Sep 09 2010

Pre-Show Warmup

Category: Bittersweet,Vending — Mistress Rows @ 10:43 pm

Heartless. Persephone. Assignation. Earth Golem. These are just a few of the new colorways that I’ll be debuting at the Jersey show this weekend. They are, if it’s not in poor taste for me to say it, lovely. There will be old favorites too, like Whirled Peas, Jammy, Boyfriend Blue Jeans, and Dragonfly, but it’s good to explore underused techniques and new ideas. I can’t wait to hear what customers think. I don’t have photos yet of all the new additions, but I can give you a descriptive run down of the above mentioned:

  • Heartless – (Over-dyed) A complex and incredibly dark shade of blackish plum.
  • Persephone – (Semisolid) A violet-red. Think diluted pomegranate juice.
  • Assignation – (Over-dyed) Sapphire blue over a partially brown base.
  • Earth Golem – (Over-dyed) Very complex orange and green that was overdyed dark brown.

Some colorways are new to a particular yarn line, for instance, Sea Glass and Jammy have never been done in lace before, and I’m curious to see how they sell. What sells well in sock yarn is not always what sells well in lace yarn. All told I will have 12+ lace and 15+ sock colorways for visitors to the Bittersweet Woolery booth to choose from, in addition to at least another 6-8 options in DK or worsted weight yarns. Those are going on sale this weekend, I want as many of them out of my life as possible. I’m tired of lugging around these thicker yarns, they don’t sell for me and they need to find happy new homes!

Sweet Nothings Lace in "Jammy".

I’m astounded at how much yarn I’ve dyed and re-skeined over the last week. I’m pleased with the colors that I’ll be offering. I’m hopeful that my sales will be rewarding. I’m hoping that my health holds out. I’m really hoping I’ll get my PTO request approved so I can recover with a Monday off. So much to think about, so much to do.

Steve hard at work.

Tonight I finished winding off the last of the sock yarn and then it was time for labeling. Steve is always willing to help me get ready for shows, which I dearly appreciate. We made a good team effort of the tagging, packing them up, loading the totes into the car, and now we’re finally home free. Just in time to pass out in bed. It’s always a good idea to go over your vending tote (where my vending supplies and non-yarn items are stored) to make sure you have silly things like pens, your cash box, and signage. Believe it or not, once the yarn is dyed and skeined, vending is stupid simple. A comfortable check list of pre-show tasks, then there’s nothing left to do but hit the road and show your stock to the world. Which is, absolutely, my favorite part.

This’ll be my last blog post for the week, tomorrow I leave straight from work to stay with Leann and her sweet husband. We’ll be up early to head over to the fair ground and then the fun begins. Wish me luck, mama needs a $450 electric skein winder, after expenses!

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Apr 30 2010

Big Happenings at Tiny House

Category: Bittersweet,Tiny House — Mistress Rows @ 7:28 am

I thought things were supposed to slow down after Clermont? I mean, I know they have… case in point: I haven’t spent every night after work dyeing, skeining, or labeling yarn. That’s a plus. But I have spent every night working on my new Bittersweet website, photographing yarn and editing photos, interspersed with a couple hours of Burn Notice: Season 2 before bed. I <3 Fiona. She speaks my language. Anyway, the feeling of high-speed madness is most likely due to the Big Things going on here at Tiny House. Starting with…

The photo I would have sent them if I didn't look quite so (unintentionally) smug.

Bittersweet Woolery is the featured artist of the month for May over at Yarn4Socks! Those of you on Facebook have already heard me squee for hours, sorry, but for those that haven’t heard it yet I’m quite excited. You can read my interview on their blog and see photos of the yarn that I sent them. Not one of those colorways, including Dragonfly and Concubine, are available in my shop at the moment so if you’ve been wanting a skein you’ll have your chance starting at midnight tonight!

Also in Bittersweet news, there’s a brand new website just for all things Bittersweet Woolery. It’s in the infant stages, but it’s functional and it’ll only improve over time. You can see a sampling of whatever yarn I have for sale in the Shop section, a small slideshow of a just a few of my favorite colorways, and links to the Bittersweet fan page on Facebook. Right now the blog section is the front page, that’ll change soon once I figure out how to redirect the URL to a new “home” page. Someday, as sales go up, I’ll pay a friend who’s good at setting up one of those nifty commerce websites, because I’m really not looking to pay more monthly fees right now. Let me know what you think, and especially if you find something that isn’t working. Remember, work in progress.

