Just over 400yds of handspun and dyed merino, lightweight 2-ply sock yarn (that's a mouthful). I just listed it in my etsy shop this morning. It weighs 3.1oz and has beautiful colors. Mmmm... yummy.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Rustic Warmth...
I just finished this guy last night.
Just over 400yds of handspun and dyed merino, lightweight 2-ply sock yarn (that's a mouthful). I just listed it in my etsy shop this morning. It weighs 3.1oz and has beautiful colors. Mmmm... yummy.
Just over 400yds of handspun and dyed merino, lightweight 2-ply sock yarn (that's a mouthful). I just listed it in my etsy shop this morning. It weighs 3.1oz and has beautiful colors. Mmmm... yummy.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Busy, Busy
Yesterday morning, when I was browsing through etsy I looked in one of my favorite shops, AllSpunUp, and saw this. I lost control. Before I even realized what was happening, I was ordering. It came in the mail today. I'm excited. A little sad though, too. I have a lot of things in line ahead of that one that need to be spun and listed, so I'm afraid the beautiful 'treat' roving is going to have to wait to be transformed into a pair of my socks.
This one is also very pretty. It reminds me of a desert sunset (not that I've seen many, but I did see a breathtaking sunset once in the high-desert country one time when I was on my way to visit a friend in Oregon- anyhow, the colors were very similar).
I'm excited to see how these will spin up for me. I hope they'll make beautiful sock yarns for the etsy shop. I really need to get off my bum. At the very least I think I ought to be able to get two yarns in there per month, but it's been hard to do lately. I think I'm going to navajo ply my 3-ply sock yarns for a while, (I know that it's really all the same amount of spinning but it seems easier somehow) and do some two-ply sock yarns as well.
I will probably not have anymore yarns in my etsy shop until the beginning of next month. I have so much work to get done around here. I still haven't even gone outside to work at all (and to my dissappointment I've heard that we may get snow here this weekend). On top of all this, my husband has officially been given an excellent job about 50 miles from where we are now, and has given his old job notice. Now we must begin the job of selling our home and moving. I trust God, and I know this will be a good move. Still, being the sentimental type, this is going to take an extra measure of His grace.
In an effort to help myself feel better, I dug out the last 8oz of undyed merino and spent the afternoon dying it up.
This one is so colorful, it may be difficult to part with.
This one is also very pretty. It reminds me of a desert sunset (not that I've seen many, but I did see a breathtaking sunset once in the high-desert country one time when I was on my way to visit a friend in Oregon- anyhow, the colors were very similar).
I'm excited to see how these will spin up for me. I hope they'll make beautiful sock yarns for the etsy shop. I really need to get off my bum. At the very least I think I ought to be able to get two yarns in there per month, but it's been hard to do lately. I think I'm going to navajo ply my 3-ply sock yarns for a while, (I know that it's really all the same amount of spinning but it seems easier somehow) and do some two-ply sock yarns as well.
I will probably not have anymore yarns in my etsy shop until the beginning of next month. I have so much work to get done around here. I still haven't even gone outside to work at all (and to my dissappointment I've heard that we may get snow here this weekend). On top of all this, my husband has officially been given an excellent job about 50 miles from where we are now, and has given his old job notice. Now we must begin the job of selling our home and moving. I trust God, and I know this will be a good move. Still, being the sentimental type, this is going to take an extra measure of His grace.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Shame on Us...
For months now, the yard has been getting worse and worse. Until just the last couple of weeks, the thought of going outside to do anything has been entirely out of the question. For not really getting more than a couple sad dustings of snow, winter has been hanging on entirely too long. In fact, just at the end of March we had a brief couple of hours where it was snowing (but not sticking). That just isn't normal around here.
The last week or so, though, I've noticed that Boone- our Jack Russell Terrier, has been having an unusually difficult time finding a 'safe' place to pee in the back yard. The grass, in what seems like just a week and a half, grew to be between 12 and 15 inches tall.
So yesterday, my husband pulled out the lawnmower and got to work. Considering the height of the grass, his chore was not a pretty sight. I witnessed him unloading a torrent of obscenities at least once, as he removed Sadie from her chain on the back patio and 'escorted' her inside. It turns out that as he was passing by his beloved hound with the lawnmower, she playfully decided it was time to run around him in a circle (winding her chain around his legs) and tripping him, bringing him to the ground. In his attempt to catch himself he'd firmly planted one of his hands in a pile of her crap.
I'm not a very nice woman, I laughed so hard I almost peed when he told me that story.
As you can see the grass was crazy long. We really ought to have been out there sooner. I'm planning on getting out there at least a couple of days in the next week. There are many, many weeds to be pulled and a lot of plants that need some pruning.
I also have a lot to do in the way of indoor improvements. Most of my heavyweight chores still involve organizing and tossing, as well as deep cleaning and painting. I should have done so much more by now, but I've been so deeply involved with the wheel and finishing my seriously long-term works in progress that always seem to still be on my needles. At least I'm nearing my finish with these. I have one sock out of a pair to finish for the Vintage Sock KAL, one sock's worth left of roving to spin and knit to finish my homespun pair, and then there's finishing my Christmas sweater, then restarting the Henry. Then I'm free to start anything I want to.
I've been very good about not starting new projects, except for this little one. I knit this for my daughter this weekend. If only it were this easy to knit clothing for myself.
The last week or so, though, I've noticed that Boone- our Jack Russell Terrier, has been having an unusually difficult time finding a 'safe' place to pee in the back yard. The grass, in what seems like just a week and a half, grew to be between 12 and 15 inches tall.
So yesterday, my husband pulled out the lawnmower and got to work. Considering the height of the grass, his chore was not a pretty sight. I witnessed him unloading a torrent of obscenities at least once, as he removed Sadie from her chain on the back patio and 'escorted' her inside. It turns out that as he was passing by his beloved hound with the lawnmower, she playfully decided it was time to run around him in a circle (winding her chain around his legs) and tripping him, bringing him to the ground. In his attempt to catch himself he'd firmly planted one of his hands in a pile of her crap.
I'm not a very nice woman, I laughed so hard I almost peed when he told me that story.
As you can see the grass was crazy long. We really ought to have been out there sooner. I'm planning on getting out there at least a couple of days in the next week. There are many, many weeds to be pulled and a lot of plants that need some pruning.
I also have a lot to do in the way of indoor improvements. Most of my heavyweight chores still involve organizing and tossing, as well as deep cleaning and painting. I should have done so much more by now, but I've been so deeply involved with the wheel and finishing my seriously long-term works in progress that always seem to still be on my needles. At least I'm nearing my finish with these. I have one sock out of a pair to finish for the Vintage Sock KAL, one sock's worth left of roving to spin and knit to finish my homespun pair, and then there's finishing my Christmas sweater, then restarting the Henry. Then I'm free to start anything I want to.
I've been very good about not starting new projects, except for this little one. I knit this for my daughter this weekend. If only it were this easy to knit clothing for myself.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Done
The second half of the marine-colored sock yarn is finally done. It really shouldn't have taken this long to finish, but it just seems like every time I've tried to make time for it something else has come up. I think I have settled on the name Marina. It will fit this color. Originally I wanted to call it 'seaworthy', but I just can't say that word without feeling like a pirate.
I've just finished giving the yarn a bath to set the twist. Now I just have to wait for it to finish drying so I can take pictures of both the skeins together before I list them on Etsy. They should be listed in the shop by 10:30 Monday morning.
A quick rundown on this yarn:
Together the two skiens make 440+ yards of 100% merino, hand-dyed and hand-spun, 3-ply sock yarn. Together they weigh around 3.5 ounces. I haven't measured out the WPI yet, but it's a little finer than the Indian Valley. I'm guessing it will be around 18-19 WPI.
I faced serious temptation to keep these as well. The entire time I was spinning them, I kept thinking they'd be perfect for a pair of Cookie A.'s Pomatomus socks.
I've just finished giving the yarn a bath to set the twist. Now I just have to wait for it to finish drying so I can take pictures of both the skeins together before I list them on Etsy. They should be listed in the shop by 10:30 Monday morning.
A quick rundown on this yarn:
Together the two skiens make 440+ yards of 100% merino, hand-dyed and hand-spun, 3-ply sock yarn. Together they weigh around 3.5 ounces. I haven't measured out the WPI yet, but it's a little finer than the Indian Valley. I'm guessing it will be around 18-19 WPI.
