Loop the loop

Video found on Neatorama:

I just created a Facebook page for McCord Works. Let’s see how that goes. Hmm, need to update some links.

I see patterns for “fingerless” gloves and they annoy me. They’re tubes! That’s all! At least some knitters and crocheters have the sense to call them wristwarmers. I want actual gloves. And gloves are hard! You have to section off for each finger. There are several different ways to handle the thumb. These silly little tubes are not gloves. I’m not sure I could even call them mitts. Have some respect, grumble grumble.

I haven’t knit any gloves yet. I’m formulating my perfect pair of gloves, but heaven only knows when I’ll get them started, never mind finished.

• - Washable wool, sock to sport weight
• - Long enough to come up well onto my forearm
• - Thumb and first two fingers will have fingertips exposed, last two fingers will be completely covered
• - Pretty pattern that I can also use for the
• - Matching hooded scarf which I also haven’t designed yet

Sigh. Check back in a couple of years. These will be the best things ever, if I can get around to them.

Monday’s a holiday, and I’m taking off Friday and Tuesday to give myself five solid days of time to work. One of those days was going to be taken up with a day trip to San Antonio, but I’ve pretty well talked myself out of that now. If that happens, it’ll be on Sunday now.

There’s a very long to-do list. Tomorrow there will be dyeing of silk thread and scarves. Today there will be planning of just what and how much I want to do. And some shopping for supplies. And groceries. It’s such a glamorous life!

Tuesday is the reward: a trip to the salon to get my hair cut for the first time in forever! It’s already scheduled, so I hope I deserve the pampering for a job well done by then.

I am crocheting a doily, and as soon as I finish, I’m going to rip it out. So I can measure how much thread is in it. It’s kind of heartbreaking.

Here are a few things I have learned:

1. Silk dyes much more easily than cotton. I would have thought it was the other way around. This means I’ll have to change up my technique and dye concentrations to achieve the results I want.
2. I do not like dyeing finished doilies. I like dyeing the thread first, and then working with it. That means I have to think much harder about silk vs cotton thread, and about the option of using colored thread instead of hand-dyed thread.
3. Twisting and twirling something that’s knitted and stretchy does not yield desirable results.
4. I can loosen up my rigid thinking a bit regarding tartan patterns.

It may not sound like it, but it was a successful weekend!

UPDATE:

This look promising.

The place to shop online for McCord Works is here at 1000 Markets! I’m very excited by this site for artisan goods. I have been moving my jewelry and doilies-under-glass to this site for a while now, and I’ll be posting new items daily for a little while longer. And then I’ll be posting some really new stuff!

More knit oddities! Anita Bruce knits starfish, plankton and other sea critters. Via Boing Boing. I love the monochromaticism.

Found this via a tweet from Design Milk. Emily Barletta crochets/sculpts some mighty interesting pieces. They do seem to suggest pain, physical and emotional.

Well, four shows in five weekends was educational. No more for the rest of 2009 now. I need to take a hard look at what works and what doesn’t, and what might in the future. I’m pretty sure the category will be clothing accessories, and it will involve dyeing, silk thread and silk fabric. And still lots of tiny crochet. Because that’s the point.

Yesterday I sold my best, prettiest and most expensive earrings. That made me feel appreciated and accomplished.