Crafts are eating my brain

I'm a crafter. For the most part I stick with the fiber arts; knitting has always been the craft that I return to again and again. But I've dabbled with all sorts of things. I've done embroidery, decoupage, papier mache, needlepoint, sewing, woodworking. (I'm sure there's more, but I'm still on my first coffee here.)

I believe in the power of making things. I believe that it's a way to unlock your creativity, to relax, to form community, to think of the world in new ways, to raise awareness, to raise funds, to raise spirits, to see what you're capable of, to express yourself, to free yourself from dependence on mass production, to appreciate our foremothers and fathers, to connect with children.

Maybe it's my grandmother's recent passing that has made me think of the wide variety of things that I used to make. She was primarily a needlecrafter, herself, but she turned her hand to a lot of things, too, and we used to do a lot of crafts together. Lately I've been interested in exploring what else I can make for my home, my family and friends.

Last week I did a needle felting workshop for some friends, and despite the chaos of many kids swirling about, we had a fun time. Not only did I enjoy sharing this new little craft that I've been doing lately, I got to see what other people did with the skill. I loved seeing that, other ideas, other perspectives, other techniques being innovated. One woman made a stab at making realistic carrot tops for her carrots -- not easy with a needle felter, let me tell you! One woman made a banana with peel that comes down.

So that got me thinking, wouldn't it be fun to do a lot more crafts? (Big leap, I know.) I'm thinking I might start an informal crafting group, with an emphasis on crafting things which are meant to be used, and using shared, thrifted, or inexpensive materials. Crafting is very tied in with opting out of consumerism, for me. Or maybe that's exerting too much control. That's the big thing that crafting is for me, but who's to say what it is for someone else? That's something to find out, I guess.

Next week I'll call about this superb space I know about and see if I can have it for a regular thing. I'm pretty sure that getting members for a crafting group will *not* be a problem.

Here's some of the felting that's been eating my brain:

Quick and Dirty Update

Hi! I still exist. In fact I'm working very hard at being Yummy Yarn, so hard I don't have time to blog. Or the impulse, usually. That's the thing, see, I'm not a blogger. I read and enjoy some blogs, don't get me wrong, and I have no bad opinion of the people who do blog, but I lack the impulse to narrate my life, myself. However, I do like to reach out to my fiber people from time to time, and let them know what I"m up to.

Mostly, I'm up to this:

Isn't she lovely? That's the new baby, playing with the fringe of my stashbuster scarf. I've been stashbusting like crazy. After 5 scarves, I got a bit bored and now I'm doing a stashbuster sweater. Here's that in progress:

I'm also back to teaching at Black Sheep Yarns and soon I'll be offering a couple classes at Vancouver's new yarn store, Baaad Anna's. So far, teaching with the baby in tow has been successful; fingers crossed that it continues to work out. I'm getting creative with it. I bring a babysitter to my Tuesday classes at BSY; Friday workshops are done without a babysitter to spell me off. My Baaad Anna's workshops may be done with or without the sitter, I haven't decided. Depends on how the bebe is that week, I suppose. She's getting a lot happier about hanging out in a wrap carrier on my back while I do stuff, so that's bodes well!

My big project this week is getting as much stock as I can, because in a few weeks I'm holding a trunk show! Baaad Anna's has agreed to host my trunk show of yarns, fiber, and knitted objects (those are for show not sale) on the weekend of October 17-18. It's a chance for locals to see all my yarn in the same place at the same time, something that hasn't happened since I stopped doing the Coquitlam Farmer's Market last September. I hope it's a good event for the store, since I always like to see a yarn store do well, and I won't lie, I hope the sales are good.

Book located, and Spring Knitty

I found it.  On my bookshelf.  *facepalm*

The Spring Knitty is up!  I really, really want to cast on for Hanne, because I think my handspun 2-ply is probably the perfect gauge and would knit up to great effect.  However -- the border on my Pi Shawl is going on, but not done yet, the bands (waist, button, neck) on my tweed sweater still need to go on, my Kauni Rainbow cardigan is...actually, bands need to go on that one too.  The first wrist band is done, the second is nearly done, and the big job of the single border that encompasses the neck, button bands, and bottom remains.  (But due to a fit of pique at the insufficiently flexible cable of my Addi Turbo, I ordered 2 or 3 Knitpicks fixed circulars in the correct size.  Trust me that there seemed to be a very good reason for ordering more than one at the time.  I'm trusting me...because I can't really think of that reason right now.)  Also, the grafting of the baby bog jacket is done and it needs...

Bands!  Okay.  All my projects are stalled at the band stage.  I, uh, I guess I don't find knitting bands to be very compelling.  Although in my defense, the garter blocks pattern that I'm using for the Kauni sweater involve stranded purling, which is a truly hand-cramping, fiddly task.

Off to knit some edges on things.

