tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-284411102024-03-23T11:31:05.321-07:00Fearless Fibers YarnDeb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.comBlogger415125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-68117331002577842192011-10-25T14:37:00.000-07:002011-10-25T14:37:04.507-07:00<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Sock Club Signups Now</strong> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Open</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>!</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a quick post to let you know that signups for the Fearless Fibers Winter Harvest Sock Club are now open. You can find full details in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/84633343/sock-yarn-club-membership-winter-harvest">the shop listing here</a>. More about the club's inspiration is included in my post below from yesterday.</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-26828578606568465102011-10-24T05:53:00.000-07:002011-10-25T14:37:04.523-07:00<div><div><div><strong><font style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" size="4" face="verdana">A Year Gone By</font></strong></div><div><strong><font style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" face="Verdana"></font></strong> </div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="verdana"><p>I can't believe a year has gone by since I stopped posting here. I blame Ravelry. And life.</p></font><p><font face="Verdana"><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">For a long time one purpose this blog served was to share photos of finished objects made with Fearless Fibers yarn. Many of you shared your photos with me and were kind enough to let me post them here. It not only provided inspiration for others but over time also became a great reference to see how a particular color might look once knit. Now, Ravelry provides this resource but in a much broader way and of course, searchable as well. Asking people to share project photos and then posting them here became duplicative and unnecessary, even boring. The "groups" function on Ravelry also provides a place to post news and information, so to an extent even that function is covered elsewhere. Although not very active, there is a </font><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/fearless-fibers-fans"><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Fearless Fibers group</font></a><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> on Ravelry. And so that's why I say (jokingly, of course) that I blame Ravelry in part for the year long death of this blog.</font></font></p></div><div><font face="Verdana"></font><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </font></div><div><font face="Verdana"><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The greater reason that this blog has gone dark for so long is really just life. My life, that is. Although it's no secret that this is a business blog and is meant to promote </font><a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com"><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Fearless Fibers</font></a><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, it's also a personal blog where I share my own knitting, along with occasional stories about things that happen in my life or commentary about whatever may be on my mind. For the first several years of this blog, there were plenty of stories and commentary that related to knitting and yarn for me to share. Not only was dyeing yarn my business but knitting was my hobby and passion. </font></font></div><div><font face="Verdana"></font><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </font></div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana"><p>Now, dyeing yarn remains my business and knitting remains a hobby but now it is one among a wider selection. I find myself with little time to knit and other than an occasional quick gift knit now and then, I must admit that I've barely knit in the past year. I still love everything related to knitting and yarn, still find myself browsing patterns and making mental plans for new projects, but the reality is that I haven't followed through with much of anything. A scarf for a friend, a hat for my husband, perhaps a pair of fingerless gloves for myself now and then. I need to get on the sticks already and make my mother her annual hat and scarf.</p></font><p></p></div><div><font face="Verdana"></font><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </font></div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana">Now I know some knitting enthusiasts may wonder what on earth could draw someone away from the greatest pastime ever. Valid question. I myself at various times in my knitting career have reached a fever pitch of enthusiasm during which it seemed completely impossible to go a day without knitting, much less stretches of a month or more at a time! But things change. I still love to knit, but at the moment I also love to train and garden.</font></div><div><font face="Verdana"></font><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </font></div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana"><p>If any of the old FF blog readers from way back when are reading this, you may remember that over two years ago my husband dragged me kicking and screaming to the gym. A woman in my mid 40's, I had somehow gone my entire life without ever going to a gym. The whole thing made me uncomfortable and anxious and I truly hated it. My husband, however, pushed me because - as he so kindly put it - if we didn't get fit soon, it was going to be an accelerating downhill slide for us both. </p></font><p></p></div><div><font face="Verdana"></font><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </font></div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana"><p>It took some time, but I learned to accept the dreaded gym as part of my life. It was a long and winding path to find what kind of exercise and food intake worked best for me, but I've got things pretty well figured out now. I could write for hours and hours about my experience and opinions on the subject, but this is a knitting and yarn blog after all.</p></font><p></p></div><div><font face="Verdana"></font><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </font></div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana">The other new passion that has taken much of my time is vegetable gardening. Again, for those who read this blog over the years, you may recall that I had a brown thumb. Other than one half-hearted and utterly unsuccessful attempt to grow a few things, I most definitely was not a gardener. That all changed this past year. Once my husband and I decided to give gardening a more serious go, we never looked back. In our usual go-big-or-go-home fashion, we jumped in headfirst. We built a greenhouse. We created five raised beds, each roughly 4X15 feet. We installed hoops over the beds so that they can be covered with plastic and serve as mini hoophouses in the fall and winter. We had our successes and our failures this spring and summer, but most importantly we fell entirely in love with vegetable gardening. I signed up for the Master Gardener class through Oregon State University's extension office and am taking that now. When the class is over I hope to find time to volunteer with the Extension Service and officially earn my "Master Gardener" title.</font></div><div><font face="Verdana"></font><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </font></div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana"><p>And so finally we come to what this post is all about. Since it's about time to launch another sock club, I've decided to use my newfound gardening interest as a source of inspiration and so I am planning a Winter Harvest Sock Club. The club will be inspired by vegetables that harvest in the winter. I've already got the colors lined up and I have to say that I find them to be nothing short of delicious!