On The Rocks Faces

 Since, I am really behind on posting what I have been up to.  I thought I would show some of the faces seen at Alpacas on The Rocks.  This was late September at the Jefferson County fairgrounds.  It happens every year at about the same time.

 The best things about it are:

• It is free
• You can buy from local ranchers and vendors
• You get to talk to the vendors and ask questions

In my case, I kept remembering what I had at home from previous years.  I know I have 2 or 3 alpaca fiber selections including a really nice fawn color.  Then there is the yarn.  At least 5 skeins or hanks are hanging around from previous years.

I decided that I need to use up some of my past purchases before buying and I had the add incentive to save my money for Taos.  The vendors would have preferred I forgot all of these things and went crazy.  My apologies to them.

Spun Coopworth

This is a picture of both skeins before setting the spin.  This is more fiber purchased at this years Estes Wool Market.  I finally decided to try some roving from the booth in the back right corner.  I grabbed the whole ball which was 4.4 ounces of dyed Coopworth from "Handspun by Stefania".  The photo doesn't show that is a woodsy blend of green and brown.

I did a quick check of the "Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics" and decide to use my second largest whorl  and try for a two ply worsted weight.  Just for fun I tried the scotch tension for plying with my largest whorl.  I liked this because of how the hooks are on the flyer.  I think I will do this in the future on my Minstrel.

The end result is a bit uneven and not completely balanced but I think it will work well for a scarf.  The first skein has 110 yards and the second 44 yards.  I need to wash it and see if blooms before I declare it a worsted because it might be a heavy worsted/light bulky.

If this is typical Coopworth, I will definitely consider buying and spinning more of it.

The surprise is over

The babies arrived a little early and I have no idea when I am going to get these to them.  So, I am going to post about them any way.

 I started off buying three skeins of wool-ease thinking they could share a contrast color.  It takes most of two skeins to do a sweater.  So take note, if you are like me, probably 320 to 350 yards of yarn.

 As usual, I had to undo a couple of rows there is something really enticing about forgetting to do an increase when working with garter stitch.

 Also, I played with using parts of the Fibonacci sequence for the stripes.   I have done this before and decided I really like to count ridges in garter stitch rather than rows.

I am hoping I get to deliver these soon.

Sparkles

I enjoyed the Estes Wool Market this year.  Yes it was in June as usual.  I am being a putz about my blog.  One goat was particularly photogenic.  She seemed friendly and was willing to pose for a picture.

 And now for the sparkles.  This is four ounces of fiber I got at the Textiles A Mano booth.  You can see part of a batt below and above is a close up of the finished skeins.

 There were four batts of fiber, so I decide to spin each as a single ply.  Then ply two together.  I used the second smallest whorl on my Kromski Minstrel for the single ply and the second largest whorl for plying. This is based on the fiber being merino and what "Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics" recommended.

I still need to practice because I didn't get enough twist in a couple of spots.  By cheating a little I got all of the fiber plied.  I spit joined the fiber left on a bobbin from the first skein when I ran out on a bobbin for the second one.  There was another bit doubled back to get it all used.  The skeins came out pretty even 188 yards and 210 yards.  It seems to be a DK weight.  I think 398 yards will make a scarf.

Unknown Publisher

Yes, I have been fighting with the Desktop P.C. lately.   The battle started when switching virus protection.   After paying a friend who could slave the hard drive to scan it and remove over 30 viruses, I would like to remind everyone of something.

Flash videos are not your friend.  They are currently a very popular vehicle for viruses.  If you download videos, scan them before viewing.  I know this won't always be remembered.  If it is a link to a web site watch your website security ratings.  And lastly, you need to cross your fingers.   Virus and spyware protection is more reactive than proactive.

Silk and Wool

My latest hand spun. While I don't remember the percentage of silk to wool, I am sure the the wool is the higher of the two.  The grand total from counting  wraps around the kniddy-knoddys is 759 yards.  Just to be safe it is being counted as 720 yards.

It is a two ply, spun from two bobbins.  The leftover from one bobbin was done by turning it into a center pull ball.  The small amount was skeined on a small kniddy-knoddy that has one yard loops.   Also, the small amount has more energy left than the two larger skeins.  

My best guess is that is sport weight.  It could be a heavy lace weight but I really think it is sport weight.

I even remember not to use hot water to set the spin.   Some of my spinning friends said that hot would remove the shine from the silk.  Silk needs lukewarm temperatures.  Other than trying to spin with a silk wool mix,  I liked the shine and didn't want to loose it.  I used water that didn't feel cool or warm to me and the shine is still in the yarn.

Next up some Romney roving.

Dye Problem

For the last two weeks, I have been battling a problem.  I decided to wear my Vintage Velvet Scarf over with a white shirt that has a blue pattern on it.  The scarf is red, a fairly dark red.   It had been washed by machine with other reds.  I am sure you know where I am going with this.

Yes, it rubbed red dye off on the shirt all day long.  I noticed around 2 pm.   I double checked.  Yes, the pockets on the shirt seemed to bear the brunt of the dye.

My search for what to do only turned up the treatment for unknown stains.  I started with a spray on spot cleaner which helped.  Graduated to the dish detergent and that helped a little more.   That and a run through the washing machine took it most of the problem away.  It was still visible on the edges of the pockets.

Today was the ammonia and white vinegar day.  The pattern seems to be stable and I think the tiniest bit of pink is still visible.  I have to wait for the shirt to dry and see where I am at.

I believe the Vintage Velvet scarf made out of Muench Touch Me is due for some individual attention.  I want to see if bleeds in water.  If it does, I want to put a stop to that.

I think I didn't know that all the excess dye hadn't washed out because it went through the laundry with some other reds.

Cold Weather and Scarves

Unicorn Plate

After all of our cold weather and trying different scarves with my coat. I have decided I don't have the perfect cold weather scarf. I am talking zero and below cold. My scarves work well for warmer temperatures. Here is what I think I need.

• wider than 8 inches so it goes from the coat to over the ears
• thick as in worsted weight so it resists wind going through it
• need to be able to pull up over nose
• can't block my view
• It would be nice if it could go over the edge of my hat
• Needs to retain heat

I believe I am looking for a mobius, a cowl, or a wimple of some sort.  All of mine are too narrow, a bit lacy, or let the wind through to much.  To keep them over my nose, I have to hold them.  It would be nice to be able to jam the glove clad hands into pockets while walking.

Any suggestions on patterns or yarns?

The final test will be 20 mph wind gust when the temperature is below zero.  Hopefully, the test conditions won't show up for awhile.

Unicorn Jewelry

I really meant to share this last year shortly after putting the necklace and earrings together. It is one of the things my Mom and I do together when I visit. We bead. It is usually simple items that don't take hours and hours. So, here are the details.

The unicorn beads were purchased at Beadniks a couple of years ago. Mom gave me the blue, I believe dyed quartz, chips on a previous visit. The blue seed beads and gold beads are ones I purchased to add into projects as needed for accents. And the heart clasp is hidden in back. I put the accent beads between the chips by measurement rather than counting. The chips are all different widths. I still have plenty of blue chips for another project or to use as an accent.

I have worn the set several times and gotten complements. I am still happy with it and don't feel any urge to take them apart and try again. A complete success in my book.