January 7, 2007
Michelle's Macaw
I <3 navajo plying.
I recently gave this technique a whirl for the first time and I am HOOKED, folks! Below you'll see some New Zealand wool that I gifted Michelle for her birthday last year. She came over this summer and dyed the fluff herself and then I finally got the stuff spun in time for Ecksmas! (Two gifts in one!)
3 hunky skeins for my lady, Michelle
a snippy little close up
Michelle's Macaw (on accounta how much it looks like one of those purty parrots!)
Fiber: 8 oz, New Zealand wool
Technique: Navajo Ply
Weight: Worsted
I was a little intimidated at first - even after watching this fantastic instructional video. Three singles are plied in the same direction, by making a chain - very similar to crochet, in fact. At first, my brain could just not compute this idea - it turned out it was something that I had to learn by doing.
Now I am a convert and want to navajo ply the shiznit out of all the fiber in casa de Scissorina.
More Eckmas gifts to be shared as the pics come in! (you wouldn't have thought I actually remembered to take photos of all my hard work before passing it along to my loved ones, now would you?)
Posted by Sarah at 6:32 PM | Comments (0)
September 4, 2006
Did you know I have a blog?
So, now that Summer is coming to a close, it seems time that I get back to the ol' routine... ya know? The one where I actually post to the blog I pay for every month? Yeah.
I have been a major slacker in the blog area... (reading, writing, umm... everything!) but I swear the slacking isn't universal. I have been spinning, knitting, dyeing, quilting and W-O-R-K-I-N-G. Ugh-o-rama.
But rather than moan about long hours and the high stress level 'round here, I think I'll stick to the crafts... ;)
First up - A finished pair of Broad Street Mittens - the Fig and Plum Glittens version!
Patterns: Broad Street Mittens (Knitty ) / Glittens modifications by Fig and Plum
Yarn: Socks that Rock in Scottish Highlands (from Christine - thanks, lady!)
Needles: Crystal Palace, US2, Bamboo circulars
Notes: Thank goodness Jess did all the work on the mods before I tried these suckers! They would have been super huge gigantic on my little manos. With the modifications, they came out perfect - it's the first pair of mittens/gloves I've actually knit for myself. :) It gives me something to look forward to this Winter. Not to mention, the colors in this yarn are kickin!
Next... Some lovely silk I dyed and have been spinning up to a worsted weight 2 ply yarn...
Colourway is a new one for Fiberfly - I call her Hubba Hubba and she's just one big blush.
And where is she off to in such a hurry? Why, she's being knotted up into last year's hot project - Clapotis! Better late than never, that's what I always say!
Here's our status so far... a little over halfway there...
And we've got a couple of new bundles of fluff posted over at Fiberfly showing off two new colourways that MH and I scribbled up: Fat Cat (Mary's homage to Tito le cat) and Science Fiction 101 (my ode to 1960's sci fi comics). A couple more coming later this week, too. And we just completed our first custom order!
I'll leave you all with a cute little update on the cute little creatures that live in my apartment...
By the way... after all of that toil over his name, the little fella is official.
Here we see Dave snuggled up with his very best friend, Tito. If you don't find this adorable, I'm sorry - there's just nothing I can do to help you. You are clearly hopeless.
Posted by Sarah at 9:34 PM | Comments (5)
February 20, 2006
Mary and I Dyed on Sunday.
Okay, so yesterday Mary and I were going to do a photoshoot of our finished sweaters... but we got distracted.
I bought a Lanaset Dye Kit from Sheep Hollow Farms and could no longer resist the urge to make lots of colors and dye something white!!! We had such a blast mixing dyes it made me realize how badly I wish I could just play with colors all day for a living... sigh.
Anyhoo, here are our finished works! We dyed a bunch of smallish strips of roving so we could test out each of our 18 colors in different combos!
Yummy! Not too shabby for our first real try, no? These dyes are truly amazing! I'm going to try to spin these puppies up over the next week or so to see how they yarn up. This weekend will most certainly bring round two. We are hooked - there's no going back now. :)
Of course those sweaters still need to be photographed...
Posted by Sarah at 7:29 PM | Comments (9)
February 6, 2006
Dreaming About Umbrella Drinks
My mind has recently been fixed upon getting to a warm climate and lounging on a white sand beach with a fancy umbrella drink in hand. So, it should be no surprise that my recent dyeing excursion should yield a result which totally reflects that mindset....
I really dig this colorway, I call it Cayman. :)
I used teal and spearmint dyes, leaving a fair amount of white wool. I love how the colors seep into one another.
Here it is in singles on the bobbins....
Plied up and the twist is set!
And wound up all perty.
This will be a birthday gift for my friend's daughter who is turning 10 this weekend. She's a very talented little knitter and I think she'll get a kick out of the fact that I dyed the wool and spun it into yarn for her! :)
Posted by Sarah at 6:59 PM | Comments (6)
November 4, 2005
Another Fuzzy Friday
So, I gave soy silk a whirl! Whoo-ee! I like it. I really like it!
Tofutti Break
Fiber: 4oz. Dyed Soysilk from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm
Spun into a 2-ply dk weight yarn...
