Sommer Designs

*Dream*

Are you tired of all the resolutions posts yet? I've been taking it easy, like everyone else, and while sitting on my duff, watching some very bad tv and some good movies, clicking away, I can't help but fall into some sort of reflection on the past year and what is ahead.

I don't make resolutions, per se. They make me feel a bit nervous and then disappointed if they aren't accomplished.

Instead, I have dreams that I keep close to me.

Dreams are wishes that I believe if you visualize enough, can happen. In other words, if you see them as already accomplished, the goal doesn't seem so high and difficult, because in your dreams, you are already there.

And as long as you incorporate forward movement to your life, or your business, you are working toward those dreams.

It's all about NOT making a mountain out of molehill.

It's all about living fully and applying yourself completely in everything you do.

It's about shooting for the stars, but taking baby steps so as to not overwhelm yourself.

It's about putting yourself out there, no matter how hard it is, and stepping out of your comfort zone for something you really want.

And, most importantly, it's about giving gratitude for all you have received no matter how small.

Thank you for reading my blog this past year and following my journey, both professional and personal. Thank you for inspiring me to continue to put myself out there and follow my dreams. Thank you for a wonderful and fulfilling 2007.

I wish you all miraculous things for 2008 - dream big.

I'm trying to relax, okay?

The desert was beautiful, thank you for asking! I hadn't been for a couple of years - Scott usually takes the boys and goes without me because I don't like the heat. No heat issues this time of year and we stayed at one of his dad's houses, so we had all the comforts of home...so nice!

I started a long-term project...which means, I started something I may never finish. I love this Slouchy Cardigan in the Greetings from the Knit Cafe book, and just so happened to have 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK sitting around in my favorite color. I made two swatches...I'm not sure why, but apparently, I'm supposed to make swatches. They were different because I cast on a different number of stitches, but one of them did turn out to be 4" square. I'm still not sure what difference this will make and I'm just winging it...

The pattern looks relatively easy because it's all knit in stockenette, but I did find out there are some errors in the book. I'm starting with the back, which is very straightforward, and I'll take it all to the knitting store when I move on for extra help.

I also started a scarf for Dylan, but have pulled it out no less than 6 times. It's just a basic 1x1 rib (that, hopefully, a 15 year old boy will wear). Even though I've started reminding myself what I need to start with next, I still manage to flub it up and not notice this until 2 or 3 rows later. The yarn is delicious - Karabella Super Yak in a lovely charcoal heather-like color. It's currently hibernating because we're having issues, that scarf and I.

I have also started yet another small project, which I cannot share just yet! It's a gift, and I can't even say what kind of gift it is because that will give it away to the recipient, who is quite possibly reading this...

Super Quick - Happy Holidays!

Just real quick, because we're on our way out the door to the desert for a few days of R &R, and Scott is bugging me to hurry up - but, I just wanted to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all my friends in Blogland!

We'll be back soon! I'm getting all last minute orders out before we leave, but I have to say - any orders received AFTER 9 a.m. on Friday, December 21 will ship after Christmas!

Have a wonderful and warm holiday!

Love, Carrie

My Gingerbread Cardigan

How wacky-crazy is it when you buy new items to refashion? The whole point [for me] was to use and reuse what is already in my closet; long forgotten and refound. As I was staring at my two boxes of amazing vintage lace, trim and doily's, I was thinking about adding some lace to another cardigan.

It appears that I like cardigans. They are simple; they are the perfect weight for our moderate climate; and they are easy to use for this kind of project. But I wanted to use just a basic beige cardi, and adorn it simply. So I bought a new one.

This is where it gets spotty...and actually more wacky-crazy. I was bopping around Janet's website, and saw the sweetest vintage crochet trim - cream with red. It was ridiculous, but before I knew it, I had hit the 'buy' button and the trim was mine. All 9 yards of it.

The cardigan arrived, and then the lace arrived, and then I set to work refashioning my NEW sweater. I added some cute (new) red buttons, sat back and thought about Gingerbread Men.

He didn't need that arm anyway....

It's not like he's going to take up knitting, or anything.

Number[s] One, Two & Three...Fini!

Well, blow me over, but I do believe I have actually finished something! Wait! Strike that! Not one thing, but three things! I buckled down Monday & Tuesday, with all that time on my hands and complaining children still in school, and finished One,

Two,

and Three!

I got a little flustered toward the end of each, thinking I'd have to wait to bind off until I would be able to see Heather, but Shari turned me on to Knitting Help, which, by the way, has the most awesome videos. It was so easy to bind off after that, and I was able to proudly walk into the knitting store yesterday to show my new friends what I had accomplished!

I added fringe to Number One because the cast on end was wonky, and it needed something to detract from the wonkiness, but left Two & Three unfringed (mainly because they are going to men/boys, and I didn't think fringe would be...cool enough for them...which was good, because I decided I didn't really like making fringe). Do you like my new pin? I love it - from Etsy seller Rivulette, it's a perfect match!

It's really so rare that I finish anything I start (craft-wise - I still have that basket of granny's sitting on the dining room table, yep, I do), but I decided I couldn't start ANYTHING else until I finished these.

So, now I'm enpowered. I am searching for my next project - I will start another scarf for Dylan soon, but I think I also need a bit of a challenge. I'm dying to make socks, but that might be a little too ambitious at this point. I will turn to my growing library for inspiration and hopefully find a project that can take me through the next couple of weeks. Winter vacation starts at the end of this week and there will be a lot of downtime!

C'est bon, oui ?

Mosaic Monday...

because I think I am officially 'on vacation'. I shipped the last of my orders on Saturday morning, and then spent the rest of the day/weekend alternating between cleaning up the studio (not so much) and sitting on the couch, knitting, watching movies (Ocean's Thirteen [good] & Meet Joe Black [not so good]) and eating rum balls (too much). And I'm wondering if one could subsist on a diet based solely on rum balls, because, damn, they're good! Scott got a hold of a recipe about two weeks ago, and when Scott finds a recipe he likes, he makes it over and over again. These days, he's a rum ball factory!

So, now, I find myself in strange predicament. My holiday is over (Hanukkah ended last week), this is the last week of school for my kids, my orders have shipped, my house is in a state of semi-clean (good enough), and I have time on my hands. I think I might tackle some projects I've been putting off, even though the only thing I should tackle is to tidy up this studio mess...

Did you happen to want a Nest apron?

Because they're all sold out. I know...poor planning on our part. I make them as Rebecca orders them, because we just never know. This has been a banner season over at Nest (yay! Thanks everyone!)

So, last night, Rebecca and I came up with a solution: if you still want an apron, and really wanted Nest to benefit from your purchase (and why shouldn't you? It's an amazing cause!), I told Rebecca I will donate 25% of each purchase to Nest - all you have to do is mention Nest in the comment section of your order. That's it! And, I will honor it for anything on my website - just remember to mention Nest!

And yes, you still get free shipping through Saturday.

Okay? Double benefit there.

EDIT! And another thing! Sweet Lisa Lam interviewed me for Craft Boom recently and it's up! If you want to read even more about me and my business, check it out! Thank you Lisa...it's an honor!

Last call for free shipping...

That's it - there's just two more days that I'm offering free shipping. In fact, there's just two more days for holiday shopping! Well, theoretically, there's probably three because of Sunday, and I'll be posting Saturday orders on Monday, so you could squeeze by and under that self-imposed shipping deadline, but everything is going out on Monday!

Of course, I'll still be open through the holiday and taking orders, but can't guarantee anything. At all. If you've been to post office recently, you'll understand. I don't use the USPS for delivery often, most of my orders go out UPS. But I have had some PO business lately, and when I do, I print my postage online.

It's actually humorous when I do go. I get out of my car with my arms full of packages, and people see that, and they walk faster to try to beat me to the long line - thinking, I'm sure, that I'll take forever at one of the three windows that are open. I try not to smile as I deposit my already postage-paid parcels into the little self-shipping station container. Why don't more people take advantage of this?

So, I am still around, but I'm trying to tie up loose ends here and fill orders and ship on the same day they come in. It's mindless in the sense that I happen to like wrapping, and I'm happy and thankful that people are thinking of my little online business for their holiday gifts (thank you so much!).

The afternoons are finding me on the couch with my tea and knitting. Isn't that swell? But afternoon TV sucks - I have to figure out how to work the DVD player.

Confessions of an ADD crafter.

I am still working on Number One and Number Two. But that hasn't stopped me from browsing and oogling and lusting after more, more, more! I blame the yarn manufacturers, with their luscious fibers and enticing colors. I blame the knitting bloggers with their in-your-face-look-what-I-whipped-out-over-the-weekend projects, full of excitement and inspiration. I blame the pattern designers and authors of the multitude of knitting books that beckon me at my local bookstore where my footprints have become enbedded in the floor in front of the shelves.

Two weeks ago when I decided to start Number Two, I asked Heather to show me how to cast on, and I watched her do that loop-d-loop thingy-mabob with her hand and a needle and then I said, forget it, you can cast on for me, forever. And I was fine with my decision to never be the one to cast on my own projects. Until I started browsing Ravelry.

Browsing is such an innocent word, really, isn't it? There's so little harm in browsing. But then browsing leads to wanting, which turns into lust very, very quickly. Until you (or me, as the case may be) are standing in front of the cashier at Border's with your credit card out and a stack of knitting books on the counter.

They were for inspiration really. And the pictures were so pretty. I even showed them to Scott, and he feigned interest while I flipped through them, standing patiently at my side, nodding.

I started to think maybe I could cast on after all. Maybe I could even Purl? I got out an old booklet I had (from ill-fated previous attempts) and some yarn and a tiny needle, and with that armory, sat myself down on the couch and tried no less than 26 times to cast on.  After walking away exasperated twice, I checked You Tube, and then hunkered down for Attempt 27. You know what? I did it.

After I knit a few rows, I found a purling video, and while it looked like gobbly-gook while I was working it, after a few rows, there it was...I purled. And purled and purled (well, knit and purled and knit and purled and knit...).

I thought maybe I could knit a purl scarf - because I'm all about the scarf right now. Repetitive, long and easy. There is a BEAUTIFUL purl scarf in the Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson - you've seen it, I'm sure. I want to make that (because I'm impatient like that). I made my supply list and thought I'd experiment with my newfound skill with some inexpensive yarn, so I went to Michael's.

After wandering around for a good 30 minutes, I decided I'm quite spoiled at this point, because I couldn't find anything suitable at all. I want to work with delicious yarn all. the. time. I decided to hold off until I'm good enough to work with three yarns at once (which the pattern calls for), and brave enough to tackle Manos del Uruguay.

In the meanwhile, I settled on some inexpensive Patons and then found a great pattern for a knit/purl scarf - and one that changes stitches in a row.

I cast on, amazingly enough, without help.

And, granted, it looks like gobbly-gook for the first few rows. Somehow, I manage to get past this and continue, because after a few more rows, it begins to look like something other than gobbly-gook.

And, more amazingly, after sitting and watching Forest Gump on cold afternoon, the pattern takes shape, and it really begins to look like something!

There are things happening here that I thought would never happen, mainly:

1. I can, in fact, cast on by myself.
2. I can, it appears, purl.
3. I can, if it's simple enough, read a pattern.
4. I can, most importantly, finally, KNIT!

I do believe I have reached the point of no return. You have no idea how happy this has made me!

I am so happy to present...[unfinished project] NUMBER THREE!

Which, appropriately enough, has already been claimed by Drew...my number three!

See? It all works out.

Today, I cannot think of a title...

At a loss for words? I might be. I was trying to think of something to express my happiness and gratitude that my last show of the season is behind me and all the schlepping has been put to bed. It's not so bad, but man-o-man, it is exhausting.

And, I actually cut back this year! In previous years, I've kept up with Farmer's Markets between regular shows and just decided I couldn't do it all. Well, I could, but it kills me and the family begins to resent it, and that's not what this is all about.

This was my set up on Friday at Cornerstone. I always request the same spot - I like it. I'm next to a door and against a wall, which is perfect because I'm a wallflower. It was supposed to rain in sheets on Friday - it did not. But it was cold! I have so much fun at these little school boutiques - I always see friends and people I know, and sometimes little surprises.

This is Maureen Nunn - and she was my Spanish tutor in high school, (*gasp*) 27 years ago! I love her to death! And she is so sweet to not mind that I can't speak a word of Spanish today. I think she's retired now, which is a shame, because I have a son who could really use a Spanish tutor, and how funny would it be for her to tutor a second generation student? I bet she'd do it in a heartbeat if I asked; that's the kind of person she is. That, and the kind that decides to rejoin the Peace Corps in her 60's and travel to Nairobi as a missionary. She's leaving mid-January and staying for 5 weeks! You go Maureen! She's one of those 'wow' people, and you have to love it!

So, after I came home and put my racks away, I closed the door and sat on the couch in a semi-vegitative state most of the weekend. I watched movies and knitted, which was perfect because it was so damn cold outside, and in the studio!

I'm back to work today, and I plan to try to pick up the pieces of this place and tidy it up a bit - you wouldn't believe the piles upon piles that I have to look at! My worktable is not a worktable at all, but a holding and staging area. For what, I can't exactly say! So that's that!

Reminder! This is the last week for FREE SHIPPING on my website! Enjoy it through Saturday! I will continue to take orders (as always), but won't be able to guarantee holiday delivery after that.

ALSO! Okay, I lied. I did do a bit of work over the weekend. I went through my show bins and was able to add some previously pulled stock back into inventory! If you loved and really wanted a Pink Damask, Freshcut Mum or Summer Flea Market hostess apron - there's a couple left! I also added back some Nuala Toile Lavender Drawer Liners. But when they're gone, that's it folks!