Page 115 – Elliebelly Knit & Dye Works

Fabric….OMG

Posted on February 22, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

Look what just showed up on my doorstep!

It’s fabric. Oh My God! (I get to say that. I am, after all, a vintage valley girl, for those of you old enough to know what a valley girl is).

I have a confession to make here. I am a fabric whore. I rarely sew recognizable things. My sewing machine, a much-abused Bernina, is far more likely to be used for adhering transparency acetate to plywood for one of my collage projects than it is to be used for sewing actual pieces of wearable clothing. I never seem to have the time for that kind of sewing. But, I love fabric. I collect it, sort of like some women collect Hummel figurines or little spoons from different cities. I use occasional bits in collage, and sometimes make pillows or blankets for my children, but I have come to accept that it is primarily a collectible for me and I even made myself a cool collaged bookshelf so it can stay on display in my studio.

There is an online store, Nuno Plus. I stumbled across them on the web about a month ago and placed a small order. There was some sort of delay with Paypal translating currencies, and I emailed them to inquire about the order. They were exceedingly gracious, even though the hold up was not on their end. And the fabric pictured above? That showed up in the mail today as a gift from them. Wow.

So run, do not walk, over to visit these lovely people with their beautiful fabrics and amazing customer service. You had better run, or I will beat you to all the good stuff, as they’ve just restocked.

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.

An Early Valentine

Posted on February 9, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

My wonderful artist friend Kathy McElroy has an online group for mail art, and it is one of my favorite groups to participate in. I love working on a collaborative envelope and seeing how all the stamps and splotches the Post Office adds in become part of the artwork.

We’ve had a Valentines round robin going for several months now, with the oversized enveloped circulating from artist to artist (there is nothing inside, it’s all about the envelope) and mine came home this morning. I love the eclectic mix of styles — it results in a feeling of Victoriana in my mind.

This is the front of the envelope.

and here is the back.

Isn’t it wonderful? Thank you so much to all the artists who contributed!

Sea Silk & Politics

Posted on February 6, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

Yarn and politics might seem like a sort of odd mix until you start looking around on the internet and realizing that there are an awful lot of political knitters out there. Really.

On the yarn front, this week I’ve been dyeing this.

The yarn is a lace weight blend of silk and a fiber spun from seaweed. It’s very soft. It’s intensely beautiful, and sadly, it is all for custom orders and I do not get to keep any of what is already dyed, although I have plans to save some of this yarn for me. I’m dreaming of lace scarves in a simple pattern like feather and fan.

On the politics front, I want to share a really touching story that a friend who was an Obama poll watcher told me. He was at an old church called Mount Zion, a ballot box that was primarily African American. As he stood outside, he saw a woman who he later learned was 80 years old walk out of the building in tears.

He asked her what was wrong and found out that they had invalidated her ballot. Through her tears she told him she had waited all this time, and now she was going to die without voting for a black man for president. "No you’re not m’aam. You can vote for one today," was the response. They took her back into the polling place, only to learn that the machine spit her ballot back out and instead of understanding she could redo the ballot, she walked out in tears. The situation explained, she obtained a ballot and was able to vote.

And it’s just that simple. It’s all about helping others.

Perfection in a Sock Yarn

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Joyce Makes Art

I don’t use the word perfection lightly. In fact, I don’t particularly believe in perfection. But for me, at least right now, this is it.

Perfection in a sock yarn! I am really in love with how these colors play together. So, I apologize for the tackiness of rhapsodizing on and on about my own yarn, but this one is just the right yarn for the way I’m feeling right now. Although I truly am not permitted to start another project until I finish at least one, I’m trying to decide what to do with this yarn. Should it be socks? I have a few skeins and could also do a wrap, but it would have to be something simple to let the colors show through. What to do?

You know how I knew it really was perfect? My seventeen year old gave it the ultimate teenage seal of approval. He asked for naming rights and called it "Nightingale." Oh my.

And one last thought: if you’re in a Mega-Super-Tuesday state in the United States, go out and VOTE tomorrow. Vote even if your weather sucks. The whole point of living in a participatory democracy is to participate. So get out there and do it!