Little Bits of Bling

Today's store update consists of soft, slightly shiny 80% Merino / 20% Silk Tussah spinning fiber. This would be great for felting too. My favorite thing about the 80/20 blend is that the merino provides softness and bounce, the silk adds a little bit of shimmer and depth. $12 for 2oz, can you really go wrong?

Now, a little bit of entertainment, a meme sent by "the lady knits".

---------------------------------------------------------
"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Going to Mills College.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
dye black blue-faced leicester for lacefreak, mordant merino-silk yarn, pay for health insurance, drink water, stretch


3) Snacks I enjoy:
I have a very childlike fascination with snacks. They are fun, mischievous, and rewarding. I eat lots of them. In that case, maybe we should talk about snacks I don't enjoy. banana chips. blech! raisins. pirate's booty (I may be alone on that one).


4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
While I would love to explore all of the different philanthropic ways I would save the world, at this moment, I am going to give you a little picture of my dream world. I would hire someone to clean my house, and pay them a lot of money, and a private chef to make my loads of yummy vegetables. I would get a pedicure. I would get a haircut, possibly have my hair dyed just a sharper, slightly darker color than my current color. I would buy a house, this is my dream. And, I would get Cleo a sister, probably another dachshund named Sister Little Paw, and an angora bunny named Emily. And, Adrienne could quit her job. I would have an insane knitting night, fully catered, to let everyone who has helped me and my lil business know how much I love them. I have no idea what I would give my therapist, something grand. Oh, and I would buy a small flock of Shetland sheep. I love them so. I would start the Fiber Farm and start building straw bale guest houses so all of you could come and stay, knit, spin, dye, and learn more about textiles. We would have a big dye garden, and organic vegetable garden, and an iris farm. Ok, so do you get this hint? Dreaming is part of my reality. I better stop here or I might fly away on some magic carpet.

5) Places I have lived:

Plymouth, Minnesota
Oakland, California
Jaipur, Rajasthan
Washington D.C.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Bhuj, Gujarat, India
and back to Oakland again!


6) Jobs I have had:
bagel slicer, coffee server, fabric cutter, lexicon creator, sleep researcher, textile researcher, natural dyer, and drop spinning teacher.

7) Bloggers I am tagging who I will enjoy getting to know better:
socktopus
sorojam
lupinbunny
Rainy Day Goods
librarian knits

***

In other news, I am getting so excited for the party this weekend! There will be all sorts of fiber and yarn there that has yet to make it to my website. Hope to see you soon!

***
coming up soon:

tales of spinning at the winery, where I fall down and buy ANOTHER fleece!

a report of our visit to a local farm raising California Red Sheep

Maker's Faire & CNCH

What? I don't know. What? This is what it sounds like in my brain. This is a snippet of a conversation I have with myself when I try to multi-task. Multi-tasking does not work. I want to believe it does. I once read an article in the NY Times that talked about how multi-tasking lowers your IQ. That all of these gadgets we try to use to save time, like the iphone, actually distracts us, dis-allowing (if this is a word) to never really fully focus on anything. Kind of like instilling ADD. Life has been a little crazy.

Maybe it is the weather, the shifts from cool to very warm, the wind whipping through today, lifting all sorts of debris. Yet, the roses are in bloom. They are so unbelievably beautiful their red, pinks, and yellows. Spring makes my senses swoon.

Part of the problem is that I have so much to tell you. And, I keep waiting for the best time to tell you instead of just letting you know. So, here it is!

First, I have to tell you about Y Knit. This is a new-ish podcast. They have 6 episodes. I love this podcast. I highly recommend listening. Witty and intelligent. Leather and Lace. Art and Craft. Listen and Laugh.


Then, there’s the studio. Adrienne and I have been working our buns off on this one! Yes, I am a perfectionist. I want everything done yesterday. I want the place to shine as if I have a million dollar budget. I want this space to look like I have lived in it for 10 years and it to look like a mixture of Wes Anderson's design sense (think Royal Tannenbaum's or the Darjeeling Limited - completely off the subject: not a great movie, but boy did I love the set design!) and some kind of obscure London textile gallery. OK, well this vision clearly takes time. It's something that I have to grow into, a vision that must be developed along time. At then end of the day, I only have myself to fight with, and really -- not so much fun.

So! I have decided that we must have a party! April is a little hectic. I will get to that momentarily. I am hoping to have the party in May or June. I hope, if you are in the area (read California) you will stop by. Details to follow in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned.

The 3 following events all take place on the weekend of May 3 & 4:

Maker's Faire: Bazaar Bizarre
San Mateo County Fairgrounds
I have never been, and am excited to be part of it. I hear that it is the Bay Area's wacky version of a science fair. I can't wait to see all of the zany inventions. Bring your drop spindle and join us!

