Saturday, February 28, 2009

Samantha In Stitches and *Giveaway*








Samantha in Stitches Or "SIS Yarn"sent in a lovely shiny mini skein of sock yarn in her "sheen" base ( a bit of bamboo makes it so soft and shiny!) and wrote on her tag that her sock yarn is only $18! Gotta love luxury yarn for under $20!!
She loves doing custom orders, please let Samantha know if you have a special idea you'd like her to make into a yarn/fiber reality.
Samantha was so gracious to send in an absolutely wonderful giveaway package!
A 4oz braid of superwash merino roving in a lovely blue and yellow colorway that reminds me, happily of a childhood kitchen I had, a pattern for a "Barbie Scarf" and a cute flip-flop pattern holder/reader.
All you have to do to enter is visit Samantha's site and tell me what you'd love to get from her shop! Remember, tweets, plurks, forum posts, blog posts, video posts, will all get you second entries! The drawing will be held on Wednesday, so help me get the word out about Samantha's goodies!
Thank you so much Samantha, for donating to this awesome giveaway and letting us experience your beautiful yarn in February's box. We hope you'll continue to contribute to Phat Fiber!












Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Cupcake Factory




Do you ever have one of those days, ladies I KNOW you know what I'm talking about, where you feel the need to curl up in a pair of sweats, tie your hair up in a messy topknot and vegetate on the couch in front of the tube- preferably with a bucket-o-bnj ice cream?
I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need to go there today- but I've come to realize once you start thinking that way it is very very hard to stop.
Enter The Cupcake Factory and her "buttercream" sock yarn base. It really is like some sort of confection for your needles. If you didn't get a little smackeral in your phat box last time, trust me- go grab whatever "buttercream" Carissa has in her shop. They really are flying out the door like freshly frosted cupcakes! She puts the cutest little cupcake stickers on the outside of the boxes she sends too- tres adorable!
The night I have in my head: A tub of chocolate ice cream, hand painted knitting needles, adorable stitch markers, an easy to follow pattern and some delicious buttercream yarn in one of Carissa's ultra-happy colors. I will also take a heating pad, cozy blanket, and pain med cocktail for an appetizer. For dessert, I like my "Pushing up Daisies" re-runs warm, with a side order of icy-cold "House" please.
Carissa was also kind enough to send in some delicious "crumb" samples too (for those of you who don't speak baked goods that is her superwash colonial roving) in a delicious purpley color. I haven't seen anyone spin those up yet, but I am waiting with anticipation- photos people, photos!
Thank you so much Carissa, for sending in such delicious samples for everyone to partake. Please, please continue to feature your products in the box!

Oh, and if you can't get enough of The Cupcake Factory on Etsy, Carissa has a lovely blog, and a flickr photostream!

The Hickory Tree




The Hickory Tree sent in the most delightful tree branch buttons and gift tags for our February box! You should have smelled the box that these samples came in! I was nearly instantly transported into a deep, cool green, summer northern Michigan wood. *sigh* What a stark contrast to my winter captivity here in the house.
Many of the buttons and tags you'll find at The Hickory Tree are finished with natural beeswax or dyed with natural dyes to bring out the beautiful burls and marbles in the various woods they use.
I just love the idea of the gift tags! You could easily use a marker and create little tags for place settings and gifts at a natural wedding- I'm no Martha, but I do love that idea!
I'd love to hear what everyone has done or plans to do with their Hickory Tree samples! If you weren't lucky enough to get one in your box, I hope you'll plan to stop by when looking for the perfect natural buttons for your next project!
Thank you so much for your sample contribution Dave and Linda! We hope you'll continue to feature your yummies in future Phat Fiber boxes!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Rule Out Fiber Addiction






