Camera death

I did it- I killed the camera, it is official. I adore my camera. sniff.

I managed to get pictures taken of this last update, sorry the pics are kinda sad. My beloved camera cried and sputtered and beeped error messages the entire time and refused to let me use it's flash. I decided to euthanize it. Tomorrow it goes back to Circuit City so they can see if they can fix it. (Yay for extended warranties). I will be buying a new one I suppose in the meantime.

So-- An update-- hooray!

Here is a glimpse:

AND...... we got the dye room all set up and functional (ha- and it's messy already-snort).

I have a wonderful wash sink that Paul installed and my microwaves set up. There is a big table to mix dyes and such and we have 2 propane burners set up outside! It is so nice. sigh. What wonderful Christmas gift!

Gremlins~

I swear the electronic gremlin geeks have descended upon my house and studio and are using my stuff when I sleep.

My PC has been showing it's age lately. Last month I had to replace the hard drive (gasp-- that was a bit traumatic), this month I had to replace the monitor, the power source and the video card! sheesh. Now my camera is on the fritz. I did a graceful smack into the studio door frame with camera in hand and it flew across the UNcarpeted floor. I think I killed the flash, it has been computer-error-ing and sputtering all over since. Good thing it is still under the extended warranty plan I purchased.

So my Holiday pictures are sad and grainy and blurry, as will the yarn update pics I plan to take tomorrow. Please be patient with me while I set the gremlin traps. Maybe I shall shave them and spin them into a yarn?

Hope your holidays have been relaxing-- mine have been divine.

Stay tuned for new yarns! I do not want to promise a day yet (due to the camera crapping out) but it will not be long.

Pic of Rex the dude-cat sleeping next to me on the couch on my day-of-knitting last week

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Our Tree!

Tacky tacky glittery blue pointsettias!

LOVE them!

Happy Winter Solstice~

Today is Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

Enjoy the shortest day of the year!

Stop & Knit~

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I decided to slow down a bit until after Christmas. I tend to be a TAD obsessive about my work, because I love it so. However, it is that time of the year to stop and chill.

I am going to knit and make cookies and play with the girls and chill out and knit (did I mention knit?). I am making several exciting projects using MW yarns and working on prototypes for new 'free with purchase' patterns, as well as from free patterns from the web that work well with my yarns.

Please know that the shop is still open and any orders placed will be filled the end of next week.

Now I am going to make coffee and knit and look at my tree and schnubble my belly-up fat cat.

Pics of projects coming later!

MERRYMERRYMERRY (jinglejingle)

reenie

The colors of this yarn reminded me of the hard Christmas candy my Pop-Pop used to buy, it had chocolate straws and multi-colored candies in it, along with ribbon candy! Similar to this.

Spun from red and cream merino and plied with a cotton flannel and a red rayon thread.

Plied a second time the other direction with a black novelty yarn with multi-colored hairy poufs.

I then plied it yet again (I know-- it's crazy~) back the opposite way with the same poufy novelty yarn.

A bulky and delicious yarn!

Going Green!

Introducing Material Whirled's new line of yarn!

Spun from as much foraged and recycled materials as possible.

First I take a wool and/or merino fiber. Then I add fiber scraps and yarn scraps and mix them all together! They are then plied with mostly recycled or mill-ends threads.

Each stitch is an adventure that will send you into dizzying heights of vertigo!

Click the picture above to see more!

Red Sox!

I finished the custom-ordered Red Sox yarn.

It was made for Adina Klein, editor extraordinaire of the Vogue Knitting magazines.

(she gave me to go-ahead to name drop). Adina rocks.

She is making her BIL a hat for the holidays and he is a Red Sox fiend.

I knit the socks in 2D from red alpaca yarn.

I also finished another pile of orders and got them all shipped out.

AND- I got my light tent all set up and ready to go! I LOVE THIS THING!

No more hauling my updates outside looking for indirect sunlight, which I gotta say, is rare here in the Pac NW.

It is in the office area of the main studio room. I decided to put it in front of one of the 3 doors! No shortage of doors here.

Back to work!

Twinkle Twinkle~

This house is near our neighborhood. I almost posted and said "Phew we finally got all of the outdoor decorations up"! haha

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is all of the kitsch. This is the mother load of Christmas Kitsch! So much work!

It was hard to photograph, but there is a display inside each and every window!

This is a shot of in the garage.

Each time we drive by there is an addition. Yesterday's addition was the giant blow-up carousel in the middle of the yard. There is layer upon layer of stuff!

Wish I could get all of this festivity into one skein of yarn!

Merry Merry Jingle Jingle!

Ann's Elf Hat~

Annie wanted me to make her a new hat this year so she picked out the colors and ply and I spun a skein for her.

It is in blues and purples with an opalescent glitz. I found a navajo plied skein in my stash that I had made a few years ago so I used that also. I made the hat in rows of knit and purl, using the navajo for the purled rows.

Crochet~

This evening I whipped up a crochet version of the "Utterly Magnificent Cowl" pattern. I will get it written up and get some pics taken asap.

I am really happy with it!

heehee

Red Sox Socks

I knit these tiny 2D socks for a very special custom order.

I will post pics of the yarn when it is completed.

Too cute- and hilarious!

Red Socks (Sox)-- get it?

Yarn piles and still unpacking!

Hiya!

It's been busy as usual here in the Material Whirled, with many orders to fill.

Here are some pics of yarn piles and the yarn sauna!

I finally got the back studio room unpacked and functioning, it is a DREAM in there, with a fiber wall and a shipping area, and a photo area! sigh... I may move a bed in there and never leave!

Here is a before shot, Jackie came over and helped me figure things out and organize.

It was embarrassingly trashed. bad. fiber tribbles all OVER, piles and mayhem!

Here the fiber wall is starting to take shape, but there were still piles and bins to deal with.

I decided to move the big ole counter in the center of the room to optimize its vastness, this way we can get all around it to work. I need to hit Goodwill to find some retro bar stools.

Here is Battman hard at work on a day off. We made the area behind him an art workspace for the girls. I will take more pics once I get the photo studio complete and the curtains hung.

For now-- more spinning to do!

reenie