A pretty skein of yarn

Here's the latest skein of handspun. It's a periwinkle blue and lime green blend that may be Corriedale. This 2.6 oz skein has 380 yards in it. I hope to have the rest spun up soon. Click on the picture to get a closer look.

I was surprised how plying this single muted the original colors. I mean that in a good way. Both were pretty bright in the roving. (Scroll back to my post about Greencastle in early April and you'll see a picture of it.) I'm happy with the spring-y colors of this yarn.

I'm a color freak. I like spinning fiber with two or more colors in it. I'm beginning to get a better "eye" for buying color in roving. I've learn that if both colors are the same strength, the finished yarn may be a little "muddy" looking. It probably will not be as pretty as the original colors in the roving. Some that I've bought that I thought were way too bright are very pretty and more muted in the skein.

Visits to the chiropractor are helping with my neck and back problems. I hope to get back to knitting soon. In the meantime, it's spin, spin, spin.

Plastic shopping bags + knitting = reusable totes

Plastic bags have been in the news a lot lately. Earth Day has raised consciousness about the problem of tons of plastic shopping bags as well as San Francisco's bold move to ban them in their city. You can buy fabric tote bags or make them yourself, but here's another option--knit your plastic grocery bags into reusable shopping totes.

Click HERE to read about an English woman who knits her own grocery totes. The article shows you how to cut the bags into strips to prepare them for knitting and sketchy directions on how to knit one. She sews the handles onto her bags. I wonder if the handles would be secure enough for heavy items. A buttonhole type bag where the handle is knitted as part of the bag might be stronger. I'd also knit it in the round for no seams and a stronger bag.

Hey, that sounds like the felted bag pattern I came up with a while back. I'd better get busy and knit one with plastic strips to see how it comes out. Pattern to come...

A busy week

It's been a busy week. Too much going on to have time to post. This is my first chance to get on the computer since Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday and Friday, I went to the chiropractor. This is the first time I've ever been to one. My back problems are flaring up again. It's time to deal with it. After the first treatment today, I'm aching. This is no different than the physical therapy I went through about 10 years ago. I dare not add up what this is going to cost. Our insurance plan doesn't cover it though they have negotiated a discount with the provider.

Wednesday, I visited my Majacraft dealer with my friend Elizabeth and her MIL. We stopped for lunch on the way back at the Old World Bakery in North Liberty, Indiana. I brought home a brand new Suzie wheel to try out. It's going back next week. I like my Little Gem much better than the Suzie. My search for a second wheel may have to wait until Michigan Fiber Fest in August.

As well as not liking the way the Suzie handled, I am not happy with the quality of the wheel. Has Majacraft's quality control slipped so badly in the two years since I purchased my Little Gem? The mother board on the Suzie was cracked clear across. (It wasn't my dealer's fault. This was the way it arrived. She was going to contact Majacraft about replacing the wheel.) I noticed a number of other things on the wheel that were badly finished. I would expect much better from a $620 price tag.

Thursday, I got new eyeglasses. Today I went back to get softer nosepads put on them. The hard ones on the frames dig my nose. It's so nice to be able to see well again. I love the frames! They're purple wire rims.

I'm not knitting much. The motion of knitting makes my back ache.

I did finish spinning the seafoam Shetland. I blogged about the first 2 ounce skein of 243 yards. The second 2 ounce skein measures 330 yards. It's laceweight! I love spinning Shetland!

After I finished that I started on a 4.5 ounce bag of mystery fiber I bought at Greencastle. It's dyed periwinkle blue and lime. It may be Corriedale and it's top not roving. It's kind of irregular and looks like it was slightly felted when it was dyed. No problem. I loosened it up, stripped it into lengths, and then predrafted it. I like the way it's spinning up.

I've found a few more triangle shawl pattern links. I hope to post about them soon. I'll also add them to the complete listing. Two of the shawl contest prize winners have contacted me to let me know they received the yarn I sent them.

Seafoam Shetland

My spinning wheel is back in action again after a brief respite. I've spun 2 ounces of seafoam green Shetland in the past two days. One of the many fiber goodies I picked up last weekend at the Fiber Event in Greencastle. This Shetland is from The Kelleys of Windy Acres. I have 2 more ounces of the seafoam green and 4 ounces of lavender yet to spin. The carded roving looked a little shaggy but is spinning up very well. It definitely has a right and wrong end to spin from. You can see from the picture how fine it's coming out---2 ounces/243 yards. Click on the picture for a closer view.

I was too impatient to wait until I had 2 bobbins of singles finished before I plied it. I tried out a trick my friend Jess uses. Tape a cardboard core or paper over the spindle of a ball winder. Wind the single from the bobbin onto the ball winder. Then using both the outside and inside ends of the ball, ply as usual. The cardboard core keeps it from tangling as you ply. I had one loose piece that gave me a little trouble, but otherwise this worked quite well.

I'm beginning to seriously consider buying a bigger wheel than my Little Gem, maybe even a production wheel. I never thought I'd want more than one wheel and wondered why some spinners have a dozen wheels. I'm learning. Sometime this week, I will drive down to my Majacraft dealer at Winterhaven Fiber Farm to see what wheels she has to offer. Jenny told me I could bring one home to try out for a couple of weeks. They're expensive enough you want to make sure it's what you want before you lay out that much cash.

At first hubby was shocked when I told him I wanted another spinning wheel. Once he got over the initial shock, he began to understand that wheels, as any tool, are suited to different jobs. He finally got it. Today he told me he'll buy me a new wheel as an anniversary present. Isn't that sweet? He's a keeper. It'll be 15 years in May since we married. It just keeps getting better and better.

Playing hooky

Someone wrote and asked what I've been up to this week. I've been shopping for supplies and making orifice hooks for spinning wheels. Why, you might ask?

We had a wheel shower for a member of my fiber arts group last night. When someone gets their first spinning wheel, we gift them with a basket full of fiber and other spinning goodies. It was Aubrey's turn last night. She learned to spindle spin about a year ago. Last week, she purchased a handpainted Ashford traditional wheel. It's a beaut! She's already spun and plied two gorgeous skeins of yarn since she got her wheel. She's bonded.

She left with a big smile on her face and an overflowing basketful of colorful spinning fiber plus other goodies. (Bet she couldn't wait to get home to start spinning! LOL!) I gave her several balls of spinning fiber, a 2 bobbin lazy Kate, first choice of 14 orifice hooks, and a name tag for her hook made from a bit of silk ribbon threaded through beads spelling out her name. I sold a few more hooks to friends. My Little Gem has a delta orifice and doesn't need a hook to thread it.

The hooks are made from 18 gauge silver colored wire and glass tear drop beads in purple, green, blue, and a topazy color. The beads have highlights in them like opals. I'm not sure what the turquoise barrel beads are made of.

I mailed the four yarn prizes today to the winners of my triangle shawl contest. Beth, Cindy, Jody, and Andrea, watch your mailboxes. They should arrive in a few days. Enjoy!

Triangle shawls galore!

Click Triangle Shawl Master List to go to the updated list with all 314 pattern links or look in the sidebar of my blog for the link.

The contest is over! There were 152 patterns submitted for my triangle shawl contest.

The four prize winners are:

1. Cindy Bertram
2. Andrea Lum
3. Beth Parrott
4. Jody Ziegler
   

I'll be contacting you for your mailing address. Watch your email box!

Fiber loot!

It's been a whirlwind couple of days.

Thursday night we went to see the Celtic Woman in concert. Our seats were much better this time and we could really see the performers. It was so much fun! The concert was wonderful! Our seat mates were a major surprise---it was Liz and her sister, Becka!

Friday morning we headed south for the Fiber Event in Greencastle, Indiana. This is my second year to attend this event. Through it I've found a lot of good local and regional fiber producers. I get their business cards so I can contact them between fiber festivals if I want more of their fiber.

We arrived early Friday afternoon. The sun was shining and it was fairly warm. It was so welcome after all the gloomy, cold, and snowy days we've had. Later in the afternoon it began to cloud up and the temperature dropped. I'm so glad we decided to go on Friday. The weather was cold, wet, and miserable yesterday.

Jess and I were having so much fun shopping we totally forgot to take any pictures. Hubby carried our purchases and ferried bags to the car. Though I got halfway through the first building before I bought anything. But once I started...look out!

Here are pics of some of what I bought. This should hold me until Michigan Fiber Fest in August (and then some!). The first picture shows a lot of the wool spinning fiber. As you can see, I bought a lot of purples, lavenders, and lilacs. Can you tell it's my favorite color? A lot of it is Shetland, which I love to spin. The bag on the far right is a merino/tussah silk blend. I usually buy 8 ounces or less. Several, like this one, I had to buy a pound bag because they wouldn't split it up. I'm sure I'll find someone to share it with. LOL!

The second picture is all silk, except for the one on the lower left. It's a superwash/tencel blend. The two hanks of roving next to it on the right are hand dyed silk from Robin Edmundson, a very talented Indiana dyer. Above it are 2 clamshells of silk roving in shades of pink (one a very hot pink). I seem to have gone silk happy.

Some I didn't take pictures of because it wouldn't photograph well. A cream colored Shetland (which I may dye), a wonderful cream Corridale and silk that is like a cloud, and a pound bag from Zeilingers of cream wool top streaked with subtle colors.

Oh, I did buy a 2-1/2 lb Shetland lambswool fleece. I dropped it off for processing at the Wooly Knob booth. Jess and I are going to split it. Jamie said it should be about 2 months before I get it back. While I had the chance, I told him my fiber arts group is interested in touring their fiber mill. He responded to let him know when we want to visit.

On Saturday, Hubby and I stopped at Stitches & Scones in Westfield, Indiana on the way home. I highly recommend a trip to this shop if you are in the Indianapolis area. Both the selection and the service are wonderful! Their free scones are delicious too! As well as all the yarns and patterns they carry, they also stock a fair bit of spinning fiber. I scored these 2 bundles of Lorna's Laces in Flame and Sherbet plus 2 braids of Fleece Artist merino in Mermaid.

My fiber budget is not just badly bent, but truly broken!