Bags of Fun

The last couple of weeks have gone by in a blur. I got some new dyes and have been dyeing almost 24/7!
What fun, I love mixing up different colours and then watching the yarn transform in the pots. The weather has been a lot cooler, misty, overcast and fairly wet but the dye pots keep my studio lovely and warm and colourful. I'll be posting some photos of the new colours here soon and will list them on my website and on etsy too.

Having so much fun reminded me of a pattern I did a while ago - a tote bag that I called

"Bags of Fun"

These bags are great fun to make and very versatile. Use them to carry your latest craft project, for shopping, or knit them up in cotton yarns to take your goodies to the beach.

You will need:
1m x 1.5m denim or similar fabric (makes 2 bags)
Sewing thread
Sewing machine
300g yarn (for each bag) in assorted colours and textures – mainly double knitting weight
1 pair knitting needles size 5,5mm or Nina S9 knitting machine, tension set at 9

The pattern for this bag is available  from my Craftsy Pattern Store or my Ravelry Pattern Store

:)

1000 Taveling Names and a Donkey (and lots of donkey friends)

Here are 2 addresses that you can send your completed donkeys to

c/o Jackie Herbst
England and Wales Cricket Board / ECB
Lord's Cricket Ground
London
NW8 8QZ

c/o Gene
3A Stompits rd
Holy Port
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 2LA

So get stitching and lets see how many donkeys we can send to Mongolia. Don't forget, there's a ColourSpun prize for the cutest one - 10 x 50g skeins of ColourSpun Natural Designer Yarn.

Dash on over to their blog to keep track of their progress.

...and a big thank you to everyone in advance

together as ONE

Hi Everyone,

I've just signed up to ONE and the fight against extreme poverty. I'd like you to join me.

By supporting ONE, you have the opportunity to take action to support effective, proven initiatives that are delivering results in the poorest places on the planet: protecting families from preventable diseases like AIDS and malaria, putting children in school, providing economic opportunity and stabilising communities. 

Join me and millions of people around the world who believe that where you live shouldn't determine whether you live:

just scroll down and find the "together as ONE" widget in the column on the right - then join :)

Together as ONE we can make a difference!

Thanks!

Lotsa love

ColourSpun Yarn Clubs

Over the last couple of months I have been busy with my ColourSpun Yarn Clubs. We have had the Mohair and Cotton Clubs' first offerings and now it is the Bits & Bobs Club's turn.

The night sky is the inspiration for this offering and I have some beautiful yarns in mind. While I was thinking about it, my mind wondered off and thought about Vicent von Gogh's painting - Starry Night and them I found myself singing Don McLean's song, Vincent. I'm going to have a lot of fun putting these club yarns together.

The ColourSpun Bits & Bobs Club
Night Sky

Starry Starry Night
from Don McLean’s hit song, Vincent

Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer’s day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land

The Yarn
Bits and bobs of different ColourSpun yarns in colours resembling the night sky, no more than 25g of each.

You may choose to receive either 150g or 200g

150g: cost including shipping - R180 or US$32
200g: cost including shipping - R240 or US$40

(Club Yarns are sold at a discount of 20% off the normal price and shipping by ordinary parcel mail is free)

If you would like to join the ColourSpun Bits and Bobs club, just go here to send me an e-mail

1000 Travelling Names and a Donkey

 

Jo, Gene, Shan and Heehaww-Dan will hit the road on the 23rd July 2011 when they embark on "the greatest adventure on earth" - all in aid of charity and they need your help!

Read all about the epic journey they have planned and how you can help them make it a reality on their website and in return for your help, you could be a hero and one of the 1000 Travelling Names going along for the ride. Share this with your friends so that they can go along too.

I will be posting a simple pattern for a knitted soft toy donkey here soon, one of the items on their wishlist is lots of soft toy donkeys, to be given to needy children in Mongolia. If you have your own pattern, or prefer to stitch a fabric donkey, please feel free to start immediately - the more we can make the better. I'll be posting the address in London for them to be sent to in the next day or so, and I'm putting together a prize for the person who sends the most adorable donkey.

Here is a free pattern to get you started, Woolley Donkey 

Conversions

Today I had a comment on my Rosy Cotton Top from Sal, who wished that I had the measurements in American standard as well as metric. So here are the conversions are as they appear in my book.

                                                                    Knitting Needle Sizes

US	UK	Metric
0	14	2
1	-	2.25
-	13	2.5
2	12	2.75
-	11	3
3	10	3.25
4	-	3.5
5	9	3.75
6	8	4
-	-	4.25
7	7	4.5
8	6	5
9	5	5.5
10	4	6
10.5	3	6.5
-	2	7
-	1	7.5
11	0	8
13	00	9
15	000	10
17	-	12

Metric / Imperial Measurements

Length

100 centimetres (cm) = 1 meter (m)

36 inches (“) = 1 yard (yd)

To convert:

Centimetres to inches – multiply by 0.3937

Inches to centimetres – multiply by 2.54

Metres to yards – multiply by 1.0936

Yards to metres – multiply by 0.9144

Weight

1 gram (g) = 0.0353 ounces (oz)

50 grams = 1¾ ounces

100 grams = 3½ onces

1 ounce (oz) = 28.35 grams (g)

4 ounces = 114 grams

I've also added a universal converter to my blog - find it in the right hand column.

Thank you Sal for your comment, I'm sure these will be of help to everyone.

Happy Knitting!

 

Something to aspire to

Day six: 2nd April. Something to aspire to.
2KCBWDAY6

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft? Maybe the skill or pattern is one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do. Maybe it is something you think you will never be bothered to actually make bu can admire the result of those that have.

I'm left handed and so knitting, being a two handed activity is easy, even though when I was at school I wasn't taught to knit because of being a lefty. Crochet, on the other hand, :) is another story. I, strangely enough, was taught to crochet at school and can manage the basic stitches but others seem to have to be worked in reverse by left handed people. This is a skill I would like to master - some time in the future.

And now for something completely different

Day Five: 1st April. And now for something completely different*
KCBWDAY5

experimental blogging day to try and push your creativity in blogging to the same level that you perhaps push your creativity in the items you create.

I've been thinking about today's blog all week and I think this qualifies as something completely different... and before anyone jumps to any conclusions, it is past midday here so it's too late for any April Fool jokes :)

As, I'm sure most people who know me will testify, I'm a fibreholic and always on a quest for beautiful fibres and especially yarn, nothing is more exciting than tracking down that perfect ball or skein of fibrey heaven and so.... I've decided to have a ColourSpun Treasure Hunt.

You can take part today or if you prefer on any other day in April 2011. Just remember, all the clues will be posted today, so the longer you wait to take part, the more difficult it will be to find them. There will be a clue at each stop and at the end you will need to put all your clues together in the order you find them so that you can claim your treasure.

Clue #1  is  01 
write it down where you won't loose it and then go to http://www.facebook.com/ColourSpun#!/pages/ColourSpun-Natural-Designer-Yarn/179000468792769 for clue #2.

Happy Hunting :)