How The West Was Spun

April Shop Talk

New-to-us in April, we are featuring a lovely new kit to help bridge the gap between the cold winter season winds and softer spring breezes.

Mim of MimKnits has designed a lovely lightweight, airy wisp of a scarf, which works up beautifully in our hand-dyed silk/merino laceweight.  It is available as a kit here, and can also be ordered from that same web page in pattern form.

The kit contains a large skein of our merino/silk laceweight yarn, plus the pattern printed on cardstock with both charted and written instructions. Suggested needle size is US 3 (3.25 mm), and the finished scarf measures 8 x 60 inches after blocking.

We've also got several new stand-alone sock patterns for sale from Anne of Knitspot.  Those can be found here.  If you are interested in having any of these kitted up with pattern and yarn together, please ask!  All of our kits will give you a price break on the cost of the pattern and yarn purchased separately.  You may send me a query via this link, with your requested pattern and yarn/colorway combination, and I will be happy to put together a custom kit for you.

All for now........

New Shop Design and March Kits

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Can you believe it?   An entire year that our online store has been open and we couldn't have done it without all of our wonderful customers.  A big hearty "Thank You" to everyone who supported our little venture this past year.  We've got a few special things on tap, but let's get to the new stuff first.

The most noticeable thing is going to be our brand-new website look.  It will still be available on the web at www.woolywonkafibers.com, but Kim did a fantastic job setting up the new site for me.  I think it will be easier to navigate and find things.  There is now an entire page of colorways and you can get any colorway on any yarn we carry now.  I still have a couple of things to tweak over the next couple of days, but everything is operational, so you can take a look at the new and improved version.

Next!  Two new kits to introduce for this month - a new sock kit and a new stole kit.

First up: Vallesneria Sock Kit (this will take you right over to our sock kit page).

This is a great lacey-look sock designed for us by Jean Clement of Desert Rose Designs.  It features a twisted stitch pattern, designed to look like marsh grasses waving in the breeze.  It is knit up with our bamboo/superwash merino sock yarn, and is a suitable pattern for an intermediate knitter, or an adventurous beginner who has had a bit of experience with sock construction.  The kit contains the pattern with full instructions and charts for knitting this beautiful sock, plus enough yarn to complete the pattern.  Suggested needle size US 2 (2.75 mm) DPNs.

Next!  The new stole from "the other Anne" of Knitspot.  This is the "Gale" stole.  (Found Here in our store).  This is a limited edition kit featuring our artisan-spun cormo wool/angora bunny laceweight yarn.  It is available in 2 sizes - the petite and the tall - and the pattern that comes with the kit includes instructions for either size.  Currently, the kit is being offered in our "Dusk" colorway, a deep blackish purple, and is suitable for even the novice lace knitter.

I do have a only a limited number of skeins available of this lovely lightweight yarn, but this pattern is also completely interchangeable with our merino laceweight, so I can also make up a kit in that if you'd prefer a slightly different yarn.

LAST! (but definitely not least), we are having some fun give-aways of smaller prizes weekly, as well as a grand prize drawing for anyone who purchases from the store during the month of March.  Be sure to check out all the details at the New Home Page. 

Thanks to everyone who has made our shop a success in the last year.  We look forward to many more years getting to know all of you better.

All for now.....

Shop Stuff

It's been a while since I've done a shop update, so bear with me.  There's a lot of information I wanted to send along.

First off, February 2008 will introduce a great new fingerless mitts kit.  These beauties were designed by Janine, whose work you may have run into thru Ravelry or Magknits. If you are a fan of Cookie A's Monkey socks, you'll love these mitts. 

