Fiber Addict

Bunny Hat

2012-01-15T10:18:00.002-07:00

My daughter thought that a bunny hat would be cute. So I found a great pattern on Etsy and made my granddaughter one. It is adorable and was fun to knit. I also have a bear pattern and I even though this one is crochet, I could probably do one knitted. I'd like to try double knitting. Could be fun...

Neat Scarf pattern

2012-01-02T10:57:00.002-07:00

Source: thisdomesticlife.blogspot.com via Craftsy on Pinterest

Needle case

2012-01-02T10:46:00.003-07:00

I decided to make my own interchangeable needle case. I made a double case that handles both my Denise and KnitPicks Harmony interchangeable needles. I searched my fabric stash and grabbed something that was attractive to me. Then I looked at some other needle cases and figured out how to make my own.

I like it and it does actually handle most of my knitting paraphernalia.

What to do with rainbow yarn?

2011-12-26T11:39:00.007-07:00

So I decided that the best way to use rainbow yarn was to make a hat for my beautiful new granddaughter. She is as bright as a rainbow and more beautiful. I looked around for a hood pattern so that I could knit the hat and the scarf together. These things are helpful for a small child. I found this hood pattern at Petite purls It worked pretty well, and though it looked big, I think it will work for her.

I also decided to make mittens to match, and to make the mittens match and not be different colors from each other.

I think it turned out rather well, but the proof is whether it looks good on her and if she likes it.

I think the hood was a hit. My daugher says that she carried it around all day and kept rubbing it on her face. It was made of merino and angora yarn that I spun for her especially and I think it turned out soft enough. And the mittens fit!

Rainbow yarn

2011-09-17T16:49:00.003-07:00

I have been spinning for sock yarn and also for color. I had some beautiful angora/merino blend wool that was given to me by a friend. I separated the colors from the batt and spun them into a thin single. Then I did a navaho ply to keep the color clean. It is beautiful yarn and I will probably make something for my beautiful granddaughter with it.

Apparently she likes to wear accessories so I will make her some out of it. My daughter told me that she wears stuff as a scarf so I guess I need to make her some scarfs.

I have also been spinning white merino for sock yarn and knitting socks for myself, two at a time, toe up. I like the toe up method pretty well and the book, Toe ups Socks for Every Body. I have made two projects out of the book and now I'm making socks for my sweet DH.

I still haven't finished the purple sweater but I will as soon as it is under 100 degrees here in Arizona. Then I'll take a picture and post it.

Socks Galore

2011-08-17T19:57:00.002-07:00

I have almost finished the purple mohair sweater but it has been so hot here in Phoenix that I could not stand to try it on. I think it will look nice, or I hope so. I don't seem to always choose good patterns for me. I will finish it and post a picture.

Lately, I've been crazy over sock from the toe up. I got a new book and did one pair, and am starting another pair. I have pictures on my phone and will send also. Made with stash yarn in a merino/bamboo combination. I'm looking for patterns to knit things for my baby granddaughter right now also. She just turned 1 and is cute as a button. Since she lives in cold Illinois, I will be sending her things to keep her snuggly warm.

I have not gotten stuff off to the fiber mill. I've been carding mohair myself and thinking of blending it with my lovely soft merino. Spinning for socks, and the granddaughter and a civil war shawl have been on my mind. I've started the shawl but need to produce some more yarn. I blended black merino and jacob for a very dark brown single and left it natural colored. I'm knitting it for a friend's mom who re-enacts. It's the Prairie shawl from Folk shawls. It's simple and pretty. Again, more pics soon. And today is my 4 month anniversary. Still on the honeymoon as far as we are concerned. It's been wonderful.

Anniversary

2011-05-21T19:48:00.001-07:00

These are the flowers that my husband got me for our 1 month anniversary. They opened up fully and are so beautiful.

I am translating a pattern from Finnish to English because I want to use it for my purple handspun. It is a wrap sweater with lace. Very pretty and simple. I like wrap tops. I will put it on Ravelry when I get it right.

Navaho plying

2011-05-16T20:49:00.002-07:00

I got an idea to try some navaho plying. When I first was learning to spin, I tried it and didn't like the result much. But now, it seems a bit easier to get a smooth more consistent result. It's still a little inconsistent but even regular plying makes a yarn that is a bit softer in spots. I think it would make good sock yarn, being a three ply. I might have to try some like that and see. I would have to spin very fine and then ply it. I saw someone else's navaho plied yarn made from a hand painted roving. I like the way the colors stayed together with not so much barber poling. So I figured I'd need to give it a shot. I will have to practice how much twist to put into the plying to keep it fairly balanced. My first attempt seemed a bit overspun but that is easily fixed. The other challenge will be making enough singles to do a good size skein of a three ply yarn.

I also decided to send some of my raw fiber to a mill to help with processing. I just don't have the time to process it all myself. I spent about 3 hours Sunday carding some mohair and got two small 2 oz batts for my efforts. That convinced me that it will be better to spend my time spinning and dyeing, and leave the carding to an expert. I can still dye it and blend it into multi colored batts if I want or hand paint the roving.

I have finally started putting my yarn up on Etsy too. So that is new for me. Not sure if I'll sell any, but I can give it a try.

Spinning again

2011-05-02T18:17:00.005-07:00

I am finally getting some time to spin now since the wedding is over. Here are some of my latest yarns. I am so into color and texture, as I suppose all fiber artists are. I have been spinning soft merino and merino blended with seacell, doing some singles and some coiled yarns.

For my wedding

2011-04-07T21:54:00.002-07:00

I just finished these Bo Peep fingerless gloves to wear at my wedding. I spun a silk single and then knit them up. I put the keyhole on the palm but it looks OK.

Now to see if they look good with the dress.

Hat for my new granddaughter

2011-02-21T19:20:00.002-07:00

I spun yarn and knit a hat for my new granddaughter Khloe as per my daughter's request. I actually used elastic yarn for the ribbing on the hat by spinning wool around elastic thread. Kathy taught me how to do it. It helps keep the hat snug. The baby is way more adorable than the hat. But I liked how it turned out.

Crystal's slouch Hat

2011-01-03T19:47:00.003-07:00

I made a slouch hat for my daughter Crystal. I first spun merino wool and black angora wool about 50/50 blend in a bulky yarn. Then I knit it up for her. She told me she needed to improve my fiber to people ratio. LOL! She is so thoughtful that way. (and so right!) I have more fiber than I can spin in 2 lifetimes!

My new granddaughter's hat

2010-12-28T18:49:00.001-07:00

I carded and spun yarn then knit it into a hat for my sweet baby Khloe. The grapefruit is keeping her place for now. I will post her picture when her mommy sends me one.

Knitting Daily TV: Tubular Cast-On

2010-12-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

Other Tubular cast on from Knitting Daily. I like it!

Italian Tubular Cast-on part 1

2010-12-28T18:33:00.003-07:00

I liked this video on the Italian Tubular Cast-on. I am now to the point where I want to learn some different cast-ons for my knitting. This one is cool. There is also a good demo written on knitty.com that I like here. The YouTube for this type of tubular cast on is on knitting daily and I'll post it too, probably above this one. Very cool stuff!

The video should point you to part two at the end of it.

Enjoy!

Hat yarn

2010-12-20T15:31:00.001-07:00

I made some yarn for my daughter to knit herself a slouch hat. It's Shetland and black angora and I spun it chunky. Now we are looking for a pattern.

Sock yarn

2010-08-07T17:31:00.001-07:00

I space dyed some sock yarn today at Kathy's house in Tucson. This is three skeins. I will take more pics after I reskein it.

My latest quilt

2010-07-18T20:55:00.002-07:00

I almost have my latest quilt finished. I am just doing the edge around the moon now. I don't really have a big enough design board to make it as big as I want but I'll figure it out. I have not made one this big before.

I spent the weekend dying cotton and washing fleece and working on the quilt. I also spun some cotton as I dyed the last stuff I spun and it worked pretty well. I meant to do some sock dyeing too but didn't get it done yet. I also carded up some of the new merino that I washed last weekend. It makes a beautiful batt and I'm looking forward to spinning it after I get the cotton finished. I will spin that or the purple cotton I dyed after that with the Pro MX cotton dye. It worked very well which was weird because you don't heat it. You just put it in cold water and let it sit, and stir it now and then. And it dyes the cotton. It also dyes anything you might get it on that you might be wearing. So wear an apron. Wish I'd thought of it before I got one teeny spot of purple on my white cotton shirt. LOL!

Finished my rug

2010-07-06T07:27:00.002-07:00

This is my finished rug. I love it! It was a lot of fun to do. But the warping may discourage me from doing more.

My loom

2010-06-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

This is the first rug on my rigid heddle loom. I have several inches woven in white. I'm doing plain weave and just getting used to the process. It went pretty fast so far.

Piles of fiber

2010-06-28T06:22:00.001-07:00

I spent a lot of time this weekend carding up Romney fiber to spin for rugs. I also started weaving the first one. Now I have to decide which colors to spin first. It all carded up bigger than I thought it would. I wished I'd gotten some spun.

I love the bright colors and enjoyed getting the fiber all smooth, fluffy and ready to go.

Hemp habit

2010-06-05T21:52:00.003-07:00

I got a bracelet at the yoga studio a while back and I just love it. So I decided I could make some. So I went through my beads and bought some hemp. This week I started creating and I took some pictures of some of the things I made. I made the one above. I like making and wearing the bracelets. They are not typical hemp bracelets and I liked the look of them. They are lots of fun. And still sort of fiber related. LOL I have got to use up some of my bead stash so this is part of that effort.

Baby stuff

2010-05-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

So my daughter is having her 1st baby, a little girl and so I have switched over to knitting baby clothes. I'm going to see her this coming weekend and going to a shower for her. Did I mention I dislike baby showers? But it's my little girl.

I will admit I like knitting baby clothes as they work up quickly and are so cute. I am using sock yarn for some of it as it is washable. I will be doing more but I'll have a few things to give her. Plus I pulled out the baby things I saved of hers and am soaking the stains out. (I hope)

It should be fun to see her and her brothers. I can't wait!

Final version

2010-05-02T22:53:00.001-07:00

As you may have seen in my last post, my first effort to dye 3 different fibers didn't turn out like I'd hoped. So I overdyed the "blue" silk with magenta. Then it was way darker and a blue purple so I used the only other purple and overdyed the mohair and cashmere.

They ended up much closer, at least in the same color family so I am using them as is. It should look pretty, I think. But I do love purple.

Dyeing different fibers

2010-05-01T19:40:00.001-07:00

I spun three different fibers for a sweater. Cashmere, silk and mohair. They all went into the dyepot at once but dyestrike aside, they turned very different colors. The silk took up the blue but didn't soak up any red in the purple dye.

This is one argument for dyeing first because then the uneven dye is spread throughout the yarn when you spin. Not that it would have fixed the silk problem. I might try to overdue it or just not use silk in the design.

I'll do some test swatches. Maybe I should have chosen blue after all.

Hemp bracelets

2010-04-27T20:35:00.002-07:00

I am making hemp bracelets lately. I got the purple one at the yoga studio and I was so taken with it that I had to get some hemp and dig through my bead collection to find some good beads to use with the hemp. Of course, I ended up at the bead store for a few more things, and also raided my mom's stash. The red one is my first effort. It's not bad and I am making another one now for my friend Gloria.

Of course, spinning some cotton and waxing it would make it even more my own creation, but I would have to get cotton dye as I currently only have protein dyes which won't work on cotton. But I can always get some if I can spin the cotton firmly enough and fine enough to handle the wear and tear of the beads on it. This could be fun!

I had a visit yesterday with Kathy to see her latest projects. She is always a great inspiration for my creativity and I need to keep in touch better. Trouble is that I don't always visit Tucson.

So I'm going to make hippie jewelry for a while and maybe put some of it on Etsy. It's really yoga jewelry for me, with OM symbols and chakra colors. I love color!

Finally Spinning again

2010-04-10T21:27:00.003-07:00

I finally got back to doing a little spinning this afternoon. I've been working a lot and haven't had time to spin. But today I spun a thicker silk single to use for my sweater that I'm trying to make. I hope it's not too twisted for a single. I have been trying to spin it very softly because I don't want to use a 2 ply in the sweater.

I miss seeing my friends in Tucson like Kathy. She's having all kinds of new kids on her ranch and I have not seen hardly any of them so far. But I think next weekend I'll get to go down for a quick trip. I worked this weekend.

I have to take inventory now and see how much yardage I have on the different yarns. I need a bunch and then I have to dye it all at the same time. Where can I get a really big pot??? And I have to decide on color. I know Kathy thinks I should design my own sweater but I really liked the design on this one, so I hate to try to improve on it. I think it's lovely.

Kathy's wool festival

2010-03-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

I worked all day at Kathy's spring shearing festival. This is a momma alpaca who took a fancy to me. She and her baby were so cute.

The festival was well attended and I have no idea how Kathy does so many tours. I was exhausted just working in the shop.

Art show in Tucson

2010-02-10T21:59:00.002-07:00

My parents and I did an art show last weekend in Tucson. We showed Dad's and Mom's paintings, their photos, Mom's jewelry and my quilts. We also had copies of Dad's book on Energy "Running on Empty" available for sale. I sat and spun almost all weekend and attracted quite a few onlookers. The display was beautiful thanks to Mom and Dad who did a wonderful job of setting it all up. I also had some of my yarns there and gave out a lot of cards. It was a successful show for us and we did what we set out to do, so that was great.

The Whisper Stripe Sweater

2010-01-04T22:41:00.003-07:00

This is my new sweater, that I'm going to make. You can find the pattern at http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Patterns/Whisper-Stripe-Pullover.html?a=ke091230

I have 3 hanks of mohair done and will do another one just to be sure I have enough. I'd hate to run out because matching a color would not be possible. I started spinning some cashmere though for a change of pace. I have to put a lot more twist in the cashmere to hold it together because the fibers are very short, less than 2" long, closer to an inch really. If I don't twist it well, it just pulls back apart. So I will also ply the cashmere for strength and hope plying softens up the yarn enough that it will bloom a little bit. It is so very soft as roving. I just love feeling it slip through my fingers but it is challenging to spin. The silk will be tricky too because of the length of the fibers and the fact they tend to clump a bit from the roving. I will probably pre-draft both the cashmere and silk, and pull the rovings into thinner pieces to help make it easier to spin. That seems to help with the cashmere and I believe it will help with the silk too. I have spun it before.

I'm going to dye all the fibers the same color, they will just be more or less intense because of their fiber content and density. The mohair should be fairly see through and the cashmere and silk will not be. The silk will be shiny and the cashmere will be more satin finish. I can't think of the right word now. But I am still waiting to see what color will inspire me. I am leaning toward periwinkle, or a blue purple because that is my favorite color and looks great on me. It always brings out the color of my eyes. I love the color of the scarf I am making but would I be sick of it after knitting both pieces? Probably not. But the other sweater I made is a soft periwinkle and I do not want all my sweaters to be the same color. That would be unimaginative! So I wait to see what catches my eye after I get everything spun up and get out my dyes. Then we will see.

I can't wait!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T00:54:00.002-07:00

I am spinning out the old year and in the new one. I am working on my next project. That is happiness for me. I am tired of people asking me if I made my sweater when I have to say no. So I found a new pattern I would like to make and I am spinning up the yarn for it. It is all luxury yarns with mohair, and silk and cashmere. So I am spinning up those fibers which I have in abundance, thanks to Kathy Withers. And I will be knitting a new sweater before you know it. I will have to get more dye though. I wonder what color to make it?

I also washed some icelandic fleece today. One less bag of the smelly stuff. It was looking bad and I was worried that it was molding or something. It washed up lovely, soft and mostly snowy white. So all is well and I just have to decide what to do with all that icelandic fleece. It's pretty nice but how much icelandic can you spin?

Time to go to bed and dream of my new sweater. Some of the yarn is already drying in the bathroom. I will make more tomorrow.

Experiment in color

2009-12-27T22:33:00.001-07:00

I decided to try a scarf with stripes of color with 3 strands of different yarn knitted together. It turned out rather well in my opinion. It will go to one of my son's girlfriend.

I am also still working on the lace scarf but running low on yarn so I'll have to wrap it up soon. It's not very long. I can block it a bit bigger though. It's very pretty.

Lace scarf

2009-12-09T22:47:00.002-07:00

This is a picture of the scarf I designed and am knitting from my own handspun cobweb yarn. It's one of my favorite colors and so soft. I started it on the long trek to Kansas.

It will look better after I block it. It is spun 2 ply from Border Leichester lambs wool and Angora blended together. I will just keep knitting until I run out of yarn. It will be a short scarf. But pretty and warm too.

I finished my sweater and will do pictures of that soon.

In kansas

2009-11-26T23:07:00.001-07:00

I am in Kansas this Thanksgiving for a family reunion. I taught my 7 year old cousin to spin. Plus we did some string games. I took a picture of her with her first Jacob's Ladder.

I also found another older cousin who was interested in spinning. She knits and was facinated by my spinning.

I also wrote a new lace scarf pattern that I am making now for a prototype. Family get-togethers have lots of down time so I've been creative.

Moving!

2009-11-16T09:42:00.003-07:00

I moved this weekend, 15 miles north to a smaller, less expensive house. The worst part was that I had to face my fiber addiction as I pulled boxes and bags of fiber out of cabinets and cubby holes to move them. I have a 10 x 12 room in my new house that is filled with 3 feet high boxes and bags with just a path to the window. How on earth will I ever manage to get all that unpacked and organized? Plus the garage will not fit a car just yet.

I felt like I was in the twilight zone with unending boxes to unpack and no matter how many I did, there was more to do. I do have one room kind of organized, but I will be working on this for weeks to come. So no more playing with fiber until I get it all organized! Or, maybe not too much playing with fiber. The good part is that you see all the stuff that you did not remember you had. :-) So it will be fun. Wish me luck!

Piles of Fiber!

2009-10-19T21:58:00.001-07:00

Here is Kathy digging through her piles of new fleeces. All of them were fabulous. The wool festival was a success even though the temp was 99 degrees. It was great and well attended.

Patagonia

2009-10-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

Saturday I went with Kathy to the Patagonia Fall Festival. They had many vendors there and lots of goodies to buy. I managed not to buy the place out but I saw a lot of wonderful artwork and stuff I'd love to have.

I was exhausted by the end of the day from doing spinning demos and talking to people. I'm not used to talking that much for that long. LOL. But it was fun. I think Kathy sold some things and I can't tell you how many people said they'd come to the wool festival next weekend. So it was a successful show. Beautiful weather too. And it was a lovely area.

Dyeing Weekend and more sunsets

2009-09-21T07:56:00.002-07:00

This is another sunset from Tucson. It was a wild one with brilliant colors and light. I find the colors that nature provides endlessly fascinating. I had a weekend of trying to emulate nature by dyeing some more of my white merino fiber. It was fun and I didn't always get the color I wanted, but I am getting closer all the time. It's an art, that's for sure.

Here are three of the last colors I did. I wanted more of a Burgundy on the nearest one, but it didn't get as dark as I hoped. I have lots of red and pink and may need to overdye. I am trying to do more fall colors but I love the jewel colors. I overdyed the green as I had a lighter green before and needed a darker one. So at least I did get the darker green I wanted. The periwinkle is my favorite color and I always can use it. It looks amazing mixed with many different things. I have not organized my rovings but will be doing so this week and hope to get some out on etsy. Plus I now have more colors to create roving with. It's an endless process. Thank goodness for Kathy and her new carder. I'd never get this much done 1 to 2 ounces at a time!

Sunset over Tucson

2009-09-12T19:06:00.001-07:00

I had a full day of carding fiber with Kathy today. I have way too much pink and purple and blue. But I am always inspired by the sky. So I now can spin a lot of sunset yarns. I will post pictures later of all my purple fiber combinations.

Socks!

2009-09-04T13:36:00.001-07:00

Sitting here, recovering from surgery has given me time to finish the purple socks I have been knitting. They are Merino and Silk. Very cushy and warm. Next is a crazy rainbow colored pair.

Green roving spun up

2009-08-25T22:26:00.001-07:00

This is the next color in the lot of rovings. I am deciding whether to ply it for socks or coil it. It is pretty so far.

Spinning the fiber

2009-08-23T21:36:00.004-07:00

Yep, my test with the iPhone app worked. I like it. It's nice to be able to post a bit here and there, and I will get the version with the pictures capability. Today, I finished spinning some of the dark roving and coiled it. Before and after pictures are below. It spins up nicely.

Test

2009-08-23T13:41:00.001-07:00

I have a new app on my iPhone to write blogs with. Way cool! We will see if it works and increase my blogging.

I took a break from spinning and went out to lunch. Wildflower Cafe in Goodyear. Went to the bookstore for inspiration but didn't find anything.

Carding Frenzy

2009-08-22T21:00:00.003-07:00

My good friend Kathy from Unique Designs By Kathy in Tucson got herself an amazing Pat Green carder. It is huge. It holds about 10 oz of wool at a time. So last weekend, I took all the wool I had dyed and trucked it down to Tucson. Then Kathy and I put together colors and she carded up a bunch of it for me on her fancy new carder. We did about 60 oz of wool. It works fabulously and everything comes off the carder so soft and pretty. It does a fabulous job. I am including a picture of my 60 oz of roving just waiting to be spun.

Everything turned out fabulous and the wool spins so easily now. It is so much cleaner and carded so well that it spins smoothly and creates beautiful yarn. I started with the black one in the middle. I think it's pretty dark but my expert Kathy tells me it will be fine coiled. So coil it I will and post it up for your approval. I am excited to be able to spin some of my own wool again. Doing an ounce or two at a time is so tedious. This carder is a dream come true.

I am also getting read to post my patterns online with Ravelry. I have a designer shop now and will be putting things up as I get them ready. I have 3 or 4 to start with and hope to have time to do more designing. It is time consuming but very rewarding. My name on Ravelry is FiberAddict2 and that's also my Etsy shop. Not that I have anything up there now, but maybe one of these days I'll get stuff posted. I should have a lot of time to spare after next Friday as I'll be convalescing for a few weeks. So I will be on my wheel if I feel up to it.

Sheep to Shawl

2009-07-08T20:54:00.005-07:00

Recently I finished a shawl made with handspun yarn that I washed, dyed, carded, spun and knit. Here are some pictures of it. I don't have any of it before washing, but believe me, it was dirty!

Here are the batts before spinning, after carding and below is the yarn on the wheel?

Below is the finished shawl, after blocking. I am still wondering whether to crochet and edging or not.

And below is a closeup of the detail of the shawl.

Artistic Adventures

2009-06-22T22:21:00.004-07:00

A few weeks ago, my parents and I went to the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix to see Chihuly, the blown glass exhibit. It was an interesting experience and quite colorful. It's always invigorating to see other people's work and how they interpret things. This sometimes imitation and sometimes enhancement of nature was interesting. I must admit I enjoyed the Butterfly exhibit as well. But the glass was stunning.

Unfortunately, Chihuly is over now, but it was fabulous and the Botanical Garden is worth seeing all by itself. It was fun to see how glass and color could merge with the natural beauty of the dessert.

Virtual Fibering

2009-04-06T23:01:00.002-07:00

Most of my work lately has been online. I've been creating a new webpage for IAGARB. They are having a membership drive and wanted their sign up sheet online. So I did some PHP scripting for them and made a map to show their districts, etc. It turned out pretty good. I also like the site as it has some fun information about Angora bunnies on it. So if you want, go check it out at www.iagarb.com

I've been reading Kathy's blog and she has babies galore! Her ewe Pearl had 4 lambs! Wow! I wouldn't want that task of feeding 4 at once. I'll bet her farm will be fun to visit with all those little ones running around. They are so cute and bounce around like crazy. Of course, it is tough raising goats and sheep and all the other things she has. It's not for sissies. But she loves it.

I am trying to clean up my spare rooms which I am using for projects. I have a wall of fiber, and a whole bunch of fabric too. I have been washing and carding shetland and merino wool in my spare time, which is not much. But I have a few batts done. I plan to spin some sock yarns.

New Hat

2009-02-15T16:40:00.004-07:00

I finally got my newest version of the Celtic Cable hat done. The top is a 6 pointed star that I drew myself. I went to a website that taught me how to draw celtic knots and designed it from there. I will be finalizing the pattern and then it will go on the web for sale. I really like it and am pleased with how it turned outl.

I need to post pictures of the fiber I got dyed. Maybe this week. I have been spinning the lovely fiber Leslie gave me.

Much to do, but I spend most of my time working and hanging out with my sweetheart Wayne. When I get to Kathy's for spin group I get some done so thank goodness for that.

Prayers for Kathy that she does not lose any of her momma's and babies. Birthing time is always hard I think.

My new studio

2009-01-19T22:16:00.002-07:00

I finally got around to fixing up my studio (spare bedroom) this weekend. Wayne put a ceiling fan in and I hung my quilt wall. I started unearthing all my bags of fiber and putting them into boxes. I can't believe I have so much! LOL I guess I am a fiber addict for sure. I bought a table to work on and I am continuing to move the fiber into the small bedroom for storage and the quilt supplies into the main room. I have been doing a little bit of carding of my colored fibers and I did get my new wool picker delivered a week ago. I like it OK although it's not as thorough as the Pat Green picker that Kathy has. It does a pretty decent job on some things but I have not tried everything in it yet. I need to do some more work with it and see how fast it processes things and what works best in it.

I am happy to be back working in my fiber and have been spinning some amazing fiber that Leslie sent me. It's 65% Angora, 10% silk, and 25% Fine Merino. It is so beautiful and only has some small noils that I have to pick out as I spin because the Angora was way longer than normal. But it's gorgeous and I should have enough for a shawl. I think I got 337 yards out of 1 ball and I have 4 of them. I spun it as a single and it should be great for a garter stitch shawl of some kind. I imagine I'll find a pattern or make one in the Orenburg style like I did before.

Well, it's bedtime. More and pictures soon.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-29T08:16:00.004-07:00

I know I have been negligent in writing lately. I have been working a lot up here in Phoenix AZ at my new job and when I'm not doing that, I'm hanging out with the new love of my life, Wayne. :-) I did make a new pair of my lacy half gloves to show in Kathy's store and I was told they were well received at the New York Sheep and Wool festival. Now I need to modify my hat pattern as I am told it is similar to someone else's. So I will change my design to keep it original and in the clear. I don't want to steal anyone else's ideas certainly.

My picture of the glove is on the IAGARB blog, hmm. I should link my blog to that one (note to self). It's where I get the yarn for most of my creations because my friend Leslie is the president of it and she always asks me for designs for her yarn. We will be putting up a link to sell some of the patterns on the IAGARB site soon so that will be cool. I have so much to do...

Well, off to work. But I shall try to make this more interesting. I did a ton of dyeing and washing yesterday. FINALLY! Some fiber work. I will post pictures soon. I dyed some skeins of wool I had spun as well as a bunch of my beautiful Merino lambswool. I owe a friend some wool to play with and I had to be sure I had some pretty colors to send her. So now I do. I ordered a small bench picker this morning. My darling Wayne had said he would make me one, but I don't think he will have time and his tools are in Alabama. So instead, I got a small portable one from Kaydessa at www.woolpickers.com I sure hope it works as well as it looks like it does. I don't have room for a big one anyway and would like the portability. Plus it's a much smaller investment. I made my own yarn winder yesterday and was quite pleased with myself. I will post pictures of all. Now I just need a new yarn swift because my old one won't stop collapsing down onto the table. Then I will have it all. BWAHHAHAHAHA Ooops, sorry. That just slipped out.

Lace Half Gloves

2008-10-19T20:47:00.003-07:00

I finally got the half gloves done for the New York Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend. It should be over by now and I haven't heard it they were well received or not. I hope they got there OK. I Fed Ex'd them at the last minute of course. I've been moving and unpacking in Phoenix and didn't have as much time to knit as I'd hoped. But I did get the two cowls and the gloves done. I'll do more later as I'm sure she'll do more shows and have more yarn to sell.

I'm very pleased with this pattern. I like it a lot, so we'll see if others do.

Short post, more later.

New Version of the lace Cowl

2008-10-01T21:44:00.003-07:00

OK, I have been goofing off, or rather working now. I started my new job in Phoenix last week. But I did manage to get the next version of the cowl done and I even have a test knitter trying it out. It's different than the other one. I will be offering both versions of the cowl. Here is me modeling it again.

And here is the back of it.
I'm happy with it. I'm finishing up a multi colored version of the first cowl. And I'm also working on a set of fingerless gloves. I need to hurry up because it is almost time for the NY Sheep and Wool festival. I don't want to let Leslie down.

I have so much to do and work is getting in the way. LOL But it's a cool job, so I should not complain. I have a house now too or will in a week or so. So things are good. I also started dating someone a few weeks ago and am completely smitten. He is the most amazing guy I've ever met and I feel so lucky to have him in my life. Fortunately he's not around all the time or I would never get anything done!

We went to Sedona a few weeks ago and it was so much fun. I will post pictures of that soon. Sorry to be so negligent! I need to go up on Ravelry too. I have totally not been there for months!

On the road

2008-08-04T04:12:00.003-07:00

I have finished my degree and decided to drive up to Chicago from Tucson. This is an 1800 mile trip. I made it in two days though with a lot of perseverance, audio books on the iPod and lots of friends to chat with on the way. It was still torture though for my hips. Now I have to pack up all the rest of my worldly belongings including a fair amount of fiber and bring it back. I'm starting to worry about managing a trailer, but I am pretty good at driving and have watched my dad maneuver trailers for years. So I hope I learned by osmosis or something. When I get back, we will literally be awash in fiber as I have accumulated a lot in the 7 months I've been in Tucson as well as all the stuff I had back here.

My friend is going to drive back with me for the sheer fun of it (he's more than slightly mascochistic) which means I will have time to KNIT! LOL So I am looking forward to the company as well as the additional time to work on things. I have an initial prototype of my next piece and am already redesigning it a bit. But I do have pictures, so I will put one up. It's made out of my friend Leslie's angora yarn and she will be selling it as a kit in October at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival.

I actually made this a bit longer and now Leslie has it. I am doing a second one that is not so large. it fits closer to the face which I think is good. She also wants me to make lace gloves and a scarf pattern. So I need to get busy. Plus she can sell the hats I make, so I need to make more. Busy busy busy. And I have to chart up a pattern for a headband or hat band in the Celtic knot variety. So guess what I will be doing for the next two months? It is fun being a designer though. I rather enjoy it. She gave me a bunch of colored fuzz and some felting needles. But first, I need to pack all my crap up here and maybe go through the boxes that Crystal packed for me. I hate to, but it is necessary so I can get out the things I need, and choose what to get rid of. (Sigh) But first I pack what is not packed and then go through what I can before we leave. I have 4 days for this activity. Wish me luck.

The Monsoon Season is here!

2008-06-26T23:13:00.003-07:00

This is my first monsoon season and first summer here in Arizona. Today we had rain. Yesterday we had rain. Not a ton, but you could see it sweeping across the valley and it was beautiful. Today the washes were even running and an inexperienced person like myself had to be careful not to drive through anything. I got safely home though. I am putting up some pictures from last night's storm and sunset. BEAUTIFUL! I even got one lightning strike which was way cool. But try as I might, I couldn't get it again...

These are the colors of sunset that I love most. The dark blues and pinks and yellows. This matches my batt that I just made. I started spinning it tonight. I will post pictures when it's done.

This always makes me think of God looking down on the earth. Even though it's just the sun. It's such a beautiful image and they always use it for that kind of representation.

The latest projects

2008-06-23T13:13:00.004-07:00

This is the last batt group I carded up. I called it Dark Sunset. I will probably spin this up. You can't really tell how dark it is because of the lighting. It will be better in a yarn.

