Knitting :: Cowl For A Friend

Last November I spun and knit this cowl in a matter of days. The fact that it was on drop spindle is what amazes me for bulky weights on a spindle are not my forte. I should say Single bulky weight. But it turned out very nicely and I do believe my friend was quite pleased with her cowl. It was a birthday present and since I spun and knit it quickly I did not keep proper notes and write down the pattern like I should have.*Ehem. Cough.

One of these days I will spin up more bulky yarn and write out the pattern for all of you. I'll keep you posted if/when that happens.

Treasury Time :: Plum

Plum Floral Crown. Brid... rosesandlemons $38	Peacock Corsage or Hat ... HappilyFeather... $29.95	Bridesmaid Bouquet with... VVDesignsShop $55	Sola Shell flowers -- ... SuperiorCraftS... $24.95
ADELAIDE - Plum Purple ... TheHeadbandSho... $30	Plum, Grey & Purples - ... VellaWovens $60	Marbled Puni Collection... TurquoiseOwlFi... $20	Italian Plums and Anise lemonbird $12
Perfect Plum Kit - Set ... WillowTreeMine... $16.95	French Lace Plum Embroi... ShadesofGloryF... $28.99	Vintage Style Purple Pl... berratosun $80	Masham Plum Ombre Batts... TheSheepsCompa... $20
Plum Purple Lily Earrin... VestasStudio $12	HandSpun Bamboo Yarn Pl... kittygrrlz $32	Velvet Flowers Yoyo Mil... MaryNotMartha $6.25	Purple / plum Romantic ... cuteNtrendy $5.5

My Plum Punis seem to be quite popular for Treasuries. I do wish someone would decide to buy them and spin them up! But it is nice to see that they are loved in other ways. I'm sharing the latest Plum Collection Treasury. Feel free to stop by and visit the Treasury on Etsy. If Plum is your color, then there is sure to be something you will like!

Shop Update

There is a shop update as of today! Feel free to stop by and check out the goodies!
I would have listed more today but it was one of those days where little errands kept popping up and things needed to be done. Not to mention it was raining. And thundering. In fact there was lighting in the mix too so let's just say we were having a regular Thunderstorm! And when it storms I just want to curl up all cozy inside and enjoy the weather. A book, a snack,  a cuppa= Perfect. I didn't do much curling up though. There was a lot of tromping about through puddles and mud, in and out and all about. I felt quite damp by the time I arrived back at the house.
But once I was home and cozy, and had my coffee & an episode to get in my Doctor Who fix for the day, I buckled back down to shop related projects like batts and photo shoots.

So stay tuned, there are more batts and roving coming soon!

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!