Carding Frenzy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.