5 Free and Easy Hat Patterns to make with Handspun Yarn

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Better Late than Never

I originally intended for this post to happen back in December, just in time for last-minute gift-making. Well, since the internet is forever, I guess it doesn’t matter that I’m two months too late. 😉 The following five hats were made with tried & true free patterns that I use with my sub-par handspun yarn (I sell the best stuff for others to enjoy).

I want to show how handspun yarn is so beautiful that it doesn’t need any fancy patterns, nor do you need too much of it. I get it; it’s pricey. I was thinking of the price I have to sell mine versus the time and effort to produce them, and well, ouch. But it’s okay; I aim to create positive products and materials for others to enjoy.

So if you have a cherished skein of handspun, a simple hat pattern is just the thing to turn that skein into a wearable keepsake you can enjoy over and over again, rather than staring at it in your yarn bin. 🙂

I’m a Spinner, not a Knitter (or Crocheter)

Yes, I knit. Yes, I crochet. And I knew how to do both before I started spinning yarn. But the truth is, I’d rather be spinning. I’ve knitted all the basic things, and I’m sure I’m capable of cabling and fancy patterning, but I don’t want to. I like simple easy-on-the-brain patterns for knitting (crocheting) on the go or knitting (crocheting) in bed at the end of the day.

So without further adieu, here are five patterns I keep returning to when I want to make a quick and easy hat with my handspun…

Camelot Hat by Lion Brand

The Camelot hat is a pattern by Lion Brand that I’ve had on hand for several years. Like many, I started knitting with name-brand yarns from the local craft store. This is a bulky yarn pattern which a lot of handspun is, so it’s a great choice, and it works up fast.

Quick and Easy Beanie by Knit Picks

This Quick and Easy Beanie Pattern from Knit Picks is another fave. In this instance, I was knitting with a sub-par 4-ply cable. It knitted up fine, just not up to par to sell. I had to use a two-ply bulky Merino yarn for the stripe that came the closest width to the cable. But, because it is a different construction, it looked off as a solid stripe. So instead, I alternated with the 4ply, and it worked perfectly.

Barley by Tin Can Knits

A fantastic I-can’t-believe-it’s-free pattern is Barley by Tin Can Knits. It’s so versatile, giving many size options and a beanie or slouch option. This yarn is an experimental blend of merino wool and bamboo, which I had to dye separately (different dyes for animal vs plant fibers) and then blended while spinning. I held both rovings in my hand and pulled a bit of each simultaneously. The results are a gorgeous yarn in feel and wear. It’s a: I-could-sell-this skein, but because it was a new concept, I wanted to knit it myself. It worked beautifully with Barley, and I enjoy wearing this hat.

Yawl by Berroco

I recently stumbled on Yawl by Berroco, looking for a new bulky yarn pattern. It’s so easy and fun to knit; you’ll be finished in no time. This is a use-up-that-ply handspun yarn. I had this ply of yarn on a bobbin that sat there too long and needed to be completed ASAP. So I chain plied (AKA Navajo plied) it, using a spinning technique where you move your hands through loops to create a 3ply yarn. (It reminds me of crocheting a chain).

I don’t sell much chain ply since there is a noticeable bump where the loops switch in the yarn. It’s not very apparent in the finished product but may be off-putting to those unfamiliar with the technique.

Flash Beanie by Judith L. Swartz

This is another pattern I’ve had for several years. It came in a download of 5 different crochet hat patterns from Interweave. I was concerned I wouldn’t find it again, but here it is, bundled with eight other crochet projects. It’s another versatile, forgiving pattern where you can make design decisions on the fly.

One thing I like about simple crochet hats like this is that they work from the top down and don’t unravel once you make the stitches. Well, unless you intentionally pull them out, anyway. I tried several bands on this hat before deciding on this grey hand-dyed commercial yarn. The handspun is a superwash Merino and Tencel blend, another new experimental blend for me. I spun it natural color, combining the two fibers as I spun.

Tencel is a man-made material derived from wood-pulp (cellulose) fibers, so it cannot be dyed with acid dyes like wool. The yarn was dyed twice to accommodate both fibers. An overdye of sorts, but each fiber will only take up the appropriate dye. The superwash Merino is a very dark grey. The Tencel is a dark blue.

What About the Funky Art Yarns

If you have some fantastic loopy or chunky art yarn, I recommend weaving with it or using it as an accent in a knitting project. But that’s a post for another day…

But I should be Advancing my Knitting (Crocheting) Skills

Don’t be discouraged if you have been knitting (crocheting) for a while and you’re still doing beginner patterns! They are perfect for my time constraints and showcase my handspun beautifully. These patterns would also be great for charity knitting. Think of all the hats you could crank out with simple and easy patterns!

I plan to do more posts like this as I go through the many patterns I have amassed over the years. Until then, check out my handspun and indie-dyed commercial yarns to inspire your next project.

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2023: The Year of Reinvention – January Update

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“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other”

– Abraham Lincoln

My Year of Reinvention – Creatively

Another quick update for this month. I found the busy holiday season so hectic! I needed a week off to just unwind and recover. I’m taking the next month (or two or three) to reinvent myself – creatively speaking, anyway! You cannot rush the creative process. You’d think I’d know that by now! 😉

For the first time in years I was organized going into January. I find calling this time of year the “New Year” so unnatural and strange. To me, the new year should be in March, when spring begins. March is when life in the garden starts anew.

Currently, I have an organized list of tasks: the must do and the want-to-do. Getting these ideas out into the tangible is more challenging especially when you have a family and household to run. But I feel this is the year to reinvent myself creatively.

What’s On Sale

Usually, reinvention in the studio means changing my branding. But this time, I will be going through my products and deciding what needs to be updated, and what needs to go. It also means finally trying some new skills and projects I’ve put on the back-burner over the years. I finally feel confident and motivated!

I know I won’t get to it all, but I’m so ready to finally take the leap. We shall see where I end up. I will be marking down items that I want to retire, so keep a look out for sales. For the month of January, many products on the website are marked down 23% off in celebration of 2023. Etsy has select items on sale from 15% – 23% off.

I hope to stay on schedule from month to month so to have things to share but I certainly can’t promise that.

What I’m Working On

The latest dye experiements

Finally back in the dye pots, starting with worsted weight commercial merino yarn. I’m being too critical with the color choices so it’s slow going. Today I decided to stop looking at my notes and just dye by feel. I’m enjoying the process more and can’t wait to share what I come up with!

Current in-progress yarn dye

I’m having fun with this dye combo, totally winging it! This is a DK merino commercial yarn. Olive brown on one side, a turquoise fade-out on the other. I’m sprinkling nautical blue (kind of like navy blue but richer) in the white space and we’ll see where it goes from there…

If all fails, I’ll just over dye it black (LOL!).

I’m going through some of my engraved products and deciding how I would like to update them. This bead board photos ugly but it’s what I used for years for projects in progress. Once I add beads to this board, nothing will be rolling away on me. Not even when the cat walks across my table 😀

I’m scrutinizing some of the products that I’ve made for some time but I feel need to be updated or discontinued. Some will change, some will be marked down significantly and some will disappear, at least for now! I’ve been going through pictures of items I made 15 years ago, and I think some may have to make a comeback this year. Excited to get creating!

I’ll be back next month with an update. I’m not sure how much of one…

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Have Yourself a Wonderful December

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“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

– Michael Altshuler

The Sale Continues

I hope you are having a wonderful December! It’s hard to believe this is the last month of 2022. I had a wonderful time processing orders via a successful Etsy sale, and I’m keeping the momentum going by putting most things on sale here and also on Etsy.

I realize just how much I love to give. So if it means eating some of my time and shipping costs so that my handmade goods get into people’s hands: so be it! Money is tight, I get it. I know I weave magic as I create, and I want that good energy to enter the world. It’s my little way of giving back. Positive intentions is just what the world needs these days.

What’s New

I’m almost done listing yarn on Etsy. Yes, the shipping is expensive. I currently have the shipping set to $19.99 per item. But, just like here, you can save the shipping costs by purchasing $65CAD or more. For comparison, the other day I shipped a small flat bubble envelop to Quebec with tracking and it cost $24! That’s only 2 provinces over. So I end up paying out of pocket for shipping fees regardless. Shipping discounts are based on volume which is virtually impossible for little makers like me.

Back in Stock

silver owl stitch markers for knitting or crochet
Silver Owl Clip On Stitch Markers
set of 6 stitch markers for the knitting enthusiast
Love to Knit Stitch Markers

These two stitch marker sets sold out and are now back in stock with a new revamped look. Owl set available here and on Etsy. Love to Knit set available here and on Etsy.

These earrings were very popular this gift buying season

Celtic knot and Pearl earrings – available here and on Etsy

My late night knitting buddy

Here’s to a lovely end of the year full of laughter, cheer and those you love the most. I’ll have new goodies in the New Year…

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November Update: Nearly Everything is on Sale!

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“If you can’t change it, change your attitude”

– Maya Angelou

Beat the Holiday Rush Sale

Hello lovely internet folks….nearly everything is on sale both here and on Etsy to help you with your holiday shopping needs. I know money is tight these days. If there is anything you like but it is just not in your budget please make me an offer, and remember I also take payment in the form of barter.

What’s New

October totally got away from me on account of every single member of my family coming down with that change-of-weather detox: AKA a bad chest cold. Of course they didn’t all feel poorly all at once, so it was a 3 week marathon of coughing. So this mama, being the only healthy one in the house, ran the household, along with prepping wholesome meals to help speed up the healing process. All the while filling orders as they came in, which was not many, and for once – I was glad.

It is my pleasure to take care of my family and understand the privilege I have to be able to drop everything and do just that. I have many tools in my arsenal to assist in their healing, but ultimately rest is the best remedy.

That said, I am feeling a bit burnt out from my 3 week nursing-everyone-back-to-health stint and not feeling 100% creative just yet. I’m dabbling in a bit of hat knitting and crochet to get back into the swing of things. I’m planning on doing an article on some of my fave easy hat patterns in the coming days, once I have some examples to post.

No New Products, but Almost Everything on sale

So I have no new products to share, BUT I’ve decided to put most things on sale as I’m happy to fill orders. Discounts are automatically applied. You will also receive any bulk or tiered discounts relevant to that category – EVEN IF IT’S ON SALE. So the more you buy, the more you save. Simply add the items to cart to see the final cost.

For Etsy items, prices as marked. For example, My pewter and silver keepsake (engraved) necklaces are 30% off on Etsy!

I did manage to do some deck staining and got my garlic bulbs planted. We’ve been having some glorious weather here in the Maritimes. I can’t believe I planted my garlic in November…in a tank top!

The sale is running until December 3rd. I am not planning on having any sales in December past that, except clearance items. This is to encourage shopping EARLY for the holidays. I hate the stress of rushing orders and worrying whether they will arrive on time or not.

I’m off to get some rest – just like Osuna

Alright keeping it short and sweet this month. Hope you are all well and if not, are able to get the rest you need.

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Come with me as I scour Sheep Fleece

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The fantastic transformation: clean vs. dirty sheep wool. This is my process for scouring sheep fleece if you’ve ever wanted to give it a try

An Unexpected Project

A few weeks ago, I attended the 100 Mile Food & Fibre Festival in Billtown, Nova Scotia. I swore I would not buy any more raw fleece. I have so much unspun fiber.

But, after checking out the different vendors, I could not resist a half fleece from Ambleside Farm in Petite Riviere, Nova Scotia. Besides gorgeous fleece, it was nice to make acquaintance with someone who also has attended wool shows in the US (like Rhinebeck…oh, how I miss you, Rhinebeck!).

Why Process Raw Fleece

There is something lovely and reverent about taking a raw fleece and turning it into a wearable garment. Initially, I bought raw fleece for the sheer economic benefit: I get all that wool at a discounted price, and all I have to do is throw some elbow grease into it!

Sometimes a little elbow grease turns into a lot. Processing fleece by hand can feel like a back-breaking endeavor. I’ve learned my own do’s and don’ts over the years of trial and error fleece scouring. It will vary from person to person, but here is my process, step by step.

I decided to film my process of scouring. It’s easier to show than describe, and I’m a visual person who appreciates seeing things happen in real time.

This is crudely filmed with my cell phone for educational purposes. Please excuse my mumbling/fast-talking… I’m not comfortable talking to myself out loud – HA! I did not edit these videos but subtitled them, so you can understand me better.

Step 1: First Soak

Sheep fleece must be scoured to remove dirt and lanolin, AKA wool wax. The sebaceous glands secrete lanolin and helps waterproof the fleece for the sheep. Raw wool has a delightful pungent “barn-y” smell which I like…and my cats adore! It tends to keep this smell mildly even after washing, but I don’t find that it lingers after being transformed into yarn.

In Summary:

  • Fill plastic bins with hot water to soak the wool
  • add a de-greaser. The most popular cost-effective product for scouring fleece is blue Dawn (I kick it up a notch by adding Simple Green)
  • start adding the unwashed wool, careful not to over fill the bins
  • gently press down on the fiber to encourage the release of dirt.
  • don’t overly manipulate the wool so not to encourage felting
  • let soak 24 hours

How Much Soap?

I don’t measure the amount of soap degreaser I add. It depends on how dirty the fleece is. In this instance, the wool wasn’t too dirty so I squirted in some Dawn and added a splash of Simple Green. I wish I could be more specific, but it’s really by feel. If your fiber is not getting clean, add more soap in the next water change.

Why I chose this Fleece

This particular bag of fleece was super clean. It also had a uniform crimp, a nice feel in hand, and a combo I had never spun before: Romney, Corriedale, and BFL (Blue-faced Leicester). I figured it would be a breeze to scour.

As mentioned in the video, Simple Green and Blue Dawn are my fave products for scouring. It’s cost-effective and readily available. There are some amazing scouring products out there specifically for wool, and they work well, but they are on the pricey side (yes, I’m cheap). Plus I have to order it rather than pick it up at the local hardware or grocery store.

Step 2: Rinse and Repeat

In Summary:

  • 24 hours later
  • You see oily lanolin residue floating at the top of the water
  • Drain & refill bins (away from septic whenever possible)

I’m Cautious With Septic Systems

When I lived in town, I never gave much thought to dumping the dirty water down the drain. Then we moved to the country and I started to question whether I should be dumping this greasy water down the drain. I’m unsure if lanolin would build up in your pipes over time like cooking grease, but I’d rather not take the chance. I empty the bins in a discreet area on our property away from the house, just in case.

In Summary:

  • The fleece is back in for a soak and already you’ll notice the water has become clearer compared to the first soak
  • It’s not necessary to leave the fleece to soak for 24-hour periods
  • You could change the water more frequently, but this is what works best for my time schedule

How Many Soaks?

Your fleece will get cleaner with each water change. How many times will depend on how dirty the wool is.

In Summary:

  • The fleece soaked for 48 hours and then drained
  • I placed it on a clean part of the lawn and rinsed it with the hose
  • A slight bit of oily residue floating on top in the water this time
  • Feel very little oil when touched
  • Will attempt a final soak
  • Can repeat if needed

When the water looks relatively clean and the wool feels fairly clean you can prepare your fleece for its final soak.

In Summary:

  • I spread the fleece out on the deck for inspection
  • It feels pretty much clean at this point
  • I contemplated what I should make with it
  • Currently thinking I should spin it into an art yarn, to preserve the gorgeous crimp
  • Will make an upcoming video on the process of making yarn with this fleece
  • For the final soak, I added a bit of vinegar to the hot water to remove any soap residue
  • Fleece will feel gummy (sticky) if the soap residue is not removed
  • Gummy wool is hard to work with
  • I don’t mind a bit of lanolin in my fleece before spinning

Don’t forget the Vinegar

Adding a bit of vinegar to the water for the final soak is important to make sure all the soap residue is removed. Just like adding the Dawn and Simple Green, I don’t measure. A splash of vinegar will do. Remember you can always repeat this step if you still notice any soapy residue in your fiber.

In Summary:

  • After the final soak, I laid the fleece out on the lawn to dry a bit in the sunshine
Moki checking out the newly washed sheep fleece

Time for Drying

After the sun disappeared for the day, I brought the fleece inside to prep for the drying racks. I ran small amounts at a time through the salad spinner to remove excess water. A salad spinner is a dedicated tool in my studio. I use it a lot: even for freshly dyed yarn to spin out extra water before hanging it up to dry. I purchased mine after Christmas a few years back for 40% off, so keep watching for those sales!

In Summary:

  • I placed the fleece on the drying racks set up in my basement
  • these racks are repurposed merchandise racks obtained for free
  • Will leave for a few days flipping ever so often
  • could run a dehumidifier or add a heat dish if need be

Clever and Free Drying racks

If you are Canadian, you will remember the popular department store chain, Zellers. When it closed several years ago, we snagged these merchandise racks for free. Our basement has pegboard already installed so they hang off pegs (also from Zellers). These racks have gotten a lot of use over the years. I’ve even used them outside for drying fiber in the summer months. They will rust over time if left outside, however. It’s always great to find inexpensive tools and you can’t beat free!

My washed fleece from a sheep named Lucy. Look at that crimp & curl! Thank you, Lucy

Do’s and Don’ts when purchasing a raw fleece

  • DO decide what you would like to do with the fleece once cleaned, what breeds you would like to check out, and your budget. It is easy to get overwhelmed if you don’t have a plan, esp at a large wool show or fiber festival.
  • DO be adventurous and try new fiber breeds. If you are like me and want to work with as many breeds as possible, then the budget is all that needs considering before shopping
  • DO ask questions. You can usually tell how the animals are treated by getting to know the producer. Some farms breed sheep for both meat and fiber, so keep that in mind if you don’t agree with meat eating
  • DON’T buy a fleece that is not well-skirted. If there is a ton of VM (vegetable matter), dirt/mud, or poo, it’s best to skip this bag. The more dirty a fleece is, the cheaper it tends to be, but remember this means more work for you (and a lot more discarded unusable fiber)
  • DO take a look at the crimp: are they even in size/length? Is the crimp appealing to you?
  • DON’T buy a fleece where there are broken locks – and/or evidence of lice
  • DO check for the bag over for second cuts, which happens when the shearer goes over an area more than once.
  • DON’T buy a bag of fleece with too many second cuts. Those shorter cuts are a pain to pick out and not good for spinning.
  • DON’T buy fleece that appears to be matted or otherwise unhealthy
  • DO purchase a fleece that you like the color, crimp, feel, and price of!

A Note on Free Fleece

I’ve been given free raw wool in the past. But now that I’ve picked and scoured many a fleece I would probably say no to any incredibly dirty ones. For the reasons stated above, it is a tedious job. Also to keep in mind, hobby farmers don’t always produce a healthy fleece, and meat breeders are not concerned with the quality of fiber. So you may end up with a lot of discarded, unusable wool. Not a great return for all that work.

Keep in mind alpaca does not contain lanolin in their fiber so that’s usually an easy one to work with. I’ll do a separate post about alpaca fiber in the future.

If someone asks for a product in return for the free raw fleece (eg. just make me a sweater), I would caution against this. It really depends on how much usable wool you get and people are often unaware of how much yarn is needed for such a product.

Browse for yarn inspiration

Looking for some handspun yarn inspiration? You can check out my handspun yarn section to see some of the skeins I’ve made in the past. I’ll be blogging about the progression of processing this fleece in the future.

Scouring fleece does not have to be a daunting task. Know what to look for, and trust your gut. Be sure to have fun, and I’m happy to answer questions or hear your comments. 🙂

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Suddenly It’s Over: October Studio Update

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“Autumn is the season to find contentment at home by paying attention to what we already have”

– Unknown
A few of the faves from my garden this year…I will miss it! Now that I keep a garden this time of year is even more bittersweet

Bidding Adieu to Summer

The weather has changed suddenly and I find myself frantically getting the garden ready for winter. Typically this happens far more gradually, but this year it was BOOM: frost incoming. Add to that 3 family birthdays, out-of-town family visiting, and one tropical storm Fiona all last month. Needless to say I don’t have much of an update regarding new products…this is more of a, yes, I am alive, and here’s what I”m working on post.

The two birthday cards I designed this year! Time permitting, I’ll do a separate post of how these came to be

How to: Scouring Fleece

Fleece from “Lucy” a local sheep from Ambleside Farm in Petite Riviere, Nova Scotia 😍

I got the inspiration to film a few short videos on my process of scouring sheep fleece and I’m working on a blog post about it. I wasn’t in the market for more raw fleece but I met a delightful producer at the Fleece and Fibre Festival in Billtown, Nova Scotia last month and I couldn’t resist buying a half fleece romney/corriedale/BFL mix to process. The videos are very crude and I hate the sound of my own voice, but I think it it’s valuable to share what I have learned for those curious or who want to give it a try. The post is now live – CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Scouring fleece is not as hard as you think. It just takes time and a little know-how on what to use and what to look for before you buy

What’s New: Supplies in Stock

I replenished some jewelry making supplies and with that, a few strands of interesting bead caps and beads I look forward to designing with soon! I also picked up some Canadian wool roving (roping) from Custom Woolen Mills in Alberta. It’s been a few years since my last order and I enjoy experimenting with the different types (breeds) of roving. Not to mention buying Canadian! This time I got two of my favorites: Corriedale & Targhee. My Corriedale yarns for sale are from this very mill. I have not tried their Targhee yet, I’ve only spun Targhee top from a US producer, so this should be fun!

What’s New: Etsy

I added a few of the new fiber products to the yarn/fiber/stitch bling section of Etsy.

Unfortunately, due to the cost of shipping bulky items in Canada, I had to remove the free shipping option on Etsy. BUT there is now a COUPON CODE for saving the shipping on Etsy orders $65 CAD or more. If you are in the US, you are subject to Etsy’s free shipping Guarantee and have to spend $35USD to save on shipping. Ironically, it’s cheaper for me to send bulky items with tracking to the US, than it is in my own country. Go figure, Canada Post!

The code for saving the shipping on Etsy is: FREESHIP65

All light pack/flat items remain free shipping on Etsy (such as jewelry, stitch markers, or keychains).

What else is new

I’ve also been working on updating handspun yarn listings with new videos, and splitting some of the bundles now that shoppers have the option to pick and choose their own sets of yarns and receive a discount at checkout.

I’m always refining things here on the website, and I was horrified to realize I messed up the pricing for the new fiber section. Items were way too expensive! I’m not sure how I did it since I use a spread sheet/formulas to price products. Those prices weren’t even what was listed in the spreadsheet! Word of the wise: don’t do something as important as pricing unless you can give it 100% of your attention!

Peanut says “Bye for now…”
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September Studio Update: Fibery Goodness

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“The meaning of life is to find your gift; the purpose of life is to give it away.”

– Unknown

In this month’s Studio update:

  • Fiber Braids for spinning or felting, now in stock
  • The first commercial indie dyed skeins are now available
  • Videos are starting to be added to listings
  • Handspun bundles are being converted back to single listings
  • What’s new on Etsy
  • Near future plan: share more knowledge so others can grow their creativity

A productive Month, overall

I even surprise myself, how much I packed in the month of August! Every day had an element of productivity, and I was filled with such drive and joy to complete each task. Unfortunately, I seem to have hit a wall now that it is September. Or perhaps I just need a break! I still have a fair bit of tasks to accomplish so hopefully this feeling of no motivation leaves soon. I have a feeling October will be a challenging month, and I want to be free to go with the flow.

September is typically a busy month for my family. Several birthdays, getting back into the swing of homeschooling and desperately chasing the sun/warmth before it’s gone for another season. Although there is much to celebrate, I can’t help but feel a little sad that my fave season is soon coming to an end.

However, there is still an entire season to enjoy creating color, and I usually can still take advantage to hanging yarn and fiber out to dry after dyeing. There is plenty of harvest still to come from the garden and the changing colors in nature are always an inspiration.

Fiber Braids Are Now Available

These are a few of the new fiber braids now for sale:

targhee wool top color sheme number 7
merino hand dyed roving color number 25
merino fiber braid hand dyed color number 26

I’ve listed some braids I had dyed for personal use, either Merino or Targhee top. As much as I’d like to spin them all, it would be impossible to accomplish with my current schedule. Better for them to go to other fiber enthusiasts to enjoy! I’ll probably dye some more in tandem with yarn in the future, so I look forward to expanding this section. There are discounts if you buy more than one. Discount will be applied at checkout. Visit the brand new fiber section to browse them all.

Testing the waters with Hand Dyed Commercial Yarn

Here’s the first commercial hand dyed skeins. I ran out of time to fully explore expanding this new line, so I’m listing a few that I had dyed some time ago that I was not sure if I would sell or keep for personal use.

merino sock yarn hand dyed color scheme 3
glittery sock yarn color scheme 1

These two are socks yarns, but I also have worsted and DK weight merino commercial yarn that I can’t wait to explore color on! Hopefully the month of September will go smoothly and I’ll have more available in this category soon. Keep an eye on the commercial yarn section for new products.

Adding Videos to Product Listings

Don’t expect cinematographic masterpieces (LOL!). I literally hold up my Canon EOS camera with one hand while holding the item in the other. I don’t edit them so that you see “in real time” what each product looks like with movement.

The video will be listed after the photos for the item. I’m a visual person so I know I appreciate a simple product video. I also like to leave them unedited so that there is honesty in what I am selling. Keep in mind that different monitors and smart phone screens will show the colors slightly different. I’ll continue to add videos to listings this month and make a list of items that need them.

I’m converting some of the Handspun Yarn Bundles Back to Single Listings

Now that I have bulk and tiered discounts set up on the website, I am in the process of unbundling some of my handspun listings. I had bundled yarns to sell in groups mostly for Etsy. Etsy prefers free shipping, which is virtually impossible to offer here in Canada on bulky items.

Currently, the average cost of shipping a small package starts at $24. So, if I am selling a skein of yarn for the same price, I would have to double the price just to cover the shipping. I find that both ludicrous and dishonest. Etsy being a large corporate beast now, sees no issue with this. But as a maker, it prices me out of ever being competitive. So with bundles I could count on a similar cost for shipping 2 or more items without too much out of my pocket.

I’ll keep some of the yarn as bundles, but I feel that the ones I will be listing as singletons again gives the shopper the freedom to chose what skeins they want, and still get a discount.

What’s New on Etsy

Silver skull bag charm
Awareness ribbon keepsake necklace for pregnancy or baby loss

I didn’t spend too much time listing new products on Etsy last month, concentrating on the website instead. I still have many more products in the jewelry and accessory category to list in the coming weeks! 🙂

Share More, Give More

I want to finally catch up on website tasks so I can get back to writing how to’s and tip blogs like I used to. I miss it! I’m an autodidact and find it fulfilling to share my experiences with others to aid in their creative growth. Fingers crossed the schedule will allow me to get back to writing this type of content. I will be concentrating on beginner/getting started topics, such as spinning, dyeing, product reviews and basic jewelry making tips. Allow me to help you grow!

That’s all for now…have a wonderful September!

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Work as Flow – August studio update

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“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

-Lao Tzu
I finally finished the 3ply BFL (Blue Faced Leicester sheep wool) I started over the winter! To show just how grand a 32oz bobbin really is, here it is beside the bobbins for my Lendrum and Electric Eel Wheel

Flowing through the Rest of my Summer

Part of my plan to live more intuitively, is to make adjustments to how I structure – or should I say – flow through my day. For the past few weeks I’ve been making a conscious effort to ask myself, “What do I want to do now?” rather than, “I have to do this first”. Of course there are appointments and obligations that I have to keep, but aside from that I will go through a list of the tasks or projects I would like to accomplish in a given day and see what “speaks” to me.

It’s hard to resist the urge to tackle the chores that seem more important, more responsible and more pressing, so that I can get them off my plate to do what is more desirable. The better I got at listening to my inner voice and doing what I desired first, my day would not only flow perfectly, but I struck a good balance between doing tasks I enjoy and doing tasks that are part of life that need to be done. More was being completed and I felt more balanced and accomplished by the end of every day.

I am by no means perfect at it, but I found the latter part of July went much smoother than the first half. I got so much done! Once I started aligning my day by feel rather than expectation, I found even the most mundane tasks would pop in my head to say, “Okay, it is now the right time to switch to (enter chore here)”. Hopefully I can keep it up. I’m excited to see what August has in store. No expectation. Just going to let it happen.

Highlights This month:

  • Engraved Awareness charms are now available on Etsy
  • Tiered and bulk pricing is now live on the website
  • Add a gift note to your order
  • New products both on Etsy and here on the website
  • Product videos – coming soon!
  • Fiber braids – coming soon!

Engraved Awareness Charms on Etsy

Engraved Awareness and Advocacy charms are back on Etsy! You can check them out via the Keychains/Bag Charms section, if you prefer to shop on Etsy. These items are also available here on the website where you can now take advantage of bulk pricing (more on that below)

Now Available: Tiered and Bulk pricing

I’m really excited to have tiered and bulk pricing set up on the website. It finally came to me just how I would like the pricing to be structured. Let’s take a look at it more closely as the options are different depending on what you buy.

Bulk Discounts

screenshot of a listing to show an example of a bulk discount
An example of a bulk discount: buy multiples of an item and save

Bulk discounts are available if you buy 2 or more of an item. The price gets lower the more you buy. If you see an item and would like to purchase more than what’s listed, it’s worth asking me if I can make more. The price gets cheaper the more you buy.

Tiered Discounts

An example of a tiered discount. Purchase 1 item at regular price and receive discounts on subsequent items from the same listing

Tiered discounts are on products where you buy 1 item, then save on subsequent items from the same product listing. This usually occurs on products that have several options for customization. The above example is from the product listing Custom Charm Necklace with Engraved Letter Charm – Animals & Insects. You will have to add the items to your cart to see the discount. If you don’t see an option in the listing for bulk pricing, then tiered pricing will come into effect.

Discounts for Yarn and Fiber

An example of discount pricing for handspun yarn

Yarn discount pricing applies to any items purchased from the handspun yarn category. Since I very rarely have more than one of each skein, it only made sense for the discount to apply to any yarn in the category. This will also apply to fiber braids when they come available (for more on that, keep reading…).

Sale/Clearance Discounts

Items where there is 1 left will be moved permanently to the Sale/Clearance category

Any items where there is only 1 left and will be retired after sold, will be moved to the sale/clearance section until sold. I’ve also decided that any items that I create that there is only 1 of, will be available on Etsy only. I find these items better suited to Etsy as they get more views quickly.

I still will be running sales from time to time on top of the built-in discounts, or in replacement of. I wanted to be sure the opportunity was always there to save instead of waiting for a sale. If you are a small business in Canada looking for stock I can do better with wholesale pricing. Fill out this form to inquire.

Adding a Gift Note to your Order

Orders are carefully packaged and your gift message can be added
Many different small note cards to choose from
Add a handmade note card to your order with your gift message

Etsy already gives an option to add a gift message to orders, and I’d say the majority of orders I get are for gifts. I have changed the wording to the “order notes” section in the checkout to give a place for customers to write a small message to go with their order. I will include your message in a small handmade note card. Usually I handwrite these messages, but if you include special characters then they will be printed on a label and included that way. I’m happy to offer this little extra free of charge.

Where you will find in the checkout the place to add your gift message

New Products for August

Hematite Lantern Earrings
filigree angel charm and engraved initial charm necklace
Angel Personalized Necklace
Save the Earth Necklace
Large Ladybug Keychain
teacher keychain gift
Teacher clip on Bag Charm
Celtic Engraved clip on charm

These items are also available on Etsy. The Teacher Clip on charm and Engraved Celtic clip on charm are revamps.

New Products – Etsy Only

The following products are available on Etsy only, and they are OOAK (One of a Kind) or only 1 left (usually made up of charms I have had leftover from past custom work either personal or for customers):

hearlt tassel bag charm
Mad Hatter Bag Charm
Royalty bag clip on set
Tea pot clip on bag charm
Princess Bag Charm
Music Note Keepsake Necklace
Sterling Silver Teacher Keepsake

I’ve been catching up with photographing new products so I hope to have many more items available in the coming month.

Coming Soon

Fiber braids! I’ve started photographing my available braids of fiber (mostly merino top, with a few exceptions) to start listing for sale, and I’ll have much more once I start dyeing commercial yarn. I like to dye fiber in tandem to either test the color or to use up excess dye. I’m going to put the fiber up for sale hereon the website only first, and gauge the interest. Price is a struggle especially with inflation and Canadian shipping charges. I usually don’t get paid for my time. I hope to have a few up by next month’s update.

hand dyed braids of merino top
Fiber braids for sale will be similar to these. price will be based on weight. Most are 4oz but i have a few left over from my own spinning project that are smaller in size. Great for felting or if you just want to play around on a drop spindle.

Finally, I will be adding a short video of products to the listings. This option is already available on Etsy, and I thought it was such a shame that I was not offering the same visual representation here on the website. Once I get it set up I’ll start adding videos to the products. It’s not for every product, particularly some of the older ones, but I’ll work toward filming those in the future. As a visual person, I know I appreciate seeing items in “real time” as video gives a better idea of size, how it moves/wears, etc.

That was one heck of an update! I hope you are inspired to try to flow through your day, if only for a portion of it.

Until next time,

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Welcome Productive June (I hope!)

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When presented with two choices, pick the third.

– Unknown

I’m sure I have not quoted the original of that saying properly, thus why I could not find the original source, but it describes me perfectly. I love the road less travelled, stomping down my own path and finding new ways to approach life and its challenges.

June has to be one of my favourite months of the year. It’s the winding down of some activities, such as my children’s schooling, and the start of new projects, such as growing season! I also get the itch to dye fiber and yarn since it dries so beautifully outside in the warmer temps. More about that later…

I love saying hello to my Hummies again! They started coming back mid-May, and we’ve counted 7 thus far. I adore hummingbirds, and these ones are hungry from their journey north! I feel like I am constantly refilling the feeders with sugar water! LOL!

June Studio Project Update

I’m afraid this update won’t be terribly interesting except to prove I am still alive and well. I wish I had an update full of new goodies to share, but I’ve been concentrating on starting my garden as well as refining the products I currently have. I’m also working towards my goal of offering more bulk and wholesale items to hopefully support local markets/small businesses in the future. I’ve also been doing some much needed updating and refining of the website…just like every month. 😉 When you have your own platform vs selling on a platform, it’s a ton of work. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have it any other way! I love having my own little corner of the internet.

