Some new yarns for Fall

I haven't been spinning as much as I should due to aches and pains, but I've managed to spin up a few new handspun yarns in perfect Autumn/Fall/Halloween colors!

First, there is more Coral Snake.  This is one of my favorite art yarn colors so it's no surprise that I've spun more.  This time the skeins are a little different - only coral, golden yellow and black yarns spun in so if you've seen previous skeins, there are no deep purple yarns spun in this time.  I have two skeins available at the moment and will have two more listed soon.  You can find Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun FunctionArt Art Yarn - Coral Snake in my etsy shop here!

Second, is what I think is a great Halloween color....I started spinning a bit of this color at Fiber in the Park last week, so when I got home, I spun up the rest of the fiber.  I ended up with a 3 oz skein of about 117 yards of thicker worsted weight Navajo 3ply yarn in awesome shades of orange, green and black.  This is spun from Falkland wool - not as soft as merino, but would still be great for a pair of wristwarmers or maybe a treat bag!  You can find Tricky Tricky HandSpun Navajo 3ply yarn in my etsy shop here.

How I spent my Labor Day...

For the first time since BEFORE Stitches Midwest, I spun some new yarns!  I spun up some more Mahogany Plum art yarn for a special request, and then some merino/tencel in a fun, bright colorway. As I prepare for fall shows, my goal is to spin at least one skein every day!  So far, so good!

Fall Show schedule is pretty much set!

I've got my fall show lineup complete!  Just got word today that I was accepted into the Ninth Annual Holiday Craftacular which was the last show I was waiting to hear about.

You'll be able to find Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarn and Knits at five events starting in September.  I'll kick off the autumn show season slowly with a small fiber event called Fiber in the Park in Earlville, Illinois.  This is a really nice, small, local fiber-focused event.  It is held at Shabbona Park - 4165 E. 16th Road in Earlville, Illinois (zip:  60518).  I will have my handspun yarns at this show, but will also have a lot of other fiber and yarn items.  I won't have many finished hand knits, however.  EDITED to note that the Facebook page for this event has listed the address as 4178 Co. Hwy. 22 which might help!  Check out the Fiber in the Park website for more information!

Next, I'll be at the Handmade Market at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, Illinois on October 12.  This show will be the debut of one of my new fall finished knit items...and I'm not going to say more until then!  I'll have lots of hand spun yarns here, hand knit scarves and more.

In November, I've got the trilogy of awesome indie craft shows!

I'll start off on November 16, 2013 at Craft'za in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This is the FIRST time Kitty Grrlz will be in Minneapolis!  I'm really excited and hope this will be a great way to start off three weeks of indie craft awesomeness.  I'll have all of my regular items here - hand spun yarns of all types (art yarns, bamboo, single plys and more!), plus a full stock of hand knit items - scarves, shawls and hats.  Plus my new hand knit accessory (more details will come later.)  This event is being held at the Grain Belt Bottling House Atrium.

Next up will be the Holiday Craftacular in Madison, Wisconsin.  I haven't done a Craftacular in a few years so am excited to be back in Madison.  I'll have my mix of  hand spun yarns and hand knit items.  This will be held at the Madison Masonic Center in downtown Madison.

I'll end the season on what I hope will be a very high (but sad) note - the grand finale of ART VS CRAFT in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I love this show and the past few years it has been my best event of the year, and this will be the FINAL event.  I'm already planning something special for this show and it will be the only November show where I will have blended fiber batts for spinning and felting.  It is held at the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.

There is ONE more place you'll be able to find Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns this fall and that is at the Willow Mist Boutique - 1107 Ligonier Street in Latrobe, Pennsylvania!  Right now I've got an assortment of Kitty Grrlz HandSpun FunctionArt art yarns there, along with some perfect-for-Autumn single ply skeins!  Their GRAND OPENING is September 14, 2013!

I'll post more about each event as it gets closer, but this is where Kitty Grrlz will be this fall!  Now, I better get working ... I've got lots to knit and spin over the next few months!

Couldn't leave Stitches Midwest without....

buying something!  I really wasn't going to since I have so much fiber and yarn already...as a matter of face, right before Stitches, I received 10 pounds of merino/tencel blend of fiber dyed by Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber in several colorways.  Here are two of them...these are both custom-requested colors...

Look for these to appear in my shop soon!

I also ordered some more merino/tencel from Sheepish Creations... can you tell this is one of my favorite blends to spin??

And, then, while at Stitches I couldn't resist this amazing fiber and these sparkle yarns from KnittyandColor!  (The darker yarn is called "Holocene" and so is the fiber in the top left - it's a merino/silk blend.  The other is "Northern Lights" and is alpaca/silk.)

I have no idea what I'm going to do with the yarn since I really don't like knitting with such thin yarn!?  But, I couldn't resist the colors and sparkle!  I'd love to hear suggestions in the comments on what I should knit with these awesome skeins!

So, now I guess I better get spinning... but what to do first???

A few more yarns listed...

I want to share what I purchased at Stitches Midwest but haven't taken pictures yet!  Instead, here is a quick rundown of the new yarns I listed yesterday in my Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarn Shop!

More Dragon Wing Bamboo!  I have four skeins spun from the same fiber batches - this is important because this colorway varies more than any other, so if you need more than one skein, it's always good to get them together when I list in larger batches.  This one is very striking, with more orangey copper and gold in it.

 And, another Hello Kitty Grrlz art yarn!  This is Hello Kitty Grrlz Blues, - two hand spun skeins spun from hand dyed merino wool (dyed by the Yarn Wench) in shades of blue with touches of pink.  I spun in coordinating novelty and specialty yarn snippets in blues and light pink.  I plied with blue cotton crochet thread which was strung with pink and blue Hello Kitty face beads.  The skeins are 74 and 72 yards.

I have a few more new yarns I should be listing tonight!

Use the coupon code FREESHIPUSA for Free Shipping in the USA!   You can use this code on everything in my shop, including Yarn of the Month Clubs!

Tomorrow, I hope to share the goodies I came home from Stitches with! :)

Survived Stitches Midwest...

and am already thinking about next year!

Here is a picture of our booth...

It was *very* exhausting which is why I haven't posted the past few days...I am totally recovering from 4 days of fiber and yarn madness!

I've updated my handspun yarn shop to include some of the remaining yarns, including two skeins of my favorite merino/tencel blend colorway, Summer Tropics!

but some of the art yarns are going to Art Yarn of the Month Club members, and the rest will soon be on their way to Willow Mist Boutique in Latrobe, Pennsylvania!    I'll also be sending some hand spun single ply skeins, too!  If you are in this area I hope you will support this new shop featuring handmade artisanal goods made by the artists themselves.  (And if you are a spinner, make sure to check out the handdyed fiber there from the Yarn Wench!)

24 hours from now...

we will be checked in and setting up BOOTH 725 at Stitches Midwest!  I've got to label all of my yarn this afternoon and pack everything up!   What will you find in BOOTH 725 at Stitches Midwest?

Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns!

Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber!

 

 Patterns by Phydeaux Designs!

Hope to see you tomorrow!!

But...for those who can't make it, just a couple of notes about my shop online....

ALL ready to ship yarns will be deactivated and unavailable as of Thursday morning!  If there's something that you'd like, now is a good time to grab it before it goes to Stitches.  You can use the COUPON CODE  FREESHIPUSA for Free Shipping in the USA at Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun yarns on etsy...PLUS you can also use that code on YARN of the MONTH Clubs which will stay active through the show!

Code will stay active all month, and yarns not sold at Stitches will be listed, hopefully, Monday morning!

TWO days, really? Stitches Midwest here we come....

Yes, I think it is officially time to start *really* freaking out about Stitches Midwest!  Only two more days...I can't even believe it!

Today I just wanted to do a quick post about the Kitty Grrlz FunctionArt Hand Spun Art Yarns I'll have in BOOTH 725 at Stitches.  They are my favorite yarns to spin.  Most are spun from gorgeous hand dyed merino wool dyed by The Yarn Wench.  I love her colorways and they lend themselves really well to this style of yarn.  The yarn itself is usually bulky, sometimes super bulky, and knits up easily into quick and simple...but beautiful and unique....projects.  I tend to do cowls because they only take one skein, and I make them a bit smaller with a looser knit and end up wearing them inside all winter long!  Here is an example of one in the Electric Wave colorway I'll have available in BOOTH 725 at Stitches Midwest!  (By the way, for more on knitting with hand spun art yarns, check out this blog post from a few years ago - Knitting with hand spun art yarn!)

 Don't knit or crochet?  Heck, you can just wrap the skein around like an infinity scarf or large cowl without even knitting it at all!

Here are a some other art yarn colors I'll have available:

Hope to see you in BOOTH 725 at Stitches Midwest this weekend, August 8-11!!

Three short days...

In just three short days I will be setting up in BOOTH 725 at Stitches Midwest!  Along with my hand spun yarns, and hand dyed yarn and fiber from Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber, we are excited to be able to offer select patterns by Phydeaux Designs... Old world elegance for modern knitters!  In our booth you'll find two of her crochet patterns, one of her shawl designs, and several cowl, infinity scarf and regular scarf designs!   We are especially happy to offer patterns that will coordinate well with the yarns we'll be offering, and we'll even have samples knit up so you can see how the yarns work with the patterns.

Here is an unfinished sample of Phydeaux Designs Soft Acorns pattern...this is one of my favorite patterns because it is so versatile and works with many types of yarn, and especially works well with hand spun single ply skeins!  This sample (which will be completed and blocked in time for the show) features a hand spun single ply skein spun by me from hand dyed Polwarth wool, dyed by Cloudlover in her "Haunted Vineyard" colorway.  I could have gone down a needle size, but I prefer looser knits and a more open look - use a thicker yarn, or different needle size for a tighter knit.  (I'll have a merino/tencel thicker single ply in colorway "Autumn Retreat" that would be perfect for this pattern.)  All you need is one skein... 

Another picture, just of the yarn, though the color is more accurate in the picture above -

Tomorrow, I've got an example of what can be done with just ONE skein of art yarn!

Only FOUR more days to Stitches Midwest!

There are only four more days until Stitches Midwest!  I am so not ready.  I've spent the past four days doing nothing but spinning...but today I have to go back to the library which means only night time spinning for me until the show.  I'll probably only be able to get an additional 6 skeins done...but the past four days have been pretty fruitful.  I've spun up lots of bamboo skeins!

Summer Shades....

New Southwest....

 Dragon Wing....(not very good pictures!)

I also have some Plum Paradise done, too.  The last color I was working on yesterday was Coral Tide.  I don't have  a picture of the finished skeins, but here is the fiber waiting to be spun....

ONE WEEK!!!

I can't believe next week at this time I will be setting up in BOOTH 725 at Stitches Midwest!  This came about quickly and sort of last minute, so it's really only been a few short months since I found out I would be able to vend there.  I'm sharing a booth with Natalie of Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber.  In the next few days I'll be posting some of the wonderful items we'll have available.

Today, I just wanted to post better pictures of the last art yarn colorway I spun - two variations spun from merino wool dyed by the Yarn Wench in her colorway "Bewitching Hour".  The first four skeins have bright green amongst the peacock, blue, teal, purples and black...

Then there are two skeins, sans the green spin-in yarns....

Now it's back to spinning bamboo! 

9 days until Stitches Midwest!

I can't believe there are only 9 more days until Stitches Midwest!  I have come to the realization that I will not be able to get all the yarns spun that I wanted to get done, but I am still spinning as much as I can.  Last night I finished up two more skeins of a new art yarn color.  I'm not sure what I'm going to call this one, but it is spun from merino wool hand dyed by the Yarn Wench and her name for the colorway is "Bewitching Hour."  Here is a fairly poor flash shot taken last night before I set the twist...

Here are some pictures of another art yarn, also spun from Yarn Wench merino wool in her colorway "Imperial Peacock."  I have four skeins of this colorway...

That's it for now...tonight I *finally* start spinning bamboo!

15 days to Stitches Midwest....

and I'm starting to freak out just a little!  Must really kick the spinning into overdrive!

I don't have any pictures today, only this one of Bug from last week....  (She likes to sleep under the cart I keep next to my spinning wheel.  It holds all the pertinent items I need for spinning.)

but i've been spinning...and prepping more fiber...and figuring out some of the details. 

I want to share more pictures of what I'll have at Stitches but realize taking and editing pictures takes time!  So, not today, but soon I'll set aside a little time to take some pictures of the latest yarns that are ready for Stitches Midwest!

18 days to Stitches Midwest!

Since I missed posting yesterday, as of today there are 18 days until Stitches Midwest!  I prepped a ton more fiber yesterday - this time, merino wool for art yarns and Polworth wool that will probably be spun into single ply skeins. 

The majority of yarns I will have at Stitches Midwest will be either bamboo single ply skeins, or my FunctionArt Art Yarns.  But, I WILL have some other yarns and today I have pictures of two of these!

First, I will have quite a few skeins of handspun merino wool and tencel blend single ply skeins.  These work great for shawls and scarves and I specifically spin this blend alot because of the sheen the tencel provides.  One of the colors I'll have is dyed by Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber, her colorway "Haunted Vineyard"....

Here is an example of a shawl I knit from yarn I spun from another of her colorways.  This shawl was knit with about 1-1/2 skeins...

Second, I will have a few skeins of handspun two-ply yarns, mostly in superwash merino wool.  Here is one of the colors I'll have...again, a color dyed by Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber...she calls it North by Northwest...but I have called my skeins "Woodland Holiday".....

Now I'm off to spin more art yarns!

20 days until Stitches Midwest...

Hurray for Friday!  But, not so happy that there are only 20 days left until Stitches Midwest!  I have so much spinning to do...

This is the latest art yarn color I'm working on...two skeins done, two to go...

While I was working the other night, I didn't know where Bug was!  Then, I found her under the hutch...here she says, "Stop stalking me with the camera already!"

This weekend I'll be doing some final fiber prep... and then it is nothing but spinning until Stitches!!

21 days until Stitches Midwest!

As of today there are 21 days until Stitches Midwest...and as I type that I realize...that's only THREE WEEKS!!!  In 3 short weeks it will be here!  I have so much to do before then!?

Today I received two important packages in the mail, both will be necessary at Stitches Midwest, yet they were not fiber....

First, I received my brand new MOO Business Cards (if you click the link through my blog, you'll get a discount on your order!) ...

They have a yarn photo on the front (that I grabbed from my Flickr account) and my usual purple and orange logo, name and information on the back.  I have 50 different variations and a total of 600!?!?  I haven't had that many business cards done up ever...I usually print them myself on card stock and cut them with scissors....these are much nicer, I think.

Second, I received my SQUARE card reader.  I have been accepting credit cards at shows for awhile, but I was doing it the old-fashioned way of using a knucklebuster to take an imprint of the card, and then entering it online AFTER the show.  Well, I guess it's time I join this decade and use the reader that I can just plug right into my phone - I'll be able to swipe cards easily and quickly!

22 days and counting...

Last night I spun up two skeins of art yarn.  I'm not sure what I'm calling this one yet, probably something related to Spike and Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Or .... I don't know.  Something.  It is spun from hand dyed merino wool dyed by the Yarn Wench in her colorway "Crashenburn"... shades of fuchsia, red, black, gray, purplish gray and more!

Here it is on the bobbin, before plying with thread:

And here, almost finished, just needs to have the twist set (basically soaking in hot water, rinse in cold, hang to dry!)...

 And where was Bug?  She was under the cart I have next to my wheel...sleeping, of course!

Tonight, I spin up two more skeins of this art yarn colorway, and maybe start on a little prep of another color!