Bad Weather, Good Spinning

A few weeks ago, I ordered some wonderful Merino from Dragonfly Fiber Designs on Etsy. I had been eyeing this 4 oz. bundle of joy for a few weeks when I decided I MUST have it before someone else swooped it up. (Picture only shows about 2 oz.)After I received it, the poor fiber sat in my stash as I slowly made progress on my Violets. Needless to say, I couldn't stand it any longer. So, here are the beginnings of some very wonderful sock yarn!


These pictures do absolutely no justice to the beautifully dyed roving and the subsequent yarn. The bright yellows, oranges, and lime greens are hidden by the browns at the moment, so I will show more pictures as I make progress. I am shooting for around 20 WPI as a 2-ply. I cannot wait to start knitting what will be very bright, gorgeous socks!

You Are Olive Green

You are the most real of all the green shades. You're always true to yourself. For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

What Color Green Are You?

How Many Socks Do You Have in Progress?

Okay. Am I ready for this? Man, I just don't know. I've been saying I had too many socks in progress. But I never imagined it was THIS many! I had been saying 6 or 7, but I guess you never really know until you gather them all up and count 'em, eh? Let's take a gander, shall we?

1. Yarn-Trekking.
Pattern-Monkey (Cookie A.) from Knitty.
Fate-frog pond. I LOVE this sock, but on size one's and only 64 stitches, it just won't fit my foot! I've already taken the needles to use elsewhere, but I haven't been able to bring myself to rip-it...yet!

2. Yarn-My 2-ply Handspun from Lorna's Laces Wool.
Pattern-none.
Fate-frog pond. Nothing wrong with the yarn, but the needle size just wasn't giving me the fabric I wanted. Again, haven't ripped it yet, but it's going to happen soon.

3. Yarn-Falk (Dalegarn).
Pattern-my own (in my head) ankle socks.
Fate-Not really sure yet. This pair is for the BoyToy. They say BEARS on the front and back, but I got bored after the fair isle and just haven't returned to them yet. Besides, it's not football season anymore...maybe I will revisit them in the fall.

4. Yarn-I have no idea.
Pattern-my own, ankle socks.
Fate-these have been a WIP for well over a year (maybe two). I don't want to use the yarn for anything else, so they may just sit until I don't have any other socks in progress (yeah, like THAT would ever happen-I can dream, can't I?).

5. Yarn-Trekking held double stranded.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-just started these this weekend. They are for the BoyToy. I have to cast on 80 stitches on size 4's for his HUMUNGOUS feet. These are my no-brainer socks.

6. Yarn-My 2-ply Handspun from Louet Northern Lights.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-slowly but surely these are getting done!

7. Yarn-Cabezon Superwash Merino.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-slowly but surely!

Aren't I done yet?!? I still cannot believe how many socks there are!

8. Yarn-Tofutsies.
Pattern-Swirly Girl.
Fate-Not sure, I'd like to finish it, but since I don't use a lot of patterns, and this one with yarn overs....I keep getting eyelets where they are not supposed to be! I cannot live with mistakes like that, so this one gets put away quite often. I don't always have the concentration, even though the pattern is extremely easy.

9. Yarn-Mountain Colors Twizzle.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-well, these are the BoyToy's too. That means alot of stitches on bigger needles. At least there is only grafting left on sock 1, but then I need to start sock 2.

10. Yarn-Pure Merino (Berroco).
Pattern-my own, ankle socks.
Fate-For my mother (Mom, if you're reading this, sorry they're not done yet, I promise they will be soon!).

11. Yarn-Cold Flames Superwash Merino by Yarnahoy.
Pattern-well, none yet.
Fate-this was an attempt at using larger needles. I knit really tight for socks and find myself ABSOLUTELY HAVING to cast on at least 80 stitches.

12. Yarn-Trekking.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-just started, in a fit of startitis, because I just love Trekking and have been staring at this colorway for quite some time.

13. Yarn-Bullfrogs and Butterflies (Lorna's Laces).
Pattern-my own, ankle socks.
Fate-started for my mother who loved the first pair I made for her with this yarn, she felt it was a bit too tight, so they will be given to CIC through my LYS when I am finished.

Wow, I cannot believe I could even remember all that! At least I wasn't using patterns, so I didn't have to remember those. Somebody slap me!

The question is: can a knitter have too many socks on the needles?

Sunny Days

I just love to spin on sunny days. I feel as if my consistency is better when I can actually see what I'm doing with the fibers in front of me.


I've been spinning with Louet's Northern Lights quite alot recently. I had ordered a few half pound bags back in January (I think) from my LYS. I had gotten one colorway in right away, but the other was on back order for several months. I spun up half of the first bag rather quickly, itching to know how the colors would turn out. I was less than happy with the Desert Brush, but I am making socks with the 20 WPI 2-ply. My LYS had ordered a few colors to have in the store (and because I was still waiting for my backordered bag), I could not resist buying the colorway Sunset. This beautiful fingering-sock weight yarn is for sale in My Etsy Shop, check it out, I named the yarn Fire.


By now it is March and still, no backorder of Northern Lights are in. So what do I do? Buy another colorway that my LYS had in stock. This time it was Toffee. I was unsure if I even liked the colors, but I liked the way Sunset had spun up, so I gave it a try. This skein is also up in my etsy shop. However, when I was just getting the first few yards of the singles on the bobbin, my backordered fiber FINALLY came in!! Of course, I had to finish the Toffee before I could start spinning the new bag (which I did, I swear!).

I am so excited about this new colorway that I've decided to spin up the whole bag (8 ounces) instead of just half, which is what I did for all the other colorways. Finally, I am proud to show you Violets (a work in progress)... This is about 3 ounces on the bobbin, with another 5 still in roving form. I'm spinning this singles alot thicker than my previous three yarns, which is kind of why I decided to spin up the whole bag. I am hoping for a 2 ply dk or light worsted...we'll see how it turns out!

Dream Roving

A few weeks ago, I dreampt of this lovely roving that I had never seen before. The colors where just to die for! The very next day, I was reading Sanguine Gryphon's Blog and actually SAW my dream roving. I couldn't believe it...was it fate? Of course I had to make a comment to tell Gryphon that she had just dyed the roving of my dreams. I was even more excited when she offered to dye some just for me! I absolutely could not wait for my roving to get to me. When it finally did, the first thing I did was take picutres--I hadn't even gotten the box into my house I was so excited! I was lucky that the light was good that day, the pictures capture the roving magnificently. I rarely take pictures of fibers before I spin them, but I wanted to keep this memory forever.

I haven't begun spinning it yet, I think it's just too beautiful and in all my excitement I haven't been able to bring myself to take it out of the braids.

Thanks Gryphon!!

Note added later: I am hoping to knit a sweater when I'm done spinning.

My First Blog Post!

I never thought I would have a blog, but here I am!

I was taught to crochet at age seven by my grandmother. All I could do was single crochet! But I made much use out of the little skills I had, creating all sorts of scarves, hats, sweater vests, purses--and all sans pattern! Then, I grew up and picked up some sticks one day when a neighbor of mine wanted to learn to crochet. He knew how to cast on and knit, so we traded secrets! Soon, I began creating all sorts of knitted items without patterns. Come to think of it, I think I've only used patterns for socks (and I rarely do that anymore). My first sweater was my own design (and not a very good one). I wore the sweater maybe twice and now it just sits pretty in my closet! I realize (now) that the sleeves were two differnt sizes and lengths (gauge problems!), and the neck too wide, and maybe it's a bit too long for its width. Needless to say, I have learned my lessons over the last few years and my self-designed sweaters are much better and much more wearable!