I really have no reason for having a contest.  Its past my one year blogiversary, it's not my birthday, nothing in particularly special has happened upon me lately, in fact I've been feeling yucky and a bit blah.  So I'm having this contest for no apparent reason.  Well, maybe one.  And that is to let you guys out there who read my blog know that I like it when you stop by, read my blathering-ons and drop me a little comment here and there.  Now, here's a break down of what the lucky winner will get:

Yarn:  OnLine Supersocke 100 (Summer Color)  100gms/380 meters 45% Cotton/40% Wool/15% Polyamid (the colors look pretty accurate on my monitor).

A really nifty yarn/thread cutter made of "Dymondwood" (from KPixie).  Golly, I really want to keep this.  It rates high on my "Coolness Meter".  You may not be able to see it but there is a small hole on the top so you can thread a cord through it and where it around you neck to keep it handy.  The front and back are shown.

A tape measure in the theme of a chicken (also from KPixie).  I've fought the urge to yank on the egg.  And the urge was strong.

Key toppers.  You can now enjoy opening your front door when you put one of these monkey faces on your key. 

Did you wonder how I came up with the name of my contest?  Now you know.  And you too can use the "Devil (duckie) made me do it" excuse when you feel the urge to cop out of an argument.  This, however, does not work when arguing with a teenager.  These are for the top of a pencil but who says you can't use them as point protectors on some of those larger knitting needles?

And speaking of larger knitting needles, here's a couple pairs of 'em.  Valley Yarns Bamboo Needles in sizes 13 & 15 (14" long straights).  I love working with Bamboo needles but these days I've become an obsessive circular needler (otherwise known as OCN, just a hair different than OCD).

Samples of Soak.  I haven't used these before but I will...oh yes, I will.  Now you have no excuse not to do your washing.  In 3 delicious flavors: Flora, Citrus & Aquae.  Rinse free, biodegradable, Phosphate-free.

Mmmmm...more devilish goodness.  When you're in the mood to Pick 'n Choose, be sure to pick with these: Lil' Devils Cinnamon Toothpicks.  You can use the rubbery monster finger puppet to test how sharp the picks are.

The last item is the sweetest.  No really.  There's sugar in these things, let me tell ya!  On one of my recent trips in search for the ever elusive Zotz candies (I used to eat them when I was a kid many years ago) I came across the Fizzes.  Similar but not quite like the originals I remember.  No I'm not giving them away because I don't like them.  I bought enough for you and me both.  I even bought enough Razzles to share too.  A weird candy/gum treat.

And to clarify, the gray bit of fur on the left side of the top photo (go ahead, scroll up: I'll wait...) is not included in the giveaway.  And to clarify even further, all the items shown are from a household whose members include cats, dogs & a hamster.  I've keep these items away from them, except to take the photos, and they're all new and in clean condition.  Sounds like I've sold things on ebay, but I haven't.

Now to win all this loot here's what I'm asking YOU to do:

Leave me a comment guessing what my middle name is.  Simple!  And I'll even give you a clue: It starts with the letter

"L".

If there are several of the same answers, I'll put your name in a hat and have the Sharchitect draw out the winner's name.  Just make sure I have your name (first name & last name's initial, such as Vyvyan N.) in your comment so I can track you down later and ship all of these goodies to you.  Enter as many times as you'd like.  I'll post the winner's name after Labor Day.

Let the Fun begin...

Pattern: Lola Bowla (Medium version)

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted Used for this version)

Needles: #10 US (6.0 mm) circular, straight or dpn

Maybe calling this a bowl is not accurate.  A typical bowl is round.  This one is not.  It starts with a pentagonal shaped bottom (5 edges) worked flat.  Then mitered square sides are added one at a time.  After construction, the bowl will be felted and when still damp, formed into its final shape.  The pre-felted shape is all floppy and looks a bit misshapen that it’s hard to imagine the end result.  Its transformation is almost magical. 

This bowl can be worked in your choice of feltable yarns but the finished results will probably vary.  The size of the bowl will depend on the yarn thickness, its gauge and the degree to which it will felt.  There is a point where the size of bowl can be too large to support the sides so try not to venture too far in size. 

Besides the yarn listed in the materials list, these yarns would also be suitable:

• KnitPicks Wool of the Andes  (knitpicks.com)
• Valley Yarns Northampton or Berkshire (yarn.com)
• Cascade Yarns Cascade 220
• Reynolds Lite Lopi
• Plymouth   Galway
• Peruvian Highland Wool (elann.com)

Make sure your yarn choice is not a superwash wool as it will not felt and form a bowl. 

