So, what do the two coordinated items featured in the picture below have in common? Well…

They will soon belong to one lucky winner!  Yep, both of them!

The batt: 4oz 56’s Falkland Wool batt from Into The Whirled
The bag: Crafted  by the fabulous Stitched by JessaLu

Why?

There are so many reasons why, but the most important of them all is simply because I wanted to give something back. Starting this venture has been one of the most exciting and rewarding things I have done to date and it is my turn to show my appreciation for the people who make it what it is. And lets be honest, I get something here too. Your feedback and word of mouth are by far the best advertisement I could ever ask for!

So, how does one get a chance at winning this fabulous coordinated give away?! Most importantly – No purchase is required, and you can have multiple chances to win! Here is the breakdown on how to gain those entries:

1) Visit the shops and find something that strikes your fancy (new or sold) and comment on this post before Midnight on Friday October the 2nd.

2) Blog about the giveaway and send your friends; just be sure they name you as their source – each time someone mentions your name in their comment – both of you gain another entry.

3) Tweet a link to this post or the shop and include #itw or #intothewhirled. Two tweets per day are permitted.

4) Help spread the word on Ravelry – just be sure to come back here and let me know!

5) Join the Into The Whirled group on Ravelry. Every memeber of the ITW group will be counted as an entry.

6) Join the Stiched by JessaLu group on Ravelry. Every member of the SbJL group will be counted as an entry.

So there you have it!

Using a random number generator I will pick the winning name and announce the the winner on Monday October the 5th.

ETA: Comments are now closed!!

Time to tally all comments, tweets, blog posts, face-book entries, Ravelry comments and group memberships. See you Monday!!

…until the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival!!

So, um, yea.

This post will be short and sweet because I need to get back to work! So let me get to the point: You might want to check your blog reader tomorrow and swing back over here for a way more interesting post. Want a hint?

Really?

Are you sure?

Oh, Ok.

I suggest warming up your twitter, blogs and Ravelry login.

Lame hint huh? Sorry.

See you tomorrow!!

Fall is here and I have been locked in the studio for days – and yes, I am in my glory! Just a quick announcement:

The SHOP will be closed from 4PM EST Monday September 21th until 10PM EST Wednesday September 23rd. Upon my return there will be a  shop update that includes plenty of  Superwash Bluefaced Leicester, 64’s Merino, 56’s Falkland, 80/20  Merino/Silk  along with a few other luscious fibers. Most if not all of you have seen the pictures as they are posted to FLICKR, but for those who have not yet seen them; here you go:

The September Phat Fiber videos are up on YouTube!

Boxes go on sale this Saturday 9/19/09 at both 10 am CST (Chicago time) and at 7pm CST (Chicago Time) HERE.

Just an FYI Sampler boxes sell out fast – I mean really fast – HERE is a fantastic tutorial on how to score a Sampler.

Falkland wool batts and 64’s Merino wool top in the “Minotaur” colourway will be available for purchase starting September 22/23!

I am so excited to announce that in an effort to reduce post consumer waste Into The Whirled has changed its packaging…

As of today fiber will not longer be wrapped in disposable baggies or tissue paper; instead I have switched to some fabulous reusable plastic drawstring bags!! In addition you will notice that business cards, coupons, and project cards are also being packed in reusable/resalable bags. I hope everyone loves the new packaging! Please note that I would be delighted to wrap items upon request, just include a small note in the comments field when you place an order!

Thank you to The Rainbow Girl – creator of stunning hand dyed fabric and threads for use in contemporary embroidered textiles – for including me in the EtsyFAST – “Silky Soft” Etsy Treasury!!

It is official! A new group has been added to the thousands of user created groups on Ravelry – Into The Whirled Fiber Arts

I must admit, it took a few tries to gain the courage to click that big ole ‘Create Group’ button; Insecurity can indeed be a powerful foe. I mean really, how crazy am I to think that people will actually want to join the group, let alone settle in and share their creativity, their photos, and their random conversational ideas? Apparently crazy enough to believe all those people who planted the idea in my head in the first place!

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend! The craft festival was a huge success, thank you to everyone who stopped by Ulster County Handspinners Guild booth.

The shop has been reopened and I will be slowly reactivating listings as the fiber is inventoried, quality checked and repackaged. And weather permitting I will be photographing and listing some new batts this afternoon!

The shop will be closed until Tuesday September 8th!!

This weekend an awesome juried arts and crafts festival is taking place at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz NY. The seasonal feature of this event is Fiber Arts! Swing by the festival and stop by the ‘Demonstrators Tent’ to say “HI” to the members of the Ulster County Handspinners Guild. In addition to fiber art demonstrations we will be featuring the artwork of many of our talented guild members.

Website: HERE

Ticket Discounts: HERE

Maps & Directions: HERE

Hours:
September 5th 10 am – 6 pm
September 6th 10 am – 6 pm
September 7th 10 am – 4 pm

Strange how sometimes the more that is on the To-Do list the quicker things get done. Yet sometimes the more items there are on the To-Do list, the slower things get done; it is like you get stuck and don’t really know where to start. Yea, if that made any sense to anyone else but me – you know what I am talking about. So in an effort to cut to the chase and get the ball rolling here we go…

1) I just started a Facebook Fan Page HERE. Feel free to take this moment to click the link and become an ITW fan, then come back and finish reading what is in store. I am new to the whole Facebook thing so I may be a little slow it getting that going, but I will!

2) Thanks to the encouragement of some fabulous people I am going start a Ravelry ITW forum group – that will be done sometime this week! I will be sure to let everyone know when it is open and ready for members!

3) Creat a plan for the ITW fiber club and formally announce it. Just an FYI – I am looking at a late fall announcement on this.

4) Finalize details on blog giveaway to be announced in a couple weeks. Stay tuned, you will not want to miss this one…

5) Create a newsletter format for upcoming shop updates. If your interested in being on the mailing list please take a moment to subscribe to the ITW newsletter. I promise not to spam you, or share your information.

6) Spend every waking moment in the studio preparing for Etsy updates and the upcoming fiber festivals!!

So there you have it, some, but not all of the To-Do list. This morning I decided rather then keep it locked away in an endless brain loop I would share it with each and everyone of you. Now, it is no longer a list of ideas – it is a list of commitments!!