Special Bulletin

The first published and available for purchase pattern in Lara's Creations ColourWave yarn is now available!

Thanks to the wonderful design talents of Bad Cat Designs, you may now purchase the Wisteria Cowl pattern from Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wisteria-cowl
Check it out!!

The yarn to purchase it may be custom ordered in any of the ColourWaves shown in my store or in a semi-solid.  (See the links to the right).  New colors are coming or tell me what you like and we can come up with something new together!

A note about the yarn - The Bad Cat used "Basic" which is a lovely 100% Merino lace weight.  I have two additional yarns of the same weight right now - Squish! is a 100% Superwash Merino and Starlight is a sparkly blend of Superwash Merino (75%), Silk (20%) and Stellina sparkles (5%). If you have questions about substituting yarns, please ask.

Happy Knitting!!

A new beginning

In the years since I last posted - yes, shockingly it's somehow been literally two years - so many things have happened I sometimes thought of simply deleting this blog.  Clearly I wasn't updating it.  Clearly I wasn't going to......and yet......

So many things to share but perhaps the time has come back around now and the things to share have new meaning in the context of new beginnings.

A new beginning for my blog coincides with the very recent opening of my Etsy store (more on that later).  That's certainly a beginning.  Then there's the move my mother made back to Colorado - not my new beginning you say?  Well that's true in one way but since she moved (temporarily) into my house you might rethink that one ;-).

There are several others as well.......including the fact that after 20 years in one capacity or another, I shall be changing jobs soon - or perhaps moving from my "job" to my store (quick, go buy something to help with that, will ya? lol).  It's complicated.

Of all the new beginnings in the last few months, oddly enough the fewest are new knitting projects.  Don't get me wrong, the siren call is there - but go look at my store and remember that I'm still working full time for someone else as well - perhaps it will make more sense!  In spite of that I've still knit a great deal in the last two years......one of the most notable is my Back to the Garden shawl designed (of course) by Bad Cat Designs and knit in a yarn that I converted from a Colourmart beauty into a ColourWave beauty.  The original yarn was stunning and fabulous to work with.  I'm delighted I had the chance to use it and it's no hardship to me to know I have enough leftover already dyed that I can knit it into a scarf ;-).

I'll add more specifics later - such as the Ravelry link and so on like I used to.  

For now......I'm relearning the updates to the blog programs.  It's time for me to get back to regular updates for my blog.......time to learn to use Facebook more, both for my own contacts and for my new business page (https://www.facebook.com/LarasCreationsOfColorado - please join/share for shop news).  Who knows?  Perhaps tomorrow's new beginning will be Twitter!

For the shop itself, I've gone with Etsy for the moment.  Feedback, especially including your experience is quite welcome.  Check it out:

Lara's Creations of Colorado

In the mean time........shall we start something new?  hehehe

Once Upon a Time.....

.......there was a lady named Lara. She was a crafter of great variety but also a mother, daughter, granddaughter, friend, an employee and many other things. Sometimes she shared her projects and perhaps a few stories on a blog. However, other times life kept her a very busy lady and if you only followed the blog, she appeared to have poofed into some mysterious disappearance and who knew if she would ever return?

In short - yes, I'm still around and have been living life with all it's ups and a few downs to go with it. Thankfully, I also have those crafts to enjoy and they have not been as neglected as the blog! Christmas and New Year's came & went since my last post. Valentine's Day was enjoyed by many. On Ravelry - where I have been slightly more visible these last weeks - the Ravelympics began and ended. As a team captain and a team member I also spent quite a bit of time on Ravelympics as a matter of fact and while I did not manage to complete everything I signed up for in the mad insanity of enthusiasm and hope when planning for events (ok, work also played a disruptive part) I DID cross the finish line with two projects (more coming soon), did considerable spinning on a third and even managed to complete more than half of a shawl I plan to wear to my son's wedding late June. Soooo many things to share but we must start somewhere, right?

Therefore - to begin - I give you a glimpse of first of Seed Pod Socks, started and completed since my last, long ago post - finished, in fact, even before the end of December!



Pattern: Seed Pod Socks - Bad Cat Designs
Yarn: Plymouth Happy Feet, 2 skeins
Needles: US1 / 2.25MM

These were fun to knit and I will no doubt knit them again......and in spite of only one in the picture, the pair really is finished and has been worn!

Next - finished December 30th - you might recall the lovely Misty Moonlit Midnight (Tallin Sunset) shawl I began some time ago. As a related side note, I do hope my resident photographer is able to assist with some modeled pictures of several projects - including these - sometime very soon.



Pattern: Tallin Sunset, by Bad Cat Designs
Yarn: Handdyed Merino Lace (Stonybrook) by Fearless Fibers, used ~1,115 yards
Needles: US4 / 3.5mm
Beads: Megatamas, 3mm crystal AB beads from Earthfaire

As with all Bad Cat Designs, I feel you can't go wrong knitting this! The pattern was great fun and the yarn was lovely to work with.

I will be back - perhaps even later today - with more on Ravelympics .......

Post Thanksgiving....

A micro-update ;-).

Yup, the Broncos won (26-6)! My mittens received lots of compliments - a little surprising in the sea of Broncos gear. They did their job well though and unlike the poor guy next to me, with all my various warm knitted items I was quite cozy. Of course I didn't sit still very much and that might've helped.

I did not cook the main meal but I was extra lucky - there was a "spare" pumpkin pie in my fridge when I returned home from the game...... Did you know pumpkin pie is excellent for breakfast?

All in all, it was a very good day indeed.....I hope yours was as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I realize that our friends around the world do not (generally) celebrate Thanksgiving as we do here in the States, but perhaps you folks would enjoy taking a moment with me here and giving thanks all the same.....I'm thankful for YOU as well :-). Pull up a chair and have a piece of pie and some coffee with me......

I have plenty of updates to share but I shall save the majority for another time.....except to say that it's just more to be thankful for! I am very lucky to have all these fun projects to enjoy and share. I will mention the mittens pictured. They are the epitome of some things to be grateful for. I had the money to buy the yarn, a wonderful habit - er, hobby - that gives me the knowledge and ability (and sometimes even the time!) to knit it into something to keep my hands warm on a day filled with wonderful family, friends and food followed by the great fun of going to the Broncos game (yes, that's why these colors!) to enjoy more! I will do my best to cheer them out of the slump they've been in the last few games......


Now to carry on with the subject of being thankful (well c'mon, it IS Thanksgiving, ya know! - at least in the US).....I found this and while I'm very sorry not to know who authored it to be able to give proper credit (and thanks), it seems appropriate to share.......

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 70% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the one million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because although the majority can, most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

I am blessed indeed. The majority of that list applies to me and on top of that.....here are just a few more of a long list of things I am thankful for today:

I am thankful to be blessed with a huge, loving family and many wonderful friends, near and far. I am particularly thankful for the time I’ve had with family recently departed, family who will depart all too soon and the new lives who will be joining our family before the year comes to a close.

My children, the two who have moved away (but not far) and the one who lights my day every day.

The opportunity to get to know all of you, learn from you and share some laughs and love of fiber-y fun in all it’s forms!

My health and the health of my fiber stash in all it’s forms

Laughter - always love the laughs

May you all have a very happy, safe Thanksgiving!

Already?

.....another Pretty Thing. My first one found a new home immediately with my grandmother! This one is another ColourMart yarn (they rock, what can I say?).....sorry about the fuzzy photo!

Modified the pattern for the DK (5 repeats), still on 3.5mm needles
Used ~114 yards/36 grams Colourmart 100% Extra-Fine Merino 15/44 DK (Midnight)

I've finally caved and ordered a little really lovely yarn from Land O Lace to add to the stash........I need socks. That's my story......and we'll ignore that really pretty skein of lace-weight for the moment (except that paired with black......it might weave up into a STUNNING shawl....hmmmmm).......



Just another little preview of what's up here:


Some gorgeous 50/50 merino/silk I'm spinning thanks to a project with Ms. Bad Cat.......

Finish me this......

Recently, I shared some of the WIPs I found. Here now, are some items I've finished that I took forever to share here.

The Get Well Soon scarf is really a free little pattern Ms. BadCat calls Crested Wave and can be found on her blog or as a download from Ravelry. I called it "Get Well Soon" since I made it for Puppy while she had pneumonia! She slept, I knit and she was very happy on all counts, hehehe. Thankfully, she is feeling much better these days. Since she also loved it enough to make it disappear and not allow pictures lately......it seems I only have a pre-blocking shot for you today.

Size 3.5mm (US4) needles
1 full skein Panda Silk Print

I finished my Heartland Lace Shawl in yummy Yak/Merino fingering weight from Colourmart ages ago. It's been washed into a luscious, soft and warm shawl. It's been used, petted and loved. Ironically, what it hasn't been is properly blocked! Nevertheless, a picture for your screen-petting pleasure. I'm sorry you can't feel it in person! One of these days I'll take it out of action for a proper blocking......perhaps I'll post another pic or two with some finished dimensions.




Project Name: Heartland Lace Shawl
Yarn used: Colourmart 3/14 fingering weight 50/50 yak/wool
Amount used: approx 616 yds / 120 gr (4.2 oz)
Needles: 4mm
Pattern name/source: Heartland Lace Shawl, Evelyn Clark Designs/Wild Fibers Magazine Winter 2007
Did 5 repeats total