petite vache designs

FREE online workship, knitting FO and shop update

2011-11-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

so, i realized that i rarely mention knitting these days on my blog. this DID start out as a knitting/crochet blog and has recently gravitated more toward spinning and sewing. in an effort to rectify this little oversight i give you my latest knitting FO, this totally cute little shrug.

i'm not sure exactly how it happened, but somehow i ended up on an email list for Craftsy.com and a few weeks ago i got an email invite to do a free workshop featuring this One Skein Knit Shrug pattern by Stefanie Japel. this workshop is still free as of today, November 3rd at 5pm Pacific time!! if i were you i'd head on over there right now and sign up before they come to their senses and start charging for this workshop again. just click the link above that says "One Skein Knit Shrug" and it should take you straight there :)

{ me modeling my new handknit, handspun shrug }

the pattern suggested a single skein of Cascade 220, but seeing as how i've got a closet full of my own handspun that i never do anything with i decided to go digging and this is what i came up with

{ 75/25 BFL/Silk - 261yds approx. worsted weight }

this yarn has been sitting around in my stash since i first got serious about spinning over a year ago, which should really be a crime because it's so incredibly soft due to the mix of silk and BFL. although, maybe i should be glad i hadn't used it for anything until now because it really was the perfect yarn for this pattern. you can see in the pic it's a little thick and thin and i was concerned that might show in the finished product, but as you can see from the closeup below it actually produced a pretty even looking fabric. especially since this pic is pre-blocking (i actually still haven't blocked it yet hehe)

{ closeup to show detail }

i ended up finishing this in 4 days with about 10 yards left over to make a matching cuff or bow or whatever i think up to use it for xD

not only is this pattern really a really cute, quick, fun knit, the workshop format online atCraftsy.com was really cool. once you sign into the workshop you progress through several pages of instruction with lots of photos that show you exactly how to do everything step by step. and you can also get involved in discussion with everyone else that's taking the workshop, and even ask questions and get responses from the designer herself.

i really think Craftsy has a great idea with these new workshops. there are a few sewing workshops they have for sale that i'm seriously considering buying.

and speaking of sewing i've got some awesome little additions to my shop as of today

{ itty bitty boxy bag: skinny rectangle - black white red }

i'm proud to pronounce that i am once again putting my sewing skills to good use and sewing a new line of mini box bags for my shop. they're really all purpose, handly little bags that i can envision being used for everything form makeup or notions storage to an actual purse for those times when you just want to take a few essential things with you

{ itty bitty boxy bag: fat rectangle - dusty ping and mauve }

so far i've got 2 different sizes, the skinny rectangle and the fat rectangle, each one is just about big enough to hold a travel set of knitting/crochet notions, a handful of spools of thread, just enough makeup/keys/ID to get you through a trip to the store and back.

you can see these two bags on sale in my etsy shop, as well as get all the information about the exact size and materials i used.

well that's all for today folks. check back soon because i'm going to have an in depth review of those banana and ramie fibers i talked about a few weeks ago ^.^

happy knitting/crocheting/spinning/sewing/crafting

~carla

xmas in october and 2 giveaways!

2011-10-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

time for a picture-heavy post!

i've been a huge fan of PhatFiber for a few years now, but for some reason it never occured to me to blog about the awesome weekly giveaways here :: scratches head ::

this week there is some awesome fiber up for grabs like this gorgeous loose cashmere/tussah silk fiber package from none other than my fav indy dyer Girl Meets Spindle:

{ click here for your chance to win! }

or if you're more into the cool colors there's a BFL/Silk hankie package being given away by Fun House Fibers:

{ cliquez ici pour votre chance a gagner! }

pardon my french folks, i just hate typing the exact same thing under 2 different pics. if you don't speak french that says the same thing thats under the first pic xD

and now on to my very own XMAS IN OCTOBER!!!!

and why is it xmas in october you ask? well because i got 2 TOTALLY AMAZING packages in the mail today.

this first package came from Zebisis Designs on Etsy. this was my first time ordering from Zebisis but i've seen her richly saturated fibers all over ravelry. much like Girl Meets Spindle, Zebisis specializes in mostly Luxury fibers but also handmade spindles and also takes the time to package her fiber in a wonderfully aesthetically pleasing way. this stuff was pricey, i'll be honest, but when i felt how soft it was it was worth every last penny. not only did i get the fiber i paid for but she also sent me a full 2.3 oz "sample" of some gorgeous hand dyed silk brick, and some matching mohair locks!

{ 4oz 50/50 Merino Silk roving in "Moody Rainbow" }

{ 2.3oz "sample" of Mulberry silk brick }

unfortunately i have a mohair allergy so i didn't wanna take the locks out to photograph them lest they make my fingers burn :( but i assure you they are equally as lovely

and in box #2 i got my swap package for the Legends of the Underworld swap on ravelry! my swap partner Hygieia really spoiled me rotten, just look at the size of this box!

{ sunglasses are there for reference only, they were not part of the package xD }

when i opened up the box it was just filled to the brim with individually wrapped goodies ^-^

{ all the lovely packages}

i feel so incredibly spoiled, there was just too much goodness to list all of it here. pretty much everything was skully themed, from the bandaids to the stitch markers to the craft supplies, even skully tissues and duct tape!

{ the loot }

but aside from all the skully goodness there were also a couple awesome little gifts she had her brother bring me from Japan because she knew that i love things from foreign countries. i honestly can't even list everything i got here cuz it would just be too much but as you can see from the pic i am one happy camper ^.^

i hope everyone's had a great week, i'm going to have a few spinning fiber reviews coming up soon including the ramie and banana fibers from my last post so be on the lookout for my next blog post!

~carla

exotic and luxury fibers, and a little sewing too :)

2011-10-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

i got another great package from Girl Meets Spindle a few weeks ago, as you can see below

{ i really do love the way she packages her fiber }

i've had my eye on some of the luxury and exotic fibers in Rachel's shop for quite some time now and so i decided to buy myself a little birthday treat in the form of 2 luxurious oz of 50/50 royal baby alpaca/cashmere, and also a few half ounce samples of Ramie and Banana fibers.

{ 1/2oz steel blue Banana fiber }

i really love the halo on this banana fiber, and it's much softer than i expected. i'm still not exactly sure which part of the banana plant this fiber comes from, but my friend Justin was over the day i got my package and he's now demanding a banana fiber beanie from me xD

{ 1/2oz Ramie fiber in "Winter Morn" }

now, i'm sure some of you are wondering "what the heck is 'Ramei' fiber?" well i honestly didn't even know exactly what it was when i bought it, so i just googled it right now and got this interesting little tid bit:

"Ramie, also known as “China Grass”, is a flowering plant native to eastern Asia. For centuries, ramie fiber has been used for making fabrics and clothing. In fact, ramie has been used for clothes since at least 5000 - 3000 BC in Egypt.

Ramie fibers are one of the strongest natural fibers. Ramie can be up to 8 times stronger than cotton, and is even stronger when wet."

this too is much softer fiber than i had anticipated, and has a similar whispy

halo to the banana fiber.

{ 2oz 50% Royal Baby Alpaca, 50% Cashmere in colorway "Molten Metals" }

but of course the crown jewel of my birthday fiber shmorgasborg is this sinfully luxurious alpaca/cashmere blend fiber. i haven't even had the heart to spin it yet i've just been taking it out to stare at it longingly and stroke it's unbelievable softness hehe

i'm not even sure of how i'm going to spin it yet or what i'm going to make with it, but i think for now i'll just keep it as a fibery pet ^-^

{ my very first hand sewn needle/notions organizer }

and last but not least i'm excited to report that i've actually been bitten by the sewing bug lately. to make a long story short i recently got into Steampunk fashion, which is basically like late 19th century late victorian kinda stuff. i really wanted to get a pair of bloomers, but i just wasn't willing to pay what people were asking on Etsy, not when i knew i could sew them myself with the help of my trusty sewing machine ^^

{ crochet hooks and stitch holders }

needless to say the pics you see in front of you are NOT bloomers xD

i had a bit of a fiasco with trying to get the correct measurements and my first bloomers attempt were far too small :( but i've since bought some new fabric and will be making another attempt soon. in the mean time though i sewed this awesome little needle/notions organizer from some scraps left over from one of my Underworld Swap projects.

{ DPNs }

i created my own pattern for this using my limited sewing knowledge and thought it came out great, although next time i think i'll use a thiner fabric, this stuff was almost felt like and it make doing some of the top stitching a bit tough. if there are any seamstresses out there who would like me to share the pattern with them i'd be more than happy to do so just leave me a comment here with your email and i'll get back to you :)

{ all tied up }

if all goes well this week i should have some pics of bloomers to share, as well as the usual spinning/knitting related goodness.

have a great weekend everyone ^^/

peace&love

~carla

best TDF evar!

2011-09-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

today i'm super excited because i finally got around to taking pics of the prize i won during the TDF!!!

{ my new lovely locks, that happen to match my sheets hehe }

i got a wonderful goodie bag a few weeks ago filled with locks in 4 different colors and a few generous sized samples from Prancing Pixel on Etsy. i won this awesome prize from a challenge in the Team Fun Onion group where we were asked to spin the most unusual substance. as i think i've mentioned before i actually spun up some of my own hair clippings after a homemade haircut one day and entered it as my submission. thank you so much to Prancing Pixel for this great prize, this was the first time i ever won a prize for the Tour de Fleece....so exciting! ^-^

{ Doomsday Mitts - for mah Underworld Swap partner }

and on to knitting news, my 2nd go at my "Doomsday Mitts" pattern is shaping up quite nicely in some randomly self striping yarn i spun. the fiber came from FeltingSunshine on Etsy and it's 100% Falkland fluffiness that i spun single ply to preserve it's squoosh. i have to admit that doing the same pattern in both a plied and unplied yarn has taught me a lot about the properties of each. i used a 2ply BFL yarn for my initial cast on and found that my mitts were almost a bit too tight. using this single plied Falkland i actually had to adjust the pattern a bit because the fabric was a bit too stretchy. these are really good things for a knitter to know, word to the wise knitters; get to know your yarn ;P

{ closeup of the detail }

this pair is going to my swap partner for the "Legends of the Underworld" swap in the Legendary Swaps group on ravelry. i can't talk about it too much just incase she's my spoilee as well and is stalking my blog, but i think just posting pics of the mitts won't give anything away :: fingers crossed ::

and lastly in non knitting/spinning news i've started getting my first bell peppers in my garden ^^

{ baby bell pepper, oh what color will you be? }

i've always had a passion for growing things, but unfortunately i've got a teeny little back porch and no back yard so it's really hard to grow things. the light is always shifting because of the buildings all around so i have to grow in small pots like the pic below to be able to move things around for light exposure.

{ i can't wait to harvest these beauties }

i HAVE been attempting to grow tomatoes too but it seems that something is killing them :(

if anyone out there had any idea how to keep tomato plants alive i'm all ears :D

i hope everyone is having great return of fall (la rentrée as the french say) and don't forget to get started on your holiday knitting...xmas is just around the corner!

peace&love

~carla

spinning and knitting a nebula

2011-09-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

{ "nebula in the garden" - i'm not sure why this one pic came out so big :} :scratches head in puzzlement:: }

happy saturday everyone ^-^

i've been quite a busy little bee since my last post here. i finished spinning up that beyond gorgeous cotton fiber from Girl Meets Spindle and i was so smitten with the end result that i had to knit it up right away into a cowl. and THEN i still had a teensie little bit of yarn left over so i just HAD to knit myself up a new bow to go with my cowl :)

{ nebula up close }

i just realized i forgot to take some decent pics of just the cowl so you can see the stitch pattern and all that goodness but here's one i took earlier with me modeling it.

{ lol that you can see my work shirt logo in the pic...i'm not the greatest camerawoman xD }

and it seems that i've developed a thing for bows lately. i think i wear them because i'm jealous i can't wear hats since my hair is too poofy. i totally need to knit and felt myself one of those little teeny steampunk hats that just clip on to your hair to further abate my hat envy (upcoming design idea maybe??)

i honestly can't wait to see what Girl Meets Spindle dyes up next! i hope she keeps dying this awesome pima cotton roving though, it was totally worth the frustration of dropping my spindle a million times to spin it :P

and that's not all i've been up to :3 i'm also test knitting my "doomsday mitts" pattern right now as i knit up a pair for a swap i'm involved in that i shall tell you all about next time (gotta save something to blog another day)

i hope everyone's having a great weekend :)

~carla

katydids and fingerless mitts

2011-09-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

i had really hoped to be blogging again sooner but this year has been a tough year for me health wise. i injured my back at the end of last year and it seems to be having a hard time healing because i re-injured it again a few weeks ago and was actually laid out on my bed for a week :(

but fortunately i'm feeling better so i can finally stand to sit in my computer chair long enough to get a blog post done ^.^

so what is a katydid?

i was tending to my garden a few weeks ago, accompanied by my friend Dave, when suddenly he points to some flowers and say "what is that?" i took a close look at it and i honestly had no clue what it was, i'd never seen one before, but it looked like some kind of grasshopper.

so we got on google and did some research to find that this little guy is a Katydid. i have to admit i had no idea what a Katydid was, i'd never heard of them or seen one, but there are 2 of them that seem to have taken up residence in my garden now. i see them back there almost every day now, chewing on those bright yellow flowers ^.^

on to knitting news, i'm glad to announce that i've finally finished knitting my Doomsday Mitts:

i designed these mitts especially for this gorgeous gradient yarn i spun because i wanted to be able to make the cuffs as long as i could go and waste as little of my yarn as possible. it was a bit of a challenge designing top down gloves, most knitters would know that gloves are almost exclusively worked from the cuff down to the fingers. the thumb gusset had to be cast on instead of bound off so i had to scour the internet for techniques to acheive that.

i'm really excited for how they've turned out and now i just have to wait until it gets cold enough for me to actually wear them, hehe. i also need to try to remember HOW i knit them so i can write the pattern out (oops, i probably should have been doing that as i went ::facepalm::)

i've also been slowly plugging away at spinning up some absolutely devine cotton fibre i got from Girl Meets Spindle.

{ Girl Meets Spindle 100% Pima Cotton - Nebula }

anyone who's ever spun with cotton can tell you just how frustrating it is to spin with, but this stuff is really not so bad. i'd be lying if i said i hadn't heard my spindle drop more often than when spinning wool, but not nearly as much as other cotton i've tried.

i'm actually done with the spinning now and have moved on to plying so i should have some FO pics of this yarn very soon. i can't wait to get it plied and skeined up, just look at those colors!

and i leave you all today with this awesome reflection i saw on my wall about a week ago. as far as i can tell the sun was being reflected off a van window outside and in through my sliding glass door. there are some poorly manicured bushes in the path of the beam that projected this really cool image. it took me a while to figure out where it was coming from, but now i just hope that van will park there again sometime so i can see it again ^.^

happy labor day weekend everyone, and happy knitting/spinning too!

~carla

the tour de fleece is over :(

2011-08-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

man i am really bad at keeping up with this blog xD

i know i said i was making my triumphant return to blogging at the end of June, but then the tour de fleece started and shortly after that a houseguest from the far off land of Ohio arrived so i've been swamped ever since.

but i DO have a wide array of spinning FO pics from the tour for your viewing pleasure ^.^

{ Metal Rabbit - 3.4oz, BFL }

this was my first finished yarn of the tour. this BFL was bought from Play At Life Fiber Arts as a set of sister batts, one black, one orangy/salmony gradient. it is so incredibly soft and squooshy, i'm not sure i even want to knit something with it. i might just have to save it to pet and smoosh as stress relief xD

{ Habitable Moon - 4oz, Polwarth }

and here's my first Polwarth yarn. i purchased a Polwarth roving/combed top combo pack from Friends in Fiber because i never knew there was a difference between roving and combed top. the two words are used pretty much interchangeably even though they are actually 2 different preparations of wool. combed top is the preparation you usually see in braids in most indie dyer shops on Etsy. roving, however, is a preparation that is pulled into 1 long length of fiber that's usually wrapped into a ball. it have to admit that i prefered the combed top preparation for spinning, i found the roving to be a bit neppier, but maybe that was just that particular roving.

{ Chocolate Caramel Ice cream - 47 grams, 100% Merino }

this fiber is actually left over from last years tour de fleece and i used it as practice for spinning a 3 ply laceweight yarn. i was unsuccessful at getting an even laceweight, but i think i came pretty close overall ^^

{Fishbowl - 1/4 oz, 100% Mulberry Silk }

i think this little sample was my favorite spin of the tour. the colors are sublime, thanks to Girl Meets Spindle. if you're a spinner and you haven't checked out this shop yet go do it nao! i'm in love with her colors and luxury fibers.

{handspun hair - my hair}

i guess i went a little spin crazy this tour because i actually won a prize for spinning a most unusual substance - my hair! i was evening it up a little bit one day during the tour, and i looked down at the hair clippings and my brain equated it as fiber so i had to try to spin with it. i have to admit i'm surprised i was able to spin it but it did work, even if it's just a teeny sample. my hair doesn't grow very fast

{ Forest Floor - 3.2oz, Falkland }

i actually started spinning this during the tour but didn't get to finish until after tour was over :(

this was a tour of exploring new fibers for me, first the Polwarth, then the Mulberry Silk, and then this Falkland. i got this fluffy Falkland from Felting Sunshine, i really love her rich, saturated colors.

{ Fawl Shawl - my first full sized shawl! }

i loved this yarn so much that i had to take a break from spinning to knit this Monarch Shawl. I think i'll tell you all about my adventures in shawl knitting next time though. have a wonderful weekend everyone ^^/

~carla

divorce and new beginnings

2011-06-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

believe it or not, i didn't actually forget i have a blog xD

in July of last year my marriage came to an end and since then i've been on a long, emotional, but ultimately rewarding journey to pick up the pieces of my life.

it's funny how sometimes in life we lose the ability to see things for what they really are. when Christophe told me he was leaving me i really didn't understand why. i knew we had our problems, but i think the stress of a long distance marriage consumed me so much that i couldn't see how unhappy we both were. i fell apart for a few months, trying to figure out some way to fix things, some way to make things better between us until i came to a point where i realized i didn't WANT to fix them. no matter how much it hurt to be left, i came to realize that i'm the one who always wanted to leave. and at the same time, i realized that i have never fully lived my life.

getting divorced i think forces one to confront themselves. at so

me point i had to look at my own life, and how i'd been living it, and take responsibility for the hand i had in the demise of my marriage, and the hand i've had in most of the bad things that have happened in my life that i always just chalked up to "bad luck." in all honesty, my divorce is the best thing that ever happened to me. it's put my life in perspective for me, probably for the first time ever.

it's an odd place to be in, to be 27 years old and realize you never truly learned how to live life on your own. to realize you've just been depending on others, and blaming everyone and everything else when things go wrong. i guess there's nothing like a divorce to make one realize it's time to grow up.

so here i am, a year later, and i've never been happier in my life. obviously i'm still working through a lot of emotions, even though i've found closure it's still a lot to deal with. but for the first time in my life i truly feel like i can deal with anything, i feel like i'm in control of my own destiny, and thats a great feeling.

but enough of my personal life journey for today, this is a knitting/crochet/spinning blog after all and although i have forsaken my blog this past year, i've still been spinning up a storm. this is some sinfully soft and lofty BFL that i bought from Color Craze Fiber on Etsy. i spun it up and andean plied it to make really cool color transitions.

{close up shot so you can really see the colors}

i'm using it to create a new design, Doomsday Mitts (yes i'm still designing here and there :P)

they are so named because i started the design on the day of the supposed apocolypse last month. i'm sure everyone remembers that little debaucle xD

the design is actually done, i'm just finishing up the ribbing on both mitts and the mitts themselves will be done too ^.^

and now for your daily dose of fiber deliciousness:

{100% Merino Batt: Into the Sunset}

i've just discovered a new favorite indie dyer on Etsy:

Girl Meets Spindle. I recently ordered the Batt pictured above and the cotton roving below (yes i said COTTON ROVING!!!) i live in California so spinning with wool isn't always too appealing in the summer. sadly not very many indie dyers chose to die cotton, so i was just THRILLED to find Girl Meets Spindle

{100% Cotton Roving: Nebula}

Rachel from Girl Meets Spindle probably has the m

ost beautiful, bright color combinations i've seen do date, and not to mention some of the most crave-worthy fibers like Royal Baby Alpaca and Cashmire blend, or her Camel and Tussah silk blend. I haven't had the pleasure of trying out any of those luxury blends yet myself, but the merino and cotton i got is amazingly soft so i can only imagine ^.^

If you're a spinner you'd be crazy not to click the link and go check out her shop. it's not just her colors that are amazing, it's her attention to detail. i don't know about you, but i'm a sucker for awesome packaging and this package i got from her did not dissapoint.

everything was wrapped up tight in bubble wrap and individually wrapped in tissue paper or in the case of the cotton a celophane bag, all labelled with her adorable little stickers ^.^

and the tiny little orange package just so happened to be a gorgeous little 1/4 oz sample of pure Mulberry Silk...i could have just DIED

{100% Mulberry Silk: Fishbowl}

this horrible blurry picture really doesn't do it justice, but you can still see how vibrant the colors are and the beautiful sheen it has.

I'd just like to thank Rachel for this lovely package, and also tell everyone that right now she's having a sale on batts to help her pay for a new drumcarder. so if you're wondering where to make your next fibre purchase, or fueling up for this years TDF go give some support to Girl Meets Spindle and help her get a drumcarder so she can make even more beautiful batts!

well folks, that's all for today. i don't even know if anyone will read this because all my followers have probably stopped following my blog after a year of absense. but if you're still out there and still following and reading thanks for doing so ^.^ i'm hoping to start blogging again regularly now that my life is getting back to normal so hopefully i'll be able to tempt you all into following again :)

Peace & Love

~carla

day 12: TdF challenge day

2010-07-22T23:06:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece day 20:

today was challenge day on the Tour de Fleece, to represent the Tour de France's most challenging mountain stage of the race. i had really intended on trying to spin a lot today, but it would seem that a lot of other little things got in the way. but i am getting ever closer to finishing up this Gale's art roving, all i have left is the fibre you see in the pic above.

today was an equally challenging day in other aspects, one of which was my attempt to get some good shots of my "petite vache" to add to the pattern so i can finally upload it to Ravelry. unfortunately i think i waited a bit too late in the day because there's just way too much shadowing in the pics i took

{petite vache - shrouded in shadow}

oh well, i guess i'll just have to try again tomorrow.

and the most challenging part of today was when i somehow managed to get a really nasty virus on my computer. it's causing all kindsa havoc right now and i might even have to call in some kinda tech guy to get things straightened out. :<

and on that note i'm off to see what else i can do to rid my poor computer of this evil virus. wish me luck!

peace&love

~Carla

day 11: TdF day of rest

2010-07-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece day 19:

well today is one of 2 official "days of rest" during the Tour de France (and Tour de Fleece) so i'm also going to take a little rest on my blog-a-thon and just post this pic of my spinning progress. i have a sneaking suspicion that i'm spinning this half a lot thinner than i spun the first half, but i guess i'll just have to wait til i ply it to find out for sure!

have a great night everyone ^^/

~Carla

day 10: my triumphant return!

2010-07-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

so, i've recovered from my dissapointing blog posting experience yesterday....don't you just hate when you spend so much time typing out a post somewhere and then something malfunctions and you just lose it all? i think i'm going to start copying my posts before posting now just incase xD

Tour de Fleece days 17 & 18:

{day 17 progress - navajo plying}

i decided i'd post my progress pic from yesterday so you could see the navajo plying in action. this is my first time trying out this plying method and i have to say it is REALLY hard when you're just learning it. basically it's a technique where you take a single ply of spun yarn and make these really long crochet chains. you allow the chains to twist in on themselves and the result is a 3ply thickness from a single ply of yarn.

sound confusing? well thats cuz it is :P i'll be needing a lot more practice with this technique before i get comfortable with it.

{day 18 progress - 1 finished cake of navajo ply yarn, and the beginning of the 2nd half of fibre on the spindle}

initially, i had broken this 4oz braid of fibre in half and was going to attempt to ply 2 singles together. this is another technique i have yet to try, but i decided that i wanted to try navajo plying instead.

and since this DID start out as a knitting blog i've vowed to start posting more pics of my knitting WIP's. my latest is these adorable maryjane style cabled slippers:

i found this pattern doing a random search for cables on ravelry while looking for something to knit for Herbology this month in the HPKCHC. i thought they'd be a quick easy knit...boy was i wrong! as it turns out, the soles are double padded, so instead of knitting just 2 sole peices i have to knit 4 -_-

{cabled slippers in progress}

so here's my progress pic so far. i've got 1 full sole peice done and about 3/4 of a 2nd one. i guess all in all it really won't take THAT long to knit 4 sole peices, but i swear i thought it was a typo when i first saw it xD

well th-th-th-that's all for today folks. it's been so nice and cool around here lately, i hope everyone is having the same luck with the weather!

peace&love

~Carla

day 9: technical difficulties

2010-07-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

so....

i just spent the last 30 minutes or so typing up a spectacular blog post, only to have it all completely erased due to an error in the blogger system

::sighs::

i just don't have the heart to type it all out again...so this will be my blog post for today...

i need a hug :<

day 8: beleive it or not, i do still knit!

2010-07-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece day 16:

i had a pretty busy sunday, a lot of cleaning up around the house and playing with my friend Justin's dogs, but i did manage to get some progress done on my Gale's Art Crayon Box roving. with just about a week left of the tour this will probably be the last yarn i get done, which will bring my tour total to 4. not bad for a rookie spindler i must say, although i do quite feel like a little fish in a big pond with all the wheel spinners cranking out skeins after skein of gorgeous yarn. i'm definitely going to have to save up for a wheel, not only to be able to spin faster but to spare my poor aching shoulder.

and while i'll admit that since i got bitten by the spinning bug i haven't been doing very much knitting, i have been slowly chipping away at some WIP's like this Banana Split Vertex:

i used 8 different samples from the April "all creatures great and small" Phat Fiber box, and while i had them all lined up to see that the colors would go together i realized that each of the different yarns i used corresponds to the color of a layer of a banana split. i've hyperlinked all the shops so you can just click on the names and you'll be redirected there.

Banana - "Mallard Duckling" from Desired Haven Farm

Vanilla ice cream - "Sheeps Night Out" from Sandy's Palette

Butterscotch syrup - "Honey Bee" from Comfed out Kaiser

Hot Fudge - "Chocolate Dreams" from Moonlight and Laughter plied with "Chocolate Ganache" From The Fuzzy Bunny

Whipped Cream - "Rustic Roving" from Bitsy Knits

Nuts - "Spring Peepers" from Fiber Diversions

and the Cherry on Top - "Lady Bug" from WC Mercantile

i took this pic pre-blocking because i was just so excited to finally have it done. This project spent the last 2 weeks at a friends house where i had forgotten all about it due to all the TdF excitement. all it needed was the crochet border which i finished last night.

aside from this FO i'm also working on a pair of cabled mary jane style slippers which i'll probably post progress pics of tomorrow.

and that's all for today folks, except to say that today was the first day in a week it wasn't swelteringly hot here! it's been such a nice change of pace, i only hope it lasts as long as possible .

ttfn ^^/

~Carla

day 7: what the heck is a feedjit?

2010-07-17T20:13:00.001-07:00

{rainbow roving at it's finest - my progress from day 14}

Tour de Fleece day 15:

i can't BELEIVE it's day 15 of the tour de fleece already...it seems like the tour just started! today was somewhat of a monumental day for me because it was my first time spinning in public ^.^

i met a few friends down at the local starbucks today for coffee and decided to bring my spinning with me. neither one of my friends is in to the fibre arts, so they were oooing and ahhhing while i was spinning and asking me all kinds of questions. now they want to learn how to spin too!

{day 15: spinning in public progress}

as you can see from the pic at the top of this post, i got quite a bit done at starbucks. the only bad thing is that i ran out of fibre to spin while i was there! note to self: next time spinning in public bring moar fibre!

so, by now i'm sure some of you are wondering what the heck is a feedjit?!?!?!?

well...this is a feedjit:

i was browsing through some of the blogs i follow yesterday evening and i came across this really cool widgit that is actually a real time feed of the activity on your blog. everytime someone visits or posts a comment or does anything on your blog it tracks them and shows where in the world they are from. it's kinda like a much fancier version of my flag counter. i thought it was really cool so i had to get one for my blog. mine is located underneath my blog cat in the sidebar to the right.

i'm sure all of you want one now, so go get one! just click on the bottom of my feedjit and it'll redirect you to a page where you can design your own with whatever colors best suit your blog.

and this will be yet another short post today. this blogging everyday thing is a bit harder than i thought as it turns out. my life just isn't involved enough to fill up a blog post everyday. but i'm still determined to acheive my goal of blogging everyday for a month, even if it's just pics of my TdF progress!

stay thirsty my friends

~Carla

day 6: finished "laceweight"

2010-07-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece day 14:

it's another sweltering day here in southern california, but i didn't let that stop me from plying the rest of my attempted laceweight and skeining it up.

{Azlan - 100% Merino wool, plied and ready to skein}

so, for my first attempt at laceweight it didn't come out that bad. i ended up with 363 yards from 85 grams of fibre. a true laceweight would have probably been about double that yardage from that many grams of fibre. but there are definitely PARTS of it that are laceweight. it's funny because the last yarn i spun i was trying for laceweight too and ended up with a dk-ish yarn, this time it's closer to a light fingering. but at least i'm getting closer!

and right after i finished skeining Azlan i started in on my next spinning project for the tour: Crayon Box Merino roving from Gale's Art.

this is sinfully soft Merino. i remember when i got it in the mail and opened it up i probably stood there for a good 5 minutes rubbing it against my face, in awe of the softness. i'm going to try to spin this up a little differently than i normally do, i've split the braid in 2 and i'll be plying 2 seperate strands together instead of just spinning it all at once and plying it on itself. i'm hoping to be able to maintain the integrity of the colors so that the finished yarn won't have that "barber pole" look to it. wish me luck!

another short post today because i have a splitting headache and this heat is making me cranky. i think i need a nap...

peace&love

~Carla

day 5: i got my Etsy widget back!

2010-07-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece day 13:

{plying and more plying}

as you can see my progress today has consisted of plying my "almost laceweight" yarn. now that i'm plying it i see that i've got a lot of work to do on spinning laceweight. i'd say it's "mostly" laceweight, but there are quite a few spots that are clearly fingering. it's funny, i spun up my first 2 yarns of the tour so quickly that i was afraid i might run out of fibre to spin, but since this laceweight has taken me about 8 days to spin i guess i don't have to worry about that anymore ^.^

but i did manage to get some work done on the etsy shop today. i listed the 2 yarns and circular needle holder i blogged about yesterday, and i finally got my etsy widget back on the blog! if you look to your right

==================================================================>

you'll notice the lovely Etsy widget in all it's glory, complete with my new listings :)

i'm going to spend the rest of my blog-a-thon crafting new merchandise for the shop, as well as finishing up some patterns to add too. then i'll have a Grand Re-Opening to celebrate at the end of the month (which will actually be the middle of August.) i'll be doing some giveaways here on the blog and probably have a sale in the shop, so be sure to check back around mid August for the details of the Grand Re-Opening sale!

and on a truly random note: i think i want an angora bunny...

{angora bunny babies from Spang Angoras Rabbitry}

i was perusing the forums on Ravelry today and i came across an ad for Susan's Spinning Bunny. this is a great little shop with all kinds of fibery goodness for spinners. as you can obviously tell from the name, Susan has an Angora bunny (the grey one in the middle in the pic above.) and she has a cute little story on her site about how her bunny, Smokey Blue, came to live with her. i spent a few minutes just now fawning over her gorgeous little guy and now i want one of my own! that's not crazy right? i mean i already have a guinea pig, maybe they could be friends ^.^ head on over to Susan's if you want to read Smokey Blue's story, but be warned! you'll probably end up wanting an angora bunnie for yourself!

well short post for today folks, i'm actually "working" right now, which basically involves me sitting around my apartment waiting for an order. i'm a "mobile server" which is basically just a euphemism for "delivery girl" xD

i hope everyone's finding a way to stay cool. ttfn ^^/

~Carla

day 4: new plans for the Etsy shop

2010-07-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece day 12:

it's been tough spinning in this heat, it just makes me feel so lethargic. but i'm glad to announce that i FINALLY managed to finish spinning my "attempted" laceweight today :)

i say attempted because i can tell that some parts are closer to fingering weight. but at least a good majority of it is definitely true laceweight, not bad for a first attempt!

{all caked up and ready to ply}

i've been plying it sporadically throughout the day as i clean up the house a bit. had to dust off the ol' fan now that our first heatwave of the summer has hit us full force. there aren't a lot of things i miss about living in Las Vegas, but at least out there it was a criminal offense not to have air conditioning in apartments xD

but despite the opressive heat i'm actually starting to get some things done for my Etsy shop. today i took pictures of the first two handspun yarns i'll be offering in my shop and the first circular needle holder i finished!

{cotton candy blues - 163 yds, dk weight 2 ply, 100% Blue Face Leicester wool}

these two yarns were spun from roving i got in a swap on Ravelry. this first one is from Long Dog yarns and i loved the addition of a smokey, almost periwinklish navy blue to the traditional cotton candy colors pink/yellow/blue.

{the color purple - 107 yds, dk weight 2 ply yarn, 100% Merino wool}

and this one is Fleecemakers Fibers. this is one of the SOFTest Merino wools i've ever worked with. seriously, this yarn is like butter.

now, every time i've offered one of these circular needle holders in a swap they've been snatched up faster than you can say Malabrigo! so i got the bright idea to make a bunch to sell in my Etsy shop. this is the first one i've finished so far.

{golden flora - circular needle holder}

its my own modified design of a circular needle holder pattern i found in the original Stitch n Bitch book (look familiar Sarah? ^.^)

i also got the fabric for this in a swap, anyone else noticing a theme here? the ravelry swaps are like my own personal supply shop, lol :P

i'll probably be listing all 3 of these tomorrow, as well as working on a few more of the circular needle holders in a different fabric. oh yeah and my Etsy widget on my blog will be back up once i fill the shop out a bit more with the new merchandise. but for right now it's time to hit the hay, i'm just barely squeezing in with my blog post for today with 2 minutes until midnight.

peace & love everyeone ^^/

~Carla

day 3: translator troubles and fat spindle woes

2010-07-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece day 11:

it's a smouldering day here in southern california...the first truly hot day of the summer. according to weatherforyou.com it is currently 84 degrees :O

but i suppose i shouldn't complain because i know a lot of you back east have been dealing with the heat for quite some time now.

and as i melt slightly in my non-airconditioned apartment i've been having great difficulties spinning up the last of my laceweight.

{broken yarnz = broken dreamz :<}

if you're a spinner then i'm sure you already know what this very sad looking little pile of random slightly twisted peices of fibre is. but for those of you who don't spin, all of these little peices of fibre represent a moment in my spinning where the spindle got away from me >.<

now, people have been telling me on ravelry how crazy i am not to break up my roving into smaller more manageable peices, especially when spinning laceweight. but that's just not how i roll... maybe i'm a glutton for punishment, or maybe it's just a strong stubborn urge to prove it "can" be done, even if it might not necessarily be the best idea?

i guess for the time being i'll continue to fall victem to FSS (fat spindle syndrom.) but i am down to the homestretch now, just this last little bit of fibre and then it's on to the plying! am i the only one who gets excited about plying?

and on a slightly sad note, i've lost my translator...

you might have noticed that i spruced up the ol' blog a bit for summer and in honor of my 30 day blog a thon. well for some reason my translator isn't compatible with these new templates or something because it just stopped working. i haz a sad :(

but hopefully i'll be able to find a different one that will be compatible with my blog. i don't even know if any of my visitors ever used it, but i personally liked being able to see my blog in a bunch of different languages xD

well folks hopefully by tomorrow i'll have some finished laceweight handspun to show you but for now i'm signing off.

stay cool everyone ^^/

~Carla

day 2 of my month long blog-a-thon

2010-07-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece Day 10:

today is a day of rest for the Tour de Fleece (and Tour de France) but that hasn't stopped me from spinning, knitting, and sewing up a storm! i recently decided to sew up some of my circular needle holders for sale in my Etsy shop since whenever i've offered them in swaps they've been snatched up pretty quickly. i'm also considering offering my handspun in my Etsy shop too, but it's so hard to part with!

and for those of you who remember that lovely colorchanging turquoise/black yarn i spun i have a pic of the little mini scarf i knit with it.

the pattern is Vertex by Galia Lael and it can be found on Ravelry here. i only had 130 yards to work with, so it is rather small, but i love the way the color change effect turned out. i'll probably spin a bunch more yarns like this, i've just been on a color changing kick lately.

and speaking of which i've just ordered this gorgeous fibre pack to that end.

i found it at The Rainbow Room on Etsy (probably my fav new Etsy shop.) this is the "Peacock" fibre pack, i think it's going to make one hell of an awesome color changing yarn...i may even have to make another Vertex with this once i'm done spinning it!

well that's all for today folks, i'll probably be finishing my latests spinning WIP tonight or tomorrow so be sure to look out for pics of the FO ^.^

peace & love

~Carla

life...and the Tour de Fleece

2010-07-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

i know i've been absent from my blog for some time now. in truth, my marriage has been in trouble for the last few months, and i think it's finally come to the point where it's falling apart for good. obviously as a result i've been a bit preoccupied as of late. but i'm at the point now where i think i just need to stop worrying all the time and start trying to live my life and be productive as best i can. therefore, in an effort to stave off madness and occupy my mind with better things, i'm challenging myself to blog every day for 1 month, starting today.

todays installment is all about the "Tour de Fleece." for those of you who don't spin, or just don't know about the TdF, it's a little friendly competition where we spin every day of the Tour de France. we all try to set goals for ourselves and challenge ourselves to try out new techniques, or do some stashbusting etc. but the best part of all is that i've been able to "multitask" by spinning these yarns as homework assignments for the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup competition ^.^

Days 1-5:

{Tropical Breeze handspun - 75% BFL 25% Tussah Silk}

i started the tour off by spinning this gorgeous BFL/Silk blend roving from Woolie Bullie. this roving was utterly decadent to spin with. i'm of the opinion that BFL is one of the softest wool breeds, and the silk in it gives such a lovely drape.

{my History of Magic assignment for July}

it took me the first 5 days of tour to finish off that Tropical Breeze, and then i moved on to one of my fav rovings i've worked with so far; "A Beautiful Butterfly" handdyed Corriedale Cross roving from Color Bug Yarns.

Days 6-7

{A Beautiful Butterfly - all spun up into a sport weight single}

{Potions Homework for July}

this was my first time working with a Corriedale breed wool and i have to say that i enjoyed it thoroughly. while it's not quite as soft as Merino or BFL, i found it very easy to work with and draft. not to mention these colors are just so gorgeous. Color Bug Yarns has some of the deepest richest color saturation i've seen out there for the price (it's very affordable stuff.) i managed to spin this up in just 2 days, although i was trying for a lace single and i ended up with a sport weight single. i guess i've still got a long way to go to perfecting my spinning technique!

Days 7-9

{Azlan - 100% Merino roving}

for the past few days i've been plodding along at my most recent spinning WIP. since i wasn't able to pull off a laceweight yarn with the Beautiful Butterfly roving, i decided to give it another go with this Azlan roving. for those of you who don't spin, laceweight yarn takes FOREVER to spin, especially on a spindle as opposed to a wheel. but i did chose this fibre because it's only 3oz (the other two were 4oz) so i'm hoping to be able to get this done in the next few days. this will be my assignment for Charms.

well that's all for today folks. i'll be back tomorrow to post some updates of some of my knitting WIP's as well as this lovely-but-ever-so-time-consuming lace handspun. today is day 9 of the tour so i'm off to spin ^^/

it's House Cup time again!!!

2010-06-02T22:14:00.001-07:00

yay! i'm FINALLY done with my finals for school, and not a moment too soon because the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup competition is on again ^.^

i didn't compete last term because i just had too many things going on in my life at the time, but now that school is done and i have nothing more to do this summer than look for a decent job i've finally got some time to participate again. the first month of competition actually fell on the month of all my finals, but somehow or another i actually managed to complete projects for it, so i thought i'd post a little picture montage for you all to see.

{Defense Against the Dark Arts homework}

for those of you who don't know what the HPKCHC is, it's a competition group on Ravelry where you're sorted into one of the 4 houses, just like in the Harry Potter books/movies. we have volunteer "Professors" who post fibre arts assignments in different magical disciplines and all the houses knit and crochet items to compete for points and the title of "House Cup Champions." I am a Ravenclaw, and there were some great assignments this first month. the one pictured above and below is my project for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

{AKA Clover Leaf Scarf}

i swear that the forces of darkness were actually working against me when i tried knitting this scarf, because i only managed to get halfway through the pattern before it disappeared from the Elann.com website! luckily, all my design experience really saved my butt, because i was able to reverse engineer the last half of it and it came out looking pretty good actually, considering this was my first time knitting on the bias.

{Dragon Scale Headband - made for Charms}

this next project is actually my very first project using my own handspun yarn! i was super excited about this one, some of you might recognize the yarn i used from my last post about spinning. it's one of the two yarns on my spindles that i posted a picture of. i modified a pattern for a dragonscale cuff because i wanted to use up all of the yarn i had spun and i think it came out looking pretty good. the silk in the yarn gives it a bit of a reptilian, scaley sheen in spots so it was the perfect yarn for this pattern.

