Tiramisu Blanket, and a Progress Report

Look, it's sunshine. Wow. And it's a finished blanket. Double wow! As mentioned, this blankie is my own pattern called the Tiramisu Baby Blanket, crocheted of Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton. Anybody want to test it early? Let me know and I'll send the pattern to you if you'll be very pedantic about it and let me know how it goes. Eventually I'll offer this as a freebie here on the blog and it will also be available in January in Kerrie Rycroft's new magazine, Yarn Forward. Their first issue came out in the U.K. a few weeks ago and it looks like it's going to be great.

Okay, what else. All postcards from the first postcard sale should have been in your mailbox yesterday — we're they? I used the Paypal click-n-ship option for the first time, which was nice, because it cuts down time spent at the actual P.O., but requires applying five separate strips of packing tape (one to each side of the label and across the address, and you can't tape over the bar code, which is about a quarter of an inch away from each edge) with near-surgical precision. Don't worry, I've got the ($$$) sticker paper now. But it's a pretty cool feature to have. Half of Monday-the-13th's packages are packed and ready to go, except for their labels. The only ones that are lagging a bit are any that had puppies in them, but we've already talked about those; I'm shooting for early next week, but we're talking almost two dozen puppies, so . . . yeah. Safety First in the lab, of course, but I am rushing it, I promise.

And, just so I can sleep at night, I feel I must qualify my promises about the next Posie web shop update, currently scheduled for December 4. (And, BTW, I'm now going to henceforth refer to the "Posie web site" as the "Posie web shop" to assuage confusion between it and this, the "blog," which is often referred to as a "web site," as in, "Hey, Alicia, I wrote a post on your web site this morning!" to which I usually say, "Oh! . . .  Thanks!" but I know that what they mean is that they "made a 'comment' on the 'blog'." Some of us are twitchily pedantic, some are luckier.) But anyway, about the "web shop": As I said, I will try and have as much new stuff, including pups, Cagelets, Friendly Birds, and other new things, like yesterday's Winter Camellias, as I can, but I just can't promise how much; and though you know I live in constant fear of disappointing anyone on earth, I may just. It's very likely I will. I will do the best I can, but, since I'm still getting emails to this effect, please note as per my FAQ page, I can't do custom or even special orders, and at this time of year it's incredibly hard to do rush orders or chat about stuff or really even to help anyone but myself and the people who have ordered things from me, so I just wanted to say that. Busy time, about to get busier.

Calico Balloon, the new site web shop I'm working on which will include a lot of cool vintage stuff as well as stuff by designers other than myself, is slowly but surely coming along, though I don't really expect it to be done before Christmas. I'm actually shooting for January 2, which is the date that the article about my studio in Better Homes & Gardens Creative Home comes out. On that same day the February issue of Romantic Homes also hits the stands, and in that there will be a little profile of Paulson domestic life. Then, on February 2 the big article with lots of pretty pictures of the house comes out (also in Romantic Homes). So, lots of things to get ready for. The timing is pretty darn tight. I'm hoping it all goes well, but I also have plans to pace myself through it all, and only say yes to what I truly think I can do. That's the plan, at least. Traditionally, when overwhelmed and stressed I complain radically and without pause, and then lose my sense of humor completely, which sucks because being a raving maniac is rather at odds with the "what a cute house and nice life" kind of thing, but there it is. I complain a lot naturally, but when the sense of humor goes, that's really bad. I'd rather have the cat sit on me while cleaning itself. And, just FYI, I absolutely cannot stand to have a cat touching me while it is licking itself as it is this very minute, bleeeeeeech! Off. God that's disgusting. But I would take that, if it meant a guaranteed sense of humor when my head starts spinning around.

*Thank you all crocheting volunteers! I think we're good to go now and don't need any more testers, thank you! We'll get this pattern happening and put it out for everyone soon.

Comments

[Lilli]

What a pretty pretty baby blanket. Love the name, too :)

[suzy]

So much to look forward to. You are truly an inspiration.

[Susan]

I would like to try the blanket if you e-mail me the pattern.

Thanks! I love this site.

[Ann]

I would love to test out that blanket pattern. Please email it to me!

[amanda]

I would be happy to test out the pattern for you. And I'm definitely anal retentive about patterns - I'm the one who made the big fuss about the length of the Cecily cardigan...
[note: if you don't want to use me as a pattern tester for that reason, i'll understand! but i have done pattern testing in the past for julie of skamama designs - http://www.skamama.com]

[cindy k]

- why do i feel like i just read that post at 60mph?

- don’t forget the post about enjoying the process

- you make a lot of treasures in a lot of different categories; don’t be so hard on yourself about disappointing people. haven’t we all told you it’s ok for about 600 hundred different reasons? please believe us.

