I am preparing for 4 year end fiber festivals. I have some ideas for what I want to bring but I would also like to ask you all. If you were going to my booth at a fiber festival what would you hope to see there? What should I have in my booth? If you have been a vendor at a festival what did you forget to bring that you wish you had? I would love any thoughts, insights or advice! Thanks!
Here is a list of festivals I will be attending:
Southern Indiana Fiber Arts Festival on October 14-15, Friday 1-7, Saturday 9-5 The festival is being held at Harrison County Fairgrounds, 341 South Capitol Avenue, Corydon, IN.
Fiber in the ‘Boro on Sat October 29, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The address is Lane Agricultural Center, 315 John R Rice Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN. I will be sharing a table with jessecreations of Storied Yarns and cmarie14 of Mulberry Fibers so come and see us!
Western KY University’s Kentucky Museum on Nov 4-5 in Bowling Green, KY. There is a really cool Quilt show running from Oct 21 - Dec 10. and I will be vending there and putting on a program on Nov 4th!
Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza on Dec 2-3. I will have batts, roving, yarn -- all the usual suspects so if you leave nearish come and say hello! It will be at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Happy Wednesday everyone! Contest reminder!
Hi everyone it is once again Wednesday. It also happens to be September 21st which means only one more day to enter my Favorite Summer Memories contest for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop! Which can also be used in person if you come see me at one of my fiber festivals! I am drawing the contest on Sep 23, I had originally put Sep 22 but I meant that you can enter all the way through Sep 22nd! So if you have not yet entered all you have to do is post one of your favorite summer memories in this thread or if its easier you can also post it here in the comments section. I will put all the names together and choose one name randomly from the entries. It is so easy and I wish you all luck!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
What do you do with the fiber?
The fiber that sticks to you at the end of the day when you have been spinning or carding? You get the little bits that have decided they like your shirt, pants or whatever else you happen to be wearing! Well for myself I use a simple little tool. My husband mistakenly thought it was for doing dishes! Silly man! Is it his fault? Well no its not because that is after all how the little green scour pads are marketed. The companies that make them believe they should be used to scrub pots out. I am talking about this guy right here:
Birdwell Cleaning 358-36 Green Scouring Pad I linked it to the place I got the photo from along with all the place you can buy one of these little babies if you want!
So I take one of these and cut it into several smaller pieces like this:
This I take and rub across my clothes at the end of a carding session and I get this:
I put the fiber in a bag to save for an art batt! That was my simple tip of the day! How do you deal with the fiber that clings to your clothes? Or how do you use your scrubbie pads beside dishes? I love new ideas!
Birdwell Cleaning 358-36 Green Scouring Pad I linked it to the place I got the photo from along with all the place you can buy one of these little babies if you want!
So I take one of these and cut it into several smaller pieces like this:
This I take and rub across my clothes at the end of a carding session and I get this:
I put the fiber in a bag to save for an art batt! That was my simple tip of the day! How do you deal with the fiber that clings to your clothes? Or how do you use your scrubbie pads beside dishes? I love new ideas!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Mad Science Experiment a new fun colorway in my shop!
I have been finding some fun new colorways that are repeatable to carry in my shop. One of these colorways is Mad Science Experiment! My husband came up with the name because he said it reminded him of a crazy scientist experimenting in some lab. (Do you think he was insinuating anything here?) As soon as he said this I instantly thought about bubbling vials and beakers of glowing goo spilling over the sides while a crazy person laughs manically! (picture shows a picture of one such mad scientist Sorry but at this time the Crazy Scientist is not included)
These colors are fun and wonderful in florescent yellow that is black light reactive according to the dye, bright green, and dark purple. I really like this colorway and I am looking forward to making more of them. It is available in
Sparkly Soft batt
Combed top / Roving on a BFL Firestar blend but custom on any base
Self striping yarn
These colors are fun and wonderful in florescent yellow that is black light reactive according to the dye, bright green, and dark purple. I really like this colorway and I am looking forward to making more of them. It is available in
Sparkly Soft batt
Combed top / Roving on a BFL Firestar blend but custom on any base
Self striping yarn
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Coffee, Tea or Surprise me Sal/Kal - Photo Heavy
This Sal/Kal was a bit challenging in some ways. When going with coffee inspired drinks the colors are all very similar, also some of the teas are pretty similar too. I attempted to get as much variety as I could with my colors and fibers/yarn. Here are the requests or inspirations and what I made. I will post some full photos of the packages too. Each package included the fiber or yarn I made along with a Custom Calligraphy Mug from Heather of Winemakerssister.Etsy.com and a bunch of goodies (coffee, tea, stitch markers, coffee & tea flavored candies. Really this was the best package I have ever made and I hope to work with Heather again! She sent me all the goodies and I divided them up and distributed them all with the packages. Truth be told I did keep a few of the candies though and I am telling you that Iced Tea candy really tastes like Iced Tea!
Here are 2 of the full packages, one yarn and one fiber: Thank you Julie & Hilary for the photos!
