knitting handspun

Freshly cast on the needles, my very favorite handspun multicolored fiber. I just love these colors!

I actually started out spinning this on my maple and redwood drop spindle (made by my love)  and finished up on my spinning wheel (also made by him :) he's really the greatest.

 This spinning wheel of mine you know I love it so much I'm actually designing my next tattoo to include it (but that is an entirely different post.)

I decided that instead of layering more sweaters to fend off the chill, what I could really use was a cowl. Like most all of my projects, ahem, I thought I would just wing it. I measured about where I thought the loop should end so that I could wrap it twice, grabbed some circular needles, knitted up a gauge swatch, did some quick math, and I'm on my way. All of  this was at about 9:30 last night, yeah, well when inspiration hits...whadda ya gonna do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (crate -o- handspun awaiting enough bravery to "wing" a sweater)

soon

 

 

 currently on the wheel- alpaca fiber from mother's day. I've already spun the white that I will be plying with this chocolate. I love a good two tone yarn. I'm planning on knitting this into a little capelet. Winter knitting is really the best.

 

spinning

After visiting the best knitting/yarn shop ever wynona studios , where he was allowed to actually touch and test drive their resident wheels, Evan had a plan. A secret plan he quickly put into action as soon as we were home. This boy of mine, he made his mama a spinning wheel/machine.

With careful focus and concentration, minor adjustments, and much laughter and tears of joy, we were spinning. Spinning yarn together, him turning the crank, while I drafted out the wool. Somehow, we have no photos of the laughter and tears, just pure concentration, and Lassie watching.

oh, how I love this dear boy.

farm fresh wool

Since becoming a knitter, oh... about ten years ago now, (wow has it really been that long?) I have been an a journey ever deeper into the world of fiber arts.

 I began with the whisper of a dream, a seemingly simple photo illustrated knitting book,  some second hand needles, a skein of synthetic yarn, and with my second child on the way, I began. The hardest most frustrating part of learning to knit for me was where to put everything/ how to hold yarn, needles, and at the same time create the stitches. After many tears, and failed attempts at recreating what I saw in the photos, it dawned on me that the most important part of the knitting was the finished stitches, not how they got there at all! Now, back then I didn't know any fancy lingo about knitting continental or traditional, throwing or picking, all I knew was that for me a new way of looking at life had begun to take root. Suddenly, learning new "out-of-reach" art forms seemed to take on a less intimidating appearance.

 If I could learn how to knit by knitting,

 then what else could I learn just by simply going for it.

Over the years, my knitting has changed with me. I can look back and see where I first fell in love with knitting with wool, the warmth, the felting possibilities!

There was the day I went into my first knitting store and fell in love with bamboo needles.

 There are my years of knitting with plant based yarns when I was vegan.

 The wonder and awe at spinning my very first yarn on a spindle Tylor made with some "scraps" of wood we had around.

 Then falling in love with alpacas and their fiber, and of course sheep, oh so many, many different kinds of sheep.

While living in Hawaii, sure had it's perks, but for a girl with a heart full of fiber loving dreams, it definitely fell short in the farm fresh fleeces for sale department.

Now, Oregon, Oh beautiful Oregon. There are so many different types of animal and fiber to be had, and we aren't really even into shearing season yet!

Now, here I find myself, surrounded by my four amazing children, with my pap on my lap, a cat having a ball, a husband busily creating near by, and over 25 dirty, smelly, fantastic fleeces, sourced from local farmers and shearers.... i love Oregon.

I love to learn more, dig deeper, and get involved in the creative process from the very beginning

 So here i find myself yet again, digging in and getting dirty, trying to get these fleeces clean.

We have wool that has been cleaned and carded, in preparation for stuffing a few new felted sweater animals for the shop.

There are freshly dyed locks, awaiting any small hands around here with a  need to spin along with mama.

And so that only leaves about  23 fleeces to be skirted, sorted, washed , dried, picked and carded. Yes, things are moving slowly, but when learning something new,

 slow is good.

movie monday,a bit tardy.