On Databases and Building Community

On August 18th, Ravelry reached the 8,000,000 member milestone. For the eight years I have been blogging, I have been referencing my crafty life on Ravelry. To say it has touched many parts of my creative life would be a vast understatement.

Ravelry started out as, and continues to be at its heart, a big, whomping, database. While it has morphed into a place where many indie designers also sell patterns - that is its side hustle. I thought some historical numbers might be in order, taken from and inspired by the thread that monitored the countdown to the 8 million member mark. I also need to add that the watch commenced in May of this year, and I didn't check it out until July. Some historical Ravelry member numbers:

10,000: Sept 9, 2007
100,000: Mar 21, 2008
500,000: Nov 5, 2009
1 million: Nov 13, 2010
2 million: Feb 29, 2012
3 million: Mar 8, 2013
4 million: Feb 28, 2014
5 million: Feb 1, 2015
6 million: Feb 7, 2016
7 million: Mar 20, 2017
8 million: Aug 18, 2018

I am Raveler #389,797. I joined the database of awesomeness July 11, 2009. At that time, one had to request to be a member and then wait until a confirmation email was sent. As I recall, it took perhaps a day or so for it to come. I was not bothered by the wait, although I had no idea the degree to which my life would change with that simple confirmation. 

While writers have tried to understand and comment on the phenomenon that is Ravelry, the database gathers members together through, arguably, its most vital function - a keeper of member projects. As of this morning, Ravelry members have created 18,431,442 project pages. Yes, you read that correctly - over 18 million projects! That's a whole lotta yarn, folks. The database this morning also told me that 14,171,198 projects were actually completed, 2,087,967 projects were in progress, 421,668 projects were ripped apart (or more affectionally known as "frogged" in the yarny community), and a final 389,259 projects were officially in hibernation (a designation for projects that one just does not want to face, for a whole host of reasons). 

All Ravelers use the database differently. This is the beauty of Ravelry and its community - one can partake as much or as little as one wishes. I record (most) of my projects; I can get inconsistent about creating pages for design samples and, quite frankly, that's something I want to change so that I can more accurately record what I've made. Since I am also a designer, I create design pages for many of my designs (although designs published by third party publishers fall within that entity's purview to create). Design database pages, however, contain different information than project pages, and thus my willingness to get it together and add appropriate project pages. Project pages can be a wealth of information if the member kept (and is willing to share with the community) notes on project creation and completion. In fact, Ravelers can leave a mark indicating whether a project's notes were helpful. It is that type of feature that makes community-building so relevant and easy on Ravelry.

Those almost 500,000 frogged projects I noted above can also be a great resource for some Ravelers; however others (myself included), do not necessarily want to keep a record of things we've unraveled and/or otherwise taken apart, so of course there are a certain amount of deleted projects that after the initial page set-up, never get recorded in any category. 

My project page for The Festival
Shawl has been viewed almost
5,000 times and has helped at
least 20 Ravelry members.

Then there are times when designs leave and/or otherwise are retired from the database. One in particular, I learned this week, affects my own personal design history: the designer of the Festival Shawl, one of the first designs I worked on and the project page from which the design's sample originates, retired it, along with the rest of her designs, from Ravelry. This design, the pattern for which was a free download, was a crochet shawl favorite: 602 projects and found in an additional 1,849 queues. The only reason why I discovered the pattern had been retired was from a fellow Raveler who, through private message, wanted to know how to actually download it (which will no longer happen on Ravelry). I respect the designer's decision, but did try to keep the pattern alive by offering to host it on my design page (with design credit given to her, of course), but to no avail. While the designer was a little crabby with me, I do understand how difficult pattern support can be. I know you will be shocked: some people can be rather demanding. Given the extreme popularity of the design, I expect the designer received her fair share of unreasonable requests and comments. I am so sad to see it no longer available, and for anyone who downloaded it prior to its retirement from the database, I would urge you to make it in honor of the designer who worked so continuously to ensure its success. 

Nevertheless, even in design retirement from the database, Ravelry continues to build community. It doesn't get much better than that.

Well, perhaps at 10,000,000 members it may get better. I hope I am around to find out. 

