All Your Base on sale

Still working on paying off medical bills, so here's another sale.  This time All Your Base.

490 yards of soft 3 ply Superwash Merino fingering weight.  Marked down from $24 to $20.

SHOP HERE

10/15 update

The last batch of Middle Earth Club yarns are shipping today except for those with Eucatastrophe reorders. Those will ship along with reorders hopefully Monday or Tuesday.

If I'm really lucky Snowflake Choices will be out today.  If not then definitely tomorrow.  I will be dyeing those in 2 weeks and then dyeing the last month of Middle Earth club which should ship out on time in November. 

Things are chugging along.  Thanks again for your patience!

Middle Earth Club update

This yarn is in the final stages of dyeing, and a few skeins will start shipping in the next few days.  It should definitely be dry and ready for packing by the 15th as expected.

I am pulling together Eucatastrophe reorders now to be dyed in the next few days.  Expect invoices for those tonight.

Thanks everyone for your patience. 

Lace on sale

Lace yarn is marked down from $24 to $20 (Sparkle Lace from $25 to 21)

You can make a whole sweater with 2 skeins!

Click Here to see what's in stock

10/7/16 Update

Middle Earth Club yarn is more than 1/3 done and the kinks are worked out so things are on track to being done within the window promised last week.

Looking ahead I'm going to have an undyed inventory problem coming up soon.  NOTE: this does not apply to any already paid for yarn.  I always have the yarn on hand before taking orders, but I need to place yarn orders in order to keep going in November and December and with medical and other bills that is going to prove difficult. 

So I am going to put some already dyed yarn in inventory on sale.  I have help on hand for shipping so this should not impact club orders that have been delayed in any way, it's just to keep us going in the future.  I may also do some pattern sales to raise funds. 

Store Status Update

This is an email that was sent to club members on 10/1/16

Hello All,
 
First let me apologize for not sending this information by email sooner.  Some of you may have seen on Ravelry that we had a medical emergency.  On September 20th a family member was in the ICU out of town for 3 days, and it has taken longer than I expected to recover.  Things seem to be going about as well as we could hope at this point, and that's really all I feel comfortable sharing. 

That came during a busy work week for me, and l have not yet gotten through that work.  This means there will be delays in all areas of Sheepy Time Knits. Here is where things stand right now:

All orders outside of club orders are completed.  I will not be taking custom orders until all clubs are caught up. 

Middle Earth Club yarn is delayed.  It was to have been shipped by yesterday.  Some yarn that was in progress had to be tossed and started over.  I don't want to make a promise I can't keep so I am going to say it should all be shipped by October 15th, although hopefully it will be sooner.  Reorders of the previous club color may add 2-3 days.  We will not send invoices for reorders until a few days before I am ready to dye them.  You are of course free to cancel those orders if you want to.

Snowflake Club yarn for October will also probably be delayed.  I have samples already dyed but it will take some time to get the choices page made.  I want to allow at least 2 weeks for voting and 2 weeks for dyeing.  Depending on how things go that could delay that club by up to 2 weeks as well, but I should be back on a normal schedule after that. 

I plan to resurrect the long silent blog to post updates rather than email everyone frequently and clog your mail boxes.  You can check there for status updates
http://sameknit.blogspot.com/

I'm very sorry that this has kept me from being on time this month with your orders, and I will do my best to complete them as soon as I can.  I want to be as transparent as possible.  As most of you know I am the only dyer in the business, and I want to make sure everyone gets high quality yarn as soon as I can.If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask.  

Thanks,

Mandie

Elphaba

 Here's a sweater I finished a long time ago but never got around to blogging.  The original pictures I had taken of it were terrible.

 

The pattern is Elphaba by Mary Annarella and it's very well written.  Has short row and waist shaping, it's a simple but really well fitting sweater.  Yarn is All Your Base South Pacific, and it only took 3 skeins, and not as long as you'd think to knit, either.

 

Swirl Hat Italian translation

Nonnalu on ravelry has graciously provided this translation of the Swirl Hat pattern into Italian, which now exists in EIGHT languages.  Pretty cool.  Thanks!

Berretto Spirale

Modello di Mandie Harrington

Traduzione italiana di Nonnalu’

SheepyTime@gmail.com

Berretto facile da sferruzzare, lavorato con una lana soffice e abbastanza sottile di resa veloce, abbastanza elastica per essere indossata a lungo da bimbi che crescono! La lana soffice e il modello aderente rendono il berretto adatto per un “chemio cap”.

FILATO: 20 – 50 gr. “Sheepy Time Yarns Panda feet”

FERRI : misura US 3 (3.25) o altri adatti a ottenere la tensione indicata, circolari o gioco a doppia punta

TENSIONE: 13m = 5cm a maglia rasata 

TAGLIE : prematuri, 30/33 cm.

        Neonati 33/35.5 cm

        4-12 mesi 35.50/40 cm

        12m-2 anni 40/48 cm

        Ragazzi 46/50.8 cm

        Adulti 51/56

ISTRUZIONI : montare 72 ( 80, 88, 96, 112, 128) maglie. Unire in tondo, facendo attenzione a non torcere le maglie; lavorare a coste 2/2 per 8 giri.

Proseguire con *2 m .a diritto, 1 m. gettata, 4 m. a diritto, 2 m. insieme a d.*. Ripetere questa lavorazione ogni giro, finché il lavoro non misura cm. 11.5 ( 12.7 – 14 – 15.3 – 16.5 – 17.8) dall’avvio.

Incominciare la cupola, lavorando nel modo seguente:

1. *2md, 1gett.,3md, 3m insieme*, ripetere. 63 (70 – 77 – 84 – 98 – 112) maglie rimanenti

2. *2md, 1gett.,3md, 2m insieme*, ripetere. 

3. *2md, 1gett.,3md, 3m insieme*, ripetere. 56 (60 – 66 – 72 – 84 – 96) maglie rimanenti

4. *2md, 1gett.,3md, 2m insieme*, ripetere. 

5. *2md, 1gett.,1md, 3m insieme*, ripetere. 45 (50 - 55 - 60 - 70 - 80) maglie rimanenti

6. *2md, 1gett.,1md, 2m insieme*, ripetere. 

7. *2md, 1gett.,3m insieme*, ripetere. 36 ( 40 – 44 - 48 - 56 - 64) maglie rimanenti

8. *2m, 2m insieme*, ripetere. 27 (30 - 33 - 36 - 42 - 48) maglie rimanenti

9. *1md, 2m insieme*, ripetere. 18 (20 - 22 - 24 - 28 - 32) maglie rimanenti

10. * lavorare 2m insieme *, ripetere 9 ( 10 - 11 – 12 - 6 - 7 – 8) maglie rimanenti. Quando rimangono 12m o più sul ferro, lavorare ancora 1 volta 2m insieme.

Rompere il filo in modo che ne resti a sufficienza per passarlo nelle maglie restanti (9, 10, 11, 6, 7, 8), stringere bene e nascondere la codina.

Adventuring

I didn't realize how long it had been since I've updated my blog.  I knew it was late but wow!

So I guess I have a lot to catch up on.

The There and Back Again Club is now in its' second month. Of course we had to start with a colorway inspired by the Shire

 With hat pattern modeled mostly by my adorable and photogenic daughter Caity

 

 

 I had fun designing this cable and it will be available to the public in 2015.

Going on an Adventure!

So last year ended the long run of the Time Traveler's club.  We had great fun, but were starting to run out of color ideas and decided a new adventure was in order.

So of course I had to go back to one of my first loves, The Hobbit

 

I distinctly remember having the Hobbit read aloud to me when I was young and being completely enthralled.   So I started a new adventure, the There and Back Again Yarn and Fiber Club.

 

This club promises patterns, as well as different weights of yarn or fiber.  I'm really very excited about it. 

For all the details, or to sign up, click here.

The club starts very soon and there are just a few spots left.

This is a currently available color and NOT one of the surprise club colorways.

Monumental

So this happened

I haven't blogged in so long because the next blog post was supposed to be about the marathon, and I really just didn't have the words.  I'm still not sure I do but I have as many as I ever will so I just need to write about it.

I have never thought of myself as athletic at all.  I was a sickly kid.  I spent a lot of time in the hospital and I had a special humidifier in my room.  My lack of ability at sports was a clear disappointment to my dad.  I was always last or nearly last on the mile run tests.  My lungs sucked.  I was a book worm.  I was that person who said I would only run if something was chasing me.

I would have said I could never run a marathon.

The year before I turned 40, I decided running might be a thing I might try.  I wasn't as sickly as I was as a kid.  I knew I'd never be a "real" runner, but I thought I might run a few miles.  I started a couch 2 5k program. It was my goal to do a 5k before I turned 40 (one that I failed miserably I might add). 

That was 3 years ago.

 I am still deliriously proud of myself 2 months later.  

2 years ago I clomped and walked through one of my first 5k races at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, finishing in over 47 minutes, (at a pace too slow for the marathon cutoff), and feeling like I couldn't take another step.  We were really impressed with the way that race was run, and we watched as some of the slower half marathoners finished and thought maybe...we could do that.  1 year later I managed the half marathon (right AT the cutoff).

