It's November, Everyone

Yes, can you believe it? November. Where did the year go.

The good thing? This is probably my favorite month of the year. There’s a nip in the air (or for us in the Pacific Northwest, a nip and more rain), we get to celebrate my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, and it’s the beginning of the Indie Designer Gift-a-long on Ravelry (go here for my opening blog post from last year).

I will hopefully be a participating designer again this year - sign-ups aren’t until next week, so I need to qualify my participation until then. However, I’ll also be volunteering some time again this year on the Pinterest pinning team and I’m looking forward to it. I really enjoyed this part of the event last year, so I am anticipating the joy of the pinning frenzy again this year.

Additionally, I’ve been working behind the scenes getting my own designing things ready for the GAL. All will be revealed in the next two months so I do hope you’ll sit tight and follow things as they unfold.

Designing still life

I also hope you’ll join us for the Gift-a-long. Identify those on your gift list that are handmade-worthy, visit the Pinterest boards once they go live (and I’ll provide links to them here on the blog), partake in the sale, and then join us as we gift up a storm. Not only will those you care about appreciate your efforts, but you’ll be directly supporting independent knit and crochet designers with your pattern purchases. There will be prizes awarded during the gift-a-long, so your participation could earn you some serious swag … along with ooohs and aaahs on Giftmas.

Won’t you join us?

I've Finally Done It!!!!!

Hold on to your sticks and needles, everyone - the day is finally here: Leather, Lace, Grit & Grace is finally published! The electronic version is good to go, and I should (barring any unforeseen delays) get the first books hot from the printer in a few weeks.

I am literally fighting back tears of joy as I write this. A process that I thought would be completed mid-January has taken an additional two months. To those who have purchased the book pre-release, I can only humbly seek your forgiveness.

However, delays aside, I am also SUPREMELY thrilled with the final outcome. To hell with lessons learned (and I've learned a whole lot of them) - I remain completely smitten with all 200 pages of this soft cover awesomeness. The designs are great, the fibers gorgeous, modeling darn perfect, 

Earhart Flying Blanket
62" x 60"
Lion Brand Yarn Wool-ease Chunky in
Nantucket, Silver gray and Fisherman

photography excellent, the stories compelling, and the artwork ... well, I might just be proudest of the artwork (and I'll have more to say about it in a later post).


In the meantime, to celebrate completing this monumental task, I'm sharing the final design which no one has yet seen (except those who already have opened their electronic version of the book), as well as the original artwork for the female pilot who inspired the design. 

Oh.Happy.Day.
Oh Happy Woman's History Month.
Truly.
Really.

Amelia Earhart - Humanity
5" x 7"
Mixed Media on Canvas Board
2014