handspuncentral

2012-01-08T06:07:00.001-08:00

Check out the newest post on lynnevogel.com

My New Website and Retrospective Gallery

2011-12-31T07:34:00.000-08:00

I'd like to announce that I have a new website, www.lynnevogel.com. I wanted to have a place where I could post a permanent gallery of my retrospective work, and have a central hub for blog, store links, etc. So this will be my last blog post on Handspuncentral. For all new blog posts, please go to my new blog. Of course a website is always a work in progress. But it's kind of fun to unfold

Coloring Books

2011-12-10T08:12:00.001-08:00

Nostalgia. Watch out...it's habit forming. Heady as my mom's perfume of the same name ("The first perfume to orbit a man"), so long forgotten I can find no description of it on the internet. In fact there is a new one to replace it by somebody named Veigt. I don't know what the new one smells like but the orignial, by Germain Monteil, was tart, sour like a green plum, with rose, lily,

Starry Nite Scarf "Blazing Star"

2011-12-07T08:22:00.001-08:00

As I sit down to write, it has just started to snow. In these first few minutes of snowfall, the coin sized white flakes provide a frosty screen for a colored landscape. Tree trunks are mahogany and raisin, with a few tea colored leaves still hanging on, evergreen shades of ivy, pine and privet prevail. At the rate it's snowing, I wouldn't be surprized if most of that color disappears within

A Little Taste

2011-11-29T11:44:00.001-08:00

Twist Over this week I"ll be posting a few glimpses of my new work for the Studio Tour. You can see my last post for full details about that event. This piece is called Twist. It's part of the Full Cast show at the SAS Gallery. This show isn't fully up yet...hope the curator's OK. It seems to be a season of too much to do and not enough time to do it in, a feeling of flood, of being caught up

December 3-4, 2011 CAST/TACA Studio Tour

2011-11-26T06:15:00.001-08:00

It's only a week till the Studio Tour! What a quick year that was. Last year I opened my studio to visitors on the CAST/TACA Studio Tour in Sewanee along with Sharon Bandy and Jan Quarles and a good time was had by all. This year I'm going to be flying solo because my studio is so tiny and I have more work to display. Jan will be there to assist, but won't be showing this year, mainly because

Black Friday Weekend Savings

2011-11-25T06:20:00.001-08:00

Fern Spiral Socks Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! There is certainly so much to be thankful for. Life is good! To show my thanks I am offering 25% off all my patterns in on Ravelry and all items in my Etsy Store today (Friday, November 25, 2011) through Sunday (November 27, 2011). Ravelry patterns will be automatically discounted 25% at checkout. Just put the pattern in your cart to

Party 4 Paws

2011-11-18T07:52:00.001-08:00

Party 4 Paws is tomorrow evening and we are all bustling about in preparation. This is Franklin County Humane Society's annual Fall Fundraiser and it's a good party! 6:00 - 8:30 PM, Saturday, November 19 at the Sewanee Inn in Sewanee, TN. Ticket price of $30 entitles you to swing up to a full bar, enjoy a fabulous buffet from the finest local restaurants, and bid on the best silent auction we've

F in the B

2011-10-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

Fiber in the Boro was a great success last Saturday. What a gorgeous day it was, too, with tons of color everywhere. Brain child of Jan Quarles of Daily Fibers and friends Darlene Dralus, and Meredith Kermicle of Knaughty Knitter in Murfreesboro worked their buns off to bring everybody a great show and it paid off. I heard nothing but positive remarks all around. The arena was well lit

Merlfleece

2011-10-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

This one is for all you dog lovers out there. Ten years ago I was on the board of our uber-local animal rescue organization Sewanee Animal Rescue League. At that time we kept all the dogs in an alpaca barn that was maintained by volunteer labor, my own included. So many great dogs came to us then and almost every one of them got homes. There was a litter of 8 tiny fuzzy puppies that were nearly

Fiber in the Boro

2011-09-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

Fiber in the Boro is just around the corner. On October 29 we'll have a new fiber festival in Middle Tennessee thanks to Jan Quarles, Darlene Dralus and crew. It's a one day fair at the Lane Ag Center in Murfreesboro. Most of it is inside, which means no rain, no cold, no wind. Ahhhh, comfort and loads upon loads of fibery goodness. Check out their website for more info...vendors, classes, etc

One Gorgeous Skein

2011-07-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Mary Spanos just sent me this skein she spun from some of my fiber from Dubose in May. Mary couldn't make it to Dubose as she had planned this year, so Mary Kaiser took her my OOAK hank of "Blue Smoke" superwash bfl and this is what she spun from it. Gad zooks! Anybody want to wager a guess as to how many yards are in this skein? It's in line to become a lace stole at this point. Now I want to

