tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44416703453529752792024-02-20T13:51:31.433-05:00Curiously Crafted CreationsAmigurumi, scarves, hats, crochet, knitting, cross stitching, photography, card making, and more!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-11379829286083972192012-09-21T16:27:00.002-04:002012-09-21T16:27:01.330-04:00Finished Object Friday, 9/21/2012Today's finished object is...this blog. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I need to be reducing my commitments, and this blog has become increasingly superfluous as I have focused less and less on crafts as a business. I'm sure I'll still update from time to time, but not as a primary focus or as a frequent thing that I tell myself I "have" to do.<br>
<br>
This comes out of a lot of life change in general. I've recently quit my job, and I'm thinking about moving, and traveling, and all manner of other things, and it's time for me to start clearing the decks.<br><br>
It's been a pleasure getting to know you all! I'll still be active on Ravelry, and still be reachable here or through the CCC Facebook page, just not checking in as often. Have a great weekend, everyone!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-52780327379571917752012-08-31T09:54:00.002-04:002012-08-31T09:56:19.888-04:00Finished...Friday, 8/31/2012I've been very "out of crafting" mode the last week or two. I think I really forced myself to the wall by pushing so hard to finish my blanket for the Ravellenic Games. However, tomorrow I'm leaving on a trip to Texas for a week, and I'm bringing cross stitch with me, so by next Wednesday I should have some progress to show. ;)<br><br>
However, today something else is finished. I hope I can be forgiven for, unusually, posting a non-craft related thing in this blog. I do try to keep it on topic, but today is a big day for me - a big ending.<br><br>
Today is my last day of work.<br><br>
In 2003, I started working for my mother's small business doing part time work - primarily book keeping and data entry. By 2005, this was my primary source of income. By 2007, this was my full time and only job. But I've grown increasingly unhappy the last few years, and starting in June of 2011, I really hit the wall. I reached the point that every day was an effort. Every work activity I had to do was, "crap, I have to do that. :(" And finally, I accepted: it didn't matter if it was a "good" job, or any of the other justifications I had given myself. I shouldn't have to do a job that makes me miserable. I decided in February of this year that I would quit, and that today would be my last day. I've been counting down ever since. I informed my mother around February, and we as a company informed our clients in late July, and I've spent this month doing wrap up and organizing and all manner of other "omg we're almost done" kind of stuff.<br>
And today is my last day.<br><br>
This is the end of a big chapter of my life - a job I've had for 10 years - and I only have a few somewhat thought through ideas of what is coming next. All I know is...it's gonna be something new, and I'm totally freaked out about it. ;)<br><br>
Until next week! <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/08/fiber-arts-friday-there-and-back-again.html">Fiber Arts Friday</a>; <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/08/fo-friday-102.html">Finished Object Friday</a>Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-81036808579185086932012-08-24T10:11:00.001-04:002012-08-24T10:11:08.157-04:00Finished Object Friday, 8/24/2012Well, I've had a very busy couple of weeks. Traveling! Getting sick! Quitting my job! It keeps a girl occupied! And has prevented me from posting. I've been fairly burned out on crafting the last week or two, and I'm certain it's a direct result of the push I made on my Ravellenic Games project. However, I DID finish it, last Saturday (as in, the Saturday still during the Olympics, not this most recently passed weekend) and now I finally have time to share it! I'm very, very proud of myself - I made 145 granny squares (I miscounted), sewed them all together, busted a whole bunch of stash, and FINISHED, all during the Olympics!! :)<br><br>
And here it is!<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/7765861496_bc2ceaa3f1.jpg">
<br>
That's a Queen sized bed...<br><br>
Close up!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7264/7765859702_a4f01ca0d5.jpg">
<br><br>
Succeeding at this makes me want to tackle and finish a few of the other larger projects I've had lying around...like the quilt I started two years ago...or the costume stuff I've been toting around to make for 5 years...I have the feeling that with my soon-to-be-unemployed status, I'll be getting a LOT finished that I've been wanting to complete for a while...that's the hope, anyway! :)<br><br>
See what everyone else has been making on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/08/fo-friday-101.html">Tami's Ami Blog</a> and <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/08/fiber-arts-friday-did-you-say-spin.html">Wisdom Begins in Wonder</a>!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-9626896110243607792012-08-10T14:21:00.002-04:002012-08-10T14:21:29.125-04:00It's Friday But...I'm pretty much just crocheting like a maniac. Nothing finished, nothing photographed...next week. Next week or bust... :)Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-69061326429149177182012-08-08T11:23:00.000-04:002012-09-15T11:38:37.435-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 8/8/2012Well, I finished the first 71 (by accident) squares for my Granny Square blanket, and then started to sew them together, and very quickly realized that it wasn't going to be as big as I wanted, and I immediately launched in to making another 39 squares. Those are now more than half way done, but life is busy (between work, social life, and ALL OF THE CROCHET) and I'm not going to take the time to take new pictures. So instead, here are pictures of the first 71 squares! :)<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7718187998_dac562cf80.jpg">
<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7718184378_6f71042396.jpg"><br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7718186304_70aae7ecf7.jpg"><br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7718182518_62c51e5f72.jpg"><br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7110/7718180882_039cfe9480.jpg"><br><br>
The current plan is to finish these 39, then see where I am in terms of stash busting. I'm DETERMINED to use up these colors if I possibly can (at least one skein of each needs to be done, done, done). As such, I'll launch in to making more based on how much material is left. I'm currently thinking I'll just keep making squares til the main colors are gone. I want to keep joining them, but if I start running out of colors, and all of the existing squares are already joined, then the squares around the edges will be wonky because they'll all obviously be made with a different array of colors, whereas if I just mix them all together before sewing it won't show at all. This plan might mean that I won't be able to finish before the end of the Ravellenic games...but I'll know that I've at least tried my damnedest. :)<br><br>
Check out what everyone else is making over on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/08/work-in-progress-105.html">Work in Progress Wednesday!</a>!!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-85041083828363317822012-08-01T10:03:00.000-04:002012-08-01T10:03:02.076-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 8/1/2012It's the Ravellenic Games, and I've been working my tail off (or, really, working my hands sore) tackling what, for me, counts as an Olympic event: trying to finish an entire granny square afghan in two weeks. I started at around 5:30 PM on Friday, and have been working during nearly all of my spare minutes since then.<br><br>
My project calls for 72 squares. I made six entire squares before switching to a production line model, and since then I've made all of the centers; yesterday night I finally got to adding the outer layer to all of my squares. So I now have 12 completely finished squares, and 64 to go...and then joining them...and then, if I have time, I'm going to make more squares to make the blanket bigger and to use up the stash yarn that I've been using for this. I want all of that yarn GONE. :)<br><br>
And here they are...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7110/7691201476_ed7745cb0d.jpg">Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-4294098996575045562012-07-27T10:46:00.001-04:002012-07-27T10:46:20.007-04:00Finished Object Friday, 7/27/2012Well, it's been a bit! I've been working very early the last couple Fridays, with evening plans to boot, so I've missed some Fridays. Meanwhile, this Wednesday...I didn't HAVE any WIP - since I hadn't yet settled on my Ravellenic Games project - and therefore very little to say for myself. But now I'm finally around on Friday - if rather busy - and can quickly take a few minutes to show off the vast amount of spinning that I got done during Tour de Fleece!! :)<br><br>
<b>Angora!</b><br>
I tried my hand at spinning angora for the first time!<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7532676268_b2865bbcb2.jpg"><br>
1 ounce, Navajo plied, around 40 yards. :)
<br><br>
<b>Silk!</b><br>
While I was experimenting with fibers, I also took a stab at the silk cap that I had bought!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7637071036_be0f82c7fc.jpg"><br>
Also 1 ounce, also Navajo plied, but it's sooooo thin, I ended up with 110 yards!<br><br>
Everything else I tackled was sheep-y. I did some "confetti" - boring old wool with bits of multi-colored yarn mixed in...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7594245154_885ce5c8c7.jpg"><br>
And I spun some lovely superfine merino that I had bought, the braid felt like a dream, and I tried my hand at fractal plying - no idea if it worked...<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7637073918_940d986a1b.jpg"><br>
Of course, I did a bunch more of the spinning of the fiber that I prepped and dyed myself...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7637080708_ae86b8cc41.jpg"><br>
Finished the first pound!<br><br>
All in all, I did about 2 pounds worth of spinning during Tour de Fleece. But man, I need a break! So it's time to drive myself insane crocheting for the Ravellenic Games. ;) Here's the whole TdF stash!!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7637084082_5b736317cc.jpg"><br>
<br>
You know you want to...check out <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/07/fiber-arts-friday-triple-crown.html">Fiber Arts Friday</a> and <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/07/fo-friday-97.html">Finished Object Friday</a>.Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-30705364327038163462012-07-18T08:41:00.001-04:002012-07-18T08:41:27.482-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 7/18/2012It's still all Tour de Fleece, all the time for me - all my crafting time is going to spinning. :) <br><br>
On Monday night, I went to my first spin in in ages! The NYC Spinning Group met down by the Winter Garden, and I joined eight fellow spinners to sit in Battery Park and pull out our spindles. :) I finally made some progress on the ochre I've been spinning - I've been neglecting it intentionally so I can finish it in August for Nerd Wars Work in Progress challenge. :)<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8287/7587612958_0d08984ee5.jpg"><br><Br>
Then, last night I pulled out the silk I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool. It's my first time spinning silk, and I found it pretty hard, but I solicited some tips from my TdF group (and now from ya'll!) so hopefully I'll have less trouble tonight. :)<bR>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7594243082_9d3fa8bba0.jpg">
<br>
The blue is another project, it'll be on Friday's post, though. ;)
<br><bR>
Check out all the Works in Progress over on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/07/work-in-progress-wednesday-102.html">Tami's Amis!</a>Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-7541642549555707562012-07-11T13:17:00.003-04:002012-07-11T13:17:41.936-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 7/21/2012Not much to say this week - it's all Tour de Fleece, all the time! Here's what I'm working on now:<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7550534794_d80cd8a4fa.jpg">
It's almost 4 ounces, I've got maybe half an ounce left of the first hank, then 4 more ounces after that, and I'll two ply it, should be fingering weight if I've gotten all my ducks in a row. ;)<br><br>
<a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/07/work-in-progress-wednesday-101.html">Work in Progress Wednesday!</a> Go over there! Check it out!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-38690003510721135442012-07-06T10:44:00.002-04:002012-07-06T10:44:37.560-04:00Finished Object Friday, 7/6/2012This week has been all about Tour de Fleece, and spinning my own dyed fiber! It's been pretty fun. I've rarely spun this much this quickly (though not never! ;) ).<br><br>
Right before TdF, I finished the second skein of yarn for my Nerd Wars dissertation. I posted a couple pics last week, I think, but now I've set it and dried it and all that jazz. :) <br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7511669330_6f5c533dbc.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7511668194_0748841580.jpg"><br>
127 yards, exactly 4 ounces, roughly DK/Worsted weight.
<br><br>
Then, in May I tried Wilton's dyes for the first time. I posted a bunch of WIP pics of this on Wednesday, and now it's done! Turns out it's only 5.4 ounces - I had thought it was more. I wasn't too happy with the singles, or even how it looked while I was plying it, but once I got it off the niddy noddy and it was all dried, I'm actually thrilled with it. Funny how that goes...<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7511667074_4eac1ee983.jpg"><br>
<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7511666234_5cd012893c.jpg"><br>
400 yards, 5.4 ounces, fingering weight. Really very happy with it. I want to figure out what to make with it! :)
<br><br>
Check out what everyone else has done this past week at <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/07/fiber-arts-friday.html">Wisdom Begins in Wonder</a> and <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/07/fo-friday-94.html">Tami's Amis</a>.Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-59904903165573854522012-07-04T09:51:00.002-04:002012-07-06T10:44:57.748-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 7/4/2012Happy Independence Day, to my fellow USA-ians! :) (and a belated Happy Canada day to my Canadian friends!)<br><br>
It's Tour de Fleece, which means my WIP is all about spinning, and probably will be for most of the next month. The current project is 6.7 ounces of (I think) Corriedale that I dyed myself in May. Various pictures!<br><br>
The braid:<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7472817132_9e5da2df4e.jpg"><br><br>
Day 1 of TdF:<br>
Saturday, I was out virtually all day, so I did like 25 minutes of spinning in the morning and that was all...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7114/7472816028_bea6226773.jpg"><br><br>
Day 2 of TdF:<br>
In contrast to Saturday, on Sunday I was spinning for like 6 hours. My hand was quite achy by the time I stopped! This was also when I realized just how patriotic-looking my choice of fiber was...<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7483912676_8374596f20.jpg"><br><br>
Day 3 of TdF:<br>
Monday I didn't have loads of time, but I made decent progress.<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7490684716_6a61bcf665.jpg"><br><br>
Day 4 of TdF:<br>
Finally, yesterday I got to start plying!<Br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/7498809072_c4b812265d.jpg"><br><br>
I expect to finish plying this skein today, before I head off to the fireworks. :)<br><br>
Oh, and by the way? If you're curious about dyeing with Wilton's food coloring (like this skein!) you should take a peak at my <a href="http://unforthccc.blogspot.com/2012/07/dying-to-dye.html">post from Sunday</a>. :)
See what everyone else is up to over on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/07/work-in-progress-wednesday100.html">Tamis Amis and Other Creations</a>.Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-81908813258545308642012-07-01T18:53:00.001-04:002012-07-01T18:53:23.566-04:00Dying to Dye?I'd wanted to try my hand at dyeing fiber, but I found it pretty intimidating to start with. It wasn't until May when I first made the plunge, doing one set of fiber with Kool Aid and another with Wilton's Icing gels. It turned out, it's a LOT of fun! But I've been able to find surprisingly few resources on recipes for colors (not that I've looked all <i>that</i> hard - certainly, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/what-a-kool-way-to-dye">What a Kool Way to Dye</a>, the group on Ravelry, is a great starting point...). So, here's some specifics of how I went about dyeing with Wilton's. I'm not claiming this is the best way, or the only way, or even the right way...only that it's been working for me so far. :)<br><br>
So, after I'd combed the fiber from my fleece, I had a mountain of small balls of fiber.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7434123846_ee23263630.jpg"><br><br>
I didn't want to try to dye it like this - I was worried that the fibers on the inside wouldn't get enough color. So first, I re-rolled all of these in to big circular skeins of fiber (I wrapped them around my arm...) and tied them very loosely with cotton yarn.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7434121502_bbee2028a9.jpg"><br><br>
This produced a very different looking mountain of fiber. This is what I proceeded to dye. :)<br><br>
<b>Materials</b><br>
<ol>
<li>Wilton's dyes in the desired colors</li>
<li>Vinegar</li>
<li>Undyed wool fiber...or fiber to be dyed over...</li>
<li>Pot</li>
<li>Dish</li>
<li>Drying rack</li>
<li>Measuring cup</li>
<li>Skewer</li>
<li>Spoon(s)</li>
<li>Teaspoon and tablespoon measures in various sizes</li>
<li>Candy thermometer</li>
<li>Food scale</li>
<li>Glass jars</li>
<li>Colander</li>
<li>Towel</li>
<li>Dish rag</li>
</ol>
<br><br>
<b>Step 1</b>: Soak the fiber<br>
To begin with, I weighed out my bundles of fiber on my scale. I aimed for between 3.5 ounces and 4 ounces for each dye batch.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7447576352_4883c87e93.jpg"><br><br>
Then, I soaked the fiber in water.
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7264/7447582796_70794e49f4.jpg"><br>
Soak the fiber you intend to dye for at least 30 minutes. When you've got everything else ready to go, drain the water and squeeze out the excess before adding your fiber to the dye bath.<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7447579710_a6c29a5046.jpg"><br><br>
<b>Step 2</b>: Prepare the dye<br>
I prepared my dyes while the fiber was soaking. There are a lot of different ways and styles to apply dye to fiber. For this dye batch, I wanted my fiber to be rather randomly variegated, but with the same colors running throughout. As such, I prepared a bath of one color (recipes below!), and then prepared all of the other colors that I intended to use in jars.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7447581830_906cd95a83.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7447580816_2f4a2b4477.jpg"><br>
When using Wilton's dyes, you have to mix them with water and vinegar. For each jar, I used 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon of dye. In my main bath, which was in the pot, I used 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon of dye.<br><br>
I found that a good rule of thumb is to use around an eighth of a teaspoon of dye per ounce of fiber that you are dyeing. I wanted my colors to be pretty strong, so in general I erred on the side of using more than this. Furthermore, I had a wooden dowel thing (really a skewer, but that had one end thicker) as the handiest tool EVER. Not only did it give me a handy way to level off my teaspoons without getting dye all over anything, but then it also made a really good mixing tool - ensuring that I wasted almost none of my dye. :)<br><br>
<b>Step 3</b>: Dye the fiber<br>
The pot when on the stove with a candy thermometer in the liquid at the bottom; goal was not to allow the temperature to go over 175 degrees. In practice, I found my temps varied between 150 and 200 degrees. Obviously, letting it get too high is bad - if the water boils, the fiber will felt because of the agitation and such. So don't let it boil! I generally checked on it every five to ten minutes while it was over heat, and I heated it for roughly 45 minutes. I added the fiber immediately, and it took 15 minutes for the liquid to get up to temperature, and another 30 minutes at that temperature.<br><br>
As soon as I added the fiber, I poured the jars of dye over the top artistically - I wasn't going for striping or anything, so I just applied the dye willy-nilly. I then added an additional jar of hot tap water for each jar that I added of dye (so, if I added three jars of dye like in the picture, I added three cups of tap water). This helped make sure that all of the dye was washed out of my jars and on to my fiber!<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7447578738_8c34fd81bd.jpg"><br><br>
After pouring the dye on top of the fiber, I let it sit for a few minutes, and then I used a couple of spoons to flip the fiber over in the bath, thus ensuring that all the colors got mixed and all the fiber got exposed to the dyes.<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7447577692_88aa1998ab.jpg"><br><br>
<b>Step 4</b>: Dry the fiber<br>
You're just about there! Soak the fiber in the hot water as long as you want, to make sure all the dye is soaked up. I generally checked on how much dye was still waiting to be absorbed with a regular spoon - I could see against the stainless steel how the water looked. Once I was satisfied, I poured the water and fiber through a colander, and rinsed the fiber in hot water. I squeezed out a bunch of the water with my hands (carefully, don't want to felt anything!) and then got the excess out using a towel.<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7447575366_d03f1697b4.jpg"><br><br>
Then, hang the fiber somewhere it can dry. My apartment is tiny, so I hung it in the kitchen, from my cabinet knobs. :)<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8022/7447574232_12b1dc3b0e.jpg"><br><br>
<b>Step 5</b>: Be in awe that you did that! Yes, you!<br>
My goal with my project was to make 1 colorway from these bundles. Since I couldn't do them all in one dye lot, I decided I'd mix the fibers in spinning, and make each dye lot have just enough in common to have unifying colors, and just enough different to add some interest to my yarn. Here's each dye lot, and the colors that produced them! One thing you'll notice right away? Well, there's red in my fiber, and no read on the list! That's cause Wilton's dyes will break, and it's important to know that, and to have some ideas what colors will break how. For example, I wanted there to be some red and purple spots, so I deliberately added violet and black to some of my dye lots, cause I knew from reading around on the internet that Wilton's black would be absorbed in to the fiber in these shades. So do your homework! :)<br><br>
Dye Lot 1:<br>
2.7 ounces of fiber<br>
1/8 tsp Royal Blue (in all of my dye lots, Royal Blue was the color I put in the pot; all the other colors were in jars that I poured over the fiber)<br>
1/8 tsp Sky Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Willow Green<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7447572906_1ca95e0c47.jpg"><br>
This is the only dye lot I used green on, cause it ended up greener than I really wanted. :)<br><Br>
Dye Lot 2:<br>
3.5 ounces of fiber<br>
1/8 tsp Royal Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Sky Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Teal<br>
1/8 tsp Cornflower Blue<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7447570776_11f6f4ec0c.jpg"><br><br>
Dye Lot 3:<br>
3.4 ounces of fiber<br>
1/8 tsp Royal Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Sky Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Cornflower Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Violet<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/7447568330_7dfbabc74e.jpg"><br><br>
Dye Lot 4:<br>
2.9 ounces of fiber<br>
1/8 tsp Royal Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Sky Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Teal<br>
1/8 tsp Black<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7447566088_eed73356af.jpg"><br><bR>
Dye Lot 5:<br>
4.0 ounces of fiber<br>
1/8 tsp Royal Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Sky Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Teal<br>
1/8 tsp Cornflower Blue<br>
1/8 tsp Black<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7447563614_becacf0fa9.jpg"><br><br>
Over all, it's very hard to get the colors of this yarn to photograph true in my apartment - due to not very good lighting they all end up looking either too green or too blue (and not purple enough). However, here is a close up of the range of colors in the last dye lot:<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7447561358_233f5b23a8.jpg"><br><br>
<b>Step 6</b>: Spin, spin, spin!<br>
If you want, your last step is to spin this lovely fiber that you've prepared!<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7467146710_33de389c9f.jpg"><br>
Note that this is bluer than the fiber actually is - my lighting washes out the purple. However, what I did was break the dyed skeins back in to their original component balls, and then break those in to short segments, and while spinning, I alternated between those piles to mix up all the fiber together, all the while holding some Angelina in hand to mix in liberally. Here are a couple close ups!<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7467144346_7be600c385.jpg"><br>
(lighting option that makes it look more green...)<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7467143128_52cba80062.jpg"><br>
(lighting option that makes it look more blue...neither is quite right...)<br><br>
I'm going to be doing more experimenting, and more meticulous note taking, and more posts like this, so stay tuned! :)Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-57960693749029515712012-06-29T11:40:00.001-04:002012-06-29T11:40:31.814-04:00Finished Fiber Arts Objects Friday, 6/29/2012This week, I've been all kinds of all about spinning!<br><br>
First, I finished all that rainbow and black spinning I've been doing!<br>
<img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8024/7454521906_5ded53d7fe_z.jpg" width=500>
<br><br>
Here's the last one, that I finished earlier this week:<br>
<img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7108/7454523648_5461da9e29_z.jpg" width=500><br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8143/7454522886_24c28d0c47_z.jpg" width=500><br><br>
Now I'm just working on picking out which skirt pattern I want to make. I don't actually have QUITE enough yarn (I ended up with about 550 yards of roughly worsted weight three ply) but I've got a couple other handspuns that I'm thinking about using as well (more next Wednesday).
<br><br>
Then, I did my first skein of spinning of that yarn I dyed last week! <br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7467146710_33de389c9f.jpg"><br>
136 yards, Navajo-ply, 4.7 ounces, added loads of Angelina...only downside is that it's REALLY hard to get the colors to show true. So, it's actually more blue than this:<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7467145814_885c420f70.jpg"><br><br>
But, it's more purple/green than this:<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7467143128_52cba80062.jpg"><br><br>
More next week, cause I've got loads more of this stuff to spin! Also, check back on Sunday: I'll be doing an entire post on just how I did this dyeing and got these colors!<br><br>
Check out <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/06/fiber-arts-friday-afterthought.html">Fiber Arts Friday</a> and <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/06/fo-friday-93.html">Finished Object Friday</a>!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-88705289945608444442012-06-27T15:55:00.002-04:002012-06-27T15:55:40.734-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 6/27/2012This week has been pretty much all spinning, all the time. I finished a couple spinning projects - those I'll post on Friday - but my big time sink has been more fleece preparation stuff! Specifically, I finished combing my first pound of fiber, and then I dyed it and then started to spin it! It took a while, but it was great fun! I'm gonna do a whole post on this at some point, along with the "recipes" I used and such, but for now, just some shots of how the dyeing turned out...<br><br>
I dyed my fiber in five batches, all using slightly different combinations of Wilton's food coloring. These were difficult to photograph in the light in my apartment; the purples didn't want to photograph true. But I did my best...Here they are!<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7447571824_122be4b8da.jpg">
<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7447569668_0cab6cc434.jpg">
<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7447567340_9dfa9dca47.jpg">
<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7447564592_2bd7f1f02e.jpg">
<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/7447562350_21440a2576.jpg">
<br><br>
Then, I started to spin it! I've actually done a fair bit more since I took this photograph yesterday, but it'll have to do. I'm hoping to have at least one complete skein done by Friday.<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7115/7447560082_fef8e14344.jpg">
<br><br>
That's what I've been up to! See what everyone else has been working on over at <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/06/work-in-progress-wednesday-99.html">Tami's Amis and Other Creations blog</a>.Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-63397814201713030652012-06-22T17:33:00.002-04:002012-06-22T17:33:32.627-04:00Finished Object Friday, 6/22/2012So, I mentioned on Wednesday that even though I've been absentee, I have managed to make a FEW things in the last month or so. This is primarily been my spinning (and spinning and spinning) and a brief foray in to knitting - the majority of my crafting is actually still in progress, since so much of my time is going to prepping the fleece I talked about on Wednesday!<br><br>
<b>Dish Cloths</b><br>
I've been trying to go green in whatever ways I can. For example, I bought two sort-of washcloths that I've been using and washing instead of paper towels for tasks like scrubbing the bathroom. This has been a raging success - the same two cloths have done the trick for several years now. Now, my dish sponges weren't quite as disposable as paper towels, but even so, the damn things fall apart within a few months, so I figured...I should give it a try! Make a couple dish cloths out of cotton and see if they last longer than sponges would have. And, because of Nerd Wars and my inestimable love for <i>Supernatural</i>, I made them aligned for the show.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7234/7387382286_72fa3d7214_z.jpg" width=450>
<br>
The top one isn't too legible, so I'm gonna leave it that way, and the bottom one says "Jerk." (they are the two main characters nicknames for each other). Considering I've never done a chart like this before, I'm not at all unhappy with how they turned out. I didn't block them or weave in the ends; I figured they'd just get out of whack again when I used them. "Jerk" has been in service all week, and so far I'm pretty satisfied! In particular, they hold soap better than I thought they would. I'm being careful to extra-soak stuff, since of course I've lost all scouring ability. :)<br><br>
<b>Rainbow spinning</b><br>
At Maryland Sheep and Wool I bought 16 ounces of black-base with rainbow colors in it to spin. I LOVE rainbows. My determination was to use this, once spun, to make myself a skirt (I'm aiming for around 600 yards). So far, I've done 12 ounces (but the last I only finished today, so no pictures yet). I also taught myself to Navajo ply in May, and have used this project to practice on. All in all I'm pretty happy with how it's going. Here are the two skeins that are done so far:<br>
<img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7098/7387376090_ee05fb39d4_z.jpg" width=450>
<bR>
Oddly, even though the blend is supposedly the same, the top one (which is the one I did first) ended up way more orange, and the bottom one way more blue. So far the third one looks to be somewhere in between, which is good - if they look TOO different I'll end up with a pretty wonky looking skirt. Interesting, the close ups of the two skeins look so similar I can hardly tell them apart! Yet at a distance, they are clearly pretty different.<br>
<img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8026/7290043738_68c47c8fd8_z.jpg"><br>
Either way, I'm more-or-less in love with how it's turning out, and looking forward to finishing the fourth skein so that I can make my skirt, probably in July. So far, I've got 180 yards in one skein and 120 yards in the other (yeah, I wasn't quite as consistent with thickness as I'd like) but both are hovering around DK (just one is kinda heavy DK and the other is pretty much right on...). I think the third is closer to DK, too, though I haven't checked yet.<br><br>
So...that's me! Check out what everyone else is up to this Fabulous Friday! <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/06/fo-friday-92.html">Finished Object Friday</a> and <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/06/fiber-arts-friday-surprise.html">Fiber Arts Friday</a> are filled with awesome blogs!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-53888988867545936472012-06-20T15:07:00.002-04:002012-06-20T15:07:49.996-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 6/20/2012Don't even get me started on depression. I've been AWOL from this blog for a while. Anyway, I'm still here, and I'm still crafting! I've been up to a lot, but one of the biggest things has been fiber prep of my fleece! So I wrote up a bit of a step by step for how I'm cleaning it - I'm doing all of this more-or-less every day since the beginning of the month!<br><Br>
I've learned a bit that makes this go better since I started.<br><br>
When I first bought the fleece, a friend and I broke it in to clumps of from 3.5 - 6 ounces. This is a fairly typical clump:<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7404266240_501b4fe2d9.jpg"><br><br>
Pre-wash: I stick my clump of fiber in a colander and rinse it. It's amazing how much dirt this removes, the water runs brown for the first 30 seconds or so. (note that there is no agitation involved in any step of this or in rinsing, just running water right through)<br><br>
Soak: I soak the fiber in tap water for around 24 hours.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7404196920_8b6d30aaeb.jpg"><br><br>
Clean: I drain the water, rinse the fiber in the colander again to get the dirty water out of it. I refill the pot with hot water, eyeball between a quarter and a third of a cup of plain dish soap (I've been using Green Way Eco-Friendly unscented dish soap). I let it soak while it's heating up to temperature (which takes about 15 minutes) and then for a further 30 minutes, and then let it cool a little in the pot. I use a candy thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature.<br><br>
Rinse: I rinse it again to get the soap out.<br><br>
Dry: I use a towel to squeeze out the excess water, and then put it on a cookie cooling rack to dry. It takes around 24 hours to dry completely, sometimes longer.<br><br>
Weight: I now weigh it again to see how much I've lost.<br><br>
Comb: I comb all the fiber. I line up all the locks in my hand before putting them on the comb, and I've been doing smaller clumps since I've discovered it goes a lot better. When I'm done, I end up with two piles of fiber. One is all set and ready to spin, though I haven't quite figured out how to not have any little clumps/knots of fiber in there:<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7233/7404192952_b211eece9f.jpg"><br><br>
And the other is the left overs and more or less useless (though I gather it can be used as doll stuffing, and I bet if I dyed it I could use it to make some fun effects in an art yarn):<br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5459/7404193992_c5c39f4020.jpg"><br><br>
So far, counting the fiber I pulled out for the top pic, which I'll be starting in about half an hour, I've processed the follow quantities (not counting my swatch):<br><br>
Raw, uncleaned, chunks of fleece: 2 lbs. 4.1 ounces<br>
Cleaned: 1 lb. 4.6 ounces (three fewer chunks are in this number than in the previous)<br>
Combed: 8.8 ounces (I've combed four chunks)<br>
Or, just looking at the completed bunches:<br>
Raw: 1 lb. 4.1 ounces<br>
Cleaned: 14.2 ounces (a loss of 5.9 ounces of gunk and lanolin - 29% reduction in weight)<br>
Combed: 11.0 ounces (a loss of an additional 3.2 ounces of bits and pieces that aren't big enough to use - 23% reduction from cleaned total; loss of 45% of the original weight of the fleece)<br><br>
...I really would like to have a pound ready to dye by the end of the month. I think this is pretty doable, but I've been lazy the last few days, until yesterday, when I discovered that after doing this most of the month I've reached a point that I can comb out almost 3 ounces of fiber in about an hour and a half (when I started it took me about an hour per ounce...). So, that's my progress. :)<br><br>
Still, I'm definitely still learning. So, audience! Time for your participation! Do you know any great strategies for fiber prep? I spoke to one friend on Rav about this and it turns out how she does it is almost COMPLETELY different from how I was taught to do it, so now I'm trying to get a sense of just what people do. ;)<br><br>
Check out all the Work in Progress Wednesday fun on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/06/work-in-progress-wednesday-98.html">Work in Progress Wednesday</a> on Tami's Amis and Other Creations blog!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-2371072025118159002012-05-18T08:27:00.001-04:002012-06-04T22:05:01.549-04:00Fiber Arts Friday, 5/18/2012 (Adventures in Dyeing!)So, at Maryland Sheep and Wool, I bought this fleece!<br><br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5079/7167295986_653511fef6.jpg"><br><br>
Her name is Irmalinda. My goal, over the summer, is to prepare either half or all of these fleece (I haven't decided quite yet - I need to get a scale and check a few things) by taking it from raw Irmalinda with tags and all to pretty dyed and spun yarn. In preparation for that, I split the fleece up into bags of from 4 to 6 ounces of fiber, and then I took one of those that had a fairly nice section of the fleece and did the whole process with just that section. First, I soaked it for 24 hours with a bunch of dish soap to get the gunk out.<br><bR>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/7167245334_f9595c734c.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7167243912_4651fd0c89.jpg"><br><br>
That's a LOT of dirt! I used the water for my plants. :) Next step after that was to let it dry, and then I used hand combs to comb it out.<br><br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5333/7167304458_6008c9be2c.jpg"><br><br>
It takes about 10 minutes to comb about a half ounce of fiber. I'm left with this:<br><br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5032/7167303442_85953b1d1a.jpg">
Two little mini balls, and then up top, a bunch of little ends and kinky bits and pieces that aren't adequate. This was my first mini-balls - this one I spun just to see how it would go.<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7167240644_25abdca0ed.jpg"><br><br>
I also taught myself to Navajo ply with this, which was easier than I thought, except I don't QUITE have the hang of it and keep overspinning it. Anyway. ;) I prepared the rest of the fiber, and then with five of the mini-balls that I had, I decided to make my first attempt at dyeing the yarn! Towards that end, I improvised a scale because it's 1 ounce of Kool Aid to 1 ounce of fiber, but my scale isn't working (I'm trying new batteries and if that doesn't work, I'll buy a new one).<br><bR>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7167305766_d13b750991.jpg"><br><br>
Since I knew the weight of each Kool Aid packet, I used a simple balance scale to measure out Kool Aid equal to the weight of the fiber! (though that's uncombed fiber, not one of my mini-balls). I then prepared it all in a pot! To keep the fiber from getting all tangled with itself, I put a jar in the middle, and decided to use that jar for dyeing, too!<br><bR>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/7211107804_203cd74703.jpg"><br><br>
In the jar, I put one packet of Tropical Punch; in the main pot, I put 3 lemonades, 1 orange, and 1 cherry. However, as it turns out, the lemonade is WAY too light, so the yellow virtually doesn't show at all. The orange and the cherry took pretty well, though, and the Tropical Punch went excellently.<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7211097752_e7e5bbe475.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7211096566_1d613c528e.jpg"><br><br>
This is the "top" and the "bottom" of the four balls I put in the main pot. In total, I ended up with...<br><bR>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5312/7211095472_876a2919f8.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7211092454_5935623bef.jpg"><br><br>
Because of the way I layered everything, the mini-balls went from lightest (top) to darkest (bottom); and then here was my pure red/orange tropical punch ball. I decided to spin them all together and go with the color gradient! Then, I tried Navajo plying again. It didn't go particularly better than the first time, but practice makes perfect, right?<br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/7211091054_31358289ee.jpg"><br>
66 yards of three ply right around lace weight. Oops, too thin!<br><br>
Want to try dyeing? Here's what I've figured out:<br>
1. Use more dye than you think you need. Seriously. The rule of thumb is 1 ounce of Kool Aid to 1 ounce of fiber, but I think a little more might be better (if you want the colors saturated, anyway).<br>
2. For Kool Aid, you don't need to add vinegar, and as far as I can tell the amount of WATER in the pot doesn't matter, it's the amount of fiber compared to the amount of dye.<br>
3. The candy thermometer was invaluable. I'd never have been able to figure out the right temp with out it. For wool, the goal is right around 170 degrees.<br>
4. It took about 45 minutes of soaking at the temperature to soak up all the Kool Aid dye.<br>
5. The color didn't run at all, and I was lazy and didn't rinse it. This seems to be okay, except that my yarn REALLY smells like Kool Aid.<br><br>
To top things off, yesterday I tried using Wilton's Gel Dyes instead (it just takes so damn much Kool Aid!). I'm still waiting for it to dry, so I'm not sure yet if I accidentally felted the fiber I was using (this time using fiber I bought not fiber I prepared). I'll write up more about this some other time - maybe next week.<br><br>
Want to read more amazing? You should go to <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/05/fiber-arts-friday-show-prep.html">Wisdom Begins in Wonder</a> and <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/05/fo-friday-87.html">Tami's Amis and other Creations</a>!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-59322190175997937932012-05-16T15:20:00.001-04:002012-05-16T15:20:29.902-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 5/16/2012The only stuff I've been up to since last week, I finished, so that'll have to wait until Friday. Instead, I thought I'd share my Works-in-Progress to be - the fiber I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool! I went a little hog-wild.
