Indie-Visible: Hub for Readers and Writers

Indie-Visible 2.0 Soft Launch

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Quitting Can Be Difficult...But Also Necessary

Yesterday I finished reading (or rather listening to) Think Like a Freak, the third book by the authors of Freakonomics. I greatly enjoyed the book, but one chapter in particular resonated with me. It was a chapter on not being afraid to quit something--that the idea that quitting is always bad is actually not accurate. And I realized that there is something that I need to quit. What might that be?

I need to quit the Christmas tree skirt that I'm currently knitting. It's just not working. I knew that from close to the beginning but kept telling myself that it would be okay. Had I listened to myself back then, I would have saved so many hours of work. But I'm going to listen to myself now and not waste anymore hours working on a project that just isn't working. First, some back story.

Last year at Christmas was the first time we've put up a Christmas tree in our own house. When we were first married, we used the cat(s) as an excuse and then when we were living in Indiana, we spent over two weeks around the holidays traveling to visit family so it seemed pointless to go through the trouble of putting up a tree when we weren't even going to be home to enjoy it. But now that we're back in Texas and near family, we actually get to be at our own home for the holidays (which is such a wonderful feeling). So we finally put up a Christmas tree.

I thought it would be a great idea to knit a Christmas tree skirt. I looked around on Ravelry to see if I could find a pattern. What I really wanted was a cream-colored, cabled tree skirt. But I didn't really see the cabled pattern that grabbed me. So I thought that I might create my own (note that this is before I started regularly releasing my own patterns). The day after Thanksgiving, Madtosh Crafts had a huge (30% off!) sale and I bought the yarn for the tree skirt: 9 skeins of tosh chunky (which despite its name is an aran weight yarn) in Antler (my perfect cream-colored yarn). And I thought about the tree skirt. And thought about it. But didn't sit down to really work on it until August of this year.

I poured through stitch dictionaries. I learned all about the pi shawl, which I was using as a base for the tree skirt. I crunched lots of numbers. I wrote out charts. And then I started knitting.

Since much of the background is in purl, I was a bit unsure at the increase rows. Which increase might work best? I think I did a kfb for the first increase round--mostly because I didn't really think it through but knew I didn't want anything that would leave holes (like yarn overs). I wasn't super happy with how it turned out but didn't think it was too bad. I think that I did that same increase again the next time (although I'm not 100% sure). And that's when I knew that I really needed to sit down and figure out which increase to use and how best to transition between patterns. But for some reason, I told myself that I really didn't need to do that. It was fine and I'd just figure that stuff out before I wrote down the pattern so that other knitters could have a better tree skirt.

But this is what it looked like:

Can you see the row of Vs (knit stitches) in between the purl rows at the transition? Yeah, it's even more obvious on the actual item. But I just kept going. And I tried doing a different increase the next time. This one was more purl based (right now I can't remember exactly what I did although I jotted down a note about it somewhere). But this time I didn't account for the cables. So where the knit stitches on the cables could have transitioned pretty well between cable patterns, I instead have some purl bumps that show up. I did this twice! I guess I didn't learn the first time.

Look at those purl bumps at the base of the cable! Again, the picture doesn't truly show how obvious this is in the actual item. I also realized that for this new section, I hadn't accounted for the beginning/end of round connection and the cables which connected everywhere else on the round were unconnected at the join (I know what I did wrong but decided to ignore this, too).

But I just kept going. Until I listened to Think Like a Freak while knitting this tree skirt and realized that I did have something that I needed to quit. Something that would be better off if I threw in the towel (or the tree skirt).

Do I still want a cabled Christmas tree skirt? Yes, absolutely. Do I still want to use these particular cables? Pretty much, although I might change a little especially at the beginning. But what I really need to do is frog what I've done (!!!), sit down and do more swatching, not just of the individual cables (which I had done) but of the transitions between the cables (both the increases as well as how the cables will flow into one another). I need to figure out the best method for doing the increases that will not make an obvious transition but will create a more natural flow.

I haven't frogged yet. I've put it in the drawer alongside the sweater I know I should frog but don't yet have the heart to do. But just making the decision that it's not working and needs to be started over was a big one, so I'm letting myself get a little distance from the project before I dive back into it.

Here's the tree skirt minus a few of the rounds that I did this week:

Goodbye tree skirt progress. Goodbye many many knitting hours. But hello new and improved project that will be forthcoming. Quitting isn't always bad. Sometimes it really is necessary so you can move on to something better.

Indie Design GAL2014: Interview with Jenny Faifel

I'm thrilled to be able to interview another designer who is participating in this year's Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry. Today, I welcome Jenny Faifel, aka SweaterFreak, to my blog. In looking over Jenny's catalog in preparation for this interview, I realized that I have seen and really liked several of her designs. Her desert flower is a top that is on my list of things I really want to knit. It uses Susie M's Contiguous Method, which I tried once for a doll sweater and have been wanting to try on a sweater/top for me. I also remember when she released loopdigan because it has such a neat construction: a cardigan with an attached infinity scarf. Genius! I really love the yoke design on her my inner viking sweater. And her newest release, city blocks, is a cowl that can be worn with either side facing out for two completely different looks. Go check out her other patterns too for some great options, both for gifts and for yourself!

desert flower (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

loopdigan (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

Onto the interview!

Karen: I see that you've been knitting since childhood. Who taught you how to knit and what was your first project?

Jenny: How observant! Yes, I have been knitting since I was 7. I was taught by my maternal grandmother who was a skilled crafter. I expressed interest in what she was doing and she showed me how to crochet and knit, knitting took on right away! Something about wool moving through my fingers - it’s that satisfying feeling that's impossible to describe, you know. I remember one project – a pink acrylic scarf I crocheted but I don’t think it was my first one.

Karen: I read about your "obsession sweater" on your blog. You mentioned that the original sweater was ruined. What happened to it? How did it feel to be able to recreate the sweater (and use some newer techniques that you had learned in the meantime)?

