Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the color gamp kit giveaway is Terry - 'travelinterry'.  Terry please email me your complete name and mailing address and I'll get that kit on it's way to you. Congrats!!  cindiesam at yahoo dot com

I'll be having another giveaway kit coming up soon only it will be a small knitting kit.  So check back to see what it is.

More stash yarns for sale

I've got more stash yarn for sale at bargain basement prices.  They can be found on this blog on my 'Other Stuff for Sale' page or in my Etsy shop in the Stash Sale section of my shop.  There are complete descriptions in my etsy shop of on the other stuff for sale page of this blog. There will be more to come when I have time to photograph them. I will try to keep the Other Stuff for Sale page updated as things sell.

Now to work on the dreaded taxes.......yet another bit of administrivia that seems to rule my life.

New shawl warp on the loom

Finally a new warp on the loom for summer shawls. It's an undulating twill in cotton, rayon and bamboo. Next one up will probably have a peach weft. But I won't get to it for a bit, still trying to get photos taken of stash yarn to sell and also need to do our taxes now that I have all personal and business pulled together........will be glad to get that done, I do not like tax season, too much administrivia for my blood.........

Stash Sale Yarns

In my continuing effort to lessen my stash here are some yarns for sale. I'm trying to be realistic about what I will and won't eventually knit, crochet or weave in my lifetime. I have a table full of yarn awaiting photos........and if they sit too long I'll have second thoughts and put things back on the shelf. These yarns need to be used rather than just sit on my shelf.  These can be found in the 'Other Things for Sale' tab of this blog or in my fiber Etsy Shop in the 'Stash Sale' section.  More to come when I have time to do the photography work.

Blog Giveaway

In my continued effort to find homes for things I'm not using I'm selling many but will occasionally have a giveway on this blog. 

This is Colour Gamp Kit by Laura Fry is a giveway. It looks to be a 3 yard warp for making two pastel color gamps, one in plain weave, one in twill........or whatever you'd like to weave. Maybe you'd rather weave a towel, or a table runner, or breadcloths. It's a wound and tied warp along with paper bobbins in the same colors to be used as weft - the instructions say there is enough weft so that each color can be woven square (yes, it includes Laura's instructions). Laura offered these kits many years ago and I did weave this one, the colors of the spectrum one and the naturals one. This particular kit I bought for a friend but she never wove it and then stopped weaving, she gave it back to me a few years ago but I've never felt the need to weave a second one so I'll pass it on to one of you blog readers. 

Just comment on this post if you're interested. Next Monday, the 27th I'll use random.com to pick a winner. Be sure there's a way for me to get a hold of you or check back on this blog later Monday to see if you're a winner.  Due to postage costs this giveaway is only good within the US & Canada.

New scarves in the shop

The two recently woven scarves are finished and up for sale in my etsy shop. They turned out great although, once again, I was having trouble capturing the colors.  And why does my white background get a pink tint sometimes??? I took these pix within minutes of each other, same lighting.  They can be found in the 'scarves' section of my shop........or by scrolling through everything else on the main page to find them.

Back to the sticky warp

Today I was able to get back to the rayon flake scarf warp. This is the second scarf on the warp, I'm using an olive tencel for the weft. Weaving is done, washing and twisting fringe up next.

I just updated my 'Other Stuff for Sale' page on the blog with a couple knitting items - the Carmen Bananas Knitting kit from Knit Picks and a Noni Just Pockets pattern and 19 zippers to knit and felt little bags. I'm really trying to clean out my studio and be realistic about what I'll actually get to in my lifetime. When I determine something needs a new home it will show up here on the blog and/or in my etsy shop. I'm not on a all out cleaning out binge, when I come across something I re-access if it will actually get used here or not. Both of these are also listed in my fiber etsy shop and be bought there or by contacting me directly.

Sticky warp

Yesterday I spent the afternoon planning out painted warps - now they're each sitting in a bag with their drafts ready to weave at a moment's notice. 

This is the first up - it's a rayon flake warp. Each time I dye rayon flake warps I tell myself don't do it, the flake areas love to stick to each other after the dyeing/rinsing process making it very slow to wind on the back beam. This time I'm going to try and remember that when it comes time to dye more warps.....someone knock me on the side of my head if I say I'm winding a rayon flake warp to paint/dye.  So, this first scarf I'm using a forest green for the weft, I thought the next scarf would be a wine weft but now I'm thinking a dark chartreuse. I did sample at the beginning of the warp.....but often change my mind after I start weaving. This is a simple 4H broken twill.

Fresh off the wheel..........and on.........

I finally got the 12 Days of Christmas handspun plied - I used a silvery/lavender rayon thread for plying. I haven't counted up how many yards I spun, it's lace weight. I don't know yet if I'll knit or weave with it, I don't know if I'll change up color orders as I get to knitting or weaving. Lots to think about.......so it will sit on the shelf marinating for a bit while I decide what I want to use it for. If you didn't see the spinning check out posts daily starting on December 25th when I opened one little package to spin each day from the Inglenook Fibers 12 Days of Christmas offering for this past holiday season.

And here's what's up next on the wheel, I started spinning yesterday, I've got around 1 1/2 pounds. I'm planning on plying it on itself ending up with around fingering weight yarn. This is merino/tencel, some of my hand-dyed from a few years ago that I stashed. I'm in love with these colors.

I don't watch much news these days - it's too depressing but I can't totally escape what's going on. I will do what I can by writing my senators and congressmen and support organizations that are/will be in need. I'm so embarrassed for our country, our current president continues to say and do embarrassing things. I won't go on because I'd never stop........but when are those republicans going to get some balls and stand up to him and do what's right for our country and people???

Pancake afghan finished

 I finished the pancake, or commonly called cathedral windows, afghan quilt today. It's a graduation gift for this spring. I still have a label to stitch on the back but don't have all graduation details yet so that will come later. It doesn't look this orange in person - I have trouble with photos that have coral colors in them, just can't capture the true color......but then I know little about photography.

Here's a picture showing the back side turned up. I love this pattern - make the pancakes/circles, stitch them together and it's all quilted and done. It was a bit unruly at the sewing machine as it grew in size but totally doable for an afghan size.  I'm going to make myself one using gingko fabrics from my stash but that will sit on the back burner for a while as I want/need to get back to the looms.