2012 Yarn & Fiber Colors – Weeks 3 & 4

Aloha! Here are the colors for weeks 3 & 4.

COCO CURRY, named for our favorite Japanese curry house on Oahu. This is superwash merino lace yarn:

and in corriedale wool:

FOG in merino/silk/stellina lace yarn:

and alpaca/merino/silk wool:

KA’ANAPALI BEACH in Falkland British merino/tencel lace yarn:

and superwash merino wool:

Here is DA KINE again, this time with both versions. This is superwash merino fingering yarn:

and in superwash merino tencel wool:

BURNING SUNSET OVER HALEIWA in merino/silk/stellina lace yarn:

and BFL/silk wool:

and the inspirational photo!

SURF N TURF in superwash BFL/nylon fingering yarn:

and Falkland wool:

2 half skeins of merino fingering yarns: BIG BEAR BARK

and BILTMORE BARK

and finally, a pair of socks finished! This pair is for me which is why it took nearly a year to finish. This is TRI-COLOR Socks, made with 3 different lace weight yarns.

enjoy!

Advertisement

2012 Yarn & Fiber Colors – Weeks 1 & 2

Aloha! Of course, I’m already late in posting the colors for the 1st two weeks of the year – LOL! BUT, I did manage to dye up 20 pieces this past weekend so there will be more to see in the next few weeks.

I’ve decided to try to dye up 1 yarn skein and 1 roving for each colorway since there are so many colorways that I do only one or the other, so let’s see how I do.

This is DIAMOND HEAD SUNSET in merino/cashmere/nylon yarn

and merino/bamboo/nylon roving:

and the inspirational photo taken at a beach park in Diamond Head

DA KINE in superwash merino/nylon yarn

I also did a small sample of Da Kine in merino/tencel roving which I have to post, so I’ll add that later.

WAIMANALO FLOWERS in superwash merino yarn

and merino/tencel roving

And a few new pair of socks – 2 of which that were knitted on Oahu.

TORCELLO BRIDGE SOCKS in brown, knitted on Oahu

(sorry mannequin feet are a little shorter than the socks):

COLUMNS SOCKS in brown:

and lastly, TRIPLE CABLE SOCKS in red/pink, knitted on Oahu:

enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Weeks 39-40

Aloha All! We actually had some rain last week and cooler temperatures for a few days. Then it was back to the 80s. This week it’s supposed to hit in the 90s, so so much for Fall weather 🙂

Here are some fun creations for the last couple of weeks.

This is FOG in BFL/Silk

ZION 2 in Targhee

GLACIER BAY in Superwash BFL

GRINCH in Corriedale

WATERMELON AQUA FRESCA in superwash merino fingering yarn

VIEW FROM FURIGEN in Merino/Tencel fingering yarn

FIREPIT in Merino/Bamboo fingering yarn

QUEEN’S WHARF AT NIGHT in Merino/Nylon/Stellina fingering yarn

AHI POKE in Superwash Merino fingering yarn

FOG in Merino/Tencel lace yarn

UBE in handspun Corriedale

HANDSPUN FUN in Greens – small skeins

HANDSPUN FUN in Purple/Reds – small skeins

More to come 🙂 enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Weeks 33-34

Aloha All! Here are my yarns/fibers from weeks 33-34!

This is AHI POKE in superwash merino wool lace weight. The Fiber Fairy (she-who-will-not-be-named) secretly gifted this skein to another fiber enthusiast. How cool is that?

WINDWARD WATERS is a merino/cashmere/nylon blend fingering yarn that reminds me of the waters off Hawaii.(yes, i know, what doesn’t remind me of Hawaii . . . )

AQUA OVERLAY is also a mer/cash/nylon blend. This was dyed with a beautiful bright aqua, then overlayed with black. I love how the aqua bits poke through here and there.

BEACH UMBRELLA is named for all those colorful umbrellas you see on any given day at Waikiki Beach. A lot of the hotels will rent out these large umbrellas to offer a bit of shade to sun worshipers.

A couple versions of RAINY DAY EIFFEL in Falkland British Merino/Tencel lace and a “Sparkle” fingering weight.

More LAVENDER LEMONADE in mer/silk lace and mer/bamboo fingering weight.

And some wool!

This is FALL HARVEST, a South American wool top.

Oh, sigh and WAIMEA CANYON in merino/tencel. Swoon. . .

WAIMANALO STORM in targhee!

