Is that a new Yarn Along Logo???!!! YUP!!!!

So, if you're a graphic designer or notice things like logos and design you may notice something new on Ginny's blog and the yarn along. The Yarn Along button has changed.

I am honored and beyond thrilled to be the designer of this little logo.

Last week I got a text from my sister Andee.

She said, Ginny's looking for a new yarn along button. Looks right up your alley.

So I got home, took a look and emailed Ginny. I came up with a few ideas and she loved them. She took a few days to think it over and share with some friends and family for opinions.

And here it is...the new Yarn Along logo.

Before I get on with what I'm knitting and reading I just want to say something about the yarn along and everything that it means to me.

I stumbled upon the Small Things blog a few years ago. I was looking for a little baby hat to knit and the little lace baby hat designed by Ginny was on Ravelry. It said she had a blog. Ok..let me check it out.

And then I read all her posts. I loved how she was raising her family. I identified with her in so many ways. She lives in a small old farmhouse that is too small for her growing family. Sounds familiar!

She loves to garden, knit, read, raise her kids...yup...sounds familiar.

Then I was hooked. I read all of the posts and I try my very best to never miss the yarn along link up.
Ginny was the person that inspired me to start this blog. I wanted to be a part of this great blogging and knitting and alpaca farmer community. 

As I was driving all around town today getting kids to and from baseball, my phone rang with a Virgina area code. I don't know anyone in Virginia...must be a wrong number.

Then I got a voice mail. Hmmmm who could it be?

Then I heard a voice say, "Hi Leanne, this is Ginny from the Small Things Blog."

We had been communicating back and forth over email the past week.

It's a funny thing to hear someone's voice that you have never heard, but know so much about.

You know what I mean? I have read her words...I feel like I know her. But her voice?

I had never imagined what it would sound like. A little bit southern, a little bit northern, a little bit western...bubbly, funny and Ginny. We talked over an hour about everything from feeling old at 37, suddenly needing glasses, teenage sons, toddler sons and everything in between. It was a pleasure to talk to her and I am thrilled to be a small part of the Small Things Blog.

In exchange for my work, my design company will be featured on her blog.

I specialize in creating the graphic design of patterns for the knitting pattern designer.

My website can be seen here: www.threeboysdesign.com

And now onto my knitting and reading...

I finished up my Starry Night Shawl.

It's the Samen shawl by Stephen West.

I have worn it every day since it came off my needles. It's soft, fun and perfect. I want to make more in other colors. It was a very fun and fast knit.

I recently read A Fall of Marigolds. READ IT NOW!!!!!!!! I loved it sooo much. I looked into what other books the author wrote and her newest novel is The Secrets of a Charmed Life. So far it's just as good as the Marigolds book. I think I have a new favorite author.

I am teaching some new classes this spring. One of them is an intermediate class where we'll be making this lace headband. It's a great intermediate class where my students will learn how to follow a pattern, increase, decrease, lace work, and making a button hole. I knitted this headband using Knit Pick's wool of the Andes in the Gosling colorway on US8 needles.

 So that's what I've been up to these days. I just casted on a new pair of socks. It's baseball knitting season and socks seem to be the only appropriate field knitting.

Have a great day and Happy Knitting!

-Leanne

Hi Alpacas

Last night Chase and I went for a little stroll around the farm. My husband and middle son had to go to an awards dinner where my husband works and my older son was practicing his baseball swing, so the littlest guy and I took a walk. Camera in hand, we got a few pictures of some of the critters and really beautiful blue sky before nightfall.

That's Serious Swagger "Swag" looking handsome.

Hi Girls! These are the show girls (including the newest addition, Arctic Treasure)

 

 Chase, LE and Treasure

"whatcha lookin at?"

There's little Miss Peanut Butter Dickens

Peanut, you have hay in your hair.

I am sooooooo ready for warm weather, to sit in these chairs, watch the spring babies race with a drink in my hand and knitting.

Have a great Tuesday :) Check back tomorrow for some knitting pictures for the yarn along.

Things are not always as they appear

I knitted this shawl last week. It's the Samen Shawl by Stephen West.

I loved knitting it. It was quick and easy and I used stash yarn so that made me happy.

I tried (notice the word "tried") to take some nice photos of the finished shawl.

I asked my older son to go outside with me so I could model it.

I snapped this photo of it with my phone and posted to Instagram.

I then wore it to bookclub that night.

My friend said to me, "oh that's the new shawl you made! I saw it on instagram. I loved the picture. It was so peaceful and idealic." 

I had to laugh because if you only knew the real nonsense going on during this photo!!!

