TRYING NEW TECHNIQUES--Combing fleece

The spray bottle keeps down static. At first I used just water but then I found a recipe for combing milk & I will try that with my next fleece.

O

Combed & split evenly between the 2 combs, ready for the diz. Pulling the long fibers thru the diz creates a sliver of parallel fibers that can be spun easily. They get wound up into birds nests for easy handling & spinning.

I jumped right in & started combing fiber right away with my freshly prepared BFL fleece. The comb here is loaded with washed fiber ready to be combed with my Alvin Ramer Super Mini Combs.

First Yarn Spun!!

PRETTY!!!! THE RED DYED WITH KOOL-AID ; THE TEAL WITH WILTON CAKE ICING DYE. I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING, HAD MY FINGERS CROSSED THE WHOLE TIME, BUT I THINK THEY TURNED OUT NICELY!

Skeins hanging outside to dry after dyeing.

Then I decided to dye it... so I tried 2 different types of dyes.

This is the very first yarn, Romney roving spun thick & thin which is what I see everyone spinning until they get the hang of it, but I like it!

NEW INTEREST--SPINNING YARN!!!!!

This is the hackle, used for blending. Made special order by Alvin Ramer.

Super Mini Combs made by Alvin Ramer.
My gorgeous Kromski Minstrel in Walnut. It can be set up for either double drive or scotch tension, double treadle, & I was able to get the jumbo flyer & all the extras. Yay!!

Well, it's been forever since I last blogged. I got involved in Ravelry & it's about all I can do to post there! I did want to put some of my first spinning on here so friends can check it out.
It all started when I bought my Kromski Minstrel spinning wheel. It's a beauty...I guess I need to name her, but so far I haven't decided on anything permanent. I struggled for a little bit before it "clicked" & now I can't get enough spinning!
I bought some super mini combs from a man in Canada named Alvin Ramer, who also made me a hackle for fiber blending, & of course I've purchased lots of fiber. Then my husband bought me a drum carder for Christmas. (Photos of that later on.)I am such a lucky girl! So here it all is, the start of a wonderful new fiber addiction!

Updated Photos!

Some Updated Finished Items!!!!!!

Just put on a few pix of some finished items. I've probably got alot more, it seems like I should have, anyway! But no photos...I've been on a bag kick lately, with a few more in the works.

Grandson photo, couldn't resist!

This is me & my 5 year old grandson Ty. He's such a sweetie!!

Final item for this time!

A red t-top, just what I needed! This one was done in a Knitting Pure & Simple pattern that I've used many times for my sweater classes. I knitted it out of Queensland yarn, an acrylic/cotton blend. It was really nice to work with & the sweater turned out beautifully! Click on the photo & you can see it has some little blips of color that look like fuzz, they are all different colors, which makes the sweater quite unique I think!

Another t-top!

This little sweater is an Elsebeth Lavold design in her yarn "hempathy" which is hemp! It is so lightweight, it weighs next to nothing & was a dream to work with. It was done on size 4 needles & I thought I was never going to finish it, but I am so happy with this & get alot of compliments on it whenever I wear it. The color is also fantastic! I would definitely use this yarn again.

OK, a very long hiatus from posts, I know!

I have not posted since I finished knitting the shawl. It's not that I haven't knitted anything, just haven't posted. Well, I did sorta take off some knitting time over the summer. I was busy with selling Mary Kay cosmetics. Now I've gotten the knitting bug again & want to update with some items. This pretty lace t-top is done with an old pattern I've loved for years, in a cotton/acrylic from my yarn stash. I started it up at my mom's in May, just finished it late September. As I said, I didn't knit much over the summer! The fit is fantastic on this, it's a nice dressier t-top & I love it!

Shawl is DRY!!

The shawl is now dry & you can check it out. It turned out so well, and I'm so happy with it. I think it will be a very functional shawl, just the right weight without being too heavy, nice to grab for taking the dog for a walk in the evening when you need just a little something.

And speaking of dog, here is a new photo of my girl, Molly. She's such a doll, well behaved & sweet as can be. She had her 8th birthday in January. Hard to believe we've had her that long.

Well, until next time, happy knitting to you!

Geri

New Stuff--(FINALLY!!)

Mercy, how time flies! Here it is, nearly the end of March, 2007! The weather here in Tallahassee is gorgeous, the azaleas and dogwoods are all in bloom, and the pollen count is high! Yesterday, the temp got up to 87! And us with no rain--time to start watering the lawn & start praying for some rain!
Well, it's been 3 or more months since I've put anything on the blog. Bummer!

But, I've been busy (who hasn't!), and blogging takes time. I have finished the shawl from Gathering of Lace--Beginner's Triangle. I knitted it in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, on size 6 needles. Took nearly 7 balls, and the shawl has blocked out at 36 x 72 which is perfect for me. The shawl is for a class I am teaching in April for beginning lace. I think it turned out quite nice!It's still drying, but I took a photo of the detail and one of the shawl drying. Later on I will publish a finished photo. I know the one of it drying on the floor is pretty dark. Its so hard to take these pictures & have them come out for the blog sometimes.
I have done several other things since I posted last time. I did a top down sweater class, and the project I completed was done in Cherry Tree Hill Oceania, which was a dream to work with and the sweater is so light you can't believe it. There is a bit of sparkly thread in the yarn, which I don't know if you'll be able to see in the photo or not. I thought it was interesting how the yarn changed patterning on the ribbed part of the sweater-neck & bottom rib. The way it swirled was really neat!

I was really hoping when I saw how the yarn was behaving on the neck area that it would end up looking nice so I wouldn't have to rip it out. But overall I was happy with it & have had lots of compliments on it.

By the way, if you click on any of the photos in my blog, you can see them close up. I really want you to check out the buttons on the sweater below, the Katia one. They are GREAT!

Last winter I made the sweater below from one of the Katia Books. It is one of my very favorite sweaters, and I was amazed at how it all went together. The detailing of the neck was gorgeous, and so while I was wearing it this winter, I had my hubby take a picture of me in it.

The buttons on the sweater could not have matched any better. I was blown away when I saw them.

The last couple of things I have to show off are a cardigan in Trendsetter Dune. This year, Trendsetter came out with a solid color, and it was very hard to photograph, as it has a beautiful shiny black textured thread running through it, and it wanted to photograph silvery colored.The cardigan bottom & sleeve bottoms have a lace detail to them that really is pretty.

I have also taught a sock class, and here are a couple pair I have made. The pair I did for the class this time is not photographed. My hubby had the camera out of town the weekend I finished them, and they were a gift for my sister, so I got them off in the mail before I could get a shot of them. By the way, she loved them. They were done in Opal Peacock, and it was a gorgeous color combo of turquoise & green. The socks featured below, the dark pair is Opal yarn,(don't they remind you of a pair of little boy socks from the 60s??) the blue pair is Trekking (my personal fave.)

I have 2 top down summer sweaters on needles right now, a v-neck and a Henley. They are both for the top down class I'm teaching in May.

I have a short-sleeved cardigan halfway done as part of a twinset in Cascade Sierra aqua color.

Still have the norweigan sweater on needles, yes the same spot it was in the photo--shame! I'm telling you this just to keep myself honest & yes, I remember I have UFO's! Sleeves are all I have left to finish on a gansey type sweater (Port Oxford pullover) done in Blackwater Abbey yarn, a heavy wool which I can't face this summer, now the temperature is already in the 80s!! I'm also dying to make a shawl out of the Victorian Lace book, already have the yarn for it--Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Wicked (black), need something to take to the symphony when we go!

Guess I'm making up for lost time with this blog, huh? Hope I haven't bored you to tears so far.

I have a couple more pictures and a bit more bragging to do before signing off though.

Fay's Needlecraft Boutique, where I teach classes, and one of the best yarn shops ever!!, was featured in a local newspaper about 2 months ago. The reporter came to view my class (the top down sweater class) and she interviewed both Fay & me. The article was very nice, and it really has helped publicize the classes & the yarn shop. The photos below are a few that came from the article. Fay is the gorgeous Liz Taylor look-alike! I am in the short-sleeved white sweater overseeing the class. You can tell from the surrounding area that Fay has alot of stuff, all the good stuff. She is one of my dearest friends.