Spin A Yarn for Ewe

Here is the fundraiser/contest I have planned. I need to raise at least $2200 but I am shooting for $3000, here is where you all come in. I am hoping to raise at least $500 here.

The link to donate is right here or at the top right side of the blog.


Here are the rules:

• For every $10 you donate you’ll get an entry in the raffle. To let me know about your donation, leave a comment on this blog or email me at spinayarnforeweATyahooDOTcom. I should be able to see them all on my personal page but just in case I miss one or you don't want your name on there. I will send you an email to acknowledge your entry, so if you don’t hear back from me, feel free to write again and check up.

• At $100, $200, $300, $400 and $500 donated I will add in an extra prize. We have reached $500 now!

• If you post about this raffle on your blog and include a link, let me know. I’ll put your name into the hat one extra time.

• The prize draw itself will take place on April 17th. This will give you plenty of time to join in on the fun and plenty of time for me to finish the stole since I know we can get there.

• Each person will be eligible to win a maximum of two prizes (we’ll draw for the big one first). That way, more people will have a shot at winning something.

• Once we’ve drawn the winners, I’ll post that information on my blog and contact these folks individually via email to arrange mailing.



Now for the prizes. All of these yarns are either handspun by me, hand dyed by me or both in some cases. They are all truly one-of-a-kind.

First up we have the beautiful superwash merino 2-ply which was dyed by the Sweet Sheep. There is 206 yards of it. It is called Berry Blitz and is a worsted weight.


I also have another skein of handspun yarn. This time it is corriedale that was dyed by Spunky Eclectic for her club last year. It is done as a 2-ply and it has 281 yards making it about DK or a little lighter. It is called Strawberry Fields.


When we get to $100 I will add in this skein of hand dyed sock yarn. I dyed this one in shades of turquoise and really think it will make a great pair of socks. There is 440 yards and it is superwash. I called it Jewel of the Sea.


I will also add in this skein of beaded yarn. It is merino plied with silk and beads. There is 135 yards of it.


When we get to $200 I will add in this handspun merino, not superwash, that I dyed as roving and spun up 2-ply. There is 250 yards of this one and it is a DK/light worsted weight. Very soft and I love the colors I call it Sunset.


I will also add in this skein of Rambouillet/Mohair/Angora blend. It is a 2 ply worsted weight and there is 156 yards.


Now if we can get to $300 I will add this 880 yard skein of Zephyr that I hand dyed in purples and blues. It should make a very nice lace project.


Plus I will also add in this skein of beaded yarn. It is merino plied with hand dyed silk and beads. There is 130 yards of this.


Now if we get to $400 I will be adding in another handspun, here is the first.

180 yards of merino/silk blend in a 2 ply and about DK weight. It has great shine which is hard to capture in the photo.

I also have a 600 yard skein of 100% silk lace weight.


The BIG prize is my yet to be finished Secret of the Stole 2. Here it is through Clue 5. This one will be when we get to $500.

I am almost done with Clue 6 and Clue 7 comes out this week. There are 2 more clues after that so it will be a few weeks until it is totally done and blocked but it should make for a really nice grand prize.

So you could win some one-of-a-kind yarn AND you are making a tax-deductible donation to Breast Cancer research...it sounds like win win to me and hopefully to you too!

I am going to limit this to US residents only due only to shipping costs.

Yes, I really have. I decided the other day that I really wanted to do the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day and nothing was going to stop me this time. I have really felt strongly about do this walk for a few years now but it always seemed like there was something that kept me from actually doing it but not this time. I signed up yesterday, have an orientation meeting next Tuesday and I am already starting to add the walking into my exercise routine. The next big hurdle is to raise the funds needed to actually walk with the minimum being $2200. I plan to ask everyone I know to donate because no amount is too little for a cause like this. I also think I am going to have a contest/fundraiser with some pretty cool prizes and more depending on the amount of money that comes in. I have to get all the particulars down before I throw it out there but here is a preview of what I have in mind.

I did get to that spinning I talked about and I think this will be the first item I give away. The yarn isn't quite done but the color is perfect for this cause.



It is from the Sweet Sheep, a superwash merino in a color originally named Berry Blitz but maybe we should change it to B@@bie Blitz for now! Goes with the whole theme, don't you think? I plan to offer either hand dyed or handspun yarns and maybe a big bonus prize if we can get the $$$ rolling in. I plan to ply this up tonight and as soon as I get photos of it I will post the particulars on how you can win it and some other cool yarns. Get ready to open your wallets and spread the word.

