a hand-dyed soul

There are days when my soul is completely drenched in dye where I cant be anyone else but a hand dyer. I am a colour palette daydreamer and this is my soul when I close my eyes.

Shop update...there will be a store stocking in the next few days, and these knitters balms will be released in the next 3 weeks...Im just getting them tested by three beautiful full time knitters. They are all natural and smell and feel amazing.

sorry for the lateness of my little blog update I've had my hands tainted with dyes for several days.

Tea and Yarn

Courtney xx

Creative Space Thursday

Another Thursday creeps in with creative vibes, and this week I've spent my afternoons and late nights at the dye pots dyeing the last yarn before I take alittle break to just enjoy knitting and relaxing! It will only be a short break but I need it after dyeing so much yarn! In preperation for sending off this last lot of orders, I now custom make my tags cause I think its sweet when someone goes to that effort to make their tags, takes a little more time but its worth it.

As well as stamping my tags, I also stamp my parcel envelopes! mail art is a lost cause sometimes, but I always love it when an envelope has a little bit of artwork on the outside, so I sat down to stamp all my goddies, attach ribbon and descriptions and away I go!

Back to trying to get the last of the yarn dry, with all this rain and overcase weather, nothings drying the way its ment to this is day 4 of wet wool!

for more creative spaces, pop on over to Kootoyoo's Blog!

Tea and Yarn

Courtney xx

knitting in my inbetween moments

after a little break to get a cold and get over it again Im finally feeling a little more like myself! My mailbox has been treated ever so lovingly these past weeks, so a post purely devoted to parcels of love from close and afar.

First up is a belated birthday present from the adorable Kata from Odd-ish Creations, this girl holds the key to my heart, with tea and knitting and being addicted to stationary and a yarn dyer! shes like a version of myself except on the other side of the world!

In the mail came delights such as, teas stitchmakers, stamps, yarn, knitpicks! and a project bag! this had it all! I Just adored every moment of the present.

The beautiful hand dyed yarn is already on the needles! with my first ever lace project, Im knitting myself a small shawl to use as a scarf, the pattern is the ADORABLE ysolda's Ishbel this pattern is taking the knitting world by storm!

a parcel that came on friday for me was a much awaited 400gram dye up by my good friend Lisa, from Not Your Nanna's Knits, a dyer and delishious spinner from oz who has fast become a lovely friend to call on in a time of need. We are going to embark on a knit-a-long together with our 400grams! making a Clapotis another cult knitters pattern! I need to dye her 400grams so we can start!

A magic jar swap came to my door filled with fabrics, buttons and of course YARN! below is my two skeins of yarn that are from the dyepot, vampires blood and enchanted wood, also in the photo is a beautiful gradient dye from the Jolly Jumbuck club, this was a gift from two anonymous ladies, but gosh its beautiful!

in other news, Im journalling again, as some may know I've kept a journal since I was 10ish I have a shelf of completed journals in my bedroom, I suddenly stopped just before having kids, and always missed it, I've tried several times to keep once since then, but failed ALOT lol, so I made my own, and will build it page by page, instead of having a million blank pages to taunt me, I will fill it at my pace. the beautiful teacup in this pic is also from Lisa, she told me it had a twin, and that she kept it so we could have tea telapathically since we leave that bit to far apart to have tea together in real time.

I am now of to wind all the winter club and year of colour wool up ready for dyeing! hopefully have it ready to be packed by next week an into the post!

I will post teaser photos up very soon...

tea and yarn

Courtney xx

Store Stocking!

The Inner Stitch has been dancing in the dyepots! with colourways from all walks of life, with yarn bases such as organic merino and bfl, there is a little something for every knitter! Some colourways have an added 50gram option if you want a solid to match! Get your hands on an Inner Stitch Box of magic tricks! Where every stitch is an adventure!

All yarns are up for preview at the moment, they will go live tomorrow night 8pm NSW time.