Jenny: The sweater, Collarlicious, deserves a special blog post because it essentially made me pick up my needles after a 10 year hiatus. I made the original from elann.com Highland Wool and after few years of wear I accidentally used too hot of water to wash it. Of course, I was devastated because I poured so much energy and time into fitting it. I actually learned Barbara Walker’s top down short row sleeve shaping when knitting it! So years later I re-created the sweater with new elann.com wool and a new Contiguous technique – it’s amazing how much one simple garment can teach us!

collarlicious (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

Karen: It looks like you frequently use Susie M's Contiguous Method. (I've only done one small project with it so far but I really liked it and want to do more with it.) Why have you decided to use it in your designs? What do you feel it adds to sweater construction?

Jenny: Well, I like three things – top down construction, no seams and set-in sleeve. Contiguous combines all three! I was a slow comer to this method and had to tweak it a bit to make it work like I intended it. I like that you can try the garment on as you go, you can even partially block it and then try it on, so you know the fit is right and it saves a lot of time. I am a huge fan of top down no seams for that reason only!

Karen: Do you have a favorite among your designs?

Jenny: Of course, I love them all – they are my babies! But v-lace has a special place in my heart! I love 60’s and 70’s inspired hippie fashion and this sweater was my interpretation of these trends. Throw on your bell bottoms, platform wedges and hoop earrings and you are good to go! It makes me think of summer (which is my favorite season) and 60’s (my favorite decade) so it just plain makes me happy!

v-lace (photo copyright Jenny Faifel, used by permission)

Karen: Do you have a favorite yarn that you like to work with?

Jenny: That’s a tough one with so many options these days! I love traditional wool but I also love the handdyed colors that are relatively new to the knitting world. Right now, my two favourite wools are on the opposite side of the spectrum: I love Dia Twist DK by Colour Adventures. Elena’s handdyed colors are awesome and it does not pill or stretch while being soft! I also love Kauni Effektgarn which is a Shetland wool type of yarn with gorgeous long color repeats. It’s super warm and it’s simply delicious to knit with. One of my latest designs, Biased Transitions, was made with this wool and it won’t be my last.

Karen: How has the GAL been going for you? Are you doing some gift knitting yourself?

Jenny: The past few months have been very busy for me in terms of designing and sample knitting so I was not able to participate in the GAL. Being a very organized person, I am usually done with my gift knitting in October – beginning of November so I can enjoy the holiday season fully and savor the month of December slowly.

Karen: What's coming up next for your designs? (I took a peek at your group and saw some test knits going on--looks like some great things coming up!)

Jenny: Thank you! I am very flattered! I don’t want to disclose too much but I will say that my plans are to concentrate on garments that can be worn for most of the year as well as occasional accessory here and there. And while I am continuing to stick with my present geometrical themes, I will also be incorporating other motifs in my designs. Thank you Karen for interviewing me, it was a pleasure!

Karen: My pleasure! Thanks so much for joining me today, Jenny! I'm going to go shopping for yarn for desert flower (the Madtosh store is having Black Friday yarn sale so I just might have to run over there and find something!) and will be keeping my eye on your upcoming designs.

Find Jenny online:
Ravelry: SweaterFreak
Ravelry designer page
Ravelry group
Blog
Twitter

Indie Design GAL2014: Interview with Sarah Ronchetti

Today as part of the Indie Design GAL, I'm delighted to be talking with Sarah Ronchetti, who designs patterns under the name Sezza Knits. When I first looked at Sarah's designs on Ravelry, I was excited to see a new-to-me designer. I was even more excited by what I found--it looks like several of her designs are going to be added to my queue, such as Umberto, Feathered Mitts (which I'll be knitting myself as part of the GAL--in fact, I cast on last night!), and Zigging Hat. Her tagline is "Knitting Designs for the Whole Family" and that is most definitely the case. And if you have a little girl to knit for, you've got to see Zagging Skirt. So cute! Onto the interview!

Feathered Mitts (photo copyright Sarah Ronchetti, used by permission)

Zigging Hat (photo copyright Sarah Ronchetti, used by permission)

Karen: When did you start designing and what got you started with designing your own patterns?

Sarah: I started designing at the end of 2011. I couldn't find a pattern I wanted so I decided that I would have to design it myself.  At the same time I saw a call for designs for Petite Purls and had my submission accepted, so those 2 (Zipped Up and Tango Tank) were my first designs and it gave me a real boost to keep going.

Karen: Getting two designs accepted for a third-party publication early on sounds like a great boost to keep you going! Where does your design inspiration come from?

Sarah: Everywhere! It started out with my children, designing items I wanted to knit for them, or that I thought would be cute. I take inspiration from all over the place though, places we visit, family members, yarns.

Karen: You live in New Zealand. Although Ravelry is a worldwide community, it does skew more heavily toward the Northern Hemisphere. Do you find that your knitting/designing aligns with your own Southern Hemisphere seasons, with the Northern Hemisphere, or a mixture of both?

Sarah: I try to keep the Northern Hemisphere in mind when releasing patterns, but I have a large following of Australian and New Zealand knitters, and my own preference is to knit warm things in Winter and smaller things in Summer. Its a mixture of both, but more heavily skewed towards Southern Hemispheres seasons when designing.

Karen: Speaking of mixtures, you have a great mix of patterns for the whole family. Is that something you've set out to do or has it just happened that way?

Sarah: It just happened! I started with my children, and then moved onto myself. And then my husband. Now I try and keep that up and think about where the gaps might be when thinking of new designs. Most people like to knit for those that they love as well as for themselves, whether that be friends, nephews, Parents, or children!

Karen: Looking at your Ravelry profile, it says that you're getting back into teaching after staying at home with your children for several years. How has that been going? Have you found it difficult to balance work, family, and designing?

Sarah: Yes I am finding it difficult to balance. I have very recently returned to teaching full time and I LOVE it, but it means my brain has less room for designing right now, and I can usually only manage a little knitting in the evenings. Luckily with teaching we get some non-contact time (others call this holidays) and I plan to stock up a few prototypes then. Family life has always been a bit of a balancing act, but I'm very lucky to be working at my children's school so I get paid to see them participate in their daily lives.

Karen: Sounds like you have a lot on your plate, but it must be so nice to be at the same school as your children. Do you have a favorite out of your designs?

