SparkleShan

Help me expand my business!

2012-01-08T20:28:00.000-05:00

Help me expand my business by donating towards a drum carder & spinning wheel! Go fund me!
Http://www.gofundme.com/cd7ts
Any little bit helps me reach my goal of owning a drum carder and second wheel so I can have a larger out put of products for my shop. Help support hand made small businesses!

Heartsy & SparkleShan!!

2011-12-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

I have been super lucky to be chosen to be a featured seller on Heartsy!! My shop is now live and you can get vouchers for $10 which is worth $21 of credit in my etsy shop!! Follow this link to purchase your voucher until tomorrow morning http://heartsy.me/shops/7009-sparkleshan

Spinning away!!

2011-11-18T21:59:00.003-05:00

I got a chance to get some spinning done this past weekend. It's been so long I actually finished 9 yarns in a week!! I also have a new favorite spinning technique. Skinny corespun thread plied. It's a combination of my past two favorite techniques.

I also spun several other yarns as well. You can find all these yarns for sale in my Etsy Shop.

15% Off sale in my Shop! Ends November 15th

2011-11-13T19:33:00.000-05:00

I soent the weekend spinning and knitting lots of new items for the shop. But I need to clear out some old stuff first so I am having a 15% off sale! Use coupon code 'NOVEMBER15' to receive 15% off your entire order (excluding club listings). The sale will end on November 15th at 8am EST so hurry and snag whats there!

www.sparkleshan.etsy.com

EtsyCouponCode - Your place to get Etsy Coupons before you Buy on Etsy.

Snow and Puffs

2011-10-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

It's snowing today and I don't feel like going out! What a perfect excuse to stay inside, cuddle up on the sofa and knit!!! I'm getting so addicted to knitting hexipuffs for the Beekeepers Quilt. I knit a total of 6 yesterday! That is the most I have knit in one day. Some of them were for me and some were for swaps I am in on Ravelry. I also received two of my swap packages already!!

I now have 11 hexipuffs for my blanket.

I received this package from studioloo (Cindy) in the Art Yarn Group Swap. Lots of lovely mini skeins hand dyed by Cindy too!

Then I got my package from the Funonion Group handspun hexipuff swap. I got a puff in pink handspun from Upstreamalpacas. My favorite color so of course I love it!!

October 16th Shop Update complete!

2011-10-16T23:15:00.000-04:00

Today I unveiled some new products in my Etsy Shop. Hand made soap & Bath Salts!! I have been doing research of bath and body projects for years now and decided to finally give it ago. My first batch of soap has some air bubbles (I forgot to tap the mold) but other then that it came out great. I made two bars each of for different recipes: Lavender & Goats Milk; Goats Milk with dried apricots and mango's; Buttermilk, Goats Milk, Honey & Oatmeal and Buttermilk, Goats milk, Vanilla & Coffee. There are also Bath salts with essential oils. One bath salt is Lavender essential oil & dried lavender buds & the second is Pink Grapefruit. I have added a bow with my hand spun yarn to each bottle :)

I also listed the first yarn I have spun since July!! It's a fun funky art yarn I spun with a batt from my friend Carrie of CraftyPuppyLover and I added some silk noil that was hand dyed by my friend Brittany of BohoKnitterChic Spins

Etsy Shop update tonight & Weekend Crafting

2011-10-16T09:28:00.000-04:00

I really wanted to go to Rhinebeck today and had planned on going until I got a flat tire on the way to work Friday morning and had to buy a new tire :( I have never been to a fiber festival before. I guess I'll have to wait another year. So I decided that Emma and I would spend the weekend crafting and making new items that will go in my Etsy shop in a few weeks. Here's a sneak peek.

I also did some spindle spinning and spun my first yarn on my wheel Since July!

October 13th Shop Update

2011-10-13T22:52:00.000-04:00

I just finished adding a few new hair accessory items to my shop tonight. I plan to have a lot more items going up in the next few days so keep checking back. And my 20% off sale is still going on (use coupon code 'KIDNEY' at check out). Here is a sneak peek out what was added to the shop tonight.

Etsy Coupon Code, 20% off sale!

2011-10-12T03:01:00.000-04:00

EtsyCouponCode - Your place to get Etsy Coupons before you Buy on Etsy.

October 8th Shop Update complete & sale

2011-10-08T21:30:00.000-04:00

I just finished updating my Etsy Shop with two new hand spun yarns, a knit hat, sock yarn mini skeins kits and some jewelry from my beading days at clearance prices. Here is a sneak peek at what I added. Also my 20% off sale is still going on, use coupon code 'KIDNEY'.

Personalize a photo collage

Hand knit items added to my shop today!

2011-10-07T02:00:00.000-04:00

I added several new hand knit items to my Etsy Shop today. They were all hand knit by me using hand spun yarn from my friends or yarn that I spun myself. Here is a preview of what I added. And don't forget my 20% off sale is still going on!! Use coupon code 'KIDNEY' at check out (club listings excluded).

Etsy Shop redesign, Tweeting & Facebook Page

2011-10-02T09:47:00.000-04:00

So a little while along, I got a new design for my Etsy Shop and renamed it to from 'Princess Emma's' to 'SparkleShan Handspun Yarns & More' to better reflect my store. Here is a banner preview of the new shop design.

I am still offering my hand spun yarn, knitting project bags and other knitting notions. I have also added hand spun & knitting project bag club listings. I am also slowly adding my original hand knit items & accessories. The majority of my hand knit items are knit with hand spun yarn by me or my wonderful spinning friends.

