OH ME! OH MY! ~Kelli

D R A M A   Q U E E N  

I couldn't be more happy!  It's just like I imagined!  The shawl does have hints of blue
that the picture doesn't capture.  The pattern and yarn are amazing!  The 735 picot cast ons didn't kill
me like I thought they would.  I did have anxiety, which fueled me forward.  Stunning to look at
magical to wear.
I'm onto test knitting around 1500 yards in lace for BrooklynTweed, he has a new lace yarn in
the works!  For those of you who live in the Washington State, Jared Flood will be
at Madrona in Tacoma selling his yarns Feb,16-18th!!!

I'm excited watching for posts, in wherever  place you are!

busy bees - posted by Melissa

Flood's Flock 2017

Don't we look gooooood!?!

I screen grabbed everyone's latest progress photo from Instagram.  I'm going to try and do this periodically, especially if you guys are going to be so good about posting pictures!  I love to see where everyone is at and hear how excited you all are to be knitting together.  Andrea is bottom center - I don't see that she has an IG account so I'll always add her from her blog posts.  The only person missing is Morgen... she has yet to post anywhere (I even checked Ravelry) so I used a placeholder center square until she pops up somewhere to say hello!

update: Morgen surfaced and has taken her place at center square!!

Okay, I have 100 picots done and 267 left, so now that a little business is done, I'm off to knit my last day of vacation away until I'm hopefully done casting on!

Happy New Year everyone and thanks so much to each of you for making it something to look forward to.  You guys are the best!

Melissa

p.s. blog posts are always welcome from anyone that wants to write as well as post pictures - IG is great, but the blog is an easier format for words, if you're someone who likes to use them ; )

ANISOS YARN - guest blogger Tracey

My yarn choice for the Anisos wasn't hard
to make. I have been saving two skeins of
The Fibre Company's Meadow in Gentian Violet
because I love this yarn and can't think of a better
person to use it for than my Mama.

I am going to knit the second largest size as I have
1090 yards and I want to use every last gram that
I can.

2016 was the year of socks for Christmas gifts
and I have decided 2017 will be the year of
the Shawl.

bliss - posted by Melissa

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

- A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

There is nothing quite so lovely as a knitted on edging.

Let's get reacquainted, old friend.

Melissa

I just might have the mojo back... - Melissa

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

- L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Husky football, a belly full of hearty soup, a warm cup of coffee and a puddle of knitting (yes, girls and boys, KNITTING!) on my lap.

It's a good evening : )

-Melissa

It's The Fair Time!!! A post from Kelli

Streusel, a red 2nd place ribbon and a fancy red and white Best in Class Reserve ribbon. ~

Both lovelies are designed by Bonnie Sennott!  

 I have talented friends who placed even better and I'm so excited for them! Maybe Andrea will post her winning pieces?!

Peppernut here!!!

Took a red 2nd place ribbon ~

Encouraging all to either enter and/or  visit your local County or State Fair and check out the needle works !

FLOOD'S FLOCK 2015 KAL - by guest blogger Andrea

Hi Flockers
     I have posted about my finished "Ludlow" over on Ravelry.  I lovingly refer to it as "FLUDLOW".  I do love this project and the yarn was a dream to work with.  It really gives the wrap a rustic and authentic look.  I'm so pleased with it.  It was so cozy when the weather was cold.  Until then it makes a lovely table runner.
                                                     

     My pictures are a little bit weird but I chose them because the stitch definition shows up so well with the sun/shade.  It is such a gorgeous pattern.
     I'm queueing up "Girasole" for my next project.  I loved seeing the others and have some Plucky yarn set aside for it.  I'll share it when it's finished.


http://www.ravelry.com/projects/aksaxton/ludlow

love ♥ - Melissa

The unveiling!  My purchases from yesterday's trip to Tolt Yarn & Wool ~ of course I had to have the Sheep Mug!

 

The Peace Fleece worsted in 'lily pad' is for a blanket size Girasole.

 

The Brooklyn Tweed Loft in 'hayloft' is for Stonecrop.

 

The cute ball of self striping yarn from Intrepid Otter in 'koi pond' is for socks (are you surprised!?).

 

The Studio Donegal Soft Donegal aran weight in 'oatmeal' is for Ashby.

 

And the Ístex Létt-Lopi is for my very first lopapeysa!!  It was not on my shopping list but my husband found a pattern for 'Moon Pulls' by Diana Walla while he was browsing and thought it looked like 'me' so he twisted my arm pretty hard to go over my budget yesterday (and succeeded).

 

I am swooning over my new stash and have so much to keep me busy that I doubt I'll need to buy another skein of yarn all year.  I can't wait to get started knitting and moving things from my 'queue' to my 'projects'!

 

And finally, in case you're wondering what this member of Flood's Flock will be casting on tomorrow...

 

 

I love the thought of 2000 yards of a bright happy lemony green tweedy wooly worsted weight yarn moving from my yarn bowl to a giant puddle of squishy lace in my lap keeping me warm over the winter months, so I think I'll be starting a Lily Pad Girasole to ring in the New Year!

 

I'm so excited to get started and knit the chilly days away with our awesome flock that has gathered together over the last few days!

 

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

Melissa



Flood's Flock...a knitalong ~ Melissa

It's officially been decided...we are going to knit all the things!

The seventh annual Girls In Sheep Clothing knitalong kicks off January 1st and since votes were all over the board on our five choices

( you can see all the options here )

the theme is Jared Flood & Brooklyn Tweed and not a particular design this year.  Any of the five will work!  So, ready...set...go!!

Once you've picked your favorite pattern and gathered your materials (or if you're having trouble deciding and need some input), go ahead and get started posting.  Hop on and say hi and we'll get the ball rolling.

Here are the players who I've lovingly dubbed 'Flood's Flock'  :

Me (I'm 'twoknitwit' on ravelry)

Kelli (oneknitwit)

Tracey (1tims)

Steph (smyoo)

Kelly (lightbeam)

Andee (andeekf)

Andrea (aksaxton)

Morgen (acoldwintersnight)

Jody (savannahchik)

Will (willyg)
Emily (emilyk3661)
Karen (swanski)
Leslie (lepkat79)
Sue (purl3)
Juliann (juliannph)
Sherry (bays001)
Erin (coopersfool)
Maria (mariaknits)

& an anonymous knitter (fist pump to you ~ I'm glad you're joining us!!)
 

That's it as of today.  Anyone else that still wants to jump in, let me know ~ there's still time to join!  Cast on is a week away but I hope to start seeing some posts before then...I don't know which design I'm going to do yet and I'm curious to see what everyone is choosing!  Thanks everyone for making this such a fun tradition!

~ Melissa

knitalong, anyone? ~ Melissa

I've completely dropped the ball on the upcoming anniversary of our annual New Year's knitalong here at Girls in Sheep Clothing.  I haven't had a chance to even touch bases with Kelli about whether anyone would like to knit with us this time around...it will be our seventh annual event if anyone is interested?  I've had a few people drop hints that they might like to play but I'm not sure I'm reading you folks right.  So....

 

I'm going to just go gangbusters here and throw out a few ideas ~ jump into the comments if you're interested in joining and if any of these designs appeal to you (maybe list your top 2).  I'll give everyone's comments some thought over the next week and hopefully by Sunday we'll have come to some common goal and I'll let everyone know what's been decided so there's still some time to get supplies together before we start.

 

Tradition had me scouring Brooklyn Tweed patterns for ideas and here is what I've come up with ~ I tried to find a good mix of designs :

1 - Stonecrop (a rectangular lace shawl)

2 - Tilt (a square lace shawl)

3 - Girasole (a circular lace shawl)

4 - Ashby (a textured triangular shawl)

5 - Ludlow (a rectangular textured shawl)

(all copyrighted photos by Jared Flood used with permission from Brooklyn Tweed ~ please do not reproduce without their permission!)

 

Here's the skinny cut and pasted from last year if you're new to the blog and curious about what we're up to:

"Our official cast on date is January 1st so you have plenty of time to gather your materials (and probably change your mind about your yarn choice at least a dozen times).  As usual, our knitalongs are stress free ~ no deadlines (we still have one person finishing up last year's kal...that would be me!) & blogging along is encouraged but not required.  If you'd like to join us, leave a comment below ~ if you've knitted with us before, you know the routine.  If this will be your first time, there's a tutorial on how to be a guest blogger (thanks again, Kelly!) once I've sent you your official invitation to participate."

Okay ~ jump in and let's chat!

SPIRE KAL - Final Photos - by guest blogger Andrea

Hi everybody,

I took advantage of the end of summer weather we're having here in western Washington.  What a glorious day and a perfect time to bring this KAL project to a close.  I say that with some sadness. This project is one of my most challenging and memorable to date.

The beach a few blocks from my house was a good place to start.  I actually used it as the backdrop for another project: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/aksaxton/eurybia.  I then went a few blocks down the street to my favorite hometown park, Causland Park.  Here I found the perfect spots to really show off this shawl.

Causland Memorial Park (710 N Avenue) was built in the 1920’s by Louis Lepage and is on the National Register of Historic Places. A portion of the park is dedicated to Anacortes veterans from World War I to the Vietnam War.

 So here are pictures of my Spire.  I enjoyed the project so very much and always love knitting along with Kelli and Melissa and their blog readers.  I wonder what the next KAL might be?

 I go by this park every day.  It's easy to just drive by with one's blinders on.  Today, while walking around and studying its beauty, I am again reminded what a gem we have in town.

 

Happy Knitting, everyone.  Let's do this again soon!

wip it, wip it good ~ posted by Melissa

Devo anyone? this will stay with you allllll night :)

 

Just a quick update on the kal and other goings on...Seahawks preseason pregame show starts in 10 minutes and I aim to watch every minute (GO HAWKS!!)

 

I'm at the official 'halfway' point for the Streusel knitalong ( ravelry notes here ) ~ 40 stitches prior to my marker.  I've used just under a third of my yarn (27.5g / 144yds).

 

She measures 22.5" long and 8.5" wide without stretching my work at all.

I'm going to keep going with the increases.  Why not?  I've got the yarn and when such a simple lace edge looks this gorgeous....

 

 

...I'd be crazy to stop now!  How is everyone else doing?  Hoping to see some progress photos and hear how you all are enjoying the pattern!

 

I'm also on the downslope of my test knit ~ I can't wait til dandiliongrl releases her High Plains pattern!  I think it's going to be a huge hit!  I learned a new seam (she provides a link to a 'how to' diagram and instructions) ~ I can't remember ever joining a live horizontal edge to a vertical edge.

 

All that's left is a border and it's finished ~ I already highly recommend this pattern and I can't wait to make it again.  I had to stick to the pattern this time since it's a test knit but I have an idea rolling around in my head how I want to change it up just a little the second time around!

 

I'll make sure to share a link to the pattern when it's available to everyone else ~ until then, my ravelry notes can be found ( here if you're interested ).

 

And in case you haven't seen me gushing the last few days, Bonnie Sennott released a new pattern called 'Skipperling' ( my project page here ) and I don't think I can wait to cast on until I'm finished with these two works in progress.  I'm so obsessed with her pattern and the yarn I'm using which was a gift from my husband for our 20th anniversary last month :

 

And to top it off, Bonnie is offering $2 off her pattern through August 15th ~

here's the link to the pattern page if you want to peek .

 

Thanks so much, Bonnie for the generous incentive ~ I've told everyone I know :)

 

Gotta get ~ there's football to be watched and knitting to be done!

~ Melissa

 





A Walk In The Park~ a post by Kelli

Lov'in this Knit A Long, and everyone's colors are so beautiful.
Here's mine so far.


Thanks from all the 'well wishes' and sweet comments about our 5th
year blogging!

A Little Late to the Party… by guest blogger Julie

I meant to post yesterday, on the actual day, but the title of this post says it all. I'm also a little late to the party on following Melissa and Kelli's blog, as I have only discovered it within the last year. That doesn't stop me from wishing you both a very happy 5th blog anniversary. Thanks for the wonderful photographs, lively content and so much knitting inspiration!

I may have been late to the blog anniversary party, but I wasn't late starting the knitalong, despite spending a couple days dithering over yarn. 

Should I knit with this?

Or this?

In the end, I was in more of a pink mood (but really happy to have an excuse to post one of my favorite purple yarn photos) so Hazel Knits Entice in the Land of Sweets colorway was the choice. I moved on to winding my yarn and then cast on.

I'm really happy to be part of this KAL, and I'm looking forward to seeing and reading about everyone's progress on Bonnie Sennott's beautiful pattern. And Melissa, thanks for organizing this!

fun fun fun ~ posted by Melissa

Happy Birthday to us!  We are 5 (hooray!) here at Girls in Sheep Clothing and celebrating with this fun knitalong.  It was so exciting to see posts appear yesterday as we get started on our Streusels (my ravelry notes are here).  I cast on at midnight on the 31st since I was up waiting for Jas to get home from work (he set power and did standby for the Jay Z / Beyoncé concert at Safeco Field Wednesday night). 

I love knitting up these jumbly masses of stitches, knowing what awaits when we finally get to block our work and see the magic happen.  Who would think that messy looking lace edge could become what it does?  It makes me kind of giddy just thinking about it!

