Black and Other Sheep

Oh lord, it has been a long blog silence. I seem to have a difficult time with day to day fodder. Oh blog readers, can you forgive me?

There are no lace or beads in today's post. Please excuse. However, last weekend I was incredibly fortunate to visit the legendary Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon. Out of the dog house and into the sheep house.

I adore sheep faces! So now, lucky readers, you get to see a few of the sheepy personalities I saw at the gathering.



This young man obligingly allowed me to photograph his back. The answer is obviously "YES!"



First, to get my cute quotient just as high as it can possibly go, here is a baby kitten that someone had in the sheep area. Awwww.



And here is the requisite bunny. He was, according to his owner, asleep with his eyes open. So sweet, and apparently so relaxed too.



Another blissfully sleeping baby amidst the din and b-a-a-a-a-h-ings.



A young Jacob, raring to go.



This fellow almost looks like he should be sporting a unicorn!











Thank you for indulging me in my sheepy obsession.

I met so many wonderful folks at the gathering, and saw so many old friends. I did feel dorky asking people if I could take their picture though. Must get over that.

I did come home with a few choice booty items. I hope you agree that I exercised enormous restraint.



Left to right, a Jenkins Turkish Delight spindle (I got a tiny itsy-bitsy Jenkins too.. it stole my heart), a luminous glass shawl pin (actually a laying tool) from the wizardry of Sheila and Michael Ernst, and three skeins of precious yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts: a Seduction in a particularly lovely colorway and two STR skeins in new vibrant reds that had to come home with me.



And here, six precious balls of Elemental Affects shetland fingering weight yarn that will be part of a Plum Frost cardigan if all goes well. The plain part of the sweater will be Imperial Stock Ranch's Tracie fingering weight, which I am hoping will blend beautifully with the shetland.

May you all have sheep around you in plentiful quantities.. either in four footed or fiber form. We heart sheeps everywhere.

Skylark's Fashion Extravaganza

You know Sharon if you have ever visited my ravelry group, Sivia Harding Knits. Sharon (skylark on ravelry) is the behind-the-scenes mama figure moderator who greets each and every new member with warmth and panache, and even trolls the new projects lists to find folks who might want to join the party.

At a risk of embarassing Sharon and making all of you jealous, she is an unparalleled helper, never complains about the work load, and even test knits for me from time to time - and she is an amazing knitter! You should check out her projects. Really.

Her latest enterprise is the Fashion Show, a growing compendium of photos of people's versions of my shawls. It is a magnificent thing to do, huge in scope, and I am starting to worry about whether Sharon has time to eat and sleep in the face of it all.

So, just to make it a little easier on Sharon, if you have posted pictures of yourself or a friend modeling a Sivia Harding shawl, send a link or leave a comment. We'll add it to the list, and we thank you.

Now back to previously scheduled insanity.. getting ready for SS09!

Pure Enchantment

We never know the hidden talents of folks we see every day.

For instance, I knew Jamie from our working together at Three Bags Full where she is assistant manager, and I had met her husband in passing. I even knew that he is a photographer, but that is as far as my knowledge went.

Fate, or perhaps just the openhearted generosity of Jamie and M.Scott, threw us together to solve a problem: How to get some photos of my silk Aphrodite while it is still in my possession? Having kept one of the two Aphrodites that were part of the Twist Collective trunk show when they visited Three Bags Full recently, I knew that I wanted, no needed some new photographs of this piece. Jamie and M.Scott came through in a flash, and what a flash it proved to be! They are a brilliant team. This is just a taste of what was filmed that day, with more to be seen soon on the Twist Collective blog, and on the cover of several new patterns to be released soon.

OK, here is another taste:

Please click for bigger so you can see all the lovely detail.

Jamie (known professionally as Sparklefaerie) can be seen at sparklefaerie.com; M.Scott at altphotoart.net.

Color Riot, or Forgive my Teal

I am in full pre-Sock Summit obsession.. projects crowding around like little mewling babies, all craving attention and all wanting to be made before SS09.

As most of you know, probably to the point of nauseating repetition, I love beads and use them in almost everything I make. A growing number of people share my fascination with beads and how they can enhance (in my humble opinion) knitting designs.

It is however, rare when I find the right bead for the right yarn right away.. usually it takes some shopping around and that can be a process when you mostly order your good Japanese beads by mail order.

So.. regard. This is my latest order from Earth Faire, and EVERY BEAD IS PERFECT! I don't think it is my masterful decision making ability either, because I forgot what I ordered right after I ordered them, and besides I didn't have these skeins of yarn in my possession when I ordered. It has to be serendipity, or grace, or maybe synchronicity. Take your pick.

So take a look, and dream of the socks that will emerge from these yarns and bead combinations...


Because each of these is so wonderful in its own right, here follows a photo of each project.. more for my journalistic desire to record what I mean to do next than anything else.. and nothing is carved in stone, mind you. No promises.

But today, this is my happy color dance of potential bliss...


