23 days until Stitches Midwest....

There are 23 days until Stitches Midwest!  I'm very tired today...I was up until about 1am prepping 10 pounds of bamboo fiber!  Well, I started this on Sunday, but finished 4 more pounds last night...here it all is, ready to spin!  Each pile will become one skein of yarn - approximately 4 ounces each...there are 40 piles here!

And, some close-up shots (colors prepped:  Summer Shades (3 pounds), Coral Tide (1 pound), New Southwest (2 pounds), DragonWing (2 pounds) and Plum Paradise (2 pounds).  (Please excuse the photos, they were taken with a flash after midnight and bamboo really doesn't photograph well with a flash.)

Some may ask, why do you prep the fiber before spinning it, especially if it takes so much time?  That's a good question, but I prep, or "pre-draft" as it's usually called, ALL of my fiber before spinning.  I feel it helps loosen the fibers and makes them easier to spin and also makes it easier to control the thickness of the finished yarn.  Since the bamboo is best spun thin, this prep work is especially important!

What did Bug do while I worked all night?  She hung out in the Fiber Room, since I had taken over her living room floor!

24 days until Stitches Midwest!

As of today, there are 24 days until Stitches Midwest!  What is Stitches Midwest?  Stitches Midwest is a huge, extended weekend event that includes classes, a market and other happenings...all centered around YARN and the things you can do with it!  This year's show takes place from August 8 though August 11, 2013, in Schaumburg, Illinois.

I've wanted to be a vendor at Stitches Midwest for years.  But it is a very expensive and time-consuming show, so it just never worked out....until this year!

A few months ago, Natalie of Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber asked what I thought about doing Stitches Midwest.  For some reason, instead of making excuses as in previous years, I said, "YES!".  It is all thanks to her that I'll be there - she took care of all the administrative work - applying, ordering the things we'll need, and all the stuff that just doesn't happen automatically when you apply for such a huge event.  It is totally awesome that she's letting me share her booth with her!

But, wait, WHAT was I thinking?  This all came about just as I was moving!?  When was I going to have time to SPIN any yarns for this show??   I had to deal with the moving first, but started making plans to get some major spinning done once that was all done....I've been working at it for a month or so, but now I'm really getting down to it....I will have many long days of spinning ahead....

What I plan on doing here on my blog is posting daily updates from now until the show.  Pictures of the process, where I'm at, and of course, NEW yarns that will be available in our booth...oh, wait, how could I not have given our BOOTH NUMBER!!!

Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber and Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns will be in BOOTH 725!!!!!

So, for my first actual "this is what I'm doing" post...here is a picture of what I started working on yesterday .... prepping pounds and pounds of bamboo fiber for spinning...

Tonight, I will finish and will post a picture tomorrow of what it all looks like when it is "prepped"!

As I was doing that, my cat Bug just lounged around...here she is watching from the bed as I got everything ready....

 And, finally, this isn't the best picture, but here is a preview of the colors in the next art yarn I'll be spinning!

That's my update for today!  Hopefully by doing this it will help keep me on task so that I will have many new yarns to share in BOOTH 725 at Stitches Midwest.

It is very sad that I haven't posted on this blog in so long! Well, I'm resurrecting it starting TODAY!  Look for daily posts from me... starting in just a little bit!

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

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

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!

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

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.