A Cry for Help

I finished my purse! It is a noni pattern and it turned out gorgeous, but now comes what is to many knitters the worst aspect of an otherwise fantastic hobby - sewing. I sewed the bag into the frame, but to have a purse that is remotely useful I am going to need to sew in a lining.

I have a sewing machine. I actually really tried to learn sewing before I learned knitting. I hated it. It is very detail-oriented with lining things up and cutting in a straight line (which seems to be an impossible feat for me). It was a bit depressing, I had these great fashion ideas, but that outlet for them was not going to work out.

Now, sewing is back. The occasional odds and ends sewing that knitter requires is something that I have continued to procrastinate.

I don't know how to line my stupid purse! I am sad!

Learning from the Master

This Friday and Sunday I went somewhere and learned so much, I think other stuff fell out of my brain while I sat there. I think during those 2 classes, I became a better knitter. I took sock design and travelling stitches with Cookie A. at Hill Country Weavers. And I learned, for one thing, that I was doing this whole design thing all wrong. I have been working ( in those rare moments where I can actually concentrate on something) on several designs using graphing as my primary focus. Cookie A. allowed me to see what an important tool graphing is in knitting design.

Additionally, I had been working on a couple of her socks from her book "Sock Innovation". I am working on Rick in Shibui Sock and Wanida in StitchnPretty's own Gone Swimming. I love the Gone Swimming and knitting with it is teaching my what I am looking for in a hand-painted sock yarn. For complex knitwork, I want delicate color differences and not to many colors. I do not want anything busy that steals the show from my knitting, and Gone Swimming has the perfect effect.

I have realized in recent months that I want to make my dreams a reality. I want to go after knitting, in both design and dyeing. I always wanted to be an artist, and this is my medium, of that I am sure. Meeting Cookie A. this weekend lit even more of this fire. I want to teach as many people knitting as I can. This craft saved my during my bedrest in my pregnancies, and has generally made me a happier person. I want to help other people find what knitting as given me. I want to use the medium of knitting to show my own artistic vision. I am willing to work every day toward these goals.

So, yeah, meeting Cookie A. was great. Her class was amazing. And I can't wait to take what I have learned and really create something.. me.

My Daughter's Birthday

Little Miss turned 3 today. She loves princesses and today she had them everywhere. She had a wonderful day and was all smiles until she was too tired to smile anymore.

I made her a Barbie cake at home (without the fancy Barbie pan). And it was a blast. I love making the kids special things instead of buying them.

My First Knitting Class

I taught my first knitting class/group today. It was rad! There was one woman named Hilda who had been knitting since she was a child and taught me things and I am sure knows worlds more than I do. I taught a knitter how to crochet. That was really fun! She kinda of already knew but I helped show her some finer points. Her name was JoAnne and she was super nice. In our class 2 weeks from today I am going to go over some options for an openwork couch slipcover. I think she will like Tunisian crochet , and I am going to spend some time looking up options for that.

I was really nervous today and I almost didn't go. But I did go. And I didn't chicken out. So, all in all, it was a really amazing day!

P.S. The kids are ALL better!!!

P.P.S. I have included pics of my most recent (and very nice) dyelot!

Sick Kids

So, I called into today. Mainly because last night all 3 kids got sick. Which is always pit in your stomach painful. Now tonight, my youngest has a fever. And I thought it was really high, but I looked some things up and it is within normal range at 101, sometimes 102. I think our thermometer sucks. It is still scary and heartwrenching. I love my babies and I have to go work tomorrow and I don't really want to now.

Well, I was going to post about my recent experiences in the land of yarn, but it will have to wait til the kids are better. I must get back to worrying.

My Newest Spin

This week, and probably next week as well, I have decided to give ComPlyments a try. The idea with this one was to dye 2 different roving braids similarly, but not quite the same. I want the colors to play off eachother once the handspun is plied. I guess we will see how my theory pans out.. I will keep you posted.

Tomorrow or tonight I will reveal some of my new yarns!

My Day Off

Ahh.. Another long awaited day off. Blissfully resting - wait, my oldest has swimming- .. peacefully buzzing..-now they want me to set up their pool at home- happily spinning- Damn, nevermind.

Okay, well, I did manage to call the YMCA. They are calling me back later this week. I would love for that to work out.

Spring Chicken Goes for a Spin

Well, I spun up that Spring Chicken. It is gorgeous. It has beautiful delicate tones and the color changes look very gradual. I love my Spring Chicken handspun.. now what to make...

