Happy New Year and A List of Hopes!

Can you believe it?? We're in a new year! Happy New Year to everyone! 2012 was an amazing year for me, and I'm super sad for it to leave. Candy Skein was as successful as I hoped, and I now have a studio dedicated to working. My husband and I celebrated our 5th year wedding anniversary and moved into our dream house. The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup (I thought I'd never say those words). We were able to visit my husband's family a few times in Wisconsin. I could really go on and on why '12 was so good to us. It's really amazing. And of course, I have all of you who support me and WIPW/FO Friday thoughout the year. Your kind comments here, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook make each and every day fun/exciting/loving. Thank you!

One thing 2012 wasn't good for was my resolution list I made last year at this time (click the link if you'd like to go back and read last year's). I only accomplished a few of them. That's why I'm calling this year's list a List of Hopes. It's what I hope to accomplish, more than resolutions that I feel need to be accomplished.

My 2013 List of Hopes:

1. To knit more from my stash- I know I said this last year and gave a percentage. I don't want this to be something stressful, or where I feel like I need to hit a certain goal. I just hope to use some of the gorgeous yarn already purchased. That doesn't mean I won't be buying more yarn! After all, I'm going to Stitches West in February!
2. To learn colorwork- This was on my list last year and it never happened. I hope to accomplish it this year.
3. To finish the two sweaters already started and start two more- I'm 90% done with two sweaters (the Abalone and the Featherweight Cardigan). I'm not sure what's stopping me from finishing them! 
4. To finish the Woodlands Sampler Cross Stitch and steampunk cross stitch- I signed up for the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's 2013 Woodlands sampler. I'd like to finish it within the year (you get a little picture each month) and also to start and finish the steampunk cross stitch pattern I purchased for my husband's music/computer room.
5. To learn how to sew (better) and feel comfortable following a sewing pattern- pretty self explanatory.
6. To post more here- I know I promise this a lot, but I really do want to post more here. I think with my studio, I'll have more time as my work is streamlined.
7. To double my sales with Candy Skein and aquire more wholesale accounts- In 2012 I hoped to triple my sales, from '11 to '12 which I did. I'd like to double my 2012 sales! We'll see how that goes.
8.  To make more time to read- I used to read on average 2 books a week, but now I'm nowhere near that. Most of my reading time has gone to my craft hobbies but I'd like to get back to at least a book a week.

That's it for my goals! I'd love to hear some of yours if you'd like to share them in the comments section or link to your blog if you've written a post!

 I'd also like to share one last thing. What a perfect time to unveil the January '13 colorway, Pink Champagne. This yarn is available starting today in Yummy fingering on the website. Here's the link!

 Have a happy and safe New Year! See you Wednesday, as I have a new project on the needles to share.

Tami

FO Friday 118

Happy Friday for this short week (or vacation time)! And happy (late) Boxing Day for those who celebrate! I hope you're having a great week. I'm on the mend, eating real food which is good and keeping it down which is even better! I haven't finished a project that you haven't really seen, but you haven't seen BOTH socks together or on anyone!

Materials:

Yarn: Candy Skein Yummy fingering in November '12 colorway, Pumpkin Pie
Needles: US Size 2 circular 32" cable
Pattern: I just made up a basic sock 2x2 ribbed sock with a garter ridge edge Eye of the Partridge heel, round heel and basic toe decrease. I cast on 72 stitches for socks for my husband.

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great day and even better weekend! See you next week for the usual posts plus a bonus new year's post!

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 124

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I did despite having the flu. I'm still sick unfortunately, but my husband took great care of me over the past few days. He had to go back to work today, so I must fend for myself, but I'm on the mend. Not a great time to get sick, as I started feeling ill Sunday night. :( We spent the past few days at home just spending time together and watching movies. It's been awesome.

This is going to be pretty short as it's still Christmas here as I write this and to be honest, it's the last thing I want to do right now. I'm sorry I said I would be posting before Christmas, but I just wasn't feeling up to it.

As far as what I've been working on, it was a race against the clock to finish my husband's socks in time, which I completed a few hours before he got home on Friday! He never knew about them and was sooo happy he got them! They fit great. I'll have pictures of him wearing them for FO Friday this week.

The rest of the time I've been cross stitching as I hope to have my holiday cross stitch done by the new year. Keep your fingers crossed for me on this one. As you can see, I jumped ahead today and started on Christmas day, as it was only fitting. I must say though, I really despise stitching with the gold thread. It's super splitty and rough. After I finish the 25th, I'll have 5 3/4 squares to do! Not too shabby.

