Pupdate!

YOU GUYS ARE INCREDIBLE! Between you crafty folks and the network of friends that my friend Jenn has up here and beyond the surgery has been covered in full with donations! Sweet Puffy is out of surgery, recovering well and has gone to his new home. He’s living with a lovely family on a 1/2 acre of land (once he can run I’m sure he’ll enjoy that!) and has another dog to romp and play with.

In addition to your donations The Rosco Fund also covered 10% of the surgery. Any extra donations over the cost of the surgery are going back into the Rosco Fund.

From my friend Jenn:

The donations for the puppy surgery are at 100%. I’m overwhelmed with the compassion of total strangers, friends of friends, and friends. Thank you.

The pup is happily on a 1/2 acre of land, playful, and not wanting to take his pills

Thank you again for helping this pup make his way to recovery! You guys are incredible!

Help A Puppy-Athon!

If there is one thing I know about (most) crafty types it’s that we like to help. We like to make sure people are taken care of. We also like to run to the rescue when an animal is being mistreated. Well, I have a story for all of you.

My dear friend Jenn signed on to puppy sit for this 3 month old dog that some friends of hers had bought. They are out of town and Jenn thought she’d get a couple of days of free puppy play (she has a grown dog of her own) before happily handing over the sweet fluff ball to his new owners. Except that is not how this story went at all.

Jenn picked up the pup only to discover that he was not well. She immediately took him to the vet and discovered that he had been badly beaten for most of his short life. He had 2 broken legs, 7 broken ribs and a broken jaw that may have been set improperly at one point. He was clearly in need of immediate medical attention. Jenn, the doll that she is, didn’t hesitate. She booked his surgery immediately and yesterday Puffy (as she’s calling him) went in for surgery to get everything set and pinned and put back where it belongs. At last update he’s doing well but was kept overnight for observation to make sure there was no complications.

As you can imagine this is not an inexpensive little endeavor our fair Jenn has taken up. The surgery alone cost $1000 and lord only knows what it’ll all come out to when this is all said and done. (Just a little side reminder, if you don’t have pet insurance you really should look in to it.) Because Jenn is so selfless and has already handled it I (along with her other friends) are trying to help her put together some money to offset the cost of caring for this poor pup. If you’d like to donate you can do so here. (If for some silly reason this link does now work for you you can simply send a donation via PayPal to ezmalina@gmail.com)

Jenn is trying really hard to find someone to deal with this bad breeder as well. Currently because he’s out in the middle of nowhere in rural Alaska it seems all the major authorities are claiming it’s out of their jurisdiction. The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach. I love animals and I can’t imagine why anyone would feel it necessary to beat a little puppy nearly to death. Words of support for Jenn are greatly appreciated as well, Puffy is out of surgery but she’s still the primary caregiver for him at present and he has a lot of healing yet to do.

Craft Culture Collective

So, I’ve started a(nother) new thing: The Craft Culture Collective. . The idea is this:

The Craft Culture Collective is a group of crafters, artists, writers, free thinkers and artistic loose cannons that have conspired to bring you information about everything you wanted to know, didn’t want to know and didn’t know you wanted to know about craft and culture.
The blog features a rotating cast of contributors who write on a variety of topics.

Eventually the blog will give way to a collective online shop and virtual classroom. Contributors to the blog may be asked to participate in the shop or classroom in the future, as it gets built out. Right now the blog is the only part of the site that is fully functioning. I envision the blog as being a place to check in to every day or a few times a week for news, articles and how to’s on a variety of crafting subjects. I want it to be a place to learn, but also a place to think about the social context of crafting as well. I’ll be doing a series of articles about the culture of craft and the social history behind r crafting. For those of you who listen to the Craft Culture podcast think of this new blog as the text and visual parts of the audio podcast you already know.

The hope for the Craft Culture Collective though, as opposed to the podcast, is that it will be well, collective. That it will be a community, that it will be filled with information sourced from the best and brightest in those fields, that it will feature a multitude of perspectives and ideas and that it will be directed by what you, the readers, are interested in. So, that said, feel free to drop me a line at dani@craftculturecollective.com if you have something you want to know more about. I’m actively soliciting submissions from crafters but I also want to hear from readers about what they want so I can go in search of the people who can talk to us about those things.

I really have high hopes for this new project. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in it for the last three days and it’s far from finished but I’m just so excited I wanted to share!

Thank You!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments on both my bag pattern and all the great patterns, articles, interviews and pudgey baby ankles in the latest issue of KnitCircus Magazine. Winners have been chosen and notified. I wish I could give each and every one of you a prize but sadly the magazine has to make money some how so it can continue to pay it’s designers (like me!) so if you did not win I hope you’ll pick up this pattern collection or buy a subscription. The next issue is going to feature a ton of great gift patterns perfect for holiday knitting.

In a day or so I’ll have some FO pictures to share with you all, I’m going to try really hard to get back into blogging regularly again. I’m hoping to use this blog to talk about the design process as well and what it’s been like submitting to publications, attempting to draw things I see in my head (even though I am a terrible artist.) and where my inspiration comes from.

On that subject, since I have your attention, what sorts of things would you like to see as new patterns for Fall/Winter? What sorts of things are you interested in knitting this cold weather season?

First Ever!

My first ever professionally published (as in, in a magazine) pattern was released today. You can check out the Bolla Bag pattern in the current issue of KnitCircus Magazine. You can buy the pattern collection here.

I am so excited! I love the styling they did for the photos and I am so honored to be in an issue with so many other fabulous designers and contributors. The articles are just mind blowing for this issue as well. Wendy Johnson contributed a piece on creating lace charts which I think is a must read for any designer.

Now, because I am just so excited about being published and because it’s a rainy drizzley day out and I feel like the universe needs some happy I’m going to have a little contest. I want you all to go check out this issue of KnitCircus and tell me what your favorite part was. You don’t extra points for telling me the Bolla Bag was your favorite (though you will get an ‘aww, thanks sweetheart!’ from me.), I want you to be honest! Tell me about a pattern you liked, or if one of the articles really struck you. Heck, I don’t care if it’s an ad that strikes your fancy! Share with me what your favorite bit was in the comments section and tomorrow afternoon I’ll throw everyone in a hat (or rather the random number generator) and pick 2 winners to receive the pattern collection containing all of the patterns for this issue of the KnitCircus magazine.

If you tweet, facebook, plurk, carrier pigeon or smoke signal your friends about this contest you’ll get extra entries. (Just send me an email to daniella@danido.com with where all you posted about it or list it in your entry in the comments.)

Go to it! Contest closes tomorrow night around 6ish Alaska time.

One Cowl To Rule Them All

I’ve designed several things now in collaboration with the brilliant spinner/dyer/farmer lady at Desert Garden Farm but this is by far my favorite I think. This cowl was designed for the Lord of the Rings Spin Along through Desert Garden and is meant to work with a variety of yarn weights, fiber contents and textures. I think I love it so much because it’s deceptively simple and will look good in just about any yarn. Ever.

Introducing: The One Cowl To Rule Them All

Fresh New Look

Again. I’ve still been futzing around with the look of the site. I’m trying to get it just so but not quite succeeding. I’ll keep this theme for awhile though I think until I can either coerce someone into building me a better one or until I learn how to myself.

So! I’m on the road! I’m currently in New Jersey with my friend Jesh and we are having a fabulous time. I’ve fallen in love with one of her foster and I am seriously looking into methods of smuggling him out of New Jersey. Look at his face! So sweet.

I had an idea for a book the other night and yesterday I fleshed out a book proposal to send to some publishers. I don’t know which ones yet, but I have the proposal! That’s a start at least. Look at us, working away like we’re professionals or something. Jesh and I spent about 8 hours at a coffee shop yesterday just plugging away on various projects. She’s writing a Math for Knitters course (which is brilliant by the way.) that is going to be a whole series, starting with fairly simple concepts and going into much more complicated stuff as it progresses.

For those of us who are Math Wary (or Math Non Functional in my case) but are visual learners who can grasp things in terms of knitting this course is going to revolutionize how we knit. At least I think so. I’ve only read the first bit to help her proof it but already she made some stuff make sense to me that I hadn’t formerly been able to grasp.

This evening Jesh and Friends are taking me to a fair type thing where there will be fireworks. I am insanely excited about this. Tomorrow we’re going to NYC!

Special Offers

So the Craft Culture Summer Tour kicks off in about two weeks. I am super excited about it but I’m also a little scared. I raised the money for the tickets no problem with the the help of fabulous individual contributors and super awesome small businesses. However after the tickets where purchased there wasn’t but a few bucks left in the pot. Now I’m fixing to head out on the road with nothing in my pockets but lint and well wishes.

So I’m letting ya’ll know about some things you can do to help raise some money. First and foremost of course is simply clicking on that ‘donate’ button in the sidebar and tossing in a few pennies. Or you can order some pretty sweet swag from the Craft Culture Zazzle Shop.

Or you can buy some of my patterns. I’m offering a buy one, get one free deal on the patterns right now. If you buy one of the patterns that is $5 or more you can pick another one of my patterns and I will send it to you for free. All you have to do is buy a pattern and when you do send me a note on Ravelry with which other pattern you’d like and I will send it to you through Ravelry so you can save it in your library.

If you’re looking for something yummy you can buy some tea, if you buy at least $15 worth of tea you’ll receive a free 1 ounce bag of your choice of tea. If you like yummy AND soft you can sign up for the Goddess Tea & Yarn Club for August. If you buy a club membership you’ll get a free pattern in your August club package.

Teas and club packages need to be purchased by July 1st. The tea shop will be closed while I’m on tour so if you want some tea you’ll need to order before the 1st if you want to get it before I go on tour. The Goddess Tea & Yarn club sign ups close that same day.

The buy one, get one offer on the patterns is good through the month of July, ending August 1st. Thank you to everyone who has helped the Tour so far! You all have made it possible!

Knitted Thingies!

Hey! I’ve knit things!

Pattern: French Press Slippers by French Press Knits.
Yarn: roughly 1.5 balls of Cascade 220
Needles: US15 straights
Notes: There is a mod for a seamless version of this. I’ll be making my mom a pair but doing the modded version since the seaming on these things SUCKED. The large size really is LARGE. Too big for my size 10 feet, these are super cute though so they’ll be going to live with Cheena Marie since her feet are a smidge bigger than mine. I’ll make another pair for myself as well.

I also finished a quick little cotton hat:

Pattern: My own. Still debating writing it up or not. Super simple.
Yarn: 1 hank of Mirasol Hap’i (100% Tanguis Cotton)
Needles: US8 16″ circulars
Notes: ridiculously simple 2 st cable pattern. I needed something simple to knit up out of this hank of cotton and thought a little summer cap would be perfect. Took less than a single hank of this soft cotton.

Now I’m working on an Ishbel shawl out of reclaimed yarn from a sweater my friend Sarah Jo had. It was her mothers sweater and was hand knit, she wanted me to rip it out and use the yarn to make something she could wear. (The sweater was gorgeous though, all Aran cables and a beautiful mock turtle neck.) I don’t know what kind of yarn it is, it’s not wool so I’m a bit worried how the shawl is going to block out when I’m done but I think it might be a cotton blend so we’ll see. It’s definitely something synthetic but it’s got some kind of natural fiber in there too. I’m winging through the stockinette portion of the Ishbel pretty quickly so hopefully the lace goes fast as well. I’ve knit this pattern before so I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult. I had problems with the lace chart the first time I knit it but I think there’s been corrections to the pattern since then.

And just because I can here’s a gratuitous shot of my niece and I because she’s the most beautiful baby on the planet:

Big Updates!

I have made it safely to Alaska. I got in about two weeks ago now but was almost immediately felled by double ear infections, a sinus infection from Hell and a smidge of bronchitis. After a pretty hearty round of antibiotics I am now much recovered and finally settling in a bit. My tea and dyeing supplies have arrived in Anchorage as well so DaniDo Crafty and Goddess Teas are back up and running.

On that note, I will be opening up sign ups for the Goddess Tea & Yarn Club for August sometime this weekend or next week. I’ve just finished dyeing the yarn for the first shipment coming out this month, but if you missed out on the original sign ups you can get in for the next shipment in August. (This club is shipping every other month instead of monthly so it’s perfect if you don’t always quite knit up club yarns super quickly and it gives me time to come up with hopefully awesome color ways and teas!)

Some of you emailed about being on the waiting list for August, those of you who emailed ahead will get an email from me before general sign ups start next week with information on securing your spot ahead of time. I sold out of the DK club memberships for August already with people who pre-payed for 3 months, but I should hopefully be able to put in another order that includes DK weight before the October club comes around. The sock and lace clubs are available though (and the mix, but only 2 of them are currently available until I can order more DK weight.) If you know for sure that you want in for August you can email me ASAP for the waiting list as well.

I’ve got some excellent goodies coming for upcoming clubs that I’m really excited about and I’m getting all kinds of wonderful inspiration for color ways being back home. I’ve always been really inspired by Alaska but being back here has really brought all that back to the forefront for me.

I’m less than a month out from the start of the Craft Culture Summer Tour as well! I’m still looking for a host house in Richmond, VA but I’ve got beds secured in all the other cities. I’m still trying really hard to get local yarn shops to respond to me though, having a bit of a rough time with it as emails aren’t being responded to. I’ve worked in an LYS before and I know how difficult it is to respond to emails so I’m doing my best to be patient, however I could use your help. If you have a favorite LYS in your aread (and you’re in or near one of the tour cities) you could do me a huge favor by mentioning the tour to your LYS owner/manager and asking them to consider hosting an event with me. It doesn’t cost them anything, I just need a room to speak in and a place for people to gather. It could potentially be a great opportunity for a LYS to bring some extra/national attention to the shop as I will be blogging, podcasting and video blogging about everywhere I stop on the tour as well as adding any shops I visit to the ethnography I’m writing at the end of this trip.

Anyway, that’s my pitch. Word of mouth has got the Tour this far (thus proving my theory that crafters are a demographic to be reckoned with!) and the more ya’ll talk about it the more successful it will be. While I’m begging for your attention, I might as well include that I’m still accepting both personal and business sponsorships as well. Tossing a couple of bucks into the pot will go a long way to make sure I don’t starve to death on the road. I happen to know I can survive on nothing but water and Cup o’ Noodle for at least a month (hey, I am a college student.) so I don’t need much to survive.

Thank you to everyone who has been supportive and awesome (and patient!) during this transition in my life, I greatly appreciate all the kind words and encouragement I have received.