PEACH COBBLER in BFL/Silk:

STREETS OF VERSAILLES in merino/silk:

and the inspirational photo taken on a street in Versailles, France

a quick note on this photo, this was taken Thanksgiving Day 2009. we were trying to find a place for lunch and i knew exactly where i wanted to go. since i allow myself only ONE Big Mac sandwich per year, i always wait until i’m someplace special to have it. i made my family have Thanksgiving lunch at the McDonald’s in Versailles and it was the BEST Big Mac i’ve ever had! when i see this photo i actually don’t think of King Louis XIV’s grand palace, but of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. . .

SUNSET OVER TITLUS in superwash merino:

and the inspirational photo taken atop Mount Titlus, Engleberg, Switzerland @ 10,000 feet up

SURF ‘N’ TURF in BLF/Alpaca:

and THANKSGIVING, in merino/bamboo:

Also, a couple weeks ago, I found a great site with instructions on how to blend fibers using hand carders so I thought I’d give it a go. I took about 1/2 ounce of merino/silk fiber dyed up in my Ka’anapali colorway and blended them in about 2 passes through the hand carders. I did pull the roving out just as in the website and it worked. Here’s a quick photo of the pulled roving ‘nest’ on top of the original non-blended wool. Fun!

enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Weeks 31 – 32

Hard to believe it’s mid-August already and they have the ‘back to school’ commercials running on TV. Pretty soon Autumn will be here – my favorite season. I’m still posting summer-y colors, though I am adding some fall colors to the line up. For now, here are some colorways with a bit ‘brighter’ disposition.

MAGIC is a handspun laceweight yarn spun from Hanks In the Hood roving. This is a lovely Merino/Bamboo blend and I just love the colors – reminds me of the Disneyland show, Fantasmic!

ST. PETER’S DOME is inspired by a photo I took during a trip to Italy over a decade ago when I made sure to visit Vatican City to tour the Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica and eventually made my way to the very top of the dome. As you near the top, the walls cave inward giving you a sense of vertigo! This picture was taken with the camera positioned perpendicular to the floor. I later returned to Italy with my husband and challenged him to see how fast we can make it up the 320 steps to the top. We did it in less than 10 minutes 🙂

VICTORIA SUNSET was inspired by a photo I took while on our Alaskan cruise as one of our ports of call was the town of Victoria, British Columbia. Though we didn’t disembark we did spend some time admiring the beautiful sunset.

This is VICTORIA SUNSET in merino/silk lace weight.

I’m excited to be branching out into cellulose (plant) fibers and this is BEACH PARK, a bamboo top roving. Many beaches in Hawaii have a grassy area above the shoreline where patrons can have picnics, parties and hang out. One of my most favorite memories at a south Maui BEACH PARK was the day before my wedding where our family played in the ocean, grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on the beach on a perfect fall day.

HAWAII KAI SUNSET 2 has another photo inspiration. We love this part of Oahu and sunsets here are breathtaking.  I took this photo while driving back towards Honolulu and was stopped at a red light. The sun was just behind the clouds on while the winds gently swayed the trees. I snapped a number of photos and this was number 2 (hence, the name of the colorway). This is merino/tencel roving.

And this HAWAII KAI SUNSET 2 is a superwash merino lace weight.

P.SUE SPRING is a fun watermelon/coral tweed fingering yarn inspired by a fellow fiber enthusiast who’s screen name is PickleSue. Back in May she said she was on a ‘watermelon/coral’ kick and that combination has been stuck in my head. . . and now on yarn. Thanks PickleSue!

Another rendition of VERTIGO BLINDS in a black/gray tweed fingering. I’m quite enamored with this one because of the vary shades of blacks and grays. . . very dramatic. . .

more to come! enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Weeks 29 – 30

Oh, again a bit behind in posting, so here are the colors for Weeks 29-30!

Roving, roving, roving – keeps those spindles turning . . .

COLLEGE DORM is 64 ct Merino roving in the colors of my college dorm linens. Mom took me shopping for my freshman year and I ended up picking out a bed set that was probably more ‘boy’ colors with grays, teals, purples and black, but I loved it! (My purple towels did have girly embroidery on it, so I made up for it with the bath supplies). If I remember correctly, that bed comforter was later passed down to my little brother who . . . hmm . . . may still have it?

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS is a South American Wool top that’s great for beginning spinners. As I get older, I gain a better appreciate to all things vintage and I just love seeing the Christmas decorations from an era gone by where the colors are more muted but still reflect the magic of the holiday season.

LANIKAI HIKE is inspired by a photo I took last spring during the famous Lanikai Pillbox Hike. I love how the aqua complements the brown in this merino/tencel roving – just like water and earth . . .

BUTTERFLY DUO 2 is a variation of the original colorway which didn’t have any green in it. This is Peruvian wool and is also great for beginning spinners.

Last of the rovings is BLOOD ORANGES, a wonderful merino/bamboo blend. I had never even heard of BLOOD ORANGES until I took a trip to Italy more than a decade ago. At a farmers market near the Campo dei Fiori in Rome, I purchased a few oranges to try them out and was hooked with the first sweet bite of the ruby red orange. I made sure to buy more and snacked on them all trip long.

The wife of one of my colleagues is also a yarn fanatic so I have to smile when he is talking about things like pages in a script and says comments like “Well, we’ve got enough yarn in these pages, we just have to see if there is enough to make a sweater”. Now, how cool is that??? Perhaps I can bring my UFO (unfinished object) sweater project into one of our meetings . . .  But I digress, now back to yarn:

RAINY DAY EIFFEL is my first attempt at dyeing up yarn in this colorway. I’ve done a few in roving, but not yarn. I think it turned out pretty 😉 This is a merino/tencel fingering yarn:

VERTIGO BLINDS is a merino/cashmere/nylon fingering yarn what was inspired by a photo I took during a photography class. This was taken during an afternoon, just as the light was coming through the vertical blinds. I loved how the blinds cast shadows in all directions on the window seat and I placed a circular candle holder in the frame just to break up the lines. This yarn has various shades of gray, black and blue-black.

The inspirational photo:

BUTTERFLY DUO is the original colorway inspired by a pair of butterflies I saw at a Butterfly Farm in the Carribean. This is a merino/silk fingering yarn:

The inspirational photo:

ROMAN CHURCH is a superwash merino fingering yarn inspired by a photo from my 1999 Italy trip. I found this church while walking around and the ornate features on the facade and dome were such a great complement to the blue sky. Now, if only I could remember the name of the church . . .

The inspirational photo:

POI is a superfine merino/silk lace weight yarn in the color of the Hawaiian food made of the Taro plant. if you’ve ever been to a Hawaiian luau they will most likely have a small bowl of Poi for you to try and the consistency is usually paste-like, though for most people, it is an acquired taste. Some of my friends like Poi with a fair amount of sugar added 🙂 Seeing that purple is my favorite color, I draw from the color of Poi and bring you this wonderful lace yarn . . . hold the sugar.

And lastly, a bit of handspun yarn. A GRAY AREA was raw alpaca fleece that at I washed, dried, hand carded and spun into a really soft lace weight yarn.

Enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Weeks 27-28

I wasn’t feeling too well this past week so I’m behind in my posting, so here are the colorways for Weeks 27 and 28.

This is RAINFOREST, a Falkland British Merino/Tencel fingering yarn:

Ah, and SOUTH SEAS, a Falkland British Merino/Tencel lace weight yarn:

I tried my hand at LOVE SHACK in lace weight. This is a merino/silk blend with over 1000 yards!

And a sparkly VENETIAN THUNDERSTORM, in a merino/silk/stellina lace weight yarn:

What’s summer without some bright colors? This one was inspired by a potted plant I used to have that would once-in-a-while bloom a pretty ORANGE HIBISCUS. This is a superwash merino/nylon fingering yarn.

And my homage to the south with SOUTHERN SUMMER SUNSET in a tweed fingering weight:

LANIKAI HIKE is a new colorway inspired by a photo I took while on the Lanikai Pillbox Hike in Oahu. This is a merino/cashmere/nylon blend. Yummers!

AUMOE 2 is a fluffy Targhee wool top of dark blues, blacks and grays.

And another LIGURE SUNSET in superwash merino lace weight yarn.

enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Week 26

Whew! Summer is here! After a very hot 4th of July weekend with lots of time for dyeing and all things yarny, here are a few colorways for ya:

WATER & MOONBEANS is a handspun yarn made from fiber from 2 etsy artisans. Water is a cashmere/silk blend from CorgiHillFarm, and Moonbeams is a merino/bamboo/silk/sparkle blend that ws part of a “fiber club” shipment from SosaeCaetano. Both were beautiful on their own but together made a beautiful 2-ply yarn.

LAVENDER LEMONADE is named after a drink found at a local vegetarian/vegan restaurant. I must admit at first I was skeptical to try an all-vegetarian place since I am such a carnivore, but this particular restaurant is awesome.  Native Foods is a chain so I would definitely recommend trying their Lavender Lemonade if you have one near you.

This one is a superwash merino/nylon wool roving:

While this one is a merino/bamboo fingering weight yarn:

HAWAIIAN RED DIRT, named for the famous dirt from the island what will never come off your white clothes no matter how hard you try, is a superwash merino lace weight yarn:

LIGURE SUNSET 2 is a Targhee Top roving – so bouncy!! This time around the black dye didn’t break as much as I liked so I added some brown to add more color.

LOVE SHACK is also a superwash merino wool named for a bus stop in Days Bay, Wellington, NZ.

And lastly, AHI POKE, named for one of my favorite Hawaiian dishes of raw tuna fish, onions, seaweed and spices!! Yummmmmers!

This one is a superwash merino wool fingering yarn:

And this one is a Peruvian wool roving:

Wheeeee!! Happy Summer everyone 🙂 Enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Weeks 24-25

Alooooha!! Well, for the past couple of weeks I’ve been focused on work stuff helping my crew towards a big goal. This past Friday was a big milestone for us (and was a successful one! whoo hooo!) so I’ve got a bit more breathing room for fiber fun! Since I wasn’t able to post last week, here are the colors for weeks 24 and 25.

I’ll start with KAANAPALI BEACH, a Falkland British merino/tencel fingering yarn. I just LOVE the sheen on this yarn!

PEACH BLUSH is a very pretty merino/nylon/stellina (sparkle) fingering weight yarn in grays and peach!

LIGURE SUNSET roving in Sweet Grass Targhee – GASP!! You literally just want to climb into this wool and take a nap.

SUNSET OVER FüRIGEN is a superwash merino lace weight wool inspired by our trip to Fürigen, Switzerland.

ZION 2 is a superwash merino wool roving inspired by Zion National Park in Utah. I’m still amazed at how the colors came out!

TOMATO BASIL was so fun to make. I found the dyed merino/romney cross fleece from etsy artisan, sdspin, and hand carded the wool before spinning. The first ply is a nice red while the second ply is a ‘tomato basil’ mix of beige, pinks and green. Towards the end I ran of red so I plied the last few yards with the remaining tomato basil color. This yarn is roughly heavy worsted with some thick-thin qualities as well.

And finally, MORNING AT BILTMORE INN is a superwash lace weight yarn inspired by – yup, you guessed it – a morning at the Biltmore Inn. A few summers ago the hubby and I spent some time exploring the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC and I woke up early one morning – probably jet lag – and opened the curtains to this beautiful vista of the dewy grounds and the town in the far background.

enjoy!

Yarn & Fiber Colors for Week 23

For this week’s colors, I drew from vacation spots and some favorite music!

This is a wonderful merino/tencel blend called THURSTON LAVA TUBE dyed with charcoal gray, black, greens and red-brown.

This is the inspirational photo of the real Thurston Lava Tube on the island of Kauai. I love how the greens and red-brown foliage is such a great contrast to the gray-black of the lava!

PAINTED DESERT is a great lightweight lace weight with 1,312 yards! I keep thinking I can knit a cozy for my refrigerator with all that yarn.  This was named for one of my favorite albums called Painted Desert Serenade by musician Joshua Kadison. I also envisioned a painted desert to have more subdued pastel colors as in a watercolor painting.

KAANAPALI BEACH is a merino/silk blend roving. I have dyed up mer/silk in the past and really like the outcome. These colors are fun, bold and took to the fiber well!

HYDRANGEAS is a colorway I’ve done before in fiber, but not yarn and this is a great superfine merino/silk lace weight yarn. YUM! The inspiration for this was a photo I took of some winter hydrangeas at the Wellington Botanical Gardens in New Zealand.

And lastly, in the fabulous city of Seattle, Washington is the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum. Strange combination for a museum, but it truly is half-music, half-SciFi (as an aside, in the lobby was a poster of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within which both hubby and I worked on 10 years ago in Honolulu!). At the entrance of the music portion is an impressive ‘statue’ made up of mostly guitars and towers two stories up! This superwash merino wool is GUITAR HERO and named for this statue as well as for my beloved music little brother!

And the impressive ‘statue’ from which I drew my color inspiration!

enjoy!