Sarah: Oh its like picking a favourite child! Tallulah is my newest, so probably my current favourite!

Tallulah (photo copyright Sarah Ronchetti, used by permission)

Karen: That is a very nice pattern! Is there a particular favorite yarn that you like to work with?

Sarah: I love knitting with local indie yarn whenever possible, I have a few favourites, and they are incredibly talented dyers with a gorgeous product. My Favourites are Little Plum Yarns DK Superwash Merino, Red Riding Hood Cherie Gold Sock and Vintage Purls Sock.

Karen: I keep seeing ads for the Red Riding Hood yarn; I should give that a try soon! Why did you decide to join the Indie Design GAL? Did you participate last year? If so, what was your favorite part about it? What are you looking forward to this year?

Sarah: I did participate last year and really enjoyed it. It is like a party that last for weeks, and its great to get a chance to chat to new people, to make connections and to see what so many people are knitting. I am modding the Sweater KAL again this year.

Karen: That sounds great! Any hints on what's coming up next with your designing?

Sarah: An adult version of Tallulah is next on my list, I really really want one for me! And then I think I might need to knit some more socks :)

Karen: I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open for that one as I really like Tallulah!


Thanks so much, Sarah, for stopping by my blog today to chat. You can find Sarah and Sezza Knits online at the following places:
Website/blog: Sezza Knits
Ravelry: Sezza
Facebook: Sezza Knits
Twitter: @sezzaNZ

Indie Design GAL2014: Interview with Alex Tinsley

I am thrilled to be able to share Alex Tinsley's designs and an interview with Alex on my blog. Alex is very active on Ravelry (and other social media) and she's a designer that I've been following for a while. If you look at her extensive catalog (over 100 designs), you'll notice a lot of hats. Some of my favorites are Fructose, Rimple, and Sproinger.

Sproinger (copyright Alex Tinsley, used by permission)

But she does more than hats; for example, I really like her Chevzam cowl, Myrta Mitts, and Northern Line short-sleeved sweater. She's also the mastermind behind the very popular Howlcat, a convertible hat/cowl design.

Chevzam cowl (copyright Alex Tinsley, used by permission)

Onto the interview!

Karen: Hello, Alex! It's great to have you on my blog. To start off, let's talk a little about your own start--how and why did you decide to begin designing knitting patterns?

Alex: I started knitting regularly during college as an attempt to keep myself awake during early lecture classes (success rate: mediocre.) Etsy had just blown up at that point, so I started selling off a lot of my creations on there to make a little extra moola. Soon I noticed that some folks were selling knitting patterns there (this was before Ravelry) and thought, hey, I could do that! So I started selling them alongside the finished objects, and eventually transitioned completely to patterns.

Karen: You've had designs published in several third-party publications, but you also do a lot of self-publishing. Do you prefer one over the other and why?

Alex: I'm horribly impatient. Self-publishing has the benefit of allowing me to crank a pattern out, get it tested/edited quickly, and get it out into the world while I'm still excited about it. Publishing for magazines involves a much longer timeline and a lot more patience. Still, few things compare to the thrill of walking into a bookstore and picking up a magazine with your design in it!

Karen: I hope to someday have that bookstore experience myself, but I agree with you about self-publishing. What influences your designs? How do you come up with new ideas?

Alex: Oh geez, always a tough question... a lot of times I'm riffing off a particular silhouette or structure or stitch pattern that I'm currently interested in. My advanced-beginner/ "relaxing tv knitting" level patterns sell best, which is nice because it allows me to explore one or two interesting design elements at a time--an interesting brim, an idea for a cable--without feeling like I need to combine a ton of them all at once. I also love poking around fashion photos on Pinterest, so sometimes I'll borrow, say, a cuff from a Helmut Lang sweater and see how I can tweak it to serve an accessory.

Karen: Anyone looking at your design portfolio would obviously notice you like hats. But you do have plenty of designs for other items. What makes you decide to work on something that's not a hat?

Alex: Sometimes you just need a change of pace ;-) Occasionally an idea pops into my head fully formed that isn't a hat, so I go with it. Lately I'm more and more interested in garments (though very few have been published yet) at least partially because, well, I want to wear them! And then sometimes I have an idea for a stitch or something that will work better on something flat, or I'm asked to be a part of a shawl club. The one thing I really don't ever design is socks--I love to wear handknit socks but I'm very slow when I'm knitting them and I get a bit bored.

Karen: Do you have a favorite design of yours?

Alex: Hmm... well I have a hat called "Fave" because it's my favorite to wear ;-) I'm also quite fond of Corone, and A Most Bespeckled Hat (which I've worn to raggedness. I'm one of those naughty designers who wears her samples, eep.)

Karen: I like all of those, but Corone is definitely one I'll have to put in my queue! Looking at your website, I see that you are a full-time designer. What did you do before full-time designing? How long did it take you after you started designing to be able to do it full time? Was the transition difficult?

Alex: During college, I started working at an LYS (Twisted in Portland, OR) and after I graduated, I stayed on there for a little over a year, designing part time as well. Eventually me and my now-husband decided to move back to our home state of Michigan, and I took the opportunity to switch to designing full time (so that would've been 2010.) Money was a bit tight there at first (especially when we accidentally moved into an apartment that couldn't get internet access. Um, bad decision!) but we were used to living like broke college students anyway, so it worked out alright. On one hand, working at home can be very isolating...but I'm a bit of a hermit anyway, so it suits me.

Karen: An apartment with no internet access!? Yikes! What can you tell us about your upcoming designs?

Alex: At the moment I'm working through a bit of a backlog - I'll give you a hint, there are some hats ;-) I'm also toying with a new larger "themed" project, but I haven't yet decided if it's going to be a book, or something else.

Karen: I'll be sure to keep an eye out for your upcoming designs. Do you have a favorite yarn that you like to work with?

Alex: Malabrigo and Madelinetosh tend to be my go-tos. I love soft wools with subtle colorings--semisolids and "glazed" dyes especially. There are tons of gorgeous indie dyed stuff out there that fits that category too, I tend to hoard one skein here or there, especially when I'm travelling.

Karen: Those are my two favorite yarns as well! Speaking of Malabrigo, you work as a design coordinator for Malabrigo. How did you land this gig?

Alex: I had worked with Malabrigo yarn quite a bit with my "Go Go Malabrigo" ebooks, and I saw that their coordinator was leaving, so I jumped on it and sent them an email basically yelling "OMG PICK ME PICK ME!!!" And they were kind enough to give me a shot! They are a lot of fun to work with, though sometimes I wish I was in Uruguay handling the yarn itself ;-)

Karen: It sounds like a great experience, or at least as great as can be without getting to roll around in the yarn all day. You seem to be open to sharing about yourself on social media, but I'm sure there are plenty of things about you that people don't know. What's one thing about yourself that people don't generally know or that might surprise people?

Alex: If you follow me on twitter you've probably seen me babble about everything under the sun, heh. Ummm... people might not know that I have a semi-secret witchy-fashion blog (linky- http://stregamoda.tumblr.com/)... or that I once got fired from a house-cleaning company run out of a trailer. (I maintain it wasn't my fault, and it was awful work, but it was also probably the most fascinating job I've ever had--who else gets to see all the shameful nooks and crannies of rich people's houses?)


Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today, Alex! You can find Alex online at the following places:
Website/Blog: Dull Roar
Ravelry: alextinsley
Twitter: @alex_tinsley
Instagram: bombasinedoll

Indie Design Gift-A-Long

This year, I'm participating in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry, as both a designer and a participant. I'm so excited about this as it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun.

Here's the basic rundown:

• There are 293 indie designers participating.
• The GAL runs from Thursday, November 13 at 8 PM (EST) through December 31 at 11:59 PM (EST)
• The GAL sale runs from November 13 at 8 PM (EST) through November 21 at 11:59 PM (EST)
• For the sale, all GAL-chosen patterns are 25% off by using the code giftalong2014.
• Each designer has chosen somewhere from 4-20 patterns to include in the sale.
• That means there are 3822 patterns on sale!
• The GAL itself has lots of games and prizes.
• Games include trivia/scavenger hunts
• Prizes are given not just for finishing items but also for posting WIPs and other types of things
• Prizes include electronic coupons for a free pattern from a certain participating designer (1866 of these prizes!!!)
• Prizes also include some really amazing physical prizes
• All paid patterns, not just those are on sale, by participating designers are eligible for prizes

You can get more information (and participate) in the group on Ravelry. I'll also be sharing more information on this blog and through my other social media channels (including interviews with two of the participating designers). And four of my patterns will be on sale during the sale period (all but Criseyde are eligible for GAL prizes):

And you have absolutely got to go here to see the amazing infographic (this link has a countdown; I'm posting the static one below) put together by 80skeins.

I hope you'll join me in participating in the GAL. Even though we have two days before the official start, the group is already quite active with lots of chat and planning, so go join now!

Woolee Winder Fun

I'd been considering getting a Woolee Winder for a long time. On of my reasons not to get it was because of the three wheels that I had, they were all different enough (double drive, single drive, and a Joy) even though they were all Ashfords, that I would have to get three different Woolee Winders. Since that's not really a good budget option, I had to pick one wheel for the Winder and I just couldn't decide.

Then I sold my Traditional. Now with only two wheels, it cut the decision making down a little. But I still wasn't sure I even truly wanted a Woolee Winder. Then one of the women in my knitting group brought in her espinner with a Woolee Winder for someone else to try. After seeing the Winder in action and talking to her about it, I decided to make the plunge and get one, but I still needed to decide which wheel. After reading a bit on the Ashford forum on Ravelry, it seems like with the Joy, the Woolee Winder doesn't fit when it is folded up and in the bag and people carry the Winder separately. Since I do like the sliding hook flyer (and the bobbin size) on my Joy and I don't want to have to carry the Winder separately, I decided to go for one for my Traveller.

I wasn't sure how long it would take to get the Winder. But not too long after I placed my order, I received an email about my order--they wanted to make sure that they got the right one to me so asked a couple of questions about my wheel (in particular the whorl). After we determined which type of Traveller I had, I got a shipping notice. Excitement! I checked several times a day until I saw the expected delivery date. On that day, I listened and listened for the mailman (always come mid to late afternoon) and when I heard him, I waited at the door until he got to my house and then met him halfway up my driveway (I think I surprised him!).

Although I had several editing jobs on my desk, I wanted to take the Woolee Winder for a spin. So I opened the box, pulled out the beautiful piece of equipment, and grabbed my wheel. I took off the flyer and went to put on the Woolee Winder. Oh no! I forgot one important bit: I had ordered the larger size of Woolee Winder but the place where the orifice of the flyer sits on the wheel was set up for a standard size flyer. I quickly jumped to my computer and found the part I needed (just $2.95). Too bad I didn't still have my Traditional as I had a jumbo flyer for it so would have had the right part.

Then it was time to wait for the mail again. Yesterday the part arrived. Once again, I dropped everything and got my wheel out. I added the new part and then tried the Woolee Winder again. It fit perfectly. Well, almost perfectly. The big wooden knob that is used to adjust the tension gets in the way if it is unscrewed too much (and it looked like where I needed the tension set was right where the flyer would hit that knob). I was eventually able to remove the knob part but kept the screw and used a pair of pliers to adjust the tension (I'll have to figure out something else later).

So I started spinning. I had a single that was all ready to be chain plied so that's what I loaded onto my lazy kate. It took a while to get the tension right (and I kept adjusting it quite a few times), but I was spinning. And the Woolee Winder was working just as advertised. But I ran into a snag. Apparently I had overspun the single and there were some really tight corkscrews in there. With the combination of trying to find just the right tension and trying to get those corkscrews out, it was not quite the pleasant spinning experience I wanted. But in the section that weren't overspun, I could finally get into a rhythm and I saw the beauty of the Woolee Winder--once I got into that rhythm, I could just keep going. I didn't have to worry about stopping to move the yarn to another hook and then try to find the rhythm again. I think that if my single had been prepared better, I would have had a lovely time spinning.

