Well that took a while

Sorry about being off the grid for a MONTH?  sigh...sometimes life just kinda smacks you around a bit and all you can do is hang on tight!  Last time we talked I said I would show you pictures of the other roving I got from Detta's...so as promised here we go...

This beauty is called Jamaica.  And it is the softest most shimmery fiber I've played with in a while...it is Merino and Tussah silk.  I've already spun up half of it, and it turned out to a heavy lace weight.  I think it almost looks like dragonfly wings...not sure if I will keep it's name as Jamaica or change it. 

This one is called Snapdragon and that is exactly how it turned out.  I finished this as well.  It is a soft pastel with hints of greens, pinks and blues.  I think it would look so nice in a baby blanket or sweater...hmmm my niece is pregnant with a little girl...just might have to think about it.  smile..


While the last month has been a bit trying there have been some moments to treasure too, one is Emily's eighth gotcha day.  It is so amazing to me that I've had Emily home for eight years now.  We've come a long way in that time.  She has had 5 surgeries and come through beautifully.  She has blossomed so much in the last year, at school and at church.  Hearing her and Anna laugh each night is the best music I could hope for.  I've said it before, I just wish I could let both her foster family and birth family know how well she is doing and how grateful I am they helped keep her safe and loved until I could come for her. 

Another really exciting thing for me is my handspun is now in TWO shops in Minnesota.  Yesterday the shop Yarn Harbor bought my yarn to sell in their shop.  Kathy bought a LOT of my yarn!  So if you are in the area please stop in at Yarn Harbor and ask for my yarn.  Her shop is warm and inviting and chock full of a wide variety of yarns, now including MINE!  It was a good weekend in my household.  We got to drive up to the glorious area of Lake Superior and I got to sell yarn!

And for those people in the Twin Cities, I'll be vending again this year at Yarn Over.  This is the year knitting event put on by the Minnesota Knitter's Guild.  It will be on April 28 at the Hopkins High school.  The classes are amazing with nationally known instructors including Nancy Bush, Anne Hanson, Romi Hill, Amy Singer and Annie Modesitt to name a few.  Even if you can't take classes, there will be a smashing marketplace for anyone to attend.  Please stop over at my table and introduce yourself, I'd love to meet people who read the blog.  It would be fun!

Here is hoping it won't be another month before I'm back!

Who needs Disneyland!

Instead of Disneyland, this weekend, I went to Detta's land!  Detta's is a treasure trove of spinning supplies, from wheels (new and antique), roving (plain and dyed), and miscellaneous supplies.  It is like my version of a theme park.  There really should be some type of fiber theme park.  Instead of a corn field maze, there could be a spinning wheel maze, weaving in and out of hundreds of wheels, stopping to try this one before jumping over to that one.  Instead of winning stuffed animals at the carnival rides, you would win roving!  Boy oh boy, now that would be a fun time!

I happily started digging through the overflowing boxes at Detta's, I was looking for mostly solid colors in light colors.  I have plenty of mixed yarns in dark reds, browns, grays.  It was time for something bright and light.  So check these out!  First is a teal blue/green...

 Next is a soft violet

now a spring green, like baby lettuce before it matures...


Then a robins egg blue...

These solids are a beautiful merino.  Soft and lovely...I've already filled two bobbins of lemon drop yellow and this is how it looks on the wheel as I'm plying...

Tomorrow I'll post the pictures of the mixed color rovings I picked out as well.  If you are interested, check out Detta's, I love the on site experience of picking through her over flowing boxes and shelves of roving, but you can also shop online.  Either way, if you are craving a fiber fix, this is one way to ease that itch!

half done spinning

Once again, I have a pile of unwashed and not yet set yarn in my basket.  But I still took pictures of my latest spins.  This is one strand of Ginny's Harlequin and one strand of natural BFL.  The BFL softened the reds and creams.  I think it will knit up soft and marled.  Some striping, but probably subtle.

Harlequin on its own turned out like this as a two ply.   See how the colors are deeper and more saturated, the sliver grey of the natural BLF really muted and softened the colors.  I wonder how these two would work together. 

 

I loved spinning up the Farmer Phil singles I did last month as a custom spin. So this time, I did a two ply. I just love how it turned out. This is also fiber from Ginny.

For the upcoming Yarnover event in April, I'm thinking of doing some sale yarns.  I need to move out some of my older yarns, so there just may be a big basket of discounted yarns.  Might be fun to do that.  All of it is so pretty, I think people who haven't knit with handspun are really missing out on something special.  Not just my yarn, although I'm are pretty proud of it.  Even though I love to spin, I'm really surprised to find myself turning more and more to my own  yarn.  And buying less and less commercial yarn.  I just may have to do a big ol' destash of my commercial yarns in the future.  I have some really nice stuff too.  But the limited knitting time I actually have is making it easier for me to use just my own yarn. Sounds like I'm making a big sacrifice doesn't it.  Not really.  But if you haven't tried handpun yet, seek it out.  You may be really surprised in the difference you feel.

Weird search

OK, this is brief.  But someone found my blog by searching "people with missing teeth"  Really?  Wonder what they thought when they found a knitting blog? 

Proof of Spinning

I know I've been quiet this month, but one thing remains true, I've been spinning.

This armload of unwashed/unset yarn shows a few weeks of spinning.  About 20 ounces of some Julie Spins "Pastel Jungle", 8 ounces of Fat Cat Knits roving as well as some plain but absolutely lovely BFL from a local place, Della's.  They have all been washed and are in neatly organized skeins in my yarn cubbie.  I still need to print out new labels for them and get them all set.  Because I just applied for a spot at this year's Yarnover.  Last year, Yarnover was my first real exposure selling my handspun.  I sold the most I had ever sold as well as being approached by Lila's & Cladine to sell my handspun in their store.  That has been just a great experience for me.  I can't wait to see what happens this year at Yarnover!

Emily is practicing her photo skills so set up this lovely shot.  smile...I love my girls!

So just in case you were wondering, I am spinning, every day.  It has truly become my source for calming myself.  And I'm so grateful I fell into the rabbit hole of spinning.

Sepia filled world

Winter has truly set in finally in Minnesota.  It is gray and gloomy and with the new snow yesterday it all blurs in various shades of gray, white, and black.  Hard to tell where the sky stops and the snow blanketed ground starts.  So instead I dig through my fiber basket filled with oranges, reds, and golds.  Teals sprinkled in with greys and creams.  Yarn is a true blending of colors and that is what I do each day.  Watch as the fiber slips through my fingers, sometimes soft, sometimes scratchy, yet blending into a soft yet surprisingly strong piece of yarn.  That once it is knit up will yet again transform itself, both colorwise and looks.  That is the beauty of spinning and knitting, what you start with is transformed into something even better.  This is a short post, one to let you know I'm still here, still spinning, still dreaming...

The new year beckons

The last few weeks have been filled to the brim with life.  Holiday get togethers, family gatherings, and the joy of spending time with my girls.  It also brought mind numbing tiredness.  So I gave.  I kept moving, doing the things I needed to, but that was as good as I could get.  Toss in a wicked hard cold that I'm still struggling to get on the other side and you can see where I've been for the last 3 weeks.

However, I did manage to carve out slivers of time for myself.  I learned to spin singles through some trial and error.   First results so so, but now I'm pretty comfortable with how it looks and feels...

I also received my next order from Fat Cat Knits, I "only" ordered 5 pounds of roving this time...see how much fun is coming my way?

So tonight, before the onslaught of our crazy weekend jammed packed days, I'm going to sit, slowly pre-draft some fiber and let the soothing whoosh whoosh of my wheel take me to a calm place.

I'm stressed and tired.  Can't think of a better way to calm myself.