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september's spin

8 ounces of merino from fatcatknits, chain plied



august 2011 featured colorway, spinach souffle



i think it'll be a vest.

adventures in handspinning: a plying study

a rookie mistake turned into an opportunity to experiment...

in my attempt to spin a thin and light singles yarn, i ended up with a gorgeous strand of under-spun merino that simply fell apart in my hands. abandoning my original plans for a nice laceweight singles yarn, i just knew it had to be either re-spun to add twist, or plied.

first i tried plying with a commercial yarn, but it was just too strong for this lofty little strand of merino, so i ended up plying it with itself. since i hadn't planned on plying it originally, i hadn't made any attempt to wind two even bobbins: instead i had one full bobbin (about 3 ounces) and one with the remainder (about an ounce). so i thought, why not use it to practice a couple of different plying techniques?



one yarn, plied two ways

more adventures in bead crochet

another portable crochet project, perfect for enjoying the craft during the heat of summer!




after some experimentation with different cord types and bead sizes, i've decided i prefer the heavy-duty polyester topstitching thread with #11 seed beads. these beads are usually the smallest you can find at the craft store.

i used a 1.5mm hook with the polyester thread



#8 seed beads and #10 cotton crochet
thread worked in 6sc around
with 2.0 mm hook

although the patterns are simple (sc in rounds, 1 bead per sc), the technique requires patience and attention to detail. not for the faint-hearted!

crochet socks

i love to crochet socks in the summer, even though the yarns i've been using for these projects are best suited for winter. it's all about the portability: i can keep a project in my desk drawer at work or in my purse on the go.

it'll be worth the wait, when come winter i'll be able to wear a pair of handcrafted socks almost every day without running out before laundry day.

there are trade-offs with this plan of treating my feet to these gorgeous wools, of course. if i want them to last, i'll have to exercise the proper care...

do i really trust anyone else to do the laundry, when they must remember to separate all the stitched items to be lovingly laid out to air-dry?

new to crocheting socks?

try this simple toe-up pattern from Knit and Crochet Today. download FREE!



Gresham has a new fiber shop

Andersen Fiber Works opened at the beginning of the month and is already alive with spinning classes, knitting groups, and more - including wine and chocolate!

hanks in the hood wool



This multi-story yarn and fiber store is also the production studio for Jen Andersen of Hanks in the Hood. Along with her own line of hand-dyed fibers and handspun yarns, the shop features fiber, yarn, and spinning supplies from local independent fiber artists.

The shop, located on the corner of 3rd and Main in downtown Gresham, is open Tuesday through Saturday this summer.

Take a look at the website for summer store hours - open till 8 pm some days - and available classes and other events.



curly c'ewes merino



(psst! follow the blog to get secret codes for awesome daily discounts!)



bonus:

Andersen Fiber Works opens at 8 am on Saturdays. After you're done exploring all that the shop has to offer, and maybe sitting down in the sunny lounge to knit a bit, you can literally wander straight out the door and into the Gresham Farmer's Market. What a great start to the weekend!

It seems that this hole has been filled.

galleries added

i've added two new galleries to the website..

the handspun gallery shows a colorful mix of fibers that have come off of my spinning wheel lately.

the crochet gallery includes a section showcasing my original designs and a section sharing projects completed from published patterns.

some projects were made with FREE patterns that are available online. i've added the appropriate links so you can make them too!

if you are a ravelry member you can visit me there for more details about each crochet project or handspun yarn (and say hello while you're there!).

remember:

the online store doesn't have any individual items for sale right now, but i welcome custom orders. a gallery of macrame and beaded jewelry designs will be added soon as well.

miniature crochet

i've enjoyed crocheting jewelry with my skinny little steel hooks, but this is the first dollhouse-scale project i've embarked upon.

single-strand embroidery floss with 1.6 mm hook.

finished size of this stroller blanket will be about 4x5 inches. am i nuts? it's actually going better than i anticipated...