Wednesday on the Wheel: A work in progress.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am a s l o w crafter. I'm apologizing a lot more for that because I'm sharing my crafting life, but really, I shouldn't, because things are still getting done, just at my own pace.

It's been kind of a busy week here at Chez Stitches and as such there hasn't been as much progress as there could have been. It's also a short week as I am out of town this weekend and the Engineer does not (yet!) know how to spin.

But for now, here's how the Fall Creek Fibers superwash wool is spinning up. It used to look like this:

And here's the progress today:

That's about 75% of the way through the fiber. It's going to be a very pastel yarn. It's not too late for Easter colors, right? :)

Make It Monday: Anemoi Accomplished

It has been a busy, eventful week, but that is no excuse not to keep up with Make It Monday, right?

Especially when I feel so accomplished and I've actually got something to show you.

That's right: the Anemoi Mittens are finally finished! I mentioned that they were in yesterday's podcast, but I didn't have pictures at that point. Now I do. So, what do you think? Stunning pattern, wouldn't you say? And the yarns from Into The Whirled are just amazing. Definitely a satisfying project all around. I'm glad to have them finished, but they're not the last pair I'll make and not the last of the ITW yarn that I'll use.

Speaking out on Sunday: Knitting and...

It's week two! This podcasting thing is a lot more complicated than making blog posts or rambling about what I'm currently up to, on Twitter, but I think it's all very much worthwhile.

So the big news this week is that the podcast is on iTunes! *throws confetti* That means that not only should you be able to subscribe from there, but you can also leave comments and ratings there if you're so inclined. If you have an iTunes account, you can get to the show page here.

The other big news -- big for me, anyway -- is that I talked about my first marketplace outint as a fiberista in the real world. I went to the Midtown Bazaar on Saturday, May 7th and had a surprisingly good time. Here's a picture of my not-so-elegant booth. It's my first time out, and yes, I'm all crooked, but things will get better.

I'm looking forward to going back. If you're in the area, swing by and say hello!


Shownotes for Ep 2

Shops I talked about:

Rogue Adventures -- one of the first indie dyers I ever bought from. Trish is an awesome talent!

Ethnicity Goddess -- She doesn't appear to be selling spinning fibers anymore, but check out her clothing designs.

Patterns I talked about:

Radiance Shawl by Helen Stewart -- A beautiful semi-circular shawl with lots of different stitch combinations. The pattern has a page that allows you to track percentage completed as well. Genius!

Lovisa Armwarmers -- My next colorwork project when I have some needles free. Aren't they pretty?

Books I reviewed:

Colorwork Creations by Susan Anderson-Freed. Lots of cute charts, Sanquhar motifs and new garment construction.

All That Other Stuff:

Be sure to check out the Clothed in the Lamb podcast to hear Janeen's fantastic tips and information and to get in on my giveaway and discount code, specifically for her listeners.

Swing by and check out the Brass Needles podcast if you're interested in SF, steampunk, costuming and more as well as knitting. Miss Kalendar is awesome!

And don't forget to leave a comment here or in my Ravelry group for a chance at winning yarn and a set of KnitPicks DPNs.

How to Contact me:

Ravelry: creaturecomfort
Ravelry Group: Creature Comfort Craftwork Fans
Etsy: Creature Comfort Craftworks on Etsy
Email: sarah.hawke [at] gmail.com
Twitter: creaturecmfts


Talk to you next week!

Fiber Friday: Fun, right? Fun!

It's another late post! I apologize, but I have been running around like a chicken with no head. Funny to watch in a fashion, but I feel a little like I'm completely unprepared for tomorrow, and I probably am.

Why?

Tomorrow, I'm doing my first fibery craft market showing at the Midtown Bazaar in downtown Sacramento. I'll be there by myself, setting up and attempting to be friendly throughout the day. Believe me, for someone who is an introvert, this is a scary, scary prospect. Yes, I've acted, yes, I've spoken in public but this is different, somehow.

So in my frenzy, I thought I'd show you a couple not-so-great shots of my craft room mid-preparation. With any luck, I won't bring as much home with me as I'm taking. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'll be crossing my toes. I'm going to need my fingers tomorrow.

:)

Wednesday on the Wheel: Back on the spindle again.

That's right, it's another spindle-focused post. Well, not focused so much as, the spindle is the tool I'm using this time.

And, to change things up, this is neither one of my handmade spindles, nor one I use for spinning singles. Today's spindle is one of my first, one that I learned on and one that's excellent for plying and spinning bulkier yarns than I like these days, but not so great for fine weights.

This, my friends, is an Ashford Student spindle. I refer to it as a boat anchor spindle, a term used to refer to big, heavy spindles. This beast weighs 2.75 oz, which is a lot when compared to my usual collection, all of which weigh well under an ounce. Still, it has it's use.

