I was catching up on blogs while on vacation and I was reading the Blue Moon Blog when I came across their latest post. The part I found very interesting was that they dye their yarn when it is ordered versus keeping it on hand. I can see where it would work because once the yarn is prepared for dyeing it only takes a day or two to dye it, steam it, rinse it, and let it dry. I'm not planning on changing anything I do in the near future, but I thought it was rather interesting to think about. Other dyers out there, what do you think about dyeing to order? Customers, what do you think about a day or 2 wait to ship?
Also, I want to remind everyone that I'll be at For Yarn's Sake with lots of pretty yarn this Sunday, March 6th, for the Portland Yarn Crawl. Hope to see you there!
~Planting little vines of fiber goodness~
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Going on Vacation
For some reason this just keeps slipping my mind. We are going on vacation next week. So if you place an order between February 20th - 27th, it won't ship until the 28th. I'll have some internet while we are away, so will answer questions as I have time. I'm planning on lots of knitting time and taking lots of photos! I'll share more when we get back!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Calendar of Events
I thought I would post up all the events coming up for 2011. It's looking like it will be a pretty busy year:
Portland Yarn Crawl - March 6th
For Yarn's Sake
11679 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway
Beaverton, Oregon 97005
Beaverton, Oregon 97005
Abernethy Spring Fiber Sale - March 19th
Upstairs, if in the same place as last time
Abernethy Grange, Oregon City, Oregon
Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival - April 15th - 17th
Top of the Stairs
Hood River Inn - Best Western, Hood River, Oregon
Black Sheep Gathering - June 24th - 26th
Hopefully Inside, if not then out on the lawn
Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene, Oregon
Sock Summit - July 28th - 31st
Listed under Gardiner Yarn Works
Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon
Oregon Flock & Fiber - September 24th - 25th
On the Lawn
Clackamas County Fairgrounds, Canby, Oregon
Details
I will definitely be talking more about each of these events as time gets closer! I hope to see you there!
I will definitely be talking more about each of these events as time gets closer! I hope to see you there!
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Spotlight on Birch Scarf Class
I am very excited about Birch Class. Although there has been a last minute change. Chrissy found there was a conflict with her schedule and this class. So she asked if it would be alright if her business partner Donna Arney stepped in instead. Since I do most, if not all, of my shows with both of them I was happy with the substitution. If you have been to our booth at one of the shows then you probably have met Donna, she is super friendly and can talk to anyone. Donna is an expert knitter, she has designed several patterns for Gardiner Yarn Works including the Frequency Hat and Glendalough Stocking, to name a couple.
The reason I chose this class in the first place is I actually knit this scarf back in April of 2010. It combines entrelac (or quilted knitting) with a simple lace repeat. It was super fun to knit and I knew this would be a great class, because there is so much to learn from it. If you have never knit entrelac before it is a great way to start. If you have knit entrelac then it is a great way to take it to the next level. Chrissy has also promised to show Donna all of her tips and tricks for knitting it. So, make sure you sign up for it today!
Chrissy Gardiner will still be teaching her class on Knitting with Handpainted Yarns on Sunday. She should also be around the booth Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon if you want to stop by and say hi, have her sign her wonderful book or even one of her patterns!
Also on a similar note, the Turkish Drop Spindle Class is full! There is still plenty of room in all of the other classes. They are all up to date on the Workshop Page.
The reason I chose this class in the first place is I actually knit this scarf back in April of 2010. It combines entrelac (or quilted knitting) with a simple lace repeat. It was super fun to knit and I knew this would be a great class, because there is so much to learn from it. If you have never knit entrelac before it is a great way to start. If you have knit entrelac then it is a great way to take it to the next level. Chrissy has also promised to show Donna all of her tips and tricks for knitting it. So, make sure you sign up for it today!
Chrissy Gardiner will still be teaching her class on Knitting with Handpainted Yarns on Sunday. She should also be around the booth Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon if you want to stop by and say hi, have her sign her wonderful book or even one of her patterns!
Also on a similar note, the Turkish Drop Spindle Class is full! There is still plenty of room in all of the other classes. They are all up to date on the Workshop Page.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Happy February!
I have 2 new things to share just in time for Valentines Day!
First is my new Cashmere Blend Sock Yarn. It is 80% Superwash Merino Wool 10% Nylon and 10% Cashmere. I have dyed a few skeins up in happy spring and Valentine friendly colors.
The second new thing is Plover Designs just released a brand new Heart-Shaped Shawl Pin design. I have it for sale in Aluminum, Copper, and Silver. Also now available is a new leaf design which is available in Aluminum, Copper, and Silver.
So if you are looking for ideas for your special Valentine or even a little something for yourself, check out the Shop for more details.
First is my new Cashmere Blend Sock Yarn. It is 80% Superwash Merino Wool 10% Nylon and 10% Cashmere. I have dyed a few skeins up in happy spring and Valentine friendly colors.
The second new thing is Plover Designs just released a brand new Heart-Shaped Shawl Pin design. I have it for sale in Aluminum, Copper, and Silver. Also now available is a new leaf design which is available in Aluminum, Copper, and Silver.
So if you are looking for ideas for your special Valentine or even a little something for yourself, check out the Shop for more details.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Blue Sky!
Today is a cold grey day. I even saw a few flakes of snow float by today. So I thought I would post a couple of pictures from a drive I took with my family a couple of weekends ago as just a reminder that sunshine and blue skies are right around the corner:
Mt Hood from the Portland side.
The Columbia Gorge from Crown Point.
It just reminds me again how much I love living here in this beautiful place! I hope that these cheer you up as well and remind you that spring is on its way!
Mt Hood from the Portland side.
The Columbia Gorge from Crown Point.
