Tag Archives: bam huey

My Hero in Blues and Greens

September 1, 2017Fiber, Handspun Yarn, Knittingbam huey, fiber, hero, spinningCheryl

My Hero in Bam Huey 60% Merino, 40% Bamboo

My Hero has landed! August’s theme for the Spinning Box was My Hero. My first thought was to pick comic book hero Green Lantern, but wasn’t getting excited about it. Other participants mention using their personal Hero which got me thinking…… The last 2 1/2 years have been a big challenge in changing our direction in life. My husband has been amazing through my wild ideas, and has blown me away with how hard he has worked to get us through the transition. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much he has walked beside me through all of our adventures, good and bad, during our 30+ years of marriage. Who else could be my hero other than the man who picks me up when I’m too tired to go further, and lifts me even higher when I’m riding high on success. My favorite feature of my husband is his eyes. Technically they are green, but they change to blue quite often, depending on what color of clothing he wears. My Hero in Bam Huey combines both the greens and blues of his eyes, with a little charcoal black pupil. Spun up, My Hero quickly changes from green to blue and back again just like Will’s eyes………..seemed like a nice way to to say thank you to my Hero.

First up we have the Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Scarf…….

Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Scarf, August’s My Hero!

Per usual I’ve spun the My Hero colorway end to end then did a Navajo 3ply chain. I’m really enjoying knitting with the nice round smooth yarn the Navajo ply creates. As you can see the results are several short color changes of greens and blues between the charcoal black pupil streaks.

Next up is a cowl using 3 different spun versions of My Hero.

I began with a hefty 2 ply DK. I split the fiber in two, spun each randomly on 2 bobbins and did a pretty low twist for me, creating a nice puffy fluffy yarn. The greens and blues still stand out, but the charcoal muted out leaving just a hint of grey shade over the greens and blues. I spun another ounce into a 2 ply fingering with a nice tight ply. I stripped the fiber into 8 strands and spun them randomly and plied random. This created a much darker finished yarn than the fluffy DK. I knit these two together using a slip stitch pattern.

One of my goals in life is to encourage knitters to not only use handspun yarn, but to successfully use multiple weights of handspun together. This particular slip stitch pattern is excellent for multiple yarn weights. This next picture shows the DK and Fingering on the right side and the Fingering used alone for the same stitch pattern. Using the 2 different weights gives the knitting so much more depth and squishy-ness.

slip stitch pattern, fingering weight on the left, Dk and Fingering weight on the right.

Last but not least I did a nice hefty 4 ply cable. Spun and plied randomly. Talk about thick and squishy!

I haven’t been able to do a video of this month yet, but hope to next trip over to our new house. I have videos almost ready from the past 2 months, they were pretty sloppy and I’ve been trying to clean them up a bit…..I’ve figured out that wind is NOT my friend while filming outdoors…sigh….

Until next time….Happy spinning and yarn-ing,

Cheryl <^..^>

Chloroplast Blast!!!

February 23, 2017Dyeing, Fiber, H, Handspun Yarn, Knitting, Spinningbam huey, fiber club, handspun, spinningCheryl

Chloroplast Blast! is the February colorway for the Bam Huey 2017 year of Color.

How about a nice close up Chloroplast Blast!

The Spinning Box theme for this month is Fruit Orchard. I always try to think a little outside the box when following a theme. I figured many of the contributions would be bright and juicy colors. I thought about what fruits would make a good color combination…….I thought and thought and thought…… but nothing came to mind that I had not done already. Finally it struck me, what is in EVERY fruit orchard?!?!?! Leaves! Yes those every-shade-of-green-under-the-sun leaves. Those beautiful leaves do so much of the work to produce those juicy fruits I figured they deserved the spotlight this month.

I used 5 greens in a streak dying method, meaning that all color is painted on with the grain of the fiber. This is done mostly random with a little control….you know me, I can’t give up ALL control 🙂 The colors are then bled into one another to create even more shades of green. When the Bam Huey Fiber is spun across the top, one end to the other it creates a blended color. The well blended multi single can then be plied with bright colors to tone them down, or match one of the many shades of green with a solid green which will result in a slightly tweedy look once knit up.

Bam Huey Hat with random spun Chloroplast Blast in Sport and DK weight yarn.

