Hey all you Utah knitters out there, I’ll be doing a book signing for Twist & Knit at Black Sheep Wool Company (430 East South Temple, SLC) this Saturday, August 14, from 2 – 4 pm.
Also, all the pieces from the book are up for a trunk show at Black Sheep now until the August 18th if you’d like to come try them on and have a close up look
Hope to see lots of you at the signing!
Best,
Miriam
ARGH! My laptop power jack is dead. My awesome BIL will replace it for me, and I’ve ordered the part I need, but for now my e-mail and internet access is very limited. If it’s an e-mail I have downloaded, but haven’t responded to yet, then you will most likely not get a response until this situation is resolved, since the e-mail would have been downloaded onto my laptop, which is rapidly losing power and won’t charge and therefore out of commission.
Wanted to let you all know also that there are errata for the print version of Twist & Knit. Turns out some sentences were coded as Registration All, instead of Black, so they didn’t burn onto the Black plates (in a 4-color press process each color has its own plate that applies the ink of that color to the appropriate spots). So those random bits were missing completely from any of the plates and therefore didn’t get printed, even though they were in my proof.
Anyhow… long, complicated explanation, but the printer took back the remaining books from the first print run and is fixing them with stickers to add the correct info back in and then re-packaging the books and bringing them back to me. I’ve made up an errata sheet that you can print and just insert into your book, or the printer is making me some extra sets of stickers as well. If you would prefer to set of stickers and to insert them into your book where the missing pieces are supposed to go, then e-mail me and I can send the stickers to you. Anything shipping out in the future will be the corrected book.
If you are a shop owner, please feel free to download and print that errata sheet and give it to your customers who have already purchased the book, or stick it into the front of the books you haven’t sold yet.
As a reminder, this problem is only for the print version of Twist & Knit. The digital patterns and add-ons are not missing these pieces. However, both the print and digital version did have one minor error in the Gable Mitts pattern, which you can read about on the errata page. This minor gable mitts errata will not be fixed in the print books. The printer was only obligated to fix the things that were missing, not a typo on my part.
Thanks,
Miriam
Twist & Knit is done just in time! I’m leaving tomorrow for Calgary to teach at Make One this weekend, and taking books with me for my first signing.
We cracked open a bottle of Sofia to mark the occasion. The rest of the books will ship next week when I’ve returned from Calgary. Thanks to everyone for the help during the pattern sale! Thanks to you all I was able to do this first print run without going into any debt! yay!
Thanks!
Miriam
The sale is going wonderfully, thank you all so much! The book files are all turned in to the printer and they should be printing them this weekend/next week, so the end of the tunnel is in sight.
I saw a video today that was just so beautiful I thought you all needed to see it. Even if you’re not a spinner, this video is still wonderful, it starts out with spinning, but expounds to all handwork.
Hat-tip to Clara for the link.
Miriam
Hi everyone, I’m breaking the long silence to ask for your help. I need some quick fund-raising to finish paying for the print run of the book (it will be done and shipping out this month), so I’m offering a pattern sale now through 11:59 pm MST Sunday, July 11th.
Get 3 patterns for the price of 2!
How do I get this discount?
What if I want to gift them instead of buying them for myself?
Easy peasy!
If you purchase or gift 2 single patterns, your free one can be any single pattern. If you purchase or gift 2 digital collections, your free one can be a digital collection. For instance, you could purchase the Twist & Knit Digital Collections 1 & 2 and get #3 for free!
If you’ve been waiting to pre-order Twist & Knit, please don’t wait any longer! Also, I still have limited edition, hand bound copies available if you’re interested in purchasing one of those.
Thanks, everybody, for your continued support!
Miriam
p.s. if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll reply there.
ETA: added an end date for this sale :)
FINALLY, Pre-orders are up here for Twist & Knit: A Dozen Knitted Patterns for Handspun, Hand-dyed and One-of-a-kind Yarns. Or if you’re interested, I’m selling limited edition hand-sewn hard-bound copies of the book here.