Fern Spiral Socks

2011-07-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Fern Spiral Socks I had so much fun designing fingerless gloves that I completely forgot about socks. Me? Forget about socks? Pish. Anyway, here's my new sock pattern, Fern Spiral Socks. It's a mate to my Fern Spiral Fingerless Gloves. You can buy this pattern at my Ravelry Store even if you aren't a member of Ravelry. Purchase gives you immediate access to a downloadable PDF! Cool, huh. Of

A Perfect Knight

2011-07-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you have been following Zel's progress, so here's a current Zel update. Yes, she still needs a home. No, it can't be ours. But I have definitely had a good time knowing and training this gregarious and happy little dog. Every time I have worked with a shelter or rescue dog I can't help but look for each one's particular talents. And although most dogs adopted here in Franklin

Something Primal

2011-07-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Spinning fibers into yarn is one of the most ancient crafts. In these days of easy access to anything and everything we don't often put a lot of thought to our first ancestors, who developed this craft before the written word. Yesterday as I was spinning, I wandered back in time to try to imagine how the first thread, yarn, rope was spun. Usually the first image I get is that of someone rolling

Harrisville: August 1-5, 2011

2011-07-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

Just want to get the word out that there are still some openings in my Harrisville Designs "Dye, Spin, Knit" workshop August 1-5. This is a rare opportunity due to this slower than slow year for us all. This class is usually full in December with a waiting list. But this is a different kind of year. If you've wanted to join us and haven't been able to get in these past years, give it a try. Call

Salad Days

2011-05-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Upper Room sits above the Entrance. Ever seen a Dvane before? So many of the women that staggered through the portal of the Alfred Dvane Bell Library and climbed the stairs to the Upper Room for Hands On Color: Fiber Salad this past weekend were coming off a particularly bad week. At least half the class had had trial after trial. But as soon as they set up their wheels and started

Fiber Salad!

2011-05-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

fiber salad yarn: a little of everything Here's an assortment of the yarns we'll be spinning this weekend in my workshop Hands On Color: Fiber Salad! at Dubose Conference Center in Monteagle, TN. A good time will be had by all! See you all soon! For more photos, click here. silk bows and fleece big beads: tricolor lampwork bead by DH James fleece sandwich

A Dirty Dream

2011-05-15T07:25:00.001-07:00

I really admire writers who can take a laundry list of items or events and jigsaw them into flawless written composition. It takes a certain talent for organization, one I feel I seriously lack. I am a collector, a beachcomber, a frigate bird, bringing home all sorts of brick-a-brack that just sits in a clutter. I need one of those cavernous pantries to house all the found antique bottles, bird

Far Out Farms, Cornersville, TN

2011-05-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

My fave cotswold ramlambWell, I couldn't go to Maryland Sheep and Wool this yearso I drove over to Kim Caulfield's Far Out Farms for a play day on her giant carder Friday. It's a beautiful drive through rolling green hills of Southern Tennessee. Kim, Robbie (one of her 6 great pyrenees dogs), and several sheep met me at the gate. Ewes with new lambs dotted the fields and inner yards like

Last Call for Registration!

2011-05-05T06:38:00.001-07:00

Last call for registration for Hands On Color: Fiber Salad! Evening of May 20, all day Sat, May 21 and Sun, May 22, 2011 at Dubose Conference Center, Monteagle, TN. Spinners, come play with us! It's a workshop and a retreat with mini fiber market. Informal spin-in and fiber market Friday evening, workshop from 9-4 Sat and Sun. It's an art yarn class covering all angles of combining different

Snowball

2011-04-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

Such an amber-eyed beauty I combed Snowball one last time before we put her on the Rescue Waggin to a shelter in Wisconsin yesterday morning. She passed the temperament test, really something for an adult dog, and was able to join her 6 pups on the ride north where there are so many more chances for good homes for these dogs. 23 went in all. I really fell in love with these dogs while they were

Zel Update

2011-03-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

Zel has really come a long way since Pat took her in after Christmas. Dogs who have been confined too long as she was in the Sewanee Pound will be prone to fight or flight and Zel was the former. But with steady attention, good digs, lots of food and playmates, Zel has blossomed into a very cool dog. I wish I could keep her, but she is a rough houser and would break Monk in half. So I'm still on

Mr Peabody and the Wayback Machine

2011-03-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

These ultra cool old timey photos taken in rural Clarke County, Mississippi in the 1920s, have more than a little meaning for me. These ladies are from my motherline. On the back of the top photo Tempie writes, "Pearl, Josie, Tempie. We were just up from having measles-just after Christmas-was the first time Pearl & Josie had dressed to get out after being sick-measles did not hurt me." Josie is

Chattanooga River Market this Saturday.

