Yarn Exhibitionist

Spit Splice

2011-03-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Pro: An invisible, smooth join.
Con: Coffee.

Dye Day

2009-04-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I dyed a whole mess of fiber. Roving and sliver for the shop and a rainbow of wool for me.

I couple of months ago I purchased Kay Petal's Felt Alive online class to learn to make felt dolls. I have yet to get started, because I needed to dye wool. I'm all set to go now.

The orange with blue/teal spots was supposed to be just orange, but some blue was hiding on my plastic wrap. Rather than being ewww and turning brown, it's very lovely. Same with the yellow next to it...still pretty, but I need it to be just yellow, so I pulled the blue spots out.

I also dyed some of that rainbow for more of these: Go, go Gadget Head! It's a retractable tape measure.

Soon to be a rainbow of bugs in my Etsy shop!

CASHMERE!

2009-04-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Okay! I finished my CASHMERE sample. It's 10 grams and 37.5 meters. I swatched it: bottom of swatch done on size 8s and top of swatch done on 10.5s...getting about 18sts per 4" in 2x2 ribbing on both, but think top would stretch a lot more in not connected to smaller bottom.

Am thinking of making Snow White by Ysolda. Can't decide if I would be too warm...or if I for sure have enough fiber.

Still wondering if I should brave dyeing it.

In the mean time, my swatch graces my desk and I pet it.

A lot.

What kind of sweater am I?

2009-04-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

You Are a Turtleneck Sweater

You are sophisticated, streetwise, and even a little cynical.
You are quite cultured, and you don't fall for gimmicks or trends easily.

You are naturally chic. You have a urban, cosmopolitan style.
And you know that the secret to looking good is not trying too hard!

Does that sound like me?

Tree-Shirt Releaf!

2009-04-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

You buy a shirt, Zazzle plants a tree! Use code: PLANTATREE09

Plus, I just posted this awesome shirt designed on organic cotton.

Luxury Fiber

2009-04-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

CASHMERE! That's right. All caps. C-A-S-H-M-E-R-E!!

All for me! To spin! For ME!

I have 6oz of pure CASHMERE and 6oz of 50/50 CASHMERE/Silk!!

The CASHMERE is NOT easy to work with. Capital N-O-T! I looked up some pointers, gave it a stern talking to, warned it that it would be reduced to Cashmere if it didn't behave better and it is getting a little easier- at least it is not falling off the lead every two seconds. The fiber is very short and has absolutely no will to stick to itself. So, the pointers are to use a fast whirl and slow intake- lots and lots of twist. Ridiculous amounts of twist. And, then some more twist. I also find that I need to keep the drafting triangle very small- drafting hand stays very close to fiber hand. Also, also, it is counter-productive to "smooth" the twist into the fibers- this just makes it fuzz up more...it is better to draft and let go so the twist snaps in quickly- making sure to have a firm grip in fiber hand, so the strand doesn't break.

The silk is not nearly so frustrating, but it is a lot lighter in color. I will need to dye it before spinning if I don't wish to have a barber pole yarn.

It is no longer fantastic fluff. :( However, petting my bobbin, it still seams like the softest thing I have ever felt. I shall spin a small sample to ply before continuing to reassure myself that it is not going to be a horrible over twisted, super expensive snarl.

Silly me. I was thinking the hard part would be deciding what to make with it.

Sit and Spin Coils

2009-04-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Leading up to buying the Sit and Spin DV D I was trying to learn coils on my own. My first attempt was sad. :( A lot of the coils just look like under-spun fluff that might fall apart. And, knitting up a sample just looks like thick spots.

After watching the Insubordiknit DVD, I now realize that this was not the ideal fiber for this project...which, BTW, is Kiriko Moth's Morning Glories colorway.

So, I was super excited when Kiriko repaid me for fiber with some Carib bea n Blu e merino! It is freaking gorgeous! I thought it would be a great opportunity for practice and for others to try some art yarn... Everybody wants to know if you can knit with the super coils, so I decided to make some of the colorway a nice even yarn and some of it with coils, so that there would be lots of yardage to play with this perfectly matched yarn. I still have lots of Claudia's Handpainted left and it just happened to be a perfect match for this roving! The smooth yarn is Racing Striped and the coils are plyed with the silk. The big picture is that they are beautiful and I kinda just wanted to keep it on my desk to pet.

The close ups are a little less fantastic and not really what I was hoping for. Some of the coils are just blobs. But, some of them were just what I pictured.

Kiriko loved it and couldn't stand to see me sell my less than perfect yarn at a discount, because she so thourouly loves this color. So, she stole it back and made a must-see-cowl. I am getting closer to the perfect coils. And, now Kiriko owes me more fiber!
Mwa ha ha ha!

Time to Vote!

2009-04-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

See the entries for the Spin Your Scraps Contest and pick your top three!

Sit and Spin

2009-03-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

After much internal debating, I decided to buy the DVD, Sit and Spin by Jacey Boggs of Insubordinknit.com. I like to figure things out for myself, but I was really hoping she had the secret to getting foreign objects in to the yarn on my Ladybug spinning wheel...Turns out Jacey's wheel has a large orifice. In fact, she makes fun of her friend with a "small" (actually average/standard...like mine...3/8"...sniff) orifice.

No worries, though. I feel that I defiantly got my $40 worth from this DVD! I had a few "Duh! Why didn't I think of that?" moments, but there were more pointers that I wouldn't have thought of until I had made a lot of unusable yarn. Plus, trying to figure it out on my own is really just plain old stubbornness. If we had to re-invent the wheel every time we created something new, we would still be living in caves. So, in the name of artistic (and personal) growth, I am learning to accept help from others. Sounds kinda silly, I know, but I think stubbornness is a disease.

For my first yarn using techniques from the video I used Kiriko Moth's Spring Concerto roving and Claudia Handpainted Silk Lace in Ocean Depth.

The technique is called "Racing Stripe". It is super fun and easy. Plus, it is way faster than plying and produces a smooth yarn.

Blogger Prize Winner

2009-03-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

The winner of the fabulous yarn is Leslie a.k.a. FiberPirateKniter on Ravelry!

Congratulations Leslie! Be sure to share pictures of what you make!!

Thank you to everyone else who blogged about the Spin Your Scraps Contest! It's not too late to blog...unless you are afraid of a little more competition...

Things I learned from my scraps...

2009-03-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to practice making coils with my scrap yarn, but it didn't work out so well...but I learned from it anyway!

The brown in the center is from an alpaca fleece I bought to process myself...never having processed a fleece. I took great pains to make sure that the cut ends went into the drum carder first, teased open properly and that I ended up with a nice full batt. The resultant yarn was rather hairy and prickly, because no matter what prep and spin methods were used, the staple length was very short and just not the softest fiber. So, I proceeded to process my scraps with the notion that this was just for fun and it didn't matter how it turned out, because it would not be my style anyway. So, I just threw the alpaca willy-nilly into the drum carder this time (ran it through twice) and then added the color on top for one pass only so as not to blend the colors. My batts turned out beautifully and I almost declared it a work of art and left it as is...especially since I'm not officially entering the contest, because I don't need to win back my own prizes.

Individually, I thought the batts were gorgeous and the brown (combined with COLOR, of course) was starting to grow on me. I still had doubts about how it was all going to look together.

First, I spun the pastel rainbow roving that was in the scrap pile because it did not match the rest of the rainbow I dyed (see previous post). A nice, thin and even ply to coil upon.

Next, I spun the the alpaca blend. I tore each batt into three strips and alternated them, so there is still a color repeat in this yarn. :) I started to draft and realized that my fibers were too disorganized to truly control the thick-thin quality of the ply...sometime I had to let gobs of fiber into the drafting triangle just to keep it from falling apart. I also had to concentrate on how the brown met the color, so that the color did not just get swallowed up and trapped in the middle where no one could see it. *sigh*

Finally, on to the plying where I hoped I might still figure out the secret to fantastic, fat coils! It was much more difficult to get into a rhythm. Lots of stops and starts. Must pay attention. No zoning out like regular plying! Despite not having the optimal ply for this job, I did manage a few successesful coils. More importantly, I learned that I must add extra twist to my plys, because as I was trying to figure out when to put my hands where I let a lot of the twist out and had a lot of breaks. For this yarn I just put them back together with an overhand knot and let the ends be part of the look.

