New Yarns!

I haven't had a lot of knitting time the last few days.  I did make some washcloths for an order.  I was able to spin up some yarn this weekend finally!  I have a ton of batts to spin, just no time to do it.

This yarn is a stunning Merino Cross wool with hand-dyed silk noil (thanks www.cashmerebunny.etsy.com for the beautiful fiber!)

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/121985486/handspun-art-yarn-sunset-in-the-sand

This yarn is an uber soft one with grey alpaca, angora rabbit, silk and silk noil. There is a hint of light lavender in some of the silk noil.  SO SOFT!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121986713/handspun-art-yarn-misty-morning-alpaca

New Yarn Adventures

I was given this stash of yarn leftovers and am excited for the challenge of finding new things to make with it :) I am thinking maybe a colorful dog sweater or some cat toys- I bet they'd love little toys made with the eyelash yarn! 

Stay tuned!

Baby Alpaca Fleece

I sat down today and picked some of the special fleece I've been saving.  Baby alpaca, Jacqueline.  My friend gave me her best baby fleece and I am so excited to finally be able to use it for a project.

I started a hat with some of my handspun yarn using a tabbed button brim.  I LOVE it but unfortunately didn't have enough yarn to finish the body of the hat.  I decided to use the baby alpaca fleece that I had gotten awhile back that coordinates with the button.

After picking 4 ounces, I washed the gorgeous fleece in the bathroom sink. I use a salad spinner to wring the water out of the fleece without it matting.  Then  I use a window screen over the bathtub to dry the fiber.  This enables the fleece to be dried on both sides without having to flip.  It is faster and the dust falls through the screen so it's even cleaner.

Next step will be to spin it and set it and then I can use the yarn for the rest of the hat. So fun and special as I know and love the cute little alpaca that this fiber is from.

This is Jacqueline, she is such a cutie.  Thank you Beacon Bend Alpacas for the beautiful fiber 

and for letting me post this photo of Jacqueline and her mom, Fedora.

First Crochet Hat-Slouch

10:30 on Sunday morning, sitting in my pajamas with a hot cup of coffee, knitting various projects.

I am not a good crocheter when it comes to rounds.  I looked a some patterns and pictures and then ran with it. I am sure I royally fudged it, doing everything wrong, but I had fun and it's wearable.  I actually preferred the wrong side to the right side.  I can't wait to get a giant button to add to the brim.  It would look good with my red cowl I knitted earlier in a seed stitch.

I am still working on my green shawl. It's taking me awhile. I get bored with one project so I do thick and quicks to liven up the adventure.  I love the look of knit but love the work of crochet.

I have been learning how to watch my stitches and find my place when I get lost or when I have to tear out.  It's getting easier to see the stitches the more I knit/crochet.

Projects

I am working on several different projects at the moment.  I have so many projects to do right now, my head is spinning :)  I am wanting to work with ready-made yarn rather than my own handspun at the moment.  I see so many lovely textures and colors right now at the craft stores that I want to play with! 

This is a shawl I am dying to finish for myself.  I love the style and it's the hardest stitch I've done yet.  But I've gotten used to it and am having fun making it. I chose a shiny olive green yarn wool blend I found at JoAnn Fabrics.  I love the color and sheen to it. It seems bulkier than the pattern in the book but it will be that much warmer in the cold office.

This is a pattern I bought for a really cute dachsund dog sweater I am making my sister-in-law. I hope it fits her larger dachsund. I added two stitches to make it bigger. It's taking me awhile to knit, I'm not use to smaller yarn and needles and it's my first real rib knitting.  I am knitting Trinity's sweater in two tone pink wool. It has a ribbed collar, end and sleeves and the body of it is seed stitch.

The pattern can be purchased for only $1.50 at
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/knitting/pet/lenas-miniature-dachshund-dog-sweater/10613

RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECTS:

I tried spinning angora yarn which is hard for me. I am used to bulky yarns with long staples.  This yarn below is a blend of my fuzzy lop rescue rabbit, Chester along with alpaca and soy silk.  