2011-03-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Chattanooga River Market 2011 opens Saturday, Mar 19. Held at the Tennessee Aquarium every Saturday from now until September 24, you'll find all sorts of fun stuff here. Mainly, the Lucca Dot Yarn booth. Lucca Dot Yarn is the brain child of the infectious Claire Cabe, who asked me to teach her to spin a couple years ago and hasn't stopped since. This is her second year at the market with her wild

Direction of Twist/Food for Thought

2011-03-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

We spinners are used to spinning to the right and plying to the left. So much so that these directions have become hardwired in our brains, hands and feet. Spinning singles? Don’t you automatically start treadling your wheel clockwise? Let’s start thinking about direction of twist a little bit from a knitter's perspective. Ever knit stockinette in the round with a millspun singles? Have you ever

Circle of Toes

2011-03-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, fess up. Which one were you?I'll admit it. I'm mauve, lower right corner...the obvious flipflop wearer. Mom warned me that I'd get a space between my toes. Here's proof. Of course I really like that emerald green...

Workshop Eye Candy

2011-03-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

hand blended pliedSome examples of yarns we'll spin during Hands On Color: Fiber Salad!You don't have to have a drum carder to get that layered batt look. Learn handblending with us at Dubose in May. We'll also play with various plying techniques and spinning an ensemble of yarns from one handpainted roving. Come and play with us!hand blended corespun singleshandblended corespun singles and

2011 Workshops: Fun Will Be Had

2011-03-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Kathy's rovings dyed in my Harrisville Class, 2010HANDS ON COLOR: FIBER SALAD! Residential 2 day intensive spinning workshop, Dubose Conference Center, Monteagle, TN. Friday evening May 20- Sunday May 22, 2011.DYE SPIN KNIT: Residential 5 day spin, dye, knit workshop, Harrisville Designs, Harrisville NH.Two Sessions! August 1-5, 2011 and October 3-7, 2011.Also, offering private or small group

Zel and Kane

2011-02-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

Why is it that I never have a camera when I need one? The following is an update about Zel, a cute little bulldozer of a bulldog mix I’ve been working with who is being fostered at my friend Pat’s house. For those of you who haven’t been following on Facebook, we sprang Zel and another dog, Petey from the Sewanee pound (which is nothing but a wire shed with a roof and one wall) just before we had

Mrs. Ramsey's Knitting

2011-02-19T05:10:00.000-08:00

There's a new knitting blog that you all have to check out! It's called Mrs. Ramsey's Knitting. It's written by Mary Kaiser, a high school english teacher by day, and an artist every waking moment. She writes, she knits (you may remember her Wedgewood Socks from Socks Socks Socks or her Daisy Stitch Vest from Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters), she spins and dyes, but it's the way that she sees the

Independent Uprising!!!!

2011-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

More power to Indies!!! My newest pattern Thruway just went live on Knitty and it's for all of you who buy, spin and or sell beautiful, bulky, artisan handspun yarn. This super easy design is offered in three versions, each for different needle and yarn size. This is funny, because different sizes of patterns usually give different sizes of finished items. This time, the size of the finished item

Homage to Dad

2010-12-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you just couldn’t think straight? The brain sits in its cozy environs and refuses to answer its email, phone or text. There’s a little sign on the grey door, in filigree script, pinned with an icicle: “Snow Day”. These are the days when I knit.Yesterday was one of those days. I knit something very simple indeed…side to side short rowed cuff. I’ve been

Studio Tour This Weekend, Dec 4 & 5, 2010

2010-11-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

"Fritillary" handpainted, handspun, knitted and crocheted cowl, by Lynne Vogel This coming weekend is a big deal here in Sewanee. People come by the busloads this Sunday to take part in the Festival of Lessons and Carols at University of the South's All Saint's Chapel. What better weekend to hold TACA's CAST Studio Tour in Sewanee and Monteagle. Local Tennessee craft artisans open their studios

Soap and Vogue

2010-11-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

As I was lathering up with Three Waters Farm Handmade True Soap this morning, I realized I've never sung it's praises. What took me so long? This is the most marvelous stuff. I don't know about you, but I have very sensitive skin and this lovely traditionally made goat milk soap is always kind and effective. Mary Ann has been tucking bars into fiber and yarn shipments ever since I've known her,

Long Draw Question Debunked

2010-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

For a spinner, things could be worse than being left holding a wad of silk. Nevertheless, I had to laugh when one of my students at SAFF last weekend said she'd been told you can't spin a merino/silk preparation from the fold because of the discrepancy in the staple lengths of the two fibers...that you'd be left holding a wad of silk in your hand. "Ha! Wad of silk my ***", I exclaimed (not able

Wheel's Angels

2010-10-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

Spinners unite! Our new spinning group Wheel's Angels had it's maiden meeting (like maiden voyage?) with our core group of 5 on Monday. It's been hard to find the right space here in Sewanee, one that is large enough, well lit and comfortable and not taken when we can manage to conviene. Thanks to Lucinda, we now meet in the Parish Hall of St James Episcopal Church in Midway, TN. And we had a

Indigenous is in Knitty!

