spinning winterberry farm fibers

A few weeks ago, I went to the Wayland Farmers' Market for their fiber day. Before I tell you about the fiber I got there, I just want to say, that we had a great time looking at locally grown fibers, yarns, and locally made finished products. It reminded me of the farmers' markets I used to go to growing up in France.

There were a lot of choices, but my heart settled on fibers offered by Winterberry Farm.Winterberry Farm is a small farm in Colrain, MA. Jill and Jim raise sheep and  angora rabbits. Jill hand dyes beautiful carded fibers as well as locks and sells raw fleeces.

I fell in love with her beautiful carded rovings. The roving I picked was a blend of cormo and polwarth in a heathery blue colorway with little flecks of softly contrasted colors.

It took me a little bit of time to figure out how I wanted to spin the fiber. Being more of a worsted spinner, I first had to accept that the finished yarn would be textured. After sampling, my Roadbug wheel and I  settled on a short backward draw, with no smoothing of fibers, with intention of keeping the yarn as a lightly fulled singles. The short backward raw allowed to have a little more control over the diameter of the yarn.

After I was done spinning the singles, I really liked the yarn but felt it still had too much twist for a singles. I ran the yarn again through the wheel but in the opposite direction to take some of the twist away. Pleased with the result, I finished the yarn lightly fulling it.

Here is the result, about 450 yards of super soft dk singles with character!

I have started knitting the yarn. I am working on a simple, natural, button down vest for the tiniest man in my life.

Spinning So Blue

Another spindle spun yarn. Delicious merino silk. I love the blue color. So watery. The yarn is a 2 ply sport weight, destined to become a slouchy hat, that will match my son's beautiful blue eyes.

I spun this yarn on a simple ashford top whorl spindle. It was so relaxing. I spun a little bit here and a little bit there. That is the beauty of spindles, anywhere you go they can go, discretely tucked away in your purse, so light you almost could forget they are there. But of course who could forget about the gorgeous fiber waiting to be spun!

Spindle Fun

It has been a lot of fun to spindle spin some merino silk blend in a lovely sage green color.
I spun the singles on my Ashford spindle and then made a 2-ply with the singles.
The result was enough worsted weight delicious yarn to make a slouchy hat for my youngest daughter.

I found spinning this yarn so easy and relaxing, I wanted the knitting to be as effortless. I knit a simple roll brim hat with a slouch. I knit and knit until the hat was long enough to have a slouch, and then decreased drastically.

I am so glad this has become my daughter's favorite hat.

Handspun Finn Bonbon and Dollhouse Fun

Finn roving has to be my favorite fiber to spin. I find it the easiest to spin, and I love the resulting yarn. It is just beautiful, matt looking, and baby soft.

I named this skein Bonbon. Its colors were inspired by the bonbon colored dresses of Marie-Antoinette.
It is 110 yards. I can just see a Cerise Baby Sweater for a baby girl! I just added it to my Etsy Shop.

On the dollhouse front, I am almost there. Yesterday I received an adorable re-ment tea set. The detail is amazing! (I ordered it from Priscilla's Treasures.) And the color...emerald. It reminds me of the vintage Anchor forest green glass dish sets. Little Miss SockPixie will be so happy!

The dollhouse should be done tomorrow...

Handspun Sunday

It is Sunday again, and that means it is spinning day. Today I picked a bold gold and black roving with just a touch of green I had dyed years ago as part of the Vermeer Collection.

Today, on this 4th of July, it just made me think of fireworks exploding in the dark sky in bold golds. I really enjoyed seeing the golds pop against the blacks as I sat spinning this afternoon talking and laughing with Miss SockPixie.

This lovely Merino roving, which I spun as fine singles, will be plied with another fine singles this time in black. I am planning on knitting socks from it. Spinning sock yarn takes a little more concentration for me. The singles really need to be fine enough for the sock yarn not to be too thick. Enough twist also needs to be put in the singles for them to hold together and not disintegrate as you spin or when you ply. I set my wheel on the medieum size whorl, and slowed the uptake a little. This should give me a sturdy single that will resist the plying, and will make a comfy yet sturdy sock.

That's it for tonight. We are off to see the fireworks over the Charles River. I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July!

Ready to be knit up

Remember the yarn I spun on Sunday? Here it is, all skeined and ready to be knit up. To be honest I have no idea what I am going to knit with it. Maybe it will become the yoke of another Cerise Baby Sweater... maybe mittens, or a hat, who knows...

For now, I am going to enjoy looking at it. It will sit on my bedside table.

Knitting Pam Allen's Indian Floral Vest

Yes, I am finally knitting Pam Allen's Indian Floral Vest! I started yesterday afternoon. I actually started with the left front. (I know you should start with the back, but I just felt like knitting the fronts!)

