1/30/2013

WIP Wednesday: Under the Sea


For those of you who remember the "Under the Sea" roving that I bought then you'll probably remember that I promised to reveal my spinning progress.  I've spun a decent amount of the fiber, but I still have a lot to go.  Here's what I've done so far...





I think it's a huge improvement over my last handspun, "Fantasy".  It's pretty consistent and even, and the fiber is spinning up nicely.


1/27/2013

Under the Sea

On Saturday I went to my LYS, For Yarn's Sake and bought some beautiful roving for me to spin!  I love the colors and how fun it is to draft.  I already started to spin it, but I'll keep my WIP a mystery, just to add a little bit of suspense.

  
Here is the roving.  The fiber content is targhee and it's a pleasure to spin with.  I can't take my eyes off it, the colors are so stunning and I love the blues, teals, greens, and orangey browns.  I nicknamed it, "Under the Sea".


This fiber is spinning up really fast!  It's easy to draft and add on more roving.  The handspun is actually almost devoid of lumping, unspun bits!  I can't wait to see it all plied and pretty.  I'll be sharing pictures of the handspun for the first WIP Wednesday, with a brand new banner, too!



Overall, I love it!  It was really fun to walk into my LYS and see this roving calling my name, "Emily!  Emily!" Haha.  Stay tuned to see how the fiber looks on Wednesday!

Emily          



1/25/2013

FO Friday: Baby Hat


It's time for A Yarnful Life's very first FO Friday!  This meme was started by Tami's Amis it's very exciting to be participating in a popular meme like FO Friday.

This finished object has been sitting on my desk for a while, waiting to be sent off to warm the head of a baby.  I used the pattern Preemie Hats for Charity, and one day I hope that it'll worn by someone.


Here is the FO info:
needles: Size 4 US, DPNS

Overall, this was a fun, quick, and easy project that was knitted up in about 2 hours.  The yarn was soft, luxurious and didn't split.  The colors were beautiful and created adorable stripes that add some interest to the hat.


Well, that's all for our first FO friday!  Also, this weekend I'll be going to For Yarn's Sake, my LYS that's right by my school!  I'm intending on picking up some roving and maybe a skein of yarn.


Emily           

1/22/2013

Orchids & Fairy Lights

I'm getting ready to cast on for my Orchids & Fairy Lights.  This hat is lovely, with cables and bobbles decorating it all around.  This pattern was designed by Stephanie Dosen aka Tiny Owl Knits.  This is one of my favorite Tiny Owl Knits patterns and I can't wait to get started.  Here's a picture I lifted from the pattern page...


Isn't it pretty?  I'll be using my Malabrigo Merino Worsted in colorway Purple Mystery.  It's so soft and fun to work with.  Here's one of my photos...


Sorry for the short post, I'll be back with some WIP pictures and things!  Happy Crafting everybody!!

~ Emily

1/21/2013

Fantasy is FINISHED!

I'm a verrrrry happy fiber-lovin' girl right now.  Why? - because I just finished my first (official) skein of handspun, plied yarn!  Even better, I actually love the way it looks.  Instead of having huge, lumpy unspun bits in the yarn there are clean, lovely plies making "Fantasy"(that's the name of this handspun) look even better.  Here's some pictures of this handspun FO.  The pictures aren't the best but I'm working on my photography through 365 Project and my school's photography class.


"Fantasy" is a blend of aquas, purples, and blacks.  I love how the colors line up, making it slightly mismatched.  I'm not sure what weight this is, probably worsted or a bit heavier in some areas. 


Thanks for looking at "Fantasy"!  I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with yarn and fiber!!! ;)

1/20/2013

Fantasy

Okay, here's the thing:  I am officially o-b-s-e-s-s-e-d with spinning.  That's a true fact.  I'm not entirely sure why I'm so obsessed and addicted to spinning, I mean, it's just making yarn right? ;)  Here's my latest drop spindle WIP: Fantasy.


During the beginning of this project I spun with a bright turquoise color.  When I ran out I began to alternate between an orchid color, bright purple, and black.  Hopefully when it's plied and finished it'll look really pretty.  The colors remind me of a fantasy wonderland-- if that makes sense. 






