2010-09-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Late Fall Knitty'10 (and Knittyspin) is out today and I"m sitting here for the first time this season wearing the Baby Llama Glow version of Indigenous, which you'll find in the patterns section of Knitty's just released issue, and my white handspun Cassy's Cuffs. After weeks of weather in the 90s, it suddenly cooled and rained. Temps today are in the low 60s, but feel like low 50s after all

Got Handspun? Check out these patterns!

2010-09-25T07:34:00.001-07:00

Recently Claire Cabe of Lucca Dot Yarns asked me if I ever wrote patterns for small amounts of art yarns. Claire has had a booth in the Chattanooga Market this summer and her yarns are walking out the door around people's necks! She is getting return customers asking, "What can I do with 20-40 yds of yarn?" So here's my answer. Got Handspun? Here are some easy, quick ideas, now available on my

SAFF 2010: Hands On Color and Active Twist Singles

2010-09-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

SAFF (Southeastern Animal and Fiber Festival) in Asheville, NC is just around the corner. I'll be teaching two different classes there this year. Hands On Color will be all day on Friday, Oct 22, 2010. We'll cover many spinning techniques for getting the most out of handpainted rovings, including various ways of separating your fiber for color effects, different drafting techniques, and several

MARYLAND SHEEP AND WOOL

2010-04-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Don't miss Three Waters Farm booth at Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend, May 1, 2010. Here's a preview of my new collection for the TWF Superfluity Yarn Kit. Colorway shown is Olive Medley. You can knit all these items from one kit. These are all basic patterns for any experience level of knitter. If you can knit, purl, join and knit in the round and knit back and forth and increase/decrease,

Wavelength Jacket

2010-04-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

If you are going to Maryland Sheep and Wool this year, you have to check out the Three Waters Farm booth. It's B23 in the Main Exhibition Hall. They will have all kinds of new colors in yarn and fiber this year, plus many of the old faves as well. If you are a fan of the Three Waters Farm Superfluity Yarn Kit, check out this new pattern. This beautiful and flattering textured jacket takes one

New Patterns and Upcoming Events

2010-04-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

With Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival on the horizon I've been plenty busy lately. Three Waters Farm will have their booth again, and with it heaps and gobs of gorgeous new colors. I have three very cool new patterns this year and will be posting specifics about each of them this coming week. Two of these patterns are written specifically for Three Waters Farm's Superfluity Yarn Kit. Over the

Blood Memory

2010-03-12T05:57:00.001-08:00

The geneology bug has bitten me big-time. About a month ago, a couple days before my grandmother’s birthday, I woke up with a burning desire to visit the home where she gave birth to my mother, a now spooky ante-bellum, hand built, three-storey Georgian in the wilds of rural Mississippi. I’ve only been there a couple times, nobody home, only to stand in front of the house

Hands On Color Monteagle Returns!

2010-02-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

CLASS FULL!This year Hands On Color Monteagle returns on June 4-6, 2010 at the Dubose Conference Center in Monteagle, TN. This weekend residential color spinning workshop was a huge success last year. This year we'll be able to use the motel-style accomodations at Dubose which are a lot quieter than the dormitory we used last year. This year we'll focus on using handpainted top to spin the yarns

All Downhill From Here

2010-02-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

Life is good! I just bought an Ashford Wild Card drum carder and can't stop!!! Watch out Monk! I may come at you with a brush to add a little bloom to an earth tone! Seriously, this is a very cool little machine. It makes a super deep batt and they spin so beautifully. Wow. I'll be bringing this baby to classes for sure. It's so light...what a sweet toy.So I've been posting more yarns and also

Yoda! I did it!

2010-01-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yoda! I did it! You showed me a lot of these techniques years ago, especially how to tease and coil, but I wasn't ready to let go. Was it a case of art yarns before art yarns were cool? No, I think it was a case of clutzy hands and fuzzy brain. Last weekend I took this great workshop from Jacey Boggs/Insubordiknit at Falcon Feather Fibers in Nashville. Guess I was finally ready, cuz with my

Homage to Tan

2009-12-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

New! Tres elegant yarn version of tan and blue, top left! Recently I've been drinking in the beauty of a very low key color; tan. No matter where you live, you see it everywhere: fallen leaves, sand, concrete rubble, cardboard and brown paper bags, camel hair coats. Whether it's boring, serviceable, or elegant, depends on it's usage an it's surroundings. So I've chosen it as my first pick for a

New Color Combos for Starry Nite

2009-12-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

Three Waters Farm is now offering some really cool fiber color combos on their etsy store. Here is 4 oz of Blue Faced Leicester for $14 ($2 off the usual price) in a grouping of approx 1 oz per colorway. When I saw these, I thought of Starry Nite. Great way to get a sweet group of small amounts of chummy colorways for this pattern. Then the more I looked at these, the more my ideas started

