picked fiber (left) and wool that has been washed & dyed but not picked (right)
I have been combing and carding a lot of fleece this month. I’m actually squirreling away my pulled top. It’s the “premium” stuff so I am not sure whether I will make yarn with it, or sell them in batches eventually so others can spin/felt with it. I’ve actually been been enjoying spinning the “waste” product from pulling top – the lumpy bumpy stuff. Such interesting yarns! That’s a textured yarn addict for you. 😉 But that is a post for another day…
I realized I never blogged about my tabletop fleece picker I acquired last fall. I have written before how I like to hand pick fleece, but I finally conceded that I needed something that would get the job done quicker. I did not have the funds for what I’d really like (a triple picker!) nor the time/inclination to build my own so I found this inexpensive one. Above you can see the difference in fleece before and after it is picked with said picker. Note: the wool on the right is not the same color as the wool on the left. It is from the same batch, however.
note all the dirt/dust that comes off when the fleece is picked
The picker has heavy sharp teeth on the bottom as well as the top piece, that slides back and forth, teasing the fleece apart; opening up those fibers so that they are easier to comb or card. I really like that this one locks in place when not in use particularly since there are many curious little hands in my house. You could even add a pad locks to it, if you wanted to.
close up to see how the top locks down when not in use.
How well does it work? You ask. It is adequate. For the price I had really low expectations so I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works. It still requires a bit of elbow grease and it’s no triple picker, but it certainly aids me into getting fleece picked faster than I could do it by hand. But someday, triple picker – you will be mine! 🙂
click on the above image to read March 2015 newsletter
March 2015 Newsletter and Giveaway has been sent – you can read it above by clicking on the image as well as find out how to enter the giveaway (open to newsletter subscribers only – but you can unsubscribe at any time).
This necklace came to me the other day on a whim. I’ve had these diamond shaped blanks for quite some time now, and although I like their unique shape (as far as engraving blanks go) I could never find a design that I liked with them. With our annual spring trip to Nova Scotia coming up I had the Celtic knot on the brain. It is a common symbol in said province, and I love the symbolism of this endless knot. It just hit me out of the blue to engrave a Celtic knot onto the diamond shaped blanks.
celtic knot necklace in silver
This is definitely not my favorite design to engrave. It is incredibly intricate and if I miss a spot well, there really is no going back to fill it in. So like a maze or complicated jigsaw puzzle I have to analyze every line to make sure I have every piece connected correctly. I thought about what stone I wanted to pair with this celtic knot necklace, but in the end, I decided it looked the best on its own.
I’m really quite pleased at how quick of an idea this was. I have a sketchbook full of ideas and yet, some of the best ones simply come off the top of my head. I’m also looking forward to getting more practice engraving this mystical symbol.
sterling silver turquoise chip hoops on sale at 40% off
I’m going to be adding new items to the clearance section for the next little while. I finally have to give up some of this stuff. I have a huge bin of product that I made, either it was once available for sale and I took it down for some reason or another, I had plans to develop it further – or for no particular reason they just never made it up on the website (probably because I am so busy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it ;)). For example that cute pair of earrings above is available at 40% off. Sterling silver people! 🙂
I also have items that I engraved to fill orders but they weren’t quite up to my standards so I redid them. Maybe they are engraved slightly off center, the blank was scratched up or I simply made a mistake and engraved the wrong letter. They are essentially handmade seconds. 🙂 So I’m thinking I should list these deeply discounted as well. Why waste them? They may be perfectly acceptable to someone else. Score if you can get them below cost!
I’m starting with earrings and I have quite a few pairs. Some of these I can make more of and I just might do that if they sell/time permitting. I do so much custom stuff these days it is fun to just play around with stones and beads again just for the heck of it. 🙂
The best gift ever. DH got me a Mach III Spinning Wheel – by got me, I mean, he said “go ahead and order that spinning wheel you want”. Ha ha! So I ordered it in the New Year, and 3 weeks later, my Mach III by SpinOlution was shipped from California and on its way to my dealer in Vermont.
lendrum (left) and Mach III by SpinOlution (right)
We drove down to Burlington to pick it up, and after arriving home and removing all the pieces from the box, the initial overwhelming feeling of “how am I going to put these pieces together?” was short lived. It was actually really easy to assemble! With the exception of attaching the strap to the front (which helps you move the 35lb studio wheel from one end of the room to another) – it was in a new, but totally obvious place. Thanks to Leah for helping me out with that! Putting it beside my Lendrum was almost comical – the difference in size. This Mach III is a beast and I mean that in the most affectionate way!
