My Friend London

new dyes are amazing

2012-02-27T22:17:00.000-06:00

last sunday i dyed up some blank yarn with my new dye from dharma trading. the results were pretty fantastic. the colors are super vibrant and it's easy to work with. i'm not completely giving up on my trusty jacquard, but the results i'm getting from the (much cheaper) dharma dye are amazing and i plan on doing a lot more experimenting. i plan on having about 30 new skeins of worsted ready for craftstravaganza. the vendor list was recently posted for the may 12, 2012 show. i'm excited that it'll be in two buildings this year. more crafty goodness for everybody! no word yet on my booth location. i do hope i'm still in the vicinity of adam turman as he always draws a big crowd!

new yarn!

2012-02-05T20:38:00.000-06:00

i can only guess what visitors to my etsy shop have been asking themselves... what happened to london? where did she go? i just saw her at no-coast and she seemed fine but now her shop is empty and she's not blogging. what's happening?

or maybe not. there's really nothing going on... except the fact that i'm working full time, tending the yarn biz, volunteering and taking a biology class. instead of prolonging the "what if" talk about going back to school, i'm just jumping in, one class at a time until i know what i'm doing for sure. it's a good thing i have a hobby that calms my soul a little bit because i'm really crazy busy.

i just listed 10 new yarns and i'm getting busy early this year so i'm not stressing the month before craftstravaganza. i think this new batch of yarns pretty accurately represents the variety of yarn i have at my booth. i'm pretty excited about the new batch of blank yarn i got from webs. it's got tons of yardage and it soaks up the dye like crazy. see?

scrap-tastic!

2012-01-18T17:45:00.001-06:00

one of the down sides of selling a supply rather than a finished product is that i rarely get to see what people make with it. last year a customer bought six scrap balls with a big project in mind. check out this amazing crocheted dress! she's thinking about selling the pattern. i'll post a link when it's available. in the meantime, you can see more of her work at her etsy shop.

yikes, it's been a while

2012-01-13T20:22:00.000-06:00

what was that blur? i think it was december and early january that just whizzed by. or maybe time has stopped and it's still the week after no-coast. because i don't know where the time has gone or what the heck i have been so busy with. but i have been busy. as much as i want to just hop off the speeding train and fall into a deep savasana, i just keep going. there were some holidays in there. i decorated, un-decorated (mostly) and baked. we traveled and now we're back into our cold-weather routines. every january i tell myself that i could get the whole house organized if i just focused on one room, one box or whatever each day and the place would be magically whipped into shape. but what do i do? instead of actually tackling that box of junk, i turn on some dumb tv show or meander the internet. can i make this resolution happen or am i kidding myself once again? i really am happier when i can see the horizontal surfaces of my house and not all the crap that clutters them.

until i can offer some evidence of progress on that front, here's a lovely shawl made with my handspun by a sweet etsy customer. beautiful, right?

no-coast is done! yee haw!

2011-12-09T16:36:00.002-06:00

2011-12-01T23:48:00.001-06:00

scrap yarn project from no coast

my delightful friend beth has created what i think is just the most clever use for a ball of scrap yarn. a baby lovie blanket. my yarn is full of fiddly little knots and what better thing to do with fiddly little knots than to let a tactile tot soothe themselves with a sweet little handmade blankie?

The Scrappy Lovie

Using a size 7 circular needle, cast on 50 stitches.

Work 5 rows in garter stitch (knit all rows)

Row 6 and beyond, knit 5 stitches in garter stitch, 40 stitches in stockinette (knit on right side, purl on reverse) and last 5 stitches in garter stitch.

Continue this pattern until the Lovie is about
11.5 inches long (or desired size) and finish with 5 rows of garter stitch. Cast off. Pull any tied ends through to right side of Lovie, and tie extra knots to ensure safety for young user!

Cut a backing in flannel or fleece, rolling edges into face back side of lovie. Use scraps of interesting yarn or fabric to create ribbon/tags. Pin into edges and sew all the way around in a way that is invisible.

time to get crafty

2011-11-21T22:01:00.000-06:00

how can it be almost thanksgiving? wasn't it just halloween, like yesterday? the calendar says no-coast is a week from friday so let's go with that. man, i have a LOT of work left to do. the yarn production is actually is pretty good shape. i have lots of dyed worsted, bulky and sock ready to go, so that's good. i need to get about 8-10 more scrappy skeins in the done pile and maybe spin up a few more skeins of handspun. that's doable. but the candles? well, that's another story. last year i had about 30 pre-made gift boxes on top of the full complement of individual candles. i'm nowhere near that right now. AND i want to change up my tabletop signage. time to get cracking! i'll put up some progress shots, asap.

in the meantime, check out the yarn my friend catherine and i dyed up last month. she's the very accomplished author of hit by a farm and sheepish and she's selling the yarn from her very own sheep on her blog. it's almost gone, so get it while you can.

candle corn? corndles?

2011-10-21T15:03:00.000-05:00

look at these ridiculous candles! i have made a giant batch of candy corn candles for the handmadeMN show tomorrow. they have a light orange blossom scent and would be just the thing on your spooky halloween tabletop or glimmering inside mr. jack o. lantern. this is a limited run! but if they sell, maybe i'll do something similar for xmas.

and don't forget the yarn...

please come see me and all the other amazing local etsy sellers at handmadeMN market!

happy hat lady

2011-10-17T20:31:00.001-05:00

the sweet little aviator cap was a big hit with mama jaime at her big baby shower event on sunday. this pattern was a breeze and really fun to work up with striping yarn. i wish i could remember which shepherd's harvest vendor i got this from back in 2010. it's delicious superwash sock yarn that changes color every three inches or so. her other treats were my very favorite board book and a fetching bib from bibelot shop.

it's really crazy to think that 13 years ago i was being feted with my own baby shower for our january arrival. time just flies. cliche but so, so true. it was a great ride but it's great to be where we are right now. kiddo is 13 and far more interesting and entertaining than i could have imagined.

why i'm so busy

2011-10-12T18:31:00.001-05:00

this needs to be a baby hat by 1 p.m. sunday afternoon. um, yeah. why do i do this to myself? can't i just buy a clever bib or onesie and call it good? when people know you as "the friend who knits" there is an expectation that you will, in fact, knit. i didn't use my time very well this week and here i am, scrambling to knit this teeny little thing on size 3s. it will be super cute, though. babies look extra cute in those little aviator caps. stay tuned!

you know what else?
the leaves are turning, the christmas merchandise is sneaking into the stores and it's dark by dinnertime. hello fall. it's time for craft shows. a week from saturday is handmadeMN market - a new one for me. i will have my usual selection of soy votives, handspun and dyed yarns, scrap balls and spinning fiber available. october 22 at the ballentine vfw in minneapolis.

