For the last 4 years I have run a Woolen Rabbit Yarn Club.
  The first year was a trial process for me testing the waters and I had fun.  The second year I decided to have a focused theme and introduced the Roaring Twenties scheme that was completely designer driven. I gave the designers that I have been so fortunate to work with full reign to come up with a design that inspired them based on the theme.  They would give me a color idea for their design and then I would fire up the dyepots and come up with a colorway that would compliment their thought process.

  I have had GREAT fun with it and I think that the subscribers enjoyed it as well. 

After 2 years of the Roaring Twenties, I thought it was time to change it up a bit.
  I loved watching the "Once Upon A Time" series on tv, so I thought..hmmm, maybe Fairy Tales would be a nice new theme with such a huge resource to draw from.

When Alicia Plummer who I was very happy to have join along told us told me that her Fairy Tale was going to be "The Ugly Duckling", I really anticipated seeing not only what her design was going to be, but also what her inspiration was. 
One of the things that I do ask from all of the designers is to send me a little blurb about what inspired their design for the newsletter.

Alicia's inspriation story sounded much like a page from my childhood book of awkwardness and I am sure that many of you probably have felt this way at one point or another as you grew up and even maybe still as an adult as I frequently still experience. 

Most of my childhood friends went off on summer vacations, so many of my summer hours were spent reading books in my favorite tree or at the air conditioned library. One of my most favorite memorable books that was read over and over was the book "The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen". I never tired from the stories woven by Hans Christian Andersen.

Once I know what the designer's inspiration is, I start researching content for the newsletter that contains the pattern which is something thing that I truly enjoy doing because I always end up learning so many new things.

When researching Hans Christian Andersen, I came across the album that my brother, sister and I listened to many times over as children, by Danny Kaye.  I can still see this album cover in my mind.  Danny Kaye on one side and Tubby the Tuba on the flip side.  
Such an innocent time for us back then.  I feel a bit sad that children today will never experience a world that does not include the internet and cell phones…a world that is a bit more of a challenge to just use your imagination and only your imagination.

This sweet picture was the inspiration for the colorway that you see in the mitts.
When I finish a yarn club and the story, the colorway, the gift and the special card all come together in a way that this one did, it makes me very thankful that I am so fortunate to do something that I love for work.

Thank you Alicia for your beautiful design and your beautiful inspiration story!

When there is a lot going on and things get stressful I think it’s really important to focus on the good. To look at the small things you do regularly that are positive. To treat yourself like you would treat a friend. And so, today for Ten on Tuesday, the topic is 10 Things You Feel Good About Right Now.

This is how Carole started off her Ten on Tuesday post and because life has been pretty full and busy, it seems like the perfect post for today.  So here goes, these are the things I am feeling pretty good about right now.

1.  Getting completely caught up on my dyeing.  Big yarn club mailing is all dyed and drying and ready to mail, as are the regular orders as well.

2.  Finishing the yarn club newsletter.  This is the one part of the yarn club I love most.  Researching and creating hopefully a visually motivating and informative newsletter for the members.

3.  Reading, I have been able to continue my summer reading into the fall.  Not quite at the same pace without being enticed by daily soaks in my ghetto pool, but still, the books are open and I am reading!

4.  Enjoying the very last part of early fall here in the mountains.  While most of the leaves have come down, there are still the beautiful brown and golden colors of the mighty oaks still smiling down on us.

5 Smelling the woodstoves at night when I put the dogs out for their last run.  It makes me smile.

6.  Completely and totally loving the photography and processing classes I am taking.  So much so that I am not only caught up, but anxiously awaiting each new class.  (so not like me!)

7.  Knitting.  I am working on 3 projects right now and all 3 are getting quality time.

8. Having time to enjoy my grandchildren.  When the older two were born, life with all of the kid still at home and work that kept us so darn busy made making quality time with them such a challenge.  Now.. with a few extra years under our belts and no kids living at home, Ken and I are really enjoying what ever time we can with all 5 of the grandchildren. They are great kids!

9.  Walking without much pain.  I try to get out most days for a good solid walk unless it is raining and for the most part the pain that barks in my back and hip have been pretty quiet.

10.  Football and Hockey!!

I still talk in my sleep.
I still dream.
How can there be perfect stillness
When my brain is so noisy?
Deng Ming~Dao

Ken and I had a fabulous impromptu getaway last weekend and I took some pictures of the little remaining foliage, but did I get my post up on Monday…of course not.  I will however do a short post on Friday before the new weekend and share some of the fun things that we did.

Today I will share with you some of the work I have done over the last week.  I finished the first sleeve of Morning Coffee and am well into the second sleeve…so far I am loving it.  Not one stitch was knit on my Cactus Flower shawl as I found the mindless stockinette so soothing, but once I finish this sleeve, I will move back to the shawl and finish it.

Those little leaves that you see are this week's color inspiration.  I will be bringing in a couple of new sport weight yarns and I thought a new color would be a fun way to introduce them. 

