Adventures in Wool

Craftsy meet up party at Enchanted Yarn, Jan 26, 2012

2012-01-26T05:45:00.000-05:00

This week I am working out of Enchanted Yarn Shop in Clarksville, TN. The owner is RoLynn and she is one of the absolute nicest people you will ever meet! I have been helping to gear up for the Craftsy meetup Party tonight at 5:30pm. So far there are 67 people RSVP'ed!!! That is simply incredible but goes to show what sort of shop she has. They were #1 in the whole world for RSVPs for the party! It just sort of blows me away.

If you have not heard about the Craftsy parties let me tell you a bit. Etsy has a learning/teaching side called Craftsy. They are trying to promote crafting, and learning and get the community involved which I think is pretty cool. This is the first major meet up but I do believe they plan on doing it monthly. Anyone can host a meet up so its a great way to meet other crafters in your area.

What happens is you register to host a party like Enchanted Yarn shop did, then people can RSVP or just show up. You think about something you know how to make and then write or find instructions on how to do it. You bring 20 copies to the party to help others to learn how to make something new and fun. Its that simple! I plan on hosting one in my area next month and I hope to see you there!

You can find Enchanted Yarn shop online, on Ravelry, and on Facebook. Of course you can also visit the shop in person at 2327 Madison Street Clarksville, TN 37043, or call the shop at (931) 553-9000.

A treasury for the hope chest!

2012-01-15T11:52:00.000-05:00

I made a treasury that is a wishlist for my baby hope chest.

Help us Adopt!

2012-01-15T00:51:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody! I have finally started the page for fundraising for our adoption process. I tried to think of the major things to list in the Wish List area so you can see what our costs are and what we are wanting funds for. There are several ways you can help.

* Make a donation
* Buy something in the Bag’s for a Baby section. Half of all profits from this section will go to the adoption fund where the other half will be reinvested into the business.
* Link to my donation page so that others can see it
* Send me something for my baby hope chest or nursery

I think I have pretty much covered it but please feel free to add to this list. I really want to be well on my way to adding to our family by the end of the year. Thank you!

This year we plan to Adopt and Rebuild my business.

2012-01-14T19:42:00.000-05:00

We are working towards adoption, and would love to have your help! We want to get into a more financially secure position so that we can adopt without worry. Having my business improve and succeed is so important because it will allow me to stay home with my future children while still making an income. We have set up a donation page through GoFundMe to work towards this goal.

I want to improve my business. Eventually I would love to open up my very own brick and mortar shop down the line. For now I really want to build my business back up to become self sustaining while at the same time work on getting ourselves ready to bring home a future baby. I want to replenish my supplies and improve my efficiency. I have some limitations that currently impact my life and my business. There are so many things that could help from little to grand. This goal is not just for donations, this is also a working goal for us to hit as a family.

This year I want to do several things that require a good amount of money. I have over 100lbs of wool that I would love to get washed professionally so that I can dye it and make batts up. I would love to get a motorized drum carder to save my right arm and shoulder. There are lots of little things I would love to get for my business like more dye pans, move gloves, and different colors of dye. I also want to replenish my wool, yarn, and combed tops and odds & ends for my batts.

The other thing we want to start doing is working towards having a nursery. We want things like cloth diapers, crib sets, bibs, diaper stackers, things that we will be able to use once we have completed the adoption process.

If you can help in any way I really appreciate it. You can help either through donation or through buying products from my shop. I sell drum carded batts, hand dyed roving, and yarn. I also sell sewn goods and batt add ins. Thank you for reading this and thank you for your help!

I have closed my shops to reorganize, estimated reopen in Feb

2012-01-05T08:25:00.000-05:00

I have closed my shops online to reorganize them and I plan on reopening them in Feb. I just wanted to make a blog about it in case someone goes looking and sees them shut down. I did leave my sandwich bag pattern up since that is an emailed PDF pattern. If there are things you hope to see in the new shop line up please let me know. I plan on having a section for adoption funds. I plan on having self striping yarns in the following colorways:
Mad Science Experiment that is black light reactive: Electric Violet, Neon Yellow, Chartreuse
Oh for the Love of Goth!: Black, Red
What if Ms Piggy & Kermit had kids? : Green, Hot Pink
Ice Pirates: Black, Purple, Grey
80s Child: Aqua, Lime Green, Hot Pink, Black
October’s Party: Golden Yellow, Moss Green, a bit of Red, and Brown.

There will be more but those are certain.

TTC: Some thoughts about adoption and babies

2011-12-25T09:09:00.000-05:00

As many of you know we have decided to try adopting as my body is not really up carrying a baby right now. We want to start forward with our plans to make adoption a reality. One of the ideas I had was to dedicate some lines of fiber, yarn, and other random items to raising money for adoption. These are ideas right now but they will be finding a way to reality in my new shop line up next year. The thought there is any money made from those things will go into a separate account that we are setting up to save for adoption costs. I am feeling pretty excited by these ideas and wanted to share some happy thoughts with you all. I had a dream a few nights ago about me and Tom and a child. In the dream we were just a bit older and the dream was happy this time. I woke up feeling hope for the future and that is what I want to take into the new year. I am thinking about setting up one of those goal pages that shows a sort of fundraiser type thing so that we can keep track of where we are with our adoption goals. If anyone knows how to do this I would love to hear how. Best of luck to anyone else out there on their trying to conceive journey.

Magical Memories

2011-12-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

Today I found myself thinking of some of my favorite holiday memories. I remember when we were very young that moment of waking up while it was still dark and creeping into the living room with my brother and sister to try to catch Santa. It was always magical when we saw the tree all light up with lights in the dark and presents were under the tree, proof that Santa had come! We would be so thrilled to rush into the room and best part was the Stockings. Momma was usually sleeping and we would jump on the bed telling her that Santa had come. She would usually move to the couch to nap a while longer and tell us we could open our stockings.

the stockings were these wonderful red velvety things that were literally stuffed to the brim and over flowing! Inside there was always an apple, an orange, mixed nuts and some sort of chocolate, a candy cane and a surprise. We would pour our stockings out and start on the chocolate while we looked for the surprise inside. I miss those times and the magic of being a kid seeing things through my young eyes. There was so much magic in the world then. I hope this holiday season we can all see something magical in spending time with people we love.

Help me improve my business!

2011-12-22T19:05:00.002-05:00

I got a message from an unhappy customer today and honestly I do not blame her one bit. Her batt club is late (they are all late) and she is understandably upset by this. This is really part of why I am trying to sell out and then take some time to regroup. I need to change some of the way I do things. I know that a lot of us do not want to say anything that could be taken as negative but I think you all know that I am really wanting to redo my business into something that makes me and you happy. In order for me to do this I really need to know about the things that you think I could improve on. It would especially be great if you had ways for this improvement to happen! So if you have any ideas at all on how my business could be improved please let me know here, or by message, I would love to know your ideas. Thank you all and happy holidays!

More markdowns!

2011-12-19T09:08:00.002-05:00

I really want to start out next year with a fresh shop so I have made some final markdowns on the fiber and yarn in my shops. I have yarn from $8-$16.25. I have batts from $15-$17.50. I also have combed top for $10.50-$13.50.

End of Year Clearance Sale!

2011-12-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

**I am having an End of Year Clearance Sale!** Just about everything in my Artfire shop & my Etsy shop has been marked from 25-45% off. I figure I will get all of my older (& some of the newer) stuff out of the shop by this years end. I plan on having all new stock next year! I want to start out the new year with a whole new shop! What you see is what you get and once they are gone there are no more!

A Thank you and Giant Hug!

2011-12-11T15:26:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone! You are the reason I keep going sometimes! I swear the world for me at least is brightened by being able to get to know you all! I know that sounds cheesy but its true. There are so many times when life sort of beats us all down and I see time and time again how everyone on here reaches out to each other and helps to lift them up. I tell people about Ravelry everywhere. A few times I have had people ask if I worked for them laughs and then I tell them no but its just a terrific community. I invite people everywhere I go to join Ravelry or come to a local knit/spin group, or even to visit a LYS. There are just too many people who are working hard and need to find some friends and have some fun. I think the yarn/fiber communities are perfect for this. I hope you are all doing well. I also hope that you are all taking some time out for yourself right now because I am sure you are all going full speed ahead with your own working & living! Please just enjoy some fun time!

I also want to tell yall that I am really enjoying the people that I work with. I think this new job will be a good one that I can do for a long while. There seems to be a very supportive management so that right there is great because we have all had those managements that is not so supportive. Also my coworkers are very sweet. I honestly have not met anyone who was really not pretty alright. The last day of classroom training was on Friday so I brought cake for everyone. Tuesday I start my Nesting which will start getting me on the phones. Then Sunday I start my actual work schedule. I will be working 10am-7pm which are good hours for me to have family time. Its been a bit hard not seeing much of Tom the past few weeks. My days off are going to be Wednesday & Thursday so Thursday will probably be my new shipping day. For now I think it will only be the 1 time a week for certain (though I will also probably be able to ship here and there at other times). Big Huge Hugs & much Love to all of you and everyone else out there in our cyber neighborhood!!

Appologies, Explanations, & Business Overhaul

2011-12-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

Its fessing up time for me. You all know if you are a regular customer or even an active forum looker/talker that despite my best efforts I am usually running late. I am really behind now (again) and I have to let yall know what all is going on. I feel like its only fair and honest to do this. So here it is. This past year has really sucked all the money from my business. I don't have a lot of back stock or a lot of stuff in the shop and I am sorry about the lack of variety and speed when you purchase. To help with this situation I have decided along with Tom that its in our best interest to get a full time job.

This job is at a call center and I honestly believe its good for me as I need stability right now. Some of you know about the heartache we have been through with our miscarriages. We have been to the dr many times and we have had many tests done. That has also taken its toll on my business, my spirit, my life.. everything really. I have found it very hard just to maintain a semblance of normal and happy in life and on here. That is why I don't post as often as I should and I haven't really kept up with my threads or or my posts. Its just very hard to post happy things when you feel so depressed and unhappy. That is sort of the world I have been living in for about a year now. I am finally at the point where I have made some positive changes in my life and I believe they will have positive effects in my business as well, though it will take time.

I started seeing a dr, and neurologist again to help control some of my pain and depression. Its not been long but I am already feeling so much better. I believe I am able to go to grief counseling now to help move past this and we are taking some time to try to heal, the both of us. Its still a rocky road and not all days are good or even ok. The call center job is helping me to find some stability in life which is also helping. The job is from M-F, 3:30pm-Midnight right now. I am finding it hard to get many orders shipped out or made up so that is a bit of struggle still. If you have orders that are do please understand that I am doing the best that I can to get them to you. This weekend I plan on working to get a lot done. You may wonder why I am even telling you all of this. The reason is that as a self employed home based business owner my personal life drastically effects the state of my business because its all me. I am the one who dyes, who makes batts, who chooses colors. Tom helps as he can but he is just not able to do the creative stuff for me. He is more of a talented musician.

Moving forward from here on out I am changing some of my shop policies and some of how I do business. It is moving to a part time business for the time being. I will be shipping out only a 1-2 times a week as I am able. I will figure out which day/s these will be and post them. If you have any thoughts or suggestions that would be of help I would love to see them.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me through the past few years either by being a customer, a friend, an acquaintance anything really. You are all very special to me and I hope you know that. I hope in your own lives you know what a difference you make daily. The power of love is tremendous and I hope we all know how to wield it. As to having babies we are looking into adoption seriously now that we are in a place we believe we could do it. This next year is going to show many positive changes in our personal lives and my business life and all the places it mixes together.

Everything is Now on SALE in my shop!

2011-11-24T16:29:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving and gets to enjoy the day with someone you love! If you are spending the day alone I hope you take the time to show yourself that you are special too. Ways to do this can include:

* taking a nice bubble bath with some scented candles and your favorite drink
* making yourself a special dinner & I mean something you really love (eat that high calorie but yummy dish you crave)
* taking the time to watch a movie or read a book that you have been meaning to get to while relaxing in your favorite chair

Most importantly I hope everyone realizes how truly special they are!

In honor of the holiday I am having a Store wide Sale. Everything in my Artfire Shop and my Etsy shop is On Sale 10% off! This is all in addition to the Free shipping on most items in the US, with $1 shipping to Canada, and $2 shipping to everywhere else in the world. This sale includes everything being 10% off, including all my 3 Month Clubs,, my Birthstones SAL/KAL, and custom orders!

Finally you can also save 10% off anything in either shop with coupon EIMNOVEMBER2011 This coupon is in addition to the storewide sale, so you get both discounts. These sales will go through Cyber Monday! Happy Thanksgiving!

10% off coupon EIMNOVEMBER2011

2011-11-19T18:17:00.000-05:00

Beat the rush and use coupon EIMNOVEMBER2011 to get 10% off anything in my Artfire shop or my Etsy shop including custom orders, preorders for yarn & batts, and 3 month clubs! That way you get your fiber or yarn delivered right to your door! Happy Shopping! If you get my newsletter you got an extra coupon in there so be on the lookout!

Free Shipping through Cyber Monday in my shops!

2011-11-19T01:25:00.001-05:00

As everyone is gearing up for one of the major shopping weekends of the year I thought I would do my part & offer Free Shipping in my Artfire shop & my Etsy Shop now through Cyber Monday! in the US with $1 shipping to Canada, and $2 shipping everywhere else on everything except 3 month clubs and Monthly SAL/KAL!

I will be sending a special coupon out in my newsletter for an added bonus! Thank you all & happy shopping! Also check out my Ravelry group or Facebook for up to date information on what is happening in the shop. I am dyeing yarn this week so if you have color requests let me know. I have some set up for 3 color self striping and some set up for 7 long color sections in the yarn. If you are interested in some self striping or long striped yarn (think Z-ball style) I have a listing for it here

3 New Colorways of Combed Top/Roving in the shop!

2011-11-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

I have just did an update to my Artfire and Etsy shops. I listed 3 new colorways.

Frog Princess
BFL/Firestar

Polwarth

Sw Merino, Bamboo, Nylon

Falkland

Domestic Wool

October's Party
BFL/Firestar

Polwarth

Sw Merino, Bamboo, Nylon

Falkland

Domestic Wool

Ice Pirates
BFL/Firestar

Polwarth

Sw Merino, Bamboo, Nylon

Falkland

Domestic Wool

Anywhere near Bowling Green, KY? Come to a Ravelry meet up!

2011-11-02T00:41:00.000-04:00

So you all know that I am vending at a Quilt Festival on Nov 4 & 5 right? Well I was just told to day that it may be a bit slow on Friday and that there will be plenty of space. My thoughts are to turn the quilt show into an impromptu Ravelry meet up! So if you are anywhere near Bowling Green, KY I hope you will consider grabbing a chair and coming to hang out. I think it would be amazing to have people come to the quilt show to see a bunch of us knitting, spinning or what ever craft you want to do hanging out in the vending hall! The Quilt show is at the WKU Museum from 9:30-3:30 Central time. If you need any directions or have any questions let me know. For all who show up even to just hang out for a bit I will be entering all you your names for a drawing for something of your choice from my shop. If you are not nearby but know of someone who is that may enjoy hanging out please forward this along! I hope to see you all there! I will have my drum carder and drop spindle!

Nov 4 & 5 I will be at WKU in Bowling Green, KY vending at the Quilt Show

2011-11-01T11:35:00.000-04:00

This weekend, Nov 4th & 5th I will be at WKU in the Garden Gallery of the Museum vending and doing a presentation. The WKU Museum is located at 1444 Kentucky St, Bowling Green, KY 42101. I will be vending from 9:30am-3:30pm both Friday and Saturday. My presentation will be Friday Nov 4th, at my booth from 10:30-11:30am. It is called "Turning Inspiration into Color" and I will have examples of inspirations and how I translate them into my colorways in Batts, Combed Top, Roving, and Yarn. I had wanted to do fabric as well since it is a quilt show but I ran out of time. Can you believe that what with my amazing time management skills? I can here the laughs now!

