Just two weeks ago, I put a post up on the Ravelry blog letting our beta testers (at that time a little under 100 people) that it was okay to talk about the site on their blogs. We needed a few more testers and thought we would get maybe 1000 people who would be willing to put up with some bugs to get a head start… well, we were wrong.

Earlier tonight, the invite request list has exceeded 4,500 people.

Casey and I are so thrilled that our little website idea has resonated with so many knitters and crocheters out there. It is such a great feeling to know that all our hard work for the past few months has been worthwhile… that Ravelers are having fun organizing, playing and meeting new people. It is like a dream come true. We have had to pinch ourselves more than once during the past couple weeks.

I have heard some things through the blog grapevine that people are unhappy though- I have not checked the blogs out myself because, frankly, I do not have time. I spend all day and all night working on Ravelry and Casey works on it almost the minute that he walks in the door at night. (yes, he has a real day job on top of this!)

I know that we should have just taken the invite request list down at some point but this is our first time doing this and we just got caught up with the excitement of it all. We are not a large corporate entity with a business plan- we are a guy and a girl who had an idea and are pulling it off the best that we can.

So I would just like to ask for a smidge more of everyone’s patience. I know that everyone is anxious to get into Ravelry and get started! We want you all in just as badly!

We are aiming to have the whole waiting list into Ravelry within the next month- Casey is making improvements to the site so that it can handle that many users and we are working out a way that we can make some money to help with the costs of running a much larger website.

Thank you all… really.

[Edited to add: If you would like to be super prepared for when your Ravelry invite arrives, you could get all of your knitting/ crochet projects and stash into Flickr. That will make it much easier for you to get started at Ravelry- most of the getting started period for me was getting everything I wanted into Flickr, finding the pattern and yarn info, etc. Just an idea!)

[Edited to add on 6/4: Please read this page for more info on what is happening with your invite request! Thank you!]

Hi, everyone! I can’t believe it is Wednesday already- I feel like I just got back from Maryland but so much time has passed already. Woosh!!

Anyway, to avoid further delay in posting pictures from MDS&W, I am just posing a slideshow. (some of these pics I borrowed from others in my group- of course now I forget which ones below to whom- gah.)

You can go to my flickr set here to see details from all the pics!

And what did I buy? Nothing! haha, just kidding.

Again, details in my flickr set. (I know it is annoying but I am just swamped with Ravelry stuff!)

BMFA SHEEP TO SHOE KITS!!! YAAAY. I have been scouting for that Lucy one on the right since I saw Kristi’s beautiful singles. oooh. Somehow two walked home with me…

I will write another post soon about Ravelry– I know that everyone is eager to get in and start playing!

Thank you so much everyone for all the interest in our new little baby! We have been so overwhelmed with the response to Ravelry… We knew that it was a good idea but didn’t realize how quickly the word would spread through blogland!

A quick note to people who have signed up for an beta account: We will be sending out some more invites next week to people on that list, in order that they were received. Since Casey and I will not have much computer access while we are in Maryland, we don’t want people to need help if we are not around. We really appreciate your interest and hope you can wait just a little bit while we find our feet! Everyone is welcome at Ravelry- seriously.

So I am trying to get out of the house to get our plane so I better go but check out the Ravelry swag we got for Maryland!

First up, are my silly “business” cards. They are Moo Cards, and are SO COOL. I totally need more of these. We also ordered some Ravelry buttons to give out to people at MDS&W- aren’t they fun? WE crack ourselves up. The folks at Button Arcade were awesome about getting them to use super fast and they came out great. I think we maybe should have ordered more- we got 500. Oh well.

I also got a Ravelry tote bag and am pretty happy how this turned out- the 3 colors on the yarn ball are not showing up well but it is still fun. See how Bob helps with photo shoots? He would not move out of the way. Take a picture of me! I am much cooler that that stupid bag.

Do come say hi at Maryland! I will have Ravelry buttons! 🙂

So, it is with great pride and excitement, that I announce that my big secret is out!

Casey and I have created a new knitting and crochet community website, Ravelry.com.

What is it? Well, it is a place where you can organize your knitting and crochet projects, your stash and tools and also connect with other crafters from all over the world! It will have many blog integration features so that you do not feel like you are duplicating efforts, and the blog- free will finally have a place to really showcase their projects.

The site will also be a kind of gathering place for pattern and yarn information on the web. Tired of searching for the right worsted weight to make that Central Park Hoodie? What did other people use? It is all on Ravelry. No more endless Google searching!

We have a few people in the site now, helping us test the site and fill in information. The feedback from these beta testers has been amazing; everyone seems to really enjoy the site… which makes all our hard work seem worthwhile.

We really just want it to be a fun place for people to get good information about yarns and patterns and also connect with other knitters and crocheters with similar interests.

If you are interested in being a beta tester, you can sign up for an invite here. We will be sending out the invitations pretty regularly. The only reason why we are doing it invite-only is that it is just Casey and I pulling the strings back here and we only have so much time! (Casey works a full time job on top of this.) Everyone is welcome!

Here is a clip from the front page- so you can get more of an idea:

I am so excited that I can barely contain myself!!!!

PSA end.

(my blog titles are getting worse and worse- haha)

I can’t believe it is the 26th of April already… seriously, where the heck did April go? That is always the case when you are on a deadline, I guess.

Some nice things have happened in April- it is finally spring around here. Earlier in the week, it was like heaven.

Bob spent the nice weather days snorting out the window.

It is freaking hilarious. He cocks his head when he sees something particularly exciting and jumps when he sees birds. What a nut.

The weather was also so cooperative when my best friend Julie and her husband came for a visit earlier in the week. Unfortunately, it was over much too quick but here we are having lunch:

Every place we went to eat, there was a messup with the server or the meals so we got wine, desserts and a pizza for free. It was totally fine- we four could talk forever anyway. 😉 (We just finished those leftovers guys!)

No knitting to share since I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO KNIT. I know, I am devastated but also, have been too busy to knit. Now, I am thinking though that I am not really allergic to wool- it is just that my hands are so dry (eczema, etc) that the yarn and fiber just takes any moisture out of my hands.

This is what my hand looks like now- still some ouchie red spots but not as bad as it was. I knit a couple rows the other day.

As it happens in the spring, the weather turned to rain yesterday and poor Casey got caught in it on the Vespa without a jacket. Silly boy. I keep telling him to keep a jacket in the scooter but what do I know? haha

Sorry, Case, I had to post that picture- it is too funny. Sad monkey. 🙁

What else? Well, our time has pretty much been sucked up by this project that I have been hinting at for a while… To give you a picture, take a look at this post. (It is way better now than that original concept too!)

You back?

Well, if you would like to help contribute/ time to assist us testing the site, please leave a comment. SO EXCITED!!! weee!

Bob has some things to show you… he got a little distracted by the camera though.
At least someone is getting sh*t done around here.

[flv:http://www.frecklegirl.com/flv/bob1.flv 320 200] [flv:http://www.frecklegirl.com/flv/bob2.flv 320 200]

Ohmygosh. I am totally wasted on benadryl over here. Has anyone else had this problem?

I accidently ate some pine nuts tonight with my dinner and apparently really am allergic to them.

Despite the allergy testing that I have had, I was not really sure until tonight if they were the cause of the allergic reactions that I have had in the past. They also said I was allergic to corn but I eat that all the time. CORN? Come on.

Now, though, I am totally convinced. I am allergic to pine nuts. A short time after eating a bit of the pesto-infested sandwich, I started having stomach problems and broke out into a rash (TMI?). So, I popped 4 chewable baby benadryls, following the directions on the package for adults, and now I feel like I am going to jump out of my skin. GAAAAAAAH. My eyeballs are totally vibrating inside my skull.

Allergic reactions seem to be a theme for me recently. I finished spinning the Autumn corriedale that I bought from Amy at Spa (pictures of roving here.) Over the past month, I have been spinning this wool and at the same time, noticed that my hands broke out in a red rash and started to peel, but I just chalked it up to my normal wintertime dry weather hand problem that I have pretty much every year. Then I started sneezing.

I cannot deceive myself any more. I am allergic to corriedale wool. (sob!)

I almost gave up spinning it several times but I just couldn’t- had to finish it. I am certainly done touching it now, that is for sure. So, I have no idea what I am going to do with this lovely wool that I spun up.

Kinda sad because it is only my second skein of handpun.

I am also TERRIFIED that I am going to be allergic to other wool types. Say a prayer for me. PLEASE NO.

Is anyone else allergic to certain types of wool and not others? Any ideas?

There has been some good knitting related t.v. lately! I am, of course, talking about the new episodes of Knitty Gritty.

Realizing that I had a few episodes on my DVR, I watched them today while I was taking a break from work. I am so thrilled to see that, at least in these first episodes of this season ( Knitting with Balls and Twinkle Toes), Vicky Howell seems to be a bit more real, loosening up from the perky hostess role a bit. (Maybe the network has become less restricting?) In any case, I felt I saw the person behind the script for the first time. I also really appreciate that they have put down the fun fur for a bit to teach some more experienced knitters some skills… and are bringing on some really cool people to do it.

I watched the episode with the lovely Cookie A. today and snapped some pictures for those of you without DIY channel. (And cause I am just dorky like that- haha)

It seems the project she presented was a version of the Baudelaire socks, with a heavier gauge. (Knit with heavyweight STR on size 4 needles instead of the fingering weight Knitty version. The lace chart is also a few lines shorter.) I never really thought about it- but that is a great idea for making socks faster… 😉

You can see some better pictures from the episode on (Kristi and) Cookie’s blog here. (update- Cookie posted about it again here after it aired yesterday.)

If the rest of the new season is as good as this episode, I actually might continue to watch it! (Plus, coming up next are Stephanie Japel and Scout!)

I am glad that they are covering topics more suited to a knitting audience (duh!), instead of the random beginner who just happened to catch the show. I really think these new episodes will work for both people starting out and the more experienced knitter because if you see beautiful knitting, like Cookie’s sock and Michael’s bag, you will want to learn the basics to get to those projects!

The only question I have is, what is that Traveling Stitches book that they said Cookie wrote. I searched but couldn’t find it. hmm. Anybody know anything about that?

Super crazy around these parts… I have been trying to write this post for days and days. (I know same old blogger lament.) So, I am going to post it on a Friday night. What? Yes, I am a loser. What of it?

I have been taking some new pictures of some of my old FOs- I was pleased with how this pic turned out- it is my first pair of socks from back in 2005 that I never took a finished picture of for this here blog. You people know how hard it is to take pictures for own feet, right? 🙂 This is the best one out of about 30 that I took.

I have been collecting some new knitting books for my big project… really just an excuse to buy knitting books. Don’t tell Casey. (oops.)



While have been away, I finished the hat for my brother’s friend. Turned out pretty cool! I ended up using Karabella Aurora 8. There was a lady in the yarn store trying to tell me not to get the bright red but i just had to. I think it looks good…. whatever, haters.

It looks kinda grey here but it is actually more brown than grey.

I started by using Jessica’s Cashmere Ribbed Hat pattern but sorta made it up at the end because I was using a different gauge of yarn. It turned out okay. Kinda funky at the top but it works.

Here is the scarf my mom made to match the hat- go mom! She did stripes- I am so proud.




Also while I have been MIA, I got the sweetest package from Sarah, the plucky knitter. We have just started chatting not that long ago and I love her. She has a boston terrier that I know would be Bob’s best friend and just got herself a brand new, adorable, website. (go say hi!)

She sent me this lovely pale aqua Posh knits sock yarn- the color was seriously difficult to photograph. This was the best I could do. Next to it is a picture I snagged of her address label. So jealous! She has Boston address labels!

On a completely random note, I am bummed that Stephanie does not seem to be coming to Cambridge anymore- I put it on my calendar when she first announced her tour dates. Le sigh. I guess I will just have to trek out to Webs, what a shame. 😉 bwahahaha….

Okay, Casey and I are off to drink Maya‘s Steve’s booze. (is that correct english? oh well.)

(Taking a quick break from my NYC posts)

Every year, Casey and I look forward to the film festival in Boston- this year it is taking place from April 25-30. In the past, I have gotten to see some great movies and I am sure this year will be no different.

Casey usually does most of the background work though, figuring out which movies we are interested in, looking on imdb, etc. This year, he decided he would make it easier on us and hopefully some other people by making a little website to put all of the info in once place.

So, the unofficial guide to the 2007 Boston Independent Film Festival was born. 🙂

If you near Boston and are planning to attend, give it a shot! The festival is really worth attending- and now it will be even easier to find the movies you want to see. The schedule and theater info is not out yet but Casey will update the site once it is available.

Just looking quickly brought me to these two movies:

Zombie sheep- what else is there to say really? haha

And Fido looks cool too- Carrie-Ann Moss anyone? Yes, please. Plus, it is produced by Crochetme/ IC Kim’s friend… cool.

Okay, I just realized both of those are about zombies… There are other non-zombie movies at the festival. hah

Any help getting the word out about Casey’s IFF Boston site would be great- thanks, guys!