Oh halp!

I'm becoming more and more attracted to these rich berry hues:
That would be Malabrigo Silky Merino - a lovely, shiny dk wt yarn....of all the yarn that has recently arrived, I've just been entranced with this colorway. I swear, I must be getting more girly as I get older.

I adore these little cases and stitch markers. How convenient is it that this one matches that stunning yarn so nicely?

If it isn't readily apparent, the shop has some new arrivals....and I'm currently running a Spring Cleaning sale :) head on over for a look!

An Ode.

To Malabrigo yarn.



Speaking of Malabrigo yarn, I've restocked the Malabrigo lace and brought in Malabrigo Sock into the shop...and it is lovely :)

Happy Birthday!

As we roll into the 4th of July weekend, celebrating the Independence Day here in the United States, I'm going to also celebrate Spritely Goods' launch with a wee sale - it was July several years back that I got the shop up and running on its own domain and it's been a wonderful adventure since then. Pop over and have a look and see if you find something to your liking :)

Thanks to all of you, for making this small part of my own Independence "dream" become reality!

Over 25 lbs...

...of fresh fiber and yarn are now available at the shop!

First, let me introduce 4 new blended batt colorways :) Those would be Chocolate Varietal (Merino-Alpaca), Peppercorn Blend, Grape Jelly and Zinfandel (all merino blends)...

Then there's the yarn:

45 limited edition colorways....including some that are dyed on the brand spankin' new Naiad base :) I was going to try to come up with some new "regular" colorways....but I figured it was the holidays and I deserved to have my fun to just play :) so all limited editions it was :D

Not quite productive...

Ever take time off with all kinds of plans for productivity, but find yourself distracted and not able to focus?

I must have been in some serious need of just relaxation and rejuvenation, because the long list of "to do's" didn't get even remotely done....though I got lots of reading, napping, cooking and knitting done :)

I did manage to get a little blending done, see?


But I still have about five pounds of fiber to get through...yep, five pounds...and that doesn't include the other colorways that are bouncing around in my head...

I did manage to remember to queue up the random number generator for the Made in Spain drawing...



Congratulations, Cayli! You're the winner :)

All Spun Up.

...in more than one way! Seems I've taken an unforseen hiatus from blogging - I'm here - just all wound up from worldly goings on. Hopefully things (all around) will settle over the next month or so! So, instead of carrying on with boring things, how about some yarn?

mmm. Squooshy. That would be a wonderful closeup of this:

Fresh off the bobbin...it only took me about a month to get it off the bobbin...then another week before I actually stuck it in the sink to set the twist - speaking of which, I better go fish it out and give it a whack before hanging it to dry! I love how curly the yarn is when taken fresh off the bobbin, and how a simple soak and whack will transform it into happily behaved (for the most part) singles. That big pile o yarn is 5.3 ounces, and approximately 400 yards. It's made up of a blend of a bunch of fibers including wool, tencel, bamboo and maybe even a little bit of ingeo (I can't remember) - there's a little sparkly in there too, but not much. When I pulled the fibers together, I was thinking fallen leaves and a different take on autumnal colors.

Speaking of yarn, there is some new yarn in the shop - I had some new Mooi colors arrive, and a whole shipment of 1855 Handspun Merino - if you've never heard of 1855, I recommend checking it out - the yarn is lovely, each skein spun by hand and dyed using natural dyes!

Happy Labor Day!

To those in the United States, I hope you all are having a fantastic Labor Day weekend - it actually feels like fall is on the way, even here in the desert :) I'm celebrating by relaxing, cleaning (stay tuned, I'll probably be posting a mess of books to destash at some point - I'm running out of bookshelves!), and swatching for a new sweater...

...and also by following my routine. It's the beginning of the month, you know what that means, don't you?

Spritely Goods is updated :) Not only have a got a bunch of my own yarns updated, I've also become a ShibuiKnits stockist. If you haven't tried it, and you're a lace knitter, I highly recommend the Silk Cloud - it's an absolutely gorgeous yarn. If you're looking for a single skein pattern to give it a try, I recommend the Swirl Scarf.

Wiped Out!

Ever feel like this?

I don't know where all the time is flying to, all I know is I don't seem to have enough of it (it's times like these that I wish I had a time turner...or a clone of myself)! August is here already...and you know what that means? The shop is freshly restocked...the last two weekends saw me covered head to toe in fiber - which means that big pile of wool that was due to be fed to the Beast has all been processed :) There is, of course, a bit more blending to be done now that the fresh box of merino came in...but August will be dedicated dyework - both yarn and fiber, if I can manage it.

Of course, there's quite a bit more in the shop other than freshly blended batts...Orders from my jaunt to TNNA have been coming in and getting added to the shop. I'm now a Louet Stockist (no, I've not yet acquired more wheels - though I *am* tempted, especially by the little Victoria - especially seeing as how my Minstrel doesn't like to go for rides in my car), and I also stock Buffalo Gold and Rio de La Plata yarns too...and don't forget the Malabrigo - I added some new colorways in the various Malabrigo yarns. Here's a peek:

We have Snails.

