Cashmere Coming!

Spring is here and as promised, I'll have cashmere to reintroduce to the Fearless Fibers line very soon!

In preparation for the introduction of new cashmere colors, I've taken the last remaining skeins of cashmere in my shop and discounted them by more than 15%. There will also be a small increase in price when the new cashmere is introduced in a couple of weeks, making these an even better deal. What remains of the old cashmere is now in the Sale Section of my shop.

I also added a couple of new colors of the Mohair/Wool Worsted Yarn to the Sale Section. They both are variations of teal, but one predominantly blue that leans toward teal and the other predominantly green. Sadly, they are not particularly photogenic.



The yarn in person has a lovely sheen that adds richness and depth to the colors.



That's all the news for today. Hope everyone is having a lovely day!

Flaming Crochet



How beautiful is that?! It's "Eva's Shawl" crocheted by Suileach using FF Superwash Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Flame colorway.



I love the generous size and the lovely openwork of the crochet.



Beautiful job by Suileach! You can see lots more of her work on Ravelry where she is - you guessed it - Suileach.

A big Thank You to Suileach for sharing her lovely work! What better way to brighten up a Monday morning?

My Ugly Yarn

You should see my personal yarn stash. It's hideous. At first glance it might appear enticing, but on closer inspection you would find that it's full of rejects. There are knotty skeins, frayed skeins, botched skeins, and just flat-out butt-ugly skeins. My stash is 99% comprised of rejects not fit to be sold.

Here is one that fits into the worst category: just plain old ugly.



Don't ask me where I was heading when I dyed this monstrosity. I can't even recall. Perhaps I've blocked it out of my memory as one sometimes does with a particularly traumatic incident.

I decided earlier today that I would resolve to sit still for a while this evening and do some knitting. With no project in mind, socks seem about right as a fallback. This poor ugly soul (that will become an ugly sole) is the only Tight Twist Superwash Merino Sock Yarn I found in the reject stash and since the pattern I'm leaning toward is one that requires this weight of yarn, my hand naturally fell to this.

The pattern I'm considering is Anne Hanson's Woodsmoke Sock. If any pattern can hide - or at least slightly mask - this yarn's pure ugly-osity, this might be the one. We shall see.

Why No Knitting?

As I sat down to write a blog post today, it suddenly struck me that I haven't shared any knitting in a while. The reason is simple: I haven't been knitting!

You may recall a couple of weeks ago I posted about my rather sudden realization that I had put on a good bit of extra weight in a short span of time and my plans to rectify that before it turned into a real problem. I wrote about it here not from any belief that anyone really cares to hear about my weight-control efforts, but rather just to force myself to make it more real. I thought it might give me a bit more motivation to stick with it.

Yesterday marked the three-week point for what started as a "diet." I'm very happy to report that I have stuck with it 100%. In the past three weeks, my diet has consisted of fresh fruit, steamed vegetables, small portions of lean proteins, a bit of whole grain and rice, and an occasional small serving of low fat dairy. The only moment of cheating I had was when I gave in to the allure of a little piece of crispy chicken skin from a lovely little roast chicken that was tempting me with its alluring smell. The piece was about a square inch and no joke, it left me lightheaded and weak in the knees. Oh my. So good!

As I progressed through the past three weeks, what started as a diet/weight loss plan morphed into more of a healthy eating program. Nutritious low-fat food, lots of water, daily vitamins - you know the drill. I also began to layer on more exercise. I went from extra walks with the pup and more bowling in the first week, to the addition of a 10-minute morning cardio routine in week two, to a second 15-minute cardio routine and 10 minutes of free weight work for the upper body in week three. I've been working in the yard and doing more housecleaning as well. Now it's gone from a healthy-eating goal to more of an overall fitness goal.

In just this short three-week timespan, I've gone from feeling ten years older than my age to feeling as good as I did when I was ten years younger. My energy level is much, much higher than it has been in a really long time. I'm sleeping well and waking up easily.

So what does this have to do with knitting? Well, the thing is, I find it really hard to sit still. I spend a little time at my computer each day of course, and then there's mealtime, but other than that I've been going non-stop from the moment I wake up until shortly before I'm ready for bed. Everytime I think about sitting down for a while to knit, I get a little antsy. I sit down and flip through a book for inspiration for a new project and before I know it I've set the book aside and am heading off to clean the garage or some such thing.

