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Busy, Busy, Busy, I finally received the Glam Grrl base yarn and have been working on getting them dyed for The Loopy Ewe and the Trunk Show at SWAK in the City on October 23 and 24.  This picture is a small sampling of what I have been dyeing.  I have really tried to make sure that there is a lot of diversity.  I will be getting this off to UPS and The Loopy Ewe tomorrow. 

I am really looking forward to the Trunk Show at SWAK later this month and of course seeing Wendy again.  She will be teaching several classes at SWAK and I am so happy that I will be able to spend some time with her again.  I highly recommend classes with Wendy, she is an excellent teacher and a very talented designer. 

Speaking of Wendy, she and I are in the process of collaborating on a project.  To be honest I approached her a few weeks ago and asked if she would be interested in putting a kit together including one of her shawl designs and some of my hand dyed yarns, specifically the Luxe cashmere base yarn.  Today she posted pictures of her finished "Stacy Shawl", I complained about the name but she said she likes it, at least she doesn't know my real name. LOL  I am amazed at her creative design abilities.  Seriously, I contacted her and before I could dye the yarn she already knew what she was going to do.  This is really a very exciting project and I am looking forward to knitting my own "Stacy Shawl".  I am hoping to get the kits together and ready to post by next weekend.  Like Wendy said, I agree that this will be a wonderful quick gift idea.  I hope you all will enjoy it.  I will be dyeing many different colors for this project, feel free to let me know what colors you would like to see it in.

I have been working away at Emily's "Order to Chaos" and it is coming along very well.  It is going to be HUGE,I am estimating that it is at least 5 feet in diameter so far and I still have half of chart D, all of chart E and the edging to go. 

If you notice the first picture in this post all those skeins are laying on the shawl and will give you some idea of how large this is going to be.

Lots going on around here I will start with what is and has happened and then let you know what is going to be happening.

The Fall Knitting Mags have hit the stands and like knitters around the world I had to grab a few.  Although I have to say I didn't like all the hats in the Fall Vogue, I did like the cover hat, the Vine and Leaf Beret.  I knit up this hat in about 4-5 days, I only get to knit in the evening before bed so it was really a pretty quick knit.  I knit it out of the new Luxe Grrl yarn, this yarn has wonderful feel and shows the stitch definition beautifully.  I keep describing it like Chocolate in yarn, it is so so yummy to work with.  It will be available next week at The Loopy Ewe and very shortly at SWAK. 

Like a lot of knitters Fall is my favorite time of the year, it just feels right to knit and get to wear a lot of the handknits we put up in the spring.  I realize that it is still Summer and in OK it could be 100 degrees on and off into October.  But with school starting and a cooler day here and there I know Fall will be here soon and that makes me want to knit a new sweater, and apparently I am not the only one. 

I had been looking at Cardigan patterns and had purchased the Twist pattern last Fall and the yarn for it this past Spring. I was mentally preparing to cast on when Keri, of 3AM Enchantments, called and asked if I was interested in doing a little KAL together and she thought she wanted to knit Twist, I had one of those OMG moments "I am just about to cast that same pattern on".  Well that quickly got out of hand and now over on the 3AM ravelry board we started a much larger KAL. 

The "if it has cables and covers your chest KAL!"

Rules: 
1 - We’re looking for adult sized sweaters (yes, something for your 12yo would count, but not something sized for a 12 month old). 
2 - Cables! You gotta have at least one cable in there. A cabled cast on doesn’t count. 
3 - If you have already started “the perfect cabled sweater”, but are less than … 10% done? You can join in. I’d say 10% is about half of the back of an adult sized sweater, but use your best judgement - the knitting police are not going to show up at your door. Honor system! 
4 - In order to qualify for prizes, done means actually finished and ready to wear in public. The only exception to this rule is if you are still hunting for that most elusive prey - the perfect buttons. You do need to have your ends wove in though!

Prizes: 
1 - Everyone who finishes by the deadline (photos required) will be entered into a drawing for a bag & yarn combo set from Keri and I. 
2 - If Keri finishes her sweater by the deadline (please note - she loves the look of cables, loaths knitting of them), we will draw for an additional bag & yarn combo from the finisher pool. 
3 - Have fun. Chat it up. Come kick Keri in the butt every so often to keep her knitting. Our personal prizes will be a finished, cabled sweaters!

Deadline is the Monday after US Thanksgiving 11-30-09

I have even offered to do some custom dye work contact me if you are interested, could custom dye the Luxe for a sweater (sport wt).

My progress so far:                                                                                                               

 Now a little bit of a tease. I am very very excited about the Fall Knitty!!!  I always am but I am really really excited about this one!!!  Between that and Wendy Johnson coming back to see me.... oh Ok she is really coming to SWAK I am going to have a very happy fall.

Don't you LOVE Muriel!!  I think we have come to a mutual agreement that she will have to continue to post her adventures in knitting here.  In fact as the Big Sister I insist.  LOL  Like I have any of that kind of power, you have no idea how independent she is.  I have never been able to boss her around but it wasn't for lack of trying.  LOL  I am so happy to get to share my passion and a little virtual space with her.   This picture was taken during her most recent visit over the 4th of July.  

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, so much so that you just can't organize your thoughts?  Well that is what happens to me all the time!  Lately however it has been much worse. 

Way back in March Sheri, at The Loopy Ewe asked if I would be interested in and the honor of being (Tempted yarn not really me) in the Loopy Ewe Booth at the Sock Summit.  Well, she didn't say it quite that way but it is a total honor!  YES!!!  I immediately ordered the yarn base and wanted to insure that I had everything ready to go as soon as I could.  That is when a hint of that overwhelmed feeling began, I was told it would be about 4 weeks till they could ship.... huh, well that's not too unusual, it was a big order.  Four weeks came and went so at week five I called again, "it will be another 2 weeks". OK, good thing I have a while till its due....by the 7th or 8th phone call it was the middle of June and I NEEDED to get the yarn so I could dye it before the end of July!!!  The final call "Well there is a problem with a supplier of a fiber and we won't be able to deliver till September"  OH $^&*^%$$@#%^^&.  That Overwhelmed feeling was off the chart I was in tears, I had made a promise, said I would do this and can not let Sheri down.  

Let me say at this point that I am not angry with the supplier, I think they were and are doing everything they can to fix the problem.  I do wish I had known sooner.  

As soon as I got off the phone with the supplier I sent Sheri an email and gave her a couple of other base options and got on the phone with other suppliers to see what I could get and how quickly.  I got a very kind and sweet email back from Sheri (how does she do that, I mean can you imagine how awful that would be for her) saying that she would take another base and when she needed it in her office.  So thanks to the speedy work of another yarn supplier I was able to get the order out to TLE just in the nick of time.  It took some very long dyeing days and the help of my lovely and wonderful friends Kaye and Del but it got done and shipped out.  I do have to say that this wins hands down as the most stressful event in the life of Tempted. 

Good news is that the newest line of Tempted yarn "Luxe Grrl" (10% cashmere, 10%nylon and 80% superwash Merino sport wt) will be making its mass debut at the Sock Summit along with the new Emily Bags from 3AM Enchantments.   If you are in the Tempted at 3AM club you already have a skein and an Emily bag, but Luxe has not been available to the masses till now.  Seriously I had planned to take some pictures of the yarn before it shipped but... I was under a lot of STRESS. (Del's favorite phase)  So no pics, any of you going to the summit are welcome to send me a picture though. LOL

Oh and I have to share my knitting, which I don't think I have done in ages.  I finished my "Girasole", yes I had to jump in and make one too.  I used some stash yarn that I happened to have and OMG it is so yummy.  Classic Elite Princess yeah its luscious, a little angora, a little cashmere and totally divine.  What a fun and really, considering how big it is, fast knit.  It has even already gone to the movies, had to keep me and dd warm while watching the new Harry Potter flick.  A little birdie told me that there will be a Girasole KAL at SWAK and if there is anybody wanting some custom dyed yarn, might want to let Keely know soon, so I get to work on it.  Hint hint  I really think Muriel should get it on that!  (Bossy big sis)

I know you are going to check out the SWAK website and see that Wendy is coming back to OK in October!!  I can not wait!! I have a feeling there will be some very funny stories coming from a weekend stay at little sisters house.  I think Keri, Del, and Kaye (and others yet to be introduced)  may all be going with me too, this could get dangerous.  Also there will be a little Tempted Trunk Show too.

My next personal fiber adventure also started about 2 months ago and I will explain in the next post.  That will be a very picture heavy post.

I finally finished the Merino/Cashmere roving this is my version of Persuasion, 388 yds, 17 wpi (sport wt.) from 6 oz, 3 plyed.  This is my first attempt at a 3 ply yarn, don't think I did too bad. 

Now I am searching for the best pattern for it.  One of these days I will have the pattern first and make the yarn to match.

My friend Keri and I have had a brainstorm AGAIN and have another great project we are starting, shocked aren't ya.  Yesterday we took 4oz of Superwash Merino roving each and dyed them beginning with one color at one end and then changing throughout.  We are planning on spinning and Navajo Plying them, the theory is that it will give us very long color repeats with subtle transitions for a thick striping effect when knit.  Keri's is on the right and mine is on the left.  Pretty huh?

There will be updates on our progress.

I am also happy to announce the Loopy Ewe had another sneak up last night and Glam Grrl made an appearance again and was well received.  Also you have to check out the new bag from 3am Enchantments, it is a very cute sheep fabric with the cutest little zipper pulls made by WeeOnes! 

Oh and the Super Secret Project is Super Secret and I can't tell you!!  Muhahahahahahaha