Bib and Tucker ‘Freebie Monday’

I’ve decided it’s time to give something back to the crafty world out there, considering how much inspiration all of you give me.  So, from this coming Monday I’m introducing Bib and Tucker ‘Freebie Monday’.  I’ll be offering handcrafted goodies (yes, there might be quite a bit of hand spun, bwah haa haa haa haa) for you to win each week. 

Come and visit on Monday at 5pm, NZ time and I’ll pop on here with a wee piccie of the weeks freebie.  I’ll announce how you can win on Monday’s post.

This coming Monday is also the launch day of our new Designer Nappy Collection, which will be released in limited editions each Monday.   The website will be updated with the collections each week.

I’ve just returned from spinning this evening, you know, the whole day event that I was talking about the other day.  Whoa, I’m a bit shattered, but learnt so much today.  I finished spinning the ‘Wave Waltz’ hand dyed merino single for my Naki wool swap, so will see if I can get that plyed tomorrow.  Piccies to come once it’s completed.  We are working on silk dying at the next Saturday meeting which promises to be fantastic.   See you there Naki girls!!

Right, I’m off to bed so that I have enough energy to start this wee crafty freebie that I have planned for Monday.  Bye.  🙂 Kate

You guessed it, more spinning

Sorry I’ve been awol for a few days.  We’ve had a few unexpected events occur in our little corner of the universe lately.  But, everything is calming down again, so I’ve snapped a few piccies of my latest spinning attempts.

Hand dyed thick & thin single

I hand dyed a skein of the ‘unknown’ roving that I’ve been given to learn with, using the gladwrap & microwave method.  It has been spun into a thick & thin single, which I’ve set just as is.  I was going to ply it with some fine golden thread, but decided that it would have been a bit of overkill.

The aqua/blue merino/silk has eventuated into a scrummy little bundle.  I’ll definately be getting more to spin with.  Yum, scrum!  I’ve plyed it with some of the light grey unknown wool that I was given.  It’s about an 8 ply.

In other spinning news, the next Majacraft Magic Camp will be during the weekend of 19 – 21 February 2010. Soooooooooooo exciting!!!  It will be in Upper Hutt, so I get to spend a weekend spinning my little heart out, AND visit my long lost friends who I miss so much in Wellies.  (Hi Rachael!!!  Miss you!)

Lexi Boeger (Pluckyfluff) will be taking a two day workshop showing us how she makes art yarns.   Lexi is the author of “Handspun Revolution” and “Intertwined” and is the world’s leading exponent of this type of spinning.  Lexi’s work is just divine, we are very lucky to have her coming over to little old New Zealand 🙂 :-).  Are any of you going too?  I’d love to hear from you if you are.

'Spring Bird' Collection - Baby Blue

A little birdie tells me that the new collections are just about ready for release.  I’m finding balancing work with raising two little girls and keeping a house in order a bit hectic to be honest.  I’m thinking of releasing the new collections slowely, every Monday like the fabulous Morag of Vintage Purl’s (hope you don’t mind me  sharing a Monday with you :-)).  I think this will give me a target to work towards, and it give you guys something to look forward to too.  I’ll let you all know when Monday Madness begins……….

Spinning in my sleep

I have spinning on the brain at the moment.  My right foot has taken to pedalling in my sleep.  So I guess I’ll either report back with a very bad case of cramp, or a well practised spinning leg!

In the meantime, I have been doing more spinning with the new roving that arrived.  Mmmmmm, silky merino goodness.  It’s divine to spin with.  This is one of the colours in the sample pack that I received.  It reminds me of the ocean on a sunny day, the silk floats through it like delicate little waves. 

Merino & Silk roving

And here it is spun up into a single.  I’m aiming for an 8 ply once plyed.

I’ve been doing a bit of ‘You Tube’ research (aka, staying up until midnight fixated).  The internet is so inspirational for the craftsperson!  I stumbled across a technique called ‘core spinning’.  Essentially you have a ‘core’ thread, and ply whatever you would like to add into it as you spin.  I started with a ball of fine magenta boucle yarn, and plyed it with some of the natural roving I was given to learn with.  This was then set, and coloured with acid dyes using the gladwrap microwave method.  Next time I’ll add more vinegar as the dye didn’t hold as well as I would have liked, but it was great to try some new techniques :-).  

First core spun wool

And here’s a handy wee video on braiding roving so it looks like this………….(Link to listing for roving from Artemis)

ArtemisArtemis Roving

Righto, I’m off to paint some nappies.  I’ll be back soon with the roving that I dyed today.  Bye!!  🙂

Spinning and Socks

I have finished my first handspun hanks of wool.  Yipeeeeeeeee!!!  One is natural, the other pot dyed.  The colours are actually a little more intense than the photos show, but you get the idea :-). 

'Ocean' Handspun

 

'Ocean' Handspun detail

 

'Ocean' Handspun detail 2

 

'Natural' Handspun

 I went a bit overboard and ordered a selection of carded fleece from Trademe.   Amongst the selection is a kilo(tee hee) of white Polwarth fleece which is apparently lovely to spin with, and reasonably priced. 

Polwarth Roving

And some coloured fleece may have been looking for a new home too :-).  Tee hee.

Merino & Silk Sliver

Tencel

'Earth' Merino

'Wave Waltz' Merino

The sock knitting is going well also.  I can see why people become obsessed with it.  I love anything miniature, and seeing the pattern appear as you knit is very motivating!  I’m using Opal sock yarn and the new Knit Pick cable I got from Vintage Purls.  The pattern is ‘Beginner Socks, Magic Loop Variation’ published in Liat Knits.

First pair of socks

Rainy days

The weather today has been rather feisty, and the tins have been looking a bit bare after the last batch of cupcakes was snaffled, so Dd and I decided that the best solution was a little bit of baking.  What to make?  CUPCAKES of course.  This time I used the lemon cupcake recipe, leaving out the lemon rind and adding lots of cocoa, tee hee.

These are the easiest little treat to make with a simple flower tip on the icing bag and a few fairy sprinkles.  Dd decided that she wanted to decorate hers with a mixture of sweet decorations.

I plyed my first attempt at spinning last night.   The result is hmmmmmmmmmm, interesting.  The fibre (which we are not sure what it is) was very harsh to ply.  There was another wee bundle of roving in the same bag that I was given to spin with, which is so much easier to work with.  A lot softer, and easy to get a reasonably fine ply.  I’m popping these first attempts on here, feel free to laugh!!  They are just so I have a record of how this new obsession started.  I promise to improve.

The original wool colour.  I’ve dyed one hank and left one natural.

More super scummy yarn.  This is one of the latest colourways from Vintage Purls.  Colour:  Cabaret.  Oh my, I don’t know if I can unwind the hank.  I keep stroking it and staring longingly into the strands to study the dyeing.  Divine, divine, divine.  If you haven’t got any, you must.  I also purchased a few circulars, so the sock knitting shall begin (again).  Note: NEVER use dpns to knit socks.  It WILL end in tears.

And the seed raising continues.  This is very exciting stuff.  Really.  We now have many tomato plants, a few lettuce popping through, cucumber, beans plus a garden full of about 40 odd cauliflower and broccoli (I got a bit carried away at the market), beans, silverbeet, buttercrunch lettuce, bok choy, mesculun, chives, parsley, celery, strawberries, potatoes and lots of weeds.  Still to plant: potatoes, carrots, spring onion and tomatoes to re-pot.  I think that’s it??

A new addiction or two

Tonight is spinning night.  I am going to be joining the local ladies at Robyn’s house and learning to ply the two spools I spun last week.  Apprehensive, yes.  Excited, hell yes!!!!  Progress piccies to come once I return……..

I was lucky enough to see Sable’s beautiful spun wool at Hannah’s last night.  Divine.  The ply was perfect, and the choice of fibres quite inspiring.  Yum, yum, yum.

I’m still designing the new collections for Bib and Tucker whilst finishing off a few orders.  They are looking pretty darn cute, and will be so much fun to illustrate on the fabric I have arriving shortly.  Progress piccies for these soon too……….

The garden is flourishing also.  We have discovered that this new home that we have moved into comes with a resident ‘Mr Hedgehog’.  He’s a charming wee fellow who lives snuggled in the compost bin, and snacks on the multitude of scraps that Dd and hubby pop in each night.  Mr Hedgehog is also quite adventurous.  He plods around the garden, and up the path to his home each day.  I have tried to follow him to see what he gets up to, but he has a camoflauge routine that he likes to practice.  He is very tame though, I wonder if he can see very well?  I hope the cats don’t bother him!