An Evening of Wonders

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Weekending: May 10, 2015

This weekend was all about photo shoots for designer clients. Saturday a.m., we finished up a large collection of gorgeous Fair Isle sweaters - barely dodging an incoming snow storm and high winds (WTH? It's mid-May and we are usually well done with snow by now, but it was COLD out in that wind yesterday for sure). We had a ton of fun with the shoot - my models laughed a lot, which is usually a good sign, and we tossed in a few lovely shots with a friend's horse and our dog which I'm anxious to see.

Today, Sunday, I've got another shoot for a couple of different designers with various accessory-type pieces. Hopefully the weather will cooperate a bit more for that - it is currently sunny, but it was in the 30s when we got up, which aren't exactly spring-like temperatures!

D and I have plans to meet for dinner up in town after the shoot for a little casual meal at the brew pub, and otherwise, will probably make it an early night here before the official work week kicks off. (We have transitioned Lizzie to sleeping through the night, which she's doing great with, but we are also getting up pretty early to make sure we get her out since she's still young enough we'd rather not chance having an accident overnight. We're all about success for her!).

Upcoming this week, I'm back to the studio with a vengeance to work on more wholesale orders that arrived last week. I'm also dyeing for the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta, which is in just under 2 weeks, and trying to get a few odds and ends tidied up as well before I go to the TNNA summer conference at the end of the month!

Friday, May 8, 2015

Spinning Friday: May 8, 2015

I have a finished spin this week! I showed you the original roving last Friday, which was a 4-oz braid of shetland wool from Two If By Hand.

I finished up my singles and got it plied this week:

Technical Specs:
Roving: 4. oz of shetland wool roving in the "Dr. Unicorn" colorway from Two If By Hand.
Ply: 2-ply.
Weight: Sport.
Yardage: 354 yards/4. oz.

This fiber prep really was stellar - I didn't do much manipulation of it beyond splitting the roving into long thin strips to help break the colors up a bit.

I'm currently working on another Spin the Bin/Stashdown fiber, also from Two if By Hand, so I'll have some photos of that next week.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

WIP Wednesday: May 6, 2015

This week, I'm getting back into the groove of knitting, so here's what I'm up to:

Sekret Knitting:

I finished up the sample for the Jewelflower Cowl that I'll be releasing in a couple of weeks. It will be available on Ravelry as a purchasable download, but if you love it and think you'd also like to order my up and coming Interweave book, if you preorder a copy on Amazon, I'll gift you the pattern for free! More details on that to come shortly.
I started the colorwork cowl I'm working up for The Yarn Guys in Finullgarn. I'm just getting the first border finished up, but my plan is to finish that and move on to the central motifs this week.
I am also working away on the next Heroines shawl club pattern. Just past the halfway point here, I've got one motif that I'm finishing the final 4 rows on, and then will repeat that chart before starting the final motif repeats. My plan is to finish up the second-to-last motif and be ready to start the final motif next week.

Personal Knitting:

I'm working slowly but steadily on the Dustland Hat out of my handspun. It's a really straightforward pattern, so I pick this up when I need something to fill 5 or 10 minutes of waiting time of some sort. No specific goals on this for this week - it'll just be on the needles when I need something to occupy my hands for a bit.

Monday, May 4, 2015

2015 Reading Challenge: Week 18

My how the time flies past - whoosh - week 18 already and I'm woefully behind.

I did select a book of short stories to read. I opted for ones by Charles deLint, knowing how much I enjoy his writing, to give me a little carrot to actually stay awake long enough to read at night. I read Tapping the Dream Tree, and loved it. There was only one in the book I had read before, so it was a lovely group of new-to-me enjoyable reads. I particularly loved the last (and longest) story about Sarah Jane and the 'sangmen and bee fairies. This kind of gave me a weird deja vu sense since it's exactly the sort of story my Gram would have told me (and her given name was Sarah, although she went by Jane).

I'm currently still reading my nonfiction book The Fossil Hunter. I had read Tracy Chevalier's fictious account of the same time period/characters last year in Remarkable Creatures, so I was already familiar with the basic information. I have to admit I enjoyed the fiction book a lot more - or at least that's how it's shaking out so far for me. More details when I have finished this book and can think on it as a completed work.

The Joy Luck Club is up next - I'd like to jump along and try to read that simultaneously, but I'm afraid I'll not finish up my nonfiction selection if I do that. I am going to try to get The Fossil Hunter finished up this week tho!

WEEKS & TOPICS

1. a book with more than 500 pages: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. FINISHED.

2. a romance: Katherine by Anya Seton. FINISHED

3. a book that became a movie: The Hours by Michael Cunningham. FINISHED.

4. a book published this year: The House of Hawthorne by Erika Robuck.

5. a book with a number in the title: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. FINISHED.

6. a book written by someone under 30: Eragon by Christopher Paolini. FINISHED.

7. a book with nonhuman characters: The Greyfriar by Susan Griffith. FINISHED.

8. a funny book: Bossypants by Tina Fey. FINISHED.

9. a book by a female author: Fever 1793 by Laurie Anderson. FINISHED.

10. a mystery or thriller: Séance in Sepia by Michelle Black. FINISHED.

11. a book with a one-word title: East by Edith Pattou. FINISHED.

12. a book of short stories: Tapping the Dream Tree by Charles deLint. FINISHED.

13. a book set in a different country: The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. FINISHED.

14. a nonfiction book: The Fossil Hunter by Shelley Emling.

15. a popular author's first book: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.

16. a book from your favorite author that you haven't read yet: Forests of the Heart by Charles deLint. FINISHED.

17. a book a friend recommended: Botelo by Alyson Hagy.

18. a Pulitzer-prize winning book: Andersonville by MacKinley Kantor.

19. a book based on a true story: The Wild Princess by Mary Hart Perry.

20. a book at the bottom of your to read list: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J Watson.

21. a book your mom or dad loves: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

22. a book that scares you: The Blackhouse by Peter May.

23. a book more than 100 years old: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte.

24. a book based entirely on its cover: Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliot.

25. a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

26. a memoir: Two Rings by Millie Werber and Eve Keller

27. a book you can finish in a day

28. a book with antonyms in the title: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.

29. a book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit: Iceland by Betsy Tobin.

30. a book that came out the year you were born: Mary, Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser.

31. a book with bad reviews: Moon People?

32. a trilogy (the first): Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clarke.

33. a trilogy (the second) Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clarke.

34. a trilogy (the third) Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clarke.

35. a book from your childhood: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. FINISHED.

36. a book with a love triangle: Muse by Mary Novak.

37. a book set in the future

38. a book set in high school: The Small Rain by Madeline L’Engle.

39. a book with a color in the title: A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones.

40. a book that made/makes you cry

41. a book with magic: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price.

42. a graphic novel

43. a book by an author you've never read before: My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

44. a book you own but have never read: The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro.

45. a book that takes place in your hometown: Magic America by C.E. Medford.

46. a book that was originally written in another language: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

47. a book set during Christmas (or similar holiday): A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas.

48. a book written by an author with your same initials: Silver Lies by Ann Parker.

49. a play

50. a banned book: Beloved by Toni Morrison.

51. a book based on OR turned into a tv show: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs.

52. a book you started but never finished: The Heresy of Dr. Dee by Phil Rickman.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Weekending: May 3, 2015

Lots going on this weekend - it's been definitely trending towards warmer temps and while this is normally not our rainy season (in theory, when we aren't in a drought, that's the summer), but we've had gray clouds and spits of rain the last several afternoons and more forecast for the next several days while the temperatures hover in the upper 60s/low 70s.

I took advantage of the nice weather and weeded our front yard which we xeriscaped a couple of years ago. It's got landscape cloth under the rock, but the weeds here are tenacious, so I went through and pulled all of those, and tidied up the bed I have all my daylilies in by the front steps.

I worked on several wholesale dye orders and cleaned up my studio space a bit - it definitely needed it after that huge wholesale order I had been working on for months, plus all the show and club dyeing. I can actually find things on the shelves!

I also did some spinning, and finished up the Shetland I had on the wheel from Friday's spinning-focused post. I pulled a braid of really deep rich colors of BFL out for my next spin, which I may start today. I also cast on for a new Sekret Knitting project, since I finished up the cowl sample I had been working on. That'll be ready for photography this week and to head off to my tech editor. My test knitter has already started on hers.

And finally, since I'm still on my stashdown quest for this year, and I wanted a yellow or green project to go along with my Stashdown KAL in my group for quarter 2 of 2015, I cast on a Dustland Hat using a worsted-weight handspun from my stash bin. (This was a Wooly Wonka club fiber from a couple of years ago - "Harvest Vines" colorway on Corriedale.) The pattern definitely benefits from a mostly solid yarn, and while I'm actually not a huge fan of yellow for me personally, I love how this is knitting up and it'll be a great gift for the donation box to the orphanage!

Hope you weekend is equally wonderful!

Friday, May 1, 2015

Spinning Friday: May 1, 2016

I have actual spinning to share today! (Not a lot but I'll take what I can get!)

This is another braid from my Spin the Bin 2015 challenge - from Two If By Hand, 4 ounces of Shetland in the "Dr. Unicorn" colorway. The original braid looked like:

As I tend to do, I'm spinning this one fairly fine, shooting for a fingering-weight yarn. I'm just about finished the first bobbin of singles (and tonite! I have spinning and wine planned while sitting on the back deck and enjoying our warm weather!).

The grand plan for this one is to spin up this braid and then do a coordinating tonal dye braid to get somewhere around 750-800 yards, or enough for a 2-color shawl. I have several on the radar in my queue, but it'll be a while before I get the tonal chosen and spun, so I've got time to think about the project for the finished yarn!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

WIP Wednesday: April 29, 2015

DONE! I finally have the huge wholesale order (which I can reveal is for the Knitcrate subscription service - I'm the featured artist for May!) completed, and boy is THAT a load off my plate!

Sekret Knitting:

Working on the final repeat of my bonus project sample - that should be off the needles and ready for a photo shoot in the next week so it can be released when the preorders are announced for my Interweave book on Amazon.
I haven't touched the Heroines shawl - I want to rerun some numbers and make sure I've actually got written what I'm knitting!
I also have started swatching/charting for a colorwork project I'm working up in Finullgarn - I'm anxious to actually start knitting that one. I love colorwork.

