Pomegranate: All Spun Up

I've finally finished the wool I've been spinning for Baby #2's special blanket! It's been slow and steady and it feels GREAT to have reached this stage! The yarn spun up BEAUTIFULLY and I'm really really pleased with how it turned out. It's soft, bouncy with a bit of spring in it, and really warm. Not to mention decadent in its gorgeous pomegranate color.

The lowdown:

• 80% New Zealand merino and 20% silk
• DK/Worsted weight (8-10ply)
• 933 yards total (853 meters)

I can't wait to get knitting on this blanket! I plan on something simple to show off the depth of color and richness of the yarn but with a soft and feminine touch to it. We'll see. I still haven't completely decided on a pattern. Speaking of which, recommendations anyone?

xo


Follow along with the journey:

The beginning - Spinning Wool for the Baby
Spinning it up - Pomegranate Progress

Pomegranate Progress

I've been making some slow and steady progress on spinning up this merino and silk for the baby. I'm really liking the way it's turning out!

Have you been working on any special projects lately? I've usually always got a few projects going.

Spinning wool: For the baby

I splashed out on some extra fancy wool to spin for the new baby! I have big plans for a baby blanket (and possibly a matching hat and sweater). After days of searching I finally settled on this luscious silk and merino blend by Ashford in the Pomegranate color way. This luxuriously soft blend boasts deep pinks, mauves, burgundy and an array of orange hues. Perfect for our baby girl but mature enough for me to love.

It's downright delicious. Stay tuned for when I spin it up into a soft, lofty yarn! And then knit it.

I better get started.

Creative Fibre Exhibition 2012

This weekend the Craft & Quilt Fair 2012 was held and I was honored to have my shawl displayed in the Creative Fiber Exhibition portion of the fair.

Audrey became obsessed with a chair and insisted on sitting on it and then getting off and then trying to climb back up. There were tears. After we distracted her from the chair she busied herself with running around the exhibition and trying to touch everything. Excellent.

I'd never been to the Craft & Quilt Fair before so I didn't know what to expect, but it was HUGE! There were loads of vendors selling the latest in crafting and quilting, and it was crowded! It was all very exciting. In the exhibition there were some really incredible pieces. There are some very talented ladies and gents out there.

I'm already dreaming up what project I might enter next year! My next goal is to win a prize. Dream big, I say!

xo
Talia Christine

Dreaming Big

Yesterday I've sent off my entry form to enter my hand-spun hand-knit shawl into an upcoming exhibition. I'm extremely nervous as I've never entered anything into an exhibition before, let alone attend one, so I have no idea what I'm up against! It's a small dream of mine to have one of my knits on display so I've decided to go for it!

I've hand spun this wool and am currently in the process of knitting it up! I'm calling it "Nueva", which means "new" in Spanish. A friend of mine hand dyed this wool for me as a parting gift before I moved to New Zealand around two years ago. The deep greens represent new beginnings and the New Zealand countryside. I'm quite excited with how it's turning out!

Cross your fingers for me! I'll let you all know if it makes it to the exhibition.

xo
Check out more of my handspun projects HERE.

Things I'm Excited About

I've gotten a few commissions out of the blue and I'm so excited! Here's what I'm working on:

The curtains that I've been commissioned to make for a friend--I love sewing custom things! Here is a sneak peek at the gorgeous fabric.

(Seriously, I'm so excited to see the finished curtains! I can't wait.)

This gorgeous alpaca fleece that I've been tasked with scouring, carding, and spinning into yarn. Okay, so it's not really a quick buck (or much of a buck at all), but it's basically my dream job. You mean I get to play with alpaca fiber AND get paid for it? Why, yes! Please!



Happiness.

xoxo
Talia Christine

OH MY!

This morning I've been a busy bee. I don't have work for the rest of the week so I'm able to catch up on a few things I've been wanting to do!

I resized the vintage dress we picked up at the church rummage sale.
I made a pumpkin pie.
I finally put away all our clean laundry.
I sewed up Phil's jean pockets (they had holes in them).

Today was a very productive day.

The greatest part though, was the surprise ring of the doorbell. One of the ladies at church (who also shares the same last name as me) stopped by to bring me pounds and pounds of wool!



She used to be a spinner herself but has taken to felting since her spinning wheel broke. The wool has been in storage a long time and she wanted to see it go to a good home.



I'm so excited! The wool came from their sheep they raised and I'm looking forward to spinning some up. All of it is undyed in its natural colours. Yum.



I forsee alot of woolen things in my future.

xoxo
Talia Christine

My Latest Spin

I've begun work on baby Dylan's second present. I'm hand spinning some special wool to knit up into the softest blanket imaginable (or close anyway).

Before:




After:



I'm about halfway done spinning the 8.5 ounces of Merino/Tencel blend.
This stuff is a dream to spin.
It spins up like butter.
It has gorgeous hints of baby blues, grays, and silver throughout the wool and spun up yarn. I'm excited to knit a swatch to see how it looks!

Now to on decide (again, because I keep changing my mind) which baby blanket pattern I will knit.

For those of you interested, I purchased the roving from Spincerely. I'm a repeat customer. She has excellent customer service and has always answered my hair-brained questions that I throw at her. What's most though is that her dyed rovings are ridiculously incredible. I dye my own wool typically, but when I splash out and buy something fancy I head her way.

xoxo
Talia Christine