not much knitting right now...just a lot of planning.
i look forward to all the good things to come in 2009!
(nyc for new year's eve and day...can't wait.)

it's snowing - again! happy holidays for those of you who celebrate. my husband is trying to get me on some ski's this year for Christmas...we'll see about that.

finished this a while ago and haven't had a chance to photograph it yet because my husband keeps wearing it! i like the way it turned out...using Fresco, of course. i may try knitting it in another colorway just for fun.

this is the view from my kitchen..it's of my little studio i lovingly call fort nest. lots going on in there...for Madder and for work.
Madder: planning the release of my website which will include handknitting patterns, a magazine and a booklet series. so many good things to work on...to think over...and to dream up!
Work: a very exciting project i probably shouldn't talk about until TNNA time.
on the needles: fingerless mitts with koigu

my studio right now...
anyone else love that CD, too???

these are the photos i posted on my personal blog, but thought i'd throw them up here, too.
they are of my hat, my first fair isle design which i agonized over for far too long. but, hey, you can't rush the creative process.

s.d. arrived yesterday! it's really shaping up...i have to make a few minor adjustments and it will be done. making progress, slowly but surely.

work...work...work...

working on this hat design for my website...and many other ideas are brewing.
the last mock-up of swatch diaries: volume 1 has been sent to the printers. so, it won't be long!

knitting with Hannah today...Yeah for visitors!

inspiration board...

i took a trip down to the CEY headquarters for work. it's always nice to see those faces after so much electronic correspondence.
i've been swatching with Fresco a lot lately for a hat design that will be in the web letter next month. i ended up with something that looks nothing like this swatch, but that is why swatching is so brilliant! those first moments of seeing your sketches and ideas translated into the actual fabric are so exciting. sometimes it works and sometimes...well...it takes a bit longer. can't wait to show you the hat.

some days i completely lack inspiration...so i dive into the archive and look at photos. always, i get a jolt of energy when i see beautiful plants and flowers. this morning, i needed just this sort of exercise. if anyone out there is reading this tiny, little blog...i thought i'd share these with you, in case you're needing it too.

so many photographs still to edit from my trip. thought i'd share a few from Oslo...including the nice little bed & breakfast we stayed at the first few nights. so sweet. i love vacation.

starting a new project for Madder out of Manos del Uruguay (i'm a big fan). actually, mama bear is helping me knit this puppy. this way i'll be able to get patterns completed a lot faster! anyway...it's going to be a smock dress. i'm really looking forward to wearing this one.

i know these aren't swatches...but they are as cuddly as yarn. my bunny, allen, and my kitty, mabel. together for the first time. mabel seems unfazed for the most part. allen was very interested in her, though, i couldn't get a good snap of it (using photobooth...the only lens close-by at the time).

this is just a quick and dirty edit from a museum in Salhus. there will be a lot of photos from this one particular adventure in S.D. volume 1.

the stripe cowl neck is coming right along...this will be the first pattern featured on my website...both in progress :)
behind the stripe swatch is Aspen...a hearty yarn...surely this yarn could contribute to my winter warmth! so, i'm thinking about ordering some and making another project for my little web shop.
below are some snaps from Rhinebeck...what a weekend. lots and lots of knitters, different fibers and, my personal favorite, all the fiber animals!

this weekend hannah and i are going to rhinebeck. i'm really looking forward to a weekend of sheep and wool.
above is a photo of a loom my cousin is loaning me. so fun...can't wait to take a class.

thinking about projects to come...

my favorite napkins...will i ever use them? from our layover in Reykjavik.

this hot little number was supposed to be finished on my honeymoon - but, i was still knitting it a couple hours before the photo shoot. eek. must not do that again...i hate it when the relaxing craft of knitting becomes stressful. defeats the purpose, right?

Fresco! I loved reading Knitter's Review this morning, since I too, love this yarn. I'm working on something really fun for Classic Elite's web-letter.

it's been a long time since my last post - it's hard to get things in order after you've been away on your honeymoon for 2 weeks! i came home and immediately jumped back into work. we had a big photo shoot for next spring/summer's collection. the photos above are from the house we rented for a location. it was a lot of fun...yet, i'm really looking forward to putting my head around fall/winter.
in regards to swatch diaries...i'm so excited about the photographs, the yarn, and soon to be swatches from my recent trip. i have a lot of work to do this fall. i really hope to have this first volume done by the end of this year - because i already have some ideas brewing for the next year's volume!
ok, patterns, design, inspiration. i'm inside a different sweater each night in my dreams. it's a bit overwhelming, but reassuring that i'm right where i need to be.

Yarn: Duchess by Classic Elite Yarns
40% Merino, 28% Viscose, 10% Cashmere, 7% Angora, 15% Nylon
Needles: US 10

Working on a top down vest or cardigan, possibly in Duchess, for Madder. I love this yarn so far. It feels nice in my hands, plus the bulky factor helps things move along at a nice rate. because of the wedding, honeymoon and new job, free time is sparse, so a quick swatch/knit is just what the doctor ordered.

this is a swatch for a new design i'm working on for my website...a cowl neck sweater with stripes.
Yarn: Cocoon by Rowan
80% Merino, 20% Kid Mohair

it's been a busy summer so far...not much swatching going on. but, website Madder's should be rolling sometime soon, so that's exciting. more soon...do i keep saying that?

done! after a full day of agonizing...i sent issue one to the printers. hurray.
now, for the website...i think just a couple weeks on that.
above is a photo that didn't make it into the magazine. i have so many outtakes - the issue could easily have grown twice in length. but, i had to edit like mad to keep it manageable.
can't wait to show you more.

last week i went to see a Lowell Spinners game with my new co-workers at CEY and the Ravelry folks, Casey & Jess. unfortunately, the home team lost but, I drank some beer and ate myself a hotdog. good times in the blistering heat of the summer!

also above is one of my inspiration boards...the pinned swatch is a new yarn by Classic Elite called Moorland that i used double stranded. gorgeous.

and, it's official. i've finally finished the premiere issue of Swatch Diaries' layout with the exception of the front and back cover. so, i'll be sending it to the printers on monday...it won't be long!