I have been dreaming of blogging again, like I used to do way back when.  I used to blog very regularly, had a personal blog site and the whole 9 yards.    Somewhere along the way I lost the bloging mojo.  So still I dream, but in reality I doubt it will happen again.  Even once a week seems unattainable, when I look at my postings here and realize I am only blogging about once a month!  Such is life I suppose.

Anyhoo, this past weekend I got some wild hair up my derriere to paint my craft room.  My whole house is in sore need of a makeover (of which Stephinie of Gypsy Forest can attest to).  I used to not be embarrassed to admit to living in a mobile home, back when we first bought the place and I had so many dreams of fixing it up so nicely … but now, 6 years later, the mantra of ‘we are planning to do … ‘ is just not working anymore.  My husband, bless him, is just not into the whole home improvement thing.  I have been begging him all these years to let me paint, begging him to fix the decks, begging him to let me plant shrubs, flowers, trees.  But always he tells me it’s something we can do without, wait till this time, etc.  There is always an excuse.  Well this weekend I decided enough is enough.  I am making my house a home this year.  I am going to make it look inviting.  I may not really know what I’m doing, but I will do it!

And so I started with the craft room.  I guess I am going a bit backwards, that I am doing the least seen room in the house first.  And next I plan to do up either Matthew or Abby’s room – likely it will be Abby’s as she loves the new color of the room and I have 1 & 3/4 gallons of paint left.  I dislike the idea of the two rooms being the same color, but I hate to waste the paint.

Here it is, all painted up after only a day of work.  And the husband really likes it- in fact he’s asked if/when I am doing more rooms!  He is so predictable, once I do something that he was so against, he loves it.  The huge blank expanse of wall is being filled up with items as I come across them.  Anything and everything will go on the wall.  Anything that catches my fancy, and is hang-able, or that I can make hang-able, will go up.  Right now, it’s still pretty bare – I have 2 framed pictures up, an Amy Brown print, and an old mail sorter that belonged to my grandmother.  It will be a forever work in progress I think.

On the left of the photo, is my spinning corner.  The glider faces the computer in case I’d like to watch a movie while spinning.  And I have fabric on order (Kokka sheep farm in turquoise) to recover the glider cushions.  I’m debating about painting the wood – I don’t think I want to but it definitely needs a cleaning.  The ironing board is cluttered b/c I took this soon after I had moved everything back into the room.  So there are still things there that need sorting.  On the right, the blank paper was bookmarking where my Amy Brown prints would go – they are there now.

And this poorly stitched together pan shows the opposite side of the room.  Directly in front on the left is my tiny sewing table.  My machines had been picked up for months before I decided to start making my own interchangeable knitting needle case.  Then I remembered how much I despise not having things ready to go when I am, so I found the machines a place.  On the wall above the table is blank now, but I have this on it’s way to me.  Above the printer used to reside that yellow shelf on the floor.  I am going to trade that off with a similar shelf that’s bigger, that’s in the kids’ bathroom.  The hubs doesn’t want to move it.  Looks like I will be doing it.  Then next to the shelf will go my bulletin boards.  I’m also going to make this (in turquoise) to hang from the ceiling above the computer, and get 2-3 more photo frames for the opposite wall.

This room seirisouly makes me happy whenever I walk in.  Lime green is one of my favorite colors, and just screams creativity to me.  I can’t wait to get the finishing touches up to show it to y’all!

I’m thinking wholesaling may be the way to go for my business.  I really am bad at getting packages out in a timely manner, so that’s good quality #1.  #2, is time – listing, pricing & photographing take tons of time!  Which I don’t have.

I’m not real sure how it works though – do you get a pre-payment?  Or once the wholesale customer gives you their order, are you expected to be able to send product immediately?

Just a note that I’m cutting back on production (which wasn’t all that much to begin with lol).  This break will likely last until my youngest is in school.  I just can’t keep up with life and all that goes with it, and a business.

Occasionally I may have one or two new instock things to list.

I can still take in custom orders – I have no yarn available but will have Australian Merino roving to work with.  So if you would like a custom order, it will need to be a your yarn, my dye type of deal.

Yarn dyeing is $2 per oz.  If you want multiple skeins in the end product, the charge is $1 extra for rewinding.  Say you have a huge 12 oz hank you want dyed, and you want it back to you in 3 skeins, that will cost you $3 extra.  Center pull ball winding is always free of charge.

Fiber dyeing is $3 per oz.  It is slightly higher than yarn because of the delicate nature of unspun fibers, it needs much more gentle care than that of yarn.

Your fiber my wheel orders will depend on yardage.  .12 a yard for your fiber.  I have fiber in stock and dyed, you will need to inquire about that though.  Price on my fiber is dependent on fiber type.  All inquiries are welcome.

Turn around time on all custom orders can be anywhere from 2-4 weeks.

So I made myself a spinning journal and I love it I got the idea from Andrea who bought a drop-dead gorgeous hand bound spinning journal from a seller on Etsy. Since I knew I couldn’t buy my own, I decided to look up how to make my own!

