Tag Archives: knit

Coming Soon…

Posted on February 3, 2013 by | Comments Off on Coming Soon…
The final piece of the Squishy Series (although a hoodie add-on and/or sleeves may be in order)...


Currently in tech-edit/testing, but coming soon!

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For Little Ones in Need

Posted on January 30, 2013 by | Comments Off on For Little Ones in Need
Knit and Crochet For Little Ones in Need
Ever since her birth back in October 2011, I've been following little Maia Cavanaugh - the daughter of two people I grew up with - and her progress with her many medical complications: Down's Syndrome, heart surgery, gi tubes, etc.  This adorable little girl's story is not only inspirational, but also impressive because she and her family have survived so many things in the past 15 months.

When checking email while on vacation, I was shocked to find that she had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Lukemia (AML) requiring 6 to 9 months of inpatient care!  Many friends and family have stepped up to help with meals and care of Maia's older brother Noah, who is Vincent's age.

Since we fiber artists have a lot of causes that we like to contribute to (ie, The Linus Project, etc.), I wanted to ask if anyone would be interested in knitting or crocheting items for Maia and her brother, Noah.  They are likely to be going back and forth to the hospital during the next several months, most of which during the winter and spring.  Before starting any projects, please let me know if you are interested by responding in any of the following ways:

A friend of their family is coordinating a lot of the physical help they will receive and I have been in touch with her.  Should we get a lot of interest, items that Noah and Maia can use will be sent to them directly and the remainder will be donated to Children's Hospital in Madison on Maia's behalf, because there are plenty of children in need of something to help brighten their day during a particularly difficult time in their lives.

Potential items include:
  • Hats
  • Mittens
  • Blankets
  • Cardigans (I will check on sizes for both of them) - please, no pullovers because Maia has tubes and wires for treatment
  • Yarn - maybe - for example, if you don't have time, yarn can be donated to other members of the fiber community to knit/crochet donated items
More details to follow as we get an idea of who is interested and the potential for donated items.  I wish there was more I, personally, could do, but unfortunately, I am unable to donate blood or marrow due to my own autoimmune condition.

If you'd like to read more about Maia, please visit her Caring Bridge.org page at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/maiacavanaugh

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Argyle Set: Lustig Hat & Gloves

Posted on January 9, 2013 by | Comments Off on Argyle Set: Lustig Hat & Gloves
The first published pattern of the year is the "Lustig Set" (lustig = funny in German).
I'm really proud of this set, especially the gloves which were started in Amsterdam and completed in Munich.  Both knitting groups were really supportive during the design process, and I'd like to give them a hearty "thanks" for all their love.

photo: Clotheshorse Magazine

You can find the pattern here within Clotheshorse Magazines Winter 2012/13 Issue.
And, here are my amateur-hour home photos... ;)

I wore it slouchy, more like a beret.

The gloves are interchangeable left & right.


What are you all working on these days?

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WIPS: quilt, sew, knit…

Posted on December 6, 2012 by | Comments Off on WIPS: quilt, sew, knit…
Just to fill you in on projects from earlier this year.  My 2012 resolutions still stand for the most part, and my biggest gap is that I may not be able to finish this quilt in time!

Here's my progress so far...



I'm so close, right?  Since I took this photo, I've already stitched in the ditch 60%, but the free-motion quilting remains to be done as does the binding.  I'll keep you posted!

In knitting, I've finished the final worsted weight project in a line for boys' knitted garments... a cute 2-color shawl collar pullover.  It's still blocking and drying.


I'm also halfway through the body of a knitted vest design I'm working on... but more pressing deadlines have taken over since the vest will be a self-published project.


And in the sewing world, I started to lay out the couture dress from Susan Khalje's Craftsy course, but am thinking the full skirt is too full.  So, I embarked upon self-drafting my very own half-circle skirt!  Why not?



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Winter Accessories!

Posted on October 23, 2012 by | Comments Off on Winter Accessories!

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Knit One, Meditate Too

Posted on October 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on Knit One, Meditate Too

Anticipation Anxiety

 If you've stopped by the shop or spoken with me over the phone this past week, you may have noticed that I've been a bit aloof.  I've just completely lost focus with all that's going on in the shop.  I may spend 30 minutes here and there spinning (like the baby alpaca yarn pictured on the left), answering the phone, talking with customers in the shop, packaging orders, knitting, entertaining my increasingly cranky 3 year old, and the list goes on...