</p></font><p></p></div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana"></font> </div><div><font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" face="Verdana">Signups for the club will start very soon, perhaps even as early as tomorrow. I'll be sure to post all of the details here when the time comes.</font></div></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-80952568103193762232010-11-15T10:49:00.000-08:002010-11-15T10:57:39.829-08:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Sock Club Signups are Open!</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I'm very happy to announce that the signups for the Fearless Fibers Simple Value Sock Club Winter 2010/11 are now open! You'll find all of the details in the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/61904622/sock-club-membership-simple-value-sock">shop listing description</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Signups will remain open through the end of November (unless all slots are filled before then). The first shipment will be December 15th. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">We're off and running!</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-7464310964387495452010-10-29T11:48:00.001-07:002010-10-29T11:58:34.261-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Happy Halloween</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">No yarn news to share today, but thought I'd pop in and wish everyone a happy and safe Halloween weekend.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">My husband and I are not "into" Halloween. We have no children but we do have a dog who goes a bit wild when strangers come to the door, so it's not the most pleasant of holidays for us. I also struggle with the whole idea of giving children mountains of candy. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">My alternate-to-candy idea this year was to get some of the individually-wrapped prunes I've seen advertised on TV. Both my husband and my sister, however, squawked quite loudly about this. I was proclaimed a world-class "funsucker" by my sister and my husband was adamant in his belief that our house would be shrouded in toilet paper if we gave out prunes. (Although I must say the excess toilet paper might be rather appropriate for the whole prune-theme.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I finally gave in to the complaints and opted out of giving prunes to the Trick or Treaters. I did, however, greatly enjoy spending the last few days trying to convince my sister that we and all of our friends should give out prunes. I told her repeatedly that I was trying to "start a movement." (I am easily amused. Prune puns are not beneath me.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Today I found my alternative to prunes: Spiderman temporary tattoos! They are so cute. They come in little individual boxes with five per. I was quite pleased with my solution until I realized too late that Halloween falls on Sunday this week and that's my bowling night. I won't be home for the prime Halloween hours, which means I very likely bought far too many tattoos.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The neighbors should not be surprised if next week they see a middle-aged woman in the supermarket or at the gym sporting some Spiderman faux-ink.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Happy Halloween!</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-15496007755038490662010-10-22T15:17:00.000-07:002010-10-22T15:24:58.942-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>What's Shaking</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Not too much shaking here at <a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/">Fearless Fibers HQ</a>, but there are a few things simmering. I'm focusing on dyeing to restock a bit, as well as to get the new Merino/Cashmere/Nylon DK Yarn ready to go. The early bird pre-orders are done now, so I'm dyeing up the initial stock for the shop. There won't be a ton of it for starters, so keep your eyes peeled for it. I'll post here, in the </span><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/fearless-fibers-fans"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#3333ff;">FF group</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"> on Ravelry, and will notify the FF mailing list when it's ready to go. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Once that's all squared away, it will perhaps be time for another sock club. It's been quite a while since the last one and I've received a few inquiries about when the next will be, so I think it's probably about time. It will take me a little while to prepare for that, but it should be coming before too terribly long. Perhaps in time for your holiday wish list?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">That's what's shaking here. More to come soon. </span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-42540713170115589242010-10-07T12:39:00.000-07:002010-10-07T12:49:30.796-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>MCN DK Yarn Early Bird Special!</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I am so excited to announce the introduction of a new yarn: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/58363782/early-bird-special-merino-cashmere-nylon">Merino/Cashmere/Nylon ("MCN") in a DK weight</a>!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I have a fairly limited amount of this yarn to start and so rather than try to guess which colors might be most desired, I've instead decided to begin by offering an Early Bird Special. In a nutshell, this is a limited opportunity to purchase this new yarn at a <strong>10% discount</strong>, in your choice of twenty of the most popular color options from the Fearless Fibers line. The yarn will be dyed to order and shipped within three weeks.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The early bird special offer will stand through October 14th or until the quantity available in this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/58363782/early-bird-special-merino-cashmere-nylon">special shop listing</a> is exhausted (whichever comes first).</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">This is the same lovely blend of fibers as the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=6670954">MCN Sock Yarn</a> introduced earlier this year, but this time it's in a heavier DK weight. This is a lovely yarn for a wide variety of projects. Knit with size US5 to 6 needles, the yarn creates a lovely fabric for sweaters, scarves and other items that benefit from a beautiful drape. It can also be knit on smaller needles to yield a denser fabric appropriate for fitted items, such as heavyweight socks.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">If you'd like to take advantage of this special offer, be sure to read the full details in the listing description. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Great day to all!</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-33145445152357799822010-09-29T06:51:00.000-07:002010-09-29T06:58:40.652-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Something's Coming</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Could be!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Who knows?</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>There's something due any day;</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>I will know right away,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Soon as it shows.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>It may come cannonballing down through the sky,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Gleam in its eye,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Bright as a rose!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Who knows?</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>It's only just out of reach,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Down the block, on a beach,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Under a tree.