A foot down

Three weeks ago I had foot surgery to resolve a pinched nerve that had been bothering me for over a year (from right before my New Orleans trip). Three weeks later, I am wearing a "normal" shoe and walking with a limp as it continues to heal -- but it is already better than before the surgery.

I had planned to knit and craft away when my foot was up and I was healing. I had also planned to attack some design work for a project I had hoped to have had a signed contract on. No such luck. There have been lots of professional ups and downs these past few weeks. But, as I continue to wait on one big project, I had a few other teaching venues open up.

The first is this Thursday at Schnabeltier. Schnabeltier is a local artisan wine and cheese shop which opened October 2014. All the cheese starts are from Europe, and all the other ingredients are local. I've toured the back of the shop and seen the cheese vats, wine vats, and cheese aging rooms. It's fascinating! They have had a few Wine and Canvas nights and asked me to come in and teach a knit and wine night. I've ordered wonderful cotton yarn from Knit Picks, and we're Getting Dishie with a Sip and Knit at Schnabeltiers. Give them a call at 574-224-3373 to register. 

I came home early from the Spinning Retreat because of a bad winter storm that was moving into the area. It seems we have had a "bad winter storm" about every weekend this calendar year! But I was able to complete and ply a project and begin another I brought with me. It proved to be a harder spin, so I switched to a lovely Romney/alpaca/angora blend fiber I swapped with a wonderful spinner and fiber lady, Peggy. Then, I learned long draw (quickly and incompletely), and proceeded to spin about 7 oz. of this lovely fiber while practicing it. It was a wonderful fiber to do long draw on, and, working on it after I got home a day early, I completed three skeins of a two-ply yarn. The only thing I wasn't satisfied with was my method of adding a ply when one gave out. Now, I have to figure out what to knit with the yarn.

At the retreat, I sat next to Sister Nancy whom I had met before at a Sit and Spin at MoonTree Studios. She was a great deal of fun to get to know better. I forced her and my friend Rosemary to learn spindling (and, I think they both liked it more then they thought they would). By the time I vamoosed, I was in discussion with Nancy about having an Art Exhibition at MoonTree, and  teaching three classes. I am excited that I will display my work in that gorgeous facility! Thankfully, it is still two years away (January - March 2017), so I can work on items to post for sale. Most of what I produce now are prototypes for knitted and crocheted patterns and not saleable.

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round

Last weekend I went to a spinning retreat at Ancilla college/Lindenwood retreat center in Donaldson, Indiana. Donaldson is a minuscule village in the NW corner of Marshall County. Ancilla college itself is much more vibrant a community. The Poorhandmaids of Jesus Christ formed this community in the 1920s. The chapel there is breathtaking. More than that, they have a two-year college, a wonderful nursing home, a retreat center, and now, in the past four years, an art house called MoonTree Studios.

The main drive of Ancilla College

We had about 30 spinners from the mid-to-northern Indiana, Eastern Illinois and Michigan gather for a weekend of solid spinning. I went there with four of the ladies I spin with at Crete's Hut in Winamac, Indiana. 

Verna, Debbie, Rosemary and Deana

My goal was to completely spin up a green yak/merino roving I had bought from The Trading Post in Pendleton, Indiana on my last retreat. I start it and spun up half of it, and I learned a bit how to do long draw and support spindling Orenberg-style on some color-matched yak/silk roving (the one in the beautiful braid). My plan is to ply those two together for a shawl. 

Beautiful roving…!

Well, I got one bobbin full of the yak/merino. It was a bit fiddly to draft. Then, the second day, I knit on a cuff for a project that is due soon. I forgot the needles for the cuff, so I went down the line of ladies begging for size 2.25mm double points or circulars. I got a full set from a combination of three ladies with another providing the a needle gauge to measure them. Nothing like community!

First bobbin

In the afternoon, I accepted a trade on some merino/tencel I had brought along to sell or trade. When I started spinning the Romney/alpaca/angora blend from Peg, I immediately pulled the yak off my wheel and plowed into the Romney blend! So nice to both spin, and learn the long draw technique on.  Since I've come home (early because of a snowstorm that dumped 10 inches [25 cm] on us), I've started a second bobbin of it.

Kate Larson taught about the Leicester breeds, which she owns, and how to spin locks in the grease.

Kate Larson (with Susan Markle, owner of the Trading Post on the floor)

Sister Nancy sat next to me in the spinning room and we got to talking about spinning, knitting, MoonTree and the spiritual component of art. 

Sister Nancy was snapping lots of pictures. I'm sure some will be up on the MoonTree website.

At the end of the time, I agreed to teach a few knitting and/or crochet classes at MoonTree, and have an exhibition at MoonTree early 2017. Watch this space for more information as time draws closer. I'm really excited to partner with them in fiber art!

