This morning, I’ve been busy working on a photo shoot for my yarns. I did really good until this happened.
Max is a big grown up cat now. This June he will be two. He still likes to come up and give me a cuddle every once in a while. He has that aloof personality of cats, and you should feel grateful that he evens pays any attention to you. He saw me working with my yarns and had to come up and pose. He knows his role well.
My daughter, Lindy, moved back home to finish nursing school and brought her cat, Milo, with her. Now, there are two nosey felines hanging around.
The yarn has it’s own room in my house where the kitties do not hang out. They typically camp out in Lindy’s room now. If she is not running her pants off working or going to classes, she is laying in bed trying to catch up on sleep. That’s where these two like to be, in bed with her.
I had to take a break from the photo shoot to play with the kitties. I am their door keeper after all. I open the door to let them out, and I open the door to let them in. (About 10 times per day).
“Sexy”
I did get some work done today!
“Starry Night”
Lauren has been creating too! She made this beautiful coral and teal color-way listed below. I don’t have a name for it yet, but it reminds me of a Koi Pond. She has a beautiful tonal teal/turquoise color that goes with it, but I cannot get it pictured right. It’s coming out as blue and it isn’t blue at all. That’s when the kitties interrupted me for a break.
I better get back to work. Kitties have moved on. Milo catches the lizards around here, a few little snakes too. I bet they are working keeping the perimeter safe. I’m off to list some more yarn on the Etsy site. Etsy – A Chick That Knitz
I know! It’s gorgeous! Lauren made this super cute shawl. It’s so cute on! She made it with “AChickThatKnitz” yarn. Cherub, Good Days, and Midnight Rendezvous.
It’s the FunFunFun shawl by Andrea Mowry. You can find it here: FunFunFun Shawl. It turned out so pretty!
Look at her go. Lauren is mainly a crochet girl. She has just decided she is going to dig her heals in and master knitting. She is rocking it! I’m telling you, that girl is really really smart.
I’m taking the shawl and some kits up to David’s Yarn store this week. I’ve had my Gand Opening sale and it went fantastic! I’m telling you, I am walking on the clouds, I’m so happy. I’m getting back into the dye pots this week and creating up some new color-ways. I love that part the best.
I will say farewell and leave you with an adorable picture of my grandson Henry. Remember, Wyoming?
Ah-DORE-ah-BLE!!!! I’ll tell you what, I literally have heart palpitations, every time I see a picture or video of this boy. I mean it. I feel it in my chest, sometimes across my shoulders, a wave of energy. It’s hard to explain. It’s strong though! My body physically reacts to him. It’s because he is so Ah-DORE-ah-BLE!
Hello friends! How are you doing on this beautiful Spring day? I wanted to show off Lauren’s poncho. She made it a while ago and wore it to a Christmas party. I wanted to show that we actually do wear all the things we knit. Actually, Lauren crocheted this! This is crochet!
John, Lauren, Lindy, and Luke
Ponchos were popular in the 70’s. Remember the little balls on the ends of the ties? Some had tassels. Ponchos, halter tops, wedge shoes….love the 70’s! I cannot tell you enough how happy I am that the younger generation likes ponchos now! Lauren is 26 and ROCKING IT!
Since Lauren made this, I don’t know what the pattern is called. If you want to know, comment, and I will ask. You may go look on Ravelry and check out ponchos.
I’ve been working on loading up my Etsy store. Here are some of the many yarns I’ve listed. I have 69 different color-ways listed and have about 30 more to list to be done.
I’m going to have a Grand Opening Sale this coming weekend! All items will be 30% off. That includes any kits I’ve made. The kits listed are discounted anyway because you are purchasing more than one skein of yarn. The kits on sale is a super deal! I mean SUPER deal!
The sale will start on Friday at 6pm and run through Sunday at 6pm. I’m going to post a video on YouTube to announce the sale. Go ahead and browse the shop if you would like and be sure to favorite what you like. That will help me make sure I have enough yarn for everybody and you won’t have to wait for me to make it in case it sells out.
I’ve just returned from DFW Fiber festival. I came home confident in my yarn! Very confident! My husband said, “Tammy, your yarn is prettier than a lot of yarn here at this convention.” I have to agree. I’m going to work hard so that I can present my own shop at DFW Fiber Festival next year!
Have a great day friends and hope to see you at the sale this weekend!
I’ve finally finished an official “Fade” type pattern! Yay me! I’ve made a fade type shawl with my previous shawl “Dotted Rays” by Stephen West. I was creative and made the Fade on my own. This is “Free Your Fade” by Andrea Mowry. It’s an easy knit. Guess what? I made it with my own hand dyed yarn! Yay me again!
This takes 3 skeins of yarn in different color combinations. I made this in my Fingering Singles yarn in Pink, Circus, and Lake House. I’m going to make a moody, dark one next.
I’m working every day on my new hand dyed yarn business. Currently, I’m stocking my “store” on Etsy. You are sure to find me under “A chick that knitz.” I’ve got 27 different color ways listed. I have about 50 total to load. Once I have all my colors listed, I’m going to have a grand opening sale and everything will be 30% off for the opening. So go look around if you would like, but remember to wait for the official opening for 30% off everything! I love a good sale! (It’s taken me a week to photograph and load 27 colors, it may take another week to load the rest).
I will also have my own “shop” on the web. I will get that up and running once I’ve loaded up Etsy. Since I’m brand spanking new with my yarn business, I figured that would help introduce my yarn to people.
It Spring Y’all! Yay! My nose sure knows! I’m allergic to cedar and every other kind of tree known to mankind. I’m basically allergic to March. I don’t know how they work, but I have a Himalayan Salt Lamp near my bed and it helps with my allergies. It doesn’t cure them, but it helps. I notice a difference when I don’t have it on anyway.
Max enjoying the long grass before Len gets the mower out for the first time this season.
I’m in-between projects right now. My fingers are itching to work on something! I’m looking for a particular project. When I officially open my store and have the grand opening, I’m going to do a “KAL. Knit-a-Long” and I’m looking for that project. I want to showcase my yarns and showcase a Fade type pattern.
Hello! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Valentine’s to everybody!
This is the Dotted Rays Shawl by Stephen West. I love it! It’s one of my favorites. It’s an easy and relaxing knit. The first three stitches are a provisional cast on and that’s the hardest part of the pattern. Once you pass that, you are in easy breezy land! It’s garter stitch the rest of the way with a few yarn overs for the “dots”.
I used my own yarn from A Chick That Knitz in the color-way Romantic Robin. I made it a fade. There are many ways you can use yarn color to make it your own. Browse all the beautiful shawls here on Ravelry
I’ve started a YouTube channel for A Chick That Knitz and a friend and follower sent me a huge box of presents to celebrate my new studio. I made this for her. It’s some of the first yarn I’ve dyed and it’s made of Worsted weight Superwash Merino Wool. I will have my shop open this Spring. That’s another plus, you can use worsted weight yarn instead of the fine fingering yarn (you can use that also) so the shawl knits up relatively fast.
I also want to show off some of Amanda’s cookies. Amanda is Lauren’s mother that lives in Texas.
They are so cute!
Look at those on the right with the coconut! Beautiful!
I highly recommend taking some cookie decorating classes on Blueprint (formerly Craftsy). Neither of us could have done this without it. I bet there are some free tutorials on YouTube regarding “Flood icing” . They will teach you how to get this beautiful icing for cookies. It’s powdered sugar, water, and a secret ingredient called meringue powder.
Happy Valentine’s Day! I think I will make some cookies myself. I had to stop making them so much because I was eating them all! They are so good, you can’t have just one cookie.
I”m really pleased with it. It may look complicated, but it’s not. The color changes happen with the yarn. The yarn does all the work. I did not use her recommended yarn. I wore it out today for a pedicure date with my daughter, Lindy, followed by Sushi for lunch.
This is what is looks like from behind.
