Monday, November 06, 2006

Customer Projects – Lace is the Word of the Day!

Today, I have two absolutely fabulous customer projects to share with you. Both are lace; one knit and one crochet. You can click on the photos for a better view of these wonderful projects.

The first featured project was made by Marianne. It’s a "Flared Lace Smoke Ring" designed by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer at Heartstrings Fiber Arts. Despite the fact that this smoke ring is absolutely gorgeous and looks quite intricate and complex, according to Marianne it was pretty simple to make. She reported to me that “after the first few rounds, it sort of rolls off your mind, into the wool. I was pleasantly surprised by that!”



Here’s a close up photo for a better view of the detail and also a more accurate depiction of the color. Marianne made this smoke ring with Fearless Fibers Merino Wool Sock Yarn (the classic merino, rather than the superwash) in the Sage and Chino colorway. One skein was plenty for this project, with a comfortable amount left over.



As if one fantastic lace project isn’t enough, I have another to share with you! This one is a crocheted shawl made by Elisa. The shawl was designed as a traditional pointed shawl, but Elisa stopped short and created a narrower shawl that’s just the right size for her and allowed her to complete the entire project with just one 8-ounce skein of the Alpaca/Wool Yarn. She got the pattern for this shawl from this pattern directory site.



Elisa reports that she has received more attention and interest when wearing this shawl (which she says she now wears “everywhere”!) than anything she’s made so far. Well, it’s no wonder! It’s absolutely gorgeous. Elisa made this shawl with Fearless Fibers DK Weight Alpaca/Wool. The colorway is Moss. Here’s a closer look for you



If you’re wondering why you don’t see these colors currently available in my Etsy or eBay shops, the answer is that both of these were one-time only dye runs from quite some time ago. One of the myriad of reasons that I chose to sell online directly to the consumer rather than selling to retail shops is that it gives me the flexibility to experiment, just have fun with dyeing, and occasionally offer a bit of this and a bit of that to my customers rather than just sticking to a standard and fairly static “line.” That leads me into a reminder …

Don’t forget the Orphan Skein Sale coming to my Etsy shop on Wednesday November 8th! Scroll down to the post below this one for details. Perhaps you can pick up a bargain on yarn from a limited dye run, such as the yarns Marianne and Elisa used for their wonderful lace projects.

Finally, I’m counting on all of you to contribute your project photos for future Monday features. E-mail your photos to me and give you handiwork its moment in the spotlight!

2 comments:

~Tonia~ said...

Wow they are both so pretty. Good luck with your sale.

Anonymous said...

Oh man - those are two gorgeous pieces. Beautiful job, Marianne and Elisa! These really display your yarns, Deb, with the way the colors interplay. (And Marianne's evil. I adore that lace stitch. Then she says it was pretty simple to make. Now I'm lusting after that stitch pattern. LOL.)

And Deb, I am including info about your Orphan Skein sale in a post on my blog today. Dunno how much it'll spread the word, as I also have no idea who reads me aside from friends--but it'll be there. ;) Plus, of course, I'll be checking it out myself. Good luck!