The Sanguine Gryphon

We've Moved!!

2010-08-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today, with much excitement, we've unveiled our newly redesigned website (still at www.sanguinegryphon.com), and the blog is now integrated with the site, here. All the archives have moved over with it. Come and visit!

Her Heart Grew Sick

2010-08-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

A most appropriate name for my version of the Kypria colourway that will be appearing in tonight's update, for we are bidding a partial farewell to Kypria. Kypria is our merino/bamboo/nylon sock yarn for which I have been writing an accompanying story, a reconstruction of a lost third Homeric work. But alas, the yarn languishes a bit too much on the shelves and we just can't keep stocking it. However we do have patterns for it, including a gorgeous new one which will be coming out this Fall as part of our Steampunk pattern line, so we've decided to continue stocking Kypria in 10 of the standard colourways, to be determined.

For this evening we have a little farewell bash, two colourways created by Sarah and me, both based on an insect submitted and voted on on our Ravelry group a couple weeks ago:

Isn't he pretty? We're calling him Henry Worthington III, Esq., mostly because we feel like it, but also because his real name is 'small red moth' and that's just stupid.

Interestingly, Sarah and I created startlingly similar colourways based on this fellow, unlike the Purple Soldier Ants a couple weeks ago, which were very different. Mine is #121 Her Heart Grew Sick:

and Sarah's is #122 Leave My Side, which better reflects her feelings about Kypria. I think she has some anger issues.

Both colourways will be appearing on the site tonight and will be available to order until tomorrow evening or until we run out of base yarn, whichever comes first (there are 160 undyed skeins left).

In other very exciting news, our redesigned website is scheduled for release on Thursday. This Thursday!! It's so beautiful I can hardly stand it. The first release will be basically the same as the current one in terms of features, just a different look, except that the blog will be integrated with the site instead of being hosted through Blogspot. Then, over time, we'll be adding all sorts of cool new features, like a customer gallery, a colour picker, etc.

Another small news item: have you spotted our Fall ad in the issue of Interweave that just came out? It will also be appearing in the Fall (not Early Fall) Vogue Knitting. The first name of the artist who did the drawing is a coupon code for 10% off on the site, good through August 15th. (Her name appears on the right side of the ad.) More about Steampunk soon!

Just What I Needed, a New Obsession

2010-07-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've been throwing sidelong glances at silk painting for a long time now, and a couple weeks ago finally decided to take the plunge and order supplies. Oh my. It's really, really fun. I got the Jacquard Dye-Na-Flow paints, which work on all different kinds of fabric, some resist, and a bunch of silk.

After some initial practice, I started to get the hang of how the paint moves on different fabrics (and it is hugely different for various weaves and fibers), and was able to sketch a fish on some silk habotai with clear resist and then paint it, for a decent result. Lia liked it so now I'm quilting it in the lines to make her a pillow.

Feeling more comfortable, I moved on to painting more silk habotai to make a bodice (you knew it had to turn to historical clothing at some point, didn't you?) I outlined the pattern then made a pencil sketch of a dragon and drew it in with resist.

Unfortunately, the resist started to clog the bottle, clumping in places, and the lines are thicker than I wanted them.

Next I painted the background.

I love the way the colours blend.

And then the beast himself.

That's as far as I've gotten yet. I think I'll quilt this too, with just very thin batting, because I like the effect it makes on the surface. Then I'll make the lining, bone it, and piece it together into a bodice. Maybe after I finish Sarah's gown, though - that was supposed to be last year's birthday present, to be completed by this year's birthday, which is coming in a couple months. It has to be ready for her to wear at Stitches East at the end of October.

Lia really enjoyed the painting as well.

But about yarn. We've had a bit of a kerfuffle with the latest batch of Bugga! - it's not quite all the way up to our standards. There are rather more knots and misspun sections than usual, and all of it is ever so slightly less tightly plied than it should be. A few skeins went out last week before we caught the problem and we have sent partial refunds to those people by way of compensation. The rest we'll be offering on the site at a 15% discount. It's still really lovely soft Bugga!, but it's not all the way top notch, so we don't feel comfortable charging full price. We're combing through it to weed out all the skeins with more serious problems, like knots and misspun parts, but if you do receive a mutant that slipped through the checks please notify us and we'll rectify the matter.

But! As you may know by now, we like to throw a little fun into everything, so we've worked a game into this. All the skeins from this troubled lot have a stamp on the tag: 'IRREGULAR' - all but seven of them. These seven have a different stamp on them. These others are the golden ticket stamps, worth a gift certificate of $28 to our site for the lucky recipients. Any yarn listed on the site with the irregular discount might potentially have the odd stamp - if you receive one send us an email telling us what the stamp says and we'll send you the prize gift certificate.

For the first kick-off of these irregulars, we have an unlimited run of an old favourite from the vaults tonight: Fiery Searcher Beetle. I don't generally proclaim the depth of my love for particular colourways, but this one just might be my all-time most beloved. It is (of course) a murky brown-green, and I created it at my dear friend Kate's (Dragonfly Fibers) house in the very early days of my dyeing, and I love it beyond all measure. I hope you'll love it too.

4:56 pm and Disjointed

2010-07-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yea, so... in the chaos of the day... here is your Monday, OMG THE BLOG! edition.

This week we bring you the double feature of the Purple Soldier Fly voted by Ravelers as "most want to see dyed" bug.

We will offer it in a one-time, unlimited quantity in Skinny Bugga! for 24 hours starting tomorrow morning, Tuesday, July 20 at 9:30 EDT.

Since the internet has been giving us much grief today, I can't post pictures here. They are up on the website listed as "Gryphon's Purple Soldier Fly" and "Sarah's Purple Soldier Fly."

Rachel elf signing (and sighing) off...

Steam Engine Fun

2010-07-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our landlady runs the local Steam and Gas Association, and this weekend they had their annual show. It's truly an amazing event - they have 70 acres with numerous museum buildings, and enthusiasts turn out from far and wide to show and sell their equipment. Most of the gear on display is fully operational, so one can see all these incredible steam engines in action, and machines run by them. There were also every imaginable variety of tractor, often being driven around by small children who were clearly experienced tractor drivers. Here's a small assortment of the photos I took (on my phone, sorry for the poor quality) - the rest are on our Flickr page.

I was there doing a spinning demo for their colonial crafts room, with my great wheel. Not many people because of the rain, but I got a lot of spinning done :-)

I believe that las thing is a loom.

For our update tonight we have 100 skeins of Robberfly (an old colourway revisiting) in Bugga! and an unlimited number of the same in Skinny Bugga!

Also, Rachel has finally found time to get to the laborious task of sorting and listing our large collection of mutant skeins. What, ask you, is a mutant skein? Alas it's not a giant, radioactive skein with 10,000 yards that glows in the dark. It's a skein with either a spinning or a dyeing flaw. We've classified them into 3 groups:

1. Point Mutations: Skeins with dye flecks on them

2. Frameshift Mutations: Burns or knots

3. Nonsense Mutations: Spinning problems (some section that's over or underspun, usually just a few yards)

All are discounted by 26.721% and are to be found under Attic Treasures, where they will go live at update time, tonight at 8 pm EDT.

i haz bewteeful yarnz and brainz: awl de laydeez luv mee

2010-07-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Sent to us by one of our dear customers in Spain...

Meet Pedrita:

(note the beautiful yarn in the foreground is Schrodinger's Cat in QED).

Please note that the SG studios will be closed on Monday to observe International Town Criers Day. However, we will still have the usual update on schedule. This week, the much anticipated unlimited Blue Lobster in Bugga!

The posting will go up around 8:00 pm EDT on Monday evening, July 5 and stay up for 24 hours.

Also for your bargain seeking pleasure is the 20% sale on Spring colours in all of the bases except Bugga and Skinny Bugga. Having set the sale up in advance, you will see the prices go in effect at 12:00 am EDT (midnight) on Tuesday, July 6. Since these are now retired we will not be able to dye to order in case of oversells so buy early (and buy often). :)

While not part of the regular update, look for the standard colours in Codex and Gaia Lace sometime in the early part of next week.

The final news of the day is the end of an several eras - the kittens and momma are all off to new homes and new adventures. Monica took the last two kittens home last night. Cho Mao is recovering comfortably at Matt's home after her no-more-kitten surgery, and the last skein of Dance has been packed.

Goodbye silk noil.

Delivery

2010-06-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

We had the horses delivered this morning.

Okay, not really, but I sure had the elves going for a moment when this trailer pulled up in front of our building. They're ready to believe just about anything of me :-)

Actually, we've reduced our animal population by one more today - Cacie took one of the kittens for a friend of hers. The rest, Cho Mao included, should be heading out this week. Bye-bye kittens, it's been lovely having you! I say all this with some degree of relief - they're adorable, but they're old enough to be a little destructive now and it's been a struggle keeping them out of the yarn. I found a skein this morning whose tag looked as though it had been riddled with bullet holes from a very tiny gun.

Tomorrow morning (9:30 am EDT) we'll have the rest of the Summer release, all the colourways in all the bases except Bugga! You can see them all in these two blog entries, along with their swatches. Happy hunting!

And the Last One, for now

2010-06-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Patterns going up today:

Leviathan, by Talitha Kuomi

a dramatically long scarf to wrap a dozen ways, in Sappho II, Over the Salt Sea

(A Skein of Geese was slightly delayed by technical difficulty, but will also appear by day's end. Aster Nyx, a shawlette, is holding off for a few weeks.)

Two More Patterns

2010-06-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

are going up tomorrow!

They are

A Skein of Geese, by Cailyn Meyer

socks in men's and women's sizes, in Kypria #113, Virtuous Beauty

and the long-awaited

Dangerous When Wet, by Elizabeth Rislove Etler

argyle panties, choker, and fascinator set, in Skinny Bugga! Z. Caerulia, Cotton Stainer, Tufted Jungle King, and Giant Stick Insect, and Gaia Lace Dahlia

Look for Leviathan and Aster Nyx by the end of the week.

Summer Pattern Line Unveiling

2010-06-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true! We're releasing our very first seasonal pattern line, and we're ridiculously excited about it. There will be a total of 12 patterns, all of which we really love, and we're honoured by the talented designers who submitted to us. Next week's newsletter will also include a fun little video from our photoshoot.

Most of the patterns will go up with tomorrow morning's update, but check back through the week for surprise extra additions.

Going up tomorrow morning will be:

Cayuga Cardigan, by Anna Dalvi
in Skinny Bugga!, Dawn Dropwing

Lily Marlene, by Baerbel Hurst
in Little Traveller, Luna Park

Miryam, by Sylvia Cannizzaro
in Skinny Bugga!, Cotton Stainer

Dayflower Socks, by Dorothy Dean
in Eidos, Bacchic

Hyssop, by Becky Herrick
in Kypria #102: Wild Thuderbolt

Orange Blossom, by Gryphon Perkins
in Eidos, Sophrosyne and Pyrrhus (Sophrosyne is discontinued, but Callias is very similar)

Themis, by Gryphon Perkins
in Eidos, Kalos and Terpsichore

Îndrăgostită, by Gryphon Perkins
in Sappho II, Around the Altar and Sleep Comes Down

Hope you'll have fun making some of these!

Moss, Rocks, Bark, Moths, and a Deer Called Lamp

2010-06-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Back from my holiday! Sarah and the elves handled everything beautifully in my absence, as you can see from this reassuring video they made me.

Um. Yeah. Anyway, I had a lovely vacation and took lots of pictures. Don't be surprised if all my Fall colourways are green and brown and grey.

Sarah, check it out, a Polyphemus Moth! It was huge! My phone picture does it no justice.

Anybody care to hazard moth ids?

