Little by little...

I've been a little busy the last while. I've been working on getting my stock base up for Olds Fibre Week and it's been a little stressful! I knew I was stressed but it's different when someone tells you your stressed!

Saturday I took a day off to go to the Psychic Fair at River Lane Ranch in Edmonton. It was a fun girls day with my mom, my sister, my brothers fabulous girlfriend and my baby girl of course ;-) We had a blast because it was on Carmel Baird's farm. If your not sure who Carmel Baird is, her family is featured on CMT's Mom's a Medium. I met her very briefly and she's a sweetheart. My mom was way to shy to ask for a photo with her so I asked for her :-) No one can resist anything a lady with a baby asks for ;-) 

It was a wonderful experience and while I was there I had to get a Psychic Medium reading :-) Carmel mentors mediums and many of the people she mentors were there giving readings. It was fairly cheap, $25 for a 15 minute reading. I told Patricia, the nice lady I had chosen, nothing about myself and the cards that were pulled were pretty spot on! She mentioned that I was overwhelmed and she sees me preparing during the summer for something in the Fall. Which is so hilariously true since I plan on doing the Fibre Shindig and the Calgary Fibre Arts Fair! So it's going to be a VERY busy fall ;-) 

She also told me that I needed to lean on my parents for help more. Which flabbergasted me because for pretty much the whole reading I had said nothing. Literally nothing since I wanted to maximize my time with her. I thanked her and then recommended her to everyone I came with. I took her card as well! If your into that kind of thing, I highly recommend her and  here's her info:

 

I believe that you will have to pay a little more for a reading with her since it was a fair and they limited it to 15 minutes. So I'm sure if you contacted her she would let you know rates!

Anyways, it made me think about it more. It was very true! When I work on something I become borderline obsessed with making deadlines and completing my daily goal of what work needs to be done. I would ensure that my girls came first but then I would get so stressed that I didn't meet my daily goal. Then I would be working in the evening to try to get it done when my husband was home and he could be on toddler and baby duty for a couple hours. Which is a great help, but then we're not getting in that family time. Not to mention that I didn't have any down time. Constant work. Which makes me stressed out. So her reading was spot on! 

So I sat down and started thinking about what parts of my business I can do with my kids home and what things I have to do while my mom babysits them for a few hours. I decided that the stitch markers and progress markers can be done with my kids home. Dyeing and sewing I would prefer to do that undisturbed. I can only get so much done during their naps and my toddler is pretty particular on when (if ever) she takes her naps now. So lining up both little girls napping is next to impossible now. Their naps over lapped for like 15 minutes yesterday. 

That is all.

15 minutes.

That gives me a bit of time to wind my brain down and think what I would like to do, then my baby girl is up. Ahhhh!!

So overall it just requires a bit of planning on my part now. I'll schedule a couple of days where my mom can watch the kiddos for a few goes and I can have that time to dye yarn or sew :-)

So today I was able to get some more Crystal Angel Progress Markers done! 

 

I'll have some at the Olds Market and I hope I'll be able to have enough in stock for everyone that has their heart set on getting one :-)

I also got a few Hook Stitch Marker's made up in the Crystal Angels! 

 

I have used these kinds of stitch markers in the past for the patterns you have when your constantly moving your stitch markers. The odd chart that has you constantly moving your stitch markers. I know I've had that happen with the odd pattern in the past. These work out perfectly for them. You could even use one of these sets for this:

 

They're less dangly and come with a progress keeper in case you want to monitor your progress as well :-)

The Hook Progress Markers / Stitch Marker sets could also be used for Crocheters! I'll have a limited amount of Hook sets at Olds Fibre Week :-)

 I'm getting super excited for this market! I just need to get my work schedule planned out ;-)

Happy Knitting :-)

Malachite and Teal Me Blue added to the Etsy Shop 😍

I was able to get a couple pots of Malachite and Teal Me Blue done this last weekend 😍 They came out fabulous!! 

 

Malachite on Anna's Sock 80/20

Malachite on BFL Sock

 

 Malachite on SW Merino Worsted

 

Malachite on Merino Alpaca Silk SingleFingering 

 

Malachite on SW MCN Lace

 

Malachite on Merino Lace

 

Teal Me Blue on BFL Sock

 

Teal Me Blue on SW Merino Worsted

 

Teal Me Blue on Anna's Sock

 

Teal Me Blue on Merino Alpaca Silk Single Fingering

 

Teal Me Blue on SW MCN Lace

 

Teal Me Blue on Merino Lace

Happy Shopping 😍

Overcast Update Preview!!

Today I'll be having an Update in my Etsy Shop 😍 I had such a positive response from Overcast the last time I dyed it up, that I was able to recreate it and dye it up on 6 bases 😄 Its amazing how each base takes the dye differently! In some cases I have 2-3 bases together in the same pot and they all look so different 😍. 

Below is a group picture of each base and the information about each base. I'll be adding all these skeins at noon MST today! 

I'm super excited to be able to expand my collection of bases 😄

 

Merino Alpaca Silk Fingering - $34 ea

Yarn Details:

60% SW Merino, 20% Alpaca, 20% Silk

115g - 450 yards

Gauge : 6-8 st per inch

Needle Size: US 1 - 3 or 2.25 - 3.25mm

Hand wash was and Dry Flat.

 

Superwash Merino Worsted - $24 ea

Yarn Details:

100% Superwash Merino

115g - 220 yards

Gauge: 4-5st per inch

Needle: 5mm 

Machine was Gentile and Dry Flat.

 

Superwash MCN Lace - $34 ea

Yarn Details:

80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon

115g - 550 yards

Gauge and needle size varies depending on needle size for each project 

Machine was Gentile and Dry Flat.

 

Superwash Merino Lace -$26 ea

Yarn Details:

100% Superwash Merino

115g - 950 yards

Gauge and needle size varies depending on needle size for each project 

Machine was Gentile and Dry Flat.

Then there's the current bases I carry 😄

 

BFL Sock -$28 ea

Yarn Details:

80% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester, 20% Nylon

115g - 450 yards

Gauge: 6-8 stitches per 1 inch

Needle Size: US 1 - 3 or 2.25 - 3.25mm

Machine wash gentile & Dry Flat.

 

Anna's Sock 80/20 -$26 ea

Yarn Details:

80% Superwash Merino, 20% Nylon

115g - 400 yards

Gauge: 6-8 stitches per 1 inch

Needle Size: US 1 - 3 or 2.25 - 3.25mm

Machine was Gentile and Dry Flat.

I re skeined some yarn to double check yardage and Overcast looks so pretty re skeined 😍

 

Anna's Sock - I fell in love with this skein 😍

 

Superwash Merino Worsted - so completely different that the original skein!

 

Merino Alpaca Silk Fingering 😍 Its so luxurious and is a single ply!! I just want to keep petting it!!

Happy Knitting!!

Tis the season...

It's Christmas time for all knitters 😍 The Yarn Harlot has started her Karmic Balancing Gifts to raise funds for the PWA's Friends for Life Bike Rally and it's super easy to enter!! I've been donating personally for the past 4 years and doing additional donations through my business the last 3 years! All you need to do to enter is to donate to the members of her bike rally team or to share her blog post links or mention how to donate to her Rally Team and you can be entered to win fabulous gifts every week! 

Not sure how it works? Check out her blog HERE !!

If your wondering what the odds are to winning a karmic balancing gift, it's pretty darn good! I won a beautiful skein of self striping yarn in My Box of Crayons by Blueberry Pie Studio HERE !! So it's totally possible!!

Not sure if you noticed in her post but my donations have already been given a new home to 4 fabulous winners!!

A couple pics of the stitch marker sets chosen already 😄

 

 

It's the most magical time of the year... 😍😍

Happy Knitting 😄

Stocking up...

I'm in full swing here getting ready for Olds Fibre Week!! 

 

If you've never been to Olds Fibre Week it's definitely worth a day trip if you live in Alberta!! They have a fleece auction, an equipment auction, a fabulous vendor marketplace and gorgeous gardens! Last year they were auctioning off looms, weaving accessories and equipment, spinning wheels, spinning accessories and equipment, fibre prep equipment and various other fibre arts equipment. You can score some deals or find something hard to find 😄 The auctions take place on the Sunday but you can check out what's in the auction Friday and Saturday! Check out the Olds Fibre Week website for more info!!

I'm introducing a limited amount of project bags at the Olds Fibre Week market and am slowly getting them sewn up 😄

 

It's a bit of a pleasant break from dyeing and I'm a crafty person at heart so I decided to try out this endeavour as well. 

I've also partnered with Lady Dragonfly Studios for this marketplace and she's is a fabulous seamstress!! I've been calling her the Project Bag Queen because she has such fabulous bags and her profession as a seamstress allows her to produce these bags so quickly 😄

Here's a picture of a few of the MANY project bags she will have available! She has so many bags in so many styles!

 

  

If you want to keep in the loop on what she's working on check her out on Facebook at Lady Dragonfly Studios !!

As per usual I'll be posting a preview of what I'll be bringing to the market a couple days before so you can see what I'll have available! 

Hope to see you all there 😄

Donation Giveaway WINNERS!!

I was so blown away by the generosity of everyone that donated to the Canadian Red Cross for a chance to win the Grand Prize! We were able to get a total of $530 to the Red Cross and it will go to helping all families and people affected in the Fort McMurray wildfire 😍

The Grand Prize WINNER was Tracey C!!

 

And since we reached the goal I strived to reach I was able to pick 5 people for the BONUS stitch marker giveaways!! Although when I went to pick the names from the Random Number generator I accidentally picked 6 numbers! So there are 6 peeps that won stitch marker sets 😍

 

 

All winner have been contacted and I've been mailing out all your prizes so you should be receiving them shortly 😄

I have been asked why I've been so passionate about this cause. It's a little complex and it would require a whole conversation instead of a Instagram post or a Direct Message so the easiest way was for me to include my thoughts in this blog post.

Some people may not be aware of this but prior to having my first child I worked for an Oilfield Companies in Red Deer for about 5 years and, in my experience, they are the most generous companies. Even when the economy started to take a downward turn about 4-5 years ago, they would still help out whatever charities they could. Even if it was just donating their massive portable trailer BBQ's and donating the food for a BBQ event. So I was so happy and proud that the Oilfield Conpanies helped the evacuees of Fort McMurray in whatever way they could when the fire started hitting the city! My father works for Suncor Firebag, which is way north of Fort McMurray, and they started taking in MANY evacuees and housed them in their camps. They even started flying out all non-essential employees to make room for more evacuees. Then they started slowly flying all the evacuees out of their private airstrip. All free of charge. It made me so happy that they mobilized this so quickly while things were so uncertain the first few days❤️ I am also go grateful for all the Canadians that donated so freely to the Red Cross for this cause and for all the positive thoughts!! We have felt love from our Canadian neighbors! I'm happy the Federal Government is matching the Red Cross donations but I wish more could be done. There are so many displaced families and people that are in many communities across Alberta that are sleeping on cots. That have just the bare necessities and in some cases not much. I was grateful the Prime Minister Trudeau visited Fort McMurray but I wish that both him and Premier Notley would have spent more time with the evacuees in the surrounding communities. I feel that they need to be with their people to fully understand their needs at this time. They need to be with the people and hear the people 😄😇

I am so proud to be Canadian and so proud to be Albertan 😄 I would like to thank everyone that helped I all ways and I send ❤️Loving Thoughts❤️ to everyone that helped this cause! Thank you so much 🙏 

Last Day to Enter the Donation Giveaway!

Have you entered the Donation Giveaway for this fabulous grand prize?? Today's the last day to enter and I'll also be giving away 5 bonus sets of stitch markers if we're able to get the donations to over $500 total for the Canadian Red Cross! We're currently a little shy but I know we can do it 😄

 

To enter see below 😍: 

Fort McMurray has been ravaged by the economic downturn the last couple years and now by a wild forest fire that is burning their city. All families were evacuated and displaced with very minimal or next to no possessions or basic necessities. The best way to help them is by donating to the Canadian Red Cross. I have made a donation but felt that I could do more! So I'm doing a giveaway to raise more money for the Red Cross!

I'm having a giveaway for everything in the photo. Total value is $114. I'll ship anywhere in the world! 

To enter make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross. Every $5 increment will receive another entry.  Once you have received a confirmation of your donation send me a screenshot to prairiedyestudio@outlook.com with 'I donated' in the subject line. 

I will be announcing the dollars donated to the Red Cross by all you peeps, and the winner on Friday May 13! There are a couple ways to donate:

1. Donate by texting REDCROSS to 30333 and confirming a $5 donation. It will be charged to your phone bill. 

2. Go to the Red Cross's website and do a donation there : www.redcross.ca 

Thanks so much for helping!! Also if as many people as possible can share this it would be appreciated! 

Thanks so much and good luck 😄

Donate to the Red Cross to be entered into this FABULOUS Giveaway!!

Fort McMurray has been ravaged by the economic downturn the last couple years and now by a wild forest fire that is burning their city. All families were evacuated and displaced with very minimal or next to no possessions or basic necessities. The best way to help them is by donating to the Canadian Red Cross. I have made a donation but felt that I could do more! So I'm doing a giveaway to raise more money for the Red Cross!

 

I'm having a giveaway for everything in the photo. Total value is $114. I'll ship anywhere in the world! 

To enter make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross. Every $5 increment will receive another entry.  Once you have received a confirmation of your donation send me a screenshot to prairiedyestudio@outlook.com with 'I donated' in the subject line. 

I will be announcing the dollars donated to the Red Cross by all you peeps, and the winner on Friday May 13! There are a couple ways to donate:

1. Donate by texting REDCROSS to 30333 and confirming a $5 donation. It will be charged to your phone bill. 

2. Go to the Red Cross's website [HERE](www.redcross.ca) and do a donation there. If you have done more than a $5 donation on the website let me know in the email since it doesn't show me in the confirmation screenshot. Or you can send me a screenshot of the email confirmation you will receive.  

Thanks so much for helping!! Also if as many people as possible can share this it would be appreciated!

EDITED TO ADD:

The Canadian Government has announced it will match all donations to the Canadian Red Cross! So keep your receipts just in case since I'm not sure how it's done. If it's automatic or if you have to submit them 😄 Link to the announcement HERE : http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/federal-government-to-match-red-cross-donations-for-fort-mcmurray-1.2889070

😇Positive Thoughts😇 for everyone affected by this National Disaster! Keep them in your prayers 🙏

Snagless Stitch Marker Sale 😍

I've decided to spread some of the ❤️love❤️ and put the Snagless Stitch Markee sets on Sale until May 13th! 

 

All sets are $10 each plus shipping. So if you've been waiting for them to go on sale again,  now's the time. After the 13th I won't be putting anything on sale as I'll be stocking up for the Olds Fibre Week Market 😄 I have limited quantities of each mineral in each size so if you see something you like, grab it 😉

Happy Shopping 😄

Favourites..

Thanks everyone for a successful update on Friday 😄 

 

I was able to sell out of Overvast fairly fast and it was definitely a favourite colorway from the update 😄 I'll be dyeing up Overvast on a few other bases as well for future updates and my goal is to bring an ample quantity to Olds Fibre Week!

A close second was My Old Black Powder! This moody neutral is a favourite of mine. It's had a couple incarnations but I think I've perfected this colorway now 😄 There is only 1 skein left on Anna's Sock and a few skeins left on the MCN Sock base and the BFL Silk Fingering base. 

There was definitely a favourite base for this update! Anna's Sock was the winner 😄 Anna's Sock is a 80/20 Merino Nylon sock yarn that light and lofty but hard wearing. Perfect for socks and it's cost effective 😍❤️

Just a heads up, I will be doing another update in about 2-3 weeks. I'll be introducing some new bases on a couple existing colorways as well as new ones 😄

Thanks so much for the love and support for this home based business 😍😍 I'll leave you now with my favourite quotes. I love supporting all small businesses and this is why 😄

 

Happy Knittinf 😄