cosmicpluto knits!

and then there’s what I bought

I didn’t have very much time to shop this year (which was probably a good thing!). It’s also a bit difficult for me at fibre festivals because although there are so very many pretty yarns, they can be very difficult or impossible to find later. When I design, I like to be able to use and recommend a yarn that is a little easier to get your hands on!

That said I did pick up a few pretty things! I had some friends to shop for too, so that gave me a bit of a mission.

Cormo! These skeins are from Buckwheat Bridge Angoras, one skein of DK weight in natural and three little laceweight skeins in the mustardy-pumpkiny-golden yellow I love so much these days. Enough for a little shawlette, I think!

More Cormo! These are 50% cormo, 50% yak down from the ever so lovely Bijou Basin Ranch. I love their yarns so much, and now they’re getting stuff dyed by Lorna’s Laces! I think these are destined for a couple of smaller projects, maybe some mittens and a hat.

This one was just for the squish. A couple skeins of merino from Greenwood Hill Farm – they have some of the nicest merino I’ve ever felt! Maybe a little something cabley for these.

I had actually wanted to buy some dyed fibre this year but just didn’t quite get to it. I did, however, buy a bit of cashmere fibre! Mmmmmm.

I can’t wait to spin this up – and I’m already plotting how to get more shopping time next year!

tour de fleece – the final wrap-up

So! I accomplished my goal of spinning every day, and got quite a bit done.

These four skeins are the only ones I spun in their entirety during the Tour – I also plied some silver merino/silk and spun and plied the rest of some tussah silk.

So how about some glamour shots and stats?

Ashland Bay Merino Silk in Cranberry – 300 yards/100g of 2ply, worsted weight.

Spirit Trail silk/camel – 320 yds/4oz of 3ply (chain ply), DK weight.

Foxfire 95% cormo, 5% silk – 350 yds/4oz of 2ply, sport weight.

and one that I snuck in the last few days of the Tour – a skein of 100% cormo that I am absolutely in love with!

100% cormo, 300 yds/100g of 3ply (chain ply), sport weight.

I’m not sure what my grand total is, because of the aforementioned finishing stuff up that was already on the bobbin. But I do know that I’m feeling really re-inspired to get back to the wheel, and I’ve already started some awesome wool/angora. I’m gonna keep spinning down the stash until Rhinebeck!

tour de fleece! day 5

I’ve been spinning!

Okay, so these two skeins were spun up ages ago. Months ago. But I only just wound them off the bobbin, so here’s the photo! These from from a Blue Moon Sheep 2 Shoe kit that I got at *last* year’s Maryland Sheep and Wool. Crazy colours. Superwash merino, chain plied into a DK/sport ish yarn. There should be plenty of yardage, though I haven’t actually counted.

And what I’ve done since starting the Tour on the 3rd. The silver merino/silk singles were already done (8oz of Ashland Bay stuff) so I plied those up into a couple of big skeins. On the right is a big skein, about 100g and 300 yards, of cranberry Ashland Bay merino.

I don’t have a lot of goals for this Tour, but the main one is to spin every day. So far I’ve done it, although last night I only did 5 minutes at 11:55! I’m also teaching a wheel spinning class this month so I guess I’m in more of a spinning mood. I’m also trying to vary my technique a bit – as with a lot of spinners, I get stuck in a rut and produce a “default” yarn style and weight.

I’ve currently got some cormo/silk on the wheel, and it’s a bit challenging because it’s a woollen prep that’s a little bit neppy. So it doesn’t really want to spin up into my usual smooth type of yarn. I’m trying to go with it and spin it a bit thicker and with lots of air and more thick-and-thin than I usually do.

Of course the other reason I’m doing the Tour de Fleece is so I can spin down the stash a little before Rhinebeck! Just three months away and I already can’t wait.

I love yarn

Because it’s sooooo pretty!

Merino Fingering from local dyer Viola, in Sea Storm:

Sliver Moon Farm merino fingering in Smoky Plum:

Colinette Jitterbug in Oyster Blush:

I’m madly in love with all these yarns at the moment. Good thing they don’t expect me to be faithful!

Frolic ’10

It was a dreary, blustery, rainy day – so what better than surrounding oneself with wool?

I love the Knitter’s Frolic. It’s gotten bigger and bigger every year, and even aside from the awesome yarn and yarny stuff I love the opportunity to see the people! I know lots of knitters (as you might expect) and I just love that at the Frolic I tend to see people I know where ever I turn. I headed up with Jane and Cheryl for a few hours (thanks for the ride Cheryl!) and had lots of fun.

And! There were Milkweed Shawls a-plenty! I saw a few in booths, and some being worn, like these beautiful ones:

(Neither are sneaky photos, just so y’know!)

And of course, the yaaaarn.

Zen Yarn Garden:

Dyed in the Wool Handmade:

Tanis’ beautiful Mulberry Silk:

I bought a bunch of books – although I’m regretting not buying more Japanese books! – and one sweater’s worth of yarn, a semi-solid Koigu in a shade of deep red that seems to be impossible to photograph.

I love yarn events! I already can’t wait till next year.

purple and more purple

In addition to the basket backpack, which was the first thing I picked up at Rhinebeck, here’s the bit of yarn I got!

Some silk/merino from Skaska. None of the cashmere there really struck me this year (and I went early) but I love this colour. I’m already knitting some of it up!

Cashmere from Still River Mill – love it! So soft. Not sure what I’ll make since it’s quite thin laceweight. Maybe a shawl.

Sock yarn from Sliver Moon Farm. I bought three skeins of this exact colour last year, so when I saw more I bought it up. Now I should have enough for…well, something more than socks anyway.

A few skeins of natural cormo/alpaca/silk from Foxfire Fiber. So squishy. I feel that perhaps I should’ve bought more, but none of the colours really did it for me.

This didn’t come from Rhinebeck – on the way back to Boston we made a long pit stop at Webs. I had a great time looking around there and bought a sweater’s worth of this red Araucania merino as well as a bag of Misti Alpaca Royal Worsted. Yum.

Now I just need to get on this swatching thing!