Theresa's New Socks

Theresa loved her new socks so much that she jumped up on the trunk to get a better view. Under no circumstances does she want you to think that she was avoiding a mouse. Not in her bucolic little farmhouse. Not a chance.



(The Vogue Knitting Fall 2010 Preview is up! Barb Brown designed these Lace Stockings using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in 14ns Denim. The pattern calls for 3 skeins of yarn, but since we changed our put up, you really only need two.)

The Crew

Today seemed like a good day to introduce you to the crew.

On the far left is Beth G. Beth is our newbie. She just started a couple of weeks ago and is a ton of fun. She came to us from a big coffee house. I think she likes it better here.

Next is Caitlin. While we all knit, she is exceptional. It's not just her skill set either, she has a great eye for color and shape and pattern. We take advantage of her fine art training all the time. She's been taking a few classes this summer to gear up to go back to school to be a teacher.

Merrilee is peeking out from behind Caitlin. She's our newlywed. She's kind of quiet, but don't let it fool you. There's a wicked wry sense of humor hiding in there.

The brunette in the hip glasses is Anna. She's been with us for a few months and used to work for a chocolate company. Yarn or chocolate? That would have been a tough call. I'm glad she picked yarn. It does make me wonder if she'll hit the trifecta and end up at a winery or brewery at some point.

Next up is Amanda. She's been with us ever since Lorna's Laces moved from California to Chicago. The poor thing has put up with me for all those years. She's got a bunch of things going on in her world these days. Moving for one. Planning a wedding for another.

I'm on the far right. I'm the luckiest person in the world. I get to work with all these folks. And work in yarn. It doesn't get much better than that.

The Stitch Collection

A new stitch dictionary by Debbie O'Neill arrived recently. It's called, simply, The Stitch Collection. There are many very good stitch dictionaries out there, but the more I look through this one, the more I like it.

It's a boxed set with each of five volumes showcasing a different type of stitch. Knit and Purl, Rib, Lace, Cables and Specialty. Within each volume, it is organized from smallest to largest stitch repeat. That's a handy feature if you're trying to decide which pattern best suits your project. It would make sense that you'd want a smaller-scale repeat for a baby sweater than for an afghan.

I like the fact that's it each volume is small. The size is going to make it portable. You'll be able to easily toss the volume that you want to work with in your bag and go.














Another thing I like about this book is how Debbie classified each stitch by level of difficulty. That makes perfect sense. Patterns are rated this way, why shouldn't stitch patterns be too? If you think about it, unless a garment has an unusual construction or something else that's a little atypical going on, isn't the stitch pattern going to be one of the key indicators of difficulty?

She also classifies each stitch by level of drape. Once again, I think this is a nice feature. Of course, you'll want to make a swatch to make sure that you're getting the results you want, but having some idea of what to expect ahead of time is going to make things easier and might save you a little time in the long run.

As often as not, I'm the kind of person that takes advantage of all the wonderful patterns out in the world. I'm more about making beautiful yarn than making beautiful patterns. But, every once in awhile I get a hankering to go off the grid and explore on my own. Especially when it comes to something fairly simple like taking the basic shape of a design I like and fits me well and adding a little interest with texture. This book provides lots of choices.

For someone with more pattern writing skills than I have or who aspires to be a designer, this book would be a great reference tool. And a source of inspiration. Even I started to think about where some of these stitches might take me.

I should probably also tell you that Lorna's Laces provided the yarn for all the swatches in the book. Other than a free copy, we did not receive any compensation for this blog post.

Meredith and Jonny

Meredith looked deep into Jonathon's eyes and saw the truth she'd been avoiding for months. He didn't love her the way she loved him.

They'd met during the long days of summer and those first few weeks were magic. They frolicked at the beach, took long hikes in the woods, got drenched in a sudden thunderstorm after an afternoon antiquing in the next town over. It seemed like they were meant for each other.

But as time wore on, those perfect days became fewer and farther between. The ease they'd once shared seemed strained. He wasn't as quick to laugh at her jokes or reach out to hold her hand when they walked down the street. Things weren't bad, the just weren't quite right anymore.

So, she took a deep breath, pulled her scarf more tightly around her neck, gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered "goodbye".
















Anthera; beret, cowl and wristlet set designed by Janel Laidman and published in Twist Collective's Fall issue. Knit from Lorna's Laces Angel in 56ns Fjord. Story courtesy of the bad romantic comedies I watched over the weekend.

Blogiversary

Today is my three year blogiversary. Just like birthdays or New Year's, this is the time when it makes sense to take stock of the past and try and make a plan for the future.

I started this blog with the intention of writing at least two posts a week. I've done OK there. I certainly haven't been perfect, but it's been pretty close. I'm a little behind this year and like everyone else, find there are too many things to do every day.

While I thoroughly enjoy writing the blog, I have to admit that I struggle with its voice. I want to find a nice balance between the person who is doing the writing and the company that is represented. I don't want this to feel like another advertising vehicle for Lorna's Laces. I'd be lying if I told you that isn't at least part of why I do it, but that's only one piece of the picture.

Some of the reason I'm here is because I want to give you a little peek behind the curtain. Lorna's Laces is a small, living, breathing organism. There are just six of us here. Of course some of what we do is making sure we get the yarn dyed and out the door on its way to you, but our real lifeblood lies in creating beauty. We love being immersed in color and fiber.

I know I don't want this blog to become a laundry list of rants. Of course I have days when vendors screw up, crew members aren't getting along or clients are frustrating. But the good far outweighs the bad and does anyone really want to hear about it? It is far too easy to be negative. I prefer to talk about, and read about, things that are more positive.

While this is a company blog, I'm lucky enough to work in a world where people matter. We are absolutely about yarn, but we're also about Amanda planning her wedding, Anna taking a chemistry class this summer, Caitlin going back to school to be a teacher, Merrilee just getting back from her honeymoon and the other Beth that just started working with us on Monday. Those are the things that make the world go around in the studio. Those are glimpses into the day to day around here that I hope bring you closer to Lorna's Laces.

I guess the bit I struggle with the most is how much of myself should be reflected here. I don't think Lorna's Laces blog is the place for personal politics or religious beliefs. Many of those things can be divisive and I definitely don't want to be divisive here. But, I'm not sure how much I should share about my mother's struggle with dementia. Or that I still cry at the drop of a hat because my dog died of bone cancer last month. Should a blog be all about pictures of yarn and FO's and free patterns and such? I think it's hard to know where to draw the line.

I started this little adventure to try and bring the world of Lorna's Laces closer to you and I hope I've been doing that. Three years into it and I'm still not sure where this is going to take me, but I'm glad you've decided to come along.

Now, sing it with me, "Happy Blogiversary, Happy Blogiversary, Happy Blogiversary, Haaaaappppy Blogiversary!"

Old Home Week

Whenever I call my mother, she asks me what I've been doing lately for fun. It makes me realize how much of my life is pretty darn routine. I get up in the morning, head out for a run, spend the day at the studio, home for dinner and then to bed. Then I get up and do it all over again. Ah, the glam life of a hand dyer!

This week is shaping up to be way more fun than usual. First, I ran into two old friends on my walk home from work last night. First was Heidi. It turns out that she lives right around the corner from Lorna's Laces. I'd heard she lived nearby, but I wasn't sure exactly where. Now I know. She's practicing acupuncture these days. Herbal medicine too.

Then about a mile further down the way, I ran into Danny. I know him from the dog park in our old neighborhood. He recently got a job at a hair salon not far from home. When I think about it, it's pretty amazing how many people in my web of friends and acquaintances I can trace back to a dog park at some point in my life.

Tonight, I get to see Amy from Italy. She's married to a wonderful Italian man who swept her off her feet about 12 years ago. They spent a few years in NY and now live in a divine apartment overlooking the duomo in Lake Como. I'll have to find out how far they are from George Clooney's place. As charmed as her life is, I'll bet she's met him and has cocktails with him whenever he's in town.

Last, but not least, I'll get a chance to catch up with a whole bunch of folks from my days selling college textbooks. (That was the job I had before heading into this crazypants yarn world.) The company I used to work for is having its national sales meeting downtown and they always have a big cocktail reception. It will be fun to see old colleagues. It will be even more fun to see their faces when I tell them what I've been up to. I've finally learned that it's better to say "I have a yarn company" than "I have a hand dyed yarn company". Somehow the hand dyed part always throws folks for a loop.

Yaktacular

Some days it's just about playing with the photoshop.