I've cruised on past the snails on the mittens and am working my way up the fern motif. Things are going relatively speedily and I'm still working on making my gauge behave when it comes to carrying the yarn across long stretches and then having to knit with it on the first or second stitch on the other side of the mitten (we'll see how successful I am when I'm finished). When looking at the palm of the mitten it appears I have fairly even gauge/tension between hands (I make this statement because both colors appear to show up fairly evenly on the 1x1 stripes). Tonight, I curl up with the mittens while watching the Hell's Kitchen finale...or whatever else I can find on TV...or maybe I'll watch something on the computer. Either way, I'm going to get a little knitting done :)

In other news, the Shop has several new additions - not so much of my own personal dyework and fiberwork (I'm woefully behind and the 110+ degree days aren't really conducive to thinking about blending fibers). Orders I placed during or after TNNA have started to make their appearances at my door - there's yarn and woolwash and LOTS of patterns :)

Fresh Yarn and Fiber :)

Well, May flew right on by with barely a shop update. I've made up for it this month. Over 20 pounds of fresh yarn and fibers have hit the shop. Most of the new yarn is limited edition colorways. I hope to develop some new colorways as I decide which of the "regulars" to tag for discontinuing.

The latter portion of this week, I will be at TNNA :) Not to show, but to hunt down some new lines and products to add. I'm still undecided as to whether the computer will be making the trip with me, and also trying to figure out what knitting project to bring.

This weekend I made good progress on the Koigu sweater - so much so, that I might have it to wear to TNNA. We'll see. It is, after all, fine gauge knitting, and it can be deceiving how much is left to go - photos soon :D

No Epiphany Needed

I have always been a fan of Chocolate - so imagine my delight when offered this stunning book for review!

Chocolate Epiphany most certainly does not disappoint. The book is heavy, featuring stunning photographs and wonderful recipes all featuring Chocolate. Written by Francis Payard of Payard Patisserie and Bistro, this book is gorgeous and full of wonderful things - I spent days gazing at the photos and reading through the recipes.

Chocolate Epiphany is broken down into several sections, starting out with what Chef Payard looks for in Chocolate as well as some tips on working with the wonderful stuff. The book then progresses into the recipes - broken into sections: Breads and Brunch Dishes, Cookies and Petits Fours, Candies and Chocolates, Custards, Mousses, Meringues and Ice Cream, Tarts, Cakes and Plated Desserts. Finally, it winds down and finishes with basics on handling and tempering chocolate and creating chocolate decorations.

While the subtitle to this book is Exceptional Cookies, Cakes and Confections for Everyone - I feel I should make you aware that quite a number of the items in the book are not your every day simple desserts - they will take time to prepare, and you may need to learn some new techniques - I would expect no less, given the who the author is. Also, if you are baking for someone with a nut allergy - you will want to steer clear of quite a number of recipes in this book - almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts all make an appearance in various recipes in this book. Finally, if you have a corn allergy, or an aversion to corn syrup, you will need to make some modifications - especially to the recipes in the candies section.

While I would have loved to make a slew of these recipes, I simply have not yet had the time or the occasion - though I did take the opportunity to try my hand at one of the candy recipes. Click onward to view the experiment (as usual, I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but used it as a starting point to create something of my own).

Incidentally, with chocolate and caramel on the brain, I finally restocked the shop's stock of Caramel Mocha spinning batts :)

Fresh Yarn and Fiber

The Shop has been updated with new goodies :) Yarn & Fiber and More :)

It's a new month....

you know what that means, right?


It means a whole whack of fresh yarn and a wee bit of fiber has hit the shop :)

Incidentally, I was able to do a mini "trunk" show for my knitting group - but since I don't travel with trunks, I used a gigantic IKEA bag instead...

that would be three and a half grocery bags full of yarn (the ziploc has one of my current projects in it) - and that's only a portion of what hit the shop this weekend!

As for the accounting, it's going slowly - I'm still trying to decide just what I think of quickbooks... after working on it a goodly chunk of the weekend, I still haven't gotten very far!

Can't we all just get along?

Behold! The firestarters....and what appears to be a perpetual sock line, even though I haven't been out hiking in quite some time. LOL - the things that become apparent with photographs!

Sadly, it seems I'm having a run of bad luck with my projects, those socks that look so lovely up above actually have some issues.

It seems that even though I already made one needle size change after knitting the toe, I wasn't able to bring the gauge down quite enough - while they fit, they are a little baggy and loose - especially noticeable at the heel....so I've frogged em and started over on US0s.

As if that wasn't traumatizing enough, my skeiner ate a skein of lace weight yarn last night - it was the first and last skein of the evening, the skeiner was put into the corner for a time out. We'll be having another discussion tonight. (Why yes, that does mean that the dyepot has been busy :) ) The good news is the skein wasn't a total loss - it just has too many knots for me to want to put it up for sale, so I'm now looking for a suitable lace pattern to cast on for.