I also have a new twitter account mainly based around my Etsy Shop and crafting adventures. I'll also tweet about other random life events once in a while as well.

I also have a page on facebook for my Etsy Shop. I list coupon codes, shop update announcements & pictures here. So check my page out out facebook and like it please!!

Wow it's been a long time!!

2011-10-02T09:18:00.000-04:00

wow my blog has been neglected for a while now. I think it's time to bring it back to life!! I have many things to post along with my redesigned Etsy Shop and tons of more adventures in knitting, spinning yarn, crafting and life in general. I can't wait to start posting more!

May Phatfiber Samples

2010-05-15T20:58:00.000-04:00

I am trying to get back in the swing of things to contribute to Phatfiber sample boxes on a regular basis. I was able to get 59 Samples of stitch markers, hand spun yarn and my first hand pulled roving fiber in to the May box. I am not sure if I will have time to contribute to the June box or not, but there are special ideas in the works for the July Box!

Here are the samples of fiber that I sent in for May. They can also now be purchased in my Etsy Shop, Princess Emma's.

I blended different fibers including: merino, mulberry silk, bamboo, angora, mohair, mohair locks, angora mohair locks and firestar on my homemade fiber hackled. I then Pulled the fiber into mini roving buns using a diz to get this super luxe, chunky, funky fibers. I am really please how they turned out and I hope people enjoy them! I just need to find the time to make more now!

HTC incredible

2010-05-01T09:11:00.001-04:00

We got the new HTC incredible phone and it is great. Just if good maybe better then the iPhone. It has an 8 mpg camera with a flash. Here is a picture of Emma and Guy that I took with the phone.

I'm engaged!!!

2010-02-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

So Bobby and I got preengaged on February 10th while on vacation in Florida. He gave me a promise ring because he knew I had my great grandmothers white sapphire from the 1920s that I wanted to use in a ring. The stone wasn't set in anything and I have had it for about 15 years trying to decide what I wanted to put it in. This man is so special to me, I knew that my engagement ring was the perfect thing to use this stone for. So today we went to American Diamond exchange and looked at their settings. I tried a few and found the perfect one. They have their own in house goldsmiths and were about to size and set the ring in an hour! It's so pretty it looks like a princess ring. I am so happy to be engaged to the love of my life! It took me a long time and a lot of not so good experiences to find him, but I love him with all my heart and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him!

Our very own Cinderella

2010-02-06T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well we arrived in Disney world today. The first thing we did was bring Emma to the Biddy Boddy Boutique in Cinderella's Castle. Her fairy Godmother gave her a Cinderella makeover. She looks just like Cinderella!

Emma seeing herself for the first time. She loves it!

3 February Birthday's

2010-02-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated Bobby, Debbie's and RJ's birthday with the family. Little ray helped Uncle Bobby and Grandma blow out their birthday candles.

RJ eating his first Birthday cake.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Florida at 4am.

Preview....

2010-02-01T23:33:00.001-05:00

Here is a sneak peek of the box that my Valentine Swap partner will be getting soon! I love my partner, she is a really special person so I hope she loves her package.

My Valentine Swap Package Arrived

2010-01-29T22:25:00.002-05:00

I am participating in a Valentine Swap over in one of my groups on Ravelry. I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day mushy stuff but I love those girls so I wanted to spoil someone. When I got home from work today I had a box waiting for me and I wasn't even expecting it already! What a nice surprise. I got a totally awesome package from SweetPeaFibers (Felicity).

She even sent me some of her awesome batts that she carded! I can't wait to spin them up!

I love packages in the mail!

2010-01-27T21:20:00.001-05:00

Today I came home to two packages in the mail. I love getting packages, it feels like Christmas.

First package was Fiber that I ordered from my friend Brittany. I was her 300th sale so I got an extra mini batt, which is the red one. I love it and want to buy the full size version.

Then I got a package from knitpicks.com. So of the items are for me and some are for my Valentine Swap partner, hehe.

January Weekend Spinning

2010-01-24T23:15:00.000-05:00

I finally got some spinning done with weekend. It was a month and a half since the last time I spun anything. I didn't have time between the holidays and moving.

First I spun this 2 ply of Camel down and Mulberry silk.

Then I spun two holiday inspired batts that I got from Bohoknitterchic. This came out to about 100 years, I love the colors.

Cupcakes and Fiber..Can it get any better?!?!

2010-01-21T05:26:00.004-05:00

Bobby brought home the most wonderful cupcakes today from Sugar Bakery, here in town. The one I had was SO yummy!

I also had a wonderful package of fiber waiting from my friend Carrie! The batts are so pretty I think I want to spin a girly yarn with them.

Help for Haiti

2010-01-18T10:25:00.001-05:00

From now until January 31st, I will be donating 50% of sales in my Etsy Shop, Princess Emma's, to Doctors without Borders. This includes all handspun yarn, jewelry, stitch markers and Magnets. Please help in anyway you can.

First spin of the New Year

2010-01-17T23:22:00.000-05:00

Because of packing, moving and the holidays. It had been about a month and a half since I spun any yarn. So today I decided to break out some yummy holiday inspired batts that I ordered from my friend Brittany's Etsy Shop, back in the beginning of December.

Here is the lovely fiber I received from her. Emma loved the batts to, so she decided to use them as a pillow.

