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FO Friday – Handspun Boot Socks

Jan 11th, 2013
by SandAndSkyCreations.
12 comments

IMG_9832

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!

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!

 

FO Friday – Handspun Thrummed Mittens

Oct 12th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
8 comments

Things around here have been fairly busy for the past month but I’m still managing to keep up with my knitting.  Actually, I’m being a really good girl and working on my WIPs, even though Autumn has brought with it a tide of wonderful new patterns to daydream about.  I’ve also been very good at using my stashed fiber and yarn to boot!

Today’s post is all about my very first experience knitting thrummed mittens from some yummy handspun.  I’ll be honest with you, I was a little nervous starting the thrums because I was afraid that I would end up making a gigantic mess but it was actually straightforward, and really quite easy, once I got a few practice thrums under my belt.

I filled up one of my little baskets with thrums and got to work on these sweet little mittens.  Judah picked out this lovely handspun from my stash for his mittens (and hopefully a matching hat in the near future).  The fiber is polwarth in the “Shades Of Turquoise” colorway by Greenwood Fiberworks and I must admit, I think that Judah has fantastic taste as this yarn is GORGEOUS!

The pattern that I used for these is Thrummed Mittens by Helene Driesen which is a truly lovely pattern.  It is very easy to read and follow and knits up super quick.  The only modification that I made was to add a little bit of ribbing at the wrist.

Judah loves his new mittens and has mentioned that Willow like to have a pair too.  So I’ll hopefully get another pair knit before the snow flies.

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

 

 

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!

 

WIP Wednesday – Thrums!

Sep 19th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
1 comment

Now that it is September, I’ve been thinking more and more about cozy hand knits for Judah and Willow.  They have both out grown their mittens from last year so I’ve been looking for the perfect mitten pattern and handspun yarn combo for their new pairs.

I came across Thrummed Mittens by Helene Driesen on Ravelry earlier this week and knew immediately that this was exactly the pattern I had been looking for.  The pattern calls for aran weight yarn and approximately 1.5 oz of fiber for the thrums … both of which I had in my stash.

This yarn is a 2 ply handspun that is spun up from 4oz of polwarth in “Shades Of Turquoise” by Greenwood Fiberworks and the thrums are a lovely natural BFL from Spunky Eclectic.  Judah LOVES the first mitten and can’t wait to use them to throw some snowballs this winter.  lol

I was a little bit nervous starting the thrums as it is something that I have never done (or watched anyone do) before so I did a little searching around and found this really great tutorial by Adrian Bizilia of Hello Yarn.  She made it seem so easy!  And truth be told, once I actually buckled down and started shaping them, it really wasn’t half as scary and I was anticipating.

I am now well into making the second mitten and Willow has already placed her order for a rainbow colored pair.  The only mod that I made to the pattern was to knit 2″ of 2×2 ribbing for the ribbing cuff as I wanted the mittens nice and long so they tuck up into Judah’s coat sleeves.

 

WIP Wednesday – Handspun Rockefeller

Aug 29th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
4 comments

My work-in-progress to show off this week is my Handspun Rockefeller.   Rockefeller was designed by Stephen West of West Knits as a mystery KAL.  The bold lines, contrast, unique shaping, and textural elements of this shawl are what Stephen West is known for with his designs.  I will admit that I’m quite behind in the knitting of it (the official KAL finishes August 31st) but I am really enjoying it, and that is what counts most to me :-)

The yarn I chose for this project was some plain black handspun merino and “Tribe” colorway in polwarth by Greenwood Fiberworks because I really like how the two yarns work together.

I’m almost finished of clue #2 and need to finish spinning up another ball of Tribe so that I have enough yarn to complete the project but I’m really looking forward to snuggling up in an elegant new shawl.

So what are you working on right now?  Start any fun new projects recently?  I’d love to hear!

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!

Fiber-palooza!

Mar 27th, 2012
by SandAndSkyCreations.
3 comments

I had the amazing luck this year to be the winner of Greenwood Fiberworks grand prize drawing of $150 worth of hand dyed fiber. Can you guess how over-the-moon excited I was? VERY!

For any of you who haven’t discovered the pleasures of Carolyn’s delightful fiber and yarn, I highly recommend you check her out. I know you won’t be disappointed. She has a beautiful range of colorways and fibers to pick from.

Now its time to show off my new fiber!

The first fiber I chose, pictured above, is 8oz. of her BFL in the “Shades of Burgundy” colorway which my youngest daughter has staked claim on for herself.  She insists that I need to make something for her from this lovely fiber.

A Ton Of Yummy Fiber

The next fiber pictured is 8oz. of “Calypso” in BFL. This is one of my all time favorite colorways.

A Ton Of Yummy Fiber

Next is 8oz. of “Copper Hills” in Merino. The colors make me think of fall leaves and beautiful autumn skies.

A Ton Of Yummy Fiber

And last, but certainly not least, is 12oz of “Tribe” in Polwarth. I love the deep blues and greens in this colorway.

I want to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to Carolyn for giving away such an exciting and very generous prize. It is greatly appreciated and this treasure trove of fiber should keep me spinning and knitting for a while!

On the design front, be sure to stay tuned to my blog over the next week or so as I have a brand new knitting pattern coming out. I’ll be posting spoiler pics and will be giving away a free copy of the pattern to one luck blog commenter!

Happy knitting and spinning all!