Yarn Prawn

Hands Before Us

2012-01-15T21:40:00.001-06:00

hand dyed merino, bamboo, sewing thread, blue faced leicester, locks, other
53 yards / 2.9 ounces
fiber from After the Sheep, Fiber Lady

I spent the last three days at a Judith MacKenzie workshop, and of course it was fabulous and amazing. In addition to being an expert on spinning, Judith is a wonderful teacher and a lovely person. She filled the workshop with encyclopedic knowledge, stories and reflections. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes.

On our place in the tradition of textiles:

There are thousands of hands behind you and thousands of hands ahead of you.

A saying of Judith's cotton spinning teacher (I think her name was Persus Granger):

Everything turns towards the good.

My favorite thing to spin was cotton straight from the boll (wow!) and my favorite spinning tip was to alternate between having your guiding hand under and over the fiber to keep opposing arm muscles balanced.

The class has me thinking about our place in textile history. Yarn structure has always been driven by function and resource availability. The yarn for good sails (on ships - yes, someone had to spin that!) is very different from the yarn for a Shetland wedding ring shawl, but one is not better than the other. Today, spinning isn't a matter of survival, and we have easy access to fibers that would have been a king's ransom in earlier times. So what kind of yarn should we make? My skeins would not make good ship sails, some have made fine shawls, and many are just impressions of color and texture with no further use required. Spinning is all about possibility. The fiber you hold in your hands can become many things, the result as unique as your fingerprint. Fibers twisting around themselves, your yarn is connected all spinners behind and ahead of you, one thread in the fabric of history.

Christmas Recap 2011

2012-01-08T21:39:00.000-06:00

hand dyed superwash bfl plus a bunch of other stuff (you know the drill...)
not yet washed or measured
fiber from After the Sheep

December is always a little crazy, and this year had finals for Mr. YP added into the mix. But once we were actually celebrating the holidays, everything fell into place and was a lot of fun.

Video of favorite presents (William gets a case of "happy feet" around 1:17):

Too bad I have not had success filming Stu the Chimpanzee puppet, Will's new BFF. Wilbur hugs Stu, waves to him, gives him rides on the fire truck, plays hide and seek with him, shows me Stu's "EYES" "NOSE" and "MOUTH", etc. etc. I can often get a moment of blessedly unmolested time just by saying, "Will, where is Stu?" Will's eyes light up as if he had completely forgotten about the existence of his new friend until I asked about him... and then Willers squirrels off in search of his long lost buddy.

Father and son at MN Christmas (this favorite cardboard puzzle was projectile vomited on yesterday... at least we have the memories):

Christmas aftermath in MN:

With Antic in MA:

"He's so musical!":

Cute new shirt from Gran:

"YEE-HAW!" ride'em cowboy:

I always feel so fortunate around Christmas. We have a surplus of good stuff (material and otherwise) in our family, and I know that every family deserves just as much as we have.

New Year, New Yarn

2012-01-01T20:57:00.000-06:00

bamboo, handspun alpaca two-ply, wool roving core
skein is not yet washed or measured (see all that active twist!)
fiber from Fiber Lady, The Fiber Studio, and my handspun stash

In my last New Year's post, I picked three words instead of making resolutions. The 2011 words were:

Patience

Decisiveness

Incompleteness

I didn't think much of it at the time, but throughout the year these words came to mind. They helped me through a year of being a new mom (patience), leaving a job I was scared to quit (but it was the right decision), and leaving many tasks imperfect and incomplete in order to avoid going crazy. By December, I was eagerly anticipating next year's words and mulling over options.

After much fun deliberation, my words for 2012 are:
Prolific
Unfettered
Devoted

I couldn't have asked for a better 2011 and I am excited to start a brand new year. Best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy, and safe 2012!

Where'd the music go?

2011-12-20T21:02:00.000-06:00

hand dyed superwash merino, tencel, sewing thread
203 yards / 4.3 ounces
fiber from Spincerely

Just so you know, it took are two plies of merino tencel singles and four plies of thread to make up this boucle yarn! Oh, if I had my Cricket loom before I made this, I would not have consigned it! It is yummy yummy yummy.

Not that I'm planning to actually use my handspun by weaving it now... I'm all about post-functionalism in yarn (a term I saw on this thread).

The following video is pretty priceless, to me at least. I managed to document the where'd-the-music-go game on video. Please try to ignore the inappropriate song selection - the clock radio is a favorite toy right now and so a lot of different stations get tuned to... :)

Wishing everyone a safe and joyful holiday season! I'll be back with more yarn and pookle pics in '12.

Man Yarn

2011-12-11T20:27:00.001-06:00

hand dyed merino, bamboo top
278 yards / 4.2 ounces
fiber from Fat Cat Knits
(to gallery)

This yarn would be suitable for most guys, unlike my typical color choices. I consigned the yarn, but I like to think of the new owner making a gift for hubby or boyfriend with it... or for himself if it was purchased by one of those awesome guys who likes to fiber it up. (P.S. Mom - this was the fiber you got me for my last birthday. Thanks!)

Speaking of birthdays, this week I celebrated yet another one - they just keep coming! I got many fibery gifts including The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook and a pre-order of Jacey Boggs upcoming book (squee!). I also broke down and bought a Cricket loom after seeing scrumptious handspun/handwoven gifts at the Whorling Spinsters group last week. Here is my cute new loom with a scarf in the works:

In pookle news, Will was (almost eerily) well behaved this weekend. He enjoys switches and buttons so much right now. We spent a lot of time turning the lights on and off and also playing the radio game. He invented this game - the radio is on a music station and he is happily flapping his arms around to groove to it. Then he turns the radio off and looks at me with a dramatic arm gesture that says, "What just happened? I certainly have NOOOO idea (hehehe... mischievous glint)." Then I say, "The music's gone!! Where could it be??? (completely flabbergasted)." Then he gets all excited and turns the radio back on and we both start dancing again. Repeat over and over and make sure to pretend surprise each time it turns off.

Looking older every day:

QT with Mr. YP (who did not want me to take a picture, sorry hon):

Catch of the day:

Poor green fishie doesn't know what he's about to get in to:

And, lastly, an adorable pic from this summer with Antic:

Better Than Pink

2011-12-04T21:28:00.001-06:00

undyed shetland wool
188 yards / 3.9 ounces
fiber from Fiber Fair

I love bright colors, and pink is my most favoritest color of all! But this shetland shows the beauty of naturally colored fiber. And of course, the feel of spinning wool that hasn't been traumatized by a dye pot is the best.

Putting together the Gallery and Tutorials unleashed some kind of creative spinning wave in me and I've had many a great "sesh" (sorry, I just love that word...) with my wheel. There are certain yarn ideas in my head that I can never seem to figure out how to spin, but the ensuing experimentation leads to other avenues and ideas which is just as well. And I still have my "dream yarns" to keep trying to make reality.

Since this blog is a stand in for a baby book, I wanted to note a few things that the Willster likes to do right now (14 mos). He still loves putting things in other things, and has gotten better at orienting them correctly - like putting our cordless phone into the base correctly (he takes a lot of important calls!). He likes to "dance" to Toddler Radio on Pandora with little squatty squats and gleeful hand waving. He also tries to climb anything in sight - on Friday morning he was climbing up onto the sofa and coffee table over and over. Apparently it was a singular burst of climbing skills, because he has not repeated it since... I'm sure that won't last forever, though!

He's still not talking (that I can tell) but I think his comprehension is improving and it's really nice to feel like we are communicating more. Will is very giving and the daycare ladies call him the Welcome Ambassador because when someone (kid or adult) comes to the classroom, he is always the first to bring up a toy or hug (awww...). He loves to play games that involve taking turns, where he does something and then you do something (often after he emphatically points to you, just in case you didn't know it was your turn). I know he hasn't hit the selfish phase of toddler-hood yet, but I hope this personality trait sticks around - it reminds us of Mr. YP's sister, who is an incredibly awesome person and hopefully Will got a few of her genes.

Life is not all fun and games, Wilbur has developed a signature tantrum that involves throwing himself backwards and thumping his feet on the floor. It usually involves bumping his head at some point, which only makes him madder. Even though both his parents were "super easy" babies, Will has a spirited temperament!

I thought this post would be without toddler pics (since we've all been sick...) but Grandpa G came to the rescue with this cute story time pic from last month's visit.

Thanks

2011-11-27T17:13:00.001-06:00

hand dyed merino, bamboo, sewing thread, blue faced leicester, handspun yarn remnants, other
87 yards / 3.1 ounces
fiber from The Fiber Studio, Ashland Bay, Spincerely, Fiber Lady

This post will never end if I try to list everything I am thankful for. And besides, you can probably guess a lot of it from the pictures. I hope everyone had a happy, safe, and relaxing holiday weekend!

Purple Brains

2011-11-20T20:15:00.001-06:00

merino, bamboo, tencel, other wools, locks, oddments
43 yards / 1.5 ounces
fiber from The Fiber Studio, Ashland Bay

There's nothing like an unruly mass of purple art yarn (that kind of looks like a brain to me) to start off the week!

These are merino singles with all sorts of odds and ends spun around them. While you're spinning your singles, take a little pinch of another fiber or yarn and let it get sucked in to your main drafting zone. You don't need to do anything special to join it on, because your drafting zone is like a whirlpool, ready to grab any unsuspecting passersby and drag them down. Take your pinch of fiber - really a pinch will do you, you don't want too much - and let the side of it (not the tip) just brush against your main singles where the twist is entering. Once it gets sucked in, keep fluffing the accent fiber out to the side so that it wraps around the main singles.

Our family had a great week. Willers got a haircut, since his bangs were almost to his eyes.

Will loves this empty diaper box right now, and much fun has been had getting in and out every couple of minutes and pushing it around in between. Part way through the video you see him stick his hands straight out. He does that all the time now and it always looks so significant/expressive, but it happens at completely random times and I don't know what it means.

We also checked out Edinborough, now that Winter (capitalized in MN) has set in. This is an amazing indoor play park for kids. Here is a shot of the main area for older kids and also Will and Mr. YP at the bottom of the slide in the toddler room. Will spent the first few minutes looking shell shocked by all the activity and play areas, but settled in quickly to gamboling and trying everything out.

Finally, here is a picture of Baba, Grandpa, Grandma, and Gran at Frontenac State Park. I love all the grandparents together, what a great picture to have.

On Balance

2011-11-16T22:24:00.001-06:00

We've all seen this equation in one form or another:
full-time job + being a mom + chores + sleep > 24 hours

I have been stressed lately, feeling like there are 10x more things to do than there is time to do them. But all work and no play makes Yarn Prawn a dull girl. And what do I really enjoy? What makes me feel complete and gives me energy instead of draining it away? I am learning how important having a creative outlet is.

There are so many excuses not to create. I'm not a professional artist, so I can't make real art. I'm only making yarn, which wouldn't classify as art anyways. Yarn isn't even a finished product until it is knit up. Photographing the yarn moves beyond non-functional to a bit odd and loopy. Beyond ALL of that, I don't have time to do more than a half-assed job at making this weird, non-functional, non-art, non-professional yarn.

So why bother?

Creating recharges me. It gives me energy that I didn't have before, it makes me more pleasant to be around. It gives me a break from partitioning life between work and family. And even if it is not art, it is creation. I see beauty in yarn; yarny photos make me happy. How many artists would leap at the chance be happy with what they create, instead of frustrated and dissatisfied? And so I am lucky, to be making something that I love.

I have updated and expanded my blog to include a Gallery and Tutorials. The About Yarn Prawn paragraph on the sidebar is also updated; writing it inspired this post. The new stuff is completely unfinished, but I don't care. If I waited for enough time to complete things, I wouldn't ever start.

...

Still there? Because I have some cute pookle (toddler) pictures in addition to my transcendental musings. This reading lesson is being conducted by an expert teacher, and Grandpa proved to be an apt pupil. ;-)

Down the Tubes

2011-11-13T17:04:00.001-06:00

I inadvertently clicked one of the new blogger templates and it ERASED all living memory of my current (customized) template. And when I went back to the old template library to start over, I was not allowed to customize old templates. Sooooo... after poking around cached web page code that I don't understand, I bit the bullet and created a new template. Let me know if there is anything you like or don't like about it!Lesson learned: back-up your blog template.

Gran and Grandpa Come to Town

2011-11-12T20:44:00.001-06:00

Last week, Gran and Grandpa (Baba) visited - what fun! Will was in good spirits the first day, including having a blast at an excellent French restaurant (Cave with-an-accent Vin). He apparently used up all his energy on the first day, because for the rest of the visit he was a hot, feverish lump that just wanted cuddles and sleep. Fortunately, Gran and Grandpa packed plenty of cuddles in their suitcases, and so Will was in good hands with them during his convalescence. The visit came at the end of week three (3!!!) of an ear infection, which took three (3!!!) different antibiotics before clearing up. Plus there was teething going on at the same time. I could blog about the frustration and stress (and fatigue) of these weeks... but I'll let you imagine it on your own. Blech.

But, Gran and Grandpa were a big help over the weekend and Mr. YP and I even got a date on Sunday night (Jasmine 26, one of our faves). AND, to top off the great food we enjoyed, Grandpa T made Pita.... mmmm... Pita... one of my all-time favorite foods. Will had a taste as well.

My pictures with Gran all had terrible lighting, and it was maybe too close to bedtime, but here she is hanging out with the Willster.

And of course, I have a youtube to commemorate the occasion (ETA... video has been updated).

Aside from being sick, Wilbur has continued to be a fun toddler. Any "talking" is sporadic and unreliable, but I am counting bottle and water as two words he is saying at this point. Although, they sound more like Bah-wah and Wah-way. Popular activities right now:

- Throwing two tennis balls AT THE SAME TIME (see video above)
- Rockie the Rocking Horse (see video above)
- Snacking on orange segments
- Finding any excuse to play peek-a-boo - lately he takes the car seat blanket we put on his lap and pulls it up to cover his face, then throws it down dramatically as the "peek-a-boo"
- Taking socks off for no particular reason - I have spent well over an hour in the past week playing the you-take-your-socks-off-now-i-put-them-on-again-repeat game
- Fully interactive Pat the Bunny experiences

I have been spinning in my spare time (mostly time where I am also neglecting housework and chores... oh well) and also just finished The Way of Kings, a book Mr. YP has been waiting for me to read forever. Since I only read when I am sick or pregnant, it took awhile. (NO I am not pregnant but I had a cold last week). Today I went to Fiber Fair and came home with an awesome haul.

Now I just need to spend some time editing yarn photos for future blog posts. For today, an unedited shot - but one of my favorites. It's like a yarn doughnut.

Hot Tamales and Photographing Yarn

2011-10-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a monster post...

First off, baby stuff - although Will is not really a baby anymore! He is more little-boyish every day. Popular activities right now are clapping, babbling, and parent snuggling/climbing. When I am sitting cross-legged on the floor he loves to climb onto me and then sit on my legs like a little bench. Swinging him back and forth and then tickling under his chin is a surefire giggle-maker. He loves having is head craned waaaaaay back, staring behind him or at the ceiling - as soon as you pick him up in a cradle-type hold, he drops his head backwards with mouth agape.

Wilbur is (slightly) more cerebral these days and will sit still sometimes to examine box flaps and other similarly complex subjects. His babble has gotten super cute and there have been a few times where he seemed to talk ("banana" and "water") but I'm still not convinced.

Today Billy G tried a lot of new foods - tamales, pomegranate, and pot stickers. I thought pom would be too crunchy for him, but he devoured a substantial quantity without any issues. He got so excited at first, and you could tell when the juice squirted inside his mouth because he would get a look of surprise followed by a little giggle each time.

Here is a montage of the tamale eating:

And here it is again, in video format:

On to yarn photography:

I got "me" time this morning to take pictures of my latest batch of handspun yarn. And now Willers is napping, and I am trying to sneak in a post on my photography process.

Here is the set-up I decided on:

And here's the photo of the yarn in the set-up photo:

There is indirect morning light from two windows, plus two Target desk lamps with 100-watt natural white bulbs. The backdrop is the tri-fold mat board you use at your 5th grade science show (pretty sure yarn photography is not the primary market for these...), with a piece of regular poster board suspended down to avoid an unseemly gap at the back.

The lamps are not pointed at the yarn, but at the reflective mat board, so that the light bounces around. You generally don't want direct light, just very strong ambient light. The book Photographing Arts, Crafts & Collectibles was a huge help to me in understanding some of these concepts (thanks Mom & Dad).

If I were more adventurous, maybe I would make a whole light box, but the above set-up suits me for the time being.

My camera is a lovely Canon PowerShot S90 - see how cute and little it is?

I like this camera because it is inexpensive and compact, which means I am more likely to carry and use it. It also has boat loads of features that a bigger DSLR camera would have - like the only non-DSLR type camera that I could find with a RAW format option. Admittedly, I haven't used RAW a lot yet, but it is pretty darn awesome.

Here was the drill I used for my most recent yarn shoot:
- Custom mode
- Macro setting
- ISO 80 (lowest ISO... my old camera had ISO 50, but oh well...)
- Custom White Balance - one of the most IMPORTANT settings for staged indoor photos!!!
- No auto bracketing
- No flash
- Spot exposure setting - although I could try center weighted avg, too... in any case, I don't use Evaluative (whole scene) since I have a big white background and that tends to skew things
- Largest jpeg format (in the future, would like to do more with raw)

I think the "Custom mode" on this camera must do auto-focus, because I didn't see any options to adjust it. I might experiment more with the manual focus mode in the future, because certain yarn poses I like don't come out focused due to the focal point I want being out of the center of the scene.

When I take a picture, I usually just do it with the camera in hand, trying to brace my forearms against something if possible. I also take some pictures with the camera sitting on a box using the self timer - this is a great option if you don't have a tripod and are worried about shakiness.

I always check out the histogram and often take shots at multiple exposures. I use the preview display that shows the blinkies for blown out highlights to check things afterwards. Since my background is white, I usually check to make sure that a lot of the background is blinking - I want that part to be blown out! I also want the blinkies to be symmetrical, since I have had issues with photos being light on one side and shadowed on the other.

With a light or shiny yarn, you can't always achieve a blown out background without losing some of the yarn itself. And we don't like to lose yarn around here, not even in pictures. With dark skeins, I may have to turn the exposure down to the lowest setting or use Evaluative mode to get the yarn dark enough.

I use Adobe Photoshop Elements to edit photos. Annoyingly, my version does not take raw files, which is why I haven't used them so much yet. My go to adjustments are:
- Levels adjustment layer. Usually I adjust on RGB, but if the color is off I will adjust the channels separately (excellent trick for fixing white balance).
- Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Usually I adjust overall, but sometimes like to "pop" complementary accent colors.

If my photo is just not good - where I can't get a white background without blowing out or overly degrading the quality of the yarn image, I add a white fill layer and erase out the yarn area.

And that's alls I knows. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Yarn. Yarny yarn yarn.

2011-10-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

A new picture of yarn. Well, at least I am excited about that. :)

Long Weekends

2011-10-22T21:27:00.000-05:00

We've had a couple of long weekends around here. Last weekend, I got sick, followed shortly thereafter by Wilbur... not fun. The three of us were grumpy all week as a result. Here is an illustrative example of how things were going before the daycare Halloween party on Wednesday night.

"I'm a sad monkey."

"Dada, take this picture fast because I need to start crying again."