Ravelry's Newest Index Feature is Pure Brilliance

Way back in 2011, when Ravelry only had 1 million users (it is, currently, approaching 8 million and should surpass that number sometime in August), Farhad Manjoo noted in this Slate article that Ravelry "... plays an important part in the way [my wife] practices her craft" (she both crochets and knits, I am happy to report). Applying this to myself, I wholeheartedly agree. For anyone who wants to know the current state of my yarn-based making, all they need do is look at my Ravelry profile, and it's pretty much there in black and white - what I'm discussing, the projects I'm working on, what yarn I'm using - all right in one clearinghouse except, of course, all the new and/or otherwise secret stuff.

So when Ravelry recently tweeted about a new index feature for anyone with 10 or more projects, my eyes perked up:

Here is an addition from last week that you might have missed:

If you have > 10 projects, you'll see a new "index" tab in your notebook that summarizes your projects like this.

(they are all clickable links that you can use to filter your projects) pic.twitter.com/XTdUpw4Zbh

— Ravelry (@ravelry) July 18, 2018

My most viewed project on Ravelry is the sample 
for the first design I ever worked up, thanks to 
Lyn Robinson's generosity in sharing a stitch 
pattern - the edging on my sample of the
 Festival Shawl

I was, of course, one of those people who originally missed the newest feature tab in my notebook. However, once I clicked on it, I can say it's now my new fun organizing tool. It also reveals my penchant for not using the same organizing/descriptive terms consistently. Because this index provides a snapshot of tags used as well as for whom you've made projects, I can confidently state I have found more than a half dozen ways to categorize making something for myself. The tool underscores the imperfection of language and punctuation.

I currently have 289 projects in my notebook, but this index has also shown me that number is somewhat lacking. I have had an inconsistent approach to adding samples I work up, but if I'd like my notebook to be a clear reflection of my making, then I will need to add those not currently in there. 

While I am no database junkie, I am a somewhat organized person - not too much to have a problem, but just enough to know the current state of most things in my world. I am super pleased with this latest Ravelry feature - just one more reason why I will never leave Ravelry, and despite some complaints to the contrary, Ravelry continues to grow in membership, I am not alone in my sentiments.

On the Meaning of Independence

Voie de Vie designs from the multi-designer curated Women & Water 

summer collection, clockwise from top left: Stars Align bracelet, So Much 

Shine necklace, It's About Time Watches, Lake Ontario Shimmer, and When 

Coco Met Elsa bags, all available for purchase (along with over 60 other 

original designs), in my Ravelry pattern store.

As everyone here in the U.S. prepares for various July 4^th events, I thought it appropriate to take stock of what independence actually means to me.

There is no doubt to anyone who reads this blog regularly that independence is one of my running themes. I have, also, marked past Independence days in 2012, 2013, 2014, and just briefly in 2016. It is, nevertheless, difficult to pin down with any specificity how to define independence. I am an indie designer who also designs for third party publications when the design spirit moves me and those publishers smile favorably. I have my own small independent creative business, yet throughout this time I have held a day job. So is this independence, or just following many masters?

While I definitely would like to cut down on the masters, I have never had any illusion that my small creative business would ever be my sole means of income, so the multiple people to whom I must answer was pretty much a foregone conclusion. No, what independence means to me is an evolving ethos in my creative business - only working on those designs and projects that truly move me. As a result, you will note all the jewelry and bag designs above (and there is still one more design I am so close, albeit late, to finishing for the collection). I genuinely love both, even though they are not usually the cash cows that most shawls and cowl designs tend to be. I have things in the pipeline for later in the year (both from me and from third party publishers) that truly mean something to me - either the subject matter, or the concept, or the design. I cannot know whether or not they will be popular, but each of them will exercise my own flavor of independence. 

As a certain portion of the world has already or will mark an independence holiday this month, I hope each of you find your own independence sweet spot. 

Oh, and don't forget to include all the tasty food.

It's Been a Frenetic February

Hello everyone - I am sorry I have not posted in a while, but design life has been busy here at chez Voie de Vie.

Initially, I hope everyone has had a fantastic start to 2018. The Chinese Year of the Dog is shaping up to be another eventful year, yes?

So, in keeping with all the momentum, I present the bevvy of designs that have been released in February. First up, the Trefoils Pour Toi Shawl, published as part of the awesome Malabrigo Yarns' Quickies Program, designs published each month that celebrate indie designers using one or two skeins of Malabrigo to concoct something beautiful, yet quick for makers to work up. 

