Two More New Spindles :)

Who doesn't love getting parcels in the mail :) However, as a spindle spinner there is nothing more exciting than receiving new spindles in the mail :)

Left: QLD Red Cedar with a Cocobolo Dymondwood shaft, weight 29gms.

Right: QLD Red Cedar with a Walnut Dymondwood Rim, with a Cocobolo Dymondwood shaft, weight 38gms.

I have also finished the Ravelry Pack it on challenge and I ended up with 20gms of singles on my 6gm Kuchulu :) The finished n-plyed skein measured 165mt.

I have also been spinning some of my hand dyed alpaca tops on my new FWA Spindle, and as a 28gm spindle it already has 20gms of singles on it :)

Well I'm off to experiment with some new dyeing techniques and to do some more spinning :) Happy Crafting! :)

Exciting News & More Colour

On Friday I managed to braid up all the hand dyed tops from last weeks dyeing session, both the merino and the Alpaca, ready for sale.

I have been doing some more dyeing, because we all know I just can't stop experimenting with different colours :)

I have also been asked to put some stuff up for sale by some people in Ravelry, so if you now click on the shop tab above, it will now take you to my Etsy shop where you can see what hand dyed and natural braid I have available for sale :) I'm happy to reserve for people and custom dye if you can't find what you are looking for :)

Happy crafting! :)

Lots of Colour...

I have spent the last two days watching over a dye pot and getting very excited about all the different colours that have been coming out. A lot of the spinning I have been doing lately has been very fine, so the flecks of colour that are showing in the drying wool are perfect for variety of colour in the fine spinning. 

I'm not sure how many kilos of Alpaca and Merino I have dyed the last two days, but it has made a dint in my white tops :)

I have never been one to spin a plain colour, but I do occasionally spin white or natural colours, just not as often as the vibrant colours that come out of the dye pot!

So I hope all these colours have given you some inspiration in you crafting today, I know they have for me :) Happy Crafting! :)

Ravelry Challenges Update & More

The main crafty things I have been doing of late are the two Ravelry challenges that I am part of at the moment.

The first is the "Pack It On" challenge and my wee kuchulu is getting very fat! It was so hungry that I had to find some more fibre for it to eat. It currently has 14gms - 6gms spindle = 8gms singles on it.

The second  is a "Spin a Shawl" challenge which is a knit along. I have spun up my first bobbin of singles, which I may need to add to later, and I am ready to knit.

The first few rows were interesting as it is the first time I have knitted lace and knitted lace using a chart. But I think I am happy with the start of the shawl.

I have also been 2-plying on my very large spindle. It is currently 327gms - 125gms spindle = 202gms of yarn on it. I have 288gms left to ply onto it, so going to be a very full spindle I think.

Just to give you an idea of the size.

More to come so keep crafting! :)

Some more spindles for the collection ...

I always love getting parcels in the mail, but even more exciting is when these parcels contain more spindles!

These spindles are (LtoR):

• Padauk with Purple Heart shaft, 30.2gms
• Tigerwood with Bubinga shaft, 23.3gms
• Cocobolo with East Indian Rosewood shaft, 28.5gms
• Spalted Tamarind with Osage Orange shaft, 27.5gms
• Padauk with Purple Heart shaft, 25.8gms

The 5 new drop spindles add to my FWA Spindle family. I am still trying to get the hang of the support spindles with a bit of park and draft with the occasional continued spin. I think I still prefer the drop spindles but the support spindles are handy in a confined space, like the tiny Turkish spindles in my collection.

Happy Spinning! :)

A Very Special Day ...

Ok, so I know I have been a little bit MIA the last few weeks, but I have a good reason, honest. A few of the things that I was working on were for a very special day which has been a long time in the making. But the big day has finally arrived and it was a beautiful, perfect and a relaxing special day, but then again, some weddings are. So let me show you some of the things I was working on the weeks before...

One of the most important things one needs on the day... a dress. I found this very plain dress in the op-shop, made a few alterations (one of which was removing the horrible puff sleeves!) and then spent about a week double stitching each of the crystals on, one by one. I must say I love the end result, a simple and effective way to show my creative personality without going over the top, and I was glad to have it finished a few weeks before the wedding.

The next important thing was the bouquet. I wanted something that I could keep and would last for many years to come. Ever since I learned the art of beaded flowers many years ago, I had wanted to bead my own bouquet, despite the fact I hadn't met my now husband. I started this project about this time last year, working on it and making a petal here and there until I had it finally finished around October last year. It has 13 roses, what I consider to be our lucky number, with a matching buttonhole for the groom.

The butterfly was a last min addition, matching the next important thing...

... the cake. Again I wanted something special to put on my cake that I could keep for later on, especially for the special anniversaries so I can re-create our wedding cake. So I returned to my default skill and beaded up another 13 roses for the cake, with some help from my bride's maid in threading the beads. I created another two butterflies to represent the bride and groom in the cake topper, the exact opposite but same style of the one on my bouquet.

My jewellery for the day was something special too, with the main creation being the necklace, again matching the rest of the rose theme. I made a simple pair of spiral earrings to go with it and wore my charm bracelet from my Nana and Grandad, my something old.

The other main thing I created, with a little inspiration from my Mum in the design, was my wishing well box. I know it was a large box, but I had this in mind when I was making it so afterwards I could put my bouquet, cake decorations and other special things in after the wedding.

None of the photo's do any of these creations justice, but they come close and can give you an idea of what everything was like on this very special day.

I have some other more resent crafting to share too, so keep checking back for the next update :) Happy Crafting!