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>I got a feeling there's a miracle due,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Gonna come true,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Coming to me!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Could it be? Yes, it could.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Something's coming, something good,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>If I can wait!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Something's coming, I don't know what it is,</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>But it is</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Gonna be great!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Alright. Enough singing for this morning! For those who don't recognize it, the above is from West Side Story. I just can't get it out of my head. Why, you ask? Because, of course ...</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Something good is coming! A new yarn!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Just a bit longer and I'll have my ducks in a row to tell you more.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Something's coming, something good</em> . . .</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-26041701275739264612010-09-24T13:34:00.000-07:002010-09-24T13:37:05.099-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Final Clearance Yarn</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Just a quick post to let everyone know that the last of the to-be-discontinued Lightweight Merino is now listed in the sale section of the <a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/">FF shop</a>. Stop by and took a look before the final 20% discounted clearance skeins of this yarn are gone!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Great day to all!</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-81156466042805765412010-09-18T07:02:00.000-07:002010-09-18T07:11:55.866-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Rosebuddie</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Have you seen Anne Hanson's latest design? It's a baby blanket, called Rosebuddie. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwiaDs56FfhJIitWa6awmfkT0ZLymffjS8CjJBk-fvwotkX29f9fS3BtAgkapI870ybel4lt_Xkom5EjoD28JSTcbARsBwqOEnUouR2IaP2Phwf5d8guhx4hLePg7pc9VUmeA/s1600/rosebuddie3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518255373949224050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwiaDs56FfhJIitWa6awmfkT0ZLymffjS8CjJBk-fvwotkX29f9fS3BtAgkapI870ybel4lt_Xkom5EjoD28JSTcbARsBwqOEnUouR2IaP2Phwf5d8guhx4hLePg7pc9VUmeA/s320/rosebuddie3.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">How beautiful is that?! Even if knitting a baby blanket isn't in the cards for you at the moment, pop over to <a href="http://knitspot.com/" target="_blank">Anne's blog</a> anyway as you're sure to get a big smile perusing the baby-with-blanket photos. If you haven't visited the <a href="http://www.knitspot.com/knitting_pattern/" target="_blank">KnitSpot pattern shop</a> lately, stop by there too and you'll be amazed at the fabulous array of new patterns that have been added recently!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">A huge Thank You to Anne for choosing FF <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=6670954">MCN Sock Yarn</a> for this lovely project!</span> </div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-51463161728030413512010-09-15T19:33:00.001-07:002010-09-15T19:43:38.437-07:00<div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Soon, Soon . . .</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I've received a few inquiries about the timing for availability of the final skeins of Lightweight Superwash Merino Wool Sock Yarn (base yarn to be discontinued from the <a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/" target="_blank">FF line</a> for the foreseeable future). I don't have a firm date just yet, but I think I'll have the remaining yarn ready to go at some point next week.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">As with the last batch, the remainder of this yarn will be discounted by 20%. When the yarn is listed I'll post here, in the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/fearless-fibers-fans" target="_blank">Ravelry FF Group</a>, and to my mailing list (if you'd like to be added to the mailing list, just pop me an <a href="mailto:fearlessfibers@comcast.net">e-mail</a> with the subject line "Mailing List").</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The last batch won't be very large, but will include some old favorites:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadHguNXcOhaYXU6j82rkyi-oLstc_UYA9F3xLKNxakwITwx5yw58aO1xK65CTkZce8TRIFBMPZE3Wsklgg-th9627DL47w-rJSdBWYEUvrdhhKOagX3euCeKBiyPcEL9F7i-G/s1600/SSW-lust3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 148px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517335877404030274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadHguNXcOhaYXU6j82rkyi-oLstc_UYA9F3xLKNxakwITwx5yw58aO1xK65CTkZce8TRIFBMPZE3Wsklgg-th9627DL47w-rJSdBWYEUvrdhhKOagX3euCeKBiyPcEL9F7i-G/s320/SSW-lust3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">As well as a few of the more recent additions to the lineup, not previously available on this base yarn:</span></div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbFOiPxdsikAuX2POFmVa37qllmtpDwrmyDPQpu_L8FwyX3s1OzuA0h36Vb0GbVz3Utcvl9qvrEu3s81XxS91DcH7IXdjcVC92ChapXEXkFVfXi59lroYktMQAEeiahZPhOr3/s1600/SSW-phenominblue3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 261px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517336111895652754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbFOiPxdsikAuX2POFmVa37qllmtpDwrmyDPQpu_L8FwyX3s1OzuA0h36Vb0GbVz3Utcvl9qvrEu3s81XxS91DcH7IXdjcVC92ChapXEXkFVfXi59lroYktMQAEeiahZPhOr3/s320/SSW-phenominblue3.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">More info to come soon ...</span> </div></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-1790299035361872802010-09-07T07:03:00.000-07:002010-09-07T07:08:37.658-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Congrats to the Winner!</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Congratulations to Lisa C., whose name was selected in the random drawing to receive a copy of Brave New Knits and the yarn for the cover sock project. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Many of you expressed an interest in the book, so you might want to check out the <a href="http://www.julieturjoman.com/blog/events/" target="_blank">schedule for the book tour</a>. Perhaps Julie will be visiting a yarn shop near you soon!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Thank you to all for entering the drawing!</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-73162647848512185032010-08-31T06:15:00.000-07:002010-08-31T06:45:31.948-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Giveaway, Sale Items, New Colors!</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I have so many cool things to share with you today. Let's start at the top with the coolest of the cool!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRQnps4omeuYfGn1JdPH8-tyT0em6rk8mH_P0vn51hkWqh0twOo4jRvk9vnkK2J3YKlIT1kRCYcg3jJLvrgpY7vZKLEeWbqddCQGubPW4kfo2-nOeF9a_nULksXt94sb4I-d_/s1600/BraveNewKnits.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511566940077421602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRQnps4omeuYfGn1JdPH8-tyT0em6rk8mH_P0vn51hkWqh0twOo4jRvk9vnkK2J3YKlIT1kRCYcg3jJLvrgpY7vZKLEeWbqddCQGubPW4kfo2-nOeF9a_nULksXt94sb4I-d_/s320/BraveNewKnits.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>Brave New Knits</em> is a just-released book by Julie Turjoman. As Julie says on her blog (where you can find a <a href="http://www.julieturjoman.com/blog/" target="_blank">list of links to purchase the book</a>): "<em>Brave New Knits celebrates the convergence of knitting, blogging, and online social networking, with 26 gorgeous original patterns by the world's most talented designer-bloggers."