Yarn In The Sky?

I just wanted to share this picture with you. I've been spinning for the last couple days. This morning I wanted to speed along the drying process of my latest novelty yarn so I put it on my swift and took it outside. I clamped it onto the fence surrounding our pool where it could bask in full view of the sun. The look of it struck me so I had to capture the image. This may be my new favorite way to dry yarn.

"Sky Yarn"  as I decided to call it, is now dry and in the shop at Wind Rose.  Come and see!

Knitter's Basket: The perfect place to keep your latest project!

In 2007 I moved all the way across the country from Virginia to Arizona. It's been a good move, but one of the hardest things I left behind was the group of women and girls with whom I shared my craft. So you can imagine how pleased I was to connect with a couple women in my new hometown who like to do handwork. We formed a little craft group and on the first day two of us showed up with our work in project baskets. The third, our beginning knitter, commented on how she would need to find a basket for her things as well. Of course I couldn't let that go, so I made some baskets from my large inventory of yarn and at our next meeting, I let each of my new friends pick one. It was a nice bonding moment.

Most of the women I know who are knitters or crocheters, have impressive collections of baskets and tote bags, but there are people new to yarn crafting everyday who are just getting started. What a great gift to give them a crocheted basket with handles to keep their work in. You can carry your work anywhere you go or have it sitting out on a coffee table looking cute and waiting for you. I have 8 of them is stock right now at Wind Rose in all different colors. So if you are looking for a gift idea, I thought I'd share this one with you. The basket alone is a nice gift or you could have some fun stuffing it full of beautiful yarn or roving or maybe even something sweet!

Brand New Beads Just Waiting For That Special Project!

Well my friends and I got so wrapped up at Razzle Dazzle, I completely forgot to take any pictures of the store. I'm really sorry. From the moment you walk in there, your brain goes on overload; so many colors, sizes, textures, it is a lot to take in. You have to devise a strategy to navigate the enormity of this inventory. The three of us, my friends and I, made one circle of the store ooohing and aaahing as we surveyed the beads. Then we sort of broke off on our own. We each do different kinds of beadwork so we look for differnt things. We easily spent an hour and a half, maybe two before we finally checked out. Since I forgot to take pictures of the store, I thought I'd show you my stash. The smaller beads will probably be spun into skeins of yarn. As for the turtles and the roses carved from stone or the larger beads? I don't know yet, but I can't wait to figure it out!

Today at Wind Rose Fiber Studio #8 (what this Etsy shop owner does each day to maintain her store)

Today I will be taking two friends down to my new favorite bead store in historic Scottsdale, AZ.  The name of the store is Razzle-Dazzle which I have to admit, I think is a little unoriginal.  That being said, what I love about this place is the fact that you can actually find some beads there that you don't see in every other bead shop.  I don't want to look like a spy, but maybe I'll take a couple pictures with my iPhone and share them with you later today.  

Also today, I'll be dying 22 micron Merino wool to a nice shade of Golden Ochre.  This is a custom job for an artist in Canada who will be needle felting a Winnie-the-Pooh.  I'll dye enough extra to replace my own inventory while I'm add it.  I'll also be dyeing Sun Touched which is a soft skin tone that I just sold out of.  Those skin tones are really popular!

That will probably be it for today.  I have some items coming up for renewal and as I relist, I'm trying to make improvements.  My goal is to make sure everything I sell is well photographed and includes global shipping.  

Have a great day!

Pictures of the new shades of Orange Merino Roving

So here are the new shades I dyed yesterday. From left to right: Sunset Yellow, Mandarin Blush, and Golden Orange. The Golden Orange is the closest to the color requested by my customer. I was trying something a little different when I made the Mandarin Blush, but I have to say, this one's my favorite. It's a beautiful shade of orange with blush undertones. I love the way orange and pink look together. This one will definitely become a standard shade at Wind Rose!

Dyeing the Perfect Shade of Orange Merino Roving

That's the goal anyway.  I'm dyeing merino this week and I always announce when I'm dyeing that I'll take color requests.  I actually love it when people take me up on it.  It never fails that when I start playing around trying to create a new shade, I stumble onto wonderful new colors.  I'll often dye 3 or 4 batches ( I dye 4oz at a time ) tweaking as I go; a little more of this, a little less of that.  The crazy part is that I never really know if I've met success because people tend to perceive color very differently.  All I can do is try and hope that I make something that my customer will love.  The great part is, there is no such thing as failure.  At least not if you're like me and just love color.  As I go, I always keep a dye journal so that when a new color is particularly appealing, I can recreate it whenever I want.  They become my own secret recipes.  What could be more fun than that?

P.S. 

I'll take some pictures of today's oranges and share them tomorrow.  

Merino/Silk Roving

Here are the pictures I promised. The first two colors are Bright Orange and Crimson Pink . More colors are on their way!

Today at Wind Rose Fiber Studio #7 (what this Etsy shop owner does each day to maintain her store)

Hello there.  Here's another entry in my ongoing series of what this Etsy shop owner does each day to maintain her store.  Today I'll be dyeing merino roving just to keep my inventory built up.  I've started working towards creating an overstock of certain colors so that I can quickly restock my store ( I tend to list 4oz of each color at a time ) and so I can create a few more samplers for the holiday season.  I sell enough roving that it's hard to create a surplus.  I feel pretty busy just keeping my stock looking full.  

I'm also adding a new fiber to my inventory, Merino/Silk (80/20).  As time passes, I want to keep adding to the variety of fibers that I offer.  I tend to introduce them one at a time and then see if there is a market for each of them.  Sometimes it's hard to tell.  I got a good deal on some Masham early last Spring, so I dyed it up and listed it.  It just sat around for a couple months and I began to think about spinning it or carding it with other fibers when suddenly it began selling.  Now I'm almost out of stock.  Still, unless there is a sudden outcry for Masham, I'm not sure I'll be dyeing it soon again.

So that's mostly it for today.  I'll post some pictures of the Merino/Silk when it's done.  As always, when I announce that I'm dyeing, feel free to request colors either here or contact me at Wind Rose.

Have a great day!

The Baby Cozy

This is a brand new design here at Wind Rose. The Baby Cozy is a blanket and a protective wrap all in one. It has a built in pocket where your baby can feel all tucked in an cozy. The cross over side panels tie for added warmth and security. It's designed for the first three months and inspired by this mother's memory of wrapping my babies up in their blanket to make them feel warm and secure.

These are made from bulky weight yarn and would be perfect for a fall or winter baby living in a cooler climate than we have here in Arizona. The little boy one is blue, green and orange and and the little girl one is rose, leaf and citron. They both measure 23" long and 14" wide.

I will also be making this pattern up in a worsted weight yarn. To see a sample you can visit my earlier blog post.

The Baby Cozy is machine washable in cold water using the gentle cycle. Please lay flat to dry.

Felted Hair Clip - Free Crochet Pattern

So my husband told me this morning that I've been promoting my etsy store too much in my blog. It's true, when I don't have a lot of time to write, I tend to highlight my recent creations. So today I thought I'd share a Wind Rose original pattern (no pressure to hit the link :+). This is a quick and easy design and can look different every time by changing the yarn and beads you choose. I've made some from handspun yarn that were just beautiful. I do have a few different colors in my shop right now if you want to see a few more pics, but for the purpose of this pattern, I've chosen the natural one with dark wooden beads. It's one of my favorites and I think the simplicity of it lends to its appeal.



Felted Hair Clip

yarn - 50 feet of 100% wool
hook - size J

ch 17 leaving a 12 inch tail.
Row 1: 3 sc in 2nd st from hook. Sc in next 14 chains. 5 sc in final chain. Sc in the other side of next 14 chains. 2 sc in same chain as beginning 3 sc. Join with sl st to 1st sc. Ch 2
Row 2: 2 hdc in same st as joining. 3 hdc in each of next 2 sts. 2 hdc in each of next 14 sts. 3 hdc in each of next 5 sts. 2 hdc in each of next 14 sts on the other side. 3 hdc in each of last 2 sts. Join with sl st to top of beginning ch 2. Ch 1
Row 3: sc in same st and in each st around. Join with sl st to 1st sc skipping beg ch 1. Finish off securing tail with a sewing knot on the back side of the piece and weaving in the tail. Trim excess.

Making the pleats.
Thread a darning needle with the beginning 12”tail. Sewing from the back side, use a running stitch down the center of the beginning chain four at a time(in out, in out) pulling each st as you go to create the pleated affect. Knot and weave in remaining tail.

Felting.
Fill a large bowl or a sink with water as hot as you can tolerate. Submerge your piece until it is wet through and then use dish or hand soap and lather it up. Rinse off by agitating it in the water. Continue to soap and rinse until it becomes the size you desire. While wet it can be molded and shaped to your liking. Blot dry without creasing the fibers.

When piece is completely dry, embellish with beads and hot glue to a hair clip.

I hope you enjoy this pattern. If you have any questions along the way, I'm happy to help!

Felted Urban Chic Camouflage Hat

This original design combines classic styling with a modern freshness. The hint of camaflauge in this particular hat gives it an urban chic quality. It fits 21" and 22" head circumferences and because it's felted, will stretch to fit 23" with a little more snugness. To see more pictures of this Felted Camouflage Hat and other accessories, click on over to Wind Rose.

Muk Luks or Slipper Socks? Whatever you like to call them, they're warm and toasty!

Inspired by the bohemian knit muk luks, I designed this crocheted version. The Muk Luk reaches just below the knee and has black leather soles sewn on the bottom to provide a safe, non-slip surface. The sole measures 9" from toe to heel and fits a woman's shoe size 6-8 comfortably. They're colorful, stylish and so warm and toasty you won't want to take them off.

To see more colors and designs including the "Mini Muk" visit Wind Rose Fiber Studio.