You unwrap your freshly dyed yarn and it is just how you wanted it! Even a blind squirrel gets a nut heh? Here they are before re-skeining, soon to be listed in my etsy-store
I love the days that are set aside for dyeing! Today I will be dyeing some beautiful worsted weight yarn. Many of those who entered the contest suggested I needed more green so today I am starting with green. I have my handy color wheel out and am making plans. After lunch the dyeing will begin!
Another cold! Errrrr!
I have been happily busy though:
Honestly, life could be easier. What started as a simple attempt at re-skeining turned into a complete mess. As soon as I finish untangling this sock yarn will be listed in my etsy shop but it won't be today as I had hoped :( These are bad pictures (which are the kind I take best) but the colorway is called Fierce Tiger and has lots of lovely oranges, yellows and deep dark blue.
Okay everyone pop quiz: Who is my favorite Indie dyer? No.....I'm not my favorite indie dyer (but I really would like to be yours! Please? 
Oh and I have started reading again. I would love to have you read along! Details here.
Part of it may be my camera, it is slowly dying, but I am sure a lot of it is lack of technique. Here are the latest pics (taken with macro and a tripod). They still aren't as clear as I would like :( I have ordered a copy of Digital Photography for Dummies and I am hoping that will help me out a bit.
This colorway is called Vanity and is the latest edition to my Etsy Store
Thanks to all of you who have entered the contest! So far I have 34 entries between the blog and the Ravelry group! I want all of you to know how much you have helped me! There is still a lot of work to do but I finally feel like I have some direction instead of floundering :) There is still time to enter click here.
Starting out as an Indie Dyer isn't the easiest thing I have ever done. The learning process required when starting to dye and the difficulty in learning to market and take decent pictures is compounded by the difficult state of the economy. It can be a bit disappointing at times. But no one ever succeeded that never tried. So I am hanging in there doing the best I can for myself and for my customers.
Artist Laura Bray of Katydid Designs decided the best way to ride out the storm is to help each other and issued The Stone Soup Challenge. Each participant agrees to spend a certain percentage of their net sales at another participating Etsy Shop. I will be participating through my etsy shop. If you would like to join visit the Stone Soup Challenge Blog to get more information.
For those of you who don't operate an Etsy shop, remember the little guys like me when you are spending your hard earned money....... we sure appreciate it.
This is the Peppermint Leaves Roving spun into single ply worsted weight.
I also added another lace weight yarn to my etsy shop:
I got fiber!!! Courtesy of Allison of Great Lakes Pygora. She needs some spinning done and I have a love for blending my Cormo with pygora so we did some bartering. :) Here's a sample of what I will be blending the pygora with then spinning for her:
And what I get to keep for me:
Why did it start out crummy??? Well, EVERYONE in the house knows Friday is Spin Guild Day and you don't mess with Spin Guild Day. It's like messing with the Emperor's groove, but worse..... Anyway, my sweet husband changed a couple of schedules around and left me with no sitters. I did at least get to run to the shop to pick up my fiber from Allison and to pick up my bunnies (yep, new English Angoras only six weeks old! Check them out here.) I am in love with my bunny (Twila got one too!) and the fiber cheered me up. Even if I do have to give most of it back when I am done; it's going to be a dream to spin. Oh and the husband did call and apologize for messing up the Empress' groove, well at least for making her cry. I mean honestly, how do you forget about spin guild?
I love when I can post new things to my etsy shop! Here's the latest from last night's dye job:
The sock yarn is called Hot and Cold and has dark red and purple colors interrupted by white, blue and coral. The colorways for the Merino Comb Tops are called "Hope" and "Beautiful Path" in honor of today's events and Americans in general ;)
Here is a pic of last night's handspun: Third eye by Yarnhollow. I considered posted this on etsy too but I think I want to keep it!
I am just no good at it! Here are some pictures of what I have been up to though......
I washed a mystery fleece for Jane. Here it is before:
This morning has been spent working on banners and grooming bunnies. The bunnies weren't cooperating (and one must have slept under his water bottle because part of his fur was wet) so I gave them some lettuce and went to work on banners. This is what I have come up with so far...... I would love to hear what you think!
BTW the contest for a skein of hand dyed sock yarn is still going until Feb. 1st. If you want to join in the details are here There are 26 enteries so far!!!
May 8th is the official date for Shearing Day at The Counting Sheep Farm. The LaGuilde Spinners will be there so if you would like to learn to spin (or you just would like to spin with us for the day!) please stop by. Knitters are welcome too! We will have a limited number of fleeces available from our flock of Cormo, Jacob and Finn Sheep but it is really limited so first come, first serve.
For those of you on Ravelry please help me out! In February I will have an ad there for my Etsy Store. Needless to say I want everything to look fabulous so I can start making some money to support these fiber animals!
Really, the sheep need your help! For Contest details click here!
Not on Ravelry? Leave a comment here. Just be sure that a. I can find you again should you win, b. that you leave at least one negative comment (don't make me cry please but helpful suggestions are important) and c. that you comment on at least three aspects of the store (such as banner, pictures, colorways, professionalism etc....)
Okay, I do but it was such a good title I couldn't resist. Anyway I have been busy spinning
This lovely fiber was sent to me by a fellow mod on Ravelry from The Loopy Ewe and I love, love, love it!!!! It is Targhee (did I spell that right? oh well) in the colorway Indian Corn.
This lovely blue fiber came from The Spinning Wheel Yarn Shop and although I equally love, love, love it when it's done.....I find it a bit tedious to spin only because I am spinning it lace weight. It is destined for a sweater from an issue of Interweave knits.
On the needles I have the Silken Scabbard (love, love, love again) and a pair of fingerless mitts. I will have to check on the links......
On the fibery farm side I have Shearing Day scheduled for our farm but I am considering changing it from a Friday to a Saturday........ BTW visit our farm website and let me know what you think!
Oh and shameless plug.....check out my etsy store. I'm broke :)
Today is a cranky day I am sorry to say :( No good reason just general bad mood you know.....
The kids aren't listening, the house is a wreck, the wireless router won't work, family conflicts rose up their head and I overate again. Errrrr........ oh yeah, and I can't find my camera so I can't take any pics of the lovely handspun I plied today.......
The morning was spent at Spin Guild and that was lovely as usual. Jane lost a bunny so she was sad. I was sad too but I was happy that it wasn't MY bunny that died. (We think mommy dearest killed it) Here is a picture of Jane and my new bun:
As I mentioned early I plied some lace weight yarn for a sweater I am planning on knitting from Interweave knits. Next I have a beautiful roving that I am planning to spin given to me by a fellow moderator on Ravelry (I would show you a picture but ya know the CAMERA IS LOST!).
The afternoon was spent feeding the animals, all 17 sheep, 6 horses, 3 bunnies, 3 dogs and umpteen cats. (that was nice though and I always have help from um, all the kids) Then it was time for the Angoras to get footloose in the house while they took turns being groomed.
The rest of the night was spent making dinner and uploading things on the etsy page. One sale so far (thanks Linda), I am optimistic for more but still have a lot of work to do. Particularly the pictures......if I could find my camera!
I am pretty okay with this banner:
I did it all by myself any way :) You will see it on Ravelry in February.
On the crafty side I have been a busy fiber beaver! Monday was spent washing Cormo and dyeing :) (I love to tell the kids to leave me alone while I dye.....) then yesterday and today was spent at the carder blending. I have lovely things to show:
Have you seen this website? If you haven't you must! Basically they look for a seller on etsy that has little or no sales and they do a "sneak attack" where everyone goes at a certain time and date and buys whatever they can. I just love it!
On top you see lucious cormo. Just plain yummy. On the bottom are 5 different colorways about 5 ounces each. I am really happy with how they turned out.