At first I was aiming for fingering weight but I soon realized how fine I would have to spin the fibers.  Fantasy is now striving to become a DK or worsted weight yarn (hopefully).  I can't wait to start plying; it's my favorite part about spinning so far.






















Here is a design I was working on until... well, I kind of got bored of it.  This mini shawl was going to be my entry to the January Design it Challenge.  If I were to enter it I would've had to include some crochet but I'm not in the mood to modify the design.

Also, stay tuned for the February Yarnful Giveaway, congrats to the winner of the January Giveaway!

Emily           

Giveaway WINNER!

First of all, I would love to thank all of you lovely people for entering the giveaway and showing so much enthusiasm!  I will definitely be doing more giveaways throughout the blog so keep on watching for the February Giveaway.

Now, without further delay, I present to you.... 

Winner!!: Jani Brattin

Congratulations Jani, you have won the January Yarnful Giveaway!

Thanks for playing everyone, and I hope to see you next month for the February Giveaway!




1/19/2013

Adventuring

Guess what?  I learned to spin!  This is my very first bit of handspun yarn!

Now presenting, my very first mini skein of handspun yarn... "Adventuring"!


I love how it looks, even if it's uneven and lumpy in some areas.  It surprised me how much plying the fibers changed the appearance of yarn, it even helped hide some of my mistakes.  I enjoyed spinning it.


I titled it "Adventuring" because that is exactly what I was doing throughout the spinning of this yarn.  I was going on an "adventure" into the world of spinning.  My adventure was quite pleasant and fun. ;)


Anyways, this is my very first handspun yarn!  I can't wait to perfect my drop spindling and hopefully come up with some more even, beautiful, and colorful yarns. 


Emily           

1/17/2013

Light as a Feather

Hi,
Today when I stepped off the big, long, yellow school bus I knew in my mind that I was going to walk home, grab my needles and yarn, and have a "sit 'n knit".  In other words, I was planning on knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and...well, you get the idea.  My "sit 'n knit" was actually very effective, and I accomplished a decent amount of knitting.

Here is my WIP, I named it "Light as a Feather".  I know, it doesn't have a feather anywhere on the project; That is because there is a special piece of the WIP that is missing, and I'll be adding that little embellishment a bit later.  Now for the pictures!  Here are some photos I took of my WIP, I know they're not the greatest, but don't worry!  Next year at my (art) school I will be taking a photography course, I'm excited to capture some awesome pictures.




Also, I fixed the Email Subscription gadget on the blog.  It wasn't working before, so all of the people who subscribed by email weren't getting any notifications.  Not to worry, it's working now and should be ready to go!

Happy Knitting,
Emily

1/15/2013

Live laugh love GLASS

Hi,
I'm still working on my Designers Challenge entry, my Owl Always Love You, and another mystery design which is a shhh... s e c r e t!  Anyways, I haven't made much progress in any of my WIPs so I thought I'd change up the usual routine of writing about yarn and knitting, and travel over to the realm of glassblowing. 

For my birthday, a few of my friends and I went over to an awesome glass blowing place in Oregon called Live Laugh Love Glass (I even gave you a link to their website!).  Check out their site if you have a bit of spare time, there are some really inspiring photos of absolutely stunning glass pieces throughout the website - trust me, you'll be amazed.

Here is a Christmas themed sushi plate I designed at Live Laugh Love Glass.  I'm proud with how it turned out, and it's perfect for the holiday season.  I made this glass piece before Christmas and I thought it would be finished by Christmas but it wasn't, so I guess I'll have to wait until next year!


Here is my sushi plate.  I love how the green glass shimmers, it reminds me of snowflakes settling on holly leaves.  Overall, I think it looks lovely, and I am thinking about giving it away as a nice present.

This is one of my first glass projects ever.  I made this 2 summers ago, and it's a flower candle stick holder.


Here is a shot looking into the inside: I used fine grains of glass to create the circular pattern.

Hopefully you enjoyed looking at this glass art, I'll be back with some real knitting news soon. :)

Emily