But I did get through the single and got yarn:

Overspun in places and definitely not completely balanced, but that was an issue with my original spinning, not the Woolee Winder. I know that I made the right decision in getting it (and getting it for the Traveller as it is in plying that it will be most handy for me), so I'm looking forward to my future plying experiences.

Taking Pictures of Illusion Knitting Is Hard!

Just as the title of the post says, boy, taking pictures of illusion/shadow knitting is hard. By its nature, you have to look at a piece of illusion knitting at an angle in order to see the pattern come out; otherwise, all you see are stripes.

I did an illusion scarf (Doctor Who themed), and taking the pictures of that was challenging. Mostly because I realized after taking a lot of pictures that the edges of the scarf weren't lying straight and they didn't turn out looking very nice, so I had to do it again. But also because it makes the picture itself very long (very tall and very skinny), which is not the best format for displaying the picture. Here's the picture I finally went with for that pattern:

And I'm still not 100% happy with it. Hence the reason I'm so glad I was able to get the "atmospheric" shot to use as the cover photo:

So this morning I set out to take some fairly quick pictures of the matching Don't Blink Illusion Hat so I can have something to show in my call for test knitters. And I realized that taking pictures of flat illusion knitting is infinitely easier than taking pictures of illusion knitting in the round and on a curved surface. I'm going to have to figure out something else for the final shots as these look awful!

Any suggestions? In the meantime, I'll shortly be posting a call for test knitters for this hat pattern and plan to release the pattern before the end of the year.

I'm loving creating and doing illusion knitting, but I'm going to have to figure out a better way of taking pictures of it.

Fiber Festival, Teaching, and Yarn Crawl

It's been a really busy time for me, both as a knitting designer and as an editor. Some days I'm not sure how I'm going to make it through everything and once I have made it past a big event, I'm not sure how I did it. Craziness, but also lots of fun even though I'm exhausted each evening.

The first big event was the Blackland Prairie Artisan and Fibre Faire (BPAFF) in Denison, TX. For this event, since it was a fairly long drive, I chose to stay overnight in a nearby hotel. Not only was it the first time that I was bringing my stuff to a fiber festival, it was also the first time I stayed overnight away from my three-year-old son (two nights even!). It was hard at first (when I dropped him off at my mom's and knew I wouldn't be tucking him into bed that night), but I was so busy and exhausted that I didn't have much time to dwell on missing him. But I was really happy to see him on Sunday!

I got to the location a little later than expected, so I put the other people in my booth a bit behind in setting up since I had the tables (sorry!), but once I got there, it was set-up time. The other ladies in the booth (MAFIA: Mansfield Area Fiber Inspired Artisans) have done this type of thing before, so they were able to get things set up pretty quickly. We did have one scary moment when the grids on the table got a bit top heavy and almost fell forward, but two of us where right there and caught them in time and we managed to figure out a way to secure them so they wouldn't topple over. Whew!

My space included my handspun yarn and earrings and keychains made with my handspun as well as my patterns and the samples. I used waterfall hooks to hang the handspun but found that they weren't great because they then overshadowed the stuff beneath them. I also secured my samples to the grids with zip ties--for the scarves that wasn't the greatest idea in the end because they were held with one tie so both of them stretched out from the weight of hanging. Fortunately, once I got home and reblocked them, they went right back into shape. Another whew!

The worst thing about the festival was the heat. Fortunately it wasn't over 100 degrees outside, but inside felt like it was. We were in a big arena used for livestock shows so no A/C and the giant fans overhead didn't do much. I had brought a small portable fan that we plugged in and aimed into our booth which helped a little but not much. And there was one corner of our booth that was just completely too hot. But the ladies who organized the festival were amazing! They kept bringing around cold bottles of water to the vendors (as soon as I finished one bottle, they were making the rounds again), which was very much appreciated.

I got to meet a lot of neat people who came by the booth and got to learn how to use Square--especially the card reader which didn't want to work for me. Argh.

One of the other things I did at this festival was teach a knitting class on how to work cables without using a cable needle. My class was small (five) and included a range of experience, but I felt that overall it was successful. And it made me realize how much I miss being in a classroom. I so much enjoyed working with the students in the class and helping them learn this new skill and cheering them on when they got it. I'm going to work on developing more knitting classes and sending in proposals to other fiber festivals. I want to get back into the classroom more often. And the best part about teaching a knitting class vs. a college English class? No grading!

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So the other big event was the DFW Yarn Crawl. MAFIA was a location this year and operated out of the house of the MAFIA organizer. We had some great stuff under her roof (which she had to live with and be tempted by for 10 days!!) and quite a few shopper during the crawl. I was there for a good chunk of time and got to meet a lot of people who were surprised (in a good way) that all of these indie dyers and designers were right there (nearby for some shoppers or across DFW for others).

Once again I set up my space and was unhappy with the waterfall hooks but wasn't sure how to get past that. This time on the samples, though, I used some hangers and put the scarves on the display figures and was able to spread out the shawl on the wall. During the first weekend, the MAFIA host had a great idea for how to display my stuff without using the waterfall hooks.

So much better, I think, although I'm still thinking about ways that I can change this up to have a better display as I'm still not 100% happy with it. I really want the emphasis to be on the patterns rather than the handspun, so I need to brainstorm and experiment a bit more.

I'll get a chance to do that on a limited scale this weekend as Saturday is the Fall Gift Market at Jacob Rewards Farm. Three of us from MAFIA will be there with our wares. If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

After this, we (meaning MAFIA) don't have any big events planned until DFW Fiber Fest in six months. We're considering some other avenues before then since six months (especially during the colder weather when people want to knit!) is a long time. In the meantime, I'm continuing to design (new shawl pattern almost finished testing and another new shawl pattern soon to enter testing) and I have a full editing calendar ahead of me. (I just finished editing a truly wonderful epic medieval fantasy book..) So even if we don't have any events, I'll still be pretty busy.

Value of a Picture

Yesterday I released my new shawl pattern, the Astolat Shawl. When I first released it, I used a close up of the stitch pattern as the main cover photo:

I really like this picture and was extremely happy when I saw it come out of my camera, so that's why I used it. But I'm wondering if it's not quite as "clickable" as I wanted it to be. When I first released the pattern, I did get a few favorites (and sold a copy right away), but for the first few hours, movement was slow, even though I had posted around Ravelry about it. I checked the Patterns page in the "Hot Right Now" order and even after going through 6-7 pages, I didn't see my pattern. I thought perhaps the release was a bit of a bust.

On almost a whim, I decided to change out the cover photo for one of my sister (my model) running with the shawl. I was really happy when I saw this picture because of the movement that her hair shows while still having the shawl mostly in focus.

I thought that it couldn't hurt to try out the new photo. And then it happened. More favorites. I checked Hot Right Now and found Astolat at the top of page 3. The HRN pages update every hour, so I spent the last few hours before bed refreshing. I was thrilled to see it move to page 2. Could it go all the way to page 1? I wondered. Even though I was tired, I stayed up until just past 11:00 so I could check the page once more (worried that it would lose momentum overnight and I might miss it if it did move to the first page). And what did I see? There was Astolat on page 1 in the bottom row. I'll take it! I went to sleep with a smile on my face.

This morning I woke up to find that it had moved up a bit on page 1 and my latest refresh had it moving up two more spots. Wait, it's just past the hour. Refresh time. Woot!! It moved up five more spots. It's now #30 for Hot Right Now patterns. Thank you so much to everyone who has viewed the shawl, favorited it, and bought it. I'm excited to see more versions of the shawl pop up on Ravelry (the test knitters have some lovely ones already!).

I don't know if the picture change truly made a difference. Perhaps it would have still taken off with the original cover photo, but I can't really determine that. I just know that it seemed to have stalled with the original picture and picked up momentum when I changed it. I know that photography is one of the main selling points for patterns, but this experience really highlights how important it just might be to pick the right cover shot!

P.S. The name comes from the story of the Fair Maid of Astolat (aka Lady of Shalott) as told by Sir Thomas Malory. I've summarized the story on the project page and on my website.

Darn Pretty Needles

So I'm a complete convert to DyakCraft's Darn Pretty needles (as well as the Heavy Metals in the smaller sizes). I've placed several orders and have also gotten some through destashes. My goal is to have at least one in every color currently offered. Here's my list so far:

5" interchangeables in Vermont Apple - these were the ones I first received, though a destash. They are quite lovely although at first I thought that I would destash them myself when my other sets arrived. But the more I used them, the more I fell in love, so they're staying with me.


5" interchangeables in Vermont Rosewood - part of my original order. Gods, these are a gorgeous deep dark wood color.

Rosewood

3.5" interchangeables in Emerald - I knew that I wanted a color and some of the pictures of Emerald were a deep but bright green that was just stunning. I was so happy to get mine and fine that same saturated shade. Love.

One pair of 3.5" tips in Positively Pink - I wasn't sure that I wanted a whole set in pink so I thought I'd try one. Yeah, I'd totally do a whole set in pink. Yum!

Positively Pink and Emerald

Set of DPNs in sock sizes in Winter Sky, striped - I wasn't sure whether to order stripes or swirls for the DPNs. I think part of the "danger" with stripes is that depending on how they are cut, they might not show all the possible colors in that colorway. Such is the case with my Winter Sky needles. I'm completely missing the pinkish color of Winter Sky. Not to say that the needles are not pretty, but they don't say "Winter Sky" to me, so I may at some point consider ordering a different set or trying to trade for another set in swirls.

Set of DPNs in larger sizes in Turquoise - beautiful. I do wonder if I had swapped my color choices (turquoise for small sizes and Winter Sky for larger) if I would have seem more color variation for the Winter Sky with the larger circumference.

I wanted the two sets to match, but they almost look exactly the same. You can see some bits of charcoal in the Winter Sky but no pink and from far away like this, they look just like the Turquoise ones.

Just Turquoise

The Winter Sky

One pair of 3.5" tips in Madras - Just got these today. This was not really one of the colors that I felt immediately drawn to, but now that I've seen one in person, I'm so glad that I got it. As you turn the needle, you see different colors shift into prominence or fade into the background.

One pair of 3.5" tips in Malachite - Also received today. In my head, Malachite was one of the solid tones but just looking at the website I see they are listed under the multi tones. And I can now see why. They have very clear (those nicely blended) swirls of blue and green.

One pair of 5" tips in Bubblegum - I almost didn't get these since I have some Bubblegum coming in another order, but I decided to go ahead. Very happy that I did since the order I have is for straights which I probably won't use very often. And Bubblegum is a color that deserves to be used more often, which it will be since it's in a size 8 which is one of my most used sizes.

The three pairs that I got today. From top to bottom: Madras, Bubblegum, Malachite

 

My interchangeable tips collection so far (minus the ones currently in use)

On order are a set of mini straights in Bubblegum and a interchangeable set in the Heaven on Earth mix, which will include Heaven on Earth, Charcoal, Indigo, and Chestnut. Seeing pictures of that mix set has just made me so excited about it, but I just placed the order so it will be at least six months before I see them. I'll just have to wait, but I'm so very much looking forward to it.

P.S. I haven't blogged about it yet, but expect to be hearing a lot about Indie Books Gone Wild in the future as I have joined the editorial team! We devote our editing services specifically to indie authors. It's an amazing group of ladies that I am so proud to be part of! Here's the post where I am introduced!

P.P.S. I got a Ravelry message from a blogger who does a featured indie knitting designer post each week. She wants to feature me in an upcoming post! So exciting! That was definitely a "feeling like a designer" moment. So in another month or so, I'll post here when my profile gets posted over there.

Good things are happening in both of my business worlds!

Finished Scarf and Finished Book

I finished two things yesterday and today, a scarf that has been on my loom for months and a pretty good book.

