Category: Fiber Arts

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FAF: Lollypop Yarn for a Cause

Hello Fiber Arts Friday Fans!

Last spring I had helped our local humane society re-home an alpaca.  While I was there they were kind enough to give me several bags of wool sheared from their sheep the weekend before.  I made the promise then that I would process the wool and sell the yarn and give back the profits to Lollypop Farm.

The road to getting the yarn was a bit bumpy.  I had no clue that I was allergic to wool!  After skirting 2 fleeces I had totally broken out in hives from head to toe and stayed that way for over a week.  Yuck.  I guess that’s one reason why I raise alpacas.

I then shipped out the yarn to Battenkill Fiber Mill and thanks to one thing or another I didn’t have the funds to have them process it so there it sat.   Back in November I gave them the go ahead to work the fiber and the finished product just arrived at my door step.

Of course I have to fret the hives issue one more time as I wind the yarn up into skeins, wash, dye, dry, re-skein or wrap into center pull balls.   Whatever, it’s all for a good cause.

So, here it is!  The skeins are priced at $20  1/2 is for processing fees the other 1/2 goes right to Lollypop Farm.

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I’ve also got some nice Cranberry currently cooling in the dye pot.  It should be ready by tomorrow.  If anyone would like a custom color let me know.

Lastly, Here’s a photo of my dog Brindee.  She just looked so happy on all those pillows.

 

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WIP: Leftovers Scarf

Guess what! My SD Card on my phone randomly started working again.  So knock on wood my HTC Thunderbolt has 100% survived my washing machine.

That means I now get to show you what I’m working on.  Since I had left over yarn from my dreadful blanket project I decided to make a scarf out of it.  Since I already knew working with Lion Homespun totally sucks both on the needle and hook I opted to toss it on my blue loom.  So far no swear words!  It looks like the Homespun works up very nicely this way.

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FAF: Oops

Hello Fiber Arts Friday followers.

So why the Oops?  Well you might notice a lack of photos on today’s post.  Why? Because I sent my cell phone through the washing machine.  It has been thoroughly cleaned.

I let it sleep in rice overnight but it was still dripping by morning so I set the phone on a stool in front our coal stove the next day and that cooked all the water right out of it.  Put the battery back in and POOF it WORKED! Unfortunately my SD card which houses all of my photos.  Dead.  So I’m shopping for a new one.

I have been very crafty lately though

  1. I’ve ripped up 3 old sheets into 1 inch strips and have been slowly connecting them and winding the strips up into a big ball of awesomeness.  The goal is to make a new rag rug for my kitchen.  My store bought rug practically fell apart last time I put it in the washing machine so it needs to go.
  2. I’ve started on a new scarf using up all the scraps of homespun left over from the hateful blanket project.  It’ll probably be another year before I finish it too.
  3. Rope!  I have been making iCord like made lately and have been braiding up new alpaca rope.   Here’ the latest set of 7′ split reins that are currently for sale in my Etsy Shop.  Yes I actually have a photo!
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FAF: A Very Fibery Christmas

I think I fell into a 3 week Fiber Arts Friday void.  But I’m back and boy have I been busy while I was gone.

Here’s a whole bunch of finished projects.

1. Red and Green Scarf.  This was made out of our own alpaca, hand spun/dyed into a thick bulky yarn.  I knit it up into this tube scarf and holy cow is it thick and WARM!  I was going to give it away as a gift but ended up getting cold and using it myself.  Yeah, Merry Christmas to me!

 

2. Baby Afghan- DONE!  Not quite meant for a baby any more as the little guy this will be heading off to is a year old now.  Good thing too because this blanket is heavy!   Totally hated the project and I’m glad it’s done.  Lion Bran Homespun yarn SUCKS.  It splits, is hard to see stitches but I must say it is oh so soft and makes for a beautiful project once all the swear words have left my mouth.

3. I had some left over acrylic yarn and started crocheting in a circle to take up time.  Well my circle got pretty big and I like the way the colors turned out.  I think it would make for a nice mat on my dinning room table to set a vase of flowers on.   It’s also thick enough that it could be used as a hot pad too.

 

4. If you haven’t checked out the tutorials I made this week here are the links.

– Speed Knitting iCord using an Embellish Knit

– Addi Express Tutorials

Well that about sums up the last 3 weeks for me. What have you been up to?

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Addi Express Tutorials

I purchased an Addi Express King Size from Paradise Fibers a while back and thought I’d start this page for those looking for more information or tips on how to use their Addi.

What is an Addi Express?  It is a circular knitting machine much like the Innovations knitting machine.  While the Innovations machine was inexpensive and fascinating to watch on QVC the Addi is the lesser known high end model.  The machine is made of very sturdy plastic and doesn’t feel like it will break on you after one project.

I purchased the “King Size” version which has 46 needles and can knit adult hats quickly or panels up to 17″ wide for sweater/blanket projects.   The Addi also makes a smaller model which works well for tube scarfs and infant hats.

Be sure to bookmark this page.  I will be adding more videos along the way.