i'm sticking to the union

the chickadee craft apron has been retooled and refashioned to be fit for work in a retail environment. a few posts back you saw my own personal shop apron. it is the same basic design as the craft apron with longer pockets and squared off corners. perfect for a day stocking shelves, saving dropped stitches, showing off yarns and helping customers amass a stash.

karen, a fellow fiber arts worker, visited the store a couple of weeks ago and agreed. she fell in love with the fabric and the function and ordered her very own shop apron. here's hoping that the chickadee shop apron is adopted as the official uniform for united yarn workers of the universe!

firefly

the marvelous oh meaghan asked this little chickadee to craft a creation for her aunt, who is about to be married. it was such an exciting request that many hours were immediately lost to ravelry looking for just the right pattern...and then many circles were walked around the shop looking for just the right yarn. meaghan specified that she'd like a shawl and for color choice had mentioned perhaps a swiss red, as her aunt resides in that lovely little land.

achtung bitte:

here's what happened. the summer flies shawl was the first pattern that came to mind. of course, that thought was then replaced by a million others, but in the end it finally won out. it is a sweet semi-circular shape with several different lace motifs. the changes kept the knitting interesting and fun. the soft flounce at the bottom adds a nice finish. the chickadee version has a bit of an extended flounce due to the extended amount of yarn on hand.

why so much yarn?

because the yarn that seemed perfect for this project was miss babs yowza whatta skein and whatta skein indeed. 560 yard of hand dyed goodness, and it surely is goodness. every shawl that i've encountered that is made with this yarn looks lovely. it has a pleasant drape, a soft hand and is delightfully dyed by an equally delightful woman in mountain city, tennassee.



auf wiedersehen kleines schal, grüß gott. hope meaghan's tante likes it sehr viel!

think HOT pink

fiercegrrl auctions are back up and running. on the block this week is a beautiful brooch from baltimore's own broken plate pendant company. go bid!

gimme shelter

knitwear designer jared flood of brooklyn tweed fame recently took the sheep by the shears and released his very own yarn, shelter. it certainly speaks to the rustic, traditional stitching that so define his patterns. and the palette is a perfect complement, he's circled the spectrum and selected colors with richness and depth as well as much needed neutrals.

you are talking to a very lucky little chickadee who actually works at one of the few flagship stores that sell skeins of the lovely stuff. that's right, fibre space has it! and it has been a real hit.

to celebrate our celebrity yarn status, we were privy to previews of his new patterns and yarn. and yours truly got to stitch up a sample...the terra shawl in the sap colorway. here she is, big and beautiful!

if you are in the dc area, stop by space to see this and other samples that staff members knit out of shelter. it is delightfully sheepy and oh so very squishy. and warm, is it ever warm! the chill is coming. get yourself some shelter. even sir mick sang of needing some.

ain't she sweet

new fibre space project totes!

no more fumbles

more chickadee mega-project bags to keep your yarn in the field of play! super sized for sweaters, shawls and throws and stuffed with slip pockets to organize your notions. score one at fibre space.

holidays already?

yep. and this year they are going to be fierce!

as you may remember, this chickadee participated in the fiercegrrl fund online auction to raise funds for a fellow crafter who is fighting ovarian cancer. nicole's courage is inspirational. she's endured multiple surgeries and experimental treatments that take their toll both emotionally and financially.

oh ginger is again sounding the call to those of us in the crafty community and asking for donations. see the flyer below for more details and please donate if you can. if you can't, please stay tuned to this space for information on when you can purchase an ornament and help fuel the fire of nicole's fight.



for more information, see the fiercegrrl fund website.

by candlelight

the chickadee central coffers aren't terribly choosy. in fact, chickadee accounts are often paid off with various forms of currency...yarn being but one example. a skein of yarn like the one my friend annobananos (ravelry link) tendered is worth way more than its weight in gold in these parts.

this skein of squoosh fiber arts silky sock (50% merino, 50% silk) was socked away in a safe place for a while, waiting for just the right project to come along. enter the candlelight shawl pattern (ravelry link only) by saccade elyse and then enter your moth to flame references here. this knit was made even sweeter knowing that proceeds from the sale of her pattern go directly to the epilepsy foundation of northern california.

a great pattern for a great cause made with a great yarn given by a great friend.