Making Roving With A Drum Carder

I ran across this video clip that I thought I would share...  Looks like it would be worth a try!  If all you see is a black square, click on it and the video should begin.

Strauch Drum Carders

My New Yarn

So, here is where it all starts, with happy, healthy alpacas!

Stress does affect fiber quality - see the smiles on these two? Meet Unlimited Joy and Ariella!  There are two different breeds of alpacas, suri and huacaya, and the difference is their fleece.  A suri's fleece grows vertically to the ground, in dreadlocks, and will grow clear to the ground if not shorn.  A huacaya has more of a teddy bear look and their fleece grows horizontal away from their bodies.  I think of a suri as being majestic and a huacaya as cute!

Huacaya Fleece

Suri Fleece

In the Dye Pot with Gaywool Dye

Carded

Carding is the process of combing and blending fibers together - an art form in itself.  This is a blend of hand dyed suri and natural brown huacaya.

Rovings Wound Into A Ball for Spinning

Hand Spun Into A Single Ply Yarn

Finished Two-Ply Yarn - Food For The Soul!

Click here to buy now!

Finish It Friday

It's always more fun to start a new project than to finish one - at least for me.  Running a business out of my home requires discipline - something I'm not always very good at.  I try to make Fridays a day for finishing projects, thus I think of Friday as Finish It Friday.  IF I can pull this off, I do feel better, and it gets me semi-organized at least one day a week!

It seems like I pick up a crochet hook much more than I do knitting needles.  I heard somewhere crocheting is faster than knitting and I know that appealed to me.  Not that I don't enjoy the process, but I like to finish too.  Maybe crocheting gives me a sense of satisfaction more often!

Did I mention the photos are of projects I made using alpaca yarn?  Click The Fiber to read more about this luxurious fiber.  Alpaca is WARMER than wool, softer than cashmere - be sure to visit The Farm Store for beautiful items made from alpaca - stay warm this winter!

 More on the art of crocheting coming soon! 

I just found a great tutorial on Adding A Header To Your Blog, thought I'd pass it along for you bloggers out there, especially newbies like me!

Finished and posted on website - yes!

Though sometimes difficult, I like to name my yarns.  This one is a very textured handspun yarn, a blend of suri and huacaya, and I'm calling it Buttercup.

These alpaca hats are crocheted with rovings and a big hook!  I call them Cobblestone Hats.  They also could be knitted with large needles - very easy.