Archive for » March, 2009 «

Hee hee, MINE! I’ve got cool friends…

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 | Author:

This arrived in the mail for me yesterday. Which was an excellent way to end a really long 13.5 hour workday.

Wheee European Tops!

I’ll take better photos later with a full list of what’s in there, but you can see, even at almost 10:00 last night I couldn’t resist pulling out a tiny bit of almost all of them and finger or thigh spinning it (that’s what those threads hanging out are). Oooooh. I’m really liking some of these.

And what’s even better? They’re picked to be ones that are harder to find on this side of the pond, so there’s only one of them I’ve even ever had a sample of (a sample that’s still waiting to be spun)! COoooool. ::drool::

Also, I made two sets of these stitch markers. I rather like them. The first set was donated to the Northeast Men’s Knitting Retreat. The second set will be up on the shop shortly.

A special note about these. The jasper and onyx for these were donated by the fabulous Habetrot. Many thanks.

A set of six, with a contrasting master marker.
Onyx – Serpentine – Lava
Master: Brecciated Picture Jasper – Serpentine – Lava

Onyx Stitch Markers
Onyx Stitch Markers 2
Onyx Stitch Markers 3
Onyx Stitch Markers Size

More soon. New fiber coming. New stitch markers planned. New fae in the notebook. Lab eating brain.

~The Gnome
Gnome

Category: accessories, Spinning  Tags: , , ,  3 Comments

Mmm Longwool Fiber…

Sunday, March 29th, 2009 | Author:

Whee, dyeing! Pretty colors!

Done a bunch of dyeing.

First, we’ll start with the big one.

The first Gnomespun Spin-A-Sweater.

2lbs of Corriedale in the semi-solid Deerfield Ledge (A local sandstone). Apparently on some monitors it appears UT orange. I assure you it’s sandstone.

Deerfield Ledge

Next, we have finn. Mm. I’m swiftly falling for this fiber (ok, so I fall for almost every fiber I play with). It’s got a soft shine and is lofty and soft.

For the most part, since it’s spring, I let Self play on this batch. With a few interjections to add more warmth.

First, he decided to go with blue. Dark blue semi-solid. April shower, bring May flowers, and thus came…

Storm Rising, 4oz of combed Finn top

Storm Rising
Storm Rising

Self decided he liked this dark color thing and decided to go for some green. And since it is spring now and the green has started to leaf and bloom… some are already looking forward to…

Summer Calls, 4oz of combed Finn top

Summer Calls
Summer Calls

Somehow he thought he was incredibly creative (despite my informing him otherwise) to go from blue, to green, to… bluegreen! As summer comes, people begin to think of the sea…

Seafoam, 4oz of combed Finn top

Seafoam
Seafoam Coil

I gently suggested maybe he should combine his cools with something a little different, maybe? He said of course, and being in a sea mood, came up with this…

Sea and Sand, 6oz of combed Finn top

Sea and Sand
Sea and Sand
Sea and Sand
Sea and Sand

Finally, I took the reins and demanded at least ONE dyejob from this batch. I think I might have gotten a little overenthusiastic with my “I wanna do warm!” But you know, for me, spring means time to go camping. And camping means…

Bonfire, 4oz of combed Finn top

Bonfire
Bonfire Coil

Mmm finn.

Finn Stack

Next up we have Wensleydale. Oooh so shiny. And for a fiber not renowned for it’s softness, it’s shockingly silky. I really like this fiber and the way it takes dye.

After getting a little hot with the Bonfire, but liking the mode, I made this. Mmmm.

Burning Bright, 4oz combed Wensleydale top

Burning Bright
Burning Bright Coil

Then I gave the pot back to Self and he immediately went back to his old refrain. I have to admit though, I really like this one. The photo doesn’t really capture the soft shine and very subtly semi-solid nature of this braid. I think it would make a great laceweight.

Aquamarine, 4oz combed Wensleydale top

Aquamarine
Aquamarine

Then, as we do periodically, Self and I collaborated on a project. This was the last of the Wensleydale (in this batch, more on the way) and we both went for intense saturated colors. Not surprisingly, playing this much, we came out with…

Fingerpaints, 4oz combed Wensleydale top

Fingerpaints
Fingerpaints

Love this fiber. Loooove it.

Wensleydale

Finally, Self did a big chunk of BFL. Another green (he had a green thing going, what can I say?)

Forest Walk, 8oz combed BFL top

Forest Walk
Forest Walk

That’s just about it for now. Oh right… there’s also this other thing, but I’ll talk more about it later. For now… a teaser photo…

Southdown Locks Half Washed

Today I leave you with a little fae who’s been trying to crawl out of my sketchbook for a few weeks now. He was stalled by the fact that I stubbornly decided I wanted to delve into inking again. And my inking is even more rusty than my pencil sketching. He finally made it, though, happily sprouting to say hi to everyone.

~The Gnome

Plantman

Category: roving, Uncategorized  Tags: , , ,  5 Comments

Not dead! Really!

Friday, March 27th, 2009 | Author:

Work’s been eating my head. If things go as planned (ok, the scientists and friends of scientist can get back in their chairs and stop laughing now), then I’ll be done with the paper by endish of next week. We’ll see.

The lab push is why I’ve been more or less absent for the past week.

I have, however, gotten a little bit done.

I dyed this, and it was spoken for before it got posted anywhere. Wensleydale, Sapphire Surprise, 4oz Wensleydale

Sapphire Surprise 2

Sapphire Surprise 2

I also dyed up some finn, and this I actually still have.

Who doesn’t want a nice glass of wine to end the day?

Merlot – 6oz Finn Combed Top

Merlot
Merlot

And a signature of the summer, fresh berries. Mmmm. Not frozen, so the insides of the blueberries are still white. Niummy

Crushed Berries – 4oz Finn Combed Top

Crushed Berries 2
Crushed Berries 2

I’m in the process of dyeing a bunch more finn and wensleydale, with more fiber on the way. Have to weigh out the romney and corrie.

Oh right, I also dyed this. I’ve been wanting to try this method for a while. So the most recent large order gets this as their “bonus.” I like it. I’m so doing this again.

A Sky Full of Stars
~50yds, 2-ply, Aran Weight, 100% Merino
A Sky Full of Stars
Sky Full of Stars

And the final big news… remember a ways back, when I posted the trip up to Maine to play with wheels?

And remember… him?

Schact-Reeves 30inch

Well… he was still waiting for me. With a discount.

So, now he’s on layaway. I’m paying for him slowly. Which is why there will be a progress bar on the blog entries. If you want to make a donation, feel free to step over to the shop, which I will be endeavoring to keep full!

Wheel Payment Progress

That’s all for now. New fae to arrive soon.

~The Gnome
Gnome

Category: roving, Spinning, Uncategorized  Tags: , , , , ,  5 Comments

Behind, as usual

Saturday, March 21st, 2009 | Author:

Lab continues to eat my brain, but it’s also progressing, albeit slowly.

And, of course, as per usual, it’s made me way behind on keeping things updated.

First, I got another shipment of fiber. Mmm fiber. Finn, Wensleydale, and Corriedale combed top, and Romney roving. Yummy. Douglas (though, he’s an alpaca, maybe he’s really Diego?) is using it as a bed.

New Fiber WHEEE

The finn and wensleydale are weighed out for dyeing.

Sent out a bunch of fiber last week, including a larger order, which as I mentioned before gets an added bonus. The order has arrived, so I can post them now. The order was pink, so I provided a pair of orphan stitch markers, in pink. These are orphan from the stars and moons beads, which I got a while ago from a place that no longer exists.

Rhodonite – Metal – Sodalite

Pink Stars and Moons Orphan Stitch Markers

Let’s see, what else? Well, I’ve actually got almost enough photos to finally open the Gnomespun in the Wild gallery. Just need permission from one person to post a photo.

Oh right, dyeing.

Been doing quite a bit. Two, sadly, I didn’t get photos of. But my friends at knit night seemed to enjoy them. A Soft Corundum and a new colorway, Lavender Fields, disappeared. Not that I’m complaining, as the money went into a project I’m working on.

Before the new stuff, here’s the Brick I mentioned earlier, actually braided up.

9.5 oz of Border Liecester, carded roving. In a MONSTER BRAID OF DOOOOOOM.

Brick
Brick Coil

Ahem. Yay.

More of the alpaca/merino/silk fiber. Oh the semi-solids are such fun in this fiber! Spring colors!

First, early in spring, bloom the daylillies. Orange bursts of sunshine and green in a world still waking up from winter.

Daylillies. 6oz of Alpaca/Merino/Silk 50/30/20 Combed Top

Dayllies
Daylillies Coil

As summer bursts upon the scene, so do the poppies. I didn’t manage to catch the soft shine of this fiber well. It really does remind me of the slight gleam of a poppy petal in both shade and shine.

Poppies. 8oz Alpaca/Merino/Silk 50/30/20 Combed Top

Poppies
Poppies Coil

Finally, later in the summer, the Rose of Sharon blooms. Softly variegated roses with a tinge of blue (unless you have more basic soil, when they’ll be bluer).

Rose of Sharon. 4oz BFL Combed Top

Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon Coil

And there’s nothing like watching the summer sun set, late in the warm evenings…

As the Sun Sets. 3oz BFL Combed Top

As the Sun Sets
As the Sun Sets Coil

And two colorways which aren’t new.

Soft Corundum, a slightly less intense version of Corundum. 6oz Alpaca/Merino/Silk 50/30/20 Combed Top.

Soft Corundum
Soft Corundum Coil

And Amethyst Dreams, which didn’t make it to the shop last time. 8oz Alpaca/Merino/Silk 50/30/20 Combed Top.

Amethyst
Am Coil

Also a small blob of unnamed blending silk.

Blending

Mmmm… fiber. Essentially out of this fiber for now. But plenty of others on the way.

Braid Tower

Currently have a big bunch of New Mown Hay in the dyepot for a friend.

Ok, time for bed. Past, in fact, by over an hour.

Night everyone. I’ll get these up on the shop tomorrow or Monday.

~The Gnome
Gnome

Category: roving, Yarn Update  Tags: , , ,  4 Comments

More dyeing…

Monday, March 16th, 2009 | Author:

So you remember the squeeing? Well, the squeeing became dyeing, and here are the results.

First I let Self have control of the dyepot to play with his cool greens and blues.

He started with one of my few repeated colorways, War for the Oaks, but in a new fiber for that mix, BFL. Mmm BFL. The effect is very different in BFL, because the colors don’t spread the same within the fiber. Going to try it in still another fiber sometime this week. Named after the book by Emma Bull

War for the Oaks Dyelot #3

War for the Oaks Dyelot #3

Then, he did this one, another repeat, but not one you really got to see before, Deep Forest Shadows, a slightly lighter more dappled version. Also in BFL. Deep in the forest, the shadows play, flitting and dancing. Which shadows are simply the moving of leaves, and which are something darker… stranger?

Deep Forest Shadows Dyelot #2

Deep Forest Shadows Dyelot #2

Then Self and I came up with a slightly new dyeing method. First he had a go with it and got a new Into the Green. More BFL. On the edge of the forest, light plays through the leaves as a soft breeze blows, throwing dappled green shadows on the world. Come, join me and explore its cool mysteries.

Into the Green Dyelot#2
Into the Green Dyelot#2

And a darker, richer one, dubbed Phouka, after the male lead in War for the Oaks. A dark, earthy fae, rich with depth, color, and masculine energy, at once wise and powerful and naive and vulnerable. 50% Alpaca / 30% Merino/ 20% Silk

Phouka
Phouka Coil

Finally Self managed this one, The Storm Clears. Cool, whispy, clouds clearing to reveal a startling blue sky behind. More of the Alpaca/Merino/Silk blend

The Storm Clears
The Storm Clears

Before Self completely relinquished the pot, we collaborated on one of my favorites of the bunch. Corundum. Deep oxblood and blue/purple. A mix of the stone which becomes ruby and sapphire. Deep and saturated and rich. Also, already gone. Going to dye some more of this one though. More of the Alpaca/Merino/Silk. Mmm shiny.

Corundum

Apparently, once I got control of the dyepot, I was in an odd mood. Because I kept dyeing things out of my norm.

First, fruit salad. Mmm summery. Peach and orange and grapes and plum. Mmm. Alpaca/Merino/Silk

Fruit Salad
Fruit Salad Coil

Then, more fruit. Crushed Berries, a color I’ve done and spun into yarn before. BFL

Crushed Berries
Crushed Berries Coil

Then, somehow, I dyed this. A repeat, but not one I planned. Munstead, a softer flowered lavender. A pretty flower. Alpaca/Merino/Silk

Munstead Dyelot #2
Munstead Dyelot #2

And finally… Robins and Rabbits. Yeah… I don’t know where it came from. It snuck up and assaulted my dyepot. When spring has sprung… BFL

Robins and Rabbits
Robins and Rabbits
Robins and Rabbits
Robins and Rabbits

These will all be up in the store (except Corundum) shortly.

More dyeing to be done this week. Halfway through the latest spinning commission. Then I have to finally sit down and spin for the swap I’m falling behind on. Then, maybe I’ll spin something for myself… ::laughs:: who’m I kidding?

~The Gnome
Mapleman

Category: roving, Yarn Update  Tags: , , ,  4 Comments
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