Tag Archives: fall

Two New Patterns for Autumn- Half Price!

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Looking back it seems like I always find myself in this place every year…Autumn. The time of year that apparently has the calendar skipping weeks on me, as I really do not know where the time has gone, while making me feel like there is a ton of things I need to get done in a short span of time. I guess it leaves me overwhelmed, exhausted, and feeling like I have many unmet responsibilities.

So in all this I guess I should be really thankful that I have managed to release not just one, but two new patterns!

Lisa Souza Dyeworks is releasing a few new yarns, and being a designer means that I can sometimes get my hands on this yarn early to create some new ideas. As was the case with Nyam (a Superfine Merino and Cashmere fine weight yarn) and Pyrenees Bulky (a 100% Organic Merino yarn) I was able to create a 1 skein project that is perfect for the holidays.

Nyam lent itself particularly well to my new pattern, Contextual Shawl. This shawl is a simple one row repeat that can really flatter almost any yarn, of any weight, of any size, any fiber content. The size can easily be adjusted to make it larger or smaller, and yet to look at it the pattern is not readily apparent. It works up fast and can be used as a project on the go. I can see this in so many different colors and styles that the possibilities are endless.

Matrix Hooded Cowl worked up great in Pyrenees Bulky. I have not made a lot of cowls in the past, but I can see the appeal. This cowl is again a one skein project that is nice and wide, and the perfect size in my opinion to warm the neck and offer protection form the cold as a hood. The pattern actually has a mirroring quality to it, as halfway across the row you work the mirror image of the beginning. It is a 4 row repeat that has a bit of fun with stacked shapes. Don’t let the open spaces fool you, paired with this yarn it is quite warm, making it tighter might just make it unwearable.

As a special offer to you, as a reader, please enjoy 50% off either of these patterns at my Ravelry Store for the next month (They will be only $2.00 then on November 30 the price resets to its original $4.00). Enjoy your quick paced autumn season.

Links:

Ravelry Store

Contextual Shawl

Matrix Hooded Cowl

Crochet in Autumn

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ScannedImageAutumn is always a busy time of year in my home. There is the gathering of fruits and finding ways to preserve them, usually in the form jams and jellies, as well as dehydrated, but sometimes it is cakes and cookies and pies. With the United States celebrating Thanksgiving, it also becomes a time when family memories are created around food.

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Jams & Jellies

However in my life, it not only revolves around food, but yarns and crochet. This is the time of year for last minute holiday gifts, the time of year to reinvigorate hobbies that you work sitting next to a fire, the time of year to think warm thoughts and use that to envision warm items.

I find that I have many people looking for lessons, either private or in my standing classes, to hone their crochet skills, while an increase of requests for mended heirlooms, and custom gifts. So really autumn becomes a time when crochet seems to fill more minds.

For me this is juggled with the other responsibilities of life, birthday parties, holiday dinners, all those special events that always seem to save themselves for the very end of the calendar year. Every year I am surprised at how fast the last 8 weeks of the year just appear to fly by in a blink.

Items tend to come off my hook faster as well, it might be the added self-imposed pressure of getting everything done by a created deadline, or it could be that cold, wet, weather that keeps me moving my hook instead of enjoying the great outdoors. Either that might be the cause, it does help with productivity.

Even if this time of year seems to have time dissolving away, I still find it Thankful. My hands are busy, and my heart is full. What better way to enjoy the time of autumn.

When Crochet is Not My Friend

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ScannedImageIt almost never fails, this time of year brings out the anxiety in me. It feels like all the deadlines of life accumulate at this junction, and unfortunately crochet can lead to more problems than solutions.

This might sound odd. How can crochet be any kind of problem? Well for me it boils down to multi-tasking. Crochet is not a very multi-tasking friendly medium, it helps to relax and express creativity, and it even helps me not to reach for every piece of chocolate at every moment of the day (as my hands are busy working and cannot readily reach them). Yet when it comes to dealing with autumn crochet can be too much of my distraction.

DSCF0561A prime example of this occurred yesterday. I was planning on having a blog post sharing some of my fall happenings, like making quince and grape jelly, apple butter, and maybe even fresh homemade apple pie. I was excited about getting things done yesterday, and eagerly got into my juggle of everything that I could attempt to accomplish. I should mention here that I do live on a small farm, and this time of year is when the majority of my fruits need to be harvested, and after they are harvested I need to do something with them. Over the years I have realized that my harvest is completely different from year to year; some years I have a bounty of pears, others it maybe figs or walnuts, this year it is apples and zinfandel grapes.  That does not mean that I do not receive any of the other fruits, it just means that the crop of those mentioned was greater in size then the rest and larger than normal.

MP900384696So, as I began juicing the grapes for jelly, I also began cutting and cooking quince to create its jelly. As I was waiting for the quince to simmer and slowly break down and release their flavor and pectin to the water, I would work on a crochet project; getting up from my hook to check my cooking pot. This went on for a while. Then it happens, as it all too frequently does, time gets away from me. The fruit began to burn on the bottom of the pot, and add a not so very nice flavor to my jelly, all while I am creating.

