If you were around Wooly Bully last year at all during our afghans for Afghans campaign, then you have probably seen the Firefly sweater.  It is one that I designed specifically for people who wanted a quick & fun project to knit for a4A, while at the same time making something functional, wearable & warm.  Many people knit this sweater as their very first sweater & I think that it is a perfect project for someone looking to learn the basics of raglan sweaters. 

Firefly is a simple, top down raglan style sweater knit with a placket of seed stitch down the front. 
Knitting this sweater is a great way to use up scrap yarns by changing colors throughout for a striped look, or just at the cuffs & waist band for a varsity look.  Some people have used intarsia techniques to add interest in the placket. 
You'll need to know how to knit, purl, work in the round & on dpns (or 2 circs) and how to use place markers.  The pattern also calls for using a Make 1 increase and K2tog as well as a tiny bit of seaming under the arms. 

The small size of this sweater can be expected to fit a child 10 months to 1.5 years while the large size may fit a child 2 -3 years of age.  These are of course guesstimates.  I always encourage people who are making this sweater for a specific child, to measure their torso & arms to ensure that they make the sweater & sleeves long enough.
If you make this sweater, I'd love to see pics.  If you wish to teach this sweater in a class, just contact me for my specifications.  Thanks!

There so much crazy going on around me right now with my husband all banged up & unable to move on his own & my baby girl with a cold, I thought I'd like to have a little fun. 

I mentioned in my last newsletter that I'd be hosting a name-that-yarn competition for the new sock yarn (merino, cashmere & nylon).  Don't confuse that future competition with this one.  That one is still to come.

For this competition, I am giving you a clue & you need to find the answer.  this is actually very easy.
I have made mention somewhere of a special place that any knitter would love to live.  Do you remember?  The answer could be found anywhere that I write such as this blog for instance, the hedgehog site, my etsy store, or the Ravelry TurtleDove Yarns Group.  Enter your answer in the comments section. 
 
The first person to correctly quote me on this subject will win a free skein of Turtle Dove Yarns, Pigeon Sock!!!  I'll of course ship it to you free of charge.
Good Luck!

I promise that this post will be 98% about the Sock Summit.  But I cannot write this without including some of my delightful experiences in Portland, OR and I have to start from the beginning...

Upon arriving in Portland International Airport, I was immediately aware that things were very different than what I am accustomed to on the East Coast.  I was looking forward to experiencing all these differences.  The first 3 days I was there, the high temperature was 68 degrees.  (do I need to remind you that it is August?)
The first morning in Portland, my little family & I popped into the cafe on the corner for our morning fix.  En route, I spotted this guy.  Now, Pat swears to me that this IS in fact a squirrel & that he must be a one of a kind and that the squirrels in Portland have tails, just like the squirrels in Tallahassee. 
I am not convinced.  Do squirrels in Portland have tails?  This guy certainly didn't seem to notice that he was missing anything.  I named him Stumpy with a ton of admiration in my heart, as I LOVE squirrels & I was enjoying my first cup of Stumptown coffee, I felt it was appropriate.
Please fill me in if you know anything about the tails of squirrels in Portland.

First day at the Summit:
A Verb For Keeping Warm - I was eager to get to this booth.  I had read about Kristine's naturally & organically hand dyed natural fiber yarns & I had heard her interviews & was so excited to get to see these yarns in person.  Kristine's lovely mother was the superb cashier who assisted me with purchasing a gorgeous skein of silk & wool blend.  You'll see it very soon in my WIPs. 
Kristine's resume is something!  She really knows what she is doing & she is dying naturally - safely and may I say wonderfully. 

Shock & Awe.
No one could walk by this man without stopping, dropping their jaws & shuttering to think. 
I had read about him online & was following his progress while he is knitting 14 socks at one time!  Yes, 7 pairs, one pair for each day of the week. 
He's a seriously nice dude & was gracious enough to let Mercy & I pose for this pic while holding one end of his hard work. 
nice!

These ladies were getting their instructions for how to participate in knitting the worlds largest sock. 
This was not the only world record being set at the Summit.  Stephanie Pearl-McPhee & Tina had arranged for the Guinness Book of World Records to observe the most knitters knitting simultaneously in one place & break the record previously held by the Aussies.  No problem.  I think the original record was 200+ people and the Sock Summit showed them what was up with over 1000 people knitting simultaneously.  

And this is the highlight ladies & gentlemen... 
Mercy & I met Barbara Walker.  She was delightful & not at all surprised to see that Mercy was indeed decked out in a sweater using one of her very own designs (thanks to michele!).
I will not gush now like I did for days after this encounter.  But I will say that if knitting is at all meditative, then Barbara Walker is the knitting buddah.  She walks and speaks with a sense of calm & intention and knitting is just the tip of the iceberg on her resume of awesomeness.  We were very fortunate to have this opportunity.  

okay, so maybe this was the highlight:
On Sunday the Sock Summit organizers put together a panel of some of the most influential people in the modern knitting world & gathered them in one room to talk about knitting, among other things.  The gathering was held in honor of Elizabeth Zimmerman - as it happened to be the 99th anniversary of her birth.  And she, of course, changed the knitting world forever. 
Elizabeth's daughter, Meg Swansen was on the panel & spoke candidly of her mother.  I was taken back by the level of academia on the panel. (i don't even know if i said that right...) 
It seemed that everyone had been to MIT or Harvard and had additionally studied textiles and design.  I wondered if they would have achieved the same success in this forum if they were self taught like most of the knitters & artists I am familiar with. 
It was obvious that I was in a room with some seriously great minds.  (if you read michele's blog, you'll see that she isn't as gushy about this as I am - because she is also one of those great minds)

After all, the woman who "invented SSK" was in the room - thank you Barbara Walker! 
I was so happy to have been able to attend this event.  Thousands tried to get in & only 1600 were permitted.  I was very fortunate to be able to witness the discussions occurring between these women who have been so influential in the knitting world. 
The panel consisted of: Cat Bordhi, Nancy Bush, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, Judith MacKenzie-McCuin, Lucy Neatby, Deborah Robson, Meg Swansen, Barbara Walker and Anna Zilboorg.

Yes, I got to meet Nancy Bush.  I would say "she was so down to earth & normal"  but that would sound so silly. 
I guess I just revert back to my "gotta meet david bowie" stage when I am around famous people. 

The Luminary Panel spanned almost 4 hours.  During this time, everyone was knitting.  It made me feel like I understood what it would be like for my brother to go to comic con & be around "his own kind..." 
So, I was also knitting, on this "luminary sock" of mine.  I started it while I was waiting in line to enter the convention center room & I had just completed the heel when the panel discussion came to a close. 

So, thank you Stephanie & Tina for organizing this outrageously awesome event.  If you do it again, I will come & I'll bring more people with me!  There was some kind of a leak from Tina that this may not be the end of the road for the Sock Summiteers & I will just say that we are all keeping our fingers crossed.

Thank you Oregonians for sharing your amazing part of the country with me!  It was beautiful & I cannot wait to visit again. 
Oh, and the food was amazing.
Especially the baked goods.
And the lack of mosquitoes was much appreciated.
Oh, and the weather, wow!
Just one more thing, the bakeries.... seriously? 
stumptown, monk bowls, walking, 68 degress.  i love you!

This coming week I will be traveling West to Portland, OR for a few days of sock knitting indulgence, waking up with great coffee from Stumptown, tons of great vegetarian eats, & some VooDoo Doughnuts for sure!  I'm specifically planning to spend several lunch hours at the Blossoming Lotus eating monk bowls! mmmmmm... 
If you are planning to go, holla!  i'd love to meet you!  I'll be the one with the baby, cup o' bean, 3 monk bowls & 2 doughnuts!

So, while I am away, the yarn will not be dying itself & for that matter, it won't be shipping itself either.  Mae is a very dedicated partner, but she gets her paws caught in the packing tape every time!!
You'll be able to continue to order your yarns from the myhedgehogknits.com shop, but things will not be shipped until we return. 
If you purchase something after August 4th, it will be shipped when we return to work, on August 13th. 

I am so happy to announce that the My Morning Jacket colorway, Knot Comes Loose is selling out quickly!  We have 2 skeins left as I write this, although there are more to be dyed.  Its so awesome to learn that knitters & crocheters really do have great taste in music!
If you'd like to order this yarn, please do so through our shop.  If the yarn is sold out & not immediately available, I will send you an email with an estimated time of arrival.  Just remember, we won't be shipping between 8/4 & 8/13.