BLOG.CLEVERCATKNITS.COM

None for the money, I'm going to the shows

The Clever Cat — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:28:30 GMT

Big changes afoot (pun intended)! After much deliberation and thought, listing of pros and cons, and the many other things that we anal-retentive types do before coming to a major decision, I've decided to stop listing my yarns individually on the website. I'm going to go back to doing what I love -- which is operating The Clever Cat Knits as a hobby and not a business. My focus will be on the artisanal shows here in Newfoundland, with an occasional selling foray elsewhere if that proves to be workable in the future.

This site will still be here and I'll continue blogging and posting photos, but I'm not going to keep selling my yarns on the internet a skein at a time. If you want anything that's currently for sale on the site, grab it now. Effective this week, I'll be taking the individual skeins, their photos and their accompanying Paypal boxes offline.

Everyone, please feel free to email me if you're looking for something specific. Otherwise, see you at the shows, Newfoundland!

p.s. I finally perfected the child-size Boot Buddy, as shown above. They are incredibly warm and toasty. I'm chuffed.

Winding, winding, winding

The Clever Cat — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:36:46 GMT

The boring part of being an indie dyer of fine yarns is the winding, winding, winding. Since it is more cost effective, you purchase your fancy yarns in cones. Said cones must be wound into skeins prior to the dyeing process. The dilemma -- 50 gram skeins, 100 grams, more? And what colours do people want? No one answers my queries online so I go with the trends in our favorite yarn mags (thank you, Knitters).

And what's the lowest price point we can sell this yarn to maintain that thrill for yarnies while covering our wholesale purchase cost? On, on, on, it goes. I'm telling you, dear knitters, that it's hard not to just give the stuff away because it's just so darned beautiful to fellow yarn junkies. It's like, "Whatever, just send it to me!"

I bought just one cone of a soft 100% silk boucle, K-spun silk yarn from Japan. It's 'oh-my-gawd' gorgeous, but since there's only one cone what do I do? Wind it into 100-g skeins for scarves? Keep it for myself since it's so freaking expensive and so drop-dead fabulous? Design a new pattern to compliment it?

Dilemma. People think wholesale means the dyer/supplier of finished prod. gets it cheap. Nada. Wrong. It's all a labour of love. Or maybe obsession?

Finished!

The Clever Cat — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:41:19 GMT

This was nearly done on time. It was blocked, wrapped and in the mail by the end of January. I had so much fun making this shawl. The border took nearly as long as the centre squares, but it was worth it. I knitted the border on as I went, instead of sewing it on afterwards, as the pattern directed. But next time I won't do the extra rows of edging around each square because, although it did make sewing them together a little easier, I was unhappy with the overall look. I'll go strictly with the pattern's suggested sewing technique for a cleaner look, I think.

But the best part of all was receiving this photo from Tiffany, the new mom, with the baby all wrapped up in her shawl. Made my heart very happy! {=^:^=} (And just look at those fat little cheeks!)

Baby Shawl Flurry

The Clever Cat — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:03:16 GMT

I`m happy to see the backside of Christmas. My partner says I`m a humbug, but I`m really not. I just think the holidays are a huge amount of work for women in general and a crazy expense overall. However... onward, ever onward, knitters of the world. Now it`s time to treat yourselves to a nice skein of something special and kick back for the next couple of months.

Since the beginning of November, I`ve been working on an heirloom baby shawl for a young friend who`s having her first baby. Because I was working on the Boot Buddies at the same time, the shawl got put into the background for a little while. The baby was due at Christmas and is now overdue, so I`ve got my skates on and I`m moving as fast as I can!

I`ve got 15 of the 16 squares finished, with the last one on the needles as you can see from the photo. But there`s still the seaming and then the border to do. Eeeeeek! At this point, I don`t expect to beat her new daughter`s arrival but at least she`ll have it within her first month in this world.

I added an extra round to each square whereby I picked up 43 stitches along each side and them cast them off loosely -- worth the extra work in the long run IMHO because it`s quicker to join them with a Kitchener stitch afterwards. The other photo is from the pattern. Hopefully, mine will look as nice. Cheers all!

The buddies have bloomed

The Clever Cat — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:56:53 GMT

I've finished them and the light gray pair is felting as I write. These take nearly three 100g skeins of worsted weight wool per pair. To give you an idea of the pre-felting size, the dark gray pair are about 10 inches long from the back of the heel to the end of the toe. Can't wait to get these packed up and sent off!

Creation of the "boot buddies"

The Clever Cat — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:21:32 GMT

I've been working on a prototype for felted socks to wear inside rubber boots. If you live in Newfoundland, rubber boots are pretty much a given, but they've also become very trendy just about everywhere in the last few years. I wear the boring, old-fashioned black kind for tramping around the "back 40", but my twin nieces who attend university in Nova Scotia are right into the fashion statement versions.

Their mom, my D-S-I-L Pamela, asked if I could come up with something to help keep their feet a little warmer while they travel around campus. Those inserts you buy at the hardware store don't really do the trick -- nothing compares to thick, felted, merino wool, does it? She's the one who came up with the name of "boot buddies".

So, I've experimented for a couple of months. The first one would have fit a five-year old; the second one was about two times too wide. My latest attempt, shown in the above photo beside an unfelted one, seems to be about right for my foot. I wear a women's size 7 (in North American sizing). The girls wear about a size 9 and they're slim, so I've added to the next prototype what I believe is the right amount of length prior to felting, plus I added a slight decrease around the ball of the foot. The decrease can be omitted for a wider fit.

Now I'm knitting like a mad thing trying to get two pair done in time to send them to Pam before Christmas. I've nearly finished the first pair, in dark gray tweed. The acid test will be when I felt this latest attempt. Then if it looks like a go, I'll be pushing it to get the second pair finished and everything mailed.

Oh, and I do have hand-dyed CCK pure wool for felting but I've never put it on the website. It was just an extra something I took to shows, mostly as a loss leader. But if this looks like a plausible new design, I'll write the pattern and post the Boot Buddies on the site as a new kit. Keep you posted.

If it's Monday, it must be greens

The Clever Cat — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:20:14 GMT

Between photographing and uploading some new yarns last week, I spent a day experimenting with a variety of green shades. A pleasing discovery -- the new superwash merino sock yarn becomes deliciously, buttery soft after being processed. I'm thinking luxurious socks for Christmas gifts...

As a plus, I'm finding this merino also takes the colours "true". Some yarns, because of their content (especially the blends), will come out in different shades than what was envisioned. That's why I love working with silks. They take colour beautifully and the results are fairly consistent.

With other fibres, I can dye three different yarns in the same dyepots at the same time but get three completely unique colour results right out of the same pot. That can be frustrating when someone has asked me for "this yarn but in those colours". There are no guarantees in the world of yarn dyeing, as many of you fellow dyers will agree. You get to know your own products, but working with new yarns is always a creative surprise at first. And that's the fun of it.

Got lots of new items in the works

The Clever Cat — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:47:40 GMT

Greetings knitters! I believe I have finally gotten the hang of this blog program. Praise for small miracles.

The dyeing is moving along slowly but steadily and we hope to have new yarns on this site by next week. Until we get my yarn room renovated and find places for all the items currently being stored there, I'm at the kitchen sink. Talk about a "dedicated, hands-on, small-batch" yarn business. It doesn't get any cosier than this, believe me!

There'll be a couple of new silks for you to try out -- a fingering weight shantung, like the laceweight I used to carry but a little sturdier, and a gorgeous silk crepe, fine but not as fine as the Whiskers (which is 2/20 weight). And for those who have been patiently waiting for more of that scrunchy, drapey reeled silk of the Simply Gorgeous One Row Silk Scarf fame, you're soon to be smiling.

Let's see.... what else? There is more "Luscious" kid-silk on the way, plus a mini-kid that is identical to the one carried by the talented, unequaled, Fleece Artist. I'm so not of her calibre, but I'm happy to be able to offer you the same mini-kid mohair yarn with my own Clever Cat signature. There will be more colours of cashmere lace and a bit more baby alpaca, but I still need to find a new supplier for the latter. I've been communicating with a local grower, Alpacas of Newfoundland, so I'll keep you posted on that as well.

Oh, and I'll also be carrying a wool/acrylic blend with a fairly low price point. This is an experiment to see if you, dear knitters, are interested in such a thing from The Clever Cat. Time will tell. {=^:^=}