TriKnitty

I've just finished my third Trinity Jacket. I was at the LYS a few weeks back and a wonderful woman wanted one. I offered to knit it. I took a deep breath and asked what color she wanted. I crossed my fingers. And toes. And hoped it wouldn't be...CHARCOAL. Yup. Another charcoal Trinity. Now don't get me wrong, I love the color. It makes a gorgeous jacket. But I'm really looking forward to working it in a different color.

Here she is before being packed to be shipped off to her new home...

Shelby shared her progress on her blog but I thought I'd share it here too. She said she's made lots more progress and I can't wait to see it. Isn't it the prettiest purple you've ever seen?


And last but definitely not least is Jo in her completed Trinity...

Don't Jo and her Trinity make a very lovely pair?

Polar Treat

Here it is, POLAR, the last new color for Sol Joy. I've had so much fun with this. It's been so exciting to see what new color will pop up each week. I think they're all gorgeous and I hope everyone who has tried Sol Joy loves it as much as I do. :-)



Here's what Shaun had to say...

"Catalina Yarns would like to thank everyone for their wonderful response to Sol Joy. The formal launch of the Sol Joy line will occur later this summer. We will announce the launch on Kerry's blog. Until then, you can still obtain hanks of each color via Adirondack Yarns new retail website. Have a fantastic summer!"

Thanks again for a wonderful time Shaun and Sue!!!

i.m. knittified won the drawing for responding to my plea for design help. Congrats! Drop me an email with your snail mail info and I'll send something yummy your way. :-)

Since I'm on a roll with the drawings I thought I'd do another. Here's the deal...

Drop me a note, either in the comments or by sending an email and tell me what you would do with a hank of Sol Joy. Be funny. Be serious. Be creative. I'll pick my favorite entry at the end of the month and give the winner a chance to have their way with some of this luscious stuff. ;-)

Nothing But Blue Skies...

My package from my FCS2 pal arrived. I couldn't wait to get it in the house and get it opened.

First there was this too cute card about a single sock looking for a mate along with a Go Red pin and information on heart disease. Red is my pals favorite color and the Go Red campaign is something she supports. I thought it was so sweet of her to share a part of herself with me.


I thought I was going to fall over backwards when I started pulling out the packages that were inside. As you can see in the photo above there are some cute sticky notes in the shape of the letter K. Then there was this awesome spa kit with lavender bath salts, a hand crocheted cloth, and an awesome glycerin soap that appears to have oatmeal in it.

Next came this gorgeous little blue box which had 10 beautiful handmade stitch markers and a little blue sewing kit.

And then there were three...

A really cool box with a blue highlighter pen that dispenses sticky flags for keeping my place, a blue crochet hook for the ones that get away, and you can never have too much gorgeous blue Trekking sock yarn.


Two balls of Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in slate blue.


Two candles (lemon mint and mandarin orange) and some blueberry frost body butter to satisfy my fruity obsession.

A scarf. Hand crocheted. For me. In blue. 100% merino wool. What more can I say? It is amazing! It's long enough that I can fold it in half and do the slip through thing I like so much.

And last but certainly not least is the bag all these amazing goodies were packed inside. My new favorite bag. Hand crocheted. In blue.

And lined. FOR ME. By my incredible pal Emilee.

Thank you so very much for the incredible package Emilee!!! You have truly brightened my day!!!

Vote for Me

I’ve cast on a new sock and am trying to decide where I want to go with it. Here’s my quandary…I’m thinking of using a 12 stitch pattern for the new sock with a cast on of 52 stitches. I’d like to use 4 repeats of the stitch pattern. I’ll be working them on one circular so I’ll have 26 stitches on each needle. About half way through the 12 row pattern there is a cable twist at the beginning of the stitch pattern. Since I’ll have 2 extra stitches for each needle should I:

1. Knit those 2 stitches at the beginning of each needle so I don’t have to start with an awkward cable twist at the beginning of the needle?

2. Knit 1 stitch at the beginning of each 12 stitch repeat?

3. Purl the 2 stitches in the middle of the 12 stitch repeat to separate each repeat?

Leave a message in the comments to cast your vote and a prize could be heading your way soon!

The world at your fingertips...

Earth and Sky




Sue's new website is up so you can now place your order online at www.adirondackyarns.com. Since the site is brand new please contact Sue by phone at 518-523-9230 or email if you experience any problems.

What Was The Question?