I faced serious temptation to keep these as well. The entire time I was spinning them, I kept thinking they'd be perfect for a pair of Cookie A.'s Pomatomus socks.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
To kill or not to kill...
This morning I was going to make a joyful post. Yesterday I finished plying the last of some sock yarn that I've been spinning as a birthday present for a very dear friend of mine. I spent the afternoon dying it and it's finally done now. I told her what I wanted to make for her, since she is now knitting, and asked her what colors she was into right now. She told me purples and oranges. So this is what I came up with.
It's nearly 500 yards of 3-ply handspun sock yarn, 75% superwash wool/25% nylon, hand-dyed in purple and orange with a little bit of magenta in there, too.
Then this morning, after I had just finished setting it out and taking a few pictures of it, while importing them to the computer to write this blog, my husband's hound, made what might be her very last mistake with me. She stole my yarn from the table and mangled it.
It is so tangled. I am furious. I am so thankful that I put so many ties in these to help keep them from becoming tangled, and I likewise thankful that it appears to not have been torn or shredded at all. Still it may take hours to fix this mess.
For now I have locked the offending member of the household in her kennel (far safer for her right now than being in my presence where she, no doubt, would encounter destruction).
It's such a bummer. It was all done and now it needs more work. I was going to spend this morning doing the heel of the second Baudelaire, and now, depending on how bad this is, this may be what I end up doing instead.
I'm really trying to love that dog, but she's working so hard to become my nemesis.
It's nearly 500 yards of 3-ply handspun sock yarn, 75% superwash wool/25% nylon, hand-dyed in purple and orange with a little bit of magenta in there, too.
Then this morning, after I had just finished setting it out and taking a few pictures of it, while importing them to the computer to write this blog, my husband's hound, made what might be her very last mistake with me. She stole my yarn from the table and mangled it.
It is so tangled. I am furious. I am so thankful that I put so many ties in these to help keep them from becoming tangled, and I likewise thankful that it appears to not have been torn or shredded at all. Still it may take hours to fix this mess.
For now I have locked the offending member of the household in her kennel (far safer for her right now than being in my presence where she, no doubt, would encounter destruction).
It's such a bummer. It was all done and now it needs more work. I was going to spend this morning doing the heel of the second Baudelaire, and now, depending on how bad this is, this may be what I end up doing instead.
I'm really trying to love that dog, but she's working so hard to become my nemesis.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Liar, Liar...
... pants on fire.
When I said I was going to pack up my wheel for a bit and take a break, I really did have good intentions. In my defense, it did stay packed up for a few days. Perhaps part of the burnout I was feeling with the wheel was because of my selling (or rather not selling) yarn on Etsy. I don't want to run a business selling handspun yarns, but I would like to be able to sell off some of them here and there to make enough to support my fiber habit, rather than putting extra strain on my family's income.
So, last weekend I was contemplating just going through the next few months until the listings on my yarns expired and then just kind of forgetting about it, when I came home last Saturday night to find that my Indian Valley sock yarn had sold. I was overly-excited about it to say the least. It was my first sale, and it felt very nice.
Charged with new enthusiasm, the wheel quickly came out again to produce more sock yarn and I have celebrated this week with knitting a sock from some of my own hanspun. The spinning job on this yarn was great, but I didn't like the way the colors worked together, so I kept it. It's still pretty.
I knitted this one from the toe up, to make sure I wouldn't run out of yardage. This sock yarn makes an extremely cozy, winter appropriate sock. Though now I'm affected by a combined version of second sock syndrome: not only do I have to knit the second sock, but I still have to spin the yarn for it as well. I'm confident it will be well worth it once it's done.
So, as far as the spinning goes, I have spun half of the yarn I need for my next listing and I ought to have the other half of it done by the end of the week. I haven't made my mind up about what to name this colorway, but I figure it ought to be something nautical (while thinking of nautical names I had a good laugh about the coincidental resemblance of this yarn to the team colors of the Seattle Mariners- it could make nice socks for a baseball fan).
So I'm hoping to have this one listed very soon on Etsy and soon to follow that will be a beautiful fiery-colored sock yarn.
This next week or two I'm also going to be spending some time working on more unfinished objects, and have even more knitting stacked on my plate once I've finished what's already in progress. I'm hoping to finish a sweater I'm working on for Paige as well as finishing the ugly christmas sweater once and for all. It's amazing how easily I get distracted.
When I said I was going to pack up my wheel for a bit and take a break, I really did have good intentions. In my defense, it did stay packed up for a few days. Perhaps part of the burnout I was feeling with the wheel was because of my selling (or rather not selling) yarn on Etsy. I don't want to run a business selling handspun yarns, but I would like to be able to sell off some of them here and there to make enough to support my fiber habit, rather than putting extra strain on my family's income.
So, last weekend I was contemplating just going through the next few months until the listings on my yarns expired and then just kind of forgetting about it, when I came home last Saturday night to find that my Indian Valley sock yarn had sold. I was overly-excited about it to say the least. It was my first sale, and it felt very nice.
Charged with new enthusiasm, the wheel quickly came out again to produce more sock yarn and I have celebrated this week with knitting a sock from some of my own hanspun. The spinning job on this yarn was great, but I didn't like the way the colors worked together, so I kept it. It's still pretty.
I knitted this one from the toe up, to make sure I wouldn't run out of yardage. This sock yarn makes an extremely cozy, winter appropriate sock. Though now I'm affected by a combined version of second sock syndrome: not only do I have to knit the second sock, but I still have to spin the yarn for it as well. I'm confident it will be well worth it once it's done.
So, as far as the spinning goes, I have spun half of the yarn I need for my next listing and I ought to have the other half of it done by the end of the week. I haven't made my mind up about what to name this colorway, but I figure it ought to be something nautical (while thinking of nautical names I had a good laugh about the coincidental resemblance of this yarn to the team colors of the Seattle Mariners- it could make nice socks for a baseball fan).
So I'm hoping to have this one listed very soon on Etsy and soon to follow that will be a beautiful fiery-colored sock yarn.
This next week or two I'm also going to be spending some time working on more unfinished objects, and have even more knitting stacked on my plate once I've finished what's already in progress. I'm hoping to finish a sweater I'm working on for Paige as well as finishing the ugly christmas sweater once and for all. It's amazing how easily I get distracted.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
In need of refreshing...
I feel I've finally reached a place where I need to step back from things and take a break, or I'm going to burn-out big time. I've been spinning and spinning and knitting and knitting and I just really need to stop for a while.
I'm beginning to think that God is sending me a message. I've become so fiber-obsessed that I'm not doing anything else or going anywhere else that isn't already a part of my daily routine. Two months have passed since the beginning of this year, when I first started writing this blog, and virtually nothing in my life that I want to change has changed.
I started to hit some hard emotions on Sunday, when we went to 'try out' a different church. The people were nice and the sermon was really good, but I felt like crying the entire service, which at the time I attributed to my being right smack in the middle of my monthly. My sweetheart of a husband is a wonderful man, and though he's not all that vocal about it, I think he loves God- he's the kind of guy that doesn't really strike you as a Christian, but then he pulls off some incredibly selfless act of loving-kindness and gives of himself 110%.
However he gets uncomfortable at our usual church because the people there are extremely friendly and they like to come up and talk to him and invite him to home-groups during the week and such- which he's made it quite clear he doesn't want to do. So, a few weeks back when I had to work a Sunday morning for his sister, he ended up going to church with his mom, and afterwards, told me he really liked it and thought it would be good if I came and gave it a try. So, this Sunday we all went, and like I said, the sermon was good and the people were friendly, but I just really wanted to cry the whole time.
Then yesterday, after dropping Paige off at preschool, I was driving down the road and felt like God was showing me that the reason I want to stay at the Vineyard (our usual church) is because all the people there are really on fire for God. They're passionately in love with him. Which is the kind of Christian I want to be. I felt like God was telling me that the problem I've been having, the wrong feeling I've been having about my life, is because even though I love God, I'm not in love with him, I'm not passionately on fire for God, and it's throwing my entire life out of balance. Right now, even though I love my friends and my family and I'm thankful for all of the blessings in my life, I'm not really enjoying any of it because I'm not spending enough time with God. I've let my relationship with him be pushed to the backburner, by things which are totally unimportant, and I'm not loving anything or anyone the way I ought to right now because I'm not connected to the very source of love- God Himself.
