Miss Babs Blog

Babs Ausherman

Ever since I was a little girl, July and August meant putting things up in jars and freezing vegetables from the garden. I come from a family of women who canned lots of pickles, preserves, conserves, jams, and jellies. My granny, Gladys Smith, was known for taking sugar on a camping outing so she could make jam and jelly while they were out in the forests using wild-picked berries. She also made a living making really good preserves and conserves and selling them to visitors to the Smokies of North... Read More

Another K for the DK

Jennifer J

First off...Thank You! Naming things is a constant activity here at Miss Babs, and generally we enjoy the process, have fun with it and make it a game. Finding a name for our New DK yarn was makin' us crazy! Thank you all for the suggestions and words that led us breadcrumb-like to our New DK's name...Kaweah DK.Your Mountain suggestions drew us to the western United States where we found another "K" to add to Katahdin and Kilimanjaro. The word Kaweah is Yokuts Indian for "crow" and names not only... Read More

Help! New DK needs a name!

Jennifer J

Coming soon from Miss Babs - A new DK yarn that we would like YOU to help us name! The new yarn is soft, superwash, 100% Merino with 3 smooth plies that create a smooshy, springy DK weight yarn. Please join us in the quest to come up with a terrific name for our New DK! You can submit your suggestions by commenting here, on our Facebook page, or on our Ravelry group. We will compile all the entries and select TWO winners. One winner will be randomly selected from... Read More

Twirly Skirt Winner!

Helen C

Thanks to everyone who commented on yesterday's post! Our randomly selected winner is Suzi H--if you think this might be you, please check your email! We hope you all have an enjoyable July 4th! Read More

Babs' Birthday Colorway

Jennifer J

Happy Birthday! Twirly Skirt is evocative of that feeling, as a little girl, of spinning in a circle with arms wide. We've all had that special skirt, that spun with us and made us smile! The colors are taken straight from the gardens here at the studio. Babs has planted a variety of daylilies that usually decide to bloom right around her birthday. We have the limited edition dry and posted to the website. Post a comment here and we will randomly choose a winner on Wednesday July 2nd for... Read More

How to Train Your Holey Shawl

Jennifer J

Jen here... I'm always excited when a new knitted sample comes in the mail from one of our talented and speedy knitters! I love to unwrap the freshly blocked creation, and begin to play with the wearing of it. Since I rarely finish my own knitting, this is how I live into the idea of finished knits! We sent our sample knitter a full skein of our Yasmin Laceweight in Roasted Pumpkin and soon had the Holey Square Shawl by Marianne Sigg back with the remaining ball of unused yarn.... Read More

Vacation, Workshop Classes, and Asheville Nostalgia

Babs Ausherman

It's been a quick week. But isn't that always the way with a vacation week? When you are dreaming about it weeks before, you think about all the things you are going to get done, or not do, on those 9 long days. So now it's over. I did not get done near what I had on my list, but I did get some very important things done, or not done. I actually relaxed. My mind has calmed. I had some nice talks with my husband. I cleaned some of... Read More

May Musings

Babs Ausherman

As always each year seems to fly by faster and faster. And here we are in May already, it seems like it was just January and February. I was counting days in my life (multiplying actually) and realized that given how many days I have already lived, I should have this thing figured out and be more graceful and effective and smooth and...wwll you get the picture. I still have good days and bad days just like everyone else. I am happy that the irises are blooming and the pileated... Read More

April Showers...

Babs Ausherman

Bring May Flowers! Our next show is Maryland Sheep and Wool, held the first weekend of May - May 3 and 4 on the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland. If you have never been, it's a great show with lots of vendors and LOTS of critters! Generally beautiful spring weather and a great time is had by all. I absolutely love this show! The sights and smells are fun to experience. One of my favorite things, when I wasn't a vendor, was watching the Sheep to Shawl event... Read More

Spring is Here!! and More about 2014

Babs Ausherman

We are barely into the fourth month of the year and it has already been very...busy, crazy, emotional, whelming and overwhelming, and filled with lots of dyeing and readying for shows. Personal and business has been much intermixed--not always what one wants, but sometimes you just can't not mix the two. Many of you know that my apprentice, Jen H., was was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which has required chemotherapy and radiation. This has been a difficult space of time for all, and most of all for Jen who... Read More

Heading West

Babs Ausherman

This coming week is all Stitches and all #StitchesWest! We have been able to ship quite a bit of yarn in spite of the fact that Jen H. wasn't there to dye and process and wash yarn like she normally is. Everyone else in the studio stepped up to help out! In spite of how much we have shipped, I actually have some extra that I dyed to leave here for the website so that those of you not going to Santa Clara will still have some things to check... Read More

Today

Babs Ausherman

This blog post is intensely personal in many ways. I don't talk much about my personal life because it's, well, personal. And when I expose my personal life, it also means I am exposing the personal life of others, and that is not always fair for them. Since last fall, I have been saying to myself and folks here that I have had this "feeling" that I need to spend more time with my husband and family this coming year, and wanted to do a bit less traveling so that... Read More