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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Wonderful Warm Earth Tones on Etsy

I was able to snag a treasury on Etsy last night and I thought I'd share it here as well! I'm a huge fan of earth tones, especially this time of year.

In other news, I think I've secured a new model for my knitwear! I'm very excited :)

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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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Getting back on track

This is just a quick post because I'm really trying to get in the habit of blogging regularly. Hopefully the quality of the posts will improve once I get back in the swing of things! I wasn't able to photograph my knitted shawls and neck warmers on the weekend as I'd hoped, but they're all blocked and ready to go. I probably won't get another chance until this weekend now, but in the meantime I've got my mother-in-law's camera to familiarize myself with. And I've cast on for another cowl, so I'll get that ready for the weekend as well.

Last night I finished another pair of gloves and put them up in my Etsy shop this morning. I really enjoy these gloves as a quick and satisfying knit. I've stocked up on all the colors I used last year so I can restock the shop with those while I'm waiting to photograph the new stuff, as it's looking a little bare. Then, I think I'll pick up a few more colors of the merino I use for the gloves and try out a new pattern I've been playing with. There's no such thing as too many gloves this time of year I think! Here's the pair I finished last night.

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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!

Cascade Gloves on Etsy Front Page!

I found out that a couple of days ago my "Cascade" fingerless gloves graced Etsy's front page! A big thanks to Etsy seller AnikaEaster for featuring me in her beautiful treasury!

It made me so happy to see these gloves getting some love. I really like this style of glove but I think I introduced them a little late in the season, when people were already switching gears for Spring. I'm looking forward to making them in all sorts of colors when Fall rolls around again. In the meantime, I've got 2 pairs available, in "Sprout" (shown above) and "Denim", both for 25% off the original price. Now would be a great time to scoop these up because they'll be back to normal in the Fall! Or, if you'd like to make yourself a pair before the cooler weather hits, I also have patterns available in my shop.

Anika's shop is beautiful too and I had to share a few of her pieces! I especially love her bird magnets!

Cherry Blossom - Light brown needle felted pouch

I've just added a new needle felted pouch to my Etsy shop! This is the first one I've made in quite a while and I had forgotten how much I love working with this medium!

I'm so happy with the way this one turned out! Cherry Blossoms are the perfect thing to get me thinking Spring. I used silky Kid Mohair locks for the blossoms and dark brown merino wool roving for the branch. I had a bit of difficulty finding a lining fabric that went well with the design, but in the end I used an earthy batik cotton that I think works perfectly!

There will definitely be more needle felting hitting the shop soon! I love the forgiving nature of the craft, the way I can shape and re-shape the roving before committing to the final placement allows for the design to come about in a very fluid and organic way. No wonder I do so many trees and branched - the roving practically begs for it! I've got another few pouches knit up and felted, just waiting for the needle felting. Also, I plan to make some needle felted cuffs in the next couple of weeks!

Pattern - Diamond in the Rough Fingerless Gloves

Well, I had so much fun writing the pattern for my "Cascade" gloves that I couldn't wait to finish my 2nd one. I've just listed a PDF Pattern for my "Diamond in the Rough" fingerless gloves in my Etsy shop.


Next I'll be working on putting together kits for both of these patterns, which I hope to have available within a week or so.

Pattern - Cascade Fingerless Gloves

I'm so excited to offer my first pattern for sale in my Etsy shop! I've had a few people request a pattern for my "Cascade" fingerless gloves, and after working on it for the last couple of weeks and reading it about 100 times, it's finally done!

Right now I've got a PDF version available for email, and I'm also planning to put together a kit very soon. The kit will include a paper version of the pattern as well as 2 balls of Mission Falls 1824 SW Merino yarn in your choice of colors. I am so in love with this yarn, and since it's Canadian made I thought this would be a great way to share it with the rest of the world. Look at all these gorgeous colors!

Stay tuned for more patterns and kits coming soon. Up next - "Diamond in the Rough" gloves!

Live Life Softly Give-Away (Last Call)

I thought I'd forego my Etsy Monday feature today to remind everyone that today is the last day to get in on the "Live Life Softly" blog give-away! I will be drawing the winning name tonight at 9:00pm PST and will announce the winner tomorrow morning.

Up for grabs is a free pair of fingerless gloves in your choice of "Diamond in the Rough" or my new "Cascade" style. As further enticement, here are the colors available:

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on the original post telling us how you "live life softly". Good luck to everyone who entered!

Cascade - Hand knit wrist warmers

I'm so excited to list the first pair of my new "Cascade" wrist warmers in my Etsy shop today!

I've had a few pairs done for a while now in a handful of different colors, but I had no one to model them for me. I finally convinced my best friend Sam to give it a shot - isn't she beautiful? The best part is she really had fun, so we're going to be doing it again. I'm really looking forward to scouting out cool locations around her house in downtown Vancouver to take our pictures throughout the spring and summer!

These are knit with the same soft Superwash Merino yarn as my "Diamond in the Rough" gloves. I am in love with this yarn - it is incredibly soft and warm and there are so many great colors available. And it's made in Canada, which is very cool! I'm really happy with how these gloves turned out. The eyelet pattern reminds me of a waterfall, hence the name. They're feminine and pretty without being overly frilly.

And don't forget, these gloves (along with the Diamond in the Rough gloves) are up for grabs in the Live Life Softly give-away going on now! If you haven't already, be sure to enter for your chance to win a free pair!

"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.

Sweetness Cowl on Etsy Front Page!

My brand new "Sweetness" hand knit cowl was featured on the front page of Etsy today!! As far as I know this is the first time one of my pieces has been on the front page - or at least it's the first time I've gotten to see it. What a great birthday present!

There it is in the top left corner. It's already gone now, but I'm so excited that I got to see it and take this screen shot. Here's the cowl, once again modeled by the lovely 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.

Wisdom

Here is another new needle-felted pouch, added to my Etsy shop this evening. "Wisdom" features a sweet and stoic barn owl on a cream-colored soy/wool blend.

The pouch is lined with a beautiful, rich blue Japanese floral fabric.

Thanks for looking!

Black Mustard's facelift

I've revamped my Etsy shop with a new banner, avatar and shop policies. Here is the new face of Black Mustard Fiber Arts!

I also listed another new pouch last night and it sold by this morning... so exciting!

It's been a great day for me! Now I'm off to finish a new batch of fabric headbands! I'll have some pretty pictures to share tomorrow.