Cable Limerick Contest - VOTE!

We have to admit to some shock and awe over the fact that we had over 20 entrants (and 35 entries!) for our Cable Limerick Contest.  Who knew so many knitters were fans of poetry?  Well, after a strenuous "nomination" process (think the Academy Award... in which the staff of Knit Purl is the Academy), we have five contestants for our top prize, a Cabled Rib Wrap kit, and two runner-up prizes ($25 Gift Cards).

To vote for your favorite limerick, leave a comment (or reply to this post) and we'll tally up the responses.  The deadline to choose is midnight (PT) on Monday, January 25, 2010.  Please only vote for ONE limerick/ entrant after reading all five choices.  So, without further adieu, here are the nominees:

A
You’re a knitter and that’s undeniable.
Your devotion to the art is reliable.
        When your dreams through the night
        Are of handspun delights,
To some it may seem certifiable.
- Carol Y.

B
The bane of the knitter’s enjoyment
Was lost-cable-needle annoyment.
          So, She fashioned a sheath
          That attached to her teeth,
And held it for ready deployment!
- Anna-Lisa K.

C
 At ninety McGee took up knitting.
He knit day and night without quitting.
        “I am cabling fast
        To make up for the past.
And if I had teeth, they’d be gritting!”
- Carol L.

D
 There once was a brown sheep named Mary,
Who had lovely fleece but was quite scary.
       When getting a shave,
       She never behaved
And therefore remained quiet hairy.
- Karen F.

E
She thought that merino's divine:
He couldn't tell cashmere from twine.
       Their romance expired,
       When she finally tired
Of casting her purls before swine.
- Kim F.

Thank you for your input.  And, to everyone else who entered, thank you so much for participating!

Itchy fingers?

My goodness, this is going to be a busy week.  We have a Sock Club package going out (which is awesome, I can't deny it) and a humongous yarn crawl hitting our fair city on Saturday and Sunday.  But, first, I have two worthy causes I want to bring to your attention:

• Handknits for Hard Knock Kids (deadline to donate: January 15, 2010). Last time I checked, we had 48lbs of clothing and it'd be simply fantastic if we could collect 50 lbs in total! We still have a couple of days left. That's totally enough time to whip up a child-sized hat or two (which is my goal for this week)... I'm afraid my attempt to knit mittens hasn't worked out too well, but I shall NOT be discouraged!  And neither should you.  If you've been working on a donation for our Hard Knock Kids and won't make the deadline, let us know and we'll run it over to the Oregon Foster Care office when you're ready!
• 
  
  
  Handknits for Tika (deadline: open-ended for now). Farrah (blogfans should know Farrah) is collecting handknit chemo caps and other "comfort" items for Martika, a 12-year-old girl she mentors. Tika has been diagnosed with cancer and will be spending the next four to six months undergoing chemotherapy treatments and lengthy hospital stays.  We'll also be collecting on Farrah's behalf, so feel free to send handknits to us and we'll make sure they get to Farrah. 
  
  (how can you say 'no' to this face, right?)
  
  
  
  If you're interested in donating, Tika's favorite colors are purple and pink (respectively) and she's not allergic to any fibers we know of. I would (humbly) suggest that all donations be machine-washable (just like for our Hard Knock Kids), because of the stressful situation the family is in. Also, it's important to know that Tika will be shaving her head soon and chemo caps made for her shouldn't measure above 18" in circumference.  I've done a quick survey on ravelry and found several suitable children's "chemo cap" patterns*:
  
  
  
  • "The Republic" Hat-Toddler Edition (and on ravelry) <-- I am making this cap for Tika with Merino Worsted in "Peony", so don't you copy me :P (please)
    
  • Floppy Brim Hat (on ravelry)
  • Rib-a-Roni (only available as a ravelry download)
  • Windy City Hat (on ravelry)
  • Pretty In Pink Ribbons (only available as a ravelry download)
  • Braid-Edged Cap (on ravelry)
  
  
  
• Or, for a change, you can make Tika a cute and cuddly handknit toy to hold while in the hospital!  (I foresee a run on Danger Crafts patterns...)
  
