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

Novelty Yarns!

2011-11-22T05:57:00.004-06:00

I took a class with Maria of Foraging Fibers yesterday, hosted by my spinning guild.

I like the looks of novelty yarns but never seem to spin them, so a class was the perfect thing!

Maria kept us busy and gave us our money's worth. She was there to help just the perfect amount, and had some wonderful knowledge and sneaky techniques that appealed to my lazy side. I'm sorry though that I didn't get a picture of her lovely smile!

Here are some of the yarns she's spun. My favorite is the robin's egg yarn.

Doesn't that egg nestle in its nest so sweetly?

And here are the yarns that I spun. I am most inspired.

A Time for Everything

2011-11-16T16:53:00.004-06:00

The longer I live here, the more I appreciate the seasonality of living in the rural North. The summertime is for enjoying the outdoors, for putting up food for the winter, for weeding, for harvesting, for soaking up the sunshine.

The winter is a time for quiet and reflection and a slower pace.( even taking the hectic holidays into account and the social activities that seem to multiply since there is less work for the farmers.)

And so, for me, the crazy busy summer is over, and I no longer need to take time out for fiber. It fits into the rhythm of a late autumn day.

My spindles are out.

My knitting needles are busy.

And the crochet hook?
Why, I have a finished object! for the chiropractor's new baby girl.

Handspun Merino Seacell , fiber from Spunky Eclectic

I started with a pattern, but this little sweater took off in other directions.

And I have a cousin's baby to knit for, a little cabled sweater that is close to done now. Perhaps there will be another post soon?

Tour de Fleece Wrap Up 2011

2011-08-08T07:29:00.005-05:00

Well, this is a bit late!

But I did want to share the kid mohair yarn with you, the last yarn I finished for the Tour.

Julie Spins "Deep Marigold" colorway, 630 yards laceweight.

I had a wonderful Tour this year! Love the Tour de Fleece! It is so much fun seeing everyone's yarn, and seeing fellow spinners meet amazing goals. I wish I had more time for the community part of it, but what little I was able to find was so much fun. Plus, I got back in my spinning groove, which was my main goal. Completing some yarns gave me a new burst of creative fervor. Visions of yarns dance in my head.

And as vacation time approaches, I have some lovely new yarns to knit.... the angora scarf is growing and the kid mohair is turning into a Vermont shawl, and the darling new Beekeeper's Quilt pattern is just singing to all those bits of handspun and sentimental yarns that had been waiting in the stash, silent about what they wanted to be.....

Tour de Fleece Nearing the End!

2011-07-21T07:07:00.005-05:00

On Monday I went to the annual Garden Party, where spinners and weaver gathered. It was an enjoyable, low-key event, and I met some fascinating people... one a woman who had helped preserve the textiles brought up from the Titanic.

I brought the kid mohair along... that has been the main project this week.
When my hands are tired from spinning mohair, I've been taking breaks to knit on the angora/wool scarf that is being knit for a dear sis-in-law.

This is one of the three skeins that I ended up with from the angora... a total of 375 yards to enjoy.

The question is...can I finish the kid mohair and the SCF and sample yarn for my hubby's sweater too, before the Tour ends??? Don't forget to breathe in your anticipation!

Tour de Fleece Friday Update!

2011-07-15T19:15:00.006-05:00

Sometime a week goes by so swiftly, it a surprise to come to the end. And so with this week. But there has been spinning.

Here is the current main spinning-in-progress. It is satin angora that I lay across wool top as I spin. I am hoping to finish this yarn tomorrow.

The current spindle lineup includes color!

Here is the finished flax. 250 yards of two ply. And I am happy with it. This would be a lace yarn in wool, but I'd like to go for more of a thread next time I spin linen.

And my new resolution: spin plant fibers for every Tour! They are so satisfying and suited to the season.

Tour de Fleece: Spindle Walks!

2011-07-09T12:12:00.008-05:00

Beautiful mornings for spindle walks with my girls.... Mercy on Tuesday.....

.... and Verity today.....

Tour de Fleece Flax Progress!

2011-07-08T21:39:00.003-05:00

Linen is a plant fiber, processed from the stem of the flax plant. It has been used for thousands of years; it is an extremely durable fiber with many endearing qualities.

However, it is very different from spinning animal fibers or cotton. This fiber is extra fine water retted flax from Louet. I love the color and the sheen, but the fibers are short in spots, so it is a challenging spin when coupled with the slipperiness of the flax. But well worth it! I am able to get an even enough single to suit me, and I am finding the spinning a leisurely paced pleasure.

Tour de Fleece Day Three!

2011-07-05T06:58:00.003-05:00

Today is day four, but this is yesterday's spinning.

The shot with the spindle shows how much I had spun up before the Tour. I started spinning this more than a year and a half ago so it feels so good to finish it! I'm thankful for that bit of momentum that comes with a spin along.

SCF Koala, can't remember the fiber, and I don't know the yardage. But it is nice yarn, much softer than I had expected from the feel of the singles. And I love the subtle colorway.

The spindling project for today will be some lovely linen fiber that I have in a silvery color. Hopefully I'll have some progress to show you tomorrow!

Tour de Fleece Day One!

2011-07-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

Tess Shawl

2011-06-23T15:44:00.002-05:00

I finished this away back in March, I think, before we moved. It is from the Tess shawl pattern.

The yarn is that which is pictured in the spinning stage back in the "Nature's First Green" post, two different club offerings from Southern Cross Fibre plied into one yarn. Sadly, I didn't have enough yarn to make it as big as it should be, but I still like this shawl.
Garter stitch=cosy.

Studio!

2011-06-21T10:08:00.004-05:00

We were blessed, as first time home buyers this spring, to be buying in a down market. Our house is roomy enough for the nine of us, has many horticultural delights, and a studio space all for me!

Can you see what I put on the wall? "Whatsoever things are lovely..."

The studio is for all of my different types of crafty stuff.... books, knitting needles, fabric, paints, spindles. I am storing my colored fiber here now, but most of my fiber is stored under the stairs. My wheel is upstairs where I am more apt to use it.

Here is a small sampling of the horticultural delights.

I know the gardens will keep me extra busy this summer as I get to know them and get the weeds under control.
But this year's Tour de Fleece approaches, and I will be sure to stop and sniff the fiber a little!

Respect the Spindle Review

2011-02-19T22:01:00.004-06:00

I am so glad to finally have a copy of Abby's book, Respect the Spindle

I've taken a few classes with Abby, and have learned so much to help my spinning... she is a well of spinning knowledge, though, and always leaves me wanting to learn more.

This book fills some of that knowledge-hunger.

It is a book that covers a lot, from the basics of spindle spinning to spinning with "specialty" spindles like tahklis and Russian spindles, Turkish and Navajo. These sections are great... but the funny thing is, in my opinion, it is not where the real value of the book is found. After all, how to videos abound on the web and if you really want to learn to use a particular spindle, you can probably find out how without spending extra pennies.

No, the delightful chapter "The Science of Spindles" is my favorite so far. Maybe it is my inner geek peeking through, but truly, understanding the physics of spindles is helpful in so many ways. My little heart warms to discussions of torsion pendulums, as long as there is no math involved. And there isn't! Just a knowledge of the different factors that affect the behavior of spindles, and some concrete examples to which anybody can relate.

