I realized I’d neglected updating this for February.

Visit One Small Change for details.

January was supposed to be about turning off the computer monitor when not in use.  I hate to say I was not perfect, nor even 90, 80 or 70% good on this;  I’d guestimate about 50% success rate.  It’s still not yet a habit.  However, that’s better than not doing it at all…

Lights off when not in the room:  doing pretty well there (but that’s not quite a new habit, just reinforcing an old.)

The deck lights:  still on, but the other outdoor lights are off.

Meat & eggs:  did great.

For February:  with all the pattern designing, there’s a lot of printing, despite that I’m trying to work primarily on the computer.

I don’t want to say I’ll only print out ONE FINAL COPY, because that’s just not going to happen;  I’ll print out what I think is the final copy, then, despite countless times proofing it on the computer, I’ll still find another error or something wonky happened to the layout between Word and saving as a PDF etc.

But — for February (and beyond) I’m going to make a conscious effort to really decrease how many copies do get printed, and if I don’t need to reprint the entire thing, I won’t.  I do print double-sided, so will continue with that.

Okay, first off, I’m quite obviously no expert.  But over the last couple months, I’ve done a ton of research on the topic (& business) of knitwear design. 

Regardless, I’m going to post weekly on what I’ve learned, including links to great resources, until I run out of things to say. 

Topics will include getting from idea to pattern, test knitting, tech editing, business licenses and other related paperwork, photography, various software (from charting to layout), markets, and more.

What topics would you like to see covered?

One down!

I’m using KnitPicks City Tweed HW and just loving it;  it’s incredibly soft & luscious to work with.  This is a very quick knit;  the cable patterns are easy to memorize (with the exception of the heart heel flap, which is nonetheless logical).

Poppies are already blooming in our yard….hoping to get some nice pics this weekend, after we’ve weeded.  It looks like all the garlic bulbs have sprouted.  We also have a multitude of volunteer tomato seedlings — figure I’ll just let them do their thing.  Still harvesting tons (well, lots) of kale.

The pattern is up on Knit Picks here!  Very excited.   I mailed in the Dave socks earlier this week — they’ll take pics as well — then return the socks.

I should be getting yarn for Klahhane soon, as well as for the Dad Socks and Sw’Elegant.  I also have a couple other patterns in the works as proposals.

We’re been getting hit hard by the rains, but it’s all good for the plants.

I’m still not completely recovered from my cold, but almost.

A large number of designers on Ravelry, including myself, have pledged to donate varying proceeds from pattern sales to relief efforts in Hait. You can see the list here.

….albeit not a very well paying job, it’s now a job.

I got a whiff of this when I did the 2009 Christmas knitting extravaganza. Knitting to a deadline, limited to things that, though I did pick out things I was fine knitting, weren’t possibly my first choice for that moment in time.

I’ve submitted some patterns for the KnitPicks Indie Designer Program, and am delighted to say they are definitely interested in them. They sent me yarn for one project, and color cards for help in planning another.

I received them today.

And of course, I’d blithely told them I could have the finished project back to them in 10 days from receipt of the yarn (planning on mailing flat rate priority).

So guess what I’m going to start working on now?

I have no idea when I’m going to finish the Galileo mitts and my Polar Chullo.

***

Anyways, I’m still getting over my cold; Dave finally showed symptoms today and is having to take off from work. (The administration at his high school specifically wants teachers to stay home if they are sick/feverish; even if he’d felt up to going in (which he didn’t, feeling weak as a newborn kitten), they wouldn’t've wanted him to come in.)

I got my sutures out yesterday. I’ll have a small scar, but my hair will cover it.

All the plants have new leafy growth; some more poppies are already blooming; I can see little flower buds on the various Ceanothus. We’re expecting a lot of rain next week, fantastic for the plants. I’ll try to get some good pics up in the next few weeks.

…is live!

