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I don't know what I want to knit. What should I knit? Someone just tell me what I want to knit.

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I've been up to stuff

So what have I been up to? Well, in the last couple of months I did manage to finish up Wanida, which I gave to my SIL for her birthday.

Pattern: Wanida by Cookie A's Sock Innovation
Yarn: Sundara Yarn in Candied Chrome

I've also been doing a lot of pet photography, which has been so surprising and so great. And fun! There have been a lot of puppies - YAY - and Labs and English and German pointers, strangely. I say strangely because I don't think I've ever met one before this year, and now I see them everywhere. I have some more appointments coming up, including a couple of horses and a Shar Pei which I am SO excited for because I've never ever met one. Their folds should be interesting to photograph. The one thing my portfolio is seriously lacking however, are kittens. Where are the kittens?!

Anyway, here is a little collage of some of the new friends I made the last two months, in no particular order. But the puppies do get to go first!

I've also been doing some people photography - weddings. I did my first wedding back in March and had to be practically strong-armed into it. When I hear things like, "If you can make cats look good, then you should be able to make people look like supermodels," I want to run screaming for the hills. Nothing could be more dangerous than comparing yourself to a cat. For one, I tend to find cats to be infinitely cuter than most humans. And for two, cats are SO MUCH EASIER to photograph. But maybe that's just me. In any case, these potential wedding clients force-fed three rounds of martinis in me before I said yes.

And wouldn't you know it, I had a blast. Subjects who sat when you said Sit! and stayed when you said Stay! How refreshing.

Since then I've done several more as a second shooter, plus one rehearsal dinner on my own, to see if wedding photog is something I indeed wanted to get into seriously (forgive me if you've heard all this before on the other blog!). The world needs another wedding photographer like it needs a hole in the head, right? Can I possibly bring anything new to the table?

I don't have the clout at this point to dictate the kind of wedding I'd like to shoot, but I definitely definitely very definitely have a kind of wedding that I'd love to shoot, and be my niche. My ideal wedding would be intimate backyard, barnyard, in a forest, under a tree, beachside affairs, with a lots of DIY details and flair, tons of flowers, candles and booze. And somewhere around 50-100 people...

...I'm pretty much describing our own wedding 7 years ago, which we had on a tiny island off Puerto Rico. It was perfect - a super fun, 3-day affair with close friends and family, wonderful in every single way. Except for one thing.

What it comes down to now is me redeeming my poor choice of a photographer by shooting my own wedding. Because oh man if I could do ONE thing over again, it would have been to sink 90% of our budget into hiring the perfect photographer. I didn't because it wasn't worth the expense. And this coming from someone who has always loved and appreciated good photography. I am seriously the worst consumer - I would hate to get myself as a client!

So if anyone is planning a small wedding this year or the next, give me a shout!
Email me at
fatorangecatstudio *at* gmail *dot* com

Last but not least, I'm still doing Bunny&Veebs photography. The latest craze are action shots - not easy to do in indoor lighting I might add. But I have the greatest subjects ever and oodles of patience. You have no idea the hours I've spent amusing myself in this way. Those guys, they'll do just about anything for a single morsel of kitty treats. Love them!

So that's it! Thanks to any readers who are still visiting this site! xoxo

Comments [18]
Filed Under: Cats | Life | Pet Photography

Just when I was about to pull the plug on this blog...

The most unexpected thing happened last week. I received an email from a contributing digital photography blogger on the NYTimes.com - the NEW YORK TIMES!!!!! - asking if he could interview me for an article about taking good pet photos. I was like, Um. OKAY. OH-EFFING-KAY.

But I was very curious how he found me. I've been marketing all over the place, both online and in the real physical world, and wanted to get an idea of how any of my endeavors were working, or not working.

Here was his reply:

BEHOLD. The power of the knit blog. Why does that continue to surprise me?! Why do I keep taking it for granted?