I had started this cowl awhile ago with some handspun yarn I had.  The yarn had spun up a stunning blue and purple colors with dyed silk, alpaca, wool and silk noil.  But when I plied it with eggplant dyed Merino wool, it candy striped. Knowing it probably wouldn't sell, I decided to make a cowl with it to show off it's stunning color and texture.  

This was the first time I had ever knitted button holes.  They turned out very large. Luckily, I found the perfect (but expensive) coconut buttons to fill the holes. It took me another 6 weeks to take the time to sew the buttons on with the same yarn.  I finally finished it.  It seems appropriate for someone with a beautiful, long neck but it can be worn so many ways, I think anyone would like it.  It's a simple garter stitch with button holes on one edge.

 

I started this seed stitch cowl as a shawl that I was going to add a button to but decided to end the project early and make this cowl. I love how it turned out and it's so cozy.  

I decided to try a super bulky acrylic yarn I found at JoAnn's. It had a beautiful color and a shiny sheen to it and it was on sale.  I knew I had the needles and lovely coconut square buttons to go with it.  I decided to use my large crochet hook and I was able to crochet this cowl while watching a movie.  I used the pattern I use on my washcloths which made it fast and unique.  I have been wanting to make a button cowl and love how this turned out and how easy it was to make.

This was a challenging yarn. I used a ton of my best materials of alpaca, wool, angora, silk, silk noil and yak.  It was the longest yarn I had done yet for a two ply yarn.  After plying, I noticed it was really tight and not staying plied together.  I tried setting it but the yarn still was very overspun and not staying plied.  I, then, realized what I'd done. After 2 years of spinning, I finally had goofed and plied the yarns the wrong way.  Instead of changing the direction to counter-clockwise, I had plied them clockwise, the same way I had spun the first yarns!  I was so upset.  I wound the yarn into a ball and threw it in a sack to sit for months.  My friend offered a lot of suggestions on how to fix it but I just didn't have the nerve to look at the thing again.

Finally, I got the idea that I could make a hat with it.  It would be like holding to yarns together while knitting although they were pretty much holding themselves together.  So I knitted up the hat.  It turned out very textural but light.  It was the first time I had used a ribbing for the brim instead of a roll-brim.  I spent a lot of time and effort ensuring the ribbing was correct and then finished the hat with a basic garter stitch.  When nearing the top, I struggled, as I always do, finishing the tops with large spacing between the stitches as I decreased.  I slipped the 10 1/2 circulars off to try DPNs.  The only ones I had were metal 8s.  Of course the yarn was too slippery for the metal, small DPNs and it just created a mess.  I ripped out some of the stitches and the hat and yarn into my project bucket.

A few days later, I bought Tamuki 10 1/2 DPNS and patiently re-gathered the stitches and finished the top with a nice fine point at the top.  I was so happy to finally have the proper finishing tools for my hats.  

 

I started crocheting and came up with some beautiful washcloths and dishcloths made with Lions Brand Natural Organic Cotton.  They are so soft and absorbent, I'll never go back to sponges.  They are quick to knit and luxurious to use.  I have tried several different sizes from 5 1/2" to  10" square. My favorite size is about 7" for dishcloths and 8" for washcloths.  I have found the yarn quite expensive but it's worth it.

I tried to follow a couple patterns and then ended up doing my own.
I used a size J needle for this yarn although I think a little smaller would give me a tighter, thicker cloth.
I cast on whatever number of stitches I needed for what size I was making, using an even number.
Row 1: SC in each stitch.
Ch1 and turn.
Row 2: *SC,SS
Repeat from *. ( Last stitch should be SC.)
Ch1 and Turn.
Repeat Row 1 and 2 until square, ending with a SC row.
Ch 1, turn and SS across all four borders. Go around once more to complete border.
Tuck in ends.

