yarns

Good Monday Morning!!

When I listed my morning blogs yesterday and I failed to mention the very first one on my list. I just took it for granted that everyone who is reading this knows my sister, Jane, and her blog. But, now realize that may not be the case. Jane is the one who introduced me to blogging. Jane got my first BigBag, showed it to her friends and a LYS, and Lawre's Laine became a knitting accessory company. Prior to this I was selling sweater kits with hand-spun yarn, hand-made buttons and beaded stitch markers. They were expensive  and took a very long time to produce. Jane is also my most active promoter and comes along on many of my trunk shows.I have two sisters and love them both very much, but Jane is also a very big part of Lawre's Laine .

Another blog I check out every day is Spoonflower. Spoonflower is a new company in North Carolina that prints custom fabric. No set up fee, no minimum purchase. You down load your design and order your fabric. You can get a small swatch to see how it looks. They are just over a year old and have become very successful.. Every week or so they have a fabric contest. Readers vote on their favorite fabric and the winning fabric is made available to the public for 1 week.

I have a few of their fabrics.

 

These are cotton and are a little heavier than quilt weight. When the winning fabric is one I voted for I buy 2 or 3 yards. It is more expensive that what I usually buy and I can't get any more...so I am very stingy using it.. I LOVE the owls.. It is supposed to be a Christmas fabric, but I think everyday!! The fabric in the upper right was designed by someone here in Blacksburg. I tried to contact them- No luck.

I think quilters would love to be able to design their own fabric for that very special quilt.

They have other fabrics available too-- Check them out.. A success story during a very difficult time..

My Favorite Blogs

As I told you yesterday, I look at blogs first thing in the morning. Just me, my coffee, and the mac... They all come up in order and I read them in order..

First is Jezze ... 
Jesse Breytenbach, a block-printing artist, lives in Cape Town, South Africa. I found her blog while searching for information on block-printing fabric. Seems block-printing on fabric is a bit different from printing on paper. I do love reading about her life in South Africa, what inspires her, and her printing. She has an Etsy shop where you can buy her items..

I have been thinking about block printing a lot. My friend, Joanne, makes calenders and cards.I like them a lot and wanted to print fabric for Zips. Joanne printed some fabric for me and people seemed to like them very much. While reading my blogs I have seen several printed dish towels I really like.. AND I NEED new dish towels..........

Next I read INKLORE ....

Sam prints fabric in in North Carolina and then makes things. I love this yarn keep... A LOT!!! Sam blogs about what inspires her, things she finds- they may be thinks made by someone else! And there are recipes from professional cooks.

Sam also has another blog- scoutie girl - where you can see all the great hand-made item she finds for sale. You can get her to feature you!!!

Next comes paper n stitch 

Brittni has some wonderful handmade things here.. Just too varied to even start to list.And give-aways.. all the time!!! I really, really want one of these  .... or this  .....  You never know what will be featured on this wonderful blog.

Then there is Design*Sponge  

This blog features interior designers and their homes, food, finds, places..  Interesting pictures and stories. Guest authors. Every week there are before and after DIY projects with a book in the wings. I have entered a project that is under consideration... Who knows!!!

So- there you are from the homemade to the slick, Daily doses of inspiration... Right here in my PJ's with my coffee!!  Life is Good!!

How I Start My Day

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

 

When you wake up with this in your face you know you are AWAKE!!!

This is Vanny and she is the queen of the household. We know it and She knows it.

Vanny gets up around 5:30 or 6.....so do I. And there is a routine.

Vanny sits outside the bathroom door while take care of emergency pit stop.

Let Vanny out front door.

Fix coffee.

Let Vanny in front door.

Let Vanny out back door.-- This works best because Vanny really is running the show and if I don't, she will bark until hubby wakes up and then the whole apple cart is upset!!! And besides, I have decided she is checking on me. Am I still here and OK?? Is everything in the house just as she left it? And maybe there is food in the bowl- No,not yet... Sort of like a "fly by"

Fix Vanny's breakfast.

Let Vanny in back door.

Get coffee.

Sit down at computer. Check e-mail and erase all the junk-- It is mostly junk!! All the while sipping my coffee.

Check out Ravelry. Never know what you will find there.

Sip coffee.

