Knitty 2009: Bitterroot & Pyroclastic - Ka Boom!

So, let’s continue on with are lil’ whirlwind, shall we? Ok! We shall! Because what would life be if we didn't have ups to go with our downs? Perhaps stable, secure...maybe in my next life.

In the new release of Knitty Winter 09, we are fortunate to have our yarn and fiber featured in 2 patterns – by 2 amazing designers, Rosemary Hill and Marlowe Crawford.

Dyeing, ok, I can do it – there are times, especially with natural dyes to create certain colors, or color combinations. And, then, there’s the physical aspect – which has taken a certain toll on my body over the past couple years. But designing, I have serious respect and a certain amount of awe around people like Marlowe and Romi who can take a material and transform it into a beautiful, inspiring, useful object that keep you warm.

From literally sitting beside Marlowe on the couch throughout this process, and from talking to Romi, there are so many stages of designing that might not be obvious at first glance. Sure, there’s the idea, I am very familiar with getting ideas – but bringing that idea to life is a whole other set of complicated commitments. There’s the idea, then starting to swatch, knitting, ripping, knitting, ripping, pencil, paper, erase, scratch, calculate, multiply, do it again, alter, shift, change, knit, test knit, name, re-name, photograph, choose photos, edit photos, typography, format document, get it out to the public, or in the case of Knitty, submit your pattern, and let the waiting game begin. The pattern is accepted, yea, hoots and hollers, sipping of champagne, then mum’s the word. While the worker bees over at Knitty are and have been doing much pretty the same thing to the patterns about to be released. And, this to our beloved knitter and spinners is FREE to you. This is truly a gift of talent, thought, and love.

Sometimes people ask me if I plan to design something – my goodness. At this moment, I could not be happier supporting people like Marlowe and Romi, those that have dedicated themselves to the process with materials. Their designs encourage me to use the best materials and to create interesting colorways that hopefully will inspire them to continue creating such beautiful pieces.

Bitterroot, by Rosemary Hill, is a shawl available in 2 sizes. I adore the pattern – how it builds upon itself – alike peacock feathers in a plume. Bitterroot features my favorite type of edging, deep V’s, exaggerated and dramatic lace. Romi spun our 50% camel / 50% silk in Glenda for this shawl.(all photos courtesy of Romi)

Pyroclastic, by Marlowe Crawford, feature the dynamic paring of form meeting function. This pair of socks which have a sweet, classic, cable design are coupled with the shaped arch. The shaped arch creates a biased fabric which keeps the sock snug even after wearing them multiple times. Furthermore, for my butterfly brain, fluttering here and there, is often times plagued with 2nd sock syndrome, the shaping through the arch, makes knitting the sock go by very fast. Marlowe used our Creating Superwash Merino yarn in Burnt Ember. These socks will be a gift for my Mom – another avid supporter of Marlowe and her designs.

Well, my newly cast-on Bitterroot is calling my name. Be back soon with photos!

Picking Up Where I Left Off: SOAR 2009

Silk reeling was my hands down favorite part of SOAR. It provided the much needed stretch in skills that I've been looking for in my spinning practice. Let's get down to business with some visuals.

The title of the class was Spinning Six Slick Silks with Michael Cook aka Wormspit.

The first yarn we made was created using the Laotian method of reeling. In this method, we take a few handfuls of cocoons and place them into a kettle of simmering water. In order to start reeling, we need to rough up the outside of the cocoon with a scrubby brush and grab the filaments coming off the cocoons.

In the above photo, if you look in the left hand corner you can see a copper pipe thingy - this is called a croissure. We wind the filaments through the croissure in order to start reeling. The croissure helps us keep the filaments organized and also allows to squeeze extra water out of the newly reeled thread. Just learning how to wind the filaments through the croisure was a test in itself.

During the Laotian method, the silk is pulled through the croissure and carefully laid in an organized pattern on a towel. Then, it is wound by hand onto a silk bobbin. The next 5 yarns we created, we used the Japanese method of reeling. This method, like every in craft in Japan, was much more detail oriented and precise. In this method, we used 18 cocoons instead of the large handful above. Also, we went from using 1 pot of boiling water to 3 pots of water, all running at different temps. As difficult as it was, it was fun to have challenge my level of ambidexterity. Often times, the right hand needed to be doing something very different than my left hand. From here on, the photos will refer to the Japanese form of reeling.

Once the filament has been wound through the croissure, the reeling can begin, we attach the end of the yarn to reeler and start to give it a go - being very careful, steady, and watchful that the filament does not break. If you have ever lost an end while spinning wool, imagine losing an end of this. Mind you th filament we are reeling is 100,000 yards per pound. To give you a point of reference, the finest yarn AVFKW carries (Wishing, 100% Alpaca) is 7000 yards per pound.

Even though the first reeling is complete, from here the silk must be re-reeled 3-4 times so that we can get as much water out of the silk as possible. If the silk is allowed to dry too fast, the filaments can become stuck together, this making it impossible to use the filament. Then, you get to cut your silk off the bobbin, and toss it in the shhhh...trash. Also, it is very important that you reel your silk in a criss cross reason for the same reason.

Once the silk has been re-reeled, I added twist to the filaments using my spinning wheel, thus, making them into yarn. The first yarn I made is called Tram which means that it is a low twist single, often times used for embroidery. Then, I made a 3/2, 10 twists per inch. 3 refers to the amount of filaments in the yarn, 2 refers to the ply. Each filament was made of 18 cocoons. The next group of yarns I made were a high twist (20 twist per ince) 2 ply and a high twist 3-ply. These are definitely the shiniest of the bunch - like little tiny, sparkling pearls. Finally, I made my thickest yarn, laughably about 9000 yards per pound - somewhat resembles AVFKW Shimmering Lace - 10/2 - so, 10 filaments, 18 cocoons each, 2-plied.

After adding twist, and marking each sample with contractor's ribbon, it was time to remove the waxy, stiff seracin from the yarn. My yarn felt more like flax than silk.

Ah! That's more like it, soft, shiny, silk.

I hope to demonstrate this process at the studio - but want to practice a bit first. It was an amazing albeit insanely detail orientated experience. Michael Cook was a fantastic teacher. I highly recommend taking a class from him if you have the opportunity - you will learn to understand silk in a whole new way.

SOAR 2009: Arrival Day

Reporting from SOAR, I'm behind a day. It happens, right? Spin-Off Autumn Retreat is in Sunriver, Oregon this year, 2009. Adrienne and I have been working our arse(s?) off getting ready. During the beginning of the week, I am taking a 2.5 day class with Michael Cook of Wormspit titled Six Slick Silks. I'm learning how to reel silk. Crazy. Ok, I am moving ahead of myself.

So, yesterday, Sunday, we left the Bay Area bright and early for Sunriver - about an 8 hour drive. Loaded up a rental van with all sorts of fiber goodies (later in the week we are vendors). We stopped in Weed, which is the home of one of my favorite greasy spoons, the Hi-Lo Cafe. Then, we headed into the wilds of Oregon - nature! what a novel thing. It always takes me a good 24 hours to unwind. The buzzing energy of the city slowly sizzling out of my system - then, I realize I am dead tired. Sorry, once again, I digress, it's been a full day, now topped off with a glass of port, snowflakes, and a hot tub. So, we pulled up to this beautiful resort - a lil condo - with a fireplace - pair of deer right outside. After I finished dinner, I peeked into my classroom and this is what I saw: I can NOT wait to share what I am learning in silk class with you. It's amazing - all new information to me. My hands are clumsy and heavy, inarticulate, and I love it. I get to feel like my students when they are first learning to spin - the frustration and exhileration of making my mind and body work together, then it does, and my head feels lighter, happier - all along, the outside world is non-existant because I am concentrating. My silk bubble.

Keep the Fleece: Sheep to Scarf Fundraiser 2009

Whoohoo! Back for the 2nd time this week.

I finally feel like I am becoming human again - between the insanity of opening the store and the onslaught of Stitches, things felt a bit too chaotic for my liking. When I am in the middle of the insanity, I know that one day things will calm down again, that I will even miss the chaos a bit, but I still have a hard time staying balanced in those moments of extreme stress. So, now, I am happy. Happy that Stitches is over, happy that I am back to blogging, I really missed it. Happy that soon, I will be uploading new colors and products to the website. We have a lot of stuff in the store that has not made it to the website. And, happy to simply hang out with my dog and knit. Now, if I had my druthers, in a month or so, when the weather warms a bit, I would love to rent a house on the coast, knit, spin, cook, and hike. Ah - sounds so dreamy. Could I pull it off? Maybe. We'll see.

So I am going to make an announcement - you are gonna love this - we are mere sentences away from an entire diatribe of how I am going to rest a bit more - ease into things - but I LOVE creating - so what to do! What I am about to announce is the essence of life - it's what makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning, so here it is...

Keep the Fleece: Sheep to Scarf 2009

As some of you may be aware, The United Nations has declared 2009 as the The International Year of Natural Fibres. Now, for most of us, I would say that every year is the year of natural fibers - but think this is a great opportunity to get together, represent, and raise some money supporting the production and use of natural fibers.

So, while I was at Stitches West, I had the opportunity to meet Linda Cortwright, editor and founder of Wild Fibers magazine. In honor of this year, she has created an organization called Keep the Fleece.

The goal is to raise $250,000 for Heifer International. Heifer International will then use this money to buy fiber producing animals for people in need - so that they will have a form of income.

At Keep the Fleece, they are challenging us to get together and to create a scarf 9” wide. For every row knit, they are asking for $1 per row donation. That means that a scarf 9x60” long would equate roughly to a $600 donation. Once the scarf is complete, we send it to Keep the Fleece and it will become part of a traveling exhibition - the first stop will be Rhinebeck. There is also talk of it going to the White House and beyond to provide a visual representation of those that support natural fibers - and those of us which participate in crafts which use such.

I love a good challenge. And this being Verb’s year of service, I thought it would be fun to participate. I am still working out the details but know this much -

I propose we do a sheep to scarf event on Saturday, April 25th from 10am to 6pm. This event will take place at the Verb store in Berkeley. Now, the folks over at Keep the Fleece only ask us to knit a scarf - but all of us at Verb - employees and customers alike - seem to come from an over achieving background - so I thought that it would be fun to incorporate spinning. My idea is that we would have a team of spinners and a team of knitters - that we could spend the day spinning and knitting - finish the scarf(ves) and hang them in the Verb store for a month or so before sending them off to Keep the Fleece.

So, here’s the next challenge, I am wondering if we could do more than 1 scarf. I would love to do 2 maybe even 3 scarves.

Scarf 1: handspun, handknit wool & exotics
Scarf 2: handspun, handknit fiber from local farms
Scarf 3: handspun, handknit cellulose - crazy, I know, but how cool would it be!!

Potentially this could mean that we would need 60-80+ people to show up, donate, and work.

Here is my request, if you would like to participate, and I hope you do - I am asking each participant to reserve there space in this event by registering on the Verb website. The cost to participate starts at $30. There is a sliding scale, if you would like to donate more, please go ahead and do so. This amount covers your registration, your fiber, and your donation as well as yummy snacks and drinks on the day of the event. Participating will also give you a chance to meet new friends who share your love for fiber. Also, if this amount of money seems to large for you, how about getting pledges from your friends and family?

Also, if you would like to participate in the design of the scarves, please let me know. I think that before the event, it would be fun for a group of us to come together and get the designs down on paper before the event takes place. Perhaps the designers could act as team captains.

I've also received some questions about folks who can't make it the day of the event but would like to donate money to the event. That's great and we'll happily accept your pledges. Dependent upon the amount of money we receive from these donors, we may be able to sponsor folks who would like to participate in the event but can't afford to and/or use the money to cover those that are donating $30 v. $40.

For the record, I believe in full disclosure. Regarding the cost of materials (fiber), for this event I am contributing spinning fiber at cost, therefore, a small portion of the donation will be going to the fiber materials. That said, already a few generous folks have offered to contribute money to cover materials, therefore, we can pay forward some donations 100% instead of 95%. Regarding disbursement of fiber, my plan is to estimate the amount of fiber necessary to spin and knit a 9x60 scarf, I will then divide that amount of fiber amongst the team. If we have left over fiber at the end of the day, it's yours.

We intend to document the lead up to this event, as well as the day of the event, including everyone who contributes to the event - those present as well as those who donate.

Here are some fibery photos to entice you.



I am really excited about this (I think Marcel is too, but he is such a diva, he has to play it cool)- I think this could be a ton of fun. I hope you are excited too!

Happenings: Fiber Club, Y-Knit, & Stitches

Goodness! whoooosh - another second gone.

real quick - a list of announcements -

announcement #1
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I am very excited to announce that I am opening up 10 more spots for the Spring installment of our fiber club shipment. This is 10 spots total for both Woolly and Ultra (not 10 spots each).

Sign-ups for this installment will begin Friday, February 20th at 9am PST - and will run until February 29th – unless they fill up before then. (Tip* last time we offered sign-ups, they sold out within 20 minutes. I am not sure that they will fill up quite as fast this time, but would like to advise, if you are thinking of signing up, jump on it.) On February 20th, I will add a paypal button to our website which will allow you to sign up for either club.

If you are planning to cancel your subscription to our fiber club (I hope you won’t), please do so between now and the 20th of the February. That way, I will know if I can add more new members.

Wow! Its been 6 months since we started the fiber club. I want to extend great gratitude to everyone who has been in our club. I am truly gracious for your support, creativity, and inspiration.

To anyone new to our club, here’s the low-down:

We have 2 fiber clubs: Woolly Wonders and Ultra.

Woolly Wonders consists of 3-4oz of various wools per month. The cost is $24 per month.

Ultra offers 2-3 oz of exotics and luxury fibers per month. The cost is $30 per month.

Both clubs require a 3 month commitment.
Fall – September - November
Winter – December - February
Spring – March - May
Summer – June - August

We offer 2 types of payment: pay up front for your 3 month increment and receive 5% off. Or, pay per month. If you sign-up for a continuous year of subscriptions – you will receive 1 month free.

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Announcement #2

Also, I was given the fantastic opportunity to sit with the Y-Knit guys, HizKNITS and WonderMike to record the most recent episode of Y-Knit. We have a great contest going. Click here to listen and play.

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Announcement #3

Next week is Stitches West. We will be in booth #837. Please top by and say hello. Also, we have tons of brand new fiber and yarn as well as a great new tote. This tote, which has a spinning wheel and the verb logo on it, will be given complimentary to those who spend $80. AND, there will be a 10% off coupon for your next purchase inside of the bag :)

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ok, knitties! that's it for now. I am sorry for all of the business speak. Soon, stories, vignettes of insanity, and FO's coming your way.

Heads and Tails: Taking in the Bay Area & a Birthday Contest

I have my warm cup of tea. My emotions feel a bit more in control. And, I am ready for a bit of storytelling. What a week! What a month! What lies in the year ahead? This month at the Verb house, things have been exciting, hectic, tense, and productive.

I have been going through a period of intense love for the Bay Area. Which is a large shift from where I was for the past 2 years. I was very uncomfortable living here. Everything seemed overpriced and crowded. I was yearning to stretch my legs, live in a house where I would have a view, of even a tree would do, maybe a washer and dryer, oh, and the real kicker, a dishwasher. I searched for a home in New Mexico, Oregon, various regions of Northern California. I miss my Midwestern family and even entertained the idea of moving back to Minnesota before the memory of ice cold air hitting my face snapped me back into reality. If it wasn't for that damn cold...

My love affair with the Bay Area has been re-ignited due to spinning and knitting. Over the past year, I have met so many awesome people. Those who are talented, always pushing the envelope, searching for new ways to express themselves. I had a lot of tension over "wanting' to carry forth my dreams and creativity. Now, that I find myself more in this position, I have become a generally, happier person - and am able to see the beauty of the Bay Area again. It really is amazing to follow your dream, even though it is risky, and there is still stress, but seeing your dream lift from your mind into reality. To begin to mold it with your actual hands, I highly recommend it. Can you imagine if we all said, "Enough!" and we went on to create our dreams, what that would look like?

Earlier in the month, A, Cleo and I hiked at Point Reyes.


Getting back to work, we went over to Alameda to shop for some furniture and design ideas for the new store. On the first Sunday of the month, on the old Naval base, there's Antiques by the Bay. Love! So, let's set the scene, Alameda is an island, right off the coast of Oakland. The Naval base, is like a large parking lot on the water, strange but interesting. And, then there is this huge antiques market with 400 vendors. It is sunny. You have a view of SF. And look what's there:
The cranes in the distance marks the landscape of Oakland.

We came home from the Market with a new, drop leaf, oak table and a rocking chair for the store. Oh, the store, we are so close to being - I hesitate to say done - because this is certainly a work in progress - but close to being able to really move into the space, and put away all of the power tools. I have decided to limit my photos of the actual store because I want it to be a bit of a surprise for the Grand Opening (December 6th, mark your calendars). But here is a taste:
The Y Knit boys and K painting.

Alongside working on the store, I have been dyeing. We have 2 new lace weight yarns.

Shimmer. 100% Silk.

Holding. 100% Superfine Alpaca

New products are pouring into the store, getting ready for the opening. Like our new Spindlewood Spindles. Yikes, these are so beautiful. They spin like a little rocket and the folks in Oregon that make them are the sweetest people. I love supporting great people.

In September, I started teaching beginning wheel classes at Article Pract. Previous to September, I really had not been spinning on my wheel. Most of my time was spent using my drop spindles. Teaching has been great, it has gotten me back on my wheel. Last week, I gave myself the day to just sit home and spin. Here are some of the results.

My birthday is on Sunday. I think this year's birthday theme is going to be in celebration of living out one's dreams. I would like to start the celebration by offering a contest. The winner will receive a package full of surprises. What would your world look like if you lived out your dreams? If you would like to share what one of your dreams are, or perhaps a dream you had, that you have already experienced, you will be entered into the birthday drawing. Please leave your comment by Sunday, November 9th at 8pm pst. I will let everyone know who the winner is on Monday, November 10th. Cheers!

TGIF!

Hello Everyone!

It is so beautiful out today. Warm and sunny.

Just thought that I would drop everyone a quick note. The week has really gotten away from me. It's Friday! I cant believe it. We have been busy this week. Dyeing new colors for Fall. Reds, oranges, blues, and greens.

Also, we have been getting ready for the par-tay tomorrow (Saturday). Marcel will be making a guest appearance. We are going to make a special announcement around 12:30. And, 15% off throughout the day. We are accepting cash and check. Like the olden days. I hope if you are in town here, you will stop by. At least for a drink!

Feel free to bring your wheel with you. Or your spindle. There will be people there spinning. Word! All the details for the party can be found here.

Other than that, the first shipment of the fiber club has gone out. It was so great seeing all of the beautiful colors sitting in these huge mounds around the studio. It was great to to hear everyone's excitement. It feels great to pass along love. I already have a few ideas about whats coming for October's shipment.

I really miss my spinning and knitting. I have been deeply entrenched in this new scarf I am making. From a fleece my mom and I bought together at Black Sheep Gathering 2 years back. The yarn is turning out lovely. The scarf is a reversible cable pattern. This is probably one of my favorite things I have ever knit. I think next week is going to be a bit more laid back, I can return to spinning and knitting the scarf. And, post pictures of the progress.

I hope all is well!

Love, Silk, & 15% Anniversary Party

Oo, Adrienne just cut her finger doing dishes. My head swoons just thinking about it. I do not do blood. Or seeing my loved ones in pain for that matter. What I can do is call from the bedroom "What happened? Do you need me to come in there?" She knows that unless she cut her finger off she probably doesn't want me in there. And even then, she would probably just say call 9-11 (for the both of us). I just finished rubbing lotion on her non-cut hand, to try to take her mind off the hurt hand. I do what I can.

This reminds me of a time, three years ago, I received a phone call from Adrienne's work saying that Adrienne had been taken to the hospital. We learned that Adrienne had ovarian cysts and needed to have an operation. It was a 1 day procedure. I felt confident that I could handle this.

She went into surgery. Everything was going great. They called me to come and get her. They were told (read warned) that I don't do so great in trauma / recovery / blood! types of places. When I arrived to the hospital to get her, her blood pressure was very low and they decided it wasn't time yet to release her. The nurse led me to her, she was laying in a little space, only made so by a curtain and a bed. All around me, I could here people moaning about there wonky, cut up knee, and their head, this and that. Uh oh, feeling a little swoony. But I persisted. So, the nurse asks me "Would you like to help Adrienne get dressed?" I actually think that she suggested it. My ego wouldn't let me say what I really wanted to say -- which was hell no! all of these blood and guts, I gotta get out of here!" So, I walked towards Adrienne. She was a bit smile-y coming off all of the drugs, and happy that I was there to help. I helped lift her off of the bed. And then I saw all of the bandages! Uh oh. So, there we were, me clinging on to her trying not to faint, and her clinging to me, not being able to stand up because she had had major surgery on her abdomen region. As we rocked back to front, left to right, me, having at least the where with all to know that falling down with Adrienne would be horrible, I shuffled her over to her bed, all of 5 inches in that tiny space, seeing stars. Adrienne made me sit down, and then fed me one of her saltines. She leaned on her bed, and gingerly dressed herself.

The nurse came over, she put Adrienne in a wheelchair. I walked alongside as we went to the car. The nurse eyeing me cautiously -- I am sure running thorough her head some nursing code of ethics where there's a rule against releasing patients to people who faint at the sight of them -- and how that probably isn't the best idea. Oh yeah, not to mention that I was the one behind the wheel, and was to drive Adrienne home. Thankfully, it was a short drive.

A week ago, I went with the girls to the city. Urban Fauna Studio, a new fiber and yarn store was celebrating their grand opening. The store is very sweet and cozy with a nice selection of notions, needles, hand dyed fiber and yarn. Honestly, though, it was a bit hard for me to look around because there we so many knitters and spinners! It was great to see such a supportive turn-out. Ah, the fiber community, love those people. I will have to return to Urban Fauna Studio on another day when I can peruse the store a bit more.

The rest of the day was spent at Marlowe's house, doing fiber prep. Aija has been so inspiring with her combing and fiber prep that I was itching to get my hands on Marlowe's new combs. (thanks Marlowe!) Here are a few of the bundles I combed.And here is a bit of the yarn that I spun from the handcombed coopworth x romney. In an upcoming post I will write about what I plan to do with it and and a bit about the history of this fleece.

In Verb news, last Wednesday I added 2 new colors of silk, Apple and Shirley Temple to our online store. I was obsessed with drinking Shirley Temples when I was little. Sitting next to my Dad at the bar.


**** Big News ****

September is Verb’s 1st Anniversary.

To celebrate, in honor of my wonderful customers, everything in Verb’s store will be 15% off from September 9th until September 20th, 11:59 pm pst. This discount will be deducted at the time of check-out.

Plus, for all of the folks here in the Bay Area, we are going to throw a party.

Saturday, September 20th
10-5

AVFKW Studio
Activspace
2703 7th St #145*
Berkeley, CA 94710

*We are on the ground level, facing the Activspace parking lot.

We will be offering 15% off through out the day. Plus, their will be yummy snacks and beverages.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past year! This truly has been a dream of mine, and to watch it unfold is truly remarkable. And, to see your projects and use of the product, so inspiring.

**** Cheers! *****

Sometime tonight, between midnight PST and 9am PST, I will post the coupon code necessary to redeem your 15% discount. There is not limit to how many times you can use this coupon between now and the 20th. Talk to you soon!

Poo Power

It has been so wonderfully sunny and warm. Our dye garden is in full swing (thanks to Marcel's nutritious poo power). We're harvesting on a daily basis cosmos, correopsis, dahlias, and bronze fennel. Poor Marcel has been so hot -- the big ball of fluff that he is.
He is molting right now. He does that every three months. At night, I pull bits of fluff off of him. There are spots on him that give more fluff than others, almost like a spigot. I keep pulling and pulling sometimes to the point that I think he will have a bald spot, but, no, he just has a ton of fur. My friend Rebekah turned me onto an Angora grooming class on September 20th at a bunny store named Rabbit Ears in Kensington. I hope to learn better organizational skills when taking his fur off of him. Right now, I am just kind of stuffing it into a tupperware container every which way because I am still learning how to keep him still long enough for me to groom him. My fiber self just keeps saying -- it's ok -- it is like a big rolag -- think woolen.

Cleo and Marcel are making headway. Except for brief moments when Cleo tries to hump Marcel at which point we all yell "off Cleo, off!" My neighbors must be like WTF?!Anyhow, I give good thanks that Cleo is no longer trying to
A.) Bite Marcel
B.) Chase Marcel
C.) Is now listening to voice commands when around Marcel.

On the spinning front, my buddy A gave me the most luscious gift. Hand combed top. When I say these three words, they seem so limited, short, small, easy, a mere second to type. When really these three words encompass, maybe, if we were to sit down and write from beginning to end what it takes to make hand combed top a 50,000 word essay. If you read A's blog, she has been giving quite a beautiful description of her process: buying a fleece, washing it, combing it, spinning it, and soon, we may see what she knits from it. if you have an interest in learning how to do this kind of thing, reading her blog would be an amazing place to start. And, if you do decide to join A in her pursuits, I welcome all gifts of hand combed top! Don't you even think twice about sending it my way! As I just finished spinning the top A gave to me. I can already feel the affect of withdrawal coming on.

Now, onto a bit of Verb news.

First! Date Change! I have decided for the sake of sanity to push back the Verb Anniversary Party. The new date is Saturday, September 20th. This will give a bit of extra time to make some special fibery, yarn-y goodness for the party. More details will follow in the next week or so.


Next bit of news, I updated the store this week with 11 new colors of BFL spinning fiber. Sometimes I think I've grown tired of BFL, it's what I learned on for god sakes, but then I spin it, and remember why I love it so. It drafts so easily. It takes dye so beautifully. And it is so wonderfully woolly. It's a classic.

Last but not least, The Fiber Club is filling up with so many amazing members. If you are thinking of joining, come on over, membership is open only a few more days - until September 1st at 11:59pm pst.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Point Reyes Camel

Today, I updated the store. I added camel/merino spinning fiber in 3 colorways: indigo, headlands, and spring chicken.

A few post backs, I started to write about a new lace ribbon scarf that I was making. Honestly, it is extremely rare that I make a pattern twice. However, when making the first scarf it dawned on me that it would make a great project for an intermediate spinning class. A couple months later, I found myself at Article Pract teaching this class. One of the goals of the class was to create a yarn that you may not have thought otherwise. Some students chose colors that they would have previously thought would not have harmonized. Others, chose fibers that they were shy of. Needless to say, the results were fantastic.

Here is where I am so far: 50 baby camel - 50 merino indigo
50 silk - 50 merino - citron
100 tussah silk - 10% chance of rain II

My inspiration when dyeing the fiber, and when choosing the color combination were influenced by this day at Point Reyes. When the wind whips around me, that fast, with so much power, I feel like it is cleaning out all of the stress and noise stuck in my bones. The wind tosses it to the sea. Then, that weight lifted out of my insides, presents room -- to create new things, to relax, to observe what is around me. Sometimes I get testy with Adrienne, she tends to take a lot of photos. However, there are times like this day at the beach, when I am so grateful for her photos. She really captured the fog, the deep, saturated, matte browns of the beach, and the crisp green and blue of the ocean. Seeing Jabbar's crisp white kurta against the beach really takes my breath away. I see it as so beautiful.

p.s. To all of you (so far) signed up for the fiber club -- I am so happy that you are exited! Thank you for all of the positive feedback. If you haven't signed up yet, come and join us, I think this is going to be a lot of fun.

I'm Back! AVFKW Fiber Club

I'm back from my hiatus. I really did clean and organize my desk. While it was nice to take some time off the front line, to gather some thoughts, I am so happy to be back. And, I have a lot of exciting news to share with you.

The A Verb for Keeping Warm Fiber Club is open for membership.

Let me tell ya. I hemmed and hawed over this one. So many choices, which one to offer first. We have a whole lifetime ahead of us to spin, right? So, figure this a jumping off point. Today, you have a choice of 2 options. Memberships will be available for purchase until September 1st, 11:59pst.


Option 1: Woolly Wonders
It's all about the sheep with this package. Explore the amazing variety of sheep's wool and the variety of ways that it is processed and dyed. 4oz per month. Examples of fiber that may be included, but not limited to, are finn, merino, bluefaced leicester, Shetland, targhee, cvm, California red, polwarth, corriedale, etc.
$24 includes tax and shipping
$68.40 includes 5% discount, shipping, tax, 3 months of fiber

Option 2: Ultra
Only the best in luxury fibers will arrive to your doorstep, fresh from the dyepot, ready to be turned into beautiful, intense yarn. 2-3oz per month. Fibers may include, but are not limited to: silk, silk blends, cashmere, angora, alpaca, llama, cashgora, pygora, etc.
$30 includes tax and shipping
$85.50 includes 5% discount, shipping, tax, 3 months of fiber


My main goal behind offering this club is to expand your creativity and mine. We are going to do things a little bit differently than other clubs out there. Instead of offering one type of fiber per shipment. You may receive one or more types of fiber per shipment. I really want to encourage you to create your own blends of fiber and your own unique color combinations. I would really love to see members of this club expand their knowledge of spinning and the vast amount of different yarns that can be made from a single package of fiber. One of the single most rewarding aspects of my job as a dyer is to watch how each one of you chooses to spin your yarn, and how each one of you chooses to work with that spun yarn. It really is quite amazing - the boundless creativity.

I have chosen our A VFKW Ravelry group as a space to share fiber club yarns, projects, and comments about your process. I have also created a Flickr group to share photos. I really hope that you will join us!

Ok, now for my next announcement.

Mark You Calenders! It's AVFKW's 1st birthday party.
When: Saturday, Sept 6th 10-5
Where: AVFKW Studio, Berkeley

I will let you know more details in the next few days. Come over and help us celebrate.

Be back soon. I have some FO's to share. I did manage to get in some knitting and spinning over the past few weeks.

ZZZZZZ...Beep Beep Beep

That's the alarm. Pushing me to wake up. Not from sleep but from procrastination. Here is the honest truth, remember I have a thing for confessions being a recovering Catholic and all, I procrastinate when it comes to sitting at my desk and _____ fill in the blank. Bookkeeping, filing, organizing, etc.

Things have not always been this way. To give you a little background, at my last 9-5, I was a bookkeeper. My bank account and the company's balanced to the penny each and every month for 4 years. To make matters even more sick and twisted, I liked it. Plus, I come from a family of bankers. People who are conservative with money, especially its organization.

This is not to say that I don't like to keep organized records now. It is just that with the insane schedule that I have been keeping, things (anything paper related that isn't a label for a skein of yarn) has been pushed to the back of the line. As you can imagine, the longer this goes on, the worse it gets, the more I am repelled by the sight of it all. Oh, and let me tell you, with the state of affairs as they are right now, how much I dread April 2009.

Well, the part of me which likes an organized way of life has finally eaten my ear enough that I have put all things on hold until I can get this stack of papers sorted and squared. Really there is no need to dread the future, it's just going to take a little bit of elbow grease. My desk will be spankin' clean and ready to go. One may ask, if one is that type of person, "then, why are you blogging right now?"

I swear this will be my last piece of procrastination before getting right down to work!

So for one last trip to procrastinationville...

First stop: The Hanami is finished! I made a few modifications. In order to stick to one skein of yarn, I only worked 5 repeats of the basketweave pattern, and I only worked to chart E of the bubbly circle pattern. Also, I wanted to add more bling, so I added beads to the bubbly portion of the pattern. I found that they looked best on every other row of the right leaning decreases (K2TOG).

I hate seeing knitted items, or textiles of any sort, laying lifeless in a photobox. It makes me sad. So, Cleo, in hopes of cheering me up, agreed to model.

I tried to get Marcel to model for you. He was not into it to say the least. He is a little bit more primadonna than Cleo. Maybe it wasn't his color.

Here are the tools I used for the Hanami:
Addi Lace Turbos, sz 4
LOVE! I am now knitting everything on these needles. I love this sharp, precise little buggers.
Crochet Hook, US 14 (.9mm)
I found this tiny little hook at Lacis. They have even smaller ones.
Glass Beads -- peachy in color
Zero Stitch Markers, green and white freshwater pearls
DOUBLE LOVE! I must buy more. I tried to use one set for two projects, the Hanami and Wicked, I was desperate and it wasn't pretty. I kept losing count for the half of the project that didn't have any stitch markers. I tried to rectify the situation by adding plastic stitch markers. ISH! Must buy more as a reward for organizing my desk! Ha! Another incentive!

Second stop: Handspun!

I am teaching a class at Article Pract right now. This past week in class, we focused on spinning lace weight, fingering weight, and sport weight yarns. Each person in the class has created their own unique blend of fiber and color. Next week, we will start knitting Veronik Avery's Lace Ribbon Scarf. I can't wait to see everyone's handspun yarn come to life as a scarf. It is one thing to see a skein of handspun, an object of beauty and art in itself, but quite another to see it knit, the ways that the colors and texture will come together. I learn so much about my spinning when I knit with my handspun.

This is my homework so far.

The fiber(from top to bottom): AVFKW indigo dyed silk, AVFKW 50 Silk/50 Merino in Citron, and AVFKW 50% Camel/50% Merino dipped in indigo.

The tools (left to right):Bosworth mini spindle in purpleheart(.75oz), Ken Ledbetter spindle with lapis inlay. This spindle was used to ply.

The results:

Final stop: Over the past week, I did add 2 new colors of alpaca/silk yarn, chartreuse's sister and coral. My store updates are going to be put on hold over the next couple weeks, unless I get my "work" done. Part of my work does include the Fiber Club. I am ironing out the last final details. Very exciting.

Talk to you soon! I hope you are all well!

Ravelry

I am a complete Ravelry sl*t. I have left my blog readers in the dust by only posting my store updates on the A Verb for Keeping Warm Ravelry group. Forgive me Readers! Where is that nun when I need her to whack me on the knuckles with her ruler? But really, I never had my knuckles whacked as a child. I did attend Catholic grade school. But they fired all of the nuns when I was in kindergarten. So, I can't even blame the nuns for my bad behavior. Maybe it was the lack of nuns that has instigated my bad behavior. As a kindergartner, I was sad to see the nuns go. I have always had a special affinity for almost extinct uniforms. The habit, the kimono, the sari is slowly moving into that category.

Back on topic, I updated the store this week with some lovely flax/wool spinning fiber.

If you are on Ravelry, please come on over and join our group. Here I post about the Wednesday store updates (on time), customer appreciation sales, and about upcoming classes and shows.

I have so much to tell you but it is going to have to wait for another day. I need to get back to tying my scarf. Tomorrow, is part two of the workshop, the indigo dyeing portion.

Also, in August, my plan is to create and release my fiber club. Soon! What kinds of fiber would interest you?

BSG 2008: A Very Furry Time

Ah! The Black Sheep Gathering. Sigh. I love it.


The booth looked beautiful.


I had some free time to hang out with Adrienne and spin. She was on a spinning buying frenzy. Hopefully, in the next couple of days she will blog about it. I was trying out her new Ken Ledbetter spindle. It has inlaid lapis. Beautiful.


Here's a little guy that I absolutely love and know all too well. The black blue-face leicester.


Ok, let's show you the new stash. Beware. Warning. This is intense. I am in love. There were so many things that I could not resist. I have been so good, keeping to my very tidy, neat budget. Well, you know how when you go on a diet, and you are so good and then, you go crazy and start with jalepeno poppers, move onto a cheeseburger with french fries, and then move to a deluxe banana split. Yeah, well, this trip was something like that.

After perusing about 20 spindles, there are 2 that I purchased. The one on the left is a Spindlewood made out of pink ivory and ebony. The spindle on the left is made by -- shoot, I am going to have to get back to you about this one. I packed the tag away. When I get home I will tell you. What I do know is that both spin, and spin, and spin.


Toots LeBlanc: 50% Alpaca / 50% Jacob. This is going to be knit into Wicked.


