March 5, 2007 by debi.

I have been  in the process of moving and redecorating my studio for several monthes.  I was in this tiny room when I started my business 5 years ago.  It was cramped and cluttered, but I loved it.  We live on a lake and it had a view of the lake.  For some reason my son decided that he wanted his room back, and gave me his bigger room in the basement.  Nice to have more room, but it never inspired me.  Several monthes ago, things changed in my house, and I got my small room back.  I love this room.  I had it painted a pale sage green, and I finally got these pretty curtains for the room yesterday.  I painted my sewing table a pretty pale blue today, and ordered a slipcover for my wingback chair that goes in my office.  Now you are probably wondering why I ordered a slipcover, if you read the about me part of this blog, since I originally started out in business making custom slipcovers.  (that was a long sentence, and probably not gramatically correct.)  I really did not like making slipcovers.  I love designing patterns for clothing, and knitting, but not slipcovers.  It was boring.  I like doing my own thing,  the exciting part of making something is creating it.  With slipcovers, I had to go with other peoples taste.  It took part of the process away.  Consequently, I decided to buy a white canvas slipcover for the wingback.  Tomorrow I will hang my curtains, and paint my desk white, and start moving some of my fabric and books into the new studio.  It is fun when you feel like you have a great place of your own.  It is a small room, with charm.  It has great light.  It faces east, and it has a really peaceful view of the lake.  When you look out the window you feel like you are on a lake in Switzerland.  I just love it.  It is a place where I can just go and sit.  I can listen to music or a book or watch a movie, while I work.  Since I lost this lovely little space 4 years ago, I have used my bedroom.  It has the same view as the room downstairs, but alas it is not the same.  I can design, knit, and crochet in my bedroom, but I can not sew in here.  I found that I really miss sewing also.  I have had sundresses dancing through my head over the last few monthes, and I can not wait to get started.  And tote bags, I am on a tote bag kick. 

I just got back from Mexico two weeks ago, and I will go back again in June for a month, and I want to have lots of sundresses.  I like to buy sundresses if I can find them, but it is hard to find the perfect sundress.  It get really hot in Mexico in June, or at least it did last June.  So I want to have lots of sundresses.  They need to be light and loose, but sexy.  Little spaghetti straps, empire waist, and fun prints are pictures dancing through my head.

Our place in Mexico is on the beach.  Iit is really small, but it works for us.  My kids complain, because it is in the middle of nowhere, with no tv and no phone.  It is peaceful and beautiful, and quiet.  Not exactly what a teenager is looking for, but exactly what I need to recharge my batteries.  Last year I was on a kick with the color aqua.  It reminds me of the ocean, and I needed to cover pillows and a window seat cushion.  I also made and afghan out of multiple turqoise fabrics.  I will get a picture next time I am down there and post them.  I used a patchwork fabric with yellows, turquoise, purple, green, orange, and white for the pillows, and the shams for the bed.  I used solid aqua for the window seat cushion.  It is really pretty and bright.  It looks great when the shutters are open and you look right out the window at the ocean.  I have a white matelisse coverlet and white sheets on the bed, so the color in the room comes from the afghan and the window seat. 

I wake up there in the morning really early.  Sometimes before the sun it up.  I love sitting my little porch, listening the ocean, drinking my coffee, and knitting or reading a book.  By the way if I am knitting, I am listen to a book.  I wait for the sun to come up, and I watch the light in the sky, and then I love watching as the light plays on the ocean.  Last summer my son Danny took a picture some yellow flowers growing over my palapa roofed kitchen at sunset.  There is the orange in the wall and the beautiful oranges in the sky, and the brown of the roof, and these beautiful yellow flowers with red centers.  It is a great picture.  I need to have him give me the disc so that I can go and get it blown up and framed.  I will put it in the house down there this summer. 

      This is Danny a Captian Pablos Restaurant on the beach in Sayulita.

  My husband David and daughter Charly at the same time.

