24 hours from now...

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

Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns!

Cloudlover Yarn & Fiber!

 

 Patterns by Phydeaux Designs!

Hope to see you tomorrow!!

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

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

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

Three short days...

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

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

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

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

New Yarns and a new scarf!

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!

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.

New yarns and more . . .

So, today I want to first take a moment to share some totally awesome scarves that were knit with my yarn! The first ones are from Brenda of Phydeaux Designs. She has used several of my art yarns to make her gorgeous hand knit scarves. Here are just a couple (you can click on the picture to go to the etsy listing!)


Then, there is my fiber friend Naomi - she spins some wonderful yarns herself and you can find her etsy shop HERE. Here is a wonderful scarf she knit for her Mom with my "Martha's Midnight Trellis" boucle yarn. She takes some great pictures so I'm including two shots.


And, just in case you thought the only thing you could make with my yarns are scarves, here is a wonderful art doll made by Lisa. You can find her wonderful Nymphlings on etsy HERE.
This is "Veruca the Grape Vine Nymph"! Her HAIR was made with one of my Plum Lime/Plum Grove skeins! You can see more pictures of Veruca HERE. At this time Veruca is not for sale, but she also has a really wonderful bunny in her shop now, "Rosebud Bunny".
Finally, before I have to go, I will share pictures of a couple new yarns. These were shown yesterday, but now I have much better pictures and they are officially available on etsy and kittygrrlz.com.

Blu-Mocha Cherry Hand Spun Art Yarns - two skeins, 100 yards (plied with pink thread) and 92 yards (plied with blue thread). Both have 15 different novelty yarns spun in (3 hand dyed by the Yarn Wench!) which is more than usual for one of my art yarns. I also spaced them much closer, so overall there is MORE spun into the skeins! Here they are!
Then, there is what I spun last night! First, I gathered together the novelty yarns I wanted to spin into the fiber:
Then, I spun up the single:

And, finally, ta-da! Two new skeins of art yarn! These pics aren't the greatest, but I'll be taking better ones this afternoon and then listing them both.


Till tomorrow . . .

A few things for Tuesday . . .

First, WOW this is two days in a row I am posting! Woohoo!

As always, I have a few new yarns to share. But, first, I'd like to mention a great blog that I'm currently featured on - MoonDogTreasures. She features some wonderful etsy sellers that offer a variety of handmade goodies, as well as makes some great jewelry herself - here is one of my favorites:
I'd also like to mention another customer of mine that is using my yarns in the wonderful scarves she knits! You can find Phydeaux Designs on etsy, as well as her blog here. She knit this yarn:

into a fabulous scarf! Click on the picture above to see the listing on etsy! Check out her shop for other wonderful cozy scarves, too!

Now, here are the new yarns . . . several of these have already been spoken for, but the others are or will be listed soon. First, two that ARE available and just the perfect thing needed to brighten up these dreary days we've been having! Neon Taffy and Neon Taffy Song are both spun from Falkland wool (dyed by the Yarn Wench) with lots of novelty yarns spun in and plied with colorful thread.


Then, there are the "Last Tango" skeins, also spun from Falkland wool dyed by the Yarn Wench. These two are spoken for, but here is a picture anyways:

Then, there are two I just spun up last night. The first is also already spoken for, and the second will be listed later today. They are both spun from hand dyed merino wool (again, dyed by the Yarn Wench), a color called "Aegean". The first has lots of Cotswold locks spun in and novelty yarns. The locks and two of the yarns were also hand dyed by Lynn aka the Yarn Wench. Plied with green thread. The second is spun and then plied with OnLine Linie "Shari" yarn. Similar to the "Lime Cosmos" skein, except this one - the base fiber is more blue than green.

That's all the new goodies I have for now. Not sure what I'll be spinning next as I've also got to get some knitting done for a show this weekend - it is the HIGH NOON SALOON Valentine CRAFTACULAR in Madison, Wisconsin - at the High Noon Saloon! The Craftacular shows are always fun so I am really looking forward to it! BUT, I do want to have at least a few new knits for it, so I must get going on that this week! I have really been trying to have one new yarn a day, but that may not happen this week as I prepare for the show. We'll see, though . . I always *say* I'm going to knit, but the call of the spinning wheel is too strong, and I end up spinning instead!

Well, I think that is it! Yay for posting two days in a row . . . can I make it 3??