Some new batts I have been working on for Phatfiber Sampler Box

I finished carding one set of samples last night and I am hoping to get the other samples carded tonight. I want to mail everything off on Monday morning. These batts contain some SW wool in green, some merino in light purple, dark purple, gray, and espresso bean. I also added in some charcoal bamboo, some silver glitz, and some firestar that I hand dyed in espresso bean. I really like the overall layered look. Here are the full size batts:




and then the samples:

Dyeing roving and yarn simplified.

Dyeing roving and yarn simplified.

 This is one way I prepare my hand-dyed yarns, combed tops and roving. This method is for dyeing protein-based fibers, and some synthetics.

 Start with a bucket 2/3 full of hot tap water and mix in 1-2 Tablespoons citric acid per pound of fiber to the water. Gently place your fiber or yarn into the bucket to soak. Let it soak at least 10 minutes. The wool needs to be thoroughly wet allowing the acid to penetrate the fiber.

 To try this at home, you will use koolaid and vinegar as your dyes. They are non-toxic. Just mix the powder with a bit of vinegar and hot water to make colors you like. Prepare your dyeing surface. Spread out a few old towels and then spread sheets of saran wrap to work on. I also make sure I have all the dyes in reach and gloves handy.

 Use a strainer and drain your wool into it. I usually catch the water in another bucket to reuse it. I press gently on the wool to help get rid of excess water, and then I lay my pieces out on the saran wrap. Next I just start pouring color where I want it. You can also use sponges to dab it on, squeeze bottles for better control. Use what makes you happy and have fun.

 Once the dye is on the wool, I wrap the saran wrap around the individual pieces, making sure every bit is covered. Now I put the pieces of saran wrap covered wool into a microwave-safe glass bowl. Into the microwave and steam for three minutes, afterwards leave it alone for five minutes. Check that everything is covered and moist, we don’t want it burning. I repeat this cycle three times in total.

 Let cool completely then gently place into a hot soapy water bath. Do Not Agitate the water. Let soak for several minutes then strain the excess water out. Repeat the process with hot plain water to rinse. Lay flat or hanging to dry totally before touching.

Still alive! just been busy!

I have been doing a lot recently. I just had finals in school. I started doing massage again and I am getting my wool business going. My EverImprovingMe.etsy.com shop is back up and running though no sewn items just wool stuff. I do have some reusable sandwich bag kits on there but they are left over from before and only partially sewn.

I started a new group on Ravely too. I am planning my first ever SAL. We are currently voting on the theme now. If you are interested in a SAL please go vote! Or just stop by the group and say hi.

Its my birthday and I will cry if I want to!

Tomorrow is my birthday, I will be 32. It has been a hell of a year. Today some very dear friends sent me a birthday gift. It totally took me by surprise and I found myself sobbing for many minutes. I end up crying more than I like for bad things so when something good happens that makes you cry it is always surprising. It feels different. It is a joyful, happy, emotionally uplifting cry. I hope that we all can have more of the good and less of the bad this next year.

Now to what was in the package! I opened it up thinking I did not remember ordering something but thats not unusual for me. SO I open it and see shiny gift like packages. Now I am really curious. This is what I saw:


So I read the instructions with curiosity and see that someone has sent me a niddy noddy. I then open my card. It was from my friends Wanda, Rik, and their kids. They sent me a whole set of spinning tools. There was a niddy noddy, a drop spindle, a wpi gauge and a diz! They are all made with wood and they all coordinate with each other.


I just feel very loved and very lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life. I hope everyone gets the chance to feel that kind of feeling! Thank you to everyone in my life.

I have an allergy I feel like you need to know about.

I did think about an allergy that i wanted to share with you all. It is one of those things that I forget a lot but always creeps up on me. You may laugh but I swear its true I have tested it repeatedly just to be sure that my allergy was coming from that. I am allergic to being broke.

This has as I said been tested repeatedly through life and always with the same symptoms. Its sad I know. At this time the only known cure is to marry a millionaire, and unfortunately the man I married also suffers from this same allergy. So there is no hope for us there. To cope with it we do try to do the little things that help allergies. As we seem more prone to this allergy at certain times of the year, I can only guess it works about the same as seasonal allergies. We know it is likely to crop up around birthdays, holidays, and that time at the end of a pay period just before you get another check.

What we do is to try to plan ahead for these, keeping around allergy relief medications like chocolate - bar, drink, cake (the form does not matter), dried goods, hugs, kisses those really help, and writing out our frustrations. Symptoms that you too may have this allergy and not even be aware of it include: the desire to buy something with no real means of doing so, empty cabinets, digging through the couch and car cushions for loose change, also one too many nights of eating plain noodles or rice. You may also feel at times Irritably, Frustration, Envy, and Despair.

If you believe you may be suffering from this allergy talk to your dr. There may be new ways to help.

So I have been working on the usual..

Which means tonight I will pull some red rovings that I dyed off the drying rack!!

My Phatfiber samples & My shop reopened

I finally reopened my shop on etsy. Because of the way I set up my taxes I went back to EverImprovingMe.etsy.com. I will now have both undyed and hand dyed batts, rovings, and yarns. I will eventually get knitting supplies as well as spinning and felting.

I also sent in my very first Phatfiber Sample Box Samples! I am pretty happy about this. These are the pictures of what I sent in