As you can tell,  places and views make a difference in my creative process.  I fell so fortunate that I get to create things, and can call it a job.  I still need to start making money from what I do,  but this is the year.

Well I’m off for the night.  I’m tired and ready for a new day of things to inspire me.

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March 3, 2007 by debi.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Aren’t theses great yarns?                                       

I love books, but I found that it is really hard to read and knit at the same time.  To get around this little problem, I listen to books on tape and CD.  I listen to 3 to 4 books a week.  I really enjoy mysteries, but I will listen to almost anything.  My favorite authors are Faye Kelleraman, Jonathon Kellerman, Earlene Fowler, Lee Harris, Clive Cussler, and Alice Hoffman.  Somtimes it is hard to remember authors, because I listen to so many different people.  My all time favorite book is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  I also really enjoyed The Drifters by James Michener.

I was just talking to a friend last week about the people who read books.  Sometimes I listen to books for the reader.  I really enjoy Scott Brick and Kate Reading.  We were on the subject because my friend is and acting teacher, and he has just published a book.  He spent this week in a recording studio reading his book.  His name is Darryl Hickman, and he and his wife Lynda are wonderful people.  I can not wait to listen to his book.  They are my childrens’ God Parents, so I need to go online and buy a bunch of the books, and have Darryl autograph them for the kids.  My mom is also quoted in the book, she took Darryl’s acting classes, and loved them.  Lynda has always been really supportive of my business.  She will send articles that she finds in the newspaper regarding knitting or online businesses.  She is so beautiful and so much fun, I am really lucky to have these people for friends.

I always thought it would be fun to be a reader.  Darryl says it is really hard to do.  I always loved reading to my children when they were younger.  I really enjoyed doing all of the different voices.  Darryl says that with all of his acting experience this is still very difficult to do.  He has even done just voices in cartoons, and he says this is totally different.

I am also a pack rat when it comes to knitting and crocheting books.  I can not get enough of them.  I have an entire book case full of these books and magazines.  I love looking at the pictures and reading the patterns.  Right now I have fallen in love with knitting and crocheting lace.  There is something so delicate and femanine about lace.  It looks so beautiful and I enjoy the intricate patterns.  I have really started to enjoy knitting lace, rather then crocheting it.  Knitting lace makes a much lighter fabric, then crocheting.   Here are some samples of different lace that I have been knitting lately.  I have also put in the pastel blue from my husband’s cousin.  Her name is Fern and her company is Roxannes Originals.  I sell her scarves in my store also.  I really like all of the scarves that she makes also. 

Well enough for now.  I will write more later.  This is really theraputic.

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March 2, 2007 by debi.

My new online store www.dreamsbydebi.com will be up and running soon.  I can not thank Sabaina and Zee the couple who did the store enough.  They have been wonderful incorporating all that I have asked for, and answering all of my questions.

This has been a work of love for me.  I started crocheting when I was a child.  I do not remember who taught me, but I have done it on and off for over 40 years.  I taught myself how to knit 4 years ago after my grandfather passed away, and really enjoy it.  I think it is the creative process that is so wonderful.  I am one of those people that has to touch all of the yarns in a store.  I am also one of those people that pulls my had away quickly if I touch a yarn of fabric, that feels yucky (for want of a better word).  It is like touching a piece of chalk. 

Right now I am working on a lace mohair scarf with a ruffle at the ends.  I found the pattern in Knitting Magazine.  It is so pretty.  I made one in a pale pink, and now I am working on one in mustard yellow.  The picture above is the pink scarf in progress.  This is not a color that I usually pick, but I saw the ball of yarn at my local yarn shop Knitty Cat.  Ann always has such great things in her store.  I love walking in there.  There are so many colors and textures, it is kind of like walking into a pastry shop.  I always end up spending to much.  Anne’s website is www.knittycat.com visit it if you get a chance.

I am signing off for now, but I’ll be back soon.

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