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How Do I Name These?

Happy Saturday!

There’s a little chill in the air this weekend.  Nice!

I was just outside getting pictures.   I felt a drop.  Then a couple more.  And more.   I had to move quickly to get it done, and then whisk the yarns into the fan room to finish.  But now pictures are taken and the yarns are safe from rain.  Not sure how much rain we will actually get later on, but better safe than sorry.   🙂

Anyway, here are this week’s offerings, mostly in the darker ranges this time.  There were several Twinsets that suggested names that were surprisingly not food-related!   A couple of them reminded me  of things like Shadows in the Forest or Waves on the Sand.  As always, yarns look different between wet and dry.   But even so, I think there is something for everyone this week.  🙂

Since I don’t work with standardized color recipes too often, I also no longer try to name the yarns.  But, just for fun, what you you name some of these colorways?

Several of this week’s Twinsets were dyed at 72-inch centers, like #854-855,  866-867, and 870-871, to point out a few.   That is,  each hank is 2-yards around, or about 1 yard long when laid flat for dyeing.  Sometimes I will leave them laid out and dye from one end to the other.

Other times, I will dye the centers, move those centers to the ends, and then dye a new center, so that the color-changes occur at roughly 36 inches rather than 72  inches.  Good examples of this are Twinsets #864-865 and 870-871.  These are all approximations, but can give a good idea how the colors will appear in knitting, and  will change depending on your knitting.  Socks are great on Size 1 or 2 needles, but you can use Size 5 or 6 to knit lighter shawls on Phydlbitz, producing larger stitches and color changes appearing closer in the knitted fabric.

These are all  Phydlbitz Sock, normally $27.50 each.  For Saturday and Sunday, you can claim any two or more of this new collection (BRS24 – #854 – 877) for $25.50 each.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your requests.  I’ll mark your selections from the Available Yarns tally chart below and send you a PayPal invoice.  On payment, I will print your shipping label so it is ready when the yarns are ready to ship, and you will get an email notice with your postal tracking number.  When the mail carrier picks up packages, I nearly always announce it on Facebook so customers can start tracking their packages.

A friend on Facebook was asking about yarns to the U.K.   I do ship internationally, although the rates have gone up (again!) so an international package costs $37.50 to ship.  BUT, it’s basically a flat-rate up to a certain limit, and will cover for one skein or up to six in a single soft package.  If you have friends who want to try my yarns, it is better to make a package to a single address.

I expect this week’s collection to be ready to ship on Wednesday or Thursday.

Available Yarns:
Rack 1 – 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865
Rack 2 – 866, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877

Trio Bundles

I am busy this week building more Trio Bundles of Phydlbitz Sock yarn.  Normally thee skeins of Phydlbitz is $82.50.  I will be marking the Trio Bundles at $70.00 (15% off would be $70.13).  I will be posting my assembled bundles on Wednesday or Thursday.  While I am building bundles that look good to my eye, visitors are welcome to select their own unique Trio Bundles — any 3 Phydlbitz (or 6, 9, or 12) for $70.00 for each Trio.

The only workspace available for sorting yarns is on top of my queen size bed.  This might take a while!

I will be building Trio Bundles based on color compatibility and/or contrast.  I know there are hundreds of projects on Ravelry and elsewhere that feature three (or more) colors to create shawls, baby blankets, scarves, and so much more.  I am really not a project/pattern designer, and prefer playing with colors and allowing others to imagine how those colors work for themselves.

Time Change?

Happy Sunday!

This morning, most of the country turned the clocks back from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time.  And the forecast calls for rain alllll day long, but so far the radar looks good.  I will try to get the yarns photographed before the rains start.   I may have to figure out a different way to get pictures.

Update:  I rushed to get the yarns outside. Got the first rack into position, adjusted my camera, and BAM!  Here came the rains, hard and fast.  So I scrambled to get everything back inside to the fan room for the day.  <*sigh*>  Well, I’ll figure it out and by the time you read this, it will have all been figured out.

As I was bursting the pouches to start the wash-and-rinse process I was impressed with all of the yarns this week.  Not a single Twinset was even mildly disappointing.  If I had all the time in the world, I can see many of these being used for contrasting colorwork.  Sadly, even with the time change, that extra hour just isn’t nearly enough.

All of these are Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each), all dyed as Twinsets as a matter of convenience for those who like to do larger-than-socks projects, like shawls, cowls, etc.  A friend of mine made a whole sweater-vest for her husband using just two skeins of Phydlbitz.   A single skein does make an ample pair of average adult socks, while a Twinset can make some amazing knee-highs.

Phydlbitz Sock is $27.50 per skein.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your numbered requests.  I’ll mark your requests from the Available Yarns tally chart below and send you a PayPal invoice.   Upon payment of the invoice, I will purchase your shipping label so it is ready when the yarns are dried and processed for shipping.   I expect to have this week’s yarns ready to ship on Wednesday or Thursday.

(Today’s pictures are different from my normal  format, with the item numbers shown superimposed on the yarns instead of above the yarns. This is from having to photograph them indoors. Please let me know if this creates an inconvenience.  In spite of all the lights in the room on, the colors aren’t as clear as if photographed in daylight outside. )

Available Yarns: 
1 –  830, 831, 832, 833, 834, 835, 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841
2 – 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853

Okay, Mardi Gras Bundles

Edit:  Both Mardi Gras Bundles have now been claimed. 

I mentioned it earlier, but now that the Blog Reader Specials have been uploaded and posted, I want to make mention of the special Mardi Gras Bundles, #1 and #2, each marked at 15% off the individual skein prices:

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BRS24 – Mardi Gras Bundle #2 – #813, 815, 817 – Phydlbitz Sock – $70.00 the bundle (15% off the regular price) 75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each

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BRS24 – Mardi Gras Bundle #1 – #812, 814, 816 – Phydlbitz Sock – $70.00 the bundle (15% off the regular price)
75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each

Normally, one skein of Phydlbitz Sock yarn is plenty enough for an average-size pair of adult socks.  Using three skeins (for example in broad stripes) you could have some amazing knee highs for Mardi Gras.  🙂

And, of course, here is the group shot of all the yarns I posted to the BRS page:

 

 

Mardi What??

Happy Monday!

I just saw on Facebook that some of my FB Friends are getting snow today!  SNOW!   I just looked at my local 10-day, and we’ll be enjoying temperatures in the mid-80 all the way, but there is increasing chance of rain later this week, probably making a wet mess of Halloween.  I’ve not had Trick-or-Treater at my home  for many decades, but I know there are likely some neighborhood parties at schools or churches nearby.

Yarns arrived Saturday and I dyed yesterday.   Knowing that Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras seem to sneak up too quickly after New Year’s Day, I attempted to get ahead of the game.  There are two Twinsets suited for Valentine’s (Twinsets #810-811 and 822-823) and three Twinsets that were supposed to be toward Mardi Gras (Twinsets #812-813, 814-815, and 816-817).  Even though I double dipped the purple for better overall coverage, I’m not thrilled that the purple isn’t as rich as I wanted.  That’s okay; I’ll have a few more chances to try again, and for die-hard Mardi Gras fans, these will work just fine for socks, scarves, or whatever works as a Mardi Gras outfit.

The other Twinsets are a mix of semi-solids, schmears, and segmented sectionals.

Last week’s Blog Reader Specials were  packed and ready to ship on Thursday as promised, and I had put in a package pick-up request the night before.  Thursday’s mail carrier didn’t bother to honk or knock for pick up, so I put in another request for Friday.  Friday I was waiting and waiting, and a while after dark I was on my porch and saw the mail carrier zoom on by without stopping until they reached the end of the block and then sped onward, neither picking up my packages nor leaving the incoming mail that Informed Delivery was coming.  Another request was put in for Saturday, and I was outside waiting as they came around.  I told the driver that Friday’s mail carrier didn’t stop at all; he pointed to a full rack of mail and said, “These are all the undelivered mail from yesterday.”   It’s getting to the point I feel like I need to pull up a chair and wait by the mail box on the days I have outbound packages.  Frustrating, to say the least.

As I am already a day behind my own normal schedule, I expect this week’s yarns to be ready to ship on Thursday or Friday.  As is my habit,  I do announce on Facebook when packages have been picked up, but I am more than happy to also email individuals their packages are picked up.

All of this week’s yarns are Phydlbitz Sock, 75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards, and normally $27.50 each.  For today (Monday) you can claim any two or more for just $25.50 each, matching or not.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your requests.  I’ll mark them off the Available Yarns tally chart below so others can see which ones are still available, and then will send a PayPal invoice.  If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can still pay the invoice using a credit or debit card.

Available Yarns
Rack 1 – 806, 807, 808, 809, 810, 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817
Rack 2 – 818, 819, 820, 821, 822, 823, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829

No, Alpaca Lunch!

Okay, I admit:  that is cheesy title. It harkens back to decades-old and admittedly terrible joke:

“Hey, should we stop at the burger joint for our picnic?” 

“No, alpaca lunch instead.”

Anyway, this will be a different sort of collection of Blog Reader Specials, so I figured a funny start would help.  🙂

As I mentioned a few days ago on Facebook, I have some yarns that were purchased many years ago that I failed to properly mark.  It’s the age old failure of thinking I will always remember exactly what this is.  I know it is alpaca, but I don’t remember if it is 100% Alpaca or an Alpaca/Merino blend.  It feels lovely and soft, and in the handling it feels like it may be superwash if there is Merino involved.

I got it from my previous supplier before that supplier retired and turned over most of their lines to another supplier.  I was sad to see the first one retire, as I’d been with them over 10 years, but they picked an amazing supplier to take over and I’m happy with them as well.  I looked on the new supplier’s Web site and I can’t find the same kind of yarn in the same put-up that I had, so I confess I can’t guarantee a particular fiber content beyond a rough estimate (“guess-timate”).

I do know each skein is about 210 yards each, so it’s a nice worsted weight, suitable for a quick-knit winter cap, or even a nice bundling cowl or scarf.   Ravelry has an advanced search function where you can find over 60,000 patterns for hats and neckwear!  Pick any two of these for some amazing contrast knitting!

One of the issues with dyeing solids the way I do it is that when yarn is wet during the dyeing, it all looks evenly colored no matter how many times I dip it and rotate it around to get even coverage.  The less-saturated sections are visible until the yarns are rinsed and spun out.   This issue is most noticeable on #793 and #798.  I didn’t find any undyed sections, just areas where the dye didn’t strike as fully.  I like to think these less-saturated areas will add an organic look to your special project rather than being knit with a flat solid  color from a commercial mill.

#799 is a dark-dark green, while #802 is as nearly black as I could make it.  Most of the rest of the colors are more clearly visible, and I present my photos unedited.

Each of these will be $28.00 on the Blog Reader Specials page, and I expect to have these ready to ship on or about Thursday.

To claim the ones you want just drop me an email.  I will mark your requests off the Available Yarns tally chart below and then send a PayPal invoice.  Upon payment I will purchase and print your shipping label to ensure the label is available when the yarns are ready to ship.

Available Yarns:  (all claimed now!)
793, 794, 795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805

Another 15% Off Sale?

Sure, why not!

I’ve just photographed and posted the unclaimed yarns from the most recent collection of Blog Reader Specials.   Shown here is the group as a whole.   All orders now through Friday will be invoiced at 15% off your total order.

To be honest, sales are slowing and my reach is decreasing (the Knitivity Insider list is lower than 250 individuals now), but my bills are increasing.  I need to create an additional $300 this week in order to pay my overdue light bill.  I seriously need to find more ways to expose knitters to my yarns, but I understand not everyone needs (or can afford) more yarn.   I would seriously prefer selling my hand-dyed yarns, but at this point, though, I’m not above asking for help — you can either drop a few dollars through PayPal or Zelle (ask me how), and it would be much appreciated.  🙂

A Deep Red Wine?

Happy Sunday!

Per the 10-Day forecast, just a few more days into the lower 90s and then we’ll start seeing more autumn-like weather.  Even now as I type this paragrapyh at 10:00a.m. it’s just barely 80º, for which I am quite thankful.  🙂

Last week I dyed a lot of darker colors, so this week I deliberately pulled out some fluorescent yellow, a chartreuse, and fuchsia, along with some other colors.  These colors appear across several Twinsets this week.

Many of the colors/combinations seem obvious.  One Twinset (#789-790) looked better wet — when I sealed it into a pouch, it reminded me of watermelon rinds cut into random chunks; it is actually a combination of spruce and chartreuse.  Perhaps I just need to remember to eat so that all my yarns don’t remind me of edibles. 🙂

At the end of the day’s dyeing I created a genuine DumpDye (#791-792)  — using all the remaining red, fuchsia, brown, and gray into a combined vat that reminds me of dark red wine.  Very rich, very beautiful.

Twinset #771-772 is a two-color fade featuring fluorescent yellow and gold ochre.   Twinset #775-776 is a splattered combination of sky blue and pale gray, while #783-784 is a base of palest seafoam with a gradient fade of medium charcoal gray; #779-780 is a slightly deeper semi-solid in a similar seafoam green.

Any of these will make wonderful socks, of course, but there are so many other projects that you can use Phydlbitz Sock for — shawls, scarves, baby blankets, etc.   Because I use a limited palette each week, many non-matching skeins can be combined for some amazing contrasts.

Phydlbitz Sock is $27.50 per skein.  For Sunday and Monday, you can claim any two or more skeins (matching or not) for $25.50 off at Preview Pricing.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with your numbered requests.  I’ll mark them off the Available Yarns tally chart below and send out a PayPal invoice.

I expect to have this week’s Blog Reader Special Collection processed and ready to ship on or about Thursday.

Available Yarns
Rack 1 – 769, 770, 771, 772, 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780
Rack 2 – 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792