All hail the soy bean! By far, the most useful bean I know. This stuff is sinfully soft and SHINY! I can't wait to get my hands on some more of this stuff. I was a littel intimidated of spinning it, but I had no troubles. It will take me a little while to master, but my first shot is definately knittable!
TOFUTTI BREAK! (Anyone out there have any clue to what I am referring?)
Posted by Sarah at 6:07 PM | Comments (4)
October 28, 2005
Fuzzy Friday
I finished the llama wool blend roving that Jennie gave me forever ago!
Dolly Llama
Fiber: Llama Wool blend (from Jennie)
Spun into a 2-ply worsted yarn.
Soooo soft. Very lofty with a light halo of fuzziness..... This is begging to be a shawl or something lacy.... YUM!
Posted by Sarah at 10:14 PM | Comments (2)
October 19, 2005
Stash Flash
So, here's my booty.
Get your minds out of the gutter, fair readers! You shall not see my glorious posterior posted on this blog!
At least, today you won't.
Let's take a peek at what came home with me on Saturday:
Oh glory, be! It's more of that lovely merino-tencel from Mountain View Farm. Take a peek here to see how it spun up - it's what inspired me to make this stuff my first purchase and blow a third of my budget in one place! I bought two 2 oz bundles in each Fire and Summer Fields colourways....
It's a cotton explosion! An organic cotton sampler bag from The Good Shepard. I know, I know. Cotton's hard to spin... But I loves me a challenge, I do!
Silky Goodness! Here we have a pound of white Tussah Silk (*drool*) that I plan on dyeing myself before I spin. Also pictured, is Tussah Silk's funky cousin, Soy Silk. Slightly smaller bags, but what tofu lover could resist spinning this stuff up???
And - of course - here is my rule breaker. My rebel. My bad girl coming out to show her true colors. (pretty, pretty colors!) I broke my rule and bought yarn.... I KNOW! I have a shite load of yarn! I didn't need any MORE yarn! But just lookit. They're just little skeins. And you didn't want me walking out of a fabulous place like Morehouse Merino emptyhanded, did you? I thought not. These shall be socks! I am proud of myself for showing this much restraint. I wanted to buy LOTS more.
Posted by Sarah at 3:32 PM | Comments (4)
September 29, 2005
Rhinebeck, anyone?
It's that time of year again!
Anyone out there planning on heading to Rhinebeck for the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival? I know a bunch of the Scissorinas are planning on being in attendance - at least for the Saturday, 10/15 segment! I'd love to hear that some/all of my Lovely Ladies of Leisure are planning on making the trek... No matter how you cut it, it's a shorter trip than Maryland, girls! (Madame Boozehag, you should totally bring Helena if you make the trip!!)
A bunch of the Scissorinas and I are trying to organize an evening out after the festival - maybe dinner and drinks at a local establishment after we're done shopping on Saturday? Give a holler if you're game!
****
In other news, we are at t-minus 8 days till the big 2-8! Ack. I usually LOVE my birthday! It's a fun excuse to go out to dinner and drink some yummy sake, get showered with gifts and basically just have everyone tell me how great I am. This year feels a little... weird! It feels quiet and like it's no big thing and I'm so fricking anti-social that Mary is going to have to drag me kicking and screaming out of my apartment to go anywhere that night! (The bright side is that she WILL do this. She doesn't take my crap.) On the other hand, getting closer to 30 suddenly feels like it is a big deal - despite the fact that I've always felt the opposite! I guess I am just a bit ass backwards right now. Surely, once things settle down everything will flip back to it's non-bizarro position and all will be well in the world. Le sigh. :)
***
On another random branch of the tree that is this mucky post - check this link out:
http://www.patriciawaller.com/images.html
My friend Greg thoughtfully sent this my way. I guess crocheted teddy bears with head wounds make him think of me. Sweet, right?
My favorite are the handknit dentures in a jar of water at the bottom of the page.
This stuff made me laugh so hard that I'm going to have to put some thought into a snippy little craft challenge.... What is the weirdest item you can knit? Hmmm....
Posted by Sarah at 12:21 PM | Comments (7)
August 6, 2005
4. Spin some damn yarn.
I tackled my first batch of merino roving! A bit thick and thin in parts.... definitely not my best spinning job to date, but I think it's pretty darn good for my first try at a finer wool. :)
And here's a close up, which shows the colors a bit more accurately:
So, I am slooowly working my way down that list I made... how long ago? Now on to covering that god-awful couch and applying my organizational skills to our massive book collection.....
Mary and I are off to see Kailtyn and the gang in Brooklyn today! Yippee!!!!! Knitting buds, yarn and booze.... it will be a great day indeed!
Posted by Sarah at 10:22 AM | Comments (7)
June 6, 2005
Makin Yarn.
Finally - here are some pics of my spinning progress!
Here's some orchid colored wensleydale I ordered online from Copper Moose. They have yummy fibers and amaaaazing colors! I was really pleased with the way this spun up - I am thinking of using it for something for the Bune's niece for the Fall.....
And here we see a bobbin of each corriedale in peridot (also from Copper Moose) and some blue multi colored merino from Firesong Fibers, which I picked up at Maryland S&W.
