Some Slightly Connected Things

Remember the socks that I was talking about a few weeks ago- the ones that were dragging along? Well, I did finish them. (They were the ones inspired by the song- see previous post) They were helped along considerably by the fact that they were the one and only knitting project I took with me on a weekend retreat the weekend before last. I knit over 11" of sock at that 1 and a half day retreat. I think that's pretty good for me; seeing as how I am nowhere near as speedy of a knitter as the YarnHarlot- even though I have taken her class on speed knitting, I have nowhere near as much practice as she has, and am therefore a whole lot slower and can't knit a complete sock in one day. Well, maybe I could if it was a small sock. But that's beside the point. At least for today.

As I continue to knit away on the the things that I can't share with you, the rest of my life keeps going. This is one aspect of it that is super cool.

We homeschool, so I get to say, "Ok, today we are studying the planets, so I want you to paint Styrofoam balls so we can hang them on the ceiling so you can learn the order of the planets from the sun. " Dude, it was so much more effective than I imagined. They know so much more about the Solar System than I do!

I also get to say, "Field Trip Day!" And take them to the zoo on a Tuesday. They loved it. It was especially cool this time because it was my Roo's first time ever. The sea lions were a bit overwhelming for him, he wouldn't stand up close with the others.

But he spent most of the morning saying "oooooooh" and "whoooaaaa". Which would have been even more cool if it had been directed at the animals instead of at how fun it was to run and crash. It was cute anyway, and we all had a great time.

Speaking of my Roo, the child is the biggest eater I've ever met in a toddler. My other kids hit this age, and didn't really eat a whole lot; kids can do that, you know. But this one? Nope. Wow. The boy can eat. So yesterday, I fed him breakfast (I honestly did, or I never would have gotten to eat mine- he'll just come over and start eating it- well, he usually does that even after his breakfast anyway, but honest, I fed him.), and about 2 hrs later, I came out of the back room from talking to another of the kids to find the crazy boy here:

Please notice the banana peel in front of him.

That was the first banana he had gotten. He climbed up, pulled off two bananas from the bunch, peeled them, and proceeded to eat them both on the spot. And his tummy was not noticeably huge afterwards, which you would think it would be. The boy is only 17month's tomorrow, and those were good sized bananas. No, the other kids didn't help him with this. He did it all by himself. And then he ate a big lunch too. Mom talks about my teenage brother doubling their grocery bill- this kid? I don't even want to think about it.

Inspiration

I get asked frequently where I get my inspiration for designs. That is a very difficult question for me to answer. It varies rather a lot.

Some examples:
Remember the Erratic Argyle which I recently fixed so it would fit my husband? That was a case of halfway seeing something out of the corner of my eye as I drove by some pedestrians and having a complete design formed in my head instantaneously. I came home, sketched it, and when Yarn Forward put out a call for menswear submissions- there it went.

Once on a "honeymoon" trip with my husband (we take one at least once a year), he graciously took me to a yarn store. I couldn't find anything and was ready to leave, but he asked me to look again and get something. I picked up some yarn from a back corner, and it said "I will be the perfect pair of socks you have been looking for". I finally knit that yarn last year, and yes, they are my perfect pair. I love them. (You have to wait for the book)I love it when yarn talks to me like that. Fabulous designs happen when the yarn talks. Like Hanging Gardens, and Love the Forest.

I get inspiration from books (The Lord of the Rings series), from movies (Alice in Wonderland Clubs), from songs (I just finished a design based on this song), and from pictures.

This is the inspiration I am working with right now

It was pretty tough to work out just how I wanted to do it. I think I will be pleased with the results, though.

Personally, I think my best designs are inspired by people.

I love working with people to find a design that they will wear and love. The Argyle Skater Sweater was the 2nd one I did for Joel, and one of my favorites. I've designed vests for my parents and my in-laws(sorry, that was before I was good about pictures). Every once in a while, when I design something for someone else, I have to admit that I don't really like the result. But you know what? I don't care whether or not I like it- if the person that I made it for does. If they like it, I've won.

I have to watch closely. I never know where inspiration is going to come from. Must be time to go the yarn store and see if the yarn will talk....

Interview and coupon code giveaway

I am very excited to be a part of the blog tour for Karen B, an independent yarn dyer who has a gorgeous line of yarns out right now called Colors from Nature.

Karen, just from reading your blog, I can tell you love the fiber arts. You dye yarn, you knit, you weave; how did you get started on all of this? And do you have a favorite in the fiber arts?
I've been involved with the fiber arts since I was a child. I first learned to sew in 1968 when I started 4-H. In fact, I still have my original sewing machine that my parents bought for me back then. I also learned to crochet when I was a child. I don't make my own clothes any more, but I made almost all of them when I was a child and, in fact, for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary I made my Mom a dress and my Dad a suit -- jacket, pants, the whole works.

Fast forward to 1996 or so. John was doing art fairs and I loved going to them with him. I met a weaver at the East Lansing Art Festival, realized she turned her handwoven fabric in clothes, and thought: I can do that. So I took a lesson at the Weavers Guild down in Minneapolis, and never looked back. I haven't quite progressed to making clothes yet but part of my life every summer involves traveling to art fairs to sell my handwoven rugs, table runners, towels, scarves, and the like.

In 2001 I decided I wanted to try and make my own yarn, so I bought a Majacraft spinning wheel. Massives of all different kinds of fleeces soon entered the house, but I realized that I didn't have the time or inclination to clean them, so I send them off to a processor so I get them back ready to spin. Eventually I'd like to use more handspun in my weavings for but now I'm just having fun spinning. My favorite fiber has to be alpaca and I have a dear friend who owns an alpaca farm; she lets me participate in shearing and their farm tour, so I get all the fun without the monetary involvement. Other than buying a fleece from her every year!

In 2003 I decided that I wanted to learn how to knit socks. I have no idea why! (lol) The first sock was not quite pure torture when I got to the heel because I like to figure out stuff before I do it, and I could not wrap my mind around the progression of the directions, so just decided to do one row at a time -- the short row heel turning. Once I got past that, I was fine.

I really don't have a favorite, I love them all. I just wish there were 48 hours in a day sometimes.

How long have you been dyeing yarn to sell? What are some of your business goals for the future? (if you don’t mind sharing)

I've been dyeing yarn maybe 4 -5 years, more or less for fun, but last year for Shepherd's Harvest (the MN Sheep and Wool festival, held Mothers Day weekend) I dyed and sold several skeins of sock yarn so I began to thought that maybe I had something. I kinda let the sock dyeing slide during the rest of the summer because I was busy with art fairs and farmers markets, but in December I determined that either this yarn business had to succeed. Because of the economy, I had been looking, to no avail, for part time work. Nothing was out there, so on a whim I applied to Sock Summit (one of my goals) and the goal was just to apply. I thought, if I was lucky, that maybe I would be accepted in another couple of years. Much to my surprise and delight and ACK! WHAT DO I DO NOW!, I got in.

Being as I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams with my Sock Summit goal, I need to figure out new goals and am still working on that. I suspect the biggest one would be selling my yarn wholesale to a show but I'm not sure I'm ready to do that yet. Ideas are welcome, if anyone has suggestions.


Your Etsy store has some gorgeous yarns. Some are colored with commercial dyes and some with natural dyes. I know nothing about dyeing- how different are the processes with the different dyes? Do you have a preference for commercial or natural dyes? If so, why?

Chemical dyeing involves dissolving the chemicals in water. I've processed the dyed yarn a couple different ways: one involves putting the mordanted yarn in a roasting pan (dedicated to dyeing alone, I won't use it for food), and painting it with the dye and then baking it in an oven for 1/2 hour at 200 degrees. I've also dipped skeins into a simmering dyebath once last summer at a friend's house and really liked that, so I propose to do more of that this year.

Natural dyeing involves soaking the dyestuff in water for a 24 hr period, then I bring it to a simmer on the stove, then strain it, then put it back on the stove. The mordanted yarn is submerged in the dyebath and left to simmer for about an hour, then I take it out, let it cool, rinse it, then let it dry.

I have no preference really. I can achieve much brighter, more varied, colors with chemicals but the natural dyes can also produce some unexpected colors, and it's always interesting to see what I do get. I never really know until I take the yarn out of the dye bath.



these are freshly harvested walnuts. I have to cut them in half to get the seed out, and then lay the halves out to dry. My fingers end up quite brown.


What are some of the natural substances you use for dyeing; and where do you obtain them?

Most of the dyestuffs we procure from our yard or garden, or John's work shop: walnuts, goldenrod, tree bark, hollyhocks, marigolds, indigo. I've only bought one item, some brazilwood, that we proceeded to chip up.

How do you decide what color(s) to create on the fiber?

I can control the colors some when I chemical dye and try to create what I envision. Last year I had a sudden dye fit, where I had to dye yarn revolving around local birds: the loon, the hummingbird, the baltimore oriole. I think I mostly succeeded. With natural dye I can hope but nature makes the color, not me.

walnut stellina superwash sock yarn.


