Back on the Road

Back to the blog after making over 200 skeins between Dec. 19-Jan. 13. I dyed 20 pounds of fiber and sent it off to busy spinners. Mike hasn't been able to pry me off the spinning wheel. We ended 2010 with a half of basket of yarn, not enough (is there ever enough?) so the spinning wheel was humming for just about a straight month. While dyeing I tried to enjoy the brief sunshine we had in Southern California....

The back-yard ready for a good clean up....

Happy New Year, Jan sent this Maine Coon Cat Calender! Ahhh
Pruned roses
New Year's day I rang the new year in by dyeing and trimming back the roses
Jan's Meyer Lemon tree waiting for harvest, this year Jan is coming to pick her own fruit!
The Pink Lemon tree
I picked lemons
New Year's Day of dyeing
Happy New Year
Full
Gone
Lily helping with beaded yarn. Her latest is taking a mouthful of beads quickly jumping down on the floor and spitting them out then playing with them. As if there aren't enough beads on the floor already!
It's been so rainy in LA that we've had to dry the fiber inside, Lily thought it would be fun to jump on it and OPPPS
Val taking a break from skeining to eat Sushi, she was so concerned about my mental health that she volunteered to come and help. Don't we all love her?
Yarn waiting to be skeined

Yarn lined up for assessment "is there enough?"
This is a brand new from Lynn Wilson Designs using Tanglewood beaded Cashmere and Silk called Neck Lace! This pattern will make it's debut at Vogue Knitting Live in NY Jan.21-23
My new Cowl on the needles trying to make it in time to wear it in Tulsa and New York
This year for the first time since we started business TFC didn't have a booth at the Wholesale show at TNNA. I am so overwhelmed with work I just didn't feel like I could take anything more on so I attended and got to see my friends and take classes, mostly business classes as that's what I really need! Steven was our "go to" guy, driving and feeding us and adding joy to our fun. Mariel (intern from this summer) was able to join us and see a bit of Los Angeles. So much fun and lots of networking. Sherry Mulne filmed both Mariel and I in order to make a video that she will take to Colleges hoping to attract more young people into the needle arts profession. Got to see my friends from Lantern Moon, Moving Mud, Muench Yarns and In the Making. So many more friendships were renewed! Lots of input (basically "where is our yarn").

We got to hang out with the gals from Loops and spent a lot of time together. Mariel was so glad to have faces to put on names she had helped make yarn for this summer..

Shelley, Gina and Mariel at the Fashion show at TNNA
A baby sweater...black is "the" new color for Baby things
Gina, Shelley and Mariel after a long day at TNNA
Shelley and Gina loving the new Edelweiss and Sterling Silver in 50% Angora 25% Silk 25% Cashmere
This gentleman was playing Spanish music
This picture is of the Lobster Bisque, it looks like a pot pie but was so good!
Ummm food

Saturday Steven said we had to take a break and take Mariel around Los Angeles so we headed to Hollywood....

We saw lots of interesting things and people and of course had to try a new type of Asian food (it was new to us!)

Shabu Shabu cooking! It's quick which was good as we were so hungry

Mariel and I eating Shabu Shabu, I can't remember what was said ( I think I was right about something )but we were all sore from laughing
Hollywood Blvd.
The famous Chinese Theater!
All too soon TNNA was over and Mariel was on a plane back home to Tenn. However after a month of Mom and then a weekend without, Lily was so happy I was back at work. Although she really wanted to be petted....

While I was 3000 miles away making yarn and attending TNNA, Cynthia (Knitting Central) was working hard to prepare things for Vogue Knitting Live. She has been busy designing and planning. We talk and text daily, planning and plotting. So involved things have become I decided that Steven was going to have to come too, so more plane tickets purchased and more plotting and planning......

These are three projects that will be avaible in kits at Vogue Knitting Live through Knitting Central.


No play, all work, yarn being made here, I had to send pictures of what my view has been the last month. I hadn't left the house before TNNA but one time since Dec. 18th. TNNA was such a nice break. Everyone thinks my job is romantic and lovely, and mostly it is but when you stare and the same thing for a month it gets old
Mike has been using the "Man Cave" a lot since his house is a yarn sweat shop. This is what the house has looked like for most of the fall and now into deep Winter. Yarn waiting for inventory
yarn and clothes drying for Trunk Show at Loops (Tulsa) and Vogue Knitting Live,

Endless skeins have been dryed here over the last 4 months. Most are either with me in Tulsa or in NY waiting for my arrival. These clothes are in my suitcase. It feels good to be out on the road again. A month is a long time to be in one spot for me. It was good to rest and make yarn but it feels really good to be out on the road.

I am in Tulsa now but can't put my hand on the phone or cord to put pictures into the computer. I had a big surprise waiting for me here, Mariel came to continue the fun we had with the "Loops Troups" at TNNA in Long Beach. I don't really know how it happened but I'm really glad as it is fun to have a friend on the road. I think Shelley and Gina have decided that Mariel needs to spend the summer in Tulsa after hearing about all the good work we did this summer, so it looks as though Mariel will be an intern again. Hopefully Emily will be able to visit this summer in Oregon.... it was a little sad not to have her guiding hand and joyful presents here too.

Meanwhile Emma and Don are making progress on fixing up there very own house. Emma reports that she did laundry in her very own washer last week, although still cooking in the camper. Mark and Abel are doing well, and we miss each other, me feeling like half my heart is torn out everytime I hear their voices with the missing of them.

Becky has been doing remodeling- check out her blog for pictures, it has gone well although there is continuing problems with the new washer and dryer, even with Jan and Neils help things are not all good. Men are coming to fix things so there is hope.

After VK Live (the day after Steven and I return from NY) Angela will be joining Tanglewood as my new PiPN intern, making Mariel's leaving not so sad. I can hardly wait and so hope she feels the same!

The next day Jan and Neil will be coming for their first visit to Los Angeles! Jan feels she'd like to see the places I talk about when I'm in LA, as you know she has to harvest her lemon tree for her birthday present! She believes she is done lambing for this season.

Mike can hardly wait not to hear about VK Live and for me to get back to a more normal life and take a few days off (really off like no yarn being made after he goes to bed or talking about yarn or his house covered in cashmere, and maybe a homecooked meal). I look forward to getting caught up with orders as everyone is waiting for yarn and getting really impatient about it. Daily I'm getting e-mails from not only yarn shops but retail customers hoping againist hope that yarn is coming their way. I've encouraged our spinners to try and get spinning done in record time and many of them have stepped up to the challenge (which makes me wonder what their families are saying like "Mom why is there cashmere in my sandwhich?" but then I try not to think about it and make more yarn) Cheryl N. has by far been the fastest! I think she set a record of spinning 44 ozs. in two days, fingering weight.

Alexandra has been working too, she has been selling her hand-dyed yarn while still working for Nathan (AKA Woolee Winder). Mataniu has decided to come to work for Tanglewood as well and is our third plier, this should really speed up production....

I have lots of fiber waiting at home to be dyed. Tomorrow I spend my last day at Loops (South) and then fly with the left over (of which there is a lot less) to Manhattan and help Cynthia prepare the booth for...... VK Live. This time next week it will be all over and 6 months of planning and work will be done. I can't imagine what that will be like but look forward to it!

I hope to return to Oregon in Feb. and maybe do a few Trunk Shows toward the end of March and into April. May I will be flying to Westport Yarns to teach a Dye workshop and attend Maryland Sheep and Wool. It seems far away now but it's coming fast!

Meanwhile a check of the clock tells me it's very late and I have another day of work tomorrow. I look forward to visiting with you again and hope we meet very soon, and if you coming to VK Live know that we are putting together a very special booth. If you are in Oregon wondering when I'm ever coming home wonder not. Mike rest assured there will be a homecooked meal in your future. Steven please buy a coat it's going to snow in NY!