Pitch, 10; Rhythm, 3

Ooh, it's the morning of the district Solo/Ensemble Contest!!!

Did anyone else go through this rite of musical passage? I'm sure most of my students woke up with butterflies in their teenage tummies in anticipation. All that preparation (or last-minute memorization) for a 10-minute slice of your life to be dissected and evaluated and r a t e d.

And on top of that, seven lucky events get to have me as their accompanist. Mwah hah hah...

Saint Cecilia, pray for us.

UPDATE: No one died. Several cried (not mine), mainly because of one very questionable judge. My piano skills did not inflict pain or suffering.

Butchly beaded

Before you ask, it's not the OOTM (Oxymoron of the Month); the above description befits Going40's contest prize. He asked for something different for his stitch markers (help me with how exactly you phrased it, Scott), but I think these fit the bill. Supplies were garnered from The Bead Monkey (there needed to be orange in them thar markers) and Frattalone's Ace Hardware (love the lamp parts), both located on St. Paul's Grand Avenue shopping district. I need to do more thinking creating outside of the box.

Enjoy a lovely Sunday, all!

Let's see what's behind Blog #2...

... handspun! (Ooh, aah!)

Carmen, a spinner and knitwear designer from BC, is having a contest with a twist. She's looking for creative names to inspire a new hat design. The prize for the winning name is a skein of her own handspun yarn (not pictured - retail value $40-$50). Submissions accepted through the end of the month. I'm not sure how she's going to choose just one, but there it is.

See how good I am to my readers?

Feeling lucky?

If you've the urge to enter a contest, check out Alana's blog and tell her I sent you. Who couldn't use a book and some yarn?

B is for Blogiversary

Today is my one-year blogiversary. I wasn't sure then what direction things would go; still don't, but hey, it's been an entertaining trip so far.

B is also for Beads, another of my crafty endeavors. "Why would Meema mention this?" you may query...

The B is for Blogiversary Beads Contest!

To enter: simply leave a message on this post before 11:59PM CDT on Friday 25 April with a link to your first blog post and a way for me to contact you (blatant usage of Mari's blogiversry contest idea - hope you don't mind!).

If you place a link to my contest post on your blog, your name gets put in the hat a second time. For every entry by another person who mentions your link, your name goes in another time. You get the idea. The lucky winner will be drawn at random by a non-literate 3-year-old next weekend.

The prize: a custom-crafted set of beaded stitch markers in two sizes (Medium to US#10, and Mega to US#17). Each set has six "regular" markers and one glamour "beginning of round" marker. We will consult about what color/type of beads you'd like. If you are a non-knitter or have a strange loyalty to markers already in your possession, take heart - we will come up with an equivalent prize just for you.

Thanks for reading, as always!

Malabrigo March Madness: Hey, Scooter

Mari in Austin TX, is blogiversary-ing by giving away Going40's favorite fiber, Malabrigo. (The photo at right is a random fiber shot, not the prize to be won.)

Make it yours, people!

Winnin' o' the green

Spring is so close you can smell it...

Want to enter a holiday-centric contest? Check out SpinKnit Up's St. Patty's Day contest! Beautiful greeny roving, yours for the writing...

May I have the envleope, please...

(One judge has not judged yet: “I’m busy,” said he,
So on to results with two judges, not three.)

Thank you, oh thank you, for playing with me!
I’ve loved every entry and giggled with glee.

Your talents abound; well, of that there’s no doubt.
“My readership rocks!” I just want to shout.

If only a way there was you to repay…
Yes, I know, the prizes; they’re soon on their way!

The poetry ends here; deal with it. And the trophy is a mere graphic representation of the pride and sense of profound achievement soon to be radiating from the winners. Again, you may deal.

First Prize, Rated G: monica
Comments putting this poem in front:
“Wonderful use of knitting terms.”
"Tinking - I love it!"

First Prize, Rated PG-13: Scott
Comments that made this poem shine:
“Enjoyed the multiple global references."
"You can knit while you poop?"

Runner-Up: ikkinlala
What made the poem special to you?
"There was great rhythm to the piece."
"Props for using Orenburg - dang!"

monica, Scott, and ikkinlala: please send me your e-mail addresses (angie AT paulsonstudios DOT com). I will then forward stash photos so you can choose your prizes from the pile o' alpaca.

Thanks again to everyone who entered: MamaMay, cthulhulovesme, squiggi, monica, sjmercure, ikkinlala, and Put a Sock in it. Will you all please e-mail me your names and snail mail addresses (see above)? Since this was my first contest, I think everyone who entered needs an alpaca yarn snack. I love receiving packages - especially if they contain yarny goodness - and I bet you do, too.

Happy knitting, all!

For your consideration

A Knitter’s Alphabet
(Rated PG-13) by Meema

A is for afterthought pocket or thumb.
B is for bobble, nine stitches in one.

C with an O means cast on and begin.
D is for darning of socks worn too thin.

E is for entrelac, square upon square.
F is for fringe – give your scarf flowing hair!

G is for gansey, complex as can be.
H is for Harlot, like Steph Pearl-McFee.

I is for inches; we count stitches per.
J is for Jersey Isles, where knitters were.

K is for knitting (duh, that’s why we’re here).
L is for lace, and for some it strikes fear.

M is for make one, just like dear EZ.
N is for nests made by our friend Marie.

O is for over, like yarn-___ (makes a hole).
P is for pins, or the needles of old.

Q is for quiet some need to create.
R is for Ravelry, making me late!

S is for silk; from the East it was brought.
T is for tink, to undo what you’ve wrought.

U is for Uruguay, where ‘Brigo’s king.
V is for variegated, colorful string.

W’s for weave in ends; many doth vex.
X is Xpedition (as in S.E.X.).

Y is for yak, soft enough for your nose.
Z, like a zipper, my rhyme will now close.

Makes you wonder what's coming next, no?

Eight beautiful poets stand before me...

... but only one will be chosen as America's Next Blog Contest Winner.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist - "borrowed" that from Franklin à la Ms. Banks.)

The entries have been swept off to our judges (details to come), and results will be posted as soon as I am able. Thank you all for your participation, and good luck!

A is for Alpaca

Welcome to the

A Is For Alpaca Alpaca Destash Contest!!

It's a bit daunting to follow Going40's hyper-creative limerick-o-rama, but hey, someone had to do it... Since this is my first contest, starting with "A" just makes sense. And since The Meema Files has mainly centered around the topics of knitting and my daughter, the contest premise combines the two with a creative twist.

If I wrote a children's alphabet book related to knitting, alpaca would be on the first page (because it rocks and je detest angora fluff fibers that end up everywhere). Your job is to create other letter entries in a knit-centric alphabet. "A is for apple, all crunchy and red/ B is for bear, who honeys his bread" but with knitting terms - you get the idea.

Here are the guidelines:
- Please use the English alphabet.
- Specify if your entry is to be considered appropriate for a children's alphabet (G-rated), or one for adults (with saucy senses of humor, of course).
- Relevance to knitting/knitters/yarny things, as well as overall rhyme scheme of multiple sequential letters will be considered in the final evaluation.
- Submissions should be made as comments to THIS blog post.
- Deadline for submissions will be 11:59pm Central time (GMT -6:00) on Monday, January 21, 2008.

And, you might ask, what about the prizes (aside from the deep respect of your fellow blog commenters)? Why, alpaca yarny goodness! Worsted hand-painted, fluffy sport weight, delicate lace weight... yum. The first place entry will have first dibs, then second, and so on. Meema endorses the concept of multiple winners.

Put on your felted thinking caps, and see you at the finish line!

ADDENDUM: A question was raised this evening about the number of letters per submission. The answer - you can enter as few or as many of the 26 as you'd like. A pair of letters (a+b, c+d, ..., w+x, y+z) would serve best for working your rhyming muscles. Want to do the whole series? Be our guest!

The green button

Things currently moving on my needles (hibernating UFO's are for another day):

- Still the Wavy scarf for J, although length is visibly accumulating now - there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

- Cast on the Braids & Bobbles Hat AC-60 by Fiber Trends in Cascade 220 (the same green as my Wavy scarf).

- Kidlet's Christmas sweater now has the perfect buttons plus one. I found these cute yellow buttons at - where else? - The Yarnery. As I was stitching them on, she wanted to thread buttons, too. I let her play with some larger ones in my jar, and she grew quite fond of some big green 4-holes. She wanted them for her sweater, but I had to explain they were too big for the buttonholes, and there were only five buttons for the six holes. A compromise was reached, and now there is a lone green button on the left chest. Who am I to deny Kidlet's self-expression, just because she can't sew on her own buttons yet?

I realize you were promised contest details this weekend, my faithful readers; I know the prizes, I just haven't fleshed out the details of how to determine the recipients. Can you feel the electric charge in the air? Stash enhancement is on the horizon. I leave you with one tantalizing word:

alpaca. alpaca. alpaca.

Burnout already?

Dang, it's only Day 3/11. Are you getting the idea that this post will not go down in history as a masterpiece of prosaic wonderment? I am sensing the need to think of blog topics from the time I rise and rub my sleepy eyes. Maybe a weekly or monthly theme would help. I'll work on that...Stay tuned for contest info this weekend!!

The un-contest (not mine)

Cheryl, blogger at a simple yarn, is having a simple contest: the 1500th commenter on her blog receives 200 grams of lovely Irish Kilcarra wool. Midwestern knitters, represent!

365 Days

All right, fellow bloggers, it's time to step up the game. I just spotted this banner on a regular blogread of mine, and it moved me to action. There are posts for every day of 2008 but yesterday on The Meema Files, but I think the official count starts on registration day (9 Jan, for Yours Truly). If you are feeling bold, adventurous, or just plain stupid, come join me.

I had a "Come-to-Jesus" moment with my yarn stash yesterday as I dug around in my closet. Looking for some DK wool for a project, I came to the sad and frightening realization that, despite the 100+ photos of fiber on my Ravelry page, I still have undocumented yarn. Yikes - I think a contest is in order here. Have a suggestion for one? Leave a comment and help build a better blogosphere.

Here's to typing regularly and knitting frequently!

Denied

We Midwestern knitters were shut out of the winners' circle (yet again). Life is cruel sometimes, but our day is coming. Don't know when, don't know where, but it's coming. And when it arrives, we will humbly receive our laurels, put our mittens back on, and get back to work. It's our way.

Holiday Mayhem

No drawing results yet?!? Oh well. There's so much more to share...

Holiday Mayhem Weekend (#1 of __) started with a dress rehearsal for my church choir's service of Lessons and Carols on Saturday morning. Then Kidlet and I were off to my extended family's Christmas gathering. Between my cousins and me, there are six great-grandkids between the ages of two and eight (seen burying my 91-year-old grandmother on the couch). They all play together so well - I think we're in the Golden Years of cousinage.

One of the main events of this winter gathering is making lefse. Put a lot of Norwegians in one house, and that's generally what happens. Everyone gets a turn at rolling out the dough, and the resulting stack of lefse is divided out amongst the families. Kidlet's intensive Play-Doh training regimen paid off - her technique was greatly lauded.

Sunday morning's sermon was pre-empted by the youth Christmas Pageant. This year's was based on the book, Who Is Coming to Our House? (one of Kidlet's fave holiday books). She was the littlest Piggie in the stable, and very cute to boot. After church there was the requisite exploration of the pulpit, a.k.a. The Princess Tower.

Princess segue... here is Kidlet's favorite joke to tell of late: "How many princesses does it take to change a light bulb?" (How many?) "Would you change this light bulb for me please?" She cracks herself up. Me, too.

A Festive Service of Lessons and Carols was sung on Sunday afternoon, and it was lovely. The choir was as solid as we ever have been for a performance of this magnitude. Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols was amazing, with a gorgeous baritone solo provided by Eric with a C.

(The woman on the left is Cate, who, like the BVM, is great with child. Kidlet's best buddy is her first child, Bea. Oh yeah - Mark with a K is Bea's papa.)

This service is followed by a tea reception (we are, after all, Episcopalians), and then the choir graciously slips out to the afterglow party at Brian and Richard's house. My host gift for one of their many trees:

pattern: Marie Mayhew's Woolly Nest ornament

yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca, blue roving

Such a pity their home isn't a more festive locale:

(at right: eWAC
and Going40)

Have I mentioned how much I love singing with all of these people?

p.s. I'm now an official employee at my LYS of choice. Training was today. How much trouble am I in now??

Holiday mayhem intro

The holidays have hit with full force in my little corner of the world. A very busy weekend ended with me trying to post all about it last night, but editing pictures took much longer than anticipated. Tune in later tonight, and I shall regale you with an abundance of holiday cheer (and hopefully my stash-enhancing yarn contest victory speech).

Free yarn, anyone?

(What a silly question, Meema.)

There's another blog drawing out there, this time sponsored by Kristin Nicholas of Getting Stitched on the Farm. She's cyber-launching her new book and is giving away five packages of TWENTY 50-GRAM SKEINS of her signature yarn, Julia (50% wool, 25% kid mohair, 25% alpaca). One entry per person, winners to be drawn on December 10. Good luck getting one of the other four prizes - the first one is obviously for me!