Hallo Friends!

How are you!  I hope well 🙂

I am blogging to you today from my small work room.  Listening to Sonic Youth with Henry taking up much of the floor and a grey, stormy sky outside.  This morning, I drove Jamie to work so I could send off all the Etsy Orders, look for a new sketch book and get some sourdough from the bakery.  I breathe a sigh of relief when I have mailed everything off – unsent orders really weigh on me until I’ve released them to the world!

Anywho, with those packages this morning – I sent this sweater!  To Scotland, where I hope she will be very, very happy!!  I named this design Beulach Ban after the falls that Jamie and I spent an afternoon by this summer in Cape Breton Island.  Here, I fantasized the whole walk up the mountain that I was an elusive sprite living among the oak trees, it feels so good to dream. Sometimes, I need to remind myself to still do it –  especially about otherworldly things.

So, I started this sweater back in the Spring with my Létt-Lopi  stash.  The colours – although I do think they work really well together – were my only choice.  I was a little doubtful in the beginning but as I worked with the browns and purples, grew to really, really love.  I’m trying to think where we see Brown and Purple in Nature….. drawing a blank, but regardless, they look pretty and lush together!

This sweater, along with all of my knitting this past year – took some time.  I believe I started  in April and I finished in August.  I was working on creating a stash of mittens for the Etsy shop.   These have all been placed in the shop 😀 and I may take a little break this month knitting mitts for Etsy.  I just want to knit a couple of experimental things that might not cut it for the shop.

The sweater was knit in Nova Scotia and PEI.  We didn’t travel far this summer!  Last year we travelled to Ireland and the year before that, I went to Newfoundland with a friend, but this year, we stuck close to home!  The maritimes I swear must double in population during the summer months with all of the tourists.  If you have travelled to the East Coast and were lucky to have had good weather, I think you would understand why we don’t go anywhere during the summer.  And so, this sweater was knit in our sunroom, on the Northumberland Ferry, at my Moms.  Places I feel genuinely happy to just sit and knit. The heat this summer really allowed for lots of just sitting and knitting.

My thoughts and creative process?  Well… I can honestly say that I didn’t have very many!  I knew that I wanted the fairisle tree motif again that I have in my previous sweaters.  I really love this simple and striking design and love that it just immediately speaks to our love for not only handcrafts but also this beautiful earth.  As for the rest…. I wanted it to look like a banner.  I actually design row, by row based loosely on a little sketch of a sweater I do beforehand.  So FIRST I draw a little cartoon fairy person wearing a sweater.. and then I just trust in myself that I can figure it out.  I always do… it may not be exactly what my pixie is wearing but I feel like she / he would still appreciate it!

I feel like finishing sweaters often signifies a change in season.  Fall has definitely descended on us here (although… the next couple of days are promising very hot temperatures).  Much Shorter days, slippers in the morning!  I packaged up the sweater early, early.  I say a little farewell and wish them happiness in their new home!

 

Yay!!  Isn’t she lovely?  I become so attached to the sweater patterns that I make.    Okay, I must admit, I am knitting a new Lopi Sweater and hoping to do the same design.  This one will be in much more natural and subdued colours.  Who knows, maybe FINALLY I can get a pattern out and it will be this one!  I am asked constantly about the patterns i make up and I wish I could just finally put something together for people to make their own.  It is honestly the sizes that make me nervous – I should just sit down and do some math, shouldn’t be too hard.. and yet :~

For the rest of the day, I am going to make an apple pie using apples from our old tree and my favourite soup to make of all time (not necessarily my favourite to eat): Borscht!  I love making it because I just go in the garden, pick all kinds of things and then make a borscht out of it!  With the sourdough bread and some cheeses, it makes a great autumn meal!

In other news, I have been drawing quite a bit!  I am actually planning to start a new instagram account just for my drawing and art.  I feel pressure and anxiety on my current account because of the follower count and just the pressure to have things perfect.  I know this is all not necessary at all and very silly, but it’s very hard not to have these feelings.  I really miss when I started using the app and didn’t doubt and second guess myself for sharing things that I have been working on.  So, I thought a new account for my art will allow me that freedom and encouragement.  I am currently just stuck on a name – I have the names CopperBirch, Dwelling, paperknot ….fairydwelling, fairypath,  Reddyfox  – oh it just keeps going!  Which do you like best?  Oh goodness, maybe I’m already applying that same anxiety.

The sun is coming out!!!!!!

Merry Part ❤