Tag Archives: design

New Pattern: Alhambra Hat

Posted on May 2, 2012 by | Comments Off on New Pattern: Alhambra Hat

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Color Challenge: Orange

Posted on May 1, 2012 by | Comments Off on Color Challenge: Orange

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Still Here!

Posted on March 31, 2012 by | Comments Off on Still Here!
Sock Madness Round 2 - Submitted last night
After a week of knitting and planning to exhaustion, I'm happy to sit at my computer to take a break.  I found out this morning that I've made it on to Round 3 of Sock Madness!  After completing the first sock using US 0 sized dpns, I nearly kicked myself because I'd forgotten that gauges change with cables.  My right sock ended up way too small around my ankles, but fortunately was long enough for me to continue without frogging the sock.  I plunged forward using US 2 dpns and ended up with a sock that didn't cut off my circulation a day and half later.


My first "official" pattern - Garter Stripes Cardigan
for 0 to 24 months
This particular round was interesting, as it featured an afterthought heel which I'd heard of, but never tried before.  I used to be one of those who, after reading the specs of a pattern, would not attempt a pattern if it featured a technique I didn't know.  After this past year of picking up skills left and right, I've changed that behavior.  I guess I've found that it was much easier to learn something new than it was to find a pattern with techniques I'd already mastered.  Not to mention that it makes me feel better if I make a mistake because, hey, I'm learning.


My favorite design - Falling Leaves Jumper
I'm also in the midst of putting together crafts and yarn for a few craft/vendor fairs.  One has already passed and a HUGE one is coming up on April 24 at Potowatomi Casino in Milwaukee.  I'm very excited about this one, as I'll be setting up an area almost like a booth at a yarn trade show in hopes of raising some additional capital for the shop.  After the first show, I did figure out the yarn capacity of my car and got some very funny looks while travelling.  


And as if I didn't have enough to do, I've been convinced by my mother to write a book of patterns for baby clothes.  To raise money for that venture I started a Kickstarter campaign, so if you like my designs, please contribute to the cause (and there are some great rewards out there too).  I've got quite a few sketches ready and some other ideas that need to make it onto paper, but funding is mainly to get materials for testing patterns, making swatches, paying a photographer, etc.  I have also made plans to attend the publishing workshop at Stitches Midwest in August.  I will be booking the class soon, just have to price hotel stays etc.  Wish me luck!


My son, Peanut, modeling a few of my impromptu
child hat designs.  Above - Groundhog ; Below - Packers/Sport Beanie

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I Love What I Do!

Posted on March 18, 2012 by | Comments Off on I Love What I Do!

This evening while eating dinner in our office, I turned and looked at my husband and said, "This is really gonna happen..."  We were eating at the table I purchased for classes in the shop and it just hit me that starting a yarn shop was no longer a dream, it's a reality!  I have all of the larger "fixtures" for the store, and the rest will all be incidentals.  Of course, there's all that fun business stuff that needs to be taken care of before we open, but that's just a matter of time (and paperwork).

My goal is to get a lot of things second hand or "found" in nature.  I've come across things like hat boxes, interesting dress forms, some cool artwork, or even pieces that speak to me.  I a battered suitcase for decoration, a metal milk jug, and plenty of baskets.  My mother is also giving me a lot of her old baskets that she used to make when I was younger!


In the mean time, I've been knitting like crazy for both Sock Madness and what is to be the first knit along.  Round 1 for sock madness started out with a pair of socks that require a set of dice to choose at random whether or not you will C2F every 4th row.  The result is a pair of "mismatched" socks with cables randomly happening along the instep and leg.  I took (bad) progress pictures along the way and to submit at the end of the round.

I dyed the sock yarn with
Black Cherry Kool-Aid!

At the end of each day of frantic sock knitting, I'd spend my evenings "resting" by starting the All the Stops dress, a great pattern in Juniper Moon Farm's Findley Dappled booklet.  I'll be able to post a few pictures in a few days, as we've got terrible lighting in the house and pictures are not turning out quite right.  I want to be able to do this yarn justice because the variegated Findley Dappled is breathtaking, no matter what colorway you're using!  It feels like pure silk as I knit (it should, it's 50% silk and 50% merino wool).

Peanut, my son, checks out the shelves I plan
to use for Juniper Moon Farm yarns.  :)


It was first hard to imagine how this dress was going to turn out, but it became apparent quickly that the two stitches surrounded by stitch markers are where the shoulder seam is to be.  From there, you work your way down in three sections - left front, back, and right front.  I am now to where dart decreases are made.  I've sewn darts before, but have never knit darts, an interesting concept, but they serve the same purpose - to tailor the bust line. So far, it appears that I may be the only one who's documented doing this pattern (other than the tester), so I hope someone joins me in this project soon.  My dress, once complete, will be displayed in the shop and I'll also be wearing it on a cruise in January 2013, assuming I don't gain a massive amount of weight before then.

 Last, but not least, I got permission to share an appreciation photo from the layette set I designed and made for my hubby's boss.  I know I posted it on Facebook, but here's the little boy wearing the hat and socks from the set.  I was also told that they're giving me a copy of him in the whole outfit once they get the pictures from the hospital photographer.

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I Love What I Do!

Posted on March 18, 2012 by | Comments Off on I Love What I Do!
This evening while eating dinner in our office, I turned and looked at my husband and said, "This is really gonna happen..."  We were eating at the table I purchased for classes in the shop and it just hit me that starting a yarn shop was no longer a dream, it's a reality!  I have all of the larger "fixtures" for the store, and the rest will all be incidentals.  Of course, there's all that fun business stuff that needs to be taken care of before we open, but that's just a matter of time (and paperwork).

My goal is to get a lot of things second hand or "found" in nature.  I've come across things like hat boxes, interesting dress forms, some cool artwork, or even pieces that speak to me.  I a battered suitcase for decoration, a metal milk jug, and plenty of baskets.  My mother is also giving me a lot of her old baskets that she used to make when I was younger!

In the mean time, I've been knitting like crazy for both Sock Madness and what is to be the first knit along.  Round 1 for sock madness started out with a pair of socks that require a set of dice to choose at random whether or not you will C2F every 4th row.  The result is a pair of "mismatched" socks with cables randomly happening along the instep and leg.  I took (bad) progress pictures along the way and to submit at the end of the round.
I dyed the sock yarn with
Black Cherry Kool-Aid!

At the end of each day of frantic sock knitting, I'd spend my evenings "resting" by starting the All the Stops dress, a great pattern in Juniper Moon Farm's Findley Dappled booklet.  I'll be able to post a few pictures in a few days, as we've got terrible lighting in the house and pictures are not turning out quite right.  I want to be able to do this yarn justice because the variegated Findley Dappled is breathtaking, no matter what colorway you're using!  It feels like pure silk as I knit (it should, it's 50% silk and 50% merino wool).

Peanut, my son, checks out the shelves I plan
to use for Juniper Moon Farm yarns.  :)
It was first hard to imagine how this dress was going to turn out, but it became apparent quickly that the two stitches surrounded by stitch markers are where the shoulder seam is to be.  From there, you work your way down in three sections - left front, back, and right front.  I am now to where dart decreases are made.  I've sewn darts before, but have never knit darts, an interesting concept, but they serve the same purpose - to tailor the bust line. So far, it appears that I may be the only one who's documented doing this pattern (other than the tester), so I hope someone joins me in this project soon.  My dress, once complete, will be displayed in the shop and I'll also be wearing it on a cruise in January 2013, assuming I don't gain a massive amount of weight before then.

 Last, but not least, I got permission to share an appreciation photo from the layette set I designed and made for my hubby's boss.  I know I posted it on Facebook, but here's the little boy wearing the hat and socks from the set.  I was also told that they're giving me a copy of him in the whole outfit once they get the pictures from the hospital photographer.



Don't forget: Noro Ayatori yarns are here in 6 great colors!  It's DK, 60% wool, 40% silk and absolutely wonderful. I almost felt like it was my birthday 3 months early when I got the big package on Friday.  It ships same day and you won't want to put this yarn down.

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Happy Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone who reads my Cherished Moments blog!  I truly love each and every one of the people who have helped cheer me on, laughed with me, cried with me and been an inspiration to me over the past year.  Have a great one!

Design
I know it's been a while since I last posted, but I'm having a blast getting Midwest Yarn up and running.  The tentative website launch date is February 27th and with the way things are slow to arrive, it looks like that was a good date to pick.

Katya Rose
Size 6-12 months
In between website building and Peanut entertaining, I've been working on a few new projects.  I published another pattern on Ravelry.com called the "Katya Rose". 

It's a jumper and pant set featuring picot edging.  It ranges in size from 0-3 months to 18-24 months.  I love working with merino wool and this project was no exception.  I picked out the colors Fuschia and Snow from Millamia, purchased at Ruhama's, my favorite LYS.  I also crocheted a flower and put it on the jumper to decorate it for the picture and for sale on Etsy.

I always feel self-conscious about the photos I take because we have a small, poorly lit condo, and I can only get semi-descent pictures in a few areas of the house and at specific times of the day.  Being that we're in Wisconsin and in the middle of winter, sunny days are also few and far between.