I spun the batt on the right in to the below yarn. I got about 100 yards.

I also spun this two ply yarn out of kettle dyed baby camel down and mulberry silk roving.

Moved!

2009-12-30T09:51:00.000-05:00

We are all moved in with Bobby! I am so excited to finally be here offically. I am seriously the happiet I have ever been. I have a wonderful little girl and I have found the love of my life. Things couldn't be better.

Emma took her first shower here today and this is what she wrote on the shower door. TO cute!

December knitting

2009-12-28T04:35:00.000-05:00

SO much for knitting gifts for Christmas this year! Between work, getting ready to move and the holidays I was only able to manage knitting one Christmas gift. I finished it on Christmas Eve. I spun the yarn myself from batts by my friend Brittany (Bohoknitterchic) and the pattern for the cowl was designed by her also. This was for my mom because she has to get up and go to work at 5am and it is often cold on her bus from opening and closing the door all day!

Christmas Eve & Christmas

2009-12-26T16:25:00.003-05:00

Christmas Eve we spent with Bobby's family. There was lots of yummy food and LOTS of presents. Bobby's mom bought Emma the cutest ensemble to wear that night and Little Ray and RJ had suits! To cute!

Emma was so excited to get the Wii that she had been asking for!

Then later on, Santa came on a fire truck and brought all the kids presents.

After the festivities at the Manfield's, Emma and I went and slept over my mom's house. I didn't have a tree at my place because I was in the process of moving right after Christmas.

Normally every year I have to wake Emma up to open present at about 8:30 am. This year she woke up so early at like 6am!!

Unfortunately I had to drop Emma off at her dads at 11 :(. Then my mom and I cooked a great meal of Ham, roasted chicken, twice baked potatoes and other yummies. Kellie made her first cheese cake the night before, which was really yummy too. it was really nice to get to spend Christmas with family and people I love this year instead of being in the desert like last christmas!

Christmas with the Lee's

2009-12-23T23:19:00.001-05:00

On December 23rd my mom's side of the family all got together for a dinner and exchange of gag gifts. Craig's wife, Lea, was in visiting from Germany but unfortunately he is in Iraq. The Gag gifts were so funny. My mother was NOT thrilled with the surprise gift that my sister got!

Snow!!

2009-12-21T04:57:00.002-05:00

We had the big snow storm of the winter, which brought about a foot of snow or so. So the next day Bob and I decided to bring Emma sledding. it was fun watching the two of them go down the hill.

After sledding we went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse to get warmed up. Emmaa doesn't want to sit next to mommy anymore :(

Christmas Tree Decorating

2009-12-13T11:16:00.005-05:00

We did not get a Christmas Tree at our apartment this year, because I am moving this month and I am never there anyway. So we went with my mother to get a tree for her house and help decorate it.

We saw Santa the Maple Lane Christmas Tree Farm.

Emma was such a ham while decorating the tree!

Emma lost a tooth and I got to see!!!!

2009-12-11T11:10:00.002-05:00

I am support excited! Emma lost her 3rd tooth, but its the first one I got to witness (I missed the others because of deployment). It was so wiggly, my big brave girl pulled it out all by herself! We left a door and pixie dust so the tooth fairy could get in to the room.

The tooth fairy left her a 5 dollar bill!

More Spun Yarns

2009-12-09T11:20:00.001-05:00

So since I am not good at keeping on a my blogs as I go along. I am about to post a few yearns that I have spun over the past few months. Hopefully once I move and get all settled in I can start posting more regularly!

Ice skating

2009-11-30T08:22:00.002-05:00

Bob and I took Emma ice skating for the first time. I even went and bought her, her only little skates before hand. Bob is a hockey player so he was very helpful to Emma, although she insisted she didn't need any!

Emma's crocheted flower hat

2009-11-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

I had made a hat like this for Emma last year, but it got washed in the washing machine by grandma (its not supposed to, lol) and it got extremely stretched out and no longer fits. So she asked me to make her another one. It's made out of bamboo yarn and is super soft.

I flew by the Statue of Liberty!

2009-11-21T18:07:00.006-05:00

I got to by the Statue of Liberty today in a black hawk!! I got some great pictures on the ride down and back to Connecticut. Its things like this that make it exciting to be in the Army!

The George Washington Bridge

The Hamptons, NY

Handspun Knit Scarflettes

2009-11-20T11:44:00.001-05:00

I knit a few scarflettes out of the lovely hand spun yarn that I received from JQ Knits. I just need to add buttons to them and they will be complete!

Downtown Mystic

2009-11-14T01:11:00.001-05:00

Today was a beautiful warm,sunny day for the fall. So Emma and I decided to head to downtown Mystic to visit the yarn store and take a stroll along the river. I had to get so pictures of my beautiful little girl by the water. And she's even wearing the scarf I knit here out of yarn that I spun for a Halloween themed Spin along by Bohoknitterchic.

New Yarns Added to my Etsy Shop

2009-11-14T01:07:00.002-05:00

I added several new handspun Yarns to my Etsy Shop and also some yarns to the sale section!

Happy Veteran's Day!!

2009-11-11T21:14:00.002-05:00

Today I want to say thank you to all my fellow soldiers and all those past and present who have served and protected this wonderful country. Thank you all so much for keeping us safe.