One of the pretty samples that was sent in for January was one from Rule Out Fiber addiction.
Her stitch markers were the very pretty beaded ones on a dark blue business card. Rule out also sent in beautiful little mini balls of roving in an elegant organza bag.
I just visited the shop and was pleased to find a myriad of delicious bags, stitch markers, hand dyed roving and painted yarns! I am particularly interested in her flat feet sock yarn! I have never used a flat feet sheet before, though I hear good things about them. If I don't have to wind yarn before I knit it- then I'm all about it.
I very much appreciate the 1/2 skeins of yarn she sells. Sometimes you don't need to purchase 400 yards of fingering weight if you are just going to make something small like a baby hat or amigurumi toy.
Look at the little shop name explanation she has on her profile section:
"In the world of multi-axial diagnoses a definition of (rule out) is used when all the criteria are not fully met for a diagnosis, or when there are definite features, but not quite enough information. Well, I have all the information to confirm my addiction, but I'm not giving it up! Instead, I'll share!"
I can relate!
Please visit Rule out Fiber addiction and see what she has to offer! I'm eyeing the "Bar Brawl" roving complete with bruised flesh. Hilarious!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

FarmGirlchic Winner!

Anna M! and her suggestion of "Casper the friendly Goat"
Melissa at Feathers and Fleece Farm says that fits his personality perfectly!
Casper will be 4 weeks old tomorrow~ and for all those plotting to hide a goat in your backyard- he's still available for sale!
Anna, send me your information phatfiber@yahoo.com
Everyone had some very creative and wonderful suggestions and we wish to thank you all for participating! This giveaway was so much fun, I can see us hosting a similar one in the future!

Knit it up!





Some of you received a small tin of "Get a Grip" lanolin balm from Knit it Up Yarns in your January box. I know a few of you were very excited about it and want to order a larger container of it immediately!
The directions say to : Rub a small amount into hands until slightly tacky. Knit/Crochet like crazy. Repeat.
Anything that promises to help make your projects go faster is worth a try in my book!
Kate from Knit it Up yarns has so many wonderfully elegant appointments in her shop that again, it is hard to decide what to get first!
Were you a lucky recipient of a Knit It Up greeting card in your February box? You'll need to stock up on those- they really add a bit of flair to your swap packages!
Kate is finally getting settled into her new studio and has recently re-opened her shop. I've been wanting a pride and prejudice sock club membership so if anyone cares- my birthday is exactly a month a way! Okay- I"m done being tacky (for now) :)
You all know I love you, which is why I've reserved some balm and 2 notecards to be given away in a special Phat Fiber goodie box later this month. Stay tuned and please visit Knit it Up Yarns- Kate promises to send in more samples for March! Woot Woot!!
As Kate would say: "Don't just sit there. Knit!"

Monday, February 23, 2009

J.D'Melaine Fudge








The following is a guest review of a sample by Melissa from Bannana Migraine




I am a big time chocoholic, so when I saw that there as some fudge from J.D’Melaine in my PhatFiber box, I actually jumped up and down.
As a went exploring through my box I opened up the baggie and took a bite. YUM!!! It was very tasty, and I have to admit that I wasn’t very good about making it last a long time. It was eaten quite quickly.
If you check out her site, you’ll find that she is a woman of many talents. She not only makes delicious fudge, but also these very cool looking fabric necklaces. They remind me of wrapped candies (yes, I have sugar on the brain). There are even note cards, bags, earrings, and belts. She even does custom orders! If you are looking for a unique gift, especially for someone who doesn’t knit - you just might find it at her shop.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Oriri Draco Designs







We all love the exciting and multi colored indie dyed yarns of the Phat Fiber contributors. Equally exciting, however, is the prospect of creating an entire sweater or other large piece out of a beautiful and divine solid color from an independent yarn company.
I am thrilled to tell you all about Oriri Draco Designs! Many of you are fondling your trio of Oriri Draco yarn from your February box. A delicious example of luxurious solid dyed yarn! When they arrived, visions of shawls and sweaters danced in my head for many hours afterwards. I am thinking my first "February Lady" Sweater might just need to stitched from an Oriri Draco yarn... color suggestions welcomed in comments section below.
Abby has a wonderful shop and I feel like I've completed some sort of color therapy treatment after I visit it. I also thoroughly enjoy Abby's humorous twittering about her day, her dyeing and other happenings (she's a Mom to 3 "yarn babies!")
Today is a special day! Oriri Draco Designs turns 2 years old!! In celebration of this event, Abby has marked down her prices up to 25%!!
It's those everyday luxuries that help keep us all sane during these trying times- please visit Abby's shop and help us celebrate!
Thank you so much Oriri Draco for contributing to Phat Fiber, I only wish I had your yarn to paw (I mean knit) during the oscars. Will someone please invent teleporting yarn?

Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Twice Sheared Sheep













The following is a most humorous guest review of The Twice Sheared Sheep by fellow "Phattie" (Phat Fiber Participant) Natchwoolie.

Bury me in Cashmere

My new favorite place is
The Twice Sheared Sheep. The first time I wound up there I was amazed to find the most beautiful baby's butt pink yarn I had ever seen. Then I note that it is laceweight cashmere and I can actually afford it as I am frantically clicking to get it in my cart as fast as possible - wow there are three - have to have them all, I feel a pi shawl coming on. Now I begin to scroll quickly for more cashmere. I spot a pale icy blue and nab it-oh shute-only one-but 500 yards HEY a big scarf! At this point I am in a panic searching the whole store to make sure I didn't miss anymore cashmere. Oh my goodness I spotted a REALLY REALLY RED one and scarfed up two skeins of that. Now I am beginning to wonder how much I have spent and check my cart - it is not looking good, but we are talking about cashmere after all and I am saving the planet because all the yarn from Twice Sheared Sheep is recycled. I am feeling good about myself so I take one last cruise to make sure I am not missing anything and low and behold I spot the most gorgeous shade of green Extra Fine Italian Lace Merino. I am a sucker for green and the lace thing is obvious by now...two skeins - cool. Now I bet you are thinking what is she going to do with all that laceweight yarn? Well I will knit it up someday -- who cares? Its cashmere and merino, if I don't get it knitted--they can just bury me in it. Feeling a little guilty at this point, so I have to pass on this way-cool, chartreuse green dk. I don't know if I can stand it, but I check out anyway. My yarn arrived more delicious than I anticipated and I have been fondling it ever since.

On my next trip to The Twice Sheared Sheep, I had nothing left in my budget and I have no idea why I went there, but it was meant to be. Staring me right in the face were 4, count them, 4 - 500 yard skeins of natural white gossamer weight silk (I absolutely love these 500 yard skeins!) Visions of dyeing possibilities began dancing in my head and I stuffed them in my cart and checked out as fast as possible to avoid any chance that a yarn pirate might off with my booty. A couple of days later, my lush-a-licious silk arrived and all thoughts of dyes disappeared as I stared at the sparkling white magnificence. There aren't any colors good enough for this.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better I got a gorgeous and rich wine colored sample of Extra Fine Merino in the February PhatFiber Box along with a darling freshwater pearl infinity stitch marker that perfectly matches my almost virgin silk.

I'm afraid this is a sad tale after all as I have found that I am a very very sick individual. As I sat down to share my breathtaking experiences and began to eat my bowl of chocolate chip ice cream, I thought I better sneak in a visit to The Twice Sheared Sheep, before I bestow my story upon the world just in case.....and found a beautiful rusty cashmere and quickly snapped up 2, there were more, but well, that budget thing again, I'll save them for whoever gets there first (you better hurry before I change my mind.) I always have to go through the entire store.........I stumble on the chartreuse dk wool that I had managed to take out of my cart three times the first time I was shopping (not sure where that bit of abstinence came from.) Four skeins @ 200 yards = maybe a sweater-albeit a small one- I am getting it this time-obviously meant to be. 3 Skeins of super bulky Forest Green wool, well St Patrick's day is coming...............perhaps a big chunky hooded cowl for the parade.

Thank you to The Twice Sheared Sheep for contributing to the Phat Fiber box- we look forward to future yarny deliciousness from you!

Thank you Natchwoolie for putting to words, what we all have felt about a shop they love!