But this weekend more than made up for it!!!! Mr. YP and I spent Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon in Stillwater, MN, as our first "getaway" together without le bebe. IT WAS AWESOME. Here is my stream of consciousness commemoration of the trip...

warm october, cheesehead yarn, scenic traffic jam, n/a blackberry and ginger mojitos, jerk shrimp tacos, beef brisket, 3rd floor stomping, qt with the cutie, project runway, river walk, breathless bluff, walleye tempura, fisher price commercials, travel spinning, finch bookstore, no popsicle molds, mint fudge ball, banana fiber

It was only 24 hours but we consumed a lot of food! Although "banana fiber" is actually spinning related and was purchased at the wonderful Darn.Knit.{anyway}. We also made a side trip to Roberts, WI, to go to Color Crossing - definitely worth the extra drive time.

Before we left on Friday morning, I found out that Judith MacKenzie is doing a workshop at WGM this January. I literally cried upon finding out, since she is my spinning hero! This weekend has proven to be full of fibery goodness.

Last up, a pic of Will's tootsies in a b-day present from his great grandma E. These "choo choo shoes" are little mocassins that have been perfect for crunching through leaves on our warm fall days. The child absolutely loves walking (and, now, almost running) around outside and we go to the park every chance we get. In the pic he is likely pointing at a plane (lots of planes go over the park near us, so Will is in heaven there). Oh, and he also mastered mounting and riding Rockie the Rocking Horse while we were away, although he often gets on backwards...

Keeping Busy

2011-10-07T20:32:00.002-05:00

It was a busy week:

But we still found time to stop and smell the roses. Awwww... :)

Sweater Weather

2011-10-01T23:10:00.000-05:00

Actually, my mom (who is always right) tells me that it will be in the 70s tomorrow. But, I wanted to show a pic of Master William in his new sweater from Gran. It's great because there is plenty of room to grow into it, but he can wear it now with the sleeves rolled up. The picture is blurry, but I was making a run for it while he was trying to get the camera.

Someone told me she wished she had recorded more ordinary baby development milestones about her son, since now she can't remember them and they would be useful to know. So here are a few super-mundane items about Will at 12 months:

Sleeping - despite a golden era this spring of sleeping through the night, we have had only one week without waking up since May. There was a recent period of waking up to 8 times a night, which was ridiculous. We periodically re-Ferberize (sleep training), which does help some, but the very hungry Willerpillar seems to need a snack during the night no matter what. Which brings me to...

Eating - for someone who eats so much, not sure how Will can still be so tiny! The daycare ladies said that he was "one of their good eaters" and "ate a ton" and then at home after daycare, he generally packs it away like he hasn't eaten all day. Also, he finally stopped fussing with the bottle about a month ago. Yay! We tried soy formula for awhile, but it seemed to make things worse if anything, so we went back to what we were using before (partially digested milk-based). Now he is drinking some whole milk bottles and some formula bottles. Will feeds himself at daycare and at dinner with us. In addition to that we're still heavily supplementing with bottles and spoon-feeding. I know we're supposed to be weaning off that by now, but Mr. YP likes to maximize that caloric intake. I think it is fine since he is feeding himself for 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, he is definitely getting experience with it. And, you can see from the length of this paragraph that we think a lot about Will and food... oy, makes me start to feel like a neurotic mom sometimes!

Teeth - I am putting this in because Wilbur has sprouted 3 new teeth this week! The second top front tooth (which I swear cut through weeks ago but then the gum covered it up again... frustrating when you just want the teething to end already), and two side teeth on the bottom.

Fussing - I would actually say Wilbur is low maintenance right now (KNOCK ON WOOD!). He does lots of independent active play, and is a cheery guy. He gets whiny when he is tired, hungry, or going through change (starting daycare comes to mind! :) ), but otherwise he has been an easy baby. See Sleeping above for our main sore point for the last several months.

I have been craving spinning time, but have some quilting projects to finish up first. I haven't just been daydreaming about yarn, but yarn photography, of course! The problem is that my free time is at night, and that is not good for lighting. I did a little experimentation tonight and came up with this, better than what I had before but not what I want to take pictures in. I need to think some more about finding time (and natural light) on the weekends during the day.

The yarn:

The set-up (I am fully aware of and loving the irony of spotlights and backdrops for a ball of yarn):

Fiber Fair is coming up! If I could get my yarn washed and photographed before then, it would be a great place to offload it.

I love you, Jacey!

2011-09-29T21:05:00.004-05:00

I have such a crush on Jacey Boggs and all her spinny goodness. Did you know she is coming out with a book, and now has an ad (below) and an interview up for it? In the interview, she says that she spent six hours a day spinning for two years to master the craft. It makes me feel so un-freakishly obsessed with fiber in comparison! Although, seriously, I would craft for six hours a day in the absence of my office job. Really, I am just in awe of her and her yarn and her yarn photography. Inspiring and amazing. Way to go, Jacey!

P.S. If you don't already own Sit and Spin, her first DVD... just buy it already!

I

2011-09-26T20:47:00.001-05:00

Wilbur is ONE! Hoorah!

We have a video to commemorate the celebration this weekend. As you can see, it was a simple affair involving just the parents and Grandma and Grandpa E. There was cake, and an exciting new toy.

Not shown in the video is Will's new favorite mealtime behavior, picking up food from his highchair tray and flinging it across the room with gusto. He obviously knows this is bad because he picks up the food, makes eye contact with this hint-of-smile "I'm about to do something naughty to see your reaction" kind of a way, and only after that does he fling the food. We say "No," try to not give it any special attention, and then after a few rounds of No we take his tray away. Since he is still getting bottles and spoon feedings, he's not going to be malnourished as a result, it's just challenging to deal with the first signs of toddler-dom! Let me just say that there was some cream cheese frosting plastered to the wall at the end of the day yesterday.

On Will's actual birthday, Thursday, we got to Skype with Gran and Grandpa G. Will got a handsome new sweater (which he has already worn) and a train toy with lots of sound buttons. He had fun seeing his grandparents on the monitor - I think he is starting to "get" that there are people there.
Cliched as it sounds, it is amazing to think back on the past year: where we started and where we are today. The physical changes alone are awesome. Often when I sit with Will on my lap, I look at him against my stomach and think how he would SO not fit in there anymore! He is not a big baby, but even so he has grown a ton, turning from a tiny and (no offense to newborns) blob-like newborn into a fully articulated little person. He has learned to eat, smile, grab, crawl, walk, and make all sorts of different sounds. When Mr. YP says "William, hug" with his arms out, Willerpillar zips over and gives Dad a hug and a cuddle. Will loves to have us loudly "guess" where he is and then bound out from behind his "hiding" place flapping his arms with the joy of the surprise. And, he is definitely learning how to be naughty, and starting to test our limits. When I turned 30, I knew I wanted to have a kid with Mr. YP, but I had no idea what it would actually be like! It is the best, though, and we are so incredibly fortunate to have William as a son.

And here is a picture to commemorate life before Billy the Kid. I spun this BFL from Spincerely while I was pregnant, and was it a good spin. Oh, the free time I had back then... :) I love the knotty texture of this plying style.

A couple more pictures to round out the post...

Here is a picture with Grandma E and the new xylophone. This was *the* cool toy for the rest of the day. If you look closely you will see that his feet are crossed - something new that he does while sitting that is very cute.

Here is a picture of Will with his new train. I love this picture of him!!! He has been looking more like his Mom lately, but in this pic I can see a lot of Dad (when he was a little boy) - especially those cheeks and sweet smile! I have not gotten a good picture showing his top tooth yet, but trust me it is there. Another similarity to Mr. YP is the "Future Astronaut" shirt he is sporting... Dad loves anything having to do with outerspace.

The train toy has also been a big hit. There is a string attached to the front that you can roll the train behind you while you walk. I demonstrated this to Billy G a couple of times and he caught right on - kind of. He plucked up the end of the string in his hand, but then instead of of just pulling it to roll the train, he jutted his hand straight up in the air so that the train was suspended off the ground, and walked around with it like that for the rest of the evening. That is a good example of where Will's head is right now, he is really starting to catch on to things but can't always execute. But it is all so cute that it matters not. :)

Not Quite

2011-09-19T21:28:00.000-05:00

I did not quite take quilting pictures this weekend. Photography is hard for me, and to get something that is blog-able would take a chunk of time that never seems to present itself. To prove that I have been sewing, here are some old (and truly awful) pictures of a quilt I finished early this summer. Actually it is one of my pet peeves when bloggers complain about their photo quality since usually the pics they are complaining about look decent, but I guess I am succumbing to the urge this time. Since I don't have the quilt anymore, this is really its only chance to get on the blog:

I also did not quite create the list of the best quilting books I've read so far. I wanted to do this not so much for my readership - even I will admit it is rather dry material - but to document for myself. So, here goes a rough list, no Amazon links or anything:

Sensational Settings
Quilts from the Quiltmaker's Gift
Color from the Heart
Collaborative Quilting (Freddy and Gwen, both books with the chickens on the front)
Some book about free motion quilting with three versions of each quilt (including "the dragger") that I can't remember the name of and wish I could find in the library again
The American Quilt, or whatever the Kirakoffe (sp?) quilt history book is called

I can always come back to this post and add titles as I think of them, but that is a start.

I cannot quite believe that I was still pregnant a year ago. When looking for yarn pictures to post, I came across these two pics of people from July 2010. Hard to believe I felt so huge at 6 mos pregnant, the girl in the picture looks tiny to me, especially considering Will's size now. And of course, Mr. YP slaved away in the kitchen that summer preparing fresh fruit for his preggo fruit-craving wife. Food presentation has always been one of Mr. YP's fortes, and you can see a patriotic theme in the salad.

Willerpillar is not quite one year old yet. And as illustrated by the videos below, he also...

Is standing up during living room chases now, but cannot quite remain upright during all of the excitement (to his credit, this video is of one of the first vertical chases, he has improved since then):

Likes his new toy Rockie the Rocking Horse, but cannot quite figure out how to get on:

Cannot quite keep himself out of the toy bin. Literally:

If something is where it should be, the desire to grab it and fling it far away is overwhelming:

How Sweet It Is

2011-09-10T22:15:00.001-05:00

Two posts in a week? Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming. Whatever its source, I am taking advantage of this blogging mojo while it lasts.