Missing Book! Help!

I loaned out my copy of Stranded Knitting by Nanette Blanchard.  I think.  Does anyone who reads this blog have it?  I asked the person I thought I loaned it to, but she doesn't have it, so now I'm at a loss.  I'm done teaching class 2 of 5 of my Stranded Knitting class, and there are some pictures I really, really want to show the class, but I can't because I can't find the book.  I think I loaned it out...although the book just being lost in the house somewhere is entirely possible.

If I can't find it in a couple weeks I'll just re-order the thing.  It's a fantastic reference book and not expensive.

Working it out

I've had the word "blog" on my to-do list for ages now, and I never seem to find the time and energy to do it.  I don't really have it today either, but I figure maybe I need to treat the blog like I treat answering emails from friends, sometimes -- better to send scattered and less coherent messages more frequently than to send brilliant missives at one-year intervals.

So I'm pregnant.  Lots of locals already know this, and some read it between the lines, but that's why I suddenly decided to get the toxic dye out of my house last August.  That's also where all my energy has gone lately.  I'm fine, strong and healthy, but even an easy pregnancy still involves growing a new human and takes considerable energy.  For months now, I've only had the werewithal for my family and the basics of my business.  I'm managing a good rate of spinning, and a decent rate of dyeing due thanks to Felicia Lo of Sweet Georgia, who opened her studio (with rentable dye space) at exactly the right time.

The search for alternative workspace has been interesting.  Back in the spring it was becoming clear to me that if I wanted to grow, I'd need some workspace where I could spread out more and achieve a bit more volume, and I was selling my stuff at a good enough rate that the idea of paying for space was not too far-fetched.  And then, two lines appeared on the stick, and it was clear to me that finding workspace that wasn't my family's kitchen was a non-negotiable.  So I started to explore.

I told everyone that I needed space, and I know enough people in the local arts scene and a good handful of people in the fiber arts community specifically that I was really able to get the word out.  Lots of people were keeping their ears open for me, and while the suggestions didn't roll in quickly, they came in regularly enough.  Several of them were unworkable for my specific needs, but a few were possible, and one -- the Sweet Georgia studio -- was perfect.  Or at least, close to perfect.  It was downtown, so I'd have to make a pretty major expedition carrying all my stuff (20lbs of fiber, buckets, towels, my big box of dye solutions, etc.), but I tried it once, and it was okay, and the second time I went, it was awesome.  I dyed 15lbs in a day; my one-day record so far.

And just a short time ago, two or three more offers came in.  One for an actual studio four blocks from my house, with a totally affordable rent, and one for occasional use of another indie dyer's garage, which is her own dye workspace.  The first, I can't use now -- studio and newborn are just unmixable things -- but how amazing is it that, after only 6-8 months of starting the process of looking for this very particular thing, I found it?

I don't believe that the Universe is interested in my happiness one way or the other.  I don't believe that anyone or anything ethereal listens when you say what you want.  I do, however, believe that articulating what you want, to yourself first and foremost, and then to others, can provide impressive results.  Get clear on what you want, so that you recognize it when it happens, that's what I think.  And it's happening.

I have only one picture for you today: a pair of Knucks knit from a skein of my Bordering on the Avant Garde yarn.

More Knitting than Usual

One of the effects of me making teaching a significant part of my business is that I'm spending a whole lot more time knitting than I had been, and I didn't realize how much I'd missed it.  I never stopped, but I was doing pretty minor things -- a pair of mittens here, socks there, now and then a hat.  Now, I'm spending a lot of time making up demo projects for classes and trying to come up with simple projects that showcase my yarn.  It's kind of nice, to have stuff on the go.

I've been knitting a sweater for my Sweaters Without a Pattern class out of the tweed yarn I handspun a while back.  I'm so in love with this yarn, i can't tell you.  It's springy and robust but still soft on the skin, and the way it's knitting up, showing off those little bits and pieces of

 leftover fiber bits from my previous spinning -- love, total love.  I didn't have quite enough for a sweater to fit me, though, and I agonized for a bit.  I could just make a sweater for my daughter, and it would be lovely, but I worked so hard on making this yarn that I couldn't quite bear the thought of it not being for me.  I could set the yarn aside for a vest, and make the sweater from different yarn, but I'm not exactly rolling in money, and if I could make the demo project without spending money, that would be better.

I decided to go to the yarn store and see if there was something interesting I could use for the cuffs and button bands, maybe a bit of detailing, and I struck gold.  I struck Noro.  Their new yarn, Yuzen, is an interesting crispy texture, and the silk content gives it a bit of a sheen.  And they had a colourway that could not have been a better match for my tweed.

Here is the project in progress, half the body and the sleeves done, ready to be joined up for the raglan shoulder.  If you want to lick the screen, then you're like me.

