What's up with today, today?

To all of my dear customers and friends who frequent my etsy site: Due to some glitch in etsy's system, my Fall Creek Fibers shop has been deactivated.

Do not worry, everything that you have ordered recently has been filled and mailed and I have all of the information I need to keep the clubs running smoothly.

I am in the process of getting my etsy site back up and running (right now I am waiting for etsy's solution and answers) but frankly I may not go fully back.  Do visit my online shop for all of your favorite teas and clubs, as well as some fibery goodness to be updated this Friday.

This shop is an easy place to purchase and I'm ramping it up to be my main source of selling.

Thank you, everyone, for your unbelievable support.  I'll keep you updated on the progress!

Update

Sometimes living on the coast has its downsides.  For instance, summer time.  While all my friends are walking around in tank tops and complaining about the heat, I'm sitting here bundled up in fleece and wool with a cup of steaming tea and a heating pad on my feet.  The lobster and I are heading up to the lake on Wednesday for water sporting and camp firing and playing cards by lantern light, but I'm really having a hard time imagining jumping into a chilly lake at the moment.  Even the kittens have taken a break from terrorizing and are curled up next to my feet!  Another downside... Tourists.  Let's face it, valley folks coming to Santa Cruz on a Sunday is not an original idea and therefore weekends here are ridiculously crowded.  Do I sound like a local?

I somehow feel vindicated when tourists come for a sunny day at the beach and get 55 degrees and foggy until 4:30p.

So anyway, it's been quiet around here, huh?  Here's what has been going on.

We have kittens named Adorable and Abominable.  Ironically Adorable is more abominable than Abominable.  Abominable is not more adorable than Adorable, though.

We set up the home theater dealio. (Forgive the cell phone camera picture.) Well, Sean did, anyway.  A few weeks ago we did a big shift in the house and moved the bedroom to the loft, the loft to the living room, and the dining room into the bedroom.  So now I have an office and the lobster has a television in the living room.  I like having an office, but hate having the tele on constantly.  You win some and lose some!

I sent out the first sock yarn club shipment and bitterly regretted not dyeing one up for myself.  I've also been experimenting with new lighting techniques for photographing true color.  It's a learning process.

I've been cooking up a TON of vegan recipes including Hot Rice with Tomato and Olives and Lemon, Vegan Peanut Butter Cups, and super yummy rice and bean salads.  I'm bringing a lot of vegan food camping because I can't imagine a worse place to eat something non-vegan and then be sick to my stomach for days.  My poor body has been spoiled the past few months and now violently rejects anything that contains dairy and surprisingly, wheat.  Besides, I want to show my non-veg family that being vegan is not about deprivation.

I've also been spending afternoons visiting bookstores and farmer's markets galore.  There's nothing like used books and a bowl of delicious cherries in the sunshine.

Okay dears, I'm off for a little while.  I'll be back Monday with lots of pictures to share!

Remember to take the road less traveled.

P.S. I'm leaving the shop open, but everything purchased between now and Sunday will ship Monday when I get back.  Be sure to keep an eye out for new merino/yak blends coming soon!

The flowering cactus in my garden finally bloomed!

Good morning my beautifuls.

It's my favorite kind of morning. The lobster is still snoozing, it's wonderfully foggy outside (with a hint of the warmth to come this afternoon. These kinds of days are my favorite probably because they remind me of October and new beginnings.), the smell of jasmine is wafting through my open window and I'm bundled up in warm but flowy clothes with my yerba mate latte. Mops has crawled back into bed to sleep in with Sean (please don't get me wrong, we don't allow him to sleep in the bed with us at night. A different lifetime ago Sean used to get up at 5:00a to go to work and when he would leave in the mornings he used to put Mops up on the bed with me to keep me warm. The habit stuck and now Mops eats his breakfast promptly at 7:00a and then hops up on the bed to sleep in.) and the kittens have full bellies (for the moment) and for a few blissful moments things are peaceful.

