Thursday 31 January 2008

End of the month already!?

It's already the 31st of January... I can hardly believe it. I missed wishing everyone a Happy Australia Day on the 26th of January. It was a long holiday weekend for us and we kept busy.
More on that later....

The Tiz Teazles site is down at the moment- will again update once it is back on track. Sending my heartfelt wishes to Dawnii and family at this difficult time.

I still haven't gotten pics taken of the fluff from there...... although I have started spinning it. One of the shades of purple...it is sooo soft. I am having to pick out quite a little bit of dried vm- but nothing too bad and because it is dry it is easy to pick out before or after the spin happens.
The resulting yarn is so soft-it is worth the effort...if this stuff is even 19 micron I would be shocked! It is the softest coloured fleece I've ever felt.
Amazing.
I *will* try to get photos posted of things soon- I am fighting the effects of cloudy but not stormy humid days on my hands. Plus I have bruised my left hand... the bones that are below the place where your fingers connect... the hand equivalent of the ball of your foot- but don't know what it is called- been going to look it up but don't remember while i am at the computer because it doesn't hurt while typing! lol I have never heard of anyone else having this phenomenon... if you have- please speak up! I would love to know the name of it- or at least to know I am not the only one!

Wash is almost ready- so better go- it's a lovely day in the weather dept.- only about 25° c today. YES! I can live with that. Very windy- gusty windy I mean to say....which should lend to easy drying of clothes but is scaring me to death over the roof thingy we put up to shade the side of the house from the sun... it sounds like it is going to fly off any time..which it could- but will take part of the house with it as it is tied onto the roof somehow. ( Don't ask me- I let DH deal with it! )

Hope you are well!

Tuesday 22 January 2008

TIZ TEAZLES! available for your admiration

Heads up! As of this writing the Tiz Teazles website is up again! :)
YAY!

There is so much information available there and some of the most GORGEOUS yarns you have ever seen!
If you want to support these lovely folks but don't spin or do yarn crafts - you can always buy yarn or fluff and have them send it to me! LOL! There is nothing on that site that I don't like! OMGOSH!

A special heads up to folks who may own their own fibre bearing animals- they do fibre prep and yarn spinning for you, if you are so inclined! I can tell you from the tops I have received that the top is lovely and open and will be a dream to spin.

Sorry to rave on and on- but I just adore having coloured alpaca fibre available for me to spin- I know there *has* to be others who love it and want it also. They have some gorgeous mohair I am looking into as well now. oh- and Dawnii does her darndest to get you the best shipping prices she can too! I am always amazed how well she packages my fluff!

Please consider purchasing from these lovely folks.
It' s been said that how (and where) you spend your money says alot about you.
Spending it here will make you feel and look good! ;)

I am still intending to post photos of my recent arrivals- perhaps later today or tomorrow!
But for now- here is another viewing of what I got at the beginning of December 2007-


There's a little bag with some samples of the purple-y alpaca I got, sitting on top, and we also got a large amount of what is called "Jaffa" -which is honestly the most beautiful deep brown fibre I have ever seen. Just the plain brown without any additional glitter or light orange in it would be fabulous to own- it is so rich and lustrous.
Yummmm.

Hope you are well!

Saturday 19 January 2008

A lovely shawl for COOLER weather!

I finished my shawl several days ago- but am just getting around to posting pics.......ah well.....it's been tooooo darn hot to even think about wearing something this fluffy and warm around one's shoulders anyway!

The pattern is from Yarn Magazine issue 8- right smack dab in the center of the magazine. This is the real colour of the yarn- forgive the messiness we live in...... we are creative people you know ......LOL.... this photo shows the pattern pretty well too.


Sarah Golder is the pattern creator with whom I had the priviledge of being able to email to help me with my confusion on the pattern. ( It was self-inflicted confusion- honestly- "I Just Needed to Know WHY....."- I wonder if other crocheters/fibre people are like that- needing to understand a pattern and not just accept it 'as is' and go with it ....once I understood the "WHY" the shawl was finished in no time- I am so weird! lol)
The yarn used was a commercially made MOHAIR yarn called Sentiments........I think it is Moda Dea. Because it was a bit thicker than the handspun originally called for I needed more yarn but that didnt' surprise me and thankfully it was rather affordably priced! :) (Special thanks to hubby who stopped in the shop to get me two more balls of it- don't throw him in that briar patch you know? ;) )

I can't tell you how awesome this feels- it is SO soft.
There is a sparkle thread in it that I have tried to capture...

and the purples are a challenge as always in photography. They kept wanting to come out shades of blue more than purple. I love working with variegated yarns- it's so fun to see how the shading and patterning develops. :)

I also have been very fortunate to have my alpaca fluff arrive yesterday- no pics yet- but VERY soon! I am soooooooo happy with it - I could just squeal. :)
The website for TizTeazles isn't up yet( but click on the link anyway just to see,please?) - Dawnii and family got affected by the flooding they had nearer Christmas time and she is working to recover from that. She currently has some yummy fluff like I got ( alpaca) on eBay.au...... at only $5 /100g - it is a pure delight to know you are helping them to take care of their animals and doubly so since they were hit with the flood.
Please pop on over and see if there is anything on eBay.au or if the website is up - buy buy buy from this lovely lady and family- you will be happy you did!


I am so behind in posting it is just silly- so won't bore anyone with much detail of the holidays.
We had nice ones- they went much too quickly and were much TOO HOT- we didn't get out and about too much. We*did* get to Victor Harbor and had a nice time there as always.
There was a 'carnival' type event going on when we arrived- figured it was for the school holidays. RJB thoroughly enjoyed the whole atmosphere and loved going on the car ride-


but was too short for the merry mixer/scrambler ride and wasn't interested in going on the Ferris Wheel for some reason! Ah well- with tickets costing $5 and $6 per adult for rides and $4 for the children's rides- it was for the best.
He did a 'pick a fish' game- for $4 he got to net out 3 plastic fish ( like we used to do ducks minus the net and it was only one duck) and their combined numbers on the bottom added up to a prize number- and his was ........... a brightly coloured 12" velour snake! woo hoo! He talked about it all for weeks- and every weekend wants to go back. He took his new digital camera and got some pics taken. :) Will show you some of those too.

The carnival from a distance- by RJB ( age 3)
The horse drawn trolley that goes across to Granite Island- photo by RJB.


Since it has been so hot lately- spinning has taken the back seat- and crocheting has taken over- when I have the time! I finished the project that I made with my handspun pink and blue yarn- waiting for photos of that too..........
and have started a CAL ( crochetalong) that is for a Valentine's Day themed mystery item- but with the quantity and how far we are- it is obvious it will be a afghan/throw...not sure of the dimensions- so not sure what to call it. It's time consuming so I am not far along and am two weeks behind the CAL- but I will get it done eventually.


Am doing some spinning on the cooler days- a grey wool that I have a gift project in mind for..
send me good vibes for getting it done before the USA winter is over-please?? lol

Enough for now- hope to get back in the swing of things and get more regular postings done.

Hope you are well.




Tuesday 1 January 2008

Happy New Year! ! !

Wishing everyone a HEALTHY HAPPY PROSPEROUS New Year!




Hope you are well.