H.A.Y.

Photo Card

2011-12-11T20:48:00.001-05:00

Family Snowfall Holiday

Elegant holiday invitations for your friends and family.

View the entire collection of cards.

Roc Day Yarns

2011-01-14T16:34:00.001-05:00

The spinning's finally complete! Here are my Roc Day (weekend) yarns:

"Bird's Nest" - 81 yds. chunky singles - contains Karakul , raffia, hemp, mohair, bovine fur, and llama. This is my first time spinning Karakul and I rather liked it. It's definitely not soft, but would be great for felting projects. I see some more of this wool in my stash's future!

"au naturale" - 127 yds. worsted weight 2 ply - contains Shetland, Wensleydale, Cotswold, Jacob locks, suri alpaca locks, raw huacaya, cria fleece, llama, camel/tussah silk blend, cat fur, bison, Tibetan yak fiber, bison, pima cotton, and wolf fur. This was a challenging spin. The multitude of varying fiber types made it difficult to keep even. I'm pretty happy with the end result though - it's on the soft side and has lots of brown tones which I think'll look really nice for the hat pattern that I picked out.

"Funhouse" - 91 yds. bulky corespun - contains alpaca, dryer lint, nylon, ecospun, angelina, metallic thread, icicle, dyed cotton balls, ingeo, carbonized bamboo, Falkland, Swalesdale, merino, possum, donkey hair, Cotswold locks, tussah silk, cotton neps, throwster silk, sari silk threads, pulled recycled silk, mulberry silk, sari silk ribbons, satin ribbons, angora, shredded Irish linen, fabric strips, and firestar. A fun, easy spin. My daughter's claimed this one as her own and says that she plans to knit up a "totally beast" hat!

"My TP Adventure" - 12 yds. super chunky autowrapped - contains toilet paper, plastic cording, tinsel, shredded plastic bag scraps, crinkled paper, hay netting, antique corset laces, and thread. A slow go, this one. Lots of stopping to untangle thread, wind onto the bobbin, make sure it wasn't breaking at the perforations, etc... My original plan was to crochet a basket or bowl I'm not sure that I've got enough yardage. I might whip up some plarn to alternate rows with so that I have enough. We shall see!

A big thanks to Roo from Moonwood Farm for hosting this awesome SAL! I had a blast trying out all of the unique fibers included in the swap packages and can't wait to start working on my knitting/crochet projects with them!

Roc Day batts

2011-01-06T13:59:00.001-05:00

My game plan is in place! I took out all of the Roc Day samples and divided them up into 4 piles for carding:

For the first batt I chose the Karakul (a coarse wool traditionally used for felting, rug yarn, or outerwear), raffia, hemp, and the "Tumbleweed Batt" (wool, mohair, bovine fur, llama, and raffia). As soon as I saw all of the elements carded together I thought "bird house!". I'll be spinning this one as a chunky single and using the "Felted Nest" pattern in the book "Knitalong - Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together" as a guide.

The second batt consists of the rest of the undyed wools/fibers, some of which are still "in the grease". They contain Shetland wool, Wensleydale wool, Cotswold, Jacob locks, suri alpaca locks, raw huacaya, cria fleece, llama, camel/tussah silk blend, "meowpaca" (alpaca and cat fur blend), bison, Tibetan yak fiber, bison, pima cotton, and wolf fur. I'm loving the way that the batts feel! I'm planning on a two-ply yarn and think I might do a version of Namaste's "Sushi Hat".

The third consists of lots of the fun, colorful stuff! It contains Moonwood Farm's lint batt, Desert Garden Farm's batt (nylon, ecospun, angelina, metallic thread, and icicle) and drumcarder gleanings, dyed cotton balls, ingeo, carbonized bamboo, Falkland wool, Faeryl's batt (Swalesdale wool, merino, possum, and donkey hair), Cotswold locks, tussah silk, cotton neps, throwster silk, sari silk threads, pulled recycled silk, a silk hankie, sari silk ribbons, satin ribbons, angora, a lone little green parakeet (?) feather, shredded Irish linen, fabric strips, and firestar. This is going to be a corespun yarn, for sure! I'll have to wait and see what the finished yarn looks like before I pick a project for it though.

