So here is a snapshot of the shawls that I have knit in the last few years. I know it’s not a lot. But you also know that I’m the slowest knitter in the world and maybe in the universe.
All of these are available on Ravelry. Front left to right: Striche, Shard, Camau, Raddiant, Conflagration and Maryland, my Maryland. Some of these are available as kits in our webstore: Strisce, Camau, Raddiant and Conflagration. You can find them here.
How are you feeling? I have to say that I’m feeling a little lonely. I always work from home. And I haven’t felt lonely before. I have an advantage of being an introvert, so no people doesn’t really get to me. But it is getting to me. I went out today. I took orders to the post office. It was empty. Downtown Frederick was empty. The Common Market was limiting people entering so there weren’t a lot of people in the produce section. I had my wipes with me. I had my own bags. The cashier was wearing gloves. It’s the new normal.
When I got home I found out that MD Sheep and Wool has been cancelled and that was just a punch in the gut. All the work I’ve been doing to increase my inventory is for naught. The optimist inside me says “It’s not for naught!! People need yarn. They will want to have happy colors of yarn delivered right to their doors.
To help my people find those happy colors, I’m doing daily Instagram and FaceBook stories about the yarn. You can see the colors up close and personal there or on my You Tube Channel here. So far I’ve uploaded sessions of our Chinook yarn, Alto yarn and Sparkly yarn.
So to say it again. You can come by and shop in alone or in a small group. Or you can arrange a Face time call and we can look at the yarn together. And lastly, you can watch my videos and then go directly to the shop and get it delivered to your door quickly.
Reply and tell me how you are dealing and how you are coping with the new normal.
Now that we are living in the time of Coronavirus, it’s time to think outside the box. You, our talented and creative customers, buy from us at fiber festivals. They are big! There are more than 50 people. And now that we are all limited and advised to stay at home and safe from exposure to the virus, we need to get yarn to you in a new way.
First of all, if you are local, you can always make an appointment to come and shop. Our space is clean. We are out in the country. The surfaces that you touch will be cleaned before and after your visit. Just shoot me an email and we can decide on a time.
If you aren’t local, we can still get yarn to you. If you would like your own personal tour, you can make an appointment for a face time call. We can go to the studio and you can see the yarn you need and ask any questions that you have about quantity, texture, patterns, all of that.
Or you can just go to our web store HERE. You can explore the yarn and kits and roving that I have in stock.
In order for you to get to know our yarn better, I’m making a video everyday that highlights one of our yarns in all the colorways that are currently available. I did the first one today. You can find it by clicking HERE. If you subscribe to my YouTube channel you will be notified each time a new video is uploaded. You can also see these each day in my Instagram and FaceBook stories.
It’s a perfect time to use our isolation to make beautiful, creative projects, to take a walk in the woods and to spend quality time with our families.
I’ve written here before that I happen to be the slowest knitter in the world. And part of that is because I try things that are over my head. And then I have to take things out and redo. But even with that, I just finished another sweater that is still drying from the blocking process. So this sweater is not on the stack for obvious reasons.
This Friday, I wanted to celebrate….celebrate something, especially now when the world is upside down and small businesses like mine are being squeezed by the travel and festival closures.
So here is my pile of sweaters….these sweaters were knit by me. I have many sweaters that I commissioned. Those should be celebrated as well, and I will do that in the future, I promise. Today is about the skill of my own hands, dye pots, and animals.
What does your sweater pile look like? Are you knitting them yet? Do you want to knit one now? Reply to this post and let me know!
I fell in love with this scarf several years ago, when a customer came into my MD sheep and wool booth with it on. She said at that time that it was made with a “specially” dyed yarn. It remained in the back of my mind…I should look that up and dye some. So I did. And then I dyed more and more. Now I have 7 colorways that you can use to make this scarf: Optical Delusion: Conflagration.
Let me just say that it is a charted pattern. It is made with short rows, cable cast on’s and bind off’s to make the fingers of the flame. You do have to count each row. Each repeat is 100 rows. Really? Yes! But a row is somewhere between 4 and 40 stitches. You can complete a repeat pretty quickly.