It just reminds me again how much I love living here in this beautiful place! I hope that these cheer you up as well and remind you that spring is on its way!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Willie Sweater
I have been knitting another sweater for X (rav link). I got the yarn for this sweater while I was in Dublin on purpose for knitting this sweater. I love it! The pattern is Willie! by Pamela Wynne. I also think the backstory for this design is super sweet. You can read about it here.
Here is the front.
Here it is all laid out. It is so super cute!!! To make the bigger sizes extra length is added to the dog!
So, I have run into one slight difficulty, which is entirely my own fault. I ran out of the main color of yarn about 2 rows from finishing! I was terribly sad about it, then I tried looking for the yarn. I am doubling Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK to get the bulky weight the sweater calls for. Like I said above I bought the yarn in Dublin. So first I tried looking on Ravelry, and nobody had the yarn even in their stash in the color, which is #041. Then I tried looking at the advertising retailers. I think only 1 had it and they wanted $9 for the yarn. So I went back and looked at the yarn store I bought it from in Dublin, called This is Knit. Doing a little math they wanted 5.99 euro for the yarn, which came out to pretty much the same price as buying it over here. Postage included I got the whole ball for $12.25. This worked out wonderfully since they still had the same dyelot in stock and everything. I think it took about a week to get here.
Oh, and the reason I ran out of yarn is actually 2-fold. First the lady at the shop recommended I buy 4 balls and I somehow thought I would be just fine with 3. The second reason was I added length to it is so it will fit my skinny little guy for an extra long time. I don't know why I didn't connect adding length to needing more yarn. Anyway, the yarn is here (as pictured above) and the super cute sweater will be finished post haste. Of course the weather has decided to reach up to the 50s just as I am finishing this extra warm and snuggly sweater. Hopefully we will get one more snow storm so we can put this sweater to good use!
Here is the front.
Here it is all laid out. It is so super cute!!! To make the bigger sizes extra length is added to the dog!
So, I have run into one slight difficulty, which is entirely my own fault. I ran out of the main color of yarn about 2 rows from finishing! I was terribly sad about it, then I tried looking for the yarn. I am doubling Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK to get the bulky weight the sweater calls for. Like I said above I bought the yarn in Dublin. So first I tried looking on Ravelry, and nobody had the yarn even in their stash in the color, which is #041. Then I tried looking at the advertising retailers. I think only 1 had it and they wanted $9 for the yarn. So I went back and looked at the yarn store I bought it from in Dublin, called This is Knit. Doing a little math they wanted 5.99 euro for the yarn, which came out to pretty much the same price as buying it over here. Postage included I got the whole ball for $12.25. This worked out wonderfully since they still had the same dyelot in stock and everything. I think it took about a week to get here.
Oh, and the reason I ran out of yarn is actually 2-fold. First the lady at the shop recommended I buy 4 balls and I somehow thought I would be just fine with 3. The second reason was I added length to it is so it will fit my skinny little guy for an extra long time. I don't know why I didn't connect adding length to needing more yarn. Anyway, the yarn is here (as pictured above) and the super cute sweater will be finished post haste. Of course the weather has decided to reach up to the 50s just as I am finishing this extra warm and snuggly sweater. Hopefully we will get one more snow storm so we can put this sweater to good use!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Spotlight on Aquitaine Beaded Cuffs
I wanted to do a short series on some of the classes I feel are being overlooked for the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival. I feel a particular love of the Aquitaine Beaded Mitts Workshop because I am providing the yarn for the class. For the class you get a full skein of yarn in your choice of 4 colors of my Tencel Sock yarn, plus the beads to make a pair of mitts. The fees for the materials are only $24, which is actually less than purchasing a single skein of yarn from my shop. There is enough yarn in a skein to complete 2 pairs of mitts. So you are getting a real bargain there.What I also love about this class is working with Sivia Harding. I have had so much fun chatting with her over yarn choices and color choices and bead choices. Believe me, I really wish I could take this class myself. I definitely plan on taking it sometime with her when I'm not managing the show at the same time. There is still lots of space in this class, so take a look at it and if you haven't already, go and sign up!
I also wanted to post on here some rather sad news. In case you haven't already heard about it, Mary Scott-Huff had the sweaters from her latest book stolen out of her car along with the gifts for her daughter's 12th birthday. Please take the time to read her blog post and keep an eye out for the sweaters she lost!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Brightening things up!
It isn't spring around here yet. I have been feeling the winter blues a bit, so I thought I would change up the website a bit. Now in brighter, more springy purples I present the new shop and website: http://www.lavendersheep.com/shop.html
Let me know what you think! Also, if any pages look odd, let me know about those too. I think I got everything, it's always possible I missed something.
Let me know what you think! Also, if any pages look odd, let me know about those too. I think I got everything, it's always possible I missed something.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Cable Sweater
I finished up one project on New Year's Eve.
This is the Provence Cable Sweater by Classic Elite (Rav link). The pattern is free and available online. The yarn I used was Regia Tweed 6-ply in color 32. I started this when we went to Dublin so X would have an Aran sweater of sorts to commemorate the trip. It isn't exactly Aran, but cabled is close enough in my book. It hasn't been blocked yet, but he has worn it outside the house. The only thing I wish is I had made it a little bit longer so he could wear it longer.
This is the Provence Cable Sweater by Classic Elite (Rav link). The pattern is free and available online. The yarn I used was Regia Tweed 6-ply in color 32. I started this when we went to Dublin so X would have an Aran sweater of sorts to commemorate the trip. It isn't exactly Aran, but cabled is close enough in my book. It hasn't been blocked yet, but he has worn it outside the house. The only thing I wish is I had made it a little bit longer so he could wear it longer.
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