Monthly Archives: September 2015

Autumn Night Light …

Gay Head Lighthouse – Martha’s Vineyard

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DSC_0091Can’t decide which one I like better so posted both :)


Welcome Autumn 2015 …

Good morning autumn, welcome…

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Late September Beaches …

Martha’s Vineyard

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Red Berries …

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Review: The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting

Review: The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting post image

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First, the facts:

Title: The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting: Techniques, Stitches, Projects

Author: Faina Goberstein & Simona Merchant-Dest

Published by: Interweave Press, 2015

Pages: 175

Type:

Chapters:

1. All About Slip-Stitch Knitting
2. Traditional Slip-Stitch Patterns
3. Woven Slip-Stitch Patterns
4. Fancy Slip-Stitch Patterns
5. Reversible Slip-Stitch Patterns

KS: Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting

The In-Depth Look:

Slip-stitch knitting is one of those techniques that is very simple to do, but often misunderstood, because it seems like it’s hard. (It’s not.) What this technique is, though, is versatile.

Faina Goberstein and Simona Merchant-Dest have compiled a collection of both slip-stitch stitch patterns and patterns for sweaters and accessories using them.

I love collections like this because they give you the knowledge to create your own things–how to do slip-stitch patterns, what to do with it, why you want to use it, what its advantages are, and so on. But then, just in case after reading all that, you’re feeling a bit tired or lazy, they just go straight ahead and put it all into ready-to-go patterns, just for you.

The designs are great, too. Some are simple, some are complex. There are large things like sweaters, but also small things like hats and scarves if you want to carefully get your feet wet. There’s more than one thing in here that I would be happy to make, but that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve liked Faina Goberstein’s patterns for ages and they hit a nice balance between “innovative” and “classic”–my favorite combination.

You should definitely check this out. You can get this lovely book at Amazon.com.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press . Thank you!

My Gush: Clever and stylish.

Other posts for this author:

  • Casual, Elegant Knits

DeStashing

new studio wide

I have been on a journey for the last ten months. Most of this adventure has taken place inside google docs and 3 or 4 manila folders full of scratch paper. I have written my novel 5 times over and finally landed on a draft that I can make into something. The feeling is sublime., and I have taken a few days to revel in it. I sent it to my beta readers, had a drink to toast it, and gave myself the reward of Maria V. Snyder’s Glass Series. (I have devoured them. Seriously. We need to talk about book more often, reader friends.)

This journey of mine, however, has not just been about writing my novel. I have been on a highly introspective, speculative path that’s had some confidence building detours. I won’t say I’m completely done with it all, but I feel like I could wear this shirt honestly, and get some shit done.

If you’ve stuck with me over the last couple of years, there’s been no surprise that I didn’t know what the hell I’ve wanted to do. I’ve been bouncing around from one crafty infatuation to the next, without ever really settling on anything. One thing about writing my novel that helped me was that all of my passions kept popping up. That book incorporates so much that I love–coffee, textiles, modern small business strategy, men’s fashions. (True confession, I say I subscribe to the New York Times for the book review, and the comprehensive news, but the only thing I ever get through cover to cover is style magazine.) Through the writing process, and examining what worked for my characters, I was also somehow able to wrestle out what gives me the most joy.

Strangely enough, they are the two things I do the most already: writing and retail. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out that I should put the two together and write about retail. Except that I am really excellent at getting in my own way.

Comical metaphorical stumbling aside, I have a head full of specialty retail knowledge, and if I don’t get some of it out on the page, I’m in danger of exploding it all over the place. And let’s be honest, there’s a time and place for telling someone they need to reexamine their pricing strategy. (But hey, if you wanna talk about pricing, check back tomorrow!) Meaning, that you, reader friends, can expect to read some tricks of the trade right here.

I am excited. Are you excited?

wool rainbow

So what does all this self-helpy, soul-examining, navel-gazing have to do with destashing? It means I need to transform Tiny Dino Studios from a fiber studio to a multipurpose studio. There is a ton of awesome stuff that I’ve basically stopped using, and I want you to have it.

Through October 31st, my etsy shop will be open and all the yarns and spinning fibers I have stashed away will be up for grabs at 60-75% off. That is a steal of a deal on some really high quality yarn. I will be updating the shop on Saturday mornings with everything I can find through the end of October or as long as supplies hold out.

Mr Drum Carder

In addition to everything on etsy, I am selling my drum carder. I bought him right before I started to lose my enthusiasm for selling yarn, so I’ve made maybe 12 batts on the guy in the last couple years. (I have cleaned him up since I took this photo.) The card cloth is 120tpi/90tpi. I’m asking $200, and I’ll thrown in a bag of loose locks and fluff and stuff. Local only, I’d prefer not to ship this guy. Email me or leave a comment if you’re interested.

Check out etsy, and hang around for what’s next!

Back in the US of A

Hello!  I just wanted to say hi.
The rest of this post is really an extended sulk session so you can skip it if you'd rather stay cheery.  I'll be back to my normal upbeat self in a few weeks I imagine.

What happened?!

My long silence was completely unintentional I assure you.  It was a few days after my previous post when my partner left to start his new job in the U.S. and I stayed behind in Germany with our son, and prepped for our international move.  August was a very, very emotional and distressing month to say the least.  And we're still not at our next location!  Everything was a bit too crazy to write, but I wanted to keep my blog current so here goes...

