corriedale roving from Slackford Studio

I got a nice new business laptop (no more running downstairs every time I need to print something!!) and it’s got vista on it. I’m still an XP gal, but some of the utilities (like this, windows live writer) could save me a lot of time if it works well. We shall see!

I’m inserting a photo just to check it all out. **fingers crossed**

Eh. The live writer didn’t put in the caption or photo border. It will be good for super fast updates but it looks like I’ll still have to go into wordpress to post. Ah well- can’t have it all now, can we?

the first finished skein from my new matchless

The first-ever completed skein of yarn from my matchless is done, and I’m very pleased. The colors have blended nicely, it’s super-soft, shiny, and has wonderful drape. It will soon become the weft of my third-ever weaving project.

I’m enjoying my wheel so much, in fact, that I already have a new bobbin full of some superfine superwash merino top that I dyed earlier this spring. There’s 8 ounces, enough to use as the multi-colored yoke of a faux fair-isle yoke sweater. I really love the way the colors are blending up on the bobbin. I think I may even make it a cardigan and try steeking just for the fun of it!

I’m still hammering out the details of the sock club, but at this point it’s looking like it will be set up by yarn base and there will be one colorway for all clubs each month, at least for the first round. I love the idea of doing clubs but I don’t want to burn myself out the first try!

The clubs will have a limited number of slots so if you want to sign up, make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter. I’ll be announcing sign-ups there first, and I expect the slots to go fast!

my new spinning wheel

Wow.

They don’t call it the matchless for nothing- this is one amazing wheel. Everything seems to go faster, smoother and just plain more enjoyably on this wheel. It was love at first treadle.

I have one bobbin of merino/bamboo spun up and will probably have the other done tomorrow. Then I think I’ll use my first-ever skein from the matchless and weave it into something on my lovely Schacht flip loom.

I am so smitten with this wheel I can’t imagine ever wanting another one. Except, some day, a walnut Kromski Sonata for travel. But this is definitely my forever wheel. To prove my commitment, I even have a woolee winder and some high-speed bobbins ordered.

I am officially a Schacht convert. Now all I need is a baby wolf loom…

6 PM. My new matchless is supposed to be here today- the website says it’s out on the truck but no UPS guy yet. Have I mentioned I’m not the most patient person in the world?

I promise pictures if the dang thing ever arrives!

oatmeal with strawberries, flax seeds, almonds and maple syrup

At last, the warmth and sun return. Looking out my window now, it’s a bright, sunny day that is getting warmer as the sun rises. Yesterday was a different story.

Yesterday was a blustery, cold day that never made it over 50 degrees. Last night, around 6pm, our power went out. This wasn’t alarming, as every time the wind blows even remotely hard around here, the power goes out. We assumed that power would be back in an hour or so, and went about our business cooking dinner on our propane stove and putting the kids to bed by candle light.

When 10pm rolled around and the power was still out, we became a little worried. It was getting very cold (it ended up getting into the lower 30’s last night) and the house was getting below the comfort level. Since we had our chimney fire this spring, things haven’t been re-connected and we had no source of heat. We weren’t worried about ourselves (we have lots of blankets) but we were worried about our chicks. They hadn’t had their heat lamp for hours, and they were huddled together in the way that indicates that they are working to maintain their body heat. They are still very young and cold can be deadly for young chicks.

We got the idea to use two of our tall water glasses, that are about the same height as their brooder box, as hurricane lamps. We put tea light candles inside the glasses and put them in a corner of the brooder box. With the cover on, the glasses came right up to the chicken wire that covers the top of the box, so there was no way for them to tip over. It quickly got warm and as we watched, the chicks seemed to relax and weren’t so huddled.

Luckily, the power came back on around 4am, and our chicks were completely fine. Our garden is fine as well, despite the light frost we received. Life goes on today for all of us at our little homestead. It’s a good day.

Okay, I’m going to have to make one of those dreaded business-only posts. Please bear with me. We’ll return to our scheduled programming next post, I promise.

I did a shop update yesterday. It was a large update, the largest ever, but everything disappeared faster than ever. I am totally overwhelmed at this. Thank you all so much!

I had posted that the update would happen after noon my time. Because I run my business around my family, I ended up doing the update around 4:30 pm. It has come to my attention that posting a large window for updates is inconvenient for many, and we have been discussing possible alternatives in the Ravelry Group. A smaller window (7-8 PM eastern, for example) has been suggested, and I am open to this. However, I will take one liberty– This is a home-based business and my children come first. If an update is delayed due to family reasons, we will all have to live with it. As someone in the Rav group said, it’s just yarn! If there is a delay and I’m able to post a notice, I absolutely will. But if I can’t, I can’t. I hope everyone understands.

Because we are all not in the same time zone, I will rotate update times. This will sometimes exclude those of you on the other side of the globe, and sometimes exclude those of you on the other side of the country. Unfortunately, there’s no one time that will work for everyone.

I’m not sure what to do about reserves- as many have pointed out, it really just amounts to a smaller update. Maybe it does make sense to just stick to rotating updates. Again, I’m open to feedback.

Also, there’s been a conversation about the growing demand, and how it’s getting harder and harder for those of you who have been with fiberphile from the beginning to get the yarns you want. Please know that I do take these concerns very seriously- I know that fiberphile would be nothing without all of your beautiful projects you’ve posted in Ravelry and spreading the word about my yarns. The trick is to find a way to honor all of you without being unfair to those who have been equally supportive since they have become my customers. I’m working on setting up something similar to the Loopy Ewe’s “Loopy Groupies” benefits program for loyal customers and I’m completely open to suggestions!

Whew! Okay. Many thanks to all of you for your patience, your support, and your friendship. I know that it can be frustrating when a small business grows faster than it can handle, but I’m trying really hard to keep up :)

There will be a shop update today after 12 noon EDT. There will be lots of MCN and a small selection of lace weight, including a yummy alpaca/silk/cashmere blend. If they get a good response, they’ll become regulars!

my fiddle: a 7/8 size german stradavarius copy

I had my third Irish fiddle lesson today, and although I cringed at every squeak and squawk, my instructor again assured me that I was doing very well. “It’s supposed to be harder than this.” Really? Then how the heck does anyone stick with it?

Actually, I think I know how– because when you’re in love with what an instrument *can* sound like, it makes it worth all of the hours of practice and sounding awful. It does for me, anyway. I can’t speak for my family!

Speaking of fiddles, Jenna has organized a group of wanna be old-time fiddlers who will learn together– Fiddler’s Summer. It promises to be fun, and squeaking and squawking isn’t so bad when you’re not the only one!

how's pickin's?

Happy Memorial Day! We’re off to visit the graves of our loved ones who have passed (including two World War veterans), and then on to a family barbecue at my aunt’s house. I’ll be back to work tomorrow, getting all of the lovely yarns ready for this week’s update!

meet trouble- the biggest and boldest of the bunch

Our little chicks arrived a day early and full of energy! We are having a fantastic time with them. So cute!

Naturally, our oldest son picked out the leader of the pack as his buddy and promptly named her Trouble. Our youngest picked out the runt of the bunch- she’s little but she’s got enough spunk for all of them. I have a feeling that my boys will have constant companions once these little ones are big enough to roam outside.

baby broccoli

Our garden is also doing well. As I mentioned yesterday, we have lots of baby veggies popping up, and even a mini broccoli head! It’s so exciting for all of us. We can’t wait until we can harvest those first sugar snap peas and tender lettuce thinnings.

I had my second fiddle lesson this morning, which was very encouraging. My instructor told me that it is rare to get the hang of the instrument as quickly as I have, and that it usually takes months to get where I am. This confirms my long-held suspicion that I was meant to play the fiddle; I can’t help but imagine that my Scottish fiddle-playing grandfather, long past, knows somehow, and is proud of me. I’m working on an Irish Polka which was a surprise to me (they have polkas in Ireland?) but it is a fun piece of music. Every time I practice, it sounds a little better and wow- I actually am playing Irish music already!

baby knitting is so fast!

In knitting news, I’ve completed one of Mom’s socks and have yet to go back to the other. I’ve been slightly distracted by another little project– A baby thorpe for my newborn niece. Her daddy requested a brown thorpe so I’ve done the top in a soft bamboo/acrylic blend and the brim in organic cotton. So far, so good! I’m hoping that her daddy approves, and if not, it’s a great excuse to knit her another one! The great thing about these hats is that they take no time at all and really are useful. The perfect baby item, in my opinion!

May has come and almost gone and I’ve yet to make a blog post. Oh dear.

Lots has been going on in my world beyond the usual dyeing, knitting, spinning, and weaving.

I have a new little niece, Sabine. She is absolutely the most beautiful little baby girl I’ve ever seen and I’m so in love with her. Unfortunately, she lives across the continent in San Francisco, but her parents (my sister in law and her husband) have been wonderful enough to set up a photo/video blog where we have been able to watch her grow, as well as watch them grow into the role of parents. Having been the only couple on both sides of the family with children, being an aunt and uncle is a new experience that we are loving every moment of, albeit from afar.

before planting- the chives and irises are in good shape!

Our little garden is growing happily, and we now have baby carrots, lettuce, radishes, broccoli and peas shooting up alongside basil, rosemary and chives. On Friday, our four little chicks are due to arrive. Having a vegetable garden and raising chickens is a life-long dream that we finally made a reality this year, and I must say that I’ve been greatly inspired to finally do it by a book that I originally heard about on the CraftSanity Podcast. Made From Scratch, a book by Jenna Woginrich (who also happens to live in Vermont), is a truly inspiring story about a woman in her twenties who dreamed of homesteading and instead of just dreaming, she jumped in. Her whole message is that regardless of whether you live in a house in the country or rent an apartment in the city, there are things that you can do today to start living your dream. And she’s right.

Jenna is also responsible for my acting upon another life-long dream of mine, and also one of my husband’s. For years, I’ve wanted to learn to play irish fiddle, and my husband has wanted to learn the banjo. After reading Jenna’s book, and with my 30th birthday looming in the not-too-distant future, I decided that it was time to do it. I ordered the instruments, a couple of books and CDs, and signed up for lessons. We’re plunking away, slowly getting better and better. It has been wonderful and we still can’t figure out why we didn’t do it sooner!

making progress!

I’ve also been knitting away on a pair of socks from Cookie A’s new book, Sock Innovation. It just happens to be my new favorite sock book! The socks I’m knitting, Sunshine, were supposed to be a mother’s day gift but they weren’t finished, so she got a half-finished pair of socks nicely wrapped in a box. Being my mom, she didn’t mind, but she is looking forward to receiving the finished pair sooner than later!

Now to the business- I’m planning a fiberphile update early next week. I’m adding some new luxury lace weight yarns on a trial basis (alpaca/silk/cashmere anyone?) and will have large batches of the most popular colorways and bases so that (hopefully) everyone who wants a particular color has a decent shot at it. Yarns available for reserve will be posted in the flickr set starting Friday and going through the weekend. For more information about reserving yarns, you can read the Reserves FAQ.

So, that’s it. I’d like to get back to shorter, more frequent posts. We’ll see how I do!