Happy New Year!

Yeah, I'm about a week late.  Oh well.  Things have been busy - work, life, etc.  Aimee and Max have move out, which makes me so sad, in ways I can't even explain.  It has been an absolute joy to have them here, especially on the heels of Mr. C's passing.  They filled a void for us.

Now, I've taken over Aimee's empty room.  Everything is now in there.  My two wheels, drumcarder, loom, skein winder, niddy noddys, sewing machine, yarn stash, fabric stash.  I could go on and on.  Some day, I'll post photos of my lovely craft room.  I'm very happy with it.  It is so nice to have everything in one place. 

I usually set some goals for myself in the new year.  Fiber goals that is.  Personal goals, I won't go into here.  Though maybe I should.  It might make me more accountable.  Well, in 2011, I would like to

• knit, crochet more from my every growing library.  I have been so fortunate to have a family that gets my fiber addiction.  Every occasion usually means I get some new books and magazines.  I love that.  They are a great source of inspiration.  But, I seldom knit from them.  I want to knit more from my knitting library.
• knit using my handspun.  I think I mention this quite a bit.  I love spinning, but find it incredibly difficult to find projects 'worthy' of the handspun.  I have to break this mentality somehow.  2011 will be the year to do it.
• knit a sweater for my mother.  I have had a fleece artist kit in my stash for some time now.  I love the pattern and the yarn.  I just have to do it.  Christmas 2011 - I hope to have a sweater for mom.
• knit more for Kev.  Poor Kev.  I never make him anything.  This has to change.  He is such a great supportive partner in everything I do.  And he spends a lot of time outside.  He needs to be warm too.
• start making and spinning batts.  I love to spin batts.  I have a drum carder.  There is no reason why I should be buying batts.  I could make them easily.  I need to do this more.

Speaking of batts, I was lucky enough to get some of hobbledehoy's batts just before the holidays.   I just love the way it spins up into a thick and thin single.  You can't see the sparklies in this, but there is just enough shimmer in here.  I think I'd like to weave this.  I've been so, so happy with weaving lately.  Its unbelievable how fast weaving goes.  Here is a simple scarf that I wove for Heather B.  Simple yarn, but with the slow colour changes, its very effective.

 One last photo to show you.  Here is a trio of handpun hats that I made for my trio of daughters/stepdaughters.  I love the hats,  I love the girls.  I hope they will wear the hats.   Picking a favorite would be like picking a favorite daughter right?

A New Love/Addiction

I alluded to the fact that I am now the proud owner of a loom several posts back.  Kev bought it for me for my birthday.  My first go at it was with a skein of sock yarn.  I wasn't too impressed with the process or the finished project.  Well, that was a waste of money, I thought.  But I'm not one to give up that quickly.  Besides, fiber is involved.  There has to be more to it.  

I had this skein of 'Slubby Blue' by Fleece Artist in my stash and I kept picturing it as a woven scarf.  Well, when inspiration hits, you gotta run with it right? So, I took out my little cricket loom again, for another try.  I was like a woman possessed, once I got past the warping of the loom that is.  

I couldn't stop thinking about it.  Every spare moment, I would add a few wefts.  (Not sure if thats the correct terminology, but the weavers out there know what I'm talking about).   Within 2 or 3 evenings, I had this 8 foot scarf.  Wow.  No way you can do that with knitting.  Or at least I couldn't, unless I was knitting with turkey basters and 10 strands of worsted weight held together.  Hmmm....I might file that idea away for later.  Imagine the stash you would eat through.

 Here is the finished scarf.  Its so hard to photograph though.  I'll try again in better light. Its a beautiful yellow, with bits of rose and forest green.  The warp yarn is just a plain natural worsted weight yarn by Lion Brand - Fisherman's wool, I believe.

I've already warped the loom again, for another scarf of the same width.  I'm not sure about the length though, as this time I'll be using handspun that I bought (gasp!) from A Good Yarn.  I had planned on giving it away, but got greedy when push came to shove and kept the yarn myself.  Its spun by this lady on the west coast of our beautiful province.  I am so envious of her yarns.  When I grow up, I want to spin art yarn like her.  And, oh my, art yarn looks glorious woven.  More on that later.