Friday, February 20, 2009

FarmGirlChic and *Giveaway*









I am so excited I could pee!
Melissa of Feathers and Fleece Farm http://www.farmgirlchic.etsy.com/ sent in some very pretty samples of baby mohair locks! So soft and the color was a rich black with tiny streaks of silver throughout! I loved her tea-dyed and hand written tags too! Most everyone should have gotten a flyer and discount in your box as well!
For those of you who love fresh off the farm fiber, I want to urge you to visit Melissa's shop! Beautiful natural fiber to manipulate as you see fit! Wouldn't it make wonderful additions to your growing fiber hoards?!
They are kidding and lambing at Feathers and Fleece Farm! Melissa came up with the brilliant idea to let YOU decide the name of an adorable newborn goat! Here are HIS specs:
Angora Goat buckling born 1-24-09
will be wethered and will be available for sale the end of April $50.00 (I think fish are sold for higher people!)
And the winner (who's name suggestion will be chosen) will get the following:
The fiber consists of 1 lb. of washed assorted washed fiber:
2 1/2 oz. maroon Border Leicester wool
2 oz. natural colored Border Leicester cross wool
2 oz. pumpkin Border Leicester wool
1 oz. black cream kid mohair
1 1/2 oz. white yearling mohair
1 1/2 oz. adult cream mohair
2 oz. black yearling mohair
1/2 oz. brown kid mohair
3 oz. white Border Leicester cross wool
Help Melissa out! Name the little kid! The winner will be chosen on Tuesday, so get your thinking caps on! Remember additional plurks, blogposts, tweets, forum posts etc will get second entries- also remember to make sure there is a way I can contact you, should you win!


Thank you so much Feathers and Fleece Farm!! We hope you continue to contribute to Phat Fiber for many moons to come!

Myfairbaglady Winner!

Elaine! Elaine-knitting.blogspot.com You won the necklace- email me phatfiber@yahoo.com and send me the addy to mail it to!

Thanks for playing! Major giveaways coming up!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

One Wheel Drive: Interview with Artist Laura Murhpy






What follows is an interview with the wonderful Laura Murphy of Wilde Thyme , who was featured in January's box. Enjoy!



Describe Wild Thyme.

Actually... Wildethyme is a screen name, intended as a joke, that took on a life of its own on the web. I feel as though I am committed to it because it's been publicized as much as it has. It is also my favorite aromatic herb. Technically, legally, I do business as Without Sin, which is mine and my husband's art studio. It's another house, across the street from where we live. We have a full pottery studio, papermaking studio--and are researching the possibility of adding a fiber processing facility! We just leveled the greenhouses to build new ones, lol. I say we, but that was mostly him. Our other hope is to open a fiber/ceramic studio and gallery. We have the space, but it still needs a great deal of work. Without Sin refers to a couple things, but mostly about the notion that art, itself, is sinless--as is one's fiber stash! This usually leads to lots of fun conversation about what is and isn't art, but I'll leave it at this for now. :)


What led you to a life of fibery pursuits?


My father taught me to knit when I was sixish, but I came back to it en force in grad school. He said that, growing up in rural Wisconsin, all of his family could knit or they "went cold"! However, I had been primarily a painter for over 25 years, and later pursued a Masters degree in Open Media, the requirements of which meant I had to demonstrate a mastery of two or more media. I chose fibers and ceramics. I think they work well together and am planning several pieces that blend fiber and clay. My thesis incorporated clay, fibers, found objects and live plants. That was a blast! The funniest part of grad school was when my friend and business partner decided to learn to spin. We tend to explore alot of media and processes together and I told her, "I'm NOT going to follow you into yarn. I've been there and it literally takes over your life. You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Crys. No, no, no!". Six months later, I got a spinning wheel as a gift. It was my last semester and had to sit it in the corner until I could finish school because I couldn't spare the time. A year later I was hooked again, no pun intended. Needless to say, I was right. :)

What inspires your creative use of colors and textures?


I suspect it is my painting background. The last few years, I painted exclusively, I was focused on color, pattern and texture, but it simply wasn't as satisfying as manipulating materials that have actual texture. I am curious, though, to see how the last few years of fiber arts will influence my painting, but I would have to put down the fiber to find out, and that's not easy. In my environment, I am strongly influenced by landscape and plant life. I love to grow things, love gardening. I learned to make paper (another fiber media!) in part because I could do so from plants. I still have plans to develope a line of paper and cellulose yarns some day. But I digress :)

Do you have any spinning or fiber mentors? If so, whom?


Crys Mascarenas, aka polyartgirl. She taught me to spin. We create very different yarns, but if I ever need help with anything, I call her. She is an excellent teacher of process.



Describe your favorite yarn.



Good Question! I still have a couple of yards of it left. Until I make more, I cannot use it up. It's an olive wool yarn with a zillion bits of yarn, fibers, threads and fabrics spun into it. I have attached a photo. Unless... for perversity's sake, it's the yarn I spun out of 4 months worth of dustbunnies! That was a natsy experience, but I loved the oddness of the result, the record of time that resulted. As I spun, I found a tiny bird feathers (from my cats, no doubt), cat hair, dog hair, bits of yarn and fibers, paper--and even a (yuck!) bandaid! I made a hood from the yarn and have shown it in several shows since then. If I do it again, I know to wear a dust mask.

Describe the least favorite yarn you've spun.


The Dust Bunny Yarn was a very unpleasant experience, but it had to be done.



Do you listen to music while spinning? If so, what is your spinning soundtrack?


Actually, I watch movies and "House" marathons when they happen. I listen to music when I work with clay, usually blues.

Your yarns have distinct earthy inspired hues and textures, do you plan colorways in advance or let serendipity play a part in your creation process?


I would dearly love to say they were spontanious, but.. at the risk of sounding pretentious... I think I may have too much education to get away with that answer. I know too much and think about it a great deal as I work. I also teach Art Appreciation, so at least 3, 4 times a year I give a lecture on color, texture, etc. I keep teaching because I learn more, see things anew, in doing so. So.. to answer your question *insert sheepish (!) grin here* , no... I plan the basic coloways and then add, subtract and re-mix as I go. Sometimes, I even borrow my painting skills to touch up the end result with dyes. You ask about it next, so I will use "Verdant Falls" as an example. I love green and garden colors. In "Verdant Falls", which lliterally means "green falls", I set out to create a riotous tumble of garden joy! Much like we see outside, I set out to use greens for my "neutrals". The idea here is that, in the garden, all colors are harmonous with green. This doesn't work in all contexts- I would never put these colors together in my bedroom, for instance. They would be overwhelming, perhaps even sickening. But.. in the garden... it's just magnificent!




One of your current works for sale is "Verdant Falls" a Free-Form Knitting and crochet piece. Could you tell us more about the process you used to create it, and what your statement is about this piece?
In addition to what I said above, I imagined a fall of garden foliage and flowers, like a waterfall, but a green, fecund fall instead of water. The result is a celebration of the garden aesthetic. I started with this idea, a few scrubles to get me started and a few sketches to draw from in case I get lost or stuck-which I inevitably do. It took about 5-6 weeks of 12-16 hour days to complete, not counting the time I invested beforehand dyeing and spinning. It contains 70-80% handspun yarns!

If you were to create a self-portrait in yarn, what would it look like?
I don't know, but I think you have inspired an idea! Seriously, I spent about six years painting self-portraits, but this has yet to occur to me with yarn. I suspect my next challenge is to finish what I am currently doing before I tackle this (design) problem. I am a very large woman physically, so I suspect it might have to be sculptural! Oh... On second hand... I did do one, once, out of felted sweater seams. They were left over from a series of blankets from old sweaters. I treated them as lines that I assembled by sewing them together. I'll attach it too. It's called "Lillith, lollygaggin' in the Garden of Eden". I am fascinated by the story of Lillith and identify with her on some level.



Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Myfairbaglady and *Giveaway*




















I'm sure you all were intrigued when you saw little Knikolas Knickerbocker the Knitting Knome on the video... I'll give you a little background information before we delve into Knick's story.
I approached Myfairbaglady about felting me a little gnome (I can probably quote you "Amelie" word for word en francais, I've watched it so many times!)to travel the world via the Phat Fiber boxes. I didn't know the project would soon take on a life of its own.
First, I received the most amazing gift... a hand felted Spinning Sprite (yes she is spinning on a drop spindle)! I don't know how many hours/days/WEEKS? It took Kathy, the Fair Bag Lady to make it for me! Not only did I receive the sprite and Knickolas, but an entire story has been created, a magical land called Yarnovia birthed, and hopefully- an entertaining serial will be published here on the blog and the website as we track Knick's progress as he pays visit to random Phat Fiber enthusiasts!
I'd like to post the first chapter in Knick's life here (he's old now, so this happened a long time ago) , and we will get to the giveaway afterwards.

The Story of Knickolas Knickerbocker

Chapter One
The Beginning, A Very Good Place to Start

One day, a very long time ago, a young woman knelt upon a tattered piecemeal blanket, spreading soft batts of creamy white wool across her lap. She quietly mused about her day, happy at the thought that her life was about to change. In just a few days she would leave the work of washing and carding wool to become an apprentice spinster in the guild. How amazing that now, while she was busy with her daily chores, she spied a particularly beautiful fleece. She smiled and wondered if she dare set at least a few rolags of the delicate fibers aside so she could herself experience spinning it.

"Anna!" the crackling and gravely voice of old Miriam pierced the quiet evening and startled the young woman. "If you don't finish soon there will be nothing left of supper but crumbs and a few sips of broth!"

Anna snatched just two small rolags of the lovely fleece and tucked them under a fold of her old quilt. She quickly loaded each of the worker baskets with the rest of the wool batts, covered them with muslin, and then scurried off to gather her things. The secreted rovings were folded into the quilt now cradled like a child in Anna's arms. All the while that Anna finished her work, old Miriam hobbled toward the kitchen. Now in a few quick steps Anna was at her side and the two women slowly proceeded to their meager supper.

Supper finished, Anna unrolled her blanket and smoothed it on the straw tick that served as her bed. Old Miriam was already asleep. Her chest quietly moved her own blanket up and down in a slow but rhythmic pace. Anna placed the two batts of wool neath the ticking, between the muslin covered straw mat and the stone floor on which it lay. Finally she lay her head down, closed her eyes, and softly breathed her evening prayers till sleep overtook her.

Her dreams were magical that night, filled with wild colors and strange creatures. Nonsensical sounds sung by angelic voices softly cooed musical notes. All through the night her ears were filled with the noises and her countenance grew paler and paler. By the time the morning sun creased the horizon and began to send shots of gold through the muslin cloth that covered the window slits of the old stone quarters the young woman's body had soaked the ticking with feverish beads of sweat. The strange music had transformed to pounding noise, her mass of brown curly hair, matted and wet, tangled about the beauty's head as she thrashed her body to and fro. Old Miriam sat nearby, mopping Anna's brow and murmuring pleas to heaven for mercy. Day waned into evening and evening to night, and still the young woman did not awaken from the feverish sleep.

All the while the secreted batts lay neath the woman's ticking, but now their fibers began to seize. Pressed together and moistened by poor Anna's sweat and the spills of Miriam's medicinal teas the once lovely fleece began to press itself into a felted roll. Anna would not-nay, could not waken. Old Miriam kept her vigil all through that day and well into the night. Finally Miriam's old bones could not sit another moment. She retired to her own pallet, leaving Anna to fight whatever demons had invaded the women's lives.

I am a bit of a collector of stories. Fiber folk are full of them, aren't they? Kathy emailed that to me shortly after Knick arrived here. Whomever receives Knick in their box this month will be entitled to a FREE BOX next month, if he is taken care of properly and sent back home here.
Myfairbaglady, was also gracious enough to send along a beautiful aqua- colored felt bead necklace for a giveaway!! This is a large, chunky necklace and it is just beautiful! It has small seed beads that separate the large felted ones, and I really want to keep this for myself! Please visit Myfairbaglady's Etsy shop and find something you like. Post about it below here and you will be entered to win on Friday! Make sure you leave a way for me to find you, in case you win. I always count plurks, tweets, forum posts, blog posts etc twice when drawing for the giveaway so you can have more chances to win!
Big thank-yous to Kathy from Myfairbaglady!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Giveaway Week Winners!!

Extreme Spinning Chocolate Kisses Batt- Ikkinlala

Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton 4 hanks- Rebel Housewife

Kitty Grrlz $25 gift certificate- Chad

Unique Sheep mini sock blocker keychain - Darcy

I used a random number generator from random.org this time- really streamlined the process!

Congratulations to our winners! Please email me phatfiber (at) yahoo (dot) com if you have not heard from me regarding your prizes!

I have many WONDERFUL giveaways coming up very soon, please keep checking back!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Extreme Spinning and *Giveaway*









I know all of you have been waiting for me to blog about CJ and her awesome shop Extreme Spinning! CJ's beautiful organic wool handspun was a "belle of the box" last month! Marcus (best boy) was not shy about letting me know it was his favorite sample.
Extreme Spinning offers so many unique and scrumptious fibers in her shop! Have you been pining away for some pygora? CJ can hook you up. Have questions about Icelandic wool? CJ would be my go-to person for that.
I am extremely grateful for shop's like CJ's. I can explore and learn about fiber, purchase enough to keep me busy for a long while- all without breaking my bank. Besides that, I just really enjoy talking with CJ. She is fun, knowledgeable, and very willing to help with any questions I've had. To be perfectly honest, when I have an urge to shop for fiber- I look at the extremespinning shop first!
I'm excited to see that there are new felting fibers in the shop. Needle felting is only something I've dabbled in, and I've been seeing wonderful wet-felted items for sale lately! You'll get to try some felting with the felted bead kits Extreme Spinning has contributed to February's box.
If I haven't convinced you that you need to get some of extremespinning's wares yet, just look at how much of her store is organic! CJ uses wool and fiber from certified organic farms and uses organic dyes in all of her hand dyeing.
We're giving away a Chocolate Kisses Batt! Visit Extremespinning, let us know what items you'd like to buy and we'll enter you in a drawing on Friday (tomorrow). All the extra tweets, plurks, forum posts and blog posts will get you extra entries! Make sure I know how to get a hold of you in case you win!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton and *Giveaway*







Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh!!!
I need to tell you all about a brand new shop that has some things you really need to try!! Betty, the artist/spinner/mastermind behind Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton has sent in 2 mini hanks of her handspun cotton for you all to try as her samples! I am going to tell you- it is so hard for me to comprehend this is all handspun! It is so even and the colors are so pretty- think of the best commercial cotton you've experienced and then try to envision it spun by hand! Betty has officially bumped cotton up to a "luxury" yarn! Her prices are incredible and she offers handspuns in other fibers as well.
Betty has generously offered up 4 skeins of her Isis cotton handspun yarn as a giveaway! Please visit Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton find something you like, and post about it here! Plurks, tweets, youtube videos, blogposts, rav forum posts all count towards second entries! Make sure there is a way for me to find you in case you win, on Friday, when I"ll be drawing for all the giveaways this week!
Betty will also be featured in March's sampler box, but we all hope she continues to contribute!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Natural Obsessions







Today is Andrea of Natural Obsession's birthday! As a little gift to herself, she's offering a discount to those who say "happy birthday Andrea" in the message to seller! I took advantage of her secret sale.. you should too!
Andrea's fiber is so delicious! Just look at the long tencel-laden braids she sent in for February's Phat Fiber box! "Black Nightie" is Marcus' favorite... I wonder why?
That's some sexy fiber, Andrea! It is so satiny and weighty at the same time! I can not wait for people to get these samples because I know you all are going to flip out! The braids are enough to make a little something out of!
Andrea stocks mostly 8oz of fiber in her listings as well, which would definitely give you enough to make a larger project out of!
I really want to try some of her 100% tencel braids! I was chatting with Andrea today and she explained that they look a bit intimidating but are actually quite easy to spin!
I'm going to warn you, visiting Natural Obsessions, may trigger an obsession of your own!
Thank you so much Andrea for contributing to February's box! We are eagerly anticipating your next contributions to Phat Fiber!