What I Am is What I Am

Well, it's official!  Today marks the actual day that I turned into my mother.  I knew that it was a definite possibility.  And, it isn't a surprise since Mr. Cutthroat has been telling me this for years.  But, today it happened.  I just thought I had more time.  We always think we have more time...
Today, I looked down and I was wearing her shoes, clothes, and glasses.  I knew that all of these articles were hers.  But, I am staying at her place while she is out of town and failed to pack enough clothes.  Also, her stuff is way better.  It wasn't the clothes that got me.  It was the glasses.  I  was wearing them to get through a simple i-cord project on that Hiya Hiya US000-000 I purchased.  (See Facebook post regarding ridiculous purchase.)  I looked up and caught my reflection.  Yikes.  Now, I have to get my own glasses and accept my fate.  I feel too young to have already turned into my mother.  When she was this age, she seemed so much more mature that I am right this very minute.  Last week, I laughed for a solid 10 minutes from the "updog" joke. Since this transformation is likely irreversible, I guess I will just own it. 

This Hairshirt is Woven From Your Brown Hair

Who knew baby camels were so soft?  I am spinning a baby camel and silk blended fiber right now and, although I have used it before, I am always surprised at its softness.  Who was the first spinner to snuggle a camel, then to take it one step further?  I admire his/her dedication to the fiber arts.  I've got to get me a baby camel.  Ok, I just googled it and it turns out they live 40-50 years.  Scratch that. 
Isn't there a small, short-lived animal with soft fur that I can invest in?  Like a goldfish of the fiber world?  I will leave the long-term animal raising to the professional ranchers.  Also, I have already pushed my limit with Mr. Cutthroat in the "grandiose ideas" department. 
Thinking about discovering the greatness of camel hair brings this to mind:  Woman Spends 11 Years Knitting Husband a Coat and Hat Out of Her Own Hair
I don't think people would classify this lady in the same way as the camel visionary.  I do, however, admire the tactics this lady employed to bribe, coerce, or otherwise threaten her husband into wearing this.  I cannot get Mr. Cutthroat to wear the beautiful cashmere scarf I cabled on size US 3 needles.  If I came to him with a hair coat, he would likely vomit.  Bravo, lady!  Bravo!

You used to be so amused

Can I just tell you that I am loving life right now?  Not only do I have the best family and support system, but I am living my dream in store filled with yarn.  Every day is an endless possibility of projects.  The shelves of beautiful yarn give me endless inspiration of things to make.  But, would you believe I have even less time to knit than ever before?  I had all these grand ideas of all the clothes I would be wearing as a uniform.  I just had these grandiose ideas of wearing sweater after sweater, each a different fiber and design.  Ugh.  I will be lucky if I get those socks done today.  If you've been in the store in the past month, you are keenly aware of the epic battle of Me V. Magic Loop 2-At-A-Time Socks.  What a fun project!  When will it end!?  Times I could have been knitting have been replaced with the "running a business" part (insert eye roll here).  But, today is the day.  (Actually, it might be the day.)  I am going to finish those socks.  (I've been saying that for 2 weeks).  I am so close that when I try them on, I can only see part of two toes!  (I try them on after every single round.  It's a sickness).  It's only kitchener and I can call it a day.  (Ugh, now I have to remember how to do kitchener!)

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Now, I can breathe.  It's been a while since my last post.  I know, I say that every single time I post. 

I took the leap!  Since last I posted, I made the epic decision to quit my 9 to 5 government job and see where this LYS dream could take me.  It wasn't easy.  And, I am pretty sure I made every mistake you could make on this sort of venture.  When we finally decided this was our next move, Mr. Cutthroat and I decided not to look back as we invested every piece of savings we had.  We had some very helpful and supportive friends, along with some extremely terrible advisers.  Now, we are committed.  Mr. Cutthroat is so helpful and interested in building this business.  I could not ask for more.  I invite you all to join me on this adventure, as I will be blogging all along the way. 

There's No One Else to Blame

You turn around and it is a new year, and you haven't blogged in 6 months.  In lieu of blogging, I have immersed myself in fiber arts, but more importantly, life in general.  Along the way, I have been to several yarn stores in every city where I have visited.  Recently, I have been spinning everything but sheep's wool.  I've been on a "can I make yarn out of that?" phase.  The verdict:  yes, you can make yarn out of anything.  The only problem with all the spinning taking place in this far too tiny domicile is that I was forced to rent out a whole storage unit to store my fiber.  It isn't like I am a hoarder because I have the fiber organized.  Right?  I mean, it isn't like I am the lady on Hoarders that moved a a Tupperware container and found a mummified cat.  Right?  I guess if I just keep it contained I won't show up on A&E saying, "That's my yak fiber from Savannah!  You can't throw that away!"

No Time for Losers, Cause We Are the Champions

The Olympics are right around the corner as is the Ravellenic Games 2012.  For those non-knitters and non-spinners, the start of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics marks the start of a fiber project that you pledge to finish before the closing ceremonies.  This year, I have pledged to spin all outstanding dye lots.  Wow.  This is going to be a hefty task.  I have a ton of wool that has been dyed and sits ready to be made into yarn.  Tonight, I got a jump start by finishing the last of three skeins of my art yarn.  Still, there is plenty that is waiting to take shape. 
Most people are watching the actual Olympic games while knitting and spinning.  But, I have never really been into the Olympics.  I always find myself rooting for the wrong reasons.  Everyone is wanting the underdog to win, and I almost want to see the floor exercise gymnast trip on the streamer.  I know it isn't right.  And, this kind of karma can't be good for my knitting projects. 
If you don't have a project for the games, you better figure one out immediately.  You can't just spend the entire time actually watching the Olympics. 

Is There Anything Left to Us But to Organize and Fight?

I have finally climbed out of the fiber that I buried myself in earlier this May.  Of course, I am talking about all the fiber, fleece, and supplies I purchased at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  We went with a wool entourage and Mr. Cutthroat would take time out of his lamb eating schedule to carry our purchases to the car.  Such a trooper!  He was rewarded with kabobs, gyros, and limeade.  

We spent two full days at the festival, touring every spot of the festival two, three times.  After unloading several animals' fiber from the car, I turned my apartment into a full blown sweat shop.  We gave the new-to-me drum carder some TLC, replaced the band (a drama in itself), and started carding.  After using the drum carder for 3 seconds, I was in awe about how in the hell people did this by hand.  I mean, I have done it by hand and now I am angry that it took me so long to buy a damn drum carder! 
Back to the sweat shop.  I had the wool entourage washing, dyeing, and carding fleece all over my apartment.  No coffee breaks!  No unionizing!  There was too much to do.  Sadly, my sweat shop disbanded the next day as they traveled home.  Who says I'm not a good host?  Next year, if they dare to come back, I will have a new project lined up.  But this time, I will lock the doors from the outside. 

Isn't She Lovely?

Why is old stuff so much better than new stuff?  While that isn't the case in every instance, but when you are talking about making yarn, old stuff just has a way of giving an antiquated craft more character.  Last week, Mr. Cutthroat and I made it out of the big, bad city to take a weekend away.  I took Mr. Cutthroat to every antique store in town to find a new old wheel.  In and out, in and out, we saw tons of crap and very few gems.  Each store owner would say, "a wheel??  I haven't seen those in ages!"  But, in the very last store tucked in between two old pieces of furniture was this beauty.  I fell in love and sent Mr. Cutthroat to the ATM to make this wheel a part of my family.  We buckled it into the car seat, much like a baby.  We carefully carried it up the stairs.  I took it apart, oiled it, and dusted each part. 
Then, I flipped it over to check  for a makers mark.  I broke it.  A small piece of wood that connects the wheel to the pedal snapped in two.  Granted, these parts of the wheel are hardly ever original because of their fragility, but I cried as I glued it back together.  I will find a replacement part and it will spin beautiful yarn.  But, sadly not in time for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. 

Back in the Saddle Again

I know, I know.  It's been a while.  I kinda fell off the face of the Earth, as I usually do in the yarn world immediately following Christmas.  This past Christmas totally kicked my ass.  Since then, I have been quietly been working on a batch of wool that I bought in Colonial Williamsburg.  To be honest, it isn't the easiest wool to spin.  Those colonial sheep in their little tricorn hats certainly do not spin like merino.  But, I am hoping to wrap it up in March.  While I haven't been spinning at my usual pace, I haven't slowed the buying portion.  I have been buying llama, alpaca, merino, and angora fleece.  Our house has more animal hair in it than a petting zoo.  And, I did pick up some knitting projects lately, as a yarny alternative.  So, that's something. 
So, I am gradually working on my triumphant return.  And, it can be expected that my addictive personality will leave me spinning and concocting dyes during any and all free time as soon as I get back to normal.  But right now, it is back to that original feeling of spinning as a hobby.  Once everything kicks into high gear, that feeling turns into panic and deadlines and stress.  That's why I have to ease back in.  And, this old timey sheep was a bad choice--five more skeins to go.

Them Chickens Jackin' My Style

A guest blog by Mr. Cutthroat 6:00 PM Mr. Cutthroat here. I'm live-blogging a "stress relief event", which means people shopping, while Mrs. Cutthroat spins and talks yarn. There are a couple other vendors here: Mary Kay, Jewlery, etc. And there are sandwiches--my favorite part. We just had our first interaction...one card given. Interest is peaked. 2nd interaction down and Cutthroat cards are flying off the table. Still haven't been given leave to grab a sandwich. 6:20 PM Another visitor, another card gone. Mrs Cutthroat is hustling while she spins. A person interested in looms. Here comes a story of me not allowing Mrs. Cutthroat a giant floor loom. I'm such a bad guy! 6:30 PM Still no sandwich... 6:35 PM A person stopped by that is interested in lessons. Mrs. Cutthroat does offer lessons. She's been practicing on her friends--even if they don't want to learn to knit. 6:40 PM Mrs. Cutthroat was just described as "the lady who puts the yarn on the knit." 6:42 PM Another friend of a knitter. There must be a "friends of knitters" meeting next door. are people embarrassed to admit being a knitter? 6:43 PM No sandwich 6:45 PM Black Eyed Peas are playing and the Mary Kay lady is pushing liquid botox. Coincidence, I think not. I'm looking at you Fergie! 6:50 PM Our first knitter! She signed up to receive Cutthroat Yarn's E-newsletter. Have you? Email cutthroatyarn@gmail.com to receive periodic updates and discounts right now! 7:03 PM Ran into one of our brave military men. He was talking about how knitted scarves are important to helping keep our soliders warm and their armor from scratching their neck. Mrs. Cutthroat should become a defense contractor! We will be knitting scarves to send off to our brave soliders. 7:21 PM A husband just found Christmas gifts for his wife from Cutthroat Yarn! 7:28 PM Sandwich acquired. 7:29 PM Sandwich gone. Overall, a positive experience for Cutthroat Yarn and I didn't have to make dinner either! Also, I received some liquid botox from the Mary Kay lady.

He Ain't Seen Me Crazy Yet

This weekend, I have a lot of yarn to make. On top of that, I have Christmas orders to crank out. The Christmas shopping season is heating up a lot quicker than last year. Not only am I a merchant for Black Friday, I am an avid participant in what most of the population would consider a nightmare. Not me! I can get down and wrestle ornaments with the best of the best. I have become an awesome defensive shopper, honing my skills year after year. This year, I don't have any particular items that I will be looking to purchase that will require excessive line waiting. And, I am sad about that. My family has the regular items on their wish lists this year like pajamas, shoes, perfume. No one starts shoving over pajamas! I find myself trying to suggest electronics to them so I will have something to wait in line for at 3:30 AM. No luck. So, I am going to make the best of the situation. My plan is to start a panic in order to get the best pajamas money can buy! I will have to create all the drama in the lingerie section, but I will push and shove innocent bystanders to get into the holiday spirit. Thanksgiving weekend, and in the spirit of Black Friday, www.cutthroatyarn.com will be offering up sales. If you are a knitter, or looking for a Christmas gift, hit up the website for a sizable discount.

I Hear the Mighty Thunder

Who wears a slutty _____ costume to work? 

Today, I found myself asking that a lot.  At times, the blank was filled with witch, cat, bee, and nurse.  Actually, the nurse may have just been going to work, sexily administering an IV or erotically changing a bandage.  Why is that even a sexy option?  Most of what nurses do grosses me out because of blood, urine, vomit, and who knows what else.  I can kind of understand the theory behind sexy witch.  Some guys dig the mean girl vibe.  I just can't get the point of dressing up in white and saying, "May I empty your bedpan?" in a whispery voice.  Anyway, I digress.  Which office has the option to slut it up in lieu of wearing a suit?  Certainly not mine.  I feel uncomfortable wearing a sleeveless shirt.  For Halloween, I always dress up as something totally weird or gross.  I always misplace the memo about looking attractive on October 31st. 

But, I didn't dress up as anything this year!  Mr. Cutthroat and I made no plans and it feels weird.  Also, we live in an area where we get no trick-or-treaters.  A sad double whammy!  If I could take my cat out trick-or-treating, I would.  I love Halloween. 

We did make it to a haunted house this year, against Mr. Cutthroat's wishes.  It was an outdoor trail.  And, I should mention that it was 35 degrees.  The trail was great, although I was a little thrown off by the music selection being played by the waiting area DJ.  At first, we thought the music was decent with a little bit of Jay-Z and Lady Gaga.  Then, as our group was waiting to be scared by teenagers wielding chainsaws, "How Great Thou Art" begun to play.  Wait, was this a Hell House?  By the time I got to the room with the heavy metal and clowns, I knew that it wasn't.  Side-stepped that landmine! 

Next year, I am vowing to dress up.  I am going to take over a friend's house in a well-populated area in order to hand out candy.  And, I am going to find a Hell House. 

I Don't Want to Wait for Our Lives to be Over

I haven't been knitting.  Most of my yarn arts time has been spent spinning yarn and dyeing fiber.  But, with a couple of projects promised and the need for a mohair sweater, I picked up my knitting needles for the first time in months.  The very last thing I have knitted was the terrible, awful, no good, tiny needle cashmere scarf.  I will say that once I picked up my needles and my stitch book, I fell right back into it like I knitted a whole wardrobe yesterday.  And, stranger yet, I knitted with my own yarn.  I have only made one item out of yarn that I actually spun.  It was the second skein I have ever done and I had just enough to make a hat.  Now, I think of how long it takes to make a skein, and then how long it will take to knit something and I cannot justify spending the time on myself.  Certain things I won't even make for myself out of commercial yarn because I cannot justify the time spent on the project.  I have spent a lot of time on this blog talking about socks and how they are a waste of time.  In my mind, there would never be a larger waste of time than to spin yarn to knit socks from.  That's probably a good Dawson's Creek marathon for a pair of socks.  How did the pioneers do it?  And, without James Van Der Beek.  All in all, I am glad that I am knitting again.  It is definitely more portable than the wheel.  And, with Christmas coming, I always have a lot of projects to turn out.  I have to keep my mind and needles sharp for special orders of purses, stockings, and lingerie.  That's right, lingerie.  I will make anything.  I am for sale.

Billy Bob Loves Charlene

I wish I was one of those people who was content to just hang out.  I desperately want to be one of those people who sits on her couch, watching TV and drifting in and out of sleep for two full days.  I feel like those are the people who are at work early and rarely yawn.  I am not one of those.  This weekend, I convinced Mr. Cutthroat that it would be a great idea to bake a bunch of candies, cookies, and treats and become a vendor at the local sheep and wool festival.  For those of you who are keeping score at home, this is one week after we just walked the Susan G. Komen 60 Miler and two weeks after we moved into a new home.  So, we did.  I spent my nights this week baking and packaging sweets.  Saturday we packed up the car and drove down and set up our modest booth that looked more like a bake sale outside of a church.  But, we were successful.  (And, thank the heavens we were because I would have never heard the end of my failure!) We were successful in the sale and also in yarn.  Cutthroat Yarn took home 3rd place in the handspun yarn division.  If you are interested, this is the skein:  Grimace 
I would love to eventually have enough yarn to sell at a booth, but I would need to work two years to have the stock built up.  I have to say that it wasn't that stressful after the baking was completed.  I brought my wheel and spun yarn while Mr. Cutthroat handed out samples to passersby.  People watching at a fiber festival is always a good time.  Knitters will show up wearing hand knitted items that are beyond reason.  As long as I live, no one will ever be able to explain the need for a pair of knitted shorts.  Anyway, our booth was stationed between the ice cream truck's noisy generator and the sample John Deere tractors.  The tractors were basically climbing instruments for children.  Also, they had a horn.  All day Saturday, children would climb up and blow the horn for way too long of a time.  By the time I got back to the hotel, I felt like I had shell shock.  Every time I heard a horn on the street, I would jump.  And as if my prayers had been answered, someone disabled the horn on Sunday.  If I knew who that person was, I would have probably spent twenty minutes in a passionate embrace with them. 
The festival was a great experience, as it always is.  I will likely do it again.  But, I need to jazz it up with a Cutthroat logo and sign.  Maybe Mr. Cutthroat could dress up as a giant bearded cookie?  Yes! 

My Body Tells Me No, But I Won't Quit

Well, it has been an overextended month. 