The kit comes with a skein of our BFL (blue-faced Leicester wool) superwash fingering weight yarn in the "Wood Duck" colorway, plus a hard copy of the pattern, printed on card stock.  You just add needles to obtain the appropriate gauge.  These knit up fast and are a great take-along project.  Once you've gotten the pattern set up, you can zip right along on these.  This pattern would be suitable for an adventurous beginner, and intermediate knitters who have done a bit of lace (or already own a pair of Monkey socks) should find these an easy knit.  If you find that this colorway doesn't quite suit you, please feel free to leave me a Comment when ordering and I am happy to replace the Wood Duck colorway with another of your choice from our yarn catalog.

Next, we are introducing two new sock yarns to our catalog.  Both are spun from a very soft superwash merino and will be carried under the "Simply Superwash" designation in the storefront. The great thing about these yarns is that they are completely interchangeable with regards to gauge.  The 2-ply is what I used to knit the Rattlesnake Creek Socks.  It has a slightly less tight twist than the 3-ply.  If you are a fan of Louet Gems sock yarn, the 2-ply is a good substitution.  If you prefer something with more plies and a rounder silhouette (think Smooshy sock yarn), then the 3-ply is your best bet.  Gauge will range from 7 to 9 stitches per inch, depending on the size needles you choose.  We'll be expanding our color line for these two yarns, but here's a little example of the subtle differences in these yarns.

The 2-ply in Amethyst:

The 3-ply in Smoke:

For the month of February, if you order a skein of the Simply Superwash yarn, I will send along a free printed copy of the Rattlesnake Creek socks.  Just request it through the Comments box when you check out.

Finally, as a footnote, in March (fingers crossed and planets in alignment) we'll be undergoing a site upgrade that will incorporate some of the suggestions you have made over the last year.  Things like no more frames, so I can link into a specific product, and a slightly enhanced arrangement, where we will have a color samples page, and then each individual yarn can be ordered via a drop-down menu in any color you wish.  We'll also be adding Jaggerspun's Zephyr (silk/merino) laceweight to our permanent list of yarns at that time, so you can order any of the colorways we carry for your lace projects in that lovely yarn.  We'll be offering some anniversary specials through the new site once it opens next month, so be sure to look out for those.  You'll still be able to reach us through the same site address, so you won't need to update your favorites or saved 'net address; it'll happen automatically.

All for now......

Psssttt.....

Edit:  All the roving is spoken for.  Thanks for the interest everyone!!

Just popping in quickly, as your friendly neighborhood fiber-crack dealer, to let y'all know I have a limited amount of bison down roving available for sale.  This is nicely prepared, professionally de-haired and processed at Still River Mill.  It is a very soft and fluffy natural milk chocolate color.

I've got eight 1-ounce balls bags left over.  Price is $16.00 per ounce, plus shipping, unless you want all eight ounces, and then I'll cover shipping.  I'll take requests first come/first serve on this.  You can email me by clicking on the Contact Me link in the upper left-hand corner of the blog page.  Let me know how many ounces you'd like and I will calculate actual shipping charges, and generate an invoice for you.

PS - I've gotten a couple of free patterns posted as well in the right-hand side bar.  Both would be equally nice and easily done with this fiber.

All for now.....

December Kit of the Month

This month we are kicking off a great dressy occasion sock AND featuring a new-to-us designer, Janine, whose work you may have seen in Magknits and other internet venues.  She's designed a lovely feminine sock with rows of lace and small cables extending from the cuff down to the toe.

The pattern is printed on heavy cardstock, with full instructions for completing a pair of women's-sized socks.  The kit also contains enough of our hand-dyed bamboo/merino superwash sock yarn (which is machine washable) to knit the pattern.  It is available in 3 colorways:  Raspberry Sorbet (pictured above), a light purpley-pink color; a fun, young-at-heart colorway.

Smoke, a sophisticated blend of pale pearly gray through deepest charcoal:

and Mountain Jay, a subtle blend of deep smokey blues with black overwash:

US customers will receive free US Parcel Post shipping (please select this option upon checking out), and overseas/Canadian customers will receive a $4.25 discount off the cost of their shipping.  Please note that additional shipping charges may be incurred if you add on other products to the final order.

All for now....

November Shop Talk

We are introducing two new year-long subscription clubs through the store this month, rather than have an individual kit of the month.  We'll be offering one more sock kit for 2007, so more on that in December.

To order either of the subscription clubs listed below, please visit our store at www.woolywonkafibers.com.  Click on the "online store" link, which is in the left-hand side bar, and then scroll down the list of Catalog Headings that will come up.  The clubs are located at the bottom of that list and can be ordered from there.

First off, I am really pleased to tell you about a year-long subscription kit club for lace knitters.  Here's what we've got on tap:

A CHANGE IN SEASONS SUBSCRIPTION LACE CLUB

This is a year-long subscription club for all the lace-lovers out there! We will be featuring 4 designs over the course of 12 months (1 kit every 3 months) which will chronicle the changing seasons throughout the year.

Spring: Our first design is by Miriam of Mimknits. She's got a beautiful design on tap featuring spring motifs to kick off the club.

Summer: Things heat up with designer, Susan Lawrence's "Heat Wave". This season's offering will feature a lusciously cool, 100% silk yarn in hot summer colors.

Fall: This season's kit will feature a very special marriage of another great design from Anne Hanson of Knitspot, and an exclusive artisan-spun wool/alpaca/silk blend yarn just for us. The theme for the season will be "Rock Walls": Think granite gray stones with moss and lichen. This yarn will be featured only in our store and Anne's got another great piece from her ManLace collection on tap for this season.

Winter: New to our design group, our final offering for the year will feature a "Solstice" pattern by Lori Law of Oceanwind Knits, in a merino/silk yarn with icy blues and grays, just in time to wrap up and wait for Old Man Winter's chilly blasts.

The first kit will be sent out on March 1, 2008, with subsequent kits mailed on June 1, September 1, and December 1, 2008. Each kit will contain a pattern with enough yarn to complete the pattern as written for the kit. All prices include shipping in the continental US. (Canadian and overseas customers, please contact me via our Contact form, and I can calculate a price for you to include the shipping.) These patterns will not be available through the designers' websites until AFTER the subscribers have received their kits. These kits will be offered with exclusive yarns and/or colorways, and will not be duplicated exactly for individual customers at a later date.

Please note there will be a limited number (100) of subscriptions available for this club, and when they're gone, they're gone!   Price for this subscription club is $195.00 for the year for US residents.

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AND, if that's not enough for you, we've got a year-long roving club (with the option to purchase a half-subscription to arrive every other month).

WOOLY WONKA ROVING CLUB

This is a year-long club, with an option to purchase either a yearly (12-month) subscription, or a bimonthly (6-month) subscription, to receive 4 ounces of roving with free shipping!

The club will consist of offerings including hand-painted wool roving (at least 2 per six months), hand-painted exotic roving (at least 2 per six months and may include angora, silk, alpaca, bamboo, or tencel plus wool), and our custom-blended artisan rovings (at least 2 per six months and may be a blend of wools and exotics, silks, angelina, etc.) All will be high-quality, great-to-spin fibers.

The kits will be mailed out around the 15th of every month. If you choose to have a 6-month subscription, kits will be mailed out around the 15th of every other month. Please choose whether you wish your club to start in January or February; your roving packets will be sent out according to the schedule you pick.

All subscriptions include free shipping within the continental U.S.  Price for this kit is $120.00 for the 6-month subscription, or $240.00 for an entire year of spinning fibers.

Overseas and Canadian customers, please contact me for an adjusted kit price that will include discounted shipping for you.

All for now.....

November Pre-Order Kit

Need a little something to kick off your holiday knitting?  Anne of Knitspot has done me up another beautiful kit just in time to make something nice for a gift recepient (or give the kit if you're looking for an easy holiday gift!).

Introducing the Snow on Cedars fingerless mitts kit as our November pre-order.