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I especially love natural fibers and I absolutely despise acrylics. There, I said it. My name is Kerry and I'm a yarn snob.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a great quilted circular needle holder that I store most of my Addi Turbos in. I say most because it is now overflowing. I need another soon but haven't found the right one yet. I like to store them in their original packaging so I need to find something that will allow me to do that. The rest of my circulars are in a three ring binder in sheet protectors. My straights are in a quilted needle roll and my dpns are in a fishing tackle box along with all of my stitch markers and other little doodads. My crochet hooks live in a zippered leather hook case.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting for a little more than 20 years now. My mother tried teaching me to knit and crochet when I was about 3. The crochet caught like wild fire but the knitting not so much. Years later I bought a video, Keeping You In Stitches, that I was finally able to learn from. I guess I would probably consider myself to be pushing advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Nope, sorry.

5. What's your favorite scent?

Anything fruity. I also like most tree scents too. Patchouli makes me sick to my stomach and most floral scents give me a headache.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Do I ever! I love Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs, Trees, and Hearts but don't care much for the cups. I also love the chocolate covered pretzels from our local candy maker. Yum. And thanks to Shelby, I'm totally addicted to Green & Blacks Milk Chocolate bars. :-)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I crochet and do cross stitch although not much at all to speak of these days. I'd love to learn to spin but don't have room for a wheel and can't seem to convince my drop spindle I'm not an idiot.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I love country music. Old, new, makes no difference. I've also recently become quite fond of Norah Jones. My computer does play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

My absolute favorite color in the whole entire wide world is blue. Any and all shades. I also love pink, purple, black, and silver. There really aren't any colors that I can't stand though.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live with my hubby of 6 years, our 3 children (15 yo DS and 11 & 4 yo DDs), our 2 yo Shih Tzu, and our 2 yo cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I would love to wear mittens. In fact, I bought an awesome Fleece Artist mitten kit but haven't had time to get to them yet. They're calling my name all the while my freezing hands swear. I don't wear scarves, hats, or ponchos. I don't wear scarves simply because I don't have any. If I had one I would wear it. I don't wear hats because my hair is bad enough without adding hat head to its list of short comings. As for ponchos, I'm 4'11" and although I've been losing a great amount of weight I'm still not thin...nuff said.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Socks are my absolute favorite but I've never met a project I didn't like.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Lots of socks, my 3rd Trinity jacket, a sweater for the FIL, 3 sweaters for my youngest DD, and an afghan.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Absolutely!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Addi Turbo circulars, hands down.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Can I plead the 5th on this???

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Yarn, needles, and patterns.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

50 baby bootees to knit. I have an IK subscription that expires soon and I'm trying to decide if I want to renew or not. I do this every time my renewal date rolls around. I'm not sure why I struggle with it as much as I do because I know I'm going to end up renewing the damn thing in the end.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I'm ashamed to admit that I've still not tried Moebius.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Am I ever! My feet measure 9.25" long.

23. When is your birthday?

April 16th

There you have it folks. Everything you never wanted to know about me and more. LOL

We Have Some Winners

Susan and Tabitha are the lucky winners of some new Sol Joy sock yarn! You'll all have to start stalking their blogs now to see what they do with it. :-)

Everyone Needs A Little

Romance...



You can reach Sue at 518-523-9230 or you can email her too. She's back from Stitches West and can't wait to fill more orders for this awesome yarn!

Am I blue? Yes, I'm blue.

BlueSteps. Love. It. It reminds me of our pool nestled under the trees in the backyard. Can you tell I'm ready for summer? Like always, you can email Sue or call her at 518-523-9230 if you want some of your very own.

I've decided to extend the drawing until the end of the weekend too so if you want a chance to win a hank of Sol Joy just drop me a note in the comments and tell me what you think the ideal yardage is for a sport weight sock yarn.

Knew Knittin'

I have a ton of things on my must knit list.




This isn't one of them. It is pretty though. Isn't it? It's a little top down sweater for the baby (btw Clara, the baby is now 4 but since she's the youngest she's probably going to be stuck with the title for some time LOL) that I'm working in CTH Potluck Worsted in the Jewels colorway. I cast on Monday evening and this is where I was last night before bed.



This is on the must knit list but isn't going as quickly as the sweater.

It's a Sol Joy sock in the Cold Lagoon colorway. While I'm still absolutely enthralled with this yarn I must admit I don't care for working it on a size 1. I don't think it should be worked on anything smaller than a 2. Maybe even a 3. Ever. Seriously. But since this is an experiment in yardage needed I'm doing it. At least I have an absoutely wonderful yarn to work with.

Speaking of yardage needed, what do you all think is a good yardage amount for a sport weight sock yarn? 310? 350? 400? Leave a note in the comments between now and Friday and tell me what you think the ideal yardage would be and I'll enter you in a drawing for some fabu Sol Joy.

Another KAP Update

Laurie has stalled on her jacket while she's waiting for a replacement needle that splintered and cut her finger. OUCH. Hope it doesn't cut into your knitting time Laurie! :-)



Shelby is waiting for her yarn to arrive so she can get started on hers. I hear she ordered the eggplant. ;-)


Jo posted this to share:

Looks like she'll be wearing hers before she knows it.

I've not heard from Barb. I hope she's doing well. :-)

Me? I finished knitting on Saturday and then attached the collar and seamed the sleeves on Sunday.

I'll be starting a smaller version for the baby soon. Will post pictures as soon as I get going.

RedWood

Here it is, the new Sol Joy for this week...




What do you think? I love it! The little bit of color here and there is fabulous. Call Sue at 518-523-9230 or email her if you'd like some. Go ahead. You know you want to. :-)

You Give Me Fever

Scarlet Rose...



I think I'm in love.

Don't forget, if you'd like to order any of the Sol Joy sock yarns you can call Sue at 518-523-9230 or drop her an email. She's super friendly and will be more than happy to get this yarn in your hands as fast as she can. :-)

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?

Blue, pink, and black.

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?

Knitting.

3. What products do you really covet?

Lightweight Socks That Rock, 50 Baby Bootees to Knit, and Glitterbug.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?

Spending time with my kids and hubby. :-)

5. Is there anything you collect?

Yarn, patterns, and needles.

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?

Aries. Yup, I'm a Ram.

7.What are your favorite……

scents/smells?…Anything fruity. Floral scents tend to give me a headache but I love tree scents.

types of music and/or bands?…I love country music.

authors?…Stephen King and Dean Koontz

animals?…dogs, cats, and any animal that produces fiber that can be spun into yarn.

places to shop?…my LYS and etsy.

season?…winter

yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?…I love the new Sol Joy sock yarn that is coming out from Catalina Yarns as well as their chunky Alpaca yarns. I also love tightly spun fingering weight sock yarns, any soft natural fiber, and Addi Turbo needles.

candies or goodies? Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate. Yum.

8. Do you have any wish lists?

Nothing on paper.

9. Are you allergic to anything?

Smoke, cats, and dogs.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?

We have a beautiful 2 year old little Shih Tzu girl named Dixie and a black and white 2 year old kitty boy named Mickey.

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.

I love all tea with the exception of green. I've also recently become addicted to vanilla chai. :-)

Super Sweet Secret Pals

My super sweet secret pal Shelby sent me this absolutely incredible final SP 9 package yesterday...

Oh, you want me to unwrap it? Well ok, here goes...

That's right folks, 2 bars of incredible handmade soaps (Cheek to Cheek and La-Tea-Da), a magnet from her recent trip out to Vegas, some amazing Darjeeling Estate Golden Tipped tea from Stash, a beautiful tea bag holder, the Great American Aran Afghan book I've been wanting so badly, the most gorgeous hank of In The Navy STR I've ever seen, and to top it all off she made me a set of 5 beautiful stitch markers and a card. Is she the greatest or what??? I honestly can't thank you enough for being such a wonderful pal Shelby. I can only hope that your pal was as good to you as you've been to me. Mwah!!!

On the other end of the SP9 front, I spoiled Clara. She's the mom of a beautiful 2 year old little boy and I had a great time getting to know her better. Stop by her blog and say hello. :-)

Trinity Update

Laurie got her yarn, started swatching, and is now off and running on her back...

Jo had this to share a few days ago...

And Barb is finished with her back and has one front almost finished.

Everyone is doing such a great job and I'm having so much fun seeing your beautiful jackets grow. :-)

Super Bowl Super Sale

While everyone else is sitting on their duffs pigging out and watching TV today I'll be making way to Lake Placid to participate in Sue's annual Super Bowl Sale. That's right. Every yarn in the store is 15% off today! Guess who'll be buying enough chunky alapaca for 2 more Trinity jackets today? That's right. ME! Sale prices apply to phone (518-523-9230) and email orders for today too. :-)

Lagoon

Are you ready for this??? I'm super psyched to present 311 luscious yards of the TWO newest Sol Joy colors...

That's right, 2 colors this week! Here's what Shaun has to say...

"Our next colorway for the Sol Joy line is Lagoon (top hank). This is the color Kerry first knit-up into a sock and posted pictures. We added a variation on the Lagoon colorway and call it "Cold Lagoon" (see bottom hank). This color has a stone-washed effect.

Don't forget, all you have to do is drop Sue an email to get your very own Sol Joy! You can also give her a call at 518-523-9230. She's even open on Sunday. :-)

Sol Joy

This is the moment we've all been waiting for! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! The new Sol Joy sock yarn from Catalina is here. RIGHT. HERE. RIGHT. NOW. I have goose bumps.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Shaun, the owner of Catalina Yarns, earlier today. I must say that I wish everyone could be lucky enough to speak with him. He is amazingly brilliant and knows all the super details about the yarns he sells right down to the history of the animals the fibers come from. Fascinating. Both Shaun and Sue are decent, honest, and friendly people who take a great deal of pride in their businesses and I'm so incredibly proud to know them. And no, they've not paid me to say that. LOL

And now without further ado is a word from Shaun...

The response to Kerry's review of our new hand-painted sock yarn, Sol Joy, has been overwhelming. At the time and even now, we were market testing the new line with selected consumers and had planned a formal launch for some weeks from now as we are still in pre-production. The release of the yarn via Kerry's blog has turned out to be, truly, a happy accident.

Many knitters and several of our retail customers read Kerry's blog and asked us to move up our launch of the new line even if it meant releasing one color at a time and in limited quantities. The response has been so intense, we have been persuaded to move up the release using pre-production stock.

1. Starting today, Friday, January 26, on her Blog, Kerry will preview with you a new color for the Sol Joy sock line. We will release one new color every Friday on Kerry's Blog.
2. Available stock will be limited because these are pre-production quantities. First come, first served. If we run out of that color you can place a back-order with the retailer.
3. Adirondack Yarns will be filling the online orders of visitors to Kerry's blog.
4. Anyone buying Sol Joy, via Kerry's blog and Adirondack Yarns (see Link), will be the first consumers in the US to receive this new yarn and in that color.


SOL JOY: A Review of the Yarn and More Detail.
Sol Joy is a new hand-painted sock yarn offered by Catalina Yarns.
. The basics:
o Superwash merino wool,
o 100 gram braided hank,
o 328 yards,
o $19.95 suggested retail.
o Woollen spun!
o Eight initial colorways
. The yarn is woollen spun rather than worsted spun. Thus the fibers are not parallel. The overlapping fibers trap air and insulate more than worsted yarns in the same fiber. Your socks will truly be woolen socks.
. Woollen spun yarns have an uncommon spring or bounce (or 'sproing' as Kerry says). You won't believe it.
. The colorways are designed to be more subtle and understated than most sock yarns now available. The method for calculating and creating the color-way repeat is proprietary and prevents unwanted pooling.
. The yarn is re-hanked after hand-painting so the yarn, as you see it in the braided hank, presents a truer sense of what the colorway will look like when knit up.
. This hand-painted yarn will never bleed.
. This yarn is actually super-wash fiber. Knitted socks will not shrink.
. Knitters and fiber enthusiasts are tactile. So we added some fun and another layer to the sensory experience of fiber. Smell the yarn when you receive it. What do you smell? Strawberries? Green Apples?

The first color-way we are releasing is called Meadow. See the image below.



If you would like to order this yarn, contact Adirondack Yarns by email. Tell them what you would like to order (Sol Joy), how many hanks, and provide your shipping address and phone number. Adirondack Yarns will confirm your order by email and call you to secure payment information. Starting next week you will be able to order this yarn directly from Adirondack Yarns website rather than by email.

Buttercup Beauty

I have been trying to post for the past 2 days and haven't been able to get photos to upload. I blamed it on Blogger. Turns out it was just the format the pictures were in that was preventing them from loading. Live and learn right?

What I've been dying to show you is the progress Barb has made on her Trinity. She's working it in this gorgeous soft yellow color and it's amazing. She wrote on Monday and said she had started it over the weekend.
Doesn't it just scream SPRING???
Barb also shared with me a picture of her sweet little girl. Look at that face! You'd never guess she was responsible for ripping out 3 hours worth of Barb's first attempt at the jacket and destroying a hank of Alpaca. Think she's lucky she's so darn cute?