Last night, I tried the support spindling again, this time with a shallow champagne cup and the yak/silk blend. It sort of worked. I need to practice adding the new fiber more.

"Where my patterns at?"

So, another thing that happened over winter break was the VATmess.

VAT, or value added tax, is a very real part of most sales in many countries, and is another form of divvying up taxes and getting money to governments. Nothing new there. The "news" is that the European Union is implementing VAT on all digital purchases, not only from within the EU, but outside the EU as well.

What this means, is that those who sell digital programs, join a virtual game or group, provide an internet service, pdf, or anything that requires paid access online are supposed to collect value added tax appropriate to the country from which the buyer comes, and then, make sure it gets to the proper country's government. The EU is made up of 28 different and individual nations, altogether with over 80 different rates of taxation. It ranges from little Luxembourg, coming in at a 3% tax, to Sweden at 25%. This is a monumental request, and a monumental undertaking.

It has also effected all my friends and colleagues in the pattern industry. First of all, when you are selling to an email, it is hard to know what country the buyer comes from.  Even if I knew, I can not change my pattern shopping cart to properly charge over 80 different taxation rates. As a consequence, most everyone is shutting down their digital sales area, like I have on this website. 

All my patterns are still available at www.Patternfish.com, and on www.Ravelry.com. However, if you are from the EU, you may no longer purchase from Ravelry. Instead, the UK design website www.Love Knitting.com will be carrying all my patterns. I uploaded them all near January 1, but, bless them! They are slammed with many, many patterns to add to their website. Therefore, the finished and approved patterns will slowly filter on. 

I have checked a couple times, and about four patterns of mine were uploaded, but there was some information missing. I corrected it, and it went back in the queue to be approved.

Please show thanks and support for both Ravelry and Love Knitting for finding a legal solution to this… VATmess but going over and checking out the sites. If you are in the States, start out the New Year by purchasing one of my patterns and learning something new. If you are from the EU, please check out Love Knitting, and make a purchase there.

Thanks again for all your support in my business!

Last Week

Last week was fairly productive, despite the kids being home from school for 3.5 days. Winter has finally arrived in northern Indiana, and decided to arrive with all the usual baggage. We had sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures, with wind chill reaching down to -30 at least one day. Snow, sleet and freezing rain -- and that was just yesterday!

I turned in three magazine proposals, finished a pair of mittens, wrote two patterns, and have been working through three more patterns with my tech editor and graphic designer -- both fabulous ladies. Today is a two hour delay for schools, again, but I've already been up, worked out, and gotten ready for the day. On today's schedule: one more magazine proposal to work on and turn in, and two patterns in the writing stage to finish the fiddly stuff on and three patterns in the editing stage to tidy up. Oh, and photography. I need to take splendid photos of at least four projects. Weather, could you please cooperate? I'd like to use natural light.

Sigh. All this technical stuff is NOT why I started writing patterns. But, I sure have learned a lot this past year! Looking forward to learning even more in 2015.

Sunday afternoon, I attended a Twelfth Night Spin in at MoonTree Studios, just opposite Ancilla College in Donaldson, Indiana. The nuns of the Poor Handmaidens of Jesus Christ have several outreaches in the community. One is a fabulous food education program called Earthworks. And, then, a few years ago, they had the MoonTree Studios built as a venue to explore creativity and spirituality. They have the incredible motto: Fearlessly Creating.

Sister Edith and some yarn that another nun spun. We discussed what she should make with it.

Ancilla is way in the country, not on the way to anywhere, but a destination in itself. I can't say I've been by more than twice the past year, and I'm embarrassed to say, I have never been inside MoonTree Studios before. But, that will change. What an amazing place! It is built with sustainability in mind, is surrounded by native gardens, and inside is a lovely workshop area with a weaving studio, art studio, and open areas for creating and visiting. The wooden floors have radiant heat (lovely with sock or bare feet while treading a spinning wheel).

I got to meet and chat with several active and retired nuns who were in charge of the event, or came to participate from the retirement home and nursing home facilities across the street. I took my friend Lori Cress who is an amazing craftswoman: spinner, knitter, potter, weaver. I learn every time I'm with her! And, my crafty pal, Anna, drove over from Warsaw to share in the time as well. Super fun to get my hands spinning again in expectation of a spinning retreat I am attending in two weeks. We spun; we talked; we ate. We commandeered a crock pot and created our own stone(ware) soup. We wassailed and sang to the apple trees. We carried torches and lit things on fire: a very satisfying afternoon.

How to make Stone(ware) soup: grasp the stoneware in your hand...

And, simply insert it amongst the vegetables. Cook and serve!

Anna wassailing