I played Black Sheep Bingo and won a prize! Oklahoma Wool Snob! I never win anything! I am so excited. This yarn is so beautiful. Wool & Mohair.



Here come the fleeces! Oh my! I told myself that I had enough fleeces (5 from last year) and that I was going to buy yarn instead this year (Toots LeBlanc) and buy fleeces again next year. However, I had to go over and just look at the fleeces before they went on sale. Going through the preview, I saw a ton of beautiful fleeces but frankly, I didn't really see anything to break my promise. But, then, I noticed that the one of the fleeces that won best in show was up for sale. The race was on, my competitive spirit kicked in. I had to have this fleece. Lierally, this fleece is lavender in color. Seriously.
Romeldale x CVM


Alright, so the Romeldale was expensive as is should be. I walked over to he register to pay and get the H out of there before I "accidentally" found something else. Well, Adrienne and I thought that they accepted cc -- and they didn't. So, she had to run to the car. Well, I thought, I will just peruse. Killer! Because then, I found this fleece!!

Wensleydale!! From the same grower as the Romeldale. This fleece shines and shimmers. Literally, it is like a Tahitian Black Pearl. As you turn the fleece, it flips from dark grey to light grey to irridescent white. I flipped through it again and again. I said to myself no, you are not going to take this. And, then a woman walked over, I saw her glance at the Wensleydale fleece -- and I grabbed it tighter. Ok, it's coming home I guess.

I am so happy. Sara, Marlowe, and Caitlyn came to the Black Sheep Gathering too.
Here we are with our new baby...you read that right...can you guess what's inside?


Please meet Marcel Oliver, our new French Angora bunny!


His beautiful creamy-red fleece.


Love!! Now, I must run away and play!

WWKIP: SFMOMA here we come!

Saturday was WWKIP day. Basically, I love anything that has to do with fiber and socializing. Which is kind of funny, under most circumstances, I would consider myself an introvert. I guess fiber really pulls me out of my shell.

On Saturday, I didn't have any solid plans for WWKIP. The real issue is -- is that there are too many things I want to do and not enough time. I knew that really I should work, and continue dyeing for the Black Sheep Gathering but how can I resist a little knitting in public? I knew of three potential places that knitters were gathering. Knit-One-One in Emeryville, Memorial Park in Albany, and Union Square in San Francisco. All great places filled with great people, but we decided to do something altogether different. At 8am yesterday morning, the time of day when I get most of my ideas, I recalled Adrienne telling me that the SFMOMA is now going to allow photography in the permanent collection's galleries. So, I thought -- hey let's go and knit with the paintings!. We called Sara and we were off...

Adrienne with a Rothko.


Sara with a Joan Mitchell.


This is an amazing piece. These are silk flowers sewn together to make a curtain. Not like we haven't been sewing things like this since let's see eternity. But now a man has done it - so it's Art. Ooooh hiss!


I am with the Femme Au Chapeau by Matisse. Here she is looking at me.


And here she is looking at my shawl that I am knitting. I don't think she approves. She told me to frog it! How rude!


We couldn't leave spinning out. Moore. Calder.


Then, we went back to the studio to sort our new Cormo fleece (Cormo + Merino). As explained a few posts back, I wrote that I fell down and bought another fleece!! At least this time I took Sara down with me, and the nice Cormo sheep grower agreed to split the fleece. So, when all was said and done, I ended up with only a quarter of a fleece. This is kind of like telling a cocaine addict that one line won't really get you addicted. It's just recreational. So, here we are, high as a kite, sorting the fleece to be washed.


Then, Adrienne and I carried the knitting and spinning party to our favorite cafe, Bittersweet. It's a chocolate cafe! One of the breakthroughs to having my new studio, is now, I only frequent Bittersweet once a week instead of 5-7 times a week. This would be absolutely fantastic news except that now I have a new cafe I frequent, Cafe Clem. It is literally on the other side of my wall at the studio. It is a french cafe. You can imagine the pastries and cakes.



For everyone who is just tuning in, right below this post, there are details about a contest I am holding right now, let us know how you spent WWKIP day, and you will be entered to win a bundle of baby camel / silk spinning fiber.

For all of you who have already played, I have loved reading all of your comments about what you have planned for WWKIP day. I absolutely love to learn of all the different places people live. It has totally yanked me out of my bad mood!

Grand Opening of AVFKW Studio! Party!

Get ready!


Get set!


Go!

We are having a party this Saturday and Sunday, June 7th and 8th, to celebrate the opening of my new studio. I have been dyeing tons of new, beautiful fiber and yarn.

Fiber:
baby camel
yak
cashmere
silk
merino
bluefaced leicester
finn
shetland
polwarth locks
and more...

Yarn, the official release of our new:

organic merino worsted weight yarn
wool/linen sport weight yarn
merino/silk fingering weight yarn

Stop by for a drink, new yarn, or simply to chat, spin and knit a bit. We always love to see old friends and meet new ones.

When:
June 7 & 8
10-3pm

Where:
Activspace
2703 7th St #145*
Berkeley, CA 94618

* my studio is on the ground level, facing the Activspace parking lot. We will have a signboard in front of my studio leading the way!

We have been working hard and would love to share this with you. Please come!

Wednesday Store Update: SW Merino Yarn

New, fun yarn in the store! I have been spoiling the spinners for the past few weeks with lots of new fiber. Well, I certainly don't want to leave the knitters out, so this week, I have added 2 new colorways of superwash merino sock yarn.

Annapurna & The Seahorse

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be dyeing even more yarn. I am so exited. Honestly, for you and for me, I can't wait to knit more.

I will be back soon!

Hot Silk

I moved to California from Minnesota in 1996. Even though, I have lived in California for the majority of the time from 1996 until present - albeit a 2 year stint in India, and a half year in total spent in DC - I still introduce myself as a Minnesotan.

That being said, this past week has changed everything. In the Bay Area, when the weather report announces that it will be 100 degrees, I refuse to believe that it. No matter how hot it has been, my studio has always been something of an icebox. (We will get to studio related knitting projects in a moment.) This week, the weather report was accurate. This week, we had three days of more or less 100 degree weather. I was miserable. Gone is my hardy Minnesotan "weather is fun, it provides drama" attitude. I am here to announce that anything less than 60 is freezing and anything above 75 is sweltering. I hereby announce - I am Californian (northern).

The best thing this week has been spinning on my new Bosworth cedar midi spindle. We are in love. This is the best $50 I have spent in a very long time.

I have been spinning for the lace ribbon scarf by Veronik Avery.

Materials:
A Verb for Keeping Warm merino in Supernova
A Verb for Keeping Warm Tussah Silk in Headlands

Yarn:
2-ply, spun over the fold, fingering weight

I really like the bottom, right hand corner of this photo because it demonstrates the way the silk changes from a peachy-pink to a grey-blue.

The Maker Faire, It's the Maker Faire! A Contest!

Yesterday was Day 1 of the Maker's Faire. Today, day 2, come and visit! It is very, very fun. Very inspirational to see so many people come together to create and make unimaginable (to me) robots, contraptions, rockets, music, fire, bikes, and yarn (of course). Today, I hope to walk around alittle bit more and take photos. Yesterday, I was so overwhelmed with the sights and sounds, I could not really focus. With the one exception, I saw a werewolf! I had this funny urge to hug it?! Maybe a twisted memory of my childhood and Disney World. If I see him / her today, I will try to take a photo for you.


Here is our booth in the mid day rush. Let's play a teensy tiny game called "who can you spot?" Let me know if you recognize anyone in this photo. You will have until Wednesday at midnight (PST) to submit your answer to this blog post. I will draw a person, and you will receive a 2oz bundle of the lovely baby camel/silk tussah fiber.

Well, I better get ready to go. If you are coming to the Maker's Faire. We are in the Bizarre Bazaar building. Hope to see you soon!

Maker's Faire & CNCH

What? I don't know. What? This is what it sounds like in my brain. This is a snippet of a conversation I have with myself when I try to multi-task. Multi-tasking does not work. I want to believe it does. I once read an article in the NY Times that talked about how multi-tasking lowers your IQ. That all of these gadgets we try to use to save time, like the iphone, actually distracts us, dis-allowing (if this is a word) to never really fully focus on anything. Kind of like instilling ADD. Life has been a little crazy.

Maybe it is the weather, the shifts from cool to very warm, the wind whipping through today, lifting all sorts of debris. Yet, the roses are in bloom. They are so unbelievably beautiful their red, pinks, and yellows. Spring makes my senses swoon.

Part of the problem is that I have so much to tell you. And, I keep waiting for the best time to tell you instead of just letting you know. So, here it is!

First, I have to tell you about Y Knit. This is a new-ish podcast. They have 6 episodes. I love this podcast. I highly recommend listening. Witty and intelligent. Leather and Lace. Art and Craft. Listen and Laugh.


Then, there’s the studio. Adrienne and I have been working our buns off on this one! Yes, I am a perfectionist. I want everything done yesterday. I want the place to shine as if I have a million dollar budget. I want this space to look like I have lived in it for 10 years and it to look like a mixture of Wes Anderson's design sense (think Royal Tannenbaum's or the Darjeeling Limited - completely off the subject: not a great movie, but boy did I love the set design!) and some kind of obscure London textile gallery. OK, well this vision clearly takes time. It's something that I have to grow into, a vision that must be developed along time. At then end of the day, I only have myself to fight with, and really -- not so much fun.

