Today, June 14, is Flag Day which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States. So this post is my little tribute to the flag which represents our freedom. Please let me also sing throughout cyberspace my huge thanks to all who serve to keep our country free.

This little sample is knitted in hand-dyed tencel thread ‘Let Freedom Ring’ from Heritage Yarns using the HeartStrings Morning Surf Scarf pattern. I like how the colors of this thread arrange themselves within this airy, undulating pattern stitch – reminiscent of the US Flag waving in the breeze. I have plenty more left in my skein and plan to do a regular size fashion scarf or wrap in celebration of the July 4th Independence Day.

By the way, Margaret at Heritage Yarns is offering Let Freedom Ring tencel by special order only through June 21, 2008. Tencel is wonderful to knit with and wear in the summer. If you’ve been thinking of trying tencel, here’s a chance to do so, and demonstrate patriotism as well (or did I have to give you an excuse to buy more yarn? LOL)

Related Images:

December – Woosh! Where has the month gone? For me, the clock always seems to speed up as the holidays approach and the year is ending!

My month started off with teaching a class at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown NC for their Holiday in the Mountains week. This was a special holiday class I titled A Winter Wonderland in Beads and Knitted Lace. I had four enthusiastic and wonderfully creative students – Tricia, Ginny, Alice and Reyn. Check out Tricia’s blog where she shares her photos from the Friday afternoon showing.

John is visiting for Christmas, and my son and daughter are in town, but other than that I am not having very much time for holiday celebrations. I am up to my ears in knitting!

I have a rush project for Mountain Colors and Lorna’s Laces which I just couldn’t bring myself to turn down (I really liked the marketing premise and it has good potential), so I can blame no one else but myself for getting into this time pinch. That, along with the other new patterns I hope to release next month and various samples for yarn companies have me busy-busy-busy. But I am happy and life looks good.

As a member of Association of Knitwear Designers (AKD), I volunteered to knit some swatches for the Great Wall of Yarn (GWOY) that will be displayed at the TNNA trade show in Long Beach CA next month. Here are the yarns that I will be swatching.

As just one of the many benefits of being an AKD member, it is sort of neat to get to see and work with new yarns and colors — sometimes even before they are released! I’ll post more information about each yarn over the next few days, along with pictures of the display samples I am playing around with.

Enjoy the week of holiday celebrations! Happy Christmas Eve and blessed Christmas Day to you and yours.

Related Images:

Look what showed up from the post office. Pretty pathetic, heah?

The results of this post office mutilation came with the usual “We Care” message, and how sorry they are that the enclosed document was inadvertently damaged. Well, to me it looks like they maimed, beat it to death, and stomped on it some more afterwards just for good measure!

There is nothing left except a torn and crumpled, blackened front side of a security envelope. I can’t identify whose hand-writing this is. The area where a return address might have been is missing. So I am at a loss as to who had written me and what is missing from inside. Can you help me solve this mystery?

Related Images: