We Have a Winner!!!

Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for...the Official Birthday Bash Drawing!!

Drum roll please.................

and the winner is:

Joyce Anna !!!!

Congratulations to Joyce Anna, the winner of a $20 shop credit to Girl Meets Spindle!

(She was the only one the earn an entry through the blog and it won!)

Joyce Anna, I'll be in touch to let you know how to redeem your credit. Thanks to everyone for your entries and your birthday wishes!

Birthday Bash Extravaganza!!

As a Thanksgiving baby, I wanted to say a huge ‘THANKS’ to all my wonderful supporters by having a giveaway! Wanna know what the prize is? A $20 shop credit at (where else?) my shop, Girl Meets Spindle…Huzzah. For every item purchased in November, you will get 1 entry into the drawing (e.g. buy 3 items, get 3 entries). I will be doing the drawing on December 1st, so the winner will have plenty of time to pick out a present for themselves!

I want to make sure that everybody can get in on the fun so I'll be giving you ways to earn free entries. Keep an eye on my Ravelry Group, Facebook Page, and here on the blog for more chances to enter!

FREE ENTRY!!!
To get this party started, I'm giving you 2 extra ways to get an entry into the drawing! Be sure to include your email with your comments so that I can get a hold of you if you are the lucky winner.
1.  Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment letting me know. (Or let me know that you
     already are a follower)
2. What was the best birthday gift you ever received (or gave)? Leave a comment with your answer.


Good Luck everyone and thanks for all your support!

I've been spinning...I promise!

Tour De Fleece Day 3-7

Alright, I've been so busy spinning and posting to my teams on ravelry, that I completely forgot to keep you'all updated here! So I'll give you the condensed version and just show the finished yarns:)

'Head in the Clouds'

'Lilac Garden'

'Fire in the Sky'

'Mystic Meadow'

Can't wait to pick out fiber for tomorrows spin!

Tour De Fleece Day 2

I've been practicing my cotton spinning and I think I may finally have the hang of it...now if I could just spin it a bit more evenly:)  I worked my way through a HUGE cotton batt then Navajo plyed it for my TDF contribution today.

'Pinata Explosion' , Handspun Cotton Yarn, 120 Yards

Part of the original batt

Singles on the Bobbin

After Navajo Plying

I'll Be Your Tour Guide...

It seems like everywhere I go on Ravelry everyone’s all a-buzz about Tour de Fleece…it started TODAY!! I’m excited because this is the first year I will be participating. For those that don’t know, the Tour was created to coincide with the Tour de France bicycle race, July 2-24. The goal is to commit to spinning everyday of the tour for a certain amount of time…or just see how much you can spin during that time:) For myself I’ve set a goal of at least 30 min a day. I’ll also be spinning as much of my own colorways as possible.

Are you participating in the TDF??  I don't have an offical team for TDF, but if you use GMS fiber, I’d love to see the yarn you make. Please post a picture int the TDF thread in my ravelry group so that we can all oogle it! Who knows…maybe there’s a prize in it for ya?!?

The ‘Official’ TDF Group
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/tour-de-fleece

GirlMeetsSpindle Ravelry Group
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-gms-ell-fiber-cafe

DAY 1:

Started things off with Phat Fiber sample from the June box, 'Space Slime' from BohoKnitter Chic

Also, kept pluggin away at a giant batt of cotton that was gifted to me by a friend. I think this batt grows when I'm not looking, because it's taking me forever to get through it!

Happy spinning!

Sunrise Clasp Purse.....someday



Every once in a while, I get the pleasure of keeping one of my rovings for myself to play with.  Back when I dyed up Tahiti Sunrise, I somehow ended up with this orphan roving and I simply could not pinpoint which fiber blend it was, so it got to live in my stash!  I fell in love with the idea of making a small knit purse with one of those lovely metal clasp closures so  I dug out my roving and separated the colors, then carded it on my borrowed drum carder to get one long color repeat. 

The Batt



The Yarn

The Knit Bag

Gratuitous Close-up

I love how it's turning out so far. I tried to do a Figure 8 cast on for the bottom so that it would have a finished seamless look, but I couldn't quite get the hang of it.  So I improvised and doubled the amount of stitches I needed for the finished width. Then when I knit my first row I alternated between knitting one stitch onto two separate needles (Ex. Front and Back of bag had it's own needle, so I knit 1 stitch onto front needle, next stitch onto back needle, then repeat across.)  It was a bit cumbersome for the first inch or so, but as it got longer I spaced out the stitches to more DPNs. The bottom is still not exactally what I wanted, but it's better than having to stitch a seam afterwards!

I plan on lining the bag in fabric and the attatching it to the metal frame I have. I'll keep you posted on it's progress. Hopefully my dream works out!

Hello my fellow Fiber Friends,

I am super excited to announce that I am now a contributer to the Phat Fiber Box!! What’s the Phat Fiber box you may ask? I’ll let Jessie, the brainchild behind the box, explain:

Phat Fiber is a mystery box of awesome samples for the yarn and fiber enthusiast in us all. With a focus on the independant artisan, this box is a super grass-roots treat for the senses. When your box arrives, chock full of samples, expect to be overwhelmed with the sight and feel of artful yarns, bits of roving, small batts, stitch markers, original patterns, valuable discount coupons and much much more. Inside, you could find anything that yarn and fiber enthusiasts would love…even an herbal tea or two! Phat Fiber seeks to bridge the gap between talented online artisans and consumers hungry to support the independent small business.

These boxes are a great way for you to discover new fibers artists and try out their products before commiting to a full size item. It’s the ultimate ‘Try before you Buy’!

Another fun feature is that every month has a different theme to help inspire the artists and this month is SCI-FI! I decided to veer away from the world of TV and Movies and instead was inspired by space itself.

The June Sci Fi Box will be on sale Saturday June 18th at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT (Chicago Time) at this website http://www.phatfiber.bigcartel.com/

Here’s a sneak peek at my sample for the box (and the newest colorway in the GMS family):

Meet Nebula

Alpaca/Silk on the Left and Tussah Silk on the Right

Alpaca/Silk

 Interested in learning more and getting a box of your own? Check out www.PhatFiber.com for more info and to sign up to be emailed with the date and times of future box drops.

There is also a Ravelry group where you can keep up with the box discussions, see the video of all the samples in the June box, and see what people make with all their samples!
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/phat-fiber-sampler-box

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY
Every month the lovely people at Phat Fiber give you the opportunity to win a box of your very own!! There are two Boxes up for grabs:
Box 1- This is a box from a past month. To enter all you need to to is go to the Phat Fiber Rav page,
             find the thread titled 'Favorite Sci Fi Phat Box Giveaway! ' and say who/or what your favorite
             Sci Fi character is.  Simple!
Box 2 SUPERBOX- This is an awesome box. This box has one sample from every contributor!   
            Everytime you make a purchase from GirlMeetsSpindle or any other June contributor, you get
            an entry into the drawing! Simply leave a separate post for each item in the 'June Science
            Fiction Buy Phat Incentive Superbox Giveaway!' thread on the Phat Fiber Rav group page.
            This is good for any purchase in June, it doesn't have to be the nebula colorway.

Are you excited yet? Cuz I sure am!!!

Going fishing on Memorial Day?

Hello Fiber Friends!!

After a bit of  a break, I am back and ready to get this fiber party started!  To kick off Memorial Day weekend,  I've got a coupon code for you all.  Use the code MEMORIALDAY to get 20% off all purchases made today through Tuesday the 31st.  Hooray!

I've also been working on a colorway that is perfect way to start the summer. So here's a little teaser for you......

Meet FISHBOWL:

In Mulberry Silk

 And In Cotton!!

I will be updating the shop with some odds and ends today. And starting Friday I'll start posting Fishbowl in all the different fibers!!  I will hold off on shipping out items until Monday, so if you have multiple transactions I'll be sure to combine the shipping for you and refund any extra.

I hope everybody has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!!

Uber Super Secret Prize Winner!!

Unbeknownst to my lovely customers, I have been eagerly watching my items sale, waiting for the magic number 100.  And last week it finally came up! Hooray, because this meant that I could finally reveal my plans for the Uber Super Secret Prize!!  Everytime I reach a multiple of 100 item sales, whoever purchased it will recieve a special prize picked out by yours truly.  It will always be different, but it will always be fabulous!  I will tailor it a bit...fiber for fiber lovers, yarny goodness for yarn lovers. 

With out further ado....The 100th item Uber Super Secret Prize Winner is .....DrumRoll Please.

Christine

(CReationsMT)

Whoo Hoo!!!!  Congrats Christine.

In the future I will post a picture of the prize...after the winner recieves it so as not to ruin the surprise.  However this time I didn't get to snap a picture of it before it went out :(

Who will the lucky 200th sale winner be?  Only time will tell!

While Walking Through the Woods

The Hubs and I decided we really needed to get out of the city last week.  We found the most wonderful paved bike/walking path only a 20 min drive from our house!  It is a surprisingly shady trail with mini waterfalls and creeks joining up with the main river.  It was so fabulous to just wander along the river. relax, and just enjoy being outside.  The best part was there were tons of ferns and moss covered rock faces.  I've been itching to make a terrarium and so after we finished our sandwiches, I filled up our tupperware with souviners to bring home.  So far they just live in the tupperware on our living room end table, but I hopefully will get around to creating the terrarium soon!

I tried to get as many different kinds of moss as I could fit...so fun!  I found these acorn caps all along the trail. I just had to rescue some for terrarium decorations.

GRAND OPENING of my Etsy shop

Girl Meets Spindle Grand Opening

It is officially time to throw open the doors and start offering all the hand painted fiber and yarny goodness I've been working on behind the scenes for the past months. Starting tomorrow, Friday March 11th at 8 am(PST) the posting will commence at  my Etsy shop. Hooray!! 

Some teaser shots for you:

My Two Favorite Words...Rummage Sale!

This past week I found the most amazing site for all my fellow yard sale-ers, Yard Sale Treasure Map. It is fabulous! you put in your city, day you want to go, and miles you're willing to drive and up pops all the local craigslist postings for yardsales!! You can even add in any that you find in the paper, then get a customized route and driving directions! How amazing is that!  I was playing around with the mobile version when I found an ad for a Rummage Sale at the local Elks Lodge, Hooray! I grabbed my baggie of change and off I went...Here's the treasures I came home with:


Amazingly Huge Wooden Clothespin
Tiny Hollow Owl Planter? (he's going to turn into a mini pin cushion)
Lovely White Ceramic Animal-shaped Napkin Rings
Double set of  Owl Playing Cards in the cutest velvety box
Mexican Cookbook(Tamales + Flan? Yay!) and Canning Book(to go with the modern one I already have)

Here's some closeups of the napkin rings. They are just so cute. These are to add to my growing collection of white tableware. I have a set of rings that are owls on branches I found at a yard sale a few years ago. I was so excited to find these because I haven't found any more since then.  I think the Chicken is my favorite! 



There's another big sale at a local elementary school next saturday....Hooray for treasure hunts!

The Secrets Out!!

I am so excited because my lovely friend, Linda of ExclusivelyLindaLee, and I have made an official announcement...Girl Meets Spindle is taking over where ExclusivelyLindaLee left off. I will be offering hand painted fibers and yarn in all of the ELL original colorways, plus I'll soon begin adding my own too.  And this isn't just any fiber people, it's luxury and exotic blends that will knock your socks off! Some of them are so sofy and fluffy it's unbelievable! If you want to read the letter you can find it at this ravelry link http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-lindalee-fiber-cafe/1557797/1-25#2 . I'm glad I can finally talk and start posting about fiber-dying things... I've been dying to spill the beans! Look out soon for lovely fibery goodies at http://www.girlmeetsspindle.etsy.com/!!

Stitches West Part 1

Lucky for me, I was able to go up north for a visit just in time to also go to Stitches West in Santa Clara! Whoo Hoo! I had a great day tromping through the market and looking at all the lovely yarns, petting fibers, and oggling all the amazing projects. I went with my wonderful Fiber Friday friends from a group back home, though once we went though the doors we ended up splitting up. So I got to spend the day with the lovely Shelia, the lady who turned me on to spinning in the first place!  I took too many pictures for one post so I'll be doing a series of posts with my favorites!

Yep, this was defintly the line we waited in for tickets to the market. It was raining so much the parking garage flooded and we all had to walk from the lot across the street! Luckily the lady in red came prepared :)

Next up is the Carolina Homespun Booth where I spotted these amazing drop spindles. So lovely arranged like this! Shelia walked away with a Beautiful Turkish Drop spindle in purple heart that was positively gorgeous! Someday I'll add one to my collection

 Pic by Me

Shop at http://www.carolinahomespun.com/

I am in love with this GIANT, shawl wearing Alpaca! I want one to keep me company while I knit! I'm pretty sure he was at the Alpaca Direct booth( it you know it's different, let me know). He was also surrounded by smaller alpaca softies...no shawls for them though.

Pic by Me

Shop at http://www.alpacadirect.com/

 Finally, my absolute favorite booth of the day was definitly Nify Thrifty Dry Goods! They had an astounding amount of trim, vintage and new, and notions and just general lovliness. Plus it was arranged by color! How fabulous is that? I may have to dedicate a post to them because I have so many pictures it's hard to choose.

Pic by Me.

Shop at http://www.niftythriftydrygoods.com/



Hopefully you enjoyed this glimse into the Stitches market! I'll be doing at least one more of these to show off some more pictures, plus I have to show you what treasures I ended up walking away with!

Of Craft and Fiber Addictions.

Welcome Welcome to my little slice of the Internet! For those who don't know me, my name is Rachel and I am fiber addict, in all ways shapes and forms. I am primarily a Spinner and Knitter, but I am truly an ADD crafter. I will do just about any and all crafts that pop into my head.  With the one possible exception of bobbin lace... that stuff scares the pants off me! (If you are a bobbin lace-er, you have my enduring respect.)  I have been toying with the notion of  keeping a record of my fiber endeavors for awhile now and have finally made the decision to take the plunge! I hope you will enjoy following my epic handmade journey.