What have I been up to? Lots. Seriously. School 3 nights a week, working full time, preparing for the training for the LA Marathon... playing with all my animals, and oh yeah... knitting... ceramics... and even some painting. Here's a quick overview of some of the things I have been doing: Organized knitting I have been haunted by unfinished projects. Bits and pieces of sweaters sitting in part of my studio, and other pieces half completed were stuffed in my closet. There were unknown “WIP’s” in bags with other knitting, and some projects that were so lost that I forgot they even existed! After a few hours of organizing last Sunday, I was able to eliminate most of the mixed up projects and get them organized so that I know what is what – and where most of the pieces are. I took a deep breath and frogged a big part of a sweater that I started a few years ago (because I am unsure if I have enough of the yarn to complete it!) and ripped out a scarf that was coming out too wide – re-rolled the yarn and put it back in the stash. I feel good about these changes and it helped to take inventory of what projects were in progress. I’m a big fan of the plastic buckets holding my WIP’s – I wish I had bought all of them at the same time so that they weren’t so different in style, but they do the job… one plastic bin = one project… pattern, yarn, notions – it’s a good way to stay organized and to place projects in and out of hibernation. I have been busy knitting, but this will be a long post, so I'm giving the Reader's Digest Condensed Version - more about most of the other knitting I have been doing soon... (with any luck some of those pieces might even be finished objects by then!) but it woldn't be the kylewilliam.com blog without a little knitting, right? Seahorse Cardigan After a year of experimenting and being frustrated, I finally was able to get close to gauge on the famed “Seahorse Cardigan”~ I was hoping for 6 stitches / inch and got 5.5 stitches / inch – it seems to be working so far, since one size was *almost* too small, the change in gauge should make it fit perfectly! The intarsia is a bit frustrating at times with so many repetitive color changes in one row… but I was able to get through the first part of the sleeve and now it’s smoothe sailing to the sleeve cap in one glorious (boring) color and stockinette all the way! - I am anxious to see how this one turns out; loving it more and more with each stitch! Painted kitchen The kitchen needed a bit of a makeover. The biggest issue we had was the chairs around the breakfast table… to put it mildly, they were falling apart. The chairs were also digging into the wall, so something really needed to change. Since the walls were damaged, and since the kitchen hadn’t been painted for 8 years, we selected a new color and dove headfirst into a kitchen mini-renovation this past weekend! We patched and painted the walls, edited some of the accessories from the walls and counters, and replaced the old table with a new taller table and stools from Ikea – Stainless steel with a dark black/brown wood top which will soon be covered with glass. We are pleased with the results. Ceramics Working diligently on ceramics, I am continuing my experiments with combining clay with the fiber arts, expanding these projects to the include crochet. I plan to have a few pieces up for sale in my etsy shop soon, and I am also working on pieces for a couple upcoming exhibits. No photos of this stuff yet... it's all "in the works!" Yarn Bowls The first series of cast metal yarn bowls are in finishing and should be available fairly soon. I decided to post these on etsy and will be notifying those who added the yarn bowls as a “favorite” on my ravelry page (my ID is kylewilliam) as soon as they’re posted. Be sure to purchase quickly if you’re interested in one – I’m unsure of how long it’ll take to get the next set ready! I'm expecting to get these photographed and up on the site next week! Marathon Update The date is getting closer to begin training for the 25th LA Marathon (which happens in March, 2010) – The kickoff party was yesterday, and I am pleased to report a friend from school has decided to join me in this adventure! I’m still a bit frightened that I decided to tackle this quest but it has been on my “list” for quite a while. I have never taken time to write an official “bucket list” – you know; the list of things you want to do before you die, but when/if I do ever write one, running a marathon will be on there. (and come this time next March, it’ll be crossed off!) Thank you to the people who have been able to donate! I am amazed at the level of generosity I have discovered through my online friends. If you have yet to donate or can spare a few more dollars (remember, it’s all tax deductible!) please visit my website and make a donation. The proceeds go to AIDS Project Los Angeles who desperately needs the money. Times are tough for all of us – but a few dollars can make all the difference. I made a commitment to run and love it every time I see someone donate – not only is it that you’re giving to a great cause, you’re also supporting me! Training (actual running!) starts October 11th – just under 2 weeks away. Standing here, today, I feel like running 26.2 miles would be impossible. I am confident that throught this program and with your support, I will be able to complete this task! Raising the funds to help support APLA means a lot to me, especially after listening to the message they shared at the kickoff party, stating that the recent CA state budget cuts slashed their funding by over 1 Million Dollars! I won't be able to fix the problem, but the few dollars I can offer will certainly help. I know that come March, crossing that finish line, I will be a different person (and I can’t wait to share the journey with you!) Hunting for Charities
Please email me with any information regarding non profit organizations in the United States that might be interested in auctioning off a blanket made from the extra squares from Jason’s blanket {LINK TO POST} – I’m hoping our efforts will help raise much needed money – the squares are created, they just need to be joined and donated. I’m glad to make this additional effort but prefer to do this with charitie(s) in mind. If you know of a group that could benefit, let me know. With the squares that were donated, I believe we can make 4 throws. I would like to donate 2 of these throws to charities as listed above, and I’d like to gift 2 of these throws to knitters in need – if you know a knitter or person in your life who might appreciate a blanket crafted with squares from knitters around the world, please email me {EMAIL} with the story and your contact information – I’ll review these stories and select two individuals to receive the throws. It’s not always about raising money… sometimes; it’s also about giving back to our community. I believe these throws might mean more to fellow knitters but invite everyone who might be interested to submit their stories. One last note – if your person is selected, I hope I will be able to post their story on the blog along with the blanket that was made for them – People who made these squares sometimes read this blog, and I think it might be nice to hear the story behind the person receiving a blanket made with our squares. Sharing these stories gives us power and helps us all to heal. Happy October, everyone!! I could not have had a better birthday weekend. Kenny came in from Houston, Chuck from St. Louis, John from San Francisco, and we spent the weekend together! on Saturday, we went to the fiber frolic hosted by Griffin Dyeworks - did natural dyeing, solar dyeing, ate and spent the day chatting and keeping an eye on the fires burning nearby - Charles came to the event as well - and my friend (family) I have known for 20 years, Debra as well! The fires are horrible - for a while we weren't sure if we were going to get to dye yarn or not- but the winds changed and we go to do so... all day long we watched the smoke billow. the power of nature can be terrifying... Here's Chuck and Charles preparing yarn for the dyepots - my fav dye was the indigo - when you pull the yarn out of the pot, it's light green, sort of like the color of antifreeze... then, suddenly it changes to beautiful dark blue! amazing. We learned a lot and can't wait to do more! John did some quick dyeing - see? Indigo! (most of us were smart enough to wear globes) haha - We also knitted away... talked, laughed, cut up, and just enjoyed the best time ever - I can't wait to see more of each of my knitting pals! Of course, they are all going to the Men's Knitting Retreat - in Seattle... I stay home this time - sadly - I must work, and school starts tomorrow... I won't go into all the gifts I got - probably more than I deserved... yarn, running shorts, gift certificates, not to mention the gift of my pals flying across the country to see me... but one of my FAVORITE gifts was this little bag bought for me at the frolic - it's a knitting bag that's reversible - the inside (as shown) is little skull and crossbones, but the crossbones are knitting needles... and the outside of it is a fabric called "Knitmare" - it shows a person dying trying to knit... a dog eating knitting... a cat tangling up the yarn - and a little boy wearing a sweater that just doesn't fit.... I LOVE it! go buy yours here: www.readyorknit.etsy.com - I *almost* finished my top down raglan - I still have to do the collar... weave in the ends... but it'll be done really soon. I am pretending it's done...and cast on for another one - it'll probably be the last one for a while - I'm really proud of this raglan - the random striping worked the way I wanted it to - and lots of people like this - once it's REALLY done, I'll do some photos and try to go in depth on how I did the striping. School starts tomorrow - beginning the classes for a drug and alcohol certificate and the continuance of my fun times