Every knitter knows the frustration of running out of yarn. This nagging fear is compounded when the yarn is one-of-a-kind or hand-dyed and simply heartbreaking when you’ve spent hours spinning the yarn yourself. This book offers twelve patterns specifically designed to get the most out of your unique yarn. All of the patterns have small repeats, very flexible gauge, or carefully selected construction to allow you to use every yard of yarn without sacrificing wearability.
And I thought I’d outline all the purchase options for you here.
The print book (or the limited edition hand-sewn hardbound book) can be purchased with a digital add-on from the link above. The digital add-on includes all of the patterns except Cleite, which is under contract and will allow you to have the individual pattern pdf files (which include the text translations of the charts) added to your ravelry library. The downloads are all available now, while the books will be shipped once they’re released.
If you don’t want the print book all the patterns in the digital add-on are available individually and in three digital collections at a substantial discount from their individual prices.
Collection #2 includes Colonnade, Tudor, Transverse and Dropleaf
Collection #3 includes Porifera, Gable and Windward
I hope you all enjoy this offering :) If you’re a yarn store interested in purchasing the books wholesale, e-mail me to miriam AT mimknits DOT com for info
Best,
Miriam
Just a quick one to let you all know that Ancient Woodland is available for public purchase now. Either through my shop or Ravelry’s pattern store. Details can be found at either link.
M
Welcome Knitty.com Patrons! And for those who haven’t seen it, I’ve got a new pattern up for free from knitty.com – The Anthemion Wrap
My goal with Anthemion was to make a wrap that could be worked from one end to the other, in one single piece, with as close-to-matching edgings as possible with very wide borders. And I’m so proud of the effort and that I can offer it for free to you.
My first book is nearing completion (you can see some photos of the projects here) and I was hoping to have book pre-orders up before knitty went live, but for those of you new here, please take a moment to check out my other designs available either through my shop or through ravelry. I’ll be posting to this blog and to twitter (and probably flickr as well) when the book pre-orders are up.
Thanks! Pull up a chair and stay awhile :)
Best,
M
I’m ready to pack up my potholders and send them on their way to Adrian for the swap and I thought you (the blog) might like to see them. I’m very excited to get little pieces of colorful crocheted art back in the mail :)
The details are here on Ravelry.
The book is actually moving forward again. And I’m hoping to have some sort of pre-order up next week. I’ll keep you posted.
M
… and its taking over my brain!
My friend Marge told me about Territorial Seed Company because I was having a hard time finding a seed company online that gave exact planting to harvest dates for every one of their products, but Territorial fit the bill. And now I’ve got a draft garden layout and plans to co-opt a section of dirt behind my apartment building, and a lot of dreams of green growing things and all the preserving I plan to do next year.
I was considering growing sweet potatoes (my staple root veggie since it is higher in nutrients and lower in carbohydrates than regular potatoes, thanks Diabetes), but I would need dirt to mound, which I don’t have and can’t really steal from other community garden plots. So sweet potatoes will wait for another year when I have a bit more time to plan.
Also trying really hard to get the book pre-orders up ASAP. Watch this space.
M
If you’re local, I’m running a Cookie A Knit-along at Black Sheep during the month of March. Cookie’s patterns can sometimes be a bit intimidating in their complexity, but sign up for the KAL and I’ll help you walk through it while we all knit some of her beautiful patterns! It promises to be fun and informative. Call Black Sheep to sign up. The first session is tomorrow (Saturday, March 6).
Also a quick note to let you know the Pinstripe pattern is up for sale. It’s 6 month exclusivity is done, so if you’re interested, it can be purchased through my online shop, or through Ravelry. I’m eager to knit it again with a bouncy wool yarn to see how different it turns out.
Also, I may be crazy, but I’ve joined the 2010 Potholder Swap. It shouldn’t take me too long to work up my 5 potholders, but it’s been a while since I’ve crocheted. One is done, and I think I’ve perfected the pattern I’m using now.
