Tag Archive for ‘swag’ at adam knits!

Tag Archive for 'swag'

Envy is One of the 7 Deadly Sins 19 Oct 07

I’m trying to remind myself of that, as it seems everyone in knitting blog world is headed off to Rhinebeck for a grand weekend involving meetups, new sweaters, and fiber acquisition. I’m not jealous, really! (Ok, maybe just a tad…but I’ll get over it eventually.)

For those who aren’t going to Rhinebeck, I find it helps to gather up all your lovely yarn, and pet it a little bit, while imagining you’re in a wonderful place filled with sheep and funnel cakes. It’s certainly not a substitute for a large fiber festival, but it helps, and it’s definitely gentler on the bank account. ;)

And while I was petting my yarn, I realized I have a lot of lovely hand-spun skeins laying around that I have yet to show you, so why not? It’s some tasty Eye Candy Friday, and it might just distract you from the fact that this post is all shiny and no substance.

First up we have a lovely skein of BFL, spun up by yours truly! Remember this roving? Well after I got a lovely new maple drop spindle, I was anxious to finish it up. The roving was a 4oz braid of BFL from Flawful Fibers, in the Safari colorway. I really loved spinning the BFL, it’s very soft and strong, while being easy to spin. I’m definitely getting better too, these singles are a lot less slubby and I got a lot more yardage this time (around 75 yards). I have no idea if I’ll just keep it as a pet, or knit anything with it, but either way, I’m delighted with it.

Our next contestant is a lovely skein of handspun that Georgia sent me for winning a contest on her blog. It’s a very luscious prize, and makes for a nice addition to my hand-spun trophy case. I can’t recall the fiber content at the moment, but when it’s this lovely, who cares? I’m thinking I’m going to use this to make a Red Light Special with just the handspun for the colored parts and some chocolate colored Alpaca I picked up at the Taos Wool Festival. I think it will be my most luxurious winter hat ever.

Lastly, I just received this from Alyson yesterday, and I’ve quite a crush on it. Alyson liked my kettle dyed Pumpkin yarn, so we negotiated a small trade. She spun up this superwash merino into sock yarn for me, and I sent her a skein of Punkin Head yarn. I’m very spoiled, to have such awesome people that trade handspun yarn with me! So thanks Alyson, I love it! I think this will become some plain old toe up stockinette socks, since I don’t want anything to spoil the loveliness of the yarn.

The final installment of eye candy that I have today, are a few new colorways that I’ve cooked up. I’m working hard on my next order for The Loopy Ewe, which should be shipped off in a week or so. These skeins are dyed up in my newest sock yarn, which I’ve dubbed 850 MHz Merino. It’s a really nice 3 ply merino, that knits up really evenly and is super soft. The twist is a little bit less than my 900 MHz Merino, but it’s not at all splitty, and has less bias, so it looks really nice when knit up into stockinette. I think you’ll really like it a lot, and I’m hoping it’s going to help reduce some of the supply issues that I’ve been having with the 900 MHz Merino. I’m not discontinuing the 900 MHz, I just think I’m going to put it on the back burner for a little while. I hope you like the new yarn as much as I do!

Here’s a quick summary of the State of Yarn Nerd to bring you up to speed:

850 MHz Merino will be available through The Loopy Ewe, so go stalk Sheri to get your sock yarn fix ;)
While the sock yarn will be available through Sheri, the Yarn Nerd store is still the place to go for sport and other weights.
1500 MHz Merino will be replaced with another sport weight merino in the next few months. Sorry for the lack of sport weight, but I’m working hard to get something comparable to what I was using that isn’t constantly on back order.
1700 MHz BFL will be available in early November, and will be an option for Create Your Skein. This is a really nice DK weight yarn, and if you were wanting something in a heavier weight for thick socks or hats, I think you’ll want to give this a try.
2400 MHz Merino will also be replaced with a new worsted merino in a few months, so if you were wanting some worsted, just be patient a bit longer.
Roving will eventually be available on a less hodge podge basis, but it might be a while before that occurs.

I hope that helps answer a lot of questions for those of you who have e-mailed me wondering about sport weight, and where you can get your hands on some Yarn Nerd goodness. If you’ve e-mailed me and I haven’t responded, drop me another line, as things have been a bit hectic these days. It’s quite a challenge to manage school, work and the yarn stuff, but I enjoy every minute of it, so thanks so much for all your support!

That’s all I have, so have a great weekend everyone, and if you’re at Rhinebeck, I’ll try not to envy you too much ;) Sending me yarn might help me get over my envy, hint, hint. ;)

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Adam

in biking, dyeing, hand spun, knitting, swag, the stash and yarn nerd

Fiber Heaven 09 Oct 07

20 Comments

So I went to the Taos Wool Festival this past weekend, and it was heaven. I’ve never been to a fiber festival before, and wow was I missing out! I drove up with a friend, and we had a great day involving fiber, food and a winery detour on the way home. There was so much delicious yarn and fiber, it was nearly impossible to make a choice on what to buy. In the end I did make a choice, and ended up picking the following:

A lovely Maple Spindle, which has already been put to good use.
A skein of brown Alpaca for only $10!
A skein of white Cormo wool for dyeing fun. (this is a new breed of sheep and I must say it’s fantastic. let’s just say that it might be a future addition to Yarn Nerd’s bases…)
A big skein of gray Border Leicester, also for dyeing fun.
A skein of 80% Llama/20% Soysilk, which is pretty much as soft as it comes, and it’s tweedy!

I think I did pretty well, although my checkbook might not agree. I did resist bringing this guy home though…

Somehow I don’t think that the city of Albuquerque, and Dallas and Emma would have agreed with that decision ;)

I also got to meet up with Amber, who was in town from Virginia visiting family, for a bit of lunch and fiber shopping. Her Grandma came with her and was quite the sport while we caressed yarn and talked knitting. It was good to meet you Amber, and if you ever decide to move back to New Mexico we can hang out! Hint hint. ;)

Amidst all the new stash, I’ve also been working on depleting some of the stuff I have already. It’s Fall TV Season, which means lots of evenings hanging out in the living room, working away like a sweatshop knitter. Gotta get those Christmas Knits done! Some of the big things I’m working on include my Seamless Hybrid (almost done with the body, and I’m working on a sleeve in the photo) and my Mom’s Garden Shawl (that’s right Mom, I’m knitting on the shawl!).

It’s also Socktoberfest, which means I have a few pairs in the works. I just finished this sock, which Emma is so delighted to model for you. It’s a Gentleman’s Fancy Sock (from Knitting Vintage Socks), knit in one of my favorite sock yarns, Austermann Step. And as much as I love it, I’m going to be strong and put it in the Christmas pile. I just have to remind myself that other people need warm handknit socks too. ;)

I’m also working on a Thelonious sock in the Pumpkin yarn from the last post, for a swap that I’m doing. It’s quite tasty. The socks are the perfect bus knitting project, since the sweater and the shawl are a bit much to carry in my bike bags.

Oh, and I finished a hat a bit ago, for a friend’s birthday, as shown by my lovely model. (Don’t you just love dogs in knits? I do!)

It’s the Foliage pattern from Knitty, knit up in 3/4 of a skein of Manos 100% Wool. It’s fast and it looks great, so it’s a really good gift knit. Or you can use it for making your dogs look dorky… ;)

Well it’s bedtime, so I better shove off, but I thought I’d pop in to say that I am alive, and that I’m keeping quite busy these days. It must be this cold snap that’s making me all knit crazy…nothing like the feel of wool through your hands when it dips to 50 degrees outside.

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Adam

in finished objects, gifts, hats, knitting, socks, socktoberfest, swag, the stash, weekend! and works in progress

In Which I Become An ADD Knitter 21 Apr 07

18 Comments

You know, I used to be really good about only having one project on the needles. But lately that seems to have gone completely out the window. I actually have 2 projects that have been sitting for over a month, 2 that have been on my needles for at least a week or two, and I just cast on for another pair of socks today! What’s happening to me?! What’s next, buying yarn with no project in mind? Oh wait, I’ve already broken that rule a few times.

I guess I’ll just chalk it up to anticipation for school to end, and my short attention span these days. I’m juggling so many balls it seems that I can’t spend a prolonged amount of time with anything, so I guess that has migrated to my knitting habits too. Although, one positive note is that it gives me lots of knitting content to show off now!

So what do I have on the needles anyway? Let’s see…

Garden Shawl (for my Mom) → I really need to pick this up again (sorry Mom!), but it definitely won’t happen until the semester is over. When it takes 30+ minutes to do a round, it’s difficult to find time to get much done on it.
Emma’s Sweater → I’m not entirely sure this one is even going to fit, and seeing as it’s quite warm these days, I think this might be destined for the frog pond until Fall.
Topi (for my brother Clay) → This one is a fairly quick knit, but it seems to have not gone right a few times. I’m knitting it out of a skein of Yarn Nerd 2400 MHz that I saved for my brother a while ago, and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to make it sturdy and still have enough yarn. After a few false starts, I ended up double stranding the top, and single stranding the rest. I was almost all the way done when I realized that I’d made the bill way too big, it looked like a duck bill! (Why is it that it’s never possible to fess up to these things until it’s too late?) So now I’m almost done, I just have to wrap the bill, stick in the insert and sew it shut.

Medallion Mitts → I needed to use up the rest of the yarn from my Dad’s Jaywalkers, so I cast on for these fingerless mitts, from my Knitting with Balls book a few weeks ago. I’m close to finishing the first one, but still seem unable to do so…they would be nice though, since my new cubicle is a bit on the chilly side.

Broad Spiral Rib Socks → This is a new knit (cast on today!), and I’m already in love. I happened to be browsing a bookstore yesterday when I noticed that they had a copy of More Sensational Knitted Socks. Needless to say I bought that sucker, and spent the evening browsing through it, and it’s totally awesome. There’s both toe-up and top-down instructions for all the socks, how cool is that? And lots more discussion on different heel and toe techniques, as well as lots of different cast ons and bind offs that can change your sock’s look. Charlene Schurch? I love you!

could these socks BE anymore sensational?

Anyway, I was smitten with the Broad Spiral Rib socks, so I cast on first this morning. I don’t have a picture of the pattern, so you’ll just have to wait until I get there ;) The yarn is some Austermann Step that I got in Chicago a while ago, in turquoise, gray and black. Kind of last month’s Project Spectrum colors, but let’s be honest…I’m much more of a greys/blacks guy than a pink/yellow/green guy. (Although, if you want some PS goodies, check out the Yarn Nerd update on Monday!) At this point I’m definitely smitten with the sock, but looking at the above list we’ll see how long that lasts.

Do you think a doctor will prescribe ritalin for knitting ADD? Yeah, I figured not ;)

So there’s your knitting update, now onto Saturday Sky! Today’s lovely sky photo features some nice sky, clouds and…a green toilet? Yup, coming to you from the metropolis of Socorro, NM, here’s the crazy antics that those nerdy engineers are up to down at New Mexico Tech.

One of my former roommates took this and sent it to me, and I just about died laughing. Some students managed to get a green toilet up on top of the library clock tower, which is actually pretty darn high. So high in fact, the firetruck ladder won’t even get close to it, so the poor school has no idea how to get it down! Ha! How good is that? We engineers can be pretty clever!

So why is the toilet green? You really don’t want to know. Green is a very mythical color down at NMT, involving tales of green sheep and drunk miners. I remember many a St. Patrick’s day that involved naked green people streaking across campus!

The things you do when you attend a school with a 7:1 guy to girl ratio I guess.

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Adam

in gifts, knitting, nerdy, nmt, school, shawls, socks, swag, the stash and works in progress

Fibery Day 07 Apr 07

14 Comments

Ah, I love relaxing days that involve lots of fiber. I got in some knitting and picked up some new swag, so it was a very nice Saturday. What’s not to love about a new Go Knit Pouch in Medium, and a keychain designed by John of Yarn Ball Boogie? Both of these lovely items are stocked by the ever-talented Scout, who does bad things for my checkbook, despite being a very kind person. It doesn’t help that Scout lives on the way to the Yarn Store, so it’s super easy to stop off at her house and buy some stuff. Hear that Scout? I’m cutting myself off! (Haha, yeah right!)

how cool is this keychain?