Blackwater Falls

Summer Unveiling - Part II, Gryphon's Offerings

2010-06-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Feast your eyes:

1.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Giant Stick Insect
Eidos: Argos
Traveller/Little Traveller: Route 66
Kypria: 102. Wild Thunderbolt
Free Range: Andalusian
QED: Mitosis
Sappho I/II: Loosener of Limbs
Gaia Lace/DK: Eye of the Devil
Codex: Jane Bennet

2.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Praying Mantis
Eidos: Terpischore
Traveller/Little Traveller: Greece
Kypria: 103. Tears Filled His Eyes
Free Range: Pertelote
QED: Cytoplasm
Sappho I/II: Yellower Than Torch Flame
Gaia Lace/DK: Grass Seed
Codex: Georgiana Darcy

3.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Blue Stink Bug
Eidos: Antlia
Traveller/Little Traveller: St. Tropez
Kypria: 105. Curse the Gods
Free Range: Spitzhauben
QED: Organelle
Sappho I/II: Thrilling Eponym
Gaia Lace/DK: Purple Swamphen
Codex: Caroline Bingley

4.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Z. Caerula
Eidos: Caelus
Traveller/Little Traveller: Der Prater
Kypria: 106. Sentence You to Hades
Free Range: Barthuhner
QED: Chromosome
Sappho I/II: Always Be a Virgin
Gaia Lace/DK: Jacamar
Codex: Lady Susan

5.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Signatus Lacewing
Eidos: Hydra
Traveller/Little Traveller: Chincoteague
Kypria: 107. Half the Gift
Free Range: Rumpless
QED: Cytokinesis
Sappho I/II: My Mother Used to Say
Gaia Lace/DK: Blue-Headed Parrot
Codex: Emma Woodhouse

6.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Red Spider Mite
Eidos: Lupus
Traveller/Little Traveller: Bridalveil Falls
Kypria: 104. Let Me Bleed
Free Range: Duckwing
QED: Eukaryote
Sappho I/II: Your Eyes Honey
Gaia Lace/DK: Rufous Hummingbird
Codex: Harriet Smith

7.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Painted Damsel
Eidos: Andromeda
Traveller/Little Traveller: Sinaia
Kypria: 108. Wrapped in a Cloud
Free Range: Porcelain Antwerp
QED: Prokaryote
Sappho I/II: Desire Rains
Gaia Lace/DK: Bee Eater
Codex: Jane Fairfax

8.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Cotton Stainer
Eidos: Cassiopeia
Traveller/Little Traveller: Monaco
Kypria: 109. With Flaming Wine
Free Range: Mille Fleur
QED: Binary Fission
Sappho I/II: Exquisite Face
Gaia Lace/DK: Rouxinol
Codex: Catherine Morland

9.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Tufted Jungleking
Eidos: Kalos
Traveller/Little Traveller: Mexico
Kypria: 111. Pearl of Kings
Free Range: Catalana
QED: Apoptasis
Sappho I/II: Bright Voiced Nightingale
Gaia Lace/DK: Fire Rage
Codex: Isabella Thorpe

10.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Acrobatic Snail
Eidos: Danae
Traveller/Little Traveller: Venezia
Kypria: 110. Soft Purple Robes
Free Range: Indian Game
QED: Cleavage Furrow
Sappho I/II: Spring Flowers Blossoming
Gaia Lace/DK: Acrobatic Snail
Codex: Fanny Price

Summer Unveiling - Part I, Sarah's Offerings

2010-06-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

Bring out the lawnchairs and pineapple cocktails - summer is here!

1.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Dawn Dropwing
Eidos: Delphinus
Traveller/Little Traveller: Finger Lakes
Kypria: 112. Old and Grey
Free Range: Booted
QED: Theano
Sappho I/II: There a Bowl of Ambrosia
Gaia Lace/DK: Crushed Mulberries
Codex: Avice Caro

2.Bugga/Skinny Bugga: VW Bug
Eidos: Draco
Traveller/Little Traveller: Amsterdam
Kypria: 113. Virtuous Beauty
Free Range: Leghorn
QED: Bernouilli Numbers
Sappho I/II: Soft Flowers of Grass
Gaia Lace/DK: Moudry Grass
Codex: Grace Melbury

3.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar
Eidos: Scorpio
Traveller/Little Traveller: House on the Rock
Kypria: 114. Simple Shepherd
Free Range: Java
QED: Emilie de Chatelet
Sappho I/II: In a Beautiful Exchange
Gaia Lace/DK: Zebra Tomatoes
Codex: Sue Fawley

4.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Monarch Chrysalis
Eidos: Corona
Traveller/Little Traveller: Mauritius
Kypria: 115. Foolish Boy
Free Range: Sussex
QED: Abelian Group
Sappho I/II: Know That You Can Free Me
Gaia Lace/DK: Jubilee
Codex: Ethelberta Pertherwin

5.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Blue Dasher
Eidos: Orion
Traveller/Little Traveller: Muir Woods
Kypria: 116. Protector of Men
Free Range: Langshan
QED: Porismata
Sappho I/II: On a Mountain Punishing Oak Trees
Gaia Lace/DK: Into the Woods
Codex: Elizabeth-Jane Newson

6.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Half-Banded Toper
Eidos: Capricornicus
Traveller/Little Traveller: Luna Park
Kypria: 117. Beloved of a Nymph
Free Range: Jersey Giant
QED: Regiomontanus
Sappho I/II: But You Have Forgotten Me
Gaia Lace/DK: Sideshow
Codex: Fancy Day

7.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Banana Slug
Eidos: Cygnus
Traveller/Little Traveller: Kennywood Park
Kypria: 118. A Fair Son
Free Range: Brabanter
QED: Fermat's Last Theorem
Sappho I/II: Leaving the Gold House
Gaia Lace/DK: Sunlight
Codex: Lucetta Templeman

8.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Familiar Bluet
Eidos: Cetus
Traveller/Little Traveller: Lake Quassapog
Kypria: 119. Make Yourself Known
Free Range: Plymouth Rock
QED: Hypatia of Alexandria
Sappho I/II: Of All Stars
Gaia Lace/DK: Stargazing
Codex: Eustacia Vy

9.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Idea Leuconoe
Eidos: Ara
Traveller/Little Traveller: Madonna Inn
Kypria: 120. Comely Face
Free Range: Easter Egger
QED: Diophantus
Sappho I/II: Desire Floats Around You
Gaia Lace/DK: Anthurium
Codex: Thomasin Yeobright

10.
Bugga/Skinny Bugga: Violet-Tailed Bluet
Eidos: Corvus
Traveller/Little Traveller: Deception Island
Kypria: 54. The Obligation of Hospitality
Free Range: Pyncheon
QED: Paracelsus
Sappho I/II: My Voice is Empty
Gaia Lace/DK: Lactarius Indigo
Codex: Tess Durbeyfield

Remember all that talk about a new base yarn?

2010-06-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

We mentioned that, didn't we? Briefly, and in passing... some hints here and there about a new base we were testing. All very Spy vs. Spy. Well, there's a new base, and it just came in, barely time for the summer release.

Gryphon and I are very, very pleased to introduce our newest sweater yarn. It's called Codex, and it is a worsted- weight singles yarn in a 52% silk, 48% Blue- Faced Leicester blend. The silk- BFL blend makes a very strong, super shiny yarn that won't pill the way Merino wool singles will.

We will be selling Codex in 4 oz skeins, at $25 a skein, and so far, I get 4-5 stitches per inch on size US 7 needles. I've swatched up a skein from the sample cone we received earlier this year, and I am in love with the drape on this yarn. It is luxuriously soft and takes color quite deeply. For example... it hasn't been named yet, but that yarn top of this post is Codex in the Blue Lobster colorway.

Here's another example of it (still unnamed in Codex, but I'm working on it!)- this is the Dragon Millipede colorway.

Codex will go up on the website in the new summer colors, although it will be coming out in all of the standards, too. I'm already dreaming up a sweater in this for winter. And if you see a forum post on the Ravelry that looks very, very similar to this, I apologize- I just wanted to get the word out before we announced the Summer 2010 colors. :)

Can't Get Enough

2010-06-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

For your Tuesday afternoon enjoyment - a few more out of control adorable kitten photos...because we only have them to enjoy for a few more weeks. :(

When the Cat is Away...

2010-06-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

PREFACE

Desk - check
Chair - check
Mug of Coffee - check
Herrod - check
Gryphon - che... wait a minute, where's Gryphon?

We thought we were going to play this week while Gryphon is away. :)

SCENE ONE: Ridiculously Cute Kitten Photo of the Week

SCENE TWO: Ridiculous Painting of the Week

SCENE THREE: An Unfortunate Fact of Nature

Foxes in the henhouse

feathers strewn

silence where once a scurry of wings

SCENE THREE and THREE QUARTERS: Going, going, going...Almost Gone

All of the fiber has been on sale.
Just a few left.

SCENE FOUR: Random Celebration of the Week

Wednesday, June 16 is Captain Picard Day!

("Number One - Make it so")

SCENE FIVE: Unlimited Bugga of the Week
(or Ridiculously Cute Spider Photo of the Week)

From the top-secret vaults of The Sanguine Gryphon kitchens, we bring you a chance for all the Goldenrod Crab Spider your heart desires. We will have an unlimited quantity posted along with other yarnly goodies tonight at approximately 8:30 pm with the Crab Spider posting going down at 5:00 pm Tuesday.

(note: picture is from the archives)

THE END

today's screening of "The Sanguine Gryphon Blog" brought to you by Elf Rachel.

Humbug

2010-06-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

Well bugger. I made a video of Lia playing with the kittens on my phone and then when I tried to upload it it came out all mucked up. It was terribly cute too, the kittens have just hit the bouncy stage and are playing with each other. I'll have to try to take another.

In the meantime, I have progress on Sarah's bodice to show. A pale second to kittens, I know, but at least it's grey.

Having finalized the muslin pattern, I cut it in the bodice fabric, a thick cotton shirting, and in the interlining

and then basted them together for all the pieces.

This is the outside front piece:

All sewn together, inside:

outside front:

and back, with the tail:

I've also added, instead of the collar in the original pattern, a little box pleated ruffle of silk dupion. It's what we would have liked to use for the whole ensemble, had it been in the budget. Yummy stuff.

Next I'll play around with adding a little light plastic boning along the seams and do a final fitting on Sarah to make sure all is perfect and determine the exact placement of the front to fit buttons. Then I'll add a front facing and neck facing, turn up the hem, make sleeves and a lining, add buttons, trim, and probably some more dupion pleats at the cuffs. So... a lot left to do.

Earwig Yarn

2010-06-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Eww. I hate earwigs. Remember The Wrath of Kahn? I saw it when I was 5 and couldn't understand English on television all that well, and all I got was that earwigs eat people's brains. I've been terrified ever since, even though I now understand that earwigs will not eat my brain. All other bugs I'm happy to pick up and carry out of the house, but when I see an earwig I have to call Curt to come and kill it for me.

And yet, this earwig is perfectly coloured for this yarn, so Spiny-Tailed Earwig it is. All in the name of art, right?

It's an old colourway we're revisiting, but never dyed in Bugga! before - it was called Kyoto in Traveller/Little Traveller. It's gold and deep red/orange with occasional flashes of deep red, sometimes almost black, and it will be available in unlimited quantity starting at 8 pm tonight, until 5 pm tomorrow (EDT).

In addition we'll have some undyed remnant cones of Bugga! and Skinny Bugga!, and at midnight tonight our remaining roving, which we're phasing out, will go on sale.

Off I run to take my kiddo to gymnastics. A demain!

Kitten Fix and a battle ax

2010-06-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

And now a word from your favourite elf... (a-hem... Rachel)

I know the ultra-stinkin'-cute photos of kittens are way overdue, so here is your kitten fix:

It has been just fascinating watching Momma slowly coax the kittens to explore more and more. Today they crossed the office threshold. How many people are lucky enough to have this as part of their office environment?

For those of you who have more crustacean leanings, on my way to the studio during Dye Camp I came across this guy in the middle of my lane:

He was alone, cold and hungry. His accent revealed he wasn't from these parts. Over some grog I was regaled with tales of battle and courage and invitations to feast in palaces of kings.

Well, maybe I embellish a bit. We relocated him to our aquarium and haven't seen hide nor claw of him since. (?!)

------------------------

One aspect to working at The Sanguine Gryphon that sets it above any other job I have had are the benefits. Gryphon and Sarah have gone to lengths to not only ensure a happy and fun working environment, but also one that stimulates us physically. Ladies and gents, The Pole:

Enough about poles, you are here for yarn. For tomorrow, we have the unlimited quantity of Arge Moth in Bugga! for 24 hours only. This is a retired colour making a one-time only appearance. (note: photo is from the archived file)

Also on the schedule is a super-deep discount of the fall and winter colours in non-bugga bases. We have had these on sale for 20% and will take it down to 40% off while supplies last.

For our other colours we will update quantities as they are ready. This means those Back in Stock Notifications will be very handy if you are wondering when your favourite colour will be back.

And a final fun photo to share - the group shot from SG Dye Camp 2010.

Overdue Progress Picture

2010-05-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Apropos nothing, I just keep forgetting to post pictures of the progress on my mystery project, which is now well past the stage of being mysterious. A sleeve and a half more and maybe by Fall it will actually be ready to wear!

Yarn: Skinny Bugga!, in Longhorned Beetle, Bog Fritillary, and nude.

Post Camp, Update Changes

2010-05-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's Monday after camp and we're all still in a bit of a daze. But we had so much fun! Many thanks to all the lovely campers who were so sweet and treated the studio gently ;-) You guys were awesome. I started a Flickr group for camp pictures this morning - if you have any to add please do, if not, come and look anyway!

Needless to say, putting together an update right after camp is not as easy as usual, but on top of that we're making another little change to the way we do updates. With our new and improved capacity for production, we're starting to rethink the model of dyeing a couple weeks ahead and then posting everything at once. There's enough Bugga! now that it sticks around on the site and is relatively easy to get, so we're not sure it makes sense any more to dye it just for updates. We're thinking instead that we'd like to try to keep all the bases in all the colourways stocked pretty much all the time. When something runs out, we make more and put it right back.

But updates are still fun, right? We don't want to get rid of those. Instead, we'll try saving them for the more oddball stuff, like large/unlimited lots of special colourways, Attic Treasures, and other fun and games, and of course each new season's colourways will be released in an update. Tomorrow morning's update (9:30 am EDT) is a good example. We'll have:

- unlimited Blue Metalmark in Bugga! (24 hours only)

- assorted Experimental Love Child skeins (these are skeins resulting from Sarah and me playing in the dyepots, inventing new colourways)

- Theseus and the Minotaur kits

- all Black Bugga (by popular request!)

- Bugga! and Skinny Bugga! in the nude (remnant cones, under 4 oz)

Other news: we're giving the elves Memorial Day off next week, because we love them so much, so the update will be on Wednesday morning instead of Tuesday.

May Day Leaps and Fairies

2010-05-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

There's been some celebrating of the merry month of May around here! This past weekend was the Maryland Faerie Festival, and quite of few of us from SG were in attendance. Lia and I went along with three of the elven lasses and their young-uns (our crew boasts a total of 5 kiddos between the ages of 2 and 4), and three more of the elves were working the show - Dave as an organizer, Noelle and Cacie as performers.

Noelle, with her crystal ball:

Dave, who barely stood still long enough to have his picture taken:

Cacie, whom I finally got to hear perform live (you can hear her too, on YouTube, playing great songs that she wrote):

I even got Lidiya into one of my gowns:

Her daughter Dragana and my Lia are best buds, possibly because Dragana does whatever Lia wants without argument:

Way in the distance here you can see Stacie, Rose, and their kiddos:

There was a Maypole dance, but I couldn't get any good shots of it. However, Lia and I went to a Beltane celebration a couple weeks ago which included a Maypole dance and bonfire leaping - an old Beltane tradition which involves making a wish and leaping over a fire, or else leaping while holding hands with your beloved so as to seal the romance. We did a bit of both :-)

I swear, I was just trying to keep from setting my dress on fire.

Whole Lotta Yarn

2010-05-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Crazy amount of yarn for tonight's update (~8 pm EDT). I don't even know where all this stuff is coming from. In addition to all the rest, there will be an unlimited Lubber Grasshopper in Bugga! and about 100 Tulip Tree Beauty in Bugga!

The rest:

Skinny Bugga!:

Tomato Frog

Oak Timberworm

Lubber Grasshopper

Longhorned Beetle

Smaller Yellow Ant

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Beyer's Jewel Scarab

Blue Metalmark

Blue-Arsed Fly

Cuban Cockroach

Acmon Blue

Sooty Dancer

Fairy Wren

Starry Night Cracker

Adonis Butterfly

Southern Green Stinkbug

Dragon Millipede

Blue Emperor Dragonfly

Ruddy Daggerwing

Blue Lobster

Karner Blue

Tulip Tree Beauty

Little Traveller:

Vlparaiso

Costa Rica

Ireland

Belize

Painted Desert

Abu Dhabi

Scotland

Isle of Ransom

Pantanal

Rojas

Forochel

Nepal

Huahine

Cokaygne

Terabithia

Lodidhapura

Arkham

Kumari Kandam

Moreau's Island

Casco Bay

Caer Wyddno

Gallifrey

Prince Edward Island

Uljin Darvaze

Sappho I:

Do Not Aim At Things So Great

The Sun's Pure Light

Drink and Get Drunk With Me

Gold-Crowned Aphrodite

Cyprus-Born

Lito and Niobe

Around the Altar

Traveller:

Delft

Belize

Scotland

Casco Bay

Terabithia

Kumari Kandam

Caer Wyddno

Gallifrey

Prince Edward Island

Sappho II:

Do Not Aim At Things So Great

Lito and Niobe

Around the Altar

Free Range:

Crevecoeur

Eidos:

Tyto

Zeus

Ion

Tebelis

QED:

Quadratic Poetry

Kypria:

92: Ravishing Aphrodite

98: Dark Blood Rippled

58: The Storehouse of Your Mind

75: Black Rage

91: Olive Like a Pillar

84: The Demure Girl Waited

88: Fresh Flowering Luces

Open Eyes!

2010-05-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Look who's opened up their little eyes!

Herod says, "Kittens schmittens, have you checked out how handsome I am lately?"

Eminescu

2010-05-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

Daca bei, mori, daca nu bei tot mori. Atunci bea ca sa sti de ce ai murit!

Dress Update

2010-05-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sarah's skirt is now just about finished, I just have to put in the hooks and eyes at the back closure. Here it is before I took up the train.

We made a last minute change and decided not to pull it up permanently, but leave the option of letting the train down for special occasions, whatever those might be. I sewed in tapes to the waistband with buttonholes at the ends of them, then put buttons inside the skirt to pull it up.

Here's a little detail shot of the back closure placket, where you can also see the thin silver trim which edges the apron. It will be echoed on the bodice too. Very subdued for the 1870s, but Sarah doesn't want to do the over-the-top frilly trim thing that was the fashion then.

Now I've begun fitting the muslin mock-up for the bodice. This is the pattern I'm using.

For the non-seamstresses among you, this muslin is the first step with something that needs to be really carefully fitted. It's basically a fabric pattern - I use the paper pattern to cut out the cheap cotton, then actually sew it together and fit it precisely on Sarah.

Lots of pins to adjust every bit just so, for an exact fit.

The major alteration we made was to the tail of the bodice. The pattern has a really wide tail, as it appears in the left side of this shot, and we felt like it covered too much of the detail of the skirt.

Instead I cut away the outer 1/4, to leave a narrow, pleated tail which will fall like a sash over the back of the skirt.

Next I'll fit the sleeves, then disassemble the pinned version to recut the pattern.

Zero Restraint

2010-05-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

I went to a little shearing day at a farm Saturday. As soon as I drove up and saw the sign 'Chicks for sale' I knew I was done for. We've been talking about how perfect the shed behind the studio would be for chickens, and then there were the chickens. I bought four.

They're really cute...

...but we're still planning to eat them when they grow up :-)

Update tonight, 8-ish EDT, all Bugga!

~150 skeins of Autumn Tiger Beetle

and less of

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Fairy Wren

Cowkiller

Differential Grasshopper

Lubber Grasshopper

Blue-Arsed Fly

Ruby-Tailed Wasp

Beyer's Jewel Scarab

Acmon Blue

Peacock Parachut Spider

Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly

Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Sea Star

Orchid Mantis

Sea Urchin

Longhorned Beetle

Clouded Sulphur

Nightcrawler

Blue Metalmark

Cuban Cockroach

Northern Masked Chafer

Blue Emperor Dragonfly

Tomato Frog

Oak Timberworm

Sooty Dancer

Orange Assassin Bug

Smaller Yellow Ant

Bog Fritillary

Swift Long-Winged Skimmer

Polyphemus Moth

Dragon Millipede

Rainbow Scarab (a few skeins from having dyed too many for last week)

Gratuitous Kitten Pictures

2010-05-07T08:41:00.001-07:00

Finally, a cat that Burma can cozy up to!

Also, the official word is in on gender: we have two boys and a girl.

And If

2010-05-06T16:44:00.001-07:00

Şi dacă ramuri bat în geam
Şi se cutremur plopii,
E ca în minte să te am
Şi-ncet să te apropii.

Şi dacă stele bat în lac
Adâncu-i luminându-l,
E ca durerea mea s-o-mpac
Înseninându-mi gândul.

Şi dacă norii deşi se duc
De iese-n luciu luna,
E ca aminte să-mi aduc
De tine-ntotdeauna.

- Mihai Eminescu

Kitten Morning

2010-05-04T05:55:00.001-07:00

Three grey kittens, happy and healthy. Good job, Cho Mao.

Where Are Those Kittens?

2010-05-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Still in here.

I don't see how this cat could possibly get any fatter,
but she's still not showing any signs of nesting. We
can feel all these little body parts in there, it's
amazing. Any day now, any day.

******* 4 pm news flash! We have contractions!!!! ***********

Tomorrow morning's update (9:30 am EDT) will be
a bit funky. In addition to a regular update of Skinny
Bugga! there will be an unlimited quantity of Bugga!
in Rainbow Scarab (a returning for a visit old colourway)
up until 9:30 am Wednesday morning, and a heap of
Mystery Bugga! and Mystery Skinny Bugga! We have a
lot (as in hundreds of skeins) of both left over from
Stitches South, and it includes lots of random skeins
in current and discontinued colourways. You'll be able
to order as many skeins as you want, just not to choose
the colourways.

Rainbow Scarab:

Skinny Bugga (in normal quantities):

Sooty Dancer

Bog Fritillary

Oak Timberworm

Blue Metalmark

Blue-Arsed Fly

Autumn Tiger Beetle

Acmon Blue

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Cowkiller

Orange Assassin Bug

Fairy Wren

Tomato Frog

Ruby-Tailed Wasp

Blue Emperor Dragonfly

Nightcrawler

Differential Grasshopper

Sea Urchin

Swift Long-Winged Skimmer

Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly

Black Spotted Prominent Caterpillar

Polyphemus Moth

Sea Star

Peacock Parachute Spider

Orchid Mantis

Clouded Sulphur

Traveller:

Avernus

Rojas

Eidos:

Panchea

Nisii

Bacchic

Sappho I:

Fall Upon Her Wineskin

Stitches South, 2010

2010-05-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been a week! We needed a little time to recuperate from that drive. It was worth it, though.

Rachel, Noelle and I drove from Maryland with Kate of Dragonfly Fibers on Wednesday morning. We had a fantastic time in Atlanta, and not just because I love Atlanta (although I do). Even the Travelling Bugga had a good time... although I rather suspect he has a good time anywhere he goes.

He made a ton of friends at the show, as did we. There is something completely surreal and wonderful about meeting people that we've spoken to virtually for so long.

It wasn't the same without Gryphon there- dinner at Scalini's was different, for one, and some things were forgotten, but we figured it out. We'd have been lost without Mal's impromptu art, though.

Last, but most definitely not least- something rather incredible happened on this trip. I didn't tell you this, but I have photographic evidence that Ms. Rachel did indeed learn to spin during this trip. More importantly... she purchased a Trindle spindle, too. I saw it!

(Photo stolen from Kate, and I am so glad she had the level- headedness to capture this. No one would have believed me otherwise.)

