and pepper shakers, magnets, keychains, board games, card games and ice cube trays. I grabbed one of the ice cube trays and filled it up immediately after I got home.....look closely in my glass to see them....neat, huh?



This is a close up....



Here are the sets that we got from the Lego Store....

1. Ben got a ExoForce kit...



2. Tim got a new Bionicle creature....



3. And, yes, I got something, too...one of the Bellville "girly" sets...(yes, I regressed to age 10)



On a knitting note, Ian's grandma (the one who weaves gorgeous weaverly things) wore out the pair of slippers I made her 3 years ago and I made her another pair. If anyone is awesome enough to wear something I've knitted until it's worn out, that person is TOTALLY knit worthy. Here are the slippers from the Knit Knack Kit by Kris Perceival....a book that I like for the easy and attractive patterns, but has one tiny problem...it gives no gauge at all for any of the projects.

As you can see, I also added the crocheted flowers that Marion had made for her daughters' wedding and passed on to us (along with yummy jellybeans!)...



The slippers may look very strange and "kooky", but they are extremely comfortable, so quick to knit and fun to make. I made both in one day using Lamb's Pride bulky in Periwinkle.

Also, for a mini change to cheer myself up (the Spunky Everyday Cardi is not on the back burner...just on hold till Monday), I decided to start reading the book, The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee, also a member of the NETA group.

Donna let me buy the book from her stash (thanks, Donna!) and I can't believe how fun it is. It's not only informative and has great ideas, but it's a great read...it's like talking to a knitting friend! The first section of the book is how to make a "Sweater Sampler", which lets you make a sweater-like thing (see how intellectual I am??) while trying out all of the techniques you need when designing your own sweater.....the usual stuff like ss, garter, ribbing....but then going on to making button holes, belts, adding lace, hems, an afterthought pocket and even stitching in your initials when you're done. I'm having a blast so far and I'm only a couple techniques in.....here I am just finishing the 1x1 ribbing....



I have to show you the book itself...you know why?...it has teeny, tiny mini-skeins of Opal that Donna brought over laying on top of it. I tried to sneak one, but Donna and her hawk-like eyes caught me. Darn it! Aren't that adorable???



And, finally, I took pics of Ericka's Down to Hearth soaps. They are even better in person....I wish there was such a thing as "smellivsion" ! She generously donated them to the Sleepy Eyes Knits podcast theme song contest. Woo-hoo! Thanks, Ericka!

So, remember, send me a few lines of your song or even send me a .mp3 or such singing it. I already have an entry that is FANTASTIC!!! Deadline in week and a half...so send them in! Someone will win yarn, soap and other goodies!

P.S. Here is blogless Amanda wearing all of her recently knitting FOs.....Hat using yarn that Donna gifted her....Fetching mitts from yarn I gifted her and her beautiful rose colored shrug....sorry this pic is so dark and blurry...it was from my camera phone.



Many, many hugs and thanks to everyone who commented on my blog yesterday. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to have so many of you being so supportive and understanding. You're all WONDERFUL!!!!