I also played with making twists that hang down from the yarn. They are rather cute and easy to make.

The most important lesson I learned was to put my all into a project (no more drum carding short cuts) even if I don't think I'm going to like the results. In the end, I am surprised with how much I really do like this yarn and I am eager to make something with it.

Spin Your Scraps Contest! - Follow up!

2009-03-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

It is not to late to join in the fun!

Please join our Ravelry group just to vote and see our results even if you don't participate.

If you are not a member of Ravelry, please join. It is a great online community and a fantastic resource as well. It does take a few days to get your invitation, so get your name on the list now!

Illustrator

2009-02-23T23:42:00.000-08:00

I assume you are here, because you are fiberholic, but I think you can probably appreciate all art.

The reason I bring this up, is that I'd like to shine a different spotlight on Kiriko Moth of Painted Moth Fiber Arts...I know you are think: "Why on Earth does she need ANOTHER spotlight, she's all you talk about- what with the Spin Your Scraps Contest and all- sheish!" However, I'm just not sure if you paid her her due and fully explored her blog, clicked her links. Specifically, I wanted to point out that she is a freelance illustrator...and she is freakin' awesome! You must check her out!!

Why?! Let me bring you back around to fiber...

Kiriko created this totally awesome, unique, custom, one of a kind, just for me Pin-Up Girl to put on my handspun skein labels and such! Just to state the obvious: she's knitting!! I told you would be interested.

Kiriko worked with me on this. Listening to my ideas and preferences while supplying the experience, know-how, and talent to bring it all together. Whatever business you are in- Kiriko's custom illustrations would be an image booster!

Blogger Prize

2009-02-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

We'd love to see a lot of participation in the Spin Your Scraps Contest, so we're hoping you will help spread the word!

If you’ve got a blog, make a post about the group and contest and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a skein of handspun yarn!

The skein is about 115 yards of worsted/bulky 2 ply is a supersoft squishy merino in the “California Poppy” colorway. Dyed by Girl on the Rocks and spun by Kiriko Moth!

All you have to do is make a post on your blog with a link back here or to the Ravelry Group and then comment here with a link to your blog. Any blog goes - Wordpress, Livejournal, MySpace, etc. No need to be loquacious, you can tell your readers about your overwhelming excitement and participation or you could simply say "Yo, check out the free stuff!" Thank you for your support!

The winner will be chosen at random from all entries posted here and on Ravelry by March 15th at 11:59pm pst.

Let’s get a lot of spinners to join in!

Spin Your Scraps Contest!

2009-02-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

My friend, Kirko Moth is having a contest and I'm donating some prizes. We've got a group on Ravelry and we will also be keeping you updated on our blogs.

Here's the gist for us fiber obsessed, who spin our own yarn:

Save your scraps of fiber from all your spinning projects from March 1st to April 1st and make one skein of yarn from it. At the end, we will let participants vote and give out prizes!

Read more here.

I will get you more details soon!

Stone Soup Challenge

2009-02-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am participating in The Stone Soup Challenge! I pledge to spend 25% of my net profits on Etsy to support other indie artists. It is a great story and I love how it has been applied to Etsy.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

2008-12-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged, but I have made a mountain of Christmas presents. Sorry, no spoilers.

I have also made a few things for myself!

I turned this:

Into this:

And, before I set the twist,
it did this super cute wreath-thing:

Which deserves a zoom-in:

Now, if I could get technical on you for a bit...This is hand painted wool roving. In the first picture you can see a skinnier roving, that is silk. Silk is way more dense and needs more dye and more time for the dye to soak in. My original plan was to hold the two rovings together while drafting, but it was difficult and the colors were not as intense as what I had hoped for, so I only did one ounce that way.

I spun the rest of the silk by itself. I did not know the above mentioned tips for dyeing silk before getting started, so a lot of white was left .

It is still very pretty:

For both the wool and the silk, I dyed using only the primaries and allowed the secondary colors to mix naturally. I learned from the previous rainbow roving to apply the liquid sparingly. (My first rainbow roving was spun into a yarn I am calling "Muddy Rainbow".) To maintain the colors intensity and the color repeats, I peeled off thin strips of roving that did not need any drafting. The strips were the size I wanted and then I just put the twist in. Just to shake things up and make it more random (which is code for: help hide mistakes) I alternated with bigger strips of roving that I drafted to the same weight. It makes for some really neat barber poled spots where two colors came together.

I left them as singles, soaked them, and then let them hang dry with a spray bottle weighing them down.

I can't wait to knit this up, but it will probably be after Christmas.

And, the Winner is....

2008-11-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have selected 5 winners using Random.org and I will email each of you for mailing info.

Drum roll, please....

Felicia, Wendy AKA Misswendiki, Andrea, Lauria, and Spider

Yeah!

Notice how they all have a Goggle Blogs? Now you know I totally used the random integer picker, because I would not have picked two comments in a row and also would have thought that it would look suspicious to choose all bloggers.

Your posts trickling in have kept me entertained all month! Thank you!

I am now wishing that I took public transportation. However, I think the novelty would wear off pretty quickly as I do not have to commute anywhere. I am grateful for that and I think it out ways the bit of bummerness that I can't knit while driving to the grocery store. Apparently, tho some of you do try to knit while driving...which makes me wonder if I should issue some sort of disclaimer. Just kidding...sort of.

I hope the Yarn Exhibitionist helps you get all your holiday crafting done easier.

Happy Fall!!

Rainbow Roving

2008-10-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

If I had a cause, the ribbons would be rainbow colored. And, yes I know that it is fall and I should be all into brown and orange, but it is still so warm that my naked children are sticking their thumbs in the hose and making rainbows in the backyard. Besides, who can resist a rainbow?

This roving is for some felted butterfly appliques that will go on a bag I am knitting. It is also my first attempts with acid dyes. I became aggravated with the book I bought, because it did not have super-anal details, like a mathematical formula to determine how the colors would pool. I immediately decided to go in the opposite direction and let an organic blending of the colors happen. (Plus, I only ordered primary colored dyes tee hee hee). I went even farther with the flow, by letting my three-year-old son get in on the action. His roving is on the right and will become a pair of fingerless gloves for him. I couldn't be happier that he wanted to help! My six-year-old thinks I am a nut and wasting my time- however, when we showed him brother's dyed fiber, he wanted to know where his is. Ugh! I still think I will work at a formula...

Other things I do in public

2008-10-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

I love to read! I saw the Amazon Kindle and just knew I had to have one! My husband looked at them and decided that the Sony eReaders were getting better reviews, so that's what we got. The eReader fits in to my handbag with much greater ease than my yarn, and I take it with me when I think I won't actually get to use it...or the kids didn't let me finish my chapter.

So, I won some free laser hair removal (hope that is not too personal and off topic for ya) and I am sitting in the waiting room and I whip out my eReader, since I don't expect to be waiting long. Instead of reading, I spend the whole time explaining what it was to each new person who comes in. I thought this was super crazy, because I am never on the cutting edge of technology. One lady wanted to know if it was expensive and I was like wince sort of, I told her about how much and she thought I was looney. She said "I guess that's okay if you're a reader". Huh? Aftwerwards I realized the cost of the reader was a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the hair removal! I have since realized that people don't read anymore and that is why no one has seen these electronic books.

After reading many forum post about strange things non-knitters have said to you or weird reactions while knitting in public, I have started to wonder how long it will be before it is considered strange to read out and about. Paper is just so last century.

Welcome!

2008-10-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you for checking out the Yarn Exhibitionist Blog. Just to be clear, we will only be talking about KNITTING and CROCHETING! Now if you are not too disappointed, I hope you will join me and all the other yarn-nymphos and do it in public. I'd like to start a collection of photos of people stitching next to Mickey Mouse or looking over the Grand Canyon. I know you already carry you projects with you everywhere, so get your kit to become a true Exhibitionist and don't forget the camera!

Giveaway

2008-10-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am super excited about my Yarn Exhibitionist and I want you to be as well! So, to help you all do it in public easier, I will be giving away 5 kits to randomly picked commenters! Leave a comment about when/why/where you do it in public. Please limit yourself to G rated, knitting or crocheting experiences, so you don't make me blush. Leave your email address to be contacted! Winners will be picked at Midnight on Halloween. Yeah free stuff!!