New Knitting Project: Line Break

I have to admit: when I was still studying for my exams, I spent quite some time on Ravelry, having to procrastinate every so often ;-) I used to look for new patterns (especially asymmetric ones), but also browse my favourites and imagine how glorious it would be to have some time for spinning art yarn for myself and starting a larger project.

I decided on the Line Break shawl which calls for about 800 m of fingering yarn. I wanted a simple art yarn - no ribbons or charms, but tiny beads and sequins for a glittery yet elegant effect - and I wanted to spin in from a black fibre blend. I recently got my hands on some (commercially dyed) black Bluefaced Leicester fibre which I blended with glossy black alpaca, luxurious merino/silk blend and black merino wool. I spun in black sewing thread strung with black and silver mini sequins and tiny silver seed beads. I love the yarn, and spinning the first skein was a lot of fun, but I tend to find spinning lots of the same yarn quite tedious... I managed about 1000m nonetheless and now I can knit a really large version of the shawl, yay!

I named the yarn and the shawl "Delirious Diva", still being under the influence of the "Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious" album by The Diablo Swing Orchestra :-D

I started a few days ago, while being entertained by my husband playing The Walking Dead on the PS3. It's quite disgusting, but fun to watch while knitting (also enthralling), and I'm looking forward to more :-)

I always find it hard to take photos of black fibre and yarn - these could be better, but I hope you enjoy this post anyway :-)

Tentacular Knitting Project(s)

I found an intriguing pattern called Tentaculum. I was in posession of a wonderful skein of art yarn at the time which I really wanted to knit up myself, and the two kind of happened to coincide. Here's the result :-)

I originally intended to make and keep this for myself, but then I decided to give it to my mum for her birthday. It felt right and she likes it :-)

I made another one I didn't really intend to keep, but now I am wondering... I wanted to knit another one because I had so much fun with the pattern, and I decided to spin a white snowflake art yarn since I've always wanted to knit one of those myself. The thing is - I don't like wearing white. I don't think it looks good on me, and I usually prefer black with a splash of either red, green oder dark teal. All I wanted was the bliss of knitting a wonderful mixed-fibre art yarn with snowflake sequins into a fun garment which I could then trade or give as a gift. Then I put it around my neck and was amazed how white actually can look quite good on me - unfamiliar, but not at all bad. So now I am not sure whether I'll keep it or not. I haven't even gotten around to weaving in the ends and blocking the thing, which is why I can only show you a picture from the very beginning:

I am so in love with these snowflake sequins! I always have been, from the first time I saw them :-) I even wondered whether they might look good in a black or teal yarn *g* Maybe I'll try that some day.

Learning Something New - Sock Knitting!

I've been spinning and knitting for well over six years now, yet somehow I never dared to try socks. I love handknit socks, but they seemed kind of intimidating as a knitting project. Also, I don't really want to spin sock yarn for several reasons: it has to be extremely thin, it has to be quite even, it has to be plied... It seems to be a matter of diligence more than of creativity, and I am not the most patient person, I like my creative outbursts ;-) Spinning and plying the usual sock yarn of 420m/100g would take ages. First, I'd have to spin nearly a thousand metres of yarn, then I'd have to ply all this yarn, and then it would probably not last for long, as socks are for walking in...

You could argue that I don't necessarily have to spin my own sock yarn. I am proud, though, I have never bought yarn other than cotton yarn for dish cloths - more about that another time, maybe - in all my spinning time, but always used my own handspun for my knitting projects. However, as with the cotton yarn, I finally decided to break the tradition after all. If I know I won't spin it but I do want to do the project, why not? After looking at sock yarn online I decided to compromise: I'd at least dye it myself. This way, I can still be creative, and I don't have to use yarn I am not fully satisfied with. I didn't like many of the commercial yarns, and when I thought about buying hand dyed sock yarn I though "hey, wait - why should I when I can have fun with it myself?". Sooo - I went to Ebay and bought 1 kg of undyed sock yarn ;-)

Due to lack of time (yes, still in my graduation process, studying like mad) I decided to do a quick dyeing session with easter egg colours. They can be used with normal cooking dishes and heat-set in the microwave, so no need for any preparations or special pots. I am quite in love with teals and blue-greens at the moment, so this is what I went for.

