BFL Ultra! on one-pound Cones (there are plenty of skeins in stock, too)
BFL Roving
BFL Superwash Roving
BFL Bulky on kilo cones
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Backordered BFL -- Due Dec 7th
Happy to announce that the Blue Faced Leicester will be back in stock in all categories at the end of next week, around Dec. 7th. We expect arrival of...
Introducing... New Formulation of Wool2Dye4 SuperSock
I just received notice that the new Wool2Dye4 SuperSock has passed through customs, and should be in the studio by Dec. 7th. This is an entirely new formulation of our signature sock yarn, and I think it will be well received.
It is so hard to decide on a yarn which bears the name of my company and to count on each shipment to be the very same as the previous one. We had some problems with the former yarn; sometimes it came in with such a tight twist that it took lots of work to ease it into a workable sock yarn. I remember one morning when I was browsing the Internet blogs to see what nice things people had written about Wool2Dye4 lately. There was my former signature sock yarn pictured in a spaghetti bowl! The caption said something like 'this is Wool2Dye4 spaghetti yarn.' Everything stood still for a brief second in life as the shock sank in! Horrible, horrible feeling.
This yarn, though, is not ever going to appear in anyone's spaghetti dish, unless they are doing some sort of interesting knitted food art. (Actually, that sounds like a neat idea!)
Wool2Dye4 SuperSock has a new look, feel and act. This is a fingering yarn with spring and bounce to it, a yarn which feels lively when it passes through your fingers. The three plies make for a nice and round yarn, so important for pattern work and the details of cables. The new formulation takes dye evenly and beautifully, too. Here are the details:
New Wool2Dye4 SuperSock ... 3-Ply superwash merino, 2,175 yds/lb prox. Put up: 8 oz skeins of 1,085 yds prox. Cost $18/skein.
It is so hard to decide on a yarn which bears the name of my company and to count on each shipment to be the very same as the previous one. We had some problems with the former yarn; sometimes it came in with such a tight twist that it took lots of work to ease it into a workable sock yarn. I remember one morning when I was browsing the Internet blogs to see what nice things people had written about Wool2Dye4 lately. There was my former signature sock yarn pictured in a spaghetti bowl! The caption said something like 'this is Wool2Dye4 spaghetti yarn.' Everything stood still for a brief second in life as the shock sank in! Horrible, horrible feeling.
This yarn, though, is not ever going to appear in anyone's spaghetti dish, unless they are doing some sort of interesting knitted food art. (Actually, that sounds like a neat idea!)
Wool2Dye4 SuperSock has a new look, feel and act. This is a fingering yarn with spring and bounce to it, a yarn which feels lively when it passes through your fingers. The three plies make for a nice and round yarn, so important for pattern work and the details of cables. The new formulation takes dye evenly and beautifully, too. Here are the details:
New Wool2Dye4 SuperSock ... 3-Ply superwash merino, 2,175 yds/lb prox. Put up: 8 oz skeins of 1,085 yds prox. Cost $18/skein.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
New Knitting Community: Ravelry
Have you heard about www.ravelry.com yet? If not, navigate on over to the link and take a look at this new online knitting community. Great background work and programming! These folks are putting together an upscale site where we can all take a part in a knitting and crochet community. Lots of opportunity to post pictures, exchange patterns, learn about yarns, trends and popularities of yarns and patterns, discussion forums (Oh, dear. What is the actual plural of this Latin word? Fori?) ... a very exciting internet spot to visit any time of the day.
There is a waiting list to sign up because they are testing it. I believe that more than 4,000 have signed up in the past few weeks, and that the waiting list may have that many names! I signed up when one of my customers told me about it, and Wool2Dye4, Inc. is planning to advertise there.
Check it out: www.ravelry.com
There is a waiting list to sign up because they are testing it. I believe that more than 4,000 have signed up in the past few weeks, and that the waiting list may have that many names! I signed up when one of my customers told me about it, and Wool2Dye4, Inc. is planning to advertise there.
Check it out: www.ravelry.com
Monday, November 19, 2007
Queen Elizabeth's Hand-Knit Socks
Today is the 50th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. On this morning's news, there was a piece on the unique gifts they received 50 years ago, and the three mentioned were ... knitted hats, knitted tea cosies, and hand-knit socks!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Overdue Introduction to Chrissy, my Assistant
I am ashamed to be late in introducing a new permanent member of the Wool2Dye4 studio, Chrissy, who has been working for at least a month. She eased herself into the workings around here so easily that it seems that she has always been working with me. Oh, no! I do remember the search. It took more than six months to find the right person, no joke.
