Miss Babs' Weblog

New Patterns in Our Yarns!

Miss Babs — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:43:46 +0000

There have been several new patterns in our yarns released recently! The newest of these are in the May- July 2012 issue of Cast On, the magazine published by TKGA.

There is the amazingly gorgeous Vlad’s Tunic by Arenda Holladay, using our Northumbria DK:

Vlad's Tunic by Arenda Holladay

As well as the uniquely constructed Once Around the Ankle Socks by Charles Gandy in our Northumbria Fingering:

Once Around the Ankle by Charles Gandy

A very Northumbria issue!

As a side note, I know that many of the pages on the website show very little stock: this is because we’ve been doing really well at shows, and Babs hasn’t had a chance to dye enough to leave much behind when they go to shows. (The doing well feeds Jen’s “We must take everything!” mentality, so I’m left with even less than before!!)

However, should you need a particular colorway or quantity of any base that does not show as available, please do use the “Contact Us” link to let us know, and Babs will get to it as soon as she can!

2012 Spring Shows – Stitches South, Unwind, MDSW, & KYSW

Miss Babs — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:03:55 +0000

Our spring show preparation is moving along well! I have been dyeing lots of yarn and fiber and it’s been drying well (sometimes this is the biggest bottleneck we have). But lots of it is getting wound and is ready to go on the show racks to ride to shows in Big Orange.

Stitches South is in 1 week, the Unwind Retreat in Blowing Rock, NC in 2 weeks, Maryland Sheep and Wool in 3 weeks, and Kentucky Sheep and Wool in 5. Our next month and a half is very busy. Hopefully we will see many of you at one of these shows.

At Stitches South we will have a normal booth size with all of our normal yarn bases, plus a couple of new ones! We will also be sharing a booth with HiyaHiya and doing a yarn and needle tasting. They have added sharps to their needle line which are lovely to knit with.

The Unwind Retreat is a lovely gathering of knit-minded folks who do a little shopping as well. We will have a selection of yarns and fibers available for the attendees to consider.

Our biggest challenge for the Spring is trying to figure out how to stuff all of our yarn bases into a single booth! It CANNOT be done! So we have decided to bring a limited number of bases with us this year. This means there will be real depth and breadth in the selection of these yarns. We will definitely have Yowza, Yummy 2-ply (sock), Yet Lace and fibers. We also plan on bringing Sojourn, our cashmere and silk fingering yarn, as well as a new base called Big Silk, which is a worsted weight yarn in a great 550 yard put-up. It is 60% Merino and 40% cultivated silk. We think that is about all we can slam into our space. If there is something specific you would like us to bring in another base, please contact us.

We are more than happy to try Pre-Orders at Maryland this year. We have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make this as small of a headache as possible for all involved, and this is what we have come up with:

To place a Pre-Order, please use the “Contact” tab at the top of the page and send us an email. DO NOT place an order through the website, as this will be processed normally. Pre-Orders must be pre-paid.

To pick up your Pre-Order, please come on Saturday before 9:30 or after 4:30, or on Sunday before 9:30 or after 3:30. During the Pre-Ordering process, we ask that you specify which time you will be coming, so that we can have your order in the booth ready for you to pick up. Due to the space limitations mentioned above, we are utterly unable to leave Pre-Orders in the booth during the main part of the day, as there will be no room for them!!

At Kentucky, we will be able to bring our full rage of yarns and fibers. I believe we will again be in the main tent.

We love meeting knitters, and hope to see you at one or more of these shows!

Party Time! (And Destash too…)

Miss Babs — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:15:52 +0000

Carmen and I were the only two working at the Studio last Thursday, which meant she was all alone in the studio, and I was all alone in the office. All alone is not so much fun, so we decided to have a Party!

I bought the party hats, and a great time was had by all (notwithstanding my sub-par self-photography skills…)

Carmen, Helen, Woolbert, and Woolhemina have a fun Party!

Woolbert and Woolhemina were loathe to leave the party, and stayed long after Carmen and I got back to work…

Woolbert and Woolhemina won't leave!

We left them alone to sulk, and got back to work.

In other exciting news, today I moved many beautiful Moo and Ewe colors to the Destash portion of the website! The majority of these colors are from an old batch of the yarn that didn’t accept color as vibrantly as the new batch does. They are still incredibly beautiful (and I am so, so tempted to take many of them home with me…), so have a look! This is your chance to try out one of our favorite and most unique bases at an incredible 50% off! We love Moo for shawls, and are currently enamored of Martina Behm’s shawls in Moo. Carmen is planning to make each shawl in Moo, while Babs, Jen and I each have a hitchhiker cast on in this base… come join us!

Spring is Here! Early!

Miss Babs — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:22:34 +0000

Just like everywhere else, spring seems to have sprung early this year! The daffies are up!

Yellow Daffy!!

More daffodils!

The early rhodie is bursting!

An early rhododendron....

And we can have the doors open! Which we all adore….

While the Cats are Away…

Miss Babs — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:56:29 +0000

Now that Babs and the Jens are gone, the dust is settling and we are taking stock of what is left here at the studio.

Although Jen was INCREDIBLY greedy in what she took with her for Stitches West, we do still have some new colors here, which I will be putting up over the course of the next few days…

Serengeti on Yowza

Felicity on Yet

Spring Tonic on Yummy 2-ply

Yesterday I added some photos for Yowza, Yummy 2-ply, and Yet. Today, after shipping, I hope to add more to Yummy 3-ply, Moo and Ewe (if Jen left us any new colors!), and Northumbria Fingering.

Not the usual quantities, I’m afraid, as many of the skeins from each of these colorways are over on the West Coast waiting to make new friends at Stitches, but still, some lovely things available to those of us not fortunate enough to be able to attend!

Keep an eye out over the next few weeks as we gradually add more as we prepare for the spring show season, as Carmen winds like crazy, I try to keep up with the photographs, and, as soon as she is back, Babs resumes dyeing like a madwoman!

Getting Ready for Stitches West – 2012

Miss Babs — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:19:12 +0000

We have been busy getting ready for Stitches West. There’s been lots of dyeing, washing, drying, and twisting going on! The packing begins soon as we have to be ready to ship in 2 weeks! Here are some pictures of yarn as it dries! Never fast enough!

Tierno for a new sweater!

Yowza out in the cold

We are also working on having plenty of new samples for this show!

Sabine in Yummy 2 ply from Caryl Pierre

Some new sweaters, new shawls, and new colors! We look forward to seeing everyone this year! I understand the rain has finally started so the hills will be green! Don’t forget that we will have a color just for this show, and it will be available on our new yarn base, Shiruku, which we are debuting at Stitches West. Shiruku is a fingering weight superwash fine merino and cultivated silk yarn. Lovely to the touch and eyes! I have started a new sample, just! And not enough to picture yet!

Another new yarn for Stitches West is …, also a blend of merino and silk.

See you soon!

Miss Babs Knitting Tour 2012 – A Club for Armchair Travelers!

Miss Babs — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:02:39 +0000

2012 Miss Babs Knitting Tour

Are you passionate about knitting and travel? Do you dream of knitting in far-off locales?

Well then this is the knitting club for you! In 2012, we will be taking you to four breathtaking locations – Island, Moors, Mountains, and City – all from the comfort of your favorite knitting chair! We’ve got one trip planned every three months, which will give you plenty of time enjoy the adventure, savor your project, and rest up for the next exciting journey!

TRAVEL: We’re taking you on an Island Getaway in March, just when we’re ready to throw off the gloom of winter. In June we will visit The Moors that many of us learned about as children, in time for the summer bloom. Early fall will find us in the Mountains for the crisp, clean air of the season. And in early December we’ll jaunt off to the big City for window shopping and Christmas store decorations. One trip is in the US, but all others take us to Europe and further, so have your passport ready!

Your travel kit will include plenty information, not just about your destination, but about the journey as well! The details will include your itinerary, and lots of local flavor once you’re there. In addition we will have a knit-along for each of the kits. There will be surcis/extras with each kit that are appropriate extras for helping you knit on a trip. Worried about traveling all on your own? Well don’t! We’re also going to throw in a Tour Guide who will be available on Ravelry, in the Miss Babs Knitting Tour Group to discuss the travel, the patterns, and the knitting!

DESIGNERS: Your designers include: Susannah IC (zuzusus on Rav), who has designed so many lovely shawls that we’ve almost lost count! Rosemary Hill (Romi), who designed and knit 11 shawls in 2011 alone! Cecily Glowik MacDonald (cecilyam), whose designs include everything from sweaters to shawls to mitts and hats and are each more beautiful than the next. Martina Behm (Maltina), whose designs include a series of scarves inspired by the ever-so-popular Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy!

PROJECTS: We will knit 3 shawls plus a pair of mitts and cowl during this year. Yarns include my Yet Lace (heavy lace), Yummy Sport, Northumbria Blue Face Leicester in DK weight, and Yowza! Whatta Skein. And before you go thinking that this is yet another single-skein project club, have we got a surprise for you! Our first three installments will include either extra yardage or a complete second skein and have you seen the yardage on our Yowza? It may as well be two skeins all by itself!

TRAVEL FEES: Fare for the Tour is $230 for members in the US, $240 for members in Canada, and $285 for our International members.

DUE DATES: We’re offering the option of making a Single Payment by February 28 or you can break it up into Two Payments (add $10 Booking Fee for this service) – half by February 28 and balance due by March 20.

Reservations for this once-in-a-lifetime trip open on Thursday, January 12 2012. Book your ticket early, to ensure you a place on the tour, as there are a limited number of seats available! Check the website for booking information on Thursday!

Have You Met Woolbert??

Miss Babs — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:25:25 +0000

Woolbert is our Roving Reporter, who will be reporting on studio activity (and more!) as we get ready for shows…right now for Stitches West! Which is coming soon for us in the dye world. Here he is. Int he cute? Please join us as we post pictures and info on the Stitches West Vendor Preview Thread. You’ll get to know us here at Miss Babs though the googly eyes of Woolbert…and get to meet his Girlfriend Woolamina, and his Twisted Brother Wooliam.

Woolbert, our Roving Reporter

It’s a Wrap! with Woolgirl….

Miss Babs — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:29:30 +0000

We have joined with Jen of Woolgirl (www.woolgirl.com) to create a kit called “It’s a Wrap.” We have selected 13 colors that you can select from for the kit. If you are interested in receiving the PDF file with all of the details and colors, please contact us or Jen at Woolgirl.

It's a Wrap in Oyster

Just One Left – Orphan Skein Sale! Cyber Monday! 20% Off!

Miss Babs — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:00:47 +0000

Cyber Monday Sale!

Orphan Skein Sale!

These are the last of One of a Kind Dyelots!

We have a number of single skeins left in a number of bases. We will be offering these on Cyber Monday at 20% off. These are in the Destash area of the website. I will be going through the inventory and finding more to add through the day.

This is our banner ad on Ravelry.