As for the scarf, it is my second weaving project that I have completed. Weaving doesn't actually take that much time (it's setting it all up that takes the most time--the actual weaving goes quickly) and it took only an hour or two to finish the scarf. The scarf that I started several months ago (I can't remember exactly when). Why has it been sitting unfinished for so long? Because, to be honest, although weaving does have its perks, it's just not my "thing" especially compared to knitting and spinning. I've had my loom for well over a year and have made just two scarves. I've considered selling my loom, but I got such a great deal on it that I fear that one day I might want to get more into weaving and I'll never be able to replace the loom for what I paid for it. So I'll hold onto it for now. (But if any of my local fiber people want to borrow it for a little while, I'm happy to loan it out.)

Anyway, the yarn I used was given to me by a friend who had tried several knitting projects with it and nothing really worked with the colors. I do think that the yarn was made for a weaving project, as it does look quite nice. It's not super soft though (superwash wool and nylon), even after a good washing, so I'm not sure how truly useful it will be to wear around the neck. Anyway, without further ado, here's the finished woven scarf:

So the other thing that I finished this morning was a book I've been reading, Derivatives of Displacement #1: A Pair of Docks by Jennifer Ellis.

I discovered this book through Indie Books Gone Wild; one of the editors there did a proofreading on the book.

It took me a little while to get into the book (part of that could be that I'm a distracted reader these days with the toddler around) and to start to like the main character, Abbey. At first she seems like just a brain walking around in the body, rigidly wanting to sticks to rules, scientific or otherwise. But as the book progresses, she starts to bend a little and by the end of the book, although she hasn't thrown out her belief in science, she comes to realize that the world contains things that can't always be explained through scientific terms. Once she does start opening up, her character becomes much easier to relate to and care about. (Caring about the characters is one of the things I find most important in books I enjoy.)

Because this is the first book in a series and also because the kids themselves are trying to figure out what is going on with these stones and where they are traveling, it does take the reader a while to get any sort of answers to what is going on. But the second half (and especially the last third) of the book really picks up and it was at that point that I found myself wanting to pick up the book more often and leave the toddler to his own devices so I could finish it (sometimes that worked better than other times).

And although some answers are provided in the book, it ends with more questions (especially after what Abbey learns right at the end) which lead directly into the setup for the next book. Although I don't feel the need for the next book RIGHT NOW as I do with some books, I am disappointed to have to wait for the next one instead of being able to go straight to it. So I'll be keeping my eye on this series and picking up the next book when it does come out (according to the author's Amazon page, it will be coming out in October).

A Better Day

Today didn't start out so great, with not sleeping well and being awake at 4 am. But I decided that I would just try to push forward anyway.

I had to go to the post office to mail off some yarn I had destashed (going to Australia!), so I decided to get Luke's hair cut while we were out. He really impressed me today. While I was busy getting his water and a snack to take with us, he brought me his shoes to put on him. Since I was busy, I told him to put them on himself, not really expecting that to happen. Imagine my surprise when he not only tried but also succeeded in putting on his shoes--correctly! Then during his hair cut he sat in the chair all by himself for the first time. It was so nice not to have him on my lap and thus feel like I'm in the way and also feel like I am covered in his hair after the cut even though I have on a cape too.

My little boy is growing up!

Since he was such a good sport, I took him next door to get a doughnut. He was a little loud (shouting "hey" to the other customers who came in--at least he is trying to be friendly), but he sat in his chair and ate his doughnut. Off to the post office, where he was a little up to his usual acts (trying to run off instead of staying near me). But there was actually quite a line at the post office, so I don't really blame him for not wanting to stand in line all that time.

After that was the biggest snag of the day. I had planned to go to a store that I hadn't been to before (well, that location at least--it's a chain). I had a basic idea of where it was but couldn't remember exactly. I drove around and around trying to find it, finally trying to locate it with my phone. Nothing popped up at first. I tried the store locator on the store's website but it didn't seem to want to work with my phone. So finally I looked at a different map app and found it, only to see that it said "permanently closed." Ah! So that's why I didn't find it!

By this time it was almost 11 and as we generally get lunch around then, I decided to stop for lunch. Instead of getting Rosa's to go, since Luke had been good overall, I tried out going inside to eat. He happily munched on his chips and queso and mostly stayed in his seat. Once again, he shouted "hey" at the people next to us (and tried offering them his chips!). After I was finished eating but while he was still munching, he started to stand up in the booth, so we left at that point.

Home where he played happily (more or less) until nap time, which he took (and is still currently taking) without too much protest. I used the time to get a short editing project done, to do a little spinning for the Tour de Fleece, and to finish typing up the draft of the pattern for my latest cowl. (Oh! This morning I sewed on the buttons that I had picked up for it yesterday and took some pictures of it.) I was able to get everything set up for the test knit and already have two test knitters. (I'm still looking for more--if you're interested, go to Ravelry for more information.)

Current spinning project

The Wife of Bath's Cowl

The back side of the cowl

Plus, an announcement about my editing business made its first phase today (sorry for being vague but I don't want to give it away quite yet) and the part involving me will occur on Monday--so stayed tuned for more details then! This is something I'm super excited about so I'm thrilled to see it moving forward.

So, whew! It's not quite 4:00 and it's been a pretty darn good day so far. I definitely needed that after how I felt about yesterday!

Tough Day

Yesterday was a tough day. It started out okay--or as okay as an early morning dentist appointment can be. I got my son to my mom's house with plenty of time to spare (a lot of times I run it pretty close to almost being late) and made it to my appointment early. I had been worried about my appointment possibly running late because we also had Little Gym that morning, but I got out (with no problems with my teeth) in plenty of time and was even able to chat with my mom a little while Luke got to play with his cousin who was also there.

On to Little Gym, where things started out okay. The rock climbing wall was set up this time (I say "wall" but since this is for toddlers, it is not very tall) and Luke was all over it. Quite literally. I had to hold him back so that the other kids could take their turns on it. He was so into it that he didn't want to do any of the class activities. But then he saw that the water fountain, which is usually covered, was uncovered. And he wanted to play with it. After sticking his face in the water and getting water all over the floor, I pulled him away. He lost it. Full on tantrum. I took him to the side to help him calm down. He did only to go back to the fountain. More screaming. I took him out of the room to calm down. Then tried it one more time. No go. So we left early (the class ended just as we had finished putting on our shoes and gathering our stuff so it wasn't too early).

