Socks Again, I'm Happy To Say :)

Since the finishing of the sets of Cat Hats and Mitts, I have been sick as a dog. What a great reason to cast on a new project! I have been fussing about what yarn to use for the socks I have decided to make from the Sock Knitter's Anonymous group that I *barely* belong to. I choose not to participate in the forums for purely personal reasons. I have lots to share in chats such as these, however, I have worked very hard to keep my internet wasting browsing time to a minimum. This means on and off Ravelry and other *OMG I've been here for two hours!* websites. As for the wonderful contests that go along with being part of that group... Well let's just say I don't knit fast enough and/or don't want to try to knit fast enough to guarantee that my projects will be done in time and posted for the deadline that goes with the contests. The group however is marvellous! The ideas for each month's theme are very inspiring. This is where I was inspired to do the January Mystery Sock pattern, called Bláthnat (free pattern on ravelry)
 I really do enjoy Mystery Patterns. Usually the clues occur at a regular interval, in this case once a week. Each week you get a part of the pattern, the clue, that builds on the last part you received. There (usually) are no pictures, so if you need to see a picture to knit it, this is not for you. And you don't know ahead of time what it will look like, and sometimes not even what it will be when it's done! This one however is a sock. The designer usually will give you a list of supplies needed to complete the project and sometimes also a hint or two. In this case, the Irish designer suggested to use a solid or semi solid yarn so as not to obscure the stitch pattern! BINGO! It's LACE! What better do I need while I am sick, to keep me down and mending, but a juicy bit of lace to knit! I finally decided on a solid green yarn from my yarn stash for this Irish design and went to town knitting like crazy while being cozy in the big black chair, and covered in my Husby's afghan. (Crocheted a number of years ago for him by me) My companions, a wastepaper basket and several boxes of Kleenex, were quiet and respectful of the fact that I do indeed need to count stitches every once in a while. It snowed some on and off during the week and a half I was flu-ey as well as miserable with my cold and I could watch it through the big window from where I sat. I spent as much time as I could enjoying the peace and quiet, the soothing rhythmic click of the knitting needles, and the flow of sock yarn through my fingers, as my socks started to take shape. I'm not quite finished them yet, almost at the toe of one, and working down the foot of the other, but soon they will be done. What a great way to convalesce if not in being able to dabble in the hobby you love.

Finished Something!

Black Tabby Cat Set
welsh sheep wool/black alpaca/silk

So I have a couple knit fo's (finished objects). I haven't been able to say that in quite a while! I am excited to knit again. I haven't been able to say that in quite a while either! This bout with a bad cold, had kept me very house bound and I have been taking advantage of that by knitting as much as I can. I started a triple dose of kitty earflap hat and mitts sets that have now been completed. My learning and growing experiment in blending my fibres, spinning the yarn, and knitting the projects, to my specs was very rewarding. All recipient's as well as the creator, myself, were very satisfied with the finish products. Finished are Daughter's Black Cat set, Other Daughter's Hello Kitty set, and Son's GF's Grey Tabby Cat set.

 I don't have all the pictures yet but I do have permission from Other Daughter to post the one of her wearing her Hello Kitty set. :)

Other Daughter modelling her Hello Kitty Set
wool/white alpaca/silk

Another Busy Weekend

The weekends are the best time of all. For example, at this exact moment in time, my two wonderful, well mostly wonderful, grandchildren are here beside me, one older boy, and one a bit younger girl, is giving and complaining about getting the worst thing there is in the world for a child. COOTIES! Specifically BOY COOTIES! and giggling madly. You do know they fight at home and yes they fight here too. They are brother and sister, and what else are brother and sisters to do with themselves if not fight? I am enjoying the noise now from the other room as I wind down for the evening. Dinner and dishes are done and soon it will be pajama time. I am so looking forward to that! My  pajamas I mean! Oh and the kids too of course LOL. I was up early again, no sleeping in for me today. I had the most wonderful, enjoyable, and educational morning that I've had in a long time. Spinning class called Wrap It Up with Jillian Moreno ( of Knittyspin fame) We learned several different ways to work with cores and wraps, using several different cores and several differently prepared fibres for the wraps. I have several mini skeins of Corespun yarn that if very HORRIBLY made! BUT! I learned so much and just need more practice. I plan to practice soon and try to get it where I am producing some fun and exciting corespun yarns before too long. At least I hope so. I have spent way to long away from my wheel. After the class, I needed to pay for my class. There was a huge line up at the cash register of other knitters and spinners needing to  do the same as me. I wasn't in much of a mood to be patient in a long line up however, so I was forced *shudder* to browse and shop the yarn store! I am very pleased to say, I came away like a happy bunny with one one but two of the hugely coveted and desperately craved varieties of ORANGE sock yarn. Doesn't everyone NEED to have bright orange handknit socks? I know I do! 


