This is what you've all come to expect on a Monday morning. A glimpse into my world of baby bunnies. There are two weeks old. About half have their eyes open and ears up. My kids are anxiously waiting till they can hold them which won't be for a couple more days. A couple of the babies are already finding their own way out of the nesting box.
If you can handle even more cuteness, here's a group shot. In case any of you were wondering, they are as soft as silk. Tinkingbell, "put down the shears now!". They aren't ready for that.
Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic
I'm making good time on Salinas (the green sweater) so I decided to work on another of my commission pieces. I have to turn this.....
into this....
There was counting and math involved. There will be swatching and measuring and all that fun stuff. She found the tank top at an ooh lah lah kind of store and has lived in it for the past few years. She wants something to replace it as the top is getting worn.
I received a call from the phone tag client and I met up with her today. The guy who wants the fisherman's sweater will have to wait until the yarn is ordered, comes in, is paid for before I can start.
I'll try to answer a few questions that I've been getting. First of all, there will be a burning of the midnight oil and now when you see me, I will always have needles in my hands. As for the commissions themselves, then tend to fall on my lap. There will be a bag of yarn and pattern waiting for me when I get to work or someone will call (or come in) asking if there is someone who knits for other people. I either get volunteered or offer my services. I have yet to come across a pattern that I really didn't want to knit. If I did, I suppose that I would just ask for an amount so outrageous, the client would say no thanks.
I have yet to come up with a formula for how much to charge. I can only estimate how long it will take me to knit the garment. I know that I'll probably end up with slave wages if an hourly rate is calculated when I'm finished. So far, however, I've been content with what I've gotten when the project was finished. Last year, I knit a Philosopher's sweater for a client. About three weeks after delivering the finished item, I received a call from the client. She had me knit the sweater for her mom and called to thank me once again and to tell me that her mom has worn the sweater and it has received many compliments. Needless to say, that call made my day.
I have encountered three scenarios in knitting for others. 1) I am to knit the item to the measurements found in the pattern, 2) The clients sends me the necessary measurements or 3)The client comes in and I get the necessary numbers.
Hope that answers some questions.
Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic
Today is the Teen's birthday. She is 14 and I feel old. Where has the time gone? She keeps reminding me that she'll be off to university in a few years....that doesn't bother me. It's when she reminds me that she'll be able to drive in 2 years is when I feel the gray hairs creep up. Birthday Girls need a gift so.....
There we were in Future Shop, just browsing, minding our own business. The plan was to look at the DVDs then head to the Ipod section to look some more. While looking through the TV shows on DVD we commented at how many shows were now available on DVD. We've been watching a lot of them lately through the online movie rental service Zip.ca (same idea as Netflix....I know there is an Australian equivalent but the name escapes me) or borrowed from a friend.
Oh where was I???? Oh Yes!!!!
Back in 1984 the BBC put out the series "Robin of Sherwood". I first saw the series on a PBS station about 10 years later. I love this series but then I love anything to do with the legend of Robin Hood. (I even love the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner even though he couldn't come up with a British accent to save his life) I taped most of the series off of TV and watched them over and over and over...you get the point.
So there we were in the TV section and what do you think jumped out at DH. The complete series is out on DVD. He scooped them up immediately and said "Merry Christmas". He said that he could come back and buy them while I wasn't there but wasn't going to risk it. He has seen other DVDs that I would love but when he came back to do Christmas shopping, they were gone.
We bought the teen a gift card for her birthday and DH bought the videos for me, for Christmas.
Now all I have to do is wait 8 weeks.
Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic
I've been tagged. Georgie tagged me and gave me the rockin' girl blogger award. Now Nancy has tagged me with a challenge to come up with 7 interesting things about myself. Easier said than done. They may not be interesting, but here's my list......
Seven Things....about Me!
DH was in the military for 22 years. I have never been fortunate enough to live overseas but so far I've lived all over Canada. I've lived in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
I make my own soap, hand cream and other bath and body products.
I have two college diplomas. One I got after High School, the other because I was bored and decided to go back to school to fill my time.
My fondest childhood memory was when my mom told me that she had seen some of my knitting and that I was now good enough to tackle something harder, like a sweater.
I love to travel but outside of Canada, I've only been to the US, England and Australia.
I play the piano, flute and sax.
I've been known to turn around and tell the people behind me, regardless of who the are or how big they are, to shut up. It is a movie theatre....not their living room. I paid to hear the movie not them or their crinkly bags of candy, they brought from home, because they are to cheap to buy popcorn. This is my biggest pet peeve.
Gotta go knit.......
Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic
I am in the unique position that occasionally people will hire me to knit something for them. I examine the pattern then quote them a price. While I know that I'll never get paid a fair wage for knitting, I try to come up with a price that I can live with. It's a learning process. There have been items I have knit that I would have to charge more for, if I knit them again. There have also been items that I was bang on with my quote.
I haven't had any commissions since last March. That was a lacy baby layette knit with 3 ply on 3 mm needles. It is now 2 1/2 months until Christmas and the requests are starting to pour in. (If I don't have needles permanently attached to my hands, they soon will be)
The first is a sweater from a Rowan book, Vintage Style. I am knitting the sweater in the same colour with the felted tweed. This is nice yarn!!!!!
Remember this sweater? It's the one that has been put on hold for Sweater Boy. It is the pattern chosen by a young man who really wants a Fisherman's sweater. He wants it in the best wool possible. Yah gotta love young single guys with money to burn. 
The third sweater is for a woman I've knit for before. I've left a message and am waiting to hear back from her. We'll probably play phone tag for a while.
The fourth sweater is for a woman that would like a cotton tank top. I was told by not to expect this commission as this lady is on the frugal side and not eager to spend the money.
So that's what I'm up to for the next little while.
Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic
