Giraffe Hat Kits

I have some fun news to share. It has been in the works for awhile, but Green Planet Yarn is now carrying my Giraffe Hat pattern in kits. Each kit has enough yarn for either the baby or adult hat (not both) and a pattern. And it costs less to buy a kit than to buy the yarn and pattern separately. Much less.

My favorite part is hearing people pass by the display and say,"How cute!" 

Second Blogoversary

This year my blogoversary crept up on me. I've now been posting to this blog for two years! And to help celebrate this milestone, all my patterns will be 50% until the end of today, the 29th (PST). Just type in "bearearsblogoversary" into the coupon code section of the screen when it comes up. And in case you aren't sure where to find them, my patterns are at bear-ears.com.

Even Scooter is excited. 

And in keeping with tradition, I'll be at Green Planet Yarn. I just can't help myself. I always seem to end up there on December 29th.

Twisted Stitches And Holey Armpits

I've had a bunch of new opportunities crop up in the last month and on Monday one came to pass. I started my new job! And it's at Green Planet Yarn. Green Planet Yarn is the first thing I blogged about. I wouldn't have ever thought that I might work there one day when I started this blog. Anyways, one of the first things I was asked to do was touch straighten all the yarn. I can already predict what will be happening to all my future pay checks...

I also started a new project. I'm making a Koolhaas so that I can understand twisted stitches better. Although I'm not really sure who will get the finished hat, so if anyone is interested....

The sweater is slowly being finished. It took me a week to decide that I was indeed going to put sleeves on it. The number one reason I decided on sleeves (even though a vest would be neat) is that I bought extra yarn for the sleeves and wound it into balls, so the skeins can't be returned.

The only problem I'm now having is that when I attached the sleeve, a large hole appeared in the armpit. I'm not really worried about closing the hole. I left an extra long yarn tail to help stitch it up. But I sure would like to know why it even occurred and what I can do to prevent it from happening on the other sleeve. The stitches for the sleeves are put on stitch holders and knit after the sweater is done. Does anyone know why the hole showed up?

I Accidentally Bought Yarn... Again

I didn't mean to, but yesterday, I bought yarn. I was just meeting up with my knitting buddies. That was all. Sure, I may have been aware that there was a sale. But I didn't know how much. Honest. But then I found out that the sale was 20% minimum off of anything in the store. Maybe more if you were lucky. You could get 40% off.

So I strolled through the aisles, imagining what I could design. That was my excuse. I wasn't buying yarn for fun. It was for work. Really. It is quite dangerous to go to a yarn sale with knitting buddies. I think it is safe to say that we are all enablers. "You totally should get that yarn." "It's beautiful." And the one that got me, "What if you get 40% off?"

O-wool 2ply

I did get 40% off. And I'm not sorry.

Tosh Sock - Nebula

You would think that nothing is better than getting 40% at a yarn store. But today was even better. Today I went back to Green Planet Yarn for the project show and tell. You can enter a drawing based on how many projects you have knit out of yarn from Green Planet. I knit four projects.

I won three prizes.

Some might say it is because I was born in the year of the Rabbit.

Bye Bye Birthday Money, Hello Fiber Riches

I have completed New Year's Resolution #5. Learn to spin wool.

I'm going to need lots of practice. But the lovely ladies at the Serendipity Spinners booth at Stitches West got me going. They sent me off with a spindle made of two old CDs.

Without them, I would have only bought yarn. After learning the basics of spinning I ended up buying much more than I should have. My first roving purchase was from Snicklefritz Yarn Co. Who could resist a colorway named, "Gnome Running Through Yosemite"

Right next to Snicklefritz was a booth called Becoming Art. I tried to only buy one thing, but the colors were too beautiful. The roving on the left is called "Outlaws" and on the right is "Rich"

I did get some yarn while I was at Stitches. Newton Country Yarns was having a 60% off sale.

Four skeins later I rushed over to The Village Spinning & Weaving Shop's booth. (The three skeins on the left are from Village. The four on the right are from Newton) I swear I have pattern ideas for all these skeins.

I should have controlled myself a little better. But I missed Stitches last year. On a side note, the day before I went to Green Planet Yarn. They give you a discount on your birthday month. You pull a chip out of a jar and can get 20%, 40%, or 100% off. I got 40% off.

After Stitches, I went with my Mum up to Hunter's Point in Fremont Older to see the full moon rise.

A storm had recently gone through, so there were terrific clouds. Definitely a good cloud day.

Unfortunately the clouds obscured the moon. But the sunset was amazing.

Bear Hats Are Totally Awesome

I finished the bear hat (both versions) last night. After I finished, Justin and I went to the local dive bar to see our friends, the Magi-Kool Doods, play. I wore the dark brown bear hat. The bouncer complemented it.

The knitting champ

While I was at the pub, I delivered a hat made for C. A cute little black/ charcoal/ purple stripe hat.

Thanks to Brennan for modeling every single hat ever

This morning I brought the hats to the farmers market to show Jane. She tried on the bear hat right away.

Jane runs the Yolo Wool Mill. She spins all the yarn and the bear hats are made of. It only took two skeins to make the two hats. (I almost ran out of the dark brown, but made it with a few yards to spare.) Jane sells all sorts of neat fiber related things at her booth.

Some Merino sheepskins for sale

I love looking at (and touching) all the yarn. I couldn't help myself this week. I bought two more skeins to make more bear hats. You know... so I can check my pattern.

Yarn. My favorite.

Later on Brennan and I did a photo shoot with the bear hats.

I set up the tripod because we were losing light. As a result, when I flipped through the pictures, they started looking like an animation.

I couldn't help myself. I ended up making a few animation in photoshop. The images were too funny.

Plus Brennan is a funny guy. You should check him out at his blog, Skellington's Day Out.

Granny Square Slippers

Tada! I've finished the Granny Square Slippers. The pattern is by The Purl Bee.

Stylin'

Too bad they don't fit me. I didn't check my gauge mostly because I was using the pattern in order to show Lindsey how to crochet. I'm not too disappointed though. It'll be fun to give them away to a friend.

I call these the Elven Slippers

Green Planet Yarn

Today I treated myself to some lovely yarn from Green Planet Yarn. Wisdom Yarns Poems and some Retro Noro.
I'm planning to knit up some cute mittens. I've already started to knit up little swatches.