BISON/MERINO Yarn!!

Yes you read that right.  We will have a new line this year.  It is a Merino/Bison yarn.

It is so lovely and I can't wait for everyone to see it.  I have been told that I should be getting it in on Monday.  So I am keeping my fingers crossed.  It will be dyed and I will also have some just natural for those that would like it in it's pure form. 

Bison is an amazing fiber it is compared to cashmere and the more it is washed and handled the softer it gets!  Not to mention WARM and water wicking ability.  It is just lovely any way that you look at it. 

I will have it for Hoosier Hills this year, so be sure to stop in and get your skeins before they are gone and I have to order more for the next show.  This is sure to fly off the shelves.

If there is a colorway that you would like for me to dye for you I can do that and have it ready for you.  It will be priced at $17/200yds.  If you want a skein of more than that I can do that as well just let me know and I can get you a price for it. 

I am super excited about this yarn.  I will also have a Bison/Silk blend sample yarn there for people to touch.  I am not sure on price yet as I am waiting on that, but it is sooo nice and I will be taking pre-orders for it as well.

Now I just wait for the yarn to get here.......

I promise photos when it arrives. :)

The View from the Couch

 Now that I have gotten all the business tax stuff into spread sheets and ready to go I now have totes taking over the living room.  I have been pulled in 14 different directions lately and just haven't had the time to post or much else for that matter.

This is what I have staring at me in my living room that needs to be photographed.....

 Yarn and fiber fiber and yarn and of course the silk hankies.  Then there are the extras like the kids books, stuffed sheep, drop spindles, angelina, stitch markers, and other fun accessories

I have a lot of work ahead of me to get it all photographed while I try and keep up with the household, take care of the kids, do the mounds of laundry that have piled up, spin yarns to make OOAK items for photo props and so on and so forth.

Well the dryer has called my name yet again.  If I don't keep up on this laundry thing it will swallow me up alive.  I have so much to do and can't let that happen.  Here's hoping that I can take a break this evening for some fiber fun.

Sale Samples

Thought that I would add a little teaser for you on some of what we have for sale for 25% off.

 This is our Sensational line.  It is 100% Superwash Merino in Fingering weight.  Put up is 500 yds/skein for $20.00 (before sale price!)

 April Showers

 Chocolate Covered Cherry

 Lavender Fields 2.0 (the reason for the 2.0 is because the purple is darker in this one than the original Lavender Fields - I have it as well.)

 Summer Sunset

Sapphire

There are many more colors where these came from.  I also have out Test of Time yarn listed as well as some Fun Fiber Batts, and some items that can be special ordered.

Come check out our Etsy Shop and remember to use the coupon code "Birthday25".  This sale is good until February 14, 2013!

You can also find us on Facebook at Knitted to a T  Don't forget to like our FB page for updates and more of what we are doing.

Those of you watching the Superbowl today, enjoy!  We will be watching it for the commercials. :)

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been in a bit of a frenzy trying to get things dyed up for my first show of the season toward the end of next month. With having the kids home all day and it taking time and concentration to dye I have only been able to work on it in the evenings after Kevin gets home.

So far my tally dyed is:
31 skeins Baby Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere Lace (Opulent)
55 skeins of Merino SW Fingering weight (Sensational)

I have been winding yarn while the youngest takes a nap and have 30 skeins (400 yds each) of a new Corriedale/Nylon Fingering weight done so far, and about 25 of BFL fingering weight. Things are coming along slowly.

I have been very diligent at dyeing every night, well that is except for last night. :( Kevin sent me a msg from work yesterday saying that his left hand and foot were kind of numb, his jaw was hurting, his chest was heavy, had a headache and so on. With all the heart problems in his family I told him to call 911 and get to the hospital. The stubborn man that he is finished work, came home, showered and tells me he felt a little better after a shower. Umm that wasn't going to fly with me. I played the kid card and he decided to go to the ER. ;) They took him right back, gave him a nitro pill and nitro paste, did an ekg, blood work, battery of other tests. He said that after having the nitro he felt much better other than the pounding headache from the nitro. Finally all the tests came back and he was told that everything looked fine on paper, but with his symptoms they wanted to do a stress test to be safe. This meant they wanted to keep him. Of course he wavered and wanted me to tell him to come home, but even though I wanted him home I knew that he should stay (don't make me play the kid card again lol). So now it is a waiting game as to when they will ever get to do the test. I sit here at home nervously waiting to hear something/anything.

In my "spare" time I have been working on a shopping cart for my website! Yes folks it is finally in process. Not as fast as I had hoped, but a little here and there is better than nothing at all. :)

Sorry for the photo-less post. Photo taking, just has not fit into my day recently. Hoping to get photos of all the dyed yarns, but that is going to take quite some time to get a picture of every colorway that has been dyed on each yarn. LOL

Seriously?!

Last week was crazy. I was in and out of the ER. The first time was for the pressure behind my left eye. CT scan showed nothing, trip to the referred ophthalmologist showed nothing other than I light eyes in the back. He said it was weird and that it was like having brown hair, but blond eyes. Umm o.k. He believed it could be sinus pressure and I should go back on the allegra, but as a precaution put me on steroid drops for that eye.

I used the steroid drops as prescribed then on Thursday as I was helping James with his school work my right arm and hand went numb. Before that I had to pick some stuff up off the floor and got really sick feeling. I sat down to try and relax and see if maybe I was just holding my arm wrong and it had gone to sleep. Once I sat down I had a weird shaky sick feeling. I waited a while to see if the numbness would subside, but it didn't. Sent a msg to Kevin and called a local Dr office since we still hadn't found a Dr yet. I was advised to head to the ER. So another call was made to the MIL and I waited for Kevin to come get me as I wasn't about to drive like that.

Another CT, an EKG, 6 viles of blood work and 6 more hours in the ER came up with nothing! In a way I am glad that nothing was found, but then it makes me feel like I am crazy. My arm was numb all that day and you could physically tell that the hand and fingers on that side were colder than the left. They couldn't give me any answers and I was told to followup with our GP. While I was at the ophthalmologist I asked the ladies there if they knew of any Drs. I was told to call a place in Lawrenceburg and they are taking new patients! Whoo Hoo! Down side is I can't be seen until Mat 17, since I am a new patient and they only see 2 new patients a day. They were booked that far out! I am just happy at this point to have found a Dr.

I stopped taking the steroids as they were giving me a bad chemical taste in the back of my throat and burning it. Since I quit taking them the numbness has subsided. I remember having a bad reaction to steroids when I was younger and I had to take them for my asthma. The Dr at the ER said it could be back problems or a pinched nerve. I just wonder if it could have been an allergic reaction to the steroids? If you know me you know that I can't have any normal reaction to meds.

In between all this I was filling out my order for yarn to dye. :) Guess what came today?! Oh yeah some yarn. I still have another order to put in for roving and more yarn. I should do that in the next day or so in hopes that it will all be here for next week. Then the madness will start with the marathon dyeing. I need to get it all done and dry for my first show of the season in May. The Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival! I can't wait as I had to miss it last year and really wish I could have gone.

Amongst everything else that has been going on I have done some spinning and knitting of you can believe it. It is so nice to be able to spin colorful fun rovings into bright beautiful yarns.




These colors made me smile. :)



Oh by the way I see that people are reading the blog. See "purl of wisdom" below here? Yeah that is where you click to leave a comment or "purl of wisdom". :) I do like to hear what others have to say.

Wait for it.....

I am anxiously awaiting for new samples of yarns and rovings to arrive at my door! I cannot wait for them to come. I know that the problem will be that I will want to buy it all, but I have to stay within the budget. *Sigh*

I have been selling what little roving and yarn that I have left on etsy. So hopefully out with the old and in with the new. :)

Speaking of out with the old. We have been tossing around the idea of getting rid of the walls of my booth. They are so cumbersome and just not very stable. I can only use the vertical space for small light things and I would really like to hang my yarns so that they are seen better. We plan the keep the back wall white lattice, but really would like to go to something new and more modular so I can do shows that have the odd sized booths. Currently I am stuck with having to have a 10 x 10 to set up in. With the new ideas that we are kicking around I could set up pretty much anywhere. While I really like the current booth and the rustic look with the baskets, I need to think of functionality and ease of setup/tear down. Especially with having 2 kids and the husband along. lol I am hoping to have the new set up this year, but you never know. My main concerns are vertical space, functionality, visual appeal, ease of setup/tear down and my main concern is that my customers like it. So please keep an eye out for me this year at the festivals, the booth might just look a bit different.

Knitted to a T - Explained

I know that some of you have been wondering where the name I used for Ravelry "Knitted to a T" came from. Well I am now going to let you in on it.

It all started about a year ago. I had some graphics made up for some things that I was selling on Etsy and for items that I was giving as gifts. I had 2 different ones. The first one I used for my Etsy store at the time. (The 4 sheep "Knits for Ewe") The second one I had some big plans for. (Knitted to a T) It has been a long time in the making. Scraping up money to get things done, moving into a new house, Kevin wanting to finish out part of the basement and so on.

Finally things have been falling into place and I can't keep the secret any longer. I have wanted to tell you all for such a long time, but didn't want to say anything until I had things set in stone better.

I would like to introduce you to Knitted to a T yarns!! Squeeeee!!! I am so excited!!!!

I am currently making self striping yarns and will have them in Kona Merino Fingering & DK, Bamboo/Merino/Nylon Fingering and BFL Fingering!! I will also have some rovings as well. Currently I have Merino SW, BFL SW and BFL that need to be dyed up. They will be dyed in 4oz bundles, so there will be a good amount to spin.

