knitting truths from snooki

Sometimes I just want to knit awesome things. Things that will make people stop me on the street and say, "Where did you get that GORGEOUS sweater?" So then I can reply, "Oh this? I made it."

Then they can fawn all over me and make me feel like a knitting goddess.

But let's face it. If people are staring at me, it's not because of my knitting. It's more likely that they want to talk about me being tall, or about the fact that my lipstick is too dark or my hair needs fixing.

And often, my knitting goes awry. I get derailed by stinky knitting needles and lose sight of my desire to be a knitting deity.

I start out thinking my knitting rocks, and within short order am saying aloud,

My bronzer is leaking off my face.

After I read the book Sweater Quest, I thought, "I am going to knit me an Alice Starmore Tudor Rose sweater like that girl Adrienne Martini."

And that's exactly how I said it too. "I am going to knit me an Alice Starmore Tudor Rose sweater like that girl Adrienne Martini."

Reality set in. I was not going to spend a year knitting a sweater that, while stunning, is more of a museum piece than a wearable garment. (Why is reality always late to the party? Why can't reality be freakishly early?)

I'm probably not even going to spend a year knitting something I'll wear every day. I just don't have it in me.

What exactly am I hoping to accomplish, I asked myself. What am I trying to achieve that has eluded me thus far?

My ultimate dream is to move to Jersey and find a nice, juiced, hot, tanned guy and live my life.

And wool will just not fit in on Jersey Shore. It's too natural.

Last November, after a string of knitting failures, my family and I took a vacation to Florida.

Isn't that where all families with small children pilgrimage to? The Mecca of the Mouse? I distinctly remember asking Twitter what I should bring to knit. "Nothing," a lot of Twitter said. "You will be too tired."

I didn't listen to Twitter. I brought an entire bag of knitting, got on the plane, and said to the flight attendant,

I am so excited because we are going to see the crocadillies!

She nodded politely. I'm quite certain she thought, "Wow, she is a knitting goddess."

I mean, what else could she think?

I got nothing knit on that trip. Fine, Twitter. You were right.

I'm now at a knitting impasse, with a sweet new baby and 12 hour workdays.

I love my life, but sometimes I have those Calgon moments, where I just want to be swept away to a remote location that is silent and full of mangoes.

I wanna go on a boat, an island...filled with gorillas.

Correction: gorillas on a quiet island who think I'm a knitting goddess.

fall premiere weekend, 9/22-9/23

Dudes.

Fall premiere weekend is almost upon us.

Do you know what that means?

Our collection is going to debut at Local Yarn Shops (and online retailers) the weekend of 9/22 - 9/23.

You get to see the yarn in person.

You get to support your LYS.

You get the instant gratification of not waiting [a long time] for us to make yarn for you.

This is very exciting.

Let me direct you to our list of amazing shops that are participating in this premiere. They are looking forward to seeing you!

A Good Yarn -- Sarasota, FL

All About Ewe -- Clark, NJ

Amazing Threads -- Maple Grove, MN

Cat and Crow -- Mt. Horeb, WI

Conversational Threads -- Emmaus, PA

Juniper Tree -- Austin, TX

Knitting by the Sea -- Carmel, CA

The Net Loft -- Cordova, AK

Purlescence -- online (United Kingdom)

Woolbearers -- Mt. Holly, NJ

The Yarn Cupboard -- Jamesville, NY

Yarn Garage -- Minneapolis, MN

Yarn Harbor -- Duluth, MN

The Yarn Haven -- Knoxville, TN

The Yarn Spot -- Wheaton, MD

Yay! for Yarn -- online (Australia)

Many of these stores are willing to do mail order, and we'll have more information about that here on the blog soon. 

Mark your calendars!

Questions? Leave them here for me, and I'll be sure to answer in the comments!

summer

As of midnight tonight, summer will officially be over. Labor Day in Minnesota signals the end of the State Fair and the beginning of the new school year.

That's how we roll, all agricultural and stuff.

When I was teaching in other states, states who got their start dates all wrong, school began in August. Even after a dozen years, it always felt wholly incorrect to do this, like the school calendar had been created by a bad, bad man who deserved a stern talking to and some eggs thrown at his car.

School is supposed to start in September. It just is.

Today, children are running, pell-mell, all over this fine state, through the forests, across the lakeshores and riverbanks.

One last hurrah.

No one says pell-mell anymore.

Why is that? Let's bring it back, just you and me.

You start saying pell-mell and I will too, OK?

You know what else I like? I like the word beserkly.

As in, "The horsedogs romped beserkly through the late summer woods."

"Hurtling themselves harum-scarum into the marsh,"

"Whilst stirring up all manner of water fowl."

I will pay you $20 if you can legitimately work "whilst stirring up all manner of water fowl" into polite conversation this week.

Or one million dollars if you can say the following with a mouth full of marbles:

With blackest moss the flower-pots

Were thickly crusted, one and all

Name that movie.

The woods this time of year are full of fungi.

I stumbled across these miniscule examples whilst allowing my equine-canines to gambol helter-skelter one eventide.

That's how I roll.

Goodbye, summer.

Thank you, Minnesota, for your state laws that require school to start at the appropriate time.

When does school start where you are? The right time or the wrong time?

red, pink, and orange (color, demystified)

This is part five in my Color, Demystified series. If you'd like to read the previous installments, you can see them here:

Blue and Orange

Purple and Yellow

Red and Green

Blue and Green

Because it's been a while since we've discussed color in this way (sorry about that, I've been a titch busy with a newborn), let's recap some of the most important color rules.

1. Colors don't have to match. They have to GO. When colors go together, they enhance each other in a way that matching can't. Colors that enhance each other are inherently more interesting than colors that match each other.

2. Dynamic color choices separate the mediocre from the great. You can see it in the work of master painters, decorators, and knitters. When you're investing your precious time and hard-earned money into a project of any kind, a great finished product is always better than a mediocre one.

3. Start with a color you love and add small pops of a complementary color. Complementary colors are found opposite each other a color wheel.

4. Green is a neutral color. Nature knew what it was doing when it put green with everything. Don't try and argue, unless you want to call Mother Nature a liar.

5. No one looks better in beige. Beige can bite me.

So, today we're going to talk about an analogous color grouping. Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel.

When we last left the color red, it was the most energizing and motivating color of the visible spectrum -- it quickens the pulse of the viewer, and evokes strong emotions. Few people feel indifferent about red -- they are either attracted to it, or they aren't.

Pink is technically a light red, but more youthful and sweet.  Bright pinks are flirty, tropical, and sensual.

Lighter pinks evoke feelings of nostalgia, confections, and innocence.

Orange is a comeback kid. Once relegated to the vinyl covered booths of fast food restaurants, a shade of orange is Pantone's 2012 color of the year. Tangerine Tango:

Orange is zesty, joyful, fun-loving, and warm. At the terra cotta end of the spectrum, orange is earthy and associated with abundance.

Peach is inviting and modest.

And, my personal favorite, melon, is cheery and flattering without being too brazen.

When used together, red, pink, and orange have a juicy vitality that's palpable.

.

Source: english-wedding.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

Source: whatiwore.tumblr.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

Source: mmrinteriors.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

So what does this mean for your home, your wardrobe, and your knitting projects?

Source: etsy.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

Here are my red, pink, and orange suggestions:

1. Use all three together when you want to look effortlessly chic and in the know. Be prepared to stand out from the crowd.

Source: chictopia.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

2. Choose one color to focus on and use the other one or two as accents. Here, a soft pink is set off with deeper reds and melon orange.

Source: theslightlyobsessivebride.blogspot.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

The designer in this room started with a neutral ground, add liberal amounts of bright orange, and then sprinkled in bright pink and red.

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

3. Warm hues like these look modern when combined with white.

Source: google.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

4. Layer hot colors with cooler ones. I love pale blue or leafy green with red, pink, and orange.

Source: indulgy.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

Picnic Blanket:

Source: design-seeds.com via Yarnista on Pinterest

Here are some color combinations for you to try within this palette.

Cherry Ginger Ale and Watermelon Chiffon

Bountiful and Mulled Wine

Brigitta and Spoonful of Sugar

Fiona and Fondant Pink

 

Cosmo, Orange Crush, and Creamsicle

 

Are you naturally attracted to this palette, or is this a push outside your comfort zone? What questions do you still have about using these colors together? Leave me a comment, and I'll be sure to answer.

If you'd like to see more inspiration using his palette, visit the Pinterest board I created dedicated to Red, Pink, and Orange. You don't need to be a member to see it, but becoming a member is fun. If you need an invite, just use the Contact Us link in the upper right, and I'll send one over!

studio helper

I have an assistant in the studio today.

And she is very, very helpful.

She already knows how to do all of the following:

-- Dye one of a kind colorways

-- Answer emails

-- Sweep fiber from underneath the yarn winder

-- Prepare international packages

-- Ward off crazy intruders who have blood running down their leg and who want to know if "anyone here likes to play football"

-- Take coffee orders for everyone, including those among us who want soy dirty chai no foam lattes

-- Knit sweaters

-- Grin

-- Hiccup

-- Look adorable

-- Sleep

Six weeks old, and already a genius. What can I say? I know how to grow 'em.