This is an early show so come on down and visit then have your night free to do something fun! Also if you are anywhere near Bowling Green or if you know someone who is I would love to see you at the show! Friendly faces are always welcome. I am hoping that people might bring a chair and sit and knit or spin awhile too! I am also bringing my drum carder to the show and I will have my new "Batt in a Bag". These are for anyone who has a carder and wants to make a cool batt with out having to buy pounds of stuff to get the few colors they want. They are also great for felters or even those who like to knit with roving. I will start having these in the shop after the festival this weekend. Batt in a Bag will have any of the following: Roving, Firestar, Angelina, Silk, Silk Noil, Tencel Neps, Bamboo, Locks, etc.. All bags will have 4oz of mixed fiber. I am happy to assist you in layering the roving so that when you get home all you have to do is fluff it out and card it up!

I wanted to also mention that I have had a great time at my first 2 festivals. I was at the Southern Indiana Fiber Arts Festival and met some lovely people! I gave one of my SW Sock Yarns in the colorway "Ariel Wears a Ball Gown" away as a door prize. I look forward to going again next year! I was also at Fiber in the Boro just this past weekend. It was a really great experience and I got to see some friends and meet some people from online! I hope to see everyone again next year! Maybe after the festival we can all plan to go out and eat and talk!

Destash Raw Alpaca, Raw Wool, Cotton - For Sale or Trade, Open to Offers

2011-10-17T20:27:00.001-04:00

Ok I am having a bit of an issue. we have went from a house with a garage workspace to a 2 bedroom apartment. I do not have the room to store all of the raw alpaca and wool that was living in the RV(It was over 300lbs now down a bit). I also can not process it all in this apartment as its just no longer convenient for me. I still have bags and bags of raw fleece that I don’t know what to do with it. There is some really nice alpaca and some seconds and thirds in these bags. Some have more straw than others some are really filthy (the grey) some smell a bit musty.

That said I have had it up for sale for awhile. Now I am putting it up for trade or offers as I really need to destash it. Of course if you want to buy some outright please do let me know. I have a month of storage left and that is where the fleece will be living for the next month but I hope to get rid of it all by then. Let me know if you are interested in some. I have found that I can fit about 4lbs (maybe more) into a large Flat Rate USPS Priortiy shipping box and depending on where you are it is probably about the same as parcel post (about $1.50 more maybe) Thanks!

Here are photos of the alpaca fleece & cotton, but I don’t have photos yet of the wool. I will see if I can get some time in the next few days (the prices were what I was selling it for but again I am now open to trade or offers) Send me a message here, on ravelry, or at my email.

Approximately 125lbs of raw wool, unknown breed. White fiber that is old enough the grease has turned that orangey look on it. Pretty nice staple length probably 4-6 inches at least from the bits I checked here and there. It washes up nicely.

I have also washed up some of the Baby Suri Alpaca in a red brown color. I have approximately 4lbs. It does contain some VM and will need to be picked and I would recommend washing again as it was filthy. If you are interested in the washed fiber it will be $2.50/oz.

Raw Fawn Color Alpaca varies from light, med, dark 20lbs $10/lb + Shipping This is for sale by the pound. This alpaca is dusty. Some of it has dirty tips. Some is relatively clean. Some has more VM than other parts. Its sort of a mixed bag here.

Rose Grey Raw Alpaca Fleece 15lbs $7/lb + Shipping This fleece is also for sale by the pound. This one is what I would call filthy dirty and the lower price reflects the extra work you have to do.

20lbs of Raw White Alpaca fleece $10/lb + Shipping This will be for sale by the pound. The staple length varies but a good bit of it was around 2 1/2” - 3” There did not seem to be much VM in what I was taking out to photo but it did seem very Dusty. Also this seemed to range from white to off white to orange white.

Down to 5 of Raw Unprocessed Cotton Available. Selling this by the pound. ($4/lb Please) If you are a cotton lover, this one may be for you.

Reusable Sandwich Bag PDF Pattern now in my shop!

2011-10-06T01:37:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I used to make these reusable sandwich bags and sell them in my online shop here. I have stopped making them to sell but I know there are people out there who really want to make their own. I made a PDF Pattern based on how I made them. I had the pattern with supplies as a kit in my shop awhile back but took it down when the supplies ran low. At a friends request I put the pattern alone back in my online shop. If you have ever wanted to make these for yourself please consider my pattern PDF. It is easy to follow with step by step instructions and photos. If for any reason the patten is unclear just send me a message and I will be happy to answer any questions. You can make these with cotton fabric or any fabric of your preference. I am selling the pattern PDF for $4.99. No shipping added since I will email the pattern to you with in 24 hours of receiving the payment. Here are some photos of sandwich bags I have made in the past and the link to the listing for the pattern:

2 weeks until my 1st Fiber Festival (PANIC)

2011-10-02T10:31:00.000-04:00

As the days are counting down now to my 1st fiber festival I will be vending at Panic (yes with a capital P) has started to set in! I will be vending at the Southern Indiana Fiber Arts Festival on October 14-15, Friday 1-7, Saturday 9-5. The festival is being held at Harrison County Fairgrounds, 341 South Capitol Avenue, Corydon, IN. I would love for anyone who can to come and say hello. I think I will be there alone and this is a bit of a scary thought for me so I am hoping to at least get to talk to some friendly people! Also will there be anyone else who is a Phatfiber Sampler Box participant (contributor or buyer) there? I should have some Phatfiber cards to give out if I can find them! Mainly I would love to know how you found me!

I have been working on what I am taking with me (though this past week I have not felt well so I did not get much done.. really I am ready to upgrade my body to the new improved model *grin* but I don't think its happening any time soon) and I am slowly getting it all ready. I will be taking batts (smooth, luxury, and chunky), combed top/roving, hand dyed yarn, and a few of my left over silk hankies. I will be getting supplies later this month to restock silk hankies for hopefully the next festival. I have also decided that I will be bringing some small project bags to make kits. I am thinking something like choose your bag & yarn or fiber with a discount for buying both. I guess they would also be for sale on their own but I am not sure how well they would go over. People in my group on Ravelry seem to like them so I will give them a try and see.

I will be staying with a friend in Louisville for the festival because its within driving distance for me. My RV broke down so now all trips will have to have some sort of staying arrangements. Lucky for me for I have a friend to stay with for my 1st & 2nd festivals. The 4th festival in Dec I will be sharing a hotel with some other vendors who are friends so that is great. I still have to figure out something for Nov 4 &5 in Bowling Green but I am sure I will find something!

I am also getting together things like receipt books for sales and for preorders, Business cards, Some sort of Signage so you all can find me, Labels for everything, Visa/Mastercard sign so you all know I can take a credit card payment, the phone jack that lets me take credit card payments, table, chair, stuff to set up.. The list seems to grow but it will be fun I think. If you are thinking of coming and wondering what payments I will be able to take, I will tell you that I will take cash, check, credit cards, and small children left in the booth unattended! I hope to make it as easy as I can on myself and anyone wanting to buy something. I am not sure about bags though.. I never got any and don't really know if I want them. Any thoughts here? That is about all I have for today!

What should I bring to my fiber festivals?

2011-09-21T15:46:00.000-04:00

I am preparing for 4 year end fiber festivals. I have some ideas for what I want to bring but I would also like to ask you all. If you were going to my booth at a fiber festival what would you hope to see there? What should I have in my booth? If you have been a vendor at a festival what did you forget to bring that you wish you had? I would love any thoughts, insights or advice! Thanks!

Here is a list of festivals I will be attending:

Southern Indiana Fiber Arts Festival on October 14-15, Friday 1-7, Saturday 9-5 The festival is being held at Harrison County Fairgrounds, 341 South Capitol Avenue, Corydon, IN.

Fiber in the ‘Boro on Sat October 29, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The address is Lane Agricultural Center, 315 John R Rice Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN. I will be sharing a table with jessecreations of Storied Yarns and cmarie14 of Mulberry Fibers so come and see us!

Western KY University’s Kentucky Museum on Nov 4-5 in Bowling Green, KY. There is a really cool Quilt show running from Oct 21 - Dec 10. and I will be vending there and putting on a program on Nov 4th!

Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza on Dec 2-3. I will have batts, roving, yarn -- all the usual suspects so if you leave nearish come and say hello! It will be at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Happy Wednesday everyone! Contest reminder!

2011-09-21T15:37:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone it is once again Wednesday. It also happens to be September 21st which means only one more day to enter my Favorite Summer Memories contest for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop! Which can also be used in person if you come see me at one of my fiber festivals! I am drawing the contest on Sep 23, I had originally put Sep 22 but I meant that you can enter all the way through Sep 22nd! So if you have not yet entered all you have to do is post one of your favorite summer memories in this thread or if its easier you can also post it here in the comments section. I will put all the names together and choose one name randomly from the entries. It is so easy and I wish you all luck!

What do you do with the fiber?

2011-09-15T18:27:00.000-04:00

The fiber that sticks to you at the end of the day when you have been spinning or carding? You get the little bits that have decided they like your shirt, pants or whatever else you happen to be wearing! Well for myself I use a simple little tool. My husband mistakenly thought it was for doing dishes! Silly man! Is it his fault? Well no its not because that is after all how the little green scour pads are marketed. The companies that make them believe they should be used to scrub pots out. I am talking about this guy right here:
Birdwell Cleaning 358-36 Green Scouring Pad I linked it to the place I got the photo from along with all the place you can buy one of these little babies if you want!

So I take one of these and cut it into several smaller pieces like this:

This I take and rub across my clothes at the end of a carding session and I get this:

I put the fiber in a bag to save for an art batt! That was my simple tip of the day! How do you deal with the fiber that clings to your clothes? Or how do you use your scrubbie pads beside dishes? I love new ideas!

Mad Science Experiment a new fun colorway in my shop!

2011-09-11T13:38:00.000-04:00

I have been finding some fun new colorways that are repeatable to carry in my shop. One of these colorways is Mad Science Experiment! My husband came up with the name because he said it reminded him of a crazy scientist experimenting in some lab. (Do you think he was insinuating anything here?) As soon as he said this I instantly thought about bubbling vials and beakers of glowing goo spilling over the sides while a crazy person laughs manically! (picture shows a picture of one such mad scientist Sorry but at this time the Crazy Scientist is not included)

These colors are fun and wonderful in florescent yellow that is black light reactive according to the dye, bright green, and dark purple. I really like this colorway and I am looking forward to making more of them. It is available in

Sparkly Soft batt

Combed top / Roving on a BFL Firestar blend but custom on any base

Self striping yarn

Coffee, Tea or Surprise me Sal/Kal - Photo Heavy

2011-09-10T12:27:00.004-04:00

This Sal/Kal was a bit challenging in some ways. When going with coffee inspired drinks the colors are all very similar, also some of the teas are pretty similar too. I attempted to get as much variety as I could with my colors and fibers/yarn. Here are the requests or inspirations and what I made. I will post some full photos of the packages too. Each package included the fiber or yarn I made along with a Custom Calligraphy Mug from Heather of Winemakerssister.Etsy.com and a bunch of goodies (coffee, tea, stitch markers, coffee & tea flavored candies. Really this was the best package I have ever made and I hope to work with Heather again! She sent me all the goodies and I divided them up and distributed them all with the packages. Truth be told I did keep a few of the candies though and I am telling you that Iced Tea candy really tastes like Iced Tea!

Here are 2 of the full packages, one yarn and one fiber: Thank you Julie & Hilary for the photos!

Here are my requests with the photos:

Thai Iced tea Yarn Package:
Here we did a self striping worsted weight SW Merino yarn. I went with a 6,2,3,2 striping pattern with 6 stripes of darker red brown for the tea on bottom. Both 2 stripe sets were in a bright red-brown for where the cream first hits the tea making it bright looking. The 3 stripes were in a lighter red-brown with bits of white here and there for where the cream really mixes in and shows up on its own. Lovely yarn though I don't recommend drinking it with a straw!

Ethiopian Tea batt package:
For this batt I went with a chunky more art style batt. The colors were browns, oranges, sage green and the barest bit of purple. I used wool, BFL, Merino, Firestar and Silk Noil to give the overall look of loose ethiopian tea.

Chai Latte Batt package:
This batt packages was semi-smooth because I added just a bit of sik noil to represent the freshly ground nutmeg that would be sprinkled on top and drift down through the latte. You simply can not have a chai latte with out fresh nutmeg its just not the same! This one is similar to the vanilla latte but it has a much lighter brown bottom that is already blending with the creamy milk moving up to a creamy white top layer representing the foam and whipped cream sprinkled heavier on the top with the nutmeg silk noil. This batt was made up of Polwarth, Wool, Bamboo, Firestar (I think but not sure), and Silk Noil.

Herbal Tea Sock Yarn package:
This yarn was done in a self striping sock yarn on my SW Sock base that is a Sw Merino, Bamboo, Nylon blend. This is a nice yarn in a bigger striping pattern of 5 sets of 4 stripes. the colors are 4 maroon, 4 espresso bean, 4 dark maroon, 4 grey, 4 espresso bean. This yarn reminds me of some of the darker herbal teas with the bright floral bits in them.

Espresso or Cappuccino fiber surprise:
(I forgot to take the photo) but it was a BFL Tussah Silk combed top in a 70/30 blend. I dyed it in the darker colors of the Espresso Beans. Dark greys, reds, and browns with the colors randomly mixing in spots. It was very dark and lovely. I may get a photo of it if I am able.

Passion Fruit Tea on a Cotton Sliver base:
I also forgot to take this one! A picture will be coming soon though! The colors were red-purples, reds, lighter purples, grey purples, a bit of blue and some pinks. The cotton sliver really takes the dye nicely and I am looking forward to seeing it spun up! Picture thanks to Krista!

Caramel Macchiato batt:
These batts were made with Alpaca, Bamboo, Fine Merino, Firestar, and Polwarth. They are very smooth and fluffy. They have just a bit of brown on the bottom for the caramel usually settling, then a thick layer of white for the milk, with a nice layer of brown on top for the espresso floating above the milk and just a bit of white drizzled on top for whipped cream.

Super smooth Vanilla Latte with a bit of Caramel dribbled on top:
The vanilla latte had a layer of darker fiber on the bottom where the espresso would be poured, with lighter brown mixing with white as when the milk and foam get added, fading to only white on top the bit of just creamy foam, then drizzled with some caramel colored firestar lightly. This was also a very soft and smooth batt with Polwarth, Bamboo, Wool, and Firestar.

Hand Pulled Roving in a Non Decaffeinate Surprise:
For this one I went with BFL, Silk, and Merino (no nylon at the customers request). I choose colors of Fruit Tea. These colors are nice and bright purples, pinks and reds with bits of orange all blended with light and dark browns. Again no picture for this one. (Yes I am very forgetful these days).

Nonfat Vanilla Latte fiber package:
This delightful yet lower in fat batt was made in Bamboo, Firestar, Polwarth, and wool. The darker espresso brown bottom was a bit thicker here because of less milk fat. The middle layer blends the espresso browns with the creamy milk whites. The top layer is a bit whiter here with more foam for your enjoyment!

Our new apartment! Yay!!

2011-09-04T12:33:00.000-04:00

We got a very good deal on an apartment and we jumped at it. This is the first time in years that we will not have roommates. We are both looking forward to some alone time together. I get to set up everything just how I want it (well.. I guess Tom has some say in it to *grin*). It is just a bit daunting to think about though. Kind of weird because its something we have wanted to do for a while and now we have it and I am not sure how to feel about it. Silly Johanna with her 2nd and 3rd thoughts..

I get a room all to myself as my new work space! That is really where the fun will be happening. I am going to be picking up my shelves from storage in the next few days. I have to get something to put under the feet first so they don't cut through the carpet. Tom said maybe a big metal washer for each foot but I have to look and see what I can find. Another funny thing is after living with others for so long we had really paired down our own stuff and now we are realizing we don't have such things as can openers or a toaster.

We gave away most of our pots and pans to my sister because at our friends in Leitchfield they had everything and our stuff would have been in the way. But I do have plenty of dyeing pots and pans which are not really for making anything for human consumption. It makes me want to laugh a bit though because I mentioned the lack of pots and pans the other day while someone saw my dyeing ones and said what about those? I said oh those don't count. I dye in them! Funny stuff but I think you probably had to be there.

Today I have to take some photos of finished yarn and roving and list them. Then I have to go to the store for a necessities run. All in all I am so glad to finally be "home"!

Here is a really cool video about being alone!

2011-08-25T14:58:00.000-04:00

Love yourself because you are worth it.

2011-08-25T11:26:00.001-04:00

I made a decision yesterday to be happy. I know that sounds simple or silly right? I have a great life with a good partner. I have loving supportive family and friends (who I believe are my extended family really). I have a business that I love. I get to be as creative as I want. What's not to be happy about right?

I know that you all know if you read my blog regularly that I have had several miscarriages this year. What you may not know is that I suffer from constant chronic pain. I went to the dr for this off and on in Florida to try to find the source so that I could fix it. In my search to feel better I went to dr after dr after dr. They all ran a lot of tests, usually some the dr before them ran, and usually came up with no identifiable cause or with a Fibromyalgia diagnosis. (now what I am about to say may cause some of you to get angry but I ask that you continue reading and see my full thoughts on it) I find the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia to be a cop out. Please do not get me wrong here. I know that those diagnosed with Fibromyalgia are in pain and that it is real. My disagreement is that any sort of major chronic pain just gets tossed under the generic heading that is now Fibromyalgia and then the drs only treat the symptoms. I think there are underlying issues here that should be looked into. There has to be a reason for all this pain. I just think that once you have been labeled to have Fibromyalgia the drs mostly pat your hand and give you a pill.

The last time I discussed any thing in regards to my pain my dr recommended a pain clinic where they wanted to put me on narcotics as a preventative. I have a major issue with that for so many reasons. one because they will never again take your pain seriously. two my dad was a drug addict and I dont want to ever feel that way. three they have to be out of their frickin minds if they think im just going to take a pill and go away. I did finally find a neurologist who took me seriously and helped me find some alternative methods to deal with the pain. He recommended high doses of magnesium and nerve blocks for my migraines. the nerve blocks last for a while and the immediate pain relief at first confused my senses because i did not know how to deal with out having pain. Anyway I am getting way off track.

The point is when you have chronic pain it drags you down on all your levels. The pregnancies have also done this to me. It is time that I realize it will continue to hurt and I can either keep sitting on my butt feeling sorry for myself or I can work with in my abilities to come back to the person that I am. I need to be happy and healthy for me. I need it for my relationship too. I need to take my vitamin supplements daily. I need to exercise daily. I need to do yoga again because I love it. I need to color my hair what ever random color I want because it makes me happy to have bright cheery hair and it always has. I need to quit trying to fit into anyone's idea of me except for mine. I want to be happy. I am going to work as hard at feeling good and being happy as I have at feeling the opposite. From this day forward I will strive to always remember and really know that life is great and that it is worth living, and living well. I will be happy because I can be. I love you all and its time I also remember to show myself that I love me too. *hugs*

This post needs a happy photo, so here are 3 of me and my happy hair!

I have been dyeing roving, yarn and batt ingredients!

2011-08-23T16:01:00.000-04:00

I am enjoying dyeing again. The colors taking shape just makes me so happy. I have been putting together new batts too. Some are totally new and some are new takes on old popular batts. I am thinking that I will start doing a weekly update for my shop. This would give me a set time to do updates and allow anyone interested know when to check out my shop for new stuff. I am open to thoughts on this and I would love to hear some input.

On the shop fronts I have been using Etsy, Artfire, and Zibbet. A friend, Carolina, who's webpage you can check out here is helping me to redo my own website! I say helping me in the very loosest since of the word since technically she is doing everything for me! She is such a sweetheart and she has a fabulous blog so check it out! Right now the website is set up still for when I lived in Florida and was an LMT there. It also still talks about the stuff I used to sell that I sewed.

Once I have my new website up and working I have a few plans. First I plan to transition to selling from my site. i also plan to start blogging there. I am hoping to have a gallery that has past things I have made, current items, and inspirations for you to choose from for custom items. Those are the plans. So thats whats happening in a nut shell for today!

What is your favorite summer memory Contest!

2011-08-19T14:07:00.000-04:00

Summer is the time it gets hot around here and most places. People tend to have a lot of family time and make some memories. Some of my happiest memories involve the great out doors. I remember when we were kids and we would go wandering through the woods and fields. We would go swimming in the creeks and come home a mess. We still enjoy getting out in nature to go hiking, or even just hanging out with friends. Even just earlier this summer we had some good times swimming and sitting around the fire talking. I would love to know some of your favorite summer memories. Please share them here. I will be randomly choosing one of the postings there on September 22, 2011 since the start of Fall is officially September 23, 2011 to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop. All you have to do to win is post a memory!

One of my happiest adult memories for the summer involved my husband Tom, and are good friend John. We went hiking one of the trails in Kentucky (I have no idea where) and it was so much fun. We splashed around in puddles. We took lots of fun pictures too. We also found some huge rocks in one of the partially open caves and sat on them talking about life. It was so relaxing and peaceful there just laying back and listening to the water while we all talked. I think it will always be one of my favorite times. I can't wait to read some of yours!

Shop update on Order Ship outs

2011-08-19T07:31:00.000-04:00

hello everyone! I am doing much better than I have been. Tom started working 2 weeks ago at a job he is enjoying that lets him use his technical know how. Slowly we are catching up on bills and things. The money got very very tight there for a bit because of the quick move, and then my medical expenses. I know there are orders that already late, you all do too but I wanted to sort of put out there whats happening and give you some idea of when to expect it.

Tom will get paid next Friday. This matters because we are really broke. I had to use the money in my paypal (where my business money is kept) over the last month for expenses we had not expected. I have a very limited health insurance and the specialist that I have to see is 2 hours one way. For a few weeks there I had to go several times a week. I am telling you all this because the money I should have to ship I had to spend. Its embarrassing to say but i can’t have you all wondering where your stuff is with no explanation. We had no income for a few months other than what I could bring in with my business so my account got tapped out. We are going to start putting money back in from Tom’s paychecks to do things like ship out orders due and get new supplies slowly as we can.

What this means to you all in order limbo, is that the Sal packages and all other regular orders, will ship out on Aug 29th now. This is for certain and there will be no further delays. Also after this you can expect packages to start shipping out as they should be which for normal orders is usually with in the week they are purchased, custom or pre orders with in 2-3 weeks depending on what the listing says, and Sal/Kals to go as planned. I hope this answers any questions you might have had. Thank you all for understanding, your support, and for basically being you! With out you all I would not even be here so please know that you all matter to me a lot!

TTC: Today is ok

2011-08-14T22:09:00.000-04:00

I wanted to take a minute to say that today I am ok. I can not tell you how it feels to know that even in times like this there are great people in this world. There are times when Im cuddled up with Tom that I really feel that it will all be ok and that we are ok. Tom is going to help me figure out a schedule of doing my business stuff so that I can be more motivated with it. We have also decided to take some time and get healthier. Between the hormones, clomid, getting pregnant, and emotional eating I have gained quite a bit of weight in the last year. There is an indoor pool in town. We went and talked to them about it and found out the hours and the cost. We are going to start going up there because one thing I used to really enjoy was swimming laps. I think it will help me feel better, get healthier and lose weight. Tom is going to go with me so it will also be together time when we can. We are sticking in this together. We are talking more this time around and I know it helps me & I think it helps Tom. We feel pretty good about our chances to do foster care and eventually adopting. *hugs to all of you out there*

TTC: I can't decide if I am depressed or have become cold inside

2011-08-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

I cried all through april and may. Now I have only cried a few times. I don't want to care any more. Im tired of caring and of having my life so torn up. I want to be like the people who are able to just take whatever comes their way and be just fine. I am just not that way. I can't sleep. I spend hours looking up adoption and foster care information even though it will be months before any thing will even be able to get started there. I think about just getting pregnant again because eventually I have to have one that stays. I wonder how many miscarriages I would have to go through and then how long would the pregnancy be successful. I see people who have kids and act like they don't even want them and I feel like screaming at them how lucky they are. I have a pile of work that I should be doing and I just cant bring myself to care enough to finish carding or ship it out. If I can't get myself together I know I will lose my business. I really think I only still have it because most of my customers know of my situation and are understanding. I hate that they have to be so understanding. There are hours in the day where I can put on this cold shell and get some things done but even then I just dont care anymore. This was supposed to be a business that I could do at home so that I would be able to be here for my children. That was not all of it but lately thats all that goes through my mind and I wonder what the point is. At the end of the day I have a pile of fiber and no hope of a baby. I am finding that I just hate it all. I want to be happy and just not care anymore. I don't know how to do it. I was thinking about getting grief counseling but one of the questions on the adoption paperwork is about psychiatric care and I don't want to do anything that will make them say no. I have no idea if anyone wants to know all of this, probably not but then I think there are people out there who are going through the same thing maybe one of them will read this and then figure out how to do it differently or with better results. I dont know if thats really enough for me though.

I have some friends who are great parents. They all parent differently and they all worry if they are doing the right things. What I see from an outside perspective is that they all give their kids lots of love. They give them a safe environment with rules and structure. They make sure there is enough food and family time. They sometimes struggle with decisions and how to do things that crop up. Ultimately though they keep going and don't give up. They are all set up differently as some of them are 2 parent families and some are single parent families. It makes me so sad to see how hard my single parent friend works to take care of her kids and provide them a good life. The father just doesn't seem to care and I don't understand how any one could have this gift and just throw it away. It's not like he decided he was unable to support or take care of them for some reason and gave up his rights so that they would be better taken care of. No he keeps his rights and takes little to no part in his own children's lives. Its more important to him to life his own life than to take any time out of it to be with his children. They are growing up essentially fatherless when they have a perfectly good one right there if he would only realize it.

I have no idea of what kind of mother I would actually be or maybe no proof. I have been told from time to time that I do not understand because I don't have children of my own. I have also listened to people tell me that if a woman can not reproduce she is useless. I think that I do understand what its like to love someone so much you would do anything for them no matter what. I also know what its like to have that someone ripped away with no explanations or reasons. People say things like it was gods will. My thoughts there is why does god hate me? why does god keep killing my babies. why does god keep raising my hopes and then crushing them? Am I being punished? Have I been that horrid of a person? Am I really of less worth because I can not seem to have a baby? My husband of course says none of this is true and he loves me no matter what. I think I am just feeling a lack of everything right now that we are missing in our lives and the judgements I hear even though they are usually said with well meaning intentions are just driving knives into my heart pointing out all of my failings.

TTC: another bitter disappointing loss (part 3)

2011-08-10T06:45:00.000-04:00

I am so sad and angry. I want to scream and break things but I am not. I feel like I am wrapped in a blanket of some sort where I feel icy calm and distant. I want to work until I have no time to think but after a miscarriage you are supposed to take it easy for 6 weeks. Its sort of laughable in a cruel twist sort of joke. I will work but only as I can. I will not withdrawl into myself like last time. I just cant do that. Tom is afraid that I will drink myself sick again. I wont though that way is suicidal and no good comes from it. Im afraid he will completely pull away from me again. I dont think I can lose him too so we have to figure out how to be stronger together. We want to do foster care. We have wanted to do it in the past but havent for whatever reason. Tom is still waiting on word from the military and Im tired of waiting. If I can not have my own babies I can at least love some that need loving and take care of a child that needs someone even if its for a short time.

We talked together about if we were strong enough for that. In foster care you can see all sorts of horrible things and you care for a child that will probably be leaving soon. We think that with everything else that we have been through that we can do this together. We are going to find out when the meeting and classes are that we have to attend.

Im sorry that I lied about being sick and then hurting my back. They were a bit of the truth but not the full truth. I didn't want to tell anyone I was pregnant to only have to take it back again. So we kept it mostly to ourselves. I felt like I should also let people know what was going on with us. Orders that are running late because I was afraid to do anything and possibly have a miscarriage. I was so afraid so was Tom and even though we did everything we could it was not enough. There was nothing we could have done differently. At least I dont have to take the heparin and progesterone any more. I do still have 2 weeks supply of both that im not sure what to do with. Im sure someone could use it but I have no idea how I would even go about getting it to them. even that may be illegal I really have no idea.

So the plan now is to find a home that meets our needs. Stop waiting on the military, if it happens it happens but until then we keep going. Get into the foster care program. Build my business. Tom work at his new job and work towards some future there. thats about all we have right now. I have to find some reason for life. I dont know if that makes any since to anyone but me but its how I feel. plans give me some reason and purpose to work towards. we are going to go to a support group meeting in Lexington. I have to find out when they are. I am also get a job for a bit outside of fiber to catch up on money and get life to a steady place.

TTC: another bitter disappointing loss (part 2)

2011-08-10T06:34:00.000-04:00

We took the supplements. we took the medication as prescribed. I totally restricted my activities and long car rides. No sexual activity, no over exerting of any type. We did not go to the fiber festival. I did not lift anything heavy. I did not drink coffee. I had no more than 2 cups of caffeine from tea. I rested as I was supposed to. None of it mattered. We still lost the baby.

I started bleeding Monday afternoon and immediately called the dr. I guess I hoped that there was some way they could make it stop. It was too late already and there was probably nothing they could have done anyway. The nurse told me that since I had an appointment for Tuesday that I should just come in them. They also told me to take it easy and try to relax. If the bleeding got worse than one pad an hour to go to the ER. I just cried and cried. I called my sister and my momma. There was nothing they could do either but I just needed to talk to someone. Tom was at work and I didnt want to upset him. He called later at his last break and I cried on the phone to him too. I think I cried the rest of the day. I talked to my mom and sister a few times. I think it actually got to my mom more this time than previously.

The pain and cramping were worse this time. My body was forcibly getting rid of my pregnancy and I could not stop it.

When tom got home we cuddled in bed for a few hours. then i started working for a while and he zoned out on the computer. I dont actually remember Monday night. I think at some point we both started pretending (or hoping) nothing was wrong and that it was just a side effect of the medications. Tom's mom offered to drive me to the Dr on Tuesday. Tom had to work (he is still at the point where any time off will be an automatic firing). He called as often as he could from work.

At the dr 1st I had blood drawn, then a vaginal sonogram, then the dr visit. I forgot I was taking the heparin and I bled through the normal bandage so remind your lab techs if you are on blood thinners. The sonogram was slightly painful and very uncomfortable. The Dr visit started out with the dr saying how sorry he was. I knew then that there was no hope and the baby was gone. I asked him if it was even possible for me to have a baby or if I would just get pregnant and have a miscarriage ever time.

He told me that I have a 50/50 chance of having a viable pregnancy as of all that we know right now. This is lower than most women's chances. He said he wanted to do some genetic testing and he wanted to retest my vitamin levels after I complete the rounds of taking them. He said not to get pregnant until we have all the results in. He said we would have a better chance if we knew that the embryo was viable. My best chances are with In vitro fertilisation (IVF) because then we would at least start with a viable embryo but I would still have all the other issues to go against. (Unicornate Uterus, Factor 5, Vitamin Deficiencies) It is also very expensive and our insurance wont cover it.

He also told me that with out us changing anything I would still have the same 50/50 chance but risk more miscarriages which are devastating on a person and a couple. He told me I am a strong person and I will get through this. He said to not lose hope and that he was very sorry for all the pain and suffering we are going through. He is a really nice man and dr. I am finding it very hard to have hope at this point though. Tom is afraid if we keep trying what it will do to me to have more miscarriages. He is also afraid of what it will do to him. I think that at this point we can do the testing the dr wants and that would tell us if IVF would improve our chances or make surrogacy possible but even that seems like something that is just not in our realm of happening.

TTC: another bitter disappointing loss (part 1)

2011-08-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is a TTC blog and not a fiber blog. I am writing it in hopes that it will help someone else and because I have to. Some things may be considered graphic or gross so read with caution. (Divided into 2 parts for ease of reading)

I know I have been acting strange lately. It seems there is no help for it these days. We had another miscarriage on Monday Aug 8th, the Dr confirmed it yesterday Aug 9th. We found out we had a positive pregnancy test only on July 27th. The doctor had told me that as soon as I had a positive result I needed an appointment. They immediately put me on Progesterone vaginal suppositories and Heparin injections, both twice daily. The progesterone was to help support the pregnancy and the heparin was for my Factor 5 (clotting) issue. This part is mostly about the 2 medications.

The progesterone was messy and came with no real instructions. You basically insert it as close to the cervix as possible then lay down for 20 minutes. If you have to do this be sure to wear a pad of some sort because it leaks. It is an oil based compound that has to be made when you go in and takes 24 hours to harden. Most pharmacies do not have it or make it. We only found 1 in a several hour radius. It was also not covered by insurance. They came looking like this photo but 5 in a row.

To use these I kept a clean pair of scissors with the bag of progesterone. I would cut off one (careful not to go into the other suppository) and then attempt to open it. Usually I needed the scissors to finish opening it because it would only open the tip so I would have to cut along the seem. Several times the suppository broke in half so be prepared to catch it. It can be difficult to insert. The progesterone made me very moody. I would go from laughing to crying in seconds. I was very irritable. My body ached and I was/am tired. It made me very bloated and uncomfortable. None of my clothes fit around my stomach and crook of my leg (i cut the leg seams of my old underwear to make them bearable to wear) anything that pressed too tight into my stomach hurt and I just could not wear it. Plan for this. have clothes that are too big but soft and not restraining at all. I found some of the Daniskin pants at walmart that are working well for this because they have give but they stay up with out too much pressure on my stomach and they have no zippers to hurt me with wide bands that don't cut into me. Sleep can be difficult because it is hard to find a place that is comfortable as even the soft bed and pillows can hurt.

The heparin came in individual 1ml vials that looked like this and we injected them with insulin needles.

These hurt. They burn so much and you cant touch the area after injecting. They also bruise really badly. My stomach looks like someone has punched me repeatedly. It is not pretty. They tell you to pinch the skin and the in a dart like motion insert the needle at a 45 degree angle. Also remember to not push out the air bubble before injecting like you do with some medications. You need the air bubble to keep the medicine in. Someone recommended to us to try not pinching up the skin and to go very slowly (slower than you think) this technique helped with some of the pain and bruising but not all. Since we were injecting into the stomach there is really no issue of not getting it just under the skin into the fat so the pinching up is not necessary. My husband had to give me the injections because I could not. I wont lie and say that it was easy because they made me cry many times. My skin was much more sensitive and my stomach was bloated from the progesterone. It really bothered him that he had to hurt me. There were times he got really teary eyed or mad and just had to walk away for awhile. If your partner has a similar reaction it is normal. They feel helpless at times too.

(continued in part 2)

Well we are here! which means we must unpack!

2011-07-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

We finally managed to get everything moved up here! Now to unpack. Most of the unpacking has been going on a bit at a time. We are having to find space and reconfigure things. The bed I built with my friend Wanda will not fit through the door. So its sitting in the yard. I am going to cut it in half and then bring it in and bolt it back together!

Also all my work stuff in the RV (at least in the front half) seems to have fallen over so that is a bit upsetting. We got out what we could obviously see was broken then did an emergency cleaning on a fleece that had a dye jar spill dye on it. I am going to go out there tonight to start the actual work because its been really really hot. Tonight it will be cooler and more dealable I think. We are thinking about workspace opportunities and we are thinking about looking into an efficiency apartment or an old kitchen or house. We wont look seriously until Aug and when we are back to an even keel.

Tom has an interview on Tuesday that he is really excited about. He is still focused on the Navy but needs something to do in the mean time! All in all we are doing ok and I wanted to thank everyone who has been buying this week to help out! I hope to start shipping things by this weekend but with the delay getting the RV up here and into it I think it may be Monday when things start shipping. Again thank you all! *hugs to each and every person out there if for nothing else than for having faith in me and my business*

I am in need of some quick cash, please read.

2011-07-17T09:57:00.001-04:00

I am really feeling the pinch of moving and I am in need of some quick cash. I really hate putting it out there like this but I am hoping you all understand. If there is anything you are interested in buying I am hoping that maybe now you will go ahead and get it. I hate even asking but if you would like to donate anything because you have been in a similar situation I would also appreciate paypal donations. I have put a paypal donation button on the side of my blog for easy access.

I have created a special coupon "NEEDQUICKCASH" for my artfire shop This coupon will give you an additional 25% off anything in my shop including clubs! Please considering buying something if you love my fibers or yarns. If you would like a custom item please let me know and I will make a listing for you so that you can use the coupon. I have made this good 07-17-2011 to 07-24-2011. This will probably be my last sale for several months so now is a good time to stock up!

I want to thank you all for your business & friendship in the past regardless of your abilities to purchase during this time. If you are not able to purchase yourself but you know someone who may want something please do pass on the coupon. I will also be doing a blog with the same message so feel free to link to the blog. I really need to recoup some of the costs of moving in order to get to the Fiber festival on July 30 in Jackson, MI. Thank you again!
*hugs* Johanna

We are moving again!

2011-07-16T11:40:00.000-04:00

It makes since for us to move to Winchester, KY. We are in the process of that now. We moved one truck load already. We still have to go back tomorrow to get all my work stuff. I am also having a special sale because of the move. Free shipping in the US & Canada with coupon "MOVING" in my artfire shop. I am hoping to be back to work by Tuesday. All orders made this weekend will ship out by Friday next week! I will do an actual blog soon!

More Roving pics

2011-07-10T14:05:00.000-04:00

Here is some more roving pics from what I have dyed and put in the shop.

Ariel wears a Ball Gown

4oz BFL Firestar blend Combed Top

4oz Oatmeal BFL Tussah Silk combed top

Cookie Monster Fur

4oz Oatmeal BFL Tussah silk combed top

4oz BFL Firestar combed top

Silk Hankies are now in the shop!

2011-07-08T20:09:00.000-04:00

I finally got the silk hankies that I have dyed in my Artfire and Etsy shops! I also have a new 3 month Silk Hankies Club Each month 2oz of silk hankies in colors you choose or surprise colors for you.

Any Port in a Storm in blue grey fuchsia

Any Port in a Storm in blue brown

Ariel wears a Ball Gown in pink purple and blue

Take the Money and Rumm in brown and green

Chinese New Year

I did a Major Roving Update in my Artfire & Etsy shops!

2011-07-07T15:12:00.000-04:00

Photo Heavy Post!

I have to say its finally almost done *Grin* We have one more day of photos, editing and uploading until we are done with this batch of Roving and Silk Hankies! Here 2 of the colorways:

Any Port in a Storm in blue/grey

4oz Sw Merino,Bamboo, Nylon blend Combed Top

4oz Polwarth Combed Top

Any Port in a Storm in blue/brown

4oz Merino Tencel Combed Top

4oz BFL Firestar Combed Top

4oz Oatmeal BFL Tussah Silk Combed Top

Take the Money & Rumm

4oz Sw Merino, Bamboo, Nylon Combed Top

4oz Polwarth Combed Top

4oz BFL Firestar Combed Top

TTC: Finally a Happy Dr Appointment Update!

2011-07-02T00:23:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share with everyone that I finally got some good news from the Dr visits! Even though I only have a left sided uterus what I do have has healthy blood flow. I do have a small rudimentary horn but it has no endometrium so I do not have to have surgery to remove it. Also I have a fully functioning pair of kidneys & urinary system (this had been a concern), with blood work and sonogram to prove it. They also did a blood test that shows the age/viability of my eggs and they are all healthy and fine. I am a lot less stressed about time factors now (with my age it was starting to worry me too)

The dr has given her blessing to try again but we are waiting for a bit. They did one last set of blood work to try to figure how best to help me keep future pregnancies. The dr said it may turn out to be a really simple thing like taking a baby asprin to keep my blood thin enough. I will know more about those tests in a week or so and she will call with the results. All in all I was so much happier with this dr visit than past ones!

Vote yes for me on Heartsy?

2011-06-28T22:27:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I am trying to be able to offer a deal on Heartsy. To do that I have to have 60 people say yes to my photos in 72 hours. The link is here and if you get the chance I would really appreciate you voting yes for me! Feel free to share the link with your friends! Thanks!
Johanna

Orchid Portrait Colorway now available!

2011-06-25T02:03:00.000-04:00

I have created a new colorway that I am very excited about! It is called Orchid Portrait. It is currently available in both my artfire and etsy shops. The colors are white, light green, dark green, lavender, and a hint of brown. The materials that I have made the hand pulled roving and batts are made of Merino, Bamboo, Firestar, Alpaca. Here are some phots:

I also now have Hand Pulled Roving, new batts, and 2 brand new clubs in my shops!

I am in awe today and I want to brag!

2011-06-24T13:53:00.000-04:00

I think almost everyone who reads my blog knows that I make batts, along with dyeing roving and yarn. I also usually tell all my customers that I would love to see what they make with them. Well I have made some custom batts for a wonderful woman who spins lace weight yarn. She also knits these fantastically wonderful pieces of art that are also called shawls! She shared some photos and wrote a blog showing the shawl she made. I am really in awe and also feel pretty amazed that something I made for her became this beautiful Jaali shawl. It just gives me a happy buzz to see what the products I made become. I hardly ever finish a crocheted or knitted project so I am always amazed at what others make!

The batts I sent her looked like this

Through the magic of lace spinning and knitting they became this (photo from Fleegle's blog)

Fleegle has an amazing blog that I really love reading. she is very descriptive and imaginative so if you are looking for a new blog to read check hers out! She is also teaching a supported spindle class at SAFF that I wish I could take!

If anyone else has photos of finished projects that you would like to send, I would love to see them! I now want make up a whole bunch of new batts for the shop using different graduated colorways!

New Monthly Ever Improving Me Newsletter!

2011-06-21T12:38:00.000-04:00

I have created a new monthly newsletter. If you would like to sign up for it please follow the link Here.

We have loaded up the porable workspace (RV)

2011-06-16T21:45:00.000-04:00

and tomorrow afternoon after my Dr apt. we are heading to house sit for a friend for 10 days. This is sort of cool because we are going to really work to fill up my Artfire & Etsy shops. We are also building up stuff to sell at the Wine and Wool festival on July 30! Most of all we are having some alone time! We get to take care of some fun loving kitties, an adorable dog, and some alpacas! Its like a working vacation!

SOLD: Talia 1lb 7oz Raw White Alpaca Fleece - Very Clean, very soft

2011-06-14T19:56:00.001-04:00

Talia had an approximately 1 lb 7oz raw fleece. She was White with some guard hair. Talia had a 3" Avg. staple length, and she had very little VM. The photos show a few larger pieces of hay but we picked those out before we rolled the fleece back up. Talia is very soft and very clean even in the raw. Her full fleece is rolled into a sheet of brown paper though for shipping I think taking it off of the paper will make it easier. If you have any questions please ask and I will answer them to the best of my abilities. Thank you for looking! Talia has been sold. Thanks.

TTC: the blues

2011-06-14T01:33:00.000-04:00

I had a great weekend. I mean it was really wonderful. I went on a sort of extended date with Tom. We hung out with friends in Louisville. We went to Cirque Du Soleil Alegria and it was so beautiful. I felt full of life and I remember thinking I am going to stop being depressed and start being happy and full of life again. I really meant it too though somewhere between Sunday at the show and tonight, the depression comes crawling back. I hate it so much. I want my life back and I dont think it will ever be the same again.

I have had a few different friends that we had not talked to in awhile ask us how the baby was doing recently. I also keep getting all the stupid baby group messages I signed up for so I know exactly where my pregnancy should have been right now. I usually delete them immediately and just try to pretend they were junk mail. Tonight I finally decided to figure out how to make them stop coming but that meant I had to go to the baby site. I had to reset my password but I got it to stop. I also cried a lot and just felt so empty. I really want to pain to stop. I talk to people some times and I can tell they think I should just get over it already. I have pretty much tried to put on a happy face about it most of the time and just move on. My heart just does not listen and I do not think it ever will. I think about my stupid dad. He was not a nice many by most any ones telling but I still loved him. He died 4 years ago and I still get upset at times thinking about him though I no longer feel guilty. I dont think I can handle 4 more years of that. I had thought of getting pregnant again and that would fix it somehow, but now we all know thats probably only going to cause us more grief.

im sure tomorrow will be better. i just need more color or something. *hugs*

Sold - Raw Unskirted White Alpaca

2011-06-08T21:52:00.003-04:00

This fleece has been sold. Thanks to all who looked!

SOLD: Bella - Raw White Alpaca fleece 2lbs 9oz

2011-06-08T21:40:00.005-04:00

I would like to introduce you to Bella. She is apparently very playful because she has dirty tips, and she is dusty. Bella has some guard hair and she is white with about a 3-4" Avg Staple length that I could tell. Bella did not have too much VM and should clean up nicely. Bella has been sold. Thanks!

FS: Raw Unprocessed Cotton 17lbs left Selling by the pound $4

2011-06-08T21:28:00.004-04:00

For sale is 17lbs(sold 17lbs already) of Raw unprocessed cotton, by the pound. I am totally open to offers on this cotton. This is cotton that has not been washed, picked, ginned, shaken, cleaned, anything. Just so we are all straight, its dirty. It was on the ground and I picked it up. $4/lb please. Its perfectly good cotton, it just turns out my hand cards are the wrong kind to work with it. This is now listed on my Artfire shop and in my Etsy shop for your convenience. Thank you for looking!

FS: 28lbs 6oz Fawn Alpaca Raw Fleece for Sale $10/lb + Shipping

2011-06-08T21:22:00.002-04:00

This is 28lbs 6oz of Raw Fawn Alpaca. The colors range from the lighter fawn to the darker fawn. The average staple length that I pulled out was between 2-3". These are more dusty. Some of the fawn has more VM and some of it has Dirty tips. This is for sale by the pound. If you would like to buy this I have listed it in my Artfire Shop and my Etsy Shop so that you can shop where ever you feel more comfy. I can also simply invoice you through paypal via invoice if you email me.

FS: Rose Grey Raw Alpaca Fleece 22lbs 9oz for sale $7/lb + Shipping

2011-06-08T21:02:00.003-04:00

I have 22lbs 9oz of Raw Rose Grey Alpaca Fleece for sale. This is a very filthy fleece and I will not lie. There is a lot of VM that I could see and its very dusty. Also the tips look dirty and possibly stained. Some of them look yellow and im not sure if its age, dirt, ick, or what. Its not all of them but I want to be totally honest. I am putting this on sale as is per pound. The overall staple length that I could see was about 2-3". I have found that I can fit at least 4lbs of fleece into a large flat rate priority box maybe more. If you would like to buy this I have listed it in my Artfire Shop and my Etsy Shop so that you can shop where ever you feel more comfy. I can also simply invoice you through paypal via invoice if you email me. Thanks!

FS: 34lbs of Raw White Alpaca fleece for sale $10/lb + Shipping

2011-06-08T20:55:00.005-04:00

Here is over 34 lbs of raw White Alpaca for sale. This will be for sale by the pound. The staple length varies but a good bit of it was around 2 1/2" - 3" There did not seem to be much VM in what I was taking out to photo but it did seem very Dusty. Also this seemed to range from white to off white to orange white. This is older alpaca that was stored that I bought sight unseen then opened up. It all seems pretty soft though. It needs washed. I have found I can ship at least 4lbs in a large flat rate box maybe more but im not sure. If you would like to buy this I have listed it in my Artfire Shop and my Etsy Shop so that you can shop where ever you feel more comfy. I can also simply invoice you through paypal via invoice if you email me.

Sold - Frida white alpaca fleece

2011-06-08T20:43:00.006-04:00

Frida has now been Sold. Thank you to all who looked!

Pictures of the white alpaca fleece for Frida. An approximately 1lb 9oz fleece White with some guard hair, 3" Avg. staple length, and lots of little bits of VM in some areas. Apparently Frida liked to play in the hay and grass a lot. Her full fleece is rolled into a sheet of brown paper though for shipping I think taking it off of the paper will make it easier.

Raw Jacob June 7, 11

2011-06-07T18:54:00.001-04:00

I'll Drink to That SAL/KAL Inspirations with the batts or yarn

2011-05-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

Its about time for a fiber post *sound the trumpets*!!!! Now that I have that out of my system *grin* I figured you all would like to see what everyone came up with for the last SAL/KAL inspiration wise and what I came up with batt and yarn wise. This will also be helpful in the future for someone who is interested in how my SAL/KALs sort of go. So everyone choose their own inspirations either drink or photos and I went with it from there. The theme was "I'll Drink to That" in honor or maybe in spite of St Patricks Day and all the drinking that typically happens around that time.

Each package came with the batt or yarn, a recipe (sort of) card with the inspiration photo blatantly borrowed for keepsake purposes with a humorous recipe, a plastic drinking glass, some bar type snacks, and of course the "drink" in the form of batt or yarn, with stitch marker garnishes made by Yarndemon just for this SAL/KAL! We will start with her package so you can see the whole package together:

Her inspiration was either a
Purple Haze

or a Venetian Sunset

Me having the since of humor I have I made her a Hazy Sunset

Next there was a request for a Tropical Drink by the pool:

Super Smooth Batt please!

and it looked so good we needed one in Sw Sock Yarn too:

Mastic Liqueur:

Perfect drink for Sweet Smooth and Satisfying Batts:

A couple of Blackberry Crushes were next:

In some Worsted Wool:

Now there is nothing like a Guinness Float:

I served it up in a yummy semi-smooth batt:

Chocolate Martini's are both yummy and sophisticated:

They call for a Luxury Sock Yarn with Merino, Cashmere, and Nylon:

and at the end of the night there is nothing like relaxing with a nice glass of Cabernet:

This one was served up in as Smooth Layered Batt:

All in all it was a great night for all! Be sure to tip your Bartenders *grin*

TTC: Todays visit ups and downs read only if it intests you not wooly at all

2011-05-19T19:59:00.000-04:00

Today I got up at 4:30am to get to my 9am dr apt because its in a +1 hour time zone and I needed to take Tom to work first and be half an hour early since it was my first visit. I had already talked to my regular OBGYN office and they had told me they were prepared to fax my medical records as soon as the specialist called and then faxed over my release form once I got there. So you would think with all this preparation nothing could possibly go wrong right? (you guys can by now since the sarcastic grin I have and the joke here right?)

I have a slight (or not so slight) fear of new places, and crowds and getting lost. I get severe anxiety with occasional panic attacks that I used to take Xanax for, but stopped over the summer once we got serious about having a baby. Unfortunately the doctors office was in downtown Louisville, KY. Even though I had very good directions I still managed to get lost. The streets were very crowded with both people and cars. I finally pulled over to an empty metered spot and jumped out putting 2 quarters into the meter then back into the car, turning it on and locking the doors. Then I used my phone (its not often I take the time to thank my husband for insisting I buy an Iphone but I think this is one of those times I just have to) to look up the new directions to the dr office. I found them pretty easily that time. I parked in the parking garage right across from the dr office and walked over in the nifty 3rd story cross walk!

Next I talked to the concierge (im not kidding, thats what the desk plate called her) and found out how to get to the dr office. After that the regular new dr stuff. I signed the release paperwork but it asked for my date of birth first so I ended up dating everything after that with my date of birth (did I mention I have been a huge bundle of nerves for days) and ended up going back and fixing most of the dates. A while later I got called back and they took my weight and blood pressure then took me to a consultation room. They told me they were waiting on my records. I waited, and waited and waited some more. Somewhere along the way I think lines got crossed because the records did not get faxed until after my appointment. Then the Dr on fellowship came in to talk to me and get my back ground and history from me.

We went over all of that. We discussed possibilities ( a lot of what I had talked about with my regular OBGYN) and then she asked if I could do a sonogram that day and set up bloodwork for the 3rd day of my next period. They can apparently tell a lot about your ovaries and your past history and health from that particular day. I said no problem and she went to set that up and see if my records were in. The regular Dr came in a while later to talk to me and I have to say by this point I was kind of going into overload. It was several hours after I had first arrived and I was just very emotionally drained and sort of at the end of what I had to still be able to function alone.

He was discussing that I may need an MRI and a Kidney sonogram but I told him I wanted to make sure I needed it first. I know that is because of my dad. He died of kidney failure and I just have a very hard time discussing it all when Im that drained. I should have just let them do it but I did not. My records were still not there but he also told me I had explained my situation to them very well. He told me my problem was not that I was infertile, because I was obviously fertile, but that my uterus was malformed. The reason we were talking about that is that my insurance would not cover his visit if it was decided that it was do to infertility. He told me that having 2 pregnancies in that time frame was proof that I can conceive now we needed to see what was causing me to miscarry.

I also had to tell them I was depressed and no I was not suicidal. My husband helped me fill out the paperwork and yall do not really know Tom that well but believe it or not he is actually a really stand up guy who tells the truth a lot and tries to always do the right thing as he sees it (the trouble with us comes when he sees it one way and i see it another but thats another story). So he put on my paper work for me that I have been drinking a lot and I wont lie here since I am putting it out there to help others. He put correctly 15-20 drinks a week for alcohol and 8-10 coffee or tea drinks a day. This lead to me explaining how this miscarriage took a really long time to show up. How I had to go back to the dr week after week looking for the 0 number to say it was finally over. I told them how after a week of this I started doing the things I initially avoided while trying to get pregnant in an attempt to get it out of my body. How I just wanted it to end and be over and how I felt so horrible about it at the same time. I also found out from them that this is a normal reaction. I did not know that but I have to say some part of me is glad to know Im normal here. They did tell me that its time to bring it back to a normal level though. I need to quit coffee again and bring my tea back to 2 cups a day.

I also need to stop drinking again too. I will but not tonight. Tonight Im way to overloaded with all these emotions some good, some bad, some I don't even know what they mean. I have cried all day. So the results of the sonogram. No easy fix. No septum. that would have meant an outpatient surgery and then a normal pregnancy I found out. nope I have a unicornunate uterus and this changes most things in odd ways. I am still very fertile but i will likely miscarriage a lot more than most women, i will have to have a C-section early term do to having a uterous half the size of a normal full term, I will also have to continue to see the specialists in Louisville instead of the local ones, I will not be able to have natural child birth, my risk of having a still born is much higher, my risk of later complications is higher so I will have to be monitored much more, I will also be considered high risk the whole time and be put on bed rest earlier than normal.

Now all that is from the preliminary stuff. They still have to do the blood work, the MRI with contrast, the renal sonogram and then look at it all and evaluate it to make sure thats it. So all in all its much better in some ways and not so happy in others but we can still have children. We are supposed to put off trying until after the MRI but then I was told to try again. *hugs to all and I hope these words help someone*

Shop update happening on May 17th.

2011-05-16T21:23:00.001-04:00

I will be adding new batts to the shop on May 17th. I was going to do that today but I ran out of time. I already know you all will love them though! I have been a mad carder getting ready for my class and stocking the shop up! Cant wait to show you all!

I am being referred to a Obgyn specialist

2011-05-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

Well I have to go see a specialist. When the put the contrast into my uterus the test only showed the left side fallopian tube, no right side fallopian tube, and only a tiny amount of uterus on the left side. The dr has referred me to a specialist (unfortunately insurance will not pay for this so its all self pay) who will go in and look to see what is going on with a camera. There are a few things that it could be:
1) Unicornuate uterus - this means I could only have a uterus and fallopian tube on the left side with a very small thin uterus. This will make pregnancy very dangerous, will have to be monitored constantly, bed rest, very high chance of miscarriage, and there will have to be an early term C-section for safety of both baby and me
2) Bicornuate uterus - this means I have 2 seperate uterine areas separated by a septum, require surgery for removal of septum, drugs to try to prevent scar tissue build up, drugs to then induce pregnancy, C-section
3) Fibroid Tumor - I think this one is pretty self explanatory though probably needs saying its benign just blocking the tube
It may even be something else but those are the things the dr talked over with me. Pretty much I can get pregnant but if I do so I will miscarry 99% of the time with a high chance of bad things happening to me too. I guess I have been lucky that so far I only lost the babies and not been hospitalized. Also pregnancy in the future will most likely be high risk and will always require a C-section do to possible complications. I have an appointment on the 19th with the specialist.

I have decided to really focus on my fiber business because I need to put my energy and focus into something that I can control right now. I can go to drs for this but really there is only so much I can do against mother nature. While I am not ready to just throw in the towel yet I just have to have something else take most of my focus up right now or I will go insane. I am not sure what I would do if I did not have my fiber and yarn to fall back on. The people in my group on ravelry and who I have met because of my fiber and yarn are really the ones who have been helping through this time. I have to give something back to them and to myself, even if its only to keep moving forward with it and not to give up. *hugs to all*

TTC, Dr asked me to come into the office tomorrow.

2011-05-11T18:14:00.000-04:00

The nagging doubt and worry is now very increased as the dr has told me everything over the phone including the miscarriage. Maybe its nothing but my brain is now on overdrive waiting for my 2:30pm appointment.

Latest on the TTC front: Hysterosalpingogram - very detailed so avoid if squimish!

2011-05-10T11:51:00.000-04:00

I figure this could use repeating: This is on the TTC front: Hysterosalpingogram - very detailed so avoid if squimish!

I went to the dr today for the Hysterosalpingogram. It was uncomfortable but not too painful. The details of the procedure for those of you who may have to have this done or for those of you who are just interested. I was not actually sure what was going to happen. From WebMD:

A hysterosalpingogram (HSG) is an X-ray test that looks at the inside of the uterus and fallopian tubes and the area around them. It often is done for women who are having a hard time becoming pregnant (infertile).

During a hysterosalpingogram, a dye (contrast material) is put through a thin tube that is put through the vagina and into the uterus. Because the uterus and the fallopian tubes are hooked together, the dye will flow into the fallopian tubes. Pictures are taken using a steady beam of X-ray (fluoroscopy) as the dye passes through the uterus and fallopian tubes.

What that means is that they put you on a regular X-ray table that they have just added stir-ups to (its sounding fun already right?) then tell you to sort of hang your butt off the table. Now this is not like your friendly and comfortable OBGYN tables (wait did I really just say friendly and comfortable?? well comparatively yes.. yes they are because they have padding and the stir ups extend a bit). The table here is just metal with a sheet on it and the stir ups are straight up on the end of the table.

To perform this maneuver I was reminded of much younger days when I had to pee outside after having drunk a whole lot (way too much at a club) once which was to say very clumsy, unorganized, hanging over the edge of something not meant for that purpose and I think things ended up in areas that they really should not have been. Also people where seeing bits of my body that are normally not shown in public while they gave me advice on how to accomplish the task better. "Scoot down a bit more" "Hang over just a little bit more" "lean just a bit" "lift your leg here" "wiggle this way" "woops its just plastic" Ahh the good old days (nooooo!!!!! end embarrassing flashback) Those were actually things said during the procedure today and Im not kidding there. It is sort of funny if you think about it. The things we go through in the name of medicine and health.

Now at this point I am just now getting into position and the dr tells me he will probably end up pinching me with the speculum. Also the dye will feel like heavy cramping. Im prepared, ok here we go. Here goes the tube, it is uncomfortable but its ok. Wait what the heck are you doing down there? Oh you are filling a balloon??? No one mentioned this balloon. (BTW the balloon filling is actually the most painful part and its still only feels like really bad cramps). Now speculum is in, the tube is in, balloon is filled, and now with all this in place I must carefully take my legs off the stirups, pull my butt back on the table, and scoot up so they can put the dye in and hurry up and snap X rays.

That part Im certain was funny as all get out if I could have observed it from another vantage point. It took myself, the doctor and one tech to get this accomplished. Once in place the photos took only minutes. They checked took a few more and then took it all out. Told me to wear a pad due to spotting. Told me to watch out for pain, fever, heavy bleeding, chills, other signs of infection. If they happen call the dr or go to the ER. They are rare but still must mention them. Also as they were looking over these tests the dr asked if I have had a CAT scan or MRI of the area. I told him no and asked why? He said he was just checking. That part makes me nervous because after all this time I have found that drs rarely just ask a question out of curiosity.

I should have the results in a few days. This will tell me if there are any blockages of my fallopian tubes or abnormal shaping of my uterine lining causing issues with implantation. On a highly positive note the tech told me that if everything turns out ok with the tests often times the contrast used to get the photos does a wonderful cleaning out of the tubes and pregnancy is usually easier in the future. So thats my story for today's dr visit. Hopeful but a bit nervous is how Im feeling. *hugs to all as usual*

I decided to try out a new blog layout & I will be Vending in Jackson, MI July 30

2011-05-08T15:15:00.000-04:00

Of course now I have no idea how to get the old one back so hopefully yall like this one *grin* I will probably fiddle with it a bit more but I like the colors of it. Also I wanted to announce that I will be vending at the 2nd Annual Wine and Wool Festival
at Sandhill Crane Vineyards July 30, 2011 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. This is located Jackson, MI for anyone nearby there who would like to pop over and say hello! This is now 2 whole events for the summer think I can find a few more to fill up my fall? If anyone has something they think would be fun, a good fit, nearby let me know ok!

Getting to the Post office - stressful but amusing!

2011-05-08T10:32:00.000-04:00

So a funny thing happened to me on the way to the post office. Well several (I did eventually get there but not until Sat) actually. Friday I got up bright and early and went to the garage. I wanted to send out some other packages as well so I went to work on them. I was chugging along, feeling good and feeling accomplished. I figured I will go to the post office after lunch. Tom had took our car to work because Wanda told me I could borrow her jeep, because her hubby was taking his car to work. Everyone following me now? Great!

Lunch time comes and I am still working with a batt on the carder. I stop to get a coffee and take a break when I realize the time. Rik (Wanda's hubby) is about to head back to work because he comes home for lunch. He goes out to the car as I sit down on the porch with my coffee and his car won't start. At all. Lots of noisy noise but no starting. I am now starting to panic a bit on the inside but trying not to let it show because they are the ones having some car trouble and I just need to get to the post office. If he can't get it working he will have to take his jeep back to work and I will not have a car to get to the post office. It wont be the end of the world but I have already missed a week of getting to the post office. He works on the car for about 20-30 minutes and he is able to get it started and off to work he goes.

I finish my coffee with a sigh of relief and go inside to take the batt I had been working with off the carder and put it in a bag. Then I go to print a label for it. My printer starts making this horrible grinding noise for about 30 seconds and then the power shuts off. I turn the power back on open it up, nothings stuck, no paper jam so I try to print again, same thing happens. We do this about 3 times and I am starting to say forget it(well that's the censored version) because this package can just wait. Then it actually starts printing. I am ready to cheer because I have a love hate relationship with my printer. Halfway through printing the page the ink runs out. I am now ready to use something (like one of the very large hammers or possibly the chainsaw) to turn my printer into little bitty bits. My friend Wanda discourages this course of action because it will damage the chainsaw. I decide I am just going to the post office and I will pick up ink while I am out.