My super sweet boyfriend took the day off of work to spend with me. He bought me a dozen roses and a sapphire and diamond ring!! how awesome is he?!? I have never received gifts on Veteran's Day and its nice to know someone appreciates my service! Thanks babe love you!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T10:32:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos of Halloween this year. I missed trick or treating with Emma last year, so this year was great. We went trick treating in my mother's neighborhood like always with the cousins and Ann and her kids. Here are some pictures.

Ryan, Owen, Emma, Aiyanna and baby Tristian.

Little Witchy Bean

Marcus the Bug

After Trick or Treating Bobby and I went to a Halloween party at Danielle and JJ's house and then out to downtown New Haven for a bit.

Mile High Airlines

Fall swap

2009-10-30T11:38:00.001-04:00

I participated in a Fall themed swap in one of my knitting groups on Ravelry. We had to send our swappe things that reminded us of fall. My package came from JQknits and it is awesome. She sent me a ton of her own fiber and hand spun yarn and I love it all. Thank you so much !!!

White water rafting in Maine

2009-09-07T04:11:00.001-04:00

Bob's work organized a white water rafting trip in Maine, so we went for the weekend. I was scared because I hate water, but it was actually a lot of fun. The only part that sucked was that we had to camp out in tents. Our camp site was on rocks and our air mattress deflated the first night and never recovered.

Our boat consisted of Myself, Bob, Massey, Meggy and Matt. I think I laughed almost the entire time.

We also visited the tallest waterfall in New England, Magic Falls. It was right down the road from us.

Aunt Cindy's Wedding

2009-08-03T08:31:00.000-04:00

My Aunt and her first husband got married again, after 30 years on August 1st. Since I am an ordained minister they asked if I could perform the wedding ceremony. The wedding was held in my mother;s back yard and then we had a picnic/party afterwards.

Emma was one of the flower girls, along with her cousin Aiyana.

My mom and Aunt and I made the centerpieces for the tables and I put my crafty skills to use and made her small bouquet.

After the wedding Bob, Kristen, Ann and I all went to the casino for dinner and drinks. Fun times again, lol.

Fun in July 2009

2009-07-31T19:47:00.003-04:00

July brought more fun by the pool and at the beach. As I had the summer off we went to my mom's a lot during the day to go swimming and sit by the pool.

I also got together with my cousins Stephaine, Christy and Meghan for dinner and catching up.

My Baby turned 6 Today

2009-07-19T19:51:00.002-04:00

My baby girl turned 6 years old today! I can't believe she is going into first grade already, time is going by too fast. We celebrated her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. She had a blast and is leaving for vacation in Michigan for a week with her grandparents tomorrow.

June Fiber & Yarn Fun

2009-06-30T19:36:00.008-04:00

Now that I have a wheel, I have started spinning up my Fiber Stash. I spun up super soft pink and black Merino that my friend Melissa sent me. She is so great she sent me a package of fiber that was waiting for me at home when I got back from deployment.

I love the wheel. Here are all the yarns that I spun up this month.

And some more Fiber I ordered from Uniquely Yours, Bohoknitterchic and Jazzturtle.

I was lucky enough to snag a June Fluff Phat Fiber Box too!

I also got to met a wonderful friend that I meet on the Bad Knit Girl Group on Ravlery. Karen (angrypoddle)also lives in Connecticut, so we met up in West Hartford for lunch and desert.

I also got to meet her wonderful like boy Liam. He loved Emma and she was sweet trying to help feed him.

Fun in June 2009

2009-06-30T18:49:00.013-04:00

Month was another fun month and going out with the BFF. It also started to get warm enough for pool and beach weather. And I meet my now boyfriend on June 6! Here are some more pictures from our nights out, beach and pool time.

Another night at Ultra 88. This is the night I met Bob, I didn't get any pictures with him on that first night, but his hand did make it in to the left side of the below photo, LOL.

Kristen turned 21 when we were overseas so she had never been to the Casino. SO we took her to Mohegan sun for some dinner, Slots and Ultra 88 of Course. We feed her tons of drinks and got her to throw up in the bathroom! Ha
Kristen, Erica & Ann having dinner at Lucky's

Playing Slots, we didn't do so well!

Kristen and I at Ultra 88

Another weekend Ann and I decided it was a girls night out with some high school friends and friends from Ann's work. We got a hotel room and went to LBD (little blak dress night) at Ultra 88 of Course. This was definetly an interesting night! And tons of fun.

Ann, Me and Kelly (we all went to Elementary, Middle & High school together).

Pregaming at Lucky's (of course) before going to Ultra 88.

Also in June, New Kids on the Block had there reunion tour at Mohegan Sun. So Ann and I went with some girls from high school. It brought me back to the old days, but I didn't know any of their new songs!

Val, Kristen, Ann & I having a drink and dinner before the show.

Ann, Me and Val at the NKOTB Concert.

On June 23rd Bobby and I and his parents spent the day in New York City and then went to a Met's game in the evening.

I got Emma her own Yoga Mat and Kids Yoga Video. She likes to do Yoga to unwind after school.

Fun in May 2009

2009-05-31T18:18:00.001-04:00

Since I was gone for a year I had tons of partying and going out to make up for with my friends and BFF. Here are shots of everything that went on in May of this year after I got home. Since I am way behind on Posting I am going to do everything for the month!!

This picture is from the first night that Ann I went out after I got home from deployment. We went to Ultra 88 of course.

This night we went to Shrine at Foxwoods and the dumbasses kicked us out because they said Ann was drunk, so not true, jerks!