As Promised..

The cake pictures. Did I mention my mom thinks Mike Ditka is hot? Yeah, I don't think Eww even begins to cover it. But hey, it was her birthday, if she wants to break of a piece of Mike Ditka, who am I to judge?

Classes

So, no cake picture. I am enjoying a lazy day off and I don't want to give it up and actually do something. I am going to teach knitting every other week in a retirement community starting in July. I will also sell some kits there. I will be finding out about some other places to teach, including the YMCA. I would love to teach children as well as seniors. I am a little nervous, though, since I haven't done it before. Plus, I am very shy. Oh dear, getting more nervous. Dang.

My yarns for dyeing should arrive on Friday, which means that next weekend my Website should be looking sharp. I am thinking of doing a couple of repeats of popular colorways, along with some new stuff. No Merino Roving, although I had planned on it, and will do it along with some lace silk in the future.

I have not heard a "no" from Knitty yet. That is good, right? Or they haven't even gotten to mine yet. Geez, I hope it's not that.

I am working on "Ms. Marigold", which is a Zephyr pattern. It is pretty. I bought the kit on kpixie like a year ago, and I like the yarn they chose. Soft, yet light, it was a very good call. Pictures this week.. I promise.

Business meeting

Well, I had my first meeting about progressing the business, and it went amazingly well. I am thrilled. She was impressed and thought my ideas had "endless possibilities". Sweet! I was so scared that I was going to find out that I suck. Instead I have to learn a bunch of overwhelming business stuff. I can do it, though. My kids are awesome and I want their lives to be good, and I need money for that to happen. Besides, succeeding in creating a business I enjoy and am passionate about, is definitely setting a good example. My kids are brilliant, and they need to believe they can make anything happen.

In closing, it was a good day.

Knitty Patterns

I sent another pattern to Knitty Monday night. I barely finished it in time. I really hope one gets picked up, but either way, I am going to keep trying. I was really happy with my hat pattern. I wanted to design something that really highlighted handspun's unique qualities, and I think I achieved that. Hopefully Knitty agrees. Knitty is awesome. Sigh.

Work is really great. We got a new decorator and she is really nice and helpful and hardworking. Phew! I was tired. I made my mom a funky pullapart for her birthday, picture is soon to come.

I ordered a TON of new yarns for dyeing, and have a business meeting on Friday. Whoa! I feel like a grown up. Am I the only 31 year old that still periodically has that thought? Probably should be. D'oh.

Knitty update

I have officially sent my pattern to Knitty. It was nerve-wracking, and weird to write a bio for myself. Wish me luck!!

Cake Decorating

My summer pullart I did yesterday is above.

So, now that I have been promoted to official Cake Decorator (only I would be that excited), I have not had any time to play with my new talent at home. This is the first job I have ever had where I got to be paid for being creative, and that makes it exciting and a good fit. I got the Wilton Masters Cake decorating kit for at home. And today I made cupcakes for the kids. But they ate them like a bunch of locusts. I could barely move my arms to make them because they were all over it. Thus, no pictures. Thursday is my mom's Birthday and I want to make her a cake for it. So, pictures then. There are still things I don't know how to do, but I am learning and I have come a long way.

I have to finish my knitting patterns today. My procrastination continues.

Knitting your Handspun

I have been attempting to write some patterns for Knitty these days, including my sock pattern, which I must finish by tonight to get it in under the deadline. I am also working on a pattern with my own handspun for KnittySpin. It is going to be awesome. It is a simple hat pattern, that I think will highlight the unique qualities of your handspun yarn. I cannot post a picture thus far, in case Knitty likes it, but I can post a close-up of my handspun knit up. Very exciting stuff.

Are there any aspiring pattern designers reading this? If you are, I would like to start a sock club on etsy and I am interested in unique sock patterns for the club, so, send me an e-mail. I am also getting business cards for the Phat Fiber box in July, if anyone knows a good site for that.

Round and Round

Spinning my own roving has been awesome. I am almost done. Then, I will need to decide whether or not I want to ply it. The colors are gorgeous and I am so pleased. I hadn't really seen how my own roving would spin up. I like seeing how the colors will play off eachother, and seeing it happen will help me dye better in the future. Part of the problem with hand-painting roving can be the whites, but sometimes that can create an effect that you desire, and there are ways around it if you do not wish to have any white.

My wheel is a Travelling Lendrum(recommended via e-mail by Pluckyfluff), and I love it. The orifice hook is stuck though, and I don't know how it happened (possibly kid-related). It spins a variety of yarns very well. I have never spun on a spindle, though. And I wish to learn how.

If I ply this one, it may lose some of its charm, and the colors which are so subtle already may lose their effect, but I prefer to knit with plied yarns. So we will see..

Let's See What This Spring Chicken Can Do

So, today for my day off I decided to delist and finally spin one of my own rovings! I have just started and my little girl came by to help, so I needed to take a break. We spin together alot of the time, but some day it just does not work. Anyway, it is so soft. I picked Spring Chicken - a very pastel, SW Merino/SeaCell. Yum. It is spinning up fast and has a gorgeous sheen I have not decided if I will ply it with thread, or use it as a single. Hmm..

Work sucked so bad last night. This guy from another department left instead of covering his co-worker's break because he "didn't feel like" doing it. Craziness. You are there getting paid, shut up and work. Have we become that entitled as a society that we now find the simplest tasks to be beneath us! I was shocked! So, I had to go cover that lunch and it put me way behind on my work and it sucked. I have never heard of anyone doing something like that at a job. Terrible. I am ashamed for us all if that is acceptable behavior. Sloth is a sin, get over yourself.

Experiments in dyeing

After much experimenting, and dyeing, and oh my, redyeing. I have discovered some trends.

If you are dyeing for a deeper toned, semi solid, kettle-dyed is definitely the way to go. You can layer other colors in the kettle with the main color for a more tonal semi-solid.

I have also done alot of the Rainbow dyeing. That is where you have 3 colors in the pot (each color being a third) they have have to be colors that can mix into eachother where the colors meet. After many trials, I have decided this is my least favorite method, while it is much less effort than hand-painting, the look that hand-painting creates is much more unique and interesting.

I have done alot of dyeing over the weekend (my work weekend anyway), and I think the results are pretty awesome. It was my first time dyeing a really nice SW Merino roving, and they are definitely more delicate than I am used to, but the colors turned out stunning! I am thrilled!

I am an official cake decorator now. Yeah, I got a promotion in 40 days, so "just a housewife" that! Sorry to boast, I have had a rough few months, and succeeding just feels really good.

I saw some things on Etsy and I think it is Nuno felting. I must learn it. I have to make one of these gorgeous scarves. Please comment if you know anything about it at all!

Frogging Hell

I am not a patient person, but with 3 kids it is an attribute I have been trying to gain. That said, I do not like to frog projects. And I know it is the cardinal sin of knitting, but I rarely if ever gauge swatch. Did you stop reading my blog? That is okay, I am surprised if anyone gets here at all anyway! I just feel like I am wasting time. I will check gauge as I am knitting something and then frog if I have to.

But I am just leading you into my real point. I have started my first pattern. Sure I have knit hats in the past, but nothing of real design. I am designing my very first pair of socks, and with one of my own yarns, of course. I cannot post pictures, until I have attempted to get it on Knitty. Hey, you at least have to try!

So wish me luck!

Finished My Kai-Meis

Yeah that's right. They are done, they were fast and they are rad. So, comfy, and the design isn't too elaborate so the pattern and yarn do not compete. I am sooo pleased

Oh my god! So yesterday, I got called into work and I decorated cakes. I didn't really have a clue for a while, because I really haven't been trained nearly enough, but there it was. I did my best and I was really glad I had practiced, but there were things I couldn't have practiced. I jumped in and overall I would say it went all right. I think my willingness to work is going to make them take the chance on me and give me the time to learn my new job.

The kids really enjoyed my practice and the icing eating they were able to experience in its aftermath.

Where Have I Been

So, I get up this morning to check my e-mail, and low and behold some actually COMMENTED ON MY BLOG! Yay! That so makes my day! It is a huge motivation to post more frequently.

So at work I am trying to get into the Bakery dept. I figure they make more and decorating cakes is arty (and hey, I am arty) and just so much more interesting than making coffee. However, in order to get into the cake decorating dept., I must practice. Not only that, but of course I don't have alot of time because I pretty much have to prove myself right freakin' now (okay, like Sunday, but still). So stay tuned later today for my feeble yet slowly improving attempts at cake decorating. I can do it! Right? And yes, I will post pictures.

Additionally, I am very close to finishing my second Kai-Mai sock and it should be finished by tonight, so I will post pictures of that as well.

