Weaving in the ends.

Finishing. It's arguably the most important step in any craft, particularly in garment construction. But finishing any project is what turns it from a project to a finished piece. (By "finishing" I don't mean completing, I mean weaving in ends, sewing seams, etc.) I am more of a process knitter. I enjoy the process of knitting, but it's the actual clack of the needles that I find relaxing. It's watching a pattern emerge that I enjoy. This isn't to say I don't like seeing the finished product, but if it turns out wrong, or just not the way I expected, I have no problem walking away from it (or giving it away) and moving on. But the finishing...

It the hardest part of any project for me. The part I find least enjoyable and the part that I am not particularly great at. I mean, I'm not terrible - I can seam two pieces of fabric, knit or otherwise - but I just find it to be tedious.

Obviously I'm writing this post because I am in the middle of finishing a project and am procrastinating.

I'm using online tutorials to (hopefully) create better seams. This one seems (ha) to be pretty good, though I haven't actually started seaming yet.  Right now I am weaving in approximately eleventy billion ends. The only way I know how to do that effectively and neatly is to duplicate stitch them in. I haven't found a good explanation of how to weave in ends invisibly and quickly, other than duplicate stitch. It's a good method, but time consuming. I suppose I should get back to it...

Shoes.

So this isn't craft related, per se, but I just ordered these shoes: Seychelles Stand and Deliver Flats. They are gorgeous, man-made and I already have an outfit in mind to wear them with. Now I just need a warm evening, a bottle of wine and an outdoor concert to complete the look.

Last day for the yarny raffle!

Today is the last day to enter the yarn raffle in support of Emily! Great prizes being given away, but more importantly, a great oppotunity to help a woman fight both cancer and discrimination.

For more info, go here.

Super secret sneak preview.

Much of this month has been occupied with sample knitting. This is my first foray into the world of pay-for-knit, and I've got to say, I kind of love it. I mean, it's got pros and cons. Pros: paid to knit - hey-o!, get to work with yarns I might not otherwise have used, fun new patterns to try out and correct, my name in a knitting book and a free copy of said book! Plus, watching my friend develop and release her own yarn line! Woo. Cons: deadlines, deadlines, deadlines, I'm not designing anything, just doing "grunt work" (not complaining though!), less time for personal projects.

All in all, I'm really enjoying it and I think this might be a good way to earn a little extra cash for yarn purchases when I transition to full time housewife. It's pretty awesome.

Since the yarn line and pattern books haven't been released yet, I can't show you what I've been doing other than this super sneaky peek... I'll say this, the yarn is delightful to knit with - it's got a soft sheen and is wonderfully soft and squooshy, but is also sturdy. You can put tension on it without worrying about snapping the yarn. It's pretty luxurious stuff and the put ups are fantastic. I'm not much of a photographer, but trust me when I say the yarn was divine.

For Emily - donate to a good cause and win amazing yarn.

Re-blogged (with permission) from my friend Ann (Fidget Knits). Not that a ton of people follow this blog, but getting this info out to even one more person is a good thing. Here's the deal:

A Request, For Emily (Win Crafty Goodies!)

So. My best friend in the world, Erin, has a sister, Emily. This is Emily.

Emily is sick. Very sick. They thought her liver was failing and she was preparing for a transplant last month when they discovered she actually has liver cancer -- which makes her ineligible for a transplant. Emily recently began chemotherapy, the first leg of her long journey to fight cancer. When she beats the cancer, she will still need a liver transplant.

When she is healthy, Emily works as a school teacher in my hometown in Kansas. Unfortunately, Emily's health insurance does not cover prescriptions. And because Kansas does not recognize gay marriage, Emily cannot get on her partner's insurance to help cover some of the costs. Right now, her prescriptions are running about $1,000 a month -- $35 a day -- which doesn't include co-pays for other medical treatments. She is hoping to raise at least $20,000 in the short term to help cover these costs. Emily keeps journal at CaringBridge to chronicle her fight against cancer.

I’ve put together a small fundraiser to help Emily get the money she needs for her fight. And amazing crafters from across the Internet have rallied to help out, too. Just look at the bevy of goodies for the winners! (Please note: the actual goods far exceed my photographic skills.)

My good friend Elspeth, of Wry Punster fame, will knit you a sweater!
* One winner will receive a sweater, knit by a former knitting teacher, to her (his) measurements. The winner will provide the yarn (worsted weight or heavier) and Elspeth will develop the custom pattern in consultation with the winner. The winner will receive the sweater and the pattern so that she (he) can knit additional garments to the same specs.


KFI Yarns donated a ton of yarns, most in sweater quantities. Including Louisa Harding Grace, which is a kissing cousing to Sundara Aran Silky Merino or Lorna’s Laces Lion & Lamb. Desert Island Yarn, for real. But wait, there’s more:

Top: Louisa Harding Grace; Queensland Collection Pima Fresca; Elsbeth Lavold Hempathy; Louisa Harding La Salute.
Bottom: Arucania Milodon & Louisa Harding Kashmir Baby; Louisa Harding Kashmir (baby, dk and aran weights); Arucania Milodon; Queensland Super Aussie Merino & Elsbeth Lavold Bamboucle.
These will be divided as follows:
* One winner: 9 hanks of Grace in Berry
* Two winners: 9 hanks each of Grace in Tangerine
* One winner: 5 hanks of Grace in a chocolate-covered cherry colorway, plus 10 balls of Kashmir Aran in Merlot
* One winner: 10 balls of Kashmir Baby in green plus 10 balls of La Salute in black
* One winner: 10 balls of Kashmir Baby in pink, plus 10 balls of La Salute in ivory
* One winner: 10 balls of Kashmir Aran in teal, plus 10 balls of La Salute in red
* Two winners: 10 balls of Kashmir DK in teal, plus 10 balls of La Salute in red
* One winner: 10 balls of Kashmir Baby in navy, blus 10 balls of La Salute in red
* One winner: 9 hanks of Pima Fresca in Ivory, plus 10 balls of Kashmir DK in rust
* One winner: 3 hanks of Arucania Milodon in purple, plus 4 balls of Kashmir baby in violet
* One winner: 10 hanks of Arucania Milodon in green
* One winner: 9 balls of Queensland Super Aussie Merino plus 5 balls of Elsbeth Lavold Bamboucle in celadon
* One winner: grab bag, including Elsbeth Lavold bamboucle in celery, plus 4 balls of Sublime Cashmerino dk in assorted colors, plus a full bag of unlabeled bulky ivory yarn.


