Fiber Gal in Phoenix

'Twas the Night Before TDF 2011

2011-07-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

What is TDF 2011? If you aren't really into spinning or ravelry, then this will be your very first question. Tour de Fleece is the annual spin-along during the Tour de France. It starts on July 2nd and runs through July 24th, just like the Tour de France. There are various teams and some people are committed to spinning on more than one team. I usually just join Tempe Yarn & Fiber's team - Fred's Fiber Fiends. A group name, by the way, which is totally fitting.

I started spinning in 2009 and got my first wheel right when the tour started, so for me it's a very personal thing. I can't say I've ever really set goals for myself. Mostly, I just do a LOT of spinning during this time. I decided to set goals because my mindset about goals has changed. If we don't have goals, then we don't push ourselves and experience the utter joy that comes when a goal is reached. My goals are pretty lofty and I am still subscribing to the fact that it IS about the journey.

Here are my 3 Goals for TDF 2011:
1) I want to finish spindle spinning 56 grams (almost 2 ounces) of tussah silk. I am spinning this incredibly thin, so this is probably one of the hardest goals. I plan to wheel ply it.
2) I bought some stunning black alpaca, mentioned in this blog post, from Peaceful Prairie Ranch. I have about 12 1/8 oz. of this gorgeous stuff and I would like to spin it at a 2-ply fingering weight. Here's some info about yarn weight for those of you that are scratching your head.
3) I have some BFL+ batts, mentioned in this blog post, which I'm hoping to spin into a thick/thin single (no plying) with some beads and glittery thread. I haven't made an art yarn in a while, so this ought to be fun!!!

I hope to post a few blogs about my progress, but with all of the spinning, that is a very optimistic statement. Ready? Set? Spin!!!

Fiberin' Around in Flagstaff

2011-06-18T23:36:00.000-07:00

This blog is a bit overdue. A handful of us headed to Flagstaff a couple of weekends ago to enjoy the cooler weather and check out the fiber festival at the Pioneer Museum. We made this trip last year; here is the blog from 2010.

While it was nice to be able to see a couple of demos, hang with some alpacas and check out the limited number of vendors - the trip was really about enjoying the company of friends. Friends that don't think you aren't paying attention whilst knitting/spinning and communicating with them.

When we arrived, we had dinner at Brix. The meal was great and the wine was delicious. I was appreciating the night sky.

Sam, enjoying her tea...

Debi and Jodie enjoying their wine...

Theresa and Janet enjoying their wine... notice Theresa's sweater, she is such a rockstar!

The cabin was just gorgeous. We stayed at Arizona Mountain Inn; the cabins were great, affordable and close to town.

Friends enjoying the cooler weather.

I was really interested in the fact that there was a metal playground. It reminded me of my youth.

We headed over to the fiber festival on Saturday. We checked out the alpacas, chatted with the vendors, hung out to spin/knit and oh yeah... we shopped. I walked away with a handful of the most silky alpaca I have ever had the luxury of knowing. It came from Peaceful Prairie Ranch and I can't wait to spin it up!!!
A handful of vendors at the event.

Hanging out.

My wheel (Ms. Suzie aka Suzanne) in the woods.

As some of you know, I have overcome a weight issue that I've been battling for decades. Here's a blog for reference. Because of my size, I am anxious to do things that daunted me in the past. Horseback riding is one of those things. Sammy and I went on a wonderful ride while we were up in Flagstaff.

I love this picture of the woods that I took from my horse. My horse's name is Maverick. Maverick is a red-head. I had never seen a horse with such pretty red hair.

Maverick's pretty red hair; the picture doesn't do his hair justice.

Here's another of the woods that I am fond of.

Sam had the guide manage to get a photo of me after our ride with her phone.

On Sunday, we tooled around downtown Flagstaff. The buildings were of particular interest to me and the sky provided such a rich blue backdrop that I couldn't resist snapping a few photos.

I was really digging this mural.

Getting up close and personal with my new buddy.

And, of course, we stopped off at Macy's before heading home. No Flagstaff trip is complete without a whiff of their roasts. I'm looking forward to doing it all again next year.

The Herd Somehow Grows...

2010-12-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

I think spindles reproduce in the middle of the night and multiply at an astonishingly fast rate. Either that or I am lucky enough to have a "hook up" with the spindle elves.

I spent some time organizing them on Flickr this morning. Spindle details are listed in my picture descriptions on Flickr. Now, I just need to get them up on Rav...

Here's a quick preview-

Threads and Rainbows

2010-11-22T22:08:00.000-08:00

I just finished sewing my first baby blanket. This marks the third project that I've completed. I've sewn a tunic and a pair of pajama pants. The blanket was the first project that I've done without a pattern - who needs a pattern for a rectangle, right? It's been a real learning experience. A friend in my sewing class suggested that I back it with a solid fabric and I do some top-stitching. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I hope my niece Zoey enjoys it. I can't wait to give it to her on Thanksgiving!

Ben really loved the blanket, too bad it's not for him!

We had a bit of a carding party at Debi's. She and I had bought an alpaca fleece earlier in the year and attempted to wash it. I now know that I would much rather send my fleece out for processing. Debi had some lovely gray alpaca that we enjoyed tremendously.

This past Sunday, Debi and I took a trip to Jerome to meet some other knitters/spinners from Phoenix and Prescott. On our way, we saw a stunning double rainbow. Unfortunately, I was only able to get a couple of photos of the single rainbow. So vivid!

We had such a good time with the Prescott Knitters and Erica, the owner of

Knit 1, Bead 2. She was so welcoming and has lovely fibery things!

Life Gets in the Way

2010-10-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

By the way, it's appropriate that I started this blog on September 12th and never finished it. Not much has changed in the last month and a half.

I have really been feeling like life is getting in the way. This is true for so many of us. I wish there were more hours to take care of my house (it's still in boxes), create, go to work, hang out with friends, go to the gym, etc. I thought that I hadn't gotten a lot of fiber things done in the last month or so and then took some pictures this morning. I guess I'm getting a lot more done than I thought. I didn't even take pictures of some of the things I've completed in the last couple months, including a Traveling Woman shawl out of my handspun. It was a great knit, once I got some help from a friend.

So here's just a few photos of what I've been up to:

This is some yarn that I spun up at an Expressions in Spinning group meet up at Tempe Yarn and Fiber. The inspiration was Scarlett O'Hara. I spun some ivory colored merino to represent her race and hand blended the fiber with sari silk threads to represent the remnants of our country torn apart by the Civil War. I knit a scarf that was a quick and easy knit and used a stitch from a stitch pattern book.

This is some yarn that I spun on various spindles. It's 100% tussah silk from Dicentra Designs. I kind of have a thing for the way she uses color. It's a 2-ply, probably lace weight. I spun a little of 2 oz. and gave it to a friend. I hope she finds something to do with it.

This is some camel/silk and silk that I'm spinning up on an Autumn Hollow spindle. I just finished plying it the other day, so I'll have to get some pictures up of that later.

This fiber has been on my to-do list for a while. I haven't even spun the second part of it. It's just not me. Nice fiber; I got it as a gift for participating in Black Sheep Gathering's bingo game. It's from Sunset Fibers. It's always nice to try out different vendors.

These were my first batts carded on my drum carder. It's some delicious Pagewood Farms fiber and some milk fiber with a little razzle dazzle. Can't wait to spin a little up. I think it will go great with these coils that I had spun up previously. It's some of the left-over fiber from that endeavor. All of this goodness came from TYF.

This is some pygora that was given to me by a lovely fiber friend. I've since plied it and it's got a lovely halo. It came from Rainbow Yarns Northwest at a Black Sheep Gathering. Pygora has one hell of a long staple. It was pretty interesting stuff.

I'm doing a little knitting, making some socks and a shawl. I am knitting some other things too, but they aren't as impressive. The Minnesota Vikings hat that I made for my Dad is a memory I would rather forget.

I'm jumping on the fleece bandwagon... we'll see if I manage to not fall off. I have 2 alpaca fleeces that I need to process with a friend (we're sharing) and I've reserved a CVM fleece for next spring from White Barn Farm. Here's a link to some past pictures of Tattoo's fleece. Most exciting was this blog post about what one spinner/knitter created with his lovely fleece. Just stunning and I hear it's quite soft.

I spun my way into my 34th birthday with some awesome fiber friends last week!

Spinning on my 34th!

Lots more going on... hope to get a couple more blogs in before 2010 is done and over. It's hard to believe that there are only 2 months left of this year!!!

Published! Sort of...

2010-08-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote an article that got published in my local spinning/weaving guild's newsletter. I am hyper-critical and caught a few things that I would have re-worked, but I'm still pretty excited. I also think it's cool that Black Sheep Gathering got a little extra exposure here in the Southwest.

Here's a link to the PDF. Check out pages 4 & 5.

Tour De Fleece 2010

2010-07-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Tour De Fleece is an event for spinners that takes place in conjunction with the Tour De France. I bought my spinning wheel just before it started last year and spun up a storm. Here's just a bit of what I'm spinning up this year.

Starting in top left corner (and working clockwise):
1) Dicentra Designs hand-dyed tussah silk spun on my Spindlewood drop spindle
2) Finishing up my Tempe Yarn & Fiber - Expressions in Spinning called "Tucson Wildflowers", which was spun thick and thin
3) 50/50 camel/silk spun on my Avi Wasserman drop spindle
4) 4 ounces of fiber purchased at Black Sheep Gathering - I need to look up the details

Over the past weekend, the TYF retreat occurred. This is a fun time to hang with fiber friends all weekend. I made some yarn that I called "Dangling Carrot". I carded up some batts, made strips of fabric and secured the yarn with sewing thread. Thanks to my fiber friends for helping to make this project possible. This yarn was intended for Sam, but I had said that she only gets it if she knits up all the other handspun she has. I think she will probably be getting it sooner than that.

I'm also spinning up some of this BFL/Silk hand-dyed by Dicentra Designs. I'm doing a 2-ply of 8+ ounces. I haven't taken recent photos, but here is a photo of the before.

Goodies

2010-07-03T08:20:00.001-07:00

I can never quite get used to the fact that a lot of fiber people post pictures and talk about their "goodies". I believe the reason is three-fold: 1) Fiber people are mostly warm, generous, out-going folks that like to see other fiber people happy 2) They like to showcase the artists that pour themselves into their work and make very little monetarily 3) Fiber people are the worst kind of enablers there are, "Don't you want 10 of everything?". I'd love to hear what other people think. Like I said, I can't quite get used to it because there is that part of me that feels like it's a little of "look what I have" and that is just strange territory to me. However, I'm going to try to forget the latter feeling and share with you some amazing work. All of the goodies posted here are by some amazing artists. They love their work and it shows. Now, I get to love it and create.

One of my most favorite designers is Lisa/Dicentra Designs. I first learned of her when I was trying to find Sammy a Hanukkah present and I stumbled on a lovely color that she called "ballerina" - perfect for Sam. The colors were amazing and I was thrilled to spin up the luscious stuff. Here's one of my blogs about it. Lisa does have an Etsy shop, but she is so busy going to fiber shows that she doesn't update her shop often. If you were interested in grabbing some goodies from her, the best thing to do is email her and let her know what you're looking for. Here are some more of her lovelies that I have in my stash. I'm hoping to spin them up soon. Coincidentally, it was Lisa that first suggest I try to go to Black Sheep Gathering and I'm so glad I got to meet her, see her work first-hand and (thanks to a friend's suggestion!) we helped her pack up her booth.
Below: Victorian colorway, BFL - I have approx. 12 oz.

Below: Bitter Green colorway, BFL - I have 12oz., this was a birthday gift for Sam that I need to spin up. By the time I get to it, she may be spinning it up herself. Just kidding!

Below: Barataria Bay (a bay of the Gulf of Mexico) colorway, 75% BFL and 25% Tussah Silk - approx. 8oz.

Below: Chandaleur Sound (located just north of the Mississippi River) colorway, 100% Tussah Silk - under 6 oz.

Below: Breeze colorway, 100% Tussah Silk - 2.4oz

I just love the colors and I can't wait to spin them all up! You may have noticed in the last picture a spindle... I have acquired three more spindles. They somehow multiply...

My first love is a Ken Ledbetter spindle. Ken lives in Tucson, Arizona (although, I bought the spindle at Black Sheep Gathering) and TYF will soon be carrying his spindles locally. I'm a sucker for supporting a fellow Arizonan and turquoise (see previous blog post), so this baby shouted my name. The finial is bloodwood as is the shaft. The whorl is made of walnut and includes and inlaid carved shell with turquoise. It weighs 1.3oz.

Next, a couple of Spindlewood Spindles. Connie & Steve (the owners) are good friends with one of my fiber friends, Barbara. Barbara definitely did a good job in enabling a couple of us to go home with not one, but two Spindlewood spindles. Spindlewood was recently featured in Spin-Off Magazine (Summer 2010) so the booth was hopping at Black Sheep Gathering. Their spindles really are special. I was thrilled that two new loves got to go home with me!

Below: A round mini, this is uncommon since they typically do square spindles. The whorl is made out of Amboyna Burl and is 2 3/8" in diameter. The shaft is Ebony (it is so stunning) and is 8" long. It weighs .7 oz.

Below: A square mini, which is more common for a Spindlewood spindle. The whorl is made out of Honduran Rosewood and is 2 1/8". The shaft is made of flamewood and is 8 1/8" It weighs .8oz. I really didn't think I was going to like square spindles, but now I am convinced otherwise. They don't roll around on flat surfaces and they spin just as well as circular spindles.

I really feel honored to be able to utilize such lovely tools in my work. The above items were created lovingly and I hope to do them justice.

Living a Few Months in Mere Days

2010-06-23T08:36:00.001-07:00

Do you have those times in your life when you've been so active and you're processing so much new information that you feel you have lived months in mere days? That's how the last days have been for me. I'm sure I will miss jotting something down in this blog and I KNOW I've missed capturing images from some of my experiences.

Thursday evening - I flew from Phoenix to Portland with a couple of fiber buddies and arrived late in the evening. We made our way to Eugene, OR and arrived at approximately 3am in the morning (Friday). We had to be up for class early in the morning on Friday. Needless to say, I didn't really want to pull out the camera and start clicking away.

Friday - I spent most of the day in class with Paula Shull learning how to spin cotton. I could have taken pictures of all of the cotton Paula gave us to try out, but I would have at least 50 pictures. We spun everything from the cotton off the bowl to Israeli cotton. Ms. Shull was a real delight and a bit of tease... meaning that she would pass out the most luscious stuff and you'd ask her about it and she'd say, "well, I don't think you can get this anymore". I understood why she wanted us to know about the stuff that is unavailable... who knows when we'll come across it? Overall, the class was a blast, but I'm not sure cotton is for me. One of the ladies in class that seemed to have the most success with it used a long-draw technique. I will definitely be looking into working on my long-draw, seems to be the answer for a lot. In the evening, we were mostly exhausted so we went to sleep and prepared for the weekend ahead of us. Of course, we did some shopping and this was the first day of goodies between the four of us.

Saturday - We got up nice and early and I started my morning off with a class called "Natural Dyeing with Mushrooms". This class really was 2 in 1. I learned that there are all kinds of crazy-ass mushrooms here in the Northwest. I could probably tell you details about a half of dozen of them now. I won't, though, since it's irrelevant to us in the Southwest; I'm 100% positive there is no way Whole Foods is going to carry them. I also found out that there are "mushroom hunters" in the Northwest and you need a license as to not "over-pick"... think "over-fish". I also learned the basics of natural dyeing, which is really the information I wanted.

Mushrooms:

Phaeolus-

This is a pot of Dermocybe Semisangineus-

Dyepots:

No wonder we get mistaken for witches...

I wish I had taken a picture of my two scarves, but I will have to take pictures later. I don't think they look like they were dyed with mushrooms...

I took "Spinning with Cashmere" later in the afternoon. Here's a photo... yep, looks like your run-of-the-mill spinning class.

Saturday evening, Barbara and I checked out the Spinner's Lead. This is a super cool fashion show of folks and their fiber animals. Basically, they circle around a pen with their animal in a garment that was made from that animal's fiber. So cool!

We checked out some of the animals too. I have lots of pictures, but I thought I'd just share a few:

I love how (in the photo below) his little eyes look possessed....

This was one big-ass sheep:

This was a one-week old baby. He was hopping around all over the place. Barbara and I could have watched him for hours on end.

My favorite type of sheep, Blue Face Leicester. I couldn't get a great photo, but notice how unusual their heads are... almost Roman looking. They don't have fur on their heads or legs.

Sunday - I had class all day with Judith Mackenzie. She is THE Yoda of spinning. I can't really describe her any other way. She is amazing and I was fortunate to take two classes with her, "Spinning Primitive Breeds" and "Spinning Angora". She began the first class by laying out a variety of fleeces on the floor. She must have had at least 30 with her. Apparently, she has hundreds more...

I spent most of my time in both classes just writing things down, but for the first time in life, I tried to spin worsted, woolen and semi-woolen. It was a very educational experience and I will try to practice the three different types in the future.

Spinning up some angora:

I had an incredible time at Black Sheep Gathering. I met a lot of new fiber friends and got to spend some time with my familiar fiber friends. I hope to go again next year. I still need to take pictures of my loot. I walked away with three spindles; 2 Spindlewood spindles and 1 Ken Ledbetter spindle. Mr. Ledbetter is from Tucson, Arizona and I believe TYF is planning on carrying his spindles.

Monday - We headed back to Portland and Ben flew in. I said goodbye to my fiber friends (which felt really strange) and hello to my husband. We didn't do a whole lot on Monday, but I visited a short time with my friends, Angela and Piper. Piper was intrigued by the idea of spinning silk on a drop spindle and I was soon convinced to make a silk web in a tree in her backyard.

Tuesday - Ben and I visited the Portland Japanese Garden first. Of course, we were enamoured with all of the green. Only people from Phoenix, Arizona take pictures of moss and green.

Ben and I, overlooking Portland.

Some more pictures of us... I had to stop and spin, of course.

My new love... one of my Spindlewoods.

Then, we headed across the street to the Portland Rose Garden. I have never seen so many beautiful roses. They were large, almost the size of a head of cabbage. I took so many pictures, but here are a few.

We finished our day with a tram ride. We went one way, but decided we didn't need to go the other way. Both Ben and I are not keen on heights, but I'm glad we overcame our fears and did it.