Last, but not least, are the things that I wasn't quite sure what to do with. I've got a roll of toilet paper, some plastic cording, tinsel, shredded plastic bag scraps, crinkled paper, hay netting, and antique corset laces.

I found a couple of youtube videos demonstrating TP spinning, so I know that it can be done. I didn't want to add the paper to my other batts though as it can't get wet! My plan as of right now is to try and corespin the TP around a crochet thread core, add the other elements in as I go, and autowrap it all with thread at the same time. Wish me luck! Oh, and be sure to check back next week for pics of the finished yarns. :)

ROC Day 2011

2011-01-04T18:13:00.001-05:00

ROC Day is on January 7th each year, the day after the feast of the Epiphany. It is also known as Saint Distaff’s Day and was not really a holiday at all. In many European cultural traditions, ROC Day was the day that women resumed their household work after the twelve days of Christmas. The distaff, or rock, used in spinning was the medieval symbol of women’s work. Some modern craft groups have taken up the celebration of Distaff day as part of their new year celebrations. This year, I'm celebrating ROC Day by participating in Moonwood Farm's Ravelry Group Spin-Along. The 14 of us each sent in a goodie bag of fibers that we thought the others may not have had a chance to try and spin before. On ROC Day (or the weekend following), we'll all spin up our goodies and post pics on the Moonwood Farm Ravelry Group forum thread.

My contribution included black diamond (carbonized bamboo), hemp, ingeo (corn fiber), Tibetan yak fiber, raffia, (and candy - gotta keep up your strength when you're spinning!). I carry all of these fibers (except the raffia) in my shop if you're interested in trying any of them out.

Here are all of the other goodie bags full of fun and interesting stuff!

Goodie Bag contents from:

Moonwood Farm - recycled sari silk ribbon, a batt containing dryer lint, throwster silk, carded/pulled sari silk fiber, pima cotton, and dyed/drafted cotton balls

Desert Garden Farms and Counting Coup - hot pink plastic cording, dyed silk hankie, drum carder gleanings, nylon, ecospun, angelina, metallic thread, icicle, and cotton neps

Natchwoolie - a roll of toilet paper, carded/pulled sari silk, hay netting, firestar, and flax

Fiber Charmer - Falkland wool top

Faeryl - neon green crinkled paper confetti, camel/tussah blend, soysilk, sari thrums, and a mini batt containing Swalesdale, merino, possum, donkey hair, and bison

Storied Yarns - dyed Middle TN Huyaca Alpaca fleece, tinsel, and fabric scraps

Winemakerssister - Michigan angora, Michigan Shetland in the grease, dryer lint, shredded plastic bags, antique corset laces, and a spinning wheel cell phone charm

The Dizzy Dragonfly - Meowpaca batt (cat hair + alpaca)

Comfed Out Kaiser - Belle Snow's cria fleece

Moonlight and Laughter - local Cotswold roving, local Jacob locks, local alpaca, dyed firestar, Irish linen shreds, sparkly ribbons, a stitch marker, tea (yay!), and candy (yum!)

Dawning Dreams - green sari silk threads, brown Wensleydale, Karakul sheep roving, and wolf fur (my pugs totally FREAKED when they got a whiff of it!)

naomi608 - raw Huacaya, white Shetland wool, oreo Shetland wool, llama fiber, and a totally yummy smelling little spice sachet ball.

I'll be celebrating ROC Day by spinning up my samples at Loop's Spin-In at her studio on this Saturday, Jan. 8th. Hopefully Dizzy Dragonfly will be there with her goodie bags too! I haven't exactly decided how I'm going to spin everything up yet, but I've got a few ideas. Tomorrow I'll formulate my plan of attack. I'm thinking that I may have to hit the drumcarder with some of these!

1st Annual L. I. Fiber Fair

2010-05-12T07:44:00.000-04:00

Wanted to give everyone the heads up that I'll be vending at the LI Fiber Fair at Hallockville Museum Farm on May 22nd from 10:00 to 5:00. Head on over for a fun, fluff filled day on the farm!

In the Spotlight Again!