This pattern consists of the written instructions for 3 different sizes.  Diagrams are shown to help assist in the construction process.  Several photos are included also showing the different stages and how one piece attaches to the next.  Altogether, there is a total of 7 pages to the whole pattern. 

More information:

Materials:

• Large: Lion Brand Lion Wool 100% wool  85gms/158 yds  colors: Cocoa (MC), Lemongrass (CC1) & Goldenrod (CC2)  1 skein each
• Medium: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted 85% wool/15% mohair 100 gms/190 yds  colors: Deep Charcoal (MC), Orange You Glad (CC1), Ruby Red (CC2), Orchid Thistle (CC3), Aztec Turquoise (CC4) , Amethyst (CC5)  & Limeade (CC6).    1 skein each
• Small: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted 85% wool/15% mohair 100 gms/190 yds  color: Orange You Glad (MC) and Noro Kureyon    color: 102 (CC) 1 skein each
• US #10 (6.0 mm) needles: 2 dpns, 24” circular or 14” straight (see Notes section)
• Cotton Waste yarn (for marking decreases)
• Clothes pins or clips (at least 10)
• Zippered mesh bag or pillowcase (for felting process)
• Kitchen timer

Gauge:  16 sts x 32 rows in garter st

Finished sizes (will vary depending on degree of felting):

Small: 3.25 inches high by 4.5 inches wide

Medium: 4 inches high by 5 inches wide

Large: 4.25 inches high by 5.5 inches wide

Small Lola

Large Lola

This file is available for purchase in PDF format.  Click on the button below and follow the instructions to receive your copy of the pattern.

Skill level: Advanced Beginner to  

$5.00

Would you be so kind as to vote?

Yes, I'm thinking about selling a few patterns from my blog and will probably proceed with the idea even if the poll results aren't good.  I'm like a salmon--I tend to swim upstream.

I don't think age really has anything to do with it.  After my forays into dyeing this weekend, it is now confirmed that I will leave the fancy dye jobs to those who really get it.  I would rather do the knitting part any day.  I only made this attempt since I had a truck-load (no, not really that much) of worsted wool in a color dubbed "Palomino" and was partially worked into an afghan.  The color was not something I preferred so a dye job was in order.  I counted up the loot and had 10 full skeins (including the ripped afghan) that needed some color.  Here's what I ended up with:

I've patted my back for getting through the ordeal.  And I'm happy with the majority of the finished colors.  Some of the results were not as planned or expected.  My attempt at purple (mixing yellow and blue powder in the dye-pot) is the skein on the second row up on the right.  The splotches of blue were created by globs of dye-goo that wasn't dissolved at the bottom of the pot while the yarn was cooking/soaking.  This could have been a nice effect using some other colors and if done intentionally.  The skein on the third row up on the left was the result of a badly dyed red.  Here's what I did to make it look that way:

I took the red skein (noticed the spots that didn't catch the dye) and wrapped it tightly with white cotton yarn.  I tied it off and tossed it into a pot of black dye.  And this is what it looks like afterward:

The black came out more of rosy brown (darker than shown here) and there are 1 inch spots left in the original red color.  I've named it "Cherry Cordial", you know, after the candy.  Strange, I don't like the candy and I don't quite like this colorway. 

One good thing can be said about the hot temperatures outside.  It made the drying time of the yarn go much faster.  I hung them from the trees high enough so the pup/hound couldn't get them tangled in her toothy grip (that short-legged dog sure can jump!) 

I'm going to be using this yarn for felted projects and I expect there to be some bleeding.  I'll have to plan color combinations carefully.  The cost of the project was around $30--zero $ for the yarn, $20 for the dye set (KnitPicks Jacquard Acid Dyes Starter Set) and $10 for a stainless steel 8 quart mixing bowl.  Not bad for 40+ ounces of worsted wool.  Here's another shot of the pyramid showing the undyed color at the top:

~Inner Monologue:  Should I drop the hint now that I'm planning a contest/giveaway in the near future?  The details are still sketchy so maybe I should wait.  I don't know if anyone will be interested...~

I've noticed lately that when it comes to my purchasing habits of yarn, I tend to buy different types of yarn in small batches.  This makes me sound a bit non-committal and I suppose that describes my relationship with yarn pretty well.  I have urges to try every type of yarn I can get my hands on, only if its to just swatch around a bit.  So when I buy, I usually bring home 2-3 skeins of one kind at a time.  Witness the following:

Schachenmayr Denim (greens & Dk. blues), Classic Elite Fame (brights).

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool (deep pink), Elsebeth Lavold Angora , Louet Euroflax sport wt. (Black Sea), Claudia Hand Painted fingering merino. 

