Crafterdays

Penguin Directions on Craftsy

2011-12-26T09:53:00.001-05:00

I joined craftsy.com to post directions for the Penguin Tags. Basically, if you can use a Cricut and a Texture Boutique Embosser, this is easy peasy. Here's the website for the directions at www.craftsy.com They have loads of crafts projects as well as online classes you can take. I'm still debating between a sock knitting class with Donna Druchunas and knitting itty bitty toys with Susan B Anthony, or maybe a paper crafts class with Alton DuLaney. Too much to decide now, but there is an offered discount now until January 1. Check it out!

Holiday Decorations

2011-12-22T20:48:00.002-05:00

I had plans to decorate for Hanukkah this year, but school and bronchitis seemed to drain me during the last couple of weeks. I have been busy since school has let out and can at least say I've put my Cricut to use. I saw a tea light menorah on the internet (sorry, it may have been Martha Stewart, but I can't remember right now) and tried to reproduce this on our mantle. Tonight is the third night, so only three are lit. Each consists of a round glass holder with a glass tea light holder inside surrounded by blue and clear glass pieces. It took me a few minutes to figure out that it's easier to drop in the larger pieces, then the tea light holder, then slide a few smaller pieces down the sides, hold it upside down and shake slightly to settle all the inner glass. The tea light itself needs to have its wick straight up in order to be able to light easily. I take out the empty ones each morning and replace with new lights. This was not an inexpensive decoration, but the pieces will last for years; I just need to buy more tea lights.
I did get a chance to take a picture of my mother's Christmas wreath on her front door, created by my sister, Rheta. She did a very professional job, but I couldn't explain how she did it. Maybe she could guest on this blog to explain.

I found these Christmas bags to wrap several of the presents going to my family this weekend, but I never like the little tags that come on these bags. These were small and bent and needed some extra pop. I used Cricut cartridge, Create a Critter, to cut out penguins. My Sizzix Texture Boutique Embossing Machine and snowflake embossing plates added some extra texture to the penguins and their scarves.

I was on a roll and decided to spruce up a baby present for one of our new neighbors. I think I like making tags with the Cricut better than adding bows on a present. Maybe a little ribbon wouldn't hurt, not sure. Hopefully, now that all the shopping is done and everything's wrapped, I can get back into spending more time being creative. 'Tis the season, after all...

Holiday Savings Continue

2011-12-14T21:22:00.002-05:00

We have time for one more coupon code before the holidays. The new code: dreidel should be entered when you check out from our shop on http://www.etsy.com/shop/theirresistibleewe or on our website, The Irresistible Ewe to get 20% off your total order.

Ashland Bay Fibers Are Here!

2011-11-19T09:30:00.001-05:00

I'm proud to announce that I am now a vendor for Ashland Bay Trading Company. They produce absolutely fabulous fiber for spinning as well as yarns. My first shipment came yesterday and I couldn't be more excited. I have started listing some of the Merino/Tussah Silk blends and Colonial Top rovings on our etsy store, The Irresistible Ewe and will also be placing some on the original Irresistible Ewe website. I can't wait to try out the Merino/Angora or the Merino/Bamboo/Silk. They are scrumptious to hold and the multicolored rovings are bright, but subtle. They should make gorgeous yarns. We'll have them for sale, also, at the Carolina Fiber Fest in Raleigh, NC this year (May 18-20, 2012) at the State Fairgrounds. I'll list more information later as I get it.

Back at The EWE and etsy

2011-11-17T21:58:00.001-05:00

We've moved our yarns, etc. from Art Fire to etsy and a few on the original website, theirresistibleewe.com. I had complained a good while back that Art Fire was somehow not transferring the shipping costs from the sales to paypal. This necessitated my having to bother the customer about making an extra payment to paypal for shipping costs or my raising thew price of each item to include shipping. This made our yarn seem unusually expensive. My sister opened an etsy account - Rheta Russell Photography, and has been happy with her sales of photo props. I decided to try a few yarns and have been very happy - NO PROBLEMS WITH PAYPAL! Imagine that. I have mainly discontinued yarns on theirresistibleewe.com and the newer ones on etsy. Check out our newest beauties: Bamboo Bloom Handpaints and Mohair Mountain. The textures and colors are incredible. I can't wait to go on vacation and have time to start knitting with them.

BOGO AT ART FIRE!

2011-11-06T09:44:00.007-05:00

We're offering our Classic Worsted line of yarn as BOGO this month at Art Fire to get the Black Friday sales off to a great start early. Check out our Classic Worsted, Classic Worsted Long Print and Classic Worsted Tapestry yarns now before they're gone!

Waterfalls at Pisgah National Forest

2011-11-05T09:21:00.001-04:00

We had to make a stop to do a little sightseeing on the way home from SAFF this year. Please enjoy the pictures. These were taken at the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.

This free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

New Yarns In and a Move to Etsy

2011-11-03T21:08:00.008-04:00

We're moving again, this time to etsy.com due to continued difficulties with shipping costs through Art Fire. I'm very grateful for my Art Fire customers, and I hope you will follow us to etsy where we're introducing new yarns, like Mohair Mountain! This is a beautiful LARGE skein of 200grams/660 yards of an acrylic/wool/polyester/mohair blend. The colors are beautiful and there are two free patterns now being offered on the Universal Yarn site.
We also have new colors in the Bamboo Bloom line, including Mahogany, Lights Out and Rice. Also new, are the Bamboo Blend Handpaints in Reflecting Pool and Red Maple. They were a big hit at SAFF this year. We're expecting more colors in soon.

Free Shipping on Yarns

2011-09-12T06:23:00.003-04:00

All of our yarns on Art Fire will have free shipping this month!

Summer Spider

2011-09-02T22:40:00.001-04:00

This is a large writing spider who has taken up residence next to our screened porch. Its beauty is awesome and a little scary when seen really up close. Still, you have to admire the coloring.

First Project on Wolf

2011-08-18T06:23:00.004-04:00

I have my first project on my new loom warped. I did have to make a few adjustments, but this time the warping went smoother than during my lessons. I'm having to adjust the lighting to see correctly through the harnesses. A stool of the correct height is essential for this. I'm also learning to loosen the metal braces on the harnesses before starting to warp as the pattern played havoc with my carefully proportioned eyelets once I'd started. I'm still waiting on my boat shuttles, one from ebay and another from WEBS. But, since the scarf I chose to start with is narrow, my impatience won out and I pulled a flat shuttle from my rigid heddle tool drawer and started with it. It's not as smooth weaving as the boat shuttles will be, but is sufficing, and I'm delighted with the results. My selvedges, although not perfect, are getting much better. I'm only using four of the eight shafts, but until my feet get a little wetter, these simpler patterns will be a good learning experience. I'm using the pattern for the huck lace scarf on page 62 of the May/June 2011 issue of Handwoven Magazine, a purple 3/2 thread for warp and Fibranatura Cobblestone 100% superwash merino wool yarn (#304 Bourbon Street) to weave.

Weaving Bug

2011-08-13T18:50:00.007-04:00

I decided to take weaving lessons this summer as a research project for a novel I'm working on. Sad to say, the novel still needs a lot more work, but the lessons have turned me in a new crafting direction. I've been weaving on two rigid heddle looms for a couple of years now, but I wanted to know more about using floor looms. I was able to take lessons from Marilyn Vandersea at Weaver's Web Gallery yarn shop in New Bern, NC, a little over an hour from home. I have been enchanted with floor looms since one of my roommates in college had her big jack floor loom in our living room. She wove cloth that she made into clothing. I've been about two times a week for the last month and have completed one twill sample runner and a small runner of huck lace. I still have a way to go on weaving good selvedges, but I am getting a little better.

In looking around at used looms, I lucked out and found out that a very nice lady in the New Bern weaving guild was upgrading to a new loom and was selling her Mighty Wolf. I sent her my phone number with her friend Thursday night and today drove my new loom home amid torrents of rain. We had to take the wheels off to fit it into the van, but it did make the trip to Goldsboro and into the house when the rain cleared. When Henry has help, we'll move it upstairs to my studio and its new spot. I have everything but a shuttle, so maybe by the time it arrives in the mail, the loom will be upstairs and warped. I'm starting back to teaching next week, so this will be a treat to come home to in the afternoons.

Cricut Giveaways at My Craft Channel

2011-08-03T08:55:00.004-04:00

My Craft Channel, which will air online this fall, is giving away 20 Cricut Expression machines in 20 days. They have three left, so visit their Facebook page and Like them, and leave a comment on their blog page. Share with five of your friends and let them know to enter to win a machine. Good luck!
https://www.facebook.com/mycraftchannel
http://www.mycraftchannelblog.com/

Card Making Class at Archiver's

2011-07-25T09:38:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to take a class at Archiver's in Raleigh, NC and finally made it yesterday. Unfortunately, the other three people who signed up cancelled and I ended up working on my own. Archiver's provided the kit and the very nice instructor checked in on me occasionally, but there was no official class. I think I managed quite well with the instructions, which were very clear. The examples were set out for me to follow and were very cute. I managed to finish all four on my own before I left. Three out of the four pictures I took didn't come out well, so I'll have to try with them again later. The materials were good quality and I came away with four complete cards and the instruction sheet, so I am overall very happy.

Big Sales at the EWE

2011-07-24T20:47:00.003-04:00

After a lot of careful thought, I've decided to close my main website for The Irresistible Ewe yarn store. It has begun to take quite a deal of my time that I would rather be devoting to writing and crafting a few things myself. It is also not possible for me to expand the business at this time due to having about four more years of teaching in the public schools. I miss having my spare time to devote to doing crafts. Yes, I do squeeze them in, but the bulk of my time is putting on sales, tweeting the sales, face booking the sales, changing prices, sending out newsletters, etc. etc. I've sent a letter out to my clients and will post this to my website tomorrow. To celebrate this move, I'm offering 25% off most yarns from today through July 31. Use the code: xmasinjuly.
Almost all of my yarns have been moved to my studio site at Art Fire. Yes, you may remember, I did get quite miffed with them last year, but later realized that I had been getting some sales and was cutting off the wool to spite the sheep, so to speak. I have swallowed my pride and have been happy to be back. The site is quite easy to manage and will be much less expensive in the long run than running a separate store.
I'm hoping to eventually replace all the acrylic yarns with natural fibers and to start including more rovings and handspun yarns as well as other one-of-a-kind items such as felted hats and woven scarves.

Make your OWN YourStory covers

2011-07-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

This is also a great video for making your own covers for the Your Story machine. In this one, RememberWhenDesigns points out that you need to leave between 1/4" and 1/2" space on either edge of the binding free of hot glue so that the glue doesn't run into your machine during binding. Good point! I'm still a little unclear of the scoring directions, but intend to look closely at the binders that came with my machine to see how they did theirs. Happy Crafting!

Episode 41 - Making my own Cover for my YourStory Machine

2011-07-10T09:46:00.001-04:00

I just watched this video on You Tube. I got a Your Story bundle free with the purchase of a cartridge about a month ago, but haven't had a chance to use it yet. I feel much better now knowing that I can use hot glue to bind my own booklets. This opens up much more opportunity to work with students next year. They could make their own journals and photo books.
Thanks so much to HobbyMommyCreations for making this video.

New Craft TV Coming!

2011-06-24T08:40:00.003-04:00

There is a new online craft channel starting this fall, premiering July 11. My Craft Channel will feature tons of craft videos from photography to scrapbooking to painting. Here is their promo: "My Craft Channel is the first of it’s kind online TV Craft Network. It goes beyond the simple web “how-to” home video and delivers broadcast quality programming. With over 20 different new shows there is something for everyone. Top experts, bloggers and craft celebrities in various niches from sewing, painting, scrapbooking, DIY projects, photography, mixed media and more have joined together to bring entertaining education to the web with TV formatted shows. Not only do the shows provide amazing inspiration, each day there is an opportunity for the “daily deal”, which gives our viewers an opportunity to try out fresh new craft items at discounted prices. Our goal is to be fun, educational, entertaining, and interactive with our viewers."
You can keep up with them on Facebook on their My Craft Channel page and on their blog: http://www.mycraftchannelblog.com/.
I can't wait. I've had withdrawals ever since Carol Duvall retired.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-18T08:52:00.006-04:00

Henry and I don't have kids, but we celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day for our parents and in honor of our four-legged "kids." This year, we've been fortunate to have been adopted once again. Our pond is now home to a beautiful yellow-bellied slider. For Father's Day, my sister Rheta and I made a banner for our Dad which will be put up at our parents' house tomorrow. I also made one for Henry for our house. I used colored cardstock from Michael's for the pennants and a sheet of glitter brown for the letters, Cricut cartridge Animal Kingdom for the cats and turtle, and Country Life for the Pennant. A wooden bead strung on hemp cording between the pennants gave just a little touch of unity to the whole thing. Rosettes were made from scrapbook paper from Target. To make these, cut two strips 2" x 12" and crease using the Martha Stewart folding board, every half inch. Accordian fold, then glue ends together, overlapping so they are in sync. Start pressing in the inner edges until all fold in to the middle. It helps to have two circles of contrasting paper already cut out with Tacky Glue on them. Place one on each side in the center to hold the rosette together. You might want to hold it a minute until it's secured.

Please Take Our Survey

2011-06-06T19:40:00.004-04:00

I'm looking back on the year and a half that The Irresistible Ewe has been in operation. I've enjoyed running this online-only business even more than I thought and have learned quite a bit in just a short time. Although I'm still entertaining the idea of opening a shop where I could have craft classes going on full time, at this point, we're keeping the business strictly online with the occasional fiber festival. I'm attempting to add different products and would like to get some feedback from my readers. I've been in contact with a company that sells roving wholesale and am considering adding this to the shop. I do buy fleeces from NC farmers and process them myself with my Clemes & Clemes drum carder, but this is limited and since I am still teaching full-time 10 months out of the year, I need products that I can buy for immediate resale. I've noticed a definite interest in purchasing fiber ready to spin, plus, I'd like to be able to offer consistent color choices. So, if you wouldn't mind, please take the survey to the right of this article and let me know what interests you. Feel free to email me as well at theirresistibleewe@gmail.com if you would like to share more about what you look for in a yarn shop. I know everyone these days is pushed for time, so just know in advance how much I appreciate your time.
Kathryn

New Patterns Available at The Irresistible Ewe

2011-06-06T17:03:00.006-04:00

We got in new patterns at the Ewe. We're now carrying a limited number of patterns by Tiny Owl Knits, Ysolda Teague, and Roo Designs. Tiny Owl Knits are whimsical and feature very natural yarns. We have the Forest & Frill wrap, Fairy Castles (dpn and crochet hook storage that look like fairy castles), and Baby Lamb Cuffs (sweet fingerless gloves featuring two sweet lambs). Roo Designs include two baby/kid sweaters that are ultra precious, one with a turtle and one with a sheep done with intarsia knitting. Ysolda Teague patterns include three cuddly critters, two polar bears, elephant and the cutest hedgehogs we've seen. Visit us at the Ewe and select a fun pattern to try!

Dyeing for the Carolina Fiber Fest

2011-04-26T09:39:00.006-04:00

The Carolina Fiber Festival will be held this year, May 20-22 at the Raleigh State Fair Grounds. This will be my first year vending with The Irresistible Ewe. I've been taking advantage of the sunshine while it lasts this week to dye my bags of carded roving. I've dyed only solid colors this time to speed things up, although solid for me always comes out with slight variations anyway. I like that. Nature doesn't usually come in solid colors, but has subtle variation if you look closely. If you're familiar with the birds, Grackles, you know what I mean. These are local birds with iridescent black feathers and yellow eyes. Their feathers, when seen in the sun, show purples, blues and even burgundies. I hope my rovings will show a little of that surprise of color here and there and will be that much more interesting when spun or felted. I used Kool-Aid to dye my first batch, wool from I think a Gulf Coast/Florida Native breed sheep. This will be sold for felting. It's not great to spin, but felts well. I like the Kool-Aid for this since the dyes take so well. You can see in the picture above that the color has gone completely into the roving. The whitish areas are water and the color is only roving.

I have had some difficulty with one batch of dye with the second bag - it would be the prettiest color, sapphire blue. These were done with Jacquard acid dyes. I should have followed my instincts when pouring the dye bath over the roving. A clump of color slipped out of the jar and I just went right right along thinking I could break it up in the pan. Wrong! It still had clumps of the dye when I started rinsing it and then I ended up over rinsing it. I believe it's now a little felted. I guess this has become part of my personal stash to be felted into a purse or hat. Oh, well, I'll be more on the lookout for this with my blue dyes next time.
Overall, this was not too hard a batch. This bag of roving is a Border Leicester/Columbia cross and came out rather fine when processed. If the weather holds, Friday I'll get my last bag done.

Early Birthday

2011-04-21T15:18:00.003-04:00

My birthday isn't until next month, but Henry has already given me my gift, a Champagne Cricut Expression, complete with color marker, vinyl sample, and a Picturesque cartridge. I'm so psyched to start working with this. I've started making an explosion box for a special couple. Hopefully, tomorrow, I can get some of this on video to share.

Knit-Along Sweater Update

2011-04-21T14:22:00.003-04:00

I am making very slow progress, not because of the pattern, Sherwood, but because of the end of school activities. We're finally on Spring Break, so I hope to complete this and get my wool dyed for the upcoming Carolina Fiber Fest (May 20-22, 2011). I have completed the back section up to the neck and have started on the front panel. I did find the directions for shaping the shoulders a little confusing. My mother is almost finished with her sweater and helped me work through these. The pattern might be easier to understand if they specified to bind off all stitches loosely before stating to work 28( 20, etc) back neck sts. What I ended up doing was to bind off 16 (I'm making the medium) sts at one shoulder, then knitting across to the end of the other shoulder. I then bound off 16 sts from that shoulder. I transferred the remaining stitches onto a size 9, 16-inch set of circular needles to hold until I finish the front panel.
I am happy that I found another skein that started at the same color. Now both sides match.

Hailstorm

2011-04-21T14:12:00.004-04:00

We were lucky and avoided an tornado damage last week. We did, however, have more hail than I've seen fall - ever. It poured out of the sky in a matter of minutes and covered the ground. The pieces were very big and lasted until the next morning despite the warmer weather. Several of our shrubs had a lot of leaves shredded, and our front window screens will have to be replaced, but overall, not much damage. Our cars were both sitting outside and weren't hurt at all. I'm sharing a few pictures I took just after the fall.

Crafting with Cricut

2011-04-09T19:07:00.004-04:00

I wanted to make a bulletin board for our 8th grade hallway. With only a few dozen school days left, it's time to "Get it in Gear" for the students. I used the Cricut cartridge, Robotz, and some cute paper from Target. I need to make a darker background for the "Gear" letters to show up a little better. Maybe next week.

Knit-Along Update 42-11

2011-04-02T11:04:00.003-04:00

The knitting has been a little slow, but I've made it to the underarm markers. I hope to be up to the top of this front panel by next Saturday. The colors continue to unwind beautifully with a true-to-its-name pattern of the whole range of colors found in chile peppers, from rust, orange, greens to purples.

Knit-Along Update

2011-03-25T18:51:00.004-04:00

Day seven of the Knit-Along and my progress is a little slow due to being under the weather this week. I'm on the mend and back to the knitting. I love the colorplay in this yarn as well as the softness. There is a little purple that peaks in occasionally with the rust and green shades. So far, I'm loving the way it looks. I've found that the Classic Shades does stretch a little when blocked, and it is loosening up the further I get with it. Here are two updated photos to share with you. I'll have more to show later. I'm going to knit tonight while cheering on the Buckeyes with Henry. Whichever team you root for, enjoy the games.

Knit-Along Update March 21

2011-03-21T19:03:00.004-04:00

I started my Sherwood sweater Saturday, but don't have much to report as of today. The pollen is out in full force and I spent half the weekend trying to use up every tissue in the house. I am only six rows into the bottom border now, but the yarn is knitting up beautifully. I'm using Color 721 Chili Pepper and love the rust shades with just a hint of purple. I can't wait for the green to start working its way into the pattern. I'm still staying inside as much as possible, although during the day at school, there's not much getting away from the yellow stuff. Our air conditioning has not been turned on yet this year, and my classroom windows get all of the afternoon sun. Even with the ceiling fans going, I have to relent some days and open the one window in the room that I'm able to open just to get a breeze going. And, with that comes the pollen. Hence, my discomfort. I'm going to take it easy tonight and see if I can get into the Stockinett Stitches. This is an easy pattern and it should go fast. I'll post pictures every few days. If any of you are knitting along with me, send in your pictures and I'll be glad to post them.

Knit-Along

2011-03-05T10:53:00.005-05:00

The Irresistible Ewe is hosting its first Knit-Along. We're going to knit the sleeveless sweater, Sherwood. This is a free downloadable pattern on the Universal Yarn website. The picture features the colorway #704 Reef, but you can use any of the many beautiful shade combinations. I'm planning to use Chili Pepper myself which I think will be more in my shade range. The pattern is great for beginners. My mom has already started and reports it is knitting up beautifully. We're officially starting Saturday, March 19 so there is plenty of time to order yarn. I'm planning to add a new colorway to the list, Tutti Frutti, so watch for that one as well. Hope you'll join us for the fun.

My First Closet Monster

2011-03-02T20:01:00.004-05:00

I have no name yet, but right now, I'm just chilling out with the cat, waiting for Kathy to finish me up. I still have a few spots that need touching up before my flight out to Missouri and my new owner, Kaydee. Can you believe I'm made out of old clothes? I'm a Closet Monster. Kathy found the directions in a great new book called Closet Monsters: Stitch Creatures You'll Love from Clothing You Don't, by John Murphy. He's a great guy and really understands what a good monster needs. So, if you have old clothes that you just haven't been able to part with, now you can make them into a loveable monster like me. Check out the new slide show below for more pictures.

Free picture slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Signs of Spring in NC

2011-02-28T06:03:00.006-05:00

One sign that Spring is around the corner: my Daphne is blooming. This usually is during chilly weather, but the temperature yesterday was in the 80's. I finally got my yarn scraps outside for the birds as well. My sister, Rheta, who is much more of a bird expert than I am, said these should already be out, but late is better than not, I think. I used the suet feeders to stuff bits of soft yarn for the birds to pluck out for nesting. We also have a lot of squirrels who may use them as well. I've been keeping a big plastic jar all winter for any yarn snippets, like when I would weave in my ends. These are perfect for cushioning a nest and keep them out of the local landfills. I placed some yarn on top of a large jasmine vine that the birds seem to favor. It will be interesting to see which disappears first, these or the ones in the suet feeders.
I'm not sure how long this warm spell will last, but I intend to enjoy it for what it's worth.Yesterday, was nice after two long distance trips in two days, just to sit on the screen porch with the cats and Henry, spinning a new blend of yarn - wool and Great Pyrenees. I can't wait to see how this yarn looks when plied. It's been fun blending this on my drum carder. If this weather holds, maybe I'll get outside with some dyes later this week.
I hope your winter is starting to thaw a little and the birds are singing as beautifully as they are here.

Classic Yarns on Sale

2011-02-18T06:22:00.006-05:00

Helmet Liner knitted with Classic Worsted Tapestry, Forest.

All Universal Classic yarns are on sale at The Irresistible Ewe this week: Classic Worsted, Classic Chunky, Classic Worsted Long Print,
Classic Worsted Tapestry, Classic Worsted Impressions, and Classic Shades.

Entrelac Joy

2011-01-29T19:52:00.007-05:00

I started on an entrelac project a few blogposts ago. I got through the first row of triangles just fine, then lost it on the second row. I couldn't follow the directions well enough; apparently, they were meant for someone who had done this before. I decided to back up, put the project on hold and try to use a more forgiving (i.e., bulkier) yarn, Universal Deluxe Chunky Long Print in Elegant Baby, and size 9 knitting needles. I also purchased the book, Entrelac, by Rosemary Drysdale. This book was given excellent reviews on Amazon and I wholeheartedly concur. I'm not on my fourth row and can hardly put it down. The book shows step-by-step directions as well as very well explained directions. It also has loads of patterns for various entrelac designs/variations on this theme. Once I'm finished with the present piece, I'll go back and pick up the Limerick yarn to complete the wrap I started. For right now, however, I'm enjoying that wonderful feeling of finally accomplishing a a skill I wasn't sure I'd be able to grasp. Also knitting while enjoying the second book of A Game of Thrones on my iPod is even better. Henry and I are so entranced in these books, we can hardly put them down. He's ahead a book, but I'm closing in fast. We're hoping to read these (all) before the show starts. So two recommended books today, Entrelac and A Game of Thrones - best when enjoyed together.

