I'm a librarian, spinner, knitter! This is my blog for crafty things, updates to my shop and more.
You can check out my handspun yarns here - Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns and my hand knit items here - Kitty Grrlz Hand Knits

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A little of this, a little of that . . .

So today I have a few things . .

First, I'd like to mention one of the sellers I featured last week . . . again. CharteChic crocheted a couple more wonderful items (perfect for Valentine's Day!) with my yarns. The first is from "Chocolate Cherry Valentine" . . . a super soft skein of superwash merino wool . . . here is what she created with it:

Make sure to click through to the listing to see all of the cool ways it can be worn!
Then, there is "My Punk Love" convertable cowl - my "Punk Rock Valentine" yarn is just one of the great yarns used in this creation:
So, if you are looking for something to keep you warm this Valentine's Day make sure to check out CharteChic on etsy!

Second, I was featured on Stella's "Laundry" blog! You can check it out HERE. Oh, and while you're there, check out all of the great shops and items she has featured. I especially like the LEGO SOAP! :)

Third . . . I've got more new yarns! I have been trying to keep up as it really has been an amazing month (THANK YOU to all of my wonderful customers!) but I feel like I am starting to slow down a bit . . . it doesn't help that I'm getting sick (again! I spent most of December sick! blah!) and that I received a whole bunch of Gedifra Poesie yarn yesterday . . . that all has to be knit up into shawls for spring and summer shows!?! I need more time! But, I am going to cut back on my shows just a little so I have time to spin more and get this knitting done . . .

BUT, anyways . . . here are the new yarns!

A new Hello Kitty Grrlz yarn! This one is bright and cheerful, in pinks, yellows, and oranges. It also has a coordinating skein without the Hello Kitty face beads. Both skeins are 82 yards. Here is "Hello Sunrise Kitty"

And, the coordinating skein, "Sunrise"
Then, there is the second skein of "Plum Copper Surprise" . . . the first skein has sold, and it had a lot more coiling and beehives in it, but this skein is similar - spun from merino wool with lots of novelty yarns and plied with metallic copper thread - 110 yards:
I also have two new single ply yarns. Both are spun from merino wool hand dyed by the Yarn Wench. And, both match Navajo 3-plys I also have available.

Sunset Canyon

Felicity's Garden

Oh! I've got two more - both "Valentine" yarns, both spun from the same fiber from TerraBellaSpun. One is plied with OnLine Linie SMASH yarn and the other has Joanns Sensations Peacock yarn spun in and then plied with thread.

Drusilla's Valentine
Willow's Valentine

Coming soon . . . Cordelia's WISH yarn!

Well, I think that is it! Time to get to work!

Happy Tuesday! :)

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Lots of new yarns!

So, this will be another picture-heavy post as I've been busy spinning away!

First, though, here are two pairs of hand knit wristwarmers that I knit last week from my own hand spun Navajo 3-ply yarn. They are listed in my new shop just for my hand knits: Kitty Grrlz Knits as well as on my website.

Fallen Petals:


Earthly Treasures:

Then, there are the yarns!

Two new Navajo 3-plys - Forest Gold and Sea Story Blues.

Then, there have been the coils & beehives art yarns! I just "learned" how to do these recently and now it is difficult to not put them in every yarn! But, here are two where the coils are plentiful:

Jokers Wild, spun from a carded batt from TerraBellaSpun.

And, Spike's Heart, also from a carded batt from TerraBellaSpun:

Then, there were a few art yarns. The first one sold at my show last weekend. The second is now listed, and the last two are brand new. One is a custom order and the other will be listed soon!

Turquoise Dusk - sold

Plum Copper Surprise - one of my favorites! Now available.


And, PlumLime v.3 - this is a custom order.

And, it's sister, sort of, spun from the same fiber batch of hand dyed merino wool, but this one has more yellow and burgundy yarns spun into it! This one should be listed later today. I am calling it "Lemon Sangria Twist"

And, finally, here is a hand spun thick n thin single ply spun by me from BlueFaced Leicester wool hand dyed by the Yarn Wench.

And! one last art yarn with coils & beehives! "Crazy Like A Gallant Fox" was spun from a carded batt called "Gallant Fox" from TerraBellaSpun and it has a fun novelty yarn spun in and is plied with rayon plying thread.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Wonderful Etsy Sellers!

Today, I'd like to thank all of the wonderful etsy sellers who have bought from me! Some of them buy for their own personal use, while others use my yarn in their own creations - thus keeping the circle of handmade and etsy going! If you are looking for wonderful handmade items, please consider checking out these shops! Now, without further ado and in no particular order:

CHARTE CHIC
Char is a newer customer, who at the beginning of the year bought some of my absolute favorite yarns. She creates unique, one of a kind, wearable art! I love the textures and yarns she uses and the style of these pieces. They would warm you up while showing your individuality! Here are two of my favorites. Of course, the first one was knit with one of my "Divine Melon" yarns . . . and the second, well, I just love purples! Check out Char's shop HERE for more! She's got different styles and colors to choose from for all your individual tastes!



ARTEMIS I
I always wonder what *other* things could be made with my yarns . . . and then, last fall, I was introduced to Rhonda . . . she makes "WhippetSchnoods" - snoods for your dog! Her items (the snoods as well as beautiful scarves) are hand knit with care, using hand-dyed and hand-spun yarns in soft fibers. It is cute to think that "Kitty" Grrlz yarns are helping make something for wonderful dogs . . . Since most of her work is custom or special request, here is a picture that will link you to her shop, where you can view her for sale and sold items to see the wonderful array of yarns she has worked with in the past. She welcomes custom orders, so if you have a dog in need of a snood or just want some fancy, funky artemitts (fingerless gloves), scarves, you name it, don't hesitate to contact her! :)

NYMPHLINGS, HandMade Dolls by Babji
Another wonderful customer, Lisa creates the most amazing dolls with various yarns, including luscious handspuns! Her Nymphlings each have their own personality and story, so you can find the perfect match! Here are just two of her cute Nymphlings:


RYONO CREATIONS by knottynaomi
It's sort of funny how I "met" Naomi . . . we realized we both "stalk" The Yarn Wench on update days and have been fighting over fibers for almost a year! :) Now, I consider her a wonderful fiber friend. She makes some of the most beautiful sparkly Swarovski crystal jewelry, as well as spins some of the most beautiful single ply yarns I've ever seen! She also spins other types of yarn, as well, and you just know she uses the best fiber! Here are a few of her available items:



I think that is all for today. I hope you will check out these great etsy sellers!

And, I do thank ALL of my customers! I just thought it would be nice to feature a few etsy sellers. If you have bought from me, though, and would like to be mentioned or featured here, just contact me via etsy or my webpage. I would happily have a day where I feature buyers and their finished projects! Or, if maybe you are a seller as well, but I didn't know . . .

***PLEASE NOTE! All pics in this entry are the SELLERS pictures, and not mine!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

A few new yarns

So, I really do want to blog more, honest. It just seems there aren't enough minutes in the day! I'm on a break right now, so here is a quickie, picture-heavy post. Stay tuned, though, because I am determined to have more of "content" post soon, in addition to featuring some great etsy sellers who have bought my yarn and are making amazing things with it!

But, for today . . . here are a couple new yarns. One is already available and the other 3 will be listed on my website later today and on etsy today and tomorrow.

A new handspun single ply - spun from hand dyed merino wool from the Yarn Wench:

Something new I just started working into my yarns -- coils and beehives! They are hard to see in this picture, but they are there . . . :)

And, another fun black and white art yarn:
And, finally, "Salsa Gold" - this one is already on etsy here:

The really funny thing is, I AM SUPPOSED TO BE KNITTING! ;) I have a show this weekend and not many hand knit items . . . but all I keep doing . . . is spinning!

Oh well . . . maybe I will get some knitting done tonight . . .

