I feel like...a...winner!

Yep! Not only did I win first place at Maryland Sheep and Wool, but I also won second place! Yep, they like me, they really like me! I'm so aglow with glee (really, look at the fine sheen of glee on me in that picture!). There's something so validating about, well, the validation. heh. I was very nervous about entering, thought they'd laugh me out of the contest, me with all my oddities. There's always a nagging doubt that computer props are so easy and free and not at the top of the genuine train, you know? In the art yarn world there's a lack of honest critique, people feel odd, i think, critiquing what so many consider art, an expression of an idea, feeling, etc. However, if you look at the history of art (and clearly I'm no expert but I read Jodi's regularly and that makes me feel like an expert), critique is always right there, pushing it along, making it better, making people strive etc. Blah blah blah, more on this later, what I really wanna gush about is my one, two, count 'em ribbons! Yeehaww!

more about the weekend later (and when I post about the weekend, you can be sure the ribbon pictures will be posted a second time, hee).

oh, and there will be an update tonight, blue ribbon vitreous humor and all!

MDSW

Update update: There will no shop update today (sunday, april 13th). I'm crazily spinning for Maryland Sheep and Wool which is in 20 days! Twenty days! I hope to have a boatload of eyeballs to take but I'm such a sucker for the lone knitter than e-mails me up out of the blue and asks so kindly for any spare vitreous humor I may have, you know, hiding under the couch, in the dog bed, behind the toilet, and just like a desperate twenty something, I put out. Yep, apparently flattery will get you something around here.

Subsequently, my stock of vitreous humor never really grows, resting on average right around the 0 mark. As soon as I have, like a dinghy full, I send it off. However, with 20 days left, I've gotta put my foot down, or rather, both feet, alternatively, on the spinning wheel, and spin and not sell. Yeah, so while I plan on having a few yarns the next few weeks, website production is crawling.

And where will this boatload of yarn be? booth D2, D3 in the Main barn, the Cloverhille booth, which will be fracking full of indie yarns! I can't even name all the amazing artists that are going to be shucking the wares, so stop by! I'll be wo-manning the booth on Saturday afternoon, so stop by and gimme a good slap on the arse! or, you know, say hi.

Who's going?

Invent-y

So I don't claim to have invented much, not really. I mean, I guess I've invented my style, (it's undeniable, right), monster hat knit kits, vitreous humor, tomato vine. But when it comes to actual techniques, I think it's rather bold to say one invented such and such technique. People have been spinning for, like a bazillion years, we can't be the first ones to have made a cocoon! I mean, almost everything that's being done out there has been done, I'd venture to say, for longer than I've been alive. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the state of art yarns has always existed in the way it does now, not by any means. I'm not even saying that we don't invent new ways to do things. I'm only positing that the core of the techniques have probably been done in some basic way for a long-assed time.

And while we are surely improving on them and using them more creatively, we didn't really invent them. I mean, is there more than a handful of techniques that are not in Diane Varney's Spinning Designer Yarns? She published that in early 1987. Which sure, I was alive, but usually by the time something has been published, you can be sure someone somewhere has been doing it awhile. I know the pictures in that book don't resemble the amazing, artistic, spirited yarns that are around us today, but if you read her text carefully, it's all there.

What hasn't been there is the proliferation, the connectedness, the artistic outlook, the design, the combination of techniques that result in inspirational yarn. That stuff? I think it's so brand new and so extraordinary and so very important. But I don't pretend that we're all invent-y.

Why am I talking about this? Because I gots myself an invention, yo!

Heh. What I mean I have a new technique!

What is it? It's a coil in a single with no carry-along (racing stripe, candystripe, whatever) and is not just an overspun section of singles. And still, it's a bit silly to say I invented it. I mean, just because I've never seen anyone else do it (except my students and Jody and Shannon because it's in the video), doesn't mean there's not someone out there that has been doing it forever. And even more silly because it's a coil and coils are not new. But still, it's coil in a motherfuckin' single! Holla!

So tell me, who else out there does a coil in a single? I'd love to see what everyone else is doing? If you've ever done one, share a pic! Show your mad invent-y skillz. Heh.

4000 hours

Happy Pi day! Happy Ides of March. Hey, it's the Pides of March! Happy Pides of March.

I'm buried in eyeballs, test knitting, sock class knitting, baby nursing, kid toting, mother-visiting-preparing so I can't post much. I've still got finished objects to share but for now I leave you with a bit of information and a question--

after some figuring, some estimating, and some math, I posit that I've put in a grand whopping 3,600 - 4,000 hours of spinning in my life. That's based on my minimum of spinning 4 hours/5 days a week for a bit better than 3.5 years with some time taken off for babies and some time added for weekend oh-my-gosh, i've gotta get these orders done rushes. Almost four thousand hours! That's over 166 full days of spinning, or 23 weeks non-stop treadling, or 6 months of never moving arse from chair! What about you? How many hours have you been spinning? Knitting? I couldn't even begin to calculate knitting time.

List for next 2.5 months

Holy taco-mama! I'm so busy. I've got a spinning queue that's 30 Vitreous humors deep plus 22 various other yarns and that's not including the upcoming shows I'm doing or all the work that needs to be done on the video for it's June release date! This post is not going to be chatty or chitty or FO-esque (even though I've got 2 finished objects to show you!), nope, it's going to be a list of stuff for the next 2 months, for my brain organization, as well as for you --

1. It's official, I'm teaching at Springwater fiber studio this semester!
Two classes --

Coils Coils Coils -- all 4 ways I know how to spin them
saturday april 26th from 10-4:30

Art yarns, comprehensive! -- almost everything I know
saturday and sunday may 31st and june 1st

info and sign up info here. Let me know if you sign up!

2. Homespun yarn party! !
march 30th 2pm-6pm
I'll be there with some Monster hat kits, some Vitreous Humor and some art yarns, but better than that, check out all the other vendors! Yep, that's the amazing, magical Loop and the the talented and awesome Mama-e". It should be lots of fun and I've never done a craftshow or festival but how could I resist doing one of only local fiber artists? I couldn't!

3. Ongoing classes at the excellent shop Spinster Yarns and Fibers! Here's a calendar. Last night I taught the first in a 3 class series on knitting socks on 2 circulars. It rocked and I was so impressed with the 2 knitters and their stick-to-it-ed-ness. Plus, there's just something magical about being in a yarnshop after it's closed!

4. Project underway with Erin of Mama-e.

5. I'm going to be at Maryland Sheep and Wool! Yep. Lots and lots of my stuff will be in the best double booth evah! Cloverhill, booth 27, right as you walk in the main barn! In fact that booth is going to be stock full of indie artists, spinners, and dyers! I'm so thrilled about it. It'll also feature a brand new kit from me!

6. And of course, the instructional DVD which is due out in June, there's going to be some kind of fancy release party. Guess what? You're invited! details later.

Vague pictures of super secret project!

What a weekend!

Shew. What a weekend. Filled with work, friends and possibility. I finally got to meet Jodi Green and Shannon Herrick and they are both so awesome I just wanted to pinch their arms to see if they were real. They were here to help out with the project -- the spinning art yarn instructional dvd! More details on that as it gets edited and closer to the release date. For now I'm going to bask and sleep because after 20 hours of shooting, I'm exhausted.

Also in the big news category, LB lost a tooth! His first one. Yep, his first one lost, his first one swallowed. He was so very sad about the latter. So sad that I spent the next three days, sifting and squeezing while wearing rubber gloves, if you know what I mean, if you don't, it's probably better, suffice it to say, I feel I've proved my love. The tooth was never recovered. The note that went under his pillow looked like this --

Tooth Fairy,
Sorry, I swallowed it (the tooth).