I also finished up the hounds-tooth scarf that I wove on my rigid heddle loom.  It will be a gift for someone this Christmas.  Normally there is no knitting or weaving for Christmas, because I don't like to put that pressure on myself, but now that this is finished, well, there is no pressure. 🙂

I have also been very good about staying on task with my online photography class, which is the one thing that I am most happy about.  As we know, staying on task is not always my strongest suit, but I really have made an extra effort to keep up with and participate in this class and feel as though I am finally getting a teensy bit more comfortable with Lightroom and Photoshop.  So much more to learn, but it's a good start.

How has your week been?

Now that I have finally reached the part in my Lightroom class where I have learned how to create a download jpg preset from my raw file that would not be huge, I can start getting pictures up again.  I want to keep everything in Lightroom from here forward, so I resisted using my go to iPhoto editing program.

What you see above is the beginning of my Morning Coffee sweater.  I decided to start with the sleeve to see if the pattern that the Custom Fit software created for me is going to be the right size.  I had my measurements taken at the retreat a few weekends ago and noticed quickly when I went to create a pattern that my forearm measurement seemed off by quite a bit, so with some changes, hopefully this will be the only bump in the road. 

The yarn I am using is Frolic in the Chocolate Chambord colorway and so far I am very happy with how it is knitting up.

Also on my needles is the beautiful Cactus Flower Shawl created by Romi Hill.  I won't lie, I HATED the nupps in the beginning portion of the pattern, but once I got beyond them, the rest of the knit has been very enjoyable.  The bottom lace panels are knit sideways and there are 18 of them, so the knitting is slow, but as I said enjoyable even with more nupps in them.  For some reason I found the nupps in the panels much easier to knit thankfully.  I only have a few more panels to go, so this should be off the needles soon.

There has been some weaving as well, but I will wait until it's been washed and fulled before I show it to you.  Maybe next Wednesday. 🙂

I've been pretty quiet so I thought I would jump in on Carole's Ten On Tuesday, with some of the things that have kept me busy.  The topic this week is
10 Things I Did This Weekend.

1.  I spent a lot of time watching and practicing with Kim Klassen's Lightroom Begin class.  With a notebook and pen in hand, I felt like I was back in school again.  My brain is definitely being stretched.

2. Keeping the class in mind, I did get out to shoot some pictures on Sunday.  It was a beautiful sunny day and probably the last weekend of real foliage here as the trees are dropping their leaves quickly now.  Hopefully I will be processing some of these soon in Lightroom.

3.  Put the vegetable and perennial gardens to bed.  Not an easy task with the strawberry bed that I never clipped back.  Note to self…..next year cut those plants back as soon as the picking is finished

4. Watched Madelyn van der Hoogt's Warping Your Loom video…more brain stretching.

5. Put the studio/shop back in order after the last few weekends of shows.  Nice to be able to move around in there again without tripping over something

6.  Lots of knitting.  Worked a few panels of lace on the never ending Cactus Flower Shawl.  I love the shawl and I love knitting it, but I'm ready to be finished.  Only a few more panels now.

7.  More knitting…started a new sweater, Morning Coffee.  Nice mindless knitting.  Pictures of both coming soon.

8.  Took Ken out to celebrate his birthday Saturday evening.  Ey yi yi, we both forgot that it was the big foliage weekend that involves so.much.traffic.  Very thankful that we know all of the back roads around "the strip".

9.  Celebrated Ken's birthday on Sunday with family and his favorite meal, homemade Chicken Pot Pie and an apple praline cake. Yah, no calories were consumed here on Sunday.. 😉

10.  We or should I say Ken with my input started the bathroom demolition…w00t!!  After 18 years of waiting, I am ecstatic!!

What did you do this weekend?

This is such a beautiful time of year, but it passes so quickly, doesn't it.  We need to get out and enjoy it while we can.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

 

Drops,
Water cleanes.
Gathers in the earth.
Tender, Invasive,Subtle.
Emerges a shining river.
When it is small, it is weak.
When it is great, it tumbles mountains.
Rendering great cliffs
Sand.
Deng Ming~Dao

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was taking an online class with Kim Klassen called Start2Finish.  It is a class on post photo processing using Lightroom and Photoshop.  Lightroom is a completely new to me program and truly it has been full of challenges for this aging brain.

The class started 2 weeks ago and with the two back to back weekend shows I have just done, it has been hard to keep up. I have managed however to set a little time aside to run through the classes so that I wouldn't get too far behind before I could get caught up.  I have skimmed through all of the materials and the above shot is a total newbie processed picture in Lightroom for the first project.
Am I pleased with it…not really, but it's all about the process, right?  In my simple iPhoto program I would have made simple changes that I would like, but I am determined to move to the next level with my pictures and learn this software.