This kit contains the pattern for these fabulous little mitts and a skein of our merino/tencel yarn (which happens to be machine washable), enough to knit yourself a pair.  The lace patterning shows off a grove of pine trees encircling the wrist, with gently falling snowflakes drifting down from the upper edge, and finished with a delicate border at the finger and wrist openings.

The kit is available in two colorways:  Our popular Sagebrush and Cedars (pictured above), frosty forest and sage greens, with highlights of bark brown, or Winterberries (pictured below), a deep rich brick-red with purplish-black highlights.

This month's kit comes with 50% off parcel post shipping costs in the US and discounted shipping for Canadian or European/overseas customers for all orders placed before November 1.  Kits will be shipped out after November 1st, with requests filled in the order they are received through the Wooly Wonka Fibers store.  (To order kits, please visit the storefront under the "Online Store" link, and then then "Kits" section.)

All for now.......

Aspen Grove Shawl - September Kit

Miram's done it again!  This month's kit is perfect for fall, just a little wisp of a shawl to throw around your shoulders as the weather cools down.

The design concept:

The shawl is designed in 3 parts. Each of the 4 repeated wedges of the shawl begins with a gathering of leaves, then moves downward into the twisting, odd trunks of the aspens, culminating in the feather and fan edge, which reminds me of the strata of decay on the forest floor, shot through with the communal roots of the aspens above.

The kit for this project comes with a pattern containing both charted and written instructions to knit the lace shawl shown, plus a large skein of merino/silk (Zephyr) yarn to knit the pattern in your choice of 1 of 2 colorways: the Quaking Aspen colorway (shown here in the sample), a rich blend of a grove of aspen trees in early fall, bright greens with hints of lemony yellow, or in Vermont Maples, all the vibrant reds, oranges and burgundies the state is so well known for in the fall (shown below).

As always, free shipping for US customers and discounted shipping for Canadian and international customers on orders placed before October 1.

All for now.....

September Kit of the Month - Mock Turtle Socks

We head back to a great small end-of-summer project for our September kit of the month.  Designed by Kendall Frazier, these Mock Turtle Socks are a fun take-along project that in bright summer-y colors, but knit in a 100% merino wool to keep your feet warm once the leaves start to fall.  These socks feature an easy-to-memorize mock cable pattern that stretches from cuff to toe.  The kit contains a skein of our 100% (non-superwash) merino wool with enough to knit the pattern in 1 of 2 sizes, plus the pattern printed in color on cardstock in a protective clear envelope.

The kits will be available in two colorways:

Tuscany - a rich blend of sienna brown, terra cotta, deep cedar green, and yellow sunflowers (the original prototype was knit from this colorway)

Octopus' Garden - rich ocean blues and kelp green

 

As always, free shipping on US orders placed between August 15th and midnight on August 31st, with discounted shipping to Canada and overseas.  All orders placed during our preorder period will ship out on September 1.

All for now....

Treading water.....

Well, maybe.  Just barely.  I actually have nothing to post about, except that all my dreams are Tupelo Gold-colored and the sound of the printer churning out another order from the onsite store is giving me a little twitch.  (A good twitch, but ya know.... .a twitch.)

The Other Anne and I have been completely flabbergasted by the response to the Bee Fields shawl.  I was thinking maybe 35 or 45......50 if we really got going.  We hit 200 orders this morning and they are still coming in, although the deluge has slowed a bit.

So if you are here to see what's happening, rest assured I am dyeing and skeining and mailing kit packages as fast as I possibly can get them out the door.  New orders are looking at a 2-week wait period or so right now, but I am happy to keep dyeing for as long as y'all keep ordering.  I greatly appreciate everyone's patience and good humor while we are getting the kits out the door.

And extra special thanks to Margene who arrived home from vacation, turned around and drove down here to my place in the semi-boonies and helped me skein not one but TWO nights in a row this week.  She's a trooper.

All for now....