They're Flying Off the Needles

So much productivity happening here. The weather is finally seasonal, sunny and lovely. Today I spent my lunch outside on my deck knitting my latest shawl. We'll save the details on that one for later. There is plenty to share today. 

These harvest color socks are not my color palette at all, but they are my mother-in-law's. These were her Mother's Day gift. I think she liked them. 

 

 Pattern: Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes

Yarn: Ladybug Fiber Company

Colorway: Frost on the Pumpkin

The Prairie Ridge Shawl is finished. This is a great first shawl pattern. It's fast, easy and I love the way it came out. I do think I will add an extra section or two. I need to remember that tall girls need bigger shawls than most patterns create.

I absolutely love the ruffle edge. So cute and flirty.

 

 Yarn: Infinite Twist, 2ply worsted weight wool

Colorway: Iris Garden

Pattern: Prairie Ridge Shawl by Susan B. Anderson

As a fairly new sock knitter I have quickly learned that there are several must-knit sock patterns out there. Hermione's Everyday Sock is one of them. And I can see why. It's an easy to remember, straight forward pattern, and it makes a very nice fitting sock. I used KnitCircus's gradient sock yarn, which is just magic. It's so nice to work with, and the color is so seductive.

Yarn: KnitCircus Greatest of Ease Sock

Colorway: Eat Pray Love

Pattern: Hermione's Everyday Sock by Erica Lueder

And now for your moment of Zen:

Peace, love & wool,

Heather

Socky Spring!

Happy Spring! At least I’m hoping Spring is finally here. It’s been a long, hard winter, and it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I’ve spent some time reorganizing my life and my interests, and what has been the end result? After 20+ years as a self-identified and degreed fiber artist, I’ve finally taken up knitting and found my personal happy land.

Why has it taken me so long to learn to knit? I keep asking myself the same question. I can felt, needle felt, weave, embroider, and countless other fiber arts, but knitting had alluded me. I think the most truthful factor was the (ridiculous) notion that knitting was a low level craft. All the knitters I’ve ever known were of the acrylic yarn from the discount store, Barbie clothes and toilet paper cover variety. In my mind, I was a fiber ARTIST. I create my own work. I don’t follow patterns. I don’t use cheap materials. As if that were the only knitting path.

I admit it. I was a highly misinformed idiot.

I’ve have a life-long love affair with wool, handspun fibers, hand dyed yarn, handmade woolly products, and it took a HUGE Oprah style A-HA moment to realize I could knit high-end, good quality, unique pieces. I know, DUH. Well, when you think Cheese Whiz is the only “cheese” out there (you don’t want to know about my distain for Cheese Whiz) you can’t know that Stilton will rock your world. I’m here to tell you that knitting (and Stilton) have rocked my world.

I am a knitter--Full in, crazy train, if I’m sittin’ I’m knitting, girl.

I started simply enough, where most people do with scarves, but it was soon not enough. And I made the leap quickly to the magical land of socks! Soft, scrunchy, self-patterning, self-striping, love them all socks.

I won’t bore you with my not so stellar beginning knits. We’ll jump right to my latest and greatest creations.

The ballerina pink socks are so sweet and soft. Love them!

Yarn: KnitCircus Tencel Merino Gradient Kettle Dyed

Colorway: Baby

Pattern: Vanilla Latte

If you’ve never tried KnitCircus’ yarn, it’s amazing. So nice to work with and the colors are outstanding. So vibrant.

I’ve started Susan B. Anderson’s Prairie Ridge Shawl. I bought the kit she created with Infinite Twist. It’s absolutely gorgeous yarn. Very nice to knit with, and the pattern is clear, easy to follow and memorize. This is my first shawl and I’m loving it.

I just cast on a new set of socks for my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day. These are her favorite colors.

Yarn: Ladybug Fiber Company Superwash Merino, Nylon & Silver Stellina

Colorway: Frost on the Pumpkin

Pattern: Vanilla Latte

These were one of my first pairs of sock. They have some issues around he gusset, but overall not too bad. 

Yarn: Felici Fingering Self Striping Superwash Merino

Pattern: Susan B. Anderson's Sock Recipe

My obsession of the week: Ink Master. I love tattoo shows. I can’t help it. I really do love the art of tattooing. And the great TV that comes from bad tattoos.

And now for your moment of Zen:

Peace, love & wool,

Heather

Penny For Your Thoughts

There is something so fun and homey about penny rugs. Magical little circles filled with fun colors can just brighten your day. They are also rather meditative for make, both hooking circles or stitching felt felted wool pennies. Creating circle after circle calms my mind, and makes me happy. Enjoy my new happy circles!

 Whipping the edges nice and tight.

Look at all those fun textures and colors!

And here it is all finished and ready to hang in my breakfast nook.  Thanks again to The Blue Tulip for this wonderful hooking kit.  It was so much fun to hook!

I hope everyone is having a super creative weekend!

Heather

Hookers like bling!

I'm so in love my new hand-turned rug hook that I just had to share. Isn't it just beautiful?

I just love the rainbow wood. It feels so good in the hand and hooks beautifully. Thank you Woodturned Art Forms! I don't think I have to worry about anyone else accidentally grabbing my hook. I guess my need for fun bling carries over into my hooking as well.

Here's my current work in progress. It's just a fun penny rug kit from The Blue Tulip.  This kit came with beautiful wool. I'm having so much fun hooking it. Thanks Karen!

Have a super weekend. You can see what I'll be doing!

Sending you all woolly warm wishes!

New Year, New Adventures of the Old Heather

As we kick off a new year, I'm starting a new blog and going back to my roots. I've spent the past decade pretending to be a writing (while not really writing), leaving corporate America, trying out the culinary world, coming back to corporate America, and generally trying to find myself. What have I found? That at 42, what I hold most near and dear to me is exactly what I did when I was 20. I'm more shocked about that than anyone. 


I have a degree in Fiber Arts. What the hell is that, you ask? It's OK, most people have the same reaction. Yes friends, I actually have a degree in basket weaving--and papermaking, bookbinding, weaving, etc. I loved it. I loved working with my hands, I loved the feeling of yarn and wool. I loved texture and embellishments. Mostly, I loved creating something tangible. Something I can hold up and say, "I made this." I even had a bumper sticker on my car that said, "I break for Fiber Arts" which I endlessly had to explain. That love shifted in my 20's when everyone told me that I needed to make a living, to be an adult and do adult-type things (I'm still figuring out what the hell this means). So I left behind my beloved Fiber Arts and focused on practical money-making endeavors.

It's taken 20 years, but I'm back with woolly abandon. After endless books and seminars trying to "find myself," identify my passion, choose my life's purpose, and locate my happy inner-child, I've finally realized it's where I started. My happiness begins with a piece of the perfect wool, a skein of beautifully dyed yarn, and ball of fluffy roving just waiting to be shaped.

I've come to terms with the fact that I won't ever be a famous author (or mostly come to terms with it), and that I'll likely need to work in corporate America for decades longer to fund my artsy pursuits. And I think I'm finally OK with that. My truth is that I enjoy going to wool and sheep shows. I like sitting alone for hours, weaving or pulling fibers into something fabulous. My truth is is knowing that I live to hear someone say, "Wow, you made that?!"

My name is Heather, and I'm a fiber artist.