When tragedy strikes: coping with a failed gusset

I’ve been working on a new pattern all week. I started it last weekend, and since then my work has resulted in: 3 complete restarts. Everything ripped followed by a new cast on. 4 partial rips: most of these rips removed 50% of the current progress. I could Continue Reading →

Acknowleding fear, and moving on

There’s a lot of family changes happening in our extended family this year. I’m grateful that they are of a positive sort, but all the same they’re major changes. People are getting married, babies are arriving, and family members are scrambling Continue Reading →

Katie wonders why she isn’t Japanese

Do you ever find yourself wondering why you don’t fit into a radically different category than the one you usually occupy? For instance, if you were a petite but mightily curvy woman born & raised in the Midwest you might find yourself wondering (many Continue Reading →

Yarn Baby is cute – or the heart of being indie

You know, working out of your home – even when you have dedicated studio space – while balancing the needs of your family is a challenge. Many indie artists face this challenge everyday. For me some days are quite hard – the business must wait Continue Reading →

January 2012 – a new year & new colors!

It’s the heart of gloomy winter. Everything is barren and brown. I miss the brilliant hues of spring and summer (This is probably not surprising after last month where I dyed colors after flowers, huh?) So I’ve dyed up some highly saturated colors, Continue Reading →

December Yarn Club – flowers in winter

I had such a lovely time dyeing up this month’s colors. I chose two photos of beautiful flowers as my starting point, and began dyeing. Right now Iowa is cold and barren with the first embrace of winter. We’ve already had two light snowfalls, which Continue Reading →

Meet Ruth of Rock + Purl – now with a pattern giveaway!

Meet Ruth from Rock + Purl. This is Ruth here, isn’t she lovely? She’s awesome, and so are her designs. I got to know Ruth via Twitter and Ravelry. I immediately loved her design aesthetic and her quirky personality. She’s full of good information; Continue Reading →

November – a special Yarn Love edition

It’s November! I’m quite excited as November is my birthday month & no matter how old I get, I always love having my birthday. After the flub-up with October’s yarn delay, I’ve chosen a staple sock yarn. I have it in the studio right Continue Reading →

The Triumph of the Red Velvet Cheesecake

A long time ago, two knitters imagined something amazing. It was so wonderful it haunted their dreams….eventually the dream was whispered via Twitter and spread like wildfire over the internet. This dream was a dream of the most decadent, delicious, perfect Continue Reading →

Yarn Love: The Sock Club – October Colors

Are you reading for a vibrant spot of color? October is here, bringing with it cooler breezes and fall foliage. The intensity of this new season is reflected in both color choices for this month. The vibrant reds of Mulled Wine are juxtaposed against the cool, Continue Reading →