And now for craftiness.

I have been sewing all summer, and am almost done with the blocks for this quilt, albeit in very different fabrics. The Summer Sampler Series and these skill-builder tutorials have boosted my piecing skills and confidence. I am also a big fan of paper piecing after rediscovering glue sticks. And you know what? Paper easily separating from the fabric you glued it to is TOTES A THING. Yay!

My next project will probably involve NYB blocks... I already have part of one done in batiks, and learned that busy prints are not the ticket for good pointy spikes. But piecing curved seems with a glue stick gives me a natural high like no other. Mostly natural, my glue stick is only a little fumey.

Maybe in the next post there will be pictures of fabric, but for now I am posting yarniness that was photographed long ago.

Although yarn is primarily used in photo-portraiture, it is occasionally used for other, much more banal, purposes:

This yarn is pink, nuf said:

This yarn is very sweet, and made me think of the title for this post:

If you are still with me, you are probably wading through yarn to get to the baby stuff. Well, you were right, inevitably there will be baby stuff. Like this video of Will walking:

Grandma and Grandpa E visited this weekend, and we had some fun:

Ready to learn all about the world:

Boxes are popular now:

90% of the shots I take include Wilbur's hand trying to grab the camera:

Today was great!

Baby Steps to Blogging

2011-09-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

I am going to attempt to post pictures this time, but they will be outdated. I'm hoping to ease back into blogging more regularly, since I really enjoy it!

Let's see, what has been going on? Will has become a very proficient walker, and is not crawling much anymore... usually just when you get down on all fours in "racing" position, he gets a big grin and crawls away at top speed. Also when we have the baby gate open for him to go through, he will step over the bottom threshold bar going one direction, but will only crawl over it when going the other way. And, we established this weekend that he will not walk on grass, only crawl. As soon as his hands hit sidewalk, he stands up and walks... usually towards piles of rock or wood mulch or some other inappropriate locale... at which point we haul him back to the grass.

Still no talking, and I will admit I am extremely excited for him to start. Right now his favorite word is "Bob" so we ask him all about his friend Bob and what did Bob say about this and that, etc. He is tuned into language and understands some words like Ball, No (although doesn't mean he obeys it!), Bottle, and he even got it right once when we asked him to find the "Octopus" toy. But speaking, not so much... the other day we were looking at his sippy cup and I was repeatedly saying "Cup" while he looked at me for all the world like he totally got what I was doing. When I stopped after a bit, he looked at the cup and said confidently, "Bob." And that is pretty much how the language thing is going right now. Not that I am in a hurry, just something to look forward to.

I can't write this post without discussing our first bout of family illness. Will came down with a nasty tummy bug early Wednesday morning - then I got sick Thursday evening and Mr. YP followed on Friday afternoon. Now, it was just a tummy bug and everyone is fine now, but it was the hardest thing in my parenting experience since Wilbur has been very little (and colicky! don't miss those days...). It was so frustrating not to be able to feed our little guy much - he would only take sips most of the time and had trouble keeping even just sips down. The recovery was longer than we expected (with some teething and daycare angst mixed in), and yesterday was his first "normal" day, almost two weeks after he got sick. It was so hard to watch him be sick and I can't imagine what parents go through when their child has a more serious problem. We also have great access to medical care and plenty of food to go around, two other things that no family deserves to be without.

Will also started daycare a few weeks ago! It has been a rocky transition (of course he misses getting to hang out with Mr. YP all day), and was interrupted by the bug, but apparently he had a "great" day at daycare today. Full disclosure, he was trying to steal some poor girl's cookie when Mr. YP got there to pick him up. It is sad to say that doesn't surprise me at all, since Willerpillar has some mischief in him. But, the teacher said he had a really good day in general. I know once he gets settled in he will love it. And I think he is already learning things - he has gotten a lot better at feeding himself and drinking from a sippy cup since starting. The past year has been great and my hat is off to Mr. YP for being the stay-at-home dad during that time - he did a fantastic job!!! But now DH is spending his days learning how to take care of even more people as a nurse, and we are very excited about that as well.

Before I had a child, I would hear other parents going on and on about their kids and think, "OMG, if I have kids I will soooo not talk about them that much." But now I get it. You have a kid, they take a lot of your time, they are awesome, and so you just talk (and think) about them a lot. It's all good.

It is my plan to post more frequently, so there can be fewer words and more pictures. We'll see how that goes! For now, here are a few shots from this summer. No craft shots right now... but rest assured I have been very crafty lately.

In the park

Dual-wielding Ducky and Octopus

Action shot with Gramps

Funny faces at "the cabin"

Oops... I did it again...

2011-08-04T20:41:00.004-05:00

I have been remiss in blogging of late. We have lots of pictures sitting on our camera that we just have not gotten through, so I don't have anything pictorial again. One of these days I will have to do a mega picture post with a million images.

Mr. YP has described this summer as the summer that kicked our a%#es. It has been a great summer, but has also felt very busy to our homebody-selves. June included three (out of state) weddings, first time flying with baby, first time leaving baby with grandparents for the weekend, two job interviews, one business trip, first ear infection, and first crawling... and year-end at my old job which always gets crazy. July included a family reunion in Boston, visit from an awesome aunt and uncle, a non-stop kiddo, a bunch of studying for Mr. YP, and a bunch of unexpected job change stress and second-guessing for me. An interesting mix of many happy events and feeling burnt out at the same time... although I realize that if we have a second kid, we will look back on this time as the halcyon days of parenting an only child.

Yes, I got a new job! No, it is not as a full-time spinner / sheep adoration expert. I am excited about it though, and have four whole days under my belt at the new place. Since I had my other job for all of my adult life, it has been surreal to change. The new place is a wellness/health services company, so everywhere I look there are things encouraging you to be good to yourself and your body. This is a fresh start for me on work/life balance and it is nice to have that emphasis at work.

Billy G (our child, not the televangelist) is incredible. He gets more and more fun, and from what I hear we are coming up to an exciting age in the 1-2 years range. He is taking steps, and according to my (completely unbiased) father, walked several feet earlier this week... the Y daycare ladies have seen him do that too, but he doesn't take more than a handful of steps around me and dada. One of his newest noises is a rolling r noise that goes on and on, up and down in pitch. It sounds like some incredibly cute little alien frog or insect singing in a swamp at night. He's also getting smarter and starting to be able to "learn" things after observing someone else - like hitting a xylophone with a mallet, rolling a toy truck instead of just tipping it over, etc. Sometimes he will pick up a game if you stop - he loves when you put something on top of your head so that he can pull it off. Lately when you stop putting it back on your head, he will start picking it up and putting it back himself. He has the pincer grip mostly down and usually when he gets quiet it is because he has found some fascinating spec of something buried in the carpet and is trying to grab it - yes, we take it away so he doesn't eat it! One thing that is not my favorite about this age: books have lost their appeal, as Willerpillar likes to do things that involve moving and space. Story time is part of our bedtime ritual, but these days I just read the book to myself while holding one of Will's ankles so that he can't crawl off the bed.

In other news, I have been doing a bit of crafting. I demonstrated spinning at the "knit and crochet show" last weekend and have been quilting. My favorite type of patchwork right now is foundation piecing, where you sew the fabric to paper to get more exact piecing more easily. I didn't like this method at first, but have found if I use a glue stick to attach the fabric to the paper prior to sewing (instead of ironing and pinning) it is a lot more fun! The potential problem with this is that the paper needs to be removed from the fabric eventually, and now I am gluing them together in the sewing process. Somehow, I have convinced myself that this will not be a problem, but I am probably in denial.

Oops... what happened to 9 months?

2011-07-16T22:58:00.003-05:00

Better late than never. Here is a youtube from Father's Day, a day before the 9-month b-day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhcFNkY6fmI

*Wow* is he a busy little guy. As soon as he gets to one end of the room, he realizes that the other end is more interesting and speeds back the way he came. At 9 months he was standing for a second or two on his own and cruising a little, now he is standing and cruising all the time. No walking yet though! He has also been getting up earlier this month, and combined with his usual chattiness, it makes for a very noisy morning. Mr. YP, a.k.a. the universe's best husband, has been going for a walk with Will in tow each morning so that I can get a little more sleep. Sweet, right?

I do not have any yarn picture ready, BUT I spun an ounce or so of rainbow-y merino tencel today and I MAY have purchased just a fee-ew things on the internets. Maybe some bamboo. Maybe some locks. The details are a bit fuzzy (no pun intended).

On the Move

2011-06-08T20:22:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of summer, we are on the move! We just got back from a wonderful weekend in Boston to see Mr. YP's family and be in a terrific couple's wedding. Will decided to give everyone a crash course in tending to a fussy and finicky baby, but in typical style my in-laws rose to the challenge and were Willerpillar pros by the end of our visit. He also engaged almost everyone in fascinating raspberry noise conversations at one time or another. Antic was an especially big hit, getting lots of giggles and enduring repeated nostril probing!

This weekend it is off to another wedding and commitment ceremony while my 'rents hold down the fort at home.

Will is on the move as well. He did his first (forwards) crawl last night, but I don't think he realized what he was doing - I had to trick him into it by holding a toy at precisely the right distance away from him while he lumbered forward. By the time I got home from work today he was traversing great distances at moderate speeds. So far he has demonstrated a great fondness for power cords and places he shouldn't go, so I'm sure we will be testing our baby proofing and chasing abilities over the coming months.

