The Lumpy Sweater

 Using a random number generator…

 (drums, please)

 a winner for the STR Thraven yarn has been selected…

 (more drums…)

 and it is…

 (oh, come on already)

 Mary Ellen, at her blog, ilikestring!]

 Congrats, Mary Ellen, I will get in touch today to get your address to ship the yarn out Monday!

 A big thank-you to everybody that shared their stories of random kindness. Everyone was such a joy to read. It’s great to know that people can just be kind because they want to be, not expecting anything in return.

 This is just a brief little announcement—there will be the regular posting starting on Tuesday!

 This is actually the 101 post that I’ve made on this blog! The statistics break down like this!

• 101 posts
• 547 comments
• Busiest day: 1,912 — Wednesday, April 9, 2008

 I can’t tell you how much it means to me that everyone keeps reading and commenting. Every comment is important to me, even if my schedule sometimes keeps me from responding to every single one! It keeps me writing and encouraged.

Because of this, I wanted to give back to my readers. Specifically, a skein of Socks that Rock Lightweight yarn. It’s brandnew, in the colorway Thraven.

I really love this colorway, but because of someone else who was very nice to me (that will come later this week!) I think that the love should be spread around.

 To enter to win this lovely yarn, all you have to do this comment on this post. I would love to hear about random acts of kindness that other people have done for you or that you did for others! It will run from today through the 25th of this month, midnight EST. The winner will be chosen and announced on Saturday!

  I’ve always wondered what I had to offer.

 I’m no designer. Not yet anyway-and with my current skills, you’re not going to be seeing me on the front of Interweave Knits anytime soon.

 I’m not an expert knitter, either, as the title of this blog testifies. I am currently knitting a rather lumpy sweater. It’s not horrible, but it’s no Alice Starmore creation with my own special tweaks or anything.

 In fact, it almost seems to me that I have very little to give the knitting community. Not in the typical sense, anyway. So, I blog, I knit, and that’s that.

 However, I think that the knitting community has proved me wrong. After I posted a rather off-hand, humorous blog post last Wednesday, The Sacraments Of Knitting: A Simple Tract, something…well, something special happened.

 Comments started to flow. Rabbi David Kominsky left a comment, and a link to his own humorous post about religion and knitting. Reverend Deb said that her new knitting group was making daily knitting converts—something any pastor of any religion might envy!

 Then Dava nearly gave me a heart attack (when I saw my hit rate!) when she linked to me on Ravelry, adding a kind comment about my post. People added their own insight and comments there, and then CarmaFrancie chimed in to say,

•  ”Honestly, you should get this to a graphic designer and have it made up into a microbook. Would you mind if I did, given the proper credit to you and your blog?”

 Mind? Mind! I sent her a message right away, and after some back and forth, I’ve got some exciting news.

 “Knitting: A Simple Tract For The Curious”  will be available as a free PDF download from The Lumpy Sweater! It will be my first free download ever!

 The format will be simple, and the content will be aimed at non-knitters, those who haven’t yet converted to the art and craft of knitting. Gentle humor may be included. It will be revised and expanded from the original.

 As soon as I am finished writing up and revising the material, Carma and I will smooth out any wrinkles, and I hope to have it available (barring any mishaps or life events) by the end of May.

  Because of the very organic way that this tract has come about, I welcome suggestions for the tract, comments and more from anyone and everyone. You can leave a comment here or email me at genuine_lye AT yahoo DOT com.

 I look forward to hearing from you!

 I’ve just added the option to subscribe to my blog updates through email—it’s in the upper right hand corner.

 It takes just 3 very easy steps.

 1. Enter your email address

 2. Type the verification code that it will ask you for (to prevent spam bots!)

 3. Verify your subscription—you’ll receive an email and confirm that you want to subscribe!

 So every time I blog, you’ll receive the update directly in your email. It’s fast, it’s convenient, and very simple. I update The Lumpy Sweater Monday through Friday (with some occasional weekend announcements, like this one!) and if you want to keep up with my knitting craziness and fun, this is a great way to do it. Also, I will love you if you do, because your comments and feedback make it worthwhile to blog even when I’m feeling down or tired.

 In my recent post I asked if knitters were just part of a hive mind mentality.  I discussed the Yarn Harlot blog among other things—the single most popular knitting blog on the ‘net. I asked if open and honest criticism was taboo.

 Apparently, it is.

 Just today, I was contacted by Stephanie McFee’s lawyer, advising me that if I did not take down or delete my post, which discussed a recent incident on her blog, that a suit for slander would immeaditely be filed against me. I also also advised that in the future, I should refrain from such slurs on her character,

 However, I’m telling everyone this, so everyone will know what she really is.

 I’m telling you this….

because I just loooove a good April Fools prank.

Happy April First, everyone!