Plying, as I mentioned. I used it today to ply up the merino I mentioned I wanted to use with the cormo from my current project. I ended up getting about 85 yards of not-so-smooth chain-plied yarn out of the ounce of merino I had. Not bad, really. I believe I'll be using these in combination for a pair of Lovisa Armwarmers, since I think that pattern would tolerate my bumpy yarns. I'll know for sure when I have some needles cleared up and can cast on!

Edit: And I totally forgot one of my reasons for doing another spindle post! Spinning Daily (from Interweave and put together by Amy Moore, the editor of Spin-Off magazine) is offering a free ebook on learning how to spin on a drop spindle. Registration is free! Go check it out, if you're interested!

Make It Monday: A needle of a different sort

Another Make It Monday, and another apology for a belated post. I'm getting ready for a show this weekend, so I'm running around like crazy making sure I have enough stuff and everything in order. I also had to make a trip to the dentist, (boo!) but here I am and here you are and here we go!

Firstly, a big hello to people visiting the blog because they've heard about the Slinging Stitches...in Color! podcast. Glad to have you stop by. Please feel free to leave a comment and say hi. :)

So, as with most fiber crafting people, I have a huge range of needles in my home, from the very large to the hefty. Not all of my needles, however, are meant for yarn. Some are meant for much smaller items.

Like beads!

I started doing beadwork in college and I've been at it on and off ever since. I particularly love working with teeny tiny seed beads. These days, I mostly work with Miyuki Delicas, which are cylinder shaped beads cut to uniform sizes, which means that they stack neatly and are ideal for beadwork with crisp patterns and the occasional corner.

So I thought I'd show off some of my favorites. The jewelry pieces are all things I designed on my own. The beaded box design is by Julia Pretl, but I stitched it with my own two hands!

You can see more at my other etsy shop, Beadskinz.

More fibery stuff coming soon, promise!

Speaking out on Sunday: Slinging Stitches ... in Color!

It's here, it's here! And you didn't even know it was coming, did you? Not really, anyway, but it is and it was and ...SURPRISE!

Today marks the beginning of a new project for me, one that I have (nervously!) enjoyed starting and one that I (likewise nervously!) hope you enjoy as well.

Today, I launch my podcast, entitled Slinging Stitches...in Color! In it, I'm going to talk about knitting and spinning, of course, probably some dyeing, but the main focus is going to be colorwork. Stranded, Fair Isle, intarsia, entrelac... I haven't done all of them, but I'll give them a shot and talk about them, from a beginner's perspective!

And the first episode is in the can, so to speak, and ready to be heard. Clicking on the link should play the file for you. You can also copy it from here (http://thecreaturecomforts.net/Podcast/SSIC-Ep1.mp3) and paste it into any player you prefer.

If you'd like to subscribe, the RSS feed is: http://thecreaturecomforts.net/Podcast/ssic.xml. I have submitted it to iTunes so hopefully it will be available there soon.

And, of course, there are show notes!

Show notes for Episode 1: The Inaugural Podcast

Shops I mentioned:

Fat Cat Knits, owned and run by Ginny, one of my favorite indie fiberistas. Go and check out her shop and pick up any of her amazing fibers. You'll be glad you did.

Into the Whirled, owned and run by Cris, and another of my favorites! Hope of the Inspirations fiber club, and amazing colorways. Stop by and say hello!

I also mentioned Brie and Fall Creek Fibers, but she's on hiatus until June. When she's back, I promise, I will post a link.

Patterns/Designers I mentioned:

This week I'm talking about a couple of colorwork patterns by Eunny Jang.

First, her amazing Anemoi Mittens. I also talked about her free pattern for the Endpaper Mitts.

Contests and Giveaways:

Janeen Puckett, host of the Clothed in the Lamb podcast contacted me and invited me to be a sponsor for her second season. The first episode of Season Two will air on May 5, 2011. To celebrate, I'm donating a skein of worsted weight yarn to be given away to her listeners.

This is a brand new colorway called "Earthside" and I'm really, really happy with how it turned out. Take a look:

To find out what you have to do to win, go have a listen to Janeen's podcast! There will also be a discount code for her listeners, good for 10% off of anything in my Etsy shop. But again, you'll have to listen to find out what it is.

I'm hosting my own giveaway, btw, to celebrate the launch of Slinging Stitches...in Color! I'm giving away a 6-dpn set of US 2/2.75mm needles in harmony wood from KnitPicks and two balls of Debbie Bliss Rialto 4-ply (100% extrafine superwash merino, 189 yards/180 m, 50 g) in the following colors:

Want to win? Leave a comment on this post or visit this thread in my Ravelry group. You can say hello, tell me how you're feeling, or talk about your experiences with colorwork! I'll draw a random number from all entries at the end of May!

Real World Sightings:

I will be vending at the Midtown Bazaar next weekend, on May 7th. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello!

How to Contact me:

Ravelry: creaturecomfort
Ravelry Group: Creature Comfort Craftwork Fans
Etsy: Creature Comfort Craftworks on Etsy
Email: sarah.hawke [at] gmail.com
Twitter: creaturecmfts

Thanks for listening!