I used Knit Companion to keep track of my progress, since you know I’m the slowest knitter in the world! I used the parts of KC that are free. I love that I could keep track of the number of repeats I had done. And that when I put the needles down, I could pick them back up knowing where I left off.
So if you are looking for something that is fun and beautiful. If you are looking for something to take your mind of the current world health situation. Click here are get a kit. The price includes the yarn (already caked up) and a digital copy of the pattern that’s delivered to your email and/or Ravelry accounts.
Wow! Let’s be real here. The world is changing by the minute, right? Two weeks ago I was dreaming about my 10 days in Europe on a river cruise. I was thinking about what clothes to take, what books to read and what knitting projects to take for the long plane ride. Now? We’re staying home. Not because we are worried about getting sick, but because we were worried about getting stuck someplace. With MD sheep and wool festival coming up and off farm jobs awaiting, we just couldn’t risk getting stuck. Are you experiencing something similar?
If you want to drive out to the country and shop for materials to make a new shawl or sweater, just shoot me an email and make an appointment to come over and shop.
Do you need to self quarantine? Well, you can always buy a kit or a sweater full of yarn in our webstore.
Knitting is always there to help you through long days. And we are here to help you with new inspiration and ideas to make your hands and heart soar!
Here is a pile of my finished cowls. I have knit all of these over the past couple of years. I love cowls. Have I told you that before? I love them because you put them off and they never fall off. They never unwind. They don’t drag on the floor. They are just perfect accessories in my opinion. All but one of these is my own design as well. The zephyrette cowl patterns are available here.
Do you like to wear cowls? Reply to this blog and let me know.
Recently I bought a back issue of TapRoot Magazine. I was intrigued because the issue’s theme is: Wear. And since I’ve been spending the first part of the year thinking and studying and planning in a fibershed, local fiber kind of way, it was a perfect fit. The article that drew in my attention is by Tamera and Char White of A Wing and A Prayer farm.
They write about all the costs in raising and feeding the sheep that is making that yarn all the way through shearing, processing, dyeing and selling farm yarn. They really drill down in to the costs of hoof trimming (in time and money), the vet costs and the shelter for the animals. They chose one ram’s fleece which yielded about 12 pounds of wool. It became 33 four ounce skeins. The total cost for those skeins is a little over 1500 dollars. The wholesale price would be $46 and the retail $67. That is a LOT for a skein, right?
They also write about the emotional costs of raising sheep for local yarn. And also the rewards of raising your sheep to make yarn. We are a community and we love our sheep. We hope that you love our sheep and yarn as well.
With your purchase of our local farm yarn, you are supporting those sheep and goats whose fiber you are using to make a garment or a household item. Think about buying from a producer of good wool yarn. It comes in all colors and all textures. It is not all scratchy. It can be smooth and soft. It can be squishy like our Livily and Trasna yarns. It can be durable for socks and slippers like our Stratus and our mohair. We are working with our mill to make more weights of farm yarn so that we will have a farm yarn for every garment or other handmade item that you want to make. Click on any of the photos to be taken to our website to find farm yarn for your collection.
Did you know that March is National Craft Month? It is our month to shine. So let your craft flag fly!!
What will you make this month?
What will you learn this month?
I have lots of dyeing plans and knitting plans. And I’m designing a new shawl, it’s in the works!
Reply to this blog and let me know how you will celebrate National Craft Month!
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a WIP Wednesday. I am closing in on finishing 2 projects. I am excited about that for sure. I need to invoke my 10 minute knitting rule…especially on this sweater. It hurts my hands at this point to knit the sleeves. But I’m so close. I have to finish it.
And the Conflagration scarf is within 1 or 2 more repeats and I can bind off.
What’s next? A new shawl. I can see it in my head. But I have to get it on paper, pick the yarn and cast on.
What’s on your needles? Reply to this blog and let me know…or better yet, send a photo!
