More Last Minute Knitted Gifts Book

It has arrived and it is freaking fantastic! I loved the first one and the 2nd one surely doesn't disappoint. Here is a link to view the projects....

New Sweater on the Needles!

wow, it has been awhile since I posted...ooopsss. There is so much going on at the Sheep, frankly I didn't know where to start. A few days before we left for a week long cottage get away at a friends place, I started Tempest with the Painted Fleece Naturally Dyed yarn in a deep red and light pink. Boy, do I LOVE these colours. I am so close to finishing this sweater, almost all five pieces are knit, then tomorrow I hope to block them, seam them and then pick up stitches for the border and collar.

Missy, the dyer behind the Painted Fleece, used all kinds of different natural dyes - the yarn I am using for this sweater is dyed with Cochineal. The deeper skein went into the dye pot first, and the lighter pink went into the same pot 2nd.....LOVE it!!!

Doesn't it look like my knitting is playing in the clouds?







Other dyes Missy has used to dye these beautiful wool/nylon sock yarn are:


Walnut
Indigo
Safflower
Red Cabbage
Hibiscus
Turmeric
Pomegranate Husks
Dandelion Root

Take a look.....

Is Lisa Crochet Crazy?

Oh you betcha - I am on the crochet crazy train and I am LOVING IT!!!!! I had so many little balls of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino left from Jay's giant granny square blanket that I just had, just had to crochet a matching pillow case for her.

If I am not too careful though, I might turn her room into a one big crochet fiesta. How cool does that sound, hhmmm???

Here is the pillow I am going to cover (which BTW, I think there is another one somewhere in my house and the moment I find it, it will be covered in larger granny squares!)


Here is the current state of the pillow - one more row to go and a tonne of little balls left over...Just waiting to be made into another pillow:

Close ups...I am trying to become a better photographer and really, like everything I have read, daylight, outside is really helpful...Go figure. Plus I am trying to understand what each of the less used functions of my camera are all about. So bear with me, there are a lot of photos. Such fun!

The last nine circles waiting oh so patiently to become little granny squares:

Although it is a pretty quick project, the 2nd piece will be one granny square in the deep orange colour - faster, only two ends to weave in and then it will be single crocheted together. Oh my goodness, I don't even want to talk about the ends. There are two colours for each little square, there are 81 little squares and three ends for each square. One for the beginning, one for the end, the third are the two ends I knotted before starting the 2nd colour.

That means I weaved in 243 ends on one side of the pillow alone. I don't even want to know how many ends I had to weave in for the blanket. OMG....Insane? Crazy?

Loving my daughter so much that I don't mind? Frankly, I don't want to even think about it anymore. The ends are done, well except for the last nine squares that I need complete the first side.

Can't wait to start the 2nd side - two ends, one colour, one large granny square. Easy.

Fall Interweave Knits Issue Arrived!

Finally, the Fall IK issue arrived and it is a good one!!! Click HERE for a preview or just get the magazine and enjoy it without knowing what is in there!

Here are two patterns that I JUST ADORE!!!

New Yarn Alert

Jawoll Magic.....see the pictures....no words are needed to show how awesome this yarn is, non? Okay, a few details - each ball is $19.99, has 400 yards and is enough for a pair of socks. I have to cast on immediately for a pair of socks! See the close up of the freaky yellow/orange/green ball? That is the colour of socks I want! Oh yeah!

OMG - Jay's GIANT Granny Square blanket!

OOHHH...super exciting news, well for me and Jay! I finished her blanket, weaved in all the ends (about a billzion!) and spread it out on her bed. Take a look:

I used 24 colours of Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashermino yarn on a 3.25mm hook. Most of the colours I used one ball, but a few required two. The grey, orange and purple and maybe a few more. I didn't keep track that well, because I just wanted to get it done. It measures 60" by 60". I didn't block it out, but just laid it down. I followed The Purl Bee's granny square method - great pictures and instructions.

I also followed Attic 24's Summer Time Granny tuturial and frankly there is no other site like hers. Go NOW, but be warned, she has alot of posts and they are all freaking fantastic, awesome and amazing. Only click on her blog if you have time to do so, as all other things will be forgotten. Grab a drink, sit down and hold on because if you ever wanted to crochet, never thought you would, you will after reading her blog. Trust me. I'm a knitter through and through, but now I can officially call myself a crocheter, because of Lucy.

I started on June 17th 2010 and finished the crocheting on August 4th. This past weekend I secured the ends and placed it on her bed! When she came home from a mini vacation with my in laws, she screamed with utter joy that it was done!

I do have quite a few small and medium sized balls left, so I am going to crochet pillows for her! I have a square green one that I bought from Ikea, and I'm using Attic 24's little granny square pattern for one side (basically a two colour two round square) and one granny square for the other. I'm about half done the one side (which is taking forever, those squares are so tiny, however I'm attaching them as I go - brilliant method that I thank Attic 24 for!)

Lucy - if you ever read my blog, please note, I love yours, absolutely adore it, but you have sucked me into the world of crochet like no one else could. Your photography, tuturials, inspiration and unbelievable enthusiam is awe inspiring. Please keep writing and taking pictures - the blog world wouldn't be the same without you!

There is a Flickr picture pool of Attic 24 inspired crochet goodies. If you don't even know where to start with colours, ideas of what to crochet, this flickr pool will inspire you.

New Yarn!

The Painted Fleece Seacell Silk blend lace weight yarn. OMG, this is such a great yarn and great value too!

700 yards of hand dyed seacell and silk for $30!

Missy knit up a sample in lightening speed! The Travelling Women, one awesome pattern, FREE, no errors and is one of those shawls that fits perfectly around your shoulders and you don't have to keep fiddling with it to get it to stay!

Missy added some beads for pizzaz and boy does it look fantastic. Come on in and check it out.

Bruises and Breaks!

During our wonderful beach vacation a few weeks back, my older daughter Jay went mountain biking up at Blue Mountain with her dad and best friend. Her BFF survived the 4 hour long event without injury, but mine was not so lucky. On her 2nd last ride she fell and her brakes got all screwed up, although she and Chris didn't know it. On this fall she came out fine, but on the last run, she fell pretty bad and got all tangled up in the bike and this is her souvenir from the event. Super painful and horrible for my husband to see her legs all around the bike frame!



Although in quite a bit of pain, the very next day she went Tree Top Trekking at Horseshoe valley! I have a tonne of photos but forgot to upload them. Oh well. she had fun and took tonnes of Advil afterwards!

On to the next crazy injury - my younger daughter broke her ankle playing summer hockey! A boy fell on her and her ankle twisted in a funny direction and now she has this on for the next 4 weeks:

Fun times people, fun times.

We just received more beginner drop spindles! These spindles are hand made by a family in the USA and they are light weight, and a great tool to learn how to spin!

Each one is $14.99 and we have an awesome collection of roving starting at $10! So for $25.00 you can learn to make your very own yarn.

2nd Year Anniversary SALE!!

Frankly, this is all you need to know, really!!

The Naked Sheep - 2nd Year Anniversary SALE

25% off all regular priced yarn!

August 2nd to August 31st

......no holds, no special orders, all yarn purchases are final sale.....