Knitting for Good

This is a bit off topic, and I was going to post it on my personal blog, but I don't think many people actually read it and thought this might interest some of you. If not, you can always just skip this post! 

Recently I picked up a copy of Knitting for Good by Betsy Greer. I've never actually met Betsy Greer, but I hear that she lives in the same town as I do! The idea behind the book is that knitting (and other crafting) can be good for individuals and for society, and can even be a form of political and social activism. What I love is that at the end of each chapter there are a couple of questions for reflection. After reading the first chapter, mainly about how we come to crafting in our lives, I used those questions in a post on my personal blog (if you'd like to read it, click here). 

Chapter two mainly focused on knitting clothing/accessories as a way to develop your personal style without being dictated to by fashion trends and without supporting clothing companies that have unethical business practicies. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I always try to avoid buying from companies with irresponsible or unethical business practices. But its important to remember that a) not all clothing companies are corrupt and b) not all yarn companies or fabric companies are ethical. I think what is most important is that you are a responsible consumer. This means making sure that the money that you spend-- whether its for yarn, fabric or finished clothing--goes to support a company that you can get behind.  

Do you make much of your clothing (or the clothes for your family)? If so, why do you do it? Is it just that you love to knit and the side effect is lots of finished objects that you stick on whomever is closest? Do you knit in order to cloth yourself/family? Has the way that you think about clothing changed since you learned how to knit?

I'll be back soon with reflections on Chapter 3: Craft as Therapy. 

Thank YOU!

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my request for donations of yarn and needles for the Girls Inc group in Santa Fe. We had a great response and boxes of yarn are already starting to arrive! Knitting is going to be an ongoing project for this group, so feel free to keep sending donations in the future. But for now, since it seems like most people who read my request and have something to donate have contacted my now, I think its time to draw a name to see who the lucky winner of Unique Sheep gift box is. 

And the random number generator says....person #12! The 12th person to email me to say she was going to send yarn was Jeanne Hickling. Congratulations Jeanne!! 

NEW The Fiber Fetish Yarn Club

Who is ready for a new club?

Verve Price Going Up

The price of wool, like most things, keeps going up. Our cost for Verve has gone up and unfortunately we have to pass that price increase on to you. So started next week Verve will be $21, rather than $20. I'm not going to change the price on the website until next Wednesday, though, so if you have been thinking of placing an order and want to save a couple bucks, order before then!

Call for Yarn Donations

Do you have old straight needles that you never use anymore? Plastic needles that you've since replaced with Addi Turbos? Remember that yarn you bought when you were first learning, before you discovered the nice stuff at your LYS? Or that time that you couldn't resist all that gorgeous worsted weight red wool because it was on sale and who can say no to a sale, even though red really isn't your color? (don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about...)

Well my good friend Elizabeth works for Girls Inc in Sante Fe and really wants to teach her girls to knit. I taught Elizabeth how to knit a year or two ago and now she wants to pass it on. But, being a non-profit, Girls Inc relys heavily on donations. 

If you have something to give, please contact me (laura@theuniquesheep.com) for the mailing address. I'll also be putting together a little gift box of Unique Sheep goodies and I'll be randomly drawing a name from the list of people who donated to decide who to send it to. 

New Pattern: William's Hat

When my little brother asked me for a hat with "those twisty things, and the bumpy stuff on the edge" (i.e. cables and ribbing), and in his school colors (red and black) how could I say no?

He loves his new hat, and I hope you will too. Knit out of Super Wool, William's Hat is warm, washable and appropriate for men or women.

New Pattern: Tom Bombadil Socks!

With the Lord of the Rings inspired sock club about to start, we have had hobbits and elves on our minds lately. But there is one character that often gets overlooked. Though he played a small part in the books, and wasn't even included in the movies, Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite of Tolkein's characters. We don't know a lot about him, but that mystery is part of what makes him special. To celebrate his merry personality, Lobug designed this colorful sock.

Animal Rescue Groups

Do you have experience with an animal rescue group? Are there any animal rescue groups that have really stood out, in your opinion? We'd like to know.

Knitting Men

We just got the nicest thank you card from Michael Wade ("Wonder Mike") for the yarn we sent them as a door prize for the men's knitting retreat this past fall. This is the photo that was on the thank you card. It looks like they had a lot of fun. Makes me jealous that I'm a) not a guy. and b) not on the west coast. Heres to many more years of fun, and the spread of knitting retreats (for men and for us gals) across the country! 

Shipping Blues

It looks like our shipping costs are about to go up (thanks USPS!), so pretty soon we will be changing our free domestic shipping limit to $40 instead of $20. I'm hoping for now to keep a flat rate of $2.50 for domestic shipping under $40, but we'll have to see how it goes. I'm tell you know to give you a chance to place your orders before we make the change! 

Do you Plurk?

I've started playing around with Plurk. If you have an account and want to be my "friend", you can find me as "Painty". 

Perezoso

I can't believe its already been 6 months since we released the Perezoso hat pattern as part of the 7 Deadly Spins Club. But according to my calendar, it has. Which means that its time to release the pattern to the public!

This is such a unique, creative pattern. The rumpled folds are actually put in as part of the pattern using a really neat technique. If you prefer a "neater" look, instructions are included for a version without the folds or earflaps.

Inspired

One of my favorite things to do is create colorways based on photos or suggestions sent in by customers. Last winter we got a request from a customer for a colorway reminiscence of the blue flames created by gas fire places. This was a challenging request, because fire is so dynamic. Its hard to catch its beauty on yarn. But after some experimentation I came up with a colorway that I was pleased with, and its become one of our best selling colors.

This afternoon I got a message on Ravelry from the customer who originally requested the colorway saying that she had finished a pair of socks knit out of them, and posted about it on her blog. I love how she got a photo of the socks in front of the fireplace that originally inspired her!

2008 in Review