Secret underway!

Real quick, because I've been getting e-mails rregarding the lack of Tomato vines and Vitreous humor yarns, and updates in general -- the super secret surprise is underway! I'll be absent for through next weekend. Well, I'll be here, but not here if you know what I mean. I'll even have company. Yah, super cool company. I won't be updating the shop normally, if at all, but if you're desperate for some TV or VH, here at sandrasingh's there might be a few for sale.

Cross your fingers that super secret surprise turns out as awesome as I hope!

oh yeah, in other news, I'll be teaching some art yarn classes this spring at Springwater and starting in march, I'll be teaching lots of spinning and knitting classes on Sunday afternoons/evenings at Spinster yarns in baltimore, MD ('cause it's right down the street from me and it rocks!).

Circle the wagons!

This yarn is called Prairie Prayer and it's one of the Circle of Wagons yarns. In case you don't know, a very important gal, Holly is facing some health issues and mounting medical bills, and so spinners far and wide are donating yarns, variations on a theme, to help defray some of her, you know, costs and worries. Anyway, this is my yarn for Holly. Below is the story of it's spinning and since it's also a spinning challenge, on Sunday make you way on over to Lexi's blog and vote on your favorite of these thoughtful yarns. And if you're so inclined, head over to Homestead and buy and bid on the yarn of your choice!

You know, my first inclination for Circle the Wagons was to do something gruesome, it would have been so easy and natural. However, I really wanted to challenge myself, work outside my normal gory-osity, I decided to take it in another direction, go for pretty, go for green, go for hope, and friendship, while still evoking the prairie. I wanted this yarn to be about everyone being there for everyone else, so I used only gifted fiber. Every bit of fiber in this yarn was given to me by fellow spinners, have a look, if you've ever sent me fiber, it's probably in there! I started finding green and then by carding wonderfully soft locks and roving together with tussah silk noils (natural and green) and organic natural caramel cotton. I spun this into a lumpy bumpy single around a core of blue cotton that I unraveled from a placemat that I received in a recent fiber swap. I also autowrapped it with a really thin single of natural merino wool, letting this wind on of it's own awkward accord, much like life twists and turns of it's own accord. While spinning this single, i held some sweet-smelling hemp to the side and let it grab on at an angle, mimicing the tall kansas prairie grass waving in the wind above the smaller, shorter tufts of green. I also spun in some flowers I hand felted out of flame-dyed, uncarded polypay wool with yellow and pink centers. Not too many flowers, just enough to pretty up a long journey, to bring home the fact that on any trail, any hard journey, there's beauty, even if it's small and unpredictable. The same thing goes for the sky, throughout I switched tension and let little cocoons of the threaded blue sky poke out and lighten it up a bit. To top it off, I spun in is one huge handfelted Sun, because the sun is always there to shine on everyone, no matter what you're going through. All in all, I wanted this yarn to speak to a long journey, to the helpfulness and love of friends and community, and to the prairie, which had all of that in abundance. With love and hope to Holly, jacey

Happy birthday!

What's bigger than than a breadbasket but smaller than Sweetpea's whole body but bigger than my head but smaller than a car? What? My new bobbins!! Look at the size of those things! They hold 2 lbs of fiber! I spun a yarn on them last night and a yarn that would have been only 70 yards on my lendrum (which I still have mad love for) ended up being 200 yards on this thing, and the bobbin was only half full! Holy spinning, batt-man!

yep, it's my 33rd birthday and I got a new wheel. I mean, the new wheel is also for the special secret project, but really, it's for me! Happy Birthday to me! I'm 33! Go ahead, click on those pics and check out my sweet baby! Who cares about getting older when your surrounded by such big bobbins?! oh, and also by people you love, that's nice as well.

Barter?

Hey everyone! I’m getting a new wheel but first I need to get rid of my spare one! I’ve got it for sale but it just dawned on me that there might be someone out there that wants to barter with me! I need a new website for my blog, shop, podcast etc. And I don't mean that I just need a new whatever set up, I need something smashing, something wowser-y, something rocking! K.ad has not been in 'the industry' for years so he's not up to the task, as least not up to where I need him to be for what I want. What i’ve got is –

ashford traditional spinning wheel – 2 years old but only used for about 9 months, double drive/scotch tension, single treadle, finished

7 regular bobbins, finished.

bulky/plying head set-up with at least 4 bobbins

lazy kate

If you're localish -- lessons! both in traditional spinning (if you need ‘em) and art yarn spinning. You can come here to my fabulous new studio where I'll school you in the crazy ways of art yarns, or I can come to you. It can be once, or as many times you want/need/like.

If you're not localish and there's no way we can swing lessons, I can supplement it with some farm fresh fiber/roving! 5lbs or something?

a complete set up! Everything is in tip top condition except the largest whorl on the plying head has a chip out of it but it’s never affected the spinning.

What I want is a really, really good website, not just a blogger or Wp or MT or whatever, I need something great as my business is getting, well, you know, all businessy and with my BIG SECRET it's about to get even more, you know...

Let me know if you’re interested! Send me a note, tell me of your vast experience, your rockin’ portfolio, show me sites you've built, etc. I don't mean to be all particular, but I am, it's gotta rock!

This doesn’t have to happen right away, just sometime in the next few months.

Spinning diggs

Behold my new spinning studio! Three years ago I spent a weekend painting this upstairs attic room so that LB, at age 3, could have a bedroom that would make him smile and bounce. This week, I spent 3 days transferring all my fibery stuff into that very same room and moving his bedroom and our bedroom into my old spinning room. The plan is to move both bedrooms downstairs and have the spinning studio and the music/art room upstairs. However, since the previous art room, the one downstairs, is not ready for LB to move in (we tried to convince him the hole through to the bathroom was a feature but he didn't go for it), so until then we're all sleeping in one room, a room with wall to wall beds and a perimeter of toys -- what a joy. Meanwhile, I'm stylin' in my new spinning diggs! How cool is my studio?! I adore it. Go ahead, take the tour. See my futon there for sitting and knitting while I watch the new season of LOST on my computer. Notice the hanging bit on the wall that holds my stitch markers? Notice the red yarn alcove, the carding center, the spinning cubbies, the wool bins, it's all there, in living color.

Tomorrow I'll show you the first yarn I spin in my new room...

Have technique, will travel

This weekend the family and I took a trip and I taught a class. It was awesome. The fiber guild (that doesn't suck) WTF (what the fiber) paid me to trot my booty down and teach them a thing or two...or 20. And I did, and it rocked. They were such great students, all fantastic spinners used to spinning thin, even, lovely yarns, and me up front screaming thicker, thicker, thicker! Heh. But really, all my control issues were sated and instead of complaining like my family and friends, they smiled and glowed. Here's a few pictures of the class and the fiber that I supplied:

Can you see their super cool fiber baskets?

And there was a guy in the class, which is the coolest thing ever! K.ad, who was there during the lunch break, over heard these things while the studious (and anal) spinners practiced:

This is the best day I've had in a long time.
That is cool as shit!
Jacey is the prettiest, smartest lady I've ever met

Okay, I made up the last one, but the first two -- totally fo' reals! and when I got home, one of the spinners had sent me a lovely e-mail which, amongst other things, said:

I would have paid more even before I had the pleasure of attending a class taught by you. Now that I've had that joy, I totally think we should have paid more!

She also went on to how pretty and smart I was. Heh, not really.

