So back in January, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee blogged about her self-imposed sock club, bundling together yarn from her stash with patterns and setting up 12 grab-and-go bags. I thought it was a nifty idea, and then I forgot about it. After my frog-or-finish decisions, though, I started thinking about it again, because it was time for me to look at my stash and start thinking about what to keep and what to donate/gift/sell. I have a bin for yarnstorming supplies (mostly odds and ends of various yarns, vintage acrylic) and I set up a box of yarns for Mom (kitchen cotton, she likes making dishcloths), and then I stalled.
Well. Would you want to give this up?
At that point, I went through my Ravelry stash (that helped me figure out how long some yarns had been in my stash) and my favorites, and did some pattern suggestion searches. With that, I started a Ravelry queue and have been bagging yarns together with notecards that have the pattern name and hook/needle size written on them. No printed patterns, because 1) I don’t own a printer, and 2) I have been using my Kindle for patterns and really liking it.
This is the first bag, which I now have in my portable project bag. I’ve started the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb cowl by Susan Chang, and it’s at just the right speed for winding down from the holidays – garter stitch and quick progress, resulting in a cowl that is very gift-able (that is to say, Muggles will like it). I’m over halfway through after one car ride, and if I knit during the drive back home tonight (I’m not going to be the one driving!), I’ll be done and ready to cast on for the Cabled Button Toque by Amy Swenson, which I think could coordinate well with the cowl without being too matchy-matchy.
For yarns that I don’t have a project in mind for, it’s time for my trade/sell list on Ravelry. I don’t need any more yarn right now, so it’s all sell (unless you have some marvelous handspun yarn to trade). Because I need to move these yarns out of my stash, I’m asking for 10 – 20% below average retail price for untouched skeins that have been sealed in plastic bags away from light and odors, in a pet-free home. As I continue to sort through my stash, more yarns are likely to be added.
More crochet lace rock doilies:
…and what the undersides look like:
These are fun and a good, healthy way for me to relieve stress. These are all freehanded – I don’t work from a pattern, just improvise motifs and then close the doily around the rocks with crocheted loops and decreases, using triple crochet, double crochet, and single crochet stitches. Margaret Oomen’s crochet covered sea stones have been a huge inspiration for these; you can find a free pattern for Little Urchin Crochet Covered Sea Stones on the Purl Bee blog and photos of Margaret’s work on her blog, Resurrection Fern. She also sells some through her Etsy shop (knitalatte, scheduled to re-open in early 2012).
I also have some plans to sell pieces from the Kokua Market Yarnstorming and other similar pieces (rock doilies and crochet jellyfish, primarily) to help raise funds for future yarnstorms. Now that I’ve told you, I should get on that!
We have a little tropical yarnstorm going on in Honolulu over at the Kokua Market Natural Foods Cooperative – more details on the Aloha Knitters blog.
The call for submissions deadline for Mittens & Gloves, Men, Toys, Home, and Bags has been extended to 30 September 2011. Details (including a list of specific items I would like to see submitted) at Cooperative Press.
The Slightly Slouchy Hat pattern was written because a certain surly, sarcastic teenager that I adore enjoys wearing hats that actively annoy people (such as a pilly, linty old rag of a hat, worn to a wedding reception). This teenager is a fan of bright orange, and at the time that I was writing up the pattern, I didn’t have any on hand. Bright stripes of Firefly butt were, fortunately, obnoxious enough, but I still wanted to make one in a bright orange. I asked for recommendations on Twitter, and Beverly of PoMo Golightly graciously passed along a skein of yarn that turned out to be just right. The shades of orange shift and flicker just a bit, giving it a little more interest than a flat monochrome would.
A little while back I ordered 1 ball of Knit Picks Chroma Fingering in colorway “Mix Tape” so I could play with it and see how the long color changes would look. Since I wanted to try using a fingering weight yarn with my Slightly Slouchy crochet hat pattern, I picked up a size E hook and got started. I did wind up unraveling the beginning, snipping off the first color, and then starting again – because no matter what, a big pink circle at the top of a hat is going to make someone think of…something other than a hat.
The colors are wonderful, aren’t they? I like the way the hot brights are balanced out by the dark grey.
This is part of my getting a jump on the winter holidays project list. The Slightly Slouchy Hat has been teen-approved – the Firefly stripes version was made ‘specially for a smart, sarcastic teen who enjoys the added obnoxiousness potential of having the colors of a Lampyridae backside involved. Your mileage may vary.
Pattern: Slightly Slouchy Hat (free! – in US/Canada and UK/Antipodes versions)
Yarn: Knit Picks, Chroma Fingering Sock Yarn, colorway Mix Tape
Sometimes, the difference between “perfect” and “perfectly acceptable” is the difference between missing a deadline and getting a submission in on time. In the previous round of submissions, at least two designers missed the deadline due to technical issues. Your best bet to avoid that is to submit early, and for this round of submissions, that means within the next two days.
Just a reminder: I’m saying here that this is what I find acceptable for a submission to Fresh Designs Crochet. Other publications and editors may not feel the same way! What I’m showing here is an example of how to submit, not necessarily what to submit (I would most likely reject this for being too plain and simple). This example is going to use my Slightly Slouchy Hat pattern (which, remember, would be ineligible because it’s been published already – yep, publishing it myself via Ravelry counts as published).
SUBMISSION: Fresh Designs Crochet, Hats. Slouchy Beanie.
SWATCH: I used a scanner, because I had one handy, but a photo would work just as well, or even better. Because the submission is for a general idea, I didn’t worry about the exact color too much. I scanned two swatches, one with a tan background (the cover of my notebook), and one with a bright white background (the inside of the scanner cover). In this case, a variegated yarn was appropriate, since part of the pitch for the concept is that this is a good project for hand-dyed/handpainted yarns that are variegated, self-striping, or patterned. If your submission is for a project using a solid colored yarn, use a solid colored yarn for the swatch.
Either swatch would be fine for this submission.
SKETCH: I did two drafts in my notebook. The first draft is intended for myself, so I can work out the basic info I need. The second draft is cleaned up and simplified.
(note – I’ve only got two yarn choices listed; that’s not ideal. Ideally, I’d have at least 3, taken from the list of yarn sponsors in the call for submissions. However, it’s more than one, both of the choices are Fresh Designs Crochet yarn sponsors, and so it’s acceptable.)
Then I did a closeup photo (with the camera in my iPhone 3G):
You are probably looking at that sketch photo and wondering if I would seriously accept that. Yes, I would. I can see it and read it. Of course, it will look more professional to have this at least drawn on paper that doesn’t have pre-printed lines, and scan it in, adjust it so the lines are darker, and not have the glare of a red light smack in the middle of the photo. Remember what I said about “perfect” and “perfectly acceptable”? If you’d prefer to draft out something cleaner and more professional looking, by all means do so – if you can get it done and ready to submit at least a day before the deadline.
I’ve set this up in Flickr as a photo set. It’s set to private, so here’s the Guest Pass URL: http://flickr.com/gp/mizunablog/DH705T
Go through the set, and note the way I’ve used the titles and the descriptions to provide more information. The descriptions keep it simple, and reference the call for submissions. Showing the editor that you’ve been paying attention is generally a good thing.
SUBMISSION FORM: So now I’m ready to fill out the submission form.
I’ve got my notes, and now I just need to fill in the form. I’m comfortable with writing a description off the top of my head, so I don’t have one written out in my notes, but that could be a good idea, if only so that I know what I said later on.
Done!
That’s the screen you’ll see after clicking the ‘submit’ button – see why it’s a good idea to have a copy of what you typed into the form?
Now it’s just waiting for an email. The subject line will look something like “Fresh Designs Crochet: submission RECEIVED (Slouchy Beanie)” and the body of the email will be a form letter letting me know that the submission has been received. Note, please, that these are not automated emails. The series editor herself (that would be me) downloads the submissions as a spreadsheet and then generates the form letters, includes any questions about the submissions, and then emails each one. At this point, for the submitters, it’s just a matter of waiting. Final decisions on which submissions will be accepted are made and then the series editor will begin sending out emails notifying submitters of the final decisions on their submissions.
Questions?
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
Malabrigo Rasta – single skein projects. Hats, Designs for Men, Toys?
Malabrigo Rios – single and multiple skein projects. Rios is a superwash – think Kids and Home as well as Designs for Men and Hats.
Nazli Gelin cotton crochet thread – fresh, modern thread crochet projects (doilies included). Home, of course – also wonderful for Bags. How about Toys?
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
Postcard scan from modashell on Flickr
One of the things I’ve noticed about knit/crochet items intended for wear by men is the use of sturdy, “manly” yarns. Practical! Washable! Graaaar! In my experience, though, there are a lot of men who really like the feel of soft fibers – cashmere, silk, alpaca – especially in items worn next to the skin. One of my besties likes wearing fabrics that invite touching. What can you do with a soft, comfortable feeling yarn in a design for a man?
Postcard scan from naslrogues on Flickr
People come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. How would you design a sweater for a barrel-chested man? A surfer with broad shoulders and a narrow waist? A big bear of a man with a belly?
The color story for Fresh Designs Crochet: Designs for Men is “Vintage Postcard” – olive green, forest green, chocolate brown, burnt orange, bright reds, turquoise blues, slate gray, black, and cream.
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
photo by Steve Koukoulas
The color story for Fresh Designs Crochet: Kids is jelly beans – bright candy colors. Yarns already being used in this book include Berroco Vintage DK in Wasabi, Knit Picks Shine Sport in Clementine, and Knit Picks Imagination Handpaint in Mermaid Lagoon – bright colors and comfortable, wearable fibers. I’m particularly interested in featuring indie dyed yarns in this book; most sock yarns are durable and machine-washable, and make great layering pieces. Speaking of sock yarns, Kids, along with Designs for Men, includes socks. Toe-up socks in particular. I’m also looking for onesies, rompers, and pants.
Please keep in mind that the Kids book is for garments and accessories; all toys will be in the Toys book.
Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions information (including inspiration boards) and online submission form are available at Cooperative Press.
