Dragonfly Fibers

Busy, Busy Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:27:00 +0000

We had a great time at STITCHES South last weekend! Thanks to everyone who came by and said hi, showed us your finished objects and supported us! We appreciate all of you so much!

Jennie the amazing knitter modelling her
Girl Friday in Green Tea Corgi

Lovely customer with gorgeous vest alternating
Robin's Egg with a commercial yarn

Ann with two of her brilliant shawls designed in Squishy Lace:
Chittagong modeled by Stephanie and The Doubloon modeled by Laurie

There are a number of upcoming festivals and online events coming up, so here’s a brief rundown:

If you’re in the DC metro area, then hopefully you know that the Metro Yarn Crawl starts today! Next Sunday. April 28^th, I will be doing a trunk show with our great friend, Ann Weaver at The Yarn Spot in Wheaton, MD. We’ll be there from 12 pm on, so please come by and see us!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is coming up on May 4^th and 5^th, and we are excited to be a sponsor this year! You can find our yarns in the Cloverhill Yarn Shop booth in Main Exhibition Hall:D2, D3. We have sent Jolene and her crew more yarns and fibers than ever, so you are sure to have a great selection. As in years past, I'll be in the booth on Saturday afternoon, so please come say hello!

Two great designers, RosiG and Turtlegirl76 are spearheading a free Mystery KAL in our very active Ravelry group, beginning on May 15^th. All we’re saying is that it is a two-color lace shawl. We’re working on kits that will include a full-size skein of Squishy Lace in one color and a mini-skein in a coordinating color for the trim. More information as soon as we have it!

Heroine Squishy Lace

We are also sponsoring several online events in other Ravelry groups! For the third year in a row, we are sponsoring both the Tour de Sock, a speed knitting competition based on the bike race with a very similar name:) and Sock Sniper, an assasination-style sock knitting game. You must check these cool programs out, as the proceeds all go to Doctors Without Borders. Have fun and raise money for a proven organization dear to many a knitter's heart!

We are also sponsoring the Socktopus Book KAL that begins May 1^st. They will begin by working on the Totally Vanilla pattern, which gives you a perfect fit for your foot! Check each group for the sign up information and for the discount code we've provided for the participants.

Now, last but not least: Baltimore Satellite Reef project! This project is a satellite of the Hyperbolic Coral Crochet reef project, based in the Institute for Figuring, started to raise awareness about our diminishing coral reefs worldwide. My dear friend and colleague in yarn has been working for well over a year to bring this community art installation to Baltimore. She has been working with members of the Baltimore community, including an amazing group of middle schoolers at the Midtown Academy, to create pieces of the reef. Here is her blog post and here is the facebook page. Now, she has begun a kickstarter campaign to fund the last stage of the project. Go now, and support this wonderful intersection of math, science, art, and community building! And go, Karida! She is amazing, ya'll.

Hello!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:10:00 +0000

Roxy, new study bunny

I have a few awesome new things to tell you about. First, let me say thank you so much for all of the compliments on our new site. It has been quite a journey and i'm so proud of it. And all of us on Team Dragonfly worked our butts off to get listings up on the site. But truly, the credit goes to those brilliant web and graphic design people in my life.

First, my amazing friend Katey Jackson, who built our first site and made it just what we needed at the time. Then, when we needed more, she did the research to find the right platform AND the best people to carry out the plan. And she spent tons of time with our web designer Justin Stanley and graphic designer Alejandra Monroy to help them understand exactly what we needed. And they did an absolutely amazing job! We are still working on a few things, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I am so grateful. And pleased:)

In the next few weeks, we will have downloadable patterns and the capability for you to store what you have purchased on the site. Also, kits will be back in the shop. Justin and Alejandra are also working on a way to easily find new products. I think it will be very cool!

Next, a new colorway (or three) for spring! One of my lovely customers Amy Godfrey asked me to make an awareness colorway for Endometriosis Awareness Month in March. The Endometriosis Research Center asks everyone to wear yellow on March 1st every year to show support; it's not quite March yet, but I couldn't resist listing Apollo in Pixie. We expect to list Apollo in Squishy Lace, Djinni, and Dragon Sock a little later this week. Who doesn't need a little extra sun this time of year? I almost wish I hadn't already started my Vitamin D in Emerald City...

Again, stay tuned, as I know Amy is working on a shawl pattern to coordinate with our color. We'll let you know as soon as we see it available!

And, finally, new, new , new yarn base. We are introducing Corgi, a lovely super squishy and springy worsted weight NON-superwash merino spun right here in the US. Corgi is a smooth worsted-spun yarn that is amazing for sweaters, hats, scarves, anything. Except socks. I wouldn't use it for socks:)

I was on a green kick last week, as you can see, and managed to invent not one but two new green colorways that i plan to keep: Green Tea

and Lemon Grass.

Malarky and Shenanigans are just that:) Look for these yummy new greens in our other bases coming soon! in the meantime, enjoy the Mermaid all dolled up for her winter formal.

The less Good, the Amazing, and the Silly

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:10:00 +0000

Yesterday, I spent most of the day at a swim meet (nicely done, Titans!) and most of the evening on the computer messing with photoshop (my new Newsletter banner is pretty). Today, I have risen to a new low: three hours watching Teen Wolf with Aquaboy and the snuggly dog. Hard to resist, really. And I am a sucker for supernatural teen fiction in any form. And yes, it is as silly as it sounds:)

Now, I've eaten lunch and checked email and facebook a few times, but the gig is up. What am I avoiding? Telling you about some price hikes that i don't want to make. The cost of several of our best yarns has gone up significantly and immediately: namely, Traveller, Super Traveller, and Squishy Lace.

After sitting on the last price increases for more than a year, we did announce in our newsletter that the price would be going up to $21 and $23 for Traveller and Squishy back in October. We were planning to make this change when our new site goes live on February 1st. Now, I must tell you that our prices for these three fabulous yarns will be $23 per skein starting when our site goes live on Friday.

This is not fun for us; putting affordable yarn into the hands of as many knitters as possible has always been my mission. Talking with my friends in the industry, the best reason we can come up with is the price of fuel. As always, we have some irons in the fire to address these concerns. One is, of course, to source as locally as possible. I have my fingers crossed on this one but it may be the most difficult. Of course, we are looking at some other mills. I also have hopes for one yarn in particular that is also lighter weight (closer to fingering).

So please hang in there with us and wish us luck!

Now on to Vogue knitting Live! We had the best time in New York last weekend! I always for get how much i LOVE New York. I always feel more alive there, and it's a good thing because we worked harder than other shows too! Elisabeth and I drove the van up after a brief stop in Baltimore for Karida's stuff. Team Dragonfly-ers Mary and Laura followed in our "chase car". Their mission was to drive up, set up the booth while I was "schmoozing", and go home. And thank goodness they drove, or all of my yarn never would have made it!

Mission VKL

We had incredible luck with our bellman Victor, who was so sweet and married to a knitter! He unloaded not only our luggage, but two vehicle's worth of yarn and show fixtures and got them to the right place. Elisabeth and I felt like queens running off to dinner with Jocelyn at Salumeria Rosi and a lovely cocktail party at The Yarn Company. You might wonder, why a cocktail party in a yarn shop? Tavy and Assaf, the sister and brother team behind this fabulous yarn mecca, were honoring our lovely friend Ragga and introducing a pair of exclusive colorways that we designed together just for the store: Ragga's Glacier and Ragga's Mountain.

Ragga's Glacier

Ragga's Mountain

These gorgeous colorways were inspired by Ragga's photographs from Iceland and designed exclusively for The Yarn Company. They will be available in Djinni, Traveller, Super Traveller, and Sea Monster and Polwarth Silk rovings starting on Valentine's Day along with a full compliment of our best colorways. I'm told that Ragga and Stephen West will be designing beautiful pieces just for the shop to knit with these two colorways. Stay tuned and we'll let you know when they are up!

Beautiful Shawl made in Squishy Lace

The party set the tone perfectly for our exciting, affirming and fabulous weekend at the show. We met so many great knitters and crocheters, saw an unending parade of beautiful and creative garments and sold alot of yarn. We hung with friends from home and met a few new (to me) indie dyers and designers. We ate great food; I think all the food in NYC may be amazing? And, Batman came to our booth! What's not to love?

He always was my favorite

Yarnmageddon

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 02:11:00 +0000

There are so many great titles for this post: Smoke gets in your Eyes; Smoke on the Water; Smokey New Year!; The Fire that Wasn't; and Yes, That Worst Nightmare come to mind. The truth is: there was not technically a fire, or even very much smoke. Our new year was already full of crazy since I decided the week before Christmas that it would be a good idea to do Vogue Knitting Live in New York (3 weeks away). We had a meeting New Year's eve and made a plan; different people took responsibility for entering data in our new website (debuting in the next week, we hope), making the show happen, filling wholesale orders, and making lots of yarn.

