SockPixie Handpun Yarns on Etsy and Hand-Dyed Yarns too!

A couple weeks ago, I talked about selling some of my handspun. I decided to open an Etsy store. I previously had had my own website, but found that the maintenance was a lot of work for a single person. Etsy offers a great platform, that is easy and fast to use, and therefore will allow me more time to spin and dye yarns.

I have just uploaded some beautiful skeins of handspun single ply worsted weight yarns. Each skein is 220 yards of either merino, wensleydale or BFL. They would be so beautiful as yokes for Cerise Baby Sweaters. Their generous yardage make them ideal for hat, cowls, or mittens or just to add that special touch of color and texture to your knit projects.

I also created some new colorways in sock and lace weight yarns. I am having fun!

I look forward to creating unique hand-dyed and handspun yarns for my new Etsy Store.I hope you will visit SockPixie on Etsy!

Betsy Was Getting Jealous...

All this attention given to Barbie's new world made Betsy jealous! So, I made her some new pj's last night. She even got to spend the night in Barbie's new bedroom!

During my last visit to Winmill Fabrics Miss SockPixie spotted this wonderful tiny print fabric with stars, moons and sleepy suns. I found tiny lace at Windsor Button, as well as beautiful satin ribbon for the bows.

I know I have not posted much about spinning or knitting in the last few days, but I have been working on a design for a glamorous holiday top knit with Manos Silk Blend. I am hoping to be done with the knitting tomorrow, and will be taking pictures to show over the weekend.

For now, it's back to work on the dollhouse, a little bit of wallpapering, a coffee table and a dining table to make...

Birthday Countdown: 6 Days Left!

I made slow progress on the dollhouse today. I spent the whole day working on the sofa. I decided I would create a permanent padded upholstery for it. I picked a glorious piece of satin from my basket of odds and ends.

I had to do it over and over again. Each time I thought I had it, I would discover a big stain of glue in the wrong place, or the fabric would slip, or I would try to stretch it before the glue was fully cured... I got to practice all my French swear words!

Quite glamorous... I mean the sofa, not the swear words! I wanted to play with the textures, satin, wood and fresh water pearls... and of course the fur throw.

I think Little Miss SockPixie's new Barbie looks fabulous on it... It was all worth it. I just hope Little Miss SockPixie did not memorize all the swear words!

Birthday Countdown: 7 Days Left!

7 days left until Little Miss SockPixie's birthday! The dollhouse is taking shape. The main structures of the bedroom are in place.

For the back wall I selected wallpaper samples in tones of blue and sand. They actually inspired the whole room. The bed is a simple natural pine platform with a mattress on top, linen sheets, and a quilted blue flowered throw. The pillow is again simple natural linen trimmed with a navy blue ribbon. The bedside tables are white porcelain, and the lamps are made of aqua colored glass tiles in harmony with the sea tones of the room. A cork carpet lines the floor.

The boys are working on a few more pieces of furnitures while we girls are adding the last details to the room... That little piece of fur from an old glove is waiting to become part of the new little world...

Textures, that will be my focus tonight...

My Favorite Colorwork Book

Laurie asked me a week or two ago what my favorite colorwork pattern book is.  I think my favorite colorwork pattern book is Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia. It definitely is my most abused book as you can see from the photo below.

I think I've knit more items from the book than any other book. I did a little photo montage of some of the projects I've done from the book below - there were more but some were finished long before I had a blog. It seems so weird now to even think of knitting something and not getting photographs of it, doesn't it? Actually most of the images aren't even photographs - when I first started this blog many years ago I didn't have a camera so I just shoved everything in the scanner. You can click on the photo to see a larger version.

Even though I'm probably done knitting the projects, I still consult Folk Knitting in Estonia on a regular basis. She included all sorts of technique goodness like different kinds of braiding and multi-colored cast ons. I keep hoping she does another colorwork book very, very soon.

Birthday Countdown! Only 8 Days Left!

This morning, I woke up with this absolutely crazy idea that I would make a dollhouse for Little Miss SockPixie who will be turning 9 next Tuesday!

The moment Little Miss SockPixie's siblings woke up, I shared the plan with them. They all agreed it was a great idea, and we started brainstorming. The house will be big enough for her new retro Barbie, and her Betsy. It will be a very modern 1 bedroom...

We started looking in Mr. SockPixie's wood collection for the perfect pieces. We found everything we needed. In my craft room we even found wallpaper samples and tile samples, and exciting flooring possibilities. We have clay to make dishes and pots, etc... The only thing we had to get this morning was some sandpaper, and more wood glue.

I love that the project will be basically using only recycled items. The boys have been working on the house design, and on the furniture. Miss SockPixie and I have been painting, wallpapering, and sewing. Little Miss SockPixie so far believes we are building a submarine for Young Mr. SockPixie! She did mention tonight that this seemed to be a really fancy submarine. Our answer: "These are the captain's quarters!"

There are some pieces of furniture drying everywhere, and Mr. SockPixie's office, which we have claimed as our work space now has the lovely smell of fresh paint and wood glue...

More tomorrow...

Blissful Roving

This is what I will be spinning tonight...

Pure bliss...

Fiber But No Knitting

I've been spinning some of the wool roving I purchased at Looking Glass Yarns on a drop spindle. I am not very talented at plying with a drop spindle so my resulting yarn isn't even enough for colorwork but I am in love with the seafoam color. I think it will end up as mittens or socks. The roving is Mauch Chunky by Kraemer Yarns.

I've also been working on some crewel embroidery. I was hoping I'd be finished with this pillow top last month but I'm only about 1/3 done at this point. It is greatly enjoyable even if I'm still not 100% happy with my long and short stitch. If you look at the yellow part of the flower on the bottom left (where I started) you'll see that I didn't even understand what the long and short stitch was. Initially I was thinking of ripping it out and re-doing that flower but decided against it. Because really what are the odds someone will be visiting me, pick up the pillow, and exclaim in horror that I did one of the flowers wrong???

I hope to have some colorwork socks (Robyn Gallimore's Winter Dreams Socks) to show you soon.

Sewing for my Betsy

A few months ago, I got a Tiny Betsy McCall doll for little Miss SockPixie. She fell in love with the doll and so did I... I resisted the urge to get a Betsy for myself for months. I rationalized that I did not need it, that I was too old to get a doll, that I had no time for another hobby... So finally last week I gave in, I bought my own Betsy.

I spent last night designing a little dress for her. It takes a little practice to sew for an 8" doll. I picked a lovely light weight polka dot fabric, and some light green ribbon to flatter her hair color. I started the sewing last night.

 I pleated the bodice, and added a lace trim to the bodice and the pettycoat. I finished it this afternoon at the Frog Pond while the children were playing. I used little bits of ribbon for the straps, and added a simple ribbon belt to highlight Betsy's petite waist.

On our way home, we stopped by Winmill Fabrics which is conveniently located close to the Frog Pond and picked up cute fabrics to make more dresses and a leopard print coat!

I am having so much fun!

Vintage Beauty

Finding a vintage hat always makes me happy. This one made me particularly happy. I adore its 2 tone gathered veil, with its little flowers here and there, and the touch of velvet at the back of the hat making it all glow.

I wish women still wore hats...

A Little Spinning

Yesterday was resting... Today was spinning...
I spun yummy merino roving that I hand-dyed in various tones of lapis lazuli, and emerald greens because I could not get the picture of this glorious peacock out of my mind.

I sat and spun my own peacock , soft and squishy, and so beautifully contrasted...

220 yards worsted of weight singles... Should I knit another baby sweater? This would make such a pretty Cerise...

Day at the Beach

The kids were wonderful last weekend, patiently waiting for me to be done with the work on the Liesl Kerchief pattern, bringing me lunch and dinner and sending me "I love you" notes.

Today was a vacation day, so we went to visit my parents in Rockport. We spent a great day at the beach.

...Little Miss SockPixie enjoying some chips after her swim... Looking quite serious... Maybe she was wondering how she could get back at her siblings for splashing her...

Young Mr SockPixie tired after a lot of snorkling... Looking more grown up every day...

And Little Mr SockPixie, a frozen but happy snorkler! Don't you love the hair!

I got to rest, and hang out with my parents. It was a great day!

The Liesl Kerchief Pattern is ready

The Liesl Kerchief pattern is ready. After a few technical problems, everything is now working perfectly.

The Liesl Kerchief is a great project for hot summer knitting. It uses only one ball of Rowan Classic Yarns Siena, under 153 yards, and is so quick to knit. With its delicate lace edging inspired by a 40's vintage doily, Liesl, which can be worn both as a or as a scarflet, has a timeless feminine beauty. The pattern has both written instructions and charted instructions for the lace edging, as well as beautiful pictures and a companion video series explaining all stitches and techniques used in tha pattern. I hope you will enjoy knitting Liesl as much as I have... Click on the Buy Now Button to purchase the pattern and download it easily.  (You do not need to be a Ravelry member, nor do you need to have a Paypal account.)

                                                                     

For the first time, Mr SockPixie and I worked on a series of companion videos to the pattern. The videos cover all the important stitches and techniques in the pattern in order to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible for you to knit Liesl.  Here is part 1 for you to see. To view them full size, click on the title link under each video.

 

                          

              Liesl Kerchief - Part 1 - Starting the Kerchief from SockPixie on Vimeo.


                          
                           Liesl Kerchief - Part 2 - Increases from SockPixie on Vimeo.

                          
                           Liesl Kerchief - Part 3 - Decreases from SockPixie on Vimeo.

                          
                          Liesl Kerchief - Part 4 - Picot Edging Bind Off from SockPixie on Vimeo.

I look forward to getting your feedback, and to seeing all your beautiful Liesls.
Have a great evening!

The "Lace Kerchief" Has a Name and the Winning Comment Is...

Tonight, before I tell you the name I have chosen for the kerchief, and before I announce the randomely picked winning comment, I want to thank you all for your comments, for your creativity, your imagination, and for all the inspiration you gave me. So many times as I was reading your comments I would exclaim "Oh, I love this name!"
So the first thing I want to do tonight is give you a virtual bouquet of flowers to thank you, a bouquet of flowers from my beloved JP pond at sunset.

Inspired by all your comments I decided to name the pattern Liesl, the Liesl Kerchief: a little Vermeer, a little bit of France, a little bit of old Europe, a touch of medieval, a pinch of timelessness, a dash of romance, a hint of vintage, a summery night, simplicity...This is what Liesl evokes for me and much more...

I kept the best for last, the winner of the giveaway. I picked a comment at random using the Random Number Generator. I accounted for any double posts and used the order in which your comments appeared as they were posted to the blog and in my email to ensure they would be counted in the correct order.
And... the winner tonight is... Rachel!

rachel said...


going with a 40s glamour idea how about myrna kerchief for myrna loy


Congratulations Rachel! Use the Contact Me link in the upper right hand corner of the blog to give me the email address you would like the pdf e-mailed to, and your physical address for the yarn to be mailed to.

The pattern will be available Sunday July 18 at around 7 p.m. East Coast time. It is getting its last tech editing, and the videos are ready!

I wish you all a great evening!

"Lace Kerchief": A favorite detail

There is one particular detail I love in the "Lace Kerchief". The little i-cord ties are finished each with a single  delicate Japanese seed bead. If the hair is slighty shorter, they highlight the beauty of neck, looking almost like dewdrops.

Remember that this lace kerchief does not have a name yet. I would love it if you could help me find a name for it. Regardless of which name I select, I will pick a comment at random  to receive a gift copy of the pattern and its video as well as a ball of Rowan Classic Yarns Siena cotton. Be sure to leave your comment by Saturday July 17 at 8 p.m. East Coast time. Click on the link to read about the "lace kerchief" pattern and to leave a comment for the giveaway and to help me find a name: Name Me! . 

"Lace Kerchief" Photoshoot

I wanted to share with you this picture from today's photoshoot of the "lace kerchief". The sun was shining gently, it was almost sunset on JP pond with an antique boat house in the background. My two daughters were loving their new kerchiefs... It was a beautiful moment...

Remember that this lace kerchief does not have a name yet. I would love it if you could help me find a name for it. Regardless of which name I select, I will pick a comment at random  to receive a gift copy of the pattern and its video as well as a ball of Rowan Classic Yarns Siena cotton. Click on the link to read about the "lace kerchief" pattern and to leave a comment for the giveaway and to help me find a name: Name Me! .

Knitting in hot weather and giveaway

If you live on the East Coast, you know that it has been horribly hot and muggy here for at least 2 weeks. I actually call this type of weather "sit and sweat". It is practically too hot to knit, but I cannot live without knitting. So I had to think of something. I set out to design something small, yet fun and made with cotton yarn.

I had a couple balls of Rowan Classic Yarns Siena, one red, and one blue. My project needed to require no more than 153 yards. The red project would go to Miss SockPixie, and the blue one to Little Miss SockPixie.

I have a fondness for simple summer kerchiefs, that you can either wear on you head, or around your neck. I am endlessly making some out of fabric, but thought what if I made some knitted ones?

I opted for a simple triangular center, and a lace border. The lace pattern is actually based on a vintage 40's doily. I adapted the stitch pattern to fit my purpose. The little picot edging adds to the vintage feel of this charming romantic project. It also gives an informal, innocent touch to the kerchief. I am particularly fond of the sun like pattern in the center of the kerchief.

The project is small, light, cotton and super fast to knit,and only uses 1 ball of Siena, perfect for that odd ball left in your stash. The ideal kind of summer knitting!

I am testing the pattern right now. The photoshoot will happen tomorrow. I love taking pictures, so this should a lot of fun.  Hopefully there will be a little sun for us! I should have the pattern ready by this Sunday. I will be offering it as a pdf for $3.00, and am creating a video companion to guide you through the knitting steps. I often feel when knitting myself, or when answering your questions that things would be so much easier if we could just see it. I hope you will let me know what you think of this idea of video support.

Oh, one last thing. This lace kerchief does not have a name yet. I would love it if you could help me find a name for it. Regardless of which name I select, I will pick a comment at random  to receive a gift copy of the pattern and its video as well as a ball of Rowan Classic Yarns Siena cotton.

Just leave a comment with your suggestion by Saturday July 17, 8 p.m. East Coast time.

Back to testing...

Looking Glass Yarns in Santa Fe

Santa Fe has five yarn stores and because I've only visited three of them I decided to find one I hadn't checked out previously. Looking Glass Yarns is in a location that is right around the corner from Trader Joe's so I'm surprised I've never noticed it.

I have to say that Looking Glass Yarns is by far the most friendly yarn store in Santa Fe I've visited. The owner was kind enough to let me take these photos and she helped me figure out how much fiber I'd need to spin yarn for socks. 

Sorry about the photos - it was a bit dark and my photography skills are lacking.

There was a sale on Brown Sheep yarns and the store also had Cascade 220, a good selection of sock yarn, and some fun metallic yarns. They have a shelf of local yarns and fibers right by the door.

I nearly succumbed to a new spindle - these are made by Ken Ledbetter of KCL Woods and were light as air. Aren't they gorgeous? I did buy some sock yarn and some fiber for spinning which I'll show you later

Also, if you're interested in Santa Fe shopping, on my cooking blog I posted some photos from the gorgeous kitchenware store The Spanish Table. I thinked they turned out a little better.

I could not resist any more...

All this spinning, and playing with colorful rovings made me want to get my dyes out of the cupboard.

Here is the result of today's color play...

Like a sunset in the sky of Normandie in Trouville when the clouds look like they are on fire against the blue grey ocean... This is going to be so nice to spin...  I love to spin so much... I am even thinking about selling my handspun... Not a lot of it, just a little of it...What do you think?