Enfield Show - A busy Weekend

We're having the last gasp of summer weather here, with a lovely warm dayyesterday for our annual town show. I entered some classes of the baking competition and am pleased to have won some prizes (first in bread, fruit cake, sausage rolls and cookies and a third in jam tarts) - all we have to do now now is take the entries home and eat them!

I'm also on the home straight with my Open University maths studies for this year, but it is getting a bit difficult! I've been trying to work through the unit about applying complex numbers to fluid flows, but I'm just not getting it! I think I'll have to give up on that for the time being and wait for the tutorial - often when someone explains the topic, it is just so much more straightforward than when I've been trying to work it out for myself. In the meantime I'll go onto the next topic and try to get ahead with that. I've got the exam in October and it will be relief to get it done, although in post-exam euphoria I'll probably sign up for another course!

Knitting wise, I'm trying to finish an alpaca & silk lace weight stole that I started ages ago, so I cam get it in the shop for Christmas orders, plus I have got half way through a bamboo shawl, but think the colors don't look right, so I will have to undo it, wash the yarn to get the kinks out and start again. Oh Joy!

Autumn Starts!

There were no posts during August as I was taking a bit of time off, but now September is here, I'm back from my holidays and getting ready for autumn-winter 2011-12!

I've been accepted into fibreholics - I'm so pleased - and will be included in their next round - due to go out on September 7th I think. I've sent some aran silk and some DK silk and hope people will like it. I've added some DK weight silk to my etsy shop (pictures below) and to Ravelry and have some more ready to dye. Let's hope I'm rushed off my feet with orders!

Seas of Green DK Silk

Leaf Green DK Silk

Fall Garden DK Silk

Sadly my suppliers are having problems getting the aran weight silk, so I may not be able to continue with it, but I'm hoping that they will be able to resolve things. The only other alternative seems to be to import it directly and I really can't afford to buy 200kg at one go! Plus imagine having to go and pick it up from Felixstowe or wherever it would arrive - it certaintly wouldn't fit in my Nissan Micra!

My first Farmers' market of the new season is on September 11th at St. Alban's and then I'll be at Wheathampstead on the 18th and Harpendend on the 25th. I'm hoping people will start shopping (very) early for Christmas!

Fibre East

I had a thoroughly enjoyable day at the new show Fibre East last Saturday - the weather was fine, so it was easy to get around the marquees and the event was well managed by the friendly officials.

It was really well-attended and of course I bought much more than I intended! Pick of the show for me was the Teeswater wools stand - www.teewaterwools.co.uk - loads of beautifully dyed yarn for knitting or weaving, plus samples of finished projects for inspiration.

I also found out about Fibreholics UK and their scheme for sending out sample bags from small independent dyers - just what I could do with to publicise my dyed silk, so I have applied to join. fingers crossed that I will be accepted.

July - August

Just got back from Wheathampstead market and luckily managed to dodge the showers. I didn't sell a lot, but did have a run on my crocheted flower hairslides, so I'll have to get making to replace them.

Plenty of time for that though, as I'm taking August off and my next market will be at St Alban's in September. It seems like a long way away, but I've got plenty to do in the knitting department, as well as two assignments for my OU Maths course, so it will fly by.

I've dyed some more yarn - plum purple colour this time - and have put it in my etsy shop. Sales have been quiet - I was hoping that the yarn would be a year-round seller, but it is a very crowded market place and I will reassess things in the autumn. I will probably start taking to to my Farmers' markets and will look into doing the round of yarn shows, taking out ads etc.

I'm off to Fibre East next Saturday as a customer. It's a new show and I'm looking forward to it. I'll post a review next week.

July update

Just to let you all know that I'll be at St Alban's and Wheathampstead Farmers' markets this month (10th & 17th respectively). I don't know how awake I'll be at Wheathampstead as we're off to our niece's wedding in Cambridge on the Saturday!

Highgate Fair in the Square was a little quieter than I thought it would be, but it was a pleasant day out and my husband stayed for the day instead of just dropping me off which was a great help - among other things, the Ladies' were a long way from my stall!

I've just been reading up on a new event - FibreEast - which is taking place at the end of the month. It's only about an hour's drive from me, so I'll be going for a day and I'm looking forward to it.

Finally, I'm in a really active team on Etsy, Knit1Treble2, and we're having a July sale with 10% off in our shops between the 9th and the 24th. Let's hope it generates some sales for everyone in what can be a quiet time of the year.

Mid June update

I've been having a busy time since my last post - here's an update:

St. Alban's farmers market was so cold and wet last Sunday! I really thought I should have put on my thermals! However, thanks to the customers who braved the weather and came out - my takings were up on last year, which is good news.

I went for a day out in Highgate yesterday to have a look round the area before I go there on Saturday to do the "Fair in the Square". What a lovely place it is - nice little shops and restaurants and a beautiful park - I'm really looking forward to the weekend.

I'm at Wheathampstead Farmers' market on Sunday morning, which may be quiet, but is still a pleasant place to visit.

I've dyed some more yarn and put it in my etsy shop - "Marine" and "Summer Lilac Blooms" as I mentioned before - here's some pictures. Both have turned out to be quite difficult shades to picture accurately, but I do try to give a full description as well and of course will always take returns if anyone is unhappy with their purchase.

Marine

Summer Lilac Blooms

My parcel of yarn has arrived - all 10.2 kg! so I will have to get on with dyeing that and possibly working our a new scarf design to use with it.

More updates after the weekend!

Yarn

Since my last post, I have had a sale of my silk yarn - Thank you to Esther in Munich!

I'm now sold out of the Berries and Teal colorways and am getting ready to dye some more. I thought a turquoise mix for one batch and a lilac/pink mix for the other. I recently had a couple of scarves made up in the lilac pink shades, but I didn't write down the dye recipe, so I'll just have to try to reproduce it as best I can! It's always fun mixing the colors, but I'm trying to be more accurate at recording them now, as I expect I will have to replicate them.

I've dyed my sample of the new yarn I mentioned in my last post - it has become a little more loose and soft in the process, but is still more like dk than aran, so I'll work out a new design to use with it. Probably time for a change anyway. I've gone ahead and ordered ten kilos, so let's hope it's popular!

Still no pictures - I will get the camera out soon!