Holiday Yarns July 2, 2009

Banana Soy Wool Roving

I discovered a new store yesterday, Holiday Yarns.  I was at a quilt store here in town and the woman gave me a card for a new store in one of the disintegrating malls.  I went in yesterday and have discovered a new treasure, she sells hand dyed yarns, socks, bats, looms, spinning wheels and sheep oriented buttons, pins etc..  I bought a small ball of alpaca rovings just to try it out.  I also purchased four oz. of what she calls “Build a Bat”.  For 6$ an ounce you pick out fibers of your choice with wool as the main fiber, and while you are shopping she cards it on a drum carder and gives you your bat of mixed fibers.  I picked some gorgeous undyed soy silk and some banana fibers  to mix in.  I now have two gorgeous soft luxiourious bats of moss green rovings.  I spun off all of my hot pink rovings just so I could try out my green, oh it is so lovely to work with.

Oh Dear I Think I May Be Addicted to Yarn. June 30, 2009

Sirdar Snuggly babybamboo

Ella Rae Amity afghan yarns

So I have been dutifully working to knit off many projects from needles.  I had run out of needles onto which to add new projects so I vowed to no longer start any projects until I had finished EVERYTHING I had started. Ha. Ha. Ha.  Since then I had to rip off a purse from one set of needles to knit a sweater for Olive (see previous post)  I started a skirt after ripping out a cotton silk blend in a lovely purple that was the most awful sweater ever,  looked HORRENDOUS on me.  I also started a pair of green, teal, blue and yellow wool socks.  But today I finished a wool vest for Morgan and now have exactly four more rows to knit on a linen sweater I started three (or was it four?) years ago.  But then I had to go to a yarn store with my Mom and had to buy yarn to knit an afghan for a coworker who is getting married, and yarn to make a 2 baby sweaters to sell at the Plowshares Festival next year.  Oh and did I mention the afghan book and the baby sweater books I had to purchase because I cannot make up my own patterns without a baby to measure and I am afghan clueless.  Sweaters for the daughter or me, a hat, socks, mittens, fingerless gloves yes.  Baby sweaters and afghans not so much.  But after this no holds barred.  I came home and immediately started knitting.  I have a baby sweater to finish and a bag I will never finish and that purse to stick back on the needles and finish.  Then afghan and baby sweaters here I come.  Oh I cannot wait.  Did I mention that my hemp satchel is full of yarn oh over flowing, and my little settee, and the cupboard and the shelves and the little mini cart.  Oh forget it. I LOVE YARN!!!!!

Wool June 22, 2009

I love the smell of my rovings, that particular sheep smell.  When I spin with it and later as I knit with it.  I breathe in through my nose and the smell is like fresh baked bread in that it is almost intoxicating.  I try knitting a sweater for a stuffed animal with my first attempt at drop spindle, then the thinner more springy second attempt.  I look at my first attempt on the spinning wheel, Bad Acid, and am doubtful anyone would buy anything made of such ugly yarn.  I am spinning the Raspberry Sherbert, its twist more regular and less springy, the weight more regular.  I can go for quite some time now without having to rethread it.  There is a deep satisfaction in making my own yarn.

Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair Yarn March 3, 2009

Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair Selection

Oh the possibilities, evening bags, fronds of deep sea plants swaying in the tides, glittering faerie hair, the list goes on.  I really wanted to make cute little evening bags out of it, but I also see that much can be done with the little scraps.  I think my Mom the art quilter extraordinaire and my Connie crazy quilting queen might see the possibilities too. I think I will have to share.

Drop spindle and the JOY of fiber November 8, 2008

First attempt at yarn

I would love to see other people’s first drop spindle attempts, can it possibly look as bad as mine?  I am desperate to get more roving to see if i can improve my skills (because at this point I have “mad skills” on the drop spindle).  I should not feel too badly, I remember tearing knots out of my embroidery for hours as a child.  I still rip out knitted items, only now I view these tear outs as part and parcel of the process of knitting, but alas with no one to show me the error of my ways I am left to fumble with it by myself.  Isn’t it a glorious thing to behold, mistakes that you can laugh at without fear of critcism.  “What a horror!” you say as you look at your bumpy and weak strands of yarn.  And laugh because you know it is just the beginning and someday your yarn will be as beautiful as your best painting, your most intricate embroidery or the warmest fuzziest and most comfortable sweater you ever made.  HEHE the joy of fiber is in my soul…now there is no going back.

Alpaca Extravaganza October 27, 2008

Alpaca

 

Another alpacaAlpaca and Llama yarns

So in the pouring rain Michelle and I treked off to the NY State Fairgrounds to see the Alpaca show.  Here is a question:  How do people where Birkenstocks in the winter?  My feet were soaked immediately after stepping out of Michelles truck.  We were initially pretty disappointed because we thought there would be way more fiber art related things to do.  There were a few small vendors, selling a variety of items.  We did get to compare one vendors purses and prices and I am convinced we need to sell our bags at a lower price.  Michelle isn’t convinced yet, I think but I will definately be changing some of the prices of my bags for the Plowshares show.  I saw a couple of women spinning on a wheel and discovered a spinning guild in the area! YAY!  Then we discovered the mother lode, a corner of the shed had a wide variety of yarns, knitted and woven products, stuff animals made of alpaca fur etc.  I bought a small bundle of roving and a spindle for a riduculously cheap price.  Seriously can you believe it was only 16$?   Now if only I can find a spinning wheel at a similar bargain life will be complete, and I will never set foot out of doors again except to get more fiber!

Alpaca and Llama yarns

A trip to Cooperstown September 2, 2008

Yarn from an Art Fair

 

We headed down to Cooperstown, with a plan of going to the Ommegang Brewery for a tour and tasting, and then to the Baseball Museum, apparently so did a lot of other people because neither actually happened, we did go to the brewery but no tour, no tastings.  The line at the Baseball Hall of Fame was out the door and they were only letting in a few people at a time.  But we were quite lucky that there was an art fair in town and we walked about a mile through town to get to it.  The day was lovely and the walk quite pretty.  At the fair I was able to talk to one woman about displaying her purses, and another about wool.  The woman with the purses told me that in town there was a gift shop that sold a lot of felted purses.  Michelle and I don’t like felting much because the bags always look lopsided, but I thought I would try a couple so I bought four skeins of yarn, 2 of a gorgeous green varigated Dorset wool and 2 of a lovely natural Bartlett wool.  The company was called Amondale Farms.  It was a gorgeous day and a lovely trip.  I really had a great day…despite the minor setbacks.

Three new bags August 27, 2008

 

 

 

 

Berroco yarn purses

I had this intention to get these bags lined before school started, I guess I know how I will spend the afternoon…cause I only have a couple more days.  The top two bags are two gorgeous variegated yarns called Jasper by Berroco, with fabric that I will have featured in the “Sonya” bag (named for my cousin) in neutrals.  The lovely fabric has irridescent circles in regular rows and patterns, the blue bag it is hard to see the color of the lining because of the reflection but is a pale turquoise, I think Michelle had picked out another color and I have to check with her, but our official style consultant said the pale turquoise was best.

Noro yarn purse

The third bag is another yarn by Noro, it seems to be a 100% wool kind but I lost the tag and cannot remember I just know it is different from the one I knitted a couple weeks ago.  One similarity is that it is so thick and dense it needs no lining.  I actually really like this bag alot and if it doesn’t sell I may have to confiscate it…for the uh…flaws… I just love the variegated yarns when knitting and when looking, I like to watch the colors arrive in their time and then move on to the next row to see what wonderfully rich thing will come next.  And then when you are done the colors never disappoint. 

New Purses July 29, 2008

Crazy Patch and Wool Lotus Purse

Okay well the summer is passing quickly and I have about 10 purses to line or sew together.  Much to be done.  These are two of the ones I need to finish up.

New Cotton Purse June 22, 2008

This purse was made using Araucania Nature Cotton http://www.araucaniayarns.com.  It is a yummy soft yarn with bumplees (I know this isn’t a word but it has thicks and thins and it creates a texture that is bumpy but not big bumps, thus bumplees.  I am making a second purse using the light color which is not a describable color (it isn’t grey, it isn’t soft pink, but almost a pinkish hue in the light, but maybe it is pale blue) As the background with blue anchors.  Will post when it is done which will be very soon.  I have set asside some of my purse making to make a sweater that has been a UFO since last summer.  This sweater is knitted from the top down with a raglan sleeve using Louet’s Euroflaxn yarn http://www.louet.com/yarns/euroflax.shtml.  It is beautiful to knit on which is wonderful because it is a very fine knit using a size 4 needle.  Love the texture of this flax yarn, but I understand that once washed the texture is to die for.  Cannot wait to see what it looks like when it is done.