Innovation

It's been a busy week at Chez electrictree! New colours have been in development. The dye pots have been crazy busy and are about to get busier!


This is my favourite new colour! It is called "fresh fig" and took 2 weeks to develop with many one of a kinds skeins created along the way! I had the colour in my head and just kept messing around until it all came together. I am quite enamoured of this colour.

Much, much more dyeing is in the forefront! The lovely Caroline Sommerfeld of Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts just made a ginormous order for electrictree yarn! And she's taking it to SOCK SUMMIT!!! I can't even describe how incredibly excited I am!!!! Like 4 exclamation points excited!!!!

I have been developing a new pattern that I am really excited about. It's a colourwork pattern and is based on the Frogger video game! The pattern class for 6 different colours, so it will be available as a pattern for purchase as well as a a kit.


Our new sock yarn is particularly conducive to stranded colourwork!

We have been releasing several patterns under the electrictree brand. They are available on Ravelry. Recently a raveler decided to do the eukaryotes pattern and modified it in a rather ingenious way. She attached it to the Nessie Scarf and the effect is fantastic!


I think it's perfectly suited to the project and I love the yarn choice! It's absolutely thrilling, as a designer, to have my pattern not only knit, but done in such a creative manner! If you get a chance check it out and tell her how wonderful you think it is!

Zee colours, my god zee colours!

This week has been busy on the dyeing front! (That's dyeing, not dying!)
I've been spending a lot of time developing colours and have a few that I am very happy with. I'ts funny how at first the fact that I was missing some colours was frustrating, later became and excuse to be creative.
Right now I am dyeing lots of fibre for spinning and a whole bunch of yarn. the yarn is for a new special pattern I am developing. I have it all charted out, I jsut have to get the yarn dyed and test knit it! The knew pattern will be....Froggersox! That's right! I love the classic arcade game, and decided to make some fun socks based on the game. I have altered them enough to prevent copyright infringement but still have them be immediately recognizable. The socks will be available as a kit or as a pattern for sale. I think the kits will be the most economical since there are 6 colours in the sock. I think a 6 colour hand dyed sock kit is a wonderful thing! This is one of those times that having a big foot is a good thing! I'll use my yarn amounts as the max amount of yarn (plus a little extra of course) in the kits!
I have 2 new colours that I think turned out really well, and one more in development! Here's a sneak peak at the new shades. (Imagine with more vibrancy since my camera tends to wash things)

Busy Busy Like a Spring Bee!

Things have been extremely busy at both Chateau electrictree. Mother electrictree has been busy working on some amazing new displays for fibre shows and fantastic new patterns! Our last electrictree pattern is the most popular yet and to date has a gratifying 73 hearts on Ravelry!!! We are just tickled (the actual motion is probably more like jumping up and down, high-fiving, fist-pumping, and yelling "YEAH!").

A few new patterns are in the works such as a sock version of the electrictree winter gloves.


A new shawlette in our delightful earthly yarn will be out soon!


And the very strange eurkaryotes pattern should be out late this week, early next in our fun new 100% soy tape yarn!


The dye pots have been burbling away. We had a huge shipment come in last week of soy tape, baby camel, sock yarn, and mink (yes like mink coats, it is so soft it is amazing!)

Here is a photo of some camel yarn and mink yarn spooning in the sun.


Soon there will be another shipment of our already popular ephemeral, expansive and entwine to dye.
We are expanding our line to include spinning fibre, Merino and BFL hand dyed top will soon be available!
In addition I have been practicing for this month Burlesque show! My stage name is Lizzie Borden (yes, like the turn of the century crazy-lady aze murderer,) this show I am singing I'm Tired by Madeline Kahn from Blazing Saddles. If you've never heard it, it's a hoot! Check it out on youtube here. I've made a few changes to it, like nixing the soldier singers and I don't sing with a Bavarian accent. I considered hamming it up like Madeline Kahn but figured that anyone who hasn't seen the movie might not get that it's a joke and that I don't really suck at singing-I have my pride too y'know.

Book Review!!!

Ok...maybe it's not a book review...maybe it's more like a book gush, or an "Ode to Book."
I just purchased Knitting Knee Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary by Barb Brown. (Rav link here). It's a beautiful book full of amazing patterns that are fully adaptable to a variety of styles.


Here is my copy of the book lovingly nestled in some of my hand dyed yarn destined for Abbotsford.


Here is the inscription from Barb. See? We're practically BFF's!! I shared a room with Barb at a knitting retreat and she has bionic eyes (no joke here, it's totally awesome...I think she might secretly have lasers in them or something). So of course, I think she's a totally rad person.

I love this book. I had to force myself not to toss my current UFO's out the window and cast on socks. They pattterns are beautiful. They come from a variety of ethnic inspirations and a wide variety of styles. You can do knee-highs, you can knit regular socks, ankle socks, or even leg warmers! The possibilities are endless. I am already planning my first pair!
This morning when I went downstairs to the dye pots in preparation for next weekend I had a list of colourways that I wanted to do. The list was tossed off to the side and I started experimenting with colours especially for me, so I can knit the socks in this book in the colours that I want! I just made a colour way that I think I will call "Barb's Browns." (If Barb will let me that is!).

Dyeing

Lately. my life has been filled with colour! I have been dyeing yarn for my and Mom's electrictree endeavour! I am really enjoying experimenting with colour and creating what I planned or being pleasantly surprised with a colour combination! Right now I am trying to pick what colour to knit for a sample.

I have been trying to make sure I dye colours that might not be my favourite (as well as coolours I love of course!) so that there is something to appeal to a broader range of tastes.
I have also joined a chorus group! It's so much fun! Tuesday was the first night I went, it's a four part harmony barbershop style singing group and apparently I sing lead or bass (which all the bass singers were ridiculously excited about.) The first song we are learning is Little St. Nick by the Beachboys (which of course means we'll also be able to sing Little Deuce Coupe) The regular members were rather excited about how ridiculously excited I was to be singing with them!
This Friday (tomorrow, egads!) I am going to be singing the National Anthems at the Storm Hockey game. The Canadian National Anthem is no big deal I have done it lots, but I have only sang the American one once, and it's a hard weird song to sing (I have a hard time remembering the lyrics because most of the time they don't make sense...) I'll have my cue card with me jus tin case!

I'm Dyeing

Today I only had to work a couple of hours so I came home and dyed sock yarn. I got a whole bunch of sock yarn at Michaels for an insanely low clearance price, which I skeined and am now dyeing for my etsy store. My first attempt turned out pretty cool, but the batteries on my camera died, so I couldn't take a photo. I tried scanning the yarn on my scanner and I ended up with some horror movie yarn...seriously it looks like it's going to break through some kind of tarry film and take over...
The photo doesn't do the colours justice, so hopefully I will remember to get some batteries for my camera so I can add the stuff to my store. I also dyed some yellow and orange, and I am going to call that one Jonquille, and I dyed one this great purpley red which will be called Blackberry Subway Jam. I don't know what to call this green and purple one...B Movie?
I also died some romney roving and it turned out light purple and pink, I haven't decided if I am going to spin it and sell the yarn, sell the roving, give it away...it's pretty neat colours, although I am going to have to dye some more of the romney in something that is not pink...