Friday!

Last Saturday I taught my first spindle spinning class at Starstruck Cat. I was nervous but my students were awesome. They were all spinning by the time they left class. The second of the series of classes is tomorrow. My original plan was for them to be practicing and trouble shooting for this class but I think I'll have to come up with something different since they are all doing so well.

I released my first pattern this week (ravelry link). It is an entrelac cowl. I love it and it was fun and quick to knit. Perfect for gifting. Calls for any fingering or sport weight yarn. Fingering weight creates a fabric with nice drape. Sport weight creates a squishy, slightly firmer fabric. It is knit flat and it buttons up so us ladies don't mess up our hair.

The photo above is knit with fingering weight yarn from See Jayne Knit (rav link). The photo to the right is A Good Yarn in sport weight. I wish you could feel these cowls...they are soft and feel so wonderful on your neck!

A Good Yarn is not yet listed on Ravelry but I'm working on her to get it on there. She does beautiful dye work and her base yarn is very nice!

I picked up two gorgeous bumps of fiber this week as well. I'll let the pictures do the talking here. Four Rivers Yarn & Fiber in River Stones and Romero.

Fiber Event Goodies

This is my small but wonderful take-homesies from the Fiber Event a few weeks ago. Clockwise from top left:

Brian Rose 1500 yards wool (not sure what kind, don't have it with me) in a lovely red/little bits of pink/maroon. Sweater yarn, of course.

The two braids are yellow/orange/red and are merino...there is no "brand" if you will...just gorgeous colors that I could not pass up. Total of 8 ounces.

One pound plain white merino for dying, whenever I get around to it...squee!!

Two four ounce balls of 70merino/30alpaca roving that are heathery and wonderfully soft in a burnt orange and dark maroon. The plan is to spin these separately and ply them together. That's the plan when I bought them....who knows what the end result might be....

Below that is the Rocketry baby sweater kit. A friend of mine had a little girl and figured she probably isn't getting much, if any, knitting done and wanted to make this for her. The sweater is coming alone fine (of course fast, it IS a baby sweater). I will have finished photos soon. I need to go buy buttons for it.

And last but not least is the bag of blue/orange roving. I believe it is merino, not sure. Purchased from the Trading Post for Fiber Arts in Pendleton, IN. It was a steal, as it was priced wrong.

As you can see, most of what I purchased was "warm" except for the one "cool" bag of roving. This was unlike me and I was thrilled to have come home with colors that I don't normally gravitate towards. I love warm colors but always find myself buying cool colors. I have not done anything with any of it besides the baby sweater. I'm nearly finished with the sweater, I have one and a half sleeves to go plus buttons.

Weekend Accomplishments

While I did not accomplish everything I wanted to this weekend; I did clean out my closet like I said I was going to. It's hard putting all those nice clothes into the donation pile when you know you've only worn them a couple times, but I did it and have a nice pile of stuff for goodwill.

I was doing good on Friday night, cleaning and such, until I turned on the tv...then it all went downhill. I was tired and the couch was calling my name and I gave in and layed down and man, it was nice.

Saturday morning I woke early went and had breakfast alone (that can be very nice at 7 am) and then to the store to look at nice green plants for my apartment. I've killed every plant I've had. I don't know why. So, I bought two very healthy looking plants and big pots and good potting soil and hope that I can make them thrive instead of die...

I also did a little experimental dying on Saturday. I dyed three skeins of sock yarn that will be up in my etsy shop as soon as there is good light to take pictures. It's been raining like crazy here the last two days. It's miserable and this morning there was snow mixed in. The average temp for this time of year is 59 and it's only 39!! BS I tell you!

Yesterday, my yarny friend Jennie came over to hang out. While she was there very little knitting got done. I dove into my fiber stash, not looking for anything, just to see what all I had and I found a bunch of rovings and fibers that I forgot I had. Baby camel, cashmere, cotton, tons of wools and wool blends, soy silk, ingeo, silk hankies....there was tons of interesting stuff. Tons of stuff I bought just to try and then it all got stashed away. I did do a tiny bit of spinning on a roving I already had started and that was the Picaso colorway of Louet Northern Lights. Mindless spinning is good and Northern Lights is perfect for that. Jennie did start a hat though, and it's beautiful.

A couple weeks ago when Jennie was over, I busted out my hand spindles and gave her one and some roving and told her to try some spinning. I think she liked it. I sent her home with the spindle and a bad of wool. When she came over Sunday, she brought more than a pound of hand dyed rovings that she had gotten. I think she hopes to pick herself up a spindle at the Fiber Event this weekend.

Well, that's all I got. Not exciting, no pictures....it doesn't help that my up close and personal yarny photos all suck. I'll get pics soon!

Stuck

There is much going on in my head and not much going on with the needles.

The sweater in which I am designing is still ongoing....while I know the direction I am going in, the motivation to knit the sleeves has waned to the point of no knitting...or knitting two rows and stopping. There is a reason I like to knit the sleeves first and this is why...no knitting gets done when they are done last. This one included, my last sweater progressed the same way. The body went reasonably quick, even designing as I went...the sleeves took 7 months (most of that time the project slept in a basket, forgotten or purposely forgotten).

I have been contemplating spinning, a lot. Along with the purchase of several braids of roving recently there is a fiber fest next weekend. Although I can swear that I won't buy a lot of fiber...I know the chances of me buying more fiber than I need are really high (cause I don't really need any). I just finished spinning a yarn in which, while intended to put a lot of twist in, too much twist was put on the yarn. Not even a good soaking will relax it and I don't know what to do at this point. The color is lovely and right now it just seems a waste to let it sit there, all twisted up. Help?

Along with my thoughts of spinning....a whole lot of llama fiber is on my mind. While in college, a friend of mine who wanted to borrow a very expensive book and knew of my fiberish creations mentioned that his grandpa owned llamas....and that when they were sheared the fiber was bagged and.......thrown...in...the...barn. WHAT?!? Um, give me some, PLEASE!! So, he brought me three garbage bags full-one brown/black, one white, and one mixed in exchange for said expensive book. I held on to the bags for about two years (not knowing how long it had been in the barn and fearing for infestation). When I determined that there was no infestation I took the bags with me to the Fiber Event one year and dropped them off with Wooly Knob to be processed. It took over 15 months to get it back, but I finally did get it back last summer. Since then, the gorgeous wonderfully soft llama has been sitting in a box in my closet. The three distinct colors are so gorgeously natural and would be perfect alone or used for colorwork. The only problem? I must actually spin it first.

Humpff....the only problem with wanting to spin the llama is the Fiber Event next weekend. I want so badly to spin so many rovings and fibers that I currently have and I also want so badly to purchase more... The obsession with finishing things unfinished and spinning current fiber stash has put such a halt on my motivation to do anything at all. Sad, I know.

What's a girl to do? Housework. I really need to do some housework. When I get home from work this evening, I won't turn on the television, I won't bother opening the laptop. I am heading straight for my closet and sorting out clothes...starting a donation pile (which will be huge, FYI). I entertain the idea that I will wear this or that at some point and I know deep down that I never will...and well, it's time to just let go. My hobbies and thus hobby supplies are more important than that Bob Marley tee mom bought me on vacation which the image came off in the first washing (sorry mom!) and countless other articles of clothing that I will NEVER WEAR AGAIN.

Just talking about it makes me feel like I've accomplished something. When the house is in order, I may even knit or spin something.

-OH! Did I mention that I found a box of blank yarn for dying too? It's amazing the things you let slip your mind...ah, dying, I've missed you.

Tomato & Basil

Sweeeet Grass Wool

Details to come when I actually have them!

Spun Up

Got 4 ounces or so spun up last night....pics and details to come soon.....well, as soon as I have access to a camera!

Oh Spinning, How I've Missed You!

8 ounces 100% Targhee Top from Sweet Grass Wool. I bought this stuff back in October and it's been catching my eye from my fiber basket all winter. I cannot wait to start spinning it!!

Mmmmm, Soy Silk

I picked up this yummy Soy Silk from SWTC in the Rainbow colorway this weekend while at River Knits' Sock Club. It's nice and soft and so silky smooth...I have begun predrafting and with any luck I will be spinning some by this weekend. Not too excited about the bright chunks of hot pink in there, but I'll cope. Anyways...there is 8 ounces here. My plan WAS to do another fractal stripe yarn like the one spun for the handspun bias rib scarf from my last post; but when I got home and took the fiber out of the bag the top was in two pieces who's color did not match nor was consecutive (very disappointing). So, I guess I will just take the larger of the two pieces and do the fractal striping method.

Handspun Bias Rib Scarf

Okay, so the pictures aren't the greatest, but I didn't have the greatest light either...

This is my handspun yarn, 2-ply. I spun the handpainted fiber (PoppyFlowerFiber) in order to get a striping sock yarn. Since this pattern calls for sock yarn, it was perfect. I love the way the stripes are turning out. I will give more details on the pattern and spinning method at a later date.

More Spinning and a Scarf

So....still spinning that Alpaca (one day I swear I will have a picture of it). I go to a knitting group on Monday nights and last night I brought my spindle and some louet northern lights. I hate how slow the hand spindle is now that I have been spinning on a wheel for about 4 years; however I do miss the simplicity of it and the ease of taking it anywhere.

I am also working on a scarf for my mom. I think the yarn is Nashua?? I am bad about knowing yarns of this nature...it is a superwash wool, one of those I-cord yarns-kind of novelty but at least it's wool. It has the most gorgeous stripes! A hat out of this yarn would be so lovely.

Alpaca

Okay, so it's been awhile since I've spun Alpaca...and I love it. It's just wonderful. I have one bobbin done, which I will spin into a two ply from a center pull ball. I still have enough fiber to spin up another bobbin.

After I finish the Alpaca, I've got some wonderful Kid Mo/Wool blend I'm going to start. It's a jewel tone yellow/gold with oranges and greens...it's gorgeous! I so wish I could get some pictures but I am still without a camera.

Sorry, No Camera

Hey strangers! Sorry about my absence...but it's not over yet! BUT, in my absence I have been spinning. I just finished about 200 yards of some worsted weight superfine superwash merino from Hello Yarn and it is just wonderful. I think it will be a hat and maybe some mitts. I also started spinning the colorway Great Balls of Fire merino from Crown Mountain Fibers. I am really loving how the colors are playing out. I am not sure how I am going to ply. I would like to try Navajo, but I never seem to have good results...advice anyone?

I Love Etsy

Okay, I know this is a horrible picture and a little out of focus, but the light is bad in my house at night and I really wanted to take a picture of this beautiful singles. I didn't get a picture of the roving, although it is not all spun up yet, but I am planning on having this yarn done by tomorrow evening. I purchased this lovely hand dyed at Poppy Flower Fibers. Not that I've ever had a bad experience buying from Etsy sellers, but my experience with Poppy Flower Fibers was fantastic. I will definitely buy from her again. Oh, did I forget to mention how awesome this Superwash Merino is to spin? It's not only beautiful (bad lighting, sorry, more pictures to come) but an absolute pleasure to spin. It's spinning up so quickly. That is at least one ounce. I have another ounce to go on that bobbin and then two more on another. Have you read the new Spin-Off? Well, I have and I am spinning this like the yarn (sock) on the cover. Breaking the roving in half, spinning one half as is (bobbin one) and breaking the other half into eight small strips (bobbin two). I've never thought to spin like this and I am excited to see how this yarn is going to turn out.

Sweet, Sweet Fiber

I acquired all this gorgeous fiber from Crown Mountain probably about a month ago. I would really like to start spinning it, but I have so many yarns on my bobbins and I am exclusively working on a yarn for Spun Stitches.

From top to bottom:

Rhumba in Corriedale pencil roving

Silver Fox in Corriedale pencil roving

Great Balls of Fire in Superwash Merino roving

Say a Little Prayer in Superwash Merino roving

I cannot wait to spin this stuff. I've heard some pretty good things about it online and I've been eyeing it on their website for months. I'm glad I splurged, because it wasn't like I NEEDED it, I just LUSTED for it.