I’m working on a new design of stitch markers engraved with “K2TOG”, “PSSO”, & “SSK”. In silver & gold. I think in a pack of 2 of each…still in the design phase at this point.
View from the manual engraver…for the next set of stitch markers. 🙂 I’d like to package these up and sell these in small yarn shops too – so if you are interested I can send samples to your business, just contact me via the blog. 🙂
This little fuzzy butt totally thinks she owns the place… 🙂
I always joke that it is technically her house. We adopted her when we bought the place, as the seller’s of our home were building & didn’t think she would be happy living in a work in progress…
And indeed, we found out very early that she really possessive of our home. But like most cats, if you feed her & give her lots of space & love she will accept these humans invading her space. She;ll even share. But never forget, that she’s in charge – or you might get a present you don’t want. 😉
I still cannot believe that this is from a bunny rabbit…an angora rabbit to be precise. I can’t help but feel bad for this breed. Cute looking, but having this much fur must really suck!
I’m starting to get a better handle on spinning angora (not to be confused with angora goat, whose fiber is known as mohair). I’m getting the hang of spinning this by itself…usually I blend it with wool. I have found it slippery and at times hard to draft, but like any fiber you get used to the feel and how it needs to be handled in order to get spun. It is very light and lofty. My Himalayan cat’s fur is similar. Many people like the feel of angora in hand but can’t wear it on their head/neck as it tends to tickle/feel itchy…and I can totally see that. I would like to ply an angora yarn on its own though just to see how it works up. I’ll share the finished product whatever I decide to do… 🙂
I’ve gone back to spinning singles lately…the “traditional” idea of spinning where you spin thinner singles to ply together to make the finished yarn. I am hoping these are the start of yarn for sale…I again am at a loss at pricing because if I take into account the amount of time put into prepping fleece from raw to spinning/plying my price point would be simply too high for consideration. I’m liking the barter idea, so that may be the way to go. In any event I need to finish these into something before my mind gets away from me. I have angora rabbit, icelandic sheep fleece & my “wool soup” (taking odds & ends fleece/roving/batts – running it through the drum carder to make one of a kind batts for spinning) so far spun. Either way, I simply enjoy the process of creating the yarn – more so than knitting it into something! I get far more satisfaction in feeling the fluffy fleece between my hands become a wonderfully soft textured yarn. Not that I don’t enjoy knit/crochet, I simply enjoy carding/spinning more…so yes: when these are completed I must work on finding them new homes. 🙂
This installment of “in the studio” is actually outside the studio…literally! Summer is here and the season is short so anytime I can spend outside creating I’ll take it. My kids have way more energy than I do for playing outdoors, so I do a bit with them, then supervise inside the screened gazebo. 🙂
Luckily jewelry making is fairly portable…you do have to be organized, otherwise there is a lot of running back & forth inside. My spinning wheel is pretty light/compact too (it folds flat) so I can take it outside or even with me say, camping if I ever choose. 🙂
This is my stash of handspun yarn in my studio…I consider this the “good stuff” – yet I am not ready to let it go…
Part of me wants to keep it for my own enjoyment, and part of me want to sell in/barter it for someone else enjoyment. I still am not sure what to price these at, I know I could never make all my time back, esp. for the stuff prepared from scratch (raw fleece). It is something I will most likely ponder for awhile longer. In the meantime, I will enjoy its colorful addition to my studio space. 🙂
I look up & see this cutie patootie sampling the corner of my desk….mmmmmm….cool on the gums… 🙂
Back in January, I started a thorough search for a drum carder…I had massed a decent amount of fleece and really was not looking forward to hand carding it all. If you have ever looked for a drum carder for equipment you know that they do not come cheap, and do I ever drool at all the different kinds out there on the market. I have spent a small fortune on jewelry making equipment over the years, I can`t really justify $900+ for something that is at the moment, solely a hobby. So I started my search for a used one on ebay…and was I shocked to find one in the $300 range…brand new.
Yep, Brother Drum Carders are a no-frills economic made in the USA drum carder. I ordered one straight away in January from their website (they also sell on Etsy & Ebay). I must say, I am impressed having zero expectation & zero experience with a drum carder. I’ve used it to blend roving/angelina fibers/silk, and also to process my own fleece that I have washed.
It is hard work cranking that thing by hand…I do dream of a motorized one if I ever get busy enough to warrant it. And the medium coarse carding cloth I chose doesn’t work very well with my alpaca or angora rabbit fibers…I will have to buy a cloth with teeth appropriate for fine fibers for this (that does make me wonder if a more expensive model could handle all/most types of fleeces) but can I really complain at the price point? I simply feel very lucky to have this tool at my disposal at such an affordable price!