Malabrigo has written a very nice entry on its' blog today providing their take on the design, as well as inspiration background from me and some additional color combinations. I do love how the variegated arco iris colorway on their Lace base works with the frosted pink colorway on Silkpaca, but so many color combinations exist. Malabrigo, those color artists, provide a rich palette for makers to have a veritable color field day when deciding!

I want to thank them for providing the yarn support for this shawl design. I absolutely loved working this up, and I hope all of the crochet shawl makers out there do too.

However, that's not all I've published in February. No siree Bob, not by a long shot. As many of you know, it is all things Winter Olympics around here, and that includes a new mini-collection! S(e)oul for the Gold is my ode to all the athletes' feats during the almost three weeks the world gathers in one spot. Of course, you know I have a look book for the collection, which you'll find at the end of this entry. Some of the makers on my Ravelry Ravellenics team have or will be making a few of the designs from it, and there's still almost a week left of amazing competitive coverage, so if you're game, don't hesitate to come on over to Ravelry and join team Voie de Vie.

Woot - February frenetics continue!

What a Rockin' Start to Autumn ...

And it isn't even officially autumn yet! Nonetheless, it's been crafty busy here at chez Voie de Vie,  and I couldn't be happier. 

I am so thrilled with the response my Mixlace Poncho, published in Interweave Crochet's Fall 2016 edition, is receiving. All kinds of crafters are completing finished projects from this design - and many (including yours truly) still need to make one as part of my current Ravelry Wardrobe Weather a-long. Everyone seems to find the making easy and the finished poncho wonderful to wear. I thought I would show you a quick round-up of a few of the completed projects:

Clockwise from left: Micha of Stitches & Woes showing off, via 
Instagram @stitchesandwoes, her awesome teal version (all Scarfie),
Raveler Naptural1's version in the original sample Scarfie colors,
and Raveler Extremehaekllerin's all blue version worked up with 
Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball.

I have the yarn for my own Mixlace, which I will be tucking into just as soon as one of the a-long participants in Australia receives her magazine (but the wait? Ugh!):

My Mixlace will be green and cream/taupe (on the right), and the left stash yarn, which I am committed to using, will become another New Wave Skirt. I am also going to work up a Bomber-Inspired Hoodie Vest, and I had identified yarn in my stash that I wanted to use, but I am coming to a different yarn decision. There is still bucket loads of time to join us on Ravelry and work up a new something for your own fall wardrobe.

I do love Autumn!

A Design Anniversary March Nod

The current state of my tri-color Cracked Glass Cowl. I'm going to
finish that light green yarn at any moment, and have another green,
more olive in tone with a little bling, all ready and waiting to go.

 As March nears its close (resembling neither lion nor lamb), and as people start to finish projects in the current Cowl-o-rama a-long, I thought it appropriate in this design anniversary year to recognize the 5-year mark of my Ravelry group. 

I started it in March 2011, and it has been a small repository of my design evolution. It started out as a place where we read books together and swapped fiber and other stuff, but as my design career gained momentum, the focus changed. It has also slowly and organically grown (and I reached 200 members yesterday, an admittedly small, yet amazing milestone for me), which growth I am really pleased with. I am all kinds of humbled and grateful that other people want to follow my design progress as well as make one of my designs - definitely a pinch me moment.

There's still time to join us and make a quick spring cowl, since the a-long doesn't end till the 10th of April. Etched Ice and La Coeur Cowl have been the two popular designs so far, but I think we'll also see some tunisian crochet cowl design completions before it's all said and done.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate the holiday! Maybe instead of a new Easter bonnet, we should revise the tradition: a new Easter cowl. 

I like that.

A Quick Chicken and Egg Follow-up

Two of my favorite things: George Bailey curled up on
one of my crocheted blankets. Ah, home.

I want to thank those readers who responded with excellent comments to my last blog post. One of the comments (about why crocheters might be reluctant to create garments) suggested that crocheting a garment (let's say any type of sweater, just to give a concrete example) takes on average more yarn than their knit counterparts, and given the cost of good yarn, crocheters might not want to go down that road.

Now I absolutely agree that, on average, it does take a little more yardage to crochet a sweater rather than knit one. I also agree that crocheters would probably like to use good yarn to make said top.

I also know that crocheters love, love, love to make blankets. While there are just shy of 4,400 crochet sweater projects in the Ravelry database (with sweater being defined as anything with a sleeve, sleeveless falls under the "top" category), there are a whopping 10,725 crochet blanket projects. Of that sizeable number, over 4,100 of them took 1,200 or more yards of yarn to create; a whopping 2,338 blankets (about 1/5 of the total crochet blanket projects) took more than 2,100 yards of yarn! Even if every one of those crafters in the latter category used Lion Brand's Pound of Love (1,020 yards per skein), they would still need to spend $30+ to make the blanket (it retails for $9.99); they might spend a little less with a sale + coupons. But you know that many crocheters spend far more than $30 on yarn for a blanket, even if it is on sale.

Did I hear you say yes to a sweater? Have I got
just the thing for you, my crafty crochet friend.

Now let's look at the crochet sweater numbers: slightly more than 3,000 projects used 1200 or more yards of yarn, distributed fairly evenly across the yardage categories (about 550 projects used 2,100 or more yards of yarn). At the highest amount of yarn used, a crafter could make a beautiful sweater in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes for about $60 (including shipping), since it retails for $2.69 per 110 yard skein. That's 100% wool for $2.69 per skein. For almost the same amount as a crocheter would spend on blanket yarn (and there's all kinds of glory in blankets, people - I'm not knocking the blanket love), she could make a 100% wool sweater.

So c'mon crocheters - I know you want to. Really, really I do.

On Swatching, Gut, and The London Summer of Love

One of my La Poetique swatch photos

I am not usually a big fan of testing the waters. Usually, I like approaching things head-on, full speed ahead. If mistakes are made, they can be corrected; in many instances, mistakes lead to other meaningful insights. Good you say.

Formalized education (I'm talking the classroom now) should be a mistake-approved zone. Where else should one be able to take the time to work out chinks than in a classroom? Yet, education makes us more afraid of failure, because we've placed so much on and into it. Not so good, you may say.

So then, one starts to test the waters in all aspects of life. One asks "What if?" way too often. One just starts to watch and investigate, but not really engage. It's a fairly quick path to a detached way of being in the world.

So what does all this have to do with swatching you ask? I have never been a big fan of swatching. I pretty much didn't see the point. I would just start projects, and if I didn't like how they were working out, I'd frog and start over again. Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. Personal philosophy safely in tact.

However, I have become a complete convert to swatching. Actual swatching, and not just the detached process of going through the 4" x 4" motions. Yes, I'm definitely testing the waters ... but it still doesn't mean I don't learn things along the way. In many instances, swatching for Project A has led directly to the idea for Project B. And if Project A's swatch turns into a happy failure, well, so be it. As the blues song goes "Ain't nobody's business but mine."

Of course, a swatch is just that: a test. Things can and often do change once one is full throttle into the project's design. Fiber, and it's many lovely inconsistencies, can make a design morph pretty quickly. (For a more in-depth look at fiber and it's quirks, read this Doris Chan recent blog entry.) And that's just one of myriad factors that can impact a final design.

That's where gut comes into play. Education (of all varieties) informs gut, at least mine. I don't want to ever stop informing or listening to it. To do so would take the me out of my designs.

So I'll happily and mindfully swatch. And engage my gut. Read any and all life metaphors into that as you wish.

In the meantime, London has kicked off it's
2012 Summer of Love  (my characterization)
with a diamond jubilee bash that saw all manner of gut engagement. It will be no different in late July, when she hosts the summer Olympics. For fiber enthusiasts who wish to go for fiber gold, Ravelry's third Ravelympics event is well into the planning stages. Teams are forming left and right (like, two pages worth of team rosters at last look). No detachment for me: I'm co-captaining one team and a member of two others (one as team mascot, go figure). There will be a swatching event. You knew there would be.

Too bad there isn't a crap shoot event. Now that would be perfect.

One of the Ravelry
images from the 2010
Winter Games. Bob
is looking fine in his
winter finery.

If It's Not Made By Now ...

... then it might well be Bah! Humbug! time for those last minute gifts.

I hope this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday finds each of you in fine, calm spirits. I'm pleased - I got all of the gifts I wanted to complete finished. There might be one or two more I make, but not because anyone is expecting one. I will probably send out a few extra gifts next week ... just because. Why should the presents stop?

While several of my gifts I can't share with you until the recipients receive them, I can share one - my most recent shawl. Made from the Flamenco Flair crocheted shawl pattern (from the Vogue Knitting on the Go! series for crocheted shawls), this was an easy and quick gift, with great bang for the crafting buck. Add in some sunshine for picture taking, and this is the result:

I'm not certain why this shawl doesn't get more play, especially since it's perfect for beginning crochet lace makers. I used up the remaining Misti Alpaca Lace in my stash, and I will definitely get more. I loved this yarn! (Ok, I just love alpaca yarn, what can I say?)

I also have samples of my latest pattern to share with you:


These little jewels for your napkins - Les Bijoux Sur La Table Napkin Rings - can be made in no time flat, and they sparkle and shine something fierce. The pattern is free (consider it another gift from me to everyone) and will be downloadable both from my site here (the patterns page) as well as Ravelry.

I hope everyone checks in with Andrea's blog  ... and I'm wishing each of you great food, good conversation, and an expanding heart of joy this upcoming holiday weekend.

Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

This week comes a tale of color and technique. The catalyst? My Inspira cowl.

Initially, let me say the phenomenon known as the Inspira cowl started late last summer, when a then relatively quiet person on Ravelry – Celerystalk - created a colorful cowl for herself, based on a neat hat a friend had made. She posted her completed project … and when the dust had cleared, over 700 other Ravelers had hearted her colorful Inspira creation (you'll need to log in to Ravelry to access the pattern). As I wrote to her back then, the little cowl that could had gone viral.

Fast forward to January when, after many prompts from oh-so-many people, Celerystalk wrote up the recipe for her cowl (well, three separate recipes, really) and started a little pattern test. That’s where my current project comes onto the scene. Knowing that I had previously done virtually no knit colorwork, nor any knitting in the round, and that I wasn’t the best when it came to meeting testy FO deadlines, she suggested that it would be perfectly alright if I wanted to sit out the testy phase of the pattern, and go directly to the finished pattern. But no, I decided I wanted to join the testy fun. Hmmmmmm.

I bought yarn for one version of the Inspira. I was thrilled with my color combination, because this cowl is all about color. Color. Color. Color. I bought my circular knitting needles. I was armed and ready for testy battle.

And then … I sputtered. I learned how to cable cast-on, and did just that. And then didn’t do much else. I wasn’t thrilled with my original colors. I wasn’t thrilled with the circular needles. I wasn’t thrilled with trying to not twist my cast-on stitches before joining. I wasn’t thrilled with using two strands of yarn at once on a circular needle that I seemed to be constantly fighting. And did I mention I w-a-s-n-’t thrilled?

So … the test came and went. Done at the beginning of February, with almost 100 wonderfully colorful Inspira cowls completed. And not one was mine.

Dejected was I. Frustrated too. But not defeated. Absolutely not. I went to my stash with renewed purpose, appropriated different yarn – a combination of three separate colors, in case I wasn’t already a glutton for punishment (two of which are seen above – isn't the Noro lovely?). And then, I had a stroke of genius (at least I think so) – I pulled out the knitting-in-the-round training wheels.

Yup. I pulled out my straight knitting needles.

I then performed my newly learned cable cast-on which, by this point, given the amount of times I’d actually cast-on for this project, made me a virtual veteran of this cast-on technique, and completed the first third of my Inspira cowl in the conventional back-and-forth manner.

I am now back to officially thrilled status. I’m also now relatively comfortable with the two-stranded knitting technique. As you can see from this photo, here’s what it looks like on the wrong side:

The best thing about working with two strands of yarn at once is I learned to lose what I’ve coined the “death grip” hold on the yarn. I give it plenty of freedom and breathing room, and it rewards me by behaving ever so nicely as I knit – no bunching from being pulled too tight.

And I’ve now switched to my circular needles, when there’s enough weight on the cable so there’s no need to fight it, or curse because I’ve joined the round with the dreaded twist. See?

Did I tell you I love this pattern? I do. Did I tell you I love color? I do.

Oh, and did I tell you I now love knitting in the round?