Knitting Madness
I've been feverishly knitting in the few minutes I get in my spare time as well.  I knit a scarf out of Noro Kureyon Sock, using a pattern from Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders.  I figure, since I have so much sock yarn in my stash, I might as well work through the book a little bit to bring down that stash, if that's even possible.  If I have time, I might even do Sock Madness through the Ravelry.com group (and that's a real big IF, but I missed last year's because I never had knit a sock before).  Now that I've learned/mastered a lot of new techniques over the last year, I'm hoping that I can stand a chance to even keep up with the sock pros.

Yea, I've been knitting for over 20 years, but I'm a young one compared to a lot of my knit/crochet counterparts.  I just want to prove that I can do it, even if I only make it through the first round.  I'm a slow knitter.

Coming Soon
Midwest Yarn's launch and more pattern designs.  On deck for a pattern: sweater vest.

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Doin’ The Yarn Thing

Posted on January 15, 2012 by | Comments Off on Doin’ The Yarn Thing
Green layette set, featuring
a version of the
Garter Stripes Baby Cardigan
Design

I am ecstatic to announce that my first pattern is available on Ravlery.com.  The "Garter Stripes Baby Cardigan" is available for $5 and also available to LYS shops on ravelry for purchase.  I had a lot of fun designing the yoked cardigan and even made a version of it as a layette set for my husband's boss (whose wife is due in February).

Green layette set
Hat, mitts, socks
I decided not to list the whole layette set so that I could be able to have some of my own "trade secrets" for posting on Etsy and taking to craft fairs.  I love how the layette set turned out, but I did have a dye lot problem.  When I initially bought the yarn, I did not make sure that it was all one dye lot.  I didn't notice until I was most of the way through the WHOLE SET.  I was not about to rip out a week's worth of knitting, but I have learned my lesson.  UGH!

Knitting Madness
Yes, I've been knitting (and working) like crazy for the last week and it absolutely paid off.  As mentioned before, I finished my first pattern.  I also finished the layette set.  While on my knitting breaks I made a lot of phone calls to yarn distributors, talked back and forth with some LYS owners, and worked on my business plan.  All that while attempting to keep Peanut entertained (he did have several temper tantrums, since we're apparently now at that stage).

With all this work, I came to the realization that I love designing, knitting, and getting feedback from other talented people out there.  My mother put it to me that I shouldn't sell myself short and proudly call myself a designer and a business owner...because I am!  So now, I'm working ten times harder to make this business a success.  The journey has its ups and downs, but I'm glad to put in 80 hours a week to be happy doing what I do and supporting my family in the process.  Stay tuned, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Coming Soon
Believe it or not, this yarn business is going to get off the ground.  I'll be working on the business plan and setting up the website because I'll actually have inventory for sale online soon.  *happy dance*

I'm also working on testing another pattern.  More details soon.

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New Year, New Opportunities

Posted on January 9, 2012 by | Comments Off on New Year, New Opportunities
Design
When I found myself with nothing to do on New Year's Eve, I got to thinking about all the projects and ideas I'd been putting off.  I was learning new knitting techniques in order to write patterns for items that I wanted make, but never doing anything with them.  For some reason, I was inspired to change all that on New Year's Eve.  I sat down with my laptop, some measurements for different infant and toddler sizes and jumped into my first formal pattern writing process.

I designed a yoked baby cardigan.  I opted to make it striped to add texture to the product.  Several hours and recalculations later, I had a finished pattern available for me to test.  While knitting, I did realize that I didn't account for some simple things, like decreased stitches and such and did a re-write mid construction.  In the end I came up with the finished project shown at the right.

I initially botched some of the blocking, but it was easy to start over.  I then attached the buttons and it was done.  It is now listed on etsy for $35.

I will be selling the pattern on Ravelry.com soon.  I'm working on making it a full outfit that includes a hat and pants (maybe shorts since spring is coming up).  I plan to have the pattern posted by the end of the month for somewhere around $7-$10.  I'm leaning toward the lower end since it is my first pattern to post to Ravelry.

I am making the full yoke cardigan set for my husband's boss, who's wife is due in February.  That will be in a spring green, tan, and off white with brown buttons.  It will include a hat and pants, all size 0-3 months in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.  It's so fun doing these designs and I hope to increase my pattern library quickly this year.

My parents have also wanted me to design them a Groundhog Day hat since they own a Bed and Breakfast that was filmed in the movie "Groundhog Day".  I came up with the idea to deconstruct the idea of the groundhog and make it more like a hat with pom-pom ears in wool that was the color of a groundhog.  Peanut modeled my mock up design.

