Verra's Notebook

Things I've Learned This Week

[a little sneak peek of things to come]

If I think it will take me a week to put new yarn up on the site, it will take me twice as long.  At least. I think I just block out how long it will actually take me to do all that photoshopping and copy writing. It is all worth it though. New, squishy yarn... 

It is possible to deal with knitting business related stress, by knitting.  It's lovely, and very probably a vicious circle, since I have more yarn here to knit than I could knit in a lifetime.  It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

You can spin yarn from spider silk.  There's an article at the NY Times all about it, and an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History if you're near NY.  There's a video at the AMNH site for those of us can't make it to NY, just follow the previous link.  

I'm not entirely sure what I think about spider silk.  It sounds like the people collecting and "drawing" the silk are frequently bitten, and while the spiders are released into the wild after the silk is harvested, I have to wonder if it's really a terribly humane process... doesn't quite seem akin to shearing a sheep.  

More than a dozen reasons that I'm not blogging right now...

updates soon!  

Stop. And Appreciate the Sunshine.

This is the view from my little office balcony right now.  This morning the whole island was socked in; covered in grey, misty fog.  I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately (work + house renovations + sick pets + just life) and I was admittedly not feeling particularly chipper this morning.  I went about business as usual: return emails/phone calls, pack up orders, check site stats, etc.  I felt tired; lethargic and ready for a nap.  Hmm, okay a nap, still sounds good.  

Anyway.  This all continued until I started to put together my IBOL package.  What's IBOL?  Go here to read all about it.  

And as I packed, I started to feel better.  Not that anything in my life or my circumstances has changed, but there is something about doing something for someone else that is really energizing.  I tried to imagine as I packed up yarns and fabrics and ribbons, what a woman in Iraq would do with them. Would she knit a pair of socks for her husband or a sweater for her baby?  Would the green batik that I've had since my college days -- gorgeous stuff but I've never found the right project for it -- make it into a quilt?  I tucked some ribbons from my stash in too, because I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like pretty ribbons.  

I started to remember, packing up that little box how fortunate I am to be working in this little room with gorgeous yarns stacked up all around me.  How thankful I am that I live in a country that for the most part is safe, open and tolerant of difference.  I hope that whoever gets my IBOL will have just a little bit of the joy that crafting things over the years has brought me, and a little bit of the peace that comes with knitting stitch after stitch.  

Mostly, I'm just incredibly thankful that there are people in the world like Mr. La Flamme.  This world needs more people like him.

September, Already?

How is that possible?  Summer seems like it has flown by.  I have to admit I'm a little jealous of all the people going back-to-school.  I love back-to-school, especially the buying new school supplies part. New books, new pens, new notebooks...

Luckily I'm having a little back-to-school fun myself:

A new something for the shop -- hopefully ready mid-September...

and new cowl to be finished by the time the fall chill sets in.

What are you making this fall?  If you need some inspiration, the new Knotions is out today, and there are some stunning things in the new Twist Collective.  Personally, I would love to make the luminen and pas de valse sweaters; now to find the time.