I was hoping for some cooler weather but it doesn’t look like I’m going to get it. I know I should want to hang on to the warm weather as long as I can but I’m done with it. Until it’s too cold and then I’ll change my mind! I work at night right now so sleeping during the day when it’s hotter has been a little challenging at times. I also want to spin and knit all kinds of things that make my hands hot. There is one project in particular that I really wanted to hold off on until it was cooler and I have a good chunk of time to work on it. I unraveled a large portion of a cashmere sweater (pictures below) and I was able to get one skein plied. I took pictures and was planning on finishing up that week so I could list it in my shop. I went to do the second skein and my hands were just so hot and sticky that the yarn was just breaking over and over again. Straight from the sweater it is a single ply of 100% cashmere and it’s pretty much cobweb weight. After it’s plied it’s amazing and the colors are great and I love it! Before it’s plied it’s been pretty much my enemy.

There are a few other sweaters that I really want to get processed and listed this month because I would love to be able to give people more choices. I’m making progress on hand knit items but that’s only because I can work on those at work. I don’t think they would appreciate me unraveling sweaters at work. Fuzzies and threads everywhere! Tomorrow when I get access to a camera I’ll be posting some updates to my Christmas knitting stash down. It involves the orange variegated scarf that is in progress and yarn pictures of what is coming up next! 

I posted some new cotton yarn in my shop! It took me awhile but it’s not because there is some lack of items to list. It’s mostly because it takes a lot of time to prepare the yarn and it can take several tries to get some decent pictures. I’m a knitter who isn’t much of a photographer ;) I have more green cotton and lots of white cotton that I’m getting ready to list as well as some hand knit items. After all of the cashmere I've sold I need to start working on that as well. Follow me on twitter to find out when new items are listed!

I finally finishing knitting a shawl I’ve been designing. I just powered through those last few really long rows so I could block it today. I wanted a shawl that had some feminine details without being too frilly or over the top. This shawl is in the shape of a trapezoid with a block of eyelet lace in the middle section and a slight ruffle on the edge. I’ll post some more pictures after the shawl finishes blocking. I’m hoping to release this pattern later this month but I don’t know what I’m going to name it. I made this with some three ply cashmere that I had in my shop. I’ve sold out of grey but there is white beige available as well as this hand dyed cashemere.

It is officially the start of my Christmas in July promotion! As I announced previously I will being giving out free samples of my other yarns with every order during the month of July. There is also a 15% off coupon code (CHRISTMASINJULY) and with each item you purchase I will send you a free holiday greeting card. These cards will be handmade by me and if you purchase multiple listings in one order you’ll get multiple cards all free of charge.

I decided to give my customers greeting cards because many knitters and crocheters like to make Christmas gifts for their friends and family. If you are purchasing yarn or a hand knit item to give as a gift, having a cute card to go with it makes it just that much better. If you are planning on giving an item to someone for another occasion (baby shower, birthday, just because, etc) let me know and I’ll make a special card just for you!

If there is a type of yarn that you aren’t sure about and would like to try this is a great chance to test it out. Let me know ahead of time what you’re interested in and I will try my best to include that sample with your order. There isn’t a minimum or maximum on any of these promotions so shop as much or as little as you want.

Link to my etsy shop