Saturday, July 21, 2007

On Design

Just when I think I'll never publish anything again, opportunity knocks!

It goes this way: the call goes out for new designs, sometimes with criteria sometimes not. There is a deadline and a date given when you should hear back one way or the other.

Furious activity follows, swatching madly, sketching, calculations are made, until a nice little "submissions packet" is assembled. I like to have 3 designs for each query. For each of these designs, I include a swatch, a sketch, schematics and a "look book". I always spend too long daydreaming and end up with a wild time-crunch.

Then nothing. Time passes, life gets nutty, the 'hear by' date comes and goes, leaving me feeling a little blue. Life goes along, new jobs, holidays, it gets where I can't even really remember what I submitted, and wham! 2 designs accepted! Yippee Skippy! and maybe the 3rd...later.

That's where I am now. Only the designs almost always have to be re-designed with whatever yarn the higher powers decide on. Often very nice yarn with a completely different color palette and a different weight....So, the photo above is my approach to deciding the new color scheme. I hunker down with my inspiration; favorite books, old and new magazines, fabric swatches and the new yarn card. I pull off strands and lay them next to one another, first one group, then another. When I get a couple of groups that I like, I carry them around with me. Today they came out to brunch, in different light they look different. I hone it down to a final group with a couple of spare options. Now I'll request the selected colors and pray they have not been discontinued. When the new yarn arrives, round 2 begins, swatching for size, finding out how the new yarn behaves and seeing how the colors actually react with each other in real life!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Sanquar Hat


Sanquar Hat, originally uploaded by maryjanemidgemink.

Show and tell for a recent, finally finished item. Inspired by the traditional knitting of Sanquhar Scotland. Using leftover Louets Gems, a very stretchy yarn to begin with,made a hat to acomodate large heads or heads with much hair. With 144 stitches and an 18 st pattern repeat, I think a finer yarn would be the answer for a smaller hat. I apologize for the brevity of my posts but "air-time" is fleeting this season!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Knitting?

It's been a topsy -turvy world around here. Two steps forward and one step back kinda world. But oh my, we get to enjoy the scenery a little longer that way eh? Just don't get caught in a storm.
I have a little time to myself again and so intend to finish some of those nagging unfinished projects which actually look quite nice to see this time round.
My favorite flickr group just started a new year...now with color combinations. And there right in front of me were this week's colors on my favorite tools!

My daughter's laptop has saved the day. Poo on the stupid internet connection and poo on the iphoto on my computer that has lost all the pictures. Poo!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Ah the Yachting Life


harvey gamage, originally uploaded by maryjanemidgemink.

Old pictures. New adventures! Bad internet provider.
Our modem was fried in the last thunderstorm. Toast. We have to call Prince Edward Island of all places to talk to tech support...still this has gone on for a week. Finally received a sparkley new one....which does not work. So my bad, I post from the end of the day at my new job, which includes looking at many images of boats. Aye, aye, I'll know my ketches and schooners..... right now Yawl is just a southern expression, y'all. But I'm learning, today I correctly identified a Bunker and Ellis. Now I've got to learn to dock the Mako!


PS: on flickr this picture has notes!

Friday, July 06, 2007

Oh What a Day It Was!
















Sunny summer fun!



Clockwise from top left: Baseball on the beach, shucking corn, exodus to Little Bermuda, Coney Island

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Happy 4th of July!

We're heading out to an island in Penobscot Bay on Independence Day!

Hooray!

Lobster, clams, kids and dogs!

Fun !

Hope yours is the best ever!


I had to post today, since we leave so early tomorrow morning.... Don't let me forget the sunscreen.