Oh my! I am not one for numbers, quite honestly, I don’t even know how old I am most of the time, and I don’t usually look at my Facebook stats or website numbers, but today I did and imagine this, we are over 24000 likes on my Woolwench facebook page! Wheeee! When did that happen?! I think its time to celebrate our growth and share some inspiration, so I would like to offer something special, something I have made… It is also my birthday soon too! So lets call this a double celebration! I thought about this for a little while, and what I would like to offer is a one off thing and also something that was a first for me, and I have a tradition of always giving away the first of anything I make. This was the first scarf I designed and created using circular weaving! I made this as a weave along project on the Majacraft blog complete with tutorial videos and written instructions – they are all still there in a series on the Majacraft blog if you would like to try one of these yourself! Majacraft makes the original wooden circular weaving looms and you can find out more about how to use these with their free tutorials and pattern book at the bottom of the loom page, and for more inspiration you can also visit the Circle Weaving Facebook page . We started that group way back when we had just brought out this new ‘circle weaving thing’ with our Fiberygoodness Creative Spinning course Journey to the Golden Fleece, – which we are about to relaunch for the fourth time! (wow time flies!). Since then, circular weaving has really taken off! Lots more people are joining in on this wonderfully simple and portable weaving, its just one of those mysterious things that once you start you cant stop! So here is the end result of the Circle Weave Along example that you can see me making through all the instruction videos! Modelled for me by my beautiful daughter 🙂 Scroll down to read how to get in the giveaway draw! And since this is a double celebration I will also pick  a second winner and send you your own Majacraft mini circle loom too 😉 I will ship to you anywhere in the world.. Enter with a comment below to be in the draw to win ! Please share this post and leave me a message to tell me what treats you like on your birthday! I’ll close this on (my) Sunday! GOOD LUCK! I can’t wait to see how far this scarf will travel!...

Two things! First, to my utter amazement we are nearly at the 15000 likers milestone on my Facebook page! This coincides with my imminent departure for New Zealand (where I shall remain for some indeterminate time that will surely be at least 6 months), and an over abundance of yarns in my stash. These things add up to a pretty cool giveaway! I need to reduce the amount of yarn in the house and someone is going to get a bundle, some hand dyed skeins, some handspun art yarn, maybe a couple of fun cone yarns… a batt… it will be a big surprise 🙂 Are you in? Leave a comment here, share it on Facebook, and on the 30th July I will randomly choose a winner! And whether thats you or not, I want to thank you for your support and interest in the things I do here and on Facebook, I love to share that little part of our combined online lives in the places where they intersect, its pretty wonderful to feel part of a global family 🙂 So go on, leave a comment on this post, share away, and I will start making up a goodie...

This giveaway has become even more cool than I had originally anticipated, because, the winner, Lisa, who is herself not a spinner (but is a fiber lover!) very generously asked if she could gift the board to someone who spins! So of course we can do that! I am sending Lisa some special yarn, and also following her request to gift the blending board to Valorie Fischer! Which is also lovely as I know Valorie will make fantastic use of the blending board. I am extra thrilled at being able to make TWO people happy from one giveaway!! So this is just a quick update post to let you know who the winner(s) are, and of course to thank everyone who took the time to come and read and make such thoughtful comments about the wonderful things we all love about fiber. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the comments and I wish I’d had time to reply to everyone individually. I gained much motivation and inspiration from reading your thoughts. So the Fire Goddess blending board will be winging its way to Valorie next week! The Mermaid is for sale ($170+$25 postage) and the next one up is going to be in forest greens and involve some kind of tree sprite, let me know if you want it! So now I must finish preparing for the demonstration Esther and I are giving at the National Spinning Group AGM tomorrow! YAY! Taking my One Wheel (my beautiful elven Aura) and my Hackle and lots of fiber, because I panic that I might be away from my stash and run out of things to spin! Gah! So yes, I am probably taking too much but thats better than the alternative right?! 😛 I’ll be back soon,  you keep being awesome...

Time goes so fast doesn’t it?! I can’t believe we are almost at the end of 2012 already, in some ways it feels like its been just the blink of an eye, but in other ways, thinking back on the things I have done and achieved, its been an incredibly full, exciting, and interesting year! Some highlights for me have been, my One Wheel Indiegogo campaign and all the associated yarns spun to fund my Majacraft Aura, including a feature on the Majacraft blog and the amazing design Andy Poad so skillfully etched on the wheel for me, its truly the One Wheel 🙂 Another highlight of course was the weekend when I received my wheel, unboxing and assembling it during the JazzTurtle workshop at the home of the lovely Alet. That was a magic couple of days, meeting Esther Rodgers, sharing the learning experience with some amazing women, and enjoying the lovely environment so generously provided by Alet.  The next highlight for me was taking part in the Leather and Lace secret stash challenge, dreamed up and hosted by the lovely Arlene of Spin Artiste, and Deb Lambert of Picasso’s Moon. This was a huge honour for me, it was set up by invitation, and I was so excited to see my name and yarn among those of my fiber heros such as Lexi Boeger, and Ashley Martineau, in total about 20 spinners whose work I utterly admire. This travelling yarn show is now progressing along the East coast of the US and will reach its final destination in April at the SWAY Guild Art Yarn Festival, where the yarns will be auctioned, with proceeds donated to the Farm Animal Sanctuary. Another Spin Artiste highlight for me has been the opportunity to make some guest posts for Arlene, interviewing some very talented fiberistas on this side of the planet, what an honour and a pleasure! Other writing this year included the ‘Spinners Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocolypse’ for the Entangled Magazine, as well as a feature of one of my yarns in the ‘Fiber Lust’ section of the same edition!  I also have an article coming in the next edition of the Dutch magazine the ‘Spin en Verfkrant’ – soon to be known as ‘Vezels’ (Fibers). I am looking forward to that and will let you know when its out. Another highlight has truly been the Find Your Inner Fiber Hero Workshop I hosted and taught right here in the WoolWench house at the beginning of the month. It was a real thrill to see people enjoying fiber, making new discoveries, helping each other, and just generally being as excited about spinning as I am!  I am thrilled to have had...

Thank you everyone who came and commented on my brand new website and Welcome post! It has been a huge effort to put the website together but I think everything is working now and your comments and feedback have been brilliant! I am pleased to announce that the winner of the draw is Monica of Craftwich Creations on Etsy!! She is selling the most stunning hand crafted crochet hooks ever too, I was just totally sidetracked browsing her shop 🙂  Congratulations Monica! I will be emailing you too. If it wasnt you this time, I wish I could choose everyone who took the time to say hello.. but I will be doing more giveaways in future.. so keep entering when you see one, as we say in New Zealand.. you gotta be in to win! I appreciate all the positive feedback and suggestions, I already added a ‘creations’ gallery to show some of the things I have been making with my yarns, and still to come is a free e-book section with woolie information for spinners and a soon to come booklet of designs and patterns to use with my yarns! Thank you for all your support, hope to see you back soon 🙂   Suzy...