Join Us for the 4! Ounce! Challenge!
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!
8 Responses to “Join Us for the 4! Ounce! Challenge!”
I’m not a spinner, but this is a great idea!
I’m not a spinner and the first thing I thought of was all these hats and scarves that I am making for my daughters and neices for their winter gifts (I say winter because they get them when the weather turns cold so they can stay warm). I think the idea is wonderful.
I have a pattern that I am just about done with the test knitting portion. I did not spin the hand spun yarn myself though I bought it on etsy as I have not yet learned to hand spin my own yarn yet. Can I still submit the pattern? I would love to have the roving for learning how to spin which I plan to do soon.
Hmmm. . . I might have to teach myself to spin just to win these prizes!
How exciting! I can’t wait to see the results. I always wonder what to do with my handspun.
Great idea… Just heard a Yarn School student asking what she could expect to make out of 4/8 oz.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Did anything ever happen with this contest? I’d be interested in hearing about it. I had no time myself, though I wished I had. Right now I am using a lot of older handspun in varied lengths and thicknesses in a feather and fan with cables rectangular wrap. I still have a lot of 4 oz. amounts of fiber left to spin and I’ve been trying to find colors that might blend together, spinning them up and then plying together to make enough yarn for a project bigger than a hat or mittens.