My First Spin-A-Long

Goodness, it's been awhile since I've posted anything! It's good to have some time to be here!

I've been busy with Christmas, the shop, my oldest turning 16 this past Wed (and a big 'ol party coming up tomorrow!) and playing with my friends in a spin-a-long. My good friend and fellow Phat Fiber contributor, Sue, owner of The Critter Ranch, hosted a Spin-A-Long featuring batts from her animals in colors inspired by Birthstones! The group of us are on Ravelry talking about all the colors, posting photos of the batts we received, and keeping each other updated on our spinning progress.

I chose tourmaline in honor of Kitty turning 1 in October. Here are the photos of the batt, the yarn in progress, the finished yarn and my first swatchings (with Kitty approving along the way). I haven't decided if it'll be a hat for her or a sweater. If it's a sweater, it'll have to be a top-down, seemless yoke with the rest of the body finishing up in a complimentary color. I'd love to hear some opinions about how to use this!!

Enjoy the slide show!

 It's Fiber Arts Friday, so head over to Wonder Why Alpaca Farm and enjoy some other fiber-friendly blogs!! I'm off to make fudge and clean for a party!!

And in Duck News . . .

My very first post on my blog was about my ducks and their aversion to water. Seriously. They wouldn't go in. You can read about it here: Awww Ducks.

Well, I'm pleased to announce that my ducks have seen the light! Or, as the case may be, the water!

Check it:

 I'm so proud. It's only taken 6 months and freezing cold weather to tempt them into the water.

OK.

So, now a confession:

Yup. That's as deep as they go. But their feet aren't touching; I think that counts for something! Hey . . . baby waddles, ya know?

And they're REALLY enjoying the water. Here's a few more shots of them frolicking.

Splashin'The only drake we have stretching for the ladiesTaking a nap with one look out at the readyQUACK!!I hope they're able to take a few swims around the pond before it starts freezing over. Keeping my fingers crossed.

In fiber news, I have a lot of new batts up in the shop, with more to come. Check them out! And I'll be working to update the blog with breed information; my goal is to have an info page for each breed that goes into the batts. It'll take me a while, but I still think it's important to keep spinners educated!

Take care everyone--and I'd love some comments about my gifted ducks!!

New Tutorial--Carding Striped Batts with My "Layers" Method

Last week I promised a new tutorial, and here it is!

Carding Striped Batts

I was going to make one big tutorial about making the yarn I'm using for Hannah's vest, but as I was writing, I realized it really needed to be two different tutorials. One on making the batt and one on pulling the roving. So next week, it's all about pulling striped roving and spinning it up (a little trick here, too!). AND, you'll get to see the final yarn. I just may have the vest finished, but don't hold your breath!

I'm struggling to get my laundry caught up after a week and a half of no washer or dryer (tough with a family of 6!), and getting the whole house unpacked and set up. Busy, busy! Aren't we all!

Have a great Crafty Friday and Fiber Arts Friday!! Follow the links to a ring of artsy blogs!

Adventures in Yarn Design

I decided to make Hannah a vest for her school picture day. Of course, being me, I decided this two weeks before the big day AND felt I needed to design it from scratch with a coordinating hand spun yarn for the edging. Oh, and take pictures along the way for the blog and a publish-able pattern.

So . . . Hannah looked very cute this past Wednesday in her dress from Tea and leggings (sans vest!). Oh well. Sometimes life forces me to be realistic (see this post from Wednesday). And she wasn't too disappointed, in fact, I think she was a little relieved.

But she will get a vest soon, designed from scratch, with a handspun yarn accent, that I will make her wear at least once to school.

Here's what I've been up to:

These are the colors I chose to stripe for her yarn. The gold will be a thin layer over the other colors to create continuity through the stripes.

This is the final batt, ready for pulling.

Some of the pulled roving and the last batt to go.

The vest, part-way finished, laying on the pulled roving.

I plan to have a tutorial on creating the batts and pulling the roving up next week. There's a tricky little catch in the way I pulled the roving!!

And the pattern will be written up and for sale soon.

As of today, the yarn is half-spun, the vest is separated for front and back and my laundry room is almost finished!

Gotta keep all those plates spinning!!

Have a fantastic Fiber Arts Friday, Creative Friday and Crafty Friday! Follow the links to get a full-dose of artsy goodness!