I have several blogs I look at every morning. I started lurking around knitting blogs, but have migrated to art and design ones that I really enjoy. It is good to mix things up now and then. More on them tomorrow- who knows you might enjoy them too.

Sip coffee..

Let Vanny out again. This can be front or back door. Where ever the most is happening. There is bird seed to protect. Rabbit poo to investigate. Deer tracks to follow. and lately raccoons have been around so she must take care of that too!

Now it is time for my breakfast.. What will it be??

Sip coffee...

Post here..

Sip coffee and think about breakfast..

You know- I thought the dog was the creature of habit, but if I skip any task, or get them out of order, I am a bit of a mess for awhile..  This make me think...mmmmm.......

Sip Coffee!!

Til Tomorrow, Knit Happy

Summer 's Over!

I know that isn't news, but I hate being reminded of the fact every morning. It is just darn cold when I get up. I warm myself with memories of working in the garden. Darcey and Liz helped me this year- the plan to share the harvest. Nature conspired against us. Not warm enough most of the time. Too much rain. and then a critter attack.

 Here Liz and I try to manage the weeds. I built the brick raised bed with old bricks found in a big brush pile in the yard when we bought the property about 15 years ago. In the raised bed are sage, basil, savory, mint, and some unknown things.

 Beyond the wheelbarrow is the Strawberry Patch. I love red fruits and when the strawberries are ripe I go out with my cereal bowl to get breakfast. The tall plants beyond the strawberries are the Raspberries. They Take over! There are 4 varieties and they bear fruit until the first frost.

I am working at the earlier bean patch. Between the strawberries and the early beans is a later bean patch-more green beans and wax beans. The tall plant between Liz and me is herb fennel. It also takes over!! But it is beautiful, so I put up with it.

 Here is the day's harvest. Raspberries, peppers, tomatoes and squash, green beans. We planted little French beans. They are really good when small. Just saute them in olive oil and garlic. YUMMMM. They also go great in the bean salad I like to keep on hand. 

 This one huge tomato!! We had two plants of these. Just full of these beauties...Then the rain came. It rained for 2 weeks and the late blight killed all the tomatoes. I mean ALL the tomatoes!! We had 10 plants- and all were just DEAD!

 This is a picture of some sort of mushrooms that we found growing in the garden- Did I tell you we had rain?? Well, these guys are about 1/4" across and look like a little cup of eggs- anyone have a clue what they are?

 This little spider was very happy on his own raspberry. No the raspberry isn't big, the spider is tiny!!

Darcey took all the pictures with her digital camera. This is what I am hoping I will be able to do with my new Sony G3. The specs sound fabulous.... It is coming Monday!!!

Story Telling Time

So,  I haven't posted here for a very long time. Now I am going to start telling my life stories again. here You will find what is going on in my life other than sewing and sewing and sewing and.......

My camera is being a bad, bad boy so it is in timeout and a replacement is on it way. Thus- few pictures right now- So I splurged and bought a Sony Cyber-Shot G3!.. I know it is very expensive, but---- it does everything but the dishes and my hubby does those!! I did find it cheaper, a whole lot cheaper, and I am hoping that I am not getting ripped off.. If all goes well I will pass along the crazy deal location.. If not, you won't need any communication device- you will hear my screaming on the wind!

Other things have died on my in the past few weeks. It started with my printer....

Last year my computer bit the dust opening the door to full-filling a fantasy.. I replaced my Dell with a wonderful, sleek, works like a dream iMac. I LOVE my iMac!! But I really didn't like the free printer.. I guess you get what you pay for... So when it committed Hari-Kari a few Saturdays ago I have to admit that was a bit of joy mixed in with the cursing...  NOTE ... If your printer eats 25 sheets of paper at one time it is not a good thing.. AND do not just try to yank it out.. Your future will not include that particular printer..So I had to make a rush trip to Best Buy . There I found a wonderful Canon MX33,. On sale no less... Now I am happy with my printer.

The very next day we heard an alarm coming from the basement. Not a good sign.  Seems our water treatment system was in melt-down mode. 2 weeks later.. and it is all well... Actually the new water system is working like a champ... We decided to rent a system- so it will be maintained properly...

Did I mention I LOVE my iMac???  It had one small draw-back.. The mouse.. The cord is short, very short.. It does plug into the side of the keyboard, butmy computer desk is lacking too.. So combine the short cord and the keyboard shelf that won't stay in one place and I was hating using the mouse.. I was mulling ove getting a wireless mouse and was about to order when Apple came out with The Magic Mouse!!   So I got one!! It arrived yesterday and boy,oh,boy.. Did I say I LOVE my iMac??? I am now waiting for my wireless keyboard...... I do NOT love waiting!!!

Have you seen The New Addi Clicks??  I saw a set a few weeks ago and fell in  love!!! i have ordered a set, but they are on back order. I plan to design a very nice case for them. UMMM silk,, maybe light leather??  We will see... Have to get the needle first. HEY!! Did I tell you I hate waiting??? well, I still do....

That is all for now. Saving some stories for tomorrow.

I am planning to post here as often as I can..

Till tomorrow,

Knit Happy,

Lawre

Learning New Tricks

Hello All... No I didn't fall off the face of the earth-- I have busy with Lawre's Laine and other things..Knitting, spinning, gardening (in the warm weather) AND---I learned a new trick.. Now I have to talk about it..
What do you get when you get one of these???
    A. a stinky house

    B. an irate husband

    C. dump filler??

    D. none of the above

  AND THE CORRECT ANSWER IS------- D..

    Actually what you get is an opportunity to learn something new.....
    I have always wanted to learn to do upholstery and over the holidays I turned this ugly old chair into this:

Can you believe it.. I did this.. I am very proud.. My daughter just built a house and this was her house warming present.....A very comfortable chair too..
If you have an itch to try this you must check out DIY Upholstery This guy has everything you need at a reasonable price. Free on-line instructional videos. AND he will even talk you through a tough spot!! Very smart he is!!!! I loves me the DIY Upholstery !!!

Now tell me what you have learned lately.. This stuff keeps you young!!

Start Thinking Holiday Time!!

Can you believe that there are only 2 months and a week or two until Christmas!! Where, oh, where does the time go??
Last weekend I made 9 quarts of apple sauce, thinking this may be the start of Christmas preparations. I have apple pies in the freezer for Thanksgiving and I picked up the last of the organic chickens for the year. The year is winding down! But I still have tomatoes and raspberries BLOOMING!!!! What is that all about?
I did a cool thing in the late spring.. I stuck a piece of ginger root in the ground-- It grew!! Now the leaves are beginning to turn yellow, so I will dig it up soon. Think I will candy it and use in in ginger bread.
Maybe this year I will do something with the horseradish too.. I have been growing that for several years and it is such a weed!! Digging some will be a good thing!

Getting back to the Christmas thing, Lawre's Laine items would be perfect for any knitter! I make gifts for all budgets from The Zip to The Bessie Bag. I will be at The Knitting Basket in Richmond on Saturday, October 18, and at Knit Wits in Virginia Beach on the 25th.. Come by either location, or both for that matter, and say hello. I do miss all my Richmond friends.

I am now sewing a group of BabyBags and BittyBags for Bonomo's here in Blacksburg and hope to have them delivered this weekend.. So I must get to work if that is to happen..

Hope see you all soon,
Till Then-- Knit Happy!!!!
Lawre

I am back- I hope!

I have been lax in posting and will try to rectify that.  The garden is winding down and things around here are pretty quiet..
However, having no sales rep is changing the business landscape here. There is a core of very loyal dealers--Thank You!! all, and a smattering of individuals contacting me. A handful of trunk shows a year rounds out the schedule.
I have been thinking a lot about the direction Lawre's Laine is taking.. OR---Lack of direction would be more accurate.. and have decided to make a few changes..
I am updating the list of Dealers, removing those that have not placed an order in a while--more than a year.
I am setting up a presence on ETSY . Here you will find one-of-a-kind items. Things made from fabrics that I have just little bits of, items I make to have for sale at the trunk shows, and new designs to test.
I am currently working up a diaper bag.. Not any ole' diaper bag, but one that can be used for other things as well. Either after the baby needs it, or even by-passing the baby part all together.. Here is a shot of the proto-type. There are zipper pockets on the front and the back. 4 side pockets to hold bottles- for baby and for mom.. The expandable top is completely zipper closed- to discourage curious fingers and prevent spilling when dropped. You know that with a baby in tow, it will be dropped. The well-known Lawre's Laine inside pockets are of a web fabric so contents can be easily seen. There is a removable, zippered, water-proof pocket inside. With the inside pocket remove, the whole thing is machine wash-able and dry-able. In fact, I wash and dry all the fabric before sewing to bypass all that shrinking issue.

