Happy Plan

We moved to Maine in 2012, and we knew that SNOW was a part of the deal.  And really, I do love the brilliant white with the sun reflecting brightly off it.... It really looks cheery to me.   But then, I detect a bit of the Cabin Fever creeping in.
Noticed, too that my attitude toward the people I see every day can sometimes get unjustifiably cranky.... Where's that sense of humor I need so very much!?

Add to that, the fact that I really, really, really want to lose weight and get back into the clothes that have gotten too tight..... and it's been dawning on me..... am I happy?  Well, it started when I considered why am I not losing weight?  I'm eating carefully, exercising more, and -nothing-.  Thinking about those people on the TV show, "Biggest Loser".... pretty much every single one of them has some despair or such trigger that was keeping them from losing.  How 'bout instead of going on a food diet, I focus on a Happy Plan? 

Then!  Focus on the Family interviewed Valorie Burton yesterday... she wrote the book "Happy Women Live Better".  I knew right away that reading that book had to be part of my Happy Plan.
In the introduction, she leads the reader to her Happy Woman Test .... learned that my Personal Triggers are Flow, Purpose, Savoring, Movement..... and my Power Triggers are Play, Winning Words, Service and Financial Savvy......   to be continued.....

Spinning.....

Over the past year I've really enjoyed getting together with some spinners in my area and gleaning from them.  Hatie and Liz and Dorothy have taught me so much, just by letting me be near them!  This week J&B Atlantic, a local store, invited us to come and sit and spin in their store, and meet people.  We met Dayana, an accomplished knitter new to the area, and look forward to meeting many more knitters and spinners in the coming weeks.  Hatie's handspun yarns and my hat kits are for sale at J&B, along with more and more "fiber-y finds"! 

Art: "This is how I see it."

When I was growing up, my brother Nathan was the family artist.  (If anything, I was the family talker.)  Flowers, frilly dresses, all pretty things delighted me.  Crayons and paints were among my favorite toys....but I was not the family artist.  Sometimes I asked to color the pictures Nate drew, but he wouldn't let me defile his pencil drawings for fear I'd obliterate his art.  So I stuck with the coloring books.....
Eventually I was taught all sorts of needle arts - embroidery of various kinds, sewing, as well as knitting and crocheting.  Thread began to replace crayons as I found I could make useful things to give as gifts or sell at the bazar to benefit the volunteer fire house..... but this was never seen as art.

But NOW!  Now, at last, my work is recognized as art!  The designs that take their shapes on my graph paper and then in knitted garments are expressions of my appreciation for the fascinating world around me.  Sometimes its nature, but also, often man-made beautiful creations draw my attention.

Supreme Court Tam 

My knitted designs show you, "this is how I see it."  That's art. 

Hats for Sale!

Lupine Meadow Tam

We are working on making labels for the finished wool hats we have for sale.  How incredibly complicated can a little label be!?  We are told people like information, and we're happy to share it with them.... but how much info can be expected to be on a garment tag?  A logo, care instructions, individual design inspiration and my biography... the price for the hat, the fact that our business qualifies for the "Maine Made" logo, room to punch a hole... wow!  It all adds up.  But soon, very soon, with all Stan's computer expertise and patience and my fussy critique, we will have labels to put on the hats that go into shops for sale.  If you visit Maine, look for Mrs Knitter Designs hand-knit hats in gift and artisan shops along the coast.  For more specific details on which shops, visit  Mrs Knitter Designs.

February Cheer

There's a lovey-dovey hat coming!  

Designing again

Next goal..... Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!
I have several hat designs in my head, some partially on paper, or even charted in the computer program.  Now I'm getting at knitting them and preparing my part of the patterns so that "Mr" aka Stan can do his magic and make the patterns all pretty.  He also winds down the yarns to make the kits.  It all takes a lot of time, so I 'd better "get a wiggle on" as my Mom used to say!
Some of the ideas I'm working on: Lupines, Valentine's/Magenta Magpies/Love Birds, Falcons, Crabs, Loons, Buffalo Plaid..... Which ones will actually come to reality?!

October Traditions Tam

The pattern design that has been most popular this fall is my new "October Traditions."  We made up kits using the JaggerSpun colors I designed it in originally....

October Traditions Tam in JaggerSpun as in our kits

and then I began trying some Cascade 220 fingering  colors that I bought at Over the Rainbow Yarn in Rockland, Maine.  Since I bought a full skein each of 8 different colors, I could knit several hats, rearranging the colors any way I liked.  

October Traditions tam in Cascade 220 fingering

 Aren't they pretty!?  I think the mostly-rust one in the center is my favorite.  In the JaggerSpun, I really counted on their mustardy color called "Curry".  They have no good orange.  Cascade, on the other hand, had a good orange, but nothing like Curry.

Another autumn hat I enjoy knitting was originally designed in spring/summer colors.   It takes on a whole new look in autumn...

Trees in JaggerSpun

I really like the new look, and am going to use some Cascade to do it again.