Now this isn’t perfect, but it stays together, and is just perfect for me. I used my favorite sheepy fabric for the cover, and uber-cute scrapbook paper for the front end pages. I didn’t have enought pretty paper for the back end pages as well, so I just used white cardstock.

I’m working on my next one, this time a coptic bound journal. I went paper shopping, as I want to make journals for all the nieces for Christmas – they all like to write and draw. I bought a few extra pages to make myself another one to practice the coptic stitch with. I have since decided I would use this journal as a dye journal

Without further ado, here is my spinning journal in all it’s glory

Just a quick note that I am stocking a few things on my main HC tomorrow, and also Saturday! And check out http://www.gypsyforest.com while you’re at it too

Come and check out the wonderful $10 stocking tomorrow at Bella Tesori! This is my first stocking with them and I’m so excited! There are some really great deals going on.

We stock tomorrow, November 10, at 10AM EST. There are at least 10 stores, with items priced at $10! I have a drawing that will last 10 hours for 2 oz of handspun, and it’s really a steal!

Come visit us at http://hyenacart.com/BellaTesori/

**The gallery is now updated!**

Pretty much what I’ve been!

I went on a knitting kick, so haven’t been dyeing at all lately. However I have a couple new colorway ideas, and I need to get dyeing starting tonight. I am attending a craft show this Saturday at Southdown Plantation in Houma, Louisiana. If you can make it, be sure to seek out the Shirley’s (heirloom sewing) booth. I’ll be bringing my goods into my mother’s booth, and my wheel is also coming along. Should be fun!

I’m about to go get some yarn kettle-dyeing, and while that is cooking I’m going to update my galleries – the handspun gallery is really not showcasing my current spinning. Those yarns are older – looser plying and thicker slubby areas. Since that is not so much how I spin anymore, I’m going to take them down and put up my newer works. I’ll keep ya posted!

On the home front, work is still slow for my husband. We are just barely eeking by, but eeking by we are Things will get better for us, and no matter what happens, we will all be ok.

My mother gave us her older glider, and we set it out on the front deck. The weather has been so nice lately that I love to take my knitting and spinning out there! Now if I can only dress it up with some nice potted plants

My son has begun potty training as well! Today he started taking his diaper off every time he peed in it LOL! I just wish he’d figure it out before wetting it, so I could get him on the toilet! But it’s progress, and progress is good. I’m looking forward to being diaper free!

Kettle Dyeing is a very easy and quick way to dye your yarn or fiber.  Basically you just pour some dye on your yarn, and let it cook for 20 minutes!

I have a video of the actual dyeing part at the end of this tutorial.  But please read the tutorial first so you know what supplies you’ll need, and for some important tips. **The part 2 video is on it’s way, it’s uploading right now**

**Please note that I am no expert at kettle dyeing. This is the method I am using right now, and is pretty much the basic form of instruction you’ll find for kettle dyeing. Please note that the pots I list, are only good for fiber amounts up to about 6-7 oz (in the roaster). In a stove top pot, I can only dye about 4 oz, and for the oven & crock pot I think you would only get a max of 3.5-4 oz as well.**

First thing you will need, is, of course, your supplies.  Your kettle – which can be a glass baking dish for using the oven to heat set, or a crock pot, or a stove top pot.  You want your pot to be enamel, glass, or stainless steel.  Don’t use aluminum, as it can have a chemical reaction with the acid and change the colors of your dyes!  I use a roasting oven.  I like the oven b/c it’s short and wide, so you can get more coverage.

Next you will need your dyes.  You can use food coloring or a drink powder mix like kool aid, or you can buy professional acid dyes.  Please keep in mind that if you use pro acid dyes, you can never use any of your dye equipment for food use again.  You can however, use them for food if you use the food coloring or drink powder as your dye.  I like to use acid dyes.

You will also need your acid – you can use vinegar (white or apple) or you can use citric acid, which is my favorite.  Citric acid has no smell and you use alot less of it.  For vinegar you will use about 1-2 cups, and citric acid 1-2 tablespoons.

Now for your fiber – you want wool, silk or nylon for acid dyes.  You can use a blend as well, but know that if you use a blend of plant fiber, that content of the fiber will not take the dye.  This can result in a nice heathery color.

Other supplies you will need are your jars or bottles for mixing the dye, something to stir with like a bamboo skewer (100 for 1.00 at Wal-Mart), or a spoon.  I like to use a turkey baster to get the dye exactly where I want it, and don’t forget a fine particle dust mask to use while handling the dyes in powdered form.  You will also need water.  If you are not experienced with dyeing, you may want a candy or digital thermometer to tell you the temperature.

Soak your fiber or yarn in water and your acid – I do this directly in the pot I am using.  While that is soaking, mix your dyes.  Don’t forget your dust mask!  Add your powdered dye to your jars, then add about a cup of very hot water and mix it up.  Once the dye is completely dissolved, fill the rest of your jar with cold water.  If you leave some dye undissolved, you will get specks of highly concentrated color.  Sometimes they go where you don’t want them to – like bright pink on your yellow …. if you can’t get it all dissolved, you can try using a strainer, or fishing it out some way.  Usually a good fast stirring will do it.  Some dyes can take longer to dissolve and will require longer stirring.  Using glass Mason jars are really good for this, b/c you can easily lift up the jar and look at the bottom of the jar to see if there is any dye that’s settled at the bottom.

Alot of places online say to put just enough water to cover your yarn.  I don’t know about you, but in my mind this means having the slightest itty bit of water sitting on top of the yarn.  This is not something you necessarily want.  If there is too much water in the pot, your colors will all mix together and you can end up with muddy brown.  So what I do, is have just enough water for all the fiber/yarn to soak up.  You want it completely saturated though.  This is why we leave it to soak – and also squish it to get as much air out as you can.  You’ll know you have the right amount of water if no water is sitting on top of the fiber in any area, but if you squish down on your fiber it comes out, then absorbs right back again as soon as you let it go.  Just make sure it’s completely saturated!

So now the fun part!  Add your dyes to the fiber!  You can pour it in from your jar, squirt it with a bottle, or use your turkey baster.  You can pour in the dyes however you want to – make a design, do pie wedges, or just put it on randomly.  If you think you may want to repeat this colorway ever again, be sure to write everything down!  How much dye powder you used, where you poured in the dye, etc.  You’ll want to use your stirring instrument to lift the top layer so you can make sure your dye has penetrated to the bottom layers.  Don’t over-do this or you can felt your fiber!

Now you’ll turn on your heat.  On the stove you want the heat just below simmering – on my stove this is about the medium setting, or 5.  You’ll have to experiment with your stove to find the right temperature.  In the roaster oven, set it to 200.  For a crock pot, I’d go with the high setting. I can’t give you a recommendation for the oven, since I don’t use the oven for my heat source.  On the stove or in a roaster oven, you’ll let the heat get to 180-200 F, and then leave it alone for about 25 minutes.  In the crock pot, I’ve read you need about 2-3 hours.  Again, I don’t use this as my heat source so I can’t give you an accurate recommendation.  Don’t forget to cover your pot!  I also use a timer so that I don’t forget about it, which I have a tenancy to do.

Once it’s all cooked, take off the heat and the lid. You’ll know it’s done when the dye is exhausted – which means that the wool has absorbed all the dye and your water is colorless,  or almost clear. Some colors, like black, only need a little bit so some of it may be left behind even if the wool is completely dyed.   Let it cool down in the pot, and then rinse your fiber or yarn.  Wash it up, get the extra water out by rolling it up in a towel.  Hang it up to dry and viola!  Your very own kettle dyed beautiful fiber.

Now if you’re impatient, not that I am or anything, after the heat is off  let it cool down about 20 minutes.  Then I will dump the fiber and water from the pot into my wash tub, which will let it cool off even faster.  Once it’s cool enough to handle, I’ll fill my tub (or sink) with warm water (around the same temperature of the fiber) and add my wool wash.  Let it soak for another 20 minutes or so.  Instead of rolling the fiber in a towel, I like to put my fiber or yarn into mesh laundry bags, and spin it out in the washing machine.  Do not let any water enter your machine, and do not let it agitate or you will felt your fiber.  Make sure it’s only set to spin.  I’ve never had any trouble with felting doing this, but I’ve read accounts of it happening.  Now hang it up to dry and it’ll be dry in just a couple of hours

Firstly, our mortgage is now caught up!  And we’re hoping with good budgeting, we’ll be able to manage.  We may be late every month, but hopefully it’s only the one month.

Secondly, we’re going to keep the internet   I was going to let the business go, since I don’t really have any stock left.  I have a small amount of fiber that is undyed, and all of my personal stash.  What I’m hoping to do, is spin it all up, sell it, save the funds to be able to buy new stock.  Here’s hoping it will go well!

In other news, Abby started her first day of kindergarten last Friday.  She goes back tomorrow – Friday was ‘girls only’ and today is ‘boys only’.  And they all go back as normal starting tomorrow.

I’m not sure what happened Friday, but she has just been a wee bit of a nightmare this weekend.  Sassing us, talking back, throwing tantrums, bossing all of us around, just an all out brat.  She was telling me no straight out when she was told to pick up after herself.  She’d get sent to her room until she could calm down and politely apologize, but then it would just start all over again. *sigh*  So finally, at 6:30pm, I sent her to her room for the rest of the night.  She had her dinner in there, and was not allowed out at all.  I also made her get into her bed at 8pm (about an hour early).  It seems to have worked though, she’s been much better today.  I think the real problem is that she got used to being home all the time with Mommy, Daddy & Matthew, and the schedule change just threw her for a loop.

It’s taking just a bit longer than I expected to get this next stocking up.  I anticipated doing it in a few batches, but looks like I’ll just list it all at the same time.    It’s a bit harder during the week to get this stuff done – so I’m not sure how soon it will be done.  I have 5 skeins left to re-skein, and then label 5 lbs of fiber/roving.  That’s probably 2-3 days right there, and another day to list.