We're having a KAL!

"Life is what happens while you're making other plans."

John Lennon

The cast is off! Yay! I still have to wear a brace, but can type and knit again! The last 6 weeks have been interesting, to say the least. Had I known life was going to force me to slow down, I would not have taken my sabbatical in the Fall.

I have now hit the ground running. Finished pattern for Helm's Deep is heading to the proofreader tomorrow, Rohan is close behind, and Ringwraith will head into testing this coming week (drop me an email if you are interested in test knitting).

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes and most especially your patience with me. I promise to fulfill your faith in me & my designs as quickly and efficiently as possible from here on out.

More about Helm's Deep, Rohan, & Ringwraith in a later post; this one is about the next KAL.

As I have not yet finished all the patterns in the Two Towers series, I am not able to devote adequate design time for another mystery shawl until later this year, after the other patterns are complete.

What to do with all that free time, you say?

We're going to do a Knit-a-long for the Mithril Vest!

While the pattern is no mystery to most of you, the pattern is a challenging one that will benefit from the additional support & guidance a KAL provides, from both myself & other knitters.

Details on the pattern can be found here & here

MITHRIL VEST KAL

You will have from now till June 10th (3 months) to complete your vest. That should be enough time for everybody, even those getting a late start.

I will set up 2 new threads on the Ravelry Lord of the Rings Project board: one for pattern questions, which I will check & respond to daily (scout's honor) and one for WIP & FO pictures. We'll keep general chatter in the Mithril KAL thread, OK?

There will be Lord of the Rings prizes in June:

LotR themed Gradiance yarn sets from Unique Sheep in



Mirkwood &



Arwen's Cloak



Socks Inspired by Lord of the Rings (books One & Two) from Unique Sheep & Lobug Designs


fiber batts from Inglenook Fibers



Goldberry



Smaug



The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore's Scores

and a full set of Return of the King patterns from me!

All winners will be chosen randomly from those who have completed their vests, save the grand prize which will be determined by popular vote on Ravelry.

As in previous KALs, I want to make this a charitable effort, so $2 out of every $10 Mithril vest pattern sale during these months will go to Doctors Without Borders.

Ready?

Set?

GO!

Mithril Errata

Mithril corrections to charts 3 & 4, rows 55 & 57.

Pattern calls for YOs in row 55, sts 4 & 101 respectively. This results in a st count of 23 per chart. Row 57 as written calls for 22 sts, leaving an additional st. The question is whether to omit the YOs in row 55 or add a corresponding decrease in row 57.

I have gone all the way back to my Neibling source material in German to find the answer. I have tried to see what I did in my original and cannot make an accurate determination.

I think either one works, but assuming you have already completed row 55, just do decreases in row 57, sts 1, as follows:

Chart 3, row 57, st 1 should be k2tog.
Chart 4, row 57, st 104 should be SSK.

Chart 3, row 57 should begin: k2 tog, k1, yo, ktbl, yo, k2, yo, sk2p, yo, k2, yo, ktbl, yo k2, ssk, k2, yo, ktbl, yo, k2, k2tog

Chart 4, row 57 should end: ssk, k2, yo, ktbl, yo, k2, k2tog, k2, yo, ktbl, yo, k2, yo, sk2p, yo, k2, yo, ktbl, yo, k1, SSK

Sorry this took me so long to figure out…

KONY 2012

Susan Update

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."

-Leonardo Da Vinci

No, I am not dead, just MIA.

Fell last night & possibly broke right hand, other than that all is good. Took some personal time off recently - had pushed for over 3 years, working 60 hrs wk, putting out over 60 patterns.

I began yoga classes & cardio, knit something for me (what a concept), helped son get back on his feet by providing daycare to grandson, and learned to spin. All necessary to my mental health & continued artistic inspiration. Consider it a sabbatical.

I have continued working on Two Towers patterns through out the past 4 months - Helm’s Deep needs to be written up & proofed, Rohan is completed & waiting on final notes from tester who is finishing hers. Ringwraith is heading into test knit.

I really hope the hand isn’t broken - waiting for doc to return call w/ xray info. Typing this with left hand & index finger on right - hunt & peck...

If it is broken, may have to push back start date for Mithril KAL from Feb. 4th, but will try to get someone else to write up patterns so y’all don’t have to wait any longer. I think my tech editor can write them, possibly.

Will keep you posted. Now I am going to rest my swollen hand & hope I didn't just take myself out of commission - gulp

On the 4th Day of Christmas (or is 5th?)

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

My bad - forgot to post yesterday....

Don't worry - there will still be 12 days - promise!

Today's treat is another free pattern. This time a cushy lovely light (yet full of alpaca goodness & a fast knit) cowl.

TECHNO-POP!
An easy-peasy generous wooly cowl

Size: 36 inches around by 9 inches tall
Materials: 2 skeins Blue Sky Alpacas Techno (or 240 yds. heavy worsted)
Size 10.5 (US) 24 or 32 inch circular needles (or to obtain gauge)
Gauge: 4 st = 1 inch (in pattern)

The yarn is absolutely yummy, light as air and so soft! The pattern is an easy twisted check.


Pattern available on the sidebar and on Ravelry.

Enjoy!

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Today's gift is: free patterns! Yay!

First 30 people to email me their wished for pattern at susanpandorf@gmail.com will receive that pattern free!

OK - we're done now - actually gave away over 40 - ho ho ho!!!

If you want me to gift it on Ravelry, remember to include your RAV name. Otherwise I will email you the pdf to the address you send from.

Ready, set...

GO!!!

hope I'm not really sorry I did this - the email volume could be astounding - will edit post when the number is reached

On the 2nd day of Christmas...

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

Today's deal is $10 $20 off the $60 price of the Fellowship patterns. Use the code:

2turtledoves

and a partridge in a pear tree...

I'll leave the code active through end of day Wednesday.

Gotta scoot - heading out to see the Nutcracker tonight

The Twelve Days of Christmas

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me A partridge in a Pear Tree." -English Christmas Carol

The blog has been silent all fall, but I have been anything but inattentive. I have been working on a holiday surprise for all my loyal readers & knitters.

The twelve days in the song are the twelve days starting Christmas day, or in some traditions, the day after Christmas (December 26) (Boxing Day or St. Stephen's Day, as being the feast day of St. Stephen Protomartyr) to the day before Epiphany, or the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6, or the Twelfth Day). Twelfth Night is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking."^[3]

Although the specific origins of the chant are not known, it possibly began as a Twelfth Night "memories-and-forfeits" game, in which a leader recited a verse, each of the players repeated the verse, the leader added another verse, and so on until one of the players made a mistake, with the player who erred having to pay a penalty, such as offering up a kiss or a sweet.^[1] This is how the game is offered up in its earliest known printed version, in the children's book Mirth without Mischief (c. 1780) published in England, which 100 years later Lady Gomme, a collector of folktales and rhymes, described playing every Twelfth Day night before eating mince pies and twelfth cake.^[2]

The song apparently is older than the printed version, though it is not known how much older. Textual evidence indicates that the song was not English in origin, but French, though it is considered an English carol. Three French versions of the song are known. If the "partridge in a pear tree" of the English version is to be taken literally, then it seems as if the chant comes from France, since the red-legged (or French) partridge, which perches in trees more frequently than the native common (or grey) partridge, was not successfully introduced into England until about 1770.^[1][2]

The song was imported to the United States in 1910 by Emily Brown, of the Downer Teacher's College in Milwaukee, WI, who had encountered the song in an English music store sometime before. She needed the song for the school Christmas pageant, an annual extravaganza that she was known for organizing.^{[citation needed]}

I know traditionally, the 12 days begin on Christmas day, but I am jumping the gun and running the promotion before Christmas. ( I figure after Christmas I will be too tired.)

For the next twelve days, there will be a special post on the blog, with free patterns, promotions, contests, & giveaways.

So check back every day until Christmas for a little holiday cheer and fun, from me to you!

Today's special is a free pattern.

WAFFLING
A deeply textured infinity scarf

Size: 10 inches wide by 54 inches long Materials: 4 skeins Malabrigo Twist (or 600 yds. heavy worsted) Size 10 (US) needles (or to obtain gauge) Cable needle, spare needle & yarn needle for grafting Gauge: 5 st = 1 inch

You can wear it in a long loop, or wound twice around the neck for a cozier feel.

The pattern is available for free download on the sidebar or on Ravelry.

I know you were really jonesing for the partridge, but this will just have to do!

Come back tomorrow for another surprise...

Argonath Errata

Written instructions in old version reversed the directions in which to work chart on RS & WS rows.

Corrected version reads: Work right to left on RS rows; left to right on WS rows.

Oops…

Housekeeping

"Perhaps all artists were, in a sense, housewives: tenders of the earth household."

- Erica Jong

I am a lousy housekeeper.

No ifs, ands or buts. I would rather be creating something new, than maintaining something old.

My house is a pit, my lacework impeccable - sigh...

Which is why it has taken me this long to put my house in order.

Now that all of the patterns in the Fellowship of the Ring series (first of the Lord of the Rings Collection) are out, I have compiled them into both a comprehensive E-book of all 13 patterns (including Evenstar) for $60. This is a $12 savings over purchasing them individually.

I have also separated them into three"mini-collections" of four patterns each.

Wee Wonders $18

four small accessory patterns

Bag End, Goldberry, Rivindell, & Bombadil

Traveling Togs $22

four cabled patterns

Argonath, Dwarrowdelf, Lothlorien, & Strider

Elven Delicacies $25

four lace patterns

Evenstar, Galadriel's Mirror, Legolas, & Mithril

This way, those of you who love lace, or cables, or small projects can purchase a selection that includes only your favorites and still take advantage of a reduced price.

You can purchase here on the sidebar, or on Ravelry's website. Either way, you will download through Ravelry, so can keep the patterns in your library if you so desire.

You do NOT have to be a member of Ravelry to use their download provider.

I have also made another page that features the Fellowship Patterns.

*****

Now, anybody do windows?