The real scene was, my three year old son was freaking out and carrying on that there was TOO MUCH GOOSE POOP by the pond and HE COULDN'T WALK BECAUSE HIS LEGS WERE TOOOOOOOO TIRED AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO STEP IN POOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my 13 year old son is yelling at the 3 year old to hurry up and get away from the pond because it's clogged and flooded and he needs to help Mom take a picture of her stupid shawl. And then there's me yelling at everyone because I JUST WANT ONE NICE PICTURE AND I HAVE TO GO GET GARRETT OFF THE SCHOOL BUS THAT IS COMING IN THREE MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, the result is me giving up...tying the shawl to the fence and snapping a quick picture on my iphone.

Yes, it does look peaceful with the alpacas in the background.

 And yes, it may look idealic and give the impression that we all live in lah-lah land over here and music plays while we walk around the farm.

But remember, things are NOT always as they appear.

There's usually a whining toddler in ear shot and a frazzled mom :)

Yarn Along and the Summer Hill Chickens

Hi knitters and crafters. Thanks for stopping by on Yarn Along Day. A day to share what we're knitting and reading these days.

For reading, I just started My Sunshine Away. Not far enough into it yet to have an opinion.

Here's what's on my needles right now...

The Camilla Blanket

Knitted with Cascade Alpaca Yarn

Knitting this for a baby shower

Also on the needles:

Stephen West's Samen Shawl. I'm calling it my Starry Night Shawl.

I was inspired by the Dragonfly Fiber yarn I bought in Rhinebeck last fall.

The colorway was African Violet, but it reminded me of the Starry Night painting.

So I dug into my stash bin and found 4 coordinating colors that are found in the painting.

Here it is so far...hard to tell when it's scrunched up on my needles and pre-blocking.

And for a "when knitting attacks" moment...

Yesterday morning, while I was drinking my coffee and knitting for a few minutes Chase was playing with his toy cash register. The drawer got jammed and wouldn't stop beeping. So, I made a very poor decision and used my BRAND NEW knitting needle to pry it open. CRACK.

Bent needle. And off to the LYS I went...

And totally unrelated to knitting and alpacas, BABY CHICKS!

I work at the preschool three mornings a week as a teacher's helper.

I LOVE it. It's so much fun but today was especially fun!

We've been keeping a close eye on 12 eggs in the incubator and they all hatched (except one).

Poor #9 didn't seem to make it. It has until the end of the day today I think to make it's a debut. Maybe #9 is a late bloomer.

And a big THANK YOU to Purple Debbie for these delicious home made cookies.
She brought them with her to knitting lessons yesterday. YUM!

And a quick pic of me and Garrett at the bus stop. I'm wearing my O-Wool Blue Bell Hill Scarf

Have a great week and happy knitting.

Joining with Ginny and the weekly yarn along.

Warm Feet and Happy Heart

As you may know, I started an Arrow Acres Farm group on the Ravelry group pages. It's a way to keep in touch about farm and knitting goodness. So far it's been fun! Lots of interaction and meeting new people.

And today, in the introduction thread, MARY JANE MUCKLESTONE joined and left this comment!

I met leannecoppola during one of my classes at Vogue Knitting Live NY. She gave me a pair of the farm’s Alpaca socks, a gorgeous red, and if it was not for these socks this snowy winter - my feet would have froze! They kept me safe, and I thought about how I want to visit her farm every time I wore them…hey wait, I have them on now!

If you know who Mary Jane is and know how awesome she is, then you will understand why I did a dorky happy knitter dance when I saw this on the board.

Thanks MJ! Here's a post I did on the class I took from her at Vogue Live NYC last year.

Here she is with said red socks :)

Steek...EEK!

If you follow along with my ramblings, you may have seen the Clayoquot Cardigan that I have been working on. A yoked color work cardigan worked in the round that later is steeked.

Steek.

Hmmmm.

I had never done it.

Read all about it.

watched videos how to do it.

Thought I was ready.

Crochet chain put in....

Scissors cut up the middle.

All looked good. Thought I did it right.

Then...pop. pop. pop. pop....

Little bits of yarn, quickly unraveling at the top part where all the colorwork was done.

I stayed calm. Didn't freak out. Tied little knots.

Tacked it down with backstitching thread and needle.

Picked up the button band, did it.

It's done. Now....what did I do wrong?
Here's what I think. I think that when I did the crochet reinforcement chains, I did not go all the way through the layers of knitting. I picked up the top color only. It must be the problem right?

Where I had just the gray knitting in the body, that worked perfectly.

Any advice? I'm praying this whole things doesn't fall apart. I think I reinforced it ok....

Next time, I might just do a yoke sweater and leave it as is.

Maybe.

:)

Here it is in all it's "glory". hmmmm

So...that's my story this week.

And thank you to another awesome knitting student for my Rook gift card.

Yum! Coffee here I come.

Have a great week.

Joining in with Ginny's yarn along.