ok, get a cuppa, this is information over load, update, stuff and competition.

Ok so firstly I am going home for a few days, I am teaching a workshop on Saturday at Getknitted and I want to chill with mom and pops and am even going to stay with little bro, can't wait!!

So I have updated the shop tonight, it wasn't quite meant to be that way, but I accidentally pushed to many buttons and well its just sort of there early, lol.

Also there are errata for the Stain glass window sock pattern, which is here, I will do anther blog post about this on Monday so people will find it if googled.

Secondly before we get to the competition, I have some new treats in the shop, some sock blockers which have been especially made for me, they even have my logo on them, which is very cool :) They come in Small medium and Large.

Ok onto the competition.

'Someone' needs a name, Karen and I feel that shop monster is not the most flattering of names so we are having a naming competition to name her:

  You need to leave a comment with a name suggestion in the comments section, with your reasoning behind your idea, and the best answer wins a pair of tickets for rav day including being able to see the speaker, or if you don't need rav tickets a skein of raspberry cashmere yarn :)

I also urge you to look at the new arrivals one sock yarn in particular I named was really funny, I couldn't resist it, I think its because I am so delerious and tired!

Don't forget also if you are the first person find the shop monster and you emial it through as an order (no payment nessasary)  then you will win a hank of sock yarn.

ok folks, have a lovely weekend, I am gonna sleep and chill pre and post the workshop cause I is hangin!

xxxxxxxxxxx

New pattern!! by Carol Feller, Raspberry layers

We have a new design from Carol Feller, its using my squishy, and its really really a cute design, and totally perfect for Spring, I am thinking it would look super in the moss squishy. This is a really good value garment to make because the squishy is on offer at the moment in the shop, for just 4.50 a 100gm hank. I updated all the quantities and added the missing colours, so make the most of it while stocks last.

 

Its available here:

And this is the yarn

Happy knitting
xxx

Organising and monkey

Oh before I start, monkey is fine, think she had been fighting with kitty, and got a little infection, she had an injection which cost a bomb, but it was worth it because the vet combed her with this scary looking comb, and there were literally piles of fluff on the table, she looks positively skinny now :)

Hmm, anyway, organising, not a word with which I am normally associated!! I spent all of Friday cleaning and tidying and organising the work room/store room/conservatory which had also become another store room, and the white yarn room, yes I really do have that many rooms dedicated to work, :/ its better now, and when Jo comes to work today, she will see she has an extra table to work on, heheh. I also planted all my seeds, aubergines, toomatoes, Okra, butter nut squashes, peppers, herbs, and purplecarrots, lol.

I then read the weather report which said it was going to be dreadful weather this week, so I though I should make the most of it and get all my wholesale orders dyed, um and there was about 60 kilos, I still have loads to go, but I have broken he back of it, but I am knackered, its virtually impossible to physically dye more than 20 kilos in a day, and then 2 days running its a killer, all my body is aching, so I am going to do designing today, however, the sun is shining, damn, I wish it would rain, then I wouldn't feel guilty!!! hehehe.

Right, number crunching and coffee here I come! xx

Shop update 11am

Ok folks shop update moved to 11am, gotta take monkey to the vets, she has  a leaky ear.
See you at 11 xx

*added later* some is up, but there is more, will carry on later this afternoon, but I gotta sort monkey out xx

Rainbow's End Retreats Cwmoernant Farm, Carmarthen

OK, So on the weekend I went on a sort of course/retreat. Its the first thing I have done like that in years, and it was just absolutely wonderful. I went with Karen, and we had so much fun and it was so relaxing. On the Saturday we learnt to make baskets with Willow, I'll have to add pics later cause my camera has run out of batteries. Mine didn't look like anyone elses, lol, but I love'em, even had the idea of making my own baskets for my stand for shows, but, you know me and my crazy ideas ;-)

We got fed wonderful soups, dinners, tea, coffee endless delicious cakes, and on the Sunday we learnt about herbs, their historical and modern uses, and, then we made pizza's which were cooked in an outdoor pizza oven, the pizza's were awesome, althought the weather for the whole weekend was absolutely crazy with rain and wind, but it didn't put us off. I took my spinning wheel, and did lots of spinning, chatting, knitting, it truly was an absolute treat.

The ethos of Cwmoerant farm is that things are recycled and reused, lots of food is grown there, so its really one of the greenest places I have ever been, in colour and it intent, it is a very special place, and I would really like to run some courses there, have a look at the farm, and let me know if you think you would be interested in coming on a 2 day dyeing/spinning/knitting retreat there.

Now, there are some fibre retreats going on there, which  I am so going to go to.....details here I think I am going to go to the August one, and one fancy comin????

xxx

Simply knitting Stained Glass window socks

OK, so I shall tell you in-depth about my weekend tomorrow (it was fabulous), but for now I had ought to just mention the Simply knitting Stain Glass window socks, done by my lovely gorgeous friend Karen, the kit is available from here in the shop, but obviously you have to by Simply knitting for the pattern!! hehe,

The weekend

Ok, now shop is updated I am am going to wind down for the weekend (Damn, that's wind, but I can't figure out the spelling for 'wind' as in short for 'winding', times like that I hate my dyslexia) , anyway, I am going on a bread basket weaving course in Wales, a nice little get away for the weekend, do something just a little bit different, wonderful indeed! I shall hopefully have photo's, and now I need to pack, I feel like I should take my spinning wheel, not sure why, its just shouting at me to take it, so I will.

I hope you all have a lovely restful weekend.

xxxxx

Shop update with a little monster

Ok, Todays shop update is on target for 10am and its the biggest update I have ever done, there will also be an added bonus of a little monster, there will be an extra product which will have the little monster as the larger image (when you click on the product photo. The first person to add this product to their cart and email it through will win a new hand of the cashmere sock yarn :-)

Just incase you forgot what the monster looks like, here she is:

So See you at 10 :)

Hand spinning, socks pics, shop temptations and little competition

Ok he he he, there are lots of pics today, yay!!!

Lets start with my socks and a little spinning. So I spun up a sparkly batt to make sure they were OK, research and all that ;) and well, its so pretty.....

I think I'll add it to some cuffs or something, I am planning spinning sweaters worth of fibre and knitting a gorgeous cardi, so the mini batts can be randomly streaked through it to add some glitz and gorgeousness.

I am totally into spinning at the moment, its caught my attention again, after a long time! The next thing I spun was 100gms of bfl hand dyed, now this is not my usual colours, it was a speckled roving, but when it spins up it gives beautiful yarn, hence alot of the fibres in the shop are speckled, lol.
It was fairly even, but still I made socks using 3mm needles, they are so toasty its not true:

These need sock blockers really, but I have had some commission made which are made of acrylic I think and will be available in the shop, I get asked for them all the time, lol.

Ok so next shop update, this really is the biggest shop update ever, there is a tonne of yarn to go on, and I think my new healthy lifestyle is affecting my colours, I went through the spectrum this week, and there is plenty of everything, ALOT of thick Nef lace and merino silk lace, I know lots of you love that for knitting garments, and there are plenty of each colour and loads of colours, lol. I have a new yarn which is a singles (you know how I LOVE singles yarns) and its pure silk, it will retail at 13.99 its I guess about an aran weight, and it shines like nothing else, this is it in choc cherries;

I shall show you some pics of my favs,

Think this has something to do with the vit chews I am eating, lol

Rose petal, just cause its so pretty....

Cashmere, in deep plum, just because its so rich and velvety

and lastly oooooh yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sparkly batts here we come.

So whats this competition lark then???? Well, seeing as I am shifting my update to 10am on Friday mornings, so its all up there at once rather than the slow dragging out of the update as it has been for the past 2 years, I need to kind of get you all used to the idea, so we will have a weekly competition, as some of you know, when you click on a product in the shop it comes up with a different more detailed photo of the yarn or product, this week one of the products will have a little monsters head as the detail page, the first person to add this to their cart and email the order through will win a free skein of sock yarn I will write in more detail tomorrow, but the little Fyberspates shop monster looks like this:

Right, I think thats enough for today, I need to go and take photos and drink some tea,
happy spinning and knitting folks :-) xx

Am approximately 3 days younger today than I was yesterday

haha, ok well new healthy regime has taken over rather easily, I had forgotten how yummy healthy food was, not boring at all, I had stir fried veg and tofu for lunch with yogurt and dried fruit and nuts, and then for dinner I had loads of stir fried veg, chicken, and rice all mixed up, was better than takeaway!! I did accidentally eat some cheesecake, but actually it made my belly hurt, so I don't feel remotely like eating any more. Today I had plain yogurt, raspberries, passion fruit, nuts and dried fruit for breakfast and it was so so good!!!! I think though that box of veg isn't gonna last very long, I am going to need some cheaper healthy fillers, baked pots come to mind, but hmm, will have to get thinking....any suggestions welcome, of course they need to be of the non processed variety, and not really bothered about low fat either, without wheat I don't need to worry so much about that.

Anyway so I slept really well, my gums actually feel alot better today after my tooth clean, and I am even sure the shrunken bit isn't so shrunken, but that might be psychological, lol, you know me ;)

The day is stunning outside, so I shall be out there for all of it, I want to do a humongous update on Friday, so I need to get to work.

oooh oooh guess what? I spun up some fibre and knitted it into socks, I'll post some pics tomorrow

Happy knitting,

xxx

Not gonna get old EVER

I am not so sure if you can tell from my general blog writing that I am fairly health obsessed, but I am quite, well, maybe health is the wrong word, perhaps  fear of ageing is better, I don't really know why, I just am, and maybe its cause I have spent quite a long time stressed that I noticed changes, put a few pounds on, slight wrinkles, not that that bothers me, but, I chipped a tooth, and my gums have been not so good recently, and this morning I went to the dentist and my perfect mouth is no longer perfect. My gums on one tooth have shrunk!!!!! Can you believe it, no bloody fillings, but a shrunken gum, my god, I will look like a haggard old witch soon :( Anyway cost me 60 quid for that consultation, and then another 60 this afternoon for a extra long clean. Apparently I can stop anything getting any worse,  but I was gutted.

And really these wobbly bits will do no more, I can't stand them, so today is the start of a new health regime. No sugar apart from fruit, no wheat for a week, my belly is not feeling so great at the mo, and excercise, but not just any excercise, some every blimin day, alternate weights and running, at least 45mins - 1 hour a day.

So I thought I would blog about it otherwise it will stay in my head and not get put into practice. I just went to the veg shop and bought 30 pounds of veg and fruit, and then got yoghurt and tofu etc etc so now I have no excuse, I am on a serious detox/vitamin kick/firming up excercise.

So will report progress tomorrow, just ate a large bowl of stir fried veg and tofu, so that should sustain my for about an hour :/

xxxx

Shop udate, little wobbly, but done, and little friday clue :-)

Ok, My plan of updating all at once, kind of worked, however, apparently although the products don't show, some how you can buy them??????? and well, I had a massive wholesale order which kinda wiped out lots of the update, but still completely mystified how that could happen....still it'll take a little practice to get this right, but it is a much better way of doing it!

Its not the hugest update ever, I am planning that for next week, but in the mean time, I need to pop all the rest of the wonderwool stock on, its time consuming because there are lots of single skeins, so i might just keep adding those over the next few days to get it all on.

Anyway, I have the unicorn clue for you, which if you get the answer right you can have 10% of in the shop till monday, you don't have to be in the unicorn club to get it, just type your answer into the voucher code at the checkout.

Ok here goes:

Your strength can be destructive,
but but when you choose to be gentle you are a delight,
no one knows where you come from or where you are going to

What am i?

Finally, did some spinning, and now knitting it up into socks, they are lush, will take them to Manchester with me tomorrow, as we have some fun planned :-)

Happy knitting,

xxx

Changing the way I do the shop updates

Ok, as most of you know, I update the shop on a friday throughout the day, but sometimes it means people have to make multiple purchases, lol, so I am changing it so that I will press a button on Friday am, and the new arrivals will appear as if by magic, that way its all on there at once, and fridays are aften busy days for other things to, so a little bit of prep on thursdays suits me very well.

So tomorrow morning the shop will be updated in one go, lets see how it works :-)
XX

Reflection

Goodness, there are some majorly exciting things in the pipeline at the moment, alot of designing going on, I have a new designer making some patterns for me, and I really like her ideas, also I have been designing quite alot, and well, OOOOOOOOH, I wish I could tell you more but I can't not yet its all top secret!!! But I will I promise. Anyway, I spent most of the weekend sketching and swatching, anyone good at intarsia?? I have done a motif for a child's garment, but I would really like to see it knitted by someone who actually can knit intarsia neatly...let me know if you are good at it and wouldn't mind knitting a small garment for me in exchange for shop vouchers...

Secondly, I am so happy today, cause for the first time in 4 years I got 2 whole days to sit and design, and this morning, I made pancakes and coffee, cause I know I don't have to pack any orders, or worry about club inquiry things cause super jo will do it when she arrives, I can't even begin to explain what a wonderful feeling that is, for 4 years I used to wake up every morning almost shaking cause I had so much work to pack into the day, and knowing that no matter how hard I try I couldn't do it all, and then not even the hope that the weekend would bring relief. But now I have time off, and slower mornings so I can answer emails properly, make coffee, ease myself into the day, and actually for the first time have feelings of accomplishment. Put to paper all the ideas in my head, knit the damn swatches.....I mean I now can put proper gauges on all the yarns.
I can even go to people and say, I have this idea, how about it, and that is bringing almost too much excitement for words!!

Its wonderful, I used to dream about this before when I worked so hard everyday; I used to think, there will be a day when I don't feel so tired, and when things don't feel like they are so on top of me, but that's really what starting a business and building it up is about I suppose, its like doing a PhD, the hard bit does come to an end eventually, but the bit imbetween tests your every fibre of sticking power, granted I did have to pay a huge mortgage on my own, cope with a marriage breakup, and huge debts, lol, and so many times I sat and cried and thought, sod it, I will just go bust, loose my house, pack a back pack and go traveling and sod it all because I was so overwhelmed and tired, but I didn't I kept going, and I am so so so so glad I did.

I am here sitting in the dream I dreamed of, successful business which is still growing steadily, new wonderful opportunities presenting themselves at every turn, debts greatly reduced and even friends with Anth, so I suppose I shall have just a little more of that coffee, and start forming the next dream. Don't want to get complacent do I?

Hehe xx