Some Publishing Updates

Well, my maker friends, we are entering the last week of August, and with sunset times getting earlier each evening, as well as a slight nip in the night air, that almost-autumn feeling is upon us. To where has the summer gone? 

I have been so busy over the meaty summer months that I did not get the opportunity to post here on the blog, and considering the fact that I released the third sneak peek from my upcoming book, that is saying something. So, without further ado, here are most of the additional patterns from the third sneaked chapter of the book.

Watercolor Pops is thehe amazing crescent-shaped shawl, thanks to lovely colorways from A Hundred Ravens. Just two skeins of fingering weight yarn produces a shawl that easily stays on the shoulders or (my preferred way of wearing it) coiled around the neck cowl-like. The "pops" of lace in the body offset a rather linear stitch pattern which, with a final little bit o' lace at the edge, combine to produce an accessory that is feminine and graphically pleasing.

The necklaces and earrings are pieces in a series of jewelry designs all put together in the same chapter under the title "The Month of Jewelry." Each of the pieces appear throughout the book and are meant to be worn with other designs. I am definitely loving the mixed media approach to these jewelry designs. Researching the materials used was definitely a great guilt-free way to get in touch with my inner material girl.

I am about a month away from commencing the mother of all pattern tests for the designs in the book. I have so much to prepare between now and then, but if any readers are interested in testing some of the book's designs, definitely send email and I will be more than happy to add you to my tester list. Be aware that all patterns will be crochet, and there will be a good mix of accessories and garments, across a wide spectrum of sizes. 

This is, of course, my second self-published title. Self publishing is more important than ever to me, given this year's earlier F+W bankruptcy filing. We are coming to the end of the bankruptcy, and the relevant design magazines and related online resources in which I have intellectual property have been sold to Long Thread Media and Peak Media Properties. I will have more to say once the final bankruptcy dust has settled (because there are motions before the bankruptcy court that could have implications on the shared intellectual property rights I have with both new entities), but in the tentative first communications between both, Long Thread has been awesome, and Peak Media has been ... well ... just like it's predecessor, F+W. One wonders what, exactly, has changed? All I can do is sigh, shake my head, and pour my energies into my own book.

It is going to be a busy autumn of design publishing here at chez Voie de Vie, so I hope you'll be around to take a peek both at the new book, as well as a few single designs published by third parties, all due between now and the end of the year. 

... And Then When a Test Design Restores Joy!

Yes, folks, another design from me this year. This one has been a while in the making, and events this spring and summer put a serious roadblock in getting it done, but it's here now and ready for some testy tester testing. 

I am thrilled to show off (what I am tentatively naming) the Lost Tee. A great season-transition piece, it is worked up in A Hundred Ravens Yarn Patos in the Sea Glass and Andante colorways, with a fun side-to-side construction. The slightly inverted u-shaped hem is edged with some lovely lace, and once seamed, the sleeve and collar edgings are worked.

It is a relatively easy piece to complete, and it uses the same amount of yarn as a few pairs of socks (less depending size)! The testing period starts tomorrow and runs through the end of October, so if you're interested in getting in on the test, feel free to check out my Ravelry group which has all the rest of the information.

Woot!!!

Slow Fashion October: Finally, Where Do We Feel Best

Initially, let me say that I cannot believe how fast Slow Fashion October has flown. It figures, of course.

This final time in the month is, traditionally, the time when we share resources. It is also, for me, the most dense amount of reading and link clicking and saving and information processing. One of the best resources on how to sort out ways to approach slow fashion in a meaningful way is this Racked article from August, compliments of the Elsewhere feature of this Fringe Association blog post. It was nice to read that beyond the obvious (buy less, recycle/upcycle more, DIY), it focused on industry standards and other environmental impacts (like using public transportation in both personal travel and shipping materials - a big issue with me, a confirmed public transportation user my entire life).

Moving on to the main attraction, however, is where I'm feeling best in sourcing my raw material - the all important yarn. I first did a similar round-up in 2015's Slow Fashion October, and the sometimes fleeting nature of yarn producers will show that some of those mentioned in the past are no longer yarn resources. If one likes to use small, independent yarn producers where the fiber can be sourced from animal to skein, then there's a likelihood of high turnover. Basically, if you like a source, speak up loudly and often so they stay around. Additionally, while Brooklyn Tweed has actually added new yarn lines since 2015 (a great thing!), I am getting, if truth be told, a little bored with the single color approach, as well as the designs. I hope Jared will shake things up in the house - perhaps a foray into crochet? Jared, I'm a stone's throw away. Just sayin'.

Left to right: A Hundred Ravens' Tyche base,
Neighborhood Fiber Co's Studio Chunky,
and Manos Del Uruguay's Silk Blend.

