Ok, so I was soooo exhausted I could barely hold my head up but I got to clicking around online and got sucked in! If you haven't already... go check out the SPin In Public website:
http://www.spininpublic.com/spinterviews

I got caught up looking at all the pictures.... reading all the great spinterviews - hi everyone! And remember I owed Cindy an article! hehehe
Oops. I wrote it. I did. The same week she asked me - about four months ago! I just kept meaning to add the pictures to it. I guess I will fire up the old laptop and transfer it so I can edit it.

Anyway, the reason I am still sitting here? I have mentioned before that sometimes, like everyone, I get tired of the web. I love it and sometimes it breaks my heart. You know? I feel like the people who know the fibery side of me best are online. And that ya'll get me in a way that not too many people in my real life do.... so I definitely love the interactive aspects and the ability to have fibery friends across the world
.
But the ugly. Man. Sadness. It just breaks my heart. In life as well as online.

So you are wondering if something happened to me? Nahhh.... I just sometimes watch how women can be online (and RL too).
They say things they wouldn't otherwise if they had to look those other people in the eye.

I guess I believe you have to stand by what you are, what you say and then be who you are no matter what.

I guess it is the same part of me that can look outside myself and see - really see - whatever it is that inspires me in that moment then translate it into something - sometimes pretty, sometimes not. But that same part is wide open all the time - there is not flange or cut off valve. So when I watch women backstab or run after money over friendships or yeah, well, you know it - you have seen it. People can be cruel.
I just need a cut off valve! hehehe

Then.... you get something like Spin In Public and the stories of these women that I admire - too cool.
It reminds me why I do what I do - why I share the knowledge that I have accumulated, why I try to reach out when I can.
When people email me and say things like "how can I do what you do only cheaper" - or " well honey, one day you will spin yarn that is smooth" and I email them back and tell them what I know and where I shop so they can do what I do (Only cheaper - HA!) and how to spin yarn that isn't smooth and yes - you CAN spin locks straight out of the bag. Go for it. Think outside the box! Do it. You can, I know you can.

And I go on Ravelry and I see soooo many yarns that I know I inspired. And art yarns galore. And lock yarns all over the place - squeee. And I watch people who I have seen "grow up" in their yarns. And people I taught via email doing well and...yeah... the good outweighs the bad. Every single time the good wins. (Actually that is a quote from Ghandi - I forget how it goes but it is says that good wins every time - always)
And I get all inspired all over again.
Sigh.

I love to dye. I love to spin. I love to knit.
It is what I am and deep inside it is a big part of who I am. I am a yarn art girl - through and through.
And I TRULY can't wait to see what happens next.
Holly
(ps. seriously going to bed now)

Wowser.... that was a fun update!
It ended up taking me two days to list it and a whole evening to pack the orders. And there is still some left.

It is dark when i get home these days, which bites... but I was trying to show some of the truer colors of these rich deep lovely locks. The camera doesn't love them because they are tooo rich. But that is a good thing.. not a bad thing.
SO, this is a picture of the Lovers locks. They are on the mystery wool which is ... sigh. Lovely. It is a targhee/merino blend with something with a lot of crimp. They are as cool as they look!


Red Oak Romney cross on the left - Oak Hardwood on the right

Red Oak on the left, Persian mohair in the middle, and Oak Hardwood on the right. This picture shows the best colors




Ok, so I battled the weather to get to the post office this week. It is cold, crappy and rainy here. Kinda really cold. I am sitting in my house in woolens - which is a little unheard of in this area. I guess it snowed this morning. Hmph.
And Mr. Ass... well... after he refused to go outside this evening, he curled up on the couch next to me. I took pitty on his scrawny ass and let him enjoy some couch time. Better than while I was at work and he pulled back the blanket on the bed and crawled up under!
Silly goose.
Ok, well clearly I am still exhausted. I am going to cash in early tonight and see about some sleep.
Hugs to all.
Holly

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're high on adventurous spirit, but low on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about inexpensive hotels and youth hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

bookfails
Planning to do your part to help boost the declining publishing industry this holiday? Better check here first. Sure, there are plenty of folks who post glowing reviews of their favorite books. But what about the epic fails? Compose and/or discuss snarky, incisive critiques on the books you despise most.

foundphotos
Ever stumble across a frayed photo in your grandmother's attic? How about a faded picture tucked in the sleeve of an old novel at a used book sale? This is the place to post them. An amazing, eclectic collection of photographs sure to delight anyone with a penchant for history or nostalgic memorabilia.

note_to_cat
Having trouble conveying the concept of accountability to your cat? Now you can share letters to your significant felines and give public witness to your declarations of love and domestic negotiations. Whether you want to publish an apology for falling short on your cat-nip obligations or you need to raise a delicate hygiene issue.

Could it really be true? An actual etsy update? With more than one yarn?

It is true, check out some new work! This stuff is au natural, all rescue farm wool, NH wool, alpaca blends, etc. Some feature some new eco-friendly, non-toxic dyes that I am transiting to. (Meaning once I use up all my other dyes, that is all I will be using.)

My blog readers get free shipping on anything till the end of the year, thank you for your continued support! This includes my lovely international shoppers! You will get the refund via paypal after purchase, just put a note in your order that you read about free shipping on the blog.



Please be sure to check back later this week, as I will have at least one more yarn up for sale.

I attempted cheesemaking this weekend but it was a flop. I'm not too disappointed and vegetarian rennet is on its way to me this week. I took out this book from the library today to aid my next cheesmaking adventure. Does anyone else have any tips/books/advice?

Tomorrow is back to work. Work really cuts into my misshawklet style lifestyle. Not liking that, but I do prefer to keep the house. I am so thankful for time at home to re-inspire my creativity. And for stuffed mushrooms. Dang were they tasty!

Cheers everyone! I hope all my American friends had a great Thanksgiving and my Canadian and Japanese friends (you know who you are!) were not' too bored with the lack of livejournal updates!

Yesterday was really lovely. I got to see my uncle for the first time in 31 years and he got to meet my daughters. We'd lost contact over the years and I found an email address for him when my father died - I wanted to let him know of his passing. We began emailing regularly and getting to know each other - it's been a nice surprise to find how quickly we connected. My uncle is my mother's brother but they have had little contact over the years. He lives in the Atlanta area but used to live in Lake George, NY and was visiting his wife's family and they took a bit of a detour and came by for the day. Alex cooked us a fabulous meal of portobello lasagna and we spent the afternoon visiting. I hope we don't let another 31 years go by...:)

Today I sat down at the wheel and finished the moss yarn for Ravelry's Novelty and Art Yarn Spinners group. A rolling stone may gather no moss but my spinning wheel definitely did:



I had a wonderful time spinning this yarn but a terrible time capturing the color. It is mainly olive and bronze with a bit of gray and rust.

Tonight our little break is coming to an end - Alex has to head back to school this evening. It's been a really lovely visit. Thankfully Christmas is just around the corner and we'll all be together again.

Good Morning... or good afternoon for you early risers!

I fell asleep about 1/3 of the way into the update last night - around 2 am. Using a new wonderful super fast is great and all but when you have been doing this as long as I have... it is SERIOUSLY hard to get used to a new laptop, a new operating system (yeah Windows 7) and a new keyboard. I got a Sony Vaio and the keyboard is installed individually so it just feels weird. I love it. I do. I am just a bit slower.

So, I am working on the update now...and cookin' with gas! So come check it out. A bunch sold through the night but yup, I did mention this was the biggest freakin update EVA!

Oh and lets talk about the Oak Hardwood Coop - it is truly one of the most intriguing colors I have ever done. It has highlights and lowlights and richness galore. The camera, well, it just doesn't like it so much because there is TOOO much going on. I tried it in direct light and indirect light but yeah. So, here is an example:


This color looks almost blond in this direct light. But trust me. It is more pecan pie and dark oak than crust. It looks like this:


yeah. I know. But I promise, this colorway has so much going on for a brown, that it won't matter. The bag will arrive and you will go - YUMMY.
Same applies to this Red Oak Romney.


You can see the true color in the shade - the light color is just the direct light making it glow.

Yes, I will try to take more pictures on another day. I had 80 items to photograph mind you, so I just did what I could. But yeah, I will retake. If you are on the fence with one, just holler and I can photograph it today while I am working.
Ok, so, go check out the update!
And did you see this mohair?


And the Chiccos... sigh.


And my old favorite... grey haired punk.


Remember the hat? I will have to go dig up a picture when I have time!
Ok, see ya at the update.
Holly

http://www.insubordiknit.com/1557

http://www.insubordiknit.com/?p=1557

Many months ago I wrote an article for the one and only SpinOff magazine. I asked a friend of mine, Sarah Kraly, who is a wonderful photographer, to come and shoot the photos for the article. It was a really great experience and it all went smoother than I could [...]

Tonight. Yup, late, but heck.. it is Friday!!!!
woot woot.
See ya there around midnight ish central time.
Holly

and many more to come shortly!



Woohoo!
New computer makes new looks on everything.
Holly

Ok, so today was not the day I planned.
Last night I got home and tried to get on my laptop - nada. Tried for several hours and finally went to bed.
Got up this morning and my laptop was kaput AGAIN. I thought it was the kiss of death but it powered up tonight so I just don't know.

In the MEANTIME.......

Ended up spending today to buy a new computer. Woohoo!
So now I am powering it up and getting the pictures loaded and all that. I guess the update will be later than I planned as using a new computer is kinda strange , but unless I run into issues... the update will be tonight!
Sigh.
Life is good. NO complaints. Everything happens like it should. I just hate feeling behind what I said I would do..... oh well. It could be worse, I could be staring at the dang black screen for the evening. Now I have to "struggle" with my fancy and fast new computer!. *squeeeee*

So.. back shortly I hope. Keep an eye on Flickr.
Hols

Visit this post to read more and to subscribe!

Hope those of you celebrating had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was a very nice day around here - lots of good smells and food, and quiet family time with the four of us - the new Wii is seeing lots of action and half the family members have sore arms:)

I am very much enjoying my new spinning wheel (thank you, Bennie!!) and this week I'm working on my Moss yarn for the Novelty and Art Yarn Spinners group on ravelry. I dyed up some delicious Coopworth and Wenslydale from Sandy at Homestead Wool & Gift and some Border Leicester that I got at Finger Lakes Fiber Festival, threw some angelina in the bunch and some commercial snippets and lovely shell beads and ended up with a very inspiring mix. I am about half-way through spinning the yarn but I'll give you a sneak peek:

The ingredients
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On the bobbin
I may try to finish it up tomorrow though I'm getting ready for a Saturday visit from my uncle whom I've not seen in 31 years!

I'm also having a wonderful time working on the Spontaneous Journal on Flickr - what a great group we have going over there. Here are my five minute entries from yesterday and today:

I absolutely love having a 5 minute limit to work on these. I am painting like a mad woman during that time and it is so much fun.

Well, that's about it for now. I should probably call it a day as I have a lot to do tomorrow. Until then, good night!

So, there are about 80 fun filled things for the update.
WOwser.
I got the pictures taken before I headed out to my sisters house. I will edit them and load them tonight when I get home.
Then update tomorrow in the afternoon when I get up and around. I have big plans for the morning and they include me and some quality time with my pillow!
.
So, stop back by late tonight to see pictures. And definitely swing by in the afternoon tomorrow!
It is going to take a while but man... it is gonna be worth it!

Woohoo!
Holly
p.s. Happy Turkey day.

Tweaks and enhancements

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4. You'll now receive the Writer's Block Question of the Day in the body of email notifications. To sign up for Writer's Block notifications, visit writersblock and choose the Watch Community option. Next, update your Writer's Block notification settings by checking the box to the right of "Someone posts a new entry to writersblock."
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Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!

I am thinking of you! I hope you all have at least one or two things to be thankful for this year, and I hope you all have a warm and toasty holiday! This year I've learned to be nice to everybody. That everyone deserves respect and to be comfortable in their own skin. And that I can enjoy my life no matter what or who tries to stop me.

I am thankful for friends, family, a good marriage, yarn, a cozy clean home, free will, Central Market, Christmas music, Netflix, my birdy Edgar, LYS, and ALL THINGS OCTAVIAN! =)




I'm happy for my hubby who got to speak Japanese to Yusoko of Melt Banana at their show in Philadelphia on Sunday. Second time we've been lucky enough to see them perform, and it was lovely! I dancey danced. They are so creative!

Woohoo... So major tooth abcess aside (ugh), plans are continuing for the MONSTER update on Thursday.
The plan.. plan mind you.. is to start updating as soon as I get home from Thanksgiving.
That may be a little overreaching.. so if that doesn't happen... I will be updating all day Friday and Friday night.
It is going to be the biggest update I have ever done I am pretty sure. I am taking the pictures Thursday morning so I will load them up when I get them ready as this whole process is going to take a while.

So, hopefully folks will have time to swing by over the holidays!

Here are some MORE pictures... that is Chicas - one of my favorite colorways!

And that mystery wool picked - I love the way it took the dye!

And I am working on a hat project for a male friend. My plan is to use this:

as a material in the hat.. kind of like duck cloth from a work coat. I figure the organic cotton will be a heck of a lot more comfortable! We'll see how this works out. I love the challenge of making a creative item for a man, but they want things to be SOOOO boring that it is challenging to make it my own style yet look "normal" so that they will wear it.
Sigh. Fun project though.
Hols