So! I have decided that we must have a party! April is a little hectic. I will get to that momentarily. I am hoping to have the party in May or June. I hope, if you are in the area (read California) you will stop by. Details to follow in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned.

The 3 following events all take place on the weekend of May 3 & 4:

Maker's Faire: Bazaar Bizarre
San Mateo County Fairgrounds
I have never been, and am excited to be part of it. I hear that it is the Bay Area's wacky version of a science fair. I can't wait to see all of the zany inventions. Bring your drop spindle and join us!

CNCH Sacramento
Brooke and Maia will be representing A Verb for Keeping Warm and Tactile. This event hosts thousands of amazing weavers, weaving workshops, and a great array of fiber and yarn vendors.

Maryland Sheep & Wool
A Verb for Keeping Warm is making its East Coast premier! Our fiber and yarn will be available at the Cloverhill Yarn Shop booth. This booth is going to be amazing. Jolene has chosen to spotlight 18 independent dyers and designers. Hopefully, next year I will be able to make it out to Maryland. I hear the event is a ton of fun!


In other news, Color Fiber Festival, held last Saturday at PSR, was a great success. People brought their wheels, spindles, and needles and spent the day together doing what we all love and live to do -- create beautiful objects out of wool, silk, alpaca -- fiber! It was wonderful spending the day with the talented women of Tactile, Pigeonroof Studios, and Girl on the Rocks. Thank you to everyone who participated.

I hope to see you this weekend at Maker's Faire!

Color Fiber Festival: Spring 2008

I would like to invite you to Color Fiber Festival!



Expect a laid back day of spinning, knitting, crocheting, etc. Bring your wheels, spindles, and needles. We will be there offering naturally dyed fibers and yarn along with Tactile Fiber Arts, Pigeonroof Studios, and Girl on the Rocks. We will also be offering drop spinning classes and fiber tastings. I would love it if you can make it.

Baby Bumps.

Happy Easter! The Easter Bunny came to my house and left this on my desk. This weekend, life has been very fun and very crazy. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, sunny and warm. My dad called the other day, just as I was walking to my car, in a light sweater. When I asked what he had been up to -- he answered that he had just finished snow blowing the driveway. Whoa.

I signed my lease to my new studio. Adrienne could not be more thrilled for multiple reasons. We can now cook again in our kitchen or I should say will be able to cook more in our kitchen. We now get to shower in a bathtub that will be clean, shiny, and white instead of pink or purple. Plus, she gets use all sorts of power tools and build things, kick up dust, come home smeared with paint. She actually just sat down next to me and said "Look at my bruises. Aren't they pretty."

I had a heart stopping moment this weekend. Literally, my chest tightened. "Oh, my God, what am I doing, Oh my God, Oh my God". It went away though. It probably will return and go away again. One thing that dawned on me, a total duh, that I can now have open studio hours. I have had two dreams my entire life. Literally for as long as I can remember. Owning a house, a creeky, antique, hardwood-ed floor house, with a big porch, and a huge garden. The other, owning a store. I used to create stores in my basement. Each store had a different theme, the jewelry store, mini-Target, the hardware store. I would go around the house stealing things, putting price tags on them, creating displays for them. And, now, I am actually going to have a kinda sorta lil' store. A dry run really. Now, for a little preview of the studio.

The person who rented this space before me built this little room inside of a little room. A Russian doll. He's a percussionist and was trying to keep down the noise. I don't need a little room.


Adrienne painted today. We ran to Ikea twice this weekend (ouch) shopping for countertops.

Today, I taught a drop spinning class at Article Pract. It was so much fun. I love teaching people about fiber and spinning. Here are the little bumps of fiber each new spinner received. I hope everyone continues to practice and make yarn!

Very soon I will post photos of Carmen. It is completely done save for a button which is sitting right here, next to my computer eagerly awaiting its new button home.

I knit.

On Saturday, I took the day off, hoping to take Cleo for a walk in the woods. We had grand ideas of heading north to Sonoma County. But it ended up raining, and for the Bay Area, cold. Instead, we decided to stay in the neighborhood and went to Redwood. The walk was great. It was quiet, the trees were glistening with drops and dew, their trunks covered with mossy fur. Adrienne has really been getting into mushrooming. As much as I resist a new hobby, its actually kind of fun finding little mushrooms hiding under oak leaves. Taking the time to notice the slight nuances and growth patterns means more to me than identifying them. I have been meaning to post about mushroom dyeing. Soon.

Adrienne has a friend who is pregnant, we were invited to her baby shower on Sunday. There is no way that I could allow this prime opportunity to make baby booties slip away. And, what better sense to make of Saturday's rainy afternoon.

Saartje's Booties
100% Blue-faced Leicester Handpsun
Naturally Dyed: Cosmos, Birch, Indigo, Madder, Logwood Grey

Feeling Red and a few other colors too.

Ah-ha! I have updated the lil' store. I thought that I would walk you through some of our new products. For those of you who love natural dyes, and are trying to learn how to do some of this yourself, I am going to categorize this by the most dominant dye used.

Madder


"Fireside"
50% Baby Camel/ 50 % Silk Tussah
Soft!


"The Finishing Touch"
50% Cashmere, 50% Silk
Very soft!


"Tangerine Dreams"
50% Silk, 50% Merino

In order to get the blend of reds, yellows, and oranges, I blended fustic and madder.


Black Blue-faced Leicester dyed with madder.
This is hands down one of my favorite fibers and one that I like to suggest to newer spinners. It has a wonderfully long staple length and is so soft. I love the rich brown color natural to the black blue-faced leicester sheep, and thought I would spice it up a bit by overdyeing it with madder.


Cochineal


"Cheri"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
Cheri main color is a subtle, yet rich coral color with little specks of grey. I created the coral color by combining quebracho yellow, wattle, and cochineal. The grey flecks were made using logwood grey.


"Polished"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
A brighter, cooler pink than Cheri. Pink is the dominant color, with flecks of purple.


100% Black Blue-faced Leicester overdyed with cochineal.

Logwood Grey

"Reyes"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
This is named after one of my favorite places, Point Reyes, a point which looks onto the Pacific Ocean about 45 minutes from my house. No matter what time of year it is, Point Reyes usually has a foggy cliff, that you can sit on and look out at the ocean. This fiber has the dark greyness of the ocean, the light greyness of the sky, and the light creamy brown color of the sand.

indigo

"The Sea Inside"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
*Ding* Contest time! Each person who can give me the name of the leading actor in The Sea Inside will be entered into a drawing. You have until 8pm pst to enter your best guess.

I will draw one name on Tuesday, January 22nd at 8:30pm. The winner will receive 2 oz of "The Sea Inside". Free.

I will give you a hint, he might have been in a movie recently where he wore a lot of black.

Well, this is where the tour ends for now. There is always more to come. Always.

Spinning Indigo Dyed Black Bluefaced Leicester

Before:



After:

Winter Fiber & Yarn Show!

This weekend I am co-hosting the Winter Fiber & Yarn Show. I would love it if you stopped by to say hello, drink some cider, chat, treated yourself or a loved one with the gift of fiber and yarn.

If you are local, or know anyone who is local, if you would pass along this invitation to them -- that would be great!!

We are going to be at Glimakra Weaving Studio. This studio, in itself, is well worth the trip. Maj-Britt Mobrand, the owner, is a master weaver and can teach you possibly anything you wanted to learn about weaving and its heritage. Glimakra are a style of loom from Sweden. If you have ever been interested in learning how to weave, this would be a great time to visit the studio and meet Maj-Britt and the looms in person.

Then, of course there is Tactile Fiber Arts. They will also be there selling their beautiful natural dyed fiber and yarn, too. In other words, you will have lots of yarn and fiber to choose from!

Location:
Glimakra Weaving Studio
2728 MLK
Berkeley 94703

Email me with any questions!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

happy 30th techday

Try this experiment with your loved one. Describe and discuss, quite thoroughly how you perceive a website. Now make the website. And, look at the website, and wonder, did we really discuss this? I remember saying that I wanted the photos to be here, and the search bar to be there. . . and then do it again and again, and then start raising your tone of voice, and here and there start incorporating other tiffs in the house, like the time you left the dog puke on the floor instead of cleaning it up, and how that must be another example indicative of why the website looks how it does, etc. Yes, this was my household. But, now, as Adrienne and I, completely pleased with ourselves, snuggled into bed, we felt that we had left that all behind. We had finally made the switch to our new web store where all the programming would be in the hands of Yahoo. A place that I (not Adrienne and I) could simply upload new products. As I fell asleep, I smiled thinking about all of the dyeing and spinning I could now get to. The technical aspects were finally complete.

