Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing, Oh my!

Sooooo, my week is being a little weird.  How's yours?  I have been busy this week with fiber arts endeavors, but I still have little to report.  Mainly because my projects are not going as smoothly as I would like.  I started a new weaving project with some of the new yarn I got this weekend, but it's not going too well.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up.  It's just proving to be very difficult and not very fun.

I've also been spinning quite a bit.  And my hands are sore to prove it!  I've got some corriedale roving that is now 100% converted into yarn!  Yay!  I have been wondering where the names for the different types of wool come from, and I just googled it.  It turns out that the name of the wool is the name of the particular breed of sheep that the wool comes from.  And corriedale comes from a corriedale sheep which is a crossbreed from a Merino female and a Leicester or Lincoln male.  Interesting!  (Or maybe not if you aren't myself or my father.)  Anyway, as you can see, I've got almost 80 yards all wrapped up on my niddy noddy for setting.

 So, I'm now trying to decide what color to dye it.  And, after rummaging through my on-hand Kool-Aid supply, here are the options I came up with...

And I have no idea what color I should choose!  But, that can certainly wait until tomorrow, since the yarn is not even ready yet!  Hm..... decisions, decisions...

In other news, head on over to my facebook page each day to see what my favorite Etsy item of the day is!

Well, as for the good-bye and the random note today, they are one and the same.  I'm heading out because I'm going to see "Fast Five" at midnight!  Yay!

New Yarn on Etsy

Hey all!  Just listed my first skein of handspun yarn on Etsy!  Here's a pic of the finished project!

Merino Handspun Yarn - Thick and Thin

Here are the pictures of the process.  And, of course, as I mentioned, I forgot to take a photo of the beautifully arranged roving before I started spinning, so the first is a picture of the roving after it was all unpretty anymore.  (It's also a terrible picture!)

And here is a photo of the yarn all spun up on my brand new niddy noddy that my wonderful dad made for me this weekend!

So, it was super fun to spin, and it has such gorgeous colors!  Now, I'm working on some corriedale yarn, and I hopefully I will have it all spun up soon so that I can dye it!

In other news, I haven't started a new weaving project yet.  I'm sure that will be on the agenda for tomorrow.  But, I had to get all my chores done today, after we got back home from St. Louis in the afternoon, so I haven't had as much time as usual.  So, it's back to folding laundry and watching Army Wives!  Have a good night!

Random: I feel like it will NEVER stop raining!  Where's my lovely sunshine?!

My First Treasury

Hello blog world!  Just wanted to drop by and let you all know that I created my first Etsy treasury tonight!!!  Yay!  And, for those of you who may not be Etsians, a treasury is a collection of items that is made, and it can have a theme or not.  It's just a way to group beautiful items that you like for any reason.  So, for any of you who read the blog regularly or who know me personally, you will not be surprised that my treasury is summer themed!  So, head on over to Etsy and check out "Summer Blues"!  I hope you like it!

AND.....  Yesterday, my mom and I went shopping (I LOVE shopping with my mom), and we went to two wonderful yarn stores in St. Louis.  First stop was Kirkwood Knittery, where the women were very helpful and friendly, and the selection was amazing!  Here's what I bought:

These are some beautifully colored, high quality yarns from Habu Textiles.  I can not wait to start weaving with them!  Second stop was Knit and Caboodle on historic Main St. in St. Charles.  They had an amazing selection of yarns of all sizes and colors.  I bought some beautiful roving there, but of course, I forgot to take a picture of it before I spun it up!  So, it's hanging up to dry right now, and I will blog about it tomorrow or Monday!

So, I'm just hanging out, being boring on yet another Saturday night!  Now, I think I will go play some "Every Word" on my Kindle.  I've got a pretty awesome game going right now!  Random Note:  I went to Red Robin for dinner tonight with my husband and in-laws, and I had the most delicious chicken caesar wrap I have ever eaten!  It was incredible!  I want to eat it all over again.  Lol.

Nighty night!

I LOVE holidays!!!

Hello all!!!  It is officially the holiday weekend for me!  Woohoo!  I took off work tomorrow, and I am so ready for a long weekend!  And to start off, I have A LOT to report!  I've been busy in the fiber world the past couple of days, and blogging has taken a back seat.  So now, I need to catch you all up!

#1:  Just listed this awesome new scarf on Etsy!  It's one of my new faves!  Of course, it is using some of my favorite silk yarn in a new colorway...  I have named it Candy Stripe!

Silk Inifnity Scarf - Candy Stripe

#2:  Here is a pic of the Kool-Aid dyed yarn.  I didn't use quite enough Kool-Aid, so it's kind of blotchy.  I guess I need to have another go at it!  But, it was a pretty successful experiment nonetheless.  Can you guess what flavor I used???

Answer:  Watermelon Cherry!  Yum!

And honestly, I've been so busy the past couple of days that I just had to go back and reread my last post to see what I had told you all last time!  Wow.

#3: Also, I wanted to follow up on a post from a while ago.  Remember when I had those major issues with unwinding my first skein?!  Well, this time around, I took a picture of the pretty skein before I started unwinding it!  Here is the photo walk through of unwinding a skein!  This is the yarn used in the Candy Stripe Infinity Scarf.  Aren't the colors beautiful?!

 Ta-Da!!!  So, there is unwinding in a nutshell.  What you can't see though is that picture #2 should be multiplied by like a thousand for how long it takes to unwind all 500 yards in a skein!

#4:  I am going yarn shopping tomorrow!!!  Yay!  And I'm hoping to pick up a stash of roving too.  So hopefully I will have some handspun yarns for sale on Etsy by the end of next week!  Get excited!

Well, that's all folks!  I should be getting to bed.  For the random note of the day... well, I can't think of one.  Hm... this is odd.  Usually I'm full of random thoughts.  Here's a pic of my favorite place in the whole wide world!  Enjoy!

A Little Bit of Everything

Hello all!  Well, I've been working hard today!  I finished my latest project, dyed my first batch of yarn, and got a new project on the loom and started weaving!  So, first of all...  Here is my newest item for sale on Etsy.

Infinity Scarf in Beige and Purple Hand-spun

This great infinity scarf makes use of several of my favorite things!  It's got purple in it (always a plus).  The beige warp thread is a bamboo and silk yarn which is so, so soft.  And the purple yarn is my very own hand-spun yarn!!!  Yay!  So, I love this item, and I would love to keep it, but I would love it even more if it found a home with a wonderful customer!

So, I dyed my first batch of yarn today with Kool-Aid!  It was certainly interesting.  But its hanging up to dry right now.  And I'm really interested in seeing how it turns out!  So, I will definitely post pics tomorrow when its dry and everything.

And, check out Project31 on Facebook to see what's new on my loom!  If you haven't "liked" my page yet, I'd love it if you would.  (I'm trying to get up past 25 likes so that I can create a real url for the page so its easier to link and stuff.)

Well, if you can't tell, I'm pretty tired, so I've got to get everything cleaned up so I can go to bed.  Talk to everyone tomorrow!

Random:  The area I live in is under a tornado watch until 2:00 am!  We had some pretty wicked storms today, so I'm interested to see what the news has to say tomorrow.  And I live right by the Mississippi River, so I can't wait to got see how flooded it is tomorrow afternoon too!

Working Day

Hello!  I have been busy this afternoon with doing everything related to weaving, but not actually weaving... yay!  (Not!)  Well, I can't lie, I have snuck in a few minutes of weaving here and there!  Run on over to my facebook page to see what's on my loom today!

So, I've updated my projects list which takes FOREVER because I try to be as thorough as possible.  But, I also haven't done it in weeks, so I had a lot of updating to do.  I guess I should do that more often, then it wouldn't take hours.

I also did some research on dyeing roving and yarn!  (I think I'm not going to be able to slow down until I try everything there is to do with yarn!)  And I found out that you can dye with Kool-Aid!  Ha!  Who knew?!  So, I'm going to get some roving and see what I can come up with!  I've been wanting to get into dyeing, but I live in a tiny apartment, so I need something pretty easy and mess free.  So, Kool-Aid looks like a cheap and easy way to try it out!

Also, I've been working on a business card, and after a lot of browsing on the internet and playing on my computer program, here's what I've come up with for the front.  (The back will have all the useful information on it.)

What do you think?!  I kind of like it, but who knows.  I may change the whole thing tomorrow.

Well, I'm off to snack on some homemade banana bread that I just pulled out of the oven!  Yum!

Random:  Here's my favorite Etsy listing of the day!  Swimming Turtle Sea Glass Necklace from Sophia Sparkles!

New on Etsy and Other Random Thoughts

Hey all!  Just listed this new scarf on Etsy.  Run on over to my shop and check it out!

Hot Pink Skinny Infinity Scarf

In other news, I started my project with my purple hand-spun yarn!  Yay!  I still haven't decided what I'm going to use for the weft yet, because I really want to warp to be the focus, but I'll get there.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that I stayed up until midnight last night (which is really, REALLY late for me) to finish the yarn, just because I HAD to know how many yards I got.  And the total is... 28 yards!!!  Yaaaaayyyy!  So, I planned this new project around using it!  Here's a pic:

Well, I'm leaving for the night.  But, before I go, head on over to my facebook page and check it out.  (It's still a little boring, I know, but I'm working on it.)  "Like" it if you like what you see!  Project31 Fiber Arts on Facebook

Ok, well, I'm going to go eat some willy worm.  (Not an insect, its a family dessert recipe involving homemade pie dough, lots of butter, lots of sugar, and lots of cinnamon.  Can you say YUM?!)

Random note of the day:  Last night, I had a dream about Pirates of the Caribbean (yes, the movie).  Only it wasn't a real part of one of the movies, it was made up... and I woke up this morning with the piratey song that they sing at the beginning of the third movie stuck in my head.  And of course, I only know like two lines, so I have been singing/humming/whistling/thinking those lines ALL DAY LONG!  Weirdo!

Purple Passion

Woohoo!  I have had a great night tonight!!!  The hubby and I had a good afternoon and dinner, then I spent the rest of the night finishing up a new scarf (pics to come tomorrow, it's hanging up to dry right now) and spinning the beautiful purple roving that I got with my spinning kit.

But, first of all, to follow up from last night's post, here is a photo of my very first hand spun skein of yarn!

I know, soooo impressive, right?  Just kidding.  It's super tiny, too small to weave anything with, but I'm proud of it nonetheless!  The purple, however... I am IN LOVE with!  Here's a pic of that all wound on the spindle.

Doesn't it look so shiny and pretty?!  It's part merino and part silk, so I'm sure I'm going to love it!  I can't wait to unwind it off the spindle to see how many yards I got.  Also, it definitely turned into a thick/thin yarn because it's probably going to take me a while to figure out how to get the roving really smooth and even.  But this stuff was a dream to work with.  I seriously want more!!!

Well, that's all for tonight.  I've got to figure out what new project I'm going to start tomorrow and play with the cat some more.  She gets really bossy and loud when she doesn't get played with at night.  Silly girl.

Random note of the day:  She has this spot where she sits looking out the window, and sometimes when I walk into the room she swivels her head around.  And when she does that, she looks just like a skein of coal black yarn with a head on top.  But, every time I try to get a picture of her like that, she moves before the camera is ready.  No fear though, someday I will get a photo and post it on here for all of you to marvel at.  Lol.  (I think it's bed time, i"m getting a little more loony than usual!)

There's a First Time for Everything

As promised, my spinning kit arrived today!!!!!  When I got home from work, it was sitting on the porch!  Yay!!!  So the kit came with my top whorl drop spindle, great instructions, and these two beautiful sets of roving!  Once again, the kit was from La Tea Da Designs on Etsy.  So if you are interested in learning how to spin, need roving or beautiful yarns, or anything, go check out her shop.  She's got a lot of other great items available too!  The service was great, and the shipping was unbelievably fast!

So, of course, I spun up the first (off white) set of roving tonight!  And it was awesome!!!  Here's a picture walk through of everything I did!

So, you spin the roving onto the spindle by twisting and dropping the spindle so it spins really fast, then you feed to roving in to make sure that the yarn winds evenly.  The above photo is in the middle of the process.

This photo is of the whole thing of roving spun onto the spindle.  Yay!  I did it!

Next you have to unwind it into a loop to wash it and eventually make it into a skein.  So, this is my makeshift method for unwinding things (as you've seen before if you read on a regular basis).

And then, after I washed it (soaked it really), I hung it up to dry, and I should be able to make it into a skein tomorrow!  It was awesome!  I'm so excited to try the purple!  (Did you notice that I saved the best color for last?!)

Among my other tasks tonight were making gooey butter cookies (my husband's favorite) and eating these delicious raspberries!  Is there anything better than this color?!  I think not.

Well, I would like to get a little weaving done tonight, so here's goodbye.

Random:  When I got the spindle out of it's packaging, Lo went nuts!  She just could not get enough of that thing!  I really think she would have licked it and sniffed all night long if I would have let her near it.  On the other hand, she didn't find the roving too interesting which surprised me since cats seem to like fuzzy things...

Spinning Excitement

Ok, so I have to leave for work like now.  But I just checked the tracking information on my spinning kit and... it's supposed to be delivered TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I literally just got out of my chair, jumped up and down, and did one of those silent scream things (because my hubby is still sleeping).  I'm so excited!  I just had to share this overwhelmingly awesome news with all of you!  Lol.  I'm crazy, I know.

I'm pretty sure that whole thing was random enough to make an ending random note unnecessary.  :)

Creating and Crying

So... not much has happened since last night, but since the hubby got home halfway through last night's post, I didn't have enough time for a full update.  So, here goes!

#1 ~ Ocean Blue Infinity Scarf
So, this was part of the 14 feet of weaving I did yesterday!  This one turned out pretty good!  I think it almost qualifies as more of a necklace than a scarf, and I like it.  I hope you like it too!

And this scarf is now available for purchase in my Etsy shop, and it's ready to ship!

#2 ~ This one's a big one!  Wait for it... I'm going to learn how to SPIN MY OWN YARN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm so totally excited!  I ordered a kit on Etsy from La Tea Da Designs, so when it comes in the mail later this week, I will get to learn how to spin my own yarns!  I'm like totally jumping up and down, shrieking like a teenage girl excited about this!  So, we will soon see how it goes!

#3 ~ Last night I had a mini breakdown after watching about six straight hours of "Army Wives" (for some reason, that show makes me emotional about everything!), and I wanted to share the song that always makes me feel better with all of you!  (The video's not important, it's only pictures, but the song is awesome!)  Here is "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick!

Well, I have a lot of other weaving-related things to do.  Mainly, updating my project list... boo.  But it needs to be done.  Have a good night, and don't forget to stand in the rain!

Addiction

Wow!  (Okay, I feel like I am starting every post with an exclamation.  But man!)  I wove up like 14 feet today!  (Which seems like a lot to me, but it probably doesn't mean much to anyone else.)  I am totally addicted!  So, I made another ocean blue scarf (so it's ready to ship if someone buys it), and an ocean blue infinity scarf.  Pictures tomorrow, everything's drying right now.  And, I got a new project started on the loom.  So here's a sneak peek of that!

It's a terrible picture, I know, but whatever.  Thomas just got home, so I'm trying to get this done so I can hang out with him!

Randomness: Today, the 14 feet only took me 6 hours!  It makes such a big difference what material you're working with.  I just think that's so cool!

Anyway.  Good night all!

Sea Green Infinity Scarf

Woohoo!!!  The newest project is FINISHED!!!  I'm so excited.  I really like this one!  (As if I haven't said that about my last 14 projects.  ;)  )  Anyway, behold: pictures!

So, here is another infinity scarf (I told you we'd be seeing more of them!).  And this one is made from a yarn that I bought on Etsy (my first and only Etsy purchase so far).  It's a beautifully soft cotton/nylon/angora blend that has a gorgeous texture and color!)  So, after I finished weaving it, I knotted it twice and then sewed it in a circle.  So, it's like halfway between a scarf and a necklace.  So, I think it's pretty cool.  And there most certainly may be other scarves like this out there, but I thought of the idea all on my own, so I'm a little proud of it.  And... this new creation is now for sale in my Etsy shop, and is completely ready to ship!  Run on over and have a look if you like!  Yay!  (Yes, I'm feeling giddy like a child right now!)

Well, I'm off to start another project!

Today's parting randomness:  With this scarf, I actually kept track of how much time it took me to make it from start to finish.  And the total is: 9 hours!!!  But the kicker is that I did it in two days!  And I worked a full day Friday and a half day Saturday!  I think it is safe to say that I am 100% addicted!

Hodge Podge

Whew!!!  I have been busy for the past two hours!  Thomas left for work at 2:45, and since then I have been working on the blog and my new facebook page.  And it is STRENUOUS!  Trying to figure out all the codes to link stuff and add Etsy to the blog, add Etsy to facebook, add facebook to the blog, add the blog to facebook.  It's really quite ridiculous.  But I've done it, so whatever.  So, if you want, go ahead and like my facebook page.  There is now a box on the right over there, under the Etsy thing where you can like and go diretcly to my facebook page, I think.  If it doesn't work, which it very well may not, I will deal with it another day.

So, I got a sample color card in the mail yesterday.  I need to match colors for a project I'm going to start here soon, so I ordered the card to see which colors will work best with my fabric.  And, as silly as it sounds, this card really made my day!  I mean, just LOOK at the COLORS!  Aren't they so cool, arranged in a rainbow pattern.  I love it!

On another note, here is another sneak peek of what's on my loom right now.  The fabric is weaving up beautifully!  I can't wait to see the finished product.  I've got an interesting idea (I think) for finishing it.

And what's interesting is that this is the first project that I have done that before starting, I sat down and did the calculations to see how much yarn I would need.  I only bought one skein, so I wanted to make sure that I had enough to finish the project.  But the only problem is that it is weaving up so completely differently than I thought it would, so I'm sure my calculations are WAAAAY off.  So this goes to show, don't bother doing the math, it'll just be wrong anyway.  Lol.

Other news:  About a week and a half ago, I ordered more silk yarn to make that coral infinity scarf to sell on Etsy.  Then the store informed me that it was backordered (GREAT!), but it should be in anytime, so I should just wait to hear from them................. a week later, I finally decided to call.  AND, they had absolutely NO IDEA when they would get that yarn in, so they suggested that I change my order.  (Couldn't they have told me that in the first place?!)  Anyway, I already had my eye on a different colorway of yarn in the same brand and price, and thank goodness, they had that color in stock.  So, long story short, unfortunately, the coral infinity scarf won't be available for purchase for a while (which probably makes me more sad than you), BUT I have a new colorway coming in that I think I may almost like just as much!

And as if this post wasn't random enough, I have two random comments to end on:  #1 ~ I got my first heart on Etsy last night!!!  Someone anonymously hearted my ocean blue scarf!  Yay!  I was practically jumping around the room when I saw.  (I'm amused by small things.)  And #2 ~ I just walked out of the study to get my water bottle and found Lo sleeping on the scale on the bathroom floor?????  Um... ok, weird cat.  But, the darn thing moved before I could get a picture of her.  Apparently she doesn't want herself plastered all over the internet doing really weird things.  :)

Happy Saturday!  I'm off to watch chick flicks and weave!  Do something fun today!

Middle of the Day Blues

Hey!  I'm at home right now, on my lunch break from work...  And I just can't hardly make myself go back!  I'm sitting here, finding awesome new blogs I want to follow (but I don't have time to even read anything), exploring Etsy, getting totally excited that I can now be connected with a community of people who also love to weave, staring at the new project I want to start.  And there just isn't enough time in the evenings for me to get my fill of the weaving world.  And I'm loving it!  I haven't felt this passionate about something in a while, and I just forgot how great a feeling it is!  If I could right now, I would be weaving and doing things associated to weaving non-stop.  But... life intervenes.  And I do need to go back to work.  :(  So, I will leave with a few photos of my new project.  I just got it warped and threaded on the loom last night, so I haven't even gotten to start weaving yet, but I CAN'T WAIT!  The yarn is such a beautiful color!

Well, as for the randomness today.  Last night, I had a dream about a cat I had who died a couple of years ago, and today I woke up missing her terribly.  Here is a picture of Ethyl zonked out in my mom's rocking chair which was her favorite place to sleep!

Purple, Purple, Purple!!!

Well, since it is no secret that purple is my favorite color, it is probably not surprising that my latest project is PURPLE!  I am currently completely in love with infinity scarves, so my latest scarf combines both of those aspects.  Here are some photos!

It's a really lightweight scarf that is twisted several times to give it a unique look.  The stripes are silver, but they almost look white against the purple.  I just love the color so much that I can't hardly bear to part with it, but nevertheless, it is now available for purchase in my Etsy shop!!!  Yay!  I have this cotton yarn in a TON of colors, so we will probably be seeing more scarves similar to this one in a wide array of colors!

But... I already have my loom warped for my next project, and I'm really excited about this one too!  Isn't it a great feeling when something doesn't cease to excite you!  Love it!

Random Quote:  So, there is a new movie coming out soon called "Arthur."  Starring Russell Brand as a thirty-something man who lives on mommy's money and acts like a child, it's bound to be hilarious.  Anyway, I have had this quote stuck in my head from the trailer.  (Arthur is speacking to a woman he is supposed to marry as a business deal, but he really doesn't want to marry her.)  "We don't have anything in common.  You love horses; I don't trust them.  Their shoes are permanent.  Who makes that kind of commitment to a shoe?!"  And of course, the line is said over-dramatically in that unique accent of his, and it is hilarious!

Anyway... my husband has just informed me that it is past my bedtime, and he is right!  Good night!

Etsy Shop!!!

Hello again...  I am excited to announce that my Etsy shop is NOW ONLINE!!!  Get excited!  So far, I've only got two things listed, so don't expect much, but I'm just taking my time, figuring out the process, and trying to enjoy it rather than freaking out.  I've been working on it for weeks now, and it was just such a daunting task.  I've read like a billion forums of info on Etsy that have tips for beginners, etc, etc, and I finally just wanted to get going.  But, if you ever see anything on here that you'd like to buy, but it's not listed on Etsy, just let me know, and I can add it or something.  So, without further ado, feel free to run on over to Etsy and check out my whole two items!!! (sarcasm)  But don't worry, I will be adding new items slowly but surely.

The shop is called Project 31 Fiber Arts, and the url is etsy.com/shop/project31fiberarts.  And what's with the name?  Well, I am so glad you asked!  It took me a long time to figure out a name for my shop because I'm one of those people who likes names to mean something.  And I wanted to pick a name that I could be happy with if I'm in this for a while.  So, after much dedicated soul searching and daydreaming (once again with the sarcasm), I came up with Project 31 Fiber Arts.  And the inspiration for the name comes from none other than Proverbs chapter 31, the chapter about the wife of noble character.  Now, if you've read this chapter in the Bible, you will know that there are many ways to be a wife of noble character, but this is just my personal way of reminding myself of what it takes.  Weaving is obviously my favorite hobby right now, but thinking about this chapter reminds me that I should be as diligent and eager about all the tasks I bear as a wife...like that big pile of dirty dishes sitting next to the sink.  ;)  And I'm not saying that wives have to do all the chores and husbands go to work, sometimes, things just don't happen like that, and that's ok.  But I should be ready and willing for all the tasks God sets before me, not just the ones I want to do.  Sorry, I'm getting a little preachy.  I guess it just goes to show that God can convict you any time... even when blogging!  Anyway, I'm excited about the name.  And it will still work if I ever decide to open up a yarn shop (which I'm really hoping might come true someday).

So, enough blabber.  Let's end with a random photo today...

 

 This is a photo of Lo from a while back.  My husband and I were visiting his parents for the weekend, and we always take Lo with us.  When we got back from dinner that night, Lo was sleeping inside my bag, and when she heard us, she just popped her head out to say hello!  Isn't she adorable?!

And, just like last week, you can see what I do with my weekend evenings... sit at home and weave!  Well, I better go, I hear dishes calling my name!

Summer Sunset Infinity Scarf

Well... it's been a few days since my last post, and I have been BUSY!  So, my newest creation is an infinity scarf woven from the silk yarn used in my last project.  I'm really excited about this one!  I was a little worried that the fabric was going to be too unstable because it was so light and open, but it turned out great!  Also, I'm trying to get a little more creative with my pictures to spruce them up for etsy.

 

 

 

This is a great length for wearing singled or doubled around the neck.  And the colors are absolutely fabulous!  There will definitely more scarves like this one in the future!

Random Note: I wanted to get married on the beach, but since that wasn't feasible, my wedding was as beach themed as possible.  So, the sea shells are from the decorations at the reception.

Happy Saturday!!!