Dawn Brocco's Life and Design Blog

The yarns from Patternworks came in yesterday - just 5 days from my internet order, not bad.
I need to finish the bag design in Halcyon Botanica, so that I can try these yarns out for some of the other designs for the book. I worked about another 7 hours yesterday on the first chapter, and have it just about done - just some photos left to take and tweak.

Found another house possible - brand new to the market, not even a photo available yet. I look every other day or so.

Spring *appears* to finally be making herself known, but these slightly warmer days are just the tease. It's not spring here until May 1st. That's the earliest I can trust to put out tomato transplants.

Except I haven't time for that this year. I'll put in some lettuce, as I have seed left over from last year (and there's nothing like home grown organic lettuce), but growing tomatoes from seed takes time - time I haven't got this winter / spring.

But the asparagus plants are about 5 years old and, so, we'll have a decent crop of at least two vegetables. We'll have to get some local tomatoes from Adam's Fairacre Farms and live with it.

After moving, we'll have to put in raised beds all over again, and start from scratch again with the asparagus and blueberries. But, I'm hoping the climate and soil will allow for a decent herb garden as well. Haven't had that yet. There *is* a lavender farm on the Cape, so that's promising. And, of course, I'll try again with the heirloom roses, but, only in absolute full sun! There's just too much shade here for a decent flower garden. Will miss the pond water to have for the veggies, tho. Somehow, chlorinated town water doesn't sound nearly as appealing for vegetable-growing. I may do the rain barrel bit to collect rain from the downspouts - acidic, sure, but at least not chlorinated!

Far too much email-writing lately. Am putting the kabbosh on that for a few days.

Began the text for the new book yesterday (The Concept and How-To chapter), as well as charting up the patterns in Stitch Painter Gold.

I've had this prog forever and love it. I've managed to create symbols that, when used together, replicate a hand-drawn cable chart. The prog came with certain symbols for extended crossings, but I never liked their appearance. Making new symbols is so easy, as well as making new colors.

Much like ClarisWorks - I never tire of some of these older progs - they're efficient in their simplicity and functionality, as well as not being ram hogs. I have AppleWorks 6, but what a hog it is. Saving changes is so much slower than in CW, even on my older G3 Wallstreet, but this thing *does* have a 1 mg L2 cache and 192 mgs ram, so it's not an impoverished machine. Some progs are just too bloated.

Have to take the photos of the swatches and work on them. But, as I recently bought a 64 meg memory card for my (older) Olympus digital camera, I can take reams of photos before having to download them, so that will help.

Well, work awaits.
Happy Spring!

As I've been needing some different yarns (than I usually have on hand) I went through 3 catalogs last night and this morning and finally ordered 1 skein each of 4 yarns from Patternworks this morning. I like their yarn selection setup, where, after you enter the color #, you can click on a status link to see if it's in stock! The last time I ordered sample skeins from a variety of shops, I waited, for what seemed like an interminable amount of time, to get them, and had I known ahead of time, I would have ordered another color or skipped the order altogether.

Customer service should really be the backbone of any business, but particularly the online ones. Anyway, I'm happy with their setup and their less costly shipping fees, so I just gotta wait and see how long it takes to get here (NY state) from NH. I ordered Euroflax linen, Berroco Glace and 2 cotton yarns - as I said - not my usual; yarns, but there's 2 designs that need yarns will weight and drape that wool generally doesn't provide. Wool is great for body but not drape.

I avoided, like the plague, all yarns of complete synthetic origin. Only 1 yarn in my selection has a wee bit of acrylic, but the cotton *is* recycled (Knit One Crochet Too's 2nd Time Cotton), so that balances it out. That new Suede yarn would probably be great, but I'm not supporting nylon yarns. The world is synthetic enough.

I began one of the design samples for this new book I'm working on, using doubled Halcyon Botanica on size 10.5's. This is a sturdy yarn that comes in great solid colors. Thank goodness for the small bastions of solid-colored yarns in this ever-increasing (like rabbits!) world of handpainted and variegated yarns. Designers of more complex knits need to be saved from the plethora of newbie-marketed yarns that *say it all*. The design should say it all, not the yarn.

Yarn is like spice, in cooking. It should not overwhelm, but, should instead be a subtle component of an overall flavor, enhancing, complimenting, not screaming *taste me, I'm Dill or I'm Rosemary*. So many yarns are screaming. Screaming for attention, like spoilt children. Screaming, so the new knitter can buy it and not its neighbor. But, like food, we may start out eating hot dogs and pizza, but thank goodness, with maturity, comes a taste for Beef Wellington or Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Marsala Sauce. So, may new knitters develop a taste for simpler yarns and more complex designs. One can only hope!

