Fiber made from milk? Well, it’s actually made from milk protein, casein to be exact. Although it’s a protein fiber, same as the animal fibers wool and silk – it’s made in a similar manner as bamboo and tencel. The raw product is broken down in a chemical bath, then extruded into fiber. And a lovely fiber it is too - smooth and silky to …read more
A fun new friend came to live at my house! She arrived in this over sized box. My new Schacht Ladybug Spinning Wheel! 
I impatiently pulled her out of the box in parts and got to work putting her together. In the process, I ran across my own sweet little ladybug mascot perched on the side. After a few false starts, I hammered out the …read more
Good Gravy! After finishing my latest spin, my first on the turkish spindle, I looked back to see when I’d begun and saw that I’ve been nursing this spin along for nearly 6 months! I am powerfully happy to have it off my spindle! And yes – I learned a valuable lesson I can share with you regarding a turkish spindle. The fiber was merino …read more
Each time I finish a hand spun knit, I roll up all those leftover pieces and display them in one of the pretty little bowls I collect in my craft room. When it gets too full and starts spilling over the sides, I start thinking about making some little scrappy project with them. Hand spun, especially on a drop spindle, is truly a labor of love, …read more
Okay Spinners, if you haven’t played with silk hankies yet, I have to recommend the adventure! Facing a stack of sheer , filmy silk hankies is such a fun and rewarding spinning diversion. Once you’ve created the sleek shininess that is silk yarn, you’ll have a whole new definition of luxury. The singles shine so impressively, that it’s …read more
Like many knitters, I faced the fact long ago that the amount of stash I have is beyond what I should. But acknowledging the fact and actually making a dent in it are two different things. I’ve been knitting almost exclusively from stash for the past year. I started with over 100 skeins, knit up 39 in 2012, made 6 skeins of handspun, bought …read more
I’m not sure why it took me so long to try spinning silk. I was intimidated by the idea, expected it to be slippery and difficult to handle. Nothing could be farther from the truth with tussah silk. The draft is smooth and with the long staple – 7″ or more – there’s no spindle hitting the floor! So beautifully lustrous, soft and strong – …read more
Here’s a fun pattern to recycle your wine corks into fanciful little Holiday trees to display on the mantle, top your bottles, or add to a wine stopper for a seasonally perfect Hostess gift. These pint-sized pines are amazingly easy. Once you get started, you’ll have an entire cork forest before you know it! Materials Needed: knitting …read more
I’m always on the lookout for inventive ways to use my scraps. They multiply like bunnies. Luckily, crafting with scrap yarn is fun and gratifying – almost like getting something for nothing! I’ve been pretty busy with job hunting after returning to the states last month, but I’ve managed to snatch a mental health hour or two to play with …read more
It’s not too early, is it? Getting going with the little gifts, I mean. Those wee items you might stuff in stockings… I spun up a sample of the softest merino/yak/silk blend and ended up with a little plum sized ball of a light two ply yarn – so light and soft it seemed it could practically float away. It reminded me of fairy tale creatures – …read more