So after the sweater I finished up Clue 5 on the SotS 2. I decided not to start it on Friday like I usually do since the sweater was really calling me to finish it. So here it is.


It looks like we are going back to the original width this week but I haven't really looked too closely at the charts.

I did decide to start a new project to keep me busy between the clues. It is the Essential Tank Top (Ravelry Link) from Lace Style. I am knitting it in the Spritely Goods Fey yarn that I got right after Christmas. It is in a color called Moody Blues and I love how it is looking.

The pattern called for lace weight doubled but I just went for the fingering. I seems to be going so quickly as I am already about 20 rows farther then this and I took that shot yesterday in the late afternoon, probably the reason the color is not exactly right.

I think I may set aside the knitting to night and spin so I can watch some of the great movies we have right now so look for handspun in the near future. I have so many cool batts and rovings it is going to be hard to pick. Here are just a few.

I LOVE this sweater! It turned out great and I can see wearing it a lot. The pattern is written super well and I only made a few mods but just for the fit on me.

The Calmer was great to work with and it only took 5 balls, I made a small since I wanted negative ease. I have already bought some more Calmer to work with since it was on sale in a few colors at Webs.



The mods I made to it were to length in both the body and the sleeves. The sleeves I went shorter, 3.5" shorter. The body I went longer, 1.5" since I wanted it to hit the top of my jeans, no belly bearing tops for me. I also did a little shorter ribbing on the neckline but only by half and inch.

I think I may even knit this again but in the totally ribbed version or I may try Bonne Marie's newest top in IK, Aleita, if I can figure out that neckline. The directions just haven't clicked in my brain which makes me worried to try it. It seems to loose me when it talks about using 2 circular needles and working back and forth. I just can not visualize this at all. I may just start it and worry about it when I get there.

I've managed to get a bunch of knitting done this week. First up is the SotS2. I finished this clue on Sunday and it is taking an interesting turn in the shape department.

No, I didn't screw it up. This is how the pattern is going. Should be interesting to see the finished product.

After finishing that up a started back on the Ribby Pulli. I LOVE this sweater. I tried the body on before adding the sleeves and it fits great. I finally got the whole concept of negative easy right and it really works.


This should be a sweater I wear a lot. I can not wait until it is done. I think I will be slipping it on again before finishing the neckline and if it is not too risque I will get a shot of it. I also have to say that Calmer is now my favorite yarn to knit with. It just looks and feels so great.

I am totally itching to start the lace tank but I am trying to resist until I finish the Ribby and I am also holding out until I see the new yarn that Stephanie dyed for me. She said it is done and now she just needs to photograph it. I am tempted to just say "send it" and have it be a total surprise.

Yes, I currently have it. I was getting so good at working on one project at a time then a second kept in then next thing you know I have 3 going. What am I thinking?!

First up we have the new sweater finally in progress. This one took me a long time to find the right pattern but now we have it.

I am currently working on the body and have about 9" more to go but it is easy knitting and great for TV watching and for those little bits of down time at appointments. I love the yarn and the fabric I am getting with it. I really need more Calmer.

Second is the Montego Bay Scarf from IK. It is done in Sea Silk which is also a great yarn to work with and if it wasn't so pricey I would make a top out of it too. Might still have to splurge on that idea.

This one is actually done except for blocking it. I was ready for some rolling but this thing looks like a very small spaghetti noodle. I don't think I will pin it, just lie it out and see how that goes.

I also have to weave in the ends. Hardly a lot of them but I just can't seem to get to it.

Third is the SotS2. We got clue 3 last Friday and so that was the weekend knitting which spilled into Monday because of the Super Bowl. Normally I would of knitted but we went to a party so I didn't get to.

I am thinking this will be the last "mystery" knit for me for a while. I used to love them but I think I am done. I will finish this one but after that no more. I still have my lace club to look forward to starting in March so we will just stick with those.

I am also thinking about casting on for one more project since really the scarf is done and I have the yarn and pattern all picked out. It will be the Essential Tank Top from Lace Style (it is the one in blue)and I will probably use this yarn

from Spritely Goods. Tell me I shouldn't be too hot in superwash merino. Hmmm...Sea Silk would work too...guess we will see.