Checking in

Lately I've been rather busy. Sunday starts with church and ends with exhaustion after a usually warm farmers market. Every other Sunday I make dinner. Often after the market I am doing other outdoor chores. Monday isn't especially busy, but having Stephanie home makes up for that. I've been trying to come up with designs for a few new products. Tuesday have been days with Peter because they are usually his only day off we have time together. Last week my step-mother took Peter, Stephanie, Izzy and myself to Bong State Park. We had a total blast! Izzy learned the hard way that there were fish in the pond we swam in. One ran right into her. Peter had to relearn to keep moving in the water to keep the fish away. Stephanie is getting better at swimming. Wednesdays are usually work days at the church for the flea market. Afterwards it's outdoor chores. Thursdays have been knitting days with Momma E and Aunt Kathy, but became dedicated to the shop while Peter was working. Recently they have been taken over by the flea market work days and outdoor chores. I'm hoping to get to knitting this week. Friday is time for Bible study and other chores. Saturday is filled with all sorts of doings that are sometimes chore related and sometimes getting other work done. Soon they will be another market day at the Burlington Garden Center.



Peter's schedule is changing again this week. It's the better part of the week, but it means getting used to it again. The best thing about this schedule change is being able to go to Thursday night knitting again.



Last week I was supposed to take the children to see my mother. They were going to see Mr. Poppers Penguins at the Woodstock Theater for $1/person. (Note the word 'were'.) My sister didn't have her vehicle nor Isabella's car seat. So, that was canceled. While waiting to figure out that everything was canceled and my mother-in-law driving up to take Steph overnight I finished reading the Vampire Armand by Anne Rice. That is book number 3 out of 12 on the book challenge. The other two were Spinning: Beyond the Basics by Anne Field and Color in Spinning by Deb Menz. I recently started reading All Wound Up by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. She is a hoot! Her humor is right up my alley and closely seated next to me. Sometimes we have the exact trains of thought.

Saturday I spent some quality time with Carissa of Bumblebee Acres and her family at the Woodstock Farmers Market. It was a great time. She finally was awarded her birthday prizes. We sat down to spin, but she forgot her bobbins. It is so devastating to realize you forgot the one thing you cannot spin without. It's like loosing your first born in a store before clerks brings him or her to the service desk. The lack of bobbins did not prevent me from spinning up the BFL/Silk blend from Cloudlover named Juke Joint. We sat and talked for a good long time. It was refreshing and something we both needed for a while. Stephanie and Peter wound up buying two new books at the used book store in the square mall. After the market we went home to rest up from being in the hot hot sun.

This week looks to be a bit calmer than the last two. It means there is time dedicated to finish this pair of fingerless gloves for a friend. She is trading me massage time for them. It's an awesome trade.

Today I spent the morning talking with our accountant, chatting with friends, watching pheasants hatch, knitting, and hanging out with our outdoor cat. Bailey is a smart cat that can make it back from all sorts of jams. We hadn't seen him for almost a week before he trotted on home. (Yes, I know it is the time of year where the cats mate like rabbits, but it's nice to know he's alive.) We spent some time just laying in the sun. Afterward we went to sit in the swing. Rather than hopping in the swing, which I think he is deathly afraid of and have the scratches to prove it, he plopped down in the chimera.

Bailey is one adorable cat.

So, that leads me to typing this post.

Although the weather has improved from the sticky hot and humid week before, we still haven't seen a whole lot of rain this season. The last time it rained was June 16th. We need it. Please, pray for rain. This week we are expected to reach the 100 degree mark. I am dreading that day. My sister wants to take the kids to the zoo. She is totally nuts! I think we should go to her house and hang out in the pool, but that is just me. If anything I'll be driving out to see Momma E and Aunt Kathy. Even then the day will be maddening in a car without air conditioning.

For now, I bid everyone adieu. It is time to knit. Have a good afternoon!
<3

FYI: Sales

Here is some sale news for everyone! 

I'm saying good-bye to anything from 2010. 

There are some fibers and yarn up for grabs at 20% off at my shop.  

 They will stay discounted until sold. 

~*~

Miss Brie of Fall Creek Fibers is also having a sale on all of her delicious yarns and fibers.

Use the code 'christmascheer' at check out and save 30% on your purchase.

She has some lovely MCN sock yarn available. :) 

I hope you like what you see! 

Have a pleasant day. 

<3 

~Holiday Break~

Hello, lovely friends and followers!

Until the new year I'm going to be taking a blogging break. 

There isn't enough time to knit & shop.

LOL 

So, expect sporadic and unplanned posts this holiday season. 

It's going to be an awesome new year. 

This week I'm getting my first ever wholesale account through Ashland Bay. 

It's going to be so very fun to dye again. 

This also means I have to sit down with my father and step-mother to talk about where I will be dyeing. 

Debbie has a serious respiratory issue, which dyeing in the house may exacerbate. 

That would be the last thing I would want to do. 

On the bright side of things, our garage has a wood burning stove I can light up and keep me warm. 

Also, there is more room and electrical space. 

Yay!

The only other thing I'd need is another 5 gallon bucket for soaks and water. 

Either way, things will be fantastic!

Heck, I might be able to get more work done during the day. 

This month I will be looking into a few craft shows in the area. 

Hawk's View Golf Course has a show in March. 

In May, the Burlington Jaycee's has an Arts & Craft's Fair. 

Hopefully there will be more springing up. 

Have an awesome holiday season, if I don't see you guys soon!

<3

Ask. Believe. Receive.

New Store

Hello! 

As of December 6th my Artfire Studio will no longer sell products. 

Please refer to my Storenvy.com Store or my NEW Supadupa shop. 

Over the big holiday shopping week I found this lovely shop with FREE V.I.P. services for life! 

Yeah, I couldn't pass that up. 

Soon, it will also be featured as the LMS Studio Arts website.

It will be www.lmsstudioarts.com. 

That means this will be its main blog. 

Content will not change here, but you may see a few artworks having nothing to do with fiber. 

I hope you enjoy the changes! 

^_^ 

Enjoy the rest of your week! 

<3

Update

Things have not just frolicked into the fray, and staying there.

The wedding got moved up from June 5th, to May 21st.
It was a lot of work in a short amount of time, but we did it! 

I'm now married, and very happy! 

~*~

Shop announcements:

I've got a lot of inventory to get rid of. 

Until June 9th get 40% off everything in the shop.

This week I've planned a dye day.

It may take a little longer for the batts, but they'll be worth it. 

Peter is off a good portion of this week so he can make more stitch markers.

If he doesn't, I will. 

So, expect a shop update in about two weeks. 

~*~

Also, the new event for the Fiber Indie eXperience is:

****** FIX$ GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY****

Starts: Retroactive MAY 30th
Ends: JUNE 29
Prize: FIX Gift Certificate ……1st prize $50 & 2nd prize $30.

Prize: gift certificate that can be spent in any participating FIX members shop/website….GC can be split up between several shops…winner chooses how to spend it.

How to enter: place an order with one of the participating FIX members shops. Post your order in the FIX$ GIVEAWAY thread in the FIX Co-op Ravelry group.

~*~

One of the ladies at the Algonquin Weight Watchers and I are doing a knit-a-long.

It's a Herringbone Poncho made from some handspun singles. 

This is one of my favorite patterns.

It looks so hip! 

I cannot wait to show you guys when it's done. 

The pea coat and tam for my step-mother is completed.

It is darling! 

My sister's socks are done, too. 

I'm like a rapid knitter all of a sudden. :) 

I'm also working on a belt, which is free form knit and crochet.

The Rawr Shrug idea was scrapped when I couldn't find a suitable pattern to work with.

It was a pain in the butt trying to find one, too. 

So, I decided to make the shrug into a belt. 

~*~ 

Until the next time, have a fantastic week and enjoy the sunshine wherever you are. 

<3

What's going on?

Here's a small recap of the past couple of weeks: 

I'm feeling a lot better about my life, and where I am emotionally. 

It's a wonderful feeling.

I'm finally finished with the Pea Coat Debbie, my step-mom, commissioned.

That was a strange pattern, but it's done! 

Now, the tam on the other hand has just started. 

It shouldn't take more than a day or two to finish. 

Expect pictures in another day or two. 

Our local weather should be good enough to take pictures outside. 

The yarn for my sister's socks came. 

Yes, I still buy yarn from time to time. 

Spinning sock yarn is a bit difficult, yet. 

Practice makes perfect. 

On the wheel is some Decay in Merino by Cloudlover. 

One of the ladies that works for Weight Watchers in Algonquin, IL, knits.

So, we are doing a knit-a-long together. 

I might make this a Ravelry thing, too.

Also, once my portfolio and grammar are up to par, I am going to start looking for work at home moms. 

I may not be a mom by blood, but taking care of my step-daughter is a full-time job. 

I would like to keep doing the fiber thing, and take care of my household. 

My conditioning has taken me away from what would really make me happy, to be a stay at home mom. 

Once I am pregnant again, and to a certain point in pregnancy I no longer wish to work outside the home. 