Busy weekend - travelled to the cape to view 4 houses. This is better than our last trip in September where we drove by a dozen houses and saw nothing that wasn't presented better than it actually was. So, skepticism came with me on this trip, but then we've also had to increase the price range of houses we were seeing. If you're not wealthy, the cape is a hard place to find a home, that isn't a total downgrade in living style and surroundings. You get so much less there for your money. But I don't take no for an answer, and am intent on finding that needle in a haystack. And actually, there are 2 possibilities of homes that fit our long laundry list of needs.

Other than that - and that took up a day and a half, I've been swatching for that new book I'm working on. But not much swatching, as yesterday we had to do Lowe's and Home Depot - we found a lovely medicine cabinet for the downstairs bath DH is redoing. We also needed to narrow our choice for a vanity base, which we did and found a less costly vanity top to make up for the more costly base.

We also scoped out the light fixtures, but haven't found anything just right yet. And of course, needed some electrical things and plumbing bits, but neither store had them the stores are too generic in what they stock. But, there's a plumbing supply house near his job, where he can more than likely get what he needs - to undo the previous owner's attempts at plumbing.

I won't even mention how that fool put up walls. That man just wouldn't go to a lumber store and buy the proper sized materials, no, he'd use what he had - well, in construction, even for a closet, or a small wall to wall in a small bathroom - you do it right or you don't do it, but good results was obviously not an important goal for him. So, hubby gets to redo it, right.

Today - more swatching and, as I had sketched some ideas for, yet another book of designs, I may work on those too, but I fear the kinds of yarns I have may not do. I DO have a small amount of some pretty ribbon thread that *may* do, however. And I remember where I got it eons ago, so I can get more if needed.

Well, work awaits. And happy (or rather, not-so-happy!) Mercury Retrograde to all!

Am swatching ideas for a new booklet I'd like to have done before summer's end. They're going quickly enough, considering their complexity.

I saw a neat scarf in an issue of Marie Claire that was in the X-Ray office on Monday. I didn't note which issue it was, as I was just flipping through it. I like this mag. Unlike W and Vogue, which are so very trendy, glossy, and often, over-the-top in designer styles, MC is more wearer-friendly. Styles advertised and editorialized are more classic and feminine.

Anyway, I spent yesterday trying to replicate something of what I remembered about that scarf and ended up giving up by day's end. There's one more thing I can try - a garter stitch-based fabric, though I hate working garter stitch, but it may solve the way the fabric was curling and folding instead of floofing and splaying as I wanted it to.

Garter stitch is just so *beginner* in appearance, I'll have to see how the fabric looks, then decide. I have yet to see a garter stitch design I like. I'm using an alpaca boucle, so it's soft, and forgiving, and has nice body. Its tweedy coloration and the boucle structure of the yarn hide the shaping sts, which is preferred in this case.

Not much else to write about yet - I should do more CIC knitting, and will need to find the time. There are days I don't even get to do my design knitting until evening, so evenings are not *free* time for me, they're still work time.

Hubby's 45th birthday is tomorrow, which means my 46th will be flying into me soon. I don't mind. One can't help it after all! And when I think of how much living I've squeezed so far into my 26 or so adult years, I should be older. I wouldn't mind having an exciting next 46 years, just so long as they're not as tumultuous as some of the prior years, as it can be wrenching enough, watching one's grown children make their way in the world, with the difficulty that we had.

Hubby gashed his brow open loading a sink into the trunk, from the bath he's taking apart. An attached pipe, which he was holding onto, snapped off and got him above the eye. So, we spent a couple hours downtown at the doc's office. He had 6 pieces of metal in the gash. But it was well irrigated, and x-rayed and sewn up and the nurse offered him lunch, while we waited - really nice nurses and docs here. I couldn't eat - not with my stomach up in my throat from panic!

I'm declining on a business opportunity - it's just not a good time for me to take on a major project which will preempt my being able to tend to any other business for 2+ weeks, not to mention this house sale prep work.

The beads I need to get for the next cashmere kit, I can't find out if I can get them, for at least 2 more weeks, then if I can, it'll be more time waiting on them to get here - geez, just in time for spring.

And I'm only finding new houses for us to go view in a week, nothing old. Big sigh. Lots of big sighs.

I better work, so I don't think so much.