2010-03-21T06:43:00.000-04:00

"Banana Tree" did it again! It's in another Etsy Treasury this week:

Etsy Treasury 3-9-10

2010-03-10T06:24:00.000-05:00

One of my yarns, "Banana Tree" was recently featured in an Etsy Ttreasury:

January PF Samples

2010-01-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

Finally done! This month's PhatFiber theme is "Favorite Books". Well, I didn't want to beat the whole 'Twilight' thing to death, so I decided to do samples based on my favorite children's books instead.

"Where the Wild Things Are" (my favorite book/batt of the bunch!) contains: Romney, Corriedale, Merino, alpaca/tussah silk, hemp, mohair locks, and firestar. It's FULL of texture - truly wild & wooly!

"Pat the Bunny" (the softest batt of the four, just like touching the bunny in the book) contains: Merino, Falkland wool, angora bunny (of course!), Rambouillet/Silk, milk latte fiber, and firestar.

"Goodnight Moon" (I know it by heart - must have read it to the kids thousands of times...) contains: Merino, Romney, alpaca, bamboo, recycled sari silk, wool neps, and angelina.

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" ( a favorite from when I was little) contains: Merino, alpaca, moahir locks, firestar, and angelina.

I'll be offering them in individually (4 oz. batts) as well as in "Child's Library" sample sets. The sample sets will be offered in 1/2 oz. sizes (2 oz. total) and 1 oz. sizes (4 oz. total). If you want to snag some before they're gone just shoot me an Etsy convo or a Ravelry pm and I'll put up a Reserved Listing for you!

My 1st weaving project!

2010-01-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

My family got me the gift that was on the top of my list this year for Christmas - a 20" Ashford Knitter's Loom. I'm not quite sure why I need ANOTHER craft in my life, but why not, right?

I'm a regular contributor to the Phatfiber box and in return get a box of my own every month. I always dive right into the spinning fiber samples, but the yarn samples have been totally piling up. I just don't knit enough anymore...sigh.

I thought that using yarn samples from my Phat friends would be a lovely way to start on my weaving journey. Finally, FINALLY, I could use up those lovely little yarn bits! I whipped right through this scarf in no time and totally loved the process - yay to weaving!!!

The yarns that I used were:

- Naturally dyed handspun from Midnightsky Fibers

- "Mango" from Lazy Perry Ranch
- "Harlequin" Fingering by Sqwish
- One of my own handspun (H.A.Y.)
- "Iceberg" Lucky Sock yarn from Serendipitous Ewe
- "Darby O'Gill" from Desert Garden Farms
- "Princess's Gown" from Sheepshape Spinning
- "Pirate" handspun from Carly Original
- Handspun alpaca from Comfed Out Kaiser
- "Fireweed" worsted from Aurora Fiber Arts

I have lots more PhatFiber yarn samples in my basket, so look for more weaving projects to come. :)

November PhatFiber Contribution

2009-11-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

The November PhatFiber Box's theme is 'Home For The Holidays'. Well, one of my favorite things about spending holiday dinners with my family was getting to eat some of my Grandma Ruth's red cabbage. In honor of her, I hand dyed some super-soft, squishy merino wool top in the colors of one of my favorite holiday dishes:

Thanksgiving was the only time of the year that Grandma Ruth would cook this dish and she'd always be sure to make a big enough batch that she'd have enough left over to freeze for Christmas Eve dinner. Sadly, Grandma Ruth is no longer with us and I've taken to making this side dish for myself when the holidays come around. I thought that I'd share her recipe with my Phat friends with a few of my personal adjustments to her classic (you should feel extra special - she never shared her recipes with anyone!):

GRANDMA RUTH'S HOLIDAY RED CABBAGE - serves 8-12 people
1/2 lb. diced bacon (I'm convinced that she added extra - mine never tastes as 'baconie' as hers did!)
2 medium onions, chopped (I VERY thinly slice mine into rounds)
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and shredded
10 cups shredded red cabbage (about 4 lbs.)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a large, heavy saucepan, cook the bacon, onion and apples until onions are very soft.
Add cabbage and cook for 10 minuntes over medium heat until the cabbage wilts.
Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, cover & cook for 20 min. The cabbage should be moist, but not too juicy. Remove the lid near the end of the cooking time to cook off some of the liquid if need be.
Give it a nibble to see if your vinegar, sugar or spices need adjusting. This is where it comes down to taste...

Grandma always cooked this up at least one day ahead of time because she insisted that it was better leftover (just like chili and lasagna). Also, unless you're feeding an army of people or making enough to freeze, you might want to cut this recipe in half. Enjoy!

