In which I fall in love with crocheting toys. . . . → Read More: Amigurumi Smitten
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…is fabric. And not just any fabric, but really really beautiful fabric. And pouring over sewing patterns I’ll never make. My very favorite source of inspiration is Anna Maria Horner, designer extrodinaire. Just look at this dress. And this quilt. Yum. I’m celebrating National Craft Month by posting something crafty that catches my eye every weekday. Share your favorite crafty finds in the comments! How the Blonde Chicken gets her name. Warning: Adorable Story Ahead . . . → Read More: How I came to be a Blonde Chicken 1 week = last 9 days 72 lb suitcase (spinning wheel + yarn + clothes for a 2 week trip) 2 planes (Tri – Cin, Cin – Sea) 1 great afternoon with Eileen (lunch! cupcakes! epiphanies!) 12 hours talking to awesome Seattlers (and some fabulous Vancouver-ites, including my dear Kim Werker). 2 yarn stores in Seattle (Hilltop Yarn, Fiber Gallery) 2 hours spent talking to Jessica of RoseKimKnits 1 lunch with crafty rockstar Sister Diane. 2 moments of oh-my-gosh-I-took-the-wrong bus! in 2 (!) cities 1 night with 4 fabulous businesses-women at Cairene’s. 2 yarn stores in Portland (Knit/Purl, Close Knit) 1 missed flight (my husband) 1 missed train 54 minutes on the phone with Delta to get the missing luggage sent to our hotel. 1 extra night in Portland 37 hours on a train (Seattle to Portland, Portland to LA, LA to Oceanside) $40 for some snacks on the . . . → Read More: Week in Numbers A return to spinning with a pile of new kinds of yarns. . . . → Read More: Return of the Chicken An adventure in jam-making . . . → Read More: Making Jam I’ve tried to write this post for weeks. I can’t figure out how to say it in a way that conveys the big-ness for me and for Blonde Chicken Boutique. This is a huge, scary, exciting step, but it’s just so hard to express. So, how about I just say it: I quit my day job. June 30th is my last day working in an office, for an employer. July 1st, I wake up to…Blonde Chicken Boutique! I’ll be a full-time fiber artist, yarnie, fiberista, spinster – whatever we’re calling it that week – it’ll be my full-time job! Even though I handed in my resignation a month ago, it still feels crazy and new and exciting! This will allow me to do SO many new things with BCB, things you’ve asked me to do and things I’ve been waiting to do. More craft shows, more in-person lessons, more yarn! . . . → Read More: Big News Each year, for the last 3 years my mom and I have loaded my car with knitting projects, magazines, and coffee and driven to Maryland Sheep & Wool. The first year, we drove from Ohio – a 12 hour drive! This year, it was a much shorter trip, just 5-6 hours (depending on how many times we stop for coffee!) We left Friday morning, drove to Frederick, MD (note to self: you must stop at Zazzy’z because there is not another coffee shop until Staunton). Frederick’s an adorable town with a nice little downtown with lots of boutiques (like The Muse), restaurants and ice cream. We met up with Mia and meandered around town. I don’t eat seafood but my mom loves crabs, so we had dinner at May’s – endless crabs for Mom, a fantastically broiled chicken for me. Saturday dawned rainy and dreary but I leapt out . . . → Read More: Maryland Sheep & Wool 2009 After a death in the family last week, I’ve slowed down quite a bit. Being out of town for so long (first a craft show, then helping my mom move, then the funeral) resulted in me feeling a little scramble-y. But instead of snapping back into action, I’m taking it slow. Completing custom orders, pushing back the debut of a new line of yarn, spending some time with my new drum carder. Yarn is slowly re-appearing in the Boutique, but I’m taking my time and relaxing my demands (I’m a pretty demanding boss)Here’s how I’m slowing down: Baking: banana bread, pumpkin bread, apple pie Knitting: Twist & Shout (pictured above) Sipping: Orange Dulce, Orchid Oolong Listening to: Adele, Ray la Montaigne, Iron & Wine Looking forward to: SAFF on Saturday, Urban Craft Uprising in December I’ll be back in full force later this week, with . . . → Read More: Slowing “I just realized that I have developed kind of a collector style in my yarn buying. I don’t buy yarn for specific projects any more but more like “oh-how-beautiful-must-have-that”. This of course results me having several single skeins of this and that (and they are all soooo pretty). So what can I make with your yarn?” That’s an actual email I got from a customer and it expresses how many of us buy yarn. We see something pretty and we snatch it up. But what to DO with it as it starts to overtake our living space? Well, after answering this question for myself, I’ve started collecting patterns that will show off handspun. These patterns work with the special properties of handspun yarn, not requiring an exact guage (since handspun has natural inconsistencies).Below are 5 free patterns that (can) use a single skein of handspun – the name links directly . . . → Read More: 5 Free Knitting Patterns for Handspun Yarn |
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