This is one of my favorite projects I’ve designed, I think because of the combination of practicality (very warm & wearable) and prettiness. I really love the picot hems — I think they give the mitten a more tailored/finished look.

…got all tossed out the window.  It’s now Jan 1oth.

I was going to finish the current Galileo mitt, my Polar Chullo, continue working on Manzanita, and the current Lau sock…..then bring Manzanita & Lau with me on our trip to visit my parents in Austin.

However, I ended up walking into a tree branch Tuesday (really) and ended up with a cut down to my skull & my first ever stitches.  Kinda blew the whole day for knitting.

So I didn’t finish the stranded items.  I brought Lau (no problems getting through security with the metal circs) but actually never worked on them.  Rather, I worked on writing up a new pattern (will probably put it out for test knitting today or tomorrow).  We had a very nice, relaxing, lazy few days with my parents — very much needed.

We flew home Saturday and I was feeling a bit sick.  This morning I had a fever, muscle aches, etc etc.  What fun.  Better now.

I’ve been chatting with some friends re: resolutions.  I guess I don’t really think of them as resolutions, but rather as overarching goals.  I do best, I think, when I revisit them monthly.

So….goals for this coming week?  Finish one Galileo mitt, finish the polar chullo, yadda yadda yadda.  And get Sw’Elegant published & the new socks out for test knitting.

ETA:  Oh, I’m a bad blogger.  I forgot to mention (and no pics yet, sorry) that waiting for me were blog contest prizes:

From Lazy Kate Creates :  some lovely Silkie STR in Space Dust (destined for a hat for hubby, with a name like that — Dave is totally into astronomy) and the book Blogging for Bliss (with some great tips and blog examples;  it’s  a book to browse while drinking a nice cup of tea, with laptop ready).

From Darcy:  some very cute Pirate gift tags, with a space for writing in fiber/fabric care.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It’s hard to come up with an idea for a small change.   We’ve done a fair amount of things already:

1. solar panels
2. tankless water heater
3. tore up our lawn, replaced primarily with natives
4. growing some of our own produce in earthboxes on the roof
5. replaced nearly all bulbs with CFLs
6. use cloth napkins instead of paper
7. shop for produce at the FM
8. buy meat & eggs at the FM (not always able to do so…perhaps that can be one thing to add to the to-do list, to do so exclusively)

One thing we’ve gotten a bit complacent about is electricity — though we produce more than we use,  we can cut back a bit in our usage.

So, for this month:

1. turn off computer monitor when not in use, and preferentially use the laptop rather than the desktop (unless I need to use the desktop to use specific software)
2. make sure we turn out lights when we leave the room
3. unplug the deck lights, unless we’re actually up there at night  (I think they’re pretty, but how often do I look at them?)
4. buy meat & eggs exclusively at the FM (we can get bison & chicken & chicken eggs at the Torrance FM)

Interested in the challenge?  Check out Hip Mountain Mama:  One Small Change.

Sw’Elegant, my new fingerless mitten pattern, is currently being test-knit; I’m planning on publishing the pattern in the next week. Here’s a pic of the prototype:

I’m also bouncing around ideas for another pair, Manzanita, with some wandering cables and lace.

Yesterday we had a rainy trip out to Tree of Life nursery in San Juan Capistrano.  We were going to hike first, Holy Jim Falls, but the road was so absolutely torn up (and Dave was worried if it really started raining hard, we’d get stranded) that we ended up turning around & just going to the nursery. We got more Heuchara and a Galvezia speciosa, which we planted today.  I also picked up some seeds:  Clarkia bottae and Phacelia campunalaria.

I yanked up the remaining squash vine this morning.  I did not do well with the winter squash.  We managed to harvest a couple blossoms to eat, but all the baby squash, of all the different varieties, rotted.  The last remaing tomato plant, however, is still trying to produce tomatoes;  it has a ton of flowers on it and has grown quite a bit.  The garlic I planted has sprouted, the kale is going crazy, the fava beans are doing okay.