Wonderwool was amazin

Yup, amazin. It was a blast, and I got to meet lots of my lovely customers again, catch up with the goss, and generally have a super duper time. Have to say though, builth is erring on the dodgy side at times, lol, especially after pub kicking out time.

But, I am going to dye my hair (couldn't choose last week), no one recognised me, so its going to have to be bleached again, lol.

I am making wholesale packs this afternoon, and then if I finish in time I shall update the shop, but its likely to be tomorrow, there is loads of yumminess lol.

xxxxxx

Wonderwool

Well, do you know what?? I am labeling and packing today, yup, totally, and not actually dyeing yarn, although I have identified a few colours I need to do, but really I am actually on time and getting ready for once!!! (this is heavily to do with Super Jo, lol)

I have jumper quantities of all the yarns, scrumptious dk and chunky colours, and British merino dk's, so I am really pleased, and even the sock yarns there are 500gms of each colour, lol!!

Also for once it means I have had a chance to do things I always wish to do like fibres and batts,

Its hard to capture the gorgeousness of these, because they are so delicate and pretty, full of silks, merino, cashmere, hand dyed sparkles, kid mohair, baby alpaca, lol

And plenty of platts of fibres:

I am so so excited, the stand is going to look absolutely gorgeous this year, I am bringing all my spindles and buttons too.

Please please come and say hello, by the way, I haven't decided on my hair colour yet, lol, but if you see a girl with a boys haircut, and a cheeky grin, it'll be me :-) xxxx

OOOOH! Also, there will be no shop update friday, it will be tuesday instead because I will update things which are left over from wonderwool, and there will be plenty seeing as I have 150 kilos here knocking around, lol xx

Hair, batts and stuff

OK, I had my hair cut, really really short, lol, and everyone said, go blonde, go blonde, but I don't wanna go blonde, was thinking more about going chocolate.

But if I go chocolate, maybe no one will recognise me at wonderwool, because I am known for my platinum hair, however, its so short that if I hate it, it will grow out in 3 weeks, really, its seriously short, as short as my brothers hair, lol.

So how do I decided what colour to go????

I NEEEEEEED SOME HELP HERE.

xxxx

Shop update and hair cut and little shop discount treat

OK, I have started the shop update, but I am in Wonderwool mode, so there is kilo batches of everything, lol, makes it alot easier and quicker to photograph, but it means there are colour trends, lol, cause I do all colours in all yarns. Anyway, my fav this week, has to be pansy, I love it:

British merino dreams sock in pansy, lol.

  Scrumptious in Pansy

Now, I have a treat/riddle for you, if you can work out the answer, if you type it in the voucher code, it will give you 10% of of purchases in the shop till monday:

“You love me, you hate me, but you also need me
I comfort you, I celebrate with you
I am a moment of pleasure you normally regret, but often desire.
Sometimes it takes me a long time to get ready
At times I am divided, but held together to be as one.”

Anyway I will update for another hour and then I am going away for the weekend, and mum is helping my dye yarn for wonderwool tomorrow, so I am taking all my self stripIng and fibres home, I will take pics too, but she is a master of colour, and so I think it will be nice to have an alternative take on what I do for a day.

And this afternoon I am having my hair chopped off, really really short, its driving me nuts flopping around in my eyes, I can't decide whether to go really dark or white again, but I am erring on the side of chocolate for a change.......

xxxx

Rain, I love it

Do you ever have that thing where, you try so hard for something and you feel like you are nearly ready to give up,  becauseit feels like you are getting no where, and then you wake up in the morning and its all changed/moved forward?

That happened today, yesterday something which I am ploughing through just seemed like it was never going to end, and I felt a bit fedup, and then this morning, I woke up and well everything jumped into a different space, sometimes that happens just when you need it, lol.

I would like to tell you what I mean, but its a bit too much information for blogsphere, lol.

Anyway, its raining, and I have to dye for wonderwool, but I am so in the mood,  I am loving it, have got lots of layers and waterproofs on, lol
x
xxxx

Yum yum yum

So Easter was crazy mad, we had an afternoon tea party on Friday to which one of my fav customers came with family, Jo, with children, Babylonglegs and co and Karen!!, it was fabulous, and I took the day off on Thursday to clean the chapel and go shopping and read my new cookery books, (I am getting totally sucked into the science of bakin at the mo). So I decided to take a risk and cook lots of things I never made before for the party, I will only stick pics here, but for more recipe information go to the dinner at the chapel blog, suffice to say it all worked really really well, lol.

But I made amongst other things Brioche:

Biscuits with real vanilla seeds:

And the most wonderful hot cross buns (sans crosses, not really a cross person, lol):

We had alot of fun and we ate loads and loads, and chatted and laughed, I enjoyed it so so much.
Then saturday and sunday were dyeing days, and I dyed ALOT, cause I needed to get everything finished so I can dye yarn for Wonderwool,  so that basically starts today, lol, never a dull moment!

Hope you all had a lovely easter holiday

xxx

Full shop update will be Easter Monday

OK, the full shop update will take place on Monday, its kind of mad here, cakes, children, tea, stuff, so I am not going to manage it, but have lots of treats for you on Monday
xxx

Some days, it just aint gonna be a work day.

I wake up every morning, put my comfy clothes on, go down stairs, feed the kitties, put the coffee on, sometimes chant, sometimes not. And then I switch on the computer and start work, this generally happens 7 days a week, but more recently 6 days.

But very occasionally  there are days when I can't face working, not because there is anything wrong, but because I know that if I do my heart won't be in it, because its somewhere else.

Today, I am in complete home maker mode, its been brewing for a few weeks, I know that sounds odd, lol, but I just feel like cleaning, tidying, cooking, washing, shopping for delicious ingredients to cook and and buying lots of flowers to put around the chapel.

I hadn't quite realised how overwhelming that erge was this morning, and then the postman arrived with my books from amazon (no they didn't arrive yesterday). And so I took a shower, put the coffee on, made toast with peanut butter, and sat on the sofa and poured through  the first book, and actually I read it from cover to cover, and I felt excited, and bubbling with wanting to cook and create. I actually have a tea party tomorrow with about 10 people coming, and all I want to do is get ready for that. And so I made the decision, today is sod working day, afterall I am self employed, if I can't occasionally take advantage of that then what is the point?

I do have enough yarn for a medium update tomorrow which will happen as normal, but the Unicorn is going on sale on Monday, and so I shall add extras Sunday/monday of things like sock yarns etc.

So now I am going to go shopping and get all the ingredients for my cooking. I will be attepmting brioche as well as lots of other treats for tomorrow, and I will put up my efforts on the food blog, as well as here too I think.

So now the decision has been made I feel much better :-)

By the way, happy easter peeps ;-)
xxxx

Reasons to be excited.

1. I nearly finished all my wholesale, yipppppeeeee

2. I accidentally ordered 4 cookery books from Amazon and they should arrive today!!!!! I have a *wince* HUGE cookery book collection, I love them actually more than knitting books, I know that's like swearing isn't it? But after my trip to London, I realised I have a gap in my cooking skills which involves pattisserie type things, I know, why not just buy them, but I want to make Italian bread and tartes, really, I need to learn, especially after I attempted some rhubarb and vanilla tartes and nearly broke Mr Wool's fillings, they were good despite the hard crust, but it blimin took me 2 hours to make that pastry, and it was so agonising I was onto my second glass of wine by the end, which I think had something to do with it, so I need to LEARN SOME PASTRY SKILLS.

I am so desperate for those to come so I can try some treats out on my vicitims on Friday afternoon when we have afternoon tea, will blog pics I promise......