Thank you commenter for giving me hope!

Sparkley Kai-Mei's

Here it is. I started my first socks from Sock Innovation. Cookie A's Kai-Mei socks are knitting up so superfast! And the sparkley yarn is so super soft and the depth of color is amazing! I am in love.



I was showing them off at work, and no one probably gets it cuz they are not knitters.. yet. Perhaps I should create my own new breed of knitters, who only know how to knit with yarns dyed or spun by me.. hmm... Now if only I had charisma and stuff.

I want to design my first socks for my son. But then boys socks can't have too much going on. So, I don't know.

Tomorrow at work I decorate cakes. I am so freaking excited. If I have to be away from my kids, at the very least I should get to paint. I miss them. Today I woke up at 4 for work, and now even though I was off at 1:30 pm, I am so tired that I am basically useless.

Intarsia

What is the deal with Intarsia. I thought I had it, I really did. I was knitting the above flame socks for my son , and I was so pleased with the result, but it just keeps coming out so tight. Why? If anyone at all reads this, please explain it to me.

Cookie A socks

Cookie A. rules! And today her new book Sock Innovations arrived. While I haven't had a chance to delve deep enough for a review, it appears to be a masterpiece. That socks all have her signature complexity, and it is has extremely detailed (maybe over my head - crap!) information for designing your own socks. The movement of her designs is awestriking. I am now trying to design a colorway of my SilverSoles sock yarn to go with my first sock from her book

Working has been okay. I work in a certain coffee chain. Seeing mommies and their babies makes me want to be home with my babies in an achingly painful sort of way. I miss the kids so much. It isn't getting easier. Still, in a family we make the best decision for the team, and this absolutely is the best decision for the team. My husband is an amazing man and a spectacular father, and he has thoroughly devoted himself to school. This is my part and I am happy to do it. At work I do my absolute best and try to always be bright and smiling. I want more money, but doing my best is my only shot. Stupid economy! Thanks alot dirty mortgage brokers@!

Roving too!

So, amidst the complex new schedule with work I did dye some new yarns and rovings these last couple days. Rovings eat up dye, so they are good for my leftover dyes from the yarns. I got some pretty fancy rovings, and inevitably, I want to spin them for myself. They are just so soft and I love the colors so much. Thus far, I have restrained myself.

Work is crazy. People have been really nice to me, but I can already see that alot of people don't get along with eachother. Which is weird, because I am not a drama girl. I mean, yeah, I am a crier. But I don't like create these situations people seem to enjoy. If you don't like someone, just deal with them as little as possible. Not that difficult, folks. It reminds me of high school and how the girls that didn't like me would go out of their way to make my life more difficult. And for what? If you don't like someone, they are still a person. And if they haven't done anything to you, being a jerk only proves them better than you. So don't be a jerk. I mean, seriously, that is actually the option that requires less effort - so what the hell!?

So, there's my first off-topic tirade. There are going to be sooo many of those. More yarn dyed pics to come.

A Busy New Week

I haven't blogged recently for the none of you that are reading and for that I apologize. I actually just got a my first job after being a stay-at-home mom for the past 6 years. It is a total bummer, since I planned to stay home until the kids were all in school. And then my oldest turned out to be such a smartie, that I decided after much debate to homeschool. And now here I am back in the work force. It was a really weird first day. Being away from the kids is like walking around without my legs, but I do it for them. Times are tough, and my husband needs to focus on school. We will get through it, and be stronger for it. I just have to love them extra when I get home.

I did get to dye some new yarns for the weekend, and I ordered some with silver in it that I should have dyed and dried for next weekend. That is exciting. I want some sparkley socks, that sounds rad! So I have included some pics of the colorways.

I also started an ad campaign where I sent freebie skeins to aspiring designers, provided they credit me if there design is on Ravelry or wherever. And my first designer sent me a picture. She asked me not to share because she is trying to have them published, but they are rad. I am excited and I think she will be published. I wish I could share the picture with me zero readers, but oh well, that time will come.

I am also going to throw in a pic of my handspun.

"French Girl Knits"

We have all knit her individual patterns. I love them. Cute pieces done on big needles without seaming. Oh, how I love designers who avoid seaming! I had been checking her Website for like a year before the book came out, but oh how this book live up to hype. Although the long mohair jacket is too ambitious for my taste, all the patterns are very wearable and are not overly complex. I want to make almost every single thing! I love that many of the patterns are wearable even in my southern climate. This book is filled with gorgeous items, and as soon as my current knitting agenda is complete, a project from here will definitely be next!

