Knitting – Page 49 – Elliebelly Knit & Dye Works

Facing The Music

Posted on February 20, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

Honestly. What was I thinking? An extra-small? What delusion led me to believe I was going to stuff my post-fourth baby body into a size extra-small knit?

Aside from the fact that I will never wear it ~~because it is so small my nine year old is only going to get a year or so out of it~~ because it’s a wee bit too tight here and there although I could fit into it if I really wanted to, it’s really pretty and I like it. All it lacks is the buttons, which I will undoubtedly be putting on for Miss Ellie’s benefit.

Lacking models, I’ve tried laying it out on the floor and hanging it on the door to get pictures, but they don’t really capture this sweater’s charm, so you’ll have to use a little imagination.

Ellie is going to really enjoy this one. *Sigh*

In less depressing knitting news, due, undoubtedly to the fact that it has no sizing, the knit bowl I worked on earlier this year, but never photographed in its finished state is really one of the wonders of my life. It’s perfect for holding….yarn. That’s my Be Sweet stash, to be exact — yarns I’ve been collecting to make Ellie a sweet little skirt from every changing yarns. She will probably wear it with my the Rowan sweater. She will probably look adorable and even stylish doing it. *Sigh*

Those of you who are particularly astute will notice that the bowl is in fact sitting on one of the matching pair of bamboo end tables I purchased on sale at Garnet Hill in December. I explained to the Judge that we really needed something to hold books and kids-stuff, and placed them in opposite corners of the room. He has yet to figure out that the tops come off and provide…..extra yarn storage. In the living room no less. And lots of it. These tables hold my entire, extensive stash of Cascade 220 for Noni Bag knitting, as well as lots of handpainted yarns. I smile everytime I walk past them.

What I Am Doing

Posted on February 16, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

This is what I am doing today:

(1) Dyeing

I am dyeing Sea Silk. It is my dream yarn — part silk, part spun seaweed (Seacell). Its manufacturer claims it has antimicrobial and skin softening properties and I’m prepared to believe just about anything of this yarn. Although I have adapted some of the spring colorways for it, including Katie and Pellucidly, I’m also doing some colorways just for this yarn, including Sea Maiden and Mystery. (all pictured below).

This yarn is beyond heaven. I’m going to be adding it and a Seacell/Merino sock yarn to the line up.

(2) Knitting.

The Rowan sweater is done and only needs finishing. It is also too small. I am sad. I have actually avoided blogging for the last several days because I am so sad about it. Anyone out there a size 2 with skinny little arms?

Pictures to follow.

(3) Stuff.

Taxes — the bad part, but other than that, making lots of soup and pouring over the Disneyworld book with our two littlest ones to plan a trip there for part of spring break while the Judge takes our oldest to look at colleges.

I’ve also got a round robin book from pocketful to work on this morning, and am letting the glaze dry on my own book for the new colors round robin so I can send it out either today or Tuesday. So, while there aren’t too many pictures this morning. There will be a lot more over the weekend!

We Knit

Posted on February 10, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

Ellie and I bring you a joint blog entry this morning, because we are both knitting.

Amazingly, she designed her own hair band pattern and knit it up out of Cascade 220.

Isn’t she talented? I like it so much that I have begged for one for me, and since I can back that up with homemade chocolate pudding, I think I’ll get my way on that request.

I’m working on finishing up a few things — my least part of knitting — so I’m bribing myself by knitting a bit more on the Shibui socks every time I sew a seam. The first sock is finished and I have cast on the second and completed the ribbing.

Although the first one looked very small as I was knitting the cuff, it turns out that it is a perfect fit. The colors do pool just a bit, as you can see from the darker patches, but it’s not unattractive and the pink and green makes me think of my younger, perkier days as a college co-ed in the 1980’s when we were all about Papagallo and Lily Pulitzer. It’s hard to believe I ever ran around in a pink and green elephant print wrap skirt and thought I was the bee’s knees. These socks are going to be my reminder to laugh at myself. A lot.

I Have Half A Sock

Posted on January 27, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

I have some very funny online friends. The board we post on, one that attends to attract moms who do things like cloth diaper, breastfeed, attachment parenting, and natural childbirth, is one that permits you to have a title below your name. And some very clever people, on occasion, run around changing your title.

For sometime now, I’ve been Miss Pretty Yarn (thanks, Shanna). But, earlier this week, I got on and discovered I had a new title: I have half a sock. After some exploration, I discovered that the title was the result of my picture of the halfway finished Shibui sock — I was so excited about how pretty the Orchid colorway is in this yarn, that I couldn’t wait to show it off. So, not to get the namechangers off their game or anything, but I now have more-than-half-a-sock.