Here we have Trekking XXL colourway 487

Here we have Spud and Chloe Fine Sock in colourway 7802. 

OOOOOOOO...... AHHHHH..... ORANGE! 

You know orange is the new green right... ???

I'm dealing with my head, or trying to...

The weather is constantly changing here it seems. Mid November is usually leaning a little more toward the winter type weather but it keeps getting mild again. Don't get me wrong, I am so NOT a winter fan, and I am really NOT trying to encourage it along. Problem is unsettled weather unsettles my body aches and pains. It makes me more in the mood to relax with a heating pad in front of the tv instead of the up and down's of sewing and quilting. Since I am trying to concentrate on quilting projects that need to be done, it makes for an interesting conflict between my head and the rest of my body. In the project I am currently working on, I am at the point of semi-constructed. In this project, I need to do a lot of the work before I can see the results of that work. It's not an overly large time eater the way the last pieced project was, but it's not instant gratification either! The way I've been feeling, with the aches and pains pretty much constant, I find I am second guessing the whole concept of what I thought was going to be a totally awesome project... I know, 'Stop Thinking Lyz!' LOL I think thinking is my worst enemy. No worries though I am going to slog it through, if it comes to having to slog it (but I don't think I will) What can I say, I just want to see the finished product NOW! long before it's finished!
 
 

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Speechless

Or would that be tongue tied? It sounded like a great idea yesterday, to take up my blog and be faithful again. Today, however I already don't have words to fill the space! It's been a long time since the last time I blogged. I don't really want to play catch up. That seems so yesterday! and I know in the course of regular writings a lot of it will come out anyways. What was today like? Yes lets stick with the present. Work of course. After that a dentist appointment. Only for a cleaning but it put my feet to shaking in my boots! Fortunately, I have learned how to not shake all over just for a cleaning, I save that nifty trick for fillings and more major work. Not to be outdone by the dentist, the Cable guy came and fixed my almost two week long battle over one little tv that didn't want to work right. Seems my fixitup was the correct, however and the Cable guy simply, after checking out everything inside and out, changed the cable box to another one! Imagine that! I already did that once... It took three cable boxes to find a good one that worked! Shall I tell you what I think of refurbished cable boxes? Ok nevermind, you get the idea. On to my free time tonight! I spend some time on the computer doing some relaxing fun stuff and then spent a couple hours sewing. I have started quilting about a year, maybe a bit more, ago. I really enjoy it! But why wouldn't I? I learned to sew when I was a girl so it's like going back to my roots. The present project is not too far in and I'm not sure where it's going yet. I have a plan for it but who knows if it will turn out the way I am planning now. Is it not my prerogative as a female to change my mind whenever the mood suits me?

For now however, it's time to pack it in for the night. Morning comes awful early when I am on this shift. 

In the mean time, for your viewing pleasure, and my experimenting with email blog posts, a  Kenaf flower. The stalks that grow these pretty flowers can be dried and used for spinning. 

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Just Testing

Due to my lack of geekiness, I have to test this to see if it works. Thanks to my best friend, who happens to be overflowing with geekiness and doesn't mind sharing, I feel confident it will actually post to my blog!


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A New Day

A friend is trying very hard and pretty much succeeding at returning to her blog and doing it faithfully every day. I have enjoyed reading about all of her exploits, even though I get a 'more' than daily report on it all. We are best friends. I get the nitty and the gritty as well as all the details ! I wouldn't have it any other way! Having said that, however, I have to admit, it's fun, and sometimes educational, to read her blog and get the 'public' view point. I think I know what's coming when I read her blog, because I have already been there, done that... right? ... Well not really. She always manages to entertain, and/or surprise me with some details or bits of story that I wasn't anticipating. She comments sometimes that journaling her 'boring' life, as she feels it is sometimes, is just that... boring... I tell her that her posts are enjoyable, because that is what they are. I am seeing first hand through someone else's eyes, their life, and realize that it's time again for me to see my life through someone else's eyes too.. those of the blogger! I can't say I am going to be faithful to my blog, but I can try. I can't say I am going to post award winning writings, but I can try! LOL I guarantee it will be from it! I can again write about my mundane and boring life, as I see it sometimes, but not to a journal, or diary as many people see blogs as being, but written to a public domain. I will therefore try to take the boring and mundane out of *my* life and see it through other eyes. This, will be an excursive in a change of attitude, outlook and lots of positive thinking. How well I will do with this, I don't know but, I can try....

not kitting- what's with that?

