Questions, yarn and homeschooling related.

1.  Let's just say, if a person was considering finding herself flying into NYC on the evening of October the 19th, what might be the best/cheapest/easiest way to get herself to Rhinebeck by the following morning? Just trying to work out the possibility of it all here.

2.  What are the chances that the above yarn, dyed with acid dyes just this past weekend, will be knit up into a completed pair of Marigold socks for my sock pal by the send off date of (YIKES!) August 2nd?  Mistakenly thinking we had until the middle or end of next month, I discovered my oops at the end of last week.  Now, if there are no posts during the next week or so, you'll know why.

3.  I know, I know.  Everybody's doing it: dyeing and selling sock yarn these days, but what kind of market do you think there would be for naturally dyed sock yarns, available online?  Don't worry.  It wouldn't be a big, sloppy pile of yarn like the one above.  Those are just some small sample pieces from playing around with different dyestuffs.  It just might be a way to combine two things that I enjoy: sock yarn and natural dyes.  I like to experiment with new plants but I can certainly dye more yarn than I'll ever have time to knit, so selling some would be a justification for my experimentation and a bit of income to help fund the yarn/fabric habit AND a way of sharing the love of natural dyes for those who won't ever get around to it themselves.  I've been toying around with this idea since springtime and am just now getting around to some of the logistics of setting up a site.  Actually, I spent many, many hours dyeing a fair bit of yarn a couple of months ago now and then balked about some of the details surrounding setting up an etsy.com site.  You see, I don't have a credit card and a don't really want one but, of course, you need one in order to sell on the site.  I know.  Virtually everyone has one.  It's no big deal, right?  I've just been being silly and stubborn about not having one.  It looks like that's going to have to change, though, as there's yet another good-sized pile awaiting dyeing that, again, I can't justify keeping all to myself.  It might not all come together until things settle out a little more in the fall.

4.  If one were looking at digital scales for weighing skeins of yarn wound off of cones, where might one look for a professional, accurate, and still well-priced one?  See those recently thrifted Finnish Aarikka napkin rings?  NOT that I actually use napkin rings.  They were too cool to pass up.  It doesn't look like they sell ewes anymore, just rams.  Any suggestions for alternate uses?

5.  Changing the subject, if you homeschool, do you follow a curriculum?  If so, what have you used?  What did you like or dislike about the ones that you've used?  If not, do you just wing it or do you make up your own curriculum?  Where do you find inspiration?   Where do you source your ideas?

I know, a lot of random questions for one post, but I'm feeling the need for some input.  Any ideas or help with any of the above would be very much appreciated.  Feel free to comment OR e-mail.  Thank you in advance. 

I'll be knitting away on those socks in my spare moments and checking back in here.  Oh, and taking an all-day PVC loom weaving class tomorrow!  We're actually going to be here for the local fiberfest this year after two years away.  I don't really know what to expect but maybe it will be something like this?  I'll be sure to let you know. 

   

Comments

[amanda]

another possible option would be to dye a bunch of yarn and then try to sell through someone's yarn shop (online or in person) - i know that natural yarns are a fairly big trend right now. there is one shop here in seattle that has a special section of earth friendly yarns (fiber gallery) so if you find a shop like that, maybe you could just sell to them wholesale and then they could handle the rest. i guess it just depends what your interested in - is it the dyeing that you want to focus on or do you want to have to deal with the other details like payments and shipping?

[Ashley]

One point about etsy is that you can use a debit card, rather than a credit card, as long as it's a mastercard or visa branded card. There are certainly concerns about having your bank acct linked to anything you're giving out online, but you could open a second bank account specifically for etsy stuff if you're concerned about getting a credit card. Might be easier than setting up your own shop, particularly if you want to see how things go before committing to a full-scale operation.

I for one would be really excited to see naturally dyed sock yarn!

[courtney]

NYC-er here. (Hi!) First of all, Rhinebeck is nearly 2 hours even by car from the city. Not that bad, but good to know when you're scheduling your day and your transportation. In the past I've taken Metro North, the commuter train, from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie, and then a regional bus the rest of the way to the fairgrounds just outside Rhinebeck (3/4 mile). Might be easier, though not cheaper, to take Amtrak to Rhinecliff, which if I'm getting the name right is about 3 miles, and take a cab to the fairgrounds. Amtrak leaves from Penn Station. A third option is to rent a car and drive up, though that usually involves a Planes, Trains, & Automobiles type trip to Newark or else driving in Manhattan which I imagine you don't want to do. :) But at least with a car you can make your own schedule. I think that's what we're going to do this year but I haven't really decided. (Love your blog!)

[Lisa Wakely]

I homeschool and we are starting our 8th year. I do use curriculum. Saxon Math, Dailygrams, and Maps, Graphs, and Charts. I also have been reading through The Story of the World with my boys and they love it. We will be starting Latin this year using Prima Latina. There are other things that I throw in but that is the bulk of it. I have used Calvert and Sonlight before, but found them to pretty rather expensive for what you get, and while it is convenient, because it is all packaged together, I found it lacking in some areas. Hope this helps.

[Lisa Wakely]

okay, not sure what pretty rather means but you get my drift :)

[Jen]

2. Those are going to be beautiful socks--the yarn is gorgeous. August 2nd is very near, but you're fast with the socks. Can you do them two-at-once on circs?
3. I would say there's definitely a market for naturally dyed sock yarn. I would be excited to buy some. Messy though that pile may be, the colors are gorgeous.
4. alt.napkin rings - holiday ornaments, sheep mobile for a special baby, unusually large wooden sheep earrings...

[Jennifer]

I think the best plan for a NYC trip is to plan to stay with me. I'll pick you up in either NYC or Hartford, CT and we can make the Rhinebeck trek together. It should be great fun. I haven't been to Rhinebeck since 2004 and I vow to go this year.

[Gwen]

Have I missed naturally dyed sock yarn out there? Not that I've been looking, cause I don't "need" more yarn just now. I think it's a great idea to sell it, and I'd love to buy some. Good thing for me it will be while before you're set up!

[jill]

I don't homeschool, but I teach in a special program for highly gifted kids and most of my curriculum is individualized. Saxon Math is good, but Singapore Math is amazing. Because this is Singapore Math, you'll want to order US editions. It's fairly inexpensive and the quality of questioning strategies and examples can't be beat. Our students math scores have improved by a max of 25 points, min. 12 points. Story of the World is terrific. Designed for grades 1 - 4. There is also a workbook. For writing instruction I recommend you read anything by Lucy Caulkins and/or Reggie Routman (think I got that spelling right!). I love what I do for a living, but I wish I could homeschool my own children. Happy learning (and sock knitting!).

[Michelle]

Yes! I would totally buy natural dyed roving and sock yarn(:

We homeschool. We've discovered the best for us is unschooling. The kids learn at their own pace. I was worried that they wouldn't learn things like math but I'm finding that they learn it and usually in an entirely different way than I would have taught them. I have an 8yo and a 14yo. We've been homeschooling for 7 years.

[whitney]

I can't say anything about what sort of market there'd be for naturally dyed sock yarn, but I know for a fact that I would be interested! I've always admired the pictures you show of your naturally dyed yarns here on your blog.

[laurie]

sign me up for some natural dyed sock yarn!!! i have long loved looking at all the yarns you have created and i love hearing about what the "recipe" was. that would be great and i don't recall seeing that product out there so you would be filling a need i'm sure.

[maya]

I took the train from NYC to Rhinebeck to visit Omega Institute years ago, changing once, and it was very straightforward. And gorgeous.

Curriculum: I use Enki Education (ww.enkieducation.org) and absolutely love it. It has made my life so much easier in so many ways having this curriculum and has been very nurturing for the whole family. The amount of material you get is astounding and has saved hrs and hrs of reserach and preparation, and Beth Sutton, dirctor of Enki is a wonderful support. I love that the curriculum is truly holistic, multicultural and arts based.

[Stephanie]

I definitely think there is a market for naturally dyed sock yarns. I know I would buy some!!!

[Dava]

I would love some naturally dyed sock yarn! I was in a class with a woman who raised her own sheep, shorn and prepared the fleece, spun and dyed it (with vegetables and flowers she grew in her yard) and knit a fair-isle sweater. I think she got college credit for all of that. Needless to say, she became my superhero and I was experiencing severe yarn lust.

My sister sells on ebay all the time with a pre-paid credit card; I think she got it at Wal-Mart or some such store. I believe it all links back to that card, no bank accounts are involved.

I hope you do it.

[stephanie]

hi siri! we use napkin rings as, you know, napkin rings. we use cloth napkins and each family member has their own napkin ring and returns the napkin to the ring after a meal/snack. saves me from having to wash the napkins each time.

we were going to homeschool this year, but my kids have decided to go to school for now. i did, however, do quite a bit of research. i found lots of info on the mothering magazine forums. i am still going to go ahead and buy a few pieces of curriculum as my kids are pretty gung-ho learners (and they might change their minds about school). we're going to try singapore math as well as the story of the world series. we know people that have tried enki and really liked it.

and if you sell hand-dyed sock yarns, then i am going to have to finally learn how to knit some socks. what about getting a paypal credit card? it's still a credit card, i know, but would be associated with your paypal account.

[Jill]

I would be interested in some purple-y natural dyed sock yarn for sure and probably some greens too. The very idea intrigues me but I have too many hobbies as it is. If you venture into this, please scream it loudly from the mountaintop.

We have been home-learners for a long time now. The 1st year, we used a prepackaged deal that did nothing but stiffle the girls. Then we unschooled for about 5 years, using only textbooks for math. Everything else was "real life" stuff: nature walks, lots of art and crafting. Last year we switched to k12 because my health was an issue and while we weren't ready (still aren't) to send the girls to the public cesspool, we needed a little more structure. Another part of that decision was the oldest is in high school now. If I felt better, we'd still be doing our own thing, exploring the world around us. Even after all these years, it never fails to amaze me what they will learn on their own and what they will find interesting. The middle dd is drifting towards a career in building trades... a winter spent with her grandfather (a professional carpenter/builder) taught her more about sciences and math than 3 years of books. Follow your gut. It hasn't steered you wrong yet.

[annamaren]

We are a home schooling family.... and use a variety of resources to create and eclectic approach that works for our family.

We blend some curriculum (Math-U-See for math) and some outside lessons (violin, Spanish) we mostly base our learning around Thematic Units- we pick a subject and theme all our learning around the subject. It's always a lot of fun, and it makes everything so grounded. We have done Egypt, Dinosaurs, Chocolate and many many more!

[Trace]

We homeschool, and while I don't follow a specific curriculum, I do try to follow state standards. However, I pick and choose what I will teach when, and my kids generally find something to obsess about for the course of our school year. I feel comfortable knowing that we are staying with (and always above) the traditional students in terms of our progress. We get our books from a variety of places...math and science are purchased through Prentice Hall. All other subjects are cobbled together from our library and our own bookshelf.
And, I agree with Ashley, I, too, would love to purchase naturally dyed yarns...

[Jennifer]

I would love to have some naturally dyed sock yarn! That would be awesome! I'd think you could probably sell through your blog, you and your buyers would just have to be more patient about waiting for snail mail to deliver checks.

I just got a digital food scale that I plan on using for fiber (and maybe occasionally food). I really like it so far. It is from eBay, digitalsnail(http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfrtsZ50QQsassZdigitalsnail ). Mine is the 6lb glass top, food scale.

[Lana]

Wow! I definitely think that selling naturally dyed yarn would be a good business endeavor! I personally fall in love with every post you make on the topic!!! Haha! As for etsy, I too signed up last night for my own account. Been toying with it for ages! Sometimes you just have to GO for it! I intend to sell some home sewn creations! Anyways, good luck with it! I’ll be on the look for your yarns!

[Melanie]

I do think there would be a market for naturally dyed yarn. Natural anything seems to be in demand right now.

We are in our 6th year of homeschooling, and the only programs we use consistently are Saxon math and Rod & Staff grammar. We do buy other programs for other subjects, but we do not use them every day and we rarely use them as directed. We get most of our ideas from books we read or trips we take or people we talk to.

Have fun with those socks!

[Amber]

I would also love to see some naturally dyed sock yarn. I love the muted colors.

We homeschooled for a year after my kids spent many years at a parent-run (hippie) school. It was pretty much trial & error for me without much of a specific curriculum. I did use Singapore math, though.

It seems like you can pick & choose between so many great resources out there. I also followed the "What Your _____-Grader Needs to Know" series that I bought at Costco and I also kept up with our state standards, too. In Oregon, homeschooled students still have to pass specific benchmarks---some of which are a bit rigorous. I wanted to be sure the kids could pass them. We enjoyed our year but my kids began to feel isolated, as the only other homeschool families here are doing it for religious reasons and that's not why we were doing it.

I found a lot of great online resources, too. I've noticed that some of the blogs I read have links to homeschooling groups...

[Amy Lu]

We're in our 2nd year of homeschooling. We're following Ambleside Online (free)(www.amblesideonline.org), using Pre Math-It, Italics handwriting by Getty & Dubay, Sing Spell Read & Write, Hillyer's A Child's History of the World, and Tell Me More Spanish.

I love Charlotte Mason (late 19th century education reformer from England.) That would be our main "educational philosophy."

[Sheila]

I think the naturally dyed yarn is a unique idea. I haven't really seen any like that on the net. Does it maintain it's color when washed? I would be interested in the yarn.