General

Still knitting, still spinning, though not dyeing, thanks mostly to the impending birth of our SON! Yes indeed, I am 22 weeks and some days pregnant with baby #3, our first little boy, and it definitely puts a cramp in any dyeing activities, despite the pounds and pounds of undyed superwash and BFL I am sitting on :)

Weight was 210 prepregnancy, so about 50 pounds down, and I have only gained about 6 pounds since then, which is awesome! I am feeling great this time around and looking forward to the birth sometime at the end of September or beginning of October. That's about all the update I have for now, see ya!

Hello everyone, it's been quite awhile since I have posted here (as opposed to my weight loss blog, which is bumper as always). I have MISSED all things fibery, though my update for you is pitiful indeed.

I decided to relist the shop items I have yet to sell, just to see if there is any interest. I still think the colorways are beautiful and hope they will find a good home sometime soon.

I also have been contemplating and mulling over what I will do with my fiber business, and have come to some conclusions after half a year's break. First off, I still LOVE dyeing and spinning, and will continue to do it in limited fashion, if only for personal enjoyment. I am also absolutely planning on continuing this as a career down the road, if/when time and space allows. I have come to the conclusion that to do this with the gusto it deserves will require a good 6 hour block of time each day, as well as a shop separate from the main house. These are not things I am able to acquire right now, so a continued break makes sense.

I have also decided that I will probably sell my yarn mostly locally, as it is a better market with a bit less competition than online retail sales, which seems to require constant attentive undercutting to make the sale. I love my online customers and will probably list goods on Etsy, but I don't think I will make that the bulk of my operation. Custom orders are still welcome, but I do believe I will eventually shift my focus to physical storefronts instead of virtual, given that there is a very steady yarn market up here, with a great tourist boom each year.

Life is still going well for me and the family - the girls are getting SO big, with Callie almost three and counting, using her imagination, and drawing very well. Lilah is now walking, though her language skills are a bit inarticulate (she makes up for it with volume, though!). Peter, my husband, is even busier with personal projects and is now gone from home far longer than he was last year, this has contributed to my decision on continuing the status quo in terms of yarn production. We're all doing amazingly well, busy and happy with all the beautiful little things in life.

I have some personal fibery updates I will be posting soon, mostly little knitting projects and some great Christmas presents I received, and my goals for 2010 include working on my personal spinning and knitting a bit more, along with continuing to lose weight and now, happily, trying to conceive our next child.

I'm doing just great, and hope you are as well. Take care!

It's been a beautiful, but HOT, summer thus far, and this has been one busy household.

Other than some spinning not much has happened on the fibery front for the reasons previously reported. I have a custom order for cotton dyeing I have been WOEFULLY slow on, mainly because, while I know how to dye cotton, I have never done my current method of controlled, reproducible dyeing with it, so I need a solid block of time with relatively few interruptions to work out the dye concentrations and formulas.

Sadly every Saturday I have had open, initially, has filled up with something or another that pushes time for dyeing out of the way. Hanging out with friends, house maintenance, church obligations... there has been NO time and it's been pathetic. I really do have to buckle down and do this, though, as the gal who wants this yarn has a deadline approaching for its' creation. Putting it off for one reason or another is no longer an option!

I have tons of knitting I need to do this upcoming fall as well, including a sweater for my mother-in-law that is her Christmas present. The tricky part is that she had yarn taken from another felted and slightly shrunk sweater that she'd like incorporated into this one, but it is sock/sport weight and finer than anything I'd use for the rest of the sweater, and I fear there is not enough to do the whole garment. The other problem is that it has many break and short lengths because I had to unravel a sweater to get it, and the sweater had some funky construction. What I believe I will do is work the body of the sweater in a natural colored light worsted merino I have, and then think up a colorwork pattern for the yolk and top of the sleeves to work in her yarn, and maybe around the cuffs as well. I think I am just going to work the sweater as a raglan with some ribbing down the sides of the body of the sweater, so it has a more tailored fit.

I think with the oatmeal reclaimed yarn doubled up the gauge difference will only be slight. The biggest issue is that I have to essentially draft a pattern from scratch to fit my needs with this project, and that is both time consuming and complicated. I can do it, granted, but it's a pain. Still, after this dyeing project is through I will be making a concerted effort to spend at least an hour an evening knitting this while I watch tv. It needs to be done, there's no way around it, now I just have to buckle down and DO it!

On the family front - we're boring, what can I say? Lilah had two teeth for the longest time but just jumped up to five with her two top teeth and one eye tooth coming in. She can cruise along furniture now and crawl with amazing speed, and is getting bigger every day. She's a real joy 99% of the time.

Callie is a typical rough-and-tumble toddler. She has a huge vocabulary and can now count to 20 pretty reliably and say most of her ABC's. She can identify almost all capital letters and the numbers 0-9, she just hasn't quite learned that those numbers can combine to BIGGER numbers and that the letters combine in sound to form words. But I'd say she's ahead of the curve for her age now, after spending her first two years of life languishing at her own pace :) Her favorite activities include digging in dirt, coloring, and getting horsey rides. Ah, to be a toddler!

Peter is ridiculously busy, as always, but doing very well. He won a spot to speak at an important bridge conference in Sacramento this September, and gets to talk about his design to engineers from across the country. I am VERY proud of him!

Life is just chugging along here, going pretty well. On the weightloss front I am down about 25 pounds from the end of winter and going strong. I'd say that is about 1/4 of the way to my goal, and I am chronicling the nitty gritty details, complete with fat pictures, stats, and all my struggles with habit change over at Weight Issues: Taryl's Weightloss Chronicles. It's definitely the good, bad, and ugly, but I am coming out of this victorious, pound by pound, and honestly it's taking up a lot of the time I'd spend dyeing or doing general fibery pursuits, which accounts for some of the blog silence. I'm still here, just occupied with other matters.

Unfortunately it has also come to pass that I believe shutting down my business, except for the occasional custom order, is the best thing for my family. I have been praying about this a lot and I just don't have time to be both a business owner and SAHM and homeschooling mom and wife and housekeeper and all the other various hats I am currently wearing all at once. Something has to give, and I truly feel I can't give my family and myself the attention deserved and still run a business during this season of my life. The economy has affected the luxury market, of which my business is a part of, and that makes volume and sales slow, but I'd have probably made this decision regardless.

I am not closing shop or quitting forever, not by a long shot. I will still ship current stock items and take custom orders, but I am lacking time to market and further my business beyond dabbling. Down the road, when I no longer have small children or homeschooling to mess with, I will pick this back up again and go at it hard. But in order to do what I want to do with it I would literally have to put my kids in daycare and work a normal 8 hour day from home, were I to do my business justice. It is not something easily dabbled in halfway, and so I am choosing to put 100% of myself toward my bigger duties and shelve my personal goals and dreams in the short term.

It was a painful decision, and I honestly feel like a bit of a failure, but I have to make the best decision for my family even though I LOVE what I do. I just don't have enough hours in the day to give this what it deserves, and thus I am prioritizing. Custom orders are still welcome and I'll sell and ship anything currently listed, and maybe add items from time to time, but no actively furthering the business for now.

Watch this space!

So sorry for my extended absense, I have put the bulk of my production on hold for the summer so I can focus more on spending time with my family, exercising and losing weight. I just needed more time for me, and with such beautiful weather outside it would be a total crime to not enjoy it fully. Thus, I've been walking 3-5 miles a day with Callie on my back and Lilah in the stroller to go to the park. It's been so refreshing and renewing to be outside extensively for the first time in... wait for it... six years. YEARS!

I needed this for me and my health, and fiber arts (and indoor sedentary behaviors in general) were in direct competition for my time.

I will continue to blog and take custom orders and sales, but I won't be doing too much in the way of stock creation or promo deals like phat fiber. Watch this space for linkage to my new, separate weight loss blog. I didn't want to brain drain and post progress pictures and weigh-ins on this space, so it gets its' own home if anyone is interested.

Thanks and sorry for the extended silence! It was unintentional but very necessary. I just haven't been around a computer much lately :)

On an "awe!!!" note, Callie told me she loved me for the first time tonight! I have been waiting over a year to hear it :)

 

Here is what I am dashing to add to the shop over the next hour - We have two Aubergines on very different wools (Corriedale Cross and Superwash Merino, they take dye extremely different despite the original colors being from the same dyelot), Rhubarb Superwash Merino, Fall Glitz Corriedale Cross, and Bubblegum Corriedale Cross.

 

The two Kaleidoscope Rovings, Fall Glitz and Bubblegum, turned out amazingly lovely.  Very complex and fun.  This was also my first batch using Superwash, besides the Phat Fiber Samples for April, and I was quite surprised to find out that the treatment used for Superwash causes the yarn to take dye very differently when used on roving (the differences on yarn seem to be quite slight).  The strike was extremely fast - the moment the dye hit the fiber - and resulted in sections of more intense color than the normal strike, along with a lot more blotchy white.  Interestingly it should spin up to look about the same as any other fiber in that colorway, as the white will reblend with the darker patches and give a soft, heathery look, but it was quite an experiment and unexpected given that the dye used was the exact same, just on different treatments of wool.

 

The Rhubarb and Aubergine Superwash is the same as what went out in the Phat Fiber Sampler, so if you like these colorways be sure to snatch up full sizes.  I will also be offering other Helena's Garden colorways in Superwash as well.

 

 

Anyway, that was the quirky dye experiment for the week :)  If I am doing a custom colorway for Superwash Roving I will have to remember the strike differences and compensate the DOS accordingly, which is very good to know.

I've blogged about Phat Fiber before, but now the incomparable Jessie is blogging about me!

 

I'm totally thrilled and beyond flattered at the feedback about my humble little shop here, and I do hope the phatties take advantage of the special coupon offer I've extended through Phat Fiber, even if they do not get a box.  I am also thrilled beyond belief to do any custom colorway and would love to take some of the sweet-as-pie commenters up on their desired colorways.

 

Either way, it was a great ego boost for the day and I am so happy getting feedback on what people like, so I know what to make more of.  For all those visiting this site for the first time, WELCOME and please stay awhile ;)

 

 

 

In other news, this has been *quite* a busy week and thus my posting of new items has been put off longer than I'd like, but rest assured new roving will be posted within the next few hours.  I also have some lovely pictures of a custom order I just finished, in Organic Australian Merino Yarn (aran weight) and it was STUNNING!  I will be reproducing the colorway for the shop, I think, because it turned out so nicely.  Let me know what you think, a skein will be completed for the general shop in the next few days.

 

October Yarn:

 

 

Have a great day everyone, and keep an eye out for the new colorways!

Sadly, I am unable to partake in the celebrations, as I am about as boring and vanilla as they come.  So drink a pint of green beer for me, my friends, and have a fabulous day!

 

The dyepot is currently steaming and I am embarking on another full week of home and business-related going-ons.  I am still in full steam ahead mode to bulk up my shop contents and right now I am doing some duplicates of the current colorways on different fiber to use up extra dyestuffs.  I believe the next colors in the series I will work on will be Blueberry, Cherry Belle Radish, and Potato Harvest (but don't quote me on that ;)

 

I'm also contemplating April's batch of Phat Fiber samples, on the eve of the March boxes going out.  I believe I will do fiber this time, as I am focusing pretty heavily on roving right now, and probably use up a the huge swath of New Zealand wool I acquired a ways back.  I wish they had specified a breed but it feels like your standard Romney/Corriedale cross or something of that nature.  Reasonably soft, tighter crimp, good vanilla color.  The format it is in, which is essentially a large batt or un-attentuated roving, is impossible for me to sell in the store despite  the quality of the wool, but it is PERFECT to break up and sell as samples, which I will likely attach to 4x6 cards with the details of what my business offers on the front, product information, and perhaps a coupon code on the back.  Still contemplating packaging for these samples, but I am leaning away from bagging the product at this moment just given the volume of the wool, we'll see.

 

I will likely be doing the Romaine Lettuce colorway as it is soft, springy, and "Green" to go woith the April theme.  I'd love to use something truly green, as in eco-friendly, like hemp or bamboo yarn, but all my current dye formulas are acid dyes, which do not dye cellulose fiber very well.  I just don't have the time right now to formulate the Procion colors to reasonably match my Jacquard colors.  I'll have to have a good bit of time set aside to experiment with those, as it is both a different dye method and a different set of dyestock in terms of depth of shade.  Oh well, acid dyes it is, then!

 

 

In other news, Lilah finally popped her first two teefers, at the same time and with minimal fuss, this past week!  I can't believe she's growing so fast!  Callie hasn't done much that is 'new' besides words, which she is acquiring at an ever increasing rate.  Note to self - watch the language used around the kids!  Fortunately DH and I have a pretty sanitized vocabulary any day of the week but I just want to be extra vigilant now that she's my own personal, wiggling parrot.

 

Winter is definitely dragging here, and I am eager for the thaw (and a working vehicle) so I can take the kids down to the park.  We have a great one fairly close by but walking isn't an option without a double stroller to stick them both in.  I am considering asking my mother-in-law if I can use her bike trailer, which pulls behind any bike and holds two kids, as our bike paths are quite wide and pedestrian friendly, but I am not sure yet.  It would be good exercise at any rate, but I'd have to wait until it warmed up pretty significantly to use that, as opposed to just waiting until it's 40-ish and thawing.

 

I'd let Callie play in our yard but unfortunately it is both boring and needing some serious leveling, mowing, rocks hauled out, etc etc.  Peter and I wanted to do that this summer but we aren't sure where the money will come from.  Fixing the leaning fence posts is an absolute must, but the rest may just have to be lain fallow again.  It's a shame, but we'd rather do it slowly than accrue any significant debt over it.