My hook can sometimes be my downfall, it can be all to consuming and allow me to become lost in thought all too easily. So now that I have thrown out one batch of quince jelly, and need to work myself up into making a second, and then find a way to work up my stitches without having then completely distracting me.

New Respect for the Makers of Yarn

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ScannedImageI have a new found appreciation for the work any small independent yarn company or dyer does. This last weekend I had the opportunity to experience the New York Sheep & Wool Show, at the Duchess County Fairground in Rhinebeck, NY by working in the booth of Lisa Souza Dyeworks.

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Beautiful colors at the NY Sheep & Wool Show at the Duchess County fairground, Rhinebeck, NY

As many can image, these small businesses have yarn specially milled, some do custom dyeing to bring beautiful and unique colors, some work with specialty fibers to bring us unique and soft yarns. We can easily imagine the obvious parts of the business, like putting the color on the yarns, of raising the animals to shear or comb for fibers, but the true essence behind what it takes for them to stay in business is something that we can easily overlook.

I have worked this booth in the past at different venues, but this is the first time I have been there from set-up to take down. Usually I assist people looking for various yarns, I answer questions, and help replace stock, however this time in addition to the meet with the customers, I helped set the product on the walls, getting everything in place for its first customers and then helped put everything into the moving truck the moment the show ends on Sunday.

Now I have heard the stories of the Rhinebeck show. This is its 35 year of operation, and it has quite a reputation. It is a full fiber show that invites the whole family. There are a variety of sheep breeds, as well as shearing demonstrations, spinning competitions, weaving demonstrations, interesting food vendors, many vendors featuring fiber related goods, book signings and all round simple wholesome good times. This show receives a large number of people over just two days, I have heard figures average about 60,000 people over the weekend, I can say it does feel like that many.

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Nancy & Deb have no problem eating lunch at a picnic table in snow flurries. Definitely giving me memories.

After working on the floor over the events two days, I can say I was completely exhausted. I met many people, made some new friends and spent some time with long time ones, (such as Margaret Hubert, Jessie Rayot, Shari White, Nancy Smith, Andrea Giattini, and Deb Seda,  even if a couple of them thought it was warm enough to share lunch on the picnic bench while there were snow flurries, I may not have mentioned that it was cold during the event…temperatures somewhere in the 30’s (F) on Sunday). I even met Katy Clement who had a video of my competition with Lily Chin at the 2014 CGOA Chain Link Conference (Knit & Crochet Show) in Concord, NC (at the Fun Night, I had beat everyone else in the room at speed crocheting, and then got to face off against Lily Chin for the title…yes, I lost, but Lily is really fast). She shared the video with me and I am happy to share it with you here (IMG_3743).

Then after the show closed the real work began, the entire product, all the display needed to come down, be boxed up and placed in the moving truck. So after being on your feet for 10-12 straight hours the last 3 consecutive days, after traveling over 3000 miles, you then need to make a final push and make it all go away. It was physically draining (I am sure I lost some weight), I used muscles that I forgot I had. Then you realize, every show is like this. There is nothing overly special for vendors at this show (except that the amount of people can generate into more sales), but these small independent yarn companies do this multiple time a year, some more than once a month to get their yarn into your hands. I met one vendor that will have done 18 shows this year; I didn’t even ask how many miles they have traveled.

It is not an easy job that they undertake, a job that is a passion about yarn. I appreciate what they go through to keep a viable business, and keep a great product available for me to work with. My hats off to them and all small businesses that go extra miles that most of us just take for granted.

Welcome the Designs for Fall

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ScannedImageMy secret confession….time has completely gotten away from me. Okay, that is probably not a secret, and I am sure that I am not alone. However in the drought stricken California it has brought fall on a little earlier then expected; I am already harvesting peaches from my little trees, my neighbors are already harvesting grapes to begin the “crush” and create wine, none of this usually ever happens before September, so I am probably thinking it is later in the year then it is.

Autumn Leaves Placemat_CW2015OctI am pulling out the dehydrator and beginning to get my canning supplies together to put up fruit from this early season. My little farm is awaiting new arrivals as I have a broody chicken, a hen that is sitting on eggs, and I should soon be seeing new little chicks. However, even with all this rural lifestyle events I have some fun things happening in crochet.

Since autumn us so prevalent on my mind lately I am happy to share the release one of my latest designs in Crochet World Magazine. The October 2015 issue features my Autumn Leaves Place Mat. This place mat is created in utilizing 5 join as you go motifs, which are shaped to resemble leaves, created in Cotton Classic Lite from Tahki Yarns. I find that I use place mats in my home more then I would have thought; this is mostly due to the fact that I actually picked out and purchased my dining room table, but the wood is a little softer than I realized and is can scratch and mar without much effort. So this place mat is just big enough to fit a plate and silverware while adding a fun and festive feel to my meal table. Even though the design is worked in fall colors, I think a nice gold or orange would be nice, even a striking brown, but I could also reinvent this design for spring and work some up in beautiful shade of green.

Crochet World_Oct2015I hope that winter does not delve in to quickly (although I wouldn’t mind some rain), so that I can savor a little of this time of change.