BLUE MOUNTAIN HANDCRAFTS

Shop Update

2012-01-27T16:16:00.000-05:00

Got some new things in the shop today! Textured Art Roving, hand dyed top, and some hand comb covers. Next week I'm hoping to have more Dazzle and bags to list and maybe a few batts:)

The Art Roving Hackle Part 3: Making Textured/Chunky Art Roving

2012-01-25T15:11:00.000-05:00

I had all the pictures taken for the tutorial using the art roving you see to the left. Really. Me, being the technologically advanced person that I am hit a button on my keyboard and my computer swallowed all but the 4 photos here. Did you hear me scream? That's alright though because I have a trick I discovered recently that I can share with you in this tutorial. I call it "The Ellis Technique" also known as "Reloading". Don't ask unless you really want to know the story behind that, it'a a little weird.

TEXTURED/CHUNKY ART ROVING:

There are many different ways you can prep your fiber and load it onto the hackle to achieve various effects for spinning. You can load locks, top, etc, directly onto the hackle much like we did in the 1st and 2nd ARH (Art Roving Hackle) tutorials. You can double layer your colors so that when you Part Don King's Hair your roving dizzed off the tophalf of the hackle will match the roving you diz off the bottom half. Again, many different ways to prep your fiber. I do, however, suggest you use at least one fluffy "grabby" fiber to help "glue" everything together. For instance, kid mohair locks are great in art roving but your roving would fall all to pieces if this were the only fiber you loaded on your hackle.
For this tutorial I chose to grab various types of fiber~~~silk, bamboo, firestar, sparkle, faux cashmere, kid mohair locks, romney, cormo, and merino fleeces...the latter 3 being my "glue". I then talked Alex into running it through my Fancy Kitty bench picker twice for me. He's a sweetheart. This opened up locks , blended the fibers and colors some and got rid of a bit of the vegetable matter.

We're going to do something a little bit different this time. You can obviously load the hackle , Part Don King's Hair and diz as we did in previous tutorials but we're not this time. Grab a handful of your fiber and lash it onto the hackle........do not lash on more than 1.5oz total because we are going to diz across the whole face of the hackle!!! If you pack to much on you will get more waste. I've found that approx. 1.5 oz will give me enough dizzed fiber to make it worth going to the trouble and not so much waste that I want to grit my teeth.

THE ELLIS TECHNIQUE aka RELOADING

This is so simple you'll wonder why you didn't think of it.........or why I didn't think of it months ago. I still don't know why I didn't think of it sooner! Start dizzing across the whole face of the hackle from right to left. When you get to the end DON'T DIZ ALL THE FIBER OFF!! Leave a little on the hackle and the diz in place. I found it very helpful to have a chair to catch all the dizzed roving.

Clean the waste off of the hackle and set aside being careful not to disturb the fiber your diz is on. Now, with approx. 1.5 oz of fiber, RELOAD your hackle from the point you stopped dizzing down to the other end. To start dizzing again, pull your diz back toward you, grab a little bit of the reloaded fiber and tuck it into the hole of the diz along with the 1st load of fiber so it pulls through when you diz off the remainder of the first loading to start dizzing the second batch. Diz across and stop just before you get to the end. Continue to reload and diz back and forth across the face of the hackle until you've dizzed all your fiber. This will produce a continuous strand of roving provided you don't break it when dizzing. I suggest rolling it into a ball when you're done much like you would ball up yarn.

I had 6.2 oz of fiber that I started with. After loading the hackle a total of 4 times I was able to diz off a 5.4 oz roving ball and had 0.8 oz of waste that I'll toss in my drum carder. Not bad!! Again, remember that the amount of waste you get will greatly be determined by the type of fiber you use, how the fiber is prepped, how much you load on the hackle, and your dizzing technique. Dizzing does take practice to get the best results. That's it for the Art Roving Hackle Tutorials.

I'll be posting the first of the Comb and Hackle Tutorials sometime after the 1st of February.

FaceBook

2012-01-20T10:36:00.000-05:00

Blue Mountain Handcrafts now has a Face Book page! Come follow us for shop updates, news, sales, and chatting. Please feel free to share pictures of items you've made with your BMH products!

Shop Update!

2012-01-15T18:13:00.000-05:00

I got lots of new stuff listed in the shop yesterday and today I moved some batts, dyed top, and fleece to the Clearance section. We are offering Art Roving again for your spinning pleasure (Combed Top/Roving section) and we have a new product called DAZZLE. It's a blend of sparkly fibers and is great for adding to batts, combed top, and art roving. Currently I have 9 colors up and will be adding to this. The varigated colors are one of a kind and cannot be repeated.

Blue Mountain Handcrafts

The Art Roving Hackle Part 2: Making Smooth Art Roving

2012-01-09T16:47:00.002-05:00

Hello all! In this tutorial I'm going to show you how to make smooth Art Roving on the Art Roving Hackle. It's one of the lovely things about this hackle....it will do textured/chunky roving as well as smooth and all points in between. Gotta love a versatile tool!

In this particular tutorial I have split the Art Roving Hackle into two sections with my high tech piece of cardboard. I want to demonstrate that the type of fiber you put on the hackle along with how much you pack it and how you diz it also effects how much fiber and waste you end up with. For this tutorial one half will be a mixture of mill combed top and add ins with the other half being hand combed top and add ins.

I will not be repeating instructions that were previously explained in the Art Roving Hackle Part 1 so for attaching the hackle and basic loading and dizzing you will need to refer to that tutorial. Alright, let's get started!

The Fiber

I have weighed out two batches of fiber with each weighing 2 oz. As I am only using half of the hackle for each batch of fiber I was not able to get all of the fiber on the hackle.

Mill Combed Batch 1: banana silk 6" staple, merino top 3 1/2 to 4" staple, crystal metallic/angelina 8" staple, faux cashmere 3" staple, silk top 4-5" staple, firestar 3 1/2" staple, 20/80 silk merino top 4" staple

Hand Combed Batch 2: rambouillet combed fleece 3 1/2" staple, silk top 4-5" staple, soy silk 3 1/2" staple, alpaca combed fleece 3 1/2" staple, banana silk 6" staple

I want to note here that there are many ways to load the hackle according to the fiber prep you are trying to accomplish. These tutorials are not intended to teach you "colorwork" to achieve various effects with color. There are many books and videos on the subject of colorwork so I do not intend to go into that aspect of hackling in depth.

Loading The Hackle

We're going to start with fiber Batch #2 which is the hand combed top. The Rambouillet and Alpaca were combed on my comb and hackle set. First, I want to explain that hand combed top is not as dense as mill combed and, depending on the type of wool, tends to "poof" a bit more on the hackle than mill combed top. I didn't want to layer colors this time mostly because I'm lazy so I made fiber bundles. To make a fiber bundle I simply pulled my hand combed top into lengths of 12-14" and then drafted pieces of my add ins to about the same length and bundled them all together. I lashed the fiber on holding the bundle and turning it occasionally to mix up the fibers and colors. Once you've lashed all your fiber on if you have pieces that are significantly longer than the rest of your fiber on the back or the front of the hackle (silk is famous for doing this) you can pull it out and lash it back on. When the hackle is filled (don't overload!!!) don't forget to fluff it up before dizzing.

With the mill combed top I made a fiber bundle just like I did for the hand combed top above. If you are using fibers like angelina/crystal metallic, firestar, etc. you can draft them out in the center of a fiber bundle and then lay some pieces of top on top of it to sandwich the fibers in the center of the bundle. This will keep them in place.

Ready to Diz

So the hackle is all loaded and now we need to pick our diz. I'm going for the 3/16" fender washer again since this is a smooth roving and that's my favorite size. Now we need to prep the fiber for dizzing and since I packed the hackle I had to "Part Don King's Hair" in order to diz off the most fiber with the least waste.

Start your dizzing in the top right hand corner as explained in the Art Roving Hackle Part 1 tutorial. The closer you get to the tines the more fiber you will diz off. However, be prepared for a little bit of a fight if you choose to do this as the fiber is harder to diz the closer you get to the tines. You will also get a roving that is thicker in some places and thinner in others. Dizzing takes practice and the more you do it the better you'll get at it and understand all the little tricks to doing it that are impossible to tell you in words.

I was able to load 1.6 oz of the mill combed fiber bundle on half the hackle. Dizzed off I got 1.2 oz of gorgeous roving but as you can see, the mill combed top left behind alot of waste....0.4 oz. I find this to be the case every time and I believe it is because mill combed top has several different lengths of fibers in it (I've found within the same top staple lengths from 2-4" long) .

The same procedure is used for the fiber Batch #2 Hand Combed Top. I was able to load 1.4 oz of the fiber on the hackle. Hand combed top is much "poofier" than mill combed and tends to "climb" the tines on it's own. You can press it down but it will spring right back up and so you don't want to over fill your hackle or your fiber could very well poof itself right off the hackle. Don't ask me how I know this! After dizzing, I was able to get 1.2 oz of lovely top leaving 0.2 oz of waste. As you can see there is quite a difference in the amount of waste between the two batches of fiber with the mill combed top having twice as much waste as the hand combed. I'm not saying you shouldn't use mill combed top. I love using mill combed top BUT you do need to be aware that there will more than likely be more waste....also known as drum carder fodder because it makes lovely batts!

BMH Shop Update

2012-01-05T14:24:00.000-05:00

Just listed in the shop: Caddy Sax bags, Spinning Buddy bags (also make great sock project bags!), firestar, silk, bamboo, a nd handspun yarns. Don't forget all month dyed top and roving is 10% off with Coupon Code 10TOP

January 2012 Newsletter

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! There was no snow on the mountain for Christmas but my boys found other things to entertain themselves with. Eric and Alex took all the burnable broken Christmas ornaments and lined them up like an army. Then they proceeded to soak cotton balls with flammable liquid, light said cotton balls and launch them at the Christmas Ornament army with a homemade launcher. There was a big enough fire in our driveway to roast marshmallows. Never a dull moment here. Katie and I had a debate going on as to whether or not this was a "guy" thing or a "fire bug" thing. We decided there probably wasn't any difference so we went inside and ate cookies. We hope everyone has a healthy and prosperous New Year!!~~Beth

January Special: use coupon code 10TOP for 10% off all dyed top & roving

We launched our Wool Combs and Hackles Tutorials this month! There was a slight change in plans and we started with the Art Roving Hackle instead of the Comb and Hackle sets. Dizzing instructions will also be included with each tool tutorial as well as other tips and tricks. We will be going over each tool as in depth as we can and each tool may require more than one post so don't forget to get the RSS feed available or sign up on the Contact Us form on the Home page of our website to get our "heads up" emails so you don't miss any! Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments on the Tutorials! I will be answering questions concerning the tools and techniques in using them.

~~New in the shop!~~

Smooth WHATEVER batts are back! The batts are made with a variety of mill combed top, sparkle, faux cashmere, and firestar. Colors are grabbed at random and run through the drum carder creating a colorful crazy batt that will spin into a one of a kind yarn.

BMH Store Gift Certificates are now available!

We now offer a 4 Pitch English style Wool Comb and Hackle for $195.00! The set comes with the 4 pitch non-recessed stationary hackle and a 4 pitch comb of your choice (heavy, hybrid, or light).

~~January's Events~~

Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op's F.I.X. Chix January Prize Box Drawing
Starts: retroactive Dec 30
Ends: Jan 29th
Prize: 4 boxes filled with fiber and yarn goodies with a total value of approx. $400!! For more information see the F.I.X. Co-op Ravelry group or the Co-op page here on the website.

Art Roving Hackle Part 1: The Basics--Set Up, Loading, and Dizzing

2011-12-28T16:12:00.000-05:00

Slight change of plans...we are going to start the tutorials with the Art Roving Hackle. The Art Roving Hackle was designed to make textured/chunky rovings for spinning art yarns BUT will also do smooth rovings as well. The hackle has an 18" working face with 5" tines in a 1 pitch setting to allow chunkier items such as whole locks, novelty yarn, etc. to be dizzed more easily through the tines. All of the specs on the Art Roving Hackle can be found here. In this tutorial we will go over the basics and create a "semi-smooth" art roving.........smooth with texture.....with tutorials on making more textured/chunky art rovings and smooth ones as well to follow in the next few weeks.~~~Beth

Set Up:

When setting up your Art Roving Hackle you want to make sure you have a good heavy sturdy table with a 2" or so lip to attatch it to. I'm dead serious about the table being heavy and sturdy, it's a must! Make sure the clamps are pushed as far in the hackle as they will go and the metal bar of the clamps should be right up against the table edge. The hackle edge should be even or a smidge over the lip of the table. Once everything is lined up tighten down the clamps. You think you have the clamps tight but do you really?? It's time to test them before you start playing. Grab the base of the hackle on either end or the base that the tines set in and push it back and forth, put some effort into it! If the hackle moves it's not tight enough, if you move the heavy table and the hackle stays put you're good to go!

Loading the Hackle:

So we're ready to start playing! Get your fiber together that you intend to play with. Picture #4 is what I chose to play with:

20/80 silk merino top--3-3 1/2" staple, novelty yarn cut into 4ish" lengths, silk top--5 1/2" to 6" staple, firestar--4" staple, angelina/crystal metallic--8" staple, kid mohair locks--4" staple, romney fleece --5 1/2" staple, merino fleece --4 1/2"-5" staple, alpaca top-- 3 1/2" -4" staple, faux cashmere--3 1/2" staple, bamboo--3-3 1/2" staple

All of the fleece I'm using has been washed/scoured to remove any lanolin. You DO NOT want to use raw fleece as it will leave grease on your tines that will be difficult to remove. The romney fleece has been run through the picker to remove vegetable matter and the merino fleece was coated so it's pretty clean. You will want to remove as much VM (vegetable matter) as possible before loading your fiber onto the hackle.

I started with approx. 2.2 oz. total of fiber layering it on the hackle. When lashing the fiber on I generally get a handful and catch about 1" of the ends onto the top of the tines and gently pull the fiber down onto the tines and back toward me. You don't want huge gobs of fiber going on the hackle at once as they will be extremely difficult to diz off. Things work much better if you do thinnish layers. As you can see above I have chosen fibers that vary from 8" in staple length to 3". As a rule, the longer fibers will diz off and leave the short ones behind so to mitigate this after loading a layer of a shorter fiber I gently grab the ends and tug them side to side pulling them through the hackle just a little so they will diz off with the longer fibers. For some fibers such as angelina/crystal metallic, novelty yarn, whole curly locks, etc. I find actually laying them between the tines works better than trying to lash them on and they diz off easier as well. The last thing concerning loading is to NOT OVER LOAD your hackle. An over loaded is extremely hard to diz off of AND you have a very high "waste factor". Nobody likes wasting fiber! I suggest that the Art Roving Hackle not be loaded more than 2" to 2 1/2" when gently packed down.......meaning press it down gently to compact it and see where you are on the tines. I will show you the wisdom of this when we diz.

Dizzing:

PREPARING FOR DIZZING:

Once the hackle is loaded fluff up your fibers to within the top 1/2" of the tines. Check the back side and make sure the fiber looks as evenly distributed as you can make it. Sometimes the front side will look fluffed and even but upon inspection in the back you can see where there are still compacted areas. My example isn't the best for showing this since I used fleece with whole locks...it looks like it's really packed on the hackle but it's not. Now your fluffed and need to chose your diz. The diz should be choosen taking into account what fiber you have on the hackle....smooth top, large chunky locks, etc. I have 3 sizes pictured, these are the ones I mainly use.

Upper left: 1/4" for smooth roving, upper right: 3/8" for really textured and chunky roving. My choice was the center diz: 3/16" for semi smooth roving that has a little texture. The dizzes I use are fender washers from the hardware store. They are inexpensive and come in a wide variety of sizes.

Parting Don King's Hair--my suggested method for dizzing on our longer hackles

I came up with this method of "Parting Don King's Hair" for the longer hackles after playing with them a bit and finding this method is 1) easier on the person dizzing in the sense of the pulling that goes on AND 2) there is much less waste fiber. From the pictures you can see that when I loaded the hackle I seperated the two halves with cardboard. On the right side of the hackle we will use the "Parting Don King's Hair" method. On the left side I'll show you what happens if you try to diz across the whole face of the hackle.

Parting Don King's Hair: begin by finding the center of your fiber starting at the edge of the hackle. With your fingers work down the hackle horizontally seperating the fibers so there is a top half and a bottom half much the way you would part hair. Try and get the halves as even as possible. Once the fiber has been parted from end to end use your hands to push the lower half down and look for any fibers on the tines at the center part that may have been missed. With both hands, sandwich the fiber on the top half between your palms to sort of pat it together so the top layer is better defined. Again, the top half of the fiber should be within 1/2" approx. from the top of the tines. If the fiber gets to close to the top of the tines gently push it back down..........you really don't want it popping off while you're dizzing!

Now, starting at the top right (or left, whichever is most comfortable for you) grab the tips of the fibers on the edge of the hackle giving the ends a little twist making it easier to put them through the diz. Begin dizzing across the top. Do not pull your diz much more than the length of the shortest fiber on your hackle. Mine shortest fiber was about 3" so I wouldn't pull more than 3 1/2" max.

Okay, so you are at the far end of the hackle with only a little more on the top half to diz off. With the diz extended out toward you and the last of the fiber from the top half of the hackle in the diz reach down and grab up the tips of the fiber on the edge of the bottom half of the hackle just below you. Hold the tips from the bottom half with the top half and gently guiding the diz down, pull them both through the diz together finishing off the fiber on the top half of the hackle and starting the fiber on the lower half. Diz across the lower half until you reach the end. The fiber I dizzed off weighed 1 oz. As you can see the waste was minimal and would not even register on the scale.......my guess is 0.2oz or less.

What happens when you diz across the entire face of the hackle........

You can diz across the entire face of the hackle when it's full BUT I don't mainly because it is much harder to diz with lots of tugging and pulling going on AND MOSTLY because there is significantly more waste. I have noticed this with every fiber I've used and with mill combed top in particular. You can compare pictures #19 and #23 and see the difference while it's on the hackle. I was able to diz off 0.6 oz of top going across the entire face of the hackle and ended up with 0.4 oz of waste.......that's almost 50% waste and that's way to much in my opinion.

In a nutshell:

--make sure your hackle is securely clamped to a heavy sturdy table

--do not load your hackle more than 2 to 2 1/2" gently packed

--when mixing longer and shorter fibers gently tug shorter fibers to bring them forward on the hackle before putting on the next layer

--chose your diz according to the type of fiber prep you have made

--don't forget to "Part Don King's Hair" before dizzing

Odds and ends:

--the amount of fiber you get off the hackle weight wise will vary according to the type of fiber as well as the type of fiber prep you are creating (smooth, semi, textured)

--do not braid dizzed roving....it is much lighter and airy than mill combed top and when unbraiding it can break

--hand combed fleece leaves the least amount of waste of any fiber I've tried with mill combed

top leaving the most waste.

Wool Comb and Hackle & Free Shipping thru Dec. 25th

2011-12-15T14:52:00.000-05:00

Blue Mountain Handcrafts
Just a few things...................

--I've finished clearing out the shop and now thru Dec. 25th there is Free Shipping on all items excluding Tools, Clearance, and Custom Made
--we are discontinuing carrying Unicorn Products...they're great we just don't sell enough to try and keep it in stock so it's all been marked down and moved to the Clearance page
--hopefully, by early this coming week we will have our listing up for a 4 pitch English style wool comb and hackle set for less than $200. It will still be Eric's wonderful design where beauty meets comfort and functionality.
--new batts listed in the shop today.........you know you want fiber for Christmas!!! I know I do;)

FREE SHIPPING Christmas Special!

2011-12-12T13:37:00.001-05:00

Blue Mountain Handcrafts

To help you get ready for Christmas we are offering Free Shipping on all BMH products excluding Tools, Clearance, Custom made/order/services DECEMBER 12 THRU DECEMBER 25...no coupon code needed!. Yep, free shipping on knitting project bags, spinning wheel bags, spinning batts, hand dyed combed top, handspun yarn, and other spinning fiber products.

Wool Combs & Hackles Tutorial Introduction

2011-12-09T10:36:00.000-05:00

Anita's 4 pitch English comb and hackle set in action!

Welcome to our Wool Combs & Hackles ongoing tutorial! I will be going through each of our tools indepth covering the various ways to use them individually and together as well the many things that can be done with each of them. I will begin the tutorial posts the first week of January with our 4 pitch English style Comb and Hackle set. Before I begin posting about the tools, however, I will be posting in the next couple of weeks concerning dizzing off of your hackle. If my 15 year old son and 12 year old daughter can do it with some instruction and the basics of what to consider before dizzing you can do it too!

If there are things you would like to see done, explained a little more in depth, or have any questions concerning our tools please leave a comment and I will do my absolute best to answer your questions.

You can also read, comment, and ask questions on our Wool Combs and Hackles Tutorial on our website.

December News!

2011-12-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

There's lots going on in December! No, I haven't started Christmas shopping yet..........I'm studying to be a professional procrastinator and so far I'm an A student. The December Newsletter is up on the website for all to see as of this morning:) We are now offering Custom Made for all of our bags and tool covers....all the info can be found on the shop page for Services/Custom Order. I will be adding the custom made listings for our tool covers as time allows, in the mean time you can just email me through the website or contact me through Ravelry (bluemtnhandcrafts).

OUR DECEMBER SPECIAL IS: 15% off Batts!!!!! use coupon code 15FIBER when you check out. Clearance and Custom Made batts are excluded from this discount

I need some input. I'm thinking of doing a set of educational posts here with photos starting with our fiber tools and their uses. Each tool has several uses so there would be several posts for each tool. I'm also thinking of creating Pages at the top of the blog to copy and paste the posts so they can be easily found for future reference. If you have something concerning the tools you would like explained or a technique or item you would like to see how to make please post and let me know!!! I'll be going over wool combing with our wool combs or wool hand combs, wool comb and hackle, and blending fibers using the wool combs, comb and hackle, blending hackle, and art roving hackle.

Oh! The Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op December event is underway!!!!! When you're doing your fiber Christmas shopping please don't forget to support small businesses, every order helps and is greatly appreciated:)

freeshippinglisting

2011-11-24T09:41:00.001-05:00

freeshippinglisting, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

We're offering Free Shipping through Monday at midnight on all BMH products!!! http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

November News

2011-11-02T08:10:00.000-04:00

It's November and there's lots of new stuff going on! We've revamped our website to make it easier to navigate and shop.......it has a much cleaner look now! Our November Newsletter is up with the special for this month, we've got some new product we're offering: Spinning Buddy bags for your spinning wheels, fiber Mystery Grab Bags, and I'll be restocking the dyed kid mohair locks. We've got a new schedule for shop updates which will now be on Thursdays and or Fridays. The fiber tool wait time has dropped to 3-4 weeks.........this can change depending on how quickly orders come in so if you want tools before Christmas order them now! Also, the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op November Prize Box Drawing has started so don't forget to post your entry into the drawing when you place an order with us.

shop update

2011-10-17T17:29:00.001-04:00

update1016collage, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

lots of new smooth batts for spinning, and gradient dyed top for spinning self striping yarns
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

Merlin Tree Double Treadle RoadBug Spinning Wheel For Sale

2011-10-02T08:42:00.000-04:00

FOR SALE

I’m parting with my DT Merlin Tree RoadBug spinning wheel. She’s a great little travel wheel that I used often and was perfect for my daughter to learn to spin on but she is no longer interested in spinning and there are bills to pay.The wheel comes with all the original accessories: 3 Merlin Tree Bobbins, 3 whorls, orifice hook, oil bottle, standard hook flyer, and removeable left treadle. The extras it comes with are: new Merlin Tree jumbo flyer with small and larger hooks, 2 Ashford jumbo bobbins, 1 Ashford standard bobbin, my “Jumbo bobbin adapter”….a wooden spool you slip on the Lazy Kate before putting on a Jumbo bobbin so when you ply the right treadle doesn’t hit the bobbin, 4 small o rings that I used to tension the bobbins for plying (2 are on the tension knob and there is one on each bobbin holder under the bobbins), and the padded bag with adjustable shoulder strap I made to carry the wheel when we went out and about. The bag has 3 large deep pockets in the front and is machine washable and dryer safe with a magnetic closure that fits through the handle of the wheel to clasp so the bag stays shut and your wheel stays snug.

I used this wheel often for plying and it is well traveled and loved but does have a few minor scratches the worst of which is on the left treadle (pictured) but they are very small and not deep. The retail value of this entire package would be $520………I’m asking $410 plus shipping which would include insurance and delivery confirmation, you choose Parcel or Priority. Please email me at yarn4me@hotmail.com with your state and zipcode for a shipping quote……….Pay Pal only, no echecks. I will also consider local pickup if you can meet me at the Linden, VA P.O. but I will still need the monies sent via Pay Pal prior to pick up.

Drawings Galore in October!!

2011-10-02T08:35:00.000-04:00

There are lots of drawings going on in October that BMH is participating in!

There is a drawing in the BMH Ravelry group for those that participate in the Treat Yourself Autumn/Halloween Spin A Long. SAL packages will be for sale in the BMH shop thru October 9th. Details can be found in the SAL listing or in our Ravelry group. We're giving away 3 prizes!! If you've ordered a SAL package then every BMH order placed up until Nov. 4 gets you an entry into the drawing. All entries must be posted in the BMH Ravelry group link posted above by Nov. 4th.

Next up is the 3EVIL ENABLERS Drawing over in the Fancy Kitty Ravelry group! We've teamed up with Yarndemon Designs and Fancy Kitty and are giving away awesome prizes with the grand prize being a Fine Cloth Fancy Kitty Kitten Drum carder. All details can be found in the Fancy Kitty Ravelry group link above. All orders placed with BMH during the month of October will get you 2 entries into the drawing. All entries must be posted in the Fancy Kitty Ravelry link posted above by Oct. 31st.

Of course, BMH is participating the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op October Gift Certificate Drawing! Every order placed thru Oct. 29th and posted in the October Entries thread of the FIX Co-op Ravelry group gets you an entry into the drawing for the $50 gift certificate that can be spent in any participaing FIX members shop.

So that's 4 entries in 3 drawings for every order/invoice placed with Blue Mountain Handcrafts for the month of October.........what's not to like??? Don't forget to check out our interactive Newsletter for the October special, new products and what's going on up on the mountain in general:)

Treat Yourself Autumn/Halloween Spin A Long

2011-09-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

TREAT YOURSELF AUTUMN/HALLOWEEN SPIN A LONG PACKAGE~~~~~~~~ You might be to old to trick-or-treat but you're never to old to treat yourself once in awhile! We've teamed up with Yarndemon Designs to create a fibery treat for spinners and three fabulous prize packages. Purchase a SAL (Spin A Long) package and join us on Ravelry in the Blue Mountain Handcrafts group for the drawing and lots of fun! http://www.ravelry.com/groups/blue-mountain-handcrafts
All the info on the packages can be found in our online website store.

caddysaxcollage

2011-09-06T17:07:00.001-04:00

caddysaxcollage, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

Some of the results of a drawing we had in the BMH Ravelry group. Everyone had lots of fun!!!

Sept. 1 Shop Update!

2011-09-01T11:02:00.001-04:00

shop update sept 1, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

I've just listed new Ply Me sets in the shop along with more Comb and Hackle tool cover sets. Also, our new interactive BMH Newsletter is up and live on the website....check it out for new items, specials, events, and our new Fiber Tool Wait Time is at 7-8 weeks!
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

FIX September Prize Box Drawing!

2011-08-30T09:27:00.001-04:00

SEPTEMBER FIX CO-OP PRIZE BOX DRAWING
Starts: retroactive August 30th
Ends: September 29th
Prizes: A Yarn Box and a Spinners Box both worth approx. $155 each.

September is F.I.X. Co-op’s 1 Year Anniversary so as an added bonus this month we are giving away a Thank You Sampler Bag to the person who purchases from the most FIX Shops this month.

How To Post Entries
date--shop name--items purchased--which prize box you would like (Yarn or Spinners)
Example: 8/30/11--Camel Shoppe--handspun yarn--Yarn Box

PARTICIPATING SHOPS--links for shops in side bar of blogIcandyarn
Yarn Demon Designs
Fancy Kitty
Little Monkey Stitch N Spin
Sarah Kate Fibers
Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op
Knottie Girl Designs

Camel Shoppe
Lylianmae Fiber Artistry
Blue Mountain Handcrafts
Herman Hills Knittery
Fancy Kitty
Bumblebee Acres Farm

shop update 8/25/11

2011-08-25T18:28:00.001-04:00

shop update 8/25/11, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

new goodies just listed!
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

New Wool Comb and Hackle Set, Sales, and Services at BMH

2011-08-20T17:27:00.001-04:00

bmh update, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

Lots of new stuff at the Blue Mountain Handcrafts shop!
~~New Wool Comb and Hackle Set with Regular clamps offered...$220.00
~~Greener Shades Dye Starter Kits (w/o citric acid) 25% off
~~Corriedale and Merino Combed Top 4 oz undyed on sale
~~ we now offer custom dyeing, custom carding, and custom made batt services

We also have a new video posted on You Tube and our website introducing the new stationary hackle and combing and blending. The wait time on fiber tools has also been lowered to 8-9 weeks. Don't forget to check out our interactive newsletter on the BMH Newsletter page of our website for coupon codes, events, and what's new!
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

Fancy Kitty Kitten carder covers

2011-08-16T14:49:00.001-04:00

Fancy Kitty Kitten carder covers, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

New! Fancy Kitty Kitten Drum carder covers to protect your carder and keep it clean when not in use.
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

reduced price banner

2011-08-12T11:49:00.001-04:00

reduced price banner, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

check out our new reduced prices on select fibers!!! http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

bmh shop update 8/10/11

2011-08-10T13:10:00.001-04:00

bmh shop update 8/10/11, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

new goodies listed in the shop today. Also, we now have an Interactive Newsletter on the website and will be discontinuing the emailed version so don't forget to check it out for all the newest products, events, and coupon codes.
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

8/1/11 shop update

2011-08-01T17:17:00.001-04:00

8/1/11 shop update, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

new ply me dyed combed top sets for spinning and reversible WIP totes!
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

August FIX$ Drawing

2011-07-31T13:25:00.000-04:00

Lots going on at BMH! Katie is making more of her hysterical cards and Alex has taken over the photography and newsletter editing for me. The newsletter will come out tomorrow so be sure you sign up for it for August coupon codes for BMH, Yarndemon Designs, and Knottie Girl Designs. Also I wanted to let everyone know that we have "closed" our Etsy and ArtFire shops and all of our products can now be found in our BMH online store exclusively. We also have a new FeedBack section on our website so please be sure and leave feedback on your purchases!! And now for the current Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op event!!

AUGUST FIX$ GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY

Starts: Retroactive July 30th

Ends: August 29
Prize: FIX Gift Certificate ……1st Prize $60.00….2nd Prize $30.00

Prize: gift certificates that can be spent in any participating FIX members shop/website….GC can be split up between several shops…winner chooses how to spend it. GC must be used by Sept. 28th or it goes back in the prize cache for the next GC drawing

How to enter: place an order with one of the participating FIX members shops. Post your order in the FIX$ GIVEAWAY thread in the FIX Co-op Ravelry group. Participating co-op members are allowed to play in this contest!

PARTICIPATING SHOPS--links can be found in the side bar of this blog
ETSY SHOPS
Icandyarn
Yarn Demon Designs
Fancy kitty
Little Monkey Stitch N Spin
ShireKat Yarns
Sarah Kate Fibers

ARTFIRE SHOPS
ICandyarn
Knottie Girl Designs
Yarn Demon Designs
Modern Spin
Camel Shoppe
ShireKat Yarns

ONLINE SHOPS
Blue Mountain Handcrafts
Spin To Yarn
Fancy kitty
Herman Hills Knittery

HYENA CART
Little Monkey Stitch N Spin

BMH Update 7-26

2011-07-26T18:13:00.001-04:00

BMH Update 7-26, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

New reversible totes with matching notions bags and "Leprechaun Boxers" hand dyed firestar!
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

BMH shop update7/21/11

2011-07-21T17:58:00.001-04:00

BMH shop update7/21/11, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

new in the shop today!!

BMH shop update 7/12/11

2011-07-12T14:53:00.001-04:00

BMH shop update 7/12/11, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

new in the shop today!
http://www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com

July F.I.X. Co-op Drawing Yarn Box

2011-07-11T13:26:00.001-04:00

July F.I.X. Co-op Drawing Yarn Box, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

The FIX Co-op July Prize Box drawing is going on now on Ravelry in the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op Group http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/fiber-indie-experience-co-op/1724123/26-50#34

We are also giving away a Spinners Box and a Mixed Box both with a value of $114 each!!! Every order placed with a participating FIX co-op Shop gets you an entry into the drawing.

new all occasion cards

2011-07-07T18:20:00.001-04:00

new all occasion cards, a photo by bluemtnhandcrafts on Flickr.

Katie's new cards are up in the shop! we have quantity pricing and her cards ship free.

15% OFF at BMH and June FIX Online Shop Collage

2011-06-14T18:52:00.000-04:00

15% off all BMH products on our website (excluding tools and clearance items) now thru June 30th to get you started on collecting spinning fiber for the Tour de Fleece!!!! Use code TDF15 at checkout and the 15% will be automatically taken off your item total.

I'm trying to organize a FIX Co-op Online Shop Collage every month for those that do not have Etsy or Artfire shops.....don't forget about us!!!

F.I.X. ONLINE SHOPS

Blue Mountain Handcrafts
Herman Hills Knittery
Spin To Yarn
Just Ducky
Bumblebee Acres Farm

Lots going on!

2011-05-31T15:29:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know it's been awhile. Cut me some slack, I'm one person doing the jobs of at least 3 people right now and I'm just about out of snack cakes. It could get ugly;) There's lots going on!!!

The Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op June event is underway......we're giving away 2 gift certificates this month. First prize gets $50 and second prize gets $30. Who can't use fiber money, seriously? You can see all the details for the drawing in the June FIX$ Entries thread on Ravelry. We did make a few changes starting with the June event. You must be a member of the FIX Ravelry group to post and entry and we are now accepting entries for "outside sales" (farmers markets, festivals, etc) from co-op members.

Also, the BMH website now has a new Prize Drawing blog!! The first prize drawing will start June 1st and run through June 30th. There will be two prizes for the winner to choose from........a Strings N Things box for our knitters/crocheters AND a Fluff N Stuff box for our spinners/felters. There are several ways to get entries and NOT all of them require a purchase so go check it out.

We've also added new products to our website store including Tool Covers for your combs and hackles and Unicorn Fibre products for washing your fleece, yarn, and handknit/crocheted items. I'm also in the process of adding a forum to the website where people can leave feedback, ask questions, chatter, and it I can figure out how to do it I want to have a "Toe Up Sock Knitting" lesson complete with pictures. We'll see how it goes. Other than that it's very hot here (closing in on 100 degrees today!) but my roses are blooming like crazy so it's all good:)

Website Update!

2011-05-20T15:09:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted last........I've been pretty busy with making our new padded tool covers so I could list several when I launched it this week and I've got something cooking for the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op that I hope will pan out. We'll see.

There's lots going on up here on the mountain. It's been raining and storming virtually every day. I guess it's monsoon season or something. The rain has made everything very lush and green so it's like living in a rain forest right now, beautiful!! My flowers are actually blooming, we have grapes on the grapevine, and the deer haven't eaten our strawberries. I'm sure this is due to having puppies........yes, you have to pay attention to where you walk in the yard but it's worth it to see my flowers bloom!!! The kids are on the A B Honor roll again (yipee!) and the puppies are growing like crazy. Eric is still walking around with sawdust in his hair and I've got bits of thread and wool all over my clothes at any given time during the day. Nothing new there, huh? In the BMH Ravelry group we are having a Spinners Jackpot if anyone is interested. You do have to be a member of the group to play. Basically, we destash spinning fiber and contribute it to a pool of fiber then draw two winners who get the bulk of it although everyone gets at least one item from the pool so we all have something new to play with. Oh! If you haven't noticed yet we are now carrying Unicorn Fibre Wash, Rinse, and Power Scour. This stuff is fabulous for washing fleece, yarn, and handknit/crocheted items.......makes them really soft! Before I go I would like to remind everyone that the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op May Prize Box Drawing is still going on and ends May 29th. Every order from BMH or a participating co-op members shop will get you an entry into the drawing which we hold in the F.I.X. Ravelry group forum........you'll also find a list there of all the participating shops.

Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op May Prize Box Drawing

2011-05-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

It's time for another F.I.X. Co-op event! Remember, every order placed with a participating F.I.X. Co-op members shop now thru May 29th gets you an entry into the drawing!!
We’re giving away 3 prize boxes full of goodies---a Spinners Box, a Yarnies Box, and a Mixed Box. Check the MAY PRIZE BOX ENTRIES thread in the FIX Co-op group for a complete list of participating shops and there is a list of links on the right hand side of the blog. If you are not a Ravelry member ask the shop owner to place the entry for you!

Also, the BMH May newsletter was sent out today! If you haven't subscribed do it now.......there's a secret coupon code for 10% off all products in the Combed Top section of the shop.

Shop Update!

2011-04-27T17:08:00.000-04:00

I got another set of Crazy Caddy Sax finished.........finally! Just a reminder there are only 2 more days to place orders and get an entry into the April F.I.X.$ Gift Certificate Giveaway drawing and you only have until April 30th to purchase your fiber subscriptions..........a 1 year subscription gets you in the drawing for BMH fiber tools!

Blue Mountain Handcrafts

We've Got A New Website and Online Shop!!!

2011-04-22T19:41:00.002-04:00

Wahoo! We've got a whole new website and a fabulous new online shop complete with accurate shipping calculator. It's easier to navigate, easy checkout system, no logging in and signing up just easy shopping. I will now be able to easily put things on sale, do coupon codes, and create coupon codes for those awesome BMH $10 Thank You Gift Certificates from now on. I'm sooooo thrilled with the new site!!! AND it has an interactive blog........right now we are having a "Show Me The BMH Fiber Tool Love" drawing. Go check it out! We're giving away 4 prizes and the drawing is running April 21 thru April 29th so there's not much time........no purchase required. I'd love to hear what you think of the new site and shop if you get a minute:)

Where has the time gone?

2011-04-01T10:24:00.000-04:00

Wow! I haven't posted for a month!! Sorry about that. There's so much going on around here it's hard to keep up sometimes. The April Newsletter went out today........if you'd like to receive the BMH newsletter you can sign up for it on the BMH website. We've got secret coupon codes for several indie shops, new products, current drawings/events, and more. I'm also in the process of putting the new and improved BMH website together complete with a whole new shopping cart system so our shipping calculator will be much more accurate and I won't have to refund overage paid on shipping for orders. Hopefully, I will have this finished by the end of April, well, that's the plan anyway. Here are some reminders:

Today is the last day to enter the 3 Evil Enablers drawing in the BMH Ravelry group........you could win a Little Tom drum carder from Fancy Kitty or one of two other prizes that include a pound of washed cormo and goodies from Yarndemon Designs.

The new Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op event for April has started so make sure to check out all the FIX Co-op shops and get some fibery goodies............all members are participating this month! There is a list of members shop links down the side of the blog on your other left (right;)

APRIL FIX$ GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY

Starts: retroactive March 30th
Ends: April 29th
Prize: $65 Gift Certificate
Prize: gift certificate that can be spent in any participating FIX members shop/website….GC can be split up between several shops…winner chooses how to spend it.

How to enter: place an order with one of the participating FIX members shops. Post your order in the FIX$ GIVEAWAY thread in the FIX Co-op Ravelry group. One entry per order/invoice. Multiple orders/invoices means multiple entries. Orders combined for a refund on shipping count as 1 order.

--winner may use gift certificate in any participating members shop or shops. Winner will purchase their items, PM me with their orders (shop purchased from and total including shipping) when the total has reached the $65 amount the money will be gifted to your Pay Pal.

3 EVIL ENABLERS DRAWING.....WIN A DRUMCARDER!

2011-03-01T10:13:00.002-05:00

Blue Mountain Handcrafts, Yarndemon Designs, and Fancy Kitty have come up with a drawing that is evil enabling at its best! We’re giving away 3 prizes………….please note, the Little Tom drum carder is a prototype and is not sized to be motorized.

Starts: March 1st
Ends: April 1st
Winners announced: April 2nd

HOW TO GET ENTRIES
~~you must be a member of the Blue Mountain Handcrafts Ravelry group

~~all entry orders must be placed between 3/1 and 4/1 (orders with combined shipping count as 1 entry)

~~3 entries-- for any new video posted (or link to the video) of you using a Fancy kitty carder or picker (1 video per person)

~~3 entries--place an order with Blue Mountain Handcrafts

~~3 entries--place an order with Yarndemon Designs

~~1 entry--post a pic of an item previously purchased from one of the 3 above shops and tell us why you love that shop (one post per shop per person)

ALL ORDERS PLACED WITH BLUE MOUNTAIN HANDCRAFTS, YARNDEMON DESIGNS, AND FANCY KITTY ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE FOR THE FIBER INDIE EXPERIENCE CO-OP MARCH PRIZE BOX DRAWING SO DON’T FORGET TO POST YOUR ORDERS IN THE MARCH PRIZE BOX ENTRIES THREAD!!

F.I.X. CO-OP MARCH PRIZE BOX DRAWING

2011-02-27T13:38:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that the Fiber Indie eXperience March Prize Box drawing starts today and runs through March 29th.

MARCH FIX PRIZE BOX DRAWING

Starts: retroactive Feb 27th
Ends: March. 29th
Prize: 4 boxes filled with fibery goodies!!

--to get an entry into the drawing place an order during the drawing dates in any of the participating FIX co-op members shops and post your order (date of purchase, shop name, items purchased) in the special drawing thread.

One entry per order/invoice. Multiple orders/invoices means multiple entries. Orders combined for a refund on shipping count as 1 order. One box per person per drawing ……. meaning no one person can win more than one box per prize drawing.

NEW! Center Pull Art Roving at BMH

2011-02-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

Blue Mountain Handcrafts is now offering center pull Art Roving in both smooth and chunky. I'm cranking this stuff out as fast as I can! Some will have luxury goodies added in (silk, sparkle, camel down, firestar, etc) and some will be a little more traditional super soft wool. All of the Art Rovings are hand combed and are super easy to spin requiring no predrafting and only a little drafting while spinning as they are not compact like mill processed roving. Come by the website and have a look! Don't forget to sign up for our BMH Newsletter (secondary page to the Home page) for coupon codes, new product info, and upcoming events. Something is always going on up here on the mountain;) We have also moved all of our one of a kind items off of Etsy to our website due to high Etsy fees. So all Caddy Sax, batts, hand dyed top, yarn, fleece, etc is now on the website.

I'm so far behind..............

2011-02-08T17:02:00.003-05:00

Yep, I'm way behind on posting not to mention all the other stuff I need to do. I need a clone! We still have snow and ice on the ground but I'm trying to ignore it. I've been updating the BMH website with new stuff at least once and sometimes twice a week and BMH has a new newsletter!! Yep complete with news, coupon codes, new products, events and whatever else I can think of to put in it:) Don't forget to sign up......it's free!!

Well here's the stuff that's going on:

DYEING TO TRY IT FIBER SUBSCRIPTION!!!

We are offering a fiber subscription for a short time to allow customers to try out various fibers we are considering carrying in the future. Try out the fiber and let us know what you think! There will be a discussion thread in the BMH Ravelry group just for subscribers to toss in their 2 cents. Did I mention you could win BMH Fiber Tools?

Random Beauty Bumps
The bumps are so much fun and spin into a gently self striping yarn.......they are made of a 50/50 blend of Merino and Alpaca.

**** FEBRUARY FIX$ GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY****

Starts: Retroactive Jan 30th
Ends: February 26
Prize: FIX Gift Certificate ……$65.00
Winner will be announced shortly after contest ends
Prize: gift certificate that can be spent in any participating FIX members shop/website….GC can be split up between several shops…winner chooses how to spend it.
How to enter: place an order with one of the participating FIX members shops. Post your order in the FIX$ GIVEAWAY thread in the FIX Co-op Ravelry group.

Vacation Destination Spin A Long!

2011-01-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you all but I'm ready for a vacation. I'm realistic though, it's not going to happen and I know it. Oh well, what's a body to do. How about a virtual fiber vacation to one of six countries?? It's not quite the same as going on a real vacation but it costs less, there are no crowds, and you don't have to stand in line at the airport. Besides, you can do it in your pajamas and no one will be the wiser;). So how about it, want to go on vacation with a bunch of other fiber nuts?

BMH VACATION DESTINATION SAL Where Will You Go??

BMH has teamed up with Yarn Demon Designs for another awesome Spin-A-Long!! There are 6 destinations(colorways) with packages available in either 4 oz or 6 oz of luxurious 20/80 silk merino blended combed top perfect for plying together! Quantities are limited!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ON SALE: January 9th thru January 22 SHIP DATE: January 26th
DRAWING FOR WINNER: February 19th
PRIZE PACKAGE WITH A VALUE A LITTLE OVER $100: Caddy Sax Reversible Tote, Full Set of Vacation Stitch Markers, Wraps Per Inch Tool, 1.2 oz Mini Batt in the A Winters Day colorway, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix Kit

BONUS! Cecil the Sheep has been hidden in 3 random SAL packages. Find Cecil in your package and get $5 off your next order on the website!

All entries for the drawing must be posted to the VACATION SAL thread in the Blue Mountain Handcrafts Ravelry group to be valid.
How do you get entries??? Easy!!
[1] entry for every SAL package you purchase
[1] entry for posting a picture of the SAL fiber being spun (a picture of it on the bobbin is fine!)
[2] entries for posting a picture of the spun and finished SAL yarn
[1] entry for each order placed by Feb 17th with Blue Mountain Handcrafts Website, Artfire, or Etsy shops for bags, needle cases, batts, art roving, or hand dyed top,(excludes Clearance section of website )
[1] entry for each order placed by Feb 17th for any item from Yarn Demon Designs Etsy or Artfire shops.

FIX Co-op January Prize Box Drawing!

2011-01-01T07:30:00.001-05:00

It's time for the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op Prize Box Drawing!!

JAN FIX PRIZE BOX DRAWING

Starts:JAN. 1st
Ends: JAN. 29th
there will be 4 prize boxes entries can win with values ranging from $78 to $60

--to get an entry into the drawing place an order during the drawing dates in any of the participating FIX co-op members etsy/artfire/websites and post your order in the special drawing thread in the FIX Ravelry group
PARTICIPATING SHOPS

ETSY SHOPS
Blue Mtn. Handcrafts
Icandyarn
Knottie Girl Designs
Prairie Fire Soapworks & Fiber
Yarn Demon Designs
Stone and String Studio
Camel Shoppe
ARTFIRE SHOPS (no account required)
Blue Mountain Handcrafts
Bohemia Fibers
ICandyarn
Knottie Girl Designs
Prairie Fire Soapworks and Fiber
Yarn Demon Designs
Modern Spin
Camel Shoppe
Stone and String Studio
WEBSITES
Blue Mountain Handcrafts
Herman Hills Knittery
Spin To Yarn

Merry Christmas & New BMH Newsletter

2010-12-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

First the whole family would like to wish everyone a belated Christmas and a Happy New Year!! We had a fabulous day with the paper and bows flying in the morning and a somewhat relaxed rest of the day though Eric and I did get some work in. Not a big deal, after all it is what we do........besides, I love what I do! I also managed to finish Eric's Birthday presents on the sly which is on the 30th and I wrote the BMH newsletter for January. Yep! I'll be cranking out a newsletter about every month that will have a little bit of general news, new products, events and drawings, secret codes for monthly discounts and other ramblings. You can subscribe to the newsletter on our website on the BMH Newsletter page and you will get it in your email every month.

We are expecting 5-6" of snow today (joy, NOT!) and I have 6 million things to do. I think I'll concentrate on making cookies (the one thing I can cook and not burn them, mostly) knitting my long johns that I'm a little over halfway done with and maybe wash or comb some fleece. I don't have any wool in my hair at the moment and it's really freaking me out.......I always have wool in my hair, on my clothes, or both;)

New Stuff in the Shops!

2010-12-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

Yeah, it's been awhile since my last post. Busy, busy, busy! I finished the Christmas shopping and now just need to wrap gifts. Eric said we were suppose to get a snow storm on Christmas day so today we are going to town to get groceries and run a few errands. Nothing like being stuck on the mountain for a few days! There's lots going on here. I got my prizes for the FIX January Prize Box Drawing finished....a textured art roving and a matching sample batt, lovely! I've also added a new Caddy Sax Reversible Tote to the BMH line of bags. It's awesome! It's padded, has 6 deep pockets and a magnetic closure. Right now they are exclusively listed on the BMH website under BMH Handmade but I'm hoping to get some more made to add to the Artfire shop and then Etsy. I'm planning an event for January that I hope you all will participate in..........I've got most of the stuff ready and need to work on the big prize we'll be giving away to the winner. No, I'm not telling yet! I finished a scarf and hat set I made for Eric's birthday done totally with natural fleece. It's sooo soft and should be very warm while he's outside grinding tines in the freezing cold, poor thing.

