New Moon – We Are Dyeing As Fast As We Can

Photo by molliebug

If you’ve spent any time on Ravelry browsing through the Bristol County Dyeworks yarn projects, (something you are ALL doing, I’m sure), you may have seen that Cheryl and I have a bit of a following when it comes to “New Moon” yarn. Whether in Peruvian wool or Merino this particular colorway has created a bit of a stir in among Twilight fans on Ravelry,  and we are so excited by the reaction we’ve received.

Photo by molliebug

The thing is, Bristol County Dyeworks is a small operation. When I say small, I mean teeny tiny, itsy bitsy.  It is just me and Cheryl. Sometimes, our husbands help out. Cheryl’s husband carries pails of water and various supplies from the house to the garage on the days we dye.

Photo by MelanieJennifer

My husband drops off packages at the post office (and occasionally fills out custom forms) when we are blessed with an order.

This little enterprise grew out of our love for yarn and knitting, and the thrill of playing with color. So this whole “New Moon” phenomenon has been a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

Honestly, Cheryl and I were tickled when we made our first sale on Etsy. It could have all stopped that first day and we’d still enjoy mixing up new colors and seeing what comes out of the dyepot. We  continue to do a little happy dance each time a new order or Etsy convo comes our way.

And we continue to be thrilled each time we receive a request for more New Moon yarn. Trust me, we are dyeing it as fast as we can. We hope to have more available in the next few weeks. Thanks for your patience!

Photo by bookgrump

In the meantime, please take a peek at what our lovely customers have done.  They are a talented bunch!

Bookgrump planned to knit on her way to Ohio, but knit at home instead.

Mrs. Melanie had great success using DPNs for the first time.

And Maglia wasn’t about to let a little cold slow her down. She knit two pairs of mittens in one day.

PS – For those one or two who are not fans of New Moon, we have many other colorways in the shop, with even more coming this weekend. I’m just sayin’.

Happy Knitting

Happy Winter Solstice

According to weather.com the sun set yesterday at 4:16 pm. Without planning it, I happened to be walking past the window at just the right moment…

Happy Winter Solstice. Here’s to longer days and more sunshine ahead.

Silvery Winter Light

Predictions are that a blizzard is about to hit Bristol County tonight. We have shovels and ice melt, (and hot chocolate and knitting) at the ready. It is a perfect time to be featured in this Etsy Treasury! Thanks to Caitlin for including us.

Happy Holidays, Yo

Moths, Yarn Security and New Bulky Yarn

Despite the date on the calendar, the balmy temperature outside makes it  feel more like early fall than almost winter. In fact, in the last week or so, we’ve seen an incredible explosion in the local moth population.

We usually see these dreaded creatures swarming the porch light in summer, not on the verge of the winter solstice.  Strangely, there were dozens of them on our front door the last few nights. Some even managed to find their way into the house. Very scary thought for a house full of yarn!

But no worries, Max, the  much-loved, somewhat crazy dog, has taken to stalking these winged invaders. He takes pride in his ability to destroy a flitting moth with one well-timed lunge and gulp maneuver.  Max is relishing his new role as yarn protector.  Jeff and I have been referring to him as  Bristol County Dyeworks’ new Head of Security. The yarn is safe.

In other news, we’ve added a new superwash merino bulky weight yarn to our inventory. There are a some pretty colorways that would make great quick knit projects for any last minute gifts.

Happy Knitting!

Inspired by Twilight

Pandora was playing this morning as I began posting the newest batch of Twilight and New Moon inspired yarns into the shop. At some point I realized that the song Twilight, by Seattle-based band SweetLou, was playing. How appropriate!

We did a little playing with the colors and yarns and had some interesting results. While we were dyeing up skeins of worsted weight merino in the New Moon colorway, I tested the same colors on a wool/alpaca bulky weight. Here are the results.

The yarn on the right is the merino worsted. On the left is the bulky. The addition of alpaca sure does make the colors bleed and blend! I’m not sure if this can really be called New Moon, though I am very happy with the final colorway.

Next, we did the same experimenting using the Bella Swan colors. These are a blend of light blues, pinks, tan, and white. The photo shows how differently the same colors look on sock yarn, worsted weight, and bulky.

Again, the fibers are all a bit different and it is interesting to see how the dyes react to each fiber, going from pale to bright and saturated. The sock yarn is a merino/nylon blend. The worsted is 100% superwash merino. The bulky is a blend of Peruvian wool and alpaca.

I Love Crazy Aunt Purl

The first knitting blog I read every day is Crazy Aunt Purl, and really, to be truthful, its hardly a knitting blog at all.  In fact, a good friend of mine, who hasn’t a clue about knitting, reads it regularly and loves it too. So there you go.

Anyway, I love, love, love her latest post about the little baby shoes she made for her co-worker. Aren’t they just adorable, with the ladybug buttons and the lovely packaging. And she conquered the kitchener stitch! Yay Laurie. Lucky, lucky co-worker!

The photos are so pretty, and the fact that she didn’t block them yet packed them up so prettily anyway just makes me smile. I wish Laurie lived near me so we could be friends and go to the same knitting group.

Maybe I will dye up some crazy aunt purl yarn, but I’m undecided on what the color it should be….maybe wine colored…with cat hair???

What do you think?

Bristol County Dyeworks is Now on Ravelry

I spent some time this weekend adding our yarns to the Ravelry database. Check it out, it makes our little shop seem so “official” now.

A big thank you to Sarah at Ravelry, who guided me through the process. It really was simple, and fun. Isn’t Ravelry the best?!

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Finally, here are some photos from the Prayer Shawl workshop Cheryl and I attended last month.

Not knowing much about the Prayer Shawl ministry, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

First, I was blown away by the the number of knitters and crocheters who attended. The third photo above shows the large church hall before we got started. By the time the workshop was underway, almost every table was full with close to 120 knitters and crocheters wanting to learn more about how to create and maintain a prayer shawl ministry of their own. A group of women sitting with me and Cheryl had traveled all the way from Maryland. (!)

Second, I was surprised learn how many prayer shawls are made to celebrate life, not just ease suffering and pain. New moms, new babies, and new brides are all recipients of these lovely hand made shawls. What a wonderful gift for happy times.

So what is it that makes prayer shawl knitting different from the knitting we all do every day. Very simply, these shawls are knit very mindfully with positive intentions and blessings for the intended recipient.

To some extent we all start out knitting mindfully when we begin a new project. When I begin a new project, I think about the person I’m knitting for, what colors he or she might like, what type of fiber would work best, and how I can hopefully make them feel warm and cozy with a gift of socks, scarf, hat, or sweater. But, in the normal course of life, I get distracted while I knit. Maybe I’m watching television, or the phone rings. Maybe Papelbon is giving up another save. Or I’m thinking about my job and the big project that is due on Monday. Or I’m making my grocery list in my head, or worrying about that big credit card bill that is coming this month. Whatever it is, we all get distracted.

That is where the The Prayer Shawl ministry is so wonderful. Being part of group like this, you all can stay focused on the true purpose of the knitting, even if it is only for a short time. What a great way to still our minds, focus on the needs of others, all while creating a thing of beauty.

Get Your Orange On

For a limited time all orange yarns in the shop are reduced. Celebrate October and get your Orange on!