Knitting Dyeing & Massaging Oh My!

This has been quite a week. I have put off knitting on Beatrice, yup we have a name congratulations Ikkinlala!, to create a bunch of sock samples for Sock Summit. In the last 8 days I have knit 5 socks in my spare time: sea cell & merino, superfine alpaca & merino, corriedale, camel & silk, soybean & alpaca.

I have also dyed a few hundred skeins for Sock Summit. Including our submitions for Dye for Glory. I am super proud of the entries, they came out so beautifully.

Ode to the sock was inspired by the colors in the Sock Summit logo, and I don't believe it could have come out more perfectly.

The people putting on the Sock Summit have put their heart and souls into this event and I am so proud to be a part of it.

My next submission is in honor of all of the knitting beer drinkers, and especially Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Some days beer o'clock just can't come fast enough!


My final submission is in honor of the pursuit of the true red. 1 red shoe is named after my friend Becky's little red Miata. A true red is quite difficult to create, and I am happy to announce I have done it. If you think red is hard to dye, it is even harder to photograph. You will have to come out to the Sock Summit to see just how fab this red really is.

In between all of the dyeing and knitting I also need to pay attention to my other business. I saw more massage clients this week than I have in a long time. I guess when it rains it pours. I am so lucky to have two wonderful businesses that I absolutely love doing. I think the best part of my massage side of life is helping people function better. The majority of people that see me have chronic headaches, numbness issues, or loss of strength. It is incredibly rewarding to watch their symptoms slowly vanish.

Have a wonderful weekend!

eta: Oh & I forgot to mention, Go Vote!

http://www.ravelry.com/socksummit

There are over 200 wonderful submittions. You can find the Anzula submissions in the Kettled, Dipped and Random Stripes categories.

Sale Sale Sale!!!

all yarn in our sale yarn category on hyena cart is 20 percent off. we are clearing it out do to being discontinued. use the discount code 4 sale at checkout. we have 41 skeins currently on the site, and another 41 skeins will be going up soon. happy knitting

Jolene

I have had this song stuck in my head for a few days now and decided to share it with you. Here are a few of the renditions I found on http://www.last.fm/

Enjoy!











And not the same song, but still a good one.

Say My Name

The Anzula superwash merino/cashmere/nylon sweater is almost complete & it needs a name. So we are going to have a little competition. Who ever comes up with the best name for this sweater will win a skein of Anzula yarn. To participate please leave your name idea in the comments below. Only names left in the comments will be considered.

So... What's my name?

Sock Hop

Tomorrow is the Fresno Sock Hop. All three of our shops have come together it bring us really wonder sock yarn & events. Lots of local talent will be at each shop. Anzula sock yarn will be available at Ancient Pathways & Janna's. You will be able to check out our traditional wool, silk & superwash merino, silk & camel, superwash merino & nylon, bamboo, and superwash merino cashmere & nylon sock yarns.

Here are the deets:

Summer Sock Hop 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009

Because the projects you make with sock yarns tend to be small enough to stay clear of your lap, they are comfortable to knit with during these warm summer days.

Ancient Pathways, Janna’s Needle Art and Swatches are all participating in Sock Hop, another three-shop tour of Fresno. Each will feature different classes and or demonstrations
featuring sock yarn.

Plan to make the rounds; addresses, hours and other details provided below.

Janna’s Needle Art – 5091 N. Fresno St. (NW corner of Fresno and Shaw)
559-227-6333
Open Tuesday through Friday 9:30-5:30, Saturday 9:30-3:00
We feature sock yarns from Noro, Opal, Berocco, Crystal Palace, and locally dyed skeins from French 75 and Barking Dog Yarns.
Janna is not a dedicated sock knitter, so she will be demonstrating the short row technique used in the Mini Mochi Multi Directional Scarf. This great looking scarf works in any yarn, but looks and feels extra nice in lightweight sock yarns, especially self-stripers. You will also find sock needles, sock needle holders, and a fine selection of sock patterns. 10% discount on sock yarns all day Sock Hop day, demonstrations from 12:00 – 3:00. We look forward to seeing you!

Ancient Pathways – 1294 N. Wishon Ave – 559-264-1874
Open Tuesday 11:00am to 8:00pm and Wednesday through Saturday 11:00am to 5:30pm
ancientpathways@sbcglobal.net
www.ancientpathwaysyarnandfiber.blogspot.com
I stock sock yarns from two local dyers, French 75 and Anzula as well as yarns from Crystal Palace, Knit One Crochet Too, Cascade and Universal Yarns.
Meg and her volunteers will be demonstrating how to add beads to your socks and anything else using sock weight yarn. There are some lovely sock patterns already written to include beads and we will be discussing how to add them to any other project. Beads from Bead Artistry will be available for purchase. Pre-stringing and using a crochet hook will be covered.
Demonstrations will be ongoing between 11:00am to 3:00pm
10% off all sock yarns all day on Sock Hop Day

SWATCHES – 3204 N Van Ness Blvd @ Shields 559-230-2813
Hours: Wednesday thru Saturday 11- 5:30; Sunday 11 – 4
Sock Hop at Swatches includes:
Sock knitting classes and demos thru out the day.
Dr Sox will be here to help those stuck on their sock projects.
A Trunk Show featuring
TRUE LOVE FIBER hand dyed locally by Angela Johnson
LAVA Designs sock patterns by Lisa Van de Water
& baby items knit from sock yarns.
You will find us fully stocked with sock needles, patterns, and the following yarns:
Cascade, Berroco, Malabrigo, Noro, OPAL,
K1-C2 Tye Dye, and Rio de la Plata sock yarns at SWATCHES.
A 10% discount is offered on sock yarns in stock.
And of course, refreshments will be served.

THANKS TO MEG OF ANCIENT PATHWAYS FOR SUGGESTING THIS FUN EVENT!

See ya there!

As Easy As 1 2 3

Well, not exactly. I am going to be doing a spinning demo at the Sock Summit. Demonstrating how to spin striping socks.

First we will discuss the kind of fiber that would be best for socks.

Then I will show you how to spin & ply to create the perfect sock yarn.

After that we will discuss knitting the sock up.


This is an Anzula original pattern. I am in the process of writing it up. It will be available on Ravelry and at the Sock Summit. Happy Knitting!

Waiting Game

I am currently playing the waiting game, and not loving it. I have dyed up everything I have, and am waiting for the next shipment of yarn to get here. I placed the order 2 weeks ago, and hope it gets here soon. I can here my dye pot calling me. I am really looking forward to working on the Sock Summit Challenge.

While I have been waiting I have been working on my yet to be named sweater. It is an Anzula original in worsted weight superwash merino, cashmere, nylon. Here it is with the flash:


And here it is with out. Which I feel better depicts the actual color.


The stitch pattern was inspired by one of the stitches in Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Again shown with, and with out the flash.


I am making an extra large, and it is using 7 skeins.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about the spinning demo I will be doing at the Sock Summit.

You Spin Me Right Round Baby Right Round

A month ago today I posted about the fab lace yarn I dyed. In the mean time I ordered swifts for reskeining and they showed up yesterday. Guess what I spent today doing.


Yup, that is reskeining three skeins at once. Look, no hands! That's cause we have an electric skein winder. It saves so much time & energy.



They look so pretty reskeined. Like candy. I just want to eat them up. Want more fiber candy?


Baby Llama & Merino/Yak. Merino/Yak is one of my favorite fiber blends to spin. So soft & lofty, it is like spinning clouds.

Last week we had an open house over here, so you could see what Anzula is all about. The yarn looked so good displayed in the house. It was really great seeing so many of you!


My wonderful guy picked some flowers to help decorate the place. Isn't he sweet?