Kitty Grrlz Knits & Spins

Gift Certificate Special, Yarn Clubs, Ruffle Scarves and More!

2011-12-08T19:45:00.006-06:00

It has been a busy couple of months! Thanks to all who came out to the DIY Trunk Show and Art vs Craft! They were both amazing and it was so wonderful to see so many people out and supporting hand made!

I am beginning to catch up a bit but still am rebuilding inventory in my yarn shop. I've got new yarns coming soon, though - new art yarns, new bamboo, and more. I'll also have some new blended fiber batts come January.

If you are still looking for that perfect gift for the knitter, crocheter or fiber artist in your life, I've got a couple of great solutions for you!

First, I am running a gift card special. Purchase a gift card from my Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns shop and get an extra $10 added on to the value! Buy a $60 gift card and get an extra $20 added on! Redeemable in either my yarn shop, or my knits shop.

Second, I have got a few Yarn Clubs available which is a great way to give a gift that will keep giving into the new year. My art yarn club is already sold out, but I've got a Bamboo Yarn of the Month Club, a "Surprise" Yarn of the Month Club 3 month or 2 month option, and a Single Ply Yarn of the Month Club. You can find them all in Yarn of the Month Club section in my etsy shop.

Finally, I am also slowly trying to add new hand knits to my Kitty Grrlz Knits shop on etsy. I will be adding more Endless Ruffle Infinity Scarves and also more items knit with hand spun yarn. I already have a couple of hand knit art yarn cowls listed that are knit with my handspun FunctionArt Art Yarn and a couple of soft scarves knit with gorgeous hand spun Sqoosh Monster thicknthins spun by Naomi of Knotty Handspuns. Look for more new items throughout December and into the new year.

Here are the Ruffle Scarves -

And the Cowls -

And the scarves and also a shawl knit with my hand spun yarn

Kitty Grrlz Cash Rewards Program

2011-09-01T09:05:00.005-05:00

September is here! Which means fall fiber shows and November craft shows! I will be busy building inventory for the events I'll be vending at (a full list can be found in the sidebar of this blog), but that also means I won't be offering many discounts or specials. To make up for this, I have decided to steal an idea from Kohl's and offer a Kitty Grrlz Cash Rewards Program for the next few months.

What is the Kitty Grrlz Cash Rewards Program?

The Kitty Grrlz Cash Rewards Program allows everyone who purchases from me from September 1, 2011 through November 30, 2011 to earn "Kitty Grrlz Cash" which can be redeemed after December 1, 2011 towards yarn, batts, or anything else in my etsy shop. If you earn enough, you will get FREE yarn, batts, or gift cards!

How do I participate/earn rewards?

Earning the rewards is easy - simply purchase items from my Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarn Shop, my Kitty Grrlz Hand Knits shop, or from me in person at shows between now and November 30, 2011. You will earn $15 for every $50 spent - that is about a 30% return on your purchases!

ALL purchases count towards this program - yarn purchases, fiber purchases, gift card purchases, and even hand knit purchases in my Kitty Grrlz Knits shop!

Do I need to do anything special?

No, I will keep track of everything!

How do I know how much I've earned and how do I get my reward?

I will keep track and at any time you can email me for the total you have earned so far. Then, on December 1, 2011, you will receive an email from me with the amount you have earned, and how to redeem the "Kitty Grrlz Cash".

Are there any catches?

The only thing is that the rewards can NOT be redeemed for actual cash. If you have earned enough to cover the entire cost of the items you want, you will pay absolutely nothing to redeem the Kitty Grrlz Cash rewards. If the amount earned is less than the item or items you want to purchase, you will need to pay the difference before I will mail the items.

I hope this explains it all, but if you have any questions, please feel free to post them in the comments or email me directly.

I really want this to be a "THANK YOU" to all of the wonderful people who have supported Kitty Grrlz throughout the years! I sincerely appreciate all of you!!

New yarns, batts and Art Yarn of the Month Club!

2011-08-14T14:40:00.003-05:00

I have been listing new yarns a little more regularly now that I am in full-swing of preparation for fall shows. I am also continuing the FunctionArt HandSpun Art Yarn of the Month Club through November. I have two listings available for the next club, a Two-Month option or the regular Three-Month option. You can also use the following discount code until the end of August - KGIBL15 - for 15% off, sort of an "early bird" special since the clubs begin in September. After August 31, the clubs will remain listed (unless the spots sell out), but the discount code will be deactivated. You can also use this code on other yarns and batts in my shop!

I have also listed lots of new blended fiber batts for spinning! You can see them all in my etsy shop here!

Here is a picture of some of the new yarns!

Website problems . . . and Art Yarn of the Month Club

2011-07-15T18:09:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure where to post this, but just in case anyone has been trying to get to my KittyGrrlz.Com site - it should now be back up! A couple weeks ago I did some behind-the-scenes maintenance and apparently, messed something up and the site disappeared. I just noticed it today, and believe I have fixed it. It really only serves as a portal to get to my etsy handspun yarn shop, my etsy hand knits shop, flickr, and does have a list of my upcoming shows . . . but, just in case anyone was wondering, I AM still here . . .

Since I'm writing, I also might as well mention that there is ONE spot left for the Art Yarn of the Month Club and I have definitely made it an even better deal - the spot left is for July and August, plus a bonus skein in December . . . BUT you will get TWO skeins for July! That is FOUR skeins for the price of TWO! The listing will only be available until tomorrow morning, so please check it out here if you are interested.

Last hours of Memorial Day Sale & new Art Yarn of the Month Club!

2011-05-30T18:04:00.004-05:00

The long weekend is winding down which means the end of my Memorial Day sale. If you use coupon code MDI500SALE31 when checking out in my handspun yarn shop on etsy you will get 31% off your order! This is the highest discount I'll be offering until the end of the year (my new year's eve sale, to be precise). You can find all of my yarns and batts in my shop here.

I also decided to list the Art Yarn of the Month club again for 2011. I have the listing on etsy now, and you can find it here. If purchased, you will receive one skein of hand spun art yarn, in a BRAND NEW colorway, each month for 3 months (June, July and August), PLUS a special skein in December before the holidays. (Please note-the Memorial Day sale discount is NOT VALID on the art yarn club listing!!)

Here are two examples of colorways from last year:

There are some changes afoot here in Kitty Grrlz land, so I will be listing NEW YARNS and BATTS in July. I will have a few things here and there in June, but my next BIG update, with lots of NEW colors will be in July. I still have plenty of yarns available, though, as well as spin-to-order bamboo listings on etsy. I even have some batts and art yarn kits. Check them out and then be ready for new items in July!

Wow, it's been awhile!

2011-03-10T22:29:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything this year! I have been more actively updating Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns on Facebook with new yarn listings and personally, have just been very busy!

I am gearing up for a small show in Madison, Wisconsin on March 19 - the Madison Knitter's Guild Knit-In. For more information please check out their website here.

I have listed some new yarns recently in my etsy handspun yarn shop, but not quite as many as usual. I really hope to start listing more new yarns soon.

Happy Holidays and new yarns!

2010-12-24T17:42:00.003-06:00

Happy Holidays to all!

I can't believe the year is almost over. Last year at this time we were packed and ready to move. We were sleeping on the floor with much of our stuff already moved or packed up and waiting . . . a snowstorm prevented us from making the trip the day after Christmas and instead I drove down alone with just what I could fit in my Escape and the rest of it arrived a couple of days later. Those first days were, quite honestly, cold and pretty miserable. But, one year later and we are all moved in (ha, though some boxes still not unpacked!) and ready to drive UP to visit instead of DOWN to relocate.

But, I'm rambling. I had some time off from the library this week so managed to do some spinning! Here are some new yarns, all listed in my etsy handspun yarn shop!

Now I'm about to get offline for awhile and do some more spinning!

Merry Happy Christmas Holidays and wishing you all a super awesome new year!

Cyber Monday Sale going on now!

2010-11-29T14:23:00.003-06:00

Cyber Monday sale going on now in both of my etsy shops -
My hand spun yarns here at http://www.etsy.com/shop/kittygrrlz
and
My hand knits here at http://www.etsy.com/shop/kittygrrlzknits

are 20% off with the coupon code - CYBERMONDAY2010

Ends at 12noon CST on Tuesday, November 30, 2010!

Art vs Craft, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and more!

2010-11-26T16:40:00.003-06:00

Wow, it really has been awhile since I have posted! I've been busy getting ready for November shows, the last of which is tomorrow!

ART vs CRAFT - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Saturday, November 27
10am-6pm
For more information check out the Art vs Craft site here

I'm also currently running a special on gift cards in my Etsy Hand Spun Yarn Shop - they are discounted 20%! Purchase by noon on Sunday, and they can only be redeemed AFTER December 1, 2010. You can find them in this Gift Card section here!

And, since Etsy now supports coupon codes, I will be having a CYBER MONDAY SALE as well, but will post details about that on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and happy shopping! :)

Now on ArtFire!

2010-10-04T13:43:00.003-05:00

I have finally started working on my Artfire shop! I know, why do i need an artfire shop when I have etsy? Well, there are certain features of artfire that I like, and I think having more than one place to find my yarns isn't a bad thing . . . my ArtFire shop will include my hand knits and hand spun yarns all in one place. At this time, though, it will not include my blended fiber batts.

The best part of Artfire is the ability to create coupon codes! For the next week, I'm offering 10% off all items in my Artfire shop:

Visit kittygrrlz's Studio

SAVE 10.00 % On
All Items

Use Coupon Code:

WELCOME1010

during checkout.

YARN CON is tomorrow!

2010-10-01T19:26:00.002-05:00

I am all set for YARN CON tomorrow, which is in Chicago, Illinois at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse on Blackhawk. I'll have tons of new yarns - don't have time to post preview pictures, but here are a few new things that I'll have -

FIVE new handspun two-ply yarns! Yes, FIVE! I think that's a record for me! Plum Gold in BFL/Silk, two skeins of Andromeda also in BFL/Silk, and 2 skeins of Taos Sunset in merino wool (for those familiar with my art yarns or Yarn Wench colorways, this one is actually one ply of "Plum Honey" and one ply of "Taos" spun together!)

12 new skeins of bamboo - 4 of "Winter Moon, 4 of "DragonSong", 2 of a darker version of "Plum Paradise" and 2 skeins of "Serenity"

The FunctionArt Art Yarn SERPENT COLLECTION is also now complete! I have Coral Snake, Lizard King (spun from blended merino wool and glittery icicle), and Lizard Queen.

In addition, I'll have the October Art Yarn of the Month yarn - which was only available through the Yarn of the Month club and in person at shows! It is "Adirondack Autumn" and is actually merino wool from the Yarn Wench carded/blended with Bamboo from Fiberlady, spun up as a super bulky and Super SOFT art yarn.

I think that's it! All of these new yarns will be available tomorrow at YARN CON, and if not sold will be listed in my etsy shop Sunday and Monday.

Happy Weekend!

Fiber in the Park tomorrow!

2010-09-17T21:44:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, September 18, I will be at Fiber in the Park in Earlville, Illinois! I'll have all my hand spun yarns, hand knits, PLUS some fiber that I am interested in de-stashing. If you are in the area, please consider coming by! :)

I also hope to have new yarns listed on Monday, though I am finishing up a bamboo commission, but hope to have a few new things to list, too.

Giveaway going on now!

2010-09-12T19:23:00.002-05:00

I've been listing lots of new yarns the past couple of days (and will try and post those here soon, but if not you can check them all out in my etsy shop!) but am also partaking in a giveaway on the Fiber Cooperative blog! Check it out here for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop!

New yarns and knits!

2010-08-27T23:34:00.003-05:00

I managed to list some new items over the past week! I think this is the most productive I've been in awhile and it feels pretty good. Here is everything new and don't forget - FREE SHIPPING in the USA ($5 International) on all ready-to-ship yarns in my Hand Spun Yarn Shop from now until September 6 and FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING on all of my hand knits in my Hand Knits Shop (please note, however, that I will not be shipping until September 2, so all purchases made from now until then will ship on the 2nd. The next newsletter will also go out on the 2nd)

New Art Yarns -
FunctionArt - Canyon Violets - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 76 yards and 73 yards
FunctionArt - Holiday Romance - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 66 yards
FunctionArt - Midnight Magenta - Hand Spun Art Yarn, 70 yards

New Hand Knit Cowls/Neckwarmers, spun from handspun art yarn -
Hand Knit HandSpun Art Cowl/Neckwarmer - Juniper Jewel
Hand Knit HandSpun Art Cowl/Neckwarmer - Ever Green & Gold

And, finally, some new bamboo skeins, including two NEW colors!
Beautiful Bamboo - Waves of Blue - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 144 yards and 126 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Summer Brights - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 110 yards and 116 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Summer Carnival - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 120 yards and 114 yards

News, Notes, & New Yarns!

2010-08-20T23:25:00.004-05:00

Summer is coming to a close which means fall shows are on the horizon! Spinning and knitting weather will be here soon, I'm sure. Or so I hope as this summer heat and humidity is really starting to take it's toll. I have still been spinning, though, and will have a few more new yarns to list on Sunday.

FunctionArt ART YARN OF THE MONTH CLUB!
The second installment of the Art Yarn of the Month Club will go on sale on Sunday, August 22. I will have TWO options to choose from - the "Serpent Collection" option which will get you these three colors - Lizard King (slightly different variation than previous skeins), Lizard Queen (which adds purple and more dark blue to the Lizard King colorway), and Coral Snake - an awesome blend of darkest purple, black, coral and yellow. The second option will be "Autumn's Coming" and will have 3 fall-themed colorways. I will have 4 available in each color, and remember, the club also includes a BONUS skein that will be mailed in December.

NEW Bamboo Colors!
I also have 3 new bamboo colors that I'll be spinning and hopefully listing within the week. One has beautiful shades of blue, another is varying shades of green, and the final one is a really bright and cheerful pink/yellow/orange combination. In addition to these brand new colors, I'll also be re-stocking some of my fall favorites - Halloween Sunset (aka Kitty Grrlz Dark), Autumn Dreams, and more DragonSong/DragonWing.

New knits and more!
I'm working on new knits and more, too! These will most likely not make it online until October, and my focus will be on getting these items to Fall shows. I do have two new cowls I'll be listing this week in my Hand Knits shop on etsy, though.

Newsletter!
The next newsletter will be emailed on September 2, due to our upcoming vacation.

Free Shipping in the USA and $5 International shipping
I will be unable to mail items from August 28-September 1, so I will be offering Free Shipping in the USA during this time (and $5 International shipping). I'll be changing this over early, though, so this will start on Sunday, August 22!

And, finally, here are some new yarns recently listed in my etsy hand spun yarn shop!

Summer CRAFTACULAR tomorrow in Madison!

2010-08-14T18:00:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow - Sunday, August 15 - is the Summer Craftacular in Madison, Wisconsin. I will be there with my hand spun yarns, fiber batts, art yarn kits, and hand knits! I will be in booth #25, which is on the stage. Here is just a small sample of the items I'll have -

For more items, check out my etsy shops - Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns and Kitty Grrlz Knits!

After the show, I should have some new yarns to list on Monday!

Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair this weekend!!

2010-07-15T22:02:00.003-05:00

I'll be at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair starting tomorrow, Friday, July 16! It runs all weekend and is taking place at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, Illinois this year. I am sharing a booth (#322) with Natalie of Cloudlover. We'll have handspun yarn, handdyed fiber, blended fiber batts, specialty fiber packs perfect for spinning into your art yarns or using for other fiber projects, and also our NEW Spin-Your-Own-Art-Yarn kits!! Please check it out if you are nearby!

My etsy shop items will be de-activated during the days of the show. I'll be re-activating at night (so long as the internet works in our hotel) AND will have tons of new stuff to list on Monday (unless it all sells, of course! ;) )

Have a great weekend!!

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

2010-06-23T19:07:00.003-05:00

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

2010-06-13T15:30:00.004-05:00

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

2010-06-12T09:22:00.005-05:00

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

2010-06-10T07:44:00.005-05:00

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.

----------------

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

2010-06-06T13:38:00.004-05:00

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! :)

--

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

2010-06-03T22:11:00.005-05:00

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 . . .

---

New hand spun yarns listed today!

2010-06-01T16:25:00.004-05:00

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!

Art Yarn of the month club coming tomorrow!

2010-05-31T19:04:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow, June 1, I will be launching the first Kitty Grrlz Yarn of the Month club! The first club option will be limited to 4 spots and will be for FunctionArt Art Yarn Skeins.

One spot is already taken, so the three remaining spots will be listed in my etsy shop on Tuesday, June 1. What will you get? You will receive one FunctionArt art yarn skein per month for June, July and August, PLUS a bonus skein delivered in December. The cost will be $105, plus $15 shipping for USA buyers. ($30 shipping for Canadian orders, $36 shipping for all other countries).

The skeins will be mailed by the 15th of each month, via Priority Mail.
They will be spun from hand dyed merino wool and be at least 60 yards.

If this works out, I will do another club listing for the art yarns in September that will be for September, October, and November.

I also plan on launching a bamboo club, too, but I'm not sure when that will start.

Here are just a small sampling of some of the art yarns I've spun in the past - but yarn club members will get NEVER BEFORE SPUN colors!

Looking for something to do this weekend?

2010-05-26T00:02:00.003-05:00

This weekend, I am partaking in our first annual Three-Generation Rummage, Craft and Bake Sale!

WHEN?

Friday, May 28, 2010 from 8 AM - 4 PM
Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 8 AM - 4 PM

WHERE?

North Prairie, Wisconsin - Hwy ZZ & County E - 1/4 mile west of E on HWY ZZ
(For exact address or directions, please email me here!)

WHAT??

A HUGE Antiquer's Rummage Sale - Friday and Saturday
Including plenty of things to make antique hunters happy, along with household items, some cds, and other wonderful miscellaneous treasures. My contributions include some Jack Daniels memorabilia, some awesome collectible dolls, Barbies, cds, and more.

A Mini CRAFT Fair - SATURDAY ONLY
I will have all of my hand made items - hand knits, a bit of jewelry and ALL of my hand spun yarns. Knits and jewelry will be deeply discounted. Yarns will be on sale, too! I'll also have my spinning wheel, so if you are curious to see how yarn is actually spun, I'll be spinning throughout the day!

I will also have craft SUPPLIES - some jewelry making items, fiber for spinning or felting, commercial yarns, ribbon, and more.

A BAKE SALE and GOOD FOOD - SATURDAY ONLY
My sister (and niece) will have some amazing goodies she's making for the event - her list included brats, salsa, baked goods, and things I am forgetting. All super-yummy though!

So, if you are in the area, please consider coming out for a unique "rummage" sale experience!

--

My New Toy - A Drum Carder!

2010-05-03T22:42:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I went to visit Natalie of Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber. We've done some shows together and I've talked about possibly carding fiber to spin or to use in spin-your-own-art-yarn kits. Since she bought a second carder last summer (an awesome one, too, I might add!), she offered to let me borrow her first carder - a Strauch Petite (Super Fine). Here it is . . .

Along with this, I also came home with a HUGE bag of hand dyed wool - mostly merino - and also some gorgeous hand dyed silk! With this fiber and the stash I already have, I hope to start carding batts - some that I'll spin into yarns for my etsy shop, and some that I will sell as is, or as parts of spin-your-own-art-yarn kits.

I brought the carder home Sunday night, after a fun day of hanging out with Natalie (and Ben, her two cats, and Mr. BunBun the rabbit) in her FIBER HEAVEN. Seriously, walking in all I saw was a huge drying rack just filled with her hand dyed fiber! (It's amazing I only came home with ONE bag of wool!) Even though I should have started right in on spinning yarns for my shop, and a custom order, I just HAD to play with the carder.

For my first batt, I just took some small bits of brighter colors - pink, blue, a little bit of green, and white. Mostly just wool with maybe a little bamboo. I had so much fun with that one, I had to try at least one more . . . which turned out to be two more in shades of brown, green, and chartreuse. Again, these are mostly wool, but also included more bamboo dyed by Fiberlady in her "Rain Forest" color. The results are super soft batts . . .

I am definitely having fun with this new toy and am really grateful to Natalie for letting me try it out! And for all of the awesome fiber. But, now I have to get going so I can get some yarn spun . . . and maybe card another batt!

Lots of new hand spun yarns!

2010-04-25T01:37:00.003-05:00

I have been busy spinning. The yarns above are some of my most recent additions to my etsy shop - a little bit of everything - some more art yarn skeins, some new bamboo, a new CoilySpun yarn, a new Novel-Ply, and even a squishy Thread-Ply!

What's coming next? More art yarns - including brand new colors! Also, more bamboo, of course!

Stay tuned - in May I plan on doing my "Destash Sundays" posts again like I did last year. I'm also working on some brand new products! AND, will be showcasing some awesome items made with my yarn. Plus, spinning lots of new yarns, of course!

Yarn FEST is TODAY!

2010-04-11T06:58:00.003-05:00

I'm off to the Beverly Hills Yarn Fest today where I'll be selling my hand spun yarns! More information -

Beverly Hills Yarn Fest 2010
Beverly Art Center
2407 W. 111th St Chicago, IL
Time: 11am - 5pm
Admission: $2

Now, I'm off to get ready . . .

New Yarns and YARN FEST this weekend!

2010-04-08T15:22:00.005-05:00

I've listed some new art yarns this week in my etsy shop!

Two skeins each and all spun from hand dyed merino wool - Taos Sunset, Plum Honey, Lizard King, and Citrus Dreams

Today and tomorrow I'll be spinning lots of bamboo skeins but won't be listing them because I'm getting ready for . . .

The Beverly Hills YARN FEST, which is THIS SUNDAY, April 11 at the Beverly Art Center - 2407 W. 111th St Chicago, IL - from 11am - 5pm. I'll have lots of hand spun yarns and also bamboo fiber for spinning.

Any new yarns spun and not sold will be listed on Monday!

St Patrick's Day Sale!

2010-03-17T05:49:00.003-05:00

Today until 4 pm Central Time single ply regular-sized bamboo skeins are $17! You can see and purchase them in my etsy shop here! I'll have a few new skeins listed around noon today, too!

Some new hand spun yarns!

2010-03-16T12:36:00.004-05:00

I have quite a few new yarns to share since I HAVE been spinning, just not blogging. I have been posting new yarns on my Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns Facebook Page, though, so you can always see what's new there!

First up is an art yarn that I planned on spinning AGES ago, when I first requested this color from Natalie of Cloudlover. I've spun this as a single ply and as a "Squish-tastic" and also a "Novel-Ply" but here it is for the first time (finally!) as a FunctionArt art yarn - Blackberry Sea!

I have two skeins currently available on etsy here and here, but have more fiber and will probably be spinning a couple more. At least until I run out of the "Flora" yarn that started this all!

And today I listed this wonderful new color spun from Yarn Wench merino wool (color Decadence) - Canyon Violets - also two skeins on etsy here and here.

Here are some other new yarns spun recently, too -

Novel-Ply - Tidal Breeze - Hand Spun Bulky 2ply ThicknThin Yarn - two skeins - 70 yards and 38 yards

And, some more art yarns -

FunctionArt - Sweetheart Roses - Hand Spun Art Yarn, merino wool, 76 yards

FunctionArt - River Twilight - Hand Spun Art Yarn - merino wool, 65 yards

And, a couple of single ply skeins -

Kitty Singles - Garden Peach - Hand Spun Superfine Merino wool, slightly thicknthin, 116 yards

And, one for St. Patrick's Day -

Kitty Singles - St Patrick's Day Surprise - Hand Spun BFL Wool Single Ply Yarn - 148 yards

I think there may be a couple more, but that's all I'll post for now.

New Yarns and a new scarf!

2010-03-05T13:45:00.004-06:00

I've got lots of new yarns to show off, but first . . .

Since I've returned from Sheep in the City, I just haven't felt like spinning! I don't know why, though I suspect is has something to do with my wheel. It needs a bit of "maintenance" and I finally got what I needed for that today. Anyways, last night I decided I really wanted to knit. So, I knit up a scarf using a skein of single ply yarn that I spun using Phydeaux's "Soft Acorns" scarf pattern. You can find her pattern on etsy here or on Ravelry here. The yarn I used is this skein - a hand spun single ply worsted weight slightly thicknthin skein spun from a merino/bamboo
blend.

The skein was 114 yards, so I wasn't sure if it would be enough. I used size 11 needles as the pattern called for, and even though the wraps per inch on the yarn made it more worsted than bulky, I think it worked out okay. The scarf is 4 inches wide and 65 inches long so i think a little less wide than the pattern called for. Pictures aren't very good since I took them a little late today and don't have a good light set-up for larger items.

Pattern was totally fun - perfect level for me as it was more than basic but not super difficult. By the end I was definitely used to the pattern and didn't have to keep checking to see where I was.

I did end up only repeating the main part 20 times as opposed to 22 as the pattern called for since I was near the end of the yarn! Still think I got a decent length from it!

I can't wait to try more of Brenda's patterns!

And, now onto some of the new yarns I've listed lately, all of which can be found in my etsy hand spun yarn shop!

Kitty Mixers - Violet Night - Hand Spun 2ply Yarn, merino wool, 164 yards and 146 yards
Navajo 3ply - Winter Berry - Hand Spun 3ply Yarn, merino wool/silk/bamboo blend, 90 yards
Squish-tastic! - Winter Berry - Hand Spun Bulky 2ply Yarn, Rambouillet wool and merino/silk/bamboo blend, 70 yards and 33 yards
Squish-tastic! - Sugar Plum - Hand Spun Bulky 2ply Yarn, Rambouillet woo, and merino/tencel blend, 62 yards and 44 yards
Navajo 3ply - Autumn Gypsy - Hand Spun 3ply Yarn, merino wool/silk blend, 40 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Plum Paradise - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 162 yards

Now I'm off to get some new single plys spun, and maybe do some more knitting!

A new type of art yarn . . .

2010-02-24T13:44:00.002-06:00

I am getting ready for Sheep in the City this weekend, so decided to spin up something I've been meaning to spin up since last fall. It is one type of a new style of art yarn that I plan to promote more this year.

It started last fall when I had a request to spin a school colors art yarn in dark navy and gold. I spun that yarn and then had another request for a evergreen and gold art yarn. I also spun that one. It got me thinking that I should try to spin more of these types of yarns . . .

So, I'm going to have three different types available of my new FunctionArt - Team Colors art yarns. The first is the same as those first requests - two colors of wool alternated and novelty and specialty yarn snippets in the two colors spun in. That's also what I spun up yesterday - in the Ever Green and Gold colorway - (these skeins are on etsy here and here)

The other two types will be:

White+ - this type will be white or undyed wool along with one color of dyed wool and the yarns spun in would be white plus the other team color (for teams with white as one of their colors).
White only - this type will be spun with undyed wool and then have the team or school color represented by the yarn snippets spun in. This one can be done one of two ways - have the white color represented by the fiber and then the spin-ins represent the other color, OR have the white as the fiber and then the spin ins would be white AND the other color. (again, for teams with white as one of their colors).

I hope to have examples of these other types soon.

Now, it's back to preparing for Sheep in the City!

The art yarns are coming, the art yarns are coming!

2010-02-13T13:12:00.004-06:00

;) Okay, I've been saying that to myself all week because I've been determined to get back to my art yarn spinning. I've been spending so much time trying to build up inventory of my other types of yarns, that I've been neglecting my favorite yarns to spin - my FunctionArt art yarns. But, I've spun up 6 new skeins this week, have some more fiber prepped and ready to go, and even MORE fiber TO prep for even more skeins! With a show coming up, I do want to have a nice selection of colors - some will be old favorites and others will be brand new!

Two of the old favorites would have to be Plum Divine and Mahogany Midnight Moon. Both of these colors are from merino wool dyed by the Yarn Wench, and I've been spinning them as art yarns for awhile. This is my fifth time spinning "Mahogany Peacock" into two skeins of "Mahogany Midnight Moon" - both 82 yards and on etsy now - here and here.

And, of course, there is Plum Divine. I've actually lost track of how many times I've spun this one, and each time it still turns out just a little bit different, mostly because I keep running out of yarns to use and have to find a new one to replace the ones I run out of! Here are the two latest skeins spun - 80 yards and 70 yards

This week, I've also been spinning some that are more solidly-colored. I have a blue one planned to spin today, and the other day I spun this one - Madeira - this was spun from hand dyed superwash merino wool dyed by Cloudlover in her new Madeira colorway. I spun in lots of orangey yarns and plied with orange thread. It's not only orange, though, it has gold and bit of brown in there, too, though orange definitely dominates. I have two skeins - 62 yards and 66 yards.

I'll still be sneaking in some other types of yarns over the next two weeks, but you'll also definitely be seeing more art yarns coming! :)

--------------------

Plum Gold - new Squish-tastic! yarn (and more!)

2010-02-12T10:27:00.004-06:00

Recently, I received some fiber from the Yarn Wench in a new colorway - Plumgold. All I can say is, it is awesome! At first, I thought I'd try spinning it as an art yarn, but since I had both merino and a merino/silk blend, I decided to spin a Squish-tastic! instead. Since I had two batches of the merino, I was able to spin 4 skeins (2 larger and 2 smaller) and even had enough merino/silk left over for a small skein of Navajo 3ply. Here is a mosaic of the skeins, all of which can be found in my etsy shop in the Squish-tastic! section. I also have this color in Falkland, but I'm not sure yet how I'll be spinning it.

The last skein is a bamboo skein - Prairie Autumn Gold, and along with this skein, is the last I'll have in this color. (oh, and the Navajo 3ply skein can be found on etsy here.)

I also spun up a couple of single plys recently, both from Cloudlover fiber. The first is hand dyed merino/silk blend in her "Port au Prince" colorway - all proceeds from the sale of this fiber are being donated to Haiti Relief. As I did with the art yarns recently, I'll also be donating a part of the proceeds from the sale of the yarn.

