Your Boot Cuffs will Dazzle with Dye2Spin’s “Cosmic Rainbow”

Have a skein of Dye2Spin’s Cosmic Rainbow yarn just laying about, all alone and looking for the perfect project? Well, here’s an idea to get you jump started into your next winter weather quick-knit … Boot Cuffs!

I knit these for a co-worker of mine who I know will start wearing them right away. I chose the BFL fiber base for the boot cuffs because it was a little more hearty than a merino yarn. Since she ordered boot cuffs, I wanted to have strength and durability over softness. Don’t get me wrong, BFL is plenty soft, I just wanted to avoid the merino for this project.

As I share this pattern with you, please understand that I am not a pattern designer or writer and I really have no idea about all the info I’m supposed to include or the proper order in which to present it. So, I’ll just write it out the way I think it should be. Any questions, please leave a comment below so others may see.

Simple Boot Cuff Pattern
Level of Difficulty – Intermediate, you must know basic knit and purl sts plus knitting in the round

Yarn: 1 skein 100% BFL Aran weight in Cosmic Rainbow, 183 yards by Dye2Spin
One skein of acrylic/wool blend black yarn (I used a yarn that was considered a “single.” In other words, it was smooth and did not have several strands twisted, or plied, together.)

Needles: 4 US 10 dpns (I prefer bamboo.)

Boot cuffs fit adult size Medium to Large. Pattern can be modified for larger or smaller sizes by either adding four stitches or deleting four stitches from the number you cast on.

Cable Cast On 16 sts on each of three dpns, add an additional stitch on the third needle, 49 sts (16, 16, 17).

Turn your needles to where the tail is in your left hand needle and working yarn is on the right hand needle, being careful not to twist. Needle two is at the bottom of the triangle, like so:

Row 1: With the fourth needle, insert into first st on left hand needle and K2, P2 until last st of needle 3, transfer last st onto left hand needle. (This helps to have a stronger join.)

Row 2: PM (place marker on right hand needle to mark the beginning of each row), K2tog, K1, P2, *K2, P2* repeat rib patt to end.
Rows 3-13: K2, P2 rib
Rows 14-26: K all sts in every row for stockinette st.
Rows 27-39: Revert back to K2, P2 rib
Cast off knitting the knits and purling the purls.

Viola!!!!! You have some rockin’ new boot cuffs! And you will have the pleasure of bragging to all who ask, “Where did you get those?” that you made them yourself! 🙂

Vote for Dye2Spin with Six Clicks every Day!

I ain’t too proud to beg!! PUH-LEEEEZ Vote for my yarn business, Dye2Spin! http://www.marthastewart.com/americanmade/nominee/79770

You have the chance to vote six times per day. Each of you can make a huge difference in the number of votes I get, especially if you return and vote every day and tell your friends!

I’m so excited about this opportunity for my business that I’m running a promotion right now: 20% off your entire purchase with the coupon code: SIXCLIX

Please take advantage of this discount! They don’t come around often!

Fiber Indie eXperience January Prize Box

Its your last day to get your orders in for the amazing January Prize Boxes through FIX on Ravelry!  Visit any FIX Co-op Member, make a purchase in their shop, then list the details of your order on the FIX Ravelry JPB discussion thread for your chance to win!  There is a Spinning Box, a Knitting Box and then a Mixed Box and you get to rank your choices!

The Time has Come! FIX Prize Box Giveaway

 

You’ve waited, you’ve wondered and NOW the time has come for you to participate in your first Fiber Indie eXperience Prize Box Giveaway.  Basically, you make purchases from FIX Co-op Members, like myself, to enter your name into the January prize box drawing  of fabulous fiber goodies!  Purchases from December 30th through January 29th are valid for the entry for the prize box.

But HOW do I enter after making my purchase?

Great question, glad you asked!  Let’s say you go to LMS Studio Arts and make a purchase of three items on January 14th, your name would be put into the prize box drawing ONLY AFTER you go to the FIX Ravelry Group and post your date of purchase, items purchased, and shop where you ordered in the Prize Box thread , then you are entered.  Let’s just say, for grins, that you visited Little Monkey’s Stitch n’ Spin on January 20th and buy two items.  You would then be able to go to the Prize Box thread AGAIN and enter the order information stated above for and ADDITIONAL entry.  You get the picture, I’m sure.

Where can I shop, Ashley, WHERE CAN I SHOP?

ETSY SHOPS Icandyarn, Yarn Demon Designs, Fancy Kitty, Little Monkey Stitch N Spin ,
Sarah Kate Fibers , Blue Mtn. Handcrafts , Babester Fiber Arts , The Wacky Windmill , Aspen Leaf Fiber Farm , Dye2Spin (that’s me folks), Madamfluffy/Ozark Carding Mill , Herman Hills Farm

ARTFIRE SHOPS ICandyarn , Knottie Girl Designs , Yarn Demon Designs , Camel Shoppe , Dye2Spin

ONLINE SHOPS Blue Mountain Handcrafts , Herman Hills Knittery , Fancy Kitty , Aspen Leaf Fiber Farm , Ozark Carding Mill

HYENA CART Little Monkey Stitch N Spin

Have a great time.  And, I hope you win!

Guest Blogger Katie Toohil: Coffee & Crafts, Nov. 27th

The Craft Cafe is a Magic Place.

Welcome to your Craft Room away from your Craft Room.

On November 27, I lugged my giant container of craft supply giveaways, my spinning wheel, and a pair of unfinished knit legwarmers from my little enclave in Oak Cliff to the Craft Cafe, this time being held at Ashley’s casa in Fort Worth.

When I walked into this gathering of nimble fingers, I immediately felt energized. Okay, that might have been the energy drink I had prior to showing up, but I’m going to say it was the electricity of the Craft Cafe. I tossed my container of craft goods to the wolves  – errr, I mean, civilized ladies who sifted through my craft room clean-out pile without salivating or foaming at the mouth, swear – and tried to figure out what the heck I was going to work on.

Manda, Angeel, and Amber, tearin' it up!

Let’s dye fiber! No, ’twas not the time, for the lovely Jennifer was in the kitchen whipping up some delicious quiches and some unadventurous people didn’t want quiche in a gorgeous mauve & slate colorway. Pedestrian, I tell you!

My attention thus skittered towards the even turn, turn, turn of Ashley and Manda saddled at their spinning wheels. Manda was working on some yarn for a co-worker and Ashley for a friend.

Ashley's spinning, legitimized by the "Spinner" sticker on the floor.

I checked out my modest mile of roving, sighed deeply & dramatically, and decided that none of my colors were right and turned to the next project on my list.

I scooted my booty in between the two aforementioned spinners and whipped out my knitting project, a pair of thigh-high legwarmers that were slated for use in my dance work. I turbo-knitted for a few hours in a lovely circle of women doing the same and momentarily enjoyed Cinder backin’ that ass up on me.

You're mine, all mine.

Amidst other cries of, “Oh, I finally finished this project!” – I finally finished my project. I’m a real knitter now!

Katie the Knitter

And that’s what Craft Cafe is all about, in my eyes. So much of what we do as crafters is done in solitary environments. It was fantastic to come together and share our projects and eat quiche and make inappropriate jokes with other people. Sound like something you’re down to do? Check out our next meeting on January 22. I’ll be seein’ ya at the Craft Cafe! Til next time.

Written by Katie Toohil, Blog Contributor at the Dallas Observer, Dallas, TX

When creation heals

Fellow crafting friends and creatives alike,

Please allow me to express my gratitude to creation.  In particularly tough times in the family or workplace, I know I can count on the productivity and silence of my type of creative process.  These processes include knitting, dyeing yarn and spinning yarn.  I love each of these with passion I cannot describe. 

I think about doing each of these things while I’m at my day job.  I talk to people everywhere about these crafts.  I listen to people tell me, “That’s a lost art” as I’m spinning up some animal fiber.  You know what I tell them?  I tell them how fiber arts is making a come-back!  And I’m so happy to say that with confidence.  Arts and crafting in general is making a come-back, at least in my life it is.

So, when I have a tough day in the classroom and I’ve worked out at the gym but I still don’t feel at ease, I just pick up the knitting needles, pull out the wheel, or pre-soak some wool roving so I can put myself in that zone where I don’t have to talk to anyone but myself.  And, nine times out of ten, when I talk to myself, I’m right!

Yarn Dyeing Preview

Here’s a little preview of what I’m doing, and dyeing today. I’m experimenting with my first sock blank dye project. I’m dyeing some Merino/Tussah Silk roving for the first time. And after that is all finished, I hope to have some time to dye some half-ounce bundles for a basic felting kit. Fun times with fiber.

Sneak Peek of Coffee & Crafts, 11-27-11

A wonderful friend of mine, Katie Toohil of the Dallas Observer Blog, has kindly consented to be a guest blog contributor.  This time around (little does she know that she’s writing more than just one post, tee hee), she’ll be discussing and bringing deep analysis to the Coffee & Crafts get-together that commenced on the twenty-seventh of November in the year two thousand and eleven.  Here is a picture to “peek” your interest!  (By the way, Katie is the beauty sitting in the middle of the floor, posing for the picture unknowingly.  She’s just that talented folks!)

Seven days and Counting

Quickly, I’m just sharing my excitement about the November 27th Coffee & Crafts, our first ever Craft Cafe Mobile event!!! There is sure to be lots if fun, laughter, creativity, and down-right amazingness going on that day.

I received some freshly ground Cappulido coffee yesterday from my husband’s friend Eric Pulido. That will be served along with the wonderment of JenBrickman’s Bakery.

Below is a batch of hand-dyed yarn, drying in the sun. Courtesy of Ashley Wolfe, dye2spin.Etsy.com

Please follow our goings-on in this blog as well as on FB. Facebook.com/CraftCafeDFW

Get our family-friendly tweets @CraftCafeDFW

Two Weeks and Counting

This is a pretty special blog post since it is one of the pieces highlighting the first-ever Coffee and Crafts get-together for Craft Cafe.  On Sunday, November 27th, we are joining up in the name of all things craft to spend the day with friends and our work.

Something very special has happened in the days and weeks since planning Coffee and Crafts.  We have had many of our Craft Cafe Mobile members cleaning out their craft rooms, supply bins, and sewing closets to not only participate in the Supply Swap but to also make a generous donation to our community outreach events.

Katie Toohil, one of my close craft friends and future Craft Cafe blog contributor, has already told me that she has a heavy, overflowing plastic tub with loads of materials, supplies, and other goodies that will be going straight to the project supply closet of Craft Cafe Mobile.  (Oh, if you’re wondering, that’s me in the picture on Katie’s blog about Grieve: The Dance.)

Jennifer has been making incredible and healthy treats so that she can perfect the art of healthy indulgences she wishes to have at her bakery.  For the time being she will have to keep subjecting us at school to her fabulous creations from her home.  (Today she made an excellent rendition of a breakfast bar with craizins and raisins that was to die for!)

We are also extending our goal to the blogosphere for our Facebook Fan Page.  We are almost halfway to our goal of getting 100 Likes by New Years.  So, if you haven’t yet, please Like us.  If you’re reading this, you probably already do, right?  Facebook.com/CraftCafeDFW