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12lbsin2012

December Handspun

Jan 22nd, 2013
by SandAndSkyCreations.
6 comments

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I can’t believe that it is the 22nd of January and I just remembered that I have my December handspun yarns to share.  Where did January go!

The first yarn to share was spun from 6oz really lovely CuckooBatts from ArtClubShop.com in “Seaweed” colorway.   I decided to make some  pseudo-rolags and spin them into a soft and fluffy 2 ply woolen yarn.  These were a ton of fun to work with and the finished yarns are oh-so-squishy and wonderful.

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The next bit of handspun to share was a first for me … my first time processing raw fleece.  This was 4oz of raw Border Leicester that I scoured, carded, and spun woolen style and let me tell you, I can’t wait to do it again!  These is something truly amazing about taking fleece in its raw form and transforming it into a soft and bouncy ball of yarn.  For those of you who are interested in learning more about processing raw wool, I highly recommend you check out Rosa’s blog post about processing Princess’s lovely wool.

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And last but not least, was the November Spunky Club Fiber shipment,  4oz of Wensleydale in “Not So Seaworthy” colorway.  I’m really in love with this fiber.  It is silky, and shiny, and has beautiful drape … I could spin POUNDS of this fiber!  This 4oz told me that it wanted to be light fingering weight singles for either a nice pair of socks or a shawl.  Who am I to argue with fiber?  lol

So, are you ready for the grand total spun in 2012?

My total for 2012 was 237oz of wool spun … that is 14lbs and 13oz.  And, I have knit through a lot of the handspun already so my fiber/yarn stash still fits quite comfortably in my basket.

I enjoyed spinning the 12lbs so much that I’ve joined up for 13lbs in 2013 and my sweet fiber sister, Tina of Peacefully Knitting, is planning to go for it this year too.  Be sure to stay tuned to both of our blogs for updates on more of the spinning fun!

October Handspun

Nov 16th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
19 comments

October was another big spinning month for me.  I finished spinning my 12 lbs!  And I also got to try out some new dyers and fibers that I haven’t worked with before or that I haven’t worked MUCH with.

The first yarns pictured are fingering weight singles spun from 8oz of Shetland in “Jazzy” colorway from Southern Cross Fibre.  I am in love with the deep, rich, semi-solid magenta of this fiber.  I had originally planned to knit an Orchid Thief shawl but after starting the project, I felt that the yarn was calling for garter stitch.  It really sparkles when knit into garter stitch so I frogged my shawl and started on Stonecrop which is absolutely perfect for this yarn.   I’m still knitting Orchid Thief but I’ chosen a lovely bamboo yarn from my stash that it working out great.

My next spin was 4oz of Finn in “Feast Of Kings” colorway by Two If By Hand.  It was my first time spinning Finn and it was very fun.  It yields a bouncy, light, springy single which I put some extra twist into because this fun fiber had socks written all over it.  And it is shaping up into fantastic socks indeed!  You can see my WIP shot here.

Next was 4oz of Polwarth in “Going Bush” colorway by Southern Cross Fibre.    I love the bright autumn-y hues in in this colorway.  It makes me think of falling leaves, pumpkins, and crisp fall air.  This yarn is also destined to become some awesome socks.

These skeins above were my first of two spins for October of BFL/silk and let me tell ya, if you haven’t spun this yet … do it, do it, DO IT!  This 4oz was spun up as fingering weight singles with a bit of extra twist in the colorway “Medieval” by Southern Cross Fibre and you guessed it, this yarn will someday soon be transformed into socks.  I might have a serious sock spinning/knitting addiction. lol

This yarn above was spin #2 of BFL/silk for October.  It is 6oz of the Spunky Eclectic Club Fiber colorway “Pheasant” spun up as a light fingering weight.   This yarn has shawl or stole written all over it!  It is drapey and delightful.  I haven’t picked out a pattern for it yet but it will tell me what it wants to be eventually.

And the last skein for October was 4oz of light fingering weight singles spun from a natural, creamy BFL.  This baby has shawl plans as well and it might even hit the dye pot too!  I’m thinking something Stephen West-ish for this yarn …

So October was a very productive spinning month for me.  Lots of fun new yarns and fibery daydreams … a big goal achieved … and more yummy sock yarn for my sock-yarn-deficient stash.  Even though I reach my 12 lb fiber goal, I’m not stopping yet.  Stay tuned for my November handspun post next month to see all the goodies I’ve been working on.  I’m might be working on my hand carding and woolen spinning, playing with some sparkley fiber batts, and dying up some fun in my kitchen …

So what kinds of projects do you have on the go now?  Are you knitting, crocheting, spinning or dying up anything extra special?  I’d love to hear all about it!

 

12 Lbs Finished!

Oct 20th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
14 comments

In January of this year I joined up with the 12lbsin2012 group on Ravelry and committed myself to trying to spin 12 lbs of fiber this year.   In the beginning, I doubted myself a bit because 12 lbs seemed so daunting, but as time progressed, I fell into a routine it seemed more and more attainable.

Last Monday, I am proud to say, I finished spinning the last bit of fiber for my 12 lb goal!  I have really enjoyed the whole process, learned a ton, and got to try out a lot of new-to-me fibers.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  I’m so eager, in fact, that I am continuing to spin and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a 13lbsin2012 group on Ravelry next year.

I’m received quite a few requests through email to see what my 12 lbs of fiber all spun up and to see what my yarn/fiber stash looks like now.

The first picture is of all of my handspun from 2012 to date.  It probably looks smaller than you were expecting because I have been knitting it up almost as fast as I have been spinning it.

The second and third pictures are of my yarn and fiber stash in entirety.  There is 2lbs of shetland and 2lbs of BFL underneath the bags of handspun.  It is bigger than this post in November but it truly isn’t  much of a stash explosion.  Surprising huh?

In my next post, I’m planning to show off all of the fun handspun projects that I have made from my 12lbsin2012 yarns (with lots more to come!) this year.

Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday and happy crafting!

September Handspun

Oct 5th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
10 comments

September was another very fiberlicious month.  I spun a total of 20 oz of  wool, which bring my total for the year up to 10.5 lbs!  I’m actually only 12 oz away from my spinning goal of 12 lbs now but that is for the October spinning recap (and I tried out new fibers/indie dyers too!).

This month just passed, was a very Greenwood month … Greenwood Fiberworks, that is.  I used 1 lb of Carolyn’s delightful fiber to create lots of fun new yarns.  The three sheep on her logo are very well known around this household and when I start on a new braid of fiber, Judah and Willow can’t wait to get their hands on “the sheep” which have been included in many an art project here!  lol

Pictured above is 4oz of merino in Carolyn’s “Copper Hills” colorway spun up as an N-plyed sport weight.  This yarn is definitely going to be some socks!  I love the bold and bright colors.

The next skein is 4oz of polwarth in “Tribe” colorway, fractally spun as a fingering weight 3 ply.  It is soft and springly and just plain gorgeous.  This is going to finish my handspun Rockerfeller which I am hoping to finish up in the near future.

Next was 8oz of BFL in “Calypso” colorway, spun up as an aran weight 2 ply. I love, love, LOVE this fiber!  It is silky and soft and make the best finished projects.  If you’ve never spun BFL before, I encourage you to give it a go.  I’m sure that you’ll love it as much as I do.

And my last spin for September was both a new fiber and a new dyer.  It is 4oz of Falkland in “Saffron” colorway by Northbound Knitting.  This was another fiber that I could spin tons and tons of.  I really enjoyed the deep, rich color and am saving these skeins for a handspun Daybreak.

As I have mentioned above, I am already throwing myself headlong into my October spinning and have only 12oz left to reach my 12lb goal.  My theme for my October spinning is skinny singles so I am working on my spinning  consistency and some really lovely yarns for socks and shawls.  And I’ve also been challenging myself to use the manual setting on my camera for the yarn pics over the past couple of months.  I have A LOT to learn about photography but I’m really enjoying it.  Sometimes the shots come out really well and other times things go terribly wrong.  I’m getting a little better all the time at figuring out what went wrong with the shot and how to correct it.