I hope you have a happy holiday with your friends and loved ones!
Deb :)

I've been Spinterviewed!

2009-10-02T19:54:00.000-04:00

Check out my 'Spinterview' on the Spin In Public website!

It's Time To Get PHAT Again!

2009-09-29T12:11:00.000-04:00

Gosh, I can't believe October starts this week already! The beginning of every month means it's time to get PHAT! I spent all day yesterday covered in sparkles and fluff getting my Phat Fiber samples ready for October. The theme is 'Masquerade Ball' and this photo was my inspiration:

I carded up a bunch of 'Lady of Mystery' batts (corriedale, merino, mohair, milk fiber & angelina in shades of black and white with lots of sparkle):

and split them up into cute little baby batts to send off to PF Headquarters:

If you haven't experienced Phatfiber Sample Boxes yet, check out http://www.phatfiber.com/ for more info. The boxes go on sale mid-month and are always full of awesome yarns and fibers from some of today's most talented and innovative Indie dyers and spinners!

Spindies September Fiber Paint Box

2009-09-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

Spindies Fiber Paint Box for September is now officially on sale! This month's fiber palette is in shades of green in a variety of fibers hand dyed by our talented Spindies Co-Op Members. Visit http://www.hyenacart.com/Spindies to get yours (5 oz. of yummy fiber for only $25 includes shipping)!

Pssst...October's Paint Box will be in the rich hues of Autumn (orange and rust)...

Look what we found today!

2009-09-07T12:12:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know, we moved recently into a bigger home with an acre of property full of beautiful gardens. Look who was in our backyard to greet us:

I love hanging out in our own little "nature sanctuary" - we've got a large variety of birds, a little box turtle, rabbits, squirrels, and of course - dragonflies! that hang out in our backyard :)

September Phatfiber Box Samples

2009-09-07T11:25:00.001-04:00

This month's Phatfiber box theme is "Legends, Folklore & Fairytales". I chose "Rumpelstiltskin" as the inspiration for my samples. You know the one - the miller's daughter gets stuck with the impossible task of spinning straw into gold. Well, I found a way to make it happen! This milk fiber is soooo soft and luscious - it's one of my new favorite fibers to spin! I dyed it in shades of gold and let me tell you, it just GLEAMS!

H.A.Y. on Facebook

2009-07-06T09:50:00.000-04:00

Hampton Artistic Yarns needs facebook fans! My page is here :) Become a fan to stay informed of shop updates, give-aways and sales!

FluffyStuff East End

2009-07-06T09:19:00.000-04:00

H.A.Y. will be at FluffyStuff EastEnd - Eastern L. I.'s 1st Annual Fiber Festival hosted by Now and Zen Yarns! Come on down on August 22nd from 9am to 5pm to see the animals and shop from local indie dyers, spinners and fiber artists!

If you are interested in becoming a vendor for the day, email me at dstj@care2.com and I'll be happy to send you the information.

My "Green" Phat Box is Here!

2009-04-24T07:30:00.000-04:00

The theme for April's Phatfiber box was "green" (as in 'eco' or the color) and I have to say, the amples this month are amazing! My box was heavy on the fiber which is always a treat for me as I don't find myself knitting (like, never) since I started spinning... Here's what I got:

Superwash merino dyed in shades of pink and orange from Kangaroo Dyer - super soft and lovely colors!
A green mini batt from Wild Hare Fiber Studio which contains wool mill ends, corn fiber, fair trade Tibetan sari thrums, firestar and angelina - gorgeous!
Superwash merino from Dyed by Danido in the "Sapphire" colorway - dyed with Greener Shades all natural dyes (very "green"!)
A green mini batt from Corgi Hill Farm which contains merino, silk and firestar in the "Green Eire" colorway.
1/2 oz. (very generous!) merino in the "Bronze Green" colorway from Smoky Mountain Fibers.
A twist if BFL wool (one of my faves to work with) in the "Vernal" colorway from Dicentra Designs.
A mini braid of Corriedale in the "Cool Waters" colorway from Wooly Hands.
A little snippet of fiber and a cute little magnet from Greenwood Fiberworks.