The left front is finished and I have marked the location of the buttons in order to place the buttonholes properly on the right front. (I am looking forward to making the buttons, they are crochet buttons!)



The detail on the vest is beautiful. I love how Pam Allen worked the bottom edge. It is so feminine, and the waist shaping will be so flattering. And the way my red handspun Shetland is knitting up is making me so happy!



Before I go, I wanted to tell you Mr. SockPixie loved his Moth Mittens, and wore them for the first time today!

Sweetheart Baby Slippers (free knitting pattern)

I was going to have the pattern for the Sweetheart baby slippers as a pdf, but my computer had to be completely reinstalled, and the software is not back on yet, so I will just post it to the blog.



Materials:

-Left over worsted weight handspun or commercial worsted weight yarn in 2 contrasting colors. (approx. 1 oz for light color, and 1/2 oz for the contrast or dark color).(I used left over handspun Romney).
-Set of US 5 dpts
-Darning needle

Gauge:

6 stitches per inch in garter stitch on US 5

Instructions:

Make 2 hearts using the dark color(DC).
Cast on 21 stitches.
R1: K9, Sl 1, K2TOG, PSSO, K6, K2TOG, TURN.
R2: Sl 1, K13, K2TOG, TURN.
R3: Sl 1, K5, Sl 1, K2TOG, PSSO, K3, K2TOG, TURN.
R4: Sl 1, K7, K2TOG, TURN.
R5: Sl 1, K2, Sl 1, K2TOG, PSSO, K1, K2TOG, TURN.
R6: Sl 1, K3, K2TOG, TURN.
Repeat R6 until there are 5 stitches left. BO loosely.



Continue as follows to knit the 2 slippers.
With the main color, in my case the lighter one (LC), pick up and knit 20 stitches. You will start picking up at the point where you ended your bind off, you will pick up 10 stitches down the first side of the heart on needle 1, and then 10 stitches back up the other side on needle 2, stopping at the point where you started your bind off, leaving the bound off stitches unused. On needle 3, cast on 20 stitches using the knitted cast on.

Join the round, start with a purl row, then knit in garter stitch until you have six ridges (6 ridges = 12 rows).(To get garter stitch while knitting in the round, you will knit one row, then purl the next).

Break LC, now using DC, purl 1 row.
Next row: K5, K2TOG, K1, K2TOG, K2TOG, K1, K2TOG, K10, K2TOG, K1, K2TOG, K2TOG, K1, K2TOG, K5.
Purl 1 row.
Next row: K5, K2TOG, K2, K2TOG, K10, K2TOG, K2, K2TOG, K5.
Purl 1 row.
Next row: K4, K2TOG, K2, K2TOG, K8, K2TOG, K2, K2TOG, K4.
Purl 1 row.
Next row: K3, K2TOG, K2, K2TOG, K6, K2TOG, K2, K2TOG, K3. (20 stitches)
Purl next 5 stitches.

Use a 3 needle bind off to close the sole of the slipper.
Place 10 stitches on one needle and 10 on another needle. The needles will be on each side of the point of the heart. Using a third needle, bind off loosely. Turn the slipper inside out. The wrong side is now the right side. Weave in all ends.



With LC, starting at the center of the back of the slipper, pick up and knit 2 stitches at the edge of the slipper, *BO 1, pick up 1*. Repeat along the foot opening until you are back where you started ending with BO of the last 2 stitches. Weave in ends.


Happy knitting!

Sweetheart Baby Slippers

A little more shetland, a little left over handspun, and a little more knitting... Here are my Sweethearts, my latest baby slippers inspired by EZ's heart bonnet!



Just think about it, this is the perfect project for left over handspun, or not handspun worsted weight yarn walnuts!

My hope is to have a pdf of the free pattern ready by tomorrow evening.That's it for now, got to go...

A Fern Beret for Miss SockPixie

A few weeks ago, I posted a picture of some handspun, a Merino Silk blend. I spun the yarn as a light worsted singles using a short forward draw. The result was a yarn with very little fuzz, great shine, and body.



I had about 4 oz of yarn which left me if two choices: mittens, or a hat. I thought the yarn would be to feminine for a boy, and its "crispness" would allow for stitch play.

Berets are great to show off a stitch pattern as they have a large section that sits in a disc fashion on the head, whitout being stretched or distorted.
I picked a lace pattern that radiates toward the center of the beret, it actually reminds me of ferns. I blocked the beret gently to open up the lace. I love the color, the slight silky luster, and the timelessness of the style.


The beret is now Miss SockPixie's.