Fresh From the Cauldron--update:

Coming soon: 

I will be offering four new colorways for sale in the next couple weeks! These exciting new hand-dyed yarns are all 462 yds of fingering weight superwash wool, and are each a part of the various Fresh From the Cauldron original colorway series. I will be making the following yarns:

1. "Strawberry Shortcake" from the Saturday Morning Cartoon Series
2. "Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid" from the Once Upon a Time Series
3. "Wicked" from the On Broadway series
4. "Ginger Kitties" from the Flotsam and Jetsam series, inspired by my three favorite fictional cats: Crookshanks, Garfield, and Azriel

*If multiple requests are received for the same colorway(s), I will make arrangements to make a "batch" of that/those colorway(s).  Yarns will be listed at $20 USD + shipping each 

To see things in a different light

The pun was definitely intended in this title. ;)   I wound the four "Fresh From the Cauldron" cakes today at Lambyknits' house, and she graciously offered to take some pictures with her wonderful camera. The natural lighting, and high resolution produced stunning results  that showcased each colorway beautifully! Thank you so much Shawna for all your help, and just for being a great friend! :)

New Colorways are ready!

Pygstitches introduces its new line of hand-dyed yarn called

 "Fresh From the Cauldron"!

Here are the new pics of the first four colorways of my hand-dyed yarn. I plan to open an Etsy store soon. Meanwhile, please send all requests and inquiries to Jenpyg@aol.com

I plan to make colorways based on various themes or series. Two of the series are featured here with these four colorways. These hanks were custom ordered by Bindifry and will ship out tomorrow! 

New original colorway series:

• "Globe Trekker" --colorways inspired by various locations and or cultures around the world
• "Raid the Fridge" --colorways inspired by food or beverage
• "Saturday Morning cartoons" --colorways inspired by famous cartoon characters
• "On Broadway"-- colorways inspired by famous plays and their characters and scenes
• "Once Upon a Time" --colorways inspired by whimsical fantasy and fairytales
• "Flotsam & Jetsam" --for the random, uncharacterized colorway.  i.e. semi-solids, custom requested, and HP colorways

Pictures:

"Dublin Black" from the "Globe Trekker" series

"Crazy Curry" from the "Raid the Fridge" Series
"Gooey, Caramel Fudge Sundae" from the "Raid the Fridge" Series
"Maharaja" from the "Globe Trekker" series

*All of these also fall under the "Flotsam & Jetsam" series, because they were custom requested colorways, as well.

In the Words of Napolean Dynamite: "Heck, Yes!"

Okay, so recently I was able to talk my husband into letting me convert our never-needed guest room into my "Craft Room Extroardinare" ;) Besides, the project is mutually beneficial as it gets my stuff centralized into one area as opposed to "infecting" the whole house, here and there. I have been working on it in spurts and raided my 7 year old's room for shelving (tee-hee). I snagged his fabulous bookcase (which is normally empty anyway, because all his crap is normally strewn all over his floor) and it's a perfect place to store and display all my yummy yarnie goodness. :) I have all fingering weights and sock yarns on the top shelf, sport/dk weights and novelty yarns on the second, worsted aran a bulky on the bottom two. All of my craft books and patterns are on the very top (which you can't see yet). When I have the room completely finished, I'll post some more pics. 

Ginevra Molly Weasley

Pattern: "Simply Ginny Socks", by Anna Peck

Cast On: 3/14/08

Cast Off: 3/17/08

The Big Tease

Here is a sneak-peak at the "Simply Ginny Socks," designed by Anna Peck. 

Cast on: 3/14/08

Mocha Latte Lace

Here are the finished pics of Kim's "Uzume" footies. I haven't gotten them to her yet, because my little one has been very sick, he has croup. Hopefully I can meet with her sometime next week. I hope she likes them. I was supposed to make her 2 pairs from this colorway, but I guess all the yarn-overs in the pattern hogged a lot of yarn, so there's not quite enough. So instead, I ordered some pretty plum tweed to make her some cabled ankle socks. I think she'll like them; purple's her favorite color.

My Sox--so far

Bellatrix socks are done.

Here are the final pics of my Bellatrix socks. Now I'll just be concentrating on finishing Kim's Uzumes. Official stats:

Title: "Bellatrix at the Department of Mysteries"

Cast on: 3/2/08

Cast off: 3/8/08

Pattern: "Bellatrix", by Gigi Silva-a.k.a "Monkey Toes"

Modifications: Size 1.5 circs for cuff and instep, size 2 for  sl1/k1 reinforced heel, size 1 for leg. 

One down, one to go

I'm 75% done with this project. After Bellatrix, I still need to finish Kim's Uzume socks and then I will be working on some projects for my Ravelry groups. Luckily, some of the projects will fill requirements for multiple groups. I want to make Anna Peck's "Simply Ginny!" socks in either Sweet Sheep Sweet Sock "Pink Cherries" or Claudia Hand-painted's "Peppermint Mocha", and from there, probably Monkey Toes' "Nagini" socks in Knit Pick's "Leprechaun."

Quote of the Day- 3/7/08

Wizard Quote:

"Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was if Snape had started handing out sweets."

