chooga chooga wooooot woooot!
pavel says, “what an exciting day!” first i got all the web attention via whipup.net and craftzine.com. then…about a year ago, shortly after i started selling my yarn, i bought jenny dowde’s book about scrumbling (freeform knitting and crochet) i went to her site to check it out and then sent her an email asking her if she would like some of my yarn to play around with. she sent me a really nice email back and i sent her some yarn. i sent it and that was it. a while later, she told me that she was going nuts working on her new book freeformations and that she had used some of my yarns in her new book. she asked if it was okay to put my shop info in there. what? are you kidding? about 2 weeks ago, she sent me an email asking for my snail mail addy to get me a copy of the book. i just got it today and not only did she use my yarn, but one project is striped with my yarn and then a plain yarn and has a huge thing about my and my yarn! i will take a photo of the pages and post it to-morrow. this is my first appearance in a book and i was so excited! i didn’t think i would be, but my cheeks hurt from smiling, i was all giddy and jake was freaking out more than me, i think. so thanks so much jenny! you rock! it isn’t available yet, but will be soon and you can preorder it. it is really a gorgeous book with some really unusual things in it and really clear instructions for those that are a bit scared to do a project sans pattern. ok. i will now shut it. woooot! oops. it slipped.
so, i got a lot of spinning done today and got a bunch more beads done. i am trying to figure out a way to seal and harden the paper without having to use heat. i found porcelinize it!, which would probably work and then, i found this which i think would really work well. i am eager to get some and see how it works. if anyone has any other ideas, please feel free to leave a comment. also, i have been making the beads on a piece of wire about 12 inches long, sealing them on there and then taking them off after. when i use vaseline on the wire to prevent sticking, it slimes up the paper so much that it won’t stick. when i don’t, they stick together. anyone have any ideas? it isn’t a huge problem, because they break apart pretty easily.
i made a bunch of longer beads that i plan to seal and then cut into small beads. i sealed them tonight, i will let you know how well it works out. if it does, it could go a really long way to making a lot of beads in a reasonable amount of time. i also plan to work on some buttons to-morrow.
i was up until late last night doing some wire crochet, which came out really well, again, photos to-morrow. i also did a necklace with copper wire and some paper beads. really pretty. i will post the pattern asap. if anyone has wire crocheted jewelry, or paper beads, or something made out of paper beads, please post a comment or email me and i will make sure to post a link. i am so eager to see what you guys make and if you have any improvements on the method.
i was still up at 2a.m. and jake normally gets up around 2:30a. i decided to make him chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and woke him up with them. of course i made plain ones for myself and put cinnamon sugar on them. my favorite. so yummy! i should have taken photos. i slathered his pancakes in whipped cream and then sprinkled that with mini m and m baking pieces.
i overdid it a bit over the last few days, so i woke up super tired. i got a good bit done once i actually got going. sensio made me a double coffee which really helped. i spun two bulky bobbins of yarn and then another half. so that is good. it is a slight variation on the pink one, with more purple and some golden yellow. really pretty. pics to-morrow. i will try.
this yarn is spun up from one of the spinning batts that i sell on luxe. the batts look ugly, but you just spin it as is and it looks like you did something tricky. they are so fun to spin with. i can also do one in a certain color scheme if you ask, as i said, i am easy. so ask.
if you are new to my blog, please leave me a comment and say hi! i have had about 1000 hits yesterday because of the whipup and craftzine links and about that today, as well. and luxe isn’t doing so badly either. also, if you see a yarn or scarf that you like, let me know, it is probably available but not listed. and i can normally make more. so ask. i am easy that way. ask anyone. that sounded bad, huh?
i just want to say how inspired i have been lately by everyone’s excitement. i have had experiences with the people acting negative and unsupportive. i know that i can be a bit much, i am a bit obsessed (okay, really really obsessed) with whatever i am working on at the moment. i do it until i am sick of it, usually. i get a flood of ideas and i want to try to work on them while i am still into it. actually my pal, lynn, the yarnwench told me that i was obsessed (with paper beads) and i am. i get that way about the thing of the moment and it is how i get a lot done, and quite often it sticks. if it reads a certain way on the blog, it is 100 times that in real life. so i am sure i am overwhelming, but i cannot handle being dismissed or treated like i am annoying. i felt like that most of my life and i won’t deal with it now. i don’t have to. no one should. so. end rant.
i am planning to bake something for our anniversary, although it was yesterday. oh, i need to take photos of the purdy flowers he got me, too. and no carnations. i hate carnations. blech. so if anyone has any ideas, feel free to suggest away. i am thinking a ginger chocolate cake, dense and gooey. no other ideas.
must. make. knits. for. boutique.
ooh, and i get to see a really good pal from college and her adorable boy to-morrow! wooo hooo!
warm fuzzy smoochy poos!
n.
abe/happy said,
September 1, 2006 @ 5:24 am
Hi Natasha
I found you through a technorati link.
Congratulations on your yarn being used in the book, I would be grinning all day long if I was you too, well done.
I just went to your flickr site - I think your yarns are amazing, they are soo different, colourful & zany - I could only imagine what fun they would be to knit up.
I think your paper beads a unreal - have you thought of making knitting or crochet stitch markers with them?
and lastly how cute is your kitty !!
Im loveing your site, Im adding you to my links
have a great day, and will pop back again to see what great creations you are making.
velmalikevelvet said,
September 1, 2006 @ 12:00 pm
you totally rawk, girlie!!! congrats on the new and well-deserved fame. can i say i knew you when?
your package is *still* sitting on my dining table; USPS today, i hope. xo
natasha said,
September 1, 2006 @ 12:27 pm
abe/happy, thanks for popping in! and thanks for adding me. you are so kind!
and my kitty, pavel, insists he is handsome, not cute. handsome. and scary. not cute. ha.
thanks so much for the comment!
natasha said,
September 1, 2006 @ 12:30 pm
aw velma…blush…no worries, i haven’t even packed yours yet because i am a lazy bag of crap. so.
Erika said,
September 1, 2006 @ 2:58 pm
That is soooo awesome! Congratulations!!!
Jess said,
September 1, 2006 @ 8:11 pm
Carnations suck.
I had a hard time finding something to wrap beads around. I ended up using a couple #2 needles that had lying around and rarely use. They worked really well, because it was easy to either wipe the Mod Pdge off while it was wet, or it would chip off when dried. They were aluminum, by the way. I don’t know how well that would work with other stuff, like whether it would actually come off or not. So you might want to give that a try if you have some small needles on hand.
I know what you mean about being obsessed with stuff. I get on a kick where I want to knit/crochet/craft/do whatever all the time, and I try to do as much as I can before I get tired of it. I end up starting a lot of stuff, burning through 3/4 of it and then getting bored or interrupted and not picking it up or finishing it for weeks, even months.
Congrats on the book! That’s terrific, and hopefully business is awesome for you once it comes out.
natasha said,
September 1, 2006 @ 8:12 pm
thanks erika!
miss amber said,
September 1, 2006 @ 8:35 pm
wow! congrats! that is so awesome. so so awesome. i’m really happy for you and really jealous at the same time. one day my yarn fame will come, too. patience.
it’s so weird how some things spin up completely differently from how they look. i dyed some wool a couple of weeks ago that was so ugg i thought i was going to have to toss it, but it spun up fabulously. who’da thunk it?
Zeeppo said,
September 1, 2006 @ 8:36 pm
Cooooooool. I was only ever published on a poster that models for that can been seen at your local post office.
And nice kitty.
natasha said,
September 1, 2006 @ 9:34 pm
zeeppo, do you mean that you are a fugitive? and if so, how much are you worth? we are so broke. ha! thanks! he is kind of a naughty kitty, but handsome, indeed.
natasha said,
September 1, 2006 @ 9:37 pm
amber, i don’t think this is fame, but it is probably as exciting as i will get. i am thinking about sending in an article for some collage magazines. we will see how that works out. thanks!
natasha said,
September 1, 2006 @ 9:43 pm
jess, i used 18 guage copper wire i had lying around in my bead stuff and it worked pretty well. i bent the ends so the beads wouldn’t fall off, but the needles were a good idea! i made a million, so i would need a ton of sets of needles. do you have pics of what you did?
i dunno if anyone looks at the yarn sources in the back of jenny’s books, it was just more of an ego stroke. ya know?
Zeeppo said,
September 1, 2006 @ 9:54 pm
wow people don’t normally answer my comments. They usually delete them and pretend that I did not post them. I feel special in a good way and not the way the short bus use to make me feel.
natasha said,
September 1, 2006 @ 9:56 pm
zeeppo, you crack me up. i would never delete it unless you said something mean or creepy. you are special! even if you did ride in the short bus.
flutter said,
September 2, 2006 @ 2:10 am
Ohhhhh myyyyy gooooddddddd your kitty is so cute, the buttons look pretty cool too
natasha said,
September 2, 2006 @ 11:45 am
thanks flutter! he is single, although rather ornery. and he is fixed, too. i can give you his cell phone number if you are interested. is 2 too you for you?
flutter said,
September 2, 2006 @ 2:55 pm
No, 2 is not too me for me, however it may be too you for you!
jacey said,
September 2, 2006 @ 4:44 pm
rock on! yay you! i wanna see the scarf she made using your yarn! and again, the bead are fucking fantastic!
I’m such a mess lately, I’ll call as soon as I can get together that much.
xo,
BLACK DOG KNITS said,
September 2, 2006 @ 5:36 pm
Hi Natasha. I’m new to your blog but will add u to my bloglist as I definitely will return!
natasha said,
September 2, 2006 @ 6:08 pm
thanks for popping in black dog!
natasha said,
September 2, 2006 @ 6:09 pm
i look forward to hearing your little voice, jacey!
yarnwench said,
September 3, 2006 @ 8:55 pm
I hope you know I meant obsessed in a good way. Hmmm, seems you used that term about me too recently - regarding Capt. Jack yarns, maybe? I really love the beads and buttons. And congrats on the book mention - how cool is that? Also, that is the cutest pic of you and your honey. I wish you many, many more. xoxoxo lynn
natasha said,
September 4, 2006 @ 1:26 am
lynn, i absolutely know you meant it in a nice way. i have never read a mean word from your mouth, even to the art yarn hating dude/chick person, i was joking. although, i do think that some people do think that my art endeavors are irritating or intimidating. i dunno. boggles me mind. it cracks me up that i intimidate anyone for any reason.
and thanks and thanks, it is really cool. blush!! the funny thing is that he is so much cuter in person, we just have no good photos of us together on this computer. so. this was the best i could find. thanks so much! i wish us many more, too. xoxoxo back atcha!