Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2018, part 1

Good Morning Blogland!  Oh how I've missed you.

It's July, which means it's Tour de Fleece time!  I've joined up with Team Spinnin' Chiengora.

I prefer the smaller teams, I enjoyed this team a lot last time, and I'm in the midst of spinning a big bag of Tibetan Mastiff.

Gunnar to be exact. :-)

I promised a friend a pair of Gunnar mittens several years ago.  So I figure it's time to start making progress on that promise.  ;-)

My plan has been to use the Twined technique, which means I'm spinning this yarn backwards... counter-clockwise singles (S) and clockwise plies (Z).

This will be a 3-ply yarn and I hope to have it finished for the county fair at the end of the month.

Since the TdF begins tomorrow, I will likely spin more today, then cake this yarn and weigh the remaining bag before I start spinning for the TdF tomorrow.


I hope you're having a great day and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Happy New Year!

Years ago I submitted my first-ever Fiber Arts Friday post.  I was still pretty new to fiber arts and The Alpaca Farm Girl was hosting the weekly link-up.

A few years later, The Wonder Why Gal started hosting Fiber Arts Friday.

I went through peaks of posting and linking up each week, as well as valleys of posting less than once each month.

Over the last year or so, when I had something fibery-related, I still used the Fiber Arts Friday label.  It's one of my favorite bloggy traditions.  So in 2017, The Wonder Why Gal has passed the torch to me.  I hope to do my predecessors proud, and I hope that you will join me here each week to share your fiber-y adventures.

***
I finished spinning this Bison+Silk a while ago, but just got around to washing it.  It was a very nice preparation from The Buffalo Gal in southern Wyoming.  I acquired it at the Estes Park Wool Market a few years ago.

The silk gives it a nice luster and it's quite lovely after being washed.

***
Happy New Year and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Palindrome Scarf, part 7

Sunday marks 2 years since I started my Palindrome Scarf.  Last time (mid-January) I had just finished burgundy ball #1.

Today, I'm little less than half way through burgundy ball #2.  Obviously I haven't been working on it very much, but I have been picking it up recently.  Slightly cooler weather always helps with knitting progress.

Even though the scarf is already at 56 inches, I feel I have 20 to 22 inches to go before I'm done with this project.  I continue to change my mind about when and where to place the 15 grams of black.  Hopefully I will have made a decision by the time I get around to posting about this project again. ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: For Me is Finished!

There's something pretty great about thick yarn and a simple pattern.  Even with "not much time" for knitting, I finished my Alpaca London Beanie in a couple of weeks.

I wish I had made it just a little tighter and just a little deeper... perhaps there will be another one coming soon.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Wingspan, part 4

I think it's time for a Wingspan update.  :-)

I think it's looking pretty good.  But I feel the colorway should be called Swampy instead of Gilt.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2012, part 4

The Tour de Fleece ended on Sunday, so this is my final wrap up for 2012. :-)

Friday, July 20
I literally had only a few minutes for spinning today.  This is a continuation of the alpaca+bamboo I started last week.

Saturday, July 21

Sunday, July 22

104 yards of Double K Diamond Alpaca+Bamboo - Katydid
Wellington, CO
2 1/2 ounces


Epilogue


I might be on to something with this Less is More idea.  ;-)  My only goal was to spin at least 1/2 inch on each day the tour races.  Which I did.  :-)  But this turned out to be the most productive Tour de Fleece I've had... in number of skeins (8), yards of finished yarn (641.5) and ounces spun (17 3/4).

L-R: Corriedale, Corriedale, Lincoln Longwool, Paco-Vicuna,
Alpaca+Silk, Alpaca+Bamboo, Grade 1 Alpaca, Camel+Merino

Some Things I've Learned

• Lincoln and Lincoln Longwool are the same thing.  The sheep are often sheared twice each year in order to keep the staple at a shorter length or else the mill will often cut the fibers to make it easier to process.
• A blend of Navajo Churro and Alpaca makes a roving that people are very interested in.  I am intrigued and still need to get my hands on some of that.
• Plying from both ends of the same cake is possible, but I think two cakes is less stressful.