Truth is, I may just have trouble prioritizing some days, or other days, I get so excited from the anticipation of what could become of the shop that I lose track of what I was doing.  And then, the internet service went awry.  So not only do I have to run the shop on my iPhone, I have to do a lot of work arounds on things I was already accustomed to doing on the computer.  Simple things like printing out a pattern have become 45 minute tasks, because my printer just does not want to cooperate with the wireless network.  But I'm good at troubleshooting, so IT fixes are no problem for me.  

The good thing is that I've learned to find some easy ways to meditate to calm down my brain.  Most days it works, other days, I just have to tell myself that tomorrow is another day.  What does it mean for me in the long run?  I'm more productive when stressed.  So, I did some refreshing of my crochet skills, which are a lot better than I remember (see crochet hat on the right).  I even taught myself a new spinning technique, the Navajo 3-ply, which has allowed me to finally spin a yarn thicker than lace or fingering weight on my vintage, handmade spinning wheel (see below).

It's weeks like these - the ones that leave me exhausted, crabby, and begging for one extra hour of sleep - that test my resolve, but in the end, I know that I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing.  Even if I have to remind myself of that every few minutes while on hold with a vendor or when pouring over the
books (accounting).

Increasing My Design Expertise

Now, I'm working on design, design, design.  As a business owner, I always have to find new sources of revenue that are low costs to the business.  Designing, which I LOVE to do, is one of them.  Yes, it takes a lot of time and effort to design, but in the long run, there's not much money that is put in to self-publishing, so profit in dollars is maximized.  At least when you look at it from a business perspective.

Because I love creating new things, I will sketch (something at which, let's just say, I'm not very skilled), doodle, or knit things that pop into my head. Just yesterday, I was wracking my brain on what to propose for the Knit Picks designer call that's posted on Ravelry, and I started doodling on graph paper to clear my mind.  What I ended up with was an 8 stitch repeating pattern in fair isle that I can turn into a sweater pattern for another project!  What's the most shocking about that, I've only knit one fair isle design, which was my own, and I absolutely HATED it.  Meaning, I hated knitting the fair isle.  I was asked to design and knit 5 beanie caps with my brother in law's band name on them.  He was impressed with how they turned out, how consistent all of them were ("like factory made!"), and he even kept one.  He actually just wore it the other day.

I finally got an idea for my design while driving home from the shop this afternoon.  It was one of those "a-ha!" moments, making me realize that I had just put too much thought into it.  So we'll see if I can get the sketch and proposal just right and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that it gets accepted, it would mean a lot for me and the shop.

And of course because this is a business...Shameless Plug  :)

Finally, I'm pleased to announce that a few things are in the planning stages for the rest of this year.  First, I'm working on a customer rewards program.  I'm not sure how to roll this out yet, but at the very least it will include volume discounts and loyalty rewards.  We will also be celebrating Small Business Saturday on November 24, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

I'm still promoting the pre-orders of Addi Turbo and Addi Lace circular needles, including the interchangable sets that are now available in both Turbo and Lace tips.  These are wonderful needles to work with.  They have smooth coating that allows for faster knitting.  Lace tips feature a longer point that eases lace knitting, no matter what gauge yarn and needle size.  As mentioned in the previous blog entry, pre-orders are what allow us to bring new lines into the shop.  Being that we are a small business, it's a little bit more difficult to bring in new brands because of minimum orders required.  Support your local yarn shop by pre-ordering today.  Contact me for pricing and pre-order you Addi needles today.  

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Knit Pattern: Squishy Chullo Hat

Posted on October 11, 2012 by | Comments Off on Knit Pattern: Squishy Chullo Hat

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Tutorial: Blocking Your Knitted/Crocheted Items

Posted on October 9, 2012 by | Comments Off on Tutorial: Blocking Your Knitted/Crocheted Items

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New Pattern: Amaranth Shawl

Posted on October 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on New Pattern: Amaranth Shawl

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New Knit Pattern: Amaranth Headband

Posted on October 2, 2012 by | Comments Off on New Knit Pattern: Amaranth Headband

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