Picking up where I left off and a SALE!

Well due to moving and getting organized I have had UFO staring me in the face! So when I was thinking how nice it would be to reduce their number, I realized that I was pretty close to finishing several of them! So with about 2.5 evenings of minimal knitting I finished my November Ruffle Wrap. I had cast this on in February so it felt pretty good to get off the needles. It is smaller than intended (which I knew it would be) but is still a pretty good "wrap" size at 16" X 52".

Now I have picked back up my Minimalist Cardigan. I already have the back and one sleeve done, and am now 2/3 through the second sleeve after casting it on yesterday afternoon. I think I am going to overdye this when it's all knitted as there are just a few "bright" spots.

I did finally finish the Jeanne shawl I was working on! This was using Funky Carolina's 2 ply Superwash Fingering Yarn in a beautiful deep wine color. I packaged it up and mailed it today. The first picture is too bright color wise, the second is more accurate.

Lastly I did a larger update in the shop! Here is a pic of the latest stuff that went up. I have more yarns and roving steaming, and a shipment due tomorrow or so. So keep watch! My latest additions included a wonderful new base that is amazing! It is a 70/20/10 Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere blend and needs to be felt to be believed!! In honor of the "knitting or crocheting season" I am offering 15% rebate! Just mention my blog and I will send your 15% off back to ya!

Fleeting moments

Today brings the sixth month mark for Noah. He is amazing me more each day, I really wished that I learned so quickly and absorbed so much!! He seems easier than Corbin was, though is does have Corbin's constant entertainment. Speaking of Corbin - his energy constantly amazes me, though thank goodness it has been a more positive energy of late and we have been getting to color & bake together. He is starting to draw actual pictures and not just scribble, it really blows me away.

Finally got to dye some more tonight. A couple pounds of roving and a few skeins of yarn. They are steaming as we speak, and I can't wait to see them in the light of day. I won't have any pictures for awhile as my new camera lens is not here yet (but is on its way - yippee!) and while we have a zoom lens for the camera, it is almost impossible to take pictures in the house with it. I guess that just leaves me no excuse for not updating here!

Knitting has been cruising right along! I finished the back of my minimalist cardigan and started my first sleeve. I think I will get a great deal of wear out of this sweater and can't wait to finish it! I feel quite victorious that I have finished the largest single portion of the vest - especially as it has the largest area of repetitive knitting! Moss stitch for the win!! Lol!

Alright I can feel myself starting to go into ramble mode - so - I will spare you all and say "goodnight"

p.s. Sock Summit came out with tons more info and I am about to die with excitement.

p.p.s. I have one more sale to go in my Etsy shop before I hit 70 sales. Be the 70th sale and I will include a full priced like item in your package for free!

Whew!

Marathon dyeing session tonight....took it out of me! I did my most colorways in one evening - a whopping (at least for me :) NINE! With at a minimum of two skeins per color. So I should have lots of fibery color to share with you tomorrow! I also have some news to share about socks! Hand knitted ones of course! That's all for tonight!

Jumping back on the horse

I am doing it. I am blogging tonight so that I don't feel my blog hanging over my head. I keep meaning too, but when my hubby is home for his four days off I have a hard time getting my thoughts together for posting. But, I have been busy!

Monday: Sock blank dyeing! Some friends and I got together to try our hand at dyeing these for ourselves and they turned out great! Leah beat me to the punch at getting a photo of her up on her blog! I will hopefully get some photographs up tomorrow when my dear hubby isn't around again.

Tuesday: Rough start to the day, but I did do a spinning demo at an elementary school. Spinning in front of children always reminds me how much I really wished I could spin straw into gold! (Number one question I am usually asked)

Wednesday: I had a rather quiet afternoon and evening as I mostly got to knit. I cast on the November Ruffle Wrap in a luscious natural cream alpaca yarn that I have been saving. I am taking a break from my list as it was making me crazy instead of helping, and I just really want to knit something for me! I have about 5.5in done, not too bad.

Today: Shipped out several orders, waited in vain for the mail man to deliver my Phat Fiber box, and got some good cleaning done! I also am planning out the next couple days worth of dyeing! So I should have lot of fresh stock in the next week or so.

I feel so much better now! Hopefully Saturday I will be raving and posting lots of pics from my phat sampler!

Silky Valentine

Happy Valentines Day!

They're in...and I've dyed my first batch!! Silk Hankies! I will begin to offer these in my shop starting next week. I am going to (hopefully) get some of these spun up today. They are amazing little things! Used for knitting, spinning, felting, and paper making - they are a very versatile and unique form of silk.

As promised

Ta-Da! - The first braid is one half, and the lovely pile-o-fiber after that is the other half! This is the Blue Faced Leicester that I dyed up for John's Cobblestone Pullover as mentioned in yesterday's post.



Here are two of the other rovings that I dyed up that same night - they are up in the shop as of now!

Big project for the year!

I am dyeing, spinning, and then knitting some Blue Faced Leicester wool into this! I dyed the wool last night and it is drying now! I am SOOO happy with how it turned out! I kettle dyed it in charcoal tones with touches of burnt orange (which both are some of John's fave colors) so it should produce a nice heathered yarn. I would post a pic now - even though it is still wet, but John snatched the camera as he is out snowmachining with my Dad. So the pics will have to wait until tomorrow, plus then it will be dry!

This will be the biggest spinning project I have ever taken on! I dyed up a full two pounds to make sure I would have plenty for the sweater!

Wire Free!

Our laptop (cheap - very cheap, bought for basic school work stuff) has always had issues with wireless connections. But it is now fixed and I am now typing from my comfie couch versus hiding at the built in desk in the dark corner of my room. SO MUCH NICER!

I did get some dyeing in the other night (as I mentioned) and here are the results - Tada -



They are all listed in my shop as of today!

I was planning on getting a couple lbs of roving done up tonight, but cabin fever had set in on me today and my sister came over and chatted with me. It made for a relaxing evening during which I was able to be just Kelsey....not wife, not mom, ok maybe a little bit sister (but I have been that as long as I can remember).

I must say - it felt nice.

Ripping back

I have found myself content and surprisingly so, to have ripped back the legwarmers I am working on. I found that I had cabled wrong about 20 rows back. Even just a couple of months ago I might have let it pass. I must be growing up or something as the words my mother always told me ring in my head - "If you are going to do it, do it right". Now the fact that I am working in super chunky yarn helps as well. ;) I only have 10 rows left on the first one. I think I will have them both finished before the week is out - if not sooner.

I have a new batch of yarn steaming, I love that I still get so excited about dyeing. I get excited every time, impatient for it to steam and dry until I can touch and see it in the light waiting to be spun, knit, or felted. I know the colors are a major booster for me during the long winter months as well.

Silk Hankies (spinning or felting) will soon be in the shop. I just put an order in for them and can't wait to try them out!

no pics today. I was not quite with it last time I uploaded pics, as I left the camera on. It is now charging.

oh! I am now on twitter! my user name is Akyarnie (northernlightfiberco was just too long for them!)

Gaining and losing

No this is not a post about weight :) Though it does refer to my goals. As is clearly evident by the dates on my posts, I have not been sticking with my goal of posting 5 days a week! But I am still working on that! I just need to not let my excuses get in the way. This is my main area of "losing ground"

BUT! I have been gaining ground in that I am very close to finishing all the knitting that I am to finish by the end of the month. I just have one mitten (knit in bulky weight - so it's a quick knit!), and 1/3 of a dishcloth (again, not a large item and on size 8's). Plus I have been working on a fair isle hat (which is on hold until the above is finished). I am taking a knitting class on stranded work and have been learning a great deal as well as getting in some good practice. Here are a few pics of my recent knitting.







Ok, so this post is just a little bit about weight as it is one of my goals to have lost 6lbs by the end of January as well. I am doing even better than expected and have lost 7.4lbs!! I have been eating lots of salad, which is interesting to me as I have always been a meat and potatoes girl (which isn't surprising, since I am now trying to lose weight lol) But I must be growing up or something as I am actually looking forward to eating it! I thinking nursing Noah has been really helping as well. So I am glad to have at least 8 more months of calorie burning from that!

I have yarn in the oven right now. I am testing out some new yarn bases, so if all goes well I will have a new sock yarn base and a new luxury base (50/50 Merino/yak). I am super excited about the merino/yak blend for several reasons:

1. I love yaks, hubby and I have dreamt of owning yaks even before I starting spinning.

2. I am trying to expand my lines so that I have a wide range of yarn bases, and this is one of the yarns making that a reality.

3. I am loving the feel of it and can't wait to "test knit" this yarn into something pretty for myself.

So officially I have now dyed yarn twice in one seven day period! I just did a big 5lb batch of roving too! I am making a consious effort to dye roving in one pound lots so that there is enough for bigger projects. Here's some pics of the fiber I dyed 3 nights ago.







I am now participating in Phat Fiber and will have samples in February's and March's box for sure. I will be including hand-dyed yarns, rovings, and locks. Don't miss out!

I can't believe I almost forgot to post this, but I cannot emphasize enough the importance of tightening the knob on your yarn swift before use. If not done correctly bad things happen. I am just thankful that it was not lace weight. I am slowly but surely untangling the 40g of fingering weight sock yarn that I mutilated.


After this post I think I should get extra points for pics. But that's just me.

Movitation Monday

So I was so inspired by another friend and blogger this morning, and I have been thinking about her goals all morning and decided to make some of my own.

• Blog at least 5 times a week, with pictures twice a week
• Dye 2 days a week
• Spin at least 2 50g skeins a week
• Develop and finalize my marketing plan for 2009
• Knit 1 pair of socks a month for myself
• Knit 2 pairs of socks for hubby (per his request)
  
• Knit all of my Christmas Gifts for next year before November (lofty goal I know!)
• Lose six pounds by the end of January

January is a time of new beginnings and I am definitely looking forward to improving myself this year!

I do have a plan in the works for some give-aways of my fibers so stay tuned!

Sewing, Knitting, and Dyeing, oh my!

As it is with most people this time of year I have been pretty busy! But I feel that I have quite a bit to show for it! (yay! Which is much better than having nothing to show). So rather than blather on I will just put up some pics.

Sewing:

Knitting: Dyeing: (woohoo, I am really getting more time efficient at this! Also figured out a few new techniques that really make me happy)


Some of the above yarns are already in the shop!

Also I apologize for my knitting pics agh! ;)

Energy

I am so excited and filled with new energy with the change of my business's name. I feel that it gives me the chance to have a more focused and creative outlet. It has become much easier to have the ideas that I felt that I was lacking.

Come on New Year! I can't wait for you to be here!


.....ok so I totally don't want to miss Christmas though! I have lots of family here this year and that would just be a bummer to miss that! Oh and my two year old totally "gets" presents this year too. I can't wait to watch him either!

AND! I dyed 15 skeins last night. On a day that John was working! Yay for babies going to sleep when they should!