{petite vache delaine - made for History of Magic}

and ofc, being the cow lover that i am, i couldn't resist the urge to make another tiny cow for one of my classes. this time i used a wool fingering weight yarn, in lieu of gold metallic embroidery thread i used for my original petite vache dorée. it also gave me a chance to test knit the pattern for this little cow (only took me about a year lol) so that i'll be able to post it in my pattern store on Ravelry soon. and this time around i even gave my little cow a tiny collar complete with bell!

{fire coming out of a monkey's head - Ancient Runes homework}

this project is probably my most abstract interpretation of an assignment so far. in Ancient Runes we were asked to create something inspired by a Norse Mythological Creature, or something inspired by Futhark Runes. i chose to do both, this little camera sock is inspired by the Norse Fire Giants, particularly Surtur, and by a Gorillaz song from which it takes it's name. the lyrics of the song describe a mountain called "Monkey" that spews forth fire to cleanse the world of the evils of greed and glutony, much like the Norse Fire Giants cleanse the world with fire after all the gods have died in the battle at Ragnarok.

the faire isle design is comprised almost entirely of the Futhark Rune "Kenaz" which looks very similar to one of these "<" this was also my first faire isle design (or maybe technically "faux" isle, since i used a variegated yarn to acheive the colorwork.) and it was very much needed because my poor camera has been sitting around my room naked and collecting dust since christmas.

{black + white =/= grey - a cowl for charms in June}

this last project is my first project for June classes, all the others i turned in in May. this is also my 2nd project using my own handspun yarn. i was lucky enough to get doubles of this sample in my April PhatFiber boxes, so i had enough yarn to make this cute lil cowl/cuff thingy. i used the pattern "Cashmere Cuff" by Jessica Vaughan, with a few modifications, and was able to use up exactly the 41.8 yards i had spun. i'm so glad that i've been able to use up the entire skein of my handspun yarns in the projects i've used them for. so much of my heart and soul goes into spinning them it would kill me to have just a few yards left over and nothing to do with them.

and speaking of handspun...

{colorchanging handspun - turquoise to black}

here is my latest spinning FO, a colorchanging merino wool yarn, single ply, and about fingering to sport/DK weight. this is the largest amount of yarn i've ever spun in a single skein and i'm quite proud of it. i even got the colors to distribute pretty evenly so there it's almost equal parts turquoise, black, and a mix of the two. i'll be using this loveliness to knit a Vertex shawl for the KAL in the PhatFiber group.

i think i might actually be starting to like spinning almost more than knitting! i say almost because knitting WITH yarn i've spun is definItely more fulfilling than just spinning or knitting with store bought yarn. i can't wait to see how this latest colorchanging yarn is going to knit up!

and on that note, i'm outta here for the night. i hope everyone is having a great beginning to their summer, and getting plenty of crafting time in. after all, if we didn't craft, we'd probably all go crazy right?

ttfn

~Carla

spinning....my newest obsession

2010-05-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

hello everyone ^^/

it's a beautiful Friday afternoon here in California, sunny and not too hot. i hope the weather is being so kind to everyone else wherever you are.

i was over at my friend Sarah's blog the other day, The Student Knitter, and she mentioned in one of her posts that she'd like to learn how to spin. it made me realize that i don't think i've ever blogged here about my own personal spinning exploits so i decided today was a great day to do my first official blog post about spinning on a drop spindle ^.^

first a bit of an explanation is in order for those of you who might not know what spinning is, or may know of it but don't know exactly what it entails. basically spinning is a process for making yarn by taking fibres and spinning them together. sounds easy enough right? well, it does get a bit more complex than that, but that's the small and skinny of it.

there are 2 ways to spin that i know of, either on a drop spindle, or on a spinning wheel. i personally use a drop spindle, so that's the kind of spinning i'm going to be talking about today. a drop spindle is a spinning tool that, in the simplest terms, consists of a disc or "whorl" attached to a hooked stick. below is a picture of my 2 spindles, one is a top whorl (on the right) and one is a bottom whorl (on the left.)

{my two spindles and my current spinning WIPs}

as you can see from the picture my spindles already have spun yarn on them, the turquoise and black is a Merino Wool that i'm spinning into a colorchanging yarn and the other is Merino Wool and Silk that i'm spinning together. there are a multitude of fibres to spin from including Wool, Angora, Alpaca, Mohair, Silk, Cotton...just about any fibre you would normally find in yarn. below are pics of 2 different fibres i've recently spun:

{Toad's Eye from Fiber Fancy - 100% Superwash Merino Wool Roving}

{Macaw from Beesy Bee Fibers - 100% Blue Face Leicester Wool Roving}

both of the fibres pictured above fall into the category of "Roving." being such a new spinner i'm not as educated about the different types of fibres as i'd like to be, so if anyone out there is interested in learning more head over to this site now for a more in depth look at the different forms of spinning fibres.

once you have a spindle and some fibre, it's time to spin, and this video on youtube is a great starting point, as is this one. when i first started spinning i tried learning from a book, which was very difficult, the techniques in spinning are best learned when you can see exactly what is being done in real time. spinning books are, however, a great source of information about the tools necessary to spin, so i do suggest getting a book or doing some research online before diving in headfirst.

and here's what the finished product looks like:

{Toad's Eye spun up}

{Macaw spun up}

both of these yarns were spun into singles (a single ply of yarn) and then the singles were spun together to form a plied yarn in a process called "Plying". if you're a knitter or crocheter you might already know these terms, and you might not. i personally didn't know what the difference was between a single and a plied yarn until i started learning how to spin. Spinning has taught me a lot about the yarn i've been knitting and crocheting with for years, it's a great way to amass an intimate knowlege of the yarns you know and love. i assure you if the spinning bug bites you, you'll learn that there is so much more to the process of making yarn than you ever thought there could be.

so finally, i'll leave you with some resources for beginning spinners. these sites are full of really useful information like how to make your own spindle, where to buy spinning supplies, as well as helpful techniques that all spinners should know.

The Joy of Handspinning

Neauveau Fiber Arts

Craft Site Directory

i hope everyone has a lovely weekend :)

~Carla

JL Yarns Bamboo Spica review (and an FO and new design)

2010-04-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

{never take FO pics when you're having a bad hair day xD}

you know, it's really hard to take a picture of your own back. as you can see from the photo above of my finished Ribbed Lace Bolero. i blogged about this project in one of my last few posts and it's finally finished! i'm not sure if i like it 100%, i was hoping it wouldn't slouch quite so much in the back, but i'm also not sure i have the heart to rip it back and reknit it now that it's finished. i'm sure some of you know what i'm talking about ^.^

i've been away from my blog for a little while, partly due to being really busy with school and work, and partly due to being really busy with a new design i'm working on. and i know what you're going to say, "but Carla, you said you weren't going to start any new designs before you finished your WIP busting crusade." and trust me, that is still a priority for me, but i've had this design in my head for some time now and i felt compelled to get it out and onto my needles. especially since i just got 8 balls of Bamboo Spica from Julia's Yarns in color #304, and i've been dying to try out so i could post a review of it here on the blog.

Bamboo Spica is a 100% bamboo yarn, chained not plied, which i think makes it FAR less splitty than some of the other bamboo yarns i've used (i'm lookin at you Natrually Caron Spa >.>) usually splittiness is the #1 complaint for bamboo yarns, so that already puts this particular yarn ahead of the pack in my opinion.

this is also an incredibly soft Bamboo yarn, for the price i paid for it i wasn't expecting it to have such softness and such a lovely sheen and drape. and i think my favorite thing about this yarn is how well it blocks. i've never done a lace project with bamboo yarn, so i never really paid much attention to blocking bamboo, but for my current design in the works, blocking is a BIG issue. so i knit up a swatch in the lace pattern and blocked it before endeavoring to cast on:

{here's the lace pattern before blocking}

{and here's my blocked swatch}

as you can see from the pics above, this yarn blocks incredibly well. the lace has totally opened up, and even the section at the top that was knit in rib kept it blocked dimensions! i was really impressed with the blockability of this yarn, which makes it perfect for this new design. so with this yarn blocking makes a HUGE difference. if, say, you're knitting something in stockinette with it, but you're not quite getting the right gauge, you could definItely block this to stretch it to fit the guage you need as long as there's not too big a difference.

those are the positives, now about the color...

once again, the colors were true to the colors represented on the JL yarns website, but if you've been over there and checked out the color selection, you'll see that they don't have too many options. i personally didn't like most of the colors they had, they don't have any solids at all, and even this seemingly solid bluish-green i have is subtly variegated.

but the WORST thing about this particular colorway is that it stains your hands, and if you're working with bamboo needles like i am, it stains them too! the staining on my hands is very slight, and washes away easily, but the staining on my needles is a bit more dramatic. i'm going to have to soak my FO well and really try to get all that excess dye out of it before i attempt to wear it. i don't know if all of the colors stain like this, maybe it's just this particular color. if anyone else tries this yarn in a different colorway be sure to let me know if you had the same problem with staining.

however, i did get 50 gram balls of this yarn for just under $2.40 a ball (in a bag of 8), which is pretty cheap for a 100% bamboo yarn. so i can put up with a little hand and needle staining for such a great deal.

Overall, i give this yarn a positive rating. for me, the value pricing makes up for the other shortcomings, but if you're the kind of person that really hates stainy yarn, then this might not be the yarn for you. but it is very soft, very blockable, and has a gorgeous drape that i'm guessing is going to look really great in my new design. on a scale from 1 to 10 i give this yarn:

Quality Relative to Price: 9

Overall Quality Unrelated to Price: 7

Color: 4 (for staining and limited color options)

Ease of Use: 8 (for minimal splittiness)

bottom line, as with the JL Vinca, you get what you pay for. whenever you find a small yarn company that produces commercial yarn, it's probably not going to have the same quality as a bigger label such as Rowan, or Classic Elite. you just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide whether the cons would put you off so much as to not want to use it.

all of the yarns i ordered during my big yarn binge a few weeks ago have now arrived, and i'm going to be slowly trickling in the reviews as i use them. my next review will be a double review of 2 of the Pierrot yarns i ordered and have used, Zakka and Cotton Neat. now that i've finished the projects i was working on with them i'll be able to do a pretty comprehensive review of both.

which leaves only one thing, my new design. i'm sure you could figure out from the pictures of my swatches above that it's a lace project, with a picot edge. this is a very exciting design for me because it's my first attempt at designing a garment. i don't want to give away too much now, so i'll leave you with a picture of my progress so far

{mystery design in Bamboo Spica}

have a great weekend everyone ^^/

Tawashi!!!!!

2010-04-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

i've taken a little break from my WIP busting to work on a few other quick and painless projects with some of my new yarns. i recieved a shipment from Pierrot Yarns today, and wasted no time working with the Zakka Acrylic yarn i ordered.

this little beauty is what the Japanese call a "tawashi" which, as i'm sure you can guess by the word "wash" in the name, is like a little dish scrubby. but of course the Japanese are not content with the same plain old circular scrubbies we americans use, they have to do oragami with yarn and create these wonderfully interesting, yet simple patterns for their tawashi.

i must say that i love love LOVE Pierrot Yarns. the pattern for this tawashi and literally hundreds of other free patterns can be found on their website; everything from shawls to sweaters to home projects which they call "Zakka." and although right now most of their patterns are in Japanese, they're currently working on translating some of them into English. last i checked they had 8 English patterns up and they say they will be adding a few more each month.

this was my first time attempting a Japanese pattern, but i have to say it was really easy. Japanese patterns are always charted out, whether they be knitting or crochet, so it's easy for non Japanese speaking crafters to follow them. i'm not sure yet but i like the colors so much i'm thinking of entering this lil guy into the Pierrot Yarns contest. the deadline is only 5 weeks away aned there were other things i wanted to enter but i'm not sure i'll have the time to get them done. you're allowed up to 3 entries, so if i can't get my other projects done in time i'll definItely enter the tawashi.

and speaking of which, the other quick project i've been working on for the Pierrot contest is a Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher. this is a really well written pattern that is meant to be customized to your exact measurements. i can tell Kelly really put a lot of time and effort into this pattern and i'm so impressed with how simple it is to knit, despite how complex it looks.

{© Kelly Maher}

i'm using Pierrot Cotton Neat which is a super soft 100% cotton yarn. i wasn't sure if i was going to have enough to complete the project, since i'm making it a bit bigger than the original version, so i didn't save my swatch or block it. i'll do a full review of the yarn once i've washed and blocked my FO.

{my Ribbed Lace Bolero progress so far}

i just started this 3 days ago and i'm already about 75% done so it will probably get done this weekend.

and speaking of weekends, i hope everyone has a great one, i'm off to get some serious work done on this bolero because the weather has been so lovely lately i can't wait to wear it!

ttfn

~Carla

JL Yarns Vinca Review

2010-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Goodevening everyone ^^/

i hope you've all had a fantastic weekend. i myself just kinda lazed around the house mostly, and knit up a storm with my newly acquired yarns :)

the first of last weeks yarn purchases to arrive was my order from Julia's Yarns. I ordered a substantial quantity of their sock yarn called "Vinca" in 2 different colorways, #815 which is a mix of blue/green/purple/pink/yellow, and #814 which is mainly blue, pink and purple.

{color #815}

as i said in my last post, this yarn is 75% superwash wool and 25% Nylon and really doesn't get the greatest reviews on Ravelry. before i bought it i checked out some of the projects that were made with Vinca and i read a lot about splittiness and about repeats in the color changes being hard to find. but since the yarn was on sale for roughly 4$ per 100g (which is basically unheard of for superwash wool) and because i think the colors are dreamy i decided to order some anyways.

