3:47 AM

It is 3:47 am. I started dyeing at around midnight with a plan to get through 44 skeins: 14 for the September club shipment, 16 of a new superwash BFL base, 8 Elementary, 2 Elementary DK, and 4 skeins of laceweight-just a fraction of the 24 lbs I started with at the beginning of the summer. Now, 38 skeins in and three days away from leaving for college, I sit here typing away at something I may very well not remember when I wake up in just a few hours to continue packing my entire life into boxes and spacebags. So, should I wake up in the morning wondering why I'm so tired and my entire house smells of vinegar, here's a little "note to self": Congratulations, Molly. You have conquered the 24 lb yarn pile.

Alright, I'm off to go finish up the last 6 skeins. Let's just hope I can get these all photographed and sold before I run out of food money. I haven't heard good things about the meal plan.

Holy skeins, Batman!

I dyed 30+ skeins of yarn today, and I am dead tired and not finished. Need to either get more efficient or start considering slave labor.

I did all of the new sport weight bamboo blend (still haven't decided on a name) and some Elementary and Elementary DK (which may be renamed...if I feel like it).

I'll take pictures of the drying yarn when the sun comes out and start doing shop photos as soon as I get a chance. Keep an eye out for the upcoming moving sale ;)

I only blog when I have homework.

So it seems I only blog when I have homework and don't want to do it. Oh well, here goes.

I recently started looking at base yarn to order for dyeing over winter break. Just a couple months ago, I figured I'd be spending winter break putting together a yarn club for the new year. I then, of course, realized that I couldn't do a yarn club this year because any club requiring me to send out a monthly package wouldn't fit in with my school schedule, and any club requiring me to send out a package every other month would mean that I'd have to be dyeing and sending out yarn as I prepare to leave.

That's when it hit me. In less than a year, I'm leaving. It's one thing when you're a freshman or sophomore and the people you occasionally hung out with leave, and it's another thing entirely when you're a junior and some of your oldest and closest friends leave (My boyfriend leaving at the beginning of this year wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be, since he's only a half hour away, but still...), but being a senior and realizing that you're going to be leaving your home, your family, the ability to drive for five minutes to see your best friends, and the easy 30-minute wait to see your boyfriend...

What if I get to school and can't find other knitters? What if my roommate or suitemates don't understand the big piles of stash or envelopes? What if somebody sees my dyepots and decides to make pasta and then everybody gets sick and there's a lawsuit and GAHHHHH!

Anyway! What was it like when you left home? Share your stories, advice, stash space-reducing (not stash-reducing!) secrets?

nerdclub2000 writes about herself in the third person.

Oooh, that's right, Plurk. Plurk has eaten my life just a tiny bit. It's a ton of fun, and where else do you get to talk to Miss Violet about acrylic sex swings? Seriously. You can find me on Plurk here!

Now, for the shop updates!
These can all be found in my shop. The rovings are all 4 oz. of a superwash wool blend and cost $16. Shipping is FREE for a limited time! If you don't have an etsy account and want one of these, send an email to nerdclub2000@hotmail.com.

Ravenclaw - Movie Colors

Cream Tangerine

Watching the Sunrise - Bulky 100% Wool - $17

The Skein that Broke My Heart - 75% Superwash Merino/25% Nylon Fingering Weight Sock Yarn - $21

Ravenclaw - Book Colors

Hufflepuff

Penny Lane

Raspberries and Yum

That's all for now! More updates to come in the near future and possibly a craft fair and a WHOLE LOT of sock yarn!

I'd show you pictures of all the new things available in my etsy shop, except...

most of them already sold! Yay for me!..okay...I'm excited. You don't have to be, but it's encouraged.

I spent some time dyeing on Friday before I had to show up for tech at my school's production of Guys and Dolls, and I think I'm getting the hang of it.

First I dyed some yarn for a sale I did through Ravelry. I call this one Hugs & Smooshes, and it's for bonnieshae. I love this skein, and I don't even like pink...

I also did some rovings, which I already sold on etsy. I think I'm going to have to buy some more base roving even though I haven't finished dyeing/selling all the sock weight base yarn I bought, but it comes from Nebraska, which is nowhere near here, so shipping is kind of a drag. Anyway, I call these colors Peel Me a Grape and Cherries Garcia, respectively *points at pictures* (the latter is named after my dad's favorite ice cream flavor...I personally don't like it that much, but the roving is nice...I'm kind of sad to see it go).

Last but not least, I dyed up some sock yarn that is currently available on etsy for $20. I call this colorway Rainforest. First I handpainted it, then I kettle dyed it.

That's all for now, but there'll be more updates...next time I do something worth posting about!

So I made some stuff!

My new Jacquard acid dyes and base yarn came on Friday, and I made STUFF!

Here's a handpainted merino/silk blend that I dyed for a trade on Ravelry. The photo doesn't really do it justice. The colors are much brighter. It's called Flutterbies & Cuppycakes, all springy and just a bit too happy. I can't wait to send it and get my bright red Schaefer Anne (yay!) in return!

I also dyed up some fiber.


I was going to sell this one, but I love it too much! <3 style="text-align: left;">I call this one "Great Balls of Fire!" It's 3.5 oz of very soft superwash wool, and it is available in my etsy shop for $11.

As for what's on the needles, I just cast on my mom's mother's day present. She's getting some pretty simple socks in Louet Gems Sport Weight (crabapple and cream). I'm doing them on size 4 needles (3s for the ribbing) because she wanted house socks. I'm using my new Knit Picks Harmony DPNs, and I'm very happy with them. I usually don't like wooden needles, but these are sharp and pretty slippery, just the way I like. They're also really light, which feels very good when knitting for long periods of time. The 8 inch length is also very convenient, so these might replace some of my metal straights in the future.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My dad just agreed to get me a ball winder and swift for my birthday (I had a 40% off coupon to JoAnn)! This means I won't be spending several hours of my life winding up all the yummy new yarn I bought! Yay! Actually, I'm not sure "yay" can even begin to describe it.

This should also free up some cash for the purchase of base yarn and dyes (and possibly some new knit picks needles (they're my favorites) so that I can knit up all this yarn), so keep an eye out for my upcoming line of handpainted yarns. I think I'm going to start with just sock yarn (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon), but message me if you think I should do something else. I'm open to suggestions...at least until I've already ordered the supplies, which will be on Monday or later. If you're interested in purchasing some yarn, leave a comment. I'd be happy to custom dye some for you as long as you message me in advance. I'll probably be selling the skeins for $20. Each one is about 440 yards long, so there's plenty for any size pair of socks!

Also, I WILL get to those shop reviews, but right now I have two essays (four pages or so each) and a bunch of non-fiction to read, so they probably won't be happening. Then again, I'll be up for a while posting on the teen knitters and crochet-ers board for the raffly contesty thing, and it's tough to concentrate on anything but knitting when you're doing that, SO...maybe not so long?

Worst Blogger Ever

So those shop reviews I promised...yeah, they'll come eventually. I've been to three shops so far, and each one has been wonderful in its own way. All three were very unique, and I have pictures of everything I bought. I haven't had a chance to upload them yet, and I want to be able to give each review the time it deserves, so they'll come as soon as I get a chance. I'll hopefully be going to at least three more shops (one or more for every place I visit!) before Round 2 of college visits are over.

I can't wait to upload the pictures. I scored big time on the free yarn because I did really well on the SAT (and I NEVER HAVE TO TAKE IT EVER AGAIN! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!), so my parents were more than happy to buy me all sorts of fun stuff.

I don't remember whether I mentioned the possiblity of starting my own handpainted yarn line or not, but I haven't bought the dye or base yarn yet...I'm not sure why. I could use a little bit of convincing (help would be welcome!). Any ideas as to where I could sell the yarn aside from my etsy shop would be really helpful, too.

Anyway, I have to be up at the crack of 8:30 for college visit #3 tomorrow, so I'll be leaving you for the evening.

Good night my yarny comrades!

So I haven't been here in a while, and I'm not really here now...

Well HELLO, apparently nonexistent readers (anyone there?)! I haven't posted much lately because, well, high school is a busy place, and my teachers can't seem to understand that knitting is more important than their homework. I did, however, manage to get through a few inches of my first Jaywalker (pretend there's a link here) and plan on finishing the toe tonight before I pack for college visits starting tomorrow.

Speaking of college visits, I'm lucky enough to have a dad who understands...no...gets nervous about, maybe...my love for all things yarny and knows that saying no to yarn makes for one very disagreeable teenager, so he said we could, if time allows, go on a mini yarn crawl near Princeton and UPenn! Findings will be reported here!

Also, I get my SAT scores back tomorrow, so I'll be buying the yarn and dye to start my own line of handpainted sock yarn probably as soon as I find out (if I met my goal, it'll be a reward; if I didn't, I'll buy it to make myself feel better). I'm thinking of doing an artist series that translates the work of some of my favorite artists (mostly of the 20th century) into socks. Yay!...Well, I think so, at least. The yarn will be available on my etsy shop (link that-a-way) unless I find somewhere better to sell it. I really do need to sell it...I seem to be spending all of my money on yarn...better hope for that summer job at the LYS...

Anyway, I'm not really here. I WILL finish the toe of the Jaywalker, pack, and find a good project to work on in the car tomorrow by...oh, I don't know, 2am?

Good night faithful yet apparently invisible readers. :)