Show Off Those Large Prints!

Now here is free pattern: Olé for Cinco de Mayo 

to show off those special fabrics you don't know what to do with!

Would make a great "I Spy" quilt for a young heart!

Philosophers' Stone Mystery KAL

I so enjoyed knitting other of Erica's lace knitting patterns--she has a seasons--Earth, Wind.  Here is another opportunity to gather some of her lovely yarns for this knitting venture.

Download this pattern free HERE until July 14, 2016.

Pattern PDFs are non-refundable once purchase. No exceptions.
Free download link will only work once per customer.

Yarn for this shawl can be found on FiddleKnits.com

Cast On: July 15, 2016
Clues: July 15, 22, 29, and August 5, 2016

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The Yarn
For this pattern you will want to use a solid or gradient yarn in a fingering weight.
I will be using 2 skeins of Polka fingering weight in one of the solids dyed for this MKAL which are: Sorcerer’s Stone, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Potions Master, Vino: My Kind of Alchemy, Butterbeer, and Transfiguration.

Polka is a 100% superwash merino fingering weight. This is my favorite shawl yarn as it blocks of magnificently. Each skein is 100 grams/400 yards. You will need two skeins of the same color to complete the shawl ($22 each).
Polka will be sold on FiddleKnits.com (while supplies last):philosophers stone

Interlude yarn is also appropriate for this design, however, it is not currently being sold. Interlude was available only as a pre-order. This was a 150 gram/600 yard skein of 80% superwash merino/10% cashmere/10% nylon. (If you placed a pre-order for Interlude and would like to switch to one of the Polka colors now that that option is out you are more than welcome to do so if your yarn has not already shipped. Simply email me with the name on your order and your new choice. Direct emails to: Erica@FiddleKnits.com)

Yardage
Be prepared to use all 150 grams (600 yards) of your yarn if using the Interlude gradients.
The last several rows of the pattern are such that you can continue to work in the pattern until your yarn is finished, or cut off a few rows if you’re running short.

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Receival of clues: An email/message containing each clue (1per week for 4 weeks) will be sent to your email address or Ravelry inbox. There will be a link in the message that directs you to download the new PDF file. If you are receiving the clues on Ravelry you will also notice the option to update the pattern in your Ravelry library (if you have chosen to store it there). What if you no longer wish to receive the updates? Every MKAL I get emails asking to be removed from the update emails. Designers cannot take a persons name off a pattern list. Once you sign up you must also sign out. At the bottom of every update email is a link you can click to opt out of future updates.

Let's Make A Woolly Bird!

Laura Wasilowski is beginning a tutorial on how to make your own woolly bird. Join her for the next few days to learn how to make this free-stitched bird on wool.

To get started you’ll need these items:

• an 8″ square of boiled wool. Boiled wool has been felted. It is thicker than your standard wool and has more body. Have a wool coat in your closet? Go ahead, clip out a square of fabric for your bird.
• Embroidery thread (Size 8 pearl cotton threads work best)
• Size 3 or 4 embroidery needles for the thread

This is just a few days late, but well worth the journey to learn some of Laura's techniques.  I was fortunate enough to take workshop with Laura last summer--great fun!

It's Another Wednesday!

I'm really into this Gerda thing!  Love knitting this lacy pattern from my handspun.

This yarn has been sitting around for years (well aged, that's for sure!)

and I finally found the perfect pattern for it.

Clue one and we're off and waiting for the next clue.

You can find Gerda, designed by Bethany Hait on Ravelry

Hexie Pincushion

I'm so glad that someone has a quick mind and nimble fingers!

These smart pincushions will be great gifts for any luncheon or favorite person.

A Spoon Full of Sugar has the perfect tutorial for you.

I'm thinking these will make great gift bags souvenirs for our next conference.

There are all kinds of round useful items that can be used for the holder--

check out the blog for other helpful hints on their blog tour.

Demelza Comes to Life

This blanket has been inspired by the character ‘Demelza’, from BBC’s Poldark (2015). The designer, Catherine Bligh, used Demelza’s colour palette and incorporated her love of flowers into each square.  You can find this free pattern on Ravelry

Gauge is not essential for this project. As a guide, the big central square turned out roughly 16 inches , worked in Stylecraft Special DK with a 4.5mm hook (making the blanket as a whole ~55.5 inches across). If your central square is smaller, your blanket will be correspondingly smaller. If your square is bigger, your blanket will be bigger. Use what feels comfortable to you with the yarn you choose. Some tend to have a tight gauge; use your own judgement as to whether you want to go up or down a hook size, or even two!

There are two pattern documents: one with plenty of images to help with particular steps or stitches, and one without images, which is smaller and more printer-friendly.

Mothers Are Celebrated!

Mother's Day in the United States is annually held on the second Sunday of May. It celebrates motherhood and it is a time to appreciate mothers and mother figures. Many people give gifts, cards, flowers, candy, a meal in a restaurant or other treats to their mother and mother figures, including grandmothers, great-grandmothers, stepmothers, and foster mothers.

Flowers and other gifts are given to mothers on Mother's Day.

©iStockphoto.com/Creativeye99

What Do People Do?

Many people send cards or gifts to their mother or mother figure or make a special effort to visit her. Common Mother's Day gifts are flowers, chocolate, candy, clothing, jewelry and treats, such as a beauty treatment or trip to a spa. Some families organize an outing for all of their members or hold a special meal at home or in a restaurant. In the days and weeks before Mother's Day, many schools help their pupils to prepare a handmade card or small gift for their mothers.

Public Life

Mother's Day is not a federal holiday. Organizations, businesses and stores are open or closed, just as they are on any other Sunday in the year. Public transit systems run to their normal Sunday schedules. Restaurants may be busier than usual, as some people take their mothers out for a treat.

Background

The origins of Mother's Day are attributed to different people. Many believe that two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis were important in establishing the tradition of Mother's Day in the United States. Other sources say that Juliet Calhoun Blakely initiated Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the late 1800s. Her sons paid tribute to her each year and urged others to honor their mothers.

Around 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for Mother's Day to be celebrated each year to encourage pacifism and disarmament amongst women. It continued to be held in Boston for about ten years under her sponsorship, but died out after that.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother's Day celebration in memory of her mother, Ann Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. Ann Jarvis had organized "Mother's Day Work Clubs" to improve health and cleanliness in the area where she lived. Anna Jarvis launched a quest for Mother's Day to be more widely recognized. Her campaign was later financially supported by John Wanamaker, a clothing merchant from Philadelphia.

In 1908, she was instrumental in arranging a service in the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which was attended by 407 children and their mothers. The church has now become the International Mother's Day Shrine. It is a tribute to all mothers and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Mother's Day has become a day that focuses on generally recognizing mothers' and mother figures' roles. Mother's Day has also become an increasingly important event for businesses in recent years. This is particularly true of restaurants and businesses manufacturing and selling cards and gift items.