Chaos is looking for some Fun 08/26/2009
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! 8 Comments I have been to the Summit & back. 08/14/2009
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.  view from my hotel balcony 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!  a sheep farm we stumbled upon  Sealions of Newport Beach  dipping our toes in the Pacific  the pacific coast  Portland's Japanese Garden  Grand Central Bakery mmmmm  Gee Creek Farm at the Saturday Market  All of this AND we meet Spidey? wow. thanks Portland! hey hey portland!!! 08/01/2009
 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. Knot Comes Loose by My Morning Jacket 07/24/2009
 Knot Comes Loose / Pigeon Sock I'm so happy to introduce our very first release in our Collaborations Line from TurtleDove Yarns. Jim James of My Morning Jacket was kind enough to collaborate with us to create this colorway, a blend of various deep oranges & varying shades of blue from slate gray to nearly black & just a touch of chocolate brown. The band collectively decided to name this colorway Knot Comes Loose after a song on their album, Z.  When you purchase a skein of Knot Comes Loose from our shop, you will receive a free pattern to make these fingerless mitts, appropriately named "My Morning Mitts." The pattern includes sizing for mens & womens and will come in the post with your yarn. We are so happy with this first installment of our Collaborations Line. Jim James was especially gracious in his participation & we are super appreciative. Big Thanks to the entire My Morning Jacket band for being a part of this project.  My Morning Mitts; Mens & Womens size My Morning Jacket finalizes their yarn! 07/13/2009
No pictures just yet. I am just reporting that Jim James has made the final decisions regarding the My Morning Jacket colorway! (no hints, but i'm telling you its really great, gender neutral & very wearable.) Blue Faced Leicester 07/10/2009
My new 100% Blue Faced Leicester fingering weight has arrived. Mercy June is napping. I'm going in! (oh, more RareBird Lace, New Lace, Roving & Pigeon are here too. I have LOTS of work to do!) x o x o Live on Etsy! 07/07/2009
After some back & forth & a few people saying "i like to use pay pal..." we decided to open a shop on Etsy. There has already been quite a few passer by's who've discovered TDY & i'm hoping for more!! Please stop by & say hellooooooo. www.turtledoveyarns.etsy.com Shop Update Today! 7/3 07/03/2009
 Today, July 3rd there have been 4 new Magpie & 4 new BlackBird yarns added to the shop in limited edition colorways & very limited quantities. enjoy! Get TDY, Tallahassee! 06/28/2009
 Now you can find lots of TurtleDove Yarns at Wooly Bully in Tallahassee, FL. After hosting our debut there 2 weeks ago the shop has decided to carry TDY full time. We are honored & excited to be able to offer our wares to our very own local community at our, of course, all time favorite LYS. Thanks Hannah!! So, if you are in the area, take the opportunity to stop in & fondle some of our yarns including our much loved DK weight, Chickadee - a blend of bamboo, silk & merino. You'll also find our Pigeon Sock, Pigeon w/Bamboo Sock and our Magpie sock in lots of colorways. Our RareBird Lace sold out completely at our show, so it is coming soon & with gorgeous new colorways. enjoy! Blackbird is here! 06/27/2009
Yep, I finally got my hands back in the dye pot & worked up two brand new colorways in celebration of our brand new yarn!   BlackBird: Kerala 400yds/100g BlackBird will soon be avialable in a number of our other colorways, including Hard Cider, Blood Orange, Peacock & some new ones too. | Erica Bea
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