Finished Object Friday - 8/26

In an effort to be more bloggy, I'm introducing Finished Object Friday! I'll be posting a recently finished knitting, crocheting or spinning project every Friday.

This plan is genius. I have motivation to blog and finish things. Which means I can cast on more new things and work through my Ravelry queue. It can't fail!*

For this inaugaural post, I give you Obnoxious Leftover Fish Socks!

These were knit with Phat Fiber samples and leftovers from other sock projects. I started them in December of last year and I have made another sock since.

Lessons learned:

I don't like this heel. It's fiddly, easy to mess up, and the pick up stitches on the side leave bigger holes than any other heel I've ever knit. It also fits funny on me. The first sock I did (left) has a heel nipple - not cool.

Even with an art degree, I made some mistakes with my color combo choices. The best contrast uses cool background colors and warm foreground colors. I also got some great ideas for self striping yarn and colorwork sets.

NO MORE ONE SOCK AT A TIME! I finished sock #1 ages ago and it took me forever to pick the project back up. Never again. Two socks at a time from now on.

Have you finished anything lately? Leave me a comment with a link to your Ravelry project page! I'd love to see it.

* Tongue planted firmly in cheek

Gearing up for Tour de Fleece 2011

It's that time again! The Tour de France is set to start at the beginning of July. Which means time for the Tour de Fleece! While cyclists are racing through France, spinner's around the world will be racing themselves and each other to finish their spinning goals.

I haven't joined a team yet! Nor have I set a goal for myself. In years past, I used the time to finish spinning projects that had been languishing on my spindles. Now I have a wheel and even more spindles and too many options! I will likely use the time once again to finish up spinning WIPs. But I also want to try out corespinning and coils.

The shop is stocked with lots of fiber right now! I'll be getting some batts up in the next few weeks too. Keep an eye out for my Tour de Fleece Ravelry ad! There's a special coupon code for 15% off at the shop.

Find out more about the Tour de Fleece and join a team at the Ravelry group!

Bad Blogger! No Cookie for you!

I have been remiss in keeping up with my blog. I recently moved my art blogging to its very own url ( www.cgovernoillustration.com ) where I have an online portfolio. And I haven't been back here to update things since! Bad Blogger!

So what's been going on? I branched out more with my hand dyed fibers and borrowed a friend's drum carder (very long term so it seems!)

I started working with a new mill that gives me access to new fibers and yarns. I have a big order headed my way as I write with new blends of Blitheful (SW BFL Sock yarn), Revelous (SW Merino/Bamboo/Nylon Sock Yarn), and Merry Merino Lace. All three will work really well in the new Gradient Maki.

And I'm doing more craft shows and fiber festivals where semi-solids and subtle hand painted yarns sell very, very well. I'm currently getting ready for the RI Fiber Festival at Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol, RI. I'll be dyeing up some new Scrumpet DK in some popular colors for this show. Maybe I'll do some Purposeful Poolers too!

Stay tuned! I'll be trying to blog more often. :pinky swear:

500th Giveaway and Annual Big Thanks Sale!

Play at Life Fiber Arts is celebrating its upcoming 500th sale with a yarn giveaway! Sales numbered 490 - 510 will be entered into a random drawing for a free 100g custom dyed Maki!

I'm not sure which yarns will be available yet. It depends on how quickly we get to sale #500! Right now I have plenty of sock yarns -

Wishingstar (Silk/SW Merino)

Boundless Sport (8ply 100% SW Merino)

Jest (2ply SW Merino/Nylon)

Scrumpet (MCN)

The Annual Big Thanks Sale will go into effect Friday morning (Nov. 26) and run through Monday (Nov. 29.) The following discounts will be up and ready to go (no Paypal refunds needed unless you qualify for free shipping!)

15% off all first quality yarns and fibers (clubs included!)

20% off all reclaimed yarns

10% off Clearance items (already reduced 25%!)

(Sale prices may not be combined with other offers)

In Which I Get Angry and Buy Shiny New Tools

Someone is copying me.

I have stayed quiet on this subject. Some of my friends are familiar with the details and my feelings on the matter. I was going to pretend this person didn't exist. You know, Stay Calm and Dye On! But I can't. This is blatant and it isn't cool.

I would be less upset if it were a stranger because, guess what? I'm not the only one doing long color repeats! We all put our own spin on the idea though and other dyers have their own methods and colorways, packaging, way of photographing and displaying...etc.

In this case, we both sponsor a Ravelry sock knitting group. She has actually won my sock yarn in a drawing for this group and has questioned me about my dye techniques. I was vague but honestly it's not really that hard to figure out. I was told something along the lines of, "no worries, I'm probably not going to ever do this."

I started dyeing reclaimed yarn in long color repeats because I could not afford to go to my LYS or shop online. I wanted to do it better and avoid some of the issues consumers find with one particular brand of self striping yarn. I opened my shop because my stash of hand dyed reclaimed yarn had grown beyond what I was able to use. I research all my yarn base and colorway names to make sure I'm not duplicating anyone else's work. I make sure that my work is unique and my own.

I feel like I've been stabbed in the back. I had already been censoring myself to avoid such a thing happening with someone unknown. I will no longer be posting colorway previews and I'm seriously thinking about getting a new account at colourlovers.com so my palette ideas aren't stolen as well. I'm adjusting to this new guarded way of thinking. I tend to think the best of people and it's not in my nature to assume someone is out to steal my ideas.

THE GOOD NEWS:

I have had to reevaluate my dyeing procedure so I can increase my production. I have a new yarn winding tool that will allow me to dye Sockie Maki faster. I'm still working out the kinks but soon there will be a larger variety of Maki in the shop.

I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to keep doing what I do. Maybe a little differently but definitely better and MORE.

*I am not going to name names. I'd prefer that the drama stay off Ravelry. The mods have enough crap to deal with.*

IF - Artificial

Artificial Cityscape - 6"x 4" Altered Postcard, Acrylic and Collage

This went somewhere I wasn't expecting. I'm really liking working on this slick surface. I have an entire box full of old postcards from a Freecycler and plenty of paper and curiosity. Wonder what will come up next week.

Performer

Always Performing - 14"x11" Acrylic and Collage

Finished this one for ARN. I rarely go back to a piece. I usually put it aside and move on. But with the annual group show coming up, I really need pieces to contribute!

I'm not sure it's entirely successful, but I'm ok with it. The last "real" painting I did was for Salad months ago. I want to get back into doing self portraits using all the collage, transfer and textural techniques I've learned over the last several years.

I had a bunch of self portrait ideas lined up just after graduation, but then shit hit the fan with Boy#1's behavior, pregnancy, birth, and finally Boy#1's diagnosis with Asperger's. It's taken me 6 years to get back to the point where I feel like painting something personal.