 

Anyway, life plugs along here as it always does, and right now my big focus is getting more stuff in my shop so business will pick up.  It has been dreadfully slow and even the response from the Phat Fiber box has been less than I'd hoped for.  I honestly think it's more the time of year and financial situation (people cutting back on luxuries)  than a reflection on the quality of my stuff.  I am just going to continue to do my best, make pretty colorways, and hope for the best.

A bunch of new rovings are up and my current addition will be some duplicates of the same colorways to use up leftover dye, before I can formulate any more additions.  I will be adding a seperate gallery for Helena's Garden, I think, within the next few weeks, and they will eventually get their own order page.

 

Standouts (in my opinion, anyway) are Heritage Tomate and Aubergine, but they're all gorgeous.  Harvest Squash is going to get a slight tweeking of color placement, namely the rust shade, so that it is not so dominant, and Rhubarb will be getting more green and less carnelian (the colors shifted and bled more than intended during dyeing, but overall I am very happy with them.

 

Collard Greens has been renamed Mustard Greens, as that is what the colorway looks a bit more like, and Chive Blossom will likely be dropped from the line, as I am afraid the shades are too redundant from other colorways like Aubergine or the berry tones.  We'll see, I am still waffling.

 

Anyway, new pretties are up and waiting to be scooped, the March Phat boxes will be going out any day now, and the production rush is still on.  Huzzah!

For anyone interested there are only three days left in the Valentines Custom Colorway sale!  Place an order anytime before Sunday and get 15% off your custom colorway(s).

 

In other fibery news, I am swapping out the Crisp Celery colorway in Helena's Garden for Bibb Lettuce, because it's just a prettier combination.  Heritage Tomato and Aubergine will be debuting later today or early tomorrow, along with some new Kaleidoscope Series fiber as well.

 

I've been dyeing up a storm but formulating colorways takes time and a lot of trial and error. Progress is defintiely being made and there will be new pretties to ogle very soon, and just in time for the new Phat Fiber box for March.

 

The video of the new box contents has been posted and I URGE you all to check it out, it is FABULOUS.  And on the upside, Marcus (the camera guy and Jessie's husband) liked my colorway submission for the month ;)  Ah, sweet validation!

 

 

 

 

 

Here we have Aubergine still damp and drying.  I LOVE the way this one turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the Kaleidoscope rovings - lovely, super soft baby alpaca dyed in sunset tones (and still without a name).  Notice the splotchy turquoise all over the place - this is what happens when your roving is not wrapped well enough.  Dye seeps out when it begins steaming and gets trapped in the layers of plastic wrap, so when you open it up there is unreacted dye all over the place, fingers included, and if you're not SUPER careful it can stain already-dyed sections of roving.

 

 

 

 

 

This was originally supposed to be Crisp Celery, but the colors turned out more brilliant than I'd intended, and I decided it looked exactly like Bibb Lettuce, so the colorway has been renamed in appropriate Garden fashion ;)  This is sopping wet in-between rinses right now, the end color will be a bit lighter as it dries, and less yellow (crappy bathroom lighting).

 

 

 

 

 

This is my favorite colorway of the run - Heritage Tomato - fresh out of the dyebath.  It dried beautifully, though the green was less olive than I wanted, and more hunter.  I may still change that, I haven't decided.  The hunter green livens it up quite a bit whereas it might become too drab with a true olive, so I am up in the air on this one.  Either way, a 4 oz. and 2 oz. portion of this colorway will be up in the shop shortly.

 

 

 

 

More colors coming as I make them, but it's a good five hours of solid work for each new colorway, and I have small kiddos who constantly need my hands available, so it's been an uphill battle to formulate these.  But once the actual colors have been worked up, even making new dyestock is a fairly simple matter of following the recipe.  I have PLENTY of all these shades left for more fiber in these colorways, but since I am a little short of undyed roving right now I decided to hold onto the dyestock and use the roving I have left to get as many colorways out there as possible, rather than multiple hanks of the same few colorways.  But they are readily available (with the exception of the alpaca Kaleidoscope coloway, as it is one of a kind.)

 

Back to the saltmines for me!

I am considering an overdye for Punch Happy, the orangey/red laceweight.  It hasn't had many hits and hasn't moved, so I am thinking that my love of that shade of coral isn't shared universally.

 

I am thinking over overdyeing maybe 1/3 of it with a deep crimson red and 1/3 with a plum or burgundy, leaving a little of that coral shade for contrast. Does that sound more appealing than the original?

Well we made it back in one piece, after a VERY busy week!  Lilah handled the plane better than I thought she would, and despite a LONG delay on the tarmac slept through the entire second flight (not for lack of trying to wake her up, though.... as we were placed, last minute, in the noisiest row of the plane!).

 

Today my goal is to dye up at least one new shade from Helena's Garden, I am thinking Heirloom Tomato is the pick, and I have one item to list for Etsy.  I really need to bulk up the shop over the next few weeks, so there may be more in the Kaleidoscope series as well.  I'd really like to have two items dyed per day, and that would give me close to 30 items in the shop by the time the next box reaches people.  The response from this past month was pretty poor but I blame my vacation and closed shop entirely for that, not any problem with my samples.

 

For April's samples I am considering packaging them differently, perhaps individually bagged, to make them stand out a bit more among a box of BEAUTIES.  We'll see if I can find cellophane bags cheaply online, and if not my current packaging is certainly adequate.  I am also sending out roving instead of yarn for the next stint, I am thinking Superwash Merino is a good choice.

 

My house is a disaster so cleaning needs to happen before the dyeing.... as LEAST in the kitchen.  I still have yet to strike a decent balance among play time for mommy AND the kids, housework, and dyeing... but that is going to be a very important issue for me in the coming months and one I have to get a handle on.  Wish me luck, either way!

Of COURSE the only time I'd leave my little town in a year would be almost the exact time my first Phat Fiber contributions reach the public.  My most SINCERE apologies for those coming to this site and finding nothing for sale, as my Etsy shop is on vacation mode.

 

THe vacation, itself, is going very well aside from spotty internet connectivity, and about to get a WHOLE lot busier from tonight to the end of Saturday, as the wedding gets kicked into high gear for the rest of this time away.  I'm super excited for my friend, and just a little bit nervous about it all going down smoothly, as I am not a fan of weddings, in general, and as a reasonably integral part of the ceremony I have the propensity to massively screw it all up.  But one way or another it WILL be off and done with!

 

Lilah has been AMAZINGLY good with my family and friends... she tends to have a serious case od stranger anxiety, and while she's not cozying up to everyone right away thus far the screaming terror has been absent.  To their eyes she looks like a perfect angel, and only I can really tell that she's being good, but still not her mot outgoing or happy.  She's just that kind of baby - angelically sweet 99% of the time, making even her easy sister look fairly difficult in comparison.  She's in for quite a busy time these next few days as well, and I am more worried about her than even my fat butt up in front of everyone (which is saying something, since I am having major anxiety over the whole thing).

 

The dye pot will be back in high gear upon my returning home, as I plan on getting more shades from Helena's Garden up in the store post haste, and I can only hope I am not losing *too* much business in my extended absense down to the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

 

Thanks for sticking with me, everyone!

Sorry for the blog silence, it was been very busy around here and there just hasn't been much dyeing time or blogging time.  However I am in the process of listing a good half dozen new rovings and will be dyeing more within the next week before I head out of town.

 

My wonderful, sweet, and quite longsuffering husband has been slaving away on this site and now, thanks to him, I have a ridiculously awesome new custom order page, complete with selectable color swatches so I can get your yarn/roving as close to your ideal as possible.  Go play with it and give me some feedback!

 

I will be adding pictures of the various yarns I can dye to order very soon... I have them all taken and ready, they just need to be coded and inserted into the site, which is quite a bit more difficult than the finished product makes it appear.  All the nifty simplicity around here is definitely a good bit of work and I appreciate Peter taking the time to do it for me.

 

The Phat Fiber Boxes are on their way out any day now, snatch yours up as soon as you're able!  In the meantime I am planning my March contribution, and plan on getting that sent out in the next few days.  Good times :)

 

Here is a preview of what's been in the dyepot and will be for sale in the next day or two:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, okay, here's some cute kid spam, too.

 

Lilah passed out while playing in her exersaucer:

 

 

 

Callie and Lilah mesmerized by Blues Clues:

Hopefully by the time anyone is reading this the new basic blurb for my shop and services will be on my front page, rather than just a nebulous web concept, some pretty yarn, and all pertinent information buried in the dark corners of my blog or the FAQ (that I doubt people actually read, nor do I blame them!).  I also hope to get some serious work done with images, layout, fields to fill out for custom orders and that nifty colorwheel thingy, but one ambitious project at a time for the lazy dyer, right?

 

Perhaps this entry would have been better titled as "Brave, Brave Sir Robin" given my intrepid feelings pushing forward, but like it or not I am forging on, conquistador style, and soaking roving for the first real production of colorways in Helena's Garden.  I am planning on working up Arctic Raspberry, Collard Greens, Heirloom Carrot and Potato Harvest as my first formulated colors.  I am hoping the girls will be cooperative enough tomorrow afternoon that I can get the dyes mixed, at least, before Peter gets home and do my dyeing in the evening.

 

I have a bunch of roving on hand, so that's just what I'll be using.  I am exploring some other suppliers than my main yarn site and considering working from cones rather than skeins, so I have been holding off on another stock purchase for yarn until more sells from the store as it currently stands.  The types will remain the same, it's just who I get it from and in what form that may differ.

 

 

 

 

In life news, I can't believe Erica's wedding is getting so close.  She's been my best friend for years and was the maid of honor at my wedding (despite the fact that she and her boyfriend had been together MANY years longer than Peter and me, and that I always thought she'd get married first!) and so I get to reciprocate for her.  On the one hand I am excited - she's FINALLY getting married, they SO deserve this and I am ridiculously excited and honored to be a part of it.  On the other hand - I have some real things to be anxious about.

 

First - I have never been away from Peter for more than 18 hours, and never over any great distance.  I miss him TERRIBLY when he goes out of town, and I don't know how I will fare being gone more than a week, 2000 miles away.

 

I have also never, ever been away from Callie (or Lilah) for more than about eight hours, and I know I will probably worry about her the entire time I am gone.  What she's eating, when she's napping, if she gets hurt while playing or if she's having fun, or if she's having SO much fun with everyone else that she doesn't even notice I am gone... it's a no-win situation and I dearly wish I could take her with me.

 

Lilah is coming with me, partially out of necessity because of her age and the fact that she won't take any form of liquid besides a breast, not even breastmilk out of a bottle.  But traveling alone with her is worrying me - I am afraid I don't have enough hands, I won't be able to install her fiddly carseat by myself (it's Peter's job), she'll scream the whole way, that I'll need to put her down to grab things and can't.... and then when we get down there every single day is ridiculously overbooked!  She'll be carted to eternity and back, miss a ton of naps, probably scream at everyone who isn't me.... I feel terribly for putting her through this and hope it ends up working out better than I am imagining, yet I see no possible way for that to be true.

 

I'm also embarrassed to head down there looking like I do - I feel SO fat, and while I am trying (and succeeding!) at losing weight slowly and steadily, I didn't want my family to see me until I had shed significantly more weight and had my confidence back a bit.  I don't want to stand up in front at the wedding because I look terrible, especially next to the adorable Amanda and Erica!  I feel like I am doing my friend a disservice by not looking better in her wedding pictures, though I know she doesn't feel that way.  My only advantage is that she'll be so beautiful nobody will even notice me :)  But the self image issues are a killer and while I look better than I did I wanted to surprise everyone with a dramatic change SO badly... but the loss has been going snail slow and the wedding came up too fast.

 

 

 

These are all such minor things - Peter will miss me but enjoy the sleep and relaxation of having me and Lilah gone.  Callie will hang out with Grandma during the day and have a blast, and I'll get to parent just one kid for a short period of time and get a breather.  Lilah loves me to bits and will likely be happy as long as she is with me, with the boob nearby, and each day we WILL get everything done without passing out from stress and exhaustion!  I look better than I have in several years and my family will be thrilled that I am losing weight, and fat or not my bridesmaid dress look slammin'!  I know it will be a great trip if I just stop letting myself worry, but it's HARD not to!

 

 

 

Thanks to my poor planning I am running my custom order sale during part of my vacation (do'h!) and so I will answer emails but be unable to fill orders during that time, and with any luck I'll be backlogged when I get home.  I wish I had remembered the wedding when I was typing up the promotion, but it was not to be.  Still, the business will keep, I can't afford to get much more busy than I already am anyhow, and I hope that the sale is a success and brings in some new customers.

 

I really wanted the site refined before I started receiving any higher bulk of custom orders, so it was easier to navigate, but Peter has been super busy and I have too.  But life keeps chugging along, whether I am up to speed and deadline or not!  The next few weeks will certainly be busy, I just pray I keep my priorities straight and manage to get it all done.  During such stressful times and travel I know it is crucially important that I keep God and my family front and center.  One way or another I WILL survive until April!

 

 

All right, so I am officially focusing my product in.  Right now I am working on emptying out my Etsy Store of the current contents, and I will produce no more random colorways that aren't custom orders unless I am sufficiently stocked up on my other stuff :)

 

The new line will be named Helena's Garden, and will consist of 15 handpainted colorways for Spring/Summer '09, from the stylized, fresh colors of a garden patch with vegetables, herbs, and berries.

