Is it almost December?

Wow! This weekend is December already...how is everyone? I can't believe how quickly a month can go by. Looking forward to this month's colours. Yarns will ship on Monday the 3rd as mail doesn't go anywhere here in Canada on Saturdays. I'm crossing my fingers for 3-4 day delivery again this round. Into the dye pots I go this week...stay tuned!

Started my Salvador Dali Socks

Ok, I am a very slow and easily distracted knitter who works full time to support my fiber stash and likes to do other kinds of needlework. I am also slow to post things on the internet but I did start my first pair of Art Walk Sock Yarn Club socks using the Dali sock yarn. They are Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks from Cat Bordhi's book.

December's Inspiration - Georgia O'Keefe

Oh gosh, you guys know me too well...LOL! Of course I'm dieing to just blurt it out...and here it is! I haven't decided which painting to go with but each one is amazing in its own way. I don't know what else to say but wow on these paintings. So nice to be able to choose a female artist too. What do you guys think? I could even combine some colours from both too. So lovely!

I'm Ahead of Myself :)

Would you guys like to know who December's inspiration will be? I have decided already which puts me way ahead of myself this time....LOL! And I thought it was time for a female artist if that helps anyone...guesses or should I just blurt it out? :)

November's Giverny Spoiler

How's everyone? Don't click the photo unless you want to see the yarn up close :) I am so pleased to hear that the yarn packages made it to a lot of you in very good time this month...wow, I'm speechless on how quick some of them were! I surely hope this is a trend that will continue :)

Can't wait to see what everyone knits with their November yarn and I hope a few of you will try out the surprise too...Alyson's design is just so awesome!

As for me, I have December on the brain already for art piece and also yarn...can't wait :)

Hiya! (Designer Drive-By)

Hey Art Walkers! I'm Alyson, and I designed the Reims Stocking pattern that you received as a surprise with your shipment this month! Since you've started to receive your shipments - apparently due to Roxanne's amazing ability to bend time, space, and the postal service to her will! - I wanted to post a greeting and talk a bit about my inspiration for the pattern and how crazy I am about Roxanne's yarn now!

I'd not worked with Zen Yarn Garden before Roxanne contacted me about a pattern. (How could this be???) Once I had the yarn in my hands and had loved 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 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 lace pattern - the bobble cast on creates points 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 had selected Monet as her own inspiration - a colourway inspired by one of the greatest ever French artists just plays up the Reims pattern wonderfully!

The pattern is on Ravelry, if you want to queue it up (you know you wanna!). ;-)

It's been a real joy designing this pattern and working with Zen Yarn Garden (delightful yarn AND artist!) 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!

November's in the Mail!

Hey guys...November's yarn has been dropped off and they are in the mail as of now! I hope you like the colourway - it's very "summer-ish" or "spring-ish" because, well, the art piece is a garden...LOL! Let me know what you think of the yarn base...it's a new superwash merino that I like but I think I'm getting spoiled by the shiny yarns...I kind of missed the shiny with the merino...LOL! Ah well, it's nice to have a good superwash yarn for socks too.

EDIT: To add sneak peek photo...LOL! There you go Suzanne...happy to oblige :)