Spin-A-Long fun!

I have finished spinning my yarn for the AllSpunUp spin-a-long! How it worked is that a number of people signed up to purchase fiber dyed in the same colorway and then we'll all spin them up and share the pictures. It will be very interesting to see how the same fiber in the same colors will undoubtedly produce different effects with each spinner.

Here's mine - "Neptune's Dream" 80% Merino, 20% Silk, 100% gorgeous! Kristin really out-did herself with these colors.

This blend is heavenly to spin and the yarn is so soft, with a bit of shine from the silk. I am so happy with the way it turned out. It should create a striped effect when it's knitted up, with fairly prominent solid aqua and navy stripes separated by the blended yellow/orange/brown bits. It was very interesting to spin it, and I hope someone will find it just as fun to knit with. That's right, it's for sale in my Etsy shop!


This is what the original roving looked like. Isn't it lovely? I can't wait to see all the other yarns, and I sure hope she does another one of these soon!

Earth Child - Merino Alpaca handspun yarn

Well, it's been a while. Pemberton was an interesting experience - after getting caught in the Airport snag on the Thursday night, I decided to defect and head home early on Friday. I caught a Greyhound bus and got home by about 9pm. I just didn't relish the idea of spending another 3 days in chaos. I know, I know. The music was amazing. But you know what? Having gotten swept up in all the hype of the festival, I never really stopped to ask myself if any of these bands were all that high on my list of favorites. It's too bad it was a lesson that cost me over $300, but I think I made the right decision. The rest of the weekend I experienced a lot of cool coincidences, connections with great people, etc. that lead me to think I way wise to head home when I did.

Anyway, I'm back to my spinning, after having hurt my wrist fairly bad and having to hold off for a couple weeks. Man, did I miss it! The fiber I chose to get back into it was perfect! It's 70% SW Merino, 30% Alpaca, dyed by the incredible Kristin of AllSpunUp on Etsy.

"Earth Child" 224 yards, 4oz - available in my Etsy shop now!

I am so happy with how this yarn turned out! Besides the fact that these are "my colors", this fiber blend spins up soooo soft and squishy.

Here's a picture of the roving (borrowed from the listing). Any spinners out there - I suggest you check out Kristin's shop asap. She really is amazing with color.

Gearing up for the Pemberton Music Festival

A week from today I will head up for the Pemberton Festival just past beautiful Whistler, BC. I can't wait - it's going to be 3 days of music from Tom Petty to The Tragically Hip to Jay-Z (my guilty pleasure gansta rap fix)! I'm also really looking forward to seeing some of the "smaller" acts like My Morning Jacket and Buck 65, and Wolfmother, as well as discovering some new favorites I'm sure! It's coming up fast, and though I am extremely stoked to go, there are also a few projects I'd like to finish first.

I've added a few more cotton headbands to my Etsy shop and there are more to come. On the weekend I rounded up some more wonderful fabrics and got them them all cut and ready to go. I've got 9 completed headbands now, which I'll be listing over the next few days. There are some gorgeous batiks and Japanese fabrics among others!

I've also got a couple of yarns that I hope to have listed before I leave. Maybe I'll even have some pictures in the next couple of days! For now though, here's one more headband!

Featured in a BnR treasury on Etsy

I was trolling through the treasuries on Etsy this afternoon and was thrilled to find I had been featured in 3 treasuries all at the same time!!! One of them was a BnR - the first one I've been in. BnR, for all you non-Etsians, stands for Buy and Replace. The idea is that if you buy one of the items featured, you get to replace that item with one of your own and hopefully someone will buy from you to get your spot. There are countless BnR threads in the forums, but I've always thought the treasury version was way cooler! I am so grateful to Tracey from Moment in the Sun on Etsy for choosing to put my "Namaste" wristlet in her treasury.

I actually met Tracey in person when I was visiting my friend Julie from Superfly Lullabies at a local craft show. Tracey was at the next table over and I was drawn to her beautiful hand-made papercrafts, including notebooks, tags and envelopes like the ones below. Before long we found out we both sold on Etsy and had a great conversation about our experiences with it.

Tracey also has a supplies shop called Moment in Time, where she sells a variety of scrapbooking supplies, buttons, cardstock and fabric. I love the colors in this assortment of cardstock.

Couldn't resist one more picture - isn't this fabric awesome?! You might just find it popping up in a Black Mustard headband one of these days (wink wink).

Are you looking at my headgear?

As mentioned, here are a couple of new cotton headbands, just listed in my Etsy shop tonight.

"Anemone" - gorgeous batik print in aqua blue, greens, golds and browns.

"Summer Stripes" - made with Rosemary Lavin fabric, cute stripes in blues, greens, brown and white.

Similar colors, two totally different looks!