BLUE TOE SPINNER

Yesterday, we visited out favorite archery range Easton Archery in Salt Lake City.  It has been a few weeks since we last practiced. Which is not very good, we need all the practice we can get, because Indoor nationals are on March 11th.  I just switched from my 20 lbs limbs to 28 lbs limbs. I need to build up those muscles.  💪 In my knitting world, I'm obsessed with Baa-ble patterns. I have made 4 or 5 hats, mittens, a couple cowls, I just love doing color work!

No promises of course, but it is my goal to post at least once a week.  They will be about spinning, knitting, weaving, archery, and photography.  Posts will be varied and you will never know what I'll be in the mood to talk about.  I've got some really fun events that I've registered for in the coming year.  Hints: (out right telling you), I've registered to take a jewelry making class in February. Indoor Archery Nationals in March (yes, my man and I will be competing).  There will photography classes, my man and I are hoping to attend an advanced forensic photography class in April, (yes, I will see dead people). Hopefully, it will be fun for you to read, but it will mostly be for my own amusement. Of course my first love is and always will be fiber arts.

I am SUPER excited to tell you about this bit of news!!!  You may already know about Joan Contraman and Crosspatch Creations and the amazing fiber that is created there. But, this is a new treat for me!  So, here is the exciting news........(pause for dramatic effect)........ Joan Contraman will be teaching at Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair 2014. She will be teach a few classes including Woven Tapestry Beaded Bag, Spinning Silk and Fabulous Felt Jewelry. She sent a beautiful "sample" (okay it's 4 oz.) of her fiber.  This is some of her Signature Blend - Wool from her own flock, with Tussah and Bombyx Silk and Viscose. The colorway is Tammany's Prize. Here are a couple photos of her tapestry bag. Make sure you set aside time to take at least one of her classes.  Great Basin Fiber Art Fair will be August 22-23, 2014. That is Friday afternoon and evening and all day Saturday this year.  Super fun stuff coming!!

This is a combination of Greenwood Fiberworks "Exhilartion" and Coral colored fiber, plyed together.  Super Fun! This is Test Color 4 of BFL from Three Wishes.  It is delightful to spin.  I am doing fractal spinning I learn at WWH Guild meeting from Carolyn Greenwood. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

During the last Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair I took a dyeing class from Laurel Othmeyer and I dye a sock blank.  It dyes two threads at the same time, so they are nearly identical. Here they are separated.  Here they are as socks!  The pattern is Ribbed Ribbon Socks from Socks in a Box by Wendy D. Johnson. They are the longest socks I have ever made.  I didn't want to waste the yarn, but now in hind-sight I could have made two pair.  Oh, well.  Last Wednesday was the Guild Dye Exchange.  Here is a tasty visual treat for you to feast upon.  This is my haul.  Well, mine and Mumsy's  This is a new project - Maidenhair Wrap (free pattern from KnittingDaily.   These are my first nupps.  I am using a crochet hook to make the nupps, but am knitting the rest.  Using cone yarn. Other projects, scarf from yarn I got at Knittin' Pretty. ...

Where I am very loyal to my favorite Fiber Store,  Three Wishes , it is still fun to explore other shops when I come across them.  And because I like to enable other fiber addicts...here are a couple I have visited in the last couple weeks. Knittin' Pretty , 1393 West 9000 South, West Jordan. Very cute shop well light with lots of natural sunlight, with a welcoming atmosphere. They do have lovely, yummy yarns - fun and unique notions - and they even carry Kitty-Rabbit Kreations roving!  Visit Lauren and her mom and sit a spell. The other place is Mustard Seed Dreams . 362 N. Main, Pocatello ID.  Most of you know, I would rather have a root canal then drive to Idaho, but NOW Mum and I have a place to stop to make the trip more fun.  Very, very friendly shop.  Loads to looks at and buy, they had the cutest knitting needles, (Serendipity Needles).  I could spend days there!  I could easily make Meg my new best friend, she is awesome fun! I...

 I wanted to post before I run out of January.  These are socks I finished last week.  Trilobite Sock from Wendy Johnson's Toe-up Sock in a box . This is a sock blank that I dyed at Great Basin.  This is the yarn separated into to balls ready to be knit.  I am using another pattern from the Socks in a Box.  The pattern is called "Ribbed Ribbons Socks".

Meet the newest member of my wheel family.  Scarlett the Ashford Country Spinner.  I "adopted" her from Deb.  As you can see, she is very lovely.  I had to spin on her right away.   This is some left-over dye exchange wool from a couple years past.  Isn't fun!! I finished the two shawlette for Christmas.  This one was for my friend Linda at work.  If it looks familiar, it's because I used the same pattern and yarn I used for a shawlette I made for Mumsy this year. I just love this pattern.  I forgot to take a picture of the second shawlette before I gave it to Mumsy's friend Anita.  But, I will get a picture of it soon. This is what I got for Christmas from Mum.  She got this from a Native American store. Isn't the color great?!! And this she got at Great Basin.  This is Bond wool.  I'd never heard of it before, but it is really amazing stuff. It feels much like cotton.  I'm anxious to spin it. And ...

How did that happen?  Time is moving waaay too fast. This is my new thumb from John Wordin.  Isn't it cool?  I've already used, too. I've been working on more shawlettes for Christmas.  One made from Noro and one from handspun.  Again I am using the Mezzaluna pattern I got from Unraveled Sheep.  Super easy, and super fast.  I will post pix when they are blocked.

New socks for Mumsy in progress...  ...New socks for Mumsy finished.  Now for your haunting pleasure, this is what I saw on Halloween.  Abby in a witch dress.  "Wanna buy a watch?" Rodeo Queen.  Cat lover.  Two girls, a guy and me.  Zorro.  Bubba Watson  Zombie Manager.  Just a few friends.  A pretty, ghostly flapper.  Ride'em Silver.  Whatup Flo? Hope you enjoyed your day!!