In the beginning, I was really leery of washing sheep wool. It seemed like a really time consuming (& potentially icky) task. But spinning roving started to bore me, I wanted more control over my creativity & I started to gain much respect for this wool fiber, the animal who gave it & the process from start to finish.
I obtain my fleece from scouring fleece sales at various wool shows in the North-East. Although I get taken in by the wonderful alpaca fiber from time to time (which doesn’t need washing before spinning – which is a nice perk), I generally stick to the piles of passed over inexpensive bags of sheep fleece…the extra-dirty or not-so-well-known breeds. I don’t even entertain merino…it’s a lovely wool, but highly over-rated for experimentation purposes. 🙂
I add the fleece by the handfuls in my basket here in the laundry sink, that I had installed in my studio specifically for this purpose. I pick out as much VM (vegetable matter) or poo/manure tags that I can from this stage…I can’t say that I have ever skirted any wool in the traditional fashion, maybe I *should* but I have never found I needed to at this point (or perhaps I am blissfully ignorant).
After reading and trying out slightly different variations of washing fleece here is the method that I use:
Soak in hot, hot water with a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dish detergent for at least 3 hours – sometimes I even leave it to soak overnight if there is a lot of lanolin or dirt. I generally find this soak 3 times gets the majority of the dirt off. It is a really pleasant surprise to find a yellowish fleece is indeed a lovely white color after a couple good soaks in hot water & dish detergent!
I then soak it in the hottest water possible 3 times for about 30 min. each time. The last time I add 1/4 cup of vinegar to remove any remaining soap residue. I am careful to keep the temperature consistent while washing as, hot/cold water plus agitation will felt wool. I also do not manipulate the wool much, just gently push down into the water with rubber gloves.
The basket is fantastic as you need to drain the water several times – and I found when not using some sort of basket the fleece would just clog up the drain. These are old fixtures from a Zellers store that closed locally last summer. Bonus is that the square baskets have a lip for hanging on a display rack – and they fit perfectly onto the edge of my laundry tub when I want to lift it out to drain the water.
The Zellers fixtures also make wonderful drying racks…in the summer, these move outdoors to dry naturally n the sun shine. 🙂
I realized I had not shared photos of my studio space, since the renos last year. These photos were taken last January and (sadly) the space is still only 80% done, & the renos were complete *last* June. Nonetheless I am still really happy to have my own dedicated space to work in, even if the paint/trim is not completely done…
This area of cabinets, I was going to make into a photography area…but it is right beside the sink, so it made an awesome drying area for fleece (I dry wool outside in the summer, these were taken in the winter). The racks are shelving from a local Zellers store that closed last summer – the fixtures were being sold for next to nothing.
Here’s the sink – with some fleece ready to go for a soak. This used to be a utility room – so where the sink/cabinets are is where my washer & dryer used to be (now relocated to downstairs bathroom). Our contractor scratched his head as to why I’d want a laundry sink away from the washer & dryer. 🙂
I love chalkboard paint! The sides of these old cabinets were uggg-ly! This paint came in handy in areas that were impossible to spruce up with regular paint…(not to mention fun!).
You get a better view of the lazure painting I did in the space…my first attempt, not perfect but I do love the effect in the room overall…Oh, that painting is of me & my husband: we were dating at the time, done by Nova Scotia artist Richard Rudnicki.
The utility room has already came equipped with many cabinets. We don’t use microwaves for food, but they sure come in handy for crafting. 😉 Oh yeah and best. bumper. sticker. ever. 🙂
My drum carding area…it’s on a glass desk for now, not ideal – I have these sturdy wood flea market tables I think I will bring back into the space…it’s a pretty desk but I’m constantly concerned about damaging it…
This is the inside of a cabinet where my carded batts & rovings live…it was pretty full at one time but now looks as empty as this since I have been spinning them…
Several skeins of handspun yarn…this is what I would call my “good” stash…the stuff I am pretty much happy with, not sure if I should sell it or keep it…I have no idea what to price it as the fiber stuff is all new to me as far as the commerce side. Barter perhaps? Admittedly, I have a hard time letting go of it… 🙂 Anyway, I digress…they are organized in a retired shoe organizer. Works great (better than it did for shoes)!
That picture there: on the right – my dear friend & mentor Aurore Henze painted of me/for me…I was amazed that it matched the color of the pillar perfectly…when I started out lazuring it, I did not have that color in mind at all, but since I didn’t like the first pass I covered it with a darker shade of purple…then I got this painting and wow…fate! 🙂
Missing from these photos are my jewelry & soap making cabinets…I’ll add them in another post…I’m hoping these will give others ideas as to what to do for their own creative space, no matter what the size or purpose…