My First Skein of Artyarn

My friend Linda came over on Sunday and helped me get acquainted with my new spinning wheel.  With her much needed assistance I managed to make my first skein of yarn!  It’s a nice blend of merino batts and roving from my fellow Phat Fiber artists along with some fabulous wool locks that Linda dyed and shared with me.

Think I might try the wham bam cowl for this.

 

 

Thanks to the following fiber artists who were included in my skein of yarn with the generous donation of their samples to the

Phat Fiber Sample Box:

Altered Visions

Infinity Yarn and Fiber

Maude & Me

Moonwood Farm

Serendipity Fiber Arts

Sweet Pea Fibers

Wooly Hands

 

 

 

Art Yarns & Tweeds

I ventured out to Woolfest at Lake Metroparks’ Farmpark last weekend with my friend Linda.  I have been completely bitten by the spinning bug after looking at oodles of gorgeous fibers.  I tried a drop spindle a few years back and frustrated myself right out of that.  I should have known better!  I am just not coordinated enough to do several things at once.

I tried this already with glass blowing.  I really wanted to be a glass major at school.  In fact, I made my decision to attend the Cleveland Institute of Art based on that desire because of their reputation and that of the glass department.  Two weeks into the course I realized it requires 3 activities performed all at once.   Keep it moving, work fast enough to keep it hot and turn it into something all at the same time.  YEAH, Riigghht!  So I switched to enameling, which is applying ground glass to metal, and firing it in a kiln.  It’s a beautiful blend of glass that waits for me, and the focus that became my major, metals and jewelry design.

But now I want to try spinning again and with the help of Linda and our local spinners guild I am going to suck it up and try really hard!  I just love art yarns and tweeds and I have lots of fibers, including cashmere noils, that will make spectacular yarn.  Abby Franquemont has inspired me as well with her blog Making a Tweed Blend.  She gives wonderful directions with lots of photos for making batts and spinning tweed yarns.   

 

Handspun Tweed

 

 

In case you needed some inspiration of your own, check out the batts and awesome yarns that Linda has spun – FABULOUS!  Be sure to look her up on Etsy too for more eye candy.

 

Sunny Day

Batt with Cashmere Noils

 

Wild Skies

Silk Shirts & Jackets Cut Up to Make Yarn

 

Let me tell you why I love Ravelry so – This morning I was looking at one of my favorite groups ‘Cowls’ because I am addicted to seeing what’s being done in project do-able time, since I currently have no time!  It’s like looking through Saks 5th Avenue, what would I buy if only I could, or for me, what would I knit if only I had the time…

And so one project led to another, which led to a link to a free pattern, which brought me to Robin Dodge’s website and finally to her new blog MetaPostModernKnitting.  In her MetaTrends she has outlined the fashion forecast for Spring 2009 complete with colors, textures and complementary clothing and accessories.  I immediately gravitated to a silk scarf that has been knit on big needles (read super fast knit-ability).

 

 

I  have several silk blouses that have some sort of acquired defect so they can’t be worn anymore but the quality of the silk was too nice to throw them out.  So they have been waiting patiently for a project to call them to life once again.  It was definitely an artist’s ah-hah moment when I saw this scarf!  After the Great Lakes Fiber Festival, I will be home, scissors in hand, making yarn out of my blouses, maybe dyeing some too to add visual interest, and then knitting happily once again. 

 

Ragsilk

New yarn for this fall season (from a well known yarn company) turns out to be the very same idea that I have!  Synchronicity strikes again! 

Phat Fiber Batt Giveaway for May

 

I was able to play with my new Louet drum carder for the first time today!  I had almost forgotten how much I love blending fibers.  It’s a lumpy, textural mixed batt of Suffolk and Perendale wool with a hint of merino and a good dollop of cashmere noils.  Just in time for blooming spring flowers… 

 

Phat Fiber Giveaway for May

 

 

It reminds me of pansies, a garden staple of mine, when I decide which flowers I’m going to plant each year.

 

 

Phat Fiber Sample for May

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Phat Fiber sample for May’s box.  It’s a 1/4 ounce of hot pink 100% cashmere noils.  Maybe you will find one in your box

 

It’s also available now in my Etsy shop too.

Booth at Whole Foods Farmers Market Sept. 6th

I’m going to have more knitting accessories on display at the Whole Foods Farmers’ Market at 27249 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere, OH. on Saturday, September 6th, 2008. The Farmers’ Market Hours are 11 – 2.

I’ll have custom skeins, cat toys, cat toy kits, Bamboo knitting needles, yarn, wool, knitting accessory kits, sock blockers, and more…

Stop by and say hello if you are in the area.

Bamboo Needle sets at www.sevenyaks.etsy.com

Sock Blocker with needle gauge.

Felted Cat toys

Bootie Call

Not your Grandma’s baby booties. These rock! Make them as fun and funky as your yarn stash will allow! If you can knit and purl, you will easily be able to make these. This pattern is appropriate for the beginning knitter. Worked on size 3 straight needles, the gauge and materials are specified 3-6 months size, but larger sizes are easy to accomplish using larger needles with worsted and bulky weights or smaller sizes with smaller needles and a finer yarn. Pattern is delivered via e-mail as a PDF file within 24 hours of payment. Please remember the instructions are for your personal use and can’t be sold or distributed. Copyright 2008 © 7 Yaks Design. The pattern is available at 7 Yaks Design