Knitting on Impulse

Bad Dog

I created a lovely yin/yang spiral shawl pin today from copper - hammered, filed, tumbled and polished it - set it on the dining room table, and turned my back for a moment.  It disappeared.  Now I freely admit that I am somewhat distractable and have been known to forget where I put things, but this was pushing it.  After a fruitless and increasingly frustrated search, I had a hunch, and sure enough, discovered a wee something carefully buried in the duvet:

 So... for the record?  Copper shawl pins are not greyhound-proof. They do a pretty sturdy job of holding together shawls and sweaters, but should probably not be used to entertain a large dog (or for that matter as a floatation device, safety harness for rock climbing, etc.  You know, just to cover the possibilities.) 

On the other hand, maybe I could sell it as genuine greyhound art... she did leave the clasp intact after all....

I've Had an Idea

(It runs in the family).

 

Since the demise of the monthly newsletter and its attendant coupon code, I've been giving considerable thought to thank-you gifts that would be: a) unique, b) interesting, and c) of genuine value and usefulness. 

 

I've been making shawl pins in sterling silver for several years now, but have always had a fondness for the warm glow of copper, so....

Every yarn order placed in the month of March will receive a hammered copper shawl pin - each one unique and crafted in a spirit of spontaneous playfulness.  These are every bit as sturdy as their silver counterparts, and make excellent closures for sweaters & shawls, as well as lovely hairpins (for those of you with long, reasonably thick hair.) 

The pins on St. Brigid above (doesn't copper look amazing with that shade of green?) are the inaugural seven.

O's, both F'd and IP

The Cobblestone, sporting 2 sleeves and a body, ready for the Great Joining:

The Lost Lake scarf, inspired by and named for, one of my favorite Whistler lakes.  I love love love this scarf and have decided, against all economic good sense, to keep it for myself.  (Actually, I justified it to Rob by reasoning that wearing something this nice around town would be good advertising.) It really deserves a proper photo shoot of its own - one of these days.  Maybe layered with the finished Cobblestone.

A shawl pin I came up with yesterday morning and am inordinately pleased with:

Pics of yesterday's dyeing results to follow tomorrow, once they're dry.  (Black silk is actually rather attractive, even if a solid does feel a wee bit like cheating!)

Shawl Pins V. 2

These are such fun to create, playing with line and form.  I have also begun to research ancient forms of clasp, such as the fibula, which is particularly useful for gathering multiple folds into a small space.  More are in the works once February's events are finished.

The specs:

All pins are individually handcrafted of solid sterling silver.  Prices are quoted in Canadian dollars.

1)  Dimensions: 1 1/2" x 1 1/4.  Price:  $35

2) Dimensions: 2 1/2" x 1 1/2 ".  Price: $45 

3)  Dimensions: 2 1/2" long.   Price: $45

Shipping: is actual cost, based on location.  Generally runs in the $11-14 range to Canada and the US, a little more internationally - includes insurance and package tracking.

To order: email me at ruthrob1ATwhooshnetDOTcom (substitute @ for AT and . for DOT).  I will need your location and postal code to calculate shipping, following which I will send you a Paypal invoice for the total.

10% of the sales profits will be donated to MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), and the numbers submitted to Knitters Without Borders.