<br><br>
My biggest purchase was my fleece!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7167248758_01a1a0d0a2.jpg"><br>
It's 11.5 pounds of Border Leicester. Her name is Irmalinda!<br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5319/7167317040_02ecf91150.jpg"><br>
Wasn't it nice of the breeder to include this little card for me? She's a gorgeous sheep...<br><br>
Beyond that...I had a simple mission this year, I was determined to only buy things if I knew what I wanted to make with them already.<br><br>
I want to make a skirt out of this:<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7167308820_f336f08320.jpg">
<br>
This is what I showed off last week that I had started spinning.<br><br>
I got an ounce of angora just so I could play with it...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7167306812_831ea1e9e7.jpg"><br><br>
...and a bunch of angelina to use with Irmalinda.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7088/7167307782_2a8c868497.jpg"><br><br>
I want to try to spin some silk, it's kind of intimidating.<br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5325/7167309870_9c93bd1239.jpg"><br><br>
I got this pretty Merino to make a pair of spats for my boots with.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7167310926_204b6ee0c9.jpg"><br><br>
This I'm less sure what it's destined for, but it was cheap, so I'll think of something. I was thinking maybe cuffs.<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7167312104_c66cb9ee82.jpg"><br><br>
This was expensive and I really like it; I'd like to make it a sweater.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7167313104_a7c70902ff.jpg"><br><br>
And this one will be a shawl.<br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5459/7167315090_2c554cdf58.jpg"><br><br>
Yeah, I bought a lot. ;)
<br><br>
Check out all the fun on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/05/work-in-progress-93.html">Tami's Amis and Other Creations blog!</a>Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-55168061729031827502012-05-09T18:02:00.003-04:002012-05-09T18:02:54.369-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday, 5/9/2012Well, busy week, and I'm exhausted. BUT. Maryland Sheep and Wool was epic - I'll post more about it and what I bought on Friday, I expect. For now, a quick Work in Progress!<br><br>
<b>Cross Stitch</b><br>
I mentioned on Friday that I'd made progress on a cross stitch but had failed to post pics! Well, today I rectify that oversight.<br>
<br>
For reference, here is a "before" picture:<Br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6794928780_f8cf5c23e5.jpg"><br><br>
...and here is the "after" picture (after = four days of working on this at boring all day meetings for work...):<br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7167239616_e0a9cae772.jpg"><br>
Hey look, a castle!<br><br>
<b>Spinning</b><br>
I also started playing with fiber I bought at MSW. It was impossible to resist. :) <br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7167312104_c66cb9ee82.jpg"><br><bR>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7167318108_58593fbfff.jpg"><br><br>
See what everyone else is making over at <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/05/work-in-progress-wednesday-92.html">Tami's Ami and Other Creations</a> blog!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-58195133622660274432012-05-04T16:13:00.000-04:002012-05-04T16:13:09.957-04:00Finished Object Friday, 5/4/2012Well, I'm kinda disappointed that this week was so busy that I failed to post a WIP Wednesday, even though I did get some nice progress done on a cross stitch I've been working on for the past couple years. But, I have a few finished projects, so I'm determined to get them up! :)
<br><br>
<b>Pillow</b><br>
Last year, I made a cover for one of the two cushions on my couch. Having the other still be, er, naked, has been really bugging me, and so I decided, as I start my effort at stashbusting big time, to use some fun fur I had to cover the pillow. Only downside? It used much less fun fur than I thought, so I still have a bunch left. Sigh.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6996838046_1938310b17.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/6996838078_666b077b1c.jpg"><br>
<br>
<b>Crescent Squares</b>!<br>
I made a second crescent moon square. ADORE. I'm so glad I got to test them, they're a great little pattern...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6983645262_ddb458b77f.jpg"><br>
<b>Spinning</b><br>
So, over time, I've accumulated a LOT of random singles...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6979893778_3e2989084a.jpg"><br>
...so I decided to spin them all together. The biggest project was the black and white - I spun all the fiber I had left, and did my very first three ply!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/6979892476_f5ac585604.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/6979891788_920a50afc4.jpg"><br>
Then I took the rest of those singles, and did a bunch more spinning...still three ply...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/7125976551_091e324c41.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/6979891072_abbdbf047f.jpg"><br><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6979890176_63b89f0fc9.jpg"><br>
Productive week! :) For a change...<br><br>
But the best part? This weekend is Maryland Sheep and Wool, squeeee! <br><br>
Read more!! <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/05/fiber-arts-friday-yarn-quest-day.html">Wisdom Begins in Wonder</a>!! <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/05/fo-friday-85.html">Tami's Ami Blog</a>!!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-85403362986961349062012-04-27T18:05:00.001-04:002012-04-27T18:05:33.528-04:00Finished Object Friday, 4/27/2012I've got a few finished projects to show for the past few weeks! I had hoped to do more, but instead I've spent a lot of time going through my belongings and doing a massive expunging of stuff, a lot of which I've been carting around from home to home for a decade. No longer! But it's eating a fair amount of time to go through my stuff and then get rid of it (ie, resell and donate to charity, for the most part...). Here's what I've finished, though!<br><br>
<b>Green Yarn</b><br>
My regular readers may recall when I bought this fiber last month while I was jonesing to spin, spin, spin!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6947194061_854afae7b0.jpg"><br>
Well, now I've spun it all up!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7110021017_bce9b49368.jpg"><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6963948066_ea07e8c46a.jpg"><br>
The color is closer to the top picture, of the two. :)<br><br>
<b>Square!</b>
<br>
I've also made a couple 6" squares. One, I was teaching my friend how to crochet, so I made this while she was doing her first sc square...<br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/7091574377_9c345ebe11.jpg"><br>
Mine is the red square; the other is the first square she ever did. I think she did awesome, she learned way faster than I did, I'm very proud of her. ;) <br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/6945507986_27d93f00a9.jpg"><br>
This one is the first test I've ever done! I actually need to make a second and finish the test and give feedback and yardage and all of that...but I <3 it. :)<br><br>
Have you seen what everyone else is making? NO? Check out <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/04/fo-friday-84.html">Tami's Amis and Other Creations</a> and <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/04/fiber-arts-friday-much-to-do.html">Wisdom Begins in Wonder</a>. Do eet! Now!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-15575039315236928362012-04-25T10:15:00.002-04:002012-04-25T10:15:56.386-04:00Work in Progress, 4/25/2012Not loads to say today. I didn't get nearly as much done, craft-wise, as I'd hoped in the past couple weeks - stuff has just kept coming up. But, well, that's life. I did finish a project, though, which I'll be posting about on Friday, and I FINALLY got back to some spinning that I've been wanting to finish since November. (ah, the way that Nerd Wars structures my projects - I would have finished this project ages ago, except that I didn't want to do it for no points in Nerd Wars and it was technically a Work in Progress, which meant no work on it until April...)
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<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/7112711195_518f6a7ffc.jpg"><br>
That's what I already had done, I plied it with a rainbow single that I had done in November.<br><br>
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7112711695_60a84ac55e.jpg"><br>
And here's what I did last night! I ended up spinning like twice as long as I meant to...I'm gonna try to be done with the whole project by Friday. Indeed, the plan is faintly exciting - I'm gonna try to do a three-ply. In a year of spinning, I've NEVER done a three-ply. :)<br><br>
Read what everyone else is working on over at <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/04/work-in-progress-wednesday-90.html">Work in Progress Wednesday</a> on Tamis Ami and Other Creations Blog!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-46305159021229622492012-04-18T17:19:00.001-04:002012-04-18T17:19:27.162-04:00Work in Progress Wednesday - 4/18/2012I had to be out the door two minutes ago - meeting friends to see Cabin in the Woods tonight - so this will be a SUPER FAST rendition of WIP Wednesday!<br><br>
<b>Square!</b><br>
My team in Nerd Wars is putting together two six inch squares, one knit and one crochet. We're almost done; I helped out by pattern testing the crochet square, but I didn't have quite enough white (I don't think, anyway) so I stopped half way...<br>
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5159/6945508446_f8efcbd8a7.jpg">
<br>
But the design is right, so that's what counts!<br><br>
<b>Spinning!</b><br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/7091575569_b27757180b.jpg"><br>
I bought those two hanks of green heather last month. I've now spun one of them, so I'm halfway done. Now I've just got to spin the other and ply them, and I'll be done. It's not that easy to work with, though, very slippery - had to spin it thicker than I wanted to.<br><br>
Read the latest Work in Progress BUZZ over on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/04/work-in-progress-wednesday-89.html">Tami's Amis Blog</a>Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-63714851852022666272012-04-13T08:25:00.001-04:002012-04-13T08:36:35.041-04:00FO Friday - 4/13/2012I'm back from my trip, and making things happen!! Literally! I actually MADE something! Wonders WILL never cease. ;)
<br><br>
<b>Swiffer Cover</b><br>
I hate wasting things. My swiffer is very convenient, but I cringe every time I throw away one of the covers. Having recently met a friend who informed me of how easy Sugar and Cream is to wash, I decided to delve in to my stash and crochet up a quick swiffer cover! <Br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7071589625_d5d2245ab0.jpg"><br>
I won't get to try it out until I've used up my current stash of pads (I still have three left...) but after that, I'm hoping I won't have to waste any more pads for a long while! :)<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7071588901_f53af29c0a.jpg">
<br>
I also got very good at loop stitch...
<br><br>
No other finished projects to show for the last month, though I did start some spinning yesterday which I'm sure I'll get done sometime next week. However, while I was away, TWO friends randomly decided to mail me fun craft-related packages. As this has NEVER happened before, having it happen twice in a short space was amazing and very exciting! The first, a friend from NW, knows me too well...<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/7073512257_00770fbfc6.jpg"><br>
She made me a baseball bag and baseball bead markers! In the colors of my NY Mets!! Opening this up on Wednesday - about an hour before heading out to my first game of the season? I squeed. Literally, and loudly.<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6927432028_f2756cdb6d.jpg"><br><br>
The other friend was stash diving and she found some AWESOME cloth. It's very unusual, but I already know exactly what I want to make with it!<br>
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/6927431624_e44cc2cd70.jpg"><br>
There are about two yards in all, maybe slightly more, and it'll be perfect for my plan - a plan I hatched before I ever saw this fabric, which is kinda funny, really, and absolutely ideal. What is the plan? Nope, that'll have to wait until a Wednesday - hopefully, I'll have made some progress by this coming Wednesday...but we'll see, things are busy post-trip. ;)<br><br>
Check out what everyone has been up to this week over on <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/2012/04/fo-friday-82.html">Finished Object Friday</a> on Tami's Ami blog and <a href="http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/2012/04/fiber-arts-friday-green-thumb.html">Fiber Arts Friday</a> on Wisdom Begins in Wonder!Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4441670345352975279.post-5754391080501101792012-03-27T12:39:00.002-04:002012-03-27T12:39:14.904-04:00Crafting? What crafting?Super quick update! I hate to just let the blog sit here all un-updated when I had a couple months where I was good about doing it regularly. However, I have an excuse! The long and the short is...I haven't been crafting! I'm in the dead middle of a four week road trip, and even though I brought four projects with me, I haven't done a single moment of craft work since the second night of the trip. I've just been keeping busy spending time with my friends, and when I'm on my own, getting done moderator duties on Ravelry or working. However! There will be more to come, definitely...so stay tuned. :)Unforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021957967671181465noreply@blogger.com0