::waves:: Hello everyone, sorry for the delay in posting anything or getting anything up. But I had to get a draft of the paper done for the boss before she left on vacation (which I did, yay!) and then start to try to get my life back in order a bit (you know, hair cuts, bills, groceries, cleaning, those fascinating necessities). Allergies seem to be backing off. I can get to my oven again.

Created a Gnomespun flickr group for people to share the projects they’ve made, yarns they’ve spun, etc. So, go, post! I wanna SEEEEEEEE! Gnomespun Yarn and Fiber Arts on Flickr

I also skirted my two Southdown fleeces. First experience skirting specifically for fiber prep, especially for milling. A lot of VM there was no way to get out. This may very well be the stress test on this mill, given that this type of fleece isn’t the easiest to work with and it’s got the VM. Here’s to experiments.

Played with Strider some more, talked with a bunch of people, including Spunky Eclectic (where he came from) and managed to learn a lot. I now know how to get the drive band on without cursing, and how to realign his various wheels and pulleys. He’s still got a mischievous bone, though. Managed to work one of the threads of his drive band out of the knot and started to unravel it. So, I’ll be replacing that shortly, probably doing it myself. We’re getting along a lot better now. I love him.

Finished my first and second yarns on him too!

A Heady Brew – 4oz – Polwarth DK weight – Guessing ~250 yds?
(No, I haven’t measured it yet, it’s harder to measure this much yarn on my little niddy)
Once it’s measured and reskeined, it will go up on the shop.

Patches – >4oz – You name it – Sport-Worsted Thick/Thin
Icelandic, Romney, BFL, Merino, Corriedale, Cormo, Alpaca, etc.
This will not be in the shop, but will be sent off to my friend KnittyBe for a super-seecrit project

Right now, I’m spinning up some Spunky Eclectic fiber, Berry Berry in SW BFL which I’m loving.

And then I started dyeing again. Got a lot of commission dyeing done, and a bit for the shop. Note here that these are photos in my living room and in my puny light box. I’ll take more tomorrow, ’cause a lot of these (notably the red and purple)… suck.

First up, “A Sky Full of Stars” as a commission for a friend. Icelandic.

Then, onto roving… I discovered the exact limit of my bathroom fiber capacitywise… 13

This was enough fiber to slow the drying process, but not to halt it.

First up of these are the ones I don’t have photos of because they are still drying. All commissions. In the green/brown you can see a redux of Frog and Toad in SW Merino. Further you can see a Sapphire Surprise and a War for the Oaks in Polwarth. All still wet. Polwarth dries like mud.

First up of those you can see, more of a colorway you’ve seen, Burning Bright, this time in Cormo/Mohair, an interesting blend. Very soft. A little different than prior versions because I had to change the method for just short of a pound of fiber. Note the bad photography. It’s not nearly this neon, this is a sample of it, not the whole thing. This is the other half of the Sky Full of Stars commission.

That finishes the comissions and gets us to ones which will go up on the shop as soon as I get decent photographs of them (tomorrow morning, most likely).

A new fiber to Gnomespun, Jacob. I think I’m in love with this fiber. It’s super soft, great for semi-solid heathers, and lofty. Love.

Similar, but I think even better than the original, Moss. With all the shadings of deep green and hanging moss.

Moss – 4oz – Carded Jacob Roving

That Old Black Magic, a wonderful super deep almost black heathered purple. The pictures totally don’t do it justice.

That Old Black Magic – 4oz – Carded Jacob Roving

And one who’s name is more because it’s funny and I couldn’t come up with something perfect. I wanted to call it Hobbes, but that’s just not quite right for the grey-brown and orange. So instead…

Diamonds in the Rust – 4oz – Carded Jacob Roving

And another new fiber to Gnomespun, Dorset. A durable, and well nigh unfeltable downs wool. Not merino soft, but with a lot higher wear factor and a ton of loft. Excellent memory in this fiber.

Oxblood – 4oz – Carded Dorset Roving
This photo is terrible. Super dark, deep, red-black.

And a colorway you’ve seen before…

Hardwood – 4oz – Carded Dorset Roving
This is the worst photo ever. This is a deep golden BROWN. Not red. Not orange. Ugh. Will get better one tomorrow.

In other news… I finished this…

Look familiar? That’s because it is. It’s the other end of the pattern, which I did twice, in mirror, so I can fold it in half, sew up the sides, fold over the top, and make a bag.

And I made some test stitch markers.

Lapis – Amethyst – Garnet

Sodalite

Amethyst – Mountain Jade – Kambaba Jasper (both greener than the photo shows)

Aventurine – Sodalite – Amethyst

Sodalite-Lapis-Sodalite (Made to be extra small and light for things like lace)

Upcoming projects: More dyed fiber, more spinning, finished woven spindle bags, stitch markers, cute knitted critters, and a Gnomespun webpage update.

Upcoming posts: Dyeing methodology

Upcoming events: NH S&W (dangerous), MA S&W

Think that’s about it for now.

Oh right, I have some fae to show you but they’re not in the computer yet.

~The Gnome

Whee. Got back to the gym after a 5 month absence last night. Oy. I’ll get it back, but it’s going to take a while. I haven’t been this out of shape in a long time, and I’ve never in my life weighed this much. Ouchy.

Lots of photos to post today.

We’ll start with older stuff that needs updating, or… something.

You might remember the last Spin-A-Sweater in Romney, Moss, Wood, and Stone? Well, I spun up a tiny bit of it, so people could see how it would spin, ply, and knit. Yay for spindles. All done on the Bossie.

First, I spun up singles.
Wood – Stone – Moss

Then I plied it into an itty bitty center pull ball.

And finally, I knitted it up into a little swatch, nothing fancy, but it’s a soft enough heathering, I think you could do cables without losing them in the heather.

Next, new fiber! Well, not new fiber, just new colors of fiber. This is all polwarth. Mmm. We’ll start with the two “oops” fibers, then move onto the non-oopses.

This one’s a lovely deep wine. Unfortunately it got a little compacted and a tiiiny bit felted during dyeing. Bugger. So I’m not selling it. Gnomespun does not provide inferior product. I’ll spin it myself (the big guy is handling it fine) and sell the yarn.

So, this one’s going back to the pot. It’s not “bad” just… boring. So I shall make it not boring.

And finally, before we get to the best stuff, this one, which I’m really proud of, and is already spoken for. It has a soft iridescent shine, which is part of how it got it’s name.

Balloon Flower: 4oz – Combed Polwarth Top

And finally, the fiber going up on the shop.

A repeat semi-solid in a new fiber, Aquamarine.

Aquamarine: 4oz – Combed Polwarth Top

One of my favorite yarn colorways, and a favorite summer… fall… ok all the time favorites, cranberries. Mmm cranberries. A true New England Tradition!

New England Cranberries: 4oz – Combed Polwarth Top

In spring, the river may run rapid, but the streams gurgle and splash…

Babbling Brook: 4oz – Combed Polwarth Top

And those of us who don’t like the heat much, seek out the deep forest, where the wild things dwell, and the fae dwell… another repeat, a slightly less dark version of Phouka, greener. His summer mein, perhaps.

Phouka: 4oz – Combed Polwarth Top

And, it’s spring! Which means it’s time for budding growth, tulips, and lots of mud! Mmm mud mud mud. Hee.

Spring Serendipity: 4oz – Combed Polwarth Top

And what do we get for all the rain and mud? Summer comes, with blue skies and bursting flowers!

Summer Serendipity: 4oz – Combed Polwarth Top

Yay fiber! More fiber coming soon. I’ve got a bunch of stuff on the way, and am scouting out some more suppliers.

And now, some stitch markers that have recently gone out as gifts in large orders (and one other).

First a pair of earrings that was part of a comission (which is why they get to be earrings, the earring findings cost more)

Sodalite – Aventurine x2 – Sterling Silver

A pair of Millefori glass markers I from beads in the batch Heather gave me.

Millefori Glass – Fancy Jasper

And finally a pair of amethyst dice stitch markers, which were added into a shipment that went out later than it should have.

Amethyst – Rose Quartz – Sodalite

And…

Hrm…

Nope, that’s it for now, sufficient? Got a couple projects coming up. Knitted objects, and possibly some stone whorl spindles. Yes, I sleep, sort of. Hush.

~The Gnome

(F is for Frelling, m’kay?)

So… this weekend was like, totally boring, you know? I did a little bit of dyeing, a tiny bit of spinning… and NOTHING INTERESTING HAPPENED AT ALL.

Nothing. You hear me? TOTALLY BORING WEEKEND…

Yeah.

Well…

Ok… totally boring except for that one little detail…

I passed a small kidney stone.

Wait, no not that detail, let me think…

Oh right!

So you guys remember this?

And remember this? The progress bar which contained one payment?

Yeah… well… I got an email yesterday.

It directed me to a thread, on Ravelry… at the head of this thread was a photo…

Which means…

Holy… I… dude… I mean… woh… wow… just… yeah…

Let me put it this way. I burst into tears.

I have never, EVER cried happy tears before. Ever.

Then I tried to hyperventilate (luckily, I didn’t).

Yeah, I have better friends than I could possibly hope, or dream to have. They plotted, found my family (not so hard for some of them, really) got my parents and brother in on it, and bought… my… wheel.

In the words of Neo: Woh.

I also did some dyeing, and a whole bunch of spinning.

First, I finished a spinning/dyeing commission. This will become a scarf, I believe. Very soft.

Sapphires and Emeralds: ~600yds, 2-ply, 80% Merino / 20% Alpaca, Worsted Weight

Then came this from the same blend. Grey green dunegrass growing amid the shifting sands…

Dunegrass: ~140yds, 2-ply, 80% Merino / 20% Alpaca, Worsted Weight
This will be up on the shop

And finally, I got this spun, the fiber was a gift from Bug Girl, an exceptionally soft Romney top. Spun into a nice 3-ply, been a while since I did one of those. Not quite as dark as the last one I did, but I’m still rather fond of it.

A Sky Full of Stars: ~200yds, 3-ply, 100% Romney, Worsted Weight
This will be in up in the shop

Aaand I did some dyeing…

A summer colorway you’ve seen before…

Seafoam: 4oz Combed BFL Top
Will be available in the shop

A new one, it makes me think of swirling kingly or ecclesiastic robes…

Royalty: 4oz Combed BFL Top
This one will be mailed to Holiday Yarns

One of my favorite summer flowers, it brings the hummingbirds and frittilaries… Here’s the full range of varieties, from soft pink to deep pink/purple (lacking the scarlet tone, next time).

Bee Balm: 4oz Combed BFL Top
This one will be available in the shop

This didn’t come out quite the way I was hoping, but I think that might be because of the type of fiber. One of my favorite flowers, the trillium, in black and deep deep crimson/mahogany.

Trillium: 4oz Combed BFL Top
Will be available in the shop

A summer favorite, yum yum yum, complete with soft yellow cake, evaporated milk, and strawberries leaking juice on everything…

Strawberry Shortcake: 4oz Combed Superwash Merino Top
Will be available in shop

And a reprise of an older colorway, but a longtime favorite. This is a truly saturated version of the colorway…

Gold Dreams: 4oz Combed Wensleydale Top
Will be available in shop

Aaaaaand I made some stitch markers.

Two more sets of these, one for the shop and one for mailing to Holiday Yarns

Onyx – Serpentine – Lava
Master: Brecciated Picture Jasper – Serpentine – Lava

And a set of these, for the shop, tiger’s eye kindly donated by Paperclips

Tiger’s Eye – Pewter – Poppy Jasper
Master: Leopard Skin Jasper – Pewter – Poppy Jasper

So, the box (hopefully the first of many) for the brick and mortar store, Holiday Yarns, is all packed, labeled, and ready to go. This one’s fairly small, only 13 items. I hope to get more out soon, but writing the paper comes first.

Aaaand…

I think that’s it for today. Was that sufficient? ::grins:: Hope to have an update late mid-week.

Oh yeah, I’m actually writing the paper to get permission to write my dissertation. The end might be in sight. That might not be an oncoming train making a light at the end of the tunnel.

~The Gnome

Crummy ass day. Feel like garbage and cranky as hell.

Anyway. Good news, because posting things here makes me less cranky.

First, I’m dying a ton of Wensleydale tonight. If there’s time, I’ll hit the Merino (sw and non) as well. If not, it’ll get dyed Sunday along with some BFL and maybe some Romney.

Also, I’m getting carded Polwarth roving. Aww yeah. If it looks good, I’ll make this a regular supplier and get more. Also found a possible line on several other hard to get hold of fibers. Sweet!

I’m one bobbin from finishing my current yarn commission.

At work at lunch (and at knitting on Wednesday) I’ve been spinning as well. Since I can’t cart the wheel to work, I bring my trusty little Bossy.

I’ve been spinning some gorgeous carded alpaca from a lovely little guy named Devante who lives down in CT. The fiber was a gift from a friend at Rhinebeck. I’m pretty proud of it. It’s pretty even, the cop is smooth, and I can now spin on the spindle while walking or working the elevator.

I also finished the first of three sets of stitch markers for another commission. I think they’re coming out very pretty. A little heftier than my usual bent, but worth it, I think.

Copper – Malachite – Sodalite
Master Marker: Copper – Tree Agate – Sodalite

That’s it for now. Soon as these fibers are dry I’ll photograph them and get them up. Sunday is my guess.

Several new fae have shown up, some more friendly than others. Will get them up here soon as well.

Back to the dyepot

~The Gnome

To those who’ve wandered over from Ravelry and are new, welcome.

The shop has been remarkably successful the last few days, so is a little depleted. I’m going to be doing a small update most days for the next few days, then I hope to do a large spinning fiber update on Sunday (Wensleydale, BFL, maybe some Romney, more stitch markers). After that, I’m hoping to do another larger update mid to late in the week, but it will depend on the speed of shipping. So keep watching.

I’m sourcing a few new suppliers as well, so look for new things there in the coming weeks.

I really do hope to get more spinning up soon. I’ve got a commission on the wheel that I hope to finish by this weekend, then things should pick up again.

I have finally gotten up the “Wild Gnomespun” gallery, so feel free to check that out!

For now, small update.

Lichen Yarn – 105yds, 2-ply – 80/20 Merino/Alpaca. I love this fiber. Love it. It’s what I made the hat out of. Warm and green. Soft heathering.

Stitch markers…

First, a gift set sent with the last large order:

Tiger’s eye – Rose Quartz

Then two sets you’ve seen the tests of before.

Pewter Celtic Knot – Serpentine

Sodalite – Pewter Spiral – Sodalite x2

And then a totally new (but small) set.

Turqoise – Sodalite

And that’s all for today!

~The Gnome