All in all it was an awesome time and the money, well it almost pays out extraordinary Gas and Electric bill this month, which is good, 'cause otherwise they're gonna shut it off.

Yarn play

Shew. What a week. I got all this lovely mohair and I've been playing with techniques! Take a look at what I like to call bubble wrap!

As you can see, they're all kinda Valentine-y, but nice. Next week I'll get a little darker. Though V-day is Sweet pea's first birthday so how dark can I get, really.

I've been sick this week, stomach thing, so I've yet to finish editing the podcast, but soon, soon. Oh, to have my bills paid so that I could podcast my days away. Hey, we also got a bit quicker with the curtains so the price dropped a bit, not too much, but a bit.

Tomorrow is my Pop's birthday so I've gotta go finish knitting his present so I can put it in the mail. Later.

Yarn Curtains, yo

The unveiling! I know I've been teasing you with some big new thing, and here it is -- beaded* yarn curtains! Handbuilt, handspun, handpainted! all by me and my family! I'm so excited about them I can hardly stand it. It's the first project K.adventure (my partner) and I have worked on, and actually finished together! And they are awesome. Really, K.ad did such an amazing job on the tops! And lemme tell you, they are just as cool in person. Originally I pictured them hanging in the doorway of yarnstudios far and wide, framing the room where knitters keep their stash, on the fronts of shelving units full of yarn, dangling from the entrance to dye studios, artists spaces, etc. and then I pictured them hanging in every doorway, far and wide. It didn't dawn on me until they were done that they could be used in windows as well as doorways, but now I want them in every window in our house! And every doorway.

My favorite is the Knitters Ruin one, but I love all three styles (more pictures of each are in the the shop, also if anyone has, you know, an extra whole lotta dollas hanging about, you could have one of your very own. I know they're a lot but they each take so long to make! The specs are there as well, and don't worry, I made them extra rugged so there's no popping or breaking and they've been road tested by a 6 year old and have stood the test of uh...him.

*not actual beads, just yarn that looks beaded.

it's coming...

Oh my goodness! I'm cropping and uploading this week's updates, including the new item I've been going on and on, most cryptically, about. I should have it all up by 9pm eastern, give or take a few minutes. I'm so excited to see what y'all think!

Happy Holiday yarn, final

The third installment of the happy holiday free yarn is going on right here! And this one, instead of being based on number of comments over a period of time, it's gonna be based on speed. So, it will be one of the first 5 commenters. After I get all 5, LB will pick a number from 1 to 5 and that person will get their choice of yarns from the shop, any single yarn they choose now or sometime in the future.

We had an amazing Solstice, I'll share the deets in the next few days. Hope everyone's winter holidays are going smashing!

oh, also, can I make another request for call ins? Please? I'm trying to get the next podcast out this weekend and need a few caller IDs. For details, go here. It's super fast and you'll be on a podcast listened to by tens of people. Heh. Not really, there's a few more than tens of listeners, the point is, they'll all here you!

Edit to announce winner -- #3, Cali. Gimme an e-mail and collect your free yarn card!

Happy Holiday yarn#2

#20, Jenn, it's you! Send me an e-mail and we'll work out the details! Everyone else, the 3rd happy holidays free yarn will be up for commenting on Sunday, I'll let you know! thanks so much!

edited to say Jenn is the winner, I miscounted. If you were the mistaken winner I'll honor my mistake as well, but right now your e-mail is bouncing.

Happy holidays yarn!

I can't even tell you how filled with joy I am! Joy and snot must be like oil and water because the more joy, the less snot, which is always a good thing. But joy, let's talk about it a bit shall we? Since Mamatron.org (a parenting community I owned and that crashed and burned almost taking me with it) I've had a bit of a thing against the internets, feeling like it really allowed people to be as mean as they'd never be because it was nameless, faceless, safe. I've kept myself out of major online communities, fearing to really commit. I decided I'd just blog, just me, just myself. Blogging. Little did I realize, I became a part of a community, not a message board, or e-mail group, but bigger, and more importantly, nicer!

A few days ago I put it out there that, being a little light in the pocketbook, I'd like to do some swapping for winter holiday presents, the response I got was overwhelming! People offering to swap so many cool things, people offering to knit things, people just offering things! Really, it's been wonderful. I think everything on my wish list has been taken care of, plus some! I'm aghast. I'm awed. I'm bowled over. So wonderful, everyone, thank you.

I want to do something as well, I mean besides the swapping etc. I'd like to give away a yarn out of my shop each week until the New Year. Every Tuesday up to the 1st of January. Ideally I'd like it to be to someone that hasn't been able to buy any, or at least hasn't been able to buy as much as they'd like, but in the end, I just want to make someone smile, feel as good as I feel when somebody shines their generosity on me. So, I'm having Boy Boggs pick a number between 1-100. At the end of the day, the person who leaves that number comment, gets their choice of yarn, whenever they want it, could be this week, they could wait until February before pick what they want, it's a blank yarn gift -- whatever yarn they want. Again, if LB boy boggs chose #17 the person who leaves the 17th comment gets the yarn. if he chooses number 88 and there's only 30 comments, the last comment gets it, them being the closest to 88. Get it?

Yeah. Happy Holidays. Leave your comments!

Handspun Poppy

I told you I had the knits! Last night I spun 700 yards of singles for my handspun Poppy! Oh, I didn't mention my handspun Poppy? I love this sweater. Love it. I love the one on the cover and I've loved every single of the 49 that other Ravelers have made. But since I can't afford 10 skeins of Noro and since I've never seen one knit out of handspun, a creature is born!

The thing is, I love the look of the yarn in the sweater, those colors, those long colorchanges. Fucking fantastic. However, I've never knit with noro ( I know, can you believe it?). I have an odd ball that a friend sent me a while back and I've done nothing but gaze upon it. That all changed last week when I pulled out a bit to see how long the color changes were -- 20-30 armlengths.

The next day I dyed up 6 pots of wool and last night I set to spinning. The arms and top of the body are blues, greens, teals, turquoises, purple and a bit of gray throughout. The body is gray with hits of the other hues throughout. I wanted the gray body to tone down the rest of it a bit, lend a bit of calmness.

I don't have anything for myself out of these colors so if it works out I'll be overjoyed. We'll see. I'm not totally secure that it's going to look anything like the pattern, but I'm really excited to knit it up. I'll probably spin the gray tonight and do some gauge swatches tomorrow while I wait for my $1.55 copy of the book to arrive (I got it on SALE, I know, right?).

I am still knitting the Loop d loop sweater, though it's lost a bit of it's shine, what with the yarn-assiness and all. I should have pictures of the progress soon and you can marvel at the crumminess.

Oh, and the shop is updated, early nonetheless.

Insubordiknit spin

Spinning classes, yo.

December 8th and 9th at Knitch in Atlanta.

Details to follow about one in San Jose, CA and at Spinster Yarns in Baltimore, MD.

Raffle drawing!

The first number, for 3 skeins of Vitreous Humor yarn is...258! 258 come on down!

for 1 custom monster hat knit kit... #122!

and for the added extra Vitreous Humor yarn (because the raffle tickets covered one more skein)...203!

If you hold the winning raffle numbers in your hot little e-mail in boxes, send me an e-mail and let me know!

yay! and thanks for playing!

Countdown to raffle

So it's Sunday night, the night of the raffle and I just got the last of the raffle numbers e-mailed out. I also just updated the shop, a tiny little update, but I've only been home a few days so I get a pass, I've gotta start giving myself more of those. It turns out that I sold enough raffle tickets to cover another Vitreous Humor skein, so there's going to be 3 numbers drawn:
1st# -- 3 skeins of VH
2nd# -- custom monster hat knit kit
3d# -- 1 skein of VH or a monster hat knit kit

You see, I'm not doing the raffle to make scads of dough, I'm doing it because I really want people to have my yarn! I know it's expensive. I know I couldn't afford it if I didn't spin in myself. I know that there are people out there that want it but have to pay their gas bill, buy their kids a winter coat, buy soymilk for cereal etc. But because I also have to do all those things, and I barely do it each month, I can't, much as I'd like to, I can't just give out yarn for free. So, my answer is the raffle. And this time the raffle tickets covered 5 yarns! So I give away 5 yarns!

In fact, if I thought it would work I'd run the raffle all the time and just send out the tickets the day that we got enough to cover a skein or whatever and then draw that night and start it all over the next day. I don't know if that would work though. Things like that seem to lose their steam, you know?

Anyway, drawing is in little better than an hour. Yay! I always get excited to see who wins.

Below is just a couple of pics of the kids, at my folks house and SP on halloween. If I get too far behind on kid pictures you'll end up having to wade through a post of all pictures and we all know how annoying that can be.

Raffle's on, yo

click on the waffle to be magically transported to the raffle page.

So, about the raffle

If you read this blog with any regularity, or irregularity as may reflect my updates, then you're aware that every three months I hold a waffle raffle (and I call it that in protest of their non-rhyming, in fact, I like to rhyme them when I say it, I even switch up which one gets the honor of being rhymed, yeah, 'cause I'm all about sticking it to the american language, one mispronounced word at a time). The raffle, historically, or you know, for the last half a year, has been for a free spot in my art yarn club where the winner (and also the 14 other people that buy a spot for 100 smackaroos) gets one hank of art yarn each month for 3 months.

However, as great as the art yarn club has worked out, I just don't have the time to do it this season. I'm swamped. I've got eyeballs coming out of my wazoo, which is not pretty, I've got several thousand dollar yarn shop orders coming up before the holidays, plus all the customs, and I can't continue neglecting my own little insubordiknit yarn shop. So, those are my excuses. I just can't do it this season.

However (#2, if you're keeping track) I will still hold the raffle. I like the raffle and from the feedback I've gotten, you like it too. I haven't given any yarn away this month and I really do like to give yarn to people that couldn't otherwise get it (such as myself, if I wasn't the spinner).

However (#3) the raffle is going to be a bit different this time. It's not going to stretch over 3 months like the club, it's going to be a one time package of 3 yarns. Three Vitreous Humor yarns, in fact. Yes, I'm raffling off three Vitreous Humor yarns! It's crazy popular and I know there are people out there that want it but can't shell out the cash.

Next week I'm heading to my folks with the kids, I'll set up the raffle up before I go and send out numbers when I return on Halloween. The drawing will be Sunday the 4th of November.

Go Vote!

Go vote! Come on, you don't even have to get out of your cool house or skitter up to the local library or school or church (where ever you vote), see your neighbors, or research candidates. This vote is on the internets, baby. Also, it's all visual (and imaginatively tactile). It's also anonymous, no governmental agency will track you and no creepy suit will build a damning dossier. Just go here and leave a comment as to which non-wool, water resistant, handspun yarn speaks to your inner weirdo.

I'm number 4, which you can see and read about in my previous post where I say things like electric sheep's arse, and shit on an icecream cone, and of course, do androids dream of electric sheep?. However, when I vote (of course I'm not voting for myself, gooney to vote for yourself, i think -- however, you should feel free to vote for me, if you're inclined) I'll be choosing between my other favorites --

#1 -- love the spiky look. while it lookes like fun fur and I'm not a funn fur fan, fun fur made out of plastic fruit bags kinda rocks!

#5 -- I'm sucka sucker for these colors. I also love the organic look of it. Linda (of the yarn museum) does this style of yarn very well, though this one is not done by her. Yeah, so, I love this yarn. It seems like it might be stiff and scratchy but what's a little stiffness between friends.

So, those are my two favorites, you know, besides mine, which I adore and which is named after a rockin movie.

So, go vote (once)! Please! We yarniers need validation.

Do androids dream of electric sheep

(as always, click for a slightly bigger pic, it's worth it!)

The challenge called Animals Stink When Wet (put forth by the always creative Lexi of Pluckyfluff) was this : spin a yarn that is non-animal, water resistant, and knit/crochetable. This yarn, do androids dream of electric sheep? is my answer to the challenge, yo. I offer it for your perusal, people of the internets. Pay close attention, there'll be a test later. Okay, not really a test, but a vote. Yep, a vote.

I have to be honest, the darker one was my original yarn, I had no adroid dreams of the lighter one. Of course, given the challenge, I jumped right to grocery bags, trash bags, bubble wrap, etc, you know, plastic stuff.

I started with a shredded black plastic yard bag, a huge roll of green packing plastic (think big-ass saran wrap), bubble wrap (both the plastic wrap and the bubble wrap were leftover from the recent sale of a pinball machine), shredded mesh sure-grip liner, a tangle of blood red nylon threads, black tencel, black ramie and metal studs (the kind I used to wear on my jackets, punker that I was).

I wanted to make it industrial, shiny, plastique -- that's where I started, hence all the uh...plastics. The colors, black, white, weird clear green, clear, red, lent themselves well to that end, I thought. However, while all of those things would be waterproof, they'd hardly be knitable/crochetable on their own, plus, if they did get wet, they could trap water and mildew (ewwww). My answer was to break out the tencel and ramie.

Ramie fairly water resistant, but more importantly, it's mold/mildew resistant, which is why it's so great for boat rigging. Tencel is just super cool! All shiny and shit. Plus it is good at wicking moisture (as in, any moisture that might get trapped in the crinks of the plastics). Finally, they'd both provide some softness, a dulling of the edges, I thought. So, I used the ramie as a core and spun the plastics around it, interjecting the bubbles and threads wherever my little heart desired. I then plied the whole thing by wrapping it in a 50/50 carded blend of ramie and tencel. The shine set my plastic heart a-patter.

Writing it out was as exhausting as doing it. Shew.

Okay, so shortly after completion, and believe me, it took a long freaking time to complete, I realized that it's not, you know, soft at all. It's knitable, but not wearable, at least not by itself.

Shit. Double shit. Shit on an organic, vegan icecream cone.

So I waited a few days. I'd like to say I was thinking, but most of those few days were spent spitting and cursing. And then I came back and tried again. I wanted to keep the look as much as I could, because that, I LOVED. I decided I'd use ecospun, whick has an inherent water resistance (once it's smooshed together, spun) being that it's 100% recycled plastic bottles. Most importantly, it's as soft as an electric sheep's arse.

So, after spinning some more ramie for a core, I corespun the ecospun big and fluffy, with the black bag shreds, the bloodred threads, the spiky sure-grip, the metal studs, and cocoons of the green plastic wrap. Finally, I wrapped the whole thing in the tencel/ramie blend, which I had to spin more of, of course.

Much better. Soft, in fact. Water resistant. Knitable. Wearable. Hot damn -- challenge complete.

September 5th these yarns will hang in the Yarn Museum and be voted on along with some other challengers. So, feel free to vote (5th-7th)!

Mad yarns!

I've spent 10 out of the last 12 hours spinning. I'm almost caught up. Only 10 more Vitreous Humors to go and I'll be dead even. Shew. So, my point? My point is --
I've got yarns, baby.
I've got mad yarns.
But I'm too dog tired to post them tonight.

Tomorrow I'll send out all the yarns I owe (minus the last 10 VHs ordered), then I'll start spinning for the 2 shop orders owed (the end of this month and the 15th of next month), then the yarn club yarns, then another shop order (all the while spinning the VHs and tomato vines that trickle in). Summers are terrible and tight around my house but once the cooler weather starts to appear, even in little sonnets of night breezes, the yarn sales start to pay the summer's shirked bills. It's lovely and exhausting.

So, my point?
No update tonight, though I've got the yarns.
Though I've got mad yarns.
Maybe tomorrow night.
I'll try.

On another note, anyone read this blog that lives anywhere near Atlanta, GA?

Up to my eyeballs in...

Help...I'm up to my eyeballs in eyeballs...

Really. Who knew that knitters were so macabre? I've been felting eyeballs every evening and spinning gore all day for a week now with no end in site. It's a good thing I like spinning these things.

There will be an update tomorrow, albeit small, I've been getting where the hell are the shop updates? e-mails, and I'm here to please. Oh, and I finally saw somebody say something mean about me (my yarns) on some random blog. I felt bad for like, a minute, then I said huh-uh.

They'll also be another blog post (i know, right? 2 in so many days? wow), all about this months yarn club yarns -- a study, each different, all the same. Should be interesting, I spun them and I'm still not sure how it'll shape up.

So, tomorrow...

Winner!

Winner, winner, winner!

Now, it's sunday night and I'm just as eager to see who is going to win this raffle as you are. I never peeked at my presents, I still don't, I enjoy a surprise. I have LB draw the number while the list with the names associated with the number is out of sight. After Bill writes the number that LB drew, I go get the list and we look up who it is. It's all very exciting.

I'm excited for whoever wins, but tonight, tonight, I'm especially excited. Will mrs. 158 come on down!

Yes, the winner of the insubordiknit art yarn raffle is 158.

If you didn't win, try back in 3 months!

It's raffle time!

THE CLUB:
will be for 3 months and there will be 15 spots (16 counting the raffle spot) available. Each month, for 3 months, each member will receive one hank of insubordiknit handspun art yarn. One month it'll be a Monster Hat kit (or not, up to you), the other 2 months it'll just be cool with yardage between 85 and 130 yards (depending on complexity and bulkiness) and weight between 4-6 oz (which is about what fits on my big ole bobbin). Members of the club will fill out (if they wish) a very short short short set of questions regarding colors etc to ensure maximum yarngasms.

THE RAFFLE:
The raffle is for the 16th spot, if you win the raffle you'll get all three months of insubordiknit artyarn FREE (minus the price of your raffle ticket(s), of course) When you buy a raffle ticket for the 16th spot, I'll send you your raffle number(s) through e-mail. On Sunday, the 15th of this month (july) at 8 pm eastern time I'll randomly generate the number, post it and then open up the 15 spots to be bought (they'll be listed in the shop). The first month of yarns will be sent out Mid-August, then Mid-Sept, and Mid-Oct. raffle tickets are $1 each, or 7 for $5 (for sale in the shop). This is the winner from the last round, and she got her yarn (and smiles) for free!

So please, spread the word! Tell your fiber friends! Tell your loved ones (if you'd like it as a super cool present)! Tell your bus driver and your baker! The first round went splendidly, I hope this one is as smashing!

here, and here here, and finally, here are some yarns that went out during the last round!

Yarnclub and catchup

Yarn club yarns went out last week! And, if I do say so myself, they rocked the rockiest rock. Above is a sideways hinty shot, for those greedy eyes that haven't received it yet but wanna glimpsey glimpse. For those of you that just wanna see -- look here, and here, and finally here. Like with your fingers splayed at a Def Leopard concert, innit? Plus, check those new tags!

First of the month (July 1st) the raffle tickets for the free yarn club spot go on sale! The drawing and the yarn club spots go on sale the 15th of July, only a month off.

I just finished my shop update. Only six new yarns and 2 MHK, but they're all good ones. I wanted to have some wool but I'm waiting for it to arrive in the mail, damn slow processing. Next week for almost sure!

Playing catch-up here until I get back in the blog groove.

It's Mary-Louise Parker, y'all. It took me a bit to post it though. I started to feel a bit like a wanker each time I started to announce it. Like I was saying neener neener, which I'm not. Bah. Cool, though, eh? She's so cute.

Thanks everyone for your comments on my friendship woes. I really appreciate knowing that it's not just me, and that others out there feel the same constraints, disappointments, and longings.

This week's menu is all sandwiches. Tonight we had ruebans - yum.

Sweet Pea rolled over. And belly laughed.

Little Bit is writing a book. It's called Rumbling Tower. He lets me read it every few chapters and it's so creepy and cool. On the back of the book (it's art paper folded in half and stapled into a book) it says an unknown series of goosebumps. Author unknown. Heh. Do I have the coolest 5 year old on the planet or what!?!

T is for food

Did I mention that I sent the yarn club yarn last week? Yep. I did. It was so fun to spin and pack up. To the left is a rather obtuse view of it, if you'd like to see the real thing, click on the pic and watch the magic switchy thing happen. If you haven't received yours yet (which means you're one of the 3 canadians), don't click it! Let it be a surprise! I'm so excited about doing this club. I have so many yarns I want to spin and send, i started to feel sad it that it's only 3 months, and then I remembered there's another one right after it. And on. And on. You may notice that each yarn is different. I still wanted them to be one-of-a-kind even though there are 11, so I used different handpainted fibers, different handdyed silk noils, lots of denim fluff, and then spun them using the same methods. Then I sent each person the color I thought they'd like best based on the little profile I've created for them. Yes, I'm an organized dork, but I love organization! I'm a sucker for office supplies as well.

Speaking of organization, have I mentioned my love affair with Ravelry? It's everything I've ever wanted in a website. and more. If I could put it in my bathwater and soak in it, I would. It's still invite only, but put in a request -- it rocks!

Also, this gal is raw no more. I lasted 3 weeks but for some reason or another I couldn't do a 4th. So, without further ado, here's the menu for this week, the week of the T (all our dishes start with T).

Tamales
Tacos
Tempeh stroganof
Three flavor pancit
Thai pesto focaccia
Thai coconut soup
Tempeh salad sandwhiches
To-fu yung
Tuscan white bean and fennel stew with orange and rosemary

and for dessert
truffles (date and cashew)
tofu coconut macadamia cheesecake

Shop update and eating my words

Early shop update!

Also, I know I said I wasn't going to do it. I meant it when I typed those words, but a girls gotta support her family. You know? Anyway, I'm gonna sale a bit of handpainted wool. Not everyweek, because sometimes I'm rolling in humane wool, sometimes I not, and I've gotta have enough to spinity spin. But sometimes, like when the mortgage is due. heh. So here's a shot of todays update.

Happy mother's day, y'all! I'll be making a mother's day post later -- it rocked!

Last call for wool

Starting to look like a yard sale blog around here, last for sale entry for a while, promise. I have a few lbs of the cream wool left and decided since it went over so well and since I spent the day dying my new wool, that I'd make room for it by selling some of that same cream wool, but dyed. sister. I used lanaset acid dyes and they're all quite beautiful, don't let the prices fool ya! I just want to get them to someone who wants to spin them. Again -- this is not a new thing for me! I will not be regularly selling my hand dyed wool, it take too long for me to slave over a hot stove to sell it, plus, I love having all the dyed bits around! So don't expect this again! Oh, and my favorite of my colorways is in there -- plumsmasher!

anyway, here it is.

And for those of you who come for the rockin' kid pictures, check this one out! He's a regular Bert (mary poppins, y'all), complete with kazoo and guitar.

For those of you who come for the knitting (yeah, right, like there's any of those left), next entry will have knitting! I have it all planned...

Raffle and artyarn club

What a good idea, vdasher and jennifer! I'm totally going to do a Insubordiknit artyarn club! I really hadn't ever considered it. I was recently a part of Scout's club and it was so very exciting and I loved each month, you'd have thought it'd strike me to have one myself. And now I will. And a raffle (for why, see previous entry). And a pony. Okay, not really a pony, but the rest -- yes!

THE CLUB:
will be for 3 months and there will be 10 spots (11 counting the raffle spot) available. Each month, for 3 months, each member will receive one hank of insubordiknit handspun art yarn. One month it'll be a Monster Hat kit, the other 2 months it'll just be cool with yardage between 85 and 130 yards (depending on complexity and bulkiness) and weight between 4-6 oz (which is about what fits on my big ole bobbin). Members of the club will fill out (if they wish) a very short short short set of questions regarding colors etc to ensure maximum yarngasms.

THE PRICE:
The price for each slot will be $100.00, it includes shipping (unless your out of the USA, in that case, e-mail me and we'll figure it out). That's at least a 30% discount off of what they'd be if you were to buy the yarns from my shop. The 10 slots will go on sale Sunday, April 15th at 8pm.

THE RAFFLE:
The raffle is for the 11th spot, if you win the raffle you'll get all three months of insubordiknit artyarn FREE (minus the price of your raffle ticket(s), of course) When you buy a raffle ticket for the 11th spot, I'll send you your raffle number(s) through e-mail. On Sunday, the 15th of this month (april) at 8 pm eastern time I'll randomly generate the number, post it and then open up the 10 spots to be bought (they'll be listed in the shop). The first month of yarns will be sent out Mid-May, then Mid-June, and Mid-July.

So please, spread the word! Tell your fiber friends! Tell your loved ones (if you'd like it as a super cool present)! Tell your bus driver and your baker! I'm excited, I hope at least 10 of you are as well!

Raffle or vain arsehat?

Before I started spinning, I couldn't afford handspun, so I've known the pain, really. In fact, I still can't afford handspun, except my own, so I guess I still know the pain. And so I started the swapping section of my shop, and it's gone over swell and I've really enjoyed all the cool swag I've been getting in exchange. I love the barter system. However, it's come to my attention that there are those that would like to partake of handspunny goodness but don't have things they want to swap, or aren't swappers, or whatever. I really want everyone that wants my yarn to have it. I do. If I didn't have to pay, you know, the mortgage, I'd love to give the stuff away, in fact, I sometimes do. A while back I was chatting (heh, I just typed shatting instead of chatting, and it's true, a while back I was shatting, but that's not what this post is about) with one of my favorite customers (wow, what if I was shatting with one of my favorite customers? yikes!) and she suggested I have regular raffles for my handspun. Her idea is that people could pay a buck and maybe win it but if they didn't they'd only be out a buck and I might get half or so of what I'd regularly charge so we'd all win.

I rejected the idea originally because...well...it seemed a bit, I don't know, vain, full of myself or full of my yarns, to hold a raffle. After all, aren't they usually held for charities or good causes or other benevolent circumstances?

But after getting 3 e-mails recently all in different states of lament for not getting the yarn/kit they wanted, I'm gonna give it a try, if there's anyone that would be interested.

So this is my question to y'all -- is there anyone out there that would be interested in a yarn raffle? I was thinking I'd do it something like this, one entry is a buck (paypal or cash), I'd take them for 2 weeks, then use an online random number generator to pick the winner. The winner would get 2 handspun yarns and one kit, one each for the next three months. That's one handspun hank(one is a kit) for 3 months. The first would be sent in May, with the 2nd and 3rd in subsequent months. If it went well, I could do it more often.

Anyone interested? Or is it a vain, full of myself idea and I should get a freakin' clue? let me know!

Yarns, sausages, and shifting gears

Yes! An update! I can hardly believe it myself. And yarns too! In fact, there's 11 yarns and 3 MHKs -- above are a few of my favorites, check those halos, and the nifty way I've got them arranged, all small and organized. All this and I can nurse a baby that's a fiend for the boob. And she is, you know, a fiend for it. I've got porn star nipples and jimmy dean areolas, those of you that've nursed know what I mean, right? Thankfully both diminish after time, but for now, wowsa, look out, I can poke an eye and feed ya breakfast.

Life's been the strangest lately, the busiest unbusy I've ever been. The exhaustion has finally worn off though, and that's like new life. And my friends, who know that internet pals could be so sweet? First, the comments, heck, I should have a baby every entry, my highest number evah! And no padding that baby either, it's like I'm the harlot, or Eunny for a single entry. I didn't know that many people read my blog. Not only the comments -- but mail too! Cards and gifts, homemade blankets, knitted baby items, yarn, etc. Wow. Really overwhelming. Truly.

She's doing wonderfully, btw. Four weeks and if feels like forever (in a good way, like I can't imagine a time without her). Here's a pic from a few days ago, check that rocker hand! She has my hands -- perfect little replicas, down to the crooked pinkie. I read that this week she's supposed to start making sounds, you know, baby sounds other than crying, like finding her voice. I suppose she has, it's just adorable, lovely really, Bill and I both agree that it sounds closest to shifting gears without the use of a clutch. Like music to a mother's ears.

Insubordiknit Bio!

Insubordiknit is a one-woman handspinning operation juggled and struggled on a daily basis by artist and fiber aficionado Jacey Boggs, and headquartered in the greenish Lauraville neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland.

Jacey has an insatiable appetite for knitting. Insubordiknit yarns are spun with knitters in mind – even the wildest of art yarns is constructed with attention to stability and durability.

Jacey is an animal-hugging vegan. Insubordiknit animal-fiber yarns are spun from humane, farm sanctuary fibers. All are handpainted using acid color/light fast dyes.

Jacey employs only quality apparatus. Insubordiknit yarns are spun on a folding Lendrom and/or an Ashford Traditional, with batts carded on a Strauch Petite.

Sometimes Jacey needs a hand. Insubordiknit yarns are sometimes wound, weighed, packed, invoiced, labeled, counted, and otherwise fondled by either or both of the following: Jacey’s he-man partner, a strapping, bearded, tattooed rocker with a quick wit and rippling musculature (okay, he’s writing this), and Jacey’s young son, a tow-headed boy genius with an iron will and the face of a dewy baby fairy.

Insubordiknit yarns have been featured in Bust Magazine (3 xs), Knitscene, and Yarn Market News, as well as the silver tongues of spinners and knitters nationwide.

The entire Insubordiknit operation (such as we are) loves to have you around! You can visit Jacey and her willing helpers at www.insubordiknit.com, hear the Insubordiknit Podcast or drop Jacey a line. In fact, when you create something marvelous with Insubordiknit yarns, please send along some pictures for the gallery!

Thanks-taking

Oh boy. This one's another podcast yarn, look for it this holiday weekend on the next episode!

A big and bulky 2-ply that speaks more to the history of this country than the day in question. First it begins with a nice handpainted earthy wool, heavily coiled around that is natural bison fiber, because they used to be aplenty. Soon the earthy brown and green ply fades to browns and pinks, as the pink skinned man (white-y) landed and decided to make this his home.

Plied with the flesh tones is still bison, but the coils are less and less, also spun in are a few crosses, and some handfelted veggies (white man brought religion, natives shared harvest). Soon the Bison is no more and the pink and brown is plied with itself with the pink coiling more and more around the brown, choking it out. Less veggies and now a bit of uncarded red as the carnage began...then the blankets (no real smallpox contained). These cycle, few and many, as the cycle of violence and promises tended. Finally the brown becomes less as the red gory bits become more, white is added and soon it's nothing but white and pink...then just white.

