fiber, fiber everywhere

It's been all work and not much play around here the past few weeks, what with preparing for DFW Fiber Fest (which was last weekend) and PLY Away 2 (which is in 2 weeks).  The dye pots are going full tilt, there's fiber and yarn everywhere, and I'm still trying to cram in as much dyeing as possible before we head off to Kansas City.

And really, if you're going to have work stuff laying around all over your home, yarn (and fiber) is a pretty sweet deal.

The thing is...I've got an itch to do some sewing. I'm dreaming of patchwork and paper piecing, new pj's and project bags, not to mention breaking out the embroidery and cross stitch!

Right now, I'm satisfying myself with paper piecing hexagons for this very old WIP. Which started out with a little pouch and grew because making hexagons is very addicting, albeit slow. One day it will be a lap quilt (it's larger than now, about triple the size from this old photo).

But once May is here, there will be a lot of sewing projects started around here. Like this, and this, and even this:)

getting ready

Fiber Festival season is fast approaching, and we are in full swing preparing for the 2 shows that we are participating in this April. The dye pots are going full time and the skein winder is smoking!

We'll be at DFW Fiber Fest in Irving, Texas from April 6-9 (Thursday - Sunday). This is our third year attending, and it's always a huge blast. I love meeting everybody and drooling over all the yummy yarn everybody makes. It'll be a little bit odd this year because that is also Masters week this year. Jimmy and I are both huge golf fans, so there may be some surreptitious viewing on the iPad come Sunday afternoon:)

We'll also be returning to Kansas City, Missouri for PLY Away 2 a couple of weeks later - April 27-29 (the retreat actually begins on the 25th, but the vendor hall doesn't open until the 27th). We had the best time at the inaugural PLY Away last year, and I was really excited to be invited to come back. Jacey, Levi and the whole gang did an exceptional job hosting their first spinning retreat. I'm not sure how it could be better, but I bet there will be some good surprises in store this year.

Those are the only 2 shows we are doing this year, because we have a busy summer of house renovations and remodeling planned. I'm not really looking forward to it, but it's got to be done. Then in the fall, we'll be taking an anniversary trip we've been talking about for a while.

I'm also looking forward to giving our online shop my full attention for a while. I've got gobs of ideas that I'm raring to put into play, but there hasn't been time for them this past year.

Out and About

The last couple of weekends have been busy...and a lot of fun! We've had a chance to spend time with our favorite people...knitters.

First, we were in Austin, Texas at Hill Country Weavers for the beginning of the Best Little Yarn Crawl in Texas. What a great place! And what a great group of knitters! We had a blast. If you are ever in the Austin area, go. It is a fantastic yarn shop, and the staff are all incredible.

The best part is, they are moving to an even bigger place at the beginning of the year. Suzanne very kindly took us over and showed us around the new space...and wow! I can't wait to go back and see it all finished and full of yarn and knitters:)

Last weekend we spent an evening at DeGray State Park Lodge with the Roving Fibers Adventures retreat group. Most were from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but we had a couple of Arkansas gals in there. We had a special pop-up shop for them.

We had a terrific time and the weather was so perfect! It was cool enough for sweaters and everybody knit, knit, knit. Kim and Diana were wonderful to work with, knowledgeable and fun.

It's always good to take a yarn-filled trip or two in the fall:)

Hill Country Yarn Crawl

I'm excited to announce that we will be at Hill Country Weavers for the annual Hill Country Yarn Crawl. The crawl takes place October 7-16, 2016, and this is the 10th year. There are 19 shops in and around the Austin and San Antonio areas of Texas that are participating.

We will be at Hill Country Weavers for the kickoff weekend - Friday & Saturday, October 7 & 8 - as their featured dyer.

So, if you're planning to be in the area, stop by and say hello...we'd love to meet you!

Fiber Festival Season

I'm in the last stages of preparing for DFW Fiber Fest, and the dye pots are going full throttle around here. Not to mention the printer, the skeinwinder, the swift...and me!

This is my first time to prepare for 2 shows fairly close together, and man....it takes a lot of work. I'm not complaining at all, I like being busy. But...whoosh, I'll definitely be ready for a nice break in May:)

The shop will close next week just before DFW, and then it'll re-open April 7 and be open for about 10 days before it closes again for Ply Away.

I feel like the shop has been rather neglected lately, but I'm hoping the folks at DFW and Ply Away enjoy the fully stocked shelves:) After the shows are over, I'll be giving the Etsy shop and the website a lot of love and attention.

2016 Fiber Festivals

Wowser! I can't believe it's already time to talk about events for 2016. This year has flown by!
But, facts are facts and I've already made plans for next year's fibery events. Here's where I'll be in 2016:

April 1-3
DFW Fiber Fest
Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX

April 21-24
PLY Away Retreat
Westin Hotel & Conference Center, Kansas City, MO

September 22-25
Stitches Texas
Irving Convention Center, Irving, TX

I believe we'll also have another Arkansas weekend event sometime in the late summer or fall. We've all agreed it's a great idea, we just need to iron out the details. As soon as I know anything, I'll post it.

It's hard to believe, but I'm already hard at work for the spring events. I'm doubling the size of my booth at DFW, so there will be lots and lots of yarn and fiber. I'll be debuting a small pattern collection as well, so many irons are in the fire right now.

And spring will be here before we know it! :)