Max. Look how big he’s gotten! He’s all adult now. He wants to hunt at night and sleep all day. He is potty trained to potty outside. He doesn’t use a litter box. He trained himself. It’s nothing I did. The problem with that is he wakes me up in the middle of the night by pouncing and running up my body when I’m in bed asleep. Sometimes, I just lay there after the initial “pounce” at my feet, hoping and praying he will go away. If I don’t respond, then the running/pouncing up my body until he reaches my head begins. If he really needs to go outside, I get the full body pounce immediately. What can I say? I love him.
Hello! I’ve been working hard at starting my own hand-dyed yarn business. My studio is complete! I’ve taken over the garage! I have to have a comfortable space for my family to hang out with me in the studio. My “family” consists of my husband, grown children, grandchildren, 5 dogs and one cat, Max! The dog beds are coming. We’re buying another carpet to fill in the other half of the garage. We want a clean spot for our grand baby to sit down on the floor and play. The garage floor is dirty, hence, the carpets. The color of the carpet is perfect! It hides all the dye spots I spill on it and it cleans nicely with a carpet cleaner.
I’m having so much fun! I have wanted to have a yarn store for many years now. The reality of it was just not something we honestly wanted, myself or my husband. I’m what’s called an extroverted introvert. I know! Crazy! How can you be both? You can be! My introvert side doesn’t want to actually go to a yarn store every day and hang out there. I’ve never “hung out” at the yarn store. I prefer to be at home, in comfort, with a fridge full of food and snacks, and lots of movies at my fingertips. Although, I think it’s a great idea and a great place to meet fiber friends. I love hospitality and am pretty good at it. I would be a great yarn store owner. I realized it was just a fantasy and nothing would ever come out of it.
Then I lost my job. I left of my own free will, but I was pushed out. I was a little heartbroken to be honest. It was a blessing! I’m very loyal. I had to be pushed out to leave, or I would still be there today. Sometimes, disasters are blessings in disguise!!!
It’s taken me almost a year since I left the work force to figure this out, but I’ve figured it out! I CAN own a yarn store! I LOVE YARN! Have you seen my stash? ( It’s on an article here on my blog, search “stash” and it will come up. ) I’ve started up my own hand-dyed yarn business! I create and color the yarn and will sell it on-line and at various trade shows. I LOVE the trade shows! My husband and I take vacations with a plan to visit yarn stores and fiber mills. They are the spots along the way to our destination. Now, we can go to trade shows, set up my little trade show store, sell yarn, and travel! Hot diggity dog!!
I looove it! Isn’t there a song “I’m in love with my car!” by Queen? I haven’t heard it but hey… “I’m in love with my yarn!”
You’ve met my daughters. They will be there to help along the way! What a great family business! I can also include my husband. He loves to socialize! He and my son are currently planning, designing, and building me an electric skein winder/swift. That might become a thing in itself for my son. We can sell those too!
I’m the type that needs a plan and a goal. I’m still young for “retirement”. Now, I have a direction for my energy and it’s the best direction!
I’m making a cropped little cardigan in this beautiful sunshine yellow to wear with my sundresses this summer.
I’ve also started a YouTube channel to journal about starting this business, connect with other dyers and fiber lovers, and promote my yarns. I’m new at this and learning from scratch so they aren’t great yet, but, they are entertaining!
I’m in the research and development phase of the business. I’m gathering base yarns from various sources to find out which I like best and want to represent “A Chick That Knitz”. I’ve heard several indie dyers say they don’t know or care what the yarn looks like knitted up. It’s the artistic process they like and how it looks in a skein. Well, I’ve bought a $32.00 skein of hand-dyed yarn and it’s pretty in the skein but ugly knit up. I am a chick that knits after all , so it is important to me, that the yarn looks pretty in all its forms; skein, to ball, to knit project.
Take care and I will be back soon with an on-line store grand opening!
One more thing! Knitters, Crocheters, Yarn lovers, please feel free to give me any input on what you like and don’t like about hand-dyed yarns. I’m here to please and would really like to know your thoughts.