in ceramics! Sadly, that means no more knitting at the farmer's market on Thursdays... Thank you again to everyone who helped to make this birthday so amazing - I appreciate every kind word, thoughtful gift and big hug I got... here's to making 35 a year to remember! After finishing my pinwheel blanket, I had (have) so much yarn left over in this "fall" color family that was already hacked and used that I can't do much else with it but freeform or random striped knitting. Also, because I only had to finish up the blanket to get the rush of a FO I still have some random striping steam left in me... that's what caused me to dig up my handy dandy top down raglan pattern (#991 by Diane Soucy) and started knitting. I began on Friday night after work, and knitted all weekend - I knit in the morning early.... then we went with some friends out for errands - I knit at the car dealership in the waiting room (free cookies, pastries, water, juice, soda!) ... then we went to Farrell's ice cream parlor, and watched our friend's kids play video games... while they played, I knit... carrying around my sweater in a messenger bag... they did bumper boats... I watched and knit.... they did go karts, I knit some more... it worked out perfectly because I was able to keep another friend company so she wasn't the only spectator! We ate amazing food... I knit... we came home for a while and while everyone did their thing... playing with animals, playing on the computer, etc., I knit... and when we went out for dinner that night, I knit again. I asked everyone if they were OK with my knitting and they all said it was OK - that it was almost expected of me... After dinner, we went to Target for a few last minute things, and I even knit walking through Target... this was all excessive even in my opinion, but after a day of knitting Saturday, and most of Sunday, I'm about 1/2 way done with the body of my raglan sweater! What I haven't decided yet is this - should the sleeves match each other? I was first thinking of making them both totally random - then I thought maybe they should be different from the body of the sweater (same general yarns, etc.) but not the same color order/yarn type, etc. OR should I just knit sleeve #1 and use those same yarns (and striping but maybe a different order) for sleeve #2? I need input! The photo shows what it looked like as of Sunday afternoon - I have done even more than this already as I type... but I need to know what to do for sleeves - please let me know your thoughts either in comments or email :) Have a great week! Most of you know about the blanket - I wrote about it HERE when I first started to talk about the idea of making a blanket for him - the response was overwhelming - people posted on their blogs, printed flyers, shared the news by word of mouth to their local knitting family. It's difficult to accept the challenges Cancer has brought to our lives - I lost my father to Cancer - a coworker's mother is currently facing the battle... friends from all over spoke of their triumphs and tragedies relating to the disease - and all the while, we all wanted to do something for our friend, Jason, who is in his early thirties and has been told by his Doctors chances are he has less than the summer to complete his short life. We all are frustrated into action by this news - not knowing what to do, I made the decision to ask everyone to do what we do best... knit! We carefully laid out each square - attempting to place them in an order that offered no defined pattern - paying close attention to the colors - trying not to put the same color next to itself - and not to put a similarly textured or patterned item near another... it took an hour or two of arranging but once it was finalized, the rows were stacked (1-9) and the squares in each row were joined - one by one - to each other - I did this with the help of Doug Laughlin (of West Hollywood, CA) and Ivar Asplund (visiting from Sweeden) - over the weekend we got most of the pieces assembled, then they took the blanket home to finish assembly, and create the crocheted border. I washed, blocked, and photographed the blanket and it will be mailed, Federal Express to Holland tomorrow morning - to hopefully arrive at Jason's door on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. According to Jonathan, Jason's family is scheduled to arrive at the same time, and while I know there is a lot to think about, with any luck, there will be some time for everyone to read our cards and admire the hard work and love that has been poured into this project. maybe they'll all take turns reading the cards and letters aloud to Jason - letting him just hear the love that's coming at him and his family from all over the world... Again - the idea that everyone just banded together to help is what makes me the most proud - not that we were able to do it, but that we all dove in, head first - selflessly creating beautiful pieces - trying out new techniques, ripping out and re-doing - making the best squares we could to contribute to this offering of love. It's there too - the love... the blanket just glows with the care and compassion we all have for not only Jason, but for everyone fighting their battles... I think we helped open avenues of communication for some knitters as well... and I know a few who are either fighting their own fights or supporting others who are... felt this was a good way to focus the love... Keep tuned for more blankets - remember, you gave more than we could use for one blanket - so the next one(s) will be made smaller, and I'm looking for organizations to donate to or sell to benefit for... If you know of somewhere - a Cancer charity... or center that needs the money - an organization that has an annual auction or benefit... get in touch with me. And if you have a loved one who you have lost to Cancer and wish to add their name to the comments, it'd be an honor to think of them as well while creating the next series of throws... I'm starting the list off with the memory of my father, William Franklin Kunnecke - who I lost to cancer just a few years ago - I know he would be proud of this blanket and to know that his son was able to organize what I believe is the first blanket knitted almost entirely by male knitters from around the world (with a few amazing women tossed in for good measure!) I'll close this post with images from the creation/assembly of this blanket - I hope that the idea catches on and we all can use our craft to help comfort others - I will continue to make blankets like these - if you'd like to help by contributing more squares, please email me- and again, thank you for being an example to the world - showing that love and compassion still exist. -Kyle We are a family - chosen - joined by our craft - united by our goals and supported by the creativity, enthusiasm and honesty of our brothers. Through our adventures, we learn, grow, and share our experiences with our communities, emphasizing the impact a few guys who knit have on the world. Where do I begin? I'm home - safe and sound - relishing in the afterglow of another amazing visit with my family of knitters (this time at Easton Mountain) -- Organized by Joe and Ted, Men's Knitting Retreats have been going on now for 2 years - I didn't go to the very first one, which was held in this same space... but this year I was lucky enough to be able to go. (I decided to just link to a slideshow of my photos at the end of this post - so for those of you wanting photos... that's where they are!) What can I tell you? The moment we were picked up by Dave from Easton Mountain, we knew we were in for a treat - first we went to an amazing cafe - I think it was indian food - and while I don't remember the name, they made some really great bread! This is where I saw Ted (I knew him from the MFKR'08) and met Joe and a bunch of other really fun guys... we took a slight detour to a yarnshop (in the rain!) and it was refreshing to actually feel rain. After our short visit there, we went to The Ice Cream Man - and had one of what would be many treats from this yummy place... Settling in at Easton Mountain, we found our rooms, and I was lucky to room with Chuck, John and Vince... we had 2 bunks each and the place was comfy... Chuck and John both handed me squares for Jason's blanket (see my last posting to find out more about it) - and by the end of the retreat, I had almost 30 squares from the guys - the response has been overwhelming - and I'll write about that soon -- as a sidenote, I need to receive your squares by May 30th- email me if you need to know anything else...thanks! (back to our regularly scheduled posting:) The food was really good - a bit more organic than I usually eat (people who know me know that I love Taco Bell!) - one night they served "Moroccan Tomato Soup" - I thought that the chef said "Rock & Tomato Soup!" - I told him that I could be supportive of the organic food and everything, but when they start putting rocks in the food I have to draw the line! eek... (the soup was spicy and tasty) - Meeting the boys (my brothers!) was great - I saw lots of friends I had been missing since the fall retreat at Point Bonita - including Kenny, Stephen and Ted... and got to meet some of the people I know online - including Chris, Ted and Peter! There were 42 guys there so naming them would take a while... but every single one of them (seriously, every one!) was so fun, funny, charming, smart, witty, coy, entertaining, enthusiatic, supportive and nutty! We spent the days learning at workshops and took two field trips - one to visit the Alpacas of Easton - where Kate (our hostess) shared a brief and interesting explanation about the biology behind breeding alpaca... she did a demonstration on dyeing yarn using cake dyes, then we visited some of her flock (including "Mischeif") and then went to her shop... where we bought some yarn... had home made cookies and pink lemonade and met her 3 week old son!! (wait a minute... she just had a baby 3 weeks ago and she's this amazing and energetic?!?! We were impressed and honored by her hospitality!!! We also went to another fiber farm and toured the owner's 18th century barn filled with looms, weaving and knitting yarns, and books! She was really fun as well - we got to see her angora rabbits, ducks and chickens and even a few barn cats! My favorite part of this trip, though, was the 15' tall lilac bush next to one of her barns! - the scent was overwhelming and brought me back to spring as a young boy - and for some reason it really made me think of my Grandmother... Anyway, we got a LOT of knitting done - I finished the back of a sweater... and helped Joe a little with the assembly of the blanket we made for Easton Mountian. It didn't get quite finished, but it will be done soon... 3 needle bind off and crocheted edging (photos will be posted!) There is so much to say... and the more I type the more I think of to talk about... favorite parts? the little visits and conversations between friends - learning about these men I have known online for years... sitting under the tent in the rain midnight with Jason and Chuck - listening to the rain fall and talking about whatever we talked about... Enjoying the moment in time... And now I just look forward to next year - to another visit with my pals - to the long plane flight full of knitting time (even layovers are welcomed when you're a knitter!) and getting to once again give every one of them a big hug! If you can go, or are at all interested, be sure to go to the website and let them know... chances are the attendance will be limited to around the same 40 +/- and 21 of the 42 that attended this year were at the first year... THANK YOU to Joe and Ted and everyone at Easton Mountain... to all the guys at the retreat who made it an amazing experience -- and to my sweet partner for taking care of my animals while I was gone and for letting me go.... it's experiences like the ones I had at Easton Mountain that make me proud to be a knitter... I finished and put a new yarn bowl up on my ETSY site - (click HERE to see that page) - which sold today and is now on its way to NY... I also put the cards on the etsy site and added a few other ceramic pieces and one knitting book. I plan on putting more knitting books on there as well as collections of yarn by color (for freeform knitting/crochet) to see if people are interested in buying it... but that'll have to wait for now - so many things are going on it's difficult to schedule much more into my day! I was also able to get more large knitted pieces into the kiln last night - along with some glazed pieces I should be able to show in a week or two. The class is off to Davis next week for a ceramics conference... I am not going - saving my time away from work for my trip to NY for the Men's Knitting Retreat - and looking forward to it. The designer David Hayes closed his shop a few doors down from my work in Beverly Hills. He is (according to rumor) one of the original costume designers for the famed TV show "Dallas" - although I have not been able to confirm that... anyway, as I was walking through the alley to move my car, I saw this dress form in the back! I talked with the people there (it was their last day and they were hauling things to the trash) - a small transaction later, I am the proud owner of this oldish dress form! It needs a little bit of work, and I have NO idea what I'm going to do with it (remember, I have a "new" one at home) but it's mine, in my garage and waiting patiently for its new role in my life. I also got some of David's labels and intend to sew one to the back neck of this form to help remember where it came from... I got a little rough and dirty on the cleaning up of this bowl - took a bit too much material off of the bottom part - but I think it still looks good... we're gonna fire it to see what happens - I may leave the bottom half raw (unglazed) to see what it looks like... maybe just glaze the inside and rim.... any thoughts? This is probably the best bowl I have done so far - symmetrical and pretty even - and I had just learned the technique of using a chamois on the lip of the bowl to make it nice and smoothe and rounded... here's the yarn bowl in progress - as greenware and ready to be fired - I am thinking of using the fun Raku glazes and firing techniques on this one since it's for decorative/non food use anyway! and for those of you asking me about the kitties... here's Wink all snuggled in her bed - I put one of my knit blankets down for her to sleep with... she curls up in a ball on her back and sleeps like this all night long... nothing like a comfy kitty! I was reminded by an email from one of my good friends in High School about some of the t shirts I designed or help design for the theater department at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, AZ during the years 1988-1992. She has had shirts from the shows she has been in transformed