The hat was knit with a DK weight for the ribbing and the body of the hat with a light sport weight. When spinning the yarn used for the body, I picked out the darker shades of green and spun them on one bobbin then spun the lighter shades on another bobbin and plied them together. The ribbing yarn I tried to spin larger sections of a color at a time rather than blending them while spinning. If you look close at the picture you can see some color difference, but not a whole lot.

This light weight Bam Huey Hat is only 1 1/2 oz!

I found the best way to show the different colors in Chloroplast Blast! was to spin the fiber one end to the other and Navajo ply. Here is the continuation of the Bam Huey 2017 Year if Color Scarf using the Navajo 3 ply.

Chloroplast Blast! added to the Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Scarf.

On of my favorite yarns to make is a 2 ply consisting of 1 ply very thin and colorful, and the other muted and fluffy. I forgot to take pictures of the yarn before knitting, but here are the tail ends which shows what I mean.

I also love knitting little purses in one piece on straight needles. I think what I do is some type of double knitting but have never looked it up to check. On this little purse I used the Chloroplast Blast with a thin ply of Burning Bush on one side and the other is the Chloroplast Blast with a thin ply of Calm Waters.

Chloroplast Blast! plied with lace Burning Bush

Chloroplast Blast! plied with Calm Waters

I’ve done a video again this month, you can check it out here on youtube.

Hope you enjoy spinning the Chloroplast Blast. It will be listed in the shop Tuesday 2/28/17 for those of you who missed out on the Club!

Until next time, Happy Spinning and Knitting,

Cheryl

What do you get with A Year of Color?

December 16, 2016Dyeing, Fiber, Knitting, Spinningbam huey, bamboo, merino, woolCheryl

The Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Fiber Club is about to begin!

Dreaming, Planning, Waiting for the Color Explosion of Bam Huey.

I’ve extended the sales dates by special request until the end of the year. Midnight New Years’ Eve is the absolute end of the sale prices. This gives a chance for those of you who receive cash gifts for the holidays to get in on the huge discount on Bam Huey fiber! Starting January 1st 2017 you can still buy into the club, but it is at full price except for a small discount on the One Month at a Time listing.

So, what do you get with a Year of Color???? Each month I will be developing a new colorway in my Bam Huey line, (60% Merino 40% Bamboo). The colorway will come from my monthly contribution to The Spinning Box. On each Shop listing you can find a basic description of color and style of dyeing for the year. Your fiber ships by the 10th of the month. Each month I will spin samples of the colorway in several ways. About the 15th I will post pictures and details of how it was spun. I will also knit samples as time allows to show you how differently each yarn knits up.

This club isn’t about exclusive colorways, it is about giving you the best possible price on Bam Huey Fiber. The only catch to getting the best price, is purchasing it here at New Hue Handspuns before the end of the year!

Here is an outline of a month’s posting using my latest colorway……

First off, a picture of the new colorway, this one I developed for The Spinning Box’s December box, BollyWood.

This is where I would tell you the story of how I developed the colorway……..

then show the BollyWood spun 4 different ways…..

This is where I would explain how I used the fiber for 4 different results….

I’d probably throw in another drool worthy yarn picture just for the heck of it….

Then I would show pictures of the samples knit up…….well hopefully mostly knit up as time allows….

Last but not least this is where I will tell how I knit each sample up and sometimes I will even have a free pattern to add 🙂

Come join me for Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color for a month or two, or take on the whole year, it promises to be an explosion in color!

Until next time,

Happy Spinning and Yarning,

Cheryl

Cheryl Needs a Studio!

December 9, 2016Dyeing, H, Handspun Yarn, Knitting, Spinningbam huey, bamboo, hand knit, handspun, woolCheryl

I need a studio, well it’s more like a shed, but I will turn it into my studio. As many of you know we are in the middle of a year long move into our New House. One of the last things I have to have before we can complete the move is a studio for New Hue Handspuns. The house is simply too small to run my business in. I’ve found a great solution. It is a Hickory Shed. There is dealer in Baker City that will deliver and set up a 10 x 20 pre-built shed with 2 windows, and door with window for just under $5,000. The snow is falling and it will be spring before I can have the shed delivered. Now I need to spend the next few months earning $5,000. The Hickory Shed company does have a nice rent to own program, but our life plan is to stay out of debt. We have been debt free for 2 years and I would like to keep it that way!