I’m still in love with the colorway. And, I made it down through the heel and picked up the stitches to start the gusset, despite a very talkative neighbor on my flight home from St. Louis, which made the turning part a bit challenging. I’m hoping to get a good bit more done while waiting to hear Barak Obama speak this afternoon.

It hasn’t been a very crafty week around here. Lots going on at work, so most of my progress is more in my head than anywhere else. I did have a chance to dye a bit of yarn, after the Ella colorway sold out and then oversold this week – those of you who are waiting, it should be there soon. And there is more yarn this week, Valentine flavored here on Monday and some of the new Elliebelly spring colorways here on Thursday.

That gets me to this wonderful find — a beautiful piece of Alice in Wonderland fabric. I am in LOVE. I rarely sew, but am thinking about lining a bag for myself with this. I have a bad feeling that my good-mama instincts will win out, and it will become some kind of a knit bodice/sewn skirt dress for Miss Ellie, who is in love with it too.

I’ve been nominated!

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

For those of you who have long since become bored by the Oscars and the Grammys, the shiny new awards on the block, being awaited with breathless anticipation, are the Bobbys, the first awards being offered on Ravelry (the big old site for knitters, in case you’ve been living under a rock). Ok, maybe no one is breathless, but I was really excited this morning when a friend emailed to tell me I had been nominated in the advertising category.

So here is my shameless plug. If you’re a Ravelry member, please drop by and vote for me! I would really appreciate it. And, if you belong to Ravelry groups, other forums, or just know some knitters, please put in a good word for me! My competition includes some of the big dogs in the yarn world, so I would love to show them that an indie dyer can be a success story too!

Click Here to vote for Elliebelly. And thank you!

Hijacked!

Posted on January 21, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

Ze new name of zhis blog, you silly humans, will be "Harry Makes Art." No more Joyce. We need no humans. Cats now have their own crate of art supplies and will be making their own cat-art.

Really. I found him, just like that, in my travel crate of art supplies. I’m getting ready to leave for a week long business trip to visit my knitting peeps in St. Louis (ok, actually for my day job, but I do hope to spend a little time with some knitters). Harry decided to hang with it. He’s been chewing on some strips of molding and rolling the little jars of gel medium around. He’s so cute when he’s not busy being a teenager!

So, I’m off in the morning. Ellie has dressed up Samanatha, our newest Blythe doll to come along with me. Lots of yarn is going out in the mail (you know who you are). Here is a picture of a bit of it all dyed up.

The Rowan Anise sweater is done–I have just one side seam to finish. I’m afraid my worst fears have materialized and it’s too small. I should have done the small, not the extra small. However Ellie is triumphant because it looks great on her, and she seems pretty certain it is going to be hers. I’m torn between repeating it for myself in the bigger size or doing a Kim Hargreaves pattern, Tess, in Big Wool for me.

Since there’s not much going on around here, I’m going to leave you with my youngest cousin, Gail’s, blog for the week. She’s a brand new blogger and an amazingly creative soul. Go see her Oh Jan dress in progress, her incredible garden, and my favorite post, the pictures of her Dad working on his knitted quilt. Oh my! I’m taking a bit of extra yarn, left over from some favorite projects, along on my trip to knit a few more squares for him!

Have a fun week!

Socks & Squares

Posted on January 15, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

Because the Rowan sweater is at the point where I’ve got to pick up stitches and knit the collar, and because that is most decidedly not a portable project, I’m focusing on socks this week.

Isn’t the colorway fabulous? This is Shibui sock yarn in Orchid. I am in love.

I also took some time out to knit a square for my Uncle Dick, who learned to knit as a school child during the war in England. I think it’s incredibly cool that he still knits. He’s doing a blanket out of six inch squares, knit on the diagonal, so I made one for him. Secretly, I long to do a blanket like this for us, but I can’t imagine sewing all the squares together.

Finally, I’ll leave you with one last picture. C-A-S-H-M-E-R-E

I adore this stuff. It takes up color so amazingly — this is the actual as is photo, not tarted up to saturate the color (this is a minor pet peeve of mine, I find that a lot of yarn sellers do this and then the yarn comes and although it’s pretty and I love it, the colors aren’t richly saturated like they were in the web photo). Aran weight cashmere. It’s wonderful.

I have plans to knit myself a hat from this. If there is any interest (it’s aran weight cashmere, so it doesn’t come cheap) I may add a few skeins in when I stock yarn on Thursday.