Big Honkin Update

#40 on my Uberlist is to update this blog monthly. Umm, I'll have to do better for the rest of the year! Somehow I missed April, so what was I doing? Why so busy that I missed a blog entry?

I spent a lot of the month preparing for my third session of Yarn School. I have a large fiber stash full of things I dyed last time I was at Yarn School, which I wanted to spin up at least one bit before I left. I started this yarn ages ago, and put it away because I didn't like how the singles were striping. Then, one Saturday I went to a spinning group that meets once a month, and realized I hadn't thought about what I would bring to spin and as I was running out the door (why am I always late?) I grabbed the rest of this fiber. I'm fairly happy with it, but it's a bit on the bright side. It might do well as an accent on solid color sweater.

230 yards, 6 ounces, wool.

I also practiced some novelty techniques. It takes some practice, the hardest part for me is getting enough twist into the singles so that I can actually do the coils without them sliding around looking ugly. The multi colored part of the yarn is from the Hello Yarn Fiber Club "Lantern Festival." The pinkish is some wool I dyed.

Coils, Beehives and Boucle

I finally finished the Adult Surprise Jacket for my aunt. I used about 14 balls of Noro Kuryeon in color 165. I still haven't mailed it to her, there is a fiber festival the end of this month and I want to enter it into one of the competitions. I think it would be fun to send her the jacket along with a prize ribbon! It turned out so awesome, I'm in love! I think I'm going to make one for myself now using handspun. I have some that I made when I was first starting to spin that's kind of hard and crappy, but would probably work well for the jacket!

Adult Surprise Jacket

Don models the jacket

Vintage Button

The next knitting project I worked on was the Cloud Bolero. I thought it would be a quick and easy knit, but I was wrong! I think I started it at least 4 times. I've never worked a lace pattern before, so I was totally not paying attention to which side of the stitch markers my yarn overs were when I knit the next row. Oops! As soon as I figured out what I was doing wrong I stopped knitting while watching movies and payed attention to what I was doing. I finished it with no problem, and it's so cute! I used about 2.5 skeins of Noro Iro in color 66. I still need to block it and add a couple of buttons.

Cloud Bolero Front

Cloud Bolero Back

Yarn School was fun and as fantastic as I could have hoped. I made a few yarns and dyed a ton of fiber. All my pictures can be found here, and there is also a Flickr Group. On to the yarns and fiber!

Wool, Mohair and Sparkle two-ply

Wool, Locks, and Sari Silk singles

Wool, Sari Silk, Sparkle and Bamboo - Thread plied with paillettes

Batt Out of Hell - Thread plied

So much dying!

This time when I went I really tried to think about colors I love and what would be good combinations. I also tried to take into consideration the fibers I was dying and how I might want to spin them. My first thoughts were to copy nature, but it's harder than I thought it would be! Here is a little of the inspiration I started with:

Forsythia and Quince
I love seeing these two flower at the same time in the spring.

Sky, Spring Greens, Dogwood

Black Tulip

Towards the end of the dying session I was getting weary, and just started throwing colors together. I like some of the results, but others I will have to wait and see how they spin up.

After I got home I spent a few days spinning one of the superwash fibers I dyed. Don was totally into the bright colors, and has asked for a hat.

Here's the yarn - Superwash Merino, 7 oz and 415 yards. I had a little left over on the bobbin after plying, so I tried Navajo plying for the first time. I was happy enough with the result that I immediately started spinning more fiber specifically to Navajo ply. I'm almost done with it, but it takes so long!

My first Navajo Ply

I have been doing a bit of sewing, but the dress I was working on is so hideous, I think I may take it apart and make it into a skirt. I used a thrift store sheet for the fabric, so I'm really only out a few hours of time and about $2. I think my next sewing project is going to be either a few skirts, or some napkins. I have tons of cottons that would be perfect of either project!

I planned on posting a bunch of pictures of flowers from my yard, but I think this entry is long enough!