I'm just not paid enough for all this hard work!

 First try at the chart - and about 10 hours into it

Up until this pattern, I have been paying my tech editor to create my charts and schematics.  She does such a wonderful job and so efficiently that there really was no reason for me to learn.  However, I am now re-thinking this.  I suppose that I should learn to be self sufficient so I bought a software program that does charts.  This has been a huge learning curve for me - in fact, it has eaten up my week! 

Second try at the chart - about 20 hours into it

I have pulled out my hair...sworn up and down....believe that there are horrible glitches to the program...and question who in their right mind spends this much time to create a $5 pattern!  Am I nuts? 

It definitely makes me wonder why there are so many people willing to create FREE patterns when there is so much work involved to create a GOOD pattern. 

My next challenge will be to create my own schematics.  I have the software---have had it for several years but not sure if I am willing to kill another 20 hours trying to learn something that I can pay my tech editor for.  She makes everything look so easy!  Maybe I'll fly to Florida where she lives and pay her to show me how she does it....wouldn't that be nice!

I found a new love....again!

I have been designing for some magazines lately and one of the perks of designing for a publishing house is their ability to obtain yarn support from just about any yarn company imaginable.  I have a limited number of companies that provide me with yarn-- but there are a ton of other companies out there that I haven't even had the chance to try.  So, whenever I get the chance, I try a new yarn.  So when the opportunity arose to try out a new yarn, my first thought was Shelter yarn by Brooklyn Tweed.  If you haven't been introduced to this small yarn company yet - here's a blurb about them, written by them.  Who better to describe their own yarn?

Taken directly from Shelters Ravelry page:


SHELTER began humbly as the answer to a simple question: With our abundance of natural & industrial resources, why is there such a tangible absence of American yarns commercially available to handknitters?


We sought to find an American fleece whose fiber would bring both softness and durability to the table. The Targhee-Columbia cross mixes a high-crimp Targhee Finewool (21-25 microns) for softness and elasticity with an all-purpose Columbia Mediumwool (24-30 microns) that provides warmth, structure and strength.


The result? A distinctive wool with a story to tell -- designed, sourced and produced completely on American soil.


SHELTER is spun in Harrisville, NH -- an historic mill town where woolen-spun yarns have been produced for weavers and knitters since 1794.


A woolen preparation allows the yarn to maintain large amounts of air between its fibers, making lofty and light fabrics that are warm without being dense.


Globally speaking, we think that knitters should be able to procure wools of high-quality that directly support farmers, mills, and designers from our own back yard, which has been our goal from day one.



http://brooklyntweed.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1

It's a great company to support and it's a great yarn to work with.  As for the design itself, it is due out late 2012.......

Happy New Years everyone!

Happy New Years everyone!  2011 was a struggle in so many ways for me and my family as well as our world.  Although, it could have been worse so no time to lament - let's look forward to a brighter year.


I am a traditionalist is every sense of the word.  I love traditions and live by many of them.  One of them is the good ole New Years Eve Resolutions that I do every year.  Of course, it's the usual list-----
eat better, exercise more, go more green and organic, waste less, find more time for me, find more time for my family and friends and so on and so on.


I really should just type it out on an 8x10 paper and frame it above my computer.  Visually seeing the resolution might keep me better focused.

Whether you still carry on this tradition or not, find the time to reflect on what you wish to change in your life - what needs improving upon or what just needs a slight tune up.  Reward yourself for the good things you have done and don't criticize yourself for ones you fell short on.


I think I'll take 3 of my favorite words and apply them to this new year:  Inspiration, Passion and Joy.  Everything I do needs to touch upon this words.


Happy New Year and God bless each and everyone of you this year!


Lisa