Other news...
I posted before the end of the year about our sick fur baby, Baby Buddy.  Although he was not diagnosed with cancer, he took a turn for the worse shortly after the new year.  He wasn't able to digest food anymore, his growth had noticeably increased in size, and he lost more than 2 pounds in less than two weeks.  At the recommendation of our vet, who just like me could tell he was starting to go, we decided to end his suffering.  I'm sad to report that on January 7th, he passed away peacfully in my arms.  He was tremendously loved and will be missed terribly. 

Knitting Madness
I've been working on getting in contact with yarn sales reps in order to jump start the yarn shop.  But after a poignant conversation with my mother, I'm having second thoughts.  Will owning a yarn shop take away from my love of knitting?  Will I still have the opportunity to design as much as I want to?  Will the costs of owning the yarn shop outweigh the benefits?

These are some tough questions I will have to deal with as I get in touch with the yarn distributors.  Mainly because it will be a stretch to fund the start-up of the shop.  I don't want to have to take out any loans, but I don't want to blow my savings on something that won't pan out.  I'll be thinking about this more as I talk with other yarnies out there.  Please, let me know what you think, the uncertainty is killing me!

Coming soon
Spring designs.  Even though I have limited drawing ability, I've been working on some sketches.  Liking what I see so far.  :)

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Reflecting on 2011 and Counting Down to 2012

Posted on December 26, 2011 by | Comments Off on Reflecting on 2011 and Counting Down to 2012
Knitting Madness
I never really cared for this time of year.  In spite of the family gatherings and all the parties, I always felt so small and alone.  What I didn't realize was that I was spending the time reflecting in my own space, rather than reaching out and making others happy.  
Baby Buddy came out of hiding and went
right back to the tree on Christmas Eve!

And now, I can't believe Christmas is over!  I've been running around, knitting like crazy, baking, Christmas shopping, and taking care of a sick cat.  With all of the incredibly bad things that have happened this year, I had so much to be thankful for once I sat down and thought about it.  When you look at all of it, I still have my wonderful family and many opportunities ahead of me.  I even got my own Christmas miracle when I found out that we did not have to put Baby Buddy to sleep!  They did not find cancer but we will have to have more tests run to see if his growth is affecting anything.  He even started to act like his old self again and came to sleep next to me on Christmas morning (something he has not done in a few months because he didn't have the energy to get upstairs).

In between the regular Christmas-time running around, I managed to make a few gifts for the people in my family who have been admiring some of the things I've made so far this year.  There was:
     
    My two sisters-in-law were really excited about their hats:
    Slouchy Beanie in Peacock Colors (left) and
    Simply Elegant Beanie (right)
    
  • A pair of socks for my aunt in Arizona
  • A pair of socks for my grandmother
  • A hat for two of my sisters-in-law
  • A pair of slippers with suede soles for another grandmother (husband's side)
  • A custom-made sweater vest as my first Etsy sale
  • Finishing the hats that my brother-in-law ordered
*sigh*  My husband and I also decorated the house and built Peanut's larger gifts.  We also took turns baking: I made sugar cookies and oatmeal cookes (with dark chocolate and toffee chips) and hubby made three different kinds of cheese cake (peppermint, eggnog and apple).  When it finally came down to it, we spent Christmas Eve at my father-in-law's house, Christmas morning at our house opening gifts, and Christmas evening watching football at The Royal Victorian Manor, my parents' Bed and Breakfast. 


Peanut models in front of the Christmas tree.

So much love, so many smiling faces.  Now I remember why I do what I do.  I love helping people and making them happy.  If I can do something well enough to brighten another person's day, I know I have a purpose and something to look forward to.  Working in health care did give me that opportunity, I mean, I managed a clinic for people who would have no other access to health care if it wasn't for our little clinic.  And speaking Spanish allowed me to be a representative for women's health education to a rural Hispanic community, giving those women a chance to learn more about important women's health issues.

With Peanut around, I want to spend every minute with him, watching him grow and learn.  He's helped me to realize that there are many things that I love to do, but if I must help my family succeed.  Why not do that while doing something you love?  And this is why I knit.  I love the arts, I love my family, and I love making people happy by making something that keeps them warm or warms their heart.

I am looking forward to see what 2012 will bring for my own personal growth and the growth of Cherished Moments.  I'll be:
  • Frantically working on my business plan
  • Designing knit clothes for babies and children that have a timeless style
  • Writing patterns
and enjoying every little part of the process.  I promise, you won't be disappointed!
Christmas at the Royal Victorian Manor.

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