Kitty Singles - Port au Prince - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, 148 yards

The other single ply is spun from Falkland wool -

Kitty Singles - November Garden - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn - 132 yards

Now I'm off to get some fiber prepped for some new art yarns!

-------------------------------

Something wonderful I found that was made from my yarn!

2010-02-09T13:54:00.004-06:00

I happened upon this beautiful brooch on etsy the other day! It is made with my Ice Princess bamboo - one of my favorite colors. This was made by Foxaz, and you can find their shop on etsy here! Here is a picture of the brooch, from their etsy listing which you can find HERE. So pretty!!!

This is an example of the yarn used -

Which you can find in my etsy shop here, here, here and here!

-------------------

Super Bowl Shipping Special & New Yarns!

2010-02-07T09:49:00.005-06:00

Today I am offering FREE SHIPPING in the USA and $5 International shipping in my etsy shop as my SUPER BOWL SPECIAL! I also may be offering individual yarn specials throughout the day (maybe). To know when or what those specials are, become a fan of my Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarn page on Facebook here!

In other news, I have been spinning this week. A couple of new art yarn skeins, some single plys, and of course, some bamboo. Here are some pictures of some of the latest yarns, all of which you can find in my etsy shop.

More Plum Divine! Two new skeins of my favorite art yarn colorway - Plum Divine - spun from merino wool hand dyed by the Yarn Wench. I have two skeins available - 70 yards and 80 yards.

Some new single plys, spun from merino wool blends dyed by Cloudlover.

Top two skeins - Kitty Singles - Ocean Blues - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, merino wool and tencel blend - 150 yards and 158 yards

Bottom left - Kitty Singles - Ocean Frost - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, merino wool, silk, and bamboo blend - 150 yards

Bottom right - Kitty Singles - Woodsy Wine - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn, merino wool and silk - 140 yards

A new Squish-tastic! - spun from superwash merino wool and a merino/silk/bamboo blend dyed by Cloudlover - I have two skeins - 35 yards and 64 yards.

And, of course, some new bamboo -
Beautiful Bamboo - Summer Shades - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn - 114 yards, 138 yards, and a double-sized 238 yard skein!

Beautiful Bamboo - Ice Princess - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn - 130 yards, 112 yards, 122 yards, and 124 yards

Beautiful Bamboo - Seashells by the Seashore - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn - 146 yards, 126 yards, 148 yards, and 154 yards

That's it for me for today - I've got to get some spinning done!

Catching up - new art yarn for Haiti Relief, Facebook, and more!

2010-02-02T14:03:00.003-06:00

Well, the truth is I am not doing so well on my new years resolutions, one of which was to blog more often! I don't think I posted at all in January! But, the month was spent getting back into a routine after the chaos of moving and getting used to a new place. (I know, excuses, excuses!) But, as February begins, so beings my "new year" and I resolve to blog more often AND also utilize my Facebook page more often, too. Oh, and I'll be twittering by the end of the month! Too much? We'll see, though I expect to be focusing most of my efforts on Facebook.

I've been spinning, as always, and yesterday I listed a new art yarn. This art yarn was spun from hand dyed fiber from Coudlover that was a special colorway she dyed and all proceeds from the sale of the fiber were donated to the Red Cross for Haiti Relief. While I honestly can't afford to donate the full amount, I will be donating *at least* $10 per art yarn skein that I spun. I had four of them, but one has sold already. I plan to donate at the end of the month, and hopefully they will all have sold by then. Depending on if I have rent money or not, will depend on if I increase the donation per yarn (the $10 is guaranteed, though, but I'm hoping to be able to double that). Here is a picture of one of the skeins -

You can find the skeins listed in my etsy shop - HERE, HERE, and HERE.

I'm also really excited for the season premiere of LOST tonight, and the three new yarns I listed today show that as I've named them all "Lost" :)
Top yarn is - Navajo 3ply - 80 yards spun from merino wool/silk/bamboo blend and the other two rows are two skeins of my Squish-tastic! style spun from superwash merino and plied with the merino/silk/bamboo blend. The two skeins are 64 yards and 35 yards.

I also have lots of other yarns that i've listed over the past few weeks, but I won't show them all here - you can check them all out in my etsy shop or on flickr!

Finally, starting this month I am going to be using my Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns Facebook page to post links to new listings, sneak previews of upcoming yarns and colors, AND specials that may only be posted on Facebook. You can check out this page and become a fan HERE. I will still be sending out my once-per-month newsletter to newsletter subscribers, but often times throughout the month I may want to have special short sales or discounts and from now on these will be posted on the Facebook page. I'd also love to hear your suggestions for types of yarns, colorways, and fiber blends over there, too!

I think that is all for now as I better get to work - I will NOT be spinning while Lost is on tonight and that's usually my peak production time!

Am I there yet? (moving and new yarns)

2009-12-29T09:34:00.006-06:00

I think I may have mentioned that we were moving this month. Well, we are sort of moved. I am here in our new apartment with Bug (our cat) and my laptop. And the printer. And a box of fiber ready to spin. And my wheel. And a few other things that made it down here with me on Sunday. BUT, almost all of our other stuff? Still 3 hours away waiting to get down here. I'm hoping it will all arrive today and then I'll feel a little more "settled". For now, I still feel like I'm just visiting or staying in a hotel. At least I've got the laptop, the TV, and Bug! :)

Here she is, as a matter of fact, as Queen of the Boxes - these are boxes we brought down a few weeks ago - mostly non-essentials - stuff like our collectible toys/figures, books, and a few miscellaneous things that are non-necessities.

For perspective, here is the full-length shot of the closet -
That is the closet in what will probably be "my" room - I'll have my fiber in there, and probably a desk/computer, etc. My bookcases will also be in there. As the queen of clutter we are trying something NEW with this apartment and that is trying to keep the living room area look really clean and OPEN. NO clutter! My wheel will still be in there, because I'll still be spinning in that room since it has GREAT lighting. But, all the other fiber WILL be confined to this one room. Maybe I'll take more pictures later . . .

In fibery news - I was hoping to have new yarns spun the past couple of days but I've been feeling sort of in limbo without all of my stuff. I DO have fiber to work on, and hope to get to some of that today, but I DO have some new yarns from BEFORE the holidays - ones I don't think I ever posted here, so here they are! :)
From top to bottom -
The last batches of Plum Divine for 2009! One skein has already sold, but the other skein is still available here in my etsy shop!

Kitty Singles - Candy Colored Clown - Hand Spun Merino Wool Yarn - 134 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Spring Garden - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn - 224 yards
Novel-Ply - New Year's Twilight - Hand Spun Super Bulky Yarn - 70 yards and a small 20 yard skein
Thread-Ply - Spumoni Sparkle - Hand Spun Thread-Ply Yarn, thicknthin with a few coils and beehives, too - great sparkle! - 60 yards and 30 yards

Here are a couple of others, too -

Kitty Singles - Rose Mocha - Hand Spun Single Ply Rambouillet Wool Yarn - 155 yards

Kitty Mixers - Adirondack Autumn - Hand Spun Two-Ply Merino Wool Yarn - 150 yards

Kitty Singles - November Garden - Hand Spun Single Ply Falkland Wool Yarn - 168 yards

Wow, I am even more behind than I thought in posting current yarns! Here is another mosaic with even MORE recent hand spun yarns! All of these yarns can be found in my etsy shop HERE!
Beautiful Bamboo - Sand and Sea - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn
Beautiful Bamboo - Chocolate Berry Shine - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn
Kitty Singles - Sabrina - Hand Spun Single Ply BFL Wool Yarn
Kitty Singles - Sweet - Hand Spun Single Ply BFL Wool Yarn
Squish-tastic - Twilight Dreams - Hand Spun Bulky Thick/Thin 2ply Yarn
Navajo 3-ply - Twilight Dreams - Hand Spun 3ply Yarn - merino wool and silk
Kitty Singles - Holiday Memories - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn
Kitty Singles - Orchid CinderWood - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn

Okay, I think that is all! I better get offline now and try and get something spun. I've got some Rambouillet wool ready to spin into a single ply, a few more batches of bamboo (I'm almost completely out of bamboo, though! I need to order more!), and some merino and merino/silk ready for some Squish-tastics! and Navajo 3plys. Alright, definitely better get to work!

More new hand spun yarns!

2009-11-25T12:38:00.003-06:00

More new hand spun yarns listed today in my etsy shop! A variety today - a single ply, an art yarn, and even a two-ply. Here is a mosaic of the new skeins -

Kitty Mixers - Barney's Midnight Blues - Hand Spun Two-Ply Yarn in merino wool 150 yards
Kitty Mixers - Barney's Midnight Blues - Hand Spun Two-Ply Yarn in merino wool 112 yards
FunctionArt - River Twilight - Hand Spun Art Yarn 64 yards
FunctionArt - River Twilight - Hand Spun Art Yarn 74 yards
Kitty Singles - Blackberry Sea - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn in merino wool and bamboo blend 150 yards
Squish-tastic - Bronze Field - Hand Spun Bulky 2ply Yarn 96 yards

Today I'll probably be knitting for my show this Saturday, so most likely will have some new yarns again on Friday.

As for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness - right now, since I have my show on Saturday, my plan is to not have any specials on Friday, BUT, I will be having a Cyber Monday sale that will most likely start on Sunday. This sale will *definitely* be for my newsletter subscribers, but I also *might* have some specials for everyone. It's all going to depend on what I have left after my show. Also, Newsletter subscribers ALWAYS get better specials. You can sign up on the side of this blog or at the bottom of this page. I'm not sure what the discounts or specials will be yet, though.

Now, it's off to get some knitting done for ART VS CRAFT this weekend!

NEW Hand Spun yarns!

2009-11-23T12:21:00.002-06:00

I've got lots of new yarns listed in my etsy shop, and am continuing to try and list new ones daily. Here are some of the latest ones -

Bronze Field - Squish-tastic! Bulky 2ply

Some new bamboo - one is a lighter shade of "Plum Paradise" - this is Plum Paradise Light -

And, some more of the Taos Sunset Art Yarn colorway, and also another NEW art yarn color, Holiday Whispers -

And, finally, some new single ply yarns -

Top
Blackberry Sea Hand Spun Single Ply Falkland Wool Yarn 200 yards
Christmas Wrapping Hand Spun Single Ply BFL Wool Yarn 130 yards
Bottom
Cinnamon Clay Hand Spun Single Ply Falkland Wool Yarn 140 yards
SerpentSong Hand Spun Single Ply Falkland Wool Yarn 140 yards

This week I hope to spin some merino wool two-plys and I'll also be knitting lots of scarves for my show this weekend - ART VS CRAFT in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! I'll also have a couple more art yarns before the week is done.

Now, it's off to get some of this work DONE!

Two totally new hand spun art yarns!

2009-11-16T13:19:00.004-06:00

Oops, so much for posting again regularly! I HAVE been listing new yarns every day in my etsy shop but there's too many to post here right now. But, I do want to post pictures of two BRAND NEW FunctionArt Art yarn colors!!

The first is spun from hand dyed merino wool dyed by the Yarn Wench in color "Taos". When I first saw this color on her site recently, I liked it and it definitely popped out as being a bit different than what I'd been spinning lately. But, I wasn't sure I was going to spin it into an art yarn. At the time, I mostly just bought it because it was "different".

Then, this past weekend when I was going through one of my organizing/pre-prep routines of finding yarns to go with fibers for other art yarns, I came across some yarns that were PERFECT for this batch of fiber. So, I started accumulating them as I went through my boxes of yarns, and by the end had a very large collection of yarns that would be good to use to spin in with the wool. Instead of spinning the others I had meant to spin first, I decided heck with it and spun up TAOS as the first new art yarn for the week - I have two skeins, 80 yards and 84 yards and both are in my etsy shop here and here. Here are the skeins -

80 yards 84 yards

Then, since I already seemed to be more on the bright colors/new blends kick, I spun up this one - also merino wool dyed by the Yarn Wench in color "Sundapple". Again, liked the different colors and combination than what I've been spinning recently. I also have two skeins of this one, 65 yards and 67 yards and they are in my etsy shop here and here. Here are the two skeins -

65 yards

67 yards
I have a lot of other new yarns listed, too. You can check them all out in my etsy shop!

This week I'll be getting ready for the DIY Trunk Show which is Saturday, November 21. I have lots of scarves to knit, yarns to spin and much more. This means I may not be posting many new items on etsy, though I WILL be listing at least ONE new yarn every day. Others may not get listed until after my show.

But, now I better get to work! SO much to do!!

I'm back . . . with new yarns and more!

2009-11-08T00:24:00.003-06:00

Wow, it has really been awhile since I posted. But, I AM BACK! I honestly don't know if I'll be able to post daily, but I'm at least hoping to post a little more regularly, especially with all that may be happening in the next couple of months. Here's my confession - since the middle of July I've been working a "day job" again. That is why I haven't been posting as many new yarns, why I haven't been blogging and in general just haven't been "around" as much. But, for many reasons I rather not go into right now, I have QUIT that job and now will be able to devote my full attention to getting ready for my November shows. This is the perfect time since I do have my two most-favorite shows of the year this month - DIY Trunk Show in Chicago and Art vs Craft in Milwaukee. I am determined to have lots of new yarns and new knits for both of these shows! This means I'll be spinning and knitting like crazy over the next few weeks and I will be listing at least ONE NEW YARN EVERY DAY in my etsy shop. Due to time constraints, I may not list *everything* I spin, but yarns not sold at the shows will all be listed by the end of the month.

The other news, which is NOT 100% quite yet, but about 99.99999999999% sure is that we are MOVING. Not just moving to a new apartment but to a NEW CITY. And a NEW STATE. This is going to be happening within the next few months, which is the main reason I quit the job. More on this as things progress . . . but I won't be TOO far away from where we are now, which means I'll still be able to do my "normal" shows in both Wisconsin and Illinois.

For now, it's back to my old (wonderful) routine of daily spinning and listing yarns. Today, I spun 9 new yarns! Some were for possible custom requests, but several will be listed tomorrow, including 3 new art yarn skeins. In the meantime, though, I wanted to catch up with the new yarns that I have listed lately - these are skeins spun in the past few weeks that are new and still available -

Here are direct links to each listing in my etsy shop -
Squish-tastic! - November Garden - Hand Spun Bulky 2ply Yarn
90 yards and 30 yards
Kitty Mixers - Brown Eyed Girl - Hand Spun Two Ply Yarn (merino wool)
140 yards and 120 yards
FunctionArt/Batt-tacular - Holly Hobbie Redux - Hand Spun Art Yarn - 120 yards, 5.4 oz
CoilySpun - Vampire Valentine - Hand Spun Coils & Beehives Yarn - 12 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Marmalade Pine - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn
134 yards and 124 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Kitty Grrlz Dark - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn
Kitty Singles - Marchengarten - Hand Spun Single Ply Wool Yarn
Kitty Singles - Berry Crush - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn
Kitty Singles - Italo - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn
Kitty Singles - Cormorant - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn

I think that's all for now, but should have more new yarns for Sunday!

Two new single ply yarns

2009-10-18T20:30:00.005-05:00

Even though I was at my show all day yesterday, I did manage to spin 2 new yarns and have listed them in my etsy shop today - both are spun from Falkland wool hand dyed by Cloudlover.

