settling in and getting back to work

Quite a lot has happened since the last time you heard from me. Lots of unpacking, moving boxes around, putting things away and then moving them over and over. It's a long and slow process - settling into a new home and making things comfortable - but at last I can see it all coming together! There is still yarn everywhere, knitting projects teetering on the arms of chairs and Viola stickers all over the kitchen counter, but settling in progress is being made every day.

 At the beginning of the month, I hosted the first ever Viola dyeing workshops (a kickstarter reward) I had such a fun time sharing the studio, wonky old general store and new home of Viola with these two lovely women. Sherry and Jenny, you are delightful - thank you for your support and for the very fun day!

Sherry and Jenny's finished colours. They each tested out a few different bases and the results were great (if you ask me). Looking forward to seeing these beauties knit into things!

Dyeing workshops are not the only kickstarter rewards that have been filled this month. My new studio is up and running (at last) and the first yarn I dyed was Mooresburg DK for the secret surprise Leeleetea kit rewards. Natalie is a fellow Torontonian currently living in London. I've known all about her serious knitting skills for a long time now, so I was delighted when she offered to design two secret patterns for Viola meets Mooresburg. Some folks out there may have already received their kits, and the rest of you won't have to wait much longer. We're keeping the design a secret for a little while longer (or else it would be a pretty bad surprise!) but I cannot wait to see these hats and mitts being knit up. My own set is not far off. So please share photos of your kits as they are being knitted and when they are done too - I can't wait to see!

the kit colourways were the very first skeins that I dyed in the new studio, and I think it was the perfect yarn to start out with. Mooresburg DK and Mooresburg colourway being made in Mooresburg at last!

 Next up, I moved to the Mooresburg DK yarn club. Packing and moving took up much of the spring, and then it was battling water issues in the new studio (mostly sorted, more on that in a minute), which left the spring colourway quite neglected. These delays gave me lots of time to think about both the spring and summer colourways, so I made the most of it with lots of research and exploring...

 The colourway for spring came to me on an early morning run in April; the roadside was full of these pussy willow plants, just starting to bloom (or puff, what is the correct term?) It seemed to me that the young plants had a core of bright lime and yellow that showed through their thin bark, giving the effect of glowing from inside the stalk. On that cloudy, spring day they looked like they were softly glowing along the roadside. Quite magical!

Summer's colour was an easy choice for me. I came across these wild Columbine plants on a walk in the woods. They're pretty much my favourite colour, and it took some restraint to keep this photo (and my yarn colour plans) a secret while I was waiting to get back to work.

I cannot say how good it feels to be dyeing in the new space. While I still have lots of work to do before it is 'finished', it already feels like home. There will be quite a steep learning curve - I still have a lot of experimenting to do and fine tuning the new system. I am not planning to change anyone's favourite colourway, only iron out some of the kinks at my end. I am so happy to have the opportunity to do this overhaul!
Thankfully, the water woes I mentioned in my last post are not nearly so bad as I had thought. Many of the colours I've dyed so far are...just not the same...the space is not the same either so it's unreasonable of me to expect the yarn to do all the adjusting. I'll be spending the next few weeks bent over a dyebath pondering and stirring until I have what I want. So just a bit of growing pains over here, and that was certainly to be expected from the beginning!

There is still more news, if you can believe it. At last, I have started working on something that has been on my list for longer than I care to mention. I'm making a real WEBSITE!!!! Slowly, but surely (that's my only pace) I've been plodding away on scary internet things that I don't really understand. Learning lots along the way, of course, and so excited at the prospect of having a store, blog and lots more stuff under the same digital roof.

...SO, this will be my last post here on blogger. For more news and future blog updates, please click over too...

violaandthemoon.com

I will be adding and changing things for a little while still, but feel free to click over and take a peek at the progress. I will keep you up to date on Ravelry, Instagram and the new blog too!

Righto, more news very soon 😊 

January Sky

January is almost gone (already!) It went by in a flash for me, likely because there were so many big and exciting things going on...shed building, fabric printing, sticker painting, yarn dyeing, mini skein making, pattern writing and book printing and...you get the idea. I worked like a maniac on Kickstarter rewards, and had a blast doing it! Amongst those rewards is the first ever Viola yarn club.

