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Posts from the ‘Designs’ Category

Bunny Day!

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Happy Easter Sunday from all of us here at Blue Moon Fiber Arts and bunny farm! I was hoping to have chicks to add to this mix today but they did not hatched yet.

It’ been quite a beautiful few weeks here in the Pacific Northwest which I have been fully enjoying. So much light and warmth good for the soul. Also yarn dries faster. hehe

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Speaking of yarn… . I almost don’t want to say this out loud because I feel like it tempts the powers that be to wreak havoc. However… I am going to because it feels so good. Within the next three weeks I expect to be caught up within the 15 business day schedule so fingers crossed that nothing gets in the way of that. Also I am scheduled to get my first vaccine today at 4:00 so pretty I am excited about that!!

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I am so excited about being caught up. Such a stress. I feel so good about it that I have actually created a few new colorways. Yeah that kind of excited.

I am going to change up the colors on the website. I’m a little tired of dyeing some of these. So…if you want them order this weekend.

 

I do not know if you remember but last time I raised prices I said that I was not raising them as much as they were raised on us since it was too big of a jump and it felt unfair. Well..it’s that time to raise them. And yes that does include the sock yarn. It won’t happen for at least a week so you have time if you want to order before I do.

I am also going to discontinue Comet within the next week. I brought it in as a short run and for me it has run it’s course.

On the good yarn news front I think I have found a new BFL yarn which I am pretty excited about!!! So stay tuned for this late Spring. I am so excited about this.I also think I have talked the new mill into a BFL mix yarn and Tigger!! So do please send good creating yarn vibes this way. It’ not easy to get mills to branch out right now.

If there are nay colors or themes you would like to see me work new colors into let me know. I am working on music related ones right now. I have rediscovered my musical mojo ( starting life as a musician) . I am going to make a few playlists to share with everyone soonish. Oh and I am on flickr if you want to see pics. I have been quiet there for a few months but have started to photograph more.

A good friend recently told me I need to get back to social media that I am missed. I am honestly not sure that is true but I do plan to revisit it all soon. I do  have a few issues about social media as a performative platform that is not real so I am trying to work my hear around how this would look for me and Blue Moon.If you have thoughts you’d liek to share with me I would love to hear them.

Okay I need to go rinse out out everything I dyed yesterday and hang it to dry before I head out to the airport for my vaccine.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

PS I ran across this picture of me in my 20’s and thought I would share. My hair has never ever cooperated. UGH!

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One more time…

Good morning!!

I am trying to get a quick blog post in, answer emails and ship before they turn the internet off again. It has been spotty since the last time I reported to you. There a days when it kind of works and days where it does not at all. They finally sent someone who kind of knew what he was doing and today they are replacing a fried card and the main box for this area.

I can’t even with this. I so would love the time back I have spent dealing with this over the last three weeks. Anyway I am not going to dwell on this since it seriously just pisses me off.

Sock club is shipping out along with web orders! If I do not respond right away to your emails please assume it is the internet and not that you are being ignored.

Okay how about a pretty Spring like sweater!!

Meet the lovely  Elizabeth Margaret 

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Look at the smile and all of that pink. Elizabeth has design two sweaters using our yarn. I know the one she is wearing is in Targhee Worsted and I believe the other is our Silky Victoria.

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This one is the Mae Crop Sweater in our Targhee Worsted I believe the colorway is Rose Quartz. Elizabeth is part of the Eat Sleep Knit wonderful Pattern Academy. If you are a new designer please do check out the goodness that Eat Sleep Knit is spreading!!

Below you will her the delightful LOVE YOURSELF  sweater in our Silky Victoria KMBFLA colorway. I will say I am not usually  big on allover lace sweaters but there is just something about this one that makes me happy. If I was knitting it for me I think I would choose a Raven colorway!

Photo credits to @elizabeth.margaret.knits

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Thank you Elizabeth for choosing my yarns to design with I love what you do!!!

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So you know how I told you I thought my two bunny buddies that adopted me were both males.