Unfortunately, my camera had some issues with getting the colours right - the yarn is a lot more beautiful in person! It's lighter than I wanted it to be (lots of light, somewhat greenish blue), but I got used to it and now like it very much :-)

I had picked a pattern before I bought and dyed the yarn: Falling Tears (which is also available on Lucygerbils blog). In fact, the pattern (wich I found while browsing on Ravelry during a pause between studying sessions) was the trigger for the whole thing. I am picky, I admit it. I have found few sock patterns I really liked (before this one, that is), and seeing that such a project takes a while I didn't want to get stuck with just any pattern. Only drawback: the pattern is not really suitable for beginners as the things which actually make a sock a sock are not explained. So I ended up buying a sock knitting book (it's in German - Sockenworkshop to go) and starting the project anyway. I am sure I could have found everything I needed on the internet, but sometimes I like having a book instead of printed sheets that will get lost at some point or another.

The photo is a little behind the actual status, I just started the heel a few days ago. Then I fell ill (bad dental infection or whatever is the correct term) and was in too much pain to do anything than watching trashy TV shows. I am better now, as the antibiotic is finally working, but I decided on some studying today instead of trying to work out the mysteries of sock knitting. I am looking forward to continuing the sock, but I still feel a bit intimidated ;-)

The Space-Time-Discrepancy

I haven't blogged for so long I really hope you all haven't wandered off to someplace more interesting! Much has happened here, but nearly all of it good :-) We have spent these past months renovating and at the end of August, my husband and I moved into our new flat. Sadly, there has been some delay concerning the basement flat, which will be the temporary home of Twisted and her husband until their own flat will be vacant. There is also still a lot to do before they can move in, so we'll have some more fun renovating... 

There has been not much spare time for spinning or tending to the shop, I've also been preparing for my final exams and I'm afraid shop updates and blog posts will be very irregular until April. BUT I have my own spinning room now! (which I won't be using much until next year, hence the title)

I originally planned to use the rather small room as a storage room for fibre and things to spin in, but it turned out there was still enough room after filling the shelves and putting up the drum carder, so I can actually spin there. This way, the living room will stay tidier ;-) And I still can move my wheel into the living room if I have company, but as long as I work during the day, I'll be very comfortable in my small woolly empire.

Tour de Fleece - Day 21

I haven't had much time for spinning lately, as was to be expected with all the stuff that's going on. We spent the past weeks renovating, and I spent the last two days studying for my exams and trying to squeeze in some house time (renovating again, and also getting some bills in order) in the evenings. Today was reserved for shop work, but I watched some documentations about Ancient Egypt while spinning :-) Twisted and some other friends gave them to me years ago, and I had already forgotten a lot, so it was nice to watch them again. It felt reasonable to combine spinning with some kind of learning/revising stuff that might be helpful. But enough about my studies, I'm going to show you the yarns :-)

 I carded some batts first thing in the morning and hoped to be able to spin them all up, which was indeed the case. I love the colours of all of them!

 Snow Daisies

I always love to use white fibres because their quality is somehow different than the dyed variety. Also, I don't have any dyed bluefaced leicester wool the texture of which is heavenly, so I like to use the pure white stuff. I combined it with only a small amount of green and yellow merino, shiny white alpaca and white lambs wool, and I spun in shimmering snowflake sequins and textile daisies. There's also a bit of commercial eyelash yarn in this one, and I used mother of pearl thread for even more of a shimmering, snowy touch.

This one is still without a name. I was thinking of naming it Koi Pond, but I think Twisted had a yarn once with this name, so I might want to use a different one. Maybe Sparkling Koi would be good since there is a lot of heavenly, peacock angelina (glitter) in this one. It's light fingering or even lace weight, though it looks sturdier in the picture.

 Bubble Gum

I'm not entirely satisfied with the name, maybe I'll think of something else. Bubble Bath is already taken, though the Bubble Bath yarn would also make a great Bubble Gum yarn due to its colour *g* Both the bubble yarns glow in the dark and feature these cute little glittery pompoms.

Open the Parcel

This came much, much earlier than expected... I ordered on Sunday and was certain I'd have to wait at least a week, maybe even two. My supplier seems to have improved, the parcel came today :-)

My cat was a little surprised and scared when I kicked the fat parcel into the living room, but he was also tired and lazy, and seemed to decide everything would be all right ;-)

As you can see, I followed your advice to get some purple and lavender :-) Also, many different reds, some blues, a few greens and teals. And one kilogramm of white lambs wool, Bluefaced Leicester and black merino wool each. I even labelled and packed them all, and I am proud to say I've ordered exactly the right amount to be able to squeeze everything into my boxes ;-)

I'd also like to show you what I made from the last bits of blue, dark grey and purple I had left before I received the package:

 The Storyteller

Arabian Nights

I have already spun this batt up, too, but I haven't had the chance to take a photo yet. The yarn is full of sparkly beads and some black lace fabric, very beautiful :-)

Busy Sunday

I might have mentioned that I am currently trying to spin one yarn per day, ever since I officially made our Etsy shop my part time job. Last sunday, I managed three! And I noticed how exhausting spinning can be. It's probably just like with everything else you do, even if it's fun, it gets straining after a while. Anyway, after spinning two yarns, I needed a break. My husband, who had been working the whole day, too, suggested a walk to clear our heads. We talked about yarn ideas, and about the difficulty I had with naming two of my yarns. Whenever I ask his advice/ideas about yarn names, he comes up with a bunch of ideas for new yarns, instead of a name for the yarn/s in question. But I don't mind, as I find it very inspiring :-)
On that day, I even had troubles to think of new creations, as my head was fuzzy from all the wool and silk I had spun ;-) My husband, on the other hand, had many ideas, one of which I implemented the instant we got back home:

What about a glacier yarn, in white and blues, and maybe with penguins?
Penguins? Where would I get them?  I'd have to make some and I'm not sure I can...
If you don't have any penguins, why not use black beads?
Hmmm... why not, indeed!

That's about how it went (as I remember it, anyway), and I was thrilled. I liked the idea of a yarn in light colours with solid black beads. And I do kind of like penguins, and ice, so that was perfect. And I had just a little amount of glow in the dark thread left, so I chose to spin a very bulky yarn with short yardage, and it turned out wonderfully, as you can see for yourself. It's now called Antarctic Glow; the yarn on the left is called Easter Egg Hunt, and the middle one is still without a name.

Yesterday, I received a delivery of beads, which gave me a whole lot of new possibilities and ideas, so stay tuned!

Woodland Magic

Last week I carded some batts, and I was really looking forward to spinning them - so I was happy when I found some spinning time during the weekend :-) Here's the yarn I spun from the first batt:

Woodland Magic

When I carded the batt, I already knew what add-ins I wanted to use: leafy ribbon, copper flower beads, and bohemian glass beads. The yarn is highly textured, as are old, gnarled trees with their structured bark. I also added coppery metallic thread for that hint of magic sparkle. 

I love the yarn, and I suddenly realized that I nearly never use brown fibre in my yarns. Just because I don't wear a lot of brown doesn't mean I shouldn't spin yarns containing brown, so I spun another one the day after, because I had a wonderful idea. The new yarn contains lots of lace strips - and it's called Ron's Dressrobes ;-) I haven't taken a picture of that one yet, though. They will both be listed during the next week if all goes well.

I've also listed a stunningly blue art yarn with satin roses - check out My Blue Valentine

The Ruby in the Smoke

I'd like to present one of my latest art yarns, inspired by a book called The Ruby in the Smoke (by Philip Pullman).

The book is the first of a series called The Sally Lockhart Mysteries, and it's about an emancipated young woman in 1872 who solves the case of her father's murder, and the mysteries surrounding it. Apart from the main plot, the books deal with the difficulties of gender roles in Victorian London. Sally Lockhart, whose mother had died when she was very young, and who learned everything she knows from her father, is good at accounting and at shooting pistols. She is strong-minded and brave. I really like her, and have enjoyed the books very much :-)
There's also a movie, with Billie Piper (who some of you might know from Dr. Who) as Sally Lockhart. I think the book is far better, but I also enjoyed the movie.

The yarn was inspired by the title of the book more than its contents. I spun it from black wool/silk blend, soft merino wool of anthracite and ruby red, grey alpaca fibre, and a bit of sparkling angelina. I added unobtrusively sparkling thread and many jewels: flat garnet discs (rubies would have been too expensive), freshwater pearls of a shimmering grey/peacock colour, and sparkling facetted crystal quartz beads. It is elegant and beautiful, and the jewels glitter mysteriously in the dark fibres.
305 m / 68 g, 17-19 wpi (light fingering weight, nearly laceweight). To be listed in the shop soon :-)

Christmas before Halloween?

Since I was very late with my Halloween yarns this year, I decided to start spinning Christmas yarns a little early - meaning, the first one is done :-) There's also still one Halloween yarn left which I haven't been able to list so far. That's because I haven't been able to take good photos of my latest yarns yet, and I am terribly busy with my other job at the moment, so listing the new yarns in the shop will have to be postponed a while. But I wanted to give you a little preview:

Watch your Back!

Another one with fun zombie heads in it - and quite a large skein it is, too: 216 m / 117 g. It's sparkly, it's fun - and a little creepy, of course :-)

Christmas Art Yarn
(still have to find the right name)This one contains wonderfully soft wool/silk blend, hand dyed tussah silk, lace fabric, faux pearls and red stars. I love the texture, and I always love yarns with fabric strips in them.

Skin of a Basilisk (3)


This was a custom order which I was very happy about :-) I had already spun two similar yarns way back, and I always liked them, and spinning them is fun because of all the coils. Also, as you might know by now, I love spinning Harry Potter related yarns *g*


Red Orange

Another custom order, placed by a lady I know personally :-) She has already received this yarn and likes it very much. It's made of hand dyed wool/silk blend and apparently it will be used as a highlight in a jacket for a child.

Need for more Yarn Bombs

Maybe some of you remember my first yarn bombing mission and the Dragonback graffiti I attached to a pole near our flat. Well, it's been up for about 9 months (I am surprised it's still there!) and it's more than weather-beaten. It has many holes and always slides down the pole - but someone seems to like it enough to regularly pull it up and somehow knot it together!



I have to admit, I am quite touched by that fact. But I think it's time for the graffiti to go, it's so holey and ugly. I hope to find the time to make a new graffiti for that pole soon, maybe an even brighter one, a larger one.
I am really surprised nobody has taken it down yet - there are people from public services who keep the little park in order, and I thought they'd throw it away.

The Strange and the Divine

I promised photos of my latest yarns which you have already seen on the bobbin, during the spinning process - and here they are :-)

Luna Lovegood


108 m / 97 g
I used fine merino wool of yellow, peach and light blue, as well as white mohair for a fine halo and white Bluefaced Leicester wool for extra softness. I spun in sunflowers and wonderful handmade glass radishes Potzblitz made for me:

Aren't the amazing?

And here's the other yarn:

Athena

191 m / 90 g
I used a wonderful merino/bamboo blend I had dyed quite a while ago. It was sitting in my dyed fibre box and for a long time, I couldn't decide what to make from it. Sometimes, when I like some supplies a lot, I don't want to use them too quickly, I usually wait for the perfect project. Now that I found it I am very happy that it turned out as beautifully as I wanted it to be :-)
I spun in two types of a kind of leaf garland, the green one clearly alluding to the olive branches associated with the Goddess Athena, and some silver-coloured owls - Athenas associated birds.
Athena is - besides other things - considered the Goddess of spinners and weavers.

Both yarns are to be listed in our shop very soon :-)

Mysterious Project Revealed

A short while ago, I hinted at a secret project I was planning for myself. Well, now - here it is, or at least, here is the plan and part of what I'll need :-)

When I saw some beautiful, drilled sea glass on Etsy, I started day-dreaming about an ocean-themed shawl. I don't like spinning lots of the same yarn (it gets boring far too quickly ;-)), so I thought about spinning a variety of ocean-themed yarns, spun in different styles, textures and colours. I thought a shawl made from them would be marvellous - but then I looked at the prices for drilled sea glass and postponed further thoughts about the shawl.

It came to mind again when the wonderful potzblitz, with whom I had already traded cute toadstool glass beads, offered to make some more glass beads in exchange for a skein of art yarn. I requested glass beads looking like sea glass. I wanted them to be irregular, colourful and frosted - and here they are:

Aren't they wonderful?

After I learned I would get them, I started spinning the first yarns for my project. Before I can spin a yarn containing the beautiful glass beads, however, I'll need time to dye some fibre. I'm thinking dark, stormy grey-greenish-turquoisish, and I won't add much else than the beads, so they will stand out.


So far, I've spun four yarns for the shawl: two small skeins and two regular ones.

The small ones are corespun yarns, the core of which consists of glow-in-the-dark-thread. One is of light turquoise and contains dark sea shells and large peacock freshwater pearls; the other is of dark grey and dark teal, and contains lots of angelina and shimmering sequins.
I spun one of the larger skeins from hand dyed wool/silk blend, adding lots of freshwater pearls, frosted seed beads and sequins. For the last one, I carded and spun up a batt from merino wool of many different shades of teal and turquoise, orange highlights and sparkling angelina. It also contains lots of seed beads, some white sea shells, and commercial eyelash yarn.

Playing Around with a Tweedy Look

I had a little time for carding last week, and I decided to try carding batts for yarns with a tweedy look. Now, strictly speaking, a tweed yarn is a two-ply, but I usually prefer singles. I looked up what else defines a tweed yarn, but that seems to differ (depending on the source of the information), so I just went for what I think of as a tweedy look and I carded and spun up two batts:

Autumn Tweed

Midnight Tweed

I forgot to take a photo of the batt :-/

I really like the texture of the yarns. I chose very soft, grey alpaca and black, rather more rough Icelandic wool, as well as merino wool to provide colour. I love the mixture of rough and soft wool/fibre and the mottled look. Both yarns contain sparkly fibre as well.

More Toadstools

Some weeks ago, I traded a handmade shawl pin for two sets of handmade glass beads. I had mentioned this before, but that was before the trade took place. By now the beads have arrived and I absolutely love them! I am stunned there are people who can actually make something like that with their own hands. Well, some people out there probably think similarly about yarn, I guess ;-)

I have already spun one set of beads into a yarn - and here it is:


The other set is also red, but with black spots and I intend to spin a ladybug yarn from light green wool or maybe wool/silk blend - and I am really looking forward to it :-) I'll post a photo as soon as I am done.

The beads were made by Potzblitz - viiieeelen Dank nochmal! :-)

Join Harry Potter in the Room of Hidden Things

I've been wanting to spin more Harry Potter yarns for quite a while now. And one idea has been sleeping at the back of my mind: I wanted to turn the Room of Requirement/Room of Hidden Things into a spectacular art yarn. I imagined a dark yarn with lots of weird stuff in it, and it took me a while to get everything ready. I used many silver-coloured charms of different shapes: forks, spoons, hats, coat-hangers, umbrellas, teddybears, and more; and I rummaged in the depths of my drawers for some glow-in-the-dark ghosts and a kind of eye (both types I had made from polymer clay previously), some bone skulls, and some shells and bells. I also added lots of facetted glass beads. I chose black merino wool, grey and black alpaca fibre and some sari silk of greens and blues for the project and tried to spin a yarn more wild and irregular than usual. I do like the outcome :-)



It's funny - I've had some sari silk for years now, and I hardly ever used it. Probably because I don't keep it where I keep the rest of my spinning stuff, so I always forget about it - but that's definetly going to change, that stuff is great! I love the texture of yarn with added sari silk :-)
Hopefully, this yarn will be in the shop soon!

