Uma Joy Designs

Market Dates

2011-07-05T23:37:00.011-04:00

Well, Hello! It's been a while, but here I am with a bit of news to share. I'll be attending the first annual Portsmouth Open Market this Sunday, June 10 selling my Uma Joy Botanical Soaps.

I've been busy reformulating & redesigning and have finalized a version that I'm quite happy with. The round bar is much more ergonomically & symbolically pleasing and I've upgraded to organic palm and coconut oils.

I'd love to see you at my booth if you are in the Portsmouth, NH vicinity this Sunday...or any of the following dates:

June 10
August 14
September 25
October 23

Dream Dream Dream

2010-02-22T12:47:00.005-05:00

Sleep is a highly desired commodity at our house. Still. My youngest is 29 months old, takes wonderful naps and goes down for bedtime with relative ease. However, sometime in the wee hours of the night she pitter patters into our room and demands to come to sleep with us. My oldest is almost 5 and has grown out of naps (ugh) and eagerly goes down for bedtime, yet she also sneaks into our bed around the same time as her sister. So, daybreak finds our family of four crowded into a queen size bed. Sometimes even the cat is curled up near my feet so I can't even move, wedged between everyone. I dream of a king size bed, or better yet, that everyone can sleep the entire night peacefully tucked into their own beds. Last week I had the idea that I would make dream pillows for the girls to chase away bad dreams and keep them in their beds. They loved the idea. Even helped with designing the facial features and picking colors. I stuffed them with sleepy time herbs such as hops and chamomile and shaped them into full moons. They named them and eagerly go to sleep with them each night. Yet, they do not work as intended and this morning all four of us awoke on our ever shrinking queen size bed. Yawn.....

Waves for Warmer Weather

2010-01-11T20:45:00.006-05:00

Here's the finished product that I initially posted about here. I've called this the Waves Cardigan & Skirt set and it is now available through Brown Sheep Yarn.

It's funny to me to be posting summer outfits in the middle of January and perhaps I should hold off and show these closer to Spring...but it's exciting when I can finally post about a finished design & I have a hard time waiting! This set was at the TNNA winter show this past weekend & the pattern leaflet should be available soon from Brown Sheep.

Here's my 2 year old modeling the size 2 that I knit.

And here's my 4 year old modeling the same outfit...

I love clothing that can span an age range. Really, if you are going to take the time to make something by hand out of a quality yarn it should get as much wear as possible! The set was a big hit with both of my girls & really comfy to wear. It's knit in Serendipity Tweed which has fantastic stitch definition and a wonderful spectrum of colors to choose from.

Bev from Shipyard Point Glassworks graciously supplied the buttons. My original design had planned for a 5-button closure, but as the design evolved, I ended up with a simple 1-button cardigan. What to do with the other buttons??? That project is on my needles now & will be something that I can wear. Finally.

Last Design 2009

2009-12-30T13:56:00.011-05:00

I had hoped to get this out before the last day of fall, but am settling for the end of the year. Here is 'Orli', a design for girls aged 2-6. The pattern, however, is yet to be published. Hopefully by this weekend. I wanted to get photos up so I could include this as a finished project in 2009, even if the pattern isn't complete. That counts right?

I really enjoyed this one. My first top down raglan. I love the top down design. No seaming. How fantastic!

Knit in Sereknity Sweet, an amazing blend of 50% alpaca, 30% merino and 20% silk, it is asymmetrical with the right side knit in one color for a bit of fun.

Stitches are picked up to add the front ruffle and it closes with snaps instead of buttons for a cleaner look.

Great for layering this winter or will be good over short sleeves in the spring.

My daughter is modeling a size 4 with plenty of room to grow.

Pattern will be up soon!

Botanical Bath

2009-12-10T09:34:00.009-05:00

Introducing the latest item in the Uma Joy Botanicals line...

My bath salts are crafted with therapeutic Dead Sea Salts infused with an intoxicating blend of plant essential oils. No fragrance oils, artificial colors or preservatives here! All packed in a contemporary glass jar, suitable for repurposing. 12 oz. of pure goodness.

Now available at Poppy Seed Studio. Sherry has an AMAZING store...if you haven't checked it out, definitely worth a visit.

Plaid...Wool...Snow

2009-12-07T20:54:00.005-05:00

I am having so much fun with this upcycling project. Here is a reversible bonnet made of an upcycled 100% merino wool sweater and an upcycled 70/30 wool/rayon skirt. The plaid wool blend is super soft and quite thick. Paired with the charcoal gray merino, this little hat is virtually snow and windproof.

Oh, and it is reversible. Fun! I handknit i-cord ties in 100% wool and appliqued on a little heart...

Now available on Etsy and just in time for snow. Yay:)

Upcycled

2009-12-03T19:11:00.016-05:00

Here's a peek at my latest venture...children's hats created from recycled wool sweaters. Now available in my Etsy shop!

The idea is to upcycle high quality wool sweaters that have been damaged or would have otherwise lived a sad existence in the back of a closet into one-of-a-kind fun hats for little ones. And at the same time, creating something new without using new materials...more eco-friendly. Even the fleece lining in this bonnet is upcycled.

I love the idea of turning something old into something new. The challenge is to make it look fresh and as always, well crafted. Though these two silhouettes are quite classic, perhaps the color combo or embroidery details will be enough to stand out a bit from others.

There is much satisfaction in thinking of new designs and the immediate gratification of a finished product (in comparison to knitting...which has it's own satisfying qualities, but as I am not a fast knitter, immediate gratification is not one of them).

Although these are made for wee little noggins, my 2 year old wanted to model the Nordic Star Bonnet...which works on her as well.

Harvest

2009-11-23T08:47:00.007-05:00

Now that the frost covers the pachysandra in the morning....

And our little gardening tools left out overnight...

And with Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it was time to harvest the root vegetables...

This beet is a fine specimen, don't you think? And just in time to mail off for the Beets for Dwight project on Ravelry! Thanks to Sarah for the pattern, which I altered a bit for my own preferences. A fun little knit for those of us who love Dwight Schrute...and root veggies.

Soap Update & Calendar News

2009-11-20T23:31:00.005-05:00

Just a quick post to announce that my soaps will now be available at Sun Moon Stars Herbals. They are having their grand opening this weekend which coincides with the Salmon Falls Mill Artists open studios. A very cool event where the artists open up their doors and you can wander around the old mill checking out everyone's work. I will also be there this weekend selling the famous Rollinsford Public Library Semi-Nude Fundraising Calendar....featuring my husband as Mr. January 2010. Come and get one before they are all sold out!

Preparing for Winter

2009-11-03T09:25:00.011-05:00

Fall is winding down and I'm finding myself in a rush to get ready for cold weather and snow. I've double checked the snow gear for the girls, bought snowsuits and boots and have finally have finished these classic socks that have been sitting around for A YEAR (yes, pathetic ... especially since it took only 2 days to finish them once I focused my energy.) I knit them for my oldest, but she doesn't want to wear them, so the little one did some modeling for me this time. Just some basic boot socks made of 100% wool which should be nice and warm. I'm not a huge fan of sock knitting, dpns and the whole making a second one, but these were quick and fun.

We've had a few warm, wonderful days to enjoy and an overflow of visitors. They were flying all around basking in the sunshine and making their way into our house, which the girls thought was fun.

We built terrariums and captured a few to keep inside before letting them go. A very fun project that will keep our house green as winter approaches.

This bright oak was full of leaves last week, but has dropped most of them already. Now that we've changed the clocks and darkness comes so early, I'm finding myself excited to cozy up on the couch and work on wool mittens, hats, socks, scarves and sweaters. The thought of keeping loved ones warm with my handknits is keeping me more focused than usual. Hopefully a few of my own designs will get completed in this frenzy. I love knitting season!

6 Months Ago and a New Family Member

2009-08-27T22:09:00.023-04:00

Back in February I went to the NETA Spa, Knit and Spin conference in Freeport, Maine and met a vendor there with beautiful glass buttons and beads. Beverly, from Shipyard Point Glassworks, and I got together last month so I could show off some of her artwork in my designs. Such a wonderful way to add something extra special to a hand knit garment. After all, you simply cannot add mass produced buttons to a sweater knit by hand! Here are a couple of examples of her work that will be seen in my work over the next few months.

Also, back in February the girls were dreaming of adding a new member to our family as pictured in my oldest's artwork.

Well, last week we adopted her, or maybe she adopted us. Either way, she's a great addition to the family. Welcome Pino!

Better Late Than Never

2009-08-15T11:24:00.011-04:00

I feel like writing and not only about knitting or soap. Not that I have a lot of particularly interesting things to say, but just that I've had this running narrative in my head for months. Perhaps actually writing down some my thoughts will help sort things out and provide a bit of entertainment for those of you actually taking the time. Thank you in advance.

If you are familiar with the type of June & July we had here in Northern New England, you would not be surprised to hear that we still do not have ripe tomatoes. I started these babies from seed back in March and due to excessive rain and lack of sun, it is mid-August and here I am, still waiting patiently. I transplanted 16 seedlings and can count a measly 14 green tomatoes. All I can hope is that they will ripen before the first frost and we will get a taste of freshness, though not enough to freeze away for the pints of tomato sauce I dreamed about back in the Spring. Still, it has to beat eating those fake orangey-red ones from the grocery store. My sunflowers are late as well, but this one 6-footer is beautiful, don't you think? Trying to keep a positive spin on things...

And speaking of keeping a positive attitude...I declined a job to teach a biology class this fall in favor of focusing my energy on creative endeavors. I do wonder if that was a wise decision, given our less than prosperous financial situation, however something, way in the back of my subconscious, tells me it was the right way to go. On the up side, the head of the program asked if I wanted to teach a knitting class instead. We decided that a hat workshop would be a good choice to attract a range of knitters and be a small enough project to complete in 3 meetings. The fall Vogue Knitting has a great feature on hats and we decided that #9 the eyelet cap and #10 the cabled cap would be good projects for beginner and intermediate knitters. I knit up #9 and am very happy with the results.

It is knit in stash yarn, Dreambaby DK, which is, unfortunately, acrylic and nylon. Not even a hint of natural fiber. I have to say that it is quite soft and will be easily washable. There is a new resolution in my house: stick to stash yarn until I have worked through at least 1/2 of my stock. Financially, it makes sense to do this, but I also need to come to terms with my yarn addiction. I can't seem to walk into a yarn store without purchasing something, whether I need it or not.

This also leads to something else I need to come to terms with: my procrastination problem. I submitted an idea for a project and was given the go ahead a month ago. The deadline is Oct. 1. I have not cast on. I should be in a bit of a panic, but strangely I am fairly calm. Knowing that there will be a frantic rush to finish, and my family will suffer, but it will be completed and mailed in on time doesn't change a thing. I'm choosing to use my free time this morning while my husband is out with the kids to write this post. Why do I do this? Maybe it's because I work better under pressure. The thrill of racing and wondering if I can make it? Maybe it's because I have always just done this for as long as I can remember. Staying up until 2 am to finish a 6th grade book report and throwing a fit, then surprisingly getting a good grade. Old habits are hard to break. Anyways, here is the stack of (non-stash) yarn sitting on my desk waiting patiently...

A Myriad of Possibilities

2009-07-25T22:49:00.016-04:00

OK, well maybe not a myriad but I really love that word and thought it was a good fit for this simple, yet versatile wrap.

It is simply knit flat with La Boheme (such a luxury!) in loose moss stitch with evenly dispersed stripes of Yang.

The lovely shawl pin comes from Nuance where Evelyn is also kind enough to carry my soaps.

It's the first thing I've knit for myself in a long time. I wanted something that I could wear often and in different ways.

Here are the basics for making your own Myriad:

Yarn: 1 skein of each (see above)
Needles: US Size 15
Gauge: not critical however my Myriad knit up at 2.5 sts/inch in Moss Stitch
Pattern:

With La Boheme, CO 106 sts and work in moss stitch for 4 inches.
Change to Yang and work 2 rows in pattern
Change to La Boheme and work another 4 inches.
Continue in this pattern until you have worked through the entire skein of La Boheme (approximately 12 inches from CO edge)
Change to Yang and work in pattern for 4 inches.
Bind off all stitches

I only wanted a bit of sparkle dispersed in the mohair and found that 2 rows of Yang was just the right amount for me, but add more or less as you wish.
The more Yang you add, the more you can get out of the La Boheme, unless you have splurged and purchased more than one skein. Enjoy!

Simple Summer Dress

2009-07-09T00:44:00.012-04:00

Well you wouldn't know it was summer around here. Raining for days on end and chilly nights. If the sun ever does decide to show itself I have a simple design using some wonderful bamboo yarn. This little bodice only used one skein for the size 2 dress and about 1/2 yard of cotton fabric.Pattern coming soon...

Summer 2009

2009-06-26T20:59:00.032-04:00

Welcome to the new look of Uma Joy Designs! Something else for you as well....a look at my Summer 2009 line of botanical soaps. After years in the making and sharing with my family and friends I am finally selling my soaps. So exciting!

You will still be able to find my knit designs here as well. I'm just expanding into another creative direction. I have dreamed of working at my passion for too long. Now in my 40th year and with the girls getting a bit older and my mind and body getting more sleep (finally!) it was now or never. I just could not choose between my love of knitting and my desire to experiment and create natural soaps which are good for your body and the environment. So I'm doing both! 'Made by Hand for a Small Footprint' applies to both my knitwear patterns for children and my eco-friendly soaps.

No artificially colors, fragrances or preservatives for your body or to get washed down the drain into our water supply. Made with plant oils and scented with pure essential oils it's gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin. We have used nothing but my soap on our girls since they were born! These botanical treats are wrapped in handmade papers and labels printed on 100% recycled paper.

And if you live in the Northern New England area they are currently available here and here to support local businesses. I will also be at the Front Street Market in Rollinsford, NH on Sunday July 12th from 9am-3pm. I'll be showing my kids knitwear designs as well, with patterns available for purchase. Come by and say hello! I'll be updating my Etsy shop soon so if you aren't in the area, I can send you some botanical goodness in the mail, staying green using my daughters' artwork for packing material...the perfect solution for what to do with all of that beautiful creativity once it's time on the refrigerator door has passed:)

Autumn Harvest Jacket

2009-06-17T21:27:00.025-04:00

I know it isn't even officially summer yet and here I am posting a pattern for Fall 2009! I'm still getting used to creating patterns for off seasons. I knit this little jacket earlier in the Spring for Brown Sheep Yarns and they just showed it last weekend at the TNNA Summer show.

It's knit in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash Wool Bulky which is a fantastic wool that is nice and squishy and has superb stitch definition. The main color is Grey Heather (SW04) and the contrasting trim is Blaze (SW145). If you've never used Brown Sheep's Superwash Wool before, check it out! They have an amazing color selection and they are a family owned company right here in the USA.

My oldest has been practicing her modelling moves...

The bulky wool knits up quickly and the pieces are seamed together with set in sleeves and optional patch pockets for collecting acorns, of course.

...and fun toggle closures...

Check out Ravelry and Flickr for more photos. Published as pattern leaflet number #0922 for Brown Sheep Company.

Non-Knitting News

2009-05-27T22:53:00.012-04:00

Life has been busy. I do have 3 knitting projects in the works, but will save those for another post. I've been fooling around with my old Pentax ME Super camera and finally got some b&w film back that I took this winter. I'd love to have a darkroom setup, but one can't have everything! Here are a few of my favorites that I shot in January:
We spent last weekend at our family camp in Maine. It was the first time there for my youngest & the girls loved it. We took boat rides, fished (and returned the fish to the pond), watched dragonfly nymphs moult into dragonflies, saw a duck with her new hatchlings, ate s'mores and got eaten by black flies and mosquitos. It's going to be a fun summer.

So that is what's new for Play. On the Work front, I have one more class and I am done teaching for the summer. Woohoo! I am also preparing for a new venture in addition to my hand knits. Something that's been in the works for a while but now is the time to take it more seriously. Here's a peek...more to come in a few weeks.

Celia Pattern Now Available

2009-04-14T00:08:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to announce that Celia is now available for purchase. I am frantically getting ready for vacation on Wednesday and this was the last project I had to complete before we leave.
See you in a couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Spring!

2009-03-22T09:59:00.017-04:00

Spring has finally arrived here in New Hampshire and just in the knick of time too! We were going a bit stir crazy. Here is Celia, a Spring sweater for layering over long sleeves while it is still cool or over a cotton dress as the weather warms up.

Knit in garter stitch in Cascade Chunky 128 wool this little cardigan works up quickly. The yarn is super soft and cushy.

The pattern will be available shortly here and on Etsy and Ravelry in girl's sizes 2-6.
And one more bit of news....Brown Sheep has published Sonatina as pattern # 0910. You can ask for it at your local yarn store or contact Brown Sheep directly. Happy Spring!

Sonatina

2009-01-22T20:09:00.009-05:00

I am so excited to finally be able to reveal this dress! It was my first design for the Brown Sheep Yarn Company. I love that Brown Sheep is an American company and the majority of the wool they use is domestic and that they are a family owned business. I was fortunate enough to be able work with them this summer & designed this little dress back in July.My youngest just loved wearing it and I really wanted to keep it, but it was sent off to Brown Sheep and was just shown at the TNNA trade show in San Diego last week.
The yarn is Wildfoote, a sock yarn made of 75% washable wool and 25% nylon. When I was trying to decide what to design, this yarn just told me that it wanted to become a sweet little dress instead of socks, so I went with it! The color I chose for this Spring/Summer was a handpainted combination of pinks, oranges and lavenders, but I can also imagine it in darker colors for fall, layered over a top & tights. Brown Sheep has some fantastic colors to choose from.
In the midst of making this dress, we decided to relocate to New Hampshire from San Diego (with 1 week to pack), so I had to knit like crazy to make the submission deadline right before we moved...a lot of knitting on size 2 needles! It was a very fun knit & I look forward to seeing others finished versions.

Experimental Felting: Results #1

2009-01-19T19:47:00.004-05:00

The hat felted to the approximate size I was looking for, but this is definitely a trial & error process. I ended up with a head circumference too large and a cap length too short. I think I know how to alter my pattern to get what I am looking for, but unfortunately I won't know until after I knit and felt the entire thing. I haven't done much research on this process and wonder if there's a surefire way to guarantee that the finished hat will have the desired dimensions? Anyways I will try again and see what I get!

Experimental Felting

2009-01-11T21:24:00.005-05:00

I'm trying to design a felted child's hat with Eco Wool, which is just perfect for felting. Lots of yardage, economical and good for the environment! The problem is that I am guessing regarding how it will felt up. I just checked it's progress and is not felting as much in circumference as in length...which is normal, but I think I should have cast on fewer stitches. Once it's spun out I will block it and see how things look. The bonus is that it knit up so quickly on size 15 needles & I like how blended the felted fabric looks after just peeking in the washing machine.

Welcome 2009

2009-01-02T09:21:00.006-05:00

Starting the year off on the right foot with lots of positive happenings. My husband passed a very important licensing exam which will help him get ahead with his work and help our family maintain the goal of me staying home with the girls full time. I've taken on teaching chemistry in the evenings starting in February which will help us a bit financially. And...through that same school, I'll be teaching a knitting workshop on how to knit one of my own designs! Exciting, but at the same time, I'm going to be SO busy. I have designed the knit, but still have to actually make 2 versions and write up the pattern all before the end of the month. I think I have picked the yarn from Spinning Yarns. The red is Cascade 128 and the grey is Cascasde Eco Wool. I still want to visit Yarn for Ewe to check out their selection because they are actually a bit closer for the students to visit and I'm still in search of the perfect bulky weight wool, wool/cotton or wool and some natural fiber mix that is still lightweight and economical. Cascade 128 is pretty great, not sure why I must keep searching and making things more complicated...Also, I've discovered that I'm definitely becoming more of a wool fan than I thought I would be. Margot & Rick have some beautiful Harrisville yarns and I love the idea of supporting NH businesses. More on this as it progresses.
Here are some images from around our place the last couple of days. My oldest took a guess as to which day our amaryllis would bloom and she was right! December 29th....And some frosty ferns from the window this morning...

Winter Solstice

2008-12-21T22:02:00.002-05:00

Today is the longest night of the year...or the shortest day, whichever you prefer. I like to celebrate the solstice. Something about stopping to think about the earth tilting as far away from the sun as it will for a year & realizing that from now on the days will get longer, even as winter is just beginning, makes me feel a little bit more in tune with nature. We now have almost 2 feet of snow on the ground after this weekend's storms. Time to hibernate. Knitting and crafting projects are waiting...

Powerless

2008-12-15T14:22:00.003-05:00

I am back in my warm home typing on my Mac after being without power for 4 nights. We had an ice storm on Thursday night and lost power along with a record setting 500,000+ other homes from Maine to New York. Luckily we could go straight to my father's house and were able to keep nice & toasty as well as have hot coffee & food with one of these....
He still doesn't have power but my Mom got her electricity back on Saturday morning so the girls & I have been living comfortably since then. My husband is an electrician so he's been working pretty much non-stop since Friday morning helping customers but also keeping our pipes from freezing by bringing in a generator for a few hours each night.

I've decided that if we're going to be living in NH, we need to heat our home with wood & not be completely dependent upon electricity (or oil...but that's another discussion). I can go without the luxury of lights, television and internet (although that was a tough one), but HEAT is simply a necessity in the winter!

The amount of destruction caused by just a 1 inch coating of ice was unbelievable. Trees were snapped in half, power lines downed and homes and parked cars damaged by falling branches. There was a lot of beauty in the ice as well. Here are some of the images I saw on Friday morning.

Feels wonderful to be back home and connected to the world. Hope others that have been displaced by the storm find their way home again soon.

Solstice Bird

2008-12-08T13:23:00.007-05:00

Here's a simple bird ornament for hanging around the house this holiday season. I'm working a little flock, but for now here is the first one.
You need a very small amount of 100% wool for the body & just scraps for needle felting wings, stitching seams & making beaks. I've used the following needles & yarn for this guy, but feel free to experiment with what you have on hand. Felting is unpredictable as well, so keep an eye on it to make sure it's the size you'd like. The finished measurements of this bird are 4.5" h x 5" w.

Materials
Needles: US size 10 for body, US size 6 dp for i-cord beak
Yarn: Cascade 220 wool (NOT superwash...need 100% wool for felting)
Stuffing: yarn or fabric scraps
Felting needle (for adding wings)
2 buttons for eyes
tapestry needle for stitching seam & sewing on beak & eyes

Pattern
Using size 10 needles, CO 7 sts.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: m1, k7, m1
Repeat rows 1 & 2 making 1 new stitch on each edge of row 2 and knitting all the stitches in between (ie: m1, k9, m1 then m1, k11, m1, etc.) until there are 19 sts then start decreases:
Dec Row 1: k2tog, k15, k2 tog
Dec Row 2: knit
Repeat dec rows 1 & 2 until there are 7 sts left, then knit 1 row.
BO all sts.

At this point you will have a garter stitch oval that is ready to be felted.
Check out this link for how to do felting and then go for it. You can knit up a bunch of ovals at one time and felt them all at once or just do one at a time. Just be sure to separate your ovals from each other (using a pillowcase or a lingerie bag) during the felting process or else they will felt to each other.

Once your felted piece has dried, you can then cut* it into equal mirror images for your bird body following this diagram. Felted wool does not unravel so cut away! You can trim as necessary to alter the shapes so they fit together evenly.

*Please note that when cutting your pieces, hold the fabric with the garter ridges horizontally. If you look at the above photo, the garter stitch pattern runs horizontally on the finshed bird.

Finishing
Stitch the body together, leaving a small opening at the bottom. Stuff with fabric/yarn scraps then stitch closed. Sew on button eyes & needle felt wings. Using size 6 dp needles make a 3 stitch i-cord ~ 1.5 inches long for the beak then stitch onto body. Hang up in your favorite location!

Simple Solution

2008-11-19T16:18:00.000-05:00

The hanging rope broke on my old bird feeder so I decided to knit an i-cord to replace it. My big cone of Sugar and Cream cotton is great for such around the house little projects. I have a washcloth & basket knit up with it as well.
The i-cord...so simple yet so many uses! Check out this link for how to knit an i-cord.The pattern for 'Joy' will be up by this weekend. I've been battling sickness after sickness in our house with myself and the girls. Maybe it has to do with not being adjusted to the frigid New Hampshire weather yet??
Yesterday was the first day it was below freezing all day. The birds are going to have to wait for Spring to use their birdbath.

Joy!

2008-11-12T23:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a little dress for the holidays. Great for layering and dressing up or down. My daughter just loves wearing this dress. Knit in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash 100% wool, it has great bounce while jumping up & down.
I should retake some photos for a more seasonal feel here in New Hampshire. Something to add to the ever growing "To Do" list.
But for now, here is 'Joy', basking in the sun of Southern California. Pattern will be posted in PDF format for download shortly!

Autumn

2008-11-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

My first published pattern is finally available to see on Knit on the Net!
I just loved working with Cocoon from Rowan. Such a beautiful yarn.

It is modelled in the largest size and shown with the buttons in the front but can also be worn with the buttons in back and a center cable in the front.

Check out the Knit on the Net website for the free pattern!

...And Now For Something Completely Different

2008-10-06T22:08:00.000-04:00

OK. I am all for the power of positive thinking. How long have I been talking about getting back to New Hampshire? Longing for Fall and cold nights knitting curled up on the sofa. Trying to figure out how and when we were going to get there from San Diego. Well guess what happens when something is the focus of your mental energy for so long? My husband was laid off from his job 2 weeks ago today and here I sit in my father's house in NH typing this post. Yes, we left California and moved back East. Made the decision that morning and here we are. Packed up and moved across country in a week's time. We are all here safe and sound and recovering from this whirlwind. Excited to move on to the next adventure. More when we are more settled in...

Colors of Nature

2008-09-18T16:00:00.000-04:00

Some inspiration for future projects from the Quail Botanical Gardens.

The gardens are one of our favorite places in the San Diego area and every time we go I see something new. Lots of huge flowers were in bloom on our last visit.

The shades of greens & yellows in this bamboo patch were just beautiful.

More knitting photos to come soon. I'm working under deadline for 2 projects...one to be published in October & one not coming out until the Spring but due in 2 weeks. Stay tuned!

Lucky Lucky Me!

2008-07-31T17:39:00.000-04:00

I hate to post without pictures and since I can't include any photos of projects that I am currently working on...here's just a closeup of one of the most beautiful yarns I've ever used.

This post's title is taken from a Charlie & Lola episode I recently watched with my 3 year old. I actually love Charlie & Lola and recommend that you take a peek if even you don't have kids! Well, I definitely feel lucky these days. After much researching and experimentation with every career including archaeologist (seriously...I took an introductory class a few years back), analytical chemist, biologist, photographer, soapmaker & teacher. I'm feeling like I've found that passion for my work that I've heard is actually possible if you can find the right fit between your personality, interests & natural abilities. Oh yes, and you have to completely forget about money...that just complicates everything. And I found it in the most unlikely of places. Isn't that usually how it works?

I knew I was interested in designing and thought that graphic designing would be the way to go. However, as the start date has been rapidly approaching I've had a bit of anxiety. Felt like something wasn't quite right. There isn't enough tactile involvement in graphic design now with everything digital. Don't want to spend all of that money on school if it isn't the right choice. I wanted to create something that could actually be touched and felt to be appreciated. So I decided to start working on my own knitwear designs and just see where that takes me. The few that have been shown here & a few others that I'm saving for submissions. The good news is that I was in the right place at the right time and a yarn company is actually going to pay me to design for them! Yikes...I cannot believe it! I don't want to divulge too much information yet because I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say, etc. before the patterns are actually published, but I'm just crazy with excitement. It is all that I want to do. I am truly obsessed. I love it. Just the right amount of creativity, variety & attention to detail required. I actually dream about my designs. I keep a sketch book next to my bed to keep track of any ideas may pop up in the middle of the night. I cannot truly rest until they are finished and then my mind is racing to work on the next one. I look around at the world now and see things differently. I have thoughts like, "Wow, the color of that hand painted bowl is beautiful...I wonder if I can find a yarn in that shade of blue?" or "I love the pattern of bark on that tree....I'd love to be able to knit a scarf with that". Yep. Head over heels. I can honestly say that I've never felt like this with any of the work that I've done, including owning my own herbal soapmaking business. And I have to say that I am very lucky such a supportive husband and to be at a point in my life where I can explore all the options and find what I truly love to do and stay at home with my girls while I'm doing it.

Officially Open for Business

2008-07-12T02:30:00.000-04:00

Just a short post to say I am officially selling my original patterns! I have just posted Cerise as a PDF download through the Ravelry pattern store. They have a fantastic service that will take care of all the pattern downloads and links to PayPal. All you have to do is click on the "Buy Now" button and you are linked straight to PayPal to purchase the pattern. So cool, this Ravelry.

Cerise

2008-07-02T12:18:00.001-04:00

Finally finished the project I started back in February! It started out as a ballet wrap skirt with 3 tiers of ruffles, but ended up as a pull-on ribbon tie skirt with 2 ruffles. The Crystal Palace ribbon yarn is quite stretchy & the weight of an extra ruffle would really distort the shape I wanted.

Just a fun skirt for dress-up, over jeans or as a tutu, or just as it is for a summer day!

Pattern to be posted soon....

Distracted but Still Here

2008-05-27T00:52:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the month or so absence. I've been on the go with the girls and enjoying the weather. Here are a few pics of what we've been up to.

Been thinking about knitting and have been on Ravelry almost daily, but can't seem to get it together to sit down and accomplish anything. Is this normal for having two kids under 3?? By the end of the day I am pretty much wiped out and just want to sit and chill for an hour or so before my bedtime.

I've been too much inside my own head these days as well. Still questioning my decision to not go back to work full time. Ironing out the financial issues and all. Going around and around in my mind until I started to drive myself (and my husband) crazy. I am happy to say that I am finally at peace with my decision. There's not much I am sure about lately, however this I am. I want to enjoy this opportunity to be with my girls for as long as I can while they are still so young. It is a time to cherish.

First Sweater for Me

2008-04-07T11:35:00.000-04:00

I finally decided to knit something for myself. I fell in love with the Big Cash from Zaol and really wanted to make a sweater that I could wear most of the year. It is a super bulky yarn, but it's 50% cotton and I'm making it sleevless so hopefully I can wear it fall-spring. I'm making up the pattern as I go, but I'm still worried about the fit. Since it knits up really quickly it wouldn't be terrible if I had to frog it but I'm sooooo hoping I don't have to! It might be hard to envision in this picture, but it's going to be a tunic style tank dress type of thing...this is the front skirt section.

Soli Pattern

2008-04-04T23:30:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the delay in posting...and I still haven't had time to figure out the PDF document links. Anyhoooooooo here's my pattern for Soli. Let me know if it works out for you!

Size: Girls 2
Knitted Measurements: Chest 22”/56cm
Gauge: 20 sts and 24 rows = 4”/10cm using size 8 needles
Materials:

MC: Berroco Touché Orange #7920 (3-1.75oz/50g skeins)
CC: Berroco Touché Yellow #7917 (2-1.75oz/50g skeins)
US 8(5 mm) needles or size needed to obtain gauge
spare needle (any size 6-8) for 3 needle bind off
stitch holders (3)
tapestry needle for seaming
crochet hook size 5.0mm

Abbreviations

BO: bind off
CC: contrasting color
CO: cast on
k: knit
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together
MC: main color
p: purl
rep: repeat directions
RS: right side
sc: single crochet
st: stitch
St st: stockinette stitch
tbl: through back loop
WS: wrong side

Stitches Used

Seed st: (on an odd number of stitches) row1 k1p1 across row, row2 k1p1 across row. Rep.

St st: row 1 (RS) k, row 2 (WS) p. Rep.

3 needle bind off

Pattern

Front Skirt

CO with MC 75sts and work in seed stitch for 3 rows.
Row 4 (RS): k.
Row 5 (WS): k1, p across row, k1 (repeat for all WS for helpful seaming during finishing).
Row 6 (dec row 1): k1, k2tog tbl , k across row to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Rows 7-13: St st.
Row 14 (dec row 2): rep Row 6.
Rows 15-21: St st.
Rows 22-78: Continue decreasing every 8 rows until 55sts remain.

Bodice

Row 1: Join CC and p across row. 55 sts.
Row 2-5: Seed St.

Shape armholes:
Row 6 (RS): BO 5 sts in Seed St. Work in pattern across row.
Row 7: BO 5 sts in Seed St. Work in pattern across row. 45 sts.
Work in pattern for 2”. End with RS row.

Right side of bodice:
k 22 sts in pattern. Turn. Work in pattern for 9 rows (Place 23 left front sts on holder).
Row 10 (RS): BO 12 sts. Work rem 10 sts in pattern for 2” (5cm). Place sts on marker. Break yarn leaving tail for seaming.

Left side of bodice:
Rejoin yarn at the neckline and work 1 row in pattern. Work 7 rows seed st. Next row (WS) BO 13 sts in pattern. Work rem sts in pattern for 2”. Place sts on marker. Break yarn leaving tail for seaming.

Back

Work as front to Row 5 Bodice.
BO 5 sts at beg of next 2 rows. Continue in pattern for 3.75” (9.5cm) ending with WS.
k 10 sts in pattern. BO 25 sts in pattern. k 10 sts in pattern.

Right shoulder:
Place 10 left shoulder sts on marker. Work in pattern for 2” (5cm). Place front right sts on needle and use 3 needle bind off method on WS to join shoulder seam.

Left shoulder:
Work as right shoulder. Join shoulder seam using 3 needle bind off.

Finishing

Seam front to back from armhole to bottom edge.
Work sc edging around armholes and neckline of bodice.
Weave in all ends.

©2008 UmaJoy Designs All Rights Reserved
Individual, non-commerical use only. Sale, any other commercial use and any reproduction, publication or distribution prohibited
www.umajoy.com

Legwarmers Pattern

2008-03-18T16:59:00.000-04:00

Finally finished the legwarmers and had to bribe my preschooler to wear them for a photo shoot! She's not crazy about the "stripy pink ones". Here I am thinking that they'd be perfect for her. Oh well! The baby doesn't seem to mind though. Nice for keeping chubby thighs warm and knees protected while crawling around.

I'm posting the pattern in the blog body as I'm working on getting PDF files up & running (hopefully soon!).

Yarn: I used Phidar Dolcinia DK in white and Araucania Atacama alpaca in pink, but choose any DK yarn you like.

