Springtree Road

Shop update tomorrow @ 10am!

Soooooo things seem to have gotten slooooooow around here. I am moving slower, thinking slower, and needing to rest more. Comes with being preggers, right? Oof!

I'm not used to it and it's making me a little lot impatient! I intended to have more yarn for tomorrow. Some nice worsteds and stuff.

But the show must go on! So tomorrow we have a shop update! With some really pretty yarn, if I do say so myself.

There will be Muscadine Sock and Emeline Sock, mainly in jewel tones. It's not very cold here this winter, but the trees are leafless and the grass is brown, so I thought some bright spots of color would be nice.

Shop update(s) & a colorful Philomath Worsted!

This morning I was working toward photographing the yarns for the next update and glanced over to the living room where R just brought V's play kitchen upstairs and I thought, hey! I should take some yarn pictures there!

So I did. What was kind of comical about it was that sitting on the floor is not my best option at the moment, with this baby belly I've got going and a touch of sciatica. 

I say a touch just to be polite. The reality went more like ... [camera clicking] snap snap "Ouch!" snap snap "Ouch!!!" snap snap "OUCH!" Only add your choice of foul language into the mix as well.

But I like the pictures. 

For this update, on Wednesday February 1st at 2pm Eastern, I'll have something a little different, just for fun. Four skeins of Philomath Worsted in an honest-to-goodness color palette. Plus a couple of other semi-solid colors. Though semi-solids are what I'm drawn to, sometimes a girl just needs to mix it up.

There will also be the usual suspects (skeins of Muscadine Sock) in a couple of new colorways.

And Spinners, I haven't forgotten the roving! It'll be coming your way in a rare Sunday afternoon update - February 5th at 2pm Eastern. Hope you can make it!

Julep + Navarre + tomorrow

Hola! Here's the info on the next shop update.

I'll have mainly Julep Sock, plus Navarre Sock in the three colors above. Hope to see you there!

New colorways: the Aoifes

So I was dyeing some yarn this week and had an idea for one - greens and blues and turquiose, but darkened by gray.

So I did up 4 skeins of Julep Sock in turquoise. Then added some leafy greens. Next was to come the gray, but when I pulled them out of the pot they were so vibrant and beautiful I couldn't cover them all with gray.

So I did two and left two alone. Here's one of each.

I love how the gray glazing changes their personality. Some might think it makes them even more beautiful, while others might prefer the more vibrant version.

So I'll have two of each of these - I'm calling the vibrant one Aoife and the other one Dark Aoife - in the next shop update this Thursday, January 12th at 10am Eastern. Hope to see you there!

Introducing Julep Worsted!

Julep Worsted is my new yarn base - it's the same squishy blend as my Julep Sock - superwash Merino + cashmere + nylon, but it's a heavy worsted skein of 180 yards.

I think this one is my favorite, Rainforest.

Yummy yum yum! I'll have five colorways coming tomorrow, but not in sweater quanties. If you fall in love and find you need enough for a sweater, just send me an email after the update and we'll talk!

Last shop update of the year!

It seems that 2011 has flown by! Wow! I don't know about you, but I'm definitely looking forward to what 2012 has to bring.

In the meantime, I'm doing one last big update for the year (though I may add a skein here and there before the end of 2011! Check my Facebook page for info on unscheduled updates.).

The update will be tomorrow morning - Friday, 12/16/11, at 10am Eastern.

All the yarn will be my Muscadine Sock and there will be 8 new colorways!

Have a holly jolly!

Sock yarn coming your way!

Lots of yarn love going on at my house today.

V said she wanted to give every skein a kiss, but soon ran off to make a Christmas card for someone special.

These are a few of the yarns that will be in tomorrow's update.

All sock yarn coming tomorrow - Muscadine, Julep, Emeline - at 10am Eastern. See you tomorrow at the shop!

New colorway: Mist - & a shop update on Thursday

The next shop update is coming this Thursday morning at 10am Eastern. All the yarns in the update will be in my wonderful new base, Coquina DK, a single ply, 100% superwash Merino yarn. Each skein will be 254 yards and 100 grams. Retail price will be $26.

And here's my final new colorway for this update, Mist.

It's a soft grayish blue, with bits of medium blue just lightly strewn here and there.

Just look at them sitting there, all plump and delicious. Just waiting to be wound into a ball and knitted into something cozy. Or crocheted. They'd be happy either way.

I hope you've enjoyed the previews of the new colorways! The next update will have lots of sock yarns and, just in case you're not into DK weight yarn, each of these three new colorways will be available in at least one of my sock yarn bases.

New colorway: Aubrine

Lately, I've been playing with gray. Yesterday, it was gray + brown, today it's gray + purple, and tomorrow it's a gray + blue, though that one is much lighter in shade.

Meet Aubrine, a smoky, purpley gray. 

I've been looking at baby names for a few months now and I really like names that start with Au - Audrey, Auberon, and August. Then there's Aubrey, which is a family name - one of my grandfather's brothers. Since this yarn is sort of almost an eggplant purple, I combined Aubrey with aubergine and got Aubrine.

Now this is my kind of purple. Or gray. However you want to look at, I dig it. I would love to make a scarf with this colorway, to go with my dark gray coat.

This one will be in the shop on Thursday - more details to come here on the blog tomorrow & through the newsletter, plus the usual social spots.

New colorway: Nutbaby

I'm preparing for the next shop update today - looks like it'll be shaping up for Thursday, but I'll announce that for sure in a day or two. All the yarns in this update will be my new base - a single ply, DK weight, 100% superwash Merino, 100% super squishable yarn.

For this update, I'll have 11 colorways - 3 of them brand new. Here's the first of the three, Nutbaby.

Take some charcoal, shake in some brown, and you get Nutbaby. I think this would make a great hat for your favorite fellow - or for you. 

What's a nutbaby? Well, we have these trees in the backyard and I should know what kind they are, but I just can't ever remember even though my friend Denise told me just a couple of weeks ago. But they give us these just all over the place.

V started calling them nutbabies and it stuck. So it's a nutbaby tree, I suppose.

I wanted to do a strong yarn that would be suitable for a man or a woman and Nutbaby is what what I came up with. The name works, huh? ;)

Please check back tomorrow for details on the second new colorway!

Black Friday sale on hand dyed yarn!

Well, howdy! I'm having a Black Friday sale this year, except I'm starting it on Thursday! If you've been wanting to stock up on Springtree Road yarn - up to 20% off - this is your best chance of the year. 

The sale will start first thing on Thursday and run through Friday night at 11:59pm Eastern. Here are the codes you need to take advantage of the sale:

BLACKFRIDAY3 to get 10% off any 3-4 yarns
BLACKFRIDAY5 to get 15% off any 5-6 yarns
BLACKFRIDAY7 to get 20% off any 7+ yarns

Hope you and yours have a happy Thanksgiving!

Friday afternoon update

The next shop update will be Friday, November 18th, at 4pm Eastern. I'll have some Julep Sock, Muscadine Sock, and Moultrie Sock, plus some Philomath Worsted available.

R's new hat

Hiya! So I finished knitting R's new hat (the Boyfriend Beanie) and I'm planning to take some pictures of him wearing it this weekend. But until then - here it is!

I truly enjoyed knitting with this yarn. It's twisted just enough that it makes those cute, plump little stitches similar to handspun, which I love. And the yarn didn't break on me once. Not to imply that handspun does, but someone asked me about it since this isn't a plied yarn.

I adore it! I can't wait to knit something else with this yarn.

I have chosen a name for the new yarn base from the contest entries and emailed the winner. I'm planning to present the yarns in a few favorite colorways and a few new ones on or around November 28th. Check back for more details or subscribe to my newsletter for info on shop updates.

Kohl for R

Yesterday I dyed up a test skein of my new DK weight, Superwash Merino, single ply yarn base in Kohl for R. I knitted him a hat a few years ago and it's definitely time for another one.

I love this new base! So far, it's everything I dreamed it would be. It is squishy yarn deliciousness! I'm going to knit him the Boyfriend Beanie by Sophie at Haloopa Joop. I'm planning to cast on today. 

There's still time to enter the contest to name this new yarn base and win a free skein. Feel free to add more later if you think of anything else. 

Name this yarn base - win a free skein!

I have a new yarn base in my possession. I'm dropping everything else to start dyeing it on Monday. I'm so very thrilled with it.

And I'd like your help naming it.

About the yarn - it's DK weight, 100% Superwash Merino, single ply, super soft and squishy. So exciting! It's a single! Singles remind me of handpun yarn. I've been wanting to add a single ply hand-dyed yarn to my shop for a good year now.

But back to the name. I'm all give out! Thinking of baby names! Yarn colorway names! Names for all the cats and dogs that V wants to get! I do a lot of naming. So I would love your input.

I have a naming theme going on for my yarn bases - Southern things - Julep (as in mint), Praline (as in pecan), Muscadine (as in vine). I've also used place names - Navarre is a little town in Florida (where R & I honeymooned) and Philomath is a little town in Georgia. I intend to stay with the Southern theme. 

Unique names are best (there are plenty of yarn bases named "magnolia" and "hummingbird"). Place names, food names, pretty names, something else I haven't thought of - all good as long as it feels particularly Southern US.

While I can't promise that I will definitely pick one of your suggestions (though I want to and I very well may), I can promise that I will pick a winner and send that person pictures of the colorways I dye next week before I list them in my shop, let you choose one skein as a prize, and then send it to you (anywhere, worldwide). So you get first dibs! And the first chance to knit with my new yummy yarn base!

So...ideas? Show me what you've got! Just leave a comment before Wednesday, November 16th, at 8pm Eastern and I'll consider it. Thanks so much!

Tuesday morning update

Hello! I'm having a yarn update tomorrow morning - that's Tuesday, 10.25.11 at 10am Eastern.

There will be some Muscadine, Navarre, Julep, and Moultrie - all fingering weight yarns. 

I hope you'll join me tomorrow at 10!

A small update

Hiya! I've got a small update coming tomorrow at noon. A little Julep Sock, a little Praline DK, and maybe a teeny surprise Philomath Worsted.

Hope to see you there!

Knitcircus #15

Have you seen the latest issue of Knitcircus? 

This issue has some really great articles - including one on colorwork and an interview with Jared Flood.

It's also chock full of great patterns for the autumn season, including the Furlough Sock (Rav link), which was designed by Sara Peterson with my Julep Sock in Cafe au Lait (2 skeins of that in the shop right now).

Just gorgeous! I'm honored to be in such great company!

Update this morning!

My next shop update is this morning at 10am!

Next update - Friday, July 22

Some shop news today!

The next installment of my sock yarn club is coming on Monday, July 25th, at 10am Eastern. The Autumn Sock Clique will have fiber options this time, so you can have your choice of yarn bases.

And I'm having a shop update on Friday, July 22nd, at 11am Eastern. The preview of the yarns will be up on Thursday, as usual - just check the Coming Soon section of my shop sometime tomorrow.

In this update I will have skeins of Muscadine Sock, Julep Sock, Moultrie Sock, & Eulela DK.

 

Just a Dollop of Wool

My spinning friends keep asking me when I'm going to dye more fiber for the shop or have another club. I want to, I really do!

So here's what I came up with:

A one-off club for August, just to see how that feels. 

So if you love to spin and like surprises, please check out Just a Dollop of Wool.

Tea Cakes Lace coming tomorrow

Just a wee shop update this week. I've got 10 skeins of Tea Cakes Lace (5 colorways)

and 3 skeins of Julep Sock (2 colorways).

The update will be live on Thursday, July 7th at 11am Eastern.

You can preview the yarns here.

I'm also spinning a few skeins of my La Vie En Rose super bulky thick & thin for those who have been asking me about it. This yarn is used for Tric Drake's Twisted Taffy Hat, along with Blue Sky Alpacas bulky yarn in Blossom. I'll have a few 2- and 4-oz skeins available (a 2-oz skeins is more than enough for personal use. A 4-oz skein would make quite a few more hats from this pattern). When they're ready, I'll announce them on my Facebook page.

Brown and pink & orange...

Shop update coming Monday, June 27th at 10:00 pm Eastern time.

I guess I've been on a brown and pink & orange kick this month, because I've got a rosy brown...

And I've got a lighter pink & orange...

And then I've got more of an earthy brown...

And I've also got a darker pink & orange!

Sometimes these things just can't be helped!

I also did a few other colors, including just one Tea Cakes Lace in Sangria. The preview is already up, so feel free to check out what's coming tomorrow night!

No rain this morning

My plan yesterday was to photograph the yarn for this next update, but the rain was a hindrance. But this morning there was no rain, so I got it done. Yay!

I'm still editing photos, but look for the yarn preview and announcement of when the next update will be on Monday.

And have a great weekend! We're going to the pool this weekend. Another yay!

Overdyeing

Yesterday I dyed yarn. Most of the yarn was freshly dyed, but some of it was me changing or "fixing" yarn by overdyeing what I dyed the other day. All sorts of things can happen when you dye yarn - sometimes a brand new jar of dye comes out looking so very different than the last one.

Or a color looks completely different on a different fiber blend.

Or you get splotches of a color you don't want. I don't like when that happens. I like things to be predictable, for the most part.

I feel like I should always be able to do everything perfectly the first time I try. Yarn dyeing helps me remember how silly a burden that is to place on yourself, and that sometimes a do-over can turn out even better than the original plan. 

Shop update on Thursday

Hello! New yarn is on the way this Thursday at 10am Eastern!

First off, I think the preview I did last time really worked for people so I'm going to keep doing that. Tomorrow morning I'm going to make myself a cup of tea and turn the listings on in "coming soon" mode and they will be in that category on the site so you'll be able to check them out and perhaps plan a purchase should you find something wonderful.

With this update, I'll have two new yarns. The first is called Moultrie Sock, though it may be more suited to shawls and similar things because it is hand wash only. It's a blend of baby alpaca, silk, and cashmere and it is one of the softest yarns I've ever felt.

I think this is my favorite color of the ones I dyed for this update. I'm calling it Silvered Sage.  It's a really pretty, soft green to go along with a really beautiful, soft yarn.

I will have 4 skeins each in 5 colorways of Moultrie Sock.

Next up is Sweet Vidalia Sport, a 100% superwash Merino yarn. 

I'm calling this colorway Sphera - it's teal blue glazed with my favorite brown. In some places where the two colors meet, it looks greenish. I'm loving it! I've also got 5 colorways of Sweet Vidalia Sport, but with 6 skeins each, plus a sixth colorway that is a single, one of a kind skein that happened when I was playing around one day.

And last, but not least, Muscadine Sock! Yay! Again, 5 colorways and 4 skeins each, except I did 6 skeins of Anemone because that was a popular one last time.

Also - I'm doing a giveaway over at Yarn on the House, so please check it out. All you have to do is comment on your favorite colorway to be entered to win.

Thanks, as always, for reading. I appreciate your support and the time that you take out of your busy day for me and my little yarn shop.

the unwind project

the unwind project is my latest collaboration with Alecia from madbird and we'd love for you to join us!

If you participate in the unwind project, you will receive a package in the mail every other month (mid-June, August, and October 2011) that includes one project bag from madbird and one skein of Julep Sock from Springtree Road in a surprise fabric/colorway. Then you can join us in the unwind Ravelry group to show off your knits! You will also have the option to purchase more than one skein of yarn, if you like.

Alecia and I will be picking our own patterns to knit and you can pick your own knit/crochet pattern, or choose one of us to knit along with. I can't wait to see all the different ways that the yarn will be used!

the unwind project goes on sale on Monday, May 9th at 10am Eastern and spots are limited. Half of them will be available in my shop and the other half over at madbird's gorgeous new shop!

If you have any questions, you can either email me (springtreeroad at gmail) or leave them in the comments and I will answer them there!

Lingonberry Gloves (+ shop update)

Check these out - aren't they adorable?!

I'm in love with fingerless mitts. I like to wear them when it's chilly - inside to type on the computer and outside to take photographs. 

These are the Lingonberry Gloves, designed by Anne K. Riley. Anne, a Georgia girl like me, used my Muscadine Sock yarn in the Lingonberry Jam colorway, though I think any of my sock bases would work well with this pattern.

I just love this design - simple and elegant. I've been knitting a lot of lace lately, so I think a pattern like this will be perfect for me to knit next. I am thinking of hosting an informal KAL in my Ravelry group if anyone wants to join me, but more about that later.

Anne also has some gorgeous stitch markers in her Etsy shop, if you're in the mood to look at some pretty.

(And thanks to Anne for letting me use her photos for this post!)

In shop news, my next update is tomorrow at 4pm Eastern! I'll have some soft and pretty springtime shades from the Macaron Collection in my Julep Sock.

Plus 10 skeins (in 5 colors) of Tea Cakes Lace! Yum.

Later in the month, I'll have a brand new sock base that I just can't wait to dye up and see what happens! And tomorrow I'll have details on my next collaboration with Alecia from madbird!

Blackcurrant Jam

My next shop update is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 19th, at 2pm Eastern. Here's a tiny preview of what's coming.

I've developed a passion for jams. While I'd love to have the time to make my own - and maybe some berry bushes in the yard too - lately we've been buying a variety of yummy jams for our Saturday morning biscuits. When I first started offering hand-dyed yarn, Lingonberry Jam was one of the first I dyed. Since then I've been wanting to add other "jams" to the collection.

So finally, last week, I came up with Blackcurrant Jam.

Deep purples and plums are my favorites. This time it's on my Muscadine Sock base, but I can see dyeing this on a nice DK weight for a pretty cardigan. Or for mittens to go with my charcoal gray wool winter coat.

Yarn always reminds me of food. That's not weird, right?

Another yarn I have for this next update that I think is particularly special is Tigerlily Wine.  A year ago now, I handspun a yarn that I still think is the best I ever did. Purple and orange is definitely an interesting color combination, but somehow it just worked.

I wanted to see what that color combo would look like on a hand-dyed yarn. So here's Tigerlily Wine, on my Julep Sock base.

Honestly, I couldn't get the pictures to do it justice.  It's light and dark and purple and wine and deep, burnt orange. When I squish it, this yarn lays me out flat! Heavenly.

One more - a little local Atlanta flavor - Frosted Orange! The Varsity is a local fast food joint that's been around forever. Walk in and they'll yell at you, "What'll ya have! What'll ya have!" Their "hot dog" is a chili dog, their "naked dog" is a hot dog, and you've gotta try their onion rings, Frosted Orange drink (creamy vanilla and orange), and fried peach pie.

These Frosted Oranges are dyed on my Julep Sock base.

As for the rest of the update, I've got 34 yarns in 10 colorways ready to go tomorrow at 2pm, Eastern. Some are new colors - like Boreal and Midnight Rider - others are one's you've seen before - like Juno and Delicate Pink, but all are sock yarn in one of my three bases.

Next time ... hmmm ... I'm not sure yet, so please check back!

I've also got just 7 spots left in the Springtree Road Summer Sock Clique! Deadline for joining will be May 15th or when they're sold out, whichever comes first.

 

Welcoming Home Baby the Handcrafted Way

Have you seen this adorable book yet? I got my copy a week or two ago. If you're looking for something fresh and fun to knit for a friend's new babe (or your own), Tricia Drake's book is one you want on your shelf. And if you don't knit, you can peruse Tricia's Etsy shop instead.

All the patterns are cute as little bunny buttons - I'm partial to the Sweet Dreams Hat, the Snuggle Me Nursing Cocoon & of course the Twisted Taffy Hat (all Ravelry links).

I provided the yarn for one version of the Twisted Taffy Hat and got a couple of sweet mentions from Tricia. My La Vie En Rose super bulky thick & thin handspun yarn is a great accent to the Blue Sky Alpacas yarn she uses in the pattern.

While I don't have any La Vie En Rose ready to go at the moment, if you'd like to make the hat as shown in the book, please contact me at springtreeroad at gmail and I'll be happy to spin some up for you.

Working with Tricia was a wonderful experience - what a sweetie! Thanks so much Tric! You're a dear. 

Philomath Worsted

A new base yarn is coming to my shop on Monday evening; I'm calling it Philomath Worsted. I've tried to put something personal and somehow charmingly Southern in all the names of my yarn bases. Tea Cakes Lace is named for the cookies my grandmother often made (the easiest cookie ever) and Muscadine Sock is named for the thick-skinned grapes I love that grow like crazy here.

There's a small town in Georgia near where I grew up called Philomath, which I've visited before. When I look at those pictures, it makes me want to get out my map, point my finger blindly, and go on more small town excursions. It's been so long, yet there always seems to be something else I need to do first. So my first inspiration for the name is my love of traveling to the small towns near wherever I happen to be living at the moment to see what I can find.

 

Philomath, Georgia gets a mention in an REM song. Probably don't want to know what no-good they got up to in Philomath...

 

A philomath is also someone who loves learning, which I think is pretty much everyone, right?

Philomath Worsted is 100% superwash Merino and will come in 100g skeins of 216 yards. There will be four colorways available to start with in my shop on Monday, April 11th, at 10pm Eastern.

Also coming up soon - details on a new yarn club I'm starting for summer!

Emeline Sock & update

On my agenda today was writing this blog post, plus about 15 other things. It's after 11pm now so I'm a tad late (unless you're on the West Coast!), but that's the way the mop flops, as my mama always says.

I'm having a big shop update in the morning! I've got lots of sock yarn, plus some DK weight. 

This is Didot, which I named after a font. I've got one more named for a font in this update, called Ionic No. 5. It's similar, but different (yes, I'm aces at giving clues!).

I really love my Eulela DK - it's a 50/50 blend of Merino and silk and I just love the way it takes dye. So shiny! I've got 4 different colors coming tomorrow. This one is called Delicate Peach.

My new yarn base is called Emeline Sock. It's a 50/50 blend of Merino/silk. Soft and wonderfully lustrous. I can't wait to dye more up - just gorgeous! This is Foxtail Pine, one of my favorites. First I dye it gold, then I dye it green. Love!

I'm not the most patient person, so in the morning I'll grab my cup of coffee and turn the listings on. They're all ready to go!

For the next update I'll be dyeing worsted weight & sport.