Chrissy is the right person, for sure, and has taken over the job of putting together the new websites. I know, I know I've been promising new websites forever. Now, with Chrissy at the keyboard, we are making real progress and are ahead of the webmaster and waiting for the next assignment so we can be up and running in the new format soon. She has a way of just doing what needs to be done, and I truly appreciate some extra time I can spend on implementing a portion of my new business plan.
Just yesterday I wrote to a new customer about planning and how important it is especially to the new business owner. Opening an internet business is relatively easy, compared to opening a bricks-and-mortar store, and sometimes because it seems easy, we skip over some of the basic, old-fashioned planning.
Chrissy has taken over much of the responsibility for the daily business at hand, allowing me to work with the manufacturers and develop new yarns, work on budget and pricing guidelines, refine the wholesale marketing strategy, implement a new advertising campaign. I like to get down to the basics sometimes and work from the most simple operation to the most complex, looking at each step to see how it can be improved, how my message can better be projected, how to achieve my business goals. I have always said that the first purpose of having a successful business should be to improve the quality of the owner's life. Having the right people work with you is one of the keys to creating a successful business.
So, I welcome Chrissy to Wool2Dye4. Even though it is a late introduction, it is absolutely heartfelt!
Chrissy is the right person, for sure, and has taken over the job of putting together the new websites. I know, I know I've been promising new websites forever. Now, with Chrissy at the keyboard, we are making real progress and are ahead of the webmaster and waiting for the next assignment so we can be up and running in the new format soon. She has a way of just doing what needs to be done, and I truly appreciate some extra time I can spend on implementing a portion of my new business plan.
Just yesterday I wrote to a new customer about planning and how important it is especially to the new business owner. Opening an internet business is relatively easy, compared to opening a bricks-and-mortar store, and sometimes because it seems easy, we skip over some of the basic, old-fashioned planning.
Chrissy has taken over much of the responsibility for the daily business at hand, allowing me to work with the manufacturers and develop new yarns, work on budget and pricing guidelines, refine the wholesale marketing strategy, implement a new advertising campaign. I like to get down to the basics sometimes and work from the most simple operation to the most complex, looking at each step to see how it can be improved, how my message can better be projected, how to achieve my business goals. I have always said that the first purpose of having a successful business should be to improve the quality of the owner's life. Having the right people work with you is one of the keys to creating a successful business.
So, I welcome Chrissy to Wool2Dye4. Even though it is a late introduction, it is absolutely heartfelt!
Australian YARN magazine to close
I was sorry to read that YARN magazine, the Australian magazine for knitting and more, is going to cease publication very shortly. What a wonderful magazine this is, and what a shame that we will not have this record of the exuberant Australian fiber artists scampering across the pages of this quarterly magazine. They always seem so full of spirit and energy, and I looked forward to pictures of the gatherings and wacky promotional ideas. One, for instance, was themed on knitting beanies and there were just hundreds of beanies from all over the countryside. Articles on how Australian knitters are frustrated with their yarn choices, too, gave insight into the the worldwide wool market, and they always seem like such hospitable hosts to the authors and teachers who travelled there for workshop presentations. The pictures were of rooms teaming with knitters of both sexes, all ages. She truly did a wonderful job of celebrating her country's knitters.
Owner and editor Barbara Coddington has offered the publication for sale, but, as she says in her letter included in the November issue, no buyer has been willing to take on the project. This is a true loss to magazine publishing in the fiber arts market. Barbara grew her magazine into a glossy publication with thoughtful articles by her Australian colleagues, well known authors and teachers in the field, and with the marketing support of major yarn manufacturers serving that part of the world. What an accomplishment! Congratulations on a wonderful job, and thank you, Barbara, for your committment.
Owner and editor Barbara Coddington has offered the publication for sale, but, as she says in her letter included in the November issue, no buyer has been willing to take on the project. This is a true loss to magazine publishing in the fiber arts market. Barbara grew her magazine into a glossy publication with thoughtful articles by her Australian colleagues, well known authors and teachers in the field, and with the marketing support of major yarn manufacturers serving that part of the world. What an accomplishment! Congratulations on a wonderful job, and thank you, Barbara, for your committment.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Knit Lit and Fiber Fables
Recently two friends have suggested some new reading for me, and I want to pass them on with my recommendations. Both are novels which are set at fiber festivals! Both feature a murder, a fiber fanatic unravels the mystery, and both conveniently have boyfriends who are policemen! Both are a good read.
Mary Kruger's Knit Fast, Die Young, a Knitting Mystery is good reading and subtly introduces knitting info as background information. This one was lent me to and I see on the cover that there was a previous one, also featuring the same wool shop owner as sleuth, called Died in the Wool.
The other one is by Susan Wittig Albert, called Indigo Dying. This is one of several mysteries which feature a plant in the title, as the main character is an herb shop owner who, conveniently, also holds a law degree. Yes, her boyfriend is also a law enforcement officer. Good storyline with an interesting mystery. For some reason, the info included about dyeing seemed almost to sound like a research paper, not very conversational or introduced occasionally. But, this will not stop me from reading this author's other books.
Other titles come to mind: Debbie Macomber's Shop of Blossom Street and followup novel, A Good Yarn. Of course there is Monica Ferris and her series of the needlework/yarn shop owner sleuth who's love interest is, yes, a policeman.
I am sure that not all fiber related mysteries have a lawman in the background waiting to rescue the delicate fiber artist from her musings and adventures. Lots of the female sleuths, actually, have a strong male lawman as a love interest whether they run a yarn shop, a cookie shop, or herb shop.
Fun reading, all.
Mary Kruger's Knit Fast, Die Young, a Knitting Mystery is good reading and subtly introduces knitting info as background information. This one was lent me to and I see on the cover that there was a previous one, also featuring the same wool shop owner as sleuth, called Died in the Wool.
The other one is by Susan Wittig Albert, called Indigo Dying. This is one of several mysteries which feature a plant in the title, as the main character is an herb shop owner who, conveniently, also holds a law degree. Yes, her boyfriend is also a law enforcement officer. Good storyline with an interesting mystery. For some reason, the info included about dyeing seemed almost to sound like a research paper, not very conversational or introduced occasionally. But, this will not stop me from reading this author's other books.
Other titles come to mind: Debbie Macomber's Shop of Blossom Street and followup novel, A Good Yarn. Of course there is Monica Ferris and her series of the needlework/yarn shop owner sleuth who's love interest is, yes, a policeman.
I am sure that not all fiber related mysteries have a lawman in the background waiting to rescue the delicate fiber artist from her musings and adventures. Lots of the female sleuths, actually, have a strong male lawman as a love interest whether they run a yarn shop, a cookie shop, or herb shop.
Fun reading, all.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Reskeining mill skeins for resale
From time to time, customers ask me about how to get two equal skeins from one of the 8-oz skeins they purchase from me. My advice is this: if you are reselling yarn in 4 oz skeins, please do not start with 8 oz skeins. Start off with one pound (or larger) cones. The reason for this is that at this end of the market -- what is known as the 'gray goods market' -- our yarns are not weighed and measured with accuracy. The accuracy comes in the final stages of the finished dyed goods. For instance, the large yarn manufacturers process thousands of yards of each weight at one time. They are spun, then dyed, then measured out into salable units which we find in local yarn shops wrapped up neatly with a label on them announcing weight, among other specifications.
At this end of the market, the measurements and weights are not nearly as exact. In recent years, since the hand dyed yarns have gained popularity, smaller dyers are discovering that an 8 oz skein may not weigh exactly eight ounces. I try to sprinkle my descriptions with the words 'approximate' and 'prox' throughout, so that people get the idea that the weights and measures will fluctuate. You can count on that.
Here's a good example of the last batch of BFL Ultra!, my wonderful sock weight in Blue Faced Leicester superwash. The skeins are weighing in at 7.6 to 7.8 ounces. The one pound cones, though, are weighing in from 1.2 to 1.6 pounds. Next batch may come in at different base weights. At this end of the market, it is not an exact science. I must tell you that I have never once received a complaint from a customer that they received up to half a pound of rare yarn for free! Not once. BUT I have heard from people who are beginning to dye in small amounts, and they think that they can buy 8 oz skeins and divide them in half to resell.
My plea is this: if you are going to skein up smaller measurements for resale, please buy yarn in cones.
All of this said, I will note that I am gradually gaining control over details such as weight and measurement, as I move closer and closer to the source of my yarns. I am having more yarns manufactured by a mill which is known for being consistent in its weights and measurements. Even though the weights will be more consistent in the future, though, my advice still stands to resellers:
The Golden Rule of Measurement: If you are reselling yarns in small quantities, start with one-pound minimum cones. Don't try to split small skeins into smaller measurements. We are at the gray goods end of the market where measurements and weights are approximate.
My suggestion: sell sock yarns by yardage. Most sock knitters examine labels to see if there are close to 400 yards in a ball of commercial sock yarn. That seems to be the benchmark to knit up a pair of socks, so be a little generous and make your skeins into 425 or even 450 yards. This measurement may increase your sales because you will be giving the customer what they want...the number of yards needed to knit a pair of socks. Giving the customer what they really want is how we do business.
At this end of the market, the measurements and weights are not nearly as exact. In recent years, since the hand dyed yarns have gained popularity, smaller dyers are discovering that an 8 oz skein may not weigh exactly eight ounces. I try to sprinkle my descriptions with the words 'approximate' and 'prox' throughout, so that people get the idea that the weights and measures will fluctuate. You can count on that.
Here's a good example of the last batch of BFL Ultra!, my wonderful sock weight in Blue Faced Leicester superwash. The skeins are weighing in at 7.6 to 7.8 ounces. The one pound cones, though, are weighing in from 1.2 to 1.6 pounds. Next batch may come in at different base weights. At this end of the market, it is not an exact science. I must tell you that I have never once received a complaint from a customer that they received up to half a pound of rare yarn for free! Not once. BUT I have heard from people who are beginning to dye in small amounts, and they think that they can buy 8 oz skeins and divide them in half to resell.
My plea is this: if you are going to skein up smaller measurements for resale, please buy yarn in cones.
All of this said, I will note that I am gradually gaining control over details such as weight and measurement, as I move closer and closer to the source of my yarns. I am having more yarns manufactured by a mill which is known for being consistent in its weights and measurements. Even though the weights will be more consistent in the future, though, my advice still stands to resellers:
The Golden Rule of Measurement: If you are reselling yarns in small quantities, start with one-pound minimum cones. Don't try to split small skeins into smaller measurements. We are at the gray goods end of the market where measurements and weights are approximate.
My suggestion: sell sock yarns by yardage. Most sock knitters examine labels to see if there are close to 400 yards in a ball of commercial sock yarn. That seems to be the benchmark to knit up a pair of socks, so be a little generous and make your skeins into 425 or even 450 yards. This measurement may increase your sales because you will be giving the customer what they want...the number of yards needed to knit a pair of socks. Giving the customer what they really want is how we do business.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Studio Assistant Caitlin's First DyePot!
Here is the happy face of Caitlin, our parttime college studio assistant, holding up her first roving dye experiment. She is self-taught and an enthusiastic spindle spinner. Beautiful job, Caitlin!
Caitlin will be with us until May 08 when she graduates Randolph College (formerly Randolph Macon Woman's College).
New Patterns in Stock
NEW PATTERN from Second Nature Design. Karen Alfke has just sent us her two new latest patterns... Unpattern Vest (using her famous "Top Down" techinque) and her CableDown Pullover. This picture shows my version of her CableDown Pullover in Almerino. We still have some Almerino left in nice pastel colors. (Almerino=Alpaca + Merino, 50/50)
See GALLERY picture.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Designer Karen Alfke's New Blog
http://akabini.squarespace.com/
This is the address where you can read what one of our designers has to say about the process. Karen Alfke has a fresh and fashionable approach to her design. If you read her blog, you will get a nice idea of how much interaction her designs create and feed from, as she gets help and advice from her circle of creative support.
This is the address where you can read what one of our designers has to say about the process. Karen Alfke has a fresh and fashionable approach to her design. If you read her blog, you will get a nice idea of how much interaction her designs create and feed from, as she gets help and advice from her circle of creative support.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Rumors of a New Website ...
Well, they may not be rumors, but real websites
coming online in a few weeks. The word 'rumor' just might cause you to read this!
My webmaster has put together some modules of a good eCommerce program, and I am working to get my part of the duties completed so that we can get up and going. There will actually be two new websites: one for retail customers, and one for wholesalers. The wholesale site will be a password-protected site. The screens should make choosing which yarn, the weight, and payment options easy to understand. Because the new program is a true eCommerce site, you will soon have choices in how you pay for your purchases. Hooray! I feel like we have all been a prisoner of PayPal for the past three years, far too long, especially for me.
When you are ready to order, you'll just fill out a form with all the shipping and billing info on it, and that form will be available to me at any time. It will make life easier for me because I won't have to chase the details of your order through a series of eMails or back through the history of your PayPal purchases. As you use the new site for repeat orders, I will be able to read a history of the yarns you order, which could be useful if I get in a limited supply of a yarn similar to what you've been using.
Yesterday I was describing the new site to a person I was interviewing for a job. She was applying for what I loosely call the 'studio assistant' position, but in her case, I was looking for someone who is more savvy at the computer than I am. Years ago someone, whom I admired very much, told me to always hire people who are smarter than I am. Hmmm. Is this why I am having such a terrible time finding help around the studio? I think not! BUT I don't have an answer either for why it is so hard to hire someone for the job.
No, this person will be primarily responsible for getting the site up and running, creating a beautiful home page where I can communicate any news of back orders, stock levels, details of new yarns or special purchases, etc. As I was describing the position to her, I had this growing sense of excitement. Just hearing myself describe the new sites and imagining using them to communicate, to retrieve orders much easier than the current set-up, well, it was just so invigorating and I felt very much as I did when I first began to plan the business.
Yesterday I wrote to a new customer who is just setting up a new business, and as I wrote I again felt that excitement. It's really fun to put ideas into practice! No matter if you are just rumbling about with the hint of an idea, or if you have been up and running for a while and get that surge of enthusiasm and that shot of adrenalin. Of course, business is very practical and at the same time it is very much like any complex project. It takes planning before implementation.
