Category: Dancing Leaf Farms

FO: Holiday Sparkle x2

I knew I wanted to take our holiday photos on Sunday morning but I hadn’t knit Cher and Jellybean’s sweaters yet. Friday night I finished my test knit, so I knew Saturday I was going to need a few hours to whip up the girls’ sweaters. I decided to keep it simple and follow a pattern I know and love. Up first, Jellybean’s Sparkle sweater.
Jellybean’s holiday
Is this photo not the most perfect? I wanted to get both the dogs on their couch in their holiday sweaters but Cher really has about a 2 minute threshold for photos so I was saving her patience for our family photos. I bought this little couch for the girls when I saw it at HomeGoods a while back. Best purchase I’ve ever made. It’s a really well made piece of furniture and when company comes, my dogs have their own space and don’t get mad that company is on the couch. Plus, IT’S ADORABLE! So I pulled it into the kitchen where we were going to take our photos to test the light and see how Jellybean did posing. Clearly she was made for this modeling life.
Jellybean’s holiday
I knit the Sparkle sweater with Dancing Leaf Farms Charleston worsted weight yarn in the Game of Thrones colorway, Targaryen. It’s so soft and snuggly and it only took me 2.5 hours from start to finish. Cher’s Sparkle sweater just need an extra hour since she’s bigger but getting a pic…that’s even harder.
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I knew I was going to wear my Rosemont cardigan for our pictures so I decided since Kendell always holds Cher in our photos that she could match me. I used that lovely Periwinkle Sheep Intent yarn in Rose Quartz to make her sweater and it’s as little roomier on her because it’s an aran weight but I don’t think she minds.
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Plus, putting clothes on a fussy senior requires a bit of extra room to make it easier on us. I had to stalk Cher around the water bowl to try and get a picture of her in her sweater so you could see the fit. LOL She’s such a little diva but I love her so much. And here’s a sneaky little peek of our photos, this is one of our outtakes.
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I typically take all of our photos. I have a Canon DSLR, a tripod, a remote control and a very patient pack. My husband even set up a fan to keep us cool while we fussed with the dogs. We get down on the kitchen floor in front of my big teal wall and flood the room with light from the back door. It’s kind of a perfect backdrop. And after all that modeling, treat eating and picture taking…
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Let’s just say our house was pretty quiet for the rest of the day. More pics to come of our actual holiday photos soon!

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by Categories: Cher, Color, Dancing Leaf Farms, FO: Finished Object, For Dogs, Home, Jellybean, Knitting, My Dogs, orange, Periwinkle Sheep, pink, YarnTags: , , , , , 19 Comments

Maryland Sheep & Wool 2018 Haul

Okay, okay! I’ve pulled together my Sheep and Wool haul. Whenever my husband is traveling I feel like I lose about a third of my time. And on work, graduation last week and life in general…blogging got left behind.

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Watch it in motion!

My biggest splurge was a new yarn swift! Last year I saw the Yarn Tech yarn swift and thought it was a beautiful tool. I thought about it for a year as my little tabletop swift started to wobble. I knit almost every day and wind my own yarn so having a swift that’s well made and beautiful is a great purchase in my book. I’ve been asked why I prefer a tabletop swift over an umbrella swift and really, it’s just because of space and how it looks. Umbrella swifts are pretty huge and just seem to take up a ton of space. I have a small little office set-up with a slim table and this style slides together to be the width of about 3 rulers. It doesn’t have to be in the way.
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The main base of the swift is one of three parts. It attaches to the bottom of the swift and then you expand the arms to accommodate the size of the skein you’re winding.
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It’s easy to sit in ton top and then there’s a yarn ball holder that’s the third piece. So once you wind the yarn you can transfer it to the holder spindle.
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And then you can just pop that onto the base. Easy as pie. And don’t think I left Sheep and Wool without buying some yarn.
Sheep and Wool haul
Here’s what I bought:

 

  • Top left: O Wool Balance. It’s a wool and cotton blend which I think will be a perfect weight for a cardigan I can wear early fall into late spring. I bought a sweater’s quantity and am already plotting out what I’ll make with it.
  • Top middle: A bundle of Jill Draper Makes Stuff Windham worsted yarn. I have wanted to try her yarn and I thought this would be a great way to test it out and use on a colorwork project.
  • Top left: Tempting Ewe Yarns in Sparkly DK. This lovely sparkly olive caught my eye.
  • Bottom left: Tempting Ewe So Chubby. This fun gradient also caught my eye as I was checking out and it was exactly what I’ve been looking for to make a hat!
  • Bottom middle: Dancing Leaf Farm Charleston worsted in Targaryen. It was the first skein of yarn I saw as I walked in and the color caught my eye. Plus it was another yarn I haven’t tried before. I scooped it up.
  • Bottom left: Knitty and Color Dubstep DK in Supernova. I love wild graffiti looking color yarn and I knew I wanted to pick something up from them. I’ve got some ideas of what this will become.

Sheep and Wool haul
And last but not least, I bought 4 skeins of Miss Babs Yowza – my favorite. On the left is Nori, a gorgeous deep olive green. On the right, Adobe, a gorgeous light clay color. I may pair them together or they may become something separate, only time will tell. I went slightly over my budget but I also know I have all the yarn I need for a really long time.

by Categories: Dancing Leaf Farms, Jill Draper Makes Stuff, Knitting, KnittyandColor, Miss Babs, O Wool, Tempting Ewe, Tools & Accessories, YarnTags: , , , , 10 Comments