Somehow I managed to convince myself to try for a full marathon, even though it sounded completely impossible.  I like torturing myself, I guess.  During training I got bursitis in my hip, and got a cortisone shot so I could keep going.  The few weeks before I had bronchitis and I was really worried I wouldn't make it.  And actually I was still a little sick the day of the race.

My husband ran with me.  It was an awesome thing for him to do.  He'd had a stress fracture in May so he was recovering from that while I trained.  He's a much better runner than me and I think it's hard to go slower than you can.  But I just didn't think I could go on a 6+ hour run by myself.  (I was probably right).

The first half of the race was great.  We hit the 10K split at 1:24:40 with a pace of 13:40min/mi.  Pretty much perfect.  I was well under the 15 min/mi cutoff but I knew I would need those minutes later so I was happy to bank them early.

Half Marathon split - 3:05:36 for an average pace of 14:11min/mi. (11 minutes under my  half marathon time the year before!)

We joked about just going home at mile 14, which was pretty close to our house, and in the neighborhood I did a lot of training runs. 

Miles 14 and 15 were a bitch.  My legs hurt and we had bathroom breaks which ate in to my extra minutes. 

One of the few times I remembered to take a picture.

From here to about mile 21 I honestly don't know how I kept going.  I was tired.  There weren't many people around, there wasn't a crowd cheering.   They ran out of most of the food and gels at the fueling stations.  Did I mention I was tired?  Everything hurt.  I lost a lot of my extra minutes.  I was worried.

When we finally turned on to Meridian and there were 5k left Rob said "You got this!" to me and I said "I KNOW!"  Because for the first time ever, I did know.  I didn't know if I'd make the time, but damnit, I knew I could make it 3 more miles, even if I had to walk, I was going to finish.

By mile 25 I knew I could make the time and I was so happy.  I managed to finish running (barely).  I had nothing left but I was upright and had my hands in the air, exactly the way you want to finish.

Having friends and family there when I crossed the line was just the best thing ever.  I don't even have the words for that feeling, it's amazing.

I couldn't have done it without Janet, who rode her bike all over town delivering us supplies at scheduled stops.  I can't ever than you enough for that, really.

Later Rob wrote an email to the director of the IMM about the lack of supplies, and he ended up taking us out to lunch.  He was very apologetic, and was busy trying to figure out what went wrong that there weren't supplies for some of us.  I was really impressed with how involved he was and I wouldn't let it stop me from signing up again.  (I'm already registered for the 2014 half.  I want to run it faster, then think about a full in 2015 when I can cut a lot of time off.  Maybe.)

The swag is really awesome too.  The women's shirts even have a girl runner on them.

Two months later I still feel like it's the best thing I've ever done just for myself.  I want so much to encourage everyone in the world to do something monumental.  Sign up for something you think there's no way you can do, because I bet you can, and you will be so proud of yourself when you do. 

Idril

So the socks have a name, and are finally available.

 On sale at introductory price of 3.50 until the end of the month!



 

Nameless

I finally have something new to share:

 

  

 I finished these grey ones last year.  I love them.

I particularly love the way the cables work their way around the heel and gusset.

 

 It took quite a long time to size the pattern right.  

I did a survey of calf sizes on ravelry, and there's a huge range, as I expected, but also a lot of variability from top to mid calf to ankle, so it took a lot of work to come up with a knee sock pattern that would fit just about anyone. 

 

The purple ones are my daughter Caity's.  She's got itty bitty wee calves, unlike my thick ones.  

 

  

 

So now they just need a name. 

Got a suggestion?  Let me know.  If I use it, I'll give you a free copy.
 

Cladonia

Lately all of my knitting is things I'm designing and can't post pictures of, which makes for boring blogging.  I've been filling in space with projects I finished a while ago and didn't blog. 

Here's a recently finished one, though

 Cladonia by Kristen Kapur

It's a running joke among my knitter friends that I change everything I knit.  Because I always start out saying "I didn't change anything" and then "except..."


Well no exception here.  I intended to not change the pattern but then I didn't like the increases so I ripped out several inches to start over.  I wanted the increases to be in the second row of each color change, so it would be less obvious.  I ended up doing make ones on the purl side, which worked out well, and I was pleased with the result.

I also made the shawl bigger, but that hardly counts, right?

I actually made this color set (Electric Watermelon) for Snowflake Club over a year ago because I wanted to make this shawl with it.  Of course it took me forever to actually make it but once I started it, it went pretty quickly.

 I actually DIDN'T change the lace at border at all.  I think it's perfect as is.  And the picot bind off might be a pain in the ass to knit, but it's totally worth it.