Swapping for yarn samples and full size yarn skeins

This past week after giving it much thought, I've decided to give up most of my spinning fiber stash.
Last month, I went a little crazy and purchased a few braids and batts of spinning fiber. The worst part is that I have only begun spinning and am still in the newbie phase.

I came up with a solution that would allow me to be somewhat happy with having to part with my fibery treasures. I have decided to swap them with fellow Phat Fiber lovers , on Ravelry, for yarn samples, mainly from the January 2012 'Luxe' themed Phat Fiber box, as well as full size yarn skeins.

I have already swapped with 4 people and am waiting for all the swaps to arrive before posting what I traded for. In the meantime, the fiber I have already traded is below:

Creations made from my Phat Fiber sample boxes

I finally posted some of the Lavender sachets I made using yarn samples I received in my Phat Fiber sample boxes I blogged about a few weeks ago.  At first, I wasn't sure to use the samples for since they were approx 18 yards or so. Then, It came to me. Phat Fiber's February theme is Ladies Budoir. I decided to make satchets for my shop since they are sometimes found in a Ladies Budoir.  I had been hoping to make some using my full size hand painted yarns, but after three attempts to try to get info on how to contribute to the monthly box for February, I decided to work on my shop and build it up so I can submit another request in the future.  I'm a little disappointed, but not discouraged. I know I'll have to work hard to get to that level, but am not afraid of hard work. Worst comes to worst, I'll just follow their theme and sell what I wish. At this point, I  have some work to do.

Just some of the sachets I made.....

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90629480/pink-lavender-sachet-crochet-handmade

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90635670/for-the-lavender-love-set-of-6-crocheted

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90633035/for-the-love-of-lavender-set-of-6?ref=v1_other_2

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90637180/for-the-lavender-love-set-of-7-crocheted

My Yarn Felting Adventure

The past two days, I have been working on yarn felting. After watching some yarn felting how-to videos on YouTube, I decided to give it a try. All I can say is, I truly respect all the yarn felters out there. I never realized the hard work that goes into making your yarn project felt.

After learning that felting via washing machine can clog and damage the washer, I decided to try doing the process by hand. BIG MISTAKE on my part as a beginner. After nearly 45 minutes, I had to give up and walk away.  The square wool swatch, had unevenly felted. Rather than look like a rectangle, it looked like some art inspired, uneven oddity...not the look I was trying for at the moment. 

Later on, I decided to give it another try, this time using a washboard and still by hand. It felted a bit better, but the edges were still slightly uneven and ruffled. So, I decided to let it dry and ended up cutting it into the shape I wanted. 

Overall, I am not happy with the outcome. I have decided to wait a day or two and try again, this time, I want to experiment using boiling water.  Wish me luck...i think I may need it.  I will also try to photograph it this time.

Indie Way Yarn -Yarn Haul #2

I found another vendor on Etsy with some amazing yarns. The name of the shop is Indieway yarns.  They specialize in hand painted yarns inspired by nature. Their yarns range from Fingering weight up to Aran weight and range from $16 to about $30 or so depending on the fiber content, etc. . The colorways are beautiful as well. I fell in live with the yarns in the shop back in November and have been a fan ever since. I definitely recommend everyone try the yarn at least once. You won't be disappointed.

Here are a few selections I purchased....

Yarn Haul #1

From time to time, I will be posting yarn (and fiber ) hauls. I received a delivery on Saturday of some yarn I am planning to use for a possible contribution to the Phat Fiber February box. I am trying out an idea and if it works, I'll be submitting samples for next month's box.

I purchased my yarn through sby4718 on Etsy.com . I would definitely recommend this shop for anyone who is looking for yarn at reasonable prices. Please note that the yarn does not come with a label. Listings show yarn info.

Here are the colors I purchased...(They come as shown in either solid or multi color in each bag)

Cream, red and pink (2 each color)

Red, Charcoal, Med Grey, light Grey and cream (1 each)

Red and Pink (2 each)

Red and black (2 each)

cream (5 total)

More spun fiber......

I received a sample of some fiber with an order I placed through The Dyeing Arts on Etsy.

The sample (.25 oz) was made up of % merino and 50 % tencel.  The colorway was called Red Whine.
What a dream to spin up! It was so easy to loosen as well as easy to spin. I truly love it!

Be sure to check out their shop for some great hand painted yarns and Fiber.

Before:

After:

Skulls and Cross bones

I didn't have much time to work on much last night. I was running around on errands and a medical Appointment.  I did manage to work on a last minute idea I had. At about 5pm last night, I came up with the idea to try to needle felt on felted wool. (The process of poking a wool design via needles, onto another fabric such as wool or felt, etc.) Since I had an old black wool coat that had damaged lining, and had already cut the wool off of it for re-use in my craft projects, this would be perfect. (Felted wool is expensive and this saved me lots of money).  I decided to make a skull and cross bones design and turn it into a car air freshener by adding lavender,  and ribbon. The only bad thing is that I ended up breaking a needle. The good thing...I had one extra needle so I was able to finish my project.

Here's how it came out.......Not too bad for the first time.

Fiber fever

Forget Bieber Fever......Have you got Fiber Fever?  I caught it thanks to Phatfiber.com.  Thanks to Jessie and all the great vendors. I am now a fiber addict. I have already purchased some spinning fiber and am excited to spin it into yarn for my crafts and Shop. The majority of what I ordered hasn't arrived from the vendors yet.

The Fiber that has arrived looks so pretty. I have decided to photograph them as they arrive so you can see the before and what it will look like after I have spun it.  I won't be using a spinning wheel. I bought some drop spindles on Etsy from Fawn Fibers. From there, I went to Youtube to watch how to videos and decided why not try it for myself. I already spun two fiber samples I received in my Phat Fiber Sampler Box this past December.  In the next few weeks, I hope to spin a larger amount of fiber rather than the sample amounts (under 1 ounce) that I started with. I will definitely be posting pics for all to see.

Pics of the Drop spindles.......

Botom Whorl Spindle....The  weight is at the bottom (round disc, pictured) This type of spindle is used for making finer yarn such as lace weight. It's a 12" unpainted, unfinished bottom whorl drop spindle. Whorl  is 2.75" across.

Top Whorl Drop Spindle...........The weight is at the top. 

Used to create thicker yarns like Worsted weight , etc.  It's 12" unpainted, and unfinished .

Whorl is 2.75" across.

 Here's some of the yarn I already made using fiber samples.......Keep in mind that the fiber was inspired by Childhood memories and favorites. 

My first hand spun yarn done Dec 25th . The fiber was inspired by the Black ranger (Power Rangers) and the colorway was called "Mastodon". It's made of 75% BFL 25% Silk and hand dyed. The shop that makes it is Things Liz Makes and is also on Etsy.  I didn't get to photograph it in it's original fiber state. Here's what it looks like after it's spun and the twist is set so it doesn't unravel.  Overall, Not too bad for my first try. But, I know I can do better.

 

Here's the second Fiber sample I spun on Dec 26th. I also didn't photograph the fiber before I spun it. 

This one is cream colored and inspired by Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane and made by

The Sheepy Kitty on Artfire.com. (75% Bfl 25% silk) Again, I need more practice.

Stitch Markers and Earrings

I finally added the Harry Potter inspired stitch markers and Earrings to my Etsy shop. Photographing all of the markers and earrings wasn't easy. The photos either came out blurry or had a yellowish cast to them. I'm so glad they finally came out okay. Could have been better, though.

Here are the stitch markers and earrings I added.......

Hermione and Ron (Inspired)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89648986/hermione-and-ron-set-of-6-knitting

Colorful world of Weasley (Inspired)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89646288/colorful-world-of-weasley-set-of-6

Blame it on the Nargles (Inspired)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89647502/blame-it-on-the-nargles-set-of-4?ref=v1_other_1

Butter Beer
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89645036/butter-beer-set-of-6-knitting-stitch



Hermione at the Yule Ball (Inspired)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89650749/hermione-yule-ball-dangle-earrings

Blue Ice (Not inspired)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89651459/blue-ice-dangle-earrings

Phat Fiber Sampler boxes

In late November, I came across a blog called Phat Fiber. (http://www.phatfiber.blogspot.com/) The blog  featured different vendors that come together to offer samples that may or may not be limited to yarn, roving, batts, stitch markers, fiber related note cards, original patterns, discount coupons, teas, felting kits, project bags and more! Every box is different since it's essentially a mystery box and will come with at least 20 samples. The contributors vote on the theme for each month.  December's theme was 'Childhood Memories'. The sampler boxes are perfect for  fiber and yarn lovers and feature indie yarnies, spinners, dyers and other small businesses. The boxes are a great way to not only support indie artisans, small businesses and fiber farms, but allows you to try before you buy. The Phat Fiber blog even provides a review of what may be included in each box via a series of videos. Boxes available can be Stitches (all yarn related) , all fluff (fiber related) or mixed (both yarn and fiber related). Phat Fiber even has a group on Ravelry.com. Great for access to not only great sales and contests, but advice, information and as always patterns (some are even free!) and of course to meet a wonderful group of people with similar interests.

The Phat Fiber boxes are usually available for sale mid month and available on a first come first served basis. I missed the opportunity for grabbing a sampler since I found the blog late in November.  It was a little disappointing, but I followed the link to their waiting list page they have to sign up for their sale notification e-mail. So, about the middle of the second week in December, I received the e-mail letting me know the exact date and time the December 'Childhood Memories' boxes would go on sale. I was so thrilled! I was on the sale site a few minutes before the first  sale was to start and kept refreshing. I ended up out of luck. The boxes sold out in about 5 minutes. The good thing was that they were offering more boxes later in the day for the final presentation. I kept refreshing as usual and even had a second tab open to the same site and kept refreshing every now and then. After all was said and done, I ended up getting  2 boxes. You are only allowed to purchase two. I bought a mixed (yarn and fiber) box and a yarn box. The hardest part was waiting for the packages to arrive since Postal delivery was delayed due to the holidays. Overall,  they arrived a day later than usual.

Here's what I purchased.....

Mixed sampler box filled with great yarn samples, fiber, patterns, stitch markers, yarn tags, even a cute mirror , rubber duckie (My daughter snagged the duckie, Lol! ) and business cards (with discount on some for future purchases)

This Phat Fiber box was a stitches box (all Yarn). It included 2 patterns, stitch markers, rubber duckie (Again, my daughter snagged the duckie for her collection. ) yarn, and business cards (again, some with discount codes)

I really loved the boxes I received. The samples were nicely packaged and presented. I even learned so much about the different types of yarns from lace weight to bulky, wool, angora, etc. It's something I wouldn't have known just by looking at via computer. The stitch markers were fabulous as well. They ranged from small to large and dangly, simple to sparkly. All the products really did bring back 'Childhood Memories', from the Popples inspired fiber , to the My Little Pony yarn samples and more! So, If you love yarn or fiber, or anything yarn or fiber related, or know someone who does, then you won't be disappointed with purchasing a Phat Fiber Sampler box. Just be quick about snagging one because they sure do go fast! And a visit to the Phat Fiber group on Ravelry would be great, too!

Thanks Jessica for the great blog and the wonderful boxes you offer as well as for the wonderful group on Ravelry.com.