So here nytimes.com blog post. It's a Q&A and I talk a little about how I shoot and what I shoot with. I think what I wanted to get across more than anything is that good photography is not lazy photography. It's not all about what camera body you use (and thanks to the writer for not asking!), it's not at all about standing around waiting for the moment to happen. Everything is deliberate, everything is work, even - and especially? - the candid ones! I'm constantly learning.

P.S. I managed to finish a pair of socks. Very exciting. A show-and-tell soon.

Comments [18]
Filed Under: Pet Photography

Everywhere but here

This blog, biz blog, twitter, fb, flickr, raverly...I need to join another social network like I need a hole in the head.

But after a lot of hemming I've just put up a facebook page for the photog business. So far I have just 4 fans, and that includes me and Duck, heh. Become a FOCStudio fan, won't you?

Honestly I have no idea how a biz FB page will differ from my personal profile...or why I should ALSO have a biz twitter account and do I say things there that I wouldn't on FB or do I say the same thing? Blergh. The whole thing makes me want to throw up into the huge time sinkhole that I've created.

Where do you guys find yourself most often? Twitter? FB? Rav? Flickr? Your own blog? All of the above?

In knitting news, I have none.

Oh, I finally met Ms. Berroco (very briefly) last weekend in Providence. She put in a good word for me to her housemate who owns a Lab mix, and we did the shoot a week ago. She was hilarious, you can see the photos here. And the best part - and I got a set of custom letterpress cards in exchange! Swoon.

And a public service announcement to anyone in the Boston area who may be thinking of adopting a cat, or knows of someone who is thinking about it. There are more than several adult cats who have been there for longer than is comfortable. It's kitten season, and during this time the older set tends to get overlooked. There are a few very sweet boys and girls who are still looking for a warm and loving home. If you're in the area, stop by the shelter and ask to visit!

Ms. Marmalade

Figaro (my favorite! he's been at the shelter for so long!)

Stash

I hope next time I blog here I'll have some knitting to share. All these online...PLACES I live in is kicking my ass.

Comments [7]
Filed Under: Life | Pet Photography

Greeting Cards for Yarn Luvers

The Sundara Yarn Prints are now available as Greeting Cards!

These took me forever to get "right" - right paper, right size, etc - but here they finally are. Time to whip out the pen and get to letter-writing!

Purchase them individually, or in packs of 4 (one of each image). Colors are bright and juicy. Keep them for yourself, or as gifts for the knitterly friend in your life!

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Filed Under: Photo Store

Sock Progress

Making progress on Cookie A's Wanida sock, from the book Sock Innovation. I did end up finishing one sock.

As I suspected, the pattern does indeed knit up very quickly, and looks great with variegated yarn (Sundara Sock Yarn in Candied Chrome).

So without even meaning to be so focused or productive, I'm already half-way through with the second sock.

In other news, over at the Other Site I finally finished up posting all the critters that belong to J and R, the lovely couple who I mentioned had met on Ravelry. If you haven't seen the photos, check them out. Even though the puppy was the cutest subject ever, I think I saved the best for last with Keira the cat. She IS an orange tabby afterall. And we all know how I feel about orange tabbies...

Also, greeting cards will be going up for sale tomorrow!

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Filed Under: Socks

Yarn Prints for Purchase

To purchase prints, please go here.
For whatever reason, the PayPal code would not work correctly within this piece of dung blog editor. So I've extracted it out to another page. Please leave a comment if you have any issues or questions.

I have prints of Sundara Yarn up for sale, at long last! Dress up your crafting area with vibrant photos of your favorite Indie-dyed yarn!

Print Details
:: 5x7 printed on professional paper in a lustre finish, which is a matte-like finish with gloss-like shine
:: Packaged in an archival polypropylene sleeve and a cardboard backing for stability. Please recycle!
:: Delivered in sturdy photo mailers

Purchase Details
:: Each print is $12.00
:: Add 5% state tax for Massachusetts addresses
:: Add $2.00 for shipping within the US, and $4 for shipping everywhere else
:: Shipping can be combined for separate purchases made within a 2-day period. Example: if you buy one print today, then one tomorrow, shipping will be combined
:: Purchase via PayPal, at the bottom of this post
:: First 10 buyers will also receive a 5x7 flat card of "Sock Collection," with envelope!

Here are the four prints available:

Sock Collection A coloful heap of Sock yarns	Vibrant Violets A trio of purpley Sock yarns
Fresh Greens A trio of refreshing green Sock yarns	Warm Golds A trio of rich coppery Sock yarns

Purchase via PayPal
To purchase prints, please go here.
For whatever reason, the PayPal code would not work correctly within this piece of dung blog editor. So I've extracted it out to another page. Please leave a comment if you have any issues or questions.

I hope you enjoy these photos, and thank you for your support!

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Filed Under: Photo Store

State of the Knitting Address

State of the Knitting Address

In November I started Camden from Knitty Fall 2008. I had three skeins of Sundara Yarn in Arabian Nights (delectable combo of rich browns, purples, blacks). Rather than knit it flat, I knit it in the round and got as far as the armpits.

It's been sitting in my knitting basket since December, and is now covered in cat hair.

Rather than figure out the yoke situation for Camden - which isn't going to be hard, really, I just didn't feel like thinking about it - I decided that if I didn't finally knit with Aran Silky Merino once and for all, I was going to die. So I winded up one skein of ASM in Charcoal over Blue Lagoon and started the Just Enough Ruffle scarf.

2.5 rows and one bind-off away from being completely finished, I used up the one skein and didn't feel like unwinding another. And then I didn't feel like knitting altogether.

A couple of weeks, maybe a month passed before my fingers started to itch, itch specifically for US 1 needles and some sock yarn. Out came Sundara Yarn in Bronzed Forest which I have been stashing for awhile. It's now or never.

What is this pattern, you ask? It's a Wackadoodle sock, a strange mix of Child's First sock, some random ribbing, and slipped stitches on the foot. I didn't have any intention of knitting it other than a full-blown Child's First sock. My wandering brain had other ideas. I decided I wanted to only knit the first 6 rows to see how that would look (spirals!), but then after a few repeats of that I decided to break up the pattern and do some ribbing in between. And then as I was doing the heel I decided it might be cool to use the same slipped stitch pattern on the foot.

I would start the second sock, except the first looks so schizophrenic that I am slightly afraid of what might happen with the second...and also because recently at the bookstore, I spied Cookie A's new book Sock Innovation and snagged it without so much as opening it.

I had to start right away. Out came Sundara Yarn in Candied Chrome, also cooking in my stash for god knows how long.

This is Wanida. It is freaking brilliant. I can tell it's going to knit quickly.

But I'm not going to know for sure just yet because I just got my hands on another Cookie A pattern that I've been pining for - PINING FOR I tell you! - and I have to set Wanida aside (for which I set aside Wackadoodle, for which I set aside Just Enough Ruffles, for which I set aside Camden) in order to knit Marlene.

So that's the State of the Knitting. No. It's not pretty.

My head is very elsewhere these days.

I'm going to be hanging some of my prints at a local and popular bakery-by-day and restaurant-by-night. The foot traffic - both bi and quadrupedals - is huge here, so I'm really excited about this marketing opp. The owner doesn't care WHAT I put up, just as long as it's "big." He even wants prints in the bathroom. EEEE!

Duck and I went over one evening just before closing to do some measuring of the wall space. This is the bakery/coffee area, with my mockup of what prints will go where. Not a ton of wall space here, but that's good actually. If I have to spend another minute trying to decide which photo I should use and where and in what size, I will go absolutely mad!

The little wall space next to the sugar and cream station I think will display a framed 5x7 of Logan, the puppy I just photographed.

No it's not a big size, but I figure I HAVE to squeeze something in there. While people stir sugar in their coffees, they'll glance up and see that Logan with his baby eyes and oversized paws, and walk away with a big smile on their face. It's inevitable.

The column in between the large windows will have a 30x24 canvas of the owner's three dogs.

You can see more photos of them here. :) With their own cupcake incarnations, they truly live the sweet life.

Comments [7]
Filed Under: General Knitting | Pet Photography