I can't knit anymore on the sweater until a week from now, when I demonstrate how to do an armscye and how to assemble the pieces to begin the raglan shaping, but I was enjoying the pretty mindless knitting on chunky yarn.  I decided to cast on for a felted bag.

I've said in the past that it makes me cry when I find out that someone wants to felt my yarn, but I can see the appeal -- the colours are lovely, and it does felt like a dream.  So I chose some colours:

Mindless knitting, pretty colours -- I can see the appeal.  Will keep you posted.

Class news:  By popular demand, I'm running a Beginner's Knitting class that begins this Thursday evening.  I hadn't anticipated that Beginner Knitting would be the one with the highest demand, but now I know -- next Winter, I'll run it twice.  There is going to be a 2-session Mittens class beginning on Saturday Nov 22 that I think will be fun.  I'm teaching a pattern that can be used with any yarn, for any size hands.  I like any pattern that starts "choose any yarn you like."

Some pretty things to look at

In the past couple days a few people have sent me pictures of what they have done with my yarn, and I thought I'd share.

Firstly, some crocheting. I can crochet, but I usually don't, so I'm glad to see an example of my yarn used for a purpose rather different from the one I usually put it to. I've seen crocheting done up in handspun yarn, and the effect is very interesting. The colour blending that you get with the combination of stitch and yarn is really unique.



Next, a use I often put my yarn to -- mittens. Can never have too many mittens, I'd say.



Lastly, a contribution by a Torchwood fan and nascent spinner:



It's been a slow and quiet month. I started my weaving class, and it's been interesting. So far, I don't find weaving nearly as rhythmic and relaxing as knitting, but I'm new, so it's bound to feel clumsy and difficult right now. I've been neglecting my bookkeeping, doing no dyeing whatsoever, and playing around with the drum carder from time to time. I now know that I can drum card 8 batts in an hour. Hey, when you're crafting for profit, you need to know these things. I'm just adding it to the pile of Facts of Limited General Application that I have.

Mostly I've been concentrating on the teaching, this month. Three out of four scheduled classes have gone ahead, and I've enjoyed all of them. My Sweaters Without a Pattern class is beginning this Wednesday evening, and I'm looking forward to it -- I love teaching this class. I love taking a group of knitters and empowering them to knit stuff just the way they want it, in exactly the yarn they want. Freedom from the tyranny of the pattern! Not that there isn't a time and a place for a good pattern, but it's not *every* time. The class has four students in it right now so it will definitely go ahead, but there's room for a few more if anyone is interested. A fun time will be had.

Cautiously Optimistic

The nice thing about being a small business is that I'm very, very flexible. I don't have employees with specialized skills whose time needs to be used wisely, I don't have to pay rent on a separate business space, and I don't have large standing orders that need to be fulfilled or else I lose customers. When something changes, I can change with it.

This is not to say that it's easy, change, no matter what the circumstance. I had a rhythm going. I had regular customers and a fairly predictable set of activities that I would do over the course of a week or a month. Then I needed to stop dyeing in the house, and everything had to be rethought.

However -- I've been thinking and researching and planning these past weeks, and I think I have a workable plan. Here it is.

Firstly, my experiments with Wilton's and my research on the subject (which mostly consisted of talking to a lot of dyers on Ravelry who have used it and various other dyes) has led me to believe that it is not the answer to my problems. I believe I would be sacrificing too much in terms of my results (can't get the colourways I want) if I switched to food dye. So it has to be the toxic stuff.

However, I have figured out how to do a limited amount of dyeing on my front porch. How miserable this strategy makes me in January remains to be seen; it probably behooves me to stockpile a bit. I'm also investigating taking part in Felicia Lo's (Sweet Georgia's) shared studio, a project that she's setting up so that several of the casual and small independent dyers, weavers, and spinners (both business people and hobbyists) can have a suitable space for their activities. I'm not the only dyer out there with the problem of how to use toxic dye without polluting one's living space.

Secondly, the fiber sales are not kaput, but they will be limited. I will not wholesale my fiber, except for the carded batts that I offer to the two local stores I sell through. I will continue to sell some fiber on Etsy and to those who know me well enough to send an email that says "hey what do you have right now, can you send me a picture?"

Thirdly, I need to sell a lot more yarn. I haven't pushed the yarn sales because my fiber sales were doing so well. My yarn sales were mostly wholesales through Three Bags Full and Black Sheep Yarns. This was perfectly satisfactory to me -- the volume was high enough that the cut I take on the wholesale price still leaves me sufficiently compensated for my spinning time, and the online fiber sales made up the rest of my paycheque. Now, though, I need to somehow convince The Internet to buy more yarn. I can do this. I just have to put my mind to the marketing problem.

