Whoa! I'm spinning again !!

This is Merino/silk blend that I handpainted last year and never got the time to spin. Chocolate brown and Cherry red colorway.


Unspun


Spun

I bought some fat quarters from a new online store here in Elk Grove, CA TheQuiltShoppe.net. She doesn't have an actual storefront. I'm quite impressed with the service. I didn't need to buy the whole bundle and only needed 8 FQs of each collection. I emailed the owner, she got them cut for me, nicely bundled and ribboned, and got them right away! Reasonable shipping charges too. I really liked the Surf and Sand collection (I'll turn them into purses) and Sandy Gervais's Red, White and Bold set.

Here are some of the covered journals I made last Christmas, all of which sold.


Same with these calendars...


...and the checkbook covers.

New 2 Me yarn

This yarn might have been out for a while but I just purchased a batch from Ashland Bay in OR. It's called Panda yarn, fingering weight sock yarn -- 60% Superwash Merino, 30% Bamboo and 10% nylon. I searched Ebay but couldn't find it. There were several Panda brands (acrylic and wool) and some wool bamboo but nothing similar. Quite surprising (maybe I just didn't go a good search).

This is what it looks like undyed:



And here is what it looks like dyed with acid dye. It came out soft with a slight sheen to it (I'm guessing the bamboo content) and dyed really well. Each skein has approximately 430 yards, weighs 4 ozs. I'm dyeing up some more and will put them up in my Etsy shop. If you want these first 3 skeins, each is $15.00 plus $2.00 shipping via USPS First Class mail. The undyed skein (I have several) is $9.95 per 4 oz skein plus shipping. Just send me a comment and I will email you back.


purple,cherry red,Brilliant Blue

And here's a close up:



To follow- I'm knitting up a sock with Panda.

Website of the day

I came across this site yesterday (don't remember how) but she has some beautiful knitting patterns to share.

Slumberland.org

Check it out.

I'm starting to handpaint some yarns again! woo hooo!

more pics to come

Happy New Year!

My last entry was Nov 27th, 2007 and it's about time I posted a new one.

Sometimes, I feel like I have to have pictures to post an entry. I have a lot of pics but they're still in the camera. Uploading the pictures is a major pain because of my connection, yadda, yadda.

I spent the last days of 2007 sewing bags and more bags. The orders haven't stopped even with the gift giving days over. I have learned so many different techniques from patterns I bought that I'm able to use them to design my own. I'm getting better at this bag making thing. NOTE: I am not infringing on copyright rules. I know better being a knit pattern designer myself.

I also finished knitting and pattern testing a new Hand Jive knits shawl pattern for Darlene Hayes. I finished it just in time for her to take it to TNNA. I have been doing this pattern testing thing for her for quite a while now and should have learned that it doesn't work to cram. But somehow, the adrenaline rush of trying to finish something with only a few hours to spare works for me, he, he.