Laugthers the Best Medicine

A little laughter tonic is sometimes all you need.

Joy of rediscovery.

My version of the Nicklas Cardigan from MillaMia.

When you work around so much yarn like I do you have to become very hardened to temptation & a sort of 'Yarn Blindness' starts setting in after a while.  Like an addict you start prowling around the mill seeking new yarns, new fibres, new colours - all to feed that need of what is next, new & exciting.

Over the non existent Summer months in Hawkes Bay, I took on a small commission piece for a friend.  Usually I avoid these as I barely have time to do my own knitting, or knitting for Skeinz, but in this case I was caught at an overally generous moment & agreed to knit a toddler cardigan, on the proviso that I had no fixed deadline. I was provided the pattern & as the sex of the child was undetermined, I got free reign on the colours. Merino Soft White, Navy & Lime.

Nicklas Cardigan from MillaMia.com

The pattern (from MillaMia) printed in the May 2011 issue of the Australian WW was designed for 4ply merino - so our Merino Soft fit the bill perfectly.  Now Merino Soft is one of our oldest yarn ranges.  NZ babies have been enveloped by its gentle caress for decades & I hadn't knitted a project in it for years.  So I cast on the project in late Spring & slowing chipped away at it over the holiday months completing it last week.  This is when the revelation happened.  The more I worked on this, the more I kept thinking how good the yarn was to work with.  How soft, great stitch definition, excellent bold colours.  Where on earth had this wonder yarn being hiding?

As I have mentioned in the previous post I am doing a KAL of Ysolda Teagues Cria.  I have just discovered as of today it is more of a 'Knit-alone' as opposed to 'Knit-along', as my offsiders seemed to be either slow casting on, or have cast on, ripped, sworn, cursed & are now having a wee 'time-out'.

Cria is progressing well.

Well I am pleased that my yarn epiphany to use Merino Soft's Barney Purple is now coming to fruition - I am really delighted with how it is performing as Cria is coming together & I am loving the colour more each day.  Like one of my boys rediscovering a long lost toy - I am having tremendous joy rediscovering the beauty of Skeinz classical Merino Soft.

Last Image....

Hugo came with me to work the other day so I could get my picture taken for a magazine article I am featuring in soon. He loves "Mummy's knitting work", and whilst I was faffing about setting up for the photo, I snapped this - Isn't he just too cute!

New Year - New Knitting...

Louis kicks off the New Year in colourful fashion.

Internet forums are a buzz with knitting resolutions for the New Year.

• Knitting 12 items from the stash for 2012
• Knitting at least one project for yourself.
• Learn to knit in the round.
• Knit for a charity.
• Learn to knit!

I have tended or tried NOT to make knit-solutions, largely because I never keep them. What I do like  is to have a wee bit of thought into the projects I would definitely like to complete in the year. Like - what am I going to knit for my boys in 2012? What special project do I want to tackle for me this year? I really should convert all those design scribbles down into formal patterns?

Ekkkkk! Those are sounding very much like knit-solutions!

How did that happen??

Our yard spent much time underwater!

The Spring & early Summer here has been wet - really, really, really wet - so plenty of time stuck in doors with camping holidays awash to contemplate your naval, or in my case, my knitting.  At KAN:2 last year cousin Letitia & I bough copies of Ysolda Teagues - Little Red in the City. 

How can you not love this ravishing creature on the cover.

This book is a master work.  Firstly was the vision of her bestie Amanda on the from cover - a stunning looking redhead of voluptuous proportions, so of course being in a similar vein myself, it was instant love.  But adoration aside, Ysolda has spurned traditional publishers, self producing this seminal work.  She tackles the perennial problem for 90% of all knitters - how to make something fit.  I have seen this problem approached by many different designers, but what sets Ysolda different is she has put herself out there, using herself as a model & created garments for herself & Amanda sharing her formula for making every design custom fit your individual body shape.  Now this is something I have been doing in a much more rudimentary form for years, as I have tired of spending weeks on a project only for it to be relegated to the bottom draw because I looked like a purple yeti.  No longer!

Letitia models my magenta HH at the measuring party.

So last weekend myself, Letitia & other knit buddy Jennie (Rav ID jenniekuz) got together & had a measuring party.  In attendance were children & bemused husbands, who's job it was to entertain said children while tape measures were flying & jugs of Sangria consumed. 

Jennie just loves her new Arizona HH

First order of business though has been to tidy up a few projects which have been dragging along over the festive season.  I finally completed my Magenta Hitchhiker - started as my no brainer, talk my arse off whilst knitting project at KAN:2 & morphed in the favoured 'purse project'.  It's now all done awaiting cooler climes to wear it.  Also just prior to Christmas in a bout of 'I need instant gratification - now' I whipped up a bulky HH in yarn received in a swap parcel.  Jennie is modelling & loved it so much it has now become her early birthday pressie!

Operation Cria - the foundation steps...

That has now meant I have now started swatching Cria.  I had a selection of Skeinz yarns I was keen to try out.  Once obtaining the correct gauge using Skeinz Harvest, I was erring towards New Leaf, but my heart was pining over something cerise/magenta/purple - then the epiphany hit me at work this morning - Barney!  I have just started a swatch of Barney Purple in Merino Soft 4ply - a better weight overall for the short sleeved version of Cria I am planning on.  So stay posted & lets pray that my Sangria goggles haven't affected my measurements!

My Flock grows....

Wow!  We have been busy getting penguins out to all of you who have ordered after the TV3 News appearance.  Stocks of Flip are now exhausted - so to get prepared to Christmas & the premiere of a certain Penguin animated movie, we have got in stocks of friends for Flip.

Peggy has now arrived - she super sweet & super soft - totally squeezable!

Peggy just loves cuddles!

To keep Peggy company we have found Caesar.  He's an Emperor Penguin with attitude & hates being left out. He has been seen mincing about the shop complaining that noone has sewn any sequins onto the jumpers as he likes to stand out in the flock!  He's a little bigger & bolder & has a series of jumpers just for him!  I hear he also likes to dance!

Caesar is a party Penguin, he's loves to get down & boogie!

They are available now - so still stuck on those Christmas gifts?

Limelight.

Just when I thought everything had completely died away with the penguin project TV3 cropped yesterday wanting a follow up story.  Huge ups to them for following the story up & here's hopefully it sparks even more Flip sales & more donations to the fund!

View the story Here.

Come Together.

Mum & I travelled to Nelson for my cousins wedding.

The last month really has been a blur.  All things penguin has consumed my life, throw into the mix Louis starting school (again) and more travel than I have done in 6 months all in all a very busy time.

What has been nice is that this week I have been able to take stock a little, rest, reassess & pause to prepare for the festive season ahead.

Firstly a recap on the month that was:
Penguins, penguins, penguins.  I was interviewed by Google NYC a couple of weeks ago about the entire event & they challenged me to 'Google' it & have a look at what was out there.  I finally plucked up the courage yesterday.

This is what I found on You Tube, great story.  I knew nothing about it despite featuring in it (looking like Shamoo) - no wonder dozens of jumpers are turning up on my desk everyday!  I honesty have felt a little like Alice falling down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.  What is great now though, is that the Skeinz Penguin Rescue Fund is going great guns, with sales of the Flip Penguins & Jumpers both very strong, boosted by 20c a ball from Urban sales as well.

Catching up with the cuzzies at the Nelson wedding. 

I also travelled to Nelson with Mum for my cousins wedding.  Lovely to get back to that part of the world & catch up with dear friends & family - a lovely start to the festive season.  The family shot up to visit the inlaws in Taupo - one of our favourite places.

The stripy Erika Knight cosy that won at the A&P Show.

