It might be gray and dreary outside still, but we’re celebrating color at Seed Stitch.

Oscar runway worthy?

Inspired by the Yarn Crawl colors, we’re boosting the already overwhelming color in the shop to give you some color-filled energy.

Hoping this starts your day off with a smile.

We were so excited to come home to a package at the door.  Oooh what was it?!!!! I giant pile of buttons!

This is the first year we’re offering buttons to crawlers for purchase $1.00. Quantities are limited and will only be on sale during the crawl itself.

Oh how I love you Swans Island.  If you’re not familiar, Swans Island is an amazing company that has made amazing Maine-made blankets from the wool of sheep reared on an island in Maine.  They are truly stunning.  They recently ventured into the hand knitting yarn world and our first shipment has just arrived.

I’ve already started dreaming of what I’ll make.  I think I’m going to whip up an Urbana by Stephen West.

Some of you may know that I spearheaded the effort to organize a Yarn Crawl of the shops on the North Shore of Boston.  Despite torrential rains last year it was a HUGE success.  Crawlers had so much fun and so did the shops!

So we’re at it again.

Planning is in full swing, shops are getting ready, I’m working on vendor donations for prizes and soo sooo much more.  This year we’re planning on many enhancements based on the wonderful comments from our recent survey.  So stay tuned for updates as we get closer to the date.  Sign up for email updates.

If you’re not from the New England area, it’s a perfect opportunity to come and visit us.  We’ll be posting great places to stay, eat and enjoy for folks who might not be local.  If you’re crawling, you can also place a badge, showing your support on your website.

Copy this code: <a href="http://ayarncrawl.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://ayarncrawl.com/badge.jpg" border="0"></a>

Well I’m finally getting around to posting the pattern for my NYE sparkle arm warmers.

Bit O’ Sparkle Mitts

By Courtney Heath

Materials:

Yarn: 2 skeins Tahki Stella

Size 6 32” circular needle for Magic Loop or set of size 6 double pointed needles

Pattern:

Co 44 sts, place marker, join for knitting in the round.

Knit in the round for approximately 8 inches. Make shorter or longer if you desire. Note if you make longer, you may need two skeins of yarn

Once you have knit 8 inches (or desired arm length) cease knitting in the round and purl back on the stitches just worked. Continue back and forth in stockinette purling one row and knitting one row, creating a opening along one edge, which will become the thumb hole. Continue back and forth, not knitting in the round for apx one inch.

Join once again for knitting in the round. Knit two rows. Bind off loosely or with a Russian Bind off.

You’re, probably wondering where the heck is she? Where is that pattern for those cute sparkly mitts, where’s our inspiration, updates about new yarn, etc.  I swore I wouldn’t apologize for being a bad blogger because I have so much going on and there is only so much one woman can do. However, I’ve totally been neglecting A Yarn Tale.

Pretty much since turkey day, someone in our family has been sick, which has totally consumed us. Then as some of you may know, I still spend part of my life in the high flying world of business consulting, which has been equally demanding these days.

I promise you, there has been tons going on in the SSFY yarn world. Lots of new yarns, patterns, buying for the Spring and so much more.  Working to get back into the swing of things. Had a nice sit down family dinner tonight, soup stock cooking on the stove and looking through patterns for a new sweater for Mazie and working on a hat for Robbie with Misti Alpaca Chunky Handpaints.

Ooh and did I mention, that I’m working to plan Yarn Crawl 2011? oooh yes, it’s back and it will be even more exciting than last year! Sign up for updates.

Inspired by Eileen Fisher, I’ve decided to whip up some Glovelettes with a bit of sparkle.  The sun has been glistening off the newly fallen snow and I don’t want to be left out.

Sparkley mitts from Eileen Fisher: Inspiration #1

Sparkly mitts from Eileen Fisher: Inspiration #2

So inspired by these, I’m creating my own. I’ll post the pattern in the next day or so, but wanted to send a little festive sparkle your way today!

I have one done and one to work on tonight

Happy New Year and thanks for all the support, friends, laughs and fiber!

Seed Stitch is a busy place these days and I’m lucky enough to have a trusty sidekick in all my endeavors.  I thought you might all like to see a sneak peak into how the magic happens.

Mazie May helping to ship orders at the post office

Mazie loves helping to ship orders out.  I think for a kid there is something magical about the post office.  I always imagined a series of slides, tunnels, and conveyor belts, underground moving packages places. I’ve tried to foster that same magical feeling every time we drop packages off together.

Every package at Seed Stitch is shipped with a smile!

This weekend we spent a bit of time up at our family’s new vacation home in New Hampshire on Bow lake.  It’s a beautiful spot.  This weekend I didn’t get any knitting done, because much of the time was spent working on various projects, but I did show my mom the sights around the lake.

If I were a sheep, I'd like to live here.

On the far side of the lake from our family’s house is a woman who lives in a beautiful old farm house edged with the stone walls that are so prevalent around the lake. She has the most beautiful organic vegetable gardens in the summer and a wonderful flock of sheep!

You can just make out the lake through the trees behind these little lovelies.  I am going to have to try to make friends with this women during our future visits!

One of our favorite and best selling books this year has been 60 Quick Knits, which features some fabulous projects for the whole family using Cascade 220, another perennial favorite!  It’s so hard to pick a favorite project from this book and it’s even harder with Rhonda, one of our fab teachers, keeps bringing in projects from the book.

20 of the 60 projects

Rhonda is quickly working her way through this book.  She’s worked up 20 projects so far and at this rate she might make it through the whole book by year end!