I'm sure I'll get back to knitting soon; I can't imagine going too long without it! I have been spindling for a few minutes here and there and will have some new handspun to show off before long. I've also got the cashmere I've been promising for this Spring underway and so before too long there will be new colors to show off and new items coming to the shop.

I must go now. I've been sitting here way too long. Gotta keep moving!

Got the Blues?



Newly listed sale item above! This is FF Mohair/Wool Worsted Weight in a color I call "Got the Blues." Just a few skeins available, now in the Sale Section of my shop.

Also newly added is some FF Laceweight Merino Yarn in the Slate colorway. I whipped up the Slate color a couple of weeks ago on a few skeins of Mohair/Wool and liked it so much that I couldn't resist doing some in the laceweight as well.



That's all for the new items today. Hope everyone's happy, healthy and enjoying life!

Jim's Socks

Marjorie's husband Jim is the happy recipient of these little beauties:



Marjorie knit these socks with FF Tight Twist Superwash Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Earthenware colorway. She let him pick the color himself and I think he did a splendid job, considering that Marjorie reports that most of his socks are just black or brown. The subtlety of the color shifts in this yarn apparently persuaded him that a bit of color in one's life is not such a scary thing! Marjorie kept the pattern simple to suit his tastes and did a basic ribbing with the added detail of a single cable repeat a couple of inches down from the top.

You can see lots more of Marjorie's work on Ravelry where she is mmarker.

Before I sign off for the day, just a quick note for anyone who missed it . . . scroll down to yesterday's post for the latest in the parade of sale items I've been listing this month.

Happy Monday to all!

A Bit of Green



This is another sale item I've just listed: FF Classic Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Verdure colorway. You can find them while they last in the Sale Section of my shop, along with a few remaining stragglers of other sale items.

I'm still slowly getting through the remaining quantities of the yarns that I'll be discontinuing, so keep your eyes open for more sale items soon.

Hope everyone is having a glorious weekend!

We're Off!

It's here at last . . . The first day of Spring! Although there's no magical switch that's been flipped that will bring Spring weather today, it still feels like a turning point. Before long the sun will shine, the birds will sing, the flowers will bloom, and all will feel right with the world.

Yes, I always love the first day of Spring. This year there's an added reason to feel sunny today:

Those are the packages for the first shipment of the FF Whisper of Spring Lace Club, all set to head off to the Post Office this morning. Yippee! I'm both excited to get these first packages in the club members' hands and also relieved to have the first shipment done. (Whew ... that's a lot of work, but still great fun!)

Happy Spring to all!

For the Love of Yarn

I believe that our beloved yarn industry is facing a perfect storm. The horrible economy combined with the fact that many folks have built yarn stashes that could easily last for many years to come is not a good thing. No. It’s a very bad thing indeed for the yarn industry we all rely on so much. And yes, that industry includes me.

I first want to say that Fearless Fibers is alive and well and weathering this storm. I second want to say THANK YOU and THANK YOU and THANK YOU again to all of you. You are the ones who are making it possible for my little business to survive in these times. It has always meant a great deal to me to think that you choose to spend some of your yarn dollars in my shop, but the fact that you do so in these difficult times – while spending so carefully and thoughtfully and selectively – is something for which I am and will always be eternally grateful.

With that said, I will openly admit that it’s not easy. It’s never been easy to make it in this industry, but in these days, it’s harder than ever. Yarn dieting is all the rage. For many, it is a necessity.

So what is the answer? How do we save this industry we love from a potential downward spiral (or worse yet, freefall)?

The answer, my friends, is simple: Teach someone to knit.

What if every LYS around the country hosted a special “bring a non-knitter friend” night? (What if the rowdier knitting clubs hosted a “Pop a knitting cherry night”?) What if an instructor or two at each shop gave up an evening free of charge and held impromptu knitting basics lessons for these folks? What if we all taught our nieces and nephews and cousins? What if we posted notices on bulletin boards at work and coordinated with our local instructors to hold on-site lessons at the workplace? What if we held informal learn-to-knit sessions at foodcourts and coffee shops? What if we all brought a friend with us to our next fiber show or shop crawl and introduced them to the siren’s call of the yarn?

Not all would catch the fever, but many would I’m sure, because after all, knitting is about the best activity ever known to mankind, is it not?

