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

;) 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 Divine - finally!

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!

Plum Divine - favorite of all time?

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.)

Lots of new yarns and a new bamboo color!

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!

Fabulous Finds Made From My Yarn!

Before I get to my new listing and picture for today, I have to share some of my favorite items that have been made with my yarns. Spinning yarn and selling it - that is a great feeling, to know that someone else likes my yarn enough to buy it - but seeing that yarn turned into something wonderful - that feeling is even better! Lately, some really talented people have created some great items with my yarn so today I'm going to share them with you.

First, is Brenda of Phydeaux Designs. She has actually used several of my yarns for her beautifully knit scarves, but this one is my all-time favorite - so lush and gorgeous - she really knows how to get the most out of my art yarns - Here is her "Titania" Scarf knit with "Sabrina's Vintage Garden" art yarn - (great photo courtesy of Brenda)

She also makes the best scarves out of the best hand spun thick n thin single ply yarns out there - those spun by Naomi of Knotty HandSpuns. Seriously, these scarves are amazing - the spinning is exquisite and the knitting equally so! This is one of my recent favorites, "Honey Berry" spun from Naomi's "Plum Honey" hand spun Squoosh Monster thick n thin single ply yarn. (Again, photo courtesy of Brenda)

Today, I was also notified of this great hat knit with my hand spun single ply yarn by Dave at UrbanRagg, also on etsy. I especially like how he combined my yarn with that of another etsian! Such great colors - and he's got lots more to choose from, too! (photo courtesy of UrbanRagg)

Finally, I have to include one of Becca's capelets - She can be found on etsy - HappiKnits and also on Trunkt! What I love most about her items are the elegance and how she uses the art yarns in an understated way to add that perfect little-extra to her designs. Oh, and of course I love this one because of the color! (photo courtesy of Becca)

These are only a few of the wonderful artists who have used my yarns in their creations, but just happen to be my most recent favorites!

And, quickly, here is the latest yarns I listed today - more Plum Divine 2009. This is the last of the fiber I have on hand so I'm not sure when I'll spin this one again - though I'm sure I will at some point! I have two skeins - an 82 yard skein and a smaller, 48-yard skein.

Plum Divine 2009!

Back in December, I bought several batches of hand dyed wool from the Yarn Wench in one of my all-time favorite colors - Plumgrove. I use the plumgrove color to spin my FunctionArt Plum Divine Yarns. I have spun quite a few batches of this color in various fibers and styles of yarn. You can see all of them here in this flickr set. The most recent batches I bought were supposed to be spun in December, and my plan was to "retire" this color in 2009. But, I just can't stay away! (Plus, I never had time to get them spun last year!). So, I've decided I will continue to spin it as it arises - meaning, if Lynn dyes it and I happen to purchase it, I'll spin it, but I am not going to take custom requests for it this year.

Anyways, I finally managed to spin the two batches of merino that I had - these seemed a bit darker and deep in color, so it was a good thing that I had to find new yarns to spin in since I'd run out of some of the "staples" I had used in previous versions. There are still a couple of the same yarns from previous batches, but these new skeins have some new ones added in, too. I am still plying with the same color of thread, though.

Here is a mosaic of the 4 most recent skeins.

You can find them on etsy -
Plum Divine 2009 1A - 84 yards
Plum Divine 2009 1B - 76 yards
Plum Divine 2009 2A - 88 yards
Plum Divine 2009 2B - 80 yards

Now, the decision is what to do with the other fiber batches I have! I have 8-12 ounces of this color in a merino/silk blend, and 16 ounces in a Falkland that feels almost like a Falkland/Merino cross. The merino/silk will most likely become a 3ply, but I'm not sure about the Falkland - singles? 2ply? more art yarns? For now, I'm going to spin other things, but this will be in the back of my mind.

And, now, I must get to work spinning some new colors!

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

New bamboo yarns for Monday

New bamboo yarn skeins now listed on etsy! Two skeins of Ocean Dusk and 2 skeins of Chocolate Berry Shine. I should have more tomorrow, too!

And, in other news, today I received some more PlumGrove fiber . . . I know I said I wouldn't be spinning my "Plum Divine" art yarns any more . . . but, I *did* say that it would be a color retired for 2009 . . . so, since it is NOT yet 2009, I am going to try and spin up 4 more skeins in this colorway. As always, they may be slightly different from previous versions, but the main colors will be the same. Look for them late this week or maybe early next week. (Newsletter subscribers please note - these are *not* going to be eligible for the FunctionArt newsletter discount which begins Sunday, December 20. My apologies for this.)

The last of "Plum Divine"

This past weekend I spun 4 more skeins of one of my favorite colorways. It is "Plumgrove" and hand dyed merino wool from the Yarn Wench. Over the past year I have spun so many versions of this colorway, but finally I come to the end. As much as I love this combination, I do believe I'll be "retiring" this colorway and will not be spinning it in 2009. That's not to say I won't have other purple/green combinations, but they would not be "Plum Divine"

Here are the last four skeins -


And, how exciting to find out this yarn was featured on the All Things Dearly blog, as yesterday's Daily Find! Yay!

In other weekend spinning news, I also spun up the last of the "Autumn Spice" colorway. This color originally began as a custom request for a special order. Even though we ended up going with a different color for that project, I loved this combination so much, I still commissioned quite a bit of it from Lynn aka the Yarn Wench. Though I do have more of it in a merino/silk blend, this is the last of the merino spun into two art yarn skeins -

Now, I'd better get to work - I've got lots of Falkland wool to spin into single plys today!

This week . . .

I will be knitting ALOT. This means I may not have many new yarns listed. I am preparing for the MUSKY JAMBOREE in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, which is Sunday, August 10. I really need to have more of a balance between knits and yarn, so I will be knitting lots of shawls, scarves, and wristwarmers this week. (and, hopefully some hats if there is time.)

Before I started the knitting yesterday, I did get some new yarns spun!

Plum Divine - yes, I am back at spinning this colorway. I broke down and asked for a pound of it to be dyed for me by Lynn (aka the Yarn Wench) which means I should have new yarns in this color over the next few weeks. So far, I've spun up one 4 oz batch. One skein I knit up into this scarf -
for a customer. And, the other skein, at least for now, is available on etsy -

I say "for now" because if this doesn't sell quickly there is a very good chance I will be knitting it into a hat or maybe a scarf for my upcoming show.

I also spun up a bunch of Novel-Ply yarns - these are yarns that are spun with one strand of hand spun merino wool and then plied with a novelty or specialty yarn. Here are the newest ones -

Hot Stuff -


Ocean Splash -

Autumn Sizzle -

Red Maple Buds -

Turquoise Sands Surprise -

So, that is all from me today - I may not be posting for the rest of the week, but I may try and sneak in a few pictures here and there. But, I will be knitting knitting knitting up a storm this week and hopefully will be back to spinning next week!

(oh, and just an update - my email is back to normal now! yay!)

Plum Divine and a sale!

In addition to gearing up for the Ravelry ad (that is now running, btw! yay!), I'm also getting ready for a SALE that will be running from April 17-20. It is the ESST - Etsy Supplies Street Team sale! The ESST shop sales may include percentage off deals, free shipping, free goodies, or everyday great prices. If you are in need of supplies, starting TOMORROW, search for "esst" on etsy!

Of course, my problem is I'm not exactly sure what MY sale is going to be! So, please keep an eye here on my blog, or my shop announcement on etsy for details starting Thursday morning. I may have different offers each day, or something that I will run throughout. I'm just not sure yet!

What I AM sure about is I have finished all of the Plum Divine skeins! (well, for now, at least!) I have *6* new skeins up at kittygrrlz.com and my etsy store. Each set of two is slightly different. Here are pictures of each skein with links to the etsy listing. (Please note, if you were to purchase any of them today, or anything else in my shop, and then that item ended up being part of my sale tomorrow, I *will* honor the discount by refunding the difference if payment was already made.)

Plum - Wine - Divine 1 & 2
These have burgundy, green, and purple specialty and novelty yarns spun in and are plied with green thread. Great yardage!

Plum - Lime - Divine 1 & 2
These two skeins have only purple and green novelty and specialty yarns spun in and are both plied with green thread with coils & beehives for added texture!


Plum - Sunshine - Divine 1 & 2
These two skeins have yellow, burgundy, green and purple novelty and specialty yarns spun in and are plied with yellow thread instead of the green.

That's it for today - make sure to check back tomorrow for my ESST sale!

Lots going on this week!

So, tomorrow I will have a featured yarn ad on Ravelry! It will be promoting my "Plum . . . Divine" FunctionArt yarns! I have one ad that I will be using for sure, and another that I might be rotating in. For those who aren't on Ravelry, here are the ads, designed by Scott Bertz of WebWorkLife.

Plum . . . Divine FunctionArt ad:

FunctionArt Ad:

Of course, this means that I have been working hard to have more Plum Divine yarns done! I have 4 of 6 skeins spun up so far and am hoping to finish the last two tonight. Each set of 2 is slightly different. The first set has green, purple, and burgundy yarns spun in while the second set only has green and purple. The second set also has coils and beehives for added texture. I'm not sure what the final set will be - I think it will be closer to the first batch, though, since there is a lot of burgundy in that particular batch of fiber.

I've also got a few special requests in the works as well as working on something else that I'll post about tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some new yarns!

Some more coils! This set is "Smoky Heart" and now on etsy and will be on my website soon!

I also have a Navajo 3-ply skein to list later today. This was spun from hand dyed merino wool, dyed by the Yarn Wench - a color called "Kilkenny". I've already spun other batches of this color into the "Compendium" FunctionArt Yarn, and also a small Novel-Ply skein called "Surprise Party". It's interesting to see the same color spun up in different ways! This is the "Compendium" Navajo 3-ply, and again, this will be listed later today:

And, finally, here is a sneak peak at the Plum . . . Divine skeins! These will not be available until late tonight or early tomorrow morning:


These two are the "Plum - Wine - Divine" One is 130 yards and the other is 124 yards. Bulky weight.
This is one of two Plum - Lime - Divine skeins. They are 94 yards and 84 yards, bulky/super bulky weight and also have coils/beehives spun occasionally for extra texture.

That's it for now! Make sure to check back tomorrow for more Plum Divine pictures and also something else!