synestheticknits

and how much of it has actually been knit with? erm.. two. 2010?

christmas shopping already.. *sigh* i know better (this year) than to wait until the last minute when ordering online. i would love to get more gifts from etsy people this year! some things i've been thinking about: for my best friend: hammered circle pendant , by bddesigns. so many quotes i could think of to personalize it, hehe.. nutmeg and almond biscotti soap , by savor. i need to show her that there is life beyond bath & body works. this is it. iced pumpkin handmade bar soap , by abreathoffrenchair. and this. she is a fan of pumpkin everything. poo softie , by shelikescute. what can i say. we can be immature. for my sister: dreamy, half-pint zip pouch , by friedokra. i want some of these for myself, sigh... sinful chocolate cake lip balm , by lavemesoapco. nom. a great etsy seller who will be retiring at the end of this year, so we may need to stock up over here. tea and condiment wallet , by flossieblossoms. she is an obsessive tea drinker, so i know she wo...

hellooo poor neglected blog! finally, my work schedule is going to be way more normal, leaving me time to do things like finish up old projects and spill orange juice on my flash drive. *sigh* really, i can't wait to do some more spinning. my last completed yarn was this: ( on ravelry ) again, the boyfriend took notice after i was done spinning. actually said he thought it was pretty. since he's more of a word person, i asked if he could think of a name for it. he says, "intestinal lining?" what. so anyway , i'm thinking it will be a thorpe , as soon as i finish these legwarmers from my hackled yarn. too many wips around here. also been knitting for blythie.. ...who still has no name. how can this be? it was never this difficult with my pullips. i've been thinking of some nice irish names, but haven't settled on one. hmm...

you know how i've been mentioning a pullip hat pattern forever? yeah. well, since having my wisdom teeth taken out i've had a little more computer time. hi! i now present to you... arietta: basic pullip beanie the knitting pattern! size: pullip finished measurement: 8.5 in (21 cm), stretches to 10.25 in (27 cm) yarn: any worsted weight. shown here in red heart super saver, in monet needles: size us 5 dpns gauge: 4.5 sts/in in stockinette. cast on 48 stitches, join and begin working in the round. knit 1, purl 1 for 5 rows. k until hat measures 2 in (5 cm), or 2.5 in (6.5 cm) if you want it a little longer. decrease rounds: 1. k6, k2tog across 2. (and all following even-numbered rows) k 3. k5, k2tog across 5. k4, k2tog across 7. k3, k2tog across 9. k2tog across now cut yarn, leaving about a 6 inch (15.5 cm) tail. pull through remaining stitches and tighten. now with a tapestry needle or crochet hook, pull yarn end through to inside of hat and weave in. done! so what ...

guess who arrived a few days ago? friendly freckles! i finally found one secondhand, and for a decent price. yayy! i can't wait to knit for her. also, i've discovered that the little sweater i made for type 3 pullips fits her even better. i'm now intrigued by the new dolls being announced. beatrice vest, cassiopeia spice, baby's breath (omg cherry merry muffin??)... does that mean i've been bitten? also, i tinkered with the blog layout. better, you think? (:

* not enough knitting. i did just finish up a new hat for the shop though.. i'm reworking my stocking cap pattern, and came up with this nice roomy stretchy one that should be big enough for blythes! my quest for blythe herself has not been going so well, however. still looking for the right one (that i can justify spending the money on right now...). i thought the prima dollies were supposed to be cheaper?? * typing up my basic pullip hat pattern.. anyone want to try it out? * hackling! i put together a diy hackle and blended some of the tan wool/black wool/white mohair roving that i got from the sheep shed. ta da... before, after, and yarn! so much better. and here it is on ravelry . i would like it to become these lovely legwarmers but the gauge is slightly different. will require tinkering. *losing knitting needles left and right. seriously, what is the deal here?

mattar paneer , from manjula's kitchen 5 minute chocolate mug cake , from twinklyspangle (i am tempted to start it up now.. hmm) homemade oreos , from with sprinkles on top nutella-stuffed sugar cookies , from nibbledish spicy roasted cauliflour , from chez cayenne i have an entire folder of these in my bookmarks. we really need to get cooking over here...

so here is the stuff i mentioned in my last post. four ounces of superwash merino/tencel blend... which i spun into this! (here it is in my ravelry stash .) i didn't trust my instincts and it came out thicker than i meant it to, more like sport-weight. still going to try for socks though. i'd never spun anything with tencel in it before and i have to say, it is tasty. i have to resist ordering some more. okay, so i did put in another order with susan's spinning bunny . got some alpaca/merino/silk, which i have been admiring and not spinning. this must be remedied. anyway, they are supernice there and i kind of want everything in their shop. other spinnings: i dyed up some of my plain wool from the sheep shed, threw in some easter grass and got: this was one of the few times the boyfriend took notice of my spinning, and said it reminded him of ecto cooler . i really can't wait to knit it up, but other things must be finished first. (sigh) here it is on ravelry...

