by carmen | Jul 17, 2011 | Designs
This is how many caffeinated beverages it takes me to finish a design.
8:00 AM – espresso at home
9:00 AM – another espresso at home
11:30 AM – Salt Spring Coffee with Monica – 4 shot Americano and choc chip espresso muffin
2:00 PM – Blenz (still with Monica) Salt Spring’s internet connection crapped out—Medium mochachillo.
3:30 PM – Advised John that under no circumstances was I allowed another caffeinated beverage today.
6:00 PM – Pattern picked up from the Printer.
It’s almost midnight. Even though I’m getting up at 5:00AM, I don’t think I’ll be going to bed any time soon. Suits me fine. Have a new design I want to work on for a while. Just going to boil some water for some herbal tea.
by carmen | Jul 15, 2011 | Yarn a Day
I have left you in the dark about updates, my bad…..so I’m just going to drop my more recent yarns in this post.
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No 192
A Lot of Latte
100 g of hand dyed merino
A Lot of Latte
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No 193
Passion Fruits
Hand dyed BFL
Passion Fruits
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No 194
Radioactive
Hand dyed BFL
Radioactive
No 195
Flotsam
Hand dyed BFL, felted bits
No 196
Berry Blast
Hand dyed BFL, felted berries
No 197
Ribbons and Bows
Hand dyed BFL, ribbon roses
Now coming to a kit near you.
by admin | Jul 12, 2011 | Personal, Studio
I keep forgetting to take pictures….at the market, at the studio, wherever I need to be taking pictures. I don’t like posts without photos, hence the week of not blogging. However, until I can take some good shots, I still want to let you know what’s been going on.
The studio has been crazy busy, but with Torchwood. With the Season 1 finale today, let’s just say the production has been ramped up to it’s highest level ever.
Friend with blog news:
Kristen dyed a killer new colourway. Available soon in her Etsy shop.
Quincey finished off a batch of little felted guys and was carding this week for a mountain of felted soaps she is working on.
Monica is working on my new website, blog, logo and everything else that will make me look like a together grown up. She is amazing people and her skills are available.
Me. —-same old, same old. Dyeing, spinning, knitting and doing the market’s while ramping up for Filberg. What I’m not doing —-taking photos of the finished goods. (a situation I hope to rectify shortly)
by carmen | Jul 5, 2011 | Personal, Studio
And the script is as follows:
John: Well, I’m calling like you asked. It’s 6pm, are you ready to come home yet?
Me: Well Monica just got here a little while ago and Kristen and I are really working the dyes.
John: Okay, should I call you again at 7?
Me: No, I’m definitely thinking I need to be here until 8:30, and then we’ll be home before 9 and I can still make dinner.
John: Okay, see you at 8:30.
Brief musical interlude…maybe the soundtrack from Buffy Season 6. Phone rings at 8:20.
John: So, I’m leaving the house now to come and get you, right?
Me: Actually I think 9:15 would definitely be better. Monica’s almost done the hat and we have one more round of dyeing to finish.
John: I’ll come now and start loading the car and maybe go for a walk around the neighbourhood, but we are leaving at 9:15.
Me: Absolutely.
Brief interlude in which much laughing, knitting, spinning and dyeing occur. John returns at 9:15
John: So I’ll just hang out with you guys until you are ready to go?
Me: That would be great. Thanks honey, we’re just getting so much done.
Actual time leaving the studio 10:20pm. Dinner at 11:00. In bed by 2:00 (working on a lace shawl).
by carmen | Jul 4, 2011 | Events
…but continues raining inside your tent, and other misadventures from market day.
We had an amazing day in Whistler yesterday. We managed to finish our entire set up before the skies opened up in a biblical way. A great flood with the intention of wiping bad crafters off the planet, perhaps? The rain was ridiculous and the customers were nowhere to be seen. Due to the water on the ground in my booth, I was unwilling to release the wheel. I found a corner where the tent didn’t drip and pulled out my knitting.
We just completed a waterproof coating on the tent top and were quite satisfied with it. Easy to be so confident considering none of our markets this year had any rain. I think I heard the thumping of a few frogs and some locus on the roof as well before the rain started to slow down.
Then around 11am people started trickling out of the Chateau Whistler with their beautiful golf umbrellas. I was hoping that a few of them would be left behind in my booth, but alas…….and then the sunshine and the heat came–steaming off the water that dripped on to everything and the tent became what I love it for the most.
Shade.
Out came the wheel, and the market was a whirlwind of activity. The kit yarns were being spun. Everything was drying. Dry things were being sold. Compliments were flying and friends came by for visiting and purchasing.
