Thanks for stopping by Michigan Fiber Festival Weekend

Thanks everyone for stopping by! I really enjoyed getting to meet all of you. And I was really surprised by the number of you that returned from last year. Also, to the ladies who drove all the way from Canada "Just to see me...", Thanks! I guess Fiber Fest was just a coincidence...LOL!

For those of you who don't know I open my studio during the week of the Michigan Fiber Festival. It's not exactly the Hilton around here but I'm finally getting to the finishing touches in the studio. A few of you noticed the kiln is still sitting in the same place. I promise by next year I'll at least move it to the wall where the plug is.

I had the opportunity to go to the Fiber Festival on Sunday and came home over 10 pounds heavier. I have an addiction to color. I just can't help myself! I really wanted to post some pictures of some of the roving I purchased but I'll have to wait until we get a nice day outside. The pictures just didn't do the roving justice when I took them inside.

I really got a lot accomplished hanging out in the studio Wed.-Sat. I came up with a few more color combos for my custom blended roving. They were a pretty big hit. Here's a few photo's of the newbies.....

COWGIRL CHIC 100% MERINO

COWBOY COOL 100% MERINO

and PUMPKIN CAPPUCCINO 75% MERINO 25% COLONIAL

I have been trying to get some new stuff lined up for the upcoming holiday season. I'm really working on lots of hand dyes. I have quite a bit of handspun yarn done and I hope to start getting it listed on eBay and Etsy soon.

I guess that's it for now. I just wanted to thank everyone for stopping by to say hello! I love getting to put faces with the names.

Take Care and Stop By Again,

Coby

Who knew clothes shopping could be so difficult! (I know it isn't fiber related but it's a little entertaining)

Alright, I'm the first to admit that I'm fashionably challenged. I have never been into the next big fashion craze of even looked in the magazines to see what everyone is wearing. I'm more of a good pair of Wranglers and nice pearl snap shirt girl. I even had a friend refuse to go the the pool with me at a hotel because my swimsuit looked like a "wrestling singlet". I buy most of my clothes at second hand stores and garage sales, except my jeans.

Here's a little story about the perfect dress and how this little number finally came into my life:

I have an upcoming trip to Cancun in October and have been very excited about the whole thing. I'm attending the 1st Annual Trent Willmon Hide Away Beach Party. You can check out the info here. http://www.travelininc.com/Beach-Party.html It's a great beach party style concert weekend. And the best thing is that it's all inclusive! Well, maybe that's the next best thing. Because Trent Willmon will be there along with Wade Hayes and other country music singers. And I really love my country music. There's nothing like kicking back and listening to a good song that touches your heart or takes you back to the good ol'days. And if I can find a good dance partner, it's even better. Trent's music comes from the heart and is true to life. http://www.trentwillmon.com/ My favorites are "Ropin' Pen", "So Am I" and "On again Tonight". And Wade...well, I have been a fan of his music for years! He's got lots of great fast two steppers like "On a Good Night" and some real great dark and dreary one's like my favorite..."The Day She Left Tulsa" and "Kentucky Bluebird". http://www.wadehayes.com/ I'm sooo happy that he's performing more! Both of these guys are just as wonderful off stage as they are on stage!!!!! And, it was also pointed out to me that they are both very handsome men...I hadn't noticed...lol! It's going to be a wonderful time! I'm already looking forward to the second annual beach party! The wonderful lady who put this all together, Nancy, is also the lady who does the Travelin' Country Cruise every year. You can find out more about the Country Cruise and Nancy's other trips here: http://www.travelininc.com/

Here's a picture of Trent and Wade from a concert I attended earlier this summer.

Trent is on the left and Wade is on the right. They were hangin' out backstage with this young man who wanted his guitar signed. He had everyone you could imagine on this guitar. I had a chance to talk to him and he was a really great kid. He even asked a couple of people that were just there to watch the concert sign his guitar. He was toooooo cute!

Anyways, back to the shopping thing...I was so excited about going shopping for new clothes for the trip. I never knew that shopping could turn into such turmoil! First of all the bikini. I was tempted to go with the one piece. It's safe and has great coverage. But I decided to go ahead and get the two piece. WOW! The search was never ending for the bottom that covered the cheeks. Let's get something straight. I'm in my mid-thirties. I'm not saying I'm overweight or have the need to got out and get a personal trainer. But I am a little soft in the middle and have a few dimples...and I'm not referring to the cute ones. And I'm not ready to sport the knee length koolots but I have outgrown the early twenties "club wear". Why must the bikini bottom only have half coverage? It doesn't help that I was shopping in early July and all of the good stuff is picked over . After searching and searching I finally found two pairs of "boy shorts" that reveal a little cheek but are much better than the dental floss I was finding most everywhere. And I also found some great board shorts at Old Navy. The rest was pretty easy...tank tops and I love those baby doll tops! A few Capri pants and shorts and I was ALMOST done! Here I thought that the bikini fiasco was the worst part...I was wrong! I had to get a nice "cocktail dress" (just incase) for dinner. To short, to long, not the right color for the beach, made me look like a linebacker, not appropriate for my age, not that old yet, way to much money...You guys get the picture. After trying on over 100 dresses (I'm not exaggerating), I finally found the one. A very beautiful empire waisted "greek goddess" style dress that had a beautiful sheer layer over a silk liner. In cream with chocolate brown accent around the bottom. And really nice metal embellishments where the straps hooked into the dress top. And the perfect length...just above the knee. I spent a weeks pay on it and was in love. I couldn't wait to get the shoes. I actually love shoe shopping. I got the dress home and hung it up. But as I was walking by it I saw "the string". For such a small string it all of a sudden caused a melt down. The entire back seam where the bodice attached to the dress was coming undone. I thought it was no problem, I'd just take it back and exchange it. I was wrong...AGAIN. Less than seven days from my purchase I return it hoping for an exchange. WRONG. They were sold out. So I started all over....By this point I was angry, disappointed and just plain fed up. Nothing was going to fit the bill. I had found my perfect match and lost it. So I waited until the disappointment has faded and starting searching eBay. I know you can't try them on but...all of a sudden there it was! I had found that sizes mean nothing. So I took my measurement and they matched...the excitement was building! Then, right there in the listing, the very first line was the deal closer...."I am a member of a ballroom/Latin dance club.." That was exactly the type/style of dress I was looking for. So the bidding commenced. I'm sorry to say the bidding wasn't very exciting. It would have made the story better...lol! But I won. I looked through the other auctions she had listed and found two others (which I won). I'm always looking to save on shipping. Here's a picture of one of the others.

They have been boxed and shipped. I hope to have them arrive today or tomorrow. I know I may be jumping the gun but I can just feel it's going to be OK! The seller laughed at my "in between the teenie bopper and granny wear" troubles. She said she could relate. So here's big shout out to slphilippona. Thanks for being such a wonderful eBay seller! Whether it fits or not, she is a wonderful seller and has great customer contact! And she shipped it out fast!

So there you have it...my shopping woes. I'll let you know when the masterpiece arrives and if we are the perfect match. I'll leave it in the comments. And I'll be sure to post some pictures from my trip when I get back. Only 54 days, 13 hours and 18 minutes until I leave. That's for those of you who are counting.

Bye for now...

Coby

Meet the Critters

I thought that I'd introduce you to a few of the "critters". Here's some of my bunny buddies:

Little Man

Bebe

Jessica - being her usual cranky self

Big Daddy

and Willie, my newest addition.

I'd also like to thank all of you who did a little rain dance for me. We have lots of rain the last couple of days. Still a little muggy to fire up the dye pots but I can tell those days are right around the corner. But my son is loving the puddles.

I could have planted potatoes in the tub this afternoon when I finished giving him a bath. But he sure was having a great time! But now he's upset because his shoes are wet. He's a neat freak. I'm surprised he was even playing in the mud.

I had a new shipment of fiber come in today. I have even managed to get some blended and listed in my Etsy store. Michigan Fiber Festival is right around the corner. I'm getting things around here ready to open my doors up for a few days. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of my customers mosey in the studio. Last year was the first time I had opened the doors. I had a wonderful flow of traffic and sold quite a bit of roving and yarn. I even had a couple stop by every morning I was open to chat and hang out for awhile. That was great!

Well, I had better go and take the blow dryer to my son's shoes before he has a litter of kittens. He didn't get his neatness from me...LOL!

Take Care Everyone,

Coby

Hand Dyed Happiness

There's something about putting a bunch of dye in a pot that really makes me happy. I never know what is gonna happen. For instance, the yarn pictured below was supposed to be hot pink, neon lime and black.

Sometimes the surprise is better than the expected outcome. I named it "Midnight Bloom".

Here's a few other of my hand dyed handspun yarns:

"Embers"

"Cloudy Day"

I also dye up my fiber to blend.

Here's "Dragonfly Dreams"

and "Wild and Wooly".

I'm addicted to color. I love how color combo remind me of places and feelings. And I always want to name everything after food. What's that about??? Anyways, I haven't been able to dye up anything lately because it has been almost 100 degrees around here lately and I'm cranky enough without the extra heat. But it looks like there is a cold front moving in so I'm sure I'll be back in the dye business really soon. I have a huge list of "want to do's". Almost 100 pounds of dye ables sitting here staring me in the face. I can't wait to get started. Lots of yarn and fleece are ready to go into the pot.

I remember my first hand dye. It was "Citrus Splash" yarn.

I actually got a little teary eyed when I boxed it up to go it's new owner. But I'm sure it made someone a great bag or scarf or hat or something like that. I don't get much chance to knit. I usually only get scarves and dishcloths done around here. I have tried more intense projects but they either get removed from the needles by my son or I lose total interest. I have started a wrap from some of the yarn spun from my "Copper Pony" roving. I'll have to post a picture when I get is finished. (Don't anyone hold their breath. I'm sure you'll turn a very pretty shade of blue. But I don't want to be the reason why.)

I guess that's about all for today. Except I'd like to make a correction to yesterday's post. I said that my carder was the heart of my operation. But actually this is...

This is my son Cahl. (It pronounced "Call".) He is actually the one who runs the show around here. As much as I'd love to say I'm the one who calls the shots...I'm not. We are getting ready to celebrate birthday number three! I can't believe how fast time flies by!

Talk to you all later!

Coby

OK...I'm giving it a whirl!!! An Introduction to Me and My Business.

I have had several people ask me if I have a blog. Well, now I do.

I don't know, maybe it's that I feel like I just don't have much to say. That is about my business. I have plenty to say about other things but I'll save that for later. So let's start out with an introduction to me and my business.

The majority of my business is custom blended roving. I spend hours and hours standing at the carder blending fiber. I have over 80 fiber color blends that I sell for my customers spinning and fleting pleasure. I also sell handspun hand dyed yarns and handpainted rovings. I'll introduce them to you a little later.

Here's the heart of my operation...

And this is where all of the magic happens.

The rear of it is my studio. That's 30' X 40' of wool roving. Who could possibly want more???

And how 'bout some custom blend intros? I sell them in 4 ounce quantities. Most are $9.00 each. Here's a few to start...

This is my absolute favorite..."Broken Hearts". It's 100% merino roving.

This is "Love Spell" it's also 100% merino roving.

How about "Mardi Gras" it's 80% merino and 20% colonial roving.

And "Pretty Lady" 100% merino

Here's another favorite. It's "Copper Pony" a 2/3 Merino and 1/3 Hand Dyed Corriedale.

Those are just a few of my blends. They are all carded by me especially for your order. It takes about 45-50 minutes to card up a pound without interruption. (I have a soon to be 3 year-old. There's interruption...LOL!) But carding the fiber makes it super easy to spin even for beginners. You can purchase any of my custom blended roving in either my Etsy store or my eBay store .

http://stores.ebay.com/CJ-Kopec-Creations

http://www.cjkopeccreations.etsy.com/

And you can check out my MySpace page also:

http://www.myspace.com/cjkopeccreations

I guess I'll sign out for now. Lot's of work to get done. But I'll be back in a day or so to introduce you to a few of my other blends and maybe even a critter or two that I have around here. Thanks so much for stopping by. If you have purchased my roving drop me a line and let me know what you think. I very rarely get a chance to spin any up for myself. I'd love to see what all you have done!!!!

By for now,

Coby