Lots of News!

We've got so much going on, I'm going to do a quick list and then expand below, for those of you who appreciate organization, or who get bored with long posts.

1.  June Etsy Sale.  Coupon Code JUNE2013
2. Craft show at the Foundry this Saturday, June 8, 12-5
3. Gifts for Father's Day!!
4. World Wide Knit in Public Day, Sunday June 9, 2-5.  Bidwell Park.  Bring your knitting, something to sit on, and a treat to share.
5. Yarn Bomb!  (shhhhh!)

1. We are running a sale at Etsy for 15% off your purchase for the month of June.  The coupon code is JUNE2013.  I've added a bunch of new yarn recently and I've got more coming.  Here are some teasers:

We also have a ton of stitch markers up on the site, which are always great gifts for swaps. AND, keep checking back because there will be more hand knit gifts added in the next couple weeks.

2. Besides the sale, we will be at The Foundry this coming Saturday from 12-5.  We LOVE this venue! If you haven't checked it out yet, stop on by!  There is food, music, demonstrations, activities for kids, and some really interesting and unique vendors that you don't see everywhere else.  PLUS, this is a great group of people trying to revitalize their east side neighborhood and provide space for artists, craftspeople and creative innovation. We feel they're a group well worth supporting.

3. We will be offering up some extra special items for Father's Day including hand knit ties, golf club covers, beer (or pop) cozies in Sabres/Bills colours, large sized oven mitts perfect for grilling and more! If you're looking for a special gift for dad or haven't had time to make something yourself, stop on by!!

4.  World Wide Knit in Public Day is a time for knitters to get together and be out in the community showing people that hey, we are here, and we are knitting!  It's a fun day to meet other knitters in the community, enjoy the sunshine (hopefully) and fresh air.  We like to move around and choose different locations.  Last year we were in Niagara Falls. This year we are going to be at Bidwell Park on the Zetti's side, not the Talking Leaves side.  We'll be there this Sunday, June 9, from 2-5.  Bring your knitting, something to sit on and a treat to share!  If it rains, we will meet at our usual spot, Ashker's Juice Bar on Elmwood (it's just a block north of Bidwell.)  Hope to see you there!!

5.  It's time for our 3rd Annual Yarn Bomb.  This year's theme is Baked Goods.  Keep an eye out, we will be posting pictures soon!  

Whew, I think that's everything for now!

Sereknitty

Finish Weekends!

I have been so busy with knitting for our monthly craft shows, gifts for other people or special orders and then a few MUST HAVE NOW items for me (currently a new bath mat and a cotton/linen top that I want to wear on my trip 4th of July weekend) that I have a ton of UFO's sitting around not being knit.  In the past, I've tried dedicating an hour or two on fridays to working on projects and I keep a pair of deep stash socks in my desk drawer to work on at lunch but the weather's been so nice lately that I've been walking at lunch instead of knitting most days and my fridays have been so busy that I haven't had time to do much knitting.  So last weekend I tried something different.  I carried a project around with me all weekend and knit whenever I could; in the car or when I had a free moment.  I didn't get a ton of knitting done, but here are the results:

I'm knitting the Onion Market Wrist Warmers.  I think the pattern is cute and will go well with my Cloudy Day Beret and Cladonia Shawlette that are made out of the same Mad Tosh Merino Light in Silver Fox that I overdyed more silvery (I'm starting to wonder if I bought magical yarn that never gets used up.) I decided I wanted to make them more like fingerless mitts and add a purled thumb gusset and I tried adding a bit of ribbing at the cuff.  I didn't like how the ribbing looked and the purled thumb gusset bugged me so I ripped it out and started over.  This time I left out the ribbing and I'm going to do another thumb gusst, but in st st instead and I'll increase every 4th row instead of every 3rd.  This is how much I had when I started:

And at the end so the weekend, this is what I had gotten done:

Not a TON, but I got through a full pattern repeat at least.  I put that aside for now because I won't be needing those for several months.  Instead, I want to focus this weekend on the socks that I keep wishing were done because I want to be wearing them!  I'm knitting Concentric in a 716Knit self-striping colourway called "Sire Whipped".  Jenna, the creator of 716Knit, is a local dyer and knitterly friend who makes awesome yarns in super bright colours.  And all her yarn names are hilarious quotes from Buffy.  What's not to love??  This is one of those projects where the yarn and pattern are working perfectly together and I WANT to be knitting them, but I put them aside to knit socks for my sister and then got busy with other things.  :(

So here is where I am this morning:

I know it looks weird, but it fits perfectly!

I marked my spot so I can see my progress.  Wish me knitting luck!! 

KnitCore at the Foundry!

We will be selling our hand-knit wares at The Foundry again this Saturday from 12-5!  We really enjoy this venue.  There are unique vendors, interesting demonstrations and yummy treats! Last month the Grilled Cheese Truck was there selling yummy sandwiches. 

