I just need to get it from the post office. Rainbow EQ, and Black and White EC.
On my way.
Sunday update: It’s in the store.
Archive for May, 2009
Matthew Wayne Selznick, who brought the Sovereign Age to Podiobooks in Brave Men Run, has a new project called “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights.” The short description is “an ongoing serial fiction project created and written by Matthew Wayne Selznick.”
Set in the same universe as Brave Men Run, “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” is not free, just the next thing to it. Subscribe for a year for $14.99. Subscribe for six months for $9.99, or one month for $1.99. New content 25 times a year, free one day subscriptions. Right now, in late May 2009, the site is new enough that you can probably read the whole thing in one day! Matt’s goal is to have 1000 subscribers by the end of 2009.
Matt is a great guy, and when he tries something, a lot of people in the pod-o-sphere pay attention. He’s an innovator and a do-it-yourself-er, and if I can help him reach his goal, that would be great. I have only a part of the information here, go to the “Hazy” website for more. Matt has already explained it better than I ever could.
Further description of Brave Men Run: A Teen Movie/Comic Book mash-up. I think it is a pretty good description.
I have been listening to The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood from Librivox this morning, and enjoying it very much. I had forgotten how much I love the language of this version. This book was given to me by an aunt and it was my introduction to archaic language – the written version had footnotes to explain.
It’s great.
Here’s the full description from the Librivox page:
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle (1853-1911)
Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero; a courteous, pious and swashbuckling outlaw of the mediæval era who, in modern versions of the legend, is famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny. He operates with his “seven score” (140 strong) group of fellow outlawed yeomen – named the Merry Men. He and his band are usually associated with Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire.
The Victorian era generated its own distinct versions of Robin Hood. The traditional tales were often adapted for children, most notably in Howard Pyle’s Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. These versions firmly stamp Robin as a staunch philanthropist, a man who takes from the rich to give to the poor. (Summary from Wikipedia)
It is true that Kauni skeins are not uniform in their weight, but I don’t believe they do it on purpose. I’m guessing a lack of automation has been the cause.
I have generally guaranteed 140 grams, and delivered an average of 150 grams of yarn. It was a deliberate decision, as I had no interest in selling yarn by the gram, or dividing the skeins by weight and giving each a different price. Too complicated for me! So far, in this store, I have been able to mail 150 grams per skein per order, and that is what I expect to do every time. If I can’t, I’ll let you know before I ship.
Kauni has made many changes to their business since I have been selling their yarn. The people at Kauni have worked hard, in ways I can see and ways I cannot, to improve their product and make it easier to find. The skeins are becoming more and more uniform, which in a way is a shame, but it sure makes selling easier! 150 grams is becoming more and more the norm when I get a new box of yarn.
My latest purchase, which has not shipped yet, includes EQ Rainbow and EC Black/White. One of the first sweaters I saw and admired on Ravelry was Kauni Rainbow Cardigan made with EM (Red/Dark Red) and EC (Black/White). Really sophisticated, I thought.
I would make swatches of all the combinations I have but that would take too much out of the store!
There are more patterns now, all beautiful, and some are free.
Gail’s Yarns has three colors of organic color grown cotton: natural, sage, and moka. Color grown means that if you went into the field to inspect the plants, you would find the colors there on the plant already. The cotton is not dyed or chemically treated to get the colors. Darker colors are more expensive, I believe because as the colors darkens, the staple shortens, and the cotton is more difficult to spin.
Because of this short staple and the brown color, these cottons were not valued historically, and became more and more difficult to find. However, Peru has many colors under cultivation, and even the United States has a few. Color grown cotton is now getting easier to find as there are campaigns to save the colors and keep them under cultivation, and even develop new ones.
This cotton is also organic, so no chemicals have been used on the yarn at any stage of its development. It is soft and does not fade, except in sunlight – so don’t hang it out on your clothesline! The colors will darken in hot water, and in the heat of the dryer. It also will shrink, as do other cottons. Washing makes it softer and softer.
There are two tags on each skein. Pakucho is the name of the company that produces the yarn in Peru, and ecobutterfly is the distributor for the United States. There is much good reading at these two sites.
All the Pakucho in the store now is sport weight. I have an entire kilogram of lace weight on a cone, but I doubt it can be sold all at once! Skeins of 100 or 150 grams would be a nice way to package it, if I can figure out how.