So this morning I felt like God was impressing on me, that what I really need to do, is to fast for a while, and spend the majority of my free-time in His word, while I regain my focus and the balance in my life.
I'm beginning to think that God is sending me a message. I've become so fiber-obsessed that I'm not doing anything else or going anywhere else that isn't already a part of my daily routine. Two months have passed since the beginning of this year, when I first started writing this blog, and virtually nothing in my life that I want to change has changed.
I started to hit some hard emotions on Sunday, when we went to 'try out' a different church. The people were nice and the sermon was really good, but I felt like crying the entire service, which at the time I attributed to my being right smack in the middle of my monthly. My sweetheart of a husband is a wonderful man, and though he's not all that vocal about it, I think he loves God- he's the kind of guy that doesn't really strike you as a Christian, but then he pulls off some incredibly selfless act of loving-kindness and gives of himself 110%.
However he gets uncomfortable at our usual church because the people there are extremely friendly and they like to come up and talk to him and invite him to home-groups during the week and such- which he's made it quite clear he doesn't want to do. So, a few weeks back when I had to work a Sunday morning for his sister, he ended up going to church with his mom, and afterwards, told me he really liked it and thought it would be good if I came and gave it a try. So, this Sunday we all went, and like I said, the sermon was good and the people were friendly, but I just really wanted to cry the whole time.
Then yesterday, after dropping Paige off at preschool, I was driving down the road and felt like God was showing me that the reason I want to stay at the Vineyard (our usual church) is because all the people there are really on fire for God. They're passionately in love with him. Which is the kind of Christian I want to be. I felt like God was telling me that the problem I've been having, the wrong feeling I've been having about my life, is because even though I love God, I'm not in love with him, I'm not passionately on fire for God, and it's throwing my entire life out of balance. Right now, even though I love my friends and my family and I'm thankful for all of the blessings in my life, I'm not really enjoying any of it because I'm not spending enough time with God. I've let my relationship with him be pushed to the backburner, by things which are totally unimportant, and I'm not loving anything or anyone the way I ought to right now because I'm not connected to the very source of love- God Himself.
So this morning I felt like God was impressing on me, that what I really need to do, is to fast for a while, and spend the majority of my free-time in His word, while I regain my focus and the balance in my life.
I know it's good for me to have a hobby, and I know that God wants me to have things that I enjoy doing in my life. He's the one who put that love and creative energy in me in the first place. I'm sure it wont be that long till I'm spinning again, but I until I get some balance back and my peace about it has been restored, I'm going to pack up my wheel and take a break. I've a few socks on the needles, that I'm sure I'll finish over the next week or two, but the rest can of it can wait... for me... for a change.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Still Finishing
It's nice to be in a period of finishing. I still have a number of knitted things laying around waiting to be finished, but mostly they're very close to being done. The moebius bag is done, except for finishing the inside pocket, then it just has to be felted and I plan to use some of the yarn I used for the i-cord to embroider stars on it once it's done. The madder ribbed socks have been finished for a while- in fact, I'm wearing them right now.
The only bigger thing I have left to finish knitting is my 'ugly christmas sweater'. I still have to knit the back and one sleeve and then do the neckline and seaming. Then I have a number of new patterns lined up that I want to begin working on. Most of them are Knitting Pure and Simple patterns and all of them are sweaters. I'm stoked, these patterns fly with lightening-like speed.
I have about half of the yarn I need spun for the Henry done. There are 3 partially-done spinning projects taking turns on the wheel right now, and admittedly it's slow in coming.
I'm beginning to notice a pattern with my knitting and spinning. I tend to work on my knitting for a week or so, then not touch the knitting and be at my wheel for a week or so. Right now, I am (obviously) on a knitting binge. Which began right after finishing the Indian Valley Sock yarn. This yarn is currently available through my Etsy store- there's a link in the sidebar for anyone who is interested.
It turned out very lovely. I'm very tempted to knit it myself.
My latest knitting F.O. is the first of my Baudelaire Socks. I had to make several adjustments for these to fit my feet. I'm pleased with them, though. As I worked on it, I listened to Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie on tape. So far it's a very amusing story. I'm excited to see how it ends. On that note I've also been reading Dead Man's Folly, also by Agatha Christie. It's the first time I've ever read/listened to anything by her and I like it.
I think it's about time to get back on the wheel again. More spinning... more Agatha Christie. Sounds like a plan to me.
The only bigger thing I have left to finish knitting is my 'ugly christmas sweater'. I still have to knit the back and one sleeve and then do the neckline and seaming. Then I have a number of new patterns lined up that I want to begin working on. Most of them are Knitting Pure and Simple patterns and all of them are sweaters. I'm stoked, these patterns fly with lightening-like speed.
I have about half of the yarn I need spun for the Henry done. There are 3 partially-done spinning projects taking turns on the wheel right now, and admittedly it's slow in coming.
I'm beginning to notice a pattern with my knitting and spinning. I tend to work on my knitting for a week or so, then not touch the knitting and be at my wheel for a week or so. Right now, I am (obviously) on a knitting binge. Which began right after finishing the Indian Valley Sock yarn. This yarn is currently available through my Etsy store- there's a link in the sidebar for anyone who is interested.
It turned out very lovely. I'm very tempted to knit it myself.
My latest knitting F.O. is the first of my Baudelaire Socks. I had to make several adjustments for these to fit my feet. I'm pleased with them, though. As I worked on it, I listened to Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie on tape. So far it's a very amusing story. I'm excited to see how it ends. On that note I've also been reading Dead Man's Folly, also by Agatha Christie. It's the first time I've ever read/listened to anything by her and I like it.
I think it's about time to get back on the wheel again. More spinning... more Agatha Christie. Sounds like a plan to me.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Enjoying the calm...
Last Friday my daughter Paige started preschool.
She's starting in the middle of the school year because back in September my husband and I were in mutual agreement that she was going to be home-schooled. However, my husband has recently been looking at a possible career change and if he does change jobs, it means that our family will be packing up, selling our home and moving to a small town about 50 miles away from where we are now.
On one hand, the school will probably be a bit less challenging (which is not a problem, because we are still going to work with her at home all the time to make sure she's getting a well-rounded education), but on the other hand, the school will be a far safer environment, likely to have much fewer social pressures and complications, as this small town is very friendly (the kind of town where people still go out of their way to be friendly and helpful to both neighbors and strangers alike). So we've decided it would be best for her to go to school, so that she can be around other children.
I really thought that this separation for a couple of hours three times a week was going to be very hard for me. With the exception of the hours I was gone when I was still working, I've been taking care of Paige non-stop, 24 hours a day, since the day she was born. But I have to say, I am enjoying the time that I'm alone far more than I imagined I would. I'm beginning to treasure it.
When she's in school, I come home and walk all the dogs. I read, or do some housework, and for this little bit of time a few days a week, it's totally quiet. I love it. This morning I went out with the dogs and walked just under 3 miles, and it was so beautiful. It was crisp and chilly, the way it usually is near the end of winter or in early spring, but the sun was warm on my face and the air was so fresh. It was just lovely. I have to admit, I really am not the kind of person who is nutty about gardening, but I almost want to right now. Just so I can have an excuse to be outside.
I think maybe I'll take Paige to the playground when she gets out of preschool, just so I can enjoy the sun a little bit longer.
She's starting in the middle of the school year because back in September my husband and I were in mutual agreement that she was going to be home-schooled. However, my husband has recently been looking at a possible career change and if he does change jobs, it means that our family will be packing up, selling our home and moving to a small town about 50 miles away from where we are now.
On one hand, the school will probably be a bit less challenging (which is not a problem, because we are still going to work with her at home all the time to make sure she's getting a well-rounded education), but on the other hand, the school will be a far safer environment, likely to have much fewer social pressures and complications, as this small town is very friendly (the kind of town where people still go out of their way to be friendly and helpful to both neighbors and strangers alike). So we've decided it would be best for her to go to school, so that she can be around other children.
I really thought that this separation for a couple of hours three times a week was going to be very hard for me. With the exception of the hours I was gone when I was still working, I've been taking care of Paige non-stop, 24 hours a day, since the day she was born. But I have to say, I am enjoying the time that I'm alone far more than I imagined I would. I'm beginning to treasure it.
