The Dyeing Spinster

Hat finished and photo taken at a local apple farm in October.

Late last night I finished the little man’s hat! It fits just as I wanted it too, but the top is a little bunchy for my tastes…probably the way that I did the decreases at the very top I would imagine.  Pictures to come later so you’ll see what I mean.  I started the decreases at 4.5in by doing a k2tog after every 7th stitch. Then I did a knit row, then the next row I k2tog after every 6. (which btw didn’t work totally out with my stitch #s but I just rolled with it). I followed this way of decreasing until about the 3st then decrease row….then I decreased every row because after trying it on the little man, I thought it would get too long if I continued to add in a knit row. I will probably make another one and try some new ideas. Like I just went down an inch from the actual size of his head when doing this one…instead I am going to figure the number by percentage instead (like socks…usually you take the numbers down 20% from the circ of the ball of your foot). Also, I might stop at 4 or so inches and try the decreases to see if I can get a smoother top. I’m sure that I could look all this up and find out how to do it properly, but so far I am having fun just figuring it out myself.

And in other happy news…I found the yardage info for my handspun so I don’t have to remeasure it! Yay! It seems that the sneaky sneaky cats stole it off the work table while the yarn was modeling for me. *shakes fist at cats* Punks! =)

This is my latest handspun yarn:

I hand dyed Cheviot X roving in greens, blues and purple/lavender (a while back). Recently, I decided to start spinning some of my rovings to sell as handspun.  This is the first one that I have finished.  The spinning was finished in September, but I hadn’t gotten around to washing it, measuring the yardage and photographing it until this past week (and I seem to have misplaced the slip of yardage info during the photo shoot sooo I may have to redo that again before listing it! Some day my brain cells will re-activate right moms? =) ). I really like the colors in this one and the whole time I was spinning, I kept thinking about keeping it to knit something for the little man.  But I am being good and this will go to the biz. Don’t feel too bad for him though…I do have some corriedale and some merino/silk dyed by River’s Edge that was bought just for him.  I just haven’t spun any of it up yet (bad mommy!). =) Ah, since we all like to drool over wool pics, I’ll show you the boy’s roving (more pics of it and my stash on Flickr if you click on the pic):
    

Ooh, I forgot to mention in my last post that I am on Ravelry.  Username is of course dyeingspinster! =) Come say hello if you’re on there!  As with everything these days, I am slowly getting projects and stash filled in. Photos of things take me the longest. I love looking at projects and queueing them…that will be SO handy with magazine patterns especially. I can generally remember patterns from books but there are too many magazine patterns to keep up with beyond the quarter that they come out in. Wee! Casey and Jess are doing a phenomenal job! I haven’t registered as a yarnie yet since I have been (can you guess what the word is kids?……) slow to add items to my etsy store. Eventually……

Speaking of ravelry and blogging, I found out on the Ravelry blogging group that November is NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). I am thinking about joining it to help kick me in the pants about blogging…which could help kick me in the pants about crafting so that I have something to blog about LOL.  However, I don’t want to look like a total arse with 5 posts for the month of November instead of 30 so I am doing a warm up.  I am going to try to post everyday for the next week and if I can manage that, then I will feel more comfortable about joining.  And if posts seem a little stream of conciousness around here…that’s because I am just going with the flow in order to free up my writing.  I hope it works!

Ooh the little man is awake and upset…fun time is over for now….poor fella…

The blog has been pretty slow since I haven’t actually been getting much accomplished…the little man has definitely slowed down my fibery pursuits, but he’s so darn cute that I *guess* it’s okay. =) Recently though I have managed to get some projects going….

I’d like to get the little monkey in cloth diapers eventually so I have knit a Little Turtle Knits Ribby Wrap soaker for him.  It needs buttons and lanolizing. I’m not in a rush to get buttons on it yet though since I only have one cloth diaper sewn!

LTK Ribby WrapOriginally uploaded by The Dyeing Spinster

The weather has finally cooled down here and I realized that the little man probably doesn’t have any hats to fit his big 6 month old noggin. So I have started a hat for him in a tweedy rust colored Cascade 220.  I’m really lovin’ the color of it. I am not using a pattern at all and am just trying to wing it.  His head is 18″ (!) around so I cast on enough stitches for 17″ approx so that it will stretch. I have a gauge of 20st per 4in so I cast on 84 stitches and have so far knit 2×2 ribbing for 1 inch and about 3.5 inches of stockinette. I carefully put it on him occasionally to see how it is going and so far so good.  I think I will knit for another inch to an inch and a half and try it again. I am aiming for something that will be snug on the head but cover the ears…like a skull cap or beanie. Here’s my progress so far:

I might also try to wing some mittens to go with the hat.  We are going to a local apple orchard this weekend for apples and pumpkins and to visit their petting zoo. So I want to get it all done by then. So long as tomorrow isn’t crazy, the hat should be doable. (Of course lack of crazy is not guaranteed though…the little man has his first 2 teeth coming in! Poor lil fella!)

I’ve also got a treat for myself on the needles. I recently visited a new knit shop in Franklin IN called Clementine’s Dry Goods.  (Wonderful shop…the owner carries fabric and yarn, books, needles. The shop is still small but the yarns and fabrics she has are awesome…I purchased Dream in Colors Smooshy sock yarn, some of the other yarns-not inclusive- Mission Falls, Malabrigo, Shaefer Anne, Brown Sheep Naturespun, Louet sport weight yarn. She has an apron class at the end of the month that I hope to attend - 2 weekends and only cost is the fabric! I definitely plan on going back once my needles clear up a bit! PS The owner is so very friendly! And there is an area with couches for relaxing and knitting. Go check it out!) Ok where was I…ah yes my treat…so since I don’t get alot of fiber stuff done, I always feel like I should either be working on something for the little man or something for the biz. But I saw this Smooshy sock yarn and couldn’t resist the colors.

It is Dream in Color Smooshy in Blue Lagoon. Love it! I am knitting a pair of Monkey socks for me! I have been wanting yarn in this color for the little man, but I didn’t have any projects in mind for him in sock weight yarn so I let myself have first dibs on it. =) If there is enough yardage left over he will get some socks too though. hehe

Coming soon on my needles will be a Tomten for the little man.  I plan on using Pastaza in a dark brown that I have in my stash.  I have a sweaters worth of it that I purchased around 2000 to make a cabled sweater for my then boyfriend (now hubby). I didn’t get very far before it went into the ufo pile for a very very long time (so hard to admit it and rip all that cabling out…ya know?). Anyways, I keep imagining a dark brown coat for the little man and while I really have wanted to spin it (I have said color in shetland in my stash), I would also like to have it done this fall lol.  So I remembered the languishing Pastaza. It’s a much better use for it…it really was a poor choice on my part to begin with…if I had completed it, my hubby would have roasted! The man is a furnace so a llama/wool sweater wouldn’t have seen much action.  The little man takes after his Dad, but I am thinking that as a Tomten, it will make a good coat until it gets really cold (if it gets really cold- damn crazy weather!) The little man is about 20″ around so I am going to chance it and make the 27″ Tomten with the 4st per in Pastaza. I’d rather it be extra large than too small! As it is, the boy is 6 months and wears anywhere from 6month to 1yr sized clothing depending on the clothes. So it might work out. I just don’t see a 22″ chest lasting that long. Anyways here is the yarn I will be using:
 

YUM!

One of my new customers, Angela, sent me a picture of her handspun yarn.

She took this roving (Nostalgia):

And turned it into this beautiful handspun yarn:

Angela is a new spinner….can you believe how even her yarn is? I’m impressed. =) I look forward to seeing what she is going to make with the yarn!

 I would like to do more of these customer spotlights so if you’ve purchased roving or yarn from me and created something, please send me a picture and I will showcase it here.  If you have a blog, be sure to tell me when you send the picture and I will add it in the post too.  Eventually I will also get a gallery up. I love seeing what you’ve done with my fibers!

Also, there is still one left of this colorway in the etsy shop. This colorway is not repeatable unfortunately…so once it’s gone, it’s gone for good =(

Coming soon…pics of my fiberfest haul, a sneak peek of my latest handspun yarn that I’m working on for the shop and more!

Baby News…

It’s been a long while since I’ve made an update here.  *blows the cobwebs away* =)

Since I’ve been gone, I had my baby:

The little man was born on March 20th.  He was a big baby so I ended up having a c-section. He was 9lbs 12oz and 21in long. =) And he looks alot like his Daddy. Despite the lack of sleep, I am loving every minute of staying home and taking care of him.  He is a joy..I love making him laugh and having babble conversations with him. He’s a great, easygoing baby with alot of personality. Wednesday was his 3 month birthday! It sure does fly! Here are some of my favorite pics (before I finally stop showing off my baby and start talking fiber hehe):

Modeling a sweater I knit for him (it was too big while it was still chilly out. I’m crossing my fingers it will fit in the fall.)

Me ‘n the little man

  

Fibery News…

From March til June, my etsy shop was closed while I spent some time with the Little Man. I reopened on June 1st and I’m slowly getting items listed.  I did have an exciting time when I listed 2 skeins of handspun yarn and maybe an hour later (if that) I checked my email and they were purchased! I almost fell off the couch! *grin* Here’s one of the skeins…

I have found that Etsy has created an “etsy mini” for inclusion on websites/blogs.  I’ve put mine in the sidebar. You can now see my listings from here!  If you click on a pic, it will bring you to that listing. If you click on the name at the bottom “thedyeingspinster” it will bring you to my shop. I’m pretty excited about this - I think it looks great!

Since March, I haven’t worked on many fiber projects b/c I’ve got tendonitis (I think) in both wrists/thumbs. I did get a crochet book for mother’s day - Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers. I’ve started a pair of socks from it but it’s going slowly with only a few rows done. Pics to come when it finally looks like something. =) I attempted a couple rows on the basketweave baby blanket today and it wan’t too bad on the wrists.  I’m on the last skein so I’d love to finish it by fall. 

Although I couldn’t really work on anything, I wasn’t really feeling the need to work on anything. Lately though, I am starting to feel the urge to make.  Mostly to spin.  Most days I don’t get there though.  I’ve got a pretty pink wool with purple noil roving being spun at the moment.  It’s almost done and the bobbin is packed! =) Then I can wind it off and ply it.  And then…I can get to the new roving I bought at the Hoosier Hills Fiberarts Festival!! I purchased some beautiful rovings from Rivers Edge Weaving Studio - 6 oz of 2 different colorways in merino/silk and then 3oz of a third colorway in corriedale.  No pics yet. I also picked up a skein of Fleece Artist sock yarn from Susan Markle at the Trading Post for Fiber Arts. She also carries Crosspatch Creation batts which were very tempting - definitely on a future purchase list. =)

The Little Man is getting squirmy so it’s time to go…be back with photos soon. =)

I managed to knit and crochet 21 hats and headbands before mailing them out tonight.  Many more than I thought I would get done! After finding a crochet hat pattern that I really liked though, I went crazy with variations in color and edgings. I had so much fun making them!  Alot of the crochet hats were made by holding 2 or 3 strands of different color and weight yarns together for a variegated look.  I’m really happy with the whole lot of hats and I so hope the kids love them too. =)

Here is a group shot of the hats:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knitted Hats:

Headbands:

Hats from my stash - I had made these a long while ago with no one in mind…I just wanted to make something/try the pattern out:

Crochet Hats - The pink hat is the first one that I made with this pattern and started the whole ball rolling =)

Then I tried a different border:

And added some frill =) :

And then I came up with my own design!:

Bon Voyage Hats! Bring the kids as much joy as you brought me! =)

 

The first batch of Serenity Hand Pulled Roving is now in the shop!

Info: Mix of medium and fine wools in pinks, purple and blues.  Carded in layers on my drum carder and then hand pulled into roving so you can start spinning right away! 3.9oz currently available (a total of four balls weighing an ounce or so each).  A new batch is coming soon! Please visit my etsy shop if you wish to purchase this roving. 

Yesterday my hubby and I went to our ultrasound appointment. And found out we are having a boy! Yay!

 

It was amazing watching him. He was quite active during the whole appointment - he kept flipping and wiggling and I swear he even waved once too hehe.  And he was very obliging about showing his boy parts so we are sure it’s a little guy. =) We are so excited!  Now we can start decorating and buying things! Last night we even went out and bought the crib bedding and a pack n play playard. Wil is building the crib and it is almost finished.  I think he just has the finishing coat to do and then assemble it. He was journaling his progress, but he doesn’t have it up to date - anyways you can read that here if you are interested: http://www.wilwa.net/wil/content/view/18/33/ . So lots of baby fun going on around here lately!

Since it has been a while since I have posted but I have a few fiber photos to share.  For my guild’s last meeting, I was asked to put together a demo on drum carding.  So I put together a handout on the basics and two ways of using color - layers and stripes.  Everyone really enjoyed it and when the demo was over, we did a group project.  Anyone that wanted to participate brought in an ounce of fiber. We split into 2 groups because of size and colors brought.  Then each person received about a fifth of an ounce of each person’s fiber and they blended all of the fibers on the carder however they wished.  For next guild, I hope people will bring in their spun or felted creations!  I prepared alot for the demo, but I think it really paid off and I had fun doing it - which since I am not much into public speaking says alot hehe.  The only thing was it wore me out! Not that it takes much these days. =)  I’m thinking that I will eventually put my demo handout on my site so that it is available to everyone.  I also want to change the software I am using to Joomla which is broader than Wordpress so that I will have more of a website than just a blog so I will probably add the tutorial in then.  That will give me time to tweak the tutorial for the web too.

Since the demo, I had a chance to spin up the layers batt that I created for the demo.  I used 5 colors - 4 are colors that I dyed and 1 is commercial top that I bought but went so well I couldn’t resist using it.

 

 

I didn’t take a photo of the finished batt for some reason, but the layers are in order in the picture above.  The lighter pink on the right was the first layer on the carder and the light blue on the left was the last color on the carder.  I hand pulled the batt into a roving before I spun it:

 

 

I spun the yarn somewhat fine (for me anyways) though I haven’t done a wraps per inch on it yet. I think it came out really pretty:

I like it enough that I have dug out the remaining fiber in those colors and have been carding each color individually in preparation to make more of these batts.  I plan to sell the batts in my shop. I haven’t come up with a name for the colorway yet so any ideas are appreciated - leave me a comment!

I’ve also spun up some more of the grey/brown shetland:

I originally was spinning this and the light grey with the intention of making finished items for sale, but I’ve not had a chance yet so they might just be sold as handpsun instead. Who knows - maybe I’ll get a chance to figure out on paper how to make the hat idea in my head.

And because I like a little holiday stress (um yeah right!), I’ve challenged myself to completing a blanket for family.  In fact, I am really off my rocker and have the yarn picked for a second one as well.  I really don’t know what gets into me around the holidays, I just get this urge to make wooly presents for family.  The only problem being that I don’t think the family is really looking for any wooly presents so I always feel conflicted and never decide until the last minute if I will or not.  While I was moping about how no one wants a hat or scarf (lol) my hubby stated well everyone loves blankets - you could make everyone a blanket.  And I being equally crazy actually considered it.  So here I am.  One problem with blankets can be the expense, but I solved that one easily.  I went through my washable yarn stash and pulled together all the blues that I have irregardless of weight.  Then I looked through my stitch pattern book and chose feather and fan as my pattern.  I decided to make it big so I cast on enough stitches for it to be approximately 50in wide.  Here is a pic of it when I first started it:

 

I used garter for the first couple of rows in a dark grey yarn. Then each pattern repeat is a new color.  For the lighter weight yarns, I have been using multiple strands.  Some of the yarns also have texture to them but it is all pulling together nicely.  I probably have about 12in completed.  I have high hopes that I will finish this one at least in time for Christmas.  It is an easy pattern to remember so it has become my main project while I was prime time tv. 

 I’ve also finished one arm on the baby sweater and only have the other arm to complete now before it is done.  I’ve let myself get distracted with the spinning, carding and blanket so I haven’t even cast on the second arm yet.  Now that we know the sex though, I’m thinking about other projects for the little guy, so I expect I will get this one done soon!  Have any baby boy patterns you love? Give me details in the comments or drop me an email! =)

 

Here is the pic of the hat that I couldn’t get uploaded last night =)

Too bad I don’t have a little model to try it out.  I used the Just Your Basic Beanie pattern by Patti Pierce Sloane that I found on Knitting Pattern Central.  It was a nice easy pattern to follow in a 3×2 rib.

I’ve not felt well today so I haven’t accomplished much of anything unfortunately. Hopefully I will get a second hat cast on and started tonight in front of the tv.