I've had months of planning for the introduction of the new sites, and was ready to get them up and running months ago, but have to work with the schedules of my webmaster and find a good person to keep it up dated regularly. Maybe just maybe everything is aligned as it should be, and my plan will actually get implemented soon. Stay tuned!
coming online in a few weeks. The word 'rumor' just might cause you to read this!
My webmaster has put together some modules of a good eCommerce program, and I am working to get my part of the duties completed so that we can get up and going. There will actually be two new websites: one for retail customers, and one for wholesalers. The wholesale site will be a password-protected site. The screens should make choosing which yarn, the weight, and payment options easy to understand. Because the new program is a true eCommerce site, you will soon have choices in how you pay for your purchases. Hooray! I feel like we have all been a prisoner of PayPal for the past three years, far too long, especially for me.
When you are ready to order, you'll just fill out a form with all the shipping and billing info on it, and that form will be available to me at any time. It will make life easier for me because I won't have to chase the details of your order through a series of eMails or back through the history of your PayPal purchases. As you use the new site for repeat orders, I will be able to read a history of the yarns you order, which could be useful if I get in a limited supply of a yarn similar to what you've been using.
Yesterday I was describing the new site to a person I was interviewing for a job. She was applying for what I loosely call the 'studio assistant' position, but in her case, I was looking for someone who is more savvy at the computer than I am. Years ago someone, whom I admired very much, told me to always hire people who are smarter than I am. Hmmm. Is this why I am having such a terrible time finding help around the studio? I think not! BUT I don't have an answer either for why it is so hard to hire someone for the job.
No, this person will be primarily responsible for getting the site up and running, creating a beautiful home page where I can communicate any news of back orders, stock levels, details of new yarns or special purchases, etc. As I was describing the position to her, I had this growing sense of excitement. Just hearing myself describe the new sites and imagining using them to communicate, to retrieve orders much easier than the current set-up, well, it was just so invigorating and I felt very much as I did when I first began to plan the business.
Yesterday I wrote to a new customer who is just setting up a new business, and as I wrote I again felt that excitement. It's really fun to put ideas into practice! No matter if you are just rumbling about with the hint of an idea, or if you have been up and running for a while and get that surge of enthusiasm and that shot of adrenalin. Of course, business is very practical and at the same time it is very much like any complex project. It takes planning before implementation.
I've had months of planning for the introduction of the new sites, and was ready to get them up and running months ago, but have to work with the schedules of my webmaster and find a good person to keep it up dated regularly. Maybe just maybe everything is aligned as it should be, and my plan will actually get implemented soon. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Knitting for a Great Cause: Children in Need
Here is a link to the ultimate charity for our hobby:
http://www.knittinguniverse.com/childrenincommon/childrenincommon.htm
Are you going to Stitches East this year? If so, you can sit down and work on knitting socks for children in Eastern Europe. Or, knit them before your trip and drop off a pair of child's socks at Booth #89, near the entrance to The Market. Please pass the word along.
http://www.knittinguniverse.com/childrenincommon/childrenincommon.htm
Are you going to Stitches East this year? If so, you can sit down and work on knitting socks for children in Eastern Europe. Or, knit them before your trip and drop off a pair of child's socks at Booth #89, near the entrance to The Market. Please pass the word along.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Riding the Wave of Interest in Hand-Dyes
I have customers who have been so successful at their handdye business that they have quit what they used to call their real job, and have become fulltime fiber artists. They're making a living at it too. When they write to me about trends they see in the demands of their own customers, I listen.
Lately, what I have been reading from these folks is that they foresee a need for good handdyed yarns in sport and DK weight. Their customers, who buy handdyes at fiber festivals, go back to the local yarn shops and tell the local shop owner that they wish they could find something like the handdyed yarn they got at such-and-such fiber festival. Shop owners have been responding with shelves full of Koigu and other yarns which have ridden on Koigu's success, especially in their choices of filling their sock shelves. First it was the self-patterning sock yarns which looked like Fair Isle, then it was the more muted yarns which mimicked handdyes, and now, they are actually buying your handdyes and stocking them on their shelves.
Not all knitters who see the lovely handdyed yarns are sock knitters. In fact, it has been said that there are fabulous talented knitters out there who have never knit a sock in their life! So, see? There is a huge market of sweater knitters, baby clothes knitters, shawl and shrug knitters out there and they are awaiting some lovely handdyed yarns in a little heavier weight.