• Lastly, how about knitting a square for Tika's Patchwork Blanket? It has to measure 6" x 6", worked at 20 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in St st. (Purple and pink are preferred.)  This is a quick knit and can be done with stash yarn in an hour or less.
  

I'll definitely be making Tika a "The Republic" hat and a toy or two (Sammy the Sock Monster has caught my eye and heart...), plus a square (or two, they're quick!) for her blankie. Maybe I'll even have (some of) them done in time for next week's post (which will be next Wednesday, btw).  The yarn is bought and wound, too, so I have no excuse!

And now that I've twanged your heartstrings enough, onto the yarn crawliness.  If you should have a reason to visit us this weekend, please do not be surprised if you are met with the sight of dozens of knitters literally jammed into our tiny downtown store.  Seriously.  Last year was... wow.  As far as we've been told, there will be 150 knitters swarming in downtown PDX (expect to see lots of knitting on the MAX and Streetcar!), that will be visiting LYSes in smaller groups.  Just don't say we didn't warn you.  Right now, I have a short list of  upcoming Portland Yarn Crawls:

• Seattle-to-Portland Yarn Train (January 16th)
  
• Seattle-to-Portland Yarn Train Overnight Trip (January 16th & 17th)
  
• Portland Yarn Crawl (March 5th, 6th, 7th)
  

And we'll probably have a few more to add to that list in the coming weeks.  

Next, have you read the most recent Newsletter?  Do you know about our Cable Mania KAL & the Cable Limerick Challenge?  As of this afternoon, we have rather shockingly, actually, 14 entrants and 23 limericks so far!  Apparently quite a few of our Newsletter subcribers are poetry fans.  Or they just really want a Cabled Rib Wrap kit.  It could go either way, I'm sure.

If you're feeling poetically inclined, we'll be accepting entries through January 18th (yes, MLK Jr Day), so go and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

Finally, don't forget that the Gratis Knits deadline is this Friday, peeps!  We've raised the honorarium to $100 in store credit (which can be used online, in the store, or over the phone - we're that easy) and are looking for a fun winter pattern.  Wristlets or a hat would be nice.  It doesn't have to be complicated.  Just a pattern that uses a yarn we carry (currently) and is something people will want to make.  (Like I said, we're easy)  If you have any questions, feel free to email us.

I'm afraid that's everything of note.  I have no new staff projects (well, one or two that are Top Secret, but that's something else entirely), though I swear we will have some by next week.  Come heck or high water!  Until then, why don't try your hand at writing a limerick or pattern?  Or knitting a chemo cap?  At least you won't be bored ;)

*It's so sad that if you search "child chemo cap" more than a dozen patterns pop up :(

And the winner is...

We are pleased to announce the winner of our Twitterific Sock Contest and recipient of a 09/10 Sock Club Membership is 3894! Congratulations Helen, enjoy a lovely year of socks.

Next on the agenda: New products! We have just received some lovely handpainted yarns from Schaefer and roving from Abstract Fiber that we just can't wait to share with everyone. Pictured left is Schaefer Helene, a beautiful 50% Merino, 50% Cultivated Silk blend. The colorway pictured is Gertrude Erdele. On the right we have Abstract Fiber's Alpaca Silk blend roving in colorway Chocolate Rainbow. I can't get over how gorgeous both of these are, I especially like how well they work next to each other. These are both available in the store and will be available on the web shortly!


Now onto my favorite new toy, we have recently received some of these absolutely beautiful Traveluxe clutches by Offhand Designs. They come in such gorgeous fabrics and they are perfectly (in my opinion) laid out to accomodate straight needles, DPNs, and circulars, PLUS they have a zippered notions pocket. I snatched up the one on the left and am completely obsessed with it. This is definitely made worse, of course, by the fact that it so conveniently fits in my purse.

an interior view:

We also got a few of the Offhand Designs handbags but unfortunately all but one were snagged before I could get pictures. The size of this bag makes it so functional: large enough to be a great project or an overnight bag, but still not too large to be an everyday bag.


So that is what is new with us, stay tuned next week for an update on Marjorie's Skif and some more customer and staff projects. Until then blogfans!

