So many hobbies!

I may have a new addiction

I was supposed to visit my friend Rita on Saturday but the weather was expected to turn nasty so I stayed home... on the couch... listening to public radio... and needlefelting.  All day.  It was wonderful!  I haven't had such a relaxing day in a long time.  By the time I went to bed, I'd made a box with a lid (its beading isn't done yet - picture tomorrow), a ring tray and a bowl.  It was so much fun I'd finish one and then start another one. 

This is the ring tray.  I don't wear my ring at night and putting it on the counter in the bathroom just wasn't good enough.  (I expect it comes from the organizing gene all of my family seems to have.  Things just need to be organized into other things.)  The tray is 2.5 inches wide and an inch tall.   Of course, it needed embellishment and since I have way too many beads, it got a necklace.   

I started out needlefelting this one but it was big and I only have two needles.  It was taking way too long to felt so I finished up the felting in the sink with lots of hot, soapy water.  I shaped it around a big can of pumpkin (canned foods are so useful) until it was dry, then needlefelted on the design.  It's about 5.5 inches in diameter.  I'm amazed at how well the design turned out.  I just winged it but the spiral couldn't have come out any better and the border is actually even.  Oh, and I didn't draw blood once the entire day. 

Spinning and felting and eggs - oh, my!

Saturday was my needle-felting class with Shelly Lampshire at the Spinning Loft.  Shelly taught us how to use pipecleaners to make an armature for our pieces.  Since I'm rather fond of cats I chose to make a seated cat.  I found the class to be mostly fun and a little bit frustrating trying to learn something new.  I certainly find sculpture much easier than drawing when I'm trying to get proportion correct.  It was fun but it's not something that will consume me.  Spinning and beading hold me in thrall too much.  Here's a front view of my cat:

I used natural brown Corriedale for the body.  I know he has a few issues but for my first felted piece, I think he's rather good.  Here he is from behind:

In case you're curious, here he is inside the light tent.  It's a big tent:

I'm still trying to figure out the tent + lighting + my camera.  I'll take a photo that's lighted perfectly (the front view) and the next shot will be dark (the rear view).  Nothing at all has changed but the camera takes a darker shot.  I'm at a loss.

When I got to the store Saturday, Shannah presented me with a priceless gift.  Eggs.

Again, my camera wasn't cooperating.  These are a lovely spring green color.  We always called them Easter eggs.  Farm raised, free-range eggs are amazingly good.  Store-bought eggs taste like chalk next to a farm egg.  Thank you, Shannah!  Yummy!

Much spinning was done this weekend.  I finished spinning and plying the Pale Jewels roving, which is drying, and I spun up the Tuxedo roving.  Plying will have to wait until tomorrow.  I also tried spinning angora.  I'd bought some clipped angora at the Michigan Fiber Festival in August.  Using my mini-combs, I combed it and spun from the comb.  Angora has a reputation for being difficult to spin because it's so slippery.  I didn't find it hard to spin but I did find it hard to spin evenly.  There was a whole lot of thick and thin spots.  I only spun a sample skein (also drying - picture tomorrow).  I'd like to get some tips on spinning angora before I spin the rest.  The sample skein I'm going to knit up so I can have something soft and fuzzy to play with.

End of a long weekend

Isn't that a lovely sight?  Bobbins 4, 5 and 6 are now a little over 200 yards of 3-ply.   The yarn pretty much looks like the first skein so no new picture.  I'll confess I'm getting a bit tired of spinning white wool so I'm going to slow down a bit and spend more time on my Campfire socks.  I'll still be spinning a little every day since I'm participating in the Tour de Fleece but I'll be spinning dyed wool.  I need the variety and excitment of color.  I get a big thrill seeing how dyed roving spins up and then plies.  I think by now everyone knows how I feel about plying.

Saturday I made 5 batts of blended super superfine 15s Merino, cashmere and angora.  They're soooo soft.  The flyer on my wheel only has a 17:1 ratio so I'm waiting until the new 3-ratio flyer arrives before I spin the batts.  I'll need the higher ratios to spin so fine a blend.   

I missed the beginning of the Tour de Fleece 2007 Saturday but I my wheel was turning today.  I started some superwash Merino from Pigeonroof Studios in the Royale colorway.  For socks, of course.  Oh, BTW, I did start the heel flap today on the first Campfire sock.  I got about 10 rows done and then found I'd dropped a stitch about 2 rows in and had to frog nearly the entire flap.  Grrr!  So, there isn't much to see at this point.  Tomorrow...

And here's my wheel sporting her new wheel pouch.  Never again will I have to hunt for the wheel oil.

Wheel pouch

Third time's the charm!  I frogged the second start on my wheel pouch before casting on again this morning.  It was too big.  The finished pouch, now felted, is stretched over a glass while it dries.  This is the first project I've made using my own handspun.  Very cool!  I'll take a picture of it on my wheel tomorrow.

Aside from the pouch, I spun a bit of Cormo and scoured a whole lot more Cormo.  I have to confess I'm stalling working on my sock (hence the finished pouch).  I'll be trying the heel flap for the first time with this sock.  Trying new things always makes me a bit uncomfortable so if I can, I stall.  It's silly because I usually learn the new thing without too much difficulty.  Until I try it, though, the unknown has a bit of the freaky factor that spooks me.  I've still got about 3/4 of an inch of cuff to knit but by the end of the weekend I will have started, and hopefully completed, the heel.  Wish me luck!

Almost done

I'm close.  There's not much yarn left.  My directions suggest a stretchy bind-off, which I don't know how to do, so I probably won't be able to finish completely until I visit my LYS for a quick lesson.  Q&A night is Wednesday.  This will give me plenty of time to knit up my bag for felting.

My swatch after felting ended up shorter, not narrower like I had expected.  It's a good thing I decided to swatch because the jumbo bag I'd started knitting wouldn't have been even remotely close to the size I wanted after it was felted.  Yes, I know:  swatching is my friend.  I have learned the error of my ways.  I've also decided that I can probably get away with using dpns and not the circulars I bought.  Georgia suggested I try Addis.  I've heard they were very good circs but I don't think my LYS carries them.  At least I didn't see them when I was there.  I wonder if I can trade in my circs for the same size dpns?  I hope so.  Now if only I can find my receipt...