By stephanie, on January 27th, 2012
This morning I finished what I consider instant gratification in spinning. I received this fiber as a gift from the Storied Yarns group on Ravelry, donated for finishing some of my WIP last year. I started spinning this sometime after MDS&W last year, on my new drop spindle. I have had half of the approx one ounce done since this summer, but it has been hanging out for a while with the new baby stuff. The colorway is Suki, from Moonwood Farm. It contained organic merino, rambouillet, super A1 cultivated mulberry silk, soy silk, milk protein fiber, and angelina. I ended up with about 28 yards of mostly bulky thick-thin yarn.
This was actually a pain to spin. First, I think because I’m a bit of a novice and have not worked with anything but wool before. Second, I was using a lace-weight spindle, so combined with the new fibers, it wasn’t the best spinning experience. Third, the final product is not as nice, because the white fiber (milk fiber? soy silk?) doesn’t look nice when washed, and the shiny parts against the matte wool I don’t think go together, which might just be my personal tastes. It did turn out not to be as overspun as I thought it would be. I think I might make a monster or something out of it.
By stephanie, on January 26th, 2012
Today, as I was getting dressed, I noticed something of the utmost horror. My jeans, one of only two pairs I own, was starting to get that little stress hole near the pocket. These jeans fit great, perfect length, and are getting holes! What was I to do? I had bought them over two years ago, and I didn’t think I could find them at the same store again. I hate to go clothes shopping, especially for pants, since they never seem to fit right, nor do I have the time to go shopping for jeans.
Then inspiration struck! I look at the tag, type in the information, and up pops a number of purchasing options. I ordered another two pairs in the same make and size, and they are on their way to me as I type!
Oh, yea gods of Internet convenience and twenty-four hour access, I pay homage to your brilliance once again!
By stephanie, on January 24th, 2012
- Wondering if children in less convenient times were potty trained on an actual pot. Like a chamber pot. Then I started wondering if cave-peoples did what this woman did with their babies, just taking them outside when they had to go. Because I don’t think fur diapers would work all that well.
- Had a toddler dancing around without her clothing on today, was very funny. I can’t imagine how this child doesn’t seem to feel the cold.
- Apparently I am not the only one who misread the date while stalking the yarn shop this weekend. Lala of The Knit Girllls did the same thing!
- Was pondering the profit margin of a barrel of crude oil tonight. For some reason I began wondering about using it as an investment, as if we all have barrels of oil laying around.
- Now I’m thinking about The Beverly Hillbillies. They used to show reruns when I was in high school. Maybe if I shot at the ground I could find my investment oil.
- Why is it that I can’t find a quick bread recipe that isn’t loaded with sugar or doesn’t have fruit? I usually make my own bread a lot, but am finding that the time isn’t available. However searching for bread recipes has yeilded little results. So if you have a recipe, please send it my way.
- I need to invent a personal attention robot for my dog. One ‘arm’ should scratch as needed, and the other should throw a ball. Then at least the dog will be happy!
- Am contemplating both sleeping and showering. Which should come first? If only they had already invented those futuristic showers that somehow clean and dress you in five minutes without much effort on your part. Then I think that the thought of getting out of bed where I’m writting this and into the shower vesus waking up early would be a much easier choice to make.
- Until they make said shower I’m just going to take nice long hot showers to make up for the inconvenience.
By stephanie, on January 22nd, 2012
So I have been thinking about yarn, coveting the lovely gems I see out there on the internet, in the hands of all of the devious wonderful podcasters I watch. I have been checking shops and destash pages in order to figure out if I can acquire some of this delicious goodness for myself. One particular shop stated their next update was at 2pm on Sunday.
Thus I stalked. I was waiting for two days, planning on making sure I was available at 2 today, checked and re-checked the shop to see if the yarn had magically appeared for me to purchase. But nothing happened. Double checked the date, sure enough said Sunday. Checked again. And again.
Then I realized something I hadn’t before. The date said January 29th.
Today is not the 29th.
By stephanie, on January 21st, 2012
Boy. I don’t know about you but it seems to me that holidays are getting to be more and more crazy. Maybe that is because I have more people in my life to share the joy of the season with, but whatever the reason, I need to simplify.
First, I will share with you my knitting adventures. I made my BIL two hats, one before I saw he put on on his wish list, and one after. The first is Turn a Square by Jared Flood, a free pattern. The second one is a reconfiguration of the hat he put on his wish-list in which the cables mimic chain-link fencing. I’m planning on releasing the pattern for free after I do some editing. Anyone want to help me with catching the errors? I have to finishknitting it though.
I also knit Riley a hat, although I gave it to her before Christmas. I ran out of the yarn I knit the body in, so I used a contrasting yarn for the tassels. I think it worked out well though. She says it’s too hot to wear, so it doesn’t spend much time on her head.
In addition to those hats, I made a hat for myself. My friend Mia was making an Icing Swirl, and when she cast off at knit group I tried it on, decided I liked how the slightly slouchy hat looked, and immediately decided I had to knit myself one. I love it! But then I decided to give it to hubby’s cousin, who greatly appreciates it, more than i could hope, so I’ll just have to knit another for me.
Now I have gotten my knitting mojo back, as well as the stash-enhancement bug. I’ve been ogeling patterns and yarn like crazy, when i’m not actually able to knit. I may have even tripped and fell down in the destash pages on Ravelry. That’s like adopting kittens, right?
By stephanie, on January 20th, 2012
I’ve actually written around 30 blog posts, but none of them actually made it from neuron pulses to written words.
I’d blame it on my kids, but they are only peripheral to my problems. Sure, the oldest keeps trying to get up from naps during the only free time I have during my fourteen hour day, and the youngest has been oscillating between teething and hunger pangs, but it’s nothing we can’t handle, right?!
However I feel bad if I don’t post with a picture. I like looking at blogs that post pictures, because my sleep deprived brain has little focus for the scribble below, so I think other people would like looking at pictures too. Maybe even be more inclined to read this blog if there are pictures. Also, with said brain functioning issues, coming up with witty prose has been a struggle, so what else do I have to offer?
So with these contentions for my blog-writing memory, I will attempt to write here more often. Even without pictures or fun commentary. You’ll come back and see me still. Right?
By stephanie, on December 23rd, 2011
I know I have been absent for a long while, but I hope I have remedied that problem. There are many reasons for the lapse of posting. Just a few include:
- I was sick for all of November and half of December
- I had various members of my family sick during this time frame as well
- I spent a week in WV with my parents
- I lost my mojo for knitting after Thanksgiving
- I got an iPad for my anniversary, and thus was not at my computer to blog
However, I have finally been able to remedy the last bit! So hopefully I will be able to blog more from wherever I am.
As for the knitting front, I have several projects I am in various stages of completion. My orange and brown sweater is not done, I have three hats not done, and one more I would like to finish before long (ie. Christmas!)
The hat I am working at today is Icing Swirl, and I would be farther along, as I am currently tinking back a row. Only ten more rows to go before I can call it finished!
By stephanie, on December 22nd, 2011
From what I have learned of creativity, you are supposed to let you child learn and experience without interference, you are supposed to support their method, and you do not limit their artistic views by telling them the subject of the art or how they should do it.
Easier said than done
By stephanie, on November 6th, 2011
It has gotten a little colder around here. We actually had snow in Maryland this past weekend, which is unusual, to say the least. (To put it in perspective, there has only been snow here five times in recorded history during October.) Good thing I knit warm items to combat such weather!
I finished a pair of socks during the snow. The patter in Crusoe, which was just enough pattern to interest me but not too much to concentrate on with a new baby. The yarn is Woolbearers 90/10 wool/nylon blend, which is not listed anywhere, so I don’t think they make much like this. It also feels different than the similar yarns I have known. I wonder if there is actually any elastic in it since there is a bit of stretch to the yarn. I like the way the yarn spirals, and the slipped stitches make a spiral pattern as well. I might use this pattern again with a variegated yarn, since it breaks up the colors nicely.
As there is more cold weather quickly approaching, I guess more socks would be an appropriate use of my time.
Or perhaps a sweater?
By stephanie, on October 24th, 2011
I have decided, amidst all of my outrageous plans for knitting in the next two months, to work on a colorwork masterclass. This is being done via Ravelry, through the European Fiber Network group. The goal of the class is to work through The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques by Margaret Radcliffe, exploring one chapter per month. This will take us through July, I believe.
Our first week’s assignment was to examine our stash and create a color wheel from the yarn we would be using. I had a hard time with this, since I have either mostly variegated sock yarn or earth-toned colored yarn. I did find some fingering yarn I had chosen from yarn someone had destashed, which gave me this.
Notice anything? Yeah, I like cool colors. And not much in the way of orange or yellow. There was an interesting comment in the group on Ravelry about what colors you gravitate towards. Apparently 1 out of 12 men and 1 out of 255 women have some kind of color vision deficiency, and we are drawn towards the colors we have that deficiency in. There was a great test linked here. I am not the 1 in 255, as I only missed a couple of colors in the last row, mostly because by that time I was getting impatient. (Patience is not my strong suit.)
Here is the yarn I found in worsted weight.
I was torn at what to do about the yarn choices I had, as we were supposed to have about twenty small samples of yarn to work with in the class and I’m not buying yarn until May. I obviously didn’t have enough to do that with the yarn I had, and then it hit me. I had bought some Knit Picks Palette yarn kits to use, not as the kits were intended, but for colorwork projects, specifically some stranded mittens and such. This project was just the thing I was saving the yarn for (and really, who needs to ‘save’ yarn?!)
So I have a color wheel shown with only about a third of the balls I actually own, although most of them are brown, grey, white, or black. I will be attempting to document my progress here, as well as sharing what we do with two members of my local knit group. It might be a little behind the actual class at points, since I have other responsibilities, but hopefully I will grow in my understanding of color, especially in my knitting, as my formal artistic background is lacking.
What colors are missing from your stash? What do you gravitate towards?
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