This year, while there is some overlap from 2015, you'll find at least one surprising choice, although I will explain all:

1. A Hundred Ravens - The first half of this past year, I curated/organized/birthed my first global design collection and related maker event (you can read more about it, as well as view the designs, here). That effort put me in contact with my first yarn resource. Female owned, awesome hand-dying, yarn bases made in the U.S.: this is a source that I can absolutely support - and so can a lot of other makers, apparently.

2. Neighborhood Fiber Co. - On my first resource list, Karida & company will remain on my list until the not-so-bitter end. She and I continue our symbiotic relationship with the publication of my Aviatrix Pullover in the 2017 edition of Knitting Traditions Magazine. 

3. Manos Del Uruguay - This non-profit, established to provide rural Uruguayan women with economic and social opportunities, has been producing wonderful yarn for the last over 4 decades. I am not certain why it didn't make my first list, but it's on there now.

Left to right: Garnstudio Drops Merino Extra Fine and
Belle, Lakeside-wolle's merino alpaca sock, and
Sidispinnt's 100% merino single.

4. Garnstudio Drops - This European-based yarn supplier has yarn lines made in the EU, Turkey, and South America (with additional mohair sourced from South Africa). It is high quality, amazingly priced yarn and, on its surface, a yarn source that seems out of place on my list. However, all of their yarn lines produced in the EU and Turkey (with the exception of the kid silk - that darn South African mohair!) are all OEKO-TEX certified. While the certification site is rather dense, basically there are three types of textile certification, and the mentioned Drops yarn lines fall into one of them (and the Drops site notes their OEKO-TEX certification numbers). The value of this yarn (which I've used for a long time), went way up.

5. Lakeside-wolle - This is another small, independent dyer I met during my earlier curated event. She has many wonderful OOAK colorways, and her small batch approach and great customer service made her yarns one of the summer event's favorites. Bonus points come from her ownership of an independent book store.   

6. Sidispinnt - This Swiss-based indie dyer/spinner/weaver is the third new-to-me source from my summer curated event. Not only did Sidi provide some of the deepest yarn support, her yarns were far and away the most popular on social media, selling out of the event's custom colorways almost immediately. She's highly creative and endlessly supportive of her fellow indie dyers. 

I can so easily not only feel good about sourcing yarns from any of the above, but my slow fashion path falls in nicely with each of their respective approaches to their craft. It is a great feeling - and one on which I will end my third Slow Fashion October.

Thanks once again, Karen, for wrangling all of us into a coherent month of awesome social awareness. Until next year ...

 

 

Turning Toward Happiness

I cannot believe it is already mid-April. Where, o where, has the time flown?

I am, however, really pleased that we are just about six short weeks away from the #happinessmakealong2017 - you know, the world-wide making event associated with the Progress, Hope and Happiness Summer Collection that I have been curating/organizing. All of the designers finally have received their yarn (our designer located on the Asian sub-continent was the last to receive her yarn, but it has finally made the long, successful trek to her).

As you will see below, I am working with some wonderfully dyed, original-to-this-collection colorways. Two from a U.S.-based dyer, A Hundred Ravens (which I blogged about here), and a third from an indie dyer in Switzerland, Mulberry Cottage Yarns. I think Franzi did a fantastic job, and on two bases, this vivid, summery blue, entitled "naiads," pops with hints of green. I will let Franzi tell you about the colorway in her own words, from her original colorway submission: "The blue ... is named after a group of water(well) nymphs and is mostly turquoise with specks of yellow-green and some more blueish parts - like a deep, clear pool with some waterplants in it." 

While the collection's release will officially kick off June 1st (and definitely look for more information on that in about a month), the 8 brand new colorways will be available for worldwide purchase by mid-May, so that makers wanting to use them during the along will have time to receive their yarny packages in time for the collection's release. If you are curious about the remaining colorways, as well as sneak peeks of some of the designs in process, definitely check out the hashtag #happinessmakealong2017 on Instagram and Facebook. Don't be shy about reposting any of the colorways and designs that are striking your fancy. The participating dyers and designers will be so thrilled you showed them some reposting love. Independent artists and designers all put their respective heart and soul into their creations (myself very much included!), so receiving positive feedback, in whatever form, really means a lot.

For myself, it is more than merely positive design feedback. Everyone's willingness to participate in the making of this collection and event is a turn toward happiness, and cultural and social expansion. It absolutely takes effort and dedication to willingly seek out worldwide artistic and maker connections - but I think it is more than worth it. Thus far, the dyers and designers have been engaged behind the scenes, working with a lot of mindfulness to create something of which we can all be proud. My heart just swells with the knowledge of this combined effort. Of course, great color and summer design thrown into the mix also doesn't hurt. 