I had planned to go to Joann's to get buttons for my new cowl and really wanted to still do that. Fortunately I had some bunnies in my purse and eating those calmed Luke down enough for me to be able to get the buttons I needed. Then I decided to go ahead with the next errand since Luke had seemed to calm down: Toys 'R Us. (Thomas engines are on sale for 40% off plus they have some great clearance deals right now.) Picked up some toys to stash as treats for potty training and also picked up a toy for Luke's birthday.

It seemed like things were looking up. But then Luke fell asleep in the car on the way home and I was worried. He hadn't eaten lunch yet. Did I wake him up and feed him lunch and risk that he wouldn't go down for a nap (sometimes those car naps spoil his real nap) or did I skip lunch and put him into bed and hope he didn't wake up too early because he was hungry? I opted for the second option since he seemed super sleepy when I got him out of the car. Wrong choice. Five minutes after putting him into bed, he was awake. He did stay in his bed, talking to himself, so I started to work (I had an editing job that would take several hours to complete). That didn't last much longer before he was out of bed and nothing I could do would get him to go back to sleep. I was feeling a bit frazzled myself, so I gave up trying to get him to sleep on his own and laid down with him. He still didn't want to sleep, but after quite a while, he finally drifted off. Success!? Nope. Anytime I tried to move he would wake up. So I was trapped in his room. I drifted off myself which was another mistake because when I woke up I felt even worse than I did before (those power naps never seem to work out for me).

At least shortly after that, my husband came home so I could sit down and do a little work. And Luke did go to bed without too much trouble. I finished my editing work with just under an hour before bedtime so I did do some spinning.

But then I slept horribly last night and was wide awake around 4 am. Luke woke up a little after 5. I'm hoping today is better but we'll see.

You know, typing this out, yesterday doesn't seem quite so bad. Good things happened: positive dentist experience, small chat with my mom, finding the buttons I needed, getting a good deal on some toys, finishing an editing job, getting some spinning time in. The bad things were Luke throwing several tantrums in public and not taking a nap. And that's not untypical of toddler behavior. I think I just haven't been sleeping well or feeling great so those annoyances get extra annoying and seem to overshadow everything else. I've almost deleted this post since it seems like I'm complaining about a bad day that really wasn't all that bad after all. But I think I'll post it anyway because writing it out helped me realize that it wasn't that terrible and maybe I'll need this reminder again. Okay, so there's probably no maybe about it. But maybe I'll have a better attitude about it next time.

Since April

Quite a lot has been going on here since I last posted in April.

I now have five knitting patterns available (one free and four to purchase) in my Ravelry store and on my website. I have two patterns currently in test knitting and one pattern soon to enter test knitting. And I have a number of ideas for new patterns (it's been hard to decide what to work on next!). So there's been a lot of progress on the design front.

I'm also learning a lot more about designing, both the actual design process as well as the business of design, especially as an indie publisher. I've been watching a lot of Craftsy courses and reading books and blogs and some very helpful forums on Ravelry.

I'm also hoping to expand the availability of my patterns so that they can be purchased as hard copies. The first step there is to actually get them into hard copy form. I looked into a number of options for printing but was getting discouraged as many of the places I looked at had minimum runs of 250 copies, which would mean a huge investment up front and me with 250 copies of each pattern not yet knowing if I could even need that many copies. Fortunately, people have gone before me and I can benefit from their experience. A thread on Ravelry produced some great suggestions and I followed up with a print-on-demand publisher. Not only can I get smaller runs of each pattern, the per pattern price is actually less than I had calculated with my other options. I went ahead and ordered a small run of one pattern (Lady Bertilak) and I was very happy when I received it to see it printed exactly as I had wanted it to be. So now I just need to make sure the other patterns are formatted for this printer and order copies of them.

My first planned test run with the hard copies will be in September at Blackland Prairie Artisan & Fibre Faire (BPAFF). I'll be at the MAFIA booth (Mansfield Area Fiber Inspired Artisans) with some other lovely ladies in my local knitting group (they'll have dyed fiber and yarn, spinning wheels, projects bags, and some of their patterns). If you're anywhere near the area (DFW, Texas), I hope you'll come see us September 20-21. (We'll also be at the DFW Fiber Fest next year.)

My goal beyond that is to see if local knitting shops would start carrying my patterns. I need to do a little more research here to find out exactly how the shop owners should be approached and what to expect. Plus, I want to get my pattern library to be a bit larger before I work on this goal.

So there's been a lot going on with the design business. My other business, my copy editing, has also been going well. I've had steady work from my regular clients and I've picked up an odd job here and there with new clients. But my most exciting news is still to come. As soon as it has been officially announced, I'll write up a post to announce that news. But it should help me expand my editing business and also take it in the direction that I really want to go, with editing fiction.

Luke is growing up so fast. He'll be three years old next month (I need to start planning his party!) and although he's still being a super picky eater and still quite stubborn and throwing tantrums, he is communicating better and is using complete sentences more often. He's also enjoying building his own train tracks and working on puzzles and, of course, playing with anything that has wheels. He also loves being in the water although we haven't gone swimming as often as we probably should be. Sometimes I just sit and watch him play and it makes me so happy to see him working things out for himself and also just having fun. He's also made a new friend--the son of one of the ladies in my knitting group who is about 8 months younger than Luke--and actually asked the other day to go play with this little boy (it happened to be a day where we could go to a toddler activity where the other little boy was also going to be so it worked out).

I'm trying to carve out more time for reading these days since I've gone from reading 200-250 books per year to less than 10. That's just crazy for someone who is a professed book worm. But I've just been feeling this itch with my hands and if I don't have something in them (usually knitting related), then it feels wrong. So I do some reading while knitting simple projects, but I want to get to the point where I can just get lost in a book again. Perhaps that won't happen until Luke gets a little older anyway (it's not just the feeling that I need to be knitting that is a distraction), but I am doing better. I've started using my GoodReads account again.

There's a lot more that is going on or that has happened (such as our vacation last month to Maui!), but I think that's enough of an update for now.