I knew you’d love a happy ending.

That Artful Tao of Shawl Craft – Part I

A series of recent events have had me thinking quite a bit about my own creative journey, especially my crochet shawl-making journey. As regular readers of the blog know, I ended last year with a shawl flurry.

Of course, while I’m focusing (for purposes of this writing) on all of my 2010 crochet shawl-making activities, my greater awareness of crochet and its artistic potential kicked into higher gear in spring 2009 when I attended a Tunisian crochet class, focusing on creating finished objects using three different strands of fiber. Not only was it a fun class, but I walked happily away from it with my imagination brimming with possibility. It also fed my lifelong love of textiles.

After that class, I created a queen-sized bed blanket using nothing but Tunisian simple stitch, a size S crochet hook that I modified with a knitting needle and tape into a longer, Tunisian crochet hook, and the fiber colors I had available in my

stash. That led to a series of paintings, based on the color blocks in the blanket. That eventually led to a few of my paintings being shown in a small, local show. That tangentially led to a personal commitment to craft 10 shawls in 2010 (with a little help from a Ravelry group of the same name, now entitled 11 shawls 2011), even though I had never before made a shawl. That led to a serious passion for photographing my fiber and projects. Oh, and all of that has led to a wonderfully creative daily existence, including writing this blog.

Phew. That’s a lot of thats.

So what’s Tao, and what’s it got to do with art, crochet, and crafting shawls, anyway? Simply put, Tao (pronounced “dao”), is a Chinese term given to, according to Robert B. Zeuschner, author of Classical Ethics East and West, “… a spontaneous, mutually resonating process wherein each individual thing simultaneously creates a pattern and has a place in [a greater] pattern.” As Zeuschner further illustrates, the original Chinese character for Tao means “road,” “path,” “crossroads,” and, eventually, “the way.” See, there’s an organic method to all that madness.

Tapping into all of that, according to Taoists, involves internalizing five basic models, or ways of approaching situations. On Friday (in Part II), I’m going to list them for you, and apply them in some meaningful way to my year of shawls. If one truly internalizes these five models, so the Tao goes, then one can be free of all of the trappings and chaos of everyday life. While I’m not certain I’m that free (cause hey, I need to provide a roof over my head and food on the table), when it comes to crafting shawls, and creativity in general, they’re pretty nifty to have in one’s creative tool kit.

Fee-Fi-F.O. Friday



My Winter Ice Bag

I am so thrilled with myself. I have slayed the hand-sewing giant, and have two new bags to show for my efforts.

Both bags were started last October or so. The knitting went fairly quickly – both are the same pattern, the Silver Lining bag, from Lion Brand Yarn’s Just Bags book. However, I let both sit in the process pile, while other more enticing projects took precedence because I knew I would need to sew. Ugh.

Then, inspiration in the form of a finish challenge appeared from the Ravelry Twist Collective group. A little less than two weeks to get any project(s) of one’s choice finished. It was just what I needed to screw up the courage to face the sewing monster.

It took me long intervals of hand-sewing over a solid three days to get these two bags completed. The Winter Ice Bag was first, and took the first day. It’s smaller (I modified the pattern slightly) and

only needed one lining to be prepped and then sewn to the knitted rectangular body of the bag. Once that was accomplished, I added the handles and snap, and eureka!

The Green over Blue Bag, however, was another matter. Not only is it bigger, but I also wanted to line the knit strap (yet another modification to the pattern, since I couldn’t find suede bag handles) so that I would avoid the stretch that occurs with all unlined knit bag straps. It was a fiddly, painstaking process, which was further disrupted by constantly snapping thread. Note to self: time to buy new stronger thread, pronto.

Nevertheless, determination and sheer stubbornness won the day – and bag number 3 for the year was completed on January 31, right on time for the Twist Collective Finish Fest deadline. And, I crafted from my shelf, since I've had this book since  the 2009 Stitches West event. 

Self-satisfied smiling ensues.

I am pretty proud of these bags. I don’t need to climb no stinkin’ beanstalk – I’ll just display my riches every time I use these bags – because I know what I’ve accomplished.

Accessorize on … and all that.


My Green Over Blue bag



Still Blissed Out

I haven't updated the blog over the past several days because I was attending the first ever Vogue Knitting LIVE! event in New York City. Or, more specifically, I volunteered to work the event, and attended when I wasn’t on duty.