When she's in school, I come home and walk all the dogs. I read, or do some housework, and for this little bit of time a few days a week, it's totally quiet. I love it. This morning I went out with the dogs and walked just under 3 miles, and it was so beautiful. It was crisp and chilly, the way it usually is near the end of winter or in early spring, but the sun was warm on my face and the air was so fresh. It was just lovely. I have to admit, I really am not the kind of person who is nutty about gardening, but I almost want to right now. Just so I can have an excuse to be outside.
I think maybe I'll take Paige to the playground when she gets out of preschool, just so I can enjoy the sun a little bit longer.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sometimes they're adorable...
Last night I caught these two cuddled up together on the sofa and I just had to take a picture. They actually get along pretty well, except for when Ollie (the cat) will beat up on Buddy and make him cry. For a big dog he's entirely a sissy.
Friday, February 8, 2008
One down...
One to go.
What I ended up with is completely different from what I imagined before I began, but nice none-the-less. I mentioned in my previous blog that I was aiming for 'sea nymph' and in my defense, that's very much what the singles looked like on the bobbins, but when I plied those singles together, I got something completely autumnal instead.
The rust really dominated the burgundy (which became mostly brown anyways). It turned out lovely just the same. I must remember that this is a learning experience- this was the first time I tried to dye wool using this method.
I am going to call this color combination 'Indian Valley' because it reminds me of all the colors there in the fall: deep browns, bright oranges and lots of green with all the evergreens we have here in Washington state.
The only thing I was disappointed in was the yardage. This is 2 ounces of merino and I fell short of my 200 yard goal by almost 25 yards. Though, I have to say this came out so nice I don't really want to spin it any thinner. As a 3-ply it came out at approximately 17wpi. I'm strongly considering dividing my roving into 2.5 ounce segments per skien to get the yardage I'd like instead. I hope to have any skien of sock yarn that I make for the purpose of selling to be at least enough to knit one average-size sock.
I anticipate (realistically) to be done with the second skien by the end of this next week. I think I need to take a couple of days off from the wheel... My eyes are getting twitchy.
What I ended up with is completely different from what I imagined before I began, but nice none-the-less. I mentioned in my previous blog that I was aiming for 'sea nymph' and in my defense, that's very much what the singles looked like on the bobbins, but when I plied those singles together, I got something completely autumnal instead.
The rust really dominated the burgundy (which became mostly brown anyways). It turned out lovely just the same. I must remember that this is a learning experience- this was the first time I tried to dye wool using this method.
I am going to call this color combination 'Indian Valley' because it reminds me of all the colors there in the fall: deep browns, bright oranges and lots of green with all the evergreens we have here in Washington state.
The only thing I was disappointed in was the yardage. This is 2 ounces of merino and I fell short of my 200 yard goal by almost 25 yards. Though, I have to say this came out so nice I don't really want to spin it any thinner. As a 3-ply it came out at approximately 17wpi. I'm strongly considering dividing my roving into 2.5 ounce segments per skien to get the yardage I'd like instead. I hope to have any skien of sock yarn that I make for the purpose of selling to be at least enough to knit one average-size sock.
I anticipate (realistically) to be done with the second skien by the end of this next week. I think I need to take a couple of days off from the wheel... My eyes are getting twitchy.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Finally Done...
I am pleased to say that the Zigzag is finally done. It took about a year (though about 10 months of that year it was just hanging out in my closet) and it's done. Saturday night I finished the second sleeve while I was watching a movie with my daughter, and yesterday I seamed it up when we got home from church. I tried it on, and it fits perfectly. I love it. I love it. I love it. Yes it was knitted with inexpensive fisherman's wool, but somehow it turned out lovely anyways. This must be an act of God's kindness in my life.
I also spent part of the last few days finishing these.
They are both 2-ply handspun which were spun from Louet Northern Lights in the color 'icy winter'. The top skien is just over 290 yards and the bottom skien is just over 229. They are approximately 19 wpi (lace weight) and I've put them for sale (individually) on Etsy. If no one buys them before their listing expires I've decided to keep them and knit a small lace shawl or a delicate lace scarf. Mmmm... lace.
It's a spun single of the merino I hand-dyed last week. It's going to be 3-ply handspun sock yarn when I'm all done with it. It's really, really pretty. I'm going to call this color Sea Nymph.
If this stuff doesn't sell, not only will I be very surprised, but also secretly happy that I can horde it all to myself.
On another note, I'm glad I'm at least mostly done with setting up everything on my Etsy account. It really stressed me out. I love all the spinning, but the computer stuff drives me nutty. A couple of nights ago I actually had a funny dream/nightmare about Etsy. I checked my email and found, to my delight, that I had sold a couple of items on Etsy, but when I checked in to my account it said that I had sold two items that I had never even posted to sell at all! So of course my response to this was that I freaked out and woke up.
I think my mental health and general wellness benefits greatly from not having to do too many things involving computers on a regular basis. I think computers are wonderful, I enjoy using ours to do a number of things, but I don't speak the 'language' the way many other people do. If I had to choose between getting intimately familiar with computers and learning Chinese I'd take the Chinese without hesitation.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Some Like it Cold
I'm so excited. It finally snowed. There may be a good deal more of it on the way, too.
I took these pictures before work this morning while I was waiting for the Jeep to warm up. It was almost 8:00 and very, very cold.
Back in September, I quit my job working for my Mom-in-Law (a lovely lady and a very close friend) who owns a local drive-through espresso stand. I had been a barista for the last 6 years or so and though I still love coffee passionately, I became intensely burned out with my job. Working with family is mostly great, and I was always treated very well, but somehow I always ended up (with the exception of one weekly morning shift) working nights. It became hard on our family when my husband started driving truck and working a very early shift (he's up between 3 and 4:00 in the morning and goes to bed between 7 and 8:00 at night). It got to the point where we felt like we were only seeing each other one day a week. After a couple years of it something had to change, so I quit to stay at home and take care of our daughter. Things are a lot less stressful now and the house, though still a work in progress, is much cleaner.
Still, every once in a while there's an "emergency" and I get called in to work a shift or (as the case was today) to cover for a few hours. I'm not sure I would have worked if I new how slick and frightening the roads were going to be.
At least I'm already back home and getting to enjoy this.
It is so beautiful. I'll be able to enjoy it a lot more now that I know I wont have to go anywhere else in it for a while. I'm going to stay home and finish up the Zigzag (for real this time). All I have left is the sleeve cap on the second sleeve and then seaming it in after it's blocked. I'm ecstatic!
On another note, Saturday I was able to spend a few hours getting a lesson on dying fiber with Amelia from The Bellwether. Her blog, which you can find here is most informative and helpful. I've turned to it many, many times when I've hit bumps in the road with my spindling, wheel spinning, or pretty much any fiber-related problem I've had. So, of course I really like getting to spend time with her where I get to learn from her one on one. I also love getting to see her beautiful hand-spun yarns, some of which are available here. One time after a spinning lesson with her, she showed me some beautiful hand-spun boucle that still haunts me whenever I sit down to my wheel. So, thanks to Amelia, my Saturday was pretty great!
Well, the knitting (and laundry) is calling, so I'd better get moving.
Here's a cute picture of my dog, Boone. I was holding a piece of bacon for him, trying to get him to look at the camera and I was lucky enough to get this picture of him mid-wink. He'll wink for anyone with bacon.
I took these pictures before work this morning while I was waiting for the Jeep to warm up. It was almost 8:00 and very, very cold.
Back in September, I quit my job working for my Mom-in-Law (a lovely lady and a very close friend) who owns a local drive-through espresso stand. I had been a barista for the last 6 years or so and though I still love coffee passionately, I became intensely burned out with my job. Working with family is mostly great, and I was always treated very well, but somehow I always ended up (with the exception of one weekly morning shift) working nights. It became hard on our family when my husband started driving truck and working a very early shift (he's up between 3 and 4:00 in the morning and goes to bed between 7 and 8:00 at night). It got to the point where we felt like we were only seeing each other one day a week. After a couple years of it something had to change, so I quit to stay at home and take care of our daughter. Things are a lot less stressful now and the house, though still a work in progress, is much cleaner.
Still, every once in a while there's an "emergency" and I get called in to work a shift or (as the case was today) to cover for a few hours. I'm not sure I would have worked if I new how slick and frightening the roads were going to be.
At least I'm already back home and getting to enjoy this.
It is so beautiful. I'll be able to enjoy it a lot more now that I know I wont have to go anywhere else in it for a while. I'm going to stay home and finish up the Zigzag (for real this time). All I have left is the sleeve cap on the second sleeve and then seaming it in after it's blocked. I'm ecstatic!
On another note, Saturday I was able to spend a few hours getting a lesson on dying fiber with Amelia from The Bellwether. Her blog, which you can find here is most informative and helpful. I've turned to it many, many times when I've hit bumps in the road with my spindling, wheel spinning, or pretty much any fiber-related problem I've had. So, of course I really like getting to spend time with her where I get to learn from her one on one. I also love getting to see her beautiful hand-spun yarns, some of which are available here. One time after a spinning lesson with her, she showed me some beautiful hand-spun boucle that still haunts me whenever I sit down to my wheel. So, thanks to Amelia, my Saturday was pretty great!
Well, the knitting (and laundry) is calling, so I'd better get moving.
Here's a cute picture of my dog, Boone. I was holding a piece of bacon for him, trying to get him to look at the camera and I was lucky enough to get this picture of him mid-wink. He'll wink for anyone with bacon.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Spinning for Henry
The last few days have been (for me) an endurance test of spinning as much of the merino for my Dad's henry as I can with a few 'breaks' of picking up the last sleeve of the Zigzag and working one 12-row repeat at a time. I have one bobbin filled with very fine singles and two bobbins that are partially filled. As for the Zigzag, there is only half of a sleeve left to knit. I'm almost done with all the increasing.
Supposedly, the 'weather report' for this weekend is calling for snow, possibly to last through Monday or Tuesday. I've been skunked every time they've said this so I'm not going to believe it until I see it myself, but if I keep to the Zigzag and knit like the wind, I can probably get it done before any snow does fall.
After all of the repetitious knitting and spinning I've been busy with over the last few days, I was very excited to find this one evening when I got home.
It's two pounds of lovely merino, patiently waiting to be dyed and spun. It's so soft. I am so excited!
Yesterday I bought five colors of Cushing's dye from Amelia at The Bellwether and today, after my husband gets home, I'm heading off to the thrift stores to finish shopping for more dying supplies. Mainly, I need to find an old stockpot with a lid and a steamer basket of some sort to fit inside and maybe a few glass jars. There are still several little things that I need to pick up, but they're all inexpensive and easy to find.
Once I have everything I need for the dying, I've arranged to borrow a kitchen scale to weigh out and separate the merino into proportionate amounts. I could eyeball it, but I'd really rather not. First off, I'm going to divide it in half, because one lb. of it is going to be for a zippered jacket for Paige. I want to divide the second lb. of it into somewhat even amounts for dying and spinning (I have lots and lots of pretty 3-ply sock yarn in mind). I'm hoping that once I get going on it, it will move along nicely. Though the thought of an entire pound of fiber for 3-ply sock yarn does make make the mind reel when considering the marathon of spinning it will involve. I think it's going to be a very busy Spring.
P.S. I don't know how, but by some funky glitch, the photos have (as you can see) disappeared from my last blog entry. Which is silly, when the title of the blog is "See this?" because, you know, you can't. Hopefully it wont be happening again. If anyone knows why this happened or has any advice about it, please feel free to drop me a note about it in the comments.
Supposedly, the 'weather report' for this weekend is calling for snow, possibly to last through Monday or Tuesday. I've been skunked every time they've said this so I'm not going to believe it until I see it myself, but if I keep to the Zigzag and knit like the wind, I can probably get it done before any snow does fall.
After all of the repetitious knitting and spinning I've been busy with over the last few days, I was very excited to find this one evening when I got home.
It's two pounds of lovely merino, patiently waiting to be dyed and spun. It's so soft. I am so excited!
Yesterday I bought five colors of Cushing's dye from Amelia at The Bellwether and today, after my husband gets home, I'm heading off to the thrift stores to finish shopping for more dying supplies. Mainly, I need to find an old stockpot with a lid and a steamer basket of some sort to fit inside and maybe a few glass jars. There are still several little things that I need to pick up, but they're all inexpensive and easy to find.
Once I have everything I need for the dying, I've arranged to borrow a kitchen scale to weigh out and separate the merino into proportionate amounts. I could eyeball it, but I'd really rather not. First off, I'm going to divide it in half, because one lb. of it is going to be for a zippered jacket for Paige. I want to divide the second lb. of it into somewhat even amounts for dying and spinning (I have lots and lots of pretty 3-ply sock yarn in mind). I'm hoping that once I get going on it, it will move along nicely. Though the thought of an entire pound of fiber for 3-ply sock yarn does make make the mind reel when considering the marathon of spinning it will involve. I think it's going to be a very busy Spring.
P.S. I don't know how, but by some funky glitch, the photos have (as you can see) disappeared from my last blog entry. Which is silly, when the title of the blog is "See this?" because, you know, you can't. Hopefully it wont be happening again. If anyone knows why this happened or has any advice about it, please feel free to drop me a note about it in the comments.
Monday, January 21, 2008
See this?
This is all of the work that's left to be done on the Zigzag. I'm almost done. Once I finished the first sleeve I tried seaming it in and I tried it on and ended up being extremely disappointed with the results. So I ripped out my seams and soaked in in the washer.
After blocking it for a day I tried the seaming again, and this time, it came out as I hoped it would, like this.
It looks nice lying on the kitchen table and it also looks nice when I try it on. I am pleased. Also, seeing it looking so nice (especially since it didn't look completely dumpy on me when I tried it on) encouraged me to get the second sleeve going right away. Just a little bit longer...
Before finishing the sleeve I got to this point on the Moebius,
Which is where my first ball of yarn ran out. I have more, I've just been working on the things I really should (for a change).
Yesterday I was feeling very 'sweatered out' so I pulled out the merino for my Dad's Henry and started spinning away. I spun for probably 3 hours yesterday and for another hour today, and I have the bobbin,which was close to half-way full before I began, almost full now. I should be able to get it where I need it after dinner tonight.
I really want to get the rest of this stuff spun and plied and in every way dealt with, so I can spin the rest of the silk for Paige. I like drop spindling, but I'm too impatient for it right now. I also want to get the 6 ounces of pretty white alpaca I bought with knee socks in mind, dyed and spun up before spring gets here.
I have so many things going, and I'm glad that I'm actually making some real progress and getting through them. It will be fun when the end of this year comes and I can look back and see all the things that were finished- a little bit at a time.
After blocking it for a day I tried the seaming again, and this time, it came out as I hoped it would, like this.
It looks nice lying on the kitchen table and it also looks nice when I try it on. I am pleased. Also, seeing it looking so nice (especially since it didn't look completely dumpy on me when I tried it on) encouraged me to get the second sleeve going right away. Just a little bit longer...
Before finishing the sleeve I got to this point on the Moebius,
Which is where my first ball of yarn ran out. I have more, I've just been working on the things I really should (for a change).
Yesterday I was feeling very 'sweatered out' so I pulled out the merino for my Dad's Henry and started spinning away. I spun for probably 3 hours yesterday and for another hour today, and I have the bobbin,which was close to half-way full before I began, almost full now. I should be able to get it where I need it after dinner tonight.
I really want to get the rest of this stuff spun and plied and in every way dealt with, so I can spin the rest of the silk for Paige. I like drop spindling, but I'm too impatient for it right now. I also want to get the 6 ounces of pretty white alpaca I bought with knee socks in mind, dyed and spun up before spring gets here.
I have so many things going, and I'm glad that I'm actually making some real progress and getting through them. It will be fun when the end of this year comes and I can look back and see all the things that were finished- a little bit at a time.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Apparently,
I can't stay on track with the knitting for very long.
I was zooming along on the first sleeve of the Zigzag and had even finished doing all of the increases for the sleeve when I saw this book on the shelf at the library. Even though I new it could lead to more anti-finishing trouble, I chose to ignore my good senses and I checked it out. This book is fun. Very fun. It's fun to read and the patterns are simple and imaginative.
Almost every pattern in the book begins with a form of a Moebius band. I'd try to explain it, but I wouldn't do it justice. You just have to take a peek at the book to see. Actually, I needed to follow through the steps and make one. (This was one that my mind didn't 'get' from reading through it. I had to do one to understand how it works.)
However, knitting one to see how it worked, just wasn't enough. Once I knitted a little trial band, it only took 3-4 hours for me to decide that I probably wouldn't handle it well if I didn't get to knit one of the handbags from the book. This is what I have so far.
The colors are okay. Not my favorite but still kind of pretty. You have to keep in mind that I am using Patons classic merino that I found stuffed in a drawer. So I am still being (somewhat) virtuous in that I'm trying to use up all the yarn I already have. The only exception is the I-cord edging around the bag, that was necessary because all the colors in my stash that would have gone nicely with this blue would not have survived the long trip around the edges of the bag- there just wasn't enough left. And likewise, everything that I had enough of would have been hideous with this blue. In all fairness I did buy the yarn with a coupon.
The trip to look for the yarn was actually more than I bargained for. I took Paige with me and she had one of those moments at JoAnn's. She found this 'stuff your own bear kit' on a shelf and wouldn't leave it alone. I kept saying, "Mommy has to buy a new measuring tape." (the one she decided on a cranky whim to shred yesterday morning).
To which she replied, "I want to look. I need to look."
To which I instinctively replied, "Paige-y, I really don't think we're going to be able to get that." Which was immediately followed by a spilling of tears.
Now, you have to understand. I am not a mean, mean Mom (though Paige-y, at four years old, often emphatically insists I am) but I do have extremely rigid rules about not buying Paige things, with the exception of food, when we go out in public. Her father, my awesome husband, went through a phase when she was about two years old, and he started buying her a toy every time all of us left the house together. I know my hubby meant well and was just trying to be a loving father and all, but after this happened two or three times, Paige started throwing hellish tantrums every time I took her into a store. My personal guideline about fit throwing is that if she throws a tantrum to get what she wants, it's an iron-clad guarantee that she's not going to get it. I can't cave. She's a red head. If I let her tread on me even a little bit, she assumes the role of a 4-year-old dictator, barking commands at me, like
"Where's my milk, Mom? Come on, Mom, I want my milk. Schnell! Schneller!"
So If I want a peaceful trip to the store, I really can't give in. Last night, however, I said I'd see how much it was, because it had a mark-down sticker on it and it was on a 60% off sale shelf. It ended up being only twelve dollars. She had to clean her room to get it once we were home, which she did with lightning-like speed and she was well-warned before we left the store that the bear-stuffing kit was going to be "it" for a long time.
Hopefully, she'll mellow out. After all, she's still coming down from the Christmas high. Poor kid. She got stuck with old-school parents. You know, the loving, caring, "I know you don't like it now but it's really for your own good" kind of parents. Some day she'll understand. The hard part is being patient all the years she still doesn't.
I was zooming along on the first sleeve of the Zigzag and had even finished doing all of the increases for the sleeve when I saw this book on the shelf at the library. Even though I new it could lead to more anti-finishing trouble, I chose to ignore my good senses and I checked it out. This book is fun. Very fun. It's fun to read and the patterns are simple and imaginative.
Almost every pattern in the book begins with a form of a Moebius band. I'd try to explain it, but I wouldn't do it justice. You just have to take a peek at the book to see. Actually, I needed to follow through the steps and make one. (This was one that my mind didn't 'get' from reading through it. I had to do one to understand how it works.)
However, knitting one to see how it worked, just wasn't enough. Once I knitted a little trial band, it only took 3-4 hours for me to decide that I probably wouldn't handle it well if I didn't get to knit one of the handbags from the book. This is what I have so far.
The colors are okay. Not my favorite but still kind of pretty. You have to keep in mind that I am using Patons classic merino that I found stuffed in a drawer. So I am still being (somewhat) virtuous in that I'm trying to use up all the yarn I already have. The only exception is the I-cord edging around the bag, that was necessary because all the colors in my stash that would have gone nicely with this blue would not have survived the long trip around the edges of the bag- there just wasn't enough left. And likewise, everything that I had enough of would have been hideous with this blue. In all fairness I did buy the yarn with a coupon.
The trip to look for the yarn was actually more than I bargained for. I took Paige with me and she had one of those moments at JoAnn's. She found this 'stuff your own bear kit' on a shelf and wouldn't leave it alone. I kept saying, "Mommy has to buy a new measuring tape." (the one she decided on a cranky whim to shred yesterday morning).
To which she replied, "I want to look. I need to look."
To which I instinctively replied, "Paige-y, I really don't think we're going to be able to get that." Which was immediately followed by a spilling of tears.
Now, you have to understand. I am not a mean, mean Mom (though Paige-y, at four years old, often emphatically insists I am) but I do have extremely rigid rules about not buying Paige things, with the exception of food, when we go out in public. Her father, my awesome husband, went through a phase when she was about two years old, and he started buying her a toy every time all of us left the house together. I know my hubby meant well and was just trying to be a loving father and all, but after this happened two or three times, Paige started throwing hellish tantrums every time I took her into a store. My personal guideline about fit throwing is that if she throws a tantrum to get what she wants, it's an iron-clad guarantee that she's not going to get it. I can't cave. She's a red head. If I let her tread on me even a little bit, she assumes the role of a 4-year-old dictator, barking commands at me, like
"Where's my milk, Mom? Come on, Mom, I want my milk. Schnell! Schneller!"
So If I want a peaceful trip to the store, I really can't give in. Last night, however, I said I'd see how much it was, because it had a mark-down sticker on it and it was on a 60% off sale shelf. It ended up being only twelve dollars. She had to clean her room to get it once we were home, which she did with lightning-like speed and she was well-warned before we left the store that the bear-stuffing kit was going to be "it" for a long time.
Hopefully, she'll mellow out. After all, she's still coming down from the Christmas high. Poor kid. She got stuck with old-school parents. You know, the loving, caring, "I know you don't like it now but it's really for your own good" kind of parents. Some day she'll understand. The hard part is being patient all the years she still doesn't.
Monday, January 14, 2008
I'm glad I can say...
I finally got some good knitting in this weekend.
The first of the Madder Ribbed Socks (from Knitting Vintage Socks- one of my favorite books) for the knit-a-long is done and it fits perfectly. I worked it as the pattern directs, except I substituted a French heel instead of the Dutch heel (which I'm not very fond of- they don't fit my foot very well) and I worked a flat toe instead of a pointed (for the same reason). The ribbing of this pattern is wonderful as it hugs the leg perfectly and the yarn was like falling in love. This Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn is gorgeous. The exact color of the yarn wasn't really labeled on the band, but from what I can tell from looking online, this color is called 'Indian Summer'. It almost looks pink in some of the photographs I've taken, but to the eye it's all rust, brown and tan with little flecks here and there of bright red. I think I loved it so much because I used to wear these colors all the time as they're some of the few colors out there that 'work' for me, but at some point I must have gotten out of the habit of buying them. Right now I think I have only one sweater that's a chocolate shade of brown.
At least I now know what color(s) to look for when I start a new sweater.
The night I finished the sock, I took out my Spin-Dizzy (also purchased from The Bellwether ) and I spun up a little more silk. This little bit came out of the darker of the two batches. I had a terrible time trying to photograph it to where you could see the colors and this was the best I could get (against my pale-blue kitchen counter).
It has a little bit of pink and a lot of purple with peacock shades of green and blue. But as you can see, I didn't get much spinning done because...
Yesterday, I finally turned my attention back to the Zigzag. As of last night I had half of a sleeve and by the end of today I hope to have the other half. I'm optimistic about it and I figure I ought to have the sweater finished in 3-4 days. If for some stupid reason I do finish the sleeves and then decide to put off sewing them in, I hope some kindly soul will come up and slap some sense into me. After all, I think I finished knitting the body of this sweater almost a year ago.
At least I have my ever-thinning wardrobe and the cold weather motivating me to get it done.
P. S. This is the first mitten after washing and blocking. My color-work is still a little shoddy but it is only my second fair isle project. I'm not disappointed.