Here are my requests with the photos:
Thai Iced tea Yarn Package:
Here we did a self striping worsted weight SW Merino yarn. I went with a 6,2,3,2 striping pattern with 6 stripes of darker red brown for the tea on bottom. Both 2 stripe sets were in a bright red-brown for where the cream first hits the tea making it bright looking. The 3 stripes were in a lighter red-brown with bits of white here and there for where the cream really mixes in and shows up on its own. Lovely yarn though I don't recommend drinking it with a straw!
Ethiopian Tea batt package:
For this batt I went with a chunky more art style batt. The colors were browns, oranges, sage green and the barest bit of purple. I used wool, BFL, Merino, Firestar and Silk Noil to give the overall look of loose ethiopian tea.
Chai Latte Batt package:
This batt packages was semi-smooth because I added just a bit of sik noil to represent the freshly ground nutmeg that would be sprinkled on top and drift down through the latte. You simply can not have a chai latte with out fresh nutmeg its just not the same! This one is similar to the vanilla latte but it has a much lighter brown bottom that is already blending with the creamy milk moving up to a creamy white top layer representing the foam and whipped cream sprinkled heavier on the top with the nutmeg silk noil. This batt was made up of Polwarth, Wool, Bamboo, Firestar (I think but not sure), and Silk Noil.
Herbal Tea Sock Yarn package:
This yarn was done in a self striping sock yarn on my SW Sock base that is a Sw Merino, Bamboo, Nylon blend. This is a nice yarn in a bigger striping pattern of 5 sets of 4 stripes. the colors are 4 maroon, 4 espresso bean, 4 dark maroon, 4 grey, 4 espresso bean. This yarn reminds me of some of the darker herbal teas with the bright floral bits in them.
Espresso or Cappuccino fiber surprise:
(I forgot to take the photo) but it was a BFL Tussah Silk combed top in a 70/30 blend. I dyed it in the darker colors of the Espresso Beans. Dark greys, reds, and browns with the colors randomly mixing in spots. It was very dark and lovely. I may get a photo of it if I am able.
Passion Fruit Tea on a Cotton Sliver base:
I also forgot to take this one! A picture will be coming soon though! The colors were red-purples, reds, lighter purples, grey purples, a bit of blue and some pinks. The cotton sliver really takes the dye nicely and I am looking forward to seeing it spun up! Picture thanks to Krista!
Caramel Macchiato batt:
These batts were made with Alpaca, Bamboo, Fine Merino, Firestar, and Polwarth. They are very smooth and fluffy. They have just a bit of brown on the bottom for the caramel usually settling, then a thick layer of white for the milk, with a nice layer of brown on top for the espresso floating above the milk and just a bit of white drizzled on top for whipped cream.
Super smooth Vanilla Latte with a bit of Caramel dribbled on top:
The vanilla latte had a layer of darker fiber on the bottom where the espresso would be poured, with lighter brown mixing with white as when the milk and foam get added, fading to only white on top the bit of just creamy foam, then drizzled with some caramel colored firestar lightly. This was also a very soft and smooth batt with Polwarth, Bamboo, Wool, and Firestar.
Hand Pulled Roving in a Non Decaffeinate Surprise:
For this one I went with BFL, Silk, and Merino (no nylon at the customers request). I choose colors of Fruit Tea. These colors are nice and bright purples, pinks and reds with bits of orange all blended with light and dark browns. Again no picture for this one. (Yes I am very forgetful these days).
Nonfat Vanilla Latte fiber package:
This delightful yet lower in fat batt was made in Bamboo, Firestar, Polwarth, and wool. The darker espresso brown bottom was a bit thicker here because of less milk fat. The middle layer blends the espresso browns with the creamy milk whites. The top layer is a bit whiter here with more foam for your enjoyment!
Here are 2 of the full packages, one yarn and one fiber: Thank you Julie & Hilary for the photos!
Here are my requests with the photos:
Thai Iced tea Yarn Package:
Here we did a self striping worsted weight SW Merino yarn. I went with a 6,2,3,2 striping pattern with 6 stripes of darker red brown for the tea on bottom. Both 2 stripe sets were in a bright red-brown for where the cream first hits the tea making it bright looking. The 3 stripes were in a lighter red-brown with bits of white here and there for where the cream really mixes in and shows up on its own. Lovely yarn though I don't recommend drinking it with a straw!
Ethiopian Tea batt package:
For this batt I went with a chunky more art style batt. The colors were browns, oranges, sage green and the barest bit of purple. I used wool, BFL, Merino, Firestar and Silk Noil to give the overall look of loose ethiopian tea.
Chai Latte Batt package:
This batt packages was semi-smooth because I added just a bit of sik noil to represent the freshly ground nutmeg that would be sprinkled on top and drift down through the latte. You simply can not have a chai latte with out fresh nutmeg its just not the same! This one is similar to the vanilla latte but it has a much lighter brown bottom that is already blending with the creamy milk moving up to a creamy white top layer representing the foam and whipped cream sprinkled heavier on the top with the nutmeg silk noil. This batt was made up of Polwarth, Wool, Bamboo, Firestar (I think but not sure), and Silk Noil.
Herbal Tea Sock Yarn package:
This yarn was done in a self striping sock yarn on my SW Sock base that is a Sw Merino, Bamboo, Nylon blend. This is a nice yarn in a bigger striping pattern of 5 sets of 4 stripes. the colors are 4 maroon, 4 espresso bean, 4 dark maroon, 4 grey, 4 espresso bean. This yarn reminds me of some of the darker herbal teas with the bright floral bits in them.
Espresso or Cappuccino fiber surprise:
(I forgot to take the photo) but it was a BFL Tussah Silk combed top in a 70/30 blend. I dyed it in the darker colors of the Espresso Beans. Dark greys, reds, and browns with the colors randomly mixing in spots. It was very dark and lovely. I may get a photo of it if I am able.
Passion Fruit Tea on a Cotton Sliver base:
I also forgot to take this one! A picture will be coming soon though! The colors were red-purples, reds, lighter purples, grey purples, a bit of blue and some pinks. The cotton sliver really takes the dye nicely and I am looking forward to seeing it spun up! Picture thanks to Krista!
Caramel Macchiato batt:
These batts were made with Alpaca, Bamboo, Fine Merino, Firestar, and Polwarth. They are very smooth and fluffy. They have just a bit of brown on the bottom for the caramel usually settling, then a thick layer of white for the milk, with a nice layer of brown on top for the espresso floating above the milk and just a bit of white drizzled on top for whipped cream.
Super smooth Vanilla Latte with a bit of Caramel dribbled on top:
The vanilla latte had a layer of darker fiber on the bottom where the espresso would be poured, with lighter brown mixing with white as when the milk and foam get added, fading to only white on top the bit of just creamy foam, then drizzled with some caramel colored firestar lightly. This was also a very soft and smooth batt with Polwarth, Bamboo, Wool, and Firestar.
Hand Pulled Roving in a Non Decaffeinate Surprise:
For this one I went with BFL, Silk, and Merino (no nylon at the customers request). I choose colors of Fruit Tea. These colors are nice and bright purples, pinks and reds with bits of orange all blended with light and dark browns. Again no picture for this one. (Yes I am very forgetful these days).
Nonfat Vanilla Latte fiber package:
This delightful yet lower in fat batt was made in Bamboo, Firestar, Polwarth, and wool. The darker espresso brown bottom was a bit thicker here because of less milk fat. The middle layer blends the espresso browns with the creamy milk whites. The top layer is a bit whiter here with more foam for your enjoyment!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Our new apartment! Yay!!
We got a very good deal on an apartment and we jumped at it. This is the first time in years that we will not have roommates. We are both looking forward to some alone time together. I get to set up everything just how I want it (well.. I guess Tom has some say in it to *grin*). It is just a bit daunting to think about though. Kind of weird because its something we have wanted to do for a while and now we have it and I am not sure how to feel about it. Silly Johanna with her 2nd and 3rd thoughts..
I get a room all to myself as my new work space! That is really where the fun will be happening. I am going to be picking up my shelves from storage in the next few days. I have to get something to put under the feet first so they don't cut through the carpet. Tom said maybe a big metal washer for each foot but I have to look and see what I can find. Another funny thing is after living with others for so long we had really paired down our own stuff and now we are realizing we don't have such things as can openers or a toaster.
We gave away most of our pots and pans to my sister because at our friends in Leitchfield they had everything and our stuff would have been in the way. But I do have plenty of dyeing pots and pans which are not really for making anything for human consumption. It makes me want to laugh a bit though because I mentioned the lack of pots and pans the other day while someone saw my dyeing ones and said what about those? I said oh those don't count. I dye in them! Funny stuff but I think you probably had to be there.
Today I have to take some photos of finished yarn and roving and list them. Then I have to go to the store for a necessities run. All in all I am so glad to finally be "home"!
I get a room all to myself as my new work space! That is really where the fun will be happening. I am going to be picking up my shelves from storage in the next few days. I have to get something to put under the feet first so they don't cut through the carpet. Tom said maybe a big metal washer for each foot but I have to look and see what I can find. Another funny thing is after living with others for so long we had really paired down our own stuff and now we are realizing we don't have such things as can openers or a toaster.
We gave away most of our pots and pans to my sister because at our friends in Leitchfield they had everything and our stuff would have been in the way. But I do have plenty of dyeing pots and pans which are not really for making anything for human consumption. It makes me want to laugh a bit though because I mentioned the lack of pots and pans the other day while someone saw my dyeing ones and said what about those? I said oh those don't count. I dye in them! Funny stuff but I think you probably had to be there.
Today I have to take some photos of finished yarn and roving and list them. Then I have to go to the store for a necessities run. All in all I am so glad to finally be "home"!