Many discussions have surfaced regarding fair pay for artists. Most of these discussions end with “artists need to charge for their time and talent to make a living wage” and “but no one will pay that much for it”. Today I have decided to take on the challenge of charging a fair price for my work. I have been working on a knit shawl design for about 5 months. I’ve written the pattern, test knit it, and will publish it on Ravelry soon. This shawl is the result of that 5 months of work.

What better place to have a photo shoot for the Going to the Gorge than in the gorge! We manage to sneak in a trip to The Gorge just before a real big snow/ice storm hits. It was cold and windy so we had to be quick. Here are a few more pictures.

wrapped up against the wind...... — wrapped up against the wind……

The shawl has over 225 hours of work in to it. It started out as ecru Bam Huey fiber that I spun for Spinzilla 2016. About 16 hours/1,600 yard of 2 ply yarn from the Spinzilla yarn went into this project.

Designing and knitting the pattern took the majority of time. It is impossible to count the design hours, because I’m thinking and working on the pattern all day long while I do other work along with the actual hours of writing the pattern. Knitting time was well over 100 hours. 200 rows of any where from 400 to 588 stitches per row.

Going to the Gorge ala natural.... — Going to the Gorge ala natural….

Hand painting the shawl was the final step…….12 hours of bending over this table and painting…….my back still hasn’t forgiven me for this…lol.

Hand painting done, waiting to go into the steamer

I used this picture to show the cramped and crowded basement space I’m working in…………now you know why I need a studio!!!!

Here is my challenge to you……. Help me get this shawl sold for a living wage, which in turn will help me purchase a studio! Now I would be the first to say, “Sorry, I would love to help, but there is no way I can afford that,” and that is true for so many of us. I’m just asking that you pass the word along, you never know who knows someone, who knows someone, who would love to own a one of a kind work of art, and have the means to support and invest in an artist’s lively hood.

The price………$4,288 where to see the details and purchase here at New Hue Handspuns

Now it is time for me to focus on the Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Fiber club. 12 months of new colorways….check out the details HERE at New Hue Handspuns

Until next time,

Happy Spinning and Yarn-ing,

Cheryl

Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Fiber Club

November 16, 2016Fiber, Home Lifebam huey, bamboo, fiber club, merino, spinningCheryl

Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Fiber club is now open, even while we are in the process of moving…….a VERY long slow process!! We sold our house almost 2 years ago and moved into my Mother-in-Law’s basement apartment. The plan was to help MIL through her two knee replacements and search for a new house. Our goal was to be back in our own home in 1-2 years. June 2nd 2016 we purchased our new home!

The Newhouses' New House! — The Newhouses’ New House!

We are taking a year to fix up the house and move in. Only 6 more months to go. The painting is 90% done, some kitchen tile, and a load of gravel to spread for walk ways/fire break to go….then it will finally be time to have my studio put in! Once my studio is in, it is good bye Portland, Hello Richland 🙂 The best new is that I have been able to keep up with my dyeing and spinning though out it all. Which brings me to the title of this post…. Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Fiber Club!

Sign up for this year’s fiber club is now open. This year it will be an explosion of color. Each month of the Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Fiber Club will bring a new colorway to the Bam Huey line. There are HUGE savings for joining early. Purchase your membership before the end of day December 15th 2016 to get the best savings.Bam Huey Cub purchase options here.

Each month, after shipping club orders I will post pictures and samples of how one can spin up the new colorway. When I develop a new colorway I have a plan in mind as to how it should be spun to achieve the outcome I am looking for. Of course you can spin the fiber ANY WAY YOU WANT, but I thought you might be interested in seeing my intent. I plan to spin each colorway in 4 different styles, and hopefully knit up into a sample so you can see how different one colorway can be. My hope is that club members will experiment and share pictures of their spinning. Postings will be made here on my blog, New Hue Handspuns Facebook Page. and New Hue Handspuns Ravelry group

New Hue Handspuns Blog

Life through the Eyes of a Fiber Dyeing, Needle Making, (slightly obsessed) Production Spinner who knits too!

Tag Archives: bam huey

My Hero in Blues and Greens

Chloroplast Blast!!!

What do you get with A Year of Color?

Cheryl Needs a Studio!

Bam Huey 2017 Year of Color Fiber Club

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