AnotherPurl :: a knitter's life

Stash Addition!

A few days ago (because I'm stupid about photographing stuff in a timely fashion) I received this lovely laceweight yarn. 

I never expect to win anything, so it was just such a nice bonus to see this in my mail!

Of course the best thing about receiving any treasure like this is the when.  I always receive mail like this after a busy day at work and a long commute on the train.  While I am not always grumpy, I'm not normally all happy and perky either.  It's packages like these that make you feel like someone cares for you (even if it is just yourself - I totally get the appeal of belonging to a yarn club) and helps reverse the feelings caused by the endless stream of bills and junk mail.

So, I have 880 yards of this beautiful yarn.  What should I make with it?

committed?

Obligatory charity info: Today is recommitment day for Team Challenge, so please donate a couple of dollars to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (donation link).  This is the last day to decide whether or not the minimum donation amount can be raised, and to guarantee a space on the team.  After this point, if you have guaranteed your space on the team you will be charged the difference between what you raised and the minimum amount.  It's important, because it keeps the event costs down and allows a reasonable percentage of the fundraising to go to the charity (overhead can be a monster).

Knitting stuff!
My hubby broke my yarny fast last night.  We went to Windsor Button and I got three skeins of the Tahki Cotton Classic for a hat.  I bought and paid for the hat pattern last night and printed it out this morning.  I probably won't start the hat until tomorrow (umm, yeah, that WIP list?  So hosed), but I should be able to finish the hat by next week even with my training runs and working on Convertible. 

Convertible is a great pattern.  I'm at just about the half way point in just over a week of knitting (and at least three of those days were when I was sickest with my cold where I didn't do more than 5 rows), and think I'll have it finished by May 18th.  I'm counting the Muppet and Convertible as my two projects to complete before buying more yarn (though I do plan on not buying yarn for the Butterscotch Cardigan until I have finished the baby hat and my latest pair of socks), so I need to get cracking!

some weeks are just much busier than others

I feel like this week has gone by so fast.  I am in the middle of training for Boston's Run to Remember, but only on week three of training for the Team Challenge half marathon.  As of this morning, I have run almost 14 miles this week and I still have the long run on Sunday!

I don't feel like I have really done much this week other than run.  I know it isn't true, because I am almost done the first of the two shrugs I'm making for the chocolate lady and have finally decided to finish the second sock (I'm working on a second pair of monkey socks).  I don't have to run on Saturday, so I am going to use the time to get some knitting done and send out my charity letters.

But onto this week's prizes!

First we have two skeins of HandPaintedYarn's lace weight (each a separate prize) in Royal Purple.  Each skein is 850 yards and has been wound into a center pull ball.  I'm making the Swiss Cheese scarf out of a skein of this yarn in a different colorway, and it is really fun to work with.

The second is a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in bright lime green.  One skein is enough to make a pair of socks for most patterns!  The yarn is even brighter in person than in the picture.

So, please go and donate!  I would love to be at the half way mark by May 9th!  As always, for all of the other prizes, go here.

More Goodies

This week's goodies are all about the sock yarn.  So, without further ado...

Fleece Artist Sock yarn

Rich golden browns and blues shimmer in this beautiful yarn.  One skein is enough for a pair of socks and the colors can be appropriate to either male or female sock lovers.  100% merino, machine washable. 

2 Skeins of Dorchester Farms sock yarn

This yarn is 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon (I'll double check when I get home) yarn.  I used this yarn last year to make the Ripple Weave socks (Ravelry) last year.  Two skeins will make a pair of socks.

For all of the prizes to date, please check out the full list.

Running and knitting and having fun!

Since March 10th I've done over 43 miles of running training for the Team Challenge half marathon I'm doing in July.  The race is the Napa Valley to Sonoma half marathon, and boy do I need to work on my running.  The course is supposed to be hilly, and my normal training runs are just as flat as flat can be!

I've set myself the goal of raising $5000, which with your help I'm sure I can make.  To sweeten the pot, I'm following the footsteps of Claudia and the Yarn Harlot, who have raised tons of money for charity by having a raffle (prizes to be added once or twice a week)!  For every $10 you donate from now to the end of July (the race is July 20th), you'll get an entry in the raffle.  So, head on out and donate!

The first prize!

I've been trolling around my local bookstore looking for the best knitting books I can find, and this is definitely one of the tops (it's a prize for you, but I'm going to buy one for myself as soon as I can)!  Heck, I saw it in the bookstore last week, but the cover was torn.  Can't have that!

I love that this book has so many patterns, so you can put into practice some of the information provided in the book.  I've been looking at them on Ravelry, and they are just to die for. 

You know you want this book (well, I know I want this book, but I can restrain myself)!  Tune in later this week to see the first of the yarny prizes!  Om nom nom (yeah, it might be time for lolyarns).

Find out more about the book at Amazon.

(There is a page that lists all of the raffle prizes to date, but needless to say there isn't really anything in there yet.)

The second prize is a skein of Hand Maiden Sea Silk in wonderful blues and greens. This one is from the stash, bought at Lettuce Knit on the Yarn Harlot's birthday (I'm horrible, I know). 

It has gorgeous shades of blues and purples and is wonderfully soft.  This skein is enough for some of the smaller shawl patterns and for the 60-inch version of the Lace Ribbon Scarf. 

More prizes will be added late next week!  Until then, happy knitting (and spinning, beading, crocheting, macrame-ing)!

Another challenge

A number of years ago I did the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk.  I felt a little awkward, fundraising for a disease that no one in my family was misfortunate to have.  Most people who participate in events like these either have/had the disease or were close to someone who had it.  I was pretty confident about the walking though.  I had the strength and the fortitude to think of walking as a no-brainer activity, and three to four miles was easily "walking distance."  I trained for it, and the event was glorious.  There was a place for people from all walks, including people who seemed to be participating just because they could and it was a good thing to do.

This year I'm participating in Team Challenge, which is the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's event-based fundraising effort.  Unlike breast cancer, which is reasonably well known, Crohn's is unknown to many.  People don't talk about it, because many of the symptoms are more visceral and distasteful to talk about.  Malnutrition can result as the intestines become too inflamed to properly absorb nutrients.  Children and adolescents who are afflicted with this disease can, if untreated, fail to reach their full growth potential.

Of course, this disease (and its kissing cousin, ulcerative colitis) doesn't just affect children.  At the meeting I attended, at least one of the people there was recently diagnosed at around age 40.  I listened as people described the hospitalizations, surgeries, and medications they and their loved ones needed.  And these were the people lucky enough to have found medical treatment, who were at this point comfortable with their condition.  What about the people who were undiagnosed, dealing with the physical and emotional disquiet of one of these chronic diseases? 

So, I'm going to be running 13.1 miles, my third half marathon (May's Boston's Run to Remember will be my second), in July to support ongoing research, awareness and quality of life improvements for people with this disease.