Today at Wind Rose Fiber Studio #13 - I've Got Lots of Spinning Projects Coming Up!

I was actually going to do a post without a picture, but then I couldn't stand it. I was so proud of this yarn when I made it. I spent forever filling it with mother of pearl, shells, glass beads and fresh water pearls. It was sparkly and colorful and sold about a minute after I listed it... all three skeins of it! I've been thinking lately that I need to make another Underwater Fantasy yarn, so I've added it to my mental "to do" list.

It's been a while since I've done a "Today at Wind Rose..." post, but they kind of are my "to do" posts. When that mental list gets a little too long to handle, I come over here to my blog and write down everything I'm planning so I don't miss anything.

So here is what I want to accomplish in the near future. I want to spin more hemp and there is a hemp artist to whom I'm sending a free sample in the hopes of some good feedback. I was just tweeting one day and there she was, Hemp Momma. She has a great new Etsy shop and probably thinks I'm crazy to want to just send her free hemp. The thing is, hemp isn't the easiest fiber to spin, so I don't really want to invest my time unless I know I'm making a product with which hemp artists can happily create.

Also on my short list, I want to do some core spinning with whole locks. I have a couple posts from earlier this week showing the Coospworth locks I dyed. Not only do I want to spin them, but I want to make a short video to share. Lock spinning is probably something a lot of people haven't seen.

I also want to make a video about spinning beaded yarn. I put my process into words recently, but it really helps to have a visual. I've already got my beads and roving ready, so it's just a matter of finding time.

Finally, I don't want to forget Mother's Day. I have a design on paper for a woven bead bracelet, now I just need to get to work!

I also have 2.5 more pounds of locks to dye and other fiber to process so, as you can see, plenty to keep me busy. So if you want to see some of these projects in action, come back soon. I'll be documenting my work and sharing my progress.

Autumn Orange and Yellow Ochre Tussah Silk

I dyed two more shades of Tussah this week. Here they are in their little baggies waiting to find a good home. There's Autumn Orange and Yellow Ochre.

I seem to have a lot of orange and yellow in my life this week!

Vermillion and Bright Yellow Dyed Coopsworth Locks

Hi there! Back again. As I suspected, my locks were nice and dry by early afternoon. I've already got them sorted, weighed and now listed over at Wind Rose. They turned out pretty didn't they? For more pictures and the rest of the details, come see these Vermillion and Bright Yellow Coopsworth Locks!

Dyed Coopsworth Locks

The locks are in! About a week ago I ordered some Coopsworth locks from the Sheep Shed Studio. My plan is to play around with lock spinning.

This morning I separated out two, 4oz handfuls to dye. I was going to dye in solid colors, but at the last minute I changed my mind. I'm anxious to start spinning, so instead of waiting (for me) to make up several colors, I decided to make a mixed pot. I ended up blending vermillion and bright yellow for a striking jumble of dark red, orange pink and yellow. This is definitely one of my favorite combinations.

I have to say, I've gotten spoiled by my milled roving. I had forgotten how much fun it is to pick VM out of fleece. *laugh* You can come across some interesting things in a sheep's coat! I did my best to pick out the bits and pieces without pulling apart the locks too much. There are trace amounts left, but that's kind of the nature of raw fleece. You gotta love it!

So now I just have to wait for it to dry out in the sun. With a high of 91º predicted for today, it shouldn't take too long. In the mean time, I'm going to overspin some comercial merino so I have a core for my locks. I'm getting excited! I'll be taking more pictures as I go and maybe even a little video.

Oh, P.S. ~ I dyed 8 whole ounces, so I'll be sharing some of these locks on Etsy. Once they're dry I'll be listing them and I'll come back and link you up. :D

Erica's Present ~ Beaded Bracelet

Good Morning! Show and tell today. This is the bracelet I'm wove my sister's birthday coming up on May 4th. I thought I'd surprise her by being on time this year! :D My sister tends to wear calm, earthy colors, so I hope this will go with much of her wardrobe. I also hope she will like the design I came up with. I had a good time sitting down with my graph paper and colored pencils, trying out patterns.

I'm not quite finished yet. I still have to weave in my loose ends and affix a closure. Figuring out a good clasp was harder than making the whole bracelet. I ended up wire sculpting a hook for one side and I plan to sew a solid ring to the other end. I could make a beaded loop for the hook, but I like the way the metal closure will play off of the silver beads in the bracelet. I'm actually kind of proud of my hook design. I might have to take a picture of it once I finish putting it together.