Oh! As of Jan 1 I will be keeping track of the number of sales on the BMH website so we can do the Secret 100's there as well as Etsy and Artfire. What are the Secret 100's you say? Who ever places the 100th sale gets a BMH $10 Thank You Gift Certificate. We do this for every 100th sale (200, 300, etc) but you must be a member of the BMH Ravelry group in order to get the Gift Certificate so join the group if you're on Ravelry and if you're not on Ravelry you are missing out on a great community of spinners, knitters, crocheters, weavers, and fiber addicts in general!! Before I forget, there are only 8 more days to get your entries in the December FIX$ Gift Certificate Giveaway drawing.......we're giving away a $60 gift certificate that you can use in any of the participating FIX Co-op members shops!!! Every order placed on the BMH website, Artfire shop, or Etsy shop gets you an entry into the drawing as well as any order placed with a participating FIX Co-op members shop. You can check out the details in the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op Rav group here.

FIX$ $60 GIFT CERTIFICATE DRAWING HAS STARTED!!

2010-12-01T09:14:00.001-05:00

The December FIX$ Gift Certificate Drawing officially started today!!! Don't forget to check out all the shops participating.......every order gets you an entry into the drawing and who can't use $60 in fiber money, honestly! A list of the participating shops with links and all the info is posted on the DEC FIX$ tab above.

December FIX$ Gift Certificate Drawing

2010-11-30T08:48:00.000-05:00

Here's the next FIX Co-op event!!! It starts tomorrow and we're giving away a $55 Gift Certificate to be spent with any participating FIX Co-op member of the winners choosing. The gift certificate amount may change if we have more members sign up today so check out the Ravelry group tomorrow for the final amount!

DECEMBER ……FIX$ GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY

Starts: Retroactive Dec. 1
Ends: December 29
Prize: FIX Gift Certificate ……$ 55.00
Winner will be announced shortly after contest ends
Prize: gift certificate that can be spent in any participating FIX members shop/website….GC can be split up between several shops…winner chooses how to spend it.
How to enter: place an order with one of the participating FIX members shops. Post your order in the DEC FIX$ GIVEAWAY thread in the FIX Co-op Ravelry group. Participating co-op members are allowed to play in this contest!

Black Friday thru Cyber Monday Sales!!

2010-11-26T09:36:00.000-05:00

Yep, sales going on in all three shops Black Friday thru Cyber Monday!! Why fight the crowds and hunt for parking?? Don't forget, any purchase from a BMH shop gets you an entry into the FIX November Prize Box Drawing!!!!

Blue Mountain Handcrafts Website

15% off all BMH products..........excludes BMH Fiber Tools and Gift Certificates
10% off all Manufacturer's products: Louet, Ashford, Greener Shades Dye, Merlin Tree

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts Etsy AND Blue Mountain Handcrafts Artfire

Free Domestic Shipping and 1/2 Off International Shipping
excludes all fiber tools

We had a great Thanksgiving.......meaning we stayed in our PJ's most of the day, ate like there was no tomorrow and just relaxed for the most part. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Where have I been???

2010-11-16T19:26:00.000-05:00

I can't remember the last time I posted but I know it's been to long. I had the brilliant idea that I should have all the stuff on the website that I carry in the Etsy and Artfire shops. Yeah, it sounds good but actually doing it is ALOT ALOT ALOT of work. I've been working on it for days, really. I've got some of the new pages up and there will be more to come. Also (this took me 2 days) I completely redid all the Pay Pal buttons on the site because I needed to redo the shipping. So after much hair pulling and putting my eyeballs back in my head after sitting at the computer for hours at a time the Blue Mountain Handcrafts website now offers Global Shipping. Not only that but shipping is caluculated by your postal zone if your domestic or your country if your international AND it is calculated according to the weight of your items. In short, your shipping will be much more reasonable. The only fly in the shipping ointment is that Pay Pal would only allow for 5 shipping "categories". What only 5? Cripes! Any way you can read all about the new shipping on our Shop Policies page (also new). Here is a list of all the new pages that should be up and running on the website by this weekend.

BLUE MOUNTAIN HANDCRAFTS WEBSITE

BMH Gift Certificates and Shop Policies (secondary pages to HOME page)
BMH Fiber & Yarns---dyed and undyed top and roving, art roving, batts, clouds, handspun yarn, dyed yarn, luxury fibers (silk, bamboo, faux cashmere, tencel), firestar, crystal metallic fiber, undyed and natural fleece and locks
BMH Handmade--Caddy Sax bags, Little Buddy bags, Monkey Sax backpacks, Merlin Tree spinning wheel totes, knitting needle and crochet hook cases, Katie Bug Creations magnets and pins, custom made bags, needle cases, etc.

We also have the new ART ROVING HACKLE up for sale!!!! There are videos posted with the hackle listing showing how I make chunky as well as smooth art roving. That hackle is fabulous......Eric gave me mine for our 14th anniversary, he's so sweet;) My shoulders are killing me and my eyes are getting blurry so I'm going to get off the computer now. Please stop by the website and have a look at all the new stuff!!!!

New Art Roving Hackle & BMH SAL/KAL/CAL

2010-11-05T08:27:00.001-04:00

Lots going on! Nov. 1st was Eric's and my anniversary........yep, 14 years!! I found this on my desk when I woke up in the morning!! My Art Roving Hackle...........you gotta love a man that knows fiber tools are better than flowers and candy;) I've been playing with it for almost a week and have made several different types of art roving from chunky to smooth....I'm lovin' it!! We should have these available on the website and in the etsy and artfire shops soon so keep your eyes peeled.

The art roving hackle is longer than the blending hackle and has one row of tines making it easier to diz of chunkier fiber but it works great for smooth stuff too.

AND Blue Mountain Handcrafts and Yarn Demon Designs are hosting a SAL/KAL/CAL in the Blue Mountain Handcrafts Ravelry group!! The event will run Nov. 7 thru Dec 23. Here's how it works:
--Nov. 7-17--purchase a batt, roving, combed top from Blue Mountain Handcrafts etsy shop or artfire shop and post it in the BMH Rav group and then spin it up
--by Dec. 1st post a picture of your handspun yarn and the voting will begin and run through Dec. 4th. The yarn with the most "love" votes will win a WPI tool from Yarn Demon Designs and a $10 Gift Certificate to be used in BMH's artfire or etsy shop.
--by Dec. 18th post a pic of your finished item using your handspun yarn, voting will run through Dec. 22nd and the grand prize will be awarded on Dec. 23rd.......a set of stitch markers from Yarn Demon Designs and your choice of a medium custom made Caddy Sax or a custom made huge batt.....value between $50 and $60
****to get an extra 10 points added to your love vote for the finished item and the grand prize purchase a set of stitch markers, WPI tool, orifice hook, or buttons from Yarn Demon Designs etsy or artfire shop and post it in the event thread with your fiber purchase.
For all the details please go to the Blue Mountain Handcrafts Ravelry group!

FIX NOVEMBER PRIZE BOX DRAWING!!!! and Deb Menz at SOAR

2010-10-31T10:31:00.000-04:00

Orders from any of the BMH shops are eligible for the drawing!!!
BMH ETSY
BMH ARTFIRE
BMH WEBSITE

NOVEMBER FIX PRIZE BOX DRAWING

Starts: retroactive Nov. 1st
Ends: Nov. 29th
Winners will be announced: shortly thereafter
Prize box videos will be posted prior to the drawing in the FIX Rav group, on our blog, on the Blue Mtn. Handcrafts website, and wherever else we can think of.
--to get an entry into the drawing place an order during the drawing dates in any of the participating FIX co-op members etsy shops and post your order in the special drawing thread (thread will be created closer to the drawing start date). One entry per order. Multiple orders means multiple entries.

--there will be 4 prize boxes entries can win. There will be a video showing the items in the prize boxes posted at the top of the drawing thread.

--to get extra “freebie” entries into the drawing watch for the FIX SHOW & TELL thread!! Post a pic of what you’re doing with a FIX Co-op members shop purchase. A few days before the drawing ends we will use a random generator to pick 3 posts for the freebie entries.

Okay, I had to share this picture that a friend sent from SOAR 2010 of Deb Menz teaching her workshop using BMH blending hackles, art roving hackle, and 2 pitch hand combs!!!!

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts Etsy Shop Update

2010-10-26T16:56:00.000-04:00

New handspun yarn in the shop and HUGE batts. Seriously, they're huge.......I made one today that was 4.8 oz. The batts are layered colorwise and fiber/add in wise and are mostly smooth though there will be a few small nepps due to me using hand processed fleece. They are soft, lofty, and luxurious........I need to make one for myself! There will be more of these HUGE batts coming to the shop and I've got a series of purple Caddy Sax bags that I will start listing this week as I get each bag finished........they are seriously GORGEOUS!!! But I'm a purple nut so I'm biased;) Go check out the huge new batts in the shop and don't forget we have the free shipping with orders of $35 or more special going on!!!

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts on Etsy

FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING BMH ETSY & ARFIRE!!!

2010-10-25T16:42:00.000-04:00

SPECIAL IS RUNNING IN THE

BMH ETSY SHOP AND THE BMH ARTFIRE SHOP!!!

see shop announcements for details.

ETSY Sale & FIX Blog Drawing!!

2010-10-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to update everyone on what's going on:

Oct. 18-Oct. 24 FIX Blog Drawing going on.......giving away a 5 oz. set of batts from BMH!! Go leave a comment and get a chance to win!!

Oct. 18-Oct. 23 BMH Etsy shop sale........15% off all Hand Dyed Top/Roving

Oct. 16-Oct. 23 BMH ArtFire shop sale.....15% off everything in the shop with the exception of Fiber Tools and custom made or custom dyed items

Blue Mountain Handcrafts is now on ArtFire 15% off Sale!!

2010-10-16T18:37:00.000-04:00

Yep! Blue Mountain Handcrafts now has an ArtFire shop!!! To celebrate we are running a 15% off sale Oct. 16 thru Oct. 23 on everything in the shop with the exception of Fiber Tools and custom made or custom dyed items. Use coupon code bmh15 when checking out and the 15% will be automatically deducted from your item total. One of the fabulous things about ArtFire is you don't need an ArtFire account to order!!!

Prairie Fire Soapworks Giveaway!

2010-10-12T08:19:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Fiber Indie eXperience is hosting 3 giveaways on the FIX Blog this month. You could win a full sized item from one of the co-op members shops!! This week Prairie Fire Soapworks is being featured and Lydia is giving away some gorgeous hand combed cormo top. Head over to the FIX blog and check it out and don't forget to follow the blog!!

PIX FOR FIX$ PHOTO CONTEST!!!

2010-10-10T12:26:00.001-04:00

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts on Etsy Blue Mountain Handcrafts on the web

Don't forget to check out the other fabulous Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op shops!!

OCTOBER ……PIX FOR FIX$ CONTEST

Starts: October 11
Ends: November 5
Prize: $55.00 Gift Certificate
Prize: gift certificate that can be spent in any participating FIX members shop….GC can be split up between several shops…winner chooses how to spend it.

How to enter: place an order with one of the participating FIX members shops. Post an original (meaning it’s yours) pic in a special thread that will be created for the contest along with the shop you ordered from, date, and items purchased and then tell your friends here on Rav to come vote! The pic with the most LOVE votes will win the gift certificate. Multiple orders means multiple entries.

OCTOBER FIX BLOG GIVEAWAYS!!

During the month of October after the 10th we will be posting FIX Featured Shops/Websites with fibery items you can win! Each participating FIX member has choosen a prize from their shop to giveaway for the winner of their Featured Shop post. To play, go to the FIX BLOG and leave a comment about the Featured Shop. A winner will be drawn from the posts.
While you’re there don’t forget to follow our blog!!

Blue Mtn Handcrafts Etsy Shop Update!

2010-10-04T17:47:00.000-04:00

Lots of new stuff in the etsy shop including Caddy Sax bags, tencel, faux cashmere, and now we carry unscented SOAK wool wash which is fabulous for those with allergies, asthma, or sensitive skin. There is also alot of new stuff on the Clearance page of the website.......check it out and get some fibery goodies at a discount!!!

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts

SALE!!!! 15% Off Batts, Roving, Top, Clouds, and Locks

2010-09-30T08:40:00.002-04:00

We're having a sale in the Blue Mtn. Handcrafts etsy shop!!! 15% off everything in the Batts, Roving/Top/Clouds, and Dyed/Undyed Locks sections of the shop.

Sale runs Sept. 30th thru Oct. 3rd.

use code "fiber junkie" in the messages at check out and I'll refund the 15% discount from the eligible items in your order. The discount is not valid with bulk fiber orders, Special Listings, and gift certificates may not be applied to eligible items though may be used on other items in combination with eligible items in the same order.

AND I'm offering Free Shipping (domestic only) Sept. 30 thru Oct. 4th on all items in the CLEARANCE section of the website.

.

SVFF & New Stuff on the Website!

2010-09-28T08:23:00.000-04:00

We've added some new stuff to the website! We now have a CLEARANCE page where I've listing some of the expired items from the Etsy shop at discounted prices so if you want some spinning fiber, Caddy Sax bags, handspun yarn, etc. check it out and come back often. I'll be adding stuff to it as items expire and possibly adding some handspun yarn that I need to destash. Also, we are now offering a 3 month LAY AWAY PLAN for all of the BMH fiber tools......yep, you can pay in small monthly installments now!! Also, in BMH news we were contacted by the SpinDoctor herself and Sasha wants to review our comb and hackle set for her podcast.......awesome!! I'm not sure when it will actually be available for download but I'm excited about it:)

Last Saturday the kids and I went to the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. I've been wanting to go for years and this year I actually did it. We had a fabulous time oogling fiber goodies and we got to hang out with several BMH Ravelry group members which was awesome!! Aimee of ZooCreations, Anita of Yarndemon Designs, Magan of ModernSpin, and Chan (ChanKnits on Ravelry) were all there. I'm sure we helped boost the economy significantly! The kids had a good time and enjoyed meeting some of "Mom's crazy fiber friends". Alex was nice enough to take a group picture (left to right: me, Chan, Anita, Aimee, Magan, and Katie), we got a picture of the "Fimo Queen" with the "Fimo Princess" (Anita & Katie), and last but certainly not least, we got a picture of Alex in his new relaxed ad campaign for BMH. Seriously, Aimee and I found him like this when we walked out of one of the buildings. He was guarding the fleeces we had purchased and didn't want to drag inside........when we found him he was drifting off to sleep. He said that lying on fleeces was very comfortable;) That's my boy!

FREE SHIPPING SPECIAL!!!

2010-09-21T11:47:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the new look of the Blue Mountain Handcrafts website we are offering the following special!!

FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING on all Louet and Ashford products Sept. 21 through Oct. 4th!!

Come by and see the new site. We've got tons of bulk fiber in 1/2lb pound and 1lb quantities, dyed and natural, drum carders, spinning wheels, bobbins, lazy kates, niddy noddy, drop spindles, and of course, our BMH comb and hackle sets, blending hackles, hand combs , custom made bags, Merlin Tree products, and Greener Shades dyes. Coming in October.......our new ART ROVING HACKLE!!

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts is now a Louet Dealer!!!

2010-09-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

Wahoo!! BMH is now officially a Louet dealer!! I've listed tons of stuff on the website and am working on all the Pay Pal buttons. The website will carry Louet spinning wheels, accessories, drum carders, and bulk fiber (1/2lbs) in the undyed and dyed. I'm very excited about expanding our product line! The website has been totally revamped and has a whole new look as well...........I like it much better. It's easy to navigate, all the info on the fiber tools is in one place, and it's organized. I still have to revamp the Ashford pages some but I'll get there. Lots to do!!

The Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op drawing is still going on...........don't forget, every order you place with Blue Mountain Handcrafts gets you an entry into the prize box drawing. Just post your order in the FIX Co-op Ravelry group thread OR if you're not a Raveler just let me know and I'll post your order for you. Easy peezy!!

In other news, Deb Menz will also be using a pair of Eric's handcombs at SOAR along with the blending and art roving hackles. I can't wait to hear her feedback!!! A good friend of mine, Anita of Yarndemon Designs on etsy, got her Mermaid Scarf pattern published in the Knitting Pattern A Day 2011 calendary........way to go Anita!!! I really need to get one of those calendars when they come out.....sounds like something Santa could get me. The kids are doing well in school so far. They like their teachers, are making some new friends, and are bringing home good grades. What more can you ask for other than a week with two Saturdays in it? I'm working on plying some yarn for a Knit A Long I'm participating in in the Fancy Kitty Kitten Lovers group on Ravelry. The batts were gorgeous and the yarn is looking really good so far, I'm very happy with it. Well, we've got errands to run in town, laundry to do, house to clean, and a lawn to ignore so I better get to work!

New in the Etsy shop!

2010-09-09T13:23:00.000-04:00

More PLY ME sets listed today in the etsy shop!! Blue Mtn. Handcrafts

BMH Etsy Shop Update!

2010-09-05T17:45:00.000-04:00

I got a few things listed in the shop today! For the whole month of September I'm offering 15% off batts and handspun yarn for anyone who leaves the code "SeptFIX" in the messages at checkout....not valid with Special Listings.

The kids and I are gearing up for school that starts on Tuesday. We've gone through all their clothes and ditched the ones that don't fit, we've sorted school supplies (the living room looks like someone bombed Staples), and in a little while we'll do haircuts........always fun....for me, the kids hate it. I think mostly they just don't like to sit still for very long but I'm alot faster than Eric so they didn't complain. I must admit, I will miss having them home during the day........they help out alot around the house when asked and they've been quite entertaining this summer. The kids and I have managed to go through every episode of all three seasons of Robin Hood on NetFlix this summer, they were introduced to the Munsters, Leave It To Beaver, and we've been through all the Addam's Family. No, we did not sit in front of the TV all summer........this was accomplished in our lunch hour during the week. Alex has combed an entire small fleece for me to spin and Katie has some awesome new ideas for her pins/magnets and buttons. She hit the jackpot yesterday and found a great little toaster oven at the Good Will for $12 to bake her polymer creations in........much cheaper than using the oven. Well, back to work!

FIX CO-OP SEPT PRIZE BOX DRAWING HAS STARTED!!!

2010-09-04T08:21:00.000-04:00

The Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op September Prize Box Drawing has started!!! Each entry has a chance to win one of 3 prize boxes being given away filled with fibery goodness. How do you enter, you ask? Easy!

1. place an order in a participating co-op members shop

2. go to the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op group forum on Ravelry and post your order. If you are not on Ravelry simply message your seller and they will post the entry for you. One order per entry, multiple orders means multiple entries.

Participating Co-op Members

ZOO CREATIONS

PRAIRIE FIRE SOAPWORKS

LOLLYARN

YARN DEMON DESIGNS

MODERN SPIN

BLUE MTN HANDCRAFTS

BOHEMIA FIBERS

ICANDYARN

PRANCING PIXEL

KNOTTY GIRL DESIGNS

Don't forget to checkout the Sept. Coupons page for awesome savings in the participating shops this month (Blue Mtn. Handcrafts is offering 15% off all batts and handspun yarn in September with the special code on the coupons page) and keep your eyes peeled for the Featured Enabler posts on the FIX blog.......you could win a "freebie entry" into the drawing!! So what are you waiting for..........go follow the FIX blog and start shopping!!

Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op September 2010 Prize Box Drawing

2010-09-02T08:03:00.000-04:00

After much fighting with YouTube I finally got this video working. Have a look and see all the fabulous fiber/fiber related goodies you could win in the FIX Sept. Prize Box Drawing!! The drawing starts on Sept. 4 and runs through Oct. 9 with 3 prize boxes you could win. To enter just place an order in one of the FIX Co-op members shops and post your order on Ravelry in the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op group.......if you're not a Ravelry member just PM which ever shop you purchased from and they will post your entry for you. All of the prize box info and FIX Co-op members shop links can be found on the FIX Blog and in the FIX Ravelry group as well as the Fiber Indie eXperience Group on FaceBook. Oh! There is also a Sept. coupon page on the blog and in the FIX Ravelry group PAGES for savings in the participating shops........more coupons will be added as shop members send them in.

2 Day Only Fleece Sale!!!

2010-08-27T14:43:00.001-04:00

BLUE MTN. HANDCRAFTS 2 DAY ONLY FLEECE SALE!!
Aug 27 thru Aug 28 midnight EST
BUY 2 ITEMS FROM THE DYED/UNDYED LOCKS SECTION OF MY SHOP AND GET A 3RD (OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE) 50% OFF!!

If Morticia Addams Had Knitting Accessories..............

2010-08-25T16:38:00.000-04:00

I just finished watching the entire season 2 of the Addam's Family. I love that show and am totally addicted to it........if I can't find more seasons on NetFlix I'll be watching season 1 and 2 again. I use to watch it everyday as a child, this may explain a few things. Anyway, I never realized before how much Morticia knits during the show. She's always knitting something, granted, something really weird with 3 arms or a neck that's 2 feet long but her needles are clicking away just the same. I decided I had the perfect fabric to make needle cases and bags, accessories Morticia Addams would have used had they been available back in the 1960's when the shows were made. The bags and cases are made from a plum lightweight upholstery fabric, repurposed patchwork velvet, cotton, thick ribbed corduroy (small bag), and deep black velvet (medium bag). I think Morticia would have loved them but I doubt she has an Etsy account ;) Blue Mtn. Handcrafts

Progress.................

2010-08-22T16:23:00.000-04:00

I've made lots of progress on my knitting projects and spinning a dent in my fiber stash. I finished my handspun shawl which I absolutely love and will probably make another one, just because ;) I also got some gorgeous BFL spun and plyed....maybe part of a shawl in that skein.

I also finally got all the squares from Ravelry friends and finished putting together a small blanket for a friend who recently lost a grandchild. It did my heart good to see so many people willing to send in a handknit or crocheted square to donate to the blanket which we call Mary's Hug. It's much prettier in person and I'll be mailing it on Monday.

This coming weekend I'm hoping to get the Sept. FIX Prize Box drawing video done and all the goodies sorted into their prize boxes. It's felt like Christmas with all the fibery goodies coming in the mail........no, I don't get to keep them but it sure is fun opening those packages!! I've been sewing like a mad woman and will be adding circular needle cases to the shop again..........thanks for reminding me that I was out Aimee!! I totally forgot about circular needle cases until Aimee came to visit and mentioned them. Here's a sneak peek at some of the goodies I'm listing tomorrow.....

BMH Shop Update and Misc.

2010-08-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

Today I got two small fleeces washed.......I'm going to keep one for myself but I'm not sure which one to keep. One is a Targhee merino 4" staple and the other is a FDT/Corriedal X also with a 4" staple. Each fleece weighs about 1 1/2 lbs.......enough to make a sweater with I'm thinking. I would liked to have gotten more fleece washed but it's raining and has been for days so I can only dry on one screen downstairs. I did pull 5 more fleeces that I want to wash when the sun comes back out.....2 or 3 of which I forgot I had. I think that may be a sign of addiction when you can't keep up with what fleeces you have. Oh well!

I did manage to get some new things listed in the shop and I finished 2 awesome Caddy Sax bags with Mushroom print fabric to list later this week. Katie sold another sheep pin....WAHOO!! Things are pretty much the same here.....everyones picking colorful wool and sparkles off their clothes, constantly recounting firestar, bamboo, and silk inventory because I forget to write things down, and getting very excited about the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op September Prize Box Drawing!! FIX got 2 new members last week so we should have more items in the prize boxes and we have a contest planned for October. I've added "Pages" to my blog with all the FIX info if anyone is interested. It's a great group of people:)

Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op Is Accepting New Members!!

2010-08-11T09:21:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let anyone with an Etsy shop know that the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op is now accepting new members!! If you have an Etsy shop and carry fiber or fiber related handmade items check out the FIX Ravelry group for more info. We've got a great group of Indie fiber artists working together and helping each other out in order to make everyones business grow! To participate in a prize box drawing you only need to send in one full sized item and one sample size item and agree to pay your portion of the shipping cost to send the prize boxes...this is divided equally among the participating members and so it is minimal. If you would like to participate in one of our PIX FOR FIX$ contests you simply donate $5 to the gift certificate pool that is given away for the winner to spend in the participating FIX shops of their choice. As you can see the co-op is "starving artist friendly" ;)

NEW Random Beauty Caddy Sax!!

2010-08-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

I've got a new Caddy Sax design called "Random Beauty"!!! I've listed the first two today....Purple Random Beauty and Green Random Beauty. I've got a Blue and a Pink to put together and then I will be working on some really Random Beauty bags using different fabric strips in coordinating colors though not single colors. All of the Random Beauty Caddy Sax bags will be One-Of-A-Kind. Check 'em out!

Blue Mtn Handcrafts Etsy shop

Also, Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op will launch it's first prize box drawing with 3 prize boxes available on Sept. 4 thru Oct. 9 so mark it on your calendar!! You can find all the details on the FIX Blog. We are also cooking up a photo contest to begin in October with a Gift Certificate for the photo that gets the most votes. There will be more details to come on this.

Katie Bug Creations.......new in the shop!

2010-08-04T08:57:00.000-04:00

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts has launched a new shop section on Etsy! Katie Bug Creations....making the world a cuter place! Yep! Katie now has her own shop section for her magnets and pins featuring colorful and cute sheep!! She's very excited about this and receives all monies earned on each item less $1 to cover etsy and paypal fees....this is helping fund her Fimo clay addiction. When she is older, Katie would like to open her own Etsy shop to carry her fimo creations but decided it is good business sense to start off with an established shop.......all this from an 11 year old. I'm still amazed. Katie has also become the youngest member of the Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op and we're glad to have her :) Check out Katies goodies!!!

Also, Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op now has a Blog and a FaceBook group. Come join us!

NEW Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op!!!

2010-07-23T11:14:00.001-04:00

Well, there's goo gobs of stuff going on here hence no posts for awhile. I'm working on revamping the website some a little at a time.......there are just not enough hours in the day! Eric is still trying to get Deb Menz's blending hackles done but she will get them in plenty of time for SOAR this year so it's not terribly worrisome. The kids are excited because they've sold some of their batts and spinning clouds and thus earned some spending cash........it's amazing how creative they get when they know they're going to get paid for what they make;) Me, I'm doing the usual sewing, making batts, dyeing, and spinning. I got my Delta Jumbo flyer for spinning art yarn from Merlin Tree and it's fantastic!! I'm spinning a thick and thin super coiled yarn at the moment,,,it's awesome!

What I'm really excited about is a new scheme I had and actually managed to get some other indie fiber artists to go along with my plan!! We're planning on having a big drawing with 2 or 3 prize boxes for our customers in September. It really is amazing what we can do when we all work as a team and help one another. Check out our Rav group if you're on Ravelry and if you have an Etsy shop with fiber or fiber related items feel free to sign up for the coop waiting list when we'll be adding new members.

Fiber Indie eXperience is a cooperative of Indie artists who work together for the benefit of the whole by helping, encouraging, and promoting each other. We don’t see ourselves as “competitors in business” but as friends of a like mind with a passion for fiber. Each member has a small business in which they sell their fiber and fiber related handcrafted items concentrating on quality rather than quantity. When you shop with a F.I.X. member you can be sure of receiving a beautifully handcrafted item and all our members genuine appreciation for supporting a fellow co-op member.

“According to the dictionary, ‘indie’ is an informal version of the word independent. Although this definition is accurate, the word has come to mean more. For many, it has come to symbolize originality and forward-thinking. By this definition, indie is any business or designer that is not associated with a large company.”

Get It While It's Hot! $50 Gift Certificate Drawing

2010-07-02T10:07:00.000-04:00

GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE DRAWING in the BMH Etsy shop!!!

For every order placed in July (retroactive July 1) I'll toss your name in a hat for a $50 gift certificate drawing to be held on August 1st. If you post your purchase in the GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT thread in the Blue Mountain Handcrafts Raverly group I'll toss your name in the hat TWICE!!

Well, it's almost 4th of July. Where did June go?? Eric and the kids are taking a van load of aluminum cans to the recycling center to trade in for cash for fireworks. My guys are fire bugs and love to see things explode.........if it's pretty so much the better. We did some yard work yesterday and weeded the garden beds. I actually found the tomatoe plants and they had tomatoes on them so we staked them up, hopefully the deer won't eat them. Alex is getting excited about his birthday and has been invited to go with a friend to Hershey Park in a couple of weeks so we'll have to think of something special to do with Katie. There's pretty much the same madness going on here as always.............I've got to many knitting projects going at once, Alex is making huge progress on a story he is writing and talking ALOT on the phone, Katie is now talking on the phone with a friend and has a new pen pal that she is enjoying immensley, and Eric, bless his heart, is desperately trying to keep up with tool orders and walks around in a cloud of sawdust most of the time. I will say, when the kids are home for the summer the house is alot cleaner.........I love child labor ;)

I'm Not Lazy, I'm Busy!

2010-06-23T18:33:00.000-04:00

Cripes! Ever since the kids got out of school I feel like I don't have time to turn around much less post on a regular somewhat weekly basis. Here's the gist of what's gone on up here on the Mountain for the last couple of weeks:

Katie graduated the 5th grade and made the A/B honor roll.
Alex is waiting impatiently for his grades to show up in the mail so he can get his computer/nintendo privleges back
Both kids are working for the business this summer to earn money and are creating their own fiber items to sell in the shop. I even gave them their own shop section Fluff N Stuff. So far, Katie has sold 2 batts and Alex has sold 1 spinning cloud
I think Beauford the bunny is possessed
George is starting to act like a dog. Who ever heard of a tortoise that acts like a dog?
Eric is cranking out tools as fast as he can and can hardly keep up with orders.
Deb Menz is going to use Eric's blending hackles and art roving hackle at SOAR this year!!! She's a guru in the fiber world so this is a big deal :)
I finally got my bag back from Interweave Crochet and I'm keeping it for myself!
We actually got one cluster of grapes on our vine this year, the deer have trashed the tomatoe plants, and the yard is growing out of control. I personally like the "wild meadow" look myself....it' suits us.
Katie's feet are now officially as big as mine, no kidding!
Alex is at least 2" taller than me and rubs it in every chance he gets
We finally broke down and got NetFlix so I'm totally addicted to the Addam's Family....again.
Our TV with it's new digital junk doesn't pick up ANYTHING at all!!! When we had analogue TV we got lots of channels, now nothing. I thought this was suppose to be progress???
My rare and elusive Wood Lily had 4 (yes, 4!!!) blooms on it this year!! This is unheard of mostly because these lilies grow wild in the woods and the deer usually eat them before they bloom and rarely do they mature enough to have more than one bloom on them.
BMH is now selling Merlin Tree spinning wheels and Katie and I love them. Yes, Katie is spinning some now!!
Eric and I are taking turns making dinner and I haven't burned the house down yet........I hate to cook and use the smoke alarm as a timer.
I think my kids are living in their PJ's because we don't have half as much laundry to wash now
I miss our pool. We need to win the lottery so we can fix the damned thing!!
My house has never been cleaner than when the kids are home for the summer....I love child labor!

I Hate Murphy and his law!

2010-06-02T08:46:00.000-04:00

I know it's been awhile but there's lots going on, more than I can keep up with most of the time. Things had been going well, a good kind of busy. And just when you think you're starting to catch up Murphy tosses his Law at you. If I ever find Murphy I'll choke him! I got a call from the school nurse yesterday to come and get Alex. He was tripped in the hallway and fell hard on his knee which is bruised and swollen. It's painful, swollen, and bruising so he can't walk on it. He'll be out of commission for several days and miss a few of his SOL's unless we can make a special appointment with the school to drive him in and drop him off to take it and then pick him back up since he can't walk. Craptastic! Anyway, here's the short version of what's happened on the mountain lately.............

I finished spinning and plying my Flower Fairy batt for the Spin A Long.....I did the Marigold and it's gorgeous!!
Eric has orders for fiber tools coming in pretty steady now and is working on them constantly to keep up. Good that we're getting orders, bad that he's got no time.
Alex will be making spinning clouds for the shop this summer....Nimbus Clouds (smooth) and Storm Clouds (with nepps for textured yarn)
Katie will be making multicolored and solid colored sheep pins and magnets for the shop and I think batts we're calling Battitudes.....she will give each batt and attitude and a picture of her in that "attitude" will accompany each listing. At least this is the plan.
Beauford bunny is almost potty trained, I think. This means he's using the same spot for most of his business with the errant bunny marble here and there.
George was gone for two days cruising chicks and bar hopping and finally came home. I think he realized cantalope, bananas, and tangerines don't grow in the woods.
I helped Katie clean out and organize her room and lived to tell about it. Seriously, we got 4 lawn bags for the Salvation Army and 4 lawn bags of trash out of there. I'm surprised she could find her way out before we cleaned it up!
I actually got to see my roses bloom this year!!! This sounds crazy I know, but usually the deer eat them before they have a chance to bloom.
I got an idea for a series of batts for the shop that I think is going to be fabulous!! We'll see how that goes..........I need to do alot of dyeing and will probably have colored hands for weeks.

I've Lost My Mind....Again

2010-05-18T18:24:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday the kids and I went to the flea market. No, Eric didn't go....he handed me cash and said to have fun. Silly man, he should know better. Guess what the kids and I found at the flea market. An Angora bunny. Guess what the kids and I brought home. Yep, that super cute fluffy Angora bunny. It's Eric's fault because he wasn't there to stop me from buying it. Eric is a big softie for bunnies so he wasn't upset...there was a little eye rolling but he thinks it will be interesting at the very least. We've named the bunny Beauford. Yep, it was the goofiest name we could think of and it suits him. Oh, the bunny is a 10 month old male. The kids absolutely adore the bunny, the cats don't know what to think, and George just hopes he doesn't eat all the dandelion greens and strawberries. Oh! I also got a pic of a rare and beautiful yellow Lady's Slipper in bloom in the woods near our house...it's beautiful!!! Kind of the same old thing going on here....sewing, carding, washing fleece, making tools blah blah blah blah, you get the idea. I volunteered to head up a knitting group at the local library....I know, another sign I've lost my mind. My thinking is it's really hard to lose something you were never in possession of anyway. We'll see how it goes.

BMH Flower Fairy Spin A Long!!!!

2010-05-13T18:25:00.000-04:00

I just got my first themed spin a long up in the shop!!! The theme is Flower Fairies with 6 different color batts to choose from and there's a wonderful prize to be had if you participate in the spin a long!! Go check it out!

Blue Mtn Handcrafts

BMH Wool Combing Videos!!

2010-05-06T12:44:00.002-04:00

I've been really busy with Eric making videos and we've finally gotten up 7 videos on using the Fiber Tools.....still need to do a few more for the blending hackle. They're posted on YouTube...our channel is bluemtnhandcrafts and on the website on the new Videos page. Check 'em out and let me know what you think and if there is something in particular you would like to see done with the tools.

Phat Fiber Giveaway Drawing!!

2010-04-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

This small Caddy Sax bag is the featured item on the Phat Fiber blog giveaway today!!! Go to the Phat Fiber Blog and leave a comment about the Blue Mtn. Handcrafts etsy shop for a chance to win the bag ! Good luck!!

Visiting a Farm!

2010-04-24T17:52:00.000-04:00

Today Eric and I loaded up the kids and took a road trip to visit a farm that has some lovely sheep, lots of friendly dogs, and a guardian llama. It was lots of fun meeting the nice couple that owned the farm and the spot they had was gorgeous! Katie fell in love with one of the dogs and would have brought it home if she thought she could sneak it by all the adults. Both kids loved seeing the new lambs AND we got to see two twin lambs that were born 2 hours before we got there. They were so small and soooo CUTE!!! All of the sheep were very friendly and loved the graham cracker treats Geri gave them.........she said it was something they don't get often but boy do they love them!! The miniature dog (it looks like a toy!) loved them too;) After our tour of the farm and seeing all the ewes, lambs, and rams I got to go shopping in Geri's fleece room. Talk about a kid in a candy store! Shelves of fleece in bags stacked almost to the ceiling. Honestly, it was really hard to decide which ones to take......I hate being on a budget........but I came home with 4 gorgeous fleeces and a total of 24.4 lbs. I've got alot of washing to do when we get some good sunny warm weather.......it's rainy and foggy this weekend. Here are some pics (yes, I remembered the camera) I took while I was there...........

Chasing My Tail....

2010-04-14T15:01:00.001-04:00

Cripes it's been over a week since I last posted! There is so much going on and so much to do I'm a little overwhelmed and I feel like I'm chasing my tail.......getting nowhere really fast. I know I'm getting some stuff done but, well, it's not up to what I feel like I need to get done. I think I'm going to have to take some advice from Dennis Leary "Drop some of your needs!". Until they can clone people I've got to try and remember I'm one person with only 2 hands. Briefly, (right) here's what's going on on the mountain:

*I'm sewing.........alot. It feels like alot but I only have 3 Caddy Sax and 3 little buddy bags to show for it. My shoulder says it's alot too.

* Eric finished one set of the new small hand combs that can work as a mini comb and hackle set. You can't get a really smooth combed top from it (there will still be nepps) but they are really neat and fun to use.

*My Virginia Bluebells, daffodils, bloodroot, and sundry other mountain wildflowers are blooming....finally. The deer haven't eaten them yet which is a miracle in itself.

*The kids got their report cards today. Katie did the usual......all A's and B's and 1 C.....math kicks her in the butt every time. Alex, my teenager bless his heart, is all over the board with grades. This aggrevates the hell out of me. He is super smart..........no kidding, REALLY smart...he gets this from Eric whose IQ is phenomenal. Alex just decides he doesn't feel like doing class work so he doesn't. He gets great grades on his tests and his teachers say they know that he knows the material, he just won't do the class work. They wonder why I drink.

*I need to dye about 6lbs worth of fiber for a special thing I'm doing in the shop in May........this is a big project I'm hoping to pull off in May and it's kind of freaking me out. Can I do it? Will it work? Should someone just shoot me now?

*Mailwise, it's been a great week!! I got a huge box of fabric from a Ravelry friend whom I swapped some handspun yarn for. I got some gorgeous spinning fiber and my 5lbs of firestar finally showed up today. I'll be dyeing this weekend!!

Oh! I did some new ads for Ravelry for May. Here's one of them!

BMH Etsy Shop Anniversary Special........No Foolin'

2010-04-01T06:33:00.000-04:00

I'm running this special in the shop ALL month long to celebrate the Etsy shops 1 year anniversary!!! See shop announcements for details

Blue Mtn Handcrafts

Interweave Crochet Spring 2010 Finally Showed Up!!!

2010-03-29T17:58:00.000-04:00

Had to share!! I'm so excited!!!Crud, I guess this means I really better start sewing some bags for the shop ;)

This Week.........

2010-03-28T11:01:00.000-04:00

Lots going on this week! It's rainy and yucky out today which means it's a good day to get stuff done inside........I really didn't feel like cleaning out the flower beds anyway ;) Here's a quick run down of life on the mountain:

* Eric is making a set of basic 2 pitch handcombs that could conceivabley be clamped to a table. They are not as fancy as the other 2 pitch handcombs but will be good for busting up and fluffing out washed fleece. They will run about $78 on the website and $85.80 in the etsy shop. Of course, I have to test them first to make sure they'll stand up to a good beating........I'm the perfect "crash test dummy"

*I'm now an Ashford dealer (sorry, not wheels, looms, or drum carders) and will be carrying crystal metallic fiber in 10 colors to start with in the etsy shop....5 more to come in the future. I now have access to all the Ashford parts for the wheels, looms, etc and accessories like bobbins and fly wheels as well as all the books and fibers they carry. If you need something Ashford let me know.......I can do bulk fiber and give you a good deal on anything else.

*I got my April Phat Fiber samples sent out on Wednesday and am in the planning stages of the samples for the May box. It's going to be something special with prizes involved! No, I'm not telling now........only one other person knows and she's been pinky sworn to secrecy ;)

*Alex is starting to act like a teenager........I wondered when it would happen. I think that child talks on the phone to his friend Kevin about 2 or 3 times a day and on the weekends who knows how many times. Kevin is cool though....he likes to be on speaker phone sometimes and talks to the whole family. Alex has been playing Monopoly in one of his classes at school to teach the kids about money, real estate, etc. We use to call him "Mr. Burns" (from the Simpsons) when we played Monopoly with him because he always had tons of property and piles of money. Apparently, this has not changed and he's cleaned everyone out every game they've played at school........to the point kids are getting tired of playing because they keep losing. He's always been lucky at games and cards and when you throw "smarticles" in with it, well, he's dangerous. I need to take that boy to Vegas.

*Katie Bug is still making super cute clay figures.......she loves chubby cute animals and has enough for a zoo. She's been getting A's on her tests in school (history, science, reading comprehension) and even B's in math........not her best subject but she gets that honest, if I don't have a calculator or my shoes off I'm lost. I've managed to get her to make me a few super cute sheep pins to go in my batt subscription packages and she's got ideas for more. Bless her heart, she's just like me.........so many ideas you hardly know where to start!

Okay, back to work........there are bags to sew, fiber to weigh, and pancakes to make!

Interweave Crochet Spring 2010

2010-03-21T19:14:00.001-04:00

OOOPPSSS! I almost forgot! Two of my good internet buddies got their Interweave Crochet Spring 2010 subscription issues in the mail and let me know that my Caddy Sax bags were in the issue!!! They both said the feature looked great and I'm DYING to see it for myself.........my magazine still hasn't shown up yet. This is the banner I made to run in the shop until April..........something special is going to go on in the Etsy shop the whole month of April ;)

http://www.bluemtnhandcrafts.etsy.com/

Spring Cleaning!

2010-03-21T18:00:00.000-04:00

I did some serious cleaning today........it was way overdue trust me. I spent almost 7 hours cleaning out and organizing my computer/fiber/sewing/shipping/inventory area also known as Area 54. I'm thrilled with it!! I desperately need to get some clear plastic totes to put the washed fleece in on the shelves....the bags keep falling off driving me nuts. Eric, the kids, and I also managed to clean the house.........I mean CLEAN the house, not the usual kiss and a promise. The van is full of trash for the dump and I have another van load of trash as well as a van load of Salvation Army stuff. We are actually going to have some room in this tiny house!! It was nice to get everything vacumed, dusted , swept, mopped, laundry done (6 or 8 loads!!), etc. I'm exhaused and I think this is worth celebrating so I'm going to go have a little cocktail and relax. It's a rare and wonderful thing when I can not only get the kids to help clean the house but Eric as well ;) Here's photos of my new and improved Area 54!

BMH Ravelry Group Secret 100's Special

2010-03-19T11:46:00.001-04:00

Okay, I’m going to try this as a special “thanks” to my Ravelry group members. I’m just so glad I’m not talking to myself….me, myself, and I don’t always get along and sometimes things get ugly ;) If you're not a member join us!!

Blue Mtn Handcrafts Secret 100’s Special

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts Ravelry Group

*the person who places the 100th sale in my shop will receive a $10 gift certificate good toward a future order on ANYTHING in the shop (includes tools, dye, shipping, everything). Custom/Special orders are the only exception

*must be a member of the Blue Mtn. Handcrafts Ravelry group……..when checking out please write BMH Rav with your Rav name

*we are currently at 610 sales…….so there are quite a few to go (no need to stalk the shop yet Aimee ;)…#700 will be the next in line for the gift certificate

ST. PATRICK'S DAY 1 DAY SPECIAL

2010-03-17T04:09:00.000-04:00

ST. PATRICKS'S DAY SPECIAL!! 1 DAY ONLY...ends midnight EST

FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING ON ORDERS WITH AN ITEM TOTAL OF $30 OR MORE (after discounts, etc), 1/2 OFF INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

BLUE MTN. HANDCRAFTS

Geez, Where Have I Been?

2010-03-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted..........yep, super busy at my house! Well I don't have time for a real post so here's a quick run down of the madness going on here:

we still have 12" of snow on the ground.....will this crap ever go away!
I've signed up for the April Phat Fiber box....keeping my fingers crossed I can get my samples out on time.
Started a Random Beauty Batt club in the esty shop....we'll see how that goes
Just got 3 more fleeces that need to be washed. Where do you dry 11lbs of fleece in the winter?
Our cat has a friend that is an opposum....no kidding!
NO Interweave Crochet Spring 2010 mag yet.........I'm climbing out of my skin waiting for it
Eric is working on more fiber tools for the shop.......the noise is phenomenal
Katie got all A's and B's and a C in math (I hate fractions too) on her interim report.......she got an A+ on her book report!!
Alex got an A in Algebra on his interim report.......haven't gotten the others yet, he's so smart it's scary
I'm still short despite how hard I try to grow
I've been dyeing bamboo.......lovely stuff!
Need to dye Mulberry Silk top........heavenly stuff
Cedar (1 of our cats) keeps leaving his favorite toy in the kitchen.......I know, I trip over it every time
I need to get back to work but would rather take a nap........nothing new there

JEWELRY CLEARANCE CLOSEOUT SALE!

2010-02-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

~~~~CLEARANCE~~~~

I'M CLOSING THE JEWELRY SHOP IN A FEW MONTHS!

EVERYTHING HAS BEEN MARKED DOWN FROM THE SALE PRICES BY ANOTHER 30 TO 40%

Beth1818 Vintage Costume & Fine Jewelry

GET IT BEFORE IT'S GONE!

NEW Random Beauty 3 month batt subscription!!!

2010-02-25T08:27:00.001-05:00

Just launched this subscription this morning!!

Only 10 spots available!

Blue Mtn. Handcrafts

Greener Shades Dye

2010-02-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I got my first order of Greener Shades dye on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday I dyed 4oz of various types of fiber (hand processed fleece, mill processed top and roving, firestar, and silk) to see how they'd do. The dyes are fabulous!! I was able to exhaust the color in all the dyes (red and black included!) and the colors are beautiful rich gemtones at the 1% depth of color (medium shade of that color). The black is actually black, not purplish blueish whateverish. The only one I had trouble exhausting the dye bath with was the Coral Reef Aqua (turquoise) and this I believe was mostly my fault. It's virtually impossible for me to follow directions exactly for to long before I want to experiment. I should know better by now, huh. Anyway, I didn't add enough citric acid to the aqua dye bath (ph is important...needs to be acidic enough to "fix" the dye to the fiber) and I got some beautiful blues but not the dark turquoise with the exception of a couple of the mill processed fiber---we all know superwash will dye if you just show it the dye jar. As a treat to myself for pretty much sticking to the directions for each of the 9 colors (technical dyeing, BLAH) I threw some white cormo fleece in a pot and dyed it "granny style".........a little of this, a little of that with no measuring. IT CAME OUT GORGEOUS!!! Wahooo! Now I'm waiting for my goodies to dry so I can make some awesome batts. For more info on the Greener Shades dye you can go to their website and I've now got Greener Shades dye, starter dye kits, citric acid, and the World of Color Dye Book in pdf (has 120 color formulas using the basic 9 colors) in my etsy shop and in The Store on my website.

MINE!

It's My Birthday Sale!

2010-02-18T08:10:00.000-05:00

I'm celebrating my 40th birthday today and decided to have a sale in the BMH Etsy shop!

ONE DAY ONLY SALE!!! FEB 18TH TO MIDNIGHT EST.

BUY 1 ITEM, GET THE 2ND ITEM 35% OFF (or equal or lesser value.....regular listings only)! for details please see my shop announcements
http://www.bluemtnhandcrafts.etys.com/

Fun Mail!

2010-02-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

I got fun mail yesterday!! I love getting stuff in the mail....well, except for bills but who likes getting bills? Anyhow, I got my Greener Shades dye order (finally) and managed to get it up in the Etsy shop and on the Website. I just dyed a batch of Ruby Red with a bunch of different fibers....product testing, right! Next I'm doing purple. Basically, I'm going to try out all 9 colors and then geez what am I going to do with 36oz of gorgeous dyed fiber.......guess I'll be carding some awesome batts that's what!!! I felt like a mad scientist testing the ph of the water and actually keeping track of the temperature. Eric suggested I follow the directions for at least the 1st batch of each color. I know, super boring but he's right.......I can do my "granny style" thing after I get the test batches done.

My super duper fun package was from Anita aka yarndemon from our Fancy Kitty Ravelry group swap. There was alot of squealing and ooohhing and aaaahhing going on as I unwrapped each fantastic item. I got some beautiful batts that I'm in the process of spinning, a super cute tape measure that Katie tried to steal, some of Anita's awesome fimo clay stitch markers (she's got lots more at www.yarndemon.etsy.com ), incredibly soft faux angora, dyed firestar, lotion, a beautiful soap bag with some almond and oatmeal soap, lots of edible treats, and Poo Poo Paper. It's absolutely hysterical...........it is actually made from recycled elephant poop. Apparently, they only digest 60% of the vegetable matter they eat so there's alot of fiber in their poop and this company recycles it into paper. Don't worry, it doesn't smell like poop. I love the company's tag line "We're Number One At Number Two!" You can get your own poo poo paper at www.poopoopaper.com I've got it bookmarked ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T11:51:00.002-05:00