An attempt to document my creative pursuits and spew inspiration into the universe.

An attempt to document my creative pursuits and spew inspiration into the universe.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

New Friend

I made a new friend...

Monday, February 21, 2011

Casting On

Well, once I got the yarn all spun and washed, I just couldn't wait any longer to cast-on for knitting my Traditional Danish Tie-Shawl.  The yarn is subtly striping the way I'd hoped, and I'm liking the way the charcoal stripes are looking.
My absolute favorite knitting is with my own handspun.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

New Laptop Sleeve

Last year I made this groovy laptop case for my computer, using one of my favorite patchwork techniques of mosaicing together small scraps of wool.  I loved how it turned out, but it was just a tad too small for my PowerBook. 
Thanks to generous & thoughtful friends, I was recently able to upgrade my computing to this  MacBook.
Sleeker in design and trimmer than the old PowerBook, it fits the sleeve perfectly, gliding in and out with ease.
Luv.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Re:Boutique Grand Opening



SCRAP's Re:Boutique shop will be having it's grand opening later this month. The shop features handmade items crafted from recycled materials. I'm selling Green Gin's fingerless Mitts for Musing, and small plush Pocket Buns. For those of you readers who live in the Portland, Oregon area, SCRAP is a most excellent resource for recycled craft materials. Come on down and check it out. I hear there will be a Thai food cart in the parking lot!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Wheel Goes 'Round & 'Round

 
  •  I've been taking advantage of this winter's recent inclemency by sitting near the wood stove with my spinning wheel. Last week I spun up this hand-painted BFL top in Lord of the Mountain colorway I bought at last year's Black Sheep Gathering from Crown Mountain. I love, love, love Crown Mountain fibers. The hanks are soft and a joy to spin, barely needing pre-drafting. Each bump of fiber is like a mini-painted masterpiece. I wanted to stretch this top to make as much yarn as I could from it, so I spun it up in a fine singles (fine as I can make, anyway!) using the top as-is (no splitting or dividing). 

 I delved into my substantial stash of naturally dyed fiber (all of those experiments add up!) and pulled these, which somewhat matched the colors in the Crown Mountain top. I spun a singles using long stretches of each color, one after the other, hoping to create a yarn that will have some subtle striping when knit up.

I love how the finished yarn looks. I find that "barber pole" yarn is a beautiful object in itself. As far as knitting it up, it tends to give a tweedy appearance, blending the colors even more. Next time I'll try to spin my singles even thinner, and go for a triple chain-ply, which will keep the colors rather more separated.

My plan for this yarn is to knit a tradition Danish tie-shawl. I've been wanting to make one for ages; I'm attracted to the way the shawl wraps around and ties at the waist, making it practical (& cozy!) for daily use when working around the house. 
I'll be adding in some stripes with this charcoal grey recycled yarn. I've got a huge hankerin' to cast on NOW, but I'm trying to hold off until I make more progress on a top-down sweater I'm working on (my first full-on sweater!). It's been so chilly this winter, that I've been mighty inspired to knit up plenty of warm coziness. I just hope I get them finished in time to give them a bit of wear before the cold weather leaves!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Thursday, February 10, 2011

A Tardy Arrival to the New Year

Welcome!
I'm finally sewing something special for myself. This is a soon-to-be appliqued sleeve for a hemp-hoodie-wrap-thingie. Mmmm...my favorite color: brown!
I've been exploring new directions with my plush-making.
...as well as continuing production with some tried-and-trues (the ever-lovin' Mitts for Musing).
Some things work better if they sit around for awhile, partially made, waiting for their true final forms to be revealed.
Louie sez "Mrrrrow". (He's my cuddle muse).