The first of the Madder Ribbed Socks (from Knitting Vintage Socks- one of my favorite books) for the knit-a-long is done and it fits perfectly. I worked it as the pattern directs, except I substituted a French heel instead of the Dutch heel (which I'm not very fond of- they don't fit my foot very well) and I worked a flat toe instead of a pointed (for the same reason). The ribbing of this pattern is wonderful as it hugs the leg perfectly and the yarn was like falling in love. This Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn is gorgeous. The exact color of the yarn wasn't really labeled on the band, but from what I can tell from looking online, this color is called 'Indian Summer'. It almost looks pink in some of the photographs I've taken, but to the eye it's all rust, brown and tan with little flecks here and there of bright red. I think I loved it so much because I used to wear these colors all the time as they're some of the few colors out there that 'work' for me, but at some point I must have gotten out of the habit of buying them. Right now I think I have only one sweater that's a chocolate shade of brown.
At least I now know what color(s) to look for when I start a new sweater.
The night I finished the sock, I took out my Spin-Dizzy (also purchased from The Bellwether ) and I spun up a little more silk. This little bit came out of the darker of the two batches. I had a terrible time trying to photograph it to where you could see the colors and this was the best I could get (against my pale-blue kitchen counter).
It has a little bit of pink and a lot of purple with peacock shades of green and blue. But as you can see, I didn't get much spinning done because...
Yesterday, I finally turned my attention back to the Zigzag. As of last night I had half of a sleeve and by the end of today I hope to have the other half. I'm optimistic about it and I figure I ought to have the sweater finished in 3-4 days. If for some stupid reason I do finish the sleeves and then decide to put off sewing them in, I hope some kindly soul will come up and slap some sense into me. After all, I think I finished knitting the body of this sweater almost a year ago.
At least I have my ever-thinning wardrobe and the cold weather motivating me to get it done.
P. S. This is the first mitten after washing and blocking. My color-work is still a little shoddy but it is only my second fair isle project. I'm not disappointed.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
That's it...
This is as far as the mitten is going to get for now. I'm going to finish the thumb (but only because I need these needles to knit a sock) and then I'm putting it away for at least a couple of weeks, if not a couple of months.
I have to say, I like color knitting, but it takes it's toll. For the better part of a week, I have been knitting (though admittedly not much- there hasn't been much time for it) and this is all I have to show for my efforts. If I had been working on the sleeves for the Zigzag, I would probably be done with one if not both. I'm not satisfied with this the way I'd like to be. I'm so far along with this one, I don't want to rip it back, after all it does fit my hand and will work for it's intended use, but I'm going to make a solid list of my likes and dislikes and what I'm planning on doing differently before I make a second pair.
As for the silk I dyed the other day, one of the two portions came out with really light, pretty pastel colors- it reminds me of cotton candy, and while the second portion still has a lot of white in it, it also had much darker, bolder colors. It will be fun to see how they turn out. I spun up this little bit on my Jenkins Turkish Spindle which I got from http://www.thebellwether.biz/
and I'm planning on spinning this up into a 3-ply sock yarn for Paige. She felt this silk and she (4 years old) actually asked me if I would make this into socks for her. Smart kid. I had no other plans for it so I guess it's hers.
And last but not least, I picked up some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn today for a new pair of socks that I will probably be starting tomorrow. I think I'll knock out at least one sock before I pick up the sleeves for my sweater. Socks always lift my spirits.
I have to say, I like color knitting, but it takes it's toll. For the better part of a week, I have been knitting (though admittedly not much- there hasn't been much time for it) and this is all I have to show for my efforts. If I had been working on the sleeves for the Zigzag, I would probably be done with one if not both. I'm not satisfied with this the way I'd like to be. I'm so far along with this one, I don't want to rip it back, after all it does fit my hand and will work for it's intended use, but I'm going to make a solid list of my likes and dislikes and what I'm planning on doing differently before I make a second pair.
As for the silk I dyed the other day, one of the two portions came out with really light, pretty pastel colors- it reminds me of cotton candy, and while the second portion still has a lot of white in it, it also had much darker, bolder colors. It will be fun to see how they turn out. I spun up this little bit on my Jenkins Turkish Spindle which I got from http://www.thebellwether.biz/
and I'm planning on spinning this up into a 3-ply sock yarn for Paige. She felt this silk and she (4 years old) actually asked me if I would make this into socks for her. Smart kid. I had no other plans for it so I guess it's hers.
And last but not least, I picked up some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn today for a new pair of socks that I will probably be starting tomorrow. I think I'll knock out at least one sock before I pick up the sleeves for my sweater. Socks always lift my spirits.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Moving right along...
I'm going to make this one short and sweet because I really ought to be sleeping and not blogging. I finished the first half of the first mitten, which is exciting because now you can see what the pattern looks like. Pretty in a simple kind of way and not bad for only getting in a little knitting time this evening. For me the design brings back memories that are almost a little bit punk rock.
A portion of my afternoon was spent dying some pretty silk roving I bought when I was out with my lovely friend Maureen (who just knit her first hat-which turned out beautifully) and sitting at the wheel while the silk steamed. I finished filling the bobbin with the grey stuff...
And then Navajo plied it, and bathed it, and here it is hanging up to dry.
Then this, is my first try at dying any kind of roving. I'm liking the colors. I'm excited to see how it will spin up once it's dry.
If the yarn is even 3/4 as pretty as this stuff looks, I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with it.
And last but not least, those terribly, terribly wrong weather people lied about my precious snow again. It's cold, very cold, but unfortunately not white.
A portion of my afternoon was spent dying some pretty silk roving I bought when I was out with my lovely friend Maureen (who just knit her first hat-which turned out beautifully) and sitting at the wheel while the silk steamed. I finished filling the bobbin with the grey stuff...
And then Navajo plied it, and bathed it, and here it is hanging up to dry.
Then this, is my first try at dying any kind of roving. I'm liking the colors. I'm excited to see how it will spin up once it's dry.
If the yarn is even 3/4 as pretty as this stuff looks, I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with it.
And last but not least, those terribly, terribly wrong weather people lied about my precious snow again. It's cold, very cold, but unfortunately not white.
It's oh so quiet
My husband is back to work now. I loved having him home for a week, but I did miss how the house is perfectly silent in the morning before Paige wakes up. It also seems to be easier to keep up with everything around the house when he's working.
Yesterday I was hoping to get in some spinning time, but then I cut the tip of a most important spinning finger and decided to give the actual spinning a rest, though I do have some singles in need of Navajo plying, which I will try to do today.
The Mitten is coming along well. Again, I had almost no knitting time yesterday, but I did manage to get another inch or so knitted. Maybe today I'll get the better part of it done. When I finish the mittens, I'm going to be picking up the Zigzag to finish the sleeves and sew them on. I'm excited, that will mean that I'll have a new sweater to wear. It's great timing, too. This year has been on the warmer side and it's just now starting to get colder. It's supposed to snow today, I saw it on the forecast, myself. It feels like it just might happen, too.
As it is, it's almost here. I took this standing on our back porch, and you can see that the snow is already almost at the tree line. You can see it when it's snowing in the mountains and sometimes you can actually watch the snow coming in cloud down the mountain and sweeping right towards you. I hope I get to see that today.
I'm off to show that mitten who's boss.
Yesterday I was hoping to get in some spinning time, but then I cut the tip of a most important spinning finger and decided to give the actual spinning a rest, though I do have some singles in need of Navajo plying, which I will try to do today.
The Mitten is coming along well. Again, I had almost no knitting time yesterday, but I did manage to get another inch or so knitted. Maybe today I'll get the better part of it done. When I finish the mittens, I'm going to be picking up the Zigzag to finish the sleeves and sew them on. I'm excited, that will mean that I'll have a new sweater to wear. It's great timing, too. This year has been on the warmer side and it's just now starting to get colder. It's supposed to snow today, I saw it on the forecast, myself. It feels like it just might happen, too.
As it is, it's almost here. I took this standing on our back porch, and you can see that the snow is already almost at the tree line. You can see it when it's snowing in the mountains and sometimes you can actually watch the snow coming in cloud down the mountain and sweeping right towards you. I hope I get to see that today.
I'm off to show that mitten who's boss.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Mittens...
These mittens are giving me a tick. I have never made a pair of mittens before, and I'm not working from a pattern. It also doesn't help that I've had little or no time to knit for the last few days, since finishing the Knitting Pure and Simple Children's Neckdown Bolero for Paige.
I'm happy with the way it turned out, especially when considering that I knit it with inexpensive yarn (Lion Cotton-Ease). It looks very cute on Paige, and the patterns was so simple (I guess that's why they call it Knitting Pure and Simple) that I breezed right through it joyfully.