This one is from her "Rotten Pumpkin" colorway, though I'm calling it "Harvest Night" and it is 158 yards -

And, this one is from her "Decay" colorway, but I've dubbed it "Southwest Rustic" and it is 180 yards -

I spun a couple more today but am not sure I'll get them listed tomorrow, but they will be coming soon. I also have two pairs of wristwarmers, one hat, and four scarves that I hope to list in my Kitty Grrlz Knits etsy shop this week. I've got some custom-spin requests to work on next, but I also hope to have time to get some new yarns spun for my etsy shop, too. We'll see how it goes!

Some new yarns and Craft Show this weekend!

2009-10-15T00:17:00.006-05:00

THIS Saturday, October 17, I will be at A Community Affair in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin!

Menomonee Falls High School

W142 N8101 Merrimac Drive - Menomonee Falls, WI

Located off Appleton Avenue (Hwy. 175) at Woosencraft Dr.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Over 80 Exhibitors - Silent Auction - Raffle - Luncheon & Snack Bar
Fabulous Desserts, Homemade Bakery & Treats

Admission $4.00

Clear Hallways Sorry, No strollers

For further information call: 414-297-9446 or email cleague@communityleague.com

All Proceeds to Charity

I will have some new hand knit items and some new yarns, too!

I listed a few things in my etsy shop this week, too! (actually, these are from the past couple of weeks! it has been way too long since i've posted!) Direct links to their listings on etsy are below the mosaic -

Blackberry Sea - Hand Spun Merino Wool Yarn, spun slightly thick n thin - 108 yards
Four skeins of "Meadow Gold" bamboo single ply yarn
Three skeins of "Plum Paradise" bamboo single ply yarn
Two skeins of "Halloween Sunset" (aka Kitty Grrlz Dark) bamboo single ply yarn
Two skeins of "Plum Divine" hand spun FunctionArt art yarn
Three skeins of "Plum Honey" hand spun FunctionArt art yarn
One skein of "Ice Princess" bamboo single ply yarn
Mystic Pine - hand spun Falkland wool single ply yarn
CoilySpun - SlateBerry - Hand Spun Coils & Beehives Yarn
CoilySpun - Meltdown - Hand Spun Coils & Beehives Yarn

I've only linked to one skein when multiples are available, but you can always find ALL of my yarns on etsy here!

I should have more new yarns listed AFTER my show. Right now, I'm focusing on knitting and also dealing with some news that could mean some major changes . . . more on that later! (I will continue to spin and knit no matter what, though!!)

It's been awhile . . . but here are some new yarns!

2009-09-21T17:08:00.003-05:00

I am so bad at keeping up with the blogging thing. I try, really, I do. I spin and think of the things I want to write, but then when I sit down to write them, they are gone, or don't seem important enough to post. Oh well. Here is one of my usual new-yarn posts . . .

First, is a new art yarn, another in what I'm calling my "Masquerade" series, this one, simply "Masquerade II", spun from hand dyed merino wool, dyed by the Yarn Wench. I have two skeins listed in my etsy shop, an 86 yard skein and a 76 yard skein -

And, another one, spun from merino wool hand dyed by Cloudlover - this one is called Telltale Heart and I also have two skeins - 88 yards and 84 yards -

And, finally, here are two of my all-time favorite colorways, merino wool and merino/silk hand dyed by the Yarn Wench in "Andromeda" and "Mahogany Peacock". These are all listed in my etsy shop as well (direct links below the picture) -

Navajo 3-ply - Mahogany Peacock - 100 yards
Squish-tastic - Mahogany Peacock - 70 yards
Squish-tastic - Mahogany Peacock - 25 yards
Navajo 3-ply - Andromeda - 100 yards
Squish-tastic - Andromeda - 105 yards

And, one more, this one spun from merino wool and silk blend also dyed by Cloudlover - a Navajo 3ply - 190 yards - in color Peppermint Twist -

That's all for now! Time to get back to spinning! :)

Lots of new yarns, Etsy Voter - Hand Spun!, and Wisconsin Sheep & Wool

2009-09-08T18:35:00.004-05:00

I've listed a bunch of new yarns this past week! These will be the last new ones until after the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, which is THIS coming weekend!

In other news, my FunctionArt - Summer Mountain Morning yarn is featured in this week's Etsy Voter - please show your support by voting - you can find the voting HERE.

Here are some mosaics of the new yarns, but for all the details, please check them out in my etsy shop!

Fall Collection 2009 - all spun from LOOP Spontaneous Spinning batts -

Then, there are the blues and purples, also spun from LOOP batts -

And, one more, this set spun from Yarn Wench merino wool -

New yarns!

2009-09-01T22:58:00.004-05:00

These are some yarns I listed this past Sunday! Two new single ply yarns - Telltale Heart and Nevermore, an art yarn called LOCHNESS, another art yarn called "Watermelon Sushi", a Squish-tastic! "Turquoise Sands" and a Navajo 3ply, also called Turquoise Sands. The singles are spun from Falkland wool dyed by Cloudlover, Lochness is a Spontaneous Spinning Batt from LOOP, Watermelon Sushi is merino dyed by Cloudlover. The Squish-tastic is merino dyed by the Yarn Wench, and finally, the 3ply is merino/bamboo blend also dyed by Cloudlover.

I know my blog has been very neglected lately, but I've been busy with non-fibery things (unfortunately), though I have been spinning and getting ready for Wisconsin Sheep & Wool, which is coming up soon! I'll have NEW YARNS, BAMBOO YARNS AND FIBER, and also novelty yarn fiber packs perfect for your fiber art projects, scrapbooking, spinning or . . . whatever you'd like! I may try and have some new knits, too! I'll still be listing yarns here and there before then, but I should pick up the pace as far as new listings on etsy go AFTER the show.

Also, I have listed the remaining fiber and yarn destash in my Kitty Grrlz Knits shop. You can find the FIBER DESTASH here, and the YARN DESTASH here!

That's all for tonight! :)

A few new yarns . . .

2009-08-24T18:10:00.003-05:00

I've listed a few new yarns recently . . . two art yarn skeins today and 2 bamboo skeins yesterday. Very opposite yarns - the art yarn is very bright and cheery in shades of bright pink and peachy coral, and the bamboo is the most gorgeous deep plum/purple! Here is a mosaic of them, and you can find them in my etsy shop HERE.

I also finally spun a two-ply recently! I do like how the twoplys turn out, but since they take me so much longer than all of my other yarns, I don't spin them very often. But, I had this custom-color dyed by the Yarn Wench in merino wool, and thought it'd look good as 2ply. The colors were hard to capture, but here are the two skeins -

You can find them in my etsy shop HERE and HERE.

I'm getting ready for Wisconsin Sheep & Wool, which is in a couple of weeks, so I may not be listing much or posting here, but I AM spinning and will have new yarns available there and then will list what doesn't sell after the show. Lots going on right now and one of these days I'll blog about it all . . .

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New yarns and destash now on etsy

2009-08-16T20:49:00.002-05:00

Today, I listed some new yarns. Mostly single plys, but also one Navajo 3ply in merino wool and tencel. Here is a mosaic of the yarns, all of which can be found in my etsy shop HERE. (One note - the last one, the orange/pink one won't be listed until Monday!)

Also, I have now listed all of my FIBER and YARN destash in my Kitty Grrlz Knits Shop on Etsy. I am also offering a discount for multiple lot purchases -
FIBER Destash - buy 2 or more lots and get 15% off
YARN Destash - buy 2 or more lots and get 10% off

This discount will be refunded to you via paypal (after your payment is made) OR you can wait for a revised invoice - BUT, if you want a revised invoice, please note that in the "Notes to Seller" section when checking out on etsy.

I may be working on a custom order this week, but hope to sneak in an art yarn or two and maybe some more Navajo 3plys. I've got the fiber ready, just need to spin! I've also got a bamboo fiber order that will soon be on its way so look for new bamboo late next week, probably.

Two days in a row - more new yarns!

2009-08-09T13:46:00.003-05:00

Just a quickie post - here are a few more new yarns, listed today in my etsy shop HERE!

Two skeins of "Summer Mountain Morning" art yarn, and two single plys in luscious BFL wool, "Marchengarten" and "Absinthe". The art yarns are spun with Yarn Wench merino and the singles are from Cloudlover.

More new yarns!

2009-08-08T17:50:00.002-05:00

I listed a few new yarns today! It's been slow going lately, but I'll be spinning lots today and tomorrow, and hopefully this week. Here is a mosaic of the new yarns, all of which can be found in my etsy shop HERE.

Some new yarns, finally!

2009-08-04T18:53:00.005-05:00

I managed to get some new yarns listed tonight! Four new single plys. Three are spun from wonderful merino wool/bamboo blend dyed by Cloudlover, and the other is Falkland from the Yarn Wench.

Here is a mosaic of the new skeins, all listed now in my etsy shop -

Here are direct links and more information -

Kitty Singles - A Clockwork Orange - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn (Falkland Wool) 126 yards, worsted weight

Kitty Singles - Blackberry Sea - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn (merino wool/bamboo) 152 yards, DK weight

Kitty Singles - Peppermint Twist - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn (merino wool/bamboo) 162 yards, DK weight

Kitty Singles - Not so Fiendish - Hand Spun Single Ply Yarn (merino wool/bamboo) 126 yards, worsted weight

I know i've been quiet lately, but I'm working on a big custom request, along with having some other distractions at the moment that have been keeping me from my wheel. I hope to have more yarns to list at the end of the week, though, probably on Saturday.

Also - just a note about my shipping charges - I am no longer offering free shipping in my etsy shop, and my international rates have gone up for those outside the USA and Canada, but if you'd like free or discounted shipping EVERY month, please check out my mailing list - you can sign up in the sidebar of this blog, or at the bottom of this page!

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New bamboo skeins, probably the last ones for awhile

2009-07-26T14:47:00.003-05:00

Today I listed 6 new bamboo skeins which will probably be the last bamboo I list for awhile as I really don't have much fiber left and don't plan on another fiber order until August, or maybe even September. You can see the new bamboo skeins in my etsy shop in this section. These are the colors I listed today:

Also, my BAMBOO BOGO sale continues, and I am going to extend it into Monday, too. THIS SPECIAL now ENDS AT 5pm Central Time on Monday, July 27!! The special is this - buy one bamboo skein and get the second at HALF PRICE. Plus, Free Shipping in the USA on ALL orders, and $5 International shipping. You can check out the details, and the bamboo, in my etsy shop HERE.

What's in store for the week ahead? Probably a couple of single plys, maybe some art yarns, and maybe some Navajo 3plys or Squish-tastics. I'm not really sure, beyond the two single plys I have ready for today, so I'm just going to see which fiber strikes my fancy this week and spin that! :)

Two new single ply yarns

2009-07-25T15:29:00.004-05:00

As promised, pictures of the two new single ply yarns listed in my etsy shop today -

Top - Blackberry Sea - 190 yards - DK weight
Bottom - Orion - 146 yards - thinner Worsted weight

Also, I don't think i ever posted this mosaic, but here are some of the yarns I listed this past week -

short and sweet today as i've got to get some spinning done! :)

BAMBOO BOGO SALE!

2009-07-25T09:31:00.003-05:00

I am having a sale this weekend in my etsy shop! It is on all BAMBOO SKEINS, and is BUY ONE at regular price and get the Second Skein HALF OFF. Sale goes through Sunday night. You can find more details in my etsy shop HERE.

I also have two new single ply yarn skeins to list later today, and I should have pictures later today, too.

Hope to have some new yarns to list tomorrow, too!

Back from the Fair & lots of new yarns!

2009-07-20T18:16:00.005-05:00

So, another year of the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair has passed. This year, I went a little crazy and ended up buying bunches of Cloudlover fiber -

It was a lot of fun just pulling braids, piling them up and then figuring out which ones I absolutely HAD to have! (I couldn't buy them all no matter how badly I wanted to!). I also ended up spinning two of them while at the Fair. The mosaic above includes the "Tahiti" single ply I spun, and this mosaic includes the Navajo 3ply spun from her "Antoinette" colorway in merino wool and silk. This fiber will be spun up over the next few weeks.

This mosaic shows it, along with "Tahiti" and two FunctionArt/Batt-tacular yarns spun but not sold at the show. All four of these yarns are now listed on etsy. Here are some direct links:

"Antoinette" Navajo 3ply - 186 yards, DK
"Tahiti" Single ply - 176 yards, DK
"Fairy Tales" FunctionArt/Batt-tacular - 98 yards, 4.6 oz
"Midnight Princess" FunctionArt/Batt-tacular - 50 yards, 2.2 oz

I also listed some bamboo skeins today. You can see the new bamboo on etsy HERE. This mosaic shows the colors listed (Stormy Night, Stormy Sea, Razzleberry, and Cotton Candy Blues)

I also have 6 new art yarns to list, but think those will get added tomorrow. After that, my next new yarns will probably not be posted until the weekend. I'm thinking of adjusting my "work" schedule so that I spin during the week, take pictures on Saturday, and list on Sunday/Monday. We'll see how it goes this week. I do know that I'll most likely NOT be listing new yarns daily, like I have tried to in the past. I've also got some commissions to work on, but, look for new art yarns tomorrow!

New yarns and show preparation

2009-07-13T15:07:00.003-05:00

These are the new yarns I've listed today and yesterday. Mostly Falkland single plys, and 4 bamboo skeins in color "Chocolate Berry Shine". Here are some direct links -

Kitty Singles - Rain Forest
Kitty Singles - Mandarin Crush
Kitty Singles - Storm
Kitty Singles - Bit o' Luck
Kitty Singles - Sugar Plum
Beautiful Bamboo - Chocolate Berry Shine 122 yards, 132 yards, 146 yards, 140 yards

These may be the last new yarns I list until after my upcoming show. This weekend I will be at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair which is being held at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois. I will be in the same spot as last year - booth number 45 in the Gym area. The Fair is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Please check out the website for all the details!

This means I will be busy spinning this week so may not take the time to list items on etsy. It depends on how much I get done each day. Today, I'm working on the last of the bamboo and tomorrow will be some bright art yarns. Wednesday may be more art yarns or some other wool yarns (not sure yet). Either way, I'll have lots of yarns at the fiber fest and whatever doesn't sell will be listed on Sunday night and Monday.

Now, it's time to get spinning that bamboo!

AWESOME! new yarns

2009-07-09T15:33:00.003-05:00

Okay, I know I shouldn't be so bold as to say that about my own yarns, but every time I look at this batch today, I just think, AWESOME! Maybe it's the variety of colors, or the variety of fibers, or maybe it's that I spun two art yarns yesterday that were really spontaneous (usually I plan them out ahead of time and these two just happened!). For the singles, it could be that finally they seemed to be pretty well-balanced. Anyways, yesterday I spun wool and had a blast! Four new single ply skeins and two new art yarns - the art yarns spun from blended fiber batts. You can see all the new listings in my etsy shop. Here is the mosaic -

FunctionArt/Batt-tacular - Holly Berry Trail - spun from a LOOP Spontaneous Spinning Batt
FunctionArt/Batt-tacular - Aloha Tangerine Dream - spun from a batt from TerraBellaSpun
Kitty Singles - Ophelia's Midnight - spun from hand dyed merino wool from LimeGreenJelly
Kitty Singles - Vintage PolkaDot - spun from hand dyed Falkland wool from the Yarn Wench
Kitty Singles - Banded Iguana - spun from hand dyed merino wool and tencel blend dyed by DragonFibers (colorway of the same name)
Kitty Singles - Sunfish - spun from hand dyed BFL wool from FatCatKnits

Now, I've really got to get going on some more bamboo today, though I've got some more fun wool spins coming soon!

