Game Plan

...for Finger Lakes Fiber Festival:

• spend no more than $20 on fiber for spinning
• spend no more than $20 on yarn 
• spend no more than $20-$30 on spindles

Will report back but until then take a look at the new roving I bought the other day at the Yarn Cupboard.

Wool/merino from Spinner's Hill Top

Name TBA

Don't I look just fabulous dahhlings???

Figures!

Just as I clicked publish post from my previous blog entry,  I was trolling around Google and found this.

DANG IT!

In other news, here's another birthday gift I need to bust a move on:

 I'm just doing a drop stitch pattern which is working out nicely but I'm already bored with it!  What's keeping me going is the fact that it's going to look hella pretty when it's finished.   I am using Patons Ducette in the colorway Maroon Mist.   I found this skein a long time ago in a clearance bin in Michael's or Joann's.  If you like this yarn, bummer for you, Patons doesn't make it anymore.  You can't even find it on Ravelry!  Well, I couldn't.  And we all know how great my internet searches have been working out for me lately! :-P

Yo Gabba Gabba!

 You may have remembered from a previous post that I had a work in process in pieces.  I introduce to you, FOOFA, from the popular kid's show, Yo Gabba Gabba.  My daughter loves this show (and so do I, let's be honest!) and her favorite character is the pink and happy character -  Foofa. 

You may also recall that I'm part-time teaching at my school with no increase in hours in the near future so trying to find a pattern that was free was pretty difficult.  Although if you want to pay for a pattern go here.  I decided for the love of Hazey, I was going to make this doll for her.  I've made a ton of amigurumi so I figured I would be able to find something in all the books and free patterns I have stacked up around my office.  The only things I had to improvise myself was the collar and the pupils which were pretty easy once I sat down and thought about it.  Here's a breakdown of what I used:

• legs:  free Lion Brand pattern, Amigurumi Graduation Bear
• arms: book, Amigurumi! by Elisabeth A. Doherty
• body: Amigurumi World Seriously Cute Crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli (p. 26 head of the daddy doggy)
• head: same book by Ana Paula Rimoli and page number except I went down a needle size
• flower: book, Crocheted Flowers by Nicky Epstein page 126 the moonflower
• eyes: book, 201 Crochet motifs, blocks, projects, and ideas by Melody Griffiths, I followed the goldfish pattern on page 78 up to row 6 and then improvised a decrease till it looked rounded.

I leave you with words that DJ Lance would say if he were a yarn crafter: "Crocheting Amigurumi is AWESOME!

Spinning it up

 I went to spin night last night at the Yarn Cupboard and picked up this wool/merino roving from Spinner's Hill Top.  I didn't see a colorway on the package so I'm channeling The Beatles and naming it 'Blue Jay Way.'

 Here's what it looks like so far.  This is the first fiber I've spun that isn't a very neutral  color or naturally occurring on sheep unless of course these sheep happen to be smurfs.  It was interesting to see the color changes as I spun.

I am also still working on this domestic wool blend that I named 'Into the Woods.'  I'm really in need of another spindle.  Nothing fancy, just a basic one like my Ashford.  Luckily for me, I will be attending the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival in Hemlock, New York this Sunday with a few of my friends.  I will report back with the booty I've collected and pictures from the event. 

Quality Control

 Birthday Gift

 Pattern: Warming Trend Wristers from Lion Brand

 Amazing yarn in the colorway of Olympia

 Rocking the gift in my pjs.  Aww yeah.

End of pics that seemed to have come out of a photo booth.

Um...excuse me?

I was cruising around on the internets when I turned around and saw that someone got into some newly acquired (thanks, gram!) stash...  I also have video of her taking my yarn for a 'walk.'  I thought about posting it but it clocks in at about a minute and it may just be video that only a mother would love to watch over and over again!  And when I say mother, I mean Hazel's mother! :-D

NYS Fair leftovers

Future Dairy Queen

First ride at the NYS Fair!

NYS Yarncrafters and their ribbons!

There were a ton more that I didn't take pics of.  Congrats fellow NYers!

NYS Fair LLAMAS, GOATS and SHEEP!

Hanukkah in August

 Day of the Dead Gal and Fellow using Lion Brand cotton-ease in almond, charcoal, and terracotta.  I'm enjoying all the characters out of the Creepy Cute Crochet book.  I found the Gal's headband to be a little cumbersome to work with so I ended up sewing them together before I sewed the band on her head.  This will make a co-worker very happy, me thinks!

That makes me almost halfway through all of my Christmas gifts!

Knitting lesson for the month:  how to drop a stitch on purpose... :-D