CNCH Sacramento
Brooke and Maia will be representing A Verb for Keeping Warm and Tactile. This event hosts thousands of amazing weavers, weaving workshops, and a great array of fiber and yarn vendors.

Maryland Sheep & Wool
A Verb for Keeping Warm is making its East Coast premier! Our fiber and yarn will be available at the Cloverhill Yarn Shop booth. This booth is going to be amazing. Jolene has chosen to spotlight 18 independent dyers and designers. Hopefully, next year I will be able to make it out to Maryland. I hear the event is a ton of fun!


In other news, Color Fiber Festival, held last Saturday at PSR, was a great success. People brought their wheels, spindles, and needles and spent the day together doing what we all love and live to do -- create beautiful objects out of wool, silk, alpaca -- fiber! It was wonderful spending the day with the talented women of Tactile, Pigeonroof Studios, and Girl on the Rocks. Thank you to everyone who participated.

I hope to see you this weekend at Maker's Faire!

Let's get Physical, Physical!

Wow! It feels like a long time since my last post. Honestly, I am still getting my bearings straight post-Stitches. I had been working so diligently towards that goal, that now, I feel a little discombobulated. I imagine it is something like running a marathon. Training for months, engaging not only the physicality of it but the mental and emotional aspects as well. I have never run a marathon but for the first time in my life, I feel drawn to do so. Another form of process in which you can watch your mind, body, and emotion evolve.


But then it’s over, the goal completed, and for the first couple week, my muscle memory walks me the area where my raw materials live and there are none. I dyed them all. And. I am kinda crabby because I am overtired but am running on adrenaline. But then again, exhilarated because Stitches was more than I could have ever expected. Seeing old friends, meeting new ones.

I am completely taken aback how much talent is in this field, moreover, the fact that the talent continues to grow and broaden. I had the opportunity to meet Nicole and Jenny from the podcast Stash and Burn. If you have not listened to them, check them out. I have listened to them for years and love their warm, kind and personable style. Nicole just announced that she has started a new podcast where she talks about TV watching – I am sure it will be hilarious.




Then, there was the Passport (deserves a capital letter). When I mentioned the Passport idea to Casey and Jess of Ravelry, I imagined that we might have some kind of sheet of paper for vendors to stamp. Of course, as we all know from the stunning execution of Ravelry, with everything Casey and Jess do, they bring it to the next level; aesthetically, functionally, fairly, and otherwise. Once again, they took an idea, and rebuilt that idea into something far more than imagined. It was also great to meet everyone who came by with their Passports. If I stamped your passport, REMEMBER YOUR COUPON FOR FREE SHIPPING, EXP 4/30.


Thank you to everyone who supported my business at Stitches and purchased fiber and yarn. Now, I have more confidence in my business. I have a little more wiggle room financially. This week I made a decision that I have been fretting about for months. I rented a studio. I am so excited. I have a printer, with a press (this could come in very handy), on one side of me, and a man who makes custom dentist chairs on the other. Over the next week, I will be moving in, doing some minor remodeling. Hey, do any of you have a free electric stove hanging around your house?


So, what have I been doing instead of dyeing? I have been knitting!! I am so thrilled. I am so mad at Christina and Leslie! They have created this outstanding pattern, Carmen, (actually a series of patterns) that I can’t put down. Literally. Except maybe to feed the dog. I highly recommend their patterns. They are simple, straightforward, sophisticated, and use a surprisingly little amount of yarn.

This week I delivered 3 lbs of fiber at Article Pract. Stop by and check it out. More is on its way (if I can put down my knitting). Also, Piedmont Yarn Studio on Piedmont Ave. is carrying my fiber. Both stores have a very sweet, helpful staff, if you are local or are in the area, stop by and check them out.

More photos of knitting to come soon…

Stitches West 2008: Big Ol' Thank You!

Thank you so much for all of those who came to Stitches West, visited us, supported us, etc! I loved meeting everyone and the excitement of it all. This post is going to be pretty short. I am working my buns off to get things organized post-stitches. More to come soon!

Hairline Fracture

oh, ouch, I cracked my rib. I can't believe it. Except when I turn to the right, and there is a sharp wedge of pain. Oh, and when I try to pick something up, there's that pain again. I had this awful virus that seems to be taking the Bay Area by storm (maybe other parts of the states too). Of course, the minute that I could stand straight and walk, I begun to dye. I was washing out a big batch of indigo, my back was getting tired and I was coughing alot. I guess that was enough to crack my rib. So, my doctor said.

