Link to the shop for feed readers

Life continues apace. Weather has limited my ability to take pictures for the past few days, or this update would have been up three days ago or more.

In non-fiber news, I’m still job searching. Learned yesterday that many of my resumes were not formatted ideally for the jobs I was applying for. Federal resumes are the opposite in brevity from academic and industry jobs, who knew? So I’ll be working on redoing those shortly.

In fiber news… oh boy

As Ravelry board readers know, I’ve got a TON of new fiber on the way to be processed into roving. Domestic Polwarth, Perendale, Suffolk, Debouillet, and a Targhee and Alpaca blend. I’m *really* looking forward to these. The fleeces all look absolutely divine.

We also have a new fiber hitting the Gnomespun shelves, Cheviot! A lovely downs wool similar in many ways to Dorset. Perhaps a bit coarser with a bit longer staple length. A good heavy duty sock fiber, or any long and hard wearing purpose. Almost unfeltable through wear, and difficult to felt otherwise.

In this update we have:

Cheviot: Bismuth, Robins and Rabbits, Spring Crocus, Bryophyta
Dorset: Desert Sunset, Spring Rains, Marigolds, Bryophyta, Open Sea, In the Spring
Finn: Into the Green, Soft Into the Green, Soft Fingerpaints, Peaches and Strawberries
Wensleydale: Deep Sea, Bryophyta, Tarnished Gold
Jacob: Garnet Shadows

And then we have a big new Gnomspun first… millspun yarn!

This first, Gnomespun Phouka, is a yarn I hope to have fairly regularly. It’s a yarn spun specifically for socks, which means its fairly loose spun but has a very high twist. This makes it very soft and lofty, but strong enough and springy enough for good socks. The weight is a “fine fingering.”

A note: All but one of these are single skeins. There should be enough for a pair of normal socks in a skein. Once I get an idea which colorways are popular, I’ll likely start doing them in pairs or sets of four.

Gnomespun Phouka
~400 Yards per skein, 3.2oz
75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon

This is a yarn I’ve only got 5 skeins of. Whether I will have more or not depends on a bunch of other factors (like how fast and if I get a job). This is a more multipurpose yarn, with a lower twist and more stretch than the Phouka. Welcome, Gnomespun Imp.

Gnomespun Imp
~400+ yds
80% Superwash Merino / 20% Nylon

And now, off for my run, and to rewrite my resume. More coming!

That’s all for now!

Oh, right, also note that for those who like to stash, these yarns are now entered into the Ravelry Database as “Imp” and “Phouka” under the “Gnomespun Yarn” category.

~The Gnome

(F is for Frelling, m’kay?)

So… this weekend was like, totally boring, you know? I did a little bit of dyeing, a tiny bit of spinning… and NOTHING INTERESTING HAPPENED AT ALL.

Nothing. You hear me? TOTALLY BORING WEEKEND…

Yeah.

Well…

Ok… totally boring except for that one little detail…

I passed a small kidney stone.

Wait, no not that detail, let me think…

Oh right!

So you guys remember this?

And remember this? The progress bar which contained one payment?

Yeah… well… I got an email yesterday.

It directed me to a thread, on Ravelry… at the head of this thread was a photo…

Which means…

Holy… I… dude… I mean… woh… wow… just… yeah…

Let me put it this way. I burst into tears.

I have never, EVER cried happy tears before. Ever.

Then I tried to hyperventilate (luckily, I didn’t).

Yeah, I have better friends than I could possibly hope, or dream to have. They plotted, found my family (not so hard for some of them, really) got my parents and brother in on it, and bought… my… wheel.

In the words of Neo: Woh.

I also did some dyeing, and a whole bunch of spinning.

First, I finished a spinning/dyeing commission. This will become a scarf, I believe. Very soft.

Sapphires and Emeralds: ~600yds, 2-ply, 80% Merino / 20% Alpaca, Worsted Weight

Then came this from the same blend. Grey green dunegrass growing amid the shifting sands…

Dunegrass: ~140yds, 2-ply, 80% Merino / 20% Alpaca, Worsted Weight
This will be up on the shop

And finally, I got this spun, the fiber was a gift from Bug Girl, an exceptionally soft Romney top. Spun into a nice 3-ply, been a while since I did one of those. Not quite as dark as the last one I did, but I’m still rather fond of it.

A Sky Full of Stars: ~200yds, 3-ply, 100% Romney, Worsted Weight
This will be in up in the shop

Aaand I did some dyeing…

A summer colorway you’ve seen before…

Seafoam: 4oz Combed BFL Top
Will be available in the shop

A new one, it makes me think of swirling kingly or ecclesiastic robes…

Royalty: 4oz Combed BFL Top
This one will be mailed to Holiday Yarns

One of my favorite summer flowers, it brings the hummingbirds and frittilaries… Here’s the full range of varieties, from soft pink to deep pink/purple (lacking the scarlet tone, next time).

Bee Balm: 4oz Combed BFL Top
This one will be available in the shop

This didn’t come out quite the way I was hoping, but I think that might be because of the type of fiber. One of my favorite flowers, the trillium, in black and deep deep crimson/mahogany.

Trillium: 4oz Combed BFL Top
Will be available in the shop

A summer favorite, yum yum yum, complete with soft yellow cake, evaporated milk, and strawberries leaking juice on everything…

Strawberry Shortcake: 4oz Combed Superwash Merino Top
Will be available in shop

And a reprise of an older colorway, but a longtime favorite. This is a truly saturated version of the colorway…

Gold Dreams: 4oz Combed Wensleydale Top
Will be available in shop

Aaaaaand I made some stitch markers.

Two more sets of these, one for the shop and one for mailing to Holiday Yarns

Onyx – Serpentine – Lava
Master: Brecciated Picture Jasper – Serpentine – Lava

And a set of these, for the shop, tiger’s eye kindly donated by Paperclips

Tiger’s Eye – Pewter – Poppy Jasper
Master: Leopard Skin Jasper – Pewter – Poppy Jasper

So, the box (hopefully the first of many) for the brick and mortar store, Holiday Yarns, is all packed, labeled, and ready to go. This one’s fairly small, only 13 items. I hope to get more out soon, but writing the paper comes first.

Aaaand…

I think that’s it for today. Was that sufficient? ::grins:: Hope to have an update late mid-week.

Oh yeah, I’m actually writing the paper to get permission to write my dissertation. The end might be in sight. That might not be an oncoming train making a light at the end of the tunnel.

~The Gnome

To those who’ve wandered over from Ravelry and are new, welcome.

The shop has been remarkably successful the last few days, so is a little depleted. I’m going to be doing a small update most days for the next few days, then I hope to do a large spinning fiber update on Sunday (Wensleydale, BFL, maybe some Romney, more stitch markers). After that, I’m hoping to do another larger update mid to late in the week, but it will depend on the speed of shipping. So keep watching.

I’m sourcing a few new suppliers as well, so look for new things there in the coming weeks.

I really do hope to get more spinning up soon. I’ve got a commission on the wheel that I hope to finish by this weekend, then things should pick up again.

I have finally gotten up the “Wild Gnomespun” gallery, so feel free to check that out!

For now, small update.

Lichen Yarn – 105yds, 2-ply – 80/20 Merino/Alpaca. I love this fiber. Love it. It’s what I made the hat out of. Warm and green. Soft heathering.

Stitch markers…

First, a gift set sent with the last large order:

Tiger’s eye – Rose Quartz

Then two sets you’ve seen the tests of before.

Pewter Celtic Knot – Serpentine

Sodalite – Pewter Spiral – Sodalite x2

And then a totally new (but small) set.

Turqoise – Sodalite

And that’s all for today!

~The Gnome

Work’s been eating my head. If things go as planned (ok, the scientists and friends of scientist can get back in their chairs and stop laughing now), then I’ll be done with the paper by endish of next week. We’ll see.

