spinning, knitting and a bit of dyeing...

lots of experimenting going on with the spinning and i've prepared enough handspun yarn to start knitting a cowl. also attempted making some black and white thread but all i had was wool. it turned out ok but really want to try it with cotton which i prefer for stitching.

handspun wool yarn and the beginnings of a cowl

finally got all the flowers i'd saved out of the freezer and did some dyeing. the cotton pieces turned out better than the silk this time. the cotton pieces were soaked in soy milk overnight and allowed to dry and sit for a few days before using. haven't had much time for dyeing lately.

some hints of blue in that center strip

bits of rust from the cotton wrapped around tin cans

i'm trying to keep up with all of your blogs but haven't had much time to comment lately. wishing you all a great week.

this week has gone by too fast...

i'm really enjoying spinning with the drop spindle. i've been experimenting plying with a commercial lace yarn and i like the way it turned out. you can see from this picture that i'm getting better with practice.

i think this thinner yarn might be good for a pair of socks

i've cleaned out the small garden bed, added some new ingredients and planted lettuce, radishes, spinach and peas. the radishes are already up in record time.

added some trellis' to allow the pea vines to climb

i found this great idea for making market bags from old t-shirts on Instructables.com. there's no sewing involved and it takes about 15 minutes. here's the link if you want to try it.

just cut off the sleeves and part of the neck and fringe and tie the bottom edge

still working on the socks...not too crazy about the afterthought heel. i didn't like doing the Kitchener stitch...kind of fussy.

working on the second sock

and there are a couple of things waiting in the wings:

this crochet pattern from Piecework magazine---just for the challenge

and this shawlette pattern from craftsy.com.

i'm hoping this yarn will be the right weight

i also have several stitching projects in the works but haven't done much stitching this week. i ran out of time. wishing you all a good weekend.

choices...

lots of choices this week on which project to pick up...
just finished a class on craftsy.com with Drucilla Pettibone and i'm getting better each day with my drop spindle. it's an excellent class if you're interested in learning how to spin your own yarn.

learning to spin

still working on my second pair of knitted socks. this time with the afterthought heel.

toe up sock

and dyeing with the purple carrots and the green tops...not much purple but the green tops gave nice markings, the copper pipe gave some green color and there are rose leaves scattered here and there. decided to embellish with some tatted bits and crochet an edge.

tatting and crochet edge

have a great weekend.

and the winner is...

click on the image for a close-up of the tag

It is past 6pm Central Time so I decided not to keep you in suspense. Judy of Judy in the Dyes is the winner and I have e-mailed her.

Some of you requested a close-up of the tag so just click on the image above for a closer look.
Thank you all for participating and watch for future giveaways.

A BLOG GIVEAWAY...just because...

thought i'd do a weekend giveaway to thank all of you who give me so much inspiration as well as encouragement. just leave a comment and tell me your favorite magazines. you have until 6pm Central Time on Sunday, August 19th, to enter.

i'm giving away the current issue of Fiber Arts Magazine and one of my needle felted tags.

Summer 2012 issue and a hand made tag

  wishing you all a good weekend.

the purple carrots are a disappointment...

but i will try and use the little that is there to overdye some silk pieces.

purple carrots and 2 unknown pods from the garden

my first pair of socks turned out well and fit perfectly. i've started the second pair trying a different type toe and heel this time.

i'm becoming more comfortable with the dp needles

i've also done a bit more on the piece i started in Karen Ruane's Ledger Class. a couple of more additions and then i'll start embellishing with stitch.

i go through periods of hating and liking this piece but am determined to finish it.

and finally, i've started a Fabric Journal. i'm just adding bits of fabric from projects i'm working on. haven't decided yet how i will do the labeling. i always love looking through Jude's threadcrumbs on her blog so that was the inspiration.

i really want to go out and plant seeds for a fall garden but it is just too hot. hope you're all staying cool.

it's a sock...

it's been a struggle and i ripped out the heel 3 times until i got it right but i've learned so much from this 'toe-up class' on craftsy.com. this is my first sock ever and this is not exactly a beginner's class but i think i'm going to make it work.
who would have thought that this...

the gauge swatch and the beginning of the toe

would actually start looking like a sock...

just a few more inches to go

and then, of course, i have to knit the second sock but that will be easy now.

i've also added several borders to the busy looking piece i started in Karen's Ledger Class.

not sure how big it will get and then there will be embroidery embellishments

i need to move along quickly because my to do list is growing daily.

moving along...

i have finished 2 hats using circular needles and next i will tackle socks with the help of the class i signed up for on craftsy.com. i am quite comfortable using the circular needle now and think i can move along on my own.

just finished the white Rosie hat and it has just been blocked

i've done some more work on my ledger pages...

cloth, photoshopped images, watercolors, inktense pencils

stitching on watercolor paper and embroidered centers

playing with a bit of color over the stitching

and this started out as a ledger page but will be expanded into a cloth using some of my hand dyed and shibori cloth

Karen Ruane's 'An Embroiderer's Ledger' class has ended but she plans on offering it again sometime soon. I highly recommend it for lots of new inspirational ideas. Karen has also moved her blog over to typepad. So check out her new blog here and you can read all about her online classes, read her latest newsletter, check her shop and lots of other interesting things.

the winner has been notified...

Rhissana is the winner of the Knook and has been e-mailed. As soon as she sends me her address, i will put the Knook in the mail. thanks to those who participated. watch for future blog giveaways.

the winner

and back to some stitching...

still cutting up the blue and white dress and using the cloth in other projects. this second project is a bag made from some cotton cow fabric ( i was into cows lots of years back), an old, faded flannel shirt and the blue and white cloth. i used the plackets of the flannel shirt for the top closure (an idea from Jude Hill) and for the inner layer of the bag to give it more body. the strips of seams cut from the shirt were stitched together and made a perfect handle. the fat seams gave it some added body. the shirt pocket is on the inside of the bag, as well as a bit of lace to slip in a note or card...this was a fun project. click on the images for close-ups.

flannel stitched in between the outside and the lining to give the bag body.

a flannel pocket and a pocket made from a bit of lace

the front

the back

a bit of weaving and stitch as embellishment

just the collar and sleeves remain of the flannel shirt

loved using what i had on hand to construct this bag. wonder what i can make with the collar and sleeves...

A BLOG GIVEAWAY...

some of you might have heard of the KNOOK...not the Nook that is an e-reader but the KNOOK with a K that is a way to get the look of knitting with a crochet hook. i ordered it a while back but couldn't get into it...probably because i already know how to knit and would rather just use knitting needles. in any case, if you think you would make use of this, just leave a comment on this post and i will randomly pick a winner on Wednesday, July 25th.

this is a beginner set to be used with medium weight yarn and there are free videos online to teach you how to do this as well as a booklet in the kit. here is a link to the videos so you can get an idea of it and decide if you would like to try it. i have no affiliation with this company.

the Knook---beginner kit

knit 3, purl 3....and some more ledger pages

finally finished my first hat using a circular needle. i'm feeling more comfortable with the circular needle and have started a second hat that is a bit more complicated...one step at a time.
click on any of the images for a close-up view.

periwinkle blue...my first hat

on to hat #2 with cables

moving along in karen's embroidered ledger class and learning lots of new techniques. here are a few of my new pages:

adding embellishment to a page

and some tissue paper overlay pages:

tissue paper and lace

pattern tissue paper with embellishment and close-up

love using black and white

AND...some of you are familiar with Alabama Chanin and their beautiful clothing. here's an interesting blog post by Rayela Art about a new Alabama Chanin book and a short video.
AND...here's a post by Purl Bee on an Alabama Chanin market bag kit.

thinking ouside the box...

i always try to be thinking outside the box, but Karen Ruane's Ledger class has really encouraged me to do that even more. it took me a while to get into this but i'm really enjoying working on these pages and i can see so many possibilities developing for moving forward in my stitching. here are a few more ledger pages i've been working on. click on the images for a close-up view.

stitchery added on the right of this page i posted last week. this was a thrift store find linen hanky. i did some free motion stitching and then appliqued circles of the embroidery over the stitching.

this started out with the paisley shaped image from a Dover design book from the 1960s. i pulled some elements from the design and created open circles backed with scrim, leaving parts of the cut out area intact.

this page started out with a sashiko design on paper and eventually was stitched on cloth.

close-up of the sashiko stitched design

the paper design is tacked onto the back of the stitching.

it's hard leaving my familiar comfort zone and venturing out of the box but it sure is fun seeing things and combinations of things in a new light and being inspired to create something different. it's the only way to really move forward. i found this article had some interesting hints for thinking out of the box. check it out and let me know what you think.

some things that need recording...

i have been enjoying Karen Ruane's latest class, An Embroiderer's Ledger. journaling is something i've done on and off through my life but i really never stick with it. i'd much rather be stitching or dyeing or doing some other kind of needlework. i'm learning new ways of analyzing images and bringing them forward into stitch.

my first ledger pages

trying to find time for lots of other things as well:

making my first hat to learn to use circular and double pointed needles

adding beads and weaving to a bobbin lace piece in progress

a bit of eco-dyeing on silk velvet and scrim

some more eco-dyeing on different types of silk

so my time is filled with wonderful projects. hope you are enjoying your time as well.