Tag Archives: wool

Rainbow bright

Posted on February 28, 2012 by | Comments Off on Rainbow bright

rainbow ply part 1 rainbow yarn plied rainbow yarn plied rainbow yarn

This is not exactly a roy g. biv yarn since pink doesn’t exactly fall in the rainbow but it sure is bright and cheery and fun to spin. I had to finish it up as soon as I got home. I navajo-plied it to maintain the color progression.

Comments Off on Rainbow bright

Tagged , , , , , ,

Happy Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone who reads my Cherished Moments blog!  I truly love each and every one of the people who have helped cheer me on, laughed with me, cried with me and been an inspiration to me over the past year.  Have a great one!

Design
I know it's been a while since I last posted, but I'm having a blast getting Midwest Yarn up and running.  The tentative website launch date is February 27th and with the way things are slow to arrive, it looks like that was a good date to pick.

Katya Rose
Size 6-12 months
In between website building and Peanut entertaining, I've been working on a few new projects.  I published another pattern on Ravelry.com called the "Katya Rose". 

It's a jumper and pant set featuring picot edging.  It ranges in size from 0-3 months to 18-24 months.  I love working with merino wool and this project was no exception.  I picked out the colors Fuschia and Snow from Millamia, purchased at Ruhama's, my favorite LYS.  I also crocheted a flower and put it on the jumper to decorate it for the picture and for sale on Etsy.

I always feel self-conscious about the photos I take because we have a small, poorly lit condo, and I can only get semi-descent pictures in a few areas of the house and at specific times of the day.  Being that we're in Wisconsin and in the middle of winter, sunny days are also few and far between.

Knitting Madness
I've been feverishly knitting in the few minutes I get in my spare time as well.  I knit a scarf out of Noro Kureyon Sock, using a pattern from Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders.  I figure, since I have so much sock yarn in my stash, I might as well work through the book a little bit to bring down that stash, if that's even possible.  If I have time, I might even do Sock Madness through the Ravelry.com group (and that's a real big IF, but I missed last year's because I never had knit a sock before).  Now that I've learned/mastered a lot of new techniques over the last year, I'm hoping that I can stand a chance to even keep up with the sock pros.

Yea, I've been knitting for over 20 years, but I'm a young one compared to a lot of my knit/crochet counterparts.  I just want to prove that I can do it, even if I only make it through the first round.  I'm a slow knitter.

Coming Soon
Midwest Yarn's launch and more pattern designs.  On deck for a pattern: sweater vest.

Comments Off on Happy Valentine’s Day

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Hay for Breakfast

Posted on February 6, 2012 by | Comments Off on Hay for Breakfast

FIFO - Fiber In, Fiber Out.  That's how we grow wool around here.  Hay goes in the front, and fleece comes out the sides.  (You thought I was going somewhere else, didn't you?)  And our sheep love their jobs.  Here they are, clocking in on a Monday morning for another week of quality wool production.

Can't you see how much they enjoy their work?


Comments Off on Hay for Breakfast

Tagged , , , ,

Welcome to Midwest Yarn!

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on Welcome to Midwest Yarn!

We will post when our website is set to go live.  It should be up and running by mid to late February.  Until then our Ravelry ads will point you to the blog.
Welcome to the Midwest Yarn blog!  Midwest Yarn, a Cherished Moments company, is a small business operated out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My name is Melina and I am the proud owner of this wonderful yarn shop.  Over the past few years, I have been operating Cherished Moments, dreaming about the many different options available for needle artists when it comes to yarn.  And then it hit me, OPEN A YARN STORE!

Our goal is to provide the highest quality yarn to knitters and crocheters alike.  There's nothing like proudly wearing a handmade garment and feeling how soft and luxurious the yarn is.  We carefully select our yarns to make sure that we only stock lines made from natural fibers. Silks, wools, cotton, and their blends make wonderful fibers to work with. 

You may not see yarns from nylon, acrylic, or polyester, but you will see high end brands like Noro, Debbie Bliss, and more. We will also carry yarn made from organic fibers and are working to find spinners and dyers who would like to sell their natural fiber yarns as well.
 
To start we will carry some great new yarns and some favorites like:
  • Noro
  • Louisa Harding
  • Sirdar
  • Juniper Moon Farm
  • Ella Rae
  • Debbie Bliss 
We will do everything we can to provide excellent customer service, support for your projects, and a welcoming environment for yarn lovers everywhere. All the comforts of your local yarn shop without having to leave your home.

If you do love the atmosphere of your local yarn shop, don't worry!  My goal for Midwest Yarn is to also open a brick-and-mortar shop as soon as possible.  Until we reach that goal, check out what we have to offer and let us know how we're doing.

I will be using this blog to support other knitters and their projects, keep you updated with what's going on with our store, and offer you special deals.  For now, make sure you follow our blog.  Ravelry group (Friends of Midwest Yarn), blog, Facebook page, or Twitter (@midwestyarn) followers receive a 10% discount - more details to follow.

GRAND OPENING SPECIAL:


Enjoy 20% off your first order using the coupon code WELCOME20 at checkout. 

Otherwise, any order over $50 shipped in the US will receive free shipping.

Comments Off on Welcome to Midwest Yarn!

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2012 is Taking Off Like a Rocket

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | Comments Off on 2012 is Taking Off Like a Rocket
I just love it when a plan comes together.

The vision that has been gelling in my mind has also struck a beautiful chord with our farm friends, and I'm feeling a groundswell and momentum that is going to blast us forward.  Today, we got together with new friends and old, shared some great skills, and massaged the dream a little bit more.

Madeleine tumbles Levi's fleece.
A great group hung out together, helping me with our white alpaca fiber prep and learning a bit about preparing their own fleeces.  The weather was fantastic, and we just had a blast, covered with soft, downy fiber.

The group gets intimate with some suri fiber.

Madeleine and Anna came from Irving, Taya from Mansfield, Anela from Allen, and Mary and Diana from Southlake.  We skirted suri and huacaya alpaca fiber, tumbled some fleeces and helped the ladies with their own llama and wool.  These are skills you learn with your fingers as much as with your eyes and brains... fingers can learn new tasks, too.  Taking time to train these ladies will pay off big time on our next skirting day.

Madeleine provided a gorgeous loaf of bread for lunch.
As a great focus group, the ladies helped me think out loud some more about our Farm Women School program, in development as we speak.  If you're interested in this program, please contact me soon - I'll be sending an informational e-mail out to everyone I know who wants to participate.

Comments Off on 2012 is Taking Off Like a Rocket

Tagged , , , ,