The textile center holiday show is coming up, too. this huge event features the work of textile artisans from all over the state. this is a fun shopping event starting in november and continuing through the end of the year. i'll be selling dyed yarn (sock through worsted weight) and handspun bulky. i have several new mohair-blend yarns for this sale. they're extra fuzzy and plush for holiday knits or gift giving. november 11-dec. 31 at the textile center in minneapolis.

and last, but not least, i am thrilled to be back at no-coast this year. check out these fab vendors. this is THE indie craft sale of the season. the venue, midtown global market, is amazing. so many awesome food choices there. bubble tea, tamales, tortas, fancy pastries, asian, caribbean, middle eastern - you name it! dec 2-3 at midtown global market in minneapolis.

i made this!

2011-09-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

i just remembered something! it's almost time for...

my second-ever published knitting design is coming out soon. the book is called "knitting scarves from around the world" and it features some really beautiful work. i had the privilege to be asked to design the only pattern for handspun yarn (i spun and knit the sweater in the book) AND to style the model shots during production last winter. talk about a cold, snowy day. we were shooting at the american swedish institute and there was a huge blizzard the night before. the snow was several feet deep (notice how the snow is as tall as the park bench!) and we were freezing outside during photography. it was an awesome experience though. do check out the book if you see it at your local yarn store or bookshop. my pattern is this one... a super easy cowl made with bulky handspun. it looks cute around the shoulders like below, draped in front as a scarf or pulled over the head for a very lion-king statement!

what's in your drawers?

2011-08-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

mine has yarn. new yarn that i have been busy dyeing for the shows mentioned in my previous post. here's a quick peek.

this is the "not yet listed on etsy" drawer that i use for stockpiling yarns for shows.

here's a navajo ply handspun that i made over the weekend. it has lots of overspun spots and little 'squiggly' bits that i hope will be seen as design elements rather than flaws.

this superwash sock yarn is so squishy and nice. the base wool is brown sheep top of the lamb. i am working on a new technique that makes it both variegated AND transitions from light to dark from one end of the skein to the other.

i am trying to make a mixture of lighter, more subtle colors along with the bold ones.

good things

2011-08-26T20:56:00.003-05:00

last weekend i was checking in with my pals at I like you, a fantastic handmade craft, clothing, and gift consignment shop in northeast minneapolis. and i was relieved to see that my yarn basket there was getting empty. perhaps the shorter days are calling folks back to the fuzzy, fibery projects that we tend to set aside during the summer. i replenished my stock with hand-painted sock yarn, a few skeins of kettle-dyed worsted and some handspun left over from my last show in june.

while i haven't yet been inside, i have peeked into the window of a sweet new shop at 38th and grand. Digs sells gifts, cards, craft supplies, designer fabrics and of course, my yarn! it's really awesome to be on a shelf with name-brand commercially spun yarn. crazy, right?

in closing, may i brag for a second? today i found out that i've been accepted into the HandmadeMN fall craft show. (The link goes to the roundup of last year's show.) And my yarn will be for sale at the textile center holiday show. i'll be new to both of these events so i am especially excited to be chosen. still waiting to hear about no-coast. i have my fingers crossed.

lots of stuff to be excited about and grateful for.

24 gold coins

2011-08-21T21:45:00.002-05:00

three years ago this summer i was in the middle of a major, nasty funk. work sucked, my attitude about pretty much everything sucked, i was feeling tired, worn-out, emotionally depleted, and was really hating my job. oh, wait. did i say that already? newspaper journalism is (understatement of the century) not what it used to be. Newsrooms used to be busy, bustling places where reporters really were a little bit like rosalind russell and people did yell "stop the presses." (ok, they still do but mostly to fix something that's hugely screwed up rather than to get in breaking news). it was a cool place to be because the work was important and you spent your day with (love them or hate them...) interesting characters. the newsroom was a melting pot of old, young, wisecracking, crotchety, witty, neurotic folks who were all really, really good at what they were doing. well, by the time we get to 2008 my newspaper had gone through maybe 3 rounds of layoffs, our pay was about to get cut 12%, the staff was depleted, dejected, demoralized and depressed. while the only option was to change with the changing times, i was pissed. and not just at what was being done to us, but to a large degree, mad at myself for not seeing it coming and not having a solid plan B.

i decided i had to do something so i took a "what the hell am i supposed to be doing with my life" course for "women in transition." some of the folks were like me, others had been recently laid off, others knew the layoff was right around the corner. all of us knew we were looking for something better but we needed a nudge getting there. there were elements of that class that were genuinely useful. i particularly liked taking career planning surveys, inventories and learning about what kinds of jobs were a good fit for my skills and interests. but mostly, i just didn't feel like i got what i was looking for. perhaps it was naive, but i really thought i would walk out of the 8-week course with a plan B. a solid idea and a plan for how to get there.

you see, i got to where i was in part because when i was a kid i liked this show.

that must explain why there were a ton of kids wanting to be FBI agents during the reign of the x files and wanna-be forensics investigators because of CSI. there are worse things to do with your life, but it should have been better thought out.

all the reasons we choose the path we take are far more complex than i can write and nobody wants to read it anyway. but when i got to that place, that "women's" life-coaching class, i was ready for someone to tell me the answer. sadly, the answer didn't come. or maybe it did and i am still processing it. but at the time, the best thing i could come up with was to start a gelato shop. nope, it didn't make sense, not in minnesota anyway. the economy was beginning its descent, banks weren't lending and i knew that new small businesses almost always fail. but it gave me something to think about. something to doodle on the edges of my notebook. i thought about gelato a lot. in my mind i had the location scouted, the decor planned, the furnishings chosen. the place didn't have a name but i knew how i wanted it to feel.

i can't remember her name, but there was one memorable woman in the class. her job situation was terrible. she had a tyrannical, narcissistic boss. she had been beaten down and was a miserable mess. honestly, the check-in part of the class was the worst because people would go around the table telling one sob-story after the next. i know i should have been commiserating and supportive but it just made me more gloomy. one day during "caring and sharing" she said she was working on managing her time and was really trying not to let the eight hours at work poison the other 16 when she was not. she said she was trying to remind herself that "every day we get 24 gold coins and it's our choice how we spend them."

wow. well said. and that was the most profound thing i got from the class. right there. do more things that make you happy. do fewer things that don't. it wasn't long after that i started doing more spinning and got my etsy shop going.

this weekend i did all the busy stuff i always cram into the weekends but i made sure i sat in the hammock and finished a sudoku. and i read a book. it was a short one, but i read an entire book when i could have been doing far more practical tasks. three years ago i don't think i could have allowed myself the luxury of that much stillness. i was too busy beating myself up blaming myself for not having it all figured out.

A plug for the kids on Etsy

2011-08-02T22:39:00.001-05:00

Meet Pearl
I got a package today from one of my very favorite Etsy sellers. Pearl at PerfectlyPotholders is not just fabulously creative with a superb eye for color and meticulous design, but she's also a busy teenager. Her award-winning potholders have won me over and I will never use any other kind. These aren't the shaggy kind you made in summer camp that your mom said she loved because you made them. (She probably burned her hands and put them away when company came.) Pearl's potholders are made with what i think must be the best cotton loops ever made and her colors are very vibrant. They wash up like a dream and my oldest ones still look as spiffy as this new pair. This was a custom order. I gave Pearl permission to make something crazy and colorful. She Rocked It.