I'm also working on a test knit for dandiliongirl on Ravelry (notes here) ~ another poncho to add to my collection...this one with a lace panel...again, giddy :) ... lace ... mmmmm, lace!!!!



 So not much chatter from me today ~ the sun is shining (it's hot!!) ~ I'm going to sit in the shade and listen to some tunes and knit the day away.  I'm imagining you all gathered round, needles clickity clacking away, joining me in all the fun!  Thanks for celebrating with Kelli and I ~ I love that you all come back and knit with us when you're invited!

 

Looking forward to hearing from more of you and seeing some progress! And newcomers are still welcome ~ it's never to late to join in the fun :) ~ Happy Friday !

Melissa

a Bonnie Sennott knitalong ~ posted by Melissa

07-19-2014 - edited to add:  I just saw that Bonnie has started a newsletter...

here's the link

 

if you haven't purchased your Streusel pattern yet, there's a coupon code in the newsletter that gets you 50% off one of her patterns before the end of the month, just for subscribing!  I just signed up and now I'm off to use my coupon code to snag another of her lovely designs for future use :)

 

 

Are you on the fence about joining us for our next knitalong?  If you missed the info here's the link!

 

 

If you are, I thought it might be a good time to share this summer shawl I just finished.  It's Stria by Bonnie Sennott...our lucky designer pick for our Girls in Sheep Clothing blog anniversary.

(ravelry notes can be found here)

 

 

Stria was a breeze to knit and I'm so happy to be knitting another one of her designs so soon after finishing this one.  Her patterns are well written and so much fun.  And I'm pretty sure she'll be keeping an eye on us since she knows we're hosting this kal and seemed tickled when she found out about it.  I think a few of our newest kal'ers may have come from her posting about our knitalong on her facebook and twitter accounts as well as her group on Ravelry.  Let's do her proud :)

 

So far we are seven ~ Kelli and myself of course, Penny (knitwitless) and Andrea (aksaxton).  Mimi (benzngems) will be knitting with us (your invitation has been sent...check your email!) but she wasn't sure if she would actually blog with us or not.  I hope she does...I've already seen her yarn choice & it's perfect so I'm encouraging her to share :).  We also have Susan and Cynthia joining us for the first time ~ don't forget, you two...if you want to blog with us I will send you an invitation as soon as you message me on Ravelry with your email addresses!

 

There's still lots of time to jump on board ~ we don't cast on until July 31st ~ so if you're interested please know you are welcome and we'd love to have you join us!

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Melissa

 



Come on along ~ posted by Melissa

Kelli and I are coming up on the 5th anniversary of our blogging adventures here at Girls in Sheep Clothing and it seems like the perfect time for another knitalong, don't you agree?

 

There are a few stragglers (myself included) on our Spire KAL but this new knitalong is a simple one and maybe even a good beginner lace pattern for someone new to making purposeful holes in their projects.  We've decided that Streusel by Bonnie Sennott fits the bill as a simple summertime knit.

 

It's a shallow triangular shawl with a lace border which is knitted on as you go, so no endless edging to work at the end.  The pattern is both written and charted, with both methods being very simple and easy to follow.  I'm just finishing up another project by Bonnie (Stria...just need to block her ~ rav notes can be found here ) and I can tell you her patterns are well written (and beautiful!).

 

So, if you're interested here's the skinny:

 

• the knitalong begins July 31st ~ our 5th blog anniversary

• there is no deadline...knit at your own pace ~ it's not a race!
 

• the pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry for $5.50 ~ link here

 

• pattern requires 400 yards of fingering weight yarn

 

• skills required are simple increases & decreases (explained in the pattern)

 

• here's a tutorial on guest blogging if you want to peek (thanks to guest blogger Kelly) ~ link here

 

 

If you're interested in joining us, comment here and also please pm me on Ravelry ( link here ) so that I can get the info that I need to add you to the blog so you can post along with us.  We share our progress and photos and offer help and encouragement along the way to those who need it.  We'd love to have you play along ~ we always have a great time and have made some fun friendships over the years.

this was one of our favorites...take a peek here!

(the collage enlarges if you click on it so you can see everyone's work)
 

I for one am looking forward to knitting with Kelli who I haven't seen in over a year (can that be right?).  We must do something about that ~ you'd think we lived on different continents :)

 

Looking forward to planning along with everyone as you jump in to join us and we talk about all things knitting!  Happy Monday!

~ Melissa