This morning, he crouched partially upright on both legs without having his hands on the ground before plopping back down into a sitting position. He also pulled up to standing for the first time tonight using something other than my hands as support. What do you suppose he pulled up on? The toy bin, of course! This inspired my new favorite playtime activity - let Will pull toys out of the toy bin, then put them back in the toy bin and let him pull them out again. Yes, we lead an exciting life. :)

Here is a YouTube from earlier in the day, by the time I got home his motions were more regular and smooth. It is amazing how fast they change!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx1cAUrCIdY&feature=channel_video_title

In crafting news, pictured above is a wonderfully squooshy two-ply merino yarn with soy sprinkled throughout (it's the light shiny stuff). I have been quilting as much as I can find time for, but haven't had a chance to take pictures of anything yet. Although, the quilt in the youtube is one I made for Mr. YP as a birthday present this spring using fabric that he picked out.

Two Thirty

2011-05-08T21:41:00.004-05:00

Nothing spectacular to report yarn-wise, just some of my standard favorite SW merino/tencel singles, actually the same colorway as here, but not as good a photo. Which brings me to my next topic - all the yarn pictures I have waiting to be posted right now are from a not-very-good-photo-shoot which makes it a little bit like pulling teeth to edit and post them. Blah... I want to get through this bunch and then hopefully my next shoot will be better.

Which brings me to my next topic, Wilbur got TWO teeth in ONE night about 10 days ago. How does he feel about that?

Just kidding, actually he is still his usual self (except for some bedtime drama which I will spare you). And hopefully everyone caught the giggly video here by now. (The cabinet door is MY favorite.)

I have still been quilting, even though I realized I can't give up spinning. Does that mean I'm two-timing my yarn? One thing I have learned in the last couple years is that I should finish things even if I don't like them... a lot of times I end up liking the FO and using it a lot more than I thought I would. This is a very simple quilt that I practiced free motion quilting on... I almost didn't finish it because I didn't like how the quilting was turning out and it was a weird shape, but Will has used it SO much as a play mat, I'm really glad that I finished it. He loves scritch scratching at the different colors and patterns, too. Again, not the best picture but oh well!

Finally, I just want to say "Thank you" to Mr. Yarn Prawn for making this such a fabulous Mother's Day. Mr. YP made me a kick-a#% card that is like a little comic strip about yarn, doilies, short-hand, club houses, and being a mom. I know, right? Only Mr. YP could tie together those disparate elements into a cohesive and very funny narrative. You are the absolute best, Pooks - I love you!

Taking Yarn's Temperature

2011-04-24T20:16:00.006-05:00

Temperature has been on my mind lately, as I experience the upper midwest's annual showdown between extremes, as spring's warmth tries to break through the chill of winter.

Turns out that temperature plays a big role in art as well. Most of us describe colors as "yellow" or "red" but equally informative labels are dark/light, saturated/muted, and warm/cool. I find the warm/cool distinction the most fascinating - at first I thought temperature worked based on color, but actually there are warm and cool versions of each color. The whole thing is very mysterious and magical to me... looking at a cool lemon yellow compared to a warm buttery tone.

So, is this yarn warm or cool?

The weather out today was decidedly WARM, and we went for a nice walk on the greenway. I was so excited to give Will a closer look at nature, but the cars still carried his interest more than anything else. The creek was pretty cool, too - he loves running water.

Hard to believe that seven months have gone by! Let's see... sitting is very popular and he is a pro now at reaching far for objects without toppling over. His sense of humor is also developing, and repeated sounds or movements generate tons of giggles. He can "drink" from a cup, but only with lots of help and some dripping chins along the way. Lately we have been enjoying conversations where we trade lip popping noises back and forth in a bizarre dialogue. Will adds all sorts of expression and inflection to his lip popping and when someone else does it he will respond in kind. And finally, the eternal romance with Geraldine Giraffe has been rekindled and Will spends many happy times chomping down on her feet and ears.

Here are some pictures from our walk today:

True Calling?

2011-04-15T22:38:00.002-05:00

Can it be your true calling in life to take pictures of yarn? I'm not sure about that but I have been missing my yarn blog lately... the novelty of quilting is wearing off and I have started to spin again, something I always seem to come back to. But I'm not at critical yarn mass yet - i.e. the number of skeins that have to accumulate before I dunk them all in steaming water and revel in the woolly fumes.

P.S. If family members are reading this post, someone should really get me this book! :)
http://www.amazon.com/Zoes-Sheep-Rose-Bursik/dp/0805046429

6 Months+ Post

2011-03-31T16:28:00.004-05:00

Will has been six months for about a week now, and I feel like he is in one of those phases where there is something new every day. Of course, I am still not coordinated enough to write a post and have pics ready at the same time. I think probably most people have already seen the adorable OM NOM NOM BABY youtube from about a few weeks back... but if you haven't, go and watch! Solid food has become a lot more blase now and we don't get the same reaction. Although often meal time ends because Willers starts making continuous raspberry noises by going "brrrr" through his lips and that doesn't combine well with oatmeal!

Here are some new things from the past week or so:

- Will has always been fairly chatty but usually with squeals and "ng" sounds that don't resemble English. Lately he started saying Bahbahbahbahbah a lot (and even mamamama and gagagagaga less frequently). Last night we were reading Where Oh Where is Huggle Buggle Bear (where could he be???? :) ) and Will started in with the usual panting and grabbing that accompanies book reading. But then, he started saying his Bahbahbahbahbahs on top of my reading in a very conversational tone while hitting his hand against the book for emphasis.

- Sitting up skills have been improving over the past month... before then I couldn't find a way to get him into the sitting position without him getting kicky feet, which is not compatible with sititng. It turns out if you pull him up from his back while saying "whee" he is ok with it and was able to become proficient in the "folded baby" posture pretty quickly. Each week after that he has gotten more bold about taking his hands off the floor or my leg for support. Now he is pretty good at balancing unsupported for a bit, although if you put a toy out of reach on one side he will still go for it and topple over.

- Tummy time is very popular, he can do push ups well but not to the point where his hips are off the ground or he is rocking. This morning he actually put his butt up a few times while his shoulders and arms were on the ground and managed to push forward with his feet/pull with his arms towards me. He also does a weird thing once in awhile that looks like a mini version of the worm but doesn't get him very far and only in a backwards direction!

- Grabbing keeps improving... I never realized how many levels there were to grabbing objects. At first it was just batting at things, then kind of converging his hands onto an object, then he could grab but not let go, then he did this open/close hand thing over and over. Now he is getting really good at grabbing... and putting whatever he just grabbed into his mouth. What other reason could someone possibly have to grab something? Apparently this morning he found a new game of throw down the teething toy, pick it up, chew on it, throw it down, pick it up, chew, throw, etc. over an over. I guess one of the next developments will be learning the "pincer" where you can put your index finger and thumb tips together... hands are amazing!

- The Froggersaucer (pictured in previous posts) is a gift from the heavens. Will LOVES to bounce in it. He likes all the toys on it, too, and with all the grabbing and hand developments it is fun to watch him explore it.

- Dad is helping Will explore all types of solid foods. So far the green things have been the most popular - peas, green beans, and avocado. Everything we have done so far is in the mush category, but so far Will hasn't refused any of it. And he is a little baby, so we're trying to feed him as much as he'll eat! I am leaving my pump at home and just nursing about 4x a day from evening to morning. I love it, it is so great to not be pumping anymore but I still love nursing.

- What happened to our good night's sleep from a month ago? We're not sure what it is, but all the sleep training we did seems to have worn off. Seems like a combination of a growth spurt, maybe teething or indigestion, and sometimes just wanting play time at 3 AM. Oh well, it seems to be improving from a week or two ago, so hopefully things keep going in that direction. Needless to say, it is all worth it.

Reading back through these, they are all kind of factoids. It doesn't really capture how much fun Will is and how much we love him, which is a lot. It is so wonderful to see his personality develop and be able to interact more and more with him. It's really starting to sink in that we are a family, like when I call from work and can here Will trying to grab the phone... that he can recognize mom's voice and gets excited about it just makes my day!

Quilting Music Videos

2011-03-11T19:25:00.003-06:00

100 Ways to Hide Your Stash

You Can Quilt That Out

I find it interesting that quilters talk about a big stash like a badge of honor or absolute necessity for good quilting. This is a lot different from the half-joking sense of shame that yarn stashes generate amongst knitters. Since my quilting "studio" is currently located on the window seat of our bedroom... it is a moot point for me right now!

Baby + Quilt

2011-03-09T20:46:00.002-06:00

Not to be confused with a baby quilt! This fabric sandwich is intended for adults, and we were fortunate to avoid any spit up incidents during the photo shoot.

Must... post... on... blog

2011-02-27T21:55:00.002-06:00

I suppose it is a good thing to never get bored, but on the flip side - man, are there a lot of things I want but can't find time for! And creating frequent, thoughtful blog posts with great pictures is one of those things...

So no yarn or baby pics today, just trying to get a post out to commemorate that Willerpillar is FIVE MONTHS OLD! Wow! He has been a bundle of energy from the time he was inside me and in the last couple of months the fussy energy of the fourth trimester has given way to the awesome happy playtime energy of the 4-5 month old. It is cliche to say that this is "such a great age" but, yo, it really is! The giggles continue and repeated happy shrieking has been added to the repertoire. Max's Bath is probably the favorite book right now. (The jam is on your face, the lettuce is in your ear, and the bread is in your pocket. You need a bath, Max!)

And I can't post about my son without mentioning kicky feet. His feet are the truest barometer of his emotions. Happy to see me? Kicky feet. Good book? Kicky feet. Interesting sound? Kicky feet. Slamming feet down on the crib or play mat is also popular. Its not unusual that Will goes to bed at night not fully asleep yet and spends a good long while thumping his feet down on the crib before nodding off. The thumps are so strong that they reverberate through the entire house and you can hear and feel them from anywhere. (Yes, we have a small house, but still!)

In other news, I made a quilt. This is so typical of fiber fiends - it always starts with knitting, but eventually crocheting, spinning, and quilting must follow... beading, weaving and felting optional. I guess knitting is a gateway craft.

