Just in time.

Please tell me I'm not the only person who finishes gifts at the last minute.

Tell me I'm not the only person who finishes gifts at 7:00 on Christmas Eve. And that I'm not a total loser who fails to leave adequate time between the actual day the gifts are to be given and the day the gifts are completed.



It's a scarf. For my hubs.



I love these gift tags from Knitterella.  I love that they say things like, "Yes I did make it, and no you can't return it."  They just add a certain amount of cheekiness to an otherwise stately gift.

It only took me eleven months to knit this scarf. Eleven months of knitting this scarf almost entirely in the car. (At stoplights! At stoplights!) Knitting at stoplights doesn't make sense unless you live in an area like mine, where it takes 25 minutes to drive seven miles because of the traffic and stoplights. (Sadly, I do not exaggerate. One Saturday in December it took me one hour and forty minutes to go twelve miles.)

I knit it from two skeins of Charlotte Bronte Worsted in the Bella colorway.  The pattern is the Irish Hiking Scarf by Hello Yarn.  The resulting combination is warm and easy on the eyes. (See my previous blog post about this scarf here.) Two skeins of worsted weight yarn made this scarf about eight feet long, which is perfect for a guy who will never fuss with fancy scarf tying methods and prefers to just double the scarf, thread the ends through the loop, and go.



I washed this scarf and laid it out on clean white towels on the floor of the studio to block and dry, and it was ready just in time to wrap and give to my kind and generous husband, who makes all of my yarny shenanigans possible.

Because my husband is kind and generous and deserving of handknit items, does that make the person who steals this scarf to wear as their own because they love it so much and it matches everything a really bad person?

Don't answer that.

My phone is a nifty phone.

You know you want one just like it. Even if you didn't know you did, now you do. 

It was the Dwight thing to do.

This was really meant to be a post about my favorite tools in the studio, but it's turned into something more. In fact, you should probably just click away now. Thanks.


I was all prepared to tell you about these measuring spoons.



I have been through every type and brand of readily available measuring spoons before settling on these. Once I found them, I bought five sets. 



Really, just click away now.

My spoons of choice are heavy stainless steel, and they're pressed from one piece, rather than having the handle attached to the bowl separately. The lack of a join means the spoon sets last much longer, as there's less to break apart.  I also love that this set has a 1/8 tsp measure on it. Before I found these, I had to switch to a separate set of spoons designed to measure tiny quantities when I wanted to add 1/8 of a teaspoon of something.

Over the course of a dyeing day, the spoons endure considerable hardship. For example:

1. The spoons are being exposed to corrosive citric acid. Yes, citric acid comes from citrus fruit. It's concentrated vitamin C powder. But it's corrosive nonetheless.

2. The spoons are being tapped and banged constantly. My assistants  love it. They love the banging. They adore it, in fact. The sound of a spoon hitting fiberglass is so melodious, so easy on the ears, that I'm thinking of recording myself doing this and giving it as a holiday gift. They beg for more.

But I have a good reason.  Let's say a dye recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of color X, two teaspoons of color Y, and 1/4 teaspoon color Z. When I'm done measuring out 1 Tablespoon of color X, I tap the spoon against the side of the sink while I'm finding color Y. This gets rid of the little droplets clinging to the interior of the bowl and then allows me to switch to the teaspoon to measure color Y.

If I don't tap the spoons, I run the risk of the little droplets from color X falling into the dye solution of color Y, which is a big no no no no no. No. The sky would fall. Handbaskets would proceed directly to hell.

I know you're probably thinking, "Why don't you just rinse the spoons?" And the answer is, I do. But if I had to rinse the spoons after every single color, even when I'm switching from one size spoon to the next, it would waste an incredible amount of time and water. It might take five seconds, but five seconds after every color adds up significantly when you're dyeing at the volume that I am.

3. The spoons are being dropped all day long. On purpose. I use large washtub sinks in the studio.  When I'm done mixing a color, I just drop my spoons to the bottom of the sink. To gently place them somewhere would also eat up time over the course of the day. Placing them gently at the bottom of the sink results in exactly the same thing as dropping them to the bottom of the sink: the spoons end up at the bottom of the sink.

Also, my employees love it. If I'm not dropping the spoons frequently enough or loudly enough, they remind me to speed up the rate of dropping and banging, because their ears are craving more. Actually, I'm just pretending that these things are saving me time. In reality, I'm doing it for them. I'm a good boss.

The only thing I don't like about this spoon set is the bead ring that connected the spoons. It tangled on itself when exposed to my abuse, so I took it off and put the spoons on a run of the mill binder ring. The binder rings do rust and have to be changed periodically, but it's a small price to pay. By the way, I bought my spoons at The Container Store.




These brushes have painted about 10,000 skeins of yarn. All for $3 at Home Depot.

Yes, ma'am.

The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be.



I am very particular about my gloves. They have to be thick enough to protect my hands from the extremely hot water and steam we use, but thin enough to allow me to wield brushes and measuring spoons, and to feel the differences in yarn. They have to be roomy enough to not be constricting, but not so loose that they fall off. They have to protect my wrists and hands, but not impede my range of motion.

People were constantly stealing my gloves, and I could never find both and a right and a left glove that fit and were dry inside.  I tried putting my initials on the gloves, to no avail. I ended up with six gloves for one hand and none for my other.

I decided that I need to employ the tactics of Dwight K. Schrute.



Dwight Schrute is a character on the TV show The Office. Dwight believes himself to be an expert in surveillance and is constantly seeking power, but is very gullible and often falls for the pranks of others in the office. Here he is with his calculator ensconced in Jello.

I took matters into my own hands.




It was the Dwight thing to do.



In fact, I feel confident that if Dwight worked in a yarn studio and faced this situation,  this is exactly how he would react.

Perhaps I've been watching a few too many episodes.



Someone would then purposely use AND lose his gloves, and Dwight would be forced to set up a ridiculously uncovert mission to discover who was using and losing his gloves.



It may have been a Dwight thing to do, but it was necessary.

You know you need a gift for yourself.

And this is a truly useful gift you can enjoy for an entire year. Unlike some of the gifts you'll undoubtedly acquire.


It's not a used stuffed animal (I've received one of those.)

It's not a 1970s-era painting of a donkey with a broken frame (My husband has received one of those.)

It's not a book you've already read and own the sequel to. (Ahem.)

It's not a DVD box set that you really wanted and it was on sale, and so you bought it right before Christmas and wrapped it up for your husband, knowing you would be able to reap the benefits of the gift. Only to find that your husband had the same idea, leaving both of you with the exact same thing. (Sigh.)


There are many things this gift is not.



A used stuffed animal, no.  Although it does have some animal-related dates already penciled in. Like the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. 





The calendar is a full color beauty with yarn pictures and descriptions of many indie dyers. Each month, you'll be treated to a new feast of color, and you'll also like knowing that your purchase is doing good in the world.

Three dollars from the sale of each calendar goes to Doctors Without Borders, an amazing and highly rated charity.



The calendar was featured in the winter edition of Interweave Knits, and I should let you know that a finite number of calendars were printed. Once they're sold out, they're gone. You can order yours here, at
Year in Yarn.

If you get one, we can look at the same calendar together each month. And isn't that really the gift you've always wanted? I mean, REALLY?

So. Get one for a knitter on your list. Get one for a Christmas swap partner. Get one for yourself. Feel good about your gift because your money is going to charity. Feel good about your gift because you're supporting indie dyers. Feel good about your gift because you'll feel good looking at this calendar all year.

Year in Yarn.

P.S. Year in Yarn is being sold from Canada (but still arrives very quickly to other destinations). Keep in mind that prices on the site are in Canadian dollars. As of this writing, the Canadian dollar is worth 94 cents in the US. Here's a currency converter, if it helps you. XE currency conversion

Giveaway winners!

It's time to announce our Most Wonderful Time of the Year Giveaway winners!

I asked Random.org to select a number for our first prize, two skeins of Glacier on Springvale DK.



It just #159, a comment from Tola.





(Happy soon-to-be anniversary!)

Our next giveaway item included two skeins of Wild Strawberries on Wexford Merino Silk.



Random chose #34 this time.



The winner is Ingrid!



The next prize was for a skein of Alchemy on Glenhaven CashMerino Fingering.



Let's see who Random chose...



Ashley! You won!



The next prize is for two skeins of Skye on Kells Sport.



And the winner is...



Ivy!



And finally, one skein of I Need More Coffee Marigold, dyed on Glenhaven Cashmerino Fingering.



#184! You won!



Kelly, congratulations! And congrats on your impending arrival.



If you didn't win, I'm sorry. It's part of my nature to feel a ping of sadness for the people who didn't win a contest. I hope you'll keep entering our contests, and hope that someday Random will choose you too.

Have a wonderful Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, and New Year, everyone!