Artsy Batts Morph into Gorgeous Hand Spun/take 2

This, "Dreamin'" of Spring Artsy Batt...

...became this on Terri's Louet Spinning wheel. Terri has been spinning for less that a year. Isn't she amazing? I love the shiny rayon or silk thread she chose to ply it with the yarn.

Makes me want to head down to the studio right now to card few more for the shop. Color and texture are like drugs to me. I have to have them!

SNOW: Dallas got hit overnight

All I can say, is I feel sorry for the people set up for the art show at the Dallas Arboretum. What a shame!
I woke up to this heavy wet snowfall. I can't ever remember this happening this late in the year. I have to say, it is beautiful.
Off to get dressed and get outside with my camera.

P. S. Look what I found. Just came back in so I could add this.: peach blossoms in the snow across the street from me.

New Pattern Launch for Joanne T.

Yes! Joanne T. of TerrificCreations.etsy.com has created this Trinket Scarf and Shawl pattern. It has ruffles and a super soft drape thanks to the dropped stitch element. Details are here on Ravelry.


I have knit two scarves, so far, as test pieces, and now am ready to do a shawl with the handspun. The teal greens one is a Paton sock yarn. The yellow one was knit from natural dyed (marigolds) merino from Cerro Mojino Ranch. Two mismatched rovings from Taos Sunflower (see last post for this fingering weight yarn) should make a whisper weight shawl for cool summer evenings.

It is a blast to knit. Dropping the stitch and watching the ladder slip down the piece is almost a fiendish delight since it is on purpose. I think a finished shawl or scarf may just show up in Cordova Studios. I mean, how many shawls can a girl wear???

Plying experiment

Two painted rovings from Taos Sunflower's Art Rovings subscriptions had been languishing in my "to do" spinning basket. I finally spun each of them, Pondered what to do about plying each of them and then just went for it, and plied them together. I love it! I now have two skeins totaling about 4oo yards for a "Trinket Scarf", a pattern to be launched soon by Terrific Creations. It's a drop stitch pattern with a whimsical ruffle. You' ll want to knit it up.

Spinning Time Trials!

Seriously! Cindy of Jacob's Reward Farm spins like a bullet train, runs a 4-minute mile-spinning version. She spun and plied this Cordova Studios Paprika super-wash merino batt in less than one hour and fifteen minutes on her Louet S10 wheel.
She decided to spin it thick 'n thin and then, plied it with lustrous green thread. I watched amazed.


I was over on the warm-up track just jogging along with Mary Cassett, "Mother and Child" inspired roving by Taos Sunflower. More on it tomorrow.

I left Cindy last night at 10:30 (yes, I know, waaaaaay past my bedtime) planning on how to ply this Cordova Studios Forest Glen Artsy batt which she spun up, again in record time. I just gape at her spinning alacrity.

Artsy Batts Morph into Gorgeous Hand Spun

I treasure my talented friends. Laurie, Kate and Barbara have bought some of my artsy batts when I shared them at Wednesday Texas Twisters spinning. Today I got to see their interpretations all spun up. Laurie spun her up and then plied with a soft, subtle aqua.

Kate spun her Forest Glen batt ever so finely and then plied with a light neutral thread.


Barbara took the bright red "Lava Flow" batt and softened it with a ever-so-thin pale pink mohair that she dyed especially for this project.

These batts are a delight to create. I make it a reward during the day after I do mundane tasks. I just let the colors take me. To then see how others "let the colors take" them is a great payoff for me.

Garden Digression

I wish this was a better photo. Remember our big record snow storm here in February? Well, I lost a tree on the other side of the yard that shaded azaleas, hydrangeas and ajuga(that stuff is expensive). Anyway, the loss of the tree changed up the whole micro-climate so we are moving those plantings to more hospitable locations around the property so they can escape the brutal Texas summer sun.

We decided to embrace the newly sunny location and get some great color going. First thing will be to install a fence on this side to correspond with the one already in place by the driveway (seen in photo). Climbing Pinkie roses have loved it there for two years. Big variegated privets will anchor the bed and after that we'll just see what would be fun for perennials. Flexibility is the name of the game here. Got any ideas?

Friendships that "take"

Suzy and I have been friends since we were ten years old and lived across the alley from each other in University Park. That would be almost fifty -five years ago, for the tacky few who are counting backwards right now. Without sounding cliche' or soupy, I treasure these really old friendships that survive the years. She and I don't talk every day or even every week, but there is never a strained minute or hard feelings. She's been to all of my weddings, listened to me as those dissolved and been there with dinner for 25 when my beloved father died five years. ago.

Today I am taking her out for her annual birthday lunch. We try to give each other really special presents. Suzy is tiny so it's fun to shop for her. Of course, I secretly marvel that she is still a complete beauty even as the mother of five and grandmother of seven, almost eight and counting grandchildren. She missed the wrinkle gene.

Four years ago I had my last really big Christmas open house. Here we are then.

Retreat reprise

Fiber, fiber, fiber has been my focus since the Fancy Fibers retreat in early February. Gosh, that was a month ago. I have finished spinning the Easter Basket superwash merino roving I dyed in Mary's dye class.

It's actually a big, big bouncy skein that I think I will knit into a Trinket shawl (more on that pattern later).

Below is the finished Mermaid yarn spun from a handpainted roving and then embellished as I spun, with mohair locks, angelina and whatever ended up in my lap.

I have two huge skeins of this to play with. Now I think I need to get out in the world and see what's going on. I hear the Academy Awards are on tonight. I want to see what everyone is wearing.

Etsy Treasury - Great Takes

Ok, I did do a Treasury, Etsy Treasury - Great Takes, this week pulled from my Etsy Favorites list. I am struggling with getting a Print Screen" option to work on my Mac. I can't remember the commands. Anybody, anybody?? I would love some help with this. Meanwhile please click on the link and enjoy.

Featured Friend, Joanne of Terrific Creations, is selling little blue baby sweater patterns like mad.
Etsy Treasury - Great Takes