I’ve got a good pile of commercial wool yarn to dye. Unfortunately, I did not successfully find a Canadian supplier, so I ordered from the US instead. Hoping to find a Canadian supplier in the future.

I ordered a few more skeins to add to the commercial yarn I previously purchased for dyeing. I made a fairly sizeable investment (at least for me) in commercial yarn so that I could offer commercial indie dyed yarn along side my handspun. Fingering, DK and worsted weight merino or merino/nylon mixes, and some 100% cotton as well. I’m finding I’m a bit apprehensive to get started. I’m working towards having a group of colorways that I could replicate vs my typical OOAK (one of a kind) stuff. Luckily I’ve done a ton of dyeing over the years and have taken good notes so I think I have some good to go. That said, I want to take my time to do things correctly and that usually means I end up procrastinating. I know I have to just…jump in there, but that perfectionist in me is always afraid to get started.

I went through my supply closet and found I have quite a bit of handspun yarn for dyeing – even some boucle I completely forgot about. This will be fun to work with

I think once I get the massive amount of 3-ply BFL spun that I can use for the test dyes I’ll feel much more prepared to start. I haven’t spun in a few days due to getting struck down with a major migraine. I am totally bummed: the last time I had this bad a migraine was in January, right after Christmas, and I was becoming confident that my new regime was finally going to rid me of these debilitating headaches. I normally get one a month, so to go almost 6 months without one is huge! I really wish I had access to a hyperbaric chamber, as my migraines are due to a head injury, I think that would help immensely with healing once and for all. After 28 years, I’m anxious to get rid of these once and for all, and not through pharmaceuticals which just mask the issue.

Personal Projects

What creative projects will you be working on at the cottage or poolside this year? Or maybe you are preparing to do some winter knitting in the southern hemisphere. I’m going to do some simple projects in the evening, to use up odds and ends yarn. Below is an example of odd and ends knitted up in a pair of worsted weight socks.

I love to knit worsted weight socks as they work up fast! I don’t even bother to block them anymore: just throw them into the sock drawer and wait for winter

Every so often I purchase a pretty fingering weight sock pattern that I vow to do but truthfully I am so tired in the evenings I’d rather work on something simple and automatic. Lately I’ve been doing socks since I have a basic pattern that fits my feet memorized and I can finish a pair of worsted weight socks in 2-3 evenings. I even do toe-up so that I don’t have to do that dreaded kitchener stitch.

A few of my other worsted weight socks I’ve made, hand-dyed by moi. Now, to tackle the odd and ends of handspun. This will be more challenging as I will have to match up the sizes/gauges, and my handspun tends to be more varied in sizes.

June Earring Sale

celtic heart earrings silver or gold with freshwater pearl accent
topaz and quartz dangle earrings
black faceted onyx dangle earrings
ametrine amethyst and citrine gemstone dangle earrings
ornate small hoop earrings with freshwater pearls

To kick summer off, I thought an earring sale was in order! 15% off earrings when you use the code: EARRINGSYAY at checkout. Excludes sale items. You can checkout my Etsy sales for the month here.

Should we plant a Peanut, and grow more cats??

Here’s hoping you have a happy, healthy, productive (and fun!) June!

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May Update: The Month of (re)Vision

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“You realize that all along there was something tremendous within you, and you did not know it.”

Paramahansa Yogananda

I’m calling May the month of (re)Vision: Vision being the key word! Last month’s contemplation and urge for change has lead me to a to-do list of revamping and re-branding.

One thing that has always served me well is visualizing what I want and bringing it to fruition. Many times I cannot see the forest for the trees, however! When you are so immersed in a topic or situation (LIFE!) it’s hard to know for sure which direction to take, what to let go of, and what to change.

Comtemplation and Change

Last month’s Etsy strike was just what I needed to refocus and contemplate what do *I* want going forward. It’s easy to get caught up in the game of: what will sell and what (I think) everyone else wants. I have a good base of product so I have time to play and explore the next level, especially with yarn & fiber. I’ve been reevaluating my products, and giving everything a freshen up: either new photos, a revamp or retirement, if necessary.

I also made a wishlist of what I want to make going forward, particularly with fiber. One thing I’ve been toying with, is whether I should add an espinner to my spinning collection. Ok Leilani, you already have FOUR spinning wheels. As much as I love my treadle power, I can’t help but be curious to see how the electric version measures up. What can I say? I love to spin!

What I’m Working On

Part of the re-branding process: New Business cards! What do you think?

I loved my previous business card design, but after 3 years it was time to order more and I thought it best to refresh the overall brand. So out came the camera, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it all came together.

Another item on the VISION list: a static collection of dye combinations for yarn & roving. I’ve also acquired several skeins of commercial spun yarn that I can also dye. In the past I have spun my own bare yarns to dye, as spinning dyed roving and dyeing finished yarn gives two completely different looks. But I came to realize that it will be some time for me to spin a decent amount for sale, and I’d like to get making when the inspiration hits. I also realize some people prefer to knit commercial yarn, which is totally cool too! So it’s a goal of mine to offer both in the near future.

Sifting through old dye notes while envisioning new indie dyed yarn & roving. Reading through these notes is like looking through old photos fondly!

Clearing Out Dyed Roving

Right now I’m thinking about offering the dye combinations in roving, commercial & handspun yarn: full skeins and mini skein sets. Until then, I think I will list for sale some of my hand dyed merino top. I divide this roving into 4oz braids for my own spinning projects, but I may even split them into 2oz as you’d still spin a fair bit with half, especially with a drop spindle.

I’m pretty sure I will list much of my merino top roving I hand dyed for sale. I just have way too much that I will never get to, as I want to try my hand at spinning other fibers in my stash

Supplier Frustrations

Now I have to do a bit of grumbling. I’ve found it particularly difficult to find suppliers in Canada for bulk bare yarn or yarn cones. One mill didn’t even respond to my request. I find this an issue time and time again in this country. I either can’t find what I want, can’t get companies to respond to me, or they are not open to my request (which is fine). But it means I have to go to tried and true companies in the US that I’ve used for years who are happy to take my money and do so with the utmost professionalism.

20+ years as a maker who buys large lots of product be it packaging, jewelry components or fiber and this has been a constant problem. Maybe there are better leads via word of mouth…! Either way, I often feel like there are so many missed opportunities for great partnerships in Canada.

I’m having a hard time finding undyed wool yarn on a cone for dye experiments. So…I’ll make it myself! This is a 3 ply bfl being plied on a 32oz bobbin! So I’ll have several skeins of yarn available on one bobbin 🙂

No New Products this month, but there is a Sale

No new products for this month as I work on branding and new possibilities, and it may be for awhile, yet (we are heading into mercury retrograde, afterall 😉 ).

I didn’t have time to prepare a sale in time for Mother’s day, but in honor of all the moms, of which I am one, I am offering 20% off all products in the “Personalized Items” section for the rest of May. Here’s a few products from that section:

Om Aum Pendant with choice of stone
custom charm necklace animals and insects
silver or gold cat face charm necklace
starfish charm necklace with engraved letter of choice
Browse these products and more in the Personalized Items Section

I’m running a sale om Etsy as well, if you prefer to purchase there. It’s 10% off items in the Necklaces and Pendants section, as well as a few other clearance markdowns. I cannot offer as deep of a discount there, as their fees have gotten really high.

“Wings” (close up pic above) was developed after the passing of my Mother, in 2008. I wear mine pretty much everyday, I try not to leave home without it! Sending love out to the universe, wherever she may roam <3
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My Birthday, Shipping Woes, Etsy Strike

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April Studio Update

Little Junco birds feast in the bird feeder during our spring snowstorm

April Showers bring…spring snowstorms. As I sit here and type this, there is 10cm of snow outside and the wind has picked up. I’m confused if it is April or December! Therefore, it’s good day to pour a cup of tea and write my April Update.

This was yesterday: same window, approx same time. As you can see, we had another little visitor at the bird feeder

I wanted to share this feedback I received via the contact form on the website:

“Hello there! Last week I received a gift that a friend bought for me from your store – 2 glorious skeins of green merino-silk-angelina, along with 2 charming stitch markers. I just wanted to let you know that it is a complete dream to crochet with, and has kick-started a creative drive in me that I thought was asleep for good. Many many thanks for all your beautiful work!”

I cannot stress enough how much this message made my day! Yes, we always like to hear positive feedback about our work, but this means so much more to me. Because this customer has been *inspired* to create again with something *I* created. I feel privileged to know my purpose in life: live an inspired life, and inspire others. Needless to say this comment has inspired *me* to continue to keep creating. Truly, what goes around, comes around…

The Trouble with Shipping, and the Hindrance it places on a Positive Shopping Experience

I’ve written several times about the shipping conundrum. If you are a small business you really rely on the mail to get your goods where they need to go. If you are in Canada, like me, you rely heavily, if not exclusively, on Canada Post. Cost of shipping with Canada post has been rapidly increasing over the past few years. Plus the strain that the lockdowns created in 2020 threw delivery standards out the window.

Although Canada Post is reliable in the sense that packages eventually get to where they go, higher volumes mean that it can take longer for packages to reach their destination. In an Amazon Prime world, people aren’t as patient to wait for the goods they paid for. For cheaper items, I have no choice but to send the padded envelopes via regular mail, and when they are taking longer than usual to arrive, customers get anxious as there is no tracking number.

A Shipping Example

Why not send everything with tracking? Let’s take that order for yarn, quoted above. The order sold for $43. Of that $43 dollars, $21.43 was spent on shipping. It was going to Ontario, which is in Eastern Canada. I am located in this region as well (Maritime provinces). As it is a bulky item, the tracking option is the only way to ship, there is nothing cheaper. And this rate is with me squishing the yarn into a mailer envelope, which I really dislike, but have to do in order to keep the shipping costs as minimal as possible.

So $21.43 for a bulky envelope of yarn, leaves me with $21.57 for two skeins of yarn that I made from scratch. Nevermind the packaging and little extras I also include. And the Etsy fees I pay as this order was purchased via Etsy. If you think makers sell their goods to make money, you might want to think again…

So let’s say someone buys a stitch marker set for $17. If I were to send this with tracking, the price would be the SAME as the bulky envelop of yarn. $21 to send a $17 item. I instead, purchase an oversized stamp for just under $2. The item ships regular mail with no tracking, but you can understand why.

Understanding and Patience is Key

A platform like Etsy would say, just increase your prices. But how much is one willing to pay for a stitch marker set? How do I stay competitive on the platform when there are US makers whose shipping costs are considerably less?

I’m not looking to gouge people, I want them to enjoy my creations! I want my customers to feel that they paid a fair price. If I wanted to become rich I would have stopped making ages ago.

I’m also not trying to complain, just to educate. I make it a point to turn around my orders as quickly as possible, usually in 1 business day. If you waited a little longer to receive your handmade package from an artist or maker, please be patient, and don’t give them less than a 5 star review if you truly loved your item. Trust me, if I could hand deliver all my orders, to say thanks in person, I would.

Also, you can trust that if your package ever goes missing I will honor your order with either a refund or replacement. Simply contact me by hitting reply on your order confirmation email. I always get back to people right away so if there is a delay, please email me directly.

An Etsy Strike is A-Brewing

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Etsy corporate stating that there would be a fee increase, 30% higher starting April 11th. To be honest, I’m pretty low key on Etsy, and not up with the politics within the community. Not since the last mass exodus of sellers in 2012. I’ve been on Etsy since 2008, and I started selling on the platform about a year later. I’ve been around with all the ebb and flow of change as it has evolved as a company. I would not exactly call the platform exclusively handmade anymore, since it is full or re-sellers. Buyer beware is certainly warranted.

Recently I learned that several Etsy Shops will be going on strike starting April 11th. Their demands are as follows:

  1. Cancel the fee increase.
  2. Crack down on resellers with a comprehensive plan that is transparent, so sellers can hold Etsy accountable.
  3. Give ‘Golden’ support tickets to sellers affected by extreme AI actions (account termination, 45/90 day holds, etc.)
  4. End the Star Seller Program.
  5. Give all sellers the ability to opt out of off site ads.

Etsy and Me

I stay there because I really like the customers. For the most part, Etsy buyers get the handmade maker philosophy. I keep it as a low-key avenue for customers. I don’t make enough $$ there to be forced into paying for advertising, like some sellers who use Etsy as their primary income.

So when I got the email about a price increase, I shrugged it off as, what can you do? Until I happened to stumble on info on the strike via Twitter. Although I am small beans on Etsy, I’m going to participate in the Etsy strike in solidarity of the makers who rely on Etsy to make a living. I agree whole heartedly with their demands, though I’m very pessimistic that Etsy would ever listen to their sellers.

So I will be putting my Etsy Shop in vacation mode on April 11th, until at least the 18th. I may go a little longer, and take the month to research other avenues to get my work front and center to customers. You can come here to my website to purchase my items, or to contact me for any reason.

Click here to find out more about the Etsy strike

Click here to sign the petition

The Future is Unknown and What I’d love to Happen Going Forward

If I were to put it out there, what would I want to see for my little handmade endeavour going forward? Obviously, affordable shipping would be high on my list! But past that, I’d love to expand to reach more Canadians, and not just singular item orders, but bulk and wholesale to small retail shops that cater to handmade, or local yarn stores. I can give such a better price if I work and ship in bulk.

I’d love to streamline my sales to come through this website and discontinue using 3rd party platforms. But with a receptive audience built in and me wanting more time to create I simply don’t see myself leaving Etsy anytime soon. In fact, the answer may be to go back and diversify the platforms I use. I stopped doing that for simplicity, but here I sit again wondering how to reach more customers without being glued to my computer hours on end. I already dropped social networking for that reason: too much time taken up when I could be making fantastic things!

This Month’s New Products

Om (Aum) Pendant featuring genuine Aquamarine stone, available in silver or gold
Angel Wing Bag Charm
Stitch Marker Holder Necklace in Silver
Stitch Marker Holder Necklace in Gold
Dark Angel Pendant featuring Blue Opal
Dark Angel pendant featuring Milky Quartz
Cat face keepsake necklace
Personalized with a manually engraved letter charm in silver or gold
Starfish keepsake necklace available in silver or gold

April Discount

April is my birthday month! Despite rising costs with shipping and supplies, I wanted to offer a discount to say thanks! Creating literally saved my life over 2 decades ago. I am grateful to be here today to share my gifts with you all.

Save 18% on your order of $50+ for the month of April* with code: BIRTHDAYMONTH
*excludes sale items

It would be my pleasure to also include an additional small gift with your purchase.

In gratitude,

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Impatiently Waiting for Spring

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“The harder it gets, the closer you are” – Steven Chopade

It always seems that the closer one gets to the end of a task or period of time, one gets the most impatient. That’s certainly me these days, impatiently waiting for spring to start! Thankfully the piles of snow are quickly receding: I almost forgot what my deck and yard looked like!

Today the temperature reached 9 degrees celcius. It’s sunny, and I’m getting my seed starting materials out. Soon it will be time to start some seeds indoors, though I could be starting onions now. Funny how a temp like 9 degrees is exciting and warm this time of year! Come fall we’ll be literally shivering in our boots when the temps reach single digits!

What’s New

I wish I had some exciting news to report, but honestly I’ve just been taking care of housekeeping. Literally. Spring must be coming because I have been in a cleaning and organizing mood! Besides my house and studio, this sentiment also includes my website and Etsy shop. I’ve been cleaning up descriptions, updating info and freshening up listings. And as usual, I have a ton of new items to photograph and get listed, that will probably take me all year to get through – HA!

I’ve been enjoying replenishing my handmade note cards of various sizes and sentiments. I like to include these in orders, esp if there is a request for a gift note
Various pairs of socks I’ve knitted using commercial Lion Brand Fisherman’s wool yarn that I hand dyed. The pair on the left recently got revamped as I wanted them a tad longer. The pair on the right I’ve had for a few years now, and are due for darning as I’m seeing some worn spots on the bottom.

I’ve been working on using up my fisherman’s wool that I’ve had kicking around for years, long before I started spinning. Fisherman’s wool is worsted weight, and it’s been so cold this winter, I decided to make some more pairs. The thicker socks are almost like a slipper sock, though I wear these in my boots as well. They keep my feet toasty warm. I’m currently working on my 6th and probably final pair of socks with the Fisherman’s wool.

New Products

Click on each photo to be taken to the listing for the item. Also available on Etsy, should you prefer to shop there. Pricing structure is slightly different due to listing fees.

Celtic Knot earrings with freshwater pearls
Celtic knot pendant necklace with freshwater pearl accent. With a long 30 inch chain.

These pewter Celtic knot charms have been around for quite some time, but wasn’t inspired to make anything with them, until recently. I acquired some larger freshwater pearls and I immediately liked the look of the larger darker pearls with this pendant. I’m trying to expand my offerings for good quality items that are not precious metal. With the rising cost of…everything, I want to make sure I have products available with a broad price point so that there is a little bit of everything for everyone.

Simple Faceted Gemstone Drop Sterling Silver Earrings

I’ve relisted These 10mm faceted gemstone earrings with the stones I currently have available: amethyst, golden tiger eye and onyx. But one pair or a set of all 3. I used to have more stones available but am sold out and will not be restocking (at least for now).

Tiny gold Awareness Ribbon necklace personalized with an initial charm

This is an older product that I sold years ago on my old website, now available once again. This petite awareness ribbon is gold plate over sterling silver. The rest of the necklace is gold-filled. You can find out more about gold-filled in this blog post.

Gold is the color awareness ribbon for childhood cancers, which is what I originally bought these charms for (by customer request). I would say if you prefer to wear gold jewelry and have a specific cause that is near and dear to you, to not let the officially meaning deter you. This piece is nice and dainty: perfect for daily wear.

spindle shell beach keepsake necklace
Spindle Shell Personalized Necklace

Living near a beach (albeit a cold one!) draws me to all things beach related. I adore the ocean and love living near it. This necklace can be personalized with a initial charm that I manually engrave. Sterling silver chain. The pendant is culinary grade pewter. You can learn more about these charms and their wonderful detail and quality in this blog post.

Revamped Listing

Horse Keepsake Necklace Sterling Silver

I’ve decided to amalgamate all the personalized products that are offered in both silver and gold, for ease of comparison and ordering. The horse and bunny necklace from this original collection are now only available in silver, and as of now I am not planning to restock the gold.

I’m off to enjoy this lovely end-of-winter day. Possibilities. So delicious…

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Fighting the Winter Blahs (and a coupon code)

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Our winter thus far has been reminiscent of the winters we spent in Quebec! Not only a ton of snow, but several days of bitter cold. I’m over it already…! 🥶😜🥴

I can only describe the start of our year as….blah…we all as a family were dragging after all the Christmas hype. Plus, I have my typical winter dry cough that comes along with this lack of humidity and running our pellet stove constantly. It’s so much fun to have a chronic cough in the era of covid hysteria. 🙄

So I took the first few weeks of January essentially off…I filled orders, but I didn’t jump in with my usual zest for getting the year started. I did tell myself I would slow down this winter, so it’s not exactly a loss. I was mostly on the couch: knitting, reading and watching TV/internet broadcasts. My cats were thrilled to have a couch buddy! The lack of energy from being burnt out afforded me the chance to work on small projects that I’ve been meaning to get to anyway.

Latest Projects and Gadgets

I got my knitting bins organized! The one on the left, with all my needles and accessories. The one on the right, with all my current projects. I can’t seem to work on one project at a time! The bin on the left was my mom’s – she wasn’t a knitter, but she sewed and did a bit of latch hooking.
Have you ever done a felted join? Merino felts easily, so I often will simply felt the new ball onto the end of the finished ball…and keep on knitting. Any reason to avoid wearing in ends. Ha ha! I’ve had success with felted joins with different kinds of handspun, though I haven’t tried it on mohair. Where it is so slippery, I have my doubts it would felt together well. But alpaca has worked, and most types of sheep wool I’ve spun.
Earlier this month I finally cleaned up the final batch of garlic from 2021. This batch I started in the spring, rather than the fall, just for fun. The bulbs were really small come harvest time, and they’ve been hanging on the drying rack since early November. But as small as they are they are not only super cute but super tasty. We go thru a ton of garlic and I already finished the bulk of what I grew. Definitely glad we doubled the plot for this year!
…and the snow keeps coming…
I’ve been contemplating buying Kollage knitting needles for awhile now. Their square design really intrigued me, and it made sense to me that the shape would mean less fatigue on the hands and more even stitches.

My husband was going to buy me the interchangeable Kollage knitting needles set as a Christmas gift, but I stopped him. I already have so many types of needles, it seemed really frivolous to buy yet another set. But by Christmas end, I was still thinking about these needles, and decided to go ahead and buy them (with DH’s blessing. We decided to not exchange gifts this year. Just a few treats instead). Shout out to Darn Yarn here in Nova Scotia. I found them on kollage’s website as a distributor, and I was impressed at how quickly I received my order. I would definitely buy from them again, and would recommend!

I may do a separate post on the kollage needles once I’ve used them for awhile, but so far, so good!

As you can see, Moki approves of my order from Knitting Anxiety

Also shout out to Knitting Anxiety in Montreal, who is also a Kollage product distributor. Their Etsy shop has a great selection of kollage needles and accessories. I bought more firm cables for my interchangeable set since I’m always working on more than one project at once. I didn’t get more soft cables, as I don’t think I’ll use them as often. Again, more in an up-coming kollage post.

New Products and Back In stock

Back in stock: Catholic art themed stitch markers

I have re-listed the Catholic Art stitch marker set with a new, updated look. You can now pick from a set of clip on markers or a set of mixed sized closed rings for knitting in the round. The clip on version is great for crocheters, and I love clip on markers to hold drop stitches until I get can around to pick them up. This was a one-time unique purchase of these charms so once they are officially gone I will not be able to restock them.

New stitch marker set: KNIT PURL in gold (also available in silver)

I’ve listed a gold version of the original KNIT PURL stitch marker set. These markers are accented by sparkly faceted glass beads (KNIT) and freshwater pearls (PURL). The set also come with a clip on marker, for a total of 9 markers.

January Aftermath

….and coming… (probably the most snow at our back door since we’ve lived here)

I’m glad to say that I’m finally coming out of the holiday burn out and winter funk. There is lots of creativity flowing and more new creations & inspiration to share in the coming days.

In this divisive world, I only want to spread love and compassion, and it’s a marvellous feeling to see Canadians conquer fear to love & support each other across the country. Don’t let the media bring you down or fill you with fear and doubt. I am in touch with many folks across the country, and the desire is the same: to get back to loving and respecting each other. I know from experience manifesting the future you want is not only possible but very much achievable.

To celebrate the month of love I’m offering 14% discount until Feb 20th on All orders with the code: LOVEABOVEALL (excluding sale items).

Peanut says good night!

Love to you all…

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End of Year Sale – Let’s Celebrate!

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End of year sale coupon code available – keep reading to find out…

I hope you are all having a fun and restful end of year holiday…I know, the two really don’t go together! After 4 days of over-eating and visiting with friends and family, I’m looking forward to taking the rest of the week to recharge and get caught up on a few tasks that have fallen to the wayside these past few weeks.

I don’t have time to do a mass Christmas card mailing like I used to, but I still make cards for immediate family members

New Year’s Goals

I’m not one for New Year Resolutions, but this year I have resolved to try to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n as is compatible with the cold and short days of Canadian winters. I tend to treat the winter months as “catch up”, “get ahead” time, even though my body is telling me to rest.

Always enjoy making items for friends and customers. I started in 1999 and have been steadily at it in one form or another since 2001. It is my comfort, and my pleasure to create. I look forward to continue making keepsakes, handspun yarn & knitting accessories for you in 2022!

I look forward to curling up in bed with a good book, trying out some new knitting projects, and catching up with some meditation and spiritual podcasts, as well as expanding my own sixth sense abilities. I’m going to be creative when the whim calls, but I won’t be pushing myself to develop new products for the sake of sale.

These two brothers cozy in the studio, and as you can see, color matching the chairs 😆

Coupon Code – save 20% on your Entire Order

I am running a sale for the next couple of weeks. If you spend $75 here on the website you will save 20% off your entire order.

Use code: ENDOFYEAR at checkout. This also applies to clearance items!

Sale valid until Jan 10th, 2022.

Click here to start shopping

If you prefer to shop on etsy, I’m currently offering 15% off my entire shop. The sale is officially on until January 3, 2022 (unless I decide to extend it).

My etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/leilanihandmade8888/

See you “next year”…

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Busy, Tired, Happy: My week at a glance

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“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” – Albert Einstein

My week at glance, at least the creative projects I’ve tackled this week anyway! It’s getting close to the Christmas holidays and thus my “me” time is limited. Still, I have made the commitment to invest in myself more. That means more time for my personal projects and goals. Including, listening more to my intuition, trusting in myself and slowing down to hone my gifts, both physically and spiritually.

Some of the current knitting projects I have on the go. Please tell me I’m not the only one who likes to work at more than one project at a time!

Most Satisfying Moment this week

My most accomplished moment this week, was getting my yarn backlog sorted, tagged and listed. It is always a job getting my handspun weighed, measured and priced, not to mention photographed! Descriptions are also hard. I really wish there was a way you could touch and experience my yarns with all your senses. I am quite confident that you would be intrigued and excited to work with my fiber creations.

You can view all my yarns offered in the handspun yarn section. I also have most of my yarn available for sale on etsy, but the full compliment is available on this website.

The – to sort, price and list rack, before it was prepped for sale. It is now clear all but 3 skeins that I am not sure what I want to do with yet.

Some of the New Yarns at a Glace

  • Springtime
  • Colorful Sails and Striped Candy
  • 2 skein merino set- DK
  • 2 skein merino set – worsted
  • jungle safari 2 ply merino handspun yarn
    Jungle Safari
  • Lodestone
These are just some of the yarns available under the handspun yarn section. Most of these are large skeins, perfect for a project or to incorportae into a bigger knitted or crocheted item

Yarn Revamp

One reason why I love working with fiber, is that it is incredibly versatile. Not just for the items that can be made with it, but for the fact you can revamp it if you are unsatisfied with the finished project. Like this handspun superwash merino & tencel.

Tencel is a cellulose based fiber, so it’s very much like bamboo or cotton fiber. I blended tencel and merino together and spun it, I assume for socks but I really can’t remember why now. Sometimes I just want to experience spinning blended fibers.

After spinning I dyed the yarn. Tencel being a plant based fiber will not dye with acid dyes, so my thought at the time was to leave the tencel showing as little bits through the wool. In the end, I didn’t like the effect and shelved the project.

The wool and tencel mix was dyed with acid dyes, that dyed the animal fibers but not the tencel, a plant based fiber. This left the bits of tencel throughout the yarn as little white bits, which I thought I would like but was not happy with the finished product.

So I decided to re-skein the 2 balls and have them take a bath in MX Fiber Reactive dyes. This dye will work on the tencel but leave the merino wool unchanged. I did a mix of slate and grey, and set the yarn to dye overnight. You can read my post on dyeing cotton yarn for more info on dyeing plant based fibers.

I love the final effect with the tencel now dyed. It adds grey-blue bits throughout the yarn which i prefer over the undyed.

After the yarn was rinsed and dried, I loved the grey-blue bits of tencel showing through.

A note on tencel: although tencel is cellulose based (derived from wood pulp) it is technically a man-made fiber, so not exactly “natural” as bamboo, cotton or wool would be.

Experimenting With Setting Yarn with Steam

Two skeins of yarn from the same spin: the one on the left has not been steamed, the one on the right after steaming.

A few years ago, I saw a video either on a blog or social media where the spinner set their yarns using steam from an iron, rather than going the whole soak and dry route. I was really intrigued by this, esp. by how you could watch the plies of the yarn align simply by the steam.

I really enjoy washing and setting my yarns in the sunshine – something about them being charged in the sun adds to all the good energy I put in when I spin them…not to mention how much I enjoy giving them a good thwack on the side of the house! 😉 But now that it is winter setting yarns indoors becomes a bit of a pain.

The other day it occured to me that I could use my garment steamer to set my yarns. It is an under used tool (I bought it to steam my wedding dress back in 2006 thinking I would use it often after that, but it’s pretty much been sitting in one closet or another over the years). The results were great and very satisfying to watch. I now want to try setting my knitted items with steam, so I may do a separate post on the entire process.

Why My Creations Make Great Gifts

An order this week that especially touched me. Personalized gold-filled letter charm necklace, manually engraved

I adore all my orders but the special gifts really excite me the most. It is my calling to uplift others, support them and be there when their loved ones can’t. So when I am asked to send a special Christmas gift to a fellow Maritimer from someone thinking of them on the west coast, I am more than happy to oblige. I also made a simple note card for their gift message. I really hope they like their new necklace!

Larger projects

Making progress on my third knitted sweater, with a combination of my handspun. I think it works quite well together. Now on to the sleeves!

It’s no joke that I love to spin, and in order to get good at something, you have to put the time in. Needless to say after hundreds of hours spinning over the past 10 years I have amassed a lot of yarn. I do sell some of it, but much of it is here to be used, mostly because I feel it’s simply not up to par to sell.

It was time to do some larger projects, because hats, socks and mitts were not making a big enough dent. I started making sweaters over the summer and this is my 3rd one, I’ll have to do a separate post on the pattern and tutorial I bought to kick start my sweater knitting.

Mr. Peanut is the keeper of the fiber – and he says, goodnight! 🙂

It’s getting late and my bed is calling…until next time,

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Amazing Dishrags – Knitting Cotton Dishcloths

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Knitting cotton dishcloths is a fun and simple project that make great add-on gifts

Why I am Knitting Cotton Dishcloths

When I started knitting cotton dishcloths, I thought I’d maybe make a couple to try and that would be it. I gave one to my husband, who washes the majority of the dishes, to try. “Can you make some more?” He said, “Those are awesome!”. They have become his fave dishcloths, and it has become a ritual that every autumn I make a new batch: some for him, some for gifts.

I also crochet dishcloths which I equally like, but this post will look at simple knitted cotton dishcloths that you can easily make on the go or in front of the TV. You’ll have a ton of gift add-ons in no time!

My wall of cotton yarn, that I hand dyed with fiber reactive dyes – see that racoon on he wall? My mom made that when I was a child. She passed in 2008, so I’m very proud to display it in my studio.

You may have read my post on dyeing cotton yarn. Whether your stash is store bought or hand dyed, these are the simple patterns that I like the most for knitting cotton dishcloths.

Why Make Knitted Cotton Dishcloths

Cotton dishcloths are super absorbent and feel great in hand. I prefer a pattern where front and back look the same or similar. I’ve tried a lot of patterns and the simple, basic knit stitch looks best, in my opinion. To add interest you can accent with different types of stitches mixed in. That means these patterns are perfect for beginners!

Cotton is a completely different textile to knit compared to wool. Yes, the mechanism of knitting is the same, but cotton is not springy like wool. Since it has little to no give I find that it can be hard on the hands if you knit a lot in one sitting. You also don’t want to make your stitches too tight or it’s hard to knit the next row. Too loose however, and you may find your dishcloth falling apart prematurely.

I’m curious how handspun cotton will feel, because I find it to be significantly softer. You can also buy cotton/acrylic hybrid yarn that feels softer in hand, but I personally don’t have any experience with it.

My first attempt at spinning cotton yarn. It’s much softer than the commercial variety. It’s very short stapled so I think next time I will need to spin it from the fold if I want a thinner yarn. I’ll write about dyeing and knitting this yarn, another day.

My Fave Memorized Dishcloth Pattern

My fave simple easy knitted dishcloth using two different colors of yarn. The contrast color was a speckle dye.

This is a really simple idea for knitting up a basic dishcloth. I was tired one night and wasn’t ready for bed, so I let my hands and brain do what it wanted.

Here’s the pattern, it’s very easy to remember. I’m using mill ends cotton, with size US7 needles. You can make your dishcloths as big as you wish, so simply use my sizing as a guide.

With MC (main color) Cast on 32

K13 rows with MC

Row 14 – switch to C2 (color 2) – K1P1 across

Row15 – K1S1 (knit one, slip one) across with C2

Row 16-17 – with MC, knit across

Repeat Rows 14 – 17 5x

Then knit MC K13 rows

Cast off

I told you it was easy! Perfect for beginners, and easy to do while watching a movie or sitting on the bus (or waiting for kids to be done their activity, which is the story of my life).

This dishcloth was knitted as a variation of Knit Picks Woven Stripes Dishcloth Pattern

Other Easy Patterns You May Wish to Try

KNIT PICKS WOVEN STRIPES DISHCLOTH

KNIT PICKS WOVEN POLKADOTS DISHCLOTH

KNIT PICKS INTRO TO INTARSIA DISHCLOTH

I like these three patterns as well, free for use from knitpicks.com. Super easy to remember. I make mine smaller than the patterns call for.

As you can see I put off weaving in ends last minute! Probably my least favorite thing to do in knitting projects. I messed up the join in the middle (too loose in some areas), but I cut a long tail and wove it through to remedy that.
Easy Short Row Knitting makes a nice looking dishcloth with two contrasting colors. Why not try 4 colors? That’s on my to try list!

Other Types of Cotton Yarn to Knit With

Cotton scrubby yarn is easy to work with too – since you can’t see the stitches, just do the knit stitch every row. They work wonderfully on stubborn baked on food.

I enjoy making little scrubbies with cotton scrubby yarn. I’ve wondered if I could spin a variation of this, maybe like spinning a bouclé? It’s certainly an affordable yarn to buy commercially, so I’ll stick to that for now. I buy the white and off-white, and dye it myself.

There is also an acrylic equivalent to this yarn, but I have no experience with it. Since it has a texture I don’t do anything fancy with it, just the basic knit stitch. You won’t see the pattern well anyway, due to the yarn construction. I make these even smaller than the traditional knitted dishcloth, by request of my hubby. He liked the smaller size for scrubbing out pots.

The finished scrubby dishcloth. Make them whatever size you desire. My DH likes them on the smaller side.

Other ways to Come up with Dishcloth Patterns

Think of some of the patterns you love in other projects such as hats, scarves or sweaters. One thing I also like to do is practice new-to-me stitch patterns.

Practising tunisian crochet (left) and working out a pattern from my encyclopedia of stitches (right)

How Long Will Knitted Dishcloths Last

Knitted dishcloths do fall apart eventually. The type of stitch you use, as well as how loose your stitches were knitted will make a difference. I also find really lacey patterns, although pretty to look at, fall apart quicker than basic knit and crochet stitches. At least this is true for dishcloths, they would probably be fine for face cloths.

Above is an array of dishcloths in various stages of use. The front cloth was made this time last year, and will have been in circulation for one 1 year later this month. The other two are approx. 3 years older, and you see they are starting to develop holes. We use them until there is basically nothing holding them together anymore, so we still expect to get at least a couple years worth of use from the old ones. Also of note is how my dyeing skills have improved since! You can read my post on dyeing cotton yarn for more info.

Once I get through this batch of cotton yarn I really want to try making dishcloths and hand towels out of bamboo. I’ve heard such great things about bamboo for these practical purposes. I love to spin bamboo, so I think it willbe a fun project to embark on. More on that in a future post.

Do you love or hate to knit with cotton? Will this post encourage you to give it a try or do you have an tips or tricks for me? Would love to hear from you…

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Tips and Tricks for Dyeing Cotton Yarn

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My latest hand dyed cotton yarns drying in the autumn air

Last week I was dyeing commercial (aka store bought) cotton yarn in the studio, to add to my existing stash. It occurred to me that I have not seen many blog posts on the topic of dyeing cotton yarn, especially if you want to achieve vibrant, rich colors.

I’m a self taught (indie) dyer so I thought my trial and error experiences would benefit others. The following info is from my own personal experience with dyeing cotton, and should only be taken as opinion. Someone else may have success with other methods, or disagree with my methodology.

Over the years I have come across many posts and videos on dyeing wool yarn, but not so much with cotton yarn. If I do find a post or video, the colors achieved tend to be very muted or wash out quickly, which was my experience early on. This is a compilation of tips that I found helped me get vibrant, lasting color.

Currently I am going through mill ends of cotton, because you can buy these relatively cheap, and the odd knot in the hank doesn’t bother me. You can often get cotton yarn on sale at the local arts and craft store, as well. I re-skein them into smaller yardage as I don’t need large amounts of one color for dishcloths.

I have done a bit of cotton spinning. It’s challenging for me since it is such a short stapled fiber, but I do love the softness of the finished product. We’ll leave spinning and dyeing cotton fiber for another day.

Type of Dye Used

I am currently using MX dyes, which is a fiber reactive dye for cotton or cellulose fibers. At first I used packets of Dylon dye from the fabric store as I didn’t expect to get into dyeing cotton as much as I do. I found they worked just fine. The larger containers of MX Dye is more cost effective for me now. I purchase MX dyes from G&S Dye in Toronto.

Another learning curve I hope to tackle in the future is dyeing cotton yarn with natural dyes, but for now the synthetic stuff will do. If you have dyed cotton or plant fiber with natural dyes I’d love to hear about your experience! 🙂

Dyeing Plant fibers vs Animal Fibers

Here are the 4 main points to keep in mind when dyeing plant fibers such as cotton or bamboo yarn, especially if you come from a animal fiber dyeing background (like me):

No Heat Required

Unlike dyeing animal fibers, you do not need to apply heat in order for the dye to take. You also will not have to add a product like citric acid or vinegar like you do with acid dyes. Instead you should pre-soak your yarn or fiber in a soda ash and water solution prior to dyeing for maximum dye absorption/color brightness.

The most important element to successful cotton yarn dyeing is time, not heat

Set aside at least 24 hours for your yarn to soak in the dye, overnight at the very least. I leave my cotton yarn in the dye solution for up to 2 days. If you are opting to sprinkle on dye for the speckled effect, wring it out thoroughly from the soda ash water, sprinkle on your dye, wrap in plastic wrap and set aside at least overnight. Your yarns will always appear darker when wet, so expect the color to dull by a fair bit once dry.

MX Dyes will not exhaust like Acid Dyes

The first time I dyed cotton yarn I was horrified because the dye would not exhaust, and so much of the dye ran out at rinsing. I thought it was an epic fail. But it turns out, these particular types of dyes do not exhaust, and you can expect a great deal of color to wash out when rinsing. This is why it’s very important not to…

Do not Skimp on Dye when Dyeing Cotton Yarn

It’s important to read the instructions and follow the amount of dye required per yardage as suggested by the manufacturer. YEAH RIGHT! Who has time for that?? I am really impatient, and notorious for not reading instructions (or even taking the time to understand them). Like I have time to weigh and measure every skein before dyeing, then work out the proper amount of dye by using (gasp!) math.

A few years ago, I paid for an online video course for dyeing with acid dyes, and I swore I would stick to using a very precise scientific method. But let’s face it: WHERE’S THE FUN IN THAT?? I prefer to find out via trial and error and learn to feel out how much dye I should use. It feels more artistic and expressive that way. I can always over dye it, if it doesn’t achieve the color I wanted originally.

This yarn was dyed brick red the first time and while wet the hue was nice and dark. But after it dried, it was too muted. So back into the dye with 1/3 tsp of brick red and 1/3 tsp of scarlet

My Method of Dyeing Cotton Yarn Step by step

1. Soak yarn in a solution of water & soda ash for at least 20 min for best dye absorbency. Soda Ash, also known as calcium carbonate or washing soda, helps keep colors bright when dyeing with fiber reactive dyes. It is supposed to keep your yarn colorfast, though I haven’t found this to be the case (more on using a dye fixative, below).

I use approx. 1 tbsp, and fill my crockpot with water, leaving space for the yarn so it doesn’t overflow. The crockpot is not on, I just use it as a container for the soda ash water. Give it a stir, and the soda ash should easily dissolve in the water.

I have found if I use too much soda ash it won’t dissolve completely, but you want to use a decent amount as this is what keeps the color bright in your yarn. Less dye seems to run out at rinsing when I use the right amount of soda ash.

I love having a dedicated crockpot in the studio. It’s my prefered way to dye wool rovings and yarn since it keeps an even heat and I don’t have to worry about catching the studio on fire. 😉 It’s a bonus that I can use it for pre-soaking my cotton yarns. The flatter version on the right is great for low water immersion dyeing.

The Yarn is soaking in Soda Ash and water, what’s next?

2. While the cotton is soaking, make your dye solution. I have 2 ways that I like to dye cotton yarn. The first is mixing the dye with tap water in a plastic container. It’s very convenient, and since you don’t need heat, you just add the yarn, put the lid on it and let the magic happen. Usually I use stacking containers to minimize space used on the counter.

The second way is sprinkling the dye unmixed over top the soaked yarn and wrapping it in plastic wrap. Then set it aside at least overnight.

How Much dye should be used when dyeing cotton yarn?

I don’t have a specific formula for how much dye should be used at a time. Roughly, for a 80 to 100 yard skein, I will put two 1/3 tsp of dye into cold water, mixed directly in the plastic container the yarn will soak in. EXCEPT for black: I always use a ton of dye in order to get nice, true black. I’ll use 1 tbsp of dye for the same amount of yarn, and then dye more skeins in the leftover dye solution into shades of grey. I adore back and grey yarns for contrast in projects.

After dyeing cotton yarn black, I use the leftover dye to get a few small skeins shades of grey. Here I am adding a new skein into the dye solution, taking my time to make sure all the yarn gets soaked up with dye.

I have tried re-using the dye solution with other colors, but I find the color is so washed out and light it isn’t worth it. At first, it looks like you’ll get nice, rich color, only to have it mostly wash out when rinsing. The amount I use seems to be just right for one skein, and I can’t push it to get more like I do with acid dyes.

This is the final red yarn from above, once dry

Finishing Your Dyed Cotton Yarn

3. After your yarn soaks for a good bit of time, rinse the yarn thoroughly in cold water. Remember, time is your friend when dyeing cotton, so try to leave it in the dye solution at least overnight. With this last dye run I got the urge to do this pretty late at night. I removed it from the dye bath the following afternoon. You will find a fair bit of dye will run out when you rinse, you may prefer to soak several times until the water becomes clear.

4. Here is the controversial part: to finish your yarn at this point by hanging it up to dry, or soaking it in a fixative such as Raycafix. The first time I dyed cotton yarns the color faded very fast in my dishcloths. Like, almost back to its original color. Mind you, my first dishcloths were a very light color. Little did I know that I did not use enough dye, so maybe the remedy is to simply use more dye. Since that first run I discovered Raycafix and I have not had any issue with color fading or bleeding.

To Soak or Not to Soak in a Dye Fixative

I say it’s controversial because these types of products assumingly contain some harsh chemicals such as formaldehyde. I don’t know this for certain but I do take precautions when using. Let’s face it: if you buy conventional clothing or furniture, you are already exposed to these toxins.

I am pretty sensitive to toxins, and have detox protocols for many synthetic products I come in contact with, even for certain food additives. I’ve never had any known health issues with using this product. From time to time I use a variety of noxious materials, from synthetic dyes for fibers, to patinas for metals or polishing compounds for gold and silver. It’s up to you to decide what you are comfortable with.

I take my yarns outside to soak in their Raycafix bath. I pour a small amount into some hot tap water, swirl around with a gloved hand then allow the yarn to soak for 5 min. We have septic, so I have a dedicated place away from the house to pour out the water. Again, I have no idea if that is even necessary but these precautions are easy for me to do.

My latest yarns taking a bath in Raycafix Color Fixative

If you don’t feel comfortable using a dye fixative, I’m confident you will be just fine using soda ash and a fiber reactive dye.

If you do use a fixative, soak the yarn afterwards in cold water before wringing out and hanging to dry.

I’d love to hear about your experience dyeing cotton yarn! If you have any tips and tricks for me, I’d love to hear them.

My next post will be about knitting with cotton yarn, including my fave (easy) dishcloth patterns….

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Baby it’s (getting) Cold Outside

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Latest Creative Projects

Autumn is in full swing here in the Annapolis Valley which means change-of-season chores before the snow flies, and I’m in denial that it’s November! How can Christmas be next month? Weren’t we just swimming in the pool and picking veggies in the garden?

I know a lot of people like this time of year, but I feel sad that summer is over. Shorter, colder days are ahead. Plus, I find the adjustment to less natural vitamin D a struggle.

Handmade Birthday Cards

We’ve had 2 birthdays go by and I forgot to share the handmade elements from each. I figured I’d at least share the cards I made. I customarily do that on Instagram, but I’ve been enjoying my time off social media. More time to create & connect to people in real life, and less negativity and drama!

This is the card I made for my youngest’s birthday. She loves cats and it seems every birthday has a cat theme. I used a stencil to lay color with a sponge ink tool (I love Ranger Distress Ink). Then I added flower decals and sticky rhinestones to add some 3-dimensional texture. The little cat holding the “Happy Purrthday” sign was stamped, then colored in with watercolor pencils. I also made him a little party hat, and I think the different sized googly eyes really make the image.

I wasn’t happy with how this card turned out. I’ll admit I left it too late and was rushing, but I knew my youngest would love it, just the same.
I was much happier with how this card turned out, for my oldest who is into sloths. These sloth images are from 3 different stamp sets. I love how they are just hangin’ out on the front of the card. I colored them with watercolor pencils, and a stencil formed the white leaf pattern in the negative space. The sayings “Hang in There”, “You’re my favorite to hang with” and “take it sloth” round out the card beautifully on a brown paper background. The textured green leaves and white/pink flower were cut out using a die cutter

What’s New on the Home Front

I pulled these carrots out of my garden this week, now that we officially have frost. I love that it’s November and my garden is still giving! I hope to expand on the gardening next season. The kiddos helped me get the garlic cloves in the ground last week. Hubs expanded the garden plot for me, hopefully we’ll have double the garlic next year.
We had a couple of nights with light frost so I had my kiddos pick the garden huckleberry. They are the perfect dark purple color, and it’s my first time growing them. I hear that when cooked they taste like blackberries. High in antioxidants, I can’t wait to make a sauce out of them. I
We are learning first aid, and it seems the cats want in on the action too! Do you think we could teach Osuna how to do 30 compressions, followed by 2 breaths? He looks ready to learn! This is more of a refresher for me. I have taken first aid before, but many things have changed so it’s nice to get caught up.

Here’s the latest new products

I’m trying to clear up the back log of products, but it’s slow going. Currently there is 13 new skeins or yarn sets to get listed, and numerous pieces of jewelry. I’ve decided to put spinning on hold until I sell more skeins and use the time to get back into knitting and crocheting again. Maybe this year, I’ll get more Christmas projects made!

OM (Aum) Pendant necklace
This is a revamp of the original design. Instead of having the stone hang from the side I’ve decided to freshen the look by attaching the gemstone bead directly above the culinary grade pewter pendant. Choice of smokey quartz, amethyst or moonstone faceted gemstone. The necklaces come in either silver or gold, and you have a choice of length of sterling silver or gold-filled chain.
  • boxing glove necklace with choice of motivational word
Sterling Silver Boxing Glove Necklace

This is a revamp of the “Survivor” awareness ribbon and boxing glove necklace. I am officially out of the ribbon charms, and won’t be stocking them. So I decided to re-work this piece to spotlight mental health, though I think the words could be meaningful for many reasons to the owner.

These are trying times, and this customizable necklace comes with choice of inspirational word charm (Live, Power, Honor, Health), and letter charm, that I will engrave at time of order.

Funny story, the day I took the photos for this piece, I could not get a great shot. I was perplexed, as it was shot under the same lighting conditions as any other piece of jewelry. All photos looked far away, with not the greatest detail. So after editing and putting up the listing, it dawned on me: the macro lens was not on my camera!

When I take photos of my yarn I use a regular lens, because macro tends to show too much detail and it doesn’t fairly represent the yarn. But macro is an absolute must for jewelry shots, to get nice close ups and show greater detail. It’s certainly not perfect. I’m an amateur so my photos aren’t the greatest, but I think they are adequate and showcase the pieces with the vibe I want. I may retake these photos, but for now, onwards…

  • sterling silver engraved butterfly symbol necklace with letter charm
  • engraved butterfly charm with letter charm and choice of pearl
Sterling Silver Manually Engraved Butterfly Necklace with choice of Pearl

I have offered this necklace with just the silver charm and back engraving for a few years now, and it was…well, boring me. To freshen it up I decided to nix the back engraving and pair it with a letter charm in my fave font, Curlz (engraved for you at time of order). I also decided to ditch the Swarovski crystal accent. While it was pretty and blingy, I felt that something more natural matched the vibe of the piece better. There is a choice of 4 colored pearls: white, peach, grey and dark iris. I also engrave the butterfly charm by way of template.

  • engraved lotus charm with letter charm and choice of pearl
Manually Engraved Sterling Silver Lotus Necklace with choice of Pearl

Much like the engraved butterfly necklace, I decided to refresh the lotus necklace in the same manner. I manually engrave the lotus flower symbol on a sterling silver blank, that I then hand punch into a charm. Instead of back engraving I’ve paired it with a Curlz font letter charm. I chose 4 freshwater pearls that I thought best represented the lotus: choice of white, pink, magenta purple or pale blue iris.

I’m off to work on my current sweater and try out some new dish cloth patterns. My hubs mostly does the dishes (lucky me) and he prefers my handmade ones over the store bought ones.

Until next time…

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Maker, Mom, Empath.
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Hello, from my desk

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Important tools of the trade these days

Waving hi from my desk, which is relatively clean, but ready to be filled with stones and connectors, fiber and dye samples. Sometimes it’s good to clear the space and start anew. I wanted to do this post so that my customers know that the site is current and I am still creating and still selling my creations. A few months back I was have major pains in my shoulder and it was a signal for me to slow down and streamline how I spend my time. The major thing on the cutting block was online time. When I thought about what impacted me the most negatively, it was screentime. Too much causes my energy to be off, I simply feel anxious and out of sorts, not to mention the physical strain on my body from sitting and typing for extended periods of time. I’m also very sensitive to EMF, and can get a migraine at the drop of a hat, so it was a no-brainer to limit my time at the computer.

Limiting screen time means more quiet time, more time to spend at the things that are good for my soul. More time in the garden. More time in the kitchen cooking for my family. More time to reconnect with creative projects that have fallen to the wayside over the past few years. Inevitably, this has lead me even further down a spiritual path of wellness and wholeness, and I realize just how toxic social networking truly is. Yes, I miss sharing and supporting the maker community, but it’s trying for an empath to know every last detail in people’s lives. Add to that the incessant censoring which I am vehemently against, even if I disagree with the opinions shared, and I was done. I still pop on a couple platforms for a short period of time, but there are some I simply don’t miss and won’t be back.

Still making yarn, though I took a break for a few weeks for my shoulder to recover. I have several new pieces of jewelry to list as well, so I’ll be back to the computer to edit photos and list soon. Right now, I am enjoying the summer vibes and reconnecting with myself and those closest to me
Very satisfying to pull garlic from my garden! My first year growing garlic, potatoes and peas, and all did very well. I love getting into my garden and speaking to my plants. Next year, I must handle the slugs so my leafy greens flourish
Another outdoor activity I’ve enjoyed this year is filling the hummingbird feeders. The feeders are new this year and I’ve counted 7 of these little guys at once which makes me very happy! When I go out with the sugar water they chatter excitedly, and I’ve even had some hover near my face checking me out. Bonus, the cats enjoy watching the birds from these window feeders – free Cat TV 😀
I’m excited to share I finally made a sweater! I’m far from a novice knitter, but never had time for such a project. Even more importantly, this sweater is made up of revamped yarn that was one of the first skeins I ever successfully made. It’s was a naturally dark brown.bloack alapca fleece that I processed from raw. I respun it recently to some merino top I dyed to help even out the uneven spots. I will cherish this as a reminder of how far I’ve come as a self-taught spinner. This pic is pre-blocking, and I have yet to block it! 😉
Today is the peak of the Lion’s gate portal, new energies and frequencies are now reaching earth (if you follow the Schumann Resonance you know what I mean, and if you are a sensitive you have certainly felt it – I know I have!) so I feel drawn to my tarot cards again. I don’t use them in the traditional sense, just as a guide as to where to focus my energy for the day. This deck is very helpful for us creative types, and I thought it would be fun to create a piece (jewelry, or fiber dye combo) based on the colors in the card I pulled that day. Wouldn’t you know, I pull the card that basically means, “take a pause”. So I will heed that advice and take a slow 8/8 day 😊
As usual, Mr Peanut is constantly by my side to “help” with the process 😁😸

As usual, I’d like to end my post with a little uplifting message. The theme for me the past 18 months, is learn to love yourself again. I didn’t even realize this was what I was working towards, until recently. I have placed myself in the service of others, sometimes in unconventional ways, and I forgot to focus on my growth and what I wanted out of this lifetime. I’m still committed to supporting others, and living a compassionate existence, but going forward I want to extend that support and compassion to myself. What have you done recently, no matter how small, that makes you proud? Start there, and build from that. That is how we will navigate the “new” world.

I wish you peace and boundless creativity,

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A Happy Handmade Birthday

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Last month, my tween had a birthday. She’s really into Seals so this was the theme for her special day. I’m late getting this post up: we’ve been busy doing the usual spring prep around the home, and I’ve been going thru my products and giving them a revamp. Mostly my jewelry and some of my stitch markers, I feel it’s time to freshen up the stock. It’s been a wonderful albeit intense process that has opened the door into new creative ideas. 2021 is going to be an exciting year creatively!

Back to the birthday. Being a maker I try to incorporate as much handmade into the celebrations as possible. I found some wonderful presents from Etsy this year, and I wanted to give a shout out to those artists as well.

Every year my kiddos get a handmade card. This is the card I made for her this year. It’s a slider card, so she enjoyed watching the seals “swim” up and down. “I’m keeping this card forever!” she informed me. Little does she know, after every birthday I write them a personal note in their birthday cards, a recap of the year so to speak, and them file them away to share with them when they are grown.
This cute seal kitty Keychain is from Canadian seller papricots. I chose the black and white one as it resembles one of our cats. Needless to say it got an excited reaction from the birthday girl.
Osuna, our exotic shorthair cat who inspired the Keychain purchase
As a jewelry maker I think my girls always expect me to make something of that persuasion as a birthday gift. I had an idea of what I would like to make, but was not having any luck finding just the right charm from my wholesale suppliers. I was delighted to find this baby seal charm by artist Mark Poulin from etsy shop Marmar Superstar. It comes on a chain, but as I did not need a chain to finish this design he was so gracious to offer me a discount. The pendant came beautifully & thoughtfully packaged and it was just the inspiration I needed to complete the necklace. I engraved 2 sterling silver disks which I punched into charms: one with her initial, the other with her gaming handle (not shown for privacy). I still wanted to add something special, and I happened to have some aquamarine gemstone beads that reminded me of ice. As aquamarine is her birthstone and ice goes well with seals, it was the perfect finishing touch. Pendant and charms were placed on a sterling silver chain. She loves the necklace and wears it often, but it’s really Mark’s handmade pendant that makes this piece so special.
My oldest made the birthday girl this Minecraft character – isn’t it awesome? When I asked her what was harder, the usual rounded design of dolls or the square design, she said square is definitely harder

This is not a handmade item, but was a cherished gift just the same. Recently, I found out about Ocean Conservation Namibia and their seal rescue efforts. I gave a donation on the birthday girl’s behalf, and showed her videos from their youtube channel. They are a small rescue group that could really use the help. Be sure to watch their videos, and donate if you are able.

I’ve completely fallen off the wagon with weekly blog updates, and I feel like I am always posting and dashing! Back to the studio to create something new…

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I’m Around, working away an update…

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I dropped the ball on the weekly blog update. After the destash listing blitz I wanted a break from new product listings, coupled with chronic pain (back/shoulder damage and migraines due to being hit by a car in my teens). I just needed a break from the norm. I’m still filling orders as they come in, and taking the opportunity to step back and do a product assessment.

I love to be organized and I feel like everything is out of balance worldwide. The chaos is an opportunity to go within and assess what I have control of changing and bring back in balance. So before I start any new projects I’m taking the time to revisit my products: what could be improved, what should be discontinued (and price reduced) and what inspires me.

That’s what’s up for the next few weeks, so if I’m quiet here, I’m working away! Feel free to drop me a line any time.

I finished this pair of merino handdyed handspun! Coming to my shop in the near future
In the evenings I’ve been making messy bun hats with leftover handspun! My hair has gotten so long I’m loving these this winter. I’ll probably give away most of these, or keep for gifts. As these are wool they are lightly blocked.
Remember my ugly dye (right) that I loved in the end after spun? I tried spinning a few color combos and stumbled upon this one in my stash (left). I think it’s the winner…

That’s it, that’s all…until next time,

Love more, fear less 💕,

Destash Handspun Yarn Bundles are now available

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It’s a miracle, I got all the destash yarns from my personal stash listed! They are grouped in bundles. A couple of these are new product, I figured I might as well list them all and clean the slate entirely.

Be sure to read the descriptions on each so you are confident on what you are getting. You will notice a slightly higher price on etsy to cover fees. If you are buying one bundle you’ll probably find etsy cheaper as each listing is free shipping. If you are spending more than $45 CAD (approx $36 USD currently) it’s cheaper to buy here on the website. Don’t forget to apply the BULKSAVE100 code to save 15% if you are spending $100 CAD (approx $79 USD currently).

Thanks for looking!