Well…

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I was wrong! There are 5 baby bunnies and that little guy is one of them. So I now have bunny friends that are keeping me company and eating a whole lot of carrots and apples. They get along with both the chickens and cats and are forming quite the little menagerie out here.

Okay I am going to go get todays shipping out before they shut me down. Fingers crossed that this fixes these issues because well I’ve had it with all of this!

Take care and stay safe!!

Sigh…Update 3.11

UPDATE 3.11:  Century Link finally showed up late yesterday after me pretty much threatening to send a whole bunch of knitters to Twitter.  So I am shipping today and tomorrow. I did thoroughly test EVERYTHING before letting them leave. 

Okay I am just going to apologize right out of the gate for this rant. I am tired and angry and so very frustrated and seriously wish I had the punching bag and bat we had here for awhile during the Sock Summit prep years. I have edited this “rant ~ self pep talk” for swearing. For those of you who know me you know that was a lot of editing.

Yesterday morning we lost internet service. Turns out they were working on the box for our area. I took a little drive to have a chat with them and see when we would be back on and was just told later. Great!! So lost shipping and answering emails yesterday.

Today I do have internet in the house which is why I can post but not in the dye barn. Once I figured this out and did  some testing to make sure I took a deep breath and decide I should call and find out what is up. It seemed pretty suspicious to me that it was only the one line and it happened after they were there working on it. So after calling and dealing with all of the phone protocol I finally get someone who then has to reboot their system twice before pulling my account up. After I explain to him what was going on he told me I needed another department. I called tech support how would i need another department??!! Awesome! Ugh

I get put on hold for a good 20 minutes and am then transferred. The woman I get has such a poor connection I can’t hear her and she finally disconnects us. At this point I took all the egg cartons ( empty ) on my kitchen table and threw them across the room. My cats were thrilled. Okay so I drink a glass of water and call again. Go through the whole ~ did you do this and did you do that~ protocol before I got a person. At this point my morning work plan is basically wrecked.

So bless Bridgette’s heart for understanding my frustration. I told her as soon as she took my acct number I was frustrated. Anyway we trouble shoot for a good long time and find out that yes in fact it looks like they might have done something to that line when they were working yesterday. I knew it. It’s not the first time. She then says so you are not going to be happy because of course we can’t get anyone out there until Monday. And you know what?  In all honesty I though she was going to tell me later in the week so I was happy. Still…I almost cried.

It’s the end of the week and I have shipping to do. So in order to ship I have to use click’n ship and enter everything manually into USPS and then go into the Blue Moon site and do the same thing so it shows the tracking numbers and then email the customer. I have sock club sitting here and also a fair amount of other orders. And honestly it’s not doable so as sad as it makes me RSC will wait until they come on Monday. And those that have knit deadlines I will click’n ship.

This is the kind of thing all small business owners deal with but it’s all worse this year since we are all online all the time using all the band width. So many of us small business owners have fewer staff, if any. I am one of those, so time, plans and efficient processes are super important. And mine just got railroaded ~ again.

So very many obstacles! I am one of those people who always gets back up when knocked down. Life has challenges it just does it’s what we do and how we handle them that creates how we live. I will say though the past week or so not getting back up has seemed like it just might be the more sane option. haha

In the grand scheme of things I know how privileged I am. I know I have it better than a lot of others during this past year or so. I have a roof over my head and food on the table and the ability to work. Perspective!! I have a friend who is fighting breast cancer right now and she has had to deal with so many complications from treatments. It’s staggering and she just rallies and keeps on keeping on. I have talked to quite a few of you who have made sacrifices for your families while we deal with the ever changing landscape of how to navigate all of this pandemic protocol.  we all have lost loved ones and not seen or been able to be with loved one. So very much to process!

We do all have our challenges and burdens if life and the pandemic has greatly upped the ante on that for most of us. If it has not for you then please do count your blessings and look out for your fellow humans. We just don’t know what others are dealing with. Ask people how they are. It’s amazing what your hear and see. We learn so much when we bear witness to each other. Listening and hearing is powerful for both the person sharing their story and the person receiving it. A gift if you will. We are strong but, we are so much stronger together.

Which is why in the middle of all this today I texted my son for support while dealing with Century Link  bs and then called my daughter after all was said and done to rant and rave with swearing and now am writing you to share what some of my days can look like.

Thank you for listening my friends! I have my tea with a little fortification in it and my BTS CD (no streaming without internet) so out to the barn I go since I do not need internet to dye! I am also taking you all with me .

I hope you have a lovely weekend!!!

Please take care and stay safe!

love

 

Short and sweet!

First of all Happy Lunar New Year!!

I was going  to write a lengthy share today but…we have so much snow. Up to my knees at the moment and what usually happens when we get this much is we loose power which means I can’t work and there is no shipping. I actually doubt USPS will make it here anyway since they would be hard pressed to get down the drive.

So I just wanted to put that note here. In case we do and you hear nothing I am fine, all is well, just seriously snowed in.

It is quite beautiful and very peaceful. The chickens are seriously not happy but the bunnies are loving it. Which I will say I did not know about rabbits.

I am diligently working on all of your orders. I really appreciate your patience and support.

To those who have called and emailed and sent notes thank you so very much for taking the time to reach out. It’s just wonderful to hear from you. Also those of you sharing on instagram thank you so much knit and crochet goodness!

I will check in when all of this winter storm business has passed.

Stay safe and take care of yourselves and each other!!!

love!!!

 

A few things…

Happy New Year!!

I know we all are glad to see the end of 2020 and I am certainly part of group. It’s been such a year of scary things happening with so much loss and hate. However it does feel like we are so very slowly moving our way out of this scenario and into a place where we can start all of the really hard work of healing and change and growth toward a greater good for EVERYONE! Absolutely everyone.

As a small business owner this pandemic and how poorly it has been handles in this country has been a nightmare on so many levels. So first and foremost please if you are in a position to support small businesses please do, especially restaurants.

One of the most challenging pieces of this is the constant changes. You just never know what is coming next and once it shows up you have to figure out how to make that work. In this industry it is how the safety protocols we all have to put in place affect how we run our businesses. Which means almost all of us are operating understaffed. All the way down the chain of supply this is true. In this industry it starts with the mills and then moves on from there. When the numbers of cases of Covid go up then these restrictions tighten (as they should) and then we have to readjust.

I told a friend recently who asked how I was coping and I told him moment by moment. It’s not even day to day at this point. Like yesterday for example. I was all set to ship, packages all ready to go. So I turned on the computer and opened Endicia and lo and behold there is an upgrade. All the online shipping systems got hit hard with so many new accounts since March. They’ve had to make massive changes. And upgrade takes me calling them which is now at least an hour wait for tech support and then however long it takes them to switch our system. I am not ashamed to admit I almost cried. It was my last job of the day and well… I walked away. as soon as I finish writing this I will call them, put it on speaker and work until I get someone. Who I will be patient with even though I feel stressed because we are all over worked and doing our best in a very trying time. In April it was a three hour wait so it is better.

Mostly it is just me here at the moment doing ALL the things. ALL of them. I had Crystal here very part time (safety protocols) but then her family got exposed and now I am waiting for the incubation period to be done and the tests to come back. It will probably be another week. Of course that makes it really hard to predict timelines consistently or well anything quite honestly.

We also had huge Fedex shipping delays in December which affected getting some of our yarn here. The Fedex facility in Utah where our supplier is got hit and they were down in crew so it all slowed to an absolute crawl. Which one does not know until you  go to check your tracking. Oh and then their are the seriously stressed USPS workers. I can’t even some days. For most of December our carrier the lovely Connie was not her until 8 or 9 pm. Craziness!!! Please give all the love to your USPS worker that you can!!

What I am saying with these details is this i a challenge most of us have not experienced. I know I have not. I have not run Blue Moon alone in a very long time so this has been quite an adjustment. One that has taught me so very much. I am seriously grateful I can still keep Blue Moon operational. I know a lot of folks who have had to close their doors. Its so very sad and scary.

A lot of the yarn that was delayed is here! Sock yarn is here!!! I am reeling the sock yarn from cone to skein which used to be my least favorite job here, now I find it a bit meditative and calming.

Before Crystal called to inform me of their exposure to Covid I was working on getting the 3rd shipment of sock club out. Of course now that has slowed. I will say this this is one of the hardest parts. I know I am good at adapting to change but this craziness is a whole different ball game. So when I tell you I am working on your order or the sock club or whatever it is at the time I am doing so within this current shifting sand paradigm. We all are.

Please know I am doing my best and I do not have words to express how deeply I appreciate your support and patience. I am so close to being caught up enough that I can sleep at night. I have not added new colors because I do not have the time to make them and get them up on the website. I also do not want to add any until I am closer to being current.

As I have said before please email if you have any questions. If you do not here back in a day or two give me a call. 503.543.8431 is the dye barn and 503.543.3468 is the house . If I do not answer please do leave a message. I am probably at the dye pots.

As far as health and such I am doing ok. I know some of you have been concerned because of my silence. I am being very careful since I am one of those immune compromised. I did do a number on my ankle this summer so that has given me some issues. I live alone and am now working alone and have not seem my daughters in forever so that is a bit heartbreaking. I have lost people I love as a lot of us have.

All of this that we’ve been going through is a lot to process and cope with. Some of us have way more to cope with than others. I  do know my priviledge and am working with the local community to help others with less navigate all of this.

Okay it’s almost 10:00 and if I do not get Endicia on the phone it’s going to take longer to update the shipping software.

Oh these 2 furry souls have brought me so much joy in the past few months. They escaped from my neighbor and adopted me. Meet Chester and Buddy!!!

Love to you all!

Thank you Georgia and Stacy Abrams!!!

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Just another day ….

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This picture shows a small bit of the outskirts of the wetland that borders this little slice of heaven I get to live and work on.  Every Autumn when the morning dew gets heavier and the morning sun hits at just the right time this is what you see. I remember the first time I saw it. I was walking down the gravel drive to get the paper (yes that long ago) and the sun rose over the hill and lit up the fields that were just covered in spider webs. They were everywhere, on the grasses and trees and fences. It was stunning and eerie and I had never seen anything like it. I turned myself around, went and got my son and my camera. I made sure my youngest who is seriously terrified of spiders was still in bed. I spent the next week until the sun shifted studying this field.

This week as I headed out to work I noticed the field and was delighted to see all the my weaver friends are still at it. In this time we live in where we just do not know what each day is going to bring us I am finding more and more comfort in the natural world around me. I know I am very lucky that I get to share these 5 acres with all of the critters and life that grows here. I know I more aware and connected since it has basically been just me and whatever else lives here with me.

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Spiders are flipping patient as hell and the beauty of these woven splendors with the morning light shimmering on their dew laden threads is quite magical.

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We had a delightful but unexpected visitor this week.

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Meet Frankie the bunny! Isn’t he adorable? And also very tame as you can see.

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Yeah he came right in. It turns out my neighbor got some bunnies and some of them escaped so now we will all have bunnies.  I love bunnies so I am delighted. The chickens were very confused. It does explain who has been eating my lettuces. I will have to fence them off now.

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These ladies were not real thrilled to be sharing their ranging space with someone else. They were already pretty peeved with the blue jays and then this guy shows up. Never a dull moment and most definitely a good day.

Crystal and I were thoroughly entertained. We actually got a full week of work in which lately seems to be quite a miracle. We still have a little smoke this week from the California fires but the super awful toxic air has cleared. Thankfully. And now we all get to recover.  So many folks here in the Pacific Northwest have lost so much due to these fires so please do keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Since Scappoose is North of Portland we were pretty safe for the actual fires. I am very proud of how our little community stepped up to help those that were evacuated. We opened out fairgrounds and had so many donations form the community at large that we trucked them out to other communities in need. Farmers and ranchers here opened their land to house animals that had to be moved. It was a lovely thing to witness in this time where we seem so divided. When push came to shove all of that did not matter. I hope we can remember this!!

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One of the things I did during this pandemic to feed my soul was to get my garden back in shape. I started the project because of the supplying food aspect but then just kept going. One of my dreams for this piece of land is an extensive dye garden. Well this year we have the beginning of that. The picture above ip Hopi Sunflower which is a wonderful dye plant that I have been wanting to play with. Look at those seeds. Now if I can just leave it long enough for it to get to the perfect time to harvest before the birds get to them.

Crystal and I are making headway on orders!!!!! Sock club is shipping along with web orders and store orders. Yay!!!! So very happy. Thank you all so very much for your extreme patience and also for believing in me. I am truly humbled, grateful and so very lucky to have been a part of this community for so long. Your emails and letters are so wonderful. Thank you for sharing all that you are also going through. We are all affected in some way by what is happening in our world. We just never know what another person is going through in life.

I spent time this week changing the colorways to Autumn and Halloween since it is my favorite time of year!! The trees here are already turning. Since we have lost so much forest in the past few years I am probably going to find a way to pay homage to our trees.

Okay… well I am off to do the shipping and feed the chickens. I can hear them clucking away as I type so better get them their morning grain and greens before they get hangry.

I hope you all are well and taking care!

Stay safe!

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One day a a time.

Hello all,

I’m dropping in here to let you know that I am here working away and doing my best! I know you’ve been worried and I am sorry for worrying you. It certainly has not been my intention. Running all of this by myself for so long got to be overwhelming. There were things that I just did not have the time or energy for and unfortunately this was one of them. Which made me sad I do so love sharing with you and it’s been a bit lonely here.

Anyway I have brought one of my dyers back to help as of last week and we are moving through things. Well we were until the firestorm hit. We are on the North side of Portland and so far are safe from the big fires. However our air quality is as of today the worst on the planet. So it will be just me here for a few more days. We also have had spotty power. Since we are rural and that’s where these fires start the power company has been shutting things down when the winds are high. Downed power lines are usually the biggest causes of these kinds of fires. I appreciate them being safe although it is a pain.

It’s terrifying and there is so very much loss. So much it’s heart breaking!! If you are local a whole lot of folks are being moved here to the fairgrounds and other places, farms and families that have room. The Columbia County fairgrounds is asking for donations of any kind basically. Food, clothing, bedding, games for kids to play. You pretty much can’t go wrong. A lot of these families are from farming communities so their animals have been moved here also so feed is also needed. If you are on Facebook you can go here to  this group to see what is needed and how to go about donating.

You can also donate to the Red Cross and local Food Banks to help the staggering number of folks who’ve lost so very much in California, Oregon and Washington. I know we’ve not experienced anything like this in Oregon.

Okay I am off to make a run to the fairgrounds to drop off some things and then back to work.

I am so very grateful for each and everyone one of you. I hope you are all taking care and staying safe! Thank you for your extreme patience with me as we navigate all of this and your continued support. When I am low I remember each and everyone one of you dear creative souls.

Show your postal carrier some love!!

Love each other! We truly are all we have. It takes every single one of us with all of our beautiful differences.

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Diller shaking off a dust bath on a better day last week.

Gemini Season!!

Hello dear ones!! Sorry that I missed a week or so there. To be honest I did not have a lot to say and have been basically living in the dye barn.

Hopefully that eases up a bit soon. Anyway I am getting it done and reconnecting with parts of my colorful creative self that I have not had access to in awhile. Also planning all kinds of fiber fun and watching the changes in our industry and across the world as this all changes things. I hope you are all well and being careful!! I know it is hard. Seriously this is challenging us all on levels that I don’t think we are even aware of.

So let’s dive right into some fun and things we have some control over like yarn and color and stitches! Well maybe yarn and color I feel like there are days where my stitches have a mind of their own.

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Don’t look now but it is a new yarn!!

