Fiber in the Hands of an Angry Spinner

I’m reorganizing some of our blogs.  Not all features may work right now.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

If you’re a spinner, weaver, or knitter, you’ve probably stumbled across Paradise Fibers. As a spinner and knitter, I have the great fortune of being able to call Paradise Fibers my LYS. If you call Paradise Fibers to place an order, chances are, Travis will answer the phone and take your order. The semi-permanent attachment of his headset and his formidable height give, at first glance, the impression that he’s a fiber-loving Borg. We are Paradise Fibers. Resistance is futile. You will find roving you love.

When I stopped in the other day, Travis asked me would I like to sample some of their new yarn. (Would I like to? What knitter would say no?) He led me to the shelf of glorious, lovely Lambs Pride Superwash Bulky Yarn that comes in at least 25 different colours. I picked out a skein each of [crap–I don’t remember–I’ll write them when I’m reunited with the three skeins of yarn], and knew just what I would do with it:
A knitted robot.

If there are directions out there to knit these robots, they have alluded me, so I drew up a sketch, in lieu of a pattern, and began work on my robot.

Sizing up the amount of yarn I have left [oz. of each skein here], I have decided to knit either a robot hat, or a sweater for the robot, or both, depending on the size of head for which I make it. I had conceived of sending the robot to my soon-to-be-born niece, Brück, but Farmergirl thinks Travis the Robot is fabulous, so I may find myself down at Paradise Fibers looking at another set of Lambs Pride Superwash Bulky Yarn.

I’m not sure why it’s “bulky.” I haven’t yet measured the grist, but I don’t think it’s any heavier than standard worsted weight yarn. I’ve been knitting it on [Size 5?] Needles, and getting [stitches per inch]–which isn’t far off the [stiches per inch] I got in garter stitch or stockinette in Peaches and Cream worsted cotton. Of course, no one is going to wear the robot, and I’m not following a pattern beyond my little scribble sketch, so his dimensions are all relative to his head (which I knitted first), at 30 sts. stockinette, in the round.

I got a sample of the Bamboo Merino Top from Paradise Fibers in Spokane this week. It’s very clean, very soft, high-luster bamboo-merino top. Shown in picture spun to 17 WPI (sport weight), two-ply. It needed a little more twist than merino-alone does, but plied very nicely to a yarn that hangs well. The bamboo gives it that beautiful luster, and a nice drape and weight.

Handdyed Columbia/Dorset blend wool that moves in large self-striping from the purple heavens with topaz glass stars to the skys with merino clouds to the green grasses of the earth, with five small, brightly dressed people and silk thread grasses.

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Approx. 110 yards 3.7 oz

0380813815 -01

$45

Levi Tapestry: knitted art yarn tapestry

Technically, Ella runs into ogres, not trolls, and manages to keep from being eaten, but Pablo the Alpaca is still very happy that Ella is safe.

Handdyed Columbia/Dorset wool in a rainbow of troll flavours, with a dozen trolls pied in throughout. Created using a quill head attachment, at considerable risk to the Angry Spinner.

Approx 48 yards, 3.8 oz.
0007171684-01
$80

Approx. 1 oz. of Navajo Churro wool in a rich tweedy grey. If you look closely, you’ll see black, white, and grey fibers in this wool. Woolinated in the Woolinator 3000, and drum carded by the Angry Spinner, this wool spins easily, and has good strength and wear.

01-CHURRO-06

$3

Jerry Renault is a two ply, handspun, natural (not dyed) skein of mahogany alpaca. Sponsored by Fudgy the Alpaca. Like Fudgy, this yarn has heft and strength, warmth and softness.

Approx. 108 yards 7.4 oz

Item 0375829873 -01

Available at Harmony Yarn Studio in Coeur d’Alene, ID.

Lily Severo is a luxurious mixture of black alpaca and blood red sari silk, punctuated with nine glass skull beads, to warm the hearts (and heads) of the dead and undead alike. Two ply, handspun, natural (not dyed) black. Sponsored by Pablo the Alpaca

Approx. 50 yards 6.5 oz

Item 0060590270 -02

Available at Harmony Yarn Studio in Coeur d’Alene, ID.

These Super Small, Super Light Sock Stitch Markers are perfect for big or small projects on tiny needles. Made with glass seed beads and super light alphabet beads, these markers will keep track of your increases, decreases, or rounds.

SSSLSS Markers come in sets of five, spelling fun fiber related words, or sequencing:

K-N-I-T-S | P-U-R-L-S | S-O-C-K-S | C-A-B-L-E | G-A-U-G-E

CO-YO-YO-YO-BO | A-B-C-D-E | V-W-X-Y-Z

$8/set

While I like to spin all kinds of yarn, thick, thin, thick-and-thin, textured, smooth, and in all kinds of colours, perhaps my favourite thing to do is to find something really unique. Currently, I have a dozen yarns that have different glass beads spun in, including the Abby Normal and Lily Servo yarns in black alpaca with glass skull beads, and blood red cotton and crimson sari silk respectively.

The Peter Rabbit Skein started with an unusual corsage I received this February. Renaissance Guy was going to be out of town during ECOR’s Annual Auction, so I asked two couples to be my collective date, one of whom (a florist–see card below) brought me a corsage made from random (plastic) vegetables.

Inspired by Pluckyfluff’s Prairie Dream yarn, I decided to try my hand at a similar skein–one with vegetables, a rabbit, and a small blue coat. I plan to debut it at the NWRSA Conference the first weekend in June.