CAMP PLUCKYFLUFF!!!

So, a couple of weeks ago I got to Camp Pluckyfluff in Asheville, NC with Lexi Boeger!!! Can you believe it? I didn't know how I was gonna make it through the class... I was sooooooo nervous. But, come to find out, Lexi is not only a yarn artist, author, spinning wheel designer, my yarn idol, etc., she is an amazing teacher! And my friend, Esther of JazzTurtle, was there to help out too!

Check this out! It is Spinderella's big sister! The prototype of my wheel (whom Lexi co-designed) the Majacraft Aura. I was a little starstruck...
Here I am doing some "crazy" carding on Lexi's Louet Classic Drum Carder. "Crazy" carding has now become one of my very favorite things to do!



Here Lexi is spinning her "crazy" carded batt into some delicious yarn!

Here is a picture of the whole group. We all had bunches of fun and laughed a lot.

Here are a few of the funky yarns I spun...


And then... Lexi signed my wheel!!!!!!!!!!!! I told you I was starstruck!
I have no idea if she wrote her name or Pluckyfluff but I still LOVE it!
So, that was my trip in a tiny little nut shell. I say that because most of what we did is super secret and you have to go to Camp Pluckyfluff to find out. And you can... Come with me to Camp at Lexi's Pad! November 6th and 7th, 2010 I will be attending my second workshop with Lexi at her home on the family vineyard. It will prove to be divine!

Fibery hugs to all!
Leslie & Spinderella & Hover Bunny -->

ps. to learn more about the bunny and see the crazy cat videos from my trip check out my other blog!

I'm back!

I wanted to take a moment to "show off" some of the new yarns I have made... and will be listing in the shop in the next couple of days.
I have been really loving to thread ply these super soft painted rovings!


And (in my opinion) you just can't beat a good chunky, textured, core spun yarn!


Alas... we have the old stand-by... the ever versatile single...

And, yes, I realize I was avoiding the elephant in the room by not explaining where I've been the past several months... but to be honest I don't even know. I did have some MORE health problems over Christmas. All is well now. And, I did lose the cord that connected my camera to the computer so I couldn't upload any pics. But, other than that I have no excuse. I didn't even realize it had been that long! Hopefully things will return to the semi-normal state they were in last fall. I have a couple of workshops to attend this year and really want to grow my business! Glad to have you along for the ride!

Leslie, Spinderella and Drummond!

October has become one of my favorite months!

I have always preferred the spring... until this year. So much fun stuff has happened this October I can't help but call it my favorite month of this year!

My new work schedule started this month... I got to spend a week at the beach spinning and knitting... I am having the GRAND OPENING of my shop this month... I sold yarn to France... this weekend will be my first "trade show" (more about that later)... I got a great deal on a drum carder this month (much more about that later)...

So many fabulous things are going on this month! Now, I want to share some of my fabulousness with you! If you follow my blog this month you will be entered to win a (obviously) fabulous prize!

And, don't forget to drop in my shop. I am offering FREE SHIPPING for the entire month of October!

Have a fluffy day!
Leslie and Spinderella

In the beginning...

... well, not quite the beginning but as close as it gets at this point... there was fiber! Beautiful, fluffy, colorful, yum yum yummy fiber!!!

This deliciousness came from the fabulous Roo at Moonwood Farm! And, as you can see in the first picture, some fun extras! (You will find the most generous people in the world of fiber!) I came to know Roo at Moonwood Farm through the Phat Fiber Box samples. I had three top favorites and perused each shop for the perfect purchase. Roo just happened to have the fiber that was MADE for my first sweater, the February Lady Sweater. She dyed and carded this very fiber JUST FOR ME! How fun is that?
So anyway, I just wanted to give you a glimpse of my fibery life. I am currently working on opening my Etsy Shop, a pair of socks, a washcloth, scarf, and some cuffs... oh, and spinning everything I can get my hands on! I am loving every minute of it!
Squish to all!
LC

Yarn!

As promised I spun up some red, white and blue fiber on Memorial Day! It turned out pretty nice (if I do say so myself). This little beauty is my first 2 ply yarn too! One thing I learned was that when you spin (or ply) the two yarns together you spin it the opposite way than you spun the original yarns. Crazy isn't it? I don't know but I don't think that would have ever crossed my mind.
Memorial Day Yarn

Most of the spinning I have done since the introduction of Spinderella has been scrap yarn or practice yarn. I have done a LOT of practice treadling too just to get the speed under control. It is really easy to get excited and start running on that thing! Just recently I have learned how to set the spin in hand spun yarn. Here is one of my first (and favorite) yarns I have spun and set.
Electric Slide
When you finish spinning the yarn you wind it off the bobbin onto a niddy noddy (or the back of a chair if that is all you have). I WILL do a video of this SOON. This is a way to keep the yarn from tangling and a way to measure the yardage.
Spring Fling

Now after you wind the yarn and tie it... it is time to "set the spin". The first step in this is to run some really hot water into a sink or bucket. You place the yarn in the hot water and let it sit until the water is cool. I suggest doing this with only one colorway at a time in case bleeding occurs. After the water has cooled you remove the yarn and place it on a towel. Fold the towel over the yarn and press the water out so that you do not agitate the fiber. Then hang the yarn over a hanger or door knob or something. If the yarn spins back on itself use a couple of hangers as weights at the bottom of yarn. When it dries... you have ready to knit YARN!
Pretty Pink

All of the fiber used to make these yarns was from the Phat Fiber Sample Box. Last month I got the "Just Fluff" box. Boy was that fun! I opened up the box and took out some fiber... when I looked back at the box it was full again! It was like Mary Poppins bag! Never ending fluff!!! Well, sad thing is... it did end. But I will have another chance at a Phat Fiber Box this month! Hope everyone is having a great week! Happy hump day!