{color # 814}

so when the yarn arrived, the first thing about it i noticed is that the colors are very true to the colors represented on the JL Yarns website which is always a plus. there's nothing worse than ordering yarn online only to have it show up and be a totally different color than you were expecting.

the second thing i noticed is that it's not the softest yarn in the world, it's probably comparable to Lion Brand Sock Ease and other big box superwash wool sock yarns. basically, it's no Malabrigo, but for the price, i never expected it to be.

so i decided to swatch with color #815 and as i've said before, while swatching i didn't find this yarn to be splitty AT ALL, which is the biggest complaint i was reading from Ravelry members. although, i've since cast on a large project with this yarn and i have found it to be a little splitty at times, but nothing like i was expecting based on the Rav reviews. also because of its slight scratchiness, obviously it's not the nicest yarn to work with, but i didn't find it altogether unpleasant or unbearable.

I knit my swatch on size 2 needles, not the size 4 recommended on the label because, well, size 2 is my go-to size for knitting socks, and seeing how this IS a sock yarn i didn't want to break precident xD my guage before blocking was 34sts x 41 rows. after blocking i got a guage of 33 sts x 44 rows, so althogether not a substantial change in either. the change could also be due to miscounting on my part since the stitches are very small and the 2ply color changes make the stitches a bit harder to see. overall though, i'd say blocking doesn't make that much difference in guage for this yarn.

{my finished and blocked swatch}

as you can see from the picture, this yarn blocks wonderfully. pretty much all the curl has gone out of the swatch and it will lay mostly flat without being pinned down. so that's one great thing about this yarn. and another great thing is that my swatch softened up a LOT after blocking. really the difference in softness is night and day. i could definItely wear this yarn next to skin after blocking, which is great for the project i just cast on with it.

{close up to show the 2ply color effect}

all in all, i personally would give this yarn a good rating. it may not be the best for someone with sensitive skin, but would be great for baby garments not worn next to skin and for durable socks because i find that scratchier sock yarns tend to hold up better than the softer ones. on a scale from 1 to 10 i give this yarn:

Quality Relative to Price: 8.5

Overal Quality unrelated to Price: 6

Color: 10

Ease of use: 7

bottom line: you get what you pay for. but if you're looking for a decent beginners sock yarn that has great colors and durability, then this might be a good choice for you.

i hope you all liked my review, next up will be the Julia's Yarns Bamboo Spica sometime this week so be sure to check back for that. and i've also recieved part of my order from Herrschners so be on the lookout for a review of Gedifra Korella or Rowan Milk cotton sometime soon too.

have a great week everyeone, and keep on clickin!

~Carla

yarn diet and a yarn contest

2010-04-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

so....

i've gone a bit wild over the last few days ordering yarn. credit is truly a curse i tell ya. but the sales i found last week were just so unbelievable i couldn't pass them up.

my first order was from Julia's Yarn. i stumbled across this little gem of a yarn store while perusing the forums on Ravelry and i am in LOVE with their colors. Julia's is a small, family owned yarn company that really doesn't get great reviews on Ravelry although i can't imagine why. I ordered their Vinca sock yarn (75%superwash wool/25% nylon) and their Bamboo Spica (100% Bamboo) from their end of march sale, and i've gotta say that the Bamboo is probably the softest Bamboo yarn i've ever felt. I've just started swatching with the Vinca sock yarn and so far i don't find it to be splitty at all, which was the number one complaint i read on Ravelry. I have yet to knit with the Bamboo, but i've decided to knit up a swatch of each of my new yarns and post a little review here on my blog sometime this weekend.

for my next order i headed on over to Herrschners internet store after being tipped off by a fellow Raveler about their sale on Rowan Milk Cotton. i have been wanting to try a milk fibre blend yarn for quite some time now, and Herrschners just so happened to have them on sale last week for only $4.79 a ball!! the MSRP of this yarn is a whopping $12.50 a ball so of course i couldn't resist. they also had Gedifra Korella (a linen/acrylic blend yarn) on sale for only $2.79, which is over $4 off the suggested MSRP. i've also never knit with a linen blend yarn so i'm really excited to see how these two yarns knit up. and it's perfect timing too because summer is fast approaching and i'll be damned if i was going to spend all summer knitting with wool xD

the next sale i hit this week was at Pierrot Yarns, which is a Japan based yarn company that recently has established a website in English. to promote their new Yarn Contest (details below) they slashed the price of their best selling yarn, Soft Merino. the DK weight went for about $2.35 a ball and the Fingering weight only $2.10 a ball! but i took a good look around their store and it amazed me how inexpensive their yarns are. I've read some reviews on Rav in the Pierrot yarns group and the people that have used their yarns are in love with them. they say the quality is unsurpased. i think this might be the yarn i'm most excited about getting, even though it is wool, because from what i've heard it is a dream to work with and the colors are to dye for. Pierrot may end up becoming my new favorite yarn company xD

and lastly, i headed over to Wolles Yarn Creations on Etsy for her Easter sale. Wolle is a Ravelry member and a brilliant indy dyer who specializes in 100% cotton yarns with slow, subtle color changes. if you're on Ravelry you can click this link to see some of the projects she has made with this gorgeous yarn. and if you're interested, she still has a few colors on sale for 20% off, i'd hurry and snatch them up though because yarns this gorgeous don't stay on sale for very long.

so as you all can see i've spent WAY too much money on yarn this week and am therefore imposing a strict yarn diet for the next few months. although i've probably ordered enough yarn to last me though the next few years (yeah right, who am i kidding)

and i'm really excited about the Pierrot Yarns Yarn contest. this is a really cool contest that allows you to enter anything you've knit, crocheted or woven from Pierrot Yarns. you don't have to submit an original pattern, just as long as you use their yarns you can enter. and the coolest part is that all eligible entrants receive a $5.50 shopping credit at Pierrot Yarns, so everyone's a winner! i've just visited their site and the Soft Merino sale is still going on so if you're interested in the contest go check out their site right now because i don't know how long this sale is going to last.

well that's all for today folks, i'm going to be blogging my reviews of all the yarns i ordered when i receive them so be on the lookout for some great yarn reviews in the coming weeks. and i'm also putting the finishing touches on a few previously unreleased patterns that i'll be offereing for sale on my blog and on Ravelry so be sure to check back for updates.

happy shopping ^.^

~Carla

new years resolutions...not forgotten

2010-03-30T15:26:00.001-07:00

{french graffiti; who new the word 'Punk' was universal?}

good afternoon everyone ^^/

at the beginning of this year i made a vow not to start any new projects until i finish off my extensive collection of WIP's. now i know i've strayed a little bit from this vow, mainly for the purposes of new designs, but i'm still determined to work exclusively on my WIP's from here on out. I have at least 3 designs in the works that i desperately need to finish up so i've got no excuse to go starting new designs.

i recently finished this pair of socks that i cast on in December of last year:

the design is Sugar Maple by Melissa Morgan-Oakes from the book "2-at-a-time Socks" and i've just gotta say that i LOVE Melissa for thinking up this technique and publishing a book about it. i think i'm the queen of second sock syndrom because before i found this technique i just couldn't seem to finish a pair of socks ever. these yellow beauties are the very first pair of socks i've ever complete for myself and i'm really happy with them. i've been wearing them like non-stop since they came off my needles xD

and on another note (spring related i might add) i was thinking the other day that i really don't do enough posts about me personally. it's mostly my designs or giveaways or tips, but not a whole lot about me and i'm sure some of you are wondering "who is Carla Cappi?" well i'm gonna tell ya!

i'm a 26 year old history student with a passion for life, languages, music and color. i'm what most people would call a jack of all trades and a master of none, as throughout my life i've played 5 different instruments including piano and guitar, written and recorded my own songs which can be found on my myspace music page, studied ballet for 12 years, been in numerous musical theatre performances, sang in numerous choirs and ofc, my latest passion - knitting and crochet design.

i also happen to be married to a Frenchman who still currently resides in France :<

{this is me and my husband Christophe when i went to visit him in France last Spring}

for those of you who don't know our story, we met online in an Anime (japanese animation) forum. 2 years ago i was searching for a japanese animated movie my brother and I used to watch as kids that was really hard to find, so i went on an online Anime forum in search of it and instead i found him :) (i did eventually find the movie too, lol.) it's funny how life turns out because at the time i was in a relationship and wasn't even looking for anyone. but he answered one of my posts and one day we just started talking in the forums chat room and discovered we had a lot in common.

my relationship at the time was really strained and he was there for me through the rough ending and hard breakup, but all the while very respectful of what i was going through. so we talked everyday for like 2 months straight before we started "dating" and finally in October of '08 i flew to Nice, France to meet him for the first time. he proposed to me on that trip and when he came to visit a few months later we got married. he's truly the most wonderful man i've ever met, he's funny and smart and incredibly kind-hearted. and for the last year and a half we've been continent hoping back and forth from France to the US to visit each other.

the funny thing is that i first started trying to learn to speak French when i was 10 years old. my dad had some language learning tapes i used to study, and then i studied French all throughout highschool and college. i've always had dreams of living in France and so we decided that when i finally finish my degree we'll be moving there permanently. right now we're trying to save up a bit of money for a green card application so that Chris can come to the US while i'm still in school.

and i'll leave you today with a little picture montage of my future home; Nice France in the springtime:

(i apologize for the fuzzy pictures, i don't know why they came out so fuzzy when i uploaded them, i'll have to try to figure out what i'm doing wrong)

{the Cote d'Azur, Nice France. this was the view from one of the hotels we stayed in. it's very similar to the view from Chris' apartment}

{the sink from the tiniest bathroom in Nice, seriously this sink couldn't be more than a foot wide}

{the Chateau de Crémat, a local castle turned winery where we did some wine tasting}

{the view from the Chateau de Cremat}

ta ta for now

~Carla

a new design, a new winner, and a wbdt

2010-03-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

happy monday everyone ^^/

today is a great day. i'm debuting a new design, naming a new winner in my giveaway, and i arrived home from work today to see a lovely BIG box sitting on my doorstep which could only mean 1 thing....new yarn!!!!!

i know my blog has been ominously silent all last week, and that's because i was slaving away at my newest design purls interrupted. if you follow my blog this is that new revolutionary design i promised a picture preview of. this has been my most changed design from the original concept, as you can see from the picture progression below:

in my very first test knit the silk yarn i used just wasn't working for me so i switched to acrylic

i thought the acrylic would make the cables pop up a bit more, but i still wasn't satisfied. at this point i got the brilliant idea of using a contrasting color to knit the cables, and also using Knit Picks yarn so i could submit this design to the Independant Designers Program

{the final version}

ah the evolution of a design... and to think this design started out as me trying to find a way to cable with purls (which i've discovered is completely possible, but just doesn't look all that great.)

i hope you all like my new design, and wish me luck with my submission to Knit Picks. i'll be crossing my fingers until i hear back from them ^.^

and on another note, i was unable to get ahold of one of the winners for my petite vache designs super awesome free giveaway, so i'm pleased to annouce a new winner:

Cindy!!!!

you've won a set of rainbow detanglers :)

i'll be emailing you just incase you don't make it by my blog this week so we can work out the details of which colors you'd like.

and now it's time for another Weekly Budding Designers Tip!!

{the newest members of my yarn family xD}

as budding designers we are artists, and yarn is our medium, and if you're anything like me you need a LOT of yarn to fill the demand for your designs. but yarn support is not always available, especially if you're not designing something specifically for a certain company or magazine. if you do a lot of freelance design then you really need to check out LittleKnits.com.

my recent order was for 13 skeins of Ella Rae Classic (100% wool) AND 2 jumbo balls of Opal sock yarn which, as you can see from the picture bellow, is 150gms and 420m per skein!!

this is a grand total of 3440m or well over 3700yds of gorgous yarn. the MSRP on these yarns would have put my order at over 120$ but i got everything for just a little under 70$ including shipping!

so my best tip to budding designers out there is to bargain shop for your yarn, and always check LittleKnits first because they have some of the most amazing deals i've seen on the net

well it's time for me to go and put the finishing touches on my purls interrupted pattern so i can get it submitted to Knit Picks asap. thanks for stoping by my blog and have a great week everyone :)

~Carla

and the winners are...

2010-03-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

aye, tis the ides of March and the petite vache designs' super awesome free giveaway is now officially over!!!

(that sign should say "winners" but i will hold you in suspense no longer...)

Cary at Serenity Farms

and

Flying Goat Farms

::pause for applause::

i'll be trying to contact you two ladies on your blogs if i don't hear from you first. email me at mellonninamarie at gmail dot com to claim your prizes :)

but if for whatever reason i'm unable to get ahold of the first 2 winners by next monday they will forfeit their prize and i have 2 alternate winners chosen at random already. so be sure to check back with the blog next week because you might still be a winner!

and to those of you who didn't win never fear!! there will be more super awesome free giveaways to come. i've got 2 patterns that i'm going to be publishing within the next month and everytime i publish a new pattern i do a giveaway here on my blog.

thanks to everyone who participated in my 2nd free giveaway. if you're a new follower welcome and i hope you stick around :)

my new super secret revolutionary pattern is almost complete, so be on the lookout for me blogging about it this week with a picture preview.

ttfn

~Carla

the wbdt is back :)

2010-03-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

good afternoon everyone ^^/

i know this weeks edition of the weekly budding designers tip is long overdue, so lets just get right to it!

today i will be doing an Easy Cable Chart tutorial, much like my Illusion Chart tutorial from a few weeks back. i mentioned in my last post that i had a new design i was going to be previewing here on my blog and submitting to the Knit Picks Independant Designer Program, and it just so happens it's a cabled pattern. in preparation for my impending submission i've taken some time to create an easy way to make cable charts that i could utilize in my own patterns.

if you do a google search for "cable chart tutorial" you'll come up with a number of sites that explain, in no easy terms, how to write out cable charts. if you're a budding designer with limited chart-making experience, or just a knitter who has a great idea for a cable design and wants to chart it out, these tutorials can be a bit overwhealming. my chart technique is a much simplified version that just about anyone should be able to do!

