Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

I am Not having a cow today! Can't do that every day. Don't WANT to do it at all, but life has been getting under my skin, for quite some time, and we gptta keep the volcano from exploding. The best way I know to keep my calm is to WORK. Lolling about doing nothing, *relaxing*! doesn't help - it just gives my brain FAR too much leeway to think, and once I begin thinking, well, that's the end of calm!

I find work to be much more fulfilling anyway. And I don't look at my work as a drudgery kind of work. Being creative and coming up with new ideas, matching them to the right yarns in the right colors and textures - NOT work!

The drudgiest part of designing is all the math. Not because it's hard, it is SO not hard - I mean REALLY!, what's multiplication, division and percentages to a college-educated adult brain? It's just tiresome, as it can go on for pages and pages. I'd still take it over being doing almost any *normal* job.

And the best part? It keeps my brain busy, so it doesn't have time to think and dwell on all the negative crap. 2 birds killed with one stone - maintaining a positive (and far healthier) outlook and getting things accomplished - 2 bigees with me. So, I'm happy enough today - thank goodness!

It also helps the state of mind to actually earn some money! I can't begin to tell you what that feels like, as a full-time, self-publishing designer, who doesn't have a regular paycheck to depend on. So, when a new shop order was faxed to me last night, some of the blackness lifted, and I spent last night and this morning printing and prepping her order. But 4-5 days tend to go by without so much as even 1 pattern, PDF or otherwise, getting sold. Now THAT is enough to depress anyone, and start the "how on earth can I pay the bills when nothing is selling?" thoughts. But for today at least, those thoughts are allayed.

I'm up to the sleeve on this size 3 months baby sweater, being worked on dpns. I'd use the 1 long ckn method, but I don't want to stress the fine cashmere by pulling the cord length out between the sts constantly, and the ndl ends tend to be too long to work on so few sts. So, dpns it is, and, although I LOVE the Bryspun Flexible ndls for most any dpn-necessary work, I'm not crazy about them at this gauge with the soft fine yarn.

I'm using size 5 (3.75 mm) dpns at 6 sts and 9 rows/1" gauge. *Usually* I use dpns for socks and the size 5's would be used with MUCH thicker yarn - chunky wt - not sport wt. But it's not enough reason to go out an buy clanky, cold, aluminum or draggy bamboo or wood dpns (and forget anything more expensive - like Rosewood)! I'll muddle through.

Just received my order from Little Knits. 1 DaleGarn Baby book, the newest issue of Interweave Crochet and 1 large hank of royal blue Eco+ yarn.

The yarn is slated for a baby design - not sure what yet - maybe something cabled or aran.
The mag is for keeping up with what other designers are crocheting. And the baby book to see how the baby sizing chart I created, according to yarn wt., compares to Dale's. I've compared them to a few other designers' sizings. I don't want to design way oversized baby things, though. I prefer a more standard fit - not snug, but also not dragging on the floor!

Am also awaiting a separate order of 7 hanks cashmere from the importer. I need to dye 3 hanks for a very patient customer, 3 hanks will remain in their natural state and will be added to my yarn page. The last hank is another fingering wt hank, for design development. Like the baby sweater, I don't use it as a fingering wt, I double it for a sport, or maybe I'll triple it for a DK wt. That's what's nice about thin yarns, they can be doubled, tripled or more to give the fabric one needs/wants, whereas a thicker yarn, you're stuck with. You can't slim it down, not unless you enjoy unplying yarn?!

Work awaits. Onward.