Gauge: 6 sts = 1" & 10 rows = 1"

Needles: size 6 dp

Size: 2-4 girl

In MC (pink) CO 40 sts and join in round. Place marker. Divide sts as you like across needles. Work in k2p2 rib for 5 rows. Change to St st for 2 rows. On 3rd row, k2 m1 to end, k1.

*Change to CC (white) and k3 rows. Change to MC and k3 rows.* Repeat alternating colors every 3 rows for ~ 9 inches ending with a CC row.

Change to MC and k 2 rows. On 3rd row, k2, k2tog across row, k1. Work in k2p2 rib for 10 rows. BO in rib pattern.

Make a second one just like it & give to a little dancer to enjoy!

A Corner of My Own

2008-03-08T19:17:00.000-05:00

The baby's crib is finally out of our bedroom so I've set up a bit of working space in the corner. It just enough room for me and will have to do until I can have my own studio.

The Venezia and the Big Cash are just amazing. With the Encore they are actually for 3 different projects that I'm hoping to get started soon. I still have 2 UFOs in my basket that I'm trying complete this week. If I could only stay FOCUSED!

I've sent in my application for the graphic design program at UCSD Extension. Hopefully I will hear next week regarding an interview so I can start the admissions process. I feel really lucky that I found this program and that it will allow me to stay home with the girls for 1 more year and take classes at night. I'm just not ready to send them off to have someone else take care of them all day. I want to stay home with them as long as possible. They will be off to school soon enough!

Spring Flowers and a Change

2008-03-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

Just a brief post to let you know I am still here. I've been quite busy sightseeing with a visiting friend and making decisions about my future. If I post it here than I will be more finalized and less likely to change my mind. I found a fantastic graphic design program that I can start in September. No going back to biotechnology for me! More on this decision later...

Beach Day and a Coincidence?

2008-02-20T00:07:00.000-05:00

I took the girls to the beach today. It was perfect timing. Low tide, a break in the clouds and nap time for my baby girl. Noa & I picked stones from the sand and admired the beautiful range of colors. Some inspiration for another knitting project maybe?

And yes, the sand did feel good between my toes! Such a treat to get out of the house after having a week of coughs & colds.

I found out about Project Spectrum 3 today. Just in time for the completion of Soli as well as the current project that is on my needles using the yarn I bought 2 weeks ago and the legwarmers that I still haven't finished. Coincidence? Some people say there is no such thing...

Soli

2008-02-15T22:56:00.001-05:00

I finished my first real design (where I've actually kept track of the pattern for publishing later). The whole process was so exciting that I think I'm addicted. Here is Soli, named for My Sunshine as in You Are My Sunshine, a song my daughter really loves.

I had orignially planned some embroidery details, but decided to keep it clean and simple. I'm really happy with the results (after a short love/hate period). The yarn is a cotton/rayon Berocco Touche, which has a really nice drape and should be great for warm weather.

I had quite a time figuring out the simple decreases. I couldn't work out how to space them evenly to reach my finaly measurements. Finally I got it though! Here's a bit of the craziness of my thought process.

It can be worn as a tunic or a dress in the summer. The style allows for some growing room which is imperative if you have a toddler! I'm currently working on a pattern to be available on Ravelry soon.

And just a note about what a wonderful, supportive husband I have. Guess what he got me for Valentine's Day? Yes, a copy of Vogue's Ultimate Knitting Book, which I have been wanting for quite a while. Is that romantic or what?!

For All My Cold Weather Readers

2008-02-11T16:54:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh, San Diego. One of the reasons we moved back here from the East Coast was for the weather. Not to be cruel to my cold weather friends, but I love looking at the weather in New Hampshire and comparing it to here. What better way to spend a Saturday morning in February than to go to the beach? No wonder I'm not doing much knitting lately...

I've been tagged by SASKnitsItAgain for a fun little trivia list, so here you go:

4 Movies I like:
Ferris Beuller's Day Off
Run Lola Run
The Usual Suspects
The Borne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum

4 Places I've been:
Amsterdam

Tel Aviv
Curacao

Quebec

4 Places I've Lived:
Dover, NH

Boston, MA
San Francisco, CA
San Diego, CA

4 TV Shows I Watch:
Project Runway Christian is my favorite to win
Man vs. Wild That Bear is something!
Ace of Cakes Don't know why I like this show, but I do
Top Chef New season starting soon

4 Radio Shows I Listen To:
The only time I can listen to the radio is driving in the car when my girls aren't listening to their music. I usually tune in to NPR or switch back and forth between 91X or 94/9 during commercials.

4 Favorite Foods:
Red Wine (wine IS food)

Olives

Chips & Guacamole with a Margarita on the rocks with salt from PB Bar & Grill
Steak Tip Caesar Salad and a pint of Guinness from Kelly's Row

4 Places I'd Rather Be:

Nowhere (San Diego is looking pretty good right about now!)...but if we're talking where I'd mentally rather be that's another story...hmmm, how about more settled on a decision if I'm going back to work full time as an analytical chemist in the biotechnology industry or continue to be a SAHM and try to develop my own at-home business? Oh, if money wasn't an issue....

OK, you guys are tagged next:
Taravera
The Shetland Trader
FloppyJalopy

Garden & Yarn Day

2008-02-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

Wednesdays are turning into Yarn Purchase Day as well as Garden Day. My LYS is conveniently on the way home from the garden (if I take the scenic route) and I can convince my daughter to go because she wants to see Cocoa, the cat, as well as get a piece of chocolate that Nancy & Caryl keep next to the checkout area. Here's my latest purchase:

I love the colors and want to design something cool for my daugher (more on that later...). By the way, I have finished one legwarmer. Yes just one. Noa doesn't like it. Hmmmmmmm. She definitely has an opinionated mind of her own (just like her mother). Do I finish the other one & hope that she'll wear them? I definitely should finish it now otherwise it will never get done.

