Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Great Gratitude Handspun Yarn Sale & Pattern Discount

(Sweetheart)

Edited to Add on May 24th, 2013: The handspun is completely sold out! Thank you for the enthusiastic and quick response!! 

Hi, Knitters,
I have a couple of firsts to offer you today. I want to send out to all of you a tremendous thank you. In the next few months I will be celebrating 7 years of blogging and book writing. So much has happened in these past few years that I want to stop for a second to appreciate all of you for coming along. My sincerest thank you.

I am starting The Great Gratitude Sale by offering a 20% discount off of all of my patterns starting today, Thursday, May 23rd, 2013 and ending next week, May 30th, 2013. The sale is being run through my Ravelry Pattern Shop and the discount code is THANKYOU (type it in just like this, all caps, no space). You enter the code at checkout. Here is what it says on Ravelry on how to use this code: Your customers can use their coupon codes by using the  "use a coupon code" links that appear during purchase.

This is my first pattern discount sale. Enjoy!


The second of firsts is that due to a great response to the idea of selling my handspun hanks of yarn (thank you for all of the emails and comments).... 

I am going to sell some of my handspun yarns right here on the blog! 

I love to spin and I love the finished yarns produced but I simply don't have time to knit it all up. So it sits and sits and sits. I need to make some room on my studio shelves so I am offering up some luscious skeins of handspun yarn for purchase today. I have knit lots and lots of projects with my handspun including socks, shawls, hats, mittens, scarves, and toys. I enjoyed every minute of it and I hope you will enjoy it, too.

Let me start by saying that I am not a professional spinner. The fact is that I have been spinning for a little over 2 years at this point. If you have been reading my blog over the past couple of years you will have seen the progression and joy in my spinning. The yarns are beautiful and completely knit-worthy but I still have a long way to go!

The yarns I am selling today are beautiful and fun. Are they perfect? No. Please keep this in mind when purchasing. The yarn is what it is. I am not trying to make the skeins out to be any more or better than they really are. There will be some thick and thin areas, some lumps and bumps, and other imperfections in between the perfectly spun bits, all of which occur naturally in handspun yarns. 

Every skein is imperfectly perfect.   

I have a smoke and pet free home.

I'm happy to sign any of the tags if you'd like on request!

With that disclaimer being said here are the purchasing rules (PLEASE READ!!!):

1. You must have a Paypal account to purchase. I will invoice you via Paypal. Once the payment has cleared and I receive the payment, the sale will be considered complete. 

2. There are no returns once the sale is complete. Please make sure you really want and understand the conditions and descriptions of the sale of these handspun yarns. I will not sugar-coat the descriptions, they are completely accurate to the best of my knowledge. All sales are final.

3. U.S. mailing addresses only, please. (We'll see how it goes this time and maybe next time I will open it up to international shipping.)

4. Sales will be determined on a first come, first serve basis. Once the yarn is posted and live on this post, you will need to email me to purchase and to give me your Paypal email address so I can invoice you for the yarn. 

To purchase the yarn you must email me with the name of the skein you wish to purchase in the subject line of the email:
Email address: 4busykids@chorus.net 

5. One person can purchase more than one skein. There is no limit on the number of skeins purchased per person.

6. I will mail the skeins via USPS as soon as possible (not more than a week after purchase) and I will send you an email once your package has been shipped. I will most likely wait until I have a few purchases to ship at a time.

7. The yardage of each skein has been hand-counted by me so there may be a small margin of error. 

8. The weight of the yarn (fingering, sport, dk, worsted, bulky, etc.) is an estimation by me. I can't be exact on the weight and gauge of the yarn. You will need to try out different size needles and swatch to see what gauge you will get with each skein.

9. Pricing! I have researched other handspun yarns being sold online to compare the prices of similar skeins to the skeins I am selling today. I think the pricing is fair. Considered in the final price is the cost and weight of the roving used, the amount of time spent spinning, plying, skeining, and preparing the yarn, and finally, the finished yardage and quality obtained. 

10. Flat fee shipping will be added onto the price listed for the skein. Shipping will be an additional $6.00 (this fee includes multiple skeins shipping to one address).

11. As the skeins are sold I will update the blog post with a SOLD in bold under the specific yarn.

Okay, enough of that! Let's get on with The Great Gratitude Handspun Yarn Sale!

(Sweetheart)

Sold

The first skein up for grabs is called Sweetheart. Sweetheart is a big, gigantic, squishy hank of mixed shades of barber pole pink and natural plies!

The Facts about Sweetheart:
Roving used: 
4 oz. of Dyeabolical Yarns Corriedale wool roving in the Sweetheart colorway
and
2 oz. of natural wool purchased by me at the Madison Farmers Market

How it's spun:
2 separate single plies of the Sweetheart roving were spun first and then were plied with a single ply of the natural Wisconsin wool to create a round 3-ply yarn. 

Yardage and Weight:
424 yards of a heavy-fingering weight traditional 3-ply yarn

Care: Handwash with wool wash, dry flat.

Suggested projects:
Shawl
Socks
Hat and mitten set

Price:  $55.00 + $6.00 shipping = $61.00 total

(Green River)

(Green River)

Sold

The next skein up for purchase is called, Green River. Green River is a gorgeous mix of greens and shades of teal. It is a soothing and beautiful skein of wool.

The Facts about Green River:

Roving used: 
4 oz. of Cloudlover Polwarth Handpainted Top 

How it's spun:
2 singles were spun and then plied together to make a 2-ply yarn. 

Yardage and Weight: 
294 yards of a sport to dk weight traditional 2-ply yarn

Care: Handwash with a wool wash, dry flat

Suggested Projects:
Shawlette
Hat
Mittens
Cowl

Price: $45.00 + $6.00 shipping = $51.00 total 

(Coral Reef)

(Coral Reef)

SOLD

This big, playful, squishy, uber-soft, skein is called Coral Reef. The colors in this skein have a summer day at the beach feel with a mix of coral, ocean blue, light green, tan and natural. The skein of yarn weighs in at 7 3/4 oz.

The Facts about Coral Reef:

Roving used:
The roving was 2 different 4 oz. braids of Polwarth from Springtree Road 

How it's spun:
Each 4 oz. braid was spun separately into singles and then plied together to make a traditional 2-ply yarn. Since there were two different colorways plied together the yarn has wonderful barber poling throughout.

Yardage and weight: 
268 yards of a thick and thin worsted weight yarn

Care: Handwash with wool wash, dry flat

Suggested projects:
Hat
Mittens
Scarf
Cowl

Price: $50.00 + $6.00 shipping = $56.00 total

(Little Plums)

(Little Plums)

(Little Plums)

SOLD

This skein is called Little Plums. The wonderful barber poled skein combines many shades of purple from plum to violet to lavender. The colors are rich and beautiful.

The Facts about Little Plums:

Roving used:
4 oz. of Sunshine Yarns 100% Superwash Wool

How it's spun: 
The braid was divided into 2 oz. sections. Each 2 oz. section was spun into singles and then plied together to make a traditional 2-ply yarn.
*Note: There are 3 ends in this skein so I am assuming it is not in one piece.

Yardage and weight: 
178 yards of a dk weight yarn

Care: Handwash in wool wash, dry flat

Suggested projects:
Hat
Fingerless mitts
Toy

Price: 
$35.00 + $6.00 shipping = $41.00 total

(Grellow with a Splash of Mint)

(Grellow with a Splash of Mint)

(Grellow with a Splash of Mint)

SOLD

This skein is called, Grellow with a Splash of Mint. Grellow is gray plus yellow. I recently spun this gradient skein and I couldn't get over how much I loved the movement from fresh mint to soft gold to heathery gray. The yarn is smooth, beautiful and calm.

The Facts about Grellow with a Splash of Mint:

Roving used:
4 oz. of Dyeabolical Yarns 60% merino wool/40% bamboo viscose

How it's spun:
The roving was spun into one long singles and then Navajo-plied or chain plied to make a 3-ply yarn.

Yardage and weight: 256 yards of a heavy fingering/sport weight yarn

Care: Handwash with wool wash, dry flat

Suggested projects:
Shawlette
Cowl
Hat
Fingerless mitts

Price: $42.00 + $6.00 shipping = $48.00 total

(Whipped Mocha)

(Whipped Mocha)

SOLD

This hefty skein of Whipped Mocha has a sheen to it that is spectacular. The yarn has Tencel which is the reason for the shiny look. The name of the skein, Whipped Mocha, is spot on. The soft shades of brown with a gentle hint of gold every once in a while is so squishy and inviting.

The Facts about Whipped Mocha:

Roving Used:
Two 4 oz. braids of Sunshine Yarns, 50% Superwash Merino/50% Tencel roving

How it's spun:
Each 4 oz. braid was spun separately into hefty singles and then plied together to create a traditional 2-ply yarn

Yardage and weight: 98 yards of a thick and thin, super bulky weight yarn

Suggested projects:
Mittens
Hat (I was planning on making The Vermonter Hat with this skein. It would be perfect! Click here for the free pattern!)
Cowl

Price: $38.00 + $6.00 shipping = $44.00 total

(Leafy Greens)

(Leafy Greens)

(Leafy Greens)

SOLD

This skein is called, Leafy Greens. The photos are not doing this skein justice. It is much richer and more varied in shades of green than appears. There are many greens mixed into the yarn from light spring green to olive to dark shades. It is a very sweet little skein of yarn, one of my earliest spins if I remember correctly. That's why there are some thick and thin spots throughout.

The Facts about Leafy Greens:

Roving Used: 4 oz. braid of 100% superwash wool from Springtree Road

How it's spun:
The braid was split in half into 2 oz. sections. Each section was spun into singles and then plied together to create a traditional 2-ply yarn.

Yardage and weight: 156 yards of a thick and thin dk weight yarn

Care: Handwash with a wool wash, dry flat

Suggested Projects:
Hat
Mittens
Fingerless Mitts
Toy

Price: $25.00 + $6.00 shipping = $31.00 total

(Rusted Root)

(Rusted Root)

(Rusted Root)

SOLD

This skein, which I've named Rusted Root, is perhaps my favorite colorway out of this entire lot of yarns. It is stunning with browns, olives, rust, teal and green. I LOVE this yarn so much. It is not a super soft wool, it is rustic and hearty. It is gorgeous!

The Facts about Rusted Root:

Roving used: 4 oz. of Dyeabolical Yarns 100% Shetland Wool

How it's spun: 
The 4 oz. roving was divided into halves, each 2 oz. Each half was spun into singles and then plied together to make a traditional 2-ply yarn.

Yardage and weight: 110 yards of a heavy worsted/aran weight yarn

Care: Handwash with a wool wash, dry flat

Suggested Projects:
Fingerless mitts
Hat
Toy

Price: $32.00 + $6.00 shipping = $38.00 total

That's that! I may not ever do this again, we'll see how it goes. It is my first time doing this so please be patient with me. 

Good luck if you are ordering!
best, susie