Wild Geese Fibres

So, Rabbitch and I were having lunch the other day and tossing ideas around. 

Over the appetizer (grits with pepper) I said, you know Rabbitch, you should write a book.

Nope, she says, I have nothing to write about.

Never stops you from blogging, I replied.

She had to agree, so over the main course (grits with butter) we hashed over some ideas.  I pointed out that knitted whimsies seemed to be a new and popular trend, what with those Japanese orma/ormiwhatevers, and also cozies of all sorts.  We considered (and then discarded as being overdone) car cozies, fishing poles, and the creatures from Jules Vern.  Then I had it!  Snake cozies I said.  No, no! cried Rabbitch, all excited.  Snake Wardrobes! 

Yes!  I too was now very excited.  And, I said, you have Boris the corn snake as a ready model.  Rabbitch got all down for a moment, and sighed and said If only I could knit.  But it looks soo haaard.  I told her, you design ‘em, I’ll knit ‘em.

So, over dessert (grits with maple syrup) we hammered out a preliminay proposal. 

Introduction:  How to measure and customize.  Includes tips on determining your snake’s favourite colourway 

Chapter 1:  Sweaters (including how to fit the shoulders of a raglan to YOUR snake)

Chapter 2:  Socks (kneehighs and mid calf) (including tips to prevent them from falling down)

Chapter 3:  Hats and matching mittens

Chapter 4:  Leashes (for those who are unlucky enough to live in an area with no Off Leash Snake Parks)

Chapter 5:  Party Wear (including weddding dresses and tuxedos)

We are still working on some of the details, but we think it’s a winner.  And the best part are the sequels…  Dressing up your Pet Rock.  Wigs for Chia Pets.  Skanky Spider Shank Knitting.  It just goes on and on.

Don’t bother trying to steal our idea.  We have taken out all the appropriate copyrights.  Trust me.

(I’ve put up some of my personal stash in Garage Sale pages…  Spin Offs  and Books from My Stash so far)

I’m off to test knit a pair of spats for the snake to wear when the weather is too cold for runners, not cold enough for Sorels.

So, I was getting the site upgraded and things.  (“Things” is a technical word used for anything on computers that old farts like me don’t understand)  Turns out it didn’t need upgrading, it need major surgery.  Which took awhile.  Then I was waiting to hear from the tech dudes, turns out they were waiting for me.  An “after you, Alfonse” kind of thing. 

Anyway, Rabbitch over there on Rabbitworks (the yarn artist who produces those gorgeous yarns such as Revenge) had a similar but different problem.  She blogged about it.  Go there, read the posts, and insert my name here and there.   Done reading?  Good.  Now we can move along!

I am refocusing my business, as the mill I have been using is refocusing their business, plus the design work is starting to take up a lot of my time.  I’m not sure exactly what form it will take.  Hopefully, it will work out as:  kits for the patterns with the right amount of yarn (so you don’t need to buy 2 skeins when you really only need 1 and 1/4 of a skein) possibly some sock or other knitting clubs, some roving, and any special things the mill comes up with.

Check back later today, and I will have listed some “garage sale” things.  First up, some personal destashing including some great books that I no longer read (my shelves are full…   I have a lot of shelves) and some Spin Off back issues.

Back 2000 years ago, when I was updating the blog regularly, I mentioned that I was working on the biggest hugest most work ever in my life project.

Well, here it is  (for the Canadians among us, for my friends down south it’s here:

Can you see down there at the bottom right, in the white writing???  “Barb Brown” is what it says, and that would be me.  Release date is Feb 2011, and I will be writing more in a month or two about what is in the book and all that.  But it is not just a pattern book, it is a also a “how to”. 

And the BOOK as I like to call it, would never have been born without the help of a group of awesome knitters who jumped to the pump and knit their fingers to the bone.  You guys know who you are, you rock, and my thank you is there on the dedication page.  (46 different samples is a LOT to knit by yourself!)

Other designing:

March and April Yarn Forward magazine:  O!Ropa hat and socks – knit in yarn from Custom Woolen Mills.

Vogue Fall 2010 (not the early fall, but the Fall, which hits the newstands now) 2 pairs of kneehighs

and then some upcoming things which I will post later.

On the Grand Baby front…   For years, I thought I was the only weirdo who did not see the point on matching socks.  Then along came Lucy Neatby, who agrees, and I felt legitimate.  Now there is Grand Baby.  She is almost a year and half now, and if given the chance to chose her own clothes, her socks do not match.  And she gets quite peeved if you try to exchange them for ones that do.  The non matchers are a personal choice. 

Check back soon for updates.  Honest.  No, really.