Adventures in spinning

So I have been trying to match up some of my compatible Phat Fiber Sampler Box fiber to get larger quantities of yarn out of them as well as practice different techniques. So I took samples from 1,000 Petals (Hydra on Breeze roving - YUMMY), H.A.Y. (Summer Day on Falkland), Smoky Mountain Fibers (Beach Glass on Merino), as well as some soysilk scrap from Funky Carolina. I split them all down and drafted them together to make a sort of hand pulled roving. Then I just went ahead and spun them into a relatively fine single. Here is where I was starting to step outside my box. I decided to navajo ply the single. I have only plied using this method say three or four times and I definitely need more practice. I ended up running the yarn through the wheel again after plying to get rid of some excess twist, which definitely helped quite a bit. I ended up with a light worsted weight yarn that is about 90yards and 2oz. Through a great suggestion on the ravelry Phat Fiber group I went ahead and cast on Brittany Wilson's Sweet Georgia - I think I am going to finish it today! YAY!


Also a pic of one of my other scores from the fiber garage sale last Saturday. It's a 50/50 Camel/Corriedale blend and the label seems to indicate it is from a personally owned bactrian camel - which I think is pretty cool! It's a good three oz and I got it for $3 due to some guards hairs (I have seen very few and I think they will be pretty easy to remove. I have never spun camel and think it will be a great adventure!

Just noticed that these two fibers have very similar colors to them....I must like them! lol :)


Again I am LOVING all the comments and I must say that it is pretty cool to see the number that have been left for me! You guys have been giving me great suggestions! If you haven't entered yet there is still plenty of time! The drawing isn't until the 23rd!

Contest!

First I want to say thanks to all my customers! Today I woke up to my 100th sale under my new name and shop. It was an amazing feeling and I really appreciate each and every purchase that brought me here!

To show my appreciation I am doing a give-away! I would love to share my buttery soft Cashnyro sport yarn with someone. I will be moving towards the end of this summer (if all goes well!) and I would love to get some moving tips from you! Leave a helpful tip and I will enter your name (number) for a random drawing! The yarn is dyed in my water lilies colorway and is a delicious 80/10/10 Superwash Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend with 250yards in a 4oz skein. Here's a pic (ok it's really a collage, and yes I know that I am addicted.....:) I will draw the winner one week from today, so that would be June 23rd.


Also I have been doing more hand carding and now have quite the bag full of little rolags (I feel like that is not a nice sounding term for the little lovely's that I am describing). They are so light, airy, and just plain amazing that I had to share again. After about probably a good three and a half hours of carding here and there I now have 3.5oz of rolags. Prepare to be amazed. I have included above skein of yarn (which weighs 4oz) for a scale purposes. I cannot wait to start spinning this stuff up, I think it is going be dreamy. I am forcing myself to work on other projects right now though (sock summit stuff!! So they are still pretty exciting too!)

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

This week we had the opportunity to go camping! We had tons of fun and can't wait to go again. We went to the Matanuska River Campground right outside Palmer. This was Corbin's third time camping, but his first time really getting to participate in the activities, he helped roast hotdogs, ate his first s'more, and protected us from bugs with his "bug smacker". It was super hot and I was almost wishing that it had been overcast! This is our favorite "easy" campground, it is very well maintained and is a joy to bring the kids too. I know the hubby can't wait to take the boys on "real camping trips" - he and I have very different views on that! Lol! He loves to backpack in to camp and is already planning father/son trips! As we got to go during the middle of the week he had the campground pretty much to ourselves and emphasized again the benefits of my hubby's schedule.

In other news I got to go to a pretty awesome garage sale put on by the local spinning and weaving guild. I got some awesome dyed raw fiber and have already started hand carding it! More to come on that tomorrow!

Jumping back on the horse

I am doing it. I am blogging tonight so that I don't feel my blog hanging over my head. I keep meaning too, but when my hubby is home for his four days off I have a hard time getting my thoughts together for posting. But, I have been busy!

Monday: Sock blank dyeing! Some friends and I got together to try our hand at dyeing these for ourselves and they turned out great! Leah beat me to the punch at getting a photo of her up on her blog! I will hopefully get some photographs up tomorrow when my dear hubby isn't around again.

Tuesday: Rough start to the day, but I did do a spinning demo at an elementary school. Spinning in front of children always reminds me how much I really wished I could spin straw into gold! (Number one question I am usually asked)

Wednesday: I had a rather quiet afternoon and evening as I mostly got to knit. I cast on the November Ruffle Wrap in a luscious natural cream alpaca yarn that I have been saving. I am taking a break from my list as it was making me crazy instead of helping, and I just really want to knit something for me! I have about 5.5in done, not too bad.

Today: Shipped out several orders, waited in vain for the mail man to deliver my Phat Fiber box, and got some good cleaning done! I also am planning out the next couple days worth of dyeing! So I should have lot of fresh stock in the next week or so.

I feel so much better now! Hopefully Saturday I will be raving and posting lots of pics from my phat sampler!

Silky Valentine

Happy Valentines Day!

They're in...and I've dyed my first batch!! Silk Hankies! I will begin to offer these in my shop starting next week. I am going to (hopefully) get some of these spun up today. They are amazing little things! Used for knitting, spinning, felting, and paper making - they are a very versatile and unique form of silk.

Ripping back

I have found myself content and surprisingly so, to have ripped back the legwarmers I am working on. I found that I had cabled wrong about 20 rows back. Even just a couple of months ago I might have let it pass. I must be growing up or something as the words my mother always told me ring in my head - "If you are going to do it, do it right". Now the fact that I am working in super chunky yarn helps as well. ;) I only have 10 rows left on the first one. I think I will have them both finished before the week is out - if not sooner.

I have a new batch of yarn steaming, I love that I still get so excited about dyeing. I get excited every time, impatient for it to steam and dry until I can touch and see it in the light waiting to be spun, knit, or felted. I know the colors are a major booster for me during the long winter months as well.

Silk Hankies (spinning or felting) will soon be in the shop. I just put an order in for them and can't wait to try them out!

no pics today. I was not quite with it last time I uploaded pics, as I left the camera on. It is now charging.

oh! I am now on twitter! my user name is Akyarnie (northernlightfiberco was just too long for them!)

Phat Fiber Sampler Box

Whew I finished all my samples for Phat Fiber for the next two months and they will be going out in the mail today! What is Phat Fiber? An amazing sampler box containing all manner of yarn & fiber goodness by indie artists. I am super excited to be a part of it! Especially since I am sending enough samples to get my own box! Jessie (the powerhouse behind Phat Fiber along with her hubby Marcus) even put up a YouTube video of what the upcoming samples were for January. Sixty-six boxes sold out in a manner of minutes and Jessie has set-up a sign-up list through which you can find out the secret stocking time on Etsy! Check out her website for more info and to see who's participating!

February's Theme: Romance & Chocolate
March's Theme: Celtic

I updated shop today as well

New beginnings and Clean Floors

Unfortunately no Etsy feature today. I didn't get my stuff together fast enought, so maybe in the next few days.

Anyhow as I am sure anybody who pays even the slightest bit of attention knows that today was inauguration day for President Obama. I missed the speech, but got to see the rest of the special news regarding it and it was exciting to see the changeover of power. I thought the media was tasteful, and I truly hope that we will be moving forward in this country regardless of political party. I am tired of bickering, as I think most people are. It will be an interesting year to say the least. But enough politics.

I got a new vacuum today! Not just any vacuum but a Kirby! Our second vacuum since Hubby and I's marriage had broken about a month or so ago and we had been trying to decide on what kind of a vacuum to buy. We decided that we would much rather shell out the big bucks to have a vacuum that would last. So today we had the demonstration done (wow!) and we were sold :) So I now have MUCH cleaner floors. This vacuum actually makes me excited to clean!

In my fiber world I have started knitting these. I would show pics of my progress but my camera battery is dead :( So pics to come soon! They are knitting up fantastically! I can't wait to get them finished!

Ouch! I just realized how long it had been since I blogged! Ah! I will do better!

Oh and just to get points for pics here is one of the family in Disney World!
Ah, green grass! I can't wait for summer.

Movitation Monday

So I was so inspired by another friend and blogger this morning, and I have been thinking about her goals all morning and decided to make some of my own.

• Blog at least 5 times a week, with pictures twice a week
• Dye 2 days a week
• Spin at least 2 50g skeins a week
• Develop and finalize my marketing plan for 2009
• Knit 1 pair of socks a month for myself
• Knit 2 pairs of socks for hubby (per his request)
  
• Knit all of my Christmas Gifts for next year before November (lofty goal I know!)
• Lose six pounds by the end of January

January is a time of new beginnings and I am definitely looking forward to improving myself this year!

I do have a plan in the works for some give-aways of my fibers so stay tuned!

Energy

I am so excited and filled with new energy with the change of my business's name. I feel that it gives me the chance to have a more focused and creative outlet. It has become much easier to have the ideas that I felt that I was lacking.

Come on New Year! I can't wait for you to be here!


.....ok so I totally don't want to miss Christmas though! I have lots of family here this year and that would just be a bummer to miss that! Oh and my two year old totally "gets" presents this year too. I can't wait to watch him either!

AND! I dyed 15 skeins last night. On a day that John was working! Yay for babies going to sleep when they should!