Diamond in the Rough - Hand knit wrist warmers

I'm so excited about these new fingerless gloves, now available in my Etsy shop! I've made them with an incredibly soft and cozy 100% SW Merino yarn, with embossed diamonds along the top.

Once again I've got to thank my lovely model Angel for helping me get such great pictures! We have so much fun doing our photo shoots, and I am absolutely thrilled with the results.

Right now these babies are available in Caramel and Grey (as shown). Keep an eye out for lots more colors coming soon! This yarn is quickly becoming one of my all time faves, and there are lots of colors available, so I'll be adding more just as fast as I can knit them!

New cowl featured in a treasury!

My brand new "After Apple Picking" cowl has been featured in a Treasury on Etsy! I love the color combo and theme - such an honor to be included alongside these talented artists!

There's Krista's pretty mug in the middle of the top row. A big thanks to wildhorses2007 who's shop, The Beauty Around Us, is gorgeous as well. Here's one of her beautiful fine art photographs.

I'm a big fan of black and white flower shots like this, but she also has quite a few pieces that capture the vivid colors of nature. Be sure to check her out!

Fall is finally here at Black Mustard Fiber Arts!

I want to say a huge thank you to my two lovely co-workers who did their thang in front of the camera for me today. Because of them I am finally able to get my new hand knit Fall accessories into my Etsy shop! We had so much fun on our lunch hour today, and the photos turned out perfect! The first 2 items I've listed are a couple of super-soft and warm cowls made from 100% Baby Alpaca yarn.

"After Apple Picking - Hand knit cowl"

This cowl looks amazing on Krista, who is stunning! I love her long wild hair and her strong features!

"Serenity Now - Hand knit button-up cowl"

I don't think Angel could be any cuter if she tried! The cream color looks so sweet on her. The button-up cowl can be worn in a variety of ways. Here she's got it pulled down onto her shoulders as a mini-poncho.

Thanks again, and I can't wait to stock the shop with more colors and styles!

Equinox - Handspun Merino Yarn

Here's my latest handspun yarn, which I'm so glad to be able to list in my Etsy shop. "Equinox" is 226 squishy yards of 100% Merino goodness.

Once again I spun this from roving dyed by Kristin at Allspunup. It's always a treat to work with her well-prepped fiber in the most amazing colors. I love the way this turned out!

Knitting Overload

I've been busy today. I've got quite a few things on the go and I spent the day trying to wrap up what I could and get a handle on the rest. I spun, I knitted, I planned and schemed.

My main focus right now is making knitted accessories for Fall to put in my Etsy shop. I've been developing a pattern for a nice fluffy cowl, and after a few attempts, I think I'm getting close to what I want. Here it is in green.

It's made with 100% Baby Alpaca yarn and it is probably the softest thing I've ever felt. The stitch I used, knit on big needles, plays up the softness of the yarn and traps lots of air for warmth. I've also got a button-up version in creamy off-white ready to go, but no photos of it so far.

I am so eager to get these into my shop that I tried to take some pictures with myself as the model today. The pictures turned out okay, but I can only do so much with the camera at arm's length and no way to see the shot I'm capturing... I've enlisted a couple of friends to be my models, and I hope to spend some time with them this weekend. I was fortunate enough to be able to photo my fabric headbands by myself throughout the summer, but this is something I'll need help with.

This last month or so has been crazy at my day job, so I've been going in 5 days a week, and I think it's taking it's toll on my ability to produce things for my shop. I really want to list a new yarn soon, and I'm also still working on a proto-type for some fingerless gloves. I can't wait until I go back to part time - I've really missed having those extra 2 days to craft! Oh well, there's no rush. Fall's not going anywhere, and I know that once I get these pieces finished and photographed right it will be worth the wait.

Some sights from my bike

I've been getting a whole lot of use out of my bike this summer, riding a few times a week in the streets and trails around my house. I've been reminded of the feeling of freedom that biking riding used to bring when I was a kid. Back before I had the convenience of a car and when I could spend all day exploring. One of my favorite places to ride to is Green Timbers park, about a 1/2 hour ride away from my house.

There's a beautiful little lake there, albeit man-made. It's home to ducks, cranes, dragonflies and fish. Even when I've been feeling fairly stressed out and not really in the mood for a bike ride, I get to the lake and sit down, watch the ducks swimming lazily for a few minutes, and can't help but relax. I'll have to take some pictures of those ducks next time I'm there.

I've also been reading Deepak Chopra's "The Essential Ageless Body, Timeless Mind" and this is the perfect setting to settle in and read. It's been a great place to practice feeling more connected with nature and grateful for the perfect little things all around me. I love having a place like this to go to right in the middle of the city!

Summer's still here!

We've had some really warm, sunny days lately - I have a feeling Summer's not quite done with us yet! So, I've decided to extend my End-of-summer sale for another 2 weeks! From now until September 28th all my fabric headbands are 20% off in my Etsy shop.

"Firey Flowers"

After that, I'll be knitting up a storm and filling the shop with all sorts of fluffy, warm Fall items! Check back regularly - I'll start listing some of the new pieces soon!

"Morris"
"Wall Flower Two"

Mendhi

I was fortunate to be invited to have Mendhi (henna) done for a friend's wedding this weekend. The marriage ceremony was yesterday, and on Wednesday night they had 2 ladies come to the house to do everyone's hands.

These women were so talented, and quick! Both of my hands took only about 15 minutes, for the backs as well as the palms. They had a tent set up in the yard and close to 50 women came throughout the evening to get their Mendhi done. Luckily I was one of the first ones there, because I had to let it sit without touching anything for at least 2 hours (I ended up leaving it on for about 4). Once the initial paste dried, it was moistened with a lemon juice and sugar mixture, and then warmed by holding our hands over a pan of hot cloves. I spent quite a long time over the cloves - they were so toasty warm! I think that's why mine turned out so dark, especially on the palms.

Some people have told me this means that my mother-in-law will love me a great deal, others have said it's the husband who's love is predicted by dark Mendhi. Either way, I'd say it's a good sign!

End-of-Summer Sale

The cooler days have got me itching to knit! It's time to clean up shop and make room for some warm and snuggly Fall/Winter wear. So, I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop - from now until September 15th, all my cotton fabric headbands are 20% off!

"Brown Sakura"
Although these headbands can be worn year-round, they've been a hot seller mostly throughout the summer. I will still be making them when I have the time, but I am so looking forward to Fall that they'll be going on the back burner for a while. This sale works in conjunction with my existing promotion - buy any 3 items at one shot and receive a free fabric headband! So, if these are your style, now's a great time to stock up!

"Twilight Bloom"

"Dark Chocolate"
Thanks for looking - new Fall items coming soon!