Basket Jacket and Color Fun

I've been having fun the past few weeks experimenting with various dying techniques and colorways for the "Dame Etta Vett Designs" hand-dyed yarns line. Here's a few of what I came up with:

The "Stella Mae Sock Weight" (superwash) yarns are:


"Bermuda"

"Hobgoblin"

I love this colorway ( still unnamed) and am currently making a scarf from it.

"True Blood"

The "Lady Sue Lace Weight" (some 100% Superwash, some with 30% Silk) are:

"Nancy"

"Sister Mary Fig"

"Aruba"

"Prairie Flowers" (l) and "Prairie Meadow" (r)

The "Lord Sully Sport Weight" yarns are cotton/rayon blend and include:

"Granny Python"

"Raj"

"Hematite"

"Penelope"

Here's one of the "Winston Lou Worsted Weight" yarns. It's 100% cotton:

"Colonel Mustard"

Also, as an update to the project that I thought would never end, I finally finished the "Basket Jacket" I was making from sock yarn - although I worked the front button panels several times before I was happy with it. I'll post more (and better) pictures of it soon...

SDOSAS!

Jer

Bienvenue!

Welcome to my new place in the blogosphere!


There's a lot to say about my new ventures into hand-dyed yarn and my efforts at professional crochet design. But, that will have to wait for subsequent postings. Having just attended the National CGOA Conference in Buffalo earlier this month, that seems like the best place to start in catching you up...


If you remember what happened at last year's conference, it should come as know surprise that Meg was up to her old tricks again this year. This time, though, she knew what to expect and it was all I could do to keep her in my carry-on bag during the flight. Once we were onboard the shuttle to the hotel, I thought it was safe to let her out, but...


She immediately began hopping from seat to seat, so excited to be, as she calls it, "where the string meets the hook!"


Her first victim, ...err... new friend was an airline pilot sharing the shuttle. He is from Texas, but he had no idea to what to make of a van full of yarn enthusiasts, let alone a brightly colored ball of hyperactivity packed into 18 inches.




After missing a few of her favorite designers last year, Meg was fully prepared to do whatever it took to ensure the same thing didn't happen again. I guess that's why she ran across the breakfast table to get to one of her favorite designers, Margaret Hubert.











She felt perfectly at ease resting in the lap of the one and only Pauline Turner.






Meg love's Crochet Today magazine so when she met the editor, she and Bret Bara shared a private joke at the Professional Development Day Luncheon.
















She caught up with Edie Eckman and




Karen Klemp, both of whom have taught in Dallas at the DFW FiberFest.

















Lily Chin taught her how to hold her own in the big city and she rode high on the shoulders of Amy Shelton, creator and owner of Crochetville.


She showed off her party dress to Cari Clement of Caron and the ladies from Lion Brand Yarn, Zontee and India.











Meg went with me and her Auntie Cher exploring the Farmer's Market that was a few blocks away. That's where she met a very special helper at one of the vendor's booths.













She had a great time meeting newer designers, such as Charles Voth and Sonja Hood, both from Toronto:




and enjoyed spending time with a few familiar friends from Texas: (top photo is Cathy, bottom photo, l-r is Molly, me, Bobbie, Sharon and Jan)

After endless pleading and countless bargains, I even let Meg attend the banquet and fashion show. I guess the exciting week had finally caught up with her, though. After dinner was over, she fell asleep briefly during the fashion show.

Finally, back at the hotel room Saturday night, I got her settled down enough to get some rest.

But even while dreaming, all she kept muttering about was next year's convention...

SDOSAS!

Jer

Baby Boots and Big Hair

Hi Folks!

It has been awhile since I last posted and sooo much has happened that I'll try to just hit the highlights...

Let's start with October~

For this year's Crochet Texas! charity project, I joined the "threadies" and made a couple of pieces for our baptismal set. I did the bonnet and booties... (Insert various "Awwwws" here.)

I went to Braintree, MA to visit where Fred was spending the majority of his business hours at the time. During a weekend adventure, we went to an old church and saw the underground crypts of John Adams and John Quincy Adams:

But the greatest find was all the crochet I discovered throughout the church "above ground."

October also marked the end of the State Fair of Texas. I was fortunate enough to have had 3 pieces displayed this year:

[The green pillow (also referred to in tones of animosity as the "8-hour pillow" went to Stephen. The pink tank went to my niece Chelsea and the Aran sweater went to Mom.]

For Halloween ~ THE most under-rated holiday of the year ~ I donned a big ol' wig and some scary make-up...as usual. (Funny thing~I did not win the costume contest this year ~ because the judges thought I was wearing a store-bought mask... Freaks!!)

You know, sometimes being too good is just too bad!

Scary? ... Yes.

"Store bought?"

Never!!!

SDOSAS!

Jer

And then there's Meg!

So, I went to the 2008 Knit and Crochet Show in Manchester, NH last month. It was my first national event and I had a BLAST, but I made one little mistake - inviting "Meg" along.

Don't get me wrong - Meg is a great Muse, but travelling companion? Not so much!

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning...

I had a great time at the convention; I went up early to attend the Professional Development Day and learned alot from the "Industry Established." The first night, I went to dinner with friends while wearing my crocheted vest... yes, the one snubbed by the State Fair of Texas... and received several compliments from established designers. Margaret Hubert , being one of THE 3 "Old Broads" introduced me to the other two, Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. Here's us at the PDD:

The rest of the day was CHOCK-FILLED with information and I went back to the Hotel with my head spinning-full of information. Meg was preoccupied with the MinorLeague ball game going on right outside our hotel room, so I escaped any interrogation from her about what she had missed:

But that didn't last long...

The next day, when I returned from classes, she was livid!

It seems that when I invited her to accompany me to the conference, she expected to meet people. I (hesitantly) agreed to introduce her to "the players" as she called them, only after she promised to be on her best behavior. In Meg's defense, she was a natural - no fawning or gushing - and she met several "players."

She met Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss:

She met Drew Emborsky (The Crochet Dude) and Robyn Chachula from the PBS Show "Knit and Crochet Today"

She met Jennifer Hansen, The Stitch Diva:

She met Jenny King (from Australia). (And those are Jenny's travelling companions, Lizzie and George):

She ran out and practically accosted Myra Wood for a picture in the sun:

This is my new friend Patsy H. from Tampa, Florida. Our local chapter adopted her since she was the only one from Tampa: (insert appropriate prayer here)

These ladies had the most wonderful merino at market; They are Decadent Fibers:

My friends Pam and Yvette had to get in on the action:


















And my loyal friend Jan:

As well as several vendors and shoppers at market:

And in perhaps the strangest display of solidarity, Meg and her Matching Auntie Molly:
Never before had there been someone to whom Meg was so drawn!




















All in all, I thought Meg was appeased enough to safely pack into the bag and head to the airport. But once we were on the plane, her lamentations began again. Seems she didn't like leaving while the Party was in full swing... me either !





















But finally she settled in for a peaceful flight, thankful for the opportunities...


Me, too, Meg. Me too!



SDOSAS!

~Jer