-Lindsay

The results of the Name That Gizmo! Contest are officially in, aaand KnitPod is the winner. The knitter who submitted the name has asked to remain nameless, but will probably claim her two skeins of ShibuiKnits Sock next week.

And we here at the store want thank everyone who submitted a name or voted in the poll:

Thank you for participating!

Next, we have Susan, dyer of Abstract Fiber, and her first finished November sock (from the Sock Club, y'know):

Looking beautful. Maybe a bit sock-puppet-like, at the moment, but that was unavoidable.

Followed closely behind by my Malabrigo sock in progress:

(Can you totally tell 3M took this photo?)

In "Indiecita" on size 1 (2.25mm) DPNs. Yes, I know I tempt Fate by carrying my Lantern Moon needles in my bag. I guess I just like to live on the edge. The lace pattern on the instep is, for those of you who are not Shetland lace fans, the traditional Print O' The Wave pattern.

My take on the Malabrigo? So far I am loving it. My one slight complaint is that it can be splitty when doing a centered decrease (but only then). Otherwise? Major love. Huge. I am so glad I bought a ton of this when it came in. In fact, I might have to stash up some more...

Moving past my unhealthy stashing habits, I have been asked to remind all y'all about our Last-minute Gifts Knit-a-thon tomorrow (Saturday, December 13) from 6 pm - 12 am. Spend six hours at your (hopefully) favorite LYS with all your favorite knitterly friends, catching up on all those holiday projects that are slowly leading you towards a nervous breakdown.

And that is everything we (I and everyone I asked) can think of to blog about at the moment. If you've been in the store proper during the past week, you'll understand the slightly featherheaded (and belated) quality of this post. Until next time, have a great weekend!

the name is the game

We have so much happening at the store right now. Probably the least important on the list, but the best photographed, is my finished Ana Bandana:

Which, incidentally, I managed to harass a visiting Liz into modeling...

In "Burgundy". Knit on size 9's ('cause I can't read, clearly), but still wearable. The entire project (folds and all) took about a day and a half. I should mention that I had to rip back after taking it to the Quantum of Solace and, being completely distracted, managed to knit 6 extra inches onto it. Oy. So, all things considered, it'd probably take the average knitter a weekend day to knit.

And, it's a lot of fun to wear and keeps my ears warm, so it might have a fraternal twin soon.

Next on the list: 'tis the season. When you stop in, check out our itty-bitty Christmas tree:

Bedecked with the prettiest hand-turned wooden needlecases you've ever seen. Made locally out of exotic woods, these little one-of-a-kind beauties are just treasures for your knitting kit. At the moment, we have six in stock. Also on our little tree are the too-popular-for-their-own-good Knit Purl Christmas ornaments. I swear they'll be back in stock soon. I hope so, anyway.

On the subject of the holidays, have you donated to our OFB Food Drive yet? Aside from being good karma, we also have a collection of prizes for donors. Stop by the store, or check our Events page for more information.

And finally, the subject of our post, the KnitPurlzi. Well, sort of. Made by our favorite local woodworker (see above), we have the prototype for a new Knit Purl accessory:

A traveling, hand-turned wooden dpn/wip case. And, yes, it's loosely based off of the Knitzi - which unfortunately does not offer wholesale accounts at the moment (believe me, we asked). Leading us to commission our own interpretation of the concept. The tube is made of Black Walnut, the cap is Maple. I've been told the next version will have some notching and creative turning. Can't wait to see it.

And since I was told by the craftsmen to give it a workout, I took it with me on work errands this afternoon. Here is our little prototype saying "hi!" to the streetcar:

Now, here's the problem - we don't have a name for this fantastic gadget. Until we do, I'm jokingly calling it the KnitPurlzi. This connundrum has led to our new game: Name That Gizmo.

Submit your name by 12pm on Thursday, December 4th for entry. All the submissions will be put into a poll, which will be hosted off of the blog. The winner of the contest will win 2 skeins of ShibuiKnits Sock in the color(s) of his/ her choosing. Submit your name by commenting on this post or emailing us at info(at)knit-purl(dot)com, subject line: blog gizmo contest.

This should be interesting.