Iris Inspiration

Sometimes the colors for yarn come out of my head, or even out of a book. Sometimes they come from the yard. Iris are my favorite flowers. These are just blooming and inspired the following yarn, I almost expect it to smell sweet.

Best Friend's Birthday

Frisbee is 11 today!!! This is my chief helper, constant companion and all around darling best friend. She is an English Cocker Spaniel who has been with me for the past 9 years. Even as I write this she is asleep at my feet having already had breakfast twice and snuck into the cat room to sample theirs. It is impossible to think of working at home without the help of the furry children. In old posts I notice that the cats get more blog time, maybe because they are always right there checking out the yarn and ready to be photographed. Frisbee would say they are  pushy that way, that the best behavior is just to stand by patiently and wait for ways to be helpful. This is something she has perfected.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the market on Saturday and especially to the woman who told me she actually reads my blog. It made my day!

Red - Start to Finish - This red art yarn started out life in Silver City NM when I bought some sari silk fibers to go along with some red wool and coopworth locks and mohair. They all danced happily through the drum carder and then spun up into a bulky single. I'll have this with me at the farmer's market on Saturday unless someone needs it sooner - send me an email dedriquillin@aol.com The price is $25 plus shipping. 128 yards.




Wool meets sari silk.




Batts.

Lots of new yarn this week but not at the Farmer's Market until April 17. The Mesilla Valley Weaver's Guild is going to Silver City this Saturday so I will be out prowling around looking for fun new fibers to put in my yarns. Also on the 17th I'll have more in the way of chenille, rayon and cotton for summer so please stop and see me at the north end of the market.

The end of February is almost here. This week has been full of spinning new yarns for the market. It has been a while since any 2-ply Corriedale went out of the studio and this week there are three offerings. They are so pretty I'm tempted to keep them myself but like all good children they need to be sent out into the world.

This green and yellow below is a single art yarn spun up from wool and mohair.

This last picture is a 2-ply of Corriedale in purple and green and a Romney single in raspberry tones.

Yarn Everywhere! This week I was juried into the local Farmer's Market in Las Cruces, so if you are in need of yarn or roving come by and see me Saturday between 9-1:30 - winter hours. The dyepots at the house have been working overtime and the purple yarn above is the one I was spinning during the Ramble last Friday - for those of you whom I met at that time. I'm excited to be in the market, some of you will remember that I helped start the Hobbs Farmer's Market and we modeled it on this one here in Las Cruces. I am a big believer in Farmer's Markets because they are one of the best ways to build a community. They do more for good will than any golf course or chamber of commerce. They are a great place to visit with your neighbors and make new friends - and don't forget to EAT LOCALLY!



If you are on the web and too far away to visit the Las Cruces Farmer's Market then the best place to see Outstanding yarn is from Lynn at the Yarnwench http://yarnwench.com/hers is the standard the rest of us should go by. I have admired her work for years and encourage anyone with any interest in yarn and spinning to visit her site.



Go make something!

Purple Ruana for Christmas! This ruana is made from Texas cotton, novelty yarns and hand dyed silk ribbon. There is also a band of faceted beads in leno lace along one side.
















This earth tones ruana is also Texas cotton and novelty yarns with ribbon. No beads on this one but it is a super long one, having been made as a special order for a tall person. The warp on this was 7 yards long and each panel before washing was 100 inches. It came together beautifully.





















This sage chenille vest is one of the few things I have left in stock, maybe because it just came off the loom. It has been a busy Christmas season here and those who didn't get a special order in by August probably didn't get weavings for the holiday. Happy Solstice Blessings to you all.