- i’m sorry to be a nimrod, but is that 3 different magazines – 1 better homes & gardens and 2 romantic homes?

[Sarah]

Well, if I knew how to crochet I'd be the kid with their hand raised rigidly in the air while jumping up and down. Alas, I'm merely a knitter so no pattern testing for me.

Love Blue Sky Organic Cotton. I've no idea how it wears since everything I've made with it I've given away, but it certainly is devine to work with though. So soft.

[Alicia G.]

Oh eek...I hope my e-mail yesterday didn't push you a step closer to overwhelmed panic-dom. If so, I'm truly, truly sorry.

[Lynda]

I would love to test the pattern for you too. However, I would probably have to do it in a different yarn since my yarn budget is significantly decreased by the holiday projects I've got coming up. I'm a pretty quick crocheter and am a bit intense about my pattern reading.

[Michelle]

I know what you mean about the cat cleaning itself thing! Nothing grosses me out more than that smacking sound my cat makes while cleaning himself. I usually have to turn up the volume on the TV or leave the room. It just grosses me out!

[Beth Salwaechter]

you know me, I would love to try the blanket.. and if I don't get to, I can wait for the pattern.. but man, I already have 4 babies to make things for in our office... 4!

and you dissappoint anyone?! Come on! Never could : )

[mursuliina]

oh my... pretty! i would love to test that for you but i don't think they sell Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton here in Finland. and i'd also make it bit bigger so i could use the blanket myself when cozying on the sofa doing some knitting or crocheting :D

you always have beautiful pictures in your blog and when ever i feel like i need to cheer up, i come here and take a look at what you've been up to :)

[Pam]

Yikes, well as much as I enjoy helping I don't crochet well enough to test anything out. Wish there was something that I could help with because I'm like that, a helper.. just can't well, help it. Got my postcards yesterday and whatever all the paypal stuff was, they got to me so it must be working just fine. LOVE THEM. If you think of anything that a helping kind of gal can do then, let me know. Becuase I like helping.And I like you and your blog.

[Daphne]

Heehee. I really like that last paragraph, about losing your sense of humor. Not, of course, that I wish upon you the loss of sense of humor.

I'm truly looking forward to the new web shop.

[Stacy]

..::Alicia::..
Please don't stress out about not making everyone happy. Shoot, I am just so happy I snagged one of the puppies that I don't care when I get it (Ginger). It's for my daughter who is 2 so believe me she will have enough stuff to open up Christmas day.

Thank you for being you wonderful silly self!

xo

[Clarice]

LOVE, total love. I would love to make it but it will have to be a down the road thing. But I look foward to buying a pattern from you !! Clarice

[Kathleen]

Love the blanket, the color is wonderful. Have a cold today so I am just reading blogs. I read yrs, went over to yarnstorm where there is a link today to a haberdashery "Loop" and on that site I found yr patterns. Over at the Mason-Dixon site they were discussing "Six-degrees of seperation" um...not the movie the event. I'm amazed how interconnected everyone is in CraftBlogLand. Also, along the same lines I grew up in northern Indiana, Valporaiso, just down the road from the Dune State Park and we always went into Chicago for our xmas shopping, especially Marshalls Field & Co., many good memories riding the South Shore into Chicago.

[teresa]

Calico Ballon sounds amazing and I look forward to seeing it! Can't wait to get my goodies from Miss Pozy. I swear I changed my whole day so as not to miss the opening of it! I think it was worth it though!

[Angie]

The blanket is BEAUTIFUL. It looks so rich. I would love to test the pattern for you. I mainly knit but have been crocheting since I was five! I really like the scalloped edge!

[claire]

oh stink, I'm too late on the crochet. Oh well, next time! It is so purty!

[kerrie]

Alicia - I found a crochet tech editor who has looked over the pattern. She has some questions on the edging and is working on a sample to illustrate her questions. I'll try and forward it on over the weekend.

[charlotte]

Yes, I am in agreement with those who advise that you have to lighten up. The amount of work you accomplish is mind-blowing! Keeping it enjoyable is hard enough. BTW- Did you go to OPRF? My daughter graduated from there sometime around 96--we were Oak Parkers. And the blanket is really darling.

[Jennifer]

Sounds like a lot of wonderful things to look forward to early next year. :)

[Megan]

I would love to test the blanket pattern!! It's just beautiful.

[Dacia]

pretty blanket. and you're so good at naming things! too bad I don't know how to crochet, although I don't imagine I'd like it. I prefer things that I can do by the seat of my pants. Knitting in that manner never seems to work out, so I don't imagine crocheting would either...