I’ve been itching to get started on another handspun shawl and, after looking at dozens of patterns and handspun combos earlier this week, decided that I NEED to knit another daybreak.  And this one MUST be knit in Wensleydale.

I chose to use 4oz of  “Not So Seaworthy” colorway by Spunky Eclectic and paired it with Rosa’s amazing natural deep brown.  I really like how these two yarns play together and Wensleydale is just so dreamy to work with!  It is knitting up super fast and I’m looking forward to snuggling up in it on these still-cool spring evenings.

What’s on your needles, hook, spindle or wheel?

I don’t crochet often enough.  It is something that I really enjoy but I just don’t do it as much as I would like.  Since it is kind of a dreary and wet day, it seems like the PERFECT day to bust out my trusty crochet hooks and work on something fun.

I’m using 4oz of handspun BFL/silk in “Medieval” colorway by Southern Cross Fibre to make some super awesome granny squares.  The pattern is Control Issues by Cynthia Boylan and it is such a fun (and addictive!) pattern to work with.  The pattern calls for a 5mm hook and worsted weight yarn but since the handspun I’ve chosen is fingering weight, I’ve dropped down to a 3mm hook and I really like how the squares are turning out.  I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to make from these rockin’ granny squares … probably a fun cowl … but I’m loving just kicking back and crocheting for the heck of it.

Happy Tuesday all!

Look-ee what arrived in the mail today! 

I had been scouting round for a second hand copy of Barbara Walker’s Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns for a while now and was super excited to find one on Ebay.    When it arrived today, I couldn’t wait to start flipping through the pages.  There are just so many interesting stitches and techniques that I want to try from this book!  From the quick glance I took through it, I’ve got some fun ideas brewing already.  I know for certain that I am going to get a ton of use out of this book and you can bet that I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the other treasuries as well.

Do you have certain books or stitch dictionaries that inspire you?  Do tell!

I really love quick and fun projects like hats and when some stranded colorwork in the form of owls in thrown in, they are extra fun!

My owls hat was knit on 4.5mm needles in worsted weight yarn.  The white is a Samoyed/Merino blend and the rose color is some lovely heathery Merino, both from Belfast Mini Mills.  I used the owl chart from Little Owls Blanket Charts as the basis of my hat and improvised the top.  I’m quite happy with how it turned out and definitely want to knit more!

I am also planning on sharing the pattern for the hat in a future blog post so stay tuned!

Happy Fiber Friday all!

I was browsing through Ravelry recently and came across Little Owls Blanket Charts by huizeStinesen and fell in love.  The owls are just so cute!    I would love to knit the blanket eventually but knew that I definitely wanted to knit the little owls into a fun, instant gratification project now.  So I started planning for a hat.  Using my trusty 4.5mm needles and some worsted weight yarn, I whipped up a little owls hat in no time flat.  This baby is my second and I’m hooked!

So what are you working on at the moment?  I’d love to hear all about it!

Today seems like the perfect day to share a spoiler pic of Spring Snow with you all.  The pattern is currently being test knit (thank you so much gals!) and one of the knitters has finished it already!!!  That was super quick!  I’m hoping to get some better photos taken in the near future to share with you all

Happy Monday!

Today is day 5 of the Hooplovers.com 30 day challenge and I got the whole family involved in the hooping fun.

Shearing a sheep with manual shears. Totally amazing!

A lovely spinner, with whom I had the pleasure of talking spinning with

Just a few of the many beautiful sheep.

Is there anything cuter than a lamb? Yup! Three of them!

I love how this sheep wears a bell on the collar.

The Sheep Shop

Callie was a huge hit with Judah and Willow

Family portrait time!

Goodies!

We had the pleasure of attending the Celebration of Sheep and Wool at Pembroke Farm today.  It was our first time visiting and what a wonderful spot it is!  Not only do they raise sheep for both meat and fleece, they also train border collies for working with the sheep, grow organic veggies, and run The Sheep Shop.

Today we got to watch a sheep shearing demonstration where the shearer was using manual shears.  She made it look so incredibly simple and easy, which I know that it is not.  Judah and Willow were very impressed with the sheep for “sitting so still while getting their hair cut.”  I also had the opportunity to chat with spinner who was demonstrating.  It is not very often that I get a change to talk shop with other spinners so it was incredibly enjoyable for me.

The kids got the most enjoyment out of checking out all the animals … especially Callie, the horse.  She allowed them to pat her nose, which was a huge thrill!

And of course, I got to oooh and ahhhh over all of the lovely fiber and creations in The Sheep Shop.  The items that struck me the most were the needle felted people and MerMatrons.  They were all so whimsical and I can’t even begin to imagine how much time went into crafting each of them.  I did come home with some yummy spinning fiber as well.  Truth be told, I’m eyeballing it sitting on my desk as I type this post … I’m just itching to get into it!

Happy Saturday all!  I’m off to spin!

Its that time again … time to share the previous month’s handspun booty I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying already! And of course, I enjoyed this months spinning immensely. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I am completely and hopelessly in love with wool. Each month is always my “new favorite” or a newly found and much loved new-to-me technique.

April was my first time ever spinning for a cabled yarn and can you guess how much I liked it? I loved it! I picked out 4oz of South African Fine in “Day Lily” colorway by Spunky Eclectic and paired it with 4oz of Merino/Mohair/Alpaca in “Good Morning Sunflower” colorway by Belfast Mini Mills. The end result is a wonderfully round and brightly colored yarn that just screams “CABLED COWL!” to me.

My next spin is another of my absolute favorite fibers – Romney. This was the March club shipment from Spunky Eclectic and, during 20 Questions, when it was revealed to be Romney, I did a little happy dance. Long wools are so much fun to spin and they make amazing shawls. I decided that this 4oz bump should be fingering weight singles for exactly that reason … to make a shawl.

My last spin for April was another favorite for me and many other spinners as well. The April club shipment from SE was oatmeal colored BFL overdyed in a rainbow of gorgeous hues. Amy’s inspiration for this colorway was seashells, hence, the name. I chose to spin this fiber as a fingering weight single as well because it NEEDS to be a shawl too.

So, my spinning total for April is 16oz bringing my 2013 total up to 5.5lbs of fiber spun. Trucking right along towards my spinning goal!

And this last picture is just a fun shot from the yarn photo shoot. Apparently, I need a supervisor to oversee all things here and Bugsy was diligently keeping watch as I snapped some pics. He takes his job very seriously!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend and Happy Fiber Friday!

My hoop practice, much like my yoga practice, is always a work-in-progress.  The above video is a fun trick that I learned this evening while I playing around.