Ben is still resting and that's just fine with me. I'd be happy to just sit, knit and spin.

Fiber Outings

2010-06-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

June is THE month for fiber outings!!!

Last Sunday, June 6th, the Ravelry group "Arizona Spinners" decided to take a road trip to Flagstaff for the wool festival at the Pioneer Museum. What a blast!!! We thought we were getting out of the heat, but that was hardly the case. It was nearly 100 degrees up there!

The wool festival had a variety of local vendors and, obviously, there was fiber. lucsiousgracious said that she didn't leave any for us by the time Sunday rolled around, but we still managed to get our hands on plenty of goodness. We got to meet a few very cute alpaca babies.

There were demonstrations like sheep shearing and herding, which you don't see everyday in Phoenix. Below is a picture of a churro sheep getting sheared and a dog herding ducks, which is similar to the way they heard sheep.

Michele from Purl in the Pines invited us to spin near her set up. It's the kind of friendliness that you come to expect from fiber people. Here's Michele's set up. Hope to cool off at some point during the summer and visit her shop.

After a little shopping, we found a nice shady spot and set up to spin. We drew a lot of attention. There weren't really any other groups set up spinning. They asked us to contact them prior to next year's festival and make arrangements to come and demonstrate. I, personally, was really hoping to connect with some Flagstaff spinners; maybe they know something we don't about spinning wool outside in 100-degree weather. Crazy Valley people!

We had about 8 people and I think a good time was had by all.

Yesterday, Saturday the 12th, we observed Worldwide Knit in Public Day. We met up at The Eggery in Phoenix and they were incredibly nice to us. The hostess even wore a WWKIP sticker. We had about 11 people for brunch and then 9 of us headed off to ride the light rail. We decided to just ride it to the end and then back. I had a great time and I think everyone else did too! Here's some photos:

Chris really is a rockstar, she's got the knitting to prove it.

Even babies got into the action. Klover is the official baby for WWKIP day.

I was so excited to take the train and the weather was perfect.

Riding around...

My all-time favorite picture of the day.

To top of all of the wonderful June fiber outings, I'm headed out to Black Sheep Gathering on Thursday and can't wait!

Do you read the Ravelry Funnies?

2010-06-04T10:53:00.001-07:00

OMG! I had to share this. This came from a thread on Ravelry and is written by user "shishkani". It is in response to a thread called "Topics covered over and over". Happy LOLing!

" I think I can settle these once and for all, although I’ve skipped a few of the more nebulous ones. Even I can’t answer everything.

Which circular needles are the best?
Surprisingly enough, clover bamboo circulars. The cable join is strong enough that it won’t snap when you’re strangling someone, even if they manage to get a hand in there and it takes longer than usual.

Why is there a disagree button?
Because you’re wrong. No, you really are.

Can I take needles on a plane?
This is what the internet is for. In the US, yes. Anywhere else: google it.

Why do people love red heart?
It’s cheap and you can get it almost anywhere. And it’ll still be in one piece long after humans have destroyed themselves and left the planet a barren, desolate wasteland, covered in piles of red heart afghans. And the colors! Especially fiesta.

Why do people hate red heart?
It’s made out of brushed fiberglass insulation and really cheap toilet paper.

What about copyrights?
Don’t share the pattern, don’t sell the object, without asking the designer. Yes, copyrights are a good thing. No, you cannot copyright a design by mailing it to yourself.

How do I sell my knitting?
Sell easy production pieces for cheap, or sell amazing works of art for lots. There’s little middle ground.

Why waste your cash on cheapskate yarn?
Because I can roll in a huge pile of yarn that you could never afford from your hoity toity yarn shop!

Why buy gold-plated yarn?
Because I don’t get severe friction burn when I wear the stuff I make, and money makes the FO prettier. It really does.

Cat declawing: cruel, but very rarely, necessary.

Why do people friend me?
It could be because you’re awesome. So - are you?

Is it okay to friend someone I don’t know?
Only if they’re awesome.

Should I be afraid if someone I don’t know friends me?
If you are considering this, then yes. They might get you. Or raid your stash page and download all your yarn through the tubes.

What type of interchangeable needles are best:
Knitpicks Harmonies. The colors make the blood less visible, and the points are perfect for stabbin.

Continental vs English knitting:
Easy. Knit English if you’re English. Knit continental if you’re a continent.

Love/hate acrylic yarn:
Love. You just can’t get the same flame from wool, no matter how much gasoline you soak it in.

Noro:
Technicolor goat barf, sticks and all. Although how they get the goats to barf in such precise repeats of color is beyond me …

Why are there knots in skeins?
Because I put them there.

I need yarn to finish my project!
There’s a group for that. It isn’t magically located by crossposting on several of the big 6 boards at once, unless you count how helpful people will always pop up to inform someone of the group’s existence.

My (blank) is in a contest with (blank) vote for them!
No. Cheater.

My (creature) is the cutest!
No, they aren’t.

How do you block acrylic?
You don’t. Or, you torture it into submission and wear its lifeless corpse. It is a dichotomy.

This pattern is for DPNs, can I use magic loop?
Okay, fine. The only answer I could think of to this was mean to anyone who has really asked this question. So forget it.

Why does anyone make dishcloths:
Oh, only the people who actually wash their dishes make those.

Where do I get a pattern that is listed as being in a magazine:
The magazine. Next!

Where are the patterns:
This one’s pretty meta. And my snark reserves are running low.

How big will it be after blocking:
As big as you block it, but generally slightly larger than it is now.

How small will it be after felting:
Impossible to predict - it’s magic. Next you’ll be wanting to predict the weather.

Can I felt in a front loading machine:
I’ve felt a lot of machines in my day. You just have to ask politely first, some of them don’t go in for that kind of thing.

Why doesn’t my acrylic lace look like lace made out of wool?
Because wool is stickier than acrylic. Put a dab of glue on every stitch and then it’ll look right.

Why isn’t knitty out yet?
Because they stick to a strict schedule of always announced updates, fueled by all our subscriptions.

Ugh, okay, I’m done. For now. Come on, ask Shishkani another question.

ETA: Sorry. I’m trying to write my thesis (yeah right, really looks like it) and I might be going crazy."

