What's up with me?

Hey y'all. Head on over to the Etsy shop and see some of the new yarns I just posted. Yes, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just been working my wheel into the ground with spinning up Isis yarns for sale.

Teen Dragon


Orangeade

Graffiti Artist

On the Scotty front, I go to get him in MN on the 16th, We'll be together on St Pat's day for 2 months (maybe more). Why is he in MN you may ask? Because he's visiting his other grandparents.

What else have I been doing? Well, I've been writing up a pattern I've been crocheting for years, and getting ready to self publish it. Yes, I'm that nuts. You'll be able to find the pattern on Etsy soon enough.

My Secret Pal

Hi Secret Pal, or as known in the real world Amy. For those not Amy go check out her blog and see just how cute her daughter is. Go, I'll wait here.)

I have to share pictures of my last package from Amy, something that has me oooooing and ahhhhhhing.
Ok, This made me laugh, because I do the same thing. With the tape that is. Lots of tape is better than too little.

Where Amy reveals herself to me, so to speak.

I have yet to see this book in our local Barnes and Noble. It leads me to 2 possiable conclusions. The first one is that our B&N sucks various critter parts (true, their craft area is sad) and the second is I'm not spending enough time there (also true, though they are the ONLY real bookstore in town.) But I did find an awesome used bookstore I need to spend more time in.


My Artsy fartsy shot of the cover, all closeup. I have to admit, I LOVE the macro feature on my camera.

Amy, the book is awesome. I love the yarns they have featured, and the colors are so beautiful. I can see this book being not just a spinning inspiration to me, but a dyeing one as well. I think that Madelyn is an adorable little girl, and she couldn't be blessed with a better mum than you are. Reading your blog shows how much you care for her. I love the picture you have up of her and the ribbon tag monster. That's something my little guy would do. Though with him it's his Kitty (or really his DAD's snow leopard. Just don't tell Scott that it wasn't for him).

On the Scotty front, St Pat's day can't come soon enough. I get to head BACK to MN (he's visiting his grandma right now) and pick him up on March 17th for a whopping 7 weeks and 5 days. Assuming that J has a place in CA by then, because otherwise he's not leaving this house. Cuff me and take me away, my son is NOT living on the streets. I can't wait to see my darling laddie. I'm painting him a castle to sleep in. Last time he was here we set up Kitty's playhouse as a private area for just Scott, and he loved it. Sadly the house was getting on in years, and had structural issues. It collapsed a few weeks after Scott left. So I asked if he'd rather a house or a castle, and castle it was. I know he'll love sleeping in his own castle.

Other than that I've been working my tail off spinning up more cotton yarns. I'm collarabiting with Jessie from Phat Fiber on a shawl kit so I have to spin/dye the yarn for that, and the masses of yarn I have here for the store. Business is going pretty well. I've even done the books, to keep track of profits and such. Oh, and I'm getting a wage, can you believe it? I still think taking 25% of the gross is too much, but I've been told that's a decent amount. And since I kinda gave in and got some scents from Happy Housewife and then a pendent followed me home on Etsy I kinda need it. Mostly I'm investing in more yarns and dyes. Jo'anns was having a sale on the t-shirt tye dyes and I stocked up. Then I found some for really cheap at another place, and snapped them up too.

Another things I'm going to do in my (huge laugh here) spare time is recycle yarn from high end sweaters. Not sell it as is, but spin it up into new yarn. So instead of a plain cobweb weight cashmere yarn, ply it up on itself as a lace weight. I've been thinking about trying beaded yarns as well, and the sweaters sound like the would work great for that. Really I'm doing it because people keep giving me nice sweaters that are too big for me, and too small for mom. Instead of get rid of them I thought it's a cheap source of good yarn. Silk fingering weight, silk/cashmere lace, cashmere lace, silk and cotton fingering.

OMFG!!!!

WOW. I can just say wow for now. Jessie of Phat Fiber put up a blog about my samples yesterday. Since then I've had 6 sales. My store is down to 6 items. I'm gonna be working my tail off to finish plying up the box of Isis I have dyed. Not to mention skeining it. And skeinging the merino fingering weight I have dyed as well. We're talking a few THOUSAND yards here. Those wool balls are 440 yards each, and there is 10 of the buggers. *head desk* I am SO not going out this weekend. Not that I have anywhere to go anyway. For the first time in 7 years I'm single on V Day. Granted, I don't like the day. 10 years ago this year a dear friend and teacher passed on it. On a Saturday V Day too. So. I'm just gonna work and work and work and work.

Lest you think I am all work and no play. I spent a whopping $22 on myself with some of this cash, and got 12 sample scents from Happy Housewife. If you go there to look, I am SO not responsible for any money you may spend. Seriously. I started out having to find 6 scents I liked. That ended up being 16 I wanted to try. I went back, to re-read the descriptions and then I had 23 to pick from. Thankfully the new must have list was 12, so I called it fate, and will try these before I commit to a bottle. I have problems with most scents, and the cupcakes they offer are perfect for me to give them a go.

Just cause you know you want to find out what I got they are (in no real order). Yuan Fen, Farm Girls, Embroidered Linens, The Wind, Brain Bleach, Day of the Dead, Dirty Jack, OMFG Zomb1ez!, Fractal Dance, The Last Rain, and then hopefully Boho- Wake and Boho- Gypsy. If not those 2 then Ivory Merchant and Cultivated Pearls.

I know, you have no idea what scents those would be from the names. So go and drool, a 6 pack of samples is onlt 11$ and there's free shipping for them.

Back to work. :D

Phat Fiber Box

Samples are in for the Phat Fiber Box. I sent in for Feb and March, some beautiful things. I'll post teasing pictures up here all week, as the boxed are due to go on sale in one week, Feb 16th. They sell out fast folks. Jessie writes such wonderful posts about everyone. I squeed when I saw my graphics posted up on the site. You can also sign up to be notified of when she plans to post the boxes this month. Or you can just stalk her Etsy store. There's collaborations from artists featured in the boxes to look through for now.

Also, head on over to Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton to read a little about our 2 signature yarns. Or head on over to the Esty storefront for SEC and take a gander at what yarns I have already posted.

On plurk and other things

Ya know, sometimes I forget that just because I'm on Plurk doesn't mean the rest of y'all are. See, I talk about my days and what I'm working on over there, and forget about this here.

I've been spinning a lot lately. I can do this because as a b-day present Mommy got me an electric motor attachment for my Wheel (Wheel needs a name, I'm sensing a contest soon). Yesterday I spun and plyed 4 oz of Merino/silk top into a 3 ply heavy worsted yarn. This is to go with the 2 oz of this top already spun up. It's destined to become something for Scott. Not sure what yet, maybe a scarf.

Today I'm spinning a Merino/alpaca/Border Collie blend. I know it's somewhere around here in my archives. Look for early August, I saw it there. The Merino/alpaca blend is a lovely slate gray, and there is also white merino blended in with the black Border Collie. It's making for this beautiful heathered gray that I'm loving. I'm spinning it fine and hope to make it a 3-ply heavy lace. I'd love for enough to knit a cowl or scarf for me.

I've been bitten by the cowl bug. Right now I'm working on one inspired by a hat a friend in knit group was knitting. It's a mobius cowl worked with an applied cable edging. The cable it's self is reversible (turned on both sides, and worked in a 1-1 ribbing) so it flows with the who mobius idea. Yes, the mobius is worked from the center out, using Cat's method.

I'm also going to knit Scott a sweater, and promised Sally one too. Both are in the planning process. I"m also going to finally attempt socks. Someday. Maybe start with Scott sized ones. Makes me wonder what size he wears anyway.

I'm trying to prep yarns for work, and on the topic of work, the name has been changed. It seems there was a Tangled Web Fibers out there on the interwebs so the name was changed. Besides, not it's Punny. Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton. When I was growing up my half sister Kathy (ask some day, maybe I"ll tell you fun stories about her) told me the clouds being relfected on the ocean were sheep. And me, being the smart wee child, asked how they didn't felt. So she said they were sheeps of Cotton, and that's where Cotton came from. A few years later I got proof she was being silly, but than it wasn't too late to tell her. So, in homage of Kathy and my sillyness, Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton has been born. Shop blog and Etsy Storefront are at those links. Store is empty, but only for now.