into a neat quilt! Her mom actually made the quilt - and I am sad that I don't have all these shirts any longer... I still have the "Into The Woods" and "Grease" shirts - if I had more I'd make a quilt of my own... but years have passed... I have moved many times... and I don't know that I'd be able to get ahold of any of these so many years later. I appreciate having the images, though... it's nice to look back and remember... Here's Kristen's quilt - I helped design five of the shirts on here - it touched me that she shared these images with me... I had forgotten about some of them! I designed this on the bus on the way to school the day the submissions were due... a quick sketch - turned into a shirt... it could have been better, but I love that it has survived... this has been almost 20 years ago... can you believe it?? This one is a modified version of the sketch I used for the backdrop for this show... when doing the backdrop, I accidentally lowered the wrong drop and the day after sketching the design in magic marker (the drop was about 20' x 30') I was informed that I had lowered the wrong drop and instead of doing it on the seamed backdrop, I had drawn on a quite expensive lighting backdrop that was seamless.... a major mistake that was not repairable... I still have this shirt, thanks to my dad (rest his soul) who had saved it for years and years... it's funny that I don't remember if I was in this play or not... I THINK I had a line or two at the end of the show. I DO know I designed the shirt... some people may find the image of the bedroom window familiar - it's my bedroom window from the house I lived in as a kid... New Middletown, IN - I did a painting of it recently... My favorite times in High School were on stage or rehearsing or spending my Saturdays working on sets... I don't know for sure if I had much to do with this shirt - I think I may have drew the knife... but that'd be it if anything... on the back, however, I did sign my name along with the rest of the cast - we all wore black and white for this play - with one accent of red somewhere on our costume. (I wore red socks) - I was Plato in this play.... loved it and miss the fun of theater... We go together... like ramalamalama da dinga de ding a dong... oh yes.. I was in Grease... I was asked by our director, Ms. Surloff, what role I'd want to play (we were all asked) and instead of saying, "I'd like some sort of lead - anything with a solo, please" - I said "I want to be the Teen Angel!" - I loved the song, Beauty School Dropout and knew it was a solo... what I didn't know was that it was the only time the Teen Angel appeared in the show... so I got what I asked for, and was annoyed a bit that I didn't have a larger part... but I was onstage... in the background, dancing on top of "Greased Lightnin'" and having a GREAT time with my friends... especially Kristen, who shared a "picnic" with me on stage during the show... every show we packed our prop lunch boxes with a real picnic and I loved drinking Yoo Hoos during the shows.... aah the memories. I received the best valentine EVER from my good friend Chuck - he's way too clever - he found a valentine of a girl KNITTING with YARN and a KITTY! - The only thing that could have made it more perfect would be if it were a boy knitting... but how thoughtful! UPDATE - I do not really use my sewing machine... after restoring it I put it in the garage and it just sits there :( sad - but this post seems to get LOTS of attention! - and you'll get a good copy of the manual - good luck with your machine; I hope you use it more than I do!! Kyle (8/14/10) For those of you who know me - you probably have heard that I have always wanted an old sewing machine - and when the time was right I'd probably get one. I found this one today in Pasadena at the swap meet - original bent wood case, it has accessories stored under it... the wiring needs to be replaced, case cleaned up, and so far, I know for sure I need a manual and the knee control bar (whatever THAT is!) and probably someone who can show me how to use it I have not touched it yet... took a few photos just to show what it looks like and to share it with you... I want to work on it and get it restored - I did some searching online and so far I think it's a 99-13 Singer machine - probably made around 1929-1930's - and if the little bit of research I have done seems to say that I spent about $50 less than the original $70 this might have cost in its heyday... If anyone has any suggestions as to where I can go for manuals, parts, or how in the world to use this thing, please feel free to comment or email me - If nothing else, I really like the case - and once it's cleaned up it'll be gorgeous! - I just found the key (hidden under the machine) which locks the top into its base - yippee!! - I can lock it up... comments are closed for this post. **update** I have fully restored the machine but never use it...
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