It's been a busy time even though i haven't been knitting.

but i still love the sheep!

I just had to share...

First of all let's just say that fishing in the rain

Drove us just a little 'Loon'ie!

Seriously though....

Isn't it just too pretty for words? I just had to share. Sunset last night over Berford Lake on the Bruce Peninsula. *big sigh*

(scroll all the way to the bottom, I saved the best for last)

I've Finally Managed To Do It Right! Sock Blanks and Pictures Too

A blog and blog pics all in one post! How did I manage that? Here it is though, a few weeks late but in all it's glory, World Wide Knit In Public Day post.

The World Wide Knit in Public festivities on Saturday June 13, were a lot of fun. I was in New Hamburg with my knitting buddies at Shall We Knit for the morning and half the afternoon. There was quite a bit of Breast Cancer fund raising going on, with a silent auction, which I I didn't win on the items I bid on. The Big Pink Knitting Needles Contest, in which teams of 3 knitters get sponsors and try to knit as many stitches as they can in a certain amount of time using the famous crowd stopping Big Pink 6 ft. long Knitting Needles. I didn't participate in that but it was a hoot to watch! Drawing a Blank, with proceeds being donated, was a sock blank dyeing activity. I signed up for two sock blanks, one for myself and one for my daughter. I decided to do mine in a semi-solid dye job, or at least try to, because I am always so attracted to bright and colourful, wild even sock yarns and I love the new Sock Innovation book by Cookie A. that I got a few weeks ago. The socks in that book are all textured and more suited to a solid/semi-solid sock yarn. I have a lot of wild colourful sock yarn in my stash that just isn't appropriate for all the wonderful texture in Cookie's designs. This one is my blue semi-solid sock blank


My daughter just went to town with coloured dye, applying it willy-nilly as the impulse struck.

Didn't we do an awsome job? and it was way too much fun! We will definately be doing this again.

As the Swatch Lies

I swatched last night after I got home from work. I was using the 3.25mm circ that the pattern told me to use. It turned out too big, quite a bit too big. I had a 2.75mm circ as well, that the pattern said is supposed to be the smaller needle for the ribbing, and so I decided to change to the 2.75mm circ and swatch. 

I knit one row onto one end of the 2.75mm circ. I started on the purl row using the other end of the circ and about 2/3 the way across the row, I felt something catching on the yarn. I scootched the yarn down the needle a bit and purled a few more stitches and there goes that catchy, catchy again. I don't like it when good yarn catches because it could be ruining the yarn. I wiggled the stitches over a bit to have a look and low and behold I was dumbfounded. 

The bamboo needle on the one end of the circ, had been snapped previously and taped together with scotch tape and put back in it's pouch!!! Me??? I didn't do that! I'm sure I didn't do that! Just because I have imposed a self-banning on bamboo circ's thinner than 3.5mm for myself, because I tend to snap them, doesn't mean I did this to my 2.75! I just know it couldn't have been me! 

I looked for another and didn't find one. Hmmm.. seems I have a good reason to visit my LYS asap! (like I need a reason LOL) 

I found some straights I haven't used in a long time. I used to do baby things on these years ago, they are old English plastic needles I inherited from my Grandmother and/or Great Aunt. And I love them! It felt so good to use these needles again. I successfully swatched with the red #10's (3mm) and pulled out the white #11's (2.5mm) for the ribbing. I cast on, worked my ribbing, and into the striped body of the little boy's vest from Rowan Purelife, The Organic Cotton Kids Collection am doing as a store sample. I make it up 4.5 inches and have my ribbing and all the striped part done. The knitting looks very nice to me, and although I had my doubts about the colour choice when I put the red and the brown together, it's all playing nice now. I do think that because of the colour choice that the finished vest will be more suited to a girl than a boy, but since it is a store sample gender isn't going to make or break the garment. 

At this point I thought to stop to double check my gauge. This is when I discovered my swatch was lying to me. The width of the back of the vest was one inch too small!!! Go figure! 

It is now on hold awaiting my new 2.75mm circ this weekend so I can re-cast on the ribbing and have another go. In the mean time, it is the Cable-Edged Vest by Sally Melville from Mother - Daughter Knits in burgundy Zara, another store sample. It looks like a very interesting design and will be fun to knit. The yarn is totally yummy too! (I need to get some in my stash muhaha...)

I love to play with new yarns and patterns. Isn't this so much fun?

Backbuster Yesterday

Yes, I know it's not Tuesday anymore, and yes, I know I am not posting pics again, but too bad suck it up! (now I know why no one reads my blog! LOL)

This was from yesterday but lazy me is just getting around to post it now.....

I have spent a goodly bit of today trying to beat the fact that life is getting in the way and staying strong and true to my knitting goal for the day. That goal is finishing the back of the Ballooomin' Cardi, hence I have named today Backbusting Tuesday.

I started off well with a whole pattern repeat with my morning coffee. Most people would have a piece of toast or a muffin but not a knitter, or at least not this knitter! A coffee and a repeat then on to a few things that needed me, then back to my knitting. A simple enough plan one would think. Well I think that I was the only one who thought this plan was solid. I was sidetracked when my daughter and granddaughter came over to make bread and do laundry, a few calls to Mom and other assorted tidbits of knitting time abusing activities occurred, and it was after lunch before I knew it. I rushed to my chair and picked up my needles and did a couple more rows. Wonderful, but not enough to finish. I headed out early, well, I tried to head out early thinking that I could manage a couple more rows at All Strung Out the LYS that's near my work, before I had to go to work. Well my early wasn't early enough and I only had enough time to arrange to get some merino and silk fibre drum carded and quickly visit with and pet all the glorious yarns on the shelf. Then a rush to work, flying in the door with just minutes to spare. See I wasn't late for work after all! 

I have my breaks coming up and not that many rows to go was all I could think as I sat at my desk and started in on the emails of the day, hoping for a nice quiet evening without too many problems for me to solve, after all I was wanting to concentrate on keeping my knitting mojo strong). Well as life always happens, I was fairly busy all night, but I did knit during breaks. I didn't quite get finished though. I am home now, tired, and am going straight to bed. 

I will finish the last TWO shoulder decrease rows in the morning... night, night. 

 

Life As It Happens

Me thinks me gets too caught up in life as it happens. How do you balance the two? Knitting/Life.... Life/Knitting. Is there a balance? or do we all just go with the flow? I have been very guilty (is there a state more guilty than guilty?) of living my blogging life through the blogs of others. 

Yes I am lazy. 

It's so much easier to just pick up the needles, or sit in front of the wheel, instead of having to think creatively and write out a blog entry. I have so much to blog about since the last time, where in the world do I start? The knitting, the spinning, the workshops, classes, fun events with knitterly friends? Is there any rhyme or reason to it all? All the little treasured moments are all packed inside my memories and then mish-mashed around by life as if it was a high-speed blender inside my head. 

I have a bunch of pictures on my camera waiting to uploaded to my computer. 

I have some FO's that are waiting to be bragged about. 

I have spinning projects and cast on's as well. 

They are all neglected in print as I continue to let life just lead me along.

Suffice to say that I will not try to catch up my cyber life with reality. (yes I can still tell the difference, isn't that amazing?) I will instead try to highlight some glimpses into my memory with bits and bites of things past as so I get inspired to. In other words, I am going to try (really hard trying) to blog often over the next while, before I explode from keeping it all in.

 

Topic for today, Current Events.

Today was Monday Knit and Chat at Starbucks. Yes, I actually went today, on a Monday. I don't often, but I felt the need for a good cuppa coffee and a bit of knitting. (Friday's K&C was a well needed social event for me, with a whole 7? or was it 9 or 10? stitches accomplished in the 4 or 5 hours I spent at Starbucks that day.) I managed several rows on my Baaaloooomin' Cardi (Interweave Knits Winter 2008 cover choice). I am so happy to be back working on it. I had put it on hold for a few months to work on other more prioritized projects. I am almost finished the back now and I KNOW I  am going to wear this sweater tons. I am totally in love with the yarn. (I weally heart it). It's Cascade EcoWool in black umm.. oops... in colour #8095/! and I can see myself using this yarn again, and probably again too. 

Hmm... what projects can I plan for more Ecowool??? 

Oh wait... I am trying to stick to my self imposed yarn diet. I have cotton that I want to knit. remember the mantra... I need to knit summer cotton tops.... I need to knit summer cotton tops.... I need to.... Oh crap forget it, I know I am going to knit whatever inspires me at the moment.