Also just finishing the button bands on a new sweater. No pics up yet, but soon. It’s been my avoidance project from thinking about the book all the time.
M
I woke early for a Saturday (although not terribly early for me) and watched the light change through my living room window from blue-gray to azure to brilliant white. And I thought about Twist & Knit.
I have a new layout, and I have the patterns written, photography is done, and I just need to finish the copy and the layout to get a page count, price printing, and open up pre-sales. When I phrase it like that it doesn’t seem like that much work, but it’s daunting. I want to do it well, but I also want to do it quickly and that has been tripping me up.
Up to now it’s been sort of like research. I was gathering all the pieces together. Patterns, check. Photos, check. Information I want to convey, check. But now I have to make it all presentable and that’s something that feels entirely new to me. I’ve been doing individual pattern layout and making it consistent, but a book feels like so much more. I need to figure out pattern order to give the proper flow, and above all I want the book to be beautiful, which I am feeling genuinely unqualified to do.
I will get over it. I’ll push through and make everything work. I am too damn stubborn to let this project die for self-pity, but it makes it a uniquely painful thing to do. And I guess I just have to suck it up and face my insecurities. As I start the downslide into 30, I was thinking that by the time I’m 30 I should be over the stupid little things I hate about myself. At least to the point where I can work past them. I doubt that I’ll suddenly be NOT insecure about things… just that I think by 30 I should be able to move on beyond them. I don’t want to be an angsty 30 year old. So I guess I’d better start now and work through my book dread.
M
Thanks everyone for the love about Knitscene :) It was a lot of fun to write and hopefully it won’t be the last article I write.
I got home Wednesday from attending Cat Bordhi’s visionary retreat, which is a juried retreat for self-publishing authors where we can learn skills that we’ll need to write our books, discuss the logistical aspects of self-publishing, get feedback on our ideas, and generally feed our creative minds. It was a great week and I’m feeling motivated again on finishing Twist & Knit so I can move forward with other projects I’ve been thinking about. I got to meet a lot of people that I’ve admired. I got to pick their brains and get to know them a little, which was amazing.
The retreat was held on San Juan Island off the Washington coast. I’d never been to Washington State before, nor that far North, but it was beautiful and a great respite from the inversions and cold of Utah. Moss grows on the roofs of people’s houses! Everything was so green, but I’m not certain that it wasn’t moss and not grass! I came home to 40 degree weather, but went out the next morning to snow. Lots of heavy, wet snow. It’s good to be home, but I guess some part of me hoped that it would magically be spring when I got back. And also that my house would have magically been cleaned and all the laundry done and everything organized. What?! A girl can dream, right?
I also came home with some really great yarn, and I’m hoping to get back to designing new and interesting things ASAP, but one thing at a time. I’m working on a few collections of patterns in my brain, but it would be nice to get some stuff on paper and on the needles.
I made a decision about Twist & Knit too. The printed paper booklet is only going to have the charts, not the text translations of the charts. But the digital version, which will be included when you purchase the print version will have the text translations of the charts (Please note: Cleite won’t be included in the digital version because of some contractual stuff with Twist Collective. It will be in the printed booklet, but not in the digital version). Printing cost is a factor as well as a desire for a clean layout and I think it will make it a better pattern booklet all around. I am working on the idea of a “how to read charts” tutorial video and accompanying downloadable pdf that would help people transition from text to charts, but still want to have the text versions available if for no other reason than accessibility (text readers for vision impaired knitters can’t read charts, but can read text directions).
I need to get down to writing the text for techniques and measuring gauge and all that stuff.
Back to work!
M
I’ve got an article in the new Knitscene (Winter/Spring 2010 Issue) about different ways of shaping triangular shawls.
All in all it’s a great issue, with 3 sweaters from Connie that are so lovely! I want to make the Geodesic Cardigan for myself. It’s also got a trio of lace shawls with different constructions for all the lace knitters out there. You can see the whole pattern preview here.
This is the first time my name has been on a cover, but hopefully not the last :)
Hi all,
We’ve all seen the horrible state of things in Haiti right now. And it makes me so grateful that I have running water and food to eat and that my loved ones are safe.
In order to help in some small way 50% of the sale price of all my available patterns sold through January 31st will go to Doctors without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières for their work in Haiti.
I’ve gone through Ravelry and tagged all of them with the special tag, so they should be searchable as such. The Ravelry pattern store link is here. This donation pledge also applies to purchases through my MimKnits online store.
Please consider making a purchase of a Help for Haiti pattern, whether from my shop or from one of the many other generous designers. You can even filter your Ravelry queue by which patterns contain the help for haiti tag and purchase the patterns you already know you want to knit that way.
Knitters have shown repeatedly that we are a force to be reckoned with. Let’s do it again and help the people of Haiti to make it through this disaster.
Best,
Miriam
In January 2009 I was working as an office monkey, stuck in a stressful, uncreative, unfulfilling job. Comparing that to now, happier than I have ever been, working for myself, and accomplishing great things. What a difference a year and a little courage can make! I was thinking back on the last 10 months or so, and thinking about how unhappy I was. I realized that I used to cry every couple of days. Deep, despairing sobs. But now, I don’t think I’ve cried (except for that unexplainable hormonal tearing up) since I left that job. I feel I have a purpose and direction. And in that vein, I’ve changed my normal goals to be a bit more specific this year.
Goals for 2010:
By way of a quick update — All of the book projects are completed, and I’ve put my snapshots of them into a flickr album, which you can view here if you are interested. I’ve got some pieces out to test knitters and they should all be arriving back to me soon so I can shoot the official pictures and get the book laid out. I’m getting pretty nervous about it now, but also very very excited.
M
I have a new year’s post brewing, but just wanted to drop a quick note to let you all know that UK Knit Camp registration is now open. Knit Camp will be held at the University of Stirling, Scotland. It will be packed with wonderful classes offered by an amazing list of teachers. You can check out the classes I will be teaching here and the full class list by instructor here. And you can register for accommodation and classes here at the shop.
Hope to see you there!
Miriam
Thanks to Ravelry’s newest pattern feature, you can now gift patterns to other Ravelry members and the pattern will be added directly to their library! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this feature, and to celebrate it and the holiday season, from now until 10 pm Mountain Time on Sunday, December 20, if you send a gift pattern of mine through Ravelry, you get one free for yourself. After you have sent the gift purchase, just send me a Ravelry Private Message including which pattern you want for yourself. I will match up your order with your rav. id to verify you purchased and gift you the pattern through Ravelry.
This offer is only good for Ravelry purchases, not purchases through my online store. The post linked above gives detailed instructions on how to send the gift patterns through Ravelry.
Thanks to Ravelry for a great service and thanks to all of you for supporting this crazy venture. Every time someone asks me what I do for a living and I tell them that I design knitting patterns, I am amazed and grateful for all your support.
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Good Solstice, Happy Kwanzaa, Great Any Holidays I Missed, and A Happy New Year!
M
Last weekend, I needed to take a break from the crazy deadline knitting, and with winter seeping in it’s been very cold walking around town as I do, so I decided I needed a hat.
I’m really picky about hats. Most hat styles look strange on me (at least to myself) with my long face and pointed chin, so I ran around my LYS (where I work part-time) trying on all the sample hats we had. Berets, beanies, tams, flat-topped with straight sides, etc… trying to find one that I liked. The one it came down to was a bulky beanie, that had a bit too much length in it, and when I pulled the extra fabric down the back of my head to make it slouch it was perfect! Immediately I thought of Ripley, one of Ysolda’s new patterns in Whimsical Little Knits 2.
I found a couple of skeins of Berroco Cuzco that called to me and when the weekend came, I cast on for the first hat. The pattern gives 2 band options (garter and lace) and 2 slouchiness options. I ended up making both hats somewhere between the options in terms of slouch, but I love them both.
Pattern: Ripley (see link above), Raveled here and here
Yarn: Berroco Cuzco (50% superfine alpaca/50% wool) in Potting Soil Mix (Color 9679) and in Ocean Mix (Color 9685)
Needles: 6.0 mm (US 10) 16″ circular and 5.0 mm (US 8) dpns for the last 3 rounds of crown decreases. I didn’t have any US 10 dpns, and didn’t want to go buy some.
Modifications: For the brown version: worked 6 rounds between 3rd pleat and crown decreases for a medium slouchy hat. For the blue version: worked 5 rounds between 4rd pleat and crown decreases.
Verdict: LOVE! I picked the brown color because it’s almost exactly the color of my eyes, but thought I would love the blue hat better. I don’t. The brown one is my favorite :) Although I’m sure I’ll wear both.
If you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend Ysolda’s tutorial called “Using Charts, even if you hate them“. Its got some great info about charts and how to read your lace knitting using charts, even if you knit it from the text directions. I’ve added a link to the post in the sidebar Lace Reference Shelf section.
M
I’ve got a few more book designs finished now. When we last left off, you’d seen the Motte Shawl and the Colonnade Scarf, and I had mentioned that the Transverse Scarf and the Comfy Shawl (aka Thrums Shawl) would be included in the book. I’ve also worked out to include Cleite in the print version (although it will not be included in the Ravelry download add-on for the book due to contractual restrictions).
So here’s some more of the projects. The pictures are just my quick shots to show the piece. I’m working out a modeled photo shoot next month.
Lune Shawl:
A crescent shaped shawl worked from the neck down (as with a top-down triangular shawl). It makes a great shape for staying on, with plenty of drapey, fluttery tail ends to pin or toss over your shoulder.
The yarn is Spritely Goods Sylph in the colorway “Cranberry”.
Dropleaf Wrap & Scarf:
The scarf version is knit with handspun, and sans border, but with garter stitch edges. With the border included, the wrap is knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine.
I loved the movement of stitches in this motif. It was fun and easy to knit, while the border in the wrap gave it a bit more interest. It looks a lot more complicated than it is :)
Comfy Shawl, version 2:
I knit the Comfy Shawl (aka Thrums Shawl) again in commercially available yarn and in a larger size. This time in Peace Fleece Worsted, with another colorway of Peace Fleece for the border/bind off.
Windward Cowl:
With twisty lace-and-cable motifs, this was a quick knit and VERY fun. The bottom flares out with little gussets incorporated into the stitch motif to fit nicely around your shoulders.
Its knit with one skein of Green Mountain Spinnery’s New Mexico Organic Wool, in Gray, which is so squishy and woolly and beautiful that it very well may be my new favorite yarn!
Vinca Shawl:
Begun as a counterpane and worked out from the center as a square, two sides of the square are then bound off and the 2 remaining sides worked separately as “wings”, making this shawl in the shawl of a big, block “V”. The result gives you a back like a triangular shawl, but a front with none of the issues of a triangular shawl. The fronts have enough fabric to wrap like any wide stole.
The undulating stitch motif took a while to perfect, but I think it turned out really well. And the Malabrigo Lace the piece is knitted in is light as a feather and soft as a kitten! When you consider that the piece only took 2 skeins, this is a GREAT deal!
All in all, the book will have 12 designs (most of which are knitted a couple of times, in both commercially available and handspun yarns to show the versatility of the pattern. I’m designing a pair of socks and a set of fingerless gloves still, and I’ve already designed a shawl that Rhonna is sample knitting for me in her handspun. Margene also knit me a Motte Shawl in her handspun, which I took pictures of, but haven’t edited or posted yet. All the pieces are finally coming together, and I’m planning for the photoshoot in January (just have to finish those last few pieces first). It’s kind of freaking me out now…. but in a good way.
M
Hello again! Two posts in as many days, who’d a thunk it.
Just wanted to talk about a new pattern that the Knit Purl Sock Club just sent out earlier this week. People should have started receiving it, so now I can show you the photos I took and talk about it a bit.
This sock was actually inspired by the yarn, which is Abstract Fiber Supersock in the colorway Pinot Noir. I wanted to do something that was reminiscent of the grapes and vineyards that produce Pinot Noir, and I needed something simple to accent and not overwhelm the multitude of beautiful colors in the yarn.
The yarn itself was a springy superwash merino base, which just looked so great in the twisted stitches that I had to use them. I loved the way the twisted stitches looked so much that I carried them all the way down the toe.
The pattern will be available as a stand-alone in one year, so that would be November 2010.
Howdy do, readers (if there are any of you left)!
I just wanted to let you all know that I’ve added more options to the Dimorphous Mitten pattern, giving instructions for making gloves, fingerless gloves, and fingerless mitts to replace the Inner Mitten. All of these options are worked using the same cuff instructions from the original pattern, as well as the same gauge and yarn specifications. The add-on pdf is meant to be used in conjunction with the original pdf.
The Ravelry downloads have been updated so that if you purchase through Ravelry, both pdf files will be added to your library. If you purchase through the MimKnits Online Store, the downloads have been combined into one pdf. Ravelry purchasers have been notified of the update already, but if you purchased through my online storefront and would like the updated pdf with the add-on, please send me an e-mail INCLUDING YOUR ORDER NUMBER to orders AT mimknits DOT com, and I will reauthorize the download
I’ve been working hard, nose to the grindstone, on projects for the book, and trying to get organized for the winter. I’m coordinating the sample knitting, and working on the photostyling and location shooting stuff. It’s very exciting, but doesn’t make for very good blog fodder, I think.
I’ll put up another book preview post soon.
Just wanted to keep you all updated on forthcoming stuff….
I’ll be designing a piece for Romi’s Lace and Shawl Pin Club. The club itself has a great ala cart subscription. You can choose how many shipments you’d like, what metal you’d like for the pin, yarn content and color family, or you can go the traditional way and let Romi pick what color she thinks is best and send it to you with yarn, pin and pattern. Her pins are always lovely and well made. I own 3 or 4 of them myself.
Romi is running a promotional special as well. If you sign up by November 1st she’ll send you a surprise extra, but club sign-ups are open until December 15th.
I’ll also be doing the Shakespeare in Lace club again with Wooly Wonka. It was great fun this year when I did Desdemona and for the 2010 club I’ll be doing a lace piece inspired by the character of Ophelia from Hamlet. All the colorways in the series will be solid or semi-solid kettle dyed shades. Anne will be opening up the club to previous club members FIRST through the Ravelry Board early in November, and then later in November she will open any leftover slots to new signups through her Etsy Shop. You can keep posted on the Ravelry Board.
Both of the patterns will be available separately after a few months, so if you can’t do the subscription club, you’ll still be able to purchase the pattern itself later.
M
Teena in Toronto reminded me on Sunday morning that it was my 5th Blogiversary. 5 years. Holy Mother of Meat.
I’ve been meaning to blog again more often and this might just be the catalyst to push me to do it. A broken camera lens and a bunch of crazy are my excuses this time, but really I’ve just been relishing a quiet life as the seasons change. There was nothing so exciting going on that I just HAD to tell everyone. It has also been a bit of an adjustment to have a part-time job. I’m working at my LYS a couple days a week and doing their website. I have to get into some kind of routine again, and To-Do lists have been my friend, but I haven’t got to the point of putting blogging on that list yet. There have been other, more pressing things to do.
I’ve also got some teaching in the works…. if you’re local, you might be interested in some of the classes I’m teaching at the Black Sheep Wool Company. The full class listing is here, but the classes I am teaching are:
Top-down Triangular Shawl Class: Saturdays, October 10 from 2:30 PM 5:30 PM and October 24, from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Instructor: Miriam Felton . $55 class fee
This class will teach you the top-down triangular shaping method. With the option of a knitted-on border, this class can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Choose one of the top-down triangular shawl designs by Miriam Felton, including Icarus, Seraphim, Foliage, Mountain Peaks, Adamas, Hidcote, Cleite, or Andromeda. Skills needed: knit, purl, yarn over, various decreases. Experience with lace or chart reading would be preferred.
Dimorphous Mitten: Saturdays, November 7 and 14, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Instructor: Miriam Felton . $40 class fee
Knit this versatile mitten for yourself or as a memorable gift. The inner mitt, knit in sock yarn, can be worked in a number of ways as a mitten, a fingerless mitt, or a glove, while the outer mitten, in Manos Silk Blend adds warmth and elegance. The pattern includes the mitten option, but fingerless mitt and glove instructions will be provided to you in class. This is a perfect project to play with color combinations.
Fixing Lace Mistakes: Saturday, November 21, from 10 AM to 1 PM
Instructor: Miriam Felton . $35 class fee
Do you dread finding a mistake in your lace knitting? This class will cover how to fix missing yarn overs, misdirectional decreases, and ways of undoing lace from ripping whole rows at a time, unknitting, and dropping down and reworking whole repeats.
More late. I’ve actually started taking my Self Portraits again for 365, but haven’t uploaded any of them yet.
Coming home today from spending a week at my sister Laura’s house, canning large bushels of produce, basting 4 quilts, taking family portraits, and helping care for her children. Frankly, I’m exhausted and really eager to be home. As much fun as the kids are, they sort of remind me that I really don’t want my own. I think I’ve knit 2 rounds on a glove finger all week long. By the end of the day my hands and arms have been exhausted. The final accomplishment tally is:
2 twin sized quilts basted
2 full/queen sized quilts basted
22 quarts of peaches canned
20 pints of salsa canned
23 quarts of pears canned
300 family photos taken
innumerable poopy butts changed (one exploded all down the leg!)
2 rows of onions pulled up to dry
1 gigantic bowl of tomatoes picked
3 fingers on my left hand burned by cutting peppers that should have been mild, but clearly were not.
I have hardly knit anything while I’ve been here, and I feel so disconnected from my people. Margene has been in my thoughts and prayers, and I am longing to visit her and see how she’s doing. I miss C and my kitty, and while I was away the Property Management caused drama that I had to try to deal with long distance.
It will be nice to get back into my groove. Back to designing, knitting, cooking, working on the book, and being in my own space with my own things.
I did get to hang out with my Mom on Tuesday. We saw Julie & Julia, which I loved. I thought it was a great movie! Afterward we swung by the bookstore and I got Mastering the Art of French Cooking (thanks again Mom!). I can’t believe I didn’t have this cookbook! I’m really excited to try some of the recipes, although I don’t think I’ll be touching the aspics with a 10-foot pole. Meat jello doesn’t really float my boat, you know? I’ve never made a souffle though, and I’m excited to try. The whole dessert section is calling out to me.
Gotta pack up my things and get dressed to go.
My little brother (see here) and his wife are having a baby. For now they’re calling her Princess Wiggles. I might still make a sweater for her, but for now, 3 stuffed toys seems adequate :)
Details on Ravelry, from left to right: Elijah, Sophie, Otto
I just finished Elijah, pretty quickly after Otto. I modified Elijah a bit to give him a tail :)
A baby must be properly kitted out before she can make her appearance, yeah?
M
Hi all, I’m having some trouble with my MimKnits shop SSL, and you may run into problems with it until I can get this web host thing figured out, so I would suggest if you’re going to purchase that you purchase through Ravelry.
When you get out of the habit of blogging, it’s hard to remember to start up again :) I’ve been a busy girl, especially since this is canning season. This weekend alone produced 14 Quarts and 1 pint of dill pickles, a batch of amazingly wonderful honeydew and nectarine ice cream, and a growing crush on Gene Kelly after having seen An American in Paris for the first time.
The weekend wasn’t all fun though. On Friday night after we were asleep our car was hit (while we were parked, in the lot behind our building). We found it on Saturday morning. Not a lot of damage, but they left no note, so I called the police and filed a hit & run report. Later we found out it was a neighbor who also lives in our building. We got insurance swapped and all, but dealing with the insurance company, and waiting 2 hours for the police to show up, and trying not to be super mad at the neighbor for being an ass and not leaving a note kind of put a damper on the weekend. Today I get to bug people on the phone until they pay for the repairs. I did find a twee baby snail while I was waiting for the cops though….
I’ve got a few new projects on the needles. The sock for the Knit Purl sock club’s November shipment is in the works, and I’m working more on the as yet unnamed shawl with interesting construction. I refer to it as the Olivia Shawl in my head, because the colorway is called Olivia (I love it so much!). I’m gonna have a post for you in a few days about it, with pictures of the process and all that. And some book projects are coming along nicely.
More later,
M
I’m writing a book. Or to be more correct, I’m writing a pattern booklet. After TNNA when I got to spend some time with Ysolda (who was on a grand tour of the US, doing signings and a trunk show of Whimsical Little Knits 1*), I talked to her about the process of self-publishing a small booklet, about what was working best, and some ideas that I had been mulling around started to congeal into a collection of patterns.
So the collection of patterns will be geared toward making the most out of a limited quantity of yarn, whether it be handspun, hand-dyed, or just something you can’t get anymore. I’m including patterns that can be bound off when you run out, or worked until you have half the yarn left, then worked in the other direction… designs specifically written to use up as much of a given yarn as possible, with small pattern motifs, and small repeats so that you can easily change the pattern based on the quantity of yarn you want to use.
I’m going to be self publishing the booklet, and I’ve got an awesome support team of people who have experience in the knitting, spinning and publishing world that I’m using as a sounding board for ideas and projects. I’m very excited about the result so far, and with every project I complete my excitement grows :)
Transverse will be included in this collection, as will the Thrums Shawl I showed you before. Plus a bunch of new pieces including these:
I’m still not far enough along with the whole process to give you availability dates, but I’ll keep you posted. Some other questions I anticipate being asked:
1. Will the pattern be available separately?
Yes, the patterns will be available as downloads separately at the same time the book is published.
2. Can I get the whole book as a digital download?
Possibly. The answer to this question will be determined by whether or not Cleite is included in the collection. If Cleite is not included, then yes. Digital Download of the whole book will be available. If Cleite IS included, I might offer digital download of everything BUT Cleite. Still working it out.
Any other questions? Feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll respond in the comments.
*Whimsical Little Knits 2 will be released in the print version in a few months, but you can start getting the patterns from it now as downloads, go check it out!
I was hit in the face by the drastic changes of the last year (6 or 7 months really) today on the way home from visiting family. C had taken the week off for his birthday to relax and do some fun things, which necessitated a scaled-back work week for me, since keeping him company was key to the whole vacation endeavor. It was fun, and very laid back, but on the way home I realized that I was looking forward to the vacation ending and getting back to work. Not that I wanted the vacation to end, I just was eager to get working on the things spilling out of my brain. And it hit me what a drastic change this is from the sick stomach of Sunday afternoons just dreading going back to work at my corporate jobs.
I am immeasurably less stressed, I have time to exercise and eat healthy, I have the energy to pursue other activities besides zoning out in front of the television. I feel like the person I’ve been WANTING to be.
I have a fridge full of fruit that I’ve been jamming and bottling and processing and baking. But instead of feeling dread about getting it all done, I am filled with excitement. Worry has been replaced by creative energy and I feel like I’m producing some of my best work. I’ve finally broken down the self-erected barriers that I have surrounding designing sweaters and I’ve been looking over color cards to pick yarns to pair with the sketches I’ve been creating for years but never could get myself to design.
Frankly, I’m amazed by it, but if I was looking for a sign that it was the right career choice, I think this is it.
M
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