There is a joy in a clean house, dinner on the table, and a loving family. 

It is a joy like no other, and I am at peace. 

Never have I been at peace than being at home with my family and projects. 

Another rather drastic decision was made by both parties.

We claim to be pagan/Druid, but we still celebrate the Christian holidays.

This is mainly because of family ties, but no more.

This phase of our lives is over! 

We will continue to celebrate it in other people's homes out of respect, but not in ours. 

There is a time when you realize you're not living life in the manner you have chosen, and this is it. 

More than likely I will be destashing our non-sentimental Christmas decorations

The next big holiday we are celebrating is the Summer Solstice. 

I am recommending our next Grove ritual be held at our home as well. 

It will help us get over a hump that is preventing us from holding our own rites at home.

I do hope to update the shop very soon.

There is still some carding do be done. 

Also, I have to make another run to the local shop for some colored wool. 

Until I can get a dye day in, this is how things have to be. 

Sad, but so true. 

The wedding planning, Grove planning, and work don't leave me with a lot of time to just dye a lot of things. 

Peter and I have both been drained. 

It could be the weather affecting us, as well. 

Thankfully the weather has been kind to us over the past few days. 

I managed to clean up the garage because of it!

Hooray! 

Now, to take the clothes, old toys, and other things to charity. 

So much done, and yet so much more to do. 

Isn't that always the way the cookie crumbles? 

Until next time, have a great week!

<3

Weekly Wallpaper...

I almost forgot! About two weeks back I changed my wallpaper. For now it's going to stay this way. If there is better then it must be found.

It's everyone of the 10th Doctor's companions! Yeah, buddy! Needless to say I am awaiting the Christmas Special the best any fan girl can. Impatiently drowning herself in everything Doctor Who to fill the void.

We're even going to decorate our Christmas tree in a Doctor Who fashion. We wanted to do it this year, but I don't have the time, money, nor energy. Next year we'll get to it. The T.A.R.D.I.S. will be the star. Of course, we will have some Daleks. My biggest project of all will be making a garland out of the scarf pattern for the 4th Doctor. It will be all knit. Matt Smith's Doctor ornament will be a combination of a fez and bow tie. The 10th Doctor's will be his coat. I'm still trying to decide what to do for the Master besides a drum set or a feast of food. If worse comes to worse we can always do a collage, cut, and then pasted on an ornament. So many ideas to go around. My goal is to create an online show and tell of the process. There will be many who will be most happy about it. The BBC, well maybe not so. Personally, then it's their fault for not marketing it in the first place.

If you have any suggestions to something that is better for a wallpaper, feel free to comment with a link.

Last night, I posted an update to the shop. Everything turned out wonderfully! If you haven't seen the wonders, it's time to.

Many of my colorways were influenced by World of Warcraft. My mind has been on the coming expansion known as Cataclysm. Unfortunately we won't be able to buy it until much later. Christmas is killing our finances. Conjurer, Unholy, and Abandonment are the three I can name off hand. However, Candied Yams could also be considered it as well. The Thanksgiving in game event is my favorite of all the holidays because it's the best time of year to level your cooking skills. One of the recipes is called Candied Yams. It is also the only time of year to throw food at other players. Killing the turkeys is fun, too. I want the achievement of Turkinator. Lol, yes the Turkinator.Winterveil is the second best holiday to level up your cooking skills. That's about 5 days away. There will be gingerbread cookies. :)

Anyways, we have snow. We have a Winter Storm Warning in affect. My friend, caitlinchris, has a Blizzard Warning. God speed to her, and may it not wander over here. The warnings are saying, do NOT travel. Ack! Needless to say I will not be going to work if that is what's going on.

That's the news! Have a great weekend, stay out of trouble, and have fun!

Upping the Ante

For the past week my personal life has been crazy! I pulled a muscle in my leg and glute area. So, my shifts have been limited as well as my boss's patience. It happened at my day job bagging groceries & moving turkeys. For the next week I'm unable to work for more than 4 hours. It stinks, but it's giving me time to work on the advertising aspect of the shop. I've been creating graphics for Phat Fiber and Ravelry. That's right, I just started advertising on Ravelry.

Also, I've been working on what to dye up for the January box. (Hints have been dropped on twitter.) In the mean time I've joined the F.I.X. Co-op. Again, the plan is to start in January. So many things going on, but so little time. In addition to creating items for the box and prize box, I'll be doing a dye/work day today, tomorrow, and Saturday. It should be a whole lot of fun. There are so many ideas buzzing around in my head they need to get sorted and put down on paper. Doing this will give me some time to let the mail carrier bring in the mystery fibers for the Phat Fiber Box. Oh the yummies!

A few months ago I decided to make Spinner's Mates for some of my fiber pimps and friends for Christmas. About 2 months ago I finally finished gathering all measurements, fabrics, thread, etc. Today is the day to get the fabric cut and the preliminary pinning done. Depending on when the mystery fiber from International Fleeces arrives (super fast shipping as always, too) that will stop the sewing and start the dye day process.

My Etsy shop is being used for clearance items only. All updates will be run through Artfire from here on out. There are so many options with ArtFire, which are just starting to be explored by Etsy. My next update should be no later than Wednesday of the upcoming week.

Have a great weekend.
TTFN!

P.S. No giveaway this month. There is a lot to do. There will be one in January after the Phat Fiber Box has been shipped. Yes, I will spoil you.

Cha...Cha...Changes are happenin'!

First of all, how do you like the new blog design? It seems much more simple and beautiful to me.

Boll Weevil - 100g Falkland/Corriedale Wool

What an exciting day! I've finally moved my entire shop to Artfire. There were more items added today as well as sale items. I love the ability to flag sale items. The decision was made after several Etsy sellers were unknowingly suspended from their site. There was no reason for the suspension given by Etsy either. To avoid the same goofy glitch, I made the move much sooner than intended. Today, I performed my first ever Artfire update. It went very well. Boll Weevil was one of the items posted in the update.
 The Black Friday Newsletter will be sent out tomorrow. If you haven't made it on the mailing list yet, sign up! It's scheduled to send at 9 AM EST.

This past week I did not change my background. I long for San Diego often. However, this week I changed it to another iconic image of a Goddess who is known to many, Persephone. It's just that time of year.
We watched a great documentary series episode called Clash of the Gods: Hades. It talks about how Hades pulled her down to the Underworld, and made her his bride. She ate three pomegranate seeds given to her by Hades. He tricked her to stay in the Underworld for every seed she ate. I've touched on this before in a post regarding Samhain so I'll shoosh now. Next week will be Aphrodite. She's another great Goddess.

This past week I've had three commissioned pieces come into the works. The first is a pair of fingerless gloves. Natalie has been asking me about making her a pair for quite some time. It wasn't until after knitting the Pagosa Mitts I realized how easy they were to do. So, I bought some KnitPicks Stroll Sport Weight in black, and the project began. Last week I listed a custom Reiki distance healing doll. Within a day someone sent me a request on Etsy. Today I finished it. Tonight I am going to cleanse, charge, and package it. Lastly, a friend asked me to knit the digestive tract for her. There is already a pattern available online. Finding all the yarn will be a great task. This probably will not be started until after the holidays. Finishing the Lady Sunshine Cardigain needs to come first.

January 2011 will be my first contribution to the Phat Fiber Box. However, I'm having a hard time coming up with an idea. I was thinking about dyeing up some roving, spin a braid, create samples from that, and have two or three braids of the roving for the shop. The colorway is stumping me. Guess I should check out what colors are lucky and prosperous according to the Chinese. ;)

Keep on truckin'! 

Shop Update & More...

The first of many things, who won!?
The winner of the September giveaway is ::drum roll:: Little Miss S. Congratulations!! I'll be sending you a message shortly. Thank you for participating, everyone! Next giveaway will be next month. (Hint: Christmas is coming sooner than you think.) Yeah it might be a bit early, but have you ever seen a sheep dressed up as a pumpkin? Hmm...now this gives me pause. ::hamsters are turning the wheels in my head:: 

This past evening was the small shop update. I made the decision late in the game because of another doctor appointment and the events that followed. (Pinched nerve in my neck and back area required xrays. Groceries needed to be bought as well as prescription pick up.)

Grigoriy - SW BFL

In addition to the shop update, I've started a destash on Ravelry. There are some of my hand painted braids that didn't quite turn out the way I planned there as well as other dyers.

Oh, almost forgot to mention the sale going on at the shop. From now until 23:59 CDT on Sept. 23rd, there will be a roving and yarn sale. Buy one get the second half off on all roving. All yarn is 15% off.

This week I will be working on artwork for Peter's, my fiance's, shop called Storm Dragon Creations. He changed it, but I think it works out nicely. He'll be selling his own unique brand of stitch markers, row counters and jewelry. Be sure to read his item descriptions as they will be full of funnies, I'm sure.

Ecology & Me (part 2) will be coming very quickly. Thursday of this week, I will be joining a group of people in town to collect some Ratibida pinnata (Yellow cone flower) seed. My goal is to have some pictures taken during our lunch break for all of you to see.

Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

This week...

• It's been a rather interesting time as I headed back to work for the first time in two weeks. My vacation was very rejuvinating. More things seemed to be easier and doable since returning to work. 
• Thursday, was Stephanie's (stepdaughter) first day back at school. She is happy to be back, too. Her instructor started them immediately on reading 25 minutes a day. Homework on the first day! She's giving the kids a taste of what the real school world is going to be like. Hooray! 
• Yesterday I decided to scrap working on the Lady Sunshine Cardigan for now. My goal was to have it made for a Christmas present. Instead, I'm going to spin some new yarn for a cowl and headband. However, I did finish Isabella's (niece) birthday sweater. Uncle Glen's socks are coming along quite nicely as well. The heel has been turned, I'm working on the leg portion. It's my first pair of toe up socks. :)
• I am reading a few books for some independent study. The first is "Feeling Good," a self-help book for mood disorders/depression. It's reshaping the way I think about myself and the world around me. "Classical Mythology" is a Hellenic book I'm reading for a required book review on hearth cultures of the Indo-Europeans. The third is a writer's companion book. The book contains information on writing composition and grammar. Somehow I missed some of these crucial bits of information in high school and/or college. Either that or they simply didn't teach all of it. Both situations are highly likely. My secondary school was underfunded with a ciriculum that stunk worse than fresh skunk spray.
• The medications prescribed for shoulder tendinitis are kicking my butt! The muscle relaxer makes me sleep longer than needed. The anti-inflamatory also makes me tired. Missing a doseage is not a good idea either. The pain comes back and allows my migraines to sneak into the picture. Bleh, migraines! 
• Sneak attack food cravings came into play about five days ago. I wanted peanut butter cookies and/or Softee doughnuts. They have both been quenched, but now I want pancakes from IHOP. ::sigh:: No, I'm not pregnant. 
• I've begun playing World of Warcraft again. Greymane is my Alliance server. I'm thinking of going to another server for Horde characters, but not quite sure. It's not that I need it because my play isn't very often. Two of my characters were deleted for non-usage on Wyrmrest Accord. Either way my Draenai Paladin is now level 20! Hooray!! 

I've gotta get back to knitting some socks. Have a good weekend!!

Collaboration UPdate

It's an update because things are moving upward and onward! Today the lovely and amazing Holly P. sent me an awesome convo on etsy. It's pictures of the much awaited and not so debated collaboration project of Triumph.

For those of you who don't remember what Triumph is here is a picture of that delicious Polwarth yarn. :D It's a navajo-plied worsted weight yarn. When knitted it's truly an amazing bit of work. The pattern Holly is creating is truly divine and shows every little flair of color. You can get updates straight from her blog, too.


The next project has been creating a sampler pack of handspun yarn for Dale of The Light Brown Hare. She is promoting her shop via blog give-aways. This month she has a coupon for a free Ben & Jerry's pint. How awesome is that now summer has finally decided to make an appearance, take off her coat and stay a while? Soon she'll be giving away my sampler pack. Here is a sneak peak of that sampler:

Every hank is of DK weight and approximately 40 yards. I'd love to spoil the surprise as to the fiber content, but that's the fun of a sampler pack. However, the full sampler pack includes these three hanks, three buttons, 10 random bags of tea and a pattern.


I hope this leaves you salivating for more. Just think after this give-away has finished some of these kits will be available in the shop. :) With July coming up I want to assure everyone that there will be something coming. That something...let's just say a major handspun yarn update is in order. I've dwelved into the mistifying art of scrap inclusions and came up head first into the realm of awesomness. These enchanted art yarns are seductive and full of the fun you need in the dog days of summer.


Let the creative juices keep on flowing!

Sneaky Little Me

I just couldn't wait until Thursday to update my shop. All this wool is just itching to get out. lol That pun was very very intended. At least it's some pretty wool itching at me. There will be more updated on the expected days. Hopefully I will get a lot of dyeing done on Thursday and Friday with another small shop update on Easter Sunday and Monday evenings.

Hopefully tomorrow my Bee Bars from Honey House will be arriving in the mail. These are great for keeping your hands moisturized without destroying your handspun with gook from lotion. If I can work out a deal with Honey House, these might get put up in the shop. Stand by for giveaways featuring this wonderful product!

Something else arrived at the house yesterday. These are Ecualan wool wash samplers. I am going to include these beauties in with orders from the show. Why not treat your wool right, right?

Keep a weathered eye for all the new things jumping their way into my shop.