I really love my new Go Knit Pouch, because the medium size holds a bigger project, and even the smaller bag at the same time! This way I can carry around 2 projects to satisfy my ADD ;) The project it’s currently holding is a Topi that I’m knitting for my brother Clay, out of my 2400 MHz Worsted Merino in the Project 86 colorway. Now I know what you’re thinking…”jeez he uses his yarn a lot and never updates the shop!“…but I set this skein aside for him a few months ago on request, and I’m just now getting around to the knitting. Plus, it’s really good affirmation to knit with my own yarn just to see how it works up into various projects. Anyway to rationalize saving some for myself eh? ;)

Speaking of Yarn Nerd…I got more yarn in today! Woo-hoo! I’ve been waiting for some more orders for a bit, and they’re starting to come in, so I can get back to dyeing now. School has been particularly busy this semester, but it seems to be slowing down for now, so hopefully a shop update will be ready soon. And summer is coming too, so that means lots of dyeing time.

I did hit 1000 comments yesterday, so one lucky person should be hearing from me soon regarding their lovely gift. Now that I have more yarn to dye, I can provide a worthwhile prize package ;)

Also, go check this out! Dawn just finished a pair of socks with my 1500 MHz Sport Merino in the Bamboo Grove colorway, and they look great! This is the first picture I’ve seen of my yarn knitted up on the Internet, and I’m super excited. If anyone else has pictures of stuff they’ve knit with Yarn Nerd yarn, I’d love to see them!

That’s about all I got for today, I just wanted to give a quick update and show off my new purchases. Also, a commenter in the last post requested an update on my fitness progress, so that’s going to be the next post. Let’s just say that I’m still working at it, even if my schedule has been a bit crazy as of late. I haven’t fallen off the horse per say, I think I’ve just slowed to a trot. At least I’m still on right?

Have a wonderful Resurrection Day everyone! It’s really mind boggling to think that the Sovereign Almighty God came down to earth and died, so that I could have a relationship with Him. It’s not something that I understand or comprehend, but it’s something I can rejoice over, and give worship to God for. My only response is to try to live a life that gives Glory to Him for His namesake. Amen!

(Also, I apologize about the post changing subjects every 2 seconds, but it’s late and I have had waaaay too much coke this evening.)

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Adam

in a nerd's life, christianity, dyeing, knitting, shop, swag and yarn nerd

Work and Rewards 23 Jan 07

6 Comments

First off. 24 last night? Did anyone else see it? OMG! Jack is so crazy! Anyway, if you want to discuss whether or not Jack Bauer is legally insane, then you should drop me a line with the contact form, rather than using the comments, so my readers who aren’t on Day 6 don’t tar and feather me. (come on peeps! hurry up!)

That aside, I really don’t have too much to report…school is in full swing, so I’m getting adjusted to my new schedule and trying to maintain my sanity quotient. It’s harder than it sounds. But whenever I may stay up too late trying to get things done, I always have these little clocks to keep me on the right sleep schedule.

"come to bed papa! we’re sleepy!"

And yep, that’s Junior in the background. He’s still with me, although there’s a family coming to see him in a few days and I think he’s going to finally be adopted. It’s been more of a process because he’s older and deaf, but he’s a sweet guy and still deserves a good home.

Also, I’m at 19.6 miles for Runagogo, yeah! Last time I started running I didn’t make it this far, so I’m excited. I ran almost 3 miles last night, in the cold even! I went out at dusk and decided to just run in the neighborhood rather than deal with the gym lines, and I had a very nice time. I warmed up towards the end, and had some hot tea when I got home too. Not my favorite to run in the cold, but I was proud of myself for getting out there and getting it done. So to celebrate, I had a little reward tonight ;) Just a small one, I promise! (I even skipped the cone!)