Not much going on in personal knitting right now - I'm still dithering about whether I want to cast on for a pair of Jane's Dancing Stockings for myself......

Or if I want to knit something out of this handspun, like a hat or mittens:

The stashdown KAL I'm hosting over at my group is focusing on socks and the colors yellow and green so either of these would suit, but for whatever reason, I'm having a hard time deciding on a project right now for that. What would you pick?

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Weekending

Trying to get back in the groove of things here, but today, it's cold and snowing/raining outside and all I really want to do is have a nap for about 6 hours.

Yesterday, I got going in the dye room early, worked on the last bits of the huge wholesale order (which I can review details about shortly - but the yarn colorway is Murky Depths shown here)

and after lunch, met up with an awesome gal who is going to do some modeling for me in early May to pick up a few things I needed to finish up the styling looks. Today, as soon as I'm off the computer here, I'm heading back to the dye studio. I don't think I've got enough oompf today to finish the dyeing I need to for the wholesale order, but I have one more custom dye from the Denver show I want to finish and I'll get some things skeined.

Tonight, I'll be knitting along on the sample I'm working up for a free pattern giveaway when my book with Interweave launches for preorders (which will also have details revealed shortly for that!).

I've got a chicken in the slow cooker we can have for dinner (and lunches for me this week), and some fresh green beans, which sounds like a nice way to end a cold and rainy Sunday!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

WIP Wednesday: April 22, 2015

Whew! That's pretty much the operative word here 24/7 right now. I am back from the Interweave Yarn Fest, which was a GREAT show. Wonderful folks came through my shop, and I had time to chat with one of my editors for the Interweave book, plus Spin-Off magazine editor, Anne Merrow, as well! I had a ton of sales, and I also picked up some other custom indie design work, which is great!

So just a quick recap and then I really hope I am getting back to normal around here, despite still having the ABQ Fiber Fiesta in a month. I'm still working on the ongoing wholesale orders list, but I'm just about there with the MONSTER one, and I've got the fiber club for this month done, and just a few more skeins to go for the next Heroines club.

Sekret Knitting:

I finished up a contract knit for Jen at Spirit Trail Fiberworks that will be featured in her booth at Maryland Sheep and Wool this year, my Fragaria Shawl. Knit from just 1 skein of her Brigantia yarn, it features strawberry lace and basketweave motifs in a semicircular shape.

On the needles right now, I'm working on a bonus project as a giveaway for anyone who preorders my Interweave book, soon to be up on Amazon. It'll be a single-skein lace cowl and it's themed around a desert flowering plant.
I'm also working on the next Heroines shawl club project and I'm about halfway through that piece - heading into those long final rows.

Personal Knitting: While I do have a pair of socks on the needles, they aren't getting a lot of knit time right now as you might guess! Those probably will stay on hold until the summer when things should (finally!) quiet down a bit.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

WIP Wednesday: April 8, 2015

While I haven't been very productive with my knitting recently (since I am finally in the home stretch of the 1200-skein wholesale order and getting ready for Interweave's Yarn Fest in a week), I want to get back on track with posts and have a few things of note to share:

Personal projects:

Furrow Mittens: DONE! These are ready to go into the donation box for Mittens for Akkol. Fun project and would be a great scrappy pair as well. I knit mine from stash Harrisville Worsted in 3 colors (there's a bit of black in the slip-stitch cuff).

The Long Dark of Moria socks: No progress on these, but they are up next to be worked on once the insanity of my current dye room schedule eases up.

Sekret Knitting projects:

In between my last post and this one, I finished up a pretty summer shawl for Jen at Spirit Trail Fiberworks. Knit with her Brigantia yarn, it'll make it's debut at Maryland Sheep and Wool in another few weeks.
Working on the next Heroines Club shawl - I've had a few false starts with this one, but I think it's on track currently. This one is my work-knitting-related priority for the short term.

Monday, April 6, 2015

2015 Reading Challenge: Week 13.

Week 13? I think it's week 13 - I'm kind of behind and out of order at this point, but at any rate......

I finished up The Winter Palace which is about Catherine the Great. Positives: I learned more about this Russian ruler than I knew before. Negatives: I found this one kind of slow and a bit fragmented. The narrative is told through a young woman who winds up as a maid-of-honor at the Russian court, but her story wound up shadowing the story of Catherine, and about 50% of the book has Catherine only very peripheral to the rest of the story. I think it could have used more editing.

At any rate, onward to The Fossil Hunter this week. I had read Remarkable Creatures (a fictious account of the same town of Lyme Regis on the coast of England where many amazing fossils were found in the early 19th century) by Tracy Chevalier last year and enjoyed that very much. This is the nonfiction version of the same set of facts. Just a couple of chapters into it, but so far, a very good read - well-written and interesting.

I need to back-track at some point and pick up a volume of short stories - I may find something to fit the bill that I can take with me to read at night in the hotel in Denver in another week when I'm tired and short on attention span!