Yes, I am still alive.

I am almost embarrassed to post. It has been so long. I realized that I had been avoiding my blog because I was embarrassed that I had totally slacked off. I have retreated from my online life. The real one has been getting in the way. Go figure.

Here is a quick review of my life...

In my fiber life I have been knitting wildly on My Man's Durrow sweater. I have ditched the pattern and am following the ideas of The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee to finish the yoke & collar. I am also continuing the cables up & over the shoulders. Why stop a good thing early?

In my spinning life I have tons of natural camel 3ply ready to dye or skein up & post on Etsy. But, sadly, there it sits. I did have a friend over to spin and that was way cool to spin with someone. I actually didn't spin, I taught my 4yr old fiber wiz-kid to spin. She did a fabulous job seeming how she couldn't treadle & keep the fiber at the right angle to enter the orifice smoothly. My majacraft is set up pretty high and her little body is just too short. I will post pictures when the cows come home. I am thinking about getting another really short band that goes around the wheel so I can adjust the wheel to fit her. She really liked spinning. As her mother it is really fun to watch her balance (or really try hard to) all the different parts of spinning.

My dying life is comatose. Talk to the camel about that.

My sewing life is all about Needle Cases. I just finished my first 5 roll up cases for single & double point needles. They have graduated pocket sizes, labeling strip on the pockets, roll up, hang up & come in lovely colors. You can find them at my LYS The Tangled Skein! Now I have to make more of the hanging ones because all but 2 have sold! I am changing the pocket sizes on the hanging ones to make them more user friendly for the larger needle types. I think I might keep some in the old style for all the sock & other fine knitters out there.

My real life is quite exciting! I went back to school this semester to start learning how to be a computer drafter and actually make a decent wage when my children are all in school. I really like it. It has slowed the fiber life, sadly. That is part of the reason for the lack of posting. The REALLY exciting part is that I had applied for a grant way back in December. I found out about it on the internet. About 5% of applicants are chosen. I thought I had about a snowball's chance in hell.

I am not a Heller for no reason.
(note to readers: Heller is my maiden name.)
I AM THAT SNOWBALL IN HELL!!!
They picked me!!
They are going to give me lots of money to learn how to be the best lil' Computer Drafter out there!!!

yes, I realize that the use of exclamation points has gone a bit over the top. I am REALLY excited though!!!!

I think I will end on that exciting note. Ya know, someone has to get all that money out on the internet! Today, it happens to be me.

Crafty! Crafty! Splat.

I did a craft fair! I came early. Set up my table with my pop-up yarn holder, nice tablecloth, pretty lamps and spinning wheel. Then I waited. I spun while I waited. This meant that every kid who came to the crafty day stopped by my table and asked what I was doing. I lost count of parents who told their kids I was weaving. (I will refrain from stating my opinion on mistaking spinning for weaving.) I was asked what the yarn on my table was for. I stopped small children from putting their finger into the flyer of my spinning wheel after I asked them not too. I laughed with friends. I found another really cool vendor, Smudge Monkey.I want almost everything she makes. I oggled Le Filigree jewelry.

I sold a skein of yarn!

I gave one skein as a birthday present and the recipient bought the other skein in that colorway. So, all told, I sold 2 skeins of yarn.

Now, I realized when I signed up for this day, that an elementary school first annual craft fair is not the ideal place for my yarn to sell. I thought it would be a good challenge for me. Get my ducks in a row and all that. And I think it was. I was so organized after the fair that I finally called my LYS, The Tangled Skein, and made an appointment to show her my yarns. She then purchased a bunch of my Exotic Mongolian yarns that I hand-dye & ply. See, the craft fair was WORTH THE TIME. Then, I got home so pumped from selling yarn to a yarn shop that I finally began setting up my Etsy store for the handspun that I can't wholesale. (I already price it at impoverished worker labor prices and dropping the price would equal slave labor wages.) I now have a shop with a simple banner at snarldesign.etsy.com. I will be loading up the shop with goodies this week. I have to take more pictures!

note: I moved the lamps off the front of my booth shortly after this picture was taken. They hung out on the sides of the booth, shining across the yarn. I never did like their placement much, but oh well, I really don't think the lamps hurt or helped my yarn sales.

extra sad note: Not even the hat I knit for charity sold. sniff.

Dyeing left & right

This week I am going to dye. With a y e, not an i e. I am going to dye cashmere, camel & yak from Mongolia. I will also do my first attempt at dying roving. I am going to start with gold superwash roving because it is really hard to felt superwash fibers. So I've been told. We will see. I have some lovely handspun that will go into the dyepot as well. Pink is on the top of my list of colors. I will also do some red, orange and lavender.

Anyone have any other requests? Yes, I realize that the only people I have given this blog address to are my two sisters. I also posted it on my Ravelry page!

The picture is of the single ply camel yarn. I will ply a bunch of it into 2 & 3 ply yarns and kettle dye it. I am a little tired of plying after the dying process. I still have a lot of dyed singles ready to ply.

Wish me luck. Handling chemicals is always a blast!