this year, at last, i made it to the rhode island fiber festival. it's held at coggeshall farm in bristol, inside colt state park. it's a working historical farm, with people cooking and weaving and raising sheep... i had never been there before, and it is gorgeous. and now i wish i had brought along my film camera. bah! it was a really lovely, perfect day for the festival. there were lots of vendors and demonstrations, and food.. i should have photographed the super-greasy freshly fried clam cakes i got because damn, they were good. i was very good and only bought four ounces of superwash merino/tencel from susan's spinning bunny , who sell socially and environmentally conscious yarn and fiber (which is totally yummy). it is already spun, plied, and looking for an appropriate sock pattern. (photos soon...) of course there was also sheep shearing! it was lots of fun, and i'm so glad we got to go this year! yarny pictures soon. also... alpacas!

since i am having trouble getting into my flickr account (grr, yahoo.), i'll use ipernity to share some yarny photos with you. it's a community-type site, similar to flickr, but smaller and european-based. a pretty nice alternative, and there's an etsy group! so now i can share the results of my yarn-dyeing semi-disaster ... not quite what i was going for. the second ply took the dye much better, but... at least it feels nice! (here it is on ravelry. ) i have had better luck lately using the oven method. there will be some blindingly-bright pictures soon, once the rain lets up...

and a bit late, but happy easter too. (= just wanted to show off this sweet bunny peep necklace i got from embellishyourself on etsy. kandajha loves it! she still has some bunnies in other colors, and also sells lovely human-sized things as well. i am so impressed by this blossom bead ! right now i'm working on a basic dolly hat pattern to share, so if you are interested in knitting some beanies for yourself, watch this space. (=

have you seen the on the dot creations blog's polka dot parade ? they are featuring my ladybug buttons along with a bunch of other cute stuff. like this cupcake craft pack , which i recognized because i had hearted it already some time ago! think of the doll dresses i could make, or maybe a zipper pouch.. sigh. i also have photos of my finished dyeing disaster yarn, but i'm having trouble getting into my flickr account. i really wish they had not joined up with yahoo.. i've been having issues with that account since november. gah! so no pictures for this entry, which is too bad. the yarn turned out better than i expected! so, off to email yahoo yet again... *grits teeth*

so my strawberry shortcake collection has been sadly neglected for some time. i brought them out recently for some freshening up. i love how they still smell... and i remembered that i have tons of extra nakie dolls! these three are currently looking for new homes. since i've been knitting up so many tiny sweaters and things, maybe some strawberry shortcake-sized stuff is in order... i do miss the days of scouring ebay auctions for stray shoes and pets, and the elusive plum puddin'. maybe someday.

i got four ounces of natural llama roving a few weeks ago.. time for some dyeing mishaps! i used a tutorial for steam-dyeing (which i of course can't find right now, sigh), but it is similar to the cold pour method described in the twisted sisters sock workbook . here i have the roving laid out on plastic wrap. i've been using easter egg dyes and wilton's cake dyes, since the only space i have for this sort of thing at the moment is the kitchen. all food-safe stuff! i pour the dyes on from a bottle, this time using purples and yellows. when you're done, you fold up the plastic wrap on the long sides, then roll them up into little bundles. one thing i learned: be sure the ends are closed up well! then you boil a big pot of water, and place your wool bundles in a colander over it. the water level should be just under the colander. let it steam for about 45 minutes. i placed a cookie sheet over it for part of the time, to hold the steam in. here are the bundl...

what i've been up to lately: *turning this into this (delicious fiber batt from knittydirtygirl ) *knitting tiny things *trying to destash and declutter *hoping for things to get better and better...

hello everyone! december was crazy busy for me, but now i'm back working on stuff for the shop. i just listed this little tunic made from my hand-dyed yarn... though the big news is that i now have a spinning wheel! it's an ashford kiwi and i lurrve it. we have been spending a lot of time together... that right there is made from some wool batts that have been waiting to be spun up since 2002. seven years almost!

happy january first everyone! i am out of town right now visiting family, so the shop is on vacation until the 7th. after that, new stuff! though i am keeping on eye on cpsia news.. you have probably heard about it by now, but here is some information in a great post on the delightful doll . etsy's most recent post on the storque has all the latest updates. this law (going into effect in february) has a lot of us worried, and could potentially cost a lot of people their livelihoods. now, what can we do about it? the handmade toy alliance has a sample letter for you to send to your congress person or senator. also, add your vote on change.org . (the final round of voting starts on the 5th. it was the number one idea in the economy category!) so, in happier crafty news, here are some projects that i would might like to try once we fly back home. - make a fascinator on burdastyle - coffee sweater knitting pattern on craftleftovers - constructing a pvc niddy noddy on doc...