LC

Trinity Ridge Alpaca's Open Farm Day/Spin In

Saturday, Trinity Ridge Alpaca's had an Open Farm Day/ Spin In. My boyfriend and I took the afternoon and visited the farm. What a wonderful day! Steve and Janet Hancock were delightful hosts! Steve took us for a tour of the farm and introduced us to the animals.

We met a few funny characters...
... the two-headed alpaca...

... the "happy" alpaca...

... and the alpaca hand puppet....

These animals are too funny! We learned tons of stuff about alpaca's. About their eating and breeding habits and so on. They are very interesting animals.
This was my personal favorite. Her name is Showtime. I got to walk her on a halter. It took me back to the days of showing Santa Gertrudis Cattle. Only this girl was a bit easier to handle. And soft as a bunny!

Over all these guys are pretty laid back. I like their style!

And to top it all off... I took home some (favorite ever) fiber! I want to figure out a way to be able to wrap my body in this! Oooh! I guess I can spin it and knit it up! How about that?

Oh my, my heads-a-spinnin!

Don't worry... my zest for all things fiber has not diminished! I have just been so busy stuffing my face with information I haven't had time to spit it back out! I find something new EVERY day either on the internet, in books or just by trial and error. It is absolutely fascinating! I have been to my LYS (aka Local Yarn Store... that took a while for me to figure out) The Woolie Ewe. It is delicious. I have joined a small knitting circle (there are only three of us). I have also been knitting a bit with my sister... who I found out knits totally different from me. It is so crazy! We get the same end result but the process seems so strange. Maybe I will get her to do some videos for you too. Speaking of videos... I don't have the technology to do videos at this time... my sister has a camera that does though. So, all videos will be at her convenience (and she has a new baby).

I have BIG fibery plans for the next few weeks! This weekend I am *crossing fingers* going to Trinity Ridge Alpaca's Open Farm Day/ Spin In! How fun does that sound? And it is just a hop, skip and a jump from the casa! Then of coarse we have Memorial Day on Monday. I might just spin up a little something red, white, and blue! And then... next Friday night... The fantabulous Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, is going to be in Plano, Texas! My sister and I are so there! I must make something small and fibery to wear that night... has to be springy... any suggestions?

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and let you know everything is OK. I am having tons of fun!

I will definitely be posting pictures soon.

LC

ps. I had a dream that I curled up into a yarn ball! It was orange!

Introducing...

SPINDERELLA!!! She is my beautiful new Louet Victoria spinning wheel. I was introduced to her this past Sunday, April 26th 2009. I went to the DFW Fiber Fest to try out some different types of wheels. She totally won my heart! She is a little thing (weighing around 7 lbs.) and she has her own suitcase. As soon as I got home I grabbed some roving and got to work. These are some pictures of me *spinning Spinderella*...

The pictures here show my very first yarn. It is a little wacky but I think pretty good for my first day EVER!
Boy can she spin...

These guys (need a pedicure) know how to work it! I always wiggle my feet anyway... my boyfriend calls it *making biscuits*. You know, like a kitty? Turns out this was perfect practice for treadling(I didn't even know that was a word until last Sunday). Well, at least I don't seem to get tired.

Other exciting news is that I learned to knit last night!!! I was super excited when I finished up my little rectangle! I will treasure it always. I hope to have a short video this weekend. I have a list of topics all ready. I will leave you with a picture of my first knitting progect in progress.

Have a lovely day!
LC

Fiber: Fascination or Fetish?

Does it matter?

So what if I am a little obsessed with comfy, cozy, colorful, cotton candy... I mean... FIBER... Just look at it. It is full of potential and calling my name! Okay. You're right! It can do a lot... but it can't talk.

Anyway, this blog is going to be all about my adventures in fiber and fiber related things. Examples of this might be yarn, crochet, knitting, spinning, dying fiber and who knows what else?!?!?! Isn't that exciting?!?!? Well if you don't think so just mosey on along... you won't be missed.

Now, back to the fun stuff.

I don't quite know how I got all *wound up* in this yarn thing but I am here and things are lookin' pretty. I do know that this slight obsession started sometime in the beginning of 2009... somewhere between Twitter and Etsy... I know! Weird how one thing leads to another. Like how I learned to crochet from a woman who called herself a Mexican Jew while volunteering at KERA about 7 years ago. Pretty random. Or how I met a lovely lady at the doctors office waiting to have blood taken (again) who teaches crochet, knitting, spinning, etc. who told me I HAD to go to the DFW Fiber Fest.

My plan is for this website to 1) be a place for you to see how much fun I am having, 2) be a place for current *fiber fans* to hang out and remember the good ole' days when you didn't know anything and 3) convert some new folks!

I will try to get out a video a week of a new technique I learn. I will try to post at least twice a week about projects I am working on or maybe just some pictures of yummy fiber.

I am starting from the very beginning... it's a very good place to start...

LC

ps. My new Louet Victoria is named Spinderella (hence the name of the blog)