Knitting at Herbie Dog Digs

Thank you everyone who popped over from Ravelry to offer comments about our new blog. I truly appreciate the Ravelry community - always willing to offer opinion, share and participate in this crazy knitting thing we are all addicted to. Ravelry members are rockstars!

Hubby and I are working hard on suggested revisions and will most likely have another contest shortly. Working hard, that is, between all the back to school shopping for the kids. This year my son is off to middle school (big sniff!) and the list of supplies he needs is pretty impressive. What happened to the days that we went off to school with a new pack of pens, a few folders and notebook paper? When did it become imperative to learning to have dry erase markers that have to be a specific brand?

My son also needed all new jeans....in size 16 slim. That's right, he's eleven years old and has to be in a 16 for the length. No slim in the world is slim enough for him and he usually looks like he's wearing his dad's pants. He's always been really slender and now, is almost as tall as I am (5'5"). With hubby only 5'8", we're not sure where he gets his height. Finding 16 slims is no easy task. Too many trips to too many stores this week. Not enough knitting. 90 degrees and humid. I get cranky.

I did, however, find time to block a scarf I finished two months or so ago. Really digging the leaf motifs on this after blocking.

In between all this, I have tried my hand at some "nature dying". I bumped into a website at the beginning of summer that listed what dye color could be derived using different plants. So we had a go with it and the photo above is the results! Using Jaeger Extra Fine Merino wound in 100 yard hanks, the light green yarn was dyed with fresh cut grass, the yellow with tumeric and the brown with Red Rose tea. Now, these are not any special color you couldn't buy at the store. Nor are they hand painted and fabulous....but they are kinda cool that you could go into the backyard, or open a drawer in your kitchen and dye your yarn. I found none of the yarn dyed evenly (meaning I have highs and lows of the color) but I kinda like that too.

Today, we attack the rose bushes for dye base! Also, if you are a snapdragon in my garden, you best hide as I hear you are the best flower to use for dying!

Did I mention we used to live in Portland, Oregon? We moved to Ohio roughly two years ago for a job opportunity. Imagine my dismay to hear the Sock Summit was in Portland! The agony! Knowing I could have simply taken a few vacation days, not have to travel, be in my own bed every night and go to the hottest sock gathering this year?!?! It seriously has been bumming me out. Every time I log onto Ravelry, I get more and more homesick for the Pacific Northwest. Yes - could I have booked a flight, flown across country, stayed with friends, had hubby watch the kids and attended. Of course. But who has an extra $800 laying around to get to Portland for three days?

Here's the strange part....I don't even knit socks. The farthest I have gotten is a two needle variety pattern written in the 1940's. DPN's are my worse enemy. Doesn't matter though. I am pouting about not going anyways. I feel like I am missing a great party because my Dad is not letting me go! Pout, pout, pout!

The upside for me is there are many projects to use all this yummy sock yarn on without actually knitting socks! With that being said, to celebrate opening day of the Sock Summit 2009, I am giving away two balls of Adriafil Knitcol Trends sock yarn! It's a self-striping/patterning yarn that knits up to almost a sport weight (kinda inbetween a true sock and at DK weight). I have a photo of some on the needles right now that are going to be awesome fingerless gloves for the Fall. The best part is there will be a tiny Hippo included (knit on Red Heart - Heart & Sole).

So what's the catch? Free yarn? Too good to be true, right? Nope! I just need a favor....Just post a comment, including your email so I can reach the random lucky winner, and tell me what you like about Herbie Dog Digs and what needs to change. All input is greatly appreciated (good or bad)!

Good luck to all and we will pick the lucky winner on Sunday!!!