Now with actual Knitting Content

Life is sorting itself out.  I'm not going to write that much about my personal problems here, I have another blog going for that.

I did realise I hadn't posted any knitting content in forever.

 September and October I found myself knitting the kids sweaters.

Cobblestone Pullover for Corwin in Hand-spun Merino/South African Fine

Sweet Poppy Cardigan for Kaylee in hand-spun Organic Merino

I had worked on two sweaters for myself, but both turned out too large for myself :( and since I currently in weight loss mode, I am putting sweater knitting for myself on hold for myself.  Both sweaters are patterns that I love, and will re knit later.

Instead of working on sweaters, I'm working on socks and shawls, and items that will fit me at any size.  Currently on the needles are:

Nightingale  Socks

Escherichia Socks

Silver Bells and Cockle Shells Shawl

But I'll go into more about my knitting projects later (when I'm not at work)

Wow, over two years

Yes, its been over two years since my last blog post. Things have been super crazy in my life. The husband went through nursing school, I worked, the boy child started school, and the girl keeps getting bigger and smarter. And were getting a divorce :( Fuck my life. But I think that starting to blog again will help me as I try to pull my life together. And the Tour de Fleece will be starting tomorrow and I'm excited about that. I have lots of fun spinning planned for the next three weeks. I've been having problems getting photos to come out so (sob)

Field of Dreams, Spunky Club June 2012 Fiber. Shetland, Wants to be spun as a very fine N Ply

Abstract, Spunky Club February 2012 Fiber, Corridale. Will be a 3 ply. Maybe a N ply, not sure.

Chocolate to Aqua gradient, Fiber Optic, Merino Silk. Spinning on my Russian spindle as a very fine lace weight. I will be keeping up with blogging more during the tour. Cyn

Yep, I'm crazy...

I was talking with SamuariKnitter on Twitter yesterday about the baby jacket she was getting ready to knit, as she was finding a replacement pattern for the BSJ. She found something that I had been wanting to knit for a while, and since I have a co-worker who is pregnant and due in the next few weeks, I asked if she was up for a KAL.
Instead of a KAL, she countered a knitting challenge, to see who is done first.

Pattern: b18-25 Jacket in "Fabel" from Drops (what creative names the Drops people have)
Yarn: Knit Picks Imagination in Mermaid Lagoon. I have 2 skeins, and I hope that I will have enough left over to knit a pair of booties.

Rolags of Fibe

Don't get excited. Just need to share with spunky club, and fastest way to get off my blackberry was to email to blog.
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Handspun sweater to be.

I decided that one of my goals this year, to help make me a better spinner, was to try to spin yarn for an entire sweater. While I had goals of buying the yarn for this at fiber fest, and making it a goal for later in the year, two things happened that pushed this goal up to the top of the queue.
The wheel that I bought with my overtime check came with one lb of fiber to spend. Sure it wasn't the pretty pre-dyed stuff that I'm used to, but I put in a call to help to SamuraiKnitter (who has written dye your own tutorials for Knitty), and stocked up on Wiltons food dye and vinegar and made a plan.
This last weekend I dyed the pound of fiber that came with my new wheel (yes, I will get photos of the new wheel up soon). I forgot how much fun it is to dye in the kitchen, and dying fiber is not much different than dying yarn.

Last night was spent predrafting the fiber and rolling it into rolags for spinning, and I might have spun a little of the fiber. I think I have my first hand spun sweater started.

I fell inlove with Amy King's Tappan Zee pattern in the Spring Knitty, and decided to take the plunge. While I would love to have splurged on some of Amy's hand dyed Merino/Bamboo, I have to make due with what I have.

I'm hoping for a longer post tomorrow or Saturday.

Oh Dear neglected blog...

The crazy times at work are over, so I can start to give you back some of the attention that you deserve.

Months have passed since I have last had time for decent post. I've had a laptop break, and been upgraded. I've workd tons of overtime at work, and I've spent time at both Old Grouchy, my pre-WWII Lithuanian wheel, and my spindles.