Guilty Pleasures superwash sock yarn in "Dragonfly".

In non-vending news, as of tonight there will be a new addition at Tiny House. Emma, Jess’s Kromski Symphony, is coming to live with me for a while! Jess figures we should get used to each other while I put the money together and I’m very excited. No long will I be the only spinner I know who only has one wheel, not that it bothered me. I’ve never been hot on collecting wheels, but I recognize that different style wheels have different spinning strengths and weaknesses. A production style wheel like this has a very different feel, much smoother and faster than my Lendrum, Circe. Since I love spinning very fine, this is very appealing to me.

I started to long for a production wheel back in ’08 when I tried the Lendrum Saxony  at SOAR. It’s the wheel I’m sitting at in the “About Me” photo here on the blog. Not having $1,300 to spend any time soon, my mental substitution has always been the Symphony. It’s been years since I spun regularly on a Saxony, and that was my wobbly Ashford Traditional so there’s truly no comparison. Just the fact that it’s a double treadle is a deal changer for me. I need to sell lots and lots of yarn. :P

On top of all that, tomorrow’s Beltane with friends. I’m tired and run down enough that I was tempted to stay home, but we really need living room furniture and the big warehouse store is only a short distance away from Harriet’s house. When faced with two really good things that can both be accomplished by leaving the house, I cave in. Honest to god, functional, multiple sitting surfaces in our living room? Be still my heart.

Can you blame me for falling behind? Well, I suppose you could, but I’m so tired and achey that honestly, I couldn’t be bothered to care.

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Apr 26 2010

Chancellor’s Sheep & Wool Showcase 2010

Category: Bittersweet,Festivals,Vending — Mistress Rows @ 6:51 pm

Folks, you did it again. You came out, you supported independent artisans, and you rocked it big time. Sales were good in general for the Indie Oasis tent, and we have YOU to thank! We’re of a general consensus that wallets were a little tighter this year due to the economy, and we’re also sure traffic would have been even higher if it weren’t for the massive detour blocking traffic from the North, but it was a great show nonetheless.

There were MANY more vendors this year.

Gathering in one tent, full from end to end with friends and helpers, was better than I could have imagined. We laughed, we lent a hand, we supported each other. It’s a big thing, putting yourself out there, and I was giddy with happiness as so many of my fellow IO buddies came up to thank me for putting it together. Honestly, it was my pleasure! And come on… I benefited more than words can say since Steve was unable to help set up my booth Saturday morning. Matt, Becky’s housemate and budding wood carver, was indispensable, as was Jess’s nephew Brandon.  Thank you!

Matt, working on a crochet hook.

Each time I vend, and it’s only been a handful so far, I try to improve my booth. We were short one black tablecloth, but our redone from home fit the theme. Next time, more stock, and definitely adding the spinning fiber back in.

The whole booth, liking the new banner (despite resolution issues).

Strong morning sunlight makes for crappy photos, sorry. Still, yay!

Lace & chocolate, both beautiful things.

The heavier weight yarn table got no love, let me tell you.

My fellow Indie vendors made me proud to share a tent with them… if you were there, you know what I’m talking about. The amount of care that went into their booths, and how obviously skilled they were at what they do was plain as day. You ladies (and gent!) are incredibly talented, and I’m proud to call you friends and colleagues.

Sock yarn was a big hit, but even more so was the lace yarn below.

My first customers, a Concubine purchase on the left, and Angela's Ashes on the right. Thank you, ladies!

The lady on the left, a member of my former guild, fell in love with the Concubine (rich, tonal red) sock yarn and had to have them. She said she was going to knit herself a pair of red socks to wear to the Sheep to Shawl competition at Rhinebeck this year, and this was just the yarn to do it. You have no idea how awesome I think that is.

Natural light, yes!

This family of knitters is part of my quiet but fabulous customer base, I was thrilled to see them this year. Last year they wanted more lace yarn, and since I wasn’t vending I set up a yarn meeting at the show after doing the dyeing custom for them. Thanks ladies for your enthusiasm and for following me through the re-branding! These ladies are funny, sweet, and talented lace knitters. I look forward to seeing them next year.

Aliqae can model my lace yarn any time!

My sales were good, if a little less than in years past, but I am grateful for the influx of cash. Now I can restock my base yarns and get some forward momentum going. It was interesting, explaining to past customers about the rebranding and explaining what my thinking was. Everyone was supportive, and I got a lot of positive feedback on the new branding and on my dyeing. Vending is such a great time, even though it’s a lot of work, and it’s my favorite part of the whole business. Thank you, all of you… friends and customers alike!

Vending is fun. :)

Steve came by later and worked on his D&D stuff while manning the booth.

I have so many photos to share that I created a Picasa album to hold them, otherwise this post would be entirely too long. See the rest of them here.

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Apr 16 2010

5.5 Hours… Tick Tock

Category: Bittersweet,WOOL — Mistress Rows @ 6:36 pm

It boggles my mind, but it’s only 5.5 hours ’til registration opens for WOOL 2010! At 12:00 tonight the registration form will auto-post (please god thank you not like last year) and you will be able to pounce and reserve your spot for this year’s event. It’s our last year at Wiawaka, remember, and it’s going to be a great one I know. If you’re planning on staying in the Lake House (single occupancy rooms), make sure you’re either up late tonight or REALLY early tomorrow morning.

Opening night is my favorite part of the process, aside from actually being at WOOL. I love the excitement, knowing that other people are just as excited to secure their spots, and are looking forward to the event as much as I am. You know I do it for love, and I do so love making WOOL happen.

The wholesale bin.

I’ll spend my evening winding yarn, I’m down to the last few skeins of my wholesale order and then they’ll be labeled and into the mail tomorrow. There is are some real beauties in this batch, repeats of popular colors and some earlier colors I’d never gotten around to redoing. I hope that Valerie and Donna enjoy them as they unpack the box, what better kind of mail is there to get than a giant box of rainbow hued yarn?

This weekend? I get to start dyeing yarn for Clermont. Good god, you’d think I’d have started sooner, but then I did need to find a way to buy the supplies. And now, onward!

Mar 23 2010

Indie Oasis

Category: Bittersweet,Festivals — Mistress Rows @ 11:48 am
When Clermont rolled around last April, my fiber friends and I were somewhat let down at how few indie vendors there were. But since Carolyn and myself weren’t vending that year, we certainly couldn’t blame the show, right? We stood around, panting in the shade, and someone said, “we definitely have to vend next year”. I agreed wholeheartedly, and that’s when the  idea sprang fully formed into my head.

“We SHOULD all vend next year, and we can call ourselves the Indie Oasis!”

People, I suck at coming up with names. I really, really do. That’s how I ended up with Phoenix Fiberworks in the first place, it was the least offensive option before me, but it didn’t really light my fire so to speak. So, when a name comes to me just – like – that, I know it’s meant to be. There’s a subsonic reverberation that pings through the universe and the gods smile because I’m not quite as dense as they feared. I kept the idea aside, and once October came ‘round I hit up my indie friends with the details. I would book all our booths together, under one tent, and we would be an oasis of handmade and indie panache at the show. The idea went over very, very well!

View from the Clermont grounds.

Within a few days I had a working list of talented indie vendors that were happy to band together at Clermont. Our merry band includes:

We can’t go too far in delineating ourselves from the rest of the show the day of, the show administrator doesn’t want other vendors to feel like they’re being left out of something. That said, it’s fine to promote ourselves as a group, and you’ll be seeing the banner ad I created on Ravelry starting April 1st. We’ll be in rotation on our shop groups (for those that have one) as well as the WOOL, Hudson Valley Ravelers, and NY State Fiber Lovers boards.

Jess & Cris will be part of our group!

To say that I’m excited about this venture would be an understatement. It might not seem like a big thing, after all, we’d all be vending anyway, right? But it’s more than just a name. It’s about support, sharing strengths and experience with each other. Some of us are vending for close to the first time, some of us are seasoned pros. All of us know each other socially, and we are committed to seeing each other succeed. Most of all, we are all adamant about the power of handmade, and the care and love that goes into bringing our visions of color and craft to light for our customers. Someday I hope to grow this idea into something bigger, but for now, it’s about Clermont and the fantastic Chancellor’s Sheep & Wool Showcase.

Cutie pie!

If you are local, please mark your calendar. The event is on Saturday, April 24th, with a rain date of the 25th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show is small, but a great way to spend a few hours enjoying fiber, beautiful historic grounds, music, animals, and demonstrations. At only $8 admission per car, it’s a great way to spend the day with the family!

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Mar 17 2010

One Step At a Time

Category: Bittersweet,Festivals,Knitting,Life & Stuff — Mistress Rows @ 4:22 pm

It’s been a trying couple of days here, where it seems like the world is on my shoulders. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband, someone who will do the silliest things just to make me laugh. He’s a keeper, and I want to grow old with this man. Between my goofy husband and the beautiful weather we’re having today, I’m starting to feel a little more like myself. Being able to take my knitting outside during my break times feels like a gift.

Sock number two is well on its way.

As you can see, I’m making good progress on the second sock. My gauge is all over the place, probably due to my hands not being up to par lately, but it’s getting there. I’m still in love with the yarn and the pattern. Whenever I work on the project in public it gets compliments, people are struck by the combination. I’m old enough to quote “I love it when a plan comes together”.

I’ve started taking my medication again and it’s making me dizzy and sleepy, as usual. It’s amazing what a single dose of the stuff will do, but also noticeable is the fact that it starts to blunt the pain almost immediately. It isn’t supposed to work that way, but for me it does. I will most likely take a nap this evening, before Steve gets home from work, just to try and take the edge off the sluggishness. There are dishes to do and yarn to wind, it’s not going to get done by wishing! Speaking of the yarn, I can’t wait to photograph and list it, I think you guys are going to really like the colors.

In other shop news, I bought my bittersweetwoolery.com domain and my super-tech brother-in-law got it set up and hosted. We’ll be installing WordPress very soon, and Jess is creating the CSS file I mocked up in Artisteer. It’s this close to be really real folks, and in plenty of time for Clermont. I’ll be sharing some exciting news this week about that very show, stay tuned.

Last, but not least, my latest post is up at the Fiber Lust Confessional, take a look and find out why you should totally respect the hook.

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Feb 08 2010

Busy Sounds Like Fun

Category: Bittersweet,Designing,FO,Knitting,Spinning,dyeing,events — Mistress Rows @ 1:26 pm

It’s official, I’m building up my dyeing habit. I have to be careful, because I haven’t been feeling particularly great over the last few weeks, but I’m doing what I can and enjoying it. Wednesday evenings, no later than 10 p.m., are being set aside for updates. I’m not sure if my schedule will always include dyeing every single week, but I can definitely see myself dyeing enough for an update every two weeks at least. Knock on wood. Coming up this Wednesday are two new colors of sock yarn in lighter, spring shades, and two stunning lace yarns, one in a tonal chestnut, and one in a dazzling rich sapphire with eerie mint contrasts. Momma’s got a new shade of blue, and restocked her citric acid, so watch out!

There’s news on the knitting and spinning fronts too, stuff’s happening all over the place.

Test Knitting: My scarf pattern is being knit by several people, and aside from a stitch count error, which was fixed early on, it seems to be going well for people. The biggest issue that they’re coming across is finding just the right yarn. I’m going to change the requirements to note no larger than worsted. Also, apparently Noro can lead to some fugly chunks of color, so a variegated or solid yarn might be better when it comes to commercial yarns.

Modern Mob Cap

Designing: The hat I’ve been designing is done, photographed, and completely written up. I’ve got three small process photos to shoot, but as it is it’s ready to send out to test knitters. I love the hat, really love it. Because my hair is kept snug inside the slouch section, I don’t get static-y hair from tugging it out from under my coat, and then my scarf. It fits me perfectly. Not so much in love with the black dye globules that were evident when I gave the hat a bath. Very much in love with what the bath did for the drape and definition of the fabric. An FO post will come when the pattern is ready to publish.

Spinning: I finished spinning up some top I dyed a couple of years ago and forgot I had. It was a great spin, and I love how the finished yarn came out. Pictures and an FO post no later than Wednesday. I’m inspired to dye some of the top I have in the basement, I know there’s at least one or two of you who’d like to see more Sea Glass if I do nothing else.

 

A Warm Return, in progress.

January I joined my first SAL (spin along) in support of my friend Cris of Into the Whirled. Members of Cris’s Ravelry forum voted on member submitted photos, and the inspiration for three months worth of ITW loveliness was born. The club is very reasonably priced, and you can purchase your spot as they go up, one at a time, so there’s no large outlay of cash. This month’s color “A Warm Return”, was inspired by a photo of a Robin’s nest inside a bush. I’m loving the way it’s spinning up, and my plan is to chain ply it for socks.

Last, but not least, if you’re local, please don’t forget about the Stir Crazy Stitch & Spin on March 6th! I created a page for it on Facebook and some of the guests have suggested it to their friends as well. I have high hopes that I’ll see quite a few new faces, and of course my much loved regulars. Tonight I’m emailing a promotional flyer to several local yarn shops in the hopes of reaching even more new faces. If you’d like to hand one to your own favorite LYS owner or S’nB group, you can download and print one here. I hope to see you there!

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Feb 04 2010

Ooh, shiny! Jing tsai, da bianhua!*

Category: Bittersweet — Mistress Rows @ 11:49 pm

The last of the most recent yarn goes up tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m., most of it’s already listed! If there’s something you liked in the photo-montage from earlier this week, now might be a good time to pick it up. Think of it as color therapy for the winter doldrums. Now if only you could get your doctor to write you a script, you’d never have to feel guilty about your yarn purchases again!

In other good news, I got my stockpots in the mail, only two days after I ordered them. Now that’s some fan-damn-tastic free shipping! Boscovs gets points for that. Not as much fun? The fact that they didn’t list the pots as being 2nds. None of the flaws makes them unusable for my purposes, but still, you’d think in the interest of full disclosure. For $10, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, I’m just happy to have them. It makes me wonder about the other items on their closeout site though.

Also in Bittersweet news, I’ve set up a business page on Facebook. If you’re on FB, and you’d like to show your support for the shop, please consider becoming a fan of Bittersweet Woolery? I’ve linked my Artfire shop right into the page, and soon will be moving away from Etsy all together aside from a few odds and ends. Artfire just offers so much more in terms of flexibility and offsite extras (FB kiosk, sticky cart, discount codes, etc.). I love Etsy, and I’ve been with them in one form or another since they were less than a year old, but they simply haven’t responded to the changing needs of their vendors the way that Artfire has from the get go.

Coming in the future? A Bittersweet Woolery site of its own, complete with onsite vending and its own mini-blog. If I can figure out a way to keep it connected in some way to Rows Red, I will. No matter what happens, don’t think for a minute that Rows Red is going anywhere. I love this blog, and what I’ve built here. I can grow the Woolery and keep my blabbermouth ways, of that I am sure.

*Points to whomever can tell me where those quotes come from. Steve, you can’t play, you’d know right away.

**Extra points to whomever can also tell me what the second part translates to, and yes, you can look it up in an appropriate fan resource!

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Jan 18 2010

Inspiratus

Category: Bittersweet,Chez Chastinez,dyeing — Mistress Rows @ 1:30 pm

How is the house, now that we’ve survived the holidays and then some? The house is good, really good. We’ve had some misadventures with the furnace and a wonky fuel oil gauge, but we’re getting then hang of it. We have been blessed with recent gifts from friends, first with a free futon and later that day Wendy and Jody gave us a portable dishwasher! We’re thrilled, those two gifts alone have saved us many hundreds of dollars at a time when cash is thin on the ground due to having to pay up front for fuel oil. We’re going to need that futon too, Amy is coming to visit in February for her birthday! We can’t wait.

It’s hard to move into a house in the winter. The days are so short and cold, all you want to do is hibernate after work and on the weekends, but there’s so much that needs to be done. We’re getting things settled slowly, taking stock of what we can or need to do now and what we will have to tackle later. The house finally feels like ours, like our home. A lot of that stems from my early push to immediately fill the book case where my craft books are stored, hang my decorative metal votive sconces, and get piece meal curtains up on the living room window. Steve’s been wonderful, he’s really stepped up the challenge of weather proofing the house, getting things organized and moved, and of course keeping up with his eagle eye budget. Our next big task is getting the basement ready for my dye studio, which will unfortunately have to wait until the walls are insulated.

Sweet Nothings Lace Yarn in Cherry Bomb

Sweet Nothings Lace Yarn in Cherry Bomb

That didn’t stop me from fulfilling my first custom order of 2010, which came by way of a repeat Phoenix Fiberworks customer, an intrepid lace knitter named Linda. Linda’s blogless and not on Ravelry, which means I never get to see what she makes with my yarn. I have much to thank her for, she was very patient during my move and it was her order that spurred me to throw a few extra skeins in the pots and play. I need to make a sign that says “Dyeing is fun, you LIKE dyeing!” I still have such a hard time remembering that now that I’ve moved to kettle dyeing, and my Fibro is much more manageable, I LIKE DYEING AGAIN. That studio can’t be set up soon enough, seriously.

Guilty Pleasures Sock Yarn in Dragonfly

I think that kettle dyeing, and experimental over-dyeing, are truly the most fun I’ve had with yarn in a really long time. Monochromatic dyeing reminds me of a mysterious woman with hidden depths, there’s more than meets the eye at first glance. Over-dyeing, something I’m exploring only recently, isn’t as time consuming as I first thought… and really exciting. I started with dipping the sock yarn into the pot I was dyeing the Cherry Bomb lace in, but only for a moment. As I pulled it out I saw that it was satisfyingly mottled from pink, to blush, and some undyed areas. I used the exhausted water from Dragonfly to make up a pot of weak chocolate brown and voila! A rich blend of vintage pinks with a hint of caramel, and still not so “busy” that you couldn’t do cables or lace with it. Love. I even got them listed and up in the shop, go me.

Guilty Pleasures Sock Yarn in Pressed Petals

Most gratifying of all was the look on Wendy’s face when she and her husband came by to visit later that day. She liked the colors of the drying yarn well enough, and we talked about the dyeing, my choice in base yarns, and consumer tastes. I told her, touch the yarn, you’ll love it! Everyone really likes it when I do shows and it’s the first thing to sell out of. Well, wouldn’t you know, I’m not bullshitting and Wendy fell in love. Deep, abiding, ‘oh my god how much is it I want to take it home right now’ love. The happiness I get when my yarn makes knitters and crocheters happy is a rush that I need to remember as I build my plans for 2010.

Wendy and the sock yarn, sittin' in a tree.... K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

Because really, who wouldn’t be inspired when a customer has a reaction like that?

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Nov 11 2009

We’re Getting There

Category: Bittersweet,Designing,Life & Stuff — Mistress Rows @ 2:52 pm

I’ve been a busy bee on every front, which seems to be par for the course. Thankfully, the Fibro has been under control, and I know a large part of that is due to us packing slowly and methodically. We are often guilty of procrastination, but not here. We’ve moved far too many times to leave it to the last minute, and my body thanks me for it. Some of the things I’ve been focusing on:

House

  • Packing, obviously. Our entire life will fit in our spare bedroom, including over 20 boxes of books, not counting Steve’s 10,000 strong comic book collection and my craft magazine collection. The latter should add another four boxes.
  • Attempting to close, we’re almost there. We expect word from the USDA by next week. It can’t come soon enough for us, not to mention the very impatient seller. The broker ‘offered’ to eat the $700+ rate-lock extension fee, since it’s partially his fault we haven’t closed, and our rate was supposed to expire today. He didn’t apologize, actually “I’m not going to apologize”, but made the offer saying “you’re WORTH it”. We could see our lawyer’s eyes roll in her email, and the phrase “gag me with a spoon” comes to mind.
  • I’m finally allowing myself to believe it might actually happen, as evidenced by me taking advantage of a sale and buying something to go on the mantle over our fireplace in the new home. 40% off of $17 and an additional 20% via coupon meant it was a small luxury I didn’t need to feel guilty about.
  • Steve and I are going to look at furniture tonight, mostly just measuring and pricing out our needs. Those include a new love seat, two chairs, a coffee table, and a dining room set. Our old living room furniture is tattered and the seats are sprung, and while we expected to buy dining room chairs (ours are mismatched), our table doesn’t fit in our new house.

Business

  • I’ve contacted an organization for small business people and will be speaking with a consultant in my area after we move. The organization helps small businesses find out what options are open to them, offers consulting advice, and direct them to programs of interest.
  • My goal is to have my new DBA, new packaging, and my studio set up by January 1st. If I can sneak in some dyeing before then for the holiday rush, that would be great.

Designing

  • The Fascine sock pattern is out and getting some attention from a gaggle of test knitters, much to my joy. I know at least two pair are already started, and I look forward to seeing them knit up.
  • I’ve been getting several older patterns I’ve written and templated finished so I can put them up on Ravelry. At least one of them really doesn’t need to be test knit as it’s a simple cowl with crocheted border, so that will most likely go up first. This is the cowl I wear almost every day during the cold months, called Scaollopine. It’s so simple, but has an elegant border. I wish more of my friends were both knitters and crocheters, I love writing patterns that incorporate both!
  • I’ll be reknitting and actually documenting the Estrella Bella scarf pattern that I knit to wear at the 2008 SOAR fashion show in my Kryptonite handspun. It’s undocumented (but really pretty) because I hoped to submit it to Spin Off but never did. I think there’s never been a better time than now to get off my butt and do it.
Kryptonite

Kryptonite

So, that’s what I’ve been up to. I’ll say right now, there will be very few handknit gifts this year, if any. We haven’t even moved yet, but oh boy it’s going to get even busier.

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