Gentle relaxing shop update

OK, so its sat, and I have the tv on, strangely somehow its got football on it, hmm, will have to change that later, lol. But the shop update is happening slowly and cheerfully :-)

I am changing the product photo's for the yarn, I have to do two pics anyway, so we still have have the nice side ways on photo, but now when you click on the yarn the photo will show the batch, that also gives you an indication that there are larger quantities available too.

So here are a couple of my fav's, this British merino dyes so well it is just gorgeous, I will have stacks of this for ravelry day, although I am struggling to ration it until then because its such a joy to dye.

This is normal bfl, hand wash, and I totall love this colour, this is very nearly a solid, it wasn't meant to be, but its just delicious. And also its really good value at 6.50 per 100gms.

Right better get back to it.

xxx

Update - delayed till sat

Ok, my camera is not working, it took the first 5 pics, and then now the screen is black, it has a new battery, but it seems like the shutter isn't closing properly. As luck would have it, Mr wool took the back up camera to work, which means I can't update the shop. So instead of crying, I am going to just dye some more wool and update tomorrow instead, so we will have a HUMONGOUS update, lol.

I am really sorry :-/

xxxxxxx

Fun stuff

Ok, Thursdays are always crazy because I have to get everything ready for Fridays update, but this morning I am all happy because my brother has a few job interviews, and one of them is for his dream job, and like me, ever since the big disruption in his life of getting divorced, he sometimes has really clear ideas about things and doesn't compromise, I think sometimes you need a good shake up to be able to take risks, lol and seize the day.

So last week when he came to see me, he said, 'Jen, I want a job at X, and I absolutely know that within 2 months I will be working for them.' Despite the fact that everyone said, ooooh, no, in the current climate they will never be taking on more people etc etc, he ignored it and didn't comprise, he sent his CV, made some phone calls, and now he just phoned me to tell me that he has an interview, even though there were no jobs going. I tell you, I am so excited for him, he is just like me, lol, when he decides and can see the thing absolutely clearly, he doesn't comprise. I am so so proud of him, right, I need to stop gushing now, lol and get on with packing up the clubs and dyeing for tomorrow.

I have LOTS of treats, new sock bags, broaches, stitch markers, lace, British merino sock, dk and aran. Some amazing bfl dk, and all the usual suspects, and of course some sparkle.....

So even though I have an evil cold, and I feel mildly delirious, I am dancing around the chapel with just general excitement.

hehehehe xxx

Just when you think things are going to plan

I nonchalantly commented that I hadn't really 'lived' in my 30 current years on this earth, to which My mother replied that actually I had squeezed in more life experiences than most 90 year olds.

Oh have I mum?? I said, looking back on the trail of carnage that I have left behind, and wondering what it would look like by the time I was 40, eek.

Anyway, just when I think I am nearly 'there', wherever 'there' is, I turn a corner and go in a different direction which no body ever really expects.

There is a little bit of turning corners going on as usual, lol, nothing bad, just little change that's all (personal change, not business). I think the business is my one main thread I can always stick to which I know I shall never get tired of, yay, lol. Anyway, I will tell you lots more when I have firmed up my plans, but for now, I just thought I would leave you dangling, lol.

xxxxxx

If you are coming....

If you are going to Unravel tomorrow, have a fab day, and if you are coming to the Getknitted dyeing class tomorow, I promise you we are going to have  a scream, I have lots of treats and wonderful things for you to dye.

Updated shop as much as I could in the time I had, lol, there is lots on there, but still more to go on, lol.

Happy shopping and have a lush weekend :-)
xxxx

Unravel

OK second post today, lol, I have had a few emails asking my about if I am going to Unravel on sat, I am not, I double booked unfortunately, BUT Kareen from the Interknit cafe has some of my yarn, I sent her a box, with some lace and scrumptious in it and some scrumptious 4ply, nef etc, its only part of my range, because quite alot is not wholesalable, but there is still lots of the favourites.
xx

So many things - treats, British merino and scrumptious.