 

These colorways will be available, stock, in five yarns and three rovings, but can be custom ordered for any protein fiber.  My aim is to build up to full shop stock of each color in each fiber, but that will take some time.  Still, this is definitely a line I have wanted to do for awhile and I don't see much of a need to wait on it.

 

Here's a tentative list of the five yarns that will be available, with website details (and pictures) finalized by mid-March, with any luck:

 

1. Bulky Single - 85/15 Wool/Mohair (yarn name: Arnica)

2. Worsted weight - 100% Merino (yarn name: Fireweed)

3. Sport weight - 100% Merino (yarn name: Lupine) 

4. Sock Weight - 75/25 Merino/Nylon (yarn name: Larkspur)

5.  Lace weight -  100% Merino (yarn name: Spiraea) 

 

 

And the basic Rovings:

 

1.  Bluefaced Leicester (fiber name:  Yukon)

2.  Merino Top (fiber name: Kuskokwim)

3.  Wensleydale (fiber name: Tanana)

 

 

I think that is a solid basic range, it has something for just about every common application and should give people plenty of options within a colorway.  Eight different fiber/yarn options plus fifteen colorways?  I would think that 120 standard choices would be more than enough for just about anyone, and since they'd be available on ANY fiber or yarn with just a slightly higher custom charge... well, it's pretty ambitious, but very doable as long as I build up slowly. Though I plan on installing a selectable color wheel/palette in the near future, so my custom orders can more easily convey which shades they desire, for the time being I think I'll stick with the good old wiki list for describing shade names, as much as possible.  It's a common point of reference that makes understanding the colorways a bit easier.

 

 

The tentative colorways are as follows:

 

1. Heirloom Carrot: Cream, Maize, Orange Peel dominant. Pumpkin, Cordovan accent.

 

2. Heritage Tomato:   Persimmon, Venetian Red, Burnt Orange dominant.  Olive accent.

 

3. Redleaf Lettuce: Forest Green, Kelly Green dominant.  Army Green, Falu Red accent.

 

4. Aubergine:  Eggplant, Maroon dominant. Purple, Fern Green accent.

 

5. Chive Blossom: Forest Green, Tea Green dominant. Heliotrope, Fuchsia accent.

 

6. Crisp Celery: Pale Forest Green dominant.  Tea Green, Kelly Green accent.

 

7. Potato Harvest: Raw Umber, Brown dominant. Eggplant, Amaranth accent.

 

8. Cherry Belle Radish:  Burgundy, Crimson dominant. Cream, Yellow Green accent.

 

9. Harvest Squash: Golden Yellow, Amber, Pumpkin dominant. Olive, Rust accent.

 

10. Rhubarb:  Burgundy, Carnelian dominant. Kelly Green accent.

 

11. Collard Greens (colorway formerly known as Grass Stain):  Forest Green, Kelly Green dominant. Olive Drab accent.

 

12. Blueberry: Indigo, Amethyst dominant.  Purple accent.

 

13. Salmonberry: Amber, Amaranth dominant.  Crimson accent.

 

14.  Boysenberry: Carmine, Red Violet Dominant.  Cool Brown accent.

 

15. Arctic Raspberry: Ruby, Cardinal dominant.  Red Violet accent.

 

 

 

 

This is tentative, and the online color references are definitely approximations, as I will tune each shade with a common undertone so they relate to one another more, visually.  These are meant to be interesting, but harmonious overall... and that comes from the visual balance of the proportions of color, more than the colors, themselves. I am excited to get these swatches up and show them off, but it will be a slow process.

 

This is a very warm line, overall... though the color references may not reflect it, not a single one of these colorways truly falls on the cool side of the spectrum. Helena's Garden was truly meant to be red/green, with yellows, browns, and purples as accents. The range is crisp and deeply pigmented but still earthy... so there will be a lot of interplay with complimentaries to mute each shade.

 

 

This is just a rough estimation to build off of, and I am fully expecting to yank one or two of these colorways and exchange something that rounds the range out a bit better, and maybe dress up the names a bit to sate my creative bent, but the overall theme will remain fairly strong.  I do have a cooler, more whimsical line in mind but I won't release it until at least August, unless something changes.  So blues will have to be a custom request for the time being!

 

 

 

 

As for what I am doing right now - I just got in three orders to fill and am sending a custom order out the door tomorrow morning.  And yes, I really should get to bed sometime soon, as well!

 

Well I'm busy and exhausted, but here to give a tiny update (and it WILL be tiny!).

 

First off, the new look is a work in progress, as Peter has limited computer time, but I am changing the banner and the front page look, at the very least.

 

Working feverishly to have the samples done for the Phat Fiber Box and mailed out by Tuesday at the latest.  Today was busier than it was supposed to be, so less got finished than I wanted.  I also have to strong-arm Peter into completing a button for me as well, to go with the lovely new banner, and find three pictures of my stuff and write up a little blurb about me and what I do.  It's valuable advertising for the box, but a HUGE scramble.  I got notified of the box fairly late in the month, and have to get all this stuff together for the first time.  Once things like the blurb an graphics for advertising are submitted the samples will be easy, and I'll have a month to spread them out and work on them, if need be.  But right now it is cram central.

 

More important than the samples, even, is the custom order I am working on.  I am coming up with an official master colorway for Grass Stain, which despite being slow to sell has been my most popular colorway, in addition to another completely custom colorway that has to be out my door by January 27th.

 

This would normally not be a problem, except for the fact that the Wensleydale was backordered and arrived on Thursday night, and I've been ridiculously busy with business, family, and church obligations since then.  I am VERY picky about having my custom colorways be as perfect and close to the ideal of the recipient as they can possibly be, so it takes a lot of swatching and time before I am happy enough with my color palette to dye up the final product.  Add in the prep time, dyeing and steaming, finishing process and the dry time?  It's a good three days of work, at the bare minimum.  So I have a lot going right now, and it seems like time is rather short to do it all.

 

To go with the samples and this colorway I am *trying* to formulate a new label set and business card, but it's trickier than it looks.  Either way, BLAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!  Too much to do, and getting busier!

 

Oh, and I have to start worrying about the trip down for Erica's wedding, on top of all of this.  It's just over three weeks away, ALREADY!  So planning, packing, coordinating reservations and where I'll be staying and praying to the Lord that Lilah doesn't start melting down from stress and exhaustion by day three (and me right alongside her) is what I am currently occupying myself with.

 

 

It will all come together one way or another.  In the meantime I'm only going a little nuts (but amazingly, the house is still looking pretty clean if you don't take a white glove to it.  Little victories and all that jazz).

A lot to blog about today.  I'll start with my newest item in the shop, which is up there with Merlot Sock Yarn on my Absolute Favorite Colorways list.

 

 

I was also flattered that Berry Berry Quite Contrary yarn was featured in a lovely Valentines Treasury on Etsy.  Treasuries are temporary showcases of items, usually based on a theme (color, more often than not and certainly in this case).  They do expire within two days, if I recall, so check it out while it is still up.  Browsing Treasuries is tons of fun and a great way to see a smattering of the talent on Etsy.

Valentine's Etsy Treasury

 

 

And finally, onto the yarn samples for the Phat Fiber box.

 

Here is what I am working with for samples, I am planning to send at least 60.

 

 

On the right is Merino Worsted Weight yarn, middle is 8 oz. Coopworth Roving, and the right is 16 oz. Corriedale Pencil Roving.  I may or may not use the coopworth as I think I will get enough decent sized samples from the yarn and Pencil Roving.  We'll see

 

 

 

Onto the yarn - here are the samples I have been talking about in previous posts:

 

 

On the right of this picture, along with my chickenscrawl dye notes, are the original samples of yarn colors (which I absolutely adored) that were done in a dish of dye, in the microwave, and yielded shades far darker than the actual result.  On the right were the samples I handpaintedand microwaved, yielding much more pale results.  I love the intensity of the first samples, but the latter are just too washed out for my tastes.  Those shades don't lend themselves well to lower intensity colors.

 

But my microwaving handpainting WAS successful, as you can see by the second set of samples held up next to the finished skein (samples were created after the skein was done):

 

 

I was holding up the lightest pink, darker pink, and the brown.  The red and darker pink weren't in the frame, but the brown and pale pink was.  As you can see they blend right in, so obviously handpainting on the skein and handpainting the samples DO yield the same approximate amount of dye on the fiber.  I doubt the samples are as washfast, but the colors are correct and that is all that matters....

 

Or does it?

 

In this case, is doesn't matter beyond intellectual curiosity, because at least on THIS project I decided I was so unhappy with the original strike that I said screw it and overdyed the whole thing with the darker pink shade.  Because it was kettle dyed for the overdye that pink yielded a shade closer to its darker sample.

 

 

I am a great deal happier with this skein.  It is a muted, romantic raspberry with subtle highlights and lowlights - not as flashy and contrasted as the original was intended to be, but equally beautiful (if not moreso) in its own way.  I am proud to send this out as samples, since overdyeing is a specialty of mine.

 

As for the sampling experimentation, I am still definitely using it and it turned out wonderfully for the pencil roving, which I dyed in a water bath (in the microwave, actually!) and they yielded as I had originally predicted.  Details of that adventure and maybe a microwave dyeing tutorial will be coming soon.

 

 

 

On a slightly different (though not unrelated) note, one thing I have been pondering is trying to control the bleeding on my handpainteds.  I need to use a greater concentration of dye, but it tends to end up splotchy as the dye sticks to the top layer of fiber but the water runs off.  I also need a method that doesn't bleed as much, especially on the bottom layer, for custom orders with specific color delineations.  I actually have one right now, for the Grass Stain colorway, as well as for a Red/Teal/Black colorway, that needs to be blocky and crisp.

 

My solution for this is thickening my dyes, so that they adhere to the fiber and hold the color there longer, without running off.  The thickener I will try is the standard - sodium alginate.  It's slightly brown and smells a bit musty/fishy, because it's made from algae (as if the name didn't give that one away), but it is economical, easy to control and thin down, and the dyes don't have to be heated for it to thicken and work.  It also keeps very well.

 

I'll be playing around with it thickened this afternoon and report back my results, but I think it will greatly improve my handpainting because the consistency of the dyes WILL be more like paint.  Several of my dyeing texts recommend thickening the dye for that type of hand application and having tried it without I think I can see why.  It will likely make the colors more intense and easier to control, and I am hoping it can make my application of dye less runny but with better penetration because of the viscosity.

 

We'll see.  When I know, you'll know :)

As predicted, my dye strike was much less intense of a shade than my samples, and there is science behind why - Dye ratios are calculated based on the attraction of the dye molecules to the fiber - it is a constant rate, dependent upon the volume of water to fiber to auxiliaries used with the dye. The less fiber that is in the water, the more dye molecules can adhere to each strand - in the same volume of water and dye 1 gram of wool will  take a much more intense strike of dye than 10 grams of wool.  The same chemical reaction is happening, but the results are concentrated in a much smaller area.

 

When I was microwaving samples I had a very small amount of fiber in a large amount of free dye, thus getting very intense results.  That ratio was the same as my kettly dyeing, so the sample was representative of those results because roughly the same volume worth of each material was present.

 

Handpainting, on the other hand, is spreading dye molecules onto the fiber - they aren't free-floating and attracting on their own, but being dispersed.  So if I am dispersing 10 ml. of dye solution directly onto the fiber (which, for simplicity's sake, we'll say is 20 grams of fiber by weight) I am going to have much morer pale results than 10 ml. of dye solution for 3 grams of fiber, which is closer to what the ratio is for kettle dye.  I believe "EUREKA!" was the first thought that popped into my head upon realizing this.

 

Thus, because of the volume of fiber I am using that quantity of dye on, I need a much more concentrated dye solution to yield the same results as kettle dyeing.  I need to figure out approximately how many dye molecules more attract to the fiber in free water vs. direct application, and based on my results I am hazarding the amount to be nearly triple.

 

So my next experiment will involve making the exact same dye colors as my first lot, but at three times the depth of shade.  I am guessing this to be the case because in my first dyeing I had two strengths of the same Fuschia/Brown/Cherry mix, but one was 1% DOS (depth of shade) and one was 3% DOS.  The 3% DOS on the yarn turned out to be nearly identical to the 1% DOS sample I worked up, which was supposed to be my most pale color.  Thus, that is my new baseline for what I want my most pale shade to be. The difficulty with this is that not all dye strikes at the same intensity, and there is an upper limit to how much dye a certain fiber will take (it's veeery high, fortunately) so this will be trial and error.  But each mix I try I will record the results of, as usual, and that should help me establish my approximate desired color value for each shade.

 

 

Ah, mad science :)

 

I will also be handpainting my samples instead of kettle dyeing them, and that should give me an approximation to the color I want.  Fortunately for me I have a finished skein and dye leftover, so I will dye new samples with that same base dye and use the handpainting/nuker method, and if those match the result of the finished skein I will know I have found an accurate, fast sample method that works with this particular dye application.

I said I'd do it and here it is, the handpainting yarn tutorial.  It's not as exhaustive and minutia-geared as the first, more of an overview of how the process differs.  But it's an interesting comparison and who knows, this may prompt someone to give it a shot and if that is the case I am more than happy to type it up. My apologies for any typos I may have missed - my new test editor doesn't spellcheck and Firefox isn't highlighting either, so I am trying to catch them manually and may have missed a few.

 

 

 

Materials:

- Yarn of some sort, this tutorial is written with a wool yarn blank in mind, but any protein fiber (wool, alpaca, mohair, silk, etc etc) will do.  It can even be a skein that is already dyed, and that makes very interesting effects.

