New Year - New Possibilities! =)

Hopefully 2013 will be a better year for me healthwise, and then I might manage to get this blog up and running again... =)

I have gotten some stuff done, though - here I will show some of the things I finished.

This summer I finally got around to spin some more Chiengora = dogs wool. I have spun it with predrafted silk hankies, and I like the result very much. Some of the singles I plied with f.i. Merino or Polwarth like this - Chiengora Samojed + Mulberry silk hankies plied with Merino-silk.

These supersoft and fuzzy skeins were given to the owner of the Samojeds. She was very happy! =) This summer I also tried weaving for the first time, and I whipped up some scarfs! Who had thought that weaving would be so much fun?! =) Here is scarf number 3 - using mostly handspun silk yarns.

I also spun some Chiengora Samojed with dyed silk hankies that I kept as a singles, and I used that singles as weft and handspun silk yarn and some commercial silk yarn as warp. I wondered how the energized singles would behave in weaving, and I think it turned out great! The more the scarf is handled, the softer it gets! =)

When I first started spinning 2 years ago, I thought I would never spin crazy artyarn. But after I tried I realized it is SO cool and that the possibilities are endless!! =)

Corespun organic merino

Corespun Cormo locks with silk add-ins

...that turned into this buttoned cowl/scarf. =)

I have wanted to dye my fiber and yarns for a long time, and I finally got around to try. This is organic Merino I dyed myself before corespinning it.

My sister wanted a blue hat, so I made this for her out of the corespun yarn. I made it reversible and with a doubled brim. =)

Another corespun yarn turned into a bouclé type yarn when I plied it a special way.

This corespun BFL - at least some of it

..turned into a cool buttoned cowl for myself. =)

This scarf with very long fringes were made of corespun Cormo locks. Supersoft and cool! =)

I also entered the Longest Thread Competition 2013 (Electric spinner) with my attempt to spin as thin as I managed. I used raw Cormo locks, and my second attempt got ca. 270 meters 2-ply from ca. 12 grams wool. Even though that is really thin and a lot thinner than I thought I could do, it is not even close to what the winners manage... *lol*

But it was a new experience, and it is cool to be a part of the competition. Hopefully the thread will hold together to be measured correctly... =)

I have spun a lot more yarns in 2012 and crafted more projects, but this was a little summary of the new things I have tried. =)


And as most of us are getting a little older, what better to start this new year with a beautiful song?

Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac - Landslide - Live 1975.
Enjoy! =)

Midnight Sky Handspun Boyfriend Scarf! =)

It`s been quiet on this front lately, but I am keeping busy with spinning. And now I finally have a finished project to show you! *yay*

It is the Midnight Sky Handspun Boyfriend Scarf - knit in supersoft and silky handspun baby alpaca fiber from Upstream Alpacas. I love that fiber! I can`t get enough of that fiber! *lol*

I just C-O 60 sts on a 5 mm circular needle (40 cm long) and knit a tube untill I ran out of yarn. The 2 first and last rows were knit like this: k1, p1 throughout. I had a big ass skein of 530 meters and 229 grams, and the scarf is ca. 216 cm long. My boyfriend loves it so I am very happy! =)

 

 

 

Here is the yarn!

Out Of My Head! =)

I`ve made a new shawl with handspun yarn - Polwarth in the Light in August colourway. And I am SO happy with the result! *yey*

I present to you the Out Of My Head Shawlette - a new design by Mona mono! =)















Facts:
Usage: ca. 81 gr. and ca. 330 meters handspun light fingering weight yarn on 5 mm needles.
Yarn: Light in August, Polwarth from Bride Flight Studios on etsy.
Pattern: This is my design and I am writing down the pattern, and hopefully it will be available soon in some form. =)

The shawlette is named after the beautiful song by Pete Molinari - Look What I Made Out (Of My Head Ma), since the first one was made as a gift for my mother. But I felt like shortening it up a bit for some reason… *lol*



Blocking:

Happy Happy Happy! =)

I wanted to knit a small shawlette to my mum with handspun yarn - and here it is! =)

Facts:
Handspun yarn - Mixed BFL from Woolgatherings Fibers. Knitted on 5 mm needles. Used 79 grams.
My design.


Photos - in the correct order:





















I am not a big fan of the large triangular shawls, and wanted a small shawlette with a lace edge. Very happy with the result! Hopefully mum will be, too. =)


Have a nice weekend wherever you are! =)

I Won The Lottery At Spinners Home! *yey*

Rhonna aka Trenchwork styrer forumet Spinnerens Hjem/Spinners Home, og tidlig i januar trakk hun en vinner i det 4. årlige lotteriet. Jeg vant! *yey*


Jeg skjønner godt at mange ville ha denne premien, for dette er nesten for mye av det gode på en gang... *ler*


Kjærestens reaksjon når han så alt jeg har fått: Oj - er ho helt gæern, ho, eller? ;)
Mitt svar var: Åpenbart! =)
Men han har jo visst lenge at det er noe spesielt med de fleste av oss ulljenter. *ler*


Beklager dårlige bilder, men jeg lover å poste bedre bilder etterhvert som jeg bruker det! =)


Skal vi se - jeg åpna pakken fra USA og Mielke`s Farm først. Den har brent hull i hylla i mer enn en uke! Rhonna kaller denne utfordringpakken! Der lå dette:
- 1 pakke Cotton Clouds KIT - med ulike bomullstyper og en liten Thakli spindle. Dette er virkelig en utfordring! ;)
- 1 pakke med 4 ulike typer fiber - 1 oz. Black Diamond top, carbonized bamboo, sort; 1 oz. Bamboo top, naturhvit; 1 oz. Soy Silk, naturhvit og 1 oz. Ramie, hvit. Aldeles lekker samling fiber! ;D
- WPI-måler. Det har jeg nesten kjøpt meg flere ganger siste uka! *yey*



Så var det pakke nr. 2 fra UK og The Alpaca Spinner:
- 2 x 60 gr. Alpaca/Silk top, natur/grå - herlig myk!;
- 100 gr. Silk/Merino, lillatoner/sort/grå - dødslekker!;
- 2 x 100 gr. Alpaca, brun - supermyk og nydelig brunfarge!;
- 2 x 100 gr. BFL, brun - denne blir kanskje mixet med litt hundeull og litt silke etterhvert - fargen er i hvertfall perfekt til å ikke drukne hundeulla!;
- bladet The Wheel.




Og 3. pakken fra Rhonna selv (milde himmel!):
- 3 x 100 gr. Merino top, Bruised Grape - herlige mørke og lyse lillatoner som hun har farget selv!
- 50 gr. Tussah Silk top, Mediterranean - lekker turkisgrønn farge! Hun har farget denne selv, også!
- 1 stor oppbevaringsveske i plast med glidelås og lufting. Kjempekjekk! Spesielt når man får en voldsom mengde fiber i hus på en og samme gang... *ler*
- Og et koselig kort med søteste lammet på! ;D




Sjekk de dødslekre fargene, da! :)





Alt samlet i bagen - milde fiberhimmel! ;D



Og søteste lammet på kortet:



1 av disse pakkene hadde gjort meg mer enn fornøyd - også har jeg fått alle 3!? =)
Dette er faktisk litt overveldende og jeg mangler for en gangs skyld ord... *ler*

Jeg vet ikke annet jeg kan si enn:

Tusen TUSEN takk for aldeles fantastisk premie, Rhonna!

Stor klem fra heldiggrisen Mona





.

Beautiful Blue Variscite =)

Check out what I got in the mail today! A beautiful little top whorl drop spindle with a semi-prescious gemstone. I bought it from Zebisis Designs on Etsy. =)

Can`t wait to try to spin some of this gorgeous silk that she added to the package. =)