WRONG! When publishing my new store, yahoo changed the name of my blog, disabling all of the links to my blog. Nooooo, no more technical problems. No no no. And then there were the phone calls to Yahoo customer care. Let’s just say Texan accent, bad reception, code website speak, relationship politics, no dinner, late night. I think the best part of the conversation was when I was told by Yahoo “You can’t have your cake and eat it too”. I restrained myself from snapping back “it’s my thirtieth birthday this week, and I don’t want to hear those words!” But I didn’t. And, I had to compromise a la a splash page. Not my first choice – but I am soooo happy to have my blog back.

So, back to business, how is everyone doing? Fall is here. I like it – very cozy feeling. Like I mentioned before, I did turn 30 on Friday. This is something I have been really looking forward to. I spent time on Friday reflecting on some of the changes that have occurred in my life over the past year. Probably the biggest change in my life was quitting my “day job”. Last year at this time, it’s pretty safe to say that I was miserable. I didn’t want to leave my job but I needed to for my physical health and wellbeing. I was pretty crispy around the edges. When I did give my notice, on January 2, I wasn’t only giving notice that I was leaving my job, I was giving notice that I was going to live my life in a completely new and different way. This sounds very corny – but I am going to say it anyway – I decided to muster up as much courage as I could and listen to my heart. This will always be a struggle for me. I like to think about “the bottom line”. I desire stability. Risk makes my chest tighten. And my heart could give a shit about those things. Little by little, I am relaxing into those feelings, and in turn they feel less threatening. Point being, I am so grateful to be back in the fiber world and doing something that I absolutely love.

On the fiber front, I picked up the Alvros Sweater – love that thing! Love it. Love the pattern, love the yarn. I even love that it’s going to be a while before I finish it. I think this my first process piece.

The Tangled Yoke on the other hand. Not so much. The pattern is fine. But I am not happy with my choice of yarn. I chose to use Silky Tweed. I will be honest (here comes the bottom line). Well, I went with the Silky Tweed to save a few dollars. I have knit the body of the sweater and it just does not have the hand that I’d like it to have. I want it to be denser, woollier, cozier. So that being said – the Tangled Yoke is at a standstill for the moment.

I am spinning (and carding). Ramboulliet from the BSG. 2 ply. I think that I am going to make my little bro, Johnny, a sweater.

Well, that’s all for now. Sorry for the lack of photos -- next time I will treat you. I hope everyone is enjoying their Autumn!

Hide your fiber!

Because I am on a rampage and may put it through my drum carder. Listen to me, calling it mine. I was at my friend, Maia's today. She is on her way to Rhinebeck and has graciously loaned me her Patrick Greene drum carder.

The Beast:


My practice batt: merino, silk, carbonized bamboo, silk noils.


Have you ever seen a drop spindle look so happy?


Navajo-plied.



Knitty bo bits.

Maia better watch out I may hold this little beast for ransom until my lil' lady coughs one up! My birthday (30th) is coming up... In the meantime, thanks Maia.

Fiber Crazy at Camp Vejar

We've had a very exciting week over here at Camp Vejar. We built a mini-sweatshop. About two weeks ago, our friends Maia and Brooke offered us the opportunity to sell our fiber and yarn in their booth, Sincere Sheep, at California Wool and Fiber. This festival takes place in Boonville which is about 2 1/2 hours north of here. As to be expected, I was delighted and accepted their offer without much thought. Well, I have this part of my personality which goes into overdrive. Some may call it ambitious. I guess therapists may call it compulsive. Anyway, before I know it, I am in the midst of mordanting about 20 lbs of wool. The kitchen is completely trashed with dyes and pots and wet wool. The bathtub too. Adrienne is really an angel. It was kind of like camping but in our house.

The highlight of the week, after 8 days of straight dyeing, came when Adrienne took the bread out of the fridge to make toast, and said "Gee honey, there's even cochineal on the bag of bread". I, in the midst of dyeing, glance briefly over my shoulder, and say "um yeah". Thinking that it is like a drip or something and that she is overreacting. She puts the bread back in the fridge. A few minutes later I go open the fridge to look for some OJ. And, find "the accident".

I had made a titration of cochineal (beetlejuice), poured it into a Ball jar, and placed at the back of the fridge. For some strange reason, the fridge froze the cochineal, turned it into a cochineal icecube, which cracked the glass, and cochineal was _all_ over the fridge. Including in the veggie drawers, under the veggie drawers, etc. There really was cochineal all over the bread.

Point being, we accomplished alot. Here, is a glimpse of the work table.


I have to say I am really proud of our work. Michelle - thank you for helping me out!

70 Alpaca/ 30 Silk. Yarn perfect for shawl lovers. I did not want to part with this yarn.


Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in colorways Kyoto, the Revolution, and Trixie.


Bluefaced Leicester Sock Yarn -- sorry about the poor quality photo.


Wish these kids luck in the world, may they be beautiful socks, scarves, shawls, etc.

Out in the garden, we have more exciting things happening. Dye plants are growing like weeds! I love them. They are so beautiful.


Dyer's Coreopsis

Cosmos

Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum

Adrienne is taking 2 horticulture classes. One of them is about building a greenhouse. And, she is going to grow another dye garden at school. Hopefully, in the next couple weeks, we will have some yarn and fiber dyed from our garden to share with you.

Pomatomus: You are a beautiful fish.

I have good news. I am knitting the Potomatomus Sock by Cookie A and can not stop. I love this pattern. It is interesting and I love to see the colors of the yarn devlop within the pattern. This is my first Cookie A pattern and I think she is a mastermind. I am using superwash merino sock yarn that I dyed with madder and cochineal. The name of the yarn is Indian Summer.

I can not pull myself away to take a photo but I will in a day or so and post it for you. I love big bright photos on blogs and am disappointed that I do not have to share with you at this moment. [Scratch that -- it is too depressing. I must insert photos]



I am going to try and take tomorrow off. This means that I will only skein and mordant a couple pounds of fiber and leave it at that. I look forward to seeing what Adrienne and I will come up with. We love to start projects -- and we need a new project like we need a hole in the head.

On Sunday, we are going to Maia's for a spin-in. This will be my first one over at her house and I am very excited. Little spinning wheel, where are you? How have you been?

This skein of yarn was our last foray together.


I don't know if I mentioned this but I bought a second spinning wheel. Did I say that I don't oficially have a job? Yet, I can not stop myself from buying more fiber related gadgetry. The very low price of $120 for a Louet S51 somewhat sealed the deal. It is so beautifully simple -- single treadle, the bare components to make fiber spin into a yarn. I had 3 ideas when buying this wheel:

1. Adrienne could use it. She now knows how to drop spindle and this wheel will be very easy for her to spin on.
2. I am toying with the idea of renting my friend's 1960's trailer in Nevada City. Yes, I said a trailer. BUT -- it is very very cute. And, it is in the country. And, it is 5 minutes from the Yuba RIver. I pictured this little wheel sitting in the trailer, waiting for me, and spinning in the country. Ahhhhh.
3. I thought that if someone wanted to learn how to spin, this could be my loaner wheel. Does anyone out there want some spinning lessons? Fall is coming... think how great a handspun scarf would feel.

I might as well come fully out of the closet...I also bought a Schacht rigid heddle loom for $50! That feels really good to say. yet again, do I really need this right now? At the store, I looked at it, and a bubble formed over it, and in that bubble my imagination took me to my famiily room, the loom clamped to my coffee table, I am watching trashy television and weaving very simple handspun white cloth. So, I bought it. Sick bastard!

The loom has been sitting on my living room floor for the past week. I walk over it, carrying buckets of newly dyed and washed fiber to the backyard. I resist putting it away because I really want to warp it ("it only takes 40 minutes to warp, and you can warp straight to the loom" the saleswoman exclaims). But when on earth do I even have the time to calculate a warp? Finally, yesterday, I stubbed my toe on the corner of the loom, I think tomorrow it may have to find a new home in storage. Loom, please don't look at me that way.

As an endnote to my last post, I replied to Ms. SJ's sweet message very simply letting her know that I did receive her message. She replied that the email was meant for internal use only, and that she does not know how I got the message, and she apologizes for that. However, her opinion is her opinion. Cheers!

My original question was never answered.

Needless to say, I have decided to not apply to the SF Craft Mafia Winter show. At this juncture, I want to focus my attention and energy on positive people, attitudes, and venues. The world is full of positive opportunities if you allow yourself to see them. I think that theoretically the SF Craft Mafia is a good idea and I hope in the future they will support new, up and coming artists and craftspeople. God knows if we don't support one another, who will?!

On that note, I hope everyone is creating beautiful things.

The Emotional Ups and Downs of Spinning and Knitting

Wow! It has been wayyyyy to long. From the ache in my back, I think I have been working too much. You know when you haven't seen a friend in a long time, and you don't know where to start -- that's how I feel right now.

Let's start right with this moment, where the wind has been taken out of my sails - I am awake this morning bright and early very angry. What a wonderful start to the day! Part of the reason I haven't been blogging is that I have been working hard on updating my website because I wanted to apply to the SF Craft Mafia's Winter sale. This was going to be my first attempt to get my product out to the public. So, I thought that I would pitch my products, and my wonderfully talented friends products, Maia and Brooke. They will be out of town and can not represent themselves and they have a great product. So, I wrote to Craft Mafia for their advice regarding how to apply/ proceed.

