Ever Lose Your Count???

Just wanted to share with you all... the new digital stitch or row counters that I have for sale in my Etsy shop...

If you are anything like me, you know what its like to be keeping track of your project on a little slip of paper... then all of a sudden, the little paper is gone... and now what??? 

Every time... I always manage to lose my little paper... and then have to try and count the rows.. its not so terrible if its only stockinette... but when you start talking about a lace shawl or something... that is a horrible ordeal.

These little devices make life so much easier... they sit right on your finger (for me, completely out of the way) and every time I knit or crochet a row, I just tap the center button with my thumb... 

After a little bit, they go into a "sleep" type mode... but all you have to do is tap the center button, and tah-dah... right back where you left off... and to reset, just hit the smaller little button.

A Standard AG10 1.5v button cell battery is used... so when you wear it out, just unscrew the back and replace it with a new one :)

They are completely digital... count from 0 - 99999... and with the adjustable band can be tightened or loosened with not issue.

Here are the six colors that I have available:

Red

Hot Pink

Lime Green

Aqua Blue

Purple

And Black...

It is pretty difficult to pick a favorite... and everyday, mine changes... at the moment, I am torn between the aqua blue and the lime green :)

If you are interested in one, I have them for sale on my Etsy shop for $3.95 plus shipping (and as always, shipping overages are promptly refunded)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TwinMommyCreations

3GWOODWRKS Drop Spindles...

About two weeks ago, I was "trolling" Etsy just looking at all the pretties, when I came across this amazing Banksia Pod Mini Drop Spindle...

I really wanted it... and it was only $12.50... once I started looking at the site, I realized that you could order three custom spindles and get one free... so you mean to tell me that I can get 4... yes 4, mini spindles for $37.50???

Heck Yes... I contacted the shop owner, Gary, and asked him what I needed to do... talk about easy... just let him know what woods I want for the whorl, and if I want a dark or light colored shaft...

He didn't ask for any money up front... after a couple days, I had a message with some pictures of the spindles... All I had to do was pay for three of the custom listings ($12.50) each, and he would send me all four spindles.

Monday, a package arrived at work... and there they were... four little spindles... they are right around 5" in length, and have a 1 1/2" whorl... I know that your thinking that they are too small to really use for anything... but let me tell you, they are the perfect size to toss into your purse or diaper bag with a little bit of fiber... and they will surely keep you busy at your next doctor's appointment :)

I ordered:

--> Banksia Pod with Dark Shaft

--> Spalted Tamarind with Dark Shaft

--> Aromatic Cedar with Light Shaft

--> Maple Burl with Light Shaft

Obviously I had to get the Banksia Pod... I was a little conflicted about which other ones to pick though... I have been watching the show "Filthy Riches" on National Geographic... and some of the guys hunt for Burl... so I just had to get the Maple Burl.

Okay, you have waited long enough... Here are the pretties :)

See that Banksia Pod in the front :)

Aromatic Cedar on the Left... and Banksia Pod on the Right

Spalted Tamarind on the Left and Maple Burl on the Right

Aren't they pretty???

If you are interested in some gorgeous spindles... that are not going to break the bank... give Gary a try... He's Awesome :)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/3gwoodworks

Bees in the Tree...

A couple weeks ago, I noticed some kids in the neighborhood throwing rocks at the base of my neighbors tree... At first I was sort of pissed that they were trying to hit a squirrel or something... then the kids took off running down the street, and I realized that there were tons of bees coming out of the base of the tree.

I didn't really think much about it, I just don't want them getting in our trees... and definitely not the house.

Well, when I came home last night... the tree was in a pile by the roadside... apparently the neighbors knew that there were bees in the base, and decided that it had to go... Only problem is that the bees are now everywhere... last night wasn't too bad... but this morning was a whole different story.

Since they are more active during the day... they were out in full swing buzzing all over the place... I just had to creep over and get some pictures...

Its an Oak Tree... and about 7 to 8 feet in diameter.

You can see the bee damage at the bottom, but also on the left side of the picture... 

Look at them all

And one more...

I just hope that they get a beekeeper... and that the bees aren't out looking for a new place to live... oh and that no one gets stung and ends up in the hospital.

I got about 10 feet from the hive without any issue... there was one little "guy" who came over to see what I was doing... guess Ill see what happened when I get home :)

Spinning a Dog :)

A while ago... who am I lying too... its been almost a year... there was this super nice lady in California who sent me about 3 lbs of Samoyed fur. For those of you who don't know what a Samoyed is (because I didn't)... it is a furry, beautiful white dog :)

Here is the actual picture of Miss Abby:

Isn't she pretty!!!

The owner, Martha, wanted to know if I could make something small to go in her cabin, to remind her of Abby... So, I finally opened up the package this past weekend and started washing the fiber.

For the most part, the fiber is pretty white and smells like a dog... I wasn't even sure if I would need to wash it first... a lot of times if you wash it first, you can felt it and then the fiber either can not be spun, or is a challenge to spin... Luckily, I have some practice, so nothing came out felted... and it was WAY whiter and cleaner :)

Washed and drying Samoyed Fiber

I decided that I didn't want to have to prep the fiber... because it is so soft and wispy, that the fur starts flying around and getting onto everything... since we don't keep animals in the house and some people have allergies, I don't want to have any issues down the road... so I started spinning right from the cloud...

On a drop spindle of course, lol.

Here is the single that is started

I'm not sure what I want to make for Martha yet... but I know that whatever it is, she will love and cherish it... She also has a 12/13 year old niece who is a little sad that she got rid of the fiber, so I would like to make something for her to carry with her... 

I will definitely keep you all up to date on how the project is going and what I end up sending to Martha :)

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Second Patriotism Yarn is starting to come together in my mind... I am going to start working on the Art Yarn next... I cant divulge all the secrets yet... but this is the beginning...

Some "Horse Tail" Tatted Art Yarn Accents with Beads

I am planning on spinning in some of the tatted accents with beads for extra "bling"... Guess you will just have to wait and see what happens, lol :)

June Challenge - Patriotism - Traditional Yarn - DONE :) - Plus some Art Yarn, lol

I finished the first June Patriotism Challenge yarn last night... I even got it washed and dried... so I feel pretty accomplished at the moment (although there is so much that still needs to be done, lol).

The yarn ended up being a worsted weight and 245 yards :)

Skeined (cell phone pic)

Pre-wash (cell phone pic)

And look at that...

I absolutely love how it turned out... the whole time I was spinning it, I was pretty upset and was hating the outcome... but now I have a totally different opinion... I freaking love it...

Its not the softest yarn... but its not that bad... I think it would make a killer hat or some sweet fingerless mitts!!!

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I also forgot that I signed up for a Art Yarn spin-a-long and knit-a-long... 

Here is the Batt I will be spinning from... it came from Carrie at Unraveled Designs :)

Skeined and waiting to be washed (cell phone pic)

Is it bath time yet??? (cell phone pic)

And look at that... I once again am in LOVE!!!

I ended up with a thick-thin yarn that measured around 65 yards... so the perfect amount that is needed to the KAL... I cant wait to see how it turns out.

I'm not sure of the fiber content of the batt... but I could tell that there were Suri Locks, Merino, and Firestar in it... and I plied the yarn with a Cotton/Poly Thread :)

June Challenge - Patriotism - Traditional Update #1

Remember that Red, White, and Blue roving from about a week ago??? Well, I started spinning it this weekend, and got surprisingly more than I thought done :)

Originally this was going to be a single spun yarn... but of course I changed my mind mid way... so I had to sign up for the traditional challenge also, lol.

I would like to apologize in advance for the horrible cell phone picture/s (my battery was dyeing, so I couldn't use the flash for the first one)

Both bobbins full of singles... this is the whole roving spun up

And here is the yarn so far... I'm not sure what I think of it yet... but hopefully when its done, Ill love it :)

The fiber is 56's Domestic... which is basically a mix of different breeds from the US that are commercially made into roving... I would call this more of a medium wool... but it was super easy to spin (and fast).

Hopefully I will be able to get the yarn completely plied, washed, and hung to dry tonight... and then we will get to see how it really looks...

I also managed to get a trip into a local sheep farm this weekend (a little under 2 hours away) to pick up some fiber... and the boys got to see the sheep and goats... they also decided that they were goats and climbed all over the structures, lol.

When I got home, I washed up three of the lamb fleeces... some were from animals that passed away, way too young... 

Lamb Fleece... 

They are all super soft... but the staple length is about 1"... so it will be a little bit of a challenge to prepare... but its all a learning experience :)

Phat Fiber Samples - June 2014

This month for Phat Fiber... the theme is "Birds of a Feather"... so I figured why not add some feathers :)

I ended up doing rolag samples, as well as stitch markers... the rolags are called "Tail Feather" and the stitch markers are called "Hummingbird Migration"

"Tail Feathers" - Falkland, Silk Noil, Angelina, and Peacock Feathers

Yes, that is right, Peacock Feathers... they are ones that were collected from dropped tail feathers and then sterilized... I added them right to the blending board.

Here is a sample of what the yarn might look like spun up... see the shining of the feather at the top :)

Now, like I said, there are also stitch markers... 

"Hummingbird Migration" Stitch Markers

These are fun little hummingbirds... they are a mix of blues and shimmering silver... and each one has a little seed bead for the eye :)

The first set of each have been listed on my Etsy store... there will be more listed over the next couple of weeks... and the Phat Fiber Sample Boxes go on sale June 21st :)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/twinmommycreations