ISO Test Knitters

I'm about to release my April Knit-Along pattern, and I would love for three test knitters to proof my pattern for me before I go public!  Here is a sneak peek at the project.  Check out the test knitter requirements below.  :)

Today I posted my previous 2010 Knit-Along patterns on Ravelry for sale and already have sold 3 copies!  WHOOHOO!  Of course, in the past, I've had a few typos mysteriously show up and have had to edit the patterns, including saving new versions of the PDFs and then re-uploading them to all of my various sites.  I'm trying to be smart and proactive this time and get feedback BEFORE I release the pattern to the general public.

So... if you are interested in being a test knitter here is what I'm looking for:

1. You must have the pattern finished by 5 pm on April 1st (that's Thursday, I know but the hat knits up pretty quickly), and have feedback sent to me via email by 10 pm that same evening.
2. You must be competent with knitting in the round, both on circular and double pointed needles (size 7), and be able to do a simple cable stitch.
3. You must be able to read a knitting pattern!  :)
4. You must be one of the first three people to contact me.

I don't care what color yarn you want to use, as long as it is worsted weight.  You don't have to send me photos of the finished project (unless you want to), just pattern feedback (typos, confusing jargon, misspellings, etc).  You'll receive my pattern FREE of charge if you are one of the lucky three, and additionally, when I need test knitters in the future, you will be the first group of people I offer the opportunity to before going public!

So, if you are interested, please post a comment in the comment box below, and be sure to include your email address so I can respond!

475 - Darn you Ravelry!

I finished my shawl last night!  YIPPEE!!!  I will be glad to share pics once I get it blocked.  Really. So. Very. Excited.  Hard.  To.  Contain.  It.  (I'll try).

I purchased the Aestlight shawl, but as stated yesterday, there are a few other projects I need to finish first.  Then of course, I had to go blog hopping this morning through my fave knitting sites.  Low and Behold, Steven West posted a gorgeous asymmetrical masculine hat that I just have to try.  (And Ravelry had the pattern, just *sitting* there waiting for me to purchase it!)  I never have enough masculine things at my craft fairs, so I think this one will be a real winner.  Also, I'm heading out with Dave for a marriage retreat this weekend, and it will be the perfect car knitting project.  Ack - can you see how horribly distracted and ADD I am with knitting?

BTW - here's the hat.  The pattern also comes with a matching cowl pattern.  Golly SW - you're going to make me go broke!

Thankfully with the move (and lack of venue for my CTMH classes) I'll have all of April to catch up on my knitting projects that MUST be completed, and all of those sidelined WANT projects too.  (Just remembered my knitting club project from Twisted will arrive any day too!)

Yes, I'm sick, sick, sick.  I've got the feeeeevah for handknits!

ps... the 475 in the title is not the number of knitting projects in my que, but the number of posts I've written in the 2 years this blog has been up!  :)  Gotta think of something cool for #500.

Shawl Envy

I'm just 11 rows away (and a blocking session) from finishing up my Daybreak shawl designed by Steven West.  That is Steven below.  He's only 21 years old (or maybe 22?) and is already an amazing knitting designer.  Pretty rad...  My Daybreak is hot pink/fusia where his is orange, and black/grey where his is brown.  Can't wait to show you my finished work!

I started this shawl in February when Dave and I went to Portland for the weekend. Two of the sales women at Twisted were wearing theirs and I became absolutely smitten with the pattern. I've been working on it a few rows at at time in between all my cupcake hat and fingerless mitten knitting sessions. It has over 350 stitches per row at this point, so even just knitting 3-4 rows can take me up to an hour. I'm just so excited to almost have it complete. Now that the chilly, rainy weather is back (we've had such sunny days for the past week!) I'm even more anxious to finish it so that I can actually wear it before the sun comes back out in earnest.

Meanwhile, this week has been particularly difficult - for reasons I don't care to get into. But when I feel sad, I go to Ravelry. (Well... first I go to the Lord. Then I go to Ravelry!) So I spent quite a bit of time on Ravelry this week - and I found this gem:

Isn't it just divine?  It's the Aestlight Shawl by Gudrun Johnston.  Oh My Word...  I almost gave up on shawls after my mom's Shipwreck shawl last year, but wowie!  I have a new found love and appreciation, and I can't WAIT to knit this.

I also love how I've been seeing people wear shawls lately, all bunched up around the neck instead of wrapped granny style across the shoulders.  I can wear a bunchy shawl and not feel self conscious!  Who wouldn't feel absolutely divine in the Aestlight shawl?  So, that is my next project... (well, if by
"next" I mean the project that I get to knit for myself after I finish 3 pairs of socks, 10 cupcake hats, 5 pairs of fingerless mittens, my April Knit-Along project, my May Knit-Along project, etc, etc, etc).

On average I knit about 1 thing a year for myself, and I usually end up selling it at a craft fair at some point.  But, regardless.  I WILL knit this shawl, and it will be soon.  Even if it means I'll be up knitting to 1 in the morning to finish that other stuff.  :)  Now to find the perfect yarn....

April Card Class cards - just a smidge early

Since we'll be moving the first week of April, I have to be proactive about getting April class projects done!  This month my classes will be taught in "distance" format - since I have no venue to hold them.

Here are the cards I'll be teaching.  They feature the CTMH "Caboodle" papers, "Lots of Dots" alphabet stickers, spring stamps, and paper piecing techniques.  I believe that if you click on the photo you can see the photos a little larger.

I only made up about 20 kits, so I've set them aside for my regular class attendees.  Should there be kits left, I'll make them available to the general public through this blog.

