Keen on Green

I opened a tub in my studio in which I had crammed some items before we moved house. Out spilled wafts of colourful fibre I had dyed, then squished into that tub and forgotten about while we were so busy. Just like an early Christmas present!!

I got busy spinning straight away, so here is "Parsley" Handspun Yarn Accent Kit. If you would like some Parsley to garnish your next knitting project, it is available on our webstore, or etsy store.

!! In a Fibre Frenzy !!

I'm LOVING my new Majacraft wheel (introduced in a previous blog entry as "Elspeth"). Sleep seems to have gone out the window, with so many hours spent dyeing, spinning and knitting lately. When the inspiration comes, I go with it!!

NOT happy with the Majacraft plying bobbin set, though. In fact, I'm not using it due to the high irritation factor (doesn't creating irritation defeat the purpose of spinning??) and will take it back to be checked out. Too much slipping and sliding around of various bits, catching the yarn on the hooks...NOT HAPPY!

I've just listed this late night yarn in our etsy store and on our website. It is a Handspun Yarn Accent Kit, in Lavender & Rust colourway. Great for a knitted cap/beanie!!

Sock day

Today is a sock day! I picked up a skein of our 4 ply handpainted yarn in the "Country Fair" colourway, turned the brain power down to low, and started to knit a pair of very basic socks, making the pattern up as I go. I won't lose this knitting project around the house in a hurry - the colours call out for attention.

Lots of dyepot dabbling for customers too - What a great job, playing with colours every day! We use great quality colourfast dyes especially designed for wool and silk.

Australian customers who have been unable to get Kool Aid packets for their own dyepot adventures will be interested to know we have some in stock. Highly recommended for dyeing wool, highly UNRECOMMENDED (?) for drinking (personal opinion only, shudder...)

Slubby yarns and soft scarves...

I've been knitting up some of my handspun yarn into a scarf for my youngest, who NEVER likes to miss out on anything. It is not quite scarf weather outside, but always scarf weather inside at dressing up time!

I've had some enquiries from nervous new knitters who are unsure about knitting with single slubby handspun yarns, so I have popped a pattern up on our store pattern page, and it could find itself into the next issue of our free magazine "Spins & Needles" (available on our store website) to help new knitters along. Only around 100g of handspun yarn is needed; very easy, nothing to be scared of... These soft scarves won't hurt you!

This colourway is "Vintage" and was inspired by the literary tour of England I was so very lucky to be able to go on a while ago. The colours remind me of all of those centuries-old faded fabrics in the stately homes dotted everywhere around England. Gorgeous!

New Accent Kits!!

"Boysenberries and Lime" has now begun life as a yarn!















These new yarn combinations are the latest to join our line of handspun yarns. The accent kits will include a skein of our so, so soft handpainted and handspun yarn, along with one skein of our "accent" handspun yarn, which has sari silk or other special highlights to increase the "bling"content in your knitting or fibre projects!

These accent kits are just what you knitters need to create unique Christmas gifts for the special people in your life, wouldn't you agree??

Perhaps a striking knitted cap or beanie, or a soft and sensuous scarf...Mmmm.

Boysenberries and Lime is on sale now in our etsy store. Keep your eyes peeled - more colourways and kits to come soon!

Boysenberries and lime

I've been sewing this gorgeous fabric into a few items for a lovely customer, and got thinking..."What about some yarn to match?" Pull out your sunglasses, folks, here is... Boysenberries and Lime! I'll post up some pics of the yarn once it comes off the wheel.

Of houses and grandmothers...

Did I mention that I LOVE our new/old house?

It is a grandmother's sort of house, very old, rambling, creaky and homey. Not flash and new, so that we can live without anxiety about ruining carpets or dinging woodwork.

I have been granted a "studio" in this big old house - my husband's idea. LUCKY, LUCKY ME!!!!! Or perhaps lucky, lucky husband, as he now can move from room to room without jumping/tripping/wading over/around/through fibre, spinning wheels, art easels, knitting needles, dyepots, books...you get the idea. I have a talent in that I can cover low, mid and high level horizontal surfaces with craft materials in world record time. It's all useful stuff, though.

Some of the projects on the to-do list, hidden away in the studio. Two antique chairs for recovering - after we bought this "grandmother's house" I popped on to eBay for some "grandmother's chairs". One is destined to be my new/old spinning chair. Note the old carpet - my house as a child had this style of carpet (didn't everyone's?) and we used to jump from flower to flower.

Some of my oil paintings-in-progress. Short attention span means many partly completed paintings and/or other projects. So many great things to do before we leave this earth. A woman can never have enough hobbies!!!!

Dye-potting

Lots of late night dabbling in the dyepot!

"Smokey Rose" merino top (ooh, I like it!) and "Rainforest Floor," which has been handspun for a lovely customer.

Here is a little pic of "Elspeth" doing her thing!

and soaking the yarn to set the twist.

Very hot today at 37 degrees C, with tomorrow predicted to be hotter! Spring only lasted 10 minutes and we're straight into summer! So to end the school holidays, I've been helping my daughter learn how to spin on an old Ashford Traditional wheel. She's just starting to get the knack of it, and her first skein is soaking ready to set the twist, and then take to school on Monday for news!

Silk and Roses

We recently moved house and have inherited a GORGEOUS garden. The scent of roses fills the air and flows through open windows into our house. Aaah, spring!

I've been spinning full pelt on my new Majacraft Susie wheel, which has been affectionately named "Elspeth". Elspeth and I will treadle many miles in the years to come, and I love her. We are getting on like a house on fire.

The first yarn to come off Elspeth is this merino/silk plied yarn using 22 micron merino top and silk cap. The silk fibre in these caps is so STRONG. Amazing little creatures, the silkworm caterpillars. Who would have thought...















This yarn is so, so soft and drapes beautifully. I have taken a close up so you can see the shine of the silk. I have plans to dye it, but want to put some thought in to it first, and think I'll spin about 400g - this skein weighs 100g. Perhaps I'll use the rose garden as inspiration for the colourway...

Blogging on...

Blogging on...

Welcome to the first entry for That Spinning Place in blogland.

We've been busy starting our webstore, publishing two issues of our FREE online magazine available through our webstore and...moving house! Time now to put feet to the double treadle and spin some lovely inspiring yarns.

Spring has certainly arrived here in Sydney, so we're listing our "Spring Silk" handspun yarn made with so, so soft Australian merino wool, and luscious and lustrous tussah silk. Available from HERE or our etsy store.

Now, back to the wheel...