OK, let's talk... obsessed knitter to obsessed knitter. I have an overwhelming stash of sock yarn, and I'm not even a compulsive sock knitter like some people I know! I'm sure that almost every knitter has a stash that is out of control (even if we don't see it that way!)... and other projects and shiny things distract us from our goals... so, at the suggestion of a friend, I have created a self-imposed sock club! I decided this year that I'll knit at least 6 pairs of socks; one pair every other month, in addition to my other knitting and designing. One sock a month; that's not too difficult, right? Right! Time to get organized! While noone was home, (important because as a fiber artist I can't reveal the actual amount of yarn in my stash... also important because non-fiber people don't understand and I have to begin dispensing anti-anxiety medication!), I hauled out my ENTIRE yarn stash, and all the patterns of socks that I have been intending to make... After I selected patterns (I chose 7 so that there's one extra just in case something goes awry) I went through my sock yarns and matched fiber to pattern and bagged each project up in 1 gallon ziplock baggies. These are stored in a plastic storage tub and are all ready to be cast on! In Ravelry, I spent some time queuing each of the projects up, and attaching the yarns to each of the projects. It's the morning of February 1, 2011. The sun is bright and the sky is clear in San Francisco. I got my bucket of projects out and wrote each project name on a piece of paper, and put them in a dish for the drawing. (The dish happens to be one of my own wheel thrown and altered ceramic pieces, featuring the image of none other than Elizabeth Zimmerman!) Take a deep breath, and select the lucky first project for the self-imposed sock club! The winner is: Sideways Socks by Lanna Grossa! I am happy that this is the first pair of socks. Most of the sock is knit flat on circular needles, then grafted up the back. The toe allows for a few minutes of work on double pointed needles... I recommend it for knitters who say they don't love knitting socks - I expect they will move quickly once I get going on them, and I'm already feeling good about using what I already own! If you are on Ravelry, you will be able to see my up-to-date progress on this project by clicking HERE (My Ravelry ID is kylewilliam) I'm using Online Supersocke 100 Circle for these socks. The long color stripes in this yarn make it perfect for a lengthwise sock pattern!
Hopefully this is inspiring for you and it helps you to create a self-imposed club of your own! Make a club with sweater patterns... scarves... hats... mittens... whatever you are obsessed with for 2011. Create some order in your craft and help yourself justify the ginormous quantity of fiber and goodness that is surely sitting ready to go in your own stash! Happy Knitting! I have been working hard to complete lots of projects that have been lingering on my knitting needles. Fellow knitters, you know what it's like to have a bunch of projects incomplete and in various stages of frustratingness. Since my move to San Francisco, I have become quite focused on completing the projects I started, and being well-planned when it comes to starting new ones. That being said, I am happy to share with you, Carlito; a recently-completed cabled cardigan, and Cure; the hat pattern I designed for HIV/AIDS awareness! Carlito Cardigan by Matthew Gnagy Yarn: Berroco Peruvia Began: May, 2010 Completed: December, 2010 Visit this finished object on Ravelry: http://ravel.me/kylewilliam/cc I bought the yarn for this project at WEBS during our real life visit May, 2010 , and cast on at the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat 2010 in Easton, NY. The project is rewarding, interesting and beautiful... My only notes are: 1. Be sure to center the pattern when picking up the stitches on the back panel - it’s important to divide the cable panel in half then half again (use safety pins or something to divide) and evenly distribute the stitches - otherwise you’ll end up with an uneven back and it’ll look icky… like mine did… and I had to rip it out and re-do it! 2. The length to the waist is shorter than I thought it would be. Because of all the ribbing and traveling angled details, it could stand to be a touch longer. If I were to re-knit this again I'd probably either knit it a little longer or not bind off at the bottom (leave those stitches live until it's assembled to ensure proper length. Contrary to popular belief, cables are not difficult. The only issue I find with this style of knitting is that it takes concentration and moves more slowly than other pieces I like to knit. That being said, the reward of completing something such as the Carlito Cardigan makes the hours of knitting invested quite worthwhile! Cure Hat Pattern ReleasedA portion of the proceeds from sales of this pattern will be donated to help fund HIV/AIDS Research.
