Pictures!

I didn't manage to get pictures taken yesterday afternoon because I got distracted and then my camera battery went dead. So, there you are then. I did, however, manage to get pictures today. The gods have blessed us with superb weather and it looks like it's going to continue for a while.
Let's see, where shall I begin?
Ah, yes, project HN.
I finished this yesterday at the house of Dragonfly & Butterfly Awakening. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, it's too small for it's intended 6'3" husbandly-type wearer, so I'm setting it aside until the right person comes along.
Knitted on sz6 straight needles in Phoenix soysilk in green and black. The pattern is a 4 stitch knit, 4 stitch purl vertical zigzag with several mistakes intentionally left uncorrected.
Mock Croc socks. Still plugging along on those, though now I have one finished and one started, it should go fairly quickly. Here they are, pictured next to my primroses, the first in my garden to bloom.
Next, there's the bath scrubby I made for all the little soap slivers we get after the big bar gets used up. It's made from leftover bits of Sugar&Cream cotton and is shown here hanging in the shower. It was knitted on size 4 straights in the Bicolor Tweed stitch from 365 Knitting Stitches. This was started and finished on March 2.
Then, there's Coronet #2 for The Boy. I finished Coronet #1 for Miss Rhiannon back in November and gave it to her for Yule. The Boy saw said hat, thought it was groovy, and wanted the Crazy Hat Lady (me) to knit him one for a few pennies. So, here it is, on size 8 bamboo dpns, just as before. I'm hoping perhaps I can weave in the top a little better this time because it came undone on the last one.
Spinning: It occurs to me that I'm going to need some drop spindle-spun yarn for the warp. Stuff spun on the drop spindle is stronger because it has to support the weight of the spindle and therefore better suited to be warp threads. The brown stuff on the bottom right is some I've spun using my drop spindle and I've been thinking about using that for my warp threads for my himation. I'm considering also using more of the Peaceful Pastures lamb. I haven't decided. I do know that one of these days I want to purchase a drum carder. It takes me six hours to card enough wool to make two and a half oz. of yarn. I'm getting faster at it, but still, that's ten hours all told to make yarn from raw wool. I have a greater appreciation for the scarcity of garments before any of these processes were mechanized, but dang. Ten hours. After I get my electric guitar, I'm saving my pennies for a drum carder. Still no loom, but I'm not in a huge rush for it, so it's no biggie. I'd like to have my own ball winder as well, but I have one that I can sometimes use, so the absence of a ball winder isn't nearly so painful as the absence of a drum carder.
Oh! I nearly forgot! I finally finished the Zebra swallowtail handkercheif. There it is. The image is traced from a photo and stitched mainly in satin stitch, with the outlines backstitched. It goes with the West Virginia White I finished earlier. Truth be told, they are going to two different people, but I think of them as a set. I finished this one last Saturday, I believe.

Okay, Beck, I'm on it. I'll take pictures this afternoon, but here's the skinny:

1. Finished project HN today (ran out of yarn). It doesn't fit it's intended wearer, but it's a scarf, so it'll fit someone, non?
2. Finished one Mock Croc sock (though not until after February was over). The other one is one inch - Reason one why March is for making mates.
   
3. Finished the sherbet hat for Iree to match her adorable sherbet mittens. She now wants a scarf and a sweater and and...
4. What flower basket shawl?

I have also discovered that it takes me about ten hours to make about two and a half oz of two ply sportweight-ish yarn. Six hours of that is carding. I'm making the big eyes at the husband to card wool for me. Hasn't worked yet, but he's gonna fail that will save eventually.

It has been a week since I last posted, and a lot has happened in that week. I haven't been able to get much knitting done, mostly because I've been distracted by babies and beautiful weather. I was out today in just a sweater and t-shirt and was only a little bit chilly. Either I'm better adapted to the cold, it's really warming up (the weatherbug says 38 degrees farenheit, but I don't believe it), or it's a combination of the two.
Oh! - babies! If you haven't heard yet, Saturday the 24th at 1:20 in the morning, my nephew Thomas was born. He weighed 8#9oz and was 22" long. Dad, mama, and baby are all doing very very well. I still can't get my head around the fact that my baby sister is a mama, but I'm very happy for her. She's going to be a great mom.
The last several days, it's been gorgeous outside. There's a warmness to the sun that wasn't there before and you can tell that the earth is about to burst forth into spring. We're right at the point now when it's no longer winter, but not quite spring yet. Mostly I can't wait for the flowers. I can't wait to plant in the garden and get my hands in the dirt again.
See how I am distracted?
First some spinning updates:
I've started spinning the wool I got last week from Peaceful Pastures and I have decided that I really really for real tho' want a drum carder. I just don't have the spare $300-$500. Perhaps in the future, non? Hand carding is some hella hard work and I've started to get blisters and scrapes on my knuckles from it. I don't mind terribly much because I'm trying to do it little by little, moving from one part of the process to another so I neither get bored nor suffer injury to my poor wrists. The end result is beautiful, though. The yarn is naturally variegated and soft as well. I spun up a small one-ounce sample of the yarn first, but I spun it entirely too tightly. Not even washing relaxed it. So, I adjusted the tension on the wheel and came up with something usable the second time around.
In other spinning news, I finished a ply of the bamboo I've been spinning on the drop spindle. It's a nice break from the plain brown wool I've been spinning on the spindle for what seems like forever. You can see in this picture how there's still a little frost outside, but the sun is quickly melting and evaporating it away.
Now on to the knitting. I did manage to finish one Mock Croc sock. Here it is. Since March is for Making Mates (and tomorrow is the first of March), I'm still doing alright. I want to hurry up and get these done, though, because I want to make a pair of socks for my former doc. She has a multitude of medical problems including metastatic cancer and lupis and can't get insurance. She's really in a bad way right now and this is one way I'm able to offer her comfort. I can't really send a whole lot of pennies, but I can make a pair of socks. Once the Mock Croc are done, it's off to the LYS for some navy blue sock yarn. It's her favorite color.
Moving on, Project HN, the green and black soysilk scarf is...well, it's getting there. I have eight stripes done and a ninth started. I'd like to be able to do twelve total, but I'll go until I run out of one or the other colors. I do like how it's turning out and how the soysilk knits up. I'm going to work on it some today so maybe I'll have another FO for February. Here's hopin'.
No progress on the flower basket shawl since last time. I've set it aside to focus on other things. And by "focus" I mean "be completely distracted by new wool, babies, and sunny weather."

It came! It came! It came!

This is the wool I ordered from Peaceful Pastures and it came today. They're a farm out in Hickman and they also sell meat. I'm all about buying locally when I can, so I'm thinking about also buying some meat from them. The only barrier there is the amount of freezer space I have.
It occurs to me that I am easily distracted by shiny new wool. I have yet to actually knit anything with anything I've spun. I did manage a gauge swatch with the rainbowdey soysilk/wool and I'm planning a pair of gloves from that. This here is intended for a woven himation and I can't wait to start spinning it. It's super soft. I'd make things for my new nephew out of this it's so soft. I've also got some bamboo fiber on the drop spindle and some wool I got from the Knaughty Knitter on the wheel. I've almost spun all of that up and when I sit down to it again, it should go pretty quickly.
But it's February for Finishing and I've finished one entire thing. There's been no progress on the flower basket shawl since last I posted, some progress on the scarf, and some progress on Kell's sock, but nothing yet finished. Becky, you are totally kicking my butt.
headdesk
I need to focus.

I never did post a picture of my brand new nephew's snake sweater. I've already listed it as finished, so it doesn't count for February for Finishing, but I did sew on the buttons today and finally take a picture. He's not here yet, but it should be any ol' minute now. I'm making progress on the other stuff, but haven't finished anything yet. My fleece is on its way here. I'm very excited, though not as excited as I am about little Thomas's birthday. I'm getting a nephew!
Nothing else of note, so I shall get back to knitting like a fiend.

Holy cow, that is cute. I have got a seriously cute kid.
Oh! erm, knitting and finishing and...right, got distracted by the cuteness. Sorry about that.
So, here's the sherbet hat and sherbet mittens, all finished and in use. (I think I've already said this, but...) It's made from microspun and some fluffy thing from Yarn Bee stranded together and knit on #7 bamboo dpns. Note the pompom. It's huge. I asked her what kind of top she wanted her hat to have and she picked pompom. She even opened up my handy-dandy knit patterns book and pointed to it so as to make sure I got the right one. The girl knows what she wants. Well, as you can tell, she really likes the hat and mittens her mommy made for her. I totally score good mommy points.
So, we got some cash from the father-in-law as a late Christmas gift and what do I do but go to the Knaughty Knitter - on accounta 'cause. I got some Northern Lights roving in a colorway called "Teddy Bear," a 100g skein of Opal in a blue that translates to "Dreamcatcher," and Iris decided that she wanted some yarn, so she got a skein of pastel acrylic/viscose. She was very excited about all the different yarns and wool and had to show me everything. She even decided that she wanted to pay for everything (with my money, of course), so she gave Miss Meredith the dollars and I used it as a math lesson. Teaching moments are everywhere.
So I already started spinning the roving and it's a bit coarse, but spins very very quickly. I've already got one skein of about 1 1/4 oz., 100yds, 3-ply, and one half ounce single all spun up. It's kind of a brownish-grey with some cream and white and really does remind me of teddy bears. I'm even considering knitting a teddy bear from it, though I've not made my mind up about that yet. I will post pictures when I get the chance.
Well, it's off to bed for me. Little bit has school in the morning.

I am weak. I cast on something new on the 1st of February. I am ashamed. It was the new sock from the 6-sox list, "Springtime in Paris," but I ended up not liking how the fabric was turning out, so I ripped it out completely. So far, I've finished bupkis other than a dice bag for my sweetie made from his underwear. I have, however, made progress on a couple things and other than my brief infraction I've been moving right along. Here's a list of the knitting uFo's 'cause the complete uFo list is entirely too intimidating. the complete uFo list is also in the sidebar, but I try not to look at it too much, lest I hide under the couch and cry.

• Mock Croc socks for Kell
• sherbet hat for Iris
• flower basket shawl

Three things. Okay, three knitted things. I'm easily distracted by shiny objects and actually have about a dozen other things that I ought to finish as well. But there's my knitting uFo list. The knitted list is totally doable in the month of February and if I finish other objects, it's a bonus.
So, here are some in-progress pictures. First, the Mock Croc socks. I'm about a pattern repeat away from the heel of the first sock and if I bust butt on it, I can totally get it done before the end of February. I just need to remember not to try and knit while I'm watching other people play video games. I turn into a drooling zombie that can't knit even the simplest lace pattern.


Second, the sherbet hat. I made a pair of sherbet mittens for Miss Iris because she lost her yellow ones I made for her. I know, they had a string between them, but she lost the entire jacket they were strung into. I haven't got a picture of those and can't really take one right now because she wore them to school. They're not stellar, but they're cute and she likes them. After I finish the hat, I'll be making a scarf to match. All the yarn is in various colors of Microspun that I traded to Becky for some fat quarters. I'm not sure what I was thinking there, but it's stash and I'm using it. It's stranded with some pastel fluffy thing from Yarn Bee - also stash. Iris and Kell are the best people to make things for. Both of them are very excited about their things I'm knitting.

Thirdly, the Flower basket shawl by Evelyn Clark. I made a rather terrible mistake involving a dropped stitch and ended up ripping the entire thing out, but I was only a few repeats in and recovered quickly. I'm now five pattern repeats in out of an intended twelve. I'm not entirely sure who the recipient is going to be, but I'm rather enjoying the process. It's a simple knit and the lace pattern seems to follow a logical progression of sorts. I barely have to glance at the pattern to know where I am and what I'm doing.

I've also got some embroidery in progress, Gretta's cocaine Katie pants and a butterfly handkercheif. For some reason, everyone seems to like the butterfly ones best of all. Fortunate for me, there are enough varieties of butterfly to keep me interested. I try to depict real butterflies as best as I can because they're more beautiful than anything I could invent. I'd like to do a black swallowtail eventually and Miss Kell wants a tiger swallowtail. Iris wants a hanky of her very own as well, but I don't know if I'm going to make her an embroidered one. I may just pick a fabric she likes and hem the edges. We'll see.

So, anyhow, I do feel like I'm moving along and I'm pretty hopeful about February is for finishing. I'm not entirely sure what's on the docket for today's needlework. Perhaps hat, perhaps shawl, perhaps sock, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...Sorry, slipped into Cake for a minute.