I hope everyone will join us on June 1st. The worldwide maker along (being hosted on Ravelry) will last for six weeks, and you know there will be prizes, surprises, and loads of maker community across many continents and both hemispheres. I pinch myself just thinking about all the awesome possibility.

March Has Come In Like a Lion

So, my crafty friends, it is already March. There is just so much going on everywhere! My Cozy Chic CAL is in full swing, and in fact I have extended the deadline to the end of March because ... you know ... there is just so much going on. To the left, you will see my progress. I am almost done with that first front side + sleeve. I am enjoying the Drops Flora - what a nice colorway to be working with in this winter that just doesn't seem to want to end. The Flora is, as expected, not as supple and drape-y as the Baby Alpaca Silk I used in the original, but I am looking forward to blocking this cardigan. And, of course, I am getting ahead of myself. Must finish the actual crocheting first.

Crocheting this in March leads me to the next thing that is currently happening: March is Inter/National Crochet Month! Hosted in a big way for the fifth year by Crochetville, I am really thrilled to be a participating designer this year. I would urge you to check out the Crochetville site each day this month as multiple, different designers are featured each day, along with a smattering of crochet-friendly local yarn shops, and - you guessed it - almost daily giveaways. I will be featured on March 27th, so I will have a coordinating blog post here, and you know I have donated for the cause, so look for a lovely giveaway sponsored by yours truly. I am also sponsoring the Ravelry group dedicated to this crochet party month (as I do each year), so feel free to check out the general crochet goings-on over there.

In case anyone may have forgotten in the stitching mayhem, March is also U.S. National Women's History Month, into which fell the recent International Women's Day this past Wednesday. This is definitely the time for women everywhere to #beboldforchange, as this past January's Women's and Sister Marches underscored. 

While all this has been taking place I have, since January 1, been quietly organizing my own way to respond in a meaningful way to the events of late last year. Between Brexit and the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections, it has been a time of worldwide contraction and division. In response, I sent out a worldwide call to independent yarn dyers to dream up brand new colorways that would represent progress, hope, and happiness. Five different dyers from around the globe (I am so thrilled to report!) answered the call and we now have 9 different, brand spanking new colorways on various yarn fiber bases that will be available for purchase later in early summer. 

Then I sent out a worldwide call to independent designers to create designs using the brand new colorways and yarn bases. Again, the call was answered by designers around the globe (including yours truly), and I am super thrilled to announce that nine designers from both hemispheres and several continents, chosen by the individual dyers, will be creating a collection of knit and crochet designs ready for makers to dig into in early summer! There will be a worldwide maker a-long commencing June 1, and once the artwork is complete, I will make a formal announcement of the event here on the blog. 

I can, however, share with you two of the brand new colorways I will be working with for the collection. Since they are both inspired by and named for women of some historical distinction, I thought it appropriate to share them with you right here, right now. Both created from the New England-based A Hundred Ravens, they celebrate trailblazing women (and I personally thank A Hundred Ravens for the lovely historical background included with their call submission, portions of which I have excerpted here).

To the right you will see the Claire Marie Hodges colorway on their Tyche fingering weight base.This dip-dyed skein, which fades from deep sea green at one end through shades of teal and spring green to dark olive at the other end, is named for the first female National Park Ranger. During WWI, Yosemite National Park was struggling to find enough young men to serve as rangers. Hodges, who first fell in love with Yosemite at age 14 during a 4-day solo horseback ride, answered the call. The park superintendent hired her on the spot. She rode in the park while on duty wearing the same Stetson and badge as her male counterparts.  

To the left is colorway Lucy Stone on their Aesir dk-weight 8 ply base. This colorway has depths of color in hues from berry and rose to chestnut and almond, for an almost brick-like color effect. The hand-glazed and overdyed method used produces gentle variegation that I am certain will play nicely with many stitch patterns. The colorway is named for the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree, which has some personal significance for me, since I am the first in my immediate family to earn a college degree, and one of my alma maters is indeed in Massachusetts. 

Lucy Stone (1818 – 1893) lived in a time when women were discouraged from any public speaking; yet, she defied expectations and social norms to speak out on behalf of women, becoming a prominent abolitionist and suffragist. Among many other accomplishments, she is credited with forming the American Woman Suffrage Association and influencing Susan B. Anthony to take up the cause of women’s suffrage.

How cool for me that I get to introduce these two new awesome colorways, with their oh-so-relevant historical ties, during this National Women's History month. Oh yeah for women who have been and will continue to #beboldforchange. 

Do also feel free to check out a quick blog post about another of the new colorways from one of the other participating designers ... all the way in Germany!