RAOK Pattern Winners

I have so loved all your comments on my RAOK post.  Some of my favorites include:

• "In my opinion, any act of kindness is good for the soul, for the giver, and for the receiver."
• "Kindness is such an overlooked virtue in today's "grab and go" world that I am always happy to hear stories that it still exists!" 
• "I always do my best to help someone in any way I can. It makes me happy to see other people happy."
• "RAOKs are a perfect way to may the giver and receiver feel fantastic. It's my favourite thing to do, pay for parking or a coffee for the next in line."

Thank you all!  I went to the handy random number generator and the winners are:

#5  - Goodfruit
#6 - Knittingdancer

Funny but both of them have asked for a copy of my Tiffany Toque pattern!  Goodfruit, I need your Ravelry name!

Thank you all for your comments and for participating.  Now it is your turn to do a RAOK and pay it forward.

RAOK

RAOK - Random Acts of Kindness.  Yesterday I was the recipient of a RAOK.

Every Tuesday I work at my LYS from 10-2 then go home for a few hours and return to teach an evening class.  While I was home I started working on another set of placemats on my loom.  My daughter interrupted me to show me something on Facebook which kind of left me with a sucker punch to my gut (long story not worth going into).

As I drove back to the store, I was ruminating on the news I had read on FB and was hurting in my heart.  I walked into the store and the owner was there to teach a workshop.  She took one look at my face and asked if I was okay - you see I don't have a poker face.  I kind of wear all my emotions all over my face.  So I told her the tale and decided to move on - isn't it amazing how sharing something takes the burden away?

Then she said someone had come into the store and anonymously purchased me a rigid heddle for my loom.  She handed me a 10 dpi heddle and said she was under strict orders not to reveal the identity of the donor.

After getting over the complete surprise of such a RAOK, I explained I had purchased one a few weeks ago and was in fact weaving with it right now.  Simple solution - switch it out for a 12.5 dpi heddle...now I have all the heddles to work with a variety of weight yarns!

My afternoon/evening went from hurting and heavy to feeling cared for and loved.  Kindness is such an important thing.  It is simple and it means so much.  One of the graduation speeches at our daughter's graduation this past weekend was about kindness - it is ours to give and sometimes when you need it, it ours to receive.

So, anonymous donor, thank you.  Your kindness means more to me than you can imagine.  

With that in mind, I'd like to pay it forward.  (BTW if you haven't seen the movie, Pay It Forward, it is well worth your time).  Leave a comment with your Ravelry ID saying which of my designs you would like, and on June 20th I will draw 2 names to receive a gift of my pattern.

Lastly, if there is a little something kind you can do today for someone, just do it!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

After a few weeks of brainstorming, Debbie (spinningrn on Ravelry) and I have a big announcement. We are starting a collection of patterns called Cobblestone Designs.

Our mission statement:

We aim to bring you a range of patterns with classic, timeless qualities.  Should you purchase our patterns, you will always have access to any addendum we create for our patterns.  Our goal is to not only design using certain yarns but to also explore alternate yarn choices to keep the patterns fresh and new.

Our first design on Ravelry is Bellini Cowl.  This is a pattern I designed to for a new Classic Elite Yarn called Santorini.  I paired it with their Sanibel to create a cowl that shows off both yarns - it only calls for one skein of each.

We have a Ravelry group and a Facebook page - join them please!  And stay tuned as we are hoping to release another pattern in the next day or two.

Textured

After finishing my scarf, I immediately re-warped my loom for another set of placemats.  I consulted with a book on weaving how to use a pick up stick and work it to create texture.  Again I had a huge learning curve with this experience and am already planning the next set.

I used a 10 dpi heddle which I was worried was creating too open a we've.  Then after taking it off the loom and washing it, the fabric compacted nicely.

The one on the left is the "right" side but I decided I prefer the wrong side pattern.

I am envisioning a placemat of just this fabric and think I will reverse the colors so the background is white and the weft is green.  I also have two shades of blue which could work too.

Our daughter graduates this weekend and my mother in law arrives on Saturday - weaving will have to wait as we will need the kitchen table (my weaving spot) for the next few days.

