Lai Grai

color story. pink and green.

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:43:00 +0000

enjoy a little trip down a pink and green photo color story. brought to you by flickr.
as always, click the photos to be linked back to the proper owners. :)

i was being wooed by muted vintage-y pinks and greens. so serene.
xo, laila

floral wallpaper by sam

vintage pink bike by la belle avenue

pink depression glass by calloohcallay

pink abc scarf by vintspiration

pink cupid band by bricolagelife

vintage 1930s umbrella by calloohcallay

secret garden

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:09:00 +0000

secret garden by laigrai

i've been reading the secret garden.

i happen to own this beautiful copy.

it is embossed and lovely,
and believe it or not,
this is the first time i've read the book.

it is a pure treat
to have springtime unfolding
in the pages beneath my fingers.

...

this morning, i finished the book.

and i recorded a little moment to share with you.

consider this little paragraph.
which made me smile, and f e e l
like i had stumbled into happiness.

as story time, with lai grai.

:)

secret garden by Laila Grainawi

enjoy! <3 laila

happiest of holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:07:00 +0000

this year, the holidays completely snuck up on me.

completely!

as an avid list maker,

and so much more of a virgo than i ever knew,

i typically have my holiday gifts complete before thanksgiving.

yes, i make a list. and i check it twice.

unexpectedly though,

despite working at purl,

where it was all christmas music from thanksgiving on,

and lots of frantic crafters coming in for last minute yarn-

it did not occur to me that i was about to head home for the holidays

without ANY presents, until the night of the 21st.

4 days?

good thing i am a mighty fast crocheter

and purl sells magnum yarn.

bulky bulky and big hooks = many hats for many heads!

that was my plan.

to learn how to tackle crocheted colorwork

(so easy! why have i not been doing this all along?!),

and to whip up at least 7 hats before xmas day.

with a delightful flight delay,

and some spectacle of winding skeins of magnum on my knees,

i had finished all 7 before i landed in chicago on the 23rd.

my plan was to heap them in a big parcel,

and let a hat-to-head, free-for-all ensue.

it did.

cue the cheesy family portraits. :)

...

and thanks to my little brother, adam,

there are many many photos of me.

which is a rare thing for this here blog.

thanks lb. <3

enjoy the holiday cheer

(a little late, of course)

xo, laila

haha!

the vintage ornaments are my favorite.
little worlds of colored glass.

my little brother & i, immortalized in ornament form. huzzah!

we ate extremely well, all weekend!
and i discovered where i might get my love of vintage dishes.
nice pyrex mom! :)

and it was extremely nice to see button,

even if he has become a bit crazier in his old age.

he's 13 now!!!

i remember when he could sit in my hands as a kitten.

and now, mostly thanks to adam, here's a slew of gift-y pictures. :)

(looking like a banana republic model!)

and just in case,

you didn't believe this was my family,

here's proof of their goofiness and relation to me. :)

haha

showing off the goods!

my grandpa :)

cute crocheted anthro apron?! amazing.

mustard yellow? extra great!

kinda maybe one of the best presents i've ever received.

minus my wheel, carder and camera. :)

didn't know there was even a picture snapped of this :)

and now, the hats! :D

mom, adam/me, gram, gramps! <3

ho ho ho! :)

greenmarket + good days

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:06:00 +0000

today has been a good day.

i'm remembering to take time for me, to move slowly, to enjoy the drizzly days and each moment.

i woke up, took an extra hot long leisurely shower (one of my favorite simple pleasures!).

cleaned my closet and brought my laundry to p&p (they've been washing+folding my clothes since i moved in about 2 years ago, another one of my favorite little splurges!),

then i stopped at marlow&son's

for a large latte with whole milk

(another pleasure- i will never ask for skim lattes.

the whole full fat flavor is what started my love affair with lattes

in the first place!)

i love that their lattes have a slightly nutty flavor,

and they take the time to pour the frothed milk in slowlllllyyyyy

letting the ripples transform into a leaf pattern.

i like to sip and watch the patterns shift.

i specifically turn my cup and watch the designs stretching out

with each deliciously warm little gulp.

then i walked, not rushing at all, through the misty rain, to the train.

when i got to the top of the stairs, the M pulled up.

if you live in nyc, you know how rare that can be.

and my timing is never that perfect.

at union square, the green market is getting less and less green.

root veggies have taken over,

but there was still an abundance of apples and pears!

i picked up a few pounds of bosc pears to make a tart.

fennel root and potatoes for a soup.

and some cilantro that stopped me in the booth,

letting my nose lead the way.

it smelled that good!

and there hadn't been any for weeks.

butternut squash hopped in my bag too,

along with red onions and a coleus plant.

buying non-edibles at the market

(mums a few weeks ago, and now this autumnly hued coleus)

is another one of my little treats to me.

my brand new roomie also loves the market,

and she picked up pine to adorn the apartment.

when i got home, my downstairs neighbor was sitting outside.

he went to culinary school, and we've been having food convos whenever we see each other.

i told him about my pear plans

and he offered up a pate sucree recipe for my tart.

i told him if it turned out halfway decent, i'd bring him a slice or three.

i love our little culinary chit chats.

and now,

i enjoyed a moment, sharing my day with you.

and i wanted to say thank you

to cindy, xiane, dru, dani and maya and everyone who has reached out.

your words of kindness have really made it easier to keep moving.

so much love to you all!

laila

fall treats

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:01:00 +0000

i adore fall.

it gets chilly and all you want to do is curl up under a pile of warm woolens, knitting and sipping tea with hopefully something very tasty and fresh outta the oven nearby!

and so, enter this recipe, stumbled upon on pinterest (where else?!) for pumpkin spice donuts.

and so, awhile back, before my life was all drama all the time, before i went to rhinebeck* - as a car ride treat, i whipped up a batch!

and seeing as how i didn't have a donut pan- they HAD to be dinosaur shaped. they had to! :)

and just in case you couldn't guess- they were rawringly delicious.

point being, if you are looking for a last minute tasty addition to your turkey day table- perhaps these deliciously cake-y donut-y baked pumpkin-y and so freshly ground spice-y MMMM treats are just what the laila ordered! (or you know, the rest of your fam!)

anyway, enjoy!

*oh, you didn't even know i went to rhinebeck? that's how out of date these posts are?? wow... well, yes, i went there, and despite me feeling like there wasn't enough wool in the world to console me, i still took tons of lovely photos of lovely animals for this here blog. and one day, i promise i will post them. soon! sooner or later. you know how it goes... ....as my dad says, "don't forget the baby sheep" - so i have to post them. just as soon as i can.

changing seasons

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:19:00 +0000

everything around me is changing
leaves from green to golden

assumptions of forever have been challenged...

and rightly so - because after all doesn't everything always start anew? cycle upon cycle. the earth's rotation. the seasons change.

a new chapter is starting, it's always darkest before dawn, you will get through this stronger.

I know folks- I hear you all.

but right now, I'm still in the dark. I'm struggling with my emotions and how to share (and not overshare) what's happening in my life.

I'm losing my best friend. I'm losing my love.

we are both going to do a lot of growing (separately). and evaluating.

but ultimately I decided this is hard enough without holding it all in. and my yarnies and friends have always been my support system.

and so I am sharing. this is where I've been. here but not here.

i'm living in the moment and trying to process everything. i've been doing lots of yoga and focusing on breathing.

he's officially moving out tomorrow and I have to confess to being a bit of a mess.

and no, nothing seriously drastic happened to spurn this - he simply feels we are too different. and so it is what it is. in some ways I think it would be easier if we had a raging battle so I could protect my heart with anger but ... I can't. I'm not angry. I am just sad.

6 and 1/2 years. I guess I should be thankful that we are still young enough that I still count half years for events! ha. I mean I've never heard anyone say 40 and 1/2 years. ha ha.

at least I'm still laughing, laughing and crying. but I will be okay, I always am.

I've gotten through so much in my life - I certainly am not gonna give up now.

after winter comes spring.

and who knows? maybe my new roommate will adore yarn & we'll laugh and knit together all night long.
...
a girl can dream!

xo, laila

magic in the morning light

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:18:00 +0000

one day i awoke, to the sun streaming past the corner of the curtain, and dancing right in front of my eyes. i've always marveled at how some photographers can capture such amazing little hexagons of light (some call them/it 'bokeh') and i never understood how to make the light flares appear.

so i jumped up, grabbed my camera and laid back down to snap up some pictures of what seemed like 'magic in the morning light' ... but perhaps are really bits of wool and dust! haha, enjoy! <3 laila

a walk around the 'burg

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:12:00 +0000

from a few weeks ago.

i have a *lot* of photos and posts to catch up on. i'll be trickling them in soon(ish).

funny, how even a lil bit ago, it was so much warmer and now- it is too chilly for photography without fingerless mittens! it is even too chilly in my apt for typing without fingerless mitts! BRRR nyc!

the art of Lai Grai packaging

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:19:00 +0000

i don't know why my intro's & outro's did not work or show up in youtube. they said nice things like "the art of Lai Grai packaging" and the series name, like 'color in the water' 'spreading the ink' and 'details of a brush stroke'. they are there in my video editing program. so i am still working out some kinks. but i am getting there in terms of videos! only took me WAY TOO LONG!

anyhow, enjoy these 3 clips - mixing of the colors, painting the foundation, and the top details. you can hear exactly what i hear when i paint: the sounds of the city- my J train going by in the distance, rain falling, little sounds like whistling, and noisy car engines. ha. enjoy!

next time, i'll put on some background music. :)

xo, laila

my favorite vegetable

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:45:00 +0000

photos from my trip to the market last week.

+ a little soundtrack for you too.

'vegetables' by the beach boys.

it is gray and rainy today

so i don't think i will be experiencing

the bounty of gorgeous fruits & veggies

this week.

such a bummer,

but outdoor markets are much less appealing

when it is pouring.

enjoy these photos though - from a sunnier day

and think of all your favorite vegetables!

pst! all this veggie themed inspiration is headed somewhere...

an update!

i was asking over on ravelry- would you prefer a spin-along?

or just an entire update of misc. fun fiberyness

with the punchy colors of late summer vegetables!

batts, rovings, yarns- all freshly picked from your favorite farmstand.

coming soonish.

xo!

laila

from the market

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:37:00 +0000

i've recently been inspired by trips to the farmers market,

and seeing beautiful vegetables with stalks and dirt.

they've been inspiring my meals,

but also my color palettes...

first, i used them as photography props-

attempting to capture their dry skins, peeling-

their wispy stalks and roots...

then, i got out my brushes.

setting a scene.

red and white onions, patterns playing

on both the paper

and the palette

long tendril-like stalks dance across the page. their shadows dance too.

trays of paint, there's nothing i enjoy more.
the still life brings me happiness, for sure.

but so does the simple way,
the color moves in the water.

creating rivers and tracks. pooling into each other.

i think of this palette of paints at every dye session-

and i often paint
to remind myself

how colors mix

and you can be surprised
when green melts into rust

and you think- that is lovely

i love watching

the brush strokes

while they are still wet and obvious.

the speckling of the scale,

the texture of the paper.

layers upon layers.

the lightest drop of pigment, gentle splatter.

i love seeing the entire image emerge. from water.

each time it is magical.

i painted with watercolors as a child ...

the long red skinny container- filled with a rainbow of possibilities

and a rough black haired brush,
as if, they didn't want you to feel the paint sliding across the page,
and think
there's a true beauty in this

both my paints and my brushes have evolved,

i will never stop loving the simple pleasure of it.

taking items, as simple as onions
and as perfectly worn as a vintage scale.

and trying my best, to see them onto paper.

but without pressure, nor worry, just for the pleasure of it.

feeling the ink spread, and admiring the crisp of the onion

and the pockets of pooling color.

painting and photography
help me to 'see'

remind me to really look

(and enjoy)

at the smallest moments.

...

and just for fun!

a little recipe i've been making. super simple.

i just toss some freshly chopped onions in a pan w/ olive oil,

add slivers of garlic + rough chopped kale / collard greens / mixed greens

(ideally fresh off your farmers market stand!)

and salt + fresh ground pepper - to taste.

at the end, i like to cube up some mozzarella for a lil bit extra oomph!

really tasty- really fast & easy!

...

i'm headed to the market tomorrow, so who knows what will bounty will be harvested!

i'll try to share some more pictures and adventures soon. :)

until then, what little pleasures are you enjoying?

a weekend in warwick : country + home

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:55:00 +0000

i started and ended this next batch with my two favorite photos, the peering into the window, and the purposeful blur of the weather vane.

i loved being outside. being able to snap with ease. so many textures and colors to inspire!

i was ready to move. until i got back to nyc, and have been loving everything here for me too.

a weekend in warwick : the town + thrifting

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:37:00 +0000

i recently spent a weekend in warwick, and it was exactly what i needed in terms of a vacation. great food, laughs and lots of nature + country charm!

thanks to this $500 rolltop library card catalogue,

i have been lusting after any + all

i can dig up

on ebay and etsy searches!

oh if only we had been driving a pick up truck

and i had that kind of cash to spare!

it was in an awkward spot, hard to snap a good pic-

so this is the only image.

but man, oh man.

trust a girl, it was fantastic!!

august update!

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:15:00 +0000

i also updated the shop yesterday, as promised in my july newsletter.

cider corespun + hollow singles

worn petticoat corespun 2-ply + aflush singles

new! to the adorn category- the stunningly gorgeous mothwing necklaces!

a mixed media collaboration - part of the lai grai & friends line - the charms and pendants were created by drucilla pettibone& i spun the yarns for the chains.

and!
to continue with my curated vintage and mood-enhancing pieces,
i added this stunning vintage vanity set.

seriously, i wanted to blog just so i could post extra large photos from the shoot.

they are LOVELY!

this reflection in the mirror shot is by far my favorite!

and to continue with my vintage findings- all these lovely pieces are coming soon to the shop!

oh! & new desktop calendar anyone? :)

it is now august after all!

xoxo! laila

color story. blue.

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:58:00 +0000

those days, that you want to drift away.

{by evie marie}

rain on your window, fog from your breath.

{by ferdousi}

patterns of dye, seeped into the fibers.

{by liz kettle}

memories and recipes...

{by sparrowsalvage}

soft moments. peaceful compositions.

{by anja mulder}

--- i read blogs where the photos are rich and the inspiration is high.

and then i think, why not my own blog?

so i'm testing out doing little color stories.

this one is for blue.

i was feeling like a washed & worn, blue faded, kinda mood.

maybe it's because i'm craving a swim. ---

hope you are enjoying the last trickle of summer!

xo, laila

things i'm loving

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:05:00 +0000

things i'm loving - round 4

piles of freshly carded batts!

studio organization

(this has all been moved since then - i move things around a LOT)

labeled build a batt storage in moody lighting

my thread wall

(i just hammered nails & hung spools)

happy hanging baskets!

crochet works in progress

bobbins of yarn

finishing projects & 'crafting a home'

we have this adorable guitar printed fabric by heather ross at purl soho,

it was too perfect for me n' jes to *not* make cushion covers with!

i still have another to sew in coral + yellow!

i'm making a quilted bunting, with peach hand dyed cotton,

& pale pink w/ copper knit icord string

( i want to wash it after it is sewn to get a wonderful frayed worn look)

new addition to my food-related arts!

this adorable embroidered canning jar of carrots or peppers.

it is so sweetly stitched!

and only $5 at the brooklyn flea.

i am sad that today is the last day of the tour de fleece.

it went by so much faster than any other year!!

but i loved getting to gab and chat and catch up with some of my favorite fiberistas.

i love my team each year,

and love them more and more with each day we spin together.

it is truly a bonding experience!

so here's to looking forward to year 4!

corespun hand dyed merino/tencel yarn in 'cider' from the tour

what are you loving?

xo!

laila

match-maker

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:04:00 +0000

part of the fun of the build a batt bar is the mixing and matching.

pairing this bfl with that merino/tencel!

i know that starting off with just endless rows of colorful fibers though can be a bit overwhelming- what direction do you choose?

