Natural Arizona

We live in the deserts of Arizona, but that does not mean it is barren or empty.  Here are some images I thought you might like.  My husband took most of them.  Enjoy!

Regards,
Karen
OYPF

Suburban Javelinas

Four Peaks Mountain with snow level at 2000 feet this past weekend

Fall leaves

Leaf bug

Casting On!

Cast On! Newsletter - One Planet Yarn and Fiber

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I am very excited to start this project.  I casted on today.  There is a topic posted on the One Planet Knitters Ravelry Forum so you can join in or follow along.

What's new?

Here is what you have missed from this past month's Blog, if you do not follow it.

Cream and Sugar Cowl KAL Do Over

New From Handmaiden - Marrakesh Yarn

New Yarn From Fleece Artist - Kidazzle

Knitting - Bad for Your Health?

Finished! Cream and Sugar Cowl KAL

Fresh Supply of Hand Maiden Sea Silk!

Late February Offers

The February offers run through the end of this month.  They do expire on February28, 2011.

1. Free Shipping on Orders over $ 49.00 in the USA. Coupon Code: FREE49
2. 10% off all "On Sale" Items - even more savings on items already marked down! Coupon code: FEB10
3. 15% of all Lanas Puras Yarns - If you like soft merino yarns like Malagbrigo or Manos, then you will love Lanas Puras Yarns.  There are many great colors!  Coupon Code - LP15

**Important-These coupons also cannot be combined with ad coupons you might see.  Discounts are not retroactive.  If you placed an order last week or the week before, we are sorry, we can't credit you now.  Discounts must be taken at the time of order.  Please do not write us after you placed an order and ask us to apply a discount.  We are sorry, but we just can't do it.  If you need help, please email us before you place your order.  In addition, these special offers are only valid for in-stock items.  They are not valid for special orders for new colors or yarns that we might not have in stock yet.

Last Month for the Children/Caps for Good Campaign.  Campaign Ends February 28, 2011.

Other Important Things

Make sure to visit the "What's New" and "On Sale" section of the site as I add items here regularly! Join the Facebook Fan Club and be able to chat with other OPYF fans.Read the blog about all of the new companies and products that have been added to One Planet in the past month-I have many new yarns, fibers, patterns and more from around the world. Please join the Ravelry group! If you haven't joined yet, please do and then post an introduction on the thread titled  "Introduce Your Self!".  You might get something special in your inbox!  And please join the mailing list for monthly special offers and news!  I send out at least one monthly newsletter with different coupons each month. I never share your name or private information. I use it only for the newsletter.

Best Regards!

Karen

OPYF

March OPYF KAL - Noni Designs Perfect Fit Laptop Sleeve

I am so ready to do another Knit Along.  The last one was a blast!  

So, with my own needs in mind I have chosen to do Noni Designs Perfect Fit Laptop Sleeve.  Last Thanksgiving I purchased a new, larger laptop.  I usually use my little netbook, but the screen is a little small for my bifocaled eyes.  I did not purchase a laptop bag when I bought the computer, so I've decided to make one for myself and use this pattern.  I've also not really done felting by myself before, so this is a good place to start.

The next problem was to pick a yarn that is good for felted projects.  Noni Designs often uses Stonehedge Fiber Mill's Shepherds Wool, which I stock.  I love this yarn.  It is incredibly soft and I am really looking forward to knitting with it.  Now I have to choose a color or colors to work with for this project.  It can be done as a solid or with stripes.  So much to choose from!

I finally settled on Lime Green and Misty Blue.

I used my swift and ball winder to make the yarn easier to work with.

Wound up and ready to go!

I am very excited to start tis project.  I'll start knitting later this tomorrow or Friday.  There will be a topic posted on the One Planet Knitters Ravelry Forum so you can join in or follow along.

Regards,

Karen

OPYF

Fresh Supply of Hand Maiden Sea Silk!

There are now several new boxes of yarn in the house.   The package of Hand Maiden Sea Silk arrived a few days ago.  there are some lovely colors here.  

HandMaiden sea silk truly is one of the most beautiful and luxurious yarns on earth.  The yarn has a soft silky sheen and is hand painted in beautiful colors.  Each 100 gram skein has 400 meters 436 yards of yarn.  The gauge is 28 stitches over 4" on US 2 (3mm) needles.  Hand wash carefully and dry flat.

Celebrate the Sea with yarn made from Seaweed.  Sea Silk Yarn is made from 70% silk and 30% "seacell."  This yarn has an incredible drape and sheen.  You can read Clara Parkes review of this exciting yarn here at Knitters Review.  SeaCell®, is a relatively new fiber manufactured by the German company Zimmer AG and is related to "tencel."  Zimmer AG claims that the seaweed and its trace elements of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin E are naturally released onto the skin of the wearer.   The yarn is beautiful and is perfect for scarves, shawls and lace work.

Regards,

Karen

OPYF

Aurora

Beach House

Bronze

Chocolate

Rainforest

Ruby

Spruce

Stardust

Topaz

Victoria

Caicos

Forest Fairy

Ocean

Rose

Salt Spray

Finished! Cream and Sugar Cowl KAL

Tah dah!  I finished this on Saturday, but not without some more back tracking.  This first picture shows that I should not have been watching tv while doing a cable cross over.  I missed one side.

To correct the problem, and why I like to keep my cables marked with stitch markers, I put safety pin stitch markers through the outside stitches of the area that needed to be redone.  This prevents the side stitches from unraveling while I am working.

Next, I removed the stitches from the needle that needed to be reworked.

I then started undoing the rows.

Using a crochet hook was a good way to pull out the correct threads.

I unraveled to a row below the mistake.

Using cable needles I moved the stitches to be knit as a cable.  I also used these to knit back up the pattern.

Once I reached this point the cable looked good and was straight ahead knitting until the next cable pattern.

Here is my completed cowl.  There is another mistake, but if I don't tell, you won't know what it is.  Just like at a music recital, if you play through the mistake, the audience may never know.

Regards,

Karen

OPYF

Knitting - Bad for Your Health?

I knit a lot. No, really! I knit ALOT! I have recently discovered that maybe, just maybe, I knit more than I should! Horror of all horrors! I can't even believe I said that! Unfortunately my body seems to be telling me otherwise.

About four years ago I had to have surgery on my wrist. I had constant pain and numbness in my hand. I thought it might be carpal tunnel syndrome but turns out that constant repetitive motion (aka knitting) was causing some issues with the tendons in my wrist. The surgery rectified the problem and I continued knitting away.

I have had various aches and pains in my arms and hands over the years due, no doubt, to excessive knitting, but they have always gone away.

In the past year I have started having pain in my neck and shoulders. I ignored it. It didn't go away. In fact it got worse. For some reason I didn't attribute it to knitting. I finally took a friends advice and went to see a chiropractor. He asked me if I worked at a computer all day. Well, I do work at the computer looking at KNITTING stuff but not for that many hours a day. Do I do something that is constant repetitive movement? Oh yeah, could that be knitting? Hmmmmm let's give this some thought. You think?!

I am now going through adjustments twice a week and, yes, trying to be less obsessive about knitting. It's starting to get a bit better but is not fun.

So I am writing this to give you fair warning. Be careful when you knit. It is so easy to become obsessive. Stop and stretch out your hands, arms and neck and shoulders. Don't sit for hours on end without taking a break. Repetitive motion injuries are serious. Many knitters end up with carpal syndrome that requires surgery. Back and shoulder problems are common as are aching arms. We all love to knit but we need to be mindful of what our bodies are telling us.

Regards,
Mary Glendinning
OYPF

New Yarn From Fleece Artist - Kidazzle

There was another box this week from Fleece Artist.  It contained this new yarn!  Introducing Kidazzle from Fleece Artist.

Here are the specs from the website-

Gorgeous sport weight yarn from Fleece Artist.  Hand Painted in an amazing array of colors.  Perfect for socks or any other project calling for sport weight yarn.

Fiber: 70% Wool, 20% Baby Kid, 10% Nylon
125 grams/365 meters/399 yards
Recommended Needles: either US 3 to 5 needles
Knitting Gauge: 26 stitches over four inches/10 cm; sport weight
Care: Machine washable!

Ash

Aurora

Masala

Nightshade

Nova Scotia

November Sky

Paris

Pewter

Red Maple

Spruce