Long Time No See

Some things are worth waiting for and some aren't.

I've been posting tutorials on Facebook instead of putting them here where they belong and learning a great deal about what I can and can't do with my life during this recession.

A real-life venue

I finally looked into a real-life way of selling my work and found it in the Artisan Local Gift Gallery on Main Street in Janesville. I'll be moving the Facebook tutorials over and will be updating here on new items I have for sale.

An online showroom

I'll be setting up pictures in the "Store" section of the main Prodigal Sock website as a showroom. Items will be labeled to let you know if they're available in case you've had a chance to handle my work before and are willing to chance buying without fondling first.

What I have at the Artisan Local Gift Gallery

Just in case you are in Janesville, here are the items I currently have at the Gallery.



Isis Collar

I read an article in "Spin-Off" about modular knitting with left-over bits and pieces of hand spun and jumped for joy. Over the years, I've made several gifts out of this "Sky Blue" Merino and have always been amazed at the luxurious feel of it against the skin. Since I will NEVER buy an uncleaned merino fleece again, this is a one of a kind item. Because it was handwashed by me before dyeing and spinning it is incredibly soft. This piece is a collar-size scarf designed to be worn with a broach either on top of a cardigan or a coat. As the piece grew on my needles it reminded me of images I've seen of Isis, and so the name. I kind of like the idea of a neck protected by a goddess.


Isis Cuffs

When I finished the collar I had four extra scallops and quite a bit of exquisite soft white hand spun left, and so decided a goddess could probably stretch herself to protect a woman's wrists and hands. These cuffs are very elastic, and can be pulled down to cover most of the hand, or be worn as I prefer, as an additional layer of insulation over a light winter or leather glove.

Wine Colored Shetland Scarf

I had quite a bit of left over roving I'd dyed a wine color for a scarf. After reading an article in "Hand Woven" about texture weaving on a rigid heddle loom I realized I'd found the perfect project. Since the "Shetland" texture weave is close to a waffle-weave, this scarf is very dense. It could easily be crossed once across the chest under a coat and keep the wearer a little bit TOO warm.



Shetland Scarf

I'll be using this particular texture weave for scarves for a couple of years because it's just such a fun way to make clothing that can stand up to bitter winters. This version is a more traditional length with the twist that the warp was space dyed turquoise and wine, while the weft is solid white.

In both of these scarves, I've braided the fringe extra long for the convenience of any obsessives who choose to purchase them. There's enough length to re-knot and trim the fringes so they are all the same length. Me, I like fringe -- well -- fringey.

That's all for this post. I'll be moving tutorials over and highlighting new finished pieces and works in progress as time allows.