so to provide a colorful foundation for batt beginnings- and just for fun-

here's a few that i would pair together! :)

lagoon merino with basil brown merino

false frost merino/tencel with mar tussah silk

patched baby suri alpaca with candy apple merino

honeydew bluefaced leicester with lime tree merino/yak

and/or

honey dew bluefaced leicester with summer squash nylon

what do you think?

what would you pair together from the build a batt bar?

let me know in the comments!
or in christina's fun i dream of lai grai wishful shopping ravelry thread!

hope you all are having a great wednesday!

xo! laila

coming soon

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:03:00 +0000

hello handspun (hello yarn)

stone fruits of summer handspun (march club)

resort handspun (feb club)

3 new handspun yarns- coming soon.

soon soon soon.

xo! laila

p.s. other new goodies sneak peeks will be trickling in here & there too.
so keep an eye out on the various social medias :)

it's always better with friends.

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:04:00 +0000

hello hello!!

wonderful wednesday.
the day i get to share some very exciting news.

i closed down my shop a few days ago, to implement an idea i've been brewing.
an idea bigger than myself. an idea that wouldn't be able to happen- without friends.

the 'ply away home' collection was spawned with the idea that i needed my community to create.
we need each other's support. i love buying fiber from my friends- and being able to help their small businesses grow too. almost every piece from the 'ply away' collection features my friends batts, rovings, and handspun yarns.

but then i thought, there has to be a better way to support them, beyond simply 'voting with my dollar'... i wanted to create a group where i said- "if you like me, you'll love these other artists".... so i tested out a very small collective- but more and more, it seemed. that... what i needed was, no, not a collective. but rather, a collaborative. a group shop. a place for others like me.

and what am i? i am truly a mixed media artist. i always have been. but there hasn't always been a place that encouraged a make-all attitude. and the "items of the month" they were all leading up to this. but i got anxious- haha, and i simply couldn't wait any more months. basically, the 'product of the month' idea was to slowly integrate more and more diverse items until Lai Grai was not just "fiber" but really "texture."

... and you might have noticed that i slowly changed my tagline from "unique fiber art for a luxuriously textured life" to just "luxuriously textured" (which is way better anyway! the first one was real mouthful!!!) and that my business cards no longer featured heaps of batts but instead subtle watercolor patternings.

and again, i'm not saying fiber will disappear- please, it will never!- but that you can expect to see a lot more of what else i love to create. and beyond that, you will also see what my dear friends, my dear dear dear online companions also love to create. they are all fiberistas too (at least at this point), but they also have other skill sets that needed room to shine.

and i always felt that i was a visual merchandiser and a buyer at heart and now i will be doing those things along with the making that i've always loved.

so. after all that. please let me introduce...

lai grai & friends.

this is the new site. the new look. the new space.

right now it is still just me - lai grai.
but i will be slowly introducing more & more pieces by my friends.
& you can search their works under 'artists' and read their bios under 'about lai grai & friends'

you can see a few bios from a couple artists that will be collaborating with me coming very very soon. maybe even in a few days. but for now, it is still a work in progress.
mostly because i didn't want to keep the shop closed for too long.

anyway, please please let me know what you think- i'd love to hear your thoughts!

and if you know of any artists that suit my bohemian, vintage, french farmhouse, eastern inspired tastes- please let me know in the comments! i would love to check out their stuffs. :)

xo! laila

new growth

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:26:00 +0000

i love spring.

sprouting mesclun seeds thanks to drucilla

fresh new growth, pushing to the top of the soil.

i feel a renewed energy- to create, to mix my medias. like i used to.

i've been stitching. i've been knitting. i've been spinning. i've been thinking.

i'm still adjusting to my new schedule. my days shifted around again.

i'm trying to stay flexible- both mentally and physically. if my feet are too sore to spin- well then i will knit. and if my fingers are aching, then i'll sit at my sewing machine and let the hum surround me. and sometimes i just embrace idleness. letting my mind do all the work.

color crushes

color crush - april's club batt all spun + fiber from faun + my new sewn skirt + knitted icord

in those moments, new designs have been brewing.