I'll see you all on Friday for FO Friday and also to talk about the new year to come! I'll have a look back this week at last week's hopes for 2012. We'll see how many I actually accomplished. (As I type this, I totally forgot what I said last year, so it will be super fun!)

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 117 and a Candy Skein treat!

Hi everyone! Happy Friday and also Merry Christmas (early) if you celebrate! I'm going to try and post before Christmas, but in case I don't I wanted to make sure to send my well wishes. I hope you have a safe holiday and get all of the wonderful things you hoped Santa would bring you.

Speaking of gifts, I'm still working on my husband's socks. Keep your fingers crossed as I have to finish them by tonight. He has the weekend and Christmas Eve off, so this will be the last time I'll be able to work on them in secret. I have a few inches left before I start to decrease the toe. I'm hoping I can crush through it today but please send me your good knitting vibes.

I can't wait to finish the socks so I can focus on my cross stitch and finishing a few more projects before the new year begins.

Speaking of the New Year, the podcast Yarniacs (one of my favorite knitting podcasts out there!) is having a self indulgent KAL starting January 1st. The idea is to cast on a project for yourself the first of the year, after working on holiday presents for the past several weeks.  I'll be playing along, casting on a Color Affection shawl in a new Candy Skein yarn base that I'll announce soon. Speaking of Candy Skein, if you listen to the newest Yarniacs podcast (episode number 25) you will hear that not only will I be donating a prize for the KAL, but I also have a Yarniacs exclusive Candy Skein coupon! All you have to do is listen to the podcast to hear the coupon code and receive 15% off of all Candy Skein yarn through the end of January. The coupon can be used as many time as you order throughout the life of the coupon! How is that for a little self indulgence??!!

Again, happy holidays!

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 123

Hi everyone. Thank you for all the well wishes on Friday. I was out of sorts last week and everything is okay now, but all your nice comments helped. :) This week we've had great weather has it's been cold enough to wear the hand knits and storming. I love being inside when it's cold and rainy!

As far as WIPW, I can't take a picture of my progress on my husband's socks, as he's been home sick all day. He still doesn't know I'm working on the socks (or at least I don't think he does) so I don't want to spoil the surprise by taking them out for a pic. I hope you understand!

 Here's my progress on the glove! It's slow going since I've been exclusively working on the socks in hopes to finish them by Christmas. I do hope to finish this glove as soon as the socks are done though!

I'm a huge fan of Slipped Stitch Studios knit bags and so when I heard about her Doctor Who Bag of the Month I had to get it. I don't think I've showed it to you yet, but this is the large one (it also came with a sock bag size). The amazing thing about this? It fits my big 17" snap frame for my cross stitch, my box with all my stitching supplies and my pattern with room to spare! Amazing right??!! It's a great way to carry around and to be able to stitch at any time. :)

Speaking of stitching, here is my progress. As you can see I'm on day 15. I'll show you more details later on, maybe this Friday! I've finished a LOT of squares you have yet to see. Despite being behind on this, I love it so much and adore cross stitching! YAY!

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great day and rest of the week.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 117

Hi everyone! Happy Friday. I hope you're all doing well and have great plans for the weekend. I was able to finish the first sock for Christmas, despite some not so fun things that happened Thursday. This is going to be quick, as it's almost midnight. Have a wonderful weekend.

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 122

Happy hump day everyone! I hope you're having a great Wednesday, or it looks like your Wednesday will shape up to be a good one. It's slow and steady over here in Tami land, which is how I like it! I've been knitting and cross stitching the past few days, but wanted to share my knitting progress today.

My WIP pile is ridiculously huge, so I decided to pull out one that you haven't seen in a LONG time! Why haven't you seen it? You may remember that I broke my needle tip on these gloves like 6+ months ago! I found them in the move (or found the project bag that contained them!) and went to work again. Now I have another set of needles and thought it was time to finish these now that the weather is HOPEFULLY turning cold here. The pattern is Treads and I'm using Tosh Vintage in Baltic (the yarn is gorgeous!) I should have these done SOON, but I'm not making any promises! ;)

 As you can see on my second WIP that I'm currently knitting, I'm almost finished here too! I'm just starting to toe decrease on my husband's first sock. I'm making these for Christmas, and so I better get a move on! I've been comparing it to the sock that I made him awhile ago, but it's hard since the ones already made are a little stretched out and felted. I'm not using a pattern, but just making it 2x2 rib on the cuff and on the in step with a garter ridge lined Eye of the Partridge heel (my favorite!). Hopefully they'll fit! I'm using Candy Skein November '12 colorway, Pumpkin Pie!


