Another Pattern Ready for Take Off

How often do you find yourself finally getting that chance to sit down with your favorite book, only to find that you've lost your place AND you can't find your reading glasses?  Well, with our newest little pattern, both problems are now solved.  Not only can you save your place, but your glasses will be safely tucked away next to your book.  Why didn't I think of this sooner?  AND it's the perfect project to use up all that leftover sock yarn!

We're calling it our "Bookmark - Eyeglass Holder."  I think that pretty much sums up what it is!
It's now in our Etsy pattern shop and should be on Ravelry by day's end.

If you haven't yet entered for a chance to win a pair of our handcranked socks, please be sure to leave a comment on the previous post.  I'll be randomly drawing one lucky name on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012.

Time for a Sock Giveaway.....

It's finally time to have our little sock giveaway.  If you'd like a chance to win this pair of women's size small - hand cranked socks, just leave a comment on this post.  Be sure to leave contact info and on Saturday, Dec. 1st, I'll randomly draw one lucky name. 
 

We just finished up a two day craft show and were pleased with the results.  Even the dogs sampled some of the wares!

We're already signed up for next year, so I'll start knitting right after the holidays.  From now until Christmas, I'll be making some mittens and hats for my family.  I also hope to start work on two new patterns for our second Etsy shop, "Patterns By Kathy."

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Should I Be Having This Much Fun?

Usually, getting ready for a big Christmas Craft Show can be very nerve racking.  But, for some reason I've come to terms with the hustle and bustle of all the prep work.  I decided to put on some great Christmas music and just knit away.

The socks at the top just came off the drying rack and blocked out beautifully.  The color is called "Prism" and it's Pagewood Farm's "Denali" sock yarn.
 

And in between making socks, I've decided to hand knit more mittens.  I had this great sparkly fiber and had some matching Cascade 220 - how perfect together!

Throughout this process I've come to the conclusion that knitting mittens is every bit as addictive as making socks!

Thanks goodness my inventory is rebuilding for next week's show.  My cut off day will be Tuesday because Wednesday is baking day for Thanksgiving.  The two days right after Thanksgiving will be the craft show, and THEN we'll have a little sock giveaway right here.

The month of December will be spent getting ready for Christmas and knitting strictly for my family.  My guys definitely need some new woolen mittens and our 2 new granddaughters have also asked for some.  4 year old Mary wants pink (her favorite color) and Dana who just started kindergarten wants blue.  How fun to finally get to knit for some little girls!

Scenes of Bear Valley & Pictures of Doris

The craft show on Saturday was great and now I'm cranking away for the BIG show that's right after Thanksgiving.

Bear Valley Springs is always a delightful place to visit and sell socks.

The colors are sure changing with quite a nip in the air.

One of our new customers was curious about Doris and how she makes socks.  Mabel, this is what the socks look like when they come off the machine.  At the top of the ribbing is waste yarn that will be removed and the 1 x 1 ribbing is already locked, so I just have to weave in the end.

Here you can see the toe with waste yarn and I'll close it with a kitchener stitch.

Doris is definitely a work horse and I've made hundreds of socks on her.  Here you can see the 72 needles that she holds.

With each turn of this crank wheel, it counts as one round.  It looks very much like the old ice cream maker cranks, but instead of getting ice cream, we get a sock!  Thanks Mable for being such a wonderful customer and I hope you've enjoyed seeing what Doris looks like.

Snow, Socks & Scarves

This is what our mountain looks like without snow.........

This is what it looks like with a slight dusting - which we got last night.  Our first light snowfall in the California mountains can always be exciting and a little more is on the way this evening.

But, I hope not too much because I have a craft show to do tomorrow morning over in Bear Valley Springs.

Here's a pair of socks that will be traveling with me.  The yarn is Pagewood Farm's "Denali" and the color is appropriately named, "Indian Corn."

Never do we allow yarn to go to waste around here.  I call this my "Leftovers Scarf" which is made entirely from the remaining yardage of each skein.  Pretty fun, huh?

It too, will be heading to tomorrow's craft show.

Hold a good thought for us that we sell oodles of socks tomorrow.  Next week will find me cranking out even more socks because we have a two day show right after Thanksgiving.

And be sure to stay tuned, because we just may be having a sock giveaway right after Thanksgiving.

Two more designs are also in the works, but probably won't be ready until around Dec. 1st. 

Pagewood Farm Sock Yarn

With the first craft show a week away, our order of Denali sock yarn from Pagewood Farm arrived yesterday.  This is a fabulous hand dyed 80/20 fiber.  Don't you just love these colors?  Once it's all made into socks, I'll post more pictures.

This morning I finished this pair of mittens.  I can see some changes that I want to make to the next pair, but overall I'm quite happy with them.

I'm hoping that people will want some warm mittens and socks next Saturday.  Rumor has it that a snow storm is heading our way late next week with snow levels down to 4,500 feet.  Our house sits at about that elevation!

I Have to Crank Faster.............

The other day I called to get a gate pass for the big two day craft show in Bear Valley that's right after Thanksgiving.  That's the one that filled so quickly and we couldn't get a vendor slot.  Well, while I was on the phone with her, I asked if by some slim chance they had a cancellation.  Guess what?  Yep, one slot opened up.  I quickly grabbed it and now I've got two craft shows to do this month!

Today, I'll order more yarn and get going on the supplies that are here.  Doris is a faithful sock machine and she'll whistle and hum these socks out for me.

And in between making socks, I'll sit and make a few more pair of mittens.  Ok, I have to admit, I'm now hooked on 'em.  And the more colorful and outlandish, the better!