Getting to know you!

I would love to find out more about you and what brought you here! So I've decided to add this little survey in order to do just that! If I get enough responses, I may even decide to have a contest from among those that participate! So, what are you waiting for? I'd love to get to know you! Click Here to take the survey!

Pilikana

My husband just launched his new project this evening! Pilikana.com is now live! This has been a work in progress for the past several months...

Does the word "pilikana" mean anything?

Show Answer

Why yes it does actually... Pilikana is a Hawaiian word that means "relationship". I really like the way it sounds myself! Wouldn't mind visiting Hawaii again either, but don't know if or when that will happen again! Anyways, now for all the details!

• 100% Free to join! Sign up today!
• Talk with other members in online chat or privately via instant messenger
• Instantly create your own personal profile with photos, video and audio
• Find singles in your area using our ZIP-code-based locating system

Pilikana is an online community where you can broaden your social horizons and meet a variety of people. Millions of singles all over the world will be drawn to Pilikana. Some seek casual relationships while others search for great friendships that will stand the test of time. Many seek something more serious along with a love that will last a lifetime.

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out for yourself! Click on the banner above!!!

"You've been Spotted"! - Midnight Sky Fibers

...because natural doesn't have to be boring

I actually "Spotted" Midnight Sky Fibers tonight while browsing about online! They are definitely worth a spot in our spotlight!!! They feature naturally dyed handspun yarns and fibers. They are located in the Pacific NW, but are currently an online only store.


Jenn is the fiber artist behind this whole shindig, the owner, creator, yarn labeler, dyer extraordinaire, and pretty much every other adjective that you can come up with for someone who dyes and creates yarns and fibery goodness. She documents it all on her blog.
Her shop consists of yarns, fibers, kits, and clubs that Jenn herself creates. What a talented lady, definitely worth some recognition!!!
I'm big on environmental issues myself, and Midnight Sky Fibers are as environmentally friendly as possible, using non toxic dyes and mordants, reusing water, and supporting other green businesses...
Be sure to pay them a visit to find out more about all they have to offer including Kits and Clubs.

Monthly clubs available:

• A sock yarn club featuring their own naturally dyed sock yarn.
• The fiber club for spinners and felters
• The handspun yarn club- perfect for knitting, crochet, weaving, and general crafting

Go check them out now! ...and as I always say, let's continue to Support our Indie Artists!

Ravelry

Yay! I finally received my Ravelry invitation from frecklegirl this morning! I had been placed on their waiting list after applying for an invitation awhile back. Ravelry is a website for knitters and crocheters. They are adding new folks as quickly as they can from their invitation waiting list... I am so pumped about being added to their online community! Now I have a place to go for all things knitting/crochet! Thanks a million Jess and Casey!

Knitting Bags

Do you enjoy knitting and crocheting on the go? Jordana Paige Knitting Bags might be the perfect solution! Jordana Paige believes that just as a woman's purse goes everywhere with her, so should her knitting. She's created a bag that will hold all the basics; wallet, sunglasses and phone, as well as a knitting project, tools and pattern. What more could we ask for??? Check out her website for a full selection of her unique knitting bags, to view some of her knitwear designs, and to learn about events and where to shop for her bags. You'll even find a nifty knitting tutorial there.

Changing Colors and Weaving in Loose Ends

Do you ever get frustrated when changing colors in your knitting or crochet? Do they always seem to come apart when you wash them? Here are some tips I copied from SweaterBabe's Blog to help preserve your projects (especially if they are to be washed frequently). Weaving in loose ends is the proper way to finish all knit and crochet items.

Always use the new color for the final “yarn over and pull through” of your last stitch. I also highly recommend that you leave a 6-8″ tail of BOTH the new and old color. These 6-8″ tails will be the loose ends that will hang from your work until you are ready for finishing. Then, they will be “woven” in at finishing to complete the project.

You can also tie the new and old colors together in a loose knot if you prefer (keep it loose so that you can undo the knot when you are ready for finishing). Otherwise, just leave them loose and any stitches next to the joining that need to be tightened can be tightened when the loose ends get woven in.

How do you weave in the loose ends? Thread each of the 6-8″ tails into a yarn/tapestry needle (a sewing needle that is made for yarn) and “weave” the needle into your knitted or crocheted fabric with the goal of hiding your needle (so that the loose strand will get hidden in your work). For instance, if your loose end is at the edge or your work, begin poking your tapestry needle into your work starting at the edge and working in or along the edge (depends on where it can best be hidden). As you poke your needle in the fabric, if you see large parts of your needle through your work, you should pull the needle out and try again.

The goal here is to really bury the yarn inside the fabric. For crochet fabrics, this is a bit easier due to the thickness of crochet. I often hide loose ends in the insides of a row of single crochet, or along the base of a row of double crochet stitches. For knitting, I often split the yarn and hide the loose end that way.

I recommend weaving in the loose end for about 2″ in one direction, then changing directions and weaving in the loose end another 2″. This sounds like a lot, but I believe it’s necessary to ensure that that loose end will never worm itself out enough to cause anything to unravel. This is especially important if the yarn is a slipperly silk or rayon blend.

Be sure to hide each loose end in its same color area. And if you are hiding loose ends near a seam, just hide the end in the inside of the seam!

Fiber Fiction!

Well, I just finished reading "A Good Yarn" by Debbie Macomber tonight. It was a wonderfully easy read and a very enjoyable book. You feel as if you know each of the characters personally and share the joys and pains that each one goes through. I loved that it was based on a yarn shop and the women that enrolled in the knitting class there. Fiber and Fiction! What an awesome combination! I love reading a good book, and especially one that envolves a "good yarn"! I can't wait to read her other 2 Blossom Street books now!

Gift Shop now Open!

I have decided to add a little gift shop where you will find links to my own handcrafted items on Etsy, my healthy coffee home biz, and a few of my affiliate links where you can get awesome deals on craft supplies... More shops will be added soon... I am also hoping to open my own virtual yarn store where I'll carry a variety of yarns, hooks, needles and accessories. So go check them out! If you're also a coffee lover, such as myself, you owe it to yourself to check out the Healthy Coffee site. There really is such a thing as healthy coffee!

My favorite new LYS

Well I finally made it over to Purlescence Yarns on Sunday and I'm so glad I did! It was a much needed fiber fix! I went over a month without shopping for yarn! Oh My! This is the first yarn shop I have visited since our move, and it's right down the road! The owners are the nicest "purl girls" I've met since moving here to Sunnyvale, CA! I was very impressed with their shop. They offer a wide variety of yarns, books and accessories. They were actually in the midst of an anti-Super Bowl party when I popped in. It was their "antidote to Super Bowl blues" and I thought it was great! I had a cup of New Guinea coffee (with a finger sandwich and a couple of tasty cookies) while I browsed their stash. I think I spent at least 2 hours in there!

I ended up buying a skein of Plymouth Yarn's Encore wool blend in the yummiest pastel pink I could find. I've already started knitting with it and a chocolate brown yarn that I already had. I'm making yet another scarf, but this one will be in my favorite brown and pink striped color combination.

They had some really nice finished products on display. One that caught my eye in particular was a Ribby sweater that is knit to fit ANY figure perfectly! I am so tempted to buy that pattern the next time I visit the store. It's a pattern designed by Bonne Marie Burns of Chic Knits.

I meant to take my digital camera with me to the shop, but I didn't get a chance to download the photos from it to make room for new ones before I left. So... next time I'll have to remember to do that first!