more than a little something

This weekend my friend Heather and I went to the American Craft Council show in Baltimore. I expected to walk the show, see some cool stuff and be inspired...but WOW! We saw some amazing things! It got me totally fired up...

(forgive the shots taken with my phone, they don't do the work justice!)

The scarves, above, are the work of Susan Neal an outstanding weaver. These wool scarves are woven, felted (fulled), then cut to remove portions of the weave to creating a pattern of holes, texture, and fringe. They are super soft and full of gorgeous color.

I couldn't resist buying myself a *little something* from Susan Neal: this colorful felty necklace made from the cut strips that are removed from the scarves shown in the first photo. I love it!

And speaking of *love*, the work of Jeung-Hwa Park is near and dear to my heart! Her booth had the most alluring rainbow of color. All of her scarves are hand loomed (knit) felted, hand dyed, and manipulated with a shibori technique. I've experimented with this technique before with my recycled sweater felting and it is just magical! Beads, balls or disks are wrapped and tied in the unfelted knit fabric to create a resist. Once felted, the objects are removed leaving the unfelted shape behind. (Check it out: My very first tutorial was on shibori felting, from May 2006, back when my blog was just a newborn baby. *Sigh*...they grow up so fast, don't they?)

More from Jeung-Hwa Park above. I think her work, more than anything else is fueling my desire to haul out my old knitting machine that I bought 20 years ago after graduation. Seriously, if only I could have a second life to play and experiment with it! As much as I truly adore the work that I am doing with my career and business, there is a part of me that misses the indulgent nature of exploring a certain media just for my own creative purposes. Someday, someday!

I highly recommend attending an ACC show if there is one in your area. I believe Atlanta, St. Paul and San Francisco are the next locations this year. I was only able to show you work from two of the craftspeople in attendance but the show was filled with talent of the highest quality. Top notch all the way.

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Regarding my last post: I'm glad you enjoyed seeing a little bit of my design process! So much goes into it, it's really hard to distill into a few photos and paragraphs. Some of you mentioned earning textile design degrees before computers were commonplace in schools and the industry. I feel your pain! I graduated with my degree in fashion design in 1989 and had the same issues with getting my hands on a computer for design work. I wanted it so badly. I do have more stories about this which I'll probably share someday...

how do you doodle?

Over the last week or so, several blogger/designers have been posting about their design process, giving a little behind-the-scenes look into how their work comes to be. I always love those types of posts and decided to get in on the fun by showing you one process that I use to design my textile prints.

First of all, I have a big inspiration board in my studio where I tack up swatches and images that I come across in magazines, catalogs, you name it. Anything that has a great color combo, texture or motif that I find inspiring goes on this board. (BTW, if you are distracted by that green felt pokey thing, and why wouldn't you be, it's fabulous, I wrote about it here.) Sometimes I pull things down and actively look at them but most of the time they are just in my daily background making me happy. That's my *input*, or at least a portion of it. Now let's look at the *output*...

...my doodling. I have lots of notebooks and sketchbooks and none of them are fancy. I like spiral bound pages because then I don't feel inhibited or psyched out by the permanence of a bound book. Most of the images above are mindless doodles with no agenda, I didn't sit down to design fabric, for example. When I do have an idea for a fabric print, my doodles are almost never more than a thumbnail concept, meaning I don't often polish a hand drawn sketch to completely describe my idea. They are usually just an indication of an idea to help me remember what I was thinking when the idea struck.

Take this little bird, above. At some point I drew this idea on the corner of a sticky note to tell myself that I wanted to do a print with birds flowing in and out. I was probably in the kitchen and drew it on the corner of the grocery list. At some point the teeny scrap made it upstairs to my studio!

Then one day when I decided I had a little time to design a print, I pulled it out and sketched a few leaves and birds, first in pencil and then with marker. (Even at this point I don't polish them up too much.) I scanned them into the computer and brought the sketch into Illustrator. I never use any sort of auto-trace hoo-haw, I trace it with the "pen tool" using a mouse. I don't know why I don't use a Wacom tablet, I just mouse it. For the varied line weight (thick and thin) around the bird, I make 2 sets of lines and push and pull them until I get them how I like 'em.

Once I have my elements set, I delete the scanned sketch and start playing with layout and color. I try things linear, tossed, complicated, simple, etc. For this print, named Flutter, I wanted to have the birds visually blend with the leaves in a flowing layout. Now comes the really hard part. For me. The repeat. (That's the layout that makes the elements repeat continuously across yards of fabric.) For years I worked in the children's apparel industry as a designer. I know all about repeats, how they're done, what's good and what's not. But now to actually DO ONE myself is a major undertaking and my biggest challenge. It requires absolute precision or it looks like crap and costs money to fix! The pressure! So...there's usually some crying involved, stomping around, emailing designer friends to give me tips. And then...I finally get it. Ahhhhh.....

The result! My first strike offs in two colorways on my organic cotton sateen. This print is (hopefully) part of my next print collection once I design a few more prints to go with it. The color is not represented well in this photo, but I'll probably tweak it some anyway.

So, that's just one of my little quirky ways of designing prints. When it comes to designing sewing patterns and creations for my shop, the process is of course completely different and maybe a post for another day.

If you would like to see the "process" posts that inspired mine, follow the links to these talented people!

Patricia, Jan, Michelle, Jessica, Jenean

new neighbors

It started on Christmas morning, the same week as our first big snowfall this winter. A few deer found a safe little haven under some bent pine tree branches at the edge of the park behind our house. They stayed, bedded down on a snowless patch of pine needles. We could see them from our kitchen window and periodically checked for them throughout the day. Even though we'd seen deer make a dash through the park a few times over the years, their presence that day seemed magical. Afterward, they moved on to wherever it is that suburban deer go.


A few weeks ago, after our February blizzards, this mama and baby deer showed up. (Can you see them? Laying down in the center of the shot. ) They hesitated, then staggered as their hooves poked through the icy crust, the snow up to their bellies. The storm caused so many branches to fall, that the park has many a lean-to for the deer to take shelter. Now every morning, I peer out my bedroom window to see if my sweet little deer are there. I see them from the kitchen when I make my morning coffee. The boys can see them from the breakfast table.

Sometimes they are there, only for a moment, and I joke that they are "teasing me with their cuteness" by not letting me enjoy them longer. But a day or two passes and they come back. I'm sure this summer when our garden gets nibbled away I may not be so charmed by our new neighbors. But for now their presence makes my day.

What little surprises make your day?

my darlin' clementines

Oh m'darlin'! I finally finished knitting the pair of socks I started in 2008. Ok, well, at least it was the end of 2008. I can't make up my mind about how I feel about sock knitting. One minute I think it's insane to knit anything on eensy weensy needles and the next minute I'm buying more gorgeous sock yarn. This delicious clementine colored yarn is from Sunshine Yarns. (I believe the colorway is called "starburst") I love how they feel and they really brighten my mood!

Now my needles are empty and I'm looking for the next knit. Got any ideas? I'm liking this skating hat but I could really use a new pair of slippers.

Happy Valentines Day!

Images from the new book called Monday Hearts for Madalene, by Page Hodel.

pillows, pouches, a promo and P.S.

And now for a little experiment. For the very first time, I am offering ready-made items in my shop sewn from my original organic fabrics! Choose from pillows and pouches, Indian Summer sateen and Family Cottage canvas...all sewn by yours truly. I gotta say, it's a kick to sew with my own fabrics. :)








As many of you probably know, I launched my own self-produced line of fabric in the summer of 2009. Having my own print designs on fabric has been a long time dream of mine. To stay true to my desire to be as earth-friendly as possible, I print exclusively on demand, in the US, on organic base goods. The digital printing process utilizes water-based, non-toxic pigment dyes and minimizes waste and water consumption. Printing on demand helps prevent fabric waste. I'm proud of that.

There's a saying I like that goes like this, "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two." In this circumstance, I have chosen to go with Good and Fast. That said, it's not Cheap. Printing short runs comes at a cost and organic fabrics are more costly than conventional. That's the downside. I'm sensitive to the fact that my fabric is not inexpensive. I wish that it were more affordable for everyone's sake. What good is creating something for people if they are unable to use and enjoy it?

Meanwhile, selling handmade items can be a challenge and gives the ol' "time/value" equation a real work out. (If you're not sure what I mean, my friend Michelle has a great post about it on her blog.) That's why I stated that this will be an experiment. I don't intend to sew and sell a lot of items. I've slaved in my own personal sweatshop of mass production in the past and it's not worth it. Now I'm doing my best to price things fairly based on my time and materials. I'm going to take it slow, see what the response is, and use my shop as a bit of a testing ground.

So, what's the promo that I mentioned up top? For the next 4 weeks I am reducing the price on my organic print yardage by $10 a yard. From now until March 11, 2010, my organic cotton/hemp canvas will be $54/yard and my prints on organic cotton sateen will be $46 a yard. (Smaller cuts such as Fat Quarters and Sample Sets will stay at the regular price.) While I know these prices aren't what anyone would call *cheap*, I do hope that this promo is helpful to you. Look at it as a small token of appreciation for all of the love and support you have shown me over the years as I navigate this thing I call my business.

P.S. Thanks to your votes, I won the Poppy Award for Favorite Handmade Eco Artist! More on this soon.

The Drift Scarf

I finished my scarf! (And yes, we are in the midst of another blizzard as I type this! Currently the park behind me in this photo has all but disappeared in a white-out of 25 MPH wind and snow) My scarf turned out very bulky and a bit over the top, but that suits me just fine, under the circumstances.


I'll tell you the story behind the scarf and how the idea evolved. When we lost our power during the blizzard I started knitting to pass the time. I already had a sock project on my needles, but it was too hard to knit on those tiny needles by flickering candle light! I had two balls of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick yarn (color: Fisherman) that I had purchased with the idea to make a thick scarf. I decided it was a good time to pull out the chunky yarn and start what would become my blizzard scarf.

I used US13 needles and began a few test swatches. I knew I wanted to create undulating waves somehow and remembered a technique I used in college when leaning to use a knitting machine. I knit a few swatches, folding my work and knitting through stitches from earlier rows to create horizontal tucks. I was on the right track but it was a little too random.