It would be nice to follow all this up with a cute picture of baby, or my quilt, or baby sitting on my quilt. Maybe next month. :)

Belated Christmas Recap

2011-02-06T20:53:00.009-06:00

Christmas was extra fun this year because Will got to meet dancing Grandpa Tony and amazing Aunt Stephanie. We had so much fun and Will gave a big thumbs up (well more of a big thumb suck at this age) to the entire family. We somehow convinced all of the grandparents to play Munchkin on Christmas which was... entertaining. :) Oh, and there was a really HUGE snowman not far from our house.

I don't usually do much Christmas knitting, but this year I managed to finish 3 projects - two scarves for my mom and MIL (multidirectional garter stitch), and a cupcake potholder for Stephanie. Both designs should be pretty easy to find on Ravelry, and both are excellent patterns.

One of my favorite Christmas 2010 memories is Stephanie "stomping" back and forth across the living room while holding Will - he decided to end his fourth trimester fussiness with a bang and this was the only thing that would get him calm sometimes. Stephanie was such a stomping-pro and a total natural at playing with a 3-month old. Will is so lucky to have her as an aunt! And of course, Gran and Grandpa Tony were a big hit, too - Will even managed to find time in his busy schedule to teach Grandpa Tony how to read, and you know he wouldn't do that for just anyone. :)

Well, after all of these holiday photos you have probably forgotten about the yarn at the top. Mmmm... cabeled tencel / SW merino from Spincerely, a yarn good enough to be in such an illustrious post. 116 yds / 2.4 oz

Four Months

2011-01-22T18:02:00.004-06:00

Best thing about month number 4? Baby chuckling, hands down! Infant senses of humor are... interesting... but when you find something that tickles the funny bone it can make a long hard day turn into a great one.

Pictured is the new favorite toy. It looks pretty fun, I almost wish they made one in my size. :)

NFS

2011-01-10T22:01:00.004-06:00

After my daily spinning phase started in 2009, I did some quick mental calculations about the economics of this endeavor. It went something like this: "Let's see... if a handpainted roving costs $15.00 for four ounces... and I spin a pound a week... and there are 52 weeks in a year... ... ... holy sh&% that's a lot of money!"

Also, I was not at all interested in knitting or crocheting my yarn into finished objects and I didn't want stash building up. How it is possible for a fiber-fiend like me to be anti-stash is mystifying, but the fact remains that yarn or fiber piling up in my craft room gives me the heebie jeebies. * I start feeling all this pressure to DO something with it, a million different possibilities come crashing down on my brain, and that just takes all the fun out of having a hobby.

Enter Weavers Guild of Minnesota! They have this spectacular yarn consignment arrangement where you consign yarn and get a large percentage of the price they sell it for. So, I consigned a bunch of yarn and sold some more for the holidays to fiber-inclined friends. I have LOVED selling my yarn. It is one thing to sell a painting or sweater or some other final-state object... it is another thing to sell a crafted object, like yarn, which another crafter will then incorporate into their own handwork. I love to think of my yarn making a complete stranger smile as it runs through her fingers and into her weaving or crocheting or knitting.

But now things are different. I don't have time to spin a pound a month, let alone a pound a week. I did a bunch of knitting and crocheting during my leave and rekindled my romance with those crafts. So, the new yarn that I am spinning is Not For Sale. I am stocking it on my bookshelf, unwashed, and waiting for it to reach critical mass.

How can I stand to stash now and not break out in hives? I figured out there were a couple things that would help me live in harmony with accumulating yarn. 1) I need to spin without a specific project in mind, but spin the type of yarn that I know I would enjoy knitting, and 2) the yarn I spin needs to "go together" so it looks like a single enterprise sitting on the shelf instead of a billion random odds and ends. So, I've decided to spin mostly handpainted roving (as opposed to batts, etc.) and always a similar type of double-knitting to worsted weight two-ply. This way, when I do decide to start knitting, I will have yarn that appeals to me and that can be combined to make projects taking more than 4 oz.

My dream would be to knit a blanket out of handspun. If that doesn't happen maybe a generous rectangular shawl... something that is super cozy and completely surrounds you in sheepy goodness. Now that would make holding on to my handspun worthwhile.

Two-ply spun from commercial corriedale top, courtesy of The Fiber Studio - 314 yds / 2.8 oz (the last skein that I spun for consignment)

* Note to family members reading this and thinking "But Ms. Yarn Prawn does have a lot of yarn and fiber!" - what I have barely registers on the fiber-fiend stash meter. If you knit, you would understand. :)

Happy New Yarn!

2011-01-03T18:30:00.002-06:00

This yarn reminds me something out of this world, maybe Saturn's rings. So it is fitting that it gets posted as a celebration of the new frontier of 2011.

Did you make any new year's resolutions? I usually have at least one, and I'm sure last year's had to do with yarn but I can't remember what it was. This year, I'm just picking three words that I would like to embody in the new year. It's an idea inspired by this site which was linked to on this blog. The words I am choosing are:
Patience
Decisiveness
Incompleteness

Of course I didn't stick to the original list because I'm incapable of following instructions. :) Choosing "incompleteness" as a goal might seem a bit odd, but I tend towards perfectionism and needing everything to be in complete sets. I'm trying to convince myself that just because I can't finish something doesn't mean it's not worth doing part-way!

Merino wool, Firestar and Angelina batt from Beesybee Fibers - 147 yds / 3.5 oz

The Twelve Weeks of Mat Leave

2010-12-18T19:03:00.009-06:00

12 weeks can go by really fast! Maternity leave flew by and I am back at work now. So far the only advantage that I can see of going back to work is when the weekend comes you think, "Wow, today I ONLY have to take care of a baby." :) How people manage to raise more than one child remains a mystery to me.

This entry is for our baby son. Will, here is something I remember about you from each week. You've already grown so much!

Week 1 - You have a great set of pipes! Right out of mom's tummy, you started yelling to the world that you had arrived. I was so happy to meet you, and your squirming and kicking while I held you on my chest felt just like you did inside of me for months before. Feisty kicking, stepping, and flexing your legs remain some of your favorite activities to this day!

Week 2 - You have a very healthy appetite and are already starting to make noises besides crying, like "GAH!".

Week 3 - You woke up! You were pretty sleepy the first couple weeks, but not anymore!

Week 4 - You LOVE to be held while we walk around jiggling you and saying "SHHHHH". In fact, you love it so much that it is the only thing you want to do for about 20 hours out of the day. :)

Week 5 - Just like all the other weeks, Grandma and Grandpa come up to play with you and help out mom and dad. So much fun, especially Grandpa's guitar concerts in the living room.

Week 6 - I get some honest-to-goodness awake smiles, in addition to the sweet dream smiles that you like to do after eating.

Week 7 - Gran comes to visit all the way from Lexington! She is so excited to meet you and you just love the greek animal song.

Week 8 - Playtime! Must be Gran's influence, now you are super smiley and playful in the mornings. You love to "read" books and hear silly songs.

Week 9 - Dad rocks! You love to stare at him and smile during dinner. Not surprising considering how fun and silly he is.

Week 10 - We venture down to Northfield, your first time out of the Twin Cities. Lots of delicious food and tummy time fun. There is a memorable video from this trip, but its not for the squeamish!

Week 11 - You manage to get your hand in your mouth and keep it there. So great to have a built-in binky always at the ready. Sometimes it takes awhile to figure out where your mouth is. A complex triangulation process moves it from nose to chin to cheek and finally to your mouth. You do this all with a look of deep concentration on your face. Oh, and we can't finish this week without a nod to your new favorite game, "Godzirrah" where you stomp on daddy's tummy to his narration of all the havoc you are wreaking on some helpless city.

Week 12 - Batter up! There's nothing like a soft, colorful toy to bat at with your arms. You started to do this a couple of weeks ago, but now you're really getting the hang of it. Your favorite, of course, is Mr. Toy. Imagine how much fun it will be when you can grab those toys. So much to look forward to!

Besides the kicking, one other constant throughout this time has been your dislike of baths. Mommy can't stand getting wet either, so maybe it is genetic. But it does feel really good to be done with them.

Holiday Cheer

2010-12-05T11:01:00.007-06:00

Last spring, "Sprout" was the perfect name for this Rambouillet top from Cloudlover. But now it's December and I can't look the finished yarn without thinking Merry-something-or-other. Regardless of what season they complement, these greens are certainly cheerful.

Plus, how cool is it that I get to have a "rambouillet" tag now?

266 yds / 4.1 oz

The Return of Prawn

2010-11-24T18:22:00.018-06:00

Raising a two-month old is a good way to to find out how long it takes to create a blog post while working in 30 second increments. The answer, for me, is 20 days.

But now the yarn is dry, at least a few of the photos are cropped and edited, and I'm ready to kick things off with a skein of art yarn. This ball is made from Yarn Prawn's Foolproof Art Yarn Recipe (or yarnipe?):

Step 1: Cavort with fiber until you have a hand built batt

Step 2: Spin a crazy bobbin of singles

Step 3: Ply with two strands of sewing thread

Depending on your impatience for the finished product at Step 3, you can go with a basic spiral ply or completely saturate with loops and granny stacks. In this case, it was the plain spiral ply. Come to think of it, I plied this at about 3 AM when I was pregnant and up with heartburn - granny stacks would have been a little much for me at that hour. :)

IMHO, nothing beats red and lavendar together as a girly colorway with a grown-up / cheeky bent. With the black and white highlights thrown in, I think of this yarn as the "Queen of Hearts."

Merino, soy, mohair, alpaca, bamboo, locks, misc wool, thread - 133 yds / 2.9 oz.