February is for Finishing,

Frogging, or Flinging (as in out of a car window).
I've had a bad case of startitis lately, partly due to the mad dash of finishing stuff before the holidays. Last year, the lovely Beckoo came up with February is for Finishing (Frogging, or Flinging) in which we are honest with ourselves about our uFo's and attempt to Finish, Frog, or Fling as many of them as possible. Last year, we had the Knitting Olympics and I Finished an entire cardigan for myself right at the deadline. Go me. This year, no Knitting Olympics and I'm really really trying to be honest with myself about all the uFo's, though I'm sure there are a few projects that I've left out. So the rules, shamelessly copied and/or paraphrased from Beckoo's Blog, are as follows:

• Find and identiFy all your uFo's. Be honest - no Fibbing, no cheating. Be Fearless! And iF you have uFo's from last year, consider whether or not you are really going to Finish them.
• Do Not (and this is very important) Do Not cast on any new projects during February. Swatches obviously do not count.
• Finish, Fling or Frog as many uFo's as you can. There may be a prize for the knitter who completes the most projects!

In continuing with the spirit of February is for Finishing, I'm also stash-knitting. My ultimate goal is to root out most of the acrylic so that I can have more room for wool. I've begun to resort to stashing yarn on my bookshelf. This tells me that my net stash is not static. There has, in fact, been a decided increase in said stash, much of which was actually given to me. I haven't got a huge stash and I haven't reached SABLE, but I do have limited space in which to store anything. That said, I've ordered an entire fleece for to spin on my spinning wheel and lest you think I'm a great big cheater, fiber for spinning doesn't count.
Speaking of spinning, I'm working on some lovely brown wool on my drop spindle until I get my fleece. Since Tuesday is for spinning, I'm going to get back to it. Once I finish this brown, I'm going to try the bamboo fiber I got for Yule!

Lots of pictures today and lots of updates on projects. I've been a busy lady lately with something of a case of startitis.

I finished my red Opal Krokodil socks. No pattern, just a basic sock recipe. I figured out while I was making these socks why I was getting such weird gauges. It turns out that I had my 0's mixed in with my 1's. The problem has since been solved. The most wonderful Beckoo made for me a case for my dpns for Yule. She's my favoritest Beckoo in the world.

So, there's a picture of my little feet and my big husband there in the background. I love the goofy face he's making.
Remember the foot-sweaters I was making for him? I happened to finish these socks Wednesday night. The next morning, I was to drive to Franklin for purposes of taking the GRE. I heard that it is customary to touch the feet, preferably the big toe of Athena before taking the GRE. Having no Athena at hand, I imagined touching her big toe as I finished the toe of the last sock. She's also a goddess of weaving and other string-related endeavors, so it seemed to make sense to me.
Anyhow, in a show of sock-solidarity, Dear Husband of mine wore his foot-sweaters that I made for him. All the mojo must have worked because I think I did pretty alright on the test. I don't know for sure exactly how I did, but I didn't completely freak out and bomb.

I started on Miss Kell's socks. The pattern is Mock Croc socks from Knitpicks, done in their Essential sock yarn in black on 2 size 1 circulars from... Knitpicks. Do we see a trend? I like Knitpicks, what can I say?
She loves them already. Like I said, she's the Best. Person. Ever. to make things for. She insisted that I knit from stash, even though sock yarn doesn't count as stash. *sigh*

Ah, well. I'm knitting from stash anyhow. I'm planning on knitting another pair of mittens for little Iris, possibly in purple and with a matching hat and scarf.
So here's a picture of the tiny gauge sock and of the sock-in-progress. I think I'm going to put the gauge socks on my Yule tree 'cause they're cool and tiny and so cute! I'll have a tiny sock garland, it'll be great.
This is a good picture of the mock croc texture. I like the nubblies.

And finally, here is the newly started flower basket shawl. This one goes very very quickly and the lace pattern is easy. Of course, it looks like molded ramen noodles right now because it's unblocked lace, but it will get better. I'm using size 7 circulars (again, Knitpicks Options needles) and Knitpicks Shadow in Lost Lake.

Other than that, I'm out of roving to spin on my wheel. I've got some stuff that I'm spinning on my drop spindle, but nothing for my wheel. I'm out. I shall have to fix that.

Under the category of "Things that sound dirty, but aren't":

1."Wanna see dirty wool on my niddy-noddy?"

And there it is, splayed out on my kitchen table for all to see. The scandal!


Here's the ramen noodle picture. I find that the wok is just perfect for wool-soaking purposes. All the yellow is the funk that was on the sheep when it was sheared. Another thing that sounds dirty but isn't:
2. "It's still soaking because this was a very dirty sheep."