Adrienne has been a great help. Lifting pots. I get up early before she leaves for work, and wake her with a "little" task list. Then, I wait like a puppy for her to come home from work. "Will you lift this for me? Wash this for me? No, not like that, like this!" I feel bad. She has been such a great help. I will have to do something special for her.

Otherwise, the weather in these parts has been rainy and pretty cold for the Bay Area. I get a little bit bitter about that. I must remind myself: Do I really have room to complain? We have maybe 4 days a year that are 40 degrees. And maybe 7 days a year that it reaches 90-100 degrees. Rather temperate weather really. I guess it makes me appreciate the 350 days out of the year when I walk out of my house and don't realize I am outside. Same temp on or out.

I am working on a pair of Monkeys and will post soon all about that. Happy Friday!

Happy New Year!

Hello and Happy New Year!


I gotta tell you it has been quite the year for me. Last year, on this day, I walked into my 9-5, and announced that I was done. Through.
Period. Usually during major life transformations, I am excited, anticipating the new next thing. But this time, I was terrified. And had been terrified for many months up to that day. Now here I am. A year later, still alive, eating, paying my rent. Less savings but much happier. Walking on my path in this life. Practicing my life's purpose. If you asked me what my life's purpose is, I am not sure I could answer you directly. But in my heart and in my body, I can feel it. It's amazing.

Adrienne and I had not planned on going anywhere for the holidays. We both desperately needed time to sit, relax, create. We don't do very well at that though. So, about a week before Christmas, we decided to travel to Indio, California to visit Adrienne's parents and family. Honestly, this part of the world is not my most comfortable. But we had a really good time. Her mom made tamales, lengua, and nopal salad. We soaked up the warm weather. Last Summer, Michelle Wipplinger over at Earthues did a series of dyeing workshops in Desert Hot Springs (not far from Indio). I am hoping she will do it again. That way we can see Adrienne's parents and learn more dyeing skills.

Later in the week, we went in the opposite direction of Indio to Nevada City in the Sierra foothills. Here, I finally get to some real relaxing and knitting.


And then there is the nature in the Sierras...


A teensy tiny piece of fallen fruit. An apricot for a mouse.






The view of the Sierra Valley floor

I hate how I can never capture the largess and beauty of the mountains. This is the best I can do at the moment. I hope you enjoy this little bit of nature. Next post I will fill you in my knitting progress. I will give you a hint: I am knitting an Anne Hanson scarf "That Little Scarf". That woman is too amazing! To be continued...

Winter Fiber & Yarn Show!

This weekend I am co-hosting the Winter Fiber & Yarn Show. I would love it if you stopped by to say hello, drink some cider, chat, treated yourself or a loved one with the gift of fiber and yarn.

If you are local, or know anyone who is local, if you would pass along this invitation to them -- that would be great!!

We are going to be at Glimakra Weaving Studio. This studio, in itself, is well worth the trip. Maj-Britt Mobrand, the owner, is a master weaver and can teach you possibly anything you wanted to learn about weaving and its heritage. Glimakra are a style of loom from Sweden. If you have ever been interested in learning how to weave, this would be a great time to visit the studio and meet Maj-Britt and the looms in person.

Then, of course there is Tactile Fiber Arts. They will also be there selling their beautiful natural dyed fiber and yarn, too. In other words, you will have lots of yarn and fiber to choose from!

Location:
Glimakra Weaving Studio
2728 MLK
Berkeley 94703

Email me with any questions!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

happy 30th techday

Try this experiment with your loved one. Describe and discuss, quite thoroughly how you perceive a website. Now make the website. And, look at the website, and wonder, did we really discuss this? I remember saying that I wanted the photos to be here, and the search bar to be there. . . and then do it again and again, and then start raising your tone of voice, and here and there start incorporating other tiffs in the house, like the time you left the dog puke on the floor instead of cleaning it up, and how that must be another example indicative of why the website looks how it does, etc. Yes, this was my household. But, now, as Adrienne and I, completely pleased with ourselves, snuggled into bed, we felt that we had left that all behind. We had finally made the switch to our new web store where all the programming would be in the hands of Yahoo. A place that I (not Adrienne and I) could simply upload new products. As I fell asleep, I smiled thinking about all of the dyeing and spinning I could now get to. The technical aspects were finally complete.

WRONG! When publishing my new store, yahoo changed the name of my blog, disabling all of the links to my blog. Nooooo, no more technical problems. No no no. And then there were the phone calls to Yahoo customer care. Let’s just say Texan accent, bad reception, code website speak, relationship politics, no dinner, late night. I think the best part of the conversation was when I was told by Yahoo “You can’t have your cake and eat it too”. I restrained myself from snapping back “it’s my thirtieth birthday this week, and I don’t want to hear those words!” But I didn’t. And, I had to compromise a la a splash page. Not my first choice – but I am soooo happy to have my blog back.

