Crazy4Dyeing

What's New

2010-12-03T09:09:00.006-05:00

I just redesigned how this blog looks. Let me know if you like it. I am dyeing like crazy getting ready for two events in the next few months.

The first one is in Frederick, MD. The 2011 Indie Artist's Celebration:

When: Saturday, February 26, 2011
Where: The Loft at Antique Imports
125 N. East Street, Frederick, MD
(right across the street from Eleganza Yarns)
Time: 12-5pm

More info here on Ravelry.

The second event is The Olde Liberty Fiber Faire in Bedford, VA

New Sock Pattern with BellaSock

2010-11-16T06:23:00.000-05:00

Since I am indeed the world's worst blogger -it has taken a bit of a push to post something. A little while ago, I did a really big wholesale order for Sandra Singh. She has a lovely full service on-line shop, and stocks a few of my sock yarns: Bella and Luxe. One of the designers she works with, Lucy Hilton, with has released a new pattern, "Pirate's Pearls" featuring Bella sock. It's a lovely pattern which is free if you order Bella or Luxe from Sandra. Check it out.

October 2009

2009-10-24T08:49:00.002-04:00

I have been so busy with my family and my day job since August that I have barely had time to knit let alone dye up huge batches of yarn. Maybe that helps to explains why I am feeling so unsettled lately. My son moved to his new condo this week, after a hectic weekend of closing, moving big and small things and painting, he is finally settling in and now my house has a huge hole in it. I am happy for him, glad to be able to help him get on his way in life, but so sad that he is not here anymore.

I haven't seen my daughter in three weeks now, because of the college's football schedule she has been traveling and I have been traveling , so we have missed each other in passing. She will be coming home next weekend as the band does not travel, and I will be home at the same time, so that is good.

Our new grandaughter was born at the end of September. Her name is Meadow, and my stupid travel schedule has not allowed me to see her yet. We have a trip planned in Novemebr so that will happen soon. Gerry and Dan did go out as soon as she was born so we weren't complete failures at being grandparents, although I clearly am.

I have been going back and forth to California every other week since mid September, and I don't think it will end any time soon. It is good to be working as it pays the bills and then some, but I wish I had an assignment here. Hopefully next year the project that I've been approached about will happen and I will be able to be working at home.

I have been working out at the gym with a trainer and my good friend Barb. We have made amazing progress, and I have dropped three sizes since May. I always knew exercise was good for you, but I never realized how much I would enjoy it. Traveling makes scheduling the workouts a challenge but when I am home we meet the trainer twice a week, and when I am on the road, I've always been able to find a treadmill. Keeping up this routine has enabled me to eat more of what I like and move away from low-carb. I did not have enough energy for working out without adding in more carbs, so I seem to have achieved a good balance now so let's just hope I keep it up.

I've been knitting on flights, and finished some small projects like a couple of shawls, three pairs of mittens and current project is a Gretel by Ysolda Teague. I should finish that soon and start another on my next trip on Monday.

I've got lots of yarn ready to dye up, but now I just need some time at home without other obligations. I am hoping the first week of November will be that time.

That's all for now. Sorry it such a downer of a post.

Sock Summit Chronicles from the Rose City

2009-08-08T11:43:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone! I am here in Portland to attend the Sock Summit. No booth for me just classes, which I am really looking forward to, since I've never taken a knitting class! We arrived in Oregon on Monday, my husband and I, to begin a two week vacation. We spent the first two days in Hood River. Just a beautiful place. We stayed in a really nice bed and breakfast just two blocks from downtown. We walked all over Hood River Monday night when we arrived looking for a place to eat, passing by "Knot another Hat" knit shop on our way, and ending up at the Full Sail Brewery, which was recommended by some friends.

On Tuesday we headed back doewntown to check out the yarn shop. It was just delightful and of course, I bought some yarn! Pictures will come later. We ventured out towards Mount Hood to visit some wineries, and some fruit stands. We bought several bottles of wine to ship back home, and we found an alpaca farms along the way. Several lovely skeins of alpaca yarn found their way into my possession. So I have 10 skeins of yarn and the Sock Summit has not even begun.

We managed to have lunch with our best friends from home who were passing through Hood River on their way back home to Maryland having just picked up their son from a summer internship at a law firm in Portland. We ended up at the Full Sail again, and managed to ferret away a few cases of their beer in Bill and Barb's car so we could enjoy it at home.

The next morning, we started back towards Portland by made several stops along the way along the Scenic route at waterfalls and Bonneville Dam. There were amazing roses there, and since my son let me use one of his cameras, I got some amazing rose pictures, that I cannot believe I actually shot.

More to come tomorrow after all my classes are done. So far, I've learned a lot, and met some very nice folks!

Katie and Me

2009-06-20T13:13:00.002-04:00

At my niece's wedding on the Mt. Washington boat in New Hampshire first weekend in June. We had a great time, the photo was taken by my son, Dan.

and the winner is.....

2009-05-17T19:37:00.003-04:00

We're just back from the Sedalia Spring Fiber Festival. It was our first time being a vendor at any kind of venue, and we had a great time! We met lots of very nice people and had a very good day, sales-wise. Lots of people signed up for our mailing list and every person who purchased something had a chance to win one of my hand made knitting bags and the goodies contained therein. We just finished dinner, and we mixed up all the tickets and I closed my eyes and rummaged around in the pile of tickets, and came up witht the winner.

Congratulations to:
Claudette Benavitch! I will be mailing your package first thing tomorrow...enjoy and thanks so much to everyone who came by.

See you next year for sure.

News from C4D

2009-03-25T07:20:00.004-04:00

I am not the world's greatest blogger, I'm afraid! I've been the busiest bee lately as I get ready for my first Fiber Festival! The Sedalia Fiber Festival in Big Island, Virginia! I've being dyeing up scads of yarn to be ready to fill up my booth. Truth is, I am really nervous about this, but my entire family will be along for the ride, my daughter will be home from college the week before, and has already given me a few really good ideas. My son has been helping me with the booth layout, and will be providing some high quality photos for the booth ( nice to have a photo pro in the family), my husband has been my biggest supporter, and has even agreed to wear one of the aprons I designed for us to wear in the booth! The banner is on its way, and I got some wonderful spinning racks for the yarn at a very good price! So now all I need is to dye more yarn and reskein for the next month :)

PS. I've also been making some really cool knitting bags inspired by my daughter, and her idea was to fill one of them up with all kinds of knitting goodies, and one lucky customer will be selected at random to win that cool prize! I will post some photos of the bags when I get the first batch done.

Productive weekend

2009-02-23T11:05:00.003-05:00

Saturdays are my usual dyeing days, since I usually have the house to myself, and somehow that is required for me to really loose myself in the process. I received a shipment of 15 skeins of the LuxeSock yarn base from Australia a few weeks ago, and that's what went into my dye pot on Saturday, along with a few skeins of SlenderSock, some 100% Fingering weights for a special order and some samples for April's Phat Fiber Box.They are all re-skeined and ready to photograph so that I can get them in the shop in the next few days, in preparation for March's Sock Silliness Sale-all sock yarn will be 20% off! No coupon needed!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T07:49:00.002-05:00

I am not such a good blogger! I wish you all Happy Valentine's Day, and to celebrate there is a special 15% discount coupon LOVE09 for you to use in the shop until the end of February!

Shop Update

2009-01-19T18:45:00.003-05:00

Whew! Just finished a major shop update today. I added two new base yarns:

1) BrawnySock- a new merino/nylon blend that knits up very soft. I am working on a pair of Monkeys that I should finish tomorrow. I will post them as soon as they are done, and

2) LuxeSock- a very nice luxury bled of merino,cashmere and nylon- I might steal the red colorway if no one else snags it soon! Also several more colorways of Leprechaun Lace and JollySock,

It snowed here today- for the first time this season, and as I worked I could see the snow peacefully falling. It made the work go quickly,. I hope you find something you like, and remember 20% off all yarn during the month of January!

Vacation

2008-12-30T16:10:00.002-05:00

We'll be leaving for Hawaii on January 1, and returning on January 12, 2009. We're having a family celebration in honor of my daughter's 21st birthday. We'll be joined by my sister and her family and Katie's best friend, Thomas. So we will have a wonderful time!

Any orders placed in the meantime will be fulfilled on January 12.

Have a Happy and safe New Year, and thanks to all of you for being wonderful customers and friends throughout the past year.

Ellie

Shop Update News

2008-12-24T09:04:00.003-05:00

I finally added the Aran weight yarn! Yeah for me...seriously, my camera had a few issues, but they're fixed now, and I've posted six colorways of this wonderful soft superwash Aran Weight yarn in the Worsted section of the website. I am just finishing up a scarf for my daughter, with what left of my test skeins, in addition to a very long pair of mittens and a hat. All from just two skeins. One skein will easily make a normal sized pair of mittens and a hat. More base yarn is on its way!

Alos, the shop will be closed from January 1-January 11 as the family is winging our way to Hawaii for a New Year vacation with my sister and her family from California. SO orders may be placed but will not ship until January 12, 2009.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a ver happy New Year.

Ellie

Finally!

2008-11-29T10:17:00.002-05:00

The redesigned web shop is now open for business. I redesigned the site entirely, so there is a new look, new software, new security, new payment methods and most important new yarn!!! I did a lot of the work myself, but the logo design is from SunandPenny from Etsy, I got some help from Matthew Therrien of ZenCart Consulting, and I am so pleased to be able to have a site that I love the way it looks, is scalable and so easy to use. I hope that you will come by and take a look around at all that's new.

New Lace Weight

2008-11-19T07:29:00.004-05:00

There is a new lace weight yarn posted in my Etsy shop. I've named it ElfinLace- it is heavier than some other lace weights and more like fingering. It is very soft, silk and cashmere blend. Will make wonderful fingerless gloves and mittens!

News!!!!

2008-11-15T11:45:00.002-05:00

I am so excited, one of my sock patterns from the original Crazy4Seasons Sock Club has been selected for inclusion in a new book coming from Martingale Press. I am not sure I can share any more news yet, so I'll just start with that teaser!

New look...new website coming

2008-11-13T07:55:00.003-05:00

I've pretty much neglected this site for almost a year, but the good news is that I will be launching a new website in the very near future, with a coordinated look to what will remain on Etsy and help me get a larger presence on the web. I've got the new site all designed (by me!!) with the exception of the header images which were designed by SunandPenny on Etsy.

The new site is at here....not quite ready for prime time but take a look and let me know what you think. It is operational at the moment but I will be moving to a new host and making some other changes so while it is working right now it maybe hit or miss until all the changes are finished.

Please let me know what you think!

Yarn Everywhere!

2007-11-10T09:22:00.000-05:00

My house has been overtaken by yarn! Yarn dyeing, yarn drying, yarn skeining, all in preparation for Jan 2008 Pick Up Sticks Sock Club Offering. No hints about th color but it is quite pretty, in addition there will be an original sock pattern, designed by me for their sock contest. Go check out their site here. The owner, Connie is just one of the nicest people I've run into. Thanks for your support, Connie!

New Blog for Crazy4Dyeing

2007-11-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

I've started a new blog just for news and information about my hand dyed yarn which I sell at Crazy4Dyeing.etsy.com. More news and information will be added soon!