It goes without saying that when I say “knitting” that is simply out of habit, since I am of course a Knitter, but I certainly mean crochet as well. Or tatting. Or weaving. Or spinning. Or whatever your fibery pleasure may be.

Could we add 10,000 to our numbers? 100,000? How many?

I suppose my lone little voice in the vast wilderness of the online knitting world is just a faint whisper in the trees. Quick . . . someone who knows the Yarn Harlot - or any other luminary in our world - go tap her on the shoulder and ask her to read this request. Ask her to issue a challenge to the knitting community. Ask her to have people report their numbers taught. Ask her to add a tally (you know the kind, like a fundraiser thermometer) to her blog. Imagine the frenzy of activity and energy that could be created: the birth of a new wave of knitters.

A girl can dream, right?

Another Great Pattern Source

I have it in mind to knit a pair of mittens soon to tuck away in the closet for next year. Every year, by the time I realize that I could use a new hat or mittens or scarf, half the winter is already gone.

The mittens above are All the Water Mittens by Kirsten Kapur aka Through The Loops Designs. These look like they should fit the bill perfectly: both a finished product that I'll really like and also a fun knit. What could be better?

If you haven't seen Kirsten's designs before, you really need to go have a look. Not only are they very lovely, but she's got a really nice variety of project types to inspire. There are, of course, socks for those diehard sock knitters. Here's her "Anna" sock pattern:

There are also hats and sweaters. There's lace and cables and even stranded color work (you know how I love that!). Here's a little summery sweater called Linea that I think is just darling. It looks like the sort of simple, clean design that would work well on a variety of body types as well.

You can also find Kirsten's patterns in her shop on Ravelry where she is throughtheloops.

Go forth and browse!

Please Play

"Please play with me. Pleeeeease. How about we play rings? Look how sweet I am!"

"Yeah, that's right. You fell for it. I'm soooo bad. I'm a tough dude. Haha! Look at me now!"

(Just a brief puppy interlude. Back to business now.)

New Sale Items

Just a quick note to let you know that I've added a couple of new items to the Sale Section in my shop. The March inventory spring-cleaning continues!



The one above is FF Mohair/Wool Worsted in a colorway called Slate. I'm so fond of this one that I set aside a skein for myself, perhaps for a pair of mittens.

There's also FF Classic Merino Wool Sock Weight Yarn in Dijon.



You'll find these new items, as well as a few stragglers from earlier this month, in the Sale Section.

Stay tuned for knitting progress (yes, I've actually done a bit of knitting!) coming soon.

What Timing!

A few days ago I added some FF Classic Merino Wool Sock Weight Yarn in the Hendrix colorway to the Sale Section in my shop. This is a past colorway not offered for quite some time, but since I'm discontinuing this yarn I decided to whip up one last batch. What perfect timing, as photos of these beautiful socks came my way just at the right time:

These little beauties were knit by Kelly. The pattern is Mona by Cookie A. Just gorgeous!

A big Thank You to Kelly for sharing her lovely work! You can see more of Kelly's work on Ravelry where she is valkryie and also on her blog.

There are still a few more skeins of this yarn in the Sale Section of my shop, along with several of the Hendrix colorway in the Mohair/Wool Worsted Weight Yarn.

Everyone have a great Monday!

Heaven Sent


You may recall that not too long ago I referred to this as an instrument of the devil:






Well, if that's an instrument of the devil, my Golding Solid Lignum Vitae must be heaven-sent! Just look at how sweet and angelic it looks sitting next to my first beginner's spindle.






The two beginner's spindles (one bottom and one top whorl) that I bought to give spindling a try for the first time are certainly adequate for that purpose, but I do find having something really well made and also suited to my tastes (that is, for finer yarn) makes spinning much more enjoyable. Unfortunately, I haven't had a whole lot of time for it lately but I've been try to squeeze in a few minutes a day at least. I even bought this:






I'm a few chapters into the book and am finding it an enjoyable read. I haven't gotten to anything particularly meaty yet nor learned any great tips to help improve my still sorely lacking spinning skills, but I have found it an interesting read and also found the section about characteristics of a good spindle helpful. I'm sure I'll want to buy another spindle or two before too long.