Like waiting for yarn to dry

2010-11-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

That sounds like an analogy used to describe something that takes forever, but in my case it is not metaphorical. I am literally waiting for my yarn to dry. And once the lovely little skeins dry, I still have to photograph them and write blog posts... so we're a ways out from any new handspun posts. On the plus side, there are 18 skeins drying right now (I tend to procrastinate when it comes to washing yarn) so that should keep me in blog material for awhile. In the meantime, I have some random posting ideas I might be trying, so stay tuned!

Trick or Treat

2010-11-01T13:47:00.002-05:00

Well it's not handspun, but handknitting and a cute baby will have to do for today's post. :)

Spooky Scary Art Yarn

2010-10-29T10:17:00.001-05:00

Appropriate as a Halloween post, this yarn actually frightens me a bit. Spun from the amazing table of miscellany at Camp Pluckyfluff, then plied around bizarr-o black plasticky eyelash yarn.

Witch's Brew

2010-10-27T10:13:00.001-05:00

Wool/mohair roving combined with fabric and other add-ins, fiber from all manner of places. The singles were plied with sewing thread with lots of loops and some granny stacks included.

Camp Pluckyfluff Week

2010-10-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

Now for three art yarns spun last year at the amazing Camp Pluckyfluff. Today's post is spun from a crazy batt of the wonderful table of miscellaneous fiber at the workshop.

Eat Your Greens

2010-10-22T10:03:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you take random leftover strips of commercial merino top from The Fiber Studio and spin a skein of singles. This fiber was originally destined to be spun into two-ply and knit up as a fair isle hat for my dad. What is that they say about the best laid plans?

Turkey Lurkey

2010-10-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

Art yarn spun from merino, other various wool, suri locks, fabric, mohair, and I'm sure other things that I am forgetting. Most everything from The Fiber Studio. I cannot look at this yarn without being reminded of wild turkeys.

Finishing November in October

2010-10-18T10:03:00.001-05:00

So what next for the blog? There are six skeins left from the forgotten-November-2009-yarn-shoot, so why not go ahead and finish posting those? After that, who can say... I have a few different ideas and quite a bit of unwashed yarn, so we'll see what happens.

Here is the first of six, singles spun from "Colonial Top" courtesy of The Fiber Studio.

P.S. I actually finished spinning a skein of yarn post-baby, never thought I could be so grateful for the few minutes it takes to wind-off a skein. :)

Better than Yarn

2010-10-07T16:55:00.006-05:00

We had a baby boy! This all happened a couple of weeks ago, on Sept. 22nd, and I finally have a few minutes for the blog. Everyone is doing well, here are a few pics of our family.

I have not spun AT ALL yet, but have been knitting while lulling baby to sleep in the middle of the night. I might use Ravelry to keep track of my knitting projects, but am not sure if I will be blogging them or if I will keep the blog just for handspun yarn. I do plan to get back to spinning once we are more settled in!

It's Spin Awhile

2010-09-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

Inadvertantly stopped posting on my yarn blog! Put it down to annoying work stuff and non-yarny interference. I am about half way through posting the forgotten November yarn shoot, so I plan to start up on the second half as soon as I get a chance to get back to photoshop!

Some things never get old

2010-08-30T12:17:00.001-05:00

I'm closing out August with one of my all-time favorite yarns. This is merino-silk two-ply spun longdraw over the fold. I have no idea how many bobbins I have spun like this, from the multicolored commercial top that you can get from almost anywhere (this particular specimen was procured at The Fiber Studio). It's probably my spinning zen. Not only that, but knit up the yarn always looks spectacular. 625 yds / 4.6 oz

Red Barn

2010-08-27T12:12:00.000-05:00

And this is the yarn one spins to recover from a Camp Pluckyfluff art yarn hangover. Commercial multicolored merino top (from The Fiber Studio) spun long draw without a care and, of all things, plied! 471 yds / 5.0 oz

Wut?!?

2010-08-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted any art yarn, so let's go for broke with this odd snapshot of bonafied Camp Pluckyfluff self-corespun-from-crazy-batt-art-yarn. I'll tell you the yardage, but who really cares with yarn like this? ;-) 85 yds / 2.0 oz

Squirm

2010-08-23T12:04:00.000-05:00

Same yarn as the Hang Time post, different pose and more contrast.

Warm Cools

2010-08-20T11:56:00.000-05:00

To all the tencel lovers out there, I hope this satisfies your craving! Luscious merino tencel singles, fiber from Cloudlover in the colorway "The Cask of Amontillado" (love that name). This yarn fascinated me because I could look at it forever (yes, I yarn gaze) and still not be able to decide if it was a warm color or a cool color. 246 yds / 4.9 oz

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

2010-08-18T11:51:00.000-05:00

This picture was created while playing around with filters in Photoshop. I didn't feel like going back and figuring out how to make the background white again, plus it's a way to mix it up a bit on the blog. These are merino singles spun from The Fiber Studio fiber. The fiber was lovely and in a colorway called "Rose Garden" but for whatever reason it fought with me the whole time I was spinning, hence this post's title. 117 yds / 2.4 oz

Cash-Bluey

2010-08-16T11:44:00.001-05:00

These are merino-CASHMERE singles from Creative Fibers top (sorry no link, shop is closed). Not sure what the percent-cashmere was, but these guys are super soft. Spinning such a bulky yarn from a luxury fiber might seem like a waste, but the fiber was a little hard to draft and so after having the roving sit in a box for a couple years, I decided the only way it would get spun was to do bulky. I was actually very happy with the result, it made a beautiful yarn. 243 yds / 7.7 oz

Let it all hang out

2010-08-13T11:39:00.001-05:00

Same skein as last post, but this time not so... skeiny! Apparently my sense of appropriate color saturation was different between the two as well. I usually increase the color saturation at least a tiny bit when editing photos, and it can be hard to tell how far to go. Depends on your taste and your computer monitor, I suppose. Bamboo singles from Fiber Lady, 280 yds / 4.0 oz

A Proper Skein

2010-08-11T11:33:00.000-05:00

More bamboo from Fiber Lady (of course!) spun into singles (of course!!). I thought I had ruined this skein with underspinning and uneven thicknesses, but it turned out fine after the wash. For something as seemingly tricky as bamboo, it sure turns out well after a good soak and thwack! 280 yds / 4.0 oz

Winter's Heart

2010-08-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

Merino singles from Cloudlover's fiber. 274 yds / 5.2 oz

Brass Petals

2010-08-06T11:24:00.000-05:00

Cloudlover always has wonderful names for her colorways. Sometimes they get stuck in my head and I can't think of the yarn as anything else. These are merino / silk singles, and although it is hard to see in the picture, the silk kept a wonderful lustre even after washing. 513 yds / 4.8 oz

Hang Time

2010-08-04T11:12:00.000-05:00

Merino singles from multi-colored top (procured via The Fiber Studio). 112 yds / 3.4 oz

Flamingo Spaghetti (i give up)

2010-08-02T11:00:00.002-05:00

Happy August, dear readers! Continuing with our July theme, all August posts will be pictures from the aforementioned November yarn shoot.

To start things off properly, let's do some 'boo. This is an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING colorway from Fiber Lady which I failed to photograph well. Not even my newbie photoshop skills can reveal how great this yarn was. But, I have been set on doing a post about it called Flamingo Spaghetti for awhile, so today I give up trying to save this with photoshop and am just posting it! 103 yds / 2.5 oz

Cotton Candy

2010-07-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a sneak peak of some spinning I have done on my new minispinner. I haven't even washed this skein yet, so I'll have to post again once that happens... it's BFL (from Beesy Bee), so should get super fluffy!

Grab Bag

2010-07-27T10:34:00.001-05:00

Here is another whack at posting this yarn, in a totally different position and lighting, ummm, and photoshopping! I love this yarn because there is SO MUCH in it.

Nautilus

2010-07-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

There's nothing quite like the feel of spinning undyed wool. This is Falkland from The Fiber Studio, spun long draw.

Rainbow Brite

2010-07-23T10:42:00.006-05:00

Superwash merino from Spincerely - lovely colors as always!

Quick Update

2010-07-22T20:00:00.003-05:00

I just re-posted the photos for the last handful of posts after figuring out a better way to change the file size... resolution much better now!

Oak Warmth

2010-07-22T10:41:00.001-05:00

Forging ahead with the crazily edited November photo shoot... here is some more delicious merino tencel from Spincerely.

Missing the Boat

2010-07-21T09:57:00.000-05:00

It occurs to me that I have a blog entirely devoted to handspinning but am not posting anything for Tour de Fleece! Maybe next year. :)

Growth

2010-07-20T10:28:00.001-05:00

Merino Tencel from Spincerely

Smooth Move

2010-07-19T08:53:00.001-05:00

Really, I'll never get sick of bamboo from Fiber Lady!

Top O'the Morning

2010-07-16T10:06:00.005-05:00

Here is another picture from the heretofore unpublished November '09 yarn shoot. I liberally photoshopped, and even experimented with increasing the resolution from the original 480 x 600 or so shot (click for big). Basically I shot a ton of yarn in November right before figuring out a much better way to use my camera, so I never ended up blogging those pictures. Now they are proving to be fun material for playing around in Photoshop!

The fiber for these supersoft, superwash merino singles was from Spincerely.

I can haz minispinner now?

2010-07-15T10:41:00.002-05:00

I have been spinning some. In fact, I got a Hansen Crafts miniSpinner earlier this spring. Getting an electric spinner was something I had toyed with for a long time but never quite took the plunge. In my opinion, electric spinners are a different experience from spinning on a wheel and not a substitute. That said, the minSpinner is FAB-UH-LOUS!! The speed range is great, it is quiet and teeny-tiny, and you don't have to treadle! I am very happy with my purchase!

I'm not one for in depth reviews... if you want to know more definitely check out Ask the Bellwether.

Curve

2010-07-14T09:10:00.003-05:00

I have a bunch of pictures from last fall that are not great quality, but I'm practicing my editing skills and posting them. The sizes will probably be smaller since the resolution is so low. This skein reminds me of autumn and is made from completely random roving that I got at Creative Fibers (sorry no link, shop is closed). Beautiful rich colors, but very scratchy!

