Yarn Along & New Pattern Preview!

I’ve been waiting all day to write this post and I’m super excited for a few different reasons…

1) My Birds in Flight socks sample is done!  My babysitter modeled them wonderfully today while Nathan napped.  I will put them in the mail to Knit Picks tomorrow for them to scrutinize and give their final approval for inclusion in the Independent Designer Partnership Program.  I’m not sure how long it’ll take for my pattern to appear on Knit Picks’ website or catalog, but I’m guessing a few weeks at least.

But there’s good news, especially for the person who commented last week that she wants to buy the pattern—the pattern is already available for purchase here on my blog and on Ravelry!  (I tried to get in touch with you, but didn’t see an e-mail address on your profile.  So now you don’t have to wait any longer!)

2) I started this awesome little project, but I can’t tell you what it is or who it’s for because it’s a gift and the recipient might be reading!  (And I probably won’t be able to show much more progress after this, because it’ll become apparent what it is!)  But rest assured that I’ll share it once it’s been gifted and will make the pattern available here.

So now I’ll distract you with these….

3) Pictures of my Zig Zag Market Bag!  I just got word that Knit Picks has accepted my latest pattern, so this bag will join the socks on a journey to Vancouver, Washington.  It’s a shame that I won’t get to use this bag for a while, and I look forward to its return.  I used the bag lightly to prevent it from showing any wear, and, not to pat myself on the back, but this bag is everything I wanted it to be.  It’s really sturdy and doesn’t stretch too much, holds a lot of goodies and is easy and comfortable to carry.  Win! 

There’s even more I want to say about it—like the functionality of the drawstring tie, the pretty picot edging and the uniquely designed handle—but I’ll go into more details when I officially release the pattern on my blog next week.  I plan on launching it here on Tuesday, August 9, so please come back for it if you’re interested.  : )  It will most likely become available on Ravelry sometime over the weekend.

On the reading front, I finished Come to Grief over the weekend and have been too busy to stop and think about what book I should hunt down next.  There’s a lot going on here, and little details are slipping past me faster than I realize.  The good news is I finally ordered a new vacuum cleaner today—the bad news is it’ll take five to eight days to get here.  The puffs of cat hair are building up and Nathan’s bringing me all kinds of little debris (Bwa Bwa, Bwa Bwa!) as if it’s his very important job. And I’m dreaming up ideas for a line of note cards just about every waking moment, so…my reading has really taken a backseat to everything else.  After this week I plan to slow down and get back to “normal,” whatever that is.

In the meantime, can anyone recommend a good book?  I’m looking for a storyline I can get lost in and charming, interesting characters.  THANKS!

As always, I’m knitting along with Ginny on Small Things on Wednesdays.