Kathy at WEBS-America’s Yarn Store, has generously donated to the cause.

* One winner will receive a $50 gift card to WEBS, plus the two hanks of Huntington sock yarn in a deep purple pictured above, plus one set of size 2 bamboo dpns.
* One winner will receive a $50 gift card to WEBS and one set of size 2 bamboo dpns.


You know I’m a sucker for Fiberphile yarns from early on in her shop-days. Georgia’s colors are so amazing!

* One winner will receive a hank of 2-Ply Squooshy sock yarn in Concord.


Likewise, my girl Sundara has generously donated a hank of Fingering Silky Merino. One hank is 560 yards – plenty of yarn for a shawl or scarf.

* One winner will receive a hank of Fingering Silky Merino, Colorway Flower Studies #5.


My good friend (and lunch-buddy) Pia dug into her own stash for these highly coveted goodies.

* One winner will receive a hank of Wollmeise Twin in Frosch.
* One winner will receive a hank of Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga, colorway Autumn Tiger Beetle.


I decided to match Pia's generosity.

* One winner will receive a hank of Wollmeise sock yarn in Veilchen.
* One winner will receive a hank of Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga, colorway Cuban Cockroach.


The amazing and generous Caro has donated a box bag from her shop, Splityarn.
* One winner will be able to pick a box bag – print of the winner’s choosing. (I’m partial to the spiderpig box bag myself.


With so much yarn to be won, there can’t just be one bag, right? Jen from YarnPlayCafe has donated to the cause as well.
* One winner can pick a tote bag (exact kind to be specified soon!) from her shop.


The incomparable Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops fame has generously offered up her designs.
* Three winners will each receive gift certificates to the Through The Loops pattern store, good for three patterns each.


The inspiring, phenomenally talented force behind Cauchy Complete has created a wonderful mini-quilt.

* One winner will receive a handmade mini-quilt.


Remember Elspeth at the top of this list? Her mother, an accomplished beader, has graciously contributed.

* One winner will receive the handmade, double-strand labradorite necklace.


Here’s how to participate:
1. Go to Emily’s donation site at Give Forward.
2. Give an amount you feel comfortable with. With your donation, leave Emily a note of support. Let her know the knitters are cheering her on, or share an inspiring quote or a song lyric. Or just share the cheesiest joke you’ve heard lately – something to make her smile.
3. Come back here and leave a comment with your donation amount. For every $10 you donate, you will receive one entry into the raffle. If you donate at least $20 and mention this fundraiser on your blog, public twitter account, or flickr, you’ll get an extra entry. (Make sure you include the link where it’s mentioned.)
(3.5. Important! Make sure that your comment information includes how to reach you if you win! )
4. Comments will be accepted until Tuesday, March 29, at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced the next day.
(4.5 Fine print: Taxes are the responsibility of the winner. Winners who do not respond to their notification within 7 days will forfeit their winnings. International entries are okay but will be shipped at the cheapest rate.)
Finally, a note about giving: There is a lot of tragedy in the world today, and I recognize that everyone has many opportunities to give. This is not intended to detract from any fundraisers for other worthwhile causes. If you do choose to give to help Emily, your donation will go directly to help her fight against liver cancer. And for that: THANK YOU.

Sample knitting.

I have recently discovered the miraculous world of test and sample knitting. Did you guys know about this?? I haven't test knit anything yet, but I have been working on some projects for a friend who has 30 patterns coming out with a new yarn line. It's pretty exciting stuff and honestly? I'm a little star struck by her. I mean, she's an amazing friend but she also happens to be a knitting rock star.

So, sample knitting. I volunteered to do some sample knitting for this friend, because hey - new knitting and helping out a friend! Best of both worlds! But as it turns out, you get paid for sample knitting! Paid! I mean, granted, it's slave wages in terms of hours worked, but getting paid to do something I would have done for free is pretty amaze-balls. I'm still trying to figure out how to turn this into a full time gig...

Having said that however, I will also say that having a deadline for your knitting can be stressful. Thankfully, though, I am a last minute knitter anyway, so almost all my knitting is "deadline" knitting. I have discovered that I am turning into a knitting monogamist, much to my surprise. I have 5 works-in-progress right now and that, more than anything else, is what stresses me out. But I'm actually feeling proud about it, if you follow what I mean. Yes, it's stressful to me to have so many knitting projects unfinished right now, but I really feel like that is a sign that I am growing up as a knitter. I am a finisher! I do not like to have WIPs all over the place! I have (hopefully) beaten the startitis!

Fingers crossed, anyway.

The problem with blogging...

The problem with having a crafting blog and being a bad/lazy photographer is that it makes for a boring blog. I want everyone (all two of you) to know that I'm not purposely ignoring this blog. It's just that I have very little patience for photographing stuff (because I'm not great at it and it is labor intensive), and posting on a crafting blog without photos doesn't really work. I'm trying to find a happy medium.

Thus far my attempts have been unsuccessful. ::sigh::

I'll try harder. Promise.