Holidays

I have been kicking into crafty overdrive lately. Between getting ready for dress rehearsals of A Christmas Carol (at work) and prepping for the holiday artisan market in Chicago as well as getting stuff loaded onto my etsy site I am exhausted. I always allow myself to get in a little over my head between September and December, but I think this year may be the most I have ever produced.

Of the crafty items I wanted to get done for the holiday market I have these done

- 15 repurposed plastic wallets ( I already sold a couple)

- at least 12 skeins of variegated yarn and a few self striping

- 10 silk scarves and shawls

- 8 crafty roll-ups

- 5 sets of fancy stitch markers

- Ear warmer knitting patterns

Things to still be done

- 3 repurposed plastic messenger bags

- Sushi Christmas Tree Ornaments ** they just need their hangers**

- 5 repurposed wool wallets

- 3 repurposed wool clutch bags

- 2 knitting patterns for hats

- knitting pattern for self striping yarn hand warmers

- More Fancy stitch markers

- A couple more crafty roll-ups

- Button collage bracelets

-Clutch Bag knitting pattern

-5 hemp scrubby shower pads

-knitting pattern for 2 skein shrug

I think I will be able to get everything done before I leave on the 14th... Oh, and I still haven't started on Christmas gifts......Yet. The good news- I am getting closer everyday to total world crafty domination.

I took the handmade pledge. The handmade pledge is a promise to make or buy handmade and fairly traded items for holiday gifts and ask that others do the same for you. Seems simple enough. So go take the handmade pledge, feel good about yourself and support indie artists and designers in your in your community (including your global community). The link is on the left of my page header. Go do it, I'll wait for you.......

Speaking of. Here is a quick preview of one item I am working on for the craft fair in Chicago and etsy.com. This season I am trying to take my focus away from silk scarves ( although I'll still have some) and move it more towards re-purposed and recycled found objects. The wallets are made from plastic grocery bags fused together and made into something other than landfill. As Martha might say- It's a good thing.

HOLY MOLEY

I've been stupid busy the last couple of weeks. I promise some great pics of stuff I am working on for the holidays will be posted on Saturday. Until Then- Enjoy this commercial break featuring silk scarves I painted using the serti painting technique. I think they look a little like stained glass.

Dead or Dying

It's fall in New England.

It is a beautiful time of year. The trees are full with their last blast of color before they go peacefully into their winter sleep. It is one of the most beautiful times of year.

When I was in high school I was lucky enough to be a part of a group of students who made a trip from Orlando to Salem, Concord and a few other points of Transcendentalist interest. The trip changed my life. I realized there was so much more to this country than Orlando had to offer, and by changing my location I could change my view. I made the trip at the beginning of my senior year and I remember it as one of the pivotal points in my life.

Flash forward 10 years, and on a whim I decided to get in touch with the teachers who made the trip possible. They were making their 10th trip this year with a whole new round of seniors, and a former classmate and I made the drive. It was a fantastic weekend. A weekend full of old friends and mentors, fall foliage, wonderful old graves, Walden Pond, and a little clarity about my life.

As Henry David Said:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what they had to teach; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Walden.

As I was walking around Walden Pond I found myself asking 'what would Henry think about Walden now?' I don't know, but I think he would be happy he was able to provide a little clarity to a chick who has visited his pond a couple of times.

The Grave of a 99 year old woman. Appropriately, it was one of the most well preserved markers in the whole cemetery.

This is one of my favorite grave markers. No name, no story. Simply put- At Rest. Speaking of- the little bird did die. Bummer.

The Audobon Society

I work at a theatre. In this particular theatre there are many windows. Generally I like windows. Sometimes I hate them. This week I hate them.

Our new costume apprentice bounded out of my crafty shop the other day with a rather surprised look on her face. She wanted to know if I have a pet bird. I should at this moment known it wouldn't end well. No. No pet bird. Long story short, the day ended with a teeny tiny little bird flying into a window looking for freedom and ending up in a shoe box being driven to a wild bird rescue.

It seems a bit ironic. I am a professional milliner. I dig through boxes looking for colorful dead vinage birds to put on hats. I was totally distraught. I drove a half-dead bird halfway across Connecticut to get it to a wild bird rescue. I'm now waiting to get a letter from the nice bird lady to tell me if he made it or not. Based on the look on her face I'm guessing the little bird didn't make it.

Is it totally wrong to ask for the carcass to put on a hat?

Busy Crafty Katie

Like I said, I've been dyeing a lot of yarn lately.
















Just add dye, steam set,
















And knit, knit, knit!









It's not done yet. It still needs it's ribbing on the sleeves.









I was dyeing yarn for my etsy site, and I fell in love with this colorway. I was just so thrilled with how the colors all worked together to create an almost heathered knit. I'd also been wanting a shrug to keep off the fall chill, so I decided it was time to put my crafty where my mouth is and knit up a shrug with some of my own yarn.
I had considered the glampyre knits one skein wonder, and although I like it, I wanted something with a little more coverage. Also, I dye my yarns in a two skein dye lot (right now), so I created my two skein wonder. It takes about 400 yards of worsted weight yarn. I knit it in about 12 hours of knitting, so it is an awesome project for a long weekend, or a fall vacation.

I'll be writing up and publishing a pattern in the coming weeks. Squeeee.

Calling all knitters

Like I mentioned in an earlier blog. Tis the season for planning for winter. I'm working hard on writing some knitting patterns, and now it's time to find a test knitter. I'm looking for someone who is an experienced knitter, has a reasonable stash, and wants to get some free knitting patterns.
Here is the scoop- I have 3 patterns I am working on- a pair of cable knit handwarmers, an earwarmer/headband and a clutch purse. I understand what I mean when I say k1, m1, p6 but I want to make sure they make sense to someone other than the little knitting voices in my head.
I will provide you with the pattern, you use your yarn, send me corrections and a photo of the finished project, and I send you a corrected pattern! Simple, fun, and a great way for me to have people test my patterns and you to get a free knitting pattern.

If you are interested -email me at krstack@hotmail.com and we'll chat.