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.

Etsy Reopening

Here are two new graduated colorways that will be debuting in October for my Etsy reopening:

Legion-For We Are Many (Inspired by the film "The Exorcist") and Jack O' Lantern

Also arriving in October:

* Aspen & Oak (self striping)

* Shunnnnnnn the Non-Believer

* various potlucks

* Indian Summer

* Malice (encore)

* Lemon Cookies (encore)

This and That

Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. I've been quite the busy bee! :) Currently, FFtC is busy dyeing away at club colorways. The two clubs running now are Vamp Sock Club 2009 (VSC term 1) and The Wizard of OZ yarn club. VSC has two months left and OZ runs through January 2010.

Because of the clubs, I have had my Etsy shop in vacation mode. However, I plan to reopen with new stock and new colorways this October! :D All the Twilight and True Blood inspired colorways will continue to be on temporary moratorium though until January first for club exclusivity. Anyone interested in a custom order for any of those yarns should PM me on my Etsy shop in January. Certain colorways will not be available though for order, those being the club exclusives: "The Volturi," "Debbie Pelt," and all Interview with the Vampire and Underworld inspired colorways.

Some additional exciting news is that I am in the planning stages of introducing a new series: "We're All Mad Here" (WAMH). This series is an Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass theme. Each colorway will be dyed on its prototype base and offered for general retail, and custom order, starting early next year. There will be some new and exciting bases and dye techniques offered for this series. I am also in talks with some pattern designers to develop WAMH inspired knitting and crochet designs that will compliment the colorways. These patterns will be offered as a yarn/pattern combo kit for a limited time on my Etsy when the new series debuts and then all patterns can be acquired from the designers, themselves.

New bases that are/will become regular options for the shop include: MCN (in lace, fingering, and worsted weight), silk camel, 50/50 silk merino in worsted weight, and some new alpaca blends in various weights. I will also be introducing some new dye techniques for WAMH including self-striping and graduated colorways.

Aside from WAMH, I have a new Twilight colorway to introduce in January after the vamp yarn moratorium. The Meadow will be available for custom order starting 1-1-10.

And I have 3 Twilight fanfic inspired colorways that will be offered in October for custom order. "Wide Awake" is inspired by the artwork from Angstgoddess's epic twifanfic. "Malice" was inspired by Landscapes, and a general fanfic theme colorway: "Lemon Cookies."

Wide Awake:

On a personal note, I have completed a few more FOs.

And I just returned from a 2 week trip to the UK which was amazing! I have 400+ pics on my Flickr page if you all would like to check them out. :D Here is a little highlight:

Happy Anniversary!!

It's hard to believe that it's been a year already since I first started Fresh From the Cauldron! April 7th was the official one-year anniversary on Etsy ^_^ A lot has transpired since then; I've seen the successful conclusion of my first two clubs; Socks of the Bard, and Time Machine. I've also calculated that  I've made an average of 150+ colorways in just one year. Craaaaazy! I think the Cauldron's greatest success has been the recent additions of the vampire-inspired colorways for the True Blood and Twilight Series. Now it's time to get ready for the launch of two new clubs; The OZ yarn club and Vamp Sock Club both launch next month. It's going to be exciting and challenging pulling everything together and seeing what everyone thinks of/makes with their new colorways. This picture was taken by a Ravelry friend and client named Ani. She brought two hanks of my Forks colorway to the actual town. How cool is that!! All photo credits belong to her. I'm just borrowing her pic. ^_^

in keeping with progress...

My all time favorite story now is called "Wide Awake" by Angstgoddess003. She.is.a.literary.genius.yo. No really!   Her Twi-inspired fanfic has become quite the cult classic where twilight fanfiction is concerned. The character development is amazing, the story: haunting and gripping--I just can't say enough good things about it. And pst... those in the know could tell you that this story is where all the cookie & unicorn references come from. yes... unicorns are our friends, peeps ;) 

With that being said, I made the Bella Mittens by Subliminal Rabbit with the malabrigo worsted that Maylin sent as a project. I call this project: "Hood up, Head Down Mitts" in keeping with a fave phrase from the fic. And why yes, of course those are white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.... ;D

johnny sex hair hat for the win! ^_^

so yeah, here is one of my latest favoritest FOs. :) This is my "Johnny Sex Hair Hat." I wear it ridiculously often especially for living in a putrid hot climate.... N-E-wayz I digress.... It was inspired by the pretteh pictured here:

 

mmm.... RPattz.... ;) In the Twi-fanfic "I Love L.A." by feathersmmm, her character Grace refers to her character Rob as Johnny Sex Hair... oh the lulz... So when it came time to name this WIP, (and cuz it's a hat too, yo...) I thought this quirky name would so work ;) 

The yarn is the bomb diggidy! This is the single ply merinocean handspun from Gherkin's Bucket in the "Supermassive Black Hole" colorway... SQUEE!  XD My first time working with handspun too, and it was so loverly ^_^ I made the Verity Hat by Ysolda Teague. It's a  slouchy beret pattern that is a fun, fast and easy knit. I found the most adorable pewter filigree button to accent it, as well! 

Cripes! Where Have I been?!

       So yeah, I have been very naughty (busy really) and have neglected my blog... :( Bad Squib!!! >:P But in an effort to recap the last couple months here are some updates. The holidays were very busy with the swappin. Not only did I do a Christmas swap with Skeinqueen7 (see previous post), but I also did Christmas swaps with Dreamsinfiber, Maylin, and Emil. Of course I'm a dunce and did not get pics of all my swaps. ::sigh:: But here are a few that I did. 

   In addition to Xmas swaps, I also helped moderate and participate in the Love Bites Valentines Vampire Swap 2009 on Ravelry. We had over 50 members sign up internationally!! All in all, I think it was a success :) There are also pics listed here of the parcel I sent to my swap recipient, and the one I received in turn. 

This pic is of the amazing package I received from Maylin in France, yo! For our Xmas swap/True Blood  vamp swap. There were so many amazing goodies inside!!! And since we are both hardcore Twilight fans as well, She was sure to include some also Twilight items, too! Here's what I got: 

• 2 hanks of the Opal Harry Potter sock yarn in the Ron (luv ron!!) and Dumbledore colorways,
• two super soft and squooshy hanks of Malabrigo worsted (hooray! My first Malabrigo!)
• Lavender wands that Maylin made herself, that when you rub in your hands, releases the scent (I stuck them in with my stash!)
• audio books
• music
• the pattern for the Bella Mittens by Subliminal Rabbit
• friggin espresso from Italy!! no, srsly!!! (ZOMG!!!!)
• Freesia scented soap and honey/olive scented soap from Greece 
• Russian Earl Grey tea
• dried mango yummies
• and three hanks of her own hand-dyed colorways!! Friggin' gorgeous and luxurious I might add; "Claudine", "Bill", and her amazing lace in her vampire blood colorway.... LOVE
• Dood yo, I so gots spoiledz!!!! ^_^

 

I also got a phat package from Erica that had the most amazing collection of books. I have already used the Creepy Cute Crochet book to make the Nosferatu!! ^_^ She also sent 2 hanks of malabrigo sock yarn in the most gorgeous red that are destined to become the "Hoor Hose" using the "Zum Dirndl" pattern by yarnissima. There was a lavender sachet, as well, and another hank of pretty variegated sock yarn, and some stitch markers. Oh! and she also knitted me a set of the most adorable HP house colors Xmas ornaments!! There was more, but I can't remember right now. Bottom line; she spoiled me too!! :D

And then Emil sent me a lovely package from Finland that included samples of Finnish yarn, a cute little owl purse, the most beautiful pair of fair isle fingerless mitts, and some Finnish candy!!! Oh, and an adorable lil Santa ornament!! ^_^

And here is  pic of all the cool goodies I received from my swap sender in the Love Bites Swap. :) I got a hank of Maylin's gorgeous Merino tencel in the "Forks" colorways!! Yay!!, the most delish whole bean coffee, the most awesomest lip gloss that I LURVE, some rad tunage, some yummies, and necklaces, and other little bits and bobs of cool! 

And Finally, here is a pic of the package I sent to my swap recipient in Finland for the Love Bites swap. I was a doofus and forgot to take pics before sending everything out, so photo  credits go to my recipient!! ^_^ I think it's so cute, too--she named the dragon, "Lars" and the Nosferatu "Bruce" hehe... I also made her some nice thick "Bella Mittens" --and FYI: "Lohikåårme" is Finnish for dragon. ;)

Yay, vampy awesome yarnie goodness!!! :D

So.... Today I got my package from the amazing Miss Chrissy and it was chuck full of awesome! :D She was able to score a luscious custom OOAK skein of The Fabulous Miss Krysten's (aka Gherkin) 2-ply handspun in a sinfully vicious vampy red, called "Velvet Pulse." Srsly you guys, this is some gorgeous stuff, and sooooooo soft!! It's my very first handspun too, so it's that much more special! ^_^ And since it was a joint effort from two buds, I'm beyond squeeness! ;) I also got some sinfully yum lip gloss with a Twilight theme-- Edward! ;) and an adorable handmade bracelet that her sister made for me in Edward colors!!! LOVE! --hasn't left my wrist folks, I plan to be buried with it! ;) I got a vampire stitch marker, and bookmark, some soaks, and a Twilight magnet, too! The magnet and stitch marker were hidden in a mystery ball. I'd never heard of this concept before, and it is frickin adoramous! ^_^ (unwind, unwind, unwind, SURPRISE! ) I'm so excited about all my new goodies, now!! :D Thanks so much, Chrissy! 

coming Soon: New Colorways

 I will be debuting a new limited series, soon: Twilight. Each colorway will be inspired by characters/locales from the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer.