Happy New Year

I never make New Year's resolutions anymore, but I do try to overview my previous year and think about where I can make changes, and what I can improve, as well as plan for the coming year. Today I've been thinking about what projects I'd like to make. And while I don't have anything definite nailed down yet (except I DO know I must make a Vulpix shawl) I have decided to slowly work through my Ravelry favorites, picking one I love, purchasing the materials, and knitting it up.

My first new project for 2016 is going to be a shawl designed by the lovely Alana Dakos. I've signed up to participate in her first ever MKAL and as its also my first time participating in one I'm pretty excited. Madeleinetosh Tosh Vintage in the Mill Pond colorway is what I've selected as my yarn and its the most vivid shade of green imaginable. (Think rich mossy carpets on a forest floor.)

But that won't be happening until January 8th. For now, feel free to enjoy this collage of my most popular projects in 2015. Let's hope 2016 is as colorful and productive. Happy New Year!

A look back in photos: April.

Socks to Fluff (and other spinning news).

In the beginning of March I received two delightful fiber packages in the mail. First up is the Panda roving from Atomic Blue Fibers. Rest easy, unlike the name would seems to imply, it is not from a panda. Instead it is a merino/bamboo/nylon blend that is scrumptious to work with. Sayra's fiber is was high quality and worth every penny. Initially when I first started spinning this I had my wheel on the wrong ratio setting but after I corrected that the fiber just flew smoothly through my hands and turned into a gorgeous sock yarn. I still have about two ounces left to spin up. 

Near the end of March I heard about a sal/kal called 'fluff to socks'. The concept is simple: spin fiber, knit socks. There were, however, time frames and deadlines. To be eligible you must start and finish spinning your sock yarn anywhere between April 1st to May 31st. I was already concentrating on spinning two different sock yarns so to hear about the Socks to Fluff sal/kal and also realize that I started both projects on or after March 1st, well, I was thrilled to jump on board. It is always nice to participate in a spin-a-long. I 

am looking forward to seeing all the pretty handspun socks the other participants make.

But on to my second mail parcel. I purchased a set of art rolags from the sweet, Lise of TrezLise. Chock full of all different fibers, they were such a fun spin! Currently the yarn is not designated for any particular purpose but I amsure the perfect project with come along soon. 

Spinning in Literature

"People speak of the way in which harp-playing sets off a graceful figure; spinning is almost as becoming an employment. A woman stands at the great wool-wheel, one arm extended, the other holding the thread, her head thrown back to take in all the scope of her occupation; or if it is the lesser spinning wheel for flax (and it was this that Sylvia moved forwards to-night) the pretty sound of the buzzing, whirring motion, the attitude of the spinner, foot and hand alike engaged in the business - the bunch of gay coloured ribbon that ties the bundle of flax on the rock - all make it into a picturesque piece of domestic business that may rival harp-playing any day for the amount of softness and grace which it calls out."

~Excerpt taken from Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell.

I have always enjoyed reading through the classics. Elizabeth C. Gaskell's more popular works such as Wives & Daughters, North and South, & Cranford, are all particular favorites of mine. I have also enjoyed the BBC screen adaptations of the above named novels. In comparison to Jane Austen I find that E. Gaskell is not always as well known as an author. Often Jane Austen is raved about in particular circles while Mrs. Gaskell is almost virtually unknown. I find Jane Austen novels intersting, but nothing in comparison to E. Gaskell. Jane Austen had a very keen insight into the character and emotions of people in everyday circumstances. Her characters are very believable because they are so relatable, even to those of us in a completely different time period. 

However, much like Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell tackled problems of the day and culture in which she wrote. There is a depth to her books and they give you something to bite into and chew over for awhile, making for a fascinating reading experience. 

After being familiarly acquainted with the three novels I have mentioned, I recently decided to read some of Mrs. Gaskell's lesser know works. I read Ruth recently, and am still formulating my thoughts on that one. It's a different style then her other books I had read and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I'm hoping someone of my acquaintances will read it and then we can have a jolly discussion about it. I'm still working up a book review for that one.