largest bobbin on the lendrum
I got all the bells and whistles with my Mach III, including the largest bobbin/flyer – 32oz – you can make up to 2 lbs of yarn with it!
the largest bobbin on the Mach III
Take a peek at some of the other accessories:
Mach III lazy kate (left) vs. lendrum lazy kate (right)
The lazy kate is genius as it attaches to the wheel as well as free standing.
skein winder attachment
This is a pretty nifty attachment. You simply treadle and the yarn winds. I need a lower chair though as I find it does brush my thighs while rotating. And, I really like my 2 yard skeins, so I still use my niddy noddy more than this. I do find with yarns with large inclusions this is a really handy tool to have.
and here’s what approx. 2lbs of handspun yarn looks like!
For the first few days I had the wheel I simply played around with it. Like buying a brand new car I really like to sit and get acquainted with a new piece of equipment. I tried out different tensions (settings) and fibers before settling on a kid mohair to make into my first skein of yarn (the orange you see above). The first skein took me only an evening to make – approx. 4 hours in total. The large 2lb skein took me 2 evenings – about 3 hours each night. I was determined to fill that large bobbin and I was surprised at just how quickly it took. This is an easy wheel to use and the biggest hurdle was to get used to the bigger rotation of such a large bobbin as well as treadling much slower. This wheel is very smooth and will get going quite fast much more quickly than I am used to.
I’m currently working on a core wrapped yarn with large flower inclusions. I put the flowers together with left over handspun, felted in place and tied with a pearl bead. Very fun and so easy to do with the hook attachment & open pegs SpinOlution is known for. I really want to try the many different techniques of textured art yarns I have grown to love so that I become comfortable with the Mach III. Thus far it has been an easy wheel to fall in love with.
If you are looking for a dealer for any of SpinOlution’s products on the east coast/New England, I highly recommend Leah Rosenthal! She was on top of things giving me updates by mail and she really knows her stuff. You can find out her details on the SpinOlution website under Vermont, and be sure to checkout her blog.
click on the above image to read February 2015’s newsletter
The February 2015 newsletter was released to inboxes last night. You can click the above image to read whats new, see who won last month’s giveaway and of course, see what is for up for grabs this month.
Sweetheart Keepsake Necklace Engraved with monogram
You can choose 1 or 2 initials in the curlz font or a monogram. I think initial + sign and initial in script font would be a nice idea for a gift as well (A+B) although I don’t have an example of that to share, yet.
The heart is a culinary grade pewter & the chain is lead & nickel free. The engraving blank itself is a silver plated brass. I love the weight of these blanks. I have yet to play around with my sterling silver disks I purchased around Christmas time. Never enough hours in the day, to balance time with my family, their creative pursuits, and my jewelry & fiber projects. It is the life, however! I’d rather have many things to do/explore than nothing at all.
January always means a time of renewal, growth & reflection for me. So it’s good that it is also the slowest month of the year for me sale wise. I tend to go through old designs to decide whether or not I want to keep them or finally put them to rest for good in January. I have a bin of “for more consideration” jewelry pieces in various stages of design. Something just does not feel “right” about them so I set them aside until I can examine it more throughly. I think many people assume that all I have to do is assemble a few beads together and list them online, but it is a more involved – sometimes even cathartic – process for me. If something feels “off” I simply will not share it with the world. Maybe it is an issue with the flow, overall look or just with the pricing or placement. It seems awfully involved for my designs that these days are very simple and streamlined, but I create not to encourage others to spend money. Creating means so much more than that to me.
In the case of these simple gemstone earrings they were offered a few years back when I only had an Etsy shop. Then the price of silver went up significantly and the price point bothered me. I designed these earrings with add-on, event or “thinking of you” in mind. Something inexpensive you could buy in bulk to give as shower gifts or to your wedding party – or even in gift bags/party favor. Maybe you want a small gift for a colleague or just need an inexpensive “thinking of you” gift. When they started to get over the $20 mark, I simply lost interest in offering them.
I recently got these really nice stainless steel french ear hooks in stock. They have a wonderful detailing and are a fraction of the cost of sterling silver. So I plugged the pricing into my spreadsheet and the material cost was significantly less.
I’m currently offering these cuties at the price of $13 a pair! They currently come in 8 different stones and if you buy multiples, I can give a wholesale discount. Drop me a line to discuss.
acid dye applied in stripes to dye mohair handspun yarn
Here’s a closer look at the dyeing process from the post Handspun Bouclé: A Closer Look. This is only one technique I use for dyeing animal fibers. This one is super easy/quick with minimal set up or equipment required.
color applied in stripes except for the black with was dotted on randomly
This is my technique for dyeing small amounts of fiber, & it worked well for one skein of yarn. I use an old glass corningware – dedicated to dyeing only, not food – that fits my smallish studio microwave. This microwave is dedicated to crafting only – never used for food. In fact, we don’t even own a microwave for food!
color applied in a swirl (spiral) pattern working from the outside – in.
