Tag Archives: julie asselin

things coming this week

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you’ve been patient.

so patient, as my designing has taken every detour in sight lately.

this week, finally, i can share some new patterns.

three new patterns to be exact.

it’s april, right?

so when it rains, it pours.

now i don’t have ‘sneak peeks’ per se.

instead, i have a ‘behind the scenes’ shot from during

the photo taking for each new pattern.  ready?

for tomorrow’s pattern, this is my youngest testing out

the remote attached to the camera to see if the set-up is working.

and yup, he pressed the button to take this picture all by himself.

IMG_4392cropthe photographer for wednesday’s pattern

was my 14 year old.

she said she just ‘couldn’t resist’ taking pictures of the yard

in between taking pictures of the knitting.

IMG_4333crop2last, but in no way least,

is friday’s pattern.

picture this, i’m making

some slapped together kind of dinner

when i look out the window and the light is gorgeous.

the ground is wet from rain and i’m in my slippers and the food’s on the stove,

but i’m running out (zig zagging to find dry spots) to the kid’s clubhouse to take pics.

a designer’s gotta do what a designer’s gotta do.

i didn’t even burn dinner

too badly.

so this last shot is me balancing on the base of the clubhouse

trying to keep my feet dry long enough

to catch some of the light.

IMG_4280cropthree patterns in four days, starting tomorrow…

‘least’ taken from 14:7 of job.

changing trains

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the thing about blogging as i go,

is that i very seldom go in a straight line.

it’s full steam ahead for a few miles (or days) and then something catches my eye.

maybe the drape of the yarn gets me thinking,

maybe the colorway starts to pull me in another direction,

maybe a certain series of stitches does something i didn’t expect..

whatever the reason, i don’t end up where i said i was headed.

took me four different colleges in two different states to get my degree

so it’s not just in knitting.  my overall life seems to go like this.

and i’m ok with that.

actually, i’m more than ok.  i’m good with it.

i’ve learned to enjoy the scenery out whichever window i’m sitting in front of.

you know?

but i feel a little like

i’ve pulled you all this way and that,

right along with me, as i’ve talked about

working with julie asselin‘s super bulky ‘yotta’.

i was glad to have you along for the trip.

hopefully my distractible mind didn’t wear on you too much.

and (drumroll please) i’ve finished the piece.

probably hard to believe

after all the

twists and turns, but it’s 100% true.

here’s a sneak peek:

IMG_4194sati plan to release the pattern early next week

and you will absolutely be the first to know.

thanks for keeping me company

during the whole process.

i really liked that.

‘company’ taken from 15:24 of romans.

about yesterday

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my ‘nearly wordless wednesday’ photo

from yesterday caused lots of questions to come my way.

most of them along the lines of ‘what in the world is going on there?’.

many times in need of a zipper to be shorter

than what i had on hand, i have shortened.

when you’re dealing with a metal zipper, it’s quite simple.

use needle nosed pliers to remove

the little metal stopper that halts the zipper pull from pulling all the way off.

make desired length by using scissors to cut the fabric backing in spaces between

the close-set metal teeth (that’s the hardest part),

then reattach the little metal stopper at the new end of the zipper.

takes maybe 10 minutes and you’re good to go.

but the zipper i was tussling with

is molded electric blue plastic.

2adcd3520c4d80cbde620cdec37b5f5negsatwit wasn’t key to any project (since i found a replacement)

so i thought i’d see what was possible.

turns out what is possible is to make a huge mess,

pretty quickly and with very little effort.

huh.

IMG_4120negsatthen i got an idea.  an ‘awful’ idea.  i got a wonderful, ‘awful’ idea!

(a la the ‘grinch who stole Christmas’)

and it has to do with julie’s super bulky

and with the reason i wanted a zipper in the first place.

and i frogged back (that’s the only ‘awful’ part about it)

to ‘no knitting done at all’ once again.

sound familiar?

47af87a250e09fd4e17f0f335d80118bigtoday i didn’t knit much.

i started feeling all inspired by the above pic,

so i drove and i did paperwork (not simultaneously).

i walked by the fjord colored yotta, in the bowl on the kitchen island,

as i tried to slow down the chatter in my head and hear it tell me

exactly what it wants to become … and it did.

might even be finished by tomorrow.

definitely making headway.

until then, remember that brave (wo)men don’t slay their dragons

(or their unproductive tendencies and quirky character traits),

they ride them.

the view from up here, by the way, is stellar.

‘effort’ taken from 36:19 of job.

saga of the jagged edges: part 2

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as i was saying,

except for the internet, our journey might have ended

with sore feet and a tired steed having trekked here and there and back again

in search of the needed zipper.

one of the right shade and fierceness was found,

but it’s extent was too expansive (way, way, way too long).

then my mind, even in its current state,

hit upon the idea of the tag

(i am often lost in the obvious).

yea, the zipper in my possession had a tag

which by the light of a torch, still clearly read:

coats & clark,  f45 – 22 – 7, closed bottom sport.

after deciphering the tricky code (color – length – heft),

i was able to procure the exact same hue in the 7″ height that i desired.

IMG_4039cornersthe quest for closure(s) was now complete.

until tomorrow, keep your wit sharp and your needles sharper still.

‘sharp’ taken from 27:17 of proverbs.

 

saga of the jagged edges: part 1.5

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addendum:

my knight in shining armor, has fallen.

the result is both dented armor and a broken wrist.

tomorrow the storyline of the saga will continue,

IMG_3953filmbut for today we rest

filling our weary, battle worn heads

with dreams of the progress soon to be gained.

until next time, don’t forget to

keep your castles in the sky and your feet on solid ground.

‘weary’ taken from 16:14 of 2nd samuel.

saga of the jagged edges: part 1

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once upon a time,

in a castle not so very far away,

there was a grand,

dare i say unequaled twine

that landed in the willing hands of a knitwear designer.

said maiden had in her noggin a vision

which longed for just such a fiber to set it free.

excitedly the designer and the twine set about releasing the vision,

until they tripped as one upon the jagged edge

of the need for a matchless zipper.

having scouted

about the village, they were

only able to obtain the proper shade.

 alas, the count of the teeth was too many

(too many by far…about 15 inches too far…)

IMG_4006and, but for the internet,

our tale might have ended upon this point.

instead, the ‘saga of the jagged edges’ continues tomorrow.

until the dawn, keep your sword close at hand, and your dragon well fed.

‘tomorrow’ taken from 14:25 of numbers.

nearly, and then…

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it was almost done.

just waiting for me to bind off

and for the zipper (more on that soon),

so i put it down for a day.

IMG_3956cropthen, when i came back to it,

i wasn’t so sure.

this happens to me.

i can get so caught up in the forward motion

that i forget to step back, take a deep breath,

and give it a good hard look.

the color, the needle size and the ribbing i still love.

it’s the drama i think stepped into overkill.

big yarn, bright color, wide rib, big shape, heavy zipper…

you see what i mean.

so i ripped back to start again.

casting on a few less stitches and deciding

 to work from the bottom up, instead of the from the top down.

if i’m gonna redo, i might as well redo in a big way.

here’s to new beginnings.

‘bright(ness)’ taken from 22:13 of samuel.

picking the pieces

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the yarn is decided.

it’s the yummy ‘yotta’ from julie asselin.

stitch pattern of choice is in the works.  i’ve been playing with ideas.IMG_3852cropi know i want an overall rib, but which rib?

broken rib, mistake rib, 1×1 rib? twisted rib, 5×2 rib?

i am so very undecided,

but the swatching sure is fun.

next, i must choose something quirky (must because i really, really want to).

i want something that will make me want one of my own.

there are so many great patterns out there,

why do i want to spend my time on this one

(besides that it’s a great ‘excuse’

to play with the ‘yotta’)?

i was gathering up the ‘usual suspects’

(buttons, handmade pins, closures)

when i figured out what

i wanted.

IMG_3864shadea zipper.

(get a load of the silver sparkly one!)

not sure which zipper yet,

but i am sure about one being involved

in this newly forming pattern

whatever stitch it winds up being knit with.

but, i’m getting ahead of myself.

one piece at a time.

back to ribbing.

‘ahead’ taken from 14:7 of 1st samuel.