Fo Hawk, Market Bag and Yarn!

I finished the baby hat! It was a quick knit and it turned out great. If you want to make your own scroll down for more info in my last post.


This is a pattern I picked up at The Yarnery recently. It's a market bag pattern by Theresa Gaffey. I knit it in the yarn suggested, Rowan Glace. It was a good mindless knit and I think it turned out well.


Oh my! You know sometimes late at night you find yourself shopping on the internet. The next morning you wake up and say "what have a done!". Well I was so happy when I received my Fleece Artist Jacket kit in the mail. It's more beautiful then I remember.


Picture of the jacket. I purchased the kit through www.colorsongyarns.com


I have been spinning like a maniac. Here is a photo of my new Louet S20. I decided it would be a good idea to get a teaching wheel. I love my students, but it's hard to watch a newbee man-handle your fancier Ashford (you understand, right?).


Another view of some of the yarn drying.


That's it for now, as my mom would say "upward and onward".

Fo Hawk Baby Hat!

I am knitting this pattern right now. It's a great pattern, not too difficult that you can't bring it to your knit night at your local bar, but enough patterning to keep your attention.

Here is my hat. I'm using self-striping sock yarn. The pattern has you change between two yarns, and I'm just too lazy for that.

The cute mug in the picture was made by my friend Jennie. Check out her website www.jenniethepotter.com

This is the pattern photo:


copy and paste this link:
http://grosblog.wordpress.com/2007/05/16/sweet-baby-cap/

Oh, Shepherds Harvest

Today was the first day of the Shepherd's Harvest festival here in Minnesota. I am so tired that all I can do is give you an inventory of all the great things I got today:

2 mugs made by Jenny
1 lbs. dyed mohair locks
10 oz. mohair curls
2.5 lbs. cormo x merino fleece
5 lbs. 2 oz. Corriedale x Romney fleece
5 lbs. Corriedale fleece
Sock kit
Mitten patten
Pom pom makers
Spinner's yarn gauge
6 skeins worsted weight merino yarn
600 yard skein of beautiful alpaca yarn
12 oz. hand-dyed merino roving
12 oz. coopworth/silk dyed roving
1 lbs. shetland roving
8 packs of Angelina sparkle
1 lbs. 2 oz. crazy color batts
felt cap to be embellished
Louet S20 spinning wheel (my new teaching wheel)!

I'm so tired and so happy! More info and pics later.

HERE ARE THE PICTURES!!!!

Merino Ram! He was so pretty.


Cashmere goat.


This is one of the sheep that was going to be shorn that day. I'm not sure what breed they were.


Shearing


Shearing more


Shearing more and more


When the shearing was over only 3 minutes had passed! That's right, it took her only 3 minutes to shear that huge sheep. After the sheeps hair cut she got a pedicure.

Art-a-Whirl 2007

St. Paul Craft Mafia will be participating in the Northeast Minneapolis Art-a-Whirl! We will be located in the Casket building.

Come and see:
Aisha Celia Designs
Crafty Planet
Giraffe
Hazel & Melvin's Room
HezzaMade
RUN AMOK

For all the info go to www.nemaa.org

See you there!

Craftstravaganza 2007, done!

Craftstravaganza 2007 is done! It was a beautiful day and tons of people came to see the 90 vendors, musicians and participate in workshops.

I had an absolutely wonderful day! So many people came to visit during the day, telling me lovely things about my yarn. Thank you for all the support I appreciate it greatly.

Here are some photos of the event:

Crafty Planet

Hazel and Melvin

My Friend Jess

Small Motor Designs

Small Motor Designs necklace

Me at my table

My table

my table again


Shop Update 5-1-07!

Crazy April!

Craftstravaganza is approaching and I am so excited. I did a head count of skeins the other night and I'm feeling that this time I will really have a good amount. I am focusing on handspun yarn, local (yarn comes from a farm in MN) hand-dyed yarn, hand-dyed yarn and spinning fiber. Right now I should really be making batts, but that can wait til Sunday.

I am about to run out the door to my SPCM (Saint Paul Craft Mafia) meeting. I am so glad to be working with such a great group of craft artists. You will definetly be seeing more of us soon!

Here is a hint of what will be at Craftstravaganza






Have a great weekend, I won't be writing for a little while. Going to Florida (with all my girlfriends) then hopping to New York (yarn shop hopping and a little work), then Craftstravaganza! It's going to be a wild couple of weeks.

Craftstravaganza! 2007

April 28th, 2007 will be the second Craftstravaganza! This is a great craft fair being held at the Minnesota State Fair grounds. Come to the Fine Arts Building and enjoy great crafts, music and workshops.



For more info go to www.craftstravaganza.com

psss.... Aisha Celia Designs will be to your right as you enter throught the front doors.

Special Delivery!

Well, things are going very well for my little business. I just purchased a lot of supplies and they have started to arrive. I ordered 60 skeins of yarn from Great Wool. They are a local farm here in Minnesota. I am going to start dyeing it all tomorrow. Here is a pic of the huge box.



Then yesterday my package from Hello Yarn arrived. I ordered one of her sampler packs. I have been spinning for three years now and have taken every class I can get my hands on, but I still am not familiar with "exotic" fibers. It has these fibers: cotton denim, ginned cotton, hemp, tencel, tussah, hand-dyed superwash merino, cotswold, alpaca, camel down, cashmere, mohair and more! It totals 12.5 ounces of spinning fun!





More is coming this week! from Paradise Fibers, Copper Moose and a yarn company! I am so busy, and so happy.

New pics of my older favorites

Celia's Fiber Mania

This weekend was full of wonderful fiber and tons of snow. You see I have started a new facet to my business. With a lot of support (pushing) from local felter Marie Mayhue, Roseanne (she owns Rosebud's Cottage) I have started selling hand-dyed wool. Yesterday I started the huge task of dyeing 5 pounds of wool. I am getting my wool from a local farm in Alexandria. I am hand-dyeing this local wool and then packaging it.

I almost forgot to mention, on the day I ordered my 5 pounds of roving they were shearing their flock that weekend. So, I got 2 pounds of the most beautiful fresh fleece!

The beautiful Rambouillet wool


Fleece on the left, roving on the right


Preparing the dye


A couple of dye pots


Viola! after 8.5 hours here is a photo of some of the finished roving



Starting March 5th, 2007 you can find Celia's Fiber at:

Borealis Yarns
The Yarnery
Rosebud's Cottage

and hopefully meny more shops soon!

my new flickr account

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18143977@N00/

The Cable, Bobble Hat is Done!!

I finished! Just when I thought it was never going to end. I have to say that I do love it, but I won't do it again. I used Lamb's Pride worsted, 1.25 skeins. I really like the little cable that runs along the brim and the top edge. The seed stitch really pops when put in the middle of the diamond cables. Any ways it's probably the most intricate thing I have ever knit. Yea! for knitting challenges. If you want to knit this fantastic hat here's the info: Fiber Trends, Braid & Bobble Hat, AC-60.






Come to The Mall of America next weekend for KNIT OUT. I'll be there teaching knitting! For more details, www.knit-out.com

Celia's Fiber

Today was a very busy day! As you can see I finally got my act together and got Celia's Fiber packaged. Also my blank greeting cards are ready to go. My SHOP got a much needed update as well. If you would like to carry Celia's Fiber at your shop please contact me for wholesale information.

Celia's Fiber, 1/4 of an ounce. These packs are great for your next felting project.


My mom was the one who talked me into doing greeting cards. I'm glad she did because I think they turned out great!


more of Celia's Fiber


You can find Celia's Fiber at Borealis Yarn Shop in St. Paul or on my website.

6 Degrees of Fiber

January has finally hit here in Minnesota. I have to say that I don't mind it as much as some. Look what I just did, I started by talking about weather! Ah, that is the most Minnesotan thing you can do.

Well things are going well. I've been getting a lot of work done. My drum carder is spinning at top speed and my wheel can barely keep up with my speed tredling. I am taking on an employee which is very exciting. It seems that I can't get enough stuff made, enter LISA! She will be helping me prep fiber 1 day a week.

I am also talking a class at The Yarnery again. This time it is Cables and Bobbles. I am having a great time and learning alot. My friend Becky from Small Motor Designs (her link is in my LINKS area) is also taking it. We have so many plans brewing.......... Here are some pictures of some of my latest skeins and my cable-bobble hat.

I hope all is well for you and you're staying warm where ever you are.







Keep your eyes open for Celia's Fiber coming soon!

Camera fixed, drum carder un-clogged!

Alright, let's see here. Mondays are MY work day. I don't work at my 9-5 job on Mondays, I work on my yarn business. It's a race every Monday to see if I can get even more done this Monday. I would have to say that today was a success! I got my camera back from Canon today. It seems that the digital cameras that have AA batteries are a little touchy. I also got the guts to take apart my drum carder with some help from the online support offered by Louet. It really wasn't that bad. The best part is I got the clog out and learned how the thing works. After that I made 14 batts!

Here are some photos of new yarn, new batts and my un-clogged drum carder.

This one was made out of all those lovely left-overs you get off the small drum on your drum carder.


I purchased this roving from Susan's Fiber Shop. It's romney, alpaca and silk.


Some of the batts and my drum carder.

Camera broken

I don't have any pictures this post. My fancy NEW camera had to be sent to the manufacture. I put in a new battery and the screen said CHANGE BATTERY. Any ways after a lot of batteries I sent it to be repaired.

I don't have a lot to report in the world of spinning. I have been playing with some new fibers. Baby alpaca and baby camel. I got thesed on my last trip to CA at Deep Color. It is this amazing little shop in Kensington. The disappointing part is that they are open limited hours and don't ship. So, if you happen to be there when they are open make sure to check it out. I have also fallen back into a couple of "comfort methods", slubs and singles.

I have become addicted to taking classes at my local knitting shop, The Yarnery. I took socks, 2 color knitting, and now cables and bobbles. It's a garenteed way that I will finish a project. Also it's fun to hang out with dorks like myself.

I have been enjoying the two color knitting a lot. I would almost say that I am obsessed! I will post hats when the camera comees back.

When that's it for now.

Happy day!