</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">And Julie's not kidding when she talks about the work of the most-talented designer-bloggers being included in this book! You'll find Shannon Okey (<a href="http://www.knitgrrl.com/" target="_blank">Knitgrrl</a>), Clara Parkes (<a href="http://www.knittersreview.com/" target="_blank">Knitter's Review</a>), Ysolda Teague (<a href="http://ysolda.com/" target="_blank">Ysolda.com</a>), and a host of others equally notable. Of course, I can't fail to mention that the fabulous Anne Hanson (<a href="http://knitspot.com/" target="_blank">KnitSpot</a>) whom we all love so much is also present!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Best of all, however, is the inclusion of the wonderful sock pattern from the cover photo of the book, by Kirsten Kapur (<a href="http://www.throughtheloops.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Through the Loops</a>). Why is this my favorite among all of the lovely patterns in the book? Well, not only is it an absolutely terrific design by an absolutely terrific designer, but that's also Fearless Fibers <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5689482">Tight Twist Superwash Merino Wool Sock Yarn</a> used to knit the socks. A very big Thank You to Kirsten for choosing to work with my yarn and also to Julie for choosing to include my yarn in the book. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">To celebrate the release of the new book, I'm having a small giveaway. One winner will be selected at random to receive a copy of Brave New Knits courtesy of Julie, along with the yarn used to knit the cover socks by Kirsten Kapur. That's a skein each of FF Tight Twist Superwash Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Spellbound and Sloth colors. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">To enter your name in the giveaway for a chance to win, just send me an e-mail (fearlessfibers @ comcast.net) with the subject line "Giveaway Entry" or leave a comment here (be sure to include your e-mail address, not in the comment body but rather in the e-mail field when submitting the comment).</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The winner will be selected randomly and announced in one week, on Tuesday September 7th.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">If all of that wasn't enough, I also want to point out a couple of cool things in the <a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/">FF Shop</a>. First, the new colors of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5048601">Laceweight Merino Wool Yarn</a> are now listed, along with several choices on the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5953507">Mohair and Alpaca blend yarns</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Additionally, I've decided that the Lightweight Superwash Merino Wool Sock Yarn that I've carried for several years has run its course and it's time to move it out of the permanent lineup to make room for new things. I've put all of my on-hand stock in the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=6139798">Sale Category</a> of the shop, marked down by 20%. There will be one more round of this yarn coming in the near future, once I dye up what remains. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Whew! Now that's a lot for one post!</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Great day to all!</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-82233052004760027932010-08-26T06:28:00.001-07:002010-08-26T06:37:37.898-07:00<div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>More New Things Coming</strong></span></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwgyEQ7t2yt4ek4ba8pwwYtcRQ9Y04U3bYztqn4slMIfv4v1pFukGq9aeIm9tlTMp1Hi9SDKgTzMsCb5DunFY35-GapnqpFTiIPlRsjUEPfPgWn9J4ImHmLRQsvV0IlFi2GCg/s1600/ML-hoarfrost3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 254px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509711297471055314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwgyEQ7t2yt4ek4ba8pwwYtcRQ9Y04U3bYztqn4slMIfv4v1pFukGq9aeIm9tlTMp1Hi9SDKgTzMsCb5DunFY35-GapnqpFTiIPlRsjUEPfPgWn9J4ImHmLRQsvV0IlFi2GCg/s320/ML-hoarfrost3.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Above is another new colorway on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5048601">Laceweight Merino</a> coming soon. If it looks a bit familiar, that's because it's "Hoarfrost" which is also available on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5689482">Tight Twist Superwash Merino Sock Yarn</a>. I've had several requests for this color in laceweight, so it will be part of the next batch update.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#000000;">Hoarfrost will also be coming in 50/50 Alpaca/Wool blend in a DK weight. That's a yarn I used to carry regularly but haven't had in a while. You'll see a few options of colors for that base yarn in the next update, along with a couple in Mohair/Wool blends in DK and worsted.</span> </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I have a few more waiting in the wings that need to be photographed and labeled and such before the update (perhaps in a few days to a week, we shall see).</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Stay tuned not only for availability of these new colors, but also a little giveaway coming soon to the blog.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Great day to all!</span></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-2615966053436393762010-08-16T09:16:00.000-07:002010-08-16T09:26:07.019-07:00<div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Blue Monday</strong></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpNVmzr7Ci3qmUjWK1Mj86Bu9tgiYcbFapmK18SDsbVvRSjZAgzsPAjUzpdItwVsEU8odhSgdLtY54DSNWXBHtP_DW5657GqoipLyvGqxcqCVtb7lptIwQreK0SstBzqrKIfk/s1600/ML-blue3.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0RyQZLfNgCwUkyLsm-rYxxgY8_hAwZos3chGjlyxu7OM4kcMjcpSrox09_i_8cH4NqPYwZJtXXxBBkHk5ZqBEAF41ZfOnCjFE7vhapw3SV1goR3gYioAoAaX802adIycoL-z/s1600/ML-blue2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044607829703106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0RyQZLfNgCwUkyLsm-rYxxgY8_hAwZos3chGjlyxu7OM4kcMjcpSrox09_i_8cH4NqPYwZJtXXxBBkHk5ZqBEAF41ZfOnCjFE7vhapw3SV1goR3gYioAoAaX802adIycoL-z/s320/ML-blue2.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">This is a new colorway not yet available but coming soon: Blue Monday. It's shown above in FF <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5048601">Laceweight Merino Wool Yarn</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I love the subtle shifts of color, which you can see undulating here in this sample swatch:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jkH36WAHWh79Kgu9AS4cmTHn7TaavZL0hfdBCdi0LvJJNlTnJW5gq5rqt4h8DwV6zcEKqmtf5cSbHDZbmk_TpHNAzDV2v26cebPQ_Pn9guqRgN6XXGr5CI2L5e3Z4VKG69t4/s1600/ML-blues4.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 188px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044286481521554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jkH36WAHWh79Kgu9AS4cmTHn7TaavZL0hfdBCdi0LvJJNlTnJW5gq5rqt4h8DwV6zcEKqmtf5cSbHDZbmk_TpHNAzDV2v26cebPQ_Pn9guqRgN6XXGr5CI2L5e3Z4VKG69t4/s320/ML-blues4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">In addition to the Laceweight Merino, I'll also have Blue Monday available in Worsted Weight Mohair/Wool Yarn. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDknIA7lUiS5rAKLbtA_aB-zM6x7AkF9Ud-4Bjakk52W_pUnqVmDguCkbel3jvldeGjjumOiIqjqNgx0VyA27KSAd9EYvyaziinzuDttsI4kB1GKI7jf1IwOdsv2IEcb03a86/s1600/TBH-blue2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 159px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044463816809778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDknIA7lUiS5rAKLbtA_aB-zM6x7AkF9Ud-4Bjakk52W_pUnqVmDguCkbel3jvldeGjjumOiIqjqNgx0VyA27KSAd9EYvyaziinzuDttsI4kB1GKI7jf1IwOdsv2IEcb03a86/s320/TBH-blue2.jpg" /></a> </div><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Blue Monday is not yet available in the <a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/">FF shop</a>. It will be added in a shop update in a few weeks. I'll be sharing more sneak previews of new colors here prior to that update.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Hope everyone is having a great day (<em>not</em> a blue Monday)!</span> </div></div></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-59408216012261146192010-08-09T06:44:00.000-07:002010-08-09T07:03:40.581-07:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Dreamy Shawl</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Some time back, a lovely customer named Jana inquired about the possibility of some purple and blue yarn she had envisioned. At the time I had nothing in my shop that quite fit the dream she had in her mind. It happened though that I had a new colorway set aside, waiting for a planned batch update in the future. I sent a picture of the yarn to Jana to see if it might fit her vision and sure enough the yarn was close to the dream color she had imagined. I named the colorway "Jana's Dream" and you can see it here in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=6670954" target="_blank">Merino/Cashmere/Nylon Sock Yarn</a>, which is the base yarn Jana chose. (I need to replenish the current stock in the MCN base yarn, but I do currently have the color available in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/50731780/sock-yarn-tight-twist-superwash-merino" target="_blank">Tight Twist </a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/50731780/sock-yarn-tight-twist-superwash-merino" target="_blank">Superwash Merino Sock Yarn</a> and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/45107154/superwash-sportweight-merino-wool-yarn" target="_blank">Sportweight Superwash Merino Yarn</a>.)</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQR2lY1wb6iAdLCqV52w_9uD9Q8GhXmhCgFfAtAOdXEj2AlnoGQTo-TCiiZFLuRZM-KD-AC9W9jwnkDM2wQlD99gcbhjAZK2OlPmeud0fgIb0vuTCQMFbZlBDzMsy-IhLyZQp3/s1600/CS-janasdream1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503409061823294258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQR2lY1wb6iAdLCqV52w_9uD9Q8GhXmhCgFfAtAOdXEj2AlnoGQTo-TCiiZFLuRZM-KD-AC9W9jwnkDM2wQlD99gcbhjAZK2OlPmeud0fgIb0vuTCQMFbZlBDzMsy-IhLyZQp3/s320/CS-janasdream1.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Jana has now turned the yarn into this dreamy shawl:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38_qKkfrjHfCt459gNt3kmgxWx8-T4xcMTrpf-HkkUSVHOr_Pnm2-mexFxO7VatNifR-sE1Eu_GdGZfZImfM_T7Inu7Vh1nyGT7cmVLFQJft_QCLg3-hdmOeC_fP1ItqKKXzG/s1600/JanaShawl1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503409259205842642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38_qKkfrjHfCt459gNt3kmgxWx8-T4xcMTrpf-HkkUSVHOr_Pnm2-mexFxO7VatNifR-sE1Eu_GdGZfZImfM_T7Inu7Vh1nyGT7cmVLFQJft_QCLg3-hdmOeC_fP1ItqKKXzG/s320/JanaShawl1.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/skuld-2" target="_blank">Skuld by Anna Dalvi</a>. Apparently the pattern is interesting to everyone ...</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsStvQK6GqkUTG_1QqXb0xon9KujjtW3zCCkol5bMaJlnpIeqRszzADazkaLeM7zH5F9sKn3mGv-79WuoIWr6i2nM-vilZuoiD4btF7YGssgF-ipnj49L2CmsZOsPAnCpTaoH6/s1600/JanaShawl3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503409405747071746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsStvQK6GqkUTG_1QqXb0xon9KujjtW3zCCkol5bMaJlnpIeqRszzADazkaLeM7zH5F9sKn3mGv-79WuoIWr6i2nM-vilZuoiD4btF7YGssgF-ipnj49L2CmsZOsPAnCpTaoH6/s320/JanaShawl3.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Lovely, isn't it? Here's a blocking shot where you can see the detail really well.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13aDyQTSeYpnrjsfq_hWbznA3SaJLiSvkHUqXTXKZGdcX8EehWopSL7LsDywQZ1c6fVTPcYVe_7jHc5wtcVPZk_fw6X08DVI7X-kM8FfHFjQtG0tbrIYUoDG7TFhNjfQhut1t/s1600/JanaShawl2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503409930489335074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13aDyQTSeYpnrjsfq_hWbznA3SaJLiSvkHUqXTXKZGdcX8EehWopSL7LsDywQZ1c6fVTPcYVe_7jHc5wtcVPZk_fw6X08DVI7X-kM8FfHFjQtG0tbrIYUoDG7TFhNjfQhut1t/s320/JanaShawl2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Thank you to Jana for sharing her work and lending her name to this yarn :) You can see lots more of Jana's work on Ravelry where she is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/JanaA" target="_blank">JanaA</a>.</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-24143573346855431702010-08-02T05:03:00.001-07:002010-08-02T05:11:00.051-07:00<div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Portofino</strong></span></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOx66PynOKYhpd6rnzRI9-t6kF46Wn9BUVr371nYOSApgBm2GUB74cPKjcLg31WiFOWHvta6t481qqbRZXCIKkzIDp3N0T0No0eHNLXMUM_FXSg07vVSQn8QIqdxCzRRBECB3/s1600/portofinodraped_medium.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 208px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500783760464569410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOx66PynOKYhpd6rnzRI9-t6kF46Wn9BUVr371nYOSApgBm2GUB74cPKjcLg31WiFOWHvta6t481qqbRZXCIKkzIDp3N0T0No0eHNLXMUM_FXSg07vVSQn8QIqdxCzRRBECB3/s320/portofinodraped_medium.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">This lovely piece is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/portofino-lace-shawl-and-scarf">Portofino Shawl and Scarf pattern</a> by Krista Werbil. Krista created this beauty with FF <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5048601">Laceweight Merino Wool Yarn</a> in the Golden Olive colorway. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Krista has a great selection of other patterns also available, so be sure to check out her <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/krista-werbil">main pattern page</a> on Ravelry.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">A big Thank You to Krista for choosing FF yarn for this lovely piece.</span></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-55014819493781051312010-07-29T07:43:00.000-07:002010-07-29T08:02:14.294-07:00<div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Seven Months at a Glance</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I can't believe it's been since the first of the year since I last posted here! I've been waffling for some time on whether to continue this blog. Somehow that period got longer and longer until I arrived here. After some consideration, I've decided to continue the blog for a while and see how it feels in a few months. I'll tell you more in my next post or two about my reasons for considering stopping the blog and my current thoughts on refocusing the direction just a bit and continuing going forward.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">In the meantime, here are seven months of this dyer's life at a glance:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">1. <strong><em>Some knitting</em></strong>: The past seven months have included spans of time with no knitting at all punctuated by brief spurts of frenzied knitting activity. One such spurt involved a burning desire to knit colorwork hats. The recipients of these hats I think were rather puzzled as to why they were receiving winter hats in Spring, but such are the mysterious ways of knitters.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">2. <strong><em>Sweating and heaving</em></strong>: My quest for fitness continues. Unfortunately, lifting bigger and bigger chunks of iron led my muscles to get stronger faster than my tendons, which in turn led to a wicked case of tennis elbow that lasted three months and is only now easing up enough to allow me to lift heavy things again (taking it slowly and carefully this time!).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">3. <strong><em>Busting down walls:</em></strong> More than 2.5 years after moving into my current house and after many other projects, my husband and I recently dove into the enormous task of remodeling the kitchen. The existing kitchen was a horrible remnant of the late 60's/early 70's. Here's one portion of the eyesore.