So many hobbies!

I has yarn!

Approximately 350 yarns of soft angora/merino goodness.  This picture makes it look brown.  It's not.  It's more purple and pink but the merino is black and that saddens the other colors quite a bit.  That and my camera's wonky.  What am I going to do with this lovely softness?  Not a clue.  It's between a fingering and sport weight.  What can you make with 350 yards of fingering/sport weight yarn?  It would have to be something that won't take a lot of abuse.  Oh, and I'm not a scarf person.  (So many people just put their hands down.)  Think I should buy another 4 ounces?  700 yards will be more useful.  Any suggestions?  I'm open.

Is it possible that I'm the world's slowest knitter?  It seems to take me forever to finish something.  Still, I did turn the heel and I like knitting k2p2 rib so in theory, I should be moving right along on this sucker.  In theory.  Sorry the picture's lousy.  Without a sock blocker, the ribbing wouldn't lay down and behave so I could get a decent shot.  Of course, with the ribbing misbehaving, you can't see the pathetic excuse for a short-row heel.  I blame lack of practice.  Would someone please take pity on me and show me how to knit a heel flap and gusset on a toe-up sock?  For some reason, when I read directions for said heel, it sounds like Charlie Brown listening to an adult talking, "Wahwah wah wah wah."  Short rows were much easier to grasp.

I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm not going to do rubberstamping any more and I need to get rid of my stamping stuff to make room for my current obsession...um... hobby.  Now that I've made that decision, I'm trying to decide between one big garage-type sale or listing everything separately on Craig's List.  The sad reality is a) I just want to be rid of the space-hogging stuff and b) I'm not made of money.  Two ideas that don't necessarily play well together.  I want/need a chest freezer for all the summer goodness I plan on putting up but, well, money doesn't grow on trees.  I could probably get more for things if I list them separately but it will take much longer and be much more work that way.  If I list a big sale, I can (hopefully) get rid of a lot of stuff all at once, and believe me, I have a lot of stuff.  Frankly, I'm leaning toward expedience.  Hopefully the sales will be enough for the new freezer.  Now I just need to find an open Saturday.  And space in the basement.

Emergency knitting!

When the Yarn Harlot was here a month or so ago, she told us of a study that had been done in England(?) where they had exposed different groups of people to graphic and disturbing photos.  The group of people who were doing a repetitive task while watching the images coped better than the other two groups.  The researchers commented on how knitting could help people cope who have experienced something traumatic but they countered that having emergency knitting on hand was impractical.  When the Harlot delivered that last bit, the entire group, all of whom were knitting (or spinning), burst into raucous laughter.  As for me, I'm prepared for any traumatic event.  Look what I have:

I really didn't need another project bag, but when I saw that Illiane's Corner was selling these, I had to have one.  These bags have a zippered pocket outside and on the inside, a zippered pocket on one side and mesh pockets on the other. 

The llama fleece was pulled out and inspected tonight and I am both very pleased and completely disgusted.  The fleece is beautiful; very soft and silky with virtually no guard hairs.  However, the folks who owned and sheared the llamas did so only for the comfort of the animals and not with spinning in mind.  The llamas weren't blown out to get rid of as much vegetable crap and dirt as possible so the fleece is just loaded with it.  There's so much straw and hay in the fleece I don't know if it will be possible to get any usable fiber out of it.  If anyone has any info on getting the VM out of a fleece, please let me know.  The fiber is too beautiful to give up without a fight.

Feeding my addiction

I've been neglecting my store.  Over a year ago, I canceled my TV cable subscription because I was addicted to the telly and wasted copious amounts of time sitting on my butt doing absolutely nothing.  I thought Netflix, and the 2-hour movies I'd rent, wouldn't feed my addiction and for the most part, that was true.  But I've been renting TV shows and those seem to push my addiction button.  I completed the first season of Torchwood over the weekend and that's when I realized my addiction had risen its ugly head yet again.  I was a bit obsessed with the show.  (It didn't help at all that several of the characters are HOT... oh, and the writing and acting are excellent.  I highly recommend it for those of you with more self-control than myself.)  So, the TV and DVD player stay off during the week.  I'm going to make friends with my radio again and visit the library for books on tape.  I'm still working on an order for a couple of spindle boxes - an order I should have completed last week - and I need to make more to put up in my store.  I can't do that watching the telly.

My new wheel was a no-show this weekend.  A thousand curses on the UPS man who dared to show up at the store without it!  I expect I'll be making a special trip to pick it up after work on Tuesday.  I'm not sure what happened, but my shawl project got derailed.  I've got 10 ounces of that soft Polwarth/kid mohair blend to spin up on the new wheel and I'll need to buy more. 

My new sock got some knitting attention this weekend.  I'm almost ready to turn the heel:

I'd really like to learn to knit a heel flap; I've fallen out of love with short row heels.  Besides, I like the look of the heel flap.  I just need to find directions for it.

Novocain and a new sock

Unless you were born after they started adding flouride to the water, or you have good genetics, it's likely your teeth are crap.  I had my fourth root canal this afternoon.  (Or is it the 5th?  I've lost track.)  Fortunately for me, I have a great dentist.  That man can numb a mouth like nobody's business!  It's been nearly 7 hours since my appointment and some parts are still numb - for which I'm grateful, 'cause once it wears off, I'll be feeling the achy aftermath of getting my tooth reamed out.  Thank God for Advil!  Hey Mom, not only did I not cause I scene in the dentist's office, I didn't bite him either.  Aren't you proud of me?

I decided on the yarn I dyed in class for my current sock.  It's knitting up beautifully and while the yarn is a bit splitty, the fabric is very soft.  I think the yarn base is Henry's Attic Superwash Merino sport weight.  The photo isn't doing it justice.  I used Judy's Magic Cast-on from Knitty.  I had to start and restart four or five times before I finally refused to rip back again.  Somehow I've managed to have a purl row at the very end of the toe and I can't figure out how I did it.  I did it twice, actually, and the second time I was sick of ripping so I just kept going.  I hope it doesn't make for too annoying a ridge against my toe.  I'm having trouble finding a toe-up cast-on I'm happy with.  I though the Magic Cast-on would be my true love but as with all new loves, the rose fades and you get obnoxious purl ridges that you can't explain.  (Not to mention my brain's painful attempts at translating photos and descriptions into physical actions.)  It's possible I only need more practice but just in case, I'm on the lookout for my new cast-on lover.

Finished!

And just in time, too.  It's supposed to be chilly and rainy tomorrow.  You may or may not be able to notice, but the two don't exactly match (not that I care).  On my next project, I'm going to do something novel and shocking... I'm going to take notes.  Yowza!  You'd think I would have figured that out a while ago but sometimes I can be pretty dense.  I'm on the lookout for the right book for knitting notes and also the perfect project bag.  It'll have to be big enough for a sweater or shawl and my wallet, and it'll need have pockets for holding my notebook and anything other essentials.  Hmm, I may have to have both a large project bag and a smaller one for socks or mitts.  I found a McCalls pattern at Joann ETC for a tote that looked promising - when they were on sale for 99 cents - but of course they were sold out.

Since I've finished the mitts, naturally I need to cast on for something else.  The next project will be socks but deciding on the yarn is proving to be difficult.  Do I go with the lovely Amethyst Casbah yarn with the cashmere or the yarn I dyed at my yarn dyeing class or the periwinkle Socks that Rock yarn that I just bought?  They're all beautiful and I can't make up my mind.  Also, which sock pattern do I try?  The Monkey Socks that I've put on my Mission Possible 2008 list or the Red Dwarf socks?  I'm even toying with the idea of coming up with my own simple pattern (some combination of cables and yarn overs).  This may take me a while.

Sock yarn!

It's been nearly a year since I last bought sock yarn.  I've been far too busy making yarn to buy it.  But these two skeins tempted me too much to deny them.  The top yarn is Dream in Color's Smooshy sock yarn in the "Ruby River" colorway and the bottom is Hand Maiden's Casbah in the "Amethyst" colorway.  I'd heard that Smooshy was wonderful yarn to knit up and the Casbah... well the Casbah has cashmere in it.  Need I say more?  I don't know what the Smooshy will become but the Casbah is destined to be a pair of Red Dwarf socks.  They'll be my first socks with a pattern - as opposed to my standard, generic ribbed sock.  Now I just need to find the time to knit them.  After I finish the second fingerless mitt.

When I have a few free minutes or when I'm sitting on the couch watching a movie, I'm usually spinning with my spindle.  In many ways, it's easier than getting my wheel into position and tuned up for a spin.  As you can see, I've made good progress on the 2 ounces of Merino/pygora I bought.  If the finished, plied yarn turns out well, I'm going to enter it in the skein contest at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  I've got three or four other skeins I'm considering entering.  I need to give them a good, hard look to see if they're up to par. 

Such an amazing weekend!

It started Friday night when I went to see the Yarn Harlot.  I left work early and rushed home to fix the spindle box I'd botched.  (NEVER work on a detailed project when you're tired.  It seems so obvious but I still forget from time to time.)  I was intending to give it to the Harlot but when I got to the library where the talk was, I saw draped across the seats in front of me, a very familiar shawl.  The shawl belonged to Abby Franquemont, the queen of spindle spinning.  I knew that if anyone could appreciate what I had created, it would be Abby.  And boy, did she!  She "got it" immediately and when I gave her the extra one, she was like a kid in a candy store.  She was so excited.  Then, she asked me if I minded if she blogged about it.  I was so excited I almost swallowed my tongue!  Mind?!  I was thrilled!  (I put four of them up in my store tonight.)

You would think that after that excitment, the Harlot would be a bit of a let down, but she was hilarious!  She's even funnier in person than she is on her blog.  She talked for about 45 minutes and we were laughing the whole time.  Her comedic timing is perfect.  I would love to hang out with her.

While all of the spindle box and Harlot excitment was going on, I kept smelling this amazing wool wash.  Talk about inexplicable knitter behaviour:  I think I scared a few people when I asked them if I could smell their shawl or their sweater.  I explained why but I still think they watched me carefully.  I never did find the owner of the amazing wool wash so I still don't know what it was.

Saturday I went to Spinner's Flock where I became member #678.  I bought fiber (big surprise) and someone was selling back issues of Spin Off at 3 years for $10.  I now have 12 back issues to read in my spare time.  (Ha!  Spare time!  I totally crack myself up!)  It was a fun day of socializing but this introvert crashed while we were at lunch.  I spent the rest of the day, cuddling with Seli and watching movies.

Sunday was spent sewing spindle boxes except when I took time for groceries and to buy more sewing supplies at Joann ETC.  I should be going to bed now but I'm a bit too keyed up.  I think I'll grab one of those back issues.

Finding the right cable

Finding the right cable pattern has been tougher than I'd expected.  It's the major focal point of the shawl  so I have to decide what "feeling" I want it to have, if that makes sense.  Since the edging yarn is green, or mostly green, I'm leaning toward a Celtic knotwork pattern.  Well, that and I've loved Celtic knotwork for a long time.  Once I decide on the "feel" of the shawl, I also have to pick a pattern that I can end in a point, since I really want to keep the point at the bottom of the cable panel.  Oh, and speaking of yarn, I'd completely forgotten about the 3-ply Cormo yarn I made quite a few months ago.  It's perfect for the cable panel, which is fantastic because I really wanted the shawl to be knit from 100% handspun.

This is a picture from a book called Knitted Gardens by Jan Messent.  This little garden would make a great play set for a little girl.  Do you see the lily pond with lily pads and flowers?  Oh, my!  Or, if you're feeling particularly adventuresome, how about Knit a Fantasy Story, which comes complete with directions for a castle, unicorn, damsel, chickens, etc.  I just added that one to my wish list.

One mitt down

This one took me forever to knit and finish.  People actually knit socks out of this weight?!  Pairs of socks?  In a matter of days?!  Do these people work?  Do they sleep?  I can't fathom it.  I must just be a very slow knitter.  Yikes!

I've been pondering my shawl pattern... okay, hold on sec, I'll take a photo of the sketch... my scanner isn't hooked up...

This is my original rough sketch so I don't have any measurements and some changes will likely happen.  Sorry it's taken me so long to show this.  Now you can see just what I've been talking about.  Okay, so the center panel will have the cable - pattern to be determined.  The green Merino/mohair I spun will be the dark edging  and possibly a couple of rows along the center panel.  I wanted the entire shawl to be out of my handspun but since it doesn't look like I'll have enough of the Polwarth/kid mohair (that I'm still in love with), I'm now thinking I'll do the center panel out of millspun yarn.  The center panel may or may not come to a point.  It depends on the cable pattern I use.  I like how the point looks, at least in the sketch, so I want to keep it if it works.  I'll knit the center panel first, then pick up stitches along each side and knit out to each point. 

I'd like to say I did a lot of knitting this weekend, but what I really did was a lot of sleeping and reading.  I hung out at Barnes & Noble a bit and checked out some knitting books, none of which came home with me.  Next weekend is my dyeing class so there won't be much napping then.  Woot! 

You have got to try cables!

Is that gorgeous or what?!  And that's my practice swatch!  I'm telling you, you have to try cables.  They are so easy, and you don't need no stinkin' cable needle.  :-)  I used a dpn.  I think you know by now that the fanciest thing I've tried has been socks... this was easier.  Much easier.  It's so much fun to watch the cables take shape as you keep knitting.  The center cable is a 6-stitch cable and the ones on each side are 4-stitch cables.  Something that surprised me (although it shouldn't have) was how tight the knitting got when I crossed the stitches.  It makes perfect sense now, though.  Because the stitches are being crossed, they're being stretched which tightens things. 

All my spinning last weekend has left me a tad burned out on turning fiber into yarn.  Since I have three knitting projects I'm in the middle of, and of course I'm now obsessed with cables, knitting will pretty much be it for the weekend.  Who knows, I might even complete something.  Shocker!