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: eyecandy

March's Sweetgeorgia Fibre Club - BFL

Just a little spinning eye candy. I have been sick with the virus that is going around for the last week and a half so haven't felt like doing much of anything.

MG: back on the wheel

beautifully prepped Abby Batt

getting to know my Lendrum fast flyer. the singles kept snapping, breaking against the metal edge of the orifice on the bobbin side; so i got out one of the nicest preps i have in my stash to practice. finally catching the rhythm, tension, and pull of the fast flyer. 17:1 is much nicer for finer spinning. i can treadle languidly again.

20-odd grams of singles

kitty: spinning eye candy

	Merry Meadows Farm - Web Site Just some spinning eye candy... I picked up 10oz of this roving from "Dove" a super soft little ewe. It has been absolutely devine to spin. I have been able to do 4 oz a night. Very little VM and no felty bits. What a wonderful change from what I have been spinning lately. I am in love, beautiful quality roving. I will definately buy from them again.

kitty: tired of dye transfer

(I was spinning Violet Roving from SlowColor, amazing colour, though sadly not on my hands. I tested the red as well with no problems.)

In the last couple of weeks my hands have been bright green for days and now violet purple. I am getting pretty tired of dye transfer. Even to the point I thought it might be me and my body chemistry reacting oddly. I had someone else test and purple finger resulted.

kitty: sit and spin

	SIT AND SPIN! is out!! Order here HAVE YOU SEEN IT!! WOW!!! Check out the youtube trailer Art yarns have always fascinated me in there total lack control and imagination. The surprise of a little coil, loops, a hive, slub, thick and thin, or hidden objects plyed right in at random intervals. The imagination really runs wild with some of the art yarn spinners and I always sit in amazement. Every time I notice on Sage that Pluckyfluff or Insubordiknit have updated I always rush over. How do they do that? What was there inspiration? How can I do that too? Wouldn't it be cool to have that hanging on the wall? This video has answered a lot of those mystery questions for me and I couldn't be any more excited than I am right now. If you are curious about the video I would definitely say go and order don't stop and think twice. Just Do It! I haven't had such a wonderful afternoon in a long time.
Contains Instructions for: Beehives, Twist, Halos, Tiny Circles, Coils, and most important Foreign Objects Instructional quality: Very well done, she takes plenty of time to show how the technique is done and repeats it several times for the viewer. I actually though I would be able to accomplish the techniques after watching it a few times. The music videos are also pretty hilarious.
I am not really sure how art yarns really fit into what I like to spin or what I like to knit. I do think they are pretty hard to use for day to day projects. I have really been trying to figure out a perfect project that I would actually use the yarn I have purchased and spun. We will see what happens. I am definitely going to be spinning tonight and watching the dvd again.

kitty:spinning recap for january

One of my new years resolutions was to become more active in my life. So I decided that if I was allowed to sit on the couch and watch TV I had to spin. Not that I have a lot of time to just sit on the couch, but I have kept to my resolution to this point. Even when all I have wanted to do is sit next to the fire and zone out. So here is the recap for January Spinning:

Indie Dyer: Crash into Ewe - webpage Fiber: Merino / Targhee / Ramboulet Amount: 8oz Colourway: It's not easy being Green About: 810yards other photos: photo 1 - Photo 2

Woolarina - webpage Amount: 4oz About 90 yards

Indie Dyer: Neighborhood Fiber - webpage Fiber: 80% Merino Wool / 20% Silk Amount: 4oz Colourway: Glover Park About: 230 yards

Indie Dyer: Neighborhood Fiber - webpage Fiber: 80% Merino Wool / 20% Silk Amount: 4oz Colourway: Logan Circle About: 360 yards Other photos: Photo 1

kitty: catching the motion of spinning

Aperture Priority

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Shutter Priority

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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: spinning provides power for the poor

So weavers were the first computer programmers, could spinners now be the newest source for providing power for the poor? To be honest I would love to be able to spin and store the energy it produces.

kitty: in need of some plying

um... I think I have let my plying needs out of control. Just a couple of hundred yards needing some TLC. (The pile was actually worse two rolls got plyed before the photo)

MG: on the bobbin

MG: a bite of yarn

MG: poolside pop

fiber: handpainted merino/tencel top from Black Ethel Cash's Stash, color Poolside Pop. spun: over-the-fold longdraw; 2-ply; vigorous fulling wash to finish. gauge: 21-28 wpi; 108 grams; 580-ish yards.

MG: ply routes

montgomery county fair

MG: daily making

merino/tencel

homemade yogurt. creamiest effort to date.

MG: echo bluefaced leicester

i've been spinning and spinning and spinning... addictive fervor at the wheel. been inspired by the beautiful handspuns over at SourCherries, especially by these handspun socks. wanted some of my own. wanted color. i spun with the Olympics (stacking dreams upon dreams) for company when it was available, random sitcoms and dramas when not, even terrible ones. can't seem to spin in quiet.


fiber: handpainted bluefaced leicester top from Black Ethel Cash's Stash, color Echo. spun: over-the-fold longdraw; 2-ply; abusively washed with alternating hot and cold water and plenty of agitation. gauge: mostly 15-17 wpi; 105grams; 250-ish yards.

i hated this yarn when it first came off the wheel. the colors were beautiful, but the yardage was so short and the grist so inconsistent. i was angry with my own spinning. but the skein grew on me as i slowly sorted out my expectations. i'm still a young spinner, and really, i don't desire robotic perfection in my handspun. a day later, i can barely recall why i hated it so. i love the curvaceous coiling of the plies against each other and the shifting muted colors.

MG: 40-some grams so far

these will be socks too i think

MG: feeling the spin

bfl from Black Ethel Cash