The box also had lots of non-fiber treats! Here's the run-down:

Creme de Mint biscotti from Matilda's Italian Cookies.
A cute little stitch marker from Fickle Knitter Design.
A very pretty handmade "envelope" bag from Phatfiber.
A tool from 7 Yaks Design - it's either a diz (there are no #'s on it) or a needle guage? Not sure which...hmmm... I think I could use it as either.
"Shea Buttah" from Yarns and Musings.
A patterns for crocheted balls from Sunnie Fairy.
A Phatfiber button from Wild Hare Fiber Studio.

And of course, the lovely yarns:

Handspun 2-ply merino yarn in aqua and white from Sheepshape Spinning.
Merino/Bamboo sock yarn (so squishy soft) in the "Oceanside" colorway from Chicken in the Woods.
Superwash merino sportweight yarn in the "Duckweed" colorway from Earthly Hues.
Superwash merino/bamboo sock yarn in the "Moss" colorway from Oriri Draco Design.
BFL sock yarn in the "Mint Chocolate Chip" colorway from Snicklefritz Yarn Co.
Upcycled cotton T-shirt yarn from The Cupcake Factory - very cool!

Great job this month Phatties! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for next month's "Showers & Flowers"!

April will be another Phat month!

2009-03-26T17:55:00.001-04:00

I just sent out my samples for the April Phatfiber Box (the theme is "green" - either eco-friendly or the color).

I'm contributing samples of some hand dyed Finn top in my "Woodsy" colorway. Finn is nice to spin and results in a smooth yarn that's great for anything from sweaters to mittens.

I'm also sending out some samples of hand dyed Texas mohair locks in my "Minty Fresh" colorway. If you've used locks before, there are a couple of ways that you can do it. You can tailspin them onto a core yarn or flick them and then card them into a batt. You could also knit them directly into your project or use them in another craft altogether. Here is a link for flicking. Here you'll find an example of tailspinning. If you're a member of Ravelry, visit the Intertwined Group and go to the "For the Love of Locks" thread for some great pics of finished yarns using locks. Here are some FO's where people used mohair locks in crafty ways : a felted purse , amigurumi and feel better spoons.

I'm having a lot of fun with Phatfiber! For more info, visit their site.

2009-03-22T07:17:00.000-04:00

I contributed to the monthly Phatfiber Sample Box for the 1st time this month, so I got a free box of my own. Goodness - what gorgeous samples from everyone! Here's what was in my stash:

Fiber : I can't wait to spin it all up into one crazy skein!

a very generous green batt from Moonlight & Laughter
supersoft & squishable merino roving in the "amazon" colrway from Hedgehog Fibres
a sparkly little green batt from The Fox Hop
a mini braid of BFL roving in the "Lia Fail" colorway by We Y Thor
some lovely dyed Suri Alpaca locks from Moonwood Farm.

Yarn :

100 yds. (VERY generous) superwash sock yarn in a gorgeous blue color from Kangaroo Dyer
a mini skein of worsted in the "Fireweed" colorway by Aurora Fiber Arts
a mini skein of orange & red hand dyed worsted from Bohemian Knitter Chic
a mini skein of hand dyed fingering wt. yarn in a sparkly, buttery color from Teresa Levite Studio
2 mini skeins from Desert Garden Farms
pretty handpsun singles in green and purple (my fave colors and fave type of spin!) from Simply Twisted Yarn
and a cute little 2-ply skein in orange and purple from Corgi Hill Farm

Notions:

a lavender sachet from Ambrosia and Bliss
an adorable little sheep from My Fair Bag Lady
a little beaded stitch marker from Ballee
a Celtic magnet from BananaMigraine Designs
a green ladybug stitch marker from Vicki's Knitted Things
a cute set of 3 shamrock stitch markers from Princess Emma's SparkleShan
a crocheted cuff pattern from The Crochet Side
what I think is a shawl pin (it's absolutely beautiful - copper and jade) from Wyrding Studios. I really love this last piece - I don't wear shawls though, so I'm thinking of bending the straight end of it into a hook and using it as an orifice hook to replace the one that I recently lost ;)

I'm going to try to get samples together for the April 2009 box (theme: "Green"), but if not, then definitely for May 2009 (theme: Showers & Flowers). You can get more info on Phatfiber boxes here.