Top N Bottom Whorl Painted Spindles

TopBottomWhorlPaintedSpindles
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

These spindles were a great deal from this ebay store http://stores.ebay.com/anniemaysspinandwool . I wanted a small top whorl spindle and a bottom whorl spindle without having to spend too much money. Low Tech , High Satisfaction that is my motto as well. Thanks for stopping by.

Nostepinne Per Moi!

So this is ladies and gentlemen a nostepinne made by me. Well not really made, but I went to the hardware store and bought a wooden leg that looked like a nostepinne. The end with the screw was actually at the other side. I go the cutter to cut it for me. then I drill a hole and screw it to the right side and behold the screw came part of it lol!

This is not hard and it was under $5, at this moment it is drying from the satin finish I am giving it, no shipping, no handling but waiting to be used maybe tomorrow or the day after.

I have not given up on finding the right stuff to make a niddy noddy, is it cheaper to buy it? No it is less work, but I enjoy the challenge of making my own Nostepinne. I hope you find this very useful. I went to the hardware store and looked at table legs the rest is history.

It was like it was made to order, very little waiting and it will be natural color with a satin finish. Thanks for stopping by!

Spinning lace Alpaca

SpinninglaceAlpaca (10)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

One of my goals was to eventually spin lace weight yarn. I have been able to reach that goal on a daily basis by taking spinning seriously and working on it a bit every day. A little every day is about 15 to 30 minutes, I usually spend an hour before I get tired. It is fun to see your work taking shape as you go. I am hoping to have enough to have a two ply lace weight alpaca yarn to show you by the weekend. Thanks fro stopping by.

My first Handspun, handplied

I am so excited this is my first hand spun hand dyed, 2 ply yarn, lol! I am so proud of myself and thanks to Wonder Mike (Fiberbeat.com ) whose expertise has helped me in making this dream come true. This is more addictive than dyeing yarn lol! I would not say is addictive , but it is very entertaining, you can actually go and zone out to the world of ideas. Last night I started Spinning Alpaca in a lace weight manner! I am impressed and satisfied.
This second skein is actually in the dyeing process, kettle dyed and it is going to be very funky. Thanks for stopping by

Trick or Treat Homespun Seen

Drop Spindle can be very addictive, I can guarantee that to you. I took a class last year and I decided to take a better class this year with Wonder Mike at A Verb For Keeping Warm. This was a great decision. I think this is a great part of the hobby to be able to spin some fiber if the mood strikes you. One thing is for sure, practice, practice and more practice.

The above picture is the same roving as the one below, I just decided to see if I could dyed it and I was able to. I had a lot of fun doing this homework for tomorrow's class which will teach me how to ply.

This is the last picture of me doing some drafting on the go as I spin a bit. I promise to have some Alpaca next time it6 will be a lot of fun. Thanks for stopping by!

Sweater on the Go!

If you have many projects going on ,it is very nice to have a timer and time yourself per project. I have made some progress from yesterday on the back of the sweater. I am not sure if I want it to be 25 or 27 inches on the back. This material is very nice, is a combination of wool and acrylic that is perfect for the Coastal California weather.
The hardest part of the sweater is the back, but is the one that gives the most satisfaction. Once you have the back covered, the front is just a few stitches away. I am enjoying the variegated yarns, Cinque from Lana Grossa which I added to the combo for stripping purposes and the other one from skacell, which I was not too happy about. There is nothing worst in the world than finding a knot on a skein of yarn. You would think that manufacturers would have known by now, but it happens and we have to deal with it, and so I did lol! Thanks for stopping by!

Roll The Hard Six Sweater

I have made three sweaters in my life. I believe sweaters are made to be simple nothing that will make you have a headache for weeks. This is a very simple sweater that I put together a while ago from bits and pieces of Patterns I liked. It is in the Spirit of the Battlestar Galactica Game. SO here goes the explanation of the name of the sweater, kind of lol!Roll The Hard Six Commander William Adama (to Lee Adama, Saul Tigh, Kara Thrace, and Laura Roslin at a mission briefing): “Sometimes, you gotta roll the hard six.” Sharon “Boomer” Valerii: “It’s like Commander Adama says; sometimes you gotta roll the hard six.”To Roll The Hard six means to achieve something partially through intense skill and partially through luck. Its a high risk / high reward operation, not only do you have to be lucky in achieving the right outcome, but you also have to avoid the wrong ones on the way. It implies a certain level of complexity or layers of contingency in order to come out ahead.
I have always thought that when the pilots turned the vipers completely around backwards to shoot at the Raiders that was considered Rolling a Hard six…but I have not been able to confirm that theory….SO I am making this sweater on the go with bits and pieces from other patterns, because the pattern from Skacell was not very clear about how to make the Brioche Stitch Pattern. Maybe they are I just did not get it. The beauty of this is that I have plenty of freedom to finish this pattern in an almost infinite way of ways. Thanks for stopping by.

Baby Peapod FO

May I present you the Baby Peapod in Comfy Blend from Knit Picks, it took about 4 skeins and it is their second size or a 6 months old size. I added two features which I thought were needed. Two strings to hold the hat down for the Baby and ending the hat in a Pea Pod Manner. I did not like the square finish of it. It made no sense. I was going to even crochet some leaves, but I thought there was enough greenery here. I was very pleased with the Lace part, extremely surprised on how good I did on the round and back and forth. Now let's see if I can work on my hat now and then a sweater lol! Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Pea Pod Sleeves on the Round

This is my work in progress Baby Pea Pod. I saw no reason for me not to make this on the round and follow the chart as a regular chart. Is a great use of my time and it is a lot faster than if I had to purl every other row.

One sleeve down, one on the works, it will be soon time to put it all together and to make this Baby Pea Pod Set come to life. Thanks for stopping by!