Where Did May Go?

It is strange how some months fly by and others drag on and on.  For me, February is the longest month.  May seems to be the shortest.  This is the time of year with a flurry of activities - Memorial Day weekend, school stuff and for our family, high school graduation this coming weekend.

Of course the knitting and weaving continues - not a lot to show here but I did finish another scarf on my loom.

I warped it the same day I finished the scarf for another set of placemats using a 10dpi heddle.  I think I should have stuck with the 7.5 one but it is all part of the learning curve.

I'm working on a new design - this one is going to take a bit of time to knit as it is lace weight yarn but I'm holding it double.  Bad photo but just a hint so you can see.

After a few weeks of unseasonably warm weather, we have a few unseasonable cold days (45 degrees this morning).  So glad I can break out one of my spring sweaters that I didn't get many chances to wear this year.

Scarves Everywhere!

While photographing my knitting and weaving I realized that I'm on a bit of a scarf kick right now.

I just finished weaving a scarf using Berroco Folio for the warp and Tahki Ritratto for the weft.  The Ritratto has a bit of shine to it and I had two different color skeins which I alternated every pass so they worked together well.

I love how the hem stitch creates a fine edge for the fringe.

No sooner than this was off the loom and soaking in Eucalan, I was rummaging through my stash and working on color combinations.  If found some lace weight yarn (I don't know what I made with it) and warped the loom with it held double.  Then I found some Auraucania Itata Multy which I used to make Stephen West's Pogona.  I think this will look great when it is done.

I am still learning how to keep my edges consistent and I also know with such a loose, drapey weave that there has to be a way to keep things from shifting around when I roll it up - see how the fabric looks pulled in some areas.  I know when I wash it things will get better.

Turning to my knitting now - we got a new yarn into the store called Tahiti.  It is a fingering weight cotton with wonderful gradient color ways.  It also is very reasonably priced for around $10 for just over 300 yards.  Churchmouse Yarns adapted their Bias Before and After Scarf for this yarn.  Debbie (LYS owner for those of you who don't read my blog regularly) cast on one in a blue that moves to a hot pink - gorgeous.  I was looking at a softer blue that went into a softer red/pink and then decided I needed something with more pow.  I love this! 

I am already into my second skein.  The original pattern has the option of putting beads on the bind off edges - I'm debating still on that.  This is a light, airy scarf and I just don't know if beads will work or not - they would be clear ones if I do go with them.

My Birthday Present to YOU!

In honor of my 53rd birthday on May 13, all my patterns on Ravelry will be 53% off from 12am EST to 11:59pm EST.

So run, don't walk to my Ravelry store and take advantage of my birthday present to you!

Here's a picture of me 50 years ago on my 3rd birthday!

A Yankee In King Arthur's Court

When we moved to the Boston area, our team colors (Yankees, Giants, Rangers) were contrary to the local team colors (Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins).  Notice how I don't include NBA teams?  Anyway, it has been a great source of amusement living in this area as our kids wear their colors proudly, have fun bets with friends as to whose team will win, watching the local news deal with "deflate gate", etc.

I had heard of the scarf you knit to record your home team's season via the blog Knitionary.

A friend who works at the LYS, Charlotte (hi Charlotte if you are reading this!), decided to do this for the local team (Red Sox fan).  She chose yarns from her own creatures I believe - lovely natural tones.  I joked with her early in the season when the Red Sox beat the Yankees at their home opener that she should have colors for Yankees games.

Charlotte was working this in garter and didn't like how it looked so she ripped it out and lovingly redid it in linen stitch - it looks fantastic.

Last weekend the Yankees swept the Red Sox at Fenway - I kept saying to my husband "I wonder how Charlotte's scarf looks".  The thing is you never know how it will turn out - it is a reflection of a season in color.

Charlotte showed me the scarf after the sweep - the top is the 4 losses in a row.  She offered for me to take a picture to show my husband.  She is pointing to where the Red Sox beat the Yankees earlier in the season.

Doesn't this look wonderful?

And yes, sometimes it feels like being a Yankee in King Arthur's Court living in this neck of the woods!

Learning Curve Continues

A few weeks ago I warped my loom for another set of placemats.  The previous 2 sets had me learning the hemstitch and working on keeping my edges even.

This set had some learnings too...I had suspected in my first set of placemats with the Pasa Yarns that I might have the wrong heddle.  While my lingo isn't up to speed by any means (and I could work on that by doing some reading), the heddle that came with the loom was a 7.5 dpi.  This heddle is perfect for worsted weight yarns and I'm sure the yarn I'm using is finer than that.  So, one day I'll get a 10 dpi heddle which will perhaps make a more uniform weave with this yarn.

That being said - I also learned how to put in more striping and the effects they make on the woven pattern.  It takes a bit longer to warp the loom with stripes but I love how it looks.

I am debating on keeping these or putting them for sale in my LYS which has a co-op where artisans can sell items (I have sold lots of my hand knits but none of my weaving to date).

How Did This One Get By Me?

I realized the other day I never wrote about one of my larger knits I did this year...according to my Ravelry page I cast on this project February 27th and finished it on March 13th.

The project is called Masgot - it was one of those that popped up on the Hot Right Now list on Ravelry and both Debbie (LYS owner) and I said how much we liked it.  The original version looks like it is only 2 colors as it has two close shades as the main stripes and then a dark blue added for the "inserts".

Debbie has a new fingering weight yarn from her farm and she wanted to use that so we could have it in the store - I volunteered to knit, of course.

While this is a lot of garter and begins to feel like the Color Affection shawl, you do get the exciting addition of the inserts of color and they seem to hit just at the point where you need to switch things up and get interesting.

Here's how our version turned out - I LOVE the blue Debbie dyed especially for this project.

A Coaster - Brilliant!

Both my husband and I started our careers in advertising agencies.  In fact, we both worked at the same agency at the same time but never met each other (different accounts, different floors, and I was a lowly secretary and he was 7 years older and wiser).  Anyway, as a result we both pay attention to commercials in a different way than those who haven't worked in advertising.

Years ago there was a Guinness commercial that we loved and still quote to this day...it ends with the line "A coaster - Brilliant!".

So, what does this have to do with this blog post?  The other day I was thinking about the first scarf I wove and how I would never wear it as it was just too stiff.

Then I had a thought - why not felt the scarf and cut it into 4x4 squares with my rotary cutter and turn it into coasters?

BRILLIANT!!!!

I didn't have any Guinness so Rolling Rock would have to do!  I found some gross-grain ribbon and made 2 sets of four to sell in my LYS.

There is a woman in one of my class who makes Chanukah gifts every year - she saw these and was inspired for this year's gift.  I had to explain to her they were not knit - they are woven.  Don't think she'll fall down that rabbit hole but she might try knitting and felting some.

I had 3 coasters leftover - I put them out on the coffee table and my husband took such a shine to them he retired the other ones we had been using.  Guess that is a success story right there.

Brilliant!

Gratitude

Well, this is the last post of the Love Your Blog month.  I've enjoyed this little adventure and I must admit it has kept me grateful for this platform.

Blogging has led to many things in my life for which I am so very grateful:

- I have met people through blogging (in person and virtually).
- I have stretched myself creatively be it from reading other blogs, learning from others or sharing what I do.
- I have received support and encouragement as I've tried to design patterns.
- I have a place I can call "home" to expressing my creative side as well as my personal side.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this month of loving my blog, there have been many times I have questioned why I keep blogging.  If I let go of the guilt of worrying I'm not blogging enough and if I know there are a few people who are out there who read my posts every now and then, I will keep blogging - I DO love my blog!

A Little Late - When Blogging Gets Ugly

This weeks theme for The Love Your Blog Challenge (a few days late) is:

I get the top half but not the bottom half (I don't think anyone is jealous of me). For me, blogging gets ugly when I feel guilt.  I feel guilt when I don't blog on time (like this post should have gone out on Monday but I was out of town).  I feel guilt when I don't have anything relevant to say.  I feel guilt when life has me so down I don't blog because I'm afraid it will turn into a pity party or a rant.  I guess I should just let go of the guilt and blog when and how I can (basically I have done that).

I have had a few ugly moments with comments - one time it happened when I complained that someone on Ravelry thought my pricing was too high on a hat.  So I opened a discussion of the design process and my time that I put into it - I published the comments but found them a bit harsh.  I know this is nothing compared to what can happen.

As a result of my blogging, my daughter took it up - she had a fashion one with OOTD posts (outfit of the day).  She also did a home design one and recently has a cooking one.  She also used to post a lot on Tumblr - quite honestly I don't get Tumblr but she loves (loved) it.  Now, we can talk about UGLY!  There are a bunch of haters on that site and they are not afraid to lash out.  There were days my daughter would be so upset by what people were saying about her posts.  Sadly, I find that social media has allowed us to be ugly without thinking.  I found these - all are true and I wish people would think of them before posting nastiness.  I really like the first one.

"Gonna Try With A Little Help From My Friends"

"What would you do if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me?"  Okay, start humming and you'll have the Beatles tune stuck in your head.

I've been asked to design a shawl for the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl which takes place this September.  When handed a lovely skein of Malabrigo Sock, the design just flew off my needles.  I've written it up and have plans to photograph it in Boston next week with my "model" who will be on vacation.

Anyway, I'm hoping for a little help from my friends as I'd love a couple of test knits before it is released.  It calls for one skein of fingering weight yarn and it is a relatively quick knit.  I can't pay you and I don't have yarn to give you BUT if you have some yarn in your stash and are willing to lend some help to a friend, send me a PM on Ravelry or contact me through the profile button on the sidebar.  I'll email you the pattern and when it is released, you will get a final copy and I'll gift you any pattern you choose from my Ravelry store.

Here's a little peek of the edging - not a great photo but it gives you an idea of how it looks.

"Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends."

In The Beginning

This week's prompt for the Love Your Blog challenge is Beginnings.

As it applies to my blogging - it began in 2006 when my sister started a blog for the two of us to share our knitting.  It was called "Show Me The Knitting".  She wrote this:

Hoping you'll join me!

So, what do you think? I thought this would be a better way to share our knitting, and the cool sites we find. Although blogger can get bogged down, and uploading photos sometimes takes some time, it's much easier to comment on the projects this way.

I'm hoping you don't think I'm a huge loser dork. I dropped the old blog I had, as keeping up with the family one is all I can do. However, I still write you & show you what I'm doing, as you do for me.

So we started a back and forth conversation about what we were knitting, things we had discovered, etc.  

My sister's last post was December 12, 2007 when she noted she wasn't blogging:

It's Embarrassing

I know...it's "Show Me the Knitting" and I haven't.
I know...it's "Two Sisters, one blog" and there has been only one sister.

Sorry. After a while, it becomes embarrassing, and I don't even look at the blog. I have been knitting, and I have been thinking about blogging...just haven't been doing it.

So, I take a deep breath, and jump in again, knowing you won't hold it against me.

I too started to notice I was the only one blogging and sharing...it was a one sided conversation so on September 10, 2008 I decided it was time for my own platform and I started this blog.

The other aspect of Beginnings I want to talk about is how my blog was the beginning of sharing my own knitting designs.  It started slowly with a sweater here and there that I crafted for myself or our daughter.

The beginning was October 2007 when my daughter saw my Fetching fingerless mitts and asked for her own pair.  So I adapted the pattern and made these:

Then I had some yarn and we designed a summer tank for her...she picked out the stitch pattern on the sides and I created.

I then created something just for me - I loved the detail in the back of a twisted rib section.  That was an aha moment of how little details are everything.

My first published pattern in August 2009 - another beginning - was this scarf (Saphira Scarf).  It was a free pattern and it was when I dipped my toe into publishing patterns on Ravelry.

It took me until March 2012 to publish another pattern - Farfalle.  It's a free pattern too and is one of my most popular downloads (as free patterns are downloaded a lot).  

That was the beginning - I have been publishing patterns ever since.  If it weren't for my blogging, I don't know if I would have had the confidence to publish patterns.  The comments I get whenever I post something help me to try new things.