I’m still alive, still here dyeing! Just busy. I’ve been working on a large wholesale order for the past two months, and ran into some roadblocks getting it done. It’s been taking up the majority of my time right now, but hoping to have it done and out by the end of the week and get back to my regular dyeing! (If it ever. stops. raining!)
<3
I was very lovingly informed that I really should post more pictures. Preferably of yarn. Ok!
It was a rather nice day today, and the sock yarn was really starting to feel neglected, so out came the sock yarn! Unfortunately, the sun was out full force, so most of the pictures of the yarn are a bit lighter color-wise than the yarn actually is. Anyway… this is all of the sock yarn that I have with me that is waiting to be adopted:
It really does need a happy, loving home. /wink-wink
A close-up of Cherry, Pico de Gallo, Squishy and Gold, from left to right:
Squishy, Gold, Prosperity and Aquamarine:
Blue Yonder is trying to get in on the action over on the right:
A particularly washed out shot of Gold, Prosperity, Aquamarine, Blue Yonder and Ultraviolet…
A close up of Prosperity, Aquamarine, Favorite Jeans and Ultraviolet - again, too light:
Berry Tarty trying to sneak in on the action this time, over on the right:
A still bright shot of Ultraviolet, Berry Tarty, Apricot and Coffee Bean:
Last but not least, two artsy-fartsy pictures; yarn with my Mother’s Day present from the oldest Yarn Baby:
This one is by far my favorite of the bunch, and completely untouched (well, I resized it):
I’d like to get that last one made into post cards. <3
And ya know, I really don’t know why I like lining all my yarn up in rainbow order, except that it’s just so pretty that way. And it makes for nice photos. Does it make me extra crazy for liking to take artsy pictures of yarn that has been lined up in rainbow order?
Heh, it really doesn’t matter, does it? I’m still gonna do it anyway. 
(Hopefully unnecessary disclaimer: all photos on this blog are copyright Oriri Draco Design, ALL rights reserved. No touchy.
(I’m still trying to find a way to watermark photos efficiently on the blog. Getting there, getting there.)
Woot! Pictures today! First off, the in-progress Combat Boot Socks:
What’s that you say? Are those cables? Why, yes they are!
I’m still not sure if I like cabling in black yarn. Or maybe it’s just the size of these cables, which really are just crossed stiches. I won’t be frogging, but I’m thinking no more cables.
Not a heck of a lot has been going on. That will be changing tomorrow though; we get the keys to the new place! Our stuff gets in the week after, with internet being hooked up late next week. I am minorly concerned with no internet for a week, but I’ll live. I’ve dealt with worse!
I really ought to knit more, but I’m finding my mind wandering to something different once a minute, so I’m not sure knitting is a good idea just now. Probably would mean some frogging, and I’d rather avoid that!
Man, is anyone else glad tomorrow is Friday?
Part of being Mom is going on even when you just want to climb back in bed, pull the covers over your head and not come out. It means taking kids to school and making meals and finding everyone clean clothes even when everything hurts and your head can’t decide if it’s going to explode or gradually leak your brains out your nose.
It’s exactly these kinds of days when the inspiration for things such as zombies and living dead becomes painfully clear. Some poor kid somewhere must have watched his sick mother stumble out of bed, into clothes and woodenly go through the motions of the morning routine, with vacant eyes and murmured growls for words… and right there, concept of the living dead was born. Granted, the then-kid eventually added in things like sagging skin, dark hollow eyes and missing limbs to play up the Horror aspect a bit. However, even though he wouldn’t admit it to his mother for fear of joining his creations, the only thing he really added in was the missing limbs.
Today is the kind of day when running out of Sudafed and caffeine qualifies as a Family Emergency, and even collapsing on the hard, sagging mattress of Temporary Living Quarters can bring tears of sweet relief to my eyes. Today is a day when any semblance of caring about healthy eating and regular exercise has a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving near me. It’s a matter of surviving while taking care of everyone else who needs me, a balancing act of the need to take care of those I am responsible for and the urge to crawl in bed and not come out until it’s over.
And all I’ve got is a bad cold - I guess you could say I really don’t ‘do’ sick all that well. At least I’m in good company - zombies are actually quite friendly you know!
I usually don’t make my monthly goals public. But this month is a bit different. You see, I need your feedback on a few things… some rather important things, too. I guess I should explain, huh?
Over the past couple of months or four, I’ve been seriously looking at expanding the types of yarn in the shop. Right now, there are three; a sock weight, a worsted weight and a bulky weight. I really want a lace weight, and a wider variety of sock yarns, particularly one in non-wool fibers. I’m itching to get silk in the shop, and a pure bamboo yarn too, because I adore those fibers.
And I think I’ve found all but one of those yarns, and a possible way to get the one I can’t get right now. Hell, I’ve even got the accounts set up to get the yarns. But I’m worried.
You see, it doesn’t matter how much I love the yarns if you guys don’t want them, or if no one ever finds out about them. I’ve been advertising on Ravelry (Hi Ravelers!) and blogging and participating in forums when I have something to say, to help not being known. But you guys, you matter more than all of the promoting and participating in the community. There would be no yarn dyeing if it wasn’t for your support, in all of it’s forms. So when it comes time to introduce new yarns, I do tend to worry if you won’t like them. Yes, of course there is a financial aspect to it all, but mostly I worry because one of the greatest joys in this kind of work comes from seeing you create something you love with what I’ve created. And that doesn’t happen if you don’t love the yarns enough to knit, crochet… to create with them.
So I guess my question is, would you guys be interested in seeing some new base yarns? A No Wool laceweight, and a No Wool sock yarn with just as much bounce as a wool sock yarn? A 100% bamboo in fingering weight, perfect for fine gloves… perhaps even shimmering tams and heavier lace scarves? What about hand painted spinning fiber?
I’m excited about the idea of all the yarns, but particuarly the 100% bamboo, because it is one of my absolute favorite yarn mediums to paint on. Which gives results that look much like this, which was the sock yarn for my middle Yarn Baby:
And knit up like this:
Anyway. Introducing a few new yarns is one of the goals, and I’d really love your feedback on the above ideas. There are other goals too, though I still haven’t quite worked out how to achieve them.
That’s the gist of it, I think.
I’m nervous that I’ll have to re-cover ground I’d already gained because of the recent time off, but the time off couldn’t be helped, so I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and remember that as frustrating as this time away has been at times, it wasn’t fruitless. The new design finally got underway, and I found more knit blogger friends to keep me company in this big, wide, little world.
Oh, and if you have a few moments to spare, do stop by and cheer thinggtwoo on - she signed up for the three day, 60 mile Breast Cancer Awareness walk, and is planning on contributing to the fight against Breast Cancer not just once, by walking, but twice… and in a very knitterly way!
