I Finished One!

I'm so pleased with having finished this sock! Not only because it's the lovely REIMS STOCKINGS pattern but also because I learnt how to do magic loop! Love the technique and I don't think I'll go back to DPNs...it's just "faster" with the circs. Now onto the second one :)

How's everyone doing? I'm looking forward to starting up again in January and if I don't post again before Christmas, here's to wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season.

Can't wait to see more of everyone's projects!

November's Midnight Rose Spoiler

It looks like a good majority of you have your sock yarns already for November! I'm mighty impressed with the postal service this month - I surely hope this will keep up but maybe it's the approaching holiday season and the post office working overtime already?! It'll be nice if packages continue to move this quickly in the New Year too :)

Don't click the photo unless you want to see the yarn all big and in its glory :) I had a great time dyeing this one for everyone - it was an experiment in layered colouring. I can't wait to see some of your knitted items!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA! Me and DH are going to venture over the border this weekend and see what the sales are like - we figure we might get into some stores...maybe...if "Black Friday" is anything like our Boxing Day sales here in Canada after Christmas, we won't hold our breath...LOL

Welcome New Members!

Welcome everyone who's recently joined! I'm really excited to get going and hope you enjoy the club as much as I enjoy dyeing the yarns for everyone. If you have any questions at all, don't ever hesitate to email me at zenyarngarden AT yahoo DOT com.

I have also invited all the new registrants to the blog and if for some reason you aren't receiving the invite or having troubles, please let me know that too so I can re-invite you. If you're an existing member and never got added to the blog, please let me know too as we all want to see your knitted items as you complete them :)

If you're on Ravelry, check the sidebar too as we also have a group there! Again, welcome and looking forward to getting started in the New Year :)

Still Magic Looping :)

And my sock is coming along! I managed to figure out the gussett with magic loop and I am not sure I'll ever go back to DPNs...this is just easier I find! I'm really enjoying the Reims Stockings pattern too - it's producing a nice effect on the sock! Onto the toe very soon :)

2008 Membership Registrations

All membership include shipping for the term that you choose and are in US dollars and payable through Paypal. Don't forget that you can also use a credit card through Paypal if you prefer not to use your Paypal account or don't have an account with Paypal. Deadline to register is January 8, 2008.

I've broken registrations down by country to make it a little bit easier. For international registrations, if you don't see your country listed, please contact me at zenyarngarden AT yahoo DOT com as I'm happy to do a special order for you!

***REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED - WILL REOPEN IN MARCH, 2008 FOR 3 & 6 MONTH TERMS***

2008 Membership Details

For 2008's sock club, I'm happy to offer 3-month and 6-month memberships so if you'd like to join for a bit longer, that would be awesome! Also, you'll realize about a 10% savings on the 6-month membership compared to the 3-month. I'm opening the registrations up here first before posting them into my stores so as to give everyone who's already a member a chance to join again if they like before opening up the club to new registrations.

For yarns this round, I've decided to focus on fingering weight as it seems that most of the intricate patterns call for this weight of yarn. This will mean 100% superwash merino in 2 and 3-ply, a lovely 3-ply superwash merino/nylon blend and a new yarn that I'm hoping to be able to get that's a 70% superwash merino/20% bamboo/10% nylon blend. It's different from the usual bamboo blend I carry as it's a true FW and really lovely - same twist as the merino/nylon I've used already in the sock club. So if you like that one, you're sure to like this one too - just like the merino/nylon but with a bit of a sheen to it with the bamboo :)

For now I'll focus on yarns so we can keep membership costs down but if we get enough interest in the club, I am planning on throwing in another exclusive pattern! Everyone responded so well to the Reims Stockings pattern that I thought it'd be nice to do a pattern again.

Okay, now I'm going to try the Paypal button option in the next post - stay tuned! For mailing dates, please see the information in the sidebar.

Deadline to join is January 8, 2008.

I'm Magic Looping :)

Yes, it's true...I haven't before and I'm so excited to learn this technique! My sock seems to be going faster and I don't feel like I'm going to drop stitches. I am, however, using a size 2 instead of a size 1 needle for the Reims Stockings pattern and may end up with a slightly larger sock than anticipated but that's okay, I'm having too much fun to stop now and it feels like the size 2 is a good size to learn ML on.

It's not much sock yet but had to share :)

"Michigan" too

While I like the surprise pattern that was included with this month's shipment, I decided to put it aside to use later with another yarn and this time to stick with the lake water theme. I spent 12 years living alongside Lake Michigan and often watched its waters slam into Lake Shore Drive on turbulent weather days; so I have some ideas of my own as to what Great Lake water in the colder months is all about: dark, icy, and even a bit threatening.

I decided to go with the Lacy Mock Cable Socks because I like the way the soft waves of the ripples and the little eyelets suggest churning water and give the pattern some movement. I downloaded this pattern from One Planet Yarn and Fiber because I'm always happy to support indie designers, but I'd imagine that it wouldn't be too hard to concoct a similar pattern on your own. This also marks my first toe-up sock, and while I'm okay with the method, I'm far from a convert.

Anyhow, here's one finished sock.

I really, really love the base yarn. It may be the softest yarn I've knit socks with, and the fuzziness gives the colorway a waterlike murkiness . I could see where this might not be the yarn for crisp colors, but I like the way it turned out for "Huron."

Just gotta knit the other. Can't wait to see what's coming up next. Thanks for this one, Roxanne, it's another winner.

Guess who's playing with colour soon?

Yup, that'd be me! Yarn was delivered today and soon I'll be in the dye pot! I really haven't decided on colour yet like I did in the other two months but sometimes, as a dyer, I just like to get the yarn out, put it in the dye pot, line up my dye colours and let the colours speak to me. Funny how that works! Sometimes it's a colour I see "out there" but this time, it's going to be a spur of the moment inspiration. Be inspired! :) I can't wait!

Oh, I decided on the merino/nylon again for this month that was our first club yarn. Why you ask? When I polled the group early on, it was a clear majority for fingering weight yarns and as a dyer, I love how this yarn takes colour - it inspires me! Also, after seeing a couple of your FOs with this yarn, I'm more than pleased with it so I can't help but offer it to everyone again. It seems to be a very nice yarn base. Hopefully you are all enjoying it as much as I am!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Is it November already?

Wow guys, I can't believe we're in November already! I have had semi-solid on the brain for a couple a days and I am just realizing this will be the 3rd of 3 shipments...man, did that go by quickly!! I'm just "getting into" the semi-solid dyeing too...darn it!! Okay, so I am going to re-start the club again in January after we get a chance to get through the Christmas holidays so if you'd like to join again, details will follow shortly after the last shipment goes out on the 15th.

How is everyone enjoying the pattern and the yarns? I love seeing everyone's creations here and on Ravelry. You guys rock the knitting!

Anyways, just wanted to drop you guys a quick note to let you know I'm thinking about the next yarn and hope you're all doing well! Have a great weekend!

Hi! I'm Your Friendly Neighbourhood Pattern Designer!

Howdy! I'm Alyson, and I designed the Reims Stocking pattern that you received with your shipment this month! I wanted to drop in and post a little greeting and talk a bit about my inspiration for the pattern...and maybe gush a little about Roxanne's yarn (like y'all don't know.)

I'd not worked with Zen Yarn Garden before Roxanne contacted me about a pattern. (How had I missed this glorious stuff? Heaven only knows...) Once I had the yarn in my hands and had squeezed and squished it half to death, I spent some time thinking about all the elements there were to play with. I knew I wanted something that would look good in both a semi-solid (my favourite yarn to work with) and a variegated, so that it would be equally complimentary to all of Zen Yarn Garden's wonderful yarns. I also knew I wanted something that would fit in with the arts and that was a little "zen". I started perusing some of my books and in one, I spotted a lace pattern, called Gazebo Lace, that had an element that reminded me very much of the flying buttresses and architectural elements of the great cathedrals of Europe. (And I couldn't help thinking that few things were more "zen" then centuries-old cathedrals!) I even recalled a photo I'd seen of Reims Cathedral in France - and I was set, with all my elements satisfied! I was really excited about playing with the pattern - the bobble cast on creates peaks reminiscent of the peaks and spires of Reims, and is a fun alternative to the standard ribbed cuff. The heel flap even evokes the tall, grand doorways of the European cathedral!

I was even more excited when I saw that Roxanne was inspired by colours in nature that really played up to the Reims pattern, with a look that could almost seem marbled and like stone, just like that same cathedral I'd used as the inspiration!

It's been a real joy designing this pattern and working with Zen Yarn Garden (which is definitely one of my new favourites - both yarn and person!) I really look forward to seeing what you create, and if I can ever be of any assistance whatsoever with pattern support, please feel free to contact me. My email is alysonknitsATgmailDOTcom, my blog is The YoYo Knits, and my Ravelry name is YoYoKnits. I'd love to hear from you!

Happy knitting!

October's Yarn Spoiler

I see a lot of you are receiving October's yarn so yay, I'm posting a spoiler. Do not click on the photo unless you want to see it larger! And as some of you have described the colour as "serene", I think I'll go with that description instead of "moody"...you guys say it so much better...thank you!

Are any of you going to use the surprise with your either of the colourways so far? I think I'm going to...I already have my skein in a cake waiting to be cast on when I'm ready! As an added bonus, we will have the sock pattern designer Alyson dropping by in the next day or so and writing a bit about the pattern and herself...how fun is that? If you have any questions at all for her, she will be available for pattern consultation too...yay!

Wow, November is coming quickly too and that'll be the 3rd of 3 shipments already! Time flies so quickly. I am planning on opening up the club again to begin for another 3-month membership in January of 2008. I hope you'll consider joining me again. More details will follow in November. In the meantime, looking forward to seeing all your creations!

October's Inspiration

Some of you may have received the yarn already if you're in Canada but most of you should get it toward the end of this week. I thought I'd show you the inspiration for this month's colourway in the meantime. I don't think I'm giving away the colours - you just never know what I chose from this picture...LOL Ahhhh, so tranquil and so peaceful this picture.

Where we live in Ontario we are lucky enough to be very close a large body of water and it's just so beautiful! Can't wait to see how everyone likes this "moody" colourway and the surprise! :)

October's Colourway

Everyone ready for October's shipment? It's on its way on Monday!

Just a little background on the colourway this month - it's an interesting one...LOL I found my inspiration in nature and most of you will know what it is when you see the colourway name but let me elaborate a little here. Last month I did tonal variations in the yarn with different colours that work in harmony with each other - for this month, I wanted to try a different idea when it comes to semi-solids so I chose a colour from my inspiration in nature and did various shades/blends of that colour. It produced an interesting effect that's for sure. Last month's yarn was "cheerful" and this month's yarn is "moody" as a result of the blending throughout the skein. I don't know about you but I think colours can evoke emotion so that's why I use these terms. I hope you like it!

I've used a new base yarn again this month and I'd love to hear your feedback on it - it has a nice sproingy-ness to it too.

Have a great weekend everyone and see you next week!

It's almost time for shipment #2!

I can't believe how quickly the time flies but the yarns for October's shipment are being prepped and soon I'll be in the dye pot! I had a flash of inspiration for colour on the way across the border to Michigan just a week or two ago and said to DH - "that's definitely my colour for October's semi-solid club!"...he agreed it'd be cool too! Yay!

I also have a surprise in store for everyone with this shipment...I thought it wouldn't be until November but it's here early and well, yay! We'll have a guest on the blog to talk about it too...how fun and stay tuned!