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4 oz. Challenge

It’s been a while since the 4 oz. Challenge, but I finally finished my contribution, which reminded me that I needed to post a wrap-up of the contest. We had some seriously wonderful entries, but our super duper favorite was Stacey Simpson Duke’s Sweetgum (free Ravelry download). It’s a beautiful use of just 4 oz. of handspun yarn! Seriously, how cute is she?

Sweetgum

Our other winners were:
Valeria by Jacie Falkowski
Shelburne Falls by Rachel Brown
Albina Armwarmers by Vera Brosgol

Here’s a link to a Ravelry page with all of the submissions. There are so many fantastic ways to use just 4 oz. of handspun yarn, and many of the patterns are free!

My entry, so late to the game, is Tip Down Mittens (free Ravelry download)

Tip Down Mittens

Spun from Southern Cross Fibre’s Polwarth wool in the Boys of Summer colorway. Yarn measures 804 ypp and 11 wpi. Mittens used 3.1 oz./ 156 yards. 9” in circumference and 9.5” long. Gauge is 5.25 sts per ”. Happy happy soft soft.

Tip Down Mittens

Spun from Spunky Eclectic Corriepaca in the Orchard colorway. Yarn measures 614 ypp and 10 wpi. Mittens used 3.3 oz/ 127 yards. Mitten measures 8.5” in circumference and 10” long. Gauge is 4.75 sts. per ”. Happy happy color color!

You might remember the tragedy of two left mittens. Thankfully, I had 8 oz. of fiber and now have 2 pairs of mittens. :)

Oddments:

– Much sitting and knitting was done leading up to the holidays, which is always prime TV time here. We have become obsessed with Black Books, which is available for viewing on Hulu. It’s so funny that we’ve watched it two and a half times through in the last month. “Which… one of you bitches… wants to dance?” < — quote for those who’ve already watched and want a giggle.

– FOOD. I made some glorious foodstuffs over my holiday break. Salted lavender caramels, milk liqueur (trust me on this), cordials, pebernødder, salted chocolate dulce de leche tart, TV cookies (I need to make these again), dark chocolate honey lavender tart, and Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon recipe (twice). All recipes are perfection. PERFECTION. Half of the reason I’ve just listed them is to remind myself of how delicious they all were.

Salted Lavender Caramels

Trust me. Make them.

– HOLY COW, it’s nearly potholder time again. We are going to host the potholder swap again this year. I’ll be back with more info once we hammer out the details.

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Mitten School!

MITTEN SCHOOL COMETH!

Want to learn to knit mittens? Want to spend a few days knitting, playing, eating fantastic food, and relaxing with fellow knitters? Join me for a special new workshop November 12-14 in Harveyville, Kansas. We’ll be knitting a new colorwork mitten pattern I’ve written that includes all kinds of fun techniques that will serve you well in future projects.

MORE INFO HERE!

I’ll have some Mitten School treats with me at Rhinebeck, so if you see me, ask for some!

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Join Us for the 4! Ounce! Challenge!

Orchard Corriepaca

The lovely David of Southern Cross Fibre contacted me and Amy of Spunky Eclectic recently with a fantastic idea. Since we, and a great chunk of other hand-dyers, sell our fibers in 4 oz. pieces, we should encourage the designing of objects and the writing of patterns that use that amount of fiber. If you’ve been around Ravelry’s spinning boards, you know “What can I do with just 4 oz.?” is a common question. We, and everyone who joins us, will help make the answer a whole lot easier.

On top of that, there are really good prizes- a grand prize of a $150 fiber pack from Spunky Eclectic/Hello Yarn/Southern Cross Fibre (about three 4 oz lots from each) and a random prize draw with three $50 prizes (one 4 oz lot from each SE/HY/SCF). People who spin and create an original item through August/September will get one entry in the random prize draw. Those who publish the pattern get an additional entry in the random draw. The grand prize ($150 fiber) will be judged based on published and submitted patterns only.

The rules are:

1. During August and September, spin up 4 oz. of handpainted fiber from Spunky Eclectic, Southern Cross Fiber, or Hello Yarn and knit/crochet/weave something from this handspun yarn with no other yarn added. You can use less than the 4 oz., but not more. Spin it bulky for a hat or super fine for a giant shawl, we love it all.

2. Write up a pattern. While not necessary, even to be entered into the random prize drawings, it’s kind of the point and everyone will appreciate it. Publish said pattern, either on Ravelry or your blog, either for free or for sale. Please follow current pattern-writing guidelines. Not sure what they are? Knittyspin has a great set of guidelines. Please note that the grand prize will be judged on the basis of the actual pattern submitted, not just prettiness.

3. Email us with your object and a bit about it or email us the pattern.

There’s a ton more info in the Ravelry group we’ve created for the contest. There’s a FAQ and you can ask any questions and discuss your plans in the forum.

We hope to see you there! I’ll be trying my hand at writing a spinning/knitting pattern right alongside everyone else. Enjoy!

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