This week store update

I updated my Etsy store yesterday.  Here's a sneak peek of what you might find at http://fibermonster.etsy.com

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Recently added to my favorites:

Spinning anyone?

It's been a long while since I spin anything. Here's the fiber I predrafted a few days ago. It's my own handdyed corriedale. Even though the fiber is very easy to open and I really didn't need to predraft it, I like to do it anyway because I am spoiled from spinning the batts.

Simple lace knitting with my handspun yarn

I got a few requests on twitter about the pattern of the lace neck warmer I am knitting right now. So I thought I would share it here with everyone since there isn't enough space for 140 characters on twitter post. It is a simple lace pattern that is very easy to remember after you knit a few rows. As you can see, I just start and I am on row 8.

My yarn is lace weight. Size US 8 circular needle.
If you get ahead of me, please let me know how it goes.  It's easier to see the pattern in chart. I will post it later *if* I get around to do it :)

Simple lace pattern
Multiple of 10 + 11 sts

CO: 141 sts
Place marker at the beginning of the round.
Set up row: Knit 2 rows (You can skip this if you prefer no edge)

Row 1, 3, 5 and 7 (RS): K2tog, K3, YO, * K1, YO, K3, SK2P, K3, YO. Rep from * to last 6 sts, K1, YO, K3, SSK

Row 2 and all WS: Purl even row: Knit all.

Row 9, 11, 13, and 15: K1, YO, K3, * SK2P, K3, YO, K1, YO, K3. Rep from * to last 6 sts, SK2P, K3, YO, K1

Row 16: knit

Rep Row 1-16 as many times as you like.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Playing with Merino/Tencel

Fiber: Dragon Fruit Batts 80% Merino, 20% Tencel

Pre-drafted

I forgot how much fun it is to spin Merino/Tencel blend until I cranked up this baby from one of my own handcarded batts.  It basically spun itself!

Fiber: Dragon Fruit Batts 80% Merino, 20% Tencel
Colors: Different shades of red.  You can see it better in the predrafted photo.  There are many red and deep deep fuchsia.

Dragon Fruit Batt is available at http://fibermonster.etsy.com

Cheers!!!

Mini Carded Batts...

As suggested by some of you who love to felt, I am adding a new batt to the store. Fiber Monster is now having mini carded batts. Each batt is approximately 1 oz. So hopefully this is the size that is suitable for felting since you don't really need a lot of fiber. Spinner can also mix the different 1 oz batts together to create your very own unique handspun yarn.

To view more of the Mini Carded Batt, click HERE.

So many possibilities...

Store is updated this week

Yesterday, I added four brand new handdyed handpainted merino wool blend to the shop.  They are all one-of-a-kind handdyed in small batch.  The wool blend is 60% superwash merino, 30% bamboo, and 10% nylon.  Have you try spinning this blend? Oh, it is so soft and fun to spin.  Merino is general short fiber but bamboo helps make it stronger.  A bit of nylon makes it a great choice for spinning sock yarn or lace.  Your fabric will drape very nicely.

Try it!

Today I am going to add some BFL and Corriedale.  So come take a look at Fiber Monster.

Two Bobbins on Two Wheels

This one is on Majacraft Rose

This one is on Majacraft Little Gem II

Shop Update: New One-Of-A-Kind Handdyed BFL Wool Tops

I just updated my etsy shop with these one-of-a-kind handdyed
Bluefaced Leicester wool tops. Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Collage

Valentine's Day Collage

Hello February!  Here are some of my selections for Valentine's Day.  You can find more information at my Etsy here.

See you online.

First Cowl

This is the first cowl I knit and I love it!  And I know that it is not going to be the only one I knit.  This cowl is done mostly in front of TV, two nights to be exact.  I casted on Tuesday night and I already forgot what I was watching on TV.  But I remember that I finished it while watching the Prez's State of the Union Address.  I repeated the pattern 3 times and got to the length I like.  The pattern said to block it but I am not going to as yet.  I am going to wear it to the play this weekend.

My handdyed handspun yarn, 100% merino wool

From skein into ball.  Ready to knit

Darkside Cowl

Yarn: Fiber Monster's Handspun Yarn - personal collection.  100% merino wool, 165 yards, chunky weight.

Pattern: Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama.  I found her pattern on Ravelry.

This is a great project for handspun yarn.  And guess what? If your ears get cold, you can pull it up and wear as an earwarmer!  I am going to make more.  How about you?

Spinning Self-Striping Yarn

Another blog update, two days in a row? Yes, it's possible :)

In the process of going through old photos, I found another experimental project I did with spinning for self-striping yarn.  I should have kept a written record of what I did so I have better information to share.  But it's hard, you know?  I was so excited to get my hands on this project and I just went for it.  Note to self: write. it. down.  Anyway, here's what I remembered.

I selected three different carded batts by Fiber Monster (that's me!) and rolled them widthwise.  I had two sets of them in the same order.  One set was for bobbin #1.  Another set was for bobbin #2.  My plan was to spin each set starting from the same end so that I got the same color sequence on both bobbins.

