Confessions of a Yarnaholic Continued...The Stash

I'm embarassed to have to admit that this is the kind of post that you can show to your significant other when they are complaining that your yarn stash is getting too big because the lid of the bin won't shut. In saying that, I know that there are many many Ravelers with much more than me, but when I laid my stash out in January 2010 it was a real eye-opener as to just how much yarn I had hiding in the wardrobes or living under the bed.

My aim since then was to destash the stuff I didn't like, knit up the yarn I do and to aim to buy way less yarn than I was knitting up over the year. In the end, I knitted 30,000m of yarn, that's 30kms worth.

So now, the yarn that remains from that pic looks more like this:

Actually, it's not like that at all as I've used some of the ones still pictured there, but seeing as there's still some in my stash I didn't want to just black it out. But it's a great improvement right?!

And we won't talk about the yarn that's been added to my stash since then

You Heard It Here First

There's an amazing new yarn dyer and business joining the industry.

Brooklynne has set up Grrrl Shaped Yarns and has some of the most gorgeous yarn  I've seen or felt. On Wednesday at the local Stitch and Bitch knitting night I just couldn't resist leaving with some of this. The sheen and softness of this yarn has is just fabulous.

Theresa - 50/50 Merino Silk

This is a very special yarn that starts with a story. I met my friend Pam on Ravelry nearly 2 years ago and we became rather close, supporting each other in times of trouble. One of the things that has been troubling her for a while is, her sister Theresa was diagnosed with cancer a few years back and it has been a rough battle that keeps getting harder to fight for Theresa. I wanted to help but there wasn't much I could do, so i dyed this yarn in Theresa's favorite colour tealy blue with some shot of white hope in honour of Theresa. This yarn is kettle dyed.

50% of all proceed will be donated to UC Davies Cancer Research in Theresa's name, an organization that has been helping Theresa fight her war!

50% silk / 50% wool natural yarn, 100 gram skein 430 yards, 400 metres

Will make luxurious socks, beautifully soft scarves and hats. Lovely for "against the skin" wear. This yarn has is super soft with an amazing drape, but will also block beautifully.

Now, there are lots of other great yarns that Brooklynne stocks, and I've heard that there is a bamboo merino blend on the way this week too, plus she does custom slots also.

On top of all that, Brooklynne has offered to sell our Swifts via her site! Check this out

Handmade Wooden Swifts

(Thanks for the photo of the swift in use Belinda/Matisse)

'But what's a swift?' I hear you ask?
Take a gander at this amateur vid we shot HERE

My husband Blair is able to make wooden swifts to make wool hanking and winding easier. I think it came about after he had to sit there for about an hour and a half with his hands out while we balled up 160gms of 2ply (laceweight). Blair is an engineer and has an eye for perfection as well as having been brought up hanging out with his Dad in his man-cave.

Very stable with a well balanced wide base. Made from high quality sturdy and carefully chosen materials. They have easily adjustable pegs so can wind skeins and hanks of various lengths. All the pieces fit together beautifully as well as coming apart easily so it can be stored in a cupboard or under the bed - approx 80 cms in length disassembled (mine lives in bag hanging on a hook in the laundry).

They can be made to order for $60.

Postage is $7.50 to the North Island, $12.50 to the South Island and $18NZD Airmail to Australia (in AUD including postage it works out to around $60 altogether)

Email me,  jstanfield@xtra.co.nz  for more information or to order. I do accept paypal payments as long as you cover the fees.

'And how do I assemble it after I get it?'
Look no further, hopefully your question will be answered HERE (email me if you're still having difficulties)

Thanks Ali for letting us use your picture, it's actually borrowed from her blog, Blair's first customer!

All Dyed Out...

I had a number of things I wanted to dye some yarn for.

Firstly, I wanted to dye some for a bag I was going to knit. This was quite coarse yarn, and so while I wouldn't put it on skin, this yarn felts beautifully so I dyed it up. I LOVE how it turned out. Needless to say it's still waiting to be knitted into a bag!

It reminds me of the colour inside raisins, which when googled brought up the name of one of my most favourite kids books ever 'Danny the Champion of the World'. Raisins were a part of the method Danny and his Father used to catch pheasants.

I've named it 'To Catch A Pheasant' but it's probably a bit obscure to anyone else!

Next, came some yarn I dyed up for my sisters birthday. As a kid she was a huge fan of purple, and 6 weeks ago she had the most beautiful baby girl. I wanted to dye her something purple (in the hope that she still likes purple and could 'selfishly' knit something for herself with it if she wanted. Or, that if she didn't like it for herself, it could be made into something for her gorgeous wee girl.

This is 200gms of Te Awa DK yarn, it's a wool/mohair blend. This one is simply named 'Delicate'

Right, then this was dyed for a colour swap. I was aiming for a bluey purple for my purpley swap

This is 150gms of Fabulous Fibres DK. It's actually a lovely base (in my opinion). I've called it 'Something Purple'.

But wait, there's more...

This, titled 'Camping Out' was when I was dying something to look the same as my 'Nightfire Hibiscus'. It's a simple overdye job but I decided I'd throw in some yellow to see what it would do, Well, I should've known but yellow on purple turns brown. It'll be ah, interesting to see what it knits up like.

Here's what it would've turned out like if I'd omitted the yellow. This was my 'Nightfire Hibiscus'

And then, I thought, I'd do one for me. I wanted one more dusty purple.

This was dyed on 200gms hank of Manukau Wools Ltd, Sierra Lana 8 ply DK.

I've called it 'Goodbye August'

I really do love it. And August, I'm glad you're over.

That enough for now? (I actually have a sneaking suspicion that there might've been another one in the dye-pot...but can't recollect it right now)