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May Handspun

Jun 1st, 2013
by SandAndSkyCreations.
12 comments

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I can’t believe that it is time to share another month’s spinning already.  May really seemed to fly by!

My first spin was 4oz of Polwarth in “The Giving Tree” colorway by Northbound Knitting.  It is a beautiful progression in light and dark greens and brown.  LOVE!   This baby was spun up as an N-plyed fingering weight yarn.  I’m thinking that it would really like to be mittens.

dijon

My next spin was 4 or my 8oz of BFL in “Dijon” colorway by Spunky Eclectic.  This was spun as a fingering weight single and will be paired up with my Pheasant in BFL/Silk for the Fine SAL/ Romi KAL happening in the Spunky Eclectic group on Ravelry.   If you’re interested in joining the fun, you can find out more info at the previous link and jump right in!  This gal is planning on knitting Carson.  It is going to look so yummy in Pheasant & Dijon!

laceweight

The next was a “just-because-i-can” spin.  I had 4oz of really lovely BFL in my stash that I decided to spin as a laceweight single.  I’m planning on dying with a semi-solid and eventually knitting it into a fun shawl.  I don’t have any specific pattern picked out yet but I know that I REALLY wants to be a pretty lace shawl.

pembrokefarms

And last but not least is 4oz of really gorgeous fiber that I picked up at Pembroke Farms during the Celebration of Sheep and Wool.  I got to practice my long draw and I got a beautiful and light, bouncy, bulky weight 2-ply.   It was such a delight to spin!  I’m looking forward to my next trip back to the farm so I can pick up more of this delightful fiber.

So May’s spinning total was 16oz, bringing me up to a total of 6.5lbs so far this year.  I’m half way to my goal!

FO Friday – Handspun Boot Socks

Jan 11th, 2013
by SandAndSkyCreations.
12 comments

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Today’s FO Friday post is all about handspun boot socks!  I was commissioned to make these babies by my friend Kokum Lal of Govinda’s Farm, to help keep her feet nice and cozy as she tends to her beautiful herd.

They started out as some gorgeous Polwarth in the “Shades Of Turquoise” colorway by Greenwood Fiberworks which was spun up fractally as a bulky weight 2 ply.  I can’t say enough good things about Carolyn’s amazing fiber.  It is buttery soft and super cozy and once spun up bulky weight, yeilds a hand knit socks that is so amazingly warm, springy, and cozy, that I think I need to make a pair of these for myself.

And you want to hear some even better news? 

This pattern is being test knit RIGHT NOW and will be available for download shortly.  So if you’re looking for a quick and toasty sock pattern (especially in handspun), the wait won’t be long now!

Happy crafting all!

WIP Wednesday – Posturing

Jan 9th, 2013
by SandAndSkyCreations.
6 comments

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While taking progress pictures of my Barndom shawl and my Inglenook socks for today’s post, I came to the realization that I hardly ever take work-in-progress shots of my spinning.  So, for this week, I’ve decided to forgo the pictures of my knitted items and feature my spinning.

Pictured above is yarn that I am VERY excited about spinning up (but really, when am I NOT excited about handspun?  lol).  This is my first experience with both Rambouillet and Hello Yarn hand dyed fiber.  Love, love, and LOVE!  The Rambouillet is soft and fluffy, quite like merino to spin, and the color in “Posturing” colorway are to die for.  I am spinning this fiber up with the intent of navajo plying it into a beautifully bright and springy fingering weight yarn for, you guessed it, more awesome handspun socks.  For you spinners out there who have never made a pair of socks out of their own handspun, I highly recommend that you do.  I’m certain that you’ll be hooked!

What projects are you working on now?  Tried anything new and exciting recently?  I’d love to hear all about it!

FO Friday – Handspun Daybreak II

Dec 14th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
8 comments

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I’ve had this finished for a little while now (actually, I finished it around November 30th I believe) but I just hadn’t gotten around to sharing it with you all.  Today is the perfect day!

This is my second time knitting Stephen West’s Daybreak pattern and it was just as delightful the this time round.  I chose some of my own hand painted BFL fiber and paired it up with  natural BFL and got spinning away.  BFL makes some really amazing and silky singles!  And the colors make me think of moss and walks in the forest.

What have you been working on lately?  Finish up anything extra special?  I’d love to hear all about it!

 

WIP Wednesday – Handspun Daybreak II

Nov 28th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
12 comments

Long time no see everyone!  November has turned out to be an even crazier month than I had originally anticipated.  I’ve decided that this is the year to step out and actually participate in some of the craft fairs around here so I have been busy dying wool, spinning yarn, and printing patterns to stock my table.  I spent a very enjoyable day last Sunday at MachPhail Homestead in Orwell and I’m looking forward to the craft sale this Friday and Saturday at the Wellness Center in Montague.

With all the preparations for the sales, I’ve still managed to get in some of my own spinning and knitting.  This week I’ve started on a second handspun Daybreak (and I feel another one in the near future as well!).  This shawl is for a kettlebell buddy :-)

I chose 6oz of lovely natural BFL that I had in my stash and dyed it up in shades of green, hints of gold, and brown.  Then I decided that it needed to be spun up into a plump and bouncy fingering weight singles.  I’m really pleased with how the yarn turned out.

I paired it up with some plain white handspun that I had in my stash and got right to knitting.  I’m on stripe 12 of 16 now so I’m really cruising along.  I’m hoping to give the finished shawl to my friend next week.

How had your November been so far?  Are you getting lots of crafting in?  Do you sell in craft fairs?  I’d love to hear all about your month so far!

Field Of Dreams

Jul 18th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
4 comments

Things around here have been quite busy lately … filling custom orders, spending time with family that are visiting + a super awesome family picnic, and, of course, lots of spinning and knitting.

I’ve decided to be a bit more adventurous this month with my spinning and tossed in some fiber prep as well.  When I received my June “Field Of Dreams”  fiber club shipment from Spunky Eclectic, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I wanted to spin the fiber as a spectrum – a rainbow from orange right through to purple – to showcase the wonderful bright hues that this Shetland wool shows off so well .

To get the color effect that I was daydreaming of, I needed to separate the fiber by color, so I pulled the top apart and divided it into distinct color groups.  Here is where the fun really began!    I used my hand carders to blend the colors so the transition from orange to purple was very gradual.  Here’s a pic of a few of the rolags:

This was my first time carding wool (I used some spare wool to make 3 practice rolags first) and I’m really happy with how they turned out.  The cards felt a bit awkward in my hands in the beginning but it quickly got easier to do.  I still have a lot to learn about hand carding but this was a great first project to cut my teeth on.

Field Of Dreams was a couple more “firsts” for me besides the carding.  It was my first time spinning Shetland (which I’m totally in love with) and it was also my time spinning a woolen style yarn.   The long draw was kind of scary as I normally do a short forwards draw, but once I got the hang of it the fiber felt almost like it was spinning itself.  Such a neat feeling!    I’m eager to try spinning more woolen yarn.

This fun handspun is destined for a Stripe Study Shawl paired with some yet-to-be-carded-and-woolen-spun cream colored BFL.  I can’t wait to start knitting it already!

Are you spinning in the Tour de Fleece this year?  Are you trying anything new and daring?  I’d love to hear all about it!

 

 

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