Chickenlips Knitting

Here it is May already! And I don't have a single finished project to blog about. What I do have is a big pile of WIP's, and I'll be finishing one good-sized knit fairly soon.



On Easter, I went to my friend Cindy's shop Urban Fiber Arts, and bought what I think is the nicest wool-cotton yarn I've ever knit with. And it was on sale to boot! It's Schulana Merino-Cotton 90, and it has more wool in it than cotton, which gives it elasticity and drape. This project uses up most of the 10 balls I purchased. It's a long stole knit in the Dewdrops stitch pattern from the first Barbara Walker Treasury. The openwork makes the fabric light and airy, but still warm. I started swatching it and couldn't quit!


Mostly I've been hard at the dyepots and steamers, building up as much of an inventory as possible because -yipes! Black Sheep Gathering is a mere 6 weeks away. Although we did well at last month's Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival and sold more afterwards, I think I could make this year's BSG the best one yet for Stitchjones if I just had more to sell. Gonna try to pull out all the stops; the hamsters that live in a tiny corner of my brain are running furiously in the wheel as I try to figure out how to make that happen. All I can say is that since I became a mom, I stopped being such a scared cookie and learned how to welcome challenges, because I believed that if my daughter grew up watching me take them on, she'd know how to handle whatever life throws at her. It's still yet to be determined if I did the right thing or not. One thing's for sure though - when I decided to go for it as an indie dyer, I opened the door for all sorts of challenges, so it's a good thing I know how not to run from them!

Didn't mean to wax philosophical there. For those of you with kids, whether they are 2- or 4-legged, I hope you had a fantastic Mother's Day! One thing my offspring knows about me is that I love pink flowers. The camera doesn't capture how pretty the color is.



I can't wait to roll out more colors of my newest sock yarn, Indie Label merino-cashmere-nylon. So squeezable. There may even be one more new yarn, because I need to build inventory but can't get any Titanium Sock base until next month. I know everybody's excited about another Sock Summit, but it makes the demand for dyeable sock yarn skyrocket thus creating backorders, and I am not a happy camper when I can't get my customers' favorite products! There, I said it. I'm not bitter, just momentarily cranky. It was my decision not to have a booth at SS11 because I knew I wouldn't be up to it. After all, on the night SS09 ended, I was so wiped out that I had a minor car accident. So this year it'll be way less hassle for me - I can go as an attendee and enjoy it!

Anyway, here's new Indie Label MCN Sock in a new summery colorway, "Peach Harvest" (cozying up to some Wensleydale in Quince Blossom in the photo).



So with that, I'd best log off and get busy! What are your plans for Sock Summit 2011?