I am currently working on a web site as well. Hopefully it will be ready not too far down the road. I have some fun planned for the web site as well. I want to give my first customer to the site a prize as well as my 50th customer (can be a repeat customer) and 50th new customer, etc. I will keep you all in the loop and let you know when I launch the site.

Below are some examples of what I have been dyeing.

From Left to right: Angela* & Carnival in Kona Merino - Carnival & Angela* in Bamboo/Merino/Nylon - all are 500 yd skeins in fingering weight

Angela* in Kona - 500 yds fingering weight - $25.00 SOLD! THANKS!!


Carnival in Kona - 500 yds fingering weight


Angela* in Bamboo/Merino/Nylon - 500 yds fingering weight


Carnival in Bamboo/Merino/Nylon - 500 yds fingering weight


Here is a final shot of some more yarn drying. Oh I have so much more to show you all. I hope to have more dyed up tomorrow while James takes a nap, but you all know how a toddler can change your plans. ;)


Have a lovely weekend. I have a birthday party to go to on Saturday, but I plan to dye as much as I can. :)

*50% of all sale proffits of Angela go to my cousin. She is battling kidney cancer with 3 young kids and a husband. She does have insurance, but they are refusing to pay for most of her treatment. This is my way to help her and her family.

Thanks Are Over/Due

I listed these in order of when I got them.

This first thanks goes to Deb at Fearless Fibers. I thought that I had posted this, but I can't seem to find it. So I must have thought of the post in my head and just never put it down in type.

She was having a contest and I won a felted bag kit with her wonderful yarn. Look at those colors! I love blue. Thanks Deb! Head over to her blog and check out the things that she has for sale at her Etsy store.

Speaking of Etsy she has a wonderful post about them. Go over and check it out.


Next thanks goes to my friend Susan. She was lucky enough to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year. I requested some yummy spinning fiber if she had enough room in the car after all her shopping.

She brought back this:


Can you guess what it is?



Here is a close up.

It is California Variegated Mutant!!! The colors range from white to a creamy brown. It is so pretty.


Also she brought back this:


Yummmmmm Look at that brown fibery goodness.

This my friends is Dark Blue Faced Leicester (or BFL for short). This stuff is like crack.

Thanks so much Susan!!!

If you happen to be in the Cincinnati, or Tri-state area you should stop by Susan's Store. It is so very cute and chalked full of fibery goodness. She not only has yarns that you don't find in other stores, but she is also selling roving and fleeces!


Last, but certainly not least, is this:



I won a contest at Mandy's blog. I got a skein of Lisa Souza sock yarn and 2 sets of way cute stitch markers.

Thanks Mandy!!!!

Also if you are looking for charity knitting Mandy heads up Caps for a Cure. Head on over and check it out. LOL HEAD on over LOL. She also has and Etsy store.

Thanks to everyone. I am excited about all my fibery goodness.

Yarn Stash Mess

Our poor extra bedroom. It has been designated for all the yarn and it currently is a complete mess. Yarn is all over on the floor, on top of dressers, in boxes, in bags and piled in the closet. This is not going to be fun to organize. Where do I even start? The room is going to have a single bed, a dresser, a corner shelf and a cedar chest so I have to get it organized enough to get all that in there too.

Ok so I never realized how much yarn that I have. WOW I have a lot. Granted I do have quite a bit of sock yarn and that is always ok, right? Then there is at least 3 sweaters that I haven't gotten a chance to make for myself, so once I get busting on that the stash should go down quite a bit.

Ok so this picture doesn't look too bad, but just wait it gets worse, much worse.



This is 1 corner of the room. See the basket? Yes it is over flowing with yarn and there is even more behind it that you can't see.



Here we have one of the longer walls in the room. There is yarn crammed in everything except for the Central box (that has computer wires and other computer related stuff in it). As you can see I couldn't get it all in. The yarn is spilling over to the left of the picture.



Here we have more on the floor. There are many layers to this, so it isn't just one layer on the floor. There are probably 3 layers of bags toward the back. Is it bad to have this much yarn? But wait there is more!


See the white boxes on the left and right? Yep you guessed it, all full of yet even more yarn. Do you see a pattern here? LOL


I think this is the saddest picture ever. It is even more yarn in the bottom of the closet. All just thrown there until I can get to it. It looks so unloved, but believe me I love each and every skein, hank, ball, cake or what ever form it might be in. Since this truly doesn't show how much is here I will tell you that the top bag is at least at the 4 ft high level! Yes that is all yarn in there. Some is in bags, some in totes, some in baskets while others are free ranging and roaming on their own.


As I said before where do I start? Well here of course. My dear friend Sara left this shelving when she moved. So I now have a place to put the yarn. Thank You Sara.

Now comes the fun part of taking all the yarn our of the closet, all of the bags, baskets, containers etc. and figuring out where I want it all to go on the shelving. I foresee this being a long, long, long project.

I will take some after pictures once I get it some what arranged. I hope that it will all fit. LOL