It's not as bad now, but the water is still a bit cloudy. I'll probably soak it most of the day and then hang it out to dry overnight. I finished spinning the yarn last night and spent the better part of this morning dealing with certain stash concerns, primarily identifying yarn (it was a nylon/wool sock yarn in two shades of lavender), winding said yarn up, and ripping out and winding up a failed hat project. It drove the cat insane. More.
I want to start a pair of mittens for little Iris, but I should be working on my sock. I may very well, but dishes and dinner must come first. Possibly also vacuuming and sweeping. 'Cause, dang.

This is the part where I say, "Holy crap!"

Holy Crap!

I traced the picture from a photograph using wax-free tracing paper like I use for marking patterns onto fabric and I always feel like I'm cheating when I'm tracing. But translating a design, whether it's one that you've traced, drawn, transferred, etc., into stitches can be tricky. And of all things, I picked satin stitch. I generally hate satin stitch because I'm obsessive-compulsive and have to make sure every micron of fabric is covered just right. But this time, I didn't worry about it. I just followed my markings and did one stitch at a time. The thing that has caused my astonishment is the fact that when I finish this, it will look like a real zebra swallowtail butterfly. It just looks right. I don't know why this should shock or amaze me, but it does.
I am very proud of how my skill at this has improved over the years. I could not have done something this nice even ten years ago.

And now, for something completely different:
A friend has offered to pay me for a lace wool G-string. I'll have to either find a pattern or write one, but he's such a nice guy that I couldn't refuse. Not that I'm going to personally measure him or anything, but I'll totally knit him a lace G-string for pennies.
He asked because I showed him my Flower Basket shawl in progress. I just started on it Saturday and I'm one pattern repeat into it. The lace pattern is so very easy and looks entirely more complicated than it actually is. It's going very quickly and I love it. I'll post more on that later.
In other woolly goodness, I'm approaching the toe of my red Krokodil Opal socks. As soon as they are off the needles, I'll be starting on Miss Kell's socks. She is the Best. Person. Ever. to make things for. No joke.

Just a quick and dirty update for today. Perhaps next time, I'll have the first finished project of the year. Will it be the red Opal socks or the pair of handkercheifs?

Wool is like a drug. In fact, it's a gateway drug to other fibers. You shouldn't knit and drive. Knitters refer to their "hobby" as an addiction. Knitters have stash. "I paid $15 for 100g of Opal" sounds like a drug deal. When we are knitting or spinning or what have you, we are captivated by color and texture.

Anyhow, I finished spinning and plying the soysilk/wool that dear husband of mine got me. He wanted to hold it for the picture, so here he is, holding the yarn. It's actually a much bigger than it looks. It's about 1 1/2 oz or so. He's just got big hands. Here also is the yarn, the spinning wheel, and the kitty.




In other news, I finished one of two hankies in progress. I know that I have a tendency to work the embroidery very close to the edge and yet I still do it. Next set, I'll try (again) to move it in a little or else sew the seams first and then embroider. I'm not sure what sorts of hankies I will embroider next, but I'm thinking maybe something more abstract or else flowers. I'll just have to see what strikes my fancy. The next one after this is a Zebra swallowtail.

I got a lot done today - as far as textiles go, that is.

1. I patched John's underpants (I'd rather he wear patched-up undies than ones that have less actual fabric than a loincloth. I don't have to buy him new ones this way. And it amuses me.)
2. I ripped apart dyed, dried, and ironed an old underskirt that I had made. I must have been drinking heavily when I put it together because - holy krimeny the mistakes and horrid seams and... It's better now. Now I have two very nice pieces of coffee dyed muslin that I may very well remake into a decent underskirt. With better seams this time.
   Did you know that when you dump coffee grounds into a big pot, stir around a bunch of fabric in it, and then toss the fabric in the dryer that it leaves coffee grounds all over your dryer and laundry room floor? It does.
   
3. I embroidered a handkercheif. The seams aren't done yet, but it's this butterfly. And I think the stitching turned out pretty nice
4. I spun more of the rainbowdey soysilk/wool.

Not bad for a day's work. I also loaded the dishwasher and made dinner for me and the little one. I wonder if tomorrow I should put the muslin through another round of dye and dry tomorrow. Hmm... Will have to sleep on that.

My husband is a brave man. I say this because he willingly and without fear (I assume) walked into the Knaughty Knitter and bought me fiber. Remember this? The rainbowdey stuff in the middle? He bought that for me and I finished plying the first half of it. Plying is my favorite part.

Now, the pictures. It's so beautiful, I almost cried.

What more can I say?

Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva

New Year, New Life.
I'm not sure this is a comprehensive list of all the things I've finished in 2006, but it's a pretty good one. It includes knitting projects, sewing projects, embroidery, and some quilting, so here it is in reverse order. Dates are approximate and taken primarily from whenever it was that I posted photos.

1. Olympic Cardigan, finished Feb 26
2. Bardic Olympics hankies, finished Mar 20
3. Pink Iris socks, finished Apr 5
4. Na'ama's pants to skirt transformation, finished Apr 19
5. Sun and Moon hankies, finished Apr 20
6. Brown satin bridesmaid's dress, finished May 10
7. Mystery Shawl #2, aka Ragnarok Shawl, finished June 4
8. Vinyard socks, finished June 4
9. Dragonfly's Socks, finished June 29
10.Cotton washcloths, finished July 19
11.Yellow Iris mittens, finished July 25
12.Cherry dress, finished July 25
13.Green dress (but not a real green dress, that's cruel), finished Sept 4
14.Sunshine and Rainbows nightgown, finished Sept 5
15.Snake Skin Socks, finished Sept 31
16.Husband!Socks, finished Oct 10
17.General Grievous cloak, finished Nov 1
18.Slitherin Fair-Isle socks, finished Nov 23
19.Coronet hat, finished Nov 25
20.Snake sweater for Thomas Oren, finished Nov 10
21.two paganly hankies, finished Oct 21
22.purple Oakland dress, finished Oct 8?
21.Popholders for Ishbu, finished Dec 15
22.Green socks, finished Dec 17
23.Shirt for Rowan, finished Dec 12
24.Shirt for Morgan, finished Dec 15
25.Funky shirt for Ryan, finished Dec 22
26.Satin KIP bag, finished Dec 14
27.Two knight puppets, finished Dec 10
28.Pink Iris nightgown and robe, finished Dec 15

I'm guessing on a lot of these dates, but it should be pretty close to right. Now you know why I was insane about the middle of December. So, there it is. That's 28+ projects I've finished since February of last year. Now I assess what I have in progress, and work on finishing what I've started. Really, though, I haven't got a whole lot of UFOs and I've been doing very well at finishing what I start and working from stash. I hope it keeps up.

Happy New Year, all, and may we finish more than we start.

Post-Christmas Post

Well, I didn't get all the Yuletide knitting, sewing, etc. done, but I did get a fair bit finished. Mom loved her socks, as did MIL, Iris loved her nightgown and robe, Ryan loved his shirt, Morgan and Rowan liked their shirts and puppets, Becky liked the KIP bag, lessee...what else? OH! Ishbu loved her popholders, and Rhi liked her hat and her friend liked it so much she wants one too. I think that's everything. And alas, I don't have pictures of everything, but somewhere around here, I've got a picture of Iris's nightngown. And here's a detail of the front. It seems I'm having trouble uploading photos as usual, but links are good, too. Thank goodness for photobucket, no?
I finished plying the first of the raw wool my MIL gave me, so here's a picture of it. And also a picture of it soaking in the wok. You should have seen it when it first went to soak. The water turned yellow. Not just any yellow, YELLOW. Sheep don't take baths, and it turns out that the wool I was spinning was more of an off-white than tan. Yes, yes, I know you're supposed to wash before spinning, but I'm impatient. And besides, Kiwis spin dirty wool - which sounds like a euphemism, but it works out just fine.
I recieved some knitterly gifts also. My sweetie honey got me fiber for spinning. The silver on the left (carbonized bamboo) and the multicolored soysilk/wool blend now belong to me. *JOY* and also *SQUEE* My MIL got me the Knitpick's Options needle set. More *SQUEE*! I haven't used them yet, but I will have them in hand soon enough.
Currently, I'm working on a pair of socks for myself out of Opal Krokodil. It's purdy. Other than the green and black project in the soysilk, that's all that's current, but there are several things that are coming up, including some paid projects. More update later. Now, I've got to get off my keister and maybe try and get this house cleaned up.
Maybe I'll do a little spinning first...

