The Yarn Side

Out with the old, in with the new--check out Swoonish

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 big plans, and a vision for what Swoonish will become, but for now, I hope you'll help me say welcome and good luck to the new adventure.

Shop Update: DeStashing Fiber and Batt Ingredients

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 to choose from and the batts are of varying weights. If you're into making your own batts, or want components to use for layering in your felted works, then I've also listed sari silk threads, firestar, angelina, some mohair locks, and semi-cleaned alpaca locks!

You can see thumbnails of most of those items if you click the "continue reading" link.

Shop Update - All Yarn 25% Off Until It's Gone!

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 fantastic new home. Thanks for all inquiries.

Yes, It's True (the "Please Buy My Drum Carder" Post)

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:

1. Batts aren't selling as quickly compared to braids, both via my shop and the brick-and-mortar storefronts that carry them.
2. 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.
3. This is a practical world, where having a car with a bad attitude (and not in a cool bad-attitude-having way), in a small town without public transportation, means things can go wrong. Very wrong. As in, no grocery shopping and lots of starving or ordering pizza. Not that pizza is bad, but pizza every night would not do anyone any good. And, let's face it, the money I could get for the carder could buy a couple of car parts or go toward a down-payment on a new one.

So, the bell has been rung, I've held out as long as I could stand to, and the carder is officially for sale. It's a fantastic carder, from a company I will always choose to do business with should I decide to purchase another drum carder in the future. 

I'm going to have an ugly-cry face over here soon if I don't just get to the point of this post. Outlined below is all you need to know about Carderina, my (possibly yours!) Fancy Kitty drum carder...

$370 USD (or best reasonable offer)

For sale is a used Fancy Kitty Kitten drum carder. It has the 90/120 TPI licker-in and swift, and comes with the brush attachment seen in the photo. The 90/120 is perfect for fine fibers, but works well with coarse or slippery fibers.

I purchased this carder 10 months ago and have used it, perhaps, two dozen times. This is a fantastic carder that, depending on fiber type, can fit 2-3 ounces in a single batt. With prepped fibers it makes a fairly smooth batt on one pass, but a second pass through and the batt is incredibly smooth and even.

I purchased this directly from the manufacturer (Anderson Originals), via their Etsy shop, and have been the only person to use this equipment.

The licker-in and swift will be cleaned before pickup/shipping.

I would prefer to have it picked up, or delivered, locally. "Local" would include the Daytona Beach, St Augustine, and Jacksonville areas of Florida. Well, I'm in a small town between all of that, so let's just say a 50mile radius of Flagler County in Florida, yeah?

I am completely open to discussing shipping domestically. The cost of shipment would, of course, depend on service, weight and destination.

There will also be a free grab bag of fiber and components (angelina, firestar, sari silk threads, etc), weighing in at least 4 ounces, but possibly more, that I'll toss in.

If you're interested in any fiber I've pre-carded, or components that I have, we can discuss how much that would be.

And that's that, I suppose. The risk of being an indie business, a lone woman trying to balance the reality of the practical world with the fantasy of how she wants to operate her business, is pretty steep. I realize there will be these backwards-motion experiences, where I have to give something up in order to move forward in a new way or direction. I don't have to necessarily like, or enjoy, what it is I'm giving up, but I at least hope that at some point something comes out of this that I can look forward to.

Unveiling the Final Chapter of Yarnography

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 the pleasure side, let's see the reveal photos (yes, I remembered them this time). This last installment is kind of special since there were members who purchased the individual installment, then there were the members who had been with me throughout every installment. The full membership installments received a few different and extra things, but you'll see that in a minute.

First, let's take a look at the monthly-installment content.

Contents List:

• 1 - 5x7 print, "Remorse" by Caryn Drexl (http://www.caryndrexl.com)
• 1- 4 pack of 4x6 artist prints, "Heartache and Poetry" (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BestArtStudios2)
• 1 - full skein of Walker Basic sock yarn by The Yarn Side in "Talkies"
• 2 - Mini balls of carded and hand-pulled roving in Superwash Merino, Silk and Bamboo
• 2 - Entrelac stitch markers for knitters and crocheters

Next, let's take a look at the full-installment content.

Contents List:

• 1 - 5x7 print, "Remorse" by Caryn Drexl (http://www.caryndrexl.com)
• 1- 4 pack of 4x6 artist prints, "Heartache and Poetry" (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BestArtStudios2)
• 1 - full skein of Walker Basic sock yarn by The Yarn Side in "Talkies" (75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon; 460 yards)
• 1 - full skein of Inara Sock by The Yarn Side (80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon; 375 yards)
• 1 - batt of Superwash Merino, Non-Superwash Merino, Bamboo and Angelina - "Starlet"
• 2 - Entrelac stitch markers for knitters and crocheters

And that's that! I have to admit that I wanted to keep the Inara Sock skeins all for myself. They felt beyond amazing, and the colorway was just gorgeous. I'm pretty certain I could have found the perfect project for all the yardage available, or it's possible that I just wanted to cuddle it all for a few days. Sadly, I decided it should fulfill its purpose and go out into the world to grow-up into something amazing.

So, what to do now? Now comes a break for me; both from having a club and from dyeing. I'll be enjoying the rest of the year, what few days we have left of it anyway, and relaxing. Why not enjoy some rejuvenating me-time while the day-job is temporarily slower and the end of the year is scattered with approved days off? It's almost time for thinking about new beginnings and adventures. Lots of planning and changes will accompany them, and a time to just be still before the chaos of what's to come will be welcomed, I assure you.

With all that talk about what's to come, I'm starting to tense up! One step at a time. And lots of applied heat and sleep--not at the same time.

It's hard to do this, since it really has been a full year now, but it needs to be done. By that, I mean that I'm officially stepping away from the Yarnography adventure. I sincerely hope it was a special experience for everyone involved; I know it was for me.

Crochet Lace: Garden Path Considerations

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 I should try that one.

Thoughts on colorways? Should I go natural-colored, or dye a semi-solid in a deep and saturated jewel-tone? So many questions!