It's Autumn and that means a sale!

I enjoy something about each of the seasons. But Autumn is by far my favorite!


I knit all year round (not as much as I'd like and mostly just swatches these days) but when the weather finally breaks in September and suddenly it's cool enough (downright cold at night) to want to wear sweaters the urge to knit is overwhelming.  I love everything about this time of year...the colors, the crispness in the air, apple and pumpkin festivals, hay rides, Rhinebeck, bundling up in sweaters and under blankets, football and soccer games, back to school events, the works.

So, in celebration of all of these things, I want to make it a little (okay, a LOT) less expensive for you to include some of my hand-painted yarns and rovings in your Autumn knitting and spinning. For the next week (at least) I'm offering a discount coupon in my ETSY shop giving you 40% off anything in the shop.  As of right now, all of my available skeins of sock yarn are listed. I will be adding all of my available braids of roving over the next couple of days.

If you haven't tried knitting socks yet, this is the perfect opportunity.  Socks are my favorite knitting project for a number of reasons. First, your total project cost is so much lower than a sweater. Secondly, they are SO portable. Third, you can experiment with ANY technique or style of knitting on a sock cuff. And finally, nothing feels as amazing as socks that have been custom made to fit your foot. NOTHING.

If you are already adicted to knitting socks, this is a great time to add some of my crazy color creations to your stash. I have something for everyones' color preferences. Maybe a bit more for those of us who love all things pink, but every color of the colorwheel is currently in the shop. For now, at least.

If socks aren't your thing, my sock yarn makes gorgeous shawls and scarves. And, if you hold two strands together, it is worsted weight and will look great in any project.

So, get 'em while they are here. I am not anticipating doing much (if any) dyeing until after the new year.  Life is a bit hectic around here at the moment. So, if you are thinking of giving some of my yarn as a holiday present, now is your chance to get it at a great price.

To take advantage of this sale, simply type the coupon code "TWITTER40" in the coupon box at checkout time. 40% will be deducted off of your order total. Shipping fees will still apply.

As always, I greatly appreciate your business.

Sue

It's Balticon Time!

Balticon 45 is just around the corner. The idea to create special limited edition colorways began last year as a crazy brainstorm. I truly love those "What if..." kind of moments. Originally I was going to try to create colorways that represented genres. The idea morphed into using various written and podcast works written and/or broadcast by people I knew (or would be meeting) at Balticon. Last year I did 5 colorways. This year, there are 8!!

You can see them all individually on the Balticon 2011 page.  I have knit swatches out of each of them. They all have their own personality and are truly unique individuals.

When I create LE (limited edition) colorways I only dye a certain number and once those are gone, they will not be heard from again for at least a year or two...most likely longer. For a yarn shop, that limited run might be 15-30 skeins. For Balticon, it is 5. Yup, that's it. Five. So, for that reason, I limit sales to just one skein per color per person until after all the pre-convention sales are done. If I have any skeins left I will bring them to Balticon with me.

Ordering Information

All orders will be taken by email and then invoiced through Paypal. So, please make sure to either use the email address associated with your paypal account or in your email let me know what address to send the invoice to. I will take orders on a first-come, first-served basis after 8 am (EST) tomorrow morning (Saturday, May 14, 2011). Send your email listing the color(s) you would like to DyedBrightHere (at) gmail (dot) com. I will reply with a confirmation letting you know that I got it and if any of the colors you want are already sold out. I will update this site as colors sell out as well.  

Pricing Information

1 color      $22

2 colors    $40     Save $4

3 colors    $57     Save $9

4 colors    $72     Save $16

5 colors    $85     Save $25

6 colors    $96     Save $36

7 colors    $105     Save $49

ALL 8      $112     Save $64

Shipping Information

Please let me know in your email if you will be attending Balticon and I will bring your order with me if you wish and save you on the shipping costs. Otherwise, shipping will be $3 for the first skein and $.50 for each additional skein for US orders. Shipping for Canada is $5 for the first skein and $.75 for each additional; International is $10 for the first skein and $1 for each additional.  I ship with the USPS by First Class or Priority.

