29 September 2010

Coming soon!

The second sign up period for my Pins & Lace Club is approaching!
On Friday, October 1 at 12 noon PST another 50 slots will open up for my 2011 club! There are quite a few options available to you, so I'm copying them below for your perusal. :) This time, I'm getting more organized! Shipments will be January, April, July and October 15, 2011. The two shipment options will run consecutively, so there may be some half year club memberships open mid year, but perhaps not!

Pin/pattern a la carte:

Copper pin/pattern: 2 shpmnts $80.00
Nickel pin/pattern: 2 shpmnts $85.00
Sterling pin/pattern: 2 shpmnts $108.00
Copper pin/pattern: 4 shpmnts $152.00
Nickel pin/pattern: 4 shpmnts $160.00
Sterling pin/pattern: 4 shpmnts $200.00

Add yarn:

Silk, 4 shpmnts $190.00
Alpaca, 4 shpmnts $115.00
Merino, 4 shpmnts $100.00
Silk, 2 shpmnts $95.00
Alpaca, 2 shpmnts $58.00
Merino, 2 shpmnts $50.00

OR leave the choices to me! Romi’s choice of yarns, colors and metals. Two shipment option includes 1 silk/sterling and 1 merino/nickel (second half year - on sale April 2011: $140). Four shipment option adds 1 merino/copper and 1 alpaca/nickel:

Pin, pattern and yarn: 2 shpmnts $170.00
Pin, pattern and yarn: 4 shpmnts $300.00

Add international ground shipping (ground shipping to US and Canada are already included in club price):

pin/pattern option - 2 shpmnts $8.00
pin/pattern option - 4 shpmnts $16.00
pin/pattern/yarn option - 2 shpmnts $13.00
pin/pattern/yarn option - 4 shpmnts $26.00

Add priority mail shipping (ground shipping to US and Canada are already included in club price). Includes options for international priority mail:

US - 2 shpmnts $8.00
Canada - 2 shpmnts $20.00
Other Countries - 2 shpmnts $24.00
US - 4 shpmnts $16.00
Canada - 4 shpmnts $40.00
Other Countries - 4 shpmnts $48.00

You can also put together options, such as two months of copper pin/pattern and two months of nickel pin/pattern plus yarn. :)

Here are two patterns from the current year's club. Ice Blossoms:

and Fiori di Sole:

with pin:

Hope to see you all in my club next year!!! :D

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28 September 2010

Ant trax and randominity

7 Small Shawls: T - 94 days and counting down.

Isn't this wild?!
These are little ant freeways through the sawdust in Mr. Romi's work area. They just suddenly appeared! I've never seen anything like it except in photos of Africa.

The other day, I ordered a CrockPot and it came today! Of course, we're in the middle of the only real heat wave we've had all summer and all anyone wants to eat is salad, but I had to try it out. So we had brown rice in the rice cooker and I cooked some cubes of pork in salsa verde in the CrockPot. Yummy! The model I got is half off on crockpot.com.
Of course, I didn't get it for half off, much to my everlasting annoyance, but if one of you does, that will make me feel better. :)

In knitting news, shawl #4 is progressing nicely.
Several people have asked me about the beads I'm using. These are the ones, but I was drooling over these too. Plus, I really like Ellen at Earthfaire.

Did you all know that bloglines is going away this Friday? If you're subscribed to me through that service, you're going to need to change. I'm sorry to see it go, but Google Reader is very very similar.

In other news, my Pins & Lace Club opens again this Friday for sign-ups at 12 noon PST. I will post all the options here tomorrow, so you can get a jump on what will be available. There will be 50 spots this go.

My secret project is nearing completion. Please send good knitting juju!

Off to give the bunnies their treats....

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27 September 2010

Monday's Musing

"We are never more discontented with others than when we are discontented with ourselves." - Henri Frederic Amiel

I love this quote.

Have a terrific week!

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26 September 2010

Crunchy munchy

7 Small Shawls: T - 96 days and counting down.

Well. I did it. As wonderful as the name my little Bear dreamed up was (rosemary-go-round), the only constant in life is change. So my blog has a new name! Enter @ Romi's Studio. Just like my Ravelry group. Woot!!!

Ahem. Anyway.

First priority is a public service announcement. For those wanting to make Celaeno in the same yarn I used (Enya Sock in New Moon), Dee of Saffron Dyeworks is having a shop update on September 27th at 7pm EST. Here's a preview of the yumminess. New Moon has been selling out super fast! So, to get your own skein of gorgeousness, don't be late!
(Note: Celaeno, the single pattern will be out in the next couple of days. Right now, you can only purchase it as part of my 7 Small Shawls eBook subscription.)

Here's a fun and quick little item to make. Mr. Romi makes incredibly delicious bread in our bread maker and we always have left-over ends. Usually we put them out for the birds, but the Bear has been asking me to make croutons that he can eat. Most store-bought croutons have dairy or egg in them and he's allergic. So the other day I finally cut the ends into 1/2 inch cubes, put them in a bowl, drizzled olive oil on them, added herbs, and tossed them until coated. Then I baked them for 20 minutes on cookie sheets in a preheated 250 F oven until golden brown. And here they are. I don't know why I didn't do this before! So easy. So delicious! French bread is particularly perfect.
Golden brown crunchy and yummy! And Bear safe. :)

This past weekend was a swim meet. Both days. It was hot. It was long. I'm going to vegetate now. Ciao!

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25 September 2010

Let's try this again....

7 Small Shawls: T - 98 days and counting down.

At least I had some of my post saved before it was dumped last night. :) So here goes another try!

When I saw the incredible list of designers in Julie Turjoman's new book Brave New Knits, I ran right out (figuratively) and bought it. (Yes - I buy books - no one sent this to me, although I wouldn't have said no!) It did not disappoint. With details on all the designers and how they got into knitwear design, this fun book serves up a good read along with the patterns.
My absolute favorite pattern, the one that jumped out at me, is this beauty:
The Silke Jacket by Shannon Okey of knitgrrl fame. I love the cables, the different yarns, the neckline. Wonderful! The other two that sang to me were the fabulous Krookus cardigan by tikru:
What I particularly like about the book is that it's a great reading in bed kind of book, but it has fabulous patterns, as well. They are as varied as the personalities of the bloggers profiled, and make a great collection. Well done, and a hearty recommendation.

In other news, my shawl #4 is progressing well. I'm really loving the combination of the yarn, beads and pattern.
I'm also working on a secret project with a slippery yarn. But I have my yarn management system in place. :)
Plastic bags always come in handy. :)

Off to a swim meet on Saturday (guess that's today at this point) and Sunday. I'm leaning toward @ Romi's Studio for my blog name, but keep those comments coming! I'm still waffling.

Have a terrific weekend! I just finished up a giant wholesale order, so I'm pretty happy.

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24 September 2010

Poof

I had a great post all finished, with a book review even. And then? Poof! And I can't even get back on the site on my Mac where all my pics are, so here I am on the laptop and I'm composing an image-free post because I don't feel like dealing with it right now after spending multiple hours this evening putting together the new school computer. I think that last sentence is a record-breaking length for me. :)

So on to new things. The other post will have to wait until tomorrow.

I think it's time for a change. In two phases. First up: the name of my blog. Here are the options I've been considering, although I'm open to possibilities.

- @ Romi's Studio (like my group on Ravelry - what do you think?)
- Romi's Studio
- Romi Designs

Any thoughts? When I started blogging, I didn't really think about confusing the issue by using my formal name (Rosemary) along with my nickname (Romi), but! I think I did confuse everything judging from some comments I've gotten.

And at some point, I want to switch over to Word Press (in my spare time - haha). Because really? I hate the new blogger interface with the fiery intensity of a thousand suns. It won't stay hacked and I can't keep the pictures where I want them.

Obviously I need to hit bed and get some sleep for my crankiness. :) Let me know what you think about a new name for my blog, please!

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21 September 2010

101

7 Small Shawls: T - 101 days and counting down.

101 days left until the end of this year. And so much to do before it ends!

Snowangel wanted to know from which of my many books the stitch pattern in my last post came. Well, mostly it was from one of my Japanese stitch dictionaries. I had wanted a diamond motif and went looking. I knew when I saw it: this one was it.
But of course, it needed to be modified, and beads needed to be added. I loved the overall effect, but I didn't want to add the wrapped stitches. I don't like them for some reason. Not sure why.

You can see in the following picture that the middle three stitches (k1, p1, k1) are wrapped.
I decided to experiment with the 3 sts into 3 from Estonian knitting instead. Score! I also (obviously) cut out the twisted stitch pattern, added beads, cut the one motif out of the whole, and added a different start. And the swatch you saw was the result of some serious knitting and ripping. I love the way it turned out, though, and I admit to not rushing the process. I was enjoying listening to my audiobook (The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny) too much to rush through. (Aside: one of my best friends from college was from Montreal and this book brings back memories of her swearing in French -"tabarnac!")

This is how the shawl is looking in "real" life.
I am so enjoying knitting with Roxanne's gorgeous yarn! And I think I may do a scarf like that swatch the other day as an extra project for the eBook. I love the color, the beads and the pattern too much to part them. :)

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20 September 2010

Monday's Musing

"Do or do not... there is no try." - Yoda

I love this quote. It's going up in my studio. In fact, I may have it framed and hang it on the wall so everyone sees it every day!

Have a great week, everyone. :)

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19 September 2010

Feeling swatchy

7 Small Shawls: T - 103 days and counting down.

Today was perfect knitting weather. It was slightly drizzly, but gently warm. I listened to my ebook and swatched and knit. Knit and swatched, while the Bear played with his friend - here for a sleep-over. #1 Son was even on good behavior and made blueberry pancakes! It was a fine day, with some pin making toward the end, and a little bit of diversion. We're great Brother Cadfael fans and were watching a couple of episodes this evening after The Return of the Jedi (original of course - the kids had to see it).

Instead of swatching on my shawl in progress as I usually do, I broke with tradition and used a different yarn and beads.
This is the "First Blush" colorway from the The Royale Hare in Rockpile Sock (named after the local appellation). Isn't it a lovely color? The stitch pattern will be part of shawl #4 in my 7 Small Shawls ebook subscription. I combined and refined to come up with just the right look! Getting excited about this one. :)

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18 September 2010

Some thoughts

7 Small Shawls: T - 104 days and counting down.

Before we begin, a few random thoughts:

1. Legos have the ability to drift like snow. Really. This is true. They pile up in corners and along walls. You have to watch that.
2. I've been self-medicating with carbohydrates.
3. I have a freaking ton of energy today!
4. I have four vacuum cleaners. This is not normal.

Now that we have that out of the way....

Yesterday I went to a little open house at a local wood products store with Mr. Romi and the boys. I've never been able to go in years past (too busy), but this year I was determined. And I'm so glad I went. It's actually a mini trade show with vendors and a great (complimentary) lunch of bbq: tri-tip, fresh albacore, and chicken. Nom! I was excited because I love the trade show atmosphere: people super excited about their products and chatting. Great energy. Plus there was a guy there who seriously knew his finishes, my favorite part of Mr. Romi's biz. And he gave us a color chip book. Bonus!
I love color chips. And this book is even better than all of my Pantone ones!

I had to rush around in the afternoon to get all of my orders out, but it was so worth it to go!

By the way, I've finally got the beginning of my new shawl together. It's working. I'm paying attention. The corner is rounded. Yes!
I'm really happy with the concept and my mental image so far. You are so going to love it. And I've got the charts far enough along that I can indulge in my audiobook (between the wholesale and retail pin/pattern orders, and the two secret projects, that is). I may even be learning to schedule myself better.
It's all good. :)

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17 September 2010

Ode to Alice

7 Small Shawls: T - 106 days and counting down.

Sure, I learned to knit when I was a kid. But I didn't knit straight through my whole life. There was a time period - a long one - where I didn't pick the needles up at all. I managed to miss the 90s and the early 00s. It wasn't until I was pregnant with the Bear in 2002/03 and sicker than a dog that I went back to knitting. It was a great way to spend the endless hours of couch time, when I was too sick to my stomach to do much of anything.

After I dug my pathetically small stash out of storage, I did what any one of you would do. I found the closest yarn store. That happened to be Sandi Rosner's place (now closed). And being a book lover, I came home with two that day to start my now gigantic knitting library. One of them was Fisherman's Sweaters by Alice Starmore. When I first lay eyes on it and thumbed through it, I was so excited to find those incredible patterns. And when I got back to my computer, the first thing I did was to look Starmore up and see what else was available. What a surprise I got when I saw prices of $700 and $800 for her books! It led me to dig deeper, finding along the way that Alice, my idol, had spent quite a bit of time in my environs: Sonoma County. And then my research ended at the KBTH list (knitting Beyond the Hebrides) and the whole internet knitting community. The rest is history, but you could say that Alice and the Bear are pretty much responsible for my career in the fiber industry. Isn't it strange how things work out?

The one book of Alice Starmore's that I always wanted most was Aran Knitting. I even almost snagged a copy once at the Interweave hurt books sale. But we were so strapped for money, that even the $20 to buy it was beyond my means. So, although horribly painful, I passed it up. Since then I've gotten other Starmore books, but the holy grail, Aran Knitting, eluded me. Well, let's just say that I wasn't going to spend over $60 for it, so I never bought it.

Then came the re-print of the Book of Fair Isle Knitting, which I snapped up. And then - oh joy of joys - Aran Knitting! Re-printed! I ordered it as soon as I saw it up on amazon.com. And Wednesday it came. Just look!
It has a new cover, but inside is the old Alice Starmore genius. I went to look at my favorite sweater first: St. Brigid.
It is, in my opinion, the most perfect sweater ever designed. Fringe and all. Just look at those incredible cables and that woolly goodness.

And there's a new pattern: Eala Bhan. Isn't it lovely? The fit is sumptuous and the cables are intricately beautiful.
The back is as gorgeous as the front.
What can I say? It's the perfect fangirl moment: the ultimate knitting book is finally, finally in my possession.

But, um, did I mention that in my excitement I may not have been paying very much attention to other things? Again?
I wonder how often Alice rips when she's designing? :sigh:

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15 September 2010

Fields of gold

7 Small Shawls: T - 107 days and counting down.

You know something's up when I start channeling 80s music again. Heh. The truth is that I put a lot of irons in the fire thinking that maybe a few would come through. And I was totally unprepared for a lot of them, ok - almost all of them, coming through. And also for the success of my 7 Small Shawls subscription. I am blown away, actually, and so happy that you all are enjoying my little adventure! But I'm still a little shell shocked. In a good way. Ulp. ;)

Ok, enough rambling! You visited to see pretty yarn pictures. Nothing very interesting knitted up, but what I do have is a rather spectacular case of yarn barf.
Really, it's the worst case I've ever seen. I was forced to pull almost the entire inside of the ball out and then I spent hours untangling it. At first, I wound it around the outside of the ball, and then I realized that I needed to rip. Yep. The idea was to have an unbroken beaded line across the top of the shawl, but as you can see here, there's a little point inside the circle. And also? There needed to be fewer stitches on the outside of the beads (as you can see in the ellipse). Yes, I may be a little picky about such things, but when little things like this aren't perfect, they really really really bother me.
Besides, I didn't like the spine, either.
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrip! And back again to the ball winder. Now I have a nice center pull ball again. Isn't it nice that you can rip and re-knit yarn? Poor Mr. Romi works with wood. Enough said.

I can't wait to get my concept down in yarn and beads. This one is going to look tres chic.

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14 September 2010

She's live!

7 Small Shawls: T - 108 days and counting down.

Celaeno is up! If you have subscribed to the 7 Small Shawls eBook ( non-Ravelry link), you should have received notification that you can download the updated version! Woot!

Now, I know you want to see pretty pictures, am I right? :)
This version of Celaeno used approximately 900 beads.
The gorgeous yarn is from Dee at Saffron Dyeworks. Enya Sock in the New Moon colorway. It is truly delectable.
This shawl is a shallow triangle that is easily tied around the shoulders.
The garter stitch portion features random bead placement.
Then the edging bead placement is charted.
I modified an Estonian stitch pattern and I love the way it looks!
Hope you enjoy. :)

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