- Protein Fiber dye of your choice - I'd recommend food coloring, easter egg dye, koolaid, or professional acid dyes.  I used Jacquard Acid Dyes

- White Vinegar, to use with your acid dyes

- Cups and bowls to mix your dye colors in, squirt bottle work well too

- A vegetable steamer basket and lidded pot that will NOT be used for food

- Foam brushes

- a sink and counter space clear of any food or food preparation items

- paper towels for blotting and cleaning up spills

- wire whisk, if needed, for mixing your dyes

- latex or rubber gloves, if you don't want colored hands

- Synthrapol or Castille Soap, to use as a wetting agent

- Eucalan Wool Wash

 

 

Step 1:  We start with soaking the yarn in the sink with a few drops of synthrapol for wetting and lifting and grime or grease from the wool. Yarn can still definitely felt if agitated too much or exposed to drastic temperature changes, but compared to the handling of the pencil roving this is cake.  GENTLY push the yarn down in the water and swish it around a little to get out all the air and thoroughly wet.  Leave it for at least an hour - yarn is more difficult to evenly wet that roving, due to the fibers being closer together.

 

 

Remember, the water must be cool to lukewarm.  NO DRASTIC TEMPERATURE CHANGES AT ANY TIME!

 

 

 

Step 2: Drain the water and squeeze out as much moisture from the yarn as you can, with your hands.  You can even GENTLY wring the skein, but that is taking a bit of a risk with fulling/felting.  A plastic salad spinner comes in VERY handy for draining excess water from the skein, but it is absolutely not necessary.

 

Unroll 3 ft. or so of plastic wrap on the counter and spread your skein out.  You want it orderly, but take care to truly fan out the skein as much as possible, so it is laying as flat as it can.  The thicker the skein is the more difficult it becomes to make dye penetrate, so flattening and spreading it will aid that process immensely.

 

 

This would also be a great time to get your dye mixed up on another counter, and grab those foam applicators and squeeze bottles.

 

 

 

Step 3: Apply the dye!  This is more difficult with yarn than roving, simply because the dye molecules want to bind to the top layer of fiber and not penetrate through.  This is also why I prefer a foam brush from application, because the dabbing/pushing motion helps the dye penetrate.  You end up using much less dye AND get a more even color, so it's a win/win.

 

Remember you arenot using painting/sweeping motions, but pressing and dabbing.  The more pressure you apply the better your penetration will be.

 

 

Tip:  It is a good idea to label your foam applicators with the general color family used.  No matter how well you rinse them out the foam will always hold traces of dye - especially when dealing with darker shades like red and black, it is a good idea to keep the same brush with the same dye color family to prevent accidental staining of your yarn.  A sharpie to the handle works quite nicely for labeling.

 

Be sure to lift your yarn up on occasion and check that the dye is penetrating to the underside of the work.  If it is not, gently fold it over or flip the skein onto a clean spread of plastic wrap and apply dye to the back side as well, so you don't get unintended white space.

 

 

 

Step 4:  When you are finished applying dye, let the skein cure on the counter for at least 15 minutes, to slow/prevent bleeding.

 

 

Though not strictly necessary, good latex or rubber gloves are recommended to avoid socially unacceptable rainbow fingers.  I, personally, find they get in the way most of the time, so I just invest in a good stock of Reduran (which is a hand cream that lifts dye) and chase little children with my frightening fingers.  It's all quite amusing, but not the best idea if your day job includes business attire, food service, or anything involving individuals without a strong sense of humor.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Wrap your skein up as detailed in the previous tutorial. Fill your dye steaming pot, close the lid, and turn it to a boil.

 

 

Once it starts boiling, turn it down to the lowest setting and set your timer for 30 minutes.  Once time is up, turn off the heat and leave the skein as long as humanly possible to cool - overnight is best.  Yarn, more than roving, can tend to have dye adherence issues and so the more time it cools naturally the better off you are.

 

 

 

Step 6: Rinse skein in Synthrapol or a clear water bath as detailed in the previous tutorial.  Be careful with agitation and keep the temperature within 20 degrees of the temperature of the yarn or you'll be a sad panda.

 

The hand of the final yarn is important, so unlike roving where a Eucalan rinse is optional, I really feel it is necessary for any yarn to get a good, gentle Eucalan washing and regain some softness and suppleness.  The chemical agents in the dye can leave yarn feeling quite squeaky and rough, and especially if you're giving it as a gift or selling it you want people to recognize the real feel of the fiber, not the stripped feeling of the dye.  So Eucalan or else!

 

 

 

Step 7: Squeeze or salad spin out as much water as possible.  Double up a throwaway bath towel and arrange your yarn on it.  Proceed to get out as much additional water as you can - I honestly find that folding another towel on top of the yarn and stepping on it thoroughly works best, but your mileage may vary.

 

Once the yarn has been towel dried, hang it up by any method you prefer, give it a few days to dry and voila!  Beautiful handpainted yarn, with a lot less hyperventilating and fuss than the same technique used on roving.  Take copious pictures, show all your friends, and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

(PS:  The Geranium Sock Yarn is now up for sale, with Melaleuca following tomorrow.)

 

Misty Morning is a soft, shaded pencil roving in Dove Gray, foggy Sky Blue, the palest Lavender and a hazy Midnight Blue.

 

Melaleuca yarn is Sage, Mint Green, Moss Brown, and a green-tinged Cream.

 

Geranium is bright Lavendar and Orchid Pink, Cornflower  and Sapphire Blue.

 

Neapolitan is soft Beige, Cream, Chocolate Mousse, and Baby Pink.

 

 

All these will be up for sale in the coming days.  Enjoy!

It's quite late so I'll make this quick, but I did another (larger) batch of pencil roving in beautiful soft, misty colors, as well as this great subtle green skein that I need to post pictures of later today.

 

I actually took a few shots of the dyeing action and I am planning on showing a brief little tutorial on handpainting yarn - it's more simple than pencil roving in a sense, but very similar overall, and it presents a few unique challenges in the form of dye penetration issues.

 

Either way, I have been a busy little bee this weekend and there is a lot of lovely color resulting.  I am working, specifically on four objective for the next month or so:

 

 

 

1.  More muted, shaded colors.  I work in a lot of varied shades, but most are still very much in within the spectrum of the primary-tertiary basic color wheel.  I do introduce muting complimentary colors into my mixes to give them some interest, but not to the level of giving visible off-shades... so I am going to work to produce some solid burnt oranges, olive greens, fabulous teals, rusts, aubergine, and tarnished gold.

 

 

 

2.  More pastels.  You'll see this demonstrated in the upcoming fibers I am displaying - but I am going to work on varying soft color palettes and see how I like them.  The Pencil Roving in Neapolitan, that was featured in the tutorial, is actually some of the first truly pale colors I have worked with.  I often start out with pale and then overdye dark, but this will be an interesting challenge.  Believe it or not truly pale shades I am finding are some of the hardest to dye.

 

The dye molecules want to adhere to the first fiber they touch - especially in handpainting - and not disperse evenly. So the top of the fiber will hold a good hint of color but the bottom often tries to remain pale, or it streaks.  Extremely dark colors, like on the Merlot Sock yarn (which sold in three days, I am so proud of that one!), are also quite difficult.  It's easier with kettle dyeing, but both are still more challenging than good midtones.  So they are also on the agenda - look for softer colors this spring.

 

 

 

3.  Standard Colorways.  I love experimentation, it is part of what makes fiber arts, as a broad genre, so satisfying.  But there is a value in having a set of reproducible colorways in several different weights of yarn - and that value comes in saving time for me (with predictable results and dye recipes that have already been tested) and a lot more versatility for the customer in being able to find exactly what they want in a weight they want to work with.  It takes more time to devise a standard colorway than random results, because more exacting calculations and application methods are required, but in the long run it is beneficial to have.

 

 

 

4.  Expanded, more uniform stock.  The first three objective will culminate into this - a good stock selection of colors and weights of yarn for people to choose from, in addition to the one-of-a-kind art yarns that I love so dearly.  I am going to test what works and what doesn't over the range of the color palette and the results from that will be what I use to create an actual line of yarns.  Consistency is the key to expansion, and I'd really like to have a stock of yarn and roving that people can depend on for a particular look, in addition to the fun stuff.

 

 

 

 

We'll see how this goes but I am fairly confident I can come up with at least eight standard colorways to reproduce more broadly.  Eight solid selections is my goal by my birthday, anyway, so I have a good four months of tinkering to achieve that end.  From there, dyeing like mad to build up some better backstock in the store is my next milestone.

 

The only difficulty I can foresee is wanting to expand my business farther than what my other obligations would permit.  I am already finding myself more reluctant to have new little babies crawling around because I have much less time to work on my hobbies and business with really small children, and I know I plan to homeschool down the road and a really busy work schedule is fairly incompatible with my household and marital responsibilities.

 

Peter and I have discussed this in length over the course of our relationship and we both agreed that me not working outside the home was an important thing in our family dynamic, and he works very hard so that I can stay home and take care of the house and kids.  But while I know he doesn't begrudge me working from home in something I really enjoy that all goes with the understanding that it not become some behemoth burden in its own right before I have the time to dedicate to it at that level.

 

I am actually a bit at odds with all of this right now.  The next step is becoming more disciplined with my waking up and going to bed so I have some hours to do this each morning (yes, that would mean I couldn't make 2:45 am blog posts like this anymore, nor could I sleep in as long as the kids sleep) and it is a change I need to make sooner than later, but I am regularly evaluating nor only my personal goals for this business, but how they work with my long-term goals for my family.

 

We are not actively trying to conceive our next baby for a few years, more out of financial planning than personal luxury, and that only complicates my business planning because I DO have plenty of time for the time being, to expand and grow Aurora Fiber Arts.  But I am trying to do everything I do for this business in the light of ALL my hopes and dreams, not just the fibery ones.

 

We'll see how it all pans out, either way.  But with a nice, steady stream of business right now and feasible plans for some small expansion of the product in the near future, my 'problems' are turning out to be quite pleasant, indeed.

 

 

 

 

And this post was by no means as short as I intended.  Go figure.

 

It's just what it sounds like, folks.  The method I was testing in the previous entry worked WONDERFULLY, and I ended up with an intact, completely unfelted and beautiful colorway in the Pencil Roving.  It will work up wonderfully and wasn't actually all that difficult - it just involved being careful with the movement of the fiber.  And since I scoured the internet and could find no tutorial of this kind I decided to do my own, complete with (bad) pictures.  So here we go!

 

 

 

Supplies:

 

- Corriedale Pencil Roving

- Protein Fiber dye of your choice - I'd recommend food coloring, easter egg dye, koolaid, or professional acid dyes.  I used Jacquard Acid Dyes

- White Vinegar, to use with your acid dyes

- Large pyrex bowl

- Cups and bowls to mix your dye colors in, squirt bottle work well too

- A vegetable steamer basket and lidded pot that will NOT be used for food

- Foam brushes

- a sink and counter space clear of any food or food preparation items

- paper towels for blotting and cleaning up spills

- wire whisk, if needed, for mixing your dyes

- latex or rubber gloves, if you don't want colored hands

- Synthrapol or Castille Soap, to use as a wetting agent

- Eucalan Wool Wash (optional)

 

Step 1: Unravel about two oz. of Corriedale pencil Roving and coil it as neatly as you can in your pyrex bowl.  You want the to coil it in layers so that it can be lifted out of the bowl without any tangles or snags. Hang the end of the roving on the edge of the bowl so you don't lose it in the mass of fiber.

 

 

 

Step 2: Take on of your spare cups and add two drops of Synthrapol or Castille soap and fill with cool water (no colder than 50 degrees, no warmer than 80 degrees, otherwise you risk felting.

 

Pour gently and slowly into the bowl of coiled fiber, so that it does not have the chance to agitate and felt the fiber.  I like to put my hand below the water stream so that it just trickles over my hand onto the fiber, instead of trying to pour it directly on the roving.  You want your roving well covered by the water, but not floating freely enough to tangle.

 

 

 

Step 3: Let roving soak for no less than 30 minutes, so it is thoroughly and evenly wet. Use this time to mix up your dyes in the desired shades and concentrations.  Generally speaking you should not use more than three color families of dye on your fiber, otherwise the colors become muddy.  Mix your dyes as directed for use on wool, and there are many tutorials online for this. Beyond that, be a mad scientist and have fun!  Set your dyes out of the way until the time comes for dyeing, so there are no accidents or spills.

 

 

Step 4: Press your hand into the center of it and gently tip the bowl into the sink, so that the water can run off and the roving stays put under your hand.  Press down as much as you can to expel the majority of the water from the roving, set aside.

 

 

Lay out a length of plastic wrap about 3 feet long on the counter top - this will be what you arrange the roving on for dyeing.

 

 

Step 5:  Place your bowl of drained roving next to your plastic wrap and GENTLY uncoil the roving.  Lay it in a zigzagging, orderly strip on the top end of your plastic wrap, and work your way down.  The trick to keeping the pencil roving from stretching apart and breaking when you lift it out of the bowl is to uncoil a length, then align it on your plastic wrap.

 

 

Don't just yank upward out of the bowl, because the weight of the water and the grip of the other fiber will make your roving difficult to extract and more likely to attenuate apart.  When you are working think "no tension, no tension, gentle!" as you are moving the roving.  Do not rub or abrade it against itself if at all possible, because you don't want it to felt and become impossible to spin.

 

As you go along you can gently bunch the roving on the plastic wrap so that it is touching itself, as this will make it easier to spread the dye.

 

 

 

Step 6:  Once your roving is down on the plastic wrap, take paper towels and gently blot out any excess moisture.  You want the roving to be barely moist.