And then I remembered a book that I had received from my publisher, STC Craft. It's called Reversible Knitting by Lynne Barr.

The book is full of beautiful textural techniques, swatch examples and imaginative projects by top knitwear designers. Just the ticket! I knew there had to be some guidance in there to create the look I wanted.

I imagine Lynne Barr to be like some crazy mad scientist of knitting stitches. And I mean that in the best way! Page after page is packed with the most inspiring dimensional swatches and techniques. I finally came upon one that was more or less what I was looking for. Lynne calls it Folding Fabric.

My photos below will show you how to make the basic tuck I used in my Drift scarf. (Go easy on me, I'm not a knitwear designer so my wording may not sound conventional.)

1) Start by knitting and purling a wide rib. Your work should start with a knit rib and end with a purl rib. (an even repeat)

2) Rotate your work so the opposite side is showing above your needle. Using a double pointed needle (dpn) pick up the loop of a stitch a few rows below your current row. Be sure to count the rows between your main needle and your picked up row so that your tucks will be regularly spaced when you repeat them.

3) Continue to pick up stitches across that row, at least half of the repeat.

4) Rotate your work back and bring the dpn parallel to your main needle. Then knit 2 together (one stitch from the main needle and one stitch from the dpn) off both needles, then knit the remaining knit stitches of that rib.

5) Here you can see the slanty tuck! (If you wanted an even horizontal tuck, you could've picked up every stitch across the repeat in step 3.) Continue on, purling the purled rib, repeating the tuck on the next knitted rib, etc.

6) After your tuck row, continue working the ribbing pattern for an even number of rows. That way, the following tuck row (an odd row) will end up on the opposite side of your work, creating the same texture on both sides. I hope that makes sense!

This is the Folded Mini Dress, showing the folded fabric technique in action! Love this!

Here's the technique again used a bit differently in the Folded Scarf.

The ingenuity of this book doesn't stop there. Check out the Winding Path sweater by Whelan Chia. I've lifted the page to show you both ways it can be worn, right side up and upside down!

Or how about Teva Durham's Geometric Dress, worn right side out or inside out? Too cool.

I can't get enough of this book. The projects are edgy and fun and super inspirational. It really speaks to the knitting geek in me. I hope you'll be inclined to check it out at your local bookstore or visit the STC Craft website for more photos.

Eeek. I just looked out the window. I better hit "publish" on this post before we lose power again, it's wicked out there! At least if we do I'll have my Drift scarf to wrap up in.

Stay warm wherever you are!

Snow-my-gosh!

Whoa. What a winter weekend. Even after having grown up in the Midwest and living a large part of my adult life in Wisconsin, I have never seen this much snow in one fell swoop. The DC metro area was hit with a record breaking blizzard producing about 28-30" of snow. Keep in mind that this is an area that cancels school and activities for an inch or two of snow. So far school is canceled Monday and Tuesday and I'm guessing the entire week. We are walloped beyond belief!

Many many people are without power. Our neighborhood was cold and dark for about 30 hrs, Saturday and into Sunday. Plowed roads are a novelty and we are still quite buried. We hunkered down, bundled up and tried to entertain each other. There was a lot of reading, knitting and game playing by lantern and candle light. We have a gas stove so, thankfully, we could still cook something hot. Power returned midday Sunday, thank goodness! But...I am not holding my breath as it goes on and off frequently.

This is a photo of the park behind out house during the big snowfall. That rectangle in the lower right is a picnic table! The snow came right up to the benches.

In honor of the blizzard and to keep myself busy, I decided to start knitting a "blizzard scarf". I had some bulky winter-white yarn in my stash and got started with some fat needles for a quick knit. The drifts and swirly snow formations were my inspiration! I knit and knit and knit and was quite happy to do something productive during all of the time spent waiting.

This morning all was clear and calm and the sun shone brightly on the snow. I went out early with my camera to record some of the shapes and patterns formed in the drifts. And just look what I found...the perfect texture, created by a little squirrel between two trees...

My scarf design!

I'm calling this scarf design Drift. It is beyond thick and chunky and I just love it. The rippled technique is super fun and easy. I will tell you all about it as soon as I am done! I've got about a half a ball left, so I shouldn't be long now. Besides, I hear we've got more snow in store for Tuesday!

For those of you who follow me on twitter, thanks so much for your encouraging words during the blizzard! You guys are great!

make two, they're small

With February upon us I got working on a few things for the sweethearts in my life. I made a couple more baby mousies from my Squeak and Spike pattern, in Valentine colors. Just look what happens when you snuggle a pair of mousie friends up next to each other? They make a little heart shape! Two souls, one heart. What a sweet little set to give someone you love!

Writing the words "next to each other" made me think of another cute thing to share with you. My youngest used to say the phrase "next to der chudder". As in, "I want to sit next to der chudder!" We still use that phrase today, just to hang onto those long-since-spoken words of toddlerhood. Replaying those memories is one of the sweetest things in life.

What has become a family phrase in your house?