Easy Cable Charts:

before we get started with the Cable Chart tutorial i suggest you read through my previous Illusion Chart tutorial. to make a Cable chart i'll be using the same software and most of the same techniques i used in the last tutorial.

first things first, if you don't already have a spreadsheet program you're going to need one to make your Cable chart. you can head on over to openoffice.org and download a free version which is the version i'll be using.

next we'll be opening a new document and adjusting the cell width just like in the Illusion tutorial. for a cable chart i like to use a slightly bigger cell width than for an illusion chart, about .43" (make sure to highlight the area for your chart before adjusting cell width or it won't work.) once you've adjusted your cell width, you're ready to begin charting.

{click on "Format" and then go to "Columns" and "Width" to adjust}

the last technique i'm going to use to make my cable chart is merging cells. this really couldn't be any easier as OpenOffice has a fantastic little "merge cell" button right at the top of the page

{the location of the "Merge Cells" button}

now that we've got our column width adjusted and we've learned how to merge cells we're going to start creating our cable chart. i've chosen to demonstrate a simple 2 x 2 twisted ribbing:

since this pattern calls for columns of simple reverse stockinette, i'm going to start by shading those columns in grey and when i make the key for my chart i'll indicate that grey stitches should be purled on the right side and knit on the wrong side.

next i'm going to create my symbols for the cabled stitches. i'll start by finding all the cells that will have cable symbols, merge them and add borders (note: merging and bordering is actually not mandatory, but i like the look it gives to my finished product and feel it makes my charts easier to read. if you want an even simpler way to chart you can skip his step entirely.
once i've merged and bordered my cells its time to add my cabling symbols. i'm going to be using the simplest symbols of all; slanted lines. these slanted lines will indicate that these stitches need to be cabled with a right front crossover on the RS and a right back crossover on the WS. when i'm finished my chart will look something like this:

now that my chart is finished all that's left to do is make a key or legend for my chart just like i did for my illusion chart, and that's all there is to it!

now here's the fun part:

the main concept behind charting is using symbols to represent certain stitches or techniques. this means as long as you use a key or legend to explain your symbols, you can use pretty much any symbols you want! do you want a row of 4 smiley faces to represent a 2 stitch cable crossover? go for it! for many years now designers have been using the same old symbols to represent the stitches used in cabling and lace making, so why not change it up a bit? for the purposes of this tutorial i've kept the symbols in my chart very simple, but i'd like to encourage all the budding designers out there to not be afraid to deviate from the norm. take control of your knitting and your design process and make it your own. differentiating yourself from the pack is a great way to get noticed as a designer :)

thanks for checking out my Easy Cable Chart Tutorial, i hope this will be helpful to some of you out there who are wanting to venture into the realm of chart making, but are maybe a bit daunted by the task. hopefully i've shown you how easy it can be and that anyone can do it!

peace & love to all

~Carla

yippy!! my first sale!!

2010-03-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

happy thursday everyone ^^/

it's been exactly one week since i opened my new Etsy shop, http://www.ginger1990.etsy.com/, and i'm super excited to announce that i've just made my very first sale evar!!

la petite vache is doing a happy cow dance today in celebration ^.^

if you've been follow my blog since the beginning (or if you taken to the time to read through all my posts) you'll know that this little Etsy venture has been a dream of mine for the last 9 months or so, and i'm just thrilled and encouraged by the support i've been getting from my blog followers and all my friends on Ravelry. i honestly thought that it would take much longer for me to pass this first sale milestone, expecially considering i haven't really done much advertising for it yet. so when i woke up this morning and saw the email in my inbox about this sale it was such a splendid surprise.

i just wanted to take this time to thank all my followers and friends, and especially my friend Sarah from The Student Knitter. without your advice and encouragement i may never have had the courage to embark on this adventure, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in me, even when i didn't believe in myself.

on another note, i've got a brand new, revolutionary design that i'm going to be submitting to the KnitPicks independant designer program very soon, and i'll be doing a sneak preview of this design sometime in the next week. so make sure to check back with the blog for that and to see if you've won one of the sets of detanglers that i'm giving away as part of my grand opening promotion :)

peace & love to all,

~Carla

Grand Opening Giveaway!!

2010-03-08T13:29:00.001-08:00

(rainbow detanglers)

Happy Monday everyone ^^/

after much hard work, and many days of sewing, knitting, taking pictures and uploading them my Etsy shop is now open for business :)

(a techo-geek jewelry cove from my shop)

i don't even have half the stuff i made uploaded to my shop yet because it can be a bit time consuming typing out descriptions and uploading pictures to Etsy, so i'll probably be adding new merchandise daily for at least the next week.

(heart to heart notions-to-go tote)

one of the items i'm most proud of are these "notions-to-go" totes like the one above and the one featured in my last post. these babies are handknit, then the lining is machince sewn and hand sewn into the knit tote ::whew:: they take a lot of work, but i just LOVE the finished product.

so this means i should have time to do a wbdt this week. i'm going to try to get that Cable Chart Tutorial up finally since i've been promising it for 2 weeks now, but i may not have time. but don't fret, there WILL be a wbdt this week, even if it's not the Tutorial.

and now, as promised, it's time for another...

petite vache designs' super awesome free giveaway!!!

i'll be giving away a 2 sets of detanglers, one set of 3 grey with wood star buttons, and one set of 3 rainbow with plastic buttons from my shop as seen below:

(if you win the rainbow detanglers, you can pick which colors you'd like)

the drawing will be held a week from today, and there are 3 ways to enter:

follow my blog (if you're already a follower, you're already entered!)

leave me a comment on this post telling me what you think of my new shop.

blog about my Etsy shop and giveaway on your blog, and let me know about it in my comments section

email me at mellonninamarie at gmail dot com so that i'll have your email address to contact you if you win.

good luck with the contest everyone, and wish me luck on my new business venture :)

~Carla

wbdt pre-empted

2010-03-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

ok, so i know i promised everyone a spectacular weekly budding designers tip last week about making your own cable charts. and i know i failed to deliver but i have a really good excuse xD

(a set of alpaca detanglers i'll be selling in my Etsy Shop)

i've been hard at work preparing for the opening of my Etsy shop which will FINALLY BE OPENING this Friday come rain or come shine!!!

i'm super excited about this new venture and since i've been so focused on it i didn't get a chance to do the wbdt last week :(

but fear not! since my shop will be officially open on friday i'll have the whole weekend to get the wbdt up for this week.

until then though, here's a little picture preview of one of the items i'll be selling in my shop: lucky stars notions-to-go totes.

i'll be blogging throughout the week with new pics of my Etsy merchandise and might even throw in a free giveaway in there somewhere ^.^ so be sure to check back with the blog all week for those updates.

i hope everyone is having a splendidly crafty week like myself :)

~Carla

Weekly Budding Designers Tip

2010-02-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

happy Sunday everyone ^^/

it's time again for the Weekly Budding Designers Tip!!

since i first embarked on this journey, i've learned a lot about the design process, the tips and tricks of the trade . this weekly segment is my way of giving back and helping out other budding designers like myself by sharing my knowledge.

this weeks tip will be part one of 2 tutorials about making your own charts. we'll be talking about making Lace and Illusion charts with help from Chez Plum.

Lace Charts:

if you click on the link above you'll be redirected to the tutorial page over at Chez Plum. Sylvie has already done an amazing job of showing you exactly how she uses Excell (or a similar program) to make lace charts, so there's no need for me to try to reiterate it here. if you're a Lace designer i urge you to follow the link above and check out her tutorial. i'm going to start my tutorial series with Illusion charts, and next week we'll move on to Cable charts.

Illusion Charts:

if you've been following my blog then you'll know that i've dabbled quite a bit in Illusion design. up until very recently i have been writing all my illusions patterns out without the use of a chart. but then i found the Chez Plum tutorial for making Lace charts and i thought to myself "maybe i can modify this technique to make illusion charts." and that's just what i did.

here's how i did it:

we'll start off by opening Excell or Open Office, or any similar spreadsheet program. don't be afraid of working with spreadsheets, it's really not as difficult as you might think. for the purposes of this tutorial i'll be working with Open Office, you can click that link to download it if you don't have a spreadsheet program.
first click the box in the upper left corner of your spreadsheet to highlight all the cells, then go to format/columns/width to decrease the width of the columns ( i decrease to about .29")

{click the box in the black oval to highlight}

{click on "Format" then go to "Columns" and "Width" and type in your new width}

once you've adjusted the size of your cells you're ready to begin charting. you'll need 4 colors to make an illusion chart, i like to use a light and dark shade of 2 different colors but in theory you can use any colors you want.

{the icon in the oval will be used to color your cells}

i like to start by highlighting the exact area i'm going to be working with and then adding a border to that area so that i don't color beyond it. the button for adding borders is just to the left of the button for coloring as shown above.

then i color in every other row in alternating light shades as seen below

now it's time to fill in the area for your design or pattern in the darker shades of the color:

and then all that's left is to fill in the remaining area in the lighter colors like so:

[Quick Tip: by holding down the "Control (Ctrl)" button on your keyboard you can highlight multiple boxes at one time in different places on your chart. you can use this to select all cells that will be the same color. this will save you the time of having to fill in the cells one by one]

finally, the last step in creating a chart is to make a legend for the chart like mine seen below:

i've taken the time to make a swatch of what this simple cross illusion chart looks like knit up.

once you're finished making your chart and legend take a screen shot of your work by pressing the "Print Screen" button on your keyboard (it's usually next to the "F12" button.) then simply paste your screenshot into a program like Microsoft Paint by holding down the "Ctrl" button and pressing "V."

now you'll be able to edit or modify your chart a bit in Paint and finally save it to your computer as a JPEG file to be inserted into your pattern.

and that's all there is to it! it may seem a bit complicated at first, but chart making really is invaluable knowledge for any budding designer to learn. it saves you money on Tech Editing, and lets you be more in control of the design process and the final pattern product.

well that's this weeks budding designers tip, i hope this will be beneficial to some of my budding designer followers out there, and any of my followers who ever wanted to know a bit more about illusion knitting or charting. tune in next week for the Cable Chart Tutorial.

~Carla

weekly budding designers tip

2010-02-13T01:43:00.000-08:00

hello everyone ^^/

i know my blog has been silent, so to speak, for the last week or two, but i've been busy knitting and crocheting and ordering supplies and planning for the opening of my Etsy Shop. i was hoping to be up and running by Valentines day, but i grossely underestimated the amount of work and time it would take to get started. it's just been such an exciting prospect and so my plans have been growing more and more elaborate by the day it seems. i originally intended to open the shop with just a few hand knit totes, but now i'm planning on at least 3 or 4 different items. so I'll probably be opening up closer to the end of February/beginning of March, check back with my blog for a an exact Grand Opening date, plus possible giveaways and sales on merchandise ^-^

but all shop news aside, something was recently brought to my attention that gave me the idea adding a new weekly segment to my blog, the "weekly budding designers tip" or wbdt for short, so i'll move right along to the first evar weekly budding designers tip!!!!

if you follow my blog, you'll remember that in my last post i mentioned the Red Heart "save the planet, one project at a time" design contest.

however, in reality their logo should look a little something more like this:

i decided to post an announcement about this group in the budding designers group on Ravelry, and just a few days later someone posted this painfully complicated peice of legal jargon from the competition rules:

By submitting your entry, you irrevocably assign and transfer to the Sponsor any and all rights, title and interest in and to the submission, including without limitation all ideas, concepts, and copyrighted or copyrightable material embodied in or represented by the submission, and intellectual property rights including without limitation all rights of persons and owners of property appearing therein. You hereby waive any and all moral or similar rights you may have in and to the project design, the photograph, and every other element of your submission. The Sponsor Parties shall have the right, but not the obligation, to publish, use, edit, adapt, modify, and create derivative works from the project design and the photograph submitted in your entry in any way without territorial, time, use or other restrictions, and for any and all purposes, including but not limited to advertising and marketing, in any and all media now known or hereafter to become known worldwide without further compensation to you or any other person or entity.

what it boils down to is that any design you submit to the contest becomes property of the "sponsers" (in this case either Red Heart or JoAnn.) the most unsettling part is that this rule applies EVEN IF YOU DON'T WIN!!! most of the budding designers are outraged by this, although some of the more seasoned designers in the group say that it is aparently nothing new, and that companies have been doing this for a long time.

so whats the moral of the story? the budding designers tip of the week:

never submit a design without reading the guidelines and contest rules thoroughly!!!

those of us who are just starting out in this business are more likely to fall prey to these kinds of things. we're all looking for exposure, but even when the prizes seem fabulous, we can't let ourselves be blinded by that and not thoroughly investigate what we're getting ourselves into. this very stern, mom looking woman wagging her finger at you should get the point across nicely xD

but seriously folks, i'm rather disappointed with this turn of events. i was looking forward to submitting one of my designs but now it's definItely not worth it. oh well, i'll just have to re-knit all my designs using KnitPicks yarns now to submit to their Independant Designer program . i just realized that i never gave a linky to the KnitPicks submission rules page when i last spoke of this program, so for those of you who wanted it there it is. it makes me even more glad now that there are companies out there like KnitPicks who aren't trying to steal designs from us and are instead giving us a fair opportunity for exposure.

well it's now 2:30 am and i've got a busy day of laundry and knitting for the shop tomorrow, so it's time for me to get some sleep.

have a great weekend everyone :)

~Carla

have a heart (or two)

2010-01-31T13:18:00.001-08:00

Hey fellow designers and knitters ^^/

i hope everyone is having a great weekend, the vache has been busy to say the least, and i found an exciting new opportunity for designers that i'll be talking about in just a moment, but first...

i know right now you're thinking "what is that, the pink brick road?" (yes it's bad joke day here at petite vache designs.) what it actually is, is a cool artsy-fartsy closeup shot of my newest design "heart to heart."

i fell in love with illusion knitting when i designed lucky stars, and with valentine's day quickly approaching i decided to write up a heart illusion chart so i can knit up some valentine's themed totes for the impending Etsy shop ^-^ i've decided to do one or two other charts and then combine them with the chart for lucky stars to create a one-tote-4-ways kinda pattern. the basic tote structure will be the same but it will have interchangeable illusion designs you can mix and match. and of course, i will be knitting up a few of each design for the shop so that anyone who either can't knit, or doesn't want to take the time can own one.

