Wow...

Wow - I can't believe how time flies. Its been over a month since I last posted. Sheesh!

So whats new? Lots of things! I am now in love with Catalina yarns. I keep petting the sample skeins they sent me, and today I finally ordered some! All thier yarns are so heavenly soft, and wonderful quality. I can't wait to knit some up. I'm planning something for my daughter out of the alpaca/silk blend, but I'll have to wait and see what it tells me it wants to be. This will most definitely be a xmas gift...

In the mean time, I'm about 2/3 of the way finished with a cute little lacy top out of sport weight hemp. I'm always amazed at how some yarns turn out when knit. This hemp is one of them, and the other was some of my handspun bamboo. Both start out real stiff, but as soon as you knit them, they totally change. I know after washing it will be totally different again.

This is one of the things I love most about working with fibers. It's always a mystery as to how it will turn out in the end. I love to watch the transformation from fiber to art unfold as a fiber goes through the many stages of creation, and then seeing the final culmination of one's efforts. I am constantly amazed at each step of the process, first the washing and fiber preparation - seeing the fiber unviel its true self from beneath a layer of grease and dirt (yes lanolin too). It almost seems like the fiber is being liberated by its nakedness and relishing its newfound freedom. Next is the dying and color blending. This to me is like putting on make-up. When done properly with care and attention, the most desirable attributes are accentuated. Perhaps the sheen of a fiber will predominate, or the tactile softness of a fiber will be further enhanced visually with a soft color. Does this make sense? Next of course is the manner in which the fiber will be used. Is it yarn? felt? or just simply roving? As it moves from being a ball of fluff to its new form, watch how it's attitude changes. It's as if it has a new sense of self, filled with confidence and ambition. What does this fiber want to be when it grows up? Then the final step of the metamorphosis - The actual construction of the new masterpiece. Almost like watching a butterfly emerge from the cocoon. Is it knit? woven? or something else? Does the fiber relax into its new shape? or does it resist and try to do something you didn't anticipate? Sometimes a new spark of life comes out of the new form, or perhaps an essence of peace and tranquility. The natural energy of the fiber has combined with the thoughtfulness and creativity of the artist to become a new entity...


...Okay...... quite a tangent I went off on... Now back to the latest stuff.

I'm now a Kromski dealer! I couldn't resist the beauty of these wheels. I took a Minstrel for a test drive, and was really impressed by it. It turned out to spin completely different than I anticipated. I was very pleasantly surprised. The quality of construction is excellent, especially when you consider how ornate these wheels are. Plus the great thing is, these wheels are quite affordable. I think they are a great value for the money. I would highly recommend them. So, to make a long story short, I am now a dealer for thier wheels. I have three(!) wheels on the way. The Minstrel, Prelude and Polinaise. If you're ever in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by and try one out!

I'm also getting ready to add some Jacquard dyes to the store. As if I didn't already have enough stuff! I can already envision the color adventures I'll be having once it arrives!

All in all, I'm having a really great month on both a personal as well as professional level. Thanks to all of my wonderful family, friends and customers who make this all possible.

I better hurry and finish some of these UFOs... More next time.

Busy as a Bee

Its been hectic around here, but I've been managing to chip away at my UFOs. The vest is finished, other than sewing on the buttons, and I've been needle felting up a storm this week. I plan on taking the latest sculptures to a May Faire this weekend for show and tell at my booth. I finished a woman holding her baby, and a beehive. Now I just need the bees... I started working on a clown face too, and its looking soooo coooool! I can hardly believe I made it! I think I have finally found my creative niche... Pictures will soon arrive - If I can just figure this out! (If anyone can tell me a simple way to get pictures into this I would appreciate it.)

I actually started some Spring Cleaning! Horray! If you can believe this, I really and truely SOLD some of my belly dance costumes! It was hard to part with them, but now that they are gone, I feel really good. I have the urge to replace them with a new spinning wheel. I'm seriously thinking about an Ashford Country Spinner, a Jensen Tina II or a Kromski Minstral. Decisions, decisions... I'm heavily leaning towards the Country Spinner. If only I knew where I could go test drive one... AH HA! I'll post to the Woolpack and see if anyone has one I could try!

OMG I almost forgot! In exchange for knitting the Zephyr Top, SWTC has send me some of thier newest yarns! I can't decide which is my favorite. First is thier Bamboo Feather yarn. Its like a double sided eyelash yarn, nice and soft, and it has such a pretty sheen. It almost looks like some silk eyelash I've seen. Next is thier Karaoke yarn, a 50/50 Soy Silk/Merino blend. You should see the colors they sent! Just Gorgeous! I just started knitting a little purse with it, and I love it! The funny thing is that it's a single ply - I can't stand knitting with single ply - but I think my mind has been changed. I can't wait to see how it felts/fulls.  Next project with the Karaoke yarn - Slippers!

Also I just recieved some sample skeins of Catalina Alpaca yarns. Ohhhhhhh are these soft! Like floating on a cloud. I predict another addition to the shop... :)

This brings up a question... What is most important to you when you select a yarn? Is it price, texture, fiber content, grist? Let me know what motivates you to actually purchase a particular yarn, especially when you shop on the net where yarn fondling is not an option.

Zephyr Top is finished!

At last, I finally finished this top! I thought it would never end. It's strange, because it is a really easy pattern, but for some reason it took me FOREVER! Of course it didn't help to come down with pneumonia for 6 weeks when the yarn and pattern first arrived!

This is a test pattern from SWTC. It's knit with thier 100% Cotton Beyond Bold yarn. This is the first time I've knit with it, and I found that it took me a while to get used to it. My stitches were coming out pretty uneven to start with, but once I tightened up my tension, the stitches evened out. It knits up a little stiff, but seems to have softened with blocking. I'm sure it will soften even more with a washing.

I'm now going to finish this vest that I inherited. A friend of mine had this yarn, I think its a cotton/silk blend, that she has tryed and tryed to make something out of, but it never seemed to work out. This vest was the final attempt, and when it came out too small for her, she finally got sick of it. Rather than tossing it, she gave me the vest to finish and keep for myself! The yarn is so soft! I feel happy and lucky to be the recipient. :)

Too much stuff

I've decided that I'm too busy and I simply have too much stuff. I feel like the biggest packrat I know! At the end of this month I swear I'm going to go through the house and do a major spring cleaning! That includes digging up all my UFO's and actually finishing them.

Right now the projects I'm working on include a test knit of the Zephyr top for SWTC (why I volunteered to do this, I don't know), a Pi Shawl, finish a lovely vest which was given to me, some new design ideas in felt, and a growing list of needle felting projects. Of coarse, before I can dig my needles into these, I first need to finish my tax stuff, have a birthday party for my kids, and do laundry (all tomorrow). Ah well. All in good time. If anyone comes up with a way to knit more time into the day, please let me know!!!

I'll put up pictures as I finish these UFO's and you can be sure I'll start posting some yard sale items to my website!

Geez it's late! Gotta get some shut-eye. Good Night!

I finally did it!

I've had so much fun visiting other people's Blogs, that I've decided to join you! It's much easier than I thought it would be. Whew!

So to tell you about myself, I'm a WAHM with my DH and two children age 2 and 4. Ever since teaching myself to knit in High School, I have loved working with all sorts of fibers. I learned to spin I think in 1991, but didn't do much with it until the past several years. My latest craze is needle felting. I absolutely love it! It really isn't difficult at all, and its so affordable to get started! I'm a huge fan! In fact, I'm starting to think about giving lessons.

THANKS for visiting my Blog! and I look forward to sharing more with you!