Thank you!

I am humbled by the words that my friends write and grateful for the inspiration that they give me; not just at Balticon time, but throughout the year. I have been blessed to meet, get to know, and call, 'friend' some amazing individuals. Their support of my creative endeavors and of me as an individual has helped me get through the darkest times I could never have imagined and helped me grow as an artist and as a human being.

Thank you in advance for purchasing my yarn. Your support means the world to me. I would love to see any pictures of things you create with my 'babies'.

Artists inspiring other artists

It seems like there are a lot of artists out there but that's because so many of the people I know and love are artists of one sort or another. I think the truth is that artists might make up 10-15% of the general population but that is just a guess. I have not done any sort of actual research into this. I base this on things I notice when I am out and about in the world (at work, at the gym, out shopping). I am always surprised by people's reactions when they find out that I am an artist. They look at me like they are waiting for my other head to rise up out of my neck or shoulders. 

I mention this because I tend to forget that most people don't immerse themselves in art and the creative processes each and every day. Those are things I am beginning to take for granted. Thankfully. I no longer push those sorts of thoughts to the back of my brain. Now, I make sure that color, poetry, writing, and art are part of my everyday routine. And in doing so, I am talking to other artists every day--writers, photographers, cartoonists, graphic designers, other fiber artists, textile designers, knitters, musicians.  I am reading and listening to and observing their works. Their presence in my life pushes me to grow as an artist. 

I believe very strongly in artists helping other artists. Often this takes the form of doing what I can to help spread the word of their available works. Tweeting and re-tweeting PR stuff, links, liking and sharing on FB. But sometimes this also means being inspired by their works; translating their vision into my artistic language. That is how the Balticon colorways came to be. 

As an artist, I have my own favorite colors. I have traditional inspirational sources (nature in particular). But I found in thinking about paying homage to friends who are also creators (in this case, writers and podcasters) that I was forced to stretch my imagination and think about things in a different way. When you read a story, sometimes (as in the case of Alex White's "Gearheart") the author has included colorful descriptions; other times, there are integral elements of the story that evoke colors (as is the case in Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris's "Phoenix Rising").  Listening to the podcast versions of some of these also adds the element of voice and music. All of these things--words, voices, sounds--all blend together to give the person experiencing the work a particular feeling. It was that feeling that I wanted to capture, or translate, into color. My medium is fiber. Sock yarn specifically. 

The person who then buys these yarns that I have created based on my friends' works is then the next link in this chain of creativity. For then, you see, they will use my creations to make their own creations; perhaps socks, maybe gloves or gauntlets, or even a scarf or lacy shawl. What they make doesn't matter. That they create is what matters. Artists inspiring other artists inspiring even more artists...

If you are not already familiar with the works that I have used as inspiration for this series of colorways, please click on the links on the Balticon 2011 page and check out these amazing artists and their works. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

The Gearheart

I recently listened to The Gearheart podcast by Alex White. Alex uses a lot of colors in his descriptions. I was so inspired by the colors in this story that it became the first colorway of Balticon 2011. I incourage you to listen to the story. Alex and his wife, Renee are the readers (they do a number of different and wonderful voices/accents for the production) and Alex also composed the score for the production. 

These first photos were taken with my blackberry. I will be taking better images and officially adding the colorway to the separate page for Balticon 2011 in the near future. For now, I just had to share my instantaneous love of these colors with you.

Color Choices (in poetry)

A rainbow of choices

to create

whatever I wish

quick!

pick a color. 

Close your eyes

be color blind

make random choices

there are no rights or wrongs

in child's play.

Dark days

of blue and black

soul bruises

Memphis music

no turning back. 

Tranquility

a cool stillness

blue, green, teal

rippling waters

soothing me.

Brown dirt

tan rocks and sand

rusty red clay

the colors of Mother Earth

cradle and comfort.

Sultry, slinky, sex appeal

lavender and lace

a passion for purple

aubergine erotica

my favorite color. 

Funky, fruity

mango, lime, and grape

Caribbean colors

Bermuda triad

silly yet sexy.