Oh ... and speaking of MS&W.... Have you seen the new issue of Spun? Oh, but be sure to check out the article written by the Lovely Ladies of Leisure... of which I just happen to be a part. Rock on, Lovely Ladies!
Posted by Sarah at 11:17 PM | Comments (4)
May 13, 2005
Fluff
Here's a looksie at the fluffy stuff I picked up in Maryland!
Here's 8oz of multi color merino I snagged from Firesong Fibers - YUM!
And here is one pound of merino from a place that I cannot remember..... I am going to ply these two colors ... together!!!!!!! Fantastic!
And while we're on the topic - did you know that the New Hamshire Sheep and Wool Festival is this weekend??? Oh, I was tempted by Anne - but my tired bones prevailed. No 3 hour drives this weekend, please!
However..... I think I will make the 2 hour trek to the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Fest at the end of the month! Perhaps I'll have some Scissorina company? I hear day trip!
And there's the Fiber Frolic in Maine next month! Well, it seems I have a couple of things to tide me over until Rhinebeck.... :)
Posted by Sarah at 6:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 27, 2005
Me Likey!
So, here's my first batch of 2-ply wool.... It's a little wonky, but I am pretty proud!
And here is the yarn in it's natural habitat.... hanging from a bookcase in my bedroom.
ONLY 9 DAYS LEFT UNTIL SHEEP AND WOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Sarah at 6:58 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
April 25, 2005
Here she is!
She's all done! Take a look-see, friends!
I love love love her! She is absolutely perfect! I'm really happy that I decided to go with an unfinished wheel and put the work into it. The Bune called it bonding time. Very true! We sanded every thing down with 220 grit sandpaper, then 330 grit. Then cleaned it all up and applied Tung oil, waited a day (a whole day people!) and applied a second coat. Then I had to wait another day before buffing it up and assembling... I had lots of time to think about spinning!
Here's the butt ugly yarn I have spun so far... I feel like I've improved already - but it will be a loooong road. Hee hee. This is super fun and totally addictive. I must remind myself to keep knitting, but I feel that it might be a couple of weeks before I really get back into that. I think my projects will be put on hold for abit while I play with my new toy :)
Now I want all my buds to come over and give it a whirl. This is too much fun not to share....
Posted by Sarah at 8:16 PM | Comments (4)
April 22, 2005
It's Here.
Look at what the nice UPS guy dropped off at my house today!
Click on the box to see what's inside!
Aycheewamma! After TWO WEEKS of waiting, my Ashford Traditional spinning wheel has finally arrived! The ordeal that has surrounded this happy occasion was quite absurd. Have I ever mentioned that I am cheap? Well, I am. The Universe decided to teach me a lesson about being cheap. It sucks. I found a website that was selling this wheel about $45 cheaper than anywhere else (!!), but I didn't get a good feeling about the site. It seemed kind of like it was an afterthought from their brick and mortar shop... But, the savings were too much for my cheap little heart to resist! So, I called the shop to make sure the price was correct and that the wheel would ship out soon - and they said Yes, Yes. OH NO NO! Liars they were! I never recieved a tracking number like you would normally receive for such an order, so I called a few days after ordering and inquired about this. They were mean to me. I swear it! Snott-ay! They told me that they didn't have the tracking number yet because the warehouse they ship these from hadn't given them the invoice yet. Okay. They never mentioned to me that they had these in a warehouse in Washington state until then! They just told me they had the wheel in stock. Harumph. So, I called every day about the tracking number (much to the dismay of the people who worked at the shop) until finally the owner, quite nastily might I add!, told me she would be very (insert sarcastic tone of voice here) happy to take 10% off my order if it would make me happier. I said sure, why not? And that I still wanted my god-damned tracking number. "I'll email it to you as soon as I get it", she says.
Days go by, still no email, still no god-damned tracking number. I called again last night (they are in California) and the owner proclaims, "You should have it by now!". Yes, darling - this is why I was rather insistent about getting a GOD-DAMNED TRACKING NUMBER! She shuffles around in her paperwork and lo and behold, there it is. I ran to the computer and looked it up and it was indeed on it's way. Funny that it ended up shipping FIVE DAYS AFTER she told me it had. I checked their site yesterday to grab the telephone number again for that final call and noticed that they raised their price on the Ashford Traditional $45 dollars. I must have made them think that a low price was certainly not worth dealing with biotches such as myself. I do not reccommend purchasing anything from the Rug and Yarn Hut, by the way. (Yes, I am aware that the name does not inspire confidence in the first place.... please see my previous note regarding my cheap cheap heart). I am not bothering with placing a review for the shop as all you would see on the scissor scale would be zero scissors.....
Anyhoo, all that is surely behind me and I have set to work on sanding and finishing my new baby! Hazah, I say! I can't wait to get this sucker assembled so I can truly understand how little I know about spinning wheels... hee hee. I loves me a challenge, I do. What? I bought a book - I'll be fiiiine.
I leave you with a pic of the yarn I recently finished on my spindle! Here's what inspired all of this madness.... I'll keep you posted :)
Posted by Sarah at 9:09 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack