Published!!!

Great news, one of my patterns has been published in the premier issue of an online knitting magazine– The Fibertarian. While it is published in Japan, it is available in English. I am so excited! I really have been working hard on getting my designs out and working with some indie dyers. You can see the magazine at www.fibertarian.com. My pattern is “Pucker Up” , a cute, drape-y scarf. Skill level is easy, worked with dk weight yarn. Please check it ( oh, and the other designs) out and enjoy them. Probably my other favorite, while they are all great designs, is “Shiver” a comfy, cuddly sweater by Cassandra- the creator of the mag. Let me know what you think of the patterns, and the mag as a whole. There are other articles as well. As knitters, I am sure we all live seeing the craft we love grow!

As a side note, I am in the process of opening up a new etsy store at InknPress.etsy.com
This store will feature letterpress cards- note, business, calling… And will offer custom services. I have always loved the look of letterpress but have been unable to get into it until now. I’ve dabbled a bit, and my new machine will be delivered Wednesday or Thursday. I am so excited. These will be real, high quality products, created with all of my creativity and new ideas that are swimming in my head!!!
Just as soon as I get “pressing”, you will see photos!!!

I forgot to add…

GeoTagged, [N42.22814, E75.91141]

I wanted to show you all the (VERY rough) sketch of the sweater for the magazine. It doesn’t look all that complicated, but I jot down quick sketches and notes to help me remember the ideas. I am actually working with two different gauges, having it fairly close fitting and using an element from the scarf on the arms. Different. This is the design being knit with Blarney Yarn’s “Pink Clouds” and ” Geode”. Pics of progress to follow!

To catch you up

Hi. It’s been a bit, but that’s me. I am trying to change and I just got an app on my iPhone that should help me be more regular… It allows me to post right from my iPhone which is really great because half of my ideas come to me or I remember I need to post when I’m laying in bed. Where I am now. But, let’s get on with it…
I have been reading my last post- when the baby was due in two weeks. Yeah, she’s a month old. Alaina Cherisse. And no, nothing is done!!! The bib has one little wedge and a small strap to finish. And her sweater, ha! Needs one sleeve and one front and trim. My sweater? I pulled it out today and… looked at it. Sucks, huh? But there is an upside!! I got an entire scarf designed, knit, submitted and ACCEPTED!!!!

The Fibertarian is going to be a brand new online magazine published from Tokyo, Japan and this will be it’s premier issue!! I am excited because I really really love my scarf!!! And she asked me to “whip up” a sweater too. I wish I could say that went as fantastically, but no. It’s still being worked out with my dear knitter Becca churning out lovely rows. And I do mean lovely. The yarn I chose reminds both her and I of the pink clouds at sunset with bits of lavendars and blues in a pink tone. And the fiber content, ahhhh. Organic superfine merino sport. It’s from a great supplier and a sweet person as well, Blarney Yarn. You can purchase it at www.blarneyyarn.etsy.com. The color I mentioned is , appropriately enough, “Pink Clouds”. A great color to coordinate with that is “Geode”. She really does a great job with her dyes and really delivers a quality product.
I also am re-releasing one of my other scarf patterns, “Jewel Box” beaded scarf in a new yarn- Sophie’s Toes Sock Yarn. That yarn is available at www.emilyparson.etsy.com. The colors are gorgeous!! Nicely variegated and both myself and my other knitter, Kay, noticed no pooling!! I love that in a yarn. When I decided on releasing some patterns I’ve had in the works for a while and re-releasing others, I really thought and considered what yarns I wanted my designs to “represent” if you will. I went all over the internet and first decided if I wanted a large company or I wanted indie dyers. I looked at the indie dyers yarns and colors and decided they couldn’t be beat. Then I narrowed it down to who had a large enough supply or who wanted to have a larger supply to support the knitters that chose my designs. I didn’t want to knit and you all not be able to get the same yarns!
Then I went through my list I had compiled and looked to see whose colors really hit me, even inspried me. Once I contacted them and got my replies, I decided which yarn went with what project, and here we are. I am expecting a package from Hedgehog Fibres, from Ireland!!! That has yarns in silk to design a wrap, and some fiber to work with. The was probably the dyer that I could be totally immersed and inspired by her color choices. Wow. They are what I would strive to dye if I chose to. Absolutely breathtaking in my opinion. There is such depth to her colors. I practically begged her to let me use her yarns to design with.
Actually I picked the others; Blarney Yarn, Sophies Toes by Emily Parson, (and a couple more that things haven’t been nailed down with so I don’t want to mention quite yet), and Hedgehod Fibres because they thrill, inspire, and bring joy to me just to sit and look at even!
So, watch for The Fibertarian’s premier issue, the re-releasing of some older pattern and the premier of some brand new designs coming soon.
Oh yeah, and finishing the other projects for the baby & me!!

When you miss a deadline

Have you ever ( and as knitters I am sure this is a stupid question!!) had a project with a deadline and … You are working your tail off, making great progress , then a hiccup comes along- you get off track for a day or two and *wham* you missed the deadline. And there it sits. Then, knowing you missed the deadline, comes the realization– that thing will never get done and it slowly creeps it’s way to the UFO pile. I’m sure all of us has experienced this. Why does it happen? You really want it done, there’s not hat much more to do– uh, wait. You just got an email from some one requesting you submitt a design. It would be something winterly– hmmm, a scarf!! A scarf takes such little time that you surely could design the fantastic scarf, get it published and THEN you could finish that little something that is looking at you questioningly from that sad little pile.

That’s where I am now. The adorable baby sweater needs so very little to be done and the baby is due in two weeks. Oh, and I decided to make the cutesy bib to go with the sweater. Now I have added a really fantastic scarf to the mix. Why do we do this to ourselves ? We WANT to finish things and hand them over to their rightful owners. I hate it when I don’t finish projects, but it almost has become such a way of life that it is joked about. It’s true, but it still stings because I really don’t want to be that way. I want to plan, execute, and finish. How can one change?? That’s the question of the day. How do we change forn
Being unfinished to be finishers?? Let me know what you think with a comment!!

Progress on the sweaters and…

Well, here it is, Sept 27th and no, I did not get the baby sweater done for the shower.  In fact, I didn’t even make it to the shower, My daughter got really sick and we had to stay home. I would hate to make the preggo mom sick!!

But there is progress.  the Matinee Coat is missing one sleeve and the right front. well, that and the trim once it’s all seamed together. And my sweater has a few more inches on it. And I made a mistake telling you it’s all one piece. It’s not. the back is knitted up to the middle of the shoulders, then the front is knitted the same way with shaping for the neck- then it’s seamed at the center shoulders. Very interesting, I’ve never knitted this style before and I’m not sure how I feel about a seam there. But instead of binding off and seaming, I will try to do Kitchener stitch   so it is flatter than a seam.

I am still dying and getting everything sorted out to take to the Fiber Fest on Sunday. I’m a bit nervous…what if no one buys anything of mine? But I am really excited too…it’s my first!! I hope it will boost me to really get into the business of being productive. I have so much to do!!

and new in my life…I am now volunteering at Stable Movements. It’s a horse stable that does Hippotherapy and Therapy riding. I work with the horses, leading the kids with autism and helping them stretch and work on their balance. There is a Norwegian Fjord horse that is only 4 yrs old and he isn’t ridden much so I will be working with him and giving him a real workout. He’s adorable and knows how to throw his weight around- literally. I went to pick out his hooves and he shifted his weight and leaned on me!!! Stinker!!

But being with horses makes me so happy; if you can understand that horses are home for me. I love them so much and have a natural ability to connect with them. The fun thing is I can share this with my daughter, also horse crazy. She went to the barn with me and spent three hours grooming different horses and learning how to care for them,how to lead them and I am starting to give her the lessons she has begged me for for 2 years!!! and I can teach her, that is spec ial.

Hope you all are enjoying your fall knitting and spinning.

It feels like fall

I don’t know about where most of you all live, but here we are already starting to get the cool nights that are reminiscent of fall time. And surprisingly this year I welcome fall wholeheartedly. When I was younger, I dreaded fall. Summertime was my season. But since I’ve become a true knitter, I have had warm and fuzzy feelings towards the cooler months. But this year I have really revved up my needles and already have 2 sweater on the needles…

First, MY sweater… It’s being knitted with Araucania “Reva” (merino/alpaca/silk) and the pattern is from the Fall 2009 Knitscene, pattern #2 “Berkshire Dolman Sweater”. And it’s lovely! The yarn is delicious to work with and the pattern is all one piece- knit from the bottom hem up and over the shoulders down to the front hem. You cast on extra sts for the sleeves and then bind them off. I have knit up the back and started the sleeves.  I am also trying something new- knitting the sweater with zero ease. I usually add at least 2″ for ease. but this time I wanted a bit closer fitting sweater. That and I am in the process of losing some weight. Yep, it’s a dash of wishful thinking!!

Second, a baby sweater from Debbie Bliss..this is for my (hold on to your seat!) coming granddaughter. (hold on to your seats because I am only 33 — she’s really my step granddaughter. My husband’s son from his first marriage is the father.) Back to the knitting– I am making the Matinee Sweater from one of D.B’s earlier booklets. I am using the yarn called for and one of my favorites- Baby Cashmerino, in a beautiful peacock blue color. This one  is about 1 1/2″ long and am hoping to have it finished and wrapped for the Sept. 26th shower!! It’s sized for the 3-6 month size and hopefully should go fairly quickly.

On top of this I am also dyeing  for the Oct.4th fiber fest and uploading 2 weddings I shot this summer to my website for the brides to see.

We’ll see how much gets done- I hope all of it.

Yep, Fall really gets me going.

August 2009

this is a simple update on my life…

Huge news- October 4th there is a Fiber Fest at Green Bros. Apple Hills, Brooks Rd. Castle Creek, NY.  I have my booth reserved and it’s my first fest to be involved with. I hope to have about 50-75 braids of fibers and handspun ready for sale and a great designer on etsy has been working with me to design my business look. We have the tags all ready and are working on the business cards and thank you tags. It’s exciting to finally be making some headway.

For some of you that have read on me in the past, you know I have been battling major health problems. I finally have started coming out from under that pain by working with an acupuncturist and taking more homeopaths rather than synthetic medicines. The change has been amazing .

Today is a quiet day, tomorrow will hopefully be a productive day!