The Early Bird Gets The Worm (aka Loom)

The early bird gets the worm! I was so excited to find an awesome deal on a used rigid heddle loom Friday, yippee! A notice went out to our guild about weaving equipment for sale, and I saw there was just the loom I wanted with email and phone contact info. I was just about to email, which is what I would typically do, when something told me to call. Call? I took a quick look at the clock, 9:20 am. Too early? I'm gonna go for it, if it's too early they wont answer and I can leave a message. I have been seriously trying to read and learn all I can about looms for the last couple of years or so, when I became interested in Saori Weaving. But it goes back even farther. Long before I was even a spinner I picked up a book called Spinning to Weave at our local library 4th of July used book sale, and then three or four years ago the grandmother of a couple of my friends, randomly gave me a book on weaving...How did she know?! At the time I politely accepted it thinking I would find a weaver to pass it along to. I've actually had it pulled out to donate on more than one occasion, but for some reason I ended up hanging onto it. It's pretty cool when you can look back and see where/when God has planted seeds along your path! Now I am the proud owner of a 25" Schacht Rigid Heddle loom with a stand and I am itching to get started! 

Blessings Friends!

Spinning Just For Fun

          So much of the creative process is the "getting ready" phase. The fiber I dyed a while back has been carded and blended with other fibers to create a more dimensional yarn. I like to pull it into a roving off my Pat Green, Big Batt Carder. I am now ready to spin, well almost ready, time to clear off some bobbins. I have just finished spinning for another project and at this very moment I have three skeins which are being washed to set the twist. I saw a pattern on Ravelry recently and it really appeals to me, I love the combination of caplet and hood, it's called Winterberry Hood I am excited to get started knitting it with my hand spun! In our neck of the woods many are having to kayak to get around, we need a little break in the rain. Something in between drought and flood please Mother Nature, our farmers need good weather.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, 

Blessings Friends!

I

A New Crafting Friend

I finally broke down and bought a new sewing machine! Up until now I have used a couple of hand me down machines, neither works predictably, but I could painfully coax one or the other of them  almost to the finish line when working on a project. Lately, I either didn't sew or sewed what I needed by hand. Let me tell you, it is so nice to think of something I want to sew and simply trot down to the sewing table and joyfully zip straight through it! After testing out all the functions, I sewed two simple little projects that had been in queue for quite some time. Flannel liners for my tea cozy, the tea cozy is not washing machine friendly, but the new liners are. Then I made a heating mitt for my mum, basically a large mitt filled with rice, like the microwaveable neck wraps, but mitt shaped for her one arthritic hand. She loves it! Sorry, no pictures, she has it with her in bed. I tuck her in every night with a couple of hot pads, one for her feet and one for her hand. Well, as you can see, I have a mending pile that needs tackling, so it's off to work on that, but not before I pop over and check out the Fiber Arts Friday blog hop at WonderWhyGal's. 

Have a great weekend, Blessings Friend!

Painting A Picture

Cormo, silk and Wensleydale locks

A little snap shot of some fiber I dyed up, there are three projects worth here, but I do like how they look together...hmmm, maybe I need to borrow a little from each spin and see what happens?

Be sure to pop over and check out all the F.A.F. blogs at WonderWhyGal's, that's where I'm heading!

Blessings Friends!

Scrumble Bag-In Process

I've pulled the Mostly Purple Scrumbled Bag, out to work on it a bit this week. Its fun to work up the individual elements and play with the composition of the bag. I definitely need to give project some more of my attention. I think I'll get out my book of crochet stitches and add a new stitch to my "crochet vocabulary." Be sure to pop over to see the WonderWhyGal and check out all this weeks FAF posts.

I can hardly wait to see what you have all been working on!
Blessings Friends!

