market day

At the market, I've been knitting a multnomah shawl. My ball was hand wound and was rolling around every which way.

Thank goodness there was a potter acoss from me, and my problem was soon solved:

Mirrored in the bowl is the ceiling: I am underneath an art installation.

No better place in the dead of winter, for displaying HandMade.

I'll be back there one more time on February 6th, 9am-1pm. The Atrium, Troy, NY.

peeking allowed

Some of you may remember that I was part of a blog tour with Donna Druchunas last year in April. (Here and here are the two parts of an interview we did.)

Meanwhile, another beautiful book was in the works, researched and written by Donna, about the work of Dorothy Reade.

This time I am proud to be able to say: I am a contributor!! There are many names in this book that you will definitely recognize, and I am humbled and happy to be among such illustrious designers: Evelyn Clark, Annie Modesitt, ...

If you go to the amazon link and click on "see all product images", you can see the projects from the book. Mine are the pink sleeveless shell and the pink shawl.

The book has not been released yet, but I am pre-ordering it today!!! I am sure I'll be talking about this book more as it becomes available, but I am officially allowed to show you the above image now.

Have fun peeking!

enough is not enough

mitten started yesterday at charity knitting

It took me long enough.

Me and my delayed reactions. I am always good in an emergency, do what I need to do to get someone who cut himself badly, bandaged up and off to the ER. Or drive my husband, a few years ago, who had a bicycle accident on the way home from work and broke two ribs. I started crying when I knew he was being taken care of by the doctors and nurses. I am sure now, that after 9/11, I was in shock, just like so many of you, and the real panic hit a day or so later.

Last week's earthquake in Haiti really didn't hit home until yesterday. I hate myself for having such delayed reactions, I wish I could spring into action right away. Yes I sat by the TV and radio every day and got updates on the situation. Yes I bought a donated pattern on ravelry, where lots and lots of designers have generously freed up their patterns and are donating some or all of the profits to a charity.

But somehow something kept nagging at me and I kept feeling bad for "only" having bought a pattern. Alison was already talking about it last week, and I kept thinking, nope, can't afford that. Just can't. I work largely from home, and my income is seasonally affected. (It's funny how bills add up even when there's NOT a sheep and wool festival to sell my yarn at.)

I am glad to be making mittens, because you can bet your last skein of Cascade 220 that there are just as many people hurting quietly that the world knows next to nothing about as there are in Haiti right now. Knitting the hurt away has always been one of my first responses (ah! I get it now! I DO have an immediate reaction! It's called running to needles and yarn! Duh. After 9/11, my dear husband simply surrounded me with bins of yarn from the attic. Yes I was laid up due to pretty major surgery, too, and boy those needles and skeins sure helped me through.)

Anyway. Haiti is still hurting, and because no matter how much I tried to justify not donating a certain amount by knitting for the local needy, I finally went to the Doctors Without Borders website last night, as dinner was in the oven. Dinner that would leave my whole family stuffed, with leftovers to spare. There on the donation page, it says: $7.50 / month will provide two meals to a child for a whole month. 25 cents a day.

HOW CAN I PRETEND NOT TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TWENTYFIVE CENTS A DAY?

A quarter that I casually tossed into my purse, a quarter that has been sitting in a cup holder in my car.

I believe in quietly helping people, and not shouting about it. But this needs to be shouted about. Not because I am saying, Look at Me, I committed to donating $10/month! But to say: you can do it too.

I know you most defininitely can.

hat tricks, and some mitts

It's about time I revealed some of the Christmas knitting I did. I think I raveled everything....here's the little gallery of mitts and hats. Yes. I appears I was on a hat kick this year.

'Funky Chunky Mitts' for my niece

mittens for my mother-in-law as per her request :)

a 'shoveling the driveway' hat for our friend Mike

earflap hats for my nephews

Entomology Hat for a dear friend's son who is like a nephew to me

a ribbed cap for a co-worker who walks his dog 4 miles every morning

Vine and Leaf Beret for Jakob's girlfriend

Foliage Hat for dear friend's daughter who is like a niece to me

Earflap hat for Jakob to his specifications - he made the tassles! A hybrid pattern.

Every single one of these was a pleasure to make, and well received.

I am still working on some larger projects, but recurring tendonitis has forced me to slow down.

Today: charity knitting!! A donation for Haiti has been made; but my hands want to DO something. So I make what I can, namely mittens.

freebies!

front to back: highliter, robin's egg, chinese lantern, lemon drop, special edition/rusts, chai, goth black, vanilla frosting.

Hello there dear blog readers,

while you are here, peeking over the fence to see what I am up to, why not check out my etsy shop?

January is my birthday month and I want to give you a gift: if you order anything from my etsy shop during the month of January, I will add a FREE skein of sock yarn to your order. These skeins are NOT seconds! Please indicate color preferences, and give me several choices. I will try to accomodate you.

I will put more colors on the site itself soon, but please don't hesitate to ask for colors you may not see on there. I have pinks and purples and blues...so why not take advantage?

that was fun! let's do it again!

In the Troy Atrium, the Farmer's Market is at street level, the craft market upstairs.

What fun to see so many of you today at the market.

For those of you who couldn't make it, I'll be there again next Saturday, January 23rd, and on February 6th.

The market in and of itself is definitely worth going to: there is fresh baked bread, homemade jams and jellies, wine, cheeses, fresh produce, organic meats, eggs, and even live music! There is hot food to eat there, or take home.

A perfect way to spend your Saturday morning, even in the cold, as it's all indoors!

revelation

Remember back in September, when I got to witness a real life Berroco photoshoot? It was so much fun being behind the scenes, watching the pros at work.

Well, you need to go read Abi's blogpost today. The booklets are out.

You bet I'll be running to my local yarn shop to get them soon!! These are very wearable (and knittable!!) designs for the whole family. In a soft, easy to care for yarn that has a lot of nice colors.

Thanks to Abi and her family for allowing me to be there!

Troy Market this Saturday!

Guess what!! I will be at the Troy Farmer's Market (winter market in the atrium) for 3 Saturdays*, beginning this week. I'll be bringing my hand dyed sock yarn, and to kick things off right, I will have a buy 2, get 1 free sale!!

I'll be there in connection with Tight Knit!, which has the upstairs of the atrium reserved for handcrafters. I am very excited to be going, and I hope I will see many of you locals when you come get your provisions for the week: bread, cheese, wine, - and yarn!

Troy Atrium
3rd and 4th St,
bordered by Fulton and Broadway.

9 am to 1 pm.

I hope to see you there!

* The 3 Saturdays are: January 16, 23, and February 6th.

meanwhile

the new year continued thus:

Annemarie and I went to see


I was sick in bed for a few days

brown rice miso soup with tofu, fresh baby spinach and a splat of hot sauce

and after I arose and before we took Jakob back to college, I got a pair of new shoes


to help me show off future new pairs of handknit socks.

day one

I got to start the new year in the best way: a spin-in at a local indie coffee roaster's coffee house. It's a beautifully eclectic place. Everyone brought food to share.


We gathered around the wood stove.



We spun, spindled, knitted, talked, plied, told stories,

and had a visit from a Christmas kitty named Marley.

Laurie's cat and the fiber she was spinning had quite the color resemblance...

cashmere and silk, being spun into laceweight...yum!

There may have been a glass of bubbly, too... a great time was had by all.

How did you start the new year? I hope it involved some kind of fiber activity!