MORE ALPACA!

Hi all. Back again. Here are the rest of those Alpaca colors I was talking about earlier today: Jet Black, Silver and Black/Cultivated Silk (80/20). They are all so incredibly soft, but I just wish you could feel the Alpaca/Silk blend. It's amazing!

ALPACA!

I've got Alpaca on the brain today! I just got in some lovely, all natural Alpaca roving for Wind Rose Fiber Studio. Thanks to a customer of mine and her unwavering search for the perfect shade of Dark Chocolate Brown, I found this beautiful fine count Alpaca. While I was at it, I couldn't resist a few more natural shades of this wonderfully soft fiber as well as a blend of Black Alpaca with Cultivated Silk that is to die for!

I haven't had a chance to take pictures of the others yet. I'll get that done later today. For now I'll just have to tantalize you with this breathtaking brown!

My Handwoven Bracelet

I finished my bracelet yesterday so I'm back with more pictures. I'm happy with the look and feel of it. I love the cool colors and the fluffs of fiber. On the outside, I think the wool is this fun, unexpected element, and on the underside (which is not as fluffy) it feels soft next to your skin. I attached the closure at the same time I was weaving in the warp threads. Since this is a prototype model, I'll probably keep it and wear it for a few weeks to make sure it holds up well before I start making a few for Wind Rose Boutique. In the meantime, I'd love your feedback. Is it just too weird or do you think anyone else (besides me) would find it interesting?

Tussah Silk

This is Tussah Silk dyed in two beautiful shades: Gypsy Wine and Night Blue.

I often like to take pictures of roving "born" on the same day. This is 100% Tussah Silk. Tussah silk is gathered from wild silk worms after the moth emerges and is often referred to as "Peace Silk". It's stronger than cultivated silk and has more than a 3" staple length. It's loved by both spinners and needle felters for its softness and luster.

Weaving Together my Favorite Materials

Hi all. I just thought I'd show you what I'm working on right now. When it comes to creating, I have three favorite materials. I'm sure you can guess that fiber is on the top of that list and it's pretty much any and all types of fiber. Secondly, I love beads. I can't explain it, I'm just drawn to them. If you saw my bead collection, you would probably send me to a 12 step program. I love glass and lampwork, crystals, semi precious stones and ceramics. For someone whose main area of work is not jewelry, I have a huge inventory. In my defense, I do spin beaded yarn, but who am I kidding? I have more than I need. My third is metal. I am a big fan of metal work. I love punch metal and wire creations. Not so much gold, but it's the copper and silver I like. I think metal is the yang to my fiber yin. I mostly work with super soft delicate stuff, so I need strong, stable metal around too.

So I've been walking around with a few designs in my head that incorporate my three favorites. On my bead loom right now I have glass beads, coiled wire and wool locks. My husband asked the obvious quesion, "Is anyone really going to want to wear that furry, wire, beaded thing?" The only answer I can give is my usual one. "I have no idea." Of course it's appealing to me because it contains my three most loved elements, but to anyone else, who knows? All I know is that I had this idea in my head and it needed to come out.

Fresh Dyed Merino

While I wait for my Coopsworth locks, I'm keeping busy by stocking up the shop with plenty of color. Here are the four most recent shades of Merino listed at Wind Rose. There's Chartreuse on top and from left to right we have Sapphires, Soft Yellow and Bright Orange.

I also listed some extra Firestar in both Chartreuse and Soft Yellow for those of you who love that *sparkle!

Lock Yarn Art!

Today I want to share this beautiful work of art with you. This disk, made by Laurie Boyer, was created using almost a full Coopsworth fleece spun into lock yarn. She then crocheted the yarn into a 32" wide disk and secured it over a circle of copper tubing. The finished product is a stunning work of art and it seems she has found the perfect setting for her sculpture!

Over the next couple weeks I'll be taking a closer look at lock yarn. I've got several pounds of curly Coopsworth locks on their way from The Sheep Shed Studio. I'll be spinning my own lock yarn and sharing the experience with you both in writing and through video. I'll also be dyeing locks and adding some to my inventory at Wind Rose Fiber Studio.

What's my current level of experience? I have done some amount of work with locks in the past. I've purchased many pounds of raw fleece and picked, washed and carded them. I've also incorporated locks into my handspun yarn. What I have done very little of is core spinning. So this will be a learning experience for me. I love a new challenge!

How To Spin Beaded Yarn

Recently I posted this picture on Spin-Off Magazine's website. A couple readers asked me how I make my beaded yarn, so I finally wrote it all down.

I kind of came up with my own way of spinning beaded yarn. Having said that, there are probably other spinners who have come up with the same method. I've only seen it done the same way one other time at the MD Sheep and Wool Festival, but for all I know, someone has probably already written the book about it. I tend to drool over spinning books and then not let myself buy them. For better or for worse, I want my ideas to come from my own head.

I'm being too wordy. OK, Here's what I do. I use a bead threading needle, the kind that looks like just a big needle eye. I take a very fine sliver of whatever fiber I'm working with and insert in through the eye of the threader. Then I take the bead and slide it onto the fiber. I've been able to thread pretty small beads. The trick is to put just the very tip if the fiber through the eye so the bead doesn't have to travel over anything too thick.

As far as beads go, I like to stick with 6mm or smaller. They will be easier for the knitter or crocheter to work with later and they won't be too heavy for the finished yarn. Sometimes I like to thread the beads with the same color and fiber that I'm spinning the base yarn out of and sometimes I like to choose a complimentary or harmonious color. Really the possibilities are endless and when you include the wide world of beads into your yarn making, you really expand your horizons.

Once you have a bunch on fiber threaded beads, you are ready to spin. You have to decide how often to introduce each bead and how structured you want that placement to be. Whatever you choose will be part of your individual design. When you get to the place where you're going to spin in the bead, you basically work it in the same way you join fiber when you are spinning any yarn. Be careful not to make each bead placement thicker than then rest of your skein. Just draft the fiber thin enough to accommodate the fiber that the bead is threaded on.

There's one more step. I anchor the beads in place by separating out a fine piece of fiber that the bead is strung onto. Run it over the bead and work it into the twist just beyond the bead. By anchoring the bead in place, it makes it possible to spin beaded singles. You don't need that extra ply to stabilize your yarn and hold the bead in place. I've made both plied and singles, but I kind of like the singles because the beads really show well are there is something more delicate about them.

There's one more thing I should add. You have to be more careful setting the twist on beaded yarn. The weight of the beads can pull on the fiber. I set my twist by keeping the yarn on the niddy noddy and running it back and forth through a warm bath of water. I do like to add a small amount of gentle cleanser as well. After the bath I use a wash cloth or towel to blot out some of the water. Then I let it start the drying process on the niddy noddy. When it's at least half way dry, I'll take it off and block it as I do my other skeins.

Now I feel like I'm writing a book. *laugh* I hope I've explained it well enough. It's one of those things that's probably easier to show than tell. I'll make a video next time I'm spinning one and add it to the cue. Bead spinning is definitely a more meticulous process, but the results are just so satisfying! :D

Handspun Plarn

I just had to see what it would be like to spin a 2ply Plarn. Part of me just liked saying "2ply plarn", (come on, try it, it's fun) but I was interested in how it would behave and what the finished product would feel like.

I used four bags to make the plarn pictured here, two in each color. Of course I had to spin the singles first. The plastic kind of squeaked as it went through my fingers, a new sound effect. My finished 2ply was right about 8 WPI. I was curious about how I'd set the twist. The answer is, you almost don't have to. I found that if I gave the plarn a light tug, the plastic stretched a little and clung together, no back spin. That's all there was to it. The final length was right about 7 yards. Pretty good yardage for a little recycling!

The feel of the 2ply plarn is very cord like. In fact, I may never buy commercial cording again. This is so strong and there is almost always a bag or two in the house in need of recycling. Cord is great for making drawstrings and other types of closures. I think the two ply I made is a little bulky to crochet or knit with, but I watched a you tube clip where someone had made a cell phone case from a single, so my guess is that a single will hold it's twist just like the plied does and be better for project making.

I'll probably try spinning a single too. When I do, I'll cut the bags so they form one long continuous strip rather than the interlocking loops. It will make a smooth spun light weight cord. If I cut them thin enough, I could still ply the singles to make a less bulky cord. I think this could be fun for jewelry making too. Sometimes my favorite bracelets are just a nice collection of beads strung onto a thin leather cord with a simple closure. Why not make the same kind of thing using plarn cord?