$4.00 (.pdf pattern download) Have life saving information to share with someone the next time they ask about the hat you’re wearing. Using this pattern, it’s easy to create a custom hat supporting HIV/AIDS awareness! Check out the fact sheet at the end of the pattern to learn more about this disease and what you can do to help reduce your risk. Knit in the round, this hat features two motifs - the virus and the ribbon. As the artist, you get to select the quantity and order of these motifs! It's not the most beautiful photograph ever, but the scarves and hats that my friends sent in for Operation Gratitude are GORGEOUS! I think I counted over 30 pieces - and you all took time to write notes to the soldiers - these aren't your every day hats and scarves - some of them are intarsia, cables... beautiful fibers - it's really a treat to get to bring these to Operation Gratitude for them to be sent out to the soldiers. THANK YOU for your contributions! OTHER NEWS: Lots of things are going on - most importantly I'm working on getting rid of things, and doing my best to knock my yarn stash into a reasonable size... here are some of the bins of yarn that are random and sorted by color: piles and piles of yarn - reds, oranges, greens, blues, whites, blacks, browns, all kinds of colors - fancy crazy yarns, eyelash yarns, ribbon yarns, cashmere yarns, lace weights, DK yarns, bulky yarns, hand spun yarns, hand dyed yarns, silks, all kinds of yarns! Therefore, I will be offering yarn grab bags by color - stay tuned!
Help me reach my goal of donating 100 scarves, hats or neckwarmers to our troops through Operation Gratitude! Download the flyer below and share it with your fiber friends. Have a blog? Please repost! Twitter account? Tweet away. Facebook to your heart's delight... and THANK YOU for your contributions! If you do happen to repost or decide to donate, please post a comment letting us all know - I know there's power in numbers - and I have a feeling we'll be able to make a big impact this holiday season with our efforts.
I have the second set of gorgeous yarn bowls available for sale - I will be posting them tonight on my ETSY shop - there are a limited number of dark gold or violet yarn bowls available! Here are the two colors available: If you're interested or know of anyone who might be, please send them a link to my blog or etsy shop and have them buy right away - these are sure to sell out this week! Because these bowls are made of cast aluminum (they won't break!) I had lots of requests for a polished aluminum bowl just like the first prototype. You asked, I responded: Polished Aluminum Yarn Bowl RaffleThe only way get this ONE polished aluminum yarn bowl is to enter my raffle! Remember, I'm training with the National AIDS Marathon Training Program? Well, I'm still looking for tax deductible donations. This bowl is your online raffle prize! Here's how to win:
1. Visit my donation page - http://apla.convio.net/goto/kylewilliam 2. Make a tax deductible donation in any amount ending in $___.26 - with a minimum donation of $5.26 (Five Dollars, Twenty-Six Cents) - The donation site requires a minimum of $5, and I am adding $.26 in honor of the 26.2 miles I'll be running and also so I can easily find the entries. YOU ARE WELCOME TO ENTER MORE THAN ONCE - SEPARATE ENTRIES THAT MEET THIS RULE ARE EQUALLY COUNTED!!! 3. PLEASE Share a link to the site on your blog or facebook or by email to friends, your knitting group; anyone you think might be interested. Posting a comment on this blog entry helps get folks excited as well! I will pick a WINNER on December 26, 2009 with the random number generator and make a post announcing who it is once they are contacted. I will pack and ship this bowl at my expense to you - and you will be the only person to have a bowl like this. The only limitation I can only ship the bowl to a U.S.A. street address. Email me with any questions - and remember that your donations are tax deductible - the money you give benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles and helps me reach my fundraising goal while I train for the Los Angeles Marathon!!! Thank You! Holy cow. It's December. Cold outside. Near the end of the semester in school... frighteningly close to the holidays and I am not ready!