To say that it was a jam-packed three days would be an understatement. Since I’m still in the process of developing my film, I’m going to wait to provide my overall commentary until I have photos at the ready.

There are thoughts from two subjects I do want to share with you right now – my review of Vogue Knitting’s latest book, Vogue Knitting Knitopedia: the ultimate A to Z for knitters, and my Tunisian II class experience.

Initially, let’s talk a little book. As volunteers, each of us received an advance copy of Knitopedia.  Trisha Malcolm, editorial director of Vogue Knitting, informs in the introduction that Knitopedia is a book five years in the making. Its goal is not to be the end-all, be-all guide to knitting, but to provide a guide to knitting and knitting culture that is purely from a Vogue perspective.

So, what’s that? Well, as best I can tell, it’s a guide to knitting that is fresh, young, complete with entries for most every knitting term found on Ravelry and the Internet (can anyone say UFO? WIP?), as well as good (and in many cases) helpful photos. Additionally, this book is imminently readable. There are many entries on knitting history, as well as topic essays from notable names in the knitting world (Vicky Howell, Meg Swanson, and Kristin Nichols just to name a few). One small drawback: the editors opted for a category index, so you'll need to know that to find all the entries for, let's say, Vogue Knitting in the book, you'll need to look in the "magazine" category section of the index. A little clunky for the non-librarian set, but, c'est la vie and all that.

So, if you are looking for an all-inclusive, multi-hundred page book filled with nerdy, obtuse entries, this isn’t for you. If, however, you are looking for a solid knitting resource that is, for the most part, reader-friendly and one that you will actually want to read and consult, Knitopedia should definitely make it to your book-buying short list.

Finally, my Tunisian II class. Mary Beth Temple taught a beginner Tunisian crochet class and an advanced section – both on Sunday. As we learned in class, she wasn’t initially supposed to teach an advanced Tunisian course in the afternoon, but broomstick lace. That got shelved by the Vogue Knitting PTB. However, since the beginner Tunisian class was so well populated, organizers might have wanted to play to that seeming strength. So much for broomstick lace.

 We were seven of us, plus Mary Beth, which worked out well for everyone. Mary Beth was very good at juggling the speed of the information given to accommodate multiple levels of knowledge, as well as provide good individual instruction. As you can see from the class samples I plunked onto my scanner, we learned an entrelac technique (and she provided instruction for one additional entrelac piece), as well as some Tunisian lace. The lace was taken from a Japanese Tunisian pattern book, and it is really pretty (don’t let my sample, done in a worsted weight yarn, fool you). The lace, as well as the chart reading exercise to accomplish the sample, was totally fun and something I can’t wait to do again.

One small, niggling issue: I asked Mary Beth if she had designed anything using these techniques, and she honestly replied no. I do appreciate and respect her honesty, but wished organizers would have thought about this prior to switching up the course contents. While Mary Beth’s instruction was fine, her knowledge depth on advanced Tunisian techniques was weak. Guess that’s my own 3+ years in the classroom talking.

Needless to say, I’m excited that I have so much to chew on from the conference. Stay tuned for more about … well … everything else, complete with photos, later in the week.

Creative Grab-bag Monday

I received an unexpected gift yesterday. Remember the mobius wrap I crocheted for my Ravelry swap partner? (You can read about it here.) I had asked for a photo of her wearing it, if she was comfortable with that. (I am, oddly enough, notoriously photo-phobic. I would much rather be behind the lens.) I was absolutely thrilled when she obliged and posted a photo on her Ravelry project page. I was even more thrilled when Samira (yes, she does have a name!) allowed me to post one of them here for all to see. 

Doesn’t she look stunning in this wrap, which she’s stylishly doubled around her neck? (I'll be happy to forward any fan email sent to the blog.)

Samira also reports that her new puppy loves it as well. Recipient-tested and puppy approved – what more can a gifty crafter ask for? There is no greater thrill for me than to make a gift and have it well-received. Thanks, Samira, for yet another holiday present.

Finally, I have been spending some recent time with my paint brushes. 2010 is going out with a creative flourish. (Please pardon the less-than-perfect photo. I just stood the painting on my table and snapped so I would have a record of it.)