Happy Spinning and Happy Fiber Arts Friday.  :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2012, part 2

More Tour de Fleece this week...

Friday, July 6
I decided to go back to thick again.  :-)

This is a Lincoln roving that came from the same farm as the Corriedale I spun last week.

My intent is to spin a similar weight yarn so that they can be used together in the same project.

I must say that this is a whole lot different than that amazing Grade 1 Alpaca also from last week.  This is my first time spinning Lincoln, and I am liking it so far.  :-)


Saturday, July 7
I had plenty of time to spin today, including a little time during the Tour de France coverage this morning.  :-)

Sunday, July 8
A little more Tour de France coverage saw me finish the single.

Then I wound it into a cake

and plied into a 2-ply yarn.

This time I plied from the center and outside strand of the same cake.  I had a few issues with tangles, but in the end I used all of the yarn in the final 2-ply.

I love the sheen in this yarn.

64 1/2 yards of Maplecroft Woolworks Lincoln - white
Boulder, Colorado
4 1/8 ounces
~9 wpi
Again, pretty close to what I was going for.  :-)

Monday, July 9
I had a hard time deciding what to spin next since I didn't really expect to complete this much already.

So when I don't know what to do, I usually spin alpaca thin for a big long-term project I have planned.  But since I'm out of prepared alpaca, I thought this camel+merino would be nice.  :-)

Which it is.  :-)

I don't know where it's from other than I picked it up at the Estes Park Wool Market last month.

Tuesday, July 10 - Rest Day

Wednesday, July 11
It's a good thing that I have that 1/2 inch goal.  I didn't think I would have any time today, but I found 10 minutes for spinning.  :-)

Thursday, July 12
About a 1/2 hour before the day job started.

I sure like starting the day with a little spinning.  :-)

Happy Spinning and Happy Fiber Arts Friday.  Be sure to join in the fun over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

Fiber Arts Friday: My Awesome Sweater

As Spinster Beth astutely noted several weeks ago, the sweater I was wearing in a photo is awesome.  :-)

It was one of the first gifts that Hubba ever gave to me... back before he was Hubba or even Fiance.

This sweater has been well loved for more than 15 years... and it shows.  As such, Hubba and I have been looking for an appropriate replacement.  But no luck thus far.

So I have been thinking a lot about making it into a new sweater.

It's always been too big.  So I think that if I take it apart I could knit it into a sweater that fits better.  Then it could live on, which would make both of us happy.  :-)

The challenge then is to find a pattern that I want to make.

I like my clothes to be basically simple with an occasional pop or splash of fun.  So I've been thinking about a couple of ideas:

• A basic crew or v-neck, slim sweater with the colors on the sleeves and maroon as the body
• Something still simple but with a little fair isle or lopi going on around the neck and/or wrist

The yarn is pretty light weight so it would most likely be knit on a US2 (2.75mm) or US3 (3.25mm) needle.

I have been trying to eek one last winter out of it and figured I would start to disassemble the sweater in the spring... of course with the recent weather, now may count as spring.  ;-)

So I wonder, do you have any suggestions?  Do you have a perfect, simple sweater pattern that you love?

Of course since it's Fiber Arts Friday, be certain to visit everyone linked in over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder. :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Peaceful Knitting?

This was supposed to be a small bit of peaceful knitting to get me through the end-of-the-year-crazy-ness.

I was using a much smaller yarn and needles than the pattern recommended.  I did a swatch and made some adjustments to the pattern.

I'm not entirely sure when I started to think that something wasn't right. But I kept knitting, trusting in the edits I had made.

Finally on Saturday I decided I had to try it on. I moved the cowl from the needles to waste yarn. I used a crochet hook because I was traveling and am certain that tapestry needles are not allowed in the carry-on luggage.  For the record a crochet hook works, but it's much easier and faster to do this with a tapestry needle.