What I hear is that the next wave of popularity of handdyes is in the sport weight and Dk weight. So, when I heard about a closeout on an upscale yarn, I decided to take a chance and buy all of it. What 'it' is is a blend of 15% silk with 85% superwash merino in a DK weight yarn. I have some of it shown on the SPECIALS page of my website. Other choices to try creating your own line of handdyed sweater yarns would be Kona Superwash (for the superwash customer) and two yarns from the non-superwash lineup, giving you some choice. Try Montana for a classic knitting weight yarn, and Licorice Twist for a visually interesting yarn. (Remember the Licorice Twist is a 4-ply with some superwash merino in the blend, and the SW takes up more dye than the non-superwash, giving the yarn a candycane look. When knit into fabric, though, Licorice Twist gives a sort of heathered look. Very nice, and lots of fun to dye, too.)
Trends and fashions change, and in the knitting and crochet world, we are a part of the next wave of interest. Our luck, though, is that we can see it coming! Think about it.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Customers With Many Monikers
I spend so much time trying to match people's different names, and have tried to remind people that I would like some help in finding their information. I wish I could count the wasted time spent in searching for alternate identities. For example, a customer may write an email asking about a yarn, and that email could be their husband's address, or one of many they hold. Often, customers only sign their first name, or do not sign the email at all. The biggest problem in identification is in the name which appears in the 'From' spot on emails, and that's where people love to get creative and invent new nicknames, use a company name which may not appear anywhere else, abbreviate their email address, or ... my favorite ... use their first name. Help me, please!
If theirs is a Special Order, I have to use an email address to invoice them through PayPal, so I go into PayPal and use the invoice from the original request to bill them. If they have a different email address for their PayPal account, they write back asking me to bill them at the alternate address. I go back into PayPal, edit the invoice, send it again, print another invoice copy, and throw away the first one. Or, they could throw me a curve, and pay the invoice through another PayPal address and I have no clue who is whom.
I have some customers with two or three email addresses -- all cloyingly cute, by the way! -- and who's names I have never seen. They do not sign their emails or inform me that they are writing from a different address than the one I should use in PayPal billing. It is so frustrating.
A couple of months ago, I decided to add to my email signature an automatic message which asks people to tell me if their PayPal address is different from their regular email, and also to sign their first and last names to their correspondence. A few have been so very nice to help me out, but most people either have ignored the message, or think it just doesn't apply to them. I am thinking particularly of a few regular customers who are billed for their shipments, and they never, ever copy down their billing email address.
So, how can I conquer this constant irritation? Through a new website program! Yes, that is definitely in the works. It will be a true eCommerce site, powered by OSCommerce, and customers will fill out a form which asks for this information. I will have behind the scenes access to these reports and can more easily find the info I need. Now, the only problem is to gently urge my webmaster towards my problems again. I'm in a waiting mode for his attention at the moment, and will be so happy to hear from him again!
If theirs is a Special Order, I have to use an email address to invoice them through PayPal, so I go into PayPal and use the invoice from the original request to bill them. If they have a different email address for their PayPal account, they write back asking me to bill them at the alternate address. I go back into PayPal, edit the invoice, send it again, print another invoice copy, and throw away the first one. Or, they could throw me a curve, and pay the invoice through another PayPal address and I have no clue who is whom.
I have some customers with two or three email addresses -- all cloyingly cute, by the way! -- and who's names I have never seen. They do not sign their emails or inform me that they are writing from a different address than the one I should use in PayPal billing. It is so frustrating.
A couple of months ago, I decided to add to my email signature an automatic message which asks people to tell me if their PayPal address is different from their regular email, and also to sign their first and last names to their correspondence. A few have been so very nice to help me out, but most people either have ignored the message, or think it just doesn't apply to them. I am thinking particularly of a few regular customers who are billed for their shipments, and they never, ever copy down their billing email address.
So, how can I conquer this constant irritation? Through a new website program! Yes, that is definitely in the works. It will be a true eCommerce site, powered by OSCommerce, and customers will fill out a form which asks for this information. I will have behind the scenes access to these reports and can more easily find the info I need. Now, the only problem is to gently urge my webmaster towards my problems again. I'm in a waiting mode for his attention at the moment, and will be so happy to hear from him again!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
www.spin-out.org
That is the address of the big spinning party in Central Park, NYC coming up at the end of the month: September 29th from 11 to 5. It is actually a wonderful day in many ways. A place for spinners to get together, a place to shop, the chance to mingle with other fiber artists, etc. The big event will benefit a wonderful charity organization, Heifer International. Proceeds will go to purchase chickens, goats, sheep, animals which feed families in underpriviledged areas, all in the effort to end world hunger. (http://www.heifer.org/) Check out these websites. Very touching, and a way we can actually make a difference.
Spinning in the Open?
I cannot remember when this day of spinning out in public is, but think it is coming up. What fun it would be to dress up in my little colonial costume, don my mop hat and sit out in the driveway and spin. But, I can't recall that date.
