Knit it to fit best, Hepburn pattern.

I love this pattern for several reasons, the turtleneck, raglan sleeves and subtle cable design.

Pam is a slender - approximately 33" bust - who loves oversize sweaters and raglan sleeves so this was a great design for her. She used smaller needles than suggested, size 3.

She said, "I wanted to make sure the turtleneck wouldn't stand out too far from my neck, thus making it look even longer and thinner than it is.... Also, I ran short of yarn - probably due to the #3 needles. So, on the neck treatment, after picking up and knitting for about 1/2" I used a blending color for the inside (non-showing portion) of the turtleneck. I ribbed that part with p2,k4 rib for 3", facing the right side of the sweater, so the neck hugs my own more closely. I then joined the Light Heather yarn again and did stockinette for another 1/2" for the turning ridge, then switched to #5 needles for the cable pattern. I did do almost an extra 1/2" in the neck cable to be sure it would extend down far enough when turned so it would not ride up and let any of the 'wrong' yarn show."

Great ingenuity and I appreciate Pam letting me share this with you. She made a great adjustment for a size problem and possible yarn shortage. Two things that we all have had to think about at some time so I hope this is helpful to someone else - as well as me.

Happy Memorial Day

Thank you to all that have served and are serving our country.

It is so easy to forget the real reason for our holidays but this one is especially dear to me this year since I lost my only uncle two weeks ago. Clarence Poole served in the Navy during WWII and was so proud of his service and his country that he saved his uniform, it was displayed with all the wonderful pictures his children arranged at the funeral home. We were all surprised that he still had it. I wish I had a photo to post, he was one handsome man with a heart of gold and a laugh that would cheer anyone.

Guess this isn't a very good month for us; as I type my husband is on the way to the funeral of his aunt. She was in her 90's and lived a full and glorious life. All 4 of her children were with her this past week as the town they come from in Iowa make a really big deal about celebrating Memorial Day. The high school classes meet for their reunions that weekend so it is not unusual that folks from all over come back for a visit.

When you are on a small farm it is difficult for both to be gone at the same time so this is my turn to stay home and do chores and keep up with the yarn business. We are truly blessed to have such a peaceful home, beautiful scenery and make a living at it.

We are both race fans so after church services, I will do double duty keeping track of the Indy 500 and the Charlotte 600. Have some yarn dyed that needs rinsing and drying so that will keep me moving around. I will post pictures of the yarn in a few days.

Happy May Day

The first of May means events close to my heart are happening... Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is first in line with competition on Saturday from Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. I usually pick an underdog or the horse with a great heartwarming story and this year it is General Quarters. Even if I was at the track, I would only risk a $2 bet so I wouldn't be losing much although I cheer from home as though I had alot of money on the line.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is so full of great stories that I couldn't pick one. I really miss not having a booth there anymore but after 13 years, I have many great memories to keep me company the first weekend in May. My celebration of the festival was to dye more yarn. The fashion reports say that this fall's basic color will be brown sp I did 3 colorways of semi solid browns. This is Milk Chocolate.

GoodSearch and GoodShop

I just learned about GoodSearch and hope you will check it out. Started in 2005, GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It's a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers — the users and the organizations do not spend a dime! As of today, they are 79,044 participating non profits and schools that you can choose to donate.

In 2007, GoodSearch was expanded to include GoodShop, an online shopping mall of world-class merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country. Each purchase made via the GoodShop mall results in a donation to the user's designated charity or school – averaging approximately 3% of the sale, but going up to 20% or even more.

This precious little bundle nearly died before she was correctly diagnosed and sent to the University of Michigan for cardiac surgery. Her grandmother told me how the Ronald McDonald House made it possible for the mother to be with her baby throughout the hospitalization. Now she uses GoodSearch and GoodShop when she can to support them.

Check it out, I bet there is a non-profit charity you want to support.

10% off Heather Yarn

The winter of 2008-2009 seemed longer and harder than usual for most of the US and when the calendar date for spring only brought cloudy, dreary days the desire for color became very strong.
I was restocking the yarn shelves when my memory clicked back to our original choices of yarn colors. We wanted colors that would meld with each other and with other yarns, nature provided the perfect palette, green of new grass, blue of the sky , red, yellow and lilac of the flowers.

I picked up a skein of each and held them together like a bunch of flowers... yeah, corny but it made me feel better - and the sun came out for awhile. I know that was coincidence as well but maybe I can offer my euphoria to you with a sale of our heather yarns for a short time. It begins today and for today will only be available to our blog readers.

Cats in the yarn shop

Nearly 4 years ago, a starved cat found her way to the farm. She was so small that we named her Minicat and it soon became obvious she was carrying kittens.

Today she is the queen of all her surroundings, occasionally she will still groom her kittens but today the roles were reversed. Sophie, the black female kitten, decided it was time to groom her mother, even if she had to hold Minicat down to do it.
We haven't convinced them the shop is not for animals, their favorite spot is on top of my Aran Wrap which is displayed on the yarn rack.

Wet Felted Vessels

I seem to hop from one fiber art to another, I don't think I am alone. The daffodil leaves popping through the leaves in the flower bed must have signaled my inner self that I was going to need vases soon... so I made a wool vase.

Of course that isn't going to hold the daffodils,who will need water in their vase so I made some lilies for the wool vase. See them laying on the table in the next photo.
When I made the tan striped vase, I was thinking tall; it is 11 inches tall, 9 inches wide at the base by 5 inches deep at the base. This view makes it look a little tilted, it isn't; I was trying to photograph the white wool inside the vase.

I made the stems on the lilies long enough for the vase, but without a heavy wire in their stem, they wanted to lean over. I did use an 18 gauge wire in the stem but that wasn't heavy enough. No problem, make a new vase!

The next vase is wet felted wool and mohair blend for the outer greenish layer, the inside again is white - our merino rambouillet wool.


The wool and mohair vase is 8 1/2 inches tall, 8 1/2 inches wide at the base by 5 inches deep at the base.

I was pleased enough with this match of lilies and vase to display it for the month at the local Downtown Bakery & Deli, hopefully to have people vote for it with their pennies. The money collected will then go to the artist's charity choice. Wish my charity, Allegan Seeds of Grace, and the lilies, good luck.