Monday, January 14, 2008

Busy new year!

Well, I guess I haven't been very good about sticking to the blog-regularly resolution, but it has actually been a really busy start to the new year!

I have been spinning and working on several custom requests, as well as a couple new Hello Kitty Grrlz yarns! And, now this week I am going to try and get a few more things knit up for my first show of the year -- The Flake Out Festival in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin - this weekend January 19-20. So, I am just going to quick post some pictures of some of the new yarns today!

Two new Kitty Yarns:

Hello Sweet Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Art yarn is hand spun merino wool, with tons of novelty yarns and angelina for sparkle spun in, and plied with two threads strung with 36 Hello Kitty face beads. It is on etsy HERE or on kittygrrlz.com.

Then, there is Hello Fuchsia Sunshine Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun art yarn and matching "regular" art yarn. Both are spun from Falkland wool, have lots of novelty yarns and angelina for sparkle spun in, and plied with thread. The Kitty yarn is plied with two threads strung with 46 Hello Kitty Face beads and the regular skein is plied with the same two threads, but no beads. The Kitty yarn is HERE on etsy and the regular skein is HERE.

I didn't get as much done this weekend as I wanted because there were some other things that got in the way . . . like watching the Packers stomp on the Seahawks! . . . but I did finish up a special request yarn on Friday. It is one that I will probably be doing a second skein of, since I do have more of the fiber. The second skein, however, will be slightly different--it won't have the wool locks spun in, mainly, but I might also change the thread and yarns I spun in, I'll see what happens! :) But, here is the special order skein:

I also did some custom spinning with fiber provided by the customer. I spun two skeins of single ply . . . here is a picture though it was really difficult to capture the color of the fiber - it is actually a little more purple-ish than this picture shows:

And, the final sort-of-custom-order I had was this yarn that I finished last night! It is spun from merino wool and it does have other yarns spun in (just not as noticeable since I didn't use any eyelash yarns--just other wools, textured yarns and a ribbon yarn) and plied with thread. This *might* be a custom order, otherwise is will be listed on etsy and my website soon!

This skein is 124 yards and I also have a small mini skein of 34 yards. Speaking of mini skeins, since I have several colors of remaining fiber from recently-spun yarns, I do plan on spinning up some mini skeins with this fiber . . . so hopefully I will have some small skeins or lots to list soon!

Well, I think that's it! Hopefully I can get into the habit of posting more than once a week!

Friday, January 4, 2008

Wild Fire & Terra Gold

Well, I didn't think I was going to do it, but I actually got two art yarns spun up last night! (I didn't think I would get to it because when I got home from work I had a terrible headache AND really needed to exercise . . . so after taking an Aleve, wasting a bit of time online, I did manage to exercise, eat dinner . . . and not fall asleep!)

The first yarn is spun from hand dyed BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) wool - dyed, of course, by Lynn aka the Yarn Wench. This was the second batch I had in this color. The other became "Autumn Carnival" and sold yesterday! I spun different yarns into this one--Gedifra Costa Rica, Austermann WOW, Moda Dea WILD, and Joanns Sensations PLAZA yarns. (I actually have a similar lot available on my website as the first in my novelty yarn lots!)

I still have 2.9 oz of the fiber left, so I may either make a matching skein to this one, or spin it into a single ply!

Then, it was finally time to do my EtsyFAST January Challenge yarn! Over the past few months, our challenge themes have been the elements. I did EARTH in a Navajo 3-ply yarn called Earthly Treasures. I meant to do air and water, but the yarns I planned for them ended up selling before I could properly list them! But, I knew I would be ready for fire as I had this Falkland wool (dyed by the Yarn Wench) called "Wildfire" and I knew it would make a great art yarn (I had previously spun a similar batch into a single ply.) Anyways, this yarn has 4 different novelty yarns spun in and is plied with two colors of rayon thread. Not sure what I will call it (it will have FIRE somewhere in the name!), but for now, here it is:
Well, I think that is it for now. I am hoping to spin up a black and white yarn tonight--a first for me, as I am usually so much about COLOR, but this yarn will be a fabulous art yarn with tons of black and white yarns in it, spun with a carded wool batt from TerraBellaSpun. Then, I have a scarf to knit for a special request. I'm hoping I can actually finish both of these tonight so that tomorrow can be another day of art yarn spinning, though I do have a single ply on the horizon.

Oh, btw, these two yarns will be listed on my website and probably etsy later today!

Happy Friday everyone!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Spinning in the New Year!

So, it was a great New Year's weekend with LOTS of spinning getting done! Yay! Late New Year's Eve, I had this fiber ready to become my "First Spin of 2008":

I'll admit, it was a little tempting to actually start spinning this at midnight, but instead, I spun it up on New Year's Day . . . here are the results . . .
The first skein was spun with lots of novelty yarns and plied with two colors of thread. This is superwash merino wool hand dyed by the Yarn Wench, so it is sooo soft and wonderful! This skein is 72 yards, bulky weight. It should be on etsy later today, but is already on my website. I am calling it "Chocolate Cherry Valentine."

The next skein, and the one that was actually spun first, is pretty much the same, except it was plied with Lana Grossa Nuvoletta yarn, a mohair/acrylic blend. This one, "My Cheeky Valentine" is 64 yards, bulky weight, 3.2 oz.

Then, since it seemed I was on a Valentine-inspired kick, I spun up these two skeins from hand dyed merino wool (from the Yarn Wench as well). They are 80 and 82 yards, bulky/super bulky and have novelty yarns spun in, glitz and angelina, and also tons of super silky soft Kid Mohair locks.
These are also available on my website and should be on etsy later!

AND! I have finally gotten a few Kitty Minis up on my site! Kitty Minis (okay, I just couldn't call them Kittens!) are mini skeins of handspun yarn--either individual skeins or lots of smaller skeins. They would be great for freeform crochet, mixed media, scrapbooking, collage, or any other crafty fiber fun project. They are also priced at below what a similar full skein would cost, even though you still get decent total yardage! The first lot has already sold, but here is a picture:
That was 84 yards of handspun yarns!

The second one is a lot of two small skeins (20 and 24 yards) of my "Punk Rock Valentine" yarns! Here is a shot:

And, the last one is a 54 yard skein spun up from sample carded batts, mostly in blues and purples, with a few yards of brown/tan/gold at one end. I was going to split this, but kind of liked it together, so I'm calling it Woodburnt Blues.
Kitty Minis will hopefully become a regular item available from me. I hope to list new ones at the beginning of each month.

Another new item I'm hoping to have listed tonight are novelty yarn lots for spinning, collage, mixed media, scrapbooking, or any other crafty project--but mostly geared towards art yarn spinning. This idea has stemmed from a couple of things. First, I have SO MANY novelty yarns that I can't possibly use them all up! Second, I used some fibers from an etsy seller who seems to have disappeared that I really liked. They were color coordinated lots of various yarns and fibers in 30 or 35 yard lots, 2 yard lengths. I loved the convenience and color combinations. The only drawback was that I usually needed more yardage for 2-4 oz of fiber. So far, from what I've found, it seems like no one else has this type of yardage available for the price. So, I'm going to try and fill that gap--my lots will be MORE than 5-10 yards, MORE than 30-35, probably 40-50 and still be similarly priced! They will be cut in 2 yard lengths. Perfect for spinning into art yarns!! Right now, I have two lots ready to go--they are a little more uniform than future lots will be, meaning each one only has about 4 different yarns. I'm thinking future lots will have a little more variety of yarns with less strands of each. But, we'll see. Watch for them on kittygrrlz.com later today--that is, IF I can figure out what to call them!

Well, I think that is it for now! I leave you with one more picture, PlumLime Grove Yarn, this is the second skein done with the Plumgrove hand dyed merino wool from the Yarn Wench. This was such a fun color combination to do!

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