I'm thinking I might have to knit the Irtfa'a Faroese lace shawl - it's gorgeous....and newly added to the shop. I've knit rectangular lace, and triangular lace - faroese lace would be new :)

New Colors...

...and some other goodies are now at the shop :)

the Wheel goes round and round

After a very long hiatus, I finally had some time to sit down with my spinning wheel...

I find it amazing how different lighting brings out different colors in yarn - this is actually the same skein - the top photo was under incandescent lights and I was unable to get a satisfactory white balance off of it...but I liked the colors it showed, so I decided to keep it for future inspiration :D

The yarn is called Tumbling Tides and it can be yours....it's over in the shop. Incidentally, there are some other things in the shop too - the Unscented SOAK finally arrived in both small and large bottles, and I also just got a restock of Persephone Socks Patterns along with some more Oceanwind Knits Yarns. Incidentally, I'm working on getting the new limited editions photographed, so those will be hitting the shop soon too :)

A Little Look

Into my world. :)


Well, you just saw a corner of one of the rooms that I keep finished batts in...

And you've seen what the foyer can look like when I get a shipment of yarn in...

In the past, I've given you a glimpse of my Solar Dyeing experiments, and my blending workspace when it isn't being used for order fulfillment.

Most of my dyestocks are kept stacked up in an upstairs bathroom that I reserve for rinsing yarn (and drying in inclement weather). I tend to mix dye stocks outdoors, wearing a mask though I'm now in the market for a respirator because I find the mask uncomfortable and am often tempted to not use it. I admit to doing all my dye application indoors, though like any good dyer, I segregate all my pots and utensils for dyework from any sort of food/eating application.

In order to set the dye, I have toyed with microwave setting, as well as the previously mentioned solar experiments. While I do kettle dye my semi-solid colorways, I tend to steam set most of my yarns and fibers. You can see the 2 pots I keep for these occasions below, though I'm looking to expand and am shopping for steamer racks now while trying to decide if I can set steamer racks on top of my existing big dye pot...


Over the holidays, I took advantage of the additional time to experiment with natural dyes - you can see some of the results collaged in that photo. While natural dyes produce gorgeous earthy colors (I'm particularly fond of the Madder and Cochineal), I don't think they will become a regular part of my shop, though I may offer some of these up as limited editions. One thing that absolutely amazed me was the change in color of the madder root from a flash-flood muddy brown color to that stunning red - and the by looking at the cochineal extract (boiling bugs, by the way, do not smell very appetizing), I wouldn't have expected the vibrant fuschia hue - I would have expected more of a reddish color.

Incidentally, I also took some time to dye up a bunch of yarn and fiber just before the New Year (a pile of limited editions due to hit the shop for February!) Turns out I underestimated how much space the roving would take on the drying racks (and the experimental natural dyed yarn was taking forever to dry) that I ran out of drying space - I do all my initial drying outdoors as I was getting tired of the scent of vinegary wet sheep invading the house - LOL. Anyhow, I took the rest of the yarn and fiber in and set it in a box to await final rinse - turns out the cat approved of the warm steam-heated perch:


Incidentally, if you haven't cruised over already, the fiber (blended and/or dyed) was updated into the shop :)

Batt Girl Rides again...

Stephanie + Fiber + Time =

Over the holidays I took the time to do a wee bit of blending :) Incidentally, the shop has been updated :D

I'm still working on the post about my workspace and some recent dyeing adventures - sorry for the delay....

Instead, I offer you this:

to keep you entertained.

Free Rice donated as you test your vocabulary skills! Terribly addictive - at least I thought so, but I'm kind of a nerd that way :D

Give it a try, send it to your friends - heck, if you have children of school-age, you can even get them to play ;) what better way to get them to work on their vocabulary than by a "game" that benefits others?

Dayflowers and Leaves - now available!

Closeup of Dayflowers and Leaves
Originally uploaded by WoodlandSprite

Happy Thanksgiving!
My thanks to those who encouraged me to try to actually try my hand at design and typing up this pattern.

I'm happy to report that after a fair bit of work, I think I have it all down nicely and properly and I the pattern is Now available at Spritely Goods

Other than Amigugumi, this is my first official Original Pattern :) and I hope people who decide to knit it enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanksgiving weekend went by with such a blur, though it was a welcome break for me, allowing me to knit happily on my Secret of the Stole (I'm running out of yarn and hope the next skein of CoffeePot Rock matches), nap with the cats, eat plenty (lots of leftovers still in the fridge - btw, green bean casserole, made from scratch with fresh beans and a bechamel sauce is much tastier than any combination canned concoction....), and read. Stay tuned - I have book reviews coming soon :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

To speed you on your way to holiday shopping, the Shop has been updated :) better yet, through the end of this month, you can get 10% off by using the coupon code GobbleGobble07 at checkout :) Happy holidays! Hope you eat well, drink well, nap well and are merry :D