Category Archives: fiber art

stuff I make and sell

Yarn – Black magic

Posted on August 1, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

It’s still slow going, but I spun another skein of yarn for the artist show on Saturday. This yarn is 80% Brittany, 20% purple merino/silk blend. I can really see the difference between the skein I spun before the great window disaster … Continue reading →

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Cue the tiny violin

Posted on July 30, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

It took me all weekend to spin one skein of yarn. There’s no way to say this without it sounding stupid: I knew my fingers were important, I just didn’t realize how important. They are all doing a different and … Continue reading →

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New product alert: woven yarn baskets

Posted on July 27, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I may be down and out, crafting-wise, but the rest of the team is still working overtime. Aunt Geri has been making another new product! I got the first prototype of for my birthday: I’m not sure what she’s calling them, … Continue reading →

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Drop spindle types

Posted on July 19, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I have a not-so-secret love of drop spindles. I sometimes ply on one even after spinning the singles on my wheel. It takes longer, but I’m practically guaranteed to get a balanced yarn since I check the twist every three feet or … Continue reading →

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Yarn – Swirly tweed

Posted on July 18, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

If there is a yarn that captures that “classic alpaca yarn” look, this is it. It’s made by plying together one single that is two different colors (it’s called marling, see here for an explanation) and one single that is … Continue reading →

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Aunt Geri has been busy!

Posted on July 11, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Today I get to show off some of Aunt Geri’s yarn. She has refined her cabled and multi-ply yarn techniques into a fine art. Her two newest yarns used alpaca fiber from Loredo, a friend’s alpaca (the one with sort … Continue reading →

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Spinning wheel review: Schact Sidekick

Posted on July 2, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

After talking to many starry-eyed spinners at the Estes Park Wool Festival, we bought the new Schact spinning wheel model, the Sidekick. Everyone we spoke to loved this wheel, and though I only spun on it for 20 minutes, I … Continue reading →

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Yarn – Chocolate swirl

Posted on June 28, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I seldom have the opportunity to just play around while spinning. Experimentation is a risk when your fiber source is finite and you have orders to fill. Which is why the gift of a few ounces of sample roving went … Continue reading →

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Yarn – Earth Signs

Posted on June 26, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I mentioned I’d been working with Marcello’s fiber, and I’m ready to show off my first product with year’s new roving. This is “Earth Signs”. I was trying for a medium weight worsted-ish yarn (to spin proper worsted, you have … Continue reading →

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This year’s roving is in!

Posted on June 20, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Mom, Dad and Grammy drove the new roving up to Fort Collins for me on Friday! I was so excited, I sat down and spun in the middle of a work day, in a completely not posed, spontaneous act of … Continue reading →

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