Do you create little mini challenges for your crafting?  Do you sometimes work in project themes too?  I’d love to hear all about it!

 

August Handspun

Sep 7th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
4 comments


August was a really fun month spinning-wise for me.  I was lucky enough to be asked to do a spinning demonstration for the Women’s Institute during Old Home Week, I got to try out TWO new fibers, and I also got to spin some more long wool (love!), and I spun a whole pound of just hand dyed Spunky fiber.

The first picture is 4oz of Romney in “Lobster” colorway by Spunky Eclectic.  Not only am I super happy with my finished yarn, I’m also really happy with the picture I snapped as it shows off the gorgeous, almost silk-like shine to this wool.  I’m hoping to knit this up into a Haruni eventually.

The second bump of fiber, you’ve already seen all knit up as my Handspun Camden Cap.  This is Portuguese Merino in “A Bug’s Life” colorway which was July’s Spunky Club Fiber shipment.  I really enjoyed both this fiber and the colorway and am eager to spin Portuguese Merino again very soon.   It feels a bit more like Corriedale than Merino to me but it is bouncy and sproingy and a very fun spin.

Next was 4oz of Gotland in “Dog Gone It” colorway by Spunky.  This is another favorite fiber of mine that I just can not get enough of.  Spun up as light fingering weight singles it is silky and drapey and dreamy.  These skeins are definitely going toward making a Rumpus Recipe Shawl.  I just have to pick out a contrasting fiber to spin up to go along with this.  I’m kind of leaning toward … surprise, surprise … more Gotland but in its undyed state.  :-)

The last 4oz spun for August was the August Spunky Club Shipment of Swaledale in “Eating Maine” colorway.  This wool had me quaking in my boots just a little bit.  I had heard from others that Swaledale can be a tricky spin as it tends to be a tougher wool suitable for outerwear and houseware.   When it arrived I was very pleasantly surprised with the texture and it spun up like butter!   It was quite an enjoyable spin, plus I really love the colors.  This 4oz is either going to be a fun new purse or a very pretty Yarn Bowl.

So August brings my spinning total for 2012 up to 9.5 lbs!!!  I’m only 2.5 lbs away from reaching my spinning goal and surprisingly enough, my yarn stash isn’t taking up anymore space.  If anything, my yarn stash is smaller because I seem to knit up my handspun almost as fast as I spin it.

How is your crafting going?  Are you working toward any big goals?  Have you tried out new techniques or materials lately?  I’d love to hear all about your adventures. 

July Handspun

Aug 2nd, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
6 comments

July was a fantastic month for handspun for me.  Participating in Tour de Fleece gave me a little extra push to try some new things and to spin a bit more than usual.

First up was May’s Club offering from Spunky Eclectic,  a lovely 4 oz bump of BFL in “Big Bang” colorway.   I decided to spin my Big Bang as a navajo plyed fingering weight yarn with the plan to make some very snazzy socks.  I held on to this fiber just for Tour de Fleece and it was so hard not to spin it as soon as it arrived in the mail!

My next spin was the Spunky Colorway of the Month for June, Coxstand, in a delightful merino/yak blend.   This was my first time spinning yak fiber and it was such a treat!  I decided to spin up my 4oz as a 2 ply fingering weight yarn with my Ravellenic Games project in mind.  This baby is currently being knit up into my Akimbo, which is ALMOST finished.  I’m really looking forward to wearing my new handspun shawl.

The next spin for July was a few more firsts for me.  June’s Spunky Club offering was 4oz of Shetland in “Field Of Dreams” colorway, and as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I wanted to spin it as a gradient.  I separated the fiber by color, watched a few videos on how to hand card fiber, and went to it!   It was my first time carding rolags and I was really quite happy with them.  When spinning time came, I decided to try my hand at spinning woolen style.  I have a lot to learn by I was fairly satisfied with my first attempt.