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KAL7GxrL066slzeA7l_kLZZ5Mdu_flSm4HBgOUubrYrZo_yvRGNhWB5v9KbL_rwHg5EeZtylXbVMlJvCDECZL7FTxDnxtQ4dc-MXwnkroyJ8M_KTkAqDnwrFP9uHHg1kAcg1/s1600/Picture+010.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499342284388276194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KAL7GxrL066slzeA7l_kLZZ5Mdu_flSm4HBgOUubrYrZo_yvRGNhWB5v9KbL_rwHg5EeZtylXbVMlJvCDECZL7FTxDnxtQ4dc-MXwnkroyJ8M_KTkAqDnwrFP9uHHg1kAcg1/s320/Picture+010.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">We aren't doing absolutely everything in the kitchen right away, but we're taking on the big job of putting in new cabinets and sorely needed new appliances and also reconfiguring the appliances to more logical locations. That means we needed to get right down to the bones.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2VqZYHPTQ7fUSSTGCWJJLm0B3ntSSHpm3mUONjpFM-YATRHEygSUrfS2iutOfLGZyt-xj2_Wv6waHeFimH_xl5Tgx3SJV-SIz7b-GezhlsMBo-gZRbhlnIf76-xhm4ooaQnY/s1600/interior+of+wall.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499342749941090850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2VqZYHPTQ7fUSSTGCWJJLm0B3ntSSHpm3mUONjpFM-YATRHEygSUrfS2iutOfLGZyt-xj2_Wv6waHeFimH_xl5Tgx3SJV-SIz7b-GezhlsMBo-gZRbhlnIf76-xhm4ooaQnY/s320/interior+of+wall.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">We're knee-deep in reconstructing this mess now. I'm greatly looking forward to having a functioning sink back in my kitchen!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">4. <strong><em>Slowly dyeing</em>:</strong> Dyeing continues, slow and mellow in the summer months. I'm currently re-evaluating some of the yarns I carry and looking at some interesting changes to come. In the shorter-term, my next focus before too long will be some new colors on the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5048601" target="_blank">Laceweight Merino</a>. That's one yarn that remains a favorite and I definitely don't intend to remove it from the line anytime soon.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">5. <strong><em>Gotta have some love</em>:</strong> Husband and pup continue to be the happiest part of my overall happy life.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS672nutNmNlcyhvvRj7jThoN6zVTJl-zewGMnsYCbzzapfwrJNVvVHCVvDVuW4cJ85S4H00PyjchhH4gLrOWnDNSjH3LZc_6vEyMuV2iOtFrL6t2r6jshW4b5X2WYnvHvgIP/s1600/07-27-10-closeup.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 306px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499342990958203794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS672nutNmNlcyhvvRj7jThoN6zVTJl-zewGMnsYCbzzapfwrJNVvVHCVvDVuW4cJ85S4H00PyjchhH4gLrOWnDNSjH3LZc_6vEyMuV2iOtFrL6t2r6jshW4b5X2WYnvHvgIP/s320/07-27-10-closeup.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">(The fact that I have a photo of Indie to share but none of Bruce is no indication of the order of importance of the two subjects. It might perhaps be an indication of the order of irresistible cuteness though.)</span></em><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">And there it is. Seven months in a nutshell.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">If anyone is out there, still popping by and here to see this post, I hope all is well and you've had an equally peaceful and productive year thus far.</span> </div></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-26151134106198866492010-01-01T12:07:00.000-08:002010-01-01T12:09:36.677-08:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>New Yarn Available Now!</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The new yarn I mentioned in my last post is now available in the </span><a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000099;"><strong>Fearless Fibers shop</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The new yarn is a blend of superwash merino wool, cashmere and nylon. It’s a sock weight yarn and makes lovely, luxurious socks, but it’s also a wonderfully versatile yarn for almost any project imaginable. I’m thinking of using some to make a sweater out of myself :)<br /><br />Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year!</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-35514122389119470642009-12-29T07:29:00.000-08:002009-12-29T07:39:00.076-08:00<div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Good Things Coming</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">With the New Year just around the corner, what better than a new yarn just around the corner as well?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcmfXRWpXIAvuNEqvwmlc8HjBLX3X1gCtJzDkbVrFNrDQ54XZss1dO_wn9lU8NhSaYODRAaE0DkgUJhshAu-_Ye-urYFZ6Gl7E-uExd9BMZtUMQGGR2Hj3XfTjPzo13Qg6Ntk/s1600-h/CS-blueraven3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420682611107903250" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcmfXRWpXIAvuNEqvwmlc8HjBLX3X1gCtJzDkbVrFNrDQ54XZss1dO_wn9lU8NhSaYODRAaE0DkgUJhshAu-_Ye-urYFZ6Gl7E-uExd9BMZtUMQGGR2Hj3XfTjPzo13Qg6Ntk/s320/CS-blueraven3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">This is a Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend sock yarn that will soon be available in the <a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Fearless Fibers shop</a>. I have a limited quantity of this yarn, so I've whipped it up in a range of the most popular colors I carry. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">In the photo above the yarn is clad in "Blue Raven" and here it is showing off its beauty in "Inner Sanctum."</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhXsyNyI8e1IB0wlELt_wKYxGUkgonBbTvB0syDoB-S4eCkaIRUsO6PW-0HL7x7BWTxGdM9VlfmawaYDF_lNcIJcvFBVKdWUYkDsISCsQ-7N8QCk383NKkplD-m6oKWpvefiM/s1600-h/CS-innersanctum2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420682918013323202" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhXsyNyI8e1IB0wlELt_wKYxGUkgonBbTvB0syDoB-S4eCkaIRUsO6PW-0HL7x7BWTxGdM9VlfmawaYDF_lNcIJcvFBVKdWUYkDsISCsQ-7N8QCk383NKkplD-m6oKWpvefiM/s320/CS-innersanctum2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Keep your eyes and ears open for the listing of this new yarn. It's almost ready to go, so perhaps I'll target listing the new yarn on New Year's Day. What better way to kick off 2010?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">If you are not yet on the Fearless Fibers mailing list and want to be among the first to know when the new yarn will be available, just <a href="mailto:fearlessfibers@comcast.net">send me an e-mail</a> and I'll be happy to add you to the list.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season and looking forward to a wonderful New Year!</span> </div></div></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-50686214912665076532009-12-14T09:44:00.001-08:002009-12-14T10:09:58.629-08:00<div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>The Things Knitters Do</strong></span></div><br /><div></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4VzOWHLj1dB5fqzXHyMWAUuboQi3XJ-YBrwcpAhI9WsB4e8mEjJ0VhdqU-a1bQP3CoGgt4C55bY8EdBacnILlAXnzvScmX3__rt1r_M__oTKz0QMOlGa2uUbqCO2v4FnlKpz/s1600-h/swatches.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415153760313478834" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4VzOWHLj1dB5fqzXHyMWAUuboQi3XJ-YBrwcpAhI9WsB4e8mEjJ0VhdqU-a1bQP3CoGgt4C55bY8EdBacnILlAXnzvScmX3__rt1r_M__oTKz0QMOlGa2uUbqCO2v4FnlKpz/s320/swatches.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">What on earth is that in the photo, you ask? Some sort of pile of scraps organized in plastic bags? Hmmmm ...</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Why, they're swatches, of course! And lots of them. Each of those bags contains quite a few swatches.