Crafterdays Art Fire Account Closed

2011-01-11T13:20:00.004-05:00

I made a decision today to close my Art Fire account. I had been considering this lately, as it is additional work and duplicated somewhat with my site, www.theirresistibleewe.com. I had considered it an alternate way that my customers could shop for yarn and also buy handmade items. There is much discussion going on between the pro-sellers at Art Fire and the COO/Vice-President Tony right now as to who should be allowed to sell on the AF site.

Sellers have been grouped according to what they are selling and also high/low categories. I was very disappointed and dismayed to see that as a seller of commercial goods, although a high for customer interest, I would be considered low ethically due to not selling all handmade goods. This not only hurt my feelings personally, but professionally. I have been crafting since I could manage crayons and scissors, professionally now for at least thirty years. My customer ratings there were five-star (all 100%).

I can understand artisans wanting to be part of a handmade-only site. Sites such as Art Fire raise the standard for serious crafters, something long-coming in a world where art is often only given credence if it is in the form of an oil painting or marble sculpture. I just wish they had been a little more up front with these feelings when I signed up to sell my yarn there. Maybe I should have scoped out the site better before taking the plunge with my 168 items listed.

I just can't get past the "low ethics" category on this, however. Fortunately, the Ewe is doing well and this will give me more time to develop this website. I'm working on new merchandise to sell there, including a new workbook for knitters (coming out by this Spring).

I want to thank my customers from Art Fire. They have been a great bunch of persons to work with, but then that is one reason I love selling fiber supplies. I always meet the nicest people. I wish those sellers who remain with Art Fire the best of luck.

Stellated Octahedron Origami

2011-01-10T20:32:00.011-05:00

I've been having fun with a new origami kit, Geo-Gami, The Art of Making Geometrical Shapes from Paper, by Katherine Gleason. I'm planning to teach the first two projects, the hexahedron and the stellated octahedron which builds on the hexahedron to the Origami Club I sponsor at school. I'm posting a video of my making these for my club on our school website and will post it here as well. The video is in three segments to make it easier for uploading here. The pictures above are of the same object, just from different angles. I used twenty-four squares of origami paper for the total project, three for each component.

Part I

Part 2

Part 3

Entrelac Throw

2011-01-05T17:46:00.006-05:00

I've been getting several orders lately for the yarn, Wisdom Limerick in colorway 31801. There is a beautiful pattern in the Winter Issue of Knit Simple magazine for an entrelac throw done with this particular yarn. There is also a very similar wrap knitted with the same yarn in the Wisdom Colors Collection pattern book, which was also featured recently at Stitches.

I started saying to myself, "Hmmm, maybe I should give entrelac another try." I took a class last year which was a lot of fun. I did well during the class, then went home and couldn't get it right. Frustration ensued, and I found myself shelving this project.
After seeing these new patterns, I'm giving it another try. I started the first row of triangles and after a few, I'm completing a triangle without looking at the pattern. I have three more to complete tonight, then on to the part that gave me a fit before. The pictures in Knit Simple are very good and I found a youtube video by Eunny Jang which is really good. I'll keep posting my progress.
Feel free to join me in this project. I'd love to hear how you're coming along with this.

Hearts & Clubs Cowl

2010-12-30T08:27:00.003-05:00

I'm offering a new loom-knitted cowl design for my readers. The pattern uses two skeins - one is Universal's Classic Chunky in Red, and the other is Rozetti's Cocoon in Black, both available on my website, The Irresistible Ewe. The cocoon yarn is a little slower to loom knit, but is not hard. I let two cocoons dangle starting and ending the final row each time. Wrap one cocoon behind the peg, then you can wrap two pegs with the cord in between each one. You'll have to work with this. The pattern is as follows:

1. Cast on around the loom (I used the Purple Knifty Knitter round hat loom) two times, using the e-wrap method. Pull the bottom loop over the top loop and continue this until you have four rows.

2. Cut the Cocoon yarn leaving two cocoons to dangle.

3. Cast on with the Classic Chunky Red yarn using the e-wrap method. Knit the bottom loop (Cocoon) over the top loop (Red). Continue for six rows with the Red.

4. Cable Row: Knit the first two pegs. Remove the loop from the 3rd peg and save behind using either a cable stitch holder or other holder (I used a crochet hook). Take the fourth loop and place it on the 3rd peg. Place the 3rd loop from the holder to the 4th peg. Wrap these two pegs as usual and knit them off. Continue this pattern around the loom. You'll end up cabling #47 & 48 pegs.

5. The pattern continues as follows: 4 rows regular e-wrap stitches, 1 row of cables (follow step 4). You can determine how many sets of Steps 4 & 5 are comfortable for you. I cabled four rows.

6. End the red yarn back at the beginning hook. Add on the Cocoon yarn again and follow Steps 1 & 2.

7. Ending: This was the trickiest, but still not hard. I bound off using this method. Take loop #1 and place it over loop #2. Knit off. Take loop #2 and place it on loop #3. Knit off. At this point, the knitting became very tight. I e-wrapped again with the Cocoon onto #3 peg, knitted off and then placed #3 loop on #4 peg, knitted this off, etc. You'll have to see how this works for you. When it feels too tight, just add an extra e-wrap, knit it off and continue moving the left loop to the right peg, knit off, etc., etc. Have fun and let me know how this works for you.
Kathryn Jacoby

Stash-Busting Cat Blankets

2010-12-25T19:16:00.010-05:00

I'm trying to make more room in my studio/yarn shop upstairs. I decided to start with getting rid of some of the yarn that I've had for a while by crocheting some cat blankets for our local shelter. I bought a size 35 crochet hook last week at A.C. Moore in Greenville, NC and started with a bag of coordinated blue/gray toned yarn. Using four strands at once and strictly single crochet, the blanket came together in just a few hours. The second bag up was several solid colors of Lion Brand Thick and Quick. The colors ranged from taupe to rust, but all seemed very compatible in different lights. I tried four strands, but quickly undid all due to over-bulkiness. Three strands worked well for a more rug-like blanket. I think this will be okay for a shelter kitty waiting in a cage for its forever home. I played with the colors throughout the blanket, adding and/or dropping just one color at a time rather than crocheting in stripes. This allowed two of the colors to continue, making more of a subtle shading much like self-shading yarn. I had more of the taupe than anything, so after the first few rows, I let this one continue until the end, alternating dropping and adding one of the others. Willow gave it her "divability" test just as I was snapping the first photo. Even though it's blurred slightly, it's so "her" that I had to leave it in. I hear snow's on its way here tonight, so maybe I have time for one more blanket to crochet before next week:)

Coupon Savings at the Ewe

2010-12-16T07:21:00.002-05:00

We're offering 20% coupons for orders now through December 31 at our main website, The Irresistible Ewe (enter HappyHolidays in the coupon code box during checkout) and on our sister site, Art Fire/Crafterdays (enter WoolyWinterWishes in the coupon code box during checkout). There's still time to ship before the 25th and we will be open for shipping the week after.

New Yarns!

2010-12-11T21:01:00.008-05:00

We have new yarns at The Irresistible Ewe. Just in time for the holidays are red and Christmas Green Classic Worsted Chunky: 75% acrylic and 25% wool, they have the same lovely drape and soft feel as the Classic Worsted.

Next, we have five more colorways in the Wisdom Marathon North Pole Sock Yarn: Superwash Wool 72%/Nylon 24%/Glitter 4%
Victoriana,

Gingerbread Man,

Jack Frost,

Balsam Fir,

and Fruitcake.

Trying New Things

2010-12-08T22:26:00.003-05:00

I'm trying out a new pattern from the book, Last Minute Gifts. I'm finishing up a cup holder with Universal Yarn's Classic Worsted Tapestry, Sunrise. I love the Southwest colors.
I also purchased a new purple loom from Knifty Knitter. It's got more pegs than the green adult hat loom for a closer weave. I'm using a skein of Universal Yarn's Deluxe Chunky Concord Tweed in Midnight and a skein of Deluxe Chunky in Strip Light Yellow. The Yellow is such a bright accent with the tweedy colors of the Midnight. Both yarns are very soft and will make a warm hat. Pictures to be posted later. I'm posting the pattern here as I work it up:

Tweedy Bee Hat
Cast on all 48 pegs with Deluxe Chunky Concord Tweed in Midnight. The pattern for the first two inches is K, P, K, P, etc.
It always helps me to number the pegs with a magic marker so that if I need to set the loom down, I can remember where I was (with this hat, odd numbers are K stitches and even numbers are P stitches).
Continued...

Happy Hanukkah to All

2010-12-05T09:30:00.003-05:00

This is a reprint of a post I did two years ago. Tonight is actually the fifth night.

This is the second night of Hanukkah. The menorah shown here was given to me by my mother-in-law. There is always an extra candle for the menorah, which is the shamash. The shamash is lit first and is used to light the other candles. It does not figure in the number of candles lit each night. The candles are placed in the menorah from right to left according to which night of Hanukkah it is (first night, one candle; second night, two candles, etc.) and lit from left to right. Hanukkah candles come in various colors. An extra blessing is said over the candles on the first night only.
The prayers are said as the candles are lit:

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam, asher kidshanu bemitzvotav, vitzivanu lehadlik ner shel Chanukah.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam, she’asa nisim la’avoteinu bayamim haheim baz’man hazeh.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has wrought miracles for our forefathers, in those days at this season.

This prayer is said on the first night only:

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu, melech haolam, shehechiyanu vekiyamanu vehigianu laz’man hazeh.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Traditional foods for Hanukkah involve cooking in oil. A favorite of ours is potato latkes. They're very fattening, but quick and easy to make. The traditional way involves grating with a food grater. I myself prefer the quicker, more modern food processor. I would never make them if I had to stand and grate by hand. They taste the same to me. Here's the way I make them:
Peel and wash several baking potatoes and a large onion.
Cut into manageable pieces and place through the grater on the food processor.
Dump all into a colander to let drain a few minutes.
While this is draining, place about a quarter to a half inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet and begin heating on medium to medium high. Transfer the onion/potato mixture into a large bowl. Add pepper generously.
Add enough plain flour to be able to form patties. I do this by feel, so it's hard to give you an exact amount, but I think it's probably about 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
Mix well, then dip out a large serving spoon size into the hot oil.
Keep a watch because this cooks pretty quickly.
Watch the edges. When they begin to brown in the middle of the pan, turn around so the other edge is browned.
Flip (carefully, remember this is hot oil) when the bottom is sufficiently browned.
Keep turning so the latkes are browned evenly.
Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and place on a plate with paper towels to drain.
Serve with either sour cream or applesauce, or both.

We Have a Winner!

2010-11-15T06:09:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Alison Westermann who kept trying until she solved the contest mystery. I'll post a picture tonight of the pattern picture (I'm still crocheting) of Frog Charming. He's from Interweave Crochet, issue Fall 2009. Way to go, Alison! She'll receive a pair of 9-inch circular needles size 6.

Contest!

2010-11-11T08:36:00.003-05:00

I'm working on a new project for a gift. Who can guess what I'm making? I'm using Universal Classic Worsted yarn in Leaf from The Irresistible Ewe and a crochet G hook. Hint: It's not the same yarn called for in the project I'm using from a popular Crochet magazine, but it's still a good color and consistency for the outcome.
Prize: The first one who can guess what I'm making and tell me where the project comes from will win a set of Clover 9-inch, size 6 circular knitting needles.
Let the guessing begin!

Halloween Reflections

2010-11-07T08:20:00.004-05:00

I've always enjoyed Halloween, both for the colors of the season and for the creativity it inspires in crafters. Henry and I have also really enjoyed the multitudes of kids who have come by in the last three years at our home for candy. Our previous home was about fifteen minutes out in the county and we averaged about three kids per night, so having a few hundred at our new home was a blast. This year has been a little different. We decorated the outside as usual, bought tons of candy as usual and decorated inside as usual. But, the crowds this year were different. We had about a third as many kids this year as before. I'm not sure if there is any one reason for this.
For one thing, our county decided this year to break Halloween into three nights since it fell on a Sunday. Friday night was for city kids, Saturday night was for county kids and Sunday night was for the kids on Seymore Johnson Airforce base. I can go along with choosing either Friday or Saturday night, not just because many here would object to having it on a Sunday, but also coming from a school teacher, it's a school night. But this was very confusing. Even my students at school, who are usually authorities on these things, weren't sure.
The crowds we did get, fortunately, became friendlier as the night progressed. I was having a lot of misgivings from the first wave of kids and their parents. Many kids came to the door and just stood there. We had to prompt them to say, "Trick or Treat," and then they just turned and walked off without saying "Thank you." Even their parents who also stood with a bag or plastic jack-0-lantern begging also said nothing. Instead, they glared at us (I'm sure I had a questioning look) until we dropped candy in their sacks. Since when do grown people demand candy? And maybe we need to post a sign next year? I heard from friends that they experienced the same phenomena.
When my husband was growing up in Ohio, he notes that you not only had to say "Trick or Treat," but you had to tell a joke or do a trick. We loved this when we lived in Wilkes-Barre, PA for a few years. I remember one child just walking into our living room to turn a somersault in his costume. These kids really worked for their candy! Most of them had a joke to share.
I did note more parents walking with their kids this year. This is a definite plus for safety reasons. It was also nice to hear parents prompting their shy kids -"What do you say?" There were more of these than the aforementioned, which ended our evening on a happy note.
I would hate to see the Trick or Treat tradition die out completely. I understand a parent's hesitancy to allow strangers to give their kids candy or to turn their costumed kids loose in a different (or their own) neighborhood. I hope the maybe two-hundred kids we didn't see this year had an opportunity to go to a centralized center, such as a mall or fall bazaar, and to dress up and pretend for an evening.
Creativity happens early in life. Just stand back and watch a group of four- or five-year-olds. Imagination comes naturally to humans. We choose to let our children develop it or not. What a lot of people don't seem to realize is that creativity and imagination are linked to intelligence. Technology wouldn't be possible if someone didn't imagine a better world. Freedoms in this country wouldn't be possible if someone didn't imagine what they could be like to live under better conditions.
You may object to Halloween for whatever reason, but I could see some real thought processes having gone on in some of the costumes which graced my front porch. I also saw an opportunity for parents and children to interact in a positive way, creating a a work of art in the guise of a costume, learning etiquette, and just plain spending time together without videos, tv or cell phones.

P.S. Thanks to http://dcwvinc.blogspot.com/2010/09/ready-for-halloween.html for the Halloween paper designs.

SAFF 2010

2010-10-30T21:03:00.003-04:00

I attended SAFF 2010, the Southeast Animal and Fiber Festival in Fletcher (near Asheville) this month. This was my first time vending for The Irresistible Ewe. Three of us traveled together and the car was packed, as they say, "tight as a tick." Strangely enough, even after good sales, it was just as crowded coming home. That must mean we did great shopping there as well. I'm very happy with a "new" old drum Clemes & Clemes drum carder I purchased from Rare Finds Farm and two fleeces from the Sales Arena fleece room. One is a Border Leicester and the other a Cotswold. I've washed the Cotswold and have it drying upstairs, and plan to wash the BL tomorrow. I can't wait to try it out.
I took a class in Core Spinning, and although the teacher, Ester Rogers, was very good, I found out that my spinning wheel is not really equipped to handle very bulky yarns. I do think I'll be able to do a downscaled version using techniques learned. I still enjoyed the class and came away with a greater appreciation of core-spun yarn. The technique involves using a core, or base, yarn and spinning this while applying an overlay of another yarn or fiber from a right angle to the core. It can be a very complex process, sometimes with the two yarns/fibers trading places during the spinning.
The customers at SAFF are a friendly lot. It's so nice to be surrounded by fiber enthusiasts doing what they love best. My favorite part of fiber festivals is always the animals in attendance. I didn't take hundreds of pictures this year, but still enjoyed walking around the pens seeing the different types of sheep and goats. The Sales Arena where we were also hosted several booths containing Angora rabbits. These were my very favorite. They are such sweet creatures and produce the loveliest yarn.
The trip home was tiring, especially having to get up early the next morning for work. I feel like I'm still recuperating, but very pleased with the experience and looking forward to next year.

Paper Tower Giveaway

2010-10-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

There's a fantastic giveaway contest going on at Pink Cricut: http://www.pinkcricut.com/2010/10/original-scrapbox-giveaway/#comment-9181. The Original Scrapbox is giving a Paper Tower away. Go to Pink Cricut to enter.

Halloween Origami Bat

2010-10-08T22:25:00.003-04:00

For those who love Halloween and origami, here's a simple bat based on the pattern in an origami kit called Origami Craft Pad, creatures & critters. I like the paper, although there is a perforated strip in each to make it optional to use the paper the rectangular size or square size if you tear along the dotted line. I've found most of the patterns easy to follow.

Late Summer Gourds

2010-10-02T16:03:00.006-04:00

I tried growing a few canteen gourd seeds this summer in an extra herb bed next to our screened porch. I didn't think anything would grow at first, then holy moly, here came the vines! I only saw one gourd for a long time; now, there are about six. The vine ends have been trimmed several times this year, but gourd vines tend to be very aggressive and extremely self-sufficient. We've experienced extremely hot weather this summer, so I don't expect a freeze anytime soon. At least two of the gourds should make it before the vines start dying back. Three of the smallest gourds don't have much of a chance to amount to much, but I don't have it in me to get rid of them yet. I did pull down the vines you can see that have decided to climb our screens and take over the back step. The Lantana I planted just before planting the gourds and my climbing rose will be happy to see their bedfellows gone. They should have full rein next summer to spread out without such fierce competition.
If you'd like to grow your own gourds, the best way is to start with fresh seeds from a dried gourd that you like. At least half a day's sun is good. Mine had about this much sunshine. They can take small periods of drought, but don't let them go too long. They pretty much take care of themselves, but keep a watch unless you want to be taken over. They make great ground cover as long as no other plants will be smothered under their large abundant leaves.

Origami Frog

2010-09-22T21:42:00.008-04:00

The Origami Club met for the first time at our school this week. I'm sponsoring about twenty students this year in the new club. We did basic folds, then started on this origami frog. It's a fun project to make and not very difficult at all. Try your hand at it and see if you can make it. Stiffer paper actually makes a better jumper. Have fun. Make lots with your kids and have a race! These can also be used to teach conservation and the importance of our frog populations.

Debbie Macomber yarns have arrived!

2010-09-07T22:30:00.002-04:00

I received my first shipment of Debbie Macomber yarns for The Irresistible Ewe today. Let me add that they are beautiful, soft and have to be seen (and touched) to appreciate them the most. The colors are stunning and I can't wait to try them out. I thought I'd give you a preview of the ones in right now.

Slideshow made with Smilebox

The Weaver's Idea Book

2010-08-28T17:20:00.004-04:00

I got my new book on rigid heddle weaving last week, and it is everything that was promised. The full title is the weaver's idea book: creative cloth on a rigid heddle loom. I love the pictures and layout of this book by Jane Patrick. The chapters include: 1. There's Nothing Plain about Plain Weave; 2. Finger-Controlled Weaves; 3. Pick-Up on the Rigid Heddle Loom; 4. Weft- and Warp-Faced Fabrics; and 5. More is More with Two Heddles. Each section features projects which include pictured demonstrations as well as warping charts and very clear written instructions. I've started using the plain weave chapter to explore color and weave patterns. I'm using Sample 6 on page 25: warping with two colors in Fibra Natura's Flax in gold and black. I'm thrilled with the results so far. I did figure wpi before I started, which called for a 10- or 12-dent heddle, but will have to wait for Hanukkah Harry for a smaller gauge heddle. Still, even with an 8-dent heddle, the flax is weaving very nicely. Thanks so much Jane for such a great book.

Origami Discoveries

2010-08-17T08:54:00.007-04:00

While visiting with Henry's relatives in California, I was fortunate to get an origami lesson from Joel Stern, author of three origami books: Origami Games: Hands-on Fun for Kids!, Animated Origami Faces, and Jewish Holiday Origami. It was midnight, our time, Henry and I had spent six hours in the air that day, and we were stuffed from a delicious dinner cooked by Henry's Aunt Lela. Joel (married to Henry's cousin Susan) graciously offered to show me the basics of folding. I have always been doubtful that I could pick up the intricacies of origami; it's one craft I've admired from afar and passed over time and again. But, Joel's directions are extremely clear and easy to follow and I was soon folding my first origami piece despite the late hour and exhaustion.

I have to admit, I'm now an origamiholic. I ordered all of Joel's books when we got back to North Carolina. Yes, I already had a signed copy given to me by Aunt Lela and Joel, but I was thinking ahead to this school year. We always have Club Day at my school and I try to offer at least one club per year. I'm planning to not only offer an Origami Club, but also to introduce some origami basics when we reach the geometry portion of our math classes this year. I've been working with another origami book, Unfolding Mathematics with Unit Origami by Betsy Franco and Diane Varner. The author presents several exercises which involve doing a series of folds which when unfolded will yield geometric shapes. Teacher support is terrific and gives several levels on which to teach these lessons. Part of these includes using the folds and creases to determine angle measures. I found that even the simplest lessons, however, need to be worked through ahead of time, not that they're difficult, just complex. You'll be happy if you do. These are fun and I can't wait to use them for hands-on activities for my students.

I've also started learning the difference in good origami books and packets and not-so-good ones. There are several books, including ones I've purchased, that look beautiful on the bookshelf, but leave the reader lacking in good demo pictures and directions. I'm learning enough now, to be a more careful buyer. I'd suggest taking a few extra pieces of paper with you to the bookstore, sitting down with a book you're considering buying and trying out one of the projects. See for yourself if the directions are good enough for you to follow.

Don't forget youtube.com. For example, on a recent trip (Henry's driving), I took my origami bag and was happily folding. I tried the pony and had not done the square base before. I started with a packet of origami papers which came with some directions in Japanese. I don't know why I think I can use these directions at this point in my experience. I don't read Japanese - wish I could. I moved to one of the books I had taken, The Joy of Origami, by Margaret Van Sicklen. I love this book. It not only has good directions, but includes origami papers which are really pretty/cute for easy projects - mostly easy, my favorite being the Elephant in Pajamas. I could now figure out how to fold the square base and managed to fold a polka-dot pony. Whee! I became emboldened and took out some zebra-striped paper. What happened? I did the same thing, or so I thought. I folded and refolded, using the directions from the book now, combined with the third source, another packet of papers.

Okay, maybe I should stick with one source. I pulled out the colored paper from The Joy of Origami and used its directions only. No Pony! I folded the papers back into the book after at least four tries, and waited until the next day. I found a youtube video by origamifun. This has very clear directions and will help with anyone having trouble folding the square base. Success! I can now fold a horse! I will go back to the beautiful paper and there will eventually be a new pony. On to the cranes. I also found a nice video by tavin15. I did try the flapping crane by another folder, but even doing the folds exactly as he did, I came out with two heads (and apparently so did many of his other viewers).

For all of the folders out there, there is a new magazine coming out: Creased, Magazine for Paper Folders, coming in October 2010. This is being produced by famous origami master, Sok Song. The gallery pictures from his website are breathtaking. I've sent an email for subscription information. The ads promise the following: six issues per year, forty full-color pages, 12 new diagrams per issue as well as classic models for teachers, online diagrams for subscribers only, and an option for subscribers to pay a little extra to receive papers with their magazine. This should come just at the right time for the new Origami Club to get started at school and should offer a lot of support in teaching this to new learners.

P.S. I'm always looking for new ideas, so if anyone knows of any other great origami resources, or just wants to chime in with photos, please do so.

Eva's Pillow

2010-08-14T12:37:00.003-04:00

Here's a video of the making of a no-sew flannel pillowcase for my great neice, Eva.
It's extremely easy. One hint: don't do what I did. Make sure that you line the cut strips up exactly before you start tying the pillow case together the first time. I had to untie mine and then tie it again. It came out really cute, mostly due to the charming print by Debbie Mumm. Flannel pieces were purchased at JoAnn Fabrics.

Where There's a Weave, There's a Way

2010-08-09T19:44:00.006-04:00

I tried dyeing some unidentified roving that I've had in my stash for a while now. I have no idea what kind of wool it is, so I decided to experiment on it rather than some I've designated to dye for this year's SAFF gathering. My mom graciously invited me to use her workshop at her house, usually used for basketmaking. She also had a two-burner propane stove to double the production. I learned a valuable lesson that day - don't overcook your wool! We mixed purple Jacquard dye and a lovely gold color (ECU colors) from Jacquard bright yellow and a pinch of dark brown. HOWEVER, we let the dye bath get too hot and then my mom told me she didn't know how to control the burners very well. Well, I'm not accustomed to any kind of gas heat and kind of get the willies when using it. Long story short, I had fairly felted wool when we got through. I took the wool home and hung it in my attic for a couple of days, then took it out to assess the damage. I was disappointed, but determined to find something to do with this wool. I wasn't about to let a pound of wool go to waste. I pulled small amounts off both bags and felted a small cat ball for my cats to play with. They were interested for about two minutes, unless I was dropping it from the top of the stairs for one of them to run after.
Okay, next idea...I pulled the strands apart carefully and it didn't seem so bad. It may be saved after all. I sat down at my wheel and began to spin what I had drafted. It seemed to be coming in thick/thin pieces. Art yarn? Who am I kidding?
Still determined, I warped my Cricket loom with some black crochet thread. I decided to try to weave the individual strands of roving I was managing to pull off. When finished, the pieces will be sewn together for a purse. It's a little thick, but I think I may have found the solution. I'm using the hook that goes with my 32-inch rigid heddle loom because it's longer and works better at reaching through the shed to grab onto the fiber. So far, so good. I'll post when it's finished.

Shady Lace Scarf

2010-07-30T11:04:00.002-04:00

This tutorial is for a lace scarf using Universal Yarn's Classic Shades in Reef. The circular needles used were 16" size 9. The pattern is below and on the Classic Shades page of The Irresistible Ewe.

Shady Lace Scarf

2 skeins Classic Shades yarn by Universal (Reef shades)
16" size 9 circular needles

Cabbage Stitch: Wrap yarn around BOTH needles, then again between the needles as you would normally knit; knit off as usual.
Elongated Stitch: Wrap yarn in the usual way between the needles for knitting ("once around the back"), but three times around instead of once.
Co 24 stitches
*Rows 1-4: K All
Rows 5-6: Cabbage Stitch
Rows 7-9: K All
Row 10-Elongated Stitch - all stitches
Rows 11-16: K All*
Repeat sequence form * to * until you reach your desired length.
After the last row of Elongated stitch, finish with 4 rows of garter stitch.
Bind off loosely.

Entrelac Class

2010-07-29T22:14:00.002-04:00

I had the opportunity to take a class with Jackie Ligtenberg at Heelside Farm recently. Jackie taught us how to knit an entrelac scarf. Her techniques were very straightforward and easy to follow. I'm still working on my scarf and will post a picture when it's done. In the meantime, I'm posting a picture of Jackie and Carolyn Beasley of Heelside Farms. Thanks, Carolyn for hosting this wonderful class.Notice Jackie's beautiful entrelac work.

Roving Dyeing with Kool Aid

2010-07-13T15:51:00.009-04:00

I'm experimenting with dyeing this week with Kool Aid, this time using roving instead of finished yarn. I had planned to do multi-colored hanks, but have had interesting results with just single batches. I divided a bag of 100% Superwash Merino into thirds and prepared the first dye bath. (I'll include specific directions below.) I first mixed five packets of Grape in a quart of hot water. It looked a little muddier than I wanted, so I mixed in two packets of Berry Blue. This had interesting results. I had soaked the first third of roving in warm dishwater(still in a sweater bag) and squeezed it out before adding it to the dye bath. I left it in the sweater bag the entire time until hanging to dry. Each container was set out in the sun for a few hours, until the water in the bath was clear. Each hank of roving picked up color in different amounts. Some parts picked up very strong purples, some a lighter blue from the packets of Berry Blue. Some parts of the roving picked up little color at all. The same happened with the other batches.
With the second (green) batch, I mixed five packets of Lemon-Lime with a quart of hot water. The green was a little too crayon green for my taste, so I added about half a bottle of Wal Mart brand food coloring in yellow. I did stir it up, but again, the colors separated somewhat, giving me a kind of chartreuse and ocher combination.
The third batch was done with just five packets of Berry Blue. The colors range from dark teal to white.
One thing I noticed was that the ultra smoothness of the roving changed to a certain fuzziness after dyeing. I've checked it after drying and it doesn't seem felted, just not as smooth. I don't think this will affect the spinning quality at all. I didn't keep the second and third batches in the sweater bags the entire time since the jars I used were narrower than the large glass measuring cup I used for the first one. I really didn't notice a difference from doing this, but I'd love to have two more huge glass bowls next time just for the ease of getting the roving into and out of the jars.
I will probably go back and over-dye the blue and purple batches, just because I'd like to experiment with adding more than one color to the roving. One word of caution: don't stand over the containers as you add the Kool Aid (use a mask if possible) for health reasons to avoid powder inhalation. I wanted to add that the fuzziness mostly goes away as the wool dries.

I. 100% Superwash Merino Wool – 4 oz.

Kool Aid: Grape – 5 pkts/ Berry Blue – 2 pkts

Sweater bag

1. Soak wool roving in warm soapy water.

2. Heat 1 qt distilled water 3 minutes.

3. Add color packets.

4. Stir until dissolved.

5. Remove roving still in bag and squeeze gently to remove excess water.

6. Lower roving into color mix. Turn to make sure all parts are exposed to coloring.

7. Add enough warm tap water to cover roving. Set in sun 2 hours.

II. 100% Superwash Merino Wool – 4.4 oz

Kool Aid: Lemon-Lime – 5 pkts

½ bottle Yellow Wal-Mart Brand food color

III. 100% Superwash Merino Wool – 4.4 oz

Kool Aid: Berry Blue - 5 pkts

Craft Write Podcast at an End

2010-07-10T21:18:00.003-04:00

I've canceled the podcast, Craft Write that I had with podbean.com. The video podcasting proved to be a little too expensive, considering that I can post video clips on this blog and on youtube for free. I will continue to broadcast under these venues. I am looking into doing a strictly audio podcast again under the yarn shop name, The Irresistible Ewe and am hoping to put out a first episode next week. Thanks to all of you who tuned in and my apologies for those unable to pull up the videos from the podcast website. I was often unable to pull them up myself. This was annoying and disappointing. I will work on shortening the video segments for youtube and on this blog (in other words, getting to the point a little more concisely). I have a couple of new scarf patterns and a felt no-sew pillowcase coming up. As always, I'll try to bring the best quality crafts and products possible. Hope everyone's summer has been good. We're just back from a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles. I had a chance to view the costumes from the movie, Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me take pictures.

New Woven Shawl

2010-06-26T22:26:00.005-04:00

I just finished a new shawl, woven on my Ashford 32-inch rigid heddle loom. The warp is Cottonwood in Monica, and the weft is Exquisite Bamboo in Tawny Birch, both by Fibranatura and both available from The Irresistible Ewe. The drape is lovely and will be light but a warm touch in case the wedding I'm wearing it to is a little chilly. This is my first wearable garment on this loom; the first project became a piano runner for the same wedded couple. The colors play well against each other and the bamboo variation creates its own pattern.

Postscript: I did have a chance to wear this beautiful shawl at the wedding reception, held at the Hotel Figueroa. Here's a picture of me and Henry:

Finding Nature

2010-05-15T21:44:00.003-04:00

I've been watering my plants a lot lately with our higher temperatures and no rain. Tonight, I got a nice surprise when the water hit one of the tall Arborvitae bordering our yard. I've seen smaller white moths flying out of there many times, but tonight a huge brown moth came out, landed on the ground and was kind enough to remain until I ran inside to grab my camera. The two best pictures I took were still not perfectly clear since it continued to move its wings while I was snapping shots. Also, we don't water until well after dinner when the sun isn't beating down. I will try to add a footnote later when I can track down the species. I'm guessing it was about four to five inches across, but I knew better than to press my luck by pulling out a measuring tape.

Moebius Knitting

2010-05-14T20:53:00.002-04:00

I received a Cat Bordhi book for my birthday recently, The Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. It's all about moebius knitting. What's a moebius? A moebius is a continuous loop which can be made by taking the end of a rectangle, making one twist and attaching it to the other end. That would have been too easy for a knitter like Cat Bordhi. She has developed a method of casting on so that when the knitting's begun, the moebius forms itself. The knitting is for the basic scarf I'm making is done on an extra long circular needle. I'm using a #48" size 10 and Fibra Natura's Mermaid in Storm. I'm down to my last one or two rows before adding the i-cord bind off. It looks challenging, but if it's like the rest of her directions, it should pan out beautifully and easily. Cat can be found on Amazon for any of her numerous books, and on You Tube. She's a hoot to watch and gives the best, and most entertaining example of turning a heel on a sock I've seen. It's also non-holey. (Is that a word?) Her website is http://www.catbordhi.com/. I'm particularly interested in her article on how to incorporate teaching knitting into a classroom. There are also free patterns, so check it out. Anyway, it's Friday night, the plants are watered and it's time to sit down with the hubby and the knitting. Good night.

New Fleeces or I'm Such a City Slicker!

2010-05-03T19:29:00.010-04:00

I decided to purchase a fleece from Carolyn and Ricky Beasley of Heelside Farm in Four Oaks, NC. I've never purchased a fleece before and so of course had no idea of what to do once I bought one. I was given a fleece years ago from a local historic site, but it's still in a former kitty litter container with debris attached (I did wash it many times over). Carolyn hooked me up with Zeilinger Wool Company in Michigan and I have directions of where to send it to be processed into roving. Of course, going to buy one fleece is like going to a yarn store to buy one skein of yarn. They were all so tempting and soft. I decided on two, one from a yearling Border Leicester and one from a Border Leicester/Columbian cross. Carolyn noted "for future reference" that this sheep throws beautiful lambs. She also advised me to wash them first to try to remove as much lanolin as possible before sending it off. Lanolin is the oily substance that sheep produce to keep themselves as waterproof and dirt proof as possible. It doesn't help the carding machines, however, so on the way home, I toyed with the idea of how best to wash them. I had all intentions of packing them up the next morning and shipping them off. Ha!
First of all, wool doesn't just stick to itself, it hooks onto everything in its path. After bending over a galvanized tub with the first fleece for hours, I knew this time I needed a better approach. I considered buying a tarp and spreading it out on the ground, then using the hose. In hind sight, this may have been a better idea. I stopped at Wal Mart on the way home and purchased two $5.00 baby pools and a hand pump. They blew up pretty easily. I spread each fleece in a pool to keep them separate. Then I brought out the hose. The water browned up pretty fast and I realized I didn't have a way to drain it. Back to the garage to retrieve a large aluminum can waiting for the recycling bin. This worked pretty well, except it looked like I was wasting a lot of water. I also realized I'd be outside for a while. Back to the garage for a bucket to pour the water in. It didn't take long to fill the bucket which was then alternately poured on some sad hosta I had planted in the backyard. Hose, dip out water, carry bucket, water plants, etc., etc., until the first fleece seemed respectable enough to ship. Back into the house, because of course I hadn't thought to bring down my bottle of Eucalan. I lifted the fleece into a clean bucket, filled it once again with water and now with a squirt of Eucalan to soak and rinsed the pool.
When I started on the yearling fleece, it seemed too big for the pool. I divided it into halves and proceeded as before. There has to be a better way to do this, but if there is, I'm not aware of it.
Now to wait for the fleeces, now squeezed out and returned to the cleaned pools. Next day - they're still wet! The pools are not the best place to lay the fleeces out, but I was on my way out of town to visit my Mother so they sat. I hauled them into and out of the garage for two days in the pools - during the day, they sat outside in the air, back to the garage at night. One nice thing about them is that they'll fold up in your hands to carry.
Monday night - they're not dry yet! Okay, think. What else can I do? I don't have a large wire rack, which would be best to air dry them all around. It also looks like we're finally going to get some rain. I remembered two sweater dryers I had used for wool pieces before. I laid these out over an old sheet on our attic floor and spread the Cross fleece over both. I only had two, so I needed an alternate for the yearling fleece. I did discover that canteen gourds make good props for the ends. I had a couple of Rubbermaid lids nearby and slid them under the end of the sheet and spread the fleece over them. I had one stacking container with a slotted bottom, so part of the fleece went in here. The rest I did leave in the pool, but spread out thinly for now. We'll see how this works. I'd like to try for mailing these off this week. I've seen the finished product from Zeilinger's and can't wait to get these back. They do an excellent job.
So, if any of my readers have been in my situation and have better solutions, let's hear them. I'm all for creative ideas. I can foresee a trip to the hardware store soon for more ideas. And, if this has inspired you to start from the fleece and proceed through the entire sheep to shawl or sweater process, there will additional fleeces for sale soon at the 2nd Annual Carolina Fiberfest in Raleigh, NC May 21-23, 2010. Follow the link for location and directions: http://carolinafiberfest-org.web23.winsvr.net/

Ready to Dye Yarns

2010-04-28T21:30:00.006-04:00

The Irresistible Ewe is now offering Universal Ready to Dye yarns. Three are sock weights:
100% Superwash Merino Wool Sock Weight, Bamboo/Superwash Merino Wool/Nylon Sock Weight, Superwash Wool/Nylon Sock Weight and 100% Superwash Merino Wool Worsted Weight. These are going to be so much fun to experiment with different types of dyes this summer. I'm saving up my Kool-Aide packets.

