Fibre Arts GalleryFibre Arts Gallery  |
 This one of a kind
angora/silk poncho began with hand
carded, prime plucked French Angora fibre in natural chocolate colour
and hand dyed silk throwster's waste in our Joybilee Farm colourway
Cottage Garden. The yarn was spun with a long-draw technique to
make a light and lofty two ply, sport weight yarn with lots of textured
handdyed silk shimmering through the fuzzy angora halo. The
poncho is knit in garter stitch to showcase the lovely texture and
shimmer of the handspun yarn It is hand knit in a one piece
mobius giving exceptional drape to the light, cozy fabric. This
versatile poncho can be worn with the mobius twist at the shoulder, in
the front or in the back for many elegant looks. Total weight
250gms, about 8 oz. Total yarn yardage 470 yds. of sport weigh t, 2 ply yarn.  |
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"Winter Nights" socks are handspun from a 3 ply yarn of fine
wool, Wensleydale wool, and tussah silk. The yarn was dyed by the
Kettle Method using our Joybilee Farm Signature colourway, "Winter
Nights". They have a wonderful handle, softness and drape.
They are knit in a 2 x 1 lace rib stitch that hugs the
calf. Smaller knitting needles were used on the heel and foot to
give a firmer, more durable sole to the sock. The silk
should make them wear well. Ladies size 8 shoe. |
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A scarf of handspun, Great Pyrenees fiber, handwoven in a
Bronson Lace block threading. This scarf is 48 inches long and 9
inches wide with hem stitched and knotted fringe. It is soft with
a bit of prickle factor due to the guard hair that was in the combed
fur. However, its recipient intends to wear it outside of a coat,
so the prickle factor was not a concern. Many thanks to Shelley
A. for the use of this picture. |
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This wedding shawl is knit from handspun natural white, prime
plucked French angora/silk (60/40) yarn, knit in garter stitch, with a
lace panel in the centre. It boasts an edging of crocheted
picots, and uses approx. 425 grams of fingering weight yarn for its
generous length and breadth. Like the shawls of old it is made to
last a lifetime. |
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This crocheted and felted art bear was made from handspun
medium wool and mohair yarn. (60/40) The mohair in the yarn blend
looped when he was felted, giving more depth to his fur. He has
fully movable joints and a hand embroidered face. He is weighted
to allow him to sit alone. His sweater is knit from handspun,
handdyed wool and boasts vintage mother of pearl buttons which tell the
world that this bear loves to sing. If you wind him up he will
sing for you, Pachabel's Canon. He took first place in the Teddy Bear Section of the Rock Creek Fall Fair in 2005. |
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On New Year’s Day 2004, the idea for this sweater was conceived. My son, at 6 ft. 3 inches tall, wanted a sweater in camouflage colours for archery. He also wanted a sweater that would fit him perfectly and would not ride up on his back when he bent over. Kettle dyed multicoloured yarn seemed the perfect choice to achieve the snippets of colour that would mimic the shadows and highlights of an aspen and conifer wood in the Fall during the bow hunting season. In July 2004, he sheared a Suffolk ewe and brought a 5 lb. fleece home to begin the making of this special sweater. The sweater was knit using the traditional Scottish “fisher frock” method, knit in one piece, in the round, beginning at the bottom hem. The traditional sweater features a drop shoulder design which is a wonderful canvas to showcase traditional textured knitting motifs. Two traditional motifs were chosen, which give texture and warmth to the sweater around the lower back and trunk, where a bow hunter needs to be warm and limber. Double basket weave and a 4 stitch cable breaks up the surface of the sweater and prevents the multicoloured yarn from striping and looking unnatural. Over 100 hours of labour later, the Bow
Hunting Sweater
was finished for Christmas 2004 and is now keeping Ian warm in the
snowy Christmas Tide weather of |