Why Are There Only 24 Hours In A Day?

I need more, people. Yes, yes I do.

This project is coming in December. 

So is this one.

Which will arrive first? Tune in to find out. After you check in at Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what latest projects every other fiberista is working on.

So What's One More Finished Object ...

... this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday, right? Well, only that it's a fantastic rug. And it's in the latest Interweave Crochet Home 2015 special edition. And that I'm so excited at how great it looks.

Photo (c) Interweave Crochet.
Used with kind permission.

My inspiration for this design came from my love of small, fast, cars. If you take a look at this Pinterest board of mine, you'll see a whole lotta great cars. I love their bold, sleek, curved lines (very closely related to my love of all things cats). Then, add some Bruges lace in a hyped-up proportion, and you have the design elements of this rug. Once I saw the Bruges lace possibilities in my head, the rest came fairly easily (along with some back-and-forth sketches to Interweave's editor, Marcy Smith - hat tipped to you, Marcy). I blogged about the red roving here back in April (and in fact, notice the colors of the two yarns in that post - definitely a trend). I took a few photos of the completed sample rug on my deck. The deck boards are slightly uneven in places, but I note how nice and symmetrical and flat the rug is laying. I think mailing and then having it kept folded for some time prior to the photo shoot must have done a number on it (as well as a few other samples in the edition). 

That small point aside, I cannot believe how beautifully every piece photographed. Irrespective of whether or not it's one's particular aesthetic, the home chosen for the shoot (belonging to someone on Interweave's creative staff) was the perfect backdrop for these designs. The rug, since it used the Bernat roving doubled, is actually rather soft and squoishy underfoot.

This is, actually, my third published rug design in little less than a year. Clearly, I have a thing for rugs.

Now don't forget to head on over to Andrea's place at Wisdom Begins in Wonder and see what's under everybody else's fibery feet.

Jumping Out of My Skin This Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Well, the initial shrink wrap packaging has finally come off my year-long fiber/design/artistic odyssey:

I have (willing!) sacrificed all other self-publishing projects for this - my first full-fledged, soft-cover, come-hell-or-high-water printed book. Me. Alone. Solo. Seulement. To say I am beyond excited and proud and scared and excited and oh, did I say excited yet? would be an understatement. Amazingly enough, I still have designs in the publishing pipeline (that is, published by others) for this year. To say this has been my busiest publishing year to date would be an understatement.

I'll be unveiling/revealing all via the publication's own blog here between now and the end of the year. 

I'll be adding social media linkies to the blog as they become available/relevant. Please follow the blog, spread the word, pin things, do whatever you feel comfortable with, social media-wise, to spread the word. 


Hang onto your seats, people, it's going to be a grand and (hopefully) glorious ride to the end of the year.

Now please head on over to Andrea's place at Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what other fiber projects are riding high this week.

(Just Another) Melange Monday ... and the Rearranging is Good

It's Monday. Time for melange.

I've been wanting to rearrange/streamline my living space for quite some time (since pretty much the beginning of summer), and finally got started with things about three weeks ago. I tackled my living/dining area, which is pretty much an open floor plan (with a galley kitchen along one half edge). I cleaned, threw out, rearranged and pretty much reconfigured every little thing. While I'll show more photos of the finished area in a steady stream over the next couple of Mondays, I wanted to start with what is basically an empty wall along one edge (opposite the kitchen). I say empty because there is no outlet and it also houses the forced air heating element, so not too much can be placed along it.

However, I decided to not only rearrange the paintings in my living area, but also to incorporate some of my interior design samples. I so love the design of my Les Lignes Area Rug (published in a special Crochet! Magazine extra edition last fall) and I didn't want to let it languish in a samples box. Additionally, the top of that dress form and the bottom stand (which is actually a candle holder - can you see the candle at the dress form's waist?) weren't meant to be together. I was rather sick of attempting to balance the dress form half on various pieces of furniture with rather lopsided results. I did a mash-up with the candle holder and I love how it worked out.

Soooooo ... from a basic white, blank wall to what you see on the left. I like how the area rug design echos the lines in the painting.

I must admit, I'm pretty proud of myself. 

Fall Rearrange

What does 

this rug, 

this painting, 

and this dress form have in common?

Tune in Monday to find out.

Fiber-watching During Fashion Week

Hello my fellow fiberistas - it's Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday. I'm doing something a little different this week. As you may or may not know, fall is one of the high seasons in the fashion industry. Throughout September, major cities hold "fashion weeks" when all of the major fashion designers show their designs for the next season. In September, several of these were held, and if you want to get a bird's eye view of street fashion, there's no better time to carry your camera and take photos. 

I have a Pinterest board dedicated to street fashion around the world, mostly curated through the lens of Women's Wear Daily. While the board has only a handful of followers, it's been getting some play, especially in the last two weeks. I thought I'd show you what (at least a handful) of people repinned from my curated street fashions. Take it with a grain of salt (or a stray piece of fiber, as the case may be). It nevertheless is interesting to see what outfits some people around the world are hanging out in. All photos from Women's Wear Daily, photographer for all shots (except New York Fashion Week) Kuba Dabrowski, New York Fashion Week photos snapped by Ryan Kibler.

The first from London's Fashion Week.
I loved the jacket as well as the
photo backdrop.

Again from London Fashion week. A
lovely, soft longer jacket and a great
overall palette.

I love this black and white pattern
against the leather (again, in London).

Doesn't this seem slightly out of season
during London's fashion week? Never-
theless, it was snapped and then repinned. 

The one outfit from Milan Fashion
Week that's been repinned. I like
this well enough, but others on my
board are far more interesting.

New York Fashion Week, of course.

Also from New York. Love the
glasses.

Do you think she had fun shopping
in Manhattan?

The last two looks are from Paris
Fashion Week. So classy in a muted
palette - and isn't that scarf felted?

What's a little military-inspired wear
along the Champs Elysee?

I hope you definitely head on over to Andrea's at Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what everyone else is wearing on the street ... and maybe they even made the outfit by hand?!!!