The term “acid dye” sounds really toxic and menacing. But it actually refers to the product used to bond the dye to the fiber. A mild acidic agent is used, normally citric acid or good ol’ kitchen vinegar. Acid dyes are non-caustic and very safe to use. You can even buy dyes such as “Greener Shades” that guarantees no heavy metals, although I have heard criticism that that is a rather trumped up claim since acid dyes normally don’t contain heavy metals. Either way, the piece of mind is there and I have used Greener Shades in the past and enjoy their color palette.
color applied all over then thin turquoise in a spiral pattern. Fuschia is randomly dotted on
I prefer using citric acid over vinegar. I have found that the color seems to absorb and adhere better to the fiber than vinegar. Which means more vibrant colors and less dye down the sink during the rinsing process. Although admittedly I am getting a better feel for vinegar, due to the fact I had run out one day. It is more readily available in large quantities – you can buy it in bulk at Costco. My citric acid I order online in bulk for the best price.
random but even patches of color
For this particular technique I use low-water immersion. Meaning, there is just enough water to barely cover the yarn. I add either diluted/dissolved citric acid in water or add vinegar to the water. The skein of yarn is carefully placed in the glass bowl, either in a spiral or accordion fashion. I already tied off the yarn in 4 places with ribbon to discourage tangling. Then, I apply the dye via salad dressing bottles bought from the dollar store. The dye comes in powder and I mix it with water ahead of time. I literally squirt on the color!
stripes with small bands of turquoise
The yarn was soaked ahead of time in warm water with a little synthropol, which is a liquid soap that helps open up the yarn fibers to receive the dye. I then cover with saran wrap and will microwave on high at 5- 7 minute intervals (I’ve gone up to 10 – 12 minute intervals for bulkier amounts of fiber).
swirls, stripes and tiny dots of turquoise
If by 10 minutes the color is not entering into the fiber I will add a little more vinegar or citric acid to the water. Then microwave again. It depends on how many times this happens. The goal is for all the color to be absorbed into the fiber leaving behind clear water.
stripes in varying thicknesses
Upon doing this several dozen times, I noticed something interesting. When the water was clear the saran wrap was sucked down into the bowl like an air tight vacuum. The first time I witnessed this I had a heart attack thinking the plastic had melted all over my fleece. But instead it was a perfect dye – water was clear in bowl and no dye escaped when I rinsed it under hot water with a little Dawn dish detergent. Now I continue to microwave in intervals until I see this phenomenon. Then, I let it rest for another 5 minutes before taking it to the sink to rinse.
drying in the sink after dyeing
Dyeing seems like an incredibly daunting task until you do it. Then you are amazed at how incredibly simple and satisfying it is. Still, I have a lot to learn with just one year of dyeing fiber under my belt. I need to work on knowing the best combination of colors so not to create a “muddy” color, which I dislike (see the pic above – brilliant oranges and reds, but I was not happy with the turquoise/greens – very dull/muddy. I did remedy this somewhat with a quick overdye to the darker areas. Perhaps another blog post on that technique is warranted). The good news is it is a terribly satisfying practice where the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. And if you don’t like the results, you can always over dye – which gives you a whole new set of results and colors that could blow you away.
Click on the image above to read January 2015’s newsletter
Happy new year! January 2015 newsletter is unleashed. You can read it by clicking the above image. So cool to be sending a necklace to Romania – the winner of last month’s giveaway! This month I am giving away a pair of sterling silver gemstone leverback earrings. You have to be subscribed to enter. Details in the newsletter.
A dear friend of mine requested the “dark angel” necklace in tourmaline for her daughter. I was surprised how hard it was to find faceted rondelles the right size for this piece, I was finding only teeny tiny beads. I know tourmaline can run on the expensive side compared to other gemstone beads but sometimes I get frustrated trying to find supplies in this country. I finally found a supplier in the US thanks to help from my jewelry group. Although these rondelles run smaller than the beads featured in the other necklaces (these are from 6 – 7mm in size) I still think it works just fine.
I absolutely love tourmaline and I’m happy to finally add it to my complement of beads.
Mohair bouclé on commercial cotton – hand dyed gracing the studio walls
Back in November I blogged about spinning bouclé yarn for the first time. I loved the technique so much it lead me to experiment with other fibers other than mohair to see what the end result would be. Here are some closeups of the finished products.
Mohair makes the most perfect loops
The above photos are all mohair. I dyed these after the yarn was spun, and will do a post about the dyeing process soon. I am really growing to love dyeing both fleece and yarn.
handspun silk on alpaca
So this was interesting. I spun some silk and then looped it as a bouclé on some handspun alpaca. After it was finished, I washed and fulled it (a process of shocking the yarn with hot/cold water so that it felts a little bit) and regretted it! I loved how it looked straight off the wheel, but thought it really lost a lot of its character and looked rather clumpy after the fulling process. Now that it has been hanging up in the studio for awhile, I am intrigued with it. Hopefully over winter break I’ll have a chance to knit it up & see what it looks like.
alpaca bouclé
Alpaca makes a really nice bouclé, too – very similar to mohair. I finish plied this with handspun silk and it looks so yummy against the dark alpaca fiber. I just wish I could have gotten a better picture of the entire skein, it was hard to do since it is so dark. I’ll definitely share once I have it knitted up in something.
I’m definitely bouclé hooked. So many ideas! I’m taking a break from that to do some core spun yarns which I will share more about in the New Year.
I’m closing the studio for a much needed break. I am around to work on orders if they are not of a time sensitive nature, so do shop away if you are finding the urge over the last few days of 2014. I cannot guarantee my usual quick turn around, however. I will be taking this break time to work on new designs and catch up on blogging.
The December 2014 Newsletter is available. This month we are giving away a customized flower engraved necklace. You can read all about it by clicking the caption above.
I can’t believe another year is coming to a close! Looking forward to 2015…
By customer request I am now engraving the International Babywearing Symbol. I’ve developed a necklace available in silver or gold and paired with a Swarovski crystal or pearl (or no embellishment for a small discount).
**SALE EXTENDED!*** DISCOUNT WILL BE APPLIED TO YOUR CART AUTOMATICALLY UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2014 11:59pm EST
Thank you for all your support in 2014. Looking forward to 2015!
click the above image to return to shopping on bb3.ca
For a limited time save with a bulk discount when you buy multiples on bb3.ca.
Buy any 2 items and you’ll save 10% off your entire order;
Buy any 3 items and you’ll save 20% off your entire order;
Buy any 4 items and you’ll save 30% off your entire order;
Buy any 5 items and you’ll save 40% off your entire order.
Free standard shipping with Canada Post included. Not combinable with any other discount or on 3rd party sites like etsy. Not available on sale items or gift certificates.
Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Currently running until December 3rd, 2014 (edit: now extended to December 31st, 2014).
I’ve dabbled in the past spinning bouclé, but I never liked the results and I felt it was too time consuming. I realized after reading up on the technique that I was missing the most important element: mohair.
From my research, I found out that mohair (from the angora goat) gives the most perfect little loops. It cards to a straight slippery fiber and because of this texture the loops stay round and don’t collapse on itself like sheep’s wool would. Also my research stated it works best if you spin it in a fatter single and ply it on a thinner yarn.
So I got digging in my bins and found the perfect fiber to experiment with: some mohair roving I had bought from an individual at a wool show a couple of years ago as a destash. I couldn’t believe the price for the roving (cheap!). After spinning it, I wished I had bought more!
I ended up with 6 bobbins full of mohair singles. I had some commercial cotton that I picked up at a thrift store making it the perfect (and affordable) base for this yarn.
I ran the commercial cotton through the spinning wheel once in s-twist (spin to the left) to add more energy. This is so that after the final ply, spun in the opposite direction (known as z-twist), you end up with a balanced yarn. I know spinners are mixed on this practice. I don’t always do this but after examining the cotton it just felt like the best course of action.
So fairly soon I got a rhythm with making loops. You basically hold the 2 plies loosely with one on either side of you (2 lazy kates in other words on either side of your chair) and start pushing up the mohair onto the base yarn until they make loops. Once I got into it it was so much fun and I didn’t want to stop. 🙂
The loops will still move around, until the final step of plying, where you take a thin thread and ply in the opposite direction so that the loops stay put. You can see in the photo above I used a purple cotton thread to do the final ply. The next step is to dye the skeins. I ended up with 6 skeins all together – and the dyeing stage will be discussed in an up-coming post.
UPDATE November 23rd, 2014: since spinning these I have also experimented with making bouclé with alpaca handspun singles as well as handspun silk singles. The results are totally different but the lover of textured yarns I am, is totally digging it! I’m glad I got the technique down with mohair first, now the possibilities are endless…
click on the image to be taken to november 2014’s newsletter
November’s newsletter is available…you can read it by clicking the image above. This month there is another chance to win the “Wings”Memorial Necklace. 🙂
I am bringing back an older design – just in time for holiday parties. The “Bridget” earrings are named for their original recipient, and are now available in a selection of colors. Currently, I am offering these in the 12 birthstone colors, as I am guaranteed to stock these Swarovski crystals. You may also request a particular color for your event, but please allow some time as I will have to order in the color. I’m also offering discounts for bulk orders (starting at 5 or more), making these great gifts for your bridal party, prom friends or party favors.
Bridget earrings in sapphire Swarovski crystal and 14kt gold filled
This product is now available in 14kt gold filled as well as the original sterling silver.
“Wings” memorial necklace manually engraved with my mom’s initials
It was a Saturday, 6 years ago today that my mother suddenly passed away. She was only 54. I designed this angel wings necklace with her monogram as a way to wear her close to my heart. I vowed to never reproduce it, but I decided that that this could help heal others. It has since become my #1 best seller.
I’ll take entries until November 1st, 2014 & the winner will be announced in November’s email newsletter.
If you wish to purchase the necklace I am offering 60% off this piece until Wednesday, October 29th, 2014 (the exact day 6 years ago we laid her to rest). Because shipping is included the sale price covers my costs only; I am donating my time to the creation of each keepsake so that others may have their loved ones honored as well.
You are looking at this year’s take from the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival (aka simply as “Rhinebeck” – as in the town it takes place, Rhinebeck, NY). 3 bags of alpaca, 1 bag of mohair, 2 of cormo (excited about this, since I have not worked with it before) and 1 bag of icelandic (sheep). I need this much more fleece like I need a hole in my head! I have gotten so behind in fiber production since keeping (contentedly) busy with engraving jewelry. That said, I regret *nothing* and this has only boosted my passion for hand processing fleece from raw.
caramel crimp alpaca goodness!
I still have some merino to finish dyeing that I picked up in Maine this summer, and then I will dive into scouring the cormo. I will most likely blog about each fleece as I go, but until then take a look at the crimp in this alpaca! I took this photo with my macro lens so perhaps it is too detailed…in any event, it is so soft, and the color is drool worthy. Caramels and creams seemed to be the color of the season this year, I even picked up some dyed silk in a similar colorway. I’m thinking my next art batts will be named after desserts! 😉
experimenting with variations of tailspinning locks handprocessed/hand dyed fleece
I’ve been experimenting with variations of tailspinning locks of fleece (in this instance mohair locks). This would actually be classified as a faux tailspun as I sandwiched each lock in between 2 plies of handspun via my spinning wheel and then re-plied it with metallic thread for added strength/definition. Typically tail spinning is characterized by spinning the locks around a core. I like to play around with different ways of doing things and this came about simply because I have a bunch of one plies done that I am bored with plying together to make traditional 2-ply or 3-ply yarn.
This sample skein would make a nice scarf all on its own.
Once spun the sample skeins went into the dyepot. The orange sample had locks spaced approximately 3/4″ to 1″ apart, while the purple sample had locks sandwiched approximately 3 inches apart. Although I like the overall fullness of the orange sample the purple was fun to knit up as well, and honestly they don’t look that much different in the end. It’s all about the size of needles used. The orange skein would make a fab scarf on its own, don’t you agree?
knitted sample of faux tailspun yarn
This is the orange knitted with a #17 needle. I had my macro lense on my camera so this may be a tad too much detail. I went with a larger needle size to let the locks spread out. You could easily use a smaller size as well if you want a tighter knit.
Purple faux locks adoring the studio wall
Here’s a quick shot of the purple sample. I used a #10.5 needle. The locks are more spaced out in this sample. I should also mention I knit every row in both samples.
So what to do with this? I could see it as a beautiful scarf, trim for a hat, or I was thinking the shoulders of a shrug. What about a stuffed animal friend? I really appreciate yarn hat resembles the animal it came from – it is probably why I am so drawn to artistic textured yarns. I’d say the experiment was a success. Definitely more of this on the horizon…
The October 2014 Newsletter is hot off the press and into subscribers’ inboxes. You can read it by clicking the image above. Don’t forget the giveaway!
The most popular pinterest board that I have to date is all about owls. I’m glad I’m not the only one fascinated with these creatures. Back in April I did a giveaway to my newsletter subscribers where everyone who responded would get a free product from me. This allowed me to bring some new products from paper to fruition. I always love to have a muse or energy to work towards. A few of my subscribers received this piece, and it is now available for purchase. Choose one or 2 initials for engraving.