 

 

The reason the fiber was initially soaked is so that it is evenly wet, which helps the dye apply without bubble and streaking, but too much water pooling under the roving when you are working with it will cause the dye to run and muddy up.

 

 

Step 7:  Apply dye!  Have fun with it, you can either do it in a blocky and organized fashion,or go mad with the squirt bottles.  I prefer to apply the dye with the foam brushed and dab it on.  Lift the roving every once in awhile to make sure the dye is penetrating the underside of the fiber.  If you color every inch of it the fiber will spin up with bold, undilute colors, and if you leave a lot of white space your finished yarn will be softer and more pastel, even with very strong dyes.  It's up to you, experiment and have fun!

 

 

The one thing to remember is that you want to apply your color with as little excess water as possible, to keep running to a minimum. I will sometimes lift up the roving and use some paper towels to wick up excess water as needed, but it is up to you.

 

Leave your roving on the counter for another 15 minutes or so, to cure and set the colors where they have been placed (this lessens the chance of severe color running when steamed).

 

 

Step 8: Wrap up your roving in the plastic.  I take the top and bottom edge and wrap it over the center of the roving, forming a tube, and then roll it up from one edge to the other, so it looks a little like a cinnamon roll.  I then take another two feet of plastic or so and wrap this roll securely so the ends don't come undone.

 

Fill your pot with about an inch of water and place the steamer inside.  You do NOT want water coming up through the steamer, but you don't want to burn dry either, so adjust as needed.  Place your plastic roll of roving in the steamer basket and close the lid.

 

 

 

Step 9: Turn on the burner to high and listen for the water boiling.  Try to remove the lid as few times as possible throughout the steaming process, so less steam will escape. Once you hear boiling turn the burner to the lowest simmer setting and set a timer for 30 minutes.  Sit tight and wait, and add water if you notice large amounts of steam escaping under the lid.

 

Steaming sets the color of the yarn and the heat acts as a catalyst to bond the dye molecules to the fiber, with acid (vinegar) as a chemical assist.  If you do not steam set your colors they will run, bleed, and fade significantly.  Steamsetting with make them colorfast and washfast, keeping them bright and beautiful.

 

 

Step 10: When the timer goes off remove the pot from heat.  I STRONGLY advise letting it sit to coil naturally, overnight, because the colors adhere to the fiber better and there is less of a risk of burning.  But if you're terribly impatient give it two hours to cool and then CAREFULLY remove your roll and leave it on the counter to cool the rest of the way.

 

 

Step 11:  When the fiber is cooled and ready, unwrapthe outer plastic, uncoil the inner roll, and slit open the first layer of plastic wrap to expose your steamed, completed roving.

 

 

Find the end of your roving, which should be on the bottom right corner if you coiled from the upper left initially, and recoil it in your pyrex bowl for its rinse.  I coil it up the same way I did to soak it, in orderly layers from bottom to top.  Handle gently, please, you don't want to felt it now!

 

 

Step 12:  Mix up a 1/4 teaspoon of Synthrapol for every 1/2 gallon of water used for the rinse - if you do not have synthrapol then just use plain water, no detergents.  You want your water temperature to be the temperature of the roving... so if your roving is still a bit warm do NOT add cold water, and if your roving is cold do NOT add warm water.  This is the stage where felting is MOST common, so take care that your water temperature is the same as the temp. of your yarn and that you do not rub or agitate the roving while it soaks. Many tears will result if you do!

 

 

Do one rinse with Synthrapol and then one or two more rinses with water, draining and refilling as outlined back in Step 2.  Usually that is enough, but if you used very strong or dark colors rinse until the water runs clear or mostly clear.

 

 

Step 13: Once your roving is rinsed, and drained, lay out on a towel until most of the water is absorbed (about one hour) and then hange somewhere to dry. Reeled over a chopstick and hung between cabinets works great in a pinch.

 

 

 

Step 14:  When the roving is bone dry, which depending on your climate can be anywhere from 1-3 days, coil it up and you're done!

 

 

It can be spun up into very fine singles, as it is predrafted nice and narrowly, or it can be knit as a bulky yarn, at around 6 WPI.  It is up to you, the sky is the limit.

 

 

Enjoy!  

 

So I have had a particular set of rovings for about three years now, and been afraid to do anything with them.

 

What is this roving, you ask?  Corriedale, a beginner's fiber.

 

What is so scary about it, then?  Well, because it's veeeery very thin.  It's about 6 WPI, and most roving is 1 wrap per TWO inches.  This stuff can be knit up as is, or spun as is, or any other attenuation.

 

So why is this so bad?  Well, it's BAD because to dye it you must get it wet, and when you get roving wet the fibers expand and swell, and properly wetted roving is like a cloud in the water.  As we saw in Peachy Keen, the roving can sometimes attenuate apart just by the weight of the water when you try to pick it up, but to properly dye the fiber it MUST be saturated.  Now, I can barely unravel this stuff from its ball to wet it, let alone pick it up out of water.

 

So my project right now is trying different ways to handle the corriedale pencil roving and get it to behave and actually dye up, because it is WONDERFUL stuff to work with when it's behaving. I know it can be handled and dyed, but I am not sure how aside from being SUPER gentle.

 

My first experiment will be to not wet it in the utility sink, as I do with most fibers, but wet it in a bowl that I can gently drain the water from without lifting it up, so it can condense and regain some strength and continuity.  I will also coil it VERY carefully so I don't have to put pressure on it in trying to unravel the snarl, as I think the free-floating nature of the bigger bath was the biggest issue.

 

I shall report back in with pictures later on!

Just to limit any confusion, any custom or wholesale order inquiries have been detailed in this site's FAQ and can be made through the 'Contact' link on this website.

I added a new FAQ this evening outlining the fibers I can acquire and work with for custom dyeing and spinning. Here's the list for anyone interested:

 

 

Animal Fiber :: Alpaca :: Alpaca Blends :: Angora :: Bison :: Blue Face Leicester :: Camel :: Cashgora :: Cashmere :: Coopworth :: Corriedale :: Corriedale Pencil Roving :: Finn :: Gotland :: Guanaco (limited availability) :: Icelandic :: Herdwick :: Karakul :: Jacob :: Lincoln :: Llama :: Masham :: Merino :: Merino Blends :: Superwash Merino :: Mohair :: Norwegian :: Possum :: Qiviut (limited availability) :: Romney :: Shetland :: Swalesdale :: Targhee :: Vicuna (limited availability) :: Welsh :: Wensleydale :: Yak ::

Plant Fiber :: Bamboo :: Pima and Acala Cotton :: Flax :: Hemp :: Ingeo (Corn) :: Milk Protein :: SoySilk :: Various Blends ::

Silk Fiber :: Bombyx and Blends :: Mulberry :: Tussah :: Silk Hankies, Caps, and Cocoons ::

On a side note, something I have been pondering of late.

I am discovering that I truly have more of a love for tone on tone skeins as opposed to contrasting, loud colorways. I have a real affinity for shades that have a united hue, like a skein with five shades of pink, as opposed to a skein with pink, purple, orange, and green. I am a bit more variegated with my roving, but I am thinking of adopting semisolids and single-color-multi-shaded yarn as my signature, and I'll leave the contrasting work to other dyers.

So many handpainted yarns look beautiful in the skein but clash or go muddy when worked up, and I really think I am leaning strongly towards yarns that a bit more harmonious. I love beautiful yarns but I like to show off my stitches more than the colors, and stronger colorways can compete with many stitch patterns and make them look busy or lost, and I really want my handpainted yarn to highlight the work more than dominate it. So I am contemplating making an executive decision and keeping the things out of my dyepot beautifully colored, but more subtle tonal work and see how that works out in terms of sales.

Anyone have any thoughts up or down with that? I know what I think of my own work, but I am not the one buying it :)

Well, I did finally finish the new mittens for Callie about two weeks ago, I'd say they took maybe eight hours to complete in all, which includes frogging the first one three times. It's some discontinued colorway of Lorna's Laces in Shepard Worsted weight, and they turned out GREAT!

They're made in a 2-4 year old size so they're still a bit long on her, and when we tried them on indoors she started getting mad and shaking her hands, but when she has them on outside she forgets about how annoying they are, since cold hands are much worse. Cold fingers make her not want to play in the snow, so the mittens are a necessarily evil foisted upon her by mommy.

The dyepot has also been busy, with lots of lovely yarn and a few rovings updated in the galleries. They turned out great and sales have been nicely busy lately. The house has been a tad neglected, but fortunately with Peter home for a VERY long Christmas weekend I can get some deeper cleaning done than just straightening up!

Here's a preview of some new creations in the galleries and currently for sale:

Happy shopping!

Do the kids know something we don't? You be the judge!

Scary Santas

I have to gush here about my little girls for a moment - they're beautiful, and smart, and among the biggest blessings in my life aside from my husband and my Savior. They do cute things, and gross things, and lots of things only a mother could love.

They're getting bigger, and we're documenting the whole thing ridiculously. New pictures are posted on both their websites, so go enjoy the sproglets!

Callie's Little Site Lilah's Little Site

Go forth and ogle. Get your kid fix. Remind me how cute they are when I'm *this* close to tossing them out the nearest window into a snowbank and they're playing in their poop in the crib. They're cuter from a distance than in the trenches, I promise!

To anyone who emailed me through this site I must give my apologies, we had a database error of sorts and the mail would not go through. It was something we couldn't really see on our end, so it went unfixed for about a month! A customer did notify me of what was going on and I am pleased to say it is fixed now and works perfectly.

Please resend anything important that would not go through and I look forward to hearing from all of you. This website is a work in progress so if there is something you would like to see or think would improve upon your experience here please let me know!

One more custom order down, I figured I'd share. I made two skeins for the customer in varying depths of shade and coverage of the skeins. She wanted baby green and yellow merino wool to knit longies out of. For those who don't know what longies are, they're pants-style diaper covers to use over prefolds in cloth diapering, and very absorbent. Merino, especially holds a great deal of moisture without feeling wet, and is soft as well as warm.

I wanted to give her exactly the skein she pictured, so after several trial skeins I came up with these (ignore the sock yarn next to them, that was not finished at the time and is now overdyed with deep turquoise):

The one on the far left is actually more dyed than it looks, the bulk of the plain field just happened to be in the front. The on the right was overdyed with a very pale mint green (similar to the wall color, actually) and the yellow and green on the skein is in stronger dilutions, but it is hard to tell. They are different and will work up differently, but once I reskeined the hanks they looked remarkably similar. This is what I sent to the customer for her to choose from. The one she does not pick will end up in my store, or she may buy them both - it's her choice but I wanted to give her some options so she is happy with her order in case one skein was not to her tastes.

The softer, more pale skein:

The stronger color scheme with the mint overdye:

I am quite happy with them, and I cannot wait to see a cute little newborn bum covered in the longies made from this!

... Please ponder this grammatically butchered beauty. I am still trying to figure out exactly what words the author was feebly grasping at.

"You're going to bring the death of her with your egotisticic blatantly!"

I cringe as I laugh. Especially since this is an adult born and raised in the USA. Perhaps that was the problem...?

As in "terrible but addicting", that is.

Sometimes the simple concepts are the best. Come and waste time with me - my highest score is 388.2

You know you always wanted to smack the crap out of a penguin!

I can't believe I succumbed.. I never do memes, but I suppose there's a first for everything. So, without further ado, more than you EVER wanted to know about me.

100 truths

LAST:

1. last beverage→ Water

2. last phone call→ Lilah's pediatrician

3. last instant message→ Misty

4. last song you listened to → Summer Rain by Hayley Westenra

5. last time you cried → Last night

6. last text message→ Several years ago

SIX HAVE YOU EVER:

1. dated someone twice→ Yes

2. been cheated on?→ Yes

3. kissed someone & regretted it→ Yes

4. lost someone special?→ Yes

5. been depressed? → Yes

6. been drunk and threw up? → No

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLOURS:

1. Rose Pink

2. Jade Green

3. Periwinkle

THIS MONTH HAVE YOU:

1. Made a new friend → Yes

2. Fallen out of love → No

3. Laughed until you cried → Yes

4. Met someone who changed your life → No

5. Found out who your true friends were → Yes

6. Found out someone was talking about you→ Yes

7. Have you kissed anyone on your friend's list→ No

8. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life→ Depends which friends list.

9. How many kids do you want to have→ At least four more, but I'll take it one baby at a time

10. Do you have any pets → Two guinea pigs

11. Do you want to change your name → I used to, but nothing fits like my name despite how icky it is

12. What did you do for your last birthday? → Had dinner and a movie with no baby around

13. what time did you wake up today → Every hour from 5 am on, thanks to Lilah

14. What were you doing at midnight last night → Writing an invoice

15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → My hair to reach my thighs!

16. Last time you saw your father → Around Christmas

17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → My weight, hands down.

18. What are you listening to now? → The buzz of several computers

19. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Yes

23. What's getting on your nerves right now → My hormones

24. Most visited webpage → Preg.org

01. Whats your real name → Taryl

002. Nicknames → Shortie, TJ, T-Rex, Teej, T, Giggles

003. Status → Married

004. Zodiac sign → Taurus

005. Male or female → Female

006. Elementary? → Orange Glen

007. Middle School → Hidden Valley

008. Highschool → Orange Glen

010. Hair colour → Ashy Dark Blond/Light Brown... literally indiscernibly in the middle.

011. Long or short → Armpit length

015. Are you health freak → More so than much of the general population, but my laziness gets in the way.

016. Height → 5' 1.5"

017. Do you have a crush on someone → Other than my husband? No. However my little happy place is filled with animated cuties....