Photographing Yarn

2010-04-27T20:52:00.007-04:00

I decided to photograph some of the skeins of yarn I have in stock for The Irresistible Ewe yarn shop. I'm grateful for the jpegs that Universal is allowing me to borrow for my site, but I'm not able to enlarge them so that the viewer can get the best idea of what the yarn looks like up close. I own a nice camera, but I'm far from being a professional photographer. Also, I'm finding that certain colors, like green, are hard to get a true picture of without the best lighting. In experimenting around my house, I've found the best time and place for natural lighting is my kitchen about mid-morning. By then, the sun is coming in enough to really brighten the off-white walls and give me some true colors. My kitchen table is a good height, but, being stained an antique color, may not give the best background for darker skeins of yarn. Always ready to try another way, I've experimented with placing some skeins on the windowsill, or on top of my laptop - of course, you don't want the logo showing behind the yarn. The only drawback to the windowsill is that it creates shadows around the yarn and may not show the entire skein in the best light. I've also found that a single sheet of computer paper will give a nice, mostly non-glaring backdrop for dark colors.
Lately, the weather doesn't want to comply with my schedule of weekend picture taking. As soon as I get started, the clouds roll in, not to give much-needed rain, but just enough to make me take unwanted breaks. I could go out onto the screened-in porch which has a nice light-colored table and plenty of indirect daylight. But, being in eastern North Carolina right now, this is just not an option with the high tree pollen count. At least everything isn't as yellow as it was about a week ago from the pine trees. I'm just not willing to put my yarn in the outside air to pick up allergens for future buyers.
I have found one more option in the kitchen area next to the stove. We have a large overhead fluorescent light with daylight bulbs. I can drag the trashcan over directly under this light and place a covering over the trash can and get pretty good results.
And it goes without saying , but I'll say it anyway, the same applies to the finished pieces I want to photograph. It pays to take the time to experiment in different locations when you're ready to pick up the camera to share your hard work on your latest fiber piece. With digital cameras, you can just download to the computer, then discard the ones that don't add up to what you're aiming for. No money lost. If you're lucky enough to have a friend or son or daughter to model for you, by all means use them. I haven't found anyone yet to use. I think knitted or crocheted pieces are so much better displayed when actually worn. If you're photographing your work when worn, try to do as much shooting outside if possible. You'd be surprised at how much the sunlight will make your fibers shimmer. So, go out and give it a shot. Happy pictures and I wish you no pollen, clear skies and willing models.

The Two-Hour Purse

2010-04-22T20:31:00.004-04:00

I finished a project from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders by Judith Durant. This is based on the Two-Hour Purse on page 205. I used Universal Yarn's Deluxe Worsted Magic (100% wool), Orange Sorbet. The pattern is pre-stamped on the yarn and unfolds in a watercolor effect as you knit. This felted nicely in my washer inside a pillowcase, using hot water and a small load of towels. It didn't fade at all. I don't know what happened at the bottom of the purse; I think I got carried away with my knitting and knitted a few rows too many. Still, it has a little purse-onality, don't you think? The wool softened up quite a bit after felting and it blocked nicely. This is the perfect size for a quick trip to the store or a movie date. This took about one-half skein of yarn and knitted very quickly. I love these books for quick projects. This was knitted in the round on size 9 Velvet Bamboo circulars. The bottom was crocheted together. All-in-all a fun project.

New Counter at Lion Brand

2010-04-18T08:28:00.002-04:00

I subscribe to the Lion Brand Yarn Play newsletter. It's always very bright, colorful and cheerful and full of great ideas for knitting or crocheting. I was catching up on old issues this morning and found a pattern I liked for a hot water bottle cover. When I pulled it up, I found a new device Lion Brand is now using with its online patterns. It's says "Click to Count" and can be moved around the patterns online with your mouse. It has plus and minus buttons to keep up with your rows as well as a O button. This is a reset button. The computer will even send up a message box asking if you're sure you want to reset the count. This is brilliant! For those of us who run out of space in our studios when filling notebooks of patterns we just know we plan to knit or crochet sometime before our 100th birthdays, then lose track of them (out of sight....), this is a way to keep up with our patterns online. We avoid the clutter, let Lion Brand keep our patterns organized and stored for us, and we can use the marker to keep up with our knitting while we knit. The only hitch I see is that you'll need to keep your knitting near your laptop, if traveling with your knitting, or use a notebook to jot down exactly where you left off when you need to take a break or turn off the computer.
Still, kudos to Lion Brand for the new robo-counter. I love it. More ways to green our earth and save a tree. Thanks for this.

Apple Orchard Scarf Finished

2010-04-11T12:03:00.005-04:00

I finally finished my Apple Orchard Scarf. This was a fun scarf to make, using Universal Yarn's Deluxe Chunky Long Print in "Apple Orchard." This is a 100% wool yarn which is self-striping, eliminating the need to buy several colors at once and change yarn - which also means fewer ends to weave in. For those who have difficulty in coordinating colors, the guesswork is taken away. All in all, a foolproof project. Sometimes, it's nice just to relax and knit. At the end of the video, I'll also show another project made with this yarn in the "New Mexico" colorway. I wove it on my Cricket rigid heddle loom. The texture is much flatter and smoother. I wanted to show the contrast from knitted piece to woven. Each project took under one skein of yarn.

April Showers Bring Sales!

2010-04-04T10:34:00.008-04:00

Okay, so we haven't had any showers yet this month. Maybe we can call it a pollen sale; goodness knows we have enough of the yellow stuff coating everything in sight here in NC. The Irresistible Ewe has added new sales yarn this month in soft colors for Spring. Here are the latest:
Bella DK Tapestry (in colorways: 901, 903, 905, 912, 921 - $4.80 per skein)
Cotton Supreme (in 511 Pink, 516 Aqua, 520 Yellow - $6.40 per skein)
Exquisite Bamboo (in Winter Sky - $5.60 per skein)
Classic Worsted Tapestry (in Baby Shades - $5.60 per skein)
Classic Worsted (in Primrose, Lt Blue,
Bubblegum, Grapesicle - $4.00 per skein)
Cottonwood (in Paulina, Monica - $4.80 per skein)
Cotton Supreme Batik (in Watermelon Patch - $6.80 per skein)

Colorworking

2010-04-04T08:23:00.002-04:00

I love to work with color, the more the better when choosing yarn. But, what do you do when you've been through several projects and have bits of this and that left over? One complaint I hear from my knitting or weaving friends/students is, "I just don't know how to put colors together." I came across an excellent youtube video made by Knitting Daily TV. It features Prism Arts' Laura Bryant and is called, Trash Your Colorwheel and Have Fun with Color. Laura shows the audience how to arrange skeins of yarn from dark (heavier weight) to light (lighter weight) and then to use bright colors to fill in. I liked the way she placed each bright skein around the group until it "fit in." I think this is a helpful tutorial for those who want to add an accent color in knitting, combine strands of yarn for a bulkier weight or for those of us who weave. Being still new to weaving, I haven't had a lot of experience in choosing alternate colors for warping. This opens up a new chapter in my weaving. I can now look at varying not just colors, such as red, blue, green, but varying warp threads by hues with an occasional bright contrasting color. What possibilities can you imagine?

Sheep Shearing Day

2010-03-28T09:52:00.003-04:00

Sheep Shearing Day is coming up at Heelside Farms in Four Oaks, NC. Live shearings will begin at 9:00 am and go until finished. Fleeces will be available for sale. Come for a fun-filled day. Carolyn and Ricky Beasley are wonderful hosts as well as terrific fiber artists themselves. They own a variety of sheep including Border Leicester and Icelandic.

2010-03-15T06:21:00.002-04:00

Our writer's group, the Goalies, is holding its annual schmooze in Raleigh, NC on Sunday, April 18 from 4:00 - 6:00. Our guest speaker will be John Claude Bemis, author of The Nine Pound Hammer. Please come and join us for a lively afternoon.

Thinking "Green" for Spring at The Irresistible Ewe

2010-03-11T18:33:00.002-05:00

In honor of Spring's arrival, the sheep at The Irresistible Ewe have selected several yarns in green hues to place on sale. We've also reduced the cost of all Cotton Supreme Batik yarns to welcome our newest member into the fold. So, as usual, look for the knitting ewe at the top of each page which has sale yarns.

This free digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

Spring Classes at The Irresistible Ewe

2010-03-06T09:25:00.004-05:00

The Irresistible Ewe is welcoming spring with two new classes: Basic Cables and Tabby Weaving. Both will be held Saturday, March 20.
Cables: 10:00 - 12:00. $15.00 includes yarn and cable needles. Students should plan to bring their own knitting needles, either size 7, 8 or 9.
Tabby Weaving: 1:00-3:00. $20.00 includes all materials. This will be a basic weaving, somewhat freeform class using a cardboard loom.
Send inquiries to theirresistibleewe@gmail.com.

Apple Orchard Scarf

2010-02-28T09:30:00.004-05:00

I'm working on a new scarf based on a design by my mother. I was fascinated by the one she was working on. She was alternating several rows of pearl with several rows of knitting stitches. The result was an undulating ribbon of wool. I thought it might be fun to try with one of the Long Print yarns. I'm using Universal's Deluxe Chunky, 100% Wool in the Apple Orchard Colorway. The colors work out very nicely with this pattern. I'm still knitting the scarf and will post the finished piece later. I also plan to steam block the scarf lightly so it will stretch out just a little, but will leave some of the undulating pattern. Here's the pattern. I'll also post it on The Irresistible Ewe site where you can order the yarn. I'm using Size 9, 16-inch Takumi Velvet Bamboo Needles, also available on the website.

Apple Orchard Scarf
Materials:
16-inch, Size 9 Circular Takumi Velvet Bamboo Knitting Needles
1 skein (or two if you want your scarf longer) Universal Deluxe Chunky (Apple Orchard)

Directions:
Cast on 20 stitches.
Rows 1-4: Knit all stitches (Garter Stitch)
Rows 5, 7, 9, 11: Knit all
Rows 6, 8, 10, 12: K 4 , P 12, K 4.
Rows 13, 15, 17, 19: K 4, P 12, K 4
Rows 14, 16, 18, 20: Knit all.
Repeat from Row 5 - 20 until scarf is as long as you wish it to be.
Knit all stitches for 4 additional rows (Garter Stitch).
Bind off loosely with knit stitches.
I like to start with garter stitch and to end with it because it eliminates curling.