We have been working hard knitting and dyeing for this coming weekend.  I'm excited to announce that I will be bringing lots of new yarns, some new colourways AND lace and worsted weights! I'm thrilled to be expanding my line of yarns beyond sock yarns and I've been having lots of fun with my dyeing pots.  Here are a few previews:

We hope you'll stop by and say hi.  This is a fun indoor event and a great way to support local artists and crafts people!  And did I mention the great food?  :)

Field Trip to the Farm!

Instead of meeting at Dolci like we normally do, a couple weekends ago we met at Thistle Creek Alpaca Farm in East Aurora for a tour. The owners, Jeanne and Brad, talked to us about how they got into alpacas, the progress they've made in the last several years, the struggles and benefits of raising alpacas and all about the fiber! We love the fiber! We got to head out to the barn and meet their over 30 alpacas, many of them rescues: They all have names and seem to know them. Thunder is the cutie with the hay on his face. Duncan is the adorable teddy bear faced boy next to him. Jedi is the tall grey suri with the long, lovely locks in the last picture. I bought some of her roving to spin from their store, along with some hand dyed batts blended with local kid mohair. We learned a lot about the different alpaca breeds, about their habits and personalities and their care. We laughed as they spit at each other while fighting over hay, yet how unnerved they were to have people around them. Apparently alpaca only spit when they feel threatened, unlike llama, who just like to spit. We marveled at all the gorgeous colours they come in and giggled as the girls flirted with the boys who are kept in a separate pen (for their own safety, it seems!) Did you know the gestational period for an alpaca is 11 months and 2 weeks? Makes 9 months seem like a cake walk, doesn't it? After petting the barn cat and letting the alpaca nibble our fingers, we headed back to the store to shop. I'm always supporting and promoting local fiber producers and this is no different. Jeanne and Brad have a great selection of alpaca products from their own alpacas and from around the world; sweaters and hand knit toys, ornaments, felted alpaca dolls, furry teddy bears and warm hiking socks. They also have hand knit items made by friends and family using their own mill spun yarns and hand dyed yarns and batts. If you're looking for unique and meaningful gifts for the holidays or need to add some alpaca to your stash, I recommend giving them a call and stopping by. They are usually home on weekends and would love to show you around. Their website is currently under construction, but they can be reached at 716.725.8238 or you can find them on Facebook. (Check out the photo of their beautiful grey huacaya that just placed at a recent show! She's gorgeous!) If you can't make it out before the holiday season, mark your calendar for 2013 National Alpaca Days, the 28th and 29th of September. They have an open house with demonstrations, food (this year they had a winery!) and all sorts of fun things to see and do! You don't want to miss it! Happy Crafting!! SereKnitty

KnitCore at Thin Ice!

The next time you're on Elmwood, swing by Thin Ice and check out my hand dyed yarns for sale!

In the same basket are some really gorgeous hand spun yarns by Judith of Knox Farm. And, of course, Thin Ice is full of beautiful locally made handcrafts; jewelry, pottery, woodwork and so much more. It's a great place to look for a gift and support the local economy.

Naughty Skew!

Look what my Skew socks did to the inside of my sneakers!

This is AFTER the socks have been washed several times! I find it amusing that you can see the stripes.

Lady in Red

My newest colourway: Padma!

Meet Lavender

Another new colourway. This one is particularly yummy!

Meet Xenophilius

I can't remember the last sunny day we had here in snowy, rainy, snowy (it seems to alternate days) Buffalo and I was feeling the winter blues. The best way to combat that? Dye a bit of sunshine!

Introducing my newest colourway: Xenophilius

Xenophilius, and all my colourways, can be found at our Etsy shop here.

Enjoy!

Sereknitty

I made a couple stitch markers today

Why? Because Lolo and I will be at the Lancaster Market this Saturday from 7-1 selling hand dyed and hand spun yarn, knitted and handmade gift items AND...stitch markers!! If you're free, stop by and say hi (and maybe buy something?)

We will be joined by Jenn of 716knit, whose self striping yarns are so bright and awesome.

Hope to see you there!!!

Sereknitty

I DID IT!!!

I finished the shawl!!!!

Isn't it beautiful? Don't you love it? The pattern is now available. It's called Dancing Birds of Paradise and you can find it here.

In other news, I knit 2570 yards in July! Pretty amazing, huh? Well, not all of it was knitting, I did give some yarn away, but still, in coldsheeping, destashing counts. So far I've used up 11,562 yards, bringing my stash down to 27,370 yards. I think I can make my goal of hitting 15,000 yards before Rhinebeck in October!!

All in all, good news. We are both knitting/dyeing/crafting furiously to prepare for the craft table on the 27th, so clear your schedule to come visit us at the Lancaster Farmer's Market between 7 and 1. We'll have hand dyed and hand spun yarns along with knitted and hand made gift items. There will be something for everybody and hopefully it'll be lots of fun!