Pearl, you are welcome to use these images on your site or etsy shop.

And Emily

Tied for first place with Pearl is Emily of Nutheads, a newcomer to the Etsy world. Emily has been a creative genius from day one. She is a magnificent artist. She knits with skill far beyond her years, better than most adults i know. She is a gifted writer, athlete, dancer and musician. Honestly, this one is amazing. Emily recently launched her shop. She sells tiny little poseable dolls with acorn caps on their little round heads. These nuthead dolls have amazing details. She makes their bodies with wire wrapped in embroidery floss then fashions tiny little clothes with the most delicate, teeny embroidery patterns. A doll like hers would look so cute posing on a bookshelf or even as an ornament on a holiday tree. Do explore her shop. All her dolls have a story and she has created collections around themes like the solar system and the rainbow.

This is Rhianna

And meet Irina, buy her!!

good luck to you both! i can't wait to see what you do next!

long, hot summer

2011-07-28T22:27:00.001-05:00

it's been crazy hot, crazy busy and i have been pretty slack about keeping up with folks via blog, twitter, fb, etc. what's going on? nothing. and everything. we've had lots of guests this summer (three norwegians!), and the usual summer camps, lots of work, gardening, pet stuff, pondering, exercising (not enough), blah, blah, blah. i have been busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

here's some good stuff

one birthday. two bouquets. how cool is that? thanks to leslie and michiela for making my day a lot sweeter. it wasn't one of those important birthdays that ends with a five or a zero. but it is always nice to be remembered. that's the best gift of all.

an awesome kid. she makes me laugh every day. and she's the smartest person i know.

the roses went nuts in the early summer before it got wicked hot. now they're making a nice buffet for a family of japanese beetles.

this is all the knitting i have done all year. these are bonnie squares from an old rowan book. the yarn is paint box, a nice single-ply with quick color changes. i'm planning on making a small afghan with a solid crochet border connecting all the squares. i have about four balls of yarn left.

i had a lot of fun with my window boxes this year. i had the help of a very talented friend who guided me with some unexpected combinations.

other fun stuff: i applied for no-coast again and i'm hoping to be chosen as a vendor for the textile center's holiday show. wish me luck.

i treasure it

2011-07-15T23:17:00.002-05:00

i felt like the cool kid in school when i stumbled upon etsy in the winter of 2006. it really was love at first sight to feast on the amazing clearing house of crafts, art and vintage kitsch. (every day the internet just amazes me with the world's collective ingenuity and creativity) my first purchase was a set of those button-style fridge magnets laminated with retro school-book images. i shared them with my girlfriends on a weekend trip to new york. they were smitten with the idea of a global craft bazaar and strongly suggested that i join up. since they were so nice and supportive, let's have a look at their cute faces...

joyce, flora, emily and jann somewhere in nyc. we did a ton of walking that day.

these ladies are some of my dearest friends from a very fun and happy time in my life. way back in the 90s we worked together in raleigh, n.c. here we just finished up a lovely picnic in gramercy park.

i adore this photo of the gang on the brooklyn bridge. flora was the only one who knew her photo was being taken and she looks lovely. the rest of us look like dorks. and that's ok.

wait, we were talking about etsy, weren't we?

oh, yeah.

one of the most unique things about etsy, is all the interesting ways you can shop for and discover new artists and their work. you can search by material, location, color, and any keyword you can imagine. but the one that i am becoming most smitten with is the treasury. (ok, a treasury is a themed collection of items curated by etsy members.) this is a fairly recent discovery and i'm a little embarrassed to say that it wasn't until about a year ago that i realized that the ever-changing lineup on the etsy front page is actually a rotating featured treasury. doh!
i would get these notifications from time to time that such-and-so-seller was using one of my yarns in a treasury and i would be like "yay, you." not having a clue that this sweet person (with spectacular good taste!) was giving my item free advertising by including it. it was then that i decided to jump in and give it a go and return the favor. i wasn't sure of the etiquette. do i send emails to everyone i include or will they figure it out? will people think my collections are "artsy" enough? is it annoying to tweet about it?

here's a look at the treasuries i have created so far.

(except for queens and cowboys, that was lydia) and i would love your feedback. what do you think of the themes, items picked and their presentation?

here's a closer-up screen grab of my most recent back-to-school themed treasury. click to see more!

knitting scarves from around the world

2011-07-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

i am really thrilled to give you a sneak preview of a project i was involved in last winter. voyageur press has a new scarf knitting book coming out this fall and they asked me to help them out with photo and wardrobe styling. these patterns are beautiful, many with amazing beadwork, lace, cables and color work. it was such a fun project to be involved with. we shot the photos at the american swedish institute in minneapolis on a brutally cold day back in february. i love hanging out behind the scenes at photo shoots. there's always a lot of fun people, laughter, silliness and snack food. but they're a ton of work. getting all the outfits lined up in advance, constant consulting with the client about the layout of the book, reshoots and wardrobe changes can make it a long day. so enjoy these outtakes and i will definitely follow up when the book comes out! i can't wait to see the finished product.

simple is best

2011-06-22T17:19:00.001-05:00

isn't this pretty? my friend jennifer used my candles in a recent wedding photo shoot. while soy candles shouldn't be burned without a close-fitting container, i think this is such a cute way to display them.

vacation day 1

2011-06-13T10:55:00.005-05:00

what do i do when i'm not at work? i get stuff done.

there's nothing i enjoy more than ticking tasks off a to-do list then treating myself to a big ol' nap.

let's see how the day progresses, shall we? i am going to try to chronicle the activities of the day. this may just be the OCD talking but here goes.

dropped the car off at the repair shop. it needs both outer cv joints replaced. sweet jesus, that's going to be spendy. but this is a good shop and the guys are nice.

walked to bakery. no bran muffins. so i had to have a chocolate doughnut. looked at the display of graduation and wedding cakes. they were all pretty dusty. sat at a table and imagined how i would redecorate bakery if it was my own.

walked to new target and waited outside for my ride. the store is built on a former cornfield and in the process of turning the land from pristine fields of green to a concrete wasteland a number of big, lovely round rocks have come unearthed. i found two really good melon-sized ones and snuck them into the truck when T. arrived.

while riding home with giant rocks in my lap i decided that the truck really, really needed to be vacuumed. i think an entire bag of chex mix has been ground into the carpet over the course of the winter.

while T. ate his maple long john from dorothy ann's i mixed up a batch of my new favorite chocolate chip cookies. they are so toffee-licious. it's an interesting recipe as you brown the butter and mix everything together by hand. the dough is refrigerated overnight then brought to room temperature and baked. they are crazy good.

completed above vacuuming. found all of the gone-missing laminated maps. yay. not too many surprises besides the chex mix. a couple skittles, a partial french fry and a few gum wrappers.

began writing this post.

T. had to make a bunch of work phone calls so we went out for some girl time. L. hit the big sale at her most favorite store. I managed not to pass out from the cacophony of scents and exuberant sales ladies. After that we had lunch and made a run to Costco for fruit, zyrtec, maple syrup, dishwasher pellets and a 24-pack of frozen fruit bars.

the repair shop said the car would be ready at five, so i was able to get in a yoga class before picking up my ride. it was a good class but i was a little unsteady. i nearly tipped over trying to do a side twist in crescent lunge and no way was i doing crow after launching myself into a somersault on saturday. during savasana i decided i was hungry for corn salad for dinner so made a lightning stop at target (no rocks this time) to get the stuff.

so now i'm digesting my dinner, wondering if i should go work out later or just chill. i have been running around a lot today. but tomorrow will be a lot more sedentary.

i just polled my housemates. they told me to go work out.

and now i am officially pooped. thanks for coming on the adventure of monday, june 13 with me. see you next time.

a late add: L has now seen her first episodes of Dragnet and Adam 12. Thanks, hulu!

can you handle a bargain candle?

2011-06-10T00:37:00.000-05:00

as promised, i have slashed the prices of the soy candle gift boxes you know and love. time to clear out the workshop and make room for new scents and new colors. so for this one time only, i have packed up the boxes in lovely color combos for instant gifts! a treat for your deserving self! see you at DIY!

summer's here.. how did that happen?

2011-06-05T22:21:00.001-05:00

window box flowers!

it has been a very busy month, i had a million things going on: the hectic schedule of a 7th grader combined with a long daily commute, a new exercise regimen, getting the house painted, planting a garden, planning lyd's summer vacation schedule and trying so achieve even the slightest sense of calm and order in my life. yeah, right.

i am trying to simplify. i am purging unnecessary clutter from my house and it feels really good. i have taken carloads of stuff to goodwill. clothes from the 90s? well, if they come back in style i will be out of luck. i just had to let it go. even lydia joined in and agreed to part with 10 trash bags of old toys. we put away the most precious books and treasures but all that plastic crap? it's gone. good riddance. my goal is to go through every room this summer and weed out everything i don't love or can't really use. i need to make this happen. i am so affected by my surroundings and as a homebody, it makes me nuts when i don't feel at peace in my home.

i am paring down my activities, too. i am trying to wrap up a few freelance assignments and am making candles only on special order now. i do have a small craft show on friday, but i'm not making any new yarn or candles. the show is just three hours and realistically, i have plenty of stuff on hand. this will be the first time i sell candles on in pre-made boxes. my current candle transport system bangs them up too much and toting them more than once gets them looking a bit shabby. so to keep things as pretty as possible, into the boxes they go. i may offer them at a sweet discount, stay tuned!

the show is the diy unraveled event being held at the u of m's rapson hall on friday, june 10 from 6-9. it's sponsored by the textile center of minnesota and should be a really good time with lots of fun activities. i'll have candles and yarn as usual. do check out the vendor list at the link above.

sheepish

2011-05-06T22:57:00.002-05:00

here i am showing off the superb socks catherine knitted with yarn from her very own sheep.
i helped her out with the dyeing part of the project. isn't her farm beautiful?

i am not a hugger. anyone who knows me from way back will confirm that i have a big personal bubble. but over the years i have been moving over to the softer, more tactile side of friendships. case in point, the business-transaction hug with stranger.

a couple years ago i was hanging out with my friend annie. she had just returned from a little afternoon getaway at the farm of a woman she had recently met. she was telling me all about the idyllic spot with sweet sheep, green rolling hills and how excited her max was to ride a tractor. but the thing she was really raving about was the yarn she had gotten there and how awesome it was to knit with. she said that catherine had just processed a bunch of her flock's wool into yarn and needed some guidance on getting it dyed. she suggested i help her out. mmm, sure.

i am not an expert by any means. i am an experienced dabbler and mess maker. fully expecting her comment to amount to nothing, i was kind of surprised to get an email from catherine a few days later. we had a nice electronic exchange over the course of a week or so which culminated in her asking me to dye a few skeins for her. what the heck, i love doing it and it would be a fun fall and winter project.

we met at a coffee shop in hastings and really, the moment i met her, i felt like i knew her forever. she was easy to talk to, super-passionate about her farm and her beautiful sheep. we talked a lot about how she was raising them and how she wanted to take some baby steps toward maybe, possibly selling the yarn from her sheep. i felt like i was meeting an old friend or distant sister, she was talking my language. we worked out all the details about the dye job. i suggested making a bunch of small dye lots to be able to experience the greatest variety of colors. we agreed to meet up in a couple months for the hand-off.

and when we parted, without thinking, i hugged this woman. hard. she may have thought i was kinda nuts. but i was really excited. excited to get my hands on the yarn, excited to read the handful of (autographed!) books she sweetly gave me, and excited to be making another connection with my people. my sheepy people.

i'm not going to give anything away, but she liked it. and in that period of time while i was knee deep in dyeing her stuff, i was also reading her books. "hit by a farm" pretty much took care of any fantasies about being a farmer and "compassionate carnivore" opened my eyes a little wider about small-scale operations in contrast to factory farms. since then, our family has been making regular visits to buy meat from cows raised on catherine and melissa's farm.

i am thrilled to report, that after a long period of anticipation, i have gotten my hands on a preview copy of her new book, "sheepish." it's a continuation of essays about life on the farm and their experiences with sheep.

yes, i will absolutely buy it at next week's launch party at magers & quinn. i had spied it on the book editor's desk months ago but there are strict rules about taking stuff out of her cubicle. (books tend to walk off from there sometimes) so i plopped myself down in her chair and flipped through until i found what i was looking for.

it was SO surreal. there was my name. in a book. a real book. it was just a couple quick references about dyeing her yarn and roving, but it made me feel really great. like i had actually had something to do with her transition from sheep farmer to fiber freak. perhaps all the energy, stress and self-doubt (with some fun and creativity) i have woven into my crafty pursuits have been worth it. so gimme a damn hug!

for the win!

2011-05-02T12:11:00.004-05:00

i was just delighted by the constant flow of visitors to my booth on saturday. craftstravaganza was a huge success! i had a wonderful time meeting all of you, getting your sweet praise on my yarns and seeing so many old friends. i am thrilled with the sales and hope to do a few shows this summer. yay!

here's the booth in all its yarny glory just moments before the crowd busted in. it was a nasty, cold, windy day outside.

a big thanks to my friend and early-bird shopper judy for catching my stupid pricing error on the candles. they were not $5 a box, but $8. my original sign didn't fit well within the frame so after set-up on friday night i made another. well, i clearly wasn't lucid at that moment and typed in an incorrect price. i think i overcharged only one person. whoever you are, i am sorry!

the bags of fiber were very popular. needle felting, wet felting, wool-felt toy making are all really big right now and folks seemed really jazzed about the colors.

i sold out of sock and bulky hand dyed and the scrap balls were very popular, too. the handspun didn't fly off the table like it did last year but the other stuff did great. i learn so much at each show and i really take all your comments to heart!i really am humble by your continuing support.

a rainbow in a plastic bag

2011-04-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

i think i had a flash of divine inspiration this afternoon as i was making my to-do list for tomorrow when i'll be scrambling to get ready for the show on saturday.

i was remembering a moment from no-coast. it was toward the end of the day on saturday, the second day of the show. a sweet girl in a vintage coat and a hand-knit cap was hanging out at the booth. she quickly admitted that she's not a knitter, not yet anyway because her friend had made the hat. but she was drawn to the fiber. you see, i had several brightly colored balls of dyed roving displayed to tempt would-be spinners and needle felters. she loved the color, she loved the squishy feel of it in her hands. and she bought it. she told me she had no idea what she would do with it. don't you want to learn to spin, i asked. nope, she just liked it. ok, then. a pretty wad of wool it was, and that's cool. i never really contemplated not actually processing it into something other than what it was.

so i am offering bags of pretty wool. to spin, to felt, to make crafts, to stuff a sock monkey, to put in a ballerina's satin shoes, or to simply admire. the bags are $5 each and weigh in between 1.5 and 2 ounces. the fiber is a mixture of wool, mohair, llama and the majority from sheep right here in minnesota.

i hope you like them!

still life with yarn

2011-04-12T22:26:00.001-05:00

here's a peek at my growing collection of handspun yarns for craftstravaganza. it's right around the corner on april 30 at the fairgrounds in st. paul, mn. i would love it if you visited my booth. i'm in the same spot as last year, just across the aisle from adam turman. i plan on having a lot more dyed yarns, at least 12 different candle scents (and the make-your-own gift boxes) and roving balls. a big change from last year is, ta-da!, lots of locally-sourced wools in the handspun yarns.

last year's show was so much fun. it's just crazy that in just one year i have had the good fortune to be in so many awesome shows and meet such a delightful bunch of enthusiastic fiber artists. can't wait to see you all at craftstravaganza!

a little bit crazy

2011-04-07T21:57:00.001-05:00

there are little balls of yarn all over my house .

a basket next to my spinning chair is overflowing with a tangled mess of small skeins, knotted bits and bunches of works in progress and forgotten projects on the way to the scrap bin.

and then there all the balls of gifted, traded and swapped cast-off yarn overflowing from paper grocery bags.

in the middle of this mess, you'll find me sitting cross-legged on the floor cutting random lengths of yarn. i throw the cut pieces into a pile and once i have a good mess made, i tie them together until i have a four-ounce ball of scraps. the ball gets tossed behind me on the chair and i begin again. and again. they're all different, one-of-a-kind creations. and people like them.

with just a few weeks until craftstravaganza, i am spinning, winding, dyeing, wrapping, skeining, pretty much all the hours of the day that i'm not at my real job.

and my project this week is scrap balls. they are taking over my life. and my house.

holy scrap balls! tell me more!

well, since you asked, this is how i describe them in my etsy shop...

This is a big ball of scraps of various lengths, all knotted together to make a one-of-a-kind funky item. The colors are a rainbow of scrappyness! The tails are meant to stick out on both sides of the finished fabric or be poked through to the front or back. Anything goes! You could use this for free-form knitting too, if stripes aren't your thing.

These are scraps from my personal knitting projects. I use good yarn. No 100% acrylics at all – ever. That said, there could be an acrylic-blend. But if I wouldn't knit with it in the first place, it wouldn't be in the magic scrap ball. There is definitely wool, alpaca, mohair, silk, etc. And no icky fun fur. The weight is primarily worsted.

Will it felt? Some blends will felt better than others and it could contain a wee bit of super wash. Projects knitted with these scrap balls do "bloom" beautifully after hand washing and a little fluff time in the dryer. The tails get shaggier and the yarns make a lovely halo.

so that's what i'm up to.

an oldie but a goodie

2011-03-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

a few years ago the lovely annie modesitt used my handspun in a project featured on knitting daily tv. these cute fingerless mitts were made with one strand of handspun and one strand of solid. her (free) pattern is a great introduction to stranded knitting. while i'm really anticipating spring right now, these bright, happy handwarmers have me feeling a little less cranky about our long winter.

cat stretch

2011-03-27T20:09:00.000-05:00

so i have been spinning. and spinning. so much that my right hand is kinda numb. it was already suffering a blistered thumb after a hot candle incident in mexico. yes, i should know better.. but who lets wicks get that close to the glass jar? i sizzled off a good part of my right thumb. my spinning thumb. so this week it's been bandaids and pain. and even with the bandaid, i had to be careful. those little brown filaments in a fabric bandaid can catch in the wool and before you know it, you have bandaid fibers in your yarn. gross. i can deal with a few cat hairs, but not icky bandaids.

so the thumb is trying to heal, the wrist is sore in it's own funky way from excessive spinning and i feel like a cold might be coming. everyone in my office has been sneezing, hacking and snorting all winter. it's getting to me. so, i'm trying to bring a little balance into the routine. a couple of yoga classes a week get me stretched out and centered (sort of). i have been enjoying the classes at yoga fresh here in woodbury. it's a pretty little studio, a space that looks and feels very un-woodbury. the late saturday afternoon class was really nice. something about all the windows and the warm afternoon glow on the remaining snow filled the room with the nicest light. i felt like little fontina (above) on my yoga mat.

remember the roving i dyed last sunday? here are some finished yarns. i'm very happy with this new blank roving from the sheep shed studio. the wool is from nebraska, colorado, and wyoming. not local-local, but pretty local, for wool anyway. here are three skeins i made this week.

and what a cool, cool discovery i made today while killing time looking at knitting on the internet...

one of my favorite and most supportive local customers made this stunning kindle cozy with some of my dyed bulky-weight yarn. see more on her blog. her use of herringbone stitch for the flap is genius, right?

smells good

2011-03-21T16:47:00.001-05:00

check out this beautiful spring tabletop featuring my candles! my friend jennifer created this tableau a few days ago for a photo shoot. isn't it pretty? you may remember jennifer from the two books we worked on together. she does lovely work!

the scents pictured are green tea and rose. these and many more will be available at my booth at craftstravaganza on april 30. what candle scents are you drawn to? i'm leaning toward fresh florals for springtime gift-giving. mother's day is just around the corner...

a good day to dye

2011-03-20T16:02:00.001-05:00

finally, a batch of roving caught on film.

well, i had been putting this off for a while so now that we're back from vacation i have fresh motivation to get my hands dirty in the dyepot. i sent the family out on some errands this morning to give me the time to quickly dye up some nebraska roving from the brown sheep mill and some really soft alpaca from northern minnesota. now it's drip drying in the basement. i'll take some fans down to speed things up.