But these Mittens. I'm way too picky of a person to be knitting on the fly. I keep changing my mind as I go and ripping back and ripping and ripping. The first cast on I began working in a K2 P2 ribbing for the cuff and then I decided I didn't like it and I ripped that back. The next was a K4 P1 ribbing and it took me almost no time to decide that I didn't like that one either. Rip. This was try #3
It was okay. I worked the cuff in K2 P1 ribbing (aha! just right- for me, anyways) than began working the color pattern, which was coming along okay until I realized that it was too tight and these mittens, if finished as such, would be hand-numbing, tourniquet-style mittens. Rip. So I went up a needle size and ended up flipping the colors from the way I did them before, and this is all I've got at the moment.
I'm not unhappy. They fit on my hands comfortably now, and I think I like the light Celtic knot on top of the dark background better than the reverse. The Celtic knot chart came from a pattern I found online ages ago, called 'Matt's Socks' designed (I believe) by a Catherine Devine which I haven't been able to find again. I've looked quite a bit and it seems to be a ghost now. I haven't knit the socks yet, but I thought that little design would look good on the back of some mittens.
Tomorrow, I think I'm going to need a break from the mittens. I'm going to turn my attention to my spinning wheel and make some more of this...
I honestly don't remember what this is. I was not paying close attention when I bought it. Whatever it is, it's making a nice Navajo-plied, worsted weight yarn. I'm enjoying spinning it, though I don't know what it's going to become when it's done.
Hopefully, tomorrow I'll get to spin while watching the snow fall outside.
I'm happy with the way it turned out, especially when considering that I knit it with inexpensive yarn (Lion Cotton-Ease). It looks very cute on Paige, and the patterns was so simple (I guess that's why they call it Knitting Pure and Simple) that I breezed right through it joyfully.
But these Mittens. I'm way too picky of a person to be knitting on the fly. I keep changing my mind as I go and ripping back and ripping and ripping. The first cast on I began working in a K2 P2 ribbing for the cuff and then I decided I didn't like it and I ripped that back. The next was a K4 P1 ribbing and it took me almost no time to decide that I didn't like that one either. Rip. This was try #3
It was okay. I worked the cuff in K2 P1 ribbing (aha! just right- for me, anyways) than began working the color pattern, which was coming along okay until I realized that it was too tight and these mittens, if finished as such, would be hand-numbing, tourniquet-style mittens. Rip. So I went up a needle size and ended up flipping the colors from the way I did them before, and this is all I've got at the moment.
I'm not unhappy. They fit on my hands comfortably now, and I think I like the light Celtic knot on top of the dark background better than the reverse. The Celtic knot chart came from a pattern I found online ages ago, called 'Matt's Socks' designed (I believe) by a Catherine Devine which I haven't been able to find again. I've looked quite a bit and it seems to be a ghost now. I haven't knit the socks yet, but I thought that little design would look good on the back of some mittens.
Tomorrow, I think I'm going to need a break from the mittens. I'm going to turn my attention to my spinning wheel and make some more of this...
I honestly don't remember what this is. I was not paying close attention when I bought it. Whatever it is, it's making a nice Navajo-plied, worsted weight yarn. I'm enjoying spinning it, though I don't know what it's going to become when it's done.
Hopefully, tomorrow I'll get to spin while watching the snow fall outside.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Tuckered Out
This week my husband has been at home, on vacation from work. He chose to take this week off to celebrate his birthday (December 31st) which did go nicely. He ended up having several friends come over, including some from out of town, to spend the day and most of the night wide-eyed in front of the television with the XBOX 360.
For the last three weeks or so the weather forecasts have been frequently calling for snow, though we've been skunked every time.
His week of vacation will be over this next Monday and I have to say I don't think I've ever seen anyone stay so busy when they're given the opportunity to relax and rest.
This morning he was in the shower and out the door in a flash, off to work on our mechanic's computer. He came back home at about lunch time, letting me know that he also had several more things to do today, and that he was planning on taking our daughter and I along. So within a half an hour we rushed out to his parents house (so he could work on their computer) and so Paige could play with Grandma's cats. The blue one is Smokey,
and the white one is Toby (who wasn't thrilled about all the extra attention).
Afterward we were off to lunch and then the barber, then finally home for a few minutes before we left for dinner with friends that he planned on a whim this morning. I have barely been home at all today and I am exhausted.
Sadly, I've knitted almost nothing today which also usually makes for a slightly cranky me. I am proud of myself that I did dig in and get some things done around the house this morning, though I feel like I've barely had time to breathe.
Tomorrow my husband will be driving out of town with his brother and will probably be gone for most of the day. I'm hoping to sit and work out a plan for some mittens I'd like to knit. It is getting colder and I'd like to at least pretend that if I knit some mitten's it will bring the snow. I love snow. I do enjoy all kinds of weather, but when it's as cold out as it has been and all you're seeing is rain, and all you feel is wet, you really start to crave a little of this...
For the last three weeks or so the weather forecasts have been frequently calling for snow, though we've been skunked every time.It just isn't right to lead people on when it comes to snow.
Getting it together...
I suppose I am like most Americans in that whenever a new year rolls in, I always make a plan of how I'm going to 'get it together'. Though now after several years of this I'm beginning to notice that every year I seem to be managing to lose 'it' a little bit more. I'm not sure what my problem is, but I am hoping that something will manage to fall into place.
This year I will be turning 28 years old, which isn't bothering me at all. (For the record I'm planning on living 120 years, at least- which, I guess, means that this year the french fries and Mexican food are probably going to have to go.) What is bothering me is that I seem to remember at one time being able to handle life and all that comes with it much better than I am now.
I can remember a time when I was fully able to keep up with everything that I needed to do- the cooking, cleaning, laundry, bill paying and grocery shopping, and all of this on top of working a full-time job. Then my husband and I had our daughter, and I took ten months off from work and was still managing to keep up with everything.
Then I went back to work and with the baby & husband, home and part-time job, things kind of teetered on the edge for a while, until the knitting came. As much as it hurts for me to admit this to myself I know that's when the house and yard took a major hit. I never imagined that such a simple craft, which was originally intended to be a hobby to keep myself busy while my hubby gamed online in his off time, would overtake my senses. Over the last 3 years my poor house has gradually fallen into a sad state of disorganized disrepair and I have become a much better knitter.
Times have changed a bit, and in September I put in my notice at work and exchanged it for the role of a stay-at-home mom. In my time at home I've gradually been flirting with all of the work that needs to be done around here, and while I have accomplished a few of the larger tasks on my list there is still an overwhelming amount of work to be done. The hard part for me, will be remembering how do get it all done a little bit at a time. Finding something each day that needs to be done and then doing it. It sounds so easy.
This year I'm going to have to pull myself together and re-learn how to manage my time efficiently and find some balance in life. The knitting will happen in and over time, but the house can't wait any longer.
This year I will be turning 28 years old, which isn't bothering me at all. (For the record I'm planning on living 120 years, at least- which, I guess, means that this year the french fries and Mexican food are probably going to have to go.) What is bothering me is that I seem to remember at one time being able to handle life and all that comes with it much better than I am now.
I can remember a time when I was fully able to keep up with everything that I needed to do- the cooking, cleaning, laundry, bill paying and grocery shopping, and all of this on top of working a full-time job. Then my husband and I had our daughter, and I took ten months off from work and was still managing to keep up with everything.
Then I went back to work and with the baby & husband, home and part-time job, things kind of teetered on the edge for a while, until the knitting came. As much as it hurts for me to admit this to myself I know that's when the house and yard took a major hit. I never imagined that such a simple craft, which was originally intended to be a hobby to keep myself busy while my hubby gamed online in his off time, would overtake my senses. Over the last 3 years my poor house has gradually fallen into a sad state of disorganized disrepair and I have become a much better knitter.
Times have changed a bit, and in September I put in my notice at work and exchanged it for the role of a stay-at-home mom. In my time at home I've gradually been flirting with all of the work that needs to be done around here, and while I have accomplished a few of the larger tasks on my list there is still an overwhelming amount of work to be done. The hard part for me, will be remembering how do get it all done a little bit at a time. Finding something each day that needs to be done and then doing it. It sounds so easy.
This year I'm going to have to pull myself together and re-learn how to manage my time efficiently and find some balance in life. The knitting will happen in and over time, but the house can't wait any longer.
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