I am really excited about this club- it's very close to my heart. Members will receive 4 lots of yarn throughout 2016. Each package will contain 3 skeins of Mooresburg DK in a completely exclusive club colourway! Each of the four colourways will be inspired by the season in Mooresburg. The first installment was sent out just this week, a few of those packages may have even reached their new homes by now!

I've called this colourway January Sky, and I'm sure you've figured out why. When I returned to Canada last winter, my first memories of Mooresburg and Canada were silvery blue skies, full of snow and ice and wind and beautiful clouds. I love winter sunrises, when the night's frost sparkles in a hint of warm low light. Golden, pink and peach fading into mauve. Mooresburg has great big skies and amazing sunrises!

And so I set about putting all of those colours onto some yarn. There are tiny mauve and golden hints on a greyed out icy blue colour. January Sky is very subtle and soft, but just like a grey winter sky, is full of colour upon closer inspection. Hope all the club members out there enjoy it!

Next up will be Spring. I have a few ideas, but have to wait for the season to arrive before I will know what comes next. I'm having loads of fun with this club, what took me so long to get round to this?!

HAPPY 2016!!!

After a lovely holiday in Mooresburg, I've spent the past couple of days settling back into Toronto and work and the recent cold spell we're experiencing. My holiday time in Mooresburg seemed to happen in slow motion, and my return to reality has been even more jarring as a result. It's taken me the past 2 days to jump back in, but I'm here now!

My long and luxurious break provided lots of opportunity for exploring (yay!) and knitting (the best!)

 All the pairs of my Favourite Socks are finished. Ends woven in, photographed and ready to be given to their various recipients (not one single pair is for me this time, which feels pretty good I must say). If you can believe it, I still love knitting these socks. I've even got the yarn all ready for my next pair!

 

There was, unavoidable, a lag in studio productivity over Christmas and the New Year, but it was not completely without progress. The insulation is in, the insulation is in!!! Wahoo! I KNOW that if you had tried to talk to me about spray foam insulation a year ago I would have glazed over and thought about mermaids instead. All that has changed now. It's so cozy, so toasty and (my favourite bit) so PINK! I'm going to be sad to cover up that lovely colour...

As the weather in Mooresburg turned quite blustery and cold, my little shed remained warm and comfy even without the heat connected! I have my eye on a teeny little woodburner that should be just the right thing to heat this space. 

Next week a few local Amish carpenters are putting up these lovely wall boards. Can't wait!

Happily, I was able to explore a couple of new (to me) trails that are very close to the store. Both run through abandoned farms, sugar shacks and fields and are now protected land. Miles of beautiful stone walls, the remains of tiny cottages and old forest seemed to be everywhere.

 

I could go on with the pictures...forever...but I will stop there. It was so nice to take the time for long walks, fresh air and beautiful scenery. Back in Toronto, I'm jumping back into work feeling reinvigorated and ready to face the long to do list that is 2016. 

Happy New year to all!!

a hearty thank you!

Yesterday was a big day indeed, the Kickstarter campaign that I've been going on and on and on about has finished, and what a huge success it was! Thanks to everyone who contributed and shared it with their friends, my funding goal was surpassed...and then some. As I've mentioned in the latest Kickstarter update, I'm still totally in shock over the generous support people have shown. Holy cow!
But it's time to get into action. I cannot wait to iron out all the little details that remain to be sorted. The extra Kickstarter funds will allow me to get my long list of things to buy and jobs to do scratched off much more quickly too...which means settling into the new space sooner than expected! That's pretty much the best news I can think of.

 

I spent a most luxurious weekend painting, knitting and drawing in an effort to give myself a little break. I also managed to accomplish rather a lot work-wise (sharing more info soon!) I've been working at such a break-neck pace recently, that the creative time was much needed. Now, I'm ready to jump back into the action! All backers, you will be hearing from me soon regarding your rewards. Everyone can still follow along with progress on this project just by clicking over to the Kickstarter page.

 

 Stay tuned...

SNOW in Mooresburg

It's been a week since the launch of Viola meets Mooresburg, and what a week it has been! The number of people who have supported the campaign, and each person's generosity, has been staggering! I think I was a bit delirious...

I cannot say enough 'THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU' !!!!! So thanks a bunch!

My delirium is slowly winding down now, and I've just spent a lovely weekend up at the store working out the best ways to use the unexpected donations, and the first step was simple...insulation!