Today I'm going to dye up some more roving for the shop and there is a promise of a yummy soy chai from my favorite coffee shop later on. I had a busy weekend of updates and I've unfortunately come to the conclusion that luxury blend yarns are going to be temporary for Fall Creek Fibers. In fact, Fall Creek Fibers may be taking a much different direction than I originally had planned. I worry that in being a supplier of wheels, parts, dye, undyed, I'm going to lose the part of the process that I love so much, the process of creativity. Of pouring color onto wool and being delightfully surprised every time by the vividness of the colors seeping into (my clothes, hands, counter) the fibers. So I'm working on a revamp of the website, stay tuned in for more news as it progresses. As it stands I'm not sure in which direction I am more strongly pulled, but time will tell.

In other (more personal) news, my vegan adventure is going great! Only a few minor set backs (I ate cheese twice and I caved on an egg sandwich when we were decidedly out of food) and I feel fabulous. I've lost 12 pounds in a month, my morning sniffles are at bay, and my energy levels have been off the charts! I have noticed that when I eat bread I feel pretty crappy so I'm going to try to stay away from that this week and my body has strangely decided that heart burn shall plague me from sun up to sleepy time, so I'm not thrilled with that. Need to eat more base foods and less fruit juice. Also, the month of no eating out has gone really well. We did go out once to a vegan/veggie restaurant that sort of rocks my world but I gave myself one slip up, so I don't feel poorly about it. I'm going dress shopping with my sister and company next week so maybe I'll give myself two slip ups this month. Working on being kinder to myself about set backs and mistakes. Plus this month has been pretty extreme for me for it's only natural to want to rebel a little.

Anyway, I have a lot of packages to ship off from my super busy update weekend (thanks so everyone who has helped me reach 400 sales!!!) and then I need to get some more goodies in order to fill up my shop. I hope you are all having a magical Monday and an even more magical week ahead. Much love!

So what do you think? (And a giveaway!)

Okay... -big sigh-.  I am feeling much more like myself now and I'm super excited to share my new project with you!  If you haven't already, head on over to Fall Creek Fibers and poke around.  Eventually this blog will find its way over to the FCF (Fall Creek Fibers) domain and when that happens I will be sure to let you know to update your bookmarks/feeds.  The idea is to have everything 'theurchiness' packed into one convenient identity where you can shop, read, and learn about all things fiber!  The tutorial link section is packed full of helpful tidbits (as well as some interesting places to get your blog fix) and at some point there will be a FCF tutorials section.

As for the shop.  Well.  I'm stoked about it.  It will stock everything from SOAK (for your fiber, quilting, and delicates), gifts for knitters (we have some amazing partnerships in the works for things like knitters hand balm and notions/needle/drop spindle cases), and everything you could need for creating your own handspun.  Drop spindle kits, dye kits, un-dyed roving, etc.  Not to mention all of the handspun and hand dyed roving you've come to expect from theurchiness (and a new line of colorways in the earth tones you love).  And I'm taking my hand to dyeing some sock yarns... Because you can never have too much indie dyed sock yarn.

The transition will be slow, and I can't imagine ever completely shutting down my etsy shop (because I do love it so), so for a while you'll still be able to find me as theurchiness.  The idea is that by the end of 2010 the shop will be in full swing and I have lots of exciting things planned for the launch.

Starting with...  A giveaway (or three)!

Yep, that's right.  I'm giving away a spot in my fiber club!  One lucky reader (open to everyone, even international!) will be shipped an exclusive fiber club colorway for the months of June, July, and August.  All you have to do is visit Fall Creek Fibers and leave a comment on this post telling me what else you'd like to see there (products you'd buy, resources you could use, tutorial ideas, etc).  If you're already a fiber club member, not to fret!  You can still enter the giveaway and get a double dose of fiber or use this winning to renew your membership when your three months are up.  This giveaway will go on for three weeks, comments will close on May 22, and I'll announce the winner (via random.org) on Monday, May 24.

For those of you who wouldn't know what to do with roving if it bit you, we have a non-fiber related giveaway scheduled for Wednesday, May 5, so do check back then!

And on Tuesday there will be a (theurchiness) (this is going to get confusing) shop update at 11:00a PST.

And on Friday, May 14 there will be another non-fiber related giveaway.

It's a busy and exciting time for us all!

Thank you to everyone for your love and support, I couldn't do this without you!  Now get commenting for the fiber club spot!

PS You can read more about the fiber club here.  And gossip about it here.

Saturday Afternoons are made of this...

Well, wordy Friday got away from me there, didn't it?  Oh well, today is a new day... With puppies and tea and yarn, oh my!

It's been a busy week for me.  Between the shop update on Monday, taking my dog to urgent care (he got something stuck in his soft pallet... I swear that dog will be the end of me.  Or at least drive me to financial ruin.), then new foster puppies who are a whole giant mess of cuteness and work, seeing Alice in Wonderland (go see it, it was great.), and more errands than I can count, I have no idea where the time went.

I'm still trying to get some stitches in now and then... What are you all working on these days?  I'm knitting up a gorgeous orchids and fairy lights (rav link) hat in a super soft cotton blend.  It's a little slow going and it's my first time making bobbles!  They're kind of annoying, but I think the end result will be worth it.  And again, I thank the knit goddess that is grumperina for her awesome tutorial on cabling without a cable needle.


I'm sitting here with my third cup of tea (late night last night in the world of Underland) and there are two little puppies bouncing about with unspun superwash corriedale bits hanging out of their mouths.   This morning I spent finishing up an English essay and dyeing up some lovely roving for the update next week.  And I took pictures of my process so that I may share it with you!  I still need to edit the photos, but keep an eye out for a dyeing tutorial soon.

I've also been doing lots and lots of research and brainstorming for my etsy shop (and eventually the lys I hope to open).  There are some exciting new things happening this year!  I can't believe how much time and effort goes into having your own business...  I'm passionately loving every little hiccup.  Because what could be better than sleeping in every day, playing with puppies while photos upload, and watching Mad Men while packing up orders?  (Speaking of Mad Men, omg I am SO glad Joanie didn't leave for good and thank goodness Betty is marrying someone else, and when the heck does season 4 start?)

Tonight I'm off to the in-laws for dinner and tomorrow is a housework day.  I'll be back next week with a dye tutorial and a shop update on Wednesday at 1:00p PST.

Happiness is a huge basketful of puppy toys, is it not?

A new rhythm...

We've begun to settle into a new kind of home. This home only has two kitties, but they are well loved. There are less cuddles to go around, but the lobster doesn't have to sleep with his feet hanging off the bed. There are less kitty kisses that smell like cat food and chives, but my window garden is growing.

Today I'm feeling much more emotionally capable... The dishes have been done, the lobster is home from his trip (useless, because he's sore, dehydrated and exhausted, but home.), a decision has been made (we're staying in this humble abode until the end of the year... YAY!), and I've thrown myself back into school and work.

Speaking of work... Shop news.


First, my yarn was featured on the front page of etsy! Oh my goodness! That's me, in the bottom right hand corner... my pretty bamboo yarn, Rumpelstiltskin.

Second, fiber club spots are going to open in the middle of February for March, April, and May.

Third, Fiber update has been postponed a week or two, look for it before Valentine's Day.

I think that's all the shop news for now... Things have been slow there on my end (not on yours, though! I reached my monetary sales goal for January and I'll be making a huge donation to Docs w/o Borders tomorrow... I'll let you know the total when I tally it all up. You guys rock.) but I'm hoping to pick things back up this week.

In other news... Are you ready to die from the cute?


I knit this little creature up last week for my bff and she loved him. I used leftover sock yarn and size 1 needles that made my fingers want to fall off, but he is totally worth it. Here is the pattern (rav link) for those interested. The pattern was really well written and easy to follow... All of the shaping is done with short rows! So clever.

A bit of blog news...

I'm still working (in between other types of work like homework and design work) on the kinks here on the blog so be patient with me. The side bars are still a mess and the navigation bar isn't working yet, and I noticed an issue with comment spacing. Be patient with me! :)

I've decided to add a new weekly feature... I want to try 52 lists this year. Once a week until next January, similar to hulaseventy (add this blog to your follow list immediately. She is so inspiring!) and borrowing prompts from listography.com.

And I promise to bring back "Things I Love" soon.

I think that's it for me right now... Sean and I have a big night of burritos and Netflix planned. What are you guys up to this fine and sunny Sunday?