shop update

Well, things have been busy in the world of "selling yarn". I received 2300 yds of fingering weight yarn yesterday and dyed it all! :D I made 5 new colorways:

• Leigha: A custom colorway for a Raveler in shades of bright and pale pinks and springy grass greens.
• Poisoned Apple: Originally intended for the shop, but couldn't stand to part with it ;) It's a lot like wicked but with one color change-- It's Black, hot pink, cherry red, and lime It's from the Once Upon a Time Series and based on the tale of "Snow White."
• Boys of Summer: currently for sale at my Etsy shop. Surfer-themed with oceanic blue, and sunset colors.
• Hansel & Gretel: based on the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale. Dark forest greens, woodsy browns, bright golds and flecks of red. Sold today to Zyd! (She also bought Little Mermaid).
• Little Red Riding Hood: Also based on the macabre Grimm Brothers' tales. This one has dark forest greens and deep, rich, reds. Sold to Dreamsinfiber, and special order requested by Zyd. 

I will be adding new colorways soon as well, in varying weights this time. Here's the scoop on the future hues:

1. Odysseus Sails: From the "Globe Trekker" series. Based on the adventures of King Odysseus from Homer's "The Odyssey."
2. The Frog Prince: Brother's Grimm colorway from the "Once Upon a Time Series."
3. Snow Queen: Han's Christian Andersen tale from the "Once Upon a Time Series."
4. Pompeii: From the "Globe Trekker" series.
5. Atia of the Julii: first colorway in the new "All Roads Lead to Rome" series.
6. Rumpelstilzchen: Custom request for Zyd. 
7. Morgan Le Fey: From the "Once Upon a Time Series"

Wallachia

Okay, so here's one for me! I wanted to try out a new base yarn of 70% Merino Wool and 30% Silk to compare textures. The other night I was watching the show "Cities of the Underworld," and they aired an episode on Wallachia. Wallachia is where Prince Vlad the Impaler made his home. This is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Vladislav II (c. 1390--December 1447), known as Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon"), was a voivode (duke) of Wallachia. He reigned from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He was the father of ...Vlad Tepes.... All four of his sons at one time or the other would rule Wallachia. Vlad Tepes would go on to become one of the most notorious rulers in history, and the inspiration for the novel "Dracula," by Bram Stoker. 

So this colorway was inspired by the landscape and lore of the Dracula legend. I originally envisioned an earthy brown colorway with hints and flecks of blood red to only suggest the region's gruesome past, but the end result was a pleasant surprise. When I went to heat set the dye, the red "bled" over the yarn and created an entirely new color scheme. The final product is 462 yards of deep rich tones in varying shades of red and dark brown. 

One might say that this colorway is more of a depiction of a post-massacre Wallachia at the height of Tepes' rule, as opposed to the current, subtle, mountain terrain with a secret and vicious past... 

Maharaja test knit

here are a few pics that Bindifry graciously supplied to show the progress of her knitted work with the colorway "Maharaja." This colorway is from my exclusive line of hand dyed yarns called "Fresh From the Cauldron" and part of the colorway series: "Globe Trekker". All yarns in this series will showcase colorways inspired by the cultures and landscapes of various locales around the globe. "Maharaja" is based on the the rich colors of India, especially those found in the gorgeous Sari clothing worn by the women there. 

To see things in a different light

The pun was definitely intended in this title. ;)   I wound the four "Fresh From the Cauldron" cakes today at Lambyknits' house, and she graciously offered to take some pictures with her wonderful camera. The natural lighting, and high resolution produced stunning results  that showcased each colorway beautifully! Thank you so much Shawna for all your help, and just for being a great friend! :)

New Colorways are ready!

Pygstitches introduces its new line of hand-dyed yarn called

 "Fresh From the Cauldron"!

Here are the new pics of the first four colorways of my hand-dyed yarn. I plan to open an Etsy store soon. Meanwhile, please send all requests and inquiries to Jenpyg@aol.com

I plan to make colorways based on various themes or series. Two of the series are featured here with these four colorways. These hanks were custom ordered by Bindifry and will ship out tomorrow! 

New original colorway series:

• "Globe Trekker" --colorways inspired by various locations and or cultures around the world
• "Raid the Fridge" --colorways inspired by food or beverage
• "Saturday Morning cartoons" --colorways inspired by famous cartoon characters
• "On Broadway"-- colorways inspired by famous plays and their characters and scenes
• "Once Upon a Time" --colorways inspired by whimsical fantasy and fairytales
• "Flotsam & Jetsam" --for the random, uncharacterized colorway.  i.e. semi-solids, custom requested, and HP colorways

Pictures:

"Dublin Black" from the "Globe Trekker" series

"Crazy Curry" from the "Raid the Fridge" Series
"Gooey, Caramel Fudge Sundae" from the "Raid the Fridge" Series
"Maharaja" from the "Globe Trekker" series

*All of these also fall under the "Flotsam & Jetsam" series, because they were custom requested colorways, as well.