I understand you dye out of your home. Do you have a special studio, or is your kitchen multi-purpose?

Our kitchen is multipurpose, but I refuse to use anything toxic, like the copper and iron mordants, as they are difficult and require special procedures to dispose of. I always clean up afterwards, and anything I use for dyeing is not used for food preparation.

You’re going to be at Sock Summit, (I’m very excited to see you there and get to actually pet some of your yarns!) do you go to any other fiber festivals during the year??

This year I will be at Yarn Over (the MN Knitters Guild get-together), Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival, and of course Sock Summit. I have an application in to the Michigan Sheep and Wool Festival and I’m on their waiting list. Crossing fingers ....

the beginning of my shawl knit with the walnut dyed stellina yarn

Thank you so much for letting me host you on your tour, Karen. I wish you luck in getting in to the Michigan Sheep and Wool Festival!

Karen has provided a 10% off coupon for one of my readers in her Etsy store. Leave a comment here before 12pm March 12th, and you will be entered in a drawing.

Follow the rest of Karen's blog tour:
March 9: Sunset Cat Designs
March 10: Purls Entwined

Slowly knitting

This latest design is dragging. And I'm not sure why.

I'm working with yarn I really really like. I'm happy with the pattern I'm trying to put it in. I am liking the result so far. But it is still dragging.

I could blame the lack of knitting time. I think that is definitely playing a part in it. I have been so busy this week. And I really can't tell you what I've been busy with because I'm not sure.

Does that ever happen to you? Do you run around like a chicken with its head cut off and have no clue what you've been running around doing??? I know I'm getting things accomplished, but they're not really anything to speak of, ya know? Normal day to day things like cooking, cleaning, running errands, getting groceries. Things that wear you out and take up so much of your time, but at the end of the week, you really don't have anything to show for it. Mostly because it all gets eaten up or messed up or used up. That's the kind of stuff I've been busy with lately. For some reason, this week is chock full of that kind of busy-ness.

But I can't blame the drag on the design entirely on the lack of knitting time. A lot of it, but not all of it. I think I have to blame the rest on the fact that I already knit this once. Once with a lot of problems and it's no good, and I have to rip it out, and I will rip it out when I am done with the re-do so I can knit the other sock so that I have a pair so that I don't have one cold foot and one warm foot after the photography session is done and I get to have this pair to wear because I'm making it for me because I don't have very many socks and I need more and I love this yarn and I want this pair for me. (That was some of the fastest typing I've done in a while. *pant, pant*)

I have horrible SSS (*Second Sock Syndrome for those of you who aren't into the knitting lingo). And I am demonstrating that now. I need to get a grip and just do this. I will. I should be able to have a complete sock by the end of the weekend. Then I'm giving myself a week to rip out the 1st one and re-do it. It's on US size 3 needles, not the 0's, so that will help a LOT. I'll be back to the 0's after this design is done. (Hah! The next design is going to feel like it's taking forever after working with the 3's!!! )


I know my posts are sadly lacking in pictures lately. It's very hard to share what's up when so much of my knitting is secret. I guess I'll have to find something besides knitting to talk about next week.

Tuesday Tidbits

1)I've been working on this pretty Fair Isle sock design for one of the books. I think I'm gonna like it when I finally get it complete. I better like it. I've worked on it for a week, and I only have a toe to show for it. That would be because I completed it, looked at it, thought about it, and started from the beginning. Frogged. All the way. The stitch pattern was great, but the construction and other details need some further attention. Fortunately, I like colorwork- and especially with this yarn.

2)I can be a bit clueless sometimes. I really like Malabrigo yarn, but I had no idea where it was made. It was a pleasant surprise when I recieved some yarn from them to read the return address. I must say it is the first time I've ever had a package from Uruguay.

3)I have this thing about saving the best for last. I like to savor good things. When I was a little girl, I would eat the food on my plate in a very specific order- from my least favorite to my favorite. I discovered that this was a problem, because my Dad would come through the house and grab a snack on his way by...sometimes off my plate. And inevitably, because it was still on my plate, he would get what I had wanted the most to eat! But for some reason, this never stopped me from saving what I considered to be the best to be enjoyed last.

4)Yesterday, I went to the bank. (yippee, right?) I handed the teller some money. And I walked out of the bank with Joel's van completely and totally paid off. No more payments. (note here- we actually hadn't had the loan long enough to pay more than the down-payment) This after using almost every penny in our account to pay for repairs to my van.

Sometimes, all you can do is just Praise the Lord. He always provides for us. This is just one of the many examples of His provision in our lives. By the blessing of God through the Body of Christ, we are provided for yet again. Thank you. You know who you are.

