From Dyepot to FO

It has become a tradition that every year for her birthday I knit my best friend's daughter Carys a present. For her first birthday it was a sweater, a tank for her second and last year she was gifted the metro bear. This year I decided to take it a step further and enlist some of my newly learned skills in the creation of her present. I started by dyeing up some Coopworth/Merino blend, I call the colorway Starburst, after the flavorful fruit chews.

I then spun it into a nice lofty single.
And then created a two-ply yarn from the singles, I had about 150 yards of heavy worsted weight, an adequate amount to knit up her present.
I chose to knit the adorable felted ballerina slippers from Bev Galeskas. I had knit them once before and was thrilled with the result so I decided it would be the perfect project for the handspun. Here they are prior to felting.
And after.

I love the subtle variation in the colors of the yarn and how it patterned on the slipper.
I use the grip it mesh for dish shelves on the soles, they are an excellent way to prevent slipping, although they take away the fun of "skating" on the wood floors as my son will attest to.
Pretty ballerina slippers can only be adorned by the cutest buttons.
Although she has her eyes shut in this picture, I do believe that she liked them. I hope they keep her feet warm and dancing this coming season.
I did have a bit of the yarn left over so I used it to make a new little knitting accessories pouch.

And once again affirmed my lacking sewing skills by tackling a lining. I even managed to make a little pocket for my embroidery needles.
I found some needle felting supplies at Hobby Lobby and decided to add a few accents for a little flair.
So there you have it, two finished objects from start to finish. On to the next project.