Today, while babysitting my sick dog, I am working on a whole new crochet stitch with some cotton/nylon yarn I got on clearance at Ben Franklin Crafts.  I NEVER thought I could do it but it isn't as hard as I thought once you get used to it.  I need a larger knitting needle for the loops. It's called the Broomstick Stitch.   I am sure I am making a mess of this one but it's fun to learn a new stitch.

So many projects, so little time. :)

Wooly Wanderings

I wanted a place to share my adventures with yarn and fiber.
I have been knitting and crocheting a lot this season and would like to see my progress from pretty much the beginning to where I might be in the future.

I currently run to Etsy shops for my jewelry, polymer clay art, watercolors and flower clips on www.kylacorbettdesigns.etsy.com and for my fiber art at www.thewoolywanderer.etsy.com 

I started crocheting when I was a child with my great-grandma, Winnie.  After she passed away in 1995, I stopped any yarn crafts for years.  In 2009, I got into Angora rabbits which led me to the world of spinning and naturally soft fibers.  I fell in love with fiber art and have been spinning, felting and knitting like crazy. I have recently begun crocheting again and find it a nice, easy and quick break from the tediousness of knitting.

I started with scarves and roll brim hats.  I used natural fibers of alpaca, wool, silk and angora.  I have been recently copping out and buying cheaper, ready made yarn so I can knit/crochet more and spin, set less.   I like variety so I do a lot of different things with the fiber. I have started dabbling in cowls, dog sweaters and headbands. I've begun to reach out from just the garter stitch to seed stitch, lace and different stitches with crochet.

SPINNING:

 MY TOOLS:

 I started out on an $8 drop spindle kit.

 

Falling in love with it, I found a brand new, rent-to-buy Ashford Joy traveling wheel to take with me on our sailboat.  After spending a year paying for it, I had to sell it a couple months later to pay for bills.  It broke my heart.

A few months later, a wonderful customer sent me her old Ashford Traditional wheel with a flyer and 4 bobbins in the regular size as well as the jumbo set!  It was amazing and I'll always be indebted to her generosity.   It has been a WONDERFUL addition to the family :)

A SELECTION OF SOME OF MY YARNS. 

PROGRESSION FROM OLDEST TO NEWEST:

 

 

 

I love working with the natural fibers the best, a little Firestar nylon sparkle thrown in here and there.  Alpaca, Merino and CVM wool, Angora, Mohair, Yak, Tussah Silk, Cultivated Silk and Silk Noil are some of my favorite fibers to work with.


NEEDLE FELTING:

In addition to the spinning, I fell in love with needle felting.  I particular find the landscape painting a very soothing and beautiful art.  The needle felt sculptures are fun to make and so cute.

SOME OF MY NEEDLE FELTING:

This was my first one:

 My first and last attempt at felting wire form :)

These were fun- I had a friend commission me to use her alpaca fiber to create fly fishing flies.

 

 I started falling in love with landscape painting with wool. Most are 12x12

This one was 8x10

 My largest one at 18x18

 

 

 

KNITTING AND CROCHET:

And finally I began knitting and crocheting my yarn and other yarn bought from the local yarn shop.  Knitting is supposed to be known as being theraputic and relaxing but I only find it maddening and frustrating, nothing makes me curse more. LOL Yet I am addicted and continue to try and create new and fun pieces.

 KNITTING AND CROCHET PROGRESSION:

 A beautiful hat made with alpaca, wool, silk, silk noil, angora

 A custom made hat with alpaca and angora

 

 A colorful Merino and firestar roll brim hat.

a custom baby hat with merino wool and angora and silk

 

A child's hat that was fun to make.

Custom hat

 

A new hat for Brett-wool, alpaca, angora, yak, silk, silk noil- SO soft but was too big for him. 

I made a set of pink pea pod hats for my friend for her twins and decided to make another one with green.  These are so fun.  But now that I have been crocheting, I couldn't figure out the peas nearly as well as when I was ignorant and fudged them. LOL

 A scarf I turned into a cowl when I ran out of yarn. angora, silk, alpaca, wool

 My first knitting project that wasn't a hat or scarf. He was HARD!

I started getting into making headbands with my leftover yarn.