and for once, i am happy to say that my "item of the month" is ready at the beginning of the month!
can you believe that? me neither really, but i am just happy it is :)

i'll show a sneak peek now- but the listing should go up today or tomorrow! :)

+ don't forget- may's free desktop calendar is ready for download!

i took this photo last week on wednesday when the weather was perfect.
i walked up to the park along the river up by n. 11th.
i took some seriously lovely photos of the skyline,
but when i got back to the computer-
the reflections in the water were the ones that made me feel oh-so-summery!
enjoy!!

hope you all are staying creative and happy!
lots of love,

laila!

flea + crafting a home

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:14:00 +0000

went to the williamsburg flea yesterday w/ jesse & julie & danielle, after a delicious brunch at juliette!

we saw some nifty things, i'm pretty sure danielle and julie nabbed some neat shelving.

here's a quick peek at some of the offerings. it was crazy windy so we didn't stick around long.

love all the bright colors!

xo!
laila

edited to add:

oh! i've started an anyone-can-join facebook group for home DIY aspirations.

it's called crafting a home and we're chatting about projects and decor and sharing links.

most of the group will focus on small spaces since that's what ny-ers are all about- but also hand crafting pieces that you will love forever.

see you there! xo! laila

changes

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:55:00 +0000

hello dears!

well i've finally come up with a routine that seems to be working for me + lai grai, and i wanted to let you all know about the changes. some small, some big.

1. i will sadly no longer be doing any GIANT MASSIVE ALL-IN-ONE SITTING updates.

for a number of reasons this hasn't been working for me. all-in-one, big updates mean a million more photos to take in one sitting, so much typing, so much hunching over the computer and so many orders all at once. that last one sounds like a good thing, but it isn't- in that, it delays everyone's packages, since i am trying to get all of them to the post office in one trip.

so no more of that.

2. i will be doing smaller updates.

completely randomly, but usually on a sunday (less likely), monday (very likely), or tuesday (likely). why? those are my days off (well, monday is a half day) from purl and that's when it works for me to sneak a few things into the shop.

like today, i added some gorgeous baby suri alpaca top to the build a batt bar, and also some milk protein fiber and some baby pink cultivated silk!

it is easy to see the most recently updated items from the build-a-batt bar, because they are always at the TOP of the "all fibers/entire bar" category! :)

it is more likely that the updates will land on a monday because sundays are usually the days i spend w/ jesse- we eat brunch, i dye fiber, he works on his music and doodles in his notebooks. it's a good day!

our sunday brunch, yesterday :)

& tuesdays are good mailing days for me, so that's when things will be going to the post office.

speaking of...

3. shipping times are a'changing.

well, in a magical stay-at-home-all-day world i was able to get things out the door pretty speedily!

but now, in a i-have-two-and-a-half-days-to-myself-plus-my-side-biz life, that's not gonna work any more. so i have to change my policies to state that it could take anywhere from ONE TO TWO WEEKS for your package to arrive.

mostly because the bulk of my orders are from the build a batt bar (hooray! you really love it!! :)), and it takes time to go through each invoice, weigh out the fibers, card them up, and get them to you!

shipping days will be on tuesdays! so if you order something today, it will probably be ready to go to you by next tuesday. a week leeway will really help me feel less stressed out, even though your packages will probably arrive so much sooner!

...

and i think that's that.

if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me!

the goal with these changes is to make Lai Grai a little bit better and easier for me to run and be inspired with my fiber art. i'm hoping that by lessening the self-imposed demands that i will be able to expand what "Lai Grai" means through a more varied selection, through a unique style... that i will have more time to design and create, instead of process orders and ship.

and to thank you for reading through dense blocks of text-
here's a sneak peek at my dye day yesterday!

most of the fibers are for the vintage SAL (which i said i was closing two days ago, but have left up for those that needed a little extra time! + those that wanted to see some fibers & colors!) but some are for the build a batt bar! :)

hope you all are having a great monday!

love, laila

i'm loving...