I really need to plan more Harry Potter yarns, it's always fun to spin those and the theme is one of my favourites :-)

Turning the Great Wheel

I've wanted to tell you about this for ages, but somehow I never got around to actually doing it. Now that I am temporarily unable to use a spinning wheel, I can at least write about my experience on the Great Wheel or Walking Wheel :-)

In September 2009, my husband and I went to Ireland on our honeymoon. We spent a few days in Dublin, then slowly made our way to the west coast, visiting the Boyne Valley with Newgrange and Knowth, spending time in a cute café in a small town called Slane (where I knitted a cowl - which reminds me I have to find the pictures again), visiting Trim Castle and Locke's Distillery Museum, and finally ending up in Galway, as intended. We spent a few nights at a cozy B&B called Liscarna. After a few days there, on one of which we visited Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands, we drove on to Clifden. There, we spent a few nights at another recommendable B&B called Kingstown House and drove around the countryside during the days.
I was delighted when, as I consulted the internet for yarn or fibre shops nearby (as I did in every town we passed, by the way ;-)) I found The Sheep and Wool Centre, just about half an hour away from Clifden. We just HAD to go there :-D And we did.


It's a museum of sheep, fibre and fibre-related crafts; a shop; and a café. You can read more about it on their website if you like. Anyway, we went there and stated that we wanted to visit the museum. We were the only people who did, somehow all the others were satisfied with the shop and café. After having watched a film about local (sheep/fibre-related) history we were given a spinning and carding demonstration. When I told the lady I already knew how to spin she was delighted, as for some reason there don't seem to be many spinners left in western Ireland. I hinted that I really wanted to know more about spinning on the Great Wheel, since I had read about them but could never really imagine how to work with them. And then - she not only showed us, but let me try it.

Unlike with a more modern spinning wheel, you don't treadle with your feet and use both hands for drafting the fibre, but you turn the (really large) wheel with your right hand...

...while drafting the fibre with your left hand only:


While drafting, you hold the emerging yarn in a right angle to the wheel. As soon as your arm doesn't seem to be long enough anymore, you hold the yarn parallel to the wheel and it will be wound around the spool - turning the wheel with your other hand all the time, mind you!

It was weird and unfamiliar, and I did have my problems with the technique, although Orla (I think she was called) seemed to think I did fairly well. It was fun, and I think if I practiced I would make good progress. I don't want another wheel, though, I already have three and don't know where I'd put such a large one ;-)

It was a great experience and I really recommend visiting The Sheep and Wool Centre - so if you have the chance, go for it - and say hello from me :-)

Who would have guessed?

I love the ocean. I love ocean-themed yarns. I made another one :-D
I'm still thinking about the name of this one - "High Tide" comes to mind, as well as "Seashells from the Ocean". Well, both are not too creative, I'm afraid. Maybe I'll consult my pillow :-)
This is another one of my yarns I'll find it hard to part with, by the way - but that's the same with all my ocean yarns, come to think of it.



And here's another new one where the title is difficult. Since it's made from pure alpaca fibre (hand dyed by myself) and contains silver flowers, I'm thinking of "Paca ate the Flowers". A bit weird, I know - but so am I ;-)

I hope to be able to list this one before I fall asleep. It's nearly 2 in the night here and I should go to bed... At least it's quiet now - after Germany won the game tonight, people made quite a racket. I did actually watch the game, and I think that was a first. I was never really interested, but somehow I didn't even get bored and I kind of look forward to the next one tomorrow. Strange things happen...

A Good Start

Twisted and I participated in a spinning meet-up last weekend. It was nearby, the people were nice and interesting, and we had a lot of fun. I had forgotten many things I would have needed, like an extra bobbin for plying, a needle of the right size, a part of my lazy kate (a plying help thingy), but I managed to spin a gorgeous yarn, anyway. Since I was missing a bobbin, I spun the black plying thread on the Hitchhiker wheel some of the participants thankworthy let me use. It was fun to try that wheel, but honestly: I don't like it much. I love the design and the fact that it is small and portable, but it is very loud when you treadle fast (which I do) and it kept falling apart. Not my thing, really, but I was glad I could use it, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to carry on with the yarn. Which reminds me - here it is ;-)

For My Inner Punk


It contains black and pink merino wool, pink silk strips, metal discs and screw-nuts. I usually don't like pink much, but this combination I LOVE! :-)
Now I need to find some time to list the beauty - should be rather soon.