Money can't buy ya love, but it can buy a shoe full of good luck!

I spent Mother's Day at the NH Sheep & Wool Festival in Contoocook and my first purchase was this charming horse shoe to hang on my front entrance door. It is from Rocky Rose Forge in Hillsboro, NH.

This reminded me of a childhood spirit, the Hippocamp, a mystical sea horse. A little whimsy never hurts!

It is now secured on the front door, along with a small gathering basket which collects bad karma and prevents it from entering the house (a Native American gift from my mom). One never has enough luck and karma of the good kind.

Other purchases from the festival that are fiber related include:

• 2 skeins of 100% Cashmere 4ply yarn from Cashmeres by Kate for a gift. I've been using her cashmere wash via on-line shopping for a couple of years so it was so nice to meet her and thank her for a wonderful product that eliminates costly dry cleaning bills.

• 3 skeins of beautiful Koigu from The Fiber Studio in Henniker, NH. There are two in this photo because one privileged adopted Maine Coon cat claimed ownership of one skein (with a lovely swatch on size 4 circulars). He wrapped yards of beautiful colorway around the legs of my antique oak table. Gasp! KittyQ, has no respect and frogged the swatch while dragging the needles to the farthest side of the house (where he tried to hide under "his rug." Where was I when all this was happening? In the den, blogging.
  

• 2 hanks/1200+ yards of gorgeous silk and merino hand painted yarn from Maple Creek Farms. The cost per skein is $20 less on Maple Creek's website then what I paid at the festival. This yarn has a wonderful hand and I surprised my daughter with my choice of colorway, Seaweed.
  

• 3 cherry pink balls of 100% Alpaca 2 ply worsted yarn. Mini-mill spun from father and son, Orion and The Boss from Foss Mountain Farm

Father and son: Orion and The Boss, aren't they adorable!

More pictures and a video clip will be posted later... I'm waiting for permission on one. Meanwhile,

Happy knitting . . .

MAGKNITS OOB

We're sorry to see you go.

Are you searching for Magknit's pattern archives? At this writing, every pattern in the following link opens to its instructions.

If you are one of many knitters who let time pass without printing your favorite pattern from Magknit's website, here is another chance. Click on the following link for a little magic!

http://web.archive.org/web/20070820065513/www.magknits.com/archive/

Beware! Only the pattern wizards know when the archives will be sealed away in their bamboo tower....

Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire: Flames Graph to Inspire

My flames graph pattern created for bikerchicknit's logo/banner has finally been uploaded for your use. This flame(s) chart was also used for the Biker Babe's Flame Hat, and I am nearly finished knitting a little draw-string flame bag.

The second graph shows the flame pattern with several repeats.

The graphs on this post are yours to make free with (a link back or a reference to bikerchicknits is appreciated). Flaming possibilities are endless with this chart, and you are encouraged to post comments about your flame projects!!
This is a fun pattern to knit up and I recommend Tahki Stacy Charles Cotton Classic yarn. The mercerized cotton has a slight sheen that compliments its flameulus stitch definition. I will be knitting flames in shades of blue soon.

And here is my flame graph pattern repeated.

The graph images aren't very clear (I scanned Excel files), but I'll upload pdf files in a few days. Meanwhile click on the graphs to open the images for easier chart reading.

Any chart/graph depicting flames on bikerchicknits has been created by me influenced by a fondness of flames, through my own experiences and my collection of various flame media from biker clubs, parties, rallies, swap meets, and vintage memorabilia.

Happy knitting....