Drum Carder & Wool!!

Due to the great generosity of my wonderful customers I was able to use some of my recent earnings to purchase a new piece of equipment for the business.

Yesterday, after sleeping in on my day off of The Day Job to help myself get over a cold, there was a ring of the doorbell and a lovely man left this:

After much dancing around the kitchen and squeeing at Rachel, (who was being a darling and making me oatmeal since I was not feeling well) I opened the box.

Oooooooooooh!!! The Strauch Finest Drum Carder! So illness (and oatmeal...sorry hun) momentarily forgotten I set about playing with my new toy...um I mean...thoroughly testing the new equipment. ::sheepish grin::

Look how shiny!! 

I especially like the pointy bits!

Here are all of the accessories:

So I grabbed some SW BFL I had lying around (literally because this is quite the wool-infested household) and carded my very first batt! TA DA!!

Then I blended in some alpaca:

Awww how cute and pretty!!! ::dances in amusement of her own genius in spite of the machine doing pretty much all of the work::

Naturally I had to see how it spun up. Love, love, love, tweedy yarns! ::drool:: Must make more so I have enough for mittens. :) Of course at this point the adrenaline I had been running on gave out, my cold smacked me in the face like a Mac truck, and I had to go nap for several hours. It was SO worth it!

Today I got 5 lbs. of wool in the mail (plus a little bonus fiber) to dye up and use as base fiber in the up-coming line of Llady Llama Fiber Co. batts (official product name to-be-released). Our cat Orpheus just had to inspect the sheep-scented bag it was shipped in (you should have seen them both playing in the drum carder box yesterday...adorable!)

Llotis Knitting Needle Gauges and Shetland Pi KAL WIP

Llotis Knitting Needle Gauges are now available for sale in my etsy shop. We have natural wood ones and we also have these purple stained ones. 

All of the needle gauges have a protective beeswax and orange oil wood finishing product applied to them. They measure US knitting needle sizes 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10 1/2, 11, 13, 15 & 16. There is a handy WPI (wrap per inch) tool on her neck for measuring your handspun or other yarn.

In more business news Llady Llama Fiber Co. will be vending at Knox Farm Fiber Festival in East Aurora, NY on September 25th from 10am-5pm. If you are in the area please stop by and see us!

In knitting news I've been participating in WendyKnits' Shetland Pi Shawl KAL. I'm using Llady Llama Fiber Co.'s Llore Sock Yarn that I hand-dyed in my favorite color. Yay for being able to actually use some of my yarn! ::grin::

I'm only on the tail end of clue #2, but life is pretty busy right now so I'm not in any rush. I am very pleased with how it is coming out and as always Wendy's patterns are lovely!

Farm to Table Week 3, Kale chips & Skeining

Here's the haul from out 3rd week of Farm to Table, the CSA program Rach and I signed up for. This week proved very plentiful with zucchini, chard, kale, scallions, beet greens, rhubarb, cabbage, peas and cherries. We are really loving all this fresh, local, organic produce! Cherries are a personal favorite of mine and that quart is almost gone already, even though I've been using restraint. If these were Rainier cherries there would have been no hope for them at all.

I've used up all the kale we've been getting making kale chips. I removed the leaf from the rib, tore them into bite-sized pieces and gave them a spin in the salad spinner. They were then tossed with a drizzle of organic extra virgin olive oil, spread on a cookie sheet and sprinkled lightly with garlic salt. Then into a 375F oven for about 7 minutes (the recipe I followed said 15 minutes, but the first batch got a little burned after 10 so I found 7 was a better time for this variety of kale). They are light, crispy, and quite tasty!

I've also been spending a lot of time skeining yarn to dye up for the shop. I thought some of you might be interested in how I skein my yarn. Here's a look at my highly sophisticated skeining setup (note the pure sophistication of the cardboard box on the floor to keep cat hair off the yarn).

Someday I'll have an electric skeiner to make this process a lot faster, but for now this works. I just have to say thank goodness for Netflix instant! Without it my brain would surely turn to mush during the long hours of winding yarn. Here's a close-up of the setup:

To the left you can see all the cones of yarn I still have to skein. The end result of all this mind-numbing work however, is a gorgeous blank canvas just begging to be hand-painted with dye. Totally worth all the effort!

New Product Line, Shop Update and Life Update

Apologies for the radio silence and the resulting long update post which follows:

First Things First:

I want to extend a huge public thank you to Lime and Violet from the infamous Limenviolet Podcast for their amazing mention of my shop in their Yarn Porn segment.

I am featured on Episode 97: Ketchup for any who are interested. I am deeply honored and blown away by their praise of my shop and products. When I first conceived of my business I dreamed that some day I would be featured on Limenviolet and I am overwhelmed that it actually happened!

In Shop News:

Introducing the Llady Llama Fiber Co. line of hand-turned drop spindles:

Each spindle is unique and hand crafted with extreme care and attention to detail. Both the shaft and whorl are made of lovely oak. The whorl is notched to securely hold your hand spun yarn over the whorl.