I love the office

I am making the Gisela sweater from Cocoknits. The yarn is rad! It is Habu Textiles Cotton Gima. I live in the south, and I will not be hot in my cardi, which is great. I am excited to see how this turns out. Any advice?






I love "The Office"! Yesterday was another rerun and what is the deal with that?! I want Michael and Holly to be together. I am intrigued by the idea of Michael making an ass of himself when he is happy. It could be awesome. I mean he was screwy with Jan, but she was screwy too. So put him with someone semi-normal.. awesome!

And now that Angela isn't with Dwight or Andy.. what happens? Are she and Dwight still married? Is Angela gonna chase Dwight now? ooo.. intrigue..

Dyeing for sparkle

So I spent the weekend, and will spend the week, dyeing tons of yarn and drum carding. I was feeling springy as the picture to the left tells us. It is so pretty and wonderful to just be engulfed in the creation of so much color. It is freeing and relaxing.



I tried out a new dye. I think it was for screen printing, but my theory was to dilute enough that it wouldn't be stiff and that would add a little bit of sparkle to my yarns. It sort of worked. It is just that it had to be diluted sooo much, is there sparkle? I am not sure. I wish I could infuse the yarn with some sort of glitter. Can you spin that in? I know there is firestar and all that, but can you do something different? I am dedicated to finding out the answer to that question.

My First Book Review "Intertwined"

To say that I like knitting books is the understatement of the century. I have so many, much to my husband's chagrin, that stacks and piles cover our bedroom since I long ago moved beyond our one bookshelf. He trips on them and tries not to swear at me under his breath. Yes, I am also not great at organization, which doesn't help the clutter between my book stash and yarn stash I really do have to respect the man's patience. And perhaps justifying that kind of clutter is part of the reason I will be reviewing both books from my collection and new releases that I have had my grubby little knitter fingers on. The first review will be "Intertwined" by Lexi Boeger.

When I first began spinning, it was ecstasy. I loved it. It was so fun and a new revelation in knitting. It was another level of understanding that I uncovered as I spun each new fiber. It was so personal and fascinating that the same collection of materials could yield such different results. Now my daughter puts her feet on top of mine and her fingers follow the same motion as mine. Her eyes glitter as she watches the wheel turn. Already, she get it. So does Lexi Boeger. The author has a passion and creativity that she spins into her yarns that is rare and special. As a reader, you feel like you are being passed a secret with each tidbit. The book is filled with new experiences for even intermediate spinners. Even if some techniques do not yield results you may desire, you will spin better if you give each new technique thought. Spinning is another form of artistic expression, and the book does properly pay tribute to this fact.

The patterns for handspun yarns are surprisingly wearable for the most part. I liked that there were several designs for children. I think children's patterns have the right amount of whimsy for children, and as a mother I know that kids LOVE it when you make them stuff. I would have like more patterns for the handspuns, but was pleased with the selection.

If you like spinning, this book is a must. It is written under the assumption that you already know how to spin, yet if you could only get one spinning book this is the one. Other spinning books contain information you could find easily online, this book contains substantially more.

Getting to know my projects

So, this is my 3rd pair of socks. The second pair were fair isle and need to be redone (I only did part of one, I need to frog, but don't know how to fix them). They were too tight.

These socks are Cookie A. Django's done it my own color way Candy Rainbow. I love the pastels, so the color is a dream for me. The colors steal the show from the fancy pattern a bit, but I don't care. They are pretty and all the more unique for it. I am excited! Photography is not my strong point, but I am trying.

Day One

So, this is weird. I guess I should introduce myself. I am 31 and I have been knitting for about 5 years. I have also just started a business selling my handpainted yarns. I have always loved art and have dabbled in various artistic endevours for my entire life, but with knitting, I finally found "the one". Now with hand-painting my own yarns, all the art classes and books I have devoted myself to for all these years finally apply to something. I would also like to design some knitting patterns, but I am a little intimidated. I currently knit, crochet, dye, spin, and card. I have 3 children, and my husband and I are currently writing a children's book (he's writing, I am illustrating). So that's me. This is all new to me. Comments are appreciated. Nice to meet anyone who's actually reading.


Above is a handspun I did. It is Milk Protein/Seacell/wool plied with metallic so soft with gorgeous sheen.