Fibercrack’d

Psssst. Lookie over there. To the right. See those eggs? Thems baby dragons. Won’t you please help me hatch my darling eggs?

For 3 nights prior I tossed and turned, fretting and worrying, and running up and down the endless litany of what ifs; wondering if the knit world will like my yarns…

• Did I have enough color variety?
• Are the colors too saturated?
• Are the skeins too tonally similar?
  
• Did I dye too many?
  
• Did I not dye enough?

And then the night before I decided to load my “shelves” with just 1 skein of each, so that I can just increase the number when I got to work. Before I was done inputting my last 3 skeins, the first 2 I put up sold! Let me tell you, the night of the 7th I slept so peacefully I was able to wake up early enough the next morning to head into work 50 minutes early just to make sure I could open up shop on time. See, me, in my infinite dumbassery chose 8:08 am. Yeah, usually I’m still on the road at that time driving the commute from hell. But, no. I had to be clever. 08:08 on 08/08/08. Yup, that’s sure thinking ahead, La.

At any rate, whether you all are shop-a-holics, yarn hoars, yarn collectors, yarn hoarders, or saving up for yarnaggedon, I totally sold out. In 1 day…well, 6 hours to be exact. So I guess all my concerns were unfounded…well, all except one: Did I not dye enough? Which I answered with a resounding, oh hell no! Not even in the remote vicinity of considering the possibility of being considered a fraction of what was needed.

My office counter before USPS came to claim it all…

…and now they’re all on their way to they’re new homes. And I can reclaim my office, at least for now.

I also included a little thank-you for making Dizzy Blonde Studios such a whomping success:

…and a note begging for Dizzy Blonde yarn project pictures, which I’ll put into a gallery and credit the sender and send them some web/blog love to boot.

So I’m back to dyeing again. I’m doubling the amount of the most of the colorways, and adding 2 or 3 new colorways as well. It’s going to take me a while, but I’m really enjoying the entire process. In the meantime, I have created a mailing list so that I can give everyone and early heads-up the next time I’ll be stock my shelves. So if you missed out on this go-’round, leave me a comment here, and I’ll put you on it. The only people who will have prior knowledge to new inventory are those on that list, and those who read Fibercrack’d. So, if you wanna be in the know, let me know, you know?

Yes, that’s right, if all goes as I’ve planned and I don’t get trapped in ahem Plurk…again (still?)…Dizzy Blonde Studios will be open for business some time on 08/08/08…that’s Friday.  That’s THIS FRIDAY!

In the meantime, check the yarn page from time to time as sneak previews (much better than the ones that are on there now, I promise) are bound to happen. Here’s a little taste:

Mae

With a smile as genuine as the faux topaz and amber adorning her neck; whiskey or bourbon (depending upon the depth of the pocket) loosens the lips and wallets at the gaming tables; pipe and cigar smoke haze the air as she deftly treads the boards.  “Come up and see me…”  Where’s home to this Frisco Doll? Why, The Corner Saloon.

If all goes according to plan, you’ll be able to click on the picture on the yarn page here at Fibercrack’d, and it’ll take you to the corresponding sale page at my etsy shop.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Raveler, Homesteadmom (Ravelry link) is participating in the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-day, and holding a raffle to help her meet her fund-raising goal of $5,000. For all you Ravelers, here’s her original detailed post. Curious about the prizes? Check ‘em out!

A handy-dandy Ravelry tote bag!

From Homesteadmom’s own stash:

3 different prizes 1 skein each of yummy Yarntini sock yarn: Pomtini, Ice Blue & Twistini colorways

~~~~~~~~~~

1 prize of 3 skeins of gorgeous Malabrigo Laceweight in Taureg

~~~~~~~~~~

Donated by others:

1 skein of Rock Creek Yarns sock yarn in the one of the most beautiful Cherry Blossom colorway, generously donated by Raveler Threeteens

~~~~~~~~~~

and last…

1 skein of Dizzy Blonde Studios sock yarn

in the limited-edition (one-off) “Mae” colorway

It’s really simple to enter. All you gotta do is donate. For every $5 you donate, your name goes into a hat. For example, if you donate $25, you get 5 chances to win one of the gorgeous prizes, so the more you donate, the better the chances of winning one of the prizes! The last date to donate is July 31, so hurry! Drawing will be held August 1.

Okay, I know it sucks, but it’s the closest I could get to the title Joss’ newest amazing offering. It’s only Act I, but it’s definitely the opposite of bad. I even like the bit of belly pudge Nathan Fillion has developed. Makes him seem more…cuddleable. You only have until the 20th to watch Act I, so run along and watch Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, but make sure you come back, otherwise you’ll be missing out.

You back? Good. Cuz I’ve got something to share with you: Another Eff-Oh and the pattern to go with.

True, I done Effed this Oh a while ago, but I’m only just now getting around to posting about it.

Stats:
Pattern: Noodle Cozy (free pattern by yours truly!)
Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky [104yds/50g] 1 ball Alpine Pearl
Needles: US Size 9 [5.5mm] Addi Turbos
Started: April 1, 2008
Finished: April 5, 2008
Mods/Notes: This hat is just a basic 2 x 2 ribbed simple beanie with symmetric decreases at the crown. And since it only took me 4 days to knit it, it’ll take an average person 1 day. Or if you’re Jen, 1 hour.

I whipped this bad boy up after realizing that my sweet, frail (Ha!) 81-year-old dad had a beautiful hand-made Washburne scarf…

…but nothing to keep his melon from frosting over. With only a few days to make it, I knew simple and chunky was the way to go. And voila!

The yarn is bulky weight without LOOKING like a messy, cheating chunky bulky piece of sh knit. I like that! This is the first time I’ve ever worked with Malabrigo, and I enjoyed it very much. It’s a nice, soft yarn, with good body and lovely colors, so I can appreciate that love, even though I don’t quite share some of you peeps’ complete enthusiasm…devotion…OBSESSION.

The pattern is a free download. You can either Ravel It!, or click the button below to be taken to my free patterns page.

So, the dyeing is done for my initial run, so I’m that much closer to launching Dizzy Blonde Yarns. Still, I have to reskein and photograph the remaining 6 colorways, get my ballbands & invoices/receipts printed, order my shipping supplies, then open my Etsy store. August 8 is looming closer and closer. I sure hope I get it all done in time!

Oooooh!  this just in:  Act II of Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog is now available!  More Jossy goodness!