Now I knew my window to learn to shear-and I mean really learn to shear-the way they do it in Australia and New Zealand-was running out. You see-I turn 50 this year and my body-the one I used to run with, do body building with, row with, play soccer with…well let’s just be honest and say that I have never been in worse shape-other than being pregnant.

Ok-onto sheep shearing school in Maryland-where they have been teaching this stuff for decades. I drove up the 4 and a half hours Thursday so I could be ready for 9AM the next day. There were 20 fellow novices and 4-5 teachers on this large sheep farm in Westminster on a cold blustery day. (I say 4-5 because this cool shearer from New Zealand showed up the next day.) Well after a short lecture we headed to the barn where there were 4 stations set up and in one corner-were about 30 sheep-who were soon to feel the cold weather more fully. We got about 2 demo’s then we were thrown off the deep end. We divided into our groups-I was in the left handed group with a long bearded 60 year old guy and a 20 year old hot shot. I was the last to take a sheep-the instructor talked us through as we nervously held equally nervous sheep and tried to shear around the getitals, moving ourselves and the sheep as we worked around the body. Doing this while holding the sheep was like running a 2 mile race. My forearms gave out before my back-much to my surprise-and my wind-let’s say my mouth was as dry as cotton when I finally was able to stand up and let my sheep go. I think my 1st sheep took at least 20 minutes. We broke for lunch and kept at it until late afternoon. Our group’s instructor did not want the left handers any more-so we had a new guy after lunch. I was sooo tired-that I slept the rest of the day. And I got up and did it again-with a break to learn about equipment. I managed to shear 3 more that day-I think I am down to about 12 minutes. One part that is a challenge is learning intimately-the contours of a sheep’s body so that you know when to crank the shears over on a blow (or stroke.) I also learned that Oster shears are not for me-they weigh 4.5 pounds. I like the Premier-weighing only half as much.

While I need to work on my endurance-including muscle endurance-I think I can hack it. I might be able to do about 5 in a day. Maybe. We’ll see-I am scheduled to help a friend with her 10 sheep. My back did hold up-barely. I have muscle soreness, but I did not pull anything. I say that shearing is not for wimps. In fact, I think we should start a movement to make it an Olympic sport. John-the guy from New Zealand, told a story of a shearer in competition who, while shearing, cut a sheep’s mammory gland. He stopped to suture the wound and still finished shearing in just 2 minutes. I’d like to see Michael Phelps pull that one off.

Head Instructor demonstrates

With all this crazy weather-it is a wonder I can get my work done. Kids have missed now 7 days and my sanity is in question. But I am thankful for the dye studio where I can focus on my dyeing and inventing new colorways and colorwashes. Actually-I must confess that many of the inventions are actually from customers and fans of Scarlet Fleece. So without delay-feast your eyes on the following:

Abalone

Bubble Gum & Blue Jeans

Spruce Tips

Tree & Sky

Raven

Eucalyptus

And there you have it. These will be available at your favorite local and online shop soon. Speaking of shops-we have added about 35 shops and online sites to the Scarlet Fleece family. These new shops will be posted very shortly-so check back soon.

I will be heading beak to the dye studio for more dyeing today-but as we are dealing with the inconveniences of winter-take a moment to look around at the beauty of the season!

Our lamp posts at sunrise.

My sheep babies in the snow

Mr Rocket Man battles deep snow

Nice to blog after a long absence from the blogosphere. This is a rare discussion (on my part) on the nature of business and how it applies to a yarn dying business.

One of the reasons for my long silence has been due to …well…lots of work. Thanks to my sales force-my orders started coming in at a pace that resulted in long days in the dying studio and longer delays than I would like (or customers would like) in getting out orders. While this is a wonderful problem to have, especially in these economic times, it is a problem that needs addressing. So the notion of creativity verses innovation.

In my business-I love the fact that I can work the creative side of my brain-I love it love LOVE it! But as I tangle with the trial of figuring out how to streamline my production without loosing the quality-I am forced to deal with the needed requirement in any business-Innovation. In my mind, innovation in the implementation of the creative idea and is the most difficult part of building a business. It will either make or break you. I have been watching the hand dyed yarn industry-and many dyers have flooded the market. While there is a lot of talented dyers out there, there are very few dyers that are good business people. And I very much understand the commitment involved. When faced with orders, family, animals, husband’s schedule, kids, household and farm chores…how do you make it work and how do you you make it work well? If you are going to grow a business-even a yarn business, especially a yarn business-you have to have many skills. You have to devise a brand, logo, and a marketing scheme, create your own ads; you have to set up your books and a means to keep track of your expenses; you have to be computer savvy-a photographer, a web geek; you have to have excellent customer service skills, and you have to have vision-a goal as to where the business is going. Not to mention you have to knit, design patterns, and yes-know  color and how to dye yarn that is color fast and beautiful and consistent. And I am finding the most important skill of all is as a time manager in how to do this all and fit it into your day. Other hats you will wear is a labeler, skeiner, and builder (if you build your own studio-I did all the finishing work-put in the moldings, laid the tile floor, etc) and last but not least-cleaner upper. I am a wiz with the shop vac.

Currently-while I do contract pattern writers and sales reps-I do the work. This year as we find ourselves in 2010-my goal is to reduce production time and increase productivity-so maybe I can have a weekend off here and there. And yes-increase sales.

Following are some some pics of Sweet Tree Hill Farm, a new Cowl pattern to go with the Mushroom cap and some of the holiday knitting I did for family. Happy New Year to all of you-may your dreams take a fast track to reality this year!

The Puffy Ribbed Cowl that is a free download on Ravelry

The barn and dye studio a week before Christmas

Scenes 1 week before Christmas at the farm

The sheep in the snow

Yes...I did knit a bit for Christmas!

Bubble Gum & Blue Jeans before skeining

Go to Ravelry starting July 23 and VOTE!

Have you ever felt your life is traveling at warp speed? That is how it has been around here. Since the last post, we have attended a wildly successful trunk show at the Knitting Basket in Carytown in Richmond. (So fun seeing Uta and Kristen!) It was so much much fun-we are doing it again this Fall. We have several new patterns written, typeset and now posted on the website-thanks to our super-talented designers-Cheryl, Dee, and Paula…..

(see more on the website!) And as we readied for the TNNA wholesale market, Spring came, and demanded some gardening chores be done. Take a peek of Sweet Tree Hill Farm since the last blog. Actually, since these pics were taken…many more flowers are blooming and my husband’s pumpkin plants are following through on their plan to take over the vegetable garden!

Now to the market…..Ginni and I took off with the contents of our booth Thursday, June 11th-over the mountains to Columbus, Ohio-getting there late in the evening. Cheryl met us there the next day and we set up the booth. Lots of offloading and unpacking and hanging…lots of help from Ginni and Cheryl-produced a nice booth I think…

We had many visitors, and happily, Scarlet Fleece will be finding a home in several new shops across the country. Also, several designers-including those at the Stitch Cooperative-visited us and  are looking forward to using Scarlet Fleece in their design work. Another happy happening is that Frank Santoro-a sales rep-will be introducing Scarlet Fleece to the Mid-Altantic and New England shops. So we continue to grow!

While at the show-Ginni and Cheryl and I attended the semi-annual TNNA fashion show where new designs are launched by the yarn companies. Here are Ginni and Cheryl waiting for the show to start….

And we had an entry that attracted lots of attention-the Scotty Tam and the Petal and Leaf Cropped Kimono that features a needle felted decorative edging…..

Here are some views of the rest of the show….

After visiting with many old and new friends-we packed up and headed back last Tuesday. Along the way I caught a killer cold and am now just getting back on my feet and geting back to the real work—-dying yarn for you. Coming soon…..patterns and yarn will be available to purchase here online….visit us often!

This is the crazy time of year that Mom Nature is a bit schizophrenic. The 1st of this month we had 13 inches of snow on the ground and nights (without power by the way) was getting down to 9 degrees. The next weekend is 70 degrees and the daffodils are in bloom and my husband and I are breaking ground on our new veggie and fruit garden, planting cherry trees and raspberry bushes and wearing shorts.

OUt my kitchen window looking at the studio

Of course-the 3-4 days we were without power-not much was happening in the dye studio. We focused on survival and snowmen! And I started my yarn spinning challange for my spinning guild

me and my snowman!

Sammy snowman-master of all he sees

Often the craziest weather happens in March. Of course I was thinking the worst was over when we hit March 1st. Boy was I wrong!

Some examples of the "Give it a Whorl" Drop Spindles

Well-all things are back to normal and much is going on. I am in the process of working on adding a store to the website.

We are adding a line of hand made drop spindles based on the colorways of our WoolPaint. They will bee reviewed in the August edition of Knit N Style due out in May.

And all this while working on a large order for the Loopy Ewe (whos is adding our line of roving by the way!) and working on 2 more trunk shows.

Before the big snow…I had a trunk show at my spinning guild in Richmond-Clothos Children. It was a blast-and very successful. Here are some pics of the event.

In't she cute?

There is a bit of a trunk show going on at Holly Spring Homespun now and a big trunk show happening on April 4th at the Knitting Basket.

And all through this-dying is going on and planning for TNNA in June.

Here are some pics of the dye studio inside….a dream come true for me!

Looking towards the door-yarn drying.

Dying has always been fun for me-but now it is a true joy and time just flies by as I am working. It is so nice to have the room to work and I do not have to clean up before dinner-I can allow roving and yarn to soak in color overnight. I think this settup has improved my results!

Upstairs where I skein, label and ship.

Patterns ready to go

As you can see-my head is all over the place. Lots of exciting things happening. Stick around-it is going to be a bumpy ride!

Thanks for visiting!

A midweek morning veiw

Our pond in the snow

Living with cold and the colorless landscape, causes us to slow down and be with our thoughts. These are the days that we think about the choices we have made, what is working, what is not working; to reassess and prioritize. This is good for us. We need this. But it can be a source of fear and anxiety. We need to pay attention to those feelings-they are a signal that change is necessary. I am at that point. Money is tight for all. and I am no exception. I need to face that having the cashmere goats is not cost effective and in fact they are draining. I love them, I have a relationship with all of them. But I need to make choices that streamline my my life. I am the main person that sees to the animals, the house, the kids and Scarlet Fleece. I am one person, and I need to contribute to the finances of my family. The goats do take some time, eat hay and since moving to a new place-are looking at $1000 in fencing to contain them properly . So—–most will be auctioned this weekend. This is very hard for me. But I cannot do it all. In fact, I started with the goats almost by accident. My goal had always been to raise Shetland Sheep. But I adopted a 4 month old cashmere buck and it grew from there. Perhaps I had gotten off path. Often when this happens-at some point we are shown the way to get back to our purposes. I am at this point. Now-I am not abandoning farm life. I just have to make it work with Scarlet Fleece and it needs to contribute an income and be containable. Now I am a fiber person and I have not abandoned the notion of raising fiber-even for my own purposes. I do have 3 angora bunnies and I am still looking at Shetlands-where my heart is. And I do have fencing that will contain sheep. If I sell some goats-I can purchase 2 sheep. Which is my plan. Reduce my overall hay consumption and still feel the joy of raising fiber animals. I also enjoy raising chickens-they fertilize, till the garden and provide eggs for little expense. I am also starting to raise vegetables for the local Farmer’s Market. We can do this now that the green house is freed up and we already have a tiller for our tractor….so that will be in the future.

And Scarlet Fleece is my job, my passion and my contribution to the knitting world. I look to this year with a new dye studio to produce more yarn and to label and ship more productively. I feel good about that endeavor and I hope it will continue to be well received so that I can continue with this business. I do face fear that the economy will hit me hard. But my reaction it to dye, design and market better. In fact-I welcome that challenge. It is stimulating, exciting, and I know I am not going away. Many ideas are in the works-including adding capablity to the website for individuals to purchase yarn and patterns. And coming soon are the most beautiful drop spindles you have ever seen…stay tuned!

Views of the workshop-now complete!

studio in the snow this week

Work area-downstairs

drying area

And here is a sneak peak at a design for a new pattern! We have more coming-keep checking back!

The Uno Cabled Crew

Cable detail

It seems life has been in running away at full tilt, many details to contend with, both in business and personal worlds. With all of the national attention on the inauguration, my family was in Washington, but for a different reason…a much more sober one. You see, I lost my step dad last month and we buried him in Arlington Cemetery 1 week before all the festivities. This was the second time I have participated in such a service. My dad is also buried there-some 24 years ago. Both these guys were the real deal. My dad was a Marine Corp Colonel, was a field commander during Vietnam and my step dad was a Naval Aviator, landing jets on many aircraft carriers (not for the faint of heart.) If you ever have the opportunity to see a military funeral at Arlington-go-you will never forget it. The guard at Arlington are the best and treat our soldiers with such respect and dignity. Here is a peek at the day. We also visited my dad while we were there.

walk to the gravesite

at the gravesite during the service

My little guys at my dad's gravesite

And so it goes….

This is the beginning of 2009. Owner of a business in this economic downturn is a bit unsettling. We can either react out of fear-or move forward with confidence. I choose to do the latter and have faith in what I offer yarn shops and knitters. At this time-I select the 2009 colorways and washes. I hade fun this year in that I put the word out for ideas from our Raveler’s group-the Scarlet Fleece Flock. The winner will get sock yarn in their created colorway. Yarnartist won with Guitar Hero. You will see the following colors in your yarnshop orfavorite website soon:

Camo with a Twist

Guitar Hero

Apricot & Plum Jam

Pink Chocolate

Professor Plum

Miss Peacock

Colonel Mustard

These are the new colorways-will be posted on the website soon.

We are working on new patterns-several to be posted soon. Here is one I am working on:

Painted Ladder Scarf

I am using the Painted Merino in Colonel Mustard and Apricot & Plum Jam for the scarf. I am also going to working on matching fingerless gloves. And Cheryl has completed a wonderful guy’s sweater-also in Painted Merino. This is a great  yarn for such projects because it is washable. All will be posted soon.

And another thing I am working on is a trunk show for Clothos Children Spinning Guild next month. Not only will yarn and roving in the new colors be available, so will hand made drop spindles that will be available soon…more on that later.

And check out the homepage-you will see that Scarlet Fleece is starting to appear more in the major magazines such as Knit N Style and Interweave Knits. Where other small companies are backing off due to the economy-we are not. Perhaps more will discover Scarlet Fleece! Take care-more later.

Photos should be back shortly on Kathy’s blog, and you may find another couple of bumps in the road.  We’re working quickly to get it all back to normal, and thank you for your patience.

-Igor the Webmaster

I sit here in an Autumn Wonderland-I am so enjoying the overdose of color. It is a brilliant reminder of why I enjoy dying yarn-playing with color-so entrancing. I am sooooo lucky to get to live and work here, to live with such inspiration. Later in this post will be some wonderful views I get to see as I start my day. This is my very favorite time of year-and am reminded that life is so fleeting as the leaves fall and then disappear into the greyness of Winter. I do like the calmness of Winter, but now -just for a moment-I relish in vibrant oranges, reds and yellows. Some farm activities include canning the many pears that are coming in on our 2 trees. So far my son Ian and I have made 7 quarts of pickled pears and 14 quarts of Pear Pie Filling. We also have made 12 bottles of Hot Pepper Vinegar from the bumper chili pepper crop we had. (More to do- Christmas is coming!) I grew up in Louisiana and crave hot stuff-add a few drops to Red Beans and Rice or stew or chili and you have a party in your mouth-trust me!

Animals are a big part of daily life here-with goats, chickens, dogs and rabbits.  Somebody is always needing to be fed. We have a few newbies to the farm family. We have 2 new baby cochin chickens I got last weekend at a farm day at the local feed store. And one of our bantam chickens had a yen to be a mother-she would not stop setting. So I let her have 1 baby and here she is-meet Sassy!

new chickie

Ian, Ginny and I went to the Fall Fiber Festival in Orange VA a few weeks ago and came home with Purple Rain-a lavender English Angora Bunny. Might consider introducing him to Fiona and Enya-but not for a while. He is a sweety who likes to be held:

While I owned Holly Spring Homespun-our mascot, our little boston terrier, had many fans. In fact-we have named Scarlet Fleece after her-here is a pic of her, and her favorite daddy and little sister enjoying a Sunday morning.

Progress is moving along on the dye studio. The electricity has been added along with plumbing, a double sink-with HOT water (yea!). The rest is up to me as I painstakingly add trim and baseboards-almost done. I am horribly slow at trim work-not my area of specialty. And I am trying to work it in as I do dye orders. But I plan on starting to apint the interior this weekend. I want to move in in about 2 weeks. My kids are worrying I will not get done in time to decorate for Christmas. You see, currently the parlor is being used as office, storage, drying area and shipping zone and they want to put the Christmas tree there. So I struggle to get all the work done.

I am also working on some small patterns for Silk & Ivory as well as 2 new yarns-Grassy Wool and Scarlet Green. Scarlet Green is a bulky organic merino yarn that is as soft as a teddy bear-and I am working on a shoulder scarf and matching hat-I’ll be putting on the site soon. The Grassy Wool is a fingering weight washable merino and bamboo blend lending an elegance to socks, shawls and anything lacy. I am starting a lacy shrug soon. And the designers are starting to design for 2009 using all the yarns-many yummy things coming, including new color ways-so stay tuned! But here is a scarf in Silk & Ivory in the Easter Basket colorway that is currently available as a free pattern at your LYS:

Ok-that is it for now-need to get back to dying. As promised-here is a little slide show of views of Sweet Tree Hill Farm: