The Life Cycle of Yarn Projects

Why, I wonder, don't I have any knitting to write about on my blog? Upon reflection....and yes, I can be a little slow....it's because I have been spinning!

My crafting time always tends more toward knitting or spinning. Always knitting a little on something, always spinning a little, but in the natural order of things, I concentrate more in one area or the other. Right now the fiber is in the spinning phase. I have many projects brewing, and I can't knit them without the yarn.




On the upper right is an experiment with my natural red dye series. I carded the Romney, swathed it in a light layer of the bamboo, and spun the colors randomly for a tweedy-shiny yarn that I love. I will be working on more of this for a sweater. This is a fine fleece for Romney, and with the woolen type spinning, the bamboo, and the quality of the fleece, this yarn is so soft against my cheek.


The yarn with the fuzzy halo is some perfectly delightful Lincoln that I am in the process of spinning up, Navajo plied for a rug yarn. A Spunky Eclectic club selection, I am ordering more to dye myself to make a full-sized, usable rug.



The corriedale-pygora-silk blend from Serenity Farms. This was a delightful spin. I didn't have much, but it should be enough to make most of a hat for baby Charity. Then all of the children with have handspun hats from Mommy.

In the foreground above is Abby's Beyond Tweed blend,
spun up for fingerless mitts, now on the needles.

Walk With Me, Wed

Most mornings I walk to town. Sometimes I pick up a few groceries. Today, I returned a library book.
Inspiration for new colorways.
A peaceful moment in my day.

Leafy Canopy Hat

Some things are simple, but very good. A hot bowl of oatmeal, a sheet of clean notebook paper, a hat made with brioche stitch.


Pattern: EZ's Prime Rib Watchcap. Makes a wonderfully soft and squooshy hat. Adjusted for a smaller guage.

Yarn: BFL roving from Copper Moose, dyed with Jacquard acid dyes, spun worsted weight.

Benjamin likes it. He took his nap in it yesterday.
Hmmm....you need your face wiped....

Ostrich Feather Smoke Ring

I have been spinning and knitting away on my first smoke ring. I love the smoke ring concept. I like the way it looks. I like the fact that it combines the purposes of a hat and a scarf in one garment, and I like the fact that it can't fall off when you are wearing it. I like the fact that it doesn't need artful arrangement, and that it is an appropriate accessory with indoor garments. You don't need to take it off at all. I even like the way "smoke ring" sounds, as if it made its way out of an old tale.
The Yarn: Spun fingering weight from Susan's Spinning Bunny 5 fiber sampler in Chocolate Covered Cherries, and Abby Franquemont's batts, Beyond Tweed. I thoroughly enjoyed spinning all the fibers, the variety of textures, seeing how the dye took differently on the different fibers. The colors are vibrant, and these gloomy-day photos don't quite do them justice. Abby's blend is a luxurious dark grey blend with accents of other colors, and I have a good bit left that I will spin alone for some matching fingerless mitts.
The Pattern: My own, using the Ostrich Feather stitch from the Vogue Stitchionary. This is an attractive stitch pattern, even though it loses something with the variagation of the yarn. I would like to try it again with a solid color to show off the pattern better.

Soft, warm, and bright enough to cheer a dreary day, my new smoke ring is a happy project. After the rush of holiday knitting is over, I plan on knitting more of these for myself.

To Market, To SOAR Market

It is good to be back in the blogging world, now that we are (mostly) unpacked. There are many lovely things about our new home, and one of them is that I have a nice place to stash my stash, a place where the light comes and where it is pleasant to look upon. Take a good look at it. Note that every single container you see contains fiber. Note that I am blessed with abundance...

because....

today I went to SOAR market, just a hop, skip, and a jump from our house. I looked at many lovely things, but bought nothing....and when I came home and looked at my stash I didn't feel one pang about the fiber. (Though I must say, that if I were in a spending mood, I met at least one spindle that would have followed me home) I would have loved to have been able to stay and absorb some of the knowledge there, though.
But I didn't really come home with nothing. No, at SOAR market I met the lovely Cary whom I know from the Christian Artisans Yahoo group. She has a farm with a flock of Corriedales about two hours south of us, a farm named Serenity. She surprised me by bringing me a little bag of goodies: "Comfort Wool" from her corriedales, in lovely silvery-brown; the black "Martha's Heart" blend of pygora and corriedale; the lavender blend of pygora, corriedale, and silk; and some beautiful soap she made herself, rich with cream. What you can't see in the picture is how lovely this wool smells. It smells richly of lavender from her garden, and I find myself burying my nose in its soft yumminess to breathe deeply. The little bag was such a sweet surprise..... but better than fiber is a new friend, and I hope I will be seeing more of Cary in days to come.

The Twins' Favorite Spot

Under Mommy's kitchen island, in a spot of sunshine, we like to play,
or snack on cheerios,
'til our cheeks puff out like this.