Remember to be thankful for what you have, but don't forget to be kind and remember what others might not have.

Yarn Museum and Bust

I'm humbled to have been asked and agreed to be involved in a super cool project, although the super-coolness, like all things collective, depends on everyone (read: YOU). The Yarn Museum! It's a collective, collabrative effort to honor the artistry and beauty of all handspun yarn. How could I say no? I'm on the Circle of Advisers, along with some of just about the best spinners out there. Check it out, and submit. It goes live in a few weeks so let's make it awesome!

Also, thanks to Dharia from Skeintily clad (and now several others) I saw myself (or at least my yarn) in Bust again this month! Woohoo, what a surprise. It's in the editor's picks for holiday gifts! Exciting. Yep, me and Parker Posey in Bust this month, we're like this, me and Parker.

Oh, I thought of another thing I want to trade for -- plushies for LB for winter holiday. He loves stuffed friends! oh, and did I mention art? I mean, I know it's all art, but wall art? that too. I should make a list, or a page, or something...

Return, renew

I'm home! I'm home. And I'm happy to be home. And I was happy to be at my folks. The Little Bit and the Ratty Old Baby and I had a wonderful time. I'm really grateful to have parents that I love and I like being around.

Highlights of the trip --
-Little Bit (LB) got to go on my mom's bus route with her, at least the last one, where he met a new friend who came over to play a few times.
-LB playing pirates with my mom and stopping to take a drink from his water bottle exclaiming ahhh, me loves me rum!.
-My pop taking up all on a surprise day to a big cat sanctuary! Yeah, it was awesome and I've got pictures to prove it!
-Coming home to a finished bathroom! Yes, finally, after 2 years of having a bathroom in various states of unfinished-ness, it's now done. Bill worked his hard little ass off and it's awesome (and fushia)!

Now, I didn't update the shop on Monday because I just couldn't get my baltimore feet back after so long in MO. They'll be one this Monday, for sure. I'm renewed and rejuvenated, you know, except for the times I'm sluggish and must sleep all afternoon. But I'm renewed when it comes to the yarny bits. I took some time organizing my knitting when I returned home. Which, btw, I've got 2 more pairs of Socktoberfest socks to show off -- 4 total, yep! My knitting for the next 2 months of the year is mapped out in all it's insanity. Two sweaters (one is original for Bill, one is going to be a EZ yoke sweater with handspun for LB), a clapotis for my mom (I think...I don't have the yarn yet). And we call them pirates for my pop, who reads this so that all the details I'm putting in here, he'll just have to wait and see. Shew, so as you can see, I've got some knitting to do. Starting.........now!

And spinning. I'm going to try to be better about updates, especially since I'm kinda supporting us now. Did I ever mention that Bill lost his job during my illness due to having to take off for so long (me in the hospital and then bedrest)? Yep, he's been getting unemployement but it's not much and it's about to run out. He's focusing on the band right now, and doing a little freelance web and graphics work, but pretty much, we're sitting on a house built up by fiber. So it you know a brick and mortar shop that needs to stock me, lmk, I could use 2-3 more brick and mortar shops and then I'd be set.

I've decided to really put my all into the spinning. Not that I haven't been, but even more so. I'm only going to sell yarns that I love, no more spinning just to fill the orders, it's all going to be my best or it doesn't get listed. When I started spinning, I didn't think it'd become a business and I want to make sure it stays something I love. I know my yarn is expensive, more than some, not as much as many, but expensive just the same. I try really hard to be fair with the pricing, I don't believe in taking advantage or charging the most I could possibly get.

I could buy super cheap wool. It exists and I know it exists. I also know where to get it and that lots of spinners use it and it's perfectly lovely. However, it's personally important to me that my fibers come from humane sources. I am vegan and have been for over a decade and I just have to know I'm not contributing to any suffering. So I buy my fibers from sanctuaries and small, no-kill farms where the animals are friends, not food. These fibers are more expensive, no $6, $7, $8 per lb here, it's usually more like triple that, depending on the breed and it's usually dirty, even if they're washed. So that means washing and dying and carding. Or sometimes, I'll send it out to be processed into roving, because I like the variety and some yarns call for carded batts and some yarns call for combed roving. So my cost is higher, but it's a cost I think is important. Werd.

Now, let me say that this is not a slam on those that buy from the other places, we're all different and everyone's has things that are important to them, this just happens to be one of mine.

All my cottons are organic as well, human suffering does not come second to animal suffering to me, yo.

I spend time (and am commiting myself to more of this) thinking about each yarn, what it is, what it means to me, how it'll look, how it'll knit up, and how to make it do what I want it to do while keeping it's structural integrity. The more time I spend with a yarn, the more I like it, so each yarn gets a little piece of me.

I really do love the fiber work that I do. It's given me something that I've never had before, peace and satisfaction. I don't feel all itchy, like I'm waiting for my life to happen anymore. I don't have to look for things to fill my time or my brain. It contents me, even the part of me that isn't concerned with fiber or creativity, the part of me that has friends and relationships and a house to clean -- having something I love makes me happier with all those things. Poo poo the drama and dissatisfaction, pick up the wool!

Late again

Oh my. I'm officially a flake. When did this happen? Really, I used to be so reliable. I blame the baby. It makes me tired and sometimes a little more than grumpy.

After being gone all day today and spinning like mad both while at Reenie's and upon return (trying to get some orders before I leave town), I'm just too tired to update. I don't know why I plan to do it in the evenings, they're the worst.

Jeez Jacey, enough excuses? get on with it.

Okay, Update, tomorrow, in the AM, if all goes well. Sorry. Bear with me. It's pretty stuff.

Late!

I'm late. Heh. Not that kind of late, that kind of late is already said and done and I've got 15 extra lbs to show for it. No, I'm the kind of late where I said the next shop update would be last night and well...no shop update. The yarn is all done. Totally done. However, instead of photographing it and updating, I hauled my exhausted form up to bed and never looked back.

Today I'm busy, and tomorrow I'm heading to Reenie's of material whirled for a little face-friend time, so I hereby declare that the shop will be updated wednesday night. Promise. For sure. I've got 250 yards of a a lovely single, 8 yarns, and at least 3 monster hats (maybe 4).

There's even a yarn similar to the one used to make this beauty by Sophia from Yarn over manhattan. It's freaking lovely isn't it. She posted the pattern on her site and I'll link to it when I post the yarn!

I've also got 2 more pairs of socks to show and my amazing trade from Nesting Emily, which rocked and has made me wanna make soup every night. Plus, I got my first swag from Scout's indie swag and it rocked my...er...socks. heh. I'll be knitting it up next week, along with winter presents for bill, lb, my mom, and pop.

On Saturday morning, the boy and I are off to Kansas City for 2 weeks to visit. Alrighty, oatmeal with molasses time! Yum!

Spinning a song

The shop, it's updated, and it's a big one, and it's kinda strange. I decided to spin a song. Yep, I've spun economics, and world leaders, and pop culture, now a whole song! So as not to make it too easy on me, I let Bill pick the tune, he picked Come Sail Away, by STYX. Nu-uh. Yes, he did. Really. So here are the yarns, followed by the stanza each is spun for. Yep, it's never normal around here! Next, I plan on finally trying to spin every (mainish) character and villain from each season of Buffy!