That's it for me today. I hope you have a great day and rest of your week! See you Friday!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 116

Hi everyone and happy Friday. I'm going to keep this short, because as some of you know (if you follow me on Instagram), you'll know that yesterday (well, today as I type this) I had (still have) a migraine headache. If you've ever had one, you know the last thing you want to be doing is staring at a bright computer screen.

As promised, I have pictures of me wearing the shawl! It doesn't really match with what I'm wearing in the picture, but just pretend. I had my husband take these pictures before I left to take the Candy Skein yarn to Yarning for You! Sorry for the squinting, but it was REALLY glarey outside! I'll have pictures of that coming up on the blog and I still have some studio pictures as promised. I've been lacking on that, as I've been insanely busy but things will start to calm down a little soon.

I have to say, I didn't know how I'd like the shape of the shawl, but I do love it. It's very comfortable. The beading is subtle, but more noticeable in person than in these pictures.

Here's the details:

Pattern: Quaker Ridge Shawl
Yarn: Tosh Sock in Worn Denim
Beads: Size 6 seed beads
Needle: Size US 7
Notes: I only had one skein of yarn but really wanted this yarn with this pattern, so I made it work. Out of one skein of Tosh Sock, I got 7 repeats finished, sans ruffle, but with the beaded bind off. I did have a little yarn left, and could have maybe squeaked out another repeat, but decided not to take the chance. It's a very easy shawl to knit, and would really recommend it. I had a great time with the beaded bind off, despite it taking awhile (over a day). I think it was totally worth it.

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 121

Happy Wednesday! I hope you're all having a great week. Our move on Saturday went okay (though it was TOUGH on our bodies!) and Sunday we got our tree! I don't have pictures of it yet (well, I have a few on my Instagram), as the tree only has lights right now. We're going to fully decorate it this coming weekend. We decided to go all out and got a tree that almost touches our ceiling in the new house. It's 8' tall! It's so pretty and I LOVE having a real tree each and every year. It' makes the house smell so good and the kitties and puppy love it too!

Before we get into WIPW this week, I have big news to share with all of you today! One reason I haven't gotten a lot of knitting done recently is Candy Skein will now be offered in a LYS store. If you've been following me on Instagram (Candyskein) or Twitter (@candyskein) you've probably been seeing me post LOTS of pictures of Delicious fingering (70% alpaca/20% silk/10% cashmere). It was for an order of 72 skeins in 12 different colorways that will be delivered today (Wednesday) to Yarning for You in San Marcos, CA. If you live in the San Diego (or southern California area) and would love to go see/feel how awesome this yarn is, it will be in the shop starting Thursday morning! I'm SOO excited and so proud of how all the skeins turned out! If you do get a chance to check Yarning for You out, I will say, it's definitely worth the trip. It's an amazing LYS with a great selection and amazing owner/staff. I highly recommend it (even before they were going to carry Candy Skein!)

Not enticing enough? Here's the selection that will be available sitting in my studio ready to be delivered today! Pretty awesome, right? If you click on the picture you'll be able to see it enlarged. :)

From left to right starting at the top: Cafe au Lait, Strawberry Margarita, Robin Egg Malt Ball, Honey, Sour Apple, Fudge Brownie, Butter Pecan, Tequila Sunrise, Berry Salad, Cranberry, Plum and Midnight Mousse

Okay, now to WIPW!

Remember these socks I started in November! They're back out and on my needles. This is a surprise Christmas gift for my husband (or I hope it's a surprise and hope I can finish them by Christmas!) As you can see, I just finished the heel flap and am about to turn the heel once I'm finished with this post! I'm using the Candy Skein Yummy fingering November '12 colorway, Pumpkin Pie.


That's it for me today! I hope you have a fabulous rest of the week and I'll see you all on Friday!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 115

Hi everyone and happy Friday! I have to start out this blog post with an apology. I promised you the shawl, and it won't be on today's post. I finished it, blocked it and forgot to take pictures. I want you to see it in it's best light and with me wearing it. Considering it's 7pm on Thursday night when I'm writing this and home alone, that's not going to happen. I'm going to have my husband take pictures this weekend and I PROMISE it will be next Friday.

I didn't want to have you go home empty handed, so I thought I would post a few finished squares of my cross stitch! I hope you're enjoying all of these stitching pictures as much as I love posting them. It's such a fun hobby, as I mentioned to you on Wednesday and I thank you for letting me share them with you, despite the fact it isn't knitting or crochet!

Please excuse the shadows on it, as I'm taking the pictures at night with my OttLite. You can see that I did 1-5 and then jumped to 10 since I had to move the canvas to get to 5, so I just went on to 10. The stocking is the one you saw started on Wednesday!

That's it for me today! Saturday we're planning to move over the rest of the stuff from the old house to the new, but Sunday we have fun plans as we are going to get our Christmas tree! I hope you have a great weekend.

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 121

Happy Work in Progress Wednesday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was a little less eventful than we thought it would be unfortunately. We had a great Saturday running errands, putting up Christmas lights and hanging around the house. We decided to have a date night Saturday night and got dressed up to eat and see a movie. The meal was good, but about 45 minutes after eating (and already sitting in the movie theater to see Wreck It Ralph), I started to feel sick. We had to leave the movies (luckily we got a refund since we probably only saw 20 minutes of the movies if that) and I was VERY sick all night. I think food poisoning got the best of me. :( I'm doing good now, but it kind of foiled our Sunday plans. We were supposed to rent a large truck to move the remaining items from the old house to the new. That will have to wait until this weekend. The good news of it all was we had a relaxing Sunday at home, watching movies, knitting and cross stitching.

I have my Quarker Ridge shawl blocking in the studio right now, so I'll be sharing that with you on FO Friday! I can't wait.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, I apologize as you'll be seeing a few of the same pictures here this week. I just got so excited to start the Rock and Purl Winter Mystery Glove KAL that I wanted to share my progress.  You can still sign up for the KAL, as we just started and are on clue 1. Candy Skein is the main sponsor for the KAL, but you can use any fingering weight yarn if you are stash busting for the holidays. The great thing is, Ruth, the designer, has planned it so by the end you should have a pair of gloves for a gift for the holidays (or to keep yourself!) She has a Ravelry group so you can work on the gloves with others and see their progress!

This is clue 1 that came out on Monday for one glove. I haven't decided if I want to just work on the one, or if I should try and split the ball into two and work on the other at the same time (using two separate needles since my cable isn't long enough to do two at a time). Right now I'm just waiting for next week's clue, so if I did split the ball into two, I could actually have both started through clue 1 by the time clue 2 comes out. I don't have two sets of these brand needles, but do you think that's a big deal? Might gauge might be a LITTLE off with a different brand, but as long as they're the same size, could it really make a huge different? Anyway, I'm using Candy Skein Yummy fingering in January '12 colorway, Arctic Mint.

I've also been working on my cross stitch! I have a few more finished from the last time you saw it, but I'll keep that picture for my FOs on Friday. I finished days 1-5 and decided since I had to move the canvas over to do day 5, that I'd just jump down and do day 10 and work in a zig zag pattern. I wanted to share this with you because I thought it was pretty funny. It currently looks like I'm stitching Mickey Mouse's pants but I promise you, I'm not! I have to say, I LOVE cross stitching! It's so fun. I just love to see the pictures appear and it's great for when you're watching tv or a movie!

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of your week and I'll see you on Friday!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 114

Hi everyone! Happy Black Friday. I don't usually brave the crowds, except a few years ago we bought a new tv. This year I'll be working and then headed to a birthday party at our favorite local tiki bar/restaurant, the Bali Hai! I hope all who celebrate Thanksgiving survived! I'm currently in a food coma as I type this Thursday evening with a cup of Thanksgiving blend Starbucks coffee next to me.

Speaking of Black Friday, don't forget that the Candy Skein sale is still going on through Monday at midnight. Some of the yarn is going fast, so be sure to check out the website. All yarn is 15% off with code HOLIDAYSALE at checkout in the coupon section.

I finished my shawl! The beaded bind off took about a day and a half, but is so worth it. I will have better pictures of the shawl once it's blocked, but I wanted to share it since I am done with the knitting part! Please excuse the dark pictures, but as mentioned, I'm in a food coma.