First, there was the yarn.  I am still making yarn for sale at Looped Yarn Works in Washington D.C.  Well, the wonderful ladies called and placed a huge order!  I was more than happy to oblige.  I was dyeing, spinning, and niddy noddying like crazy.  My hands and wrists were shriveled stumps by the end of the order.  But, my heart was very happy.  I got the best sleep of my life when all the skeins were measured, spun, and delivered. 

The very same week, we moved into an amazing, adult apartment.  We bought some new pieces for the apartment, discarded some old junk, and vowed to really take care of this one.  I feel like my life has been upgraded.  Every move, my marriage teeters on the brink of being fortified for the test of time or ripped apart in brutal bitterness.  Moves are hard. 

Then, the walk.  Mr. Cutthroat and I, along with four of our friends, walked the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.  Our three day weekend was a 20 mile per day jaunt to bring awareness to breast cancer.  I learned a lot about what my body is capable of over those miles:  not much.  Since Sunday, I have been hobbling back and forth to work, walking like I am headed to a 4 PM dinner with shuffleboard to follow.  The experience was positive overall.  That being said, the first day was brutal.  It rained.  Very, very hard.  My whole body ended the day looking like I spent three hours in a bathtub.  I was wrinkled, pruney, and not cute.  My luggage spent Friday much like I did--in the rain.  Everything I had to wear for the weekend was damp.  And, by Sunday, I didn't smell like three days of sweat, but two days of mildew.  So, half dozen of one and six of the other.  Walking the city was great, though.  It gave me the opportunity to check out areas that I am not used to, including an awesome pancake house.  The walk was hard but there were so many people rooting us on with big bowls of bite sized Snickers.  After the weekend I had, I walked into Weight Watchers today with extra pep in my step.  I knew that this going to be the best weigh in yet!  Could it beat the time I accidentally lost six lbs in a week which resulted in a panic attack?  NO!  I lost .2 lbs.  That's right, 3.5 ounces.  If I have to walk a three day marathon to maintain my weight, I would rather go to Hell with KFC and a doughnut in my hand, having to be airlifted out of my new fancy apartment to my specially made casket in the funeral home for the obese. 

I came home today and made peanut brittle.

When You're in the Dark and You Want to See

Holy natural disasters! 
Living in the eastern portion of the United States, we have had a crazy August.  Now, I am perfectly aware for anyone living in any other region of the country, that these are child's play.  But, it is a little unsettling when it first happens.  We did have one major casualty in that one of the furry frienemies got trapped in the futon when running for cover in the earthquake.  He has a huge purple cast that, strangely, has not slowed him down in tearing through my house. 
With the natural disasters and the threat of a powerless habitat, I am happy that I picked a hobby and subsequent business that requires no electricity.  During the hurricane, I was fully prepared to rock it out 1700's style with my spinning wheel.  I could have thrown on a bonnet, long underwear, and went to town on the wheel.  I was still able to get several skeins done on the large order I am preparing for Looped Yarn Works in D.C.  And, Mr. Cutthroat is content to dye on our gas stove in the dark.  Cutthroat Yarn stops for no disaster! 
All in all, we made it through the enviro-drama with only a broken paw and five more skeins.  When a volcano pops up next month, I just have to keep the wheel above the molten lava.  Better start training the sweatshop now to run fast and lift high!

Take This Job and Shove It

**A Guest Blog from Mr. Cutthroat**

I'm back! Mrs. Cutthroat has been yelling, "Are you ready to clock in for Cutthroat Yarn?" more and more lately.  Now I cannot even put up a fight because she gave me a promotion--I'm the "Chief of Dyeing" or "COD".  I'm incredibly excited to be working with the wool to create beautiful colors and mixes of colors.  Although one major disclosure, I don't get to pick the colors Mrs. Cutthroat hasn't relinquished that much control. But I do enjoy tweaking the shades and highlights.  I still am in charge of taking the yarn from a spindle to the niddy noddy and then washing the yarn and drying it out, also, I'm in charge of packaging.  Now that I think about it, I'm an intricate part of Cutthroat Yarn and deserve a raise! I don't think that Mrs. Cutthroat will give me one without help. So I need you all to message her and leave comments on Facebook to help me get my raise. I'm working like an indentured servant.

In all seriousness, the Cutthroat business is humming along and I'm SOOO PROUD of Mrs. Cutthroat for this new venture! It is incredibly exciting to walk into a yarn shop in Dupont Circle and see, front and center, the yarn that your wife spins while watching Real Housewives of NY, Atlanta & Orange County, and Teen Moms!  Even more exciting than seeing it at the store is when knitters are excited to meet "the girl who makes the beautiful yarn!"  Right now, it's Mrs. Cutthroat's yarn at Looped DC in the future it just might be her yarn at her very own store. 

I Can't Stand It, I Know You Planned It

I am famous for many, many things.  To name but a few, I would have to say homemade German Chocolate cupcakes, awesome shuffleboarding skills, world-class defensive driving, and my ability to turn any event into a sporadic dance party.  My chief life skill is having never been outdone in a battle of wills.  This is going to change. 
Right now, I am in a battle of wills with my landlord, a faceless attorney, the lady who checks the mussels at Whole Foods, and one of my cats.  The one that concerns me is my landlord (although the battle with the lady at Whole Foods is going to need extra attention).  Josh, the 20-something Residential Studies major from Cadiz University, is going to ultimately win this epic battle of wills.  A rookie mistake is going to get me in the end.  I got the lease renewal a few weeks ago and they are raising our rent from astronomical to WTF.  Well, after several well-reasoned arguments from Mr. Cutthroat and a few snarky remarks from me, no progress was made.  We must move.  I came home and posted a truthful, though harsh, review of the company.  It was at that moment that my air conditioner went out.  I called and Josh put me on the bottom of the list.  It is 90 degrees in my apartment.  I may as well start doing Bikram Yoga.  And, I can't get my spinning wheel going in this heat because the thought of making yarn from wool is not at all appealing.  I even said that my mother was coming this weekend (true) and that she was elderly (kind of true).  This round goes to my landlord.  Now, I am scouring the internet looking for an apartment I can turn into a yarn studio, at least one with a working air conditioner for my elderly mother. 

Now, I Know What I Got, It's Just This Song

Today, I was viciously snapped back to the memory of my single days.  With Mr. Cutthroat working such crazy hours for his own business, I was left to fend for myself for dinner.  I started plotting the prospect of having to make my own dinner tonight at around 11 AM.  It was more of a panic.  For those of you who do not know, Mr. Cutthroat's hobby is making delicious dinners.  He smokes meat, makes reductions out of fancy things, and plates the food to look like a restaurant.  I haven't had to make my own dinner for years.  And when I did, I ate either dry pancakes or blue box macaroni and cheese.  For a week, I ate peanut butter and jelly on saltines for dinner.  It wasn't that I was poor.  I just didn't care to try to make anything good.  It is any wonder I didn't get scurvy like an old timey pirate. 
I decided to embrace the day with the opportunity to eat like I did in my early 20s.  Sometimes, while he was making homemade noodles and Fontina cheese sauce, I would fantasize about having simple macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Sickening, I know.  When I came home, I started rummaging through the pantry and light shined through the ceiling on a lone box of Hamburger Helper stashed in the back.  I am not even sure how it got into our house.  In fact, it was expired.  I made it anyway.  Now, I'm wishing I would have just kept spinning yarn straight through dinner.  What was I thinking?  I will never wish for another dinner like that again.  Until, Mr. Cutthroat tries to make a fancy peanut butter and jelly sandwich on homemade saltines. 

Can't Stop Till I See My Name on a Blimp

Wholesaler?  I barely know her!

So, I have been busy, extremely busy.  And, as a result, I have had to abandon regular blog updates.  Around Memorial Day, I was spinning and letting my mind wander.  I thought about my Etsy page and what I could be doing better to get my yarn out to the knitting masses.  On a complete whim, I called my favorite yarn store in the D.C. area.  Looped Yarn Works is a cute store in Dupont Circle with such a beautiful collection of yarn.  I connected with the owners and asked if they would ever consider selling yarn of local spinners.  Tada!  This week, 3 Cutthroat Yarn dye lots will be joining the beautiful stock at their studio. 
I was so nervous in dyeing and spinning these particular skeins.  To get everything done, I had to promote Mr. Cutthroat to Chief Dye Inspector.  He is also Yarn Measurement Analyst (or Director of the Niddy Noddy, this one is still being negotiated) .  Oh, and he might also be the courier.  In any event, I need children.  I have to get my own little sweat shop rolling so we can make more progress.  I have been asking around about a sure-fire way to get multiple babies at once.  I am sure I could find a baby friendly carder that won't poke out their eyes or otherwise damage them in any way.  Another invention that I need to create.  And, I clearly need to because my furry frienemies have really taken no interest in participating in the family business.  It's clearly a problem.