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-1Zq9IYHqq3Cht0qQOrLLCLRgQ6zuBubwOJc5pgA_gg3ts0QeOXjDoKt-JIyMR96lqKWs9ZteU1DqRdPGRPsXRxsls9iRbKHvVIiBK4LDrwgIV7uifkNARthH1L6PuSYXMmO/s1600-h/swatches2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415153831188683682" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-1Zq9IYHqq3Cht0qQOrLLCLRgQ6zuBubwOJc5pgA_gg3ts0QeOXjDoKt-JIyMR96lqKWs9ZteU1DqRdPGRPsXRxsls9iRbKHvVIiBK4LDrwgIV7uifkNARthH1L6PuSYXMmO/s320/swatches2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">At first glance you might think that I'm an organized knitter who has carefully retained my gauge swatches over the course of many, many, many projects. Of course, if you happened to know me you would know that I am anything but an organized knitter. I am the sort of knitter who makes critical notes in the form of indecipherable scribblings and hash marks on the backs of envelopes and post-it notes. I am the sort of knitter whose needles are scattered about the house, tucked away in a dozen different places, most often with matching pairs separated from one another. I am the sort of knitter who tosses yarn labels away with reckless abandon, leaving a trail of odds and ends of unidentifiable yarn in my wake. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">No, what you see in the photos are not retained and categorized gauge swatches. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Despite my casual and occasionally reckless approach to knitting, I will say that I am reasonably organized about one little hobby of mine. That is what you see in the photo. They are swatches, yes. But they are not gauge swatches, with purpose and intention. They are random stitch swatches, whipped up at various times with odds and ends of yarn. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">When I see a stitch that interests me, I often get the urge to knit up a swatch. I want to see firsthand how the stitch looks. I want to feel whether it has a good bit of give or whether it's more structured. I want to know if the resulting fabric is thick and sturdy or fluid and drapy. I want to see what it looks like on the reverse.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">For a long time, I satisfied my desire to swatch stitches by knitting a swatch, examining it and satisfying my curiosity, and then unraveling it. Some time ago, however, I became more organized (very unlike my usual knitterly style!) and began making note of where I found the stitch and tucking the swatch away for future reference.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">And so now, on days like today, I can rummage through them searching for a stitch or two to meet my needs. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">My need today is a new hat design. I recently shared with you the Hot Waffles Hat I knit for my husband. He quite liked this hat. He wore it daily for a few weeks. </span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">And then the devil possessed my little angel, who proceeded to tear the hat to shreds when it was left sitting on the sofa.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnmLPuuzbQS1QeNkf-AgFlXDTAt8y7UKnwgwzXdK3J3DSKSkIp0u8GhyL_jtM3w0xxP_m696AMfq-wAP5L3nxEOAi6-vYN8BpKNtfAXegRz60tsv8nU5IW3vr-n9s0eCYaBgW/s1600-h/3-17-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415154374163430914" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnmLPuuzbQS1QeNkf-AgFlXDTAt8y7UKnwgwzXdK3J3DSKSkIp0u8GhyL_jtM3w0xxP_m696AMfq-wAP5L3nxEOAi6-vYN8BpKNtfAXegRz60tsv8nU5IW3vr-n9s0eCYaBgW/s320/3-17-09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Much as I love the Hot Waffles Hat, I've made three now and am not much in the mood for another.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">And so off to the swatch pile I go.</span></div></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-57502120969174978522009-12-07T08:08:00.000-08:002009-12-07T08:11:35.616-08:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Free Sock Pattern with Purchase of Sock Yarn!<br /></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Just a quick post to let you all know about a special offer I posted in </span><a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000099;">my shop</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"> this morning.<br /><br />For three days only, I'm offering a free sock pattern of your choosing with the purchase of every skein of sock yarn!<br /><br />Before ordering, please read the details in our </span><a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000099;">Shop Announcement</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">.<br /><br />Great day to all! </span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-9037925176012479822009-11-18T15:50:00.000-08:002009-11-18T16:02:11.786-08:00<div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Once Per Year</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">For the most part, I've given up on knitting for my husband. He used to wear the socks I knit for him, but over time the allure of handknit socks faded and he rarely seemed to wear them anymore. No point in knitting them if he won't wear them. I've knit him two sweaters, but he rarely wears those either. He's just not a sweater guy.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">But hats. Hats he wears.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">And so each year I knit him at least one new hat. I can count on him to either lose one or destroy one each year, so there is always room for a new one in the lineup.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">This year's hat is <a href="http://knitspot.com/" target="_home">Anne Hanson</a>'s Hot Waffles pattern. I knit him one of this pattern a couple of years back and it's his first go-to in the hat lineup, so I thought he'd like another.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I used FF <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FearlessFibers?section_id=5689486" target="_blank">Superwash Merino Wool Sportweight Yarn</a> in the Metaphor colorway. The pattern calls for a heavier weight yarn, but it's an easy pattern to adjust with a few added repeats.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VgJ4BgffOJh49zdYExz37AI6OxJIuNM908Dv-Uuq130QyRAmMVCDJrjriVRXsuGV1HQ5ZtevhnQJcAJJGbHq8BtyekiqaQEjRjhJ3xez1GhYt6VhF0AZQxi0ayzp2PE_n_QU/s1600/001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405597781791874322" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 263px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VgJ4BgffOJh49zdYExz37AI6OxJIuNM908Dv-Uuq130QyRAmMVCDJrjriVRXsuGV1HQ5ZtevhnQJcAJJGbHq8BtyekiqaQEjRjhJ3xez1GhYt6VhF0AZQxi0ayzp2PE_n_QU/s320/001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">So darn cute that I've got to get another shot:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVuD3icWnRaG65pMbvyHnjFE9llvngmQ3p1vprAUyHpm_WL_9ssU3Q52m33NjawrQ4HBU3GZA12i3b4-RH78ql5TSgTJHU-1WkvcenJH3ldHLuEuJljzyqkVnOHy8qFUTdQAz/s1600/002.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405597865852387586" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVuD3icWnRaG65pMbvyHnjFE9llvngmQ3p1vprAUyHpm_WL_9ssU3Q52m33NjawrQ4HBU3GZA12i3b4-RH78ql5TSgTJHU-1WkvcenJH3ldHLuEuJljzyqkVnOHy8qFUTdQAz/s320/002.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I couldn't resist. Much as Bruce likes his new hat, the pup is still much cuter!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Everyone have a great evening (or day or night as the case may be)!</span></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-28264155473403021122009-11-09T10:18:00.001-08:002009-11-09T10:26:32.123-08:00<div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Mmmmmm ... Yarn</strong></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2Jpf1dhyFPGvueym6rc-XTIVySjJP5IQiWU42KVNban_GUQKzcV5OfJDAQTO9C1P8Z412E-Hn3i7fj_Bsm_gj1WRkLqa9ie8hUmuQHEQohQ9iMaq-beCyKco5bX7Ptzumytm/s1600-h/BFL-innersanctum3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402171325617437138" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2Jpf1dhyFPGvueym6rc-XTIVySjJP5IQiWU42KVNban_GUQKzcV5OfJDAQTO9C1P8Z412E-Hn3i7fj_Bsm_gj1WRkLqa9ie8hUmuQHEQohQ9iMaq-beCyKco5bX7Ptzumytm/s320/BFL-innersanctum3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">It's been quite some time since I've done a batch update of yarn to <a href="http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/" target="_blank">my shop</a>, but I'll be rectifying that soon.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoSeKCOIgCARg14AefbMyY3vR2bSAMMH8K_86VQFguugahbXFSFSoG-RvzX8dBpIamF5ZqSUaE1UEHY9z9NNF8sDm4vcFbLtmIeV-taVJL8B4QnWkrxjlO1vhy0XO_GEV72HQ/s1600-h/TT-midnightpassion1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402171500381583618" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 236px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoSeKCOIgCARg14AefbMyY3vR2bSAMMH8K_86VQFguugahbXFSFSoG-RvzX8dBpIamF5ZqSUaE1UEHY9z9NNF8sDm4vcFbLtmIeV-taVJL8B4QnWkrxjlO1vhy0XO_GEV72HQ/s320/TT-midnightpassion1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The update will include a bit of this and that, with some Tight Twist Superwash Merino Sock Yarn, some much-needed replenishing of Laceweight Merino, a sampling of a few colors on the BFL Superwash Sock Yarn that I've offered only once in the past, as well as likely a few items added to the shop's Sale Section.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I have no firm date yet for the update, but it's coming soon. I'm just waiting on a few more things to dry in my workshop, then I've got some photos to take, listing descriptions to write, labels to put on, and other such minor details before we're off to the races.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjpYTVUETOrJ1VYitJ3YWSY-8B0f5KrMKQmh-1bI_udha_x7_f-G08JaTvki4VA8b_Bd7riMoYAvUtDL1ExY195-SQZMIHE2Vg7Sft0LSuoPwGonK-NIUrdrgasEETS7zFJON/s1600-h/ML8-tealgreen3.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UmLFHLqIsFGZ0qQMxg903hCUjWxy0_5Lg_nppAvkQ47QIGwsFfwxluMAjGUX-Jl4xmTSSHQkBeOimQ02fvkUCQ8YErJfkOzKYrraq9cN_HaBjYjBZEJLKlD1or2HEg966LgY/s1600-h/207A.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402171817400379794" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UmLFHLqIsFGZ0qQMxg903hCUjWxy0_5Lg_nppAvkQ47QIGwsFfwxluMAjGUX-Jl4xmTSSHQkBeOimQ02fvkUCQ8YErJfkOzKYrraq9cN_HaBjYjBZEJLKlD1or2HEg966LgY/s320/207A.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Mmmmmm .... yarn :)</span> </div></div></div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-77799570919665420572009-11-01T13:01:00.000-08:002009-11-01T13:23:01.950-08:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Knit, Sweat or Sleep?</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I still haven't found my missing knitting motivation. From time to time, I pick up the sticks and fiddle around for a while, but the end result these days is usually just a few minutes of swatching followed by some frogging. Occasionally, I get a small burst of knitting inspiration and finish a quick project, like the Ivy Vines Neckwarmer I showed you in my last post. <em>(And to answer the question posed by a couple of people, the yarn in the project is my FF Sportweight Cashmere. The cashmere is pretty much sold out right now, except a few odds and ends, but will eventually return for another appearance.) </em></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">My spare time these days has been spent - now steady yourselves here, for if you know me at all this will come as something of a shock - at the gym. Yes, that's right. The gym!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">My husband talked me into joining a gym a month or so ago. Perhaps "talked me into" isn't the right phrase. "Guilted me into" might be more appropriate. He basically told me that it will all be downhill for him from here forward, he is rapidly ageing and becoming increasingly decrepit. It will be one quick downslide toward death if he doesn't do something soon. All of this comes from him, mind you! This is the same man who is only 42, plays softball and bowls, works in the yard and on the house constantly, and - although admittedly overweight - is as strong as an ox. <em>(I can't tell you how much I appreciated hearing about his inevitable and accelerating slide into death's door, given that I'm three years older than he is and in worse physical condition as well despite his being more overweight than I.)</em> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Anyhow, the guilt got to me and I reluctantly agreed to join a gym with him. Reluctant is an understatement actually. It was more of a dragged kicking and screaming and whining sort of a thing. I've never gone to a gym and the whole thing was so foreign to me that I had it worked up in my mind to be some sort of torture chamber. Oh my, that first week or so was so awful!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Now that I'm getting used to the drill of going to the dreaded gym, I'm finding I rather enjoy it. Well, again I think perhaps I've chosen the wrong word. "Enjoy" isn't really right. But I don't hate it anymore and I am feeling pretty motivated to try to get into better physical condition.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">And so now when I have free time, I'm off to the gym rather than to my recliner for a bit of knitting. Even in the house, I find myself flicking on the TV for an On Demand Exercise TV workout when I've got a half hour to spare.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">According to <a href="http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php" target="_blank">this website</a>, I could burn off around 90 calories an hour knitting. Then again, it also says I burn off around 55 calories an hour when sleeping. I guess I better stick to sweating it out at the gym. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Perhaps I can learn to knit while on the treadmill or stationary bike?</span>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28441110.post-88036567712737260572009-10-18T13:22:00.001-07:002009-10-18T13:34:07.642-07:00<div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>A Quickie</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">As soon as I saw <a href="http://knitspot.com/" target="_blank">Anne Hanson</a>'s finished Ivy Vines Neckwarmer, I knew I had to knit one. And knit one I did . . .</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVoaJAvMxLj5FqNORFck7AgS_YlcsBUAa3zwRkcPVFqufAUlwaFiXuksrv9WQGmXrP0nKtmZ-whgk9rlL4V1q2DYUDHcQIeQRJ_cO7OpopVGOar9RZdwkcy6TZJ7X520SOil8/s1600-h/ivyvines1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394039874596804338" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVoaJAvMxLj5FqNORFck7AgS_YlcsBUAa3zwRkcPVFqufAUlwaFiXuksrv9WQGmXrP0nKtmZ-whgk9rlL4V1q2DYUDHcQIeQRJ_cO7OpopVGOar9RZdwkcy6TZJ7X520SOil8/s320/ivyvines1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">This was just what the knitting doctor ordered. A quick, but satisfying knit. It only took perhaps three hours of knitting or somewhere thereabouts <em>(that excludes the hour of rummaging around my house in search of needles that I know I have in duplicate or perhaps triplicate, muttering under my breath about how on earth the exact needles I need always manage to hatch a plan and execute a great escape right when I need them, and finally finding the needles hiding in plain sight).</em> </span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I haven't blocked it yet, but I still think it's oh so pretty just as it is.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEibOlOeo0Z2cQiUzc2N1RS5wqQiG04lvj8IB0asYZhiT00vD7jlKtK_p_chHtpv1Y1sTUDnkbInpaCg5-1z0XTP4hzLDdiDJXDfBy0EeiaIL4rjNLEupfKKXg7KkurEH3IoX/s1600-h/ivyvines2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394040423567191250" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEibOlOeo0Z2cQiUzc2N1RS5wqQiG04lvj8IB0asYZhiT00vD7jlKtK_p_chHtpv1Y1sTUDnkbInpaCg5-1z0XTP4hzLDdiDJXDfBy0EeiaIL4rjNLEupfKKXg7KkurEH3IoX/s320/ivyvines2.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">This was such an enjoyable knit that I might just have to make another or two!</span> </div></div>Deb for Fearless Fibershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09492841098001823398noreply@blogger.com5