Fiber Fairy Tales

Have you touched any Fiber today?

I got some previously spun yarn soaked and hung to dry in this lovely Florida sunshine and then the mailman brought my new drum carder.
Dum de dum!
Handmade by Ron Anderson and delightfully named "Fancy Kitty" it is made from oak and really makes a nice batt.
Now I can take it with me to Picasso Moon and make batts to spin while leaving Deb's drum carder free for someone else to use. Or I can make batts at home and pretty much assure that dinner might never be served in this house again- at least not cooked by me!
No, I'll be creating concoctions to spin into art yarn!

I love putting together the wools and different fibers and then spinning it and seeing what it looks like- it's alchemy and magical chemistry of color and fiber together.
I wanted to share this site- it's the funniest thing I have seen all day. Maybe even in many days! I added a link to the sidebar so that you can visit Rose Kim's hysterical Thursday posts- "What the Hell is this?" I laughed so hard at a few of them, Fred came in to check on me because of the uncontrollable laughing!
Like this knitted beauty by YSL ...it looks just like a present from a Bridal Shower...
The Yves Saint Laurent show at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features everything from his wild, brash creations, like the mummy bridal dress of knitted wool to his iconic 1965 Mondrian cocktail dress.
Photograph by : Pierre Obendrauf, The Montreal Gazette

OK, that's too funny!

What is this?
I mean, really?
Is it a butterfly lava garden dress?
I want that silhouette- don't you?
Anyway, if you haven't had a good laugh today, please go visit Rose Kim's Knit Blog and I promise as I learn to knit I and explore the world of art yarn, I will Never make an outfit that looks like alien pods from Yoda's home planet!

don't skip a stitch!
calamity kim

Full Moon at the Gypsy Camp

Spinning with sari silk ribbon is like a total birthday present!
You never know what you'll end up with until you open the box and see what's inside.
First I should probably explain that sari silk ribbon is a Fair trade item from India and it is made from the waste of weaving sari silk cloth. It's like recycling- nothing goes to waste in this process.
Picasso Moon will be carrying a selection of the sari silk ribbon soon and it is gorgeous! Very rich, luscious colors that are ever changing due to the process of sewing lengths together to make a 25 yard ribbon.
I spun this together with merino wool, bits of chiffon flower scraps, silk, bamboo and milk fiber.
I can smell the smoke from the campfire...
I can see the skirts twirl as the gypsy girls dance...
Lanterns hang from the trees and caravans...
a horse nervously snorts and dogs bark as the moon climbs above the old oak trees decorated with moss and lichen..
Of course I forgot to measure how many yards it is...so many fine details to remember as I learn this new skill.
I can see this in a bag or maybe a hat...soon I will learn to knit and then we shall tell the rest of the tale.
someone asked me (when I was spinning at the shop yesterday) if I owned my own sheep and I had to smile and say no, if I did I would be at home tending to them.

 

It's something to think about- all the labor that goes into the manufacturing of yarn. We take it for granted. Those farmers feeding and raising the sheep to produce the wool to go to the mills or to small businesses like Picasso Moon to get to the hands of one person who will create something beautiful and extraordinary from it.
That's why I want to spin; so that I can make my own yarns. Not just store bought yarns with no spirit, no handmade appeal.
Not that perfectly machine spun yarn doesn't have its value- it most certainly does, but now every time I see someone knitting a plain sweater I imagine how wonderful it would be with a ruffled edge of handspun.
 Like icing on the cake.
 Not completely necessary but it adds just the perfect touch.
Beware the Full Moon if you wander near the gypsy camp...
beware for your heart may be stolen by the beautiful yarns hung to dry in the trees...
beware...

Once Upon a Time There was a Girl Who Was Spellbound By Spinning

"The spinners and knitters in the sun, And the free maids that weave their thread with bones." Shakespeare

So begins another journey.
I want to start at the beginning with this spinning thing.
I need to keep a journal of it so that I won't forget.
It should have a space dedicated all to its lovely fiberrific self.
I have a Lendrum wheel and am in love with the way the fiber flows from my fingers and becomes something that can be knitted or crocheted, woven, felted, sewn,pompomed- well you name it- it can be transformed from hair on a sheep's back, to an elegant shawl that's light as a fairy wing.
I named my wheel Bella Luna because of the way she looks like a lovely white moon spinning in the sky.
And maybe a bit after Luna from Harry Potter. She's a bit kooky and of course my favorite character because of that.

Its going to take me a while to get this new Blog set up and I appreciate your patience while I add links and pretty sidebar attractions.
 Please leave me a comment with any links you love or websites with fiber info for spinning.
Don't skip any stitches!
xo, calamity spinster