March, It's When I Start The New Year!

(Here are some rovings I've dyed with March in mind, ready to be spun)

March is my favorite month. Lots of wonderful things happen in March: my birthday, my husband's birthday and my father's birthday are the most important. Saint Patrick's Day is a favorite and Easter is now a March constant. But there is something else that goes on and it is something hard to put into words.

It is a feeling; spring fever I suppose it's called by the masses, but it is even more than that. There is a sense of jubilation; my creativity is sparked and I find myself pushing the envelope of ingenuity. Thank goodness for those extra daylight hours in the evening, they are a blessing to behold the crafter who cannot seem to find enough time during the day to photograph her newest yarns in that spectacular spring sunlight.

(My newest yarn, Jammin' Alpaca)

There is that renewing spirit that flirts with us all this time of year. Now, not January 1st, is when I begin to make my resolutions. What I hope to accomplish this year and how I'm going to do it are lists that accumulate ten fold in March, and each idea is even more exciting to me than the one before. I'm spinning and designing my heart out(stay tuned to my next blog which will be all about my latest design that keeps selling out from word-of-mouth clients before I even get a chance to list it on etsy!)! It is the exhilaration of March that seems to make this all possible!

I hope March finds you all inspired and delighted to start anew!

Spnning "Anna" Into Gold

(Click on any photo to enlarge.)

It truly wasn't hard at all, turning Anna, the Golden Retriever's GoRgEoUs hair into gold - well, golden yarn that is.

On Thursday, January 24, 2008, a fat, yellow envelope arrived in my mailbox from a charming lady associated with the Golden Retriever Rescue of Southern Maryland. Upon opening, I discovered the most beautiful hair I'd seen from a golden.

Bag of Anna's hair:

Anna's Gorgeous Locks:

As you can see from the beautiful, creamy-golden color, I had a treasure to behold. And I simply could not wait to get started. So, Thursday night I prepared the fiber. And Friday, I spun my heart out. I could not believe the color!!! It was like oatmeal with faint, soft, subtle golden undertones. There is no way on earth that I could ever make such an amazing color with that much depth in a dye pot!

Saturday, I finished spinning and plied the yarn. Sunday I washed the yarn to set the twist. It was cold in the house so it took two days for it to dry. And when it did, I went picture crazy! The yarn was just beautiful, with a slight halo starting to develop similar to angora.

Here's a close-up of the finished yarn.

Handspun "Anna" Yarn piled up into a work of art!

I finally put the camera down and twisted the yarn into a skein. I put a label on it making for a lovely decorative keepsake. Handspun "Anna" Yarn is on it's way home!