All wooden surfaces are sanded silky smooth and finished with a beeswax and orange oil wood finishing product. The metal hook is hand bent and is glued securely in place. Some spindles also feature a tung oil dark walnut stain.

I currently have only top-whorls listed but I will soon have up some large bottom whorl plying spindles as well. I may also have spindles made out of different woods in the future.

The spindle weight ranges are approximately as follows:

Llina: 10-16 Grams

Lluna: 17-28 Grams

Lleto: 29-40 Grams

Llampetia: 41-58 Grams

I also just updated the shop with some new hand painted roving!

In Personal News:

Life has been absolutely crazy with familial health scares and job/financial weirdness, but we're hanging in there.

On the positive side Rachel and I celebrated our 6 year Anniversary yesterday!! It seems like only a heartbeat ago I met the most wonderful woman in the world!

Rewinding A Bit:

I received an Ashford Traditional Wheel for the holidays from my parents!

It's a previously-loved, double drive, single treadle and I absolutely adore it!! I've been busy spinning up the 14 oz (!!!) of roving that came with it and I'm planning on dyeing it a lovely purple when I'm done and knitting it into a huge shawl (and will probably have lots of yarn left over).

I've finished plying the first batch of singles and already I have 4 oz. at 613 yards with still about 10 oz. left to spin.

While my Mom was cruising Ebay looking a spinning wheels she fell in love with an antique Dutch wheel. She ended up purchasing it and after some resistance she gave into my insistence that she learn to spin so that the wheel would be more than decorative. I started her off on one of the new spindles and then showed her wheel spinning on my wheel while I was home for 2 days over the holidays. She has learned very quickly and she can now use her wheel, has made her first yarn, and is hooked on spinning! Haha I've been telling her I'd make her into a spinner! I am very proud of her!

Lloopie Gemstone Stitch Markers

Just a quick post to let everyone know about my newest product. Check out the listings here.

Lloopie Gemstone Stitch Markers:

Come in sets of 6

Made with 22 gauge silver colored copper wire and lead-safe silver plated brass toggle clasps.

Made with high quality stones and gemstones.

Available Sizes:

Small-Fit up to US size 7 needles

Medium-Fit up to US size 10 1/2 needles

Lace Yarn and Llayover Knitting Totes!

New product lines in the shop:

Llabyrinth Lace

Handpainted Superwash 55% Silk 45% Wool Laceweight Yarn

Perfect for shawls!!

Llayover Totes

*Co-ordinating reversible fabric
*Cotton/Cotton-Blend fabric
*Pre-washed/Pre-shrunk fabric
*Interfacing reinforced fabric and flat bottom enabling bag to stand freely
*Shank Buttons for closure
*Front “bunny ear” flaps allowing for yarn to feed snag-free from inside.
*One Large Interior and one large exterior pocket
*Fits large cake of yarn plus all knitting/crochet/spinning supplies necessary
*Large pockets allow room for accessories

Please go check out these great new products & think of Llady Llama Fiber Co. for your holiday shopping needs!

Yarn and Roving Etsy Update!

I just finished listing some new yarn and roving on my Etsy shop. Included in the update is the launch of my worsted weight yarn line!

Shop Update With Yarn!

I launched my new sock yarn lines on my Etsy Shop today! Worsted and lace weight yarns will be forthcoming.

1. Socks On Fire!

2. Yule

3. Summer Mist

4. Raspberry Sorbet

5. New Growth

6. Lilac Garden

7. Gnome Home

8. Dinosaur Egg

9. Dabbled Teal

10. Turquoise Jewelry

11. Hammock in the Breeze

12. Beachcomber

Yarn!

Here are the results of dyeing day yesterday! Fourteen skeins of handpainted yarn! It's so humid here right now that they're taking their sweet time drying, but I should have them up on the store in a day or two.

Knit Night & Shop Update

In Personal News:

Rach and I had a blast at the festival despite some rainy weather and we even saw two old college friends there! This year's effigy burned on the final night's bonfire was a dragon much to my delight! It was amazingly designed and at the moment of lighting the blaze the wings popped open and fireworks shot off of the dragons body. The dragon's eyes were also fireworks of some kind. The bonfire is several stories high and the sparks filled the night like a whole new set of stars. 

We also spent quite a bit of time hiking and sitting on a wooden bridge by one of the campsite's ponds relaxing and listening to the bullfrogs. I spun quite a bit while we sat there and I'm down to plying my Mom's yarn!

We each attended a workshop and ate maple cotton candy and amazing Mediterranean food from a vendor and shopped too.

On the way to the festival the first day Rach spotted a store called Woolgathering in Brocton (she saw it while she was driving and she's not a fiber freak, isn't she amazing!). 

It wasn't open but when we got home I looked it up and we stopped in the next day on our way back to Brushwood. We chatted with the owner Barb for about an hour and a half! She is an awesome lady and the shop is great! I'm going to start attending Knit Night on Wednesday nights there and I'm super excited! I've been looking for a knitting group for awhile and hadn't found anything less than 45 minutes away. This is only 10 minutes from home!!! Happy Dance!

In Business News:

Kimber from Palm Valley Fibers finished spinning up the Surf Shop roving she purchased from me. It's so amazing to see someone take my product and transform it to make it their own! 

That is what I love about selling roving and yarn-the item I create goes on to become innumerable new objects and creations. The energy I instill in the fiber as I create with it passes on and it added to by whomever spins it, then knits, crochets or weaves it. If the yarn becomes a gift then there is another person in the chain. If the final item is a gift then there is yet another person in the chain. If the item is handed down etc, etc. Not to mention everyone who interacts with the fiber in a more passive way.

 

In other words, I can't wait to see what she makes with her yarn!

Also there as a small shop update:

1. Evening Sapphire, 2. Dried Roses, 3. Majestic Tempest, 4. Evening Jade, 5. Venetian Vase, 6. Sea Glass

I'm skeining yarn like a crazy person and handpainted yarn should be available in the shop within a week.

Yarn: Coming Soon!

This wonderful package came for me yesterday!! Yay cones of undyed yarn!!!

I am busy skeining these up right now before Rach and I go away to Sirius Rising for the weekend.

Soon after we've returned from our mini-vacation I'll have handpainted yarn available in my Etsy shop! 

We're unable to stay the night at Sirius due to our usual kitty-sitter being unavailable. This is kind of a good thing because it means that I'm not going to be putting my shop on vacation mode and if I get any orders over the weekend I'll still be able to get them shipped off normally.

In case anyone is curious, the yarn bases I am going to have available later next week are the following:

Llore Sock

 75% SW Wool

25% Nylon 

4-ply 

Fingering Weight

Lloot Sock

40% Bamboo

40% SW Wool

20% Nylon

4-Ply

Heavy Fingering Weight

Llabyrinth Lace

55% Silk

45% SW Wool

Laceweight

Llegend Worsted

100% SW Wool

Worsted Weight

I am very excited to be adding these product lines to my store!

In personal news, this is the roving I'm spinning right now:

It's my Lleaf Roving custom dyed for my Mom as a thank you for all her help getting me started with my business! I'm spinning it to be a 2-ply fingering weight and it will probably be knit up by her into ankle socks.

Speaking of my Mom, she has entered the blogosphere and you should check out her knitting blog: MommaTwigKnitter

Also I'm hoping to update the shop tonight with 5 new rovings!

Shop Update

I just updated my Etsy shop with 4 new rovings! More to come in a couple of days.

Goth Loli:

Victory Garden:

Raspberry Afternoon:

Bromeliad Beauty:

Product Preview

I dyed up 4 new rovings today. The fiber base is a new one I'm calling Lleaf Roving. It's 60% Merino, 30% Bamboo and 10% Nylon. Great for spinning sock yarn. I'm pretty happy with the fiber base and I'm reserving judgement on the colorways until they dry.

First Sales!

Just a quick blog to say thanks to CoggieTM of The High Fiber Diet podcast for being my first sale and for the shout-out on the show. Her and Bams are hilarious and you should give them a listen! 

Since I was mailing her order I finally got a chance to send out the thank-you skein of handspun BFL to her that I spun up after she taught me to knit my very first socks and sent me STR yarn and DPN's! Sorry it took me so long Coggie, but I hope you enjoy it!

Also thanks to a Plurk friend of mine and fellow Etsy seller, Kimber of Palm Valley Fiber for being my second Etsy sale!!

I'm in the process of ordering more undyed roving and new colorways should be up in the store soon.

In non-business news I finished Heather's socks an hour before her birthday dinner and I am currently scoping out a new sock pattern to cast on. Also my parents are coming for a visit this week and I'm very excited to see them! Other than that it's just been very busy at work since we're coming into the summer season!

Llady Llama Fiber Co!!!!

The Big News reveal!!

I now am the sole proprietor of Llady Llama Fiber Co. My company sells handpainted roving, yarn, knitting and spinning accessories. I am selling on etsy here and I'm going to be selling at local craft and fiber fairs.

Right now the shop only contains handpainted roving but I'll be adding more products soon.

This is what I've been pouring my heart and soul into for the last 6 months and I am loving it!

I'll be making blog posts when I update my etsy shop and blog readers will be the first to see new colorways and products plus you'll be eligible for special unannounced discounts!

I'll be blogging on a much more frequent basis and I'm still going to keep the blog a mixture of personal, crafting and business-related content.

Congratulations to Hattie who first correctly guessed the Big News! She received a 20% off discount as her reward!

Megan also guessed correctly and I have a runner-up reward for her if she e-mails me at LladyLlamaFiberCo@gmail.com about it!

Also thanks to my wonderful girlfriend Rachel who is a freelance illustrator. I commissioned her to design my logo and I'm thrilled with it!! 

She took my specifications and brought Elli my Spokesllama to life!