Have you ever knit with Indigo Moon yarns? If you haven’t and are looking to treat yourself with some luxurious yarn, check out IM’s website: www.indigomoonyarns.com . I just love this yarn. The colours are to die for and it is so soft and luxurious, and comes in various weights making it great for socks & everything else!

And, now, Indigo Moon’s first ever yarn club starting in May 2009:

So here we are…the first Indigo Moon Yarn Club!!!!

How Long?

Subscriptions will run for 3 months with shipments in May, June and July 2009.

What colour?

All colourways will be dyed specifically for the yarn club. If a colourway seems the same as another colourway you’ve seen, please be assured that I did not repeat it. I am very particular about my colourways and feel that not everything works…or more correctly, it all works but I may not like it. And if I don’t like a colourway I won’t sell it…even if it is a never-before-done colourway (eg yellow and red).

All colourways are limited editions - I only paint/dye what has been ordered and are “Dyer’s Choice” at this time.

These colourways will be available only to IM Yarn Club subscribers.

What yarn?

The Yarn will be your ever favorite superwash merino in fingering wt. I will consider other base yarns in the future.

What is the cost?

$90 Canadian Subscription includes shipping of 1 skein per month.

$130 US Subscription (paid in Canadian funds) shipping of 1 skein per month.

Please contact me for international orders.

Gift Giving?

If you would like to purchase a subscription for a friend or family member, I am happy to bill the gift giver, and ship to the gift recipient. Please make a note on your order (there is a box to write “notes”) and whether it is a surprise or not.

Refunds

No refunds available once subscription buy-ins are finished on the April 15th.

When and how to order?

April 1, 2009 9am PST subscriptions will open and close April 15, 2009 or sooner if the maximum number of subscriptions have been reached. Payment will be due upon order (though it may not be billed till the 15th…if you need me to hold off for a day or two because your statement is due, just let me know). This will be going through my website.

Click here to choose a Canadian or US membership (payable in Canadian funds):

What if lost?info@indigomoonyarns.com.

I will hold back some skeins each month in case of loss in shipping. Each package will have a tracking number so if it doesn’t arrive we’ll find out why, and a replacement will be sent. These skeins will be available at the end of the 3 month subscription period to IM Yarn Club members only (how or when to be decided).

Next time?

All signees of this term will have first choice to sign up for the next term which has a planned start date of Sept 2009.

All the above information applies to this first Indigo Moon Yarn Club and may be revised for future yarn clubs. If you have any questions or comments, or if anything has been missed, please contact me at

Enjoy!!!

This club promises to be exciting!!

Has it been two months already?? Yesseriebob, Mr & Mrs Mail Carrier (a couple delivers our mail), showed up with the second club sock kit from BMFA today.

Introducing the newest member of our sock yarn family………….Ms.  Gertrude Skein!

BMFA Rockin' Sock Club March "Gertrude Skein"

And, the Rogue Roses pattern by the Yarn Harlot herself I’m feeling pretty proud of myself, because my guess (after the first hint we were taunted with), was something romantic and colours you would find in an English garden…soft pinks, greens, lavenders.

This just made my day!

Geez, sometimes work really gets in the way of knitting and quilting. But, if I wasn’t out there earning, I would not be able to indulge in my passions. Here we are, Wednesday already, and I’ve barely had time to put in any knitting/quilting stitches.

On the knitting front, I did go shopping with my sil for yarn (see my last post); I got to the heel flap of my first Trekking XXL purples - this sock is in holding pattern right now,  until I see my sil this weekend - I’ll show her how to turn the heel. I’m still also knitting on the sock from hell (most ugly yarn I’ve ever seen — I know that I should rip it out and just put that skein to rest, but I just can’t help it), and I’ve now started Grumperina’s Jaywalker sock. I saw some finished socks in this pattern on Ravelry, and after reading through the pattern - I figured I could do this pattern. And, it is really easy. Once I figured out the K1 f/b (real easy) and the DD (slip 2 stitches together as if to knit and then knit next stitch, then slip the slipped stitches over the knit stich) I started and, well, I think I know what I’m doing. Some pattern is emerging.

I’ m using some Brooklyn Handspun yarn that I picked up at last year’s Kitchener-Waterloo knitting festival - the colours are a little odd — but I was attracted to them: yellow, brown and peach. They labelled it as Root colourway. I will get a photo up asap.

On the virtual knitting front - I received the Spina di Pesce sock kit from Yarnissima to join the KAL with the Yarnissima Ravelry group. It’s  gorgeous, gorgeous blues Wollmeise yarn. The KAL starts on April 4th. This is the KAL that I need to get ready for by learning how to knit toe-up and learn some stitches, plus figure out how to read those charts.

I also received a pkg from Knitpicks with a book from Cat Bordhi “New Pathways for Sock Knitters” - that should help me learn the toe up thing. I also signed up for some Peanuts kits from Woolgirl (have not heard back yet as to whether I go in on those.) And, phew, I joined the Indigo Moon Ravelry group just in time to discover that Indigo Moon will be running it’s first ever Yarn Club!!! I’ll be watching out for that one. And, last, but not least, I’ve been reading the buzz about some people having received their March sock kit from BMFA.

So, considering I’m having a busy week at work, and, now that I put it down in words, I did have time for some knitting related stuff - and the week is not over!!

On the quilting front, I managed to get a quilt in to Jan (long arm quilter) for quilting and I just have to get one last border onto my Holiday Sampler quilt, and then I can drop that one off with Jan as well.

Wow! Imagine how much of this stuff I will get done when I retire (BTW, very long way off). Nice to dream about it though!

My sister-in-law, Laura, is an expert knitter yet has never knit socks. I’ve been raving to her about how addicted I’ve become to sock knitting,  the portability etc. With very little prodding she has crossed over to the dark side — and with my help is learning how. Of course we had to take a little trip yesterday to one of my favourite yarn shops, Janie H Knits in Perth, ON. Low and  behold, March is sock month at the store, with great deals on for sock yarn and sock-related things. Laura stocked up on a bunch of yarns, and sock knitting accessories (gotta love those Go Knit pouches from KnowKnits ). I picked up some Regia cotton blend - Weekend - wool.

Regia cotton "Weekend"

and, some Fleece Artist 100% merino.

Winter encounter with a buck

Yep, that’s me feeding a deer in January. We became fast friends over the winter, on those freezing cold days  when no other human was crazy enough to go out hiking. Well, there is another human crazy enough…my husband, Erwin. We are co-workers and we like to get together at lunchtime and get some fresh air and  a little exercise. Luckily for us there are wonderful hiking trails nearby the office.

Anyhoo….that is not what this post is about. It’s about a knitalong (KAL) that I’ve signed up for on Ravelry. One of the sock groups I am a member of there, Yarnissima, is starting a KAL, and we just got notification of the start date:  APRIL 4th.

The pattern for this KAL is Spina di Pesce

Spina di Pesce kit from Yarnissima

The Spina di Pesce kit uses wonderful Wollmeise yarn. But, what the heck have I just gotten myself into? I have NEVER done a toe up sock. I have only knitted on dpns…not circulars.. Geez, I’ve never even done a pattern …for my entire knitting career (about a year and a half) I have just knit self-striping yarns, going round and round, and round …

Now, this is where my deer-friend comes in - I think I now know how those critters feel when they are caught in the headlights — frozen in their tracks — fearful about what is going to happen. Knowing he/she should move out of the way…but, kinda brain-numbed and can’t move…

I don’t know why I’m doing this…but I do know (does that make any sense?). I have to move beyond my box of this self-striping, plain knitting thing…Yet,  there may be an easier way to ease into it. But, like everything I do, I’ll throw myself right in…

Last couple of days I’ve been searching the internet for info on knitting toe up, and magic cast ons, and knitting on two circular needles.  I’ll have to sit with some practice yarn and figure this out before April 4th. Today I ordered a toe up knitting book by Cat Bordi  from Knitpicks, (along with some circular needles), and hopefully I can get a grip on this before April 4th comes along…

In the meanwhile, I’ll  go seek out my deer-friend and see if he has any sage advice for me.

Thinking about that KAL...

Finally got around to finishing these off. They are luxuriously nice and soft. I think that it is the mohair and silk that makes them really soft.

