Pedro Promised All My Wildest Dreams Would Come True

I've been searching and saving and hoping for a drum carder since...I started spinning (2005). And now I almost have one! A lovely, pre-loved Louet is on its way to me from Michigan-a lucky find on ravelry/craigslist. I'm so excited! I'll finally be able to process the hoardes of fleece I've accumulated from local farmers (corriedale and alpaca), plus, I'll be able to do allll kinds of custom blends...different fibers, different colors. I can't wait!

This also means that I can join in more fun Spindies adventures. Spindies is a collective of fabulous fiber artists specializing in spinning fibers and handspun yarn. We have big plans for fiber clubs, and while I was planning on adding my fiber to the roving of the month club, now I'll be able to contribute batts to the batt of the month club when it debuts!

In other news, my move is almost complete. And I'm a lawyer now. The Vermont Supreme Court said so. Woo!

Vermont Dairy Festival

It's time for the 53rd Dairy Festival! Come to Enosburg Falls, VT on Friday, June 5, or Saturday, June 6, and I'll be there, selling milk items (handspun yarn and spinning fiber), wool yarn, and bath and body items in the Masons Hall. The carnival, parade, musical performances, and the celebration of Vermont dairy (ice cream! CHEESE!!) should be spectacular! I might even have a few free samples at my table for you to indulge in.

Samples for All!

I just saw a sampler of deliciousness advertised on the Etsy Edible Arts Team website, which pulls together samples from many talented bakers, candymakers, and chefs for your tasting pleasure. I can't decide why sample boxes are so exciting...but for me, it's a combination of the anticipation that builds as delivery time grows closer, finding all the surprises inside the box, getting to try lots of different things, and the awesomeness of tiny things (which may just be a long-held obsession with miniatures that began in my childhood).

I have only ever received one sample box: the phat fiber sampler. The box was full of the most amazing spinning fibers, handspun yarns, hand-dyed yarns, stitch markers, perfumes, and other fiber accessories I'd ever seen. And now, I'm tempted by the food box. Anyhow, here's a list of other sampler boxes, if you want to order your very own box of awesomness:

http://www.edibleartteam.com/

http://www.geteurofied.com/ (European sampler)

http://www.homeofthesampler.com/

http://www.lemmingcentral.com/

http://mommysamplebox.com/

http://myprettypinkbox.com/

http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com/

http://www.phatfiber.com/

http://sample-market.com/

http://samplegal.com/

http://www.simplypinkbox.com/

http://snowberrycreek.com/

http://thelittleblackboxes.com/

http://www.thesamplebag.com

http://www.thespottedbox.com/

And...a picture. These here lagomorphs (Oxtoby and Lenni) were my co-pilots on a recent drive to NY. They leave much to be desired as navigators, as they tend to eat maps, rather than direct.

Happy Earth Day!

To celebrate, I'm sharing my favorite, yet random, cleaning tip for cutting boards:
sprinkle salt onto the wood, then scrub with half a lemon, orange, or the remnants of citrus that you previously squeezed the juice from
[the salt provides excellent scrubbiness, and the citrus oils do wonders for deodorizing (not to mention that they smell fantastic!)]
rinse!

Easy, eh? I tried this out just last week, with the addition of some baking soda, and you'd never know I spilled fragrance oil onto a cutting board. It's magic! And no harsh chemicals are involved, making it a perfect recipe for Earth Day.

I finished spinning some organic cotton yarn just in time for Earth Day, with more mill-ends and plant fibers on the way. Check out my shop for lots of earth-friendly yarn options.

So Many Things to Celebrate!

I sat down at my computer this morning to check email. The first one I opened started with the line, "By now I hope you have received the good news that you passed the bar exam. Congratulations!" I hadn't received anything at all in the mail yet, so I ran to my mailbox (conveniently located approximately 12 feet from my computer), and there was my letter! I passed! I have to finish up my clerkship requirements and then be sworn in by the Vermont Supreme Court, and then I'll be a shiny new lawyer.

And THEN! The Vermont Legislature voted to overturn the governor's veto of the same-sex marriage bill, and by a single vote margin, same-sex marriage became legal in Vermont. This makes Vermont the first state to give same-sex couples the right to marry through legislative action, as opposed to judicial action. Spectacular! I'm very happy to live in a state that supports equality issues.

And so concludes my celebrations for the day. Yay!

And another venue...

We'll be at a new event this year! We're checking out the Stowe Street Arts Festival on Saturday, July 18, from 10 am to 4 pm, and will have lots of bath and body goodness and fluffy fibers with us. It's being held on Historic Stowe Street in the heart of downtown Waterbury. The festival offers artist exhibitions, live music, dance performances, art and culinary demonstrations and a community arts parade. We can't wait!