Ohh, and don't for get to check out this week's barter yarn! Whatcha got? Also, there won't be an update next week as I've got to spin for 2 shops and for kpixie (monster hats!).

I'm sailing away
set an open course for the
virgin sea
For I've got to be free
free to face the life thats
ahead of me

On board I'm the captain
so climb aboard
we'll search for tomorrow
on every shore
and I'll try, oh Lord, I'll try
to carry on

I look to the sea
reflections in the waves
spark my memories
some happy, some sad
i think of childhood friends
and the dreams we had

We lived happily forever
so the story goes
but somehow we missed out
on the pot of gold
but we'll try best that
we can to carry on

A gathering of angles
appeared above our heads
they sang to us
this song of hope
and this is what they said

I thought that they were angels
but to my surprise
we climbed aboard their starship
and headed for the skies

For descriptions of the actual yarns, check the shop, I'm too tired to cut and paste, plus, nobody wants to see an entry that's 5 miles long. sheesh.

Monster hat knits @ kp

For all you monster hat knit kit lovers, Kpixie, one of my favorite places to sell to and buy from, just listed the kits and yarns I sent them last week -- 10 hats and 5 yarns! Get 'em, get 'em, those evil little monsters go fast (must be those 2 ladies awesome marketing skills!).

Losing control

Sixteen weeks. That's where I am and I'm finally starting to feel pretty okay. Except at night, that's when I feel akin to the goodyear blimp, like something that needs to be popped, a balloon or pimple, or something. It's why, I think, I'm not getting any podcasting done, I usually do it at night when the house is quiet and the natives are sleeping. I'm also just stuck on this episode, trying to emcompass, include, I don't know...talk about the last few months, and it's sticking me. Bill suggested I just skip it and do the next episode, which I've got nothing for, got anything, send it my way!

I did finish my clapotis a few days back, and baby hasn't left my back. Seriously, the last vestige of youth just left me, I'm now a knitter, with a potbelly, who never goes out, who's gassy at night, and who wears a shawl all the time! I'm gonna have to knit another, but not a clapotis, jeez, as much as I adore it now, I despised it half through the straight section. Tedium. There will be pictures but not until after Saturday when I get to don it with my non-maternity slinky dress for a rockstar wedding, yeah baby! Stay tuned for those pictures.

I updated the shop yesterday, as promised, but it's mostly sold out now. Only one yarn left, I think. I love my speedy fast customers. I've been trying to post at different times on Mondays because I've been getting complaints from people in different countries and timezones, hence the 4pm update. This yarn is not a representation of this, but I've been experiementing with less neat spinning. I'm a very neat spinner, in case you didn't know. Even in my wildest designs, I spin neat. I like smooth or controlled texture. I don't like fuzzes, unplanned lumps, over-spun bits, underspun bits. I like it neat, and most of the time I like that I like it neat. I'm trying to be able to let some of that go (not all the time, just occasionally), but giving up control has always been hard for me. It used to be a major problem, the major problem in my relationships. But apparently it is possible for me to concede, as is evidenced by the 3 loads of dirty laundry and 2 loads of clean laundry in the basement. Bet that's a bit of control Bill wishes I'd take back.

So yesterday I spun 2 yarns from uncarded scraps all tossed together in a bowl, all different stuff, spun as it came. It was hard but I think I could grow to like losing control occassionally. The yarn to the left is a lovely soft 2-ply that I love. I'm giving it 2 days and if it doesn't sell, it's gonna make me some mittens!

Oh, update next week will be new and different, also, will have a barter yarn. Yay.

Oh, Bea...

Yes siree, it's done! The bea arthur cocoon monstrosity is finally done. And come to find out, it's not such a monstrosity after all. I knit it on US11s, using 1000 yards of handdyed kid mohair, 80 yards of 2 wacky handspuns from a while back that just happened to match (for the vertical stripes), and 150 yards of 2-ply even handspun (for the seedstich band and cuffs. The pattern was made up as I went along. It's knit from side to side, well...kind of, that was the original plan but how it worked was something like this -- a provisional CO down the middle of the back, knit over just past the neck, a provisional CO from there down the front and then the front and back knit on the same needle until the reached the shoulder.

A short rowed sleeve cap right in the middle, then the sleeves knit straight down to the cuff (which is in seed stitch). The same thing was done on the other side, picking up from the PCO. Then the front stitches were put on the needles all the way from one bottom, up around the neck and down the other side (these were not PUs, it was knit this way so they are just put back on the needle). Lots of short rows to build the front middle out without getting too much at the neck or bottom (because bea would have liked a nice curve). Finally, I picked up the stitches along the bottom and knit the seed stich band (all 100000 stitches scrunched up on a 24" circ).

I have to tell you, it was dicey up until the very end. I really did this sweater to learn the provisional CO and to cement my short row skills, so I was only slightly grumbly as I knit it, thinking all the while that it was crap. Tacky, terrible crap. I felt that way up until I put the band all the way around it, it really tied it together and now I love it! Look at those sleeves! Wowsa! Forget tissue, I could hide scads of snacks, tampons, and tiny toy unicorns in there! Blanche, eat your heart out!

If you listened to my last podcast, you heard a little ditty about what's on my knitting sticks, the above, of course, was talked about and so was this slip stich sweater I started last week for Little Bit, though it may not fit him until he's a medium bit. The front and the back are done and the arms should be joining in a matter of days. As always, you can click to enjoy a larger version. Yeah!

In other news, I've been spinning.

and while I do that, Little Bit's been using my idea white board that hangs in my studio for his own...click on that to really appreciate the full scope of his talent/madness.

Trickle down podcast

The yarnshop is updated! Including the above Trickle down economics, Featured in this week's podcast, episode 2, which I just put up! Go listen, Botany kicks it ill with what's on my needles, heh. it's worth a listen just for that! Click on the link then click on listen to episode 2 at the bottom of the post!

Werd.

yarns, socks and books

Shoppity shop is updated with all new yarns. Five, count 'em, five monster hat kits for you wild knitter out there, two ragamitten kits, and 8 yarns, including one with 'peace-silk' coccoons ( i hope you like them as much as i liked them the first time I saw lexi put them in a yarn). And if that's not enough for ya, I sent kpixie.com 25 new hanks and kits last week so those should be up soon too. Yep, and my stock is wiped. Also, I'm proud to say that 100% of my yarns are now from humane sources -- farm/animal sanctuaries, and a small family farm. Yay!

Hey, look what I spun! 5 oz. at 360 yards of soft wool!

Rockin' sockin' yarn! And I just couldn't help myself, I know I've got like a gazillion things on the needles, but I gave up last night's regular knitting and knit this. It knit up on 3s at 7 stitches an inch and makes a nice, winter sock weight. It's so freakin' pretty. Handpainted with big, random yellow stripes. I'm thinking about carding the next one with a bit of nylon or even cotton for added strength. I can't wait to finish and wear these warm things ALL SUMMER LONG! Heh.

In other knitting news, the cabled hoodie is teetering on the brink of almost done (except for the arms) and almost frogged. I was unhappy with the arm shaping so I'm in the process of ripping both fronts back to the pits. The back is fine, I think, but I've gotta unbind a bit because I think I'm gonna leave everything live and do a 3 needle BO. Oh, and I'm reworking the hood too.

The Bea Arthur coccoon monstrosity is also wackin' around, looking nothing like a sweater but it will, mark my words, it will. I make it up as I go along.

And for a little non-knitty fun, here's the book meme that's going around --

Meme instructions: Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you've read, italicize the ones you might read, cross out the ones you won't, underline the ones on your book shelf, and place parentheses around the ones you've never even heard of.

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Time Tra