A Denim Spin

I've been scouring my studio, determined to spin much of my stash in readiness for the fiber lovers favorite season, spring shearing! So very, very long ago I bought a pound of roving, it's main recommendation was that it contained shredded denim fiber. This caused me to be blinded to the flaws of the roving as a whole...it happens. I've used bits of this roving carded in with other batts for texture and for the nice, dark denim color. I came across this in my stash, and found a small, partially filled bobbin. Good enough for me, I'll finish this spin, I thought. Wrong, the shredded denim fiber and color is the best thing about this fiber, otherwise it is quite coarse feeling, I hope it is only that the dye was not completely rinsed and that it will soften up when I wash the yarn to set the twist. Along with this, the other fibers blended with it are very short. After filling one small bobbin, I took the remaining roving and carded it with some super soft fibers that I had processed and dyed myself, some alpaca, merino, and finnsheep, plus gorgeous, luminescent rivers of pure white silk and of course angelina. It's spinning up beautifully. I am working on my second large bobbin, intending to ply this as a two ply. But what to do with the small bobbin spun from the original roving? I think I will first reel off a small hank and wash it to see how/if it improves the hand of the fiber. If it has softened up enough to feel, close to the skin soft, I will dye some silk to thread ply it as a balanced two ply. If not, I may have to pair it with a super soft single to compensate for any roughness. Either way, it will make a nice companion yarn for my current, uber soft spin, presently in the works.

I can hardly wait to read what you have all been working on this week! 
Blessings Friends!

Catching Up

It feels so good to catch up. Catch up with good friends, catch up on the "to do" list, and catch up on some creative time. So, let me ask you, how soft does that curly white skein look? It's SO soft! This yarn is spun from the wee tiniest locks saved from a Wensleydale cross lamb fleece. I set aside these little treasures, way smaller than the rest of the fleece, with a reminder note in the bag...MINE! I decided to try lock spinning them, they were so dinky I wasn't sure it would work. I'm so glad it did. It's a sweet, soft little skein and I will save it for something special. The other, whoo-boy, it has everything I love! All my favorite fibers in all my favorite colors. I'm calling this one, little surprise. I had gathered all these really delicious fibers to do a tribute spin for the wonderful fiber artist Janice Rosema, who passed away not to long ago. If you are unfamiliar with her work, you should definitely check her out, she did some amazing work! Her fascinating blog can be found here, or her many projects on Ravelry,  I had envisioned spinning a generous, bulky art yarn, with all the colors and textures suited to her amazing body of work. But the fiber seemed to just fit itself perfectly into a fine, compact strand, a little surprise of color and texture, silk, angora, alpaca, bfl, bamboo, sari silk, silk noil and of course lots of sparkle. I really loved the color runs and so I plied it with a pretty, multi colored lurex thread I bought from the UK. It gives me happy eyes! I think I may save this and tuck it into the stash I've set aside for when I get a loom...we'll see.

I hope you have had a wonderful, creative week, I'll be popping off now to check out your projects too!

Thanks for stopping by, Blessings Friends!

What's Up Everybody!

I have decided that today is a good day to stay put. I had planned to do some running around, but it has been a morning of toppled furniture, spilled paper from the shredder and among other things, I walloped the lamp hanging over the table...so you can see why I might think twice about hitting the roads!

I have been busy friends, it's just that I have not been posting about anything because the stuff I am working on seems like it is taking forever and updating you all would be the equivalent (literally in some cases) of watching paint dry. zzzzzzzzzz, I just couldn't do that to you!

I do have snapshots of some of my projects for you...evidence that I have been busy. I've started a lap blanket for my mum, plus plans and yarn for two more. This is good tv knitting, and the lap size is not too cumbersome for on the go knitting.

I have tried this new bread recipe for Pretzel Bread, and baked up these yummy little batards. I had to freeze the majority of these mini loaves to keep them from being a temptation. The recipe, which you can find here at this great Greek food blog

is portioned to make 12 batard or boule, but the next time I will try making them smaller, more like dinner roll size. The little loaves worked out great though, I wrapped each one in parchment paper before bagging them for the freezer. I used my food saver, to seal them, being careful to remove only enough of the air to draw the bag gently snug, before sealing it closed.

In the background of the afghan picture, you can see my spinning wheel, I brought it up to finish up some spinning I had started quite awhile ago. I finished it up last night, so today I will do some plying.

Have a wonderful weekend, blessings friends!

I did it!

Between figuring out which circuits shut off which rooms and finding the youtube tutorial I had previously found helpful and then watching it again a couple more times, it took me the better part of the afternoon, but today I finally got up the courage to hang the chandelier. I also installed a very nice combination dimmer/switch. I know these are not difficult tasks, but I am quite proud of myself. I am still alive and nothing sparked! I need to get the proper sized bulbs, I accidentally bought the regular sized screw in candle bulbs when the fixture calls for the narrow screw. For tonight these nightlight bulbs will do. Little by little the new decor is coming together.