Show and Tell

Today I get to do show and tell! It is always such an honor to get to share the beautiful things that you make from yarn and fiber that I make. I feel like there’s a connection that goes from the shepherd (and the sheep of course) to the mill to the dyer to you. I don’t know of any other art form that involves the creative efforts of so many. I love being part of this fiber “chain,” and I hope that makes you as happy as it makes me!

I have so many beautiful things to show you today. I have handspun yarn, handwoven garments as well as socks, onesies, and shawls.

Let’s start with the handspun yarn. This lovely yarn was spun by Lily using my Copper Roof art batts.

It’s a delightful 2-ply thick-and-thin yarn. I love how the different colors interact!

Next, we have these adorables onesies that JoAnn knit for her granddaughter. JoAnn’s granddaughter is going to be the most stylish baby ever! The pattern is called Tiriltunge Newborn Onesie, Nyfødtbody by Shja. All the yarn is my So Silk Sock base. These two were made using Mint and Rosy-Fingered Dawn:

This next one was was made using La Bohème:

This last one was made using Girl with a Pearl Earring:

I can’t decide whether I like Girl with a Pearl Earring or La Bohème better. On the other hand, the beautiful lace shows more clearly on the semi-solid colorways. Which one is your favorite?

Next we have this this lovely afghan that Amelia made using worsted-weight yarn I dyed for her in my Aegean Sea colorway. I don’t have that colorway anymore, but Dreams of the Sea would be very similar.

I love the subtle checkerboard pattern. This must be so soft and comfy to curl up under!

This next project was knit by my daughter, Mary. She made this hat using Tin Can Knit’s Barley Light pattern. It was her first time knitting a hat in the round and using DPNs, so I’m a proud mamma.

She used my Enchanted Forest colorway on So Silky Sock to make this beanie for her boyfriend.

Next we have two fabulous pairs of socks knit by JoDee. The ones below were made from my Farewell, Arizona colorway, which was a one-of-a-kind colorway. Now I wish I had written down the recipe because these look fabulous! She used a pattern called Swirl E. Socks by Susie White.

JoDee made the socks below from my Grand Old Flag colorway on Sock Perfection.  She used a pattern called Cafe Curtains by Diane Mulholland. I am actually dyeing more Grand Old Flag as we speak.

Next up is a stunning crocheted shawl made by Maddie. The pattern is called Nightfall, and you can find it for free on My Crochetory.

Maddie used The Large Blue Horses, which was my club colorway in March. I love the open stitches and the bright colors together!

Sharen made this beautiful shawl. The pattern is the Scrappy Shawl by Emily Clawson of Meanwhile at the Castle (love that name).

Sharen used one of my three-skein sets to make this. The colorways are Epiphany, A Little Princess, and Kristin Lavransdatter.

The last items I want to show you were woven by Cathy. She used a 4-shaft weaving pattern by Yarn Barn of Kansas called the Strata Cocoon for both of the ones below.

Cathy used Beautiful Universe for this one:

…and Van Gogh’s Starry Night for this one, which is shown from the back:

In both cases, she used So Silky Sock. That’s my favorite base for warp because it is wonderfully strong and has practically no stretch. While stretchy yarns are great for knitting and crocheting, they are less than great for warp (the up and down part) in weaving.

I hope some of these beautiful garments inspire your next project!

New Dye Studio

We are gradually getting settled in our new house. The best news of all is that my dye studio is up and running again. I tested out a few tried and true recipes yesterday to see how different the colors would look given city water instead of well water. I was very pleased to see that most colors really looked the same. The only difference I could see was chartreuse, which was even a little more brilliant than it was in Arizona.

Today I dyed some more colorways that were out of stock, including Beautiful Universe, Black Butterfly, Arwen, and Brilliant Blue. You can see all of those in the New This Month section of my shop along with Arizona Sunset and Kristin Lavransdatter.

Also today, my husband and I figured out how to set up for a kind of unique dye technique I use in the new space, so I will be able to dye colorways like Grand Old Flag and Lizzie in short order.

On Saturday, I’ll be getting started on the club colorways for July. I wanted to get to know the new dye space and get a feel for any color changes with familiar colorways before getting to work on Thomas Cole’s “Voyage of Life: Childhood” painting. I have the colors and dye techniques all worked out now, though, and I’m itching to get started.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I’ll “see you” next week.