Yummy Fleece

I always have too many projects going, so what's one more?

I recently purchased a simply wonderful BFL-cross fleece; the sheep's name is Aster. Barb Barnett of Barnett Sheep and Wool has been working on crossing breeds to get just the right fleece for her. It's also just the kind I like!

Long staple, but not too long. Soft feel, but still strong. And a gorgeous, silky handle. What more could you ask for?

This is the raw fleece right out of the box.

I washed and carded a handful, and the fiber didn't disappoint. It was easy to prep and then wonderful to spin.

This is 2.5 oz. of singles on the bobbin. I'm planning to spin up a second set of singles to ply with this for a 5 oz. skein of yarn.

The rest of the fleece will be washed, carded, dyed and put up in the shop. I'm just happy to get to play with it so much!

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!

Art Batts--I Finally Broke Down

I really like planning. Maybe sometimes I'm not very good at executing, but planning I'm good at. I like research, and I like thinking. When it comes to art, I've always approached projects with a plan, once I'm comforatble with a plan, then I can let go a little, but I at least start with a plan.

That quirk is very evident in my batts. Tidy, well planned, I keep detailed notes about color weight and order so that both batts in a set match, and I know what will happen when a spinner drafts them out.

Dappled Sunshine--Shepherds' Friend Romney BattThis one will stripe if you pull strips from the side and are careful to draft them in order. OR, you can roll the whole thing and pull to blend the colors in one roving. My notes read: red: 5 oz, orange, 5 oz., gold, 5 oz., teal, 2 oz., brown, 1 oz. Batt order: r, b, o, t, g, o, r, t, g, r, t, o, r, g.

Tidy Dappled Sunshine Batts

Planning: it's fun. But I have to face the harsh reality that it's not always appealing to everyone. Spinners are a crazy, wild bunch!

Art batts are the thing. I admit, I love looking at them, I love touching them, I love spinning them. I even love making them. So why have I waited so long to start making them for my shop? Because you just can't always make much out of them. I really like offering enough wool for a complete small project to my customers. My carder can only make about a 2 oz. batt, and art batts are impossible to make identical.

They're also always full of lots of different breeds and non-animal fibers, while my goal is to help spinners learn the characteristics of each breed. And I'm just not a sparkly kind of girl; I'm not sure if I'll ever do bling in my batts. I may break down there too, but not for a while.

And, there's something else I have to admit. They kinda feel like cheating. I mean, they're not completely a no-brainer to make; I chose colors within the same family and add a pop here and there of something else, but they just feel too easy. And, I really can't tell a spinner what they'll produce.

But I broke down and did it! I've made a set of four art batts from my studio scraps and they're getting posted over the next few days. Here's a sample:

Sloppy,fun art batt named Anita

Another view of the anarchyOf course, I had to have some plan, so I gave them a new name. They're Sassy Batts in my shop. And I'm naming each one after a sassy lady in literature, history, film or pop culture. Anita is after Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter; it's a book series by Laurell K. Hamilton. One of my secret pleasures.

I may even loosen up and extend this new approach to my Shepherds' Friend batts. I think I could simply weight some dyed locks and throw them into the carder willy nilly.

Maybe.

If I think about it really hard first.

It's Fiber Arts Friday and Crafty Friday, so have fun checking out everyone else's blogs for some great inspiration!

Fiber Arts Friday -- Fiber Harvest

Yesterday was a connection-making day. I'm new to blogging as all of you know :), and I'm just beginning to navigate this crazy web we bloggers weave.

So I stumbled upon CreatingTheHive.com - Arts & Crafts Community and then I found Wisdom Begins in Wonder, Andrea Morrison's blog about her alpaca farm. And she is a part of a Fiber Arts Friday group where I noticed knit with snot for you, a blog by Holly Bee that I was already following! Whew! I feel like I've come full-circle AND want to jump in. So here it goes, my very own Fiber Arts Friday post.

 Wednesday was dyeing day in the studio. When my husband called from work and asked what I was up to, as always on dyeing day, I answered "dyeing." He laughs every time. When will he get over it?

Anyway, yesterday was drying day, and today will be carding day. BUT, I caught a few quick pics of the yummy Romney fiber before it was carded.

Romney locks ready for Autumn.

A glamor shot.These locks were from a Romney ram named Honey Bear from my friend Sandy Long's farm: Long Meadow Farm. I would throw her link in here, but she doesn't have a web site. I need to help her with that!

My hands are itching to blend these together and get them up in my shop. They'll be part of the Shepherds' Friend program where you can support small farming in America and learn about different breeds.

Tomorrow I actually have a knitting FO to share, but I have to wait, because it's my mom's birthday present and she doesn't get it until tomorrow!!