Plan goes into action Wednesday. Thursday, the studio is a humming hive of activity. We are on a roll! Late that afternoon, we discover that a pot has been left on for several hours, the water has boiled out of it, and the charred remains of yarn and pot are stinking up the joint rapidly. I activated the yarn energency team (called everyone remotely connected to Team Dragonfly, that is) and everyone came! Children, husbands, and in one case, a mom (actually Mary's mom Phyllis has become part of the team) rushed over and carried out every single skein and cone of yarn in the place. I probably don't need to tell you that this is a lot of yarn:)

We consulted with a few experts, and got in and began cleaning like crazy. Yarn was triaged and hung outside. In some cases, yarn was washed. And you know what? We haven't lost a skein of yarn. Not one. Most never absorbed the smell. In many cases, the smoky smell dissipated on its own. I am blown away, and so grateful, at our good fortune. Also, team dragonfly is amazing. They got the job done; all dyed yarn was evacuated well within an hour. The undyed yarn is not at all smelly.

We've had our ducts cleaned, and the yarn is coming home. I expect that by the end of the day tomorrow, all yarn and fiber will be back in the studio and those orders that we've been sitting on? They'll be on their way to their new homes.

We are grateful for the support we've received from our customers, friends and families. Thank you so much for your patience and your understanding. Also, we do regret any inconvenience, or lack of information. I have communicated well with some folks; others, I am fairly certain, have fallen through the cracks.

So, you may be wondering, is the yarn really smoke-free? We have been sniffing wool so much lately that our sinuses are full of lint, and we believe it smells like it is supposed to. I also realize that we could have missed something. Therefore, we are offering free shipping from today through February 8th. Not only on orders leaving the studio, but also on returns. we want you to be completely happy with our yarn, and if you are not, return it, no questions asked, and we will refund your return shipping. Risk free shopping! To activate free shipping, enter the code "FREE" at checkout.

Time to go back to the yarn, so here are some other upcoming events:

Come see us at Vogue Knitting Live Friday, January 18 - 22. We'll be in booth 209-211 on the 5th floor, right next to Cooperative Press and Cephalopod Yarns and across the hall from Neighborhood Fiber Co. How's that for fun?
While I'm in New York, I'll be attending a cocktail party given by The Yarn Company for my friend Ragga. And plotting great things, including some exclusive colorways for her, so stay tuned.
New website is planned to launch Sunday, January 13. Not sure if we are set back a bit by yarnmaggedon; stay tuned. Ps. it is amazing!
Next dye class will be President's Day weekend; keep posted for the date.
We will be offering Club Dragonfly 2013 memberships later in January.
?

So tired

I'm sure I have forgotten things, so please watch Facebook and twitter for more news.

All dressed up for the holidays

And, most importantly, Happy New Year!!!! May your year bring you more happiness than grief, and if grief, the tools you need to manage. And most of all, more love than you can handle.

New Gradient Sweater Kits

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 01:59:00 +0000

So, a few weeks ago, I posted about our new The Line sweater kits for complementing Ann Weaver's clever new book White Whale II. I had a lovely time reverse engineering the colors we'd come up with by accident. Not one to leave well enough alone, I decided people might want to make this sweater in other color gradients besides the grellow scheme of the original.

After a week of fun in the dyepots, here are some options:

Winter Woods Gradient

Arctic Gradient

Cheshire Cat Gradient

Flannel Pajamas Gradient

Titania Gradient

Raspberry Gradient

You can see that they are mostly variants of current colorways. Sometimes, I took apart the colors in a particular colorway, as the Winter Woods and Titania options. Cheshire Cat came from a request from my friend Kate, who wanted colors based on Tim Burton's Cheshire Cat:

The new listings are here. I made separate listings for each color of the smaller three sizes. For sizes 44 - 52, I've created one listing and asked folks to put their color request in the order notes. Now you can make a rainbow of The Line sweaters!

One other new thing to note before I go. Our friend and very clever designer Jeny Staiman, the Curious Knitter, has released her Metamorph pattern this week featuring our yarns. This brilliant take on the moebius shape will defintely push us all to the next level in our knitting skill. And, cause she's that kind of awesome, Jeny has made a video to help us figure it all out.

Knitting that makes us smart, and beautiful too!

Announcements!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:38:00 +0000

With Halloween over, and Turkey Day next week (have never been able to figure out how this happened), the holiday season is nearly upon us. Like most of us, i approach the holidaze with a mixture of anxiety (will i ever get it all done?) and childlike wonder. The lights, and the trees, and the greens, and all of the family traditions are so beautiful and magical. I'm not just talking about my own family and my own tradition; I mean the vast array of customs that surround this time of year when the darkness is at its peak, and we all look to the light.

Karida, and Sam and Sarah, and I have come up with our own answer to the holiday season. Announcing...

The First Annual

Maryland Hand Dyers Guild

Holiday Yarn Crawl!

December 8 & 9, 10 - 5

For both days, Cephalopod Yarns, Neighborhood Fiber Co, and, of course, Dragonfly Fibers will open our studio doors for a yarn crawl. It's even better, though. We are inviting some wonderful local makers to come in and share our space and offer their wares. You can get ALL of your holiday shopping done that weekend! We don't have a complete list yet, but I can tell you that there will be bags from That Clever Clementine and This Chickadee, gorgeous handspun yarns and hand made goat milk soap from Folktale Fibers (from her own goats!), and beautiful and inventive knitting books from Ann Weaver. In fact, we are putting Ann on tour; she'll be visiting all three studios throughout the weekend.

Sam of Cephalopod is making us a very cool passport for studio crawlers; people who get their books stamped by all three studios will be elibible to win fabulous prizes.

What do you do? Watch the blog and our Ravelry groups and follow Maryland Hand Dyers Guild on Twitter. Pretty soon, we'll set up a facebook event so you can RSVP. That way, we'll know how many cupcakes to bring. We'll keep you updated on who else will be joining us as vendors, and anything else you might need to know. And come! It will be a fun way to bring in the time of sparkly lights, and candle lighting and dreidels, and singing songs. Not to mention, cleaning house for visiting family, burning turkeys, spending too much money, and eating too much food!

The Line

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Laurie and Amy setting up

And we're baaaack! Phew, three shows in 6 weeks. That means, if you're keeping track, that we had less than 10 days after returning from one show to get ready to hit the road for the next one. Luckily, I like to travel and I love to do shows. It's great to meet the people who buy and use my yarn and fiber and to see folks react to my (really our) hard work. I must say though, with only a couple days off in that time, it's great to be home! Spend time with the kidlets, maybe have a face to face conversation with my lovely husband (although now, he's hardcore studying for his CPA test, so not so much talking at the moment), and hug all the dogs, and cats and rabbits I want!

Finn and Charley hanging out

And of course, there was Halloween! Lots of candy, and scary children. And a few silly grown ups in there too!

Pumpkin Carving

The Krewe

Uncle Sam and Judy Garland

So, have you noticed that my clever friend Ann Weaver has published a new book (actually there are two, soon to be three, so stay tuned!) White Whale Volume II is even more gorgeous than volume one! The stunning sweater Ambergris is re-published in this book, along with several new and amazing patterns, including two featuring my yarns. Check out The Doubloon shawl knit in Weaverknits Grellow Squishy Lace; a perfect combination! Although you should see the sample knit in Airport Hot Sauce Squishy. Yum.

Today, I want to share the sweater The Line with you. This sweater had its humble beginnings last spring after Ann taught a color class at the studio. She was talking (again) about her quest for the perfect "grellow" and I decided it was time to make it happen. Ann, Elisabeth, and I fired up the dyepots and after multiple tries, came up up with the colorway you know as Weaverknits Grellow. Because we dyed alot of yarn before getting it "right", I sent a several prototypes home with Ann.

Fast forward a month or two and Ann is working on her sweater design for WW2; things are not coming together in quite the way she likes. Meanwhile, she is knitting up a sample for a new Set-In Sleeve Class that she is developing using the earlier prototype yarns. Eureka! I think you know what happens from here, right? The Line sweater is born, followed immediately by an email asking if i can somehow recreate those earlier grellow incarnations. She has notes, she says... People will want the yarn, she says...

Look at the collar!

So, may I present to you, The Line Sweater kits in two different kit sizes, corresponding to the different yarn amounts needed. Each kit contains appropriate mount of Traveller yarn in three different colorways: (new and improved) Weaverknits Grellow, The Whale-Line, and The Chase. As you probably know, this pattern is inspired by the "The Whale Line" chapter in Moby Dick. The line that is attached to the boat at one end and the whale at the other, that is. I read Melville's most famous book last year, inspired by Ann's first volume, and I loved learning about all aspects of the whale hunt. This sweater pattern does beautiful homage to this critical and very dangerous piece of equipment.

For now, we are offering these colors as part of the kit only, but let us know if you must have them on their own, and we'll make it happen:) also, i must mention, I've had a request to do the kit in pink and I'm seriously considering. Maybe a Flannel Pajamas-inspired kit, or one that takes "Hot Pants" as a starting point?

Now, a couple of things happening in the next week or so:

If you are local-ish, come sit and knit with me in the studio tomorrow Sunday from 1 to 4 pm. We'll have drinks, and folks will bring snacks to share. And bring a recent FO to share.
Next shop update is this Tuesday, November 6 at 2 pm est and it's going to be a whopper! Also, as it is election day, all red and blue items will be 20% in celebration of our greatest civic responsibilty. Also, there will be a special colorway called Vote! (I had to veto "Donkephant":)
There are still spots left in next Sunday's Dye Class. Come get messy and dye some beautiful yarn!

Did you ever wonder what a "Pumpkin Head" was?

Shearing Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 02:07:00 +0000

Mallory and I wanted to shear Charley a little ahead of when he started to blow his coat. We were a lttle less worried about staple length (the length of his hairs) and a little more worried about his ingesting too much hair and getting wool block. Not too mention, I was doing alot more vacuuming and sweeping than usual!

We invested in a new pair of scissors, which we promptly misplaced. We wound up gathering all of the scissors in the house and taking the operation outside. Jack's new mustache trimming scissors were the best (shhhh...). Our strategy was to confine him on the potting bench, and have Mal feed him cilantro while I cut his hair. He was surprisingly sweet. And patient. Particularly when I nicked him once or twice. When the cilantro ran out, Mal held him on his back and I trimmed his tummy. That was scary!

Now he has a harness and and a leash for going outside. You don't walk him; he walks you:)

Check out the ears!

Shaggy

Chez Dragonfly, we are having a glorious time making up colorways. Hilary of Criminal Knits called and asked me to make up a colorway for breast cancer awareness month. She was designing a shawl pattern aptly named "Save the Ta-Ta's". Well you know what we named the colorway, right? Couldn't resist. Right now, we have Save the Ta-Ta's in Djinni, Pixie, and Dragon Sock up in the shop.

For Tuesday's update, we will list Ta-Ta's in Squishy Lace, Super Traveller, Sea Monster roving, Polwarth roving, and Polwarth Silk. I know folks are waiting for Ta-Ta's in Traveller, and I am too! I have been stalking the UPS man for the last several days, and I think tomorrow may be the day. The minute we receive the yarn, I will dye one full "run" in this colorway. That's 24 skeins! I promise to list the yarn as soon as it is dry and I'll post on Twitter and Ravelry when it's available.

And yes, we are changing the time of our updates to Tuesdays at 2 pm. Now we do all the work for our updates during the regular week, and hang with our families on the weekends! Win! Next one is this Tuesday, September 25th. Also in this update: Halloween colorways! Spooky, an oldie but goody, Vampyre, and Zombie Apocalypse. Jack says everyone knows that zombies are blue grey, but I think they are radioactive green. After all, isn't it the nuclear armegedon that brings on the zombie apocalypse? At least in my world:)

Spooky

Coming up next week? Shenandoah Valley Fiber Fest in sweet Berryville. Virginia. Mallory and I will be there in the Dairy Barn, in our usual spot, across from the alpacas:) With tons of yarn, and spinning fiber, and Trindles, and perhaps some lovely soap, handmade in Virginia. Look for a coupon in our newsletter next week.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us to get into Fall Fiber Festival in Montpelier. I'm especially excited about this festival as the Montpelier/Charlottesville area is a second home to me. I graduated from University of Virginia many, many years ago, but lived there for several years after and have continued to visit. Some of my favorite people in the world are Charlottesvillians and some of my best memories happened there. Also, it would be awesome to go visit the Laughing Sheep yarn shop, which now carries my yarns.

Our Summer Knitalong ends tomorrow, Friday, at midnight. Sometime this weekend/week? Ann and I will pick a few random finishers for fabulous prizes! Yarn from me, and one of her new books. I see that she is releasing White Whale Volume 2 at Rhinebeck...

If you miss this KAL, head on over to the Malice in Wonderland Mystery Knitalong on the Criminal Knits ravelry board. It's not too late; they are on Clue 2 I believe. And it's going to be a "barn cozy":) Plenty of knitting left. Also, if you are near me, the Yarn Spot (note the new Saturday hours!) is doing a Knit, Swirl KAL. I've dyed alot of Dragonberry, in multiple yarn weights for this project. Yum.

That's about it, for now. I expect to be hosting Sit and Knit on Sunday, October 7th, unless I'm at Fall Fiber Fest. In which case, I'll ask someone from Team Dragonfly to host it. If you haven't been in the studio lately, you will love the new sitting area. With all the yarn. Also, we have new lighting so you can see what you re knitting (and so we can find things when we are filling orders. We have a new studio phone: 301-312-7873. Call us! We are usually there most weekdays from about 8 to about 3, then we all dash off to be with our kids. If we're mot there, do leave a message and we'll get back to you. Much better than leaving messages on my cell phone that I may or may not listen to:) Of course, best way to reach me is to email through the website.

One more thing: Club Dragonfly goes out tomorrow. You are going to love it!

Back to school, back to life

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 18:54:00 +0000

NEWSFLASH!! Please scroll to the end for information about a Knit, Swirl ordering party at The Yarn Spot in Wheaton on Sunday, September 8 from 5-7pm.

Springtime in Paris Traveller

Life has been chaotic as usual here are at Dragonfly HQ. Children are back at school; luckily, the swim program gives us a few weeks to settle in before the driving to the school begins. Aquaboy has started middle school at Loiederman, the visual and performing arts school that his sister so enjoyed, and so far, so good. He, like the Mermaid, is taking Dance and loving it. We are still trying to figure out what am "x jump" is (looks more like kung fu than anything his sister ever learned:)

Homework Avoidance

My girl is excited to be in 10th grade. She started the year off right, with a sleepover after the first football game. It took us a week to get her schedule straight, but somehow taking TV production was the only solution:) Luckily, there is AP government and Chemistry to balance out the fun!

This weekend, we are at the Delaware shore visiting grandparents. Mostly, I am staying in the air conditioning. I am recovering from a severe case of poison ivy; for the past 10 days, i have been pretty sure that i have been invaded by aliens, between the reaction and the prednisone and antihistamines i have taken to deal with it. Ugh. I believe this is what happens when one waits til the end of the summer to start one's weeding, then assumes the itch is resulting from an allergy to the new bunny.

Emmy and Cody's cousin Scout

Good news! Charley is a lovely bunny, and I am not allergic to him. His presence in our house has forced me to clean a bit more often (read: "at all"). He is also the sweetest animal that we share our home with, and endlessly entertaining. Our standard pets are predators; rabbits are not, and interact with us in a completely different way. He is not, surprisingly, at all anxious; in fact, he may be the pack alpha. Of a pack full of alpha predators. Except for Trudge, who he likes to chase around! I have picked him up more than once while has was sharing a plate with the old dog, eating chicken and rice and completely ignoring her. Nobody told him that rabbits don't eat chicken and rice, apparently. Next week, first shearing!

Now, knitting with Dragonfly yarns is going full swing, with two KALs. We still have til September 21st to finish our Chittagong shawls for our summer shall knitalong. This is a good thing, for me. While many people have finished their shawls, I have yet to detect a discernible difference in the size of the Squishy cake from which i am knitting:)

The next knitalong, Malice in Wonderland over at Criminal Knits, has begun the week. This "barn cozy" project is a mystery KAL featuring two colorways of fingering yarn, one a varigated and one a coordinating semisolid. My number one fan, otherwise known as my mil Dorothy, is starting her first clue as we speak in Pumpkin Head and Turning Leaves in Pixie. And yes, it glows! If you would like to purchase a Malice kit in Pixie, you can find it here. We will be listing Malice kits in Djinni this week, once we can get our hands on our Djinni shipment, fresh from the provinces. (Hooray! New Djinni coming! Hooray!) Back to Malice; go here to see the KAL photos. So many great combinations!

You should know that Hilary of Criminal Knits and i have been having so much fun with this one that we are already working together on another awesome project. Stay tuned; this one is for the "Tata's"!

Oberon in Pixie

Before moving on to the WIP and FO show, I'll tell what's upcoming for Team Dragonfly. First, shop update tomorrow! 4 pm as usual. Preview photo's are over on the flickr set. Please note we are considering changing the time of our updates from Sundays, so Tiger and I can take care of updating the shop during our own work week. What do you think? We are thinking Tuesday afternnoons, maybe 2 pm. We figure this way east and west coast are both up and functioning:)

Next show is Shenandoah Valley Fiber Fest, in adorable Berryville, VA. Mallory and I will be together again for this one; SVFF is one of our favorite weekends of the year. Fingers crossed that she won't have a test! Very hard to study with all that wool, and puppies, and goats, and alpacas, and rabbits, and sheep! around. And no, we are NOT bring home a friend for Charley.

First up, an actual Finished Object! My Zylphia Cowl, happily modelled here by my sweet old dog. I knitted this piece in Robin's Egg Djinni this week while watching Torchwood (Season 4!) and trying to ignore my Poison Ivy. I did have to frog it three times before getting the hang of things (Benadryl is no good for focus!) but I have had so much fun with this piece, i now want to knit Zylphia Pilots her Airship, Stephannie's steam punk sweater that she designed for Sanguine Gryphon. Just checked; this piece was designed in Eidos/Dragon Sock. Perfect! But do I really want to knit a sweater in fingering?

Almost done: second sleeve of my Central Park Hoodie knit in Winter Woods Blue Face Worsted. My plan was to finish this sleeve and sew up the sweater this weekend. Only problem? The rest of the sweater is back in Kensington. Luckily, I have plenty more knitting with me!

I could work on my Laresca tank, in Poseidon Dance. It would be fabulous to have this piece done for my fall shows, particularly SVFF as it is often quite warm.

And last but not least, i have some silly post-Albers cowl socks on the needles. I am knitting these with left over scraps from the Albers I knit this summer during swim meets. (The Zylphia cowl was also knit with these scraps!)

Albers Cowl on display at Michigan

Patchwork sock

Enjoy your weekend! Now, what to knit first?

My il's gorgeous garden

This just in: apparently my poison ivy riddled brain omitted this important event. Victoria and her lovely new partner Marianne at the Yarn Spot will be hosting an ordering party at the shop tomorrow evening to complement the Knit, Swirl trunk show currently taking place. I tried these jackets on at Stitches Midwest, and I'm a believer. All of the variations are gorgeous, and there is at east one that will flatter your figure. i understand the trunk show will be available for a few more weeks, but if you would like to order the exact yarn in the exact color you have been dreaming of, head over to The Yarn Spot tomorrow from 5-7 pm.

And that's not all! Victoria and Marianne will have a number of yarn samples from Dragonfly Fibers in a variety of colorways and bases that we think will work beautifully for this project. So, go by, enjoy some refreshments, try on a few jackets, and plan the project of your dreams. We'll dye the yarn to order, and deliver it as quickly as possible so you can get started as soon as possible!

Bunny Tales

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 18:07:00 +0000

The Great Midwest Road Trip was a fabulous success. Mallory and I had a wonderful time at Stitches Midwest with our good friends Susan and Molly and Mallory's hard working grandmother Dorothy, who was always the first in the booth in the morning and the last to sign off in the evening. She was working on some beautiful moebius cowls in our yarns (sorry, should have taken a picture) to get ready for a class she teaches to her Guild.

Team Dragonfly minus Dorothy

Molly spent the weekend spinning some Dragonfly Polwarth with the goal of making long color repeats. Luckily, she posted a photo of her pretty yarn. She also spent some time reminding Mallory how to purl and showing her the twisted rib stitch so she could start a Rondo hat of her own. In her colorway, of course.

Looks like Trouble

Wearing Rondo and knitting Rondo

After the show, we travelled out to Illinois farm country to stay with Susan and her lovely family. Susan took us to Ottawa where we visited the Blue Beaker, which carries our yarn in addition to a ton of fabulously crafty things. I want on a rather large shopping spree. The funky fair trade clothing items are reason enough to shop there, but don't miss Jenn's fabulous handmade soaps and balms. So yummy! The shop is in a wonderful old downtown space complete with exposed brick, a loft space and a gorgeous tin ceiling.

Susan also took us to see the horses at a friend's farm, where I promptly locked the keys in the car. Luckily, the barn cats and horses kept us well entertained while a new set of keys were obtained by Susan's family.

Starved Rock State Park was huge, and very cool. We had lunch overlooking Starved Rock (killer pot roast) and hiked the trails. Of we got lost! The canyons were dry due to the lack of rain, but no less spectacular.

Susan drove us all over the area and I loved seeing the grain farms and learning the various ways the crops are harvested and stored. The Illinois river was lovely and it was cool to see it being used to transport grain on barges much the way people have always done it.

Midweek, Mal and I headed around the lower part of Lake Michigan and up to the the Grand Rapids area for the Michigan Fiber fest. We stayed in an adorable little town called Holland (very dutch) and commuted 30 miles to Allegan for the show.

It's great to have tall friends!

We got to play with our friend Ann Weaver, who came to help me set up (thank you one million times, Ann!) and left her beautiful Chittagong Shawl on display in our booth. Elizabeth also came in to work the booth and brought her newly completed Chittagong; between the two of them, we converted alot of new squishy lovers!

Michigan was just the low-key kind of farm show that Mallory and love. In fact, this show will remain a great memory for us. We met lots of new people and enjoyed being out in the country; most of all, Mallory met Charley and fell in love.

What's next? We have a month before going back out on the road for Shenandoah Fiber festival. We're wait listed for the Fall Fiber festival in Montpelier the following weekend and, as it doesn't conflict with SAFF this year, we've just added Stitches East! We'll be right next to Cooperative Press so we can help Shannon while she is teaching classes, and she can spell us when we need it.

We're updating the shop this afternoon at 4 pm for the first time in a month. It's a big one! We will have kits for making Rachel Coopey's Banach Mittens from Twist Collective. If you haven't seen these, they re a wonderful combination of fair isle work and twisted stitches. So cute! They are killing me! The kits will not include the pattern, but will include a full skein of Silver Fox and one ounce skeins of Hot Pants, Pumpkin Head, Narcissus, and Dragonberry, all in Djinni.

One last note, speaking of Djinni yarn. We are all out. Until the first half of September sometime. I created a listing for the Malice in Wonderland KAL for Pixie in the meantime, but hopefully, we'll be back up and dyeing our most popular yarn soon.

Gorgeous!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:15:00 +0000

Careful Planning

Look at all that Pretty Yarn!

As usual, summer is speeding past. I did manage to teach my first ever dye class. I was nervous, as I'm not naturally comfortable talking to groups of people, but everyone was happy to jump right in after a few safety rules.

Laura, my "wing man" and our dyer #2, was on hand and we both had a great time. And the best part? The participants all went home with pretty yarn and fiber, and seemed to enjoy the class. So, good news. We'll be doing it again. I'm thinking later in the fall after the next run of shows. November, probably.

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Beth, from Susqehannah Knitting Company, is clearly a girl after my own heart. No fear of color here:)

Actually, no one was afraid of color and everyone made yarn and spinning fiber that I would want to work with. And in some cases, repeat!

Summer swim and dive season have ended. Such a short and intense time. Both the Mermaid and Aquaboy swam well and made it to the divisional meet. So exciting! Jack was the third member of the amazing group that run our giant 240 member swim team. Mostly, I knit. With a little kid-herding thrown in:)

Ryan had a great time diving and learned a few new, very hard dives, including a Double Flip and an Inverse Dive (that's when they go off the board backwards and then dive forwards, not hitting the board, we hope). See the speedo he's wearing? Earned him the nickname "Speedo Man" this summer.

Video of Ryan's back dive; click arrow to play

At Dragonfly headquarters, we are preparing for end of summer. Next Tuesday, Mallory and I pack up the truck and leave for a two week adventure in the midwest. Starting Thursday, August 9, we'll be at Stitches Midwest in beautiful Schaumberg, IL; come see us in booth #824 and 826. Look for the lovely and talented Susan and Molly to be helping us this year, and my fabulous MIL Dorothy. My Mermaid will be demonstrating simple rigid heddle weaving with our yarns.

After Stitches, we will be spending a few days with Susan before heading to Michigan Fiber Fest. I plan to visit the Blue Beaker, which just moved to a bigger space. While they started off as a hand made soap kitchen, they now offer all sorts of awesome craft supplies, including my yarn:) I also hope we will get to Starved Rock State Park, which looks amazing.

Midweek, we'll head over to Allegan County, Michigan to set up for the Michigan Fiber Festival (August 17-19). My lovely friend Elizabeth will be flying in to help Mal and I in the booth (#148). Hooray! Also, look for the amazingly talented Ann Weaver to be hanging out with us. We will have some of her patterns too. And who knows, you can probably see her Chittagong Shawl up close. Still two months left in our Summer KAL!

Our shop will remain open while we are gone with a limited inventory. Our shop update this past Sunday featured lots more new colors of Pixie, as well as new 4 oz skeins of Selkie and some other goodies. As we'll be on the road for a few weeks, next update won't be until Sunday, August 25th. Quick, grab some yarn and fiber before we pull it from the shop to take with us!

Pixie!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:46:00 +0000

So, just when I decided that I needed to pare down my number of yarn bases, it became clear to me that i must have this gorgeous yarn in my repertoire. Pixie is a gorgeous superwash merino fingering weight singles yarn. While not quite as strong as a plied yarn, it has a nice firm twist. The superwash merino soaks up color like crazy, while the twist resists the dye at the same time, resulting in a slightly dappled look. The yarn is also quite soft, and dreamy to knit.

What to make with Pixie? I see it as a yummy yarn for cozy shawls, or lightweight sweaters, or soft mitts and hats that won't pill easily. I can see making bed socks with Pixie as well, as i'm not particularly hard on my socks. Evolution Mitts by Miriam Felton? Love Letters Socks by Irish Girlie Knits or Coleus by Kirsten Kapur, perhaps. Or Theodosia Shawlette by Sarah Eyre.

You should also know that we are now offering Selkie, our 60/40 wool and silk worsted yarn in 4 oz skeins. At $30, you can now buy just enough for a hat or cowl or other small project.

Thanks to a summer swim season in full swing, I have been able to do some knitting. Not much last week, when the temperature was well over 100 degrees and we had been "powerless" for a week but my Albers Cowl has seen some action. It has been tough not to keep adding colors with every square! So far, I have seven: Ruby, Ruby, Weaverknits Grellow, Violetta, Villainness, Robin's egg, Pumpkin Head, and a Wollmeise color that i couldn't resist throwing in (Rotor Himbeemund). I know I will start the last piece with a Grellow square; then, who knows?

Also, I have started my Chittagong shawl in Villainness Squishy but I can't say I have done much. it is definitely meditative, though, and I suspect i will jam on it once I finish knitting little rectangles on my Albers Cowl.

No more knitting today. I'm off to finish planning for my first Dye Class. Also, we'll be updating our shop tomorrow the 15th at 3 pm eastern with all the lovely yarn you see here, plus a few more yummy offerings you can find here:)

Introducing our Inaugural Dye Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:13:00 +0000

Folks have been requesting a dyeing class since before we moved into our studio last summer. We have arranged and re-arranged our studio, and have learned the ins and outs of our big powerful stove and now i think we are ready!

Playing with Color in the Dye Pot with Kate Chiocchio

Date: Sunday, July 15

Time: 10 am- 2 pm

Location: Dragonfly Fibers Studio, 4104 Howard Avenue, Kensington

Dragonfly Fibers owner and dye artisan Kate Chiocchio will teach basic dye techniques, including immersion dyeing, cold pour handpainting, and a hybrid of both. We will explain basic color theory and some tips on dye intereactions and then we'll turn you loose to play!

Skill requirements: None:) Bring your curiosity and spirit of adventure!

Materials to bring: Old clothes that you don't mind dyeing; good rubber gloves and close-toed shoes. Rubber boots are an excellent idea.

Provided: Yarn for dyeing using each of the techniques. Spinning fiber also available. Dye supplies, including dyes, plastic wrap, masks, aprons, etc.

Cost: $125, including 3 skeins of yarn (Dragon Sock or Traveller) or bumps of roving (Superwash Merino and Polwarth Silk are a good choice here), access to a broad range of dye colors, and all of the other paraphernalia that accompanies this craft.

I must warn you that this class will be my first dye workshop ever, so be prepared for a few kinks. We will use my big, wonderful 8 burner stove to learn immersion dyeing, and then will progress to classic handpainting. We will then move on to painting the yarn directly in the pot. The stove puts out a lot of heat, but good news, we do have air conditioning! So come play with me and learn how to dye yarn and fiber.

We will take a break in the middle for a snack, but bring your own lunch. I'll have coffee, tea, and maybe some Coke Zero if i'm organized. Questions? Best to send an inquiry through the website so they come to a central place.

A couple of related notes:

Don't miss Elizabeth Stover's Spin Lab art-yarn spinning class. She is a talented lady and a generous teacher and spinning on the wild side is FUN! If your spinning is falling into a rut, dont put away your wheel, come learn some new ways to play! She will bring some delicious add-ins, and we will both have drum carders to use. I will have cormo and corriedale locks dyed in any color you can dream up. Important: if making alterations to your wheel makes you queasy, or it seems like alot of work, no worries. replacing C-hooks with L-hooks is a suggestion only. I have been making big crazy yarn on a Lendrum with the standard flyer and have not had a problem. Really:)

Next sit and knit in the studio is next Sunday, July 1st from 2-5 pm. I couldn't figure out which weekend folks wd be going out of town for the fourth, so my fingers are crossed that we will have a good crowd. Last month, we had at least 15 people and all sorts of beautiful projects going. Team Dragonfly re-organized the studio in a way that makes more sense for gatherings, so come see what we've done with the place!

Our summer knitalong starts tomorrow. Many of us are knitting the Chittagong Shawl from Ann Weaver's Container Ship club, but we are leaving it open becasue we are an inclusive bunch. Since returning from New Orleans, I have dyed all of the Container ship yarn orders to date. We will ship them out tomorrow! If you would like to join us, please do! You can order two skeins of Squishy lace here, and will receive free shipping. I love the contrasting and corresponding color choices that i have seen so far. I have a caked skein of Villainness that needs a project, so i may start there. Although I can't stop thinking about Airport Hot Sauce and Weaverknits Grellow...

Summer Classes!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:11:00 +0000

Remember how i told you to watch this space for summer classes? Well, I have a treat for you: wild and wooly Art Yarn spinning! Come spend the day with Elizabeth Stover in Spin Lab. Here is her description of what you'll do:

Have you ever been captivated by unusual handspun yarns? Join the movement of cutting edge spinners and discover the wild side of making yarn. In this student paced class, we will explore alternative techniques for spinning creative singles as well as innovative plying techniques to produce truly inventive yarns. Dare to push your spinning into art with all types of funky singles as well as techniques like corespinning, thread ply, coils, wraps, and in-line techniques.
Skill level: Must know how to spin a balanced single and possess good plying skills.
Cost: $125 Optional spinning fiber, batts, hand painted top, and add-ins will be available for purchase.
Participants should bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition, oil for wheel, niddy noddy, 3 or more bobbins, lazy kate, jumbo bobbins and plying head, scissors, crochet hook (any size C-J), 1 spool of Sulky metallic thread, 1lb wool( roving, batts, clouds, etc.). If you have mixed fibers available and want to explore some fun ways to card/spin them, please feel free to bring any mixed fiber (mohair, alpaca, any type of locks, bamboo, milk protein, faux cashmere, sari silk, cotton, nepps, angelina,firestar, etc.) Drum carders welcome.
Homework:
*Please bring 2 bobbins of even unfinished singles with ample twist.
* If your flyer has c-hooks, you may wish to replace them before class with the same size L hooks on one side of the flyer to avoid textured yarns getting snagged in the hooks. Simply take your c hooks to the hardware store and replace with exactly the same size. Purchase enough L hooks to replace one side only of the flyer. After removing the c hooks, you can opt to replace every other guide hook with an L hook and leave an open hole in between L hooks for minimal snagging. Wooly Winders not recommended for this class.

Elizabeth and I started spinning art yarns together in a Pluckyfluff workshop, but, let me tell you, she has taken the art well beyond what I can do! And, she is a sweet and patient teacher. So, come play with us in the AIR CONDITIONED Dragonfly studio on Saturday, June 30th from 10 to 4. Any questions or worries? Email me at katechiocchio@verizon.net or Elizabeth at elistover@verizon.net

Next class will be a dye workshop on Sunday, July 15th. Save the date! I will put the listing up when I get home from New Orleans next Wednesday.

We are visiting my family in the Big Easy this week. Enjoying lots of food and sunshine. Yesterday was lunch at the Gumbo Shop. Their Gumbo Z'herbe is my alltime favorite! Today we will bike around Fauborg Marigny. I'm still waiting for a snowball...

Showing off in the Boutique de Vampyre down in the quarter

Grandfather took the boys fishing for Redfish. They were amazing!

I love the reserrection Fern growing on the old oak trees.

Airport Hot Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 19:34:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with some amazing women, including my KateyJ. This was a fibery retreat, so there was tons of knitting, and spinning, and carding, and weaving. The carding and spinning was mostly me. I signed up to cook Jambalaya on Friday night, and somehow, despite my submitting a somewhat dubious shopping list, we had all the ingredients to make a yummy New Orleans style dinner. Or did we?

Katey had the grace to pick 5 of us up at the airport. You can imagine the herd of cats involved with having 5 women fly in afrom all over the continent (Gladys came from Vancouver). We did all manage to arrive within about three hours of one another, and the knitting started right in the airport. Apparently, airport food in Atlanta includes collards, black eyed peas, fried chicken, and any other southern delicacy you can think of. And, of course, hot sauce.

Gladys became concerned that we might not have the requisite hot sauce at the rental house. Despite the fact that, in a house full of women, one can assume that at least one shopping trip must occur, we felt we might not have another chance to requisition this crucial ingredient in creole cooking. So we borrowed the airport hot sauce.

This particular bottle of Tabasco remained on our dinner table all weekend, and seasoned my Jambalaya just right. When the weekend was over, we returned it to the appropriate food stand. The Jambalaya turned out pretty good, and new colorway was born.

Airport Hot Sauce on Djinni

In case you want to try making this Louisiana classic yourself, I've included the recipe, inspired by Leon Soniat's La Bouche Creole:

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
1 lb Andouille Sausage                    2 Bay leaves
1 Chicken, cut up                             1/4 t Cayenne
1 Onion, chopped                             Black pepper to taste
1 Green pepper, chopped                1 t Salt
3 Stalks Celery, chopped                  Approx t Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced   Approx t Basil
Approx 3 T Olive oil                       Approx t oregano
Approx 3 T flour                              1 can diced Tomatos
1/2 6 oz Tomato paste                      2 c Rice, long grain
2 c Beef stock                                   Parsley, chopped
4 c Chicken stock

Tabasco or other hot sauce              Lemon juice

Poke holes in sausage with a fork and brown. Remove, and brown chicken (I take the skins off and even sometimes use boneless breasts). Add a little olive oil if necessary. Remove, and make a roux with the oil and flour over low-med heat, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon until your roux is light to medium brown. Add your "trinity" (onion, pepper, and celery) plus the garlic and stir till almost translucent. Add tomato paste (I like to brown it a little), then your can of tomatoes, and stocks. Stir and add spices, then rice. Bring to a boil, then add chicken, and sausage cut into bite size pieces, stirring well. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, then add rice. Boil, then simmer for about 20-25 minutes with top on. Now, take a look and see if it's the consistency you like. I don't like mine too dry, but if it's too soupy, turn up the heat a lttle and cook with top off, stirring until you can eat our jambalaya on a plate. Add the green onions, parsley, squeeze in some lemon juice, and add your hot sauce to taste. Serve it up with a salad, warm crusty French bread, and as much hot sauce as you like! Also yummy with shrimps or oysters. Add at the end of cooking:)

In other news, we'll be Sitting and Knitting at the studio tomorrow, Sunday from 2 to 5 pm. Bring your project and come hang out!

Rockit in Space

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Spring show season, over. Phew! Maryland Sheep and wool Fest was a whirlwind, as expected. Karida of Neighborhood Fibers and Sarah and Sam of Cephalopod Yarns and I had a blast in the LlamaJama booth on Saturday. I want to thank all of the folks who came t see us and buy our yarn.

The show turned out to be a bit more of a whirlwind even than we expected. Saturday evening, we received a call from the MDSW committee asking us to vacate the booth, as we were running the booth for LlamaJama, but the owner was not present. Sunday morning early we broke things down, and then I headed over to the Cloverhill yarns booth with Karida and Ann Weaver to volunteer there. I know there were some confused folks out there, and I'm so sorry about that. We did have a great time on Saturday though!

I will continue to apply for my own booth. Some folks have sent emails to the MDSW committee, just letting them know that they appreciate our yarns and hope to shop from us at the show:) Laura Blueswirly drafted a sample letter for anyone who wants to sned one.

We have hosted two fabulous classes in the studio. Ann Weaver's Color theory for Knitters had people looking at color in a whole new way. We made little fingering yarn "cupcakes" for students in a full rainbow of semi solids and people scarfed them up! I became inspired to start an Alber's Cowl myself. I knit on this project at MDSW. As you can see, i have a ways to go:)

Ruby, Ruby Soft Twist Djinni and Pumpkin Head Djinni

Lauren Haiken's Color in Spinning Class started the MDSW weekend off right. She promises she will come back and do another class for us on a weekend. See the lady in the bandana? That's Victoria Rothenberg, owner of the yarn Spot, my very friendly LYS. She will probably be the force that finally gets me to organize a dyeing class:) The very pregnant lady on the other side of Lauren? That's Paula of Woolarina and Homespun Yarn Party fame.

Lauren teaching spinners how to use color in spinning

We made 2 oz braids of all kinds of colorways in Polwarth, Merino Silk, and
Sea Monster for the class. Hopefully, folks had fun choosing:)

Picking out fiber for spinning class

What's coming up, now that we have a breather? Today, we are updating the shop with tons of yarn and fiber including the lovelies you see on today's post. As usual, the update is 4 pm eastern time. All the preview pictures are here.

We are planning a miniclub for next week. I have opened a thread here to see what folks are interested in seeing. I am planning to feature Super Traveller because it's new, Dance because it is our warm weather yarn, and Super Djinni becasue it is new and may not be around long. To explain, the mill has raised this price for us significantly, forcing me to increase the retail price from $28 to $34. it is a great yarn, and maybe folks want to pay it. Let me know, okay?

Night over Portland Polwarth

Of course, we will need to do some summer knitting. I am planning a Laresca in Dance, possibly Poseidon. What do you think? Shall we do a Knitalong? The project that has received the most knitting time from me right now is my Central Park Hoodie in Winter Woods Blue Face Worsted. I saw the Avengers twice last weekend and knit one whole front piece. Hooray for knitting in worsted weight yarn!

You should know that I'm looking I'm looking at simplifying things at Dragonfly headquarters. I'll be letting go of some bases, particularly Dragon Worsted. I also will be trying to simplifythe colorway list. This task will be difficult, considering the fact that inventing new colorways is the best part of my job:) Phew. Would you like a chance to vote your favorites ON the island?

Gratuitous picture of Aquaboy playing in his last concert of elementary school

Join us on the Crazy Train?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:29:00 +0000

Blue Velvet Super Traveller

First of all, show season is in full swing and has so far been fabulous. We had wonderful time at Stitches South. We actually found ourselves right next to Kate of Tottoppers and When I Grow Up. Kate is one of our favorite designers and an aweful lot of fun, too. Most recently, she designed the Lily Tunic in our Dance Rustic Silk. As you can see, she is 8 months pregnant. My friend Laurie who worked in my booth all weekend is a nurse midwife and was ready to spring iinto action if needed. We were all a little disappointed that the babe decided not to join the fun:)

Knitter extraordinaire Jenny came by with a stack of gorgeous knits that she's made with our yarns. This is her Dark and Stormy knit in Red Bud Selkie. She made her knitting husband a vest in Peach Melba Selkie, which he modelled with verve:)

Katey in her Dragonberry Stockings

The incomparable Katey finished her stocking in Dragonberry Djinni. How great do they look?

While at Stitches, we were given an opportunity to share a booth at Maryland Sheep and Wool (yes, that was a week ago:) We will be sending tons of yarn (quadruple the usual amount) to the Cloverhill Yarns booth as we usually do, AND will be selling different yarn bases in the Llamajama booth on the other end of the festival. Now, you will be able to see our yarns on either end of the festival:)

How will this work? Cloverhill yarns, just inside the front door of the main barn, will have tons of colorways in the following yarns and fibers:

Djinni, Traveller, Selkie, Dance Rustic Silk, Super traveller (our new bulky) and Polwarth roving. I will be hanging out in the booth Sunday morning to say hello and answer any questions.

Peach Melba Djinni

All day Saturday and Sunday afternoon, I will be in the Llamajama booth with these yarn bases: Dragon sock, Squishy Lace, Soft twist Djinni, Super Djinni (new merino cashmere nylon worsted!), and Sea Monster roving. Also at the Llamajama booth, you will see yarns from Karida of Neighborhood Fiber Company and Sarah of Cephalopod Yarns and books from Cooperative Press. This booth will be full of awesomeness. Where is this booth? We're outside in E15. When you come in the entrance, instead of turning left to go to the barns, turn right after the Family Activities Tent and before you hit the Auction tent. We are in a lane with tents near Honeysuckle Pottery and Uncommon Threads.

The Horse You rode in On Squishy Lace

Of course, we're crazy busy. But, I have to tell you about classes. Last Saturday, we had a wonderful time in Anne Weaver's Color theory for Knitters class. I personally witnessed the birth of several beautiful Alber's Cowls. After class, Ann, and Elizabeth (Eutrapelia), and I hung out and played with dye. Of course, a new color was born. We will have WeaverKnits Grellow in both the Cloverhill Booth in Djinni and in the LLamajama booth in Dragon sock. Come see, okay? Kits are already in the works:) Powel anyone?

We still have space in Lauren's Play with Color in Spinning class taking place this Friday, May 4th. If you have basic spinning skills, on either a wheel or a drop spindle, you will love this class. Lauren is a gentle and talented teacher who has been teaching drop spindling at the Homespun Yarn Party for the last 4 years. If you love her, and you will, you will want to check out Spin U, a spinning retreat taking place in late July up on Long Island, NY.

Finally, despite sending our yarn here, there, and everywhere, we have updated the shop with new yarns and spinning fibers. Hooray!

Aquaboy hosting his school's variety show

Two introductions

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:10:00 +0000

First, meet Super Traveller! (Must make Superman arms when you say this:) This big, fat, soft, squooshy yarn is just what it says it is: a bulky version of our much loved Traveller. 107 yards of 100% superwash merino for all of your bulky yarn needs. Rouched and Ready by Cristi Brockaway? Super comfy oversized cardigan? Perpetually persistent cowl by Liz Abinante? Max by Aggregate? Baby blanket? Meander cowl by Mercedes Knits? I can't wait to see what you make with it!

Second, may I present Live Oak Socks created by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark for Club Dragonwitch this summer. We ask designers to keep their patterns exclusive to the club for 6 months, and they are free to publish for their own purposes. I have a special feeling for these because they were created to use with a club colorway called Spanish Moss. Anyone from down south knows that spanish moss goes hand in glove with the beautiful live oak trees that grow huge in a meandering sort of way in New Orleans and her sister cities. When I was a kid, I used to wear this stuff in my hair as a wig:)

Next time, hopefully, I will have a WIP and FO post for you but in the meantime, I have some reminders:

RosiG and Turtlegirl76 are hosting a Djinni Mystery Sock KAL over here. I'm doing mine in Pumpkin Head.

We are updating the shop at 4 pm today.

Homespun Yarn Party! is next Sunday, March 25th from 12-5 in the ballroom of Savage Mill in Savage Maryland. We'll be there with lots of yarn and fiber in springy colorways, Trindle drop spindles, and patterns that work well for our yarns. Yay!

Color Theory for Knitters class with Ann Weaver is taking place in our studio on April 28th from 10-1:30. Check it out!

Watch this space for more cool class offerings; we have a fleece processing class with Elizabeth Stover in the works as well as a dye workshop in conjunction with The Yarn Spot.

Team Dragonfly

Classes and other happenings at the studio

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:23:00 +0000

Boy, do we have an awesome surprise for you! Remember the fabulous Ann Weaver of WeaverKnits fame? I may have mentioned that she came to visit the studio a few weeks back, and we cooked up some cool collaborations. I am officially announcing our first but not last class here at the Dragonfly Fibers studio! Ta Da!

Color Theory for Knitters
Date: April 28, 2012
Time: 10 am- 1:30pm, with a break after 2 hours
Location: Dragonfly Fibers Studio, 4104 Howard Avenue, Kensington
Whether doing Fair Isle, intarsia, stripes, or modular patterns, knitters are constantly faced with color choices. The goal of this workshop is to expand the knitter’s color vocabulary and confidence in color combination choices.
This workshop will present the basics of color theory, like lightness, saturation, hue, and complimentary colors. Each student will receive a color wheel for future use. The different interactions of color (for example, complimentary colors) will be explored using Ann's extensive collection of swatches and examples drawn from the different yarns available at Dragonfly Fibers.
A pile of fingering-weight yarns will be provided for hands-on experimentation. This is a perfect chance for knitters to gain confidence in color choices, experiment with color, and to choose yarn for a project that requires multiples colors.

Skill requirements: Casting on and knitting garter stitch
Materials to bring: Needles, straight or circular, any size with which you feel comfortable using fingering-weight yarn; any fingering-weight yarn skeins or leftovers the you want to use for experimentation.
Provided: Color wheels for all participants, a lot of fingering weight leftovers, tags for knitters to label their swatches, a ton of Ann's swatches, and some projects that are good examples of color theory in practice. Also, because this class is at the Dragonfly Fibers Studio, we will provide 6 small yarn cakes (cupcakes!) of our yarns to play with.
Preparation: If you’re interested in applying color theory to a particular pattern or project, bring in the pattern! If you’re interested in creating swatches to try different color combinations, bring in a swatch or two in yarns from your stash, and add to them.

Now, you have two options; you can do the 2 hour Color Theory for Knitters for $60 OR you can, after a 30 minute break, and settle in to learn to Ann's Albers cowl, a perfect demonstration of color theory in action. Option #2 is $75 I know which option I would choose!

Our Dragonfly Fibers twist on this is that we will be providing each class participant with a nice range of semisolid yarn samples to play with as part of the class.

Where do you sign up? We have listings in the shop here and here, or, if you want to pay directly with a credit card or a check, shoot me an email at katechiocchio@verizon.net.

If you want to see who else is going, we have a thread on Ravelry here:)

Stay tuned! We have more coming in the class department.

Also, I want to mention that we had a fabulous turn out for our very first Sunday Sit and Knit, and will be gathering again on April 1st from 1-5 at the studio. If you are local, please come join us.

Still here

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:29:00 +0000

My girlie and my mom at the skating rink on Christmas Eve

Two grandmothers

This month, post Christmas holidays, we have survived our (yes, "our") first set of high school exams and an 11 year old birthday party. With 11 11 year old boys and more nerf weapons than that:) Note to self: when will you learn that Jackie Chan movies make little boys want to do Kung Fu, however badly.

The mermaid continues to have a wonderful, affirming high school swim season. Go Titans!For Christmas, we gave her Hip hop classes. Taking her to class and watching the teens dance with attitude is a highlight of my weeks.

Bill, husband to Carol the shipping fairy, has dubbed the studio "the Clubhouse". We are now equipped with yoga mat, microwave, and flower shaped ice trays. And all important music. And plenty of room for dancing:) I love my stove, which heats the whole space when all 8 burners are lit, and am dyeing approximately four days a week.

Not a new pet, but a very cool fellow

We have begun sprucing things up for our Open Studio on February 18 from 12 pm to 4 pm. I hope you will be able to come! Bring your knitting or drop spindling project, and be prepared to hang out with us. That is the weekend before Mardi Gras, and therefore, a wonderful day for a party! There will be snacks, and Mardi Gras beads, and, of course, lots of yarn. And wonderful knitters and spinners too! I am considering doing a yarn dyeing demo/studio tour. Not a class, but we are also talking about this possibilty as well for later down the road.

What happens when you don't have a door on your linen closet

Also, if you are local, we will be doing crafty gatherings about once a month on Thursday evenings. I'll announce these here, and on Facebook. And while we are on the subject, are there any classes you would be interested in attending? We are talking to Lexi of Pluckyfluff about doing one of her fabulous workshops here, in fact. Maybe an indie designer who does beautiful things with hand dyes?

Finally, because I want to keep this short and sweet, let me tell you about Club Dragonfly. I have, for the last two years, done a yarn club with my friend Brittany of The Knit Witch. While we had a great time with it and are atill good friends, she has been branching out into other priorities (teaching at Emory! getting a PhD!) and dyeing time is limited. This year, I am offering Club Dragonfly with 6 shipments of Dragonfly fibers yarns and indie-designed patterns. Designers in our line up include:

Kate Blaney of KatyDid Knitwear (and of the former and wonderful Serendipitous Ewe) She designed the Slip and Slide cowl in my Traveller this fall.

Stephannie Tallent of SunsetCatDesigns (designer of Zylphia Pilots her Airship and Emily Prefers to Flounce for Sanguine Gryphon and Wrought Iron Cardi in my Blue Face Worsted in her upcoming book California Revival Knits, among many.)

Liz Abinante of Feministy (you know the Travelling Woman shawl, right? and my favorite, Saroyan Right now she is doing the Great Cowl KAL; cause you really can never have too many cowls)

Rosi Garmendia of RosiG and Soapy Knitter (designer of Autumn Swirls Cowl for Club KnitWitch)

Kate Oates of TotToppers and When I Grow Up (also designed for us last round, with the lovely Twisty Violet Beret, which also has some matching Twisty Violet Mitts) I have cast on and knit one whole inch of her Gramps Cardi for grown people.
And, last but certainly not least, Jeny Staiman of the Curious Knitter (and designer of the extra spicy and very cool Double Helix)

Yarns will come from my usual bases, with a few new and different yarns that i've been dying to try. You can sign up here if you want to pay for the whole year up front or drop me an email or a Ravelry pm if you want to pay as you go:) I hope you'll join us:)

Grateful

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:43:00 +0000

Forgive me for the old date on this post; i started it a while back. I need to tell you that I am so grateful for this amazing year. Family is thriving, with ninja moves

and magical trips just us four.

The crazy animal zoo has given us much dog hair and chewed up shoes, and endless hours of entertainment and love.

of course, there has been swimming, mostly done by my amazing daughter and son, and husband:)

And so much yarn! Thank you so much to my dear friends, and extended family, and customers! I said in January that it was time to grow or quit, and we grew! I am so grateful for the many new and long-term customers who have supported us this year. As a special thank you, we will be offering FREE SHIPPING for the first week of the new year. The shop will be updated beginning at 4 eastern standard time. Hopefully, i will have preview pics tomorrow:)

ps. Look for information on an Open House in the studio in the New Year. yay!

Falling out of the Vortex and Looking for a Place to Land

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Apparently, i'm not a teenager anymore (even though I still am in my mind:) After the insanity of the late summer-fall, I have been dyeing a few skeins of yarn here and there, and then getting lost in the couch with the dogs and Doctor Who. I have only just discovered this fabulous show, and after a few weeks am nearly finished with the third year of the new series. Yumm!

My last show of the year was SAFF, one of my most favorite. Both for the people

Katey, who couldn't be cuter

my fabulous set up crew

and the gorgeous Asheville area, particularly this time of year. While we missed the peak by one weekend, the color was still amazing. Rachel, of sanguine gryphon fame, drove down and back with me and set up and tore down, and we stayed a few nights with her good friends, Liz and Jason. And i treated myself with a 20 minute massage every day. Yay! All in all, a lovely way to end the show season. (Sold lots of yarn, too! Thanks so much to all of you who came to say hello AND buy yarn).

While we are all finished with fiber festivals for the year, I will be taking Dragonfly Fibers on the road a few times in the next few months. First, we will be doing a trunk show at Cloverhill Yarns in Catonsville, MD next weekend. The yarn and spinning fiber will be there Saturday and Sunday; I will be there on Sunday from 1-5 pm. I still have a couple of days to dye, so send me a note if you have any requests!

While we are on the subject, if you are somewhat nearby and would like to see us do a trunk show at your LYS, let us and/or them know it. We are happy to visit:)

Alot of people have asked how the studio is coming along. Of course, it is fabulous. Team Dragonfly is fully moved in and we love the space! We even have a comfy sitting area for hanging out, a sheepskin for the dogs to lay on, and a refrigerator, which was fonated by one of my lovely contractor buddies. As of this week, we even have venting from the stove outside. I am still dyeing yarn on my back deck (hello another rainy Wednesday!) while my lovely Jack puts the finishing touches on the stove and we get our sink installed properly. Oh, and that pesky inspection. Wish me luck!

I do have to say (shh, don't tell Montgomery County), that, with the help of my husband and father in law, I was able to dye six inaugural skeins in my studio yesterday! In a brand new colorway resulting from a collaboration with a good friend, called Weather Girl. It was a big day indeed. It will be very difficult to return to the deck till all is ready...

When we are fully operational, I will have a proper studio opening party. Something to look forward to in the cold part of the year, after the holiday season. I hope to have a stitch and bitch there, and to offer some fabulous workshops and such. Please let me know if there is anything in particular you might be looking for. I have one dear friend who is willing to come in and teach handspinning, and I am willing to do some dye workshops eventually. Any knitting techniques you are dying to learn? Or, perhaps you have a proposal for a workshop you'd like to teach and you need the space?

Next update will be Sunday, December 4th. We are skipping a week so we can offer a ton of fibery goodness at the Cloverhill trunk show, but I guarantee it will be a big one. You know where to find us if you need something before then, right? We will be doing a MiniClub to go along with our Accessories KAL with Traveller and Soft Twist Djinni starting next Friday. I'll go post a warm up thread in our Ravelry group so you all can tell me what colors you are looking for.

Rhinebeck, and a winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:45:00 +0000

First, our winning number. I had to bring something to Rhinebeck, even though i was not a vendor. This year. So, I brought little baby skeins of yarn, with dragonfly wings of course. Each set of wings has a number on them, and using the fabulous random number generator, our winning number is 259. Congratulations, number 259; you have one an Octopus Mitten kit in Traveller colors of your own choosing. Please contact me through my website or on ravelry, and we will arrange to get you your fabulous prize.

Now, please enjoy my Rhinebeck memories. And, for more fiber festival fun, do come see me at SAFF this weekend in the main building on the upper level. I'll have plenty of yarn, Octopus Mitten kits, and spinning fiber.

So, you may know that i made a last minute decision to go help a good friend in her booth at Rhinebeck, or for the uninitiated: New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. Of course, i have wanted to go for years, but with our lives, leaving town the weekend before a big show in the opposite direction (SAFF) never seemed to make any sense. It still doesn't make sense, but helping my lovely friend Steph of LOOP seemed a pretty good excuse.

I worked hard, but managed to have a wonderful time with old friends and quite a few new ones. I had the pleasure of roadtripping with my very good friend Elizabeth; we laughed ourselves silly over the number of times i turned to her and said "Did I tell you that I met Ann Weaver?" (she was lovely). I met quite a few other amazing designers and dyers and knitters and spinners and writers. I can't wait to collaborate with them all!

And of course, there were Gryphon and Lia, in their renaissance capes. And maple spun sugar. And amazing artichokes (thank you Katey!!) And jerky to bring home to the kids:) And the yummiest carded american merino. And lace spindles by Jesh. And the most spectacular collection of hand knit items i have ever seen.

And so many other things one can do with wool and color. So inspiring! It was all I coud do to keep from buying pounds of rug hooking strips to make hearts and rainbows.

Banjo music, and spinning, and sheep all in one place. All in one stall, in fact:)

And sheep. Lots of sheep.

Sock-tober!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:25:00 +0000

Cold, blustery rain ushers in one of my favorite months of the year. While my toes are cosy in wool socks, the rest of me wishes I had finished one of the lovely wool sweaters i have been making for just about a year. Unfortunately, my knitting has been slowed by an injured thumb (much better now) and a busy, busy show season.

My mermaid and I had a great weekend in Berryville last weekend at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Fest. We love being across from our neighbor Connie Delameter of Delly's Delights, seeing lots of local friends, watching the sheep dog demonstrations, eating freshly made peach cobbler, and hanging out in the Dairy barn. The leaves are just beginning to turn out there but it's not particularly cold. Perfect!

One more show to go, and this is one of my favorites: SAFF, in the Smokey Mointains this time, and with leaf changing season in full swing. I'll be in my usual spot, with yarn, fiber, and hopefully Knit Witch Yarn bowls, if our favorite Barefoot Potter gets a chance to make some for us.

I have been planning a few more shows for next year. In addition to the usual show schedule, I have taken a big step and applied for Wisconsin Sheep and Wool, and Maryland! I realize that both shows are tough to get into, but you have to start somewhere, right? I'm also looking at Fall Fiber Festival in Virginia, and thinking about New England festivals. Suggestions welcome!

In other news, I'm playing with a few new yarns. Above is the Spooky colorway dyed on Soft Twist Djinni. This yarn has the same fiber content and yardage as regular Djinni, but is spun and plied more loosely, making it fluffy, and uber soft. This is one of the few yarns I can wear on my neck, in fact; handspun Cormo is another. Must be beyond soft.

Why? I am sorting a few things out, in the yarn supply world. Sources change, prices increase, and sometimes, unexpected things happen. Djinni will stay, though. And Soft Twist Djinni is here for now. In the interest of keeping things simple, I may stop carrying Dragon Worsted. I LOVE this yarn and want ten sweaters knit in it, but it comes to me in big, honking 8 oz skeins, which I discount in order to sell. $32 is a great deal, considering $39 is the more appropriate price. I love Traveller, and Blue Face Worsted, and will keep them, because they are great yarns.

My cost has risen for Selkie, and the price will also be increasing. This is one yummy yarn, and I hope to keep it. For now, enjoy the discount price of $50 for an 8 oz skein. We will, in the next few months, begin to offer Selkie in 4 oz skeins at $30/skein which more accurately reflects our cost.

Enough of that. While I plan to simplify the colorway list a bit, I can't stop making new colorways. Perhaps because I can't stop making new colorways:) Most recently, we have Spooky and Hobgoblin, created becasue I was asked to invent a Baltimore Ravens colorway (and didn't quite get it right). I still will make a Ravens colorway, because I am a Marylander, and also a Redskins one. Probably never a Cowboys one, though... Aubergine was requested by a Anne of For Yarn's Sake in Oregon and Fighting Irish was requested by Rhonda of Ewenique Knits in Indiana.

See my problem? Last post, I mentioned that we will be putting summer colorways into hibernation; now, I will share some colorways going into the deep freeze: Beach Grass, Briar Rose, Copperplate, Fig, Neptune, Prophets of Persia, Rusted Root, and Scilla. Don't worry, this still leaves about 80 colorways!

What's up next? The shop will be updated tomorrow (Sunday) at 4 pm with lots of yarn and spinning fiber. Also, we have a Miniclub running now, which I will end tomorrow evening sometime. Lots of Traveller, and BFW, and fall colors. And, if your requested color and yarn didn't get into the mini club, I will put it in the queu.

Our Dancing in the Summer Heat KAL has just ended, and JudithH is the winner, chosen randomly from participants who finished by the end date. She won with a beautiful crochet project; wave of the future perhaps? I did recently provide some yarn support for this very talented crochet designer; do check her out! Now, what shall we do for later Fall/Winter? I have some thoughts; perhaps miss Blueswirly and i will put our heads together and get some ideas out there. I have been working with some awesome designers lately...

We just ran an inspiration contest for our Cancer Awareness colorway; while i have picked winning inspirations, i still owe you some yarn porn. I do want to say that I really appreciate all of the folks who have continued to inquire about my dad, and offer support to me and also those who shared their own concerns about friends and family on the Ravelry thread. Very powerful stuff there. Once the colorways are done, i will show them off here, and, of course, contribute 20% of their sales through the end of the year to the American Cancer society.

Ok, my brain is shutting down. Must be time to walk these pups and go to bed. Good night!

A quickie, with pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:54:00 +0000

And it's another post with pictures that don't match:) We are now racing headlong into Fall. Swimming has started this week, bringing more calm to the boy and more focus to the girl. And more driving to the mommy:) Ryan has nearly completed his basketball tryouts, and looks solid. He's not the star of the team, but is finally learning to play defenseand is calming down enough to get some shots in. And we have a bit less screaming in the evenings. A bit. I have to wonder: will he do this in college?

My girlie is finding her way at high school. She seems to be enjoying her challenging classes, and settling in with a lovely group of friends. We dyed her hair red this weekend, maybe a bit redder than she wanted, but it will fade soon enough in the pool.

Steampunk Dragon worn by a knitter at Stitches

On the studio front, all operations are moved over but the actual dyeing. Last week, I dyed in the rain for three days. My skin began to grow scales, my hands and feet started to become webbed, and I swear i could breath through gills:) Actually, I am lucky it was warm, and my dry kitchen waited nearby. Much better to do in September than December!

We expect our ventialtion hood to arrive today and now we shall learn about the vast and tricksy world of permitting. The inspector from WSSC came out to check our stove and panicked. He'd never seen anything like it, and had no idea what to do. He was very nice, but he failed us, saying things like "standing pilot" and "fire suppression" as he backed away slowly...

Peach Melba knit into a blankie by lovely customer Evelyn, also at Stitches

Next up? We are updating the shop this Sunday at 4 pm. The update will "roll" from 4 to about 4:30, as I need to "turn on" each item. We will have Traveller, Blue Face Worsted, Dragon Sock, Selkie, and Spinning fiber. Also, some Hurricane Lee Soaker skeins. I've been bringing in the Fall colorways and easing out the summer ones. Won't be dyeing Watermelon Head, Conch Shell, Bougainvillea, or Red Bud for a while. It's time for Turning Leaves, Mushroom Hunting, Fresh Olives, Indian Corn and Spooky.

To celebrate fall, I'd like to do two things. One, I'd love to have a Miniclub for Fall yarns and colorways. I think it will need to start after i get back from SVFF, though. This gives you time to think about what you'd like to see me offer. Fingering yarns are a bit tight at the moment, for a variety of reasons, so we will go with any Worsted, or Laceweight (okay, Squishy) yarn, and any spinning fiber.

I'm also thinking that, as October is coming, we should maybe have an inspiration contest for my Breast Cancer Awareness colorway. Last year, it was Peach Melba. this year, I think it would be nice to have a new one. Don't you?

As I get ready to dive into the muck that is Montgomery County permitting, I leave you with of my favorite beasties. This is for you, Garndfather and Memommie!