What I learned in school today

I learned that it is very dangerous to walk down a hall with a spinning wheel and that I can indeed avoid saying curse words in front of fourth graders.
Okay, so this morning, I had intended to go in front of the Kindergarteners and show them how cool it is to make string from sheep fluff and then make that string into clothes. And then, as I was walking down the hall, the art teacher caught me and talked me into showing the fourth graders as well because they're doing a unit on early America and...well, 'cause spinning is cool. Iris's school is what is referred to as an "Arts integrated" school, so they do all kinds of cool stuff like have drama and art and music every week, no matter what grade you're in. Seriously, Iris has drama class every week. So they get very excited about the arts and I think that's extremely cool.
Anyhow, here are some pictures of my nervous self:



















And here I am in front of the fourth graders. While I was spinning, a screw came loose and the spindle flew off of the wheel. Much to my surprise, I did NOT let out a stream of curse words in front of the class. You may commence with "screw loose" jokes now.
It seems as though they all enjoyed watching me spin and were absolutely mesmerized by the process. They all just wanted to sit and watch and watch and watch. Not just the little ones, either, the bigger kids thought it was very cool and so did the grownups. Spinning is just...cool.
I showed them the whole process, from raw wool to string and how string turns into clothes. I showed them the drop spindle and told them how every piece of fabric used to be made from handspun thread - even sails. They were all duly impressed.
Anyhow, at least I wasn't being broadcast on national TV, but I was nervous all the same - kids can be a tough audience. Whew! I'm glad this is over, but it was very cool and I had fun.

I forgot my camera. Again. I am an enormous dork.
I even wore my brandly-new fair isle socks yesterday, but didn't take pictures. They fit perfectly (of course) and are mightily comfortable. None can understand the joys of handknit socks until they have a pair. I'm currently working on a pair of green ones from the newly acquired stash and they are coming along rather quickly. I started them on Saturday morning and it is now Monday morning. I'm all the way past the heel gusset and to the foot. It's not a sock a day, but it is pretty darned fast for me. Keep in mind that I was also doing other things. Sunday I helped with our Coven Thanksgiving (mostly by washing dishes) and I have also been spinning.
I got my spinning wheel! I am the happiest girl in the WORLD. My MIL had purchased it, but never seemed to get the hang of it and she knew that I had been wanting one, so she give it me. *SQUEE* She sent some raw wool along and I've already spun about a half a spindle of it. It's just unbelieveably fast and I am hooked. Jess must have more roving. I'm trying not to spin up all the raw wool I've got because I want to do a thing for Iris's Kindergarten class in January. It'll probably be alright. There's quite a bit of it and I have to card it before I can spin it.
The cotton harvest has already passed here and every time I drive by a cotton field, I just want to grab one of my Knaughty Knitter bags and start picking up where they carried away the bales. I totally could, but I'd want someone to go with me. It's just...sitting there, waiting for some fiber-obsessed person to pick it up. Who's with me?

No pictures today. I should be getting my camera this weekend and there will be pictures of at least the socks I just finished. Oh - I finished the Fair Isle socks. I'm also most of the way through a hat made from Wool Ease from the Stash - same Wool Ease pictured here. The pattern is Coronet from Knitty and I'm using size 8 dpns. The gauge is off, but it's going to be a hat when I'm done and it's going to fit some-damn-body. Knitting stretches. I'm just sayin'.
Speaking of Stash, there is now more Stash. I'm now the owner of quite a few skeins of Schaffhauser sockenwolle in kind of a dark green color. It's a wool/polyamide blend (this probably means wool/nylon, though wool/kevlar would be wicked cool!). I've also got about that many skeins of a mohair/acrylic. It's Swilan in kind of a navy blue with fuzzies that look like my cat cuddled with it. Additionally, there are a few skeins of a pinky-purple of unknown origin and content.
That's all that's fit to print. Hope everyone is having a lovely Thanksgiving.