Scrounging

2010-07-13T10:14:00.002-05:00

You might have noticed I am running a bit short on blog posts these days. Long story short, I'm rather pregnant at the moment and it seems to have completely changed my taste in hobbies. Instead of getting home from work and spinning, painting, photographing, knitting, etc... I get home and read, or lately even watch Netflix. The depths of my passivity are astounding. :)

But, I really love this blog... it's different from anything else I do and has been a lot of fun. So, I think I'm going to change gears and just post random things from playing with Photoshop Elements. I actually think Photoshop is a really cool tool and have no reservations about "airbrushing" my yarn or editing photography.

******

P.S. Mr. Yarn Prawn and I are looking forward to our new arrival in early October. It is our first, so we are super excited and just a little freaked out, too.

Garden Wall

2010-07-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

Here is a summery swatch to start July's posting off on the right foot, seasonally speaking. 1 by 1 rib knit in art yarn from the MOMA Panda post. As usual, looks totally different knit up than as yarn! If I were swatching this again, I think I would do a more open stitch to show the texture of the yarn more, and maybe add another yarn into the mix.

Good to Go

2010-06-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

Continuing with the natural fiber theme, this chocolatey alpaca (fiber from Spunky Eclectic) is all wound up and ready to knit! This is warm, soft alpaca at its best, but I still haven't managed to figure out its true calling. What shall I knit with it?

Naturally

2010-06-28T10:44:00.001-05:00

From left to right, scraps of alpaca, cashmere, and baby camel. These are leftovers from the same project that Wednesday's post was used for. The colors are so unassuming but the soft factor is off the charts. Fiber from Detta's Spindle.

Halo

2010-06-25T10:39:00.003-05:00

Scraps of fuzzy bunniness! These are leftovers from a stole I gifted long ago... I imagine what's left is not enough to make anything with, but still I absolutely adore this mini-skein of angora. Fiber from Detta's Spindle.

Aw...

2010-06-24T20:03:00.003-05:00

I'm back and going to do a real post tomorrow. But in the mean time, is this not the cutest sheep picture ever???? The Habetrot blog is one of my favorites!

Vaca

2010-06-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

No more posts for about a week - I'm heading out for a small summer vacation. Luckily for me, daydreaming about yarn = good way to pass the time on a plane.

Thockies!

2010-06-14T10:30:00.001-05:00

Some day I will post about how I found myself in posession of EZ's Knitter's Almanac in elementary school and read it straight through. I like to think there is a little bit of Elizabeth's spirit in these socks, which were knit without a pattern, as one endless tube before adding afterthought heels, toes, and cuffs. They are made from three-ply handspun, using BFL from Spunky Eclectic. When I presented them to Mom for her birthday, she promptly put them on and wore them out to dinner, even though it was over 80 degrees and they didn't really match her outfit. But that's what makes Moms so great, isn't it?

Squiggle-tastic

2010-06-11T10:47:00.000-05:00

These uneven merino singles had been relegated to the scrap pile, until they were given a new chance to shine with the magic of spiral-plying. I did a couple rounds of spiraling, which significantly upped the squiggle factor. I don't know the yardage or weight, but believe me it isn't much!

Chunky Monkey

2010-06-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

This was a total Stash Reduction Skein (SRS) and has all manner of things in it from all manner of fibery vendors. Lots of misc. wool, suri locks, silk, cotton, mohair, thread, and... mmm... felt. Unknown weight and yardage.

Sampling

2010-06-07T10:33:00.000-05:00

When she gave it to us, my mother-in-law intended this beautiful basket to hold our keys. But it's just so perfect for all of my yarn swatches, what's a spinner to do?

I make one of these swatches for almost every skein I spin. Sometimes, though, I spin the rest of the skein without even looking at the swatch, since I'm not a big stickler for consistency!

Plush

2010-06-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

Let's return to our handspun-from-millspun theme for one last skein. This is actually my favorite, a combination of rayon-y microfiber from Joann's, handpainted sock, and embroidery floss (that's the blue bits). Unknown weight and yardage.

My Knitting Needle Slipped

2010-05-31T10:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, well it does happen occasionally. I start knitting with my handspun. That's all fine and good except for the parts where I make nothing identifiable and can't even finish the whatever-it-might-be. This is a lifelong trait of mine, my mother has made multiple afghans from my prolific childhood swatching. Even though I didn't end up with anything useful, it was still worth it just to watch the colors progress and have such yummy yarn running through my fingers. Isn't interesting how different the yarn looks once it is knit up?

Calm Waters

2010-05-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

Now here is a lovely skein of good-old superwash merino, from fiber hand-dyed to perfection by Spincerely. Does the skein seem a little small to you? Check back Monday to see what happened...

Royal Motley

2010-05-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh... the timeless and endearing qualities of bamboo singles. Something just feels so right about them. :) This is fiber from Fiber Lady (of course!) via The Fiber Studio - 3 or 4 oz? Yardage... well, you know by now that I've stopped counting!

Earthsea

2010-05-24T10:15:00.001-05:00

This bobbin of singles was spun with no end product in mind. After thinking about all the different plying possibilities, I decided it would be just as nice left as singles. BFL from Spincerely - approx. 4 oz, unknown yardage.

Sea Monster Princess

2010-05-21T10:48:00.001-05:00

Continuing with our Monster theme, this is chunky bamboo singles with locks liberally spun in. Fiber from The Fiber Studio - 4 oz.-ish, unknown yardage.

Monster Soup

2010-05-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this skein. It is hand-dyed suri alpaca (plus a bunch of other stuff) corespun around handspun two-ply. Almost all of the fiber is from The Fiber Studio. I don't know the weight or yardage, but the skein is the size of a smallish cantaloupe.

Using a handspun core may seem decadent, considering that you don't actually see or feel the core yarn when it is finished, but I happen to have a lot of handspun odds and ends and not a lot of knitting to use them up... so it's really practical more than anything else. Corespun suri alpaca? Now that IS decadent. :) And, in case you are wondering, Monster Soup is soup that monsters make to eat, not soup made from monsters!

Fraternal.

2010-05-17T10:50:00.000-05:00

Ahah! Look what happens when you split the skein from last Friday's post into two half-skeins. Doesn't it look like two different, but similar colorways? I find this really cool considering that it is all spun from the same bump of roving. Nice work, Freckle Face Fibers!

Fraternal?

2010-05-14T10:50:00.002-05:00

Now, here is a puzzle for you: Why would I name this skein Fraternal? Granted, a lot my yarn names only make sense to me, but I promise this one has a reason behind it. If you can't guess, you'll just have to wait for the next post to find out.

Chain-plied BFL, fiber from Freckle Face Fibers - about 4 oz, unknown yardage

Insufficient Postage

2010-05-13T10:14:00.001-05:00

Wow! Did a month just go by, just like that, without any yarny posts? We'll have remedy that ASAP. I am working on some posts for the rest of the month... enjoy!

Can't Win'Em All

2010-04-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

More millspun yarn that I plied together... but this time I was going for something different. No more spiral ply, no more sewing thread. This is a crepe yarn with misc. Rowan, sock yarn, and shetland jumper weight. Somehow not at all what I was going for. But, this teeny-tiny skein was very fun to pose for a photo!

Peppermint Hints

2010-04-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

More millspun yarn - this is some kind of Rowan (Rowan soft?) loosely spiral plied around some kind of sock yarn. Then I spiral plied that back against sewing thread. And THEN, in a shocking turn of events, I plied all of that back against sewing thread AGAIN. No idea on the yardage, as I have become rather lazy about counting... it makes a nice size ball though.

Going Commercial

2010-04-01T10:41:00.002-05:00

With it being April 1st and all, I was sorely tempted to do a post about how I had spun up my entire stash. April fools! But, really I am excited to post some yarn after my blogging hiatus, so here goes...

I had an idea awhile back to ply millspun yarns together. This seemed a most awesome idea at the time for a few reasons:

1) It should be way faster to spin yarn that is already spun compared to spinning from fiber

2) I have a yarn stash as well as a fiber stash but I don't knit or crochet much anymore, so the yarn stash just kind of sits there

3) Neat way to experiment with different plying techniques

As it turns out, it takes forever to ply this stuff, maybe just because of the techniques I chose... or maybe because it is just a lot more boring to ply millspun compared to handspun. So, actually not the most powerful stash busting tool or time saver. However, it was a good learning experience and definitely a good way to try some complex plying. For this skein, I did one strand of acrylic microfiber stuff with a strand of sock yarn, using spiral and gimp techniques. Then I spiral plied the whole mess back onto sewing thread.

Yardage and weight? No clue!

I Want One

2010-03-21T17:01:00.000-05:00

So first of all, I actually washed yarn this weekend... which means I have stuff to post for April! Yay! I have missed blogging and I'm excited to have more stuff to post!

Second, it looks like healthcare reform is going to get through congress. Not a perfect bill, and this is not a political blog, but I can't resist posting a smiley face on this one. :)

Third, I found this double-flyer wheel video that makes me scratch my head and think, "Why aren't all wheels made like this?" You have to watch 30-60 seconds into the video to really see the her get going. I would spin so much more two-ply if I had one, and who could pass up such a cute bundle of flax on the distaff?!?! :)

Centipost

2010-03-01T10:34:00.004-06:00

If my blogger tally is correct, this should be my 100th post. And that's pretty cool.

Now for the uncool news... almost no spinning time lately, and the yarn sitting on my shelf is unwashed and unphotographed. So, I'll be taking a bit of a break but rest assured I am still dreaming of yarn!

Check back in April for more posts, and have a wonderful early Spring!

Great Crepe!

2010-02-26T10:26:00.002-06:00

Here is another plying first for me - crepe yarn. I will definitely be doing this again! The fiber is falkland from The Yarn Wench - 183 yds / 3.9 oz