So if you’ve known me for a while, you probably know that I both used to write/publish ‘zines, and I was an avid pen-paller/swapper back in the 90s. I started out getting names from the back of other Goth ‘zines, and picking up more friends from “fiendbooks” [friendship books] and mutual penpallers. I fell out of the practice because of several complications to my life, including a long-distance stalker. [it's a long story.]

However, I decided that now that I have the room and organization to do so, it’s time to dabble back in that creative trade again, so I joined Swap-Bot. Any of y’all involved? Want to swap?

In other – quick – news – congrats to Heather Mann and CROQ magazine for reaching their goal to get the newest issue printed! Thanks to the generous actions of Rachel of Swap-Bot and Rosalie of Unanimous Craft, who matched donations that came in on the last day, Heather actually exceeded her goal by a bit. Way to go, lovers of DIY!

And ’tis the season to apply to local Arts & Crafts shows. I only participate in ones that strongly support the Handmade Ethic and the spirit of DIY, so expect me to give some shout-outs to the ones I’ve applied to even if I don’t get in.

In the next couple of weeks, expect things to gear up here at the blog, as I have a bunch of ideas for things that I want to add to my chatty schedule. If there are things you’re dying to read my babble on, please do suggest them in the comments!

I love this little ‘zine! It is chock full of neat info about crafting and crafters, and I’ve read and re-read the issues that I own. Not only would you be doing a good thing to help out a small-press publisher & crafter, but you’d be doing something to keep the tradition of small press alive!
You can donate as little as a dollar… but the more you donate, the better your perks will be – because Heather is just a doll like that, she’s offering freebies for various levels of donation!

Please help CROQ – you won’t be sorry that you did.

Why, you ask? Well, for one thing, August heat, wool, and Xiane do not a good team make… but more importantly, the BIG MOVE is here!

Yes! I’m in the final stretch of moving my household and business to right between the lovely little towns of Belmont and Mount Holly, North Carolina. This will put me much closer to Charlotte, right off of Interstate 85, and inside my own townhouse with a teeny yard… and most importantly, my own STUDIO yay.

For you, my faithful friends, readers, and fiber-nuts, this means new products to peruse as well as many updates about building one’s own studio space. I have many things coming down the fiber trail for us! This includes a new schedule for blog posts – I am bursting with ideas and I want to share them with YOU.

If there’s anything in particular you’d like to hear me babble on about, please post suggestions here. I’ll be revealing the new posting schedule sometime this week, and input is always, always welcome. Remember, I’m blogging for *y’all!*

If you’re on Ravelry [and if you're not, you SHOULD be] I’d love to see you there:

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/threeravens-dot-net

I’ve got a shop update coming up, too – more yarns to start, with art batts to come. It always takes the longest to list items on Etsy – I wish I could just snap my fingers and move on to making more pretty things. Technology gods, are you listening?

The Power of Color

Black and white are the safe choices in the design world. The color of luxury is elegant and subdued. Yet, at the same time, even top-tier designers, artists and luxury brands have always used bright colors as well. It is not about either or. It is not black-and-white or color.

See more amazing color in the form of interior design, vehicle paint, theater seating and other things here: http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/1727/the-power-of-color

Look what I just put up for sale in my shop today? There are actually three of them – I showed “As Evening Falls” because, well, it is black and purples! C’mon now, you know me. *grin*

I should have new yarn listed by sometime tomorrow, too. I have a backlog of yarn to get up for sale, so keep an eye on this blog to see when updates happen! [alternatively, you could sign up for the Threeravens newsletter...]

Let me know what you think of the new batts, or any suggestions you have for colors!

Here they are, the very first batts made with my Fancy Kitty drum carder! I will be spinning these up tonight, and I’ll post photos of how the yarn turns out, for all to see.
The learning curve for using the carder is quite shallow – even a n00b like me was able to make quite passable batts on the first few passes. There’s still some issue with fiber getting leftover on the drum and licker-in, but as I get better, I know this will improve. I also have been lucky enough to get good advice from my fiberista pals [thanks especially to Madame KnittyandColor!]

I’m hoping to have batts listed for sale by the end of March, if not sooner. Practice makes perfect, and I’m an eager student.

Yay batts!

It’s here. What’s here, you ask? My FANCY KITTY DRUM CARDER is here!

*bounce bounce bounce*

What does this mean for you, dear readers/shoppers/XianeFans? It means that soon, oh so soon, I’ll be offering exquisite art batts for sale, as well as upping the overall awesomeness of my own hand spun yarn.
Don’t worry, I’ll still be offering yarn created from the batts and hand-dyed roving of other fabulous fiber artists – but this will allow me to dive even deeper into my love of color and texture… and I get to share it with you!

If you haven’t signed up to my mailing list [points to the bottom right of the blog] then now is the perfect time. Besides the yarn deals that I offer my subscribers, I’ll be having some celebratory batt specials as soon as I get them cranked out and listed!

Now to find a place to put this magnificent thing…

It took a bit to get things going, but the move is complete, and I’ll be much more apt to update the blog here now – things were hanging and dragging over at my previous server. Now, we’re fast and free and ready to talk yarn and fiber love!

I’ve missed updating y’all for a while, but things have been mellow here, I must say. I have big plans for 2010 – buy a drum carder, vend at SAFF, spin a yarn every day. I’m looking forward to sharing my adventures with you!

Where would you like to see me make an appearance this year? Please leave suggestions in the comments! Also, if there are things you’d like to see me blog about, I’m all ears!