New yarns and only 3 weeks until Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair!

I have listed some new yarns recently, but am not sure how many new ones will be listed over the next three weeks since Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair is coming sooner than I think! I'll be working hard on spinning lots of new yarns for that event, AND carding lots of batts for it, too! I'm sharing a booth with Cloudlover, and we're also working on some kits for spinners . . . so please mark your calendars if you are in the area!

The JULY Art Yarn of the Month WILL be mailed out before the show, I expect to have it in the mail July 6th. Still haven't purchased your FunctionArt ART YARN OF THE MONTH subscription? Well, there are two left, and the listing will only be available until June 30. Please check it out on etsy here - the June yarn will be shipped to you immediately.

Finally, here are the newest listings in my etsy shop - a little bit of everything . . .

Beautiful Bamboo - Summer Shades - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 128 yards and 126 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Spring Garden - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 128 yards and 122 yards
FunctionArt - Spruce Berry - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 70 yards and 60 yards
FunctionArt - Rose Plum Mocha - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 67 yards and 60 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - DragonStorm - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 146 yards and 128 yards
FunctionArt - Forest Snake - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 76 yards and 72 yards
Kitty Singles - Holiday Party - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 112 yards
FunctionArt - Aqua Lime - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 76 yards and 71 yards

Now I better get some spinning done!

Prepping for art yarn spinning

Today, I tried to do some prep work for some art yarns I want to spin, including the July Yarn of the Month! The way I usually do this is -

First, I vacuum and clear the living room floor.
Second, I pull out the fiber colors I want to spin as art yarns.
Third, I go through all of my bins and boxes of novelty yarns and pull out and match up the ones I think will match the fibers I've pulled. I always pull more than I will end up using since this is only a preliminary sorting.
Fourth, well, that depends. Sometimes I just bag them up and do the final choosing later, when I'm ready to spin that particular color. Today, I got 3 colorways completely chosen (and in order for spinning) before the clouds and rain came, making it way too dark. I always like to do this at peak daylight - preferably on sunny days. But, the sun is coming back out now, so I think I'll go through and make the final decisions on at least a couple more colors.
Fifth, they sit until I am ready to spin them. While I end up clearing them from the living room floor, it does usually mean I have yarns lined up all over - on top of shelves, on the table in my "fiber room" and anywhere else I can fit them that is relatively out of the way. Or, I just bag them up for later.

This process always makes me excited to spin them ALL right away! I have some new color combinations this time that I've never done so I am itching to spin them up! I hope to get at least one done tonight, after spinning some bamboo for a custom order.

Here are some pictures from today's prep - including one of my cat Bug, who was impossible today! She wanted to lay down right in the middle (in the pictures, that is where I sit as I sort) and I had to keep pushing her away. Finally, she found a spot on the outskirts of the fiber "mess" and did what she does best - took a nap.

New yarns, batts, and the June Art Yarn of the Month

I listed some new batts and yarns this past week in my etsy shop. I was hoping to list some more batts today and yarns tomorrow, but it is rainy, dreary, cloudy and gray here so I'm not sure I'll be able to take pictures. I'm hoping it will at least get a little brighter later today, but who knows. I WILL be carding and spinning lots this weekend, so it will just be a matter of time before I have more new items available. Here are pictures and links of the yarns and batts listed this past week -

FunctionArt - Telltale Heart v.2 - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 67 yards
FunctionArt - Telltale Heart v.2 - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 69 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Harvest Gold - Hand Spun Single Ply Bamboo Yarn, 130 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Harvest Gold - Hand Spun Single Ply Bamboo yarn, 162 yards
Blended Fiber Batt - Southwest Sunrise - merino wool, Tussah Silk, sparkle, 2.1 ounces
Blended Fiber Batt - Victorian Christmas - merino wool, bamboo - 2.3 ounces
Blended Fiber Batt - Red, White & Blue - 100% bamboo in 3 colors, 3.5 ounces total

And, here is the June Art Yarn of the Month! It is called June-iper Jewel and is spun from hand dyed merino wool dyed by Cloudlover in deep shades of purple, blue, and green. There are still two spots available - you can find the FunctionArt Art Yarn of the Month Club listing on etsy HERE. The listing will be up until June 30. After that time, these two additional skeins will be made available to club members at the club price, OR knit up by me. They will not be listed online, though they may make their way to one of my upcoming shows.

Grand Opening of River Rock Wool in the Folk Art Emporium

You may have noticed a bunch of my yarns disappeared this week, or became "reserved". Well, that's because they will be at the Grand Opening of the Folk Art Emporium in Menomonie, Wisconsin this SATURDAY, June 12, thanks to Paulette at River Rock Wool! If you are in this area, please consider heading out to this great event! Here is more information, from the River Rock Wool website -

River Rock Wool has found a second home in Menomonie, Wisconsin at the new Fiber Cooperative, "Folk Art Emporium". The Folk Art Emporium (over 2,600 square feet) is stocked with a great selection of hand dyed wool fabric, textured wool on the bolt, recycled wool, patterns, linen, hooks, books, kits, and other rug hooking supplies.

You are invited to our Grand Opening and our first Hook-In on Saturday, June 12th.

The doors open at 10:00 am and so will our Hook-In. Bring a current hooking project or let me, mom, or Sharon help you put together a new project. Hook until 5:00 pm, or just stop in for awhile. The entire line of Sharon A. Smith patterns will be available on linen. If you are thinking of starting a new pattern, let me know when you RSVP--I will keep one for you. Sharon will be unveiling her newest rugs, "Napping Knitter" & "Purple Rain"-- which you are going to love!!!!!

There will be beverages and appetizers available throughout the day. I will have a special Hookers Lunch prepared for everyone at 1:00 pm--please RSVP so I am prepared.

--Ribbon Cutting is at noon with the Menomonie Chamber of Commerce.
--Belly Dancing in the afternoon.
--Traditional music intermittent in the afternoon.
--Demonstrations of Spinning, Weaving, Knitting, Crocheting, Quilting, & RUG HOOKING
--Door Prizes at noon and 5:00 pm (must be present to win)

I look forward to seeing all of you and showing you our new location on our first official day of business.
Please RSVP if you can come to paulette@riverrockwool.com or call 715.294.1732 (home) or just come if plans change last minute and you are able to make it. Hope to hear from you soon.

The Folk Art Emporium is located in downtown Menomonie, across the street from the historic Mable Tainter Theater (considered the most beautiful historic theater in the country), and a few doors down from the University Wisconsin Stout.

Folk Art Emporium
222 Main Street East
Menomonie, WI 54751
715.231.2112
www.riverrockwool.com
(lots of other great shopping in this downtown area as well)

Note: The Menomonie location is in addition to our great location inside the Bear Patch Quilting Company in White Bear Lake, Minnesota and of course everything is always available through the website: www.RiverRockWool.com

This sounds like a ton of fun so I hope anyone in the area interested will check it out! I was next to Paulette last year at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival and it was amazing to watch them work on this gorgeous rug - and it was also interesting to see *actual* rug hooking and not the 70s version I kept thinking of in my head - latch-hook. I contemplated buying a kit at the time, but knew I just didn't have time for another crafty venture. It IS on my to-do list, though, someday when I have more time.

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New yarns, batts, and June Art Yarn of the Month

Today I listed some new batts and art yarns in my etsy shop! The art yarns are new skeins of recently-spun colors

Here are direct links -
FunctionArt - Boho - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 78 yards
FunctionArt - Boho - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 74 yards
FunctionArt - Marchengarten - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 69 yards
FunctionArt - Marchengarten - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 62 yards

I also listed two new batts -

Cherry Pie - luxurious merino wool, merino/silk and SoySilk, along with copper and red angelina for sparkle - 1.6 ounces and can be found on etsy here

Amethyst Vine - merino wool, Tussah Silk, bamboo, and a bit of purple angelina for just a little sparkle. 2.6 ounces and can be found on etsy here.

I'm also going to be spinning the JUNE ART YARN for the Yarn-of-the-Month club today - and it will be ready for shipping on Monday! You can still get your FunctionArt Art Yarn of the Month Club subscription on etsy HERE. The June/July/August club will be listed until the end of June and then the next club will be available in August for September/October/November. The club is really a great deal - you get 4 yarns for LESS than the price of 3!

Now, I better get offline and get some spinning done! :)

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New carded fiber batts for spinning, Art Yarn Club and where you can find my yarns this weekend!

Today I carded some batts. It's interesting how sometimes I think the colors are going to do one thing, and instead they do another. I didn't mean for the second one (blue/purple/apricot) to look so similar to a previous one I'd done, but it does. The first one was done trying to match a specific yarn and the end result . . . matches MANY of the novelty yarns I have! I think it would spin up into a great art yarn. The third one - i was going for a minty sunshiney blend and it looks a lot like Aqua Lime. The last one - I wanted it to be mocha mint but thought just the two colors would be a little "boring", so I added the bright aqua/turquoise silk . . . I like it (alot better in person - that one just didn't photograph well) but it wasn't what I expected. But enough of my rambling - here are the newest batts! All available in my etsy shop in the Blended Fiber Batt section.


There are two spots left for the FunctionArt Art YARN OF THE MONTH club. I am going to have the first one ready for mailing on Monday. Spinning those skeins are my exciting Saturday Night plans! :)

AND, If you happen to be going to the HOOSIER HILLS FIBER FEST this weekend - Friday and Saturday - stop by Cloudlover's booth - check out her awesome hand dyed fiber AND she'll also have some of my art yarns there, too!

I hope to have new yarns listed on Sunday and/or Monday, but then I probably won't have time to list anything new until Thursday (June 10). Though I am part-time at the Library, my schedule fluctuates from week to week, and this week is a 5-day, 27+ hour week. I'll still be spinning but won't have time or the right light for pictures until next weekend (except for Thursday).

But now I've got to clean up the fiber mess and watch the rest of the Lakers/Celtics game . . .

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New hand spun yarns listed today!

Just finished listing a ton of yarns in my etsy hand spun yarn shop! Plus, the listing for the Art Yarn of the Month club is now up, too. Here is the listing for the Yarn of the Month Club, and below the mosaic are direct links to all of the new skeins!

FunctionArt - Boho Dark - Hand Spun Art Yarn - Merino wool, 71 yards
FunctionArt - Boho Dark - Hand Spun Art Yarn - Merino wool, 74 yards
FunctionArt - Marchengarten - Hand Spun Art Yarn - Merino wool, 60 yards
FunctionArt - Marchengarten - Hand Spun Art Yarn - Merino wool, 67 yards
Novel-Ply - Mahogany Peacock - Hand Spun Bulky Yarn, merino wool, 71 yards
Novel-Ply - Mahogany Peacock - Hand Spun Bulky Yarn, merino wool, 38 yards
Novel-Ply - Red Maple Buds - Hand Spun Bulky Yarn, merino wool, 71 yards
Novel-Ply - Red Maple Buds - Hand Spun Bulky Yarn, merino wool, 33 yards
Batt-tacular!/Thread-Ply - Rain Forest - Hand Spun Bulky Yarn, spun from a blended fiber batt that I carded! - 71 yards
Batt-tacular!/Thread-Ply - Mulberry Clouds - Hand Spun Bulky Yarn, spun from a blended fiber batt that I carded! - 90 yards

Now I've got to take a break and then hopefully card some batts tonight!