The lab push is why I’ve been more or less absent for the past week.

I have, however, gotten a little bit done.

I dyed this, and it was spoken for before it got posted anywhere. Wensleydale, Sapphire Surprise, 4oz Wensleydale

I also dyed up some finn, and this I actually still have.

Who doesn’t want a nice glass of wine to end the day?

Merlot – 6oz Finn Combed Top

And a signature of the summer, fresh berries. Mmmm. Not frozen, so the insides of the blueberries are still white. Niummy

Crushed Berries – 4oz Finn Combed Top

I’m in the process of dyeing a bunch more finn and wensleydale, with more fiber on the way. Have to weigh out the romney and corrie.

Oh right, I also dyed this. I’ve been wanting to try this method for a while. So the most recent large order gets this as their “bonus.” I like it. I’m so doing this again.

A Sky Full of Stars
~50yds, 2-ply, Aran Weight, 100% Merino

And the final big news… remember a ways back, when I posted the trip up to Maine to play with wheels?

And remember… him?

Well… he was still waiting for me. With a discount.

So, now he’s on layaway. I’m paying for him slowly. Which is why there will be a progress bar on the blog entries. If you want to make a donation, feel free to step over to the shop, which I will be endeavoring to keep full!

That’s all for now. New fae to arrive soon.

~The Gnome

So you remember the squeeing? Well, the squeeing became dyeing, and here are the results.

First I let Self have control of the dyepot to play with his cool greens and blues.

He started with one of my few repeated colorways, War for the Oaks, but in a new fiber for that mix, BFL. Mmm BFL. The effect is very different in BFL, because the colors don’t spread the same within the fiber. Going to try it in still another fiber sometime this week. Named after the book by Emma Bull

Then, he did this one, another repeat, but not one you really got to see before, Deep Forest Shadows, a slightly lighter more dappled version. Also in BFL. Deep in the forest, the shadows play, flitting and dancing. Which shadows are simply the moving of leaves, and which are something darker… stranger?

Then Self and I came up with a slightly new dyeing method. First he had a go with it and got a new Into the Green. More BFL. On the edge of the forest, light plays through the leaves as a soft breeze blows, throwing dappled green shadows on the world. Come, join me and explore its cool mysteries.

And a darker, richer one, dubbed Phouka, after the male lead in War for the Oaks. A dark, earthy fae, rich with depth, color, and masculine energy, at once wise and powerful and naive and vulnerable. 50% Alpaca / 30% Merino/ 20% Silk

Finally Self managed this one, The Storm Clears. Cool, whispy, clouds clearing to reveal a startling blue sky behind. More of the Alpaca/Merino/Silk blend

Before Self completely relinquished the pot, we collaborated on one of my favorites of the bunch. Corundum. Deep oxblood and blue/purple. A mix of the stone which becomes ruby and sapphire. Deep and saturated and rich. Also, already gone. Going to dye some more of this one though. More of the Alpaca/Merino/Silk. Mmm shiny.

Apparently, once I got control of the dyepot, I was in an odd mood. Because I kept dyeing things out of my norm.

First, fruit salad. Mmm summery. Peach and orange and grapes and plum. Mmm. Alpaca/Merino/Silk

Then, more fruit. Crushed Berries, a color I’ve done and spun into yarn before. BFL

Then, somehow, I dyed this. A repeat, but not one I planned. Munstead, a softer flowered lavender. A pretty flower. Alpaca/Merino/Silk

And finally… Robins and Rabbits. Yeah… I don’t know where it came from. It snuck up and assaulted my dyepot. When spring has sprung… BFL

These will all be up in the store (except Corundum) shortly.

More dyeing to be done this week. Halfway through the latest spinning commission. Then I have to finally sit down and spin for the swap I’m falling behind on. Then, maybe I’ll spin something for myself… ::laughs:: who’m I kidding?

~The Gnome