Hey friends-- It's been a while since I've made use of this blog, dyed and designed anything, or even posted to Twitter under the Yarn Side name. For those who don't already know, I'm rebranding and refocusing. The Yarn Side is slowly becoming Swoonish, an all-encompassing blog that will focus on things I'm passionate about, products I'm using and creating, as well as projects I'm working on. It's my hope that you'll come with me on this experience. There will still be yarn, still be fiber, still be me running off on tangents mid-paragraph; it'll still be me. I have... Continue reading

Hello! As I move ever closer to The Yarn Side's conversion into Something Much Larger, I'm trying to get all of the old inventory out. It's that incessant need to start fresh and to do it right. To help get the fresh start moving, I've listed all of the batt ingredients/components (e.g. firestar, sari silk threads, different fibers) that I used, still have, but no longer need. There are also actual batts, most being 100% feltable if you're into needle-felting, but they are also completely spin-worthy. Mmmm-Merino. Here's a sneak peak at one such batt: There are many more colors... Continue reading

The shop update consists of Walker Basic, Lorelai Sock, and Inara Worsted. There is also a pattern for Abalina, which I now realize I never talked about here. Oops! That'll have to be another post. Lots going on in the background here, including an evolution and reworking of the business. There's been a huge slump in productivity on my part due to waiting for some things to shift into place, but it's starting to move forward and I'm really excited to see how it all turns out! For anyone who hasn't spoken to me directly, the drum carder found a... Continue reading

SOLD Yes, it's true. If you've seen my Twitter posts, or the update on Ravelry, I'm offering my drum carder up for sale. This decision was not made lightly, and I would most definitely prefer to keep it, but here are some facts I've had to face: Batts aren't selling as quickly compared to braids, both via my shop and the brick-and-mortar storefronts that carry them. Batts are time consuming--more than I had anticipated. Sadly, I cannot devote my entire days or weeks to The Yarn Side for the preparation of carding, let alone the final carding itself. This is... Continue reading

It's a little bittersweet to write this post. Yarnography spanned a year of my time and yours, filling it with color, art, and play things. There was so much of...just everything. Honestly, there was both a lot of pleasure and a lot of frustration. I felt very much as though I were pushed off the school bus and onto the school yard for some hard-won lessons in Life. I was forced to revisit lessons in time management, working with others to pull the installments, and my vision, together, in expectations, organization, and--there's just too many to list. To focus on... Continue reading

What you're seeing is a crochet lace pattern called the Garden Path Crocheted Shawl by Lily Go. There's a fully humongous version, like seen above, and a scarf/shawlette size version that is quite a bit smaller. I haven't decided which option I want to crochet just yet, but I know I definitely want to use Lorelai Lace. My lace weight yarn has such an amazing halo of Baby Alpaca, Silk and Cashmere, that the lace pattern would just bloom into life. Should I crochet this pattern? If so, which size? I'm more likely to finish the scarf/shawlette size, so perhaps... Continue reading

Weekend-long sale is going on. Use BlackFriday2010 in the discount code field in the shop for 20% off until the morning of 11/29! Continue reading

As mentioned in the previous post, I dyed three separate blends of fiber in the same colorway. I was curious how each blend would take-up the dye and look after they were dry. To start, I wrapped 4oz of each blend into separate tulle bundles. I decided not to pre-soak (it's part of a new method I've been playing with), so I simply laid them out, side-by-side, into the same container and applied the dye. Same colors, same strengths, same giant squeeze bottles, same application pattern. If you hadn't figured it out, it was all the same. Once the fibers... Continue reading

In the back: 75% Superwash Merino and 25% Nylon blend. On the left: 80% Superwash Merino and 20% Bamboo. On the right: 80% Superwash Merino and 20% Cashmere. A couple of weeks ago I decided to conduct an experiment. The goal was to use three different fiber blends, all the same dyes, and dye them in the exact same method. The purpose of the experiment was to see how the different blends would react to the dye. Would they absorb the same or have the same depth of shade? I laid them all out flat next to each other, bundled... Continue reading

I'm doing a lot of behind-the-scenes cleaning up these days. The office is slowly becoming organized, fiber is being put away, and my muscles are all seizing. The last is a sure sign that I've been hard at work. My back would appreciate a good rub-down as it's very knotty (har, har). Okay, that last bit wasn't even funny. Damn you, 2:30am! Part of this cleaning up that I'm doing involves removing old stock from the shop. There are items up on Etsy that have been there for a while, or were items that certain parties were interested in but... Continue reading

I've been working through a great deal of family...things lately, that there's been no time, or head space, to even consider dyeing, carding, spinning, knitting, crocheting--just nothing. It's been a barren time for me in terms of yarn and fiber. The past week, however, I have stolen moments to play with the Kitten carder that I mentioned a while back. We won't discuss how long ago "a while back" actually works out to be, right? As much as I adore cranking the carder and blending fibers, my heart hasn't been in anything lately, so when I was hit with the... Continue reading

This is the final installment of Yarnography. Registration ends 11/01/10! Month: November Title: Remorse Photo Credit: Caryn Drexl November features the photograph "Remorse", by Caryn Drexl. This is another of my favorites and it's all in the details. This image has great impact when you're able to view it in person and pick out the tones, depth of shade, and character. As this is the final installment, there will be a handful of goodies, some fantastic yarn, and some other little surprises. Yarnography registration is now closed. Thanks! Continue reading

Okay, it's true; the July box took too long to ship out. The participants for that installment know exactly why, and I thank them for their patience and understanding. I'm happy to note that they are still very pleased with what they received, some beyond pleased. :) Let's get on to revealing what was sent to those wonderful participants... Once again I wasn't in the right mind to take proper photos, but Sarah (LadyDanio) came to my rescue again when she snapped some fantastic photos. The first image below is of the entire package; the second image below is of... Continue reading

One of the things I didn't expect when I first began to fiddle with hand dyeing yarn and fiber was that it would bring me to this point. This point in my life, and the life of The Yarn Side, is minor if I bother to compare it to the achievements of other indie businesses. Wasting the time to compare my struggles with another's success is counter-productive. I need to focus on what I'm doing, what I want, and in which direction I would like this little bud of a business to lean for that brief bit of sunlight. The... Continue reading

20% of existing inventory at The Yarn Side. This sale expires 8/21/10! Get those orders in so I can get 'em out. Whatever is left in the shop is going to Orlando in September for the Florida Fiber-In! Don't hem, don't haw. Let those lusty feelings run amuck. :D No there hasn't been a shop update in a while, and there are of course reasons, but listen... I kid, I kid. Okay, in all seriousness-- sciatica pain, Yarnography club dyeing and mojo-leaving aside--I am calculating inventory. I have items already dyed, skeined, blended and carded, all of which are already... Continue reading

Month: September Title: Swept Away Photo Credit: Caryn Drexl We're getting ever closer to the end of Yarnography, which means we're also getting closer to the end of the year. I'm sure that for anyone outside of Florida the upcoming months reminds them that there are bitter cold days ahead, days where you don't want to leave the house. There's no room for depression, though, when lovely packages could lift your mood and help you to warm up during those months! Let the September installment of Yarnography help you to stave off those Winter Blues. September's installment will be inspired... Continue reading

In my pain-pilled induced scramble to get all of the packages out the door I completely forgot to stage the reveal shot. I didn't even have extras of anything for myself to fake my way through it! I'm blaming the muscle relaxers and pain pills I was taking at the time. Should this ever happen again we'll just clutch our hands into fists and keep from pointing it out, shall we? Thanks! One of the May packages was sent out to Sarah, a girl I met through Ravelry and who is completely awesome for a number of reasons. The most... Continue reading

This is just a friendly reminder that the registration for July's installment of Yarnography ends tonight at 11:59pm Eastern. If you've been holding out now's your chance to sneak that registration in before I remove the registration buttons! Continue reading