Snow Day

Yikes! My day off has turned into a snow day. South central IN is under a snow/blowing snow advisory from noon today until tomorrow afternoon.

Instead of running errands I stayed in my jammies until early afternoon but now I'm getting some laundry caught up and working on a few other household chores. Later I will sit down with the natural dye book I got on inter library loan.

The book, The Complete Natural Dyeing Guide, is out of print and I haven't found a copy I can afford to purchase. It's a fabulous book if you are interested in natural dyeing. Great photos and recipes for using many different plants, trees and shrubs.

I'll be spending the afternoon taking notes of the recipes I want to try and making color swatches using my Prism colored pencils and I may break out the watercolors too.

I love dyeing. It's so much fun to play with the dyes and see the colors emerge from the dye pots. I usually dye on a sunny day and hang the skeins on my front porch to dry. Folks driving by slow their cars to see all the colorful yarn hanging from the porch of my tiny cottage. I enjoy sharing my fun with the neighborhood.

Penny

A new beginning.

I never thought I would be blogging but have decided to give it a try and see what happens. My thought is to use the blog to keep myself on track and be accountable on my projects. There are several projects on my plate for the next few months. An etsy store, a web site and a booth at our local farmer's market will all need inventory.

I need to start the seeds for the dye garden I'm planning, plus the plants I want to offer at market. There is yarn to be dyed, jewelry and soap to be made and the list goes on.

My etsy store, www.theblacksheepcottage.etsy.com , will soon be up and running. I need to get my offerings inventoried and photographed so they can be listed for sale. Hand dyed yarns, stitch markers and earrings will be the first items listed to be followed by soaps and wool felt bags.

Not having a camera will make for a boring blog but I'll forge ahead and expect to have a digital camera in a few months. My sister Angela, www.thecountrycellar.com , is helping me with the etsy store and I truly appreciate her help.

My family is usually very supportive of any ideas we pursue. My sisters and I joke that it takes a village for us to pull off any event ... shows, yard sales, family dinners it's all good. lol

I think that is enough for now so I'll say goodbye.
Penny