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Hello Fiber Arts Friday Fans,

Sorry this is a really quick post.  I don’t have a lot of time this morning since I have a lot to do at the day job today.

So I leave you with this video I did earlier in the week.  It’s me making a roll brim hat on my Addi Express King Size.  From cast on to weaving in the ends and trying on the hat it took me exactly 30 minutes.

I’ve decided to do a Lollypop Yarn giveaway! If you know where the song I used in the video came from shoot me off the answer in an email. (contacts page). If there’s more than 1 person who guesses it then I’ll do a drawing. A couple of hints, It’s a recent song and you do have to be a bit of a nerd to know it.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

I finally finished my KAL La La Shawl.  After binding off I decided to half double crochet a boarder out of some hand spun yarn I had that.  Sorry It’s not blocked yet so here’s just a teaser photo.

I’ve also been dying the Facebook page winner Lollypop skeins and here’s the latest one that came out of the dye pot.  Dark blue, purple and green.  Photos never seem to get the colors right but at least the purple showed up this time!

Lastly we have furs! Yippy!  A few weeks ago a few of us took a road trip down to the tanner to pick up our orders and toured the facility.  Color me weird but I just love tanneries.  No where else will I ever be able to get to feel the wonderful textures of so many different pelts from wolverines to giraffes.  Anywho, here’s the furs I now have up on Etsy.

 

Welcome back Fiber Arts Friday fans.

This week I’ve spent a lot of time knitting.  I was hoping to finish my KAL La La Shawl this week but looks like I might have to put 1 more week into it to finish it up.   It is coming along nicely and this thing is going to be HUGE when blocked.  I have so many shawls hanging around I’ll probably have it up for sale when it’s finished.

Have you ever timed yourself on how fast you knit?  Gosh I feel like I’m such a sloth at knitting.  I can crochet a complicated pattern at speed but a simple garter stitch seems to take me forever.  So, I sat down and decided to time myself at both the Knit and Purl.  Here’s my results

60 seconds = 35 Knit
60 seconds = 30 Purl

Those darn speed knitters I’ve seen can double those numbers!  The other thing I’ve noticed about knitting is every time I get to the end of the row I dread turning and going back the other way.  Most of the time I put my project down after every row and pick it back up 10-15 min later… I think that’s why I’m so slow.

Well I better get over my hump because I’m still going to attempt my first vest.  This week I knit up a gauge swatch, washed and measured it to figure out how to proceed.   Now to go get some #7 24″ circulars so I can actually start!

More alpaca shearing this weekend!  I’ll be shearing “professionally” for the first time at another farm this weekend.  Wish me luck!

2 winners were drawn on Monday for our Lollypop Yarn giveaway!  They were Barb Phillips and Dawn Zeigler!  If you ever want to be part of future giveaways be sure to like our Facebook Page!

Of course there’s Lots of goodies to check out in our Etsy Shop too.  Time to get your stash ready for Tour de Fleece!

Hello Fiber Arts Friday Fans.

I’m on a fiber whorl wind lately!

I dyed up some more roving braids this week.  They are posted in our Etsy Shop.

I’ve also been washing up all of the fleeces that I’ve recently sheared.  There’s washed prime, 2nds and 3rds all in our Etsy Shop at great prices.   All of it has been skirted, sorted, washed and the colored fiber has been conditioned.

I’ve also been spinning!  This is what I’ve been calling my alpaca curly yarn.  100% from one of our girls spun around a 100% alpaca thread.  Pretty nifty eh?  4 skeins are already spoken for I have enough to spin up 2 more skeins if anyone else is intersted.

I also spun up this lovely skein of sheatland plied with alpaca thread

Last fiber goody I’ve been working on is my KAL La La Shawl.  Gosh I hate knitting but the shawl is coming along nicely and at least I get to play with the pretty purple yarn I couldn’t help but buy last week.

Speaking of hating knitting.  Seven Spirits Farm has been spinning up one of my alpaca fleeces for me (she’s better than I am) and I have plans to knit a vest out of it.  Doesn’t this yarn look scrumptious?

Last chance to enter! 
2 winners will be picked on Monday for a skein of Lollypop Yarn

All you have to do is LIKE our FB Page!  CLICK HERE! 

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Last weekend I enjoyed an afternoon of spinning with a bunch of awesome ladies over at Seven Spirits Farm.  No one wanted their photo taken!  Shy folk.  I took photos anyway LOL

I had a goal this week do dye up a braid of roving each day of the week… I got 5 braids dyed up before my day job interfered.   All of these are currently up for sale on our Etsy Shop if anyone is interested.

I also decided to finally start my La La Shawl KAL with the Genesee Valley Hand Spinners guild.  Of course it meant going to the Yarn Boutique to pick up a new #10 circular needle to work it.   Ever try walking into a yarn store with only one item in mind and buy more?  Yeah well I couldn’t help but pick up this lovely purple by Cascade Yarns which happily replaced the yarn I was going to use for the shawl.  Isn’t she pretty?!

Lastly there’s a couple of new Facebook Groups you all might be interested in.  Check them out!

“Washed Fiber For Sale”

“Fiber Animals for Sale”

Lastly don’t forget I’m doing a Lollypop Yarn GIVEAWAY! at the end of the month all you have to do is like our Farm Page on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dutch-Hollow-Acres/160939610604214