I then when out with my two wives that were deployed to with me. We went to a party in Bradford, but it was boring so Velez and I decided to bring Kristen to Van Dome in New Haven, since she had never been to a club. I haven't been to Van Dome since I was a freshmen in college (and I will never go again, lol). They took our picture for the website! LOL

I'm finally home!!

2009-05-21T17:47:00.001-04:00

So I got to come back to the states a week earlier then the rest of the unit because I was in charge of making sure that all the mobilization Adminstrative part was all set and run smoothly (and trust me there was a lot to be done). We got 150 people through Fort Dix and demobilzation in 4 days when it normally take a week or more for less people then that. We arrived home on mother's day. What a great Mother's Day gift to see my little girl! It's good to be home but weird to. I'm used to having people around me ALL the time and now it's just me in the house. I have the next 3 months off to spend every day with Emma once school gets out and to do much knitting and spinning. I got a brand new spinning wheel that was waiting for me when I arrived that I need to learn how to use! I also had a lots of fiber that I ordered waiting for me. Prefect to practice on the new wheel with (like I don't have enough already).

And the a wonderful friend from Ravelry Melissa (bananamigraine) sent me this package so it would be waiting at home for me!! She is so super sweet and I love the fiber.

Dalai Lama - 8 April

2009-04-08T04:29:00.000-04:00

"The universe that we inhabit and our shared perception of it are the results of a common karma. Likewise, the places that we will experience in future rebirths will be the outcome of the karma that we share with each other beings living there. The actions of each of us, human or nonhuman, have contributed to the world in which we live. We all have a common responsibility for our world and are connected with everything in it."

Emma lost her First Tooth!

2009-04-08T02:02:00.003-04:00

Emma finally lost her tooth that has been loose for about two months. It is her first one and she was so excited. She was wiggling it the other day and pulled it out all on her own! Jared sent me this picture of her, she's so proud.

Hand Spun Samples From the march Phat Fiber Box

2009-04-08T01:52:00.005-04:00

I spun have finished spinning up the samples I received in my March Phat Fiber Box. First I spun a sample of 50% merino and 50% tencel From Spincerely Yours. I Navajo plied it on my drop spindle.

For the rest of the samples I decided to spin them all together so I could get more length out of them and I thought all the different colors would look good together.
This yarn contains samples from Giffordables, Whorling Tides, East Kentucky Fiber and Uniquely Yours Design.

Dalai Lama - 7 April

2009-04-08T01:43:00.000-04:00

"I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path."

Dalai Lama - 6 April

2009-04-08T01:39:00.002-04:00

"Natural environment sustains the life of all beings universally. Trees are referred to in accounts of the principal events of Buddha's life. His mother leaned against a tree for support as she gave birth to him. He attained enlightenment seated beneath a tree, and finally passed away as trees stood witness overhead."

Dalai Lama - 4 & 5 April

2009-04-08T01:36:00.002-04:00

"In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged."

Dalai Lama - 3 April

2009-04-08T01:35:00.000-04:00

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

Dalai Lama - 2 April

2009-04-08T01:31:00.001-04:00

"A young man caught a small bird, and held it behind his back. He then asked "Master, is the bird I hold in my hands alive or dead?" The boy thought this was a grand opportunity to play a trick on the old man. If the master answered "dead," it would be let loose into the air. If the master answered "alive," he would simply wring its neck. The master spoke, "The answer is in your hands."

By the Seashore

2009-04-01T07:27:00.003-04:00

My latest art yarn was spun from a batt from Uniquely Yours (I just love her stuff so much!) called Seaside Escape. It contains Merino, Silk Noil, Firestar, Nepps and Angelina. I spun the batt into a thick and thing single and then I plied it with clear nylon thread to create the coil effect. I really wanted to use a clear thread for this effect so that I could preserve the wonderful colors in the batt. Here is a before and after picture.

The finished yarn is 35 yards, 2.4 ounces and super bulky. This will be on sale at my Etsy Store within the next few days.

Dalai Lama - 1 April

2009-04-01T04:32:00.003-04:00

"True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of ones own self being fully realized."

Dalai Lama - 31 March

2009-03-31T23:27:00.001-04:00

"Laziness will stop your progress in your spiritual practice. One can be deceived by three types of laziness: the laziness of indolence, which is the wish to procrastinate; the laziness of inferiority, which is doubting your capabilities; and the laziness that is attached to negative actions, or putting great effort into nonvirtue."

Dalai Lama - 30 March

2009-03-30T17:22:00.001-04:00

"Inner Darkness, which we call ignorance, is the root of suffering. The more inner light that comes, the more darkness will diminish. This is the only way to achieve salvation or Nirvana."

I'm Phatalicous! Part II

2009-03-29T17:42:00.000-04:00

Here is part two of my Phat Fiber blog Post. I will be going over some of the accessories that I received.

First off I got a lovely lavender hand stamped sachet from Ambrosia and Bliss. I absolutely love lavender and the smell of this sachet is the first thing I smelled when I opened the Phat Fiber Box. It now sits on my pillow at night when I go to sleep!

From Left to Right in the below picture I have Stitch Markers and a scrabble tile pendant from Calizona Designs. A cute little Alpaca from My Fair Bag Lady, Chocolate Cookie Lip Balm from Bunky Bobos and a cute lamb pendant from Designs by Tami.

Dalai Lama - 28 & 29 March

2009-03-29T16:41:00.002-04:00

"What are reborn are our habits. Enlightenment is the ending of rebirth, which means a complete nonattachment or misidentification with all thoughts, feelings, perceptions, physical sensations, and ideas."

Check out Bohemian Knitter Chic!

2009-03-29T05:45:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine, Brittany, has a wonderful etsy store, Bohemian Knitter Chic. She designs patterns which she sells on the site and she is also venturing into Fiber art. She has started spinning yarn and dying fiber, and let me tell you here stuff is pretty awesome. She has a great eye for color and makes wonderful inspired art yarns. She also started making necklaces out of Supercoil art yarn and they are truly unique, you can win one, just go to her Blog and check out what you have to do to enter.

Dalai Lama - 27 March

2009-03-27T09:50:00.002-04:00

"The person who has a tremendous reserve of patience and tolerance has a certain degree of tranquility and calmness in his or her life. Such a person is not only happy and more emotionally grounded, but also seems to he physically healthier and to experience less illness. This person possesses a strong will, has good appetite, and can sleep with a clear conscience."

Dala Lama - 26 March

2009-03-26T16:09:00.003-04:00

"If objects evoke attachment in us, we do not understand the true nature of phenomena. We can only become detached by realizing the true nature of things."

Dalai Lama - 25 March

2009-03-25T16:06:00.000-04:00

"Nonviolence is the only way. Even if you achieve your goal by violent means there are always side effects, and these can be worse than the problem. Violence is against human nature."

Dalai Lama - 24 March

2009-03-24T15:55:00.000-04:00

"If ones life is simple contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. An finally, there is an intense delight in abandoning faulty states of mind an in cultivating helpful ones in meditation."

Dalai Lama - 23 March

2009-03-23T18:01:00.002-04:00

"If a person has never encountered love toward himself or herself from any quarter, it is a very sad thing. But if that person can meet even one person who will show unconditional love-simply acceptance and compassion-if he knows that he is an object of someone else's affection and love, it is bound to have an impact, and this will be appreciated. Because there is a seed in himself, this act of love will start to catalyse or ripen that seed."

I'm Phatalicous! Part I

2009-03-23T08:56:00.009-04:00

I finally received my box from Phat Fiber today! I squealed with delight when I saw the box being brought to me by the unit mail clerk. It only took 5 days to get here, which is fast compared to the rest of the mail I have been getting lately. I opened the box and a wonderful smell came over me. I couldn't help but pet and snuggle the wonderful yarn and fibers I received.

First are the Fiber Samples I received. From left to right: Giffordables 1/2 oz Batt of 75% Corriedale & Romney, 25% Silk & linen, it also came with a little bag of angora. Giffordables is one of my mew favorite Fiber Artist. I read a post on the PhatFiber Blog about her batts so I decided to check out her shop. The batts are wonderful and very inexpensive, I just had to order 4 batts from her. Not to mention that the owner, Suzie, is a sweet heart (I will be posting a seperate blog with more about Giffordables and with pics of the batts I ordered). Next the multi colored green is from Spincerely Yours (the tag wouldn't stay down) it is a super soft blend of merino and tencel. Spincerely Yours is going to be a definte fiber purchase in the future. The little package of green right below the Spincerely is a lovely green hand dyed lock of Mohair from Northern Lights Fiber Co. I have grand plans of getting a drum carder so I will be checking out Northern Lights for some Mohair in the future! Next on the Right top is a wonderful sampler bag from East Kentucky Fibers. The bag contains 5different sample colorways of Rambouillet combed top and White Merino that is ooh so soft. On the Right Bottom is a sample of hand painted 50% Alpaca, 30% Merino & 20% Tussah Silk from Whorling Tides, another wonderfully soft sample!

Next are the Yarns from Left to right:Hand spun Yarn from Simply Twisted Yarn, Green Yarn from Knit it Up Yarns, Beautiful blueish yarn and stitch marker from Mad Angel Creations, lovely hand spun Irish Gold Yarn from Wollyhands, a lavendar yarn from Melissa's Kre8tions, A fingering weight hand dyed from Teresa Levite Studio and on the bottom is Springtime hand dyed from Calizona Designs (I also got a $10 gift certificate, a tile pendant and stitch markers.

My favorite samples of all are from some friends and fellow Knit Girls of mine.
I got a pattern for Brittnay a.k.a Bohoknitterchics Bocca Bociata Hair comb, I almost bought this pattern too! I got a lovely shawl pin from DawningDreams, now I have an excuse to make a shawl! And I got a magnet from BananaMigraine. I am so happy that I was able to get a sample from all of them!

I also got a few other small accessories that I will do another post about later on! I love my box and all the contributors are great.

Dalai Lama - 21 & 22 March

2009-03-22T15:54:00.002-04:00

"There's no shop that sells kindness; you must build it within. You can transplant hearts, but you cannot transplant a warm heart."

I inspired a Yarn!

2009-03-22T07:23:00.004-04:00

I am so bad for not posting this earlier. But one of my fellow Raveler, Knit Girl and Spinner, Carrie a.k.a CraftyPuppyLover, started spinning yarns inspired by girls in the Knit Girl Group. She spun up a yarn for little old me, I feel so honored. I of course had to have the yarn, which she offered on her Etsy Shop. Here is her description of the Yarn:

"Fourth in my new series of knit girl inspired yarns. What's a knit girl you ask? Well, hop on over to ravelry and you'll find out quickly, we're a bunch of hot, kick ass ladies with tattoos and serious knitting skills. We've got each other's back, always offer a shoulder to cry on, and aren't afraid to show off our tattoos.

I figured it only appropriate that I would name hand spun yarn after these fine ladies ~ since the only thing more unique than hand spun yarn is a genuine knit girl.

Sparkleshan is one fine lady, she's just starting to spin and her yarns look great. I knew this "red" white and blue yarn would have to be named after her and to honor her service in the U.S. military. She's currently stationed in Kuwait, and I'm damn proud of her. We're anxiously awaiting her safe return home from the states. This yarn is lace weight, 70 yards."

I will of course post a picture of what I decided to knit from this, I can't wait!

White Wedding And Soy Silk

2009-03-21T08:24:00.006-04:00

I spun up another wonderful batt from Jenna at Uniquely Yours. This batt was called White wedding and contained BFL,Faux Cashmere, Firestar and Tulle. It also Came with some extra add ins of white pearls and sequins. SO this came out to be bit of an art yarn. It's super bulky, 31 yards and soo soft. Now I just have to find a project to knit with it!

And here is just some simpled soy silk that I spun up. Its about 43 yards.

Dalai Lama - 20 March

2009-03-20T13:37:00.004-04:00

"It is because of the intimate relationship between mind and body, and the existence of special physiological centers within our body, that physical yoga exercises and the application of special meditative techniques aimed at training the mind can have positive effects on health."

Dalai Lama - 19 March

2009-03-19T15:00:00.001-04:00

"Buddhahood is a state free of all obstructions to knowledge and disturbing emotions. It is the state in which the mind is fully evolved."

Dalai Lama - 18 March

2009-03-18T17:08:00.001-04:00

"As far as your personal requirements are concerned, the ideal is to have fewer involvements, fewer obligations, and fewer affairs, business or whatever. However, so far as the interest of the larger community is concerned, you must have as many involvements as possible and as many activities as possible."

Dalai Lama- 17 March

2009-03-18T00:54:00.002-04:00

"Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a stroke of good luck."

Dalai Lama - 16 March

2009-03-16T13:19:00.002-04:00

"If through practice of insight you develop a sense of ease, then time has no relevance. If you're miserable, time does matter. It's so unbearable, so enormous; you want to get out of it as soon as possible."

Dalai Lama-14 & 15 March

2009-03-15T14:41:00.002-04:00

"When you engage in fulfilling the needs of others, your own needs are fulfilled as a by-product."

Orange Sherbet

2009-03-14T03:47:00.008-04:00

I was introduced to another wonderful Etsy Fiber artist by a fellow Ravelry. Here name is Jenna and she has a store on Etsy called Uniquely Yours Designs where she sells Fiber Batts, Hand dyed Roving and Hand spun yarn. I feel in love with her Batts, they have such wonderful colors and sparkle. I got 3 batts of fiber in the mail from her the other day and I spun up the first one a few nights ago.

Here are the 3 Batts that I received from Jenna.

Here is the orange batt (contains merino, Angelina and firestar) spun up. First I spun up the batt into a thick and thin single and then I plied it with peach crochet cotton and coils in the yarn throughout. It came out to 43 yards super bulky.

Dalai Lama- 13 March

2009-03-14T00:33:00.001-04:00

Happiness is a state of mind. With physical comforts... if your mind is still in a state of confusion and agitation, it is not happiness. Happiness means calmness of mind."

Dalai Lama - 12 March

2009-03-13T00:52:00.001-04:00

"What irritates us in the first place us that our wishes are not fulfilled. But remaining upset does nothing to help fulfill those wishes. So we neither fulfill our wishes nor regain our cheerfulness. This disconcerted state, from which anger can grow, is most dangerous. We should never try to let our happy frame of mind be disturbed. Whether we are suffering at present or have suffered in the past, there is no reason to be unhappy."

First 3 Ply Yarn

2009-03-12T07:46:00.004-04:00

The Spindlers group on Ravelry has a spin along every month and every month they have a different theme. You then Post pictures of your finished skein in that months thread and a random winner is drawn each month.

February was the first month I participated in the Spin A long and the theme was Mardi Gras. So I decided to spin up a Batt from Butterfly Girl Designs that was red and purple bamboo, black merino and firestar and Angelina. I thought it fit the theme pretty well. I called the finished skein 'Ruby Tuesday'

The March theme was Romance and of course I immediately though of pinks. This is inspired by pink roses and is the first 3 ply yarn I have ever spun. I spun thin singles of Soy silk, super wash merino and merino & Angelina. Then I plied the three together and came out with this wonderfully girl yarn and I have to add that it is super soft! I just wish that I had more of the soy silk so that I could make more length!

Dalai Lama- 11 March

2009-03-12T07:30:00.001-04:00

"If the mind is tranquil and occupied with positive thoughts, the body will not easily fall prey to disease."

Dalai Lama - 10 March

2009-03-10T17:02:00.002-04:00

"It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others."

Dalai Lama - 9 March

2009-03-09T17:48:00.001-04:00

"I always believe that it is much better to have a variety of religions, a variety of philosophy. This is necessary because of the different mental dispositions of each human being. Each religion has certain unique ideas or techniques, and learning about them can only enrich one's own faith."

First Attempt at Coils in Yarn

2009-03-08T03:21:00.004-04:00

I joined the Novelty and Art Yarn Spinners group on Ravelry. It is filled with wonderfully talented spinners. I love spinning and this group has inspired me to try new things to create novelty and art yarns. Here is a picture of my first attempt at adding coils to yarn.

First I spun a thick and thin single of pink merino top and then plied it with Navy Blue crochet cotton. I held the crochet cotton straight up and held the merino at a 45 degree angle and let it wrap in around the cotton. Then to get the coils in some areas, I stopped spinning the spindle and smooshed the merino down the crochet cotton to create the coils. Overall I like how it came out. I think next attempt I am going to over spin the thick and thin single for a tighter affect.

Dalai Lama - 7 & 8 March

2009-03-08T03:19:00.001-04:00

"All religions are essentially the same in their goal of developing a good human heart so that we may become better human beings."

Dalai Lama - 6 March

2009-03-06T14:56:00.001-05:00

If the mind is dominated by hatred, the best part of the brain, which is used to judge right and wrong, does not function properly."

Dalai Lama - March 5

2009-03-05T23:46:00.003-05:00

"One aspect of compassion is to respect others' rights and to respect others' views. That is the basis of reconciliation. The human spirit of reconciliation based on compassion is working deep down, whether the person really knows it or not. Our basic human nature is gentleness; therefore, no matter how much we go through violence and other bad things, ultimately the proper solution is to return to human feeling and affection. So affection or compassion is not only a religious matter, but in our day-to-day life it is quite indispensable."

Dalai Lama - 4 March

2009-03-05T07:58:00.001-05:00

"On a daily basis, you must take more care of your mind than just money, money, money!

Dalai Lama - 3 March

2009-03-03T13:29:00.002-05:00

"It is our enemies qho provide us with the challenge we need to develop the qualities of tolerance, patience, and compassion."

Dalai Lama - 2 March

2009-03-02T16:23:00.002-05:00

"To develop genuine devotion, you must know the meaning of teachings. The main emphasis in Buddhism is to transform the mind, and this transformation depends upon meditation. In order to meditate correctly, you must have knowledge."

First Yarn Sale on Etsy!

2009-03-02T04:21:00.005-05:00

I made my first Handspun Yarn Sale on Etsy this morning! I am super excited. I had just finished spinning the yarn two days ago, put it up on my store yesterday and I didn't even have a change to blog about it yet! So here it is

This yarn is called Cloisonne and is Spun from a Butterfly Girl Designs Batt. The white is Blue Faced Lester with Kid Mohair in Pink, blue, purple and yellow and gold Angelina through out it. It is thick and thin but mostly super bulky. I love how it came out and ordered another Batt so I can spin some up for myself.

Below is another Yarn that I spun up from a Batt From Appalachian Voodoo Fibers. I call this yarn Everything and the Kitchen Sink because it literally contains almost every type of fiber you can imagine in all different colors. It contains the following: Alpaca, Yak, Merino, Bamboo, Punta, Firestar, Icicle, Angelina, Glitz, Corriedale, Silk, Tussah Silk, Shredded Sari Silk, Silk Noils, Lincoln, Lincoln Locks, Tinsel and Yarn Bits.

Dalai Lama - 28 Feb & 1 Mar

2009-03-01T11:51:00.001-05:00

"Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk."

March Contribution to Phat Fiber Box

2009-02-28T05:57:00.006-05:00

Some of you probably aren't aware but there is a company, Phat Fiber, that puts together boxes of samples from indie fiber artists and then they sell the boxes with about 20 or more samples from all these different businesses. I heard about this on Ravelry and decided that I would like to contribute and it would be a great way to get my business out to more people. So for the past two weeks I have been spinning up samples like crazy and making stitch markers as well. I have already posted some photos of the yarn. But here is a better snapshot of what I have sent in.

The theme for March's Box is Celtic so I tired to do some green and Celtic inspired yarns and stitch markers. Here are some examples of the stitch markers I made using Swarvoski Crystals and Celtic Trinity Knot Charms.

Here is a close up of a yarn sample for the Phat Fiber Box, that I spun from a Shunklies Roving of 70% Merino and 30% Tussah Silk.

And I just found out that the deadline to have samples in is March 14Th, so I might work on spinning up some more yarn and sending it in, along with some coupons for my Etsy store

Dalai Lama - 27 February 2009

2009-02-27T08:17:00.002-05:00

"Human potential is the same for all. Your feeling. "I am not of value," is wrong, Absolutely wrong. You are deceiving yourself. We all have the power of thought-so what are you lacking? If you have willpower, then you can do anything. It is usually said that you are your own master."

Yarn Samples and what Not

2009-02-27T07:46:00.006-05:00

The past two two weeks I was spinning up smaller samples of yarn to send to Phat Fiber as a contribution for the March Box. The theme is Celtic so I tired to do a few green Irish inspired yarns. Here are a few samples that I plan to spin into larger skeins and offer in my Etsy store.

The first I got some off white colored Correidale and spun it with some gold and green firestar. Then I plied it with white crochet cotton to make a bubbly yarn.

This is Pot O' Gold it is also correidale with green and gold firestar, but I didn't ply it.

This next yarn I call Jelly Belly, its spun from a Batt of White Punta Wool and Shredded Sari silk from Appalachian Voodoo Fibers. I love how if came out.
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Dalai Lama - 26 Feb 09

2009-02-26T12:02:00.002-05:00

"Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet in whatever circumstances is a brother or sister."