Today is day one of Tour de Fleece and my goals are already through the window. This weekend happens to be the Canada Day long weekend and I am at the cabin all weekend. I couldn't fit my wheel in the car and I absolutely suck with my spindle and didn't want to waste fiber on it. This means that my goal of spinning every day is already dashed.

This means that I will have to change my goals up or, most likely, I'll just try to spin everyday after the long weekend. Or maybe I'll try to spin for a certain amount of hours. Say 20 min a day so those 4 days I've missed means I need to spin for an hour and 40 min to catch up. This might work for me since I've been busy with my shop opening soon so I'll have to take time from working to put towards my crafts which is the whole reason the business can exist in the beginning. This sounds like a pretty good plan.

I was finally getting back to work on my dyeing after doing about a billion other things that have to do with the shop. (That's a whole other blog post) when my ball winder broke! I just heard a very loud grinding and cracking sound and it stopped working! I'm flabbergasted. I didn't expect so many thing and issues to arise while opening this shop. I was supposed to dye some yarn and people would buy it and everything would be right in the world. I was duped!

Now, with the ball winder death I'll need to replace that, and probably my swift as well since the swift has been giving me a hassle since I got it. I'm going to see if the nice people at KnitPicks will replace the ball winder (I really don't have any problems with it) and maybe refund my swift like was previously offered. If I get that refund I'm going to look into buying a vertical swift so it takes up less space and puts less strain on my poor cheap ball winder (I know cheap could be the issue but it worked fine the last year!).

What this all means is that my production has stopped and that really makes me sad because I was looking forward to having everything ready to go asap. Plus, dyeing is amazing amounts of fun and I love getting to play with yarn and calling it "work". I guess this is ok since I'll be away for the weekend enjoying Canada Day at the cabin. No internet and very little 3g means I'll get to knit and play on my 3DS for a bit and possibly go boating if the weather is nice.

Episode 17: Slightly Disheveled from PenguinSoup on Vimeo.

Wips:
PPSS w/gusset
KirbyWirby's Skating Rink 1987 w/ strobe light sparkle
2.5mm 9" HiyaHiya Sharp

Arenaria Tank
KP Comfy Cotton in Parchment
3.25mm

Holden
KW handspun
3.25mm

FOs:

Firecracker socks
Knitpicks Stroll in Firecracker heather and White
2.5mm 9" chiaogoos


Spinning:
Finished: Cloudlover's Haunted Vineyard. 75%BFL 25%Silk
Started: Moonshine Fiber Company's DDLM
Working on: Unwind Yarn Company in Wedding Orchids. 100% Falkland

What's Next?

Review Something!
9" circs

I have pictures taken to write a really nice post about my garden and it's new, updated look. I really don't have a green thumb so this is super exciting news for me. I just haven't really had a lot of time for blog writing though. I apologize and I should make time. I do have plans to sit down and write a bunch and set them to release every few days and then write a few weekly to keep it going. But let me give you my excuses.

I have had a severe pain in my side since I was about 15. I'm finally starting to get some actual tests on this and I had to get blood work done twice this past week. I was also sent to an oncologist to see a blood specialist to get a diagnosis. The questions asked scared the crap out of me, hinting at cancer. It turns out I'm fine. This pain I may grow out of, but there's nothing I can do about it. And no cancer. So after all of these tests and this scare, I was dizzy at work and had to take a few days off. I'm healthy and ok now, but this didn't really put me in the blogging mood.

And on to better news. I've finally started dyeing! I've dyed Kaylee (hot pink and brown) and Bulbasaur (inspired by the sprite and not the anime so it's light green and a tealy green) I've got three more skeins soaking now and I can't wait to dye some more! It is a lot of fun and I'm absolutely loving the results. My best estimate for when the shop will open is in 3-4 weeks. I'm still waiting on my logo to be finished up and then I need to design it into a banner and ball band, order some business cards and maybe a few more things. Then I have to wait for shipping. The wait should give me the time to play with my light box and get some accurate pictures and write up descriptions for the shop update.

