Kristin Omdahl Bamboo Yarns

Kristin Omdahl has created her own line of yarns!  As you crocheters know, Kristin is a talented designer of both crochet and knitwear, and now she's taking it to the next level by offering brilliant hand dyed bamboo yarns (disclosure:  Kristin is offering her yarns at a discount to pattern designers to give them the opportunity to experience and utilize this beautiful yarn in our own designs).

So, I had the hardest time deciding which yarns to order!  I went with Be So Bold and Be So Sporty.

It came in a flash, and how wonderfully packaged.  Kristin really pays attention to detail but still manages to give that personal touch.

Here is the Be So Bold (100% bamboo, 165 yds/594m per 4 oz/113g for $30) in Sophia's Serengeti Sunset.  It's a worsted weight yarn, and I'm using my G hook for the swatch (see below).  I think it's a single ply and looks almost weaved.  It's soooo easy to crochet with, no splits!

My swatch has 2 rows of single crochet, followed by 2 rows of double crochet.  I'm getting 8 stitches per inch, and 2 rows of single is about a half inch and 2 rows of double is a little more than an inch.

Ok, so now that my swatch is made, let's go wash it! I was a little worried at first because, even though bamboo has some amazing properties (it’s naturally antibacterial and gives ultraviolet protection, with good drape and breath-ability), it can be a bit challenging to maintain (it needs to be hand washed and loses strength and swells in water).  But, I have to say, the swatch isn't shrinking or growing in size (hey, I'm doing this in real time!).  Whew, well, I'll post after drying pix, but so far, so good.  So, now on to the designing!

Next!

So, now that the poms are (hopefully) under way, I'm already thinking about what my next crochet project is.  Being one of those folks who can't seem to focus on just one thing at a time, I'm sure I'll start at least 3 things in the next few days.  I've been asked to make a baby gift for January, so that's sort of back burner.  I've been thinking about boy baby items too, especially something that will utilize this beautiful moss green bamboo yarn that I got recently.  I'm hesitant to design a piece of clothing with it because I keep reading about how bamboo really doesn't hold up very well in apparel -- it stretches and loses its shape after washing, which with a baby, is a regular occurrence.  I got Elsebeth Lavold's Bambool, which is 80% bamboo and 20% merino wool, so I'm thinking that the wool is there to help counteract bamboo's shortcomings.  Mmmm, maybe I'd better start experimenting with it!

Duck Update:  so the mama flew the coop, or fountain as the case may be, again over the weekend, but this morning, she seems to be back.  I got a little worried last night when I got home from work because I couldn't see the baby either, but turns out he was rummaging around in the bushes eating dinner!  So cute to watch him (her?) stick his bill into the dirt and munch.  His wings still don't seem to be well-formed enough to be flying or anything, so I imagine the fountain will remain his world for a little while longer.

Where did the week go?!

Where did the week go?!  I'm glad it's Friday, but I had planned on posting, tweeting, etsying, and so much more this week ;-)  Oh, well, that's what Sunday will be all about...

I've got a new pattern up on Ravelry, for a cute little summer baby hat.  The prototype has gone off to a friend's niece as a baby shower gift.  We were originally aiming for a bamboo yarn baby blanket, but it took me a while to find a reasonably priced bamboo yarn for such a big project, and it still hasn't arrived in the mail yet.  We're thinking it might be a good Christmas present (and it turns out that a knitter gave the mother-to-be a blanket at the shower, so just as well!)

I'm hoping to post a couple of new projects up on Ravelry soon, but I've been working on the book projects with a fabulous graphic artist.  Really, if you need a graphic artist, I would highly recommend "SunnyD" on elance.com.  It's a great service, actually -- you can go to elance and post a project and have lots of different service providers bid on it, or you can identify particular providers to give you an estimate for your job.

But, more on these projects later.  What thought will I leave you with tonight?  Mmmm, just get out there and take a break!  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our projects that we forget to play :-)

TGIF I think...

I can't believe it's already Friday!  This week seemed to go slowly, but then picked up at the end.  Still trying to recover from the trip out to CA.  Ended up catching a cold when I got back, so still bumbling along here!  I did manage to put up a customized twitter page, so check it out and start following me!  http://twitter.com/PhyllisOfMCG

I'm not sure what else I've got to report.  The newsletter went out, and this month's topic was National Better Sleep Month.  Some really good tips on the types of food to eat before bedtime that will actually help you get a better night's sleep.  Not too late to subscribe!  Either subscribe to the blog in the box to the left or send me an email requesting the monthly newsletter at contact at manycreativegifts.com

I think I might have a baby blanket project underway soon as a baby shower present for a friend of mine.  I'm discovering how pricey and difficult to find bamboo yarn is!  I'd really like to make her something of natural fibers, but it's challenging.  It really should not be!  I need to do more research on this...

Ok, you'll see new buttons at the bottom of my posts -- please give me your feedback, it's for your own good :-)

Axolotl

Well, I am learning so much about the Axolotl. It's a Mexican salamander basically, not to be confused with a lizard or reptile because they are amphibians. And, they come in all sorts of cool and different colors. The one I'm making is going to mimic the "white albino" with red gills! (if you'd like to learn more, check out http://www.axolotl.org/). I found a great 100% natural bamboo yarn that's so great for creating this plush amigarumi.

Not much else going on -- I'm still waiting for my brother-in-law to return my camera, but here's the owl I made for the baby shower earlier this month ;-)

Today's Thought: Williams-Sonoma has these great microfiber dusting mitts that pick up everything, and they come in cool colors too. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fn430/index.cfm?pkey=chkgcln&ckey=hkgcln