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:11:00 +0000

fresh baked blueberry scones

the simple things- like perfectly crisp bars of soap

rearranging my studio + freshening up my pinboard

my new packing station + moved my hooks & needles to a more accessible spot :)

the build a batt bar! in many tubs + baskets :)

crystal expanse (left) & ply away home (right)

falling in love with digital mood boards courtesy of pinterest : probably part of the reason i have been MIA from blogging- it is so easy to just click 'pin' and share things i'm loving. & easy to keep track of styles that are inspiring. i currently only have 3 boards- a wedding board, a textures board, and crafting a home board -more on that one at the end of this post :)

natural textures, barnacles on a shell

new colors of freshly dyed sock yarn!

decorating my tiny space

new arrangements!

new french garden poster! :) hangs above the computer

+ contemplating new crafts to complete our home (curtains, throw pillows, etc!)... started a pinboard called 'crafting a home' where i am stashing DIY home decor ideas.

& julie + danielle just moved so we are finally planning on crafting some home stuffs together! :D yay! what do you think? do you want to 'craft a home' along with us? is that something you'd like to share together? :) i might start an open facebook group for this!

---

i'm going to be continuing doing these 'i'm loving' posts as a series

(this is technically the 2nd post in the series,

but i changed the series title from 'things i'm loving'

to just 'i'm loving' which is more open ended)

what do you think? are you loving them?

i'm sorry i've been a little more absent,

it's juggling a new full time work schedule along with life stuffs.

i'm sure you understand!

anyway, i'm going to try to be a little more scheduled.

getting a blog post together at least once a week.

the plus side to not having to force lai grai to support itself AND me (living in nyc!)

is that my creativity feels stronger than ever.

i've spent some time just crocheting,

just baking, just watching too much tv,

sleeping in too late, snuggling with jesse.

there have been lots of things i'm loving.

i love that you guys support me through thick and thin,

i love that even though new opportunities are changing my schedule wildly

(stay at home 24/7 to out & about all the time!!)

i know that change is often for the better- and i can't wait to see where it is all taking me.

until then, i'm learning to let the journey lead the way.

and not to become too obssessed over the minutia.

instead, to embrace it. and take the small moments as simple pleasures.

spend more time saying, ahhh in relaxations. than AH! in 'i have so much to do'!

well, that's all for now!

a new spin-along is coming soon, along with a hand dyed yarn update!

love you all lots!

laila

purls of joy!

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:12:00 +0000

hello

hello!

i've been MIA-

but this time for a reason!

well, first of all, remember how i said i was going to be awesome

& write drafts of my posts before i publish-

well i did.

i wrote a whole long post called 'color in the water'

about watercoloring and how it relates to dyeing fibers

and then google/blogger ate that post & auto-saved me a blank page.

thanks google! :P

{the watercolor post *is* coming, just might take me a bit longer,

i'm always too sad to retype after i spend a lot of time on something

and then POOF- it's gone!}

& then to top off my technical difficulties,

my gmail went down.

and when i say down, i mean, WAY DOWN.

first i didn't have any of my email history.

then i was locked out of my acct while they "fixed it"

and well, i have to give them serious props for actually fixing it!

my email finally returned approx. 3 days later with - as far as i can tell-

no missing content. whew!

but serious apologies for being even more 'gone' than usual!

x-x-x-x-x

next-

some exciting news

as to why there has been less laila around the internets...

i am now working at PURL SOHO!

you may know of this wonderful yarn+fabric shop

located in the hip soho 'hood

because of their super fantastic purlbee blog!

so far i am LOVING EVERY MOMENT

of being a member of the purl family!

i have about 15 new co-workers / yarn+fabric friends!

and they are all seriously sweet people!

the entire place is a colorful candy shop of textile delight!

we have a table at the front of the shop filled with 1 skein swatches

of almost every yarn in the shop!

each employee gets to knit a swatch (or more),

& i'm working on a swatch of a brand new alchemy yarn
mysterioso (i'm using colorway 'gold & grace')

that has just arrived on the shelves!

it is wool, silk and mohair and woooweee, it is fantastically fluffy!

sneak-y peek:

the ball band calls for it to be knit on size 13s-

the coworkers and i thought that maybe not...

10s were decided to be the winning #,

but as the vanille sweater is currently occupying those needles,

i cast on a swatch for my swatch (haha, i know!)

on size 9s.

x-x-x-x-x

speaking of my 'vanille' sweater...

would you like to see some progress on that as well?

here ya go!

the start of our 'vanille' knit-a-long*

hoorah! i picked out some delicious

'farmhouse andy's merino' in pecan pie colorway

and have cast on in the size XS, knitting steadily

& starting to shape for the shoulders+sleeves!

aren't those caramel browns and peach tones

with flecks of dusty purple and goldens

FANTASTIC?!

i'm loving this variegated yarn so far!! :)

x-x-x-x-x

oooh! i'm also making some good headway on my first pair of

magic loop, toe up, two at a time, socks! woo!

that's a lot of knitting descriptors there ;)

want to see some of that too?

pretty stuff, right? i love the soft muted tones!

this is being knit in a schaefer yarn

that i got at vulcan's rest in chesapeake city, md

when i went to visit jesse's fam over xmas!

you can see more details on both of these works-in-progress

on my ravelry project page! :)

x-x-x-x-x

...and now for a story!

here's a funny thing about me + purl soho...

wayyyyy back, when i first moved to new york,

almost TWO YEARS AGO to this day,

i visited purl soho back when they were

two freestanding stores on sullivan street

(purl soho & purl patchwork w/ another shop betwixt them)

and i popped in, and nervously chatted with the sales girls,

inquiring if they carried any indie-dyed or indie-spun yarns...

i remembered them being oh so friendly, SO friendly!

we talked and we talked and chatted

and finally, nervous little me, got up the courage to hand them

some small 'samples' of what were really leftovers from larger skeins

of handspun rawfish designs yarns.

yes! seriously! i just handed them baby skeins of yarn & a biz card!

because i had no idea how to go about getting your stuff in stores then.

i heard back from them via email a couple weeks later

thanking me for dropping them off, and then a few months later,

that they wanted to only buy wholesale, & at the time,

i had only just started consigning!

so they let me know that

i could come by and pick my samples up anytime.

well, i didn't pick the baby skeins up.

and i never approached any other yarn store in nyc.

i only loved purl.

and pretty much forgot all about it.

& then, i got this job at purl.

and my new coworker faye said to me,

you look really familiar.

and we decided that i hadn't visited purl often enough

to be considered a regular,

& i had no idea how she knew me,

although i thought she looked familiar too...

untillllll, the next day- faye came in and said,

did you drop off yarn samples at the sullivan street shop?

TWO YEARS AGO!

& not only did she *remember* me AND my yarn,

they STILL HAD THE YARN SAMPLES!

and now i have them back.

isn't that the craziest, most incredible thing ever?!

hope you all are having a wonderful sunday!

& i'm glad i got a couple hours to catch up with you all!

i'd love to hear what's new in your lives-

let's chat in the comments!

or visit the ravelry group for more daily hellos! :)

love,

laila

build-a... yarn!

noreply@blogger.com (laila) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:24:00 +0000

hoorah!

i was super super excited about this most recent order-

tracy of punkrocknits

picked out a golden and red color palette

added a custom carding and spinning listing

& let me go to town making her a bulky yarn of her dreams!

if you'd like to see everything that went into this batt

check out the full (reserved) listing here

x-x-x-x-x

from fibers to a lovely carded batt...

tons of gorgeous sparkling firestar,

creamy soft bluefaced leicester wools,

merino/tencel in rich burgundy tones for softness and shine,

and deliciously dark, overdyed honey tussah silk

in deep purple for pops of contrast!

to core-spinning the yarn...

glamorous low-light shots on the bobbin.

& the finished product! :)

w/ the twist all set and ready

to leap onto tracy's knitting needles!

wasn't that so fun?!

to make your own custom yarn or fiber-

check out the Build-A-Batt Bar!*

for more than just batts!

...

i guess i could've called it,

dyed loose fiber bar,

but that just doesn't have the same ring to it! ;)

until next time!

love,

laila

*now available to shop by COLOR!

yellow/orange, reds/purples, blues/greens