Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Long Island Fiber and Fleece Festival!!

I was so excited to visit the Long Island Fleece and Fiber Festival at Hallockville Museum in Riverhead, NY this past weekend!  I got a chance to meet some of my Ravelry friends face to face, saw some really amazing demos and made friends with some alpacas!

(This one on the right is my new best friend.... )

We learned more about:
Spinning
Weaving
Woodworking
Different fibers and where they come from
Shearing
Quilting
and Herding.





All of the vendors were incredible and no to mention, some of the NICEST people I've ever met...Knitting and fiber really does make you a nicer person! Anyway, it was fun :)

 Some notable vendors included:
 Flatland Alpacas
Groovy Hues Fibers
Fiddle Knits
Long Island Livestock Co.
Looliemom Fiber Arts
Not so Shabby Chic
Nuna Knits

...And so many more!

Herding Demo! (please excuse my "Hmmmm" noise).


 





Sunday, May 10, 2015

New yarn base and hat design!!!

So I've been working away my troubles and throwing myself into this fun "side business" just enough to feel really accomplished lately!
Thank you to everyone for being so supportive and excited about this venture! The shop has been open for almost 8 weeks now and the yarns are receiving some much needed positive attention!
A new yarn base has been added to the shop!

Introducing Sadie Sock HT!!!
Named after Sadie Hawkins, the lovely single lady who's story sparked a tradition practiced across America that teaches young girls that they can be completely in charge of their own love lives, that their counterparts are their own choice!
And if no one is fit to meet their needs, then being a single lady becomes empowering! As it should.

Sadie Sock HT is composed of 100% Superwash merino wool with a high twist. 400 yds/ 100g.
It is the perfect balance of softness and strength, just like an empowered single lady!!
Come visit the shop to see more!
And remember, you can always put in a custom order if you'd like Sadie Sock HT in a color that is not currently available!

Next is hat design!!


This is Cassia! A sweet slouchy beanie with cable and lace detail!
This slouchy beanie is reminiscent of the wonderfully sprouting cassia tree branches and it’s flowering buds. It has a method to it’s madness, creating a delightful pattern as it grows up toward the sun.
Cassia is constructed of a series of increases, decreases, and yarn overs which gives the illusion of intricate cables without that pesky 3rd needle.
She is made for long walks admiring nature and petting small animals, but if you’d like to wear her anywhere else, I’m sure she’ll be happy to tag along :)

Cassia is knit using only 1 skein of Malabrigo Worsted in the "Red Mahogany" colorway, but any heavy worsted yarn will do. Gauge is 22sts/ 28 rows on US#7 for the rib. US#8 needles are used for the pattern work on this hat.

This pattern is currently in the works and will be my very first pattern for sale through my etsy and ravelry shop! Of course, wouldn't you know, I had no idea you have to actually subscribe to Adobe Reader in order to compose a coherent downloadable pattern....I know, I know, this is stuff that EVERYBODY knows.......everybody but me.
But have no fear, as soon as i get throught the last obstacle on this venture, you can be sure that I will be posting it EVERYWHERE!
Until next time,
Shanna F.
Lambstrings

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Designing with Alpaca Ewe

Just a lovely afternoon designing with one of my favorite yarns and colorway!

This cable and eyelet patterned hat is knit with Lambstrings Alpaca Ewe in "Shabby Chic" colorway.
50% Superfine Alpaca/ 50% Wool.
250yds/ 100g/ 4 oz.
Recommended needle size is US#7/ 4.5mm-US#9/ 5.5mm for 4-5 sts/ inch.
You can find this yarn and more available colorways here!
Pattern soon to be available for purchase through my etsy shop ans well as ravelry store!
I'm very excited about this design!


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Getting ready to open my Etsy shop!!!!!



   So we FINALLY had a beautiful day!...well I could have done without all that melted snow infiltrating my boots, but who cares? Now I can show off some of the yarns the way they were meant to be shown! Brace yourselves, there's quite a few here:

"Grizzly"_ Alpaca Ewe- Worsted 



"Oracle"_ Alpaca Ewe- Worsted

"Vamp"_Alpaca Ewe- Worsted

"Shabby Chic"_ Alpaca Ewe- Worsted

"Bourbon"_Ewetopia-DK 

"Caribbean Queen"_Ewetopia- DK 

"Clover"_Ewetopia- DK

"Deep Sunset"_Ewetopia- DK

"Harpy"_Ewetopia- DK


"Romance"_Ewetopia- DK

"Serene"_Ewetopia- DK

"Vamp"_Ewetopia- DK


"Wildfire"_Ewetopia-DK  

"Blue Canary"_Ewetopia- Fingering 

"Caribou"_Ewetopia- Fingering


"Corazon"_Ewetopia-Fingering 

"Emerald City"_Ewetopia- Fingering

"Raven"_Ewetopia- Fingering

"Shabby Chic"_Ewetopia- Fingering

"Vamp"_Ewetopia- Fingering

"Vixen"_Ewetopia- Fingering

"Brick"_Ramsey- Aran

"Cobra"_Ramsey- Aran

"Daisy Duke"_Ramsey- Aran

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Been a while....

   So it has been almost a month since my last post! We are hitting record low temperatures here on Long Island. Snow, then rain, then ice.....then snow again, and so on and so forth. It's like a dirty, snowy desert trifle out there...just layers and layers of coldness. It's never going to melt. Definitely too cold to go out and take wonderful yarn photos, and what good is a blog post without some yummy yarn porn to ogle at? Luckily today it was a whopping 35 degrees...it actually felt HOT! I rushed outside to take what photos I could before the sun set completely.

Here are some brand new colorways!!:

"Bourbon" (left) 100% Superwash Merino DK and "Amber" (right) 100% Pure Merino Worsted  



"Raven" 100% Superwash Merino Fingering (right) and 100% Pure Merino Worsted (left)
"Blue Canary" (left) and "Vixen" (right) 100% Superwash Merino Fingering
"Corazon" 100% Superwash Merino Fingering (left) and 100% Pure Merino Worsted (right)
"Corazon" detail

   I am currently working on opening my etsy shop filled with yarn goodies!! So stay in the know!

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Results of a snow storm...

   Well, we got a whopping 31 inches here on LI, which doesn't sound like much...but when your only way out is sealed shut by a 4 foot snow drift, it's pretty clear that you're not going anywhere!! Although, the day off from work was a priceless gift :) I drank lots of coffee, organized my dye journal, and spent some much needed relaxing time with my family. Even the mean cat became mushy and took a long and toasty cat nap on my lap while I knit.

   After we were finally able to emerge from the cave, it was time to take some photos. Here are some of the colorways I'd been working on:

Superwash DK, 238 yds each




100% Organic Merino Wool, 210 yds each


I haven't named all of these yet. Looking for suggestions!!!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Productive day

   Well, my plans to take "great and awe inspiring" yarn photography were thwarted today by a blast of icky freezing rain and snow! Everything outside my apartment was a slushy mess and this went on for hours....
    So instead I figured that working on my new cardigan design and dyeing MORE yarn was at least a little productive and indoor-sy. There were even a few color combinations around the house that I thought would make interesting color designs for some new hand dyed skeins.
 Interesting how dried flowers, a chiaroscuro painting, a sparkly ring and some old dolls can be so motivating.


  







    I did finish dyeing my Superwash DK cone!! Apologies in advance for the mediocre photos, but like I said, there was no playing outside today. And normally I would wait but I'm so pleased, I just have to show off!



Superwash DK, 238 yds/ skein

   Also I have to give some credit to the cat, who did most of the math for my knitting chart today.