New Studio!

As some of you may have noticed, things have been fairly quiet here for the past few months.  This is because I've been busy moving into a new house, which includes a new dye studio!  I couldn't be more happy with our new location, and I wanted to give you guys a sneak peek.  More regular updates are returning!

There's nothing quite like an active color pallete to keep one moving.

To appreciate how far it's come since we bought the property, here's what it looked like before:

The entire house had white walls.  We've changed that a bit.

We removed the entertainment center (the wood paneling on the back wall), installed drop tile ceiling where there was none, and installed more lights.  To protect the floor, we laid down plastic tarp, and then added foam mats on top.  There was a sink in the entertainment center (for a wet bar, so Jeff thinks), which was the selling point on the house.  We were able to replace the old sink with a utility sink, and we made stands for more of my mom's old countertops to match the counter I had been using.   The room had a wicked surround sound installed, which I hope to eventually utilize by making an iPod hookup.  (You can see the speaker panels in the wall if you look closely.)  As you can see in the "After" picture, there's a fireplace too.  This is the second fireplace in the house, and we're hoping to replace it with gas turn ons, so that may be nice in the future.

This is only half of the area; there's an area to the left that is going to be used for office things and storage.  There's a door to the outside on the right, where I can look out and see our lovely back yard.   The best part, not seen here, is that there are large windows illuminating the space.  I'm so happy to be out of a dark basement, and while this is still our new basement, it's anything but dreary.  Things are still getting put away, so I will post more about the rest of the studio when it's more organized. 

Posted on April 30, 2014 .

Hello Iowa!

I'm happy to announce that Fiber Hound is in another store, and this time it's in Iowa!  The Sheep's Stockings is in Marshalltown, IA, so if you are near there you can enjoy a selection of Afghan Hound, our 50% Silk 50% Superwash Merino DK yarn. 

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Image by Hannah Thiessen

Image by Hannah Thiessen

Image by Hannah Thiessen

Image by Hannah Thiessen

The shop specializes in natural fibers such as wool, mohair, alpaca, silk, and organic cottons, and carries a lovely variety of different brands of needles.  After seeing the lovely pictures of their store, I cannot wait to plan a visit!

Image by Hannah Thiessen

Image by Hannah Thiessen

Image by Hannah Thiessen

Image by Hannah Thiessen

For more information about The Sheep's Stockings, visit their website at www.thesheepsstockings.com!

Posted on January 8, 2014 and filed under Behind The Scenes.

Bluetick Coonhound & Andrea's Shawl

Andrea’s Shawl, designed by Kristen Kapur, found its way onto my radar through a casual search on Ravelry, and once I saw it I knew that it would be a perfect colorwork pattern to show off a few skeins of Bluetick Coonhound.  The shawl offers itself in three sizes, and because it’s knit from the bottom to top, the differences in size are mostly noticeable in the edging.  I chose to make the smallest size out of one skein of Pavlov and one skein of Hushpuppy, two highly contrasting but delightfully compatible colors.  

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The shawl starts out with a provisional cast on using the first color, the 7 stitch edging is worked to make the size specified.  I found that it went rather quickly, and it was easy enough to tell where in the 4 row pattern I was at if I lost track.  After the edging completion, the yarn is cut and stitches are picked up along the straight side of the edge. Once the stitches have been picked up, the lace pattern begins; although the lace looks somewhat complicated when looking at the finished project, the pattern was very simple to complete.  After the border section is completed, the second color is switched in every other two rows in stockinette, decreasing until there are only a few stitches left.  A final edging is added to match the bottom edging, with stitches picked up all along the body.

I found this pattern to be very fun to make because of the lace edging and the visual interest of using more than one color, and it only took a week to make.  The shawl really stands out in Bluetick Coonhound because of the yarn’s incredible stitch definition, and the texture of the shawl very smooth and smooshy.  It’s heavy enough of a shawl to keep shoulders covered on chilly days, yet it was light enough to wear while I was in Florida in the springtime.  Plus, when there are so many great color combinations waiting to be made in our line, what’s stopping you from casting on?  The pattern can be purchased here.

 

Posted on January 1, 2014 and filed under Pattern Review.

Afghan Hound & Saethwr

After the October Yarnbox containing Fiber Hound’s yarn were shipped out, my friend and owner of Annie Yarn, Annie Riley, began designing a pair of mitts with the two skeins of Afghan Hound.  She set out to design a colorwork pattern with the two colorways, Sirius and Hushpuppy, that would gracefully feature both colors as well as a striking design.

Annie's version of Saethwr in Hushpuppy and Sirius

Annie's version of Saethwr in Hushpuppy and Sirius

“The word saethwr is Welsh for archer and is pronounced (roughly) sigh-THOOR. As I looked at the finished design, what immediately came to mind was archery, and therefore, an archer. I tossed around the idea of simple naming them Archer Gloves, but I felt it was too boring. So I looked up various translations of the word and settled on Welsh.

The shaping in the rows, made with well-placed decreases and increases, creates arrow-like stripes pointing toward the knuckles as you alternate between two yarn colors. Ribbing on the under side provides plenty of stretch for a snug yet comfortable fit, and the gusseted thumbs allow for range of motion while still being easy to knit.”

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I was very eager to start my own pair of mitts with Every Dog Has Its Day and Old Yeller, a combination I found surprisingly beautiful.

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The cuffs start out with a 1:1 ribbing and transitioning into stockinette.  On the front side, the pattern starts a decrease and increase routine that results in a chevron design with the back side being horizontal stripes.  After completing the desired amount of stripes, a common thumb gusset is introduced, which is the first time the pattern differentiates between the left and right hand.  The mitts are finished with the color they started with and completed with a simple bind off.  The best part is that the mitts don’t require blocking and can be worn right away!

These mitts were a ton of fun to make, and simple enough for me to be able to work on while distracted with other things. I was also able to make them fairly quickly which makes them a wonderful weekend project.  I’m very excited to finally wear these gorgeous mitts out this winter!  You can purchase the Saethwr pattern here.

Posted on December 25, 2013 and filed under Pattern Review.

A Few Announcements!

I have a few announcements that I’m happy to make this week.
 

Studio Ewe

A while back I mentioned that our yarns were going to be in an online store, and I’m happy to announce that they are now open!  They specialize in smaller hand-dyed yarns and accessories, and I’m proud to be a part of their new store.  Studio Ewe is currently carrying a selection of our Dachshund yarn.  Check them out here!
 

Ann Arbor Fiber Expo

I’m happy to announce that I will be attending the 2014 Spring Fiber Expo in Ann Arbor, MI.  Here’s some basic information:

Saturday, March 22nd: 9AM-5PM
Sunday, March 23rd: 10AM-4PM
$4 Admission - One Day
$6 Admission - Two Days
(Children under 12 free)

As always, you can find more information about this event over at the Event page!
 

Testimonial Page

I have created a testimonial page to share what people have to say about our yarns.  If you would like to add something to our page, fill out the form!  Click here to check out our new page!

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Posted on December 18, 2013 and filed under Events.