Marmalade Mint & Rain Forest Bamboo

2009-07-08T15:04:00.003-05:00

Today I listed 8 skeins of bamboo. Four skeins of "Marmalade Mint" and 4 skeins of "Rain Forest". Marmalade Mint is a color I've spun before, though this batch is a bit darker and more saturated than previous versions. Rain Forest is a new color and this may be the only time that I will spin it, though I'm not sure. It is a mocha brown and chartreuse-y green color combination.

Marmalade Mint -

Rain Forest -

All can be found in my etsy shop HERE. (or check out the Beautiful Bamboo section here!)

Today, I'm hoping to spin up some more wool single plys. I've got some really soft merino, BFL, and merino/tencel that I'll get to for sure and then maybe some Falkland. I may also do a couple core-spun singles, or maybe some coils. Will wait and see how I feel later. Tomorrow it is back to the bamboo - I've got Citrus Dreams and more Spring Forest Trail to spin. Once I get through those colors it is back to the blues and pinks as next on my list is "Razzleberry" and "Chocolate Berry Shine". I've got quite a lot of bamboo lined up on the couch waiting to be spun.

Which means I should really get back to work now!

More new yarns - merino wool and silk today!

2009-07-07T13:59:00.003-05:00

I am really trying to stick to a heavy spinning schedule this week as I prepare for the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair. My plan is to alternate between "bamboo days" and "wool days". Yesterday was a "wool day", so I spun up some merino wool and merino wool and silk blends. I've listed all of these skeins in my etsy shop - here is a mosaic of the new ones - (below you'll find direct links to the listings)

Kitty Singles - Ivy League - Hand Spun Merino Wool - 132 yards - worsted, thick n thin
Navajo 3-ply - Ivy League - Hand Spun Merino Wool and Silk blend - 90 yards - heavy worsted/bulky
Navajo 3-ply - Mahogany Peacock - Hand Spun Merino Wool and Silk Blend - 58 yards - heavy worsted/bulky
Squish-tastic! - Mahogany Peacock - Hand Spun Merino Wool and Merino/Silk - 88 yards - super bulky
Squish-tastic! - Mahogany Peacock - Hand Spun Merino Wool and Merino/Silk - 28 yards - super bulky (mini skein)

New yarns, finally!

2009-07-06T19:13:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally have some new yarns listed in my etsy shop. I listed 5 bamboo skeins today and all are the last of those particular colors I'll have until my next bamboo fiber order (which may not be until August, I'm not sure.) Today, I'm spinning wool, but tomorrow it is back to the bamboo. I've got lots of it to spin as I get ready for the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair, which is coming up soon! For now, I'll still be listing all the yarns I spin on etsy, but next week I may be holding some of them back and those wouldn't be listed until after the show. But, enough rambling, here are the new skeins -

I've got to get to exercising and then back to spinning, so no direct links today, but you can find them all HERE. Also, just a note about shipping - my shipping charges are going up tomorrow (right now it is still Free USA Shipping and $5 International), but if you want to NEVER pay full price shipping again, sign up for my newsletter and get shipping discounts and other specials, too! You can sign up on the sidebar here on my blog or at the bottom of THIS PAGE.

Vegas musings . . . and Fourth of July sales

2009-07-01T22:31:00.003-05:00

So, yes, I was on vacation. I don't know why I don't like to just come out and say it. Well, actually I do. I think it's because I don't feel like I *should* take vacation so don't like to admit it when I do! Plus, I know Las Vegas can bring out some strong emotions in people - some love it, some hate it - and I like to keep most of my blogging focused on business. But, since I was gone for a whole week, I want to post a few random musings from our trip.

First, though, let's start with us getting ready to leave -

Apparently, Bug really wanted to come with us. I had my suitcase out on the couch, waiting for those last few things to be added, when she jumped right in and made herself comfortable. She really missed us while we were gone - she didn't stop meowing for HOURS once we returned! Maybe she was just trying to tell me about HER exciting week?

We arrived in Las Vegas Thursday morning, which was unusual for us. We usually like to go Sunday through Thursday - leaving late on Sunday night and taking the red-eye/overnight flight on Thursday - so are there for about 4 days. For some reason we couldn't find cheap enough airfare this year, so we ended up going Thursday - Tuesday, which amounted to 2 more days than normal! (The airfare WAS cheap, but we really prefer Sun-Thur.) Another note about flying - I was *VERY* disappointed to learn that you don't get the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies on Midwest flights until AFTER 10am! Our flight was earlier than that, so no cookies. :(

In the airport before leaving, I bought a couple of puzzle books, mostly word searches. I thought they'd give me something to do on the flight and also take up time when I just wanted to hang out in the room. It was a smart move and they definitely ended up "saving" me some money! The more time I spent in the room, the less time I had to lose money!

And, since money was an issue, I didn't take as much as I have in the past, and tried to regulate it better. That first day, I don't think I played much at all. After lunch, and check-in, I played a little and then Scott did a poker tournament. Usually when he plays poker, I also hang out in the room. Not that I couldn't play slots, but I was determined to rest a lot on this trip, so I did just that! Puzzles and napping . . . not a bad way to spend the first day. We also had free internet in our room, so I brought the laptop. This really made me less anxious because at least I could check in every day just to make sure all was well in Kitty Grrlz land.

One of the main reasons we go to Vegas is so that Scott can play poker. Going during this time, lots of places have tournaments that would get you into the big World Series of Poker which I think starts soon. So, he plays poker, and I play slots. The funny thing is, he tends to be very unlucky in poker (plays really well and ends up losing because someone else gets lucky on the river!) BUT he is SO LUCKY when it comes to slots!!!! He won TWO small progressive jackpots while we were there!!! They were both won on the SAME kind of machine I won on last year, and that he won on two years ago. He hit one early on so was able to do a bigger tournament as well as a couple smaller ones, and the other one later so was able to come home with it. He also gave me a little money since by the weekend I was a bit behind where I wanted to be. This also coincided with our "bum around the Strip" day. See, we usually stay downtown, but always venture up to the Strip at least once. We went to the Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood (our favorite buffet), and then went to a couple casinos. We weren't really feeling it, though.

BUT, before we had left that morning (this was Sunday), I made a couple bets on the NASCAR race that was happening that day. Scott noticed that Joey Logano's odds were crazy - 80 to 1! - so we bet on him. A $5 bet. I usually do lots of these sports bets before we go - I take all the crazy long shots on football and hockey, and a few on baseball and basketball. The thing is, the last two years I haven't had money to make the bets. It always becomes one of those, "If I win, I'll make some sports bets." Of all the crazy sports bets I've ever made, I've not won a single one of them. Oh, I've come close - I had the Rays last year for the World Series and have also had teams bet on for the superbowl get as close as the playoffs. But, no winnings.

Until NOW! Joey Logano actually WON that race and I finally won a long-shot sports bet!!!! Woohoo!!! Thank you, Joey Logano, and Mother Nature (since rain definitely played a factor in the victory.)

That win really helped as then I was able to get through the last few days way ahead of my "daily limit" and thus also came home with money!! In my opinion, any time you can come back from Vegas with money in your pocket, you win!

I also have to thank Elvis and Star Wars! Those last couple days, I played alot of Star Wars - they have different machines and I was playing the one for the first movie, and it was doing things I've never seen before - hitting 5 of a kind all over the place! I think I got more out of that machine than I got from the sports bet!

With slots, if we stay disciplined, we have a system. Start with a certain amount, if you win and get over what you started with, cash out, pocket the winnings and put the original amount back in. IF you keep winning (which i was doing for awhile), you WILL come out ahead - or at least even - because you are still always working off of that original amount, with the "winnings" pocketed.

The thing is knowing when to stop. Unfortunately, I was chasing a bit by the end, so didn't end up with as much as I could have, but still feel I ended up ahead.

Then, there was Elvis. One of our favorite places downtown is this little corner slot place called Mermaids. They have girls out front in tropical costumes, and they give you beads as you walk in. They also have the most attentive waitresses - if you want to drink, go to Mermaids. We are usually barely through the door before they are there asking if you want anything. This can be a bad thing, though, as sometimes the goal is to NOT drink. They also have .99 hot dogs and deep-fried twinkies and oreos! They are also the only place left downtown (I think) that has slot machines that actually take and give coins! There is just something so cool about the sound of hundreds of quarters cascading out of a machine!! We also like it, because it can take up more time - cash out and feed those coins in one by one! Anyways, there was an ELVIS machine there that seemed to be doing pretty well, hitting a lot of the bonuses and just paying out alot. Usually, though, there was someone playing it, except for the last day. We finally got a chance to sit down at it. I put in 3 quarters for a max-bet spin and got the bonus right away! By the time I was done I won at least $200 on that machine alone. Once it started to slow down on the bonuses, though, I had to stop.

A few more comments on Mermaids - I do love it, but prefer it during the day. At night it can get a little crowded/rowdy and really loud. My favorite time for Mermaids is mid-day and early afternoon. And, another reason we like it is because they remember us - the waitresses know what we want and the manager even recognizes us from year to year. Early on, we were even mistaken for locals, which I kind of like. It has a lot more "corner bar" feel to it than "tourist strip" and that is what I prefer.

It's probably why I like downtown/Fremont Street in general better than the Strip. The Strip can just be so huge and intimidating and sometimes crowded. And, since we do tend to go in the summer when it is so hot (100+ degrees every day we were there, I think), downtown is nice since you are almost always walking in casinos or under the Fremont Street Experience canopy (that's the light show - this summer they are doing a 60s theme and also had a Michael Jackson tribute up. the only one we watched, though, was the "American Pie" one since that is one of my favorite songs!)

Anyways, we capped off the week with a bit of Pai Gow Poker. We had sat in on the Craps and Pai Gow Poker free lessons the first day we were there, but then never ended up playing either, until that last day. We played a bit, but didn't do very well. I may play a little more next time we go, though, just because it is something different than slots.

We ended up leaving for the airport sooner than usual as neither of us really wanted to spend or lose any more money. We got there 4 hours before our flight!?! It was a long 4 hours since we were both exhausted and just wanted to be home. But, before we knew it, we were on the plane getting our fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies! (Seriously, I love that they do this and I know it's just 2 cookies, but it is way better than peanuts!) Our flight arrived half an hour early and we were home by 6am. Bug sure was happy to see us, and while I am *definitely* happy to be home, I'm also not quite ready to get back to reality. I've got a few things I'm going to try and do the next couple of days, but I probably won't get back to my "regular" schedule until Sunday or Monday.

Look for new yarns to start appearing in my etsy shop on Monday, hopefully!

In the meantime, though, I am extending my shipping specials and sale sections through the holiday weekend as part of the Fourth of July Sale on etsy.

Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns - SALE SECTION HERE
Kitty Grrlz Hand Knit Items - SALE SECTION HERE

Plus, Free Shipping in the USA and $5 International Shipping.

All specials will end on Monday, though!

New yarns, sale section, shipping rates, etc.

2009-06-23T13:39:00.003-05:00

Today I listed three new single ply yarns in my etsy shop. They *might* be the last yarns I list for about a week, though I hope to still have a few new things tomorrow and maybe Thursday and Friday, but it will depend. Before I get to the new single plys, here are a couple of other notes -

My YART SALE continues until June 30! You can find yarns on sale (20-40% off!) in this section HERE. I'm also offering Free USA and $5 International Shipping until the end of the month as well. Once July 1 hits, though, the sale section will be gone and shipping prices will increase. My new shipping rates are as follows (and remember, this is PER ORDER, so no matter how much you purchase, you only pay one flat shipping rate):

USA - $5
Canada/Mexico - $10
Everywhere else - $12

BUT, if you sign up for my newsletter (see the sidebar on this blog, or go to the bottom of THIS PAGE) you will NEVER pay full price shipping - newsletter subscribers always have free or discounted shipping! I try and send out only one email per month that includes monthly specials, news, and upcoming show information.

Speaking of SHIPPING, I will *not be shipping any orders from JUNE 25-JUNE 30!* All purchases made and paid for during this time will be mailed out on July 1. My last trip to the Post Office will most likely be Wednesday before noon.

Finally, here are the new yarns! :)

Black Amber - 136 yards
Lost - 170 yards
Dill Pickle - 186 yards

Holiday Spice in summer!

2009-06-20T13:05:00.002-05:00

I know this may be more of a fall/holiday colored yarn, but I couldn't resist getting this one spun up as it's been waiting for me to spin it for awhile. It is similar to last fall's "Holiday Spice", so even though it was spun from a different Yarn Wench colorway this time, I've kept the Holiday Spice name. I have two skeins, both 100 yards, and both a little more bulky as opposed to super bulky. Here is a mosaic of the skeins, which you can find on etsy HERE and HERE.

Not sure if I'll get to spinning today. We received free tickets to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race tonight, so we'll be going at some point. This afternoon I hope to prep some Falkland fiber for single plys, but not sure if I'll get to spinning them or not. I WILL be spinning lots of Falkland and bamboo singles over the next couple of days. I *think* I may take a break from the art yarns until the beginning of July, but who knows. I still have quite a few that are waiting and pretty much ready to go. I'll also be working on a couple of custom orders these next few days, too.

But, now, it's time to do some fiber prep!

Plum Divine - finally!

2009-06-19T14:42:00.002-05:00

I have finally spun up my latest "Plum Divine" skeins! I stayed up until 5am to do it, but they are done! (and, really, I was only up so late because I ended up getting such a late start on spinning yesterday!). I've got four, 3 are basically the same, but the 4th one is a little different in that it has 19 different novelty/specialty yarns spun in (as opposed to the 12 the others have.) This last skein has a bit more burgundy and yellow in it than the other 3. Here is a mosaic of the skeins, and below are links to the individual skeins in my etsy shop -

FunctionArt - Plum Divine - Hand Spun Art Yarn - 94 yards (1)
FunctionArt - Plum Divine - Hand Spun Art Yarn - 94 yards (2)
FunctionArt - Plum Divine - Hand Spun Art Yarn - 78 yards
FunctionArt - Plum Wine & Sunshine Divine - Hand Spun Art Yarn - 88 yards

Now it's time to get to work! I'm either going to be spinning two art yarn skeins tonight, or 4 Falkland single plys. It will depend on how I feel after exercising and an early dinner!

Change of plans . . . new single ply yarns & bamboo today

2009-06-18T14:32:00.004-05:00

So, I had a change in spinning plans yesterday. After receiving a custom-spin bamboo order, I decided to spin up a couple of skeins of bamboo which didn't leave enough time to spin the Plum Divine. Instead, I spun two more Falkland wool single plys. TODAY I'm going to spin some Plum Divine and hopefully another color, too! Here is a mosaic of the new yarns listed -

Kitty Singles - Linnea - Hand Spun Single Ply Wool Yarn
Kitty Singles - Pink Grapefruit - Hand Spun Single Ply Wool Yarn
Beautiful Bamboo - Razzleberry - Hand Spun Single Ply Bamboo yarn - 186 yards
Beautiful Bamboo - Razzleberry - Hand Spun Single Ply Bamboo yarn - 162 yards

A "Haunting" new art yarn!

2009-06-17T11:56:00.006-05:00

Well, as promised, I spun a totally new art yarn color yesterday and have the two skeins now listed in my etsy shop. As soon as I saw this hand dyed merino wool roving on the Yarn Wench site, I knew it would make a great art yarn. Called "Haunting", it's a very autumnal/fall color combination of dark blue and plum, with orange, gold, and rust in there, too. I spun two similar skeins, though one is plied with dark blue thread and the other is plied with orange/rust thread. You can find "Autumn Haunting" HERE and "October NightSong' HERE.

I also had time for one single ply - Brass Petals - spun from great Falkland dyed by Cloudlover. I have 6 more great colors ready to spin, and am hoping to have them all spun by the weekend, if I'm lucky.

Today, I hope to spin two more of the Falkland single plys and at least two skeins of Plum Divine art yarn. Tomorrow, more Falkland, and another NEW color of art yarn. I may have to slip some bamboo in here somewhere, too!

But, now I must get to spinning. To end, here is a mosaic of the new yarns:

New yarns - art yarns and bamboo & sale continues!

2009-06-16T13:50:00.004-05:00

First, just a note that I am keeping my sale section around until the end of June. You can find yarns reduced 20-40% off in the Sale Section in my Etsy Shop Here. I don't think I will be adding anything new to the section, but thought I would keep it until the end of the month with the yarns already reduced.

Today, I listed some new art yarns and yesterday, some new bamboo. The art yarns are actually colors I've spun before, but I had to spin them before spinning new colors because the fiber and materials were taking up room in my "staging area". Now that I've got these colors done, I am ready for some NEW colors! I've got one planned for today that is a new combination, and then I hope to spin some Plum Divine tomorrow. I'll also be spinning a few single plys today, if time allows.

Here are the new yarns - Sangria Garden Rose and Iris, Dreaming.

And, the new bamboo - Summer Carnival and Summer Neon Taffy

New yarns!

2009-06-13T22:05:00.003-05:00

I didn't expect to have time today to list new yarns, but I just finished listing 5 new ones! I ended up spinning past midnight last night!

This morning started out pretty dreary - it was raining when we got up early to do our weekly grocery shopping - and I was worried about how the Family Reunion would go. But, by the time we were on our way around mid-day, the sun was coming out and it turned out to be perfect - partly sunny which kept it a little cooler, a little breezy, and all-in-all a perfect day! The reunion was fun, but wow, being out in the fresh air really made me tired. We got home at a very reasonable time which meant I could list the yarns from yesterday! I'm finally done doing that (had some issues with pictures, and took a break to watch Harper's Island) and now, at only 10pm, I think I'm calling it a night! I've got a full day of spinning ahead of me tomorrow and I want to be ready - I'm determined to do one more day of single ply yarns - probably bamboo - and then Monday it is going to be a week of art yarns! (Okay, there are going to be a few Falkland wool singles in there, too, since I've got a nice order coming from Cloudlover, but my focus this next week is going to be on art yarns.)

Tomorrow is the LAST DAY of my YART SALE!! I've added a few more yarns today, including these new ones, and may add one or two tomorrow morning. Here is where you can find my items -

Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns - YART SALE SECTION HERE
Kitty Grrlz Hand Knit Items - YART SALE SECTION HERE

And, finally, here is the mosaic of the new yarns!

YART Sale continues, new single plys, and weekend plans

2009-06-12T13:54:00.003-05:00

My YART SALE continues today and through the weekend. I've added four new single ply yarns today that are all in my YART SALE Section. Here they are -

I've also been adding a few yarns here and there to the sale section as well.

Tomorrow we are going to a family reunion, so I don't think I'll be adding any new items, but I AM going to add a couple items to the sale section. (I'm thinking at least 2 art yarns and they will most likely be the Sangria Garden skeins). Sunday, I should have some brand new skeins to list (that is if I get anything spun TODAY as I sure won't be spinning tomorrow!) and then starting Monday I will be spinning mostly ART YARNS!! ALL WEEK!!! I will probably end up sneaking some others in there, too, but I'm really needing to spin something a bit different than all these single plys I've been doing this week.

And, as a reminder, here is my YART SALE info for both of my shops AND my destash specials -

Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns - YART SALE SECTION HERE
Kitty Grrlz Hand Knit Items - YART SALE SECTION HERE

Please come by and join in the YART fun!

But, wait, there's more! Remember my destash from last month? Well, I still have some fiber and yarns available. For the duration of the YART SALE, you will also receive the following discounts on destash:

Fiber - 20% off
Yarn - both commercial and handspun - buy two or more lots and get 15% off

You can find the fiber posts HERE and HERE and HERE, the commercial yarn post HERE and the handspun yarn post HERE. You can email me at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of the destash items!

YART SALE begins today!

2009-06-10T10:38:00.004-05:00

Today kicks off the Second Annual YART Sale on etsy, sponsored by the ESST Team. I am taking part in both of my shops. I have a YART SALE SECTION in each shop and all the items in these sections have been discounted 20-40% off! This sale runs from today, Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14.

I will be adding new items to the yarn section once per day. Usually these will be NEW items, but on the weekend they may be ones already in my shop. Today, I'll be listing some bamboo for the YART SALE at 20% off.

Here is how you can find my items -

Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns - YART SALE SECTION HERE
Kitty Grrlz Hand Knit Items - YART SALE SECTION HERE

Please come by and join in the YART fun!

But, wait, there's more! Remember my destash from last month? Well, I still have some fiber and yarns available. For the duration of the YART SALE, you will also receive the following discounts on destash:

Fiber - 20% off
Yarn - both commercial and handspun - buy two or more lots and get 15% off

You can find the fiber posts HERE and HERE and HERE, the commercial yarn post HERE and the handspun yarn post HERE. You can email me at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of the destash items!

Five new single ply yarns listed & YART SALE starts tomorrow!

2009-06-09T14:46:00.003-05:00

Just listed, in my etsy shop, 5 new single ply yarn skeins. Two of which will be included in my YART SALE tomorrow!

What is the YART SALE? It is an etsy-wide Yard+Art = YART SALE.

I will have a section in each of my shops titled "YART SALE SECTION". All the items in these sections will be reduced 20-40% off their regular price. AND, this is in addition to the shipping special that continues through June! Want a sneak peek of the items that will be on sale? You can check out the sections now -

YART SALE SECTION - Hand Spun Yarns
YART SALE SECTION - Hand Knit Items

But, remember, prices won't be changed until June 10th, when the sale kicks off! (I'll begin changing them around 11 or 12 midnight Central time tonight.)

In the meantime, here is the mosaic of the newly listed skeins (the bottom two are on hold for the moment but may be listed later.)

Etsy Seller Spotlight on - iWunder - gorgeous moebius cowls and more!

2009-06-09T10:02:00.006-05:00

Yesterday in my Plum Divine post, I made mention of my topic for today - and that is featuring the crocheted moebius cowls of iWunder on etsy!

Jennifer does many things, actually. She has hand dyed yarn, hand knit purses, and scarves for men and women. But, what has really caught my eye in her shop are the unique crocheted cowls she makes with my art yarns and also other hand spun yarns.

I always love to see how my art yarns are used, and when I saw these pictures, I knew I had to make sure to highlight them in a blog post! They show off the colors and textures of the yarn, but are also fashionable and very fun! (not to mention, versatile!)

You can find all of Jennifer's cowls here, but below are just a few of my favorites!

Here is the one made with the "Plum Divine" color! You can see more pictures of it here.

Another of my favorite yarn colors has been "Turquoise Parrot". Here is a cowl crocheted with one of those skeins - (listing on etsy here)

Another color that is one of my favorites to spin is this one - Mahogany Midnight Moon - here is a gorgeous cowl made with this color -

In addition to the art yarns, she also uses gorgeous single ply hand spuns from other sources, but also has used my "Squish-tastic!" yarns. Here is one that really shows off this style of yarn - (you can find more great pictures in the listing here.)

And, even though she has many more in her shop and they are all fantastic, I'm going to end with this one - Surf's Up!

So, if you are looking for a unique and versatile hand made accessory - check out iWunder on etsy!

Plum Divine - favorite of all time?

2009-06-08T18:16:00.002-05:00

Recently, I was asked, "If you were a color, what color would you be?"

For most people, this should probably be an easy question, right? Well, I thought it should be, and maybe it would have been except for one thing -

I work with color *every day*. *COLOR* is one of the main reasons I do what I do, spin what I spin, etc. I spend way too much time thinking about color and which ones to use together. I spend hours pouring over hand dyed fiber with the most important trait being the color and color blends (followed second by the fiber type). (And let's not even get into the photo-editing process whereby I angst over whether or not my pictures are truly capturing the yarn colors accurately.)

Anyways, my answer to that question was finally, "Plum Divine" - a combination of green, plum/purple, a little burgundy and usually some chartreuse. And, the funny thing is, this combines two of my past "favorite colors" - when I was very young, green was my favorite color, and more recently, purple has become a favorite. But, this blend, this colorway, is truly my favorite - or at least definitely in the top 5.

The color first appeared on Lynn aka the Yarn Wench's site a couple of years ago as her colorway "Plumgrove". It has undergone some slight changes from batch to batch, and also from fiber type to fiber type - but it always grabs my attention and I can't help but purchase it. I have spun it as an art yarn (in merino), a single ply (in merino/silk and Falkland), a Squish-tastic in merino and merino/silk and a Navajo 3ply in merino/silk. Currently, I only have one skein of it available, a single ply in a merino/silk blend, but I have two batches of it waiting to be spun into art yarns. I hope to have those spun up next week, but as always happens when I receive a batch of it - I need to let it sit and simmer awhile, percolate if you will, before I bring it out, match it up with the yarns, and spin it up.

Here is a mosaic of some of the previous spins in this colorway -

Tomorrow, I will be highlighting a great etsy seller who makes gorgeous cowls with my art yarns - and of course, one of them was crocheted with a PLUM DIVINE SKEIN! :)

(If you are interested in a Plum Divine skein in an art yarn form, I should have 4 skeins spun up next week. I also have one more batch of it in the merino/silk blend which could be spun into a Navajo 3ply or single.)

Blackberry Sea aka Tealberry - a custom color gone right

2009-06-07T21:10:00.004-05:00

Awhile back, I received this yarn. It is Trendsetter "Flora" yarn in color "Blackberry". As soon as I saw it, I wanted fiber in the same color so that I could spin an art yarn and maybe a single ply. I put in requests to two of my favorite dyers, and in the end received two very different results. The thing about this color is that there are definite sections of each color; it is very bold and distinct. The merino that I received from one of my requests turned out beautiful (and I will eventually get to spinning it, too) but a little more blended. But, the other request ended up being a near-perfect match! (I say "near-perfect" because I don't think *anything* could be *exactly* the same.)

The first fibers I received were dyed in Falkland wool by Cloudlover. Those became single ply yarns, since that was why I had initially requested the color from her - the Falkland she dyes is my favorite! It is smooth, fairly soft for Falkland, and, most importantly, so easy to spin!

After getting a few batches of the Falkland, and each one being better than the last, I finally took the plunge and asked for the color in merino. Once again, I was so amazed at how well it matched the Flora yarn! The first batch become a "Novel-Ply" skein, where I spun the merino thick/thin and then plied it with the Flora yarn. After that, I spun a couple of single ply merino skeins. The latest batches of merino AND a merino/silk blend are the last ones shown in the mosaic below. I spun a "Squish-tastic" yarn with these, which is one strand of merino spun thick/thin, a strand of merino/silk spun thin, and then the two are plied together. This skein turned out so smooth and soft! It actually feels different than my other Squish-tastics, but in a good way. I think it is my favorite of all the Tealberry/Blackberry Sea skeins I have spun!

You may notice, though, that I still haven't spun this color as an art yarn. I'm not sure why I haven't yet, but I think it is because the colors are so great I don't want to dilute them with other yarns. The colors are also difficult to match, so I'm not sure how it would turn out. I know I have ONE yarn that matches - the Flora yarn - but I haven't really come across any others that seem to want to be spun in for an art yarn. I have one more batch of merino on hand, and one more batch of merino/silk. I'm not yet sure what they will become.

Finally, most of these have been spoken for before I finish them, or have sold when listed. But, three of the skeins shown below are still available in my etsy shop -
Novel-Ply - Blackberry Garden - Hand Spun Yarn
Squish-tastic - Blackberry Sea - Hand Spun Super Bulky 2ply Yarn
Navajo 3ply - Blackberry Sea - Hand Spun Navajo 3ply Yarn

A couple of new bamboo skeins listed

2009-06-03T12:46:00.004-05:00

I've got a couple of new bamboo skeins, newly listed in my etsy shop. One skein remaining of "New Southwest" -

And, two skeins of "Spring Garden" - 174 yards and 164 yards - both sport weight -

$25 Kitty Grrlz Gift Card Giveaway on the WIST blog!

2009-06-03T01:46:00.003-05:00

This week, I am the "Moo Crew" featured seller over on the WIST blog. What is WIST, you ask? WIST is the Wisconsin Street Team on Etsy - a group of Wisconsin artists that also sell on etsy. Each week a member is featured, and often times it includes a promotional giveaway.

You can find my interview here, and make sure to read down at the bottom about how to win a $25 gift certificate valid in my yarn shop or my knits shop.

And, don't forget - destash continues! Check out this post for more information!

DESTASH SUNDAY - Hand Spun Yarns

2009-05-31T14:44:00.028-05:00

Here is the last of my monthly May Destash Sundays post. Today, I've got some full skeins of hand spun yarn from other wonderful spinners, as well as a couple of lots of small amounts of handspuns [edited to add - these lots have all been sold already!]. The combined lots may be great for those who use fiber in their art, freeform crocheters, or those who just like to combine or use small amounts of yarns in their projects.

Here are the "rules" -
Each item has a price listed. I prefer paypal payment.
Shipping is FREE in the USA. I prefer not to ship these internationally, but if you live outside the USA and are interested, please email me for shipping costs.
To purchase, please EMAIL ME at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com
In the case of multiple requests for the same item, I will go by whoever emailed first.
I will remove items as they are sold.

First item is "Pointillism Purple" hand spun 2ply yarn, dyed and spun by The Yarn Wench. You are going to get TWO skeins for the price of one (I purchased one skein, and later won the other during a blog giveaway Lynn had). One skein = 124 yards, 3.7 oz., 6 wpi and the second skein is 112 yards. From Lynn's description: "A beautiful colorway in purples, navy, khaki, mulberry and every shade in between. Hand-dyed, handspun domestic wool two-ply with subtle touches of angelina. A beauty." PRICE for a total of 236 yards = $31

Next, is another duo from the Yarn Wench, "Soul Sistahs". These are both spun and then plied with Boa yarn. Fun colors and fun yarns! From Lynn's description: "Here are the particulars on each one - Purple Bling is 62 yards, 3.5 oz., and 6 wpi. It is hand-dyed, handspun Bluefaced Leicester and angelina plied up around a commercial boa yarn. Diva is 46 yards, 4.1 oz. and 4 wpi. It is hand-dyed, handspun wool of unknown origin and angelina plied up with a commercial boa. These two yarns are absolutely cuddly soft and would make a wonderful trim on mittens or gloves or used together on a small project." I was going to use them for some fun scarves, and even started on the project. But, given the amount of time I knit, I hope someone else can give the Sistahs a good home! Price for both skeins = $30

Next up is a purple and pink "Skull Skein" from MaterialWhirled. Approximately 85 yards, dark black, purple, and pink, plied with thread strung with skull beads! I also received a skull cap pattern with this skein and will include it along with the yarn. I paid $53, your price = $45

Here is another great skein, this one is from YarnPunk, and one of the most unique skeins I've ever had! I really wanted to knit this one, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon. This is the information from the etsy listing, "139 yds. of recycled flannel spun with vintage thread and assembled fabric skulls backed with woolfelt. This would knit up a bad ass snowboarding hat. Once knit, I recommend stitching down the skulls with a needle and thread so that they lie flat." I paid $44, your price is $39.

Next up is 60 yards of "Waterlilies" - dyed and spun by the Yarn Wench. This is the other half of a large skein. It is super bulky, approximately 6 wraps per inch. Here is more of her description, "A truly beautiful chunky yarn in the colors of Monet's Waterlilies. This skein is composed of domestic wool in greens, golds, and coppers, a ply of Falkland in burgandys and soft plums, and a ply of an Italian ladder yarn in purples, pinks, greens, and coppers. This whole yarn glistens with copper and pink angelina - a beauty!"
Price for 60 yards = $18

BUY MORE THAN ONE of any of the above items and get 10% off.

In addition, here are the specials I'm offering on the previous destash items -

Fiber - 10% off, buy $50 or more and get 15% off
Yarn - buy two or more lots and get 10% off

You can find the fiber posts HERE and HERE and HERE and the yarn post HERE. You can email me at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of the destash items!

My plan is to keep these items up for about a week, and then next weekend I will begin listing items on etsy. I am most likely going to be listing them in my Kitty Grrlz Knits shop, though, since I have more sections available in that shop.

But, for now, this is the end of my final DESTASH SUNDAYS blog post!

--

Three new single ply yarns & destash sale update

2009-05-31T13:46:00.007-05:00

Well, I'm at least part way through my "to-do" list for today. Vacuuming - done! Take pictures of new yarns and yarns for destash post later today - done! Three new single plys listed on etsy - DONE! Here is a mosaic of the new yarns that are now available in my etsy shop -

Now, I think I need to take a lunch break before I tackle the destash pictures and posting. Look for the hand spun yarn destash post later today - probably late afternoon/early evening I'll have it all done. I've got 11 skeins or lots of hand spun yarn that will be posted.

Also, here are the specials for the previous destash posts -

Fiber - 10% off, buy $50 or more and get 15% off
Yarn - buy two or more lots and get 10% off

You can find the fiber posts HERE and HERE and HERE and the yarn post HERE. You can email me at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of the destash items!

Lunch time, then tackle the destash post!

Destash Sunday coming soon/plans for the day

2009-05-31T10:07:00.002-05:00

The first thing on the agenda today is to VACUUM!!! the floor is a disaster! as soon as i get that done, i'll be taking pictures of 3 new wool single ply yarns (and listing them on etsy) and also the pictures of the items for this week's destash post. Today, I'll have some odds and ends of hand spun yarns from other great spinners, as well as a couple of full skeins. I'll also be offering a discount on the older items - 10% off fiber and 10% off if you buy two or more lots of yarn. But, more on that later - right now I really have to get to the vacuuming part!

New yarns for this week

2009-05-29T12:28:00.004-05:00

Even though I've been spending much of the past few days knitting, I did have time to spin up a few new yarns. Today I listed two new Falkland wool single plys (Razzleberry Twist and Spring Sprouts) and yesterday listed two skeins each of two bamboo colors (Mocha Bliss and Bluebonnet Belle). Here is a mosaic of the new yarns which are now in my etsy shop.

New Art Yarns!

2009-05-27T21:35:00.003-05:00

I wanted to wait until I was able to retake pictures of these skeins before posting here, but it was another gray day today. So, here is a mosaic of two new colors that I listed in my etsy shop yesterday -

The top one is "Sangria Garden Rose", spun from hand dyed merino wool dyed by the Yarn Wenc h. I really love this color and do have another batch of it. Not sure if it will become two more art yarn skeins, or something else.

The bottom one is also Yarn Wench merino, in color "Adriatic". Gorgeous shades of blues, greens and purple in this one, with lots of fun novelty yarns spun in!

These will probably be the last art yarns I spin for a week or so, but we'll see. I do have a box full of brighter fibers ready to spin into art yarns, but I just don't think they are "ready" to be spun yet!?!? I'm just not "feeling" them right now. I know that's odd, but art yarns aren't something I can "force" - usually they have to simmer or percolate a bit before finally being ready. When they (or *I*) are ready, though, I'll have a nice bright batch!

Right now, I've got lots of bamboo colors ready to spin (including a couple for some custom orders), and also 4 new batches of Falkland from Cloudlover. Since I'm getting ready for a show this Saturday, I'm also knitting. I am hoping to finish three shawls before Saturday. If I have time, I'll be spinning the bamboo and Falkland in between knitting!

I will be listing two colors of bamboo tomorrow - more "Bluebonnet Belle" and a new one, "Mocha Bliss".

Now, it's back to knitting this shawl . . .

Indy 500

2009-05-24T12:26:00.008-05:00

Even though I don't watch much IRL racing during the rest of the year, I do watch the Indianapolis 500 each year (along with the Miller 200 (or whatever it's called now) that is in Milwaukee). I have actually been there twice - once for the race itself and once for the time trials. Each time it was a road trip with my dad and a couple other people, so I guess the race is one of those father/daughter bonding moments, and I like to watch it because of that history. If I weren't so lazy, I'd dig out the pictures from our trip and scan them in . . . but, not this year.

If any of the WOMEN win, check out my etsy shop after the race for a special sale!

Or, if John Andretti or AJ Foyt IV wins, I'll also have a special. These are the names I recognize from those days of following it alot more closely. I can't believe an Andretti has only won once! And, it looks like Marco is already out. My boyfriend's pick is Scott Dixon, so maybe I'll include him in my winner's special, too.

Edited to add - the PINK CAR to the list of if-they-win-then-have-a-special!

Anyways, now it's time for some racing, burgers, and Mike's Lemonade!

No Destash Post today

2009-05-24T09:59:00.001-05:00

I won't be doing a destash post today. Instead, next Sunday I will do the final post for the month with a few new things and then all the remaining items. In the meantime, you can see what is still available by checking out my older posts -

Commercial Yarn destash
Roving destash
Fiber Destash here and here

----------

More bamboo, upcoming show, and the Indy 500

2009-05-22T17:37:00.005-05:00

Today, I listed the latest version of the "Black Gold" bamboo colorway - DragonWing. I have four skeins listed on etsy now. Here is a mosaic of the skeins -

I also have one more skein left in the new colorway, At the Beach/Sand & Sea -

I also received confirmation today that I will be at the BBQ Bash at Buffalo Phil's Pizza & Grille next weekend! I will be part of the art & craft fair portion of their annual BBQ Bash, which runs from 11am - 6pm on Saturday, May 30th. The art & craft fair will go on until 5pm. I will be there with all my usual items - yarns and knits - with an emphasis on bamboo yarns and hand knit shawls perfect for summer. I also will have my yarn photo bookmarks AND I'm hoping to have yarn photo magnets and pendants, too! (That is IF I get them done this week!) This is a rare summer show appearance for me, as I am cutting way back on the amount of shows that I'm doing - this will be my only one until the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair in July.

Finally, I know it is Memorial Day weekend, but for me this weekend has always been about the Indy 500. I'm going to post more about it on Sunday, but I just wanted to give everyone a head's up that if DANICA PATRICK wins the race on Sunday, watch my etsy shop directly following the race for one of my BEST SALES EVER. (Oh, and newsletter subscribers may want to check their email on Sunday, as I will be having a newsletter special that day as well. If you're not a newsletter subscriber, but would like to be, you can sign up on the sidebar here or at the bottom of this page.)

That's all from me for now - I've got to get back to work!

Lots of new yarns and a new bamboo color!

2009-05-20T14:07:00.006-05:00

I've been trying to stay focused on spinning and have listed a few new yarns over the past couple of days - some bamboo, a merino/silk single ply, a FunctionArt/Batt-tacular! skein, and two single ply skeins spun from a LOOP batt of layered bamboo, wool, alpaca, and Kid Mohair. Here is a mosaic of all the new yarns, which are all listed in my etsy shop HERE!

Today, I'm spinning a new bamboo color! It is from Fiberlady, and consists of a dark and light shade of blue and a light creamy color. I'm thinking of calling the yarn either "Blueberry Pie" or "At the beach". Here is a sneak peak of the color -

If all goes as planned, I'll have 4 skeins of it to list tomorrow. I'm hoping to also spin up the last skein of "Violet Frost" (shown in the mosaic above), and then it will be on to spinning more Black Cherry/Tainted Love art yarns! I also have yet *another* "Black Gold" variation (this is the fiberlady color that I've called DragonSong, Meadow Dusk, Meadow Gold, and various other names since almost every time I get it, it looks slightly (sometimes drastically) different.) This latest variation may be interesting as it isn't as saturated as "DragonSong" but I think has brighter shades in it than the "meadow" skeins. Anyways, I hope to have 4 skeins of that spun up soon, too!

A productive Sunday - more new yarns!

2009-05-18T14:42:00.005-05:00

Saturday night I actually left the house! We went out to a local bar and played some Golden Tee Golf. Even though I didn't stay out all night, it still meant I got a very late start on Sunday. (Part of why my destash post was so late!) BUT, miraculously, I still managed to spin up 5 new skeins of yarn! I finally spun "Mourning Dove's Cousin" as an art yarn. This is a colorway from the Yarn Wench that I absolutely LOVE, but was never sure i had the right yarns to spin in for an art yarn. I did half the fiber as a Novel-Ply (plied with Trendsetter JOY yarn) and the other half as my usual "FunctionArt" art yarn. I also spun up the second-to-last BATT that I have into a CoilySpun. Then, after exercising (yes, at 10 at night!), I spun two bamboo skeins! All have been listed in my etsy shop. Here is a mosaic of all of the new yarns -

Now it's time to spin! I want to keep the momentum going from yesterday so that I can build up my yarn inventory. I don't have a lot of shows coming up, but I do have a big one in July. I'd like to get some yarns done so that I can knit a bit, too.

DESTASH SUNDAY WEEK THREE - Commercial Yarns

2009-05-17T13:23:00.019-05:00

Here is this week's DESTASH post! Today, I've got mostly commercial yarns. Pricing is based on what I paid and does include shipping in the USA. Also, prices are for the whole bag or batch as shown and described. If you want only one or two balls, I may consider breaking up the lots, but the best deals are if you buy the entire lot. Please email me if you do want fewer balls than what is included in a lot.

First, the "rules" -
Each item has a price listed. I prefer paypal payment.
Shipping is FREE in the USA. I prefer not to ship these internationally, but if you live outside the USA and are interested, please email me for shipping costs.
Sorry, no discounts on the yarn lots today.
To purchase, please EMAIL ME at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com
In the case of multiple requests for the same item, I will go by whoever emailed first.
I will remove items as they are sold.

First, is one ball of Austermann Melody in color "Berry Medley" (color 107, Berry Medley, L1276502) = $4
Fibre Content: 43% Wool/ 42% Acrylic/ 15% Nylon
Made In: Italy
Care: Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 10 st/4 inches 7.0-8.0 mm (US 10 1/2-11)
Approximately 82 yards

Next is a lot of 3 balls of Lana Grossa PEP Stripes yarn - color 706, Lacquer Red and Charcoal, L7871. This is SUPER SOFT! I did start knitting with these - the picture does show a small swatch of what it looks like knit with two strands - I undid that, though, and wound it back, so you should receive 3 full balls = $15
Fibre Content: 80% Microfibre/ 20% Nylon
Made In: Italy
Care: Machine Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 17 st/4 inches 4.5-5.0 mm (US 7-8)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 110 m (120 yards)

Austermann Candy Color in color "Bumbleberry" (color 06, lot L44). I have a total of 8 balls and I will also include a pattern sheet that has two patterns on it for this yarn and there should be enough of the yarn to make either of them, but not both, in the small size. = $45
Fibre Content: 100% Nylon Microfiber
Made In: Italy
Care: Machine Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 13 st/4 inches 6.0-7.0 mm (US 10-10 1/2)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 90 m (98 yards)

Undyed Collection - PLUME - 100% polyester yarn for dyeing. This is a thick plume yarn, similar to Gedifra Costa Rica. I bought this to have someone dye it, but was unable to get it done because of the different dyes that needed to be used for polyester. I would love to actually have someone dye this FOR ME. If you might be interested, and have the ability to dye polyester, please CONTACT ME as I'd work something out to send you the skeins and pay to have them dyed. But, if you just want the yarn to play with, and wouldn't be able to dye it up right away, the full bag of 10 skeins is $15
Fibre Content: 100% Polyester
Made In: China
Care: Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 8 st/4 inches 10.0 mm (US 15)
50g (1.75 oz) hank Yardage: 35 m (38 yards)

Berroco Boho Colors - color #9348 Sangria - I have 10 balls of this multi-colored yarn. You can find out more about this on Berroco's site HERE including free patterns. Total for all 10 balls = $50
FIBER: 37% Cotton, 22% Rayon, 21% Nylon, 20% Polyester
BALL WEIGHT: 1.75 oz / 50 g
BALL LENGTH: 98 yds / 90 m
GAUGE: 5 sts = 1" 20 sts & 25 rows = 4" (10cm)
NEEDLE SIZE: 9(US) / 5.5 mm
CARE: Hand wash in cool water. Lay flat to dry.

Schachenmayr Nomotta "Scaletta" yarn in color "Mimosa" (0022, Mimosa, L59322). I had this yarn in a couple of other colors and knit a couple of things with it, including one of my first-ever sweaters. I love it, and this is a bright and fun color. I have a total of 9 balls and may be able to find the patterns I used, too. Total for all 9 balls = $50
Fibre Content: 35% Cotton/ 30% Acrylic/ 20% Nylon/ 15% Viscose Rayon
Made In: Italy
Care: Machine Wash Gentle/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 18 st/4 inches 5.0-6.0 mm (US 8-10)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 90 m (98 yards)

Tahki Yarns - CHAT Print in color Blazing Sunset (023, Blazing Sunset, L6584) - I love this color and started knitting a top with it - you can see that in the photos, though I have frogged it and wrapped the yarn back up so I have 9 full balls - color shows best in top two pictures - total for all 9 = $38
Fibre Content: 100% Cotton
Made In: Germany
Care: Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 14 st/4 inches 6.0 mm (US 10)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 80 m (87 yards)

Another lot of Katia SPRAY in color 2552 (dye lot 74245) - a multicolored, almost tye-dye effect yarn. This batch is for 8 balls = $20
Fibre Content: 100% Cotton
Made In: Spain
Care: Machine Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 10 st/4 inches 8-10 mm (US 11-15)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 50 m (55 yards)

This next lot includes a couple of different kinds of yarns and colors, but thought I'd put them together for better savings. Included are two balls of Katia Bolero in a bright orange and yellowish-green color (#15/85894A), two balls of Schachenmayr Nomotta Figo yarn in an orange/brown/yellow color (#0090/003), one ball of Figo in a peachy/rose/yellow color (#0089/002), and one ball of Figo in a tannish gold/pink/yellow color (#0087/002). Total for lot of 6 balls = $15
Katia Bolero -
Fibre Content: 28% Rayon/ 26% Cotton/ 26% Acrylic/ 20% Nylon
Made In: Spain
Care: Machine Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 19 st/4 inches 4.0-4.5 mm (US 6-7)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 90 m (98 yards)
Schachenmayr FIGO -
Content: 70% polyester, 30% nylon
Made in: Turkey
Size: 50g/77 yards
Gauge: 16sts/4" using needle #10.75-11US
Care: machine wash/dry flat

Schachenmayr Nomotta PRINCESS yarn in color Orchid Mist (#49/L1408-311138) - I have 4 full balls and a partial, along with the knit piece shown in the pictures. You will get everything shown for $15
Fibre Content: 72% Acrylic Microfibre/ 28% Viscose Rayon
Made In: Turkey
Care: Machine Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 18 st/4 inches 4.0-5.0 mm (US 6-8)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 125 m (136 yards)

Austermann PLAYA yarn - a really soft nylon/microfiber yarn in a beautiful color - 04, Magenta Sea, L69. I knit this scarf with this yarn, and have 3 full balls plus a partial ball remaining. Total for 3 full balls and partial = $18
Fibre Content: 72% Nylon Microfibre/ 28% Nylon
Made In: Italy
Care: Machine Wash Gentle/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 9-13 st/4 inches 10-12 mm (US 15-17)
50g (1.75 oz) ball Yardage: 60 m (65 yards)

This next lot is a batch of yarn I bought on ebay ages ago from Life's An Expedition. It is about 1-1/2 pounds of a yarn that is actually 4 strands together. I think it is a wool/acrylic blend, but I honestly don't remember the details. You will get this large lot for only $25!

The final lot is two balls of Lily Sugar n Cream cotton yarn. These were supposed to match, but as you can see they are from different dye lots. In total, two complete balls are included = $4

Well, I think that is it for today. Next week will be hand spun yarn odds and ends, including some complete skeins from other wonderful spinners. I also still have some fiber from previous weeks and you can see those posts HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Lots of new yarns!

2009-05-16T14:09:00.002-05:00

While I haven't been online much lately (other than to upload pics to flickr and list items on etsy), I HAVE been spinning, albeit a little slower than usual. I finished 4 art yarn skeins yesterday, though, which was a nice break from spinning so many singles lately. Here is a mosaic of all the new yarns that have been listed in my etsy shop this past week!

I will be doing another DESTASH SUNDAYS post tomorrow. Not as much as usual, though, just some commercial yarns that I don't think I will ever get around to knitting, and also a polyester novelty yarn for dyeing. I have been so grateful to those who have been giving some of my fiber good, new homes! You can see what is still left in my previous Destash posts HERE and HERE and HERE. (See, only ONE item left from that very first post - yay! and thank you!!)

Not sure what today holds. There was talk of heading out for awhile tonight, but I have bamboo lined up for spinning and some more art yarns just waiting for me to spin them! I also have some "Tealberry"/Blackberry Sea in a merino/silk blend that is just begging to be spun IF I could decide how I wanted to spin it! :)

But, for now, I think it may be time for a late lunch . . .

DESTASH SUNDAY WEEK TWO - Roving

2009-05-10T10:59:00.033-05:00

Here is this week's DESTASH post! Today, I've got mostly wool roving, along with a couple of batts and one lot of random small fiber samples. Most of what I have today is probably best for felting, though there are a couple that would spin great. But, you can use these for anything you can think of! I WILL note for each item, though, if it's best for felting or spinning based on how easy it is to draft. Some of the merino I have here was very difficult for me to draft, which is part of why I am destashing it. Since I have problems with my hands on occasion, I really need to spin fiber that drafts easily, and some of these were just a little too tough for me. But, that doesn't mean the lovely fiber should go to waste - I'm sure others would be able to spin them, OR, as I said earlier - they'd be great for felting! I even have one lot of 3 needle-felting kits! Perfect if you'd like to try or maybe want to try with a group! :) But, I've rambled enough - here is the destash list for today -

First, the "rules" -
Each item has a price listed. I prefer paypal payment.
Shipping is FREE in the USA. I prefer not to ship these internationally, but if you live outside the USA and are interested, please email me for shipping costs.
If you buy 3 or more lots, you may get a discount, usually 10%, but it does depend on the items purchased, and I can't always promise a discount. The ones listed today are already listed below what I paid.
To purchase, please EMAIL ME at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com
In the case of multiple requests for the same item, I will go by whoever emailed first.
I will remove items as they are sold.

The first items are all SPUNKY CLUB fibers from SpunkyEclectic. I was a club member and always got double so most of these lots are 8 oz. The cost was $26 and most of these 8 oz lots are priced at $20 - and remember, that includes shipping! Here are the Spunky Club lots -

First, is "Goblin Eyes", Romney wool, a total of 7.8 oz from October 2007. "October is the month of scary ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and all things scary and terrific. Every time I've seen a Goblin their eyes seem to be able to change. Black, white, green, orange, purple, and sometimes an awful scary combination of them all." = $20

Second, is "Party Dress", Superwash Corriedale wool, a total of 8.1 oz from December 2007. "When I came up with this colorway is just screamed 80s colored party dresses. Bright and cheerful, ready for that New Years party." Bright green, red, and bright blue. = $20

Finally, the last of the Spunky Club fiber lots - "Harvest Haze", Lincoln wool, total of 7.8 oz (with just a bit of it spun up). Soft shades of green and peachy orange and a bit of pale purple/lavender. IF you've never spun Lincoln wool before - here is more information - "The staple length is a staggering 8-15 inches (20-38 cm). The micron count is rated at 37-41. So now you know it's not the softest. But, it is strong and so super shiny. It's main uses would be for outerwear, rugs or to blend with other fibers for strength." = $20

This lot includes two braids of 22 micron hand dyed merino top from EweGiveMeTheKnits in color "Chocolate Dipped Berries". Each braid is 3.5 oz for a total of 7 oz. total for both = $25 (if you only want one braid, they are $15 each - better savings if you buy both)

Here is a 2 oz lot of hand dyed Corriedale wool, would be great for felting, I think. Dark blues and purples with a bit of red. 2 oz = $8

Here is some hand dyed alpaca from NorthStarAlpacas - in bright shades of orange, yellow, and pink. It is 75% white alpaca from Okko, 30% Merino lamb from genopalette and 5% Mohair from SpinningMoonFarm. 2.5 oz = $9

Here is 3.3 oz of "Indian Princess", a blended batt from TerraBellaSpun. Includes wool, superwash merino, and gold sparkle. = $15

Another set of hand dyed domestic wool braids dyed by the Yarn Wench, another custom request, this time in shades of purple and orange. Braids are 3.8 and 3.7 oz for a total of 7.5 oz = $20
The above two pictures are the next lot - another two batches of hand dyed domestic wool dyed by the Yarn Wench in color "Vibe" - bright shades of orange with a bit of green. 4.1 oz and 4.5 oz for a total of 8.6 oz = $20

This is another lot that would be good for felting as the pink roving shown here, while merino wool, is *very* difficult to draft, so would be best used for felting or for "knitting-with-roving" projects. There is 3.8 oz of pink, 1.1 oz of orange, and 1.9 oz of bright yellow, 1.1 oz of lighter yellow, and .4 oz of natural colored wool. Total = 8.3 oz = $14

The next lot combines 3 needle felting kits I purchased when I thought I would start needle-felting. It's not that I don't want to, actually, but the truth is, I don't have time. So, I'm offering all three kits together in one lot. This way, you will receive plenty of bits of wool and sparkle, 3 different foam blocks, several bandaids, multiple needles, and different instructions. The Crafty Ass Chick set includes pinbacks, too, to make flower pins (along with the instructions to make such flower pins). Here is a picture of the 3 sets -

The large set is the CraftyAssChick set which includes instructions on how to make the flower pins (I paid $40 for this set alone!). The other set is from YarnPunk and includes some thicker sparkle (I paid $9). The other kit, I'm not sure where I got it from, but is also included (7.95 price tag). ALL THREE SETS = $40 (that's basically getting the two smaller kits for FREE)

I'm including this lot here today because some of the wools I've posted today would be great for felting!

So, that's it for this week! I still have some loose fibers/locks available from last week. You can see what is still available HERE and HERE.

SUNDAY DESTASH WEEK TWO

2009-05-10T08:15:00.001-05:00

This week's Destash post should be done and posted this afternoon! I was gone all day yesterday so have to get everything photographed this morning and then posted. I've got lots, once again!

Stay tuned . . .

New bamboo yarns!

2009-05-05T12:14:00.004-05:00

Today I listed 4 skeins of bamboo. One color, Lilac Mint, is one I haven't done in awhile, and the other, Marigold Sky, is one I have never done before! They are all a bit thicker - DK weight as opposed to sport - and lighter colors perfect for spring. Here is a mosaic of the skeins and you can find them all on ETSY HERE.

Also, my Sunday Destash is still going - you can find out what I have remaining in THIS POST and THIS POST. This past weekend was mostly loose fibers and locks. May 10 I'll be posting roving and May 17 it will be some commercial yarns. May 23 will be a round up of whatever else I have found to destash - some hand spuns, other odds and ends - and May 31 will be a recap of whatever is left. What doesn't get sold this way will be posted on etsy in larger lots.

Back to work now! I've got LOTS of bamboo to spin and am hoping to get some art yarns done this week, too.

DESTASH SUNDAY PART TWO

2009-05-03T19:41:00.020-05:00

Thank you to those who have already helped me find new homes for some wonderful fibers that I just don't think I would get around to spinning. As promised, here is the second post for today, which is mostly small lots of fiber. I've grouped them together by color as in most cases I had more than one of the same and in other cases I combined ones I thought were similar.

Same rules apply as to the previous post -
Each item has a price listed. I prefer paypal payment.
Shipping is FREE in the USA. I prefer not to ship these internationally, but if you live outside the USA and are interested, please email me for shipping costs.
If you buy 3 or more lots, you will get a discount, usually 10%, though on these smaller lots I will only discount if you buy ALOT.
To purchase, please EMAIL ME at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com
In the case of multiple requests for the same item, I will go by whoever emailed first.
I will remove items as they are sold.

This is a lot of two Yarn Wench Mmmbelishments. The one on the left is a Valentine one and all that remains is 1 ounce of hand dyed red Cotswold locks. The one on the right is Mmmbelishment #7 - Cherry/Orange/Bronze hand dyed Cotswold locks with just a bit of angelina. Total 1.7 oz - $7

Mmmbelishments in Fuchsia/Pink (.8 oz) and Purple/Orchid (.7 oz) - Cotswold Lamb locks and angelina and the one includes a few shimmery circle Paillettes. Total 1.5 oz = $6

This is actually a combination of 3 Mmmbellishments - two Fuchsia/Yellow/Orange (1.5 oz) and .3 oz of Pink/Chartreuse. Also included are some buttons and some ribbon. $9

Hand-dyed Romney Locks - Deco - in golden brown and violet. You can see better pictures of one of these HERE. Total 1.8 oz = $7

Hand-dyed Romney locks - in lavender, olive and gold. You can see better pictures of these HERE. Total - 2 oz = $7

Mmmbellishments 12 and 13 - Pink/Rust/Olive - Cotswold Locks, Angelina, and buttons - You can see better pictures of these HERE. Total 1.6 oz plus buttons = $8.50

The two pictures above show 4 small batches of fiber - the top picture is Romney in Pinks and Blues (total 1.4 oz) and the bottom is Romney in Lavender and Blue (on the left - .9 oz) and Sherino in Fuchsia/Turquoise/Blue (on the right - .8 oz). Also included are Paillettes and a bit of angelina. Total - 3.1 oz plus Paillettes = $12

Well, I think that is all for this week. NEXT WEEK will be ROVING destash and so far I've got some merino that would be good for felting and some superwash merino, too. I'm sure I'll find more, too!

New hand spun yarns!

2009-05-03T15:22:00.004-05:00

I have listed three new single ply yarns on etsy today, along with two 2-ply skeins from yesterday. Here is a mosaic of the new yarns -

I'll be doing my second destash post later tonight. It will mostly include 2-4 oz batches of locks of various fibers and a few with some buttons, angelina, and other embellishments.

DESTASH SUNDAY!

2009-05-03T11:58:00.026-05:00

I have a lot more than I thought, so I'm going to break this into 2 posts today. First, I'll be posting the larger batches of fiber and LOOP babycakes, and later tonight I'll be posting smaller amounts of loose fibers organized into lots by color. In most cases, I've posted a new picture of the fiber, but in some cases (those where I just can't get the colors right), I'm including a link to the original listing on the Yarn Wench site (since most of these are from there).

Each item has a price listed. I prefer paypal payment.
Shipping is FREE in the USA. I prefer not to ship these internationally, but if you live outside the USA and are interested, please email me for shipping costs.
If you buy 3 or more lots, you will get a discount, usually 10%.
To purchase, please EMAIL ME at kittygrrlzinc@yahoo.com
In the case of multiple requests for the same item, I will go by whoever emailed first.
**I will remove items as they are sold.**

Here are the first items available -

Premium Mixed Bag 5 - 3.7 oz - $18
From the Yarn Wench listing - "A Mixed Bag of assorted hand-dyed wool roving, targhee locks, Cotswold locks, silk, and angelina. Perfect for drum-carding or spinning as is!" - Please note - I have prepped/pre-drafted most of the roving in this lot.

Okay, I think that is it for now! I still have tons of smaller bags of Yarn Wench Mmmbelishments, and a couple more larger bags of locks, but I will post those later tonight.

I'll also be listing 3 new Falkland single ply yarns on etsy this afternoon!

DESTASH Sundays Post

2009-05-03T08:43:00.002-05:00

Coming soon! I should be posting it between 12noon and 1pm Central Time.

I didn't get pictures taken yesterday, so will be doing that this morning and then posting the items.

I know this one will focus on some loose fibers - alpaca, Cotswold locks - and Loop Babycakes.