They're ba-a-a-a-a-ck! ... UPS, that is!

So happy to report that very soon you will be able to choose UPS as your shipper on orders from Wool2Dye4. We are working out details just now, and have now got the web designer involved in the process, and soon you will have the option of UPS ground or 2-day service. Many customers have asked me to offer UPS as a shipping option, and I am happy to say that they are back!

This should take effect around the middle of August. When ordering, once you reach the check-out page, you will be given the option of choosing which service you prefer: UPS or USPS.

Currently, we only offer USPS service, and I have noticed that people are choosing the Parcel Post option over Priority Mail, probably thinking it will be a cheaper service. Everyone may not be aware that Parcel Post is not always the cheaper choice, especially on shipments going to the West Coast.

My advice, especially with UPS coming on board, is to click on the service you really want, then on the next slower one to compare. I think we will all be glad to have UPS as our main shipper again.

Glass Spinning Wheel

Take a look at this lovely spinning wheel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzYB1o9YRUc

ReName That Yarn! ... contest

I have been contacted by the nice folks at Cherry Tree Hill yarns, and they have asked me to rename my signature yarn, known as Wool2Dye4 SuperSock. They've had their own Super Sock since 1998, and have worked hard to establish that as a unique name. Actually, when I named my own yarn, I did an internet search on SuperSock and not a thing came up! Not even the two word variety!

So, we are doing the right thing and will be renaming the yarn. What is interesting is that a couple of my customers called them asking if they could get a better price on Wool2Dye4 SuperSock! They had to be retail customers, because this name is not used for that yarn when it is sold to wholesale customers. I am guessing that people were 'price shopping' and that's what led to this situation.

Trouble is that it is so very popular and I need to come up with a very good name. One which will send the message that this is my flagship / signature yarn. Until I find a new name, the yarn will be known temporarily as 'Wool2Dye4 Sock.' simple and to the point.

Help me rename this yarn. There is a prize of $100 of W2D4 yarn of your choice from stock for the winner. I will choose the winner and if no name is chosen from those entered in the contest, the best second choice will win $50 free wool. You may enter more than once!

Here are the guildelines for Rename That Yarn contest ... Name must ...

--Be submitted by eMail to info@wool2Dye4.com
--Associate the yarn with my company or company image
--Be memorable and unique
--Reflect popularity of the yarn (it is my best-selling yarn)
--Be submitted by eMail to info@wool2Dye4.com (oh? Did I say that?) In other words, don't post the name here on the blog!

Deadline for entry: August 10, 2008

Where Do All the Old Phones Go?

From a friend.

Phone Sheep ...

Artist: Jean-Luc

Exhibit: Museum fur Kommunication, Germany

The World's Fascination with Dyeing

I get into some neat conversations with people over dyeing. Today, for instance, one of the workers replacing the walkway to the studio asked me if I saw the new season opener of Project Runway last night. (He'd told me that he liked fashion, something I would never have guessed from the outfits he wears.) Then, he launched into his surprise at the girl who grabbed paper bags and Rit dye, and then dyed them up to create fabric for her project. 'At first,' he said, 'I didn't like what she did. It looked like a mess! But, then when she made something out of it, it looked good. Now, that's creative!'

It was so good to hear about his recognition that someone had a vision of an end product and, while he may not have liked the individual parts, he loved the finished product. Which goes to prove that the whole is equal to the sum of it's parts!

New Stock

I thought I had mis-read the market just a few months back when I declared, maybe to myself, maybe to a few customers, that I had found the perfect yarn. What I was talking about is W2D4 Merino Superwash DK, one of the five new yarns introduced last summer. Evidently the market is slow to come to the same conclusion, though, because sales on it languished, then started to pick up slowly, almost without my knowing it. Well, actually, I was surprised that stock went down and then, unfortunately, out of the perfect yarn. So, once that empty shelf got my attention, I reordered skeins and cones immediately. AND they are coming in on Monday.

Funny, how it takes a while for a yarn to catch on. I realize that I am absolutely tiny when compared to the big guys, but, of course, the market for undyed yarn is probably tiny when compared to the larger commercial market which fuels yarn shops worldwide.

I think what made me realize that I had found the perfect yarn was that it could be used for several different fabrics. For instance, there are folks out there who like to knit up bulky socks on size 4 or 5 needles, strange as this seems to me. Almost unnatural, even, but hey! If customes want to buy yarn and knit up bulky socks, then I am truly happy to accommodate them! Don't get me wrong here.

And, it is just perfect for knitting baby clothes which need to go into the washer frequently. The superwash won't felt, so the it is basically carefree. This brings to mind the thought of how many customers actually knit up diaper covers! This is an amazing thought to me, and evokes so many visual images that I think I had better steer away from this topic. They are all tolerant of my disbelief, though, and a couple have even sent me patterns to try it myself.

But, my favorite, favorite use for my W2D4 Merino Superwash DK is sweaters and vests. For me, this is the perfect weight for a sweater. Let's face it, here in Virginia, we do not get to wear sweaters as much as we'd like to, and the older I get, the more I seem to notice that I am inside. So, the sweaters which I like are medium weight ones which keep me warm in my heated home. I don't like for my skin to be exposed during the time when the house is heated. Don't laugh. This preference to cover up skin has kept me pretty wrinkle free!

I digress.
Now, the Merino Superwash DK is back on the website. I invite you to test it out, and see if it is the perfect yarn, after all, for you.

Dancing Man ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

This link is borrowed from the website of the Mason-Dixon gals (http://masondixonknitting.com/) and I just had to list it. Pure delight, and worth a few minutes of time. There is something so endearing about his dance!