Friday, March 28, 2008

Creativity Attack

Just when I thought my creative spark had fizzled out/dried up/been blown away I'm suddenly just bursting with ideas and projects I want to do. Whew!
Surprisingly, most of them are not knitting related. They're all fiber arts related and most even involve yarn, but the knitting just isn't calling out to me so much lately. I finished my Kiri Shawl and hung it up behind the cash register at the shop. It looks amazing and makes a nice spring/summer backdrop. I took a picture, but it's still in the camera and I don't have time to get it out so you'll have to wait to see it unless you come by. Now I just need to finish one or two of the jillion WIP's I have laying around before the knitting gnomes start whispering in my ear about new stuff.
Here's what I have going:
My own version of the Babette Blanket (look it up on Ravelry if you can or just google it) made with just 5 colors instead of 17 and with worsted weight yarn instead of sock yarn. I'm using Universal Classic Worsted, but if I'd maintained a little self control and not started for another week-ish I would have used Berroco Comfort. I'm kicking myself every time I pick it up to do a square or two. So far there are 50 teensy tiny squares and about 15 4-round squares done.
Some Mittens - I started wanting some when it was really really cold out and my fingers were freezing off. I now have about half of one. It's kinda pathetic.
About 4 or 5 pair of socks - Not starting any new socks until I complete all the second socks. Really. I mean it this time.
The Triangles Within Triangles shawl - This was almost going to be a xmas gift for Steve's Mom. She was in the hospital all around then and just recently got out so I should probably finish it up. It's pretty close to being done.
Several Top-Down Raglan sweaters and cardigans - Not feeling the love. Most are past he point where there is anything to do but boring stockinette. feh.
The Giant "Let's Use Up All This Fucking Wool-Ease" Crochet Stripe Blanket - I'll be working on this thing ten years from now, I'm pretty sure of it. I think wool ease is related to tribbles. (google it if you don't know what a tribble is)

Now, here's the scoop on what I'm about to start doing and what I want to do and all that mess.
First, I'm getting a giant floor loom. This thing is about 4.5 feet wide, just as tall, and 3 feet deep. It's a 4-shaft counterbalance Leclerc "Fanny" for those of you who know about the weaving. So, there will be more weaving content on here soon. I'm buying it from a lady in Kansas, and we go to pick it up April 6th. The plan is to install it at the store over by the coffee area, but I'm not too sure how that will work out. I might end up needing to move it somewhere else. We'll just see what kind of contortions I have to do to be able to warp it over there. It weighs 130 pounds, so I'm hoping it can stay put.
Now, do I know how to weave on a 4-shaft loom? Hell no. It was a crazy good deal, so I'm just buying the thing. I've been reading the weaving textbook "Learning To Weave" by Deborah Chandler, and have learned how to read a draft and do a drawdown of one so far. I'm pretty happy about that. Next I need to learn to create my own drafts or this will get old pretty damn quick. I know me. haha I signed up for a beginning weaving class in Bella Vista in July. Hopefully by then I can have at least warped the thing once and done some easy twill pattern dishtowels or a shawl or a table runner or some such thing. There will be pictures and updates about that. My hope is that I get good enough at it to be able to sell some stuff on etsy or in the store or both and maybe do commissioned shawls and stuff.
I'm almost finished with the purple tri-loom shawl I've had on the loom for over a year. I'm slower than xmas on that thing and might just sell it. (the loom not the shawl) I'm still thinking about it. It depends on how good I get with this 4-shaft monster. For now, as soon as the shawl is off it's going in the dry end of the store's basement for a time out.
I have officially outgrown the "yarn room" at home. It is basicly a very crowded storage area right now. No work is getting done in there on anything. I've been talking to Steve about trading rooms with me. He has his gun cleaning stuff and old computer stuff/desk out in the patio room. There is also a bunch of other junk out there needing removed. So my plan now is to remove the junk, clean the floors out there, then get either carpet or wood laminate installed. (the existing floor is all gappy and makes it hella-drafty cold out there in the winter) After that we move Steve's desk and junk into the current yarn room and my stuff out there. One side of the room can be sort of a studio with a big table and all the yarn, fabric, the Ladybug wheel, the Rigid Heddle Loom, the sewing machine, the painting junk, and all the other assorted craft junk on shelves. The other side can be for the gym equipment we can't get to because it's currently burried under all that other junk.
Now, getting Steve to actually get off his ass and help me sort though the junk/take things to to dump/donation station/freecycle/whatever will be the big challenge to this plan. He'd much rather run off to play on weekends and that is really the only time I have to devote to it.
Once that's all set up I want to try making some quilts and big needle felted doo-dads and maybe some paintings since I have all the supplies and haven't used them in years. We'll see.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Upgrade


Upgrade
Originally uploaded by Elabeth.

Hahahahahaha! I stole this from Miranda. She probably stole it from someone else who stole it from icanhascheezburger.com

It kills me.

So, what's new with you?
I still read blogs, but have been sucked into the Ravelry timesuck. I'll post some FO pics soon, but basicly here is all the latest news:

- The Store is going great!
- I am thisclose to being done with a Kiri Shawl.
- Stargate Atlantis on DVD is like crack (thanks Kristen)
- My house is hella messy. The clutter is killing me slowly, and I seem to be the only one living there who cares about getting rid of any of it.
- The weather needs to take it's meds.