FO - Cold Mountain

Last spring I started Cold Mountain, a Knitty pattern.  It was my first real lace project.  I used baby alpaca yarn--two skeins that I bought at Weaving Works--I didn't keep the label.  It took 5 months to knit.  Then it sat in a box during the move to the new house.  I finally blocked it and took a few photographs. Here it is...

Polypay

Last Christmas my husband gave me a whole Polypay fleece.  I finally got it out and washed it. Now I'm flick carding the locks and spinning a worsted yarn.  If you are not familiar with Polypay, let me tell you it's really nice to spin.  It's soft and durable at the same time.  Apparently it's a breed created in the US in the 1970's. It's a cross breed of Dorset and Targhee with Rambouillet and Finnsheep.  My husband bought this one from Maplewood North. I have purchased several fleece from these folks and I've been pleased with the product every time.

I'm spinning without a planned project.  I love spinning that way because as I spin I can contemplate what exactly I'll do with the yarn.  This time I'm thinking "socks...no, mittens...no, something lacy...no, socks".  I have to admit, I don't even know if this is going to be a 2-ply or a 3 ply yet...

The Barn

The land lord called it the "Cottage". My husband called it the "Yarn Barn". I tried to call it the "Studio". What is it? It's the free-standing shack connected to my house by a deck. There's no running water, but there is electricity. There's two rooms--one for sewing, carding, and spinning and the other for weaving. There's enough room for all of my stuff. I've had it for a month now and I'm just settling in. I tried to call it something cool, but in the end the words "The Barn" just come out of my mouth when I tell my family where I'll be. "I'll be in the barn." This is ironic, because in my neighborhood there are no real barns to be seen. For those who live in Seattle, and know my area--Judkins Park/Rainier---you will know that this is not "barn" territory. None the less, it's my (yarn) barn.

I moved to a new house.

So why the long break from Fleece Love and Happiness? Well, I moved again. The packing and unpacking threw a wrench in my crafting time....but it's well worth it because now I have my own room---a shed really---for all my equipment. Yahoo! No more keeping the loom in the dining room.
I've set up my work table , sewing machine, and looms. I've stored all my fiber, yarn and fabric. Now I get to start some projects. Going through some bins of fiber, I found some "dyeing projects gone bad". I carded them into some multi-fiber, multicolored batts and began spinning.
The new house also has a deck so I can work outside. Today I'm washing fleece and soaking recently spun skeins to dry in the sun. It's the hottest day of summer in Seattle this year.

Life is good.

Catching Up

It's been a while since I've checked in. I have been busy with all kinds of fiber related projects. I finished knitting the Cold Mountain shawl, but since it's not blocked yet, I have not photographed it to share with you. During that long and tedious project, I made this scarf as a "side project". It was a mindless project that kept my hands busy and I used it as a "break" form the lace shawl.
I started with some BFL roving and spaced dyed it. Then I spun singles and I left it as a single. That's right. It's my first attempt of making a single (non-plied) yarn. And I really liked it. Below is my daughter's friend Maddie who modeled for me on the fly.
Recently I finished spinning all of the Jacob fleece. Some is combed and some is carded. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet...maybe a blanket of natural colored yarns.

Washing Fleece

While I was down in Salem, Oregon, at the Northwest Regional Spinner's conference, I purchased this Shetland fleece. "Finian" produced 5 1/2 lbs on his 2nd sheering, according Terry from Windy Valley Fiber Arts who sold me the fleece. This was a super stinky fleece. I decided to wash it in the top-loader washing machine. Since the fleece was so big, I wash it in two different sections. I ran hot water into the washing machine, soaked the fleece for several hours using Dawn as the cleaning agent, then I spun out the water. No agitation was used, of course. Then I ran some warm water in, soaked it again, and spun out the water again. I must say that it's still a wee bit stinky, but I 'm not willing to mess with it any more. I dried it out on the picnic table on a nice warm day.

Woolly Rug - Take Two

In my quest for a thick woolly rug design, I have made a second attempt. This time I wove 6 rows of Cotswold locks then 3 rows of Shetland yarn. The warp is black cotton rug warp set at 10 e.p.i. The rows with thick locks made the warp all wonky and crooked, then the yarn rows straightened out the warp--sort of re-setting it to be even again. This is a very heavy rug.
My first rug is on the right. I used thin locks and more yarn. For second rug, on the left, I used big lumps of wool to make it thick and squishy.
Oh Cold Mountain, you are so much work. I will finish you someday.