the Akamai Knitter

Remember this yarn?

I spun it from this beautiful combed top, dyed from by the talented Margot of Forest Fiber Works.

photo courtesy of Forest Fiber Works

Then the fabulous Katie of Two Hills Designs took the yarn and created this.

photo coutersy of Two Hills Designs

So there you have it. A collaboration of three fiber artists who were pretty much strangers! What a wonderful way to come together.

The cats were so impressed they disappeared on me. o.O

Happy Wednesday folks. :)

I woke up at 6:30am and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I didn’t even get anything productive done. Don’t you hate that?

On Friday I was woefully unproductive, so here’s me trying to catch up.

Stats:

Deep Blue

100% Superwash Merino
250 yards
4.05 oz – approx. 12WPI

Enchanted Knoll Farm “Blue Octopus”

I was very fortunate to get my hands on this fiber. Enchanted Knoll sells out fast and boy did I love spinning this up. I love how slick superwash fibers are and I think superwash has an added softness to it.

But that might just be me.

The colors in this skein are my utter favorites. If I didn’t have piles and bins of yarn everywhere I’d probably be keeping this. But really, I see this becoming a hat and what use do I have for a hat?

Stats:

Violets In The Forest

100% Rambouillet
250 yards
4.2 oz – 12WPI

Hungry For Handspun – “Moss Agate”

I bought this fiber because it was simply beautiful and it stretched me out of my comfort zone. These are so NOT my colors just like the Zuni aren’t my colors. I had a blast spinning it up. Rambouillet is one of my favorite fibers. I’m still trying to get the hang of the low-twist single though.

Finally, I thought I’d mention that I’ve joined the Ravelympics. Due to other commitments, I decided to just knit up something small.

Since I still had some leftover yarn, I chose a hat to match the Fetchings I made my friend Lisa. She chose the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret pattern. (Ravelry link.)

I duly cast on at the appointed time. Then I ripped. Then I cast on.  Etc, etc, ad nauseum.  I finally got a rhythm going and got this far:

Until I realized that this was not going to be a slouchy beret. So I ripped it all out and I’m now using bigger needles and I’ve gotten a little bit past the ribbing.

This is why I chose a small project.

Kitty!

Happy Sunday, folks! I hope you all have tomorrow off. :)

So just for kicks, I thought I’d bombard you with more handspun.

Pa-pow!

The details:

Terra

100% Targhee

420 yards
18 WPI
4.1 oz

Fiber Credit – Hungry For Handspun

I got this fiber for my birthday a year or two ago. (Thanks, Jen!) I adore Targhee. Adore it! I tried to spin it spider web thin, but somehow that didn’t happen. Still, I got some pretty good yardage on it.  Enough so that a person could make a nice shawlette with it.

Pa-pow!

The details:

Woodland Faun

100% Superwash Blue Faced Leicester

185 yards
12 WPI
4.5 oz

Fiber credit – Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club

I loved loved loved spinning this up even though the colors really weren’t up my alley. I also don’t like to spin regular BFL.  But the superwash? I dig the superwash. It has a nice sheen to it and a softness the untreated BFL doesn’t seem to have.

Or maybe I’ve just been spinning the wrong BFL?

Pa-pow!

The details:

Sweet Respite

100% South African Fine
185 yards
12 WPI
4.5 oz

Fiber credit: Hungry For Handspun

I worked really hard to keep this a low twist single. I minded my treadling and I cranked up the tension. For the most part I think I did okay. Plus, South African Fine is another favorite of mine. It’s so soft! I also have crazy love for the colors. So soothing!

Another thing I have to bore you with is the same necklace I’ve shown you before. Only I tried to jazz it up a bit by adding pearls. I didn’t add a crap load of pearls, just a touch here and there.

I tried to get a shot of the necklace on my velveteen display stand, but my camera totally freaked out on me. I don’t know what happened, but it was not pretty. I’ll just save you the eyesore and skip those photos.

Sadly, I have no pretty scenic or feline shots for you. What I do have is a shot of me and my friends enjoying lunch at the Waioli Tea House this past Saturday.

Can you guess which of those lovely ladies is my mother?

Happy Thursday, everyone!Thanks for putting up with me and my zany ways!

There has been spinning.

This is the last installment of Hungry For Handspun’s 2009 Fiber Club.

It’s a blend of 60% Superwash Merino, 30% Bamboo, and 10% Nylon and it’s called “Chocolate Cabernet Tart”.

Just look at the yummy.

I’ve been spinning this laceweight thin.

I could probably spin it thinner then that, but when I do I get paranoid about it breaking.

The one thing about spinning laceweight is that it seems to take forever, so I tend to get bored because I’m the queen of craft ADD.  Luckily I can switch projects on the wheel by switching bobbins.

I plan on spinning this up to break the monotony.

That’s a 100% Merino braid called “Zuni” from Forest Fiber Works. Her fiber is so nice and soft and it really spins itself. Go. Check her out.

If you know me, you’re probably wondering why I chose those colors. All I can say to that, is that I fell in love with it and had to have it. Personally I think that we all need to jump out of our personal color comfort zones once in awhile and experiment with different things.

The cats have all gone into hiding, but I did manage to snag this picture the other day while I was out. It’s not the best picture, but a rainbow is still a rainbow!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I have been remiss. I have been a bad blogger. So here’s me trying to catch up.

Here are another couple of skeins of handspun that have been yearning for attention.

Azurite

2-ply

200yds
12 WPI – 4.15oz
100% Merino

Fibrer Credit: Forest Fiber Works “Tidal Pool”

This is the first time I’ve tried Forest Fiber works and I gotta say it was so much fun to spin. It practically spun itself.

Only I hadn’t been at the wheel for awhile when I spun this one up so it isn’t as consistent as I would have liked it to be.

Next up, is a single.

Calypso

260 yards
18 WPI – 3.8oz
100% Finn

Fiber Credit: Zarzuela’s Fiber “Pigment”

I love Jessica and her fiber! I love Finn! I love this colorway! (Pigment.) I just don’t love how I spin singles. There are spots that are just a little too overspun for my liking.

Ah well. I’ll keep practicing. Practice makes perfect right?

Speaking of practice. I started doing something new.

I’ve been wanting to play with resin for awhile now. When I hit the last bead show there was a vendor doing a demo. That sealed my fate. I came home with some basic supplies.  Next thing you know I’m ordering more from Etsy.  I finally ended up with the above!

That was my first try.  I gotta admit. I was afraid of trying something new. The resin intimidated me. Luckily I had Tough Love Megan on the line and she gave me the support I needed to just go for it.

I’m so glad she did!

Although, there’s an air bubble on the bottom right corner. o.O

My mantra? Practice makes perfect.

Happy Thursday everyone! Friday is right around the corner!