Toronto Island Sheep by Duchamp

Toronto Island Sheep by Duchamp

Southerners, come see us at SAFF in Fletcher, NC, the great gathering of fiber folk for the Southeast!

We’ll have tons of yarns and spinning fibers in booth #113 in the Sales Arena, and we’d love to see you there!  Last year Kristin (Girl Friday) and I visited and had so much fun visiting with sheep and alpaca herders, and seeing all the amazing fiber offerings.  Someone even came home with an angora rabbit, but you didn’t hear it from me!

Sheep at watering hole by Crowt59

Sheep at watering hole by Crowt59

alpaca's Delight by woodleywonderworks

alpaca's Delight by woodleywonderworks

Seriously, you haven’t lived until you’ve met an alpaca (or six).  I hung out in the alpaca shed talking to the herders for hours last year.

Sheep Stampede by pussnboots

Sheep Stampede by pussnboots

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renegade booth 1

I’m finally settled back in from our trip to Renegade Craft fair in Chicago this past weekend, and it was so much fun!  Kristin Rengren, of Retro Knit, the author of Vintage Baby Knits, helped me in the booth on Saturday and my lovely friend Amanda pitched in on Sunday, and it was so much fun to talk to all the Chicago area knitters and crocheters who stopped by.

The weather was sunny and beautiful!  I even came home with a tan!

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On the drive up, Chris and I fit in some photography:

Indiana sunset

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And of course some beer!

I snuck away from the booth to do a bit of shopping and came away with some lovely, delicate porcelain earrings from Red Raven Studios.

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And a “librarian squid” from Cleo Dee, who stitches up squids for every occasion:

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I picked up some sweet block printed tea towels as gifts from Artgoodies:

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The shear numbers of amazing, talented artists and crafters at Renegade was mind-blowing!  If you ever get a chance to go to a Renegade event near you, I highly recommend it, although your wallet may be a little sore afterwards.

renegade booth 2

Our Luxe Merino Fine was as popular as ever, and many, many skeins found happy new homes in the Midwest.  I just listed stock of Luxe in the etsy shop, which is dyed up and ready for immediate shipment.

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Morel Socks by shannon okey, shown in Merino Fine 'Morel' colorway

Morel Socks by shannon okey, shown in Merino Fine 'Morel' colorway

 I’m happy to announce a cooperative project between Shannon Okey of Knitgrrl Studios, Andi Smith of Knit Brit, and Kitchen Sink Dyeworks, debuting next week at Sock Summit!

Shannon and Andi’s lovely sock designs, Morel, Sunny-Side-Up, and Toad in the Hole,  have been collected into one booklet that will be available in Kitchen Sink’s booth, #113.  Come see the socks knit in our yarns, in brand new colorways!

Sunny-Side-Up socks by Andi Smith, shown in Merino Fine 'Charlotte' colorway

Sunny-Side-Up socks by Andi Smith, shown in Merino Fine 'Charlotte' colorway

Toad in the Hole socks by Andi Smith, shown in Merino Fine 'Benjamin' colorway

Toad in the Hole socks by Andi Smith, shown in Merino Fine 'Benjamin' colorway

 

These new colorways, along with dozens of others, will be posted in our etsy shop shortly.  In the meantime, if you’d like to order any of these colorways, drop me a line!

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Don’t forget, voting ends tomorrow for the Ravelry Dye for Glory contest.  Go place your votes!

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I just entered my two Sock Summit colorways into the Ravelry ‘Dye for Glory’ Contest! Inspired by summer and spending time in my own backyard, I came up with Barefoot and Grass:

grass 1

barefoot 1

Barefoot is entered in the Watercolors category, and Grass is entered in the Painted category.  Voting for the contest begind July 23rd; put in a vote for Kitchen Sink Dyeworks, pretty please!

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Birmingham folks, come see us at our House Party this Saturday, July 11th, from 10am to 4pm. We’ll be bringing a ton of new yarn colors as well as spinning fibers.  See out new semi-solids and tonal colors, great for texture and lace knitting.

The party will be held from 10am to 4pm; this is an open house style event, so come any time you like during the event.  Refreshments will be served, so stay and enjoy the party, but if you only have a short time to spare, please pop in for as long as you like!

I’ll be bringing lots of sock yarns, worsted weights, and spinning fibers for you to choose from.  Payment can be made with cash, check, or Visa and Mastercard.

E-mail me at mail (at) kitchensinkdyeworks.com for directions and map link.

Elwood the intrepid mascot.

Elwood the intrepid mascot.

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Hey lookie, Kitchen Sink Dyeworks is the featured artist of the month over at Yarn4Socks!  See the interview here.

What a ham.

What a ham.

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I just got back from TNNA last night; and while I was sad to leave all my yarn brethren, I’m glad to be back home in Birmingham.  I talked to designers, authors, yarn dyers, manufacturers, editors, and bloggers; my head is now SWIMMING with new ideas.  So many creative types in one place, good ideas are bound to follow.

I also gave my fellow yarn folks a sneak preview of a brand-spankin’-new colorway this weekend.  Stay tuned this week for a big announcement about this colorway for a cause; I’m very excited about the project and I think from the response garnered this weekend it should have a great impact.

Of course, while we were in Columbus, OH, Elwood had to meet some of the crowd of knitting luminaries!  Here are a few celebrity sightings:

Elwood and Annie

Elwood and Annie

Annie Modesitt, just moments after she showed off the crazy-amazing knitted Sutton Hoo mask she’s creating for her next book.  And giving them the eye, Nathania Apple!

Elwood and Amy

Elwood and Amy

Amy Singer, editor extraordinaire of Knitty.com, using Elwood as a human duck shield.

Jillian and Elwood

Jillian and Elwood

Jillian Moreno of Knitty.com; the next day we got to go ’shopping’ the TNNA booths for yarn for a Knitty project I’ll be doing.  And that’s all I can say about that!

The Ravelry Kids, Cat and Elwood

The Ravelry Kids, Cat and Elwood

Sarah, Mary Heather, Jess, and Casey from Ravelry, and the always mind-blowing Cat Bordhi.  Like I said, TNNA is chock full o’ knitting luminaries and celebrities; and they’re always great company!

Elwood and ...

Elwood and ...

And who is this mystery man, you ask?  One of the most crucial figures of the evening.  The bartender!

Check back for our big announcement tomorrow!

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Sorry it’s been so quiet here!  It’s because in the studio, things have been anything but quiet.  Look for more shop updates this week with more sock yarns and new worsted weight options, including a deliciously soft merino bamboo.

I’m gearing up for TNNA, in Columbus, OH, next weekend.  This is the big knitting/crochet/needlework marketplace for those in the industry.  I can’t wait!  I always get a creative recharge when I see all the new yarns and colors for the season, and get to meet up with other designers and authors.  Plus, Columbus is a great town, amazing food, fun people.  I’m so excited!

Plus, my roomie for the weekend is the lovely and talented Kristen Rengren, author of Vintage Baby Knits.  Hooray!

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I’m working on a new project, one that’s top secret for now, that I’ll be unveiling later this month.  I’m really fired up about it, and I think y’all will be, too!

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Last night’s trunk show preview party was so much fun!  Lot’s of pretty skeins of yarn and hanks of wool went home with fiber junkies, and we all had a great time.  Especially the duck.  It gets around.

Kristin, Clare, and the unnamed duck.

Kristin, Clare, and the unnamed duck.

Marlene having an "ecstacy of St. Theresa" moment with some Merino Fine

Marlene having an "ecstasy of St. Theresa" moment with some Merino Fine

We got to hang out with wonderful people, and of course, fun fiber.  I love seeing skeins go to happy homes.

Merino Worsted.  The duck likes.

Merino Worsted. The duck likes.

Getting cozy with some Rustic Wool.

Getting cozy with some Rustic Wool.

Riding the wave of Merino Bamboo...

Riding the wave of Merino Bamboo...

Tune in Friday for new patterns, and a contest to win a Kitchen Sink Dyework’s Shawl Kit!

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