Monday, August 1, 2011

After Dark (a fine giveaway)

It's August! When did that happen? July managed to pass in a haze of family and excessive heat. I almost wrote excessive heat and family, but that would imply that there was excessive family, and while that may sometimes be true it wasn't in this case! But I'm still not clear on exactly where all the time went....

Still now it's August 1 and that means I have a giveaway for you! I think this one is particularly fine, both literally and figuratively fine because I'm giving away some laceweight.

The 2ply laceweight I decided to carry is a very precious yarn so it's been difficult to justify samples. However, I had one skein that weighed exactly 100g. You know what that means, right? Samples or giveaway! I decided "go big or go home".


I asked a friend what colorway I should dye to give away and she said "After Dark". So here it is, a skein of After Dark. At 18-19wpi, it's perfect for most lace knitting.

Now, I only have the one skein and each skein is over 900yds long, so I decided that splitting it in half would be a good taste for two lucky winners. And then I decided that no matter how pretty a skein of laceweight is when it's all twisted up with the colors flashing through it, it's even more delicious to be able to start knitting right away. This is especially true if one doesn't have a ball winder! So I've wound each half into a cake.



I'm giving away one of these here and one of these in my Ravelry group, and as usual double dipping is absolutely fine.

Why is this yarn so precious? It's hard to explain to people why a superfine merino and mohair yarn would be worth this kind of effort, especially when they hear "mohair". Most people don't associate "mohair" with "soft". "Strong", yes; "lustrous", yes; "halo", yes. But soft? Not so much. So when I show people this yarn that is strong, lustrous, has a moderate halo that develops upon working up and through wear, and they feel how deliciously soft it is I can practically see their paradigm shifting. When they feel how incredibly light but warm the fabric is, I can see them light up. Unfortunately I can't pull your hand through the internet to feel the yarn!

So here I am giving some away. To enter this giveaway, post here your favorite time of day for crafting things. Mine is After Dark, usually late at night when it's quiet and everyone around me is asleep. I have a very bad habit of knitting long into the night and then realizing the sun has come up when I wasn't looking. In the summer it can also be the only time when it's cool enough to work with wool!

I'm letting this one run through Friday August 5, and the random number generator will pick someone on August 6th. Don't forget to leave a way for me to reach you if you win; Ravelry username is sufficient.

So, when you you like to work on things?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's beautiful! (Anoush on Rav.)

lorraine said...

that yarn is so dark and lovely..i love knitting during the day when i can see what im doing but most of my knitting is done after hours with the tv on in the background :)

cookalotje said...

Most of my knitting is done in the evenings, but something as beautiful as this would be used during the day. Laceweight means lace, so I need to be alone without distractions!

Rebecca said...

I tend to be at my most creative after midnight, and all I can figure is that muses have a twisted sense of humor or stock in coffee beans. ghdhyh.blogspot.com

Kitten With a Whiplash said...

I saw that picture of you holding that dark, luscious yarn and I thought "Uh-oh, Dale better be careful! That's how that other goddess lost her arm, Venus something or other". Some grabby knitter saw her holding up some pretty yarn and just snatched it, arm and all. Reminds me, I gotta get that back to her some day. I enjoy knitting any time I can find the time, but like you The Night Time is The Right Time for me. Thanks for the giveaways.

danielle h. said...

My favorite time to knit is anytime I can! Anytime I can squeeze it in will work...although I'm definitely most productive after the little one has gone to bed. And that's the only time I can work on something more complicated. That yarn is beautiful, and I love the color!

Anonymous said...

I like to crochet at any time, but I have to bead during the day -- the light is just too crappy otherwise. Thus, I generally crochet in the evenings, which is quite relaxing!

SusanM said...

There isn't a time of day that I don't like to knit! I knit at work on my breaks, then at home after work, so I would say the majority is in the evening. It's always "just one more row..." and next thing I know it's midnight!!
sockrat on Ravelry

Rebecca said...

I knit mostly in the afternoons! Post-lunch and pre-making-dinner is my favourite time to settle down with a project and be productive.

Also fond of curling up in bed with an audiobook and knitting when it's late but I am not quite tired enough to go to sleep.

(That skein of sea-coloured laceweight I bought from you? I haven't been able to figure out a project to do justice to it. I am knitting swatches and blocking them and admiring them and carefully unravelling them so that the yarn does not go to waste. Someday I will come up with some idea.)

ajdag said...

You do amazing work. I usually like to knit in the eveing or late night when all are sleeping.. ajdag on Rav

Jany said...

Hi,
Thanks for the giveaway
I like to crochet in the morning when the sun is rising, but I can only on weekends,
the yarn is good,
Please, count me in,
Best regards
Jany

Jany said...

Hi
So sorry, I forget my e_mail address:
janypg@gmail.com
Thanks
Jany

cthulhulovesme said...

It's usually after midnight for me, or, alternatively, when I need to procrastinate on working on anything else, heh.

Anna B said...

Love this yarn! (blumzie on rav)

Reluctant Penguin said...

Late afternoon is a wonderful time to knit, when I am too tired to do anything that requires energy but feel guilty about sitting down and doing nothing. But After Dark is a good time too, and that is a perfect name for that gorgeous yarn.

Knitmish on Ravelry said...

I don't have a favourite time of day, but a favourite time of year for knitting: summer break or any break in between semesters when I don't have to feel guilty about knitting instead of studying! I have another 5 weeks of break left, and I am knitting like there's no tomorrow :) I love this colourway, and the yarn sounds absolutely wonderful. Thank you for a great giveaway!