So its been brought to my attention that people actually read this. Imagine my shock! Heheh. Sorry I’ve been so distracted gang. I’m in the process of getting ready for my first ever fiber fest. I’ll be  vending at the Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fest April 15th and 16th and whoooo I’m a wreck! For the most part I feel pretty good about what I have to offer, but that doesn’t stop me from being nervous about showing people, in person, my art and attempting to inspire theirs. Weeeeeeeee!!!

To give you an idea, here’s what is currently listed on the store, and will be coming down to go with me to the fest (there’s a third full arm on the back).

Here’s what I have that’s ready to be added, but isn’t yet on the shop. Some of it may be listed before hand, but most likely not all of it.

Here’s what I currently have dyed and drying.

And HERE is what I still have left to dye.

Whhhhooof.

Originally published at Natural Obsessions Fiber. Please leave any comments there.

Usually on Monday I do a yummy Monday post where I point you to things I’ve found, window shopping, that I think are super cool. Often in hopes that one of you lovely folks will buy those things so they no longer tempt me. Sometimes it even works.

But today, I’ve been too busy working with yarn to go window shopping. Startling I know. So here’s a few pics of something I finished, and something I’m still working on.

This is the Phoenix Trip Scarf and I think its just the coolest thing ever. Its basically the My So Called Scarf but I added a 3 stitch i-cord to the edge.

I really like the way it looks, but the real glee kicked in as I got several inches into it, and noticed the yarn was naturally argyling. Can you see that? That picture is the front, and here’s the back.

Since the pattern is basically an endless repeat of two rows, this “pooling” was what kept me interested enough to get all the way through the entire scarf. It makes me giggle every time I look at it.

What I’m working on is Eire silk. This is mulberry silk top that I dyed for the shop, then immediately stole one 4 ounce braid for myself.

I’ve decided to go with laceweight singles and have gotten all the way thru the whole 4 ounces.

This is 583 yards worth of luscious laceweight. As I was spinning it two of the other braids sold. So I decided to steal the last one! Then I get the joy of deciding what to do with 1100 to 1200 yards of this gorgeous stuff.

Originally published at Natural Obsessions Fiber. Please leave any comments there.

Winter is hard for many people. Places where its cold and gray for months at a time can be difficult to cope with. I’m fortunate in that I live in a place where much of winter is still bright and sunny. Even so, dealing with a low level of cold all the time can get wearying. Fortunately I have a wonderful coping mechanism.

I have color.

Bold and bright. Soft and shimmering. Gentle and subtle. Color and texture enough to wrap myself in, before resurfacing to a world that can feel inhospitable and mean. And then I get to share it with you. Maybe winter’s not so bad after all.

P.S. There’s a 30% off sale going on over at the store. Happy Birthday to Me!

Originally published at Natural Obsessions Fiber. Please leave any comments there.

Yay its warmer today. This Texan has real issues with it being too cold, and no matter how much I knit, I still feel cold. We had 3 or 4 days worth of sub-freezing temps, but today its been up in the 60s and I’m much happier. So much so, I went window shopping!

Pretty pretty yarn, and lots of it!

This is Seafoam Merino Laceweight from Waterloo Wools. A gorgeous 950 yards can make a whole lot of pretty!

Here’s a pretty and delicate white lace shawl from Madeline’s Wardrobe and anyone who knits lace knows this is a steal at twice the price.

I don’t felt but I will one day. And when I do, I hope I can learn to make hats like this. How cool is this Wool Cloche by Serendipity’s Touch, made out of recycled wool.

Gotta love inspiration of all kinds, in all shapes and colors. Have a great week!

Originally published at Natural Obsessions Fiber. Please leave any comments there.

I usually try to get this up earlier in the day, but today, I’m still recovering from being sickly, so have been sleeping a lot. But just the same, here are some cool things for you to take a look at. Inspiration and beauty!

Here we have a very cool handmade night light! A light bright in the darkness can go a long way.

This is Water Carrier Night Light by Going to Seed. Hand cut and mounted with a lovely sense of light and shadow.

How cool is this??? This is Lightening Strike Ginko by Ricks Wood Art. I’d LOVE to display brightly colored squishy yarn in a bowl like this. And there’s lots of other pretty pieces in the shop as well.

I love jewelry, although I don’t wear much of it. I might make the effort for these custom made stackable rings though.

Sterling, Brass, Copper Rustin Stacking Rings made just for you by Claychic.

