Friday say hi, five random thoughts in a row

I crazy. This is the kind of mood I've been in lately so of course I can't blog, because you'll all know I'm not a knitting professional but actually a rambling coo coo bird. But I think I'd like to come out as a crazy person, and hope you'll ride along with me for the time being.

Today's post lacks cohesion. It is straight from my unedited brain. You have been warned.

1. Just moved. As in, packed all my stuff and dragged it 8 blocks away. Total chaos. I can't find anything except stuff I'm not exactly looking for. For example, here is a picture of me at the 2004 Grammys.



I'm eating (thanks) something called Cheese of Spain. Remind me to tell you about the Grammys sometime.

2. Knitting news! Wow. Did you hear that 30,000 people tried to log on to register for the Sock Summit all at once? That's what happened. I'm teaching at this flipping Lollapalooza!?

30,000 people (!)

When is the rest of the world going to take us seriously?

3. Speaking of serious, I am going to run in my first race since junior high school tomorrow and I'm excited but a little scared. It's the Starlight Run for local folk. I "like" the part on the site where they say "walking on the route isn't permitted". Okay then.

4. I just signed the contracts for the Fall 2009 Knitscene... gonna have a new pattern in there... yeah!

5. Spoiler alert - if you're in the Fresh From the Cauldron Wizard of OZ club look away now... though you should have this in your mailbox today.

The June installment features one of my new patterns, which will be available to the public early next year: Dorothy's Basket.



While daydreaming of a world over the rainbow, a farming girl from Kansas would have to also be practical. She would need a light shawl to wear while walking her dog to the mercantile. This project was inspired by something a young Dorothy Gale might sport to coordinate with her gingham dress and hand basket.

It's nice to talk about it since I am wearing it all the time anyway.

How about a pic of the shawl in action? Thanks to my work buddy, all around foxy moxington and hairspirational BFF Vivian for always having a good attitude about posing with my hand knits!



Thanks for reading this. Maybe you crazy too?

Registration for the Sock Summit

I just received this email - did you?

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Dear Honoured, Clever and Expectant Knitters,

The Sock Summit Team is pleased to announce that barring technical disaster, actual disaster or disaster of a sort we haven't imagined yet but is entirely possible.... we believe that Registration for the Sock Summit will begin on Tuesday, the 26th of May at 10am PDT.

There's a Frequently Asked Questions page here. Which may help you with concerns or questions that you have about all things summit-wise. If you still have a question after checking in there, feel free to drop us an email at info@socksummit.com, and someone will get back to you as soon as they are able.

We will send out a detailed “how to register” email 24 hours before registration begins. We will also be adding this information to the website on the registration page so please look there.

Looking forward to the Sock Summit, can't wait to see you there,

Tina & Stephanie

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Sock Summit Website is here.

Sock Design Workshop, part 3

Welcome to part 3 of a 434 part series (joking) called Sock Design Workshop. I am always sharing tips I have learned about design with friends and at the yarn shop where I work, but only occasionally here. Sorry about that.

Today's message is about goals. I have them. Do you?

I keep a list going of ten design goals I am working on. When I achieve one, I add something new to the list. Examples of past goals I had and hit:

1. Get published in knitty



Fall 2006: My first published pattern is called Back to School and it was published in knitty here.

2. Write one of those hand-dying tutorials that gets used, blogged and shared freely on the web.

Fall 2006: I wrote up a Kool-Aid dying tutorial and a Wilton's Icing gels dying tutorial. I still get a lot of action from those pages, even though I hardly dye fiber myself anymore.

3. Start an annual spin-along. Summer 2006: Started the Tour de Fleece here on my blog. It blew up once Ravelry came into existence and that is where it mainly happens now. Funny, because I hardly spin, though I am still obsessed with the Tour de France.

4. Knit on TV?

Okay, not really a goal but I wanted to grow as a designer and this definitely pushed me into a new dimension. 2007: Guest designer on Knitty Gritty.

5. Get a pattern published in a book.



Spring 2008: Expectant Little Knits, Cabled Shrug Hoodie.

6. Get a pattern published in a magazine.



Knitscene, Fall 2008: Kimono Socks!

7. Get a pattern in Vogue.



Spring 2009: Lace socks, Vogue Knitting.

8. Teach at the Sock Summit... Coming soon - Summer 2009!

9. Write a sock book... Well, the proposal is done.

10. Um, well, I guess I better get cracking.

Okay, the last two aren't goals I've hit yet. But you get the idea. The point of sharing this list isn't simply to brag but to remind you that it's easier to hit a goal if you put some thought into it, then write it down and work towards it.

I encourage you to make a list of goals in your own knitting life. (or spinning or crochet, etc.) Then pick one and get to work! It's like my brother says: "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

So true.