Have been retaking and tweaking photos for the new cashmere kit. There are design samples in 3 colors on the cover page, each with their coordinating color beads. Been trying to get all the beads to show up. I think this last batch of photos should do it.

Began re-proofing 2 patterns last night, but spent much of yesterday in email-land, conversing with several others about a new business possibility. More on it later, if it works out.

I've also decided to begin to offer my hand-dyed cashmere yarns to shops, a few shops to begin with, and others later, as I determine my ability to keep up with demand. So, I've made laminated color cards, which are different from most others' color cards and small enough to stick into a purse, but with a punched hole to put into a binder, as well.

We're finishing up the kitchen this weekend (all that should remain is the new curtains yet to be bought) and beginning the gutting of the downstairs bath - of fun! I love ripping and tearing, especially old, cruddy and ugly things - out, out, out! I loved stripping the 8 layers of wallpaper of these old plaster walls. Getting those horrid outdated 60 and 70's papers off the wall to unearth snippets of water-soluble inked early papers. VERY bright papers, but then interiors weren't lit like stadiums back then!

Have been retaking and tweaking photos for the new cashmere kit. There are design samples in 3 colors on the cover page, each with their coordinating color beads. Been trying to get all the beads to show up. I think this last batch of photos should do it.

Began re-proofing 2 patterns last night, but spent much of yesterday in email-land, conversing with several others about a new business possibility. More on it later, if it works out.

I've also decided to begin to offer my hand-dyed cashmere yarns to shops, a few shops to begin with, and others later, as I determine my ability to keep up with demand. So, I've made laminated color cards, which are different from most others' color cards and small enough to stick into a purse, but with a punched hole to put into a binder, as well.

I'm undecided about offering it at retail as well, at least not yet. Shops will order in quantity and my dye lots are small (12-18 hanks). I don't think I could have enough lots on hand to have enough for both retail and the shops. So, we'll see how it goes. I'm not really worried about it though, as many web shoppers *are* looking for bargains, and cashmere is never a bargain purchase. I may just wait until I can provide a hand-dyed wool or wool/alpaca yarn, and offer it at retail instead of the cashmere.

I've found 2 yarns (wool and wool blend), which get the gauge I need for many of my designs, I just can't buy them at the moment. Much $$$ has been invested in yarn and color advertising lately that hasn't turned enough profit yet, to allow me to spend any more money. It can't go out again until it starts coming in! So, that's on hold.

We're finishing up the kitchen this weekend (all that should remain is the new curtains yet to be bought) and beginning the gutting of the downstairs bath - of fun! I love ripping and tearing, especially old, cruddy and ugly things - out, out, out! I loved stripping the 8 layers of wallpaper of these old plaster walls. Getting those horrid outdated 60 and 70's papers off the wall to unearth snippets of water-soluble inked early papers. VERY bright papers, but then interiors weren't lit like stadiums back then.

Knitting and ripping, knitting and ripping. Working on ideas for a booklet of designs - more shaped cabled ideas, like my Double Knot Cable Scarf.

Am quite distracted though with all this house searching. I print Endless reams of listings, only to pore over them with DH, and eliminate almost all of them as possibilities.

The one we were hoping would be *it* isn't looking very *it* now. Those MLS photos certainly do what they're meant to - focus on the best aspect of a house and not show the stuff nearby one doesn't want to have nearby.

But this great agent I'm working with drove over, took photos and sent them to me - seems most of the .60 acre is on the front lawn, small backyard remains, neighbor's garage nearly touches the garage on this property, 3 story house/apt? looms in the rear, so there's no way to fence up any kind of privacy, and a huge red wall extends along one side of the property which is the an antiques center/shop next door - great. Knew there had to be a reason it wasn't priced higher than it is. Bah. Dozens upon dozens of houses, all disappointing. I've been doing this for so very long - I'm really getting tired of it.

Started a beach cover-up last night. A pareo really. I have some balls of Heirloom Breeze DK wt yarn that never made it into a design. But I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time making it, as too many other things need to be designed and knit, so I'm crocheting this.

I paired this stretchy cotton and wool yarn with a size H hook and I began with ch 5 to make 3 dc. Then I've been increasing at each edge on every row. I'm working the simplest filet crochet, where one works a ch 1 and skips a st in the row below. It makes an even grid-like lace. More complex filet crochet would fill in some of the *squares* with sts to make an allover design. I did a curtain like this once many years ago. I still have it and use it. I made it when the kids were babies (over 20 years ago!). It took me a year's worth of free time, but with 2 toddlers under foot and my other projects - sewing clothes, making quilts, it's no surprise it took me that long.

