What's With all this Technology?

So after being a techno-hermit for the past few years, steadfastly refusing to join things like Facebook, I completely flipped, not only joining but creating a Facebook Fan Page  (which has hit 100 fans, woohoo!),  joining Twitter  (which, incidentally can be linked to Facebook), and of course tweaking my Etsy store by setting it up for Google Analytics.  I don't think I'd ever done so much computer stuff ever!

Knitting and Crocheting are less often illiciting that raised eyebrow and "my grandmother used to do that" comment by mystified onlookers - It's definitely to do with the surge of young girls and boys who are proudly brandishing their knitting needles on the subway, on airplanes, in restaurants, and... hey, is that a glimpse of a yarn-and-needles tattoo I see?  And those grandmothers who knit?  They are all super-cool and trendy and many are jumping onto the techological bandwagon with as much verve as their younger counterparts.  Buying any yarn you want anywhere in any color online is so amazing (and so addictive it's killing my wallet and taking over precious apartment space). And the thousands upon thousands of patterns out there! My computer is bursting with all the patterns I've stored over the past few years.  Thank goodness for backups, because if I ever lost that stuff I would be royally p----d.

Here's a Steampunk Version of my Swirls Cap

Have a great weekend everyone!

of Turkeys and XOXO Boyfriend Hats

Still trying to get back into the swing of blogging, but in the meantime, some stuff I've been working on:

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  I brought this as part of a gift for the people who hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year:

Gary the Turkey Cloth

It was a pretty fast knit, although I did have to add some single crochet edges and it needed a bit of blocking.  It might be fun to make a few of these in matching colors and join to make a tablecloth or runner, or even a kitchen towel.

I also can't believe there are almost 600 projects for my Swirls Cap!  I'm totally flabbergasted that it ever got this much interest!

Swirls Cap

I've also finally made my boyfriend a new hat for this year (seriously, he gets 1-2 new hats every year):

XOXO Boyfriend Hat

I made the first variation of this hat when I started knitting in 2001 (pre-Ravelry, pre-Blogging, Prehistoric, totally!)  I believe this was my 3rd or 4th project ever, after I had mastered the cabled hat in "Idiot's Guide to Knitting", which was my first ever knitting book.  I had also made a pair of matching fingerless mitts. They've been totally stretched and worn out of shape, almost to the point of felted, but here's a couple pics:

I had used some bulky Cherry Tree Hill wool from an annual sale they had... I think they sold through ebay back then, but am not sure if they still do... Anyway, as you can see, the elasticity did not hold up well over the years...which is why the newer version of the hat has more ribbing.  It's funny looking at my earlier knits, as I'm a lot more picky now about finishing techniques and the different types of increases/decreases I'll choose for a particular project.

Back from Hibernation

I'm really quite embarrassed that it has been over a year since I last blogged!  I don't really know how to explain my falling off the planet; I was starting to get burnt out on knitblogging, I was totally stressed out because the place where I work was threatening to not exist anymore (it's still sort of a cross-your-fingers-and-see sort of situation), then mix in the fact that Ravelry (wonderful though it is) became a surrogate blog-substitute, and well, poof!

Many apologies to those who wondered what became of me, and I will try to slowly get back into blog reading and posting once in a while...

What got me interested in coming back was a combination of knit/crochet designing and opening my own Etsy store (doremiknits.etsy.com).  The knitwear store was in response to the many requests I'd get from people asking me to make things for them.  Since I obviously can't sell stuff from other peoples' patterns, I had to come up with some designs of my own.  Then, a curious thing happened: I started getting messages from knitters and crocheters wanting to buy my patterns.  

Swirls Cap

available on Ravelry

(and soon at my Etsy store) 

Now, the other reason I wanted to blog again, unfortunately, is a vent:  I had some unpleasant experiences with this whole designing thing.  This cap was originally a free pattern.  Then some people decided to ignore my copyright and terms of usage and sold hats made from my patterns.  Although I was able to work things out with these people, I must say it's not a fun experience and I don't wish it on anyone!  I spent many hours on my patterns so people would enjoy making them for their own personal enjoyment.  I assumed people realized copyright laws prohibit things like people using your patterns to make things for sale, or that changing one or two things in a pattern does not give you the right to call it yours.  Most people do understand these things, but I was really surprised that there were people who didn't...  So... those of you who are excited about sharing your patterns with the world - be prepared for the occasional headache ;)

Nevertheless, I won't give up on designing so easily!  This is a sneak peek of a pattern I still have to write up (I don't use charts but feel other knitters might like to use them?)  Once I figure out how to do that this puppy should be up on my Ravelry store:

Climbing Leaves

Hat

(shown on left in Dream in Color Classy, and on the right in Karabella Aurora 8)

Well, I'm off to play an opera, so I must go and dig out some black clothes... and bring candy for intermission!