--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling, chapter 10

Quote of the Day- 3/6/08

Wizard Quote: 

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling. Chapter 12

my stash

Quote of the Day- 3/5/08

I'm posting a quote today based on my current WIP:

Wizard Quote:

"'Potter, you cannot win against me!' she cried. He could hear her moving to the right, trying to get a clear shot of him. He backed around the statue away from her, crouching behind the centaur's legs, his head level with the house-elf's. 'I was and am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant, I learned the Dark Arts from him, and I know spells of such power that you, pathetic little boy, can never hope to compete'--- "

--Bellatrix Lestrange

---Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, by J.K. Rowling, ch. 36, p. 811

update on: "Bellatrix at the Department of Mysteries" socks

"The woman stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her hood. Azkaban had hollowed Bellatrix Lestrange's face, making it gaunt and skull-like, but it was alive with a feverish, fanatical glow."

--Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, chapter 35, p. 783

WIPs

I've got two pairs of socks on the needles right now. One is the Uzume pattern by Monkey Toes, being modified into ankle socks (in the CTH "java" colorway), and knit up for my friend Kim. The other is a pair of Bellatrix socks by Monkey Toes, I'm knitting up for myself. The Uzume is fairly tedious and slow going, where in stark contrast, the Bellatrix is knitting up like a dream! I've been wanting to do this pair in this colorway ever since I saw the yarn and the pattern. I originally wanted to use this yarn for my Monkeys, but I had trouble with pooling and gauge, so I used the CTH "earth" instead. I'm glad I did, because I think that this colorway and pattern are the perfect match, now!

Quote of the Day- 3/4/08

Wizard Quote:

Hermione: "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."

"What's that?" said Ron and Harry together.

"Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago--"

"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than to listen to Snape?" muttered Ron.

 --Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, Chapter 9

Muggle Quote:

"We must use time creatively."

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

For sale via PayPal

Here are a list of yarns I am currently destashing. They are also listed on Ravelry. Please contact me via email if you are interested: jenpyg@aol.com photos of all yarns for sale can be emailed upon request, and viewed here at Flickr.

1. Fantasy Yarns Cashmere, Luxury Aran, 3 skeins in pink: $10.00 USD and free U.S. shipping
2. Lion Brand Homespun in "Tudor" 1 skein for $3.00 USD and free shipping in the U.S.
3. Lion Brand Incredible 1 skein $3.00 USD and free U.S. shipping
4. Lion Brand Magic Stripes 1 skein: 1 skein in Denim (no label) $6.00 + free U.S. shipping
5. Lion Brand Pound of Love in Deinim 110, 1 skein; $5.00+ shipping
6. Plymouth Encore Worsted 1 skein in Green 1231; $7.00 + free U.S. shipping
7. Plymouth Sockotta Sock Yarn Euro Stripe Effect 1 skein in dye lot 59; email me for more info.
8. Red Heart Ltd. Tiki 2 skeins in "Aruba"  $7.00 for both and free U.S. shipping
9. Grignasco Seiutilla 2 skeins in lavender and yellow $10.00 for both and free U.S. shipping
10. Sirdar Snuggly Babycare DK 2 skeins in "340 Nectarine" $10.00 for both and free U.S. shipping
11. Wildflower DK in cream 1 skein $4.00 and free U.S. shipping

Quote of the Day- 3/3/08

Wizard Quote:

"Don't talk to me," Ron said quietly to Harry and Hermione...

"Why not?" said Hermione in surprise.

"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever," said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret..."

--Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, Chapter 13

Muggle Quote:

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."

--Albert Einstein 1879-1955

Dude, check out my stash...

Haha! --Actually, this is only my sock yarn to date. I have a ton of heavier weights in my craft room, and 9 new sock weight hanks on the way! 

In the pic:

• Cherry Tree Hill: "Orange Marmalade" (dk wt), Earth, Water, Blueberry Hill
• sport weight lime and lavender; can't remember the manufacturer
• Bernat Baby fingering pink, yellow, and white.
• Fingering weight orange
• Dale Babby Ull: green, gold, burgundy
• Grignasco Seiutilla in lavender/yellow
• Austerman Step: "Whiskey"
• Red Heart Luster Sheen: Autumn
• Lion brand magic stipes: 3
• Sockotta
• Lorna's Laces: Bee Stripe
• Woolgirl
• Fleece Artist
• Blue Moon Fiber Arts
• Union Center knits
• Zen String
• Knit Picks: SHimmer, Gossamer, Alpaca Cloud
• Fortissima Socka
• Sweet Sheep Sweet Sock
• Sunshine Yarns: Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes
  

Coming Soon:

• Knit Picks Essential Tweed in Russet (2)
• Claudia Hand Painted in Pink Posies (2)
• Ruby Saphire (1)
• Koigu (1)
• Faery Fiber in "The Boy Who Lived" (1)
• Faery Fiber in "Ron" (1)
• Cosmic Fiber's "The Dark Defender" (1)

Quote of the Day- 3/2/08

Muggle Quote:

"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right."

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wizard Quote:

"Sir Frank Frasier (in the Golden Bow) says that in religion the man depends on God, but in magic the man depends on himself, which allows us to measure the capacity of man and magic becomes an ideal existence...magic is a very important part of literature and that's why it's always going to be there."

---J.K. Rowling

Quote of the Day- 3/1/08

Wizard Quote:

   "I don't mean to be rude--" he began, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable.

   "--yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often," Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely. "Best to say nothing at all, my dear man."

--Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, Chapter 3

Muggle Quote:

   "Living is easy with your eyes closed...." --John Lennon 1940-1980

Batter Up!

Ok, here's the first installment of "Where in the World Are Pyg's Needles?" Obviously, this location is a no-brainer; a ball-park. The photo was taken at West Oaks Park, where my little one plays machine-pitch little league baseball. :) On the needles: Uzume by Monkey Toes knit up with CTH- "java"