Yarns:
MC: Bare Superwash Merino, Sport Yarn (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon 274 yards/100g): 1 Skein.
CC: Felici Self Striping Sport Yarn (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon; 164 yards/50g): 1 Skein.

Needles:
Sizes US 4 (3.5mm) double-pointed needles(dpn) or size needed to achieve gauge.

Notions:
Stitch markers (m), tapestry needle

Gauge:
26 (24) sts. and 26 (24) rows = 4” (10 cm) in color-work pattern.

$2.00 – Pattern will be emailed within 24 hours of cleared payment.

Here is a link to the pattern in Ravelry.

Yarns:
MC: Bare Superwash Merino, Sport Yarn (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon 274 yards/100g): 1 (1, 1) Skein.
CC: Felici Self Striping Sock Yarn (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon; 164 yards/50g): 1 (1, 2) Skein.

Needles:
Sizes US 3 (3.25mm) double-pointed needles(dpn) or size needed to achieve gauge.

Notions:
Stitch marker (m), waste yarn, tapestry needle

Gauge:
26 (24, 22) sts. and 26 (24, 22) = 4” (10 cm) in color-work pattern.

$2.00 – Pattern will be emailed within 24 hours of cleared payment.

Here is a link to the pattern in Ravelry.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I’m a fiber artist who knits and spins, and I also dye my own yarn and wool roving.

The name The Yellow Hobbit comes from the fact that I’m a Tolkien fan, and I consider myself to be a hobbit because I’m really short (I’m 4′11″). Being a hobbit is much more fun than just being short. I started going by this nickname my freshman year of college, and it stuck. So I figured that it would be a good name for my store as well.

Where can we find you?
I mainly sell on Etsy. My store is here: http://theyellowhobbit.etsy.com. I have a blog where I’ll often post pictures of things I’ve created: http://knitterofshinythingsknits.blogspot.com/

What first got you interested in your craft?
I’ve always been rather crafty. I used to do a lot of beading, but when I got to college, I made friends with people who knitted in class. Wanting a portable craft that I could also do in class, I asked my mother to teach me how to knit when I went home for winter break. I picked it up quickly, and by the time I got back to school, I was an avid knitter.

The spinning came along my senior year of college. A friend and I had been going to a weekly knitting circle which was held at a local yarn store, and one night a woman was spinning. I asked her if I could try it, and she said sure and handed me the spindle and gave me brief instructions as to what to do. I started spinning with the spindle, and it worked! It also happened to be the week of my birthday, and the friend who was with me at the knitting circle then gave me a drop spindle and roving as a birthday present. I was quickly addicted, and I got a wheel as a graduation present from my parents.

The dyeing came about a few years later. I had a friend who had an alpaca farm, which wasn’t doing too well and she wanted to go out of the business after her husband died. She had previously sent her fleeces to a fiber mill to be processed, but that was really expensive, so she asked if I would be interested in spinning up her fleeces for her. I said yes and set up my Etsy shop for the purpose of selling the yarn that I made. I decided that I should also get into dyeing, so that I could make prettier yarn. And while I was dyeing the yarn I decided to get into dyeing roving as well.

It turns out that dyeing yarn and roving is actually a lot of fun, and I really enjoy doing it.

Please describe your creative process.
I usually dye roving in big batches. Since I’m also a full-time student, I usually only dye things every couple of weeks. I don’t usually plan out in advance what colors I’m going to dye with; lately, the process has been to look at my big desk full of roving, and ask myself “what colors are missing?” I like having a complete rainbow, so I’ll fill it in. Sometimes I get ideas of color combinations that I think are really pretty, and I’ll do those. And every so often I’ll think of a witty name for a roving, and then dye something to match the name. But usually the naming comes after the dyeing.

I spin much more often than I dye. If I’m at home I’ll use my wheel. Conveniently, there is a television in the same room as the wheel, so often I’ll watch something while spinning. When I’m out of the house, I’ll either spin on my drop spindle or knit, depending on what I feel like doing.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I’m a master’s student at the Simmons Graduate School for Library and Information Science, so that takes up a lot of my time. (I’m concentrating in archival management, and am hoping to work in a museum once I graduate.) In terms of fun things, I’m really into gaming (role playing games, strategy games, etc.). I’m a huge nerd, and am into Science Fiction and Fantasy. I’m also in an a cappella group at MIT. I live in a hippie commune with 5 other 20-somethings. Most of us are crafty, and one of my housemates actually has her own jewelry studio in the basement. It’s a fun life.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Spinning is fun and addictive. You get to work with really soft fiber, and create really beautiful yarn. I would highly encourage anyone who is interested to try it.

My name is Mary and I am a very busy lady. I am the Director of a community museum which brings a lot of stress into my life, yet gives me the opportunity to be creative. I have one daughter who is away at University studying to be a teacher for handicap children. I live in the small community that I was born in and share my life with my best friend, 4 adopted cats and a little dog called Rosie.

I have always love to make things and as a child, I was considered very different from my four sisters and three brothers because I traveled around with a pen and pencil drawing everybody that I knew. I also learned to knit and sew when I was very young. Throughout my life, I was never bored for there was always something to make and I learned to do just about all the crafts there is, from quilting,wood carving, painting, stitchery and so much more. I have often said that I would have to live until I am 95 to be able to do all that I want to do, and maybe that is what has kept me young at heart.

These days with my heavy work schedule, I have had to cut back on my many craft projects and so I knit at the end of my days. Knitting does not require a lot of equipment, space or mess and it is relaxing. I love colour and I have a large supply of wool. I always pick up extra yarn on my shopping trips to to the city just in case I run out, but I do not think that will ever happen. I have set up a quiet place to knit in my office at the back of my house. I watch movies or keep up to date with what is happening on Etsy as I knit. As soon as I finish one pair of slippers, I am thinking about the next pair and what colour to knit them. I feel like a kid with a big box of crayons as I look at my yarn stash. It’s wonderful and one of the simple pleasures of life. I am grateful to have been given the ability to enjoy this creative process for it has been a source of comfort through the hard times in my life.

I set up my Etsy shop as an outlet for my creations and I love it. It is addictive but I tell myself that I could be doing something worst than playing with yarn and needles. You can find my shop at http://maggiesraggedyinn.etsy.com. You can also follow my blog at http://maggiesraggedyinn.blogspot.com.

Like so many others I hope one day to be able to spend more time creating and building up my little business. It has always been my dream to write stories, make things and work from home. Maybe someday I will find a way but for now I have to help my daughter get through school and so I will satisfy my creative needs trying to fill my Etsy shop with felted slippers, dolls and my barn cats!

Sizes:
Children’s S (M, L, Adult)
Circumference 16 (17, 18, 20)”

Materials:
Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice (100% acrylic)
MC: 50g of Navy
A: 50g of Scarlet
B: 50g of Mustard
C: 50g of Dusty Blue
US 8 (5.0mm) knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
Tapestry needle

Gauge:
18 stitches + 26 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) while working in stockinette stitch

The pattern is knit flat and uses Intarsia method of color work. There is a separate chart for each of the sizes.

$5.00 – A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Autism Society

Here is a link to the pattern in Ravelry.

At first, I wasn’t sure that I liked the idea that I could not touch and feel the yarn on my own. I had to stand behind the counter and just wonder about the yarn. But my mind started to quickly think up what I could create with the yarn based on the color. When it was my turn with the associate, I was more prepared with ideas and actually had a purpose in mind for the yarn (which is uncommon for me!). I ended up digging through a few different skeins before I decided on only five skeins. The yarn was much less expensive than here, but *sigh* I just didn’t have enough room in my suitcase.