So, back to business, how is everyone doing? Fall is here. I like it – very cozy feeling. Like I mentioned before, I did turn 30 on Friday. This is something I have been really looking forward to. I spent time on Friday reflecting on some of the changes that have occurred in my life over the past year. Probably the biggest change in my life was quitting my “day job”. Last year at this time, it’s pretty safe to say that I was miserable. I didn’t want to leave my job but I needed to for my physical health and wellbeing. I was pretty crispy around the edges. When I did give my notice, on January 2, I wasn’t only giving notice that I was leaving my job, I was giving notice that I was going to live my life in a completely new and different way. This sounds very corny – but I am going to say it anyway – I decided to muster up as much courage as I could and listen to my heart. This will always be a struggle for me. I like to think about “the bottom line”. I desire stability. Risk makes my chest tighten. And my heart could give a shit about those things. Little by little, I am relaxing into those feelings, and in turn they feel less threatening. Point being, I am so grateful to be back in the fiber world and doing something that I absolutely love.

On the fiber front, I picked up the Alvros Sweater – love that thing! Love it. Love the pattern, love the yarn. I even love that it’s going to be a while before I finish it. I think this my first process piece.

The Tangled Yoke on the other hand. Not so much. The pattern is fine. But I am not happy with my choice of yarn. I chose to use Silky Tweed. I will be honest (here comes the bottom line). Well, I went with the Silky Tweed to save a few dollars. I have knit the body of the sweater and it just does not have the hand that I’d like it to have. I want it to be denser, woollier, cozier. So that being said – the Tangled Yoke is at a standstill for the moment.

I am spinning (and carding). Ramboulliet from the BSG. 2 ply. I think that I am going to make my little bro, Johnny, a sweater.

Well, that’s all for now. Sorry for the lack of photos -- next time I will treat you. I hope everyone is enjoying their Autumn!

Knit me a home where the buffalos roam.

Well, I wish it wasn't but it is. This is our last night in Ashland. And we are listening to KD Lang singing covers -- playing name that tune -- trying to guess the original singer.

We've had lots of ups and downs on this trip. Which in some ways was expected. The back story: My mom, her husband, Adrienne, and myself decided that we would try to look for a farm together. Currently, my mom and her husband, Jim, live in Minnesota, where I was raised. I love Minnesota. It's beautiful, green, warm summers, and is affordable in comparison to California. Yet, I can not imagine living there now. Even as a child I felt the winter stifling and depressing. Sometimes, I tell myself that if I moved back, the close proximity to my family, and the ability to afford a home would make the cold worth it -- in my gut I know this is not exactly true.

I have this little dream of living in the country, dyeing fiber with plants out of my own garden, eating out of my garden, warming up next to a wood stove, spinning yarn, making art, sleeping under the stars, living like a recluse for a few years. Honestly, I enjoy checking out every once in a while. Allowing the world to go on without me. Giving my brain and body room to explore and expand. Yet, I freak out a little bit when thinking about leaving the city. What if I lose my grip? What if by the time I get back here, someone will have already cultivated my dream? How on earth am I going to make money living in the woods?? I live a paradox of loving the city and wanting to be in the middle of everything and checking out and living a little bit like a hermit.

Add to the equation that I really love spending time with my mom and want to live near her and her husband. So, here we are seeing if we can work out something. One by one, my mom and I eliminate potential states of residence. One of the first on the list for my mom and Jim is California. This is sad. I truly love California. Yes, as a lady born and raised in the Midwest, California can be a little kooky, a little too quirky at times. Overpriced and high maintenance. But then again, often times, I might use those descriptions to characterize myself. California's landscape is dynamic, the climate mild, the people energetic, creative, and forward thinking. All that being said, I've tried pushing but they will not budge.

Oregon (ashland)is one area that we agreed may work. Now, I have to admit, Ashland is about as California as you can get without actually being in California (sorry to any folks from Oregon who might get offended by this remark). There are a bunch of hippies, it's fairly liberal, geographically looks like CA, have good food, etc. Plus, they have the Shakespeare festival. I think that my mom and Jim like this area but I don't know that they love it. I think that they love Colorado. Looking at houses and farms, I think that we have found that we are looking for different styles of living. Adrienne and I want alternative energy, funky houses, uneven floors, crazy gardens. We did find some pretty amazing farms here that are doing just that. I guess in the end, Adrienne and I are going to push our dreams and continue our search. I want the easy answer, the straightforward path -- ha!

Anyway, I highly recommend visiting here. We went to The Tempest last night. It was amazing.

Today, we went to Crater Lake.






Cast-on: Tangled Yoke Cardigan in Silky Wool.