I have also managed to knit - not as much as I would like, but I had a mad flurry finishing of projects to enter into the Hawkes Bay A&P Show (and penguin PJ's obviously!).  I was delighted to learn that every entry won or placed, a triumph for modern knitting!  I have had a swathe of samples for work to complete, but am now back to knitting for pleasure & the family.

So what's ahead?  This year Dr. Phil & I have decided to re-embrace camping.  We both camped as children & now that our boys are of an age where independence, discovery & no nappy's are all on the cards the timing seemed right.  That's what I love about the age the boys are at now - give them a beach & they're happy!  I can just see the posts in my future... 'Tales from the camp...'

Friends, Wine, Candlelight - Perfect!

What I also love about this time of year is a chance to casually get together with good friends on a regular basis, sharing meals, enjoying good company, wine, food & just appreciating what we have right on our doorstep. Joy.

Meet Flip & Peggy

Peggy (in pink) & Flip (in formal attire) are the new faces of our charitable jumper drive.

Today has been very exciting as the first international jumpers arrived at Skeinz. Five parcels from the US & two from the UK.  It was like Christmas opening them up & seeing the stunning jumpers inside, all made in yarns that are quite exotic to this part of the world!

Some of the recent arrivals.

I have been busy over the past few days gathering information & research about the "where to from here" with the surplus jumpers we have.

First port of call was Lyn from The Penguin Foundation at Phillip Island in Australia.  She was involved with the co-ordination for the jumpers received at Phillip Island (Outside of Melbourne). She told me how the Tasmanian Rescue Team working the the Tasmanian spill in 2002  received 14,000 jumpers before they managed to get knitters to stop & back on Phillip Island, Lyn had to hire additional space to house all theirs!!  Her insights were inspiring & so valuable.

We are wanting to make sure that here at Skeinz we are able to take the surplus jumpers and have them utilized within the spirit & generosity to which they are intended.  Lyn had the same challenge in 2002 & the model she used is one we have chosen to adopt.

As no more penguin jumpers are required for the Rena effected penguins in Tauranga our focus has shifted to how we can use the jumpers to generate cash, to then donate back to the people working at the grass roots of the disaster.

Using the Penguin Foundation model - Skeinz is setting up a special charitable trust.  Then using the power of our webstore & all of you, we have sourced from a local supplier scale sized little blue penguin toys to place in the jumpers & we will be selling these at skeinz.com with all the proceeds of the jumper being funneled back into the charitable trust.  This has been so successful in Australia that The Penguin Foundation has recently donated $350,000 AUD back to a new penguin research centre, plus other research for penguins through Victoria University (Australia) for penguin clean up.

So the next challenge has been finding the best way to get donations directly back to the penguins & effected shorebirds of this disaster.  As the local & national government bodies are pursuing costs against Rena's insurers, I have been researching other angles to make sure we can filter the funds directly & effectively.

NZ Forest & Bird is a NGO that has been protecting the bird life of NZ from generations.  They are one of the most well respected environmental groups here in NZ & have fabric of paid & volunteer workers across the country.  They have a special Bay Of Plenty Shorebird fund, which has been helping nesting shorebirds that fall in the effected area.  So all monies donated to this fund go back the the birds, especially the penguins harmed by the Rena.
We have also been looking for a Little Blue Penguin specific cause - and we have approached another charitable trust who have been working with a nesting programme for the little blues.  Details there are still to be confirmed & I will update when the come to hand.

Your comments have also helped us in feeling we are on the right track with this - so thank you for all your feedback.  If haven't yet started a jumper, but feel happy about knitting one for it to be sold towards this cause, please by all means send them to us.  For the crocheters out there a pattern has been published on Ravelry - I just need to contact the author for permission to publish. 

Once we have all the details in place, the birds in stock, we will place them on skeinz.com for sale.  All jumpers which have come with personal notes & cards, these will be passed onto as well.  Many of you have also popped your email details - I will do my very best to email you all back in way of thanks.
Take care & I will be in touch again very soon - oh & Flip (the bird we have ordered initially) has his very own authentic little blue penguin sound - it's sooooo adorable!