Twirled, Colored, Sock Club

Two new Twirled colorways have been posted up in the store, I have one more shown in this picture (Adorned) but I'm going to wait a while before I do post it. I really hope these do well. The pictures, as always, just doesn't do yarn justice. Because of the silk thread in them, it gives it this shimmery look and when it's knitted, it has a sort of silver dusted look to the fabric. It is so pretty and is something that would look so lovely as a hat or moebius scarf or something to that nature that can always have a little extra shimmer to it. If anyone wants to give feedback on these gems, please do so! I would love to hear what the buzz is on this yarn. So far, my personal favorite is the Cenote (green) with a close second on the Adorned (multi). What do you think?

I'm so excited!!! I'm getting more colors in soon. They are more specialty colors than my usual bunch but I'm getting a few in each primary parent color and as usual, they're running the gambit of the spectrum from earthy to gem tones. I'm hoping to use them in my Arte Traducido line that I will be coming out with 'soon'.

Speaking the Arte Traducido, I wanted to run a poll on starting up a sock club in the spring. Starting off, I'm thinking of doing a 3 month and a 6 month term where I will do colorways in my Arte Traducido. There will be at least one colorway in the 3 month and at least two colorways in the 6 month subscription that will be exclusive to the sock club and I will have savings for signing up with the subscription. I'm definitely not going to start this until after the new year. Would anybody be interested?

New Yarn Preview, Sale, Spongebob

I give you, Starry Night. Still slightly wet from the dye process. It was dyed up in the wee hours of the night in between watching for Geminid Meteors to flash across the midnight sky. Hubs caught seven, I only caught 4, damn it! It is the first in my line of Arte Traducido, simply, Translated Art. There will be more to come!

I have two more, however, I'll save their preview for my etsy store. They are essentially the same colorway, except on different yarns and give two different color interpretations. The colorway name is Cenote, to pay homage to our fifth anniversary cruise to the Western Caribbean. On the actual date of our anniversary, we went diving in a cenote, roughly translated, sink hole. They had stalactites and stalagmites in the water we were swimming in and everything was dark and bluish green. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time. In a year or two, we hope to go back and hopefully I'll get as much inspiration as I did that time!

The sale is going to be ending soon at the etsy store. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that the sale didn't work out as well as I hoped, but I have to remember, not everyone wants yarn for Christmas. They should, but that's just my opinion. I will be keeping the 50% off priority US shipping though. I wish I could offer it to my international customers, but it's just so darn expensive for regular parcel post. I do try to have it so that if someone's going to buy more though, it is cheaper on the post that way.

Now, the deal with Spongebob, Goose decided that he wanted to ask Santa for the Spongebob video game he saw at the store with Hubs this past weekend. Argh! Last thing I want Santa to get him, but as we're working on his grammar and being polite, he said without assistance when asked what he wanted Santa to bring him, "May I have the Spongebob video game for Christmas please?" Made me beam with pride. He thought really hard and he wanted to make sure he asked right because it's what he really wants. How can I say no?

Finally, Updates and More!

I got more yarn in! Woo hoo! So happy! Now I just need to find the time to dye it during this hectic holiday season. And what colors to dye it. It's been so long since I have had yarn that I almost can't remember what colors I like to dye. Okay, I'm not that far off. But I did want to get some opinions about these two new colorways that I've come up with.

They're not the greatest pictures, if you click on them, it'll bring up the full size, but one is a kettle dye of my bruised colorway, with some new colors thrown in there and the one of the left is what I've donned "Adorned". I got the inspiration from Christmas ornaments that I saw where they were Chartreuse, Turquoise, Burnt Orange and a light Burgundy. Hubs says it looks very rave-ish. Any opinions? Use one or the other or both? Neither?

I do have some new changes with my yarn. My supplier is offering a three ply sock weight over the two ply. I decided to go with the three ply because it will make a thicker fabric and can be knitted on larger gauge needles...probably up to a four or five, where you were pushing it with a three on the two ply. There might be a slight sacrifice with the three ply as it doesn't seem to have as tight of twist, but that might be compensated by the fact of their being one other ply there. (okay, sorry, completely nerded out...I could talk about dye solutions and measurements and math....)

I am also going to hopefully be carrying a new yarn, which I'm thinking about naming Heather Silk. It is a merino superwash wool and silk blend. Three of the four plies in this yarn are the merino and one is silk. Mountain Colors has worked with this yarn and I've bought it and it is sooo freaking soft. I felt a scrap knitted up in my LYS and it really does feel like the velvet on a deer's horn when turned into a fabric. And with that one ply being silk, it doesn't saturate with the same intensity as the merino so if you dye the yarn black, you'd end up with a grey twist candy striping up the yarn. It looks really cool. I'd say it's a light worsted and recommended 4-6 size needle. And again, what's nice, it's superwash! :)

Hopefully by my birthday I will be able to start staging this blog and my etsy store into my own website, http://www.bluehandsfibers.com/. I've owned it for the longest and have been scrambling to learn coding to get it together in something, like my yarns, I feel is presentable to my customers. Dyeing the yarn is the easy part....Just please, send well wishes of good coffee, lots of rest and little interruptions from the hubs at night and maybe I'll get it done soon!

Northern Winds, Stage West Today,Chance of Dye Tomorrow

Brrr! It's cold! Okay, I know I have no room to talk, especially with the northern part of the US in the state it's in, but wow, 64 degrees in my house. Yet I still have found a way to muster that defiance of turning on the heater. It isn't that it costs that much but at the same time, I got a nice low bill, which means more yarn. Yes, I've gotten to that level of dependency and I'm perfectly okay with it.

Today I start my part time job at Stage West, just in time for Christmas. I will be waiting tables and being a cooks assistant, which true, not the most glamorous of positions, definitely the most applicable to my life right now and again, looking at it in stages of yarn, LOTS more. :) Maybe one day I'll even get the balls to go and audition for a part.....as long as it doesn't get in the way of my yarn.

Speaking of which, getting more yarn soon! I'm getting my usual bit of sock yarn and also some new goodies, some dk weight merino superwash and silk blend. When it dyes up, three of the four plies are the merino and one is silk, giving it this real pretty tweedy/heathered look. It would make really good quickie projects, like some fetching or dashing, and even scarves and hats. I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

Feverish Needles

I finally decided what to work on for gifts for friends. I can't post what I'm making for C, but I will after I've given it to her. Everyone that I've shown it to says I couldn't have picked anything more perfect for her so I'm encouraged. She says that she got me 'the perfect gift'. I've never had anyone do what I do. It definitely makes me feel warm and squishy knowing that a friend could care so much.


I've also decided to attempt to make some short fingerless gloves for my friend Michael. I made these for myself with my own hand dyed yarn, Pixie. Please ignore the room behind, I had just gotten a new computer and like with all new things, screw the mess, just get it out so I can play with it!!:

He's tried them on a couple of times and seems to look on them fondly, despite them being for my freakishly small hands AND quiet girly. I want to make his partner something as well, but have already been informed that gifts are not wanted this year. (phooey!) But I got him a card instead. I was thinking some really nice worsted weight ones in dark green or a dark green/black mottled yarn with light cables and ribs on the topside. I need to do super wash though or I'll probably get them back, re gifted to Goose for his fourth birthday.

I also found this beautiful yarn when I went the other day and did the taboo thing of buying myself something during the holiday season. But can you blame me?

It is Araucania Ranco Multi. This is me in a colorway. It is absolutely beautiful. I almost squealed in Yarns Ewenique when I saw it back near all the other sock yarn. It was buried underneath a whole stack of Cherry Tree Hill and Madeline Tosh., just the little purple end sticking out. Now, normally I'm composed, even amongst yarns I find very appealing. Not this one. I snatched it out from under the pile, Cherry Tree and Madeline going everywhere as if this was the last Tickle Me Elmo left in the Northern Hemisphere. I quickly picked up my mess and observed it in it's full glory. Hind sight now, it must have been another patrons phone ringing, but I swore I could hear a full angel choir as I looked the beautiful yarn baby over. Perfect in every way. Tears held back, I finished up my purchase and drove with it sitting proudly out so I could steal a glance at it at red lights.

So, this is why I've been feverishly knitting. Deadlines of making things for friends non withstanding, but I have restrained myself to finishing those before I'm allowed to touch that skein because I know that when I do, nothing else will get picked up.

Projects

I've been trying to work on projects for Christmas rather unsuccessfully lately. I've determined that not too many people will be getting knitted gifts this year. Just simply because the time and yarn haven't been there for me to do so. I do need to come up with something for the husband, he's been very supportive during this whole process, especially since he's been busy working on his own art projects as well. He makes absolutely beautiful stainless steel candle holders and wine racks. His vision of 'what looks good' as he puts it is truly unique to most of the stuff in his arena. If there's an interest, I'll gladly posts some pictures of his stuff.

But still, no idea of what to make him. No time to make a sweater, which he probably wouldn't wear anyway. He likes socks but he'd wear through them super fast. He might do a beanie, but it'd be a plain one, nothing special. I just don't see much that I could make for him. Speaking of the beast, he keeps popping his head in the office to see what I'm up to. Doesn't he know I'm talking about him right now???

Then I still have the task of getting something for my friend Clarine. I got her a small stocking stuffer, which for those who are interested, it's a Body Kiss from Gudonya Too. This stuff is amazing and the owners are as well. But still, it is just a stocking stuffer. I have an idea, a was of honoring some of the work she's done, but it involves a craft I haven't done in a very long time and it's one of those crafts that you loose over time if you don't keep it up. I'm pretty sure I'd be setting myself up for a failure and being stuck right smack dab where I was to begin with.

Anyone want to offer up suggestions, feel free. What do you get your knitting partner in crime when you're pretty sure they haven't gotten you knitting related stuff as well? And it's the first Christmas so it has to be good. Required!