According to the calendar Autumn began a week ago, and according to the Aspen trees in my neighborhood it may have crept up on me even earlier.
Whatever the case may be, I’m a bit behind on my plans for my independent pattern line. I’ve said that I would be launching it in Fall 2010. Now, technically that means that if I launch it before December 21st it is still Fall.
I’ve benn kept away from working on my indie line by the wonderful good fortune of being busy with designs for magazines and yarn companies. I am getting caught up though and hope to be back on track with my work on my pattern line very soon. I won’t make any promises of exactly when the launch will really happen, but it will be before the official start of winter.
That was the question in my mind recently when I decided to finally attack the task of making an inventory of my yarn stash. I hired a friend to help as each time I’ve attempted to get a handle on things I get too overwhelmed or distracted by the beautiful yarn.
First thing we did was corral every bit of yarn from my household and work areas into one corner of my office. I was happily amazed that it took up far less room than I had anticipated.
Then began the counting.
I had already gotten a good portion of it sorted out by yarn company.
And I had purchased some bright green dots to put on each skein as it was counted, as well on the containers that were filled with inventoried yarn.
My friend Laura really is a marvel. She has helped me with numerous organizing projects over the years. Best of all for this project, she has no interest in yarn and fiber, so is the ideal candidate for keeping me on task.
Whenever I would get all a flutter about the re-discovery of a beautiful skein in my stash, she would be asking what to put into the spreadsheet about it. She did grace me occasionally with a kind comment about a color that caught her eye. And we had many a good chuckle about some of the color names.
I am now down to the last 15% of the inventory job. This is the part where I identify all the yarn that has lost its ball bands and map out storage locations so I can find the yarn I want when it is time to crochet this all up into lovely swatches and designs.
Well, things are going a bit slower than I like, but progress is happening with the Design office.
The shelves are all in place. The Bulletin Boards are installed. Now it is becoming more of an issue of sorting thru the accumulations of “stuff” that seems to be coming out of the woodwork.
One of the largest projects is taking an inventory of all my yarn.
Yep, that is a scary one. Fortunately help is arriving in a few minutes in the form of my friend Laura. She’ll keep me on track, she’s not a yarnie like me.
Of course the good news is I may be sending some yarn to new homes once I have a better handle on how much I really have.
Then there is all the fabric, the thread, the beads, drawing and sketching materials. Okay, I’m tired again.
Note to self: Sort thru and pitch (or donate) stuff regularly to avoid this monumental task in the future.
I’ve been telling myself that 2011 is going to be a big year for me as a designer, artist and writer. First off because I plan to have my design office and art studio spaces in fully functioning well-organized shape by the start of the year.
To that end I decided that I needed a big wall calendar to help me track the various deadlines personal and professional that are part of my life. I am a very visual person so I like having that info up on the walls.
I already had a wonderful 2010 At-A-Glance full year calendar. The kind you can write on with a dry-erase marker (or in my case cover with brightly colored sticky notes).
Since 2010 is more than half over, I wanted to have 2011 up there beside it as well. My local office supply stores didn’t have 2011 calendars currently. They were all still carrying the academic ones that start July 2010 and end June 2011.
I went online. There it was, the exact calendar I wanted. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! I didn’t think to actually measure the other one. After all how many large wall calendar sizes could there be? The new calendar was delivered today.
So 2011 is definitely a very big year. Hopefully the size of the calendar will be a reflection of success in the coming year. Though I think I may have to size down when I get my 2012 calendar, there really isn’t room on the wall for 2 calendars of those dimensions (maybe I could use the back of the door?).
Now, it’s not what you think. I’ve not taken up sky-diving or motor-cycle racing. It’s just my goofy thoughts on the hazards of me going into a craft/hobby store.
I had to stop by JoAnns the other day for some poster board. I had opened my big mouth last spring and found myself in charge of the first PTO fundraiser of the year. As part of all this I needed to make some posters.
The poster board is located about 1/2 way down the first aisle when I walk into my local JoAnns and the registers are not terribly far from there as well. Yet, I somehow managed to make a full loop of the store. Becoming more inspired by the moment.
There was fabric that I knew I could make some lovely things with. Cotton yarns were on sale. Cotton yarn in large balls and gorgeous colors. Ooooo, there are more yarns on sale over there. Ideas for things I could make began hopping about in my brain like some sort of crazed popcorn kernels.
“Whoa there, hold on a minute missy!” my wiser self said to the creative crazed self. “Exactly when, amongst all the deadlines personal and professional you are currently juggling, do you think you will have time to start, let alone do, any of these new projects?”
I’m proud to say, I purchased only 2 pieces of foamcore and 1 very bright piece of poster board. Though there were some seriously heart tugging longing looks being cast at that cotton yarn by my creative self.
This ongoing project of turning what was my Massage office into my Design office is getting a bit cumbersome. At the moment this is the state it is in.
My dream idea of a well-organized and peaceful work environment does seem a bit out of reach. Especially as I go thru my stash of fabric, yarn, threads, buttons etc…the more I discover I have. I am in that stage of organizing, where the work you do seems to create a major mess.