i'm digging that murky camo-hued batch that's second from the left in the middle photo.

i have tons of already-dyed purple/green/dark blue on hand that i can't wait to mix in with the variegated blue alpaca. stay tuned, as soon as this batch is dry i will be spinning like crazy.

mark your calendar

2011-03-02T11:52:00.000-06:00

For April 30 as Craftstravaganza comes a little early this year. All those last minute Mother's Day purchases can now be made with a week to spare. Based on the success of my grab-n-go holiday candle gift boxes at No-Coast, I'll be doing the same with floral scents for the spring. Right now my workshop smells of rose, orange blossom and lilac. New photos coming, too! Complete show vendor list here.

a serendipitious day

2011-02-26T20:10:00.002-06:00

gratuitous sheep/getty images

this little tale requires a bit of setup, so hang on with me... it's a good one.

a few weeks ago we had a big staff meeting at work where the amount of a much-anticipated profit sharing check was announced. that in itself was a huge deal because not long ago our company had to right itself after a soap-operatic fall from grace. anyway, i was pretty giddy upon finding out we would ALL be getting a handsome $1000+ check in just one week.... my mind was racing in anticipation of what goodies i could acquire while my practical side was telling me to use it for bills and other non-exciting expenses.

what i kept coming back to was my business – and how i really, really need some tools to make my work easier. a few weeks ago i was completely fixated on getting a new digital camera. i talked to my photo mentor and fabulous coworker about my yearnings and she said that while a new camera would be awesome, maybe i could make better photos with the camera i already have. she told me to really dig into manual mode, tinker with the settings and then polish everything up in photoshop. ok, i felt a little dejected, thinking that i didn't have the skills or smarts for a fancy camera like that. but i took her advice and i do think i am getting much better shots. here are a few taken today by a north window. no photoshop on these, just wanted to see what i could get straight out of the camera.

bulky-weight handspun, rovings dyed by carol at www.thesheepshedstudio.com

hand painted brown sheep lamb's pride, convo me on etsy if interested in either. i can set up a listing for you.

so i was pretty happy with how these turned out. i need to work on the color of the second one, it's not quite green enough.

now, back to my epic tale.... the day after we got the news about the big check, i had to visit my friend J. to pick up some clothes for a freelance photo styling job. as we were chatting, i was having fun playing with one of her new computer toys. i confided that our home computer setup was getting kind of antiquated and some software i picked up recently couldn't even run on it because the family mac didn't have the intel processor and i wasn't sure i wanted to load it onto DH's work mac. she suggested i just use the cash for a new laptop. me? splurge like that for my fledgling little craft+print design+ photo styling biz? yeah, maybe. but that's a lot of money.

i spent a couple days mulling it over and it wasn't too hard to justify the expense. last night i made an appointment with one of the business specialists at the MOA apple store because i knew from a good source that they give a token 5% discount for business folk. i was pretty jazzed about that. so this morning we got to the apple store before the mall opened and picked out exactly what i wanted.

and now the fail. the massive, stupid fail. THE APPLE STORE WAS OUT OF LAPTOPS. BEFORE THE STORE WAS EVEN OPEN. um, what? dude said he would call the southdale store so they could set one aside for us. grrrrrr. well, let's just bite the bullet and drive through another snowstorm to another mall and get the damn thing. so we get there, find the store, (us east-siders don't hang with the swells in edina too much) approach yet another dude in blue and he iphone-s one of his buddies in the back room about my mac. i was feeling a little impatient but still cool, after all i was getting a deal.

out comes a woman who looks a teeny bit familiar, but not totally. she introduces herself as a friend of J. (the pal who talked me into this computer biz in the first place). and says she can do me one better than the five percent. she's gonna give me her friends and family discount for 15% off! SWEET FANCY MOSES! i was so excited i grabbed this poor woman's shoulders and started jumping up and down like a cheerleader (see below). turns out, J. and apple lady had lunch yesterday and they discussed my possible purchase. so it was just a fortuitous twist of fate that brought me to southdale, where M. was working, who graciously helped me save some major cash. it was awesome how it worked out!! thanks to J. and M!

a quick charity project

2011-02-11T16:26:00.000-06:00

What a fun project. Every year the Special Olympics collects handmade scarves for the athletes and coaches to wear at the games. The scarves are made by crafters alll over the globe to support folks from their home state. A couple weeks ago I got word from on of the knitters at the office that the Minnesota delegation needed hundreds more scarves. While I could only crank out one, some of these folks went nuts! We gathered yesterday for a meet and greet and took a few moments to admire all the fantastic scarves. If you'd like more information on the scarf project, check out the red heart yarn page with all the details. I gotta say, this was my first time working with the Red Heart and it was a lot softer that I remember. info here.

looking with a critical eye

2011-02-10T16:44:00.001-06:00

i have been thinking a lot about etsy lately. how my shop has been so quiet compared to this time last year. things have dropped off a lot and to be totally honest, it's pretty discouraging. while i have been doing great at craft shows, it would be fantastic to be making a couple sales a week on etsy. it would keep me motivated knowing that my shop was a destination for people who want this kind of product. it would be more fun to make the yarn knowing there was a demand for it!

the beauty of etsy is that it showcases beautiful things. but even the loveliest gem won't look very sparkly if it isn't photographed well. good photos are the number one reason people click on your shop.

i am taking steps to make better pictures. i recently upgraded to CS5 and hope to get a new camera before too long. while i am really comfortable styling photos when someone else is shooting, i am a beginner behind the camera. and it shows. i need to get practicing... learning how to take advantage of the beautiful light this snowy winter brings into my home and take more photos.

and stop feeling sorry for myself!

so, for all you photographers out there. i am soliciting your advice. i want to make better pix of yarn. the top photo is one of mine, the second is what i am hoping to learn to create myself.

watching the wheel go round

2011-02-04T15:24:00.002-06:00


thanks, leslie, for the pic.

last week i got some very exciting mail from carol at the sheep shed studio. this is a wonderful small business that YOU should check out. ok, the website design is kinda dated and hard to navigate but that makes it more like a treasure hunt. carol has some amazing fiber finds. she lives in the beautiful wyoming countryside just a few hours from the brown sheep yarn mill in mitchell, nebraska. she buys their mill-end rovings and yarns and sells them at a terrific discount. she also dabbles in dyeing and every now and then i buy a pound or two of whatever she has in the dye pot. no custom orders, it's just totally random and i love the surprise. this time just might be the best. i GASPED when i saw this excellent color combination... sadly, i didn't shoot it until after it was spun. what do you think?

Warm and fuzzy

2011-01-21T15:49:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday I got the great news that I have been accepted again as a vendor at Craftstravaganza! I consider myself very lucky as I know they always get more applicants than they have spots for. So I'm thrilled to be part of the mix. My cube neighbor at work will also have her own booth. She makes the cutest little girl's raincoats!

There is a lot of work to do before April 30. So this week I've started gearing up. Made an order of soy wax, wicks and a couple new fragrances. I dyed up some of the fluffy wool batting I got last summer at the St. Peter Woolen Mill. This is interesting stuff. They sell it primarily as batting for quilts and comforters, but it works fine for spinning. It was fascinating to see my giant 2-pound batt come off the huge, commercial drum carder. I'm told the wool is from the upper Midwest but it's all processed in Minnesota. It takes the dye very well and makes a soft, slightly fuzzy yarn. I like plying it with Merino or Corriedale for a bit of extra sheen.

This weekend I'll bring the wheel down from the spare room and set up my "spinning station" in the living room in front of my favorite chair. Photos to come! Until then, how about some cute lambs?


A group of four-day old lambs relax in the straw at sheep rancher Chuck Dallas' ranch near Wilsall, Mont., Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Erik Petersen

promises, promises

2011-01-11T21:55:00.000-06:00

this yarn here is a kitten-soft merino wool sock yarn from new zealand. it took the dye like crazy and would make a fun pair of socks or a fancy scarf.

yes! i have finally added several things to the etsy shop. and lucky for me, it's happening at a great time. etsy has made a big improvement for sellers. it used to be that each time you wanted to add a new item to your shop that was identical or similar to a previous item, you had to cut and paste every text field and it was a tedious operation unless you used a hack program. now you can just copy a listing, subbing out the information you want to update quite easily.

loving the new activity feed, too. but would really like to see a wee bit more, um, activity. so if you pay a visit to my shop and see something you like, show me some "favorite" love!

what's new?

2011-01-06T13:34:00.000-06:00

well, um... nothing. i have taken a big break from spinning, dyeing and candle crafting since no-coast. but that's just about over. once this busy january wraps up i'll be back at it. what's coming? well, i am fully resolved to getting the etsy shop back in shape. I plucked out all the inventory for the show and it's just been sitting there all sad ever since. I took a bunch of photos yesterday of the most recent batch of handpainted sock and sportweight yarns and the colors are just perfect for this ridiculously cold winter. stay tuned. here's a little handspun happiness in the meantime.

merry christmas

2010-12-23T11:20:00.001-06:00

as promised, i present the yarn ball wreath. it's made with three sizes of styrofoam balls, scrap yarn, a tube of christmas balls from the dollar section at target and a few miscellaneous floral picks and glass ornaments secured onto a wire wreath form with florist's wire and several dabs of hot glue. if i made it again, i might use a different base and more glue and less wire. it turned out cute but it was a lot of work!

here's to a fantastic holiday. i hope you can find a little time for yourself and give yourself the gift of a bit of stillness and peace.

just putting it out there in case anyone is looking....

2010-12-16T15:03:00.002-06:00

we're all sold but we have friends who need good homes.

if you were running a certain st. paul springtime craft show you'd want a handspun yarn vendor there wouldn't you? yeah, i knew you would.

hey, in other news, i have been working on a little holiday-inspired craft. a yarn wreath. no pics yet because it's not done AND i dont really know what i'm doing so no step-by-step tutorial. stay tuned, with xmas right around the corner i need to get this finished and up on the door. stand by!

my favorite kind of project

2010-12-09T09:12:00.000-06:00

is one borne from necessity that can be made without a trip to the store. it was thanksgiving weekend and i had just made todd some mittens for his birthday. i was still on a "i love mittens!" high, and decided that lydia needed some, too. i just started with a bunch of scraps and she liked the look. so for the next one she requested an un-matched mate. what do you think? i dig the scrappy, wacky look. and yes, that's snow. we got a bunch last weekend and it's the pretty, fluffy kind.

and just like that it was over

2010-12-06T22:52:00.002-06:00

Me and Jennifer. Photo by www.waist2wrist.com

The big craftapalooza weekend was super fun and a great way to cap off my first real year of being a legitimate crafty business person. One cold afternoon last January I was soaking in the tub feeling a little sorry for myself, wondering what I could do to make the coming year a little more fulfilling than the last. A flash of inspiration popped into my head at that very moment. Apply for Craftstravaganza. And I did. There were about five days left before the deadline and I rushed to get all my paperwork in order to become a business. I was stunned to get in. And now, almost a year later I have done four craft shows. I am feeling very blessed.

The table was full!

I got good feedback on my colors.

The candles were popular. Everyone loves to sniff them.

I liked getting feedback from other yarn geeks.

Wow. Just wow. I really don't know how to properly summarize the fantastic experience that was No-Coast Craft-O-Rama. Yeah, I sold a ton of yarn and candles, but it was more than that. I met so many interesting shoppers who were so incredibly passionate about their knitting and crocheting that they actually inspired ME to focus more on one of my favorite hobbies instead of just being so fixed on the production side of things. I got to spend a lot of time with my gracious friends Annie, Jennifer and Rhonda who all assisted me in the booth when it got busy or when I needed a bathroom break or a bubble tea. It felt great to also have the support of my coworkers. Thanks to Rick, Kathe, Kathleen, Cindy, Sarah, Jenna, Ben, Mrs. Barnes, Connie and Kim for seeking out my booth. It really meant a lot to me! It was an exhilarating and exhausting couple of days.

Here is my haul from the show. Body products from the lovely Rachel of Lusa Organics, cute greeting cards from Lucky Nielsen, soaps from St. Paul Soap, a new orange! belt from Miss Alison and a recycled belt cuff bracelet from Waist2Wrist. I think I made out real good!

a yearning for yarn? i can fix that.

2010-12-01T11:47:00.000-06:00

Everyone needs yarn!

I'm fired up and ready to go!

No time to waste now... No-Coast is just a couple days away. Right now I have the cutest pink yarn drying in the basement ready to make it's debut on Friday afternoon. Why the last minute rush? Well, the other day I was feeling all gloaty about my progress and decided to set up my booth on the guest room bed. Whoa! I had a distinct orange and blue thing happening like crazy and needed some color diversity STAT! No time to spin, I kettle dyed some new lamb's pride worsted in shades of pink, purple and red. And that, my friends, was just what I needed to save the color wheel from falling out of balance.

Now I'm tending to last-minute stuff like packing up, making signs and trying to get everything crossed off my to-do list. I hope to see you all at the show. My booth is B8, near the hallway that leads from the common area down to the Salty Tart, inside what used to be Jade Restaurant.

I'll be peddling: Handspun yarn (bulky weight, local wool blend)
Soy votives in festive gift boxes
Hand dyed yarn (superwash sock, merino sock, sport, worsted and bulky)

i make candles, too

2010-11-13T09:16:00.000-06:00

A couple of years ago I was bragging to my friend Jane about how I had "invented" a way to make candles. I would save the burned-down scraps of old candles to remelt into new candles. I was super proud of my thrift and showed her my silly little setup: The old saucepan full of wax shards and a few feet of cotton wicking. She told me she had been making candles for a few years (this was a complete surprise as I had never, ever heard her mention any kind of crafty pursuit). No Way! People do that?

Anyhoo, a few weeks later a big, ridiculously heavy box showed up on my doorstep. Jane had sent me a complete candle-making setup. Soon we had about 100 votives sitting around the house. Lydia decided she'd sell them around the neighborhood and the rest is history. My candles are soy wax with cotton wicks and I don't go too crazy with the fragrance. I got these cute boxes for no-coast and will be selling both pre-packaged four-packs and giving shoppers the option to make their own.

thanks neon.mamacita for the pic.

A preview

2010-11-09T09:27:00.001-06:00

Just a few quick shots of some of the yarn I've dyed and a few skeins of handspun. I'm happy with my booth spot at No-Coast (just off the hallway to Salty Tart in case I need some pastries) and the variety of vendors is fantastic. I am really looking forward to the show. Clear your calendar for Dec. 3-4 as this really is the Twin Cities' biggest indie crafter shopping event of the year.

Working with scrap yarn

2010-11-04T17:24:00.001-05:00

Pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Sweater on Two Needles from Knitter's Almanac

All those little bits of leftover yarn that end up in the bottom of my knitting bag are treasures to me. So much so that I have been known to raid the knitting stashes of friends and family members for the precious little oddballs. When I have a good selection of colors I cut them into random lengths and tie them together for a scrappy skein. It's a rather putzy task but you end up with a colorful, fun magic ball that changes colors at your whim. Here's a baby sweater I made for little Frannie a few years back. It took 4.75 ounces of scrap yarn. I consider the tails part of the charm. It would be maddening to try to weave them in. The reverse side (not shown, sorry) looks cool, too.

Sokka was just a kitten here. He has always been really helpful with my knitting projects.

Scrappy skein. They're all one of a kind mini-time capsules of long-ago knitwear.

Four weeks to go

2010-11-02T17:42:00.005-05:00

No-Coast is right around the corner and I am trying to be as productive as I can while still having a little bit of a life. I have no idea how much I will sell, no idea how much to make and no idea where I will get the energy to finish the enormous to-do list. There's a meet-and-greet this weekend at Midtown Global Market (the fantastic venue) where I hope to meet some of the other vendors and get the lay of the land... and lunch.

I feel pretty good about the amount of dyeing I have done (I am using Nebraska's own Brown Sheep Yarn exclusively for No-Coast. So far, I've worked with the Lamb's Pride bulky, Wildefoote sock and Naturespun sport weight. Now it's time to ramp up the spinning. I only got half a bobbin done tonight while watching Mythbusters before my tired hand cried out in protest. I'll do what I can but I'm not going to kill myself in the process.

On the candle front, today I ordered ten more pounds of soy wax, more cotton wicks and some festive "balsam berry" fragrance. I hope it's nice... it's always a gamble ordering scents online. I try to use the most pleasant ones I can find, which is rather tricky since everyone's nose is different. One nice perk with my supplier, Peak Candles, is they always include a free one-ounce fragrance sample with each order.

I have some groovy new moo cards that I am using for yarn tags. The other side has spots for price, yardage, fiber content and gauge. I punch the corner with a hole-punch and tie onto the skein with a little string. It's pretty cute, right?


Punch a hole, tie on a string and Shazam! you've got a tag!

book update

2010-10-15T12:11:00.000-05:00

so i have been meaning to put up the book covers from my recent styling and art direction projects with voyageur press.

sew retro is full of fantastic sewing projects. i loved the pillow and all the cute bags. more than patterns, this book has a rich history of the sewing movement. it's a great read.

modern knits vintage style features patterns from amazing designers. my fave? it's got to be the cherry cardigan.

i'm gonna be a no-coast vendor

2010-10-14T16:39:00.003-05:00

New handspun... not for sale at www.myfriendlondon.com because i have to get ready for my first BIG show. Props to my friend leslie at www.shuttersmack.com for the most excellent photos.

Hey, friends. it's been a while. but i am going to try to do this blog in earnest now that i actually have something to keep people updated on (otherwise my world is rather quiet). I just found out a few weeks ago that i have been chosen to be a vendor at the big no-coast craft show in minneapolis on dec. 3-4 at midtown global market. i really wasn't expecting the news and i am a newbie to the whole craft scene with only a couple shows under my belt.

i have been spinning and dyeing almost every day in anticipation. very thankful that the weather is warm and the skeins dry while i'm at work. soon i'll move the operation down the basement where the process slows down a bit. at least the house stays nicely hydrated with all that wet wool so close to the furnace.

if my hands stay limber i am planning on making a skein a day til the show. we'll see if that crazy talk is actually going to work.

and here is the button i made for the no-coast website.

More Star Tribune pages

2010-07-20T12:11:00.004-05:00

Star Tribune pages

2010-07-07T17:32:00.010-05:00

2008 SND Award of Excellence. Working with art director Leslie Plesser, we came up with the idea for a kitschy knitted sweater theme. I created the knitting pattern, and knitted the cover.

2008 SND Award of Excellence. This was the Taste cover for New Years Eve. It references the wildly popular 60s TV show "Mad Men." I art directed the page and sourced the illustrator, working with her to make sure her illustration would mesh perfectly with our story.

Photo art direction for knitting book

2010-06-27T15:14:00.008-05:00

"Modern Knits Vintage Style" (Fall 2010, Voyageur Press) is a collection of knitting patterns in the classic styles of the 1930s to 1950s. Photography by Jennifer Simonson.

Working closely with the book editor, I planned the location, props and wardrobe styling for the knitting project photos and oversaw all the photography/ This was a true collaboration, often shooting multiple versions to give the editor and designer lots of options for the book.

Photo art direction for sewing book

2010-06-27T14:48:00.020-05:00

"Sew Retro" (July 2010, Voyageur Press) is a look at the history of the women's sewing movement with 25 vintage-inspired projects. Photography by Jennifer Simonson

A collection of studio, location and on-figure photography. I art directed the shots, styled the wardrobe, collected props, held lights, you name it.

Saturday Afternoon Skirt
Mod Gathered Pillow
Patchwork Potholders

Almost Effortless Scarf
Charming Needlecase
Hostess Apron
Opera Bag

Cafe Curtains

My Friend London handspun yarn

2010-06-27T14:45:00.008-05:00

I have been busy spinning to get ready for Woodbury Art Faire on 7/17 and Uptown Market on 7/18.

These are examples of my handspun and handdyed wool yarns. I am now spinning almost exclusively with local wool from Minnesota and Wisconsin. My fiber basket includes Merino, Rambouillet, CVM, mohair, llama, Shetland and Bluefaced Leicester.

a skein of singles in worsted weight

local handspun on a pretty summer day

vibrantly colored Merino

One of my favorite Merino skeins.

Bluefaced Leicester and natural Merino two-ply.

Merino
Hat designed for my handspun by Annie Modesitt of www.modeknit.com soon to be available as a free Ravelry download.