Sock Summit 2011

This weekend is Sock Summit!

Knitters from near and far will converge on Portland to see yarn dyers, spinners and sellers at their booths. There will be boxes and boxes of beautiful yarn as well as classes and lectures from favorite designers at the Oregon Convention Center. Yarn shops all over town will be bustling with excitement!

Bumblebirch yarn is a featured local dyer at Urban Fiber Arts this week - we hope to see you there!

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Bumblebirch is at Urban Fiber Arts!

Bumblebirch yarn can now be found at Urban Fiber Arts in the Pearl District!

There are many fine knitting shops in Portland, but this one in particular sells Bumblebirch yarn. Specializing in local independent Northwest dyers and spinners, Urban Fiber Arts is located on the southbound Portland Streetcar line and just around the corner from a Number 17 Bus stop. It has an excellent selection of patterns and unique yarns, host classes and the local spinnerati (spinning group), and the owner Cindy is an all-around fun lady. Be sure to check it out!

Bumblebirch supports public transportation! You can't (shouldn't) knit while you're driving on the freeway, but you can purl on the bus...So hop on the streetcar or MAX or bus and check out Urban Fiber Arts in the Pearl.

Bumblebirch is Back

The sun is shining brightly.
The birds are singing boldly.
The trees shake their verdant leaves,
As the curious squirrels stop and see.
It's a beautiful day we believe,
For the yarn is dyeing color again.

My Baby Sabbatical is over and I've returned to the studio. This year I'm joined by my wonderful husband, Paul, who helps behind the scenes and makes sure I keep my head together.

Are you ready for some fantastic new yarn? New yarn will be available soon on Etsy.

Bumblebirch on Vacation

The studio has been temporarily taken over by a new addition to the family!

Bumblebirch is on vacation until we all get adjusted. See you soon!

Summer Yarn

Some of these colorways are already in the shop, but isn't it exciting to see some new ones?

Rght there in the middle is my lovely, silky lace, Bumblebirch Cocoon. It's 80% merino/20% silk. On the left is Mountain Spring, a light, dusty turquoise, and on the right is something new. I departed from the usual purples and ventured into mulberry and blackberry shades. What do you think?

Crafty Weekend

There are a lot of local activities going on this week leading into the weekend!

Hello Craft's Summit of Awesome is going on now right here in Portland. The Summit closes its lineup of workshops with a Day of Craft and party. Crafty activities will continue into the weekend with the Show of Awesome at Doug Fir Lounge (Crafty Wonderland, one of the sponsors, used to host monthly craft shows here).

Friday through Sunday is Oregon's Black Sheep Gathering, and annual fiber fest, featuring a livestock and wool show, contests, workshops, and a trade show. You can find Bumblebirch stitch markers at the Kathee Nelson Art Yarn booth. Kathee's a fellow local independent dyer and has the loveliest silk yarn. If you're heading out to Eugene, be sure to stop by her booth!

Saturday is the famous WWKIP Day (that's World Wide Knit in Public Day). You won't be able to avoid seeing knitters walking around with their projects on display in cities all over the world! Many of them will participate in photo scavenger hunts, such as the one organized by Sock Knitters Anonymous, a Ravelry group.

Bumblebirch has a bit of crafty going on in the studio this week...a new colorway is in the works. Check in again soon for a sneak preview!

Works in Progress

Aside from the usual distraction, there really has been quite a lot of work going on in the Bumblebirch studio.

The Summer line of stitch markers is ready! All 8 new colors of Droplets and Petite Droplets will be listed in the shop soon!

In addition to new stitch markers, I'm pleased to announce a new colorway:

Peony

This colorway is inspired by the flowers we had at our wedding: cream and blush pink. It's just in time to celebrate our 2nd anniversary on May 25th! Peony is available in any of the Bumblebirch bases.

Me with my bridesmaid and bouquet-maker Caela

Happy May, everyone!

Under Construction

Make sure you've got your hard hat on! The blog is undergoing some changes, so stay tuned!

Winter Yarn Clubs

It's time for the Bumblebirch Winter Yarn Club! As usual, I have a 3-month Yarn + Tea subscription. These packages are filled with goodies and, best of all, you can choose sock yarn or worsted yarn!




For those who would like to keep it simple and subscribe to the yarn only (all right, I'll admit an occasional stitch marker might find its way in there), I'm offering 3-month and 1-month subscriptions.

New Blog for Bumblebirch

Test test test!

Welcome to the new blog! I figured it was time to have a blog dedicated to the "business" side of my life: dedicated to Bumblebirch.

I've been busy making plans for upcoming seasonal yarn clubs, and they're going to be awesome! There is a theme for each month's package:

September: The Open Sea
October: Golden Harvest
November: Snow White

Here are a couple of my own hand-dyed colorways, which are currently available in my shop.

Violet Dusk


Ginger Peach


I've got some mini-skeins in the dyepot as I type and I can't wait to show you what I've been cooking up!