Spring 2013...

...Tea and Yarn Club is now up for sale! 

Tea and Yarn Club

Spring 2013

March - April - May

 

You will receive 1 two ounce package of Teavana Tea per month with 1 skein of corresponding yarn of your choice, including Lace, Fingering and Worsted.

The colorway will be inspired by the tea of the month.

Each colorway will be a minimal pooling colorway, whether it be variegated, tonal or nearly solid. I dye them according to the yarn, for example if it's lace weight it will be a nearly solid.

International buyers! The teas are factory sealed so they are safe and get through customs just fine.

You have the option to purchase more yarn in addition to the regular subscription before or after you receive your shipment! These will be available 1-2 weeks after shipment.

Limited quantities available!

Purchase the Tea & Yarn Club

 

SAL/KAL in true...

...Nordic Style: 2 color knitting! Here is how it began:

I am so excited about the December PhatFiber box! Here's how I got there and I hope you enjoy my plan.

When I was chaining up fiber getting it ready to label I was saying to myself, wow, this would be awesome spun with this or that with this, etc. You get my drift. I kept working...then it came to me again...I wonder if I could incorporate a combo of fibers in a PhatFiber box??? That would be fun! So, I immediately went to my computer to see what December's theme was...not sure at first and I did a little more thinking. Nordic knitting...true Nordic style coming from the Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland is color-work! YES! I've got it...I will pair up colors combos and send them out for the box. I got right to work and it was fun indeed.

I've always loved to spin different color combos, it's not boring and makes spinning much more fun and interesting. Whether I spin the singles and ply them together or spin and ply them alone and then knit them together.

I chose a set to spin myself and did an N-ply with each.

I am hosting a SAL/KAL in honor of Nordic Culture and we will spin and knit a 2 color project 

of your choice.  SEE DETAILS HERE!

These are the other 6 color combos that I put together for the box; each are a total of .5 ounces so you can really play with them. To get a PhatFiber Box click here to find out more information!

This is a direct link the fiber, which is 40/40/20 Merino, Superwash Merino/Silk. I love spinning this fiber. Normally superwash is very slippery on it's own, so the 40 added with non-superwash is wonderful to spin, not too slippery. Merino has a shorter staple than BFL for example, so the added 20% silk makes it longer than straight merino, thus easier to spin. It is an all around fantastic fiber to spin!

Don't think you have time because of the Holiday's coming?? No fear, the deadline won't be until at least February, maybe later. I'm taking suggestions here. 

Early birds get a discount on their fiber! 15% off now through November with coupon code Nordic12 (it will get you a discount on everything in the shop actually :) Just in case you want to use a different fiber combo or knit with mill spun yarn. The options are endless!

New Website!

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new website!
We have a few new yarns and fibers, too.

Brilliance Lace

Vivacity Lace and DK

Variegated BFL/Silk

Superwash Merino/Merino/Silk

Our new website can be found here:
https://www.allforloveofyarn.com

We hope you enjoy it!
Angela

Blinded by...

...Science is the PhatFiber theme for March. Here is what I submitted for my samples to the box. Thank you all for your contributions via my Ravelry Group contest! It would not have been so easy without your help, I'm not much of a science fan. Although I was inspired pretty easily by the eye images. As a former Surgical Technologist I was drawn to the eyes! Fascinating don’t you think? I primarily worked in Neuro Surgery, but occasionally got to work in the eye rooms as well and I enjoyed it.

I hope you enjoy the fibers that were inspired by all of these fantastic images! Some are one of kind, get them while they are available here at AFLoY Shop!

Cyber Monday...

...sale. Ends at Monday at midnight! In case you didn't get in on Black Friday's sale this is for you! You'll get 25% off the entire shop with coupon code THANKS12. Enter the code at checkout for an automatic discount, no need for PayPal refunds.

Cannot be used with on the 4 month Tea & Yarn Club, it's already marked down $25.00.

I'm sorry for not posting much lately; my camera was stolen and it has not been replaced. It's a long ordeal! I have projects that I want to share with you and totes full of new yarn and fiber for the shop! Updating the shop is the first thing I'll be doing when I get a new one, promise!

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! We did spending time at my parents home with Mom and Dad and 4 of my 5 brothers and sisters.

Angela

I'm introducing a new...