This has been our interaction so far:

Hi --

I am applying to participate in Mafia Made Winter 2007. My business's name is A Verb for Keeping Warm. www.averbforkeepingwarm.com

I have a question -- I am in a co-operative with 2 other businesses, Tactile Fiber Arts and Sincere Sheep.

I am wondering if it would be OK for me to represent our co-operative and sell products from all three companies. Unfortunately, the owner of Tactile Fiber Arts and Sincere Sheep will be out of town the 21st. All three companies have similar goals overall -- to offer earth friendly fiber and yarn products. More information can be found at www.sinceresheep.com. Tactile Fiber Arts currently does not have a website.

Also, would I apply as a joint applicant? And pay $95?

Please advise.

Thanks,
Kxistine Vxjar


And, this was their response:

From: Bxrbe Sxint Jxhn
Date: September 3, 2007 8:48:57 PM PDT
To: Kxistine Vxjar
Subject: RE: Mafia Made 2007 Question
Reply-To:

Well, I'm gonna vote no for her regardless of her coop businesses. Shes a
yarn spinner and she says WAY too cheap


Are you kidding? This is your response? hmmmmmm -- ok. what do I say to that one? I am having a very hard time trying to write something back even vaguely professional. This hits right on the edge of my personality that some may describe as sensitive and emotional -- a nice way to say bitchy and aggressive! And, why is she speaking to me in third person?? Do yarn spinners cheapen the DIY craft movement?! Let me tell you, when you are working your ass off -- it does NOT feel good for someone to call you cheap.

So, I thought I would turn to my fellow fiber bloggers for support. Argh!

On a happier note:

Brenda Dayne's new sock pattern, Brother Amos, has been posted. I am going to download it and hopefully start on it soon.

I finished a hat for Adrienne out of Judith McCuin's shetland yarn. She looks very cute in it.

I have been dyeing like a mad woman and having alot of fun. I really feel like I am learning alot about natural dyeing.

I have just cast-on Pomatomus.

My mom is coming at the end of September from Minnesota. We are going to Ashland, OR to look for a farm. I love when my mom comes to visit.

I am a tiny little sea anemone.

I guess I am still stuck at Agate Beach.

Here are 2 more yarns inspired by the tide pools:





They were difficult to photograph -- the colors are a bit unruly.

Tomorrow, we go to Lambtown, USA in Dixon. Look forward to reports on sheepies and wool.

Help! I am sinking into Ravelry!

Oh Ravelry. Its a dangerous place. I left my blog to the wind. It feels dusty. What has been going on around here? OK -- Obviously, I received my Ravelry invitation last week. Promptly signed in -- and was simply overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content, people, and organizational capabilities. A fire lit under my ass, I became superbitch to Adrienne, would not eat, and only wanted to upload things onto Ravelry. And everyone has all of these "friends" and I don't. And all of a sudden I am back to my first day at school. Whoa, step back from the edge. Not good.

I had other firsts as well this week. I don't know how many of you know this but I quit my job in january so I could pay more attention to my online fiber store -- and of course spin and knit. Well, this week, I decided to start a little marketing work for a friend. I plan on working about 15 hours a week. Well, the knitting side of myself gave me hell. Its as if I had decided to abandon the entire program and go back to work 40 hours a week. So, I had to sit down with Miss Crazy Knitter/spinnng woman and provide some perspective.

This week I have also decided that I must start taking vitamins again, exercising, and eating salads. I keep telling myself "Next week, I know that I will feel better and more energetic." Needless to say, this week I have been a little cranky. Oh, and I forgot to add my landlord is here and they are painting our house and the cottage in the back and building new gutters. We are on day 3 (out of 14). tap, tap, scratch, scrape, scrape, yelling. Our dye garden looks a little sad.

On a brighter note, I am almost done with washing fleeces. Adrienne and I have planned a new weaving project for the SFMOMA employee art show. She wanted to participate last year but ran out of time. I bought a bunch of Habu at Stitches West 2 years ago -- so, I thought that we'd play with some of that. Plus, I have been meaning to practice my warping all summer long and have not gotten to it. So this should be good.

I am busily spinning superfine merino for the new line of naturally dyed singles. Hopefully in the next week or so, I will get them into the mordant pot. Oh, more firsts! We receieved our first order of Earthues natural dyes. We are trying to get the web page for that up and running. I guess its back to work for me.

Black Sheep Gathering: The countdown has begun

OOoooh -- next week at this time, we will have just arrive to Eugene, Oregon for the Black Sheep Gathering. My mom is flying in from Minnesota on Tuesday. I can tell she is excited to come because she calls daily to tell me what we will be doing next week at this time. "Next week at this time, my plane will be landing", "Next week at this time, we will be driving up to Eugene", etc. Its very sweet.

We will drive half way on Wednesday and complete the trip on Thursday. I plan to go to sleep early on Thursday night and be up bright and early on Friday in time for the juding of fleeces to begin! This is my first fiber festival. I decided not to register for any classes although there were some that were mighty tempting. If there are still openings, I might attend the class named Organic Certification of Animal Fibers: Standards, Practices, and Considerations. Being that I do see sheep and a farm in my future.

If not full, I would have been very tempted to take Orenburg Handspinning. This is a type of Russian spinning that uses supported hand spindles to make lace out of the finest fibers like cashmere for lace weight shawls. Its funny. I don't think that my personality lends itself to spinning lace weight, knitting laceweight, or wearing laceweight, yet, I find myself increasingly drawn towards it. Maybe just for the challenge. I also think that I may be drawn towards the people who do spin and knit in this manner because I am in awe.

I think its interesting to think of how one's spinning may reflect one's personality. You know I joined the Spun Stitches SAL/ KAL to spin yarn for a shawl. I feel very lumpy among my spinning/knitting colleagues. They are spinning the most amazing, teensy, tiny, yarns. And mine, well, its pretty but lumpy. However, I do like the lumpy look. I could actually get defensive and say something along the line of "well, if I wanted to spin yarn that thin, I can" but really I don't find it fun. Every now and then, when I do spin something consistently laceweight, I can see the draw. I feel each individual fiber aligning just right with the fiber before it. I can feel the staple length. And, for a moment, I am pleased with being right there with my fiber and not caring how long it might take to spin 1400 yards. 1400 yards, oh my god, you might as well say 14,000,000 yards! My personality comes rushing back. My brain travels forward in its little time machine. I see myelf knitting and finshing. Then, my spinning flies forward into kind of lumpy bumpy. Oh, this feels more right, I am going to get to the next stage faster. So, I think part of my facination with these laceweight spinners is that they have fun making this kind of yarn. And, I would like to think that they are exemplifying the enjoyment of each minute, and each strand of fiber along the spinning process.

In saying all of that, the sheep to shawl competition is one event I am dying to see. This is a sport that I may actually get excited about. Instead of fantasy football, I could play fantasy shawl spinning. Expect to see a whole photo montage when I get back.

Flicking Wool

What could be better than sitting outside on a warm Californian afternoon hand carding newly washed fleece and drop spinning? Maybe sitting on an island. Other than that, not much.

Last Sunday, I went ot Fleece Day at Deep Color studio. We leared how to choose a good fleece, wash it, flick it, card it, and drop spin it. I am pleased that after a year and a half of spinning, I am able to now focus on the intricacies of the different kinds of wool and their individual charachteristics.

I learned two important things when shopping for a fleece: buy a fleece that has little vegetation stuck in it and has been sheared recently.



We washed mystery fleece from Sonoma County, Romney from Australia, and Icelandic fleece from Tongue River Farm in Montana. Pictured above from left to right. We spun these as well as brown Polwarth (my personal favorite) and Finn.

I acquired a new tool called a flick carder. It is similar to an animal brush but has a longer handle -- thankfully making it harder to put a hole in your knuckle. You use the flick carder after you have washed the fleece in order to get out any small bits of debris before you start carding.

A year ago, I took a slightly shortend version of this class. I thought to myself, "I'd have to be crazy to go through all of these steps". Well, times have changed. I am getting closer to the idea of moving out to the country and taking the time to process my own wool. Now the question becomes -- Do I have my own animals or buy from local ranchers?

We are so inspired by Fleece Day that we have asked my mom to fly out from Minnesota to take a road trip to The Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon. Stay tuned to see how we put our skills to the test.

I'd like to introduce you to my spinning wheel.

This is my Schacht double treadle spinning wheel (double drive) and my little dachshund Cleo. I loooove them both. I started spinning about a year and a half ago and it has changed my life. It takes the creative process way beyond finding a pattern and knitting it. By spinning, you now have control over the type of fiber you knit with and a greater range of color.



Here is a sampling of handspun yarns I have made. Most of it is merino. The blue is an indigo dyed blend of tussah/ merino.


And then there are hand carders and the wonderful art of hand-blending fibers and colors.
The brown ball is natural color polworth hand carded from the fleece for a scarf. And the colorful knit sample represents work from a color carding class.


Last summer, I learned to spin cotton. The carmel color on the left of the sample is grown naturally in this color. It was fabulous to work with. This is when I acquired my high speed bobbin and learned how to treadle really fast. A must to spin cotton.


Along with trying to explore new knitting techniques, I have also dedicated time to explore color. These are some of the samples I have made... what do you think?