Having finished Ruth I moved on to Sylvia's Lovers. I was hesitant about starting it, based on the name. It sounded a bit absurd and not my cup of tea at all. But it was a free kindle download so I took a chance. During the week I don't have a lotnof time for reading, normally I squeeze it in during my lunchtime. Right now I'm 37% through Sylvia's Lovers and I am enjoying it. The first part moves slowly, there is a great deal of whaling talk as it is set in and around a whaling town & community. But it reads much like Mrs. Gaskell's more popular works and thus far I have found it quaint and enjoyable. Probably one of the reasons I like it so much is the fact that there is so much spinning and knitting mentioned. It's not often that I come across fiber arts in reading, so when I do I am thrilled. I'll be sure to share some more snippets on future posts. 

Project Portfolio :: The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief

On Instagram recently there was an 'Age of Brass & Steam' Spin-along, Knit-along that I participated in. It actually landed at a timely point in my summer/autumn transition. I wasn't quite in the mood to do Autumn or Christmas knitting but this sal/kal gave me the push to get going. Now I'm excited to begin Christmas projects and I am  working on my third shawl since mid-September. But back to the Age of Brass.
Since it was a spin-along the first question to decide was what fiber to spin for it. I rummaged through my stash and pulled out an assortment of Autumn colors to card into punis. The fiber content of this shawl ended up being various blends of Merino/Corriedale/Dorset/Fine wool/BFL. I had about 7.2 ounces total after carding all the different blends. They were each spun individually,  some on my wheel and some on the spindle. Then I Navajo plied them at the end. The resulting yarns were heavy-worsted to bulky weight in thickness.
The Age of Brass is a super quick knit. It is free on Ravelry, and would make a great first-time shawl project for a beginning knitter. I am very pleased with how this one turned out. It was my third time making this particular pattern so I knew what to expect from it and tweaked the pattern accordingly for my yarn needs.
The Saturday after I finished it I blocked it aggressively in hopes of wearing it that  Sunday. It didn't dry in time, and I have yet to wear it out and about. But maybe it will get it's first airing tomorrow while I'm running errands. We'll see.
Until next time, my friends! Take care.

A Summer in Snapshots :: Part One

1. Haybales in a nearby field. Nothing smacks of summer like the sight and smell a freshly baled hay field

2. Late evening mist over the fields.

3. Brunch on the front lawn. Tea. Oatmeal. Knitting. It was pretty much a perfect morning. 

4. My flower patch was a profusion of colors this year. This is year two for the perennials and they really took off. Purple Cone Flower, Black-eyed Susan, Painted Daisy, Miniature Sunflowers,  Sweet William, Coreopsis, and I know not what else. It was quite lovely and I picked many a bouquet from here this summer. 

5. Knitting. I didn't do as much this summer. But I did design a pattern or two. And I gathered lots of inspiration for the winter months when I do more knitting & designing.

6. Painted my toes aqua. Collected rocks on Holiday. It's impossible to go away to our secret cabin and not bring a few home. Well....we bring a few more then a few. *ehem*

7. Spinning. Lots and lots of outdoor wheel spinning. Out in the cement patio is my favorite place to spin. It's breezy, sunny, I'm surrounded by flowers and the ground is level for my wheel to sit on.

8. Hiking. This summer we went on several hikes. Found some new trails and explored a new area. I'd like to go back someday. There is just something about the smell and silence of a pine woods in summer....

9. Gardening. This summer we had an excellent crop of zucchini,  butternut squash, corn, and peppers.  The tomatoes perished, after yielding a bumper crop of greenness and a few god red ones. They sort of just wilted and rotted away. It was disaapointing. But I was happy for all the zucchini. Eggs with zucchini,  peppers, mushroom, onions, and tomatoes was my lunch most of the summer. So delicious. I wish I could grow a zuke plant indoors all winter. 

10. Celebrating! Watching fireworks from out on the dunes. 

11. Berrying. An abandoned blueberry patch. Picking was free and oh, was it pretty there.

12. Hollyhocks by an orchard. Single-blossom hollyhocks rank in my top 10 favorite flowers. They're so pretty, & elegantly old-fashioned.

Dye Days

  There are few things more splendid to see mounded up on the table then pounds and pounds of fiber, waiting to be dyed, carded and spun! I am changing suppliers as I was not happy with my last batch of fiber. So imagine my delight with all my new fiber when i discovered how soft and exquisitely silky it was. Such drape and buttery smooth fluff. I wanted to keep every last bit  for myself, but of course that is not possible and my shop was getting empty, so I set to work dyeing it up.

 Some of my dye stock was low, particularly the yellow. So I ordered a few colors and then set to work doing as much dyeing as I could without completely exhausting my yellow stock. BFL/Silk is an amazing combo to dye up, the colors are so unique and there is such depth to the colorway. 

 The above fiber is my new colorway ARCHIPELAGO is in my 85%/15% BFL & Silk blend and it is simply stunning. The above colorway sold right away so a few days later I dyed another to spin into yarn for my shop.  I also did the same colorway in Kid Mohair. It comes out a little different on mohair then on the wool, the colors are deeper and there is less of the natural color showing through, but it is still amazing.

All in all I am very happy with my new fibers and I am excited to be able to share some new colorways and blends with you all.  You can find all the loveliness here at Turquoise Owl Fibers.
For those of you who don't spin, but would love to knit or crochet with these fantastic fibers, there will soon be some of my colorways available as handspun yarn  in my shop! Stay tuned for updates.

Introducing....Penelope!

 Yes, I do name inanimate objects. I think we covered that in the last post. 
Moving on. 
My exciting news is...(.drum roll please).....I bought a spinning wheel in March!
I had absolutely no plans of getting one anytime soon. But my Mom had been hunting around on the internet and told me about the excellent deal she found on a brand new Ashford Kiwi 2. It came from a reputable fiber company in Washington State, and after some deliberation, I placed an order. 
I was quite on pins and needles waiting for it to arrive. Well, finally it did, on March 21st and I was more then ecstatic.
The wheel also came complete with 1 pound of fiber, a niddy noddy, and a maintenance kit with extra parts, oil, etc.
For those of you who are new to my blog, this is my first spinning wheel. I have been a drop spindler for 4 years now. And while I have become very proficient at the drop spindle, and love my spindles dearly, it will be quite nice to be able to get a skein done faster and maybe spin some yarn to sell. That was never really an option with a drop spindle as there is so much time invested in a skein it would have to cost a fortune when sold!

 I have named my wheel Penelope. That was already decided in my head for quite some time as it seemed like the perfect name for a wheel. So Penelope it is. I actually didn't get to do any spinning on her until the 22nd. The wheel arrived unfinished so it had to be waxed to keep it clean and prevent any warping. I wanted to assemble it all then and there but I waited patiently (or maybe not so patiently) for it to dry.

The yarn shown is my very first skein of wheel spun yarn EVER! It was a single that I then navajo plied for a nice heavy-worsted, three-ply. I am very pleased with the way it turned out.
Thus far I have spun six skeins on my wheel, all in varying weights and yardages as I practice my spinning and get used to the differences between wheel spinning and spindle spinning. 
I'll have to share my photos as I progress. It took me a little while for me to actually like my wheel because I find spindling much easier. But now I am getting the hang of it and I find myself quite fond of Penelope. She's a simple but sturdy little wheel and though I still have a vast amount to learn,  it is nice to be gaining a better understanding of how things work with a wheel.

I am so very thankful to the Lord for making this opportunity available. It has certainly been a blessing thus far. I look forward to sharing more with you as I move forward in my Spinning Journey!