Mar

A Junkie’s Confession

Back in September I wrote I was in danger of becoming a fiber junkie. Well, it’s confession time. I am a fiber addict. And Maggie is my dealer/enabler. It’s all her fault for creating such irresistible yarns. Hopefully, my family won’t be forced to put me in rehab.

I know I’ve told you about my friend Maggie before, but I’m going to tell you about her again. She currently owns 4 different spinning wheels, and is turning out some of the most amazing art yarns I’ve ever seen. On a daily basis I’m forced to restrain myself from spending the family’s weekly budget on the items she lists in her Etsy store. Pictured above is a ball of deep dark chocolate llama and alpaca wool that I got from her a couple of weeks ago. It’s so soft, bouncy and lush. The skein was really big, so I’m in the process of knocking out a quick pair of ballet flat slippers for myself. I may use the rest of it for a pair of socks for one of the boys… or maybe a hat. I had a very difficult time getting a shot that would do justice to the rich brown color of the yarn. This was the best I could do.

I did not buy the yarn pictured below, but I really, really, REALLY would like to. I’m trying hard to be a good addict and told myself no. I wanted to show you a good example of why Maggie’s yarns are so hard for me to resist. I didn’t take this picture. It was shot by Maggie’s significant other, John, who is a photographer. You can see more shots he took of this gorgeous yarn on his blog.

This is a pair of felted slippers I finished recently using the 50% Jacob wool and 50% alpaca I got from Maggie back in September. It was my first felting project, and I will admit to being a little scared when I threw those wool slippers into hot water in the washing machine. I was so amazed when I pulled them out and they weren’t ruined.

I’m so pleased with these little ballerina slippers I made as a gift for my young niece (Rachel, make sure you don’t spill the beans, please). I knitted them with a wool/silk blend that Maggie solar dyed this past summer using madder root. I found the pattern in a new book I picked up, Knit a Dozen Plus Slippers. The pattern gave instructions for knitted i-cord ties, but I decided I wanted to use ribbon instead. I thought my niece might appreciate a slightly more authentic looking ballet shoe. After all, hasn’t every little girl imagined herself as a ballerina at least once?