Plying Plarn

What To Make With Plarn

Yesterday I introduced you to plarn. Well last night I sat in front of the TV and made myself 100 yards of plarn. It actually went really fast. I took out my niddy noddy and calculator and figured out that one of my bags yielded right about 5 yards. After that the math was easy. Still, it was fun to wrap it all onto the niddy noddy when it was done and then transfer it to my swift and wind it into a ball.

While I was making my plarn, I started to think about what kinds of things might be good to make out of plarn. (there was nothing good on tv) I ended up with quite a few ideas, so I'm just going to post them all in list form. Here we go!

SOAP DISH
BATH TOYS LIKE DUCKIES
(USE LEFTOVER SCRAPS TO STUFF BATH TOYS)
RAIN GEAR FOR KIDS AND GROWN UPS
BEACH BAG
GROCERY TOTE
BOOK BAG
PLACEMATS
PICNIC TABLECLOTH
BASKETS
POOL TOYS
(SEE BATH TOYS)
BEACH BLANKET
SHOWER CURTAIN
COASTERS
CAT TOY
(CATS LOVE PLATIC BAGS!)
DOOR MAT OR SMALL RUG
(GREAT FOR UTILITY OR LAUNDRY ROOM)
BIG RUG
(WHY NOT? THINK BIG!)
PROTECTIVE CASE FOR TECHNOLOGY
(CELL PHONE, LAP TOP, iPOD)

I have a few other random thoughts that entered my head. (My head is a very scary place sometimes.) How about plying the plarn in a sense by interlocking several loops at once. Instead of one loop into one loop, hold 2 or more loops together. This will make the plarn thicker and stronger. I'd use 2 to make a stronger tote for the grocery store and anywhere from 3 to 5 for rug making.

Also, anyone making plarn probably has leftover skeins of yarn in the house. Why not combine the two for more color and texture and just basic visual interest. Lets go mixed media!

Finally, I'd like to end with a big shout out to Nicole Oman. She introduced plarn to my friend Susan who then shared it with me. Nicole has also taught the process to school children which I think is just wonderful. I can really see kids getting into this as a recycling project. What a fun way to teach kids to live green. When I taught crochet to my neighbors back in VA, some of them took what they learned to their girl scout troops and did projects crocheting for charity. I think plarn would make a great troop project as well. You don't even need everyone to be able to knit or crochet. Some kids can make the plarn while others work it up.

Believe it or not, I still have a few ideas left about plarn. Stay tuned! ...please :D

Plastic + Yarn = Plarn!

Recently my sweet friend Susan Alexander introduced me to Plarn. If you are someone who tries to live as green as you can or if you make a point of reusing and recycling, then chances are you already know about plarn. Plarn seems to be more than just recycled plastic yarn. It's a movement!

As a matter of fact, there is so much info on plarn, it's going to take me a couple posts to feel like I've done it justice. Maybe afterward we can do a plarn Crochet Along together!

So what is plarn and how do you make it? Plarn is yarn made out of the plastic bags we all end up with from any number of stores; Target, Walmart, the grocery store to name a few. Even if you take your own cloth bags shopping as I do, you still seem to end up with these bags in your house from those impromptu errands. As for how to turn these bags into yarn, Here's a short video that does a great job of showing the process:






I have much more to share on this phenomenon, but for today I'm going to leave you with a picture. When I first learned about plarn, I thought it was clever and I could immediately imagine the process, but what I didn't expect is how cute things made out of plastic bags can actually be. Here's a picture of the tote sent to me by my friend Susan. This one was made out of Target bags. Just imagine. If you wanted to make the transition to using your own bags when shopping, you could turn all of your plastic bags into tote bags like this one!

1000 Strand Knitting

If you have 7 minutes, this is so worth it!

Deconstructed Poppies (1.3oz/81 handspun yards)

I am so excited to share my newest handspun yarn with you! This skein has been more than six months in the making. It all started back in October when I bought some gorgeous Poppy colored Wensleydale locks from Michelle Johnson at the Southwest Fiber Festival. I loved the curl of the locks and the color was phenomenal. I knew I wanted to use them to create something unique.

Last month when I was doing some custom dye work, I found myself with an extra 4oz of variegated Golden Brown 80/20 Merino/Silk. I held it up to the Poppy and the colors looked great together. Back on March 19th, I shared my inspiration and the beginning of this new design.

So here it is! Deconstructed Poppies, finished and already listed at Wind Rose Art Yarn. The Wensleydale has been treated in such a way that the fiber still shows off its natural curl with loose ends that playfully draw attention to that fantastic color. When working with this yarn, you will meet a poppy "flower" approximately every 12 inches. There is another skein on the way, but for now, weighing in at 1.3oz, there are 81 yards of yarn comparable to a worsted weight, but with a novel edge.

Ecru Thick & Thin and Boucle Yarn

These beautiful yarns have been in my studio for a while now, just waiting to get their picture taken. On the left is a 100% Highland Peruvian Merino Wool that has been spun into a bulky Thick and Thin. On the right is a luscious Boucle made from 35% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, 30% Bamboo and 5% Nylon. Both are products of Ashland Bay.

I have long admired Ashland Bay for their high quality rovings and fibers, so when I decided to expand my inventory to include Ecru Yarn, I didn't think twice about my source. I think Ecru Yarns will be a nice addition to Wind Rose for two reasons. It will supply dyers and painters with a gorgeous canvas and it will also provide a ready made product for anyone who prefers dye free.

Wild Raspberry Soy Silk

Brand New at Wind Rose today is this wonderful Wild Raspberry Soy Silk. I just love the way the Soy took to this color! I got so excited that I even included some free Firestar in the dye pot. Starting in 2009, I was only planning to give Firestar away with my Merino, but sometimes I just can't resist adding that sparkling fiber!

Also new today are .5oz listings of Wild Raspberry and Night Blue Firestar just in case you need a little extra bling!

Nesting Marshmallow Chick

It's quite possible that I'm the last person in the world to discover this cute idea, but just in case I'm not, I thought I'd share. I was picking up a couple things at my local market today and the bakery had these for sale. I thought it was such a cute idea that instead of buying the ready made ones, I bought what I needed to make them with my kids.

This is such a kid friendly little project. The nest is just one of those sponge cakes you buy in six packs usually marketed near the strawberries for shortcake. On top of that is whipped white icing from the baking isle. I probably don't have to tell you that the grass is sweetened coconut with a little green food coloring added. Then just nest your little chick right in the middle. I like to put a couple jellybeans around the chick as though there are still a few eggs waiting to hatch.

Hand Painted Merino

I've always got something in the works. Today I'm boosting my designer roving section of Wind Rose Fiber Studio with two new listings. Both in 22 micron Merino wool, on the left is Rusty Pink ~ a hand painted roving using Crimson and Burnt Orange. On the right is Green Royale ~ also painted using Kelly Green, Teal and Purple. Both were created using a space dyeing technique which creates a self striping yarn when spun. I'm having fun with my paint brush, but I have to admit, I'm missing my kettles too.

Etsy Sales are UP! UP! UP!

I'm excited about two things today. I know I've already shown off this new skein of yarn, but today it was included as a related item in an Etsy News article. So for that, thank you Etsy!

I'm also excited about the actual content of the article. Etsy sales are up in March from last month. I know March has a few extra days, but the increase is significant. I felt this in my own personal sales which more than doubled in March from February.

I hope everyone else is feeling the same rise!

Flower Power from SunFrog Originals

I rarely use shopping as my go-to mood elevator, but today is an exception. Today I treated myself to not one, but two pairs of these adorable Flower Power Earrings from SunFrog Originals!

First of all, what a great picture! I think earrings can be really hard to capture. These flowers look so alluring hanging on that branch. How could I not be compelled to buy?

What a minute! It gets better. You get to choose your color combinations. There's orange and pink like you see here, but you can also select from red, dark blue, light blue, white, black and yellow. I'm probably missing a color in there somewhere, but you get the idea. It took me all afternoon to pick out my flowers. I was fighting this internal battle between the color combo's I loved and the ones I knew I would wear. *LOL

Sparkling Studio Mosaic (3.6oz/388 handspun yards)

I know this is a crazy big picture, but I just couldn't help myself. I worked so hard on this new Sparkling Studio Mosaic yarn!

I've been enjoying spinning yarn out of my surplus fiber lately. This weekend I did what I do most weekends. I spent a little time tidying up my studio from a busy week's work. In doing so, I discovered that I have quite a generous stash of Firestar in addition to my fiber. I knew right away that I would have to spin a Sparkling Studio Mosaic.

So I went through both collections and made pairs of all of the fiber that had matching colored Firestar. I used the same method in the design as before, only now after each plain color, I spun a length of that color's Firestar twin. The result is still a colorful self-striping yarn, only this one has tons of Sparkle.

I also didn't want to skimp on the color, so this ended up being a much bigger skein. I'm a little torn about whether to break it into two skeins or leave it as one. I only charge .20 a yard for my singles, but with 388 yards, that's a pretty high priced yarn. On the flip side, It's so nice to get an art yarn with enough yardage for a bigger project. For now I think I'll keep it together and see if it finds a home.

Spring Rainbow ~ Hand Painted BFL

I've been wanting to hand paint roving for a long time now. I think I may live in the perfect place for this activity. Let me explain.

Usually, part of the process in hand painting in setting the color with heat. Some artists use steamers. I've also read about some who have dedicated microwave ovens just for their roving. Part of the reason I've been itching to hand paint, is because I suspected that living here in outer Phoenix, I'd need neither of those.

I was planning to wait until full on summer when I could count on those high temps of 100º or more, but yesterday I just got the urge to paint. Our high was 80º and I wondered if this would be enough to set my color.

I know rainbow roving is not very original, but I just couldn't help myself. Actually, I did modify it a little by leaving out purple and using turquoise instead of blue. I was going for light and Springy so I went with chartreuse and sunny yellow, a lighter orange and a soft red.



I'm pleased with how my BFL turned out. The color fully saturated the roving and the sun did a nice job for me. I think it helped that I set this out on a metal pan in the full sun to make the most of those 80º. I also gave it plenty of time. I'm sure when summer comes, the process will speed up and I'll have to be concerned about not applying too much heat. For now, it's nice to know that this is something I can do almost all year round. I can't wait to play with differnt fibers and the endless color possibilities!

Beautiful Blue Faced Leicester

Hi all. I just updated my listings for Blue Faced Leicester over at Wind Rose. You can now purchase this fiber in 1oz, 2oz or 4oz lots.

If you've never worked with BFL, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It has long been one of my personal favorites. I loved it as a beginning spinner for it's generous 5" staple length. I love Blue Faced Leicester now for the soft feel and the fact that it has just a little more texture than Merino. What can I say? I like soft, but I like a fiber that can hold shape and has some strength.

BFL will wet or needle felt with the best of them. It also takes dye like a dream. This is one versatile wool!

Studio Mosaic ~ Another New Handspun Skein!

I've been spinning like a maniac bug this week. I just can't seem to get enough of this new Studio Mosaic concept. I just love the fact that all of these very different looking skeins are coming from the same stash of surplus roving. The color with which I start and finish each skein seems to set the tone for that yarn. I want to spin and spin and see how many unique looks I can create!

My Soap is Wearing a Sweater!

How adorable is this?! My good friend Jenn (not confusing, lol) sent me this wonderful little gifty she found in a pottery in Sperryville, VA. Made by Felting Frenzy, they call this "Soap In A Wool Sweater". It looks like they are still building their website, but I linked it anyway for the future.

As I sit and write this post, the little sheep soap is sitting next to my keyboard and the smooth scent of sandalwood is filling the air. So nice!

The little card attached has a lovely write up. It talks about the wool being a mild exfoliant for the skin and that it will shrink along with the soap as you use it. One thing they mention that I hadn't thought of before, is that when the soap is all gone, the wool can till be used and a scrubbing pad. Very clever. It's like wool and soap were meant for each other!

I also like that the card talks about every fleece having its own story to tell. Fiber Frenzy likes to tell that story through their fiber art.

Studio Mosaic Handspun Yarn

Here's the third skein of Studio Mosaic Yarn that I managed to spin this week. This one is 1.3 oz and 130 yards. To give you a little better idea of what this yarn is like, let me describe my method.

I rarely do things in a completely random way so there is some order and design that goes into my Studio Mosaics line. I start with one fiber, in this case it's the green color you see here. Then I go from one color to another making sure that there is a balance of light and dark and that the colors that join together, bring out the best in each other.

Once I have 8 to 10 colors, I go back to my beginning color. I start over again using all of the same colors and fibers in the same order. Finally, I end using the same color with which I began the skein. I feel like this lends a harmony to the overall finished product. Also, lets say I decide to knit a scarf from my skein. It will look nice to have both ends of the scarf be the same color.

So you see, there's always a little method in my madness!