In the meantime, with this lighter-weight tool (.65 oz) I'm able to produce a finer yarn. I spun the blue yarn that I showed you previously with this spindle. The Feather & Fan scarf I was knitting with that yarn is now done and just waiting to be blocked. I have some more of the same wool fiber dyed in a very similar shade of blue that I'm spinning now, but this time a bit finer still. Here's a blurry photo for you:






I have a long way to go, but I've come a long way already from those first whirls (eek!):






I'm off to make a nice lunch of cod and brocolli (still holding steady on the diet path!) and perhaps will take up the spindle for a little while after that.

Hope everyone is having a glorious weekend!

An Old Favorite On Sale



The yarn above is FF Classic Merino Sock Weight Yarn in the Hendrix colorway. This was one of the most popular colorways I used to carry on this yarn and so I thought it was appropriate to bring it back once last time as I move out the remainder of inventory of the Classic Merino Sock Weight Yarn before discontinuing it entirely.

There are several skeins of this yarn freshly listed in the Sale Section of my shop.

Along with the Classic Sock, I also whipped up some of the Hendrix colorway on the Mohair/Wool Worsted Yarn (which is also deeply discounted and available in the Sale Section) as I clear it off the shelves in preparation for new things coming. The colorway is a little darker and less heathery on the Mohair/Wool:

That's all for today. Everyone have a lovely Friday!

Sock Pattern Source



I know many of us are always on the prowl to discover new sources for sock patterns and I've got a great one to share with you today!

The sock pictured above is Rapunzel's Braid by Ruth Greenwald. Beautiful, isn't it? You can find a really great selection of Ruth's patterns available in her shop page on Ravelry.

And I mean it when I say there's a great selection! This one is called Over the River Socks and it's another beauty:



I will give you the disclaimer that I haven't yet knit any of Ruth's socks, but I can say with the certainty that the designs are just lovely and Ruth also has a few free patterns peppered in her Ravelry shop, so you can get a good idea of whether her particular style of pattern writing fits your preferences.

And on a side note ... Ruth is a friend, a delightful gal and all 'round good egg! Have fun browsing!

Life Beyond Yarn

To read this blog it might seem as though my whole life is nothing but yarn and knitting. Perhaps a little spindling these days as well. That's mostly true. Yarn is my work; knitting is my primary leisure activity. Add a bit of time for errands and housecleaning, plus my weekly bowling excursion, and there you have the majority of my life.

A little something new has creeped into my consciousness these past few weeks and I thought I'd post it here to try to force it to become a reality. So here it is. I've been secretly working on something for the past couple of years. It's been a very big secret. Even I didn't know I was working on it. I think my husband has known for a long time, but he kept it a secret too.

So here it is ... I've been working on gaining as much weight as possible. It's been easier than one might imagine. All it really took was eating as though my body and metabolism were the same as they were when I was in my teens and twenties. I knew in my thirties that things were starting to change and also could not help but notice that when I passed the forty mark it was a whole new game. Any extra weight I carried began to land squarely - or more accurately, roundly - across my middle.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not one of these thin women who run around whining about being fat. I know how much some people struggle with their weight and I am neither so callous nor so ungrateful for a relatively weight-struggle-free life as to minimize that. No, I know I'm not fat. Not yet, that is. When I stepped on the scale a week ago for the first time in many, many months, the reality struck me that I have reached a threshold. If I allow myself to go beyond this threshold, I could face a really big battle in the future so best to bite the bullet (no calories in a bullet, right?) and try to get rid of this relatively small amount of weight right now.

I've gained about fifteen pounds over the course of the past two years. I'd like to take off at least ten of those. We'll see if I can get rid of the other five once I get there.

Why am I telling you this, you ask? I think it's just to force myself to stick with this plan. Once I say it aloud, it's more real. Once I post it here, if I don't follow through I will have failed. I can't quietly work on it and give up without anyone knowing of my weakness. And let me tell you, I do have weakness! I think that a life without cheese may not be worth living. I would lie, cheat and steal for a good maple-flavored bacon. "Give me mayonnaise or give me death" could perhaps be my motto!

My journey began one week ago today. I know I don't lose weight easily (what woman, particularly over forty, does?) and so I set a realistic goal: one pound per week for ten weeks. Weigh-ins once weekly. None of that daily discouragement when the scale doesn't miraculously show improvement on a day to day basis.

