Slipped Gears; day dreaming with lichens, family, and baby booties.

I say 'day dreaming with' because in these joyous moments of new lichen dye discoveries, seeing a growing rooster, and talking with my sisters, I'm day dreaming too. Mostly about new projects, some very big and some very small, on the horizon. Day dreaming is fun and it's useful! I should know, I've been doing it all my life. And here I am. Inside my very day dream I've had since I was in Mrs. Veno's 1st grade class. The first teacher who wrote my name on the board. I was caught talking in the bathroom which meant I was not paying attention when she told us during our bathroom break there was to be no talking.  What I remember most about that year was with every report card, was sent home a disapproving note to my parents; "rachel day dreams too much." I didn't really know what fuss was all about. I just knew it was so much more fun to be thinking about milk weed pods and why that silk was so silky. And why was goldenrod so yellow.

On and off for about a week now I've felt myself happily gliding into a holiday mode. Day dreaming about the meals, plans, projects I'll create. Just when I feel I've established a nice buttoned up, all my ducks in a row house is cleaned and projects are complete organized routine, that's when it happens. A gear slips. I get so excited about an idea and before I know it I've collected all 24 of my dye books for note writing. Or I've started sorting my yarn again and five ideas emerge.  I end up pacing trying to decide what to start first and why it's more important than the others. I bring down 3 prepared embroidery projects, 2 knitting projects and park myself to watch my latest series and then the cat starts begging to be brushed by pulling my arm towards her with her too hard to see and too sharp to tolerate claws.  So, this past week, I glided and floated happily along enjoying what ever came my way. It was quiet and restful as I did a lot of sitting back, thinking and planning.

The few things that kept me busy:

My latest lichen jars. While in Prince Edward Island a weekends ago visiting my husband's aunt, I discovered this lichen, Lobaria pulmonaria. Also know as tree lung wart. I found two slightly different shapes of it but looking very similar in two different spots. I harvested maybe a fourth of what I saw. Back home, I set up my ammonia method for fermentation. Within a day the liquid turned a bright orange. I'm have some left in my bag that I will also try with the boil water method. Reading in my lichen books, this is suppose to give a dye ranging from peach to orange with the boil water method or BWM. It doesn't say anything about the ammonia method but I'm trying it anyway. I also tried the orchil acid test by dipping an exposed inner white flesh edge of the lichen in bleach. If there is orchil acid, the white bit will turn pink to red. It did nothing and stayed white. So I thought I would continue to experiment anyway. When I actually dye with this lichen, I will of course post results. Look how orange it is!

Speaking of day dreams, back in 2006 I first opened up my etsy shop. Back then it was Bosco44. Named after my sweet dog I had as a kid. Etsy has been changing a lot over the last few years, increasing all that you can do and how you manage. There are tiny companies and studios all around the world doing the etsy thing full time. I manage my shop completely by myself. I am the sole creator for everything in the shop. A while ago while checking out my shop stats, I realized that my biggest year for sales was 2009. I remember thinking to myself, "ok, this needs to turn around now and I need to surpass these numbers soon." It had been too long. I then noticed that since 2010, my views, listing favorites, and sales have slowly but steady climbed. Then I noticed the third thing. Since the time I left my full time working for someone else grind at the end of August 2012, sales have doubled, shop and listing views have doubled, and my favorites have more than tripled. 

This past week hit a special mark for me reaching the first time since 2009 when I had a serious influx for sales during this particular season. I hit my fourth sale of the month pushing me into beating my highest sales year from 2009 going over by 4 sales so far. 

In this little package was my first rainbow roving. You can see the whole series there at the shop. Having 3 orders in a week really did a lot for my self esteem I have to say. And to wake up on a Sunday morning to be greeted with a notification on my phone or to hear that heavenly "CHA-CHING!!" from my phone or ipad while cooking or tending to other things, there's nothing like it.  

My sisters and I try to get together often usually meeting at one of their houses for an afternoon with our lunches and knitting. It had been a little bit since I had been to this sister's house and had forgotten about just how fast chickens grow. I took a few minutes checking out their coop set up. They have roughly 8 or 9 (?) chickens now and they all look good. Like tweens sporting their new haircuts and outfits just before the 7th grade. In that stage of still cute and nearing handsome adulthood. But more on the cute side. And wanting to be noticed. 

Check out Ralphie's du. The rooster. 

I collect clothes lines, remember. I can't help it. I see one and my phone is clicking away before I've thought about it. 

I love this window door thing and the hanging feeder. 

So here I was just kind of slowly day dreaming about next steps in life and I found myself sorting all my natural dye samples from classes and workshops I've taught. I've had this sweet little pile of kid mohair and silk yarn that I've been r e l i s h i n g in experimenting with. I realized I had just about all the colors of the rainbow plus brown. 

And as always, working with mohair always makes me think of baby booties. For a few years now, I've been knitting several pairs for my shop, friends and family with what ever mohair I have. I've been using this pattern. It's so easy and I've made so so many. I love knitting it because it's very quick and you kind of knit a tiny ravioli to start- by double knitting. Can I call that double knitting? It's ok, correct me if I'm wrong. 

As the yarn is SO tiny and strand like, not like the old mohair I use to work with that had a sizable loft to it. I used US 1 double pointed needles. This is also the first time I've knitted this pattern with stripes. It was interesting and I figured it out along the way. 

They are just too CUTE! and I'm pretty happy with the colors. Which include from toe to cuff- all dyed with plant dyes by me, madder root light, madder root dark, goldenrod, onion skins (the green!) garden grown indigo, indigo extract, logwood purple, alkanet, lichen, and black walnut. I still have plenty of sample yarn left over so it's very possible I'll be knitting a pair for the shop. Maybe slightly bigger as these could be for a newborn. But these little things will be tucked away for when the time is real.

Obligatory cat picture. A very friendly wandering cat I noticed from my window while washing dishes who in my mind is named Henry.  

Thanksgiving and Chanukah is this week. As you celebrate how ever you do this coming holiday season, do your self a great big favor and take time out to just day dream. Look out a window and just let your mind go. And do it often.  

ox, r

A quiet week with knitting, lace, and bulbs.

This past week was sprinkled with finishing up knitting projects in front of the first stove fires of the season. Meeting with beloved friends to plan out one of my favorite weeks of the year, the New England Fiber Arts Retreat. Spending time doing some extra cleaning and slight rearranging in order to let a little more light though. I could use all I can get as the days grow shorter. I'm continually fascinated by the patterns of light and shadow lace creates. I heart lace. 

I love plants but I haven't been known to take the best of care of them. I've had a shamrock that can't die so those are good. You can give them a hair cut when the stems get too leggy and watch new shoots pop up again in no time. Though the one time I tried that technique on another plant, it never came back... poor baby tears from my sister's baby shower. Since replaced it with a small delicate fern. This showy number though is called a China Doll and when I saw it in the garden center in the arms of a happy customer, my eyes followed her out of the store and I turned to my husband and said, "I want that!" It's done quite well in our bedroom since we got it at the beginning of the year. And I did give it quite a haircut at the beginning of the summer. I think it really liked it because not only did it survive but new shoots started popping up with gleeful celebration. Every couple of days I turn it a few degrees so it can soak up as much light as possible. 

Last week I started this spiral hat. Still thinking of a proper name. I spun the yarn from a batt I created out of merino, silk, and sparkle. I think some alpaca too. I'm really enjoying this pattern. Just something I am trying form a stitch dictionary. It basically goes like this: in a set of 4: k3, p1 all the way around and then on the next row you k2, p1, k1. you continue in this manner and watch the purl stitch climb up diagonally.

Yes my toes are crazy and curly, but look! I finished the first sock. I've always knitted myself very cozy thick bed socks. If you could see my sock drawer, you'd think I never needed socks again. However, most of those socks are from Target and get a hole in them the day after I wear them. So enough- I'm not buying socks anymore. Yes it will take longer but from now on, I'm knitting my own and I know they will last longer. Another reason I'm enjoying knitting this kind of small needle project is because it helps me with a tension discipline. I do so much knitting with super think fluffy yarn, that to do something in contrast, just feels good. Next up sock color, purple.  

I did notice with this sock color that there was more dark yellow, almost orange towards the toe. And this picture doesn't quite do the pattern of the simple but elegant rib justice. You can find the pattern for these socks here.

Winter Leaves Scarf is complete. In the next day or so it will be blocked and listed in the etsy shop, 44 Clovers. I also have a matching hat here.

On Thursday before my weekly fiddle lesson, I took a detour in the hopes of finding wooden embroidery hoops for upcoming projects. I LOVE this thrift store. Lots of good finds inside. Always. 

Including this ever so elegant chair. I did not take it home but wanted to share a close up of the fine detail. It is lovely. And $75. Trust me, I have thought long and hard about where in our home it might live. And all though I love the wooded arms, I'm not sure how cozy it would be.... but geeze, I really do think it would go nicely in our home... because we need more chairs... right, honey?:) The texture... the color... of this fabric. You know, I bet these arms WOULD be good for knitting. Nice and sturdy... firm. I think I should go back and sit in it with my knitting to see. 

I also visited a tiny antique shop on Main Street in Yarmouth owned by Verna Scott and her husband. Sweet sweet couple. I chatted for a while with the husband about his trip to New Brunswick in search of hooked rugs. Speaking of rugs, they have a very sweet hooked rug of a man tapping maple trees. How I wanted to bring that home. $175. Beautiful and vintage. I did however bring this home. A bag of vintage lace. I was able to catch up with Verna as I hadn't seen her since before I met Jubal. She was delighted to hear I had found myself a nice boy and we got caught up. I aim to get myself back there and acquire more lace. Because.... you can never have too much lace. And this is especially true if it's vintage or antique. The projects I have brewing....That evening as I was waiting for the ferry I started sorting this lace and rolling each piece into it's own. I was greeted by a sweet fellow who I met a year ago, an elderly gentleman by the name of Bill who lives on Chebeague Island with his wife. We had a lovely chat and also got caught up. 

Towards the end of the week, I set out to start the great planting of the 125 bulbs. Or is it 150... I don't remember. As I watched the weather all week and waited for the warmest day, Saturday- what a day! I think I put a dent in the pile and planted maybe... 25. Not a bad start. But boy I better get a move on. I'm starting with all my favorites from childhood that my parents planted. The most important ones being grape hyacinths, the deep purple tulips and the daffodils. Digging in the dirt is rejuvenating and I enjoyed singing this as I remembered all those days working inside for someone else and aching to be outside digging in the dirt or anything that involved doing something with my hands. I felt so happy and free. Just thinking about our newly painted pink house with all the flowers popping up, these thought will keep me plenty warm through the winter just like in the book Frederick.

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Pink house update. The dormers are going lighter. The scroll work will be pink with the cream insert. The siding is finished and I think the shingles are too. 

Elsa enjoying some afternoon sun. 

The sunsets around here are inspiring and just too irresistible for my camera. 

How I spent my morning. Down at Centennial Beach on the ground with my yarn. 

Even though it's cooling off, I'm enjoying as much sun as I possibly can. Before we know it, there will be snow. It won't keep me from being out of doors but just a little less often. This coming winter I'll be enjoying thinking of all our new flowers and plants, new checks in the spring, Medomak in the summer and more dips in the cove. I don't mind that winter is coming though. Just even more reason to sit in front of the fire with my knitting. 

What are you looking forward to this winter? 

ox, r