My suspicion was confirmed... my cowl was huge. :-/  The finished cowl is supposed to be about 12 inches long from the top to the point. At the time of this photo it was about 18 inches and 75% complete. So frogged, it has been. :-(

The Bandana Cowl is a lovely pattern.  It is exactly what I wanted...  very simple but with enough short-rows to keep it interesting.  I enjoyed working it and am sad that I did not do this pattern justice.

I will make a few more adjustments next time.  Or perhaps, I will just use the recommended yarn and needle size.  ;-)

Please be certain to head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see the wonderful-ness that everyone else has been up to for Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: First Socks Finished!

As I mentioned last week, things have been sorta crazy around here.  I did however, steal a little time on Friday and Saturday evenings to work on the heel of sock #2.


Notice anything wrong with the heel?



There is a reason why one should not knit when one is tired.  :-/

I was thinking the heel seemed more difficult to work than the last one, but I figured it was because I was tired.  Everything is more difficult when you are tired, right?  So I didn't realized the mistake until Sunday morning.  Of course I did not use any lifelines because I was so confident from my last sock.  :-/

This is a reminder, if you have even the littlest thought about adding a lifeline, you should do it.

Fortunately, by the middle of the week, sock #2 looked like this...

And then sometime during my trip home on yesterday, it looked like this...

I spent a few minutes after I (finally) got home to disconnect the sock from the ball of yarn and weaved in the ends.  So...

 Ta Da!  A Pair of Matching Socks!!

Happy Fiber Arts Friday, indeed.  Make sure you visit everyone else who's linked in over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder and have a great day!

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2011, week 1

Today is my first instalment for the 2011 Tour de Fleece.  :-)

I decided to start this Tour with the Tibetan Mastiff Fur I carded in April.  I am giving the yarn back to our breeder.  So even though she said she's not in a hurry for the yarn, I feel like it's been too long.

She would like this yarn to be thick, and I want to practice thick.  Therefore I am planning a thick, two-ply yarn and two TdF goals are now underway.

Saturday, July 2nd
...and I'm not "feeling it."  :-/  This is my first time spinning dog fur and my first time spinning from a batt that I made.  I'm feeling like I should have waited to try this on the challenge day.

Sunday, July 3rd
It took a little bit of time, but I think I have my mojo back. :-)  Of course this yarn is not thick. :-/

Monday, July 4th
I'm about half-way complete with the first bobbin.

Tuesday, July 5th
I wasn't really in a spinning mood today. I was much more interested in playing in my garden.  So it's a good thing I gave myself the goal of a half-inch per day.  ;-)

This is going very slow, so I'm feeling like I will be spinning Tibetan Mastiff for the entire Tour right now. ;-)

Wednesday, July 6th
No spinning accomplished. :-(

Thursday, July 7th
Finally, I have made some visible progress.  :-)  Two half-batts to go and then I will be half-way complete with the Tibetan Mastiff fur.

So that's the end of week 1.  Be sure to check in on the other Fiberistas over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.  Many are also participating in the Tour de Fleece and have spun up some beautiful yarns.

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2011

Like many of the Fiber Arts Friday Fiberistas, I have joined up with the Team of Wonder for the Tour de Fleece.

 The Tour de Fleece is a fiber spinning adventure set to mirror the Tour de France.

This Tour runs from Saturday, July 2nd (tomorrow) through Sunday, July 24th.  The Tour races every day with the exception of two rest days.  We are encouraged to spin every day the Tour races as well as spin something challenging on Friday, July 22nd which is the hardest day of the cycling race.

 Just like last year, I will post daily progress on my weekly Fiber Arts Friday posts.

 My goals for this Tour are:

• Spin every day the Tour races - I'm not setting a time goal.  The Quasi-Commissioned Project taught me that I prefer to enjoy spinning without worrying about the time.  So if I spin as little as a half-inch of yarn, it counts.
• Finish Spinning the Black Huacaya Alpaca Batts of Wonder - I am currently about half-way complete with the lot.  This is also a goal from my WIP List.
• Spin the Tibetan Mastiff Fur I carded a while back - again, a goal from my WIP List.
• Improve my skills to the point of nothing being over spun.
• Practice Spinning Thick.
• Spin with a Drop Spindle while I'm travelling.
• Spin only alpaca-related fibers - the Tibetan Mastiff Fur counts because we are using Tibetan Mastiffs to protect our alpacas.  In addition to the Black Huacaya Batts of Wonder, I also have llama, baby camel and paco-vicuna fibers in my stash.

I will be spinning on my trusty Louet S10 DT...

as well as my one-and-only-not-so-fancy drop spindle.

Since today is Fiber Arts Friday, please check in with the other Fiberistas.  You're sure to see something interesting.

Fiber Arts Friday: Sharing the Love

I started a new project with my client a couple of weeks ago, which has me working in a different building.  As I was getting to know my new cube-mates, our alpacas and dogs came up which lead to knitting and spinning.  Yes it's true, nearly any conversation can turn to knitting and spinning.  :-)

One of the ladies told me she wanted to learn to knit and would love to make a scarf similar to the one I was wearing.
 

Since it's a very simple pattern (K1, P1 forever), I told her I would show her how to make it and we made plans to get started this week.

After work on Tuesday, we went to JoAnn's to select yarn and needles.

We handled a bunch of yarns.  I pointed out differences between fibers.  We talked about machine washable verses hand wash only.  We talked about dye lots and self-striping yarn and I showed her that the labels suggest the appropriate needles as well.

She made her choices and we went to look at the needles.  We talked about straights verses circulars and bamboo verses metal.  I explained the sizing and how one size smaller would make a tighter fabric and one size larger would make a looser fabric.

She settled on a set of 16-inch circulars with bamboo tips.  We picked up a couple of tip stoppers and headed to the hotel.  My new friend stays at the same hotel I do.  :-)  She made some lovely chai and snacks and we got started.

We practiced the double cast-on method a few times then proceeded to knit.  It was so fun to see how excited she was when she saw the first knit stitch and then that first row of knit stitches.

We practiced a few more knit rows together and then I think she stayed up all night knitting.

The next day over lunch she picked up purling right away and we added another friend who has lots of crochet experience.  So she picked up the cast on, knit and purl stitches very quickly.

By the end of the day yesterday, two other ladies decided to join us next week.  So a simple conversation of two people getting to know each other has turned into a lunch-time knitting group of five.

Of course I have told them all about the wonder of Ravelry and YouTube, that one day I will take them to a proper yarn shop and that they will be board out of their minds before they gets halfway through their scarfs.  But for now they are both very excited to be knitting.  :-)

What wonder have you experienced this week?  It's Fiber Arts Friday, so please share.

Fiber Arts Friday: Playing with the Carder

Our Tibetan Mastiff Breeder has been saving the fur from her dogs and asked if we knew anyone who spins.  :-)

Since I'm still a novice spinner and just got a drum carder I took home a "small" bag to play around with when we picked up Noodle last week.


6 7/8 ounces of raw Tibetan Mastiff Fur

The staple length is about 2 inches and it's quite soft.  It should be fun to spin but first I wanted to card it.

I cleaned up the carder and fed the raw Golden Tibetan Mastiff fiber into the carder.

I filled up the carder and then tried to peal the batt off the drum.

Right now those of you that have used a carder before are telling me that rolling is much easier than pulling...



The first two batts.  I bet you can tell which was pulled and which was rolled.

I've only carded about half of it so far.

These batts have been through the carder once and I am thinking about carding them again before I start spinning since some of the fibers are horizontal.

Anyway, my breeder has about 10 pounds of raw fiber in black or gold that she would like to have spun into yarn. If any of you FAF Fiberistas are interested in a commission, please let me know and I will put you in touch.

In the meantime, please head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what the other Fiberistas have been up to for Fiber Arts Friday.