A lovely little doggie came into the booth, so adorable that I stopped spinning to pet him. Unfortunately this created the effect of “I’m so excited to meet you that I think I’ll pee in your booth syndrome”. Apparently this has happened before as the parents were armed with plenty of clean up tools.
As I was relaying the story to a friend, she indicated that she had to go home and clean her truck that her dog had just thrown up in twice (and I thought I had it bad). Hope everything is back to normal Jan!
The day ended with lamb korma in our favourite restaurant in Squamish —Essence of India. Even rain days at the market are great days.
by carmen | Jul 3, 2011 | Studio
We loaded up the car early and Kim and I made our way to the studio for reskeining, some tagging and braiding rovings. She was handling all of that while I was working on the kit yarns. And yippee….the first 4 colourways have been spun.
I honestly never thought I’d get to this stage. Finally, I’ve got the right amount of push to get this happening. Next step, my layout for the pattern and the packaging. Let’s see how long of a drawn out process I can make this. This is one thing I am definitely good at. Procrastination.
by carmen | Jul 1, 2011 | Knitting & Crochet, Spinning, Studio
I want to start riding my bike to the studio. When Jennifer visits the studio, she rides her bike from Steveston and I am only 5 miles from my studio….so why aren’t I riding….
This is what I will usually cart back and forth with. Far right, needing seaming and labels, middle box yarn needing to be wound for knitting and on the far left (since I’m a mood spinning) every dyed top in inventory.
Even though I have a plan there is no way I can commit to colours or “these five soemthings”. My one pannier rack on the back of the bike definitely doesn’t cut it. Anyone know of a great bike accessory place to recommend. I’ll need to pack like I’m going to war.
I spent some time at Birkeland yesterday, visiting with Pearl. It gave me time to finish off some inventory, shop and work on some spinning. The Matchless is calling to me. I may need to make an addition to the herd. I think it would be my home wheel.
A little cupcake inspiration. It even had me inspired for spinning.
It was more important to work on the 355 stuff, so I finally starting taking some shots and I’ll get those uploaded today. I am having a huge order of baby alpaca dropped off today. More on that later. I love it when beautiful wool just shows up at my house.
by carmen | Jun 29, 2011 | Studio
Things are just too busy to run the carding group at the studio anymore. Also, the size of the group is expanding to such an extent that we are running out of space. Having Kristen and Jennifer there as studio mates often finds them there on the group nights as well so this makes things even a little more tight.
Last night’s theme. Exotic fibres. Well, one in particular, some super fine dehaired llama for carding. What people did with their fibre was just amazing. Louet, by far has the best carders and the super fine does a great job with these special blends. There were batts, hand pulled rovings, core spun yarns and even some knitting as well. Although class ends at 9pm, the foolishness carried well into the night.
I am going to miss running this group and hope we can find the time for at least one more before the end of the year.
Off to the studio. Kristen and I are doing Game of Thrones audio books today and getting our knit and dye on.
by carmen | Jun 28, 2011 | Events, Knitting & Crochet, Personal, Spinning
….something must be wrong. Oh, doomsayer me. I am less than 30 days from Filberg, behind in inventory, postal strike deeply delayed my fibre shipments, I have two too full classes to teach and a bunch of fibre at the studio to be rinsed (thanks Kristen) and somehow things are still pretty awesome.
I have spun my 355 yarns and knit them before they got photographed. I’ve been such a fibre slut lately (greedily knitting my own stuff) but that has to stop or I will have no hand spun for the kits. Yes, they will finally be released for Filberg and the Edmonton Folk Festival.
Please forgive me if you have been following the yarn updates —sorely lacking as of late—-I will be back in the saddle as I will no longer be knitting them myself.
As my friends will confirm, I am usually a big freak this close to the large shows. Not this time. I have great friends, helpers, partners, companions that keep me working and loving every minute of the work.
On another note altogether, Hadiya is recovering from the surgery, better than recovering. She’s already off the pain meds and is reverting back to being her usual snarky pain the butt. I couldn’t ask for better. Knit outside if you can, the weather is amazing here in Vancouver today.
by carmen | Jun 27, 2011 | Events
Whoever says you can’t sell wool in the summer never met these lovely ladies….
And from California, no less. Thanks ladies —it’s great to have awesome models hanging in the booth. Very good for business.
The market was the perfect combination of sunshine and great company. Kathy and Kim were the demo knitters in the booth while I rocked the spinning. Me —-laceweight hand dyed shetland. It took all day but the results are going to be worth it.
I love a good wool wall. Full day at the studio to replace inventory. Ciao for now.
This is how many caffeinated beverages it takes me to finish a design.