018: What do you like about yourself → I like that I am intelligent and friendly.

019. Piercings → That I am still maintaining? Just my four in my ears.

020. Tattoos → Nope.

021. Righty or lefty → Righty for writing, ambidextrous for many other things.

FIRSTS :

022. First surgery → I cracked my head open when I was three and had to have it stitched back up

023. First piercing → Ears

024. First best friend → Hmm... Probably Ashley

026. First sport you joined → Soccer

027. First pet → A hamster named Punkin

028. First vacation → Wow, I can't remember. Maybe a road trip through the national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite when I was five?

029. First concert → Azusa Pacific Choir and Orchestra (I think...)

030. First crush → David Bowie, from Labyrinth (the awesomeness of the music came later!)

CURRENTLY :

049. Eating --> Nothing

050. Drinking → Water

052. I'm about to → Go to bed... theoretically speaking.

053. Listening to → Computer buzzing, still

055. Waiting for → Sufficient motivation to sleep

YOUR FUTURE :

058. Want kids? More, yes. I love the two I have but I am nowhere near done.

059. Want to get married? Checked off the list already

060. Careers in mind? Loving what I am currently doing. I'd love to teach fiber arts at a college or do workshops someday, though, and truly work at it full time.

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? :

068. Lips or eyes → Eyes

069. Hugs or kisses → Kisses

070. Short or Tall → Tall

071. Older or Younger→ Older

072. Romantic or spontaneous → Romantic

073. Nice stomach or nice arms → Neither, I'd rather have a nice ass

074. Sensitive or loud → Sensitive

075. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship

077. Trouble maker or hesitant → Hesitant to a point. The older I get the more I like stability and caution, honestly. Troublemaking and unpredictability are over-rated.

HAVE YOU EVER :

078. Kissed a stranger → Yes

079. Drank hard liquor → Yes

080. Lost glasses/contacts → Not unless you count cheap Target sunglasses in my car

081. Ran away from home → Yes, briefly

084. Broken someone's heart → Yes

085. Been arrested → Yes

086. Turned someone down → Yes

087. Cried when someone died - Yes

088. Liked a girl friend → No, not beyond visceral appraisal... I am more girl than I can handle already!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

089. Yourself → When the occasion calls for it

090. Miracles → Yes

091. Love at first sight → Not deep, lasting love... that has to be cultivated and comes from familiarity. But strong attraction? Of course.

092. Heaven → Absolutely

093. Santa Claus → I don't think I ever did. If I did, I can't remember back that far.

095. Kiss on the first date → Nope, too cheap.

096. Angels → Yes, in the Biblical sense

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Right this moment, no. I am enjoying my (rare) alone time

098. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? No

099. Do you believe in God? Absolutely

100. Posting this as 100 Truths? Yes

I am keeping a gallery of the things that have been in my shop or done on commission on this site for my own reference, customer browsing, and to help in formulating new colorways, so be sure to check it out from time to time and let me know what you like and dislike.

It's been a very busy week for my dyepots! Three custom orders, continuing to bulk up and replenish store stock, and trying out some new color combos to see if they should make it to the final product. The custom orders, in particular, have been difficult but LOTS of fun. Highly magnified versions of all the images are available in the galleries.




I am doing one that is based on this skein, Berry Berry:

The problem was that the results of that particular skein are impossible to reproduce accurately, because it was overdyed from a dye job that didn't take. There was a customer who loved that colorway, but needed closer to 1300 yards of it. So the only thing to do was make a dye lot from scratch using the dyes from the overdye job, and see what came of it. Upon inquiry I discovered she wanted a more purple-toned skein, so I adjusted the percentages of each shade. it was a very labor intensive process to get tones that rich and involved several dye baths.

The first was the Strawberry/Ruby shade, which was a strong red with high acid twice over. Each skein had to be done individually in the pot because there simply wasn't enough room to double them up or do them all at once and still have the dye take evenly - that requires a pot with about 20 gallons of volume! I was meticulous in the grams of dye used, the heat, and the set time, and so even though these were technically different lots they came up visually identical, which I am pleased with. The colors took very well, but I purposely left them a little mottled in spots to retain the hand-dyed look and feel.

The second color take (third dye bath) was a bluish violet that I knew would overdye to plum. The skeins were suspended so all three could take dye at once, and only a portion of the skin was affected. The dye wicked up the yarn giving it a nice fading effect, and the dye bath was increased halfway through and the dye quantity increased so that the bottom half of that bath was a much deeper shade than the top portion.

After this was completed the skeins were handpainted on the end with the deepest grape purple, so deep it looks nearly black when not in sunlight, and it turned out brilliantly. The pictures don't do it justice.

Here are the skeins laid out awaiting the final steaming, with the un-set deep purple on the ends, in just a strong enough quantity to highlight. This is under fluorescent light so the colors aren't entirely true:

The skeins were then steamed together and left overnight to naturally cool, before being rinsed in Synthrapol to prevent bleeding and then Eucalan to restore the hand of the yarn.

The finished product in light closer to natural. The red is a bit less orange in person, but this is as close as a photograph not taken in the midday sun can get. One hank was reskeined to show color distribution:

It's in the mail and off to the customer, I certainly hope she likes it as much as I liked making it! Complex - but very fun.

Here is another custom order I was working on for an acquaintance from a parenting site I am on. This one is probably one of my all time favorites, it is just stunning in person:

It was also an extremely involved, complex colorway. First, the skein was dyed a pale, toned blue that resembled that great blue you see on old T-Birds. Then the skein was handpainted with no less than seven different blue dilutions - including teal, cornflower, indigo, royal blue, sky blue, and greyish blue in stripes. It was steamed and set, rinsed for any excess dye, and then I sat down and tried to figure out if I wanted to do more for it.

I decided I wanted to blues to be more subtle, as the skein was quite distinct and stripy by this point. I overdyed with a beautiful turquoise just slightly shaded with orange to take off the technicolor edge and make it more sophisticated and subtle. The acid and heat of the dye bath leveled some of the previous dyes, making their lines less distinct, as well as imparting a uniform overtone to unite all the shades. I treated the skein in such a way that the last dye layer took on a heathered effect, further blending and easing the strong shades in the skein. The end product was gorgeous and truly subtle, I am extremely proud of it!

The customer requested it be ballwound (I don't blame her!) and so here is the final product, with some of the shade variation more visible:

Not bad for a week's work, I'd say!

Well, only in the sense that it is too darn dark this time of the year to take decent pictures, even in full daylight!

I have new roving to list that is just gorgeous, but I am waiting on a light tent so I can properly illuminate the items for photographs and give the customers the best possible representation of the colorway they're buying. I hate not being able to list my newest creations, but I know they will be better for the wait.

I'll likely retake pictures of the things already in my shop as well, just to showcase them better.

Sales are doing very well, I am loving all the custom order requests as they really challenge my creativity and I must say it feels darn good to be in business!

In kidlet news, Lilah managed to roll over yesterday for the first time! And she did it twice, so it wasn't a fluke. I will add that to her site's updates soon, I promise. Callie's latest obsession is holding up her plate and asking for 'moe' and pointing to every light and lightswitch and saying 'uight' or some permutation on that general theme. It is super cute and so much fun to hear her communicating and putting concepts together. WOW!

... as in, "wow! Tripods are BRILLIANT!".

Peter dug his out for me because taking crisp images for my fiber was extraordinarily tough. Using no flash and closeups the shutter speed and exposure were both quite long and my hand, no matter how still it was, shook far too much for the quality of image I was looking for.

The tripod with a self-timer helped immensely, and now the last item on my list to making my pictures how I would like them is a light box, either constructed from this tutorial or one premade from here. Especially with it being winter here and overcast most days, with those days being dreadfully short, I am finding it VERY difficult to take a shot with the proper lighting I need. Even my brightest shots look dim unless the fiber is glaringly bright, and I don't want to yse direct flash because it distorts the colors.

Speaking of 'dreadfully bright' items, I have two new rovings listed in my shop, with one more drying that is a real stunner. I am happy with how both these turned out, though the Daffodil roving didn't dye up to the strength I wanted and I needed to do an overdye on the yellow sections, but I am actually very pleased with the results, if not the predictability of them. The pictures don't do it justice, it is so lovely and springy and bright, it will make a softly colored, fluffy yarn when its all said and done... perfect for a baby hat and socks combo or even a wool diaper cover.

The second yarn is a total stunner named Nightfall, and it's just lusciously vivid. Jewel toned, rich, and yet not blaring or overstated, I am almost sad to see it go but I know someone else's wheel will appreciate it much sooner than mine would! It is mainly turquoise and midnight blue with pops of fuschia and violet... just gorgeous, and remind me very much of these crisp, shockingly bold sunsets we've been getting of late.

The third yarn will be revealed, but it is an Indian Summer or Nectarine to me at this point, though the colorway name has yet to be irrevocably assigned. It also got overdyed in sections to reduce the white field and give it a bit more richness in shade, but it was fabulous either way. I will try to remember to post some images of these in my permanent gallery at a later date.

In kidlet news... Callie has been AWFUL lately. She's been sniffly and stuffy for days, but she's tantrumy to boot. Her eating has been terrible and her bottom's unhappy, too. This makes for a very crabby toddler. She just went down for a nap and after three hours of straight whining I confess I am quite thankful. I hope she is back to her normal, cheerful self again soon. Lilah's been a peach, as always. She's really turning into a character and we're having wonderful 'conversations' now. She'll cheese away for a smile or a laugh, and I just adore those gooey, toothless grins (even with the spitup dribbles). She's almost four months old already, I can hardly believe it. I am in no hurry for another one but part of me wishes she could stay in these baby days forever. Each new age brings new joy, but I am particularly fond of this cuddly, babbling phase she is in. I can hardly wrestle her sister into a two second cuddle while reading nowadays, so I am really missing my snuggly babies and Lilah is happy to oblige.

More to come soon, I have to get ready for bell choir now. YAY!

Finally listed some items on my Etsy shop, more coming over the next few days. I am a bit sad to part with the Wensleydale roving, actually, it is fabulously beautiful in person. But someone who is MUCH more likely to actually have the time to spin than me will appreciate it much more!

This would be the official relaunching of Aurora Fiber Arts. Wow. I feel so official (though Peter informs me I will be more so when I apply for a business license. Party pooper.) and I am so excited to set out for this chapter in my life. Yay business. Yay!

Pulling things together to begin online sales within the next week or so.

http://aurorafiberarts.etsy.com

It's empty right now but the dyepot is steaming away. Currently I am just dyeing roving and yarn, spinning will have to wait for more time and children who don't insist on catching their fingers in the wheel or being held all the time!

I have edited the FAQs to reflect shop policy. Watch this space for some of the products offered.

Also, enjoy the spiffy new appearance of the site!

Due to some poking and prodding I am going to undertake sales for this site. Currently I will produce custom colorways for fiber and finished yarn, as well as custom spinning if needed. A sales page will be set up here shortly, but email is the main mode of transaction for the time being. I have set up a FAQ describing the process for anyone interested.

Did I mention I did, in fact, have a baby?

Yes, I was not pregnant forever, no challenges to the record held by pachyderms and sperm whales any time soon. Lilah Aubrey G. was born July 23rd at 4:27 in the morning, weighing 8 lbs 4 oz and was 20.5 inches long. She's cute as a button and a month old now (yes, I am a lazy updater) and her hijinks can be followed at Lilah's Little Site.

Here's a cute, recent picture of her for audience enjoyment:

... laughing too hard!

So I finally located pictures I have been meaning to post for several months - and MAN are they poor quality!

Way back, many moons ago in Juneau, I used some of my Blue Faced Leicester fiber and dyed three lots - 4 oz. in a pink/maroon shade, another 4 oz. in an autumnal shade set, and the last 4 oz. in a green/blue/purple marble. They turned out LOVELY...

...and subsequently got shoved in a box and forgotten about.

Well, when I got my new wheel (lovely Suzie that she is!) I wanted to spin something, and rummaging through my fibers it turns out the PERFECT candidate was this green/blue/purple BFL. So I set to work METICULOUSLY spinning it, as evenly as possible and under a twist probably twice what I have always applied. The singles were GORGEOUS. And given some study I'd done on Abby's blog I decided a much tighter ply as well as good wet finishing would really suit my spinning better and improve the quality, wear, and overall ease of use.

My previous spinning was fast, but not particularly refined in terms of technique. I churned it out but it wasn't really anything more than middle of the road handspun. So I decided to try working more on my basic technique in drafting and really getting that twist in there rather than just speed spinning, and going for a nice, tight ply to prevent splitting and drifting of the fiber as well. I must say I was VERY successful, I think that this is my most beautiful skein to date in terms of overall quality. And can I shout off the rooftops the IMMENSE difference a quality wheel with tight tolerances and clean components makes to spinning? it was so much more pleasurable to spin well, not to mention EASIER to produce a much nicer skein with the same time allotted. The Ashford Traveler I had before was a good entry level machine, but I'd advise anyone to save their pennies a few months longer and start out with a good tool, because it can save LOTS of frustration. Not to mention that getting a wheel that will only suit your needs for a year or two and have lots of problems during that time isn't a very good use of funds - I must advocate waiting and getting a nicer machine.

Back to the skein at hand - it's pretty, but more important than that it is of very fine quality, a much tighter twist but still balanced to maintain the buttery softness and springy hand that Blue Face Leicester is known for. It is far and away my favorite wool to work with, and I hope it holds up for good wear.

(really, the pictures don't do it justice!)

I decided to send this and some fiber to my friend Katie for a birthday present. She is a great knitter and having turned 30 and just had I baby I figured it was a worthy gift. Now I am not sure she ever did receive it, but I never got a return package so I assume all went well. I figured she'd use it to edge a hat (or for a baby hat) or perhaps some gauntlets. But due to my general lack of time for knitting now I knew it would have a great home with her.

I really want to spin more, but Callie is FASCINATED with the wheel and when it moves she loves sticking her little hands right in the footman or grabbing at the scotch tension and messing with it. It's neither enjoyable nor safe to attempt spinning around her. While I SHOULD be in bed when everyone else is I do have a habit of staying up late. I am seriously contemplating working on some spinning when she and Peter are in bed but I have yet to really decide on that. Either way, it IS enjoyable, the wheel is a dream (and worth every penny spent on it!) and the yarn turned out great, I'd love to replicate my previous efforts.

Either way, this spinning effort needed recording and I have been meaning to do so since December! I am a procrastinator, but that's bad even by my standards! It's lovely yarn, though the pictures suck, and I was proud to give it to someone who I know will make more use of it than me.

But I do miss petting it. Soooo soft!

GAH! So I had my 33 week appointment today. I lost 3 pounds, so I have only gained 2 this whole pregnancy. Glucose and protein were good. Blood pressure was 110/70.

Baby's position? Breech.

Yeah.

Callie did the same thing around the same time, but I am so mad. If I wasn't a VBAC or had a proven pelvis a breech birth would be no problem to attempt. But the midwife said hell no, no way and that there was pretty much no one in town in their right mind who'd allow for a breech trial, due to the level of complications I could experience.

GRR!

Fortunately it's not THAT big of a deal - the baby could easily turn again and I am expecting them to, I can do pelvic tilts and spinning babies exercises, and the midwife AND OB will try their hand at an external version at 37 weeks should breach still be an issue. It's just a setback I wasn't desiring, especially when the baby had significantly dropped for a few days before disengaging (also eerily like his/her sister). It's something I was hoping to not have to worry about - but oh well.

The midwife did a quick ultrasound to verify the baby's position and check my amniotic fluid levels- they were pretty high with Callie and apparently high with this baby as well, which could have contributed to the ability to flip around. She asked if I knew the sex and oh my gosh girls, I was SO tempted, so VERY tempted to find out what the baby was. Especially since she'd asked me about whether or not we'd circumcise if the baby was a boy. But BARELY, just barely I held onto my willpower. It was a tiny screen on a portable unit, and since she was looking for the baby's head and butt it would have been SO easy, but I managed to resist the HUGE temptation of finding out and just not telling DH.

Really everything else was great, the midwife is a little worried I'm not eating enough (this was the same one that cautioned me to gain as little weight as possible because it would complicated my VBAC... you can't see my eyes rolling) but I assured here I'm just not that hungry but when I am I try to do well with my protein intake and calcium. The drive over to the birth center was SUPER stressful with cops, construction, and tourists abounding, but somehow I still managed to turn out a good appointment, breech aside.

Man, I had such a bad feeling yesterday when I was feeling painfully strong kicks against my cervix, I just knew the lump under my ribs was a head. Grrr. But we'll see if we can't flip this baby by my next appointment.

*%&(#)$ *($#!!!!!! Ornery kids.

So.


Roughly 6.5 weeks left, give or take two, in this pregnancy. Am I feeling woefully unprepared? Eh, a bit. Honestly it's all just a little surreal. We haven't done very much to prepare. I'm doing my Hypnobabies somewhat fitfully, due to the need for sleep, but I think it is helping.

We still need to get the cosleeper back from the grandparents - Callie has been using it there, in playpen form, as her crib. We will swap a Graco playpen for that one. The spare bedroom is still a storage unit with a queen sized bed - it won't become an actual nursery for at least three months or so, until we feel the baby is ready to be in his/her own room without needing a lot of attention (or tons of feedings!) each night. Callie was a normal sleeper, not great but not terrible either, and she had a fairly painless transition to her own crib by around 4 months old. Truth be told she still didn't sleep through the night consistently until, eh, three weeks ago? We don't force it, but it's definitely a play by ear thing. She also slept BETTER and deeper in her own room and that influenced the decision to move her at that age.

If we're lucky and this one sleeps through the night by a few weeks or even a month, or doesn't seem to wake fitfully, I am NOT opposed to transitioning sooner. If it is a boy I may hold off because the risk of SIDS is elevated in boys and cosleeping lessens that risk, but we'll see. Either way, a nursery is no big hurry, and heck, Callie's STILL isn't done!

This pregnancy has been fairly free of notable complications. No sustained blood pressure issues, no totally abnormal pain other than the same stuff I had with Callie - misaligned sacrum and some diastasis issues with my pubic symphisis joint. My blood sugar was great, not even indicative of prediabetes in a non-pregnant woman (and the tolerances are much higher for pregnant women, so making the NORMAL cutoff is particularly great). This baby also feels like they've dropped in my pelvis and engaged a little bit, which is a relief since he/she was transverse the other day and it was... unpleasant. There's no reason to suspect at this point that there will be any complications at all. Granted, there was no problem with Callie at this point either, other than flipping around breech, but I am hoping things will continue as normal right into a spontaneous, predictable labor pattern.

One can hope!

I'm just puttering along this time, trying not to be anxious and to enjoy it as much as I can. The soreness makes it a LITTLE hard, but I can honestly say I am having more fun this pregnancy than with Callie's. Even with how badly her birth turned out the fear of the unknown kind of robbed me of a lot of joy, especially at the beginning and very end of hers. This time around I know what's normal and what isn't and how BRIEF this period is. I am really enjoying myself a lot, especially seeing what a great little person each baby can grow up to be. Callie and her antics enhance my enjoyment this time around - I know what I'm fighting for. I am expecting an uneventful birth this time around, and one much closer to what I wanted with Callie - fortunately for me the odds are in my favor for that!

Umm... I'm short. We know this. Being short means I measure ahead. In this case it's 3-4 weeks ahead. So while I am 33 weeks I am carrying around a 37 week belly. Great, huh? No WONDER I am sore. There's just no place for the baby to go but out. Either way, the belly is a well-established fixture and one Callie LOVES to kick at any occasion, usually while I am feeding her (I can't get close enough to get the spoon in her mouth without putting it in foot range) and changing her (while preventing her from grabbing her poop!). She's going to be in for quite a surprise when a playmate comes home and doesn't go away!

I am still only up a whopping 5 pounds this pregnancy, and at this point the baby weighs around five and a half pounds and is close to full length, around 18-20 inches long. So the baby's weight, plus the weight of the placenta and amniotic fluid - yes, I have technically LOST weight. No problems there, I wish I could lose more without compromising said baby's nutrition. But there is something awesome to be said for pushing out a baby and automatically being at or below your weight goal. Stepping on that scale after Callie was born was quite sweet indeed!

It's a bad shot, but you get the idea. I don't LOOK big but considering the shirt swims on me and my boobs are a good 44F now, the belly does stick out quite impressively compared to my taller, smaller-carrying peers.

Yay baby bellies! I have an appointment tomorrow morning and I'll update if anything significant comes about! And yes, my mirror is filthy, the lighting is bad, my shirt is wrinkled and the entire thing is blurry. There's a reason photography is NOT my hobby!

... because, quite frankly, I can't do anything fibery with Callie's invading fingers and habit of eating everything, edible or not.

So I will blog a bit about another love of mine - makeup. I like it. A lot. Despite looking frumpy most days I actually really enjoy being creative with mine and seriously considered doing it for a living before deciding to come up to Alaska, instead, and save makeup artistry for my this-or-bust career. But I have faced some REAL challenges - most notably finding a foundation that is the right coverage, the right shade, and the right texture for my skin that won't break me out. Tall order when you're pasty as I am and quite scarred and ruddy.

For about four years now I have had a love/hate relationship with Aromaleigh Cosmetics. I began ordering from them in 2004, and they didn't even offer USPS shipping to Alaska, it was UPS only (and I emailed about it and I think I single-handedly created a policy) and the selection of products was quite a bit more modest. Kristen, the owner, is constantly expanding and innovating with DOZENS of quality, beautiful products that can suit every taste from grandma to goth. Even the bright, strong, bold colors are immensely wearable because of the depth and quality of the mineral makeup. It's amazing.

The hate relationship came in this way - foundation matching. Kristen offers the BEST selection of mineral foundations of the internet, I am convinced, and they're very simple to understand- named for their color variant, like level 1 nude or level 1 pink (1N or 1P) and graduate all the way up to level 5, in yellow, linen, neutral, cool, pink, and warm with some additional combos of each color in a 50/50 split with linen (which is just a straight beige base). ADDITIONALLY she has some lighter shades for those of us who are ghastly pale, Alabaster and Ghost. She allows for cheap ($2) samples so you can try each and mix and match until you've found your perfect blend. Thing is, so many of us, myself included, have been so confused about our REAL undertones for so long we don't know where to begin, and custom mixing foundation at home seems very scientific and daunting, even though minerals make it easy.

So I muddled along with what I THOUGHT was my correct shade, 1N, for three years on and off. I loved what they did to my skin but it never seemed to match in the sunlight, too dark and too orange. But going pinker just made things worse. So I went back and forth between Aromaleigh and store brands, always coming back hoping to love it but always feeling funky in it. I just never got all the way on board.

Recently, being pastier than ever here at our home I decided to head on an epic quest, once again, to find the PERFECT foundation. I went back to Aromaleigh's site invigorated and ready to try again. I actually READ the amazing forum there which is a WEALTH of knowledge and discovered that the problems I was having with 1N were easily remedied - my skin tone, shockingly enough, was most likely lighter and more yellow, so I needed to try the warm, linen, and yellow blends in that level and possibly lighten then with some ghost (which is pure, warm white) to find the right match. So I ordered some samples. 1W (warm) was too orange still, though better. Ooookay, next. I tried 1YL, a 50/50 blend of the yellow undertone and the beige undertone... NOPE! Too pink. Warily I tried straight 1Y, the yellowest color they offer. Shock of shocks it was a near perfect tonal match but just a smidge too dark. So I tapped a bit of my old 1N into the mix and created, overall, about a 90/10 blend of 1Y/GX, just a slightly more complex version of the yellow shade lightened a smidge with the white. PERFECT.

I was transformed.

All the sudden I remembered why I LOVED makeup so much but had hated it since I hit Alaska. In California I had enough color that store brands were an acceptable match, even with the wrong undertone I didn't look like I was wearing a mask. But when I needed to go more pale EVERY imperfection in the formula was obvious. If the coverage was heavy enough my pores looked huge and I looked like I was made up. The sheer formulas blended better but my scarred, acne-prone skin showed through even with concealer. Pregnancy made my normally acceptable skin much worse, and so the need for good makeup was amplified even more. Aromaleigh is the most variable coverage and perfect shade match available. You can apply it with a brush for some sheer evening up of tone. You can apply several layers with a brush for better coverage. You can apply it damp and get a totally different finish. You can apply it with a flocked sponge and get full coverage in as many layers as you need. And as long as you don't put too much on in each layer? Flawless, you look PERFECT.

It's a miracle company, with MUCH better prices than the other mineral makeup companies but an added bonus - their formula lacks bismuth oxychloride which is what gives most other companies, like Bare Escentuals, their glowy 'white' look and silky texture. Thing is, it's a HUGE irritant to my skin and many others, it makes me break out and turn bright red with rashes, and MOST mineral foundations have a LOT of it. Not Aromaleigh. Additionally, not having this ingredient makes their foundations extremely matte, so you can ALWAYS add a finishing powder for dewy glow or shine, but if you don't want it? It's not there! They also make two formulation, Voile and Glissade. Viole is the stripped down basic formula, good for MOST people. I am one of those rare people that itch and get dry skin with that formulation, so Kristen in her magnanimity created Glissade, a coated version of Voile. Because the minerals are coated they don't interact with skin at all so they CAN'T dry me out and irritate my skin. Thus, Glissade is my formulation.

But in getting into the wonderful forum there and getting inspired by the sheer VOLUME of eye, cheek, and lip colors as well as finishing powers, eyeliners, skin care you name it... I got hooked. With the right foundation suddenly EVERYTHING seemed more fun. I looked flawless and put-together on my canvas, so I had inspiration to add paint again, so to speak. And since sampling is SO cheap and the quantities are SO generous, I made orders for eye colors and cheek colors as well. And you know what? Armed with my proper shade and a new great face they all looked FABULOUS. I haven't had this much fun playing with makeup since I was a teen. Yes, I am short on time with the baby and this one to come, but it feels GOOD to be made up, I feel prettier and less frumpy, I enjoy looking at myself in the mirror a lot more. It's just.... great. A pick-me-up I really sorely needed. It's a fairly inexpensive habit overall, though getting started with the basics again did cost me a bit, but accruing a new eye shadow here and there, or a new cheek color... EASY! Plus Kristen is SO generous and such a wonderful business woman she sends 3 free samples with each order - often with colors I'd NEVER try on my own but most of them look amazing on me! Just another way to broaden my horizons and have even more fun :)

So, I will probably be blogging a bit about makeup here, and with a LOT of fun doing so. It's my current interest anyway, so I feel like sharing my thoughts and experiments with you all. I also started a new gallery called Face of the Day, where I'll post some of my color combination experiments. Bear with me, I always feel fat nowadays and so I am shy about taking pictures of myself, but I WILL make an effort to at least get myself from the neck up.