I'll begin with the sad.  You know that feeling you get when you leave a party, and you know you might not see someone you like very much for a really long time... that super-sad, aching, regret-longing kind of feeling?  Well, after seven years in Munich, I've really come to love my friends and had this huge mounting sense of anxiety and loss.  And I felt like that *every* time I saw my friends. And I tried to pack in as many visits with them as I could before I left.  My partner called it the "slow band-aid" approach to saying good-bye.  I kind of agree.

September is now three-quarters done.  I have been in Miami at my mom's house for two weeks, and my sense of loss is still so fresh.  I keep trying to cheer myself up with hopes hanging on our next destination which is California, but I don't really know what to expect.  Instead, I find myself overwhelmed in the grocery aisle of the local big box grocery store with all the overly-sweetened everything.  I get frustrated I can't find anything comparable to the simple (often organic) food I used to buy for my son that had been so easily accessible and affordable in Germany.  Here, they're specialty items and very expensive.  Why should healthy food be a privilege reserved for the rich?

It's also really disheartening to come back to the U.S. during such a terribly polarized political climate.  It cannot be ignored - there's such a palpable dislike of women and minorities in today's political rhetoric.  My goodness, even the most conservative of Germans agree on the fundamental need for universal healthcare.  People should not be scared of going broke if they get sick.  Where's the love for our fellow human beings?

All those grey clouds aside, we're here.  That's the reality.  And it looks like we're here to stay for a while.

- - -
The work... and the happy.

I've gone back to the basics and started painting with watercolor and gouache.  And, I've started knitting again.  I was able to complete a bit of work in August before my laptop had the green-screen error and had to be shipped off for repairs, before selling my sewing machine, overlocker, and all tools that plugged into a European electrical socket.  So hopefully, when I get the laptop back from the shop, I'll have lots of lovely work to show you!

If you want to see my sketches, sewing, or knitting progress, it's definitely best to follow me on instagram.  If you're not on there yet, it's a really lovely little platform-- an ever-replenishing feast for the eyes.  I can post directly from my mobile device so I'm able to post nearly every day.  My illustrations are definitely more positive than this post.  I promise!

Oh yes, and somewhere in the mix, I started an art collective.  I've got lots to say about it, and can't wait to share!  See?  I had some good news! I hope you all are doing okay and that your life is not filled with those grey clouds.  I can't wait to see some emotional sunshine again.

Weekly Challenge: Grid …

This week, make a grid the centerpiece of your photo. Next week, they can lapse back into our photographic subconscious, but this week, let’s give them some time in the sun!

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I couldn’t decide on just one so I didn’t :)

Office buildings, Vancouver, British Columbia…

100_8297100_8294George Washington Bridge.. New Jersey
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Art deco elevator.. 100_3526 Indoor rope course.. Palisades Mall in New York 100_3887

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/grid/


Go Fund Me Link Added!

I’ve added a link to our Go Fund Me page on the right. If you have any trouble at all viewing it, let me know. I’m not super great at  this tech stuff!

 

https://www.gofundme.com/savior-dogs


Call For Help

A few days ago, a nice county police officer came to my door to warn me about one of our neighbors.  Apparently, a gentleman down the road has been seeing our dogs on their chases and is very unhappy about the situation.

I’ve discussed here before, I think, how smart and stubborn the Maremmas are.  They have a job to do, and they are damn well determined to do it. The problem is, when they are chasing off predators or patrolling their domain, they’ve begun to cut a wider swath.  We’ve spent thousands on efforts to improve the fencing, keep them with the flock. They’ve busted under, through, and over welded wire and chain link. We’ve even resorted to putting them on long chains when we’ve been desperate in the past.  This does nothing but make them a bit crazy; and then they broke the chains.

So when the nice officer came to the door I was already at my wit’s end with the situation myself. The thing is, our county is almost entirely zoned for agriculture. As such, there are no leash laws or noise ordinances, and we are, in fact, required by the state to have protections (such as guardians) in place for our livestock. He reiterated that I had done nothing wrong, and that he realized that my dogs were absolutely not a threat.

However, this one man down the street has stated he will shoot my dogs if he sees them again.

Unfortunately, he is within his rights to do so if he claims he feels threatened by them.

We have had a GPS tracker on Orzo’s collar for a little over a month now, and I can tell you, that although they have been known to chase deer, coyotes, and foxes down towards that man’s house, they are never there for more than a few moments and they come right back. In addition, Orzo’s GPS movements show him in that area maybe 3 times last month.

We are not talking about an every day nuisance.

Either way, we are at a crossroads. We either need much, much better fencing in place or we need to decide we can no longer keep animals here. I can’t imagine losing them or giving them up.  Working dogs or not, they have become part of our family.

We can’t pack up and move.  Our house is still “under water” as it were, in terms of value. We are here for the foreseeable future, come what may.

We need as much help as we can get. We have decided to start a gofundme page in the hopes that we can raise enough money to put up a good, solid fence. This will not be cheap; we have just under 5 acres to enclose and we can’t simply do horse fence and welded wire anymore. We need high, solid panels.

I am hoping to have a professional estimate soon; in the meantime I am setting a goal that, although it looks super high, is probably a low ball estimate.

I will be posting a link shortly. If you can give, even a little bit, we will forever be grateful. But please, share, and share widely. Share with your animal – loving friends. Share with small farm supporters. Share with anyone and everyone.

And thank you for coming by here and sharing a bit in our lives. If we can get this accomplished, you’re all invited to the celebration.


Tagged: Farm, Pets