back in stock!

Posted on Posted in designing, food and garden, lace/shawls, projects

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earlier this year we released bay leaf and lime as a limited edition kit, which proved so popular that it was sold out within a day, no doubt due to the brilliant work of dyer rita pettys of yarn hollow. her special-just-for-us colorway—lime rickie—was an instant hit.

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well, i can hardly believe it but our three-month exclusivity period has passed and the pattern is now available in both the knitspot pattern shop and our ravelry pattern shop. you can read more about the design evolution and the see lots more photos by viewing the original blog post, which reveals a most unexpected side of our sweet friend helena.

we’ve had so many emails in the past few months asking if the lime rickie yarn would ever become available again, that we decided to bring it back for the pattern release, in a reissue of the original kit, which includes yarn and pattern. click here to view more information or to purchase the kit.

now, the fun with this project really hit its stride once our ravelry KAL got underway; not only did participants enjoy working with this luscious yarn, but the knitting was loads of fun too. click here to see some of their beautiful results. knitspot KALs are a bit different; we don’t set any time limits so many of them have been underway for years, haha. we like them to be easy going knit groups where you can pop in or out whenever you work on the featured project (or just to chat if you prefer). this allows participants to knit at their own speed or to work on multiple version if they like; it’s a win-win and i hope you will consider joining in. many of the original knitters are working on their second or third B&L, so you won’t at all be left out—just fashionably late.

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in other news, our own version of the ivar sweater pattern will be ready to go tomorrow—check in here in the early afternoon (EST) to see our photo shoot and purchase the pattern if you desire the knitspot publication. it will include options for short/long versions, a pullover style, and men’s sizing along with women’s—please note that, by agreement, we will not be able to sell this version on ravelry nor place it in anyone’s ravelry library, but if you like options, this might be a good choice for you.

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meanwhile, spring is slo-o-owly springing, kind of like a creaky old man getting up from his cozy chair—so reluctant that forced ejection is needed.

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this has made the spring racing season interesting indeed. two weeks ago i ran a half marathon roasting  in shorts and a tank under a blazing sun and today for the hall of fame marathon, i bundled up; the temperature was once again in the 30s at start time. and i wasn’t sorry; when i crossed the finish line i still had every stitch on and was all zipped up too; the temperature had only risen a degree or two, despite the sun.

this was the largest field i have run in yet, which was an interesting experience. actually, it was a great experience; really organized and well-run. once we were out on the course (which was completely closed to cars the whole way)i never felt like i was squeezed for space, even though i ran amidst a pretty dense group most of the time. i think there were a lot more people running at “my” pace and that kept it flowing well.

david was on hand for the start to take some nice photos as the sun came up. i was excited to run, but experiencing a bit of um, stomach distress, probably due to having to eat WAY earlier than i am used to.

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he got a great shot of me coming out of the start gate; i was surprised to be assigned to the B corral, based on my previous race times and my estimate of my finish time. it was further toward the front that i expected, so i placed myself near the back of my corral, out of the way of faster runners.

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this proved wise; at the finish i saw a lot of the same people i had started with.

the first few miles were a bit rough and i  had to make a pit stop at mile four that cost me about five minutes, but after that i felt much better and the course was a good one for a long race.

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i ended up with a pretty good time considering the delay. the clock time is adjusted when they subtract the time it took me to cross the start line from my position in the lineup—about three minutes. in fact, my actual running time was my best effort yet in a longer race and i ran most of my miles in under nine minutes (good for me!). as usual, the last two miles were the slowest, but still improved.

still, i was really glad to cross that finish line and get back into the warm car where david was waiting. seriously, i don’t know how people run a whole marathon. i actually thought about that when i crossed—the idea that i might continue on to run the same distance in addition to what i just ran made me cringe. i don’t know if i’ll ever be able to do it (however, a friend of mine just ran boston at the age of 67, so you never know).

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after the race and a nice long soaking bath, the day had warmed a little (but just a little), so i took a turn around the yarn in order to get a few pics for the blog. everyone has been asking about our yard and garden and the truth is, it’s all just starting to come to life. these hostas on the south side of the house are the biggest plants we have right now.

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the big guys in back are WAY behind them, just beginning to poke out of the ground. i haven’t see any fiddleheads yet and no may apple sprouts either. of course, it’s not may just yet, but usually we are seeing at least a nubbin or two by now. the ground is still cold though, so i don’t blame them much.

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lily of the valley are springing up and many of them even have buds. soon they will open their leaves to form a nice carpet across the back yard. looks like we’re going to have some warmer temperatures and some much needed rain as well, later in the week. hope springs eternal . . .

we’ve had precious few tulips so far, but the ones we have are very pretty; tomorrow i’ll pick a bunch for our table to enjoy during knitting classes this week. and there are buds all over the apple tree too; though my photos all came out blurry. i’ll have t get more later in the week to show you.

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last week a gigantic box arrived via UPS and the other night david unpacked it—a new wheelbarrow, which he proceeded to our together. don’t you just love a man who reads the instruction sheet?

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with it, he has been taking dark, velvety dirt from the bottom of our big compost pit and spreading it over the vegetable patch, which has been mulching down form the last garden we had two years ago. once he can till it all under, we’ll be ready to plant; hopefully some time around mother’s day for the early stuff and a bit later for the more delicate plants (i have feeling we’ll see some very late frost this year).

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after my tour of the garden, i was pretty beat—i settled in with some knitting on my arts and anne cardigan and finished listening to the audiobook i’ve been reading. by 5 pm i was in need of  amp, so i headed for bed. wow, nothing felt so good as that sleep!

and that brings me to the end of my post for today—i’ll be back tomorrow with photos of ivar and to list the pattern in the shop; stay tuned!

12 thoughts on “back in stock!

  1. Oh hooray, I’ve been waiting for the Bay Leaf and Lime Rickey pattern since I have a skein of that lovely yarn in a different colorway (or two).

    Congratulations on the run!

  2. A great blog, a little bit of everything knitting, running and the promise of spring. I saw a cardinal sitting on the branch of a pear tree two days in a row so spring has arrived!?

  3. congratulations on another great race. I am so excited you have more of the yarn hollow lime rickie colorway. I finished my bay leaf and lime shawl and it was blocking. my brother and his wife were in town and when my SIL saw it she fell in love with it so I gave it to her. now I can’t say I regret giving it to her (I never even got a picture) but I do regret not having one so I am ordering another kit right now.

  4. Congratulations on your half! I enjoy reading about your running exploits. I’m just getting back into training after a knee injury side-lined me last summer. I never ‘run’ very fast, but I’m able to keep it at a pace that allows me to compete in some halfs.

  5. Congratulations on another great race! With all you do, no wonder you needed a nap by 5 p.m.!

  6. Congratulations, both on the race and designing another beautiful pattern!!! Keep it up!!!

  7. Your running progress is so inspiring! You go!
    So happy that a garden is happening this year. I always look forward to your may apple pictures as we don’t have them here (I don’t think).

    Looking forward to Ivar options tomorrow.

  8. Where to start? Love the knitting. Congratulations on your running success. Back in the day I ran the Bolder Boulder twice — 25,000 participants — so it’s easy to visualize your hanging back a bit starting with the herd. And spring weather — days of hope and days of testing our capacity for patience!

  9. YAY, Anne you did great with your race. Well done!!! I don’t think I could stagger at that hour of the day much less race. And sweet David was there for you taking pictures and cheering you on. What a guy! You two are perfect for each other.

    So glad all of the folks that missed out on Lime Rickie have the chance to knit it now. It’s one of my favorite patterns and was my first successful bottom up shawl. Great great pattern. I’ll have to make another.

    Exciting that Ivar will be up tomorrow with your pattern enhancements. I have got to get a kit!!!! Got to. The more I look at your completed sweater, the more that Stone Soup speaks to me. And I figure after all of the nursing I’m doing I deserve a little something special like an Ivar kit.

    Rest up today. And I’m glad your race went well. I’ve been thinking about you.

  10. Hope you are feeling rested after your race Anne, sounds like a good run in less than ideal conditions. Mr JK is running a 10K this weekend, so I will be going to cheer him on. I love this shawl pattern so no doubt will be buying it. I would love you to do a post on how to wear triangular shawls, as I always feel a bit lost on how to wear them and keep them in place, without looking like an old granny! Looking forward to Ivar………….

  11. Congrats on a race well run! Today, I’d happily take those cold temperatures. Spring has sprung in all her fury here in the south with severe storms and tornadoes. It’s gonna be a long night for us.

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