The rich chapter on getting more done... the detailed breakdown of what you need in a spindle repair kit...The wonderful sections on drafting for spindles and plying management. Full-color photos and a pleasing aesthetic. This is a book that I will read and re-read.

....the next time someone suggests that you are doing something very simple and old-fashioned, you can reply that you intuitively understand and work with mechanical engineering, advanced calculus, and rotational and fluid dynamics every time you pick up a spindle. ---Abby Franquemont, Respect the Spindle

It's all in the hands.

Nature's First Green

2011-02-12T07:59:00.006-06:00

Nature's first green seems far off from us.

We are still engulfed in the purple blue shadows of winter

But spring will come and among the purples and blues of my spinning is a touch of gold and green.

Falkland in Huckleberry Train and another coordinating but unidentified club fiber from Southern Cross Fiber.

4 of 8 oz. spun

Journal entry in acrylic and gouache.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:33:00.004-06:00

Here I am with my biggest FO of the year 2010: Hope! She's six months old now, and such a sweet baby. We have been blessed by her and in so many other ways this year.

I managed not to post at all in 2010, for various reasons, but I want to change that this year. I enjoy the blog genre, and often compose entries to you all in my mind even though they haven't made it to the net.

With the new baby and the growing family, I find that my crafting has morphed a bit. (Making food for this hungry crew devours many a pleasant hour!)

I have accomplished some knitting this year (mostly hats and scarves), but although I spin often for a few minutes at a time, my progress is slow. And I find myself wanting to branch a bit.... drawing and mixed-media are attracting me, and I've started keeping an art journal.

so this years aspirations are:

to blog as I have time and inclination

to continue my art journal---it helps empty my brain of all its teeming ideas!

to make cards with my artwork and send notes to friends and loved ones

to accomplish some of the spinning for other people that I've promised to do

to make socks... I have joined Janel Laidman's sock clubs... the first time I'll use storebought yarn in a while, but there's no shame in that, is there? :-) Since spinning is more of a process than a product for me right now, if I want to knit, then that's the way to go!

I don't know if anyone will even notice this post after sooooo long away... but if you do, I'd love it if you'd say hi and let me know how things are with you, and what you are hoping to accomplish in this new year.

"Love and joy come to you

And to you your wassail too

And God bless you and send you a

Happy New Year"

Family Camp with Knitting

2009-08-27T06:39:00.004-05:00

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

2009-07-25T19:15:00.003-05:00

How My Garden Grows

2009-07-18T21:20:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-18T21:00:00.004-05:00

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.

2009-07-11T22:21:00.003-05:00

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

Tour de Fleece Day 3: Shopping Trip

2009-07-07T11:10:00.001-05:00

Tour de Fleece Day 1: The Spindle Walk Strategy

2009-07-04T11:12:00.003-05:00

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.....

2009-06-30T17:23:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-27T20:10:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-18T15:08:00.006-05:00

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!

2009-06-11T05:25:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-05-22T21:27:00.010-05:00

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!

2009-05-16T21:46:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-16T21:23:00.005-05:00

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

2009-05-08T21:17:00.005-05:00

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

2009-05-08T21:01:00.004-05:00

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

2009-03-06T05:14:00.007-06:00

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

2008-12-13T11:48:00.006-06:00

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

2008-12-13T10:16:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-03T13:16:00.012-06:00

***Revised. as of Feb. 2011/ thanks to Alexis for her helpful suggestion....I think the pattern is much improved now. I do recommend that if you want your leaf to look much like the pattern, use a fine laceweight yarn

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

(ssk)=slip slip knit

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 KOVKOKOK(ssk)OK

Row 7 KOVKOKOKOKOK(ssk)OK

Row 9 Bind off 3 OVKOKOK(ssk)OK(ssk)OK

Row 10 Bind off 3, purl remaining stitches.

Rows 11-14 Repeat rows 7-10 once more.

Row 15 VVOKOKOKO(ssk)(ssk)

Row 16 Purl across

Row 17 Bind off 3, OKOKOKO(ssk)(ssk)

Row 18 Bind off 3, purl across

Row 19 Bind off 3, OKOK

Row 20 Purl across

Row 21 Knit 5 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

2008-12-01T16:39:00.006-06:00

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

2008-11-19T10:25:00.004-06:00

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.

2008-10-24T15:26:00.006-05:00

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

2008-09-12T16:45:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-09T04:35:00.006-05:00

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!

Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers

2008-08-29T04:35:00.005-05:00

Apparently the Hopi tribe use the seeds from these sunflowers to make both black and purple dyes for cloth and baskets. If my seeds mature before frost, I will enjoy experimenting with them. In the meantime, they are a cheerful sight in the garden, with blue and purple morning glories climbing them, the bees clustering around them; plants green and vigorous in a brown and crispy yard.

Eclipse Rug

2008-08-23T21:42:00.007-05:00

When I consider the heavens, the works of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained..... what is man, that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that You visit him?

Spunky Club "Eclipse" fiber in Romney. I spun the singles holding the club fiber with natural colored Black Norwegian, and sometimes with grey Icelandic. Plied on my new Julia. Smiles. Crocheted with a few other handspuns into a rug that to my imagination does look reminiscent of an eclipse.

Eccentric

2008-08-05T07:36:00.009-05:00

Cary

tagged me for a meme.....six quirky things about me.

1) Link to the person who tagged me
2) Mention the rules
3) Tell six quirky yet boring things about yourself
4) Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them
5) Go to each person's blog to let them know they have been tagged!

1. I do not spend change. It is a Detail too big for me to handle. You mean, you want me to hold on to my purse, while handing over the proper number of small metallic objects? Such doings make it far more likely that I will forget to take my purchases with me.... (something that has happened more often than I care to admit) So I spend bills and keep change. When I got married I had a great deal of change in odd places. One of my old roomates said I was like the girl in the fairy tale, who opened her mouth and roses and jewels dropped out.... except with me it was change. Now my dear husband is my change manager. He takes care of it for me.

2. I like fresh air. When I was in my early teens, in central PA, we lived in a house with no heat upstairs, and that was where I slept. Loving the wind, I kept my windows open all winter, and prided myself on using a single blanket. While I am much more fond of my comfort in my, cough, advancing years, I do still like fresh air.

3. I am clutzy and have knocked myself flat on the pavement with my own car door.

4. I have an excessive dislike of fake flowers.

5. I find it very difficult to invite people to my home because I feel like I'll be bothering them. It is this same quirk that will keep me from tagging people with this meme. ;-) However, you are welcome to pick it up from my blog at will. I'd love to read about your quirks!

6. I read and reread letters over and over before I send them, obsessing over the wording, and subsequently forget to send them. I have found many letters that I thought I sent, tucked into books and other odd places.... If I owe you one, be assured of my kind thoughts toward you.....

Covering a Scar

2008-07-31T15:54:00.005-05:00

The Society for Knitted Upholstery, a group over on Ravelry, inspired me to get this project accomplished.

Bruce bought this chair before he even knew me, and it reminds me of him when I met him.... in his brown leather jacket and Indiana Jones-style fedora. Masculine and with a patina of adventure. Well, the chair has been weathered by a bit too much adventure since then, and it needed help!