Spin, Knit, Weave - Oh Shiny!

2010-05-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

In the category of spin, I've got a few things going on. We recently had another "Spin In". I've really enjoyed getting to know new people and new wheels. This wheel (owned by Karen) was of particular interest to me. I think Karen said it's from the 1800's and it's known as a "walking wheel". There are no treadles. Karen walks the wheel while drafting the fiber. It was really interesting to watch her command such a large wheel. Sometimes these wheels have a mind of their own, but she was in complete control.

Like most fiber activities, this one included one heck of a potluck spread. I love that fiber friends bring all kinds of delicious goodies.

I think we had about 13-14 people and everyone seemed to have a blast!

I also got to use Debi's drumcarder! I am trying so hard to resist the temptation, but it was so delicious. We are choosing our fiber before-hand this month for Tempe Yarn & Fiber's Expressions in Spinning group. Our inspiration is wild flowers that bloomed in southern Arizona. I carded some fiber I had at Debi's for the spin.

I love the way the batts turned out!!! I also got to check out Debi's looms. They are stunning and her projects are lovely.

I finished spinning up the silk that I spoke about in this blog. This silk was really beautiful, but I should not have plied it. It was dumb on my part. I need to get back to being inspired by Phoenix, but I also don't want to put undue pressure on myself. I'm having a good time. This was the first time I've spun 100% silk from roving and I don't know that I will do it again. A blend is one thing, but 100% silk seems somewhat wasteful. I maybe have enough to do some edging around a garment.

The spindle bug has finally bitten me. I was checking out One Planet Yarn and Fiber's website (the owners live in the Valley) and came across the most beautiful spindle I had ever seen. It spoke to me for several reasons. First, the artist (Avi Wasserman) is Israeli and living in Israel. The whorl is made from carob wood (from Israel) and I have a carob tree (that I love) in my front yard. The whorl is set with turquoise (so Arizona) and it's signed and dated by Avi. The shaft is made of African mahogany. This thing is just a beauty. I wasn't really sure that I could get it to spin, but OMG - I love it!!! I started spinning yak, which is not the best choice; it's slippery and has a short staple. I managed to get it going, but then I switched to alpaca and everything clicked!

I loved my spindle so much, that when I saw that someone was destashing a similar spindle I knew that my spindle was lonely and needed a brother. At least, that's what I told myself. Funny, how we justify these things. My other spindle is a Cascabeles spindle (he actually is Avi's mentor) and is cherry/african padauk with turquoise inlay. I love this baby too! I love that my spindles can go anywhere with me and when I've had enough knitting, I can whip them out. The alpaca came from a lovely woman that has an alpaca rescue farm near Tucson. She was kind enough to give one of the spinners at the Spin In several samples to take back to us. If you're looking for alpaca, contact Apache Spirit in Dos Cabezas, Arizona at 520-384-2041. I couldn't find a website for her. Big thanks to her for giving all of us a nice treat! In the knitting arena, I am not working on anything easy right now. I have been knitting a February Lady sweater since February. I'm nearly done with the body and about to start the sleeves. I also started a Brandywine Shawl in some of my handspun, which I talked about in this blog. I think it's great that Rosemary Hill (she designed the pattern) is sending $5 from the sale of every pattern to Haiti. I'm not convinced that this is the right yarn for this project and I may end up ripping it out.

I also finished knitting "It All Comes Together Beret" in my handspun. I talk about the yarn here. It's a surprise for someone.

I'm still a-weavin'. I'm almost done with a bird's eye pattern on MacSally. Ben was interested and got into the action too. Of course, he didn't have to do the hard part - winding the warp, dressing the loom and tying it on. I'm happy he enjoyed the rhythm of it and hope he takes more than a passing interest in it.

I also got a new weaving toy! I got a Schacht bobbin winder from TYF. I love it!

My next weaving project is going to be placemats with some cotton that I bought from TYF. The gray is Cotton Classic Lite from Tahki Yarns. The blue is Cascade Ultra Pima. The gray is going to be the warp.

There is all kinds of "shiny" around me. I am the type of girl that will use something if it's pretty and I love it. I never realized this about myself, until my friend Sam pointed it out. One of the prettiest things are Paige's glass stitch markers. Um, in a word - "obsessed". They are magnificent and I am obsessed with them. You can buy them at TYF, if I don't get to them first.

I would be remiss, if I didn't take the time to talk about another shiny thing that I am obsessed with. I have a really hard time drinking enough water. I have not had that problem lately because I've bought the most beautiful Sigg. Silly, I know, but this bottle is really making a difference in my life.

Helping to Make Things Beautiful

2010-05-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

There is no object so foul that intense light will not make it beautiful. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every now and then I come across a tool that helps me take my fibery makings to the next level. I have a variety of tools and some (don't tell my husband) aren't as helpful as others.

Last summer, I was spending a lot of time with a friend who had an OttLite. She had it right next to her couch in her living room and seemed to always want to sit under it. I didn't really understand what was so special about this light, but I was curious. Sam and I were stumbling around Michael's last summer and these lights were 40% off. Ben had been out of work and 40% off $200 is a lot of money when you are trying hard not to spend a dime. I decided to go for it. My living room is incredibly dark. It's nice sometimes, but not conducive to knitting, spinning, weaving, etc. This little light has changed my life.

Picture above from OttLite's website.

Initially, Ben complained that the light was too bright. He also was baffled and said something like, "do you really think you need that light?" and "do you think it's worth it?" I hear those two lines a lot. I did what I normally do, I ignored his questioning and continued enjoying my new light. Well, wouldn't you know it? Ben started using my light. A couple of weeks later, we were back at Michael's and buying an OttLite desk lamp for Ben.

I've since moved my OttLite into my new fiber room and missed having an OttLite in the living room. I'm not in the living room as often as I was, but I haven't been thrilled about the idea of schlepping my light around.

This week, I was strolling around Michael's and low and behold - an OttLite for more than 50% off! There was only one at this price and it looked oldish. I scooped it up and headed out. Now, I've added a 3rd OttLite to our home.

I've gotta say these OttLites truly make a difference. They provide you with amazing light, they are flexible, lightweight, durable and reasonably affordable. If you do any type of craft, art, etc. - find a coupon for Michael's (or JoAnns) and get yourself one. You won't be sorry.

www.ottlite.com

What every non-knitter that loves a knitter should know...

