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!!

Fiber Crazy Yesterday! and New Tutorial!

Oh yesterday was a good day. I washed half a Shetland fleece, I dyed two pounds of Romney in beautiful fall colors, and I finally got around to writing up the dyeing with kids tutorial! Busy day!

Here's the tutorial: Dyeing with Kids

Results from Dyeing with Hannah! Ooohh . . . Aaaahh

I'll have pictures up soon of my new colors to play with. But right now I have to get ready for a spinning play date!

Eureeeeeka!!!

I know I've been promising a great little tutorial on kids and dyeing, but it's going to wait until Wed. I've been completely immersed in photos. Actually, I've been struggling with photos for a long while now. I have a light box. I have a great digital camera. I have cruddy photos.

So last night I bonded with my camera. I downloaded the user guide (the original is long gone--if you've ever visited my house, you'd understand) and read about every setting possible. I bought new bulbs for my lights that are brighter and truer white. I read tutorial after tutorial on product pictures.

Here's what I've accomplished today:

"Waves" Corriedale battA clear, bright, not-discolored photo!!! You have no idea what I've been through. I was about to buy a new camera (it couldn't have been me!). But I learned all about white balance and how to set it myself with a white sheet of paper.

Here's my little studio:

Do you like my antique washboard as a prop? I thought it added a rustic touch.

I'll be in the process of photographing new and old listings for my etsy shop over the next few days, but my brain is racing to get a few tutorials up: one on the kiddos dyeing, one on batt preparation for spinners, one on pulling batts into roving and one on blending different batts for complex colors. When am I going to find time for all that? Keep checking back over the next month. And say a little prayer that I can get to it all!

Sunday Inspirations

Fill up on good words and good sights:

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

I give thanks for strong hands to make beautiful yarn.

BFL Handspun--"Favorite Jeans"And for new friends with pretty fiber.

Giggle Jelly's Etsy shop: "Pigeon" Tussah Silk/Merino

And new friends with pretty words.

The Vintage Pearl has beautiful jewelry.

Little Project Notes

I know I promised a tutorial on kid-friendly dyeing, but I just needed to get these pics out there. The tutorial will be posted later today. Check back!

I'm working on a project for my new blog and Etsy banners. I want to have roving flow into yarn and that flow into some knitting. All with my soon-to-be-revealed new logo over it.

In preparation for this, I've started working on some blends of green and natural corriedale wool. Here's a glamor shot of a finished ball of yarn:

Hand spun Corriedale yarnAnd I loved this setting for the picture so much that I think I may change over most of my pictures on Etsy. I re-did my handspun already:

Hand spun "Corriedale Expresso"Maybe not as professional as a light box, but I love the warm feeling it gives. The wooden stand it's on is my antique yarn skeiner that my in-laws got me for my birthday. Awesome, isn't it?! I may pull out my antique washboard as well for some pics.

I've also been working to change all my inventory over to farm-friendly stock. All new wool that comes into my shop will be from small farms across America that I've hand scoured, hand dyed, hand picked and hand carded. My hands are tired! Stay tuned for info on the fleeces I process and the resulting items that go into my shop.