Bye Bye and Hello

I’m stretching myself thin in the blog world.  I’ve started numerous blogs to write about different aspects of my life.  It’s become a little overwhelming to keep up with them and to figure out what I’m going to write for each.  I’ve stared some post but I keep putting them in a draft folder and never finishing the post.  I’ve been doing this blog thing for about 3-4 years now and my life has just changed so much that my original blog just didn’t fit.  So I made another one.  Which in the end didn’t work.  So another and another…it makes no sense, just have one place.  One Blog.  So that’s what I’m doing.  It will be about anything in my life.  Baby, husband, food, hair, hobbies, etc…  So here we go…Living My Life

So F-ing Excited!!!

In the last year or so (come to think of it, it was around the time I found out I was pregnant) I started to really enjoy cooking.  I enjoy shopping for ingredients and cooking them up with Paul as my sous chef.  So what's the problem?  There must be a problem.  Space and Storage.  Space and storage are my problems.  I have very little space to prepare recipes and storing food, forget-about-it.  How do you solve these problems?  You get a new kitchen.  Here is what I want: 1. more counter space, 2. a pantry, 3. space to get things organized (everything in it's place).

So how am I going to solve these issues...remodel the kitchen.

That's right, we are going to remodel the kitchen.  I don't mean move some things around, I mean completely gutting the kitchen and starting from the ground up.  I've designed the entire thing with all my wants and needs in mind.

Here is the concept view

And here is the inspiration and how the cabinets will look. 

I'm keeping the overall look very simple.  This way decorating can be changed whenever I want.  Oh. Oh.  I came up with the idea for the lighting above the sink.  I'm going to do pendant light with changeable shades.  I can then change the lighting with the decor.

Well, I'll keep posting with progress shots. 

Make your list and check it twice: 101 in 1001

Start Date: 06-06-10
End Date: 03-03-13
It is actually quite hard to come up with 101 goals to complete in 1001 days.  I'm at 20is on the list.  Most the goals have to do with family, fiber/yarn/knitting, and photography.  I wanted to make some goals that would be challenging and some that would be fairly easy.  Some that would take lots of planning and some that could be done on a moments notice.  You might be wondering what this is all about.  Here is an explanation.  If you decide to create a list, here is list that can help brainstorm your list. The list is categorized into places to visit, financial milestones, content to consume, physical changes, new things to learn, things to create, skills to learn, risk to take, relationships, things to own, business, and pieces of paper.  There are 10 available spaces for each category.  It's a nice tool to help brainstorm. 

So what is on my list? I'm not telling (at least not until after 03-03-10 when I've completed the list).  Sorry 'bout that. 

In other news.  I need to learn how to use a flash.  I've finally acknowledged the fact that I have little to no natural light coming into my house.  So when I need to take pics of anything in my house I have to set up my lighting which can be a real pain.  So I'm going to learn how to use a flash (not the on camera flash) in a way that will look more natural, cuz I do hate straight on flash.  Oooh, also I've recently learned how to do the lomo effect on my pics.  I love the lomo effect. 

Disney Before Lomo Effect

Disney After Lomo Effect

I just really love the hyper-reality that it creates.

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This is hard...

See my other post on my other blog.

Designed for summer...

...or better yet designed for Florida.  Here is my call to all knitwear designers.  Design more knitwear for summer (and Florida livin').  Now, having requested this I'm also going to attempt to design some knitwear.  While knitting the Vesper pullover I came to realize some summer knitting basics.  What does a summer knit need in it's design?  In my opinion it's a few things.  First a breathable fabric.  Second the resulting garment needs to be lightweight.   and Third the garment needs to be easy to wear.  I've also come to realize that this will mean, again in my opinion, no yarn larger than sport or DK weight.  I know, this means no quick knits. 

So my first assignment (to myself) will be to study Elizabeth Zimmermann's knit designs and principles.  I'm doing this because I believe that EZ is the shiz-knit of knitting.  Only one problem most things she knit were suited for winter and northern climates.  I'm hoping that in studying her designs I'll be able to create lightweight translations.  I also hope that this will help in the future designs that I've thought up over the years but didn't really know how to create a pattern.  Such us a peasant shirt that I've been mulling around in my head. 

I'll keep you updated on how things are coming along. 

Change of mind

Yet again I'm changing my mind.  I couldn't get swatch for the Petrie sweater using Hempathy yarn.  So, while looking around on Ravelry I found this sweater which was close enough to gauge to work.  Vesper by Heidi Kirrmaier.  There seems to be a pattern here...I really like Heidi's patterns.   

Like many who have made this, I'm also going to use Roko's mods. 

Okay, here I go, I'm actually going to cast-on a new project which I haven't done in several months. 

Oh, only issues, I didn't get exact gauge which I'm hoping will not be too much of an issues.  We'll see what happens. 

Not gonna work

The yarn is not going to work and I don't have enough money to buy the yarn to knit it right now.  But, I do however have enough yarn in my stash to knit 2 sweaters.  All is not lost. 

The first is this wonderful Summer Solstice sweater designed by Heidi Kirrmaier.  I'm currently swatching for this one using Elesbeth Lavold Silky Wool in my fav color. 

The second is Petrie a Knitty pattern by Beautia Dew.  I'll be swatching that next using Elesbeth Lavold Hempathy in a navy color. 

Oooh, I also have part of the yarn to knit this tank.  Coral by Helga Isager.  I have the Noro for the accent parts and I'm wondering if I could use the fingering yarn I just bought for the body.  Only one problem.  The pattern is in Danish.  I also like the Olive Sweater by the same designer that is very similar. 

Did someone give me crack?

I can't believe that I'm going to attempt to knit a sweater on size 3 needles.  I must be insane or on crack.  The sweater that has captured my knitterly love?

pic taken from BMFA site

This is her.  The Traveling Sweater by A. Karen Alfke available from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.  The pattern uses Woobu yarn which is a 60/40 wool/bamboo blend yarn.  I'm however going to be using (I hope, if I get gauge) Ella Rae's Lace Merino which I was told is a sport weight.  I really hope I'm able to get gauge with it, I love the color.  Anyway, I think this will be a fabulous sweater even for Florida weather.  Although, if you know anything about our winter this year you know how damn cold it was.  So I'm thinking that this will be a fabulous Florida sweater thin from using the sport weight yarn yet warm from the wool content of the yarn.  

I've been busy...

No, I haven't been knitting or dying or even crafting.  I did however create something.

(crappy iphone pic)

I'm proud to introduce James David or "Nugget".  He is now 3 weeks and 4 days old and keeping his mom and dad very busy.  He is amazing.  I have not words to describe the most wonderful thing that has every happened to me.  I'm blogging about him and our adventures at Oh my god...3 hrs of sleep.  I'll also be sharing advice and helpful hints there. 

Well, Nugget is about to wake up and I'm off to fix a bottle.

Let's be honest shall we...

Only 2 WIPs, and lots of empty project pic spots. So, what did this knitter need to do? I had to be honest with myself and frogged things that were never going to be worn or finished (such as the girly cobblestone). There are actually only two projects going right now that are being worked on, but I might be casting on another project within the week, just sayin'. That cobblestone I mentioned, the yarn has been balled and more yarn purchased. I picked up 3 blues, 3 reds, 2 purples, and a green...the cobblestone is going to be re-incarnated as a fair isle sweater. Sweet! Being inspired by the Caitlin Pullover.

Short and sweet tonight, I've got some photography and cleaning/packing to do.

Get Your Spin On!

Recently I reconnected with my love for the long draw spinning technique. I’ve been using long draw from rolags to spin for my Magical Sweater and love how quickly I can fill a bobbin. This is important when you are spinning for a whole sweater. In trying to learn this technique myself I found a couple videos about preparing rolags and long draw spinning that I wanted to share with you.





Side note: If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you might remember the rolags that I’ve been carding for the Magical Sweater. They are quite a bit larger than the ones on the video. This is because I overloaded the cards with fiber and then instead of just one carding worth of fiber, I used 2. So, here’s what I did. I loaded the cards with fiber and carded as usual, then instead of laying them on top of each other and rolling up, I stack them on top of each other and set them on a table (no roll-up). I then repeat the carding process. Then, I use both carding sessions and combine these to roll-up which makes a huge rolag that I split in half. I did this because it gave me the results I wanted, no other reason. Make sense? I’ll do a tutorial.

I’m going to start spinning for another sweater (Mondo Cable Cardi by Chic Knits) real soon and wanted to spin from roving/top instead of rolags. My plan is to use 1 ½ lbs of “Black” BFL top spun to a worsted weight, spinning from the fold. I then plan to over dye the yarn a deep red/burgundy color. I found this great video on how to spin from the fold which encompasses a long draw technique.



I hope to start this spinning project this week, since I’m almost done plying the last 2 skeins for the Magical Sweater. At least I hope it’s the last I have to spin for the Magical Sweater.

Spin Much?

I have been lately. My friend is looking into buying her first spinning wheel and I've been trying to share some of my knowledge (limited as it is) with her. So I figured I would also put together a post with some of the references that I have used over the last year.

Stitch it! Podcast - Meghan share a wealth of information on spinning, some of which she picked up at SOAR last year.

Spin-off Magazine

This video about the different drive system set ups. I do not have a Schacht, but I do have a double drive wheel that I can set up in these different ways. Can't wait to try the Irish drive set up.


Sit and Spin DVD - great art yarn DVD

Spin Control book - great book with a large amount of info

...and lots of YouTube videos. That's all I can think of right now.

Look at that face

If you are anything like me, don't ya just want to snuggle up with that little face? Jessica and I went over to Crystal Springs Alpacas today for the Florida Alpaca Farm Day.




Jessica got to try out her weaving skills. This was such a nice well maintained farm. I was so impressed. Best of all, they had yarn, roving and fleece for sale. Yes, of course I bought some. I picked up 6oz of black sure alpaca roving and 4oz of brown baby suri alpaca raw fleece. I'll be posting pics of the spinning progress (I've already started the black alpaca). It spins beautifully.

Taking a Break

For the past 4 weeks I've been struggling with this decision. Fighting against this feeling. A feeling that something that was so important and loved has become insignificant. I'm talking about dyeing. I have to take a break from the dyeing business. I still love to dye, but the business portion has become too much for my already hectic life. The stress of finding time, space, and money has made the process as-a-hole so much less enjoyable.

Can I take time off and come back to it? I don't know.

Will I come back to it? I'm making no promises.

If and when I do come back, I want it to be enjoyable. I think I just need some time to re-organize everything. I actually said to someone "I do not have time to cook or clean or do family things because I have a business to run". Really? I got so involved in running this business that I forgot to enjoy my life. And somewhere in all the craziness, I've stopped enjoying dyeing. I love to dye, don't get me wrong, but I think I'm dyeing for all the wrong reasons.

The relief of making this decision is palpable. Because I've been dwelling on this for so long, I had no inspiration to do anything else. I've been avoiding getting online, avoiding knitting, avoiding spinning, and don't even think about stepping into the craft room. I feel unchained now. I feel like I can move my creative life in another direction.

This all came to light with a little + on a stick. The little + is the positive marker on a pregnancy test (in my case 4 pregnancy test). Paul and I have been trying for over a year to get pregnant and it finally happened. And with that + my entire view on my life has also changed. This little dyeing business has become less important. Honestly, I just want to be around friends and family and enjoy my life (which has been delayed because of the flu bug that has been circulating through the house). I don't want to be tied to the dye pots dyeing, or to the computer updating and trying to pimp my business. I want to dye when the inspiration hits and when it is suitable to my life. I want to turn my craft room back into a craft room, not the room of production that it has been. I can't even get to my sewing machine, it's surrounded by dye pans.

So how do I end a post about ending. Not sure. Just want to say that although the dyeing business has been stressful, the people I have meet have been fabulous. I truly appreciate all the wonderful support and wonderful encouragement that I have received. But don't fear, I'll still be around and still post, it might just be about more random things and more family things.

Surge Update

Check out the new Surge Yarn update.

Next week...dyeing roving

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socks

I began the year with a little sock revolt. Why? I don’t know. I just did not want to knit socks. Yes, I started a few pairs, but I only finished 1 pair. Well apparently the void in my sock knitting has caught up with me and now all I want to do is knit socks. I’m really trying hard not to cast on every single sock in the cookie a. book Sock Innovations, I’m fascinated with sock knitting machines, and I want to order a metric butt ton of sock knitting needles. What is with the socks? I’m pretty sure this has something to do with the envy I felt for all those sock knitters who were able to attend Sock Summit. It might also have something to do with the new knitting technique that I’ve been able to learn and gradually have become comfortable with using. I’m a Flicker. Using this technique makes the knitting so much faster and smoother, for me anyway. The one this that hasn’t been part of my “I Must Knit Socks” revelation is the need to buy sock yarn. How weird.



Back to Sock Summit. How jealous am I? Wow, to have been there with all those like minded knitters and surrounded by the love of knitting socks. And all that color. And all those patterns. And knitting geniuses. And the accessories. And the colors. Speaking for sock accessories, I need some sock blockers. I think I’m going to make some using this tutorial. I’ve always thought that blocking a sock was kinda unnecessary. I mean whether you block it or not it will still stretch to fit your foot when you put it on. But I do like the look of a nicely blocked sock. So I’m going to gather up some placematts and make some sock blockers. I need several pairs as I usually wash mine and hubby’s socks all at once.



Okay, so which socks did I decide to cast on? I’m limiting myself to 2 pair at a time. First I decided on “Sam” by cookie a. The second pair will be for the hubby, just a plain ribbed sock. I haven’t knit him any socks since Christmas, I think he is due a pair. Ooh Ooh, and I’m going to try an afterthought heel. I’m very excited to try out a new technique. Maybe I’ll even try the afterthought leg pattern Houdini Socks by Cat Bordhi. This seems to be a very interesting way to knit a pair of socks. Now if I didn’t have to be at work all day maybe I could get some of this knitting done. Stupid work getting in the way of my knitting time.








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website website website...YES!

I'm so excited about this. So excited to have a website just for 1,000 Petals. I never thought I would get to a point when I would have a website. happy dance happy dance

Check it out.
1000 Petals

To celebrate the launch of the new website I'm offering 10% off your entire purchase until Sunday. Oh and don't forget, I'm now offering to refund the shipping charge when you buy 3 or more items. Score!

running off to play with the new website


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Too long

It’s been over a week since I last dyed a batch of yarn. I’m not counting the odd-n-ends skeins I dyed for myself. I’m so ready to get back to the dye pots. Is this an addiction?

News:

I should be receiving 10lbs of Surge yarn by next week (I hope to get it Saturday). I can’t wait to get the cones skeined up for some experimental solar dyeing.

Speaking of solar dyeing…here’s the plan. I’ll use essentially the same process for dyeing the yarn that I use now (well, wrapping it in plastic wrap may be eliminated…we’ll see), anyway, I’ll put all the skeins into a glass large mouth jar and set it in the sun. I’ve got some experimenting to do but that’s the plan as of yet. I don’t have much direct sun exposure in my yard, but I do have a spot on top of a shed. Let’s hope this works.

In other news, I had a meeting with a LYS Saturday morning and this LYS will be carrying my yarns. Yippee! I’ll let you know the store name and such once she receives some stock.

And in more news, I was contacted by an event coordinator who has requested 50-100 skeins for an event in 2010. Again, I’ll have to give more details once this has been finalized. My first reaction…silence. I just couldn’t believe that someone would like my yarns that much. It amazed and shocked me. I also had a little bit of a panic moment, which has since passed and because the event isn’t until 2010 I know this can be accomplished.

The last bit of news. 1,000 Petals has a dot com address. It’s not ready for publishing yet, but I have registered the domain name and my web designer (Color Mode Studio) is working on the site design. This is the same firm that created the 1,000 Petals logo that you can see below.







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We're going solar

There are some hugenormous things in the works and I have to have more space to dye. So, ever since hearing Miss. Violet talk about using a solar oven to heat set her yarns, I've been contemplating this also. Now, one problem...I live under about 12 large oak trees. There's not much sun that penetrates through to the ground at my house. I'm not going to get rid of the trees, I love my trees. So, we've got some planning and building to do to get around this problem. I guess it's a pretty big problem, solar oven with no sun. Hmmm...

Edited to add a link. And I've figured it out...remember Sun Tea?
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Growth is good, and stuff

I live 2 lives. One is lived in a very straight back insurance world. The other is lived in a free-formed fiber world. And to my surprise and delight, my fiber world has been growing.

As some of you might have noticed, the beginning of this year brought from me a huge dedication to the growth of 1,000 Petals. All my focus was to be directed to this fiber world. I’ve devoted many hours to this and it has started to pay off. It’s August now. 7 months of focus. 7 months of tears, sweat, and enjoyment. Yes, I do enjoy this fiber world very much. Where’s the dilemma? Okay “dilemma” is not the word I want to use. Where’s the challenge? The challenge is to find balance. Balancing both worlds to work for me. There has to be a balance. Has to be.

I’m going to put myself on a schedule and allow for “time off”. I do not want to get burned out. I need to spend time with my family, fur babies, and friends. And I do mean “need”. This time is to recharge my creative and emotional energy. We all should have some recharge time.

This all became very clear to me in the last 3 weeks. It started with getting the yarns dyed for Sock Summit. I had a week to get the coned yarn skeined, dyed, and shipped. Then, the following week, I had to repeat this process and add photography and uploading yarns to etsy for the launch of a new ad on Ravelry. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you work full time, this process became hairy. This week, I’m on vacation from dyeing. But, even though I’m on vacation from dyeing doesn’t mean that I’m on vacation from creative energy. This never stops. Being away from the dye pots has given me such breathing time and the ideas are flowing. Love this!