Check out my Etsy!

Hey everyone,
I have some new items for sale on Etsy so come check them out.  Here is a preview:

Knitting- not just for wintertime!

I don't have much to say for this entry.  Just want to share what I have been working on and some new discoveries.
Spring (maybe I should say summer?) has really gotten into me lately.  I love knitting natural and that is all I have been doing!  I'm still building my summer inventory-life certainly is trying to get in the way-and I'm slowly but surely making progress.  Here are some small pieces I have made, which will be made into jewelry as soon as I get the supplies!

Already blocked pieces

Small pieces being blocked

I do want to share one thing I have learned and that is the necessity of blocking.  To me it was something only done by experienced sweater-knitters.  If I saw it in a pattern I would skim over it to finish my product (because I'm impatient!).  But I FINALLY looked into what it really is and, I have to say it is so easy!  Especially cold-blocking where you basically pin out your piece to the shape it should be and spray it with water.  I found, also, with this leaf pattern it impossible to not block because the leaves curl into little cup-like shapes.  And if I string a leaf with a bump in it around my neck it looks like a tumor!  So, to avoid repeating, "It's not a tuma'!" all Schwartzenegger-like to everyone I meet, I had to block. 
Also, check out the website for Tricksy Knitter (linked to the pic below).  This is a great site for all your knitting needs and nerdery!

Leaf-shaped washcloths- just for fun-sies! :)

Socks, Jewelry and Yarnbombing- Oh what a week!

My order from Knit Picks came in this week.  I got a book about artistic knitting, blocking squares and some wonderful sock yarn to knit my first pair of socks.

Knit picks Felici fingering weight self-striping sock yarn in "Goth" and "Botany"

Awesome book about knitted art!

I've never knit socks before, but silly me picks a beautiful but challenging pattern from Knitty called Maeva.   Everything was going fine until I got to the chart and found myself angry and cussing when cabling proved to be near impossible when using size 0 needles.  After probably 6 hours worth of work on those socks, I frogged them.  I think I'll stick to a more simple pattern for my first time.
Until I start my sock again I have had a nice time starting to make my knit jewelry.   I want to start selling these on my Etsy site because I can make them faster and cheaper than the gloves.

The plan is to knit another one of these and make them into earrings.

Another awesome piece of information that I received was from the Yarnbombing Blog.  You have to check this out!

These ladies knit huge pieces to "tag" (that's right, grafitti-style) trees, statues, monuments, etc.  I totally want to do this.  Who's with me?  Knitters in Columbus need to rally together and Yarnbomb the Statehouse pillars!

Pieces of Pattern

I don't like knitting from patterns.
There, I said it. I know this seems counter-intuitive to being a knitter, but it's true.  Sometimes my tendency to stray from patterns comes back to bite me, but I just can't help myself.  I like to knit "freelance" style.  I don't even think that is really a term, but I like it.
Maybe that's what separates an "art" from a "craft".  We can follow other people's patterns to make exactly what they did, or we can innovate from the artist within.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to talk down "crafters" or anything, but there is some slight shift somewhere that takes something from everyday kitsch to a work of art.  Maybe I'm really a "modern" thinker, I don't know.
I have been straying far from the pattern path lately to try a new design that is completely intuitive.  I call it the "Pieces Scarf" in honor of my new blog.

This is just a trial.  I used pieces of different patterns to make each strand, then sewed parts of the strands together.
Strand 1:  Just a long strand of stockinette stitch 8 stitches across
Strand 2:  I used a pattern for a lace edge and interrupted my strand of stockinette with a lace edge.
Strand 3:  I stuck with a garter stitch for this one and used increasing and decreasing to make random leaf-like shapes.
Strand 4:  I threw in a bit of color and knit a purple/red strand using a simple lace pattern for the whole strand. 

I don't think I would combine these patterns together again, but, like I said, this was a trial.  I had a lot of fun with the gray strand because it was so random and I like the shapes!

Knitted Wedding

I found this site today for this knitting "club" in London, England.  They actually knitted objects for an entire wedding!  Check it out:  http://www.castoff.info/album/wedding2/index.asp. 

West Elm

Has anyone been to West Elm at Easton, it is amazing!  Also, FYI, they have these amazing hand-knit throw blankets that are super soft and cute.  They are also selling for $40 to $60, and I keep thinking, "how f-ing simple would those be to make?  Seriously they wouldn't be difficult.  And how are they making these things in mass if they are hand-knit?  Do they have a massive sweatshop full of Chinese knitters whipping these things out?  If so, can I have a job? ;)
On another note, I started going to a knitting circle again.  This one meets at the Chocolate Cafe in Grandview.  A friend from this group told me about this designer, MMario on Ravelry.  He designs some very beautiful shawls.  What amazes me is that I guess the guy doesn't even knit them, he just come up with the patterns straight out of his head!  That's genius for ya.  And only genius's would wear a top hat in their profile pic :)  I don't really knit or wear shawls, and lace scares the crap out of me, but I think I might be adventurous sometime soon. 

Well I am working right now on a new pair of fingerless gloves.  I have been making various pairs over and over again, trying to perfect the art.  These gloves are made with Lion Brand Wool Ease yarn in Azalea Pink.  (I know, I know, it's just store bought yarn, but it's so much cheaper!)  I incorporated a knit, purl triangles pattern on the fronts.  Also, these are different because I did not knit individual fingers...saves a lot of time! 
Here is a pair that I sold before with individual fingers:

I think I'm ready to try different things, but I want to find a pattern that is quick so that I can make a lot of something in little time.  I think chunky yarn is going to be the key....
That's all for now.

First Blog...Ever

I've never tried blogging before.  I guess I just have always seen them as either ego-maniacal rantings of under appreciated geniuses, or self-absorbed, introspective stories about people's lives that are have no effect on the real world.  I am probably right in a way, but I have also been able to read some blogs lately and am starting to see the importance.  They are not necessarily making this great impact on anything individually, but collectively they have a great impact on society...and I was really inspired by the movie Julie and Julia as well :)
Not that I have any grandiose expectations for this blog, so here goes.
I've been really interested in knitting for some time now.  I have been knitting different versions of a fingerless glove pattern and have sold a handful of them on Etsy, to friends and in a fundraiser sale.  But I really want to sell full time sooooooo bad.  It's difficult to do.  Lately, however, I have been really interested in starting a yarn shop near my home.  The only places to buy yarn are places like JoAnn's and Michael's, which are both very far away, in suburb areas.  There was one shop in Clintonville called WonderKnit.  They sold yarn and held classes and everything, but they went out of business.  I don't know why!!! I need to get a hold of them...was there just not enough clientele....was the location bad?  "What went wrong, seriously, what happened?" (quote from one of my favorite movies, High Fidelity).   I need to find out.
I know everyone who hears knitting thinks "grandma", but there is a serious knitting (and crafting) movement going on here in Columbus, and I want to be a serious part of it, damn it! 
So let's see what happens.