monkey

hey—there's a monkey on my shelf!
miles is always earning his well-deserved nickname.

carrots

these are the carrots dangling in front of me...i just have a few more projects to finish up before i can play with kumara, princess and madelinetosh.
hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season! i can't believe there are only a few more days left in 2009. crazy...

i have had this thumb tack since i was in elementary school. it is Amazing to me what i have managed to hold on to through the years.

weekend!

have a swell weekend...i'll be knitting like crazy for an upcoming CEY shoot.

super cute

my friend sent this link my way...Love these mittens!

vintage

vintage goodness! my mother-in-law is always scoping out yard sales and flea markets for old needlework magazines, knitting books, and yarn. this was apart of my latest gift from her...the best part is the white angora. yummy.

gazoontite

i made this little tissue holder for a stocking stuffer. i'm really into the scalloped detail lately...i even have a pair of pinking shears that cut a scallop edge.
Yarn: Nordique

i heart my yellow buttons. just need to design the right project for them...

hot stuff

here's a Lot of color to start your week. it's my little studio all lit up in the evening hours. so electric.

happy thanksgiving!

coming soon...

good morning, monday!
image from the upcoming swatch diaries, volume 2.
looking forward to its release next month...

giselle is on the needles for a CEY design. it's so much fun to see the lace stitch come to life through the soft fuzz.

treasures

here's a little wooden leaf-shaped bowl that sits on my studio bookshelf. in it i keep a feather i found in my backyard (possibly from a woodpecker?), rock/shell from the pacific northwest, a dried bit of tansy, a walnut my dad gave me, a NYC subway token from college...and of course...a mini ball of yarn.

New Factories

New Factories is one of the projects I've been working on outside of Madder. Collaborating with my very talented artist-friend Karen Gelardi has been a thoroughly enjoyable process. She presented me with 3 digital drawings, giving me the challenge of sourcing the fiber and creating a prototype knit "print" for each one. We are both happy with the results! I stopped by Karen's studio yesterday and saw them all stacked together—the light streaming into the side window, illuminating the wooly halo. When you see them in person they are wonderfully curious, tactile sculptures. I am especially fond of the 2-tone red print.

someone else is drawn to this word, too...i just love etsy.

last month i mentioned a mini collection i am creating called swoon...still getting my thoughts, yarns and swatches together. besides the sweater, which is in the works, i am tinkering with a camisole design, as well as a hat. so that's it. a little trio.

i'm playing around with shapes for SD2.

spent some time doodling & swathcing projects over the weekend.

work is more fun with a warm cup of tea.

fiber goodies:
slippers
necklace
another necklace
cupcake

have a grand weekend everyone! i'm celebrating with a little tweed. perfect for fall fun.

really, really wish i could take this class!

working on Marina. having a good time with all the navy & white yarns i have chosen for this volume, all from CEY. for some reason, it is making me want to run out and buy a pea coat for winter. maybe i'll have some luck and score one at a thrift store.

just received a copy of Interweave's Holiday issue. it's fun to see my cable & bobble headband in print again. this was my first pattern ever published. back when pam was the editor, we were working together on styling the magazine's photo shoots. she gave me this assignment a couple days before the shoot, which was no problem since this is a very quick knit.

last weekend while in PA, my friends and i went into spool. this shop was so cute it rekindled my desire to really learn how to sew. i guess it's time to make friends with Grammy's Pfaff that sits tucked away in the corner of my studio. i want to make a skirt with this great organic cotton fabric. and, there's also some fabric somewhere around here for making napkins. i have a pretty hearty to-do list until the end of the year, but i hope i can squeeze in some time to get to know my sewing machine.

this is a recent birthday gift from pam. i can't wait to read every word! oh, for the love of wool...

while lots of knitters out there were at Rhinebeck i was spending a wonderful weekend in Philadelphia with 2 of my good girlfriends. we ate a LOT, wandered around, and popped into a couple yarn shops.
and though i missed out on a ton of fun in NY, i sure didn't miss out on the Rhinebeck traffic riding home! what a doozy. i should have been more clever about mapping our route home. snow+rain+lots of cars=white knuckles and exhausted eyes.
thank goodness we made it home safely!

a moorland project is in the works. i swoon over heathery, smoky shades of gray. between working on SD2 and some other fun side projects, i've decided to create a little mini collection called: swoon. why not? there are so many lovely gray yarns out there that need to be loved.

happy color palette...

this is the yarn i bought in harrisville recently. can't wait to start swatching...

actually, the last post was more like a hint than a sneak peak of my new design, the Autumn Pullover, from today's web-letter by CEY.
so, this sweater possesses two of my favorite things: the soft halo from the angora (maybe i'm partial because of my funny bunny Allen) and the it's-so-simple-it's-brilliant Seed stitch. i'm excited to sport it this Fall.
oh, i must put a shout out there to my friend, Betsy, who did a lovely modeling job. she was game to have an early call time for this little shoot. we headed over to the wharf area in Portland's Old Port. great spot—especially with the warm morning light.

sneak peak...more this afternoon....

i'm terra-fied! haha...ha. just finished my Chamomile pullover and the pattern is almost ready to be tech edited. it will be nice to add this to my wardrobe--for a knitter i have very few self-made pieces.

went on a field trip to Harrisville, NH last week. fall foliage, yummy soup and Lots of wool. and with 50 something colors to choose from in their yarn line, i came home with some natural colored wool and flax blend. i'm such a goose! i haven't had a chance to work with it yet, but soon...