Clun Forest, Falkland, and more

When the most recent issue of Spin-off arrived, I was immediately drawn to the Clun Forest project by Carol Huebscher Rhoades. I had also admired the Cloisters pattern that Sarah Swett used in her sweater project(Fall 08 issue), and I just happened to have about 150 yards of Falklands available.

My Falklands came from (guess where)A Verb for Keeping Warm's Wooly Wonders Fiber Club, dyed very muted shades of green(The Silent Underground). This was my attempt to bust through my wall of spinning fine- and I managed to get about 10wpi in a 2 ply. The Clun Forest cap calls for 130 yds of a 3 ply at 10 wpi, so I figured I was safe. Turns out I was more than safe! I still have 55 yards left! I did start out with size 7, not 8, then switched to to 6 for the lace. I have a small head, so it fits just perfectly. I love the simplicity of the hat, but the lace border adds a nice touch.

I think this is the season for busting through walls, fiber wise. I'm now working on my first three ply. I'm spinning it on my newish Majacraft Little Gem, and it's four ounces of some gorgeous naturally dyed Wensleydale, color "Kelp", from Tactile Fiber Arts. I'm on the last bobbin, so photos will come soon, I hope.

Finally, I want to add a photo of my new basket; I purchased it a few weeks ago in Western Washington, where we took a much needed vacation, and visited friends in the Skagit Valley. The basket is made by a hugely talented woman named Katherine Lewis, who, with her husband, grows 40 varieties of willow that she uses for her craft. AMAZING. We visited her at the farm, where she sells her work when she's not at a limited number of markets. You can see her work at http://www.dunbargardens.com/ I plan on using my basket to hold some fiber, duh!

I believe it's called a "garden" basket on her website, but here it will definately be a "fiber" basket. The photo doesn't show it well, but the main color is actually green, and the brown trim looks just fantastic. Love love love it. The day we were visiting the farm I realized it was exactly one year to the day that I was diagnosed with cancer, so I decided I needed a present. Damn fine one, I think.