Back to designing. I am currently working on 3 of my own designs that I will (hopefully) submit to Knitty. It's very exciting, but nervewracking at the same time. What if I can't translate what's in my head into a finished object? What if the editors don't like my designs? What if I write up the pattern wrong & there's a ton of errors? OK, enough of that. I really don't want to psyche myself out of at least submitting my designs. If anyone has any tips or suggestions I welcome them here!

Busy Bee

2008-01-29T22:32:00.001-05:00

We visited a beautiful park this weekend in a part of San Diego not necessarily known for it's natural beauty. This was one of the sculptures that really stood out to me.

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that
will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely
healing in the repeated refrains of nature -
the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter"

- Rachel Carson

And here's a busy little bee taking advantage of the sunshine in between all of the rain we've had.

I've been busy as well. I finished Sivan's sweater and finally got outside in between rain drops to take a picture.

The sweater fits her well. I was worried that she might be too big for the 6-12 month size, but she still has some growing room. Just enough to get us to Spring I suspect.

I Should Be Knitting

2008-01-25T18:45:00.000-05:00

The original intention of this blog was to post info about my knitting life, but since I haven't been getting any knitting done thanks to my recent Ravelry invitation (woohoo!) and all of my fiddling around with Flickr & making mosaics, this is what you get instead!

The girls & I had a nice morning at the park. Such a beautiful sky after all the rain we got this week. OK..here's a knitting tidbit. My youngest is wearing a back zip hoodie that my grandmother made long before she was born. My grandmother was a speedy knitter & I have memories of her needles clicking away while she was watching TV, not even looking at her hands. My other grandmother was also a great knitter & used to make sweaters at home for a company who sold them for much more than they paid her to make them. My mother is also a knitter who taught me to knit about 5 years ago. Here's the question: Is there such thing as a knitting gene?

Wednesday at the Garden

2008-01-24T00:30:00.001-05:00

Wednesdays are our day to go to the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas. It's a beautiful place to walk around with the girls and Wednesdays are especially fun because it is craft day in the Children's Garden.

I'm not making much progress on the legwarmers. Sleep has taken priority & I managed to get a 1 1/2 hour nap in today with the girls. I woke up feeling quite refreshed with a couple of new ideas for new projects as well!

Stash Consumption

2008-01-21T00:19:00.000-05:00

The gift was a big success at the shower on Saturday. Woohoo! I had to tell her that I knit it myself because everyone thought it was store bought. Not a knitter in the house...so interesting that with about 30 people there, no one was a current knitter. Anyways, I'm excited that she liked it. So on to the next project(s):
This is on the way to become leg warmers for my 2 year old for her ballet class. I'm winging the pattern, but it is very basic with a simple k2p2 rib at each end & St st in the middle. To make it even easier I'm doing it in the round so I don't have to purl or sew a seam. The goal is to finish them by Thursday so the St st should go quickly.

I have a habit of picking up single balls of yarn at every yarn store I go into. Usually just 1 ball, which is never enough to really work with. These 2 came from a yarn shop wayyyyy up north in New Hampshire that I visited with my mom 2 years ago. They were in the sale bin so who knows how long they were sitting way up there, but they were calling out to me so here they are. The pink is a hand dyed 100% alpaca called Atacama from Chile and the white is a mix of acrylic & wool from Phildar in France. Hopefully they will have a nice life as my daughter's legwarmers!

I'm REALLY trying to use up my stash before I buy more yarn. From what I hear, this is a common dilema, but I definitely want to make some progress before my Ravelry invite comes (2,570 people still ahead of me). I just know that I will be compelled to log every single bit of yarn in my stash. Argggggg...compulsive organizer freak that I am.

I have 2 more WIP as well, but no photos yet. You'll just have to wait & see!

I Knew This Would Come in Handy Someday

2008-01-19T13:39:00.001-05:00

This is a simple design logo that I made for a graphic design class 2 years ago. At the time I wanted to make something clean and simple that would be easy to recreate as a stamp, embossing, etc. It was meant to be a symbol of balance for me. I was not even thinking about knitting. Well, today as I am rushing to put the baby shower gift together, I decided to add a label for washing instructions and came across the old logo. Now I see it as a ball of yarn! How interesting.... I will refine it when I have more time & add name, email, etc., but for now I am just trying to get out the door and not be late. Funny how I can make time to do this post, though!

Finished Kai!

2008-01-18T00:52:00.001-05:00

Here's the finished baby sweater for Merav's baby shower. I was going to model it on Sivan, but I knit this one for size 0-6 months and little Sivi is a chunka munka! The pattern is the Kai sweater in Natural Knits for Babies & Moms. The Yarn is Suss cotton in "Stone" from my local yarn shop. It's a beautiful sage color which looks kind of gray in this picture, but a great gender neutral color. I'm skipping the booties as I am running out of time & still need to find packaging and wrap this up for Saturday morning.

Now it's time to move on to the next project. More on that to come soon after I get some sleep...

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-16T01:55:00.000-05:00

OK, so it's a little late, but still January so I think I'm off to a great start trying to stick to a New Year's resolution of getting more involved in a knitting community. I've been following Knitty for months now and have really been inspired by the designers and caught up in their blogs. Since we moved to San Diego in May I have been searching for a knitting group to replace my weekly "new moms" group back in NH. It's not easy finding knitters in San Diego! Hmmm...I wonder if the fact that I've been walking around in flip flops in January has something to do with it. In NH it's easy to stay cuddled up knitting all winter. So here I am trying to get this blog up and running to motivate me to finish & show off my projects. Oh, and since this is my first post, I should explain that the name, Uma Joy, comes from my 2 daughters middle names. They are 4 months & 2.5 years old and my inspiration! And here they are with my husband, Yaniv:

On to knitting....my current project is a sweater for a baby shower this Saturday (photos coming soon). I just have to finish the seaming and then it's done. I knit a matching hat already, pattern courtesy of The Shetland Trader (thank you, Gudrun!). I'm planning on whipping up some booties as well for a nice matching set. I think it is always a gamble knitting a present for someone. I'm never sure if they really will like it or not. I am hopeful for this gift though!