DCF: Handspun Yarn Preview

I'm down to my last day of crafting before the Degenerate Craft Fair this weekend in new york city. The weather suddenly took a steep dive into wintry this week, with not one but two days of heavy snow.

Perfect spinning weather! I'm really into working with wool right now and I'm so happy with the yarns I'm making for this show. I'm incorporating lots of handmade, handdyed felt pieces:

The leaves and feathers are freeform hand cut from sheets of wool felt before being dyed and then embroidered/sewn, and the mushrooms are each needle felted from wool.

I love the little toadstools, but this time I felted a few baby portabella inspired mushrooms as well, with tan wool caps.The mushrooms are spun into my folksy, woodsy Mushroom Collector yarn:

 

Today I'm spinning up two skeins of a brand new art yarn I'm calling Winter Garden, with felt feathers, frost-bitten brown leaves, and a few natural colored felt balls.

Also on my plate today are a few skeins of Dark Forest, with deep dark greens, browns, gold, and felt leaves, and then some snowy white yarn with hand cut wool felt snowflakes spun in.

I've also been spinning some colorful patchwork yarns for the show!

 

And of course plenty of bulky single ply yarns from local wool locks carded up with bits of recycled fibers like bamboo and banana.

I'm pretty excited for this craft show! If you're in the new york area, stop by this weekend and see my yarns in person. I'm sharing a booth with my friend Josie of Paper & Plow.

The 2013 Degenerate Craft Fair
The DCTV Firehouse
87 Lafayette Street
New York, NY
(6,N,R,Q,J to Canal Street)

December 14th: 12pm-8pm
Opening night reception from 6pm to 8pm
Featuring music and free beer.

December 15th: 11am-6pm
First 50 guests get a free tote of goodies!

Degenerate Craft Fair in NYC

I have a craft show coming up this month, and it's my first show outside of the MD/DC area! I will be at the Degenerate Craft Fair saturday December 14th and sunday December 15th in New York.

From the press release: "Created for artists, by artists, the Degenerate Craft Fair is not your average craft fair. The DCF transcends the line between art and craft, showcasing artists selling affordable versions of their work, dedicated craftmakers who take unconventional approaches toward traditional techniques, and even small independent businesses that produce their own honey, lotions, and soaps."

I will probably be bringing only handspun yarn due to space and travel constraints, and I'll be sharing a booth with my awesome friend Josie, of Paper & Plow.

Josie makes soap, and we have eerily similar tastes in ingredients and essential oils so I love all of her stuff.

She makes both vegan and goats milk soaps - and her goat milk soaps contain milk from my spoiled little herd of mini dairy goats.

 Oh, and she also makes lip balm. I am obsessed with her lip balm right now and I think I have one in every coat pocket and bag I own. It glides on beautifully, even in cold weather, and it's holding up well over time unlike many completely natural lip balms.

What will I have at the show? I'm in the midst of spinning like crazy to bring as many awesome yarns as possible, but I will definitely have my 32 color hand dyed self-striping/color-changing Yarnbow:

I will also have patchwork yarns. I just dyed up the very last of my amazing super crazy soft recycled sw merino/silk/cashmere blend fiber, plus I'm trying to finish some colorways on lovely pale natural grey rambouillet x farm wool. And lots of bulky single ply yarn and art yarns! Look for another post with yarn preview photos next week. I'm really happy with the yarns I'm producing for this show - as soon as cold weather hits, all I want to do is play with wool!