Welcome MOXIE  one of our short-run-yarns which basically means “get it while you can” because once it is gone that is it! We are bringing MOXIE in right now because it’s a lovely yarn that we are getting at a fabulous price point which we can pass on to you our lovely knitters and crocheters! A little yarn gift for us all at 20.00 a skein eh?!  MOXIE is a silky soft 3 ply Merino with the addition of nylon which gives it such a stunning sheen. I seriously love how it takes the dye! I am going to have so much fun dyeing this. MOXIE would make stunning shawls since it’s going to have a nice drape. Also it is going to be a great yarn for knitting for our little ones. It’s loves to be speckled too so that is all kinds of fun.

So… it is a little less than a week away from someone’s birthday.  We started celebrating on Friday with giveaways on instagram and facebook so do check it out. I am going to have them all week! You do not want to miss out on the fun.  I do love giving!

Our current giveaway is this loveliness!

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The Pink skein is called PinkISH and I am working on getting that color with a few others added to the website. I am not a pink person but I so love this one.

As you know I usually make a special birthday colorway for myself. As I was mulling this over this year I had all kinds of ideas and colorful thoughts. I have been wanting to do more themed kits and the whole birthday astrology thing is intriguing to me and fun of course. So…this month starts our ~ “What’s Your Sign” ~ monthly astrologically inspired color kits.

I’m over my moon loving self excited.

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I’m seriously in love with what I created for Gemini. I hope you love it as much as I do. I made the picture big so all the layers of color. Especially in the darker of the two skeins. It’s a duo cause ya know Gemini are the twins!! I took some of my inspiration from my raven and crow friends. Gemini is an air sign so we do love our bird friends and I have a thing for Ravens as you know. I have been wanting to make my own heart raven for awhile and her she is. Be still my feathered heart!

It is the brightest Raven I have made. It is darker than this photo is showing but not my much. So fun! This Gemini kit is 2 skeins and you have different bases to choose from with Moxie being one of them.  I used the colors in the raven for the second skein also as a speckle and with not black over-wash. You can read all about these on their webpage!

I have another idea I am giving flight to this week so stay tuned for that also.  I was holding off on some of this since it has only been me here and I am a but behind on orders and sock club. That creative mojo is important to follow when it shows up. It’s a gift and I think we do not say not to gifts. It’s rude! (hehe)  Also we need momentum right now. Moving forward creates hope.

So what 2 color pattern would I knit with my Gemini color! Hmm….there are so many wonderful patterns to choose from. I am loving the patterns right now that are using lace weight mohair with another yarn and the mohair creates some lace so I would choose that kit and knit one of those patterns for sure.

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I am loving Larissa Brown’s Moongazing Shawl so I would probably choose that. Actually going to go buy it right now. I think I will dye me a kit and cast-on on my birthday.

Okay well I am going to sign off. I have to go rinse and hang yarn to dry and I have not made food today so there’s that and I always watch a movie my grandfather and I loved on Memorial Day weekend for him. I miss both him and my gran but there are times when I just wish I could sit and listen to his stories.

LOVE and so much strength to all and especially our essential workers, our health care workers and those who’ve been impacted so very hard by this virus.

Stay safe and well my friends!!!

Oh I almost forgot! Silly me. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all of my fellow Gemini’s. I know there are quite a few of us! xoxoxo

 

Traveling Sweater KAL

In case you were wondering: it is Monday! (You’re welcome!)

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And what better way to brighten up a Monday than planning a knit-a-long? I know!! So exciting.

So we had all of these wonderful plans for 2020 since it is Blue Moon’s 20th year of being Blue Moon. As with most things right now, our plans have gotten a bit derailed. And to be completely honest, all of this kind of took the wind out of my creative sails. In reality I know it is not 2020’s fault that we are here but nonetheless, it’s hard not to harsh on 2020.

Anyway – we are moving along in our celebration of 20 years of spreading the love and joy of fiber, yarn, color and making!! 10 years ago Karen Alfke and I mused over a sweater design I had in my head and she went away and created a stunning design ~ The Traveling Sweater!!

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I loved the design, and it turned out that many of the rest of you did also. Oh my goodness, so much yarn went out into the world for knitting this sweater! Hell, a bunch of you knit it twice! (One intrepid knitter on Ravelry has made FOUR.) It was an amazing experience.

Karen and I had talked about a re-issue with upgrades and a possible KAL for a few years now. So what better time than Blue Moon’s 20th year and The Traveling Sweater’s 10th?

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Aria in “Phaedra.”

One of the reasons all of this works now is we have the right YARN!!! We originally used a yarn we called Woobu. It was a lovely merino and bamboo blend that held up well and also had this silvery sheen to it (thank you bamboo!). Our mill discontinued Woobu after a very long run; ever since then, we’ve been searching for a yarn replacement. Finally we have found one!

Aria is a stunning blend of 60% merino and 40% silk, which is spun oh-so-beautifully. I love this yarn so very much. It’s silky, smooth and soft while also being strong and energetic. [Karen says: “Hey! That’s how I want people to describe me!”] And… it has that silvery sheen which we have been looking for since Woobu went away. I will tell you that there was a fair amount of happy dancing in the dye barn when we saw how well this yarn dyed and knit. Be still, my yarn- and color-loving heart!  We are thrilled to add Aria to our stellar line-up of garment yarns in general — and specifically for the Traveling Sweater.

We could say that it’s sadly ironic that we are knitting a sweater called “the Traveling Sweater” at a time when so many of us are staying safe at home because of the pandemic. However, I choose to see it as knitting HOPE and dreaming of that time when we will be together, not just in spirit but back out in the world at our knit groups and festivals. There is always hope, and together we can knit that hope into reality.

Okay — so here are some specifics:
• Karen has the Tenth Anniversary edition of the pattern up on Ravelry here. There’s an automatic $1 discount running from now until after the cast-on date in mid-June to say thank you for all the love & support over these ten years!
• In the new edition of the pattern, you get an additional size (XS/S for all you petites!), a ton of schematics to help you visualize how it goes together, plus tutorials and photos and and… Plus, there’s a free companion PDF that outlines how you can make a version without the back ‘spine’ detail!

Great Back No Spine Glamour
• In the weeks leading up to the KAL Cast-On Party, we’ll chat here about yarn, colorways, dyeing Aria, swatching, blocking … all the topics you’ll want to know more about so you can cast on with confidence for this glorious piece. Also, Karen will be hosting the official KAL conversation and answering all of your questions in her group’s Traveling Sweater thread on Ravelry.
• Karen is also planning to put together YouTube tutorials (because online video tutorials are a knitters’ best friend, especially during pandemic lockdown!). Some of you may not know that Karen is not just a talented designer but also a teacher: she’s been teaching knitting for decades at big conferences like Stitches and Madrona Fiber Arts, as well as at shops like Churchmouse Yarns & Teas (where she used to be on the design team). Karen has also been my partner in our School of Yarn series over the past few years. She not only KNOWS knitting, she is so good at helping others learn and excel.

Now onto the dyeing and getting your yarn. Right now Eat Sleep Knit has quite a bit of Aria in stock, so you can shop there for instant gratification! And of course we are dyeing to order, as we do! We decided to set the cast-on date for June 19th so there will plenty of time for me to dye and ship you your yarn!! I will, however, ask you to choose your colors and place your orders sooner rather than later — this helps me order in enough yarn and then dye it and ship it to you! If you need color input please do let me know. I am more than happy to help at info@bluemoonfiberarts.com. We are continuing our discount we have running right now through this time. Code is: supporteachother2020 and is good for 20% .

Karen says you will need 4 skeins for the new XS/S size, 4-5 skeins* for the M/L size (what used to be the smaller size on the original pattern), and 5 skeins for the XL size. (See the pattern page on Ravelry for measurements to help you choose your size). *An important FYI: the yardage for the M/L size is really close to 4 full skeins of Aria. If you want to do a bunch of extra swatching, or if you’re tall and love looong sleeves, you will want to get a 5th skein for insurance. This one was close enough that Karen wanted to give you the heads-up about that.