Our new house

Things are really moving around here - no pun intended!  The inspection on our house went well, and all the financing for the new owners seems to be in order.  We are looking to close on April 2nd, so that means we need to be OUT by April 4th.  CRAAAAZY.

I've been going through moments of sadness when I think about leaving.  I moved around a lot as a kid, so I'm not usually emotional about moving.  It just seemed to be part of life.  This time it feels different.  This was our first house as a married couple - our first really BIG purchase together.  I was pregnant with Sammie in this house, and have decorated her room twice!  She took her first steps down our long hallway (while I was teaching a card class no less).  My CTMH business has been built in this house.  We've experienced the lows of failed adoptions and the highs of welcoming Ruby into our home.  I've redone her room THREE times in the seven and a half years we've lived here.  There are so many memories contained within these walls, and it will be difficult to say goodbye.

But then, I start thinking about our NEW house.  Yes!  We put an offer on a new construction home a few miles away.  We look to move in around April 30th or possibly sooner if it is finished early.   Yesterday we got to go pick out carpet, tile, hardwoods, etc and it was so fun imagining what our new home would look like inside!  It is so much BIGGER than what we have now.  My classroom space will be more than double the size.  Dave will have a whole garage bay just for his beer making!  We'll have 4 bedrooms upstairs and one down (for the office), and we'll be just 2 minutes from Sammie's school.  We're currently 20 min away, so my "commute" is dramatically cut down, for which I'm so grateful.

So while it is sad to leave the old, we are definitely looking forward to the new.  :)  I'll try to keep you all posted as we go along.  Thankfully, Dave's parents have graciously allowed us to live with them in the interim, so we won't be homeless for a month!  :)  Now I get the joyful task of trying to figure out what to do with all our stuff!

Adorable Advertising

While at Creative University, I picked up several orders for cupcake hats!  Here is Bren's granddaughter wearing her hat.  Isn't she just the most adorable, sweet model ever?

I added beads to this hat, and have since picked up some really cute, shimmery seed beads that look incredible on the hats!  They sparkle in the light, and best of all - they aren't a choking hazard.  I pre-string all the beads before knitting, so unless the hat is cut with scissors there isn't any way for the beads to fall off or be pulled off.

I have 2 more cupcake hat orders to fill, and then I'll try and put some up in my etsy store!  Email me if you are interested in purchasing one for your little lovey!

House News

We would appreciate your prayers today!  The people buying our house are having an inspection on the condo they are selling today.  We need that to go well so their condo sale will continue to go smoothly.  We also have an inspection on our house today, which we need to go well so that our house sale will close on time.

Finally, we have been exchanging offers/counter-offers on a new construction home over the past few days.  We are so hopeful that all the details of these offers will be finalized today and we can be assured of having a home to go to once we move out of our current place.

Thanks for thinking of us!  Once things look like it will all work out I'll post pictures.

Another Ruby Layout in Studio J

Here's another Studio J layout I made this weekend.  I love how fast I can put together these great pages, and how there are so many different paper packs and layouts to choose from.  Even though this paper packet was retired over two years ago, it is still available for me to use now!

Studio J Layout

It has been a while since I posted any Studio J artwork, and all updates that we are receiving from corp say that Studio J is coming to YOU very very SOON!  Yippee!!!

Here is a layout I whipped up this morning!  Ruby just loves her Johnny Jump Up!

I need to send a new batch of scrapbook pages to Ruby's birth mom, and I love that with Studio J I can print multiples of my pages.  Also when I have a set of 10 layouts ready to print I can ship them for FREE to Ruby's birth mom, and then print another 10 for me (and those will also ship free!).  In addition, each of us will receive 10 free page protectors.

With Studio J the discounts build when you buy in bulk.  For every 5 layouts you purchase, you get 5 page protectors free.  And with the purchase of 10 layouts you get free shipping too!  That's a pretty significant discount when you start adding it up.  And, as a consultant I get commission on my purchases.

If you think you might like using Studio J, you may want to consider becoming a consultant.  You'll get a discount, commissions, and with the purchase of just 10 layouts per month, you'll easily make your minimums!  Sign up in March and you'll also get all 4 of the Summer Stamp of the Month sets (a $100 value) for FREE!  Email me if you have any questions, or would like to discuss this opportunity in detail.

Great News!

God is smiling down on us!  This week we got an offer on our house, and we have accepted!  So you may be hearing a little less from me in the next few weeks.  We have just under 30 days until closing, and really don't have any place to go picked out yet.

We are looking into a few options, and I'll be going house hunting with our realtor today.  Worst case scenario - we just get an apartment for a little while until we find that "perfect" place for us.

Just thought I'd share this fantastic news with you!  I know big things are in the works!

Home from CU!

I'm home from Creative University and it was an amazing retreat - the best one yet!  I was so exhausted that last night I went to bed at 9 pm!  LOL - haven't done that in years.

I was really productive on the trip - made 2 cupcake hats (and sold 5 more!), made 1/2 of a pair of fingerless gloves (which will be going up in my etsy store as soon as they are done), and got 18 digi pages done (now through September of my Project 365 for 2009).  So it was a productive time, and I had a blast hanging out with awesome "old" and new friends.

Here are a few highlights from the trip!

Group shot!

My roomies: Denise, Bren, Connie, Donna, me, and Jenn

Here's Donna showing me some love:

And this is Donna getting crabby when I gave her a wet willy.  Hehe... love you Donna!

Teacher Picture:

Connie: the official bubble blowing contest winner

The Knitting Circle Couch:

Sweet, funny, precocious Christie and me.  I wish she lived closer!!!

(ps..I'm wearing my "teacher" apron that Tresa made.  Isn't it darling!)

So that was the trip in a nutshell.  Don't you wish you could have been there!?   :)  There's always 2011!