This Elf Knits - Knitting, Handpainted Yarn, LYS reviews

Isn’t he cute?

I am more of a knit in the round girl, so my husband did the seaming and stuffing.  I think he did a great job.  Oh and the eyes too!  If I knit this again ( and I know I will be for my daughter) I will try to modify the pattern to do most of it in the round.  It was too much of a pain to knit flat and then seam.  I did knit the legs in the round. 

I hope that he raises a bunch of money for my daughter’s school and that he goes to a loving home.  I really do love how he turned out.  I used Rowan Purelife in Yellowwood and Lipstick Tree.  He is stuffed with a cotton/bamboo blend. 

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This has been a good week for yarn.  Today the mailman brought me some yarn all the way from Australia.  I received some yarn from Monsoon Designs.  I have known the owner Vanessa for quite some time now through a parenting message board.  She took up yarn dying as a hobby and her colorways turned out so well that she decided to start selling them.  She uses yarn from Australia and New Zealand which is totally fitting with all the sheep there.  I ordered some Twisty Sock yarn from her, a superwash sport-weight, in the Poseiden colorway about a week and a half ago.  That was pretty fast shipping to come half-way around the world.  She is running a $5 shipping sale til the end of March.  Check her out, I know you will love her yarn!

The picture doesn’t do this yarn justice, it is beautiful.  I can’t wait to be able to take some pictures outside with natural light.

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My daughter’s school is a private Waldorf school.  Only 80% of their operating costs are covered by tuition so that means fundraisers are necessary.  One of the big fundraisers every year is an auction.  Each family is expected to donate something and each classroom also takes a collection based on a theme.   I am knitting a pattern from Knitted Toys: 21 Easy-to-Knit Patterns for Irresistible Soft Toys by Fiona McTague.  I have the back and front done and I am working on the base.  Not thrilled about the seaming I will have to do later as I am normally an in the round type of gal.  I am sure it will be very cute though and my daughter will love it and want one of her own.  I need to have it done by next Friday, so wish me luck. 

 Oh and question for you all, I am knitting it with Rowan Organic Cotton.  I don’t want to use polyester fiberfill to stuff it.  Any ideas on what I can use instead?

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My daughter and I got home from grocery shopping today and there was not one but two packages waiting for me.  And they both contained yarn!  Oh lovely.

First up is some very pretty Zen String Lotus Toes Sport in the Secret Garden colorway.  Angelina’s yarns always smell so nice when you get them, that you can’t help but pet and smell them.

<Spoiler alert>

I also got the first shipment for the Seven Deadly S(p)ins Yarn Club.  I have been so excited about this starting.  Every month is a surprise box of goodies, yarn, and a pattern based on the seven deadly sins.  First up is a box containing everything you need to knit a lovely pair of socks in a mulitude of colors.   It also came with some Jelly Belly beans, a pen, a sock blocker keychain project, and some sock shaped needle ends.  I am getting my club shipped from Woolgirl and she is just the best to work with. 

What fun! I can’t wait to cast on but first I need to finish the duck project for my daughter’s school auction.

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My sister made a request a little while ago (okay so a few months ago) for a hat.  Just a plain, old, solid color hat.  I'm kind of into color so I wasn't too sure about it.  She mentioned that grey would be nice.  <Sigh>  Now I love my sister and she is not a flashy person.  I can respect that.  I decided it had to be nice wool though.  I went to my favorite LYS, Ewe-nique Knits and picked out some Mission Falls 1824 Superwash Merino.  Yum, this is nice yarn.  So soft and knits up beautifully.  And fast!  I used the LTK Earwarmer hat pattern.  I remember the first time I made this hat and it took weeks.  The fourth time through went so fast though.  I had it done in a few hours of knitting. 

I will say that knitting in a solid color versus a multi-colored yarn lets the pattern show.  Which is nice cause I did the diamond pattern on this one and it really stands out.  On the other hand the one decrease is off center on the front of the hat and it really stands out.  Hopefully my sister doesn't notice and it is no big deal.  It will surely keep her warm in this crazy, full of snow winter we are having.

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