August Lately

I've Moved

To a new blog: http://augustlately.com/blog

After a very tumultuous 2008, It's time to start fresh. Hope to see you there!

Craft for Goodness' Sake

Do you see that new little sidebar over there?

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I've been spending my chill-out time knitting little mittens, socks and hats out of scrap yarn, or yarn that I dyed but is for one reason or another not up to standards to sell in my shop. I'll be sending these little items to different organizations that collect and distribute them to children (and sometimes adults) in cold regions of the world who lack the resources to stay warm in the winter. As I find organizations, I'll post them here.

Please let me know of any that you participate in!

We Made It

We're here at the new house, and it is wonderful. I'm still settling into the new studio space- my sweet husband spent the better part of last Sunday installing shelves and helping me move the heavy stuff around.

I haven't had much time to bring the camera out, so no photos for this post, but I do have some exciting news that will (hopefully) make up for it. We just found out that my sister-in-law's Little Bean is a girl! For a crafty mom of two boys, this is heaven. It's time to break out the pink!

Can it Be?

I'm actually blogging less than a month after the last entry? Somebody put it on the calendar!

Big, big changes are afoot in the House of Hadley. We're all still adjusting to having both kiddos in school all day. I am back in college and absolutely loving it. I find myself wishing I had gone back full time- I love being in a classroom again!

Some of you know that the farm house we've lived in for over six years is being sold. We have been trying to find a house to buy for over a year but the real estate in this area has skyrocketed (prices have more than doubled) over the past five years and wages haven't kept pace. Unless we want to buy a falling-apart single-wide trailer on swamp land for over 100K, we're out of luck. In other words, we're too dang poor to buy a house in the town we grew up and are raising our children in. Bummer. Sadly, this is happening to families all over Vermont.

So, until we get richer, the market changes, or our kids are out of school (remember, our youngest just started kindergarten) we'll have to rent. We love our school and I can't bear the thought of my kids not being there. Luckily for us, we've been offered a great rental in the same neighborhood, where we can have our pets, and we will have the use of a barn (some sheep and chickens maybe?) and two-car garage. The very best part is that upstairs, there is a large, bright room with vaulted ceilings and an attached storage room. It will be absolutely perfect as a studio. Thank you Universe!

I have more exciting news! Word is, if all goes well, I'll be an auntie in late spring 2009. I'm already knitting this adorable little sweater for Wee One.  I'm also working on a February Lady sweater. This was the progress as of a week ago:

Well, the lace was just too much for my poor overworked brain, so I've decided to knit this one in plain stockinette. It will be warmer for the winter, and I plan to knit a lace one for spring. We'll see how that goes!

In other, less personal news, August Lately will again be at the Craftland Show this holiday season. I'll be sending down my most popular designs in a variety of fabrics. I love doing this show- It's run by terrific people and is a great opportunity for crafters who have a lot of commitments and can't travel for shows.

Fiberphile still has some handpainted sock yarn available in the shop, and I'll be adding a few more as I get a chance to photograph them. My supplier is out of stock on all of the yarns that I regularly use, so unfortunately it doesn't look like I will have a chance to re-stock until November.

I hope you're enjoying your Autumn everyone! It's my very favorite time of year.

And So it Goes

The end of summer quickly approaches, although it doesn't seem that we had one at all. The last week has been sunny and hot- welcomed, but foreign after all of this rain and chill.

My boys go back to school next week. One starts his last year at our wonderful elementary school, the other starts his first. It will be the first time that I have not had a small child at home for virtually as long as I can remember. It's a new chapter for all of us.

I have gone back and forth about what to do with all of this time. I have contemplated closing the business and going back to work full time, but really, it makes no sense to go back to a 9-5 career with limited income possibilities that allows very little flexibility for my children's schedules. I loved my work and many of my colleagues were like family to me- many of them remain my closest friends, even if I don't see them nearly often enough. But going back feels like a dead end.

I have so many interests that it's impossible to settle on anything right now, so I've decided to go back to college (a pursuit I abandoned early on in favor of motherhood) to complete a liberal studies degree at our local community college. I have no idea where it will lead, but at this point, I could still be a doctor before I'm 40. I owe it to myself, and my children, to at least explore the possibilities.

A family medical issue and the back-to-school rush have hindered any dyeing or sewing in the past week, but I'm hoping that this weekend will allow me some time to get at least a small batch done. My stolen time in the evenings when everyone else in the house is either asleep or dozing in front of the television has yielded a happy result- my finished Loppem:

Next up- My February Lady Sweater.

29

I'm 29 today. My very last 20-something. My husband is sick in bed with a fever, and my friend, who I had birthday plans with, called me last night to say that she was on her way home after a 2-day hospital stay that required a blood transfusion. She's going to be fine, but not up to dinner out today.

Well,that's ok. My oldest boy got up early to make me coffee, my step dad called to ask what kind of cake I wanted, and the sun is shining. I'll be spending my day hanging out with my kids, doting on my husband, and eating home-made birthday cake with my family. In my book, that's a good day!

I also woke up to a very nice convo from ficklefaerie telling me that she had included me in her gorgeous treasury, which includes really beautiful items all in my favorite color.

Yep, it's a good day.

Big Shop Update Today

100% superwash merino, merino/nylon and merino/silk blends going into the shop this afternoon!

What Summer?

It's been RAINING all month. I have spent more time sitting in the rain during swimming lessons than I'd like to think about. But, this wet, somewhat chilly weather lends itself quite well to yarn-related pursuits.

Yes, I've been happily consumed with yarn. From the day I spent happily dyeing (several new yarns were just added to the fiberphile shop)

To the sweater I just finished for boy #2

Provided that it isn't in the 70's in October (like it was last year), we'll be well outfitted!

Quarterly Blog Posts

Really, I do intend to post more often. But I've found that I'm a binge-blogger, rather than a little every day kind of blogger.

I have a few updates- First, August Lately, LLC has a new division. Introducing fiberphile.

I love natural fibers, I love color, I love creating. It's not difficult to imagine how I made the leap to adding a hand-dyed yarn and fiber division to my handmade business. My crafty muse tends to drive things around here, so when I felt the familiar tug toward a new medium, I didn't argue. It has been a very natural expansion for me, and the immediate success of the endeavor has been all the confirmation necessary.

Also, I've added a new bag to the August Lately line. Meet Baby Belle:

 
As you can see, although I have been quiet, it's not because I haven't been busy. I continue to fill custom orders, dye yarn, and to design new items whenever possible!

And Back Again

Life can really, really become a distraction sometimes! Suffice to say, given the lack of posts on this blog, that  life in general has been busy. The Hadley Homestead has been slowly awakening as the four (yes four!) feet of snow has finally begun to melt away and we have daylilies tentatively poking out along the edge of the house where roof melt has provided a bare patch of ground. This is not just a cheerful sight, but a miraculous one, because we have not seen a winter this long and snowy in years. We were all beginning to think we'd stumbled into a new ice age up here.

I've been keeping busy sewing custom bag orders and the busy bridal season has started. It hasn't left much time for new product development, but I'm not complaining! Assembly line bag-sewing doesn't quite fulfill my need for creativity however, so I've re-taken up knitting and have actually gone farther with it than ever before. I'm actually knitting an adult sized sweater! I'm remembering how much I love the textures and colors of yarn and the process of using simple stitches to create a unique and beautiful fabric. Since I've never knitted sweaters before, I'm planning to use up my stash of cheap acrylic yarns first so that by the time I get into my wool and cotton, I will feel confident in what I'm doing.

I've always loved working with natural fibers and materials, so I was not surprised when my muse recently whispered plant dyeing and spinning in my ear. As the snow melts away, I'm thinking about the plants and berries that will soon come to life again and provide me with an abundance of colors to work with.

I was finally able to get into Ravelry, an incredible knitting community, which I hope will help me to connect to others who will inspire me as I continue along this new crafty adventure. I found a beginner spinners group, newish knitters group, and a Vermont knitters group! If you haven't checked it out, and have even the slightest interest in yarn and knitting or crochet, you will definitely want to.