s p i n n i n g d a y d r e a m s

Family Camp with Knitting

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:39:00 +0000

Two different moods of view from our campsite.

From a peaceful stroll in the early morning.

I took this picture as evidence to Verity's children of How Much Butter she would take when Unsupervised.

Setting up the camp. Didn't get as many pictures as I should have!

Knitting accomplished. I made fair progress on this Swallowtail shawl. It is done now, but I need to rip and bind off again as I bound off too tightly the first time.

A lovely and exhausting vacation with lots of sweet fellowship.....

Tour de Fleece Week 3 Finished Yarns

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:15:00 +0000

How My Garden Grows

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:20:00 +0000

See the bean patch, Mom B? The beans started blooming this week. And the flower gardens are getting prettier every day.

Tour de Fleece Week 2 Finished Yarns.... including the Mile that Wasn't

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:00:00 +0000

This 3 ply Dragonfibers BFL is fiber that I won for the picture that Verity took of me spindling on the first day of the tour. It is destined to become mittens for her, I think.

No, I haven't spun a mile of yarn in a day, and perhaps I don't even have the ability to do so.....yet. But this blue yarn is my first try...... 900 yards of spindle spinning, 300 yards of wheel plying in one day.

Tour de Fleece Week 1 Finished Yarns.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:21:00 +0000

Next week: Can I spin a mile of yarn in one day?

Tour de Fleece Day 3: Shopping Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Tour de Fleece Day 1: The Spindle Walk Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:12:00 +0000

How to fit more spinning in my day for the Tour? Combine with my morning walk!

A beautiful start to the Tour and the day!

Dear Winners.....

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:23:00 +0000

I haven't forgotten about you! I've collected all the necessary ingredients, and once I put them all together, your packages will be on the way. I plan to post them on Friday, so look for them next week!

Teaching Spindling

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Today was my first time teaching a little spindling workshop... I had four fine students, and had such a fun time teaching them! We did have some good times, though from their rapt expressions you might not guess it.

Then there was Francie, who seemed to take an interest in spindles herself.

And I met Maple, whose blog I read regularly. She gave me some lovely soft alpaca clouds to take home. Woot!

All at Cary's serene farm.... where the weather was perfect for spinning on the lawn.

Summer Distractions

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:08:00 +0000

May and June have been rife with delightful distractions from the fiber world. Visits from West Coast family and Midwest family brought the balm that comes with seeing loved ones and a bit of chaos too. The kids were able to play with ten of their cousins all total! and I was able to visit with parents and sisters....

Then there is the garden.... after such a long and snowy winter, the garden calls me all day long. I wander around it storing up sunshine and blooms.....

and spiders.

I am the cottage garden type.... my ideal garden is crammed with all manner of plants.... showy flowers, useful herbs, and maybe even a vegetable or two may escape the vegetable plots, or flowers find their way into the vegetable garden...

This is only our second summer here. Last year I was getting to know the soil and the planty residents.... this year I am beginning to fill in. It doesn't look like much now. But now and then I see glimpses of what will be.

Now that the planting and visits are done, there is a little time to savor some fiber.

Balls of spindle spun Yak-Merino waiting to be plied on the wheel tonight.

And some pretty silk to start.

Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:25:00 +0000

Well, it is time to end the contest. I was so surprised by the thoughtfulness you put into your answers! They weren't what I expected, and yet they were very helpful as I design the perfect (or close to it) Yarn Dieter's Snack Pack.

I have decided to take your advice and make the spoil aspect related mostly to the yarn itself. Included with each yarn cupcake will be at least one stunning bead, some handmade and vintage buttons, and a pattern to use them all. Patterns will be included for these small quantities of yarn in knitting and crochet versions. I can't wait for you to see the results!

A tea bag and a small piece of unmeltable candy may be included simply because these items, even if good quality, are inexpensive and will add a nice touch for many customers.... Making an experience that will delight all the senses.

And of course, if these sell.... well, then there will be holiday versions, and themed versions, and souped up versions! The possibilities! Stay tuned.

So the winners (chosen by random number generator for comments that I used) are as follows:

Tom
Vickie
Carla
Ikkinlala

It will take a week or two to assemble your spoil packs....beads and other goodies must be obtained... but in the meantime I will need your address! Carla especially....please leave a comment as to how I can contact you. And Tom, I can't get your profile page to load....

Thanks to you all!

Contest: How would you like to be (a tiny bit) spoiled?

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:27:00 +0000

It started when I was thinking about biodegradable packaging for my yarny snack packs.....

It brought me to some clear bags that are intended for packing looseleaf tea.

Tea? Hmmmm.....tea and yarn go so well together..... there would be room in these bags for a few extra treats.....

maybe chocolate? stitch markers?

I could put together an optional extra-indulgent snack pack for spoiling one's self or someone else.....

So what do you think? What should go in a Yarn Lover's Spoil Me Pack?
Do you have sources for such items? Keep in mind that I want to keep the cost low for my customers but the indulgence high.
Tell me your thoughts.... If I end up using an idea (one I haven't mentioned myself, of course!) or source you mention, you win a Spoil Pack for yourself. If more than one person mentions the same idea or source, the winner will be chosen from among the contenders by random number generator.

There will be at least one winner, and there may be several. So jump in!

The contest runs 'til June 10th.

Snack Packs are Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:46:00 +0000

But now you can actually see them!

I am thinking a contest is in order to celebrate the re-opening of my Etsy shop, so stay tuned!

A Big Week for the Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Verity's birthday.

Peace's ride on the merry-go-round when she went on the big monthly trip into town with Mommy.

Benjamin's Birthday with Charity eating birthday candles when I had my back turned.

Forsythia

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:17:00 +0000

Click on the photo above for big.....

Flowers: Beloved by my Mother. Happy Mother's Day, Numer!
Yarn: Spunky Eclectic "Sumac" Superwash BFL. Wheel spun, chunky, 80 ish yards.

Handspun Silk Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Fiber: Tussah silk from AVFKW
Yarn: Two ply. Spindle spun, wheel plied.
Pattern: Tudor Grace by Knitspot

Camera : New. I think this means you'll be seeing more of me. :-)

One of Those Days: A Surprise and a Shawl

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:14:00 +0000

It was one of those days.

One of those days when you forget to make the coffee, and then when you do make it you talk to one of your daughters while you are pouring it, and keep pouring and pouring until the counter is flooded. O yes.

One of those days when someone always seems to be wailing for one reason or another and must come to Momma for kisses or conflict resolution.

(One of those days when you take pictures of your new shawl and you take pictures of the purl side, and don't realize it til after you've posted them on your blog and on Ravelry)

One of those days when you are feeling sluggish and not quite with it.

And into that day came a package. A mysterious package. "I don't remember ordering anything," I tell Bruce. Goodies Unlimited, it said on the package. "Maybe it's a bomb." I said helpfully. So of course he opened it. Very carefully. Out came all manner of delightfully scented things, and at the bottom a little note that said "A Gift from Rhonna"

Oh my! Did I enjoy my bath last night! I don't think I have ever had such an array of specialized products! And just a sniff of the lavender turns my sluggish into peaceful.... Thank you Rhonna for a delightful surprise!

The other good thing about yesterday was getting to wear my new shawl. I had 4 oz. of pygora which I spindle spun and wheel plied, to about 65o yards of laceweight yarn.

I decided to make the small version of Laminaria, a pattern which I loved at first sight. I did end up cutting out one of the blossom repeats because I feared running out of yarn, but because I knit it at such a large gauge it ending up being quite a large shawl. Even so, it doesn't look too sleazy to me, which I guess is just the magic of pygora. If it hadn't been for the pygora article in Spin-off, I could have spent a lot of time finding a guage that I liked. Cough. I used, I realized as I put my needle tips away yesterday, one size 7 tip and one size 8 tip to knit the entire thing! le sigh. And I never noticed anything amiss.

I did slightly adjust one of the motifs at the bottom because I read on Ravelry that it looked like an alien, and then every time I saw that motif, I could see nothing else. Not being especially fond of aliens, I decided to move his nose to his forehead and he rewarded me by not looking so much like himself. He is probably still quite happy though, as aliens rather enjoy having their noses in odd places.

