The Hand fast

We are now off to Liverpool for the weekend for Daisy's handfast, so see you all on monday with photo's if I can find the camera - :-)

Enviromental sin

You might have noticed my whole life is lived as ethically and as enviromentally concious as possible.

And yet I have one huge enviromental sin, that goes totally against all my principles, I can't help it and feel very guilty and am hopeing for forgiveness (not that I am going to give it up). Its small and black and if you look back through the blog to last april you will find it. And to be fair it only does about 2,000 miles a year as I never leave the village.

On sunday I drove a Ferrari, very fast around a race track, the kids gave Phil, my Dad and myself a drivers dream day when my mother died and sunday was the day. Beforehand I worried it would be difficult to get out of the car and hand it back, but it wasn't anywhere as near as impressive as I had hoped,

But what I do want to do is get back out on the track again and drive my zoom until either I or the car expires.

The dream day experience wasn't limited to Ferrari's, the whole place was full of very sexy cars - Porches, Aston Martins, Lotus's, Caterhams, TVR's - I think we experienced overkill, as there were too many in the same place to take them all in.

But I did fall in love with the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder - of course the most expensive car there - luckily as my ethics would be seriously tested if I could afford one.

Confession over - photos to follow

19..........

2ply posted these photo's on one of the Dye Studio's ravelry groups







It was really bizarre looking at them, seeing my 19 year old self....

Did I really look like that? I can remember it so well (ok - so only the parts I didn't have a hangover). I can't remember what I thought life was going to be, probably didn't think much at all.

I was sure I hadn't changed that much over time, but maybe I have - older, fatter, longer hair, wrinkles and wobbley bits. I used to be a nice person, now at certain times a day I am crabby bitch from hell. I didn't have my grown up kids, who are not only my babies but 3 people I am really close to and really admire and love. I didn't have a DH either, who is someone I can't imagine my life without. I have the Dye Studio, I have 25 years of extra knowledge and I wouldn't want to be that age again for all the tea in China - :-)

P.S I should have said, this is Ipswich Art College 1982/3 & 2ply is sitting opposite me in the knitting photo

Shop Update - Cloud & Alpaca/Merino DK

Due to the bank holiday and the fact that my children bought my a drive of a ferrari when my mother died I can't update the site on monday. I will be a big red sexy blur -can't wait - VERY un-enviromental - well we all have to have our sins!

So I have updated all our new yarns today - Alpaca/merino DK and Cloud Lace

http://www.dyestudiowoolshop.co.uk/weekly-new-this-week-sale-142-c.asp

Nino Merino - Weekly sale

I have decided that I will probably discontinue Mirage and Nino, at least until next summer, when I might bring them back.

http://www.dyestudiowoolshop.co.uk/weekly-sale-142-c.asp

Buying British - Stroppy

In response to a thread on Ravelry.........


I feel REALLY strongly about buying British, after all we are in a credit crunch and need to support our small business or they will fail to survive and be lost for ever. Almost all the mills have closed in the UK, why?? because it is cheaper to spin abroad, which is worse for us because the UK is losing valuable skills, jobs and part of its heritage.

I am not saying anymore as I don't want to get into arguments or upset anyone.

A little bit of history

I am always being asked how I started, so I thought I would tell you (almost my life's history)

1981-3 - I studied textiles at art college, knitting was my speciality and I played with dyeing (both chemical and natural) or rather made a mess.

1986-9 - Made intarsia jumpers for my 2 baby girls

1990- 2004 - Made quilts/embroideries -The first quilt was for my brand new baby boy. I was rubbish at quilts, they started out as traditional ones, which quickly turned into art quilts and then slowly turned into embroideries.

http://amandasartquilts.homestead.com/galleries.html

I was a reasonably sucessful artist and have shown my art work all over the world (USA, South America, Europe & Dubai) as well as locally.

1997 - Started to dye my own fabric and embroidery threads, as I was poor I started to use hedgerow dyes - cow parsley, bracken, stinging nettles etc etc

2000 - Onwards - I started to use bought natural dyes that I couldn't pick. I only used (and still do) the real dyes, bits of wood, chopped roots etc I have never used extracts, in the beginning I couldn't afford them and they weren't available, now I think they are cheating and no where near as much fun - what better than to have a big vat of decomposing plant bits that when used will give the most beautiful colour in the world - :-)

2001 - Birth of The Natural Dye Studio, I started selling my fabric and threads on ebay, was amazed at the demand so quickly built my own website.

2003 - Started to dye wool, the sales exploded and I stopped dyeing fabric and threads and have never looked back. The Dye Studio has gone from strength to strength, is getting bigger every day and expanding into places I never dreamed of.

I think of it as some kind of wild animal dragging me along behind it and sometimes step back and am amazed at what it has become - :-)

Shop update & Sale - 11/6/08

I would write more, but am too tired to think, should have gone to bed earlier and not played my PS3 game all night!

I have just updated our weekly sales page and this week it is Alpaca/Merino DK, as requested, I am dyeing a new batch this week.
http://www.dyestudiowoolshop.co.uk/weekly-sale-142-c.asp

Also have just updated the site with last weeks dye batches, we have 2 rovings, 3 Angel Lace and 11 Angel sock yarns.
http://www.dyestudiowoolshop.co.uk/new-this-week-192-c.asp

The top row of the photo is the 2 new rovings and 2 of the Angel lace, the bottom 2 rows are all Angel sock - now off to do the packing - tra la la la

Beautiful and dry

The more I handle this yarn the more I want it, I would beg you not to buy as then I could keep it all too myself, but it dyes so beautifully and the colours are sooooooo soft please buy it so I can dye more (You notice I can't even mention it by name now - :-)

Yarn perfection

Bluebell Angel Sock

Will it ever stop raining???

Will the Angel Sock yarn ever dry???

Bluebell Angel Sock

Peaceful turmoil

My life will be turned upside down in the very near future.
We have someone who is in the process of buying our house, its got as far as the surveyor's stage - very scary as we have no where to move to.
Now I don't just mean we haven't found a new house, I mean we are not looking, so very soon I/we will be totally homeless.

Why are we not looking?? because there are huge secret plans moving, that will mean a new beginning of something that will suck the rest of my life away (the dye studio already has one half). I can't tell more until the plans are more definate.

But that goes back to homeless, looks like its a caravan for us, only problem is we don't know where, we have the perfect spot but that all depends on the secret plans.

Sound complicated and it is, very excited and terrified at the same time.

Now off to pack some more clubs stuff - will it never end? - :-)

Weekly Sale - 4/8/08

This weeks sale is Mirage - the perfect summer sock yarn - :-)

MIRAGE SALE

Silk Threads

Do you remember us on ebay back in the early days of the NDS??

We used to sell embroidery threads and I found these little beauties the other day lurking and thought they ought to go on-line, so we have re-launched them. I forgot how pretty they were....

If you like them and buy lots I can dye some more, would just love to do some more threads and dye lots of varigated ones. I have learnt an awful lot in the last few years and am sure I could come up with something really special, but its up to you - :-)

Silk Threads