It is the time for holiday knitting, sewing, etc. You will note in the next month or so that until that fateful gift-giving day, some projects will be coded and pictures will not be posted lest the recipient be watching. Hopefully soon, there will be pictures of the lovely Miss Kell and her cloak. It was well recieved and now I can fix my car which is currently in the shop awaiting diagnosis. More about that here. There's a bit about a crosstitch pattern that was giving me fits as well. I was thinking about just giving up on it for various reasons, but have decided that dammit, I can do this. I ended up ripping the whole thing out and as soon as I finish getting the rest of the thread and some more bobbins, I'm going to start back on it. It may take me 97 years to complete, but I am a rather stubborn woman and it will be beautiful.
Bed-sized quilt for Iris? What bed-sized quilt for Iris? I don't know what you're talking about.

It's done! Donedonedonedonedonedonedone!!
The General Grievous cloak is done!
I'll get you pictures when I deliver it to Miss Kell. She's totally excited already. I love making stuff for her.

50th post!

This is my Fiftieth Post! Woot!
I am inspired today by the Yarn Harlot and the words of my Kell - "Make stuff. Make stuff and share it!"










This is me today. I made the dress I'm wearing and I decided to wear that d*mn shawl because I made it and it was hard, and it's done and it looks beautiful.

And here is Kell's cloak with the symbol pinned on, but not yet stitched down. I'm working on that today. This was hard, too, but I'm doing it and it's going to be AWESOME and she will absolutely love it.




And I ended up making my very first ball of homespun yarn into a headband to wear to keep my ears warm. I stitched it up last night. It wasn't really that hard to knit, but I spun the yarn myself, taught myself how to do it and then made fabric out of it. I am proud of this.

My crazy was leaking yesterday. I feel a little more steady, a little more sane today (I hope). I still have a lot to do, but it seems more manageable now than it was before. What gets done, gets done, and what doesn't, doesn't.
The one thing that helped to set me back on the path of sanity was spinning. I had finished up a spindlefull of thread and had another I had finished earlier, so they needed to be plied. I spent some time plying, had a little chocolate (Pink M&Ms - eating chocolate to fund breast cancer research, education, and prevention always sounds good to me. Save the boobs, have some chocolate.), and just kind of relaxed. The red is the most recent hank and seems to be much more consistent and even than the other. I believe I'm getting better at this.

Even still, I couldn't sleep, so I did some knitting. I don't know what I'm knitting. That depends on how much yarn I have. So far it's a rectangle. But it's a pretty rectangle and what ever it turns out to be, it's going to be warm. I decided to just knit up that one ball of my first homespun and see how it turns out. Scarf? Muff? Very pretty rectangle I can't do anything with? Your guess is as good as mine.

Okay, yeah, it's been awhile. I've been waiting on the means, motive, and opportunity to take pictures of the many and varied things that I've finished and that I've got in progress.
Here we go.

Slith...er...um...snake socks.
Not much progress, but some.
I'm about two thirds of the way up the foot.
Not much else to report, really.







Baby Snakey sweater.
One sleeve done, the second started. This picture was kind of hard to take because it's a raglan sweater, and...well, it looks like poo right now. It is pieces of string made into fabric bits. Not much to look at, but it's going to be reeeeallly cute when it's finished. At least the lamb's ear looks nice.
And it will have snakes on it.
Snake skin socks, from the 6sox group.
Are we sensing a theme here? What is it with me and snake-related knitting lately? I swear to you I didn't plan this.
Anyhow - look! see how they are all done done done!
I was a skosh late in posting the finished picture to the group, but that's okay 'cause I totally got them done.
First on my feet next to the marigolds


And here a shot of them next to a moon flower. Moon flower is the common name for Datura species. Datura, also known as raving nightshade or jimson weed, is very very toxic.

This is not Datura. This plant is a relative to morning glory and it is also called moonflower. It's genus and species is Ipomoea alba. This genus contains over 500 different species, including the ornamental moon flower.

And now, for something completely different. It has nothing to do with snakes. Here are the Husband!socks. Look look! I am on the toe decreases! Thank the immortal Gods, I'm finally on the toe decreases. I will finish them before his birthday on the 11th. Go me!

I rather like this picture. I have another picture that's pretty good next to some purdy flowers, but this one is more...I don't know...appropriate?
These socks are for a big ol' dude. So I took the picture on a dude's truck - you will also note roof construction in the background. These are very dude-related things. Of course, the truck and construction belong to a completely different dude who also wants foot-sweaters. He will have to take that up with his woman. Sorry, Carl, you are one of my best friends in the whole world, but I don't love you enough to make you foot-sweaters. Thanks for the photographic use of the truck, though.