Alchemy Silken Straw (lots of yardage in each skein)

This rather nice collection was acquired during a solo visit to Tulsa this past weekend.  (Well, not quite solo since I dropped the teenager and his friends at the mall before proceeding on to the yarn shops--who needs impatient tag-alongs when you're trying to study and grope yarn?)  But notice how everything seems to be in pairs?  Two exceptions: the single Euroflax Linen and the 5 skeins of Classic Elite Fame.  So back to my committal thing.  Maybe it has to do with that fact that I just can't drop all of our hard earned cash for more of this lovely stuff, even though the little red devil on my shoulder tells me to all the time.  I tend to knit smaller items these days and small batches are just what they require.  I also like to do the mixy-matchy thing with different textures and weights of yarn when working up a project.

During my visit at the shop called Loop in Utica Square, I was able to spend a few special moments waggling some silk skeins in my hands.  I refrained from touching them to my face although the urge was strong.  I do know this though--I am so hopelessly in love with all of the Alchemy yarns.  My affair with them began when I was the lucky winner of the Vogue "Scarf for Breast Cancer" contest.  One of the prizes was a skein of Bamboo by Alchemy.  Luscious fibery butter!  I could almost eat it!  I made the Friday scarf in it.  So I splurged and left the store with the 2 skeins of green semi-solid seen above.  Now look at these close-ups!

Okay, maybe the pics don't do it justice but there is definitely some glistening going on.  The yarn doesn't have a soft silky touch like you'd imagine.  It has a crunchy feeling.  A good solid fresh-mown-grass-without-the-smell feeling.  Still, I'm not able to describe it properly.  The yarn itself is not spun but composed of about 5 thread-like strands that seem to be glued together side by side.  It has the effect of a ribbon and is very similar to Habu Gima, which is cotton and constructed in a similar way.  I actually have some yarn on hand (Noro Kubuto, now discontinued) that coordinates quite well color-wise so they may just get married in the near future.

As far as actual knitting goes, I've started a Nereides stole.  I'm using my new Fame and Silky Wool (see above).

I'm only making a couple of modifications to Jacque's design.  First, since I'm using 2 different yarns, all the right side rows are of one kind and the wrong side rows are of the other.  This means I have to move the work to the opposite side of the circ needle before starting the next row.  It sounds awkward but the effect is nice.  I'm also changing the garter and eyelet rows at the beginning and end.  If I have enough yarn left over, I'll do the dramatic fringing and add some beads like in the original.

~Inner monologue: It's such a nice feeling not to have to sneak in my yarn purchases this time.  The Sharchitect knew in advance that I was on a mission--a mission for yarn.  And he definitely didn't want to go along for the ride.~

I must state first off that before hitching up with the Sharchitect I'd never been drawn to Fried Catfish and the "must have" side items that accompanies it.  But 12+ years after the hitching, I have given up and joined the crowd.  I know its not just an Arkansan phenomena and really, not an exclusively Southern dish.  So last night we did so partake in the breaking of hush puppies and piled on our plates with the necessary mounds of coleslaw, pickled green tomatoes, onion slices (raw), pickle & lemon wedges and fries.  We left full and content thinking silently to ourselves about the fact that we'd done this same thing only a mere 6 days prior to this event.  At the same place.  The Catfish Hole.  Its a local favorite that I'd recommend to those traveling to the city.  A very casual experience. 

Have I mentioned how the Sharchitect likes to promote and exploit share the fact that I'm a knitter?  It is truly a sweet jester on his part but sometimes it gets embarrassing.  Before leaving for our feast of the fish, he asks me to bring along some of my knitted projects to show off to our friends during dinner.  We hadn't visited with them for a few years and had some catching up to do.  I hated doing it but I told him no.  No, I just couldn't do that.  Because, as many of you fellow knitters may know by now, those who don't enjoy the craft don't understand our personal fascination with it.  I conceded only because I was wearing my YinYang sweater and had decided to wear it before he'd asked.  Oh, and I carried a felted handbag too but hubby is so used to seeing it that he forgot it was one of my little ditties.  Honestly, I don't like pointing out my handiwork.  I have this blog to show off my stuff and I'm not making anyone read it.  Folks are free to choose whether to read my blather or cycle on to other more intellectual pastimes.

Speaking of pastimes, look what can happen if you choose to snuggle up real close with your husband way too many times:

#17

To me this is shocking.  How can a 40 year old uterus handle it?  I get cramps just thinking about it.  Sorry, TMI.    And I thought it was expensive feeding one teenager! 

Since I have an Arkansas theme to this post, I'll leave you with this image of what I can only call my dream car (not):

Go Hogs!  Whoooo Pig Sooiee!