Phat Fiber Score!

Have you heard of Phat Fiber Sampler boxes?  I hadn't either until about a month ago when I was perusing the spinning groups on Ravelry and someone mentioned Phat Fibers.  I found the Phat Fiber Sampler Box group on Ravelry and started investigating.  

Apparently, there are thousands, yes, I said THOUSANDS, of people interested in these sampler boxes.  The group on Ravelry currently has 3,569 members!  So what is this popular  Phat Fiber box?  Here's what the website says...


What is Phat Fiber?Phat Fiber is a mystery box of awesome samples for the yarn and fiber enthusiast in us all. With a focus on the independent artisan, this box is a super grass-roots treat for the senses. When your box arrives, chock full of samples, expect to be overwhelmed with the sight and feel of artful yarns, bits of roving, small batts, stitch markers, original patterns, valuable discount coupons and much much more. Inside, you could find anything that yarn and fiber enthusiasts would love...even an herbal tea or two! Phat Fiber seeks to bridge the gap between talented online artisans and consumers hungry to support the independent small business.  http://www.phatfiber.com/

Each month, a new theme is revealed in the Ravelry group.  The excitement builds until the email arrives in your inbox (after you have signed up of course) the details on when the Phat Fiber boxes go on sale.  A few days before, you can find preview videos on Ravelry of what will be in the boxes...though they do not divulge which sample is in which box.  There are three box choices, one with yarn samples, one with yarn and fluff, and one with just fluff.

Last month, I wasn't too thrilled about the theme or the items in the previews.  This month, however, was a game changer.  The theme was CELTIC!  You can watch the preview videos on the Phat Fiber Blog.  I dare you not to drool over the fiber goodies in there!  I just had to try and snag a box of fluff after seeing the preview videos!

Today is the day for the Phat Fiber sale.  I almost forgot about it this morning, but it jumped into my mind as I was waking up.  I looked at the clock and I had an hour before the sale...plenty of time to get to my computer.  About 10 min till, I sat with my laptop in my lap, on the sale page, and just waited.  I kept thinking it would be really cool to snag a box on my first try, but I had read how hard that can be through the online group.  Some people try every month with no success.  There are 2 sales within one day, and as soon as the clock hits the sale time, GAME ON!  You have to be quick and I think it can be rare to snag more than one box.  

I'm so happy to announce that I GOT A FLUFF BOX!!!!  :)  I was shocked that I got it, and tried to grab another box, but they were sold out WITHIN SECONDS!  It's that crazy folks.  I've never seen anything like it...and man I wish I had come up with the idea myself!  Those boxes go so fast.  As soon as I concluded the checkout process, I ran upstairs to tell my husband that I got a Phat box.  I was squealing with delight (well, it was more of a squeal, cough, wheeze sound from my cold, but you get the idea).  

I'm very excited to see what comes in the box, and I'll be sure to post pics of what I get.  For now, I wait and look forward to a box of lovely fluff to arrive in the mail.  

  

My First 2 Hexipuffs!

As planned, I began my hexipuff adventure yesterday to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of learning I was pregnant with my boys.  Beginning a hexipuff yesterday, and remembering that joyful day was very helpful to me.  I started a KAL (Knit A-Long) on Ravelry for my pregnancy loss friends to work on hexipuffs together.  Making these little puffs are so quick and fun, and it's been helpful having a project to focus on (even though my brain is foggy with a cold right now so focusing is a bit of a task!).  

These hexipuffs will be part of my Beekeeper's Quilt.  At this time, I don't have a particular number of hexipuffs in mind right now...I'm just going to make as many as I can this year and see what happens.  

Here are my first two hexipuffs!  If you are on Ravelry, you can view my project page HERE.

My first hexipuff!  

My first hexipuff was made out of purple Luxury Sock Yarn that I had on hand.  I used size US 4 circular needles with 32" cable for magic loop.  Cast on using Judy's magic cast on.  Filled with bamboo fiber-fill.  I used the 3 needle bind off technique described in the pattern.  I found that the bind off was a bit too tight for my liking, so I didn't do it on my 2nd one.  

My 2nd hexipuff!

My 2nd hexipuff is made with the same yarn as the first (sorry the pictures aren't great, using my camera on my phone).  Used Judy's magic cast on again, filled with bamboo fiber-fill, but this time did a Kitchener Stitch bind off.  It's been a long time since I've used this kind of bind off, so will take a bit of practice to get it just right.  19 rows, 20 stitches.    

Two hexipuffs to remind me of my sweet boys.  I'm trying to decide if I want to embroider something on the puffs or not.  I'll let you know what I decide.

Knit Project Planning

Now that I'm able to knit again, albeit slowly, I've been in project planning mode.  So many things that I want to knit!  I started on Wicker Cowl the other day.  A Ravelry friend of mine gave me the printout of this pattern and some beautiful, purple yarn to make it with in a swap I did last year.  I'm using Elsebeth Lavold Design Silky Wool (shown above).  

Isn't it pretty?  I think it is going to be gorgeous in the Silky wool yarn and perfect for Springtime.  

Another friend on Ravelry gifted me the Color Affection shawl pattern to cheer me up one day.  I've been eyeing this pattern for a while now, dreaming of what colors to use.  I found some yarns on Knit Picks that will be perfect for it!    Ordering those this week and will show you my choices when they arrive.

Today, another friend (I have so many wonderful friends on Ravelry!!!) gifted me the Beekeeper's Quilt pattern that I've been longing to do for quite some time.  This uses small amounts of sock weight yarn to make hexipuffs.  The hexipuffs are sewn together to make a wonderfully warm, squishy quilt in the end.  I am going stash diving today to pick out yarn for this, as I know I have a ton of scrap yarn that will work.  I think I will make my first one tomorrow to commemorate the the anniversary of my positive pregnancy test last year with my sons.  March 12, 2012 was one of the happiest days of my life, and such unexpected joy to find out that I was pregnant after years of fertility issues.  I want to mark tomorrow and remember that day with my boys...even though at that time, I had no idea that I was carrying twins.  It's really rough thinking about how much my life has changed since then.  

The pattern author of this quilt has an adorable video online talking about this pattern in more detail.  You can watch it here.  

I also have plans to knit at least 2 hats for my great Aunt.  She survived ovarian cancer last year at the age of 88.  I picked out some soft, cotton yarn for her hats.  I'll show those when they are finished.

Well, I think that is quite a bit of planning for now.  Those things should keep my fingers and brain busy for a while to come...at least a few months anyways.  ;)  

Review: Know Your Wool Craftsy Class

Craftsy is offering a FREE class called "Know Your Wool" from one of the authors of "The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook."  I decided to do the class and learn a bit more about the wide variety of wools out there that can be spun up into yarn.

I had some problems getting the video to load at first.  From reading the comments section, others have this issue too.  I was using Google Chrome, and what worked for me was to click the little "HD" button at the bottom right until the video began.  The first section, I had to have the HD off.  The next, HD had to be on.  So if your video isn't working, play with the HD settings and see if that helps.  I'm going to contact Craftsy to let them know about this problem.

Deborah Robson does a nice job of talking about the different types of wool.  She mentions a few breads and classifications for the wool she shows in the video.  I wish it had been in HD, because you don't quite get to see the detail of her swatches.  I think a class like this is nice, but if I could take it in person, it would be better.  There is no substitute for being able to touch the wool and yarn while someone tells you about it.  

I found the information on the different breeds of sheep to be fascinating.  Deborah takes you to a fiber show where you learn more about breeds, and get to see the sheep and hear from the breeders.  As I watch, I imagine what the fleece feels like as she stands there petting the sheep.  

Another portion of the class is learning about websites where you can find breed specific wool  yarns.  She gives a list of sites to check out.

Having trouble with Lesson 5 loading.  Eventually got it to work, and continued to learn more about swatching.  Swatching has never been something I enjoyed doing.  I've done it a few times for projects, mainly for sweaters, but if I can avoid a swatch, I do.  Deborah teaches about swatching as a way to get to know your yarn before making a project, not necessarily for finding the right gauge.  As I listened to the lesson, I have to admit, all I could think about was tons of swatches, lying around, not being used for anything.  I also thought that if someone were to make "seriously silly" swatches, as she calls them, then you would need to purchase extra yarn to have enough to do a project later on.  The swatches could be sewn together to make a blanket someday, I suppose.  I can understand doing this process if you are going to design a project, and need an idea of how the yarn is going to behave.  I'm not at the point in my knitting/spinning journey to design, so for me, I would rather just grab the yarn, start knitting, and see what happens.  

At the end of Lesson 5, she gives an idea for those who don't like to swatch.  Hey, that's me!  I won't spoil the idea, but I thought it was very smart and way more to my taste.

The final lesson was on projects to make using breed specific wool.  Deborah shows off some of her hand knits and talks about the categories of wool once again as a wrap up.

I enjoyed taking this free course through Etsy.  I learned a lot and it makes me even more excited to go to fiber festivals this year and look for the wools she mentioned.  I recommend this course for knitters and spinners.  

Snowy Day Spinning

We had 5 inches of snow the other night, thought it's melting off fast.  Spending my afternoon doing a little spinning.  Feels so good to spin again!  Wanted to show off a few progress photos of the BFL from Frabjous Fibers I'm working on.

Showing the width of the yarn by comparing it to a quarter.

An ice skating duck and goose from my backyard to make you smile.  :)

Able to Spin Again!

Yesterday the stitches in my hand came out.  14 days without being able to do much with my left hand was torture.  I'm happy to say that I am able to at least spin again! I have to go slowly with it, and be careful with my hand, but it's doable.  The easiest wool to work with is BFL right now, so I started with some Frabjous Fibers I bought at Fiberworks.  It's a beautiful tri-color braid with greens, reds, blues, browns, and black in it.  

I'll post pics of my progress soon.  :)

Fiber Withdrawal

I was suppose to get my stitches out today, but the doctor says a few more days.  I was so hoping to get back to spinning or knitting sooner!  Bummer!

I've spent this week, browsing Ravelry and looking at patterns, yarns, and fibers.  My husband says it is sad, and yes, perhaps it is, but this fiber addict is going through withdrawal!  My wheel sits over to the side of the room, silk/merino mix on the bobbin.  My yarns peek at me from the bins in the cubed bookcase, patiently waiting for me.  I read about what others are spinning or knitting, and I just wish I was doing the same.