P.S. Gessh, isn't this boring with no pics??? Maybe tomorrow....

 

Isn't it just Wonderful?

So now everything is dry and not felted. 

It has been re-skiened and braided. (yup I figured it out) 

I am pleased and so is my grand-daughter. (now renamed Laughaholic as I see from her brand new membership to Ravelry) 

Here's the promised pics of the finished dye job. Yarn and Fibre look great! I on the other hand still have grey roots! (Should have done my hair while I was at it!)

The first pic is Laughaholic's first handspun. Not a bad job of it I think. Looks better than my first did! The second pic is the blue one with beads. It has already been cast on. She has decided to make a lacy scarf from it. The third pic is her  handpainted skein. 

      

                                                       

                                                    

See the big smile on her face. 

These ones are mine.....

     

First pic is two ply Shetland laceweight/fingering, the second pic is about a worsted weight three ply

The third and fourth pic, below, are before and after pics of what used to be grey Icelandic wool rovings. Notice it's not grey anymore!   :D

      

 

Then we have the rovings.

Pic one, two and three, quite self explanatory. 

Beautiful? 

Ithinkso.

    

Dye Day What Fun

We survived! Tick-Tick, my eldest granddaughter of 13 yrs (who insessantly drives me insane with the constant tick-tick of the keyboard as she chats constantly on messenger with her friends) , is slightly green and blue in several spots, and I even have a tinge of off colour on my hands too, but we had a blast!

I found all the natural handspun I had hanging around the house including the first practicing at beaded yarn and a skein of somewhat dark grey Icelandic Wool yarn I had spun.

Tick-Tick had her skein of 'First Handspun' to dye as well. I also decided to throw in some natural off white rovings as I had 4 kg of it before I starting spinning, aka playing with it and my wheel.

We went to Michael's Craft Store on Thursday night and Tick-Tick picked out 5 colours of Wilton Food Colour to use in our dying. We had Sky Blue, Juniper Green, Teal, Orange, and Buttercup Yellow. I am so glad the the local grocer's was sold out of McCormick's Neon Food Colouring! (Neon yarn is not my cup of tea)

We re-skeined the yarn that needed reskeining, put it all in a vinegar bath. I cleaned up the kitchen a bit and got the dye ready in it's squeezee bottles.

Then we went at it. We hand painted the off white skeins, including the beaded one, and two batches of wool rovings, wrapped them in Saran Wrap and steamed them on the stove to set the colour. 

I put one batch of wool rovings in the crock pot and when it was all hot and steamy I added three colours of dye to the crock pot and let it cook for a couple of hours.

The dark grey skein was an experiment to see if it would over-dye. I tried handpainting it and though you could see there was other colour added to it, it still looked grey. We left it till last and decided to try a dye bath for it with a microwave chaser. We chose teal as the dye colour. I make a strong teal bath, put in the grey yarn to soak, then nuked it for two minutes at a time until it had exhausted noticably some of the dye. At that point the dye water was much lighter teal than when we started. I took it out of the microwave to cool and as it cooled, it took up even more dye. After much cooling when it was good and warm instead of still hot I noticed the water was almost clear with very little dye colour left in the water! I was amazed! My grey yarn was now a deep greenish teal and I am extremely pleased with the colour. Truly amazing I say! I am so glad I tried this, and as I have more of the grey Icelandic wool to spin I can guarantee that I will be making more of this colour.

More to come after it dries but the bottom line is, we had a ball with it all, lots got dyed, none got felted and we are very happy with the results of our labours. Next time, it will be McCormick' NEON! (please help me!!!)

And now it be Silk

Specifically, hand dyed Tussah Silk by Libertina Yarns bought at All Strung Out in Guelph On. After spinning two braids of singles I am now wondering if I will ever spin anything but silk again. Oh it is so lovely and soft and cushy and heavenly and beautiful, oh excuse me, am I gushing? I plan to ply it for a resulting DK weight 2 ply. The braids have spun nicely, giving me generous yardage. I will measure the metres after I ply though.

 

 I am hoping to pop over to the store tonight and show the resident dye master the singles with my comments and hopes that more can be dyed to match what I already have. If I get enough yardage, I am going to make a light spring/summer camisole or tank top for me! 

Are the Knitting Fates Pulling my Leg?

I am happy again. Enjoying my knitting. LOVING my knitting. Flying through the cutest little tiny girly baby vest in the world. The MOJO has come back, I am sure of it. the 2 skeins of Filatura Di Crosa Maxime Print Soft Socks, colourway 5072 has me thoroughly enchanted and inspired again.It has grey in it. It will be for my Husby's replacement grey socks. ( to replace the socks I made for him that I gave away to his cousin on finishing them last summer)

I am truly inspired to knit my current projects and am excited to start a pair of socks again. 

Had I written this post yesterday, that is what it would have said.

Today, the knitting fates are kicking my arse. They have been playing me for a fool. They bumped me up a few notches just to drop me down and crush me yet again. Ok, yes I agree, that is what they do best. I admit it. I totally and absolutely bow in their presence and acquiescent in the  magnitude of their power.

What's up you ask? Well it's that cute little baby vest. I started the front last night, knit the ribbing, and worked up to the armholes this morning. Totally forgot, in my excitement over the beautiful work I was managing to get done, that I didn't change needles after the ribbing. And YES I needed to. Rib is on a 3.25mm, body of vest is on a 4.0mm. Major gauge difference between front and back that resulted in a complete frogging back to the ribbing.  

The Knitting Fates are still batting 1000.

My arse has been well kicked.

P.S. I think I will go cast on those socks. Lets see how badly I can screw them up! 

Good, Good Blogger (for a change)

I am patting myself on the back because in a timely fashion, for a change, I have some pics to post. Not too much to say though, I am tired. Knitting all day at Knit and Chat can do that.

        I have finished the sample Baby Sweater and matching Socks for my LYS, Shall We Knit  It is a nice lace pattern with short sleeves knit using Shepherd Baby Velvet DK. Matching socks make a nice touch. 

The spinning is coming along very well. I have spun a nice cushy soft skein of what I am now calling my Vampire Yarn. I got three batts of yummy hand dyed, fibre from All Strung Out My other LYS.

The colourway is called Real Vampires Don't Sparkle by Libertina Yarns. It is 65% wool/ 35% silk/ and a little bit of vampire sparkle. Very awesome! I loved it the second I saw it.

                                      

                      

Nice huh?

    

lost the interesting?

Oh knitting mojo,
Oh where did you go?
I thought you were back on the weekend.

You played me, and teased me, and led me along,
and what did I find?
that you were still gone!
:(

I even WANT to knit, and I am not making mistakes, I just can't get the interest going! What's with this? There are so many wonderful things on my to knit list that I can't wait to start, oh, and finish the ones already started. The baby sweater is finished. Yes pics to come. And the baby socks are started. Sock one is at the toe. I keep picking it up and feeling how soft it is, admiring how darn cute it is, ooooo'ing and ahhhh'ing in wonder at it's tiny size... but then I just put it back in it's baggie and NOT knit on it. It's so not me! Geesh!

I have however got the spins. I took pics last week of the 'Real Vampires Don't Sparkle' colourway of the hand dyed hand carded batts made at All Strung Out . I have not however uploaded them from my card to my puter. I have finished spinning all 3 batts into yarn. I used a thin singles and a thick/thin singles (that was supposed to be a thick singles, but hey as a still somewhat beginner, I am still winging it aren't I). I went with my knitting buddy to the All Strung Out Sunday afternoon spin in and worked on the plying. I plied the two singles together haphazardly without a care in the world. I wanted it to look the way I wanted it to look and went for it totally and relentlessly ignoring (on purpose) the fact that I was supposed to check for a balanced yarn. Ya man! It looked good, it plied good, and it felt good. Instincts prevailed and when all was said and done, and the yarn was skeined up, THE YARN WAS TOTALLY BALANCED! I am now the owner of 150 m of luscious, soft, cushy, wonderful chunky Vampire Sparkle Yarn. and did I say I totally LOVE the results?

Having finished my Vampire Sparkle Yarn, and planning to spin more of the Blue Fusion to make matching mitts to go with my Moebius (which is now finished and I love) I went over to the fibre shelves of the store and gave in to my cravings for hand dyed silk. So beautiful, so wonderfully soft and silky, 100% hand dyed silk rovings started turning into gorgeous silky singles on my bobbin before long.
Oh and by the way, don't forget to charge me for the silk on my wheel!

Simply a Rant

baby sweater (as pictured in previous post). both fronts done up to almost the armholes, you know all the lace part (go figure right?) mistaken in the patt and frogged halfway back to the start. I am now doing much needed and very overdue housework. Does that mean something?