The Color of My World

Written on February 24, 2012 by

designing colorwork socks I am in the throws of designing a new pattern. (You may have already realized this after reading this post.) The new design involves easy, stranded knitting in two colors. Often times, choosing colors with a good amount of contrast and Continue Reading →

Designing, Knitting, Works In Progress3 Comments

Considering Customization

Written on February 22, 2012 by

So I’ve been wanting to lend a more personal touch to Yarn Love. It’s true that all my yarn is crafted by hand – from the skeining, through the dyeing, washing, drying, twisting and banding. My skeins are hand-wrapped in tissue, a lovely Yarn Love sticker Continue Reading →

Creativity, Dyeing, Works In Progress7 Comments

February: the month of love; the month of yarn

Written on February 16, 2012 by

After a rather trying past 2 1/2 weeks, I am happy to report that I am back in the studio! (Wondering what on earth I’ve been up to? Short version: household stomach flu followed by my husband having reconstructive knee surgery. I know you’re jealous, Continue Reading →

Designing, Yarn Club1 Comment

When tragedy strikes: coping with a failed gusset

Written on February 5, 2012 by

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 →

Creativity, Designing, KnittingComment

Acknowleding fear, and moving on

Written on January 25, 2012 by

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 →

Uncategorized2 Comments

Katie wonders why she isn’t Japanese

Written on January 23, 2012 by

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 →

Life, Uncategorized4 Comments

Yarn Baby is cute – or the heart of being indie

Written on January 18, 2012 by

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 →

Creativity, Designing, Life7 Comments

January 2012 – a new year & new colors!

Written on January 6, 2012 by

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 →

Dyeing9 Comments

December Yarn Club – flowers in winter

Written on December 5, 2011 by

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 →

Dyeing2 Comments

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

Written on November 3, 2011 by

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 →

Creativity, Designing, Patterns8 Comments