i've also decided to knit up some detanglers and modem cord change bowls for the shop as well, since those are my two most popular designs on Ravelry. but i really think my main focus is going to be on my knit totes, i've got some really awesome ideas for other tote designs (non-illusion) and i'll probably end up slipping a fabric lining into each of them for durability. i have a thing for cute little purses and totes, and in fact i still use my original lucky stars as a little first-aid kit in my purse complete with band-aids, neosporin, midol, hand sanitizer and antihistamines (petite vache haz allergies.) even without a fabric lining it's still held up wonderfully being knocked around in my purse for the last 6 months or so.

a pic of my lucky stars i took 2 minutes ago

i could really use some feedback on my ideas though, and for that i've added yet another new feature to my blog, the dreaded "reaction buttons" ::gasp!:: at the bottom of each post you'll find three options just like in the screenshot below:

if you like one of my designs you can click the "me wantee!!" button, if you're unimpressed click "meh" and if i ever say anything funny (hey, it could happen) i've added the "lol" button just incase. so feel free to let the vache know if you approve of the newest design heart to heart by clicking "me wantee!!" or "meh." teh vache appreciates constructive critisism :)

and now, fellow designers, lets talk about JoAnn Crafts new design contest "save the planet, one project at a time." clicking that link will take you to Joann.com's info page about the contest. all you have to do is design and knit (or crochet) something using one of 3 Red Heart Eco yarns. i'm really excited about this contest because my sycamore parasol is knit using Eco Ways, so it's a great excuse to finally finish that design. luckily i have until the end of March to get it done because i'm swamped right now with preparations for the Etsy shop. but the winners in each category will win 1000$ and 500$ Jo-Ann gift cards AND be featured in "Crochet Today" Magazine....free design exposure anyone?

i only hope i can finish my design in time to enter, i'll keep everyone posted on the status of the contest if i do end up entering, and really i'd be a fool not to. :P

well folks, that's about all for today. i'd like to thank and welcome all my new followers (petite vache welcomes you too ^^) and i hope everyone has a lovely and relaxing Sunday, back to work tomorrow :<

peace and love to all,

~Carla Cappi

we have a winner! (and another free giveaway!)

2010-01-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

hello again everyone ^^/

it's been a busy week for me and i've got some really exciting news, but i'll talk more about that in a sec. first i'm happy to announce that Cary from Serenity Farms has won my first ever free pattern giveaway!!

i've sent her a free copy of the pattern for my newest design knock off just for following my blog and leaving me a comment. it's just that easy ^^ i've decided to do a free pattern giveaway everytime i release a new pattern, and there could be more giveaways of a different kind in the future because....

::drumroll::

i'm planning on opening up my very own Etsy shop soon to sell my patterns and handknit items! right now i'm in the process of finishing up a few designs and building up a good stock of items knit from my patterns and sometime very soon they will be on Etsy for purchase. soon you'll be able to own your very own lucky stars just like the one below:

it's only in the planning stages at this point, but i may also be collaborating with a very good friend of mine who paints and makes lovely jewelry. be sure to check back with the blog in the following weeks to find out more details on the shop, and to watch out for possible random free giveaways...hehe

you may have also noticed some changes to my blog layout recently. my darling husband helped me out a lot with my new header (i'm not very tech savvy, but i'm slowly catching up with the times :p) some other new things you might see are:

a labels section to make my blog more easily searchable
a country counter so everyone can see how many ppl from each country around the world visits
a link to my Ravelry designer page

basically i've been having a great time pimping out my blog xD

and last but not least, i'd like to direct everyone over to Jenny's blog on knitting where you can win a FREE skein of this luscious yarn seen below:

this lovely Swedish yarn is 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon and comes in a 100 gram skein with a generous 440 meters ( thats 481 yards for us americans :p)

i don't know Jenny personally, but she's a good friend of my friend Sarah over at The Student Knitter, and any friend of Sarah's is a friend of mine, hehe. why not head over to Jenny's blog and show some support for her 100th post by entering her giveaway :)

and on that note it's time for this little vache to go and finish the planning of the new Etsy shop. have a great weekend everyone

~teh vache

free pattern giveaway!!

2010-01-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

hi everyone ^^/

there's been a slight change of plans since my last instalment a few days ago. i took a few days off from working on my Rowena sleeves to FINALLY do the tech editing for knock off that i've been meaning to do for some time now. if you follow my blog then you'll remember that i submitted the pattern for knock off to Knitty.com's Winter 09 issue. unfortunately, Knitty didn't have room for it in their Winter issue so i decided to self publish the pattern on Ravelry. 3 months later, the pattern is finally up for sale, and it's my first official pattern for sale on Ravelry or anywhere else. if you're interested in purchasing the pattern you can follow the link under the picture below, or the link in my "patterns for sale" section to the right.

knock off

so far this pattern is only for sale on Ravelry, but i've been thinking of opening up an Etsy shop to sell my patterns and various other FO's.

but if you aren't a member of Ravelry and you still really REALLY want this pattern never fear! it's time for...

petite vache designs' 1st evar super awesome free pattern givaway!!!!!!

you heard me right folks, to celebrate my first pattern for sale on Ravelry i'll be giving away 2 count 'em 2 copies of the pattern for knock off. all you have to do is

follow my blog (if you don't already)
leave me a comment telling me what you think of knock off
leave your email address in the comment section below, or if you prefer you can also email me at mellonninamarie AT gmail DOT com

i'll be announcing the winners 1 week from today (next thursday) and emailing the pattern in PDF format. be advised, though, only those who follow my blog AND leave a comment will be entered into the drawing, and only one entry per person please.

if this first giveaway is a success i may make a habit of doing one of these every time i premier a pattern, but you'll just have to follow my blog to find out ;)

well that's it for today folks, i'll be returning to my work on Rowena sleeves and hopefully have the pattern finished for them by next week. as always, i'll be blogging to keep everyone updated on my progress. don't forget to start following my blog and leave me a comment to win your free copy of knock off and have a great weekend everyone ^-^

~teh vache

new beginnings

2010-01-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

i know it's a rarity for me to be blogging 2 days in a row but i just found a new and exciting opportunity yesterday and i couldn't resist the temptation.

KnitPicks has aparently launched a new partnership that will allow freelance designers to be published on the KnitPicks site. honestly, it's about time one of these yarn companies caught on. i've seen so many awesome up and coming designers on ravelry who have all been submitting to the same Magazines for months and months and the magazines just can't accomodate the influx of awesome patterns they are receiving. the way i see it, this is a win-win scenario both for designers and for KnitPicks. the designers get some much needed exposure, and KnitPicks gets a bunch more business, if only from the scores of novice designers like me who will now be designing almost exclusively in KnitPicks yarn for the chance of being published on such a well knowns and reputable site.

as a result of this new and exciting opportunity my new years resolutions plans have changed slightly. i decided my the next WIP i conquer should be one of my own design so i can get something to send to KnitPicks ASAP. so instead of working on that scarf and pair of socks i talked about yesterday, last night i dusted off my Rowena sleeves that sadly hadn't been touched in almost half a year, and began trying to figure out where in the pattern i left off. to my dismay i couldn't quite figure it out and since i wanted to test the pattern anyways i frogged all my lovely progress on the first sleeve and commenced re-knitting. i must have been really excited last night because i got almost as much done on it as i had before from a few weeks of work on it.

here's a pic of my progress before frogging:

and the progress i made last night after starting from scratch:

this pic was taken rather hastily so i didn't have time to pin in out like in the picture before but you can see if you follow the cable pattern that i only had about 3 or 4" to go and i would have been at the point i was pre-frog.

luckily the pattern for these little beauties is all but done at this point. the hardest part is going to be finding a program to write out the cable chart and doing the tech editing so i can make it as professional-looking as possible before sending it to KnitPicks.

i'll probably be working on these for another 4 hrs tonight and maybe i'll even have the first sleeve finished by tomorrow

::crosses fingers::

if i do i'll come back with pictures and blog for a 3rd day in a row!!!!!!

ttfn ^^/

~capn' vache

new years resolutions...

2010-01-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

a hoy hoy everyone (or should i say all 4 of my followers ^-^)

so it's finally 2010 huh? and my poor blog has been lying dormant for the last 3 months or so while i've been on hiatus from designing and actually haven't been doing much knitting at all. with the holidays and my husband coming over from France i found it hard to focus on my knitting. and the struggle isn't quite over yet because we've still got the task of securing him a visa or greencard so he can stay in this country. bleh...

but now that the holidays are over i've started knitting again, which brings me to my new years resolution. everyone always makes these really broad and vague resolutions like "losing weight" or "spending more time with family" etc, but i remember reading somewhere that making your goals as specific as possible gives you a better chance of acheiving them so i decided to make mine very specific indeed. my resolution is to either complete or frog every single WIP i have, and while to some of you that may not sound like a very daunting task, i have about 5 years worth of projects hastily cast on in an excited frenzy and then cast aside. for me that amounts to at least 15 WIP's that i can think of off the top of my head, and it's probably closer to 20 or 25.

but i have vowed not to start a single new project in the mean time, nor buy any new yarn until i at least finish or frog all of my current WIP's.

now here's where the design blog comes in....

luckily, of those WIP's at least 3 or 4 of them are original designs, most notable my sycamore parasol and Rowena sleeves. So as soon as i finish up a scarf and pair of socks i started at the end of december and just want to be done with, i'll probably be starting on the Rowena sleeves so i can finally have a design worthy of sale on Ravelry. in the mean time though, i'm going to be finally publishing knock off (a knit paper-chain necklace creation inspired by Louis Vuitton.) but i'm debating with myself whether or not to publish it for free or to charge a very small amount for it (most likely 50 cents) just because it's such an original design and it pains me to just give it away like a common whore. if any of my readers have any thoughts on the matter please do let me know in my comments section below, i always appreciate outside input.

well i'll leave you all with a picture of my latest FO "echarpe à plis"

i bought this little kit for this scarf the last time i was in France to visit my husband
and started it about 3 months ago. so this is officially the first WIP i've finished in accordance with my new years resolution. so far, not a bad start to the year. let's hope i can stay motivated and finally kick a really bad habit, not finishing what i start.

toodles for now ^^/

~teh vache

Louis Vuitton ain't got nothin on me!

2009-09-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

it's been almost a month since my last post here, and a lot has happened since then, so i figured it was time for some new design updates:

i'm not really into "high fashion" at all. but i came across this crafting site where i stumbled upon a tutorial for a paper-chain necklace and discovered that aparently they're all the rage in Louis Vuitton's fall fashion line. this sparked an idea in my head to make a knitted version to submit to Knitty.com because they're into unique patterns and i was just sure no one had ever done something like this with knitting before. below you can see my "Knock Off" of the Louis Vuitton necklaces (and yes, it's actually named "Knock Off" hehe)

i only had 3 days to plan, knit, and write out the pattern for this little beauty, and it wasn't easy, but i did manage to get it done in time to submit it. sadly, Knitty did not accept my pattern for their Winter '09 issue, and i had this wonderful plan to submit it to Knit.1 magazine. sadly, again, i was informed that Vogue Knitting is not going to be publishing anymore issues of Knit.1 any time soon...gah!

so since my best laid plans have all been dashed i've decided to just self publish the pattern on Ravelry and charge 50 cents to a dollar for the pattern. i know it's a really simple pattern, but i did develop a technique that some people might not really think of to keep it sturdy. so i'm just going to put it out there to see if i get any bites, and if not then i'll just make it free. it should be up as soon as i can get the tech editing done, so watch out for it in my Ravelry Pattern Store sometime within the next week!

on another design note, i also submitted the design for my eyelet gloves that i renamed "raspberry bliss" to Knitcircus Magazine. I got a really nice email back from the editor over there who said that she couldn't use it for the Winter '09 issue, but if i were to add a cuff to it she'd consider it for the Spring '10 issue. so it's back to the drawing board for raspberry bliss...i already know exactly what kind of cuff i'm going to add and will be working on it for submission by January 1st 2010.

all in all not a bad response for my first design submissions. i was really pleased by the response to my designs, the editors of both publications were very encouraging. it's inspired me to keep on designing, and hopefully my next submission will be accepted :)

hope everyone has a great day, and keep on clickin!

~petitevache

sew...

2009-08-27T00:03:00.001-07:00

yeah i know, not the most inventive title, but at least its relevant to my newfound love of sewing ^-^

the story goes:
my mom gave me a sewing machine for christmas last year in hopes that i would finally learn how to use one. until now i've been sewing everything by hand which translated into me not doing a whole lot of sewing. but my mom is pretty handy with a sewing machine, she used to sew all our halloween costumes by hand; and these were highly extravagant costumes. one year my brother was the Energizer Bunny, and she sewed a brother-sized bunny suit, without following a pattern mind you, out of this really really thick, furry pink fabric.

so a few weeks ago i finally asked her to show me the ins and outs of machine sewing and as my first project sewed this poorly constructed little practice purse:

my main reason for finally wanting to learn machine sewing was because i had this grand idea to make a handmade project bag and circular needle holder for my swap partner Sarah for our 10$ Swap on Ravelry. it was a perilous journey, complete with many stops, starts, ripped seams and re-sews. but in the end perseverence prevailed and i did manage to complete both patterns i found in the original Stitch n' Bitch book by Debbie Stoller.

the bag (yes that;s my hubby's arm holding it ^^):

the needle holder:

they both involved the use of iron on transfer paper for the patch on the bag and the numbers on the needle holder, which complicated things a bit more. when trying to sew the patch onto the bag the presser foot on my machine caught on the stickiness of the iron on patch and kinda ripped up a little peice of the design, and while trying to iron on the velcro for the needle holder i damn near transfered the numbers to my ironing board >.<

but all in all i'm glad i finally learned, and managed to make myself this cute little cover for my knitting journal below:

i'm not completely thrilled with the finished project, i'm thinking about ripping up the pocket and making one out of solid black fabric to have a little contrast and make it easier to see. also, it almost didn't fit on my journal so i may rip out the flap seams so i can add a bit more of an allowance. but all in all i'm still mighty proud of my accomplishments to date. considering i haven't sewed anything by machine since i was in Jr. High home ec, i think my projects so far are not too shabby.

and speaking of swapping, my swap package arrived last monday!!!!!

the theme of the swap was "all one color" and as you can see my favoritest color is GREEN!!!

i got a wonderful green (in more ways than one) tote, some cute froggy paper clips, honey-ginseng green tea, assorted green apple candies, green tea lotion, a green graph paper notebook that i'll probably need since i'm taking math this semester (yuck!) this really delicious looking home-made chip dip, and some beautiful stitchmarkers and hand-dyed yarn that Sarah dyed herself! color me spoiled xD

thanks again to Sarah from The Student Knitter for sending me such a lovely swap package. i've already used the stitch markers and marveled at their loveliness :)

oh yeah and on a last note, i am STILL working on my submission to Knitcircus Magazine, which was origianally due the 15th, but the deadline was pushed back to September 1st. since i had some extra time i decided to test knit the pattern and boy am i glad i did because i found a few really big problems with it that i've been able to correct. but it's got to be done before tuesday so be on the lookout for a new post with details on the finished pattern.

nighty-night knitters

~tehvache

Knitcircus here i come!!

