So yesterday in the bathroom at work there was this coffee cup sitting on the counter with the cutest little lamb on it you ever saw. Not this lamb, but I wasn't able to get a photo without looking like a serious CREEP as there was some traffic in the bathroom. I will say I tried, but gave up after the 2nd attempt.
Anyway, a normal knitter would've probably made note of the cup and went on her way....but I've not ever claimed to be a normal knitter.... Let's just say my hands were VERY clean as I kept washing them over and stopping each time someone came near the cup, then back to washing hands again. After the owner finally claimed the cup, I asked if she was a knitter. After complimenting her on her lovely handknit cabled sweater and she on my lovely shawl (knitted by my dear friend CheryKnits) we had a short chat about yarn, knitting and how sad it is that Knit Wit is no longer open in Olathe. I did behave myself enough to not follow her all the way to her desk (it's a big building) so I wasn't a truly creepy knit stalker, just a normal knit stalker.
Knitters. We're EVERYWHERE!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Bathroom Knit Stalking
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Still Alive and Still Knitting!
More knitting on my Sock Yarn Bits Blanket....LOVING it! I put 4 rectangles together by using 3 needle bind-off and I use it alllllll the time. Warm and snuggly without being too heavy! I'm reworking the free pattern, so should have it out soon. :)
Also found a bit more of the Schafer Elaine yarn in the stash so the Ugliest Blanket Ever gets to grow a little longer. It's sure ugly, but it's also warm! Now that it will be long enough to cover you from chin to toes while napping, it should enter into more demand in the household. It still looks like a migraine, though. wow. 
Hand Knits in ACTION! Wearing a lovely warm mohair scarf while waiting in line back at the NCAA tournament in KC. Got to see KU win (earlier in the tourney) and while it was FREEZING outside in line, I stayed toasty by using a tall guy in front of me for a windbreak and wrapping my neck in mmmmmmohair! YAY!
Friday, July 06, 2012
This yarn makes me SO HAPPY!!!
Having a yarn booth at an event not necessarily for yarnies is an unusual thing. You run into all kinds of comments....."You know you can buy yarn at Wal-Mart, right?"....."Look Tommy, that lady is weaving a scarf"--"Actually, I'm spinning yarn on a spinning wheel."--"No, you're not. You're weaving."--"I'm pretty sure I'm spinning on a wheel."....."Oh that's interesting.".....And lots of people asking good questions, or just standing, amazed, watching the colors and textures wind onto the bobbin while the wheel goes round and round.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
It woud've been cooler to strap the actual mohair goat to my forehead.
It's summer, which around here means LAKE KNITTING! We went camping for a week in NW Kansas at Lake Webster for a family reunion. LOTS of good food, family fun, beautiful scenery for sitting & knitting, but it was HOT HOT HOT. Another weekend or four spent at the Lake of the Ozarks, also HOT as HELL, but good knitting, food, family, etc.
The only issue was the good old TreasureGoddess Orange Lake Hat was looking a bit rough. Here it is in the glory days.
Well, it's been beaten to heck and has a few light tears that've been glued back together and the cool hat band & metal front piece fell off. In what I thought was a bit of genius, I decided it was the PERFECT place to glue a big, handspun, hand crocheted AND hand felted fire red/orange MOHAIR flower! Right?
Anyone see the problem here? It looks great! The big honking mohair flower has gorgeous texture, it weighs the hat down well so it doesn't blow off in the wind, it's handmade and fabulous, made of one of my truly favoritest fibers on earth, and is HOT AS HOLY HELL!!! It HOLDS IN THE HEAT and basically boils the front of my head. It would've been cooler to strap an actual mohair goat to my forehead. Seriously. Cripes almighty. I can't bear NOT to wear the hat, it provides JUST the right amount of shade, is a permanent part of my personality in the summer, but is almost unbearable to actually WEAR. I also glued the holy heck out of it, so the only way this flower is coming off the hat is to cut a hole in the front of the hat. I can't bear to do that, so it looks like sweaty days ahead.
THIS is what lake knitting is all about. Sitting on the dock, watching the waves, light breeze blowing, sitting and knitting in your swimsuit, hopping in for a quick swim and then back to the knitting.
May your summer knitting be cool and mohair free. :)
Friday, June 01, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
TreasureGoddess Knitting Vlog Post #1
Come over to the new TreasureGoddess blog site to see my new Vlog! It's all about SUPERCOILS art yarn! YAY! YARN! TreasureGoddess Vlog Post #1
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Sockyarn Blanket in Progress
come over to the new TreasureGoddess Blog to see my post about the sockyarn bits blanket! New TreasureGoddess Blog
Friday, April 06, 2012
Knitting in the Heartland!
NEW TREASUREGODDESS BLOG
Thursday, April 05, 2012
YAY Craftsy!!
www.TreasureGoddess.com
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Official Batt Your Arse Off Day
Come on over to the new blog and read about my fibery fun-filled day!
www.TreasureGoddess.com
Friday, February 24, 2012
Is anyone still there????
Because I'm the technological equivalent of an 80 yr old man, I've somehow fuxxed up my rss feed when I did my big announcement of the new blog site. cripes almighty.
IF you would be so very kind, PLEASE re-sign up on your google reader or bloglines or whatever blog list you use with the new and improved rss feed below....
http://www.treasuregoddess.com/treasuregoddessblog/rss.xml
OR go to the new website www.treasuregoddess.com and use THAT sight on your blog list to subscribe to. It's now featuring a rather horrid photo of an orange sweater gone bad.
Thank you!!!
See you soon,
Christine aka TreasureGoddess
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Post on the new website!
TreasureGoddess New Blog Post of the horror.....the ugly stepsister sweater that did NOT block out. It blocked WORSE! *shudder*
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
SPARKLE Socks!!
Post showing the fabulous new SPARKLY socks I got as a gift from Tim the Great over at the new blog home....NEW & Slightly Improved TreasureGoddess Blog!
Please change your feeds to the new web address and come say howdy!
Friday, January 13, 2012
TreasureGoddess has a new home!
New TreasureGoddess Blog: New TreasureGoddess Blog
Friday, January 06, 2012
Craftzine 5.4.3.2.1. things about...
Click the button above for a cool tour meeting all kinds of creative people! Here's my info:
I'm TreasureGoddess Christine. I live & breathe wool. I love dying it, carding it, spinning it, knitting it, crocheting it, heck, I love just carrying around a skein of handspun yarn and petting it like a little dog. Forget purse dogs, we should all be carrying purse skeins of yarn! I *heart* everything wooly or alpaca-y or mohairy! My favorite thing to do is to create knitting and crochet patterns for unusual textured or art yarns.
One project I am particularly proud of
is that I've raised two very crafty, creative and entrepreneurial children. One creates his own line of animal magnets and the other creates amazing art with old cd's, fingernail polish, glitter and other misc craft supplies she finds around the house. My kids rock. I would choose to hang out with these two even if they weren't related to me. (and I don't particularly like kids so this is saying something!)
Two mistakes I've made in the past
Mistake #1 The Leaky Boob Sweater, where I learned that it truly pays to TRY ON a sweater as you make it, not just to make sure it fits, but also to make sure there's not a strange pooling in the handpainted yarn or some other unflattering feature along the way.
Mistake #2 Undervaluing my work. In the past I've brushed compliments aside with an "oh anyone could do that" or "it's not that special" kind of attitude. I've also underpriced my patterns, yarn and hand dyed fiber in the past as well. I create amazing, unique and FUN fibery things and should be PROUD of what I've created. I've learned when my prices are more realistic, my sales are stronger.
Three Things that make my work unique
#1 Me. I'm a bit odd, quirky and fun loving. I believe my patterns and fiber creations reflect that. I am the TreasureGoddess! I snort when I laugh too hard, which usually makes me laugh even harder. I think of myself as the Goddess of Wooly Treasures.
#2 My family. We have a strange part redneck, part art & culture, part LOUD, part soothing and part crazy life. The outdoor adventures clearly play a role in my creation process, as there's always knitting along to keep me sane.
#3 My studio. My studio is in the middle of utter chaos. It's full of textures, colors, yarns, photos, flowers, colored pencils, spinning wheel, implements of destruction (knitting needles), magazines, fabric, unfinished projects, amazing natural light, view of the creek behind our house, and also doubles as our dining room when we have big family gatherings. No quiet studio loft with white walls and amazing counter space for me.
Four tools I love to use
#1 Ashford Kiwi spinning wheel, stained to enhance the wood and the wheel is painted deep red. It makes me happy and makes amazing yarn from nice, sturdy and respectable yarn to crazy art yarn supercoils!
#2 Knitpicks interchangeable circular knitting needles.
#3 Roaster for dying large batches of spinning fiber or yarn
#4 Notebooks. Can't EVER have enough.
Five Inspirations
#1 Nature. As much as it tries to eat me, maim me or kill me, it truly is inspiring and beautiful. I'm glad we still have wild areas of the country to explore. And I'm very glad there's bugspray.
#2 Knitters and Spinners and Crocheters. Just talking with other fiber artists, seeing their projects, their color choices, textured stitches used....it gets my brain crazily finding new tangents or what about this stitch with that yarn and on and on and on. Knitters, Spinners and Crocheters ROCK!
#3 Craft Blogs. There are so many creative people out there!
#4 Old movies. Amazing costumes, textures, fabrics, styles
#5 Ravelry.com. My life is so much better with ravelry!
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
the Kansas Creative Quarterly & WOOLFEST 2012!
The Kansas Creative Quarterly is a cool little online resource that features artists in our little corner of the midwest. Their winter finds is HERE. It has some warm & wooly items available online in each artist's own little online venue. It also has a nice directory of Handmade Artists Supplies HERE. The list includes some pretty fabulous fiber & handspun yarn artist shops (including mine). I was intrigued by the t-shirt yarn shop. Very cool.
YAY! Winter Woolfest!! Sat, January 7th, 10am-4pm at Columbian Theater in downtown Wamego, KS. Free mini classes and demonstrations, fiber vendors and WOOLY FUN FOR ALL! I can't wait! I will be a vendor there. I'm bringing batts, fiber braids, yarn, felted flower pins & cool little fiber related goodies. Please come and see me and tell me to stop spending all my profits on everyone else's shops!! There are some amazing vendors there!!!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Sheepmas!
ALSO MAJOR after Christmas Yarn Sale ALERT!!!!
Knit Wit in Olathe, KS (no website to link) 1815 S Ridgeview Rd, Olathe KS 66062
Dec 26th 9am-4pm
I think it's 25% or 30% off yarn, there's a sale on knitting bags, needles, patterns all on sale & SUPER AMAZING $3 tubs of yarns. YARN, PEOPLE!! I will be there at 9am and may or may not knock over anyone standing between me and the mohair. Just a warning. I'll be polite and talk AFTER my hands are full of yarn. :) (those that don't know me think I'm kidding here, you have been warned.)
Yarn Barn in Lawrence, KS Yarn Barn Website
Dec. 26-29th Sale on yarns, mill end cones, selected looms & spinning wheels.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Merry Christmas Eve!
I've pretty much come to the realization that the Christmas Sweater will probably be a New Year's Sweater or a Valentine's Day Sweater...or next year's sweater.... no, I'll just knit on this thing straight and true, not deviating to that pretty sock yarn calling my name, nor the beautiful lace scarf waiting for my attention, or wrist warmers, or the 43,082 things I'd rather be knitting.... I WILL finish this thing, it just realistically can't be completed in the next 24 hours. Ah well. I'm good with it.
Proof that I embraced the sparkle in Vegas.....
My husband and I had such fun, I was so very, very proud of him at the awards dinner! As each bigwig stood up to speak, they each thanked their super salesmen and then the wives as we hold the family together, etc while the men are out selling their arses off. I think they told it more eloquently than that, but you get the picture. My husband was the first one to accept his super saleman award. In his little speech he said that those presidents and vp's were all right and he wanted to say how much his wife was a part of him getting such good sales. I got all teary, I couldn't believe it, it was soooo sweet.....then he said his wife was always telling him to hit the road selling if he was home more than 4 days in a row. Cripes. He's totally right. HA! He'd be driving me insane and I'd casually suggest that the big client out in McPherson would probably be expecting him soon....or how are those guys out in Garden City doing? You know, it's been a while since you visited your clients in Iowa....
Ah well, I was still proud of him, smartass and all. It was a GLORIOUS trip and I was very thankful that we wives got to go enjoy the vacation as well. I hardly left the spa, slept in each morning and ate and drank to my heart's content. (and that's saying something!)
Merry Merry Christmas to you all, happy sparkle too!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Hang in there Christmas Knitters!!!
I feel a time warp coming! Actually, there's a photo of me JUST AFTER dancing the TIME WARP from the Rocky Horror Picture Show in full gold sparkle dress at a piano bar in a casino.....but the photos are stuck on my husband's i-phone. I know. I have to say in all modesty that I ROCKED the gold sparkle dress. ROCKED it. AND there's photos of me rockin that same dress with ELVIS people! STUCK ON THE PHONE. Cripes.
In the meantime, all I have to share is this pitiful Christmas sweater in progress. It's actually a fine sweater out of cascade 220 wool for the husband. But it's for THIS Christmas. I know. Yes, it's the 22nd of December. I'm aware of that fact. Thank you for pointing it out. Please stop wasting my Christmas knitting time.
I was feeling quite smug on December 14th as I'd decided it was insane to knit 7 pair of wrist warmers for Christmas. I've done that. I barely survived. My family barely survived. I gave teachers felted flower lapel pins that I happen to still have a ton of. The teachers were happy, my wrists were fine and my soul wasn't shattered. It was going to be a nice, normal Christmas season.
But then I got the itch. It was the 15th of December. I had a sweater's worth of cascade 220 just sitting there looking at me. So I cast on. What the heck, right? I had 10 days. Well, after MUCH restarting and reknitting and taking off the needles on and trying on and reknitting and knitting and knitting it's now the 22nd of December and I have this. The problem is that since I had TEN WHOLE DAYS I figured I didn't have to knit all the time. I took a nap or two, I wrapped gifts, I even READ A BOOK WHILE TAKING A BATH. Looking back, I see I was just in total knitting denial, tempting the fates of time.
This doesn't look like a sweater ready for blocking and wrapping does it? At least the minor heart attack last night at knit night where I laid the sweater on the table and even held it up to me and thought it was STILL too small......but when I tried it on the rather grumpy I'm-tired-of-trying-this-stupid-thing-on-and-don't-think-I-want-a-sweater-anymore man of mine last night IT FITS. What do you MEAN you don't think you want a sweater anymore? Forget it, I don't have time for this...I've got to KNIT man!
A reminder...check your knitting in the DAYLIGHT once in a while...
Crap! Ah well, at least it's a quick fix, just drop down a TON of rows and fix the purl that's supposed to be a knit and the knit that's supposed to be a purl....except the stitch in the middle of the seed stitch will be a bit more of a pain in the arse, but still fixable.
I have come to terms with the fact that this may be a New Year's Sweater. I'm fine with that, but still can't seem to stop knitting. Just in case. There could be a time warp, right? It could happen. I just have to see how far I get before the big day. Just because.
ALSO----a very amazing person knit me a very amazing gift!!! It's ORANGE and it SPARKLES and it's just freaking awesome. I'll take photos and post after Sweaterpocalypse is over.
Did I mention they were ORANGE AND SPARKLY???? I *heart* them so very very much!
Friday, December 09, 2011
Another Christmas of wrist warmers
A few years back, I made about 18 pairs of wrist warmers for teacher gifts, mom's present, nurses gifts, etc. It about made me insane because OF COURSE I didn't start before December. Why would I? When have I EVER planned ahead?
This year I'm doing things a bit more sane. I actually knit this gray pair for ME and wanted mom to try them on to see if she'd like these a bit more than those shown below, the basic model of 3X1 ribbing with a thumb hole. Mom had pretty much worn her pair thin and needed a new pair. I've got a pair of the good old ribbed version ready in a pretty deep burgandy red (no photo yet) but she loved that gray pair so much that I had to send them with her.
I can't recommend this free pattern by Janelle Masters enough! Susie's Reading Mitts, a fabulous SUPER SPEEDY knit that was quite enjoyable also! I knit one mitt in one day and used one ball of Rowan RYC Cashsoft for each mitt with size 5 dpns. If you're looking for a quick knit for someone you forgot to add to your Chrismtas list, this could be just the pattern for you. I'll be knitting myself a pair but probably after Christmas...or I'll procrastinate the important knitting and make myself a pair NOW!
My crank-em-out ribbed version came from the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts but I changed the ribbing to doing 8 rounds of 1X1 rib at top & bottom, then knitting 3x1 rib in the body. Stretchy, fun and easy peasy.
I'm also going to start a sweater for my husband sometime this week, worsted weight yarn (cascade 220), raglan style in the round, have to learn some kind of intarsia in the round as he wants a point coming down on the front and the sleeves in one color and the rest in another.... and I may or may not have it done for Christmas. I'm not going to stress about it, just if it happens to get done, awesome. Right? yeah, right. I'm going to knit my freaking fingers off and stress and all the rest. Ah well. I think I need to quit asking people's opinions about what they'd like me to knit for them and just knit what I WANT TO so I'd have a pattern to follow...BUT I'll be having a little more knitting time as I'm headed to VEGAS BABY!! Jeff won the President's Club Award for sales in his company, so we're headed to the land of glitter on the company dollar! YAY! I think I'll pack some glittery yarn to get in the spirit. :)
Good luck to all my holiday knitting friends. Remember that sleep is important. It's totally fine to wrap a skein of yarn and a note saying what that yarn will become if the item isn't done by C Day. I've done it before. Heck, the man that I love ended up getting ONE SOCK for our first Valentine's Day and he MARRIED ME! How bout that? That must be the antidote to the boyfriend-sweater-curse!
