New yarns in the shop!

I wish I knew how to make a picture collage. I'm sure I could easily figure it out, I have both Adobe Photoshop elements and Picasa at my fingertips. Yes, Picasa is free and I love it!




Natural Silver Alpaca-DK weight
100% Merino ~Fingering weight
TADA!

Yard Maintenance with Pictures

So a couple days ago the boi and I decided to spend some time in the yard. Frost danger is past, so it's time to plant bulbs and seeds for spring flowers and summer/fall veggies! Also, goats are in the near future *crossing my fingers* so it's time to start getting the yard ready.


Michael and I working behind the shed/soon to be chicken coop. This is were the goats will be after it's cleaned up and whatnot.



Here are some shots of the yard ^^
And because I am obsessed with moss and love the way mushrooms look, I found these treasures on the back of the shed and couldn't help but break out the camera:







Yeah, that was a lot of pictures. More yarnage next time!

Ramblings for Today

My post was originally thought out and planned for. Now after a night of surfing the internet, I have a rant. Not a large one, but something that really, really, really irks me. Hypocratic rescue and adoption agencies. One local one in particular. I'm not naming any names, but when I was looking into getting a cat, I searched far and wide, for over three months, before making a decision. I checked EVERY SINGLE LOCAL adoption and rescue organization. As usual, there are some very relaxed orgs(county shelters?), and some very strict ones. Then there is this organization. They just topped every single list I could think of.

They say on their website they have "hundreds of cats desperately seeking new homes" yet they bring less than a dozen to all their "adopt-a-cat" events at the local pet stores. They list maybe ten on their website. If you call or email for a broader list, even if you ask if they have any...say...short haired females under 8 months? They say..."Come check out our event at such and such a location on such and such a day....." THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT! I HAVE BEEN TO EVERY ONE IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS!!!

That doesn't even bug me compared to what I recently learned. My room mate, whom I can't stand because he takes care of NONE of his household responsibilities (I have to tell him repeatedly that I am not his mother and he needs to contribute to taking care of the house that HE LIVES IN. He has many a critter, snakes to be exact, and his collection keeps growing. In the four months he has lived here, I have seen him feed them ONCE. Above mentioned cat rescue would not let me adopt because I am a student...I have 2 classes this semester. I live in a stable home (my parent's second house) work part time, and have had many, many animals all my life. I breed, raise, and show poultry. I have been, and am currently, a 4H leader. But because I didn't feel like lying on my application, they don't adopt out to students (because where would kitty go at the end of the year when you get kicked out for low grades?) and I'm too young (wtf? I'm 18. I am an ADULT).

Along comes said room mate. Because said room mate is a big wig at one of the big-box know-nothing chain stores where they often set up shop, they said they would "make an exception" for him. I wanted to gag. I wanted to cry. He is planning on moving out and heading back up to Alaska in less than a year. He is never home. He parties constantly, doesn't take care of the animals or the responsibilities he has to begin with. And they would make an exception because they "know him." Yeah. Right. I know him. He is completely unfit to own any living creature. Of course, me being an evil bitch, I told my parents( his landlords) and made sure that he would NEVER own an animal such as a cat or dog as long as he is living here. Snakes, reptiles, and fish.ok....anything else, no way in hell, over my dead body.

I have my wonderful kitty, toast, and she is left wanting absolutely nothing. She always has food, water, a nice area to play outside, warm laps, and a comfy head to curl up on at night(mine, the damn cat). Here is toast:







Yep, that's my little diva. Here's a video that influenced her name. And explains why we yell "Yeah, Toast" occasionally in her direction.

Yan Candy! And blood...lots of blood!

So today there was a blood drive at our local Home Depot. I have given blood once before at my Community College, and it's something I've always felt strongly about. I figure it's an easy equation, I have blood, someone else needs blood to live, and I get candy out of the deal. The incentive this time was a 4oz box of sees assorted chocolates!

Little did we know that it was going to take over an hour and a half....so Michael(the bf) sat in the car and entertained himself. I very much appreciate him coming and driving me back home as I get a tad loopy after donating blood. Anyway, during the wait, I was #6 in line, and of course I had my wheel in the car....things led to another and I got my wheel out, sat down, and spun!

I got plenty of funny looks, but one little old lady came up to me and we started chatting. She's a knitter, I'm a knitter, and we both LOVE yarn. I was spinning 100% Alpaca that will be listed in my shop shortly, and she kept commenting on the shine of the alpaca and the gorgeous red-brown. We discussed our favorite yarns, and "ultimate knitters dreams" such as owning an alpaca, vicuna(I said dream), paco-vicuna, or musk ox ranch. Yeah, we can dream.

Anywhooo...we've got a new yarn, well, three actually, in the shop. It's silky, lustrous, drapeable, and yak-ish. It's simply luscious.


This 50/50 blend of yak/silk is my candy!

Yay! I've been blogged!

Check it out! I've been blogged...well, one of my yarns was mentioned in a blog. Check it out here:
http://happyfind.typepad.com/happy_find/2010/01/yummy-yarn.html

In case you didn't notice, this is the yarn in the pic:



So it's 12:47am and I just got home from work, and as usual, I have yarn on the brain. More specifically I've been dreaming about exotic fibers, yak, cashmere, quivit/musk ox.

Offensively Pink

Yes, yes it is. It's so pink that it's offensive. Pictures cannot capture the dayglo, neon, pinkiness of this yarn. If you are not offended by the eye blindingness of this yarn, then it is for you...I saw this roving in a shop and my first thought was "ouch," my second thought was "OMG, I HAVE to have it!" so here we are. It's squishy, it's ultra smooshy, and it's pink.



Like what you see? You can buy it here:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=38893562

RE-Vamping

It's nearing the end of spring break. I have one class a week. I teach knitting once a week, and meet with my instructor once a week. How do I spend the rest of my time? That's what I have been asking myself lately. So I decided to compile a list.

First, my birds take up a lot of my time. I'm out at least three times a day feeding and watering, as well as letting them out to cruise around the yard. Making sure the broilers don't fall off the retaining wall is another large task.

Second, I spend A LOT of time online. I have a number of sites that I visit every time that I'm online. First is Yahoo, my email. Second is Ravelry, then Etsy, Myspace, Kiva, Torn City, Facebook, and the BYC. Another site is Shop Handmade.

I also have a deal with the local yarn shop, Yarns at the Adobe. I recently started selling handspun yarn at the shop, so I've been spending quite a bit of time on my spinning wheel. Hopefully, if the yarn does well, I'll be able to purchase a new wheel, maybe one that isn't so finicky!

Also, I have a website, and two online shops, Etsy and Shop Handmade. I am currently sewing, spinning, and knitting like a madwoman to re-stock, and re-open my stores with some bigger and badder merchandise.

I am also looking for some photography and modeling help....hm...

After Winning the 2009 Miss Teen Santa Barbara Pageant, I've been working on designing a new dress for the National Competition in Orlando Florida in December. Yay!

I think I'm going to be highlighting one blog and one handmade item for each blogpost.
Blog of the Day: CraftyPod! This blog is awesome, and I've been following it for a while. I love the podcast and interview she did today, very informative, and entertaining!

Handmade Item by Beta on Etsy:
Unicorn and F15 Jets Womens Tshirt

How Friggin awesome is this shirt! I love it, and love the colors it comes in. Take a look at her shop, it's totally amazing.