Time - Fiber Arts - Machines!

Once again I find this blog. How can so much time pass without notice! A lot has happened in these past 4 years. Let's see if I can do a little better from now on.  So an update is a good place to start.

Diagnosed with lupus, fibro and CFS. Each day starts in pain until my meds begin to kick in. Once in awhile I wake without pain and I try to get everything done that hasn't been done in the previous days, weeks or months. Not a good thing because I do to much and the cycle begins again. But I keep on trying. I have to. My family, friends and (most important) I depend on me!

Let's talk about friends and being sick with a silent disease. I have lost most of my friends simply because I don't have the energy to keep in contact. I consider those that I have left the best friends a person could ever have.

Now on to something a little more fun. In these past years I have started quilting, cross stitching and old sewing machines! Thanks to my dear friend, Deb, I have started quilting and cross stitch. These were crafts that I said I would NOT do, LOL! Yet, here I am, doing them and loving it!

Most folks know a little about quilting and cross stitch, but old sewing machines are not your usual hobby. I have accumulated about 80 antique and vintage machines.  You would be surprised at how much fun it can be to see a rusted & dirty machine come back to life. My oldest machine was made in 1910 (although I have a couple that have not been dated yet). My newest was made in 2010. I love both of them for totally different reasons!

My 1910 Franklin treadle
















My 2010 Bernina Artista 630QE









Here's hoping that my next post is not 4 years down the line!

OMG...I just found my old blog!  Talk about time slipping away.  Since I started my blog my most wonderful fan and mentor, my Mother, has passed away.  My son has gifted me with two grandsons.  My life has been turned totally upside down and my knitting has (sadly) taken a back seat to the rest of my life.

I have tons of yarn, needles, a knitting machine or four, two spinning wheels, a floor loom, spindles out the wazoo, four sewing machines, all the material and patterns you could ask for, a serger, enough crafting books to open my own library,  and numerous other craft supplies that I don't have time to use anymore.

I hadn't touched my knitting needles for several months until a very good friend was diagnosed with cancer.  I picked up my needles and my most favorite house boot pattern and made a pair of boots that I hope will warm not only his feet but his heart as well.  This is what my knitting is about.  It's knitting for the love of knitting and for the person who will receive that love in the form of warm boots, shawls, sweaters, etc...  

Well, I will get back to my fiber loves full time one of these days.  My precious family is the number one love of my life with my friends coming in at a very close second.  Maybe my next post won't take five years to write.  :)

Needles!!!

In order to bring my knitting paraphernalia into the 21st century I decided to order myself a set of Options from Knit Picks. I got them in today! Along with more lace wt yarn (that I don't have a project for...yet!). Plus more sock yarn. Like I don't have enough of either of these items, yes??

I have two (yes, two!) sets of NeedleMasters. I have every size single point needle you could ask for in 10", 14" and a few shorter and even a couple longer. I have double the number of double points that anyone would need and all the circular sizes you could want. Many are old but work just fine.

So, why would I spend the money for pretty purple cables when I have so many other needles? Well, let's think about what's different between the NeedleMaster and the Options? The Options points are not quite as pointy as the NeedleMaster's in my opinion, but they are pretty darned close. I have found that the newer NeedleMaster has a very abrupt hump just before the metal end where you screw on your needle tip. That is not such a pain if you are using size 15 needles, but when you start using 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4's you start having to push your stitches over these humps. That makes for very slow and tiring knitting. The Options have a sleek, smooth join. The NeedleMaster's cables are hard and pretty unforgiving. The Options have very relaxed cables and are such a pretty purple!

What it boils down to is that the Options have updated and modernized the needle. The needles are nice and pointy. The cables are flexible and forgiving. The join is sleek and smooth. What is not to like? And as I get older my hands won't allow me to do those 4 hr, 12 hr, 1 or 2 day marathon knitting sessions that I used enjoy. They begin to ache. My pain free comfort is pretty darned important. If my needles are easier to use then my hands and wrist aren't going to hurt. That's my reasoning (or at least my excuse, LOL!) for buying a whole new kit.

Now...if I can only convince my DH that I need a wooden set too! Hmmmm!

Sold!

I couldn't believe it! Got a call from my LYS proprietress asking me if I would sell one of the many items I have displayed (for demo purposes only) on the wall of her store. OK...how much is this person willing to pay and how much would be fair to ask for my work? Ms. LYS won't help with that question. She only asks me what my low price and high price would be. Leave it to Ms. LYS....take the middle ground. Middle ground?? Pretty damned good to me. SOLD!!

Customer may want to commission me to do other projects? Not to sure if I am going there. I don't do my art/craft for a living. I do my art/craft out of love of the project, fiber, challenge, colors, etc.... Can you put a price on that? I don't think so. If I had put a commissioned price on the piece that I sold it would have been way more than Ms. Customer would want to pay. It was all lace....it was knee length....it had beads....it was a lot of work!

So, just how much is our "work" worth? Some charge by the yard of measured yarn, taking into account the more challenging the pattern, the more you charge. This little blurb from SOMEWHERE/SOMEONE that I ran across in the many years of my internet travels pretty well puts it down on paper. (Note: I don't know who wrote this so I can't give credit to anyone. If it belongs to you, let me know and I will put your name on it.)

HOW MUCH I CHARGE FOR MY HAND KNITTING!

The cost of the yarn and any notions required (buttons and such) plus

$0.10 per knitted yard of yarn for plain stocking stitch
$0.20 per knitted yard for texture and color work
$0.25 per knitted yard for lace, complicated textures and/or color work
$10 extra if the yarn is a pain to work with
$20 extra if they want it fast
$20 extra for complicated shaping or finishing
$50 extra for creating the design

A plain stocking stitch, circular, sweater made from an economy yarn and about 40 inches around will tally up to about $200.00.

Before I agree to knit for someone and use a pattern that they request, I will make sure that we are not violating copyright and/or fair use laws.

Did I get what my work was worth? Nope...not according to this. Oh well, it was just hanging around! I didn't plan on wearing it (it was a pre-knit to the sweater that I really wanted). And I get to buy more yarn! Woooo Hoooo!!

She's Doing It Again!

DK is at it again! She has started a new Secret-Of-The-Stole mystery group at YahooGroups. As you may have noticed I have a button on the side that is suppose to take you there! At least I hope it does. Since I am internet challenged DK has taken on the chore of trying to teach an old dog new tricks.

Of course, this allows her to be my knitting enabler. I must (notice I said MUST) knit the Secret Stole with her. She is threatening me with knitting needles. I have no choice. She took me to the store and made (notice I said MADE) me buy supplies. And I spent more than SHE did. Did you hear that Mr. DK!

Gotta run hide the evidence from Hubs! And DK has made me promise not to tell what supplies I would need. Those needles she is holding are sharp! And I think that she is faster than I am! Time to run....

OK...it's a historical day! I have been invited to RAVELRY!!!! Nauticalknitter (aka DK), my partner in crime and enabler, says that she will help me put together this blog and now we are on Ravelry together too! She got her invite 2 days ago!! WOOOO HOOOO! Long live knitting enablers! All hail knitting bloggers! Alright....deep breaths! Calm down. Gotta go to work and TRY to stay focused on work things.

I CAN'T HELP IT!!! I AM KNITTING ADDICTED! I just wanna play with fiber all day....don't wanna work. Work is just a means to an end....the purchase of more yarn and knitting toys.

In the beginning.......

In the beginning there was Dot & CJ. Dot & CJ beget Tinkerdink. The last in a series of three. Being the only female Dot took Tink in hand and taught her well from the vast knowledge handed down from one generation to another. And there begins our journey.....

At the nubile age of eight, Dot took hook in hand and began the slow process of teaching Tinkerdink the rich and rewarding life of a crocheter. Thus began a love of the fiber arts that has not diminished over the last 40 plus years.

In Tink's 10th year, Dot handed over the further progression of knowledge to Ms Mary. So, in the back of the Yarn Barn the sticks were applied to wool and a knitter was born. All hail Ms Mary!! Queen of the Yarn Barn where needles and friendship were applied in generous amounts. Ms Mary, no longer present upon this earth, was highly revered and greatly missed!

In the ensuing years, Dot taught Tink a multitude of talents. None were more loved than the fiber arts. The knitting and crocheting expanded into sewing, quilting, cross stitch, embroidery, crewel, rug hooking....just to name a few. Dot has always been there to guide and love.

Thus this blog begins.....

Perhaps Tinkerdink will assist others in their desire to learn the fiber arts and in the doing learn from others. And...just maybe Tink will learn how to speak in the first person somewhere along the way! : )

Blessings!