The last part of the strategy is teaching, which is ramping up about now. My beginners class at Black Sheep will begin this week, and it already has 5 or 6 people in it -- which is awesome. There are three or four more classes already scheduled at the shop, and once I find out whether my Arts Centre classes are going ahead, I'll be able to firmly schedule a bunch more for later in the Fall.

So that's that. I feel much less panicked than I did a couple weeks ago. I'm heavily buoyed up by yesterday's success -- I handpainted some BFL and cooked it in my new, standalone turkey roaster which lives on the front porch. Here is the roaster:


And here is the 3lbs of wool I painted:


3lbs is almost nothing compared to my previous production, but I'm still working out the details. It's a bit like going back to stovetop cooking, this roaster, and managing convection and colour splitting is something I'm having to re-learn. The batches are slow, very slow, so far, and I can't queue them up like I could with my oven method. I probably won't have many more 10 lb days, but hey, that's fine -- I'm mostly dyeing to supply my own spinning, and I can only spin so fast. Slow is fine.

Lastly -- I have had my final Farmer's Market. For some reason, this season has been the pits for sales at the market. Dunno why, but it has. So I've cancelled my last two scheduled days, because I have more productive ways to spend my time than huddling outside in the cold. The market was awesome while it lasted, and I'll continue to shop there, but my days as a vendor are over for now.

Hear that squealing noise? Those were my brakes.

This past week, I've been going through some major changes. I have to stop dyeing the way I have been.

For the time being, I can't use the Ciba dyes inside my house. I'm too concerned about traces of the dye getting into my system and into my family's system. I mix the powders in the little laundry nook in my bedroom (wearing gloves and a respirator), but I have some concern about the powders spreading out into the sleeping space. I mix the dye stocks in the laundry room too, which involves opening and closing a lot of jars, all of which have dried dye on the edge, which can spread more powder.

I handpaint the fibers in my kitchen. I put down a big shower curtain with a towel on top of it, but still, splashes occur, and since I'm still opening and closing plastic tubs with dried dye around the edge, there's probably some powder spreading. In the cooking area.

Step 1: No dye in the house. It's on my covered front porch now, in a big wooden bin.

Step 2: Figure out how to colour fiber without going back on Step 1.

So this is where I am. I see two options: use new dye, or dye outside the house.

The new dye possibility is Wilton's. Wilton's is an icing dye, available for purchase at Michael's Craft Store. It's expensive, but it's a cost I don't mind eating if it makes a difference. The reports on Wilton's aren't great, though. It's very difficult to manage (some of the colours -- several of the colours, in fact -- split like crazy, making predictable results hard to achieve), and it's not as light- and colour-fast as the professional grade dyes. I know of one Etsy seller who is very successful using it, but I'm skeptical. And my early experiments have not gone well. I'd post a picture of the bad, bad colours, but it's just embarrassing. Also, there isn't a decent black with Wilton's.

i just got tipped off about a "Green" dye with no heavy metals in it. I have contacted the company about their MSDS sheet and am waiting to hear. We'll see.

The other option is to dye outside my house. This would involve having someone else mix my dye stocks (I'm sure I can find a teenager who will do it for the right price), and having me retreat to my covered front porch to mix my colours and paint the wool. I would dye using a crock pot and maybe this cooker I found at Canadian Tire. I hear Felicia of Sweet Georgia uses an outdoor turkey roaster, and I'll be emailing her about that. The downside of this option is that a) it's cold and damp out there for most of the next 6 months, and b) it's a bit expensive, what with cooking outside and all the heat waste that implies.

Whichever of these options I choose, it still means that I'm pretty much only making enough fiber for my own spinning purposes. I can't see doing production dyeing with these methods. I might be able to do some fiber sales in the form of carded batts, and I'm willing to try to expand that, but so far my batts haven't been big sellers.

No fiber sales, that hurts. Fiber sales is 80% of my business right now, and for the past few months I've sold close to $1000 worth each month. Putting a total stop to that will hurt my bottom line, and I'm not doing this business as a hobby. It's a valuable part of my household budget.

The bright side is that, if ever there was a time to really push my yarn sales, the beginning of autumn is it. And I have 5 knitting classes starting in a few weeks; hopefully that will become a more significant source of income. And teaching? Completely non-toxic. I can do lots of that, and no protective equipment is necessary.

So that's where I'm at -- going out of my tree, more or less. Any attempt at helpful information or friendly hand-holding will be appreciated.

Coming Events

Just briefly, here are some places you can find me in the upcoming weeks.

Farmer's Market dates: August 24, September 14, October 5, October 26

Classes at Black Sheep Yarns: Sock Knitting, Project Support, Foundation Skills, Beginner Knitting.
Classes at the Port Moody Arts Centre: Freeform Knitting, Sweaters without a Pattern.

And of course I'll be spending an absurd amount of time at Black Sheep Yarns just hanging out, because there is now a yarn store within blocks of my house and I can.