The Ravolympics were last month, and I did manage to do one of the projects that I had planned, to spin and knit an entire shawl. The camera portion of my BlackBerry was dirty at the time, so I don't have any good photos, I need to re-take pics of the finished shawl. I spun the thinnest that I remember ever spinning in my life. The yarn wound up cobweb weight, and I left the Merino/Bamboo blend as singles. I could have made a two ply and kept it as in the laceweight category. I still have a large portion of the yarn yet, which I'm thinking of plying back upon itself to make it a two ply.

I've also started another mystery shawl. I know, I know, but I never finish them. I always get a late start, and fall behind, make a mistake, and never finish them. But I'm trying hard this time. Its the Evenstar Mystery KAL, designed by Susan Pandorf, who does such wonderful and complex shawls. I know, I've started (but not finished) a few. I'm using some of the Alpaca Silk lace yarn that Steve got me for Christmas years ago, the same yarn and color that I knit Aeolin with last year. So far so good. I'm only 6 rows from being done with the current clue, but there are over 520 stitches each row at this point, and I need to switch over to a longer circular needle.

Also on the needles right now I have Citron. When the issue came out in December, I didn't see the appeal of this shawlett. Well, besides the yarn it was knit from Mmmmm. But since I've been spinning, I have odd amounts of handspun yarns in small amounts of heavylace/light fingerling that I need to use up, and I'm unofficially participating in the 10 shawls in 2010 knit-along.

One good thing about all the overtime that I have had to work over the last 3 months is that they decided (for once) to pay us out for our time, as opposed to having us bank it in comp time. I wound up with enough money to upgrade my wheel. I am now the proud owner of an Ashford Kiwi, which arrived last night, and is sitting in pieces in the living room waiting until I can stein the wood and paint the wheel part.

Jan Spunky Club Fiber

Pomegranate. No idea how I'm going to spin this yet
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Spinning, and Knitting, and other stuff

There's been a whole lot of spinning going on around here lately, and not much blogging.

I finally finished spinning the Midnight in the Meadows Falkland that I got back in May for Mothers day. I've wound up with about 500 yards of a heavy lace, light fingerling weight yarn. The color is really a bit muddier than the photos show, but I've already cast on for Haruni.



My awsome mother-in-law got me a subscriptin to the Spunkey Club for Christmas, and I've already spun my way through the first fiber. The December fiber is Wensledayle, and it was the first time I spun this fiber. It was a dream to spin, I did most of the singles in one day, and plyed it one night after work




I wound up with about 250 yards of a light fingerling/sportish weight yarn, and cast on for Abby




I've still been working on the Merino/Silk blend from All Spun up that I got for my birthday. I'm about 1/4 through the bump and loving every moment of spinning this. I think I'll get around 800 yards, which will be enough for a good sized shawl.

The Ravelympics are getting ready to start next month, and I've been trying to decide which event (s) I want to attempt. Defentely something spinning and/or lace related. I've been thinking of:
Fleece to FO Long-Track eventfleece (Start with fleece or roving and create a finished object)- Spinning a single out of some merino/bamboo blend (or the Jan Spunky club fiber) and knitting a small shawlett.
Flying Camel Spin eventflyingcamel (Just spinning…lots and lots of spinning)- for spindle spinning some silk which is in stash, and might be able to double enter the Fleece to FO spinning
Lace Luge eventlaceluge (Lace patterns and laceweight yarns), enter the Fleece to FO knitting portion.

A Golding Christmas

And birthday fibers
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Silvester

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Beck Take Two

With the "Fit" part of the blog being next to non-existant, I think it will really help me by remembering to mention it from time time.

Grr- I'm disgusted with myself currently. After saying for a year that I needed to get back on track, here I am, near the end of 2009 and 25 lbs heaver than I was when we started this year.

And I feel it this time. I am huffing and puffing as I climb stairs, and I'm too young to be feeling this cruddy.

So I decided to go ahead and buy the Beck Diet Solution workbook (I had checked out the book from the library last year and liked it, but didn't implicate all the changes last year)

I think this, with Turbo Jam for cardio, ChaLean for strength training, and Weight Watchers for eating guidelines will help me.