I Won!

I won a lovely prize on the PhatFiber blog! This was a while back, but my worklife has been getting in the way of my fun, so I have been a bit late blogging about it.

I am a contributor to the Phat Fiber Sampler box, a monthly box of samples from independent spinners & dyers, shepherds & fiber animal folks of many stripes & other artisans who work in the fiber arts. This helps shoppers try out different fibers, interesting colors, patterns and all kinds of fiber-related goodies before they buy. Many contributors (including SmokyMountainFibers) also give away full size items to generate interest in their Etsy shops and other websites.

I recently won a lovely handmade book from Becky's Paper Creations. It is a small (3" X 4") knitting journal - just the right size to slip into my knitting bag - assuming that it is not too lovely to actually write in. That is one of the problems with lovely paper - particularly handmade books. And this tiny book is quite lovely with it's hand stitched binding and lovely covers. Becky blogs here. Are my thoughts, projects, notes to self 'good enough' to write in such a lovely book. Somehow I feel I must be smarter, more reflective, more knitterly, a better designer to deserve such a lovely book to record my thoughts.

Perhaps this is why my most successful journaling has been recorded in spiral notebooks from the campus bookstore, although I do decorate them. I made a felted cover that fits nicely around a 5X8 notebook that has been my journal for a few years , though I have probably not written in it for about a year. Does this blog (written for semi-public consumption) take the place of private journaling? Hmmmm....I think it is quite different as we discussed in my class last week (How are the pioneer journals kept during the westward expansion era different than today's blogs?).

I worked Sunday at Locally Grown, the crafts gallery at the WNC Farmer's Market and had a fine day of decent sales and very good spinning. I often spin natural color roving - no brainer spinning that I can stop and start at any time, watch the booth while I spin and talk to the people who come by. But this week I carded a good bit of dyed fleece to make some rather colorful yarns. I spun most of the day, until the belt gave way on my Louet S-10. Afterward I knitted a lovely hat out of some sweet blue merino that I had dyed and spun for the Yarn Everyday challenge. Pictures to follow.

Busy is the New Relaxed

It's a lovely, cool, relaxing weekend. I'm working in the garden, going to lunch with a friend, dyeing my new bump of wonderful, natural roving in shades of reds and oranges. I visited my biggest customer and got an order ready and planned my next spinning 'production run.'

Weekends without too much to do are truly delightful. But with plans for the next 6 - 8 weekends, good thing I like to stay busy. So the rest of this weekend is all about dyeing, carding and spinning; working in the garden (though the grass has been cut!) and reading whatever I please! Tomorrow I'll be at the WNC Farmers Market tending Locally Grown, the crafts gallery and spinning dark brown roving overdyed loden.

In the meantime, a bit of housework and laundry, delivering to the Grove Arcade store, Saturday public radio shows and some quality time with the drum carder. I love my life!

Chaos Theory

Of late I have been prepping for and then teaching a nearly week-long Professional Development workshop. We concluded today. My office is full of tote boxes that do not contain fiber (except paper), stacks of books, a couple of color printers, leftover snacks & serving dishes and various and sundry supplies that are the detritus of post-workshop stuff. File folders & construction paper in colors nobody liked, extension cords, printer cartridges to be recycled, etc. Lots of etc.

Happily there is also a handy stack of evaluations, all of which came in positive - some over the top!

So I am staying at the office an extra hour or so to tidy up, put the stuff in a bit of order, make a list for Monday and get out of here to go home and relax. For now, I'm going to make a cup of tea, put on music (the Dixie Chicks, I think) , and put this chaos in some kind of order.

Tomorrow: Dye fiber, card fiber, go to lunch with a colleague, read for fun!

Phat Fiber Giveaway!

I have really enjoyed being involved with the PhatFiber Sampler Box. I contribute samples of my hand dyed fiber that are redistributed with other samples in boxes that sell out in minutes in the PhatFiber Etsy shop. Last month I sent a roving to be given away on the PhatFiber blog to people who go to my shop and comment on what they like. Early returns are good, judging by the comments posted on the blog.

I'm so glad that people like my work! I just looked at my shop and I clearly need to dye some Andromeda Shades roving. I got way ahead and have stopped dyeing for a few weeks. I think I need to dye, photograph and list roving before I am wiped out!

In other day job news, the Professional Development workshop that I am facilitating is going very well, thank you!

Slammed: Pesky Day Job!

Several interesting things that are very likely blog fodder have been happening lately. Unfortunately my actual workload has been getting in the way of my updating this blog. I am facilitating a workshop next week for area teachers. It's all about the contributions of children in history, including Child Labor, Hence the lewis Hine photo of the young spinner. I'm just slammed getting ready for it and loving every minute. Reading, researching, writing, building the online part of the course, but it does not leave any time for the SmokyMountainFibers blog. I've thought about it, done a wee bit of interesting knitting, even taken pictures, but it just doesn't put itself up.