I'm sorry about the lack of videos, blog posts, and activity on ravelry. I always make an effort to check instagram almost daily and respond to my comments there. If you'd like to stay in contact with me and see more frequent updates, add me there as @penguinsoupknits. I'm also sorry for teasing you about the dyeing and the shop update. I'm going slowly to make sure that everything is done properly and set up so that my life will be easier when it's opened and that I'll have a better chance at success.

I hope you'l forgive me,

I had every intention to podcast this week. I was even going to do it a day early (other things came up and it didn't happen). I had my projects all lined up and ready to go, my show notes were written, my camera charged, everything was ready to go. And then I decided not to.

Things aren't going to be full of knitting this next week. My non-knitting friend didn't arrive until Thursday so I had some time to work on my projects. Now that she's here I'm trying to squeeze my knitting time in with my travel time, walking time, waiting time or any spare minutes. I'm finding that trying to squeeze all of my knitting into my spare moments isn't very enjoyable. This means that if I have a podcast today, then I won't have one next week.

I'm still waiting for a few dyes, my light box,and some other fun goodies to arrive in the mail. I would like to show them to you. They should be here this week and if I record this week, but not next week, you won't see them for a while. I'm terrible at waiting.

Also, today is a wonderfully sunny day and I would like to spend some of it outside and enjoying the sunshine. Maybe even knit outside.

For all of these reasons, I have decided not to record this week and I will wait until next week to do so. That way there is a lot to show you instead of a little bit this week and none next week.

I hope you understand.
Happy Crafting,

If you haven't heard yet, there's a lot going on in the Penguin Soup household. There are a lot of new things in the works, things to prepare for, and regular life to go on with as well. I'll try to keep it short and hit all of the high points since I know most of you who read this blog also know me on instagram, ravelry, and have watched the podcast, and the cat's out of the bag there!

I'm working on a commissioned pair of socks and I have a shawl to knit for Cherie of KirbyWirby Yarns. My first paid projects is kind of exciting and is teaching me quite a few lessons about knitting for money. It kind of takes the fun out of it (the shawl has less deadlines and is for yarn so I'm not minding so bad because it feels like gift knitting.

I have received my Penguin Soup colourway from KirbyWirby yarns and need to design a sock pattern for it so we can ave a kit and a knit-along! There are also two other sock pattern ideas I have and would like to execute, and I would love to design a shawl sometime soon. I'll put an announcement looking for test knitters when I'm ready.

I am starting a home business dyeing yarn, and maybe eventually roving as well. I have bought all the materials needed and I have so many ideas in my head. I can't wait for my supplied to arrive so I can get started. I have a new logo in the works, the blog may change. The blog might get a make over, might move to another host, who knows what needs to be done as of right now.

I think that's about it for now. More bloggings and updates to come.

Episode 16: Conflicted from PenguinSoup on Vimeo.

Wips
Firecracker Socks
KnitPicks Stroll Firecracher heather and white
2.5mm 9" circ

P.P.S.S. w/ gusset
Kirbywirby's Skating Rink 1987 w/ strobe light sparkle
2.5mm 9" circ

FOs
PB&W

What's Next? 
Arenaria Tank in Windswept ecollection from KP
Comfy Fingering Yarn
75% cottron 25% acrylic in Parchment

Spinning
2Plying my Haunted Vineyard from Cloudlover!

Review Something!
Interweave Knits Summer 2013

Mail Call
Unwind Yarn Company wedding orchids falkland braid and journey sock

Cool Stuff
Featured in Sheepish online magazine, Summer 2013
Amybernhardt aka mtlhdtrix on Instagram has my name in her ravatar to show her support of our Tour de Fleece team. So stinking awesome!!

Contests
Knitsinsanity won the Juego MKAL and she's getting the old man in the sea pattern from mskiknits
skinouye won the VintageRoseKnittique I♥ Penguin Soup Podcast stitch marker set for her name P.S. (PenguinSoup) I love you name for the colourway.

E15 from PenguinSoup on Vimeo.


































Vanessa
Evil Dead from the Fright Night shipment.

• be a member of the group
• Go to her etsy shop: VintageRoseKnittique and check out the goods.
• Do Both tell us what stitch marker sets you would like to see Vanessa make next
• And give us your best name for the PenguinSoup colourway!

Im going to be dyeing yarn!