2010-05-03T14:36:00.001-07:00

The following was written by a guy that goes by the name of Padgee on Ravelry and I think it is hilarious. I had to share this on my blog... maybe I can even get my husband to read it. Enjoy!
Here it is:

I am not a knitter. I joined Ravelry to see where my girlfriend spends her time on the internet lol. In the 10 or so months that she’s been knitting I’ve been secretly/overtly observing and documenting this crazy thing called yarn and what it does to people. These things I know to be true.

Yarn is NOT string and should not be referred to as such.
Knitting needles are not sticks,stix, or styx.
Casting on is NOT a fishing metaphor.
Yarn comes in different weights, colors, styles. Kind of like drugs.
People dye their own yarn with varying degrees of success.
Knitting is taken everywhere. No exceptions are to be made.
Fun fur is frowned on by “real” knitters.
“Lemme just finish this round” is a lot like me saying “Lemme just finish this round of video games” fair enough
A collection of yarn is a “stash” much like drugs.
Yarn barf is actually a thing.
Ravelry has a weird economy of bartering. Yarn can be exchanged for other goods not related to yarn. ????? Weird.
There are knitting groups, where other like minded knitters knit together and (this part is an assumption) talk about how knitters should rule the world.
Do NOT sit on or around yarn left on the sofa. This will cause knitter in the other room to jump up and rescue said ball of yarn from your evil ass.
Thank goodness there are no shows about knitting on Primetime TV.
Stitch markers are NOT earrings.
Lots of knitters have kittehs. You know who also had them? Witches.
If I want something, “Did you want to go to the yarn store?” are the first words out of my mouth.
Yarn stores are populated by alpha knitters. Some stores are better than others. Michaels is not a suitable substitute for a yarn store.
The needles that are attached with wire to each other, do not make good nunchuks.
Kitteh won’t chase a ball of yarn no matter how many balls you throw at his head.

These things I know to be true.

A Lovely Way to Start May!

2010-05-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

April 2010 has come and gone. Time for May! It's starting to heat up here in Phoenix. What better time to play with wool?

I feel like I've been working on these socks forever...

The socks are made from Schaefer hand-dyed yarn that I bought at TYF. This is the second time I have used this yarn and I absolutely love it. It is bar none the best. It is the Nichole line and it's 80% extra fine merino superwash wool and 20% nylon. The socks are for a friend of mine whose birthday was 4/21, so I really need to get them done. I am doing top-down, two at a time on magic loop from one ball of yarn. I have done two at a time on magic loop once before, but I did them toe up after taking Chris' class at Knit Happens. I think I prefer top-down and two circs, but I am going to try some various things to really figure out what it is I like. I did a 3x1 (k3, p1) rib around the leg and on the top of the foot.

I'm makin' yarn - for those of you that know the joke, I just said it like, "I'm on a boat, yo!"

The above photo is of some extremely energized purple and black wensleydale. I got it at the destash at TYF. I already know what this yarn is intended for, but it's top secret. I washed it after taking this pic.

I'm spinning up 8 oz. Pagewood Farms BFL in the olive colorway. It is the first time I am using my new-to-me Majacraft Suzie and I want to hurry up and finish this blog so I can go spin.

One of my most favorite days of the month is the last Friday of the month when TYF's Expressions in Spinning occurs. I am always spinning something that I had never thought of until inspired by others. The topic last Friday was movie character and Scarlett O'Hara was chosen. My yarn represents that she is the epitome of a white person (very literal, I know) and the threads that I carded into the white fiber represent the remnant threads of the fabric of our country torn apart by the civil war. I am really loving the way it is coming out.

I got my loom, MacSally, home and she was "half-dressed". The warp was wound on to the back, but I still needed to thread my heddles and sleigh my reed. I managed to do that all by myself and started weaving. Here are some photos:

I'm really loving my fiber room! So is my cat, Schmooey... I guess he knows where the fiber belongs!

Progress!

2010-04-27T00:09:00.001-07:00

I feel like I have made real progress in the last couple of days, which is more than I can say for Arizona. I was happy for the distraction this past weekend since Friday was so abysmal.

I mentioned that my vision for my spare bedroom was to create a fiber room in this blog post. I have finally done it! Granted, it's a small space, but it's just right for me. Sam and I made a jaunt out to Ikea for an Expedit workstation. This solution has worked even better than we had anticipated. We also bought a kitchen cart, which I absolutely love! Our shopping excursion took Sam and I less than an hour. Impressive, to say the least.

Here are pictures of the "construction" underway:

We were up to our knees in it!

Ben even got into the act!

Ben put my kitchen cart together all by himself, he is so awesome!

So here's an official tour. You walk in and immediately you notice my new-to-me wheel - my Suzie! I have sort of renamed my wheel Suzanne, since she is such a lady.

I stood on the bed (which I would like to get rid of to make way for a bigger loom someday) and took this picture. Hanging over the cart is a photo of a woman winding a skein from a niddy noddy, which seems a little counter productive. Sam bought the picture for me in an antique shop. It was the "finishing touch" on my fiber room and I love it!

I need to hang my warping board up... maybe next weekend.

Notice Stephen Colbert is on TV. I have dish network, DVR and a DVD player in my fiber room! Big Pimpin'!

MacSally (my Macomber loom) came home with me tonight (from TYF) and I got half way through threading her.

There is truly a place for everything now. Thanks to Sam and Ben for all of their help! I am so happy!

It's already April?!?

2010-04-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I haven't posted in April! So what the heck am I up to if I'm not blogging?

I finished my weaving. Here it is on the loom, just before I tied it off.

I also managed to find time to sew the edges once it came off the loom. I tried to overcome my fears and "just do it". It took me a little bit of coaxing and time to realize that I was not going to break anything. The machine handled the woven fabric surprisingly well.

Why am I doing this? I wanted to be able to secure the ends of the fabric and cut. It's more of an experiment than anything. My next step is to find some fabric that coordinates and create a clutch zipper bag. You will notice the two fabrics in the picture above are similar, but different. I used the same warp yarn, but ran out of my handspun (picture on the right) and went to a commercial yarn. The pattern that I used with the commercial yarn is a standard twill and with the handspun I went crazy with the pattern, practicing different treadling options. I really like that the two fabrics ended up similar, but different. Then, I fulled my fabric. I washed it in a water bath with Eucalan - I love this stuff, got it at TYF. Finally, I hung to dry.

