Success!

The De-Stash and Do-Good Charity Stash Sale at Purl Diva a resounding success! In the first half hour of the sale, we raised over $400, and by the end of the day, we had over $800. Including online stash sale purchases, we raised over $960! I am beyond excited, and want to thank everyone who purchased yarn, donated yarn, or just left encouraging words about the Memory Walk. I appreciate all of it. I am especially thankful to Ellen, who not only had the idea, but also offered her space, stash and time to the effort. She also offered her jacket and a hot cup of tea when the wind became a bit too much for my thin sweatshirt! Thank you so much, Ellen, I could never have done it without you.
I barely had time to price everything before the knitters came, but I did snap two quick pictures of the stash for sale:

Now, the walk isn't actually until this coming Saturday, so if you feel moved to donate a buck or two, there's still time! You can donate online (using credit, debit or PayPal), right up to the day of the walk!

In other news, guess what I finished this weekend?



Proper FO shots after it's had a nice block. In its unblocked state, it fits very well, and the recipient wore it for a little while yesterday and pronounced it "very comfortable." I guess third time's a charm!

Sale Preview!

As promised, I'm posting the stash I'm offering for sale at Purl Diva on Saturday, September 29 (this Saturday!) from 11-4. I will also offer any leftover yarns here after the sale is over, to make sure everyone gets a chance at some cheap yarn!

Want some yarn? This is how it works. Contact me via email (sassy_spice1975 at yahoo dot com) and let me know which yarn you're interested in buying. I'll let you know if the yarn is still available (I will try to update the blog as quickly as possible when something is spoken for), and you can either donate directly on my Memory Walk page, or send me your donation via PayPal. The minimum donation amounts are listed with each yarn (50% suggested retail according to Yarndex), but OF COURSE you are welcome to donate a little extra. :) I'll foot the bill for shipping, but please note that if you're in the area, I will also happily transport your yarn to Purl Diva for you to pick up on Saturday. (And can we please talk for a second about how excited I am to spend an entire day at Purl Diva???)
And away we go....

Brown Sheep Cotton Fine, Barn Red, $2.50/ball, 2 balls available


Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, dark purple, $3.75/ball, 1 ball available SPOKEN FOR


Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, light purple, $3.75/ball, 1 ball available SPOKEN FOR


Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Barn Red, $3.75/ball, 3 balls available SPOKEN FOR


Artful Yarns Jazz, Billie, $4.50/hank, 3 hanks available (This is actually an incredible deal! I bought this yarn at 50% off, and am pricing it at 50% off THAT!) SPOKEN FOR


Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, Child's Play, $5.00/hank, 2 hanks available SPOKEN FOR


Classic Elite Waterspun, fuschia (#5027), $3.25/hank, 3 hanks available


Sandnes Alfa, gray tweed (#3885), $2.50/ball, 3 balls available


Debbie Bliss Cotton DK, orange, $3.50/ball, 10 balls available SPOKEN FOR


Noro Kureyon, #95, $4.25/ball, 4 balls available SPOKEN FOR


Artful Yarns Jazz, Thelonius, $4.50/hank, 4 hanks available SPOKEN FOR


Artful Yarns Serenade, My Funny Valentine (pink and green), $4.00/hank, 5 hanks available SPOKEN FOR


Crystal Palace Deco Ribbon, white with black pinstripes, $2.90/ball, 4 balls available


Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Aslan, $5.00/hank, 2 hanks available SPOKEN FOR


Hopefully there'll be something here that appeals to you! If you're in the Brunswick Maine area, or plan to be on Saturday, make sure to drop by Purl Diva between 11am and 4pm, I'll be happily knitting away on the porch!
Edit: BREAKING NEWS! Purl Diva is having a SALE that day, too! What a great excuse to replenish some of my stash!

EDIT2: The sale is over! I haven't tabulated the final donations yet, but we raised almost $800 at Purl Diva alone today! THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who helped, whether it by monetary donations or words of support, and a special thank you to Ellen, who made this whole thing possible!

Sweaters & New Friends

Okay, let's start with the exciting news! We added a new friend to our home this weekend. His name is Moose:

Before you go thinking I'm becoming a crazy rat lady, Moose really is IT. Five rats is more than enough for us, but my boyfriend absolutely fell in love with Moose when he saw him on the Maine Rat Rescue website. Also, my finding Moose was too serendipitous to ignore. I received a message through Ravelry from someone who is affiliated with MRR. She complimented me on my icon photo, which is Betsy, and we got to talking about rats and one thing led to another and BAM... we have a huge male rat. We love him so much already.

Onto knitting news! I will spare you a photo of black seed stitch (you'll know I'm desperate for material if I flash that one again before it's finished), but I'm pleased to say that sleeve #1 of Cobblestone is complete and attached, and sleeve #2 is underway.



Not that my enthusiasm for this project was flagging necessarily, but my energy is renewed. I keep meaning to swatch for a couple of projects, but every time I get a spare hour to knit, I find myself reaching for Cobblestone. It's a fun pattern... very simple, but still fun. And hey, I feel like I'm cruising on a man's sweater, that's saying something! They usually start to feel like they're really dragging by sleeve two.

Reminder: The Memory Walk is in only three weeks! I will be on the Purl Diva porch September 29th, selling stash (she's received a couple of donations of stash already). If you are able to help me support the Alzheimer's Association, I would really appreciate it. If not, I also really appreciate all of the kind words and encouragement!

And one more thing! Anyone reading this going to Rhinebeck? Amy and I are going for the first time this year! I am pretty much beside myself with excitement. We'll be staying in Poughkeepsie and attending the festival both days. Have you been before? Any tips on how to maximize the experience?

Memory Walk

So, you may recall that a few entries ago, I mentioned the Alzheimer's Association's Memory Walk. I've walked every year since 2003, and I love it! It's an amazing experience, with hundreds of family members and caregivers coming together for a common cause. A lot of headway has been made in Alzheimer's research, but there still isn't a cure. Anyone who has ever known someone afflicted with this disease knows about how isolating and lonely it is, and has seen how it robs people of their independence. It's commonly known as "The Long Goodbye," a fitting description, since as people progress through the disease, they gradually forget shared memories and, as most people know, family members. I work with people who have Alzheimer's Disease, and it's difficult enough to get to know them for a short time... I can't imagine how hard it must be for family members and friends.

Anyway, it makes me feel productive to do something to help these people, so I walk the Walk. For the last few years, I've wanted to find a way to incorporate knitting and yarn into my fundraising, and this year, thanks to Ellen, I have a way!

Ellen has generously offered her porch to me on September 29th to hold a destashing sale for donations for the Alzheimer's Association! I'll be there from 11-4 selling her stash and mine. I'm really looking forward to meeting some more knitters and having some quality knitting time while working for a cause I love.

And, of course, I'm asking for help! There are a couple of ways you can help:
1. Buy yarn at the sale! I do also plan to offer a preview of my stash offerings for people who can't make it to Brunswick, Maine. Ellen said she would also offer a preview. Details on previews will be forthcoming.
2. Donate yarn to the sale! Email me at sassy_spice1975 at yahoo dot com for my mailing address. Any other stash yarn I receive besides my own, I will also offer for preview, so it would be great if I could have it by the week before the sale. If you're in the area, you can also drop off donations at Purl Diva.
3. Donate! Even if (for some weird reason) you're not interested in yarn, but still want to donate, there are a couple of methods for doing so. You can mail me a check (see email address above for mailing address), or donate via credit card to my fundraising site.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help, and a special, huge thanks to Ellen for the idea, and the space!

Hi, there!

So... long time, no update! Stuff's been going on, you know how it is. I've been doing some knitting, some stashing... so at least I have pictures to show you!

First of all, I didn't update over the weekend because I was in Vermont, visiting my best friend and her husband. Michelle isn't a knitter, but she understands the importance of acquiring accoutrement, and so she always makes a point to carve out some time for a visit to Kaleidoscope Yarns. Love this store! They had a few things I'd never seen in person before, including Tilli Tomas silks, Colinette Jitterbug (puuuurty colors), and Malabrigo laceweight (which I almost purchased, but their stock was very low and I couldn't get enough of the colors I liked). I ended up with some Berroco Pure Merino for a Christmas gift, and some stupendous sock yarn, Soxx Appeal by K1C2.

I also picked up a stole pattern. I was so taken by the shop sample of this stole, I wanted to cast on immediately. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything non-alpaca in the color they used for the sample (a pale green), so it'll have to wait until I find just the right thing. I bet Ellen will have a good idea.

Speaking of pale green, look what I finished!



To recap: I used Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern, with a stitch called Grating Stitch from Mon Tricot's Knitting Dictionary, modified to be worked in the round. The yarn is SWTC TOFUtsies in lime green. I don't think I used even half a ball of yarn on these. The fabric was very floppy, and I was afraid that full length socks would droop. I shouldn't have worried, though. After a wash, the fabric firmed up nicely, and became very soft. It wasn't one of my favorite sock yarns, it was a little splitty and felt coarse while knitting, but I do love the finished product enough that if I found more of this in another color I liked, I would use it again. I used my trusty US1 needles, by the way.

I casted on for a simple seed stitch scarf using the Pure Merino I picked up in Vermont, but no photos yet (I'm sure you're on pins and needles). Cobblestone continues. It's time to start the sleeves, but I wanted to push through and finish the socks. I'm planning to swatch for the cabled sweater dress next, and also gear up for some Sidewinders!

Speaking of gearing up, it's almost time for the annual Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk! As usual, I'm walking! This year, I'm taking a cue from Claudia and offering prizes for donations! Watch this spot for more information!