Cookie Monster Single and Fiber Storage

I just finished spinning the Cookie Monster batt into a single. I haven't decided if I'm going to ply it yet. I'm guessing I probably will, but I need to see the yardage first.


When I took pictures of all my fiber for Friday's post I made sure everything was stored in it's own bag and labeled. I'm hoping the plastic bags are ok. It seems like the fiber might need to breathe.

Anyone have any advice on storing fiber long term?

Kid 'n Ewe: The Fiber

I did the best I could to tell you about Kid 'n Ewe without pictures. Now it's time to share all my loot, starting with the fiber.


I always make a full sweep of all the vendors before I purchase anything. When I finished my first round, I made a beeline back to Butterfly Girl Designs to get one of her sparkly novelty batts. I'm excited about novelty spinning after reading Intertwined.

The owner (and I don't remember her real name) said this particular batt almost didn't make it to the show. She almost kept it for herself, because it was so pretty. She had a lot of beautiful batts, and I wish I had been able to take pictures. It wasn't an easy choice.

Some had sequins and some didn't. She said we can always just not use the sequins if we want, but I intend to use them. She recommends taking a few sequins off the ends and just spinning them in.

The batt contains 3.5 ounces of Superwash Merino, Bamboo, Merino, Tencel and Angelica.


I bought some good stuff from Rosewood Yarns. They had a booth at the show. This is 4 ounces of naturally colored llama from BR Llama Ranch. (I can't find the ranch online.) The Llama is named "Junior." I think I may spin this on Mom's wheel for more practice.


I also got a couple of silk hankies from Rosewood Yarns. After getting one from Yarnorama, I decided to buy another. Actually, I got two and gave one to Mom as a gift. These were dyed by TexScape Fibers.


Remember my Cookie Monster batt? I've made pretty good progress on it. The batt consisted one ounce of 70% Superwash Merino and 30% Tencel.

Well, I bought another batt from Spinning Straw Into Gold:


This is another one ounce batt, but this one is 100% tussah silk. I decided this shade of mossy green would look good on me. They had stacks of batts in a rainbow of colors, some in the merino-tencel blend and some in tussah silk. I had to get one of each.


It was one of the ladies at The Weavery at Indian Meridian that put it into my head that 4 ounces was enough for a worsted weight hat. (Well, 3-4 ounces.) I wanted a "hat" amount of this roving, enough for a decent size skein of worsted weight yarn, probably with two with plies.

This is four ounces of Merino/Tussah Silk roving from Ashland Bay in "Concord". They had so many pretty heathered colors, many in shades of purple, that I had a hard time deciding which one to get.

I'm not sure if I'll actually make a hat, but it's a good guess.


After I spun the bamboo sample I got last year, I knew I was ready for more bamboo. In fact, I'd like to make a lacy scarf like Strangling Vine.

I've noticed that I seem to have a fair amount of pink in my wardrobe, so I got four ounces of bamboo roving in "Raspberry" from Fiberlady. It should be plenty for a scarf or a small shawl or stole. I'm thinking about spinning fingering to lace weight yarn from this roving.


I also got some hand-dyed flax and hemp from Fiberlady. They had it in open boxes where you could pick as much or as little as you wanted in whatever color you wanted. The one on the left is flax, and the one one the right is hemp. I got just enough to try them out.


This was my last purchase of the day. I decided I needed a little more novelty, so I bought two ounces of sparkly nylon top from Kai Mohair. The label says green, but it looks like what the Ashland Bay website calls "tropic". It looks like a mix of green and red to me, something that would be great for sparkly Christmas yarn.


Like last year, there was an entire building dedicated to Alpacas. I couldn't leave without some Alpaca Roving, and I finally got four ounces from Cibolo Creek Alapcas. I got white, and I think I may try to dye it myself.


Heritage Arts had a nice variety of fibers, and I couldn't leave without a couple of samples.

This is two ounces of bombyx silk. This is the only bombyx silk I bought. The rest of the silk I bought was tussah silk. Bombyx is smoother and more luxurious than tussah silk. (Although tussah silk is still very nice.) I learned all about the types of silk when I took a class with Amy Singer. There are some good explanations here and here if you want to learn more.


I also got just one ounce of Ingeo from Heritage Arts, just enough to try it out. Ingeo is a corn-based fiber.


This isn't fiber, but it belongs here. This is a little Wraps Per Inch tool from Hokett Would Work. This was the same person who made my drop spindle. They came in all sorts of wood, and I tried to pick one that matched my spindle.


Finally, for my parting shot, I have to share my "yarn barf." After the ladies at heritage arts let me use their wheels, one of them gave me the little piece of yarn I spun. I think I'll add it to my recycled yarn ball.

Tuesday Tens: Ten vignettes from Kid 'n Ewe that don't have pictures to go with them

Friday night I spent the night with my parents so I'd be closer to Boerne for Kid 'n Ewe in the morning. Saturday morning I realized I'd left my camera in my apartment. I borrowed my parents' camera, but when I got to Boerne, I realized the battery was dead. I contemplated going to find some fun saver cameras at a gas station. In the end, I decided to save time and money and just enjoy my time at Kid 'N Ewe experience without stressing about taking pictures.

So I don't have pictures, (the one above is just of my loot), but I do have some stories. Here are ten "vignettes" from Kid 'n Ewe.

1. The ladies from Heritage Arts were awesome! They had several spinning wheels in their area, and they let me try them all. They were very friendly and helpful. If I had my camera, it would have been easier to keep track of the different wheels. I know I didn't care for the itty bitty wheels. I was really hunched over on one of them. They said tall people don't like the little ones, but it doesn't get much shorter than me. I guess you have to learn to lean back. Ultimately, I liked the Ashford that looked like my Mom's. I'm about 90% sure it was an Elizabeth. The difference was this one had a Scotch tension system instead of a double drive like my Mom's Ashford. (The group from Heritage Arts explained the difference.) I think I may be an Ashford person, but I'm not certain at this point.

2. Speaking of wheels, Wyatt Wheels was there. I got to try their wheels as well. I could see myself with a Wyatt Wheel. (Although I couldn't see myself paying for one.) I also got to try one of their Charka wheels. The Charka had a big spindle on the side. After spinning for a while, you have to wind the yarn back on the spindle. However, it takes less time than a drop spindle, because you have more control of the wheel with the hand crank.

3. I also tried the Schacht Ladybug. The Weavery at Indian Meridian had one. I asked if I could try it. I didn't realize that it had been sold, but the lady who bought it let me try it anyway. (Thank you random person for letting me try your brand new Ladybug.) It was ok, but I think I'm more of a single treadle person.

4. I heard an alpaca crying. Well, maybe. It didn't look distressed. It was eating hay and hanging out, but making this sort of "maaa" sound as it ate. It was weird. (You had to be there.)

5. Hokett Would Work was back, and they had mini loom kits for sale. They were the perfect size for making potholders, and the kits included all the tools, some yarn and instructions. They had some of the individual looms fancier wood, but Hokett said he made the ones in the kits with a less expensive wood so people could get everything they need at an affordable price. I'm tempted to get one. (Hokett doesn't have a website, but you can e-mail him to ask about ordering.)

6. Hill Country Alpacas was back. I bought another skein of their yarn. This one was from "Escondidos Shadow," and it was lighter in color. I may mix it with the yarn from Stonewall Jaxon, or I might not. (Or I may keep buying a skein every year until I can make an entire blanket or sweater.)

7. I wish I had taken notes when I stopped by Buffalo Gold. They explained how they got the fiber. (They don't shear the bison. It involves an enzyme bath of some sort to remove the fur from the hides. The hides are leftover from getting the bison for their meat.) They also invited me to join The Herd on Ravelry.

8. I saw some fiber dyed with real Indigo. I didn't actually do it, but I got to see the finished product. I may pay to do it myself if they offer it next year.

9. This year I avoided raw fleece. Last year I had this thing against roving for some odd reason. I wanted to make rolags instead. Now I know that I like roving. It's my friend. (And I don't have to worry about preparing it.)

10. I learned an important lesson about fiber. After getting to touch and feel all the fiber, I realize how much the dyeing process can affect the feel of the fiber. In several instances the dyed fiber was much courser, and seemed a little felted. (Or in the case some plant fibers, just stuck together.) I now realize how much fiber can vary, even if it's coming from the same type of plant and animal.

Tuesday Tens: Ten Vendors I Am Looking Foward To Visiting at Kid 'N Ewe

Kid 'n Ewe is coming up in November, and I can't wait. I've been saving my money. Last year I didn't buy much fiber because I didn't know how to spin. Now that I know how to spin, watch out!

Here are 10 vendors I'm looking forward to visiting.


1. FiberLady - Now that I've spun some bamboo, I'm ready for more.


2. Hokett Would Work - I bought my drop spindle there last year. They don't have a website, so it's hard to find Jim Hokett's stuff elsewhere. It may be time for a nice WPI tool.

3. Perfect Buttons - They sell dichroic glass buttons. I love dichroic glass.

4. Lynn's Texas Fiber - The website has a nice selection of roving. Mmmmm....roving.

5. Donlee Acres - They get a lot of their fiber from their own animals.

6. Fire Ant Ranch - Here's some more locally grown fiber.


7. Buffalo Gold - I probably can't afford the yarn, but now that I can spin, I might get a little sample of fiber for spinning.

8. Rosewood Yarns - They're right there in Boerne, so I may go visit the store itself. If I remember correctly, they had a nice selection at the show.

9. Spinning Straw Into Gold - The website focuses a lot on spinning your pet's fur. I'm interested in seeing what they have at the show.


10. Brooks Farm - I've been focusing on spinning, but there's one vendor I know I'll buy yarn from. Now that I know how awesome they are, I may buy a sweater's worth of yarn. They have affordable, quality yarn.

Kid n' Ewe (and Llamas Too) 2007

It had been ages since I'd been to Kid n' Ewe (and Llamas Too). (They spell it "Lamas," but that just doesn't seem right.) I went once with my Mom when I was in college. I wasn't into my knitting at that point, but I still enjoyed it. Now that I've gotten back into, it was a whole new experience.

Last Saturday (I know, I'm just getting around to blogging about it) I got on the road to Boerne, Texas at 10:30-ish. I didn't get there until about 12:30, but I think it was worth it to be well rested. I debated taking a class (Sandra Singh actually invited me to take a dyeing class with her at 9 a.m., but I would have had to get up at 6 a.m. to make it there in time.) I actually brought my acrylic collection in case I decided to take a freeform knitting class. Ultimately, I decided to spend the day just wandering.

I decided that I was going to see every booth before I bought anything. This bison yarn (yak yarn?) from Buffalo Gold was tempting, but expensive. I think this skein was in the $60 range. (The sign is advertising the tiny little samples of pure fiber.) Ultimately, I'm glad I resisted. I wouldn't have had any money left for anything else.








Originally, I was going to go with the group from Meetup, but not enough people responded to get enough money for a van. However, I still managed to run into a bunch of people I know from Meetup and other knitting groups. It was like we had planned it, although we didn't.

Anyway, I ran into Suna, who was wearing the Surplice Lace Top I'm dying to make. So I had to take a picture.














Jojoland had a lot of great patterns, including this one for the Whirly Gig blanket. I'm not much for buying pattern these days, but I bought this one.










I deserve a medal for not coming home with an Angora rabbit. But at least I got to pet one. (There were more for sale outside. Poor guys looked hot.)




















I got to pet the alpacas too. They had an entire room dedicated to alpaca fiber this year. It was good timing, because Jules was excited about his alpaca scarf, and now I have some good pictures of actual alpacas to show him. (A few days before the show, Jules told me he didn't realize that alpacas were animals.)

So I'm confused about Suri alpaca now. If it's so much smoother than regular alpaca, how come Suri alpaca yarn is always so fluffy? (See this yarn and this yarn.) It must be the brushing.


This is the judging of the Cashmere goat show. I got to pet one of these too (although it wasn't one in the show.)

At one of my knitting groups we starting talking about Cashmere, and realized none of us really knew much about it. Now I got it. They are called Cashmere goats because the are from Cashmere (or Kashmir?) They are sheared for the most part. (Small time owners may brush the fiber out by hand.) The reason it's so expensive is because of the amount time it takes to process and clean the fiber. (Also, the equipment needed to process it is very expensive.)

Here are some sport weight singles (I believe that means one ply) from Plain and Fancy Sheep and Wool. They had all sorts of beautifully dyed yarn.





















Yes, I bought fiber. No, I don't know how to spin yet. I bought this black alpaca fiber from Fantasy Farms. At $5 for four ounces, it was a good deal. I also bought some tan fiber for my Mom. (Actually, we debated who would take which color, and I ended up with the black, like I'd originally planned.) Here is the black being measured out.






Ok, I was really excited about this purchase. It's alpaca yarn from Hill Country Alpacas, and it's from Stonewall Jaxon, the prize winning alpaca himself. It's awesome! I'm debating what to knit out of it. There is a couple of hundred yards here. I wonder if I can order some more.

There is more about Stonewall, including all his awards, here.















Few people could pass up Brooks Farm's yarn. I want to buy more from them. Too bad you can't order Solana online.












Back to the spinning thing. I'm working on that. I did a little spinning last January, with Mom's help, but haven't touched it since.

I decided it was time to get my own drop spindle. I ran into Ana, who is an experienced spinner, and she recommended Hokett Would Work. His spindles were weighted, not to mention beautiful. When things settle down in January, I'll get to actually using it.

Mr. Hokett makes all his own stuff. He has even spun a little, so he was able to help me make a selection.

Of course, I didn't want to start spinning with alpaca right away. I went on the search for wool. I suddenly realized how hard it is to find fiber that is not in roving form. In fact, I didn't even see hand cards for sale (those were on my shopping list as well.) Mom taught me to card rolags, and it makes more sense. The fiber is already in a circle, ready for spinning. My guess is that roving is easier to market and package (and you can dye it in a specific pattern.)

It occurred to me later that I could have just bought roving and hand carded it. But I did find some wool at Marsh Mellow Meadows, a business out of Louisiana. I asked what they recommended for beginners in non-roving form, and they said I should try their Romney wool.
. They had it died in all sorts of colors. I chose "Bunny" and "Lacey." At first I thought those were the names of the colorways, but it turns out those are the names of the sheep.



I must include the steal of the day. I was determined not to leave the show without some handspun yarn. I found a few hanks by a woman named Mary Dawn Cole. This is wool with some tinsel mixed in for fun. When I saw the price tag said $5.50, I thought I must have been reading it wrong. But Ms. Cole said she had just managed to spin a few before the show, but didn't get to measure for yardage or label them properly. So she priced them low. Really low.





Finally, this sock yarn is from Knitting Fairy (aka And Then She Dyed.) It is enough for two socks, each with three fat stripes in pink, purple and turquoise. I couldn't resist.










If you want to see even more pictures, look at my Flickr set from Kid n' Ewe.