Fibre is good for you

Hello there!
Hmmm I can here lots of noise going on... Christmas is not far away. Only next Sunday in fact.

In the southern hemisphere, it has been unseasonably cool - we haven't had one day of 42 degrees celsius yet!

In my last blog I showed some photos of efforts I made to dye some cotton yarn. Sadly the dye didn't take. I think I've worked out the issue however, I googled instructions. Consistently it said to soak the cotton in vinegar and water. That was really to strip it back to it's bare bones so the dye would take hold. Prior to dyeing however, I think it would have been better to thoroughly rinse the vinegar out. This I didn't do. So, sadly when I dyed the yarn with food colouring and attempted to fix it with salt, it did not take. In fact it was a failure. That's ok though, because it is all about learning from mistakes and being able to move on from thee.

I've not had a chance to redye the yarn as yet, but I promised I would come back and share my results from last time. Oh welll, I can have another bash at it tomorrow - once the housework, and the gardening is done.

Until next time. take care and enjoy your fibre crafts and see you soon. <3

November is a lovely time for fibre crafts..

It's been a while since my last blog.
I've been working on projects but only in bits and pieces and felt like I had nothing to share.
This weekend I've been working on some cotton fibre, both yarn and knitted items...they are for the dishcloths I knit.

This the dishcloth in its natural colour.
Gathered up some yarn, some in the ball and others as the knitted dishcloth and another I wound a ball onto my swift to create a hank.
I split them into 3 groups. and put them in vinegar plus water. This is to help the cotton absorb the colour. Next I put them in plastic bag and added some food colouring then sealed up bag and squished the coloured around. one bag had pink, another blue and the 3rd one some blue plus yellow to make green.

Next I will leave to soak overnight and tomorrow I will soak in a salt solution to set the dye. 

I'll check in backsoon and share my results. 

Until next time take care, enjoy your fibre crafts and have a great night, week.  :)  

Love my fibre crafts!

Hello followers!
So good to see you here. I've been busy as usual - working in my day job (M-F) and working on my fibre crafts in my free moments.

This past week I've been working on a couple of crochet projects. It's a birthday present for a very special person who pretty much has everything. I also made some mandarin infused vinegar and put into a glass jar. It is a a great multi purpose product, but I love to use it for cleaning. I'm planning on giving this to one of my sisters (the birthday person) also. I hope she likes it.

Vinegar seeped with mandarin <3

In a clean glass jar, I placed the peel of 4 mandarins. Then I topped the jar with white vinegar. I replaced the lid and placed in dark cupboard to seep. Three weeks later and it is a very lovely result. It is vinegar, but heavily scented with mandarin. I strained the seeped vinegar through my tea strainer directly into a new smaller glass jar. The result is pictured above.

I took a picture of the first crocheted piece. It is a circular dishcloth. I have made a number of knitted dishcloths and found them to be quite brilliant with cleaning, from pots and pans to delicate china. I thought crochet would give the dishcloth a more decorative look, almost like a doily.

First crocheted dishcloth as a work in
progress (WIP). I am very pleased with
the result. I hope my sister likes it!! 

I decided to crochet a second dishcloth but this time in two toned cotton - both off-white to cream. 

I alternated the tones several times. 

This is the two toned crocheted dishcloth. I am very pleased with the result.
I would love to hear what you think. Would you like to see other colours?
What would be your preferences?

I hope you enjoyed my blog for this week. I have enjoyed recounting what I've managed to do. 

Until next time, stay happy and healthy and be kind. 

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Hello Spring!

Welcome to my fibre (textile) blog.

This last week or so I have been taken away from my fibrey goodness, but have made time for some spinning and plying and even some knitting. The process of spinning I find to be such a relaxing past time and it is being productive, so it is a win win. Same with knitting and crocheting and other creative pursuits.

In my last blog I show some pictures of some lovely English Leicester I had been spinning. Subsequent to this, I have plyed the single ply and I must say, am very pleased with the result.

English Leicester plyed (dark brown/grey) -
zoom in image (fibre sourced from Dani, in Victoria)

English Leicester plyed (dark brown/grey) -
(fibre sourced from Dani, in Victoria)

 Also, on the go, commuting to my day job I love to knitting. A couple of days ago I decided to start a pair of socks in some handspun I had recently spun. It is presently in natural cream merino, but I plan to dye it once I have completed knitting both socks. I have seen evidence that it is much easier to work with lighter coloured yarn. It is interesting concept which I'm trialling. Of course I won't be able to do that with the lovely English Leicester above.

8 ply handspun merino (merino fibre from Adelaide HIlls) and handspun by me.
This is early stage of a pair of rustic socks I'm knitting. It is likely I will dye
these to a darker colour once I've finished knitting the pair. 

I have also been work on some patterns I have made for my children. I will eventually have these available for purchase. So watch this space.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I would love to hear what you think and also what you are interested in.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, take care, and enjoy life. :)

The smell of spring is in the air...

While the northern hemisphere is about it go into cooler weather, the southern hemisphere is looking forward to some warmer weather after a winter with very variable conditions - from very light "snow", and extremely heavy rainfall with flooding in our Adelaide Hills and metropolitan areas, through to balmy days where short sleeves were necessary in place of beanies and scarves.

 

 

A couple of years ago I purchased some gorgeous fleece from Dani in Victoria who sent me some English Leicester which varies from brown/grey to chocolate brown. Finally, I've dug this out of my stash of fibre and been spinning this up. I'm very pleased with the minimal preparation required for this lovely fibre. I've really only needed to tease out with my fingers then spin. The fibre doesn't want to spin thick though, so some extra spin is required to hold the yarn together. Prior to spinning, I've attempted to sort the colours between the grey and the chocolate. I've spun up mostly the grey/brown which I'm really pleased with and plan to ply that together. Also, I'll keep some singles to ply with the chocolate later so there are essentially 3 different yarns. 1) grey/brown plied with grey/brown
2) grey/brown plied with chocolate 3) chocolate plied with chocolate.

The spin in progress. A pleasure to spin

The raw fleece (English Leicester)  

The feel of the fibre is not as soft as the merino I've been working with, but I do believe it will be perfect for socks - which requires a fibre which is harder wearing. I'm getting excited about the thought. I've not made socks before with my own handspun, so watch out for my future blogs.

I hope you enjoy reading my blogs and would be happy for you to follow and share. Thanks very much.

I must go now - listening to Sunnyboys "Happy Man" and spinning, is my happy place. :)

Until next time, take care, find your happy place and enjoy. :)                                                        

Im back after a period of absence....

Dear friends,

I'm back after a period of absence.

It is great to be back. I've been doing bits and pieces. I've not been able to do some things until very recently...like spinning and driving due to health reasons, but now thank goodness I'm on the mend.

A couple of weeks ago I came across a second hand Ashford Joy which I purchased as an early birthday present. I've mostly used the old original Ashford Traditionals and I also have an another upright wheel - the Camelot which is presently out of action (requiring leather replacement thanks to overzealous children trying to fast treadle on it when I was out of sight... 20 yo and 9 year are the main culprits ;) )..

The Joy (pictured above), took a little getting used to but I've now found is great to use. I hadn't initially screwed the spindle into the thread firmly enough and after several attempts of spinning having the flyer pop out I got serious and figured out the issue. Since then, I've no problems, and really enjoying using the new wheel.

I love how it neatly folds up and tucks into it's own nifty bag. I am so impressed with it and consider it was worth every cent. My only real complaint would be that it comes with 3 bobbins and not 4 like the Traditional. One of the upsides though is that I have other bobbins (which came with my other Traditional wheels) which are apparently compatible. I will be testing this today because I managed to fill all three bobbins last night - 2 with single ply at the moment the 3rd with the plied yarn. I want to leave it on the bobbin for a wee bit to set the twist.

I've been doing some spinning on my Traditional which I have tucked in a corner in my kitchen when in there - spinning up some merino which I have processed from raw fleece (very satisfying but laborious process).

 

  

 

When in the lounge (like last night watching our beloved Crows football team), I have been using the Joy, which quite frankly is a joy to use. I've been spinning some mill processed Corriedale which is just bliss to spin up. It is like 1kg of continuous skinny cloud.

 

 

I've got to get some other things done now, so until next time, I wish you good health and much happiness. :)

As the cool crisp air comes...

One thing I love about being into fibrey crafts and art is that during the colder months - it gives you an excuse to be inside, nice and snuggly warm. With all of the washing, dyeing and drying involved, though too, it gives an excellent opportunity to stick one's nose outside to test the air. Also going outside and exploring nature is one way to get some inspiration for dyeing.

Last weekend my family and I went into the Adelaide Hills. It is autumn here, and there are many deciduous trees in our hills which gives wonderful displays of colour. I wished I took some photos - there was an amazing display, but I can't drive and take photos, so you will just have to trust me. ;)
This is a picture I googled which gives an indication of the gorgeousness of the Adelaide Hills around about now.

There is a distinct chill in the air. It bites any exposed skin. Time to rug up with winter woolies and get out in nature but stay as snug in a bug in a rug. :)

Here's a little beanie which is 100% merino - from Adelaide Hills. I obtained the fleece raw and rather dirty, so there has been quite a bit of work, to scour, clean, spin, dye and then knit this little piece. I loved the process. It is my own design with a row of love hearts above the band. This piece (below) is called my "warm hearted beanie".

Goodbye April. Hello May.

It has been a while since my last post. I have been spinning some lovely pink merino. Also I'ved combed in some stunning white silky mohair which I purchased a few weeks ago.
The merino is from a sheep in the Adelaide Hills. The mohair is from a lady with lovely goats in Victoria. I'm loving the combination.

 

Next I ply the two threads , merino only plyed with merino and mohair mix.

I've created around 180 metres. I need to spin more... cheerio until next time. :) 

I love Autumn - it's so fibre (by fibre I mean fluff ;) ) friendly

Hello there!

This has been a very busy and productive week I'm pleased to say. My daughter got her cast off her arm and life turns back to "normal" just alittle bit more.

5 weeks earlier she broke it falling off the monkey bars. So there has been no knitting or spinning or swimming for Bella. She says she "enjoyed the challenge" of doing everyday things with only one arm. ;)

In anticipation of cast off day, I pulled out some fluff she had bought prior to the monkey bar incident and dug through my fibre stash to see if there was anything that would go with it. Also, I came across some mystery grey alpaca/wool mix she had spun up earlier. I decided I would spin up the blue/aqua merino fibre I previously prepared and added to my substantial fibre stash... so she had something to ply the luxury fibre batt she had bought.

So far this is what we have prepared (from top greenish blue merino, thick spin grey alpaca/wool mix, aqua merino)...

And this is the buffet batt (Gotland, polworth, merino, silk noil, mohair locks, Tussah silk 65g) which she purchased:

Bella will be spinning the batt she purchased, but am unsure how thick it will be... so trying to help her have it thinner than her grey spin, to help this beautiful fibre go further. All up there will be approximately 200g give or take 10-20 g. I'm hoping enough to make a vest, or a beanie and cowl scarf. The grey is a bit scratchy but all the other fibres are very soft, so that will need to be taken into account too for wearability. 

I was also working on some merino fibre I had previously prepared and put in my stash. I pulled it out to go with some beautiful rovings I purchased from a lady in a spinning group. The rovings are only 45g but so luxurious and has gold to mauve colouring throughout it. The fibre is merino, silk, alpaca and soy silk. Just gorgeous! but you'll have to take my word for it. I'll post a picture later (when my camera has recharged!!). 

Thanks for following my blog. I would love to hear from you and tell me what you think of it! 

Be happy, productive and kind and not much can go wrong. 

Until next time. X@ 

Happy Easter

Hello there!!
Happy Easter to everyone that celebrates Easter at this time.

I've been very busy, washing fleece (very labour intensive as it takes more than one wash!), spinning fleece, knitting, creating and loving it!

My daughter broke her left arm last month (thanks to the monkey bars!!). With our seasons changing from summer to autumn, the weather can become cool very quickly. I decided Bella (the Ella of Snickella) needed a garment knitted by me with some lovely merino. I had some orangey pink wool which I spun up, knobbly style and designed and knitted up a vest for her which is in a moss stitch pattern. I used a navy blue contrast wool to spin up - which was a bit harder than the merino but she and I were delighted with the resulting vest. I call it the "bumble bee" vest.
Here are some pictures which show from start to finish the bumble bee vest...

Left: This is the fleece - natural cream colour after it has been washed. Right: After it has been dyed - with red and yellow 

              Left: on the bobbin;                  Below: in a skein                       Right: on the swift

 

Left: on the circular needles                                                                               Right: Vest on Bella

    

The finished product - the "bumble bee" vest.

Ok, I'll leave it there for now. I hope you enjoy my blog. I've always got something on the go, so need to get back to it. Until next time, take care and be safe, healthy and happy. :)

Happy valentine's day!!

Hello there!
Today is a bit of a lazy Sunday, but I have washed some handspun with some very good results. It is cream and I'm very happy with the colour - natural, being much cleaner has become so much lighter. The lanolin has reduced a lot too, which will help with the dying process.

I have also been making some interesting natural dyes using everyday food (beetroot, rose petals and brown onions) and will be posting results once I have dyed some of the fibre with them.

I can share some pictures of the process I take when taking raw fleece and turning it into handspun yarn. I love it and it's so therapeutic.

Until next time, take care of your loved ones (including yourself) and be kind to others. 

 Cheers, Gen :)

Snickella - launch day!!!

Tonight, I've launched new shop on Etsy called "Snickella". I've only got a couple of items on there, but have lots planned, so am rather excited.

We are nearing the end of the school holidays and kids return next Monday. The last couple of weeks, my youngest child and I have been having a hoot making paper - recycling unwanted paper that would have otherwise ended up in landfill. The result is rather pleasing. We produced around 8 sheets per day. It is rather labour intensive, but the result is really worth it.

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/266100497/hand-made-paper-recycled-paper-suitable?ref=listing-shop-header-1

Another thing I've been working on is my hand knitted dish cloths. They are amazing. I've been using them in the kitchen and the textured finish is fabulous.

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/266101953/knitted-dishcloth-moss-stitch-great-for?ref=listing-shop-header-0

Yesterday I serviced and got my daughter's spinning wheel working too. So it has been a very productive time in our household the last little while.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. I hope it will continue and improve and inspire folks to reduce their carbon footprint as time goes on.