Hard to Find Good Help
Picture: Such a creamy, lovely, just exquisite yarn in this picture. It is a blend of silk with superwash merino (15% to 85%) in a 4-Ply yarn. Because the silk takes less dye than the superwash merino, one strand dyes up a few shades lighter than the other three plies. Nice. Unfortunately, there is a limited supply of this yarn because it is a closeout of a high-end yarn which I bought. All good things must come to an end! You can find this yarn on the Specials page of the website in 8-oz skeins (640 +/- yds), priced well at $28.
I have lost my helper, my wonderful and enthusiastic helper, to higher education. Yes, I know that I should be 100% happy for her, but I do need some good help around the studio. This work is a mixture of handling yarn all day in filling orders and accepting the incoming shipments, labeling cones, neatening things as you walk by. But, there is quite a bit of computer work in accepting orders, sending invoices, printing info cards and labels, and even shipping by computer.
Some days I declare the afternoons as Play Dates, and that's when the dye pots come out and I raid the secret stashes of yarn which have been hoarded just for this day! I always seem to have a stash of mystery yarns which got separated from their buddies, so they get tossed into the Mystery Bin and are destined for my dye experiments. My new natural dye buddy is out of the picture for a while as this Maine native deals with allergies to the pollens and pests of Virginia. I sure do miss her, too, because together we just came up with terrific combinations and tried all sorts of methods and combinations of dyestuffs and mordants and after baths which simply did not occur to me alone. I am hoping that after mosquito season, she will be able to join me for Play Date again.
But back to the search for a new assistant. I am reduced to passing out my card at the local drug store! Actually, it was the closing of the last locally owned drug store in our town, and I had stumbled upon their closeout sale. I fell into conversation with the people in front and in back of me as we stood in line, and wound up passing out my card to everyone in hopes of finding some good help. In my mind, there is someone out there who would just love this job! Unfortunately, they just haven't heard about it yet, so I am having to raid my husband's crew for help with the heavy lifting and repetitive tasks of labelling things. They're great help, but not very good conversationalists about fiber.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Indigo Dye Weekend at Folk School
I was lucky enough to get to spend another weekend at John C Campbell Folk School at the end of August. That is such a lovely spot ... still rural and peaceful, though I heard several locals complain that too many people had discovered it. I am guessing that retirees who went to Folk School just fell in love with the area and decided to move there to share the peace and quiet, but the locals don't like the rising tax rates. Evidently the newcomers are building nice fancy houses in the area and tax rates are being affected.
One of the people in the class was from Asheville, and expressed the same sort of feeling about recent growth in that North Carolina city. She said so many folks have moved into the area that now the original locals can't afford the prices in their hometown. There is a terrible mixture of expanding one's experiences, discovery of very special places, being welcomed and rejected at the same time -- all mixed up with some of our desire to reclaim the simple days of the past yet enjoy the comforts of today.
This is not what I began to write about though. Putting aside the inclination to pontificate, it's back to indigo. The class was thorough, though if we had had two pots of indigo it would have been more productive. We dyed silk and wool fabrics in indigo baths, then walnut, marigold, and made up sample sheets to take home. Basic colors created ran from blue to brown with some muddy yellow in there. I always like to see yarn dyed and have moved away from fabric in recent years. After all, there is only so much time in life, and my time seems to be taken up with wool.
In a former post, I wrote about instant indigo. After the Folk School weekend, I will definitely give that a new try because I realized that I probably was not looking for the right color of green/yellow just under the surface of the pot, and didn't know when to adjust the pot or even that the temperature had to be fairly constant. The word 'instant' may have given me a little too much confdence. Now, I wonder if the results I got in my first experiment will be bonded to the fiber or if they will 'crock,' as the flaking of indigo is called. Pretty cool to use that term in a sentence! I admit to not having much of a control over that first experiment, so do plan to try it again and be ready to alter and watch that pot with a more practiced eye.
One of the people in the class was from Asheville, and expressed the same sort of feeling about recent growth in that North Carolina city. She said so many folks have moved into the area that now the original locals can't afford the prices in their hometown. There is a terrible mixture of expanding one's experiences, discovery of very special places, being welcomed and rejected at the same time -- all mixed up with some of our desire to reclaim the simple days of the past yet enjoy the comforts of today.
This is not what I began to write about though. Putting aside the inclination to pontificate, it's back to indigo. The class was thorough, though if we had had two pots of indigo it would have been more productive. We dyed silk and wool fabrics in indigo baths, then walnut, marigold, and made up sample sheets to take home. Basic colors created ran from blue to brown with some muddy yellow in there. I always like to see yarn dyed and have moved away from fabric in recent years. After all, there is only so much time in life, and my time seems to be taken up with wool.
In a former post, I wrote about instant indigo. After the Folk School weekend, I will definitely give that a new try because I realized that I probably was not looking for the right color of green/yellow just under the surface of the pot, and didn't know when to adjust the pot or even that the temperature had to be fairly constant. The word 'instant' may have given me a little too much confdence. Now, I wonder if the results I got in my first experiment will be bonded to the fiber or if they will 'crock,' as the flaking of indigo is called. Pretty cool to use that term in a sentence! I admit to not having much of a control over that first experiment, so do plan to try it again and be ready to alter and watch that pot with a more practiced eye.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Heat + Agitation = FELT, my friends
Within the past week I have received two letters from beginning dyers who have created felt without intending to do so with fingering-weight yarn and roving fibers. Both had been worried about scouring the yarn/roving, so they heated them for an hour, and, in one case, and stirred. This is the perfect recipe to felt yarn or roving ... heat plus agitation will definitely give you felt.
Truth is that the yarns and spinning fibers at this level of the market have already been washed a couple of times. They may not have been scoured, but all that is needed to remove residual lanolin and spinning oils is a couple of hot baths. I plunge my yarn into a warm bath and let it soak for about 20 minutes, then gently squeeze water from the skein and repeat until the water is no longer milky looking.
The same treatment is used for roving, but more care has to be taken when lifting heavy wet roving from a bath so that it does not tear or mat together. Just put your hands under the roving, down in the bath, and sort of gather it together while it is still in the water. You may even want to drop it into a colander and give a few gentle pushes from the top to get out the water.
If you're using raw fleece or yarns spun from raw roving, yes, they'd need to be scoured, but these yarns are commercially prepared and are a far cry from raw fleece with the dirt, straw and unmentionables found in the fibers. These yarns and spinning fibers do not need to be boiled and stirred at all, just washed or rinsed in a couple of hot baths.
The less rough handling of the fiber, the better your result. Avoid heavy stirring in the pot, or if you cannot contain yourself, be sure to add several extra choke-ties to the skein before you wet it. Same thing goes for roving and spinning fibers: use a gentle hand. If you're doing an open pot method of dyeing, then get a big spatula to lift the fiber in the pot and distribute the color, always taking care not to allow the fiber to support the weight of the rest of the material and the water, which, of course, will pull it apart. Even when dyeing roving, there's no need to smush and push and agitate the color into the fiber at all! Just apply it, gently blot the color into the fiber and let nature/osmosis/color bleeding/heat take its course.
Felted yarn is hard to get into a usable state. It's time to pull out the imaginative ideas to work with felted yarn, and I will leave that concept alone for now. Felted fiber can be saved by working with it to fluff it up, stretching gently in all directions along the length of the roving. Another method is the thigh-thwacking procedure! Yes, a technical term which aptly describes a way to introduce air between the little matted fibers while offering some exercise to the fiber enthusiast at the same time.
Truth is that the yarns and spinning fibers at this level of the market have already been washed a couple of times. They may not have been scoured, but all that is needed to remove residual lanolin and spinning oils is a couple of hot baths. I plunge my yarn into a warm bath and let it soak for about 20 minutes, then gently squeeze water from the skein and repeat until the water is no longer milky looking.
The same treatment is used for roving, but more care has to be taken when lifting heavy wet roving from a bath so that it does not tear or mat together. Just put your hands under the roving, down in the bath, and sort of gather it together while it is still in the water. You may even want to drop it into a colander and give a few gentle pushes from the top to get out the water.
If you're using raw fleece or yarns spun from raw roving, yes, they'd need to be scoured, but these yarns are commercially prepared and are a far cry from raw fleece with the dirt, straw and unmentionables found in the fibers. These yarns and spinning fibers do not need to be boiled and stirred at all, just washed or rinsed in a couple of hot baths.
The less rough handling of the fiber, the better your result. Avoid heavy stirring in the pot, or if you cannot contain yourself, be sure to add several extra choke-ties to the skein before you wet it. Same thing goes for roving and spinning fibers: use a gentle hand. If you're doing an open pot method of dyeing, then get a big spatula to lift the fiber in the pot and distribute the color, always taking care not to allow the fiber to support the weight of the rest of the material and the water, which, of course, will pull it apart. Even when dyeing roving, there's no need to smush and push and agitate the color into the fiber at all! Just apply it, gently blot the color into the fiber and let nature/osmosis/color bleeding/heat take its course.
Felted yarn is hard to get into a usable state. It's time to pull out the imaginative ideas to work with felted yarn, and I will leave that concept alone for now. Felted fiber can be saved by working with it to fluff it up, stretching gently in all directions along the length of the roving. Another method is the thigh-thwacking procedure! Yes, a technical term which aptly describes a way to introduce air between the little matted fibers while offering some exercise to the fiber enthusiast at the same time.
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