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Friday, February 22, 2008
Where has the time gone? And I haven’t even gotten much done since my last post to make this one interesting!! Last time I had bunches of Finished Objects to show, and this week I’ve been working on stuff (honestly), but really don’t have any proof! I now have the front and back finished for my newest leaflet pattern…only two sleeves left and the putting together, but then there’ll be the sizing, the pattern writing, the proofing, the photos, etc…so I imagine it’ll still be some time. I’ve also spent a good portion of last week and some of this week getting together some design proposals, but swatches and sketches don’t make good blog fodder, sorry. Aaaaannnnd, hmmmmm, what else? Oh, something I CAN show a photo of, one finished Darrowby Walking Sock: 
It doesn’t have its ends darned in, and hasn’t been blocked, but for all intents and purposes, we’ll call one sock “done”. And even the other one started…see, there’s the proof! I’ve been using the Rocky Brook birch d.p. needles for these, and I love them. Light, warm, quiet, and pointy enough to grab the stitches nicely. Not to mention from a very friendly small company in New Brunswick…who has been listening to our requests and taking them seriously, adding sizes we request to their line!!! 3.25 mm and 4.5 mm are going to be available, as well as needles in walnut and cherry wood to compliment the birch ones. Wooden swifts, too, sometime soon. The size I’m using for these socks is 4.0 mm, and these are the 6” length, set of 5. I haven’t knit this sock in AGES, but wanted to revisit it, and am glad I did! A nice, heavy boot or sandal sock, with just enough colorwork to make things interesting, but without making it a “I’ll never finish this!!!!!!” project. The pattern instructs to knit the toe in the same shade as the heel, but as I was using from my stash, I didn’t have enough to finish off both socks with that much red, so I substituted in another contrast color, and I like it. When I make up the kit, I use Briggs and Little Tuffy (which is what I’ve used for the socks in the photo above), and a skein of each of the 4 colors is included…which is probably enough to get two pairs or so of the largest size, switching around colors…maybe more if you make smaller sizes. Check out my corrections page if you already have a copy…a couple of little things I corrected…new orders will receive the updated version. Hey! Have a great weekend! |
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008 Sorry for the lag in postings here…felled by a nasty cold/flu that first took out a couple of kids and then me…enough, even, to make me close on a regular shop day, and that is indeed a rarity! Nasty, nasty thing. But I am back, and I have finished goodies to show! Finished my Briggs and Little Heavy Socks which will be down in the shop with the Tuffy yarn, on display until such time as I gift them (they are officially part of my “gift cache”). I used some leftover Classic Elite Kelso for the brown tweed stripes, and I’m sure the intended recipient will weep with gratitude, for all the years they’ve been “hinting” that they need another pair. 
Also finished a little pair of socks, 5 year old size, using the remainder of some Online Beach Socks from a ladies pair I made last year, and finishing off in some Lang Jawoll solid color. The only thing I don’t like about these is that the bright shade of solid yarn sort of fades out the self-striping yarn and makes it appear a little dull, even though a pair of socks knit entirely in this Beach Socks color looks nice n’ colorful. But they’re fun for kids, and used up every last scrap of my skein of Beach Socks…can’t tell you how satisfied that makes me feel. Again, for the ‘gift cache’. 
And, I finished off a pair of Felted Ballet Slippers (Fiber Trends pattern) for a special February birthday gal. I needle felted a little design on the toes just for fun, and I think they’re just the thing for someone whose birthday falls so close to Valentine’s Day. These were a very quick knit, and I now have a kids’ pair requested by my eldest. Knit in Istex Lett Lopi, my favorite felting yarn…felts quickly and easily and comes in lots of colors. Let me know if you’re interested in either the pattern or the yarn! 
Oh, and I just received my copy of the latest Crochet Today! magazine (March/April ’08 issue), with my little “Textured Cardi” in it: 
[Photo Courtesy SoHo Publishing] It appears the directions took a few pages to print, which was sort of nice in the end, as it allowed for FOUR pictures of the sweater. This was actually a pretty quick crochet project, so don’t let the “volume” of instructions fool you. There are no side seams to sew, which also makes for quick finishing! Should have some new goodies in soon…will share when they arrive! Friday, February 01, 2008 The title says it all. It’s been a whirlwind of one sort or another around here for actually more than a week, including (but not limited to): new products arriving and selling so fast that I can hardly keep up; my youngest taking a trip to emergency after a splendid “trip” on Barbie toys that sent a side of a face flying smack into the corner of a dresser; the weather dipping LOW and staying LOW…so LOW that we had a water pipe freeze for the first time in the 10 years we’ve lived here, but thawed it without mishap (I think), thanks to the over-the-phone advice of our plumber (the plumbers are just too busy around here to actually get out to anyone’s house in less than about a month…man, I love that plumber!!); and a multitude of other things that I can’t even remember off the top of my head. Crazy. But it’s Friday, and it’s the first day of February, and I wanted to make sure I posted today to remind everyone that my leaflets (The Woollen Earth line) are now $6.49 CDN each as of today. In conjunction, all coordinating kits have also increased in price to account for the new leaflet rate. I also wanted to let you know about some fabulous new wooden needles that I’m happy to be stocking. If you are one of my email newsletter subscribers, you will already know all about these…I sent out a note last week, and promptly sold out of a couple of sizes. Yes, at long last, beautiful birch knitting needles from New Brunswick (for which I’ve been waiting since August)!! I can’t believe they’re actually here, but they are, and they are GORGEOUS! I had a letter included with the box from the woodworking gentleman who makes them, explaining that after we last spoke about a delay caused by a piece of broken machinery (this happened in August or September and the new piece of machinery had to come from Sweden or somewhere FAR away), that his shop then caught on fire, and since his house was only 20 feet away, it did too…and both of them burnt to the ground. Now he has TWO shops up and running (one of which is devoted entirely to knitting needle and other craft supplies woodworking), and his new house is plenty far away AND with a duck pond between it and the shops.  And now I have my needles. Most of the needles I ordered are double points, all of them in sets of five…and Mr. Fisher specially made some 3 mm 6” needles just especially for all us sock knitters! They are absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately, the 3.0 mm needles are one of the sizes that sold out instantly. I do have LOTS of other sizes, though, and plan to put the needles up on my website as permanent offerings that will be easy to order online! 
I also have a FEW pairs of straight needles…I had ordered a few sizes to complement what I didn’t have in August…and of course things have changed by now, especially since I have lots of the Serendipity needles. Both the Serendipity needles and these are birch, and feel absolutely wonderfully smooth. The main difference is that the Serendipity have the unique polymer clay bead ends, and these ones do not. They are, however, COLOR CODED by the simple, round bead end, which is nice, AND…I have some 16" long needles! For those of you who like to knit on 2 needles instead of with a circular, you might appreciate the extra length for larger projects…anything longer than a 14” needle is practically impossible to find!!! 
If you have any questions about what I have in stock for these right now, just give me a call or send me a note. And as I say, I will eventually have these up on my Needles and Notions page for easy reference and ordering. After the first onslaught of orders for these needles, I had lots of customers asking where Mr. Fisher gets the wood for his needles, and he wrote me a lovely note to explain. “As far as your question about the wood is concerned, we purchase our rough lumber from a local wholesaler. We only deal with sellers that practice reforestation. Some of our wood also comes from cabinet shops. We buy their scrap that would normally end up being burned or sent to a landfill site. I don't like to see anything go to waste. We even try to use boxes we collect from the local businesses so we don't have to cause more waste. The coloring on the tops of the needles is a water-based ink, not a paint. There are no fumes and it is non-toxic. We even find a use for the shavings produced when we turn the lumber into dowel. One full day of production in the shop produces less than half a garbage can of waste.” What do you think, folks??? Just my kind of guy. And the fact that he took the time to explain, says it all about this company. They will have walnut and cherry needles ready hopefully by the end of this month, and are looking into producing wooden swifts. As for the 3.0 mm d.p. needles he specially made for me, they are now not only on the regular production list, but he also told me that they’ll have to step up on the quantity produced, as this is their most popular size needle! Well, what can we say?? We like to knit socks! I am so pleased to be able to offer these 100% CANADIAN needles, and to support the friendly people who have made them! The best part? They don’t cost an arm and a leg!!! The prices are simple…either $10 / pair or set or $11 / pair or set, depending on the size. For Canadian, sustainable, small-business, great service, fabulous quality…it’s an amazing deal! I just can’t lose with those folks from New Brunswick! Wouldn’t you just love to use some of these birch needles with the local alpaca yarn????? (See my last post for that information.) If you’re thinking of purchasing a Woollen Earth pattern or kit or two, why not give a set or pair of Rocky-Brook needles a try along with ‘em? All right. I’m off. I want to finish my last Briggs and Little Heavy Sock so I can start a pair of Darrowby Walking Socks and try out a set of Rocky-Brook 4mm d.p. needles! Keep warm! |
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THE WOOLLEN EARTH, PO Box 2530, Vanderhoof BC V0J 3A0 Canada Phone: (250) 690-7777 1-866-690-9665(WOOL) Email: |