The shawl has not yet been properly blocked, because we seem to have a dearth of straight pins. Time to visit the general store. I did spread it down to dry on the living room floor, and primped.

I had 1 ounce of dark grey and 1 ounce of white pygora from Cary, in cloud form.

I had a little less than an ounce of taupe and a little more than an ounce of white from A Verb for Keeping Warm Ultra Club, in roving form. It was interesting to spin the different preps and see the differences in fineness and sheen between samples. I think I have a slight preference for spinning the clouds.

I wish my shawl were perfect, but once again I have errors. This was such a fun knit, though, and one that really taught me a lot about lace knitting. Thankfully I think the worst errors were right at the beginning and will be covered by my hair, so I guess I'll never cut it.

I have come to the conclusion that I love knitting lace. I don't love knitting socks or little fiddly things with gussets and such, though I really enjoy wearing them. But I love lace. Sigh.

Morning Surf Stole-Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Wide enough to be a stole, drapey enough to wear as a scarf, I love how this pattern turned out.

Fiber: Susan's Spinning Bunny cultivated silk
plyed with
Lisa Souza's "Mardi Gras" colorway in superfine superwash merino

Over 600 yards of light fingering weight yarn

knitted on size 3 needles.

Low Whorls are for Klutzes

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:16:00 +0000

I was able to take two more Abby classes last week. At The Spinning Loft. One on spindling, one on drum carding.

Sadly, I was a bad blogger and forgot my camera, so I missed taking pictures of all the fun and fibery people that I met.

All I have is a little knowledge.... and so much of the knowledge that I have is very physical, the type that is difficult to describe in words.

But there are a few things to share.

Because a bottom whorl spindle does not have to be secured with a hook, it is excellent for klutzes like me who tend to drop drop spindles. If you are a top whorler, you know that if your hook is out of whack, your spindle does not spin well. If there is no hook, you eliminate the Achilles heel. This reason alone makes me want to become proficient on a bottom whorl.

Abby had us trade spindles around the room, so we could see how cop shape and winding on methods change the feel of the spindle. That was such a fun exercise! Everybody spindles a little differently, and I definitely learned from trying some new things.

Abby noted that spindles are adaptable to a person's individual physiology.... there are many different ways to approach spindling, and experimenting to find what is most efficient for you personally is a good thing.

When questioned on how to decide what kind of spindle to use for a particular project, she said, well, it depends. Sampling is a must. There are so many variables with spindles, fiber, the kind of yarn you want,...... even the weather can affect your spinning! (Abby told how she had difficulty in learning to spin cotton until she tried it on a very hot and humid day, when everything clicked for her. )

Well, with the scenes beside my spindling basket showing my deck engulfed in snow and the icicles getting long in the tooth, I have no urges to spin cotton.... just lots of warm woolies!

Many secret Christmas projects in the works......

Shhhhhhh.......

Skeleton Leaf Bookmark Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:16:00 +0000

SECOND NOTE****** Despite my attempts, the revised pattern is not ready yet. I am plugging away at it, and am still hopeful that I will stumble upon that magic stitch combo. In the meantime, the present pattern will give you a leaf, if not the precise one pictured.

PLEASE NOTE*******

As of Feb. 4th, I am in the process of revising this pattern to make it more accurate to the leaf pictured. I plan to have the revision posted by February 7th.

Remember this?

I have had several requests for the pattern here and on Ravelry, so here goes. I don't have the capacity to do a graphed pattern on my computer, so I have opted to use a sort of knitting shorthand instead of using words. Hopefully it will have a visual quality to it that will help you grasp the pattern of the pattern.

I used laceweight and size 3 needles. Your gauge may vary.

K= knit
O=yarn over
V= knit two together

Starting at the base of the leaf, cast on 5.

Row 1 KKOKOKK

All even numbered rows until row 10, purl across

Row3 KOVOKOVOK

Row 5 KOVKOKOVKOK

Row 7 KOVKOKOKOKOVKOK

Row 9 Bind off 3 OVKOKOVKOVKOK

Row 10 Bind off 3, purl remaining stitches.

Rows 11-16 Repeat rows 5-10 twice more.

Row 17 VVOKOVV

Row 18 Purl across

Row 19 Bind off 3, OKOVV

Row 20 Bind off 2, purl across

Row 21 Bind off 1, OV

Row 22 Knit 3 together

Break off, weave in ends. Block. Finish with cord and tassel or as desired.

Let me know if you have any problems with the pattern! I am kinda new at this.

Lots of snow here....

ending with some pictures for you!

The Work of Their Hands

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:39:00 +0000

About a month ago, for the first time, I crossed this bridge

over to the Upper Peninsula

to visit Christian Freedom International's store. Note where it says "handcrafts?" There were lots of those, produced by Christian artisans in other countries where they suffer for the faith in various ways. Proceeds from the sales go to their support.

look at the lovely weaving.....sigh.....

cute knit hats.....

jute monkey that Mercy bought..... for every jute toy that sells, a child in Bangladesh gets one too....

The store was full of gorgeous woodcarvings like the one on the wall. Here are the happy little shoppers! Maybe we'll be able to go again sometime.

My Ugly Duckling

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:25:00 +0000

I loved the fiber as soon as I saw it. The softest, finest Wensleydale I had ever seen, and the subtle colorway appealed to my inner aesthetic. (from A Verb for Keeping Warm) I determined that I would spin a heavy laceweight single to preserve both the softness and the colorway as much as possible. I used my Golding spindle, and span as I knitted.

The project was fraught with difficulty in the spinning and the knitting. Mistakes that could not be ripped out because of the fuzzy singles nature of the yarn, spinning irregularities that bugged me. But I kept on to the end, and when I blocked out my shawl, I was pleased that the problems with the shawl seemed to fade to the background, and the beauty of the Old Shale Lace Triangle and the fiber came to the forefront.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:26:00 +0000

The socks are simple stockinette from the handspun Spunky Eclectic "Flowering Weeds" that I spun in the summer. Benjamin is very happy with them.

There have been lots of knitting and spinning here, but for the present blogging will be sporadic. So much life has been going on lately that I just can't be focusing on the blog much. But for the family members who enjoy pictures of the kids and my few loyal readers, I give this post.

Of course the alpaca is keeping me spinnning, and when I send off the second box, I'll let you all have a peek. Lots of knitting of small things, because lately I have felt like knitting. In due time, I may post more of those too. In the meantime, I hope to have a chance to visit all of your blogs soon!

Baby Vest and Skeleton Leaf Bookmark

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:45:00 +0000

The vest for a new nephew was from hazelnut superwash merino laps, overdyed and spun in my attempt at a soft single. It was a bit overspun in spots, but worked up nicely in the vest....which I am calling a Tomten Vest as it is based on EZ's jacket pattern.

I love skeleton leaves. Like snowflakes, I wish I could translate their beauty into a fibery medium, and I will probably tackle other versions in the future. In the meantime I like how this turned out.

From handspun laceweight two-ply merino-tencel.

Making a Dent

noreply@blogger.com (Donna B) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:35:00 +0000

It took me a while to find my pace with the alpaca. First I tried flick carding and spinning on the wheel. It took forever, over a week to get a measly 50-yard skein. Then I tried spinning from the lock on a spindle. That catapulted me into the 80 yards a week range. It doesn't take much calculating to figure that that is NOT FAST ENOUGH!!!

Then I tried blending on handcards, and spinning the rolags, and suddenly I was accelerating....spinning an average of 65 yards a day.....

carding early in the morning,
spinning singles on the spindle during the day,
and plying on the wheel at night.

Certainly not the fastest production spinning ever, but I do have a life outside of fiber! So I am pretty happy with this sort of progress.... I have sent the first box off to my aunt with over 800 yards of yummy skeins.

Want to meet them?

Left to right..... Pucci blended with carbonized bamboo
Pucci blended with rose colored tussah
Diamond, pure
Pucci, pure
Marlayanna blended with coyote cotton
Pucci blended with merino
and in the back, Riana blended with dyed merino-silk.

I'm taking a few days of "break" to fill some swap obligations and finish the present for a baby nephew... but looking forward to jumping back into the alpaca pile!