I am proud to report that at the close of week one I'm ahead of schedule with two pounds lost. (Don't laugh. Two pounds in a week is fine by me. Two pounds is 20% of ten pounds.)

The week behind me was both difficult and easy. It's most definitely difficult for me to resist fattening food. It was easy at the same time though because I'm keeping it simple. No fancy "diet" with special foods or recipes or rules to follow. Rather, I'm just eating mostly fresh vegetables and fruit, small quantities of lean meat, poultry, and fish, with the occasional slice of whole grain bread or bit of rice in the mix for variety. Add to that a few extra walks with the pup here and there, plus lots of extra bowling, and that's my simple plan.

The thing that I think has made this seem more feasible for me is to have a good variety in what I eat. We grilled up a ton of zucchini, mushrooms, onions and peppers on the barbecue and kept lots in the fridge for easy meals with a bit of chicken or turkey to round it off. We bought tons of oranges (my favorite), as well as some grapes and cherries to satisfy the sweet tooth. We've got some soy nuts when a crunchy snack is needed. Tuna packed in water is also in the house, with plenty of pickle relish in the fridge to moisten it up without using mayo. (Oh, mayo, mayo, how I miss you!)

And then there are my miracle foods: Canadian Bacon! Ohhhhh. Those Canadians are pure genius. 4 slices, 60 calories, almost no fat. Heaven. Oh happy day. And then there are the fat-free version of the old classic Saltine cracker. Perfect when tuna alone isn't enough or to give a little life to a low fat soup that isn't quite filling enough.

Wish me luck, my friends! If you've got a favorite low-cal, low-fat snack that tastes too good to be good for you, please do share. I'll take all the help I can get!

The Parade Continues



This is the latest addition to the Sale Section of my shop. It's FF Classic Merino Wool Sock Weight Yarn in a one-time colorway called Vivacious. I'd love to pull a few skeins of this aside for myself for a shawl, but I think I have quite enough yarn waiting in the wings so I will resist!

I've also still got a few more sale skeins of the Classic Merino Sock in the Desert Pink colorway remaining from the last update . . .



. . . along with a few of the Mohair/Wool Worsted Weight Yarn, all in the Sale Section. I'll continue adding more of these throughout the month and hope to have those shelves cleared out to make room for the cashmere coming later in the Spring.

Also, for those of you who have been keeping an eye out for the "Hoarfrost" Tight Twist Superwash Merino Sock Yarn for the sock design that Anne Hanson is working on, I've got the first batch of that yarn listed now.

You'll find Hoarfrost as one of the featured items on FF shop homepage.

Great day to all!

Punch & Monkey

How's that for a silly blog post title? It's really "Punch & Judy and Monkeys," but "Punch and Monkey" tickles me for some reason.



This is Suzy's rendition of the KnitSpot pattern, Punch & Judy. She knit this little beauty with FF Lightweight Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in Christmas Red. The bold color combined with the strong, bold lines of the pattern really pop:



Lovely work, as always, Suzy! You can see more of Suzy's work on her blog and on Ravelry where she is dragonschest.

On the primate side, we have these lovely Monkey Socks knit by Lynne using FF Lightweight Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in the Thoroughbred colorway:



The photo's a bit small to see the detail of the stitchwork, but you can see lots more of Lynne's lovely work on her blog and on Ravelry where she is Lynnio.

A big Thank You to Suzy and Lynne for sharing their photos!

Bruce Speaks

I mentioned to my husband, Bruce, the other day that I was on a mission to correct my slight neglect of my blog over the past few months, and post as much as possible in March. Much space is filled, I explained, with info about the sale items that I’m clearing out this month, but as much as everyone loves to hear about a good sale, that doesn’t make much for a very interesting blog.

It was at that point in the conversation that Bruce offered his services to provide some tips for the husbands or partners of knitters. Hmmmm. This should be interesting. Well alright then. Today, Bruce speaks:

“You know that movie, When Harry Met Sally? Everyone’s seen it, right? Remember the scene in the airport where Billy Crystal says that you should never drive someone to the airport at the start of a relationship because then later in the relationship the person’s bound to ask why you never take them to the airport anymore?

It’s the same for a knitter and a yarn shop. I learned the hard way. When we first got together, I would drive Deb an hour to check out a new yarn shop without blinking an eye. I’d hang around for an eternity while she looked at every skein of yarn in the place. I didn’t mind. It was kind of fun. She’d get all excited about the trip, like we were going to Disneyland or something. Mistake. Don’t do this. Deb doesn’t go so far as asking me why I never take her to yarn shops anymore, but she does mention some yarn-related destination or other once in a while, acting all casual and innocent, and then kind of looks at me out of the corner of her eye with a questioning and sort of pleading look. A slightly disappointed look replaces the pleading look when I change the subject really fast before she gets any wild ideas.

Another tip: When she talks about knitting, try to listen once in a while. Not all the time or anything. That would be crazy. Most of the time, just go ahead thinking about that Wii you want to buy or whether there are any cookies left anywhere in the house, but it’s worth it to tune in a little sometimes. It can come in handy. I don’t think I ever earned so many Good Husband Points as the day I told Deb that I like things simple and stockinet is my favorite stitch. You’d think I’d just written and recited a love sonnet for her. So listen now and then. Save up a good word or two. Use them when shares in Husband Common Stock are low and you’ll see an instant upswing.”

Those are Bruce’s two tips for today. Pass them on to your mates as you see fit. Perhaps I’ll invite Bruce back again to share his grand wisdom.

Oh and by the way . . . I should clarify that when Bruce told me his favorite stitch was stockinet, he actually said his favorite stitch was “stocking knit.” That, of course, made it all the more endearing.

Good man, my husband.

A Little Something for the Weekend

I've just added a new color to my FF Laceweight Merino Yarn offerings. The color is called Desert Pink:



In addition to adding this new color to the Laceweight choices, I also whipped up a small batch on the Classic Merino Sock Weight Yarn that I've been dyeing up and selling at a deep discount to clear out inventory. While they last, these discounted skeins are in the Sale Section of my shop.



There are also still a few more skeins of the Worsted Weight Mohair/Wool Yarn I added to the Sale Section a couple of days ago, including this lovely green named Verdure.

Keep your eyes open in the coming days as I continue to move out remaining inventory of these two yarn types.

Everyone have a glorious day!

The Fun Continues

My pre-Spring inventory cleanup continues today with another yarn type that I'm planning to discontinue. This one is the Worsted Weight Mohair/Wool Yarn. I've carried this yarn since the start of FF more than three years ago, along with a DK version of it. The DK has always been more popular, so I've decided to let go of the worsted to make room for new things coming later this year.

That, of course, means a great opportunity to pick up on some more deeply discounted (by 30%) yarn now listed in the sale section of my shop. The ones listed now are the remaining skeins of this yarn that I had in stock. There will be more coming in the future as I dye up the rest of my stock of this yarn and clear off the shelves for new items!



The one pictured above is the Stormy Night colorway and one of my all time favorites. The yarn is a 55% mohair and 45% wool blend, which gives it a nice subtle halo without all the fuzz of a pure mohair yarn.



This colorway is called Morocco. There are several others as well, all of which can be viewed in my shop in the Sale Section.

That's all for today. I've got a day of dyeing planned and am looking forward to my weekly night out for bowling (stop laughing . . . I know I'm a geek :). It will be out for an early dinner first and then off to league night.

Everyone have a lovely day!

See Deb Knit Pyarn

I have no new sale items to highlight today, but I do have a bit of knitting progress to share. Before I dive into that, just a quick note: I still have two deeply discounted skeins of FF Classic Merino Wool Sock Weight Yarn left from yesterday. A fabulous shoulder wrap for someone, perhaps?



There will be more sale items coming soon, so stay tuned. Now on to the knitting fun ...

Remember this?



It's my latest spindling attempt and probably the best one so far. I didn't ply this one, as I thought I'd like the shifting colors more if left as singles. I chose a basic Feather & Fan pattern and have gotten about halfway through the scarf now.



Not half bad for pyarn. I still have a long way to go with my sad spindling skills, but in this spindling attempt I think perhaps the p in pyarn has gone silent.



I very much like the way it's knitting up (gotta love Feather & Fan for making almost any yarn shine!). It will likely improve in appearance a bit as well once blocked.



The Feather and Fan scarf is a bit dull knitting though, so I think I'll pop a hat on the sticks soon to give me a bit of relief and variety. It's a bit late in the season for hat-knitting, but it can happily sleep on a shelf until next winter when my husband will surely need it. The hat I made him that he wears most frequently it starting to look rather shabby.

That's all the knitting goodness for today. Check back again soon for more sale items, new items coming soon, perhaps a contest (sound good?), and other fun things coming throughout March!

Great day to all!

New Sale Items Now Listed



The yarn pictured above is FF Classic Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Brunette colorway. I just listed four skeins of this yarn at 30% off the regular price! You'll find it while it lasts in the section marked "Sale Items" in the FF Shop.

There are two more skeins of this yarn also available, one in Spring Breeze:



and another in Sunny Peach.



That's all the bargains for today. Stay tuned for more sprinkled throughout the month.

Great day to all!

Heads Up

Just a quick heads up note to let you know that later today, I'll have another small batch of deeply discounted Classic Merino Sock Weight Yarn listed in my shop. I'll post here to let you know as soon as they're listed.

Not Just for Children

The Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern by Nancy Bush is clearly not a pattern just for a child's sock.



These beauties were knit by Marisa using FF Lightweight Superwash Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Thoroughbred colorway. I'm seriously in love with these socks! The pattern is lovely, Marisa's stitchwork is flawless, and the stitch pattern really shows up in the color she chose. All in all, a perfect pair of socks!

A big Thank You to Marisa for sharing her work! You can see more on Ravelry where she is risala.

Before I sign off for this morning, just a quick note for anyone who didn't visit yesterday: See post below about plans to use this blog during the month of March to announce new and sale items and the like. The ones featured yesterday are gone now, but they'll be lots of interesting things dribbling in throughout the month.

Great week to all!

My Resolution for the Month

Today marks the start of a new month, along with a new resolution for me. I've resolved to update my blog more frequently in March than I have been in the recent past. Fact is, my life is not particularly interesting and so I always figured that filling a blog with constant updates would serve no purpose other than to drive any potential readers running for the door! This month, however, will be a bit different.



During March, in addition to my weekly highlight of customer projects and my usual blog posts about this and that, I'm going to use this blog to provide news of special items that will be posted to my shop throughout the month.



Constant blog updates with new products is not my idea of what makes for an interesting blog, so I've avoided that in the past, but this month I'm going to have a sprinkling of noteworthy special items and I think the blog will be an easy way to share those updates with you without constantly bombarding the FF mailing list with tiny bits of news.

If you want to stay informed of these small updates with discounted items as well as perhaps some new items, you may want to subscribe to the blog (see link on right sidebar) or just plan to visit often this month to see the latest news.



The photos you see above are the first of these special items I want to highlight to you. The yarn is FF "Classic" Merino Sock Yarn. I used to carry this yarn as part of my regular line, but it's been on the backburner for quite some time now. The yarn is not a superwash yarn and so I know some folks would not choose to use it for socks. It is, however, a sock-weight yarn and labeled as such.

I think the fact that this is a sock-weight yarn is one reason it never gained a great deal of popularity when I previously offered it. Folks saw "sock yarn" and also saw that it wasn't superwash and so passed it by. The thing is - if you're not one to handwash socks - this is an incredibly versatile yarn that's great for a wide variety of projects. A single skein will make a great hat, scarf, mittens, gloves or other small project. A larger quantity would be fantastic for a shawl, particularly a lace shawl. Picture knitting lace but from a slightly heavier yarn that will yield more warmth and will also knit up more quickly, yet will still block out beautifully and really show off the stitch detail. What could be better?

Since I've pretty much decided to discontinue this yarn some time back (at least for now), I think it's about time I round up the remaining skeins and dye up the remaining undyed stock and get it out of here.

As much as I love this yarn, I really need to get a move on and get it out of the inventory room to make room for new things. The price on this yarn will be $14 per 4-ounce skein, rather than the standard $20. That's a really huge discount, so a great opportunity for folks to pounce on a bargain and take advantage of my early efforts at Spring inventory-room cleaning!

The very first of these items -- the three colors of the FF Classic Merino Sock Weight Yarn pictured above -- were listed in my shop this morning. Pop by if you're interested. You'll find the yarn added to the Sale Section of the shop. You'll also find quite a few new items in the shop that I listed last week in the two Superwash Merino Sock Yarns and Superwash Merino Sportweight Yarn.

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post! We'll see how well I do with my resolve to post more frequently this month :)