Kitsilano Market - First Market of the Season

The market season has begun.  In an unprecedented race to be organized and on time, we were too early to set up.  That will not happen again.  SUNSHINE all day!  Heaven for a first market.

I have had this nagging feeling that I haven't been busy enough.  After setting up the booth (and realizing there is not one piece of inventory from last year) I am confident I am up to my usual standard of busy hands.

 

The Kromski Sonata is the best wheel for travel to a market.  Compact and light, with a quick set up (and cup holder), I was able to rock the spinning.  It will now be my market buddy wheel.

I am so lucky to have such great friends....Let's see early morning with Pearl, Vanessa slightly later, Jean for a good portion of the afternoon, and Kim for the latter part of the day as well as tear down.  Many coffee refills just added to the bounty of the day.

 

Support local food and artisans this season.  Buy local, buy hand made.

Shifting Gears

Just as  I finish posting about how much I love my carder, I come across a post on Ravelry where someone is looking for a carder.  So before you know it, I am online offering up my loyal and trusty carder for sale.  WTFrack?  Really, have I lost my mind?

No, I just happened to have another one, brand new, sitting in the box that I was dying to get at.  I have been a Louet Dealer since March so I have ample access to carders and this new one - The Classic Carder is replacing my model that is no longer made.  There was nothing wrong with mine.  I loved it and still love it, but like old boyfriends, sometimes you just want something new.  Thanks for the good times, sweet girl.

Here is my first batt off the new carder...No difference, but it has that new car(der) smell.  I'm a fickle chickie.

 

And the resulting yarn......well....judge for yourself.

 Good tools are important.

Why I Love My Drum Carder

My Own Units of Measurement

It was a good week.  How to you determine a good week?   Well for me, the measurements are simple.

pfd - Pounds of fibre dyed
bc - batts carded
ss - skeins spun
uoi - units of inventory

Simple measurements, easy to keep track of .  One week and the market season begins.

This merino is like a fluff marshmallow.  As well as the merino, I dyed a pound of wool mohair that is just lovely.  I also over dyed some alpaca for carding...Super sweet.

This weekend is about at home production.  Yes, it may have something to do with the Victoria Weekend Trekathon on the space channel.

Withdrawal

I haven't really been to the studio for days.  I miss getting my spin on and have two lovely bobbins full and ready for plying.  Then I will spin more and another bobbin and finally update my 355.   I need to fill those yarn cupboards.

Some new dye colours came in today.  I'm super excited to give them a whirl and with the sun shining like this, guess who's painting outside today?

Will show you some of the lovelies when they are finished.  Enjoy the sunshine.

Alpaca Love

I gave all of the students an alpaca top to over dye without saving one for myself.  That has been rectified.  Oh and more alpaca top has been ordered.

 

I adore alpaca, but have finally tired of spinning it au naturel.  I needed a bit of colour, not much, just a tich.  And this when spun will be blended with a natural oatmeal BFL.  Heading to the studio to ply it now. Just keeping it real.  Yes, I can do subtle.

UPDATE:::::Plied.

A Brief Warping Interlude

I apologize for the lack of posting this week.  I have had a bit of an identity crisis.  Who am I?  Eager weaver, spinner, dyer, knitter, crocheter, sloppy housekeeper?  Okay, we've pinned down one.

I am easily distracted by all things pretty and different.  I love being challenged by something new and the exciting learning curve of trying to master a new skill.  But this is different, very different than the usual distraction.  It puts me in the same zone as spinning, clear, calm, content and like I've been floated off to an island on my own.  Can you say a little slice of heaven?

HOWEVER, where is my inventory?  It is not happening at the super speed it used to.  I take more breaks.  I am more deliberate and purposeful in my work.  I know I haven't gotten any smarter, so I'll attribute it to getting older or more seasoned.

There is a lot of knit "stuff" sitting amongst the dust bunnies.  Time to give the house and my inventory mojo a good late spring dust off today. 

The regularly scheduled Project updates will return after the very brief warping interlude.Stay tuned.

Fibre is still drying...None of it is mine.  This make me sad.  The great colours make me happy.

Something else that made me not sad.  I was weaving today......not really weaving, but tossing a shuttle back and forth and making my hand spun live in a different way.  Pictures tomorrow when Pearl helps me get it off the loom.  I felt something.......I sense trouble.   I blame Terri, possibly Sonia....

It Takes a Village

It takes a village to spin a village worth of fibre and yarn.  Here's what's still drying from the Saturday workshop.

