fibergarden

OK, maybe not “big time”, but I am moving….moving it all over to my new URL, finally! Right now the new blog is kind of lousy in a layout and graphics sense, but I’m slowly working on it. I’m not the kind of person to say: “…and now….I unveil this totally fantastic, finished, never-to-be-updated or changed format”, so it is what it is and can only get better as Craig helps me work on it while the software is in it’s development stages.

I toyed with the idea of having two blogs, one personal and one fibery/business blog. But the reality is that life is way too short for two blogs, and that my fibery existence is completely tied to my “Momminess” at this stage in life–an obvious fact as I write with a snuggly one year old on my lap–got the picture? So, that said, away I go! Please join me at TemptressYarn. I’ll keep this blog up and running until I can hopefully transfer all of the old posts over there to save.

My goodies will still be for sale at Handmade for now. I get too much organic traffic there to ditch it, and it’s my official business name, so I think it’ll stick with it for a while. And I opened a new Etsy shop under TemptressYarn and will be moving my items there from the old Etsy shop as I offer new items.

I just found this too-cute skirt pattern–Hey Mickey–designed by Jacqueline over at This Kitten Knits that I think I’m going to try to knit up for my daughter. (By the way, she’s having a Blogiversary contest, so be sure to sign up for it and say that I sent ya!). This skirt has a vintage look to me that reminds me a bit of those Catholic school skirts I had to wear for 12 years of my life (frightening thought, isn’t it?!), but in the right colors I think I’ll be able to erase that thought from my mind and it’ll look great on miss A, who is a picture of cuteness in skirts (and shorts, and t-shirts covered with mudpies, and well heck–she’s just cute, but I’m her Mama so I am allowed to have a jaded view of how totally cute my kid is, right?)

This is a formula pattern so I can probably work it up in my own handspun if I’m feeling really adventurous. I have a pound of a gorgeous green-purple wool-llama-mohairish blend that I bought last year at the NYSWF that would look great on little A, so maybe I can discipline myself enough to spin it up thin enough to use for this pattern. Then again, maybe not.

She’s also got a gorgeous shawl pattern called Nerides that I love, complete with little pearls on the fringe…check it out!

All my handspun is on sale over at the shop–Handmade. $5 off any skein until Labor Day. Say that you found it at my blog and get US shipping for only a buck (free shipping on any order over $50 as usual).

I thought a sale to help clear out some stock would inspire me to stay up late spinning down some of my ever-growing fiber stash. I may even post a few brand new yarns there in the next day or so if I can get the twist set and dry in time to photograph, so you may get access to some brand new skeins at sale prices. Run right over and check it out!!

Just a fast post with two new fo’s to show off(”what”, you say, Carrie has actually finished a project?) Well, yes I have…imagine that! Anyhow, here are sneaky peeks as they lay flat blocking on a blue towel that really doesn’t make them look their best. Top is a snippet of a yarn over scarf from a skein I spun called Carribbean. I had that skein on consignment at a lys and got it back a while ago. Decided to knit up instead of re-listing it. I used a commercially hairy yarn carried along on the tightly knit areas and in the fringe (fringe not shown).

And this one is the end of a belt-scarf hybrid from a recent skein I spun up and couldn’t keep my hands off, called ‘Royalty’. Knit both sides, with a buttonhole like loopy bit at the other end to slip the tail through if you want to wear it as a belt. Or it makes a great skinny scarf. I also made a wacky cell phone bag-cosy from this skein and a necklace that I’m pretty happy with. Will try to post those soon too

Not listing these for sale until after my show on Shelter Island in a few weeks, so if anybody is interested, give a yell. Will be at the Chamber of Commerce Arts and Crafts Fair at the school grounds, on August 25th with my Sister and her beautiful photos in the booth next door. It’s usually a good show for both of us and we meet lots of new and old friends there every year.

Sorry to bore everyone with the non-fibery posts all the time, but I have finally got some finished objects to post and here’s the first, hooray! Of course, my photos suck and I didn’t realize it until after I gave it away. This scarf was knit in celebration of a young friend making her passage into womanhood. I wanted to commemorate the event with something special for a special young woman, hence it’s in her favorite colors purple and green, with some complimentary colors and just a hint of red thrown in to mark this extra special time in her life. I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it!

The chunky yarn is my own handspun singles, spun bulky from a batt I carded including merino, silk, silk noil and sparkle. I knit it with alternating chunks of a thinner commercial mostly mohair blend. (Can’t find the label but I’ll post it when I do locate it.) I knit the handspun before setting the twist, in lopsided rows totaling 5 yarn overs in each double row, which makes for a real loose open look that I think shows off the handspun nicely (if that doesn’t make sense, feel free to ask for details, not sure I can explain without writing a pattern, which I have absolutely NO idea how to do!!). I had a lot of fun with this project. The fringe is uneven and wild on purpose for an extra fun touch. Here’s another lousy pic of the scarf on our fence–really gotta get a dress form or mannequin.

More eye candy coming soon…check in someday to see what I’m up to, please.

Aah…finally updating the blog. I’ve been busy, out of town on vacation in FL (which allowed me to knit and crochet a few little projects I’ll post another day, as soon as I weave in ends, add a button and take pics). Anyhow, I wanted to put this photo up, of a recently finished birthday gift, and my second knit scarf ever!!. Originally, it was not intended as a gift, but as often happens while I make something, as I worked on it, the fiber spoke to me and about halfway through knitting, the scarf decided it would be a lovely birthday gift for Niki. I don’t know if she would choose this color for herself, but I think it’ll look great on her!

The yarn is Lorna’s Laces “Glory” in the color Black Pearl–it’s a hand dyed Mohair/Wool Blend that I got from Christine at Now and Zen. I knit it on US11’s, 10 rows of knit stitch, alternating with a row of dropped (elongated stitches with 3 wraps). I carried along a thin strand of Rowan’s kidsilk ‘Haze’ for some very subtle stripes in areas. Originally I intended it to be a long scarf, but I ran out of yarn, so I decided to make it into a loop scarf/wrap instead, joining the edge with a 3 needle bind off, and adding in some randomly angled fringe of both yarns at the seam, with purply glass beads for sparkle. I think it looks best loosely around the neck, or wrapped twice for cold weather, though it can be stretched out a bit to pull as a wrap around the top of the shoulders too…

Aside from frogging issues (very hard to unravel this hairy yarn), I’m really happy with the yarn and the finished object. Add dropped stitches to my resume and I’m off to knit something else…I’m thinking a simple wrap or poncho on big needles, to teach myself how to increase at each end. I’d love simple free pattern suggestions! I saw a pattern and yarn while in FL, but the yarn was $47 a skein and I chickened out, plus the colors just didn’t jump out at me…oh well.

And a HANDSPUN SALE–just adding a quick note that I put all my handspun on the web site on sale–$5 off each skein originally priced at $25 or more. Just for a few days until the 28th. I also put some of the felt scarves on sale to clear out and get ready for some nice summery silk nuno felt scarves I hope to work on over the next few days. So go check out Handmade–thanks!