Thursday

Posted on Posted in design, what makes me tick, Works in Progress (WIPs)Tagged , , 11 Comments

I have been exhausted all week. I don’t know if I’m coming down with something, but other than working, all I really want to do is sleep.

I am still working on this Ohio Star Cowl which may be better suited to a giraffe once I finally get the short rows done on the front. I really want to finish it!

The bad news is… Kate Davies had to put the Knitting Season Club on hold due to health reasons. I’m not sure where that leaves the design contest.

The good news is… my first Ottobre arrived! There are a few things I would like to make, but that means I would have to buy fabric! That wouldn’t be so bad, but I already have sewing projects lined up.

I recently read this article which has me wondering why I always want to turn my hobbies into a job. Granted, when I was home with kids making and teaching and selling my wares at craft fairs, that line of reasoning made sense. But now I have a job, a good job I love, and I seem to be good at it. So why don’t I just let my hobbies be hobbies and enjoy them? I don’t have to justify or monetize them, do I?

Tea and Books, and a Swatch

Posted on Posted in design, life, what makes me tickTagged , , , , 8 Comments

I’ve noticed knitting blogs also have a tendency to run toward tea and books, so I thought I would share my new favorite tea.

I have been drinking Level Ground coffee for a couple of years, but this is the first time I’ve tried their black tea. It was on sale at work so I stocked up. It’s delicious!

I was worried about drinking black tea on top of coffee, but I notice I sleep better when I drink black tea. Bob says it’s the Theanine. I remember my ADHD psych telling me that if I’m not sleeping well, I’m probably undercaffeinated. I thought that was hogwash, but now I’m starting to wonder.

I am looking through stitch dictionaries to help me with my designs. Believe it or not I also owned the Vogue Knitting ones in addition to these -Interweave and Walker. I donated the Vogues to a knitting group for a potluck swap. The recipient was very happy. I got an Encyclopedia of Embroidery Stitches, so I was also pleased.

I do sometimes read non-knitting books, but not as much as I’d like. Right now I’m listening to Leviathan Wakes on Bob’s recommendation. Pam mentioned fandoms and I decided if I was going to have a “thing” I wanted to share it with Bob. So we’re trying to make The Expanse our thing and we’ve started watching the show. I’m a little disappointed with the show because I don’t feel it represents the diversity and social justice issues as well as the book, though I should probably give it more than two episodes.

I’m starting to wonder if we should make Godzilla our thing like Skeinherder. Honestly, I’m pretty sure horror is our thing.

I spent all of my knitting time yesterday working on this swatch in the round. I did a fair amount of improvising. I’m not 100% pleased but it’s a start.

If you have a holiday today, enjoy! If not, Happy Monday. 🙃

Studio Sunday

Posted on Posted in art, design, fiber loveTagged , , , , 5 Comments

Bob and I had a lovely hike yesterday, and I got lucky with this photo, which I plan to make into a felt painting.

Today’s essay from Knitting Season Club is about losing yourself in the creative process. I don’t need any help with that as I am a daydreamer by nature, but she did share two songs from Alice Coltrane. How refreshing to be introduced to a female jazz great, and I now have a new favorite song which I am currently listening to on repeat as I swatch in the studio.

I have two design ideas for the Warm Hands competition. I am swatching for both today. One design is for Milarrochy Tweed, the other is for Ard Thir. These arm warmers were knit for me by my friend Marjorie (holla!) and they, along with this alpaca poncho from Bolivia, are my inspiration for one design.

The other is a spin off of a design I was already working on. I’m being careful not to put too much out there, because designs aren’t considered if they’ve already been made public.

And I got some new yarn this week!

This is Cabecou Lace in Sel Gris. I will knit Anne Hanson’s Dust Devils with it. This yarn smells really good, by the way. I had a hankering (get it?) to knit something lace this summer.

I’d better stop yapping and get swatching.

Saturyay

Posted on Posted in design, mittens and gloves, socksTagged , 4 Comments

February is that month when you’re supposed to finish it, frog it, or forget about it. I don’t normally follow prompts, but I realized I was avoiding knitting on my sock, probably because it was boring. So I frogged it.

I tried to get JoJo to wear it like a turtleneck, hoping she would run around and help me pull the yarn out, but no such luck. I kept saying, “C’mere! C’mon! It’ll be fun!” And Bob said, “Are you hearing yourself?” So I gave up.

I love this yarn and I have a couple of cabled clog sock patterns, so I’ll cast on one of those at some point probably. Although I’m more than a little smitten with the Purl Soho toe up sock pattern. The only pair of socks I knit that I actually wear were toe up, which makes me want to get the pattern even more.

I spent some time perusing glove and mitten patterns to see if I could get inspired. I wanted to knit myself some gloves this year from Milarrochy Tweed. I thought, “Perfect! I’ll design myself some gloves and submit the design to the contest!” But I’m completely uninspired.

I was hoping I would be able to get a sense of what my design aesthetic is by what I like, but my likes are all over the place! I like bright colorwork, subdued cables, comfy cozies, clever textures, funny graphics, and over the top cosplay.

I told myself, “Make a pair of gloves that you would enjoy knitting and wearing.” But I don’t know what that is. I currently wear knit alpaca gloves and mittens from Bolivia, and I would say they are very warm and on the plain side. I would get bored knitting them by hand. (Sock lesson learned!)

I would also like to make some thrummed mittens one day, and the Ard Thir yarn might be a good fit for that.

Today is date day/night and we are going hiking and then to dinner. I look forward to posting hiking in the naturehood photos tomorrow! Have a great weekend!

Friyay -All the Things

Posted on Posted in what makes me tick, yarnTagged , , , 3 Comments

I received my first installment of the School of Wool Club from Knitspot.

It’s a skein of sport weight Targhee! How did they know I love the squishy sponginess of Targhee?

Look at this beautiful yarn inspired by the coloring of the female cardinal:

(📷 copyright cornbreadandhoney)

And check out this Harry Potter inspired knitting themed enamel pin!



Did you hear Kate Davies is having another design contest? I want to enter but I have zero ideas at this point.

I’m so glad it’s Friday.

Remember When I…

Posted on Posted in art, design, sewing, what makes me tickTagged 6 Comments

Today’s blog post brought to you by Knitting Season Journal prompt, Facebook memories, and lunch time naval gazing.

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Remember when I turned the front room in my house into my first studio? The walls were a cheerful green, and I had Ikea cubes full of yarn, fabric, fiber, patterns, books, tools, sketchbooks, colored pencils, there’s even a statue of Indra up there. It was a very creative and prolific time for me. I was knitting and sewing, designing garments and knitting patterns, teaching, and making artwork, most of it knitted.

 

I had to scroll back through a decade of old Facebook photos to get these – back through other memories and times when I hurt so bad that I hurt all the way through, all the time. I felt that phantom heart pain as I scrolled – and tried to scroll faster so I wouldn’t feel it! Anyway, these dresses. I loved this dress so much I made two for friends and one for me. I wish I still had mine, the linen one on the right.

 

I made a lot of fun things. All of the things I’ve shown here, with the exception of the hand dyed, hand spun mulberry silk yarn and the linen dress, were birthday gifts for friends in my Mother Artists at Work group. It was friends that got me through those dark times. Thank you, friends!

Sunday Studio Time

Posted on Posted in design, scarves and cowls, sweaters, Works in Progress (WIPs)Tagged , , , , 5 Comments

I was good and completed my swatch for The Oa on the smaller sized needle. I haven’t steamed it yet. I also threw in a row of the green for color C to see how it would show up and I’m really glad I did, because it doesn’t! Show up that is. I also tried some knit 2 of A and C before binding off, just to be sure. Someone who has more experience with colorwork probably would have seen this coming. It’s ok, though. I ordered two balls of black and I’m sure that will work.

This week’s Knitting Season assignment was to write every day with the prompt, “Remember when I…” So I wrote about the time I dyed this silk top blue, spun it into yarn, and knit it into this tam. It’s a little beat up now. I wore it and so did some of the kids, which made me happy. It inspires me. I think I might like to save up and get a spinning wheel again.

I also spent some time working on this design for a colorwork Ohio Star Cowl and beanie.

And the original Ohio Star Bandandit is almost done, but I ran out of yarn! I ordered another 2 ounce hank and am looking forward to blocking it and wearing it. I want to knit another one with more texture work in The Fibre Co Arranmore Light in St. Claire, the bobbly tam yarn.

So it has been a productive week. I guess I am slowly but surely getting closer to reaching my goals.

People ask me how I do all of this on top of a full time job and my very part time work with Haven Herbs, and I can say with certainty it’s because Bob does all of the shopping, cooking, and cleaning. And he does it because he likes it. I do my own laundry and dishes, and clean the bathroom sometimes, but that’s really it. So shout out to Bob! ❤️ Also, I only have one kid still in school and he is super low key. ❤️

And I’m a much happier person when I am knitting. ❤️

ETA: I cut a steeeeeeek!

Nailed it!

Posted on Posted in shawls and haps, sweaters, Works in Progress (WIPs)Tagged , , 7 Comments

Hit the gauge smack on for The Oa and I love these colors! Now I’m supposed to knit it again in a smaller needle size, and I suppose I should do as I’m told, but you know I want to cast on the sweater now.

I am still making good progress on Celtic Myths. It won’t be long before it’s cabled knotwork time!

It’s Saturday and I don’t have to work and I might knit on the couch in my pjs all day.

ETA: My first version of this post was a little snarky. I felt bad about it so I deleted all that nonsense, but if you subscribe to my posts via email you get the original, unfiltered for snark version. Bob calls this “the real Alissa” and saves these posts for posterity.

It was just me grumbling about Instagram fatigue and how I should have artfully strewn flower petals in my knitting photos.

Expand and Contract

Posted on Posted in holidays, sweaters, tools, what makes me tick, yarnTagged , , 10 Comments

This is my new Cascade 220 Sport for The Oa.

A friend and I were talking and she mentioned expansion scares her. Change is challenging for her. Not me, I love change, but lately I’ve been feeling a similar way. I expanded a lot in 2018. But now I’m feeling anxious and like it’s time to shrink back into myself. No more clubs, goals, or new things! Just knit on what you got, girl!

I signed up for FibreShare and it’s really fun, but it’s hard (for me) to know when to stop. I’m new at this, and when I hear what others are doing I think I’m not doing enough! Anyway, I have to ship international priority, and there’s a limit to what I can squeeze into that Tyvec mailer!

Are you a Valentine’s Day celebrator? Here’s a quiz for you, either way. I’ll go first.

1. Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day at home with your parents when you were a kid? If so, how did you celebrate?

My mom usually had some kind of Valentine’s Day treat for us when we were kids: candy, cookies, or cupcakes. One year she bought me a little doll I wanted with a pink dress. It was when I was almost too old for dolls, but not quite.

2. Did you give and receive Valentines at your school when you were a kid? If so, what is your happiest memory of it?

We decorated our own mailboxes at my school, and I remember one year I papered mine with aluminum foil. I thought it was really nifty. I also think I gave KISS Valentines one year, and of course I thought that was super cool.

3. What was your favorite Valentine’s Day treat when you were a kid? What about now?

When I was a kid I remember liking those cherry flavored, heart shaped suckers. Now I love chocolate cherry cupcakes and red wine.

4. Do you craft for Valentine’s Day? If so, what do you make?

No. Not anymore. Although I thought about knitting a red scarf this year with that lovely yarn from Karen.

5. Do you have a bad Valentine’s Day memory you would like to share?

I have two but I don’t wish to share them.

6. Do you have any special plans this Valentine’s Day?

No, I will be traveling for work. But I will get some candy for the kids.

I look forward to reading your answers! Please leave them in the comments or a link to your blog if you respond there. ❤️