As Mooresburg and all of Gray Bruce was dumped on by our first big snowfall of the year, winter boots and down coats appeared in every Tim Hortons (non-Canadians, Tim Hortons is a cultural institution in here...you can google it, but you might not get what the big deal is) it became very clear that winter was officially here. With it...COLD. The cold weather is here to stay, and my little shed still has cracks in the walls and doors that I can see through. Not for long!

 When planning this project, we considered a couple of options; the normal, pink stuff...I always loved it just because it's pink. Certainly the most affordable option, but quite time consuming to fit into all the uneven nooks and crannies of my space. The other option was spray foam, certainly more costly but better R value (look at me using the lingo!) way faster, more efficient and critter deterrent! 

The choice is easy now - spray foam all the way! The studio space will retain hear more efficiently (and the reverse in the hot summer, of course). The job of insulating will be completed in just one day, no time to waste with the cold closing in around us. AND, spray foam is apparently like building a fortress against critter invasion! This aspect was very appealing to me, being in such a rural spot I'll take all the help I can get. There are lots mice and bugs up there, but they're not getting into my yarn!

So that's the latest studio news...

back in Toronto, I'm gearing up for a busy week of dyeing, knitting, pattern writing and organizing Kickstarter rewards. The Favourite Sock pattern is coming along very well, and seems to have given me the excuse to cast on even more and more and more socks. Not such a bad thing!

I will leave you with this lovely pile of natural Mooresburg DK, ready to get coloured in this week. I'm so excited to get working on these rewards!

WOW

Ok, wow, oh my goodness. It's been almost 24 hours since the launch of the Viola meets Mooresburg Kickstarter campaign and I've spent almost the entire time watching my computer screen with my jaw on the floor. Literally.

I've always been aware of the fact that I know some pretty amazing knitters (and I don't take it for granted either), and felt so lucky for the encouragement and support that has always been there. But wow you guys. Just wow! As I am slowly emerging from my state of 'gobsmacked-ness' I am at last able to say the most heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the campaign so far, everyone who shared it, everyone who even looked at it. I never dreamed that my goal would be surpassed in mere hours, and beyond that, that it would be more than doubled in less than 24 hours. Gobsmacked, I say!

So, to all of you unbelievably kind and generous friends out there, THANK YOU. I cannot wait to get to work putting your generously donated money to the best possible use! Without a doubt, this new studio will be growing into the most ideal workplace. I know I kept going on about being excited before, but this is something else!

This is the lovely view from the front window of the store. I took it this past weekend, whilst pondering last minute Kickstarter adjustments and details. Pretty, huh?

I'm off to get to work on some reward-related things, the knitting that I couldn't manage to pick up yesterday because I was way too excited to focus and a cup of coffee...

little update!

As the launch day for Viola's Kickstarter campaign draws nearer, I've been busily ironing out little details, proofreading a million times over and revisiting my many lists. It's all so exciting!

The campaign is set to launch on Monday, the 16th of November @ 12pm EST

I'll share a link to the project page as soon as it goes live, so it's all easy to find.

For now, here's a little update on rewards...

I've doodled and drawn my way through several pencils since the beginning of Kickstarter planning, and I'm really excited about some of the artwork and goodies that are going to be offered. Many are still in production, so the goods aren't in my hands just yet. But be sure that I'll be sharing the news as soon as products land, and sharing the stuff too!

Casting on ANOTHER pair of socks this weekend to hammer out pattern details for the Favourite Socks pattern and kit that is going to be available through Kickstarter. Is there anything better than mixing and matching colours? I can't think of anything... 

Don't forget to check out the latest KAL over in the Viola Ravelry group. We're all knitting socks this time round, any sock goes. Pretty good timing I think, considering that there are loads of sock-y rewards headed your way through Kickstarter! Any sock goes, any pattern you can think of any any Viola yarn you want to use. Looking forward to seeing everyone's plans!

Here's a first glimpse of the Mooresburg colourway, designed just for Kickstarter backers! Completely inspired by a year of watching the seasons change in Mooresburg, it makes me think of the forest, river, pond, fields of crop and big stormy skies that I've grown to love so much. I can't wait to cast on with this. Hope you love it too!

It's dyed here on Mooresburg DK, but will also be available dyed on sock yarn...back to socks again, I can't help myself!

 

This is the seriously cool Jane Smart. Mastermind behind the kickstarter video! Thanks Jane!!!

Keep checking into the Kickstarter thread on Ravelry for project and reward updates.