Tag Archives: yarn

The "Where’s the Trunk" Show

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Cindy Telisak | Comments Off

Susie Gibbs is a trooper. She probably had the ability to take whatever was tossed at her before she became a shepherd, but raising sheep for fun and profit will surely arm you for any kind of set-back.

Yesterday, at the Woolie Ewe in Plano, Susie put on a trunk show without a trunk. Seems UPS has temporarily misplaced all the finished garments and accessories made out of her new yarns. She improvised. That's what shepherds do.

Without missing a beat, Susie began telling her incredible story of moving from New York City as a news producer to adopting the rural, mucky life of a sheep and goat raiser, to designing her own line of commercial yarns.

As usual, her animated stories full of triumphs and foibles kept the gathered knitters entranced. We passed around yarns and ogled the beautiful pattern books.

The photos are so lovely, it was easy to imagine the beautiful knitted sweaters, hats, blankets, mitts, and other designs. Having the yarns right there to touch and evaluate helped a lot, too.

Today, Susie is off to Knotty Girls in Tyler, TX to share the Juniper Moon yarn line. I hope UPS comes through for her by the time the knitters show up. But if not, Susie will manage to communicate the dream: the story of a lady on a mission who doesn't let obstacles slow her down.

A big wave to Mary Bensel, Denise Royal, (pictured here with Susie) Laurie McIntyre, Joanne Pohlman and Marybelle (not pictured) who came out to enjoy time with our pal.

Today, January 26, we celebrate "Eureka Day" here at the farm. Three years ago today, Susie agreed to sit down with me at the Barnes and Noble in Fort Worth and tell me everything I needed to know to move our farm into the CSA model. With no thought for personal gain, she shared lots of amazing business secrets, and encouraged me to go for it. Her determination and creativity are inspirational. Thank you, Susie.

NOTE: Knitting Fever, Inc., who produces Susie's beautiful yarns, is holding a design contest using two of the JMF yarns - Willa and Chadwick. These are gorgeous yarns crying for new ways to knit them up. If you are interested in entering this contest, run by the Woolie Ewe and check out the yarns in person and see how they speak to you. Buy some. Then head over to the KFI blog for all the details about the contest. Deadline is March 1. Fabulous prizes. Good luck!

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Tagged Eureka Day, Susie Gibbs, Woolie Ewe, yarn

Souvenir

Posted on January 25, 2012 by carolinefryar | Comments Off

What could be in this fine little brown paper bag?

I insisted that we walk down to the north edge of Oakland to visit A Verb for Keeping Warm. Right next to a place called the Actual Cafe (which promises “Hot Coffee, Good Food, Nice Folks”), on a street corner which must be one of the most literal places in all the world, I walked in and found the Nicest Yarns There Are, in person.

A wall of J+S jumperweight. All the Madeleinetosh and Malabrigo you could stand. FYBERSPATES. Lots of breed-specific wool from local farms. Mushroom-dyed yarns. Physical copies of self-published bestsellers. A full rack of gorgeous samples. It was heaven. I wanted it all. Also, they were hiring.

I didn’t know what to do, so Zac went next door to the Actual Cafe, and I went up to the counter and said, “I’m on vacation from Virginia, and I’d like to buy a souvenir. What’s your favorite thing here?”

Immediately, as is my self-effacing habit, I apologized for asking such a strange/personal/hard question, but she said, “Actually, that’s an easy question.” She walked me over to the yarn they dyed in-house (I asked about their processes, but she told me they were secret), and showed me something beautiful.

This is Shimmering, and the gerunds-as-naming-convention reminds me of nothing else but Stella McCartney lingerie.

Tangent.

I wanted to make friends and keep chatting, so I asked them if they could please skein all 1093 yards?

Happy to!

They hadn’t heard of the farm (You’re a fiber CSA? You give them yarn, in with the vegetables?), but, well, humbled.

Since visiting, I’ve been reading Kristine’s blog, where she writes daily about dyeing, teaching, traveling, and the daily realities of managing a crafty business– taking inventory, coming up with new products, having to knit instead of getting to knit, dealing with negative feedback– and that’s just this month! It’s so nice to hear a familiar story (Although– the kind of smarts, bravery, responsibility, and hustle that running, owning, and founding a successful business require? Dear Lord. I haven’t worked nearly as hard!).

I’ve definitely got plans for little Shimmering, and they’re called Pi Shawl, and, as such, will have to wait until July (my birthday?).

Until then, secreted away in the yarn cabinet. There’s nothing I like more than an actually useful souvenir (Brown leather bag? Best dress of all time? Berlin, 2008.), and I think this fits the bill.

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Tagged travel, yarn

A new long-term knitting project

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Amber | Comments Off

A few weeks ago, a Ravelry friend and I had a "little" swap -- some of my soaps for some of her extra Juniper Moon Farm yarn.

It turned out to be more than a little yarn!

I thought of some small projects to do with some of the colors, but I kept wondering if I could really break it all up. Even though it didn't all "match" necessarily, I loved the way it looked all together.

I stewed over it for a while and it came to me. A blanket. Something big enough to use up and showcase all of these glorious colors (and a few hanks of alpaca-y heaven that my friend Susan had sent me as part of a HUGE box of yarny goodness before Christmas).

Once I saw them all wound up together, I knew I was making a good choice.

Something about the bold colors seemed that they would really lend themselves to a free-form, very geometric plan, and I found myself thinking about some of my favorites of the Gee's Bend quilts.

So I decided on a Log Cabin style, but with a more relaxed feel (aka: I don't want to have to follow a pattern for this).

It knits up really fast and easy. And since it is totally a free-form knit, I can take it anywhere and stop and start at any point without getting messed up. Perfect project-between-projects!

I am expecting more yarn today, and some more at some point later this week. Gotta love swapping! So expect periodic blanket updates. I am thrilled with this project and can't wait to see how it progresses.

Speaking of expecting, here is last week's gratuitous belly shot. I am taking them every week now and this one was at 23 weeks. Hard to believe how far I am already. Seems like I've already been pregnant for so long, and yet not long enough at all again.

That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll come back soon with another blanket update. :)

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Tagged Family, Knitting, yarn

Midwest Yarn is Almost Here!

Posted on January 24, 2012 by M. Gingras | Comments Off

Design

The hard work is just beginning, but I'm happy to report that Midwest Yarn, a Cherished Moments company, has filed its paperwork to establish it as a business! To the right, you'll see the logo I designed, with the help of Vistaprint.

I'm building the website and meet with my first yarn sales rep in a week. The best part is that I am completely overwhelmed with excitement. I also wrote a lot of the business plan tonight which is a combination of all the notes I've made for myself over the past several months. I have not decided on a deadline for launch of the website, but I'm aiming for March 1st.

Even with that deadline so close, I'm still optimistic that I can continue to design patterns, knit, and maintain the Cherished Moments website and etsy.com site in the process. I'm pretty efficient when it comes to running a business, that's why I am able to keep those things in my life and not get burned out. Once my website is launched, I'll also be working on setting up my husband's online vintage shop, also to be run as a Cherished Momens company. You won't be able to access the shop's website yet, but I'll keep everyone posted as it becomes available.

Reboot
My reboot is going well. I am on Day 5 and have lost almost 5 pounds. On Day 4, I did have a lot of problems with lightheadedness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. While I do believe that it's because of the lack of sleep the night before (Peanut stayed up all night), I have decided to end the fast sooner than the 15-day deadline. It's unhealthy to lose more than 2 pounds in a week and I definitely felt that yesterday. The 5-day express program is more realistic for me, which means I'm done as of today. I'll be repeating this program once every 3 months or so as suggested, just to maintain good weight and results.

With so much going on with the business start up, I don't want to make myself sick to the point that I cannot work. Over the next few days, I'll be adding in nuts, legumes (beans), and whole wheats, slowly as to not make myself sick that way either. I'll continue to juice and keep fruits and veggies as a main part of my diet, but I'm sure adding these things back in will slow down my weight loss. My ideal weight is 125-135 and I'm already at 135! Wish me luck!

Coming soon
Working on advertising for Midwest Yarn. You may see ads on Ravelry and other places soon. I'm also almost done with the test for pattern #2, so look for that on Ravelry as well!

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Tagged business, business development, business plan, diet, fruit, knit, knit design, Midwest Yarn, pattern, vegetable, yarn

WIP: January is Flying By

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Adri H. | Comments Off

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Tagged DIY, knit, Sewing, starting, textile, WIP, yarn

Doin’ The Yarn Thing

Posted on January 15, 2012 by M. Gingras | Comments Off

Green layette set, featuring
a version of the
Garter Stripes Baby Cardigan

Design

I am ecstatic to announce that my first pattern is available on Ravlery.com. The "Garter Stripes Baby Cardigan" is available for $5 and also available to LYS shops on ravelry for purchase. I had a lot of fun designing the yoked cardigan and even made a version of it as a layette set for my husband's boss (whose wife is due in February).

Green layette set
Hat, mitts, socks

I decided not to list the whole layette set so that I could be able to have some of my own "trade secrets" for posting on Etsy and taking to craft fairs. I love how the layette set turned out, but I did have a dye lot problem. When I initially bought the yarn, I did not make sure that it was all one dye lot. I didn't notice until I was most of the way through the WHOLE SET. I was not about to rip out a week's worth of knitting, but I have learned my lesson. UGH!

Knitting Madness

Yes, I've been knitting (and working) like crazy for the last week and it absolutely paid off. As mentioned before, I finished my first pattern. I also finished the layette set. While on my knitting breaks I made a lot of phone calls to yarn distributors, talked back and forth with some LYS owners, and worked on my business plan. All that while attempting to keep Peanut entertained (he did have several temper tantrums, since we're apparently now at that stage).

With all this work, I came to the realization that I love designing, knitting, and getting feedback from other talented people out there. My mother put it to me that I shouldn't sell myself short and proudly call myself a designer and a business owner...because I am! So now, I'm working ten times harder to make this business a success. The journey has its ups and downs, but I'm glad to put in 80 hours a week to be happy doing what I do and supporting my family in the process. Stay tuned, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Coming Soon

Believe it or not, this yarn business is going to get off the ground. I'll be working on the business plan and setting up the website because I'll actually have inventory for sale online soon. *happy dance*

I'm also working on testing another pattern. More details soon.

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Tagged baby, business, cardigan, circular yoke, design, hat, knit, knit design, layette set, pattern, sweater, yarn, yoke

The "new" loom has been used (finally)

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Amber | Comments Off

Remember the loom I got all the way back in October, mentioned in this post?

Well, I finally used it.

And the same person who traded the loom to me spins gorgeous yarns, so I thought, "What better way to christen the loom than with some of her beautiful handspun?"

Off the loom, and ready for some reshaping.

Done.

These pictures do not do it justice, believe me. The scarf is absolutely beautiful in real life, and I have been wearing it constantly, even around the house.

Currently on the loom is a Christmas present scarf, and I have two more lined up after that. I am really, really, in love with weaving.

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Tagged weaving, yarn

November Knitwear Designs!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Adri H. | Comments Off

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Tagged design, DIY, knit, patterns, yarn

Fall Shearing at Juniper Moon Farm

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Amber | Comments Off

I returned Sunday evening from one of the most amazing trips I have ever taken. Juniper Moon Farm was hosting its annual Fall Shearing celebration, and I was fortunate enough to not only go down for the shearing festivities, but my friend Susan (who owns this beautiful farm) opened her home to me so that I could spend the entire weekend there.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend, and there are many, many more in the Flickr set here.

scrap yarn for birdie friends and mohair locks for people friends

maple cotton candy, popcorn, and fresh pressed cider

Not only did I come home with a million pictures and the memories that go with them, I also got some goodies. :)

Some I bought, like this wonderful mug by Anna Branner:

Bees on the back!!!

And PERFECTLY holds one french press worth of coffee -- and even leaves room for milk!

I also finally bought this yarn, which I have been coveting for Deco for quite some time now.

And as a bonus for buying things, you could grab some scrap yarn to put out for your bird friends' nesting efforts. I just loved the shades of green in this ball.

And would you believe that I won THREE raffle prizes???

This pattern book and these skeins of yarn,

MORE yarn, in a project bag,

which also came with this lavender heart sachet:

and a full set of the three Juniper Moon Farm pattern books which were written for their first yarn line.

I also brought home some fresh goat's milk for some special soap I've been thinking of making for a while now.

More on that when I actually get around to making it...

Perhaps the best thing though is the gift Susan found for me. My Ravelry name, "HowdyPandowdy," is based on some lyrics from a song I used to enjoy on satellite radio when we still had it at our old house. Well, some awesome print shop on Etsy just happened to use those same lines on this gorgeous letterpress print:

As soon as I find the perfect frame for it, it will be hanging on my kitchen wall. For now, I propped it up on top of the white hutch in there so I can enjoy it in the meantime.

I don't know what else I can say to do this weekend justice. It was just what I needed in so many ways, and to meet these friends in "real life" was an absolute joy. So, so wonderful, and I only hope it can happen again some day.

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Tagged road trip, yarn

Yarny Things

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Amber | Comments Off

It seems to be a week of few words for me on here. Enjoy it while you can... ;) We are gearing up for a certain biggest big boy's fifth birthday party this weekend, so there is much to be done to prepare for that. So for now, some quiet, happy yarny pictures.