Ok so firstly, update on the olive oil cleansing thing??? Totally amazing, currently have spot free skin, and its lovely and soft, and all the redness has gone, I am going to see what happens, cause sometimes my skin just responds well to a change, but my goodness, I don't think it has been this good since I had a holiday, if it stays this way, I shall give up all expensive products forever, currently this will save me approximately 600 quid a year in facial products and facials, imagine all the yarn I could buy with that huh???, yeah cause I need yarn, and I don't already have enough!!!

Now update is starting today, because tomorrow I am off because I am doing a dyeing workshop at Getknitted on Saturday, so its unlikely I can squidge everything in on a Friday, I have   lots of everything including all the fibres I never managed to get on there from last week, and also, there is the last kilo of sparkle sock, have to wait for next shipment after that, and lots of scrumptious 4ply, not really sure if I really have talked much about this yarn, but am now getting to grips with it, I am totally hooked on it, it takes the dye like a dream, its so damn soft and shiny, and ITS MACHINE WASHABLE, I have dyed up some nice big quantities, in semi solids, because it will work superbly for babies clothes, and delicious knitted garments, not tried it for socks yet, but I will do later, I may get it spun differently for a special sock yarn, but we'll see about that for later in the year. I wish I could photo graph the gorgeous colours I have here, the photo's don't do it justice...

And, this has to tell you how actually more organised I am, I have knitted a swatch of it within 1 week of getting the stuff, this was knitted on 3.5mm needles, and I am loving the fabric, once I have done enough then I shall go down a size and see about the texture for socks, but this would make a super yarn for summer garments because its feels so light and soft (ignore my dreadful knitting, I had aching joints yesterday, god knows why, I think I have been typing too much, and it made my knitting not flow very well, lol).

 

So next,  I also got more special yarn, this is stuff I have been requesting for over a year now; someone happened to purchase the finest bale of British merino at auction last year, or might now have been the year before, and see, this is how long it takes to get things made in this damned county!!!!! If I wanted all my products from THE UK I would be 3 years behind, anyway, so the yarn I requested has FINALLY arrived; Superwash aran, merino, and SOCK, the whole lot has been sold already, but the sock was made for me, so I have the whole lot of that, but its only 100 kilos, so it ain't gonna last very long, but its STUNNING, its really really energetic yarn, and so soft and blimin plump as anything, you guys are gonna love it.

I also managed to get some of the dk and Aran, but I have only about 20 kilos of each, but the dk again is so plump and soft, not like anything I have dyed before, its gorgeous, and just sucks up the dye. Again the pics don't do it justice this week will be only 200gms of each colour, because I am testing the yarn, I can't use normal dyeing techniques on this because it drinks the dye and so I need more complex methods, but after this week it will be available in Jumper quantities, but I made a decision not to sell it wholesale, this means it will be more competetive from my shop because I won't have to work in wholesale prices, the irony is I keep hearing people say, oooh, you hand dyers, your yarn is so expensive compared to debbie bliss and rowan, well actually people if actually took the time to compare the prices they are not, and I do sell solid standard yarns, not just hand dyed, which are WAY cheaper, again because  don't wholesale them, just because generally they are sold in 100gm hanks it means it seems more, but most of my yarns are the same or cheaper than most of the big brands, especially the scrumptious, this is megga competitive compared to debbie bliss and rowan equivalents, and its alot nicer grrrrrrrrrr.

ANYWAY,

So here is a little pic of the superwash dk.....

This yarn looks so much richer and darker in real life, dark blues, purples, and chocolates, totally gorgeous, I really really want to keep this, lol

So thats enough of the new yarns, lol, I am getting excited and I need to update the shop and pop some pots on.
xxx

Battle of my alter ego's

I haven't had many thought pondering, non yarn posts for a bit,and so I thought I will stick one in before tomorrow's blatant plug for my wonderful trip to K1 in Scotland, lol, especially because I am in a thought pondering mood.