A pound of Gulf Coast Native wool from Running Moon Farm, from my stash, was perfect for the project. Bulky spinning went fast on my Spindlewood spindle.... the wool was already clean, and I simply spun from the lock (or maybe the wad...lol) for a textured yarn that suits its purpose well.

It is good to see the chair back to its old self, except better.

Pretty is as Pretty Does: A Wheel of My Own

2008-07-31T07:20:00.004-05:00

She's smooth, she's versatile, she is just what I need. She's not picky or demanding, and for a wheel, she's fairly independent. The sound of her is like dragonfly wings, so quiet.....

My friend Cary, who is a Louet dealer, brought her yesterday. (Cary has also tagged me for a meme..... must get to that!)

Julia is no spindle. With a spindle, I know how fast to start it spinning, how to draft, what weight to choose to get the yarn I want. With the wheel, smooth as she is, the adjustments are different, and I have a lot to learn. But I did manage to turn out one very soft and uneven two-ply bit of Diamond's 19 micron alpaca. Does it look soft to you? Well, it is softer yet.

It will be a pleasure to learn on this stuff.

Picnics

2008-07-24T12:21:00.004-05:00

Fun, even if they are just a carrot muffin on a blanket in the backyard.

From Butterfly to Batt, Yarn to Shrug

2008-07-19T10:32:00.006-05:00

Reading -in- Bed shrug by Pam Allen, available for free dowload from Interweave Knits. The Loop club batt was inspired by butterflies....(she sent pictures of butterflies, I chose a pink and brown one)... and the shrug lace pattern looks like butterflies to me!

I made the sleeves longer, and added a crochet edge in the back for length and proper draping.

And yes, I do need to weave in the ends.....

Yarns of the Week

2008-07-04T21:39:00.006-05:00

Spunky Eclectic Rosebud, for Verity's socks

Spunky Eclectic Flowering Weeds, for Benjamin's socks

Susan's Spinning Bunny, Victorian Rose, 250 yards tussah silk singles, for the shop

In Which The Family Farm Goes Alpaca

2008-07-03T06:20:00.009-05:00

Pucci and Riana's fiber

On the morning that we moved to Michigan, I got the news. My Grandpa had died, peacefully, in the night. I had been able to say goodbye to him in the summer, and I had sensed then that it was goodbye. I rejoiced that he was with his Saviour. But for myself, my heart was sore. I would not be able to make it to the funeral, and I felt the ties to my extended family being torn away. How long would it be before the farm was sold, before all the things that kept us together had gone? This was one of the last times we would be together, aunts, uncles and cousins, and I was missing it.

But God is so good. Sometimes life holds sorrows we cannot imagine. Sometimes it holds special surprises.

My Grandma with Diamond

My uncle and aunt decided to start at an alpaca farm at Grandma's. The farm would be a real farm again! A fiber farm. Wow. It couldn't get much better than that!, I thought. But it did.

The alpacas have been bought, but are living at another farm right now until our farm is made ready. So my aunt was surprised to get this year's shearing. She wrote me.... would you like to spin it for us to sell?

Ummm...... would I? Does the phrase "briar patch" come to mind?

So here we are, with approximately 23 lbs of the most beautiful alpaca you can imagine.

Nice soft place to sprawl!

Here we are, and I will get a wheel to spin it
.

I will spin threads, yarns, ties to the farm where my grandfathers and mothers sweated and bled and laughed and wept for almost two hundred years, and where I have sweated and laughed and dropped my own tears. I will spin threads, yarns, that will hold me a little closer to my family in spite of all the miles between us. So sweet.

my cousin Lisa with Earliglow, our first cria. She is named after the first berries Grandpa grew back when the farm was a strawberry farm.

Vacation Spinning, and Spinning WIPs

2008-06-27T07:02:00.007-05:00

Finished yarns:

3oo yards of fingering weight two ply from a loop batt, top. Somehow I see this as part of a shawl someday.

250 yards of laceweight tussah silk singles from Spunky Eclectic, bottom, for the Etsy shop.

On the spindles:

Spunky Eclectic "Rosebud" corriedale

Susan's Spinning Bunny tussah silk in a rosy color

White Pin Drafted Cormo with Peacock Feathers

Yum!

Top Vacation Pics

2008-06-21T22:13:00.006-05:00

The dinosaur is moving so fast, everything is a blur....oh, no, I guess it's because I forgot to use my flash. Verity at the Creation Museum.

This Peruvian weaving hangs in the home where we had our wedding reception. I have always liked it for its optical illusion, but I appreciate it even more now!

We had our picture taken in this rose garden when we were courting a few years ago now. We decided to do it again.

Here's a picture from the Greenvile Scottish Games where we spent the day. I loved this wheel. So pretty!

Last but not least, my Grandpa and his lovely wife.

Spoiled

2008-06-21T21:42:00.007-05:00

Yarn or a Tale's package was the first I got this week, a roving that I won for unventing the colorway! She is a fellow Michigan-der, and I picked things that remind me of Michigan in the spring.... maple syrup, cherry blossoms, and asparagus. The colorway is called "May" and I am delighted to have some of it! Leah has a colorway contest every month, and you all should go enter! It's fun.

The next day brought my handmade spindle swap package! amymarie
did a wonderful job of research and everything was perfect! Do you see the pretty spindle? It is so cheery and sturdy, perfect to take with me on the go. I started spinning my "may" roving on it , of course!

The fiber is luscious, 4 oz. merino and 2 oz. of carbonized bamboo. Earl Grey tea leaves with lavender made the package smell wonderful. Sweet little necklaces for Verity, Mercy, and Peace. Chocolate. Stitch Markers.

It was a wonderful package.

Then, yesterday I got a package from a lady that we stayed with on our recent vacation.... she put in two pretty knitted dishcloths....I wish I had taken a picture of them right away, because they have already seen use. :-)

So this week? I am feeling rather spoiled.

Simplicity+Love=Smiles

2008-06-17T06:30:00.005-05:00

Colorway Inspiration for the Weekend--- Woodsy, Flowery

2008-06-13T15:34:00.004-05:00

Making a Spindle

2008-06-11T19:28:00.008-05:00

First, let me say that I have been on vacation....so of course my fiber blog fodder is piling up... there was the spinning, the photos of lovely spots, the knitting of socks in the car, getting to meet Rhonna...

But first I am going to tell you about how I made a spindle for a handmade spindle swap. There are probably as many ways to make a spindle as there are people in the world... maybe more~ Here's my own little recipe.

One nice wooden knitting needle whose mate broke.
One screw-on plastic lid to a jar of Diamond nuts.
One cup-hook.
One unbleached coffee filter.
One page from an old Mary Engelbreit page-a-day calendar.
Rubber cement.

I skewered the lid through the center with the knitting needle, and slid it up until it reached the carvings. Put the cup hook on the top, and decorated the lid/whorl with the coffee filter and the calendar page.

It spins rather nicely, and is light, though it is not quite as stable as some of my other spindles. Because it made with a screw on lid, there is a slight rim weighted effect that keeps it spinning fairly long. It says "Tranquility" on it. I like it! This is a form of recycling that I can definitely warm to......

Things of Beauty

2008-05-24T08:16:00.005-05:00

I actually won a blog contest!....Theresa sent me some of her photo cards.....they are even lovelier in real life than they are on the computer.... Just quality. Thank you , Theresa!

Wisps of Summer

2008-05-24T07:51:00.009-05:00

Spring comes in like wisps of summer.....

Spindle spun tussah silk single "Sangria Nights" by Spunky Eclectic, knitted into a little wisp of summer scarf on size 8 needles.

Black Norwegian, Ramboulliet, Bamboo Yarns

2008-05-16T07:08:00.008-05:00

The outdoors and especially thoughts of tranforming our yard into a fruitful flowery paradise have still not managed to woo me away entirely from fibery pursuits.....Above is the Babydoll Southdown that I dyed in the wool, and am now in the process of carding.

Above, 150ish yards of Ramboulliet in Yarn or a Tale's "Wendy" colorway, spun up to make socks for Peace.

Nestled on top of some black Norwegian 3-ply that is the last of the yarns for my rug.

Below is 170 yards of two-ply bamboo spun from my natural dyeing last summer. I want to use this for my first project on the floor loom. Because it was missing some heddle bars, I have had to wait some time to use it. At last it is in working order, and soon it will be time to warp it....to that end, the bamboo has captured my attention this week....even though there is more to spin there is not enough for a scarf....so I will have to think of something small to make. Any ideas?

Bottom Whorl, Score 1

2008-05-02T10:08:00.009-05:00

Two spindles, ready to wind off. Despite this poor little bottom whorl's disadvantage of having a pretty bead, it wins for the larger cop category. I have never been one who can deal with big cops, and some would say these look downright sickly, but the bottom whorl definitely lets me pack on a lot more singles while keeping a nice stable spin! :-) And that is a good thing.

Here is the finished yarn, 160 yards, from a polwarth-silk Abby batt. Yes, more lace. For in spring, a young spinner's heart turns to thoughts of lace.....

This was pure spinning pleasure. If you want a smooth even yarn, get your hands on some of Abby's batts. (Spunky Eclectic and The Spinning Loft both carry them now, but they go fast....)
I was privileged enough to watch her card a batt after the class last month, and let me tell you, she is one particular, relentless carder. :-)

Verity's Second Yarn

2008-05-02T06:09:00.005-05:00

Here are my girls spinning. Verity's first yarn was not knittable, and so her goal was to make her second something she could knit. She succeeded quite well. In fact, she spun this so fine that I may have to teach her to knit lace. One cute little skein.

Rug and Scarf: Handspun on the Needles

2008-04-29T17:41:00.009-05:00

Bruce and I had a chance to go out to a couple of dinners a few weeks ago....I haven't had much chance to knit lately, so of course I took some along to work on during the programs....no need to even glance down for the garter stitch of the rug, so it came along, and I got five little rectangles done. They shall be windows, to peer out and see the different moods of autumn. They are
knitting up beautifully....

..

Getting my hands on the needles again made me want to cast on for the "Branching Out" scarf in my green Clun Forest yarn. It is a happy marriage of yarn and pattern. So some of my precious spinning time is going into the scarf.... but it is a pleasure.

Exploring the Down Wools: Babydoll Southdown Samples

2008-04-22T20:03:00.005-05:00

Amy sent me two samples of her clean, coated Babydoll Southdown fleeces. The sample on top is a short-stapled , irregular crimp, the one below is a longer staple, more defined crimp. That is no stain on the bottom sample, but some rich yellow lanolin! I liked them both, but found the short staple of the first sample difficult to process with my hand cards.
These are some fairly fine fibers, and they wanted to spin up thinly for me. Even as a three ply, they are on the light side of a fingering weight yarn. Extremely elastic yarn. Amy says she is making an effort to breed for next-to-the skin softness, but isn't sure that that is attainable. I think it depends on how sensitive your skin is! Just as an experiment, I tucked one of these samples in one of my feminine undergarments.....and forgot it was there for the rest of the day. Though it would not be my first choice when a need for softness was primary, I look forward to making socks from my wool, as I think they will be quite comfortable.

Perception of softness even with the finest of down wools is affected, I think, by the wool's greatest strength .....which is its wonderful elastic crimp. This southdown has bouncy, bouncy crimp. I would compare it to a mattress. The springs in some are firm, and in others the springs are yielding. This affects the perception of softness for both mattresses and for wool. If you want a mattress for sleeping on, well, that will depend on your taste. But if you want to jump on the bed and have pillow fights, then pick a nice firm mattress. Bounce is fun!

Amy pointed out in her correspondence with me that Southdown has the most microscopic scales of any wool fiber.... this allows it to "grab" onto very fine fibers, making it perfect for blending with angora and other fibers that tend to want to escape! She sells some very yummy sounding blends, herself, which I hope to try one day.

I will finish spinning up my larger, lanolin rich portion, and check back with you all with notes on the spinning and the dyeing.

In the meantime, I have reserved two fleeces (one white, one colored) for next year. With their diminutive size, a Babydoll Southdown fleece is a very modest investment, and one that may just steal the heart away.

First Beaded Yarn

2008-04-19T11:02:00.008-05:00

Stormclouds and Raindrops. Here’s my silver streak baby alpaca, 18wpi, spun with Japanese silver glass beads strung on silver thread, 40 yds. and alone in a 2 ply, 200 yds.

I will not tell you how long I spent on those silly 40 yds. ; suffice it to say that I learned a lot about children and what not to do when making a beaded yarn. And I have a very pretty tangled ball of beaded silver thread that should convert easily to a lovely Christmas tree ornament.

This is one of my favorite yarns that I have spun so far. I put far more plying twist in than usual.....The yarn is still soft, and it looks so much more like I think yarn should look. Plus, there is that durability factor.

Again, this yarn goes into my stash, waiting to be knitted into something pretty and lacy.

Going Loopy

2008-04-10T17:45:00.012-05:00

What to do when you get your hands on some of Loop's Half Baked Baby Cakes? Make yarny cupcakes of course. Enjoy the pictures! Once I get my shop set up, I'll be selling these on Etsy.
They'll be 100 calorie snack packs for people on yarn diets.

Were these fun to spin? Um, well, I really hate to create any more demand for these little batts, so I am pleading the fifth.

Exploring the Down Wools: Clun Forest Sample Two

2008-04-07T07:10:00.005-05:00

I only had a small amount of this fiber, so it will make a pair of baby socks or be a socky swatch.

The loveliest thing about it is how it whispers to me during the long draw, the sound of fibers grabbing on to some of their neighbors in the drafting triangle, and saying good-bye to others.

Took dye beautifully, a little rougher than Suffolk, but I spun it thicker to be a bit more cushy, and it has its own endearing fuzziness. Great elasticity.

Both Clun Forest samples were from Kathy at Wool World.

I spun it up in a hurry because I wanted to get to this box......

Babydoll Southdown.....

Exploring the Down Wools: Clun Forest Sample One

2008-04-04T08:36:00.010-05:00

Did I say that 3 ply sock yarns will be the norm now for my down wool samples? Well, I will do a 3 ply sock yarn for sample two of Clun Forest. This first sample was so atypical of the breed that it didn't want to be sock yarn. Lustrous, fuzzy but not elastic, and with a fairly long staple, I suspect that somewhere along the line there was a young ewe who dallied with a handsome longwool. Or perhaps it just goes to show that variations within a breed can be quite pronounced.

But I fell so in love with this fiber that I dyed the roving in spring greens and spun about 300 yards of 2 ply heavy laceweight from it. Someday I want to knit it into a Branching Out scarf. In the meantime it is a cheerful addition to my stash and very pleasant to stroke.

Photographed with the BFL that I didn't use for the triloom shawl border, just cause they look so nice together.

sunshine

2008-04-04T08:32:00.002-05:00

My Cosy New Shawl

2008-03-31T09:56:00.004-05:00

I had a hard time getting to sleep, at the yarn shop sleepover after Abby's class. My sleeping bag was musty from storage, someone was snoring, and I was wound up. Finally I got up and put my regular lavender-scented nighttime lotion on, and draped my new shawl over my face. It was soft and warm and comforting, and as I drifted off to sleep I decided that I liked it very much.
Beaded edge. I was planning a wide knitted border, and tried a few, but the shawl preferred this simple but elegant edge. Verity threaded the beads on the yarn for me, and I did a simple crochet chain/ single crochet border.
Forgive my perpetually tousled curls.

Spindle-spun merino-silk 2 ply,
woven in a 2/2 twill on my triloom

Serenity

2008-03-31T05:18:00.005-05:00

On my way home from spinning class, I stopped to visit my friend Cary at Serenity Farms. She sent me home with lovely fleece samples from her long, crimpy, fine Corriedale fleeces. Most of her fleeces are sold before they even come off the sheep, and I can see why. They are perfect candidates for combing. Now I have dibs on Donna's fleece, the lamb that she named after me. :-) It was fun seeing a sheepy Carissa, and Deborah, and Denise....

Spindling Class with Abby Franquemont :" Now go do it right!"

2008-03-29T19:54:00.018-05:00

Here's the proof. I saw Abby Franquemont with my own eyes. Even though I recognized her when I first saw her, I felt instantly that I have never seen a picture that does her justice. And my own picture continues in that tradition.

Here she is, browsing through some of Ellen 's enviable fiber book collection. Behind her is the ever generous Beth, who in her own philanthropic way invited Abby to her shop so we could all see her.

Here is a picture of some spindle spun cloth that Abby brought ....I don't remember the name of it, but she wore it as a child in Peru, as generations of children had worn it before her.....the threads here are fine but very firmly spun, making them almost impermeable to water. What I love most about this cloth is the striping...see the striping in the center black panel? That is achieved by variations in twist direction.....and allows the cloth to lie flat in spite of the great amount of twist in the threads.

The class centered around low whorl spinning and plying techniques. With plenty of concepts thrown in..... some of these....

* you only need the simplest of tools to spin, and spin well and fast.

* the spindle allows for the highest level of excellence in spinning, even to a greater extent than a wheel.

* rethink twist. The more you use, the more durable your finished textile will be. Durable is good, and does not in any way preclude loveliness. When you think about it, in this day and age, spinners are the only ones who have an opportunity to produce durable textiles. Textile mills are simply not interested in turning out products (either yarns or fabrics) that will last years, let alone generations. Yet before the industrial revolution, handing down textiles from generation to generation was expected.

Some of the techniques I picked up on quickly....many still feel awkward to me. I will be practicing for a short time daily on my low whorls til I am comfortable with these techniques. Some of the plying techniques I am not sure that I even understand! Sigh.

The truly beautifully spun yarn that was being passed around, in tandem with my own bottom whorl awkwardness, was a bit humbling. But no matter. When faced with failure, one can simply handle it in the Andean way....."Now go do it right!" And so I will, until I get it right.

Here are some lovely cookies that the marvelous Faina brought along. Don't you think that they are pretty, with the spinning ladies, and little sheepies? Well, they were yummy too. Faina can spindle up a storm and designs lace. (think Forest Path Stole) I sensed that she could coax out lovely yarn no matter what spindle she was given, top whorl, bottom whorl, or supported; it mattereth not. And she was only one of the talented spinners who surrounded me.

I very much enjoyed being in the company of other spinners....though I was so busy spinning that I beg you not to ask me their names.... all in all a lovely time.

The Eaves are Dripping

2008-03-15T16:29:00.007-05:00

the sap is running....
the kids are smiling....
It's warm enough to play outside!

200 yards of fingering weight yarn from Spunky Eclectic's "Pie for Everyone"
To make socks for Mercy

New Ann Grout spindles for Christmas! A present from family in California finally arrived this week..... beauteous! that is green cotton on the little one.

The big one should be a fine plying spindle.....I didn't have one of those!

A little 75 yd skein of yarn that I spun up from a 1 oz Loop sample batt,

nestled on top of BFL fiber that I dyed and am in the process of spinning up for the knitted border on my grey triloom shawl.

Exploring the Down Wools: Wrapping up Hampshire and British Suffolk

2008-03-08T07:29:00.006-06:00

Here is 100 yd. of finished Hampshire two ply. It is nice soft yarn, but hard to draft at that fatter grist.....I got tired of struggling. From now on, down wool explorations will be 3 ply fingering weight for socks so that I can compare apples with apples. I will not be making socks with this...it may end up being a hat for one of my little guys.

Here are my finished ankle socks with the British Suffolk. Love 'em! Love the color, love the fact that spring will come and I'll still be wearing them.....

They are a little harsher underfoot than I anticipated. They are fine in shoes, or on carpet. But when pinched between foot and hard floor, the yarn is not as nice as I'd like.

More afterthought heels are definitely desired in my future! Loved it!

Next up for exploring.....Clun Forest.

Shepherdess

2008-03-04T03:08:00.026-06:00

As I lay awake, a picture came into my head.

A library, where I went as a child.

Small, but graced with shining wood

With old and brittle books,

And sculpture.

In the children's section where I stood

There was a girl,

A girl of white marble,

Not much smaller than me,

And standing on a pedestal.

She puzzled me.

She looked to be a country girl,

With rough-hewn skirt,

And a sheep at her side.

Her hand was raised,

Her fingers held something,

Something delicate, something invisible.

And her other hand held something,

Held it as if ready to let it go

(Or had she already let it go?)

Between thumb and long finger

Something thin like a shaft

Swelled in the middle

with What I could not tell.....

It blurred

As if moving, hovering.

I puzzled over that graceful white girl

When I was a girl, long ago.

Something there I could not see.

But now I see.

Now I do.

Copyright. Please do not use without permission.

"Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

May all that puzzles you become clear.

And the Winner is..........

2008-03-01T09:42:00.004-06:00

Allergicmom!

She'll be getting a new spindle kit.

Thank you all for the congrats! I've had fun visiting some new blogs, though it will take me a while to see them all.... :-)

On the Triloom

2008-02-29T12:23:00.007-06:00

My second weaving project is on the triloom.....this time it is charcoal merino-silk and I am weaving in a 2/2 twill that will come to a point at the center of the shawl. Great fun!

This project has taught me the virtues of spinning from the fold. The merino-silk laps from Yarn or a Tale are delightful (especially at her Yahoo group pre-order price), but spinning them from the end makes consistent drafting difficult and results in little ends of silk and merino poufing out here and there. I changed to spinning from the fold, and like magic, had the smooth even yarn I was looking for.

I am spinning up dyed merino-silk for a wide knitted border on the shawl. These colors are deep and saturated, but the yarn is terribly camera-shy, and so is the fiber. Perhaps it is the last day of February that wants to take my lovely greens and purples and blues, and make them shades of gray.

My new loom is missing a few heddle bars, so it will not be warped until I can get some. In the meantime, I am having fun planning what I will weave first. My first warp will be some millspun linen that I already have stashed....and I am still deciding on a weft.....handspun, of course.....hemp? linen-silk blend?

Since my yarn is shy, here is a sky which isn't.....

Fire and Ice

2008-02-26T06:36:00.013-06:00

"Many waters cannot quench love....................."

Project Spectrum, Fire

Needle Felted Art for my Sweetie

In various naturally dyed, naturally colored, and acid dyed fibers, including bamboo, silk, and wools.

Second Snowflake

Knitted and Crocheted with handspun merino-tencel and silk

"And He made the stars also"

Spin-aversary Contest

2008-02-23T10:24:00.007-06:00

About a year ago, a box arrived at the house with roving, and then one with a spindle. This yarn was the result. My first yarn!

It was the blogging community that helped me realize that my long-held dream of learning to spin was within my grasp. ( and it was a long-held dream....when my sister and I used to compare dream houses as teenagers, my house was full of children, spinning wheels, looms, and quilting frames.) So my already-blessed life holds one more little blessing.

What better way to celebrate than a contest?

Leave a comment, making sure that I have information to let you know if you win....either e-mail or blog URL. Tell me if you spin, or not. I will choose a winner by random number generator....if a spinner wins, that person gets a little gift certificate to the Etsy shop Loop. If a non-spinner wins, that person gets a learn-to-spin kit from the Spindle and Wheel shop. I'll choose the winner next Saturday.

I hope to keep learning from you all in this next fiber-year!

I still knit.......a little

2008-02-22T08:58:00.009-06:00

Once upon a time, my babies were tiny, and I spent the day sitting, nursing them,

and knitting......

No more. Now is a little more exciting, the time for chasing....

But I still knit a little.

Verity wanted Pocketbook Slippers, like Mercy's, so here are hers in Spunky Eclectic Skinny Sock, from a sampler skein.

And here are my ankle socks in the
British Suffolk sock yarn I spun.
A little lace rib at the top to please my
feminine wishes, the color delightful to
knit.

I'll be knitting afterthought heels on
these....My guess? I'll love it. I'll get to
knit four toes instead of just two. Toes are so much fun!

Exploring the Down Wools: Hampshire

2008-02-16T06:57:00.010-06:00

I had my dye day yesterday, and so was able to get acquainted with the Hampshire that is the next down wool to explore. This is really nice stuff. Going for a cushy two-ply this time, the Hampshire responded to my sampling with lofty softness. In fact, though it is no merino, I would say that this passes my "lip test" for comfort.

The source for the Hampshire is Kathy of Wool World. She has over a hundred different kinds of fibers and fleeces available on her site, and sells in quantities as small as an ounce....perfect for sampling! It is a wooly smorgasbord.

I wanted to paint this roving, but I gave up on it, because presoaking was ineffective. Next time I'll use a wetting agent if I plan on a cold pour method. It seems that these wools practically shed water, which can be a good quality in certain instances.

Once they took a nice hot water bath with the dye, both the Hampshire and the British Suffolk took dye like a dream. And I love the watercolor mix that comes with the hot pour method!

Below is the finished 3-ply British Suffolk. I ended up with a little over 200 yards... enough for a child's pair, or anklets for me? The hand grew even more pleasant in its steaming hot bath, and I would say that though it is not as soft as the Hampshire, it is on a par with sock yarns like Aracunia. The color is much brighter than shows here. So pretty!

Valentine

2008-02-14T09:52:00.006-06:00

Made of cherry. Though not chocolate-covered...... I still think it is perfect.

Embracing Grey

2008-02-13T06:48:00.006-06:00

Looking at my spinning queue, I see a lot of grey to match the February days....seemingly dull, and yet full of depth and subtle variation....

Icelandic 3 ply rug yarn, 4 oz.

Wensleydale that I am flick carding to spin for warp. Warp, you say? Trilooms warp themselves, don't they? Hmmm.....well, I have something to show you tomorrow.

Merino-silk on the spindle for the next triloom shawl.

I switched fiber clubs for the new year, to Susan's Spinning Bunny. This month natural silver baby alpaca came with silver thread to ply it with.....I think that will be a perfect opportunity to make a beaded yarn, with tiny silver glass beads that sparkle like ice crystals....I'll use this yarn to join my snowflake motifs together into.....something. A scarf, maybe?

Well, I am enjoying my grey, the depth of the natural color of the fibers....but I am still scheduling a dye day for Friday....What is grey for, if not making the most of other colors?

First Weaving

2008-02-12T04:20:00.000-06:00

This shawl is soft.

Baby llama, delaine merino, tencel, cormo lambswool, kid mohair. All spindled with love. It is going to go and wrap itself around my grandma, so far away.

Closing the Gap

2008-02-07T10:18:00.001-06:00

So close, I can almost taste it.

Colorway Inspiration for the Weekend---Early Edition

2008-02-07T09:43:00.000-06:00

This morning I looked out the window, and it looked as if someone had secretly strung Christmas tree lights in all the trees and lit them. I went out. Every pine needle had skewered snowflakes in the night, neatly through the center. The effect was sparkling, as in the photo below.

You Make My Day .... Lovely!

2008-02-01T16:46:00.000-06:00

Theresa gave my blog an award. Her own blog posts tend to be full of lovely photos and a mind-boggling number of useful links. She seems to have been given the gift of organizing large amounts of information in a pleasing way, and more than that, I know she prays for me. That is a true friend.

Recipients are s'posed to pick 10 blogs that make their day .....and let the recipients know by commenting on their blog. (There is a button you can take from Theresa's blog, if you are good at that sort of thing. :-) )

Who else really makes my day?

People who comment! So first comes Charissa, who always comments.

Rhonna at Trenchwork, whose striving for excellence in spinning always challenges me, and who has become a friend.

Cindy at Riverrim. Her blog has received this award multiple times, but I can't help it. I'm doing it again.

Denise at Heart Threads who has woven her way into my heart. Check out her Knitting On group in Ravelry for those who are going through crises.

Then Beth at 110a Piccadilly, for a bit of literature, a bit of this, and of that.

My family! Two of my sisters.....

Theresa, who started a yarnivorous blog just a week ago...but her family blog has always made my day, too. You may enjoy her Yarn Monster post, but only if you are not prone to nightmares.

And Raquel shares her blog, A Road Less Travelled, with her best friend, who lives next door and shares her unusual occupation of aunt/nanny.

More....

Ram in the Thicket, cause that is the best blog name ever!

Little Cabin in the Woods, cause I can't resist blogs with little girls and simple living.

And Large Family Logistics, which I need :-) , and which just moved to blogspot from here. Great recipes.

A Month of Spinning More

2008-02-01T09:35:00.000-06:00

January was truly a month of spinning more for me. I finished the two skeins I had been working on. I spun yarn for my snowflake, for about three-fourths of a 6.5 foot woven shawl; I spun up a pound of Lincoln for rug yarn, and a hundred yards of British Suffolk for a three-ply sock yarn.

