COLORED WOOL

While I was carding some more  Cotswold wool, 

I had a craving for color!  I found a bag in my wool station and decided to empty it and spin!

This one contains all of the cool colors and I have enough to make another skein in warm colors!  Fun spin after all of the yards of natural colored wool!  193 yards of this yarn.

The field next to the pond out back is loaded with these flowers!  They are called Meadow Beauties, about 1-2" across (they do have 4 petals, I just happened to photograph a broken one!)

This was also a pretty find, Blue Heliotrope.  Yes, it can be poisonous to cats and dogs but it is far out back and I don't have plant eating cats!  Hummingbirds love it so I am leaving it!

 

SOFT AND SMOOTH

I couldn't wait to sample a bit of the newly carded wool by using my favorite drop spindle.  Since it had been a few years since I used the spindle, a lot of dropping occurred but soon enough I had it spinning and not slipping from my fingers!  

The Cotswold wool is spinning up beautifully! 

 I think I want to try and make a spindle whorl on the lathe.

The last row of weaving has taken place;  the shuttle won't get through any more so I stitched the last rows together so cutting can take place and today I will be hemming and then washing the towels!

 

COMBINING TWO LOVES

I dug out a favorite straight skirt pattern and took measurements of the length and width of each piece. 

 It will be lined, with a zipper and no waistband.   

And why is there a heddle sitting in the front of this picture? 

Because I am going to weave the cloth to  make this skirt!!!!  I dug out a bunch of wool --not sure I am going to use the rose yarn but it might make a good mix using only one strand at a time in the cloth.  I figured out how many threads to get the width I need and how long the warp needs to be.  I could do the figures but not enough oomph yet to warp the loom.  I am hoping to do it in a few days!  Until then, I will just keep watching YouTube! lol  

I did find this skein in the bin of handspun but I knew it was superwash and that wouldn't wash the same as the 100% wool so I grabbed it and cast on for another easy scarf like the teal one I made last week.  Garter stitch is just my speed!

 

ALMOST ME AGAIN!

Palmier by Berroco is completed and even washed and blocked.  I can't wait to pair it with a pair of unbleached linen pants!  I will be making these as soon as the fabric arrives!)  

Another finish is this pair of red/white/blue socks from the me-dyed Stroll Bare yarn.  They sure are a busy print! 

 It's a good thing they kinda stripe!

And bit by bit I finished carding the rest of this fiber!  It's been way too long that I needed to finish this fiber.  (It's the one where I had an idea that didn't turn out the way I wanted and the wool  even felted a bit so it was a bear to work with....blah, blah. )

  But is will not own me any more!!! 

I even cleaned the drum carder and put all tools away.

 I am going to continue to spin it this week to turn it into yarn--being sick sure set me back but I am cutting myself some slack! 

(the meds are kicking in and I am getting relief from the sinus pressure!  Now to build up my stamina again!)

 

Mostly Yarn

 I've pieced all of the Churn Dash blocks...now to assemble them.  

Today, I will see if I have enough of the paint brush fabric for a border!

This isn't the final layout, it is just the order I built them and put them on the wall.

Already the patriotic quilt is calling to me!

 Isn't this a pretty pair of sock toes?  I am knitting in the Hermione pattern for texture on this pair.

I will up the ante and see how I do with them!

This yarn is another skein of Regia in Native color this time.  

It is a nice dusky red like the colors in the Grand Canyon.

 I also knit a swatch in SilverSpun yarn which was gifted me when I first came home from the hospital.  It is a wonder to be so loved!  This yarn needs to be knit in a larger needle so I had to figure out how many stitches I needed to cast on.  I've got the info I need now to cast on only 44 stitches instead of the usual 64 so these should be on my feet in no time!

This yarn is supposed to be great for people with neuropathy and circulation problems so I've got the perfect pair of feet for these socks!

 Look what I finished spinning!

This 2 ounce skein has 122 yards and is very lofty.  

I will be washing these three Cotswold cross skeins and the Polwarth skeins I spun months ago because it will be a perfect wool drying day! 

While I still want to dye 2 of the 3 skeins and use them on the loom, I haven't made any definite plans.  I will just enjoy looking at them washed , dried and filled with possibilities!

TNT

 I'm joining in a little Christmas in July stitching with Joy of DaysFilleddWithJoy 

and stitched this in the car as we took a ride to arrange the pre-surgery paperwork for

Bill's surgery on Wednesday.  

This one is for plastic surgery to make a flap graft to close up that

elbow once and for all!  

 I found that knitting works better in the car-the bumps 

and lane changing of a car ride didn't agree with my needle's aim. 

 I did enjoy the finished product

 but will stitch the next block while quite stationary! 

I finished off the last of the plying.  

This is the second 8 ounces of this Mashom wool.

You can see the luster of this longwool.  

That's it for today!  I will wind this bobbin onto the yarn winder so I can create a skein 

and also so I am able to measure the skein to know how much I have!

Ahhh, Color Again!

 

 I played with a pile of Merino mini-rovings sampler pack I have had for years;

I carded them to make some colorful batts that will be spun over the next few months.

I dug out this charm pack and put them up on the design wall-

this is not the final arrangement;  I just put them up in a quick dark and light pattern.

I will keep arranging this for the next few days before I sew it together for a top.

I laughed at myself when I made this dishcloth on the knitting machine;

when I teach others to quilt or knit, 

I always say start easy and build your skills with one success after another as you progress.

I should've taken my own advice and made this first!

  I knit the center and then picked up stitches around the center 

and worked the garter stitches outwardly.  

I will play more tomorrow;  I think I will make a towel to match with this yarn,

 Cotlin from KnitPicks.

TDF Grand Finale

 The chair is being put away, the machine oiled and cleaned for a while-

at least until I dye the pound of Masham wool and the linen-my next ambitions lined up. 

 Last year, I didn't bother trying to fit in the Tour de Fleece at all 

 but I am glad I at least participated this year.

  I enjoyed checking out all of the other skeins in my Ravelry group, too.

So here is this year's resulting skeins-

1,241 yards of 2-ply yarn!

(Compared to year's past when I spun more than a mile of yarn, I still executed a good showing!)

Two by Two

I took an afternoon to cut out all the background pieces for this quilt and the binding .

I then cut out a few of the fat quarters for the 'star in the star' blocks.  

And after a little of piecing, I finally have something going on the design wall again!

I was sad to see an blank space there each time I passed through the studio!

And in odd moments, I completed the two bobbins of Hampshire wool;

let the plying begin!

Fiber Work

This is the roving of Bare Stroll sock yarn from KnitPicks which I dyed.
  It turned out well spun finely (thinly) for a real sock yarn..

I took a long time to spin this-all week but I am pleased with the final skein.

This is what I am spinning next;  Hamshire wool roving, another down breed so it is very different from the above fiber!  Both of these balls of roving are the same weight;  one is loosely pulled and stretched to open the fiber up. 

After both packing and dyeing and drying compacts the fiber and it spins more easily if it is fluffed up again.

I am through the first bump of wool and onto the second-this spins much more quickly and easily than the Merino.

I also took a bit of an interlude to spin a sample of Navajo Churro roving.

This is the wool that the Cowichan Sweaters were  (are?) made of-

for example.

The yarn reminds me of the Lopi yarn we can buy today.

(kind of hairy, not real soft wool)

Now I can say I spun it--check!

Wool 'n Silk

 I started out the day with another few hours of spinning and it was very relaxing.

 I had plenty of company!  We all like the sunshine from inside!

 The bobbin filled up pretty quickly with the 2 ply yarn.

 The next step is to wind it into a skein from the bobbin.  

I can also count the rotations to figure out the yardage for the new skein.

 I then tie off four points  to keep the skein under control while soaking and drying.  

It also keeps it neat when it is skeined  until I knit with it!

I now have enough yarn for a luxury pair of socks!

On a funny note, I use string to tie off the four 'corners' of the skein--

string that I save from cat food bags and from the bird seed bags!  

Halfway

 I finished plying the second skein of the Southdown wool which measured out to another 150 yards..  

I plan to dye the first one in a few colors and the smaller skein in a solid color.

I don't know exactly what it will be used for yet.

 The flowers are loving the rainy season.  This Hibiscus measures 8' across.

 The knotweed bush is making a comeback-the freeze this past winter reduced the big bush to a few 12" stubs.  It is now over my head in height...butterflies are coming to dine!

 This little stub of cactus was 'picked' for me--the lifesaver was too real for some little boy!

It might well root!

It is pretty on my windowsill over the kitchen sink in the meantime!

 This used to be the pond--it is becoming a lake.

We can't drive around the pond-straight ahead on the left was the dam Bill had built.

The next three days are supposed to be dry so we will see if the water level drops at all.

I have been adding to the Persian Tiles blanket;  I think I am about halfway done now.

I ripped out the other blanket-I like this one better and I want it to be big enough.

I also have a pattern to my random colors!

It makes it easier to know what to use next!

Sunny Spinning!

 After I dropped off the boys, I went to do some spinning by the river.  

It is day three of the Tour de Fleece, you know! 

 I managed to ply the first bobbin full for skein number one of the Southdown fiber.

 This was my view of the river today.

On the way home, I took a picture of the construction going on at the Dunn's Creek Bridge;

it will be a four lane bridge in another year or so! 

 The boys enjoy spotting the construction vehicles each time we drive by!

(and because no one was behind me, I slowed down and took this pic out my windshield!)