This particular bag is now being "test driven" by my niece and if it passes the inspection will be in production soon..

I will also try to make it easier to place custom orders from the web site. I will post the retail price list and plan to have a page of limited fabrics available.. Please note that custom orders are not refundable, but the fabric and workmanship are both guaranteed.

SO---- Now off I go to get cracking on the web site.

KNIT HAPPY!

Lawre

the Awesome Bubble Monkey!!

Thursdays are the best in this part of Virginia!! Spunsters meet, and have a very good time. We do know how to party! There are several of us who have birthdays in July, so today was the July Birthday Party. And we had none other than the Famous Bubble Monkey make an appearance. A party just isn't a party without top notch entertainment!! A Bubble Monkey always hits the mark!! Isn't he just too cute!! Call me if you want to rent him for your next shin-dig, I'll see what I can arrange!! His date book is very full, but maybe we can squeeze you in.

Show and Tell was fun today. the star being Greta's wonderful quilt. It is hard to believe all the talent there is around here. Aren't the colors fabulous??

So, there you have it..Too much excitement for one day!! And- we had ice cream cake from cold stone creamery!! Oh, my God!! To die for!

Dyeing Time

I did get the yarn dyed yesterday. It has been a long time since I have dyed anything, so I took care to make sure I was not forgetting any step. Most of what I did would apply to un-spun fiber as well as yarn.

1. The first step is to soak the yarn. The fiber must be wet to make the dye go into it. If you try to dye with dry yarn the air in the fiber will act as a barrier and you will have white spaces- not good. Dyes for wool are acid based. Some come pre-mixed with the acid and so do not. It is a good idea to add a splash of white vinegar to the soaking water to cover all the bases. I also add a drop of two of soap- this helps too. Soak the yarn for at least 20 minutes and then squeeze out the excess. You want it wet, but no water to pool out when you lay it down.

2. The dye maybe should have been talked about first- but here it is. This is the dye I chose for my project. You will notice there is a variety of dyes- Gaywool, Country Classic, and Landscape dye are in the jars. They are all pre-mixed with acid and ready to go. You can get them from almost any spinning supply shop- check on line. The bags of dye powder are Aljo dyes from Kid Hollow Farm, They need to have the acid added. I tested the colors on a bit of paper towel with wet Q-tips to get an idea of what I was choosing.

3. I then mixed the powders with water. Use a small amount of warm water first- to get a paste- and then add more water. I chose one color that was more brown or gray than the rest and added a few drops of it to each of the others to tone them down a bit. I did not want primary colors on my shawl. The main colors are red and orange- so I mixed more of them.

4. I then spread an old shower curtain over my work table and covered it with a layer of plastic wrap. I laid the plastic wrap down side-by-side, over lapping the edges and stuck it together well. I then laid out the yarn. Here there are 4 skeins of the yarn ready for dying.

5. I then applied the dye. I poured the dye in sections and then squished it to get the dye all the way through. I did all 4 skeins at the same time so they would be the same. I turned the yarn over and applied dye to the back as well. In this picture some dye has been squished in and some has just been poured on.

6. I then wrapped the plastic all around like a big sausage, sealing it well and turning under the ends. Now I squeezed the yarn several times from one end to the other. Working my way from end to end several times. I was gentle, not wanting to make felt!!! I did this because I wanted there to be gradual changes from color to color. Make sure the color has gone all the way through. If not your yarn will be white on the inside- not good.

7. Now the yarn is ready to have the dye set. This is done with heat. You can steam it, put it in the microwave, lay it in the sun in a black bag. I chose the oven. I like to use those cooking bags for easy clean up. 30 minutes at 350 degrees does it. Now be sure to let the whole thing cool before you mess with it. This makes sure the dye is fast.

8. Now rinse and dry and you have beautiful yarn!!!! I can't wait to get started on the Creatures of the reef...

But now I have to go to work.

Hope you decide to try dyeing- let me know, send pictures!!

HI-HO- HI-HO..