Colors of Spin-In.................................

Do you love fiber as much as I do?  Here are just a few photos from the spinning fibers available at our January spin-in.

 

Must Reads?

While I'm walking the Emerald Coast Beaches of Florida, I'm contemplating what books I want to read in the near future--here is a list I found of books that some say should be read!!  Well, walking on the beach, I'm thinking--I want to read a trashy romance novel!!!

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 
2. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy*
3. Ulysess by James Joyce*
4. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville*
5. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace*
6. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien*
7. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky*
8. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo*
9. Pride & Predjudice by Jane Austen*
10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee*
11. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
12. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov*
13. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell*
14. Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
15. The Bible
16. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte*
17. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez*
18. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller*
19. Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte* 

How many of these books have you read or want to read?  

Spin-in Treasures!

Every year spin-in hosts many vendors and every year I think I'll take time from my duties as coordinator, but each year, time seems to get away from me.  Not this year!  I shopped!  

This is a sock blank!  I know it doesn't look blank!  

It's from Gale's Art-- I'm going to have fun knitting these socks.  Gale will also have double sock blanks soon--that way you can knit TWO socks at a time instead of ONE!

This lovely Silk roving comes from River's Edge Fiber Arts--it is stunning!  Maybe, it will be a table decoration for awhile before spinning!

And from Ewephoric Fibers I found this Silk & FBL roving--just my colors!

 

This is going to spin like a dream!

And "Phoebe Blend"! Mohair, wool and alpaca fiber comes from Skyloom Weavers animals--nothing like buying locally!

 

 

And The Party Is Over!

 We go from this packed house of spin-in participants, who have been spinning for 4 days, shopping from 17 vendors, showing off their precious fiber garments and just plain having fun!

To this!  Totally empty room, quiet and just a little sadness--but then there is always 2016.

Oh NO! Another mystery!

This mystery will last several months--how can you resist when you can take your time to do this??  And the pattern is free!!!

Yarn: 1 skein Kells Sport (330 yds) from Three Irish Girls; ANY sport that is not single ply or loosely plied will be fine.
Needles: US 6 (4mm), 32“ circular or size that will get you gauge
Crochet Hook: F,G, or H
Other: 270 #6 beads, beading hook (or dental floss)
Gauge: 20 sts and 28 rows = 4“ (blocked)
It’s a complete mystery! You don’t know what you are knitting. Each month, January - May, a new piece of the knitting puzzle will be reveled in the K.O.M. River’s Knitting Guild group page.
The KAL is free and anyone is welcome to join us! When you arrive at the group page, chime in so we know you are ready to play and I’ll add you to the participant list.

January:  Here is the hard part: 

Let’s begin: Using the Crochet Chain Cast on, CO 1083 sts.

Yes. Seriously. 1083 sts. You have a month to do it. (well, we don't have quite a month left) It’s not hard, it’s just tedious. I would recommend you place a stitch marker every 50 - 100 stitches, double checking the count before moving on. It makes it easier to keep track and when you are finished you know you have the correct number of sts.

Fiddle Me--The Elements Shawl!

I so Love Mysteries--don't you know that by now??  And I LOVE this designer--Fiddleknits.    Sign up for this shawl knit, which begins April 1st--that's plenty of time to get my yarn and finish up other patterns.  Check out the pattern on Fiddleknits designs on Ravelry.
                                                                

Are you Square?

Let's become really square with this KAL:

 

Here are the colors for the year, so you can look through your stash.....................

January: Royal Blue

February: Grenadine (Deep Pink)

March: Sagebrush (Light Green)

April: Baby Yellow

May: Orchid

June: Baby Pink

July: Azure (Turquoise)

August: Really Red

September: Mustard (Gold)

October: Bittersweet (Orange)

November: Caramel (Light Brown)

December: Peacock or Pine Green (Teal/Green)
Check out Cherie's Website   If you are on Ravelry, go to the forum and get the pattern for FREE!  This is designed for both knitters and crochets!  Let's all become big Squares!

It's THAT Time Again!!

January Spin-In Has Rolled Around Again!!

It is time for spinners, their wheels and FUN!

 

We are meeting in Destin, FL--participants pre-registered for this 27th event!

Don't you Wish you Were Here!!

Socks! Socks! Socks!

 

Since the weather has turned colder, I have an opportunity to head to my

SOCK drawer!

Yes, I have a sock drawer!  Not just any socks--but all hand knit socks!  Oh, I take that back

See that one brightly colored, patterned pair in the photo--that pair was machine knit by a friend.

And that pair of fuzzy socks is my handspun angora (from my own bunny!)> I would wear these socks when we demoed for school groups--they could pet my feet and feel the bunny!