How did I get so much done? I moved my spindles into the kitchen. I discovered that I spend a lot of time in the kitchen! and that little bits of time spinning add up.

Here's my Lincoln rug yarn. A good word to describe the spinning on this yarn would be "erratic". I would have liked a yarn with higher twist in the singles, but that would have required a heavier spindle than I own. And I could have benefited from using a sample card to refer to.....why do those organized people always have to be right? :-)

On the upside, I love how the colors turned out, and despite my lack of spinning prowess, I think the rug will be lovely in the end.

Above is Sunny Autumn nestled on some grey Icelandic that will be the next to be spun up for the rug.
Rainy Autumn; and below, Waning Autumn

Here is my beautiful, squooshy sock yarn from the Suffolk. A true 3-ply, this is coming out at 18-19 wpi. Perfect. This is a fun spin! I hope to whirl out another 300 yards of this soon.

And the shawl....perhaps I'll bring that to show you next week.

First Snowflake

2008-01-25T07:27:00.000-06:00

Have you entered the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?

By what way is light diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?....
From whose womb comes the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?

Job 38:23,24,29

Spunky Eclectic Club Fiber, Colorado colorway.

It wanted to be snowflakes.
We see them as white, but they are crystals of ice, reflecting all the colors of light back to us.

This colorway captures the iciness of them.

But my handiwork cannot match their beauty and detail. Don't worry. I'll keep trying.

A melding of knitting and crochet with handspun merino- tencel.

Check out the snowflake books by Kenneth Libbrecht and Patricia Rasmussen. Especially if you are tired of shoveling the stuff.

Exploring the Down Wools: British Suffolk

2008-01-18T17:41:00.000-06:00

The down wools fascinate me. No one talks about them much. And yet, here are wools that are

1. relatively soft
2. long-wearing
3. extremely elastic
4. resistant to felting
5. inexpensive

Am I wrong, or isn't this just perfect for sock yarn? Sure, merino is softer, but that's about its only advantage over the down wools. And feet truly don't have enough nerve endings to appreciate the softness of merino, anyway. Hands have more. (Lips have more yet. That is why I always touch a yarn with a soft hand to my lips....sometimes it still feels soft, sometimes it doesn't.)

Well, I haven't actually made socks with any down wools yet. But I am on a mission to hunt out as many of these traditional sock fibers as I can, try them out, and let you know what I like best.

I am starting with some "British Suffolk" wool from Homestead Wool and Gift Farm.
Eight ounces of raw wool for $2.5o. Not bad! Easy to process. I am carding it and spinning from the rolags. It drafts easily, so spinning an even single is no problem, and I find myself tending toward a long draw. The singles are around 40 wpi. I chain-plied a sample, to give an idea of what the finished 3 ply would be like. Very elastic (downright sproingy!) , around 15 wpi. And soft to the hand (though not to the lips.)

I draw information from this post from the excellent book, In Sheep's Clothing, by the Fourniers. They state that down wools are not called downs because they are downy (not at all!) but because they originate in the down counties of England.

Two Big Thank Yous and my Spinning of the Week

2008-01-18T09:49:00.000-06:00

First, a huge thank you to all of you who left a comment or wrote me about choosing a wheel. I have decided not to get a Babe; to be patient and wait for the Right Wheel to come along. I am good at this, having done it with a husband, and I must say that I think I will have a lot more fun waiting for the Right Wheel than I did waiting for the Right Man. Because not only do I have the Right Man to keep me company meanwhile, I also have a nice collection of spindles.

Also, a big thank you to Theresa who nominated me for a blog award..... "You Make My Day". This is my first award, and I am so pleased and touched by it. I am having a little trouble coming up with 10 blogs to pass it on to... mostly cause my brain is wired so strangely. It is the same trouble I have with inviting people to my house. Maybe they do not want to come? Maybe they will wish I hadn't? So if I find the gumption, I will be passing it along to those of you who make my day with your blogs.

The first weaving on my (new!!) triangle loom echoes the colors of the winter sky in the picture above, and some pastel greens to dream of spring. I have been spinning up madly for it this week. Baby llama roving from Susan's Spinning Bunny, some cormo-kid mohair that I blended myself, and delaine merino-tencel blend from Crosspatch Creations. All lusciously soft. I am so glad that I got the fine sett loom (3/8 inch) as I am having trouble enough spinning thickly for it. These yarns could be a bit thicker, but I think it will be okay once they are off the loom. I haven't finished them yet, and after a bit of fulling, they should plump up nicely.

....and here is the spot where my Lincoln cops are piling up, waiting to be plied into a three stranded rug yarn.

yarn

2008-01-12T20:32:00.000-06:00

There is a lot of spinning going on around here. I have more yarn that I want to spin than....than... than I can shake a spindle at.

Here, Spunky Eclectic Goblin Eyes colorway, Romney fiber.

This superwash merino tencel is easily my favorite yarn that I have ever spun. Not perfectly spun, but fairly consistent (for me) and I love the colors. I overdyed a green/brown/yellow/white roving that just wasn't speaking to me with red, and I love it. Just the sort of subtle colorway I enjoy, and one of my very favorite colors to boot.

Carissa asks if I like merino-tencel. I do. Of course, I have never met a fiber that I haven't liked, so maybe that doesn't mean much. But soft, shiny, and strong can't go far wrong. I have more merino-tencel in a different colorway on the spindles now, for a project I'm planning.
All this spinning that I want to do, makes me want a wheel. And Theresa asks, What wheel do I want? I don't know. I want a good wheel, versatile, relatively inexpensive, preferably sturdy, (remember, the little ones....) and not ultra modern looking. I want something that I can grow into, as far as ratios go. I want to be able to spin 3 ply sock yarn and laceweight. In my weak and impatient moments I cast my eyes on a Babe. But I am afraid that I wouldn't be happy with a Babe, I am such a stinker for aesthetics. But maybe, with all the gorgeous yarn I'd be making....fast.... I wouldn't care. What are your thoughts on such things?

And yet....despite my seeming impatience to spin a world of fiber, I rather relish the pace. I relish the spinning with a simple tool rather than a machine. Some days I wonder if I ever need go to a wheel, if as my skill grows I will find all the speed and consistency I want with these hand made bits of spinning, whirling wood.

First Birthday

2008-01-09T15:43:00.000-06:00

I am feeling extra celebratory about this one. We made it!

Happy birthday to my munchkins! But every day is happy to them.

Soaked

2008-01-09T07:05:00.000-06:00

With rain.
With color.
Merino-tencel superwash that I am now in the process of plying.

The first socks that I've ever knit for me! Love that Monkey sock pattern. It flew off my needles.

The yarn was luscious Bearfoot Mountain Colors in Bitterroot Rainbow colorway that I had bartered for on Ravelry. Hurrah for barters! My feet are happy now!

Colorway Inspiration for the Weekend---Winter

2008-01-04T17:01:00.000-06:00

Don't let them tell you that winter is dull and colorless......
Look for the gold and the blue, the russet and the glitter

This tree trunk is all done up in exquisite cable-work. I take as many pictures of bark in the winter as I do leaves in the fall.

Velvet Drab,

red and brown, and never underestimate the drama of GREY

Wishing You a Fibery New Year!

2008-01-01T09:58:00.001-06:00

They say January is National Spin More Month, and that is good, because there is a ton of spinning that I want to do.

I'll probably have a little dye day next week, and cast on for a pair of socks or two to keep me busy til my spinning is ready to be knit up.

I'll be ripping out my Unfinished Objects that have lost my love on this New Years Day. Then I can start the new year with a clean and happy knitting slate. (Thanks to the She-knits Knitting Circle for this lovely idea)

What am I working toward this year, fiber-wise?

* I'd like to feel comfortable with sock knitting to the point of being almost automatic. So that means practice. I'll aim for a pair a month, and at least half of them need to be simple so I can zip through them, concentrating on the construction of the sock instead of stitch patterns.

* I want to learn how to weave on a triangle loom.

* I want to knit lacy scarves for two friends. I'd like to make that a tradition, and maybe by the time I die I'll have given one to every friend that means much to me.

When I dream, I dream that I will be able to make enough money this year, selling something fibery, to buy a spinning wheel. It could happen.

This past year has brought new skills and new friends....like many of you. I am so thankful.

A Different Kind of Regifting

2008-01-01T09:41:00.001-06:00

This scarf was way oh way too short when I gave it to my husband for Christmas two years ago. I was a novice to say the least. This year I decided to add more length to make it useable. I had fun playing with the cables. The cables in the center of the scarf look uncannily like leaping frogs. (And now that I've drawn your attention to them, you are sure to notice the mistake one, splayed out as if ready to undergo dissection)

The yarn is Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. Soft and entertaining to knit.

The husband is handsome and obliging.

Spinning and Thoughts on Softness

2007-12-26T19:42:00.000-06:00

1. 1. b.Yielding readily to pressure or weight.
Smooth or fine to the touch: a soft fabric.

See those definitions above? Both come from the American Heritage Dictionary, and they are both definitions for "soft" Both can apply to yarn, and yet the two definitions have very different meanings.

Do you know how one person can call a yarn soft, and another can call it harsh or scratchy or just not soft? Some of it can come down to personal perceptions, but some of it has to do with the inadequacy of the Mother Tongue for spinners. We need more words for soft.

Sure, we use the word "squooshy" to mean "yielding readily to pressure or weight." But you must admit that squooshy is a bit informal.

And there is no word (that I know of) that has the exclusive meaning of "fine to the touch."

There is one softness of angora, another of targhee, another of merino, another of cormo, another of silk, another of alpaca, and of cashmere....

There is softness of a springy wool, not necessarily the finest, but spun lovingly woolen and plied just so.

There is the softness of a fine wool spun woolen and finished with care, and that is softness upon softness. Or the softness of one fiber complementing another in a blend.

So tell me, my fellow spinners, is there a language out there that we can borrow from, with many words for soft? We sorely need them.

Little Dollhouse for Mercy

2007-12-25T14:19:00.000-06:00

Jan Messent's Knitted Gardens book was the inspiration for my little dollhouse. Mercy wanted one with twins, a boy and a girl. See them wrapped in their little baby blankets? Tucked in their little Moses basket?

I unvented my own house with knitted, unspun roving, felted in an effort to construct a building of substance.
The dolls, grass, and clothing are knitted with both millspun yarn scraps and handspun yarns from fiber samples.

Knitting a dollhouse is a delightful task, almost as much fun as playing with one.
Despite the fact that the doll's abode tends to unexpectedly crumple in on itself like a long-abandoned farmhouse, both Verity and Peace wish that they had asked for a dollhouse for Christmas. Looks like I will have opportunity to perfect my architectural construction....

I wanted to take a picture of the kids for the grandmas again, but they don't hold still enough and my pictures keep blurring. This was the best of the bunch. You can still see the cuteness despite the blurriness.

Baby Sweater Kai

2007-12-22T21:49:00.000-06:00

For my brand-new baby nephew, the Kai Sweater from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms.

In superwash lambswool merino, from Yarn or a Tale, handspun.

We don't have any babies of the proper size to act as a model, so I hailed a passing snowman. Agreeable fellow.
I'd love to stay and chat, but like most of you, I have some frantic knitting to do!

CA Swap Goodies and CotLin Review

2007-12-15T12:27:00.000-06:00

My secret sister from Christian Artisans (my favorite Yahoo group ever, peopled with encouragers, pray-ers, and fiber lovers all wrapped in one) was Charlotte, and a most lovely package from her arrived today.

Yummy coffee and tea.

Frankincense essential oil. (Does that remind you of something?) I collect essential oils, so this is a real treat.

The Dagoba chocolate bar, ahhh....flavored with "mint and a hint of rosemary" I am saving that for my birthday, on Christmas Eve.

And last, but not least, some tussah silk. I so wanted some silk for the Blue Castle scarf, the first in my "Lacy Scarves for Dear Friends" series that I'm starting in the new year. So after I finish my Christmas presents, out will come my dyepot again, to play with silk.

Thank you so much, Charlotte!

Theresa wanted to know what I thought of Knitpicks CotLin.

Here's what I think. CotLin and Peaches and Cream should be friends.

Both of these balls of yarn weigh the same. Poor Peaches & Cream. Yes, and I would be skinny, too, if I were taller.

CotLin 70% cotton, 30% linen

more refined. Suitable for special gifts

slightly more expensive, but still economical

a special sheen from the linen content

can be splitty. Not enough to trouble me. Its hand is a bit different from dishcloth cotton, but just as (maybe more) pleasant to knit, because it is not at all stiff.

smaller gauge. I actually prefer the slightly thinner CotLin for dishcloths, for this reason alone. I do all of my dishes by hand, and stuffing a thick cotton dishcloth into a glass to wash it just doesn't work sometimes. Cotlin makes for a more versatile thickness.

Durability??? Only time will tell. Linen should make for a very strong and durable yarn, but is the spinning job adequate.... and the quality of the fiber???

I plan on using CotLin again. It doesn't replace Peaches and Cream, but it is a nice alternative, in my opinion. They get along well in the Stash.

Little Project

2007-12-08T10:35:00.000-06:00

Here's what I have been spinning and knitting. Hope to have a finished object to show you next week.

Colorway Inspiration for the Weekend: Major and Minor Keys---Value

2007-12-08T10:15:00.000-06:00

When there is a wide range of light and dark in a color composition, that composition is in a "major key" of value. (If you have a hard time perceiving value, imagine your composition broadcast on a black-and-white tv....what you see are the different values of the colors... each color corresponds to a particular shade of gray, whether it contains gray or not. Snow pictures are ideal for noticing value because we naturally perceive them as blacks, whites, and grays, even when other colors are present.)
A narrow range of light colors or of dark results in a "minor key" of value.

For yarns and rovings, I tend to prefer a minor key. If I am spinning along a roving and come to a spot that is much lighter or darker than the rest, it jars me somehow.

And yet, mixing lights and darks in a knitted object can be quite pleasing to me. I simply prefer using

light and shadow (i.e., a textured stitch pattern)

or several different yarns to achieve that end.

What is your preference for dyeing? For spinning? For other fiber crafts? Major key or minor key? Or does it depend on the project?