158 yards! Alpaca/Silk 70/30

#moreyarnplease #morefiberplease #likebutter #pocketwheel

Alpaca/Silk 70/30 ~

Wow - I love this fiber!

Knitting Notions!

Wow! My family gave me a laptop for Christmas!  This has been on my wish list for many years, and I am so excited to have it now!  My youngest set up the screen with these adorable alpacas, plus my identification picture is Bad Alice, the sheep from Trenary. Yes, my family gets me!!! :)  So, now I'm knitting my custom fit sweater and using my laptop for blogging, Ravelry and all those important knitting activities.  Thanks Family!!!!!

Fiber Fusion!

Look at that face!!!!  We had a blast at Fiber Fusion!  I didn't win any door prizes this year but had tons of fun - lots of inspiration!

Cinnamon Girl ~

This fiber turned out to be lovely yarn that is oh-so-soft. I am in love with the color and the texture. Once it was spun, it does not have as much of the cinnamon red that was evident in the fiber, yet it is still so beautiful.

The white that you see in the picture is the silk blended with the alpaca and merino, oh so lovely! I need to knit something wonderful with this yarn. Hurrah!!

Cinnamon Spinning ~

When I ordered this lovely fiber from Taylored Fibers in the fall of 2012, I asked Barry (one of the owners) if he had any of the lovely cinnamon alpaca that I had seen spun into lovely ginger yarn. He said he did, and he would mix it with merino to make it hold its shape when knit, plus add a shot of silk for strength, shine and softness. When it arrived, it was oh-so-soft, and so lovely in color, more of a dark cinnamon then a red ginger.

After finishing the spinning on the bright white Chevoit, I thought this would be the perfect change of spinning for me until I could ply the Chevoit. This cinnamon is spinning so smooth and soft, I can't wait to see how it plys!

Yummy soft ~

My fears of piano wire were (thankfully) unfounded, as this 60/40 alpaca/merino plyed up to be super soft and squishy. Yummy as dark chocolate espresso, I am so pleased with how this fiber became such lovely yarn!

Hats off to Taylored Fibers for their lovely fiber and such amazing blends. Spinning is such a dream as the bumps are almost like pencil roving, so easy to spin as the drafting is effortless!  I am looking forward to my next spin with Taylored Fibers... I think I shall pick a cream with alpaca, merino, mohair and silk! Love it!!!

Fear of piano wire ~

As I continue to spin this lovely 60/40 alpaca/merino , I worry about spinning "piano wire" which is the term used by my spinning teacher for super hard and tough singles that sometimes occurs with alpaca. I have tried spinning alpaca and did get piano wire, and yet I am hoping that this time I am spinning with more loft and air and less tension in my singles.

This fiber is from my newest favorite Taylored Fibers, a local couple from Washington, and I love their fiber and cannot wait to start on the next bump.... not sure which bump it will be as they are all so GREAT!   Oh, first I have to finish spinning these singles and then ply them into soft and lovely yarn...please, no piano wire!!!!!  Please!!!!!

Christmas Cowls ~

Here is a gem from the lovely White Violet Farms alpaca that I bought at the stash sale at Fort Worden. The pattern is a great one and I have knit it before, also out of alpaca.  The cowl is a perfect length as one can loop it twice and not be choked....

Love Love Love this yarn and this pattern!

Thin as Frog Hair ~

Something is magical about Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival.  This festival causes people to jump down rabbit holes that one would normally walk FAR around to be safe.....yet safety around rabbit holes is overrated. Really...... I thought I had already been down my Oregon rabbit hole when I first spun on the Pocket Wheel in 2010... yet it seems that this rabbit hole of spinning has many wonderful twists and turns... For those that know me, you'll know that I tend to love bright and happy colors, the more colors the better, the brighter the better.....

 Something about Oregon.....I bought natural roving.....yes, in a color I can only describe as....natural?  Truly a lovely blend of merino, alpaca and silk....and....natural in color.......(not to scare anyone, but I also bought fiber that was a white natural....yes, "absence of color white" natural.....)  And, this natural fiber spins as thin as Frog Hair..... and I have never spun this thin.... perhaps the absence of color helps me concentrate on spinning (no....can't be that.....this fiber is just "butter" and that is why it spins like this...)  Really...... it is so thin I can hardly see it in this picture!!!!

Mum's Birthday Shawl ~

I have been thinking of knitting mum something for her "real" leap day birthday since the new year began...she does not do well with wool, so I had some llama silk blend, plus some alpaca in the pondering cycle. The decision was made when we were leaving for our vacation weekend and decided to stop at one of our local yarn store's Going Out of Business Sale...and there was my answer. Alpaca with a twist in lovely green, at 45% off.... so, since I couldn't really decide, and I know that mum loves green, I bought two skeins of each green - the dark green and the medium green. Since they were 45% off, the other two were almost free, right? The first night of our vacation, I was going to cast on, but was talked into casting on my Ms Gusset handspun... easy to talk me into that...and after blocking that shawl on Saturday afternoon, I cast on mum's shawl and knit like crazy for the rest of the weekend - pausing only on Sunday to work on the knitting project for the church (Sunday would be a good day for the church project, right?). Once I came back to the real world of family and job, the knitting slowed down but I still finished it that next weekend, blocked it on Sunday and 2- Day-Air to mum for her special birthday! Hurrah!

Love a Llama ~

Instead of telling you that I'm not making a lot of progress on my moebi (is this the proper plural of moebius???), I am going to tell you about a great organization Heifer International. I believe that Clara Parkes also supports this great organization, so please check it out. My favorite donation is the knitting basket - an alpaca, a bunny, a llama and a sheep.... I think those are the main knitting basket animals. The stories and success from Heifer International are amazing and inspiring, so please consider donating as you feel appropriate. At least check their website to look at the adorable animals!!!

Peaceful Knitting ~

I write that title, I must say the knitting on mum's alpaca shawl may be peaceful, but I can't help wonder if I can get it knitted, blocked and on its way to mum before Christmas. Why does Christmas seem to come earlier each year?I added the third (and last) skein of yarn last night, so I hope I'm on the last big slog...If it was any other month but November or December I'd really be loving all this alpaca growing so lovely with my Signature needles...

Eggnog and Alpaca ~

Ahhhh, the season's first eggnog latte.....yummy yummy for all knitters. So I was able to knit on mum's alpaca shawl with the leaves, and enjoyed this very yummy drink. (can you see the leaves?)Did I mention this alpaca is very yummy as well? Plus these Signature Needles make all projects yummy!

Rockstar Knitter ~

I am blessed to have a few Rockstar Knitters among my knitting friends. They inspire and motivate, and support and encourage. Plus, of course, they knit as only Rockstars can knit. Amazing....

Here is the Jitteryknitter in her Rockstar fair isle vest knit out of alpaca....oh so lovely, oh so soft, oh so perfect.... Hats off to you!!! Hurrah!!!!

Can we go back now?

Only a week since we went to the Cascade Yarn warehouse, and I am still marvelling at the lovely yarn I purchased.

Most of it is amazing chunky alpaca, some in deep blue, some in green/black and blue/creme....and 6 skeins in hunter green....and then 3 skeins of EcoAlpaca in a dark chocolate brown.....I think it wants to be a feather and fan shawl....or perhaps the 6 skeins of green want to be a feather and fan shawl...I need to go fishing for some shawl patterns...

Christmas socks ~

Shhhh, don't tell mum, but I've finished her Christmas socks...another part of the great trip to Portland was the road trip knitting in the back seat!

They turned out great ~ and not blurry, that's just the picture being taken while we're still driving!

Flock and Fiber Fun ~

The day of Oregon Flock and Fiber was great ~ here are some highlights:

I can't recall the name of this blonde sweetie.... She was with Hummer and.....

Here are the Knitmore Girls, Gigi and Jasmine, at Abstract Fiber's booth. Great visit and great inspiration from all around. We were so glad they were here!

Kate's booth, the Woolgathering, as she was a very warm and welcoming spinner at the only spinning Saturday I've been to...(thanks, Kate)

Here's some fleas that Debi bought... or is it fleece?

We couldn't be sure, as we were all itching after she told us the story.... what a great day!!!

Buckles and Valentino ~

I fell in love at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival a few weeks back. I've not been the same since. It was serendipity that we attended the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, as the weekend in Portland was intended to take the place of the Sock Summit which was so fabulous last year. We had a blast, and it was pure luck and good karma that our weekend was the same as Flock and Fiber.

Meet Buckles and Valentino. Have you ever seen two cuter little alpacas? I wished I'd taken a video of them scampering around their pen, playing and dancing and getting lots of love from all of us....*sigh* I wish I could have brought them home to meet my chickens....

Cast on Multnomah ~

When I was visiting my mum, she asked for a shawl that matches the blanket I made her. With a shawl around her shoulders and her blanket on her lap, she would be warm all over.


So I cast on the Multnomah (Ravelry link) that I've heard so much about....with the same alpaca I used for mum's blanket I gave her for Christmas...



It is pretty fun knitting so far~ this is my first shawl....
~~~