I love my hand knit socks! and the chance to wear them on cold winter days.

Swapping!

Have you ever been involved in a swap?  One where you draw a name and send them a gift?  Or just any swap of any kind?

Our spinning guild did a swap--an interesting swap--we each brought clean ready to spin fiber to the meeting, added our name to the list and let the coordinator do her 'thing'!

I sent indigo silk fiber, dyed with indigo

I received a fiber to spin

Then I sent the spun fiber to the next person on the list

and they finished the project.

 

Most people will knit but my finisher wove mine!

Every time I wear this scarf, I think of that project and the person who spun my fiber and the person who wove this lovely piece of art!

I wonder if the person who received my item, still thinks of me!??

Memories Abound

While at my mother's house, I sorted through some of her paperwork and looked for her medical information, especially the Living Will.  As I was searching through some of the cabinets and drawers, I came across this small box.  Of course, I was curious and opened it.  There, what to my wandering eyes was this woven necklace!  I had forgotten all about it!  Once made and out of my hands and heart, it is not remembered.  But, here was this piece I had made, oh maybe 20 years ago.  My mother had saved it--mostly, never worn; still intact, dust free, and packed into the back of a drawer.  Did she bring it out to look at?  Or did she just put it away for me to find some day?  I can't ask her as she doesn't remember even the smallest things. How would she remember this from 20 + years ago?  It doesn't really matter--at least, it has been found!  And memories abound for me!

Thinking of Friends

Today I'm thinking of two friends who are going through health concerns.  I found these recipes in my photo file as I was thumbing through.

 

This is always a great recipe and so easy to prepare.  I'm thinking about Sharon today.

and I wrote this recipe on the only paper I could find and then it was only what I could remember.  Good friends to remember as each day goes along. 

Busy Hands for Idle Time

As I continue to sit with my 94 year old mother in her hospital room, there are knitting projects to keep my hands busy.  She is slowly healing and now we wait to see if she can continue that journey in a rehab facility.

 

 

She dozes, I knit.  I finished this Mistake Rib Stitch scarf and now will send off to brown headed daughter to match her hat and gloves.

Mother is hard of hearing so I am her translator.  This cowl can be picked up and set down--I don't lose my place.  It is Seed Stitch pattern.  I'm so thankful I know how to keep my hands busy during the idle time.

My View of the World Today

There are "those" days!  And then, there are "THOSE" days!  Today is the latter--for the past two days, we have been sitting in this hospital room with this view as my 94 year old mother recovers from surgery for a broken wrist.  She is a stubborn person--will not use her walker or her cane!  Will I be as stubborn when I'm her age?

Knitters Unite!

What are you Knitting??  Where are your needles taking you in the pattern world?

 

Susan was wearing this lovely scarf--we must investigate--loving the yarn and the pattern.

 

But, alas--Marisa Hernandez's design--Easy as Pie, a lacy scarf

Oh, my heavens!  This is just too soft and luscious--Becky was knitting away with

this yarn--Yes, Mink Yarns! 

She was knitting this pattern designed by Orange Flower Yarns--you can find the free pattern on Ravelry 

We recently had a member of our group move to Southern California and in that process she was selling a large portion of her stash.  Susan got these yarns from Kate's stash and decided to knit up this shawl.

the pattern is Drachenfels by Melanie Berg

And just sink your fingers into this cozy fiber--Gretchen calls it 'her comfort' knitting and I can see why!

This is mohair and silk blend--so soft and ahhhhh, what else can we say!  The pattern is a simple shawl of stockinette stitch and garter stitch borders.  Wrap this baby around your shoulders and you'll feel like a Princess!

 

 

WOW! The Colors of Weaving!

Sometimes, you just get carried away with the colors of life and in our last WOW (Way Out West Weavers) meeting, we saw wonderful examples of weavings that bring out our senses!

Tracy had a painted warp from a friend who was no longer weaving--not Tracy's colors, but she took this warp and brought it to life!  She is working on creating circles in weaving--not bad, huh? 

She had two examples of painted warp--making lovely scarves to wear.

Let's admire!

 

This is Tracy's sample for another project--she is certainly an accomplished weaver!

Then we move onto more color in weaving--Karen

This is her double-weave blanket with Tuna wool

All washed, fulled and brushed

Just lusciously soft and comfy!

She even did her fringe on the loom--check out her website for a tutorial video.

These are Karen's little hot-pads made with cotton strips, cut 1/4" wide

I like the way she finished the end with fabric strip

Karen spent part of her holidays in Philippines with her family and of course, being a weaver, she did some shopping and bought some lovely wovens 

Warp faced weave mat.  Even black and white can bring weaving to life.