Tension Tips

2009-11-29T11:29:00.001-08:00

Holiday emails have arrived with suggestions on how to handle tension during the festive season. Since this is supposed to be a knitting/spinning blog and I've been talking about everything but, I thought I'd offer my own take on tension...the knitting kind. As many of you know, I'm a continental knitter. This is a loose term for someone who tensions the yarn with the

New Handspun Yarn Kit with Star Flower Pattern

2009-11-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

I made up some beautiful handspun yarn kits for the craft fair. They include a skein of gorgeous handspun yarn spun by a member of the LV ltd collective and a printed brochure style pattern for Star Flower Neckwarmer and Cuffs. I'm posting these on both of my etsy stores, LV ltd and Handspuncentral. You can buy the pattern separatedly in pdf format if you choose, or buy the kit with the printed

Sheep Apps

2009-11-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes Sandy Sitzman, alias Twisted Mom, chuckle quicker than an animated sheep. There is something so silly about them that she can't help herself. The first chuckle is very quiet, followed by another and another. Soon (it must be the sound of her own laughter) chuckles built upon chuckles and she becomes infectious to herself and others. It was with the memory of her in full roll that I

BOOOOOO!

2009-11-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's craft fair turned out great. Lots of people, beautiful booth. I had the corner spot in the front room with all the natural light. It was heavenly.At this point I'll have to back up a little. SACA holds three craft fairs a year in this venue which is across the street from my house. It's really across the street, up a wide lawn and behind a large three storey stone dormitory. In the

CRAFT FAIR TODAY

2009-11-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

Yep, today's the day for the Sewanee Arts and Crafts Holiday Fair in Cravens Hall on Kentucky Ave, Sewanee, TN from 9-4 today. The booth is beautiful! You'll find all kinds of gorgeous handspun yarns, handdyed sock yarns (both natural dyes and brilliant colors), spinning fiber and more. Check out the gift kits for the Star Flower Neckwarmer at left. Enough yarn for a neckwarmer and cuffs with

Underwater Treadmill

2009-11-16T17:28:00.001-08:00

Finally took pics of Monk in the underwater treadmill. Just look at the little champion. This amazing contraption has helped so many dogs regain and maintain mobility. With the water level at hip level, 60% of the weight of impact is removed. Coupled with the fact that the muscles work harder against water the dog is able to really work out without the jarring impact of landing. I've been taking

SACA FAIR and GRATITUDE

2009-11-13T09:11:00.000-08:00

My little band of spinners and I have been madly spinning for the Sewanee Arts and Crafts’ Holiday Crafts Fair next weekend. I was offered a booth due to a last minute cancellation and I grabbed the opportunity. We’ll have lots of beautiful new handspun yarns with loads of pattern support, kits with patterns included, some beautiful fiber for spinners, naturally dyed sock yarns, and handwoven and

Ridin' the Incline

2009-11-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Recently we've been spending a lot of time in Chattanooga. With the advent of cooler weather it's back to the underwater treadmill at RIVER for Monk (he's the aussie with the frisbee on my Ravelry Avatar). And this year they are starting a new laser treatment for dogs, still in the experimental stages, in which light is used like ultrasound to increase circulation in deep tissue. Since we started

New Yarns on Etsy

2009-10-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I just posted a few new yarns on my Etsy Store. I'm excited to be able to offer a group of yarns that I spun myself (this is very rare!). These soft and beautiful seawool skeins are spun long draw from the fold and plied as two ply yarns. If you've never felt seawool before, you are in for a treat. It's the softest, most inviting stuff! This grouping is perfect for Justify, even the colors are

TACA SACA

2009-09-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (Sept 25, 2009) and again on Sunday, Sept 27 I'll be spinning in the demo booth at the TACA Craft Fair in Nashville, TN. I've been looking forward to this for a while now. I'll have a basket of beautiful handpainted fiber to spin and some needles to knit some of the active twist yarn. I'll be glad to autograph books if you bring them. If you haven't been to this fair, it's the largest in

Pam, Two Pencils and Some Bailing Twine

2009-09-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

I met Pam Harris when she took my Hands on Color class at Shakerag Workshops in 2005. At that time she didn't even know how to spin, but she came to the workshop with unbridled enthusiasm and absolutely no fear. As she put it to the group, "I ain't skeert!" That first evening of class after all the intros were over, my Yoda Sandy Sitzman and I taught Pam how to spin on a honkin' CD spindle and

Huntsville Fiber Guild: Class at the Flying Monkey

2009-09-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting with the Huntsville Fiber Guild for a great class at the Flying Monkey Theater in Huntsville, AL on Saturday and Sunday. This was a very talented and adventurous group, with visitors from Orlando, Asheville, and Tuscaloosa. We spun active singles and knit and crocheted the most beautiful motifs with these yarns. Some were so subtle, light as a

Harrisville Spin Dye Knit

2009-09-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

Finally sitting down to blog. Gad the time slips away. I never got around to blogging how amazing my Harrisville spin/dye/knit class was this year way back in August. Joe in the loom shop made an outside station for the dye microwaves and we had no problems in the dye class this year. All the intense fumes were outside and everyone was in the loveliest zen because of it. On Friday morning

Visits with Rita and Barb

2009-08-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the last month that I hardly know where to start. July 30th found me on the road again, northbound to New Hampshire. My first stop was the home of Rita Buchanan. It's always such a joy to visit Rita. She and husband Steve have the perfect artists retreat in rural Connecticut, a modest sized central home, light and airy, with two separate studios. Steve's studio (he's a

The Elastic Rebound Theory

2009-07-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Maybe I feel like being controversial for a change, but as I was sitting spinning some unbelieveably beautiful fiber (TWF "Delphiniums" on merino/tussah silk is iridescent, like Amazon butterflies) I recalled that I’d heard there was a controversy going around about pre-drafting fiber before spinning. I think (this is pure heresay) that someone said that pre-drafting is for sissies. I don’t

Spin, Crochet, Knit at Harrisville Designs

2009-07-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

There is still some room in my 3-day Spinning for Colorwork Knitting workshop at Harrisville Designs, Aug 10-12, 2009. This is a short version of my longer spin, dye, knit class Aug 3-7 without the dyeing portion of the workshop. We should really call it, spin, crochet, knit. We'll explore spinning both active singles and plied yarns from handpainted rovings by knitting and crocheting small

Chatty Cathy: Shakerag, MSSA Bazaar and Harrisville

2009-06-30T05:07:00.001-07:00

So much is going on these days. Shakerag Workshops are over and life is back to semi-normal. I'm busy dyeing for the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly Cottage Tour and Bazaar on Wednesday July 15 in Monteagle, TN. Jan Quarles of Daily Fibers and I will have a booth again this year and a good time will be had by all. Two weeks after that I'll be heading up to Harrisville, NH for my annual workshop.

Tennessee State Museum

2009-06-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

The Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, TN, is hosting a unique event August 22, 2009. The following is the official flier for the event. I'll be hosting the spinning workshop, a living exhibit. For more info or to sign up for one of the workshops described in the following,contact Elaine Aldous at the Tennessee State Museum. This is a unique opportunity indeed. Even if you

Hand On Color Monteage a huge success

2009-05-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to report that Hands On Color at Dubose Conference Center in Monteagle, TN was a huge success for all involved this past weekend. 17 participants thoroughly immersed themselves in knitting and crocheting beautiful small motifs from active twist handspun singles spun from a sumptuous array of handpainted fibers from Three Waters Farm. I even brought a small collection of my own

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this Weekend

2009-04-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

It's time again for Maryland Sheep and Wool! Three Waters Farm will be there again with a tantalizing array of colorful yarns and fibers. New this year is a line, of Organic Wool in both sport and worsted weights (love this stuff!!!) in a full palette of vibrant tonals. This yarn line will make it's lovely debut at MS&W this weekend along with my NEW crochet scarf pattern "Indigo Vibe" (bottom).

Goat Cuteness

2009-03-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

Goats are dogs with horns. They are socially oriented communicators, opportunists, easily trained and tameable. My vet's assistant mortifies her 14 yr old daughter by driving into the school parking lot with the family goat in the front seat, heat lolling out the open window, bleating. That's dog status if you ask me. Goats are cool.Recently I went to Elizabeth's for a mini photo shoot (that's

Upcoming Classes

2009-03-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder.Sunday, April 5, 2009: Hands on Color at Haus of Yarn, Nashville, TN.Sunday, April 19: Beginning Wheel Spinning at Yarn Expressions, Huntsville, ALSat and Sun, May 16, and 17: Hands on Color residential workshop at Dubose Conference Center, Monteagle, TN. See details in previous blog post. email for more info.

Boucle Version of Ripple

2009-03-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Pat Harder of Kid Hollow Farm gifted me with this lovely skein of her kid mohair boucle yarn. I’m not sure of the colorway, but it’s one she does a lot. Her yarns are amazingly beautiful, and she has loads of gorgeous colorways. So I knit Ripple extra long…36 rectangles…on a 60” Addi Turbo circular US 10 1/2 needle. I ran out of Pat’s gorgeous yarn, but had a 200 yd skein of Mary Ann’s kid mohair

Ripple

2009-03-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Knitty, Spring 2009 just went live and it's full of awesome patterns, including my newest, Ripple. You'll find not one, but two (count 'em, two) versions in the same pattern page. The handspun version (pictured here) is a neckwarmer length in sport weight in my two-ply handspun. I spun the yarn from Three Waters Farm BFL fiber, one ply each of "Winter Fields" and "Winter Daybreak" plied together

Color Class!!!

2009-03-09T08:34:00.001-07:00

HANDS ON COLOR, a Spinning Workshop with Lynne Vogel Dubose Conference Center, Monteagle, TN 9 AM-4 PM, May 16 & 17, 2009 Workshop Coordinator: Daria Bocciarelli Come as you are and leave with new color spinning skills and inspiration. I’ve been wanting to hold a residential spinning retreat here on the mountain for some time. Finally, it is going to happen!

Shearing Day

2009-03-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

The first time I walked into the fleece barn at the Black Sheep Gathering and stood in a room full of fresh fleeces I felt something come alive within me, an emotion powerful and ancient. This primal recognition lifted me as on a wave, awakening memories that could only be written in my DNA, memories of foggy moors dotted with sheep, guarded by the watchful eye of a border collie. I can smell the

Twist Collective and Undulation

2009-03-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

Twist Collective's Spring Issue is live and lovely. If you haven't seen this online knitting magazine, do check it out. They put a great new twist on the genre...snazzy themed layouts with models posing in beautiful places (not to mention some of the most adorable babies...gad!), lots of eye candy, really interesting articles (like Barbara Parry's sheep...oh, the lambs) and how to paint on

Class Announcements

2009-02-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, Valentine's Day, Yarn Expressions in Huntsville, AL is hosting my beginning spindle spinning class. There is still a little room in that class if you are interested in learning how to spin.Haus of Yarn has just announced my one day Hands on Color spinning class in Nashville, TN on Sunday, April 5, 2009. If you live in Middle Tennessee or Southern Kentucky and have wanted to take my

Shapeshifter Mountain

2009-01-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

Every year Tennessee’s winter palette amazes me. Recently I’ve been out and about a lot, up and down the mountain. From the valley, the blue violet plateau provides a dichroic backdrop for the glowing straw and green pear colored fields. Red ochre earth radiates through black plum cotton stalks, mint and sage lichens illuminate bare taupe and mauve groves. Here on the

Time for a Face Lift

2009-01-27T06:08:00.001-08:00

It's time for a face lift on the old blog. Tired of same old, same old. Please pardon the construction.

Good Stuff

2009-01-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

Twisted Sister Rachael just finished this awesome sleeper of a sweater for her DH Matt. This is the good stuff! How understated, how masculine, how organic. Kudos, Rachael. Rachael's pattern is an adaptation of Linda's One Piece Pullover from Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters. The yarn, a natural fleece, lightly washed and spun in the grease. This sweater would suit a Columbia River bar pilot right

2009-01-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

I just posted three pairs of my handknitted cuffs for sale on Etsy. Many of you may know that this is a very rare occurrence. I almost never sell my handknits, but I'm making an exception right now because I've had such a great time knitting these cuffs that I want to knit more. The Moonflower cuffs are definitely art to wear. I won't be writing a pattern for this design. It's my own. The Star

More Alice

2009-01-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

More Aliceposted 1 day ago (Monday, January 12) by Sheepishgrannyreply to lizzydoone's post #3133"You are old, Father William, the young man said and your hair has become very white And yet you incessantly knit in your bed. In fact you are knitting all night.In my youth, Father William replied to his son, I had nothing to keep my hands busy. But now that I knit, I create and have fun. Without it,

Call Alice

2009-01-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

The following is a thread from our Twisted Friends Group on Ravelry. It’s too good not to share, so here goes. All of this started when Jane was overjoyed at having procured a reservation for lodging at Harrisville for my annual workshop this August. She expressed her joy at solving the problem of too many stairs by quoting (with a twist) from Jabberwocky, out of Alice

The Dragon Wins Again

2009-01-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

Every year I tack on an addendum to my list of New Year's resolutions. "Try not to accumulate more stuff." It should really be at the top of the list but it always takes second, third, tenth place to other worthy self made promises. Notice the wording. "Try." Only a woos would chose this term. More forceful terms are necessary, such as: "Do Not Accumulate More Stuff." or better yet: "Accumulate

Star Flower Cuffs

2009-01-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

I am totally in love with these easy to knit cuffs, inspired by my Starry Nite Scarf. You can find the pattern for sale at my Etsy Store. I'm wearing them when I spin, knit, write at the computer. They never get in the way, never restrict my movement. And they are so quick to knit. Using less than 100 yards of yarn, you can find many yarns ready and waiting in your stash. This pattern has

She Did It Again

2008-12-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

Lori did it again!Here's her second version of my Starry Nite Scarf. Lori spun most of the handspun yarns featured here from merino cashmere rovings I dyed last year. She spun the yarn in the Sierras on vacay, and saved them for the perfect project. I love the turquoise accents. Bold. Graphic.Amazingly, she finished scarf #2 four days after finishing scarf #4. That's a quick knit. See her full

Lori Knits Starry Nite

2008-12-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

Lori Lawson just finished her own version of Starry Nite. It's so amazing to see these colors...so different from the ones I used...and so beautiful. She used her own roving for the most part, but she tells me there is one square of yarn that I spun somewhere in here. I'm quessing it's the deep charcoal, sage and lavender one, right Lori? This is gorgeous work, worthy of some mighty inspiration!

Fiber Available for Starry Nite

2008-12-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

Starry Nite is my newest design and already it's becoming the most popular pattern on my Etsy store. I designed and knit the original with my own 2-ply handspun BFL yarn as an example for my color classes so they could have a very cool project to knit with their color experiments. Now you can buy the fibers I used in the original scarf at Three Waters Farm's Etsy store. I used 6 colorways:

Knitterka's Justify

2008-11-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

I just noticed on Ravelry that Knitterka spun up one of my Justify Wrap Kits from Three Waters Farm. How cool is this?? This is the first time I've see it worked up from the kit. So hooray for Karen, aka Knitterka. Thanks for letting me post your photos.For those of you on Ravelry, check out her project page. Karen says that she liked the technique of plying merino with merino/silk so much that

Rhinebeck

2008-09-16T06:50:00.000-07:00

It's just about a month till the world's biggest fiber party ever, NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. It's like be there or be square. Fur shure.Announcing a change to my teaching schedule. I'll still be teaching a two day color spinning class Thursday and Friday, but instead of Lace Knitting in the Round, I'll be teaching a half day beginning spinning class Saturday afternoon. It's for

Two October Classes; Threadbear and Rhinebeck

2008-09-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

If you've been hankering to take my color spinning class and couldn't make it to Harrisville this year, check out my 2008 October schedule. Oct 11 and 12 I'll be at the marvelous Threadbear in Lansing, Michigan. Saturday and Sunday are two separate classes, Saturday's "Spinning and Color Fundamentals" is geared for novice to intermediate spinners who just want to come and have some fun with

The Head Between Two Heads

2008-09-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

I'm caught in a time warp. Living on the campus of my old alma mater, I sometimes don't have any idea what year it is. This isn't entirely my fault either, as I see young men walking through the quad with rosy cheeks, seersucker jackets and bow ties. I shake my head like Elmer Fudd (I tought I saw a wabbit) but they are still there. Not only do they look as though they stepped out of the 70's,

Kick Starting Harrisville

2008-07-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

This blog entry is addressed to everyone who will be taking my Hands On Color class at Harrisville Designs next week. I'm really stoked about this year. If you have questions or need clarifications, please feel free to contact me. Class this year is going to be amazing. Those of you who have taken my class before will be able to expand on your skills and those of you who are new will get a more

Superfluity Yarn Kits: New on Etsy

2008-07-25T06:29:00.001-07:00

Superfluity was easily the most popular item in our booth at the Monteagle Assembly Bazaar Wednesday. The only negative we heard was that we didn't sell needles to go with the kit (needles are hard to come by on the mountain). Several bazaar goers considered learning to knit so they could make their own. Many asked if the yarns were available online and of course the answer is yes. At Three

Monteagle Assembly Bazaar and Cottage Tour; Wed. July 23, 2008

2008-07-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ann Shayne of Mason Dixon Knitting fame recently asked if I'd be interested in having a booth at the Monteagle Assembly Bazaar and Cottage Tour, a fundraiser for the Assembly's Women's Club for maintenance of the library and many of the common areas at the Assembly. It sounded like fun so I said yes. It's next week, Wednesday, July 23 2008 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Monteagle Assembly in

Our Buddy Rover

2008-07-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

I know this is a knitting blog, but sometimes life presses me to chose other subjects. Many of you know I'm a volunteer for our local no-kill animal shelter Animal Harbor in Belvedere, TN run by the Franklin County Humane Society. My primary function is socialization and canine moral support. Recently James and I brought Rover home with us as a foster dog to prepare him to show in Sewanee's

Three Waters Farm Website

2008-04-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Stephen has posted all the new spring colors on the Three Waters Farm website! Check 'em out...awesome. Fiber and yarn...yowwy zowwy. 8 pages of 'em!

Feast for the Colorstarved

2008-04-25T09:42:00.001-07:00

Couture on yarn. Combine it with Right as Rain.Here's a riff on "Right as Rain" (see blog below) on fingering weight yarn. Tiny dots of color knit up as single stitches providing a pointalist background to the longer colorbands.

Eye Candy

2008-04-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

More colors you'll see at Three Waters Farm booth at Maryland Sheep and Wool. (main building B23)Semi Pink Cousteau Mediterranean Tidepools Riff

Warning! Color Maniacs at Maryland Sheep and Wool

2008-04-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2008 is next weekend, May 3 & 4, and my colors will be there! If you’re going, don’t miss the Three Waters Farm booth: B23 in the Main building. As two completely unbridled color maniacs, Mary Ann Pagano and I in collaboration are very pleased to bring you “LV ltd for Three Waters Farm: handpainted fiber and yarn”.Warning! Colormania! The Three Waters Farm booth