Coffee Table Chaos
Acrylic on Canvas, 18" x 24"
Sold, 2010

 

Sneak Peek Revealed

I have, for approximately the last six months, moderated a Ravelry forum in which we have swapped goodie packages with paired partners. The overarching thread is Lion Brand yarns, and each swap has its own particular theme. The most recent swap was holiday- and charity-themed. Each person spends a particular amount on items swappees have identified as favorites in a previously answered questionnaire, and at least one item should be hand-made using the aforementioned yarn.

And here comes the revelation behind the sneak peak – I made a crocheted mobius wrap (pattern compliments of Red Heart) for my swap partner, in one of her favorite colors – purple. As you can see from the photos, I added an edging of mohair and lurex in lavender and silver.

The edging gave the piece just that little pop of color and sparkle next to the face. I also positioned the twist in the back on my dress form for a different look.

While I can’t say I’m a huge Red Heart fan, some of their patterns are quite lovely – especially if you can imagine them made with different yarn weights. While worsted weight was super for this project to ward against the cold, this wrap would also look elegant in laceweight or fingering weight yarn (plan to use between 500 – 600 yards, depending on size and gauge).

Most importantly, my swap partner loved it! Additionally, we both made something for a charity each had respectively identified at the beginning of the swap, and I sent along two blanket squares for Project Night Night:

Since I am stepping away from my mod duties to focus on other goals in 2011, it was a nice note upon which to end.

So – go out there and make something for somebody, alright?!!! And, once I receive my package (which should be very soon) – I’ll let you know what goodies I get.

Pattern, Languish No More!

While I currently have two other knit shawls on the needles, I’ve just completed my eighth crocheted shawl in Ravelry's 10 in 2010 challenge – with mere weeks left. (December 31^st at the stroke of midnight Norwegian time [!] is the witching hour; oh, the fun quirks of an international challenge.)

All my completed shawls in this challenge have a creation story, and this one is no different. A few weeks back (sometime before Thanksgiving), several of the crochet challengers were virtually chit-chatting about patterns and what we would next make. A few put forth new patterns, one of which was Lyn’s (Shepherd's Crook) Festival Shawl.  For those of you non-Ravelry readers, she also is CGOA's book reviewer. According to Lyn, she had worked on it a bit, but then just let it fall to the wayside, in a somewhat raw form.

Well, even though I am not too keen on triangular shawls, from the prototype photo she posted, it looked like something that I might find interesting to craft. I already could see the bead possibilities (which were not a part of the original design), and I wanted to complete at least one triangular shawl so I could learn about this type of shawl construction.

So, stash diving I went, and initially came up with about 800 yards of hand-dyed laceweight I had received in a swap, along with one ball of Drops Vivaldi in a honking green colorway. Hoping to be able to get my hands on more of the Vivaldi in online de-stash or trade, I tucked into the pattern. After using up all of my on-hand Vivaldi, here’s what it looked like:

Of course, I could not scrounge up any more of the Vivaldi, so I went to Plan  B. While visiting the frog pond (and it was quite a visit because Vivaldi is mohair), I ordered two balls of Drops Kid-Silk in an apple green colorway. My second attempt then looked like the next photo, prior to starting the beaded edging:

As I was working on the body of the shawl, I quickly got a vision of the completed shawl, and thought it would be perfect for a formal affair like - you guessed it - a wedding. So, after I added the simple, yet effective and very pretty beaded edging, as well as performed the requisite blocking spritz, I started to search for a place to take some photos. A few establishments into my research, on a cloudy and overcast Pacific Northwest early winter afternoon, I found Blue Sky Bridal, a consignment/new bridal dress shop with an eco-friendly focus. I knew my search was over even before I telephoned with my unorthodox request to take photos and received a warm yes from Jen, one of the co-owners.

I am so thrilled with the finished shawl. It has “formal spring affair” written all over it. Against the backdrop of a classically-styled off-the-shoulder gown, this pattern comes to life. I hope Lyn feels the same, so this beautiful pattern can be sent out into the crafting world. Yeah!

And, of course, thanks so much to Beth and Jen at Blue Sky Bridal for a friendly and fun photo shoot – even absent a blue sky.  Now, if only I could learn how to use my camera's flash ...