Sheep to Shawl competition at Estes Park Wool Market!

We just finished competing in the Estes Park Wool Market Sheep to Shawl Competition! It was so fun and even though we didn't win, we loved every minute of it.

Team Fancy Tiger getting caffeinated, 8am 

Sheep to Shawl is a competition where you take a raw sheep fleece and card, spin, and weave it into a finished shawl in 5 hours. It is extreme fiber arts. The basic rules are you have to use an un-dyed, local sheep fleece and can add in up to 10% of another local un-dyed animal fiber. You can wash your fiber ahead of time and spin enough to warp your loom, but that's it - the rest of the work is done the day of the competition in 5 hours. There are 5 team members and 1 alternate. You must present the judge with a blocked shawl (it can be damp). Shawls are judged on all aspects of the event: fiber prep, spinning, design, weaving, and public interaction and education. 

Butch Cassidy's fleece, ready to be made into a shawl!

It is probably no surprise to blog readers that we choose to use a Shetland fleece for our shawl. Shetland wool is fine and soft, yet strong, making it ideal for handspinners, weavers and knitters. They have great personalities and we fell in love with them as soon as we first met the lambs of Pinon Wood Ranch. Peg and Woody of Pinon Wood Fibers have been breeding and showing Shetland sheep in Norwood, Colorado for over 5 years. Butch Cassidy, the Shetland ram that provided our fleece, is a grey Grand Prize ram of the Pinon Wood herd. The fleece is an exceptionally fine example of Shetland wool. Peg and Woody also raise alpacas so we used black alpaca from their farm as the contrast fiber in our shawl. 

The Tri-loom we built ourselves!

We chose to weave our shawl on a triangle pin loom, using the technique known as continuous strand weaving. Continuous strand weaving can be done on a pin loom of various shapes and sizes to include rectangle, square and triangle. We love the look and wear of triangle shawls so the triangle loom was a natural choice for us. Since there is no warp on a pin loom, we were literally starting with just the fleece, and spinning the entirety of our yarn in the 5 hour time limit. 

Carding alpaca

We chose this type of weaving to demonstrate one of the many possibilities for weaving. Pin looms are a very accessible form of weaving—they are easy and affordable to construct with basic materials found at your local hardware store. They are compact, making them easy to store and use in smaller spaces. You can make them in any size desired, as well as graft finished pieces together to create interesting designs. We love the efficient use of yarn. There is no waste allowing a weaver to indulge in precious yarns. The warp and weft of the cloth are created via one continuous strand of yarn, making it a less daunting endeavor for new weavers. It also allows one to see their work as they weave, allowing color transitions on the go.

Jaime: carding master

Once the competition began, it was card, card, card! As soon as we had a Shetland and alpaca batt ready, team members started right away on spinning. We needed to get our weaver her yarn to get started as soon as possible!

Spin like the wind!

While 3 team members were spinning away (and plying!), the weaver and 1 other team member continued to card wool. We had two fine cloth drum carders to use, one for alpaca and one for Shetland, so we didn't have to bother with cleaning between batts.

Carding, spinning, weaving, and sheep talking - its all happening!

Part of the competition judging category is on public interaction and education. We believe strongly in educating the public on heritage breeds of sheep and why we love using their wool. To assist us, we had the help of Nessie, a 3 month old Shetland lamb from Pinon Woods Ranch. Nessie is a great breed ambassador, greeting kids and adults alike for 3 hours!

Nessie, our team mascot

Our educational display board

We also wanted to educate the public on the pin loom. We love this simple little loom that is so affordable and easy to use. We had a mini version on hand and our team alternate, Rose, taught people of all ages how to weave on this magical little tool.

Anxiously watching Alsn weave the last few inches!

We spun a worsted weight 2-ply out of both our Shetland and alpaca for this shawl. We did a pretty tightly twisted ply. The end result is a beautiful springy yarn. We spun enough for the shawl as well as fringe, which was a nice way to finish the shawl.

Taking our shawl off the pins

Towards the end of the competition, our spinners had enough yardage plied up to finish the shawl. From there on out it was up to our weaver, Alsn, to weave as fast as she could! The spinners helped by adding fringe as she went to make sure the shawl was finished the same time she was done weaving.

Jaime cheers on the extreme blocking 

Sadly, we didn't finish on time. We were 10 minutes late with our shawl. The good news is that teams are given a half hour grace period so as long as you get your shawl turned in by the end of the grace period, you are still eligible for all awards except for 1st prize. We quickly and aggressively blocked our shawl (the Shetland blooms so nice!) and dried it as much as possible before turning it in.

More aggressive blocking techniques: wrap wet shawl in towel and stomp on it

In the end, we made a stunning shawl. The Shetland is surprisingly soft and the yarn bloomed beautifully. The triangle shape is so flattering to wear and the black alpaca created an interesting and beautiful windowpane plaid. 

We did it - our finished shawl!

We got last place. The judge admitted that the EPWM Sheep to Shawl judging criteria favors shawls woven on harness looms, which are the more common looms used to weave fabric. Because of this, we lost a lot of points in the weaving category. We tried to break down barriers and introduce a unique and accessible form of weaving to the Estes competition, but you can't win 'em all. Unfortunately, the Estes Park Wool Market Sheep to Shawl competition may not accept tri-looms in the future, but we are so glad we were able to compete this once and bring more awareness to this type of weaving. It was an awesome experience and one we'd gladly do again. 

Behold all four entries to the Estes Park Sheep to Shawl Competition!

The winning team, the Noddy Ladies made a beautiful shawl and were super sweet as we competed next to each other all day. Congrats, Noddy Ladies!

The Noddy Ladies and their winning shawl!

Megan Mahaffey, Rose Bloom, Jen Leonard, Alsn Elliot, Amber and Jaime

Nice work, Team Fancy Tiger. We ♥ you!

The Wharfie Cap Pattern: A Free Spin to Knit Pattern for Handspinners!

A new classic cap is here, designed by Amber! The beginner friendly handspun Wharfie Cap pattern will have you spinning your very own chunky 2-ply yarn to make a warm, woolly cap. (Even if you don't spin your own yarn yet, there is a commercial yarn variation for a knitting-only version!)

This handspun "barberpole" yarn is easy for beginner spinners, who shouldn't be too concerned with a little bit of variation in their yarn thickness. A touch of thick and thin to your handspun will add to the character of this easy-to-knit marled hat.

The unisex Wharfie Cap is a classic that looks great on everyone. Fold up the brim to keep those ears warm while working or playing outdoors on cold windy days, or wear it pulled down for a little more neck protection. This no-nonsense cap is all about function, but not to worry--when you wear it you’ll be lookin’ darn good.

The pattern gives simple instructions for spinning your yarn. Your hat will be one of a kind, and the real fun is in choosing the two colors to ply together for your marled yarn. Neon pink and natural brown? Hot. Charcoal and mint? Very cool.

Download the free Wharfie Cap pattern here. We hope you share your handspun versions with us! We'd love to see them in person or on our Facebook or Ravelry.

Happy spinning!

Tina's Handspun Magic Cowl!

Hey guys, It's me Tina, and my new handspun cowl! 

My new cowl is made of yarn I spun during Spinzilla (cough cough winners). I used a hand dyed merino roving made by our friend Meg of Sleep Season Goods. Meg teaches classes and sells her amazing hand dyed yarn and roving at FTC. This colorway is called Sleeping Beauty.

I can't believe it took me so long to cast on with my magical Sleep Season handspun, because it was so fun to knit with! When I finally did cast on, it went so fast. I was overly enthusiastic with each pop of new color. The cowl is a pattern I made up, and only took 400 yards of a sport weight single spun from my 4 ounce Sleep Season braid. The cowl was knit in the round, casting on 250 stitches on size US 10, 40" circulars. Using a larger needle really lets the yarn bloom and drape, showing off all the amazing colors.

I knit this while watching Dexter and it was done in no time which is a good thing, because the last two seasons were really dragging on. When I was almost out of yarn, I skipped to the last episode and started on my garter stitch edging and bound off. The perfect project to show off a beautiful handspun!

Thanks for checking out my new cowl! I love it so.

Spinzilla 2013: Team Fancy Tiger are the Champions!!

We just finished the first ever Spinzilla spinning competition. Spinzilla is a week long team competition that lasted from October 7th - 13th. We had 25 mighty team members spinning under Team Fancy Tiger. We spun our hearts out! The goal was to spin the most yardage of all within the week.  We've been anxiously checking the official Spinzilla blog for the past few days, but today we got a phone call...

Guess what? Tigers and tigresses, we won!  

Our total yardage for Team Fancy Tiger in one week was 94,939.73 yds. That is almost 54 miles and is longer than the state of Rhode Island!

This is what 94,939.73 yds looks like

Spinzilla was an amazing event and we had so much fun rallying with our team. We made so many new spinning friends and forged many fibery friendships over the course of the week at our SEVEN community spin nights.

Spin it to win it!!

Here are some of the secrets to our success if you're wondering how 25 people spun almost 100000 yards of yarn in a week.

1. Badass team pride tees. We had a screenprinting party where team members could screen print their own tees. Some of our team members are so hardcore, they screenprinted their jean jackets.

2. Rally Peeps. We couldn't have done it without our amazing rally guys and gals. Every spin night, these friends of Team Fancy Tiger would help us by counting all the yarn we were spinning, refilling our wine glasses, and emptying our bobbins. Our rally peeps also encouraged us to keep spinning in moments of doubt and tough times (cue Friday Night Lights theme music). Thanks so much to Alsn, Shannon, Betsy, Jess, Jesse, Caitlin and Curtis!

Jesse, Alsn, and Jess really rallied us.

3. Time off. Laura Chamberlain won our team prize of top spinner. Laura spun the most yards out of anyone on our team at 9212 yards in one week! Her secret - she took the week of work so she could have a spinning staycation. Nice work, Laura!

Laura took home the illustrious Rumpelstiltskin award.

4. Spinning in cars. Suzan drove from the Western Slope to Denver so she could spend the week spinning with us. We were really concerned about her losing the day of spinning (it's a 6 hour drive), but she assured us she would continue to spin the whole way here. Nice work, Suzan!

Don't stop spinning, even when driving over the mountains.

5. Camaraderie. Nothing makes you spin faster than being on a team of amazing, inspiring folks. Seeing everyone spinning so much really helped us all reach our personal goals for the team.

You guys...we had so much fun!

We are so proud thatTeam Fancy Tiger is the Spinzilla champion of 2013 - everyone did an amazing job! We love how super supportive everyone was and we are blown away by all of the amazing handspun yarn everyone made! We ♥ you Team Fancy Tiger! You were already winners in our book!

Lucky Cat Crafts: Rare & Unusual Fibers are here!

Handspinners, you won't believe your hands when you feel Lucky Cat Crafts' unusual and amazing fiber blends!

polworth/mugasilk  |  yak/angora  |  camel/mugasilk/yak  |  merino/mugasilk/yak |  merino/mulberrysilk/possum

Kim, the adorable lady behind Lucky Cat Crafts, has these fantastical fiber blends specially milled in small batches.

We love the warm smoky palette of colors she has created by blending unique undyed fibers in soft greys and browns.

Below is a handspun yarn made with Lucky Cat Yak/Angora, a blend of two downy fibers that are so fluffy soft and ethereal, it almost feels like you are touching sunshine.

Lucky Cat Crafts' fibers are a dream to work with! They are perfect for a special project and extra soft against sensitive skin. We hope you love them as much as we do!

Makerie Summer Series Recap!

-jaime

Last weekend, Amber and I had the pleasure of teaching at the Makerie Summer Series! This was the first ever day retreat put on by the Makerie, known for their spring-time weekend creative retreats held every year at Chautauqua.

Our beautiful setting at Lyons Farmette

The Makerie Summer Series is held at the idyllic Lyons Farmette. This working farm was the perfect setting for our day of teaching spinning for the June theme, On the Farm. The farm houses goats, chickens, one llama, and includes a large vegetable garden. We could not ask for a better day with perfect temperatures and a cloudless Colorado sky.

Amber and I taught "Farm Fresh Yarn", a class we developed for the Makerie Summer Series to teach participants how to spin yarn from a freshly sheared sheep fleece. We purchased two Shetland fleeces from our friends Peg and Woody at Pinon Woods Ranch in Norwood Colorado. Shetland sheep Belle Star and Butch Cassidy lent their woolly locks for our class. 

Spinning fiber and tools are all ready for class

Our class was held outside right next to a stream of water - it was so peaceful! This was the perfect place to spend the day spinning yarn. We demonstrated how to wash a fleece on a small scale, using a salad spinner as our "washing machine". Amber then taught students the ways of hand-carding rolags from fleece that we had previously washed and dried.

Amber looks on as students learn to spin

I taught students how to spin from their rolags on a drop spindle from local company Schacht. Finally we let students use the drum carder to finish carding the remainder of their fleece. It was a great day and our two groups of students left with new skills and a new appreciation for the work that goes into processing a fleece.

Jaime shows Kim how to use the drum carder

Students were able to take two classes during the day and we loved seeing the other items that were produced on our day on the farm.

Canned foods from a Makerie class taught by Ben of MMLocal

At the end of the day, we were treated to a local farm dinner catered by Eat and Crust. It was an amazing meal and a great way to end the day chatting with all the Makerie teachers and participants.

Our chefs tell us about the awesome food we are about to eat.

If you are inspired by our day, check out the other Makerie Summer Series events in July and August - so many great classes to take and foods to eat!

Fancy Tiger Folks' Crafty Holiday Gift Picks 2012! Part 1

Welcome to our Crafty Holiday Gift Picks for 2012!

We at Fancy Tiger Crafts spend the whole year surrounded by amazing craft supplies and inspiring customers. That means we spend a lot of time thinking up our dream projects. Here are some of the things we think would be a fantastic treat for your favorite crafter to find under the tree!

Hey! I'm Sarah, one of the new additions to the awesome Fancy Tiger staff. I love beautiful, simple Japanese sewing patterns and my most recent obsession is with 'I Am Cute Dresses'. All 25 patterns are super adorable and since they are a relaxed fit, there's no finicky fitting! Any of these designs would be lovely made from a Nani Iro double gauze, Lecien cotton or any other sweet Japanese print. I personally plan on making each one and wearing them with tights and boots all winter!

Miranda
Sometimes I stray into the worlds of fabric and fiber, but knitting will always be my true love. After knitting, sewing and stitching like crazy for gifts, I always love to dream up a gift to make for myself. The Fightin' Words fingerless mitts from local designer Annie Watts fit the bill perfectly. Their bold, graphic motifs look both fun to knit and to wear. I would make them in our hearty Elemental Affects fingering-weight Shetland wool yarn, which is perfect for colorwork. Plus, after all my projects are done, I always feel like a real superhero. POW! Happy holidays, everyone: may your stitches be even and may your points always match!

Hello! I'm Erikia and I'm the manager here at Fancy Tiger Crafts. Last month, we got shot cotton fabric back in the shop and I'm totally in love with it! If you're not familiar with shot cotton, it is a woven fabric with two different colors, one for the weft and one for the weave. This effect creates subtle shifts in color and adds incredible depth to an otherwise solid fabric. It's completely amazing!

I've been using the shot cotton on pretty much everything I've been sewing lately and would love to try it with English paper piecing to make a pillow case. If Santa brought me a little kit for this project, say a fat quarter bundle of shot cottons, 1 1/2" hexagon paper pieces, thread, beeswax, and sewing needles, I'd be one happy girl!

Well hello everyone! Melissa here. Now I know that we recently did a blog post about the Soft Donegal from Ireland, but I am so in love with it I just had to choose it for my holiday gift pick. It's so soft and the colors are so beautiful. Plus, I'm really getting into learning more about my Irish heritage.
I think the natural pairing with this luscious yarn is the book Contemporary Irish Knits by Carol Feller. When Carol was here earlier this year I fell for the Killybegs cardigan from this book. Carol was so nice and wonderful I couldn't help loving all her designs. I have been daydreaming about making this sweater in the Berry colorway since we got the Donegal in. This yarn and book would make a lovely gift for the knitter in your life. After all she/he should have something to knit for themselves after all that holiday knitting they did!

Allison
I hope that Meg's Sleep Season yarn will be in my stocking this year. Her hand dyed and handspun yarn comes in 100% merino, Superwash Bluefaced Leicester and a blend of Merino Cashmere and Nylon. Each skein has the most amazing colors. They are all around 400 yards making them a perfect choice for a Norby hat by Gudrun Johnston (like Jaime did with her skein) or a Little Colonnade shawl by Stephen West. Plus she's local so you can feel good that you are supporting an awesome local spinner/dyer. Yay! Happy knitting.

Amber here! I love me some tweedy goodness and natural yarns. I have been dreaming of making the Burr Jacket by Veronik Avery for Brooklyn Tweed. How amazing it would be to spin my own tweedy yarn out of this undyed, multicolor roving from local alpaca farm, Ancient Treasures Alpaca Ranch. 18 ounces would give me enough to spin up the yarn for a this cozy-dorable shawl collar cardigan...and an extra plus would be plenty of relaxing spinning and knitting time.