Don't get me wrong... I love the holidays - but this year, with finances being tight and the somber mood of our country, for some reason, I'm just not "into" it... we might or might not put up a tree... we will probably light the candles for Hanukkuh... but much more than that will be a feat - Last weekend was the Winter Arts Festival at Pierce College. It was the first time I showed my knitting... the first time that I sold any. And I was amazed that I sold quite a few scarves... a shawl, even a felted bag! I was asked to sell my knitting in a local shop, and to do another charity show in April. I didn't commit to anything - as you probably know, my life is busy with wonderful things. Including the training for the Los Angeles Marathon. This past Sunday, I ran 12 miles! - I am amazed that I am doing this... that I have the ability to somehow wake myself up and crawl into my car - to drive to the training site and run every Sunday morning! It's not easy. Of course, I am still raising money for AIDS Project Los Angeles. I appreciate every dollar that is donated. Currently, I have been able to raise $2581.00 with a goal of $5,000.00 - if you're interested in donating (even $5 would be a big help!) please click this LINK - and give. It's tax deductible and feels amazing. I'm finishing up a number of ceramic pieces soon and will post about those once they're ready. I am also about to release the second wave of cast metal yarn bowls - the first set sold QUICKLY and I am thankful for every purchase made. If you know someone interested, please remind them to keep an eye on my etsy shop. That's it for now - sorry, no photos, no amazing news - just some notes and a hug to each of you! Have you heard of Matthew Modine's new cause? he's doing his best to help a tribe in Equador save their alpaca flock! click on the shirt on the left to be redirected to a site that explains his efforts - and if you're in love with the shirt (like I am!) click on the "Schwag" button and buy your own... there is also coffee mugs, tote bags and lots of shirts... show your support what.... you don't think there's a problem with the alpacas? OK, OK, you're right -it's just a brilliant marketing scheme by the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, CA for an upcoming play - "Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas" coming up next month! interested in finding out about the play? click on the title and you'll be directed to a link explaining some about the show... I have heard a few yarn shops might be trying to organize groups to the show - talk with your local yarn shop and see if they're interested... I am getting a shirt - and love the idea of this fun site... lots of the alpaca photos on the flickr page are from my NY trip this past March... I can't wait to see the play, Matthew Modine, French Stuart and Peri Gilpin, along with the rest of the actors promise that it'll be a hoot! Please repost and share with your fiber friends - the Alpaca thank you!!! We'll keep this posting short and sweet - check out the SHOP and if you're interested in any of them let me know... I'll be adding more as these sell off - but the ones we're starting with are all one of a kind sets. Remember, the proceeds go to help Living Free Animal Sanctuary - during these uncertain times, the animals still need help - you can save lives!!! I just received the first prototype for my metal yarn bowls - this one is aluminum - let me know your thoughts - what would you change? Once we get the design part figured out they will be made in some artistic finishes and offered for sale - online (through my website) as well as through local yarn shops - and with any luck, if there is interest, we'll be selling them to yarn shops across the U.S.A. - but that's later. Right now, we have to find out if anyone is interested in a metal yarn bowl :) Seriously - sad day in yarn land - Simply Knitting is shutting its doors - if you're in the area, it's 50% off EVERYTHING (she's selling her bookcases, furniture...everything) so get up there... This is an extruded form I did last year - it was fired and ready to go when the raku option came around... so i tried it and love the way it looks! I think it might end up being a planter (but I have to line it first) on to fun news... I got to do RAKU on Saturday in ceramics... this white bowl is approx. 7" dia x 5" high and will be used as a planter. Raku is not food safe, and is not watertight but with a liner, it'll make a cute little planter. I apologize for the poor photos - but wanted to share. What is raku, you ask? Well, once a piece is made and dried, it is fired to ^6 (cone six) which is around 1830 degrees I think - after that firing, the piece is called bisqueware. Then, special raku glazes are addes to the piece, using whatever techniques the artist wishes - and those are allowed to dry a minimum of 24 hours. After that, the raku kiln is taken out (we did it outside) and the kiln is loaded and the pieces are heated back up to ^6 - THEN while the pieces are glowing red hot, the kiln is opened (deep breath; hope nothing explodes from the thermal shock of "normal" air temperature hitting the wares), the pieces are removed using tongs and put into metal trash cans filled with anything combustible - newspaper, straw, dried leaves, sawdust, even vegetable oil! The material burns hard and fast, and a lid is put on the can - the flames go out, smoke billows out, and the oxidation process takes place. After about 15 minutes, the can is opened, the piece removed, put on a fireproof tile, hosed gently down and allowed to cool slowly. In the end, you get beautiful color... it's unpredictable - the colors react with the burning pieces... and chancy - the pieces can break or explode... but it's super fun and felt like Christmas all day long! Knitting Needle Vase - knitted ceramics - approx. 4" dia x 5.5" high "Knitted" ceramic platter (flat piece) approx. 7" x 10" starburst interior with fish scale exterior, hand painted wax resist and raku bowl, approx. 7.5" dia x 3" high "More Yarn Please" raku yarn bowl (suitable for sock yarn or something small) - approx. 5" dia x 3.75" high Link Bowl - wax resist and 2 color raku interior, black oxide exterior with raku rim, approx. 7.5" dia x 3" high And the best for last... Raku Yarn Bowl, approx. 6" dia x 4" high (approx. 4" opening) - this is what the pieces look like... as far as the type of coloring. I am considering putting ALL of them up for sale - so if you're interested in any of them, EMAIL me and let me know how much you are offering - of course, we'll have to ship these (in most cases) so there's that additional cost... as always, a portion of any sales I make from the website go to Living F in progress.... waiting to get into the kiln! |
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