Category Archives: fiber art

stuff I make and sell

Random fiber word of the day: pilling

Posted on May 4, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

When short fibers work themselves out of yarn or fabric and are subject to abrasion, they form little balls of fiber called pills. No doubt you’ve noticed them forming on your favorite hat or sweater over time. Washing clothing inside … Continue reading →

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A recommendation: Wild Fibers Magazine

Posted on May 3, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Do you know where the fiber in your yarn came from? Do you know what animal makes cashmere? Mohair? Where do those animals live and what are their lives like? What about the farmers and ranchers who care for them? … Continue reading →

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Fluffy white yarn

Posted on April 18, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Pillow soft and a creamy white, this yarn is my favorite of product of my almost painfully productive weekend. I’m calling it “Clouds Over Tuscany, Due” (“due” means two in Italian). I spun it up as a medium-bulky weight yarn, … Continue reading →

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Now THAT was a spinning marathon

Posted on April 16, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Over the weekend we were busy folks. Mom, Dad and the Bro had some manure adventures, which I’ll detail tomorrow, and I spun a whopping total of 621 yards of yarn. How many CSI episodes? Only 24. Twitch. I haven’t … Continue reading →

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YEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!! Dunn nunn nunn

Posted on April 12, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

It looks like she…*puts on sunglasses*…spins a good yarn. Yeeaaaahhh! Dunn nunn nunn *title credits roll* Sorry, had a David Caruso/CSI Miami moment there. I normally spin by weight. I spin two ounces of a single on one bobbin, then two … Continue reading →

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Yarn – Black Lace

Posted on April 11, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I finished my first batch of yarn using mill-processed roving! I’m calling it, for simplicity’s sake, “Black Lace”. I haven’t “unboxed” my postage scale yet (in the words of the instructions that came with my spinning wheel), so I don’t … Continue reading →

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Spinning marathon

Posted on April 9, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

There’s nothing like 5 big bags full of deliciously fluffy roving (that’s unspun, processed fiber) to get a girl spinning again. I started slow, since it’s been almost over a month (!) since I have done any spinning. We have … Continue reading →

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Spinning wheel styles

Posted on April 5, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

It’s been a while since I’ve written a love-letter post about my spinning wheel (probably because it’s buried somewhere in the junk…er…craft room).  But maybe a short post about the various styles that wheels can take will inspire me to … Continue reading →

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And we have another hand spinner!

Posted on March 30, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Aunt Geri’s first yarn arrived in the mail this week! It is b-e-a-u-tiful. She’s named it “Desert Rain”, which is a lovely name for the soft blue and pastels (as someone who thinks about yarn names quite a bit, I … Continue reading →

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From start to finish: Part 5 – Carding

Posted on March 28, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Carding is the process of organizing the fibers so that they are all pointing one direction. It’s essentially a really complicated way to brush hair that is no longer attached to an animal. There are three ways to do it: … Continue reading →

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