11.23.2010

sweet tooth

I've been eating healthier for the past few months and have lost nearly 20 lbs (goodbye baby weight!) but I'm craving sweets again, in case you haven't noticed by the names of some recent batty additions, such as Cranberry Jelly, Sprinkles, Pumpkin pie, and Fruit Nougat.  In fact, I devoured an entire Alpine Milk Rittersport right before tonight's update.  Yum!  I'm sure I'll easily burn off those calories now that Iggy is a blur of speed now that she has a little shopping cart to lean on as she "runs" through the house, placing anything she can reach into the basket.  Ohmy!

I finally had a chance tonight to update my Etsy shop, and while I was at it, I added more novelty batts to hobbledehoyfibers.com, reduced the price of luxury batts to $6/oz., added a 10% discount code to both sites (go visit the sites to see what it is!), and uploaded a spinning service option at Hobbledehoyfibers.com.

Whew!

When Iggy is in bed tonight, I've got even more to add- a small but delicious assortment of handspuns, which will be available at hobbledehoyfibers.com.  Gift Certificates will also be available soon, definitely by the end of the week.


Aaand, I'm planning an exciting give-away for Black Friday!  Details about that will be coming soon :)

edit:  handspuns are not going up tonight after all.  I have a grumpy little one, probably working on a couple more teeth tonight.

11.18.2010

new fluff

I'm finally accepting that finding time to work is going to be a feat that only a time-bending superhero can manage.  That said, here I am, attempting to update my shop at the not-so-late hour of 9:30 pm while falling asleep into a mug of coffee.


I just finished listing a few gorgeous batt sets into the shop, and am planning on uploading the rest after a re-shoot (deep cherry reds are so difficult to capture accurately).  This weekend, I have medium-ish plans to do a spin-a-thon to fill out my stock of yarns for the holidays.  That means:

coming soon to the new site (!!!)
-more yarn
-spinning service listing
-gift certificates

Also, my Etsy shop will receive a small re-fresher, complete with a small assortment of new batts.

Off topic- I just got the most amazing little gift today - my little one said "I yuv" to me and gave me a hug when I pulled her out of her crib this morning.  Warm fuzzies!

11.15.2010

an update on updates

I'm working on a tiny update.

Scratch that.


I have been working on a tiny tiny update for a week and a half, and all I have created is the following:
-three sets of batts
-one 5 skein special order
-one new Shuffle handspun


I'm hopehopehoping to accomplish more tonight for a more medium-sized update tomorrow, but my little one has been sick and teething and time is slippery.


This juggling act isn't going so well, and you know how it goes - baby comes first!

11.05.2010

short on time but not on projects

Happyhappy news-- my sweet husband finally found a job after applying for HUNDREDS of jobs, most offering minimum wage to high school grads.  He lost his job when the bookstore he worked for downsized severely, closing nearly half of their stores nation-wide.  The new job is good news for our little family, but finding time to work now will be even more difficult for me.

I don't know if any fiber-working moms out there have found a way to integrate drum carding time with child-care time -- it just doesn't mesh!  My studio is 100% baby dangerous, so all of the wool magic happens with a) baby hangs out with Daddy, or b) baby is sleeping.  Hello, late night tea-fueled drum carding sessions!

Well, last week I did have ample time to crank out some fiber - both hand-pulled roving and novelty batts.  You can find it in my new shop!


 And as if business + baby weren't enough to keep me on my toes 24/7, I started a new lace project (I swear, complicated knitting is keeping me sane), though after knitting the first 20 rows, I'm thinking of frogging it out and starting a new pattern ("Limestone" by The Fickle Knitter) that I just splurged on yesterday.  My new miPattern Saver from slippedstitchstudios arrived, and it's the most genius knitting accessory I've ever purchased, and is definitely my second pair of hands during this new lace project.


 Love love love it!  Though, I should have bought some of the magnet guides... perhaps this weekend I'll order a set.

As a quick end-note to an over-long post, I just have to share Ingrid's latest hand-knit digs.


The hat is Pumpkinhaus's Gnome hat (knit with my handspun, a 50/50 tencel/merino blend), the shirt is Brandy Fortune's "Country Kiddie" pattern (knit with Zauberball yarn), and the shrug is The Shizknit's "Confection" pattern (knit using The Plucky Knitter's worsted Merino yarn).

11.03.2010

Wow, the past few days have been a fuzzy blur!  I haven't spent too as much time as I had hoped with my carder, but I've still had plenty of businessy things to do as well as the usual ho-hum chores that were neglected during the launch (ahem, laundry).  Today, however, I did finally have a chance to drum up some novelty batts and roving which will be uploaded into the new shop tomorrow.

I'm really tickled though to have been blogged about once again by a knitter I admire- M. Sartin of M. Sartin Design.  I love her chunky cowls, and can't imagine anything cozier during these chilly days.

My husband and I are preparing to weather-proof this old barn for winter since we've got a little munchkin to keep warm.  Other than sealing up the windows and throwing down a few extra rugs (we're on the third floor of an otherwise empty barn), we're open to suggestions!  The heat is officially on... sometimes.

11.01.2010

success :)

I'm so tickled that this weekend's launch went well!  I only have a few minor glitch problems to follow up with, but beyond that, it looks like I nearly sold out of novelty batts.  I guess I know what I'll be doing today:  shipping, carding, and playing with baby dolls.   How did I (a tomboy) end up with a little girlygirl?

The Grand Opening promo code is expired, but I've just created a new one that will expire on November 5th.  Type "twobucks" at check-out to receive $2 off your order.