Okay, crew – ready, set: TRAVEL! We can’t wait to see what colorways you pick, and get us all underway on our trip toward hope and cameraderie.

By the end of this week I should be currentish up on most of the online orders. Phew!!!  Have I said how much I miss my team.

I will also be shipping the April spinning club. I will be sending out an email about sock club either today or tomorrow.

I hope you all are staying safe and well. I know this is a challenge on so many levels and in different ways for all of us. Please know you are all in my thoughts and prayers!  You are wonderful!! Take it one day at a time! Some days it is one moment at a time. I have had a few of those. We will get through this to a brighter more loving and inclusive place for all of us!!!

love!!

This and that and then, probably a little of those!

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Yup, this is how it is!  I would say that it’s been a week but when hasn’t it been so…there’s that. I had to venture out yesterday for supplies and it was pretty surreal. It had been a little over 4 weeks since I left here and it was just odd being out in the world. I am one of the over 60 crowd so I left early to take advantage of the less crowded shopping. On the positive side I got to see the morning unfold which was lovely. Everything is blooming. So much can happen in 4 weeks time but especially so in the Spring. Wow so much color everywhere, especially green. Oregon seriously rocks green in Spring. There are so many shades of green but I things my favorite is the bright tree leaf bud green. It’s the kind of green that vibrates with life force. I love it!

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And yes this does mean there will probably be more green colors coming your way. I love green! I remember quite awhile ago when I was inspired to do some new colors Debra very gently mentioned I might want to try other colors besides green. Whaaaat?? Oh Debra. I did though, because she was right. It has been awhile since I had a green phase so I’m going to immerse myself in green for a little while. Green is such a healing, calming hue ~ regenerative! 1647a76726e270e4e906e82fb9ab2a52

Wow, I had no idea when I sat down to write this morning that this is where we would end up. Since we are here if you have not heard Joni Mitchell’s song Little Green give it a listen.

” Just a little green lie the color when the spring is born.”

It’s one of my favorite songs of all time.

 

 

 

Okay let’s talk a little bit about knitting shall we?

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Photo credit: Boo Knits

Boo Knits Happy Talk Shawl

Isn’t this pretty? I do love a Boo Knits design. And I have been looking for something to use our SilkMO Lace with and there you have it. Also she is offering it as a free download right now which is super kind and generous! I’m thinking Featherlight and SilkMO Lace ormaybe Soft Rock instead of Featherlight. Hmm… . And it could be green!!!I am working on a grey with green tints to it and that would be stunning on the mohair. Okay…I have to dye!!! Since I am the lone dyer right now I do not have a lot of knitting time and then also my hands are older hands so I do have to rest them. Oh my don’t you love those points!!!

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Rayna by Noora Backlund

I am finding during this seriously stressful time in our lives and world that I need simple patterns that will still hold my interest. I think this is one of those patterns for what it is but also what it will do with color which always holds my interest.

Noora uses a fingering-weight yarn which our stashed are full to brimming with and pretty much any color is going to work.I would choose a mutli with just enough contrast but like I said anything will work. Noora’s pattern is also free at this moment. Please do remember the gift these designers are giving us and support them anyway you can

Photo Credit: Noora Backlund

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Twisted Slipster Blanket Shawl by Jen Toll Knits

I am adding this one in because it very pretty and I love the stitch and we need cozy comfort right now. It’s knit is worsted weight so pull out your Targhee Worsted!!! I would use a shaded solid so you can see those twisted slips!

Okay I think that is a fair amount of inspiration for us all.  I have to get back out to the dye barn to work on reeling and rinsing. The two r’s of fiber work. I am just cracking myself up here.

 

Photo credit: Jen Toll Knits

As I  have mentioned it is just me here and I am doing my best to get your yarn to you asap. If you need it sooner than later please let me know and again thank you all for the wonderful communication and sharing. You’re the best!!

Take care of yourselves and each other.

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I do have baby chicks on the way. We might need some hats!!