Yellowbird Yarn Room

Good things come to those who wait.

Like a pair of earrings that I love.

A chunky ring, made of cutlery, that actually looks decent on my stubby little fingers.

A non-frosted, easily-applied tinted lip balm.

Real.  Denim.  Jeans.  For women.  Boot cut, mid-rise, 100% cotton (not a single fraction of a percent of stretch of any kind), reasonably-priced, old-school jeans.

Now.  If only someone would make a big, deep, feed-sack of a purse with two long straps that will stay on my right shoulder (even over my heavy winter coat) after I throw it on effortlessly with my right hand (because my left if busy grabbing my travel mug) and is made out of ultra-soft and supple chocolate brown leather.

Well, I can't make that myself.  But I can make this.

Someday.  But I am still in the midst of several different projects at the moment so I will have to wait.  Patiently. 

But that's ok.  Apparently, it works for me.

I do loves me a good dichotomy!

Oh, Joan, you lovely lady, you!

I walked into Judy's Ice Cream for Open Knit last Thursday to find a happy little pressie waiting for me at my usual spot:

All sweet, no sour.

Peeking out of the top of the tissue were two very different sets of needles - one set square and sophistocated, one set round and rustic.

Both sets the epitome of all I adore!

Set #1:  Square and Sophisticated

Size 11 in Ebony with funky silver beads at the end.

Set #2:  Round and Rustic

Size 8 in an unnamed wood with a small amount of bark left on the end.  (No, they don't glow - they were just really difficult to photograph.)

The contrast between these two styles just make me so happy, and I can't wait to use them!  They were made by hand, inspired by materials available to the crafter, and gifted to a highly appreciative recipient.

It doesn't get much better than that. 

Now, I have made one small error in telling you about these needles.  I called them "needles".  Joan calls them "sticks", and here is her description of why as it appears on each tag:

I don't label these "needles" because they are individually made and each is unique.  They are hand shaped, hand sanded, then hand buffed with beeswax for smoothness.  I use hardwood scraps from woodworkers and repurposed fabric for the cases.  Four sided needles are based on the perimeter, and labeled as the closest size to standard round needles...

You can find more of Joan's work at River City, and each set is priced very closely to what you would pay for a factory-made set at a box store.  Given the thought and time and effort that goes into them, these would be my go-to needles (I mean, sticks!) every time.

All I need now is a project to go with them!   

Losing my grip

I returned to Cranford today, and it was a lovely day for it.  Gray and rainy outside, and my most important task being that of finishing a special order.  So as soon as I saw the kids off to school, I took my cup of coffee and my knitting and curled up in front of the dvr.

My only regret is that I had coffee.  It really should have been tea.

A few years ago, such marathon knitting as these hands have seen over this past month would not have been possible.  I had a pretty tight grip on those needles, particularly with my left (and non-dominant) hand.  A pain would eventually develop behind my left thumb that would linger for days, and I would be forced to set all projects aside.

And, yes, this did make we question the sagacity of starting my own knitting-based business, but what can I say.  The sacrifices we make to follow our passions, eh?

But something surreal has happened lately.  All of a sudden, I've loosened up!

Now, yes, I have my high-strung moments, but much fewer than I used to (a change I frequently attribute to knitting, though the good nature of my husband and the unpredictability of kids have played no small role).  It's simply in my nature to hold tight so that nothing goes astray.

Particularly when knitting in the round, which I have been doing all week long.  I pull tight on the yarn for the first stitch or two...or three...of each dpn to minimize the ladder-effect.

But around a month ago I decided to take on my first large-scale project in a very long time (a project to be discussed in more detail after it has been gifted), and it was a project I wanted to finish quickly.  It called for a bulky yarn on size 11 needles, which appears to have been the perfect combination to force a change in my grip.

Suddenly, I could almost feel my left hand relaxing.  It seemed to start guiding the needle instead of controling it and trying to force it to do what I wanted.  It was as if a switch had been flipped, causing me to get a grip that was both more effective and less painful.

Huh.

Well, I can't explain it, and I certainly won't question it, but I do share this development with you in order to express my one deep thought of the day:  sometimes the best way to gain control is by letting go.

Isn't it marvelous when a hobby serves as the perfect philosophical analogy?

Deadline extended!!!

Something very cool happened to me this morning that inspired a change of plans.

It appears that, thanks to some very nice FB sharing, a very nice lady from the local paper found out about the blanket raffle just the other day.  She contacted me for more information, and when we spoke this morning I told her that I would postpone the drawing if she could mention it in the paper.

She's going to see about slipping something in on Saturday.

Very cool!

That means, then, that I need to give all those lovely readers a chance to make it in to River City over the weekend.  So, now, Monday it is!

Good thing River City is open on Sundays in December!

Just one week left to support a wonderful program!

Maybe you're new around here and don't know about my annual blanket project.

Maybe you've been around a while but figured you had plenty of time to act.

Either way, I'm here to tell you that I need your help and time is running out!

Brief synopsis:  Every school year I teach an after school knitting program to kids in 2nd-4th grades.  They learn to knit and finish squares that are pieced together into blankets, which I then raffle off and give all proceeds to a local program that provides Christmas presents for families in need.

Now, last year some really cool things happened to shake up my annual routine that I must tell you about!

First of all, instead of my usual year-long club-type approach to the after school program, I taught 7 or 8 shorter sessions in two different schools.  This not only allowed me to teach more kids than usual, but it also really inspired those kids to keep the needles moving...even at home!  I was absolutely blown away by the number of squares they whipped up for me every week.

My average during the previous three years had been around 50-60 squares by the end of the school year, enough to put together one large blanket.  Last year, between the two schools, all those programs, and a small stack of squares I had leftover from the previous year, I found myself with around 120 squares come May!

Wow.  Way to go, guys!!!

Such big work out of kids who could still count their age on their fingers called for a bigger charitable gesture.  So I thought about it, and talked to the kids in the last few classes, and came up with a plan.

We decided that the usual big blanket was really just too big and heavy, and the number of squares I was getting was coincidentally just the right amount for four smaller blankets.  Lap blankets, if you will.  And since I had two schools, and had kept track of which squares were from which school, I would put together two blankets for each school.

At one school, the blankets were donated to the Summit County Children's Services.  A wonderful lady came to accept the blankets and talk to the kids about how Children's Services helps kids who need it, and she talked to them about how they wanted the blankets to be used.  They decided the blankets should be used in the visitation rooms so that the blankets could bring comfort to one child after another, year after year.

Still with me?  Good!  Because here's were I need your help!

The two blankets from the other school are at River City, ready to support the Share-a-Christmas program once again, and time is almost up!  Tickets are available at the register at $1 for one or 6 for $5, and the drawing will be held next Thursday, December 8th!  Two blankets means two winners, and both winners will have a new option.

You see, the winner(s) this year may be able to help two causes!  Obviously, the winners may choose to keep their prizes - they are so fun and comfy and warm, after all!  But maybe they have plenty of blankets of their own and really just wanted an excuse to help out the cause, and that's okay, too.  If that is the case, I will glady donate their prize(s) to Children's Services on their behalf.

And one more way you can help:  share this post in any way you can before the deadline!!!  Be it mass email, Facebook sharing, or Twitter feed...the more people who know about this raffle, the more chances there are for families in need to have a joyous holiday.

Thank you!!!