If you recognize your fibre, give it another day or so to dry and then it's all yours.  For the record, you were a prolific and enthusiastic group.

Again, no pink here anywhere.   Today was spent moving the furniture back, drinking a significant amount of coffee and dyeing with Kristen.  It was a great afternoon of dueling colourways.

I recently picked up a lovely alpaca that I overdyed and I love it so much, even though it isn't even dry yet,  I know I will sneak a cuddle. 

Remind me to show you a picture of the dyed top after spinning.   I guarantee you it will look less like this wildebeast.

Only one yarn to add today......but it sure is purdy.

Dyeing to Learn

Yesterday I offered what I hope will be the first of many full day workshops at the studio.  The dyeing class was something that has been in the works for a while.  Almost a side effect of teaching spinning, if you will.  Once everyone has spun their requisite pound of crossbreed or corriedale (learning fibre) they are all sick of white.  The first skeins are not as pretty, kind of quirky, but usually end up being unloved as white.

I headed into the studio quite early to get everything ready for the class which involved a lot of juggling of the space.  Cups, brushes, vinegar, buckets, cloths, wrap, gloves, masks, oh yes, and dyes. ----check, check, check.....enough espresso pods...Double check.

The group was wildly enthusiastic and have all been past students.  One of the most important impromptu lessons of the day --how to use the cappuccino machine.

Once safety issues were out of the way, not trivial, but not creative, there was an amazing symphony of colour in the room.  I am grateful to say, not one fibre was dyed with any pink in it.

There wasn't time to get a lot of photographs, with two power interruptions and a small flood keeping things hopping, but it is definitely something we will be doing again.

Thanks to Jennifer and Kristin for the classroom support.  It was wonderful for the students to see expert dyers in action.

Checking in on the 355 Project

I have been posting these yarns now for almost 4 months.  I'm not known for sticking to a plan, but I find that I have been able to keep up with this.  I've had a few comments from people enjoying the posts, but I'm wondering.......is there anything that you would like to see with the updates.  Are you okay with the eye candy and the details of the yarn or are you looking for more....inspirations? 

Has this project made any difference to your spinning or inspired you in any way, regardless of your chosen fibre medium.  What inspires you in your textile endeavours?

All Yarn, All the Time

I finished reskeining the yarns I dyed on the weekend.  It was first and foremost a matter of getting it out of the way.  There was yarn drying everywhere. Here's a bit of the spring in yarnie goodness.

After putting the fibre away, I managed to card a bit for what will eventually be this yarn.  I left the studio in the middle of spinning it.  Looking at this picture makes me want to set the alarm to get to the studio tomorrow.

I had the last class for Free Form crochet.  It was amazing and even had some impromptu spinning in the middle of it.  Now you'd be thinking that wrapping up at 9:30 would be enough, but oddly enough I found myself back at the studio rinsing some dyed top.

Home, fed and thinking I could take another crack at that baby cardi that I frogged last night.  The night is still young.

Studio Guests

Mad dash and special guests at the studio today....something to pull me out of my paperwork stupor.

Something I have been trying to avoid for a long time now.  Don't get me wrong...it's not for a lack of respect or interest in the craft.  I am simply afraid of finding something else in the textile arena to love.  Saori weaving is a beautiful style of free form weaving and we have an amazing instructor right here in BC.  After having Terri at the studio for a brief time, I could feel myself doing a secret fibre dance.  I was not alone, hmmm Kristen?  Yep, a workshop is definitely in our not too distant future.

While I am coming down from my fibre high, I am nestled snuggly back at home with with my new yarn  Madelinetosh in the Parchment colourway doing some swatching....I know...This fibre is too beautiful to just carelessly knit away on....Sheryl from Any Spun Thread is having an amazing sale right now.  Check it out here... 

Busy, busy day at the studio tomorrow.  Lots of drop ins before my last free form crochet class at Birkeland.  It was a terrific class to teach and my students, well, they made beautiful things.

I'll leave you today with a yarn and kitty picture.  Sorry, but sometimes Asia is so damn adorable.

Places to Knit in Vancouver

Pearl took me to a wonderful place to knit today.  Queen Elizabeth Park.  At 5pm there was so much sunshine.  Thanks Pearl for reminding me that I can knit in places that don't have the space channel and that outdoors is pretty wonderful.

 

Current project on the needles, so much hand spun for this scarf.  Completed pics to come.  In the meantime I am exploring the new photo app on my phone.

 

Enjoy the sunshine.  Knitting looks better in natural lighting.