Fiber, fiber, and more fiber!

With all the nice weather we've been having in upstate NY, we've actually managed to get quite a bit done on the fence, but somehow I managed not to take any pictures!  We're almost done though, so I'll wait and take pictures once it is all done.

In the meantime, I have lots of new fibery pictures to share!

Back in late June/early July, I was spinning like crazy to stock my booth for the Hamilton 4th of July Farmer's Market, but I just got around to taking pictures and listing all the yarns on Etsy this week.  There are some really cool ones available, if I do say so myself!  Get them while they're hot, they won't be in the Etsy store long once I start the farmer's market again in August!

Our very own tan llama roving plied with dyed wool/alpaca.  Subtle but gorgeous!

This is definitely NOT subtle!  A gorgeous thick & thin spiral ply art yarn in beautiful neon colors.

My very first tailspun yarn!  The base yarn is the same dyed wool/alpaca as above, with grey Gotland/Wensleydale locks spun in.

This one might be my favorite...gorgeous jewel-toned alpaca/silk blend.

Another big surprise when I got back from Colorado...I had roving ready at the mill!  They had already processed my natural grey llama/BFL roving while I was gone, and when I went back to work I got to process my own corespun yarn!  I heard that the second batch of roving was going to be processed last Friday, so hopefully I can bring it home on Wednesday, along with a kid mohair fleece I had them wash.

The natural grey BFL/llama roving.  It is gorgeous, really need to spin some myself!

Six pounds of corespun yarn!  It will be made into bags to sell.

I've got a few more fibery things planned for the remaining warm weather this summer/fall.  First and foremost, I need to skirt the few remaining fleeces that I have, so they can get made into roving at the mill.  I have a cool merino/romney fleece that I'm going to have blended with a bit of firestar, and a couple of yearling mohair fleeces that I want to have dyed and blended with a finn/romney fleece (already skirted!).  I also have two fawn alpaca fleeces at home in Indiana that I'm going to have made into roving.

I also have a few suri llama and alpaca fleeces, as well as some gorgeous Gotland/Wensleydale locks, that need to be washed in preparation for lockspinning this winter.  And I have a ton of white scrap wool that I want to solar dye with Kool-Aid to stuff into bird nesting balls.

Solar dying with Kool-Aid last summer.

The results...and yes it smelled like fruit, even after rinsing!

Knitting Pattern #2: Horseshoe Lace Legwarmers

Finally back from my Colorado trip (aka honeymoon!), and thought I would go ahead and publish my second knitting pattern!  This is a simple variation from the first one, just a different lace pattern.  Both are very easy, and work up beautifully.

The black horseshoe lace and grey leaf lace legwarmers.

Horseshoe Lace Legwarmers

Horseshoe lace legwarmers.

Finished Size:  18" long, 5" wide (when folded flat).  Approx. women’s small

Knit Picks Gloss Fingering (Fingering weight), 2 balls

#3 needles - double point
7sts & 10rows = 1"

Cast on 72 sts, join to work in the round

Work *k1 (twisted), p1* rib for 2”
K2tog, knit around

Follow pattern for 14” (or desired length minus 4’)

• Knit
• K1, *yo, k3, sl1, k2tog, psso, k3, yo, k1*
• Knit
• P1, *k1, yo, k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2, yo, k1, p1*
• P1, *k9, p1*
• P1, *k2, yo, k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k2, p1*
• P1, *k9, p1*
• P1, *k3, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k3, p1*

K1, m1, knit around
Work *k1 (twisted), p1* rib for 2”

Bind off loosely

Close-up of the lace pattern.

Legwarmers with boots and leggings.

First Knitting Pattern! Lace Leaf Legwarmers

Over the past year or so, I've been slowly working on designing my own knitting patterns.  So far I have 4...they are all pretty simple, but I have to start somewhere!

The first pattern is the Lace Leaf Legwarmers.  I designed them for my sister, who felted the first pair of legwarmers I made her!  For yarn I chose Knit Picks Capretta, a beautiful cashmere blend.  It knit beautifully and has held up well to wear and tear and washing.

Finished legwarmer.

Finished Size:  18" long, 5" wide (when folded flat).  Approx. women’s small

Knit Picks Capretta (Fingering weight), 2 balls

#3 needles
7sts & 10rows = 1"

Cast on 72 sts, join to work in the round

Work *k1 (twisted), p1* rib for 2”

Follow pattern for 14” (or desired length minus 4’)

• Knit
• *yo, k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2, yo, k1*
• Knit
• *k1, yo, k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k2*
• Knit
• *k2, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k3*
• Knit
• K2tog, k1, yo, k1, yo, k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, *k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, sl1, k2tog, psso*, end last repeat ssk instead of (sl1, k2tog, psso)
• Knit
• K2tog, yo, k3, yo, k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, *k1, yo, k3, yo, k1, sl1, k2tog, psso* end last repeat ssk instead of (sl1, k2tog, psso)
• Knit
• K1, *yo, k5, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso* end last repeat s1, k2tog with first stitch of next round, psso

Work *k1 (twisted), p1* rib for 2”

Bind off loosely

Legwarmer worn with jeans and boots.

Close-up of the lace pattern and ribbing.

You can now link to the pattern on Ravelry too!  Enjoy!