This show would have been impossible without the help of Shari, Tracy and Katey- thank you all, so much!

love poem

2010-04-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

Mâinile mele sunt îndrăgostite,
vai, gura mea iubeşte,
şi iată, m-am trezit
că lucrurile sunt atât de aproape de mine,
încât abia pot merge printre ele
fără să mă rănesc.

- Nichita Stănescu

Spring Fling 2010!

2010-04-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

The short version: it was awesome. Wow. So many lovely knitters, so much fun. My classes were great, everybody was such a good sport about the torture I put them through. My proudest moment came about 15 minutes into the knitting backwards classes, when the students found they could no longer knit forwards anymore. Years of knitting experience, destroyed in a quarter of an hour!

I was sadly remiss in my photography, and even forgot to take my camera along to Loopy Central, so I'm snagging this shot from Sheri's blog:

That's me on the left, obnoxiously shoving Wendy into Anne and Jared. Loopy Central itself... I am left speechless. Probably the best yarn shop in the world. It just goes on and on, with all the finest yarns imaginable. I undid and gazed at so many skeins, and then had to spend half my time there rehanking.

I did, however, get shots of one of the breakfasts and of all my classes. See the woman in the middle of the first picture taking a picture of me? It might have something to do with the fact that I'm standing on a table to take the shot...

I also got to see a lot of our yarn in the wild, which is always exciting. Just a sampling of the beautiful knits I saw:

Bog Fritillary

Black Witch Moth (really bad shot of an amazing shawl)

Milkweed Beetle

Seaside Dragonlet (too dark to see here, but at least some of the lace pattern shows up beautifully)

Blue Lobster

On a side note, there was a miniature bottle convention going on in the hotel at the same time, and I became completely fascinated. These people collect little liquor bottles, like the kind you get on airplanes. Some were really ordinary, but some were weird, fascinating, or incredibly beautiful. And there were a bloody lot of them.

Yes, that's MLKing, Lincoln, Lenin, Mussolini, Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler, and JFK. WTF???

See the one all the way at the right front? A fireman rescuing a child from a burning house? Wonder what kind of booze that is...

I completely fell down and bought something like 15 little bottles, most because they were so pretty, and made good gifts. I also snagged a few that I thought would be fun to taste (though no doubt this would be sacrilege to the collectors), and we did some sampling at lunch today.

The 'Crema de Mandarina' was the biggest hit, made additionally charming by a little handwritten sticker on the bottom that said 'Mexico Trip, April 1945'.

Just the Update

2010-04-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Stories to tell and pictures to show, but not now! Sarah, Rachel, and Noelle are still on the road, they'll be in late tonight, so tomorrow we can have a recap of all our adventures. For now, here's tomorrow morning's update lineup (at 9:30 am EDT):

All Bugga! The unlimited skeins for a day thing seems to be working out really well (though we have to apologize for that some of the Twice-Stabbed Lady Beetle orders are a bit delayed because there's a black dye shortage), so we're doing that again. Tomorrow's will be Reakirt's Blue, as a farewell bash. Reakirt's is stepping down as a standard, to be replaced by Starry Night Cracker. It will be available from the update tomorrow morning until Wednesday morning at the same time.

There will also be about 100 Dragon Millipede, and lesser amounts of:

Northern Masked Chafer

Bog Fritillary

Polyphemus Moth

Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Swift Long-Winged Skimmer

Blue Emperor Dragonfly (with optional eyeshadow)

Fairy Wren

Black-Spotten Prominent Caterpillar

Sea Urchin

Peacock Parachute Spider

Orchid Mantis

Sea Star

Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly

Nightcrawler

Acmon Blue (with optional eyeshadow)

Beyer's Jewel Scarab

Clouded Sulphur

Ruby-Tailed Wasp

Differential Grasshopper

Lubber Grasshopper

Blue-Arsed Fly

Oak Timberworm

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Blue Metalmark

Cowkiller

Autumn Tiger Beetle

MDSW is Around the Corner

2010-04-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

I can scarcely believe it, but Maryland Sheep and Wool is only a week and a half away. I haven't been able to think past this coming weekend, with Stitches South and Spring Fling, so it's snuck up on me rather suddenly. We will not have a booth, but will definitely be there checking out the goodies. On Saturday we're hoping people will join us for our annual picnic lunch gathering, at noon, on the lawn beside the pavilion. X marks the spot.

Circus Day

2010-04-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Update tonight, 8pm EDT (though it might be just a bit later, as I'll be starting it after I put Lia to bed).

Since the unlimited quantity special was such a hit last week, we're doing it again this week, this time in Bugga!, Twice-Stabbed Lady Beetle, a colourway from the vaults.

The 100 skeins will be Bugga! in Cuban Cockroach.

Other stuff:

Sappho I:

In Her Fullness

The Secret of Their Works

A Sweetbitter Beast

Stand and Face Me

To Touch the Sky

Sappho II:

Brings Back the Sheep

Over the Salt Sea

Fall Upon Her Wineskin

Lito and Niobi

Free Range:

Cochin

Greater Prairie Chicken

Fayoumi

Sebright

Jaerhone

Pekin

Showgirl

Yurlov Crower

Rosecomb

Traveller:

Tintagel

Forochel

Cokaygne

Casco Bay

Darvaza

Anywhere But Here

Kypria:

94 - Alone Without

Little Traveller:

Casco Bay

Bury St. Edmunds

Uljin

Tintagel

Prince Edward Island

Anywhere But Here

Moreau's Island

Scotland

Eidos:

Tyto

Nektar

Eureka

Scylla

Thales

On the Gait of Animals

Ouranon

Epithumia

Harmonia

Glokhis

Lithos

QED:

Blackhole Evaporation

Solve et Coagula

Wei Boyang

Imad Ul-Din

Avicenna

Rhazes

Skinny Bugga!

Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly

Cowkiller

Northern Masked Chafer

Black Spotted Prominent Caterpillar

Clouded Sulphur

Longhorned Beetle

Ruby-Tailed Wasp

Differential Grasshopper

Cuban Cockroach

Lubber Grasshopper

Acmon Blue (with optional eyeshadow)

Beyer's Jewel Scarab

Peacock Parachute Spider

Nightcrawler

Blue Emperor Dragonfly (with optional eyeshadow)

Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Orchid Mantis

Sea Urchin

Sea Star

Polyphemus Moth

Swift Long-Winged Skimmer

Fairy Wren

The End Of A Mystery

2010-04-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

Linda from Wild Fibers Magazine left a comment on this week's "Regarding Cashmere" post that cleared up a question that I've been wondering about for months.

Back in September of last year the lovely akaGracie sent me the most amazing package full of some handcarved, much- used fiber related items she'd acquired years back in Turkey. There was a Turkish spindle whorl and these strange sets of finger- claws, and I've been wondering about them ever since- asking friends, colleagues, and the internet at large, all with no results. They've been hanging in my study for a while now; I'll try them on, chase my daughter around the house, hang them back up and wonder about them.

They're cashmere finger combs, I think. They certainly sound exactly like what Linda is talking about here- please correct me if I'm wrong? I was so excited to finally have a lead on these that I was literally jumping up and down for joy in the middle of a bookstore, no exaggeration. I'll bring a set with me to Stitches South, if anyone wants to look at them. How neat is that? I'm so pleased. I usually find that the end to a good mystery of any kind is usually a bit of a let- down, but this is a lovely bit of synchronicity.

Back to the Usual Frivolity

2010-04-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

I can say with certainty that no goats are being harmed in the making of Sarah's gown.

I've finally gotten back to it and made some progress. Here's the bustle again:

Over that there is now a taffeta underskirt, cut from this pattern by Truly Victorian. The pattern is great, very simple. It includes a huge long train, but I'm gathering it up a bit to create more bustling and make it more manageable for Sarah.

Around the bottom I'm putting a knife-pleated ruffle, for a little added decoration and also to help it move out from her toes when she walks. Is that little lego man prostrating himself before it?

The top layer is an apron, in light grey cotton, same as the bodice will be.

Lots of details still to finish on the skirt, but the basic structure is there. And then I'll be ready to embark on the bodice, a thought which causes my stomach to turn a little. I shall be equal to the task, I swear I shall!

Random shot of the day: Monica visited Baltimore the other day and spotted a truck o' strippers driving through town.

Regarding Cashmere

2010-04-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

or, Can I Buy Bugga! With a Clear Conscience?

There's been a lot of discussion about cashmere lately, and we've received several emails asking us about our sources, so I'd like to write a little about it to try to present the issue as fully as possible. Please keep in mind that I'm hardly an expert and am just discussing what I've been able to learn. I'm including all my sources so that if you're inclined you can check them out too and draw your own conclusions.

This article by Susan Biggs (a shepherd and yarn producer) was posted yesterday in the Huffington Post, and it talks about inexpensive cashmere and it's environmental costs. The gist is that US demand for affordable cashmere, heretofore a luxury product available only to the super wealthy, has led to tremendous overgrazing of cashmere goats and the destruction of large areas of land, which in turn has affected air quality worldwide. The goats themselves are starving and maltreated.

Biggs' post is informed largely by this much longer article in the Chicago Tribune, by Evan Osnos, which goes into more detail about the history and current state of the problem, though perhaps leans towards the incendiary in its implications that the cashmere industry is single-handedly destroying the world. It does not, however, go into the details of the fiber, its processing, and what the alternatives are. It also gives the impression that all cashmere is more or less created equal, which is definitely not the case.

Linda Morse' book Luxury Knitting: The Ultimate Guide to Exquisite Yarns: Cashmere * Merino * Silk goes into a lot of detail on the history and quality of cashmere and why it's not all the same, and I recommend it for being filled with all sorts of interesting details and history about all three fibers. Here's (some of) the scoop:

All goats except angoras have a down undercoat, over which they have wiry guard hairs. The fibers of the undercoat are hollow, trapping air and keeping the goat warm. Many animals have this kind of set-up, down underneath, guard hair on top. Like camel - a fine camel coat is made from the down, while the guard hair is fit for nothing but rugs and sacks. Have a look at your cat or dog's fur, you can see the two types of hairs. Down grows in response to cold weather, and the extreme climates of the Mongolian and Tibetan plateaus is ideal. If a cashmere-producing goat is taken to a warmer climate it will not produce the same fine down. 'Cashmere' is not a breed, it's goat down which meets certain standards of fineness (under 19 microns in the US), and there are a number of breeds which fit the bill - in the right location.

According to Morse' book, there are many attempts to grow cashmere in places other than Mongolia and Tibet, but the quality of the fiber is not nearly as good. For instance Australian cashmere goats have down up to 18.5 microns thick (citation), while Mongolian cashmere comes in at around 14.5 microns (VI International Conference On Goats 6-11 May 1996 Beijing, China. International Academic Publishers. 1994.) Seems like an absurdly small difference, especially when you consider that human hair comes in at 100-200 microns. Amazingly, our clumsy fingers can feel such differences, though. Fine merino is generally 21.5, while 'scratchier' wools are 25-27 microns, and boy can we tell! So those extra 4 microns in cashmere do matter to how fine it is.

The Tribune article focuses on the Alashan Plateau, which is Inner Mongolia, part of China, and largely semi-desert and rock, and the area is indeed suffering from extra desertification from overgrazing (citation). In Mongolia, it seems the scenario is not as severe, though still worrying - 25% of the land mass is suffering medium to severe desertification, while the remaining 75% is slightly affected. The government of Mongolia appears to be making efforts to fight these problems, while trying to preserve the way of life for nomadic herders. Restrictions are placed on the sale of cashmere fiber to China, though it's a struggle because the Chinese will pay cash for the fiber, while most Mongolian traders pay much less and/or trade for goods. Some herders prefer to 'do the right thing' and sell legally to their own people, while others trade with the Chinese (citation). My extrapolation from this is that buying from Mongolian rather than Chinese processing mills means buying from more conscientious herders who are more likely to be thinking of the welfare of their people and land.

Mongolian cashmere goats are not bred in a factory-farm environment, they're raised by nomadic herders who have been doing this for centuries. Their lives are extremely harsh, but it is their tradition and one of their only ways of making a living - half of Mongolia's 2.5 million people raise cashmere goats (citation). The goats are harvested once a year, by combing, which can take up to three days per goat, and various sources say that each goat yields somewhere between 5 and 9 ounces of down (that makes 6-11 skeins of Bugga!, 12-22 of Skinny Bugga!). The fiber then still needs to be dehaired, which is done by hand. (By contrast, cashmere grown in other parts of the world is shorn from the goat with the whole coat and separated by a machine spinning process, which is not nearly as reliable as hand picking (citation1, 2)). The cashmere is also sorted by hand by sorters with a lifetime of expertise in picking out fiber thickness by hand. If they're after 14 micron fibers, they can find and pick out the 15 micron ones by feel and separate them out (more details).

What all this tells me is that it's possible to be an ethical purchaser of cashmere, we don't have to boycott it entirely. In fact, thinking of those 1.25 million Mongolians who survive by growing it, I would also want to consider what the implications of a boycott would be to them. The problems are coming from the hundreds of thousands of $20-$60 'cashmere' sweaters at Wal-Mart and similar stores, not from the finely hand-processed stuff coming from small herds in Mongolia or Tibet. It's like buying meat - we know the evils of the factory farms that supply fast food joints and grocery stores and with some effort we can avoid them and buy grass-fed organic animals from local farms (sidetracking on that note - I'm happy to say that we've recently gotten a big freezer here at the studio and just stocked our first local goat. The SG elves are all into making this change and going in together on good meat from known, local sources. I hope never to have to touch the meat department at the grocery store again!)

We buy Bugga! from a mill that sources their cashmere from one of the oldest European suppliers, which buys from Mongolian processers in certified, ethically run mills, and I personally feel really comfortable with it. Cashmere isn't one of those things with which we can say it's better to change to a US source, to small local farms. It's still really expensive to do that, there are a lot more machines involved, and the quality of the fiber is inferior. Buying from Mongolia can be environmentally sound as long we're informed and careful about it. Buying Bugga! is not the same as buying a cheap cashmere sweater - one look at the price tag should tell you that :-)

More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashmere_wool

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashmere_goat

http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/A002.php

http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1302_full.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobi_Desert

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Alashan_Plateau_semi-desert

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200204/pashmina-kashmir.s.best.cashmere.htm

Something New

2010-04-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

We have a little experiment for tonight's update (which will be around 8 pm EDT): a new one-time colourway in Bugga!, Cotton Stainer, in unlimited quantity for one day. We'll list a huge number, make it available for order along with everything else in the update, then take it down at the close of business tomorrow (5 pm EDT) and start dyeing to fill the orders. We expect to be able to fill the orders pretty quickly, so it should only delay shipping of packages by a day or two, no long wait. Here's what it looks like:

It was asked how this compares to Love Bug, the hot pink we dyed in February: Cotton Stainer is a more muted pink, a little desaturated and slightly purple-leaning, but not quite as purple as Dragon Millipede.

We also have ~100 skeins of Karner Blue

Besides that, we'll have Bugga! in:

Sea Urchin

Ruby-Tailed Wasp

Clouded Sulphur

Differential Grasshopper

Acmon Blue (with matching eyeshadow option)

Lubber Grasshopper

Northern Masked Chafer

Blue-Arsed Fly

Polyphemus Moth

Bog Fritillary

Fairy Wren

Black-Spotted Prominent Caterpillar

Orchid Mantis

Tomato Frog

Longhorned Beetle

Oak Timberworm

Beyer's Jewel Scarab

Peacock Parachute Spider

Sea Star

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Sooty Dancer

Swift Long-Winged Skimmer

Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly

Nightcrawler

Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Blue Emperor Dragonfly (with matching eyeshadow option)

Any Excuse For a Cake

2010-04-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Elissa is very into cake. Any occasion at all is enough to prompt her to bake or buy one for us to have a lunchtime party, and the woman can bake! The latest two have been store-bought, but lots of fun nonetheless. A week or two ago, the excuse was Matt's birthday. Matt, as you might imagine, takes a fair amount of good-natured abuse as the only man amongst our crew of girls, so naturally this extended to the cake. We decorated it ourselves.

We took bets on whether he would run screaming from the building when presented with it, but actually it went over quite well. Yes, that's a herd of cats coming to drink his blood. Or perhaps they killed him. And bloody skeins of yarn. What happened?

Today's cake was a bit tamer, in honour of Monica's wedding. And yes, we had mimosas before lunch :-)

She and Will (my nephew who worked with us last summer and fall) are headed to the courthouse to get married this afternoon. They plan to have a real, ceremonial wedding in October, but for today they're signing on the dotted line so we wanted to give her a little toast. I'm sure I don't know what he did to earn such a lovely bride.

The cake, by the way, says 'Go Forth and Multiply' on it, not that this is something they plan to do right away. Somebody else around here does, though. Remember Cho Mao? The kitten we found that Monica was going to take home? She decided not to, thereby unknowingly dodging a bullet. Notice something different about this pretty girl?

Any suggestions on how to decorate a cake celebrating new kittens? If you order yarn a couple months from now, look for an interesting prize in your package ;-)

New Stays

2010-04-05T12:34:00.001-07:00

All done at last. All but one grommet, actually. I ran out. But close enough to wear today. I'm quite pleased.

Update tomorrow, 9:30 EDT.

We'll have 100 skeins of Bugga! in Cowkiller:

and smaller quantities of

Skinny Bugga!:

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Orange Assassin Bug

Blue Metalmark

Oak Timberworm

Ruddy Daggerwing

Fairy Wren

Tomato Frog

Adonis Butterfly

Blue-Arsed Fly

Sooty Dancer

Karner Blue

Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly

Sea Star

Swift Long-Winged Skimmer

Peacock Parachute Spider

Sea Urchin

Nightcrawler

Ruby-Tailed Wasp

Acmon Blue

Lubber Grasshopper

Autumn Tiger Beetle

Beyer's Jewel Scarab

Differential Grasshopper

Smaller Yellow Ant

Polyphemus Moth

Orchid Mantis

Blue Emperor Dragonfly

Eidos:

Parts of Animals

On The Gait of Animals

Alcibiades

Polimarchus

On Dreams

Charybdis

Bacchic

Adonis

Melesias

Hellenexei

Nisii

Tachys

News From the Sewing Machine

2010-04-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'm overdue for a sewing update. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture yet of the thing I want to show off most, which is Lia's new Regency gown. I'll try to get her to model it for me soon.

I do have my cotehardie, though, finally finished. It languished a really long time while I procrastinated about weaving the last bit of trim for the arm, but I finally buckled down and got it done.

If this were a Ravelry project, it would only get a blah face, though. I love the overall look, but am not thrilled with the way it fits. The top is not cut very well, and it wasn't supposed to sit nearly so far off the shoulders. Oh well, they can't all be masterpieces.

The 18th C stays will be a masterpiece, though! I had left off at the point where I was ready to add trim, like this:

Then I thought I could do what I usually do with binding on edges - fold a piece of trim over (in this case some velvet ribbon trim), pin carefully, and machine stitch it into place. But when I actually tried this around all those little tabs, it was a messy disaster. So I picked it all out and went back to my couture sewing books for help. The result:

First I went back over all the edges with the serger to make sure all the layers were joined in a nice, smooth edge. Then I cut strips of trim fabric (brown linen this time) on the bias, 4x the width of the desired edging, and pinned them along the edge on the right side.

It took a bit of careful easing around the corners and the points. I sewed it in place 1/4" from the edge.

Then I turned it around to the wrong side, folded under the edge, and handstitched it in place. Actually, that should all be present tense, I'm only about a third of the way around.

It's time consuming, but I really love the finished effect.

I hope to be back with a photo of the stays on me soon!

It's springtime for Bugga! at SG

2010-03-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Our update for this week will be on Tuesday, March 30th (at 9:30 am EST) and will be the release of our spring colorways in Bugga! including:

~200x Ruby-Tailed Wasp (also in Bugga!)

From Sarah, ~25 skeins per color:

Sea Star
Blue Emperor Dragonfly
Swift Long-Winged Skimmer
Sea Urchin
Polyphemus Moth
Sharpshooter Leafhopper
Nightcrawler
Peacock Parachute Spider
Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly
Orchid Mantis

From Gryphon at varying quantities (~25-50):

Blue-Arsed Fly
Beyer's Jewel Scarab
Fairy Wren
Lubber Grasshopper
Northern Masked Chafer
Black Spotted Prominent Caterpillar
Clouded Sulphur
Acmon Blue
Differential Grasshopper

Tableau

2010-03-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

When you spend most of your time around a fairly small group of people, who are used to your quirks and eccentricities, it's easier to slip off the deep end without really noticing.

Yesterday I finally had to go into court for jury duty, for the first time. I had considered wearing something extravagant, like my big Elizabethan gown with the bum roll, or a giant hoop skirt, just for fun, but when the time came I decided to go with demure and innocuous. I chose the red tudor gown, whose skirt is only ankle length, no train, no underlying structure, no giant trailing sleeves, no scandalously low neckline, no frills or lace. Simple.

Upon entering the courthouse I found myself in a line of other potential jurors, waiting to go through the metal detector. I had forgotten about the metal detector. So when my turn came, I said to the cop helping people through, "I'm sorry sir, I will probably set the machine off. There's steel boning in the bodice of my gown."

Blank stare. "Excuse me?"

I try again, making sure to speak up. "My bodice has steel boning."

"Huh?"

I'm just trying to think of another way to phrase it more clearly when a woman four people behind me in line shouts, "SHE'S GOT METAL IN HER DRESS!!"

So much for demure and innocuous.

*********

News flash:

The remaining Winter colourways will be going on sale, 20% off, on April 1st. All the colours, all the bases.

Susan and Her Camera, Visit 2

2010-03-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

I never spot Susan fetching out her camera, I just get these lovely surprise emails with pictures. Here's what she sent me yesterday.

Tiamat, in a moment of unwonted playfulness. Tiamat turned out to be one of those cats whose metabolism doesn't react well to being spayed, and she doubled in size after we got her. It was like watching a balloon being inflated, I had no idea any creature could put on that much mass that fast. She seems pretty content, though.

How many elves does it take to rinse a skein of yarn?

Susan continues to be fascinated by the appearance of yarn under water.

Elissa with elf-in-training.

The new elf takes her job very seriously.

Matt photographing yarn.

Lest we forget that we chose this building for the big windows, the rising spring sun comes to remind us. Or maybe this is Susan subtly letting me know just how early she gets to work...

Spring! Tonight!

2010-03-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

All the spring colours are going up tonight (~8 pm EDT), in all the bases except regular Bugga! To see what they all are, refer to the Spring Unveiling entry. The only exceptions are Gaia Lace and DK, because we're out of both bases for a while. For tomorrow we'll have Gaia DK in Cooling Lava, Loa Acacia, Stromatolites, Crustose Coraline, and Silversword, but it will be this time only and then not again for some time. The Gaia bases are getting a makeover.

We'll have each colourway in a small introductory quantity (except Skinny Bugga!, which will be up in slightly larger amounts), about 4 skeins each. After that we'll make more, don't worry :-)

Next week you can look forward to seeing all the new colourways in Bugga!

Delphinia and Ho Mao

2010-03-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Delphinia up on the site now, here. It's in Kypria, in #6: The Swan.

Belated kitten shots:

I've made every effort to find her home, checked all lost cat reports, had her scanned for a microchip, and found nothing. So she's officially ours. Or rather, Monica's. This is Monica:

She's my soon-to-be niece. Some of you may remember Will, my nephew who worked with us in the summer and who lived in China when I designed the American in China socks for Knitty. Monica is his very lovely fiance who just arrived in the US two weeks ago, and is now helping us out over here in yarn land. She's fallen in love with the kitten and has named her Ho Mao (probably I'm mangling that), which means Stinky Cat. Just for the record, Ho Mao is not stinky, she's quite sweet, as is Monica.

Lia, having donned a pirate hat and favouring us with her best menacing look:

Spring Unveiling

2010-03-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

Bet you thought you'd never seen them, right?

Sarah's Spring Offerings:

Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Sea Star

Eidos: Aster

Traveller/Little Traveller: Gallifrey

Kypria:82

Free Range: Golden Comey

QED: Infinite Time Measures

Sappho I/II: A Thing That None Can Take Away

Gaia Lace/DK: Sailor's Delight

Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Blue Emperor Drangonfly

Eidos: Nisil

Traveller/Little Traveller: Prince Edward Island

Kypria: 83

Free Range: Manx Rumple

QED: Trisatika

Sappho I/II: The Women's Holy Cry

Gaia Lace/DK: Fisherman's Wharf

3. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Swift Long-Winged Skimmer

Eidos: Tachys

Traveller/Little Traveller: Moreau's Island

Kypria: 84

Free Range: Brahma

QED: Quadratic Poetry

Sappho I/II: Feasting With the Worthless Charlatans

Gaia Lace/DK: Sparkling Violet-Ear Hummingbird

4. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Sea Urchin

Eidos: Nektar

Traveller/Little Traveller: Kumari Kandam

Kypria: 85

Free Range: Denizili Fowl

QED: Nx2 + 1 +y2

Sappho I/II: Muse, Reject the War

Gaia Lace/DK: Sweet Nectar

5. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Polyphemus Moth

Eidos: Dendron

Traveller/Little Traveller: Terabithia

Kypria:86

Free Range: Scots Dumpy

QED: Mohs Scale

Sappho I/II: Frowning Fearsomly

Gaia Lace/DK: Memoire des Arbres

6. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Sharpshooter Leafhopper

Eidos: Glokhis

Traveller/Little Traveller: Brobdingnag

Kypria:87

Free Range: Silkie

QED: Sturtevant

Sappho I/II: Do Not Aim At Things So Great

Gaia Lace/DK: Blood Oranges

7. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Nightcrawler

Eidos: Panchea

Traveller/Little Traveller: Cokaygne

Kypria: 88

Free Range: Naked Neck

QED: Pangenesis

Sappho I/II: Drink and Get Drunk With Me

Gaia Lace/DK: Afterglow

8. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Peacock Parachute Spider

Eidos: Gyne

Traveller/Little Traveller: Caer Wyddno

Kypria: 89

Free Range: Daisy Belle

QED: Hugo de Vries

Sappho I/II: When the Medes Invaded

Gaia Lace/DK: Quaker Ladies

9. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly

Eidos: Tyto

Traveller/Little Traveller: Arkham

Kypria: 90

Free Range: Owl Beard

QED: The Ripley Scrowle

Sappho I/II: He Crossed the Eddies of Acheron

Gaia Lace/DK: Owlets

10. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Orchid Mantis

Eidos: Anthos

Traveller/Little Traveller: Lodidhapura

Kypria: 91

Free Range: Sicilian Buttercup

QED: Bacteriophage MS2

Sappho I/II: The Sun's Pure Light

Gaia Lace/DK: Pyrite

Gryphon's Spring Offerings:

Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Blue-Arsed Fly

Eidos: Ion

Traveller/Little Traveller: Huahine'

Kypria: 58:The Storehouse of Your Mind

Free Range: Cornish

QED: Sacrum Particulae

Sappho I/II: Loke a God

Gaia Lace/DK: Dew on the Dragonfly

2. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Ruby-Tailed Wasp

Eidos: Alcibiades

Traveller/Little Traveller: Scotland

Kypria: 60:Exempting None

Free Range: Rosecomb

QED: Objet Petit a

Sappho I/II: Brings Back the Sheep

Gaia Lace/DK: Cooling Lava

Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Beyer's Jewel Scarab

Eidos: Categories

Traveller/Little Traveller: Isle of Ransom

Kypria: 92

Free Range: Barnevelder

QED: Maxwell's Demon

Sappho I/II: Strong-Voiced Girls

Gaia Lace/DK: Loa acacia

4. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Fairy Wren

Eidos: On Dreams

Kypria: 93

Traveller/Little Traveller: Erewhon

Free Range: Dominique

QED: Matrixial Borderspace

Sappho I/II: From Lofty Sardis

Gaia Lace/DK: Stromatolites

5. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Lubber Grasshopper

Eidos: On the Gait of Animals

Traveller/Little Traveller: Avernus

Kypria: 94

Free Range: Serana

QED: The Moving Finger Writes

Sappho I/II: Fall Upon Her Wineskin

Gaia Lace/DK: Crustose Coraline

6. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Northern Masked Chafer

Eidos: On Interpretion

Traveller/Little Traveller: Goat Land

Kypria: 95

Free Range: Welsummer

QED: Fock Space

Sappho I/II: Untarnished Gold

Gaia Lace/DK: Dent de Lion

Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Black Spotted Prominent Caterpillar

Eidos: Metaphysics

Traveller/Little Traveller: Springwater Isle

Kypria: 96

Free Range: Belgian D'Uccle

QED: Equatorial Electrojet

Sappho I/II: Flower of the Surging Waves

Gaia Lace/DK: Salmon Moonrise

8. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Clouded Sulphur

Eidos: Taxis

Traveller/Little Traveller: Rub' al Khali

Kypria: 97

Free Range: American Game

QED: Brahmagupta

Sappho I/II: Cucumbers in Their Season

Gaia Lace/DK: Manzanita

Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Acmon Blue

Eidos: Nichomachean Ethics

Traveller/Little Traveller: Forochel

Kypria: 98

Free Range: Yokohama

QED: Fukushima's Theorem

Sappho I/II: Come to My House

Gaia Lace/DK: Russian Sage

10. Bugga!/Skinny Bugga!: Differential Grasshopper

Eidos: Parts of Animals

Traveller/Little Traveller: The Weeping Isle

Kypria: 99

Free Range: Russian Orloff

QED: Burnside's Lemma

Sappho I/II: Summons to Shine

Gaia Lace/DK: Silversword

This Has To Stop

2010-03-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently if you tell the universe that you are open to rescuing cats, the universe listens. When I said I'd help cats, I meant older cats, cats that really need homes, cats that have hard luck stories. And not a lot of them. But I couldn't even make it home this evening without another stray entering my life - this time a kitten. Kitten?! When did I ever say anything about kittens? Yet there it was, a fuzzy grey kitten, on our daycare provider's doorstep, with nowhere to go. So the kitten is now at my house. We're hunting for a lost owner, I'm hopeful. The kitten cannot stay, dammit.

So I would like formally to recant my declaration to the universe. Universe, do not send me your cats. I reject them. I will cast them from my home, I will kick their cute, furry backsides out the door, I will show them no kindness, I will not under any circumstances fall head over heels with their adorable little faces and big, round eyes. Do you hear me, universe? I mean it!

Pictures tomorrow.

Winter Ending!

2010-03-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

One final hurrah for Winter colours tonight and then we're on to Spring! Oh, Spring! You come not a moment too soon. Tomorrow we'll have the full detailed Spring colourway preview with swatches and everything, no more teasers. We're so excited about them that Cacie has even dyed her hair to match one.

For tonight (update at 8 pm EDT) we have

~100 skeins of Skinny Bugga! in Oak Timberworm

~16 skeins each of Skinny Bugga! in

Cuban Cockroach

Orange Assassin Bug

Blue Metalmark

Yellow Dung Fly

Ocellat Jewel Beetle

Forester Moth

Smaller Yellow Ant

Emerald Swallowtail

Tarantula Hawk

Seaside Dragonlet

Death's Head Hawk Moth

Tomato Frog

Longhorned Beetle

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Black Witch Moth

Autumn Tiger Beetle

Oleander Hawk Moth

Barrens Tiger Beetle

Bess Beetle

Bog Fritillary

Bronze Moth

Cowkiller

Charaxes Tiridate

Adonis Butterfly

Sooty Dancer

David Attenborough

Blue Lobster

Eurota Purplewing

Holly Blue Butterfly

Marpesia Marcella

Merveille du Jour Moth

Traveler:

Rojas

Costa Rica

Painted Desert

Pantanal

Little Traveler:

Painted Desert

Belize

Nepal

Pantanal

Rojas

Sappho I:

The Violet-Breasted Muses

My Servant Eros

Eidos:

Pyrrhus

Polimarchus

Harmonia

Free Range:

Red Junglefowl

Kypria:

49: Cauldrons and Tripods

6: The Swan

4: Irrevocable

2: Momos

We're also very excited to have a new pattern to list, one which had fallen behind a virtual shelf for way too long. First we had to wait for the model to be born, then we finally got the photos, but in the meantime the edited and formatted pattern was lost in a computer crash. At last, however, it's all back together and we're proud to release 'Delphinia', a Victorian-inspired smocked baby dress by Elizabeth Thomas. She's knit in Kypria, in #6 - The Swan.

Crazy Cat Lady

2010-03-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

I think I'm in serious danger of becoming a crazy cat lady.

This is Hecuba:

She came to live at the studio today. Hecuba is 12. Her owner died and she's been stranded at the Humane Society for 6 months. She's the softest, sweetest little thing. How could I not take her? Actually, I have to confess that I very nearly adopted two of them, the other being a 13-year old gigantic black mass of fluff, but someone beat me to him.

The worst part? As I walked out the door of the shelter this morning, I heard these words come out of my mouth: "If you have any other older cats or hard-luck cases, give me a call."

What is wrong with me? Do I look like I need 15 aging cats to take care of?

A week late

2010-03-08T13:18:00.001-08:00

but the Spencer is finally done. In Free Range, Cochin, and I love it. That colour makes me so happy, deep, sinful red. Now I just have to make a springy 1820's empire gown to go with it.

What the hell am I doing in that picture? Who knows. Getting ready to dance with the yarn, maybe.

Big fat Bugga! update tomorrow morning! 9:30 am, EST (soon to be EDT, hooray for spring!!)

And because spring is coming and St. Patrick's Day is around the bend, we have a fun special lot instead of the usual large lot in a standard colourway. We've dyed Skinny Bugga! and Bugga! in number of green colourways, a couple of them new and a couple revisiting old faves.

They are:

VW Bug in Bugga

Katydid in Skinny

Hologram Moth in Skinny

Green Toon Wasp in Skinny

Regular quantities of Bugga! in

Sooty Dancer

Smaller Yellow Ant

Oak Timberworm

Longhorned Beetle

Cowkiller

Cuban Cockroach

Autumn Tiger Beetle

Northern Purple Gold Beetle

Blue Metalmark

Tarantula Hawk

Merveille du Jour Moth

Ruddy Daggerwing

Sangria Heart Butterfly

Dragon Millipede

Charaxes Tiridate

Oleander Hawk Moth

Starry Night Cracker

Bess Beetle

Marpesia Marcella

Bronze Moth

Eurota Purplewing

Holly Blue Butterfly

Good luck and happy almost spring!

A Pictorial Visit

2010-03-06T11:59:00.001-08:00

Elf Susan just sent me some photos she took around the studio, which I think make a lovely slice of life here.

When Lia is 13

2010-03-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

she's going to find this post, and she probably won't speak to me for a week. But I'm going to write it anyway, because it made me laugh my head off.

Yesterday I was helping her out in the bathroom (she's still relatively new to all that) and she pulled off only one square of toilet paper. "That's probably not enough," I said.

"It's okay, Mama, I have a small vagina."

Giving up Gracefully

2010-03-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

On Friday evening I decided I would stay up until I had finished the second sleeve of my Spencer (with some 40 rows to go) and blocked it, so that it would be ready to seam and work the trim on the weekend. I knew I couldn't finish in time for the olympic deadline, and still I fought. And then I realised that I'd be staying up half the night and feeling like crap the next day - for what? To finish a jacket on Sunday instead of Monday or Tuesday? To get to say I won two Ravelympics medals? That's just plain silly. So I admonished my hyper-competitive inner demon and went to bed. As a result I'm now here:

A bit of bottom edging to finish, then the front and the collar. I'm okay with this. Really I am.

I did get some time in on Sarah's petticoat, though. This is the important foundation of the gown, the underpinnings. She has a corset already, but no bustle. The challenge: she wants the shaping of the late '70's/early 80's 'natural form' silhouette, but she doesn't want a big wire bustle that she can't sit down in. So I played around with some crazy plastic parachute fabric and coarse tulle, and I succeeded! Forgot to get a shot on her, but here it is:

The inside is stuffed with tulle and has various tapes to force it into shape

and a whopping 10 yards worth of ruffle around the bottom will help to shape the hemline of the skirt.