With all this weaving, I have to admit that I really missed spinning. Good thing we had planned a Spin Out on April 11th at Kiwanis Park! We had a great showing and even met a few new fiber friends! I started an "Arizona Spinners" group on Ravelry and that's primarily how we got out the word about the Spin Out, which can also be called a Spin In. Spinners, knitters, dogs and husbands all turned out for the fun!

Fiber Friends:

Husband & Husband/Son Friends:

Four-legged Friends:

April is almost over and (as normal) I've over-committed myself for the remainder of the month. I am helping out a local theatre company with the laundering of their costumes. And it's bloody! Check out Stray Cat Theatre's 12th Night of the Living Dead. Because there is so much staining from the various elements used, I've rediscovered my love. It's in the form a yellow bar and it's called Naptha. Every fiber girl should have one on hand. It's miracle soap!

We'll see if I can work in one more blog before April 2010 comes and goes...

15 Minutes a Day

2010-03-30T21:07:00.001-07:00

I've decided that maybe if I sew 15 minutes a day it will come faster to me. Tonight, I spent some time testing that theory.

I made a bunch of little square mini pillows. Hey, maybe that's how Betsy Ross got her start.

I was fortunate enough to spend some time weaving at TYF yesterday. I finally got my loom dressed and was good to go. I used some handspun for the weft. My handspun consisted of a bunch of left over fiber that I carded and hand blended together. Total randomness. It also produced a thick & thin yarn. Since this was a yarn that I had created sometime ago, it was much different than what I've been spinning as of late. Perfect for weaving. I wove a twill and some tabby. I had a ton of fun!

Adventures in Fiber

2010-03-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have an adventurous spirit; some would have used the term "reckless" in my younger days. I am the girl who decided to immigrate to Israel after meeting a guy on the plane home. At 19, it sounded like a good idea to pick up and move in with said man, who happened to be on the other side of the earth. Adventurous, right?

These days, though, I have been trying to be more adventurous with fiber. My first adventure started last week, when I thought card (also known as tablet) weaving looked neat and I should try it. There are several references online and I thought I'd be able to figure it out. I spent some time cutting out the cards, which have to be just right and then started to thread them. I didn't get much further than that.

I would like to pick it back up, but haven't found the time yet.

So where have I been "traveling" off to? I learned to sew! The basics, anyway. A while back, I bought a cheap sewing machine for the purposes of finishing my woven edges. DH was appalled by my purchase and said that we would ask his sister (who studied fashion design) if we could use her machine. I felt uncomfortable asking; fortunately, he was the one that did the asking. She has been immersed in her photography, which is amazing, and had no problem lending me her machine. She was even kind enough to have it serviced. She lent me her Bernina Quilter's Edition and I didn't feel comfortable just "playing" on it. I knew I needed a class or two. So, I looked around the Valley. I found Sew From the Heart. These folks are almost as great as the folks at my LYS. I had my first class yesterday (it was 6 hours!) and I learned so much!!! I plan to take another class on April 8th.

I also finished plying some incredible rainbow yarn! I spoke about the process a little in my last blog. I got it finished and I love it, but I'm not sure what it's meant to be. It's quite coarse, so it might end up in some weaving as a small rug.

It was quite an adventure, since it was the first time I had ever spun locks. Locks are typically long and curly and can sometimes be quite silky. You use a different technique to spin locks.

I wanted to mention something about twist and over-twist. What is twist? It is what happens when you spin yarn. What is over-twist? Over-twist is when you have too much energy in your yarn. Most spinners are looking to achieve what's referred to as a "balanced yarn", that is a yarn that has the right amount of twist. In my blogs, I typically post pictures of yarn that hasn't been washed. Washing the yarn, helps to distribute the twist more evenly. The twist is especially evident in the 3rd and 4th picture above. It's amazing what washing a finished yarn can do. It's like blocking a knit item. It's magic.

I also finished spinning up some singles of the silk that I mentioned in this blog. It was the first time that I had ever spun 100% silk and I don't think I got enough twist in the singles. I'm probably going to run it through my wheel again to get some more twist in it. Apparently, you need more twist in silk than in wool I'm also reconsidering my initial plan of knitting it with a larger yarn and then felting it down - it's just too gorgeous. It is still completely representative of a Phoenix, but what shall it become?

It was a little like spinning fiber into gold and almost as expensive...

TYF (see link for LYS above) hosted their annual destash sale. I think everybody was pretty impressed that a LYS (local yarn store) would do this for their customers. I got a ton of fiber and even Sam (the non-spinner) bought some fiber... for me to spin. *BIG GRIN* Of course, since it's her fiber, she needed to provide me guidance with how she wanted it spun. She wants long color repeats. Here's one of the singles I'm working on.

I've almost got my loom dressed, which means that I have almost got the warp on my loom and the yarn through the heddles and reed. I'm hoping to start weaving tomorrow. Without Terry (at TYF) I don't know how I could have done it. I tried myself (with a video and a book), but classes are the only way to go.

Finally, speaking of classes and adventure, I'm going to be going on a "physical" adventure with a few fiber friends. We are going to the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, OR in June. I signed up for my classes yesterday and I was fortunate enough to get into all of my first choices. I will be taking: spinning cotton, dyeing with mushrooms, spinning cashmere, spinning primitive breeds and spinning angora. Two of my classes are with Judith MacKenzie McCuin who is quite famous in the spinning world. Check out her books. I am surprised by just how many spinning classes I'm taking, but I think it will give me a chance to try new things. Afterall, that's what adventure is about - trying new things.

Knitting Bag Gluttony

2010-03-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

I had a post up for a day or so about a knitting bag that I had recently purchased. I have been drooling over the OHD (Offhand Designs) bags for some time. When I posted, I showcased this Zhivago bag in Madeline.

The Zhivago bags are great because you can store so much knitting in them and they have a lot of wonderful pockets. Then, I found a woman on Ravelry who was willing to sell her Zhivago bag in this stunning Rumpelstiltskin fabric. I was so torn. It's impossible to find anything made in this fabric since all of the OHD bags are special edition and limited. I felt a little trivial feeling so conflicted over fabric, but I'm probably not getting another OHD bag anytime soon. I decided to go with the Zhivago in Rumpelstiltskin and canceled my Madeline order. Here are some photos by Jola, the woman I bought the bag from.

She (Jola) really loves the rumpelstiltskin fabric and went through a lot to find this bag. She has a couple of different styles in the fabric. She did such an incredible job communicating with me. It's hard to describe something to someone that can only experience it via photography on a computer screen. I am really looking forward to receiving it from her. Here's a picture of Jola with her dog, Lefty, in a gorgeous sweater that she knit.

I believe that material objects contain energy. Energy of people that have made and designed them, energy of people that have loved them, energy from the materials (think of people that grew the plants to weave the fabric), etc. I think this bag has incredible energy and I haven't even gotten it yet. I feel really lucky. Some would say I'm silly (like my husband), after all, in his mind it is just a bag.

Spinnin' & SAL/KAL Shawl

2010-03-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like I haven't completed many projects in the last few weeks. I attribute this to the fact that I have begun taking on projects that are larger than a simple hat. One such project is the TYF SAL/KAL (Spin-along/Knit-along) shawl. I mentioned this shawl in my last blog and I'm happy to say that I got done in time for its intended purpose - Sam's Birthday!!!

It's the very first time I've ever spun specifically for a project AND crocheted!!! I finished the shawl with a crochet edge. A BIG thank you to Barbara who provided a lot of guidance and help with this project! I am really happy with the way it turned out and I think Sam really loved it. It looked beautiful on her! It also looked really nice on Dennis, of course, I can't think of much that wouldn't look good on him.

I'm spinning up some wensleydale dyed locks. I took a class with Michelle at TYF to understand how to spin certain fibers and I love spinning locks right now! I separated the rainbow goodness into it's rainbow order. Then, I'm going to n-ply the yarn so the colors stay in long blocks. Here's a picture of the first couple of bobbins.

I'm also working on plying some handspun with a novelty eyelash yarn. Barbara hand-dyed the BFL fiber. I should be done plying today. Eyelash yarn is something I never thought I'd be drawn to, but it sure is more flexible than I had originally thought.

I think the MOST exciting fiber thing that I have happening, though, is that I am finally working on getting my loom warped. TYF has started offering more weaving classes. I took a design class with Michelle yesterday and we got my warp wrapped!

My Dad made my warping board and I brought it into the shop. I decided to use some handspun for the weft. It's fitting that my weft is handspun from leftovers of previous classes with Michelle.

TYF was kind enough to let me leave my loom at the shop in preparation for the beginning weaving class! I am so excited! Mac Sally finally made her debut!

Shawls, sweaters and fiber - oh my!

2010-02-28T20:18:00.001-08:00

My recent spinning expedition includes purple. I'm not really surprised, since it is one of my favorite colors. I bought some corriedale wool combed top dyed by Laughing Rat Studios. I was a bit concerned about softness, so I added some naturally colored silver alpaca from Tempe Yarn & Fiber. So I spun two of the corriedale singles and spun a single of the alpaca to create a 3-ply.

Next, I spun up 100% alpaca hand dyed by Luna Bud Knits. This stuff spun up like butter. It's a little on the over-twisted side, but I think after washing the twist will relax and distribute itself.

It wasn't really my intention to spin two things that were so similar to one another. I'm thinking that I might end up knitting them together. I like them side by side.

Next, I spun up some fiber for the SAL/KAL (spin-along/knit-along) shawl at TYF. I spun some Pagewood Farms hand dyed BFL from TYF that my dear friend Sam gifted me. 8 oz. of pure YUMMY! I spun it as thin as I could and 2-plyed it based on Barbara's suggestion. Having never done lace before, it seemed like a good solution to maintain it's softness. Since she is the fiber goddess and all...

In addition to being the fiber goddess, Barbara created the pattern for the KAL. I cast on last Wednesday and I'm pretty consumed with it. I love knitting it up. Here's my shawl in progress:

It will have a square edge to it. The consensus is that bigger girls should not wear shawls with points directing viewers to look at one of their roundest parts. So, I thought I'd try the square version.

I'm also knitting up a February Lady sweater. Several of the girls at TYF are knitting one up and I decided to participate in the fun. I bought some Berroco Lustra specifically for a FLS last summer at Knitting in La Jolla. The store had yarn everywhere, but I got this and some sock yarn. Here's my progress so far:

I found some lovely glass buttons at TYF made locally by Greenbean Glass & Stone. I love these pretty butterfly buttons.

Last Friday, was my favorite day of the month! The Expressions In Spinning group at TYF got together. We were inspired by an animal. "Oyster" was chosen. I was inspired by the inside of the oyster shell. My oyster yarn consists of hand-dyed silk, hand-dyed milk fiber and natural black alpaca hand carded together. I then plied two singles with a metallic shiny thread. I think it's cool.

What does it mean?

2010-02-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to be a fiber gal in Phoenix? I recently changed many of my screen names and started a blog using this moniker. I started to think about this and then it came to me! Inspired by the Expressions In Spinning group at Tempe Yarn & Fiber, I would create fibery things inspired by Phoenix, Arizona.

My first project came to me on a drive this morning. My plan is to spin some fiber; here is said fiber:

I was envisioning something silky, coppery, firey, etc. I purchased the above fiber from an Etsy Seller - The Roving Spinners. I plan on spinning the fiber on the thin side. Hoping to get bits of feather in the spinning.

Then, I will find a complimentary wool color and knit both up into two large squares. Felt them down to make a pillow case. On the top of the pillow case, I plan to needle felt a Phoenix.

I know this first project is quite literal. I don't plan on making my Phoenix projects so literal at all times.

Here are some things I've considered using for future inspiration:

The Viad Tower

Freeway signs on Piestewa Parkway

The Heard Museum

MacAlpines

Goddard for Governor (he was the Mayor afterall)

Herberger Theater

Phoenix Dactylifera (we've got them here, so why not?)

The list could just keep going! I am so excited!

I will keep you up-to-date on other fibery happenings (like my first sweater), but I am so excited about the endless inspiration here!