slow dog noodle

Posted on Posted in Bare Naked Wools, book reviews/events, designing, lace/shawls, projects

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i don’t know what’s going on with my pre-christmas mindset this year, but i have yet to begin even one knitted gift. my list of hand knit gifts is not long—just three items and only one of them big—but for some reason i just keep thinking christmas is in some far-off land across an ocean of time.

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every conceivable manner of knitting is scattered all over the house, but finished objects? not a one. i am in various stages of completing several large deadline projects for our january collection and my sample knit of the red scarf fundraiser pattern is in its final stages. i had hoped to have it completed by now, but it’s not!

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i am, thankfully, just about ready to start the last stripe, yay! but i’m so behind where i thought i would be in getting the pattern posted and the fundraiser sales going, i’m feeling like a failure today.

for inspiration, i went over to stephanie’s blog while i was eating lunch, because she always puts on a great pre-christmas show and is a barrel of laughs, too, which i find completely inspiring and energizing. but lo and behold, she is talking the same tune as me and dealing with almost identical challenges. now that’s frightful.

i keep telling myself that not having all the christmas knitting done in time is really ok, considering how challenging my schedule continues to be, and that every christmas doesn’t HAVE to be the same, rung in with delicious piles of satisfying knits, lovingly crafted for each special recipient (because making time to create and give handknits is just that—very special).

but you know what? some things should not change.

like our annual red scarf scholarship fundraiser. the fundraiser is many things—it’s a fun new quick knit design to knit and share, it’s a time to give a little and know it will add up to a lot (even non-knitters can buy one to get in on the action). but most of all, there is at least one person who is really, REALLY dependent on what we gather and place in the scholarship bucket—our foster care to success sponsored student, brandy. this student is very young, but has very adult responsibilities; our contributions make a huge difference to her peace of mind and well-being as she navigates a college education on her own. she’ll be a senior in college next year and this fundraiser will help get her that degree she’s been working so hard to obtain.

so, even though my sample isn’t quite done (same as last year) and the pattern ain’t pretty yet, here it is—slow dog noodle. the name was kindly suggested by noralee, who added this definition to her comment:

Skier rode up a steep side of a mogul to dissipate speed while assuming an exaggerated sitting back position. At the crest of the mogul and while still crouching, with skis now balanced directly on the crest, the skier swiveled the skis. The slower the motion, the more perfect the execution. (definition from “Story of Modern Skiing,” by John Fry) Cool, elegant move to watch.
Can’t help it, this just made me laugh.

it made me laugh too, when i imagined what katJ and kimkimkim will do with that one; it also described the stitch pattern so perfectly that i had to have it. slow dog noodle it is!

now you’ll notice that this particular pattern listing is a little different—thanks to david’s hard work today, there’s a dropdown menu so you can choose your purchase price, from $7 and up (we’ve added options for those who would like to give more).

100 percent of every single slow dog pattern sale through december 31st will be added to the scholarship fund

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purchasing is as easy as any other pattern on our site; it just requires that tiny extra step of using the pulldown menu. the pattern is also available on ravelry, however, we cannot set up the extra donation option there. if you’d like to make an extra donation, we ask that you purchase here and request for us to send it to you in ravelry (your download will be immediately available here; it may take a little while for us to process the rav thing. we appreciate your patience!).

i know you’ll be generous one way or the other—if you just can’t afford it this time, it’s ok; please shop it around to friends and family, put it on your Facebook page, pin it, or share it with your ravelry groups and knit night buddies (go ahead, guilt them into it if you have to, haha). those are equally excellent ways to help us reach our goal.

the fundraiser is a truly worthy effort, dear to our hearts and beloved by readers; i wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t.

by the way, we’ve gotten a nice jump on our fundraising by selling out the gradient sets we posted—our accountant doug tells me we’ve collected over $990 already. way to go readership; we love you!! and doug loves getting mentioned on the blog, so let’s keep him busy giving us good news.

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now you can use your red gradient set to knit this scarf or wrap or you can stash dive for something else to knit it with; that’s up to you. the design falls completely within the parameters of the type they like to collect for the red scarf drive—unisex, a good length, and a nice width. it has some openwork, but nothing a guy wouldn’t wear.

i got behind this week and wasn’t able to cast on with my red skeins yet, but i’m treating myself to a nice sit-down with them this weekend. i want to design a cowl and hat with the same stitch pattern; something that will roll off the needles in a jiff. we had some skeins that were short a little yardage after rewinding so i took those to play with.

when all of the yarn arrives and all of the preorders are filled, we may have a few sets skeins left to list on the site for sale as well as some single full-sized skeins; we will let you know right here on the blog if that’s the case. we know they went fast; you guys are so generous! if you missed out and want to get on the waitlist with a request, please use the contact form in the sidebar here to let erica know. she will fill them in the order they are received and do her best to match you up with the configuration you are looking for.

ok, you know what?? i’m feeling a lot more christmassy already—let’s give that holiday spirit some legs! giving always makes me feel useful; i think it’s  good time to go finish up that wrap so i can cast on something RED. in fact i think i’ll cake up those skeins first . . .

9 thoughts on “slow dog noodle

  1. Hooray for the update…and I know just what you mean about unfinished gifts…I’ve got several scattered around here as well. Off to order the pattern!

  2. I think it’s the weather – makes it feel like Christmas is months away instead of a few weeks!

  3. It’s Christmas flu! It helps to know none of us are alone–and you, Anne, have a daunting number of things on your plate and you get so much done. I am sure that just your presence is a gift for your loved ones.

    P.S. Kudos to David for the clever pull down option. This is a great cause!

  4. I am just re-starting brother(s) in law socks this morning. Two pairs of man socks in 12 days? Unlikely, but maybe one each will be enough.

    Good luck to all of us!

  5. Same problem with the unfinished knitting! No matter how early I start….can’t wait to get my red yarn. Love the pattern, Anne, it’s going to be a keeper and I bet many of us will make more than one.

  6. Christmas totally feels like it’s still a month or two away. Sigh.
    I’m hoping that picking up a tree and decorating tonight will kick my butt into gear so I can get all my knitting requirements done in the LESS THAN TWO WEEKS left. :-O

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