The Getting Ready for Bean Sale!

I can't believe how time flies!  My due date is just over 2 months away and hubby and I have been busy bees getting our house ready for our new addition (him, more so than me, as I realize I physically can't quite do all the tasks I want anymore.)

Among the tasks, he's been working on finishing our basement (we've almost got a bathroom!), re-painted a couple of rooms, we've sorted through what seems like a literal TON of stuff- we've organized, given away, sold, and thrown away so much- sometimes I don't know where it all comes from.  Also recently accomplished was the re-location and dismantling of my studio, a really difficult process for me- more so mentally than physically.  It took quite a few months to go through all my stuff- from painting supplies that hadn't been used in over 7 years to yarns I just didn't care for to a collection of sweaters to unravel and clothes to alter. Once I went through everything, he helped me clear what was remaining and moved it all down into our den, a somewhat temporary place for my fiber and art supplies for the time being. 

I can still do my spinning, knitting, crocheting and dyeing, I'm just less inclined to as getting ready for baby is on my mind.  But I still have lots of fibery goodness left!  That is why I've decided to hold a sale in an attempt to make just a little more room before our little one arrives.  So I am offering 15% in my shop when the coupon code BABYBEAN is used.  It's a great way to stock up on handspun yarns, hand knit & crocheted goodies such as hats, scarves, fingerless mitts and dog wear.  Check it out while stock lasts!

Yarn with a Re-purpose

I've written before about the upcycling & unraveling of sweaters for their yarns.  I haven't done much unraveling of late, but recently, I've been going through my studio, cleaning, sorting and purging to make room for baby's new space.  And I realized that I hoard old clothes.  Whether it's because I think I can alter them because they don't fit quite right (why do I think this?  I'm not a good sewer!) Or I can re-purpose them for something else (for a long time, I wanted to introduce a line of re-purposed, felted sweater garments such as hats and mitts), or I can unravel them for their yarn.  I had quite a few nice sweaters that had been half unraveled.  So, I hunkered down, unraveling some, deciding to just pass on others (acrylic isn't worth my time).

Of course, once I had finished a good round of sorting and purging, I was in the thrift store one day, and I spotted a creamy white, super soft, hand-knit shrug.  No tags or labels, the fiber content of this one was up in the air.  So I added it to my cart and debated whether I should get it or not.  Obviously, someone had spent a fair amount of time knitting such a pretty shrug... but honestly, I don't wear shrugs.  They had also spent a pretty penny on 3 or 4 skeins of what I now think is pure baby alpaca yarn.

So for $6, I grabbed it and came home and unraveled it days later into 3 and a half balls.  I wound off a couple of skeins for dyeing, one in pink (I was hoping for more of a red.. oh well), and an earthy green.  I quickly knit the pink skein up into a pair of Camp Out Fingerless Mitts (pattern by Tante Ehm).  Great pattern, and great yarn!

I'm now slightly addicted to the pattern and decided to gift the first pair to my mom, who is more fond of pink than I.  Maybe the green ones can be for me!  One certainly doesn't need full on mittens with our unseasonably warm weather and lack of a real winter. 

Have you ever unraveled a sweater?  What did you make?

Holiday Stitches

Over the holidays, somehow I managed to get a lot of knitting in.  For the first time I can remember, this year's Christmas celebrations felt a lot more relaxed and less hectic.  We actually got to stay home on Christmas morning!

I finished 2 hats and 3 washcloths in the span of about 10 days.  The first hat was for my nephew who over the last 6 months or so, has been asking me if I can make him a hat "with skulls on it".  After a bit of procrastination and wondering how exactly I would make this hat, it was ravelry to the rescue.  I found this pattern which uses knitted colorwork, which I've never done before, but I really enjoyed.  I had to tweak the pattern a bit to make it smaller for a child-sized head (sizing for children has to be one of my biggest challenges).  The colorwork can be a challenge as following the graph forces you to use a bit of math (yes, it's true what they tell you in school, you do need math eventually) and pay attention.  But I'm glad I challenged myself and am looking forward to doing more colorwork in the future. 

 

Next up were some washcloths for my dad, who really likes the crocheted ones I made him about two years ago.  Since I've been noticing he still uses them AND they are falling apart, I thought it was high time to make him some more.  Usually I just wing it and crochet some squares.  This time, I decided to knit them as I wanted to use up my cotton stash- and only having a bit of cotton left, I thought I'd knit as it uses less yarn.  I forgot to get pictures but I used this pattern that features a basketweave stitch, which I quite like.  Here's the photo from the pattern page:

And lastly, I made my first project for our baby bean.  I've been so excited to start making things for the little one!  The Aviatrix pattern first caught my eye on cosymakes blog.  I loved the style of the hat, especially with the handspun.  One of my goals this year is to keep more of my handspun and dyed yarns for myself to use in projects.  So after Craftateria, I coveted one of my hand-dyes for this hat.  The yarn is from my local wool series and is processed right here in Alberta.  Orange is not typically a color I choose, but since it's neutral and bright, and Cosy's looked great in orange, I thought why not.  

It's actually a bit more orange than it appears in the picture (stupid lack of daylight!)  And gosh, I enjoyed knitting this.  The pattern was interesting.  I finished it off with a funky polymer button I received from Elaine in a Christmas swap from a few years ago.  It did turn out a bit bigger than intended, but since baby is due in the spring, it probably won't be needed until the winter anyhow.

Next up, I'm pondering a little sweater or perhaps another hat or maybe some legwarmers for myself!  Gotta get through some stash as my current yarn studio will be baby's room come spring!

Season's Greetings & Update from OffTheHooks

What a whirlwind the last couple of months have been!  First, there was the Made Show & Sale at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery back in November:

My second (and final) craft sale of the season is coming up this weekend- Craftateria.  This is my third time participating, and it's always a great gathering of local crafters and craft-lovers. And this year is my first time doing two craft shows during the holiday season- it's been fun and I'm so appreciative of the positive response I've received!

Also, we recently took a trip to Mexico, which was a wonderful break and our first time visiting.

If that's not enough news for you, we also are expecting a b a b y this spring! Things are going well so far, despite being a little tired, I've been feeling healthy and excited.  And looking forward to the 'slower season' after the holidays so I can start using my time to make wee things for the wee one!

So needless to say, I've been running a little behind in the online world and most of my energy has gone into work for craft sales and for gifts for friends & family.  I've heard about the pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome and I sure hope I don't get it!  But I still do have many items in my etsy shop, just a bit less yarn that usual.  Check out some of the new dog cowls!  I just can't guarantee delivery for Christmas now- with the craziness of the post office and the unpredictability of the postal system, it's too big a risk to take during this busy time.

I hope everyone has a great (insert chosen holiday here) and a happy new year!

And.. I have a little favor to ask- what are your favorite baby patterns? books? etc?

Shop Local!

This holiday season, I'll be selling locally at two craft markets- the Made Show & Sale on November 18th at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery; and the Craftateria Market on December 17 at the Gate.

I've been investing the majority of my craft time lately on creating items for these sales.  I've got a whole bundle of my hand-dyed, locally produced yarn almost ready to go:

I'm looking forward to these events, both should be cozy and fun affairs!