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WIP Wednesday – More Handspun Shawl Goodness

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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?

Medieval Crochet

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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!

Celebration of Sheep and Wool

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Shearing a sheep with manual shears. Totally amazing!

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

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Just a few of the many beautiful sheep.

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

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

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The Sheep Shop

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Callie was a huge hit with Judah and Willow

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Family portrait time!

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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!

April Handspun

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

While The Cat Is Away …

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… the woman will sort fleece!  In this instance, the “cat” is the husband.  He doesn’t particularly care for the smell when I’m sorting, washing, and drying raw fleece so I try my best to do it while he is at work.
I received these two beautiful fleeces from my friend Ambyr and  I’m loving that I had the opportunity to “meet” the sheep whose wool I’m working with.  It truly is an amazing experience to be part of the whole process of straight from the sheep to a finished object.  This afternoon, I’ll be busy washing and daydreaming of what some of this wool is to become.  I’m grateful for this experience :-D

Happy Sunday crafting all!

Sunday Spinning Haiku

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Citrus colored wool,

Resting in the bright sunlight,

Soon to be plied yarn.

FO Friday – Handspun Lichen Mists

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Today is a strange day … I’ve been sitting here trying to write a post about my Lichen Mists and I words just don’t seem to want to come.  Me, at a loss for words?  Strange indeed! Call it March madness, call it spring fever … all I want to do is be outside :-)

Since I can’t find the words to do my yummy new shawl justice, I’ll keep it short and sweet.

  • This is my new handspun shawl.
  • I absolutely LOVE it.
  • I feel positively elvish wearing it.
  • This pattern was MADE for my special skein of handspun
  • I’m cuddled up in the shawl right now and plan to wear it out tomorrow night.

Now, this girl is going back outside to enjoy the delicious evening sunshine that makes spring so very tempting.

Happy weekend all!

 

 

Handspun Lichen Mists Shawl

WIP Wednesday – A Sweater’s Worth

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March has been flying by and I have been working steadily away on some spinning challenges. I’ve actually combined two of the challenges together this month.

In in the 13 lbs in 2013 group, the March challenge is to spin a sweater lot of fiber and in the Spunky Eclectic group, there is a combo SAL going on.  So I’ve decided to do a sweater’s worth of combo spinning for this month.

I chose 1.5 lbs of some really gorgeous shetland brown Shetland wool and over dyed it in three semi-solid colorways …. Rustic (red), Sherwood (green), and Catawba (purple).  I was a little apprehensive when it came time to ply these three colors together because I really had no idea how the finished yarn was going to turn out, but as it stands, I’m really loving the way it looks.

In my last spinning post, I reported that I had finished plying the first 12 oz and I and happy to say that as of today, I am finished plying my sweater’s worth or combo spinning.  I just need to give the yarn a wash and hang it to dry.

Now,  to find that perfect sweater pattern to suit the yarn …

When Colorways Combine …

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Last year I ordered a couple of pounds of some really gorgeous brown Shetland wool from Spunky Eclectic and went on a dying spree.  Since this was my first time dying colored fiber, I decided that semi-solids would be the best bet and I was immediately hooked. I dyed every scrap of the fiber.  Pictured above is 1.5 lbs of my experiments – the green I call “Sherwood”, the red “Rustic”, and the purple “Catawba”.

Keeping with the adventurous spirit this fiber seems to have instilled in me, I’ve decided to use it for my very first combo spin.  I have 12 oz spun up and ready to ply.  I’m quite excited and look forward to seeing what these will look like when combined.

I’m off to start plying!

February Handspun

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Its that time again … time to share last month’s spinning … and I had an adventurous month!

I chose to start off 4oz of buttery soft alpaca that my dear fiber friend Tina gifted to me.  This was spun up as a fingering weight single which I think will be absolutely perfect for a shawl.  Probably a nice West Knits design :-D

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Next up was 4oz of some amazing Wensleydale from Rosa’s herd.  This was my first time spinning Wensleydale in carded form and I just loved it!  This was spun up as a fingering weight single as well because I though that it would pair up perfectly with the alpaca from Tina.  I can’t thank both of you enough for the wonderful fibers!

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This bump was another first for me … my first time spinning Cotswold sliver.  The feel of the fiber reminds me a bit of Shetland and the colors in this are AMAZING!  This was the January offering from Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club and is called “Eye of the Peacock” which I chose to spin as, surprise, surprise, a fingering weight single.  This handspun is going to make perfect socks!IMG_0631

And I tried another new fiber this month … Norwegian.  I fell completely in love with this fiber.  I find it similar to Falkland to spin up and it makes the most delightful singles!  This 4oz bump is from Northbound Knitting in the colorway is “Firewoman.”  This yarn has been telling me that it wants to be either a cowl or shawl.  I guess only time will tell but I how can it not be awesome in these great colors?

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Do you guys ever get sick of me telling you how much I love each and every fiber that I spin?   I guess that I just really enjoy wool and this fiber was no exception.  “Aurora Borealis” was the December club color way on Falkland from Spunky Eclectic.  It sat for a whole month in my stash because it was one of those “special” bumps of fiber that I would take out and admire and then gently tuck back to save for another time.  I love the blues, green, and purples that blend throughout this colorway and I think that it will make gorgeous fingerless gloves, a cowl, or shawl.  IMG_0635

And nope, I never get sick of Falkland.  I love how it spins up, especially in the “Reese’s” colorway by Northbound Knitting.  This fiber practically BEGGED to be spun up nice and fine and then navajo plied. This, I have secret knitting plans for!

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And last, but certainly not least, is 4oz of “Peacock” in mixed BFL by Northbound Knitting.  This was another fiber that wanted desperately to be navajo plied.  It also told me that it wanted to be pre-drated too.  I generally don’t pre-draft my fiber anymore, and almost never with BFL because it drafts so well, but the effect that it makes on the color is hard to pass up sometimes.  I like how it stretches out the color changes and gives even more subtle transitions through the colorway.   Combine that with navajo plying and I think the effect is quite striking.  These two skeins are already designated to the “special” yarn section because they are almost too pretty to knit.  Notice that I did say “almost.” :-D

So February really was a productive and adventurous month, with trying new fibers, and fibers in new preparations.  My total amount spun was 28oz bringing my 2013 total up to 44oz … just shy of 3 lbs.  Not too shabby!

So how are your 2013 crafting goals going?  Are you trucking right along or have you revised your goals?  I’d love to hear!