Helmet Liner

2010-02-12T22:37:00.004-05:00

I just finished knitting a helmet liner using the pattern from Paton's with Universal Yarn's Classic Worsted Tapestry yarn in Forrest. It was a lot easier to knit than I thought. The only problem I ran into was in picking up the 52 stitches after knitting the top of the liner. I ended up with five stitches too many. I spaced these out and did K2tog around and the rest flowed easily. The liner would not be good to use for military purposes according to the pattern unless made of 100% wool due to flammability of acrylic. Just something to keep in mind. I'm not planning to donate this one, but to use it as a sample for my displays. This would make a nice charity project for a group to donate to the soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan as I understand the nights can be rather chilly there. A better yarn to suggest might be Universal's Deluxe Worsted (100% wool) in City Turf or Bronze Brown. But, for just personal use in the snow and cold winter weather, the 20% wool in this blend will be very warm. I love the tapestry yarns. They look like you've spent hours knitting with several different skeins of yarn, when you've only used one. The yarn is stamped with a pattern of colors so that, when you knit, the pattern forms itself. It's so much fun to see it develop while your knitting flows. I love the way the top part of the hat turns itself into a pointed star shape. I used a combination ribbed bind-off to finish. It leaves more flexibility than a straight knitted bind-off. If you haven't tried this one, it's done the same way you would do if doing a straight knitted bind-off, except that you purl where you purled in the rib stitching before. You still pass the first stitch over the second one each time.
My next project? Hmm....

Woohoo! It's Working!

2010-02-10T13:42:00.002-05:00

It is finally working! The Irresistible Ewe is finally functional and fully open for business. I've been on the phone and on the email with my services and thanks to their patience, I can now offer my customers the February sales I promised. We're offering many yarns in reds and pink shades. Just look for the knitting ewe at the top of the page, then scan down to find the sales. Check out our Velvet Bamboo Circular needles. They have the lightness and warmth of bamboo with an extra polish and smooth join to rival the popular metal speed needles, but with less of the cost. We aare also offering 9-inch circulars in the traditional bamboo. I'm almost finished knitting my first sock using Wisdom Marathon sock yarn and the 9-inch circular needles. I only needed to switch to the DPN's when I was rounding the heel, but now I'm approaching the toe, back on the circ's. They have a metal join which is very smooth and makes knitting a sock much faster than bothering with the DPN's. And thanks again to the Cat Bordhi videos and Jimmy Beans Wool videos for helping with the sock.
So, here's an offer for my readers: For the first 25 customers who include the word, "Valentines" in the special instruction box, we will send a beaded stitch marker along with your order.
Please visit the site. We'll be adding items each day, so feel free to give feedback if you wish.

Website Woes

2010-02-04T06:17:00.002-05:00

I'm still working on the new website, The Irresistible Ewe. HOWEVER, I've realized that there is a glitch in the ordering process. I apologize profusely if any of you have been the site and have attempted to make a purchase. I'm having difficulty with the gateway at the moment and hope to have this cleared up this afternoon. This is very frustrating to me as the owner, since my main goal with this site is to provide good quality materials at a reasonable price and including great service. I am working on this with my gateway server.
In case anyone is thinking of opening an online store of any kind, good luck to you. Make sure you understand the ins and outs of the process first. It can be a little overwhelming at first. You can opt to go with a pre-packaged deal like Google Checkout or work through a site such as Go Daddy and use all of their services. In any case, you will need a gateway service which will process the credit cards coming in, filtering and checking them before the payments make it to the bank. You will also need a shopping cart service to handle the actual orders coming through. They tie in with the gateway servers. I have found an easy shopping cart service (a-SecureCart). With a little tweaking, thanks to my computer genius friend, Alan, I have the shopping cart working great. It can be tedious at times to create the html for each item going on the site, but it has become routine and not a problem.
The most important part of opening an online store is to have a great bank to work with. My banker is wonderful and has time to see me each time I come in about the new business, even staying after hours one day to help. She has been in contact with my gateway company to get this problem ironed out.
Again, thank you for your patience with my website. I have great sales going on now for February (once this bug is fixed). Stay tuned...

February Yarn Sales

2010-01-30T11:38:00.002-05:00

The Grand Opening for The Irresistible Ewe was a great success. Everyone who came had a fun time and three lucky ladies now have a nice door prize of yarn and chocolates. I couldn't have asked for a nicer, more enthusiastic crowd.
We're offering February Yarn Sales to kick off the month of February. In keeping with the month's colors, celebrating Valentine's Day, the sale will include many yarns in red or pink shades. We may have a few hidden sale items as well not listed on our home page.
Our two knitting looms have also been reduced just from now through February. I love these looms because of their sizes and ease of handling. The hook is solid steel enclosed in soft plastic, so it won't bend for all you heavy-handed loom knitters.
I've also changed my method of shipping for the site. I wasn't happy with the high prices of UPS. It's never good when your shipping is higher than the yarn. I'm now using USPS which is more convenient for shipping from our location and better on my customer's wallets.
So, if you haven't been on our site yet, or if you're a regular customer, log in to see what's new this month. As I've shared before, The Irresistible Ewe is still under development. But since we're snowed/iced in today, this should be a productive weekend.

The Irresistible Ewe Grand Opening

2010-01-28T06:36:00.002-05:00

I'm hosting a Grand Opening at my home tonight to kick off the new website, The Irresistible Ewe. I've been planning with the help of sister and mom and printing and printing and working on the site nonstop in my spare time. It should be a blast with door prizes and great food from our local restaurant, Five Star. In celebration, I will be posting special discounts with keywords left in the blog. The site is still in progress, but is looking better all the time. Check us out at www.theirresistibleewe.com.

That Worrisome HTML

2010-01-20T22:45:00.002-05:00

I have to apologize to anyone who has tried to go on my new website, The Irresistible Ewe and even consider making a purchase. I'm making slow, but sometimes sure progress. I realized tonight, thanks to my sister who helped me make a trial run, that things were going terribly wrong. The shopping cart was not working, and in fact, it was coming up in bits on the page. I thought at first it was because I had finally figured out how to put more than one item on a row (no thanks to Google sites help forum) and that I had not allowed enough space for the cart. Thanks to my nephew, Paul, who never runs out of patience with his aunt even when she calls him out of the blue with computer questions. And more thanks to my friend, Alan, who not only never runs out of patience with my questions either, but came up with a wonderfully easy way to fix this. I'm learning more about html than I ever wanted to know. I'm now able to save my website. It's not entirely fixed because I do need to sleep tonight before giving nine-week tests at school all day tomorrow. I promise to adjust the prices (that jumped up by mistake) and get the shopping carts corrected and ready for use. I expect it will now be closer to Valentine's Day before the whole site is fully functional, but that may also mean more fun with online grand opening surprises. Again, thanks for continuing to tune in to see the slow progress. Again, Thanks to everyone who spent time with me on th phone tonight. Thanks, Rheta, for giving me one of your ears while Idol was on. Love you all.

Combining Crafting for Animals Blog

2010-01-19T21:37:00.000-05:00

I've decided to delete my other blog, Crafting for Animals due to a lack of sufficient time to do it justice. I didn't want to delete the posts, so I've combined them into this one. After all, it's all crafting. I will try to include crafting for animals articles when I can. I'll also keep posting the latest Pets of the Week from our local animal adoption and education center.

Small Circulars, Yarn Guide & Baby Loom

2010-01-16T07:57:00.006-05:00

I've posted the 9-inch circular needles for sale now on the website, The Irresistible Ewe. I kept hearing about 9-inch circulars at SAFF this year. Everyone kept saying how wonderful they were for knitting in the round for socks. I have now knitted down to the heel in a sock using the Wisdom Los Angeles sock yarn. I'm planning to take a break from html-ing this afternoon to pull up Cat Bordhi's youtube videos again to make it through turning the heel. I'll probably need either another pair of circulars to hold the instep stitches or a dpn, but once the heel is turned, I can go back to the 9-inch needles again. If you haven't tried this size circular, I would greatly recommend them. The needle part itself if very short, maybe an inch or so long, but that doesn't hinder the knitting flow. They're reinforced by stainless steel posts which give a smooth transition around the needles. I think they would also be wonderful for knitting small items such as doll heads or bodies or very small doll hats which would previously required only dpns to knit.

My other newly found item is also from Clover. When I was deciding which accessories to include in the store, I found an item called a Yarn Guide. It's a plastic device which slips around a finger and has a flat area on top with small bumps for the yarn being used to slide through. A cover comes down and snaps into place to hold up to three strands of yarn separate while you knit. These are designed for projects such as intarsia knitting. I think they would be helpful for anyone doing Continental-style knitting. I also have that on the horizon as something to learn. I've tried this and just can't seem to get the hang of keeping the yarn going with my left pointer finger. The yarn continually slides off and I feel like a complete spaz. The thread guide should eliminate this problem since the yarn can't really slip off. I have my mother testing the product now, so I'll post her feedback after she's had time to work with this.
I did find another use for the Yarn Guide, however. I mentioned in my podcast recently that I've found a vendor for some flexible knitting looms. I've been trying to get a sample of a baby's hat knitted before my grand opening (I'll write about that in a minute) using Classic Worsted Tapestry in Baby Shades. I've found that if I knit on the loom from right to left and place the yarn through the Yarn Guide on my left pointer finger, I can control the flow and speed much better. I alternate holding my middle finger against the Yarn Guide to pull the yarn taut after a stitch and then releasing the middle finger to let the yarn slide through when I need extra yarn. I'll post a video later to demonstrate. I was automatically addicted to this device when loom knitting. Now, I can't imagine loom knitting without it.

Yarn of the Day

2010-01-13T22:03:00.002-05:00

The yarn I entered tonight is Fibra Natura's Cottonwood, an organic cotton yarn. Check it out. I'm still trying to get the View Cart button going.

Slowly, But Surely

2010-01-12T22:13:00.003-05:00

I'm starting to get the hang of the html code going into The Irresistible Ewe website. I've also been toying with a couple of ways to list the yarns. At first I tried the drop-down menus for the first two Universal yarns. This was a little bit of a pain, but then I found out how to copy and modify the code to add more colors in the drop-down. Then I decided to create an Add to Cart button for each individual yarn. This has proven a little more time consuming, but I like the effect better. This means, also, that I'm only happy with two of the yarn pages: Fibra Natura's Aspen and Cobblestone. I'm going to go back and revise the Bella yarns. If I could only figure out how to make more than one entry per line, I'd be able to scrunch things up a bit to make it less cumbersome for my customers. Oh, well, I feel like I'm learning something every time I sit down at the computer to work, so that part is great. I was really hoping to open it fully by January 1, but now it looks more like the end of the month. As each table is completed, however, the yarns, then the accessories will be available. You'll just have to keep checking back to see how much progress I'm making. As always, I'm open to comments.

Dinosaurs in theNeighborhood

2010-01-02T09:15:00.002-05:00

I have just completed the process of spinning a skein of yarn from some fabulous superwash merino purchased (and dyed by) the Sanguine Gryphon at SAFF this year. The colorway is called Dinosaurs in the Neighborhood. It has shades of lime green to yellow ochre and is more beautiful in person than I can capture on film. Here it is with the help of the sun in my kitchen window for light. I love the play of shadows and sun.

Basket Weave Scarf Pattern

2010-01-02T08:25:00.003-05:00

I posted a pattern of mine this morning on ravelry.com. I'm still working on the scarf, but I've made it before and can write out the pattern now. I'm using Universal Yarn Deluxe Chunky 100% Wool in an off-white and size 10, 16-inch circular needles. It's coming along very pretty. One thing to note is that while you're working on a section, it may look like you're getting gaps between sections. These will fix themselves when you change patterns. The pattern is repeated every six rows. Here is a do-as-I-say and not-as-I-do part: Pay attention. I tend to knit while watching tv with Henry. A few times, I've had to frog back because I got carried away and knitted too many rows the same. Have fun with this. It's an easy pattern that you'll be able to do without directions after a two sections. Keep in mind, also, that the photo shows my work in progress. It has not been blocked.

CO 24 stitches using the long-tail cast-on. Garter stitch for 4 rows.
Basket Weave pattern:
Rows 1-6: K4, K4, P4, K4, P4, K4
Rows 7-12: K4, P4, K4, P4, K4, K4
Repeat these 12 rows until the scarf is as long as you like. With the basketweave, when you turn the scarf, you’ll continue to knit the same sequence and it will work out until you have the correct number of rows and you need to switch. Just pay attention to the number of rows you’re knitting so that you don’t get carried away and have to frog back.
When your scarf is as long as you like, do another 4 rows of garter stitch and bind off loosely.

The Yarn is Coming, The Yarn is Coming!

2009-12-30T11:15:00.008-05:00

Today is the day I receive my first shipment of yarn from Universal Yarn. Woohoo! Or should I say, OMG, where will I put it? My sister, Rheta, made the three-and-a-half hour trip with me Monday to Concord, NC to make my first purchase. I was so impressed with the kind treatment from the staff there. They were all very enthusiastic and helpful with the order. We were shown (and touched and squeezed) skein after skein of the most beautiful yarns. And then came the selection process. I think it'll get easier, but for the first time, there were some hard decisions to be made. Every type of yarn really wanted to go home with me; I could just hear them whispering, "Pick me, pick me." The Universal line is so extensive. If you can't find a yarn you'll just love from them, you're not looking hard enough, or at all. When the final order was completed, we realized that we'd been sitting for about four hours! We'd totally missed lunch and didn't have time for the yarns to be pulled before heading back to Goldsboro. It was just as well as we were exhausted by the time we got back to my house. Poor Rheta still had a little drive to get home. I can't stop thanking her enough for making the trip with me since she has been suffering from a bad cold. I'll start posting pictures of the yarn on the website, The Irresistible Ewe, and hope to have it fully operational within the next two weeks. I'm posting pictures of the conference room. Here I am, exhausted and overwhelmed, but extremely happy that I made it this week before school starts back again.

Christmas Eve at My Parents'

2009-12-25T12:08:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve is always spent with family at my parents' house. I wanted to share warm times and a special holiday greeting.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Holiday Wishes

2009-12-23T08:35:00.002-05:00

I have to apologize for being so quiet over the past month. My husband and I have both been through minor surgical procedures and with school in December, and trying to set up the new website, I've been really swamped. Still, I wanted to wish my readers happy holidays and a joyous New Year. Hanukkah has already passed, so I'm late with the wishes there. We are still making latkes, so that stretches it out a bit longer:). Christmas Eve at my parents is always nice with the family together. If I can get rid of the rest of my cold, I'll be there eating my sister's sweet potato casserole and my mother's buttermilk pie. I've been asked to make the steamed spinach again this year.
I haven't forgotten to write more about this year's SAFF. I have great video footage coming up for the podcast viewers/listeners. The website - The Irresistible Ewe is coming along. I have an appointment with Universal Yarns December 28 and should come back with a carload of yarn which will immediately go up on the website. An open house is planned for January to kick off the new business.
Enjoy your holidays. Keep crafting. Spend as much time with loved ones as you can, even if they're the furry or feathered types. I'll see you in the New Year!

Art Fire Sale

2009-12-20T11:01:00.003-05:00

I've put everything in my Art Fire shop on sale, 10% off, through December 31. I have one of each of these items, so check out the sales. I tried to place one of the scarves on my new website: The Irresistible Ewe today, but google sites won't accept pay pal buttons. Hmmm... Do I need another host website?

Surprise Gift

2009-12-16T06:02:00.004-05:00

I received a beautiful gift from one of the other Exceptional Children's teachers and her assistant yesterday. I was very taken with the thought that went behind the gift as well as the gift itself. The arrangement was done in an Apache -made pottery bowl. They had included hand-made soaps (made by my friend herself). What really struck me were the floral pieces included. There was a sprig of eucalyptus from her backyard and also, a couple of pieces of dried pine straw.
I grew up in North Carolina where pine trees and pine straw are abundant. Everyone here knows the value of pine straw as mulch for flower beds. I'd never considered it as a design element, but it did lend an almost zen look to the piece.
We tend to ignore, or take for granted, those everyday things in our environment. When I've gone on websites looking for gourd decorations in the past, I've always been drawn to items from exotic locations. I don't usually think of using items I could easily grow myself in my own backyard.
I love to tell the story of a time when I was living in Pennsylvania and was shopping in a floral shop for decorative items. There on the shelf was a box filled with Sweet Gum pods, being offered for sale for 3/$1.00. I still laugh about that. Here in the South, although the Sweet Gum tree is a wonderful shade tree (and was my favorite climbing tree as a kid), we Southerners tend to snatch up every Sweet Gum tree sapling that tries to grow in our yards. Why, you ask? Because those 3/$1.00 gum balls really hurt when you step on them. They're in the way when you want to cut the grass, and they can sprout up everywhere. We don't exactly consider the design elements they could give when the little spikes are sticking into the bottoms of our feet. But, maybe we should.

Fixing a Problem on the Rectangular Loom

2009-12-07T20:33:00.004-05:00

I had a recent question about how to fix a mistake on a piece which was knitted on a rectangular loom and which has already been bound off. I wasn't sure myself and found a nice website called Loom Knitting Help. I wrote to Rebecca who writes the articles for this site. She has sent me the following information:

"As far as corrections, if it had been for a round loom, I could have uploaded corrections right away as I already have these written up. Making corrections to knitting on a knitting board such as a purple Knifty Knitter is more problematic. As you know, the knitting board works double knitting with a single strand of yarn, creating two interlocked fabrics by knitting, slipping wyib and then purling. The two parallel rows are wrapped and worked at the same time. It's much easier to correct double knitting worked with needles that uses the knit, slip wyib, purl method since it uses two strands of yarn and you can correct each strand. (I am aware that you can create double knitting with two strands of yarn on the knitting board and that there are a couple of different methods to do this but most people just use one strand.)

I think you may have missed in my last mail that I asked that you send me the exact problem. At this point, all I know is that the project has been bound off. Without knowing the issue, the only thing I can suggest is to remember "knit, slip wyib, purl" as the basic two connected stitches (front->back) for correction. Depending on the stitch, you may have more than one slip. She'll need to use a crochet hook to rework the stitches and will need to intertwine the stitches properly. If you can send me more information, I'd be happy to try to work up step by step instructions for her. There are quite a number of other corrections that I should write up for LKH for knitting boards, too."

Since I don't exactly know what the problem was, this is all I can do right now. I'd welcome any more input from anyone. I like the way Rebecca has also included some stitch corrections. I'll have to keep these in mind. Thanks so much, Rebecca for the help.

November Needles

2009-11-29T07:14:00.007-05:00

I've been brushing up on my cables lately and found a fun pattern through Ravelry. The Swampfield Cowl was designed and shared by Sara Amaroso on her blog, Penguin Purls. Thanks so much, Sara, for sharing this wonderful design. I'm planning to make another one, but this time, I'll know how to do a better bind-off thanks to Cat Bordhi and youtube. I used Cascade 109 Tweed LE. Also, thanks to Interweave Press for starting me on this quest to find various bind-off techniques. In their recent newsletter, they featured three different bind-off techniques. I've found that I learn knitting skills better when I can watch someone doing it rather than just reading and looking at drawings. So, I read the instructions, then go to youtube to see if there is a demo out there, watch the demo, then come back to the written instructions. After that, they usually make much more sense. I'm still a little foggy on the invisible rib bind-off instructions, but I'm assuming it's the same as the rib stitch bind-off. Instead of knitting off each stitch when binding off (which gives a fairly inflexible edge), you knit off the knit stitches and purl off the purl stitches. This gives a much more "natural-looking" edge and a much more flexible one.
I've subscribed to all of Cat Bordhi's videos on you tube. She's not only a wonderful knitter, but also a wonderful entertainer. The way she describes each technique is like reading a novel. The stitches become characters in a story that one is not likely to forget. She has the best explanation for wrapping the heel that I've seen. The imagery of ladies with their hairdo's and not mussing them when the stitches are carried over them will stay with me each time I knit a pair of socks. I also love the way she did this using a flat panel so that the technique is what you're looking at instead of the sock which can get into the way of seeing exactly what she is teaching. I've put several of her books on my Amazon wish list this year. Her video on knitting a moebius without having to graft is amazing. I understand that she demonstrates this technique behind her back during classes. As I've said, amazing.
I've also finished two other projects. The first is adapted from a pattern from Lion Brand called the Knitted Tube Scarf and was knitted with their Landscapes yarn. I added a keyhole near the end of the scarf and shortened the length. I'm not too sure I like the keyhole with this size yarn, but it's there.
I also knitted a pair of fingerless gloves, based on E A Kelly's pattern Lovely Lichen. It features the moss stitch. I used Plymouth Encore Chunky yarn. They're very warm and wear very comfortably while knitting. Stay tuned for more projects. I now have my new 32-inch rigid heddle warped and have a new project in mind for it.

Loom Knitting Socks

2009-11-23T10:39:00.007-05:00

I finished my first sock using the small, blue Knifty Knitter loom and Isela Phelps' book, Loom Knitting Socks. It was a lot of fun and the sock that I finished wears like a glove. I tried the easiest one to start with, Socks 101, with Lion Brand's Wool Ease Thick-&-Quick. The cuff is done in a simple 2x2 rib stitch. The heel and toe are done exactly alike, which makes it very easy. The instructions are clear, but I think it did help having some knowledge of sock construction. I finished the entire sock in aobut a day. I've enjoyed this so much, I've ordered one of Isela's fine gauge sock looms to try some smaller sock yarn. I even managed to Kitchener stitch the toe together. But, and here's where years of teaching exceptional children comes in, I'm going to go back and highlight certain words in the instructions. Once you get past the first two steps in the Kitchener, or graphing the toes, it boils down to: Front/Knit/Off, Front/Purl/Leave On, Back/Purl/Off, Back/Knit/Leave On. This continues until the last stitch when you pull the yarn through the last stitch and weave in the ends. After a few minutes, this becomes kind of a mantra. I may even go back and write these simple instructions in the margins. When it comes to knitting socks, simple is much better than complicated.
The book uses the smaller looms which Isela and her husband sell for the rest of the patterns in the book. I do wish that they had included more patterns for the Knifty Knitter loom, but there are patterns on the internet for this. My other wish is that Provo Craft would develop a sock loom. I may be able to adapt one of their smaller rectangular looms with the loom clips, but they still wouldn't have as many pegs as the DA Looms provide.

The Irresistible Ewe Yarn Shop Coming Soon

2009-11-18T19:37:00.004-05:00

Great news! I've decided to open a yarn shop! I've wanted to do this for years, but I'm still a few years away from retiring from teaching in public schools. We looked around this area, then made a decision to open online to start with. I'm hoping to open officially by January 1, 2009. This will allow me to keep my full-time job, not worry about employees yet and operate in my own time frame. I also plan to do knitting classes (loom knitting and needle knitting basics) as well as holding yarn tastings for local groups. Delivery can be arranged locally. Please visit us in our online location. We are slowly building our site and should be adding merchandise very soon.

Mug Rug Sale

2009-11-18T19:25:00.003-05:00

The Fiber Arts Club that I sponsor at the middle school where I teach is gearing up for a holiday sale. The students are making handwoven mug rugs using their Todd Looms and my Cricket Loom. They each had a go at the Cricket a few weeks ago and all did very well. This really speaks for the ease of using this loom. We're meeting again tomorrow and I hope to wrap up this segment of our fiber skills training. Of course, my cats had to get into the action while I was trying to take pictures of the mug rugs.
We meet again early December and I'd like to start them on knitting. Holidays are fast-approaching and it would be good to get them started so they can use their needles over the holidays. I'm hoping to use my knitting videos to instruct them. I think I'll teach the knitted cast-on. Just a slip knot, then start knitting the stitches onto the needle. They should be able to pick up a garter stitch - hopefully in one session. One of our office personnel visited last time and stayed to learn the weaving herself, taking home a loom to work with. It was great to have an extra set of hands and eyes. Thanks, Caryl!If the mugs don't all sell, I'll post them on Art Fire if anyone is interested.

Picking up Stitches Video

2009-11-17T19:46:00.000-05:00

I've been given permission from Jimmy Beans Wool to show their you tube video on my blog. I found it very helpful in learning to pick up stitches. I've tried knitting socks several times, but always seem to get stuck on this part at the heel. I think the method is shown very well.

Ending Blog

2009-11-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

I wanted to let my viewers know that I will be ending this blog within the next month. I've enjoyed this blog, but find I don't have the time to devote to it that I would like. I will incorporate these articles into my other blogs, Crafterdays and my new online yarn & craft store blog, The Irresistible Ewe. I'm hoping to open the store on January 1, 2010, so please watch for it.I'll continue to look for ideas for our furry friends. Thank you so much for visiting and supporting this blog.
Kathryn Jacoby