No snafoo this time :-)

We managed to get all the math right in this, our latest batch of thread called Velvet.

The usual is available, sizes 10, 20, 40, 80, and collections in 20 and 40.

You can find it HERE :-)

I'd love to hear what you have to say about this color

Ever get a song stuck in your head?

Well I've been singing Love Potion Number 9 in my head for like 36 hours.

So Dr. Vonthreadmore and I named our latest batch thusly.

It's a very interesting batch. Usually we don't use leftover dye more than a few hours after it is mixed..... the colors shift and change over time if left out. I've heard refrigeration helps, but it's more predictable to just mix new each time to attain expected results. This time however, Dr Vonthreadmore neglected to wash out her dye cups for a few days. She begged and pleaded that she's been dying to try some new blending techniques..... I brought up the fact that it had been a few days and we would have no idea what would happen--- That's when I saw that flash of mad scientist in her eyes so I quickly exited the scene.

We only did a few skeins in this colorway, and it was mixed in a way that is completely unrepeatable..... so if you like it, get it before it is gone! I think it turned out great, it fades from a pearly gray to rasberry, with a touch of light lavender.

This pair of earrings is made with one of the solids from the "Of Fairies And Berries" batch. It has the faintest color intensity change to it, you probably can't even see it in the photos. I absolutely love colors like that though, where the change is so gentle that it doesn't interrupt the design in any way, but gives it that extra depth.

These earrings also showcase some new Delica beads that I have aquired. And yes Elizabeth, I am now addicted.

ehem..."business" expenses

Well, at least that's what I told Dr. Vonthreadmore as we opened our box from Handy Hands this week. We had ordered a cone of Lizbeth 40 in white for the Dr, and her eyebrow raised slightly at the sight of these...

"Really." she said. "did you really need more shu....." I chimed in with an emphatic YES before she could finish.


"And what about all this?" She frowned upon having found a ball of Lizbeth Autumn Spice in size 10, and another one in 20.

"Isn't my thread good enough for you anymore?" She almost couldn't look at me, she was so disgusted. "I had a coupon" I replied. She just rolled her eyes and walked away. Good thing she hadn't seen the three or four other colors of lizbeth I had ordered hiding under the packing peanuts. Anyway, I found the new autumn spice so enticing that I stayed up way too late last night making some earrings and hairclips, even a ring.

After watching her sulk around all day, I had to lift her spirits and prove to her that her threads were indeed valuable to me. So I made myself a pair of earrings. "After all" I said, "They have yet to make Lizbeth in a decent Teal. You know how much I love teal." I caught her peering over my shoulder a few times while I made these for myself. "You should make a pair for the shop too while you are at it. The people must have opportunity to experience the magnificent color that I have created as well. You shouldn't keep it all for yourself. Art like mine should be accessible to the masses and I......" Her voice trailed off in some mumbling paragraph about the value of her work and her impact on the world or something like that.

She is eccentric, I'll admit. Without her however, I would not have the "perfect teal". That to me is worth the occasional bout of nonsense.

(for those of you not familliar with my alter-ego, the illustrious and industrious Dr. Von threadmore, you can read more about our history together here)

Wshew. It's listed

Took me all night, and part of the morning to get the new Vineyard at dusk thread listed. I got distracted working on a new business card design, but it's finally done. You can find it here.

Vineyard at Dusk part deux

After much wait and debate, Dr. Vonthreadmore finally had her way.

I wasn't really in the mood for a batch of thread, but she finally won me over with her pouty lip and a dose of "It's for the children!" Ever since she caught wind of my desire to support the family with the Etsy venture, she has been using that against me. How can I say no when she piles on a guilty helping of "You don't want to feed them nothing but ramen next month, now do you?????"


We did learn some things from this batch. The previously puzzling blue has been narrowed to the dilution of a certain color of dye (that I bought on clearance, now I know why!). It separates into the most unique blue, and now that I know that I wish it was a little more controllable. This batch ended up with a little mottled bluey brown, and honestly I really like it. The separation is a little stronger on the larger threads, but at this point I'm considering it a naturaly variation for this colorway. Also the green at the lightest end of the spectrum is a little brigher than I've been able to show in any of these pictures.

I tried to capture to the best of my ability the solid purple for a bloggy friend of mine who has been waiting ever so patiently for this batch to be done.... It is ever so lighty varigated, I leave just a touch of tonal change in my solids. Gives them depth and texture.

You will be able to purchase some of this thread from my etsy shop soon, I will probably not have time to get the listings done until late tonight, so check in tomorrow if you have a hankering for some HDT. I have sizes 10, 20, 40, 80, as well as limited edition color collections in 20 and 40.

In the background you'll see my final aqusition in props, some awesome metal patina leaves. You'll see more of them soon.

The Dr. Sends her salutations!

The Crystal

Here is round one with the crystal! I have used small rounds and drops in the necklace, and large drops in the earrings that match


The thread is one of the HDT solids from recent endeavors. I made it to have a very gentle change in intensity to it, you barely notice but it gives depth and texure.

I went ahead and listed this set, but I think I am going to have to order another batch of this crystal for myself. I've had a little success as of late in the etsy shop, and for some reason that has made it hard for me to keep any of the jewelry lately....I mean, if it has the potential to bring in a little moola..... Oh well. I think I shall soon treat myself to some of my own creations.

Looks like the blog will be getting a new look...

I guess since I'll have to go through the process of re-entering the code for my blog background, I'll finally get around to making it three columns like I have always wanted. Maybe I'll get to that tomorrow :-)

Anyway. The week has been busy with shipping threads (thank you so much to all who purchased!) and a few custom orders. Below is the latest, a request was made for one of my "Petal Perfect" necklaces to be made to look more like a sunflower. Here is the result-

It is currently listed and waiting for it's purchaser. The only real design change I made was to trade out the cabone ring center for a Catherine wheel. I used a HDT of mine for the center, and regular Lizbeth for the rest.

In our last go-round of dye, the Dr. and I did probably 20 different skeins of solid colors in 10 and 20 for my own personal stash. I did some extra large perle cotton too and have been using it for hairclips and the like. And now that the custom orders are out of the way, I'll be working on a very special piece that I have been planning for some time. I went to Shipwreck Beads a few weeks back and came home with Gobs of crystal for some necklace and earring sets that should be all sorts of spectacular, as long as everything goes well of course!

The charm of HDT

One of the wonderful and addictive qualities of HDT (hand dyed thread), is the unique and sometimes unpredictable results. The waiting is the worst part- you mix and wind and sort and soak and paint and wrap..... and don't forget the cleanup......and then you relegate yourself to 24 hours of curing time before you can start to see the results! And THEN you have to wait for it to dry! You'd think the nice summery weather would help that, but I usually dye at night before bed, which means I rinse (and that's a painstaking process too!) at night, so the thread hangs overnight in the cooler temps and sometimes is not dry the next morning. So it's really a two day process. And I spend the whole time fighting the urge to peek and mess with it or rinse it early. Painful I tell you.

But, the results are worth it. Sometimes they are heartbreaking, like the recent rounds of Oops threads, but sometimes the results are better than you'd hope. I've come to accept that there will be a small failure rate, inevitably there will probably be one skein of thread where there is a white spot left, but after much practice there are fewer and fewer.

My favorite results are the intermediate tones of color that happen in the overlap of different dye colors.... they mix in the threads in the most interesting ways. In this last batch of Vineyard at Dusk for instance, i used this color of dye that I got on clearance. It is called "gunmetal" and I tell ya, no matter how long or hard you mix it, it separates a little and does different things. It's unpredictable, a little like me :-) And in this batch, somehow a bit of dusky sky blue snuck in there, and I absolutely love it. (you can see it in the top right corner of the above picture. Inconsistincies are what make Hand dyed thread unique and desireable in my opinion, and I now consider them a welcome part of the process. and commercially available varigated and multicolor threads lack that sort of organic and alive quality. I have balls of lizbeth that I'll probably never use now that I am dyeing, and I still regularly purchase from other dyers. You can see personalities in our color combinations and I prize the threads that others have done.

So, here I am, thread and color and dye addicted. Dr. Vonthreadmore is pleased with my HDT propensities of course, and she thanks you all kindly for your encouragement and praise. She has become more humble as of late, and nothing pleases her more to see her work used and appreciated. We would both love to see the results of your use of our threads!

Krystle

Vineyard at Dusk

I am so thrilled at how this batch turned out! It is beautifully blended, sophisticated and wonderful! Dr. Vonthreadmore worked hard on this batch, and her efforts please me greatly.

I couldn't wait to try it out, so here is an action shot, one of my 3-d flowers. It will end up on a hairclip later this afternoon. Of course I would love to tat all day, but I need to go get a new cell phone as well as go to a birthday party..... so many other things to do! But this thread is going to call me name for sure. All day. I'll hear it from across town beckoning......

If it beckons you as well I have listed a small amount here. I only have Lizbeth 20 available in this batch as of yet.

New Hand dyed thread, and a bargain basement

I've just listed my newest hand dyed thread endeavors in my etsy shop. Click here to see "Blues and Greens" (I wasn't feeling very creative in naming today)

Also, I have added a new section to the shop for various experimental threads and oops threads, click here to visit the thread bargain basement!

It all started on Monday.....

It was late in the evening after the children had been tucked into bed. There I stood, in the glorious mess that was my kitchen. The greater part of me wanted to say "heck with it" and go to bed, until I heard a voice say-But wouldn't you feel so much better if your kitchen were all nice and clean in the morning????--- It was good old Dr. Von Threadmore. I gave it some thought as she continued. ---you know how it is, you start your day by digging yourself out of the culinary mess that is this portion of the house....and you don't get done until bedtime AGAIN. It's a vicious cycle, and I just hate to see you feel so down. You can do it. You can get this done and have a wonderful day tomorrow being all caught up and having that great sense of accomplishment that you long for......go on,----- She was right and I knew it. I wondered where this burst of encouragement and wisdom had come from though. After all, she hasn't said much to me lately. I think she was feeling neglected or something... I haven't let her out to work since before the move, ..and she's not usually the chummy type anyway. But alas, I finally agreed. So off I went. I scrubbed and cleaned and mopped and then finally flopped in my tatting corner chair. Dr. V sat down on the sofa across from me and gave me a bravo for my hard work and dedication. --- It's all done now she said. Now you're all ready for a brand new day tomorrow.--- Quite pleased with my housework and with our new found camaraderie, we both headed off to bed without another thought.

The next day went off without a hitch. I was able to keep the kitchen looking spiffy all day and I even got the laundry done that morning before lunch. Dr. V wandered through the house off and on all day to say hello and show her approval of my housewifery. And at the end of the evening after the little ones bedtime routine, I sat down with great pleasure in my lovely tatting corner with the satisfaction of the days accomplishment behind me, and a couple hours of uninterrupted time ahead of me to tat. But as soon as I picked up my shuttles, I heard the strangest sound! It was a kind of whoosh....... and then all went dark.

The next morning I awoke from my bed, slightly confused as I didn't remember the events that got me there. Scratching my head I figured that hubby must have taken me to bed when he got home from his shift. Once I entered the kitchen however, it became all too clear.

Chemicals were everywhere. Dye pots had yet to be rinsed, and there were tools and measuring spoons strewn about. I couldn't believe it. I looked around a little more until I checked the laundry room. A wall of warm air hit me as I opened the door..... the temperature was set to precisely 70 degrees.... the optimum temp for curing dyed thread! AHA! There it was...wrapped in plastic and perched atop my laundry machines. Dr. Von Threadmore must have knocked me out. In fact, it must have been her plan all along...... motivating me toward keeping the house clean all day so she could take over as soon as the kid's were asleep.

The Nerve!

And, to top it off, I had to rinse the thread for her and clean up her mess!!!!

Needless to say, I haven't seen her since. She knows to stay out of my way for awhile after she has been sneaky like that. Although she might be in more trouble if she didn't come up with such lovely creations.

I'm calling this batch Earthy Rainbow. I figure if Dr. V isn't going to hang around afterward for the cleanup, then she doesn't get to name the thread either! Hmph!

Anyway,

I give away some thread each time a new batch is procuced, and your dedication has been shown by reading all the way down to the bottom of this post. So I'll reward one lucky reader with a skein of Earthy Rainbow thread, 50 yards of a fine perle cotton that came to me from a far away land......more about that in coming posts. Please leave a comment on this post, make sure I have a way to contact you, and check back on Sunday when I announce the winner. I hope to have some thread live in the shop at that point as well.

Be Mine 2.0---giveaway at the end

Finally, the new thread is live in the etsy shop! Dr. Von Threadmore has been on my tail all weekend.....

The color is called Be Mine 2.0. The "2.0" is to honor all of the poor skeins of oops thread that it took to get this batch right. Lol. I only had two balls of Lizbeth at the end of last weeks endeavor, so this batch is VERY limited. Anyway, I hadn't intended on doing a valentine themed thread, but after it dried I couldn't come up with any other name than "Be Mine" so here it is. We will be dyeing more as soon as our new boxes of dye and thread come in the mail. Until then, I might actually get some time to sit and tat. Go figure.

Oh, and one of my new years resolution was to be more generous in general, so comment on this post to win a small skein of this Hand Dyed Thread. Winner will be drawn on the 30th.

A message from Dr. Von Threadmore

Good evening everyone, this is Dr. Von Threadmore coming to you from the laboratory. As the picture above illustrates, my counterpart is otherwise engaged this evening. Dear Husband heard the tone in her voice and made a detour on his way home to pick up her, shall we say,.... medication.

I however, find myself completely unencumbered by emotionalism. And since I have been restrained from my work for so long, I jumped on the chance in anticipation of the forthcoming chocolate-induced coma.

Color. Pure, rich color. That is what the world is made of to me. I must bring magnificent color to the masses. It is my duty. My gift.

The tatted work is my muse.

The tatter, in this case the owner of this blog, is charged with the execution, but I am the true artist. I am not so easily cast about by a day's events.

.

I need no indulgence beyond the ingredients and result achieved in my laboratory.

Wonderful, delicious, color.

Lizbeth is here!

Two new colors of thread are available in my shop! And I am pleased to tell you that I'm now offering Hand dyed Lizbeth threads. I can't get enough of Lizbeth.....it's super smooth and shiny. Right now my colors are available in size 20 and 40. Size 80 will be available as soon as it is available to me, Handy Hands says it should be available sometime early next year I think.

Let's meet my new colorways!

Ivria's Afternoon

Named for my daughter and the walks we enjoy together.....looking at plants and flowers, splashing in her favorite pink rainboots, with a healthy dose of sunshine.

Windbreaker
This color makes me think of a Kite, or an '80s track suit.....really anything made of ripstop nylon.


These lovely threads are currently listed in the shop. I'm still learning so much about the process, so to fund my continuing education in dye, I'll be selling these for $6 per skein. The average price for premium dyed thread seems to be around $7 to $7.50, but my technique does not yet warrant that price. So take advantage of my learning journey and enjoy some great thread.

Please feel free to comment, tell me what you like or don't like. I love to hear from you!

The DR. is in

After hearing much lamentation over the speed (or lack thereof ) of Fed-Ex ground shipping, I was relieved to find Dr. Von Threadmore's much awaited package on the doorstep. That girl has no patience.

Our first order of business was swatching the new colors.
The DR. was too caught up in her "moment" after the swatches were dry, (I heard her say something about "The Precious".... I dunno.) so I put together a recipe box to hold her dye formulas and color cards. And while the kids were napping we did some teamwork and painted a new batch of thread which is curing for the next 24 hours.



You know, I like the Dr and all, but she is a little eccentric. And she does things I find out about later.......like she pretended she was me and told my husband that I required....I mean requested....a skein winder for Christmas. Crazy, right? And you should have seen her when Diane posted about the spinning wheel pattern she is working on. "I've been Featured!" she exclaimed while doing a ridiculous happy dance of sorts. She may be good with color, but the girl can't dance.

It's gone to her head

Well, Dr Von Threadmore has a few sales under her belt.

Now she thinks she's all that and a bag of chips.

There'll be no living with her after this.

I personally think she feels jilted because I didn't add her to the new business card.

Pshhh. Prima donna.

I feel happy. Oh so happy.

Batch number two!
I must admit that I feel more successful with this batch than the previous. I was actually being intentional about the color and it turned out encouragingly well. A few of the skeins had some small whitish spots but all in all I think I did OK.

The light outside is gone so I'll be trying for better pictures tomorrow.

Also, as I am out of thread, out of dyes, and out of funds, I'll be listing some thread on ETSY tomorrow to raise some resources so I can keep going. It will be cheap, just because it's my first couple batches and I'll also be listing a few "seconds"..... some skeins that aren't quite perfect, and I wouldn't charge much more than cost on those.

Please note my disclaimer. ----> I have no intention of trying to go after Yarnplayer, Ladyshuttlemaker, or Heather's business on etsy. I'm not here to compete. The inevitable result of my process is more thread than I'll ever use lol, so I'd just like to offer it so I can fund my hobbies. Also, to differentiate myself from the other dyers, I will only be offering dyed Lizbeth in the future. These first batches are just what I happen to have lying around to play with.

Thread thread everywhere!

What's this? Was it a dream?

No! It was real! Dr. Von Threadmore has done it!
I've awakened to a bounty of, shall we say, inexpertly dyed thread :-) This first batch is made from a small kit of dye that came with the primary colors. So inevitably my first batch was neon rainbows. The colors are unreal! Farther into the process I concocted (Did I say moi? I mean the doctor concocted) some tantilizing tertiary colors.

After the first bout of rinsing I spotted some techniques that need perfecting. The bug has definitely bit though. I'll be ordering a trunkload of white Lizbeth as soon as I can.

And now my friends, I bid you goodnight. I suddenly feel the strangest urge to wear protective gloves........how odd.

In this episode...

......we rejoin Dr. Von Threadmore in her secret Laboratory. All evidence of the mysterious plague has vanished from her hands. However there is not a trace of white thread to be seen anywhwere!

The holiday season may soon be upon her, but snowflakes will have to wait. Unless of course you like snowflakes that look like a parrot.

It has begun.

At night, when the wee ones are drifting off into a deep and peaceful slumber, Dr Von Threadmore slowly brings to life the mysterious lab that once was her kitchen.

Ok, I'll admit that nowhere are you required to wear the safety goggles, but I thought they were cute and it seemed like a good idea.
Here are some of the implements of destruction,

And some of the strange chemicals and concoctions that have made thier home here....

Beware. Experiments of this nature can have a mind of their own. I seem to have contracted some sort of visible skin disease....perhaps The madness is upon me Mwahahahaaaa!!!!

Stay Tuned for more developments from the Mysterious Laboratory of Dr. Von Threadmore.