It's happening! 

I am so excited to finally launch my online shop:)!!! 

Launching my shop has been a longer journey then I expected. An ultimately complex thing tied up with emotions I had not expected. I have sold my work privatly and at festivals, but putting it online has been an unexpected hurdle. One I am excited to finally be jumping! I have experienced lots of fear around listing my products on Etsy. Wednesday is the day. I am conquering that fear and forging ahead. 

The last five months of my business set up have brought me so far. I feel I have worked through many challenges. I have begun to build a brand and I feel comfortable in my product knowledge.

It is very exciting to finally be at this point! 

Would you like all the details and to be the first to know when the shop goes live? Head over to my website (www.sarahelizabethfibreworks.com) and hit the "be invited to our unveiling" button to sign up for my newsletter! 

I can't wait for you I see my shop! 

Alpaca was my first fibre love. 

I found the only Alpaca Farm on Newfoundland and I was in love.

Why was I in love... is was sooooo soft!

As we continued to travel across the country my husband and I made a point of visiting as many Alpaca farms as possible. We even considered buying land and owning our own animals... maybe one day. For now I am lucky to get my Alpaca from a wonderful farm in British Columbia.

This past spring I helped with shearing and got to pick the best fleeces.

I like to work with Alpaca because it has a different quality from sheeps wool. It does not have grease in it, but it is super dusty. I wash all my alpaca first and make sure to wear an apron or have a cloth down when I spin it. I love working with high quality soft alpaca. Like any fibre you want to touch before you buy or find a reputable source. All alpaca has guard hair, the best alpacas have been bred to have a finer guard hair that blends with the softer hairs in their coat. Dehairing alpaca is not necessary if the guard hairs are the same diameter as the regular hairs.

My favourite way to spin Alpaca is straight from the lock. I like the thick and thin quality I can achieve and especially like the soft fuzziness the final yarn has once the twist is set.

The Needlefelt Solution

I just pulled a yarn of my wheel the other day, it was perfect except for a few loose tailspin locks. I was probably distracted when spinning them in. They are holding, but not well enough for my liking, I don't want to pull them off, so I am going to needle felt them in place. 

Step One:

Find the lock.

Step Two:

Wrap it around the yarn as it would have been spun in.

Step Three:

Use a general purpose felting needle, very inexpensive, and some old foam. Move the sharp point off the needle up and down into the lock and the core of the yarn. Watch your fingers, felting needles hurt. Do not move the needle on an angle it may break.

Voila, all done! The yarn can now be washed and hung or set with steam. 

I use this especially for yarns I am not going to ply. It helps to strengthen and improve an otherwise perfect yarn. 

Happy Spinning, and needle felting should it be necessary.

Fibre Fridays Tip of the Week

I recently, last week actually, started Fibre Fridays on my facebook page. I am also going to share my Fibre Fridays Tip of the Week here on my blog.

Here is last weeks tip:

When working with raw alpaca tumble it before washing. Use a small laundry basket with a cloth tied to the top and shake the fibres around, with enough force to dislodge dust and vegetation, but not so hard that you shake the fibre out the laundry basket slits. Since Alpacas do not have lanolin after the pre shake you may not even need to wash it before spinning or felting.

Here is yesterdays tip:

When spinning wear a cooking or baking apron to keep the hairs off your clothes. I love to do this because it works really well. I don't have to be constantly brushing or rolling fibres of my cloths and I can spin in anything. This also gives me another reason to add to my apron collection

If you have a tip idea for Fibre Friday just contact me and I will feature you and your tip of the week:)!

Mystery Yarn Spun Before Your Eyes

 Materials Used for the Mystery Yarn

• Corriedale from Custom Woolen Mills, AB 

   - dyed with a repeating colourway and spun on a drop spindle
• Alpaca from Maple Lane Alpacas, BC 

   - dyed in a crock pot and carded into a Wild Batt
• Teeswater Locks from Talon Wool Farms, Oregon 

   - dyed and spun from the lock
• Kid Mohair Locks from Wellington Fibres, ON 

   - dyed in a crock pot, carded into a Wild Batt and spun from the lock
• BFL Lamb Locks from Ranfurly Farm, BC 

   - dyed in a crockpot, carded into a Wild Batt and spun from the lock
• Recycled Sari Silk from Darn Good Yarn 

   - in its natural colour as well as dyed and carded into the Wild Batt
• Icicle Top from Maple Rose, BC 

   - dyed in a crock pot and carded into a Wild Batt
• Silk Hankies from Maple Rose, BC 

   - dyed in a crockpot and carded into a Wild Batt