In a nutshell...

• I got my totally cool Phat Fiber box - great fibers!
• I won a contest and got a very cool prize.
• I'm spinning nifty yarn
• I'm knitting LOTS of hats (works well with the reading).
• Last night was Fiber Group night.
• The Etsy shop is Hoppin'
• I got featured in 2 Treasuries.
• The garden is growing every single day!
• I called a way fun dance with one of my favorite bands, House Red.

Wait, no wonder I don't have time to write about it!

Dyeing for BonBons

Last evening I spent a bit of time making up 'BonBons' the delectable little one-ounce rolls of hand dyed fiber that I sell in the local yarn shops. It's a great way for feltmakers to get a decent amount of hand dyed fiber in several colorways without a huge investment. I noticed that both my accounts were a bit low and my 'candy box' was a bit scanty as well. Taking a visual inventory (which means that I look in the box and say, 'huh, I need greens'), I look at my dyed fiber supply, pull the colors that I need and proceed to weigh, roll, tie and tag the fiber goodies. This usually results in another visual inventory, whereby I say, 'huh, I need greens' and decide what I need to dye next. Last evening - you guessed it - it was shades of green.

When I first started selling dyed fiber in Asheville HomeCrafts in the Grove Arcade, I wasn't sure how to package it. Roving balls were messy and got shopworn and separated from their tags. Also, needle felters didn't want 4 ounces and they far outnumber the spinners. So I hit on the bonbon idea. Take an ounce of fiber, roll it up like a cinnamon roll, tie it with pretty yarn and tag it. The finished product is 'gift wrapped.' I use both commercial and handspun yarns, taking a moment to select a contrasting yarn that looks good on the fiber.

This is a part of my fiber world that I really love. Creating beautiful things that are sold in a local business that then go home with visitors from all over. Some across town; others from across the world!

Phat Stripes Hat Free Pattern

This hat is easy to make and does a great job of showing off small amounts of hand spun, hand dyed yarns, particularly ones that you make from your Phat Fiber samples. Make your stripes subtle or wild, smooth or textured - what ever suits you! How ever you color it, you don't need a lot of yardage to make a great hat that looks good on women or men.

This pattern is written for bulky weight yarn (6-8 wraps per inch) and size 10 1/2 needles. You will need a total of about 65-75 yards. This hat fits an average adult, but can easily be sized up or down by casting on more or fewer stitches and adjusting your decreases. Experienced knitters can also adjust the number of cast on stitches to a finer gauge yarn and needles.

Materials:
Basic color (brim and top) - 30-35 yards of bulky weight yarn
Stripes - 3-4 stripes - 8-15 yards per stripe

Needles:
Size 10 1/2 (6.5 mm) 16" circular needle & one set of double pointed needles
Yarn needle; stitch marker

Gauge: 3 stitches per inch

Instructions:
With basic color, cast on 56 stitches. Join in a ring, being careful not to twist stitches.

Knit 3 rows.
Purl 1 row.
Knit 2 rows.

Attach Stripe #1. Knit 1 row.
Purl 1 row.
Knit 2-4 rows.

Attach Stripe #2. Knit 1 row.
Purl 1 row.
Knit 2-4 rows.

Attach Stripe #3. Knit 1 row.
Purl 1 row.
Knit 1-3 rows.

Reattach your basic color. Knit at least 1 row, or until the hat is 5 1/2-6 inches tall.

Begin decreases. Place a marker to show the end of the round.

Knit 5; Knit 2 together (K2T). Repeat around.
Knit around.
Knit 4; K2T. Repeat around.
Knit around.
Knit 3; K2T. Repeat around.
Knit around. Change to double pointed needles.
Knit 2; K2T. Repeat around.
Knit around.
Knit 1; K2T. Repeat around.
Knit around.
Knit 2 together. Repeat around.

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail. Thread yarn through stitches and weave in tail. Weave in all ends.

Variations:
Instead of the rolled brim, try a K2P2 ribbed cuff, using a size 10 (6mm) needle.
Keep adding stripes all the way to the top.

Yarn credits:
Base yarn & pink stripe hand dyed and hand spun by Smoky Mountain Fibers.
Orange stripe: Merino wool & SeaCell roving by Knit It Up (www.knit.etsy.com), color English Garden; plied with Smoky Mountain Fibers apricot handspun.
Teal Stripe: Breeze Merino and Bamboo roving by 1,000 petals (www.lotusjulie.etsy.com), color Hydra; plied with Smoky Mountain Fibers teal handspun.

Copyright 2009 by AnneMarie Walter for SmokyMountainFibers (www.smokymountainfibers.etsy.com) & Phat Fibers (www.phatfibers.com). You have my permission to make as many of these hats as you wish from this pattern. Sell them if you like; giva a few to charity. You may not sell this pattern, but you may link to it on Ravelry (I'm SmokyMtnFibers) or my blog, http:\\smokymountainfibers.blogspot.com/.