And October flies by...

My first week at Craftsy was great. A little overwhelming, like any new job, but such a wonderful place to be!

Since I was starting a new position, it only seems apt that I would begin several new projects. Some of them small, like the Bronntanas hat by Ysolda. Made with Shibui Maai - it feels like heaven.

Some of them larger, like the Amanda sweater from Essentially Feminine Knits by Lene Holme Samsoe. It is an aran sweater, that I am making out of some rustic Blackwater Abbey from my stash. This is part of the Fringe and Friends KAL. Taking after many of the Fringe's friends who are adjusting the sweater, I am adjusting mine as well. It is being knit in one piece for the body and sleeves in the round. This means that the body is being knit on three needles the button bands on a size 5 and the fronts and back on a size 6 needle. I have been enjoying the challenge.

However, as often happens in life when many new things are happening, I realized at inch 5, that I had forgotten to add buttonholes on my button bands. 

This felt like a good time to rip down a few stitches, without taking out my cables and ribbing. Here are my photos of this process - first, I pulled down the three stitches for the buttonhole - two will be bound off, one was the anchor stitch for the bind off.

Next I worked the first button hole row, then using the e cast on, re-cast on the two stitches for the top of the button hole.

One at a time, I pulled my stitches up to the top of the band.

And we are back to the stitches all being back at the top. After a few more rows of knitting, the stitches are new sitting much more evenly.

Next post, I will show you shawl surgery involving steeking a cable shawl that I made last year. Leaving you with a selfie, I took with my grandmother this past weekend, when we were celebrating her 95th birthday.

The end of the summer...

I love the summer time...While there is not as much knitting, there are so many festivals and lovely days and nights outside. This summer, I overbooked, so you haven't heard from me. Now things are back on track. Here is the quick recap of some of my summer fun:

There were several dye days both with indigo and tumeric.

I spent some time at the Lyons Farmette teaching knitting (is this not the most beautiful classroom!!)

And the fiber goats napping...

and taking a class on making crepe flowers preserved with encaustic wax.

There was some camping, nothing quite like knitting by the campfire.

Yoga at Red Rocks - and just lots of yoga in general.

Meeting our new beautiful Granddaughter.

The Fall Fling with the Loopy Ewe - such a great weekend!!

In the midst of all this, we lost our beautiful chocolate lab, Roscoe. We miss you buddy.

And last weekend, finished off the summer travels with a long weekend in Seattle. Enjoy my father on his 70th birthday weekend.

Next posts you will hear about all the new beginnings...

ReFrame

It's been a long couple of weeks, capped off by a long business trip this week. Thankfully, the training I attended was excellent. As I was flying home yesterday, I decided it was time to reframe my attitude and stress. There are too many good things happening to get mired in negativity.

So on our usual evening walk, I looked at the surroundings with a tighter crop and found these...

 

And then we ended with this little lovey...

Dye day!

Today A & B came over for dye day! It was all trial and error but we did well! Not a bad piece in the group!

We did lots of different shibori-esque folds. Some with lots of string, others with less, some loose, some tight. All kinds of cool patterns came out of the pot.

We decided at the end, there didn't seem to be a difference between the 15 minutes soaks and the longer soaks. Even the strings that wrapped our pieces  tyed up beautifully.

I did mostly Eco cotton bags but there was about 25 yards of yarn. A brought a large fabric piece destined to become a table cloth. B brought an apron. 

So fun to see how all the pieces dyed. We did the large fabric piece twice. There was a great lunch provided by A. Of course, Roscoe helped...

Next up, dying with beets...

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday sewing night on the Meyer's couch...

Interweave Knits!

I realize that I have been a little absent for a while. Soaking in the beautiful changes leading to spring, has been my focus. More about being quiet and observant, than formulating thoughts to expound upon.

It could also be that I unearthed the pieces of a printed and cut jersey dress that I have decided that I really want to take to my trip to Berkeley this weekend. My trip to meet the Alabama Chanin team at the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, is finally here. So there has been lots of sewing and cutting. It was originally cut and stenciled about 6 months ago, without the rib. 

I am hoping to be done with all four panels tonight for the reverse applique. Leaving just assembling the pieces and cutting and attaching the rib. More photos to come...

But the real excitement of this post, you may remember months ago, I submitted to Interweave Knits. Randomly, I had the yarn and pattern idea that worked perfectly (in my opinion) with their Fine Fisherman motif for Winter 2014/15. It is my first submission to a major knitting magazine. Today, the email came - Lisa Shroyer, IK editor, is interested in one of my designs! For full disclosure, the design with a little modification. Thrilled. Excited. Honored. Sorry not to have any photos to go with this exciting news... You will have to wait until the magazine is published, there will not even be teasers. Still pinching myself, nervous about making sure that I meet all the guidelines, deadlines and can answer all their questions. You gotta jump in somewhere, so here I am. Off to float through the rest of my day and probably my week, dreaming of knitting...

Spring

The beauty of spring, on my urban walk to class today.

Most mornings lately

Scraps for spring

We are to the wonderful season in Denver where it is snowing one day and 60 degrees the next.

Each winter I save my scraps - small bits of yarn and thread. When spring arrives,  a pot on the deck is filled with the colorful fiber scraps. I am always surprised as they slowly disappear.

Somewhere in my neighborhood there are colorful and warm nests.

The perfect Sunday

Napping husband

Socks on the line

Dog tanning in the yard

And enjoying the sunshine while sewing

2100

Today, Stranded Colorwork on Craftsy broke 2100 students! I am humbled and honored that so many people are interested in my class...

Still caught by time..,

This post was just brought to my attention.

http://toltyarnandwool.com/blog/2014/2/2/lisas-mittens

I love the pictures and am flattered when anything that I design becomes

 a finished item. Someone valued the pattern enough to spend their time

 creating my vision. And in this instance, taking beautiful pictures as well.

I am working on a new stranded pattern. It's been in my head for a long time.

Finally, it is charted, thumb designed. Knit once - frogged and in process of being knit again.

It feels like this pattern has come easily. Though not perfectly, hence the frogging.

As I have started to count the hours - and yes, it is a lot of hours, that it has taken to get the crosses to wrap - to center the thumb, have the decreases in the correct places, and get all the stitches charted on the software, I figure that I am about 20 hours in. With about 10 hours to go - writing the written pattern, knitting a second pair a double check, adjusting the charts. Back to time... Deadlines for submission, working 40 hours, 10 more patterns roaming around in my head, and so many other things pulling at my time...

TIme, time, time.

It was a beautiful day today. A really lovely spring preview. Even Roscoe did some sunbathing in the beautiful sunshine.

For the second day, I thought I had an hour, maybe two left on my skirt panel. Oh how wrong I was... It is worth the time to complete the project with consistent detailing. The results are lovely.

This got me thinking about slow crafting and time. Why do knitters develop such a stash, and the same stashes of fabric for those who quilt and sew. Is it that we don't estimate the amount of time for projects, is it the pretty colors and patterns? I would like to have my skirt complete by late April, but after the last two days, I am not sure that is a realistic timeline. More time and meditation is needed in my life to think through the issues of slow craft and time...

The story of a skirt - p1

Last November, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Alabama Chanin's studio and factory for a week. While I was there, several projects were cut and stenciled. The first one that has made it to my sewing needles. It is slow going, but the beautiful progress is completely worth all the time.

Starting with the hand stitching with button craft thread.

Then there is the beading...

 

As a full panel...

Moving to the embroidery...

And this is just half of the first panel. There will be more updates as the skirt progresses.