On another note….the yarn!!  I rarely purchase yarn these days because, um….I am surrounded by yarn and I usually have to knit with my own yarns to produce samples for shows. Last weekend at Amy's sweater retreat, I just could not resist these 3 lovely Eden Garden skeins in shades that remind me of the ocean….shades of the sand, the ocean and beach rocks all rolled into one.  I love them! 
These 3 skeins will become my beach color affection shawl and maybe by the time the shawl is finished, my photo processing will be better too.

A moving door hinge never corrodes.
Flowing water never grows stagnant.
Deng Ming~Dao

The last 2 weekends, the upcoming weekend and the days in between have been ones filled with busy activity.  Most of it has been a lot of fun, with a good peppering of hard work tucked in between.

The weekend before last Ken and I took out the kayaks for our last run.  We were out on the marshes of Scarborough Maine and It was crazy cold with a winter like wind.  The waves were very choppy and the water definitely had a chill, but being out on the marshes and seeing all of the gazillion birds was such a treat.  Egrets, herons, sand pipers, glossy ibis and the occasional otter or seal. 

The marshes are part of the Maine Audubon Center.  Owned and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the 3,100 acre estuary known as Scarborough Marsh is the largest salt marsh in the state, comprising tidal marsh, salt creeks, freshwater marsh and uplands. The marsh is particularly important for wildlife as a resting, breeding and feeding ground.

I was a bit sad knowing it was the last time we were going to be out in the water, but it was an exciting ride.  Challenging waves and beautiful scenery in salt water.

Fast forward a week and I was back at the ocean again with more birds and fiber!  I attended Amy Herzog's, Make.Wear.Love retreat as both an attendee and a vendor.  The weather this time was SO much warmer…very summer like. 

I attended classes taught by Patty Lyons, Gwen Bortner and Kim McBrien Evans and while each of their classes was so different from the next, I learned SO much from their collective wealth of knowledge in such a beautifully inspiring place.  I came home excited to dig into my stash for a sweater quantity of yarn and a few skeins of something lovely jumped into my bag as well. 
(more about that in a few days).

With the very warm weather in Maine and only a hint of fall colors surrounding us, I hardly gave fall a thought, that is until I crossed the border into New Hampshire as I headed home. I was gobsmacked at how much the foliage had changed in the 4 days that I was away.

This upcoming weekend I will be working in the Fiber Building at the Fryeburg Fair, so if you are in the area, stop by and say hello. 🙂

Heaven embraces the horizon.
No matter how jagged the profile,
The sky faithfully conforms.
Deng Ming~Dao

In an effort to be a little more productive during my days and staying away from social media a little more, I have been enjoying the extra creative time to try new things.

I have piles and piles of fabric and recently made a wallet for my youngest daughter, Hannah, out of these two fabrics.  She lost her wallet over the summer and these were the fabrics that she chose for her new wallet.  With the fabric still laying on my cutting board, I thought I would give a new bag a try.  It's a pretty simple zippered bag, but it was fun to tackle.  There are a few things I want to tweak though.

The zipper was one I had left over from Hannah's wallet. I bought 2 in the event that I messed up because it's been a while since I have put a zipper into anything, and if you know me, I usually mess up the first time.  Thankfully they worked perfectly for this little bag and her wallet, the first time.

I have also been diligently working on the final leg of my Cactus Flower shawl.  This is one of 18 panels that is left to complete before I am finished.  I did the first one last night and I will work on another, maybe two if I can tonight.

It's a lot of work, but the pattern is an enjoyable one to knit, so when I settle in to watch a little tv at night, I find that this is my go to project to work on.  Lots of concentration involved, so not much talking happens while I am working on it, which is not always a bad thing.
  Ken would probably agree. 😉

This week's Ten on Tuesday's topic is:
Ten Things You Do To Get Your Home Ready for Fall.

We are quickly rolling into my most favorite time of year…Autumn!  I love everything about it.  The chilly nights and early mornings, the smell of wood-stoves and leaves burning.  It brings me right back to being that little girl who loved to jump in the leaves, or crunching through them as I walked along to school.

So this is what I do to get ready for fall..

1.  Pull up all of the perennials and put most of the vegetable garden to rest.

2.  Plant some festive fall plantings, with Mums and fall cabbages.

3.  Fall clean this old house.  I'm not always great at this one, but I really do try to scrub out one room from top to bottom and wash all of the windows.

4.  Make big pots of soup, stew and homemade biscuits….Mmmm.

5.  Enjoy the AMAZING foliage that I am so fortunate to be surrounded by here in the mountains.

6.  Apples and apple picking.  Apples are the best this time of year!

7.  Fryeburg Fair and now I get to go for a day because I only work the last weekend, not the entire week.

8.  Wool socks.  I love when I get to pull out the hand made socks again.

9.  Bring out the Autumn decorations and fire up the cider candles

10.  ..and lastly, enjoy each and every day as Fall is short up here in the Mountains, so each day is a gift!

What do you do to get ready for fall?