As I was trying out my new cleansing routine this morning, I happened to look upon my wealth of expensive dermalogica cleansers/toners/oils, and various moisturisers, doing a rough tot up of their cost, wincing because I need some new ones, and then looking at my skin and being thoroughly disapointed.

Strangely, my skin routine is something I stick to rigidly, I will never ever go to bed without washing my face or taking my makeup off because I can't sleep if I don't, probably the the fear of impending spots. I mean, I am 30 years old, and due to be 31 in six weeks, and I am still a mild acne sufferer, its got better, when I was married I had such bad acne I looked at the floor and never looked up when I spoke, I was horrendously ashamed of my skin, and actually sometimes when it flares up I still can be. I actually take photos of myself now, which is fab, and actually, I am a bit of a tart with photo's now, because  looked back in photo albums when I separated from Anth, and I have have only 10 of me from the last 10 years, and I felt sad about the fact that I hadn't documented that because I was so ashamed of my skin.

Yeah yeah I hear you saying, get on with the point.....so when I separated from chez husband, the skin immediately got 1000 times better, (no coincidences in this world huh?) but I still have had mild acne, and as a consequence I buy very expensive products and have very convoluted routines to solve it, and my skin looks absolutely haggard, I mean lots of you always know that I am giving up alcohol all the time (haha) and trying healthy diets, well its 99% in aid of my skin (thankfully my bottom is still in fine condition), healthy diets and reductions in alcohol help, but I just want to wake up like I did when I was 20 and have lovely smooth spot free skin, and not skin that I want to hide/scratch/rip to shreds cause it itches.

This is what I imagine, waking up in the morning, and putting on my pj's, walking down stairs and just having my rosy glow which I used to have, not to have to go through the routine and put makeup on to feel normal. All the women in my family have gorgeous skin, so why NOT ME!!!!!! Grrrrrrrr

My second point, - yes this is a long post today, is that I have a great desire to be natural, not to use evil cleaning things around my house (which I pretty much manage now, its easy, you just don't clean......(JOKE people) recycle, grow my own food, and one day I am going to build my own house, no really I am, made of wood and straw bales and lime mortar and stuff, but see I have this battle, the battle of alter ego's, (hmm, actually in the true psychological sense, I don't think its actually a battle of 'alter' ego's but I can't remember the correct terms, I think its my ego and my super ego, but anyway enough of the distraction) it a battle between the side of me that wants a gorgeous house, to wear Prada, have expensive makeup and jet around the world, and be absolutely glamourous, and the other side of me which wants to be a eco freak, living in my little eco house collecting mushrooms, with my hand dyed clothes.

Yay...the bit where the seemingly unrelated points of my whittling come together.....

So, it was weird, can't quite remember how I came upon it, but I came upon some of the threads on the internet on simple living, and found, I think its called the oil cleansing method (ocm), where you cleanse with olive oil and castor oil, now, before, that would have seemed like sacrilege to me, because putting oil on an oily face doesn't make sense, but part of my dermalogica routine has an oil cleanser and actually its amazing, just expensive and I ran out. The ocm also appeals because it uses only natural things. I thought, well, I have nothing to loose, my skin is a mess, I have eczema on my eyes, and spots so why the hell not? So I started last night, just with Olive oil, and my skin felt really really good this morning, no new spots, no evilness, and the redness around my eyes was reduced. So I am going to stick with it for a while and see what happens, but what occurred to me this morning, as I was partaking in the routing with a steamy flannel, is that maybe I can be glamorous and have an amazingly low carbon footprint, I mean, I always associate being eco with looking boring and dowdy, and that it means some kind of compromise, so then I decided what a fab challenge to be the most glamorous ethical/eco kind of person I possibly can, so that's what I am gonna do, and I am going to be acne free before my 31st birthday which, granted is 6 weeks, but I am gonna do it.

xxxx

Feeling blimin chirpy

I am blimin great mood today, I know everyone tells me off for working over the weekends, but really, its so super duper to get to Monday and actually not be behind, so today I actually had time to sort some secret marketing things out which I needed to do with some magazines for something really exciting at the end of the year, and also I need to finish updating the shop with fibres, I have quite alot of nef, which people have been waiting for. I reckon my shop only contains about 40% of my stock, lol, I could spend weeks updating and still not get it all on there, so in addition to my Friday updates, I am going to update a small amount of standard products everyday, and then keep the fun ones to Friday, lol.

So I have so much news to tell you, but I need to firm up some things first, and also to tell you bits at a time, lol.

So some of you know about the UK ravelry day in June, I will post about it soon, but suffice to say, its there especially to support British business and yarn, and there was some cuffufle about being able to source British yarn, but luckily, because its very high on my agenda, and I have trying very hard to get some for about a year now, its only blimin here!!! Talk about timing, so I have gorgeous British tops, high twist British merino dream  sock, and aran and dk, I am so so excited, oh and not forgetting the self striping which is also  a British yarn, so really I have lots of stock for  the show :-)

But in the mean time, I am visiting k1 yarns in Scotland in March, I shall post all the details about that tomorrow!!

Ok folks, better go and carry one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

not feeling to good

ok, I am going to carry on the update tomorrow, because I am not feeling too good, and I need to go and have a nap or something, I am so tired today, not like me, I don't do tired very well, so I shall carry on tomorrow morning with the fibres and bags and lace.

xxx

Bumper update

OK, this is going to be one of those updates that takes blimin days, he he, well not days, but it may well stretch out over to tomorrow as well, there is lots of sparkle sock, and lace and fibres, and more cute sock/lace knitting bags which sold out last week, lol, and I have been meaning for ages to put on the keychain sock blockers and the Du store knitting needles cases and bags and crochet hooks. So I am off to have some bacon, eggs and coffee and then carry on!
Yay, lol

PS hope you have a lovely weekend, I am working most of it probably, but I am hoping to do some yummy spinning, I am desperate to after seeing so much lovely spinning on the web this week.

xxxx

Unexpected thursday....

So, last night was fab!! I really enjoyed myself and got over my nerves quite quickly, I suspect I should have worn something more colourful than my charcoal dress, lol, I spose I don't always look like a dyer sometimes, only clue is my green fingers. I think people enjoyed it, and thankfully there were plenty of questions, and I talked a bit about ethics with out the possibility of getting into trouble, so it was very refreshing, and everyone was so sweet and attentive, also, I loved the fact that some people were knitting as they were listening, truly super duper, and of course the lovely ladies loved the fibres, lol!!! I think it is something I would love to do again, now having got over my fear. I talked lots about my trips to bradford, to the mills, to peru and so on, and just really had lots of fun :)

Then I had to drive back to Shropshire afterwards, I knew I had something special to do today, as well as dye yarn for tomorrow, but I forgot what it was. Then at 9.50, I remembered my little bro was coming to see me today, so I did a quick clean up, and he arrived and we drank tea, ate biscuits and large rounds of bacon sandwiches, and more tea, and then I did some dyeing while he sat and chatted to me, and we talked about life and futures and love and everything, aw, he's such a sweetie, I love it when he comes to see me.

So I now have to do lots more dyeing because I accidently did a huge amount in bog monster and juicy because I was havign so much fun chatting, lol, but need to do some sock in other colours, lol, I did lots of lace on tuesday, organised for me or what?????

Ok, better get dyeing,

xx

Doing a talk today

So this evening I am doing a talk to the Glamorgan guild of spinners, weavers and dyers, in Sully, and I am a little bit nervous. I have lots of fibres and spindles to distract them with lol.

Good thing is I am wearing my new dresses, yipppeee!!

Send me anti anxiety vibes ok?!!

xxx

Busy busy busy.

Had a lush weekend, I actually went shopping on Saturday to the Trafford center, seeing as I decided I need to get out a bit more. I found a shop which blew my mind, because they had lots and lots of thin knitwear, and loads of it was in the sale, so I purchased two rather tight charcoal knitted short dresses, which are really fabulous, a charcoal cardi to go on top, and a really really thick chunky jumper, they look so so amazing!!! Just need somewhere to wear them now, lol.

That's it really, nothing else exciting, I am working so hard at the moment, that my blog posts are a bit boring, sorry about that, but I have a plan for the business to get it really ship shape from now until June, so I just have to get my head down and work like a crazy woman, I've not really been in the head space before now to make it exactly how I want it, and I know I sometimes have the reputation of being slightly disorganised and kooky, but actually I am not really like that at all, I can extremely obsessive and organised, its just I had other things draining my energy before, and now that life has changed dramatically, I am getting into obsessive mode and really enjoying myself. Anyone who knows me will know that a good sign of that change, is that I spent 1.5 hours yesterday cleaning the kitchen floors and the utility room, very unlike me in the past few years I can tell you, lol. The last time I felt this focused was when I got an A in psychology at A level, hahaha.

Right off to sort out all my dyeing schedules including the clubs........

xxxxx

I love fridays!!

Now I am more of an organised sort of person, lol, well trying, I totally love friday update days, I work quite hard to find nice things for the shop and to dye lovely treats, and I love your responses to them, it makes it all worth while.

So today is a mamouth update, it will definately take all day, and as I add new things I will pop more pics on here....

There is the 4ply scrumptious, or should I say was the 4 ply scrumptious, its sort of dissapearing out of stock in front of my eyes, its beautiful yarn, but I am not sure about if its ok for socks, its very drapey, not too sure if its gott enough spring, but I will find out tonight when I cast on for one, lol, it will however make a dreamy 4ply jumper or scarf, its just stunning, smooth, silky and soft, yum yum:

Then there is sparkle of course to go on, merino tencel, the new heavy lace weights, the heavy weight nef, need to give it a name, which is 800m per 100gms, and its delicious, and heavy weight silk merino 20% silk and 80% merino, again, delicious, and 800m per 100gms. Pics coming up for that in an hour or so.....

Also, I have some super duper stitch markers, some made for lovely big needles, with swartski crystals., and normal sized ones, they are so dinky and pretty, also we have some pretty bags for you sock knitting (these will go in the section with the buttons and treats).

Spindles, lol,

and Lucets for making chord, which come with instructions!!! Yipppppeee

oK, I got to go take more photo's and get some coffee and cake for this update ;-), lol
xxx

Pretty Pictures

Ok, there is distinct snowness today, but still not quite enough to make a snowman, but enough to give me an excuse to do a small amount of spinning, it had to be done really didn't it!

This is some gorgeous fibre dyed for me by babylonglegs   it is bfl/silk and is in just the most wonderful colours, very different to mine, lol.

Then this arrived last night:

This is the new scrumptious 4ply/sock, its 45% Silk and 55% superwash merino, its so gorgeous, I can not wait to dye it, I am not too sure yet how it is going to work for socks, because the silk content is very high, but I have high hopes for it, it feels so so gorgeous, I am dyeing this today, only have a kilo to play with, but it'll all be in the shop tomorrow, along with 2 new heavy lace weights, a heavy lace nef, and silk merino, they are both stunning too.

Then to finish is my first sparkle sock in lime and violet, it was so quick to knit, and I used 3mm needles, and 56 stitches, fits like a treat........just need to cast on for the second...

Treats

So, I was mooching around today, procrastinating because I have to dye wholesale orders, the last order of the old way of doing wholesale, no more will I ever have to dye specific colours ever again, thank goodness, I am moving onto a new system, which maintains my creativity and sanity, ANYWAY, this is not the point of this blog post.

I bit the bullet and started my production line, and then got a phone call to say that the new yarns I ordered were here, I have to confess, I had forgotten what the new yarns were because I ordered them in December before I moved house. But I remembered there was a 4ply scrumptious yarn in there, I have been cursing myself, because I thought I probably didn't order superwash merino in that blend, oh how stupid of me. However, seems like I was alive and aware at some point before I moved, because the yarn is only bloody superwash, I screamed down the phone, poor supplier, lol.

So we will have a new sock yarn this week on Fridays update, with 45% silk and 55% superwash merino, in a 4ply. And its officially the scrumptious sock, I have to wait about another 3 hours for it, but really I can't wait, hehehehe, can you?

And of course when I said a 'few' yarns I meant another one too, nef lace in, well.....a heavier guage, I am desperate to get this too, lol, maybe I might even knit some lace.......
xxxxx

was just about to.....

Well, I was just about to tell you all about the gorgeous new things arriving in the shop this week, hand turned spindles, and special cord making things, and stunning stitch markers, and then boxes and boxes of yarn arrived, the last of the space dyed to be precise, I thought there was a few kilos, turns out there is over a hundred kilos, my head hurts, lol, how did I miss that much!!!!

 The majority of it is the 4ply and 2ply sock yarn, its makes the most superb thick socks (the yarn is not machine washable though, which is why it is discontinued), it is however 100% bluefaced leicester, and there are patterns to go with each colour I shall mark the patterns to 1 pound, or you can have 6 hanks, (100gms) of each colour with one each of the patterns to go with it for 25 pounds worth of sock yarn, patterns emial only though for this deal,  I will put this as a single product.

Everything is going in the sale section, NOT the sock page ok :-).

There are 2 types, the 2ply is highly twisted so absolutely fine for socks, this comes in 50gm hanks and is 2.25 a hank,

and then there is the 4 ply which comes in 100gm hanks is 4.50 a hank.

Both yarns are suitable for all the thick sock patterns, like these:

  

Cardiff and food, and yarn and fun.

Visiting Cardiff was a bit weird. It was lovely to seem my friends and my lodgers, and of course my house, which oddly doesn't feel like my house any more, but as I drove into Cardiff, my heart felt heavy, heavy with feelings of Anth and stuff, and I felt extremely glad to not be there any more.  It looked so grey too, guess that's the contrast of living in the country side, where everything is so beautiful and bright.

Anyway I had a super dinner with Stitch and bitch in the Canteen on Clifton, my fav restaurant of all time, (I shall review it on the food blog later, I have pics too ;) )

And the lodgers have kittens, omg, they are so so cute:

I did loads of knitting, I accidentally cast on a sock in sparkle, in lime, violet and pink colourway from a few weeks back that I nicked, lol, I am on the heel, so I shall photograph it for tomorrow, it looks absolutely amazing.

Also Karen and I had a wonderful breakfast on Friday which spanned a few hours, with lots of chatting, eating and laughing, it was super duper, and she has made a few treats for the shop, which shall be going on in the next few days, he he, but I shan't say any more than that for now.

Then I went to mom and pops and we had a super time, they just make me laugh so much, they are a scream, its such a pleasure to go home to people who are as enthusiastic about everything as me, lol,  and I found a gorgeous green jumper in my mums wardrobe, which my Auntie Pat happened to knit, and I sort of snaffled it, its so damned toasty and gorgeous, I haven't take it off yet, I scoured the shops on sat for a toasty jumper, and there was nothing, you can't beat hand knitted gorgeousness.

So I rushed home because I thought I was going to get snowed in, there is a light dusting, but its due for this afternoon here, I am so so desperate for enough snow to build a snowman, I have everything all ready for it, hat, gloves and carrot, etc, so I am hoping there will be enough tonight or tomorrow for one...........