Red hots

fire engines

blood red nails

drop dead gorgeous

sex appeal.

Tangerine and lemon

fresh and clean

smell the citrus zest

I'm going to knit socks

that need to be juiced.

Dyer's Notes:Polo Ponies and Georgia Peach

I knew ahead of time some of the colors I was going to be dying.  The first one on my list was Sophisticated Schoolgirl.  I have dyed this color twice before and sold it instantaneously.

Then, I knew I wanted to do a masculine, darker yarn.  The last two pair of socks that I have made for Addison have been with these warm brown sort-of mixtures.  When I was deciding which colors to use for this, I was reminded of horse colors.  Chestnut, brown, black, bay.  And so they named themselves.  I liked this color combination in theory but the reality of how they turned out exceded my expectations.  I love the dark purple quality of this yarn and can't wait to see how the colors play off of each other when knit up!

But the biggest surprise for me was Georgia Peach.  Someone had commented that the color they most wanted to see was peach.  Since I don't have a specific peach colored dye I made my own (yes, I take notes so I can do it again).  A few of the skeins were dyed in a kettle manner rather than being painted.  This color was one of the kettle ones.  I used the dye in a very diluted concentration and then added some of the full strength as well as some pink selectively.  Now, while I love the color pink, I am not a pastel person.  Nor am I usually wowed by the color peach.  But, I've got to tell you, I am smitten with this color.  Somehow, it is rich and yet subtle at the same time.  I'm not sure that's really possible but there you have it.

Next up: Early Autumn and Summer garden

Potential & Possibilities

I started a little shop on Etsy (Knitted Things and Strings from the Fearlessknitter) a little less than 3 months ago.

The first group of things I put up for sale was knitted items. They ranged from a large, expensive circular lace shawl made from a yarn that is a blend of wool, silk, and silver

 to some simple hats and inexpensive cotton coasters.

The second set of things I put up for sale was hand dyed yarns. I am working on developing my own lines. I named my sock yarn "High Society" because hand knit socks make you feel like a million bucks.

 My personal color sense involves bright colors. I try to combine colors in unusual ways and the results usually make me smile. So, I call my superwash line "Celebrate Superwash" 

and my merino worsted weight "Creative Colors".

The third set of things was hand spun yarn. I have listed a variety of fibers and weights from lace to bulky and including angora and some sparkly accents.

When I started this venture I figured I would be mostly selling those knitted things and maybe a little yarn. The reality so far is very different. Of my seven sales so far, two have been finished items, five have been yarn I dyed, and so far no hand spun sales.

So I've been thinking about my potential customers. It turns out that I am attempting to sell to two very different groups of people at the same time. One group appreciates hand knit items but does not knit or crochet themselves. The second group is made up of people like me who knit, crochet, spin, weave, or felt--fiber crafting folks.

So, what to do? When I knit do I knit to sell? Knit to experiment with design, color, shape, texture, fiber, stitch, form, and construction? Knit for myself, family, and friends? Knit for the pure pleasure and joy of it?

What about my newest fiber love-spinning? The questions are pretty much the same as the knitting ones.

Then, there's the dying...

Turns out that even when I am dying my own stuff, I will still buy other people's yarns. But, the more I see and experience with color the more I want to do. As a knitter I love finding a color that makes me say, "Wow, I gotta have that". I will forever be going through the never ending cycle of adding to and then using from my beloved "Stash".

While we are all such individuals I think most of us fiber folks are more alike than we realize. So, I'm going to try to focus on what I love the most--COLOR. I want to create yarns that make people feel like "I just gotta have that color". I want to offer a product that is reasonably priced yet compensates me for my time, effort, and expertise.

So, I plan to talk to a local gift shop owner about some of the small hand knit items that I create every so often. I will continue to spin and will sell (or gift) what I don't persoanally use. But the main focus of my shop will be the hand painted yarn and as I improve with dying roving I may end up selling some of that too.

I'm gratified that people like the things I knit. But, rather than sell things, I want to sell potential and possibilities.