Heres a few up for sale

Irish Jig - 8ply BFL

Eskimo Kiss 4ply organic merino sock

Magic Carpet - 8ply Organic Merino

Pop Fizz - 8ply Organic Merino 

The Inner Stitch

My Creative Space

An afternoon away from yarn, who would think my creative space wouldnt be about dyeing today! although my life does revolve around the dyepot and my little business I thought it was time to take a moment to enjoy the things I dont get to do often! like embroider, and play with my small and quint fabric stash. Im making a few little gifts for friends and penpals, and for once its not a skein of hand dyed yarn.

My sewing box is as messy as they come, with things thrown everywhere and tapemeasure with a life of its own, I can never find it when I need it! Im making a few little pin cushions and a few little embroiderd buttons with the word knit on it to work as brooches. 

One of the fabrics I love is this one, it will become something for a friend, Id like a little project bag out of it, but my sewing machine and I dont love eachother to any degree! this is where I wished I was a seamstress and not a knitter. The skein of yarn is a custom for a sweet girl called Lisa. 
 I hope she likes it. It makes me smile, its a soft stage dance  that turns into a vibrant salsa. I ended up talking  yarn anyway! hehe cant keep a good dyer down.

For more creative spaces, Pop on over to Kootoyoo's Blog to discover a hive of creative spaces.

Tea and Yarn

Courtney

Happy Cakes and girly teasers

Winter is upon us even though its still Autumn! Im wrapped up in my pjs and slippers hoping that the fire will be lit soon. I haven been meaning to write a post for a few days, but with the crazyness that is my life at the moment Ive kind of slipped of the radar. But Im here and fighting I was raised as a wild woman, Ill stay that way!

So to put a smile on my face and my sons, today was dubbed 'Happy Cake Day' we made cupcakes together and he calls them happy cakes. Tomorrow Ill photograph the finished cupcake since it got really dark and all the photos looked awful! thats if they make it to tomorrow hehe

he helped put the ingrediants in the bowl and mix it all up, I sat on the floor and he sat at his little blue table and chairs, I wanted it to be all on his level. A huge mess was made but who cares when happy cakes involved! 

While he slept I put them into pattycake cups and popped them in the oven.

they are currently iced with green icing and rainbow sprinkles, elijah ate the icing and ran around squeeling happy cakes whoorayyyyyyyyyyyyy, put a little smile on my face thats for sure. Another beautiful thing that put a smile on my face is my delightful yarny penpal's thoughtfulness and talent. She turned my little logo into a stamp so that I can make my yarn tags and gift tags..I alway wanted handmade tags now I can make that happen. 

For my yarn club girls, a sneak peak...this is one of the colourways. 

enjoy your evening with some crafty in your hands

tea and yarn

Courtney xx

My Creative Space late again lol

Another creeper thursday, Im late again, but its ok the fact of the matter is, I made it! Some of you who have seen mums post know we have been unwell! and a few personal crisis later and Im back in the world...I've been MIA for a week! Soph thought I was dead hehe but alas here I am, with a bucket load of pretties.

On my desk atm is Yarn, seems to be a theme..maybe I have an addiction! I've been playing in the dyepots and dyeing up yarn club and dreaming up a few new things that will be released very soon. A little late for my 1 year of blogging! which was yesterday (giveaway on the way aswell keep your eyes peeled) 

Here are a few little odds and ends that have emerged from the cauldron.

'Toxic Watermelon' - She has a home all the way in the USA!

and 'Lock and Key Princess' - She also has a home, same lady all love! Another two to be sent off never to see me again! gosh this yarn is like my children! Well children that get put in the mircrowave and hung out to dry but children no less! 

also on my desk are some yarnies goodnesses! I won a blog giveaway from the delightful Peta's Blog 
this beautiful scarf which I adore!! and this project bag hit my doorstep! I love good project bag. its now pride of place in my handbag with blanket yarn in it for knitting on the go! speaking of the adorable blanket! The donations have touched my heart.

this was just one days worth of yarn from all different women! I love scraps! and when Im dont, I shall pass them on to other blanket knitters in need!

For more creative spaces Check out Kootoyoo's Blog jump in and have a look around!

Tea and yarn

Courtney xx

My little Creative Space

When you measure your weeks by the thrusday coming and going, they seem to go by and the Thursday creeps up on you like a magical morning mist! So its time for me to share my little workings in my cauldron nook...This has been a knit in progress for a while now! and I need to get it finished, its a little go go skirt for lily with adorable pleats and in some of my fav colours. The green and purple yarn in the middle wasnt dyed by me, but was a gift. I just need to lengthen the skirt in the solid purple, but it seems to just make me deep sigh lol! Alas I shall finish it for my little one!

A few custom orders waiting to be packed up and posted out tomorrow morning, the greeny brown blend, is called 'The Mandy' it was a custom for a close girlfriend of mine, but a few of my customers have seen it and jumped up and down for their own! so here is one all dyed up and ready to be sent.

On the not so yarny side of things, I've made a little notebook or sorts..didnt know if I would keep it for myself, but decided that I wanted it. I've got a few more finishing touches to go on it, but I really do like it! (except for the spiral bound bit lol Im a left hander and it drives me nuts!)

inside pockets every so often for notes and odds and ends.

these are my fave pockets in te notebook, the old fashion movie stub ticket! I want to make an entire book out of them lol!! 

For a peek at more creative spaces check out the lovely Kootoyoo's Blog! or sign up and play!!

tea and yarn

Courtney xx

a little bit of healing for the soul

Wowwweee its been a fantastic 5 days! I am finally home from my mini holiday to brisbane with my hubby, this was a treat for us, and a birthday gift from him, and I couldnt have asked for anything better! After two busses and two trains paul and I finally got to brissy to hang out with Mandy and her man! we exchanged gifts, which I will photograph tomorrow as I have a small pile of goodies to share!! but first, was the one thing Id been waiting to since we booked the trip, was visit the new and beautiful Tangled Yarns! OMGOSH!! women of brisbane get your yarny bums into that shop, its just a breath of fresh air truly! I spent a small fortune in there, but it was my birthday present and hubby said buy what you want! and sooo I did!

I came home with this beautiful designer knitters bag, I've lusted after something stunning like this for a very long time, and when I saw them on the shelves I had to have one! the only thing was what shade of green did I want!!! I also bought myself a matching case for my dpns/crochet hooks! I will be ordering the rest of the matching stuff lol, I cant not have the entire set!!! it's just too beautiful! All photos in this post are work of the talented Mandy! ( I was way to excited to get my camera out but she was all over it lol) just take a moment to stare lovingly at my bag!
One of my main goals while I was in brissy was to teach mandy to knit, and shes a natural! I was quietly impressed with her, shes picked it up really fast, she just needs practise, as a gift for my new knitter girl, I bought us both a yummy pair of 4mm harmony needles, because no one should ever learn on crap wool, or crap needles! its all about the experience!

Her custom blend I dyed up two days before hopping on the bus, its something she just loves! Im glad she loves it, when shes happy with her knitting she will knit up this yarn into something beautiful Im sure!

My mandy moo is a very talented photographer, whether she knows it or not is unknown, but I know shes fantastic, and as a small gift to me, she did a photoshoot for me and a couple shoot for paul and I. Here is one of my fave promotional shots, there are several I could sit here for hours just uploading her work, but its really late, so I shall add more tomorrow!

my tags for my work! stained dye fingers and all! I loved these shots, I've always love close ups like that! and now I have my very own. For my birthday mandy is getting my business cards printed! Im super excited as its something I've wanted for a while now but never had the spare cash! so Im touched that she thought of me in such a way to do that for me!

the lovely mandy and I, photo care of hubby! we took some silly ones but this one I love, it will be in my craft room with several of her shots.

The couple shoot was amazing 600shots worth and 98% of them I love! she captured the soft the silly the love between paul and I! We havent got many couple shots and now we have so many we are stoked! here are just a couple of my faves.

its really late, so its time to go to bed! but I shall post all of my goodies tomorrow!

missed my little blog! 

tea and yarn

Courtney xx

Creative Space!

*runs into post* it seems that because I'm going on my aniversary trip tomorrow that everything happens the day before! house inspections, washing till I have nothing left to wash, cleaning packing, its all a bit much! then I realised ah my gosh its thursday! hubby is out doing something so Im sneaking in a post before he finds me on the computer intead of folding washing lol!

soooo what yummys have I got in my space today! a little bit of this and a little bit of that really!

I seem to have little mini spaces everywhere. Yesterday I posted out my first month of yarn club so my space for that is just odd bits of wool and paper, so I wont show you the utter mess lol but I will show you everything ready to leave for the post office! Im dead proud of how it all looks, they should be in homes starting from tomorrow onwards! I can tell all the girls in the club are trying to get really close to the screen to try work out the colours lol

On the personal creative space, I have launched myself into a project that will take me till Im roughly 80 to finish, a knitted blanket from little scraps of yarn, I made the pledge not to buy anything for this blanket, that its all scraps and swaps from people, it will be beautiful once it really gets going! Im taking this little work in progress on the bus tomorrow, girl has to knit for 9 hours! this is the stash of wool I've collected so far without much stress...most of its my hand dyed stuff few balls from other dyers.

here is how small the squares are! this is my first square, only a BAZILLION to go! but hey, its going to be so worth it, I've seen finished versions of this pattern and its truly breath taking!

little yarn perve, monday nights yarn ready to be packed and shipped to their new  homes, none get to stay with me they all sold! 

and packing up a little gift for one of my favourite girls...miss mandy moo. We are going to have a ball together, just wanted to give her a few goodies for having us!

Thats all from me, I need to go finish the folding! and the rest of the housework before I pack my bags for a 4 day kid free holiday! Im so excited, its like xmas for me hehe

Join in or just have a look at the other adorable spaces this week, pop over to  Kootoyoo's blog!

Tea and Yarn

Courtney xox

The Inner Stitch First Stocking!!!

Monday night 9pm sydney time!!!

ROLLL UP ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL UP! and get a skein of Inner Stitch Beauty! 

Lots of quirky colourways that will draw you in and shock you! 

8ply merino and 4ply cashmere merino sock yarn will be available! grab yourself a box of tricks! where each stitch of these lovely yarns will be a coloured adventure!!

FIRST SALE gets a 50gram solid to match their colourway for free!

The Inner Stitch's Shop

little bits of love

Tuesday already! I seem to lose myself through the days lately, with dyeing wool like there is no tomorrow I lose many hours! So whats been bubbling in my crafty cauldron this week! well a custom order I've been knitting away. The outfit will be to die for when its finished! Its such a pleasure knitting little girls clothes, dont know what it is! but I just love it!

In between dyeing for my yarn club, Im also working on a store stocking! Two pretties that came out of the post last night are the alluring 'Sea Priestess' a stunning cashmere and merion sock yarn, thats oh so soft! and would make a cute pair of socks, or even a one skein shawl!

Every lady must have a man, and the priestess is standing by the 'Heart of the Ocean' a more boyish blend but still would look really beautiful when knitted up! I was playing with colours that I dont normally use, I think stepping out into the unknown world is brave, bold and ends up being beautiful.

On the home front, my Lily is 6 months old..this came like a slap in the face when the nurse rang up to remind me about her needles! my little goddess is growing before my eyes...soon she will be playing dress up and teaparties, of course mummy will take much delight in playing with her. Shes a little bit of hubby, and a whole lot of me, and Im so glad. She's currently addicted to wheatbix! hence the complete mess of herself in the below piccky.

Another little shop update, as the colder months draw near, when you seek out layers and cute berrets, scarves and all things squishy and knitted, my little nook will be offering a limited amount of hand knits. in stunning colours, with buttons and embellishments and everything you may desire this winter...so keep an eye out for such lovelies.

now I must go and start the dye cauldron back up, and get some work done,

enjoy the bliss that is Tuesday.

tea and yarn

Courtney xx