In other news, I'm sorry to report that there's been some peeping-tom behaviour around here. Someone's been peering at people through keyholes...

Okay, but you're here to hear about the update, aren't you? Fine, fine. It's tomorrow morning, 9:30 am EST. We'll have:

Bugga!: ~100 skeins each of Potter Wasp Moth (just once more, for those who missed out last week) and Tomato Frog, and ~50 Starry Night Cracker

Sappho I:

Women Wandering

Beat Your Breasts

Sleep Comes Down

Cyprus-Born

Longing for a Boy

The Violet-Breasted Muses

Sappho II:

Women Wandering

Everything Was Sweeter

Eidos:

Charybdis

Melesias

Aegisthus

Aerope

QED - 1 oz:

Bernoulli Principle

Periodic Orbits

Shrodinger's Cat

The Square on the Hypoteneuse

QED- 4 oz:

Bernoulli Principle

Elliptic Integrals

Fraction Decompositions

The Incompleteness Theorem

Axiomatic Predicate Logic

Hume's Principle

Gaia Lace:

Chicken of the Woods

Tiger Stripe

Gaia DK:

Dead Sea Mud

Desert Waterhole

Goblin's Tree

Tiger Stripe

Rainforest

The View From the Mountain

Cornflower

Traveller:

Nepal

Valparaiso

Abu Dhabi

Painted Desert

Rojas

Mumbai

Belize

Pantanal

Delft

Little Traveller:

Nepal

Valparaiso

Abu Dhabi

Painted Desert

Rojas

Mumbai

Costa Rica

Ireland

Belize

Pantanal

Delft

Free Range:

Wyandottes

Chicken of the Woods

Red Junglefowl

Cochin

Gimmizah

Faverolles

Sumatra

Klee:

Name your own! We've discontinued this base but have a bunch left. Rather than dye whatever we want, we're listing it in bundles of 4 skeins (at 10% off) in the colourway of your choosing, anything from the standard or winter list. Just please allow up to a month to get it done!

The last of last week's orders heading out the door to the post office. Yes, we transport them in Biohazard bags. It's a long story.

Just the Yarn, Ma'am

2010-02-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

No sewing today. Just working. I swear. Sarah's here and I haven't even stuffed her into a corset for fittings or anything, though maybe that's just because I'm waiting until I can think of a way to trick her into letting me take a picture of her in her pink lacy scanties ;-)

Update tonight, 8 pm EST, all Bugga!

~100 skeins each of Orange Assassin Bug, Potter Wasp Moth revisiting as a one-time-I-wish-spring-would-hurry-up-and-get-here colour, and, by popular demand, Starry Night Cracker.

saner quantities of:

Tomato Frog

Sooty Dancer

Oak Timberworm

Longhorned Beetle

Cowkiller

Cuban Cockroach

Autumn Tiger Beetle

Seaside Dragonlet

Emerald Swallowtail

Death's Head Hawk Moth

Forester Moth

David Attenborough

Back Witch Moth

Ocellat Jewel Beetle

Bronze Moth

Marpesia Marcella

Merveille du Jour Moth

Adonis Butterfly

Happy hunting! All the pictures should be up on the site by now,

Exploring Other Eras

2010-02-21T16:17:00.001-08:00

Before I launch into all sewing stuff, here's knitting shot.

That's my Sideways Spencer in Free Range (Cochin), coming along speedily. I have hopes of finishing for the Ravelympics.

But this weekend has been all about sewing. For Sarah's birthday (back in October) I offered to make her the Victorian ensemble of her choosing, and we only just yesterday got around to going fabric shopping. I've done a couple Victorian things, but it was aeons ago and they were quite sub-par, so this is really a whole new adventure for me. I'm comfortable with mediaeval up through Renaissance costuming, but haven't really done anything later.

We selected these patterns as a starting point:

but I'm going to alter a bit to bring them into the late 1870's, the so-called 'natural form era'. That period was anything but natural, they still did a lot of bustling, but we want to see if we can get away with a heavy. shaped petticoat instead of a bustle, for practical wearing at shows. Sarah picked out a slate grey cotton for the basque (bodice) and overskirt with a dove grey for the underskirt. We looked longingly at the silk dupioni, but it was out of the budget for the whole thing. We settled for just a bit of it for ruffles at the neck and cuffs.

I started cutting the muslin yesterday, though I'm pausing now to finish a corset for myself that I had already started. This one's also out of my comfort zone, so maybe it will be good practice before I launch Sarah's massive project. It's C. 1700 stays, front lacing with a stomacher (the pink one in the picture, but without sleeves). I rather preferred the back-lacing one, but Curt hates lacing me in, so I need to have stuff I can do myself until Lia's big enough to be my lady in waiting :-)

I cut the interlining in a heavy duck cloth and used that as my 'muslin' to adjust the fit, then I made a second the same to give it a double interlining.

Those two layers and the lining (just a fine white cotton) then got stitched together with boning channels. I'm using 1/2" wide spring steel bones, though I'll still need to order a few more to finish. The stomacher will have a wooden busc, which my dad is very sweetly making for me.

I pieced it together and at this point it got another fitting to make sure all was well with the boning in there and not poking anyplace.

Pretty good. I just needed to make a small adjustment at the back and cut the front to be a little smaller so that the stomacher would show more. (The final lacing won't be so thick or black.) It even gives the period-appropriate bosom ;-)

Adjustments made, I applied the outer layer. It's a lovely pea-green linen I found at G-Street fabrics yesterday. Unlike modern garments with linings, the layers aren't pieced and then sewn together inside out. Instead I put each piece of the outer on separately and top-stitched the seams. The edges have no seam allowance and are basted together - they'll be finished with a tape all around. That'll be interesting to manage around all those little tabs!

For this period, stomachers were often made in richly embroidered and beribboned fabrics, meant to show from behind the lacing. I found this amazing silk jacket at a consignment store the other day, which I cut for the purpose. (I'd have loved to make the whole stays in it, but it wasn't quite big enough.)

And here it is on the stomacher.

Enough for today. Now I wait for boning and busc to arrive and think about what I want to use for the tape around the edges and whether I want grommets or hand-sewn eyelets for the lacing.

Ravelympic Fun

2010-02-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to get sucked in, I really wasn't. I loftily disregarded the knitting Olympics last year and the year before. And then they made a Team SG on Ravelry. How could I resist? But of course once I joined it's been like a mainline shot to my competitive streak. I'm saying things like, "No, sweetie, you don't need dinner. Mama's busy knitting," and I'm mad that there aren't winning teams. Dammit, I want to win.

As to the specific knitting, I was on the fence until the last second, decided at last an Sideways Spencer, and then cast on for a design I had in my head instead. So I'm doing two things.

The design is inspired by a drawing I saw in one of Lia's library books, The Elves and the Shoemaker. The picture showed four pairs of elfishly made shoes, one of them in the shape of fish. Lightbulb! Felted fish slippers! For once it went from concept to finish in no time, with no hitches, and they even fit comfortably. I couldn't be happier. [Just noticed: if you click on the 'look inside' link for the book on Amazon and flip through pages, you can actually see the fish shoe picture.]

I'll put the pattern on Ravelry as a free download as soon as I get it written up, and then work on downsizing to kiddie sizes as well (because of course Lia wants some too and I need to make up for my neglectfulness).

That out of the way, I've thrown some Free Range in sinfully red Cochin onto the needles and am whipping into that Spencer. I made one about 6 years ago and this is the first (and probably only) time for me knitting something twice, but I love the pattern so much and the first one was very early in my knitting life when I didn't know better than to use Wool Ease. Actually, the Wool Ease has held up well, but I don't love the feel and it's starting to look a little rough.

Update! In spite of all the snow (melting at last, though they're threatening more for tonight), we've actually got a surprising amount for tonight's update. It will be at (or shortly after) 8 pm EDT.

Bugga: ~100 Adonis Butterfly and ~200 Southern Green Stink Bug

Skinny Bugga:

Tomato Frog

Sooty Dancer

Smaller Yellow Ant

Cowkiller

Blue Metalmark

Seaside Dragonlet

Emerald Swallowtail

Yellow Dung Fly

Forester Moth

Eurota Purplewing

Eidos:

Euterpe

Thyestes

Atreus

Pelopia

Prometheus

Harmonia

Campe

Bacchic

Sappho I:

Sweet and Bitter

Sappho II:

Cyprus-Born

Sweet and Bitter

QED, 4 oz:

Black Hole Evaporation

The Golden Section

Relative

De Rerum Natura

The Sceptical Chemyst

Faraday

Periodic Orbits

The Square on the Hypotenuse

Liu Hui

Gaia Lace:

Dahlia

Rainforest

Traveller:

Painted Desert

Ireland

Belize

Pantanal

Delft

Little Traveller:

Mandalay

Goodnight, KY

Free Range:

Crevecoeur

Red Junglefowl

Sumatra

Minorca

Houdan

Barbu d'Anvers

Marsh Daisy

Cormo Roving:

Coracon

Exodus

Yes, I Said Yes

I Pinch?

Superwash Merino Roving:

Dinosaurs in the Neighbourhood

Sorry, no time for pictures - running late, I swear it's not because I'm antsy to get to my knitting!) - but I think Matt's got them all up on the site already, so they're there to look at.

Laid Low

2010-02-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

After being snowed in YET AGAIN, just when the driveway was cleared and I could have escaped, I got hit by a truck. Okay, not really, but it sure felt like it. I had one of those 24-hour flus where it comes out of nowhere and you can't move or stand up or even open your eyes properly and just lying still hurts all over. Thankfully, my Curt is the best of husbands and took super good care of me, and shuttled the kiddo off to daycare so I could just lie in a drugged haze all day. Much better today and even vertical for brief periods. Most importantly, I've been trying to catch up on my Ravelympics knitting after getting a slightly delayed start. I brought home the camera to take pictures, but of course forgot the cable, so nothing doing there. Back to it I go now, so there'll be more to show when I do have pictures.

Random entertainment - a picture my dad sent me.

Will it Never End?

2010-02-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

The mountains of snow just keep coming. I know those of you in the Frozen Northlands, you Canadians, you Norwegians, you're laughing at us. We had a foot and a half in December, six inches last weekend, two feet this weekend. Even in New England people just dust off the car and go about their business.

But this is Maryland! We're simply not prepared! Our little cars are wussy, they don't have snow tires, the state isn't prepared for this amount of plowing, and it's all too easy to trap us in our homes.We have a .25 mile driveway, but are fortunate to have a neighbour with a bulldozer who digs us out. Still, my little Honda Fit got stuck 10 yards from the carport this morning and required a good deal more digging before I finally got out. Now they tell us another 6-8 inches on Wednesday, and yet more on the weekend.

Long and short is, it's pretty spotty about what we can get done around here. Half the crew is out today and who knows what the rest of the week will bring. We should be fine to get the update together for Wednesday morning, but it may take a while to process it and get orders out the door. So please forgive us if your order and it takes a bit longer than usual to reach you.

Fringe benefit of being snowed in: I got our first IK ad finished. Our slot is officially reserve and this will appear in the summer issue. A sneak preview:

And on to the update! It's all Bugga for this week (Wednesday morning, 9:30 am EST).

We have about 200 Bog Fritillary,

and smaller quantities of:
Seaside Dragonlet
Emerald Swallowtail
Death's Head Hawk Moth
Yellow Dung Fly
Forester Moth
Tarantual Hawk
David Attenborough
Black Witch Moth
Ocellat Jewel Beetle
Sooty Dancer
Smaller Yellow Ant
Oak Timberworm
Longhorned Beelte
Cowkiller
Cuban Cockroach
Charaxes Tiridate
Bess Beetle
Northern Purple Gold Beetle
Blue Metalmark
Holly Blue Butterfly
Merveille du Jour Moth
Eurota Purplewing
Sangria Heart Butterfly
Starry Night Cracker
Oleander Hawk Moth

We've also finally gotten around to dyeing yarn to make more Briar Rose and Theseus and the Minotaur sock kits.

No new photos yet as Matt is still working on those.

Halloween Cat

2010-02-03T12:42:00.001-08:00

Here's what Herod thinks of Burma coming to visit the studio:

Retreat Talk

2010-02-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Sarah and I have had a big long retreat talk today. We're doing it. Yes. Bracing ourselves. It was a ton of fun last year, but it's daunting to plan something like that. I think there were 15 people last year, we're thinking of 30 this year. There are twice as many of us, right? Tentatively setting it for May 21-23. Details to follow!

In the studio today, Herod is getting much better about lying between the skeins instead of on top of them. Good job, Your Majesty.

Susan is entranced by the way yarn looks in the rinse bin.

And we've made a whole lot more Love Bug. This is it, though. I'm done looking at pink! Happy Valentine's Day, everybody :-)

Update tomorrow morning, around 9:30, featuring:

~ 100 (or more) each of Bugga! in Love Bug, Northern Purple Gold Beetle, and Blue Metalmark, and Skinny Bugga! Holly Blue Butterfly

50 or less each of

Skinny Bugga:

Seaside Dragonlet

Emerald Swallowtail

Death's Head Hawk Moth

David Attenborough

Ocellat Jewel Beetle

Reakirt's Blue

Southern Green Stinkbug

Merveille du Jour Moth

Eurota Purplewing

Bess Beetle

Charaxes Tiridate

Oleander Hawk Moth

Bronze Moth

Marpesia Marcella

Eidos:

Oebalus

Charybdis

Hellenexei

Scylla

Xenos

Oinos

Eureka

Pugio

QED:

Schrodinger's Cat

Sappho II:

Sinful Andromeda

The Grace In Your Eyes

Kypria:

21: The Apple of Discord

64: Standing on a Horse

Free Range:

Penedesenca

Rhode Island Red

Cochin

Cubalaya

Vorwerks

Sri Rama

Traveller:

Blue Ball, PA

Nepal

Bury St. Edmunds

Lookingglass, OR

Goodnight, KY

Anywhere But Here

Chungking Mansion

Casco Bay

Gaia DK:

Poppy

Tiger Stripe

Gaia Worsted (we thought is was all gone, but surprise! found a few more skeins):

Pixie Cup Lichen

Morning Glory

Klee:

Fight Scene From the Seafarer

Forest Bird

Blowfly Goes to China

2010-01-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

Remember the Traveling Bugga? One little skein of Blowfly that rode in the front seat of the van across the US to Oregon with Sarah and got to pose in all sorts of cool places. Well, he just got back from China. Elf Carol went to visit her daughters there and took the now rather battered Bugga along. He toured some monuments:

and befriended some knitters

though some of them were a little bemused.

Do you see the giant dpns they all use? That looks bloody dangerous.

Next time, I want to go!

Okay, down to business. The update is tonight again - we've changed the schedule slightly, so rather than alternating Mondays and Tuesdays, we're going to do [Mon, Mon, Tue, Tue], repeat. That way we can do larger loads of Bugga (or all Bugga) every other week without it falling off of some people's schedules. So that puts us to tonight, 8 pm EDT, with all Bugga!.

We have 100 skeins in Northern Purple Gold Beetle as our standard,

plus a little Valentine's special: over 200 skeins of a one-time only colourway, Love Bug. Just in time for a little hot romance :-) Hard colour to photograph - it's a subtle sort of a hot pink (is that an oxymoron?), moving between brighter girly pinks into truly fiery hot fuschias. But in a subtle way.

Other than that, there are middling (~60) quantities of:

Barrens Tiger Beetle

Tarantula Hawk

David Attenborough

Black Witch Moth

and smaller (~30) quantities of:

Seaside Dragonlet

Death's Head Hawk Moth

Tomato Frog

Sooty Dancer

and Marpesia Marcella

Hatian Relief Auction

2010-01-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

"My own experience and development deepen everyday my conviction that our moral progress may be measured by the degree in which we sympathize with individual suffering and individual joy." -George Eliot

Haiti's recent misfortunes are hard to write about; how do you even begin to get a mental grip on suffering at such a scale? It's mind- boggling. In case you've missed the news this week, Haiti has been hit by a series of terrible earthquakes which have devastated the nation. The number of dead, dying and injured is staggering, but aid is finally reaching the country; supplies are being flown in daily, and more and more aid personnel land every day. The outpouring of support and assistance is one bright, shining point in all of this; there has been a stunning amount of fundraising and humanitarian aid offered.

While we know we can't fix the world via yarn, we do make our efforts. Tonight, from 7pm EST to 10pm EST, we'll be auctioning off 4 custom- dyed skeins of Bugga on the Ravelry CPA Haitian Relief Auction boards- a sweater's worth of yarn. We'll dye the skeins in any colorway past or present- you name one of our colors, and we'll make it for you, whether it's a current colorway or a discontinued one. All proceeds go towards Doctors Without Borders.

The details are in the auction thread itself, but to sum up: the auction occurs on the actual thread itself. Winners of every auction- and there is a lot more going on there than just us, some really lovely items!- are asked to pay their donation directly to the charity itself, and then to forward the reciept to us, at which point, we'll get into our dyepots and get working on your skeins.

Please, do take a look at the auctions, and if you've got a Facebook account, or a Twitter account, or any other social networking website, please help us spread the word. Thanks, everyone.

It's official

2010-01-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hear ye, hear ye!

A quick Friday blog to share the news - I am now a bonafide knitter. Gryphon handed me a ball of yarn and told me it's time to start knitting a hat. After more than a year working at a yarn dyeing studio, I have succumbed..resistance was futile. (and I didn't even have to be threatened) Voila, the first shot:

I learned increasing and this whole "in the round" concept. While I am fumbling a bit with the finger mechanics and my silly adult brain adapting to a new skill, it is quite exciting... Weather forecast for the Eastern Shore is a bit rainy and gloomy and cold, soooooo..... perfect for a weekend with my new project.
Rachel

Guess What We're Up To?

2010-01-18T13:17:00.000-08:00

We've been flirting with the idea of taking out an ad in Interweave Knits for a while, but it's pretty pricey and we kept backing off. At last, however, we've decided to take the plunge. No reservation made yet because we wanted to plan it first, but we have the idea in hand now and are ready to make the call. We don't want to spoil the surprise, but you know I'm all about preview hints ;-)

Let's just say it's in keeping with the SG theme.

We have a whopper of an update tonight, 8 pm EDT. The happiest news is that Free Range is back! The lovely organic DK wool that we got way back when thinking it would be temporary. It's taken us this long to get it developed from another source, but we have it at last and have dyed plenty!

In Bugga!, 100 Blue Lobster.

Gaia Lace: Kennemerduinen (this one has some spots on all the skeins, so it will be discounted), Equilibrium

Gaia DK: Kennemerduinen (ditto on the spots), Dahlia

Traveller: Hell and Damnation, MD; Monk's Misery, MD; Bug Tussle, OK; Accident, MD; Mumbai; Burnt Water, AZ; Bird in Hand, PA; Truth or Consquences, NM; Uljin; Happy Jack, AZ; Monkey's, KY, Lazy Mountain, CA

Little Traveller: Hell and Damnation, MD; Monk's Misery, MD; Boring, MD; Accident, MD; Lost City, WV; Mumbai; Casco Bay; Happy Jack, AZ; Monkey's Eyebrow, KY; Bird in Hand, PA; Uljin

Kypria: 59, 61, 62 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77

Free Range: Blue Hen, Sabelpoot, Lamona, Redcap, Spanish White Ear, Marans, Buttercup, Clownface, Minorca, Sultan

Sappho I: Everything Was Sweeter, Safely to the Shrine, Let Not Anguish, Honey Nor Bee

Sappho II: Sleep Comes Down, Honey Nor Bee, Holy and Beautiful

Eidos: Mycenae, Gorgophone, Kerkopes, Eudaimonia, Alethia, Pyrrhus, Tebelis

QED: Liu Hui, Bernoulli Principle, Fraction Decompositions

Dance: Carioca, Shimmy, Soft Shoe, Mambo

Klee: Senecio, Magic Garden

No pictures, again, I'm really sorry. This time Matt is staying late to get the update ready anyway, so I can't ask him to do this too. But they'll be going in to the site over the next hour, so you can preview them there.

What's Wrong With Me??

2010-01-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

Where is my head? Is 5 pm and I completely forgot to blog today. I think I even had some fun pictures to show. Now I need to run out and get Lia, so I'm going to see if somebody has a few minutes to stay and at least list what's going up in tomorrow morning's update. Sorry everybody!!!

For the update we have:

100x Autumn Tiger Beetle in Bugga!

Also in Bugga!:

Yellow Dung Fly
Seaside Dragonlet
Forester Moth
Ocellat Jewel Beetle
Tarantula Hawk
Barrens Tiger Beetle
Black Witch Moth
Emerald Swallowtail
Death's Head Hawk Moth
Holly Blue Butterfly
Sangria Heart Butterfly
Charaxes Tiridate

The Lesson

2010-01-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Notice the continual gurgling faucet sound? That's part of performing for the camera. She was actually much more focused before the filming started.Needless to say, Mama's knitterly heart is brimming with pride

Update tonight, 8pm EST-ish, all Skinny Bugga.

100 Cowkiller

~60 each of Yellow Dung Fly

Seaside Dragonlet

Emerald Swallowtail

smaller quantities (~30) of: Black Witch Moth

Forester Moth

Death's Head Hawk Moth

Tarantula Hawk

David Attenborough

Ocellat Jewel Beetle

Barrens Tiger Beetle

Holly Blue Butterfly

Charaxes Tiridate

Eurota Purplewing

Marpesia Marcella

Oleander Hawk Moth

Bronze Moth

Starry Night Cracker

Bess Beetle

The Red Dress

2009-12-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

I finished my dress! It's even comfy, I'm wearing it today. Herod likes it especially because, you know, he looks so good in red.

Now that my sewing queue is empty, Sarah needs to jump in and claim that Victorian ensemble I offered her as a birthday gift, before Lia realises there's a chance to demand another dress "down to my toes."

Have you picked your favourites among the Winter colourways yet? Tomorrow morning's update (~9:30 am EST) will feature most of them, across lots of base yarns, so plenty to pick from!

We'll have 100 skeins of Skinny Bugga! in Cuban Cockroach

Traveller: Truth or Consequences, NM (shown); Goodnight, KY; Monkey's Eyebrow, KY; Pennypot, NJ; Uljin; Lookingglass, OR; Burnt Water, AZ; Bug Tussle, OK; Monk's Misery, MD; Knockemstiff, OH; Lost City, WV; Stranger's Home, AK

Little Traveller: Truth or Consequences, NM; Monkey's Eyebrow, KY (shown); Pennypot, NJ; Lookingglass, OR; Burnt Water, AZ; Bug Tussle, OK; Knockemstiff, OH; Stranger's Home, AK; Darvaza; Casco Bay; Intercourse, PA; Tribble, WV; Happy Jack, AZ

Sappho I: Be Near Me (shown), As In Old Days, Sweetly Blows the Wind, Safely to the Shrine

Sappho II: Be Near Me, As In Old Days (shown), Sweetly Blows the Wind, The Secret of Their Works, The Sound of Cold Water

Eidos: Kerkopes, Kalispera, Aes Cyprium (shown), Alethia, Eureka, Oinos, Esopteron, Scylla, Aegisthus, Atreus, Euterpe, Pouli, Telemachus, Pelopia, Eudamonia, Xenos

Gaia Lace: Green Touraco (shown), Equilibrium

Gaia DK: Glass Bottom Boats (shown), Lobstrosity, Ladyslippers, On a Lily Pad, Ginko

QED: Fraction Decomposition (shown), Infinity Lemma, Elliptic Integrals, Yativrsahbha, On Formally Undecidable Propositions

Merino/Silk Roving: Poesia, Momosoideae, Damavand, Tea Estate, Look Up, Kinetic

Kypria: 60, 61, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 76, 78

Snowball in flight: