Tour de Fleece: Days 2 & 3

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July. Mine was good, though not particularly eventful. I spent part of the day with my family. We watched a parade, some decent fireworks and ate some great home-made food, but most of the day was spent spinning for TdF.

Here is an in-progress group shot of the yarns I've been working on for my Summer spinning project.

These are yarns I'm spinning for the Sweet Sheep booth that will be at Sock Summit in August. I've been working on them for several weeks and I'm almost done. These yarns have been a fun challenge for me. Spinning them on a somewhat relaxed deadline has been nice (and under ordinary circumstances wouldn't have been all that challenging) but with all the work we've been doing to get our home on the market it's been a little bit hectic.

Spinning these fibers has been a special treat. All of them (except for the bright pink one all the way to the right which is "Love Affair" merino/tencel from C*Eye*Ber Fiber) are hand dyed fibers from the Sweet Sheep. This experience has been my first real encounter with merino/tencel. So far, the merino/tencel has been my biggest spinning challenge. I'm used to spinning sock yarns with fibers that have a lot more grab and the merino/tencel is (pardon the expression) slicker than snot. I have one more braid of the slippery stuff left to spin (had to take a break in between with some SW merino and SW bfl) and then this project will be finished.

::one of the sw BFLs in progress::

As soon as the last fiber for this project is off the wheel, the SW merino/alpaca will be on it. Can you tell I'm excited for the change in colors and textures?

Yesterday (day 2 of TdF) I only managed to get in a little bit of spinning time. I spent the majority of my day with my dyepot. I only have one pound of fiber left to dye (which will have to wait a day or so as there's no more room on my drying rack at the moment) and then as soon as I have a good day for taking photos I'll do an update. I've decided not to do a sneak peak this time, but I did make sure to dye up at least 3 braids of Bacchus. There's been so much interest in that colorway lately, I wanted to have more available.

I'm going to get back to it now. I'm finishing up the yarn that's on the wheel and hoping to start the next one if there's time. I've got to get the extra spinning time in today since there probably wont be much spinning time tomorrow -it's my little girls birthday (she's turning 6)!!

Tour de Fleece: Day 1

Today is the first day of the Tour de Fleece and I'm excited to be participating this year.

For a long time now I've had this pound of All Spun Up SW merino/alpaca (all in the same colorway) sitting in my stash, waiting to be spun into 3-ply fingering weight yarn for an upcoming project. A few days ago (when I realized there was still time to join in) I signed up for the TdF thinking it would be a perfect opportunity for me to spin all of it from start to finish. I still have about 6oz of my summer spinning project left to finish before my wheel is completely free -which should make reaching my goal a little more difficult, but the TdF is supposed to be a challenge, right?

Realistically, I think it's likely I wont finish in time. Still, if I can get 3 of the 4 bumps spun and the 4th on the wheel and in progress I'll still feel like I did a very good job. The reason I've chosen this particular project for TdF is because I don't really like spinning more than 4oz of one color at a time. However, after working non-stop (with the exception of the project on my Bosworth midi) for several weeks on my Summer spinning project (fibers almost entirely in pinks and pastels), I feel that spinning the dark, wonderfully earthy colors in the SW merino/alpaca will keep me satisfied for much longer than they usually would. The fiber choice can't hurt, either -so far the SW merino/alpaca is my absolute favorite to spin. Tour de Fleece just seemed like the perfect time for me to dive headlong into this project.

It's nice to be spending time at the wheel regularly again. I have been spinning as much as I possibly could over the last 4-6 weeks, but it hasn't been as much as usual with all the work on the house. There's good news, though: we finally got the house listed with a real estate agent last Thursday and it is on the Market. Aside from one small cosmetic repair that still has to be made, all that's left is keeping it nice and tidy until it sells and then packing when it does. Both my husband and I feel like we can finally breath easy... at least for a little while.

I also want to apologize for the quiet emptiness of the shop. I've been meaning to dye up some fiber (it's still hanging out in my bedroom closet) for the last couple of weeks, but with finishing up on the house, it's had to be pushed back a few times. I think I should be able (really) to get it done this week. I don't foresee anything getting in the way now.

There's so much to catch up on. I have several different things I want to post about, but I haven't had time to sit and write. I also haven't had the best weather for photo-taking lately, so I've been putting that off as well. I'm really looking forward to the next time we have a stretch of overcast, rainy weather. 80+ degree heat makes me cranky.

School's Out!

... and so far I'm enjoying (nearly) every minute of it. I'm definitely enjoying sleeping in past 6:00 in the morning, which is something I almost never get to do -not even on Mother's Day.

This is my girl, waiting for the last day of school to begin (and wearing her favorite hand-knit sweater). I know it's only Kindergarten, but I can't help feeling really proud. Even though her crazy parents were cranky and stressed out for most of the year (on account of getting the house ready to sell), she still had a great year and did very well. I'm amazed at what she now knows how to do (seriously, 5 years old and she can read simple books and write sentences) and I'm thankful that she had such a wonderful teacher, who helped to give her the best start to her education anyone could've ask for. What a great experience. =)

So now that school is done I'm able to relax just a little bit more. Actually, I still have the same amount of stuff on my plate, but not having to juggle 2 schedules (hers as well as my own) I feel less pressured by it. I've been spending the last couple of days running errands and now I have some time to sit and knit/spin in between household chores. I'm liking it.

I've been spending a little of my evening TV time spinning this:

This is my new Bosworth Midi in walnut (27g). I'm spinning some merino (from a reject dye-job) as my first spindle-project. It will eventually become either a 3-ply fingering weight yarn or a heavy lace weight 2-ply. I haven't decided yet. I'm loving the roving, too. I was going for a very different look with the colors when I dyed it and wasn't happy with it at all, so I never put it in the shop. Now that I'm spinning it I'm really enjoying the colors, which remind me of paprika, curry and chili powder with just a touch of fleshy pink. Eventually I think this will become an Aeolian shawl (I like this idea, but am scared by the beads which I haven't worked with in knitting before).

I'm also working on a shawl with the yarn I received from my Funky Junkie's Handspun Swap partner. It's a beautiful golden-colored merino/silk 2-ply and I'm knitting it into an Angel Lace Shawl. It's my first lace-style shawl (I'm not counting the Icarus I started ages ago, which never progressed very far) and I love everything about it, both the yarn and the pattern. I don't really think of myself as the sort to knit shawls (or wear them as more than scarves), but I've grown very fond of knitting them and this one is no exception. I just love how they grow.

I'm also expecting the fiber I ordered to arrive any day now (probably today). I've already received the dyes I need and will be dyeing in the next couple of days. I'm going to do plently of Bacchus as there has been a lot of interest in that colorway. I'll post again when I'm ready to update. Cheers =)

Fast Week

Sorry if things have been quiet around here. I don't have any interesting blogging material (at least none with photos) at present. This last week was a real bum-kicker...

Last Saturday morning I woke up to a phone call at 5:40am from a co-worker calling in sick. I pulled myself out of bed to get ready for work and discovered that I was sick too. I went in anyways and by the time my shift was over, well, I was lucky to make it home at all. After a day and a half in bed I was able to get back on my feet.

This meant that Monday I woke up with a paint brush in my hand. I didn't get to put the brush down until Thursday evening-no, wait, I don't get to put it down till this afternoon... I'm having a difficult time keeping track. It must be the fumes...

The baby sweater is still chugging along. I'm not quite finished yet, but I am close.

My big summer spinning project is progressing nicely. I'm loving the first couple finished yarns and have informed my husband (now that the house is almost done) that the wheel is going to be my first priority (after being a mother, of course) for a while.

I just ordered more merino and Falkland wool and restocked my dyes. There will be more pretties in the shop soon.

Oh, and though I haven't been buying much fiber for my stash lately, I did buy a lovely new Bosworth Midi (walnut, 27g) to spin sock yarn, since all of my bobbins are currently engaged for the summer-project spinning. I'm loving this spindle. A lot.

I should have some pictures of these goings-on and info for the next shop update soon.

P.S. My little girl is finishing Kindergarten. School will be out on Thursday and I think I'm more excited about her being on Summer vacation than she is (I've really missed sleeping past 6:00am).

I can't believe I'm going to have a first-grader...

Knitting and Crochet

I've been taking a few days off to work on some woolen goodies for the newest member of our extended family (the first baby for one of my husband's cousins) who is due to arrive soon.

A while back I started knitting this February Baby Sweater, but never got past the garter stitch yoke. So yesterday evening I pulled it out, ripped it back (I had run into a few technical difficulties the first time around anyhow) and started fresh.

Pattern: February Baby Sweater on two needles by E. Zimmerman

Needles: US 4

Yarn: Mama Blue Knitting Goods Sea Merino in Palomino

I really like this pattern, except for having an idea that I would cheat a little and knit the sleeves in the round with some dpns, only to have my plan spoiled by not owning dpns of the correct size. I know I could go buy some, but don't feel like giving money up for new needles right now. I'll probably splurge on dpns the next time I use this pattern (assuming the stitch pattern would work well in the round at all -some don't). So, I'm working the sleeves on straights, while I hold the rest of it on a circular needle. I'm hoping to finish up with this by Wednesday.

In addition to the baby sweater I've been doing something out of character: crocheting a baby afghan.

Pattern: Granny Square by Purl Bee

Crochet hook: 4mm

Yarn: handspun and commercial sock yarn leftovers

Long before I ever started knitting I began my journey into the fiber arts world with crochet. I had learned the basics of crochet from a great aunt when I was a little girl and it seemed much, much less complicated than knitting (now, as a knitter, I don't entirely agree with this line of thought). To make a long-winded story short, crochet didn't really agree with me. I kept looking at knitted projects and patterns with longing, and eventually it got to me enough that I made the switch. I haven't ever looked back... until a couple of days ago.

I was clearing my stash out of the spare bedroom (it's going to be painted this week) and trying to decide what to keep readily available, what to pack up and what might need to be tossed, when I came to a big grocery sack full of sock yarn remnants. There was nearly every color imaginable in there. I save these to use for knitting barbie clothes, toys, etc. but even after knitting the occasional finger-puppet or outfit for barbie, there was still an overwhelming amount of yarn in that bag.

I was chewing on whether or not I should toss it when I remembered reading this post on Cosmicpluto Knits. I also remembered reading that crochet uses up 3 times the amount of yarn that knitting does. I had a flash-back of how fast I used to whip out a scarf with crochet and suddenly, I felt inspired to make a throw.

To my delight, the pattern was free, and I even managed to dig up the right size of crochet hook. It's coming along very nicely. When I think of the years it would take me to knit a throw from those sock yarn bits, I smile smugly to myself, feeling like a genius.

It's only been a couple of days and I'm almost done. I have spent no money and I have more room in my house. Crochet may not be my passion, but I do love that it serves a purpose.

First try...

Well, this is my first round with Bacchus. I like it, though I have to admit that so far merino seems to be the best fiber for this colorway. I love the way BFL takes dye, especially for lighter colors, but merino is still the only one that is just right. This superwash BFL took the dye in a way that made some of the gold turn rusty. It's still very pretty though. I can't help thinking of Marigolds when I look at this yarn.

3 ply Handspun SW BFL Sock Yarn

Approx. 4oz and 366yds

Bacchus colorway

I'm still working on my All Spun Up fiber for the May/June spin-a-long, and I'm already a few days into spinning for my big summer project. The first skein in the project is a merino/tencil that is making me fall in love with pink (as well as merino/tencil). My little girl gave me a very reproachful look when I told her it wasn't my fiber and I wasn't allowed to keep it.

Also, I've been knitting a pair of socks with this handspun, and I'm loving every moment of it. Spinning the predrafted fiber was a more challenging experience for me (even though it seems the opposite would be true), but I like the way the yarn handles very much. It's turning out a lovely pair of socks which I will share pictures of as soon as they're done...

I just realized that I forgot to take my camera (I really am terrible about taking pictures -I never take my camera anywhere with me) to the annual Sheperd's Festival this morning. I've gone for the last 3 years in a row and it's been a lot of fun. I love to pet the yarn, but I resisted buying anything as the size of my fiber stash (now located in my bedroom) can't be hidden from my husband anymore. I like the little Sheperd's Fest, still I hope so make it to something much bigger next year. Once the bridge is done (there is major work being done on the Hood Canal Bridge this summer, which pretty much keeps you stuck on the peninsula unless you want to drive the crazy-long way around) I'm going to have to make a day trip to Seattle to visit some of the amazing yarn shops I've heard about. I think it'd be good for me to have a fiber experience that's not entirely local.

Corriedale

I have been a very busy bee since my last post and I wanted to share my favorites from the new dye batch as well as a new yarn. To start with, this is my first effort with corriedale. It took a little getting used to, but I like it.

2 ply handspun corriedale yarn

sport to light worsted weight

colorway: shipwrecked

I like the way it turned out. Corriedale is a lot softer than I thought it would be. I was anticipating that it would be more like Falkland, but it's much softer and spongier. I took the picture this morning before setting the twist so it still looks a little unruly, but I'm looking forward to seeing it after it blooms a bit in the bath.

Now to the fibers. I had so much fun with this round of dyeing. Here are a couple that I pulled out to spin. The first is a brand new colorway (let's hope my notes are good enough so I can repeat it)...

Arrangement

And the second is one that I can't seem to get enough of. 

Bacchus

This braid of Bacchus turned out exactly the way I want this colorway to be -so I set it aside to spin for the shop and also so I can take finished pictures of how this will look as sock yarn. (I'm trying to go down the list and spin one of each colorway into sock yarn, so I have pictures of finished yarns along side the pictures of rovings for my colorways set on Flickr.) 

I still have a few other things to finish up on the wheel before I begin my big spinning project so I think I'll spend my free time in the next few days finishing on those.

Also, on another note, some of the fibers from this last dye batch are already headed for new homes, but I still have a few bumps that will make it to the shop near the end of this week when I have a little more time. Next time I dye up fiber, I think I'll just have to surprise everyone, so people that have been or are planning on stalking the shop will have a better variety to choose from. So, there's more coming soon.

New Batch

Yesterday morning I forced myself to drag out my dye pots, and I spent the better part of the day dyeing up all the remaining undyed fiber I had. (Except some shetland. I recently bought a 1 pound shetland sampler from Hello Yarn, which has been a treat for me but that is for a future post.) Here is the group shot.

From the left, the first 2 are so far un-named & then there's Sandy Bikini, Thelma, Surrender, Shipwrecked, Bacchus and Toad in a variety of merino, corriedale and falkland. I know there's at least one here (second from left, a merino still un-named) that I don't want to part with, and I plan on picking out at least one more -possibly two, to spin for the shop. I tend to want to spin them all but I know it's likely that I wont have the time. If I pick one or two of the longer-staple rovings and spin some sport/worsted weight yarns I might manage it, though. That could be fun.

I'm going to be taking it easy on the shop spinning this summer, as it looks like I'm taking on a special spinning project that should last the next several weeks. So, when I do add yarns to my Etsy this summer they will probably be of a sport-to-worsted weight nature. I will still be keeping the hand-dyed fibers coming, whenever I can.

Now, I'm off to work on my May/June All Spun Up SAL fiber. =)

Yarn like sunshine...

I think by this point it's no secret that I seriously fell off the fiber diet wagon, so it probably can't hurt to share a new aquisition. This is a bump of hand dyed merino combed top from All Spun Up. I loved it, and was trying to be good and not buy more fiber, but eventually it became evident that it was time for me to adopt it (it had been in her Etsy shop for quite a while, all lonely and neglected and sitting there waiting for me). So I did buy it (as well as another one, but that's another blog post).

What made me want this one so bad was actually a pair of socks that Kristin knit herself from her own handspun yarn, a pair that I fell in love with. I've been trying to keep my eyes peeled at her shop for a blue/yellow/orange number for socks to imitate hers and this roving finally caught my eye. 

I knew right off hand that I wanted longer, more solid color repeats. So, I split the roving in four (lengthwise, and not all that evenly either) and predrafted out the thicker strips. It will be exciting to see how the finished socks come out, even if they're not all that much like hers. The experience was a good learning one for me and even though I don't like spinning pre-drafted fiber (for me it was a giant pain) I'm pretty happy with the end results. This is some of the brightest, happiest-looking yarn I've ever held in my hands. 

This yarn makes me want to cast on right now but I have way too many fiber things going on right now. I am clearly not over my start-itis. I have two (about to become 3) pairs of socks on the needles, a couple of sweaters for my daughter, a few baby sweaters, 2 scarves and 2 cowls (you don't even want to know about the pile of half-spun fiber and half-filled bobbins laying around my wheel -it's sad that my new kate is becoming a place to store my less-exciting spinning projects). About the only thing I'm really focused on right now is my May/June All Spun Up spin-a-long fiber. It's lovely sw merino in a gorgeous dark green/blue combo. It's already on the wheel and destined to become sock yarn.

Still, hope is not lost. I am close to finishing at least a couple of projects. =)

Koolhaas #2

In the last several months I haven't managed to get much knitting done and as a result I think I've grown hungrier for it than usual. I'm not usually a hat sort of person, but lately I've been indulging myself with hat knitting because of the instant gratification they offer. Here is the latest hat, my second finished Koolhaas.

  

I really like this pattern. It's not difficult to memorize (it's very intuitive), and well, I can't help but think they just look sharp as far as knitted hats go. I don't know if my husband is going to actually wear this (sadly, he has a grudge against hand knits which I suspect is because he's jealous of the time I spend with wool). He'd probably never admit it himself, but he looks pretty sharp in this hat, too. Hopefully, next winter when the days get very cold he'll come to appreciate it...

Here is a picture of the Bacchus SW BFL in progress.  

Up till now I've always balked at the idea of buying SW BFL from other sellers because A: It usually is more expensive and B: In photos it usually looks a little rough around the edges -like it's full of neps. But after my last SAL experience with All Spun Up BFL and the gorgeous, fine 3 ply sock yarn I was able to spin with it, I decided to give it a chance. I like how BFL spins, but I've knit socks with it before, and I don't want to knit socks with non-superwash BFL again. They turn out gorgeous, but I'm too hard on my socks and I tend to felt them when I wear them.

So anyhow, I'm loving this spin. For me, a good BFL/SW BFL roving can spin up into a lovely 3-ply in roughly half the time it takes me to spin merino. I'm hoping I can finish getting through this roving by tomorrow and ply in a few days. Maybe I'll be able to get a new pair of socks on the needles by late next week!

Oh, and here's a picture of the new kate. I just love the look of Kromski stuff. I know there are people out there who are a little prejudiced against Kromkski wheels for one reason or another, but (in my opinion) not many wheels out there have the aesthetic appeal of a Kromski. Especially the mahogany-stained (but obviously I'm biased). Also, compared to my last wheel, an Ashford Joy DT, I just love the way this wheel spins. It's much for comfortable for me to use, even if there have been days when it wanted to squawk like a murder of crows (white lithium grease does the trick, BTW).

 

Finally, in answer to the question in the comments from my last post, yes, I am really moving to Forks. Which is kind of sad, as Forks is not in truth a very exciting or wonderful place to be. Though I am intruiged by the idea of Forks-related colorways. I'm assuming these are supposed to be Twilight related? If anyone has any suggestions feel free to throw some ideas to me in the comments and maybe I could come up with something fun. I'm thinking along the lines of characters and places, etc. (though I'd be interested in hearing other ideas, too). 

Now, I'm off for a date with SW BFL...

eta: Notice the pretty new carpet in the first and last photos?

Blur

It's amazing to me how I sometimes wake up and realize that a great chunk of time has flown by me. 

The last few days I've been sitting back and taking in the fact that the school year is almost over. At some point this year my little girl learned how to read, and while I remember helping her to learn this skill I still am having a hard time understanding how it happened.

The house -while still not done- is frighteningly close to being ready, and moving is probably right around the corner. I can't tell you how much this intimidates me. I was born in this town and I like living here. Most of my family lives here and soon I'm going to be living an hour away from them. I'm starting to actually get scared about whether or not I'm going to like the new town, whether or not I'm going to like our new house (while I'm generally content to live anywhere as long as the roof doesn't leak, it would be difficult to move from this house -now that it's finally looking so nice- to somewhere else that might not be). I've also begun to worry about forging new friendships. (People in Forks are really an interesting sort and seeing as I don't have a gun rack in the back of my Jeep, I'm not sure of how well I'll be able to fit in.) 

I'm hoping I'll be lucky enough to find another knitter and/or spinner. A partner in woolly crime. That would be awesome. 

Speaking of wool...

 

This skein of yarn is what the moonlit colorway looks like all spun up and Navajo plied. I've really grown fond of this skein and I hope it's new owner enjoys it, too. 

Lately, I've been in desperate need of some "me" spinning time. I think I'm going to be spending the next month (possibly two) just spinning down my stash. Some of it may end up in the shop and then again it might not. I've had several gorgeous bumps of fiber in there that I've been saving just for me and I keep putting them off in favor of spinning yarns for the shop. Now that my stash of "me" fiber has grown past the 3 pound mark I think it's time to set some time aside for getting through it. Besides, the fourth bobbin and lazy kate are here. There aren't any more excuses to wait.

Aside from all that, I've still been spending an evening with my dyepots when I have time. This is a braid of Bacchus in SW BFL, which I started working on this morning. It's another BFL that's making me fall hard. It's soooo soft and drafts so nicely. Even though I do have the Kate now, I've decided to go ahead and Navajo ply this one anyways. I think the coloring will turn out a lot better than with a standard 3 ply. 

 

And finally, this is an extra spicy version of Thelma (in SW merino) which I'm planning on spinning into a standard 3 ply sock yarn for the shop. I think it's going to turn out nice. 

I think I have plenty to keep me busy for a while. Even though I plan on using a lot of my spinning time for myself in the next few months, I'm sure I'll still be adding yarn to the shop once in a while and I'll definitely be adding more fibers (lots and lots, I hope).

I hope everyone going to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival will be enjoying themselves thoroughly (hopefully one day I'll make it that far east) and that everyone goes home with many woolly treasures. =)

P.S. Did I mention I've finished a second Koolhaas?

WIP: Home Edition?

I know it's not fiber, but it will explain why things have been so quiet around here. This is my bathroom.



A few weeks ago my bathroom was hideous. As you can see (and I hope would agree) it now resembles a nice, normal bathroom (if a little messy, still). The only thing we have left to finish in the bathroom is to work on the grout and to hang the new shower curtain rod and the bathroom will finally be done. These last couple of chores should be completed by the end of the weekend and then we will only have to wait to use it until Wednesday when...



the new carpeting is installed!! I am so excited! I've never lived in a home with brand new carpeting in my entire life. Next Wednesday I wont be able to say that anymore. It's a good thing, too. You never know what kind of disasters lurk beneath the old carpet you're pulling up until it's too late, and well, I don't know if I could endure having people over with this vomit-colored vinyl in my house.



Boone doesn't seem to mind the vinyl, but he doesn't mind vomit either.

I'm thankful for this experience, too. We expected new carpeting to be unaffordable for us but found out that it isn't always so bad if you do part of the work yourself. We were able to cut our costs nearly in half by removing the old carpeting and disposing of it ourselves, which was surprisingly easy. My husband and I were able to remove all of the old carpet and padding in two hours and (this next part was especially lucky as there was a special at the dump) we were able to dispose of it for thirteen dollars. We probably saved ourselves around a thousand dollars with 2 hours of relatively easy work and $13. Good deal, no?

I've also been spending a lot more time deep-cleaning and packing up things that we don't often use. So, there has been progress lately, it just hasn't been the woolly sort.

As soon as the new carpeting is done and the house has been put in order, I'm hoping to get back to the wheel and get some more "me" spinning time in, which I am very excited about since I finally ordered a fourth bobbin and a lazy kate. Standard three ply, here I come!!

New Colors!

I've been working away at my dyepots and I have a few new colorways to show for it. The first is my personal favorite...


:bacchus:

And the next 2 colorways are lovely as well...


:sleeping leaves:


:moonlit:

I'm enjoying my dyeing time more now than I have in the past, and I'm thinking that it's because dyeing gets easier the more you practice it, same as anything else (this is not to say that I don't still make an ugh here and there). I'm glad that it's coming along better now, because if I can't enjoy something, I don't do it for very long.

I still need to post about my now-finished Koolhaas (I'm also halfway through knitting a second in black for my husband), but I'll have to save that for next time. Hope everyone's having a good day and Happy Bobmas to Ravelers everywhere! =)

P.S. The rovings in this post have already been listed in my etsy shop.

Update 4.9.09

Just a quick note to say I'll be updating the shop with a few fibers later on this afternoon, and I'll be adding more again in the next couple of days. Today there will be some merino, SW merino and BFL. See you there! =)

WIP: Koolhaas

Most weekend mornings when I get up, I pour myself a cup of coffee, sit down at my wheel and spin until I'm good and ready to get into the shower. This morning, however, I'm enjoying a little change of pace.



It's a Koolhaas in progress and I'm really enjoying this knit. The yarn is Pigeonroof Studios Siren 2 Worsted in Oxblood, which is a much springier yarn than I thought it would be (the twist in this yarn is insanely tight) but it's proving to be a great choice for this pattern on account of it's excellent stitch definition.



Up to now I haven't really been the hat-knitting sort of person, but as I don't get to knit as much as I'd like to these days, I'm growing fonder of patterns that require a little less yarn and can be completed in just a few days.

Another thing I like about this hat is the stitch pattern, which has kept me interested but is still easy to memorize (a perfect combination for me as I lose interest quickly with too-simple patterns and don't have time to work on anything more involved at the moment). This hat has been just the ticket.

I do have one spinning project currently underway, which is a merino roving I've been spinning for the Funky Junkies handspun swap on Ravelry (I expect to finish that one today), then I think I'm going to pull out some hand dyed SW merino in Albatross that I purchased from CMF (I love starting new spinning projects). =)

Oh, and I'm dyeing my way through 4 pounds of fiber for the shop. I'll make a little announcement before the next update.

Spin-A-Long FO

Here's my newest sock yarn, fresh off the wheel.


3 ply handspun BFL sock yarn
fingering weight
approx. 4oz and 415 yards



For some reason I had myself convinced that BFL would not work well as a Navajo-plied yarn, but I had my mind changed by several of the participants in the AllSpunUp spin-a-long on Ravelry who cranked out some seriously beautiful 3 ply yarns. This is one case where I'm glad I was wrong.



This yarn is listed in the shop. Hope everyone's having a safe and fun April fool's Day. =)

Surrender

Here is my latest handspun...



::Surrender Colorway::
3 ply Handspun Merino Sock Yarn
4oz and 485 yards
fingering weight/Navajo plied

This one was wonderful to spin, though I spun it very fine and my single snapped on me a couple of times when I was plying. That doesn't happen often but when it does it's a pain in the arse. I spliced the snapped ends back together and kept plying so the yarn is a sound and sturdy continuous strand, though I listed it in the shop with a slightly reduced price. Here are a few other goodies that were listed-



::Hand dyed merino in the Toad colorway::


::Hand dyed merino in the Mountain colorway:

There were also a couple of shipwrecked (only one left now, I think) and a new one called Crocus that is a girly blend of greens, blues and purple. I think, for this batch of roving Toad was my favorite.

I have more fiber ordered (merino, SW merino & BFL) and it should be here in a few days, then it'll be time to start dyeing again !!

Thelma and Louise

Here are a couple of new colorways. Actually, they're more like two different takes on the same colorway. The first is Thelma, which is a little more vibrant.



And the second is Louise, which is much more subdued.



I'm not sure how repeats of these will turn out but I did take notes so it's at least a possibility. I already have these, along with another braid of Surrender listed in the shop and I'm almost through with spinning the Surrender that's currently on the wheel.

My next spinning project will be a braid of Funky Carolina fiber for the Funky Junkies Handspun Swap on Ravelry. After that I'll be spinning more yarns for the shop. In the mean time I'll be listing more fibers, so keep a look out for yummy new colorways. =)

Shipwrecked

Here is the first of my repeatable colorway rovings all spun up. This one is the Shipwrecked colorway, and I love it. I really thought hard about keeping this one, but decided that I've got too much going on to knit with it right now. It was a hard choice, too. It would have made a beautiful 1x1 rib -2 row striped scarf if paired with



the Pigeonroof Circe Sock in Black Walnut I just bought from a fellow raveler's destash. I guess I'll just have to dye and spin another for myself in the future. =)



100% merino
Approx. 3.9oz and 460 yards
Fingering Weight
Navajo (chain) plied



Next up: The Surrender colorway. It's on the wheel right now. =)

Yarn Love & Dyeing Success

This one's fresh from the wheel and he's a keeper...



It's 4.2 oz and 475 yards of the smooshiest 3 ply merino sock yarn I have ever spun. Seriously, this skein is very plump and lovable. The hand-dyed merino came from AllSpunUp and was such a treat to spin.

Also, I spent part of the morning dyeing up a pound of roving, and my time was not wasted. Every single one of these rovings came out lovely and all of them will be listed in the shop this weekend (I'll be getting them up as soon as they're dry, braided and photographed).




I'm super happy with the results, and even happier still, because I was able to repeat all three of the rovings from my last post. So, I'm going to keep working on some new colorways (as well as some old ones) and I'll be doing my best to have at least a few standard colorways available each time I update my shop. I hope I'll get to see these guys off to good homes soon!

Repeats

This morning I braved the chill and still-falling snow to go out and take pictures of a few of the rovings I dyed up this weekend. These three are my favorite and I've decided to keep them and spin them up for myself. Depending on how attached I become to them, I may or may not add them to the shop (I know, it's kind of selfish).


:surrender colorway:

At least this time I payed careful attention and took really good notes while creating them so I should (in theory) be able to repeat these three. Also, as much as I love kettle-dyed rovings I'm trying to get away from doing them because so many of them seem impossible to repeat. I'd like to start having some of my own colorways that I can repeat for customers so they can still get a braid of something they like even if they missed out on it, or so they can get another if they'd like to pursue a larger project.


:shipwrecked colorway:

I should be dyeing some more rovings in a few days (trying to do some repeats) and I do plan on adding those to the shop. So, if you see one of these and plan on hunting for them keep your eyes on the shop this weekend.

:night song colorway (though I'm still revising this one):

P.S. That's not fuzz on the last one. It's snow.

Embarrasing behavior...

In my last post I mentioned something about having dyed up some nice rovings and that I'd post again with pictures as soon as they were dry. I've been trying to make a post for the last couple of days and for some reason, it wouldn't work. Tonight it's finally cooperating, so here are a couple of my favorites.



This one is lovely plain merino. I was trying for something else when I did this one and it came out very different from what I was aiming for, though I think I like it even more. the colors are just so pretty and girlie.



And here is my favorite of the SW merino/alpaca blends I put in my shop (gone already). I love the way this one came out. I can just envision how stunning this one would be as a 3 ply sock yarn.



On a different note, I fell off the wagon bad this week. At the beginning of this year, I made a deal with myself (and my husband) that I would have to earn my hand-dyed braids of fiber by losing weight. Well, I cheated. Twice.

The first cheat was kind of small. My excuse was that it was okay because it was for the AllSpunUp Ravelry Spin-A-Long, and I always participate. So I bought one braid for the spin-a-long.

The second cheat happened last night. I was fiddling around on Etsy and I noticed that Kristin was just listing fibers in her shop. I was looking through them with the intention of admiring them (just admiring them) when I saw one that absolutely had to be mine....

I was checking out with it before I new what was happening. Shame on me. I hope I can snap out of it and regain some self control.

Also, I've finished knitting the baby cardigan for my sister-in-law's baby boy (still not born yet, I think he might turn out a bit stubborn) though I haven't finished sewing it up yet. Did I mention that I also have a pair of socks that have been sitting around for well over a month now, completely done except for one toe?

What I really need right now is a nice long weekend to sit quietly, and finish stuff. I've been hearing a rumor for the last day or so that we're supposed to get more snow. I know it's wrong to think this way, but all this unfinished stuff is making me hope we actually get it.

What the?.....

Seriously?



Why is it that for the last couple of years we've been getting the short end of the snow stick at Christmas, and then have been getting it dumped on us right as spring should be arriving?

For the last couple of weeks it has been raining (because you can't have spring with out showers, right? -especially in the Pacific Northwest), but still getting progressively warmer and nicer with more sunny breaks in the rain. Then this happens...

That's over 6 inches on the top of my jeep.



We had a few flurries of snow yesterday afternoon (not entirely uncommon to this area at this time of year) and then we started to get a dusting of snow last night. I said to myself, "No big deal. We'll probably get a couple of inches and have late-start school in the morning. No problem.", until my husband woke me up early this morning and informed me that we had 6 inches of snow and school was cancelled. I think I'm in for a long weekend of snow pants, cocoa and the real cure all (for me): knitting some nice, warm wool.

P.S. I dyed some really beautiful SW merino/alpaca rovings last night. I'll have some pictures as soon as they're dry.

P.P.S. It's still snowing.