rows/stripes

This is why I love photography so much.
You get another look at what you saw.

As I was getting the week's pictures together for a new entry, this happened:

Top to bottom:

"Periwinkle Sheep" striped socks, custom colorway by Dye-namics.

Stole, commissioned be Decadent Fibers.

Rows of Tulips in Albany's Washington Park, waiting for warmer weather.

Rows of Hyacinths in same park.

that was fun!

All you fiber experts can call me a dork, but I finally dyed some yarn.

Cooking away:



I used Jaquard acid dyes, and this one is called Burnt Orange. The yarn is 1.5 lbs of 50% alpaca, 50% wool.

Pretty bright in the pictures, actually looks more pumpkin-y. Plus the little halo you get from the alpaca takes the glow down a couple of notches.

I see a cable sweater in my future. I have 15oo yards!

The supplies came from dharmatrading.com, the place where I've bought my silk painting supplies for years. They started carrying some yarn and I though what the heck? Why not.

Of course now all I want to do is dye more yarn. This is way too much fun.

But I have a lot of commissioned work to do this week, so it'll have to wait....

Please bother me, I'm busy!

Since I have recently run into a lot of people I know from when I had my shop, and friends I haven't seen in a while, and everybody is kindly asking how I am and what I am doing post-owning-a-yarn shop, I decided to give an update.

The gist of it is that it took me almost 6 months to recover from having and closing the shop. Believe it or not. I feel like my health issues are finally under control, I am not losing weight anymore (quite the opposite is true...). I am grateful and crossing my fingers. During the fall and winter, while I have been busy, it felt like I wasn't very productive. But now I am finally getting going! Part of it is I am glad the long winter seems to be over. Partly it is due to the fact that I have been in contact with some fabulous people who support me in what I am doing, are 100% behind me, and of course, keep inspiring me to do more.

Besides taking care of house and family, knitting and pattern writing (and networking!!) are my main activities. After the wonderful hoopla of having my first design appear in No Sheep for You by Amy Singer, I have now been invited to contribute to another book. This book will be written by Donna Druchunas, author of Arctic Lace. The project is still in the very beginning stages, but I am excited to have been asked and am ready for the challenge. We will see if I end up being accepted. I owe many thanks to my friend Alison Hyde for bringing this about.

I am constantly on the look-out for submission deadlines, and am currently waiting to hear from the new editor of Interweave Knits to see if she likes the proposal I sent in for Winter 2007.

Decadent Fibers is keeping me busy. I am currently re-skeining their gorgeous hand dyed yarns, but will need more knitting and design time and will concentrate on that. I am test knitting and knitting display pieces for them too, which they are taking to trade shows and sheep and wool fests. They want me to design sweaters for them and anything else I can think of. To that end, they shower me with yarn. I think I died and went to heaven, actually. :)

My design notebook is getting filled, my needles are busy. Suddenly, there doesn't seem to be enough time to do it in!

I am always on the lookout for projects that connect knitting with the arts, and there's just such an opportunity arising. Please read about it here! Many thanks to my friend Laura. (Hi Laura!)

In my quest to keep learning and exploring, I am on a waiting list for a spinning class at this shop. And, do I dare say it? A box of acid dyes arrived today and I will soon be trying my hand at dyeing yarn...

Every Friday is my work-outside-the-house day. In the morning, I work as a member worker at the Honest Weight food co-op in Albany. Then I scoot over to my friend Stephanie's shop and help her out for a couple of hours.

Whew! I think that pretty much covers it for now.

I'll see you soon!

Virginia Tech

OK I was debating: do I comment, or not?

It's so sad, all around.

It's moments like these that I scramble onto the soapbox and say:
NO MORE GUNS.

Arms.
Use them to hug your mother.
Hold a child, a tambourine.
Spread your arms.
Hug yourself hard.

Make pie, make a hat.
Write a note to your sister.
Wave to somebody on the bus.
Turn the television off.

Lay down your arms and cry.

the week in pictures

Since I started to record the weather, I might as well add this picture. It's Sunday, April 15th, and we're having yet another storm. Rain just turned into sleet into snow.



Here's some color for you. I finished the STR "Bleeding Hearts" this week. Size 1 needles, 60 sts.

I also made these toddler socks for A4A. Size 8 needles, 32 sts.

Both pairs are part of the 52 pair plunge KAL.

Next, I finished this cardi for the little guy next door. I started it a while back, found it again and put a second sleeve and the button band on Friday night and Saturday. Somehow, I am actually keeping up with housework too.

I had been trying to make the little guy next door a sweater out of some teal artyarns merino, but I didn't like how the pattern worked out or how the colors were pooling. So THAT one is going to the frogpond to be turned into something else. Instead, I rather like how this one turned out. It's hand dyed (not by moi..) rambouillet and it bled a lot when I washed it, but I put a big splash of vinegar in the final rinse. I think that took care of it. Thank goodness the parents of the little guy next door aren't averse to hand washing things.

Last but not least, I finally officially learned how to make thrummed mittens yesterday. Please pardon the lousy picture. There just isn't good light anywhere today.

Yes I know that my technique needs tweaking! But I can't wait to experiment with this.

fun and games

OK I never ever would have thought I'd put one of these up. And of course I wouldn't put it up if my score had been anything less than what it is. :)
Funny how the thing comes with all these misprints.

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!You must be quite an erudite person.

How's" Your Vocabulary?

But then again it's a crappy day here weatherwise and I aim to entertain you.

Next up, a post about knitting!

runner

Here are 2 more pictures of the runner my grandmother made.
This is one of three panels she connected. Those bunnies always make me chuckle.


Here's a close-up of the Easter basket in the center of each panel.

quick hello

Just a quick hello today, on Easter. I have a house full of my husband's relatives.

There was snow on the ground this morning, which is more snow than what we had on Christmas...



This is part of a runner I put on the table today. It is one of the few pieces I inherited from my maternal grandmother, who was a prolific handcrafter.
She embroidered numerous tablecloths, and I love this happy bunny one.

The base is actually linen dishtowels, onto which she ironed on the designs, and then embroidered.

I'll write more about her another time.

Estonian Socks, part 3/Folk Socks

Before I get into other things I want to write about, here's the last installment of the report on the Nancy Bush weekened.
On Sunday, we delved more into Folk Socks which included different heels to knit; and a huge show and tell of the original Folk Socks from the book that started it all!

The Round Heel I was familiar with. I use it for almost all of my socks. Here, I used a variation on that heel called the Half Handkerchief Heel or Flat Iron Heel.



This next one was a first, but I really like it a lot, as it serves as a knee cap cover on it's own, or a water bottle bottom cozy. :)
I present: The Band Heel.



I will definitely try that one again in the future. There is no gusset after you pick up the stitches from the heel flap, because decreases are worked before the heel turn! This has the huge advantage of not disturbing any stitch patterns such as fair isle, as your stitch count is exactly the same after the heel turn as it was at the top of the sock.

And here's the show and tell of the folk socks. (There had been show and tell of Estonian Lace shawls the night before, but I had to be discrete and not take any pictures. Well, basically we got to see all of Nancy's work as it is shown in her four books. I will forever be in awe.)

Thank you, Nancy!