3. I finished the second front panel for my design, its needs to be ironed back into shape blocked to the appropraite measurements, and then I can figure out the sleeves, lol.

4. Did I tell you my little bro started his dream job Monday, he is having a wonderful time, I am so happy for him.

5. Gonna finish sewing my dress this weekend, and also have anther attempt at making myself felted slip slips.

6. Going to chop my hair off really really short, and go dark a chocolate colour b4 wonderwool.

7.Figured out a way to increase Dyeing productivity without massive investment.

ok thats enough now, lol, happy cheerful knitting folks, I hope the spring is making you smile.

This post is for me, to remind me of why have to work so hard, lol

So, we are kind of on the count down for Wonderwool now. Which means I have to finish all the wholesale, and clubs, and Unicorn dyeing by the end of the week, gulp. But I can manage, and I got some new vats too, so my productivity should increase a little ;)

Truth be told (adopted that sentence from Gavin & Stacy, reminds me of Cardiff) I couldn't do without Jo now, no wonder I felt like I was sinking before, there was no physical way I could actually do all the work, not to mention she thinks ahead and gives me deadlines, now some of you must be thinking, huh??? She gives YOU deadlines, but I don't exactly think in lines, so time planning for me is near on impossible, especially when I am over loaded. But if someone says, you need this done by the end of the week etc, it is such a relief I can sleep easy, even if it means tonnes of work, as long as I have a deadline I can do it, and she is such an absolute star, I couldn't do without her now.

Not only that but she does all the order packing, labelling, etc etc, and it meant I could do a proper stock take, and even installed my account package, so finally I  feel like I am in control of my business instead of guessing, it means I can cost things proplerly, work out profits, and grow little fyberspates (actually its not so little any more, its getting quite big, lol) into the thing I always dreamed it to be, I am very proud of some of the shops I have been asked to supply recently, my yarns are now available world wide, and its continuing its international growth rather nicely.

Thing is I have so many ideas in my head which are just unlimited, (I realised, I guess I am a little bit of an entrepreuner, (I went to see a man about a dog recently with an idea and kind of got snapped up, but I got to put that on hold for a little bit, until I finish work at least before 7pm at night, lol).

I suppose now I have a little bit of thinking space my ideas are starting to come fourth again, and I am very very excited, I have so many things I want to do, and I am not blowing my own trumpet here, but I have some cracking designs coming out in mags this year, absolutely my best yet, and also one from the lovely Karen, who has done the most amazing socks ever ever ever for simply knitting.

Sorry if it seems an odd post, sometimes I have to write myself a round up of where I am, and remind myself how fab evverything is, I am enjoying it all, but at the moment there is serious amounts of dyeing going on, and really, its physically exhausting, especially when its cold and raining, and I have to reproduce certain colours 70 times, lol, this is perhaps the part of hand dyeing which is not so much exciting, but more just getting on with it, lol, I certainly am going to have to get fitter to cope with demand at the moment, it will help me not get so exhausted I think.

So, off to eat huge breakfast, and get dressed to dye as much yarn as can physically be dyed today, lol

Happy knitting.

xxx

Shop update, blimin miracle

ok, so there is actually a massive shop update today, which is great, considering the amount of dyeing I had to do this week. As always, it will be a good few hours before I finish, but there are some really pretty things to come.

I have a new yarn, its a limited edition, its cotton Cashmere, and its really divine, about 1700m per 100gms, there are some trials on there today, but much more next week, once I have hanked it all up. Its approximately 16 pounds per 100gms, which I think is a good deal for 50% cashmere, 50% Cotton.

Thankfully this week, there is a nice range of colours, you know me, when I get a bit colour obsessed, lol. Got tonnes of lace and sparkle sock, and I just got the lace weight silk back in stock after having run out for ages......love this colour....

Right, happy shopping and have a lovely weekend, I got to do a stock take and carry on knitting my garment that was in the knitter, and test knit another pattern, so its gonna be busy
xxx