tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50163872013-01-26T02:39:09.283-05:00The Spirit Trail BlogFiber Arts & Happenings at Spirit Trail FiberworksJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-7093605172864304092011-08-31T09:25:00.010-04:002011-09-01T15:41:34.134-04:00Wow, have I been a bad blogger!
The New York Sheep & Wool Festival is moving quickly toward us on the horizon, and I am deep into preparing for it. So, rather than bore you with all the fibery activities I've been working on for the last 6+ months (which have actually, and surprisingly, have been rather substantial!), I thought I'd go ahead and start sharing some previews of new fibers and yarnsJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-90721350778525718182011-01-24T10:31:00.005-05:002011-01-24T11:19:21.781-05:00I've been busy the last couple of months ~ recuperating from the craziness of Fall Shows and then the Holidays hit. Now it's already the middle of January!In addition to my 2011 Clubs opening and then closing, I've managed to get some knitting and spinnning in ...I just finished spinning up some of the 100% Targhee Top I had processed and then dyed this past Autumn. It's lovely stuff ~ springy Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63507563395087335682010-11-30T09:11:00.007-05:002010-11-30T10:19:55.760-05:00Time flies when you're having fun, right?Eh. Time just flies.I have been having fun, but have also been more than a tad crazed and stressed out (mainly self-induced stress, which I'm really good at, but stress nonetheless).Rhinebeck was awesome. Thanks so much to everyone who came by the booth, braved the crowds and lines, and helped support my fiber addiction by purchasing yarns and fibers from Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-81430836403316666572010-10-03T15:35:00.001-04:002010-10-03T15:49:59.896-04:00Rhinebeck Teaser ...Jared Flood's Woodsmoke Scarf (Rav link) from Brave New Knits. I knew as soon as I saw the photo of this scarf over at Brooklyn Tweed that I needed to knit it. It's a fun pattern ~ super easy, with a short 8-row lace pattern that's easily memorized. This was the project I took to kids soccer games and other activities.I knitted 24 garter ridges in the body instead of the 16 Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63241665584127147282010-09-08T10:03:00.003-04:002010-09-14T09:07:59.482-04:0012 Books in 12 MonthsLanea posted a link from Latter Day Bohemian and this sounded like a great way to actually read some of the books I've had around here but haven't gotten to yet. So, a little late to the party, but I'm in anyway ... took me a bit of time to actually decide what to include and get my list together.In no particular order, here are my 12 books:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-90874499533063255802010-08-27T14:07:00.007-04:002010-08-27T15:56:05.397-04:00Teasers ... Teasers ...So many new fibers for NYSW festival this year that I've been working on over the last couple of months ...I just received a humongous box of targhee combed top back from the mill. I'm going to dye at least part of it, but I may sell some of it white. I had ordered a boatload of fleece from a farmer, and when it all arrived I sort of thought "WHAT the H*LL was I thinking?!?Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-92231851076993028422010-07-28T13:52:00.002-04:002010-07-28T14:32:05.261-04:00I've been up to quite a bit of fibering these days ...First, there was the Tour de Fleece. I didn't expect to get all that much done, but was pleasantly surprised when I wound this off and measured it:It's a 3-ply yarn ~ two plies spun from batts I drumcarded back in January (you can see them in this post) and the third ply from natural gray Jacob. The final yarn's color surprised me a bit, Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-73693640646076131552010-07-12T09:52:00.004-04:002010-07-12T10:00:30.010-04:00July Knitting and Spinning Club Photos below!50/50 baby camel / tussah silk:100% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester light fingering sock: This is the last shipment for the regular club. The 2010 Holiday Club is now closed and in process, with the first shipment anticipated in mid-August.Happy Fibering!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-23592628798042936682010-07-01T10:13:00.002-04:002010-07-01T10:19:14.451-04:00Spirit Trail "Get Ready for the Holidays" Knitting and Spinning Clubs are now open (at least until they're full ... :-D ).Information is HERE.Oh, and I'll be attending the Fiber Farmer's Market sponsored by Uniquities Yarn Shop to be held at the Vienna Community Center in Vienna, Virginia on Saturday, July 17 from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm. If you're planning to attend, and would like me to Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-15534392836762282502010-06-12T13:45:00.007-04:002010-06-12T14:47:51.261-04:00WARNING! June Knitting and Spinning Club Spoiler Photos below!This week was spent dyeing yarns and fibers for July clubs, The Loopy Ewe and Carolina Homespun. More to do, still, but I'm getting there. Also made some progress on the white lace thingee, but no photos. Because it's white, and it looks pretty much the same as the last photo.My friend Maureen also came to paint my living room. Yay! Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-19281990668238769652010-06-03T11:55:00.003-04:002010-06-03T14:47:18.328-04:00The first of the Tour de Fleece Team Superfleece prizes are ready:Above: Four batts, totalling about 6 ounces, of mixed bluefaced leicester dyed gray/green that I blended with bright blue/green cashmere/silk top.Above: 2 batts, about 2 ounces total, of mixed bluefaced leicester top I dyed gray/blue/green, blended with bright blue/magenta cashmere/silk top.I'm thinking of more prizes. I have some Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-87423158414571417332010-05-24T08:36:00.007-04:002010-05-24T09:29:16.967-04:00Another sort of spoiler photo at the bottom of this post (for May spinning club fiber) ...Recently off the needles:Natalya Gauntlets (Ravelry link). I knit this pattern years and years ago out of some handspun, and love these gloves. The cables make them nice and snug. I also modified it and didn't do the individual finger holes because I don't like individual finger holes on my fingerless mitts.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-82346100961452532422010-05-20T10:18:00.010-04:002010-05-20T12:50:39.686-04:00Warning: May Spinning Club Spoiler at the bottom of this post! :-DA couple photos of new fibers, going up in the shop today or tomorrow:White Masham, from Great Britain:It's more of a vanilla/golden white than the photo shows ... even my new camera doesn't quite cooperate with the different shades of white (although it's way better). Masham is a lustrous longwool, long-stapled fiber originating Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-25449238444783057762010-05-18T13:15:00.005-04:002010-05-18T16:56:25.120-04:00Tour de Fleece. 7/3 - 7/25/10For the first time ever, there will be a Spirit Trail / Knitter's Review Tour de Fleece Team. Clara and I teamed up and formed Team Superfleece (Ravelry link). Spin any Spirit Trail Fiber, or a breed from the Knitter's Book of Wool during the Tour. There will be prizes. And goals. And prizes. And fun. Head on over to Ravelry and join us if you're so inspired.And Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-18365825155580661502010-05-07T08:11:00.005-04:002010-05-07T09:38:05.653-04:00SPOILER ALERT: May Yarn Club Photo at the Bottom of this Post!Maryland Sheep and Wool is over for another year. It's so bittersweet. So much work and frantic craziness in the weeks preceding the show, so much looking forward to the show & seeing friends, and then it's over in the blink of a sweaty, begrimed and bloodshot eye.This year was a good show, crazy on Saturday as usual and a bit quieter Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-16552936431908368012010-04-27T12:43:00.002-04:002010-04-27T13:04:06.743-04:00I'm excited to introduce my new yarn: Sunna's Big Sister, Birte (named for the Danish Goddess of the Home and Crafting)!Making it's Grand Debut at MDSW ... 75% Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere, 10% Bombyx Silk DK Weight. I knit the above swatch last night to see how it would go: the bottom portion is 6 stitches/inch on US Size 4 needles, the middle portion is 5.5 st/in on US 5's and the top is 5 stJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-24918823762555686062010-04-26T11:14:00.012-04:002010-04-26T13:36:40.982-04:00A few more teaser photos of some freshly-arrived booth sample knits: Harmonia's Rings Cowl, designed by Sivia Harding. I knitted this in Lyra, 50% alpaca/30% merino/20% silk in a new colorway, "Appalachia." It's wonderful. I love this pattern: it took only one skein of yarn (and I knit an extra repeat of the body so it's a tad longer). Lyra is soft and lovely, with wonderful drape. Excellent all Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-3685045005029467072010-04-20T12:15:00.011-04:002010-04-20T12:55:03.210-04:00More Teasers ... A New Pattern, and Some Booth Samples to Show Off!I finally finished writing up the lace pattern I started a couple of years ago, called "Halla," which is the Finnish word for "frost," because the main panel pattern sort of reminds me of frost patterns on a window pane ...I made myself a light box, but I don't have quite the right bulbs for it yet, so the light / color is still aJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63883161202274242122010-04-15T14:06:00.016-04:002010-04-15T14:45:21.960-04:00Fiber Teasers & April Spinning Club Spoiler!Here is a small taste of the new fibers I'm bringing to Maryland Sheep & Wool (I'll be adding them to the website after I get home): Castlemilk Moorit, from Great Britain, listed as "endangered" on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) Watchlist. This is one of my favorite fibers, and getting harder to find. It's been several years since I've had this Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-43650247063777480862010-04-12T09:19:00.008-04:002010-04-12T10:17:52.888-04:00WARNING: April Yarn Club Spoiler photo at the bottom of this post.Another month gone by. Posting spoiler photos at least gets me posting once a month, anyway!I've had a rather productive month. Aside from lots of work getting ready for the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival on May 1-2, I've managed to fit in some knitting, stained glass, a little more knitting (I finished my Olympic sweater in Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-11741154947470793772010-03-02T17:17:00.006-05:002010-03-02T18:07:55.668-05:00Spoiler Alert ~ yarn club photo at the bottom of this post!So, the Olympics came and went so quickly! I love the Olympics, winter especially, and watching this year made all of us really want to go to Vancouver. It looks so spectacularly beautiful, and fun.Although I have to admit that I was really unhappy with NBC's coverage of the Olympics, it was a real downside to watching them. I got so sickJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-38750056599594699152010-02-17T13:45:00.006-05:002010-02-17T14:07:09.075-05:00SPOILER: There is a photo at the bottom of this post, of the 50/50 cashmere/silk top colors mailed out to Spinning Club Members yesterday. So, don't scroll to the bottom if you don't want to see!Ok, so last post I wrote about my Olympic projects. Of course, my plans have changed (I'm still suffering from KADD, apparently). I decided that a new sweater was in order ...I finished my Porom Tam (Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-91290256254702849062010-02-11T19:24:00.002-05:002010-02-11T19:53:56.743-05:00So, I blame all this on Clara and Jane. Because it all started off innocently enough with my plan to spin my batts during the Olympics.Then came Clara's Woolalong Group on Ravelry and Knitter's Review. And you know, I'm a sucker for wool, so I decided to join up (even though I am so not a joiner of -alongs). Clara picked Cormo for February, and I just happened to have some Cormo/Silk Roving I Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-61989467544937876662010-02-04T10:34:00.003-05:002010-02-04T10:59:47.253-05:00(NOTE: Spoiler alert ... below is a photo of the February Knitting Club yarn, Sunna, on its way now ... so don't scroll to the bottom if you don't want to see it).Busy times around here these days.In between club dyeing, and wholesale dyeing, I started spinning the batts from my new drumcarder (see below), and am loving the fluffy fiberiness. But then I got sidetracked by Clara's Woolalong and Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016387.post-63100660631286057152010-01-26T11:32:00.014-05:002010-01-26T12:18:04.068-05:00Ok, so some of you know that after SOAR this past Fall and taking a class with Deb Menz, I purchased a Patrick Green Drumcarder (I had been wanting one, and thinking about it on and off for about 5 years) (I bought the Happy Hybrid, btw ... basically the Deb's Delux but with two speeds). I really wanted the electric, but decided to be sensible and buy a manual until I see how much I really use Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518167166659456645noreply@blogger.com3