My last two skeins were fun as well.  I spun up another 4oz of Merino in “Copper Hills” colorway by Greenwood Fiberworks as thick and thin singles for a funky cowl I’m planning to make a little later this year.  I love the bounchy, bumpy, squishy texture to this yarn!

 

The last skein is 6 oz of natural colored BFL that I practiced my new found carding and woolen spinning skills on.  This is to be the companion skein to my Field Of Dreams handspun for a Stripe Study Shawl.

So it really was a great month for me.  I got to try out two new fibers, which I have fallen in love with, a fiber prep technique, and a new spinning technique.  It felt great to step outside my comfort zone and push my spinning just a little further.   I spun a total of 1 lb and 6 oz this month bringing this year’s spinning total up to 8 lbs 8 oz!   I am learning and trying so many new things with my 12 lbs in 2012 challenge!

Also, if you’re planning to be in Charlottetown on August 10th, be sure to stop by the Women’s Institute booth at Old Home Week.  I’ll be doing a spinning demonstration from 2 -4 and will have lots of handspun yarns and items knit from handspun on display.  Happy crafting all!

 

 

June Handspun

Jul 5th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
12 comments

Its that time again … time to share this month’s handspun booty :-)

Pictured above, is 6oz / ~660 yards of 2 ply fingering weight  undyed BFL. I picked up 2 lbs of this lovely fiber at Spunky Eclectic a couple of months ago and June seemed like the perfect time to bust into it.  I love the silky feel to this fiber and am thinking that I will use this for the West Knits Mystery Shawl KAL  but only time will tell!

Next up was 4oz of merino in “Copper Hills” colorway by Greenwood Fiberworks.  I decided to spin this up super bulky and thick and thin as I’m planning to knit an infinity scarf with this skein and the next 4oz of this beautiful fiber that I will hopefully spin during Tour de Fleece.   This was a really fun spin and I know that it will be both a fun knit and a super cozy FO.

More fingering weight yarn here!  This is 4oz / ~ 420 yards of  polwarth in “Tribe” colorway by Greenwood Fiberworks  fractally spun up as a 3 ply yarn.  I really love  fractal 3 plys because of the roundness of the yarn and the way that the colors blend and flow throughout.  I’m thinking this will be the other skein of yarn for my West Knits Mystery shawl.  It should be enough but I’m going to spin up my last 4oz  just to be on the safe side.

And last but not least, is 4oz of  2 ply fingering weight BFL in the “Shades Of Burgundy”  colorway by Greenwood Fiberworks.  I used only a very tiny bit of this second skein of handspun to finish my Oaklet Shawl.   I’m hoping to do a post on the finished shawl tomorrow :-)

With Tour de Fleece underway now, I’m working toward my TdF goal AND my 12 lbs in 2012.  Lots more yummy handspun yarns to come!

Are you spinning along with TdF or 12lbs in 2012?  How are you getting along and what lovely fibers are you spinning?  I’d love to hear all about it.

May Handspun

Jun 10th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
10 comments

May was another productive month for me spinning-wise.  I finished spinning another pound of fiber bringing my total for 2012 up to 6 lbs – halfway to my goal!  It took me a little longer  to get the pictures that I wanted because it seems like it has rained everyday here since the first of June (no, I’m not complaining although a little more sun would be welcome).

This month I lucky enough to spin 4 oz of Gotland Sheepswool (pictured above) which I was very excited about.  The colorway is “Robin Red Breast” by Spunky Eclectic. It is a long wool with a beautiful, silky, slippery feel very much like mohair.  My 4 oz bump of fiber got spun up into 2 ply fingering weight yarn which is destined for handspun socks.  I really love using longwools for socks because I find it makes them nice and durable (which socks certainly need to be).

The next spin was 4 oz of merino in “Paper Roses” colorway by Greenwood Fiber Works.  This is one of my absolute favorite colorways and unfortunately, my pictures just don’t do it justice.  This braid of fiber was spun up to approximately 450 yards of 2 ply fingering weight goodness and I’m thinking that it would look great knit up into a pair of cozy armwarmers.

My third spin for May was 4 oz of BFL in “Shades Of Burgundy” colorway by Greenwood Fiberworks.  I love mix the rich plums and light mauves in this colorway!  I have another 4 oz of this to spin and my plan is to evenually knit an Oaklet Shawl (I love Tina’s so much that I definitely need my own!).

And last but certainly not least is 4 oz of Polwarth in “Tribe” colorway by Greenwood Fibers.  This was fractally spun to a 3 ply DK weight yarn with the plan of knitting a super cozy pair of thrummed mittens.  I love the roundness and bounce of 3ply polwarth.  So squishy and cozy!

With all this yummy handspun growing monthly in my stash, I’m thinking I may have to take 2013 off from spinning just to knit all the wonderful project I envision for all of it (just kidding)!  I must say that I have been enjoying every minute of my 12 lbs in 2012 experience and I LOVE looking into my stash to pick out yarn for new projects.  I have learned a lot so far this year about fiber, yarn structure,  and sheep breeds and their fiber characteristics and I look forward to diving in even deeper.

So what have you been busy with?  What new and crafty things are you trying out?  I’d love to hear all about it!

April Handspun

May 7th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
7 comments

 

I’m back after a wonderful, relaxing week of staycation and ready to share some pictures of  my April handspun goodies.

Pictured above is 4oz of merino in the “Little Fishes”  colorway by Spunky Ecelctic.  I decided to spin it up as a navajo plyed fingering weight yarn because I MUST have more funky handspun socks.  I was thinking of using this yarn for a fusion of Cookie A.’s Lickety Split sock toes plus Widdershins heels which will equal toe-up sock bliss.  And before any of you ask, yes,  I am one of those people who wear socks and sandals.  I just can’t bear to give up my comfy sandals when the weather gets cooler!

 

 

The skein of handspun pictured above was a real luxury to spin.  It is 4oz of super fine alpaca hand dyed by Kim Hartmann in gorgeous shades of pink.  This fiber was spun up  as a 2 ply sport weight and I could barely wait for it to finish drying before starting to knit it up into a Lacy Baktus.  Project pics and details are to come in a future blog post :-)

 

 

And I really can’t help myself when it comes to anything colored like the rainbow … all the happy colors just scream “Spin me!”  So I’ve spun up 4 more oz.  of my own “Rainbow Brite”  handpainted merino.  It is fractally spun as a worsted weight 3 ply and I’m planning to knit matching pairs of East Coast Mittens for Willow and I.  I will also be adding i-cord “idiot strings” (sorry for the terrible term but that’s what we all call them here!) to them because I may be all “growed up”  but I still have a tendency to lose my mittens.

 

 

In April, I also spun up the last 4 oz of “Shades Of Turquoise”  in Polwarth by Carolyn of Greenwood Fiberworks that I had in my stash.  I had originally intended to knit a Spoked Cardigan but now that I’m looking at all this lovely blue yarn, I’m thinking that I need a simpler pattern that will really showcase just how beautiful this fiber is.  I have a few ideas in mind but I’m just waiting for the yarn to speak to me and to tell me what it wants to be.

So April was a great spinning month for me and, as many of you know, at the beginning of 2012, I joined up with the 12 lbs in 2012 group on Ravlery.  I thought that I was pretty crazy at the time for striving for 12 lbs of handspun in 2012 but you know what?

 Counting April’s handspun, I’ve got 5 of my 12 lbs of fiber spun up!

I can hardly believe that I’m almost half way  to reaching my goal!

How about you?  Did you set any crazy goals for yourself this year and how are they working out for you?  I’d love to hear!

 

Rainbow Brite Handspun

Mar 30th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
1 comment

More new handspun to show off!

I don’t know what this yarn wants to be yet but it is so bouncy, soft, and squishy that I’ll have to think of something really good.  I’m kind of leaning toward a pair of thrummed mittens with white thrums for next winter.   Only time will tell :-)

 

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