Take care and don’t forget, Valentine’s Day is close!
Tammy
Aussiedoodle puppy hanging out with me in the studio.
We had a spontaneous girl’s night in my new yarn studio. Lauren and Lindy came over to hang out and we painted our first skeins of yarn in the studio! Lauren knits and crochets and has a love for yarn. Lindy now has an appreciation for the art of hand-dyed yarn! (She is an amazing artist! I hope this reawakens a spark of creativity for her!). Lindy was pretty surprised at how much fun she had. She is really good with watercolors, so I can see why she loved this so much.
Look how proud she is!
We were playing.
We can’t forget Max! He is still helping me pose my yarn!
We ended our night eating Mexican bowls at Fuzzy’s along with a margarita. It was a great spontaneous night with my girls. We all had a great time. The girls were tickled pink with their own creations and are eager to cast-on.
On a side note – this would be a great craft to do with your kids. The math you use is ratio and proportion and would be a great lesson to teach the kids. They can see math used in a fun creative way. You need to figure how much dye to use per weight of yarn. You can also teach fractions with diluting colors. Just an idea 🙂
You all know my daughter–in-law, Lauren. This is her pretty momma, Amanda. Amanda hosted a cookie decorating Christmas party for her daughter’s band mates.
Isn’t this a wonderful idea! I told Amanda about the Craftsy/Blueprint cookie decorating classes and she learned how to do all this from those classes. Before I took the classes, all I knew was to slab some store bought icing on top of the sugar cookies. This is so much better and so fun to do. She said they all had a super fun time!
Anytime I have the cookies and icing out, everybody that comes over dives right in and has a blast decorating them. It’s worth the time to watch the classes.
Thank you Amanda for letting me share pictures of your beautiful cookies!
I love this guy! He’s very much like my inner child, mine is just not so colorful.
I discovered Stephen West from KnitStars. I had seen him around Ravelry but he is so “loud” with his colors, I just passed right on by his patterns. Nothing at all wrong with being “loud”, it just didn’t speak to me at the time.
Then I signed up for KnitStars. I fell in love with this guy! He is so charming and such a handsome man. My husband calls me a 9 year-old all the time. That’s my child like personality he is talking about. Stephen West has his “child” out on full display and I LOVE it! Mine is safely hidden away here at home where it’s safe.
I admire people that can be themselves. I don’t care how different or unusual you may be. That just makes you a rare jewel instead of a commonly found one. The rarest jewels are the most valuable.
I’ve been working in my dye studio. I ordered some equipment that arrived broken and had to be returned and replaced, so here I wait. I’ve been playing with some yarn and have actually dyed some. I’ve also been trying to come up with a label design for my yarn. Don’t laugh. Well, okay, laugh if you must.
I’m trying to draw an Alpaca with a daisy on its head and a daisy garland around its neck. I have the drawing skills of an 8 year old. My high school art teacher told me I had great ideas but I could not draw worth a darn. She was right.
All three of my children are amazing artists. My daughter had to do some community service at the Art Institute in town and the instructor begged her to stay and offered her a scholarship. She wasn’t interested at all. Both of my boys can draw anything.
My dad was a hippy. Big time hippy. I have a very unique upbringing. I’ll have to tell you the story of the time he came over to babysit my kids with his friend the “Contract Killer” in tow. I ended up taking my kids, my dad, and the contract killer friend to the OBGYN with me. (I’m not making this up.) At my Dad’s funeral, he came up and was super nice and friendly and told me to call him anytime I needed someone “taken care-of. ”
This is my dad. He was the most unique person I’ve ever met. I loved him so! We used to color Mandala’s together. He had a big collection of gel pens and we would lay on the floor together and color. We would color for hours and talk and talk. I may not be able to draw, but I love color. I think that’s why I love the 70’s so much. I love that Bo-ho style that is so popular now. It’s my style. Mandala’s, macrame, knitting, flowers, animals….I’m so happy that this stuff is cool again.
