Chapter 49, in which we learn

that color can difficult when you're trying to achive a certain effect, and in which we learn that I may be slightly incompetent.

I did do some dyeing today. The skeins are still drying. I'm putting up the pictures as proof that I was not twiddling my thumbs (as a matter of fact, I had loads of fun trying out different combinations of colors and the way in which I applied them). I don't think I hit the color Betty was looking for yet! We'll see in a few days when these are dry and skeined up.

Betty by the way has long since called me and told me not to worry about it so much. I'm not worried. I am playing with yarn and color! I am finding out things that I never knew before!

Tomorrow I am having a little routine procedure done; Wednesday is Veteran's Day and we are attending a parade (Crafty Girl is in Color Guard); Thursday, I should be able to skein these babies up and take more pictures.

I'll see you then!

PS: I think the one in front there in the last picture is Chinese Lantern, v.2!

the color debate

Colors visible from my yard a couple of weeks ago.

I have to say I absolutely love this color debate. It is so interesting to me how folks gravitate towards or away from certain colors! Actually, the more you can tell me about your color preferences (see last post!), the better.

Tomorrow promises to be another fine day around here, and as soon as the breakfast dishes are put away, I will fire up the dyepot to see if I can't get my friend Betty the color she was looking for. I'll get it right one of these days, and in the meantime, all the ones I am getting "wrong", will be new colorways in the Periwinkle Sheep line-up!

let me run this by you

One of my long-time and beloved customers, Betty, requested a color in my Periwinkle Sheep watercolors sock yarn. The 80% merino, 20% nylon yarn is very soft yet durable, and it takes on color just so. Even bright colors have manners in this yarn, and when she asked for a flame orange with a deep red, I tried this:

Soon as it dried, I balled up a skein and did a quick test knit for a sock:

It reminds me of the flowers of a Chinese Lantern plant.

What do you think?

Hi Betty,

thanks for remembering to remind me. :) I'll put the kettle and dyepot on tomorrow! Deep red and flame orange...sounds like so much fun. Do you want to name your color?

Anyone else have any color requests? I am dyeing the 100% superwash merino fingering weight, and some sportweight merino.

A major etsy shop update will follow starting Wednesday. It will take me several days to get it all up.

Meanwhile, enjoy a few more hours of FREE SHIPPING on in stock yarn!

etsy shop update - free shipping thru Nov.1

Just a quick one - I am offering free shipping on all orders placed through midnight EST November 1st.
Good on all in stock items.
All orders will be shipped out FOR FREE within 48 hrs.

Click HERE to see!!

On November 2nd, I am pulling most current colors.
The shop will be restocked and updated on November 4th.

Always something up my sleeve (or is it pantleg? Since I dye mostly sock yarns?).

Rhinebeck 2009 - Sunday stroll

Sunday at Rhinebeck proved to be on the chilly and wet side.
Kay was prepared.


When my friend Anna came down with our families, we got to take a stroll. Here are some pictures for you.

The only thing I bought that day were 2 books, one of which is the Knitters Book of Wool, by Clara Parkes. Not only is she one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, gentle and funny, smart, and oh does she know how to write about, research, and design with her favorite medium.

I also caught a glimpse of Lily Chin.

After a wonderful few hours of walking around, it was back into the booth for me.

Here's Ava, one of my last customers that day. We had a great time talking yarn and knitting. She's going to make mitts for her friends. I do hope Ava will come see me again next year!

Too soon it was time to pack up. The animals were ready to go home.

Thanks everyone for making Rhinebeck such a success.

See you next year!

Rhinebeck 2009 - booth with a view

In past years, I realized AFTER Rhinebeck that I had managed to take lots and lots of pictures without any people in it. What's up with that? Thousands upon thousands come and I finally decided to make sure I got some people in the frame.

Our booth on Saturday. Three handdyers, two basketmakers, one sewn bag maker, one llama farmer. All of us knitters. Hint: sometimes, they were one and the same person!


Since the only time I left the booth was when I ran to the bathroom or to go stock up the Spinning Room booth, I tried to capture what was going on right out front.

Remember Jasmin? :) Hint: bright pink hair.


Lynn the basketweaver, knitter, and llama keeper, also has bunnies. This little girl captured her heart and she kept us company all day.

Kay and Laurie, most excellent handdyers of Sliver Moon Farm, gave me some prime real estate in their booth: a spinner rack for my sock yarn. (I also had a couple of baskets of worsted merino superwash). The basket below contains the Rhinbeck 2009 colorway, which sold out on the first morning. I guess I better come up with something really good next year, and dye more of it, too!

Kay's colors are to dye for....

...as were the colors on the trees.

My feeble attempt at a snapshot inside the booth.

I had the most wonderful visitors. GlennaC. from Toronto (far right), whom I met at the Sock Summit this summer, with her two friends Liz and Rebecca. Sorry Liz, I should have taken another shot...hope you can forgive me. MargoLynn (far left) from Hartford, CT, comes to see me every year, which totally brightens my day.

Elizabeth and her mom were customers at my store at the time. Elizabeth made her Norwegian sweater, of course. Her mom taugh her well, and then she just took off from there...

Laurie our dyer enjoying something apply crispy.

A podcast being recorded right outside our booth.

Booth helper Ben brought bags of maple cotton candy, which I mistook for wool fiber at first. Then they started eating it. Kay felt much better after that. :)

The clouds started to move in towards evening, promising a wet Sunday.

But try and keep the knitters from a sheep and wool festival!