No shit, I really do! How'd I get so lucky? I'd better start cleanin' up my act, make sure I deserve such royal treatment.
This is me just this a.m., perusing a copy of the new YARN magazine while sippin' my coffee outta my new sheepy mug. Can you even
imagine a better way to get your day underway? Not me.
Who made this possible? Glad you asked! Gives me an excuse to extol the virtues of my friend down under, Mandie of
Ewe Give Me the Knits (who may have the best business name out there, haha!). Outta the blue, she sent me a care package
filled with fibery goodness!
In addition to the mag & mug, there was a plethora of sparkle, threads, yummy fibers, & a duo of logo pins. Can't wait to get some of these goodies into some yarns!
So, if you are in the market for yarn, fibre, spinning supplies/equipment, or just good plain fun, head down under to
EGMTK & tell 'em Velma sent ya! Thank you, Mandie, for all your kindnesses.
But Mandie isn't the only bud spoiling Velma these days. I've been getting lots of TLC from Kristy, at
Hands on CRAFT. I know, I know, I've been pimping her new venture a lot these days, but it's such a great resource for Arcata! They've got a craft club, with 30% off retail prices on yarns, fibers, & art supplies for members, + BYOP (Bring Your Own Project) Craft Night on Wednesdays that often feature yummy adult beverages, + fun & educational workshops. Remember Wednesday's post on the Silk Painting with Natural Dyes workshop I went to? I got to go 'cuz Kristy made it possible (thanks, girl!!). This is a picture of the
other silk scarf I made that night. Don't you want to make cool stuff in our new crafting venue? I know you do! Come on, Arcatan crafters, head over there and sign up! It's only $10/month; that's just one six-pack of good beer! AND Kristy is planning a homebrew workshop this summer. You know
I'll be there!
I spent a day with my good friend
Bea recently, and she thought I'd gone above-and-beyond just 'cuz I shadowed her on her errands, so she bought me this lovely banana fiber yarn from one of my fave LYSs,
YARN in Eureka, CA. Be sure to support Sunni and her newish shop inside Shipwreck, in Old Town on 3rd Street. She's a COLORBOMB Creations stockist, so I'm biased, but she's also got a great selection of Rowan yarns & patterns, Toasty Toes, affordable tools, and Japanese craft books, all inside a vintage shop! So you can indulge your retro fantasies and pick up those size #4 needles you've been needing at the same time. I hear they even do a knit-in on Sunday afternoons, so if you find yourself in Eureka any time soon, please drop by & introduce yourself.
Who else? How about Janet, proprietress of
Aunt Janet's Fiber Mill in Whitethorn? She keeps showering me with lovely Romney roving, which I used to spin one of the singles in the yarn here, my FIRST on a drop-spindle! As if that weren't enough, knowing that I'm broke as a joke she just paid my Guild membership dues for the year! We're kicking around the idea of a shearing-season road trip, to both pick up some new fiber from local shepherds, as well as deliver some of her fibers to customers. She must really heart me. Backatcha, girl! For those who will find themselves in Northern Cali this summer, consider joining us for her Fiber 'Campout' at the Mill; fibery workshops for all! Check out her
group on Ravelry for more details.
When I thought my camera had completely crapped out a few weeks ago, who came to my rescue? Fellow fiberistas, that's who. When
KnittyDirtyGirl &
HatDiva heard about it on
Twitter, they stepped up & offered their old cameras. How cool is that! Turns out I can still limp along with mine for awhile (just can't view any settings), but their gesture of goodwill did not go unnoticed.
Can't forget my hubbo-bubbo, either, who sent me an email love note the other night after he left for his dog-sitting gig in a huff, who let me confiscate his free time lately to make tools for a friend of mine, and who is generally a great sport about living in a fiber-infested home with this crazy yarn lady (well, not "lady"
per se, but you know what I mean). Thanks, honey!
So, on this first day of spring, I'm giving a shout-out to all the people in my life who've been such strong supporters of me lately - including all of you that I've forgotten to mention here - y'all make life waaaay better! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Edited to add: Oh, yeah, & thanks to
Jen who brought me a bag of yarn scraps last night,
Jen who is picking up a fabric cutting mat for me at Tuesday Morning this afternoon, &
Linda who is bringing me customers AND collecting weaving thrums for me. Yay!!
In honor of Jacey Boggs, who is arriving today at SOAR so I finally get to meet her!!, I'm re-posting this photo of myself sporting the hat I created for inclusion in her how-to DVD Sit and Spin!, using her faboo Insubordiknit handspun yarn. Called 'Babies in a Blender' (Rav link), it was worn by the drummer in the video. (I think it looked way better on him, but whatever.)
