Unique Feet

Once upon a time, many years ago we had a club called the Ram Club and it was all about men's socks (and, for a brief period, men's accessories). Our designer Charles Voth came to us one day with an idea for this club and my initial reaction was "Well, I doubt it'll be very popular but if you don't mind designing for what might just be a few customers...we'll give it a try!". I was wrong. Very wrong. It ended up being a huge hit. I had no idea how many people out there were looking for interesting patterns for socks in larger sizes. We had a good number of members who were men themselves but we also had plenty of female members who were knitting for men or simply enjoyed the wider size range that these patterns offer. After a few years we discontinued the club because many of our loyal members had either run out of feet that needed covering or had acquired such a prodigious sock yarn stash that they needed some time to work through it. We didn't stop designing men's sock patterns, though. Charles, along with several of our other favorite designers and a few new ones, kept working on men's sock patterns and eventually we had enough good ones that we were ready to put together a book. This book, Unique Feet, contains 15 sock patterns that range from basic ribbed to cabled kilt stockings and from rustic boot socks to corporate dress socks to totally wacky super hero socks! All of the patterns include instructions for multiple sizes and we have included both toe up and top down patterns. 

We recommend buying the book directly from our publisher, Cooperative Press. When you buy the hardcopy book you get the e-book thrown in for free which is awesome because it means you get a physical book to enjoy flipping through and admire on the shelf, but you also get the instant gratification of an e-book plus the convenience of being able to access your patterns anywhere from your phone/tablet/laptop. Or you can save a few bucks and get the e-book alone either from the Cooperative Press page or via Ravelry. To see details about all the socks featured in the book, please click the Ravelry link. 

The Great Doctor Who Scarf Project

If you are a Doctor Who fan (and who isn't these days?) and a knitter then you have almost certainly heard about the Doctor Who Scarf. This epic garter stitch scarf was worn by the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and has become one of the best known symbols of classic Doctor Who. Whether you are going all the way and doing the full 12ft long scarf or knitting a project that is more scarf-inspired (like these awesome stockings) its crucial that you get the colors just right. There have been plenty of suggestions for yarn brands and colors that will work but it can be hard to find all the colors you need all in the same base so we had a customer come to us with a challenge- to dye up a set of Doctor Who Scarf colors on our Super Wool DK yarn.

-borrowed from www.doctorwhoscarf.com

We used the extensively research site www.doctorwhoscarf.com as a guide. They even have a list of pantone colors that are supposed to be a perfect match to the original scarf. Armed with my official Pantone color cards I was able to create dye recipes to perfectly match the colors. Unfortunately though the colors are a match, they still aren't quite "right". As the customer put it, they aren't as "dull and lifeless" as the originals. I think that this is, in part, because we only ever saw the scarf under studio lighting and through the filter of 1970s video recording equipment. And lets just say that back then TV wasn't exactly HD. According to the website the scarf itself was actually  a bit brighter and more saturated, but the scarf- as we saw it- was more dulled down. So the big question: replicate the scarf as it originally existed in-real-life or the way it looked on screen. 

Here you can see the way my original recipes turned out. I have two photos for each skein in order to try to show the color as accurately as possible but, as usual, different computer monitors will show the colors differently. Keep in mind the the background of the photos is a piece of heavy white computer paper. 

My next step is to try the same color recipes but less saturated to give it a more faded look. If that doesn't give us the perfect results I may try the recipes on our Green Sheep Fingering base and see how it looks on a non-superwash wool. 

If you find yourself in need of a 12 foot long, one foot wide behemoth of a wool scarf (and after this remarkably cold winter it doesn't sound like a bad idea), you can get your own kit here. Each color is also available individually for purchase on any of our base yarns. Keep in mind that on our other bases the color will turn out slightly different. If you are searching for extreme accuracy please contact us before ordering so we can discuss your yarn base options and, if necessary, tailor our recipes to your needs. 

A Knitter's Christmas Eve

This holiday season would not be complete without the A Knitter's Christmas Eve, a poem by Nancy Massaroni that has been circulating among knitters for a number of years. As you read this poem, expect a chuckle, as it will all sound way too familiar. 
So enjoy a quick break....and then get back to work!!


A Knitter's Christmas Eve poem
by Nancy Massaroni, 2009



’Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
There was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren’t hung by the chimney with care
’Cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep—he was no help at all.
And the sweater for him was six sizes too small.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tripped over my yarn and fell down in my stash.
The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how far I still had to go.
When out on the lawn I heard such a noise,
I was sure it would wake up both Dad and the boys.
And although I was tired and my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nic.
Yet what I heard left me very perplex-ed
For nothing I heard was what I expect-ed.
"Move Rowan! Move Patons! Move Koigu and Clover!
Move Shelridge! Move Starmore! Move Spinrite! Move over!
Lopi, don’t circle around, just stand there in line.
Pay attention you sheep and you’ll work out just fine!
I know this is hard, as it’s just your first year,
But I’d hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill.What I saw was amazing!
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing!
And then in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa’s big boots stomping on the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet.
As I turned around, St Nic I did meet.
He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were hand knit from above to below.
A bright Fair Isle sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran sack.
His hat was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf on his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
On the back of his mitts was an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spotted a small label:
"S.C." in duplicate on the cuff.
So I asked, "Hey, Nic, did YOU knit all this stuff?"
He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I’d thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked down in his lap
Where I had laid my needles and yarn for a cap.
He began then to knit, first one cap then two.
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks,
While I sat back drinking a scotch on the rocks.
Quickly like magic his needles they flew,
Good Grief! He was finished by two!
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
I heard him explain as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year, start your knitting sometime around JUNE!"

Zodiac Club Art Experiments

Has anyone used the set of art supplies from the July shipment to explore their creative side, yet? I've been playing around with the mini canvases a bit. I love their size because you can experiment with a technique or an idea without getting overwhelmed with the project. Forewarning: I haven't had an art class since I was in grade school and even then I usually stuck to sculpting or something else that didn't involved canvas and paint. I'm posting these photos not to show how good or bad of an artist I am, but to share with you the fun I've been having exploring a new (to me) form of art!

First I decided to stick with a subject that is really familiar to me-- the Unique Sheep logo. Normally I use watercolor pencils, regular drawing paper and black ink pen for our logos. For this experiment I used the logo I'm familiar with but used a canvas-paper and gauche paints. Gauche paints are really interesting to work with because they are thick and opaque like acrylic but they are actually a type of water color so if you dip your brush in water you can blend the colors on the page. To me, though, it still feels more like painting with acrylics and feels some what restricting. I do like that with gauche you can do a watercolor like blended background and then use the undiluted, opaque paint to do layers on top -- like the little swirls of color on my sheep. That is definitely a technique worth exploring more. I like how my sheep's body turned out but there is something "off" about her head.




 My second attempt was a medium I'm a bit more familiar with- water color- but a new subject, a portion of the view out the window of my family room. I used watercolor paper and one of those little children's sets of watercolors with 8 or so little slabs of color lined up in a plastic case. I think I would enjoy doing watercolors-- I like the freedom and the way the colors move in the water. Its a LOT like dyeing yarn, only you have to try to make a picture, not just a pretty color. I think I'd like to get a better set of watercolor paints and learn how to use them properly. Overall I'm pleased with how this little painting turned out, given the limitations of my supplies.

I've hung both of my little paintings on our refrigerator, with pride! We don't have kids yet so we rarely have colorful drawings on our fridge, unless we are honored with a gift from a friend, so its nice to brighten it up a bit!

Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival

Come check out our booth at the Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival this weekend in Lexington, KY. We'll be in the "big top" tent with a booth full of Gradiance sets! It looks like it should be a beautiful, spring weekend here in Kentucky and we hope to see you there!

New Knitty pattern "Now in a Minute" by Brenda Dayne

The new Knitty "Surprise!" patterns are up and, guess what? One of them uses Unique Sheep yarn! We were so honored when Brenda Dayne asked us to use our yarn and the shawl she designed for it, "Now in a Minute" is a perfect match for our Gradiance collection. It is elegant and feminine without being too overtly lacey, and since most of it is in a simple stockinette stitch pattern its a great option for chatty Knit Nights, travel knitting or sitting-on-the-back-porch-sipping-a-lemonade-and-soaking-in-the-sun-knitting.

This pattern requires 150g of fingering weight yarn (Brenda uses Luxe) in any of our Gradiance colorways. Brenda collaborated with Kelly to create the new colorway "Enfys" for this pattern.

p.s. if the link to the pattern doesn't open immediately, try again later. The Knitty website has a tendency to get a bit overwhelmed by the initial burst of people visiting the site when they announce new patterns!

New Website/Old Coupons

I haven't finished transferring all of the old coupon codes to the new website/shopping cart which means that if you have a coupon code, our new website might not accept it. But do not worry--- your coupon is still good! Just email me at laura@theuniquesheep.com and let me know you are ready to use the coupon and I'll re-issue it using the new software.

New Website!

The new website is live! We have been working on this for months and are so excited to be able to finally unveil it! We tried to keep the ordering process very similar to the old website to make the transition easier. We added several new features which we think you will enjoy:

• PDF purchases will now be sent immediately and automatically
• You shopping cart summary is always visible in the green column at the right to make it easier for you to update your cart
• You can create an account and log in to check on the status of your order and review past orders. 