Apple Laine "garden party"

They knit up quite quickly. I made these 1″ shorter in leg length than I usually do because each skein was 190 yds (174 m), which is less than others that I’ve knitted up. In the end, I would have been able to make them the usual length - there was enough left over. Hmmm..could this be a good case for learning how to knit toe-up?

A while back I started on an Online SuperSocke in a weird melange of maroons/greens -  oh-oh, I think I’ve run into an “ugly” sock situation. I don’t think I like these for myself, and they are too frightful to give to anyone.

To counteract this, today I’ve just casted with some Trekking XXL in nice shades of muted purple — can’t miss with those!

Spoiler alert for Woolgirl’s 2009 Sock club:

Holy smokes batman! What a swank sock kit!! Oh, yeah, the first kit from Woolgirl’s 2009 Sock Club arrived at my doorstep yesterday.

This month’s kit theme is being (or becoming) the Queen of your knitting domain and it’s all about gold, Cleopatra (there’s even a club contest to enter all about Cleopatra). ME LIKE THAT. Me like that very, very much. This month’s kit is to inspire us to experience new patterns, techniques, colours and step outside the box (something I have a very hard time doing!!!)I had heard that Jen from Woolgirl puts together fabulous kits for her sock clubs, but this is far beyond my wildest expectations.

Look at how the kit arrived:Opening it up was just like Christmas morning!

The kit contained:1 skein of Serenity merino/cashmere sock yarn from Zen Garden (most beautiful gold colour - Gold Dynasty),

Zen Yarn Garden "Gold Dynasty"

a sock pattern, a scarf pattern, a silk sock sack from Lantern Moon, a queen of knitting pen, hand lotion, chocolates in a pyramid box, a calendar magnet with the club shipping dates, a handmade sheep card,

hand made Cleopatra sheep card from artist Willa Landino

a sample of SOAK, a hand-made Cleopatra themed stitch marker and sock club info sheets…wow!! I’m so impressed, and what a thrill to open all this stuff up. This year is going to be so much FUN!

Okay, so last week at this time I didn’t even know if I had actually ordered some Wollmeise from Yarnissima - and I wasn’t even sure that they were in the Netherlands. Well, today, in my mailbox appears an envelope from the Netherlands, and the lovely, lovely Fratello kit — Fratello sock pattern and beautiful Wollmeise yarn - plus some cute little extras. Now, that’s customer service!

But, I’m still wondering…how can something go from Holland to Canada in just a week? I’m still waiting for my first Woolgirl Sock Club package (I see on the internet that some lucky people have received theirs) from the US, and that’s almost 2 weeks now.

This photo just doesn’t do this yarn justice - it’s in beautiful, rich brown tones. I am nervous though because the pattern looks quite elaborate, plus it’s a toe up pattern - I’ve never done that before…

Fratello kit from Yarnissima

wollmeise

Oh happy day! Here is part of the email that I just received from Woolgirl:

Hello and Welcome to the Oz Sock Club! This email is confirmation that you have made it into the entire club, and we’re so happy you are joining us for a year of Following the Yellow Brick Road, escaping Flying Monkeys, navigating through the Enchanted Forest, and clicking our heels three times to make our way back to Kansas in the end! It will be a super fun ride, and each kit will be unique and filled with a multitude of Oz goodies - of course this is in addition to the gorgeous yarn, Oz themed sock knitting bags, stitch markers, and patterns - that’s right Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore! Can you tell I just love throwing in the Oz terms whenever I possibly can? Prepare yourself for a year of that too!

What more can I say? The waiting to hear if I got in is over, and May, well, that’s just around the corner…on a yellow brick road, with my little dog following me, wearing my ruby slippers, meeting some weird folk……

Woolgirl's Oz Sock Club

Finally got the Apple Laine (Apple Pie Garden Party) crow’s nest of a mess untangled, rewound and back to knitting. I’m almost done the first sock! This yarn is so soft - it has mohair in it and you can feel it on your fingers while knitting.

Sock #1 Apple Laine Garden Party

When that mess was happening, I had to start some new socks, and now I’ve got an Online yarn going on another set of needles. The colours of this yarn is very weird - hard to describe. It’s like lime meeting maroon and everything else thrown in for good measure. It will be interesting to see how the the self striping pattern will develop - right now, it just looks like there is NO pattern developing.

OnLine Supersocke