Truth. Goodness. Beauty. Yarn
How do you stay creative when life is busy? As a younger knitter, I used to crave complexity. Allover lace; intricate cables; innovative construction methods. Fields of stockinette? I’ll pass. I still love complex patterns. There’s nothing more thrilling than learning clever new techniques, trying fun stitch patterns, or manipulating fabric into (essentially) wearable sculpture. …
Well, this isn’t what I thought my first post of the new year would be about. If you saw my last post of 2022, you’ll know I made…a lot of things last year. And that post just included the samples I made and was able to show, let alone the half-dozen more that I made …
I’m always excited on release day (and relieved that the writing, editing and testing process is over!) but even so, today is special. At long last, it’s release day for Sure on This Shining Night! If you’ve been following along with my monthly newsletters this year, you’ll have seen me struggling with this design since …
Two blog posts in as many days—is this strictly necessary? Yes. Because today, my friends, is Hobbit Day. For the uninitiated, September 22 is the birthday of both protagonists of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth saga, Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit) and Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings). As a result, it’s become a sort of …
I can’t believe I’m already typing this. Tomorrow is the last day of my designer residency at SweetGeorgia Yarns. It’s surreal in every way. First off, because it’s been quite the year. The work, the learning, my coworkers (more on this below)—have been above and beyond amazing. Second, because I don’t want it to be …
Some ideas, well, have their own ideas; and my job is just to keep up. If you’re subscribed to my email newsletter, you’ll recall this skein of yarn from Olivia of YarnBaker, one of my favorite small batch dyers. This is her Pimpernel colorway. I love me a good rich, dark red, but it has …
You know those annoying film franchises where the producers didn’t know when to stop? Like when a single book turns into a trilogy, or a trilogy turns into a quartet, or every character gets a spin-off movie or tv series until all the plot holes are disguised by a thousand hours of backstory? Apparently I …
This week (it might even be this very day) marks the 3-year anniversary of my first design acceptance letter. It’s a big milestone. 3 years is time enough for a lot to happen; in the words of Bilbo Baggins, I’m not the same hobbit I once was. I’ve published 27 patterns to date, with more …
I’ve had a new personal project going for some time now. It started as a way to burn through some stash. Years of knitting and crocheting have left me with dozens of bits and clumps of yarn, leftover from as many projects. Add that to the budget acquisitions (it was on sale), yarns that didn’t …
I wonder at times if the draw of creative pursuits, especially during times of stress (ask all the folks who learned to knit during lockdowns last year), is their apparent capacity to ensure a certain outcome. Do your research. Measure. Swatch. Prewash your yarns (yes, I am that kind of weird). Follow the instructions, learn …