The biggest improvement has been in how our Search bar functions. The search box is always present at the top of the green column. We have added a lot of new photos to the site and the search bar is the best way to explore them. To see photographs of a certain colorway on several different base yarns and even examples of it knit up, simply type in the colorway name in the search bar. Give it a try yourself- for example, search for "silverlode" to see eight different photos of this colorway on different yarn bases and 4 photos of it knit up. We will be adding more and more photos to the site in the future to give you more examples of our colors on different bases, as different sized sets,  and knit up into projects.

Have some fun and do a bit of exploring. If you find any broken links or mistakes please let us know! Our goal is to make our website as easy to use and helpful as possible so please let us know if you have trouble with any part of it!

Most of the credit for this project goes to Leanne Mitton, our very patient and always helpful web designer. 

Website Changes

We will be revealing the new website this weekend (!!!) which means that there may be a brief period of time when the website is unavailable while we switch things over. Thank you for your patience while we make this change. We think you'll like the new website. Once its uploaded I'll post again telling you all about the new features!

Happy New Year

Wow- Laura and I just celebrated 5 years together as "Your Unique Sheep dyers"! I may sound like a broken record at the beginning of each New Year, but I am still so happy to be partners with such an amazingly talented, intelligent and beautiful person. I feel like I have to say it publicly, at least once a year.

We are also very lucky to be able to work with great designers. Every time a designer decides to use our yarn in one of their projects it gives me a happy shiver. Somehow they always make our yarn look better in a finished object than it does just laying in the skeins. So thanks to Janine, Laurel, Merike, Julia, Susan and many others who have joined our design flock.

We are always happy to hear from people who want to carry our yarn in their online and/or bricks and mortar retail shops. If you do not see your LYS on this page, then tell them about Unique Sheep. If they already carry our yarns, but are not listed, let us know and we will update our site right away. A special Thank You to Ellen at Earthfaire, who has partnered with us for almost all of our Mystery KAL's and provided beautiful beads to go with our yarn and patterns. Ellen also carries a large selection of Signature Colorways, only available through Earthfaire.

The biggest Thank You to all of our customers. Take a look on the Ravelry pages to see many of the projects you have all stitched using Unique Sheep yarns. Every time I visit that page I am delighted to know that you trusted us enough to buy our yarns and stitch them up into finished garments. We hope you enjoy using our yarns as much as we love dyeing them for you:)

May 2013 bring all of your Peace, Joy and lots of Love.
 

Winter Vacation

Happy Holidays! We will be taking next week off to spend time with friends and family. You can place orders like usual on the website and we'll be checking our email in case you have any questions but we won't be shipping orders until after the new year. We hope that you are able to take time off to celebrate the holidays as well!

Craft Lit

The Unique Sheep is sponsoring the pod cast Craft Lit for the month of December! The first episode of the month went live today and includes an interview with me. If you haven't discovered Craft Lit yet, check it out. Its a wonderful free podcast that combines two of my biggest loves- knitting/crafting and reading. The host is an award winning high school and college teacher so she knows her stuff and she shares bits of literary trivia and history to put the books into context as you listen. Previous books include classics such as Dracula, The Scarlet Letter, Pride and Prejudice and A Tale of Two cities. The current book is Jane Eyre. Each podcast episode includes a bit of chat about knitting/crafting/etc, background on the current reading and a chapter or two from the book. The books are all wonderfully read and the information that Heather shares is interesting and helpful. It is by far my favorite podcast. So check it out, listen to my interview (which I hope is good- I haven't had the courage to listen to it yet. Its so weird to hear myself recorded) and enjoy!

Website Redesign

As we prepare for the new year we have decided that its time for a new website. The Unique Sheep has outgrown the little site that I created with bits of twine and newsprint years ago and its time for someone who really knows what he or she is doing to give her a face lift. Well, more than just a face lift, really, as its the bones of the site that need the most work.


We'd like to hear what changes you'd like to made. We are already planning to re-do the way the photos are managed to make them consistent in size and quality, add a customer account option so you can log in and check the status of your order, past orders and saved shopping carts and make the website work on tablets and phones. You can click here for a list of things that we will be working on. What else should we add to our wish list??

December's "Give Away"

During the year 2012, at the first of each month you have received an email from us featuring a designer or artist. We have had a wonderful year full of talented designers and crafters and all the inspiring things that they create. We hope you enjoyed learning more about them, as well as getting the free goodies in your packages with qualifying orders.

We have decided to do something a little  different to wrap up the year. Philanthropy is such an important part of who we are, that this month we are featuring two of our favorite charities- one for Kelly and one for Laura. Instead of including a free goody with your order, we will be making a small donation to these charities for every order* placed in December.

Kelly's Pick: Ruff Love Rescue

Lovey

Sam

Shep

Our 3 dogs are all “rescue” dogs. Our oldest and youngest were picked up off the street, and I had no luck tracking down their former owners, so Bradley and Shep became adopted members of our family. We could not ask for more gentle and appreciative dogs. 

That is why my choice for the December charity is Ruff Love Rescue. Our middle boy, Sammy was adopted from this wonderful organization. The people that run this rescue are always looking for help, and I always wish I could give more, so I thought that this would be a great opportunity to be able to send a few more dollars their way. 

 Laura's Pick: One Parent Scholar House

 I believe that education is one of the best ways to solve many of the problems our world faces. Education gives individuals the tools to improve their own lives rather than being dependent on the help of others. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to education or the ability to fit classes and study into their lives. One Parent Scholar House allows single parents to pursue education by providing housing, mentorship and childcare.

*donations will be made for each non-club order placed in December for $30 or more. 

Holiday Knitting

It seems that the closer we get to Christmas the more likely I am to remember someone else on my gift-list who would appreciate a hand knitted gift, so I'm always on the lookout for projects that are relatively quick but will make a bit impact when they are unwrapped. Here are a couple of beautiful patterns that only require a single Gradiance sock set. 100g of fingering weight yarn will fly off your needles! And, we have an assortment of sock sets already dyed up and ready to be shipped, just pick from this list! The links with the patterns below will take you to Ravelry where you can purchase a PDF for immediate download.


Eggnog by Valentina Cosciani
Shown in Luxe "One Ring"

Speranza by Emma Fassio
Shown in Luxe, "You Zig, I Zag"

Phoenix Cowl by Janine le Cras
Shown in Tinsel Toes "Daneism"

Bashful Butterflies by Julia Temiseva

Need yarn NOW?

If you have ordered from us before, you know that it can take several weeks for us to fill your order. That is because we dye to order which means that when your order comes in we have to wind off the correct size and number of skeins in the yarn you want, dye it the specific color you want, let it dry, twist it and label it and finally ship it. Combine that with our on-going clubs, wholesale orders and the occasional show, taking into account that there are only two of us (Kelly and Laura), and you can see why it takes us so long to fill orders. Thankfully most of you know about this so you order your yarn well ahead of when you need it. But sometimes you need yarn NOW. Whether its for a project with a looming deadline or a KAL that starts in a few days or simply because a pattern is calling to you so strongly that you must cast on immediately- sometimes you just can't wait. For immediate shipping you can order from our Available Now inventory. We normally ship first class or priority mail but if you need a faster shipping option, please leave us a comment in your order!

Wovember

This November I've been eagerly checking the Wovember blog each day to see their new posts. All month they are posting the most beautiful photos and wonderful stories all about WOOL! The month started with articles about, well, the start of the wool growing process-- breeding season and has now progressed to stories and photos about raising sheep. Soon they'll move on to shearing, processing the wool and finally making finished items out of it!

I love this quote from a few days ago:

“Without a thorough knowledge of his raw material, a craftsman cannot do good work because he understands only imperfectly the reasons for his actions. Few craftsmen have the privilege of using a more interesting material than wool; few are so intimately concerned with living creatures. Even the wood carver seldom enjoys the pleasure of seeing the living tree wherein he is to find his finished work. It is by no means an unusual experience for a spinner to visualise the yarn, and even the fabric which will grow from it, while his fingers explore the living wool on the back of the sheep.”

-Elsie G. Davenport, Your Handspinning, 1971, Select Books, Mountain View, MO, USA

November's Artisan of the Month

Bill Mullins is our featured artisan for November. Bill is a beekeeper and sells his honey products at the Greensboro, NC farmer's market where Kelly does her weekly shopping. Learn a bit more about Bill by reading this article and the interview below! We'll be including free samples of Bill's yummy honey treats with orders placed in November!*

Part 1:

1-        Have you been raising bees all of your life?

No- Just the last 42 years. (read the article linked to above to find out more about how he got started!)

2-        Who taught you how to be a beekeeper?

University of Alabama, plus the Ag extension service and Dr John Ambrose of NC State and the NC state beekeepers association, and master beekeepers program and international bee research association.

3-        What other hobbies do you enjoy? 

Ham Radio, woodworking, travel and reading.

Part 2:

1-        What is your favorite word?

Yes

2-        What is your least favorite word?

No

3-        What turns you on?

Women

4-        What turns you off?

Women

5-        What sound do you love?  

Songs from the 40’s and 50’s

6-        What sound do you hate?

Rap music

7-        What is your favorite curse word?

None

8-        What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?  

Archaeology

9-        What profession would you not like to?

Surgeon

.  

10-    If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? 

  

Welcome

*free gifts will be included in non-club purchases for $30 or more placed in November while supplies last!