kitty: indie fibers - barefoot shepherdess

Naturally Dyed Polwarth Top, sakura 5 & 3
Naturally Dyed Silk Roving, safflower 2
	Blog: Cosmopolitan Purls Etsy: Barefoot Shepherdess Fiber: Polwarth Top Silk Colour: Sakura (Collected leaves from the park last fall) and Pink Safflower Natural Dyes: Sakura, Safflower, Madder, Onion Skins, Cochineal Would I buy again: Yes, and I have Truly beautiful fiber and it spins like a dream.
Check out what MG got me for my Bday! I opened up this magical box from Japan, and inside was three bundles of lovely fiber. She had been reading Cosmopolitan Purls blog for awhile and decided to order the fiber from her etsy site. The fiber is beautifully prepared, has lots of natural crimp, spinning was extremely easy. And to top it all off, who could resist fiber that had been dyed from sakura leaves. I definitely have a weakness for natural dyes and the beauty they possess. With all the indie dyers out there it has really become hard to know who produces beautiful work. This is definitely one to check out in the future. Her work is really well done and the colours are absolutely amazing.

kitty: what's on the needles

It isn't done yet, I still need to add the border to the edge, but I just had to share the photos of my progress on my Victorian version of a hap shawl and what is on the needles this month. (Since I am using my own hand spun I knew I didn't have enough yarn for a full hap shawl) During the Victorian age there was a half version of the hap shawl designed mainly for the tourism market since it would save yarn. Here is the version that I have designed based loosely on Sharon Miller's book and other references that I found on hap shawls. The thing that really impresses me the most about hap shawls is how easy the math in the calculations were in creating the shawl. I couldn't be happier with the end product. And I keep looking at the yarn and saying you know... I spun that.
	Shetland Hap Shawl by Sharon Miller Hap shawls are all about everyday warm shawls. Since they weren't considered special, few of them have survived through out history, even though more of these plain shawls were sold than the fancy lace shawls. The book is mostly an exploration of the history of the hap shawl. And like the hap shawl itself there are not a lot of formal patterns within the book. Sharon Miller clearly defines the mathematical equation to create a hap shawl and she shows you the historical colour combination for the stripes.
from a previous post that I wrote --- kitty:my thoughts on square shawl construction "Border Inwards" Traditional Hap Shawl 19th century This shawl is knit in two pieces. The center is knit as a diamond in garter stitch. The big difference is the outer length of each of the outer borders are cast on and worked to the center. Then the center edges are grafted together traditionally using the Herringbone Stitch or Mattress stitch. Miller, Sharon 2006. "Heirloom Knitting's Shetland Hap Shawls" "Border Inwards" Modern Hap Shawl 1880's This shawl is knit in one piece if knitted in the round. The center is knit as a diamond in garter stitch. Then the outer stitches on all sides are picked up and knit outwards. (Note: If you do not work this shawl in the round you would do the method described above under Traditional Shetland Shawl.) Miller, Sharon 2006. "Heirloom Knitting's Shetland Hap Shawls"
Other Patterns: Ysolda - Hap Blanket | Hazel Carter The Hap Shawl |

kitty: catching the motion of spinning

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Some fun eye candy of me spinning. M was playing with his camera as we watched the Buckeye's loose in yet another bowl game. I really loved the two photos, if you click on the larger size link it will show you the full size. Shrinking them down to 390 doesn't really do them justice. I really thought in the first photo he was able to capture the act of spinning and the second to freeze a moment in time. Taken with a Canon 450D, 50mm lens, flash fired Fiber: Yak and Silk from a Verb of Keeping Warm fiber club.

kitty: A Verb of Keeping Warm Ultra Fiber Club

Camel Hair & Silk A Verb of Keeping Warm Ultra Fiber Club This is probably the nicest fiber I have ever tried to spin. It is heaven, though I am utterly terrified of screwing it up. I am trying to spin lace weight from over the fold. So we will see what happens. Link to the club post blog post

kitty: first installment of abby's yarn batt club finished spinning

I finally finished spinning the fiber from my first shipment from Abby's Yarn Batt Club. It really was the nicest fiber I think I have ever spun. I would highly recommend the quality of her fiber combinations. Though I am still not convinced on the sparkly aspect of the yarn. It ended up around 500 yards so hopefully Mia can come up with a good project for it. It definitely is more her colours than mine. Sorry for the dark photos, It has been pouring down rain here since the fiber dried and I wanted to get it shipped off to her today. The colours really are more like the post on Abby's site.