This one is a bit different as  I found it via Blog Post by Nelkin Designs but its such a cool idea I had to share it. She talks about using conductive wire in knitting a pair of gloves, to make a pair of gloves you can use with a smart phone without freezing your fingers. Take a look at her blog post to see what I mean. And I gotta wonder what else could I use wire like that for. Whatcha think?

Originally published at Natural Obsessions Fiber. Please leave any comments there.

As I mentioned in my last post, my new wheel is here! This is the Sequoia Spinning Wheel and let me tell you, this thing is built like a brick wall. It feels more like a piece of furniture than anything else, and a really sturdy one. And yet it has silky smooth action. Gorgeous! But that’s not the only great thing I have to say. I also have to give big big props to the guys who made it and shipped it cause this has to have been one of the easiest to deal with assemblies I’ve ever had.

Here’s everything unpacked.

Right away I was in love with the look of it all. I’d already seen from the pictures on the website that they finished the wood to show off the grain but to see it myself, in my floor, just thrilled me. Beautiful!

But look closer…

Call me silly, but I felt true joy at seeing everything so carefully labeled and identified. Having put way too many things together with nothing to go on but diagrams, this was another deep thrill. See the orange cd at the bottom? That’s actually a DVD with a video on it to walk you through, step by step, assembling your new wheel. I’m pretty good at putting stuff together, but it still made me feel safe and secure to have it so carefully instructed.

In about 15 minutes I had this!

Look at that beauty! This is definitely a male wheel, and apparently he’s a biker, cause his name appears to be Wheel. At first I assumed that was just a short term reference, but nope. If a spinning wheel were a motorcycle riding, mechanically inclined, tattooed, beer loving wheel, it would be this one. So Wheel it is!

And that has nothing to do with the shape of the madien/oriface hook/wip gauge. I swear.

I will say that I quickly found I had to sit in an actual chair to use this wheel. Its tall enough that people with shorter legs than mine will be thrilled, but I had to make some adjustments to use it comfortably. No more spinning on the couch, and I wind up taking a bit more floor space than usual cause I have to push it further away from me to not feel cramped. But that’s actually better for my posture than the way I usually spin anyway so that’s a perk.

As I spun I was extremely happy with how everything worked so smoothly and looked so lovely.

I’m known for rocking wheels, I treadle hard and fast, and most wheels will scoot across the floor over time. Not this guy. Steady as a rock.

Took no time at all before I’d spun up 2 bobbins of approximately 2 ounces each. This is Silken Skies Merino Silk (the shop has the same colorway in Merino/Tencel right now) a blend which is always beautifully behaved.

I didn’t bother with letting the singles rest and dove right into plying.

The lazy kate on the back of the wheel has its own brake band to make a tensioned kate, but I found that the drag of pulling the singles through the base created plenty of drag for me.  Super quick, lickty split, I had yarn!

Somewhat under plied, but I tend to have that issue, and I wasn’t really paying attention to my spinning while I was getting used to Wheel. But I’m tickled just the same!  307 yards of light fingering weight or so. And full of glee! I’m pondering spinning some Eire Mulberry Silk next. Perhaps as laceweight singles? So many ideas!

Suffice to say that I would heartily recommend this wheel both for beginners and more experienced spinners. Right now the fastest whorl they have is 14:1, but they take custom orders for faster if you want. And I think they are working on a standard faster ratio as well. I also purchased the bulky flyer and bobbin extenders (instead of having to get a whole new set of bobbins they sell extenders for your normal bobbins to increase how much they will hold) but haven’t used it yet. I do ADORE the fact that because the whorls are seperate from the bobbins and the flyers, you can easily use the fastest ratio with the bulky flyer. That’s what I’ll be doing with the silk.

Oh! Also yesterday I got my fabric swatches in the mail.

For those who haven’t heard about this, I’ve been contacted by a local lady who is getting married in April and wants me to DYE HER WEDDING DRESS! I am intrigued, excited and terrified all at the same time! But now I have a bunch of swatches out of the fabrics her dress is made out of and will be testing dye methods to see what gets the effect she wants, with maintaining the lovelyness of the fabric. The fact that I’ll be dyeing the finished garment may make things a big awkward, so I’m also going to test steam sources for setting the dye. Scary! Exciting! Wish me luck!

Originally published at Natural Obsessions Fiber. Please leave any comments there.

I love showing off pretty things! Don’t we all? Some of today’s pretty things are extra extra special to me. So lets get started!

Oh man this is gorgeousness personified (or fiberfied?).  Mohair is one of those wools that gets a bad rap due to too many people using it for things its not really suited for. No, most mohair is not something you want to wear against tender skin. But used as outer wear, its got a natural shine and halo that just cannot be beat. And when it looks like this? How can you go wrong!

This is Deep Sleep Kid Mohair by Julie Spins. Needless to say I am in total fiber lust with these colors. Twitchy finger inducing for sure.

Many of us are in parts of the world that are terribly cold today. Things to wrap our chilly selves up in look especially appealing. Like this lovely Wooly Blush Shawl by Butterfly Forge.

One of the things that pleases me so deeply about my business is the collaboration factor. Playing with and dyeing fiber definitely feeds my love of texture and color but what nourishes me is seeing my art used in the art of others, and creating with fiber means there are so many different stages where people can join in. This is perfect example.

Wizard Howl by BuenaSuerte is handspun with one ply of silk dyed by me and one ply of wool dyed by her, to create gorgeous lovelyness that someone ELSE can get take and knit or crochet into even more beauty. It just builds on itself in a wonderful way.

And along that same line, I got a new toy today! I haven’t even opened the box yet because I wanted to get this post up first. I suspect the rest of my day will be involved with this.

It doesn’t look like much. But in reality its a Sequoia Spinning Wheel in disguise! There will no doubt be pictures and gushing later. If you’re on Twitter follow me at @natrlobsessions or on Facebook at Natural Obsessions to play along!

Originally published at Natural Obsessions Fiber. Please leave any comments there.

So! Since so much energy has gone into the website there isn’t as much knitting or spinning to show as there normally would be. But that doesn’t mean I have absolutely nothing.

Here is a pair of gloves I finished just last week. They match the Phoenix Trip I made for Reesa Brown last summer.

The pattern is Birnam Gloves (Ravelry link) that I modified into being elbow length gauntlets as you can tell in the picture.

The yarn is my favorite 50/50 Merino Silk laceweight. I’ve knit many projects out of this yarn and it never fails to please me immensely. It takes color like a dream, works up wonderfully, and is just all around a most perfect yarn.

I still have enough yarn left over to make a scarf, so once it’s all said and done, Reesa will have a scarf, gloves and shawl all in the same colorway. And it looks great!

Feel free to share what you’re working on, or links to what you’re working on, in the comments. We all wanna see!

Oh You Guys!!

So it’s been FOREVER since I blogged. I kept meaning to, but there wasn’t often anything new to say, so I didn’t. I’ve been hyper-focused, obsessed, brain-eaten, by this website. Trying to get it up and working, in constant communication (probably to her dismay) with my web designer, fidgeting, fiddling, tweaking. Getting one thing fixed and behaving only to find more things to work on. Such is life!

But NOW, I’m very happy to announce, here it is! This obviously is the new blog, but up top, on the right hand side where it says “Home”? That’s the new STORE! And I LOVE it! I am so totally enthralled and in love with it. It’s clean and crisp and totally shows off all the color that I do so love to create.

After you’re done reading this, do me a favor. Got to the store and wander around. Take a look at the pictures. Note how the layout works for you. See if there is anything you want to find that you have a hard time finding. Go ahead and register if you want, it’s free and easy and makes it easier for you to shop later. *hint hint*

Note, on the product listings, you can click on a picture and it should open a popup with a lovely larger image of the fiber you’re looking at. Look in the upper right hand corner of that popup and click it (you may have to click it twice in some browsers). Did you gasp? Or at least smile? I want at least a smile.

We can’t really post tactile sensation online just yet (I bet we will someday!) so for now, we have to make do with pictures that look so nice and crisp and clear that you can easily imagine how the fiber would feel. Did I manage that for you?

Then please, even if you don’t buy anything (or maybe especially if you don’t buy anything) come back here. Leave me a little comment. Tell me what you think. Both the designer and I could use a little back patting after the long hard months of fighting with this thing. And if you find anything broken or acting oddly, PLEASE let me know that as well.

Next Monday, each individual who comments here will be entered into a drawing and the winner will get a free gift! I haven’t decided what it will be yet but it’ll be worth at least $20. How’s that? Just make sure I can contact you if you win!

This is how I show my love and joy to the world. I want it to look as spiffy as possible. Happy Art!