What to make, what to make, what to make

So I have got A LOT of chunky/bulky weight yarn in my stash. Beautiful, soft boucles in various colors, some thick acrylics and a few odds and ends. I've been searching like crazy for just the right patterns and frankly it's making me a little crazy because I can't find just the right pattern. I want a sweater type garment. Something with a little flare and definitely no turtle or high neck! My neck is only two inches long and anything high necked makes me look funny. So since I can't find what I want even though I'm not entirely sure what it is I'm looking for, I'm going to design my own.

First off. I want to use my bulky yarn. I can't call it chunky because that leads to my darling brother making jokes about alpaca soup as I found out the hard way. :) But since I don't want the sweater to be overly thick I'm going to use a big hook.  Probably M or bigger. With a half double crochet stitch that should make even bulky yarn lacy.

Second, I want an asymmetrical hem. So out comes the scrap paper. 

There. That's the hem I want. 

Now the bodice.... Hmmm.... Something not to heavy. Time to pull out my crochet bible. 

500 different stitch patterns. It's wonderful, isn't it?

So let's try something fairly open.... This one.

Third, make a swatch. This will tell me how many stitches and rows in a four by four swatch.

Now the fun part. Pull out my horribly colored dressmaker's mannequin and take some measurements.

With all this information I'm ready to start. I know right? All this work before I even start?! Custom design isn't easy.  Calculator, paper, pencil. Time to do some math.

Tune in next time to see how all this works out. I haven't a clue so it could be amusing. 

Today I'm going to share some of my favorite sites for on-line shopping, places I get my supplies that have excellent service and reasonable prices. I don't mind paying for what I want but some places just aren't worth the shipping expense to receive the items.

Ice Yarns

They're in Turkey but anytime I order, I have it shipped DHL whose price is more than reasonable considering I get the product in three days. From Turkey. I know right? I order from the U.S.A. and it takes two weeks to clear customs. But three days from Turkey. Weird.

Some examples of yarns I received from Ice Yarns

Sign up for the newsletter. They have Tuesday Promotions and Bargain sales that have UNREAL pricing. I highly recommend buying from these sales and you'll get your yarn way cheaper than anywhere else, even with the shipping costs.


www.iceyarns.com/


Expression Fiber Arts

Chandi is hilarious! She is also extremely enthusiastic about her product and her craft. She is in Alaska and product has to travel from there to California before proceeding to Canada (Doh! Don't they know Canada is in between?) so be prepared for it to take awhile. Patience! Customs also seems to like to really examine her packages but they do finally arrive with "yummy goodies" as Chandi would say.

This is Autumn and I both modelling the shawl I made with the Yak/silk blend in Calico that I purchased from the May yarn club Chandi runs. Surprise yarns! What fun!!!!


www.expressionfiberarts.com/


Urban Yarns, Vancouver

These are the people who sold me my first Mini Maiden yarn and started my obsession. Nice people to deal with, their packages are wrapped in tissue paper and a personal card that's a joy to receive, just like a parcel at Christmas! I live in Eastern Ontario and it only takes three days for parcels to arrive. That's pretty efficient. Their pricing is right on target and their selection is really good. If you order something online and they've run out, they will call you to see if there's a substitution you'd like just so they can get the package on the way quickly. Super nice people to deal with.

www.urbanyarns.com/

Colorsong Yarns

They carry Handmaiden/Fleece Artist yarn only but...they have clearance sales. Woohoo! Bob and Nancy are great to deal with and they have a HUGE selection of my favorite yarns. They also have discount codes for various knit and crochet alongs on Ravelry which can also help save money. Again, they ship from the states so it can take up to three weeks to arrive, depending on how long customs holds up the package, but that is not a fault of the company. I think border services just don't like the word "yarn" on the package. It seems to make them suspicious for some reason. WARNING: If you order over $100 in product, you will have to pay duties and taxes when the package arrives. Better to keep your spending under this threshold or it'll hurt.

Yarn and sliver I purchased from Colorsong Yarn







colorsongyarn.com/


Mr Yarn

I have one thing to say....BULK DISCOUNT!!!!! That takes me to my happy place. Add their more than reasonable shipping and the fact that they seem to be the only people who can get across the border quickly ( must be the Mr that gets them through fast :) ) and they are one of my go-to places to shop. They have a nice selection and their stock is always rotating so check back often.

www.mryarn.com/

So these are my standard places for now, but I'm always shopping around to find other suppliers with unique items. Where are your go-to places for supplies?

Hello!!!!!

So I disappeared for a bit. Between battling the plague and spring rush at work I haven't had a minute to do anything but crochet. :) I did however find a minute to order a drop spindle spinning kit on Etsy.

 

It came with everything I need to try spinning yarn and I was so excited to get started! 

First thing I learned...you could use a third hand when starting. And don't let your cat help. But I persisted and made my first handspun by me yarn!!!!

 

Okay, not bad for a first attempt. Found out I don't have muscles where I should though. Who knew spinning could be a workout? Bonus!!!

So before my second attempt, I learned more about drafting your fibers BEFORE starting to spin so that they're the thickness you want. Duh. That made sense. I also learned don't take the tension off your spun yarn until after you've soaked it. The soaking sets the twist otherwise it just unravels.

So armed with new information...take two...

Here's the little ball of spun fiber. I love how it shines in the sun. Okay I think I'm getting this now so I go for a big batch since I've now figured out how to join fibers although not completely smoothly yet, at least I can do it. So I spin until my shoulder gives out, put it away for the next day, do the same thing again for four days and here's what I got...

 This is my handspun yarn on the spindle. Took it off and put it to soak for fifteen, then hung to dry. When I checked it this morning it still wasn't quite dry but here's a picture of what it looks like.

Next step will be to use the yarn in a project. This is just a single ply and I have every intention of making a fat ply of colored yarn wrapped with a skinny ply of the natural wool. But since I'm not an expert yet that could take awhile....

Having such a good time learning though. Did you ever take a notion to just LEARN something? Just for the fun of learning? Or am I the only learning geek out there? :)

The journey of discovery

So much of what I've learned started with a thought. So lately my thought has been spinning because of course I'm obsessed with yarn. So let's start with a basic Google search...

This seems like a good place to start.

www.instructables.com/id/spinning-yarn/

OMG! That is so awesome. Alright now I want to spin with a drop spindle. Let's see if I can make one at home. Hello Google...

This is perfect! It will allow me to try it out without buying a thing!

oneinchworld.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/how-to-make-a-drop-spindle/

Now I'm thinking of all the perle cotton thread I have that I can blend together to make thicker, multicolored thread. I'm so excited!

I have images of this dancing in my head:

www.copperandbirch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/drop-spindle.jpg

And now I see my favorite yarn company, Fleece Artist, has roving dyed in their colors! Oh I so know what I'm doing tonight. Time to make a drop spindle and learn how to use it.

See this is why I have such a hard time staying on task. My brain is always leaping to the next exciting thing. Do you ever have problems focusing because there's just SO MUCH you want to try?