Shop Update scheduled for 1-1:30pm EDT 11-12-11.

Time Capsule

Here's a look at past clubs and their respective colorways:

All Roads Lead to Rome

Inspired by the HBO series "Rome"

1. Mark Antony
2. Titus Pullo
3. Gaia
4. Servilia of the Junii
5. Gaius Octavian Ceasar
6. Lucius Vorenus
7. Eirene
8. Niobe
9. Julius Ceasar
10. Atia of the Julii

Socks of the Bard

Inspired by the works of William Shakespeare

1. Hamlet
2. Titus Andronicus
3. Macbeth
4. Midsummer Night's Dream
5. Othello
6. Merchant of Venice

Time Machine

Inspired by famous/notorious historical figures

1. Marie Antoinette
2. Ghengis Khan
3. Ezebet Bathory
4. Al Capone
5. Alexander the Great
6. Da Vinci
7. Elizabeth I
8. Bonnie Parker
9. Emperor Nero

Horrors of History; Torture Through the Ages

Inspired by historical torture devices, all OOAKs

1. The Halifax Gibbet
2. The Iron Maiden
3. The Rack
4. The Iron Boot
5. The Pear of Anguish
6. The Garrotte
7. Herectic's Fork
8. The Judas Pyramid
9. The Brazen Bull
10. The Scold's Bridel

The Home Stretch

Blargh.... I have five more skeins left to dye for the Gradients update and my feet feel like bloody stumps. :P

Tomorrow will be a very long day re-skeining 50 hanks. Joy. This would never have been possible if not for Rae. Thank beer that she is here to help! Therefore... This update brought to you by the goddess Rae.

I'm very curious to see what the response will be to the gradients version of "PtRR". For those of you not familiar with this colorway (BWAHAHAHHAH!) "Painting the Roses Red" originally debuted as a graduate. Here is an awesome example of how it knits up.

photo credits: Hrvdmnky on Ravelry.

Gradients Progress

I am finally able to start dyeing the gradients. I've been sick for the past week (compliments of my children, or as Gherkin would say, "belly fruit"). Because it was sinus and bronchial related, I abstained from dyeing as the chemical fumes would only exacerbate things. :/ Anyway, I have "Legion, For We Are Many" and"Jack-o-Lantern" dyeing up today. Originally, these colorways debuted as graduated, but I'm trying my hand at making a gradient version of them for the first November update. Gradients differ from graduates in the way that they are dyed and will therefore knit up differently. Also, the gradients are twin skeins in sock weight so that they can worked up as two matching pairs of projects, or combined and alternated to make a larger project. Below are two examples in other gradient colorways.

Here is an example of "Calypso", photo rights: LauraB on Ravelry:

And here is an example of "Darkness Falls", photo rights: Deianara-Crush on Ravelry

Mitts for Susan!

Mitts for Susan
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

I was honored to have been commissioned to make a custom pair of fingerless mitts for cast member Susan Slaughter of the hit TV show "Ghost Hunters, International." Check out the recent episodes and let me know if you spot the mitts! :)

Black Orchid

Black Orchid
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

New Colorway inspired by the song of the same name by Blue October. This colorway is a gradient

Into the Ocean

Into the Ocean
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

New Colorway inspired by the song of the same name by Blue October. This colorway is a gradient

Heroes & Villains

Heroes & Villains
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

New Colorway. Bold and bright hues of violet and lime for this new edition of the Flotsam & Jetsam series

You'll Get Sand In Your Clam Basket (aka Clam Basket)

You'll Get Sand In Your Clam Basket (aka Clam Basket)
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

New Colorway! This colorway was created by Rae! Inspired by her words of advance on why NOT to have sex on the beach ;)

Ugly Side

Ugly Side
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

New Colorway: Ugly Side

Inspired by the Blue October song of the same name.

Happy Happy Joy Joy Self-Striping Colorway

HHJJ
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

New colorway:

Happy Happy Joy Joy. Inspired by the iconic cartoon: "Ren & Stimpy".

The Springwood Slasher (SS) MCN Sock

The Springwood Slasher (SS) MCN Sock
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

New colorway!

"The Springwood Slasher" is the new Halloween colorway for 2011. Inspired by the character Freddy Krueger's sweater, it's a self-striping colorway in murky shades of olive and blood red.

Face Lift!

Hi All,

So... in an act of procrastination and because I am riddled with the plague (thank you, offspring), I decided to revamp the blog. I am so crap at maintaining this thing, but I think if I can get Rae to help, then maybe this will change. ;)

I added some pages to the top. Not all pages are there yet; there will be more over time. But at this point, some basic and helpful info can be accessed more easily. Be sure to drop a comment and let me know what you think of the changes and what you would like to see added.

This year has been very very busy. My Mythos series took up a big part of the year with 1,250+ skeins dyed for the "armfuls" and "samplers". It was a great success thanks to all of my loyal clientele. I just finished the last batch and mailed them out last week.

Two other major events for Cauldron were the launch of the new shop and the addition of Rae to the FFtC team. FFtC is no longer on Etsy and has it's very own website. I am very happy with the new site. There are a few bugs that needed to be worked out and it's still not perfect, but on the whole, I think it's a success. And having Rae on the payroll to help out now has been a godsend. The shop's productivity has increased significantly and this would not have been able to happen without her.

Additionally, I was able carry out a successful club that was inspired by one of my all-time favorite movies: "The Princess Bride". The club was called "Inconceivable," and consisted of 8 colorways inspired by characters from the film dyed on the silk sock base, as well as coordinating patterns.

This summer, Dreaming Pickle Pot (a collab group consisting of the indie dyers: Dreams in Fiber, Gherkin's Bucket, and FFtC) launched our first annual club: Every Decade Has a Diva. Each installment is inspired by a historical figure that defied convention and thus acquired a form of "diva" status. The club started with 1900-1909 and will continue each year with three decades showcased at a time in chronological order. Our next installment will pick up where we left off with the '30s-'50s in July 2012. More info on this can be found on the In the Works page.

Gradients were also introduced this year. This is a new base/technique that features 2 matching skeins of fingering weight yarn that are dyed to progress from one hue to the next with no repeats. The next shop update will feature all gradients. The date of the next update is still TBD.

Finally, there have been several new colorways (excluding club colorways) that debuted this year. All of these colorways have been added to production and will become regular staples.

knitting

knitting
Originally uploaded by squib stitcher

What's Happenin'?

Lots of new, crazy and exciting things taking place for FFtC. :)

I am in the process of developing a new colorway series based on Greek Mythology and legends. As of now, there will be ten colorways to debut over the next couple of months on various fiber content bases and weights. The new series is called "Mythos". Five of the ten colorways have been created thus far:

Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν)

Medusa (Μέδουσα)

Ares (Άρης)

Hades (ᾍδης)

Artemis (Άρτεμις)

Additionally, I am working on two clubs. Taboo is a collaboration club with indie dyers Gherkin's Bucket, Dreamsinfiber, and myself. It is a yarn club featuring colorways and swag of mature content. FFtC is providing the February shipment. Sign-ups are closed for this club, but we will host a new club this summer called Every Decade Has a Diva. This second collaboration will be a 3 month club that features colorways inspired by women from each decade starting in the 1900s. It will renew itself at a date TBA to pick up with decades 1930-1950s.

The second club for 2011 is Inconceivable. This club is inspired by the classic film and novel, "The Princess Bride." Sign-ups will begin in March on the FFtC Ravelry group and an RNG will be run to draw spots as there is limited space available.

Furthermore, check the Etsy shop on the weekends for updates. Updates are random and unannounced to promote fairness. New colorways have debuted recently, and many old favorites (i.e. some vamp colorways) will be making a reappearance! You can catch a peak at some new colorways in my sold items on the Etsy shop, or on my Flickr.