All of a sudden it occurs to me as I am thinking about the packages that I forgot to put in the stitch markers from Yarndemon. The stitch markers that she made just for the I'll Drink to That SAL/KAL. Not only that I have no idea where I have put them. The time is now about 1pmish. I think there is still plenty of time to find them and get them into the packages and still make the post office. I am thinking how lucky I am that I actually remembered before I shipped them. So I try to think about where I have put them... I start pacing, looking on shelves, moving boxes. I come inside and look there. I go back out to the garage and look some more there. I am now so frustrated that I really want to cry like a baby because I can't find the stitch markers and I am not sending these packages with out them. I have waited this long to send a perfect package and Im going to send a perfect package... Pace.. pace.. pace.. Move boxes.. pace.. lift things.. pace.. kick desk.. pace..

Tom texts. He is still at work but while on break he went out to the car and has locked the keys inside. So now I have to take the spare key to him. I stop looking for the box of stitch markers that I can not find (it is now after 3pm and the post office is closed btw it is actually about 4:30pm now and I have been looking for those stitch markers for awhile) and I go to take him the key. I get half way there and realize I have forgotten the key. It is still hanging in the closet. At this point I just start laughing. I turn around and get the key to take to Tom. I also got ink for the printer and Tom grabbed pizza for dinner so we ended up relaxing sort of the rest of the night. I still could not find the stitch markers. I had decided I was just going to send the packages with out them on Sat.

I woke up Sat morning and remembered right where I put the box of stitch markers. I took Tom to work then came home to get them (I am not taking any chances today). This is where it gets really funny. See I left them in the priority box that Anita sent them in to protect them. Then so I would not forget them I put them in the packages I put them in my shipping area for safe keeping. They were with the packages all along but hidden because they looked like one of the packages I was sending out. So all the packages got reopened, I added the stitch markers and then repackaged them. Then I because I knew the post office closed at noon and Tom got off work at 12:30ish I played around with my carder for a bit and then headed out at around 11. This turned out to be good because I got to the post office at 11:21. They actually close at 11:30. The good new is the packages have all shipped! The really good news is The Packages Have All Shipped With Everything They Were Supposed to Have!!!

Because of only having one vehicle and working a part time temporary job I am currently only able to ship packages on Friday and Saturday. In the future though I think it will not be this eventful! I will be posting photos of the batts and yarn for the I'll drink to that Sal/Kal as soon as they packages start arriving to maintain the surprise.

I am teaching a Fiber Prep Workshop Jun 4

2011-05-05T06:57:00.000-04:00

I am so very excited and I just can not contain myself. I have set the details up and I will be teaching a Fiber Prep Workshop on Jun 4th at Enchanted Yarn and Fiber at their new location at 2327 Madison St, Clarksville, TN. Here is the blurb that was in the newsletter:

Fiber Prep Class with Johanna Spalding
One Session – June 4th (Saturday)
Time: 10:00 – 3:00
Class fee: $30.00 paid to Instructor
Class size limited to 10 students.

This session includes an informative and detailed lecture on different methods of preparing wool. The session turns into a hands-on class as students will have the opportunity to use cards, carders and hand combs to create batts and roving. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how and why certain processes are necessary to prepare fibers.
Samples of completed batts and roving will also be available to view and purchase.

I am just so excited and wanted to share this with everyone. Today I am feeling very much alive and feeling great! I have some really good ideas I can not wait until the weekend to work on! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Oh those Moody, Moody Moods...

2011-05-03T23:01:00.000-04:00

I thought I was doing so much better. I was starting to feel terrific. I was thinking about work, my fiber/yarn work that is. My life, happy things. Then yesterday I had a day that was very emotional. It turned into one of those crying all day and all night ones. Im not even sure why I was crying. I thought it was one reason but then I would start crying over something else. I woke up this morning with my eyes very swollen from all the crying.

Today though I was feeling more sort of blah.. Not good but not bad you know just sort of here. I think maybe I just really needed to cry and so yesterday my body said yep its time to turn that faucet on and I think we will just let it run for awhile. Today it decided to turn it off and turn on the body here but brain vacated. I have been forgetful all day. I was supposed to give my orders to my friend and she was going to take them to the post office today. I was in such a fog I just forgot. Not that she would have been able to take them anyway because of how flooded everything is around here (but thats a whole other story and its on all the weather I think). Today I went to the temp job did the work and came home. Been doing fibery things for the past few hours. Only now remembered to tell everyone in my group that I did not get the packages sent out. My head is just not here today. Tomorrow who knows?

I think I am just always going to be moody. Not the boohoohoo type. The happy/sad/mad/happy type. Its just how I have always been. I have been medicated for it before but I lose parts of myself creatively and personality wise and turn into a zombie. Also we decided to go off all meds when we decided to actively try to get pregnant. We went off of them in advance even to make sure they were well out of my system. So the moods are just here too stay. There are just not any instant cures. Feelings have to process and somethings hang around longer than others or come back a few times to stay a bit. Its all part of life.

Now on the Improving part of me I talked to RoLynn today of Enchanted Yarn and Fiber. I will be doing a Fiber Workshop in her store. She is going to put it in her newsletter. It will be from 10am -3pm on Jun 4th. We moved the date today due to the weather and to give us more time to prepare and promote it. I will probably do a blog just for it later this week with a link to her shop. I just wanted to mention it because it was a good part of today and its always nice to talk to RoLynn! She is a really sweet lady. I have really been looking forward to this class too so its pretty happy for me. So with that I will say goodnight on a happy note. Sweet dreams all!

Panic at the Disco (or maybe the bee factory...)

2011-04-30T09:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had a huge panic attack at the temp job that I am working at. It happens to be at a bee business. I have been seeing queens and gotten somewhat used to them though they still make me nervous. I am very allergic to bees. I carry an epi-pen in my purse with me (actually 2 because 1 does not always work & sometimes a second pen is required). The queens are packaged in these little tiny boxes though with screen on one side open for ventilation and food and water. As long as I do not touch the screen the worker bees packaged with the queens can not sting me. I only touch the outside of the boxes. I go slowly and carefully. It still makes me nervous but its doable.

I was told that on Fridays & Saturdays when people come to pick up entire packages of bees (whole hives worth of the workers) that there are usually hitchhikers that come along on the outside of the trucks and that people can get entire hives of bees that way. I did not realize that they would fly inside the office. So on Friday my supervisor told me the packaged bees where set up in the front and asked if I wanted to see them. I told her no thank you. She said why not? I told her Im allergic and they scare me. She said what are you going to do when someone walks by with bees? I told her Im going to freak out and try to just sit here. I think she thought I was kidding. She just shook her head and walked off.

Everytime the back door opened more and more bees kept flying in. At first I did not actually notice them. Then I became aware of them. I tried to ignore them. I remembered that Tom said bees do not want to sting me & that the usually will not unless they are upset. Then I heard a couple of the ladies talking about how the bees were really upset today. That was pretty much it.

I started having trouble breathing. My eyes started tearing up, my nose kept wanting to run & of course my heart felt like it wanted to beat right out of my chest. I kept trying to calm down & hope they would just ignore me because it was almost lunch time. I just kept thinking I can't handle this & I gotta get out of here. I have a habit when I am upset that I put my hand over my head. I do not know why I just do it. That makes it difficult to type let me tell you. The bees started buzzing around my desk and darting towards me. I think thats when I started actually saying out loud that I had to get out of there and I jumped up so quick to avoid a bee heading for me that my chair slammed into the shelf behind me and made the wall divider rock. I also sort of darted out into the middle of the floor saying that I had to get out of there.

At this point people are asking if I am ok. I tell them No, Im not & that Im allergic to bees, I thought I could handle them but its not like it was the rest of the week and that I have to get out of here because I just cant handle it. I am rambling at this point and still trying to calm down. Some people are laughing at me sort of good naturedly I think trying to get me to calm down. It only upset me more but I went and sat back down because the bees buzzed back off for a min. I was trying to finish up my work so I could just leave. I had it in my head that if I just finished my job I could go. I think I talked to myself some more & stood up a few more times to avoid bees. I was shaking really bad.

A few people tried talking to me to calm me down & said things like you knew there would be bees here. I honestly just did not realize they would be in the office where i was. I am naive at times I think. The boss/owner came over and sort of gave me a shoulder hug and said it was ok. She said the bees were just really upset today because of the change in the barometer. She also told me I could take the rest of the day off and then on Monday we would talk about me only doing Mon-Thur. I was really relived to get out of there. I was also really embarrassed.

Even after I left I was still so upset I could not calm down and really stop from tearing up for a while. I did realize though I am no longer suicidal. An odd realization to have but a true one. Somewhere along the way I have worked my way back from depression and actually found a strong desire to stay alive. So much so that being confronted by so many things that could cause me death scared the hell out of me.

Another thing that I realize is I tend to tell the truth about things as I see it. I am constantly surprised when people do not believe me. I told them bees freak me out and they laughed it off. I also told them I could do this job easily and they did not really believe that either. Honestly though its a simple job. Anyone with the ability to read and follow simple instructions could do it. Not to mention I have experience with all of the programs they use so its even easier for me to pick up once I know exactly what they want from me. Today Im working on getting some stuff finished and out in the mail. Not as much as I had hoped because the weather was against me this week and the power would not hold with the storms. Its great weather now though so Im taking advantage. *hugs to all*

I'm working a temp job for a bit

2011-04-27T06:47:00.000-04:00

This is to get me out of the house and help us catch up on some bills. So far its good that Im doing it because its been storming so bad the power keeps going off here so I could not do my fibery stuff anyway. I am feeling much better most days, others are still not so good but mostly better. It is really helping being out of the house if only because I do not have time to think so much. It is not a permanent job just a temporary thing that came up out where my husband worked and they thought of me. Once the storms pass I should have some new stuff up in the shop I just need the power to stay on. If any of you are out there in the storm areas you be careful and I will keep you in my thoughts. Don't cross roads that have water running over them (I know thats something that should be a given but sometimes we get impatient and give it a try anyway and then cars get swept away) and just be safe! *hugs*

Today I am feeling really good!

2011-04-18T16:40:00.000-04:00

I have no idea why or how I just know that right now I feel pretty good. I have gotten some forum posts done on Ravelry. I have gotten a bit more organized in the garage. It may help that today I got a sweet post card, my comb & hackle set, and 7 different colors of angelina. It all makes me want to get back to working even more. Tomorrow I go to a different dr to get a B12 shot and that will also make me feel better. I have Pernicious anemia & Iron deficiency anemia so I tend to get tired if my levels get too low. With everything going on its gotten down there so its time to get the shots again. Life is beautiful today though. I sat outside in the grass for awhile with my friend and just looked at nature. I think its hard to be down when faced with that much green and that much beauty.

30% off sale on hand dyed yarn, roving and batts

2011-04-15T13:19:00.000-04:00

I am trying to get out my older inventory so I have decided to have a sale for a bit. 30% off in my artfire shop on all hand dyed yarns, rovings and batts that are in stock. This does not apply to custom orders (I am not doing any of those until I come back in May) or to clubs. I also used Etsy sale I think its called to put all of my hand dyed yarns in my etsy shop though they are the same ones as my artfire. I was just trying it out a bit. Here are some photos of some of what is currently available.

There are more things available but only what is currently in the shop. I believe in May I will be feeling much better. My mood has been lifting lately I think from all of my very supportive friends online and in person, including my husband who is right in this with me. It turns out I still have to go back again next week for more blood work as we have still not hit 0 for the HCG level. I think im finally moving past this and focusing again on other things. Thank you all and have a great weekend.

I will reopen shop on May 1st.

2011-04-12T14:38:00.000-04:00

I reposted this from my Ravelry group because I wanted to share it. A personal update that also involves my shops.

Hi everyone! I wanted to say thank you all for the warm thoughts and wishes that I have gotten. I really wanted to let you all know that I have firm plans on being back in May. I know that is still a bit off but Im just not ready yet. I am really having a lot of depression with this right now and its hard to focus on anything important including orders. I have managed to do some basic things like cleaning and in general dyeing to try to get my self back to a good place. I am still finding it hard to actually talk with people online and in real life.

I know I have not really talked about it here but this miscarriage is harder on me than the last. The last time it happened so suddenly there was no time for anything but sadness. This time its harder because its a long drawn out process. I did not even know i was loosing the baby until my blood work showed that I was. The dr could diagnose it from that but she talked to me about letting nature complete its course by itself. She said it would be the easiest on my body. So this process is still going on. Every time I go to the dr the levels are dropped again. Last week it was down to 43. I am supposed to go back this week and it will probably be finally down to 0. I was supposed to go on monday but i have not been able to make myself go yet. Tomorrow I will go though and then maybe it will all be over to a point that I can let it go. Even though its easier on my body I think this was was much harder on my spirit and soul. Every time I get the tests I feel a bit like im dying. Everyone else seems to be fine and I get so mad about that. Im getting tired of crying and being mad but I do not know what to do to fix it. That is why I still need some time.

I felt you all needed a bit more explanation. I have to be honest that going through this is hard on every level of my being. I really need to work to feel better I think but I need to do it on stuff I feel less pressured for. I was thinking back about the past 6 months and they have been a bit crazy for me and for you all. I love my job but I get to thinking about everything and worrying if I can really do this. Most days the answer is yes I will pull through. Its just harder to come to the yes right now through the depression. I wanted you all to know how much your cards and packages have meant to me. I may not actually know you all in person but I feel very close to you. I really love you guys from the bottom of my heart and I am very lucky to know such wonderful people. So I will be back in May with all the stuff Im supposed to have and my head back in it. That is my plan at least. *hugs*

Today I dyed some silk to try to get back into the swing of things

2011-04-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

My confidence has been really shaken lately. I am semi-closed for a bit but I am trying to come back to me. I have just not felt confident enough to dye anything specific or make anything for anyone in particular. I had a pound of waste silk that I got in my World of Wool order that I decided to do something with. I started out by just washing it. I figured that I could just clean it for later with out any real point to it. I actually looked up how to clean it because I wanted to make sure I followed someones directions.

It cleaned up nicely and then I was going to give it an acid rinse to bring the ph back to a more balanced place. While that was happening I decided to just pour in some dye. My reasoning is its waste silk so in the end I wont mess it up. I poured in some red, blue, green and fuchsia. I actually did that last night. I just left it to soak. This morning I spun the water out and then went through the silk and sat in the sun picking through it to open it up. There was a lot of area that just did not get dyed so lots more that I decided needed over dyed. It was really peaceful sitting in the sun opening up the silk.

Now it is sitting in 5 zipbags with a different color in each. I am doing green, red, fuchsia, aqua, and purple. I think the colors will mesh nicely and give me something to work with once I feel back up to making new batts. I appreciate everyone's well wishes and offers of help and friendship. I will not just roll over and give up. I think sometimes I get really depressed and forget that Im still alive so there is still more for me to do and accomplish. So for anyone out there wondering I am only taking a break for my peace of mind. I will be back open when I feel able to dye confidently and happily. *hugs to you all*

Life has a way of happening. (sad post)

2011-03-31T14:11:00.000-04:00

Even when you wish it would not. I am updating here because I have to. I should have followed peoples advice and waited to tell anyone. I had hoped that by telling people it would have to all work out. I was just wrong. I feel stupid, mad, ashamed, embarrassed, depressed, upset and on top of it all I just want to feel numb.

I lost the baby and had to have a stupid test tell me. I am still having all the symptoms of being pregnant but the baby.. well its gone. The placenta is still there and thats why Im still having the symptoms. I have to wait for nature to finish what it started. I hate it all. I don't want it to be true. I thought I was further along this time and that it would be ok but its just not. Im sorry to anyone who got their hopes up along with mine. I have tried to figure out just what I did wrong. The doctor said i didn't do anything wrong but i still have to wonder.

Now I have to have some more tests to make sure my uterus is actually ok. They have to put dye into it and exray it but we have to wait until my next period to prevent infection. My doctor is really nice. She has been through this too and I guess that helps more. I really just want to wake up from this nightmare and still be pregnant and still be preparing for my baby. I am taking some time off work and I do not even know what to say to anyone. I want to scream and cry and break stuff. Instead I am just sitting in my room trying to sleep. I needed to put this here because you should know. I dont want to tell people individually. Its a bit of a copout. It was bad enough telling Tom. He was so happy about the baby and so was i and now its all gone.

I had to get a shot of Rhogam because Im O- and Tom is A+ to protect the future babies. RH factor is important because with out this shot my body decided this baby was a foreign object that had to go. So if you are - and your partner is + ask if you need this shot.
Hugs, Johanna

I am so behind in my work and my home stuff!

2011-03-25T10:29:00.000-04:00

The weekend I found out I was pregnant (last Friday) I got a horrible cold (again). I am still feeling the end of it a week later. I do not know about any of yall but when I get a bad cold I am just exhausted. I can't breath and I can't do a whole lot at a time without feeling like I'm going to fall over. Coughing makes me see stars and get dizzy. So that added on top of all the rest leads me to still way behind. I am really starting to feel like I will never catch up. My room still needs the trim done. I still have to put up the book shelves. I still have a SAL/KAL to get out (its already late). I have a few custom orders that are taking an abnormally long amount of time because of issues I ran into and just being too tired to start them again.

I was getting really down last week (I think being sick just tends to do that anyway) and was thinking along the lines of just closing my business. Yep I go all gloom and doom at times. Then out of the blue I got several "Hope you feel better" cards from people in my Ravelry group who are just super sweet and really did boost my spirits. The people online are just so supportive that to really quit would be just wrong in my opinion. I have realized though that I will need to rethink my work ethics and schedule.

I tend to go full steam ahead most times. I also tend to have about a million things to do all at once. I think this might also lead to running behind and not feeling like things ever get completed. I have to take it easy for a bit while I am pregnant. I do not want to risk losing my baby because I got hard headed and could not tone it down. I have to figure out what that really means though. I am putting off April's SAL/KAL until May or June when I am feeling more in control. I am going to get my room finished with Tom's help. I am going to finish organizing my work space (that also never really seems finished). I really want to put more in the shop for people who want to just browse and buy. I realized I have quite a few yarns but only a few batts right now. I must fix that.

All in all I am feeling better. I feel guilty though at all of the commitments that are still dangling. I plan on taking care of those this month also. On a super positive one of my life goals has been accomplished. I wanted to be pregnant by 32 and we did it!

We got 2 pink lines and the doctor visit

2011-03-19T07:50:00.000-04:00

I went to the dr on thursday and told her about the pain I have been having and the bleeding. I told her that my pregnancy tests have all been negative and we discussed my options. She did a pelvic exam, ran a bunch of tests and scheduled an ultrasound on tuesday to try to figure out whats wrong. I have to wait to see what is going on there. I got put on 2 different antibiotics, 1 that should not be taken if pregnant but I thought I was not and since i told the dr that they did not do a pregnancy test. We also talked about my options to get pregnant in the future. The doctor felt we should skip the rest of this month and get my issues fixed first. She also prescribed clomid for next month and told to use an ovulation kit.

I did take the antibiotics that day but all night long I was thinking about that the antibiotics that should not be taken if pregnant. I woke up and asked Tom what he thought about it. We decided I should just take a pregnancy test to ease my mind. (its not like I dont keep them on hand) So I took one and I did not even wait the 3 minutes before glancing over at it. I have to say I looked at it and sort of shook my head and looked again. Nope still 2 pink lines. I told Tom you are not going to believe this but there are 2 pink lines, what does that mean? He went from sleeping to wide eyed and grinning in about 2 seconds flat. I called my dr's office but she is out of town until Monday. They told me to wait a few days and take another test then call back on Monday.

I do not think anyone else could wait a few days either so we went to the health department. Before you know it I had a positive test there too. We asked if there could be any mistake and she said that in all the time she had been there a positive test was positive. She said sometimes there will be a false negative and that is what she thinks we may have been getting. She had to go off of the last menstrual cycle to give me an expected due date of Dec 8, 2011 but she said that the tests usually will not give a positive result unless you are 4-5 weeks along. She said we would probably be due sooner but no way to know for sure until the ultrasound.

We are overjoyed and excited. I know that we should be cautious still but there is just no way that I can be. I feel like my prayers have been answered and now I have to do everything that I can to have a healthy baby. I think from here on out my blog will have 2 parts, my wool/yarn business and my baby/family stuff. I will figure out a way to make sure yall know which one you may be looking at so you get the information that you really want *grin* I say that like there are people out there just hanging on every word I write. I have a high opinion of myself I guess. Really though putting my thoughts out here in my blog helps me to process the things going on in my life.

Lately I have been so discouraged and sick that I have had 2nd and even 3rd thoughts about keeping my business going. I was really starting to feel that I was just doing everything wrong. Thankfully I have some wonderful people that I talk to in my Ravelry group, my Inspineration group, and my Phatfiber group that I belong to. Everyone there has just been so supportive to me that I know that once I get caught up it will be ok. My husband is even helping me catch up so that is wonderful too. We are doing much better and I am emotionally doing much better. Thank you all for everything. *hugs*

Another workspace update

2011-03-14T12:48:00.000-04:00

Thats right 2 blogs in one day! This one is geared towards the wool and yarn side of life. I think I mentioned a while back that I built a big wooden box bed for my room so that I could store things in it? If not I should do that now *grin*. My friend Wanda helped me build it a few weeks ago. It was outside in the pole barn but when all the storms started happening we had to move it into my workspace. Well we finally had some guys around at the same time and they moved it into the bedroom yesterday. This is great news!

This means my workspace is now open to my use again with out having to bang around the big bed. This is also good because I am currently so far behind in my work I am not sure if I will ever catch up. Ok that was possibly me being overly dramatic. My husband decided to switch jobs so he is home this week to help me catch up. He is going to start working just down the road at a bee company. Very nice people there. He will have a set daytime schedule and if he is required to work on Saturdays it will mean overtime. He is very happy about that. His other job had too many last minute schedule changes and they were not fun for any of us.

With Tom helping me I believe I will actually get everything I need done so that it can all ship out by Friday. This is shipping out late but thankfully everyone I have things going out to is very understanding. I will see if I can post some teaser photos of some of the things going out later this week. One of my orders that will be leaving sooner is for fleegle. Her anniversary is just after mine this month and I got to once again make her some surprise batts to spin up. These are all pretty fun but I can not give away anything just yet for those. Please check out her blog though to see some of the really cool things she spins up and knits. Her latest Percy Shawl was made from 2 of the batts that I made for her. It is simply amazing that something I made ended up like that. I really do not even have the words to describe how truly cool fleegle is so yall check her out.

Clomid / TTC update (non wool post)

2011-03-14T12:26:00.000-04:00

Here is another Clomid / TTC update and this one will be a bit graphic/gross so please do not read if this bothers you.

This is not a happy post so be warned a second time. I have been having bleeding for the past 3 days now. I read that breakthrough bleeding is normal but that it was more like spotting. Its like my period restarted again. I have also been having cramping/pain. I am finding myself very upset and depressed because i do not know what is wrong. I have a doctors appointment on the 22nd so hopefully we will see what is happening. I am finding myself a bit scared also. There really is no polite way to say this so I will just spit it out. We have been attempting to have sex daily in order to conceive though some days I am feeling to sore in my uterus / low abdomen area to do that. We tried last night and I had to ask my husband to stop because it was just to painful. This is not something that has ever happened to us or me before. I am not sure what could cause that level of pain in that area so I am hoping the doctor can help me figure it out.

I am finding it really hard to be motivated to do anything at all. A few days ago I ended up drinking too much at a party. I know I should be avoiding alcohol but the tests still say negative and honestly I wanted to feel better. Instead I ended up crying too much and getting sick. This is how down I have been feeling. I hoped that if I drank my body would relax enough to have sex with out pain. It didn't happen so it was all just a waste. I am sorry if this blog is less encouraging than others. I hope to post something happy about TTC soon. I also hope that someone may read this who has been through similar and post something happy. We all have hopes. I need some motivation. Then again in a few days maybe I will be all better and then just look this blog over as a reference. I met someone the other day who got pregnant on her 6 month of Clomid so I have to figure out how to keep doing this without getting so discouraged I just give up.

I also figured I would add in that I have sprained my ankle. I went outside a few days ago and stepped wrong over 3 kittens. I was trying to be careful and my foot slid in the gravel. I crashed down on my ankle and my knee. I have spent the past few days icing it and keeping it elevated. That may also be contributing to my funk in general. *hugs*

Day 5 Clomid + the next 2 days (a TTC blog not wooly)

2011-03-10T23:34:00.001-05:00

Day 5 on Clomid was pretty uneventful and it followed the pattern of the other days. Still felt bloated, and crampy but basically fine. If I thought I was moody on clomid I think going off clomid just may be worse. My moods are still all over the place. I think my body is really confused on what time of the month it is. The clomid is attempting to make me ovulate before I normally do I think. I think by day 5 my body was getting used to the hormones so the sudden stop of them just may have angered it. Either way I have been all pissy all day long. I really just feel mad for no real apparent reason. the joys of planned parenthood...

I also really need to vent for a minute. I know that people mean well but seriously if one more person tells me that I just have to relax and it will happen I just may explode. Everyone says it with a smile and they really mean well by it. They also usually have at least a few of their own kids. Its like I should be following in their footsteps.. but they had their kids at least 8 years ago and I think that if I had done that I would have had an easier time with it too. Do people really think that if you just relax that a magical path opens up that takes the sperm directly to the ovum in a sparkling bright shiny light? Also if they do in fact believe this do they also think that the princess and the prince really do live happily ever after with no disagreements or disgusting bodily functions?

I mean come on I think we all know the way the story really goes. They live happily ever after all the way through the honey moon if they are lucky. At this point Prince Charming realizes that Sleeping Beauty snores loudly and needs a poke to turn her on the side. Sleeping Beauty also starts to get tired of Prince Charming leaving his shoes in the middle of the floor so that she trips on them in the middle of the night. Im not saying these are reasons that will cause them to get their own castles but at some point in the story they have to realize chemistry only goes so far and they actually have to work on making it last.

So I am living my dream here with my husband but at times it does feel a bit like a nightmare. Thankfully he is still here working with me to slay the beasts of dr apointments and late orders while still working on keeping the romance alive. I think happily ever after is really when you cuddle up in bed at the end of the day and just fall asleep holding each other or waking up grumpy while your partner tells you how beautiful you look first thing in the morning. You may not appreciate it at that moment but later on in the day it will surely make him smile. Love to you all!

My new (to me) Incredible Sweater Machine

2011-03-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

I got a Bond Incredible Sweater Machine in the mail today. I think it is the older model of this one:

Its pretty cool. I have no idea how to use it but it was free! All the person who sent it did was ask for shipping for it. How awesome is that? She had gotten a newer/better model or something like that. I am pretty psyched about it because I have been wanting to try a line of sock blanks for those who like to knit 2 at the same time socks with self striping. This will let me figure out if I actually like doing this sort of thing so it will be great!

I wanted to share this quick little update with yall as I really do need to take my butt back out to the garage and get some more work done! I was so sick that everything is about 1-2 weeks behind so that means I gotta work smarter to get it all finished as soon as possible. I wont rush anything because that just messes it all up. Thankfully I keep people in the loop as much as I am able and everyone knows that they will get there stuff about a week late. I will finish them in order of priority. I have it all in my head.. I should really put it all on paper!

Day 3 & 4 on Clomid (only read if interested not a wooly post)

2011-03-07T16:45:00.000-05:00

Still recording this stuff for people like me who are trying to conceive or for me if I want to remember how the pills effected me. This is a more graphic blog so may want to avoid it unless you are looking for information on the process.

Day 3 on Clomid was a bit harder than the first two. I was much moodier. I was (and still am) feeling much more bloated than usual. The scale says Im fine so Im not worried just making a note of it. I have kept a headache for the past few days but its not stopping me from hanging out and working. Did I mention I was moodier? Yesterday (day 3) I was crying again. I was very sad, mad and slightly depressed and hopeless feeling. Thankfully those moods passed over to a happier mood most of the day. I just seem more on the edge of my emotions. Funny things will make me laugh so hard tears will run out of my eyes and I cant breath. Sad things will make me just bawl. Its like that.

I am also noticing that I besides feeling bloated I am also more sensitive in my low stomach (im guessing where all my female organs are). I have been walking with Tom and that makes me feel better. All in all we are feeling pretty hopeful. Tom still really thinks we just need to "do it" more. He is pretty confident that we will get pregnant soon.

I think this is the first time in my life that I am openly discussing these sorts of things in a public way. It is odd how we change as we get older. 10 years ago I was concerned about how I looked in a skirt and would we have fun at the club tonight. These days I love my comfy clothes and im thinking thoughts like fertility cycles. I find myself researching the weirdest things too. For instance taking Clomid helps you to release more eggs to make you more fertile. Clomid can also make your cervical mucus dry out. You need that for the sperm to get to the egg to fertilize it right. So I find myself looking at what others have done to prevent this. So far the winners seem to be more water than usual, a baby asprin from day 8 or 9 through the day of ovulation to thin the fluids, also taking musinex is supposed to help (just make sure you take the one that does not have the decongestant as that will also dry you out.

I was even looking into alternative lubricants. Most lubricants out there actually slightly inhibit-to kill sperm. This is not the desired outcome so what are my alternatives? Well I have heard of using room temperature pasteurized egg whites. Am I considering this? Well at this point I am not counting it out. While i do not think we will try that this time around should we end up going through another round of clomid we probably will. These are the sorts of things on my mind right now. I want a baby more than anything. There comes a point where there is no "just relax and it will happen" I am more of the if you want something to happen you should work towards it.

So its only midafternoon on Day 4 but so far so good. Good luck out there to anyone TTC.

Day 2 on Clomid (only read if interested not a wooly post)

2011-03-06T00:56:00.000-05:00

Warning: These posts are geared towards trying to have a baby and not the usual stuff to do with washing, or dyeing wool or yarn. I will still be making batts but these posts are going to be more about my attempts to make a baby (grin) so only read these if you feel like it. I will describe mood and physical effects for myself in the future.

I figured I would record how I feel and respond to Clomid so that I have something to reference it to later if I need to. Yesterday I was very moody. I cried for about 2 solid hours for pretty much no reason but after that my mood picked up. I was pretty crampy for the first half of the day after taking the pills but towards the end of the day I really felt no effect. I recorded my starting weight and daily I am weighing myself at the same time of day to watch for one of the major side effects. It shows if you gain like 10-20lbs in 2-3 days. So far nothing major for me there. When I went to bed I was tender on the left side but not so much that I was unable to sleep.

Today I was still moody but less. I actually felt pretty euphoric and I did wonder if that was a side effect too because I was more happy than usual. This evening I noticed that I am more watery eyed over small things than usual too. Still crampy and mostly on the left side again. Tender but not painful. Still hoping for good things.

Babies, & Marriage continued

2011-03-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

I am not always the most rational person. I tend to be very emotional and moody. Tom is more logical and internal. He tends to keep most things bottled up inside. The past few weeks have really made us open up to each other more. After my odd ultimatum Tom started talking to me. He told me he wanted a real marriage with me. He told me he loved me and wanted me. He also told me how he has a hard time talking to me at times. He is just not used to discussing the issues I guess. We both have things we need to work on. I need to relax and not be so wound up all the time. I tend to take on the whole world and then not understand when he doesn't want to do the same thing. He tends to do what he is supposed to do and then just blank out online. When we lost the baby it actually hit Tom pretty hard. I had no idea. He turned to his "online persona" to deal with it. He was afraid of admitting that we had lost someone. He was afraid of what would happen to me if this keeps happening. He felt a bit lost and hopeless and didn't want to fall into it. I do not actually understand all the thoughts in his head but I do know that he did care. I think that we will be able to build a stronger marriage in the future because we both made mistakes, we saw there was a problem and we are working together to move forward.

We have been talking about what having a baby means to us both lately. I am feeling very emotional today because today I started the fertility drug Clomid. It makes you very emotional I guess. I have had crying spurts today and laughing so I am definitely moody. I am filled with hope, with sadness, with fear and thinking of all the things I want and all the things that are. I am glad that me and Tom are together on this. My faith was shaken for a bit and I am really happy to know that he is as dedicated to this as I am. It is good to know that I have a partner who is willing to work with me through the good and bad towards better. We have a good life that we are building here. My workspace is almost complete and then there will really be no issues to interfere with my work. Tom has a job he likes though nailing down the schedule is frustrating him. We have great friends and family.

We are going to have a baby whenever it happens. I know that with all the love and support in my life, our life that when it does happen it will be a good thing. Love to you all.

Lately all I see everywhere are babies & pregnant women

2011-03-04T14:32:00.001-05:00

For months my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant. We did and then lost the baby in December. This has been on my mind a lot lately. Unfortunately several of my friends are also having their own losses. I know that this is all a part of life but it does not make it any less sad to me. When it happened to me I felt all alone. My husband did not seem to take it seriously at all at the time. To me I thought he just did not care and I was torn apart by it. It seemed like the more I tried to make him care or talk to me the less he wanted to. We started arguing a lot and I honestly thought he had no interest in having a child with me or in even being with me.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and I guess he was doing the same. He was trying to work through his feelings by talking to people he knew in the past online. I tried to talk to him about having a baby again and he would just not talk to me about it at all. I decided to buy fertility drugs. I am 32 with our 4th anniversary this month and my 33 birthday next month. I really felt time pressing in on me. I guess I was just pushing him more away and he was spending more time online having conversations with other women who I guess he felt were more sympathetic than me. When I found out I was very hurt that he was having these intimate conversations with women. He would not even talk to me about a baby but he was fine talking about sex and babies with others. I just did not understand it at all. He did not think there was an issue at all until I found out about it. I got so mad at first that I packed up his computer and was going to mail the cords to my momma. I threatened leaving him or making him just go. I cried a lot and he got upset too.

Finally I told him I really just needed to know what he wanted out of our relationship and what he felt was fine so that I knew what to expect for the rest of our relationship. I had come to the realization that I did love him and that I did not want to leave him. I wanted to have his baby but I was willing to move to more of a 2 people who live together and have sex and a child but basically have their own lives beyond that. I told him all of this. I was just tired of being hurt because I had expectations that he just did not have or believe in. I told him that in the way I saw it I could have sex with him but I would not longer be intimate with him. I would not share that with anyone. I would basically draw a line of what I would give to him and what I would keep separate. I was not willing to share intimacy with someone who felt it was ok to be intimate with other women. I also told him that I planned to start the fertility drugs this month as long as he was willing because what I really wanted out of our marriage was a baby. I pretty much broke it down to cold hard logic at least as I saw it.

His options from this point forward would be (as I saw them):
* Continue on as he had been online moving to more of a relationship of convenience with me for sex to have a baby, sharing financial burden, but no longer having an actual "relationship" with me
* He could pack up and leave doing what ever he wanted
* We could work on a relationship built on love, trust, and communication and he would no longer have intimate conversations with other women or avoid real issues with me by turning to others

Continued on next blog.

Workspace update

2011-02-21T14:48:00.000-05:00

I was able to get 2 more shelves put up with the help of my husband. They were really heavy! I also sorted through 41lbs of fiber last night, and about 22 lbs of fiber the day before. My workspace is getting more organized. I am due to receive my last two major supply orders this week and then there will be no stopping me *evil laughter*

Tom helped me put those shelves up after working all weekend on the chicken coop for my friends! Im very proud and impressed by him!

Photos of my workspace

2011-02-16T20:48:00.001-05:00

The garage is still a work in progress and I am still putting up some shelves but here is what I have so far. What do yall think?

Here is one set of the built in the wall shelves with some bins on them.

Here is my mailing area on the wall behind my desk.

Here is a better photo of my desk and traveling table turned into a large skein maker. This is the 180 yard skein I mentioned before.

Here is my sewing area and some more shelves

Here is my dyeing area

I have turned my desk into a giant skein maker

2011-02-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

Yep thats right, I added nails along the front to help keep the yarn separated. I also turned another table on its side to add to the loop length. I am doing this because I am making a 180 yard skein. This is the longest skein loop I have ever done. I have had to rethink my strategy several times. I think this way will work. The only downside that I am having so far is that its sitting on the floor as most desks are. This means that I have to sort of walk in circles upside down. It makes me very dizzy and I can only wrap a few wraps at a time. Then I secure the loop with a clothes pin and a piece of string. How do you do your giant loops?

I'll Drink to That SAL KAL CAL - batt roving yarn package choice

2011-02-04T20:34:00.000-05:00

The I'll Drink to That Sal/Kal/Cal packages are now available here!
Since St Patrick’s Day usually means lots of drinking we will play along with a fiber version for this SAL/KAL/CAL. I will be your bartender. You name your favorite drink and I will mix it up for you in the fiber version. Your drinks will come to you served up just the way you like them (batt, roving, or yarn). I am a pretty cool bartender so not only will I tell you whats in your drink I will send you the recipe so you can make it for yourself later. I will also send you a plastic party glass to practice making your own drink in. So what are you drinking?

The I'll Drink to That Sal/Kal/Cal packages with your drink choice must be ordered by Feb 13th. Packages will then be made to order and ship out on March 11th. Post your drink orders with inspiration photos if you have them in this thread on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/ever-improving-me/1503340/1-25#17 so that I can mix your fibery beverage up the way you want it.

If you have not participated in one of my SAL/KAL/CAL also known as the
Spin-a-long
Knit-a-long
Crochet-a-long
Here is how they work. Take a look at my example photos of possible drinks but then pick what ever drink you would like. You can do this by telling me a drink name, or by telling me what colors you would like to have in your drink. You will also tell me if you would like this to be a batt or roving for spinning, or yarn for knitting or crocheting.

You will post a inspiration photo in my raverly thread and then join in the fun conversation if you like while waiting for your drinks. Once I have made the packages I will send them out to you for you to make into a finished object. The finished objects will be posted into their own thread by April 11th. I will then run a random number generator to choose a winner of some nifty prize.

The photos posted are just some examples of how a drink might look. Packages will include the drink of your choosing, a recipe card with your drink on it and a plastic drinking glass that you can mix your own drink in!

My goals for 2011

2011-01-31T09:53:00.000-05:00

Its 2011 (Yes I know its been 2011 now for about 31 days now) and I have finally decided I need to kick myself in the butt. I keep making all these huge plans. I think about them. I dream about them. I even talk about them but I have been puttering out on the actually doing them. Well if all else fails why not put it right here for all the world to see (or at least the part of the world who pops over and takes a look at this blog from time to time). I like to write things down so that I can see them and see that they are moving forward. I figure I will put my goals here now so that I can see them. I can add more goals as I move on and cross some off the lists as they get done.

Here is my list of what I want to accomplish this year:

1. In 2011 I will finish my AA.
2. I will decide on a business plan that I will follow by March 1st (I will allow myself to revise this plan as long as the revision is purposeful and follows my vision).
3. I will decide how many conventions and fiber festivals I will attend this year by March 1st.
4. I will decide which conventions and fiber festivals I will put applications to vend at by April 1st allowing myself the ability to add new applications to the list as I learn about them or as they fit into my schedule.
5. I will do yoga 2 times per week (I can do it more if I like but this will not take off any future yoga times).
6. I will do some sort of actual cardiovascular exercise starting at 2 times per week for 20 minutes, building up to a minimum of 3 times per week at 30 minutes (this is in addition to yoga).
7. I will complete all orders in a timely manner.
8. I will dedicate myself to completing new fiber and yarn items every month in the quantity that I decide on in my business plan. These will be used for shop updates, SAL/KAL, sampler packs, variety packs, custom orders, wholesale orders and fiber festivals.
9. I will update my blog at a minimum of 1 time per week with at least 2 of these updates per month to contain photos.
10. I will be positive and believe that life is good and will only continue to get better.
11. I will be more uplifting to myself and to others, encouraging us all to follow our dreams.
12. I will do one new thing a month and if possible I will blog about it. I would love to hear the new things that others are doing too.
13. I will make it a priority to spend time each month with my family. This can include a phone call to family far away, visits to those close by, and dates with my husband.

That is a lot of stuff and I believe it is all I have for now. I hope 2011 is wonderful to you all. What are your new goals?

I have decided I need to update my shop more often

2011-01-29T23:41:00.000-05:00

This means I should be working smarter to accomplish more. This last week I got a bit of a setback. I am not used to wood stoves. That is what we have out in the garage which is also my workspace. So in the process of trying to start a fire I started a fire. See what I did is set some wood on top of the stove while I tried to get the fire started because it was wet. Then I went inside for 20 to give it some time. I came outside and opened the garage door to a white filled garage. I immediately went over to the stove and the wood I put on top of it was now on fire.

I put on my wood gloves and opened the stove and tossed them inside. Then I propped the garage door open and thought about what else to do. Since I was starting to not feel well I went outside for a min to get some air. I decided that if I opened the big garage door it would help to get the smoke out.. and i needed it out because I was worried about my stuff. So after being outside for maybe 45 seconds I headed back inside and tried to open the garage door. It started but then went back down because the big 500lb stove that my friend bought but has not gotten to put in the house yet was stopping it. Me in my rational thinking new that I needed to move it. I went over and jerked it away from the garage door and then finally I was able to open it.

That helped a lot because a lot of the smoke started exiting through the big door. This is when I noticed my husbands computer monitor hanging from the ceiling because it had been plugged in on the ceiling under where the garage door went over. I ran over to it and grabbed the monitor and unplugged it from my end. Then it was time for another trip back outside to get some air.

I went back in about a minute later and turned the fan on and started waving a towel around to push out the smoke. It cleared out mostly and thats when my husband called me back and my roommate got there. we closed up the doors and I moved all my stuff into my bedroom so it would be out of the garage. Its all in plastic bins but I was still worried about it. It still smells too much like smoke for me in the garage. I am going to try to air it better on monday.

Happy Birthday Chanidax contest and sale!

2011-01-23T09:18:00.000-05:00

My friend Chanidax has a birthday on Monday Jan 24. I say this is cause for celebration! To help celebrate I figured we could have a Happy Birthday Contest! If you want to enter the contest it is simple! You can enter 1 of two ways:
1) Post a message with an earburn in this ravelry thread to Chanidax with a happy birthday message so that when she logs in she will have as many messages as we can give her!
2) Buy anything from my shops (use Coupon “Happy Birthday Chanidax” to receive 20% off everything except Gift Certificates, Clubs, & Sal/Kals in my Artfire Shop only)
EverImprovingMe.artfire.com
EverImprovingMe.etsy.com
or from StoriedYarn’s shop
StoriedYarns.artfire.com
now through the 24th and link it in this thread. You may post one time for each purchase and once for a happy birthday message. Be sure to post your transaction links because on Tuesday I will get Chanidax to do a RNG drawing from this thread and the winner will get a $25 Gift Certificate to my shop! It does not get any easier than this! Good luck and Happy Birthday Wanda/Chanidax! If you do not have a Ravelry account you may post in this thread and it will still count.

I do not blog as much as I guess I should

2011-01-17T18:59:00.000-05:00

I was realizing that I used to keep up with my blog on a good and pretty regular basis. I think I am going to start setting aside some time each week to update and say hello. I like to put photos of my new stuff that I have been working on here and also let everyone know whats happening with me. Of course it works better when I actually do it *grin*

So this week we are doing 3rd shift. Why? Well Tom has to do it and since I work from home I see no reason not to do it with him. I kinda like him so seeing him is a bonus. Next week we go back on a day shift and I think he will stay on that for awhile. His days off will be Mon and Tue so those will also be my new days off once his schedule settles down. This week I am dyeing up some lincoln locks, some alpaca, and some yarn. I also plan on doing some batts and simple project bags for my shop. I have asked what people would like to see in my shop in my ravelry group and it seems that everyone likes my inspired items. People like to see the story behind what I am doing and why and how it turns out. I think thats pretty cool because that is part of it that I really like too.

Things to look forward to in the shop then will be more inspirations with photos when possible and back stories. I also plan on redoing some things that I have made previously in SAL/KALs. I will try to put some photos up later. Thanks everyone!

80s Cartoon themed SAL KAL 4oz fiber or yarn package Free Shipping

2010-12-12T01:56:00.000-05:00

We are going to start the new year off with a bang! Do you remember all of the fun 80s cartoons you used to watch maybe still do? I thought we would do it a little different this time and have a SAL to KAL with a twist. This SAL will focus on the cartoon leading ladies like Jem, She-ra, Rainbow Bright, Smurfette, Gadget, Cheetara, Strawberry Shortcake, Red Fraggle.. who knows who else we will find here! Packages are now available in my artfire shop with free shipping!

You will choose a inspiration photo and post it in my ravelry thread here. You will also choose 4oz batt, 4 oz roving, or 100gm yarn. If you choose yarn please tell me if you would like sock, worsted or bulky. The goal of this SAL to KAL will be to make some funky style 80s leg warmers, headbands, or wrist bands! We will then post photos modeling our 80s gear and vote to win! There will be 3 prizes awarded for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. These will be something fun put together in the style of the 80s.

Packages will be sent out mid January and then we will have some time to spin and then knit your 80s gear!

Pictures of Yarn that I have made

2010-10-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

Rocky Horror Picture Show Batts, Rovings, and Yarn Pics

2010-10-07T18:57:00.000-04:00

Pictures of some of the Batts, Rovings, and Yarn for the Rocky Horror Picture Show SAL/KAL. I forgot to take pictures of all of them.

Dr. Frank N Furter Inspiration photo and Batts

Columbia inspiration photo, batt & roving package

Magenta inspiration photo, batt & package

Magenta Columbia Combo inspiration photo and batt

Janet inspiration photo and batt

Time Warp Scene inspiration photo and batt

Rocky Floorshow inspiration photo and batt

Eddie inspiration photo

Pirates and Princesses Batts, Roving and Yarn pics

2010-10-07T13:41:00.002-04:00

Here are some of the pictures from my Pirates and Princesses SAL/KAL. I had lost my camera in the move so I borrowed a camera that has the wrong date *grin* Some of the pictures also came from the persons who received the items because they took nicer photos and gave me permission to use their photos. I hope you enjoy!

Grace Kelly an American Princess inspiration photo and Roving Package with Merino/Bamboo/Nylon Roving

Geena Davis as the Pirate in Cutthroat Island inspiration photo and Roving package with Merino/Tussah roving

Pirate Captain Shakespear inspiration photo and batt

Princess Una inspiration photo and batt

Pirate Will Turner inspiration photo and batt

Princess Buttercup inspiration photo and batt

Princess Inspiration photo and batt

Princess Inspiration photo and batt

Captain Hook batt inspired from 3 different photos

Cinderella inspiration photo and batt

Pirate Captain Kid inspiration photo and batt

Pirate inspiration photo and batt (has shine but no sparkle)

Princess Inspiration photo and batt

Pirate Jack Sparrow inspiration photo and batt (super smooth)

Princess Jasmine inspiration photo and Merino/Bamboo/Nylon Roving

Pirate King inspiration photo and batt (no white)

Pirate Inspiration photo and Roving in Merino/Bamboo/Nylon

Wicked Fairy Pirate inspiration photo and Roving in Polwarth

Pirate water horizon inspiration photo and roving in Merino/Bamboo/Tencel

Frog Princess Inspiration Photo and Roving in Merino/Bamboo/Nylon

Pirate King inspiration photo and Roving in Merino/Bamboo/Nylon with Silver Firestar

Princess Photo Inspiration and Yarn in Merino/Bamboo DK weight (shown in 2 colorways)

Pirate Jack Sparrow inspiration photo and batt (non-wool, no animal fiber batt)

Pirate Charley Brown Inspiration photo and Yarn in Merino/Bamboo DK Weight

Pirate Captain Phat batt (a surprise for Phat Fiber)

"The Punk Rock Pirate" surprise batt