Dyed in the Wool Handmade

My last post was May 2nd? I has a slacking! I’ve been spending lots of time on Ravelry and Twitter, and since I haven’t been doing much dyeing, spinning or knitting I haven’t posted to the blog.

Right now I’m busy prepping for the K-W Knitter’s Fair which will be on September 12. I’ve got lots of goodies to bring with me. I have 15lbs of beautiful, crimpy, fluffy, Australian merino to dye up. I’ve got 30lbs of the softest rambouillet top as well…this fibre is new to me and I can’t wait to get started with it and sample it. I’ve got my usual Fingering Sock and the Sock Mediumweight. I’ve got some 50/50 superwash merino/bamboo top that is so soft it’s insane…in fact, dyeing it up was quite a challenge to keep the fibres together, but it turned out beautifully.

I’ve also got some new yarns. I have both a fingering (3ply) and laceweight (2ply) MCN base (80/10/10 superwash merino, cashmere, nylon) that is very soft and will make beautiful shawls and socks. I also have some superwash sport weight yarn, for baby stuff or thicker socks.

I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, but I’ll soon be posting some photos as I go along, and will be stocking the shop this summer, I’m just not yet sure what and how much will be going up. I’m also going to be making batts…both the well-blended kind and the chunky, artyarn kind. I’m going to need more hands! I also have a ton of handspun, too.

In family news, the school year is almost over and Alex has aced his first exam, French. Tomorrow morning he has math, and then music at the end of the week. He’s passed his next belt in taekwondo, too. Exciting for him, he’s had his first babysitting job which went well, and in the beginning of July he’ll be taking his first flight alone, to go visit his dad in Edmonton. They’ll do a driving tour of some western cities, like Jasper, Banff and Calgary.

Jeremy’s been working on storyboarding some commercials and a couple of movies. He worked on Orphan, a horror movie that’s coming out soon and if you’re Canadian and have been watching tv at all, you’ve seen those Wal-Mart ads with plain blue backgrounds and perhaps even the Trident ad where the guy is sitting in a library and his teeth start singing.

In two weeks we are attending our last wedding of the season (whew!) and in three weeks, our NJ friends are joining us for a Canada Day/July 4th celebration. Suits have to go to the cleaners, I have to find something to wear, we need to finish prepping our guest room! I’ve contractually obligated my mom to bake rolls for us for our party.

Wow, writing it all down makes it seem like a lot to do! Tonight I was going to do some cleaning but my sister decided to come and sleep over, so we’ll probably get into the wine and the cleaning will have to wait. Sounds okay by me!

The temperature this time of year drives me nuts. I’m thankful that it’s not freezing out there anymore, but whatever it is, I am not acclimated to it; it takes me about a month or so to get acclimated to the warmer temperatures. It’s May 2nd, I’m sitting in the living room with a t-shirt on and I am FREEZING. But the second I get a sweater I’ll be too hot.

Okay, enough about my exciting temperature regulatory system! I know you want to hear more, but that’s it.

I’ve been knitting.

My dear friend Kimberly will soon be bringing her long-awaited daughter home from Korea and we’ve all been busy making something for her. I’m a brazen hussy and am knitting little Leah’s gift right in front of Kimberly at our knit nights, telling her that if she sees someone working with pink yarn, she needs to just mind her own business. Am I right?

The yarn is Dyed in the Wool Handmade Sweater Worsted (each skein is 400yds).

Kimberly isn’t the only one having a baby. My favourite cousin from San Diego just announced to her closest Facebook friends that the gender of her baby is going to be a boy, so I get to knit more baby stuff, just in a different colour. I’ve got a pattern in mind but I don’t need to get started just yet. I have until the end of September for this one.

Yesterday I spent the day without phone or internet. It doesn’t seem like a big deal but considering I spent most of the day alone and couldn’t communicate with ANYONE, there was a big hole in my day. I felt really lonely not being able to email or check Twitter or catch up on blogs and Flickr. I spun yarn for most of the day which I can’t complain about, but I usually take short internet breaks as I go and this time I couldn’t do that. They didn’t get it fixed until a couple of hours ago. I felt at such loose ends, totally unconnected.

I’m glad it’s up and running now because Jeremy’s at work all day and Alex is at some all-day birthday party at his friend’s place in the next town. I don’t expect either of them home until 10 pm.

I know, my shop is almost completely bare because I’ve been busy with some non-work things as well as generating a grand supply of yarn and fibre for Lisa at The Naked Sheep, which is a special Dyed in the Wool Handmade order destined for the Knitter’s Frolic this year. The marketplace is, as usual, at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in North York on Saturday, April 25.

I’ve been getting lots of emails from people wondering when I’ll have an update. I’m currently working on stocking my shop but in the meantime, don’t forget there are some beautiful colourways left over at The Sweet Sheep! Plus, The Sweet Sheep has great stuff all around.

I’m hoping to be at the Frolic to shop next Saturday, so maybe I’ll see you there!

I love you.