Shall we liken Christmas to the web in a loom? There are many weavers, who work into the pattern the experience of their lives. When one generation goes, another comes to take up the weft where it has been dropped. The pattern changes as the mind changes, yet never begins quite anew. At first, we are not sure that we discern the pattern, but at last we see that, unknown to the weavers themselves, something has taken shape before our eyes, and that they have made something very beautiful, something which compels our understanding.

-- Earl W. Count, 4,000 Years of Christmas

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Since arriving home from the wonderful KR Retreat (check out Clara's excellent retreat photo album for a taste of all the fun), I've been busy getting ready for the Holidays.

This year, I am knitting several smallish presents for our kids ~ each will get a pair of merino/angora socks, and also a Kathryn Alexander hat (her hat kits are so much darn fun to knit!). No photos of anything, yet, but one pair of socks is finished, the second is half finished, and one hat is on the last section of the crown. So, I'm feeling good about these stocking stuffers, and will post photos after Christmas.

I'd also like to get 3 or 4 pair of fingerless gloves knitted for friends, as well as another pair of cashmere mittens. These may end up being New Year's presents, though, depending on how it goes.

I'm busy working on 4 wholesale orders, going out to Carolina Homespun, The Loopy Ewe, Knitty Couture in St. Louis, MO and Village Yarn & Tea in Washington State.

I've also finalized the 2010 Knitting and Spinning Club offerings, which I think are going to be really great. The spinning club will include 2 fibers I don't usually do: 50/50 cashmere/silk (Morgaine at Carolina Homespun is the only shop who sells this) and mixed brown/white bluefaced leicester top, because I like how it takes dyes (it's not superwash, though ... so there will be a choice between this and the superwash variety).

The knitting club will also feature two yarns I don't usually sell: a beautiful 4 ply DK weight 100% cashmere, and 100% superwash bluefaced leicester fingering weight yarn. Both are really lovely and take dye beautifully.

So, if anyone is interested in receiving the announcement with the pre-release subscription link (to subscribe to the clubs before the link goes "live" to the internet), sign up for my announcement over to the right. The club announcements are scheduled to go out January 1, 2010. Pricing is about the same as last year.

I have a whole slew of fleeces on their way to me now, too. Lots from Great Britain ~ Ouessant, Masham, Castlemilk Moorit, Boreray, Shropshire, Portland. And from the US are bluefaced leicester, Teeswater, variegated Wensleydale X, black rambouillet, rambouillet lamb, CVM/Romeldale, Shetland and Icelandic. And a very large order of Polwarth from the Falkland Islands, in the hopes that I will have enough to actually post it on the website (the luxury blend of Polwarth with cashmere, alpaca, yak and baby camel sold out by 2 pm on Sunday at Rhinebeck this past October; I do have some of the dyed Polwarth available and will be posting it soon).

If there's a fiber you'd like to try or are interested in, leave it in the comments and I'll add it to my List of Fibers to Find.

Other than this, I am working to get my website moved over to a new shopping cart, which is proving to not be as easy and smooth as I had hoped (of course). And somewhere in here, hopefully sooner than later, I'll be dyeing up a new batch of "Sunna" to post to the site.

And, what I'm most excited about, my new Pat Green drumcarder is on its way to me now! I purchased the Happy Hybrid, which is sort of like the electrified model without the electricity. Two speeds, that is. I went back and forth between electric and manual, and decided to go with the manual first to see how much I actually use it. If I find I really like to drumcard as much as I enjoyed it at SOAR, I may decide to do some small batches of rare breed batts to sell and will most likely purchase the electric model. This has always been something I've considered, because it would allow me to do smaller batches of different blends and colors than I can do when sending the fibers out to a mill for processing. So, we shall see how it goes.

Hoping everyone's Holidays are safe, happy and all around splendid!