Cast-On Day!

Today I will be casting on to participate in a KAL for the Cold Mountain stole pattern.  I'm excited for a number of reasons, among them:

1) My daughter picked out the pattern because she wanted to tackle a "big lace something."
2) When I suggested she might want to make it a KAL (peer pressure done right), she did.
3) Do I need to mention that I like knitting with this kid?
4) Some of you may remember the Lace Prom Shrug Fiasco of '12. It's nice to have a fresh start.
5) Starting a shiny new project is fun. Period!
6) Starting a Knit-A-Long is even more fun!

So, if you're game, join us.  More details can be found here. Also, here are some tips on reading knitting charts.  By the time we are through knitting this lovely shawl, we should be expert chart readers!

Yarn Sale Follow-Up

The One Day Only Huge Yarn Sale was a success! But success is a tricky thing, and for the sweet lady with all the yarn, true success will be won when she no longer has bags of yarn to pack up and take home.

I know we've all been to yard sales and estate sales and even yarn sales where the merchandise was just thrown about and pricing was confused or non-existent and the people working the sale were less than helpful. THIS was NOT one of those times! The yarn was organized and easy to look through (and there was a lot of it!), the prices were clearly marked, fair, and negotiable, and Linda and Amy are two of the nicest ladies you'll ever meet. We came, we shopped, we sat and knit, and it was a lovely experience, dampened only by my own lack of funds to buy MORE yarn! Well, that and the thought of where in the world would I put it all.

We got to talking at the yarn sale and agreed that July is a month for vacation for a lot of folks and maybe, just maybe, more yarnies would be available in another month or two to make it worth setting up the yarn sale for a second go-round. So, for those of you who missed it the first time, and for those of us who would like to set aside a little more $$ for the next time to get more Noro Kureyon (heh, heh), I just wanted to say....STAY TUNED!

The price of yarn is going up at our favorite retail and online sources, so in order to keep the hobby going full steam, whether it be knitting or crochet, we're going to have to get creative. Let's be honest, though, there's only so long that any of us can knit solely from stash.

So watch this blog, check the Facebook page, keep an eye on the South Carolina Knitter's group on Ravelry...and as soon as I know something concrete (like a date, time and place!), I will spread the word!

8 Things to love about Ravelry

Ravelry is an online knitting/crocheting community, a social-networking site for fiber enthusiasts. Whether you're new to knitting or a seasoned pro, Ravelry can help you connect, learn, and make the most of your knitting.

Here are 8 random reasons why Ravelry is so awesome:

1) Online "Brag" Book: Ever want to organize all your projects, show them off to others, keep track of what you knit when and for whom? With Ravelry, you have "My Notebook", a place to organize your projects and keep track of such details as how long it took you to make something, whether you followed the pattern word for word or deviated to suit your tastes, and the exact yarn and needles you used. Plus a picture! Or several pictures!
2) Organize your yarn and needles. And your books and patterns and future projects.
3) Get to know other knitters through the forums, through the patterns and projects, through the whole site. Knitters are really nice people, if I do say so myself.
4) If you're looking for a pattern, say a scarf pattern that's just a shade beyond garter stitch, and you don't have a knitting book handy and you don't want to go get one, Ravelry has pages and pages of scarf patterns (and other patterns, too). Many are free and available instantly.
5) If you're considering the purchase of a knitting book, but wonder if the patterns are all that great, look it up on Ravelry. See the patterns, find out what other knitters have to say about it, take the guess work out of it. This is also true of yarn, needles and knitting accessories. If it has something to do with knitting, you can bet it's been discussed on Ravelry.
6) Ravelry is like a lot of things on the internet...it can be a bit of a time sucker. You log in at 8 a.m. to look at Log Cabin blanket patterns, you look up, and suddenly it's 4:30 the next day and you're really hungry. But hey, you've gotten some amazing inspiration and done research on your hobby (even though research that is this lengthy pushes it away from "hobby" and into "obsession."). (And this is only a hypothetical example. Really.)
7) Are you ready to market your original knitting designs to others? Ravelry is just what you need. They'll walk you step by step through the process of setting up a designer account and putting your patterns before your soon-to-be adoring public.
8) It's free. Seriously. All this fabulous resource needs from you is a user name and log in, and you'll have a well of knitting info at your fingertips, day or night.