This is whizzing along nicely, but I only have about 2 balls each in 2 pinks, one a pale pink and one a cranberry color. As the fabric will hang on the diagonal, I'm hoping that the one color will get me to the midway point, then I can do a Fibonnaci series of stripes to *join* the 2 colors, then switch and finish the other half in the other color. We'll see. It won't be knee length, just a hip wrap length. If t comes out OK, I'll post pics and the pattern, it will be easy enough for anyone to do.

We've taken measurements for the parts and pieces for redoing downstairs bath. So, a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot is a definite - not much time left and much still to do - but the very moment we were preparing to go out, it began blustering and snowing!

Been spending much time online house-hunting. There are houses, but not much we're crazy about. One definitely, though, and all it takes is one.

I finished the 2nd beaded cashmere hat sample and it's lying flat to dry as I write. Have photos to take on Monday for this new design/kit and I gotta get that aran pattern proofed again, as well as the cabled cardigan - so I can release all 3 at once. But I've begun swatching for new projects to be part of a new booklet I hope to have out before autumn. I can't concentrate on the weekends as I can during the week, so it's best not to force intense bouts of pattern proofing.

And I finished printing an order for a brand new shop (in Maine) yesterday. They'll be opening in May and I'll be posting their info on the Shops and Mail Order page on my site shortly.

I had a lovely comment from a knitter/new customer in California yesterday, who said my cashmere kit price was so very reasonable! That pleased me immensely, especially when some knitters have been wanting only the pattern. I *was* very careful in my pricing and did much research to see what other cashmere yarns of the same weight were going for. Cashmere is never an inexpensive purchase, not for many of us, but it is a *special* purchase. When one is sick of faux fur, fake this and that, and even good wools. When one wants to knit with something so soft, it will be hard to even put it down - that kind of tactile experience only comes from cashmere. I've sampled several merino wools and I've knit with baby alpaca, and there's no comparison. Maybe that's why even Target has had cashmere garments - it's irresistibly soft and supremely comforting and comfortable to wear! One of these days, I'm going to design a sweater in it. I've already got a general idea of the patterning....

Worked on the new beaded design pattern yesterday. Washed it and laid it to dry. Also heard that the source for one of the beads I wanted won't have them until at least May. So, now to find another source, or wait.

Printed more patterns and continued the pattern reformatting/language updating etc, which is an ongoing job. I'm nearing the end, though, only a few more days of it to do.

I mended 4 pairs of socks and they're soaking now.

The Old Rose cashmere hanks are dry - I hang them on a wall-hung style expandable wood herb-drying rack, that DH has rigged to work sitting on the floor. And I put it near the front hall radiator. The skeins kept their neat appearance, once again during the dyeing process - further proof that my new method of typing them into bunches actually works. They're coiled up and labelled.

Now I can cast on the last hat sample for the next kit. First I need to vacuum several rooms, though.

I've been wearing my new Beaverslide bulky pullover indoors for several days, but it needed a bath, and is lying by the living room radiator to dry. It's been very windy lately, as March is want to provide, but it does seem to siphon the heat out of the house. The coffers aren't bulging, at this point in winter's every-3-weeks of oil-buying, so I'm trying not to turn the thermostat up. It does mean LOTS of hot cups of tea, small sips at the Bailey's, thick sweaters and thick wool socks!

Ah, work awaits and maybe some soup for dinner. I *should* eat the yogurt instead, but the thought of cold food - ugh!

Just finishing up the 2nd beaded scarf sample and dyed more yarn to do the 2nd hat sample for the next cashmere design kit.

I uploaded 2 new patterns' photos and info yesterday, as well as another color in the cashmere - Mushroom - a soft beige - a very elegant neutral color to balance out the pinks and lavender I have dyed so far. Then I spent an inordinate amount of time writing up emails to my shop accounts and website update subscribers.

Today will be busy, starting with shovelling the 6+ inches of snow that came overnight and is still falling. Then 2 loads of laundry in between dyeing the yarn. Found a good way to keep the 18 hanks from getting tangled while being dyed, which they did, no matter how well tied they were. Tie them in bunches. I make 4 groups - 2 groups of 4 hanks each and 2 groups of 5 hanks each. Then I can lift an entire group out of the pot and then re-immerse it. I was hopeful, as I was ending up having to rewind many skeins after they dried - which is wasted time. So, I am glad that trick worked.

Ah well, work and snow awaits.....