Stovepipe

SO the kids didn't sleep very late today but I'm still on my routine.  I've been getting up with hubby so I can shower first thing, and that seems to help a LOT.  Mt Washmore is almost gone, and the dishwasher has been run twice a day (by me) since Tuesday.  This is unusual in this house. 

Alex slept alone for a 40 minute nap, and I got a lot of work done for the Shop.  I am making sure everything is inventoried, photographed, banded, and ready to go for our sale, starting January 22nd.  50% off all supplies for knitting, spinning and felting.  (yeah, that's everything in the shop!)

I am knitting my fourth stovepipe hat.  It is a tube that is pulled closed at one end and secured with a cord lock.  ETA:  When the cord is loosened, the Stovepipe can be worn as a cowl.  So far I have knit 1 child hat, 1 adult hat with a neck flap, 1 adult hat with no flap, and the current one which is an adult hat with little girly cables on it.  They need to be photographed, then the hats will be available in the shop.  Here's an example of a stovepipe hat I knit as a Christmas present for one of my nephews:

That's hand dyed yarn by the Dyenamic Dyestress, people!  I definately need a better model, Kinnearing myself is not gonna cut it. 

Once the stovepipe hat pattern has been test knit, it will be available for available on Ravelry.  (See on the right, there's a place for patterns already?  That will link to the Ravelry store.)  If you happen to download the pattern and have any feedback, please share it!  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Alex wanted to play downstairs yesterday so I took the opportunity to look through some of the HUGE bags of yarn down there for some stuff I could use for the shop - and found quite a bit that fit the "cozy neutrals" theme a la MaryMary.  I bagged each of them up with a note inside of what I wanted to use them for and tossed them in a reuseable shopping bag.  Now when I need to start a new project, I just grab a bag!  No wondering what to knit, etc.  Yay me!  Now if I could only streamline the rest of my life...

Resolute

Happy New Year! We are finally home from all our holiday traveling! Boy am I glad to be home. It is very nice to visit family, but I've gots stuff ta do!

Today I took inventory of all the lovely rovings and yarns in stock. I was very tempted to sneak a skein and start a new project, but decided to be good and leave all the yummies for the customers. For now. Instead, I started getting ready for our big Anniversary sale! It is hard to believe the shop has been open for a whole year. The sale will be just two days, January 22nd and 23rd, and everything will be 50% off, so the inventory needs to be ready to roll!

I sorted out the skeins that need labels, and those that need new photos and started taking pictures. Tonight I'll be printing labels until bedtime. Tomorrow, reskeining and braiding. Cheryl sent me home from New Year's with a BIG box of newly dyed rovings which are GORGEOUS! Would you like to see? Of course you would! Here's a few teaser pics...




Arctic Ice progression dyed in Merino.



Persuasion progression dyed in Merino.

See? You thought I was kidding about the beauteousness! These and more will be in the shop in time for the sale, Sale, SALE!

On a completely different note, I have resolutions!

• Do more feminine-type stuff. (like making sure I brush my hair everyday... )
  
• Get to the gym.
  
• Design a knitting pattern a month. (at least)
• Start gift knitting NOW. (I'm trying to make the holidays less hectic next time around)
• Knit for the shop.
• Learn more about marketing the shop, to start the 2nd year off with a bang!

Do you have resolutions?

Out and About

Thank God for those sell-at-home parties. I'm not usually a fan, but tonight DH let me go to one (perhaps because they were selling food products?) and then I snuck out to the bookstore! I got to look at so many creative books and magazines and now I am feeling very refreshed and inspired!

After pouring through a big stack of magazines, I settled on just one. It was Knitter's Fall 2010 issue. It is their 100th issue, and has a TON of designs. Normally I do not buy Knitters. Simply put, the magazine is normally not a good fit for me. The magazine started moving away from pieces I thought were knitable a few years ago.

There were, however, several designs in the issue that made it a good purchase for me. First, an incredible dress and sweater set (ravelry link) designed by Ann McCauley. Awesome cables and shaping! Then, by the Knitters Design Team, a one-button cardi and by Jean Frost, a basketweave cardi. (neither of which are on Ravelry yet) There are a few more that I'm interested in making, but those are the patterns that really struck me as being worthy of paying money for.

In a temporary vacation from apples, here is today's Painter practice:

A little corner to call my own

I have been trying to convince my husband that I need to move the boys into the same room so I can have the little bedroom as my workroom. My fantasy is to have somewhere to create in peace, away from little grabby hands. I get very inspired to have a workroom with a door every time the boys get into my art supplies. They have their own. They should keep their hands off my stuff!

Unfortunately, this fantasy workroom is not gonna happen any time soon. I think the fantasy is more about actually getting to craft, and it is unlikely that a room with a door would be enough to make that happen. So, I’ve taken over a big section of the Living Room. Once I find the desk, that is. Right now it is Clutter Central.

I cannot fit all of my materials in this area, but I should be able to fit enough to get some designing done. I got rid of some furniture to make a big empty space in the other side of the living room. If you have little kids, you know how much they love them some empty space. I’m hoping to get a little work done while they fill the empty space with toys. Then I will clear the space and we will start again. It could work!

Or not.

• The Raisin did NOT sleep through the night last night, and because of that, neither did I.
  
• I am very tired, which is not conducive to creativity or productivity.
• When I am tired everything bothers me. Normally, I can ignore things like the HUGE pile of dirty laundry or The Monkey leaving Legos everywhere. That will not be the case today.


• I also resent all the WORK I have to do when I’m tired. I do not want to do the laundry, or clean up after breakfast, or do the dishes, or vacuum. I’d much rather be knitting, or spinning, or designing something. Whine!


• I am trying to convince myself to do the chores anyway. A clean house, although very rare, does make me feel very happy.


• Shopping also makes me happy, and is MUCH more pleasant than cleaning.


• There is just enough time while The Monkey is in school to do some major damage at the mall.


• I might have to lock up my credit cards while he’s at school.


• Or not.
  

New apple from last night, Oil Pastels (love them!!)

Creative Energy!

The Raisin slept through the night! This is not the first time, but it might be the third or fourth time since he was born - 14 and a half months ago.

Getting a full night’s sleep must be what I needed, because I am feeling VERY creative and energetic today!! In order to fulfill this burning need to create, I started playing with the Corel Painter that has been installed on my computer forever. I was having a hard time deciding what to draw/paint, so I just decided to learn how to use the tools by drawing the same subject over and over. The first thing that came to mind was apples.

Watercolor Apple

Artist’s Oils Apple

That’s it so far. I need a LOT more practice. I’m going to keep painting and drawing apples until Corel Painter is my friend.

In knitting news, I finished a sample scarf for the shop.

Soon we will be offering spin-to-knit kits for these scarves, in multiple colors. As soon as I write the instructions, that is. I'm on it!

Onward

After wishing the Witches Stockings yarn a fond farewell today, I let the wheel rest and worked on my current knitting project. The Elizabeth Freeman Shawl KAL Group (Ravelry link) is knitting their way through three of Elizabeth's shawls. The KAL was already in progress when I joined, so I jumped in where they are and am knitting the Aeolian shawl (Knitty link). It is a beaded lace shawl with nups. I never thought I would be knitting something with (gasp!) bobbles, but it is soooo pretty I could not resist:



See? Gorgeous!

I am making the smaller version, the shawlette, because it fits the amount of yarn I have. I bought multiple shades of pink beads to go with the slightly variagated Shaefer Anne yarn (do not know the colourway off hand). Here is a progress pic:










I have a looooong way to go! Not sure what is with my current obsession with pink, but it might have something to do with living with three boys... could be!

Was not sure if I would enjoy stopping my knitting to place the beads, but it is a very enjoyable knit. Thank goodness Elizabeth designed the shawl so the beads are put on with a little crochet hook, and not threaded on at the beginning. Imagine threading 850 beads before starting knitting! If you have the patience to do that, you are MUCH more patient than I am.