Kre8tiv Knits

On the fiber front, Shel let us rummage through her studio this weekend and use her equipment.  I have to admit there was much fiber fondling, but it is no use to resist when in such an enabling environment.  There were mounds upon mounds of fabulous fiber and equipment in every corner!  I couldn’t even count the spinning wheels if I tried.

This is one of her many, many fleeces.  It was gorgeous, though I cannot recall the name of it.

Here is the beauty that is STASH.  So jealous. . .

Shel and Mo doin’ their thing.  (This picture doesn’t even do her studio justice.  Sooo many other cool things.  Not enough time for all of it.)

So, here’s the FWP, (Fleece Washing Process).  First, you have the fleece.  Next, wash it per whatever directions suit your needs.  Let it dry, dry, dry!  It would be very dissapointing to discover a moldy fleece!  And if you are so lucky as to know someone so kind as to let you use all of the equipment at her disposal, then you would be using a Picker such as this:

This lovely piece of machinery takes the fleece in its lock form and opens it up like a big cloudy of fluffy goodness and gets rid of some of the debris along the way.  Thus aptly named the “picker” for picking out the nasties.  This step thusly results in this mass of fluff:

That mass belongs to Michele, Sue’s and mine was a white color.  See how wonderfully full it is?  Next would be the drum carder. . .mmmm, drum carders. . . *drool*  This expensive yet very functional piece of machinery is a must for any fiber producing fool.  This made the carding of the wool so quick!

And so after Sue and I had carded our fleece, we rolled our batts into little logs that looked something like this:

Can’t wait to spin this fibery goodness.  After being in Shel’s studio, I was inspired to do some washing and carding of my own.  Of course my facilities aren’t nearly as nice nor do I have anywhere near the resources, but I made do.  My green Targhee locks that I bought from Etsy.

Then on to the hand carders. . .so much work. . .

And so that concludes our FWP for today.  Hope you enjoyed and don’t forget to leave those wonderful comments or suggestions!

 

Wow, what a busy month!  Well first off, let me tell you about the International Quilt Market that came to Portland.  We went on a Sunday and I was surprised at how easy it was to walk through the isles.  I was told stories of not being able to see your own feet while walking through that place, but we had a very nice time.  There was so much to see!  I hardly took pictures but I did snap a few.  I was really eager to meet Joel Dewberry and Amy Butler, but they were no where to be seen when we got around to their booths, however we were lucky enough to catch a shot with Kaffe Fassett.

And I can’t tell you how many cute fabrics that I saw there!  There had to be a thousand adorable prints!  I especially loved the Japanese prints!  But I’m having a dilemma.  I adore the fabric this bag was made out of, but can’t figure out the name of the designer or line.  If you have any ideas, please please, email me!

 

Well. . .it’s been a while since my last post, and I really have no excuse for it.  I apologize.  But I’m here now, and here’s the latest.  (Links are to Ravelry, so if you don’t have an account, get one.  It is the best site ever.)

On my needles:  I have my first sweater!  I cast Wicked on a few days ago in Dream in Color’s Classy Happy Forest.  I only have two rows due to having to frog back to the beginning after discovering I was off on my count and my crossover stitches were in the wrong spots. . . ^o^  Anyway, hopefully I’ll have some time to myself with it later on today.

On my wheel:  I have some Corriedale dyed in reds, roses, pinks, and tans.  I bought a pound of it for an excellent deal!  (It was *slightly* felted from sun exposure, but with some TLC it spins up very nicely.)  So I sectioned it into three long bits, and will 3-ply it onto itself.  I have one bobbin done, two to go.  It’s such a nice day out, maybe I will be able to work on that too!  . . .ambitious, aren’t I?

On my mind:  My latest obsession is with buttons.  I don’t know what started it. . .oh wait, yes I do know.  It was Ysolda’s Verity.  After knitting it up, I was searching for just the right button to put on it.  In my search, I came across several good candidates.  Discovering one button inparticular that I really liked, I couldn’t let the others go.  So I got them.  And I love them.  But I don’t know what exactly will become of them.  I’m sure I will find some use for them, but for now, they will go into my newly formed button stash.  ^_^

So, that’s the latest.  I’ll try to post more when there’s more.

So, if any of you have been following my blog from the beginning, you would know that I am an avid balker, (blog stalker), and that one of my very favorite blogs belongs to designer Ysolda Teague.  Well, I have recently visited her site and after being able to no longer resist her patterns decided to purchase Verity. 

This wonderful leafy beret hat is sooo gorgeous!  I absolutley adore the quality of the pattern and the finished result.  After staying up until 1 am the first night and 2 am the second, I finished this wonderful work of art and strolled into work, (which just so happens to be a quilt/knit shop), and showed off my *cough* Ysolda’s, masterpiece.  It was a hit!  Everyone loved it!  I had girls swarm me to try it on.  And one asked me how much I wanted for it. . .lol.  Silly girls, this is mine.  Knit your own.  ^_^ 

So without further ado, I am pleased to introduce, my Verity beret!

Knit from the beautiful Dream in Color yarn in the wonderous colorway Happy Forest, this beret screams bohemian chic.  And how could you resist the oh so pretty Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher also knit from Dream in Color’s Classy in colorway Ruby River?  These two yarns, and patterns, compliment each other so well, I felt like I was the epitimy of knit high fashion.  I have yet to post a modeled photo of the bolero, and still have yet to actually pose for it, but maybe you can get a sense with a self portrait of the beauty that is bolero.

I am the luckiest girl!  Carolyn made me a pair of socks!  I guess I kinda whined about it. . .being the only girl at the store without a pair. . .but she made me a pair of socks!  They are so pretty and smooshy and comfy and pretty!  Here are a few pictures to get your envy on.

Made from Dream in Color’s Smooshy, I’m not sure what the colorway is, but blissful blues and greens surround my happy feet.  THANK YOU CAROLYN!  She put a simple cable down the side which gives these socks a bit of punch!  She has also chosen to do the heel flap which I really enjoy!