Welcome to the blog of Fibrefanatic Designs. For those of you who have a love of texture and colour in relation to fibre, we have something in common. This blog is a journal of my passion for Art yarns and also the bits of my world that add to the mix. Thanks for popping by.



Monday, November 29, 2010

I love sandwiches!

It's been a while since I blogged about anything fibrey and yet most of my free time is taken up with fibre related activities at the moment.  I am a breath away from launching my website ( I know that I have said this before) and my yarns and batts have been quite popular at the guild and other venues.  So much so, that I have been struggling to keep items for the website, a great problem to have really.

Batt at the bottom, the fibre layers on top
So I have been carding and carding and then the other day I thought I had better do some fibre sandwiches.  You get such a different look from spinning from a sandwich. As the name implies it's layers of fibre placed down by hand one on top of the other.  However as in the food variety sandwich there is a process to making a good one.

I firstly put down a fine batt of fibre as a base for the sandwich (like the bread really) and then I place the filling which is layers of different varieties of fibre on top.  I like to colour co-ordinate, and also lay the fibres in the same direction so it makes it easier to pull off when you spin.

Sandwiches have had some rough press, and really the early creators of this method have brought it on themselves.  It was  marketed as a way of getting rid of fibre that you didn't like, and it didn't matter what colour it was, as that was the 'fun' of a sandwich, you didn't know what you were going to spin.  Oh yes, I have taken home a pulled off,  hotch potch of fibre, spent my time spinning it and then found out I got the same result as when I took all the colours of my painting set, as a child, and mixed them up — a muddy brown.  

As for the fibre, quality in, quality out! I have never had the magic sandwich moment, when all of my rough dull scrappy fibres suddenly transformed from being in the 'filling'.
Final layers


The benefits of a sandwich made in a thoughtful way is that after stretching out the batt (bread), layering your fibre (filling) out in layers with fibre going in the same direction as the batt, you can roll it up (fibres running along the length) like a swiss roll — full of food metaphors today.  You can either pull off handfuls of fibre from the end or hold the whole roll under your arm and just draft off the end.  The resulting yarn has the opportunity to be more textured and defined colour-wise. It is also the perfect method of carrying your fibres in one 'organised' bundle and great for those who don't have a carding machine.

All rolled up


Yummy filling inside and it's ready to spin!
As you might have gathered I am very partial to a sandwich!  This one just begging to be spun by me.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Quick trip

My DH made a quick trip to Skenes Friday afternoon, mowed the lawn and then woke up in the morning to a very thick mist coming off the sea.  Everything is growing like mad in this environment and I can't wait to spend three weeks down there after Christmas just pottering around in the garden and spinning my heart out.
I love Nasturtiums, but have to keep them out of the bush!


Vegie/Herb garden is doing well, although things are already going to seed!































The block next door has sold and I do hope they come and mow the grass soon!  The vines are apparently growing very well according to the 'keeper of the vines'.  He reckons that we will be drinking the 'Deck House Red' in three years.  I am so looking forward to that, withstanding plague, pestilence and the birds!  I have my doubts about the location and the climate, but then again I could be proven wrong, and let's face it, I hope I am wrong!

The Pizza oven is the Christmas holiday project, along with a shed to keep all the manly tools in.  Judging by the size of the base of the Pizza oven, and calculating the normal relationship in size between the two, the shed will be huge! DH assures me that it will diminish in size at the next level of construction and that this base is for storing the wood.  I hope so otherwise we will be producing Pizzas that could feed the whole neighbourhood!


Growing up in the world!
Helicopter pad? No, the base of the Pizza Oven

Monday, November 22, 2010

What a weekend

I just had one of those weekends, you know, the type that makes you think I don't care that tomorrow is Monday!

We went to the Leonard Cohen concert on Saturday - A day on the Green - quite an experience.  The weather was perfect, we had enough food to feed an army and my favourite musical poet did not let us down.  It was an afternoon/night of memories and we are still talking about it.  People around us were sociable and so varied in age groups, it was so good to be involved.



Then on Sunday,  I went to a group called the Crazy Crocheters in Healesville.  I caught up with a friend from Horsham and made a few more friends!  I was invited by Gayle Burgess of
Gayle Lorraine Designs to come and show my Art Yarns and I also had the opportunity to look at many interesting 'show and tell's of treasured collections, and recent finished projects of these wonderful artisans. Everyone was so generous in their suggestions to others and many things were discussed, not the least was how to price our hand crafted items and how to sell them and target our market.

A perfect day, what with the weather and the lovely lunch that was provided.  Everyone had favourable comments about my yarns resulting in quite a few sales!  Now here is an interesting dilemma, well not really, but now I have to spin more yarns to replace those assigned for the impending web site.  At this rate I am always going to play catch up, what a wonderful predicament to be in.
 Introducing the Crazy Crocheters, many thanks for making me feel so welcome!
Well I know what I need to do today......spin, spin...........and spin!  Not to mention card and dye and wash fleece.  The weather report is for an ideal drying fleece day!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Who would have thought



Just a little TLC and it comes to life
  At my last visit to the Guild, when they had the Textile Bazaar, there was this black garbage bag on the floor with some very dull, straight, matted Mohair in it.  My friend Dianne and I looked at each other and both had the same thought at the same time.  I dutifully paid exactly what they wanted which was $10 for the bag and we then divided it up between us.

I gave it a very hot soak in some very soapy water and then another and another and finally a hot rinse (soak) with a little vinegar.  I am now rewarded with a beautiful shiny mass of conservative curls which will look fantastic as tailspun  yarn and it is soooo soft.  Yep, you just have to look a little deeper sometimes and take a plunge.

I think by the time it is spun up and dyed it will look like this. Sometimes you
just don't want those baby curls!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Adding to the stash

I had a great day yesterday at the Guild as they had their Textile Bazaar.  It was pouring down in Melbourne, but this did not deter the determined Spinners and Weavers, who apparently were queuing at the door before 10.00am!  


Lots of bargains to be had at very reasonable prices.  I was restrained, well not really considering the size of my stash at home, but I am excited about my purchases.  The lazy Kate will just keep my wrapping threads out of the way of my other bobbins and the Mohair slivers will add a lovely bit of lustre to some Batts.  The two cones were a good find; the wool will act as a great core yarn but the Linen is destined for a project I have in mind.  I am sure that the lady who advised me it would make a wonderful warp would be horrified to know that I have no intentions of weaving with it but for $10 it was worth the investment for an idea.  


My purchases at the Textile Bazaar
After much chat and catching up I left to go to the newly opened shop of a friend of mine called The opendrawer


I could have spent hours there, the space was so beautifully presented with lots of wonderful textile craft to tempt you for Christmas presents.  It is a credit to Robyn and Prue for it's presentation and the fact there is exhibition space and classroom space attached is truly amazing.  I just know that this will become a meeting space for all things textile in Melbourne - there is even a space designated for having a cuppa and a chat - how good is that! 



Hand made buttons,  just had to have them!
After spotting these beautiful hand made buttons in one of the open drawers, I just knew they were destined to meet the linen. It was just one of those days where ideas were facilitated and who was I to resist fate.


On the way home I went to visit Mum and Dad and then arrived back home just as DH rocked up.  A glass of wine and a moment to catch up on each other's news and then a bite to each out at our local Greek restaurant.


One of those days to remember.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Where does the time go?

I don't know where the time goes and I know from reading other blogs that there are many of us in the same situation.  I used to think that if I didn't have a whole day or a whole afternoon to do something with my fibre then really what was the point of starting.  However my DH reminded me that an odd 10mins here and there, and just doing a little something of what I want to do each day, means that you can achieve quite a lot. 

I used to work for a chain of stores called 'Knitwit' and I taught stretch sewing.  Each season we would have fashion parades where we would have to make the clothes, a huge job considering sometimes we would have six outfits each to make in two weeks.  Our boss Dierdre used to say "How does an ant eat an elephant, one bite at a time."  We always got it done and in those days I had 4 small boys! 


Mohair tailspun yarn

Mixed Fibre Batt

Mohair, Wool and Silk, wrapped with a silk and stainless steel  yarn

Mixed fibre Batt
I have been trying to complete my Web site for ages, and could never get on top of the thought that it was such a marathon job.  However bit by bit it has come together and now I can see the end in sight.   Breaking everything down into small sections has at least given me a sense of achievement along the way, and now I have just about got my products ready. I am keeping my fingers crossed, that I will open soon.