|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sooooo, I’ve been told on a few occasions that I’m not updating my blog enough. You know how it is, time goes by and you feel maybe not so much has happened (at least that you think is interesting), and maybe there isn’t much progress on knitting to show, and maybe there hasn’t been a lot of new stuff coming in (wait a second, I did just get in a load of restocking stuff…more on that later)…but, okay, let’s think here. I FINALLY redid the edging on a little pink sweater. No picture…it pretty much looks like the original edging, except it doesn’t require holding it down when wearing. (Hooray!) Let’s not even think about the fact that it’s now been two months since it was given. Good thing it still fits, at least. I also finished the second black glove and it’s been sent…no picture there, either…scroll down and imagine a second one. (It IS done, honest!) I finished the back of a little dress for another little girl…lots to go, still, but I am making progress. And I’ve made a good start on another leaflet. My goal at the beginning of the year was one leaflet a month, and I was doing really well…and then spring hit with a million mag deadlines, and I blew it. April, May, and June went bereft…and I don’t know if I can make up for lost time, but at least I can continue on. So far the magazines are taking a bit of a breather themselves, and I’ll have to decide when the onslaught of submission deadlines rolls around whether or not to participate in the same frenzied manner as I have been the last few years. I’m kind of enjoying calling my evenings my own (which has been involving READING!!...tag teaming between two Barbara Kingsolver books: Prodigal Summer and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle), being on speaking terms with my kids and husband, and not dreaming about knitting specifications. The nice thing about my own leaflets is that it’s all on my own terms. I don’t have to “propose” or pitch an idea to anyone, and I can keep to my own schedule. Of course I don’t receive a tidy paycheque for my efforts all at once, either, but then again, I’m always amazed at the difference between what you’d THINK a designer would be paid, and what the paycheque actually amounts to for the amount of work involved (and the amount of rights relinquished). It’s good advertising, but only really if it moves you up to higher paying jobs or works to sell your leaflet line. I get plenty of work, but I’m not sure that the compensation is increasing accordingly over the years. In fact, because of the decreasing rate of exchange these days, I’ve gone down dramatically in wages since I first began magazine gigs in 2003…funny how that works. I’m not really grumbling, especially since I enjoy seeing my stuff in magazines, and I’ve been challenged to push my limits on many occasions, which is really a good thing, but I need to find a life balance. I still have a yarn shop to run, a family to enjoy and time to just call my own…and those are listed in priority sequence, as it’s been practiced the last few years. Hmmm, what? Was I going to talk about a shipment that arrived? Sorry. Sidetracked. Anyhoo, stuff just in…another “snack pack” assortment of Austermann STEP sock yarn with aloe and jojoba: they didn’t send a wide array of colors, unfortunately. Lots of greens and autumn tones. Call or email for shades. I think the greens will disappear pretty quickly, as I haven’t had any skeins in greens for quite some time. I also got in SCADS of solid shades in sock yarn, which are great for fairisle projects, or really textured ones (where the self-striping sock yarns obliterate the texture so you can barely see it…like with cabled or lacy socks). What kind of colors? Well, I won’t post photos, but there’s a gorgeous red, a “gold brick” yellow, a DARK charcoal (so dark it’s almost black, except for a touch of heather), natural, a dark shade that is a greenish-bluish-greyish tone (great choice for guy stuff), a raggy/tweed color that is very interesting, and then another medium-toned blue which I ordered as a new color, but which turned out to be pretty much exactly the same as a blue I already had. (Real life versus looking at a shade card explains this occurrence.) I already had lots of other colors in stock…pink, purple, light blue, olive, beige, chocolate brown (to name a few). This is great yarn for the Breeze sock, or for whipping up a few pairs of socks from Favorite Socks or Knitting Vintage Socks (both books are in stock). And, I’m pretty much fully restocked on all Lett Lopi shades…some of the brighter ones have been on short supply the last couple of weeks…there’s a Wink binge going on, it seems. As far as “NEW, NEW” stuff, there have delays for various reasons all over the place, so nothing to show right now. Still have some clearance stuff…still 5 skeins of light blue and 2 skeins of navy blue Sirdar Snowflake Chunky to go at half price, lots of Wonderwool (chunky yarn) for half price, more Hemp and Wool at “buy 2, get the 3rd skein free”…I’m condensing in the shop, but I really need more room for new fall stock! Feel free to help me out! For more info, just give me a call (toll-free): 1-866-690-WOOL (that’s for all of North America) or pop me an email note and I’ll be happy to give more details. Off to work. |
|
|
|
Friday, July 20, 2007 FINALLY, JA32 Casbah Ladies’ Pullover is all ready! 
Yup, shoulda been out in April, but with one thing and another (and various and sundry deadlines), it’s now July…but it’s done. Details: Knit in Ecoknit Organic Cotton DK and Fiddlesticks Raj Silk DK (100% recycled sari silk) for the contrast. Features shaped sides and ¾ length sleeves (with option to make into a sleeveless tank). A fun, all-season knit using my favorite kind of yarns…the ones with a conscience. I’m in the process of adding the pattern to the Patterns section of my website, as well as getting kit prices together…hopefully in the next day or two it’ll all be up. But, in the meantime, feel free to email or call me to order…everything’s ready in “real” life, if not quite up in virtual land. If you’re not a cotton or silk fan, any standard DK weight yarn may be substituted…use your imagination for your very own look! Let me know what you think! Thursday, July 12, 2007 
Had a final blocking, took pictures, it’s been worn to a summer birthday party…but I think it’s coming back to the kitchen table for touch-ups. The bottom hem edging, which curled suspiciously as it was being worked, but which I hoped would behave itself once given a final blocking…has decided it WILL be cantankerous. (My daughter is subtly holding it down in the photo.) I really wasn’t a fan of the whole edging process. The instructions said to pick up the sts, immediately cast them off, and then crochet into them. Since I had duly done this on the neckband and the sleeve hems, I figured I should be consistent, even though I was wondering why I didn’t just simply single crochet around for a foundation and then work the edging into that…so even with the warning bell going off for how finicky things were going, I persisted. But, on such a long surface as the bottom hem, the edging simply didn’t want to behave. No way to avoid it now…I’ll have to redo. (It annoys me too dang much.) So the edge won’t be completely the same. But at least it will actually hang DOWN and not fold up in such an irritating fashion. Moral of the story? Always listen to that little voice…it saves time in the long run.
I also knit a little Fiber Trends Winter Hat for the birthday boy…a matching one for his dad, coming up. Fun little pattern…but hard to size completely right without a little head there on which to mold a wet wool hat. Not exactly the season for it yet, but this way he’ll have it when the snow flies, instead of waiting till Christmas to get one. (That’s the tag still hanging off the hat at his cheek.)
OH! I also have all the pieces for my newest leaflet blocking as we speak. I’m sure it will take a bit till I get it sewn together, pictures taken, instructions written, and copies printed, but it’s well on its way. Yee haw! |
||
|
THE WOOLLEN EARTH, PO Box 2530, Vanderhoof BC V0J 3A0 Canada Phone: (250) 690-7777 1-866-690-9665(WOOL) Email: |