It’s all good though. Sorting thru the accumulations of 20 some years of creative supplies seems to inspire new ideas. So I’m taking sketch breaks to note things down.
Then when I have a “dry” day, I’ll have loads of notes to get the well running again. Admittedly I have rarely had “dry” days, but just in case.
One of the wonderful things about going to the Knit and Crochet Shows has been the opportunity to learn from other crocheters. I’ve learned new techniques and finishing tricks both in classes and just sitting stitching in the lounge with others. I’ve also discovered ways of looking at crochet fabric that I had never considered.
I’ve always thought of myself as an “outside the box” kind of thinker. But one of my teachers at Chain Link this year showed me that she isn’t even thinking “inside the room”. This would be the lovely, talented and brilliant Dee Stanziano.
Dee Stanziano and Me at Chain Link 2010
I had the pleasure this year of taking the class “Pushmi, Pullyu” with Dee. She has an amazing eye for crochet fabric and an insatiable curiosity about how it is created. Her understanding of how the fabric of crochet can be influenced by the way we hold our hooks and manipulate the yarn is a bit mind-boggling.
Dee promised by the end of her class we would be forming new neural pathways and looking at our crochet in a whole new way. She was correct in her predictions (and when she made us crochet with our non-dominant hand her promise that we would curse her name also came true). I am now having a great time playing with different approaches to creating stitches in my crochet designs.
Of course one of the benefits of taking this class for me is a better understanding of both the visual differences in fabric, as well as the way left-handed crocheters compensate with their grip and movements in crochet. Since the majority of left-handed crocheters learn from right-handed folks, like myself, I’m hoping this will improve my skills in teaching them. As well as giving me a look into hand-health issues for left-handed crocheters.
In many ways Dee is contagious in her enthusiasm for Crochet, the CGOA and just life in general. We should all be so involved and alive. I strongly urge you, when the opportunity arises, take a class with Dee. It will be money well spent and will gift you with the opportunity to see your crochet (and possibly even life) from a Different Point of View.
One of my favorite John Lennon songs is “Beautiful Boy.” I particularly like the line about “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”
Original Artwork for my 2Hands Logo
I have found that statement to be so true throughout my life. Just the other evening I was reading one of the forums in Ravelry and noticing the interesting images folks adopt for their Ravatars. I had originally thought that I would be changing my own Ravelry image every month or so, even if it only meant switching the background colors for my trademark hands logo.
But now my pinkish background represents “me” to so many folks. The crazy coloring frenzy I had one evening with a printout of my logo has become my brand.
This got me to thinking about the many times the direction I thought I was headed led me somewhere entirely (and often wonderfully) different. A prime example is this journey as a crochet designer and writer on healthy crafting.
When I sent a message to Laurie Wheeler of the Crochet Liberation Front about her shoulder injury in April of 2008, I had no idea that I had set the wheels in motion for my first article on healthy crafting that came out in the First Ever Crochet Liberation Front Book.
Then curiosity led me to take an online Crochetville class called Designing for Print Publication with Mary Beth Temple in March 2009 . I was pleasantly surprised when my “homework” proposal was accepted for publication by Crochet! Magazine.
This journey has unfolded with surprises at every turn.
Maybe the funniest surprise is how the whole thing began. It all started with cloth diapers. Yes, an unlikely beginning to the road of crochet professional.
Diaper Boy
I was cloth diapering my youngest son and a neighbor friend recommended a few useful internet sites for me to check out. I had spent very little time online before her recommendation. But suddenly I found interesting blogs to read and so many sites about cloth diapering, which led me to a yahoo group promoting wool soakers.
That group led me to Ravelry. In April 2008 I received my invitation to join Ravelry. Through Ravelry I discovered FreeForm Crochet, the CGOA, and I attended my first Knit and Crochet Show. I have taken numerous wonderful classes with talented teachers and expanded my crochet skills in directions I had never dreamed of. My passion for crochet has been re-ignited and I have officially joined the ranks of Crochet Designers.
Modeling my Ruana at Chain Link 2010
This most recent Knit and Crochet Show (Chain Link) was the best ever. I sold more designs, and took fun and inspiring classes. Best of all, I reconnected with wonderful stitching friends that I have met over the past 2 years thru Ravelry and going to shows. My life as a solitary stitcher on a mountain is over, and I am forever grateful to Ravelry for making that possible.
I am very fortunate to live in the mountains of Colorado quite near Estes Park. Amazingly, I’ve never made it to the Estes Park Wool Market, despite it being held only 40 minutes away. So this year I vowed to change that.
I made plans with a friend to join me on my outing. She and her 2 small daughters were to come stay at my house for the weekend. Then Saturday (possibly Sunday too) of the Market we would trek over for some fun times learning about the wonderful animals that provide much of the fiber in our favorite yarns.