The Bread Machine Story

I promised you a story today.

But first, thank you for all the comments, ideas and suggestions about how my bread turns out! You all agree that it has to do with the yeast...and I am sure you are correct. There is a really good chance that it has to do with the temperature of my water affecting the yeast- I doubt the issue is the yeast itself, because it came out of the same package for both loaves. It could also be how I measure the salt. I will be more careful about that as well.
I was originally thinking that it may be because I occasionally omit ingredients. I am allergic to milk, so I don't add dry milk, and I substitute water or rice milk for buttermilk and regular milk. But the 2nd loaf (Spicy Gingerbread) was supposed to have dry milk, and it was fine. The first loaf (Whole Wheat Sesame) I had all the ingredients for. But that loaf consistently turns out like that. It rises fine, but when it starts cooking, the top falls in. It's not a brick- it's not thick and doughy, really, it is nice and fluffy and yumm (the best toast! I really want to make vegan French Toast with it!), but it's a bowl-top.
I will try to measure my salt more carefully and be more consistent in the water temperature. I'll let you know what I did if I get a WWSesame loaf with a nice round top.

This is my bread machine.

I LOVE it. I use it constantly. At least 3 times a week. Joel uses homemade bread for his work lunch sandwiches now; and we use it for snacks, I make our hamburger buns, desserts, even dinners (Stromboli, mmmmm) with it. It is fantastic. It also saves us a great deal of money. I used to spend in two weeks on bread what I now spend for 3 months of flour/yeast/etc. And I did not purchase the machine.

On November 11, 2010, I posted on Plurk (look me up as Lobug) that I wanted a bread machine for my birthday in December. I was trying to figure out how I could convince my Mom or Joel to buy one for me. ;) And I thought that was it. Something nice, but whatever, whenever, you know?

On November 17th, these came in the mail:

(the Post-It notes were not included. I use these constantly; just in case you wondered....) And the receipt had 2 names on it. 2 names of my Plurk buddies. So naturally, I very excitedly posted a thank you- thinking all the time, "wow, now I really have to talk Mom or Joel into the machine!!"- only to find out that that was not the extent of my birthday present. A few days later, my machine showed up at my door. 9 of the most amazing people blessed me with an early birthday present (I got to use it for Thanksgiving dinner!!!). Only 1 of those 9 have I ever met in person. (I love that I get to meet and know so many wonderful people because of the internet!)So KarenGMT, AlliCat, Strem3kids, Trillium, Elvisneedsboats, RozinPDX, KelticKarma, Mishya75, and Painty, this is my (very late, I'm sorry) public thank you to you amazing, wonderful women. Thank you. I think of you every day. ;D

Sweaters and Bread

No, Sweaters and bread really don't have anything to do with each other- other than the fact that that's what I'm going to be talking about here.

Do you know how hard it is for me to find titles for my blog posts? Well, sometimes it's not that hard, but the majority of the time it's the hardest part of the post. Maybe that's part of the reason I design knitwear instead of being a writer. Ok, now that we're done with that rabbit trail, I'll try to get back to the subject(s).

I did it. I finally finished the modifications on Joel's sweater. It only took me two years. He wore it Sunday. It looked really good on him, but you'll have to take my word for it because I totally did not get a picture of him wearing it. I thought of it. I told him I was going to have to get a picture. And then I didn't. Although, when I saw him wearing it, I realized I was going to have to take the leftovers from the sleeves(yes there were leftovers. Guess they were puffier than I realized):

(pacifier for scale) and put them around the waist. Making a sweater for a model is entirely different than making one for my lengthy husband. It fits ok, but it would fit better if it was just a few inches longer. Like 5. But that will have to wait. I am getting a bit behind in my self-imposed schedule for my book designing- and so I'm going to kick that into high gear for awhile and see if I can get ahead with it.

I just finished another club design today, so that's the last one for a bit and I can focus on book #1- for which I have 3 more patterns I need to get to my test knitters.

As for the bread- well, there's this really cool story about how I got a bread machine last year. I was going to share it, but all of a sudden there are some needy little ones surrounding me- so I need to cut this short. Come back on Thursday for the cool story.

In the meantime, can anyone who uses a bread machine tell me why sometimes I get loaves like this:

and sometimes I get loaves like this:

What did I do differently? I'm really not sure. Bread machines are one of the very rare places where I actually follow the recipe even to the actual measuring of the ingredients.....

Story on Thursday. Not about how I got different loaves, 'cause I don't know- but about how I got a cool bread machine to bless my family. :D