Top to bottom: Grasshopper, Jewel, and Happy Valley

Pre-drafted into balls.  Ready for spinning bobbin #1

When you pre-draft and spin the fiber, make sure you start with the same color sequence for both sets of fiber.  In this case, I started with blue, yellow, and green.  I did the regular 2-ply and the colors were mostly matched.  Occasionally there was a barber pole section but it was fine with me.  I like a little bit of color transitioning.  If the barber pole was too long and you don't like the contrast, just break the single and find the match to rejoin.

Smooth two-ply, DK weight

Don't know how many yards.  Approximately 6 oz total

Love the color transitions!

Knitted from the top down in one piece.  No seaming :)

It took me a long time to find the pattern I liked to knit with this self-striping handspun yarn.  I basically looked for the pattern that is knit-in-one-piece, in the round with circular needle.  Then I came across Tivoli T-Shirt by grumperina, which I kept in my pattern binder before I even know how to spin!  I just checked her website hoping to make a link but I could only find the picture of it.   The link itself is broken.  If you are interested, you can try it on ravelry or go to http://www.grumperina.com and contact her directly for current information.

There are lots of instruction out there for spinning self-striping yarn.  And I would love to hear your thoughts on the techniques you like.  Most of all, it's FUN!!!

Happy spinning/knitting to you all.

Shenanigans

It's sock shenanigans! Two new pairs of socks to add to the pile.  The small pair is a demo one I knitted when I tried to figure out how to knit two socks on two circular needles.  At first I tried it with just one 40-inch long circular needles.  It didn't work.  Too much yarn management and it was all twisted and tangled.  Using two circular needles technique works much better for me :)

Knitted from 100% wool commercial yarn I handdyed in green and purple.

This one is from shetland fleece

The same handspun yarn I used to knit Shetland Triangle Shawl

I got the fleece from a local farm.  It was a long process to get this pair done: washing, carding, dyeing, spinning, and knitting.  I knitted them on Addi Turbo size 2.  Nice snuggly fit those toasty toes :)

Hooray...Let's See Some 2010 New Carded Batts

Yeah, after several color testings, I came up with these batts :)

Aladdin 100% Merino Wool

Jumpwee 100% Merino Wool

Spyte 100% Colonial Wool

Yowdon 100% Merino Wool

There are more new colorway in the pipeline. I just haven't got around to take photos. So many things to do, so little time...

Happy spinning!

Fiber Talk

Today I was organizing my fiber bins and found that I actually have some handdyed wool tops that didn't get tagged or photographed at all. It's good thing that I keep my fiber safe and clean. But it's bad thing that I didn't notice what was in the boxes. So I spent this afternoon taking the photos, tagged, and listed them on my etsy store.

Merino Top - 588202

 Banana Boats - Merino Top

Moccasin BFL Top - 6471

When I found them I thought I could just add them to my stash.  But then I looked at my stash shelves (notice an "s" there) thought long... and hard and decided that these fibers should go to good home.  Plus there are wonderful spinners and lots of fiber artists out there who could turn these handdyed wool into something spectacular.  It will be wonderful to see the finished projects.  So send me some pics.  Better yet join Fiber Monster's Group at Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/fibermonster

You will get a one-time offer FREE shipping on your next purchase at my etsy shop http://fibermonster.etsy.com.  Let me know before you place an order.  I can get it taking of for you or email me for revised invoice before payment.

And as I continue to organize my studio, I probably will have another surprise to show you.

I also spent time on spinning.  Both are spun in single and bulky weight.  I planned to knit a cowl with Proton multicolored merino.  The other handspun yarn in rainbow is self-stripping designed for a hat.  I spun it from the last Rainbow corriedale top I dyed.  This one didn't make it to the shop.  Love it too much to let go.

Proton Merino Batts

Proton merino handspun yarn close up

Proton is ready!

Rainbow corriedale on Majacraft Rose

Rainbow handspun yarn close up

Rainbow is ready!

That's all for now folks. 

Just a quick note

11/25/09 update: Don't have to wait for Black Friday. It's now here at Fiber Monster. Selected items will be on sales throughout today.

Happy spinning!

New Carded Batt Colorway

In case you haven't been to the shop lately, I have some new batts up.


Kinetic Merino/Tencel Blend


Hussar Merino/Tencel Blend


Green Meadow 100% merino wool

So check it out!

Honeybee for your holiday project?

*** Updated 11/24/09: This set is sold and no longer available at 12 oz at this time. However I do have 3 oz set at my shop if you are interested.

Are you planning on spinning larger project for this holiday seasons? Look no further. With special quantity discount pricing, this one is for you.

12 oz of "Honeybee" batts. Honeybee is 100% colonial wool drumcarded with tender loving care by me. This wool is very similar to corriedale but feels much softer. You've got to try it.

Normally it's US $16.00 for 3 oz. With special quantity discount, you pay US $55.00 for 12 oz. instead of US $64.00. That's about 15% off!

Buy some for you, give some as a gift. 12 oz gives you more options at great price. If you are interested in other colorway or have any questions, please email with your inquiry. I can check my inventory and will let you know.

Happy November Day :)

Store Update

Introducing "Playful" 100% merino wool carded batts.


Available now at http://fibermonster.etsy.com