First things first: you guys are all AWESOME. The website is doing so well, getting a lot of traffic and even a few orders, which makes me the happiest of pandas. The Facebook page is doing well, too, with lots and lots of likes and views, contributing to the warm fuzzies currently welling in my heart.

Second, I'm kicking around the idea of doing a third round of subscriptions. Tipsy Sheep Part 3: Return of the Sheep.  I've been wanting to branch out into worsted weight yarn, since it's by far the most versatile and often-used weight of yarn, so I'd like to know what you all would think about TSP3:RotS being a worsted weight yarn as opposed to the fingering weight yarn used so far.

survey solutions

If there's interest, voting for the next cocktail inspirations will start in a week or so.

Third, and finally, I'm having a bit of a problem. See, about 5 years ago, I tore a ligament in my right wrist (I'm right-handed) which required surgery to repair.  Since then, whenever I do too much work (which is pretty often), I'll get a fair bit of pain in that wrist.  It's been getting worse over the last month or so, and finally I went to my doctor and she had me get some x-rays. The original surgery had required the doc to file down part of my ulna, and now I have a bone cyst right where that happened and IT HURTS.  There might also be a build-up of scar tissue around the surgery site, which can get inflamed and cause problems when I over-use the wrist. I have an appointment to see a hand/wrist specialist this week.  (Strangely, this doctor's father was the one to repair my fingertip when it was severed when I was 7, and his brother was one of the doctors who initially evaluated the torn ligament... and I'm now living in a different city and state than the father and brother's practices and I STILL find a doc from the same family to help me out. The world is a shockingly tiny place.)

I should know soon what course of treatment will be necessary to get my wrist working properly again (personally, I'm hoping for a full-on Terminator-style bionic replacement) but there's a chance I'm going to need some help in the next few months to keep making yarn.  If anyone in the Portland OR area would like to "volunteer" - and be paid in yarn and baked goods - please leave a comment.

I have been struck down.

Sorry for the lack of updates last week. I had planned to spend most of last week dyeing Blue - and maybe even being proactive and dyeing Alaskan Ice Tea as well - but I was struck down by a cold.  I haven't been able to do much the last few days but lie on the couch, marathon Supernatural, and whine. I haven't even had the energy to knit, which is really depressing.

Luckily my husband has been taking very good care of me, and Panda has taken it upon herself to be my fuzzy nurse.

I'm feeling a little better today, and hopefully the Dayquil will kick in enough that I can maybe at least get the big dyepots mixed so I can start dyeing when I stop dying.

I bet you didn't know I make t-shirts, too.

I didn't spend a billion freaking years getting my art degree and not learn a little something about design.  I know a lot of people who follow this blog are nerds for more than just knitting (I'm looking at you, Game of Thrones people), so I figured since I'm doing all kinds of self-promotion this week, I'd share a few of my shirt designs.

Here's my most recent one, inspired by the work of Karen Hallion, who creates beautiful crossover art of Doctor Who and the Disney Princesses. I created my own little crossover between Doctor Who and Game of Thrones: Daenerys meets the little blue box...

You and me. Fire and Blood. You watch us run.

I'm also a huge fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, which you should really read if you're at all in to urban fantasy. A much-beloved but oft-overlooked hero of this series is the Blue Beetle, the stalwart steed of protagonist Harry Dresden. Putt-putt-putting for great justice (in between trips to the repair shop).

How a  wizard who describes himself as close to 7 feet tall fits into a VW bug, I'll never understand.

Finally, I give you one design that has nothing to do with pop culture and everything to do with motivation.  I took up running recently in an effort to get in better shape (before a heatwave sapped all will to do any sort of physical activity). Sometimes it's hard to push through and finish a run, so I started imagining various things were either chasing me or waiting for me at the finish line. Here's the first of a whole series I have planned:

If his vision is based on movement, you'd better be able to haul ass.

Those are probably my favorite designs, but I've got a bunch more that I've made over the last 6 months or so. Here's a thingamabob the shirt website made to show you:

Thanks, handy-dandy RedBubble slideshow widget thingy. You're a champ.

Don't worry, I'm not going to turn this blog into a giant sales pitch. Just wanted to share.  I'm fairly proud of most of those designs (the Game of Thrones/Doctor Who one took forever and I just love it) and figured you might get a kick out of seeing them. I'm thinking of putting a small banner in the sidebar or at the bottom of the page, but if you think that's a bad idea or would be annoying, please tell me.

Later this week I'll be posting a review of the Interweave collection, Unofficial Harry Potter Knits 2013, which I purchased a few days ago. Spoiler alert: If you're thinking of getting it, please do, because it's pretty awesome.

Thinking about the future of Tipsy Sheep.

Pull up a chair, dear reader. I want to talk to you.

We're halfway through the original 4-month plan of Tipsy Sheep, and I'm starting to think about where to go from here.  I have a lot of yarn left from each of the first two dye runs, enough to start an Etsy shop or even approach a LYS to try and get on the shelf (anyone in Portland work for a yarn store??).

I'm also toying with the idea of starting another subscription yarn club for 4-6 months to help build up the line and get the name out there.  Perhaps even branch out into other weights of yarn. Thing is... well, as I mentioned, there's a lot of yarn left.  Like, more than half.  Like, I haven't sold enough to break even and have been consistently losing money on this venture.  I didn't really start this project intending to become a millionaire, but I'd hoped to at least get back the costs of the yarn and dye for each run, which hasn't happened.  As much as I love dyeing yarn, I don't know how I can continue doing it if I can't sell enough to cover costs.

So I'm asking for help.  Please. Spread the word. Post links on Facebook and Craftster and Twitter and Pinterest and whatever other social media you can think of. If you have a blog, maybe give a shout-out - I could even send you a mini-skein of yarn to do a review on. If you sell yarn or other crafts, please teach me your secrets.

I hate to sound like I'm begging, but I kind of am.  Hubby and I want to move back to San Francisco in a few years, and it's one of the most expensive areas of the city. We're relying solely on his income and whatever I make through making and selling art, including yarn.  If this doesn't work, I'm going to have to get a 9-5 job. Oh glob, please, don't make me work in an office and wear pantyhose and sensible shoes.