...and very lovely yarn! It's name is ELOQUENCE and it really fits! It will debut this weekend at one of my favorite yarn shops: The Yarnery, in St. Paul, Minnesota. I'll be there from 1 -5 in the afternoon on Saturday, August 20th.

Anyway, the new yarn is 70% Superwash BFL (Bluefaced Leicester) 20% Silk and 10% Cashmere. Here is just a taste, there are many more, but I can't give them all away yet!

Sublimity Lace...

...is being discontinued by the company so I will not be able to carry it in my shop anymore :(

 Here are the last few colorways I just added to the shop and more can be found in the lace section. 

They are in order as say are in the shop.

I have this gorgeous annis made from this yarn and my Mom and I both love it! My Mom is usually wearing it at the festivals and it's a hit among many! 

 There is still some of this colorway left in the shop, too!

The Sweet Shop...

...is the theme for this months PhatFiber Sampler box and it was a fun one to do! I did 2 samples this month, the first my wedding cake inside and out! I love everything about this cake to this day and my husband and I eat it every year on our Anniversary, since we still have some in our freezer.

Just kidding! It is Tuxedo Cake from the Original Cakery (Sysco Foods) and you can probably get it at your grocery store. It's awesome, chocolate and white cake with mousse layered between, to die for!

It's still my favorite decorated cake, classic and simple to show off the gorgeous shades of pink roses.

 Rosa Chocolata

The fiber is just as yummy with Superfine Merino, Merino, Alpaca, Cultivated Silk, Mulberry Silk and Angora!

My second contribution is the winner from the contest in my Ravelry Group. 

The fiber in this batt is Merino Wool, Shetland and Firestar, a scrumptious combo I can't wait to spin up a sample myself.

Sugar Plum

This one has gorgeous shades of pink with light brown, chartreuse, and lavender. Simply delicious!

The samples are for sale in my shop and the full size batts will be available very soon! 

Angela

Look what I did....

...today!

 

The top one is 4 ounces and the bottom is 5 ounces. I know, I know, not too many ounces. They are one of a kind, but they have the same main ingredients so they could be spun together very well.

This was...

...the first shipment for the Tea and Yarn Club this winter. It's Peppermint tea and lovely green merino and silk yarn!

New Yarns...

...are coming and one is called Luminosity, it has sparkles! It's like my Lublu yarn with a nice tight twist and the fiber content is: 75% Superwash Merino, 20 Nylon, and 5% Stellina (the sparkle!) I don't have any dyed at the moment, but I do have plans to do so. I have a few custom orders before I can get to it.

The other two new yarns I'm going to try out before I add them to my regular line up are a BFL sock yarn 75/25 Blue Faced Leicester/Nylon coming in at 460 yards and Sumptuosity Lace weight which is Baby Alpaca, Silk and Cashmere coming in at 1300 yards.

Just wanted to give you the heads up, I might be needing a few test knitters and I'll post for those in my Ravelry Group.

What you see....

...is what you get. The December Holiday Special Edition Tea and Yarn club sold out quickly so I'm doing another one. It's the Holiday 2010 Tea and Yarn package. It is now listed in my shop and is available on 3 bases for you to choose from:

Nogi (Fingering)
90% Superwash Merino Wool, 10% Nylon

Opulence (Fingering)
80% Superwash Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon

Resplendence (Fingering)   (Pictured below)
50% Merino Wool, 50% Silk

This is my all time favorite tea, it has a delightful, gentle and yet still flavorful taste and it pares well with any treats or is great alone. You will receive 2 ounces (about 25 cups) of the inspirational Gourmet Teavana tea used to design the colorway for your yarn.  The tea is factory sealed for international buyers concerned with customs.

Coming soon to my shop is...

...LACE weight! At least one base anyway, I have plans for one more that is even more luxurious than this Merino Cashmere and Silk. 80/10/10 to be exact. It comes in at 800 yards and 125 grams. It is very beautiful, soft and shiny, I love the silk for giving it a touch of luminosity. I have two of each colorway. More is coming, just not sure when; it's time to do the colorway contest next! In fact I did the winner's this morning,  it's cooling in the dye-pot and I can't wait until tomorrow morning to rinse it and hang it out to dry; hopefully we have good weather. Then I can really see how I did!

I don't have a name for this line up yet. Any ideas? I love the other names I have for my yarns, Resplendence, Sumptuosity, Opulence, etc. I would like something similar in the same arena as these. I have to get my thinking cap on! 

Most of these are one of a kind colorways, I go for a certain color, and I just add the primary colors to the pot until I get what I want. Sometimes I get better results by doing this and not being so calculated and organized. There is one exception and that is the top right skein, it is called Wine and is repeatable,  a favorite of mine; it goes quickly in the shop! They are all a very subtle semi-solid and will be gorgeous in your lace knitting!

So, I have 2 questions for you:
1. What name do you suggest for this line?
2. What other colors would you love to see in this lace weight?

Look what I got...

...in the mail today! Fun mail lately. I'm going to make a RoseRed hat for myself with this one! It is from Corgi Hill Farm on Etsy. It is 75 Merino Wool and 25 Silk with Firestar for Sparkle. It is one of the softest merino batts I've ever felt, granted I've not touched that many in my short days of spinning, but a few. I can't wait to get this on my spindle! It might be a little while, I'm working on David's sweater, not much progress yet, just got the dark brown in the mail yesterday. And my brown socks, the toe is almost done on one sock. Slow progress. I need to dye more yarn, the fiber festival is coming up too fast! Oh, I got something else at her shop, but I can't show it yet, because it's a gift for someone, she's mostly likely going to read this, but it will just keep her guessing! It is just as gorgeous, pictures later!  (HeHe-HaHa Tawtaw!)

AnnaMarie also sent me these little samples, the left one is silk and the right is superwash merino and cashmere, way so soft!! What a sweetheart she is!

~ Angela

Here's what has been...

...keeping me busy lately. I've been having more fun knitting and planning future projects than dyeing lately. I have been at the dye pot, but just not as much as I should be! I absolutely love knitting Katya's hat; yes I found an adorable pattern, called Rose Red. The instructions are so easy and organized to read; by far the best written pattern I've ever knitted. Here's my progress so far:

I'm also trying to design a neck warmer - cowl/scarf all in one to match my beanie hat. This is my second attempt, and I already have to rip the beginning ruffle out and add a few garter rows, too much curling, not enough ruffle to stop it. We'll see how it turns out when I'm done before I do that, though. I find with children scarves are not so practical for me so I want something almost tight around my neck and longer and fuller in the front to tuck inside my coat. I couldn't find anything like what I have pictured in my mind, so I'm really hoping this turns out!

I have plans for this Merino/Cashmere/Nylon that I dyed, it's called Victoria. I want to make socks with it since it will go with so many things. I love the colorway, it was sort of an accident, but the best thing is I wrote it all down and can dye it again. This colorway is my October Phat Fiber sample contribution. Victoria is also on 100% Superfine 19 Micron Merino Top and yarn Soleful, 40 Alpaca/40 Merino/20 Nylon.

This one is also going to be something because it matches this shirt I have perfectly. It was a happy accident as well! When I was re-skeining it, I was thinking to myself, this looks so familiar to me, then it came to me, my shirt!

I immediately went to my room and pulled the shirt out of my drawer and couldn't believe it; I couldn't have done it better if I tried to match it. In person it looks so much better and the sheen from the silk also matches the texture of the shirt perfectly.

It's one of those skeins I just used up some left over dyes and a few primaries and wallah, it's a gorgeous one of a kind and it's mine this time!

I've never made socks out of 50/50 Merino/Silk, what do you think? Will it be too slippery for socks? No doubt it will feel fantastic on my feet, but is it really appropriate for my feet? Hmm...

The new yarns...

...are in and they are to die for! Next in the dye pot is Resplendence, 50% Merino and 50% Silk. It's sheen is luxurious, shiny and beautiful!  I will be finding some test knitters for this line and the others once I have some dyed. I can't wait to see and feel them knitted up. So, tomorrow I'm going to dye the merino silk blend in greens, and pinks, with a hint of orange and purple. I was inspired by my tea: Swiss Vervaine, my absolute favorite! It is from Teavana, a wonderful little store dedicated solely to tea and it's fun accessories! If you purchase this colorway I will send some tea, too! I will post pictures in a  few days! In the mean time I have new colorways worth taking a look at in the shop! Enjoy and Happy Knitting...Angela