New for Fall!

I'm very excited to have listed the first of my new Fall items in my Etsy shop! Thanks to my wonderful new model, Isis Wright, I now have some great pictures to show them off. It's hard to resist the temptation to list them all at once, but in order to be noticed among all the great artists on Etsy, it's better to spread them out a bit. Here are the first two, which went up in my shop yesterday and today!

Cream Baby Alpaca drop stitch scarf

I can't even begin to describe how soft this yarn is! It is pure luxury against your skin. I plan to make more of these in quite a few colors in the next little while!

Brown Alpaca/Kid Mohair lace shawl

I love Fall colors, and this shawl is perfect for keeping out the chill now that the nights are getting colder. I used a razor lace pattern (one of my faves) to add some feminine detail without making it too frilly. We also photographed this shawl in olive green, which will be in the shop early next week.

I am so glad to have found Isis and I seriously cannot stop knitting now! I'll be writing more soon about how I met Isis and the great things that can happen when you step outside your comfort zone.

My first shoot with Isis Wright

Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting with model/actress Isis Wright to photograph my new pieces for Fall. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to have someone of her beauty and talent to represent my pieces! It was an absolute treat to work with her, both in terms of the shots we got and the vibe we had with each other. I was a little nervous to meet and shoot my first "real model" but she is such a genuine person and really seemed to enjoy wearing my pieces, and I felt extremely comfortable with her. I am looking forward to working with her again in the future, and my mind is racing with new project ideas! I thought I'd share a few of my favorite shots from our session. I'll start listing these pieces in my Etsy shop this afternoon, and continue over the next few days! I could say a lot about each of these photos, but I'll let them speak for themselves.

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Late night knitting success and a blog feature!

I stayed up knitting till 3am last night. I'm liking this enthusiasm! I've had some delicious chunky Baby Alpaca in my stash for a while and I wanted to come up with a project for it. It's the same yarn I used last year for my button up cowls, but I've always wanted to use it for a full-length scarf as well. I wanted something simple that would showcase this amazing yarn and accentuate its softness. Yesterday during my brainstorming session I decided I would try a simple drop stitch scarf. I cast on and finished last night (hence the 3am bedtime!) and was very pleased with the results.

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Camera set-backs, power knitting and yarn store excitement

I am so ready for Fall. We've had a couple of cooler days and I've been bit by the knitting bug again, big time. I've been working feverishly on new items for my Etsy shop... and then staring at them in frustration because I don't have a camera to photograph them. My camera bit the dust during the summer when I was at a music festival for the weekend. It didn't get damaged, it just stopped working. It won't turn on now even with brand new fresh batteries. Apparently it's a common problem with this model of camera (note to self: research technical issues before buying next time). The good news is, my birthday's coming up in less than a month and a new camera is at the top of my wish list. The bad news is that my birthday's still almost a month away, and I'd really like to get my Fall pieces listed now (insert foot stomp here)! Luckily my mother-in-law has come to the rescue. She's lending me her sweet digital SLR camera to use this week! So now I'm getting excited - I'm weaving in ends, blocking and getting props ready!

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Playing Catch Up

Photo by Josef Stuefer

This is just a quick post to say hello and let folks know I'm still alive and well. I've decided it's time to renew my blogging efforts (again). I have let it slide once more since I haven't really been doing a whole lot in the way of crafts this summer. For one thing, the record heat we've been having has not exactly made me want to have hot wool in my hands, and pretty much all of the things I do require me to do that in one form or another. Also, I've actually been quite busy with personal stuff this summer, from weddings to music festivals to family reunions. It's been a lot of fun, but it'll be nice to ease into Fall and a pace that's a bit more relaxed. And I'm really looking forward to dedicating more time and energy to my crafts and my Etsy shop again. I'm working on some great pieces for Fall - mini-ponchos made from Alpaca and Mohair and squishy, colorful Merino neck warmers are the first of many warm snuggly things to come. I love Fall and Winter for the chance to really explore my knitting and spinning, and I can't wait to get going again!

In the meantime, I've said that I want to make this blog a bit more personal and offer a whole view of myself, my thoughts and my life. So I am going to do some posts that aren't necessarily related to Etsy. I'll probably start by writing about the things I've done this summer. There's no time limit on telling stories of fun times, right? Thanks to those who still read this sad little blog... I hope to have more interesting posts coming at you soon! Wish me luck!

Reprieve - Crocheted button-up cowl

I've just listed a new crocheted neck warmer in my Etsy shop tonight. "Reprieve" is crocheted from a super soft wool blend in greys and white, with merlot red lucite buttons.

I love this yarn! This is the third cowl I've made with it and the first 2 have already sold! It is very soft and warm and I like the handspun look and flecks of color. I will be making a few more to replace the ones that have sold. I may even have to make one for me to keep :)

"Cafe au Lait" Fingerless Gloves

I have just added another new pair of wrist warmers to my Etsy shop this evening. "Cafe au Lait" gloves are knit in a beautiful wool blend yarn that is so soft. I am in love with the colors in this yarn - it blends from oatmeal to grey to tawny. So natural looking and comfy!

I also like how they are not a perfectly matched pair. This yarn has looooong color repeats, so I knit both gloves out of one stretch of color. I think this adds to the organic, natural look of the yarn.

The knit gloves and cowls I've listed in my shop so far have been met with a great response! Thanks so much to everyone who has checked them out, and to those who have ordered Black Mustard hand knit accessories! I will be happily knitting away this weekend to get the shop filled back up! Here's one more picture of the gloves, once again modeled by my lovely friend Angel.

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!

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!

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.