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 120

Hi everyone. I hope you're having a great week and to all my US followers, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!! I'm so very happy that my husband gets the day off (but not Friday unfortunately) and that my family will be together for the day. We haven't gotten to spend much time together lately, and haven't had a relaxing day of sleeping in, lounging around and eating in a long time. It will be nice to forget about work for one day, if that's possible. What do you have planned for the holiday weekend?

Speaking of the holiday weekend, before I jump into WIPW, I wanted to let everyone know about the Candy Skein holiday sale. This isn't just for US customers, but worldwide! If you're looking for a few gifts or even to treat yourself this holiday season, be sure to stop by Candyskein.com this weekend to take advantage of our holiday sale by using coupon code HOLIDAYSALE during the checkout process. Receive 15% off your total purchase and we’re even giving a free gift! Spend $40 and receive a Candy Skein button. Spend $60 and receive a full set of 5! The sale runs from Thursday, November 22nd at 12:01am PT through Monday, November 26th at 11:59pm PT.

I don't have too much to show for WIPW as I've been working on the same project. I will say, I'm SOO close to finishing and will have it done for Friday so I don't want to show too much and give it away.

It's my Quaker Ridge Shawl in Tosh Sock. I'm working on the beaded bind off so I figured I'd show you a little sneak peak of it! You'll have to come back Friday to see the rest. :)

That's it for me today. Please have a fun and safe Turkey day in the US and a great Black Friday/Cyber Monday!


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Candy Skein update: Rainbow Mini sets are back!

Candy Skein minis are back!
The set currently available is the Rainbow series, including 8 of Candy Skein’s most popular colorways. This is a great way to add eye popping color to your Beekeeper’s Quilt, Sock Blanket, or any other mini projects you have on the go.





Each assortment set includes:
8 mini skeins, one in each of the following colors:
Cherry
Cotton Candy
Orange Sherbet
Banana
Lemon Lime
Brain Freeze
Midnight Mousse
Party Punch





Colorway: 8 assorted colors (Cherry, Cotton Candy, Orange Sherbet, Banana, Lemon Lime, Brain Freeze, Midnight Mousse, Party Punch
Series: Yummy
Fiber content: 75% Falkland British Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 25-28 yards each skein
Unit Weight: 5.5-6g each skein
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low
Price: $13
Quantity Available: 12
Buy Now!

FO Friday 113

Happy Friday everyone! I'm so glad that the end of the week is upon us. My friend Alea went home yesterday which is very sad. It was so great to spend a week with her hanging out, cross stitching, yarn dyeing and showing her the sights. It was so odd after she left to be alone, as my husband is back to working long crunch hours. The good thing about having a lot of time alone is I get to catch up on my DVR and craft!

As mentioned during the last few WIPWs, I've gotten into cross stitch lately! It's so fun (despite the fact that it makes me realize I need a new eye glass prescription!) that I've been working on it more than I've been knitting. Don't worry though, I hope to finish the shawl (and other WIPs) soon! I thought I would share the 3 squares of The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Kawaii Winter Wonderland. We've been getting 5 days worth of clues each Monday and they just keep getting cuter and cuter! Only problem is I can't keep up. I hope to get faster as I go, but considering I haven't cross stitched since I was 10, I don't think I'm doing too bad. The next square is a pair of mittens that are super cute and I can't wait to start on. If you're a fan of cross stitch, or just want to check out some adorable patterns, be sure to check The Frosted Pumpkin's website (you can get to it from the link above). I also have to say, I don't know them, I'm just a fan of their patterns!

That's it for me today. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and I'll "see" you all next week! I'll have exciting news about a KAL I'm sponsoring with Rock and Purl!

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 119

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week. I've had a great time so far with my friend Alea so far! We've had an insane couple of days in San Diego and Los Angeles. I haven't had too much time to be crafty, but I've bought a few things to make my crafting easier!

I bought beads for my Quaker Ridge shawl! I'm going to mix the two randomly for the bind off. I have one and a half more repeats before I'm finished and ready to go.

Don't the beads look great!!?? The blue are a little hard to see in the match awesome. I wanted a little bling but not too much.

Here's my cross stitch!I haven't gotten too much further but I just need to the inside of the owl, his beak and the number for the square. I wish you could see the white a little more on my canvas, but oh well.

Check out all my cross stitch stuff! I'm totally professional now. HA!

That's it for me today! I hope you have a great rest of the week and see you on Friday!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!