2009-08-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

so it's official....

i'm going to be submitting my first pattern to a magazine, Knitcircus, for publication!! i'm really excited about it, even if my pattern doesn't get picked getting my first rejection letter/email will be like my formal entry into the world of designing. i really think i have a decent chance though, since i'm utilizing a technique for this pattern that i've not seen used anywhere before. i can't say too much about it though, i don't wanna give away all my secrets! but i'm sure the observant knitters eye might be able to guess at it ;)

the design is called ladylike and it's a pair of delicate eyelet gloves pictured below:

it's funny because the inspiration for these came to me one night a few months ago just as i was lying down to go to sleep. i've seen a lot of bulky fingerless gloves (and knit quite a few pairs) so i wanted to design something that would be dainty, well fitted, virtually cuffless and cute enough to be part of an ensemble, not just something to keep your hands warm. i was also inspired quite a bit by vintage design, i love that women used to wear gloves frequently, not just for warmth, but for fashion as well. i think we need to bring gloves back in style and i'm doing my part to help them make a comeback ^^

owing to the fact that i live in southern california and it doesn't get very cold here i also wanted to design something that i could wear comfortably in virtually all seasons, thus ladylike was born. knit in Crystal Palace Yarns PandaSilk (52% bamboo, 43% machine washable merino wool, 5% combed silk,) they are designed to stretch a bit to accomodate multiple hand sizes so the pattern is only writen in one size. also, so that they would be perfectly fitted at the bottom without the use of boring old ribbing i knit a slit into the bottom of the glove to which i attached a simple button and crocheted loop closure pictured below:

open

and closed

i'm a big fan of fingerless gloves, i think it's the one individual item i've knit the most of. i'm i've actually got a pair of them on the needles that i'm knitting for my husband that have been pushed to the back burner while i finish up ladylike. the deadline is fast approaching for submissions, i only have 3 more days yikes! if anyone has any comments on my gloves, whether or not they think they are Knitting Magazine-worthy, please don't hesitate to leave a comment on this post. any feedback from the knitting community would be greatly appreciated :)

but in the midst of all the designing work i'm excited to be joining my first swap evar the "10 $ swap" !!!! my swapartner and i have so much in common i think it's going to make for a really cool swapping experience. AND she dies her own yarn so i'm hoping she just might send me some of her handdyed as part of my swap package ::crosses fingers::
i've never had the pleasure of knitting with handdyed yarn so it would be a real treat.

she blogs about her dyeing exploits on her blog here so go check out her lovely collection :)

well i've gotta go get knitting for this swap, i'm making her something special in one of her favorite colors, i hope she likes it ^^ (i can't say what it is here because she's currently stalking my blog to get ideas for HER swap package, so you'll just have to come back to my blog once the swap is done to find out what it is >:) ::devious smirk:: )

adieu

~tehvache

it's a bird! it's a plane! no it's....a tiny golden cow!!!!

2009-08-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

yes thats right, a tiny golden cow, or petite vache dorée for those of you who speak a bit of french. this little heffer was made with golden DMC embroidery floss for Potions class in the HPKCHC. sadly, the competition ended yesterday ::cries:: and i didn't manage as many classes as last month, but it was still the most fun i've had on Ravelry so far. i'm still not sure if i'm going to participate next term or not because i have 3 or 4 designs that i'm trying to get finished.

here you can see the cow in the works, and you can also see how tiny the stitches are (and yes my dpns are golden too ^^)

i'm currently planning a black and white cow as well as a brown one and then the patterns for all 3 will be uploaded to Ravelry for sale under the name trois petites vaches (three little cows in english)

also, as promised in my last post here is the finished orion's belt choker:

it didn't turn out quite as flat or stable as i'd have liked, so when i get a chance i'm going to sew a fabric lining in the back and adjust the tie closure. i'm still not sure whether i'll make this pattern available or not as there didn't seem to be much interest in it in the HPKCHC. but i may still put it up here on my blog as a free pattern.

and finally some pics of my 2 biggest upcoming designs: Rowena sleeves and sycamore parasol

i featured these sleeves a few posts ago and as you can see they've grown considerably since then. i'll probably finish these up before starting on the sycamore parasol seen below:

this one was another attempted class project that i unfortunately didn't have time to finish (i seriously thought i'd be able to design and knit an entire parasol in just a few weeks? what was i thinking?)

this is probably the design i'm most excited about right now because it's the biggest and most complex thing i've undertaken so far.

and on that note, it's time for me to get clicking! check back with the blog for more pictures of my progress on my new designs and for information about when they will be released.

peace & love to all,

~petitevache

the vache lives!

2009-07-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

the vache is back!!

and with a new HP inspired ravatar too ^^

i've been on hiatus for a few weeks due to the arrival of my husband. he'll be here for the next 2 months so i'm very excited to have him here.

but i have not completely forsaken my pursuits in knitting/crochet design. it's a new month which means new assignments for the HPKCHC and i created a new design for Astronomy, the orion's belt choker.

here are the peices just before blocking

there is a star eyelet pattern on both ends

and this is one of the stars upclose.

i'm just blocking it now so i should be blogging again soon with pics of the finished product!

the Rowena sleeves have, however, been pushed to the bottom of the list due to the necessity of getting my quidditch wristies done in time for the release of HBP. but im sure i'll be taking them up again very soon, i actually have the cable pattern all charted out already for it, it's just a matter of shaping and such.

well, 3:30 am, a good time for sleep >.<

ta ta for now

~petitevache

new pattern!!

2009-06-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

you like my new Ravatar? i only had the Ravenclaw one up for like a day but i couldn't say no to a cute kitten

happy tuesday evening everyone ^^/

i'm sitting here enjoying the gazpacho i just finished making and i realized i forgot to annouce the arrival of the newest edition to my pattern section :O

the pattern for tiny bobbles, formerly known as the Bertie Bott's bag, is finally in my pattern store. once again noobyknitter from Ravelry tested this pattern for me and helped me work out the kinks, so thanks again nooby for being my test crocheter :)

i also finally finished Krystals birthday gift, although i have to say i wasn't crazy about the cotton yarn for this pattern. the cotton made the tote a bit more rigid, which i think some people would prefer, but i like the softness and stretchiness of the one i made in purple and yellow much better.

and last but not least i'm excited to announce that my mystery project is in fact a pair of cabled sleeves which i have dubbed Rowena sleeves. i had originally planned them to be my "wristwarmers" for quidditch, but upon reading the rules i now know that there are very specific patterns i have to follow for that. so now i'm making them just for fun and because it's great design practice.

i've made quite a bit more progress since these pictures so i suspect i'll be finished with the first one soon, so be on the lookout for pics ^^ (and with better lighting next time so you can see the true color of the yarn >.< )

a th-th-th-that's all for tonight folks....

I've been recruited!!

2009-06-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

today was a really great day for me because i was recruited by the Ravenclaw head of house in the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup group on Ravelry ^^

i'm super excited about finally having a house, as thus far i've just been doing assignments for the fun of it. now i can finally earn some points for my house :)

in honor of my admission i decided to celebrate by designing something in my house colors, blue and bronze. i've been needing to take my designs to the next level so this time i'm doing something knitted with cables. i won't tell exactly what it is yet (although if you're part of the HPKCHC you probably can guess) but i will show you my guage swatch as it's being blocked :

this will be the most complex thing i've ever attempted designing, so i'm not sure it's going to turn out exactly as i imagine it, but i'm sure i'll learn a lot in the process. to find out what it is you'll just have to check back with my blog in a few days and see if i've gone public yet xD

i've also finished writting out the pattern for my Bertie Bott's bag and am currently in the process of testing it. I'm hoping to have it uploaded to Ravelry and in my patterns section here on the blog by sometime next week. i could still use more pattern testers though so if you're interested don't hesitate to email me at mellonninamarie at gmail dot com.

well that's all for today folks, goodnight and happy knitting ^-^

~petitevache

finished!

2009-06-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

as you can probably tell from my pics, i do a lot of my designing in front of my computer....partly because i write my patterns out in word as i go and partly because i spend at least a few hours everyday talking to my husband online. we find it saves on the phone bill quite a bit if we mostly talk online, and neither of us are big phone people so it works out well that way, but i digress

my Herbology June assignment is officially complete! the Bertie Bott's bag will soon be available to download for free ^^ i've just got to finish writting it out and find a few testers to make sure the pattern is ok before i put it up in my store on Ravelry and in my patterns section here on the blog.

note to self; rainbow bobbles make me happy :)

new design idea

2009-06-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

hi everyone, happy monday ^^

lol, as if that was something to celebate, 4 more work days til the weekend, but it's also another day down until my hubby come to visit from france so it makes me happy :)

i started work on my assignment for Herbology this month, the assignment is to make something with bobbles or nupps, and i got the idea to do something with rainbow colored bobbles. this is what i have so far:

it's only in the beginning stages but eventually it will be a little drawstring floo powder tote, or for use in the muggle world, probably a scrabble tile bag for my mom, or a dice/deck bag for myself.

i'm writing out the pattern as i go, and plan to do a knit version of the bag and possibly a few more small projects with the same rainbow bobble design, i'm quite fond of the rainbow bobbles ^^

also i started a Lion Cotton version of lucky stars in red and black for my friend Krystals birthday this weekend. if you're on Ravelry you may have seen my project "Krystals star gloves" also in red and black because they are her favorite colors. so far i like how it's turning out using cotton

i really do love this project, it's cute and simple and makes a great last minute gift (since i just remember her birthday was coming up this past weekend >.<)

and lastly, if anyone has any FO's using my patterns they'd like to showcase you can send me an email at mellonninamarie at gmail dot com. i'd be happy to show them off on my blog so that other followers can see what my projects look like using different yarns and colors.

that's about all for today folks, be sure to check my blog out because i'm going through a real creative spurt so i'll probably be posting a lot more new design ideas and possibly a new pattern this week.

have a good night everyone ^^/

~petitevache

busy day for me

2009-06-05T21:39:00.001-07:00

for those of you who didn't find me through Ravelry you might not know about the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup. Some genius started this wonderful group on Ravelry where everyone is sorted into houses and compete for points by completing assignments in different disciplines.

the first pattern i added here, detanglers, was actually borne of an assignment for Muggle Studies, and for Charms i dreamt up this little tote, lucky stars:

this was my first attempt at illusion knitting, but i've made it my personal goal to design as many of my assingments as i can and not follow other peoples patterns. it took a while to get the star motif just how i wanted it but it was worth it in the end. i had this yarn just laying around in my stash and thought the colors looked very celestial, but i'm considering making my mom a scarf with the same colors/design because she's a huge Laker's fan.

i also added another pattern to my pattern section for sickles & knuts, my finished assignment for Transfiguration.

it's not a pattern i think many people will want to try because it's a bit hard on the hands, but if you've got a computer geek in your life you think might like this, it's available to download for free ^^

well i think i'll give my blog a rest for the day, so goodnight fellow knitters, keep on clickin!

~petitevache

it begins...

2009-06-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

so i woke up this morning and i said to myself "it's friday, good day to start a knitting blog."

no, actually i'm starting this blog out of necessity because i need a place to show my designs. i never really intended to start trying to become a knit/crochet designer, but i can't say it's something i never thought about. i love creating knew things with yarn, and sharing my creations with other people. so it appears this shall be my forum for that :)

welcome to the beginning of my blog, and of my experience as a designer ^^

for my first design i give you the detanglers!!

(PDF can be downloaded by clicking the "detanglers" link in the "my free patterns" section)

cord detanglers

materials:
Brown Sheep Company Wildfoote, color – Rock ‘N Roll (any scraps of a fingering weight yarn will do)
Size B1(2.25mm) crochet hook

guage: 8sc x 8 rows = 1”

notes: pattern is written for a small cord size, adjustments for larger sizes are written in ( )

body:
ch 18 (22, 26)

row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn – 17 (21, 25) sc

row 2: ch 3 (counts as first opening) , skip first 2 sc, *sc in next 2 sc, ch 2 * repeat from * to * 3
(4, 5) times, sc in next 3 sc, ch 1, turn

row 3: sc in next 3 sc, *2 sc in next ch. 2 hole, sc in next 2 sc* repeat from * to * 3 (4, 5) times , 2 sc in next hole, ch 1 do not turn

border:
sc in side of last sc completed on row 3 (place marker to mark begin. of rnd) sc in first opening, 3 sc in last sc

working in bottom of chains sc in 15 (19, 23) sc across. 3 sc in last sc, sc in side of next sc, 3sc in next sc.

sc in next 15 (19, 23) sc, 2 sc in last sc, join to first sc of border with sl st, fasten off and weave in ends

button:
ch 3, 2 sc in 1st chain, sc in loop formed by 1st sc

sew button into place across from first opening