Queen City Craft Bazaar

On Saturday, May 9, from 10A-5P, I'll be at the Queen City Craft Bazaar at Union Station in Burlington, VT. I can't wait! I went to the 2007 winter version and it was packed with awesomeness, not to mention some tasty crepes from the Skinny Pancake (apples and cheddar! nutella!).

This will be a great chance to pick up gifts for the moms in your life (Mothers' Day is the next day: Sunday, May 10). I'm not sure who my fellow vendors are, but I'm sure they'll have great things to offer.

At my table (conveniently located on the bottom level), I'll be offering lots of fancy wrapped soaps, solid lotions, lip balm, bath and body sets, and handspun yarn. Pom poms and duct tape wallets might make it along, too. AND, my mom will be hanging out with me. She's the one who encouraged my creative endeavors and provided guidance along the way (she's a retired art teacher-turned-painter).

Easter in a Box

I spent a lot of time at school when I was in high school...between sports and band and the other things I did, I never had time to go home for dinner. So I used to pack a dinner, and on the days when it was mashed potatoes, stuffing, and some form of protein stuffed in a tupperware container, it was known as "Easter-in-a-box" . Ah, remnants of high school.

Anyhow, I now have better, more exciting things to put in boxes for Easter-in-a-box. Things that would make great presents...and all you have to do is order them! Gift messages, cards, and gift wrapping are all included.

For the knitter/crocheter/crafty vegan in your life grab a sampler of vegan yarns, all wound into egg shapes and packaged in an egg carton. The set includes tencel (from corn), bamboo, hemp, and cotton:

For anyone else, try a great set full of soap and lip balm (your choice of scents and flavors)...packaged in a cute jellybean tin, entirely vegan and full of healthy oils that will keep skin healthy and moisturized:

Other gift ideas can be found at The Fuzzy Bunny and Fuzzy Bunny Fibers.

The Great Hat Adventure

I promised my friends I would make them hats from my handspun yarn...and one of them picked a thin single-ply sock yarn in reds and oranges and yellows and browns. I love it! Anyhow, I began knitting with it...on size 3 needles...and found that it just wouldn't make a good hat. No one wants a flimsy, thin hat...especially when our Vermont temperatures have been dipping so low (-18F the other day!). So...I plied it, navajo style. And now I love it even more!

There it is, freshly spun, still on my bobbin. I'll give the knitting another try, perhaps on some size 6 needles and hope it works up into a nice, thick hat. It's so soft and snuggly. Perhaps I'll feel compelled to make myself a hat some day soon.

Vermont

Two of my favorite things about Vermont: the food and the sense of community. I joined a CSA (Pete's Greens) not too long ago in my ongoing efforts to be a localvore. After signing up, I thought it may have been a mistake to start in the winter instead of during the warmer months...but then my first share came and it was amazing. Pete's Greens does an amazing job of providing a giant selection of fantastic produce and other local deliciousness throughout the snowy months (and newsletters with recipes and storage tips and other fun stuff). And now I can't ever move away, because I'm afraid I'll never find a CSA as great as Pete's Greens.

Exhibit A: a weekly share in November

Exhibit B: fancy striped beets in January (I plan to use some of these in a dyeing experiment, woo!)

And then! A new group on Etsy! A group of Vermont makers! I love communities of creative people. So..check out all the great stuff being made in Vermont by the good people of the Vermont Etsy Street Team:

Glass!

My life has become one big fiber obsession lately, but I was going through stuff on my shelves and came across these:

I made them when I was in college, on a trip to Corning, NY with my mother, where we learned lampworking and played around with molten glass and torches during free studio time. You can tell they're VERY primitive and beads made by a beginner, but I still love them. Maybe because the translucent qualities of glass and overlapping colors appeal to me so much. Perhaps I should come up with a use for them so they can stop living in a bowl on my shelves. And maybe someday I'll have a studio where I can safely setup tanks and a torch.

A Mountainous Cloud of Fiber

So...a while ago I ordered multiple pounds of an organic cotton/merino blend. It came, and I tried to spin it...and I hated it. The fibers were short and my yarn kept breaking. In a random burst of experimentation, I dyed it all, and tried spinning it again...and this time I loved it. It may be that I've gotten used to spinning on a fast flyer, or that I'm just a more experienced spinner now...I've no idea. Anyhow, take a peek, the yarn is so soft and smooth...I'll have a hard time not keeping it all myself.

Wow. It's been a long time.

It's been over a year since the last post! Shameful. Anyway, much has happened in the interim:

1. I graduated from law school

2. A new bunny (Oxtoby, there on the left) joined the ranks of The Fuzzy Bunny. He's a Jersey Wooley and I've been brushing out his fluff and collecting it to spin into some lovely yarn.

3. We moved to Montpelier, VT

4. The business split into two websites: one for fiber (http://fuzzybunnyfibers.etsy.com/), and one for soap (http://fuzzybunny.etsy.com/).

I've been working on a good bit of new stuff...more wallets and yarn, and churning out log after log of soap. This skein was spun from corriedale and other wool scraps:

So Many New Things!

First, my rosemary mint soap was reviewed by Wickedly Chic! Go check out the review here. Thanks so much to them for their great review.

Second, school started. So I'm back to work reading, writing memos, going to classes, and working in the ever-exciting library. Woo! This semester I'm taking business planning, which I hope will help me write a business plan and do other necessary things to get my business off the ground. And here's my newest soap: Lemongrass Sage soap!

Finally, the Etsy Green and Clean Guild is having a trunk show at the etsy labs this Friday. This Friday! See a couple posts down for more information. This isn't an event to be missed. (and if you can't make it, indulge in a few soap samples below!)

I think I need to take some classes

My mom has been taking web design courses like Flash and Dreamweaver, and she's already a Photoshop pro...and I need these skills, too! Running a business and doing all of the design work, production, PR, etc. can be exhausting...which is not helped by the fact that not only are my graphics skills less than mediocre, but I'm also very slow at it. Arg. Maybe my mother can teach me a few things the next time I trek back to NY.
Here are the latest bits to put in promo materials...black and white and color options. Yeah...I'll keep working on them...but at least I'm starting to understand GIMP.

I drove all over the New Hampshire portion of the upper valley of the Connecticut River today, through tons of tiny towns and forests and mountains to visit selectman and tax maps as part of my internship. I headed back to the office, just south of Hanover, NH, and as I headed down the side road to the office...a bear walked right in front of me. This may be another thing that is exciting to no one but me, but I've never seen a wild bear before. It was one of those things where I didn't trust my eyes for a few seconds. But it was adorable, and it looked around as it came out of the brush on the side of the road, then loped across to the other side, presumably to get a drink from the creek down in the ravine on the other side of the road. My mom is still holding out for a moose siting, but I'm happy finding a bear (however, I'd feel a lot better if it wasn't getting so close to cars/areas habitated by people as I know how freaked out people get about large animals, and I'd like to see the bears survive. practice tolerance!)

Etsy Green and Clean Guild in NYC!

Meet awesome etsy sellers who specialize in natural bath and body products! Wooo!

I'm done moving!

The Fuzzy Bunny is now located above ground! It's about time I had some natural light. The new Fuzzy Bunny world headquarters have enough space for a girl and her rabbit to live, as well as generous space for the creation of yarn and soap. I'll take photographs of the workspace once I actually have it organized, but for now, here's a floorplan:
My landlord has done a great job of remodeling the place...note the curved hallway/bathroom. It's so spectacular and roomy and bright! I don't know if I'll ever get over it. I may have to be pried from the location in a year when I know I'll be moving again...when I'll graduate and have to get a 'real' job. But for now, I'll enjoy it, and hopefully use my extra space to create.

Introducing: The Fluffy Bunny

We all knew I couldn't go very long without a rabbit, and at the end of the academic year someone emailed me looking for someone to adopt a rabbit. Of course I couldn't say no...so here she is: Lenni the rabbit. She was born in August 2006, she's a very social mini lop who constantly gets herself into trouble, and her hobbies include eating entire packets of seeds, climbing furniture, and mumbling as she hops*. I'm hoping that once we're completely moved into the new place that I can adopt a rescue rabbit and together they can rule the place. I so need a bunny cam...

*Before you all think I'm crazy, rabbits really do mumble sometimes. It sort of sounds like they have creaky bones, but it's an actual noise they make.

Exhaustion.

I had all sorts of dreams about how laid back and relaxing this summer was going to be, but instead it's the exact opposite. I'm moving, doing a full time internship at a land trust, working a work-study job at school, studying for the MPRE, still working on painting and installing things in the place I'm moving into, and in the middle of buying a car. Not to mention trying to keep my etsy store stocked...while people keep buying everything! Granted, I'm not complaining about the sales, that's exciting, I just need to figure out how to produce enough to grow, but maintain sanity at the same time. And find time to sleep.

It's my exciting new bedroom closet, freshly painted!