Happy New Year...

...to you! I'm stuck home with the kids while my husband is working tonight, but it's okay with me. The kids took a long nap and I was able to play with the drum carder, I'm still borrowing my friends, until I save up enough to get one of my own. Here is what I made...

They are 50% BFL, 25% Tussah Silk, and 25% Mohair. Soft and dreamy and of course they are available in the shop, two 4 ounce listings.

Tea and...

...Fiber anyone? I just listed the ever popular Vervaine colorway in Merino Top in the shop.  Sure to be a delight with the spinners! I personally love it and might need to make myself some someday!

Psst...20% off selected items in the shop today as well...

There is also 1 tea and yarn 3 month club left and available for purchase. The first shipment is in January and the last in March. Tea and Yarn Listing


HAPPY NEW YEAR! May you all have a blessed and prosperous 2011!
~ Angela

Finally...

...we are back up and running! Christmas weekend was great fun and we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, but with less happenings. I was finally able to get the coveted Vervaine colorway done for those who bought it and it went out in the mail a few days ago.  Top to bottom...Resplendence, Opulence and Nogi. It was interesting to dye 3 bases the exact same colorway to see how differently each of them takes the dye. I know this happens, but it was fun to see in the same colorway.
BTW, there is one Resplendence (merino/silk) still available in the shop, with or without the tea; it is currently listed with the tea, so if you don't want it, just send me a message via Etsy and I will adjust the price for you. There is Merino spinning fiber on it's way to the shop in this colorway, too!

We spent the weekend at my parents, as we do every holiday, since my husbands family lives in Russia. Here is a peak into our Christmas 2010...

It was hard to get a photo of Katya in her pretty dress, since she lived in her dress up clothes as soon as she opened them! Here is one of her fairy dresses...

Well, I got one...

...goal met by the 18th of December. We've all been sick, first the kids one after another and then myself. I didn't get as much done as I hoped to. I think I put too much pressure on myself, not enough sleep and now I'm paying for it and not to mention I didn't get done what I wanted to anyway!

I finished Katya's blue hat and she loves it! I'm now making mittens to match, hopefully they will be done by Christmas. (I'm not even going to mention David's darn sweater ~ my worst nightmare lately!)

 

 When David saw that Katya had her new hat he went straight to the closet and wanted his, too! He seemed so pleased that Katya had one now, too!

Here is the link for the Cozy Cabled Hat. I did make a few changes like adding another cable instead of stockinette stitch and I think it made it so cute. I love cables! I'll add it to my Ravelry page with modifications sometime soon I hope.

I used All for Love of Yarn's Lublu worsted in True Blue, Katya's favorite color.

My first fiber batts...

...are up in the shop! I'm borrowing a friend of mine's drum carder and I'm having so much fun making batts, even the kids are getting in on it, Katya is a wonderful help! I did a few practice batts that I'm going to be doing something with in my Ravelry group, so keep your eye out. These are 2 that are for sale that I did after I practiced on a few.

Alpaca, Merino Wool and Silk

Merino Wool

A little Christmas...

...baking we did yesterday. I made Chunky Chocolate Chai Biscotti; we love to drink tea (as you can imagine), and these biscotti are wonderful with tea. I would love to send them out with all of your holiday Tea and Yarn packages but it just wouldn't be practical, allergies, some of you may not eat something made from a stranger, etc, etc. Here is the recipe for you to try if you like. Enjoy, now I'm off to knit, I'm seeming David's sweater, one sleeve attached and 1 to go! I'm making Katya a blue cabled hat, her choice, she's in love with the color blue and the Rose Red hat I made, remember the pink one? Well, it's a little too big for her and keeps falling into her eyes. Hopefully soon I'll have photos to show off to you! ~ Angela

St. Nicholas Day...

...seems to always come a day late at our home. I totally forgot about it this year to tell you the truth! It was 9pm and I was lying in bed with my kids and I remembered. Katya jumped out of bed and gathered up our shoes and put them out in the living room. We didn't have anything to put in those shoes...so I whispered to my husband who almost falling asleep, too that I was going to run out to the store and get some things while they were all fast asleep.  And that I did; fruit, chocolate, fruit things, granola bars, and some bath toys.

I've been wanting some bath toys for the kids. It's a great thing these cold days to keep them busy for almost an hour. The best part about it is that it's my spinning time or knitting depending on if I need to get a project done. I'm almost done with David's fair isle sweater, just half a sleeve left and the finishing work, placket, buttons, collar and seeming. My goal is to have it done so he can wear it the 18th of December, our first Christmas party. I do well when I have a reasonable goal and it keeps me on track.

St. Nick even puts treats in Mommy and Daddy's shoes at our home! I wasn't blogging last year during this time, but I thought you would enjoy reading this (click) and the tradition I started last year. After you read it you'll know what I mean when I say this: Katya hasn't grown out of the pair I made last year and David is still too young for them....

Special ongoing sale...

…since I really want to save for a drum carder so that I can make and offer spinning batts for sale in my shop, so until I have enough you’ll get 15% off everything in my shop, including yarn clubs! Come have a look, yarn clubs are a great and ongoing Christmas gift! I have a special tea and yarn club, with some very yummy teas planned for January, February and March! ~ Angela

Please use this code at checkout to receive the 15% discount: DRUMCARDER
This sale will be ongoing until further notice.

Enter your photograph...

..and it could be the inspiration for a new colorway! You will get a free skein of the new colorway, too!  Here's how it will work:

I want you to send me your beautiful photographs, I'm looking for content and color in the photo, it doesn't have to be a perfect photo technically, you don't have to be a great photographer for this contest!  We here at All For Love Of Yarn will narrow the photos down to the 5 that I think I can produce the most beautiful yarn colorway. Then it is up to you to vote on which one you like the best and that will be turned into yarn, on the base of my choice, that will work best for the colorway. The winner of the favorite photo will win 1 full skein (around 400 yards, either fingering or sport weight) of yarn in the new colorway!

Rules:
Submission of photos:
December 1st through December 15th. Submissions before and after these dates will not be accepted.
Photo Specifications:
One entry/photo per person.
It might be posted on my blog, so don't send anything you don't want the public to see.
Photo must be taken by you, not snagged from the internet.
Photo cannot be of yarn. 
Respectful and tasteful photographs please.
No person's faces please.
I have all rights to accept or not accept any photo for any reason without explanation.
Send photos as an ATTACHMENT with these specs please: Jpeg format, around 1200 pixels wide. Please do not send links to online photo albums, only attachments. Thanks.
Send  photos to: allforloveofyarn@gmail.com
Include with your email a name I can use on my blog to give you credit for the photo.  

Voting will be December 17th through 28th. I will post the top 5 photos and you will have a chance to vote on your favorite, the one you would like to see turned into some beautiful socks perhaps, or whatever you can imagine!  The winner will be announced before the end of November.

I will dye the yarn inspired by the winning photograph and the winner will receive one skein at the beginning of December, sometime before the 15th of the month.  It will be a fingering/sock weight in either hand painted variegated, kettle dyed variegated, solid, or semi-solid, around 400 yards, my choice.

You may post your photo in my Ravelry group: All For Love Of Yarn! There is a specific thread for September photos.

Phat Fiber...

...samples are ready to go out in the mail tomorrow.

I was stumped when it came to this months' theme: The Music Box; nothing resonated with me, yes I like a lot of music, but I just wasn’t set on anything. One day I was thinking, why not just do some random one of a kinds (a lot of them) and let it be what ever you want it to be, when you see it, it can become what ever you think it should be. I put the dye on and let it be. Then I said out loud: LET IT BE: The Beatles! I can apply to both, your inspiration and it can be translated literally. So, here is
Let it Be I

Let it Be II

The samples, also available for purchase in my shop.