And yes, a good 50 pounds of weight loss is on my agenda as a to-do before I get pregnant again. Just for my health and comfort, I am lazy and don't exercise but I have had great luck cutting back my snacking and portions greatly the past year or so, which is why I've had little gain this pregnancy. I eat healthy, but usually too much and now I have fixed that. So with God's grace and a little discipline on my part I am really hoping to get down to below or around 200. We'll see what happens. But first thing's first, getting motivated to LIKE and CARE about my appearance again. College and Callie kind of killed it, and it's time to get it back before I descend permanently into frumpy, fat motherhood. Thus far I'm doing good, so I am hopeful this will stick.

So keep an eye out for makeup related blog postings and images, I hope to have at least a look per week! I recently cut and recolored my hair as well as waxing my eyebrows, which I love, so that just contributes to the new look. I am LOVING my short, wavy-curly dark hair. I may darken it a bit more because the contrast with my newly embraced pale skin is wonderful, but having a cut that is easy to style and easy to maintain is just great and makes me feel really good. It IS expensive to get it done at the salon so I have to budget that and all other beauty purchases carefully so Peter doesn't feel the strain, but even being able to just indulge a LITTLE in myself has really made me feel better towards the end of this pregnancy.

Sorry for the novel if you made it to the end. ANY ladies reading this I HIGHLY suggest browsing through the Aromaleigh site. The quality of these cosmetics is better than anything I have tried from Lancome or Chanel, with some products being DIRECTLY comparable but far less expensive due to Kristen's low overhead. Even the brightest colors are just so wearable and fine, they layer like no other, and the investment is totally worth it as they last forever and a day (especially the eye shadows and blushes). Beautiful, affordable, and a company that is just a joy to work with? They get 5 stars from me!

My little baby is 1 year old today! Where the heck did the time go?!

Happy birthday Callie! You're a big girl now.

Then:

Now:

Some days it goes so slow but really? WHERE DID THE TIME GO?! I swear I was JUST pregnant!

In other news, 24 weeks and some days pregnant with baby #2. Otherwise known as sweet viability, and a countdown to the end. Baby is happy and healthy, kicking away from cake sugar crossing the placenta, and all is generally right with my world.

Oh, did I mention I got a 96% on my math test and have a 97% overall with just one test to go? Considering I am a complete retard with higher level math this is a HUGE victory -I have the highest grade in the class that I am aware of. WOOHOOO!!!!

*ahem* That is all.

These just made my day, and sums up what I have difficulty conveying to some of my non-married, kid-free friends beautifully.

"Homemaking--being a full-time wife and mother--is not a destructive drought of uselessness but an overflowing oasis of opportunity; it is not a dreary cell to contain your talents and skills but a brilliant catalyst to channel creativity and energies into meaningful work; it is not a rope for binding your productivity in the marketplace, but reins for guiding your posterity in the home; it is not an oppressive restrain of intellectual prowess for the community, but a release of wise instruction to your own household; it is not the bitter assignment of inferiority to your person, but the bright assurance of the ingenuity of God's plan for complementarity of the sexes, especially as worked out in God's plan for marriage; it is neither limitation of gifts available nor stinginess in distributing the benefits of those gifts, but rather the multiplication of a mother's legacy to the generations to come and the generous bestowal of all God meant a mother to give to those He entrusted to her care."

-Dorothy Kelley Patterson

No real updates from me, life goes on as it always does. Callie's getting bigger, Peter's busy with work, somehow I seem to have NO time and yet get nothing done at all. And we keep chugging along. Getting increasingly pregnant, and increasingly NERVOUS about trying to get used to a routine with TWO babies instead of just one. I know I'll manage one day at a time, but it is quite a daunting thought. Thus, I try not to think too hard about it!

My goals for the upcoming months are as follows:

1) Spend more time in daily bible study 2) Keep a cleaner house (oh geez, writing it down makes it so official) 3) Spend MUCH less time on the computer or watching TV 4) Finish my current UFO's, including my mom's sock that I owed her two Christmas's ago 5) Try a little harder to NOT be a frumpy housewife 6) Not laugh my ass off at the list I just compiled and give up before even starting.

Yeah, wish me luck!

Oh my goodness, I have been SO terrible about posting. Life has been busy pretty much from Christmas on, and with the amount of hands it takes to wrangle Callie time for fiberarts has been woefully short. She also has quite a fascination with my wheel and having fast-moving components little fingers edge towards is a recipe for a headache and a VERY mad baby, but not decent yarn.

Any free time I have late in the evening? I am taking a very difficult math class to slowly edge towards completing my Economics degree, and unlike my previous slacker days in college there is little to be gained by skipping homework in this subject. I have class day per week and a good 7-10 hours of homework in that given week to complete, and it is difficult enough that even DOING every single problem and a few extras I am just barely hanging on to comprehension. Math has such a short half-life if you're not using it regularly, and unfortunately the methods by which they teach math do not lend themselves to understanding but rather memorization, so the holes in my knowledge from too many bad classes plus too much time elapsing since my last course that followed this one has lead to quite a struggle in doing well. Fortunately I AM on top of my assignments and was one of only three A's on the last test... I am quite encouraged by that and it will be a REAL victory for me if I can complete this class with an A at the end.

All of this, plus Bible study, bell choir, midwifery appointments and generally attempting to keep a somewhat decent house keeps me quite busy. I am now 21 weeks pregnant, past the halfway point. WOOHOO! Everything on the anatomical ultrasound looks great and is linked off my daughter's site. We don't know what this baby is, nor will we announce any names until birth, but that date is slowly creeping closer.

I really have no illusions. I would LOVE to spend more time on fiber arts but my real goal, unless we hit financially hard times, is that I keep honing the hobby side of spinning and dyeing so that when my kids leave the house I can pursue industry and my own business full time. Especially since I will be homeschooling the kids there is no way I can give the proper time or FINANCES to truly running a business beyond the hobby level. Really, I'm fine with that. Of course I'd love to produce more and really enjoy the hobby but at LEAST until there are no more new babies that's kind of a pipe dream. Such is life!

An actual fibery update shall be forthcoming, I do have SOME projects I have completed that need documenting. But I figured a general update was probably in order, you know, just to explain the dead air!

Hmm, I am wondering to myself what kind of schedule I'd be looking at when I start spinning regularly again. I could easily sell to Skeins as I did last summer, but the markup she placed on my product made it difficult for me to price my product well and still have inventory move (a 200 yard, 1 oz skein of handspun, hand-dyed yarn should net me $30, easily, if I paid myself what my time was worth, plus overhead and shipping costs. With Nancy's markup, that skein would cost $60 to a potential buyer, and while I feel handmade items are worth the cost of the artisan, that seems excessive to me!)

There are also yarn stores in town who sell to tourists like Nancy did in Juneau, but I imagine their markup would be much the same. And I could easily just sell on this website, with little problem, except that exposure would be an issue. In a stare with foot traffic a certain level of customer flow is expected, if I just ran off the website I would need to pay for advertising on places like Knitty, as well as aggressively market myself on the handspun webrings, to get reasonable sales. That's not a bad thing, but a lot more work for me than sending it off to someone else's store as secondary product and having them mark it up. So sales either go down because of lack of exposure, or they go down because of cost prohibitives.

Nice. I am feeling the decision getting easier by the minute.

Plus, hard-core production work is easily a 40-60 hour a week affair, and while I REALLY want to spin that much, as it is my passion, I have my family (which will only get bigger) to consider. Callie takes my spare moments and munches them with her gummy smile, and I am already finding it hard to get all the chores around the house done during the daytime, having to resort to doing them in the middle of the night when nobody will interrupt.

So figuring out what is realistic work load for my situation is proving much harder than I thought. It is hard to run a good business with hobby-level time input, if I do not provide lots of selection and consistent product I will be lessening my clientele anyway, but the time involved in keeping up good stock is just..... grr.

I am a stay at home mom. I will be a homeschooling mom. These are fulltime jobs during the day and after hours, and if I am going to take care of my family all day long with no help there just isn't time to do both as it stands now. I could spin MAYBE six or seven hours a day, and run dyepots all day long. SO I could reasonably clock 30 spinning hours and 40 or 50 hours dyeing weekly (which is maybe an hour or two of actual work, the rest is just letting them perc and reduce.) That assumes I am trying to set aside 12-14 hours daily, I can only get maybe half of those to spin because of Callie's nap schedule and inability to play by herself for any length of time.

And then there's bookkeeping, maintenance of equipment, time spent packing and shipping as well as advertising, and the cost of continued acquisition of materials (the overhead on getting going again, for real and full time, is a good $1000 or so, not including the wheel replacement I need to do. To get up a good solid stock of just fiber and dye is that much.... 50 pounds of various fibers to blend, another 20 dyes, and I need a hand carder badly, which is $700-$1000, itself. It is quite an investment and one I have been reluctant to make, but if I don't start working my own blended batts up as well and hand-dyed, hand-spun top I will be losing a lot of money.

Batts for sale, just dyed and blended, make VERY good money without the time drain of spinning them up myself. It's a good two hours of work with as good a payoff (for relative time) as handspinning as well. And it is an easy way to build solid inventory if I cannot spin myself. I could, easily, just sell batts and only a skein of yarn here and there if time didn't permit. That is my alternate solution.

It really is a conundrum, and not going ANYWHERE anytime soon as we are still divvying up funds rather strictly between home improvements, student loan payments, mortgage, and the bills., Until one of those (probably the home improvements) abate a little (in maybe a month) my hands are tied as far as getting any funding together to work towards this.

grrrr. Business junk sucks.

Alas, I win.

After much wheedling and a smidge of arguing, I got Peter to concede to both wheels, as there is such a wait on the Journey Wheel that it is financially feasible. He is disgruntled, and hates committing to a purchase so far in the future, but somehow I prevailed against his 'good common sense'.


Thus, the Suzie Pro in a month and a Journey Wheel eventually.

This definitely excited me from a spinning perspective. I am so eager to work on a finer wheel than the one I own currently. Nothing to fire up production like a love fest with new equipment.

My Traveller is still badly in need of reassembling, but when it does pull itself together, as it were, I have several balls of BFL roving dyed up and waiting to be spun. If I haven't lost my touch in the months of no spinning and am decently satisfied with the quality of the yarn it will be the first skein up for sale in a year. Yay for minimal progress, I suppose.

I just wonder how much time I will really have to get spinning again. I desperately want to, but with Callie at so young and in need of so much attention, plus with Peter needing every spare moment to keep renovating the house, time just seems very short.

I suppose as I try to start spinning again, the amount of time available to me will soon become clear.

Until then, I shall revel in my wheel lust :)

The search for a new wheel continues, with lots of great options but no consensus.

My ultimate choice is a Bosworth Journey wheel.
http://www.journeywheel.com/jw.php

They are engineered extremely well, of beautiful quality, and from what I have heard and the ratios presented, extremely diverse to spin on. They are stunning, and more importantly, the ENTIRE WHEEL folds up to briefcase size, without unhooking any components. It is truly meant for travel, but completely fully functioning for home use. And the price is right.

The problem? Over 1 year wait. I can understand this, as they are each handcrafted and lovingly made, as well as extremely popular. My quandary? I want instant gratification. I want to replace the rickety, slow, oil-sucking, cheaply made Ashford Traveller that I have nearly outspun with the levels of production I used during the summer. It can be worked with, reassembled from it's cannibalized state we reduced it to for the big move, and I can live with it that long for a wheel that lovely... but really, I'd rather not. Especially with it's competitor in mind.

Said competitor is the Majacraft Suzie Pro.
http://www.majacraft.co.nz/wheels/suzie_pro.php

With it's necessary extras is is almost the same price as the Journey wheel, and a beautiful, strong, durable, fast production wheel that I have heard nothing but good things about. They are also handcrafted, but on a factory rather than workshop scale, and I can get my grubby paws on one as soon as hubby puts aside the money, which will be next month. You see, I am owed a new wheel for a Birthday present (said birthday being May 12... yes, long past but we had a baby, an anniversary, and Mother's Day plus a move two days after it occurred - are we all sensing the lack of cash here?) I am ready and raring to get spinning again after doing none during my whole pregnancy due to fatigue, wrist issues, and generalized burnout after such heights of production last summer.

But I am re-energized, ready to break out new dye, paint my Blue Face Leicester and Wensleydale to heart's content and get some new skeins out there for sale. I am SO torn between these two wheels. Both are beautiful, functional, and exactly what I'd love in terms of portability but I must choose, and while I know I will own both within a few years, do I want to wait a year and get the Journey Wheel first, or unpack a beautiful Suzie Pro and get spinning whenever Callie will allow?

It is really a quandary and the only solution seems to be wheedling with the hubby to buy me the Suzie, but be allowed to get on the Journey Wheel waitlist so I can get one at the end of next year. It is a $100 deposit, which is doable, and I think with enough begging I can swing both.

Alas, if the Journey Wheel was available right now I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but great work takes time and I am willing to wait....

Just not wheel-less (the damn Traveller doesn't count! That this creaks.)

Well here it is, the beginning of my (more organized) fiber arts journey. The purpose of this site is to satisfy my fiber addiction, sell my yarn (because I make WAAAY too much to ever knit up by myself) and record my journey as I grow in artistry and experience. It is fun to look back at my first lumpy, badly-dyed yarn and marvel at how far my passion has taken me.

I love spinning, knitting, weaving... I adore fiber arts in all their varied and tactfully delicious forms, and I am so pleased to be able to share that joy with you. So sit down, stay awhile, browse the selection and take note.

This is my twisted (and plied) journey in wool. Enjoy!