tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33399032115881676722023-11-15T23:17:51.809-08:00Blarney Yarn BlogMiryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-86084037667203432692013-07-12T15:29:00.004-07:002013-07-12T15:29:54.710-07:00Visit Blarney Yarn at the Los Angeles Renegade Craft FairSo much wool, so little time!
Summer is my favorite time for working on small projects. I especially enjoy knitting shawls and scarves for fall and winter, spinning yarn for winter projects, and processing any fleeces that I purchased earlier in the year.
In addition to all of these activities, this summer I have been happily dyeing new yarns and rovings for the Los Angeles Renegade Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-91246334749084256862013-06-11T08:32:00.001-07:002013-06-11T08:32:44.679-07:00New colorwaysIn anticipation of the summer Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles on July 20 and 21, I have been dyeing many new yarn and roving colorways for my booth. My previous color wheel experiments have certainly influenced these new colors, and I can't wait to start spinning and swatching.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Lori of Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio and I spent the day Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-86677043452826461022013-06-07T07:59:00.001-07:002013-06-07T07:59:14.881-07:00Experiments with DyeI have been telling myself for several years now that I should dye the color wheel, and I am delighted to report that I have done just that. And what fun it was! My intention was to combine my set of primary colors to create all of the secondary colors possible. Below are the lovely primary colors shown on chopsticks.
Once I was finished I had over 100 blended colors on Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-44478690020596717742013-04-25T10:40:00.000-07:002013-04-25T10:40:21.733-07:00Spinning Up a StormI've spent a good deal of time over the past few weeks spinning yarn with my delightful Hansen miniSpinner. I purchased this little wheel just over a year ago, and I am thrilled to finally have enough time to use it regularly.
As I'm sure many handspinners do, I have quite a long queue of rovings to spin. My recent efforts have focused on a few different colorways of Bluefaced Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-81863306966529509792012-12-04T18:45:00.000-08:002012-12-04T18:45:28.486-08:00Upcoming ShowsThis is a busy week for Blarney Yarn!
On Thursday, December 6, I will be at Knit Culture Studio for the Holiday Yarn and Craft Show. Thursday night is the kick-off for the weekend-long event.
On Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9 you can find me at booth 30 at the Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles. The fair is open from 10 to 5 both days.
I will be debuting my new super wash Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-17223923663043705322012-10-06T08:19:00.000-07:002012-10-06T08:19:13.361-07:00Dyeing and DesigningI spent the second half of the summer working on knitting projects and dyeing yarn. I have a couple of lovely new yarns this fall. The first is a high-twist, light fingering weight superwash Corriedale yarn called Moxie. It takes dye beautifully, and is a great yarn for lace knitting or crochet.
My second new yarn is a medium-twist, fingering weight superwash Merino yarn called Whirl. ItMiryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-24294097082340553202012-07-11T10:17:00.001-07:002012-07-11T10:17:23.330-07:00Getting Ready for Renegade Craft FairSince returning from Black Sheep Gathering, I have been spending much of my time washing fiber. I shared two fleeces with friends this year. One was a chocolate brown merino and the other was a chocolate brown shetland lamb. Both are very soft and wonderful to spin. As I was reorganizing my fiber stash to accommodate the new fleeces, I came across some alpaca that my grandparents found for meMiryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-53547852767964217082012-06-20T21:30:00.001-07:002012-06-20T21:30:10.821-07:00On the road to EugeneWe made it to Eugene today and had a nice dinner at Davis's restaurant before settling on the porch swing of our B&B for some crocheting and knitting. The drive from southern California was beautiful. I am always amazed by the diversity in terrain in the state of California. Here are just a few of the roadside attractions that we enjoyed:Last night we stayed in Ashland, which is such an Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-18847106040228088492012-06-09T10:04:00.000-07:002012-06-09T10:04:50.388-07:00Getting ready for Black Sheep GatheringI have been absent from this forum for about a year now, but I haven't been away from fiber. Last summer you could usually find me at my new Schacht Baby Wolf loom. During the fall, I prepared for the Holiday Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles. In the winter, I bought a Hansen miniSpinnner, and spent many hours enjoying electrified spinning. When spring rolled around, I began to prepare in Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-7295108173376885682011-06-25T21:56:00.001-07:002011-06-25T21:56:55.397-07:00Spinner's LeadTonight was the annual Black Sheep Gathering Spinner's Lead. One can't help but be happy after watching the farmers walk their animals around the arena while simultaneously modeling a handspun knitted, crocheted, woven, or felted garment. This event is an absolute hoot!Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-69882025713919285242011-06-25T06:13:00.001-07:002011-06-25T06:13:55.747-07:00Black Sheep GatheringWe are having a great time at the gathering this year! Yesterday was a bit chilly in the morning, so there was ample opportunity to wear handspun swag. There were some absolutely gorgeous shawls and shawlettes.Here are some pictures of the booth before we opened for business:Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-29188828352820236542011-06-22T22:38:00.000-07:002011-06-23T10:51:28.957-07:00AshlandWe walked around Ashland in the morning and stopped by The Web-sters Yarn shop. They have a great selection of yarns from Habu Textiles. I picked up a couple of Habu silk yarns for weaving.Ashland is home to the natural Lithia water spring. I never sample the sulphur-rich water, but many people do. The local signage claims that the water has health benefits, but I'm not so sure.Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-66862726451749003092011-06-21T20:45:00.001-07:002011-06-21T20:45:19.578-07:00Summer SolsticeOur trip began before sunrise today. The scenery was so beautiful! Along the way we saw wild sweet peas, lupin, and scotch broom blooming along the side of the road. Every year Lori and I enjoy the many views of Mt. Shasta, and this year the mountain appeared to have more snow than usual.We were very excited to finally arrive in Ashland. It is warm this evening, and we enjoyed some window Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-80165070101015646792011-06-18T17:13:00.001-07:002011-06-18T19:28:20.573-07:00Black Sheep Here We Come!I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote about my fiber life. Though I have been busy, I try to spend a bit of time every day doing something fibery.In the past couple of months I have been feverishly preparing for Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon (June 24-26). I will once again be sharing a booth with Lori Lawson of Capistrano Fiber Arts. We are going to have lots of new things Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-4339872586443815072011-02-21T08:19:00.000-08:002011-06-14T20:01:01.216-07:00A flashbackI grew up watching Jim Henson's television creations, including The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock. To this day, I still enjoy watching these classic shows. A couple of years ago, I downloaded Knit One, Purl Two, a song featured on Fraggle Rock. I stumbled upon the source video for this song yesterday, and I wanted to share it. Enjoy!Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-35329145826539544402011-02-19T16:25:00.000-08:002011-06-14T19:59:43.550-07:00Stitches WestToday I went to Stitches West for the first time. It was very overwhelming, to say the least! There were tons of people, and just as many booths to take in. My favorite booths at these conferences are always those of the indie producers, and at this show I especially enjoyed the booths of Slipped Stitch Studios, Ranch of the Oaks, Never Not Knitting, and Miss Purl.I demonstrated amazing Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-43080998399967861782010-06-18T21:17:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:58:53.316-07:00First Day of Black Sheep GatheringToday was a great first day at Black Sheep Gathering. We visited with many friends, and met a lot of enthusiastic and creative spinners, knitters, crocheters, weavers, and dyers. I had such a great time!I was able to test drive a Schacht Matchless wheel during a break from the booth. I am ultimately hoping to find a double treadle version, though the single treadle that I spun on was wonderful. Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-67731693291210246672010-06-17T22:43:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:57:53.060-07:00Setting Up the BoothToday we walked over to Soft Horizons yarn shop in Eugene. It is such a cute shop located in a Victorian house. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Full City Coffee for some chai and coffee. Yum!We set up our booth in the afternoon, which was a creative and fun time. The sheep were serendading us from the adjacent barn. After we were set up, we walked around the show to see what other Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-54101786265421038832010-06-16T22:22:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:57:05.626-07:00On the road to Black Sheep GatheringLori and I had a beautiful drive from southern California to Eugene, Oregon over the past two days. The scenery along the way was just lovely. We stopped last night in Ashland, Oregon, which is one of our favorite towns. I love the Victorian houses...and Emz Blendz soap shop...and Websters yarn shop. While in Ashland we picked up some soap and yarn, and ate at our favorite little restaurant Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-61904595580627889192009-12-20T15:12:00.000-08:002011-06-14T19:55:47.134-07:00Fall ProjectsI have been working on a few different projects this fall, including a crocheted baby blanket, a handwoven scarf, and a set of handwoven towels.I used some of my handpainted superwash merino/bamboo/nylon blend fingering weight sock yarn for the baby blanket. This yarn is really soft and squishy, and will be perfect for a newborn baby to cuddle up in. My friend Lori (Capistrano Fiber Arts StudioMiryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-48707568495425334512009-09-15T10:41:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:53:11.790-07:00Summer Fiber FunI have been away from my blog for most of the summer, but fortunately, now I am back in the blog groove and ready to fill you in on some of my summer fiber adventures.I am very fortunate to be able to share a brief video interview conducted at Black Sheep Gathering by my spinning friend Jeri and her husband, Eduard. This was the first time that I had ever been interviewed on camera about fiber, Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-44202590727509659152009-06-24T14:58:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:52:23.966-07:00Days 7 and 8: Homeward BoundWe had a very smooth two-day trip home from Black Sheep Gathering. We stopped at Hendrick's Park in Eugene before leaving town. A few Rhododendrons were still in bloom, and the park was very green and lush. While we were at Hendrick's Park, we saw a peahen hopping through the grass with her babies in tow.Mt. Shasta was breathtaking on the way home as well. The Pacific Northwest native and Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-72471999574691761032009-06-21T12:37:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:51:30.650-07:00Days 4, 5 & 6: Black Sheep GatheringThough we were very busy in the booth for most of the gathering, I did have a chance to walk around to the other booths during the Black Sheep Gathering. I had such a great time talking to spinners and knitters about their projects, and admiring at all of the beautiful handmade bling that they were wearing.I also had a great time walking through the barns and checking out all of the wonderful Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-46944658618223163712009-06-18T12:24:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:50:40.796-07:00Day 3: Set up for Black Sheep GatheringLori and I took a morning walk, had a quick lunch, and then headed to the Lane County Fairgrounds to set up our booth. We worked for several hours, and in the end we were very pleased with how our booth looked. These photos show the evolution of the booth space from start to finish.Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339903211588167672.post-30829443300847674492009-06-17T19:48:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:49:48.910-07:00Day 2: Ashland to Eugene, ORThis morning we went to a cute little yarn shop in Ashland (Websters - http://www.yarnatwebsters.com) before hitting the north road again. We also stopped by a handmade soap shop (Emz Blendz - http://www.emzblendzsoap.com) where I purchased two bars of soap and a lip balm. The entire shop smelled like herbs and it was difficult to pick just two bars.Ashland is famous for its Shakespeare festival,Miryhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780176570481900342noreply@blogger.com0