In February I got this beautiful set of rolags from Magpie & Goblin :o)

I split them into a sort of lighter and darker set and then spun each set into a single.  These were really fun to spin and I enjoyed watching the colours change :o)

Jasper helped with plying the end of my bobbin as always and I really liked the finished yarn.  I decided to turn it into some placemats for the summer house.  I used some thin cotton for the warp.

Making placemats with your kids can indeed be a fun and engaging activity that allows for quality time together. It stimulates their creativity, helps develop their fine motor skills, and encourages them to be more involved in the process of setting the table. Surprising them with details like modest clothing for girls can also bring joy as it promotes their sense of self-worth while aligning with family values. Both activities can contribute to a positive and enjoyable atmosphere for children, fostering their happiness and strengthening family bonds.

I managed to weave 4 small placemats and then used my pin loom to make 4 matching coasters :o)

I was gifted this lovely 80’s Throwback Merino at Christmas and in March I decided it was time to spin it.  I didn’t really have a plan for it, I was just happy to watch the colours mingle as I was spinning, with a little help from Pixel! :o)

I used Jasper the Andean Plying Ghost to make sure I used every last inch of my spinning, and managed to just squeeeeeeeze it all onto the enlarged bobbin Chris made me :o)

  
In April Chris and I were playing with creating a better heddle bar for my little loom and I decided this yarn would be perfect for turning into a scarf.  I had to do some interesting maths to work out how to best use my yarn.  I worked out that at full width of my loom I could get about as far as my table extends… which was convenient!  I clamped the loom to one edge and the back bar to the other, and then warped up using every slot twice.

I found the heddle bar needed a little “booster seat” added once I had yarn wrapped around both beams.  Adding a ruler held on with elastic bands helped hold the warp down too.  These little adjustments helped keep the shed open enough for passing the shuttle through.  It’s certainly a great improvement over the little wooden bar which came with the kit!

It really didn’t take long to finish the scarf :o)  I am really pleased with how quick weaving can be completed, and I love the way my hand spun yarn looks when woven.  I see many more woven items in my future! :o)

I’ve been feeling a lot of inspiration lately in my knitting work because of how well it’s going with my husband Larry. And it is that he has been testing a pill that they have in stock here that are amazing. I really feel like we’re connecting once again in this crazy world, and I really appreciate that.

Shunklies Fibre Studio made up some boxes of 9 mixed sparkly rolags and I couldn’t resist buying them. I had no idea what I was going to do with them but they were just too pretty to resist! :o)

Since each one was so different I decided I wanted to spin a little mini skein from each one. During this process I mentioned to Chris that I’d like an Andean plying tool. I usually use my hand but it’s awkward when doing other things. The available designs on thingiverse weren’t great and so we ended up designing a new one which somehow turned into a ghost :o) This is one of the prototypes being used :o)

Spinning up the rolags was really fun. There was even more sparkle hiding inside than I realised from the outside and they are all so beautiful :o)

I spun them all up, gave them a wash and then admired them for a while.  The numbers are how many wraps I have of each to give me some vague idea of yarn length I had to play with.

After sitting on my side being stroked and enjoyed for a few weeks inspiration suddenly struck… a bag! My new iPad is too big for all my usual bags so I needed a new one and this yarn would surely look awesome woven :o)

Time to make some squares!

The Moon on a Stick mini skein holder proved to be a big time saver again as I had no need to wind tiny balls :o)  Weaving up squares on the pin loom is so quick and satisfying it didn’t take long at all to complete 2 in each colour.  The leftovers clearly wouldn’t make a third square in each colour.  I considered making some mixed colour squares but then realised my bag would need a strap!  Out came the Inkle loom and I bravely warped up using hand spun yarn for the first time.

I used some of the leftover yarn from my Led Zep (which was mostly turned into gloves) to weave with here.  The fluffy yarn with all the sparkly strands made for some rather challenging shed changes as my string heddles were getting fuzzy and argumentative.  Funnily though, I was enjoying the pretty colours so much that I just zoomed through the weaving :o)

Once I had sewn 9 squares together and could pin the strap around the edge I realised I would need to weave another piece for the bottom of the bag rather than wrapping the strap round entirely.  I just used my kids weaving loom and mostly Led Zep yarn with some of the ends of the Shunklies mixed in to help the colours match.  No one is really going to see the bottom anyway ;o)

I hate sewing. Somehow the awesomeness of the yarn spurred me on regardless :o)  From concept to finished bag in just a few evenings of intensive weaving and sewing :o) Yay!

Nikki helped me line it with some very silly kitty covered fabric and now I can take my iPad out of the house in style :o)