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What “backorder” means

Wow! The new colorways sold out in a matter of minutes yesterday.

Don’t worry! I will be dyeing more today and everyday until you all get the yarn that thrills you!

So when you see this yarn or colorway is “on backorder”. Know that means that I’ll be dyeing your order especially for you.

How long will it take? Not long at all. Typically if I have the yarn on the shelf, I can get your order out in priority mail within 24 hours of your purchase, exceptions being Sundays or postal holidays. If I’m dyeing to order, your yarn will be in the mail within 72 hours of your order. And many times if the weather is good, it will be sooner, as the yarn needs to be totally dry before it goes in the mail.

So go ahead! Buy that backordered colorway. If you need me I’ll be in the dye studio!!

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New Yarns, New Inspirations

Last week was momentous in our country. And I have to say that I was inspired by several things. The moving memorial to those who have succumbed to Covid. Washington’s sky deepening into night with the Washington Monument going from white marble to gold stone.

This is on Chinook Yarn: Super Wash Merino, Cashmere and Nylon. It is fingering weight with 414 yards per skein

The next day I loved the array of colors from all the women who attended the inauguration. From Michelle Obama’s burgundy pantsuit and long coat to the pastel coats of the Biden girls. And of course Dr. Biden in her blue sparkly ensemble. I just loved the power of the color. The statements that women will not be overlooked.

Sparkly Yarn is super wash Merino with Lurex. It is fingering weight with 400 yards per skein

Both are available in our webstore. Get some for yourself today! Click here for Dr. Biden colorway. Click here for Covid Memorial Colorway

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WIP not Wednesday!

So I planned to do this blog on Wednesday, but you know….It was full of drama and pomp and circumstance, a few tears and a little nail biting. So here is my current, well one of them, project. This is my “Fibershed” sweater. It is all yarn made from my animals or those of partner farms within 100 miles, really within 20 miles. The dark is naturally colored wool, mohair and alpaca fleeces. The bright colors are all natural dyes on my mohair yarn.

Shifty Fibershed

The pattern is Shifty. I changed just about all of it. It’s supposed to be a pullover, but I wanted a cardigan. I added a steek and I’ll cut it apart after it’s blocked. It supposed to be sport weight and this yarn is closer to worsted. So I had to go up a couple of needle sizes and down a couple of sweater sizes. But it fits just fine. Thank you Kyle for suggesting this fix!!

I’m currently working on the sleeves. I’m doing these two at a time, in a way. I’m doing a group of blips and then moving to the opposite sleeve and doing the same blips on that side. That way I’m keeping better track of the decreases and I’m using the same color rotation.

I’m hoping to finish this within 3 weeks. Maybe sooner? I have to finish the sleeves, stabilize the steek with crochet, block, cut, figure out buttons and make button holes. I think I’m not going to do a button band but rather crochet loops. Then it will be done!!

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Podcast Season 2 has just started!

I’m so excited about Season 2 of my podcast. This season I’ll be leading us through a change of vocabulary which will change our mindset.

I’ve been on a crusade to banish the word STASH from our vocabularies. It has such a negative connotation. And there is a sense of shame that follows that word around. In this podcast, I’ll give you a new word about your wonderful yarn, or cloth or beads and all of those raw materials that you collect. It is your collection.

So I hope you enjoy this first installment of season 2. I hope you will join me in this adventure to change you vocabulary. To go from stash shame to collection love.

You can listen here or subscribe on itunes here.

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Farm Chicks Yarn Affair

It’s time for our Farm Chicks Open Studio. We’re calling it Yarn Affair this time and our theme is Hygge. I’ve written about this previously in the blog. We will be open 10am to 3pm on January 16th….this Saturday. We will be having a Zoom Happy Hour from 4-5pm EDT. I will be sending out the zoom link in my email blast tomorrow. So be sure to sign up for my mailing list to get the info.

Each month we pick a photo as an inspiration for the 3 of us: Flying Goat Farm, Dancing Leaf Dyeworks and Avalon Springs Farm. This month we picked the above photo of a cozy reading or knitting space.

This month I decided to make a mini-skein pack. I wanted to have all of these beautiful colors. I wanted them separate and not on the same skein. So I will have the mini-skein packs ready for sale this weekend and also on the website by Sunday. Each pack as five 100-yard mini skeins ($40). They are ~500 yards per pack. The yarn is my Corrie Sock Yarn which is a superwash Corriedale wool with nylon blend. This yarn is one of my work horses. It is great for socks, but equally wonderful for a shawl, scarf or hat. It is a fingering weight yarn with nice drapablity.

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Time to Take Extra Care

Colder weather is here. We’ve had some snow. We’ve had some ice. We’ve had some dreary, dreary days.  I am feeling like I want more tea and hot cocoa. I want to be cozy and cook cozy meals like stew and soup. I feel like spinning and knitting my locavore sweater. What I am wanting more right now is “hygge”. Have you heard of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga and rhymes with sugar)?

Hygge is a Danish word that cannot be directly translated.  Hygge is the embodiment of coziness along with enjoying good times with great people.  It means to take the time to experience your life. It means to slow down and pay attention. Sharing a latte with friends on Zoom is Hygge. Knitting is hygge. Filling your home with candlelight and earthy stews and soups is hygge. Taking time to read a book or listen to one of your favorite podcasts is hygge. Many people think that hygge is what makes Danish people the “happiest” people on earth. 

But why am I writing about hygge now? It is a strange time. We have so many hopes and dreams all bundled up into 2021.  We have some hope about the vaccine being given out. But at the same time, we are in bigger and bigger surges. Bill and I have been isolating and masking and washing and all of that, for so, so long. And I know that we will need to keep in this semi-isolated state for several more months. So for me, thinking about practicing Hygge is just what I need right now. I believe that it will make me feel like I’m taking care of myself. It will make me feel more present in my life.  So if you feel like I do, make some hot cocoa and read a good book….Oh and knit some wonderfully hand dyed Flying Goat Farm yarn. 

You will find me here!!

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2021 Words of the Year

Each year I go through a process of review and goal setting, not only for this yarn business but also for my personal life. This year is no different. Well it was different in every way. But 2020’s word, Savor!, was a North Star to me. It really helped me to remember to be more present. It reminded me to build in experiences that would allow me to savor my world here on the farm. I didn’t do the savoring that I expected to, but I did learn to savor the experiences that I had, savor my reality.

It’s the first “work day” of 2021. I know that we all have such great hopes for this year. I hope that with new leadership, we can affect change in the realities of this virus. I hope that we will be vaccinated soo. I hope that the vaccine gives us the immunity that we need to go forward into the new normal. I hope that we will be able to get out and about again. I want to travel, to visit with family and friends in person and to just be more free, to be able to have more choices.

So drum roll please….. my personal 2021 words of the year are CHOOSE HEALTH. To me this means to make the choices that I need make to stay virus free. That means limiting exposure, especially these next few weeks as the Christmas travel surge is in place. It means continuing to wear my mask. It means to really remember to wash my hands (I’m not great at remembering this, I’ve never been a germaphobe) It means to make healthy food choices…not to lose weight…but to live a more full and healthy life. It means to make the movement choices to maintain balance and build strength. It means to take breaks when I’m knitting and to do hand, arm and neck stretches when I’m trying to crank out some knitting. It means to make sure that I’m planning for self care in order to improve my emotional and spiritual health. It means to make choices to be out in nature whenever possible since it feeds my soul. So for me choose health will be a guiding value for me.

I’d love to know if you have a word or phrase for 2021? Reply to this blog and share it with us!

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FO Friday–Alpaca Top Edition

This week I’ve been working on dyeing spinning fiber. First up has been superfine alpaca top. I wanted to show you part of the process. Especially with alpaca fiber, the dry dyed product is a lot lighter than the wet product. You can see the difference!

ALP6 when wet
ALP6 when dry
Wet alp7
Dry alp7