Below is my latest creation, a cowl out of the Samson's Angoras 85/15 Angora/Merino fingering yarn. It is not done yet, but I'm quite happy with how it looks so far. It seems to be about the right size and is pretty so far. I see the scallops around the face, but I guess you could wear it either way. But they will be lost if you tuck then into the neck of your coat. So I'm thinking around the face. That's what I have envisioned anyway. I hope Leslie likes it.

I'm going to post on Ravelry too to get some feedback maybe.

It just gets warmer

2008-06-21T20:31:00.002-07:00

Well, the thermometer on the porch today hit 114. So you'd think I'd have sense to stay inside. But no, we had spinning group at Kathy's today. So guess what we do? Sit out in her workshop, with the doors open and only a swamp cooler for air, and spin for 5 hours or so. Wow was it hot. And I was spinning silk/cotton which kept sticking to my hands because I was sweating. I was spinning a laceweight as usual and I will probably ply with a very thin silk thread and beads. It is nice, but taking forever to fill the bobbin. That's the trouble with lace weight. It goes on forever and ever.

On the design front, I also found an edging I like and am now looking for a lace panel to fit within the edging constraints. I like it a lot and think it will be pretty. So I am happy. I borrowed Kathy's "Knitting on the Edge" book and found something to inspire me. It's very pretty. So I'm excited about the new design now. Still swatching but getting closer.

I will put pictures up soon with some of these things. I also carded up a dramatic dark sunset batt or two and was planning to spin that. Hopefully this week I will work on it because I want to put more in my etsy shop. I haven't posted anything there for a week. I have some lace weight yarns I can list. I may dye them first. I have a cobweb skein that is too small to sell, and it's so pretty, I wish I had more. I think the fiber is in Chicago that I was using. Oh well, I'll get it all here eventually. I just can't live without my fiber.

We are going to do a design challenge soon among a few of us. We are going to take a photo and create our interpretation of it in several different mediums. I would be quilting of course. So more on that later. It will be fun, I hope. If I get my fabrics soon. They are also in Chicago.

Who needs wool?

2008-06-14T22:10:00.003-07:00

Wow, is it HOT here in Arizona. This is my first summer and I am getting an intro to the heat. It was 110 today on the patio and it's been around 100 for days now. Here I am wanting to do some knitting and it's too hot to wear anything, much less wool. I've been knitting on my Socks For Soldiers and have another pair done. A very generous member of the yahoo group knit me two pair of legs on her sock machine so I am starting to knit the feet for those now.

I am craving to start doing some more design for my friend's 85/15 Angora Bunny/SW Merino wool fingering weight yarn. I made a hat last year that sold out all her yarn at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck in October. I don't think I'll get to go with her this year, but my knitted stuff will. Apparently it is the talk of Ravelry which surprises me because I didn't read it up there. But that's cool.

I did go to Kathy's today and worked with some mohair and raked for her. I work for fiber. LOL Works for me. She does such wonderful design work and has a great sense of color which inspires me to try things. I have not had time to put anything else up on Etsy and I really need to post some more. I've been spinning some mohair and some silk to ply it with but am stuck for now doing other things. I also want to work on spinning singles to knit with. But I have some design to do and then there's school. :-P I can't wait until my school is over. 6 more weeks now. I hope it goes by fast.

In the meantime, I am staying inside mostly and drinking lots of water. I can't drink enough to keep hydrated. I did have my last set of Yoga Theraputics this weekend. My teacher Bruce is amazing and I am learning a lot from him. So that's fun at least. It gets me out of the house.

More Color!

2008-06-09T12:22:00.003-07:00

I have been blending up some of the new colors I have been dyeing and am having fun getting my inspiration from nature. There is so much color and light out here in the desert. It's just amazing that everything looks brighter and more colorful. I love it.

Here are some more batts that I did and posted on Etsy. Not sure if they will sell but I thought I'd give it a try. You never know. I am enjoying the color play though. It's so pretty and fun. Spinning them up is lovely too but I figure that some people might like spinning their own.

I am enjoying getting comments on my blog now, a few here and there. And I always like to go check out their sites if they have one. I am back to designing my parents website today. I have to make some forward progress so I can get school credit for my work. I can't wait to be done with school. Wish I could play full-time but I have to get school finished and get a real job so I can eat.

Sunset colors and coiled yarn

2008-06-01T22:35:00.004-07:00

I've been inspired lately by the gorgeous sunsets we see here in Tucson. Mom, Dad and I have a front row seat every evening and I just love the colors and the show. It has been spectacular lately and I find it affects my color choices when I'm blending fiber for yarn. So I am inspired by the sky as usual. Here is the sky tonight and some of the yarn I have spun because of it. I also have some other batts that are so pretty. I can't decide whether to spin them up or offer them for sale as is. It's so hard to represent in pictures. They need to be felt and seen in person to be appreciated. Oh well. I did some stuff for Kathy too and I think she liked it, or she was being nice. :-) I got some new colors and some cotton thread to coil yarn with. So I've been doing coils.

More spinning colors

2008-05-27T11:04:00.005-07:00

This is a fuzzy picture of my single before coiling it.

The next picture is of it as I am coiling it on the bobbin.

This next picture is a 50/50 wool and mohair 2 ply yarn blended from my new colors.

I have listed these two skeins on Etsy and have not had anyone buy yet but have lots of lookers. I think Etsy is good in that it has an established customer base. I will be working on some knitting jewelry and some other things to add to these items. It is fun at least getting people to look at stuff.

I also managed to link my blog to Ravelry. I have not been up there in many months but decided to go back in and had some nice messages from some people on there. So I will try to keep that up. It would be better if I got notified when I had a message as I forget to check. Oh well.

My Ravelry name is Yogini25. I was going to look for the little icon.

Charting software and novelty yarn

2008-05-26T22:44:00.005-07:00

I have been doing a lot of blending and spinning lately with my new colors. I have also put a few things up on Etsy, so we will see what happens there. I'll put my beaded yarn picture up and have some coiled yarn that is really pretty that I'll post tomorrow or soon. This yarn is made by blending the pink and purple colors with some white mohair and plying with one sided beaded. It is pretty. I am trying some thick and thin now. It's OK, but not great yet.

I have been interested in charting software for some time, mostly knitting because that's what I do. I'd love to write a knitting chart software program and have toyed with the idea a bit. Then my friend also asked me about a crochet charting program. I did find one that is in a beta version form. It does have some limitations but does do (only) circular charting. It is cool for what it does so if you are looking for that, it's right up your alley. The URL is http://nhswinc.com . Go check it out and if you like it, tell the author so she will keep working on it. I also have a few knitting programs I have tried but they are easier to find. This is the only crochet one I have found, especially that does in the round. I may do a java version. I think I will make a list of software as I find it and list it on my blog. This crochet software will be the first one.

More novelty yarns tomorrow. Kathy has taught me some really cool things. She's so creative!

Dyeing with Wilton's Cake Dye

2008-05-19T20:35:00.005-07:00

Well, I finally plunged into the world of color. Kathy from UniqueDesignsByKathy.com has gotten me inspired. Since I didn't have any regular dye (it's in Chicago), I used Wilton's Cake dye to dye my washed Romney. She let me use her picker (wonderful invention) and then I dyed a bunch of fiber. The colors tend to fracture but if you don't get freaked out about it, it is actually kind of pretty. But they are all very florescent, very bright. So I will hopefully tone them down with some grey, white or black fleece blended in. We will see. I have one more color to card out and then I can blend. I also did a bit of spinning just using handfuls of color to switch as I spun and made a few samples. The grey tones down the pink and purple, for sure and the brown and blue tones down the green.

The sample at the bottom is an attempt at coiled yarn from the Spin-Off magazine, last issue. It's OK, but I made some other coiled yarns at Kathy's that I like better. This is so stiff and bulky, it wouldn't be good for knitting, in my opinion. Pretty colors, like an Arizona sunset, but not soft. It might make a good necklace actually.

I will post pics of my other coiled yarn and will be blending up some batts to try. I also opened an Etsy account called Fiberaddict2 and will be posting up some of my yarn and maybe some fibers to sell. We will see how it goes.

Socks for Soldiers

2008-04-27T09:04:00.002-07:00

This is my first pair of Jolly Green Socks to send to Iraq. I have joined the Socks for Soldiers yahoo knitting group and have been making socks for soldiers fighting overseas. This is my first pair and it took me quite some time to finish them. Partly because they are so big, knit with size 0 and 1 needles and fine yarn. But they turned out pretty well in my estimation. I have yet to get the blessings from the groups "Sarge" Kim Opperman.

I have had one member offer to make me legs on her CSM sock machine so I am excited about that because that will save me some time and allow me to up my production. In the absence of those, I am casting on yet again to start the next pair. I don't have much time to do anything fibery lately though because finals are next week and I am frantically coding my senior project. I seem to have a few group members who can't spend the time needed so I am ending up with the bulk of the work. (sigh) But it will be over in a few weeks and so I am trying not to stress over it. It will be done and I will graduate, and then on to more fun things!

I will be spinning in a few weeks, for sure. I have all that new mohair to play with and have a desire to do some funky new novelty type yarns just to see if I can do it. Some coiled stuff and more spinning singles from the lock, and the like. I have been yearning to have some spare time, so if I can just hang on 2 more weeks, I will be more free to play.

In Memory of Rocky

2008-04-07T20:25:00.005-07:00

Our little buddy Rocky died today. He was a sheltie rescued by my brother 5 years ago or so and had obviously lived on the road a while before Kevin found him. We didn't know how old he was but he had a brave spirit and was always sweet no matter what happened.

He had lived with my parents and his step-brother Rowdy for a few years and had been struggling with his health the last 4 months or so. He suddenly lost ability to be able to breathe properly and we lost him this morning despite the vet's best efforts. My mom and dad are heart-broken and it has not been a good day. We will miss Rocky and hope that he's up in doggie heaven playing with his beloved soccer ball.

Fun at the fiber farm

2008-03-15T23:05:00.005-07:00

I had a wonderful day today visiting Kathy Wither's ranch here in Tuscon. I am so lucky to live fairly close to her and have been out to visit several times. She has Angora goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas plus a few stray bunnies and geese. She is a fiber artist and teacher that is fairly well known here in the area and has some wonderful things in her shop out at her ranch. Her URLs are http://www.uniquedesignsbykathy.com for her ranch website and her blog is at http://uniquedesignsbykathy.blogspot.com She is always very generous with her time and attention when you go out to see her and will show you around and talk about her animals. I bought some red mohair the last time I went out and fell in love with the color and texture of the fiber. It's so beautiful. I will take a picture of some yarn I did soon.

So today she had open house and was shearing some of her flock. So I just had to go out and gawk at the shearing, and maybe score some more of that red mohair that I was addicted to now. She had a shearer there named Penny who did an amazing job of shearing and handling the animals. She told me she had been shearing sheep since she was 9 years old. She apparently has a farm in the area and I can't wait to go visit her and her flock. Here is a picture of Penny and her volunteer sheep wrastler Chris.

Now to the important part. Kathy let me pick which red mohair goat I wanted to have shorn and I choose the most beautiful one as we all agreed. I only feel slightly guilty that Kathy was partial to this fleece herself because I am so happy to have it. Besides, she said I could. So I watched them shear Creme de Menthe a red angora goat and then I took the whole bag home with me! Oh delight! I must post the before picture of Creme de Menthe who gave up her yearling fleece to me. She was gorgeous, to be sure.

Kathy has over 20 babies right now at her farm as all her mommas are giving birth within the last few weeks. I can't imagine taking care of so many little ones. In any case, if you are in the area you should visit her place. It's amazing. What a fun day for a fiber addict!

The beautiful Creme de Menthe. She did not like being sheared one bit.

Our treasure from the gem show.

2008-02-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

OK, I took pictures of my new bead stash and my mothers. This first one is hers. She creates wonderful beaded necklaces which she hopes to sell once their website works properly. Most of her work can be seen at Greene Studios Of Tucson She does great work and I love her sense of style and creativity. She uses all kinds of materials from metal and glass to natural stones and pearls.

I use mostly natural stones and tend to prefer semi-precious gemstones and beads. I love the natural look and feel although it makes things heavy if I'm not careful. I also got some lovely silver and moonstone pendants from Tibet. I didn't get pictures of those taken yet. I also love silver and stone earrings and I got a goddess pendant with rose quartz in it to make a necklace with.

I spent way too much money but still have more things that I'd like to get. Maybe this week we will go over and do some more shopping.

The Gem Show!

2008-02-08T22:03:00.001-07:00

Oh man, I went overboard again at the gem show. I have a whole pile of loot and so does mom. I will have to get serious and actually made some pieces up to sell on Etsy or something. Otherwise I have to quit buying beads and stuff.

I'd like to make some chakra necklaces again and some Malas along with other spiritual type jewelry.

It is so nice here compared to Chicago. They have been getting hammered for months with snow and cold and rain and ice. It's crazy. I am so happy to be here in Tucson rather than in Chicago. I will have to think twice about where to live next after I get my degree. Swamped with school work so I haven't done much more than work on my socks a little bit in my spare time. Hopefully I will get on top of the work soon.

Sunny Tucson

2008-02-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I am in Tucson now going to school full time. I shipped my new wheel ahead so it was here about the same time that I was. It's beautiful here. It's somewhat cool but the sun is usually shining and it's way nicer than it is in Chicago. They just got another foot of snow!

I have been knitting socks and having trouble with my gauge. I have also been spinning with my new Lendrum and it is a dream to work with. I have spun up some Merino laceweight and am now doing some Mohair which is so soft and shiny, not at all scratchy like I expected. I'm spinning it up laceweight. I now wish I'd brought dye and some other things. But school is really keeping me pretty busy too so I don't want to get too carried away. School comes first for now.

I bought some more bamboo sock yarn and I may do that next. I also have plans to make shawls for people and for myself. I need a good meditation shawl, big, soft and warm.

Also, the Gem Show started here in Tucson today. Mom and I have plans to go this week and see what we can find. She has a wholesale number now so that is pretty cool. I want to get things for myself and for friends. Christmas shopping for next year. :-) I want to work on some knitting jewelry and maybe post it on Etsy. I'd like to do some small things for sale just to try it out.

Christmas Project

2008-01-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

My daughter decided she wanted a sweater dress which is all the rage now. Since she thought the yarn was expensive, I decided to take some of the copious fiber sitting around my house and make her one out of it. So I spun it up, chunky, I'm proud to say. Then we dyed it and I knit up a pattern that I adapted to fit her and added sleeves. And I got it done in record time! It was lots of fun to have a model to fit the sweater to and of course, she looks great in anything. And since I got a new camera, I am posting my beautiful daughter in her new sweater. One object finished. And I finished the boy's hats also. I need to get a picture of them. But for now, here is my baby girl. :-)

Oh, and my Christmas present to myself? A new Lendrum! It is so pretty and spins like a dream. I love it! I've been wanting one for 2 years and I treated myself. It was one of the few presents I got this year but well worth the wait.

Long drought

2007-12-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have been moping around for several weeks mourning the loss of my primary method of income. I got laid off from my company in a large group of people right before Thanksgiving. Nice, huh? I've been looking for work online and feeling ineffectual in general as I thrash around for direction. I am sure that this will turn out for the best and I'll probably be much happier in the long run, but it is always a shock if you are not expecting it. And this is the second time in 10 years that this company laid me off. OK, I get it. Go work for somebody else.

I have been feeling a little bit sorry for myself and with Christmas coming, everything seems to make me feel like (or actually) crying. I have it way better than lots of people and I am not in any way destitute. But it's always scary to face change, especially when you didn't choose it and it blind-sided you. But I will prevail. I signed a new lease just days before I got the news so my first week was spent moving. The second week, I escaped to Tucson to visit my folks. That was nice. I took my knitting and you have already heard the bamboo sock yarn story. But I did get some knitting done.

Today I tackled organizing the garage which has become a dumping ground for all the things that won't fit in the new place. I ended up washing some suri alpaca that I had ordered. And now I have plans to mix it with some angora and try some laceweight yarn for a shawl. I have been thinking of trying a sweater again also, maybe with the handspun that I saved from the beautiful sweater I knitted that was too big for me. There's lots of it.

I also dyed some of the angora yarn a pretty gray to knit a hat for my youngest son. I was knitting one for my elder son who had asked for a green one, and the younger came up with a swatch of angora yarn that I had knitted and said "I want a hat out of THIS!" It had fuzzed up beautifully and was so soft, he could not resist it. This is a 20 year old guy and it surprised me and was so endearing because I didn't think he'd like something so soft and cuddly. Not manly enough, you know. My middle son admonished me not to make a "girlie" hat for him. 22 year olds are so conscious of their dignity. That made my youngest son's request all the more surprising and delightful. So I can't wait to finish it for him. He has been my model for his brother's hat which is helpful because his brother is 200 miles away.

I used to sew a lot of my children's clothing when they were young. Then when they became teenagers, they didn't want hand made things anymore. So I started making quilts instead. Now all the young people I know want hats and scarves and other accessories. It's fun, but I wonder if I'll have time to do the things I want for myself. Probably. Especially if I'm off work for a while. LOL But it's cool that I'm back doing some fibery things again and so I had to post about it. I'll get a picture of my youngest in his hat as soon as I finish it.

Visiting Arizona

2007-11-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have been in Arizona for a week visiting my folks. It's lovely here, especially compared to Chicago. But it did rain today, that was a sight. And I go home in two days. I have gotten a lot of knitting done since I've been here. Two scarves for gifts, and a pair of socks out of the bamboo yarn I purchased in New York. However, my mom, being helpful, put the socks into the dryer and they felted pretty well. They are much fuzzier now but not very stretchy. So she tried to stretch them out again, but I don't think it did much good. They fit so well and it was their first wash. (sigh) Oh well, I will have to start over again now. I have been knitting a hat for my son out of some angora yarn and then maybe I'll start on some more socks later. Maybe on the plane back.

It's odd how you get lots of comments about what you are doing when knitting, but especially socks. A number of people seemed to think I was wasting my time when I could just buy them. They have no idea how much nicer hand knit socks can be. Can be, if they are made right. And with that pair, I felt like I had finally gotten it right. LOL I wonder if other people catch crap for hand making something that you can buy. I hate the socks you get at the Target or even Kohls. I just don't see a lot of cushy, warm, pretty socks. So I aspire to having a number of pairs of them. So they will just have to get used to me knitting socks. Especially when I am out and couldn't be quilting anyway.

I was laid off about 3 weeks ago from a job I'd been at for 10 years. And the odd thing is that I feel so much better now that I'm not working there. Granted, I am worried about getting a new job and having enough income to make it through. But I have not had a headache since I stopped going into work. So I think that things will work out well, and the nice thing is that I have extra time to make stuff before Christmas. So I will be getting out the spinning wheel and going to town. I will also try to do some quilting. It's about time to get back into it.

It's all about the gauge

2007-10-31T17:19:00.001-07:00

When I showed my daughter what I bought at the Sheep and Wool festival, and it was all about yarn for socks, for me. It was crazy at Tony Neil's booth in NY, her shop is called "The Fold", because she had the "Socks that Rock" yarn and everyone was mad for it. I have used it and liked it as well, so I nosed over there late Sunday and they had a few colorways in the medium yarn left, so I bought one. I am lucky in that Tony's shop is in Merango, IL only about 40 minutes from me. So I can go there any time. Her booth was absolutely mobbed during the whole show, so I imagine she did very well. I also got some cashmere and some cashmere/silk blend from her to play with - beautiful stuff. It was a good price too for cashmere. I want to knit my daughter a wedding veil and am looking for the best fiber to spin yarn for it.

So anyway, I bought a lot of sock yarn because I'd love to have a drawer full of home made socks. The only problem is that the perfect knitted sock evades me. I have made 4 pair and the Socks that Rock pair is the only one I'd consider wearing. But it's still a bit too big. And the issue, I found out, is my gauge. I had the opportunity to have a knitting diva on the trip with us and she dictated a sock for me to knit. I eagerly worked on it on the long drive from Canada to New York and discovered that it was too big. I was using a size 1 needle, on a pattern that she uses a size 2 on. So I switched to a size 0 and she still pronounced it too big. I guess I get really relaxed when I knit or something. My hands are anyway. So I started knitting as tightly as I could and I think I have the gauge now. So I frogged the thing and started over, maybe twice. But I am 2/3 the way done now and I think it will fit me snugly and not feel like steel mesh on the bottom. I am very happy and grateful to my friend for helping me with this. I am looking forward to having some socks that rock of my own. Pictures to follow soon.

I also want to say thanks to the people who leave me comments. I enjoy reading them. Yes, I will most likely sell the hat pattern and maybe the yarn that it is made with on my site. I use an 85/15 Angora/Merino blend from Samson Angora's that is amazing and beautiful. It takes about 3 oz or 1 1/2 skeins of the sportweight yarn. It is warm, and light and beautiful. So stay tuned.

Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival

2007-10-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I'm back from Rhinebeck. It was very crazy with lots of vendors and lots of people. I bought a bit of yarn for socks and a couple pounds of raw black shetland wool. It's very pretty. I also got my huge bags of combed fiber from Zeilingers and I barely fit them into the trunk to bring them home. It was a lot of driving and a lot of work. But we did pretty well because the hat that I designed was wildly popular and it sold all of her yarn the first day. So then we were out the second day. So my design was a big success. I have a picture of it so I can post it.

The weather was beautiful and there were hordes of people at the fair. I ate too much and stood on my feet too much. But all in all, it was good to get away.

Hats

2007-10-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

I think I might be getting tired of hats. A couple friends want me to make them scarves and I will have to buy yarn for that, but that's OK. So many people think that wool is itchy, but really only commercially processed wool is itchy. They all say they are allergic to it when often it is just that the wool has a lot of pokey fibers and was not treated nicely. My handspun is soft and beautiful. I can't wear commercially processed wool, even over another shirt, yet I can wear Merino and Angora blends next to my skin. Also Alpace and yes, even Mohair. Even I was surprised about that.

I had someone who told me he was allergic to wool and yet he put on an 100% merino wool sock that I knitted and said "Oooh, this feels good". LOL But it's an uphill battle.

I love my fiber, all the different colors, and textures and lengths. There is something so sensual about natural fibers, something seductive. I love just touching them, and wearing them is so enjoyable. My first love is spinning and I need to do more of that and less hat knitting. :-P After I finish this one and write down the pattern for Leslie, anyway. I have a week to get it printed out so she can use it with her yarn at NY Sheep and Wool. I can't wait. Oh, and she picked up my two huge bags of fiber from the mill. I can't wait to see them! She says they are perfect, as I had them combed. So I am looking forward to spinning them up.

Keep on spinning!

Long time

2007-10-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for a while. I finished the Celtic hat for Leslie. She decided it was too small. I was making a headband like it, so that is now the new hat. I've almost got the band done and will start the top of it soon.

She also came up for her father's 80th birthday and we had a nice visit. She showed me some spinning stuff and is trying to talk me into keeping track of my TPI. I am an intuitive spinner and she is more technical. :-P I just do it. But it would be better if my spinning was more consistent. I actually do very well, but maybe could do better with some consistency for selling stuff.

She showed me some novelty yarn spinning which was fun. I may have to try it.

I have orders from many people for things to make them. So I will be busy this fall. In two weeks, I go to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival with my friend who will have a booth there. Maybe I can sell some stuff even though she was not encouraging about the yarn. She thinks my finished items are worth more. Probably right. She is in the biz and has been for a long time.

Also, my wool that I took to WI Sheep and Wool is done at the mill and she will be picking it up for me. I can't wait to see how it turned out. I'm very excited about it. I hope she calls me when she gets it to let me know if it looks good. I had it combed so it should be beautiful.

I need a new camera for more pictures to post. That is next. So much to do!

New Pictures

2007-08-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

OK, I finally got some pictures of me with 40 lbs less of fat to lug around. I even got a few pictures of me spinning! Very cool. I am working on designing the Celtic hat for Leslie. I have the band done. It looks good. Will post soon. I have to figure out the rest of the hat now. It is a bit snugger than the other version I did. She loved the other one but needs a hat and a headband out of 2 skeins of yarn. So I am working on accomplishing that.

I am working on my second sock also. I hope to wear them soon. I also have 3 ply Angora sock yarn from Leslie that will be so warm and soft. I can't wait to try that out. It's a nice tight ply and should wear well.

Latest projects

2007-08-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

When I went to the fiber fair in Crystal Lake, I fell in love with a triple picker. But I also bought and have enjoyed a skein of "Socks That Rock" in shades of blue. I have now knit one sock and am on the second sock. I like the yarn, I like the pattern. I took it from the basic sock pattern in "Folk Socks" and am using small needles (USA 1) to get a cushy sock. It should be lovely to wear.

Nice. And I knitted it mostly in staff meetings. Sweet!

I also spent last Saturday spinning the final ply and plying my laceweight Lambswool and Angora fiber. I got a huge skein on the bobbin and my hands both ached when I was done. But now I have two skeins and can think about starting the shawl. I'd love to do one for Crystal, my daughter as she is getting married in May. But she may not appreciate it as she doesn't wear shawls, ever, or dresses, or anything fussy like that. So maybe I should do her a bedspread or something? I like the idea of a shawl but it may not be practical for her. Oh well, there is no accounting for taste. I have taken some pictures of my laceweight yarn.

I also took a picture of my latest quilt which was actually sewn together 3 years ago. It's just the top. I need to sandwich and quilt it.

Fiber Art Fair

2007-07-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

There is a first annual Midwest fiber and folk art fair in Crystal Lake, IL this weekend. There was a day and a half lace knitting class that I was tempted to take. But I did not have time off work to spare. I shall have to go tomorrow though and check out the vendors and see if there is something I can' t live without. I really shouldn't go because I don't need any more fiber. I have enough to last me the rest of my life. But I must support this venture because after all, we need more fiber fairs, right? Then next weekend is the felting symposium in Madison and my favorite fiber/felting diva Leslie Samson will be there. I am hoping to get a way for a day and hang with her. I might have to bring my new significant other to meet her if he will be OK with going to a felting symposium. He's a really good sport but I'm not sure how he'll feel about it. I will have to ask him tomorrow.

I have been carding up more lamb fiber with angora to spin and have a pretty good collection now. But I'm worried about starting spinning because I want it to be active singles when I ply it and when it sits around, it tends to set the twist in a bit. I really tried to spin it well and even respun the first bobbin before plying it. Still, it seems to be kind of thready. We'll see how it behaves when I do some swatching. I might just use the square Orenburg pattern because I own it and can start it NOW. I am feeling impatient to get going.

I love the bridal shawl though. I shall have to order a few patterns when I get a bit of extra cash. They are not cheap, but are so beautiful. I also want to get the Victorian Lace Today book. Everyone else is having fun with it and I loved the preview I saw of it in the magazine. Maybe tomorrow?

I also got clever and decided to decorate my own shirts to save some money. So I bought 3 t-shirts for $10 each and then went to the fabric store. Clever me. I spent $47 on lace, sequins and 3 patterns. But if I hadn't gotten the patterns, it might have been cheaper. Still, the whole adventure was expensive after all. But I have patterns to make more shirts. I need new clothing because of losing so much weight. It's a great problem to have. LOL

Spinning Laceweight

2007-06-29T12:14:00.001-07:00

I am spinning up some hand carded 1/2 Border Leicester lamb's wool and 1/2 4" staple Angora bunny fur. I am spinning it laceweight and have been looking at lace patterns to make a shawl for my daughter for her wedding. Not sure if she will like it or not. I am trying to get it as cobwebby as I can but it will be a 2 ply, and so it will have to be thicker than a cobweb style commercial yarn. I am spinning it as thin as I dare and it does have some variation, but it is way thinner than the last shawl I made. So I think it will look OK. The bridal shawl I see at http://www.heirloom-knitting.co.uk/index.html Looks very large and will be larger in a thicker yarn. It's a beautiful shawl but it would take me a long time. I just haven't found anything I like better. So I may have to order the pattern.

I also like the Magical Earth Shawl in "A Gathering of Lace", but I think I want to make that for myself. It's not really a bridal shawl.

The kids are coming to visit me on Sunday before heading off to Navy Pier on Monday for the day. It will be fun to see them. Maybe they can meet the guy I'm dating. I also may have a chance to go to Arizona at the end of the month. It looks like I can and although it will be hotter than hell, I can spend the whole time in the pool or the air conditioning. I love the heat anyway and it will be a time for myself. Again, it would be nice to take my new guy but he says he can't get away. This is his busy time. Oh well. A free vacation is a free vacation. Plus I will get to see my parents. That's always a bonus.

Back to spinning Laceweight!

Heat Exhaustion

2007-06-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Man, is it ever hot in the summer wearing a long dress, hoop skirt and long sleeves. I thought I was going to die of it! It was so hot and humid last weekend. I just don't know how they did it in the olden days wearing all that clothing and working out in the heat too.

I did spinning all weekend which was fun although it seems like I did a lot of little bits and didn't get a lot done on my stuff. But hopefully I interested some new people in spinning. There were a few kids that seemed to take to it really well. I did get some knitting done and one pair of half-gloves is ready for the girls at work.

I played hookey today and went kayaking down at Lake Michigan. It was fun except when a squall kicked up and it was raining hard on us. That was a little scary out in the middle of all that water and with the wind and waves kicking up. It turned out OK though. At least I was not overheated today and I drank lots of water to help get rid of the residual headache from the heat exhaustion. Plus it'll be cold at work tomorrow. It's always cold there.

Candy (my new friend in Sauk City) gave me a big bag of wool for helping them with the spinning. It's pretty, a grey with tan tips and a nice crimp. I'll have to wash it up and make something fun with it. I got more lamb wool and Angora spun for Crystal's shawl. I still am filling up one bobbin though because the lace weight single is so fine that it doesn't take up much space. Then I have to start swatching and figure out which shawl to make. I'd love to design one but that may take too much time.

Did I mention it's really hard to relax while using a port-o-potty? I just can't tell you how much I like flush toilets. LOL Thank goodness I don't really live in civil war times. I will put up a picture of the Wisconsin river that we were by all weekend. It was so lovely there. We all enjoyed the trip, hot as it was and would go again. Plus I got fiber! That's always a big plus.

Infatuation

2007-06-12T06:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I have been distracted lately from my fiberous activities. I met a new guy 2 weeks ago and have been smitten ever since. I have been spending a lot of my free time with him although I do take my knitting with me.

I am preparing to go to Sauk City Wisconsin to do a spinning/carding demo at a Civil War re-enactment over the coming weekend. That should be lots of fun. I am making some CD Spindles to take along and give out. Maybe I can addict some new folks to fiber! We can only try. LOL

I also moved my room and took all my spinning stuff downstairs with me and it's all piled up in a corner of the room. So I have to get organized before I can do much more work. I had been carding up lots of wool, washing more wool. I carded up the lamb fleece Leslie gave me with some beautiful Angora, also from her. Then I am spinning it laceweight in order to do a new shawl. I have thoughts of making something for my daughter Crystal's wedding next May. If I start now......

I have also been making half gloves for the girls at work. It's always so damn cold here that I have to wear sweaters and gloves at my desk. That's so annoying!

Well, off for now. I keep meaning to put up more pictures. :-P But Crystal took my camera cord so I have to find another way to download. (sigh) The things we do for our kids.

Too Much

2007-05-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

I am feeling overwhelmed lately. I have more wool to wash up. I have so many knitting projects started, well 3 or 4 anyway. I have a bunch of housework to do and other things too. Plus my social life may be getting more interesting. I need to re-organize and re-arrange. I now have mechanical project to overhaul and work is busy as always. I have so much I need to take pictures of and document. Plus there are so many other things I want to do. I guess I need to make choices. LOL

I joined the lace knitting group on yahoo. It sounds like fun and I also have been looking at lace collars because of my re-enactment. I love lace knitting but it is time consuming. I am also a member of the spin list and I find I enjoy reading those 2 posts once a day or so.

I am currently combing a bunch of Targee and Targee Cross wool. I also have some BF Leichester and Romney. I got some beautiful stuff from Canada and I can't wait to figure out what to do with all that. I guess I'd better get back to work. :-)

Canada

2007-05-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Acres and acres of Tulips in Ottawa. The colors were spectacular and even though I'm not a tulip fan, it was pretty cool. I had a fun time with my friend and scored big with fabric and experience which is pretty much priceless. We washed and dyed a lot of wool. We did lots and lots of driving, and it was pretty much cold and rainy the while time. But the company was wonderful and it was totally worth it.

I have been washing wool like crazy since I got home. I have a civil war re-enactment in a couple weeks and am hoping to take some of the wool with me. I also want to look into making some spindles with CDs to let the kids use. I'm doing a spinning demonstration, which should be fun. Everyone is always fascinated by it.

I have so many projects partially done for my knitting. I need to finish my other sock and do some fingerless gloves for the girls at work. I also got a beautiful baby sheep fleece from my friend that I am thinking to card with Angora and knit a wedding shawl for someone special. So much fiber, and so little time!

More Icelandic

2007-05-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

I am still waiting for my second batch of Icelandic wool. I hope it comes soon or I shall have to email her again and see what is up.

I tried the hand cards and reprocessed the wool that I had carded on the drum carder. I spun it up and it seemed to work reasonably well. So no nice batts or rovings, but I can make little rolags to spin from. I carded the two together because I want it to be softer. The undercoat or Thel (I think) is very soft and pretty short, but it seems to hold together. I have yet to spin a second bobbin up and ply it into a 2 ply yarn. But it should be fairly nice. Not as smooth as I'd like, but it will be nice and warm, maybe for gloves or even socks.

I am going to Canada next week to see my friend and I can't wait. Hopefully we'll do a bit of fiber stuff, and she has promised me some black Angora. I can't wait to see it. I am reading with envy the women on Spin-list going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival. I'd love to do that. I think I'm going to New York or something later in the year. I forget which one my friend goes to but prob NY. Then I hear the Wisconsin one is nice. So more to look forward to.

I have committed to doing spinning demos for a Civil War re-enactment in June, on Father's day actually. I also am thinking of being a vendor at a brand new fiber fair near where my daughter lives in Illinois. I could stay with her at night as it is not far from her at all. Then I might sell some of my stash and some of my friends stuff if she has anything she wants to get sell at that point.

I will post pictures of my icelandic yarn and the socks. I am still making the second one. LOL I think it's called sockitis, when you only make the first one. Ah well, so much to do, so little time.

Icelandic Wool

2007-04-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

I bought some Icelandic fleece that came last week. I washed the white up and it is so beautiful. I love the look of the long tog with the really soft shorter thel (undercoat). However, some of the fleece is so short that I'm having trouble carding it up. My drum carder is just not working well with it. I need to try hand cards, I guess. I did spin some of the batt up and it was OK. THe yarn is a bit irregular, not as smooth as I like. But it's soft and wooly.

I am worried that the yarn will pill a lot as the thel is less than an inch long in places. I think it was only part of the fleece that was so short, but most of it is way shorter than I'm used to. It seems like it would be warm and I could always blend it with some longer wool. But would that just ruin the longer wool? Such a dilemna. I will have to ask my friend in Canada about it. Hopefully she has some experience with it.

I plan to go up to visit in a few weeks. I can't wait. It will be fun to get away. My son is supposed to go visit friends this weekend so I'll have the house to myself. That will be a treat. He's going down to do some music. I hope he has fun. I hear him downstairs practicing his beat box. LOL He is so good at that, it's amazing.

I finished one sock and will post pictures if I can get my card reader back from him. It looks good but not sure how it feels yet. Have to try it out. I have the second one started but only knit on it in the staff meetings. So every Tuesday, it gets bigger. must sleep. More pics later.

Ottawa!

2007-04-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my Orenburg Lace Shawl, more pics and details below.

I am making plans to go visit my friend in Canada in May. She will be participating in a doll conference and I get to go with her and do some sightseeing. She is a felting diva and does felted soft-scuplture dolls and things. It will be so much fun.

I am working on the socks still and yet another hat to send to Canada. She liked the first three, so I am pleased. I am almost done with one sock. The yarn turned out a bit firmer than I had hoped but we will see how it feels on the foot. I bought some nylon and have blended it and some angora into another batch of Polypay so I'm hoping that turns out a bit softer and maybe more durable. I have been doing a lot of carding and blending lately. I also have bought a number of fleeces on the internet lately. I'm getting some Icelandic wool which I am excited about because I have never worked with it. I'm also getting some more Polypay and Dorsett. It's tough to pass up all the goodies available right now because it is shearing season. My kids think I'm crazy, of course.

I was asked about my handspun Orenburg lace shawl. This was my very first handspinning project and my first lace knitting project. Before this, I only did scarves, LOL. I haven't put up pictures because it's hard to represent it with photos. But I have several and will post them so they can be seen. It is a beautiful shawl made with some fiber that my Canadian friend grabbed off of one of her carded Angora blended bats and gave to me. It is beautiful fiber and has a lot of Angora in it (and maybe alpaca?) which gives it that halo. But you can still see the pattern, so it works OK.

Now I am hooked on lace knitting and am planning a project with the dark brown llama that is so beautiful spun into lace weight yarn. But first, more hats!

It was a good effort for my first piece. Here it is all pinned out drying. I was amazed at how much better it looked after blocking. Wow!

And here is a closeup of the detail in the shawl. I used the Orenburg Lace Book by Carol R. Noble. I will put the title up when I find it. It's not the Gossamer Webs: The History and Techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls, but another one by the same author. Can't remember it at the moment but they are both very good books for learning to lace knit.

Sock yarn

2007-04-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have spun up some of the Polypay that I processed. I spun it a bit thick and worsted, so that it is a bit overtwisted. I then did my first skein dying project and made color bands so that when I knit it up, it will have bands of color. I will put up pictures soon.

I have been working on the hat, but I had to take 16 rows out because it was getting way too big. It was almost a sweater! This hat has been a pain to knit but it will look nice when done. I am determined to get it done in time to send to Canada with adopted daughter. I spoke to my Canadian friend and she is happy with my progress even though it has been slow. I can't wait to visit her myself. Maybe in May. We will get together and spin and geek out over fiber. She's a felting diva so we will felt up some of my overprocessed Merino. Canada should be fine in May.

Pictures coming soon of my hat and my new sock yarn. I hope it makes cushy socks!

Warm!

2007-03-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful weekend. We had 70 degree temps and I did not spend much time indoors. I am trying to get another hat done to send to my friend. It is somewhat complex and has a lot of cables and twisted stitches. I hope it doesn't take forever to do. I want to finish my hats before the Sheep and Wool festival. (New York?) One of those.

I helped my mom get going on blogspot and she should be happily blogging away now. I will put links to her stuff when I get a chance. I have managed not to buy any more fiber lately. I have just been washing and combing it up. Those Russian paddle combs are vicious and I have had several nasty wounds from them. So I'm trying to get used to wearing gloves while I work. It's tough and the fiber tends to stick to them. But at least I have no more nasty wounds on my fingers.

I have gotten used to using the combs and now I kind of wish I'd gotten the english combs for my merino. Maybe one of these days when I get rich. LOL You just never have enough fiber, or enough tools to work it.

Inventory

2007-03-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Last night I pulled all the boxes of fiber down out of my closet and went through them. I did inventory and wrote down everything I had. I pulled out all the stuff that was not clean or carded. Boy do I have a lot to process. Wow. I will be busy for a while. I am toying with the idea of an Ebay store to sell stuff and have just not decided yet. I just wonder how successful it might be, but I am having trouble letting go of the idea. So maybe I should give it a try. I just want to make more money than I spend. I need a way to pay for my habit.

And do I sell fiber or yarn? Beads? I think more people knit or crochet than do spinning. But then it will take more of my time. But I do love the raw fiber and spinning it up. And what is the best use of my time? I don't know. I need to focus on one thing but right now I feel scattered.

I am so proud. Last night my youngest son did a speech on fiber and did a spinning demonstration for his college speech class. I bagged up some fiber samples for him and labeled them. They taped it and I hope to get to check it out as soon as a friend converts it to DVD for me. Maybe he'll learn how to knit next. LOL He already knows how to cross-stitch, all my kids do.

Yarn Harlot

2007-03-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the knitting books at Borders when I came across a little book that attracted my attention. It was the Yarn Harlot: The secret life of a knitter. I have read some of it and it's pretty good so far. I love her description of her yarn stash and her unfinished projects. It makes me feel a bit guilty about my blue sweater. I have been doing fiber prep and ignoring my knitting except for starting a hat for my angora buddy. I feel like I need to be finishing up her hats for the shows she will be at. The book is a lot of fun and I can tell I won't be long finishing it. Unlike my blue sweater.

I watched a video on how to card on UTube. It was strange, I didn't learn anything I didn't already know exactly. But somehow, after I watched it, suddenly things seemed easier and some of the fiber that I had been laboriously opening lock by lock and feeding into my drum carder was being combed instead with much less damage to my hands. Combing wastes more fiber, but I am saving most of it and will try carding it up on the drum carder for felting. The only thing that didn't do so great was my beautiful ruined Merino. I get less than half the fiber back, but actually, the new combs work as well as my mini combs. I got the Russian paddle combs which are only single teeth (I was disappointed about that) but they still work pretty well and do a fair amount of fiber at a time. The video is in three parts and starts at this URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-C9j6srYSg&mode=related&search=

The woman in the video is seriously goofy. But it is somewhat entertaining and it seemed to help me a lot with working the combs. Now I just need to get a table to work on and find that piece of wood that holds the comb on the stand... Where on earth could it have gone to?

Hats, and more hats

2007-03-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have pictures of the two hats I have finished. This first one is my 4 rib hat. I

just made this one up.

This second one is a 4 rib hat. I got this pattern from a book and converted it to a knit-in-the-round hat as it was designed knitted flat. (weird) These are both knitted in the Samson's Blizzard angora yarn. So soft and cuddly!

I spent all weekend washing and carding fleece. I love working on the fuzz but I have to figure out what to do with it all. So much fiber, so little time! I just can't retire yet to work on my fiber. So I have to keep my day job. Ah, such is life.

More projects later.

It's all about the fiber

2007-03-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

I have been washing fleece and carding it up until my hands are sore. I did find some brown shetland that I'm going to card up with my llama and see if it makes a nice yarn. I love the 100% llama but it will be silky and not have any spring to it. I still want to make a shawl with it as well. I keep thinking I should put some of my stuff up on Ebay but I can't decide whether to put up the fiber or the yarn. I'm sure more people knit than spin. But you never know what will go.

I have a shiny new computer from work and I'm going to see if I can hook my scanner up to it. Sometimes scanning stuff gives truer colors than taking a photo. So maybe I'll try scanning my hats. I started a 3rd hat and got a 4th pattern from the web as per my friend's request. I'm looking forward to a weekend of washing, spinning and carding.

The cool thing is that my youngest son (20 yrs) has decided to do a speech on fiber preparation so I will be making little bags of fiber for people to feel. He learned to card and spin and will demonstrate his skills in class. Too cool.

I will put stuff up to look at soon, I promise.

Black Faced Cotswold

2007-03-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have been working on some beautiful black faced cotwswold wool this weekend. I washed it all up and started picking the vm out of it. My left thumb is swollen is keeps cracking now because I was pulling stuff apart all day long. I have maybe 7 lbs of wool. It is beautiful silver, dark grey and blonde or brown tips. It has a really long staple although some of it is felted about 3 inches down and I've been having to loosen it up as I go. It is 7 or 8 inches long and is a medium coarse fiber with a soft loose crimp. I am separating the dark from the light and will maybe ply one strand of each to make the yarn. I also did a lot of carding on some shetland I washed up. It's pretty too. I'm gonna have to do some knitting or something that doesn't work my thumb until it rests up.

I started my diet 3 days ago and I have been hungry almost constantly. I hope this is working, it sure feels like it. If I can just keep myself distracted with fiber, maybe I won't notice being so hungry. LOL Now the weekend is over. At least the sun was out today.

No Roadtrip

2007-03-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

There are just too many factors so I will not be going to Canada for a fabulous fiber weekend. It's a shame and I am disappointed, but we will do it later. I will just have to do some fiber stuff on my own. I have some wool to process and a sweater to finish. I also have tons of spinning to do. My youngest son turned 20 today which is kind of scary. They grow up so fast. I also have about 6 more hats to do. I ordered a pattern that was requested of me, and I have some other ones that look promising. There is another blog poster who seems to make a lot of hats and posts the patterns. She is at http://smariek.blogspot.com/index.html I will be trying some of her stuff. I will also post up pictures and patterns from the hats I did so far.

The weather is relentless and we are getting more snow on top of ice and rain. That's one of the reasons I'm staying home. I am going to focus on sun, and then maybe we'll get some. Think warm!

More snow!

2007-02-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, is it ever going to end? I stayed in most of the weekend hiding because of the sleet/snow/rain/snow that was going on this weekend. The trees look pretty, but I'm ready for it all to melt. And it's snowing again today as I look out the window right now! Come on Spring!
Below are 2 recent projects. This is the sweater I'm making out of my handspun that I have been working on since last July. This piece is the last sleeve and I am so ready to be done. And I'd like to wear it this year. Maybe not... It's got beads and cabling and I am getting tired of doing it. I'm pushing to finish it.

I also am adding a picture of my hand warmers that I made for work with Samson's Blizzard yarn (80% angora, 20% merino) They are so cozy and I love the bloom from the angora. So soft and warm. If anyone is interested in a kit, I can get them for you. The kit will do 2 pairs of hand warmers. My hands always get cold at work so these are great.

I also washed up a couple batches of raw Shetland wool that I bought last year. Since I am buying new fiber, I need to finish processing the other stuff. Then I have to spin, and then knit. I also want to do some dying but am timid about this still.

I think I'm going up to Canada this weekend to visit my friend. I can't wait. She is in the midst of washing and dying fleece and wants me to come up and learn from her. Plus she'll show me some spinning tips and we will probably do some felting with my ruined merino. I have been needle felting squares to put together to make fabric. And she's making Mole! I love mole. Oh, I need to add pictures of the hats I knitted for her. Oh well, maybe next time. Hope it's not snowing because it's a 9 hour drive.

Hi, My Name is Holly

2007-02-22T16:56:00.001-07:00

And I'm a fiber addict. It's been 3 hours since my last fiber purchase...

OK, so I bought some fiber on Ebay today. And boy do I have a lot of stuff in my watch list. I bought this black faced Cotswold that has some gorgeous colors in it and I'm sure it's even prettier in person. I can't wait to see it now and am just waiting to hear my final price so I can pay her and she'll send it to me. I will put a picture up as soon as I get it. I have been diligently working on my Merino/Angora sweater. It is so pretty. I am holding off to put a picture of it up here in one piece, but I might need to do some partial shots. I'm also going to buy some English combs in the next day or so. That will be cool. Then I"ll try to comb out my ruined Merino.

I had my first comment today! How exciting. Thanks to Rita for visiting and for the nice compliments.

Dreary Days

2007-02-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

Late February and early March can be so dreary here in the Midwest. This year is no exception. There have been a few sunny days which does help a lot, but only if I'm home feeling it stream through my windows. Otherwise, it might as well not be sunny. And today is one of those gray days where the sky and the ground are two complimentary shades of gray. (sigh)

I have been struggling over whether to start back to work on my quilting or to continue with my fiber fantasy. I am knitting hats for my friend. I have 2 done now which I need to send. I have worked on my blue sweater which only has the one sleeve yet undone. It would be nice to finish that. And I have played with my 40 lbs of ruined Merino trying to figure out what the heck I can do with so much bad stuff. And I thought the "black" Merino was good, but honestly, I see a lot of short fibers in that also, and I wonder if it was overprocessed. I thought I sent the mill a good fleece, so either I was wrong, or they goofed it up. I can't believe that it is all bad, the black and the white. I had plans for some of that stuff. My friend seemed to think the black was OK, but the white was bad. But she's a felter. From a spinner's perspective, I think it is all pretty bad.

I have tried combing the white to get out the useable parts and get about 50% of it that is worth spinning. So what to do with the rest? Make a mattress? Stuff a couch? And I will have to buy bigger combs, I'm looking at the English variety, because my mini combs are about to make me crazy with the small amounts of fiber they hold at a time. Wool, Warp and Wheel generously offered to lend me their combs until I buy some, but I haven't gotten over there yet. They are nice people, for sure. I also tried combing a bit of angora in with the white merino and that made a softer yarn which wasn't bad. But I hesitate to use my lovely angora with crap wool. If it is weakened from the process, I don't want to use it on something nice.

So I am nursing my wounds (those cards are sharp!) and trying to think about what I want to do with all that fiber. Maybe I could use it as quilt batting...

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

We are currently digging out of a huge snowstorm that hit us yesterday and the day before. We probably got 10 inches around here so I have been staying inside a lot and playing with my fiber. I went to Wool, Warp, and Wheel on Sunday and took my last spinning lesson on how to spin down fibers. We spun some yak which is very short and "downy". I'm not sure I have the technique down (no pun intended) as he had me overspin it some and it was too much. You apparently have to add a lot of twist to keep the fibers from slipping and you spin it worsted with a short draw to keep the yarn from having any air in it and creating a weak spot. I have some more yak and I also own some so I will practice this and see if I can create a nice looking yarn from it. It is apparently very warm as yak as a down fiber is very warm even when not allowed any air in it. It was interesting but I'm not sure I'm excited to do anything in yak. But it's a good technique to know so I will practice it.

I am working on a second hat for my Canadian friend and it will have some cables on it. I've never done cables before so it will be fun. I'm substituting yarn, using angora of course, so I started and tore it out probably 6 times. I think I have it now. I'm adapting a pattern that was not knit in the round, which seems weird to me. I bought this book called "Hats gloves scarves" by Louisa Harding and NONE of the hats are knit in the round. That just seems strange to me. So I am changing the patterns. It has some nice patterns in it but they are just done oddly. I don't want to make a seam on a hat, seems wasteful and will make a back to it which I don't like.

I also have been combing some of my 20 lbs of white merino that I had processed and which turned out terrible. It wasn't the mill's fault. I bought a junk fleece and added it to a nicer one I had and so there are tons of noils all through it. If I comb out the really short stuff, there is some nice merino left and I have spun that up extra fine. It is a true laceweight and I will probably make a shawl with it. It won't pill so badly if I make something that doesn't get a lot of wear. I toyed with adding angora to it but am afraid to put my beautiful angora with this questionable merino. I will save the angora to blend with some good stuff.

It is Valentine's Day which is not normally a good day to be single. But I feel grateful today to be where I am in my life. I am working to focus on the things I do have rather than dwelling on the things I don't have. I do have great friends and family and so have lots of love in my life. I feel like I have a path to follow and I intend to focus on where I am going and where I am right now. I have to keep asking myself, "What can I do right now to move in a positive direction?" And then I move to make that happen. That way I don't get bogged down or discouraged as often. Life is a journey and I am taking it one step at a time.

Not Guilty!

2007-02-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

I ended up on a jury this week and decided on a civil case. I think the defendant was probably guilty of one of the charges but the prosecuting attorney was very green and was not able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the charges were true. So we found the defendant not guilty. It was an interesting process and I suppose it was good to have gone through it. But it is inconvenient. The people at the courthouse were nice, except for the security who took my tweezers. :-P

I did some spinning and knitting in the jury assembly room and while waiting for stuff. I received several inquiries about what I was doing and everyone seemed interested in both the knitting and the spinning too. An older woman who came here from Poland who now lives in Vernon Hills chatted with me and talked about knitting. She looked at my Vogue Knitting magazine and took a card from it. She said something about me teaching her but it sounded like she knew how to knit. I gave her my contact information and she may get ahold of me. It was interesting. I like working out in public because it always generates interesting discussion.

I'd love to start a fiber group in the area. It would be fun to go places, hang out and knit/spin/crochet or whatever. It is always fun to share.

Cold!

2007-02-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been so cold here the last few days that it has made up for the whole rest of the winter. I'm sorry but 31 below zero is just insanity. It snowed today to add insult to injury although usually I feel that if it's going to have to be cold, it might as well snow. But at this point, I'm thinking that it's February and shouldn't it be getting warmer yet?

I have been taking my knitting into our staff meeting at work. We are a small group and my boss has a great sense of humor so I always get funny looks and comments. But I have persisted and they are starting to be interested in what I'm doing. I work with almost all men and they are younger than me. So they ask what I'm doing and if it's for them. LOL So I took my angora hat in today and discovered I had an error. Ooops. So I did more unknitting than knitting. But overall, for the day I'm at a net gain. I'm thinking that angora anything would feel good at this point because angora is so warm.

That's it. I mostly wanted to complain about the weather. But I like knitting in the meetings. Usually I get so impatient while they chat about stuff, but if I knit, it's bearable. Plus I actually pay better attention. So they can tease all they want. It makes me happy.