Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
All in Spinning
In March, I wrote about the Combo Spin I did and the project I planned to knit with the handspun yarn. Remember the four fiber braids that I started with?
Check out my newest post to see the completed project!
Cheviot sheep are an ancient breed that originated in the cold, wet, rugged Cheviot Hills on the border between Scotland and England. They were noted as early as 1372 and likely selected for monastery flocks due to their hardiness. Initially, they were called 'Long sheep' or 'White sheep' in contrast to the Scottish Blackface. Sir John Sinclair is credited with naming these hardy sheep he chose for his estate in Caithness, North Scotland.
A combo spin combines several different fiber braids to create enough spun yardage for a larger project, say for a sweater. The braids are divided into chunks, spun in random color order, and then those singles are plied together.
Today’s post is a follow-up to ‘Cashmere Gathering’, which I published a while back. In that article, I wrote about the history and characteristics of cashmere and about collecting cashmere from my own goats. Readers wrote asking me how I dehair and prep my harvested cashmere. So, in this post, I'll share my process.
One of my summer classes was “Inspirational Blending,” taught by the very talented Dia Robinson of Twisted Urban Fiber Arts.
I love handspun yarn! The rhythm of spinning is relaxing while the interplay of colors and textures equally imparts joy. Like many hand spinners, the result of my passion produces an abundant and ever growing handspun stash. Although these skeins are pleasing eye candy on their own merits, my practical side prods me to find a project that befits them.
Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are in the midst of winter.
Snow is rare here, but we do get the occasional “wintery mix”. Within that mix, there can be a moment of transition when ice crystals begin to form and cling to any surfaces they contact. I think my skein of handspun captures that event quite well.
Felicia Lo of the School of Sweet Georgia is the creator of The Epic Cloth Challenge. Felicia was Inspired by the Slow Cloth trend where one preps and/or dyes the fiber, spins the yarn, knits or weaves the fabric and ultimately reaches the finish line of a completed item. She challenged others to join her with their own designs . . . and I did!
Many of you will agree that Cashmere is the ultimate luxury fiber; a classic prized for its incredible softness, snuggly warmth, and airy light weight.
But did you know . . .
Returning to 'Alpaca - The Mini Series', we last saw this fiber after it had emerged from a lovely dip in a dye bath of madder. It's now time to card, spin and knit!
What? Is that a breed of sheep? Or some newly discovered aquatic plant fiber?
In February I wrote a post about Samples & Swatches. Today's project works perfectly for using small samples of stash fibers.
Continuing with Alpaca - The Mini Series, today's topic is blending; blending two fibers, in this case Merino wool with alpaca, as well as color blending to achieve a tint (lighter) color.
All the posts thus far in Alpaca - The Mini Series have been about Huacaya alpacas. Huacayas appeared in this 'Let's Spin' post , in the post on prepping an Alpaca Fleece, as well as in the recent Alpaca Shearing post . But today is all about the Suri alpaca.
I've been working on a number of posts that will be appearing soon as part of my mini series on Alpacas. And what better place to start than with the animal and their fleece!
This past weekend was crop harvest (fleece shearing) at Carolina Pride Pastures, a local alpaca farm featuring huacaya alpacas.
As fiber artists and crafters, how many times have we heard the admonition "before you start your project . . . weave a sample or knit a swatch or spin a control or test dye a new color"? I know that the vast majority of you are saying, "I never sample". Am I right?
The hope of my post is to bring a more positive light on this subject by sharing thoughts and ideas beyond the usual approaches to sampling and swatching.
