Mission Accomplished

Almost...yes, we've reached the $500 goal for the Fresh Air Group for Franklin. Now we just have to arrange all the logistics and get him out here in October.

Contest
Thanks to approximately 30 readers, Franklin will have the opportunity to come out to New York in October and experience Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool. And, of course, we get to meet him.

If anyone would still like to contribute (and participated in the contest), you have until Friday at noon, U.S. Eastern time. At that point, I will put all the names in a basket and pick the winners of the prizes.

Good luck, and thank you all again.

Magazine Review - Knit 'n Style August 2005
I found this on the shelves of JoAnn's Fabrics in Colonie, NY, and decided to pick up a copy.



Overall, there are 30 designs for US$5.99 (still not a good deal despite the numbers). The articles are either boring or laughable. My favorite was the "I'm So Glad You Asked" where Leslye Solomon tells a reader how very wrong she is about loose cast-ons, and what makes her qualified to say that the reader is wrong and then proves she's wrong by demonstrating in pictures. All the whyle, Leslye pretends she is oh-so grateful for the opprotunity to answer such an important question. It's the most not-so-passive, but oh-so aggressive response to a letter I've ever read outside my own blog.

I was very encouraged by the cover design, but that didn't last long. The magazine has a bunch of moronically simple sweaters, and sweaters that are see-through.

Tee Time
Kathleen Power Johnson - an oversize, entrelac t-shirt in 100% Rayon (need I say more?)
Knitted Textured Jacket
Melissa Leapman - Good shaping, not a bad design
Crocheted Textured Jacket
Melissa Leapman - The same, not quite as good
Funnel Neck Tee
Unattributed - Variegated cotton in a cropped t-shirt - ugly
A-Line Cardigan
Unattributed - Simple but attractive
Striped Cardigan
Unattributed - Kind of ordinary and poorly finished
Shell
Unattributed - A stockinette tank top...even more ordinary
Frutti Top
Cynthia Yanok Wise - Interesting stitch pattern, but it doesn't work in the garmet
Crochet Shawl/Poncho
Gitta Schrade - I think the name says it all
Saucy Little Summer Stripes
Lorna Miser -Awful color combo in a ridiculously simple "design"
Lacy Pullover
Unattributed - Kind of pretty see-through top
Crop Sleeve Raglan
Gayle Bunn - This ones kind of delicate and pretty
Castille T-Shirt
Unattributed - Unbelievably bad design and poorly executed.
Goldfingering Lace Halter
Unattributed - Another see-through top, but a halter this time.
Splitz Top
Diane Zangl - What a mess
Scallop Cardigan
Unattributed - Lovely design in an AWFUL variegated yarn
Textural Elegance Jacket (Cover)
Nicky Epstein - One of the nicest designs I've every seen of Nicky...very nice
Year Round Textured Jacket
Melissa Leapman - Just boring
Trinity Bomber Jacket
Unattributed - God-awful bad in every way
Dining Out
Unattributed - I'd pay someone to dine out in this ugly rag
Sangria Sweater
Unattributed - Bad yarn making another bad, see-through top
Classic Contemporary
Fair Isle patterning with eyelash yarn...huh? Ugly
Mother & Daughter Folded Poncho
Unattributed - Two striped, stockinette blankets...this is a design?
Multi-Pocket Cardigan
Unattributed - This is by far the ugliest piece of shit I've seen lately
Tank & Scarf
Unattributed - Another non-design with a bad faux-fur scarf to accent
Calypso Square Poncho
Garter stitch and novelty yarn combine to make another ugly poncho...quel surprise
Catching Rays Socks
Judy Sumner - I'm not a big fan of strongly textured socks
Victorian Scallop Socks
Judy Sumner - ditto
Anne Cross Rib Socks
Chris Carroll - ditto
Anne Simply Textured Socks
Chris Carroll - ditto

Readers' Comments/Questions
Kathy asks whether I will normally alternate skeins with variegated or multi-color yarns to avoid pooling and striping.

I don't. I agree that unless you're using a variegated yarn that repeats evenly throughout the skein, alternating skeins won't help at all. The only technique that I've found that will almost always avoid pooling and striping is using either a slip-stitch pattern, or a pattern like feather and fan where the number of stitches varies per row.

I found this out early when I was experimenting with Koigu. That's how I also discovered the Cross Stitch pattern I used in the Koigu scarf.