I finally caught up to the 21st Century!

I know, I know, I should have had a blog ages ago. I've resisted (I'm giving in and I'll soon have email on my cellphone, too). So, since this is my very first entry, I guess I should tell you all a little bit about myself.

My name is Bitsy, and I knit :)

That would probably do it for some of you but for the knitters out there, I KNIT!

I have been knitting and creating with fiber for more than 35 years. More recently, I have become a spinner and a dyer of all things fiber. To start us off, I'm including some pics of some of my more recent work. That's probably the best way to get to know me, since fiber takes up a goodly portion of my day.

Fascinating Rhythm Entrelac Shawl

I suffer from degenerative joint disease which limits my mobility severely. Fortunately, I am generally still able to knit and/or spin in my recliner and so I have become rather prolific in my work. So prolific in fact that I recently have begun marketing some of my goods. You can find them in my Etsy store, BitsyKnits.Etsy.com. So far, no profits (I'm a loooong way from those) but at least it keeps me thinking. Perhaps this blog will help with that as well.

My designs and articles on knitting have been published in Yarn Magazine and I teach knitting and lead workshops as well when I am able. My areas of expertise range around the fiber and knitting world - felted bags, Norwegian style Ski Sweaters, two handed stranded colorwork, lace shawls (I've knit a couple dozen) and more. I dye with professional acid dyes but I like to play with natural dyes as well. In my short time spinning, I have earned 4 Blue Ribbons and 3 second places for skeins of everything from straight up wool to Llama to tencel.

handspun superwash merino self-striping sock yarn

I live in the Lehigh Valley near Allentown, PA, having moved here after 20 years in Central New Jersey with my husband and my 2 sons (yes, they moved too). I am convenient to the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas which would be nice if I had more mobility. That said, I do travel for workshops and retreats, they just require some advance planning.

"Quite a Party" handpainted roving

To keep you coming back to visit, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my current project. I began with 3 braids (4 oz each) of handpainted Wensleydale roving. By dividing the roving into smaller pieces, I spun 5 - 2 ply lace weight yarns that gradiate from Aqua to Lavander. I charted out a top down triangular lace shawl that I am currently knitting. To entice you, a picture of the 5 skeins is below. Next post, I'll have some pics of the shawl in progress and a little bit more detail. I am planning to submit this project to Spin-Off Magazine along with an article so I am carefully photographing it as I move along.

Handspun Wensleydale Lace Weight Yarn in 5 shades

Thanks for taking time to read all the way to the bottom. For those of you who did, drop me an email and I'll happily take 10% off anything in my Etsy store through December 1st. See, it does pay to stick it out and read to the end!

I'll do my best to post on a regular basis. There will be times that I am lax and times that I'm distracted (I'm picking up a new loom on Friday) but be assured that I'll always be back...eventually.

Until then, Keep Knitting, Bitsy