Sewing in Spring

Go go the new blog! This one is leaving! You only have a few weeks before I stop posting here! Exclamation!!

We've been treated to an amazing week. Blue skies. Open windows. Blooming flowers. Singing birds. Yellow sunsets. Early bumblebees.

Inspired by spring's arrival, I pondered nature's awakening, revelled in the beauty of change, and marvelled at the freshness of seasonal renewal. Then I promptly moved on to more important things, like my spring/summer wardrobe. Sundresses! Floral cottons! Nautical! Folk prints! Colourblocking! YAY! Am I shallow? A bit, yeah. Bite me.

I hit a snag, however, in the form of my budget. I am trying to be fairly strict with myself these days, and giant sunshine-induced clothing splurges don't really appeal to my inner miser. "It'll be cheaper if I sew!" I thought to myself. Not cheap enough though. Desperate for some pretty new things, I did the unthinkable. I tackled my fabric stash.

First, I thought about what I wanted to wear, and spent some quality time staring at my current wardrobe. Then I went through the stash, pulling out suitable quantities of fabric and matching them with patterns.

I discovered fabric for four dresses, six tops, and two pairs of scrappy pj shorts. I bagged each item with the corresponding pattern (if I already owned it), labelled the bags, filed them, and mentally prepared myself for my least favourite sewing task - cutting.

I've cut for four garments so far, and will continue to chip away at it. With any luck I'll get some quality time with the sewing machine soon, and then I'll have pretty things to show you!

Are you doing any spring sewing? Tell me all about it!

 

Behind the Scenes

A friendly reminder - this blog's days are numbered! Head over to www.EmmaKnits.net for the new blog.

I've been hard at work in lots of stealthy ways these days. I've been updating the pattern listings on the website - hopefully you will find them more informative now. I may tweak them further still to add more info. I have also rebranded all my patterns so they have updated contact info and are all stored in the same program. They look so matchy now! If you've purchased a pattern of mine you should have received an email informing you of the updated files.

And because I can't only do clerical work, I've also been spinning and dyeing like a madwoman so that there will be all sorts of wonderful offerings available at Fibres West. I think you'll like what I've been up to!

That's some gorgeous Moon Snail in the pots, soaking up a last layer of dye. Love it! That giant yarn there is a fantastic handspun that I have 7 whole skeins of. If I can bear to share it with you, that is. Hmm.

I promise I'll be able to focus on projects and fun blogging again soon!

 

My New Website is Live!

First of all, let me say how grateful I am to have made such amazing friends in the fibre arts world. You have all been so supportive since I went public with the news that I would be closing down Everything Old. It's been bittersweet, actually. I don't want to leave you guys! Will you come with me?

"Where are we going?" you ask.

"EmmaKnits.net!" I reply with the slightly manic enthusiasm of a woman consumed for two weeks with the creation of a new, shiny website.

That's right kids - you can now find me, my patterns, and all the cool things I have to say at www.EmmaKnits.net. My entire blog has been moved over there (although there were some formatting errors in the transfer of my blogger posts, please forgive me for not going through hundreds of posts to tidy them up) so you won't miss anything. This blog will stay here as long as blogger hosts defunct free blogs, but all new content will be created at the new site.

I'll be cross posting everything both here and on the new site for the next month or so, but I'd love if you could bookmark, follow, or whatever you like to do at the new blog location. It's so much prettier and clearer to read. And there's going to be a podcast, guys!

I'm excited. Are you excited? I'm excited.

 

The End of Everything Old

Hey guys, I'm closing the shop.

Not today though. About a month from now.

This is a hard post to write. I don't like disappointing people, and I'd much rather be telling you about some really awesome new things on the horizon that I'd love you to be a part of! I'll get to that, and to reasons and such, but first I wanted to share a shutdown timeline, for those of you who need the quick and dirty.

Timeline

Right now: No worries! The etsy shop is still open. I won't be adding any more items, but even were the shutdown not happening that would be the case because Fibres West is coming and I have to reserve stock.

• If you have been craving a sweater lot of one of my colourways, now is the time to see if it's in the budget and make a custom order. I will be taking custom orders up until Saturday, March 22. The next day I'll order the yarn, and dye it up as soon as it arrives.
• Custom order rules, limits, etc: Must be for three or more skeins of the same base, though they don't have to be the same colour. If you want less than that, try getting together with a knitterly friend to make your order! There is no extra charge for custom orders. I will be keeping the order options to a few select bases: Paragon, Kashmir, Lively, Sublime, and Squish. I might be convinced on others if folks can get together orders for 6 or more skeins.

March 21 and 22: Fibres West! This is my very favourite show, and I didn't want to miss out on vending one last time. I'll be bringing my entire stock, which includes some surprises, some awesome new colourways, sweater lots, and more! I'll be taking custom orders (same rules apply) there too. Please come see me!

March 23: Last yarn order. I'll be getting ready to fill all of your lovely custom orders. I'll keep you updated as they progress and ship them asap.

March 26 (ish): THE SALE BEGINS. Everything still in stock will go on sale, with the discount percentage going up as time goes on. It's gonna be madness! If there's something you love, buy it now, at Fibres West, or early in the sale because once things are gone there's no turning back.

Now that's out of the way, my reasons for quitting. In short, it's best for me, and for my family. The indie yarn market is full of wonderful dyers who can pick up the slack, and I need to seek out the more consistent paycheque of traditional employment. My kiddo would love preschool and I need to get my butt in gear so I can reliably pay for it. I've been a great boss (and so modest!) and I love working for myself, but I am also looking forward to the stress reduction and defined work hours. Dyeing is a creative process, and it needs to be filled with inspiration and love. I've been having a harder time dredging those up, and so it's time to pass the torch to people who are feeling it as strongly as I was when I started.

Things I am feeling inspired by, however, are pattern design and podcasting! I'll be introducing you to a new website very soon, and (yay!) I plan to have my first podcast episode out sometime shortly after Fibres West. I'm super excited! I'll post more on that later.

Thanks for bearing with me, my dear friends. 

An FO: Veera's Here and There Hat

I love Veera Valimaki's patterns. Her focus on shape, line, and colour creates a clean, simple aesthetic that really lets knitted fabric shine. If my body shape suited them, I'd make every single one of her sweater designs. Hats however, don't require a willowy figure! Yay!

Primary colours FTW

 

Veera's Here and There hat is a gorgeous slouch toque that manages to be both practical and fashionable. I am pretty fussy when I pick hat patterns, as my short hair can get swallowed up in many styles. Also, hats without any volume tend to make my head (which is LARGE) look teeny tiny in comparison to my body. It's a proportion thing.

Bird painting by UnitedThread, lighthouse by EveSand, both on Etsy.

 

The thick, squishy garter stitch fabric gives the hat body, while the stripes and cable make a cute statement. Love it!

I used my own Everything Old Squish BFL Aran in November and Crabapple Jelly. I always feel uncomfortable raving about my own products, but I love this yarn you guys. It's soft, smooshy, and luxurious feeling, yet easy to work with and care for. I used a US size 7 needle, which created a stretchy, malleable fabric with lots of body.

I've already got lots of wear out of this cozy hat, and I know I'll get plenty more before the warm weather comes.

Boo.