If I Had Been Blogging

This is what I would've shared, had I been blogging. Let's see, I spun up some chunky yarn in Hello Yarn Patchwork to crochet a tam. Added a trim from Camp Pluckyfluff DC.

Ended up with this wild mop of a thing.

I introduced #4 to the spinning wheel.

She's been spindling for a yearish so she worked the wheel like a pro. She gifted her first wheel spun yarn to her little sis for Christmas. She also just knit herself a pair of fingerless mitts. I love to see my kids spinning and knitting. Speaking of Those Mitts, I knit a few sets for gifting this Christmas.

Did you notice my new spinning apron? Perfectly constructed, this was a gift from Mia. I really love this. Happy hot pink, yes? This is really cool and keeps all the fluff off of my clothes.

Can you believe it's the end of another decade? Happy New Year!

Whatta Weekend!

Oh, so much fun! It was so great to meetup with my peeps at Loop's grand opening. Her studio space is honkin' ! Steph is doing so many cool things. Run, don't walk! Get on her mailing list so you can see what she is offering. Workshops, spin-ins, custom fiber...ohmygosh, it was a candy shop of fiberlove.







We carded







We spun







We made custom clouds (This is my custom colorway! Woot!)







We felted







That was just the beginning. It was the moments when the cameras were off that meant the most. Just a bunch of silly girls from all over the world, back together again. No hubbies, no kids, no worries. Big 'ol slumber party. Oh, the love.


That we actually made it to Rhinebeck was nothing short of a miracle. How long it took? That's beside the point. We made up for it once inside the festival.





Steph failed to convince me that this was my spirit beanie. A++ for trying though!


Yay for the Spunky meet-up





The town of Rhinebeck and the festival grounds were just beautiful.



It was hard to say good-bye, but heartwarming to arrive home.



Oh, to be loved.....

Rhinebeck!!!

I know, I can't believe it! I'm heading up to New York to celebrate the grand opening of Loop's new studio. Here's teh scoop:



When: Friday, October 16th at 6:00 p.m. Where: Loop at the GAGA Arts Center Building #8 Garnerville NY RSVP: loopfiberstudio@gmail.com



But that's not all! I've parted the Red Sea and have made arrangements for my babyloves so I can have another girls' weekend with Steph, Lexi, and Carissa for some more woolfesting at Rhinebeck. Loop, Pluckyfluff, Rhinebeck? Oh, my, my.

Really?

...because I needed a 3rd sock wip on the needles.
Through the Loops Mystery Sock Knitalong for Socktoberfest.
Callias in Eidos by The Sanguine Gryphon.

No White Bread

Fun times in D.C. last weekend with the Crafty Bastards Art Festival. Such an interesting demographic, this city of ours... I adore the melting pot of people in D.C.

As we watched the breakdancing competition, I was struck by the sea of interesting faces in the audience. "No white bread," my friend commented. Indeed. White, African American, Hispanic, probably just about every nationality you can imagine of artistic funk. Style on, D.C.

Tons of vendors, demos, hands-on projects.

Tigerlilly

A local potter had the audience in awe. We literally stood there enthralled for what seemed like hours. Doesn't everyone wish they could do this?

Nothing inspires quite like a date with your inner artist. Except the beautiful mix of people in our nation's capital.

So, let's catch up. Whatcha been up to since we last exchanged words? Let's see...I've been crocheting:



Can you guess what this is? I'll give ya a hint: Corrine. Crochet goddess that she is! She styled into a recent spin-in, several of these in hand, which only made my desire to learn to crochet more urgent. So she taught me. On the spot. Love at first hook. Remember that post? So what do ya think it is?
Why, a market bag of course!



Isn't it cool how it folds into it's own little pouch, perfect for tossing in your purse for a quick stop at the market? Go green! Don't ask me the pattern or the yarn. Off the top of my head, I can't remember. But if ya really wanna know, just pm me on RAV, and I'll look it up for you.


The addiction to crochet doesn't stop there. Like many, it was this project that inspired me to learn to crochet. I carded up my Spunky Eclectic Raisin WannaBe (Nov 2008 club fiber), spun singles, and crocheted this little beauty.



This was a really fun project. Easy to memorize. Love.


In the knitting basket are the last two Rocking Sock Club installments. I'm poking along on those. However, I finally finished the first shawl I ever started. I just kind of improvised a simple design on a rectangular shawl. It highlight's Dragonflyfiber's Gaia Silk so beautifully. What nice yarn to work with. The colorway is Sandstorm. I purchased it last spring at the Homespun Yarn Party. I'd love to get some of Dragonfly's Bougainvilla colorway in this yarn for another shawl. She's such a fun dyer. Check her out if you haven't tried her stuff. One of her designs is featured as a gift suggestion in the fall issue of KnitPicks. Rockstar! It's the messenger bag-so cool. Anyway, here's the shawl:



Should've blocked it, but alas... I was too impatient to wear it! So cozy that silk/cashmere blend! I can dress it up or down.


Here's what's been in the dyepots:


BFL SOCK YARN

BFL:

And last but not least, from the carder:
Textured Art Batts

Fun times around here! If ya see anything you'd like, just pm me on RAV or leave a comment. Maybe some day I'll actually stock an Etsy shop, but for now, I just wanna love my babyloves and have some fibery fun on the side.

Seriously?

July? Seriously? Was that really my last post? I do have some honkin' batts to show ya! Stop back soon and see them. I might even have some project pics. I've been such a crafty girl this summer!

Christmas in July

There is a Santa Claus. See for yourself. Lookie what appeared on my doorstep the other day! I'm soooooo excited!! Can you guess what it is?

You were right!


It took about a second and a half to feed some fiber into that hungry carder.


But that's not all that was in the box!

Who doesn't love Spunky Eclectic? I'm so happy for Amy on the release of her new book. This book is fantastic. Every spinner should have a copy. She even personalized it for me, which is so Amy. This is why we love her so. She remembered from last year when I had mentioned I'd love a Greensleeves Lady Barbara in Ebony. Such attention to detail is so amazing! Of course I love this spindle. It's gonna be my go-to, I think. I wanted to spin something very special on it, which is why I chose some Spunky Eclectic Corriepaca in Autumn that Ironjohn sent me as a gift. John makes the most gorgeous batts by the way. Check out his Etsy shop and grab something if you can. Here's a close up of the Lady Barbara in Ebony.

What a beauty.

I also received a fun shipment from Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Rockin' Sock Club. I need to finish knitting the last installment so I can cast on for this fun knit. I love color, so this yarn really brings me joy.


I'm so glad it's summer. I love the possibilities of each new unplanned day. There's so much fibery fun to be had and no deadlines. Joy, joy, joy.

Oh, Yeah

I'm on a roll. Yes, I am. I finished my first crochet project a few days ago. It took less than a week. Don'tcha just love instant gratification? This was easy peasy and a perfect crochet project for the beach. Can you believe it? I know, I know. So, here's a shocker for ya. This is FO #2.




It's the Rook Hat. I used Noro and had a blast with this little project. It only takes a couple of hours. Cute, eh?

True to my resolve to crochet for at least 10 minutes a day, I've started a third project from the Spring/Summer issue of KnitSimple. It's a mesh market tote.
Can't wait to finish this one.

I Resolve

I really, really want to learn to crochet. Yes, I do. As a result of Gingy giving me a lesson in crochet at today's Spin-in, I resolve to crochet for at least 10 minutes per day until I finish my first project. So, here's the result of my first attempt when I got home:I've dubbed this my summer of shawls, so naturally, I've started hooking a simple shawl using chain, single crochet and double treble crochet stitches. I'm using some Sanguine Gryphon yarn I picked up last summer in Seasock Fuzzy Navel. Very happy colorway. Whatcha think so far?

Speaking of The Sanguine Gryphon...our dear Gryphon hosts a spin-in every month (I know, how lucky are we?), and of course, the afternoon is never complete without a little shopping.

Sarah dyed these beauties in Little Traveller. The tones remind me of summer, beaches, seaglass. Oh, how I love summer. Are you wondering what I shall knit with this? Why, a shawl, of course.

Studiolove

Don'tcha just love seeing the creative spaces that belong to other people? I find artist's studio's to be so inspiring. I used to dream of having a space to call my own in this little cottage that we call home. Then one weekend last year, when I was away on an annual retreat, my sweet family created a space just for me. They're forever giving me gifts of service when I go away. It's their way of showing how much they love me, appreciate me, and miss me when I'm gone. They decked the halls with artwork all their own. It is so very endearing. Wanna peek?
Here's a glimpse:

My space is so cozy. Here's a shot of my stash organization:

My dyeing supplies:

A close-up of some kid art and supplies:

And a girl's gotta have a comfy knitting chair, yes?

Not pictured is a cool armoire for storing a computer, office supplies, shipping supplies, etc. I also have a light box for photographing my work. It's a sweet little space, completely designed a decorated by the ones I love the most. Therein lies the charm for me. Imagine my surprise to be welcomed home with such a gift of love. It means the world to me.

Yarn is Such a Wonderful Thing

The world has a new spinner. Yes, it does. So, this post is for you. I won't tell the world your name, but you know who you are:) I gave a spinning lesson this evening to a natural. She worked a chunky art batt like nobody's business. Never once did the spindle fall. Yarn was made. Yarn is such a wonderful thing. Onward, little yarnie. Here's hoping you knit your own handspun real soon. You're awesome.
Here's what Eutrapelia's been spinning lately:

This has been a fun little spin from a Ravelry swap that Julie invited me to join. Here's a pic of the scrappies I received in the swap. I added a few strips from some Hype batts to extend the fun yardage on this one.

I'm thinking a bag of some sort. Any ideas?
Speaking of bags, I've wound some of the fat yarn I posted about to cast on for a felted fat sack. Here goes:


Mmmmmmmm. Chomping at the bit on this one. Committed to finish the Debbie Bliss Dress with Eyelets, I didn't dare cast on for this instant gratification or else no deadline knitting would have transpired. I know you know what I'm talking about. So very glad the baby dress is off the needles now. When I picked it up to sew the button on today, I noticed Cheeto crumbs on the front of the dress. Now which of my 7 children do I have to thank for that one? Can you even imagine being up against seventy little fingers on a daily basis? Please tell me that you don't see the orange Cheeto crumbs any more.



This is a precious little knit. Baby knits are so fun for me. Debbie Bliss is my fave. The simplicity really appeals to me. This was knit using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in ivory.

Oh, how I love yarn.