Oh Mama! STR lightweight in My blue heaven and Turquoise, with mint julep aqua and silver lined dark aqua beads. Yes, this is all one project!


Sweet sweet sweet! Blue Moon Fiber Arts Seduction in Rose Quartz, with sparkling cranberry lined amethyst ab beads.


Be still my heart! STR lightweight in Corbie with sparkling aqua green lined crystal ab beads.


Oh lordy - I hear the angels singing! STR lightweight in Quilla with dark peach lined crystal ab beads.


Splendiforous! Sweet Georgia Superwash Sock in Turquoise with glacier blue lined crystal ab beads


Elegance! Sweet Georgia Speed Demon in Teal with teal lined lavender beads

OK.. enough of this.. I'm going to wind up some yarn, yeah baby!

Swarm of Stuff!

Bimonthly blogging... what a concept. Thank you, thank you to those intrepid readers who still check in here from time to time. I have no excuse for not posting, so I won't bother with any inanities.

I will try to catch up on all the new stuff, in no particular order. There has been lots of knitting in the meantime. Warning: picture-heavy post to follow.


I finished Lacy Waves, which I love. I scored the Rowan Linen Drape yarn from Urban Yarns, who sometimes gets lots of discontinued yarn and sells them at a big discount. Modifications? You bet. I added hems to the body and sleeves instead of ribbing. I incorporated body shaping and bust darts. I think that's all. I really, really like the results. I don't have a pic of myself wearing it so this will have to do for now. Detail shots:




Here is a partway done Tibetan Sock from Cat Bordhi's book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One. I have only wonderful, wonderful, wonderful things to say about this book (there is a bit of affiliation in that I tested a couple of the socks before publication). This book will turn sock knitting on its head... or heel... and remove the need to slavishly follow patterns, forever. A plus... studying Cat's excellent tables has given this knitter new confidence in knitting... and designing... toe-up socks. It can do the same for you. There are cuff-down socks in the book too, by the way. This sample is a Coriolis architecture, which gives the sock a great spiral across the foot that is not only a design feature but shapes the foot up to the heel. Simple and remarkable.


I have a lot of new samples of designs that have been out for a while. Here is a new version of the River Rock scarf from No Sheep For You done in Noro Cash Iroha in very, very dark indigo (looks black, doesn't it?) and topaz/berry ab beads from Earth Faire.


Two new Diamond Fantasies with beads:


Lovely Francesca of Three Bags Full models a DF scarf in red koigu with magic copper lined red beads from Earth Faire.


New in-between-scarf-and-shawl-size DF with silver lined crystal megatama beads, in Nature's Palette Odd Duck No. 4, a colorway that seems particularly suited to lace and is quite subtle and forest-y to my mind.

Now... mystery items. Can't give details on these at all... but feel free to guess.



Some new jewelry creations:


This one is swag, brand new and available from Earth Faire as a kit.


Beads on the Vine, a beaded I-cord necklace with a graceful and sexy dangle in the rear, available as a kit from Earth Faire.


Same necklace, a different colorway. I love experimenting with the pointillism of beads on yarn.

Matching earrings, light, bouncy and fun. Also available as a kit.

A new stole pattern is being finalized. I call it the Moonshadow Lace Stole because yes, I love Cat Stevens, and you can see the perfection that is the special handdyed Moonshadow yarn that Kelly Eells of Liisu Yarns is doing for this project. It is so beautifully midnight-in-the-moonglow! The beads are frosted matte megatamas from Earth Faire, of course. In this picture of the unblocked and in-progress stole, you can see the beaded side edges which remind me of dewy droplets shining in the moonlight.


Another colorway, not my favorite but you can see the beaded border, which goes lengthwise at top and bottom in this blocked version:


Lastly but certainly not least, I have been spending hours on Ravelry updating my notebook with pictures and details of all of my designs, including all the ones in print elsewhere besides my website. Finally there is one spot where you can see it all! If you are on Ravelry, drop me a line and let me know.

And happy, happy fall to all. What knitter could wish for more?

Moonrise

Long time no post, yes?

I am very grateful to those blog readers who are STILL LEAVING NICE COMMENTS on blog posts that are more than a month old. You are so great, all of you... you know who you are.

So. What's been happening since June? Lots really...

One of the nicest things I have to show is this little beauty:


The Moonrise Neckpiece was inspired by a gorgeous bracelet kit I purchased from Earth Faire a little while ago. I wanted a knitted neckpiece that matched the densely beaded bracelet... and a few short rows later, the perfectly circular Moonrise Neckpiece was finished...

Just like Ellen Sandin's brilliant Bead Stew bracelet pattern, the beads are strung in a completely random fashion before the knitting starts. The beads are placed on wrong-side rows: knit one stitch, pull up a bead close to the right needle, then knit the next stitch (the piece is all garter... so easy). When you turn the piece over to do the next right-side row, it is a lovely surprise to see the patterns emerging from the beads that were strung so randomly. It is always beautiful and always changing, row by row by row. Doing this piece was the most fun I have had in a long, long time!

For now, you can get the Moonrise Neckpiece kit on Earth Faire's website here. I am getting inspired to do a whole series of knitted neckpieces and matching earrings... yes! earrings!!!

Ok... twist my arm, here is a preview of an earring:


The fun continues...

Playing Hooky

Yes, procrastination continues to happen as the deadline for the TNNA trunk show mail-off looms very near...

Saturday was FibreFest International, at nearby Abbotsford, and two friends escorted me away from duties and responsibility into the fantasy world of fibre...

Where I purchased this:

a Kromski Sonata folding wheel. She is beautiful and I love her. I think we will be getting along just fine!

I also purchased these:



The bottom two are topknots from Aurelia Wool, lovely little bite-sized confections that are perfectly sized for socks or a hat. Charming, eh?

The one in the last picture has been split into two parts, one that I think is Aurelia's "licorice all-sorts" colorway, black with brights, will be one ply, and the other, strips of soft lilac and purple roving, will be ply #2. Here is what the black combo looks like on the bobbin:


I am just having way too much fun.

However, knitting for the trunk show is also happening, thank goodness. I have a new-to-me yarn on the needles that is gorgeous, Mini Maiden by Handmaiden Fine Yarns, and for a special treat, I am using the new lace Addi Turbos. Pictures will be forthcoming soon, I promise...

Bead Show Swag

The Whole Bead Show came to Vancouver this weekend. I wasn't going to go, having in mind a weekend of intense "good girl" knitting, with TNNA coming up straightaway and a new trunk show to fill.

It didn't take much to sway me from my straight and narrow path. One little email from my friend Cathalynn, fellow beader and designer, and I was gone. Yesterday we toured the shop displays and took a class on wire working.

Swag was purchased - almost none of which is destined for knitting projects. No, a new obsession has been born... making wire and bead jewelry. Here are some of the not-so-ill-gotten gains:


The priciest gems I bought (although not nearly as expensive as I thought they were going to be) were strings of faceted garnets and faceted hematite rondelles, which seemed to go very well with some beautiful handmade glass beads and sterling silver chain. I love garnets, which are not only my birth stone, but are my favorite color. These will become something very special...


Then there were some lovely rosy-gray freshwater coin pearls which begged for some zebra rose quartz to go with. Not shown are some almost transparent gray phantom quartz beads which will almost certainly be included in the piece. Such a sophisticated mix of textures and subtle color.


I could not pass up some more "show specials" - multicolored freshwater pearl strands that had broken from the original threads and sold for an astonishingly low price, and some lovely semi precious beads made from amazonite and jasper, all in greens and other earthy colors.


In the class, I did a freeform wire bracelet adorned with magenta freshwater pearls and small silver beads, courtesy of Cathalynn who shared them from her stash. I think I like it better today than I did at the class yesterday. Maybe we will make friends yet...

I actually do not wear a lot of jewelry, preferring knitwear as a quieter form of embellishment, but that may change soon if the earrings, neckpieces and other playful ornaments dancing in my head ever come forth into creation. Here's to creative play in all of its forms...

Chicken Fever

I don't have any chickens to show. No knitted chickens, no eggs, no camp photos. Boohoo.

This is what I do have, spurred by one I saw on Nathania's blog:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Leave me to my dreamy chicken dreams...

The Chase is On

It is time to introduce the yarn gremlin, pictured here with his latest conquest.

Mooshie, as might be expected of an cat who is kept indoors amidst mountains of tempting fiber and yarn, finds his prey where he can get it. He is an excellent yarn catcher too, fast and skilled in the cat guerilla arts. Like many cats, he favors surreptitious moves, mostly at night or when his parents are gone, and can rarely be caught in the act of subjugating yarn to his will - yet the evidence is clearly there, usually left in a place where we cannot miss it, like the middle of the floor.

Lately, his yarn compulsion has taken a rather quirky turn. In our absence, Mooshie has started to bring balls of yarn to rest by the apartment door when we are gone, almost as if this act will bring us home; a play-wish, if you will.

This morning, this sight greeted us in the hallway:
The ball on top, sea silk in the ocean colorway. The bottom ball is Blue Sky alpaca & silk. Sea silk... alpaca & silk... start to see a pattern? Silk is definitely the fiber of choice chez M.

After running some errands this afternoon, these were waiting for us when we returned:
Top ball, leftover ball of Socks that Rock lightweight in mustang sally; bottom ball, the same ball of Blue Sky alpaca & silk from this morning. Notice the slightly bedraggled state of this ball? It is one of M's favorites. I have actually tried to hide this ball from him on occasion, but he always finds it. Mooshie obviously loves this yarn. Perhaps a more persnickety yarn owner would get miffed at this yarn abuse, but I figure, what's a little tangle between friends?

Oh, and yarn isn't the only source of play around here... Mooshie gets really turned on by paper:
May your yarn adventures be playful and full of bliss...