Unfortunately, the weather folks predicted that the weekend would be very rainy and cold. My friend felt it would not be a good plan to drag small children around in freezing cold wet weather. So she decided to stay in her warm home for the weekend instead of visiting my very cold mountain. Who can blame her. I was thinking it would be quite nice to be somewhere sunny and warm as well.
But being the intrepid venturer I am, with admittedly a more than minor addiction to fiber loveliness in the form of yarn, I planned to don my armor of rain gear and woolie warmness to explore the Market. I was aided in my resolve by 4 of my stitching pals from Denver. They were making the commitment to drive all the way up from the big city. The least I could do would be meet them for a few hours of yarn petting.
Sue, Tam, Sheila, Betty-Anne and Myself
Yesterday dawned gray and dismal; when it wasn’t raining it was misty. A bit reminiscent of a few of my trips to Scotland in late June. I had second (and third) thoughts about the wisdom of this adventure, but had talked to my friend Sheila the night before and thought it would be bad form to bail out.
My reluctance must have slowed me down, and I left later than originally planned. When I drove out of my driveway the rain had turned to a wet sort of sleeting mess. I threw out a random prayer to any listening deities to please let the weather in Estes Park be a bit nicer.
The drive there wasn’t too bad and, after a minor adventure with fellow travelers who were distracted by the Elk having a kip in a roadside meadow, I arrived at the Fairgrounds. Paid my $5 for parking to the young boy scout (who apologized for the soggy state of the change he gave me for the dry $20 I paid with) and following the guidance from the various traffic directors was safely landed in a parking spot.
I swiftly grabbed my raincoat and my bag containing the items I thought necessary to the outing. Then squelched along the parking lot to the entrance to the event. Arriving at the gate I observed an information kiosk, where I checked to see if there was a fee for the event.
I was happy to learn that there wasn’t, as I was uncertain how long I planned to stay…and it would have been far too depressing to fork over my hard-earned cash to only turn around and depart. I quickly made a beeline down the row of stalls and such to the Vendor’s Barn. Completely missing this pen of Yaks (I took their photo afterward, they didn’t seem too happy about the weather either).
I had already attempted to contact my friends on their cell phones, but had only reached voicemail messages. I knew they had planned on arriving around 10:30 and we were to meet between 11 or 11:30 in the Vendor Barn. So I figured their phones weren’t working in Estes and that they had given up on me making it there. At this point it was noon.
There was lots of lovely yarn and interesting things to look at in the barn and it was relatively warm and dry. So I decided to take a turn around the various booths and keep an eye out for my friends as well. I had been wandering about for nearly an hour, looking more at the other market attendees than the goods on display, when my cell phone rang. It was my friends, they were just arriving at the Festival and would be with me shortly.
By this time I had made plans for the adoption of at least 2 skeins of yummy yarn. But I swiftly marked their location on my map and dashed off to be at the entrance to meet my friends. A happy reunion and breathless explanations and we were all soon plotting a plan of attack for perusing the vendors wares.
My Yummy Yarn from the Market
I must say, these gals are truly amazing in their thoroughness. The next few hours flew by in a frenzy of yarn and fiber perusal and acquisition. I stayed within my budget, but temptation was everywhere…made even more so by the fact that one or the other of my friends’ eagle eyes would spot things that I would have missed otherwise. Helpful, and not so much.
We finally emerged from the Vendor’s Barn and I took some photos of a couple of young Alpacas (as well as the earlier photo of the Yaks).
It was unanimously agreed we were all hungry. There was a wonderful little booth that had stuffed gluten-free crepes so we stopped there while Sheila and I each purchased one. Then we all headed to our vehicles since it was far too cold and wet to sit at the provided picnic tables to eat.
I came away from my experience at the Wool Market with a new love and appreciation for the talents of my stitching pals and a head full of ideas and inspiration for new designs. I’ll be flying off in 23 days for the Chain Link Conference in New Hampshire, so some of these ideas will have to wait for me in my sketch pad. But I will hope to attend the Festival again next June and I will be buying myself some comfortable wellies to wear if the weather decides to be as miserable.
I’ve been working on my office re-arrangements, but ran into a bit of a roadblock in the past two weeks when my whole family came down with a nasty cold virus. Mother’s Day weekend I finished moving and re-assembling the work counter from my friend and got most of the major pieces of furniture in place.
Work Counter in placeComputer Desk in it's new corner
Now I need to get my books sorted and back on the shelves, and bring over the many crochet books that are still in the house. They will now be living in my office.
Bookshelves half finished
It’s a daunting task to go though all my books. So I am chipping away at that project a bit each day. I may have to have a reading frenzy soon, as many of these titles are begging to be opened again. I’ve amassed a great reference library for much of my health-